Sekrit Project, sekrit no longer - Dead But Not Forgotten.

 

Woot! Sekrit Project, sekrit no longer! *Pops Bubbly* I'm thrilled and honoured and excited to be part of this wonderful anthology. It's filled with fab stories by lots of my fav authors - just look at that stellar line-up below - and, even more exciting, the stories are all about Charlaine Harris' (one of my writerly heroes!) amazing characters from her FANG-TASTIC Sookie Stackhouse books.

My story is about Luna Garza, werebat, and I was over the moon (sorry, couldn't resist *g*) when I was asked to contribute. I adore the Sookie Stackhouse world and it was super fun* playing in one of my all time favourite author's literary sandbox. It's also been a true honour and I'm grateful to Charlaine for asking me to do so. I hope I've done both her and Luna proud. :-)


Now, if you thought it couldn't get any better, just look at that AWESOME cover by Lisa Desmini!

And here (from the press release) is that stellar line-up of fab authors and the stories they've written about Charlaine's amazing characters! This is one anthology I can't wait to hear/read! (even if I wasn't in it *g*)

Charlaine Harris' smash-hit Sookie Stackhouse series may have reached its conclusion, but the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, lives on in this all-new collection of 15 stories. Written by a killer lineup of authors, including New York Timesbest-sellers Rachel Caine, MaryJanice Davidson, Jonathan Maberry and Seanan McGuire, and with introductions read by Charlaine herself, Dead but Not Forgotten puts your favorite characters center stage.

The stories included in Dead but Not Forgotten are:
"Nobody's Business" by Rachel Caine (featuring Kevin Pryor & Kenya Jones)
"Tyger, Tyger" by Christopher Golden (featuring Quinn)
"The Real Santa Claus" by Leigh Perry (featuring Diantha)
"Taproot" by Jeffrey J. Mariotte (featuring Andy Bellefleur)
"Knit a Sweater Out of Sky" by Seanan McGuire (featuring Amelia)
"Love Story" by Jeanne C. Stein (featuring Adele Hale Stackhouse)
"The Million-Dollar Hunt" by Jonathan Maberry (featuring Mustapha Khan)
"Borderline Dead" by Nicole Peeler (featuring Desiree Dumas)
"Extreme Makeover Vamp Edition" by Leigh Evans (featuring Bev & Todd)
"Don't Be Cruel" by Bill Crider (featuring Bubba)
"What a Dream I Had" by Nancy Holder (featuring Alcide Herveaux)
"Another Dead Fairy" by Miranda James (featuring Claude & Claudia Crane)
"The Bat-Signal" by Suzanne McLeod (featuring Luna)
"The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars" by Dana Cameron (featuring Pam Ravenscroft)
"Widower's Walk" by MaryJanice Davidson (featuring Eric Northman)

Dead But Not Forgotten is narrated by Johanna Parker, the longtime voice of the Sookie Stackhouse audiobooks, with introductions read by Charlaine Harris, and was edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.

Dead But Not Forgotten releases on May 13, 2014 through Audible - pre-order link is here. 

There's going to be a hardcover version released on Nov. 25, 2014, too. Cover right ---> :-)

Full press release in the Wall Street Journal here. (!!! *g*)


*Also, super-scary, nerve-wracking, but ultimately a fantastic challenge! I learned a lot about my craft writing Luna's story, and among other things, I now know a lot more about bats and Louisiana than I ever did before :-D

Giveaway: Vampires: The Recent Undead - Charlaine Harris et al

This week is # 9 of my 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the releases of The Bitter Seed of Magic (out now UK!) and The Cold Kiss of Death(US edition out 26th April), and I'm giving away Vampires: The Recent Undead.  So, I thought it only appropriate that we talk about them :-D Giveaway now closed!

Whether we like our vampires sexy, scary, sparkly, or all three together, there're so many of them about now that if we're a fan of the fang, then we can always find a vamp to suit us. Not that there's anything new about vampires, since entities that survive by consuming the lifeblood of humans are in almost every mythological culture in the world.

And with so many myths and legends to choose from, it makes it both easy and difficult when you're an author wanting to invent your own fictional history of how vamps have come about.

So when it came to building my own vampire origins story for my Spellcrackers books, I decided to add a good dash of Greek myth into my bloodsuckers :-).

Here, in Genny's own words, is how it all came about, and why the ritual for changing a mortal human to immortal bloodsucker in Genny's world is called 'Accepting the Gift':

'According to myth, the original Gift was the Gorgon’s blood, given by Athena to Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, to help him in his work. Then Asclepius started raising people from the dead, and Zeus took exception, as überGods do, and killed him with a thunderbolt. The sun god Apollo, Asclepius’s dad, wasn’t too happy either, and he set about rectifying his son’s mistakes by burning the undead to a crisp whenever he could find them. Even so, most feel that drinking blood, staying out of storms and doing without the suntan are easy enough sacrifices to make if it means they might hit the immortality jackpot in the game of vampire roulette.' Extract : chapter 3 - The Sweet Scent of Blood - Spellcrackers #1

Of course, one of the fun things for me as a reader, is seeing what everyone else comes up with when they're writing about vamps. Which leads me on to this week's giveaway -Vampires: The Recent Undead - an anthology packed full of tales about those of the fanged persuasion, with stories by lots of my favourite authors like Charlaine Harris, Kelly Armstrong, Holly Black, Rachel Caine, Carrie Vaughn and many more! I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one *g*

And if you want a chance to win it, then leave a comment telling me your favourite vampire myth (real or fictional), or whether your choice is for sexy, scary, sparkly, or some other kind of vamp! As for me, I'm happy so long as they don't eat food, and stick to an iron-rich liquid diet! *g*

How to enter:

Leave a comment with your fav vampire myth, or your fav type of vampire.

Please leave a way to contact you (email in comment: Please remember to replace @ with [at] to forestall spam - or your twitter name - no way to contact you - no entry).

Giveaway is international and closes end of day (GMT time) 17th March 2011

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

And don't forget to check out the Giveaway Schedule here. And so you don't miss out on a chance of winning any of the wonderful books in the coming weeks, why not follow me? (following is not a condition of entry).

Please note: My usual blog policy is that I try to reply to all comments on the blog, but for ease of admin I won't be replying to any comments made on any of the giveaway posts during the 16 weeks. Sorry, but it makes it much harder to sort out the winner. However I do read and enjoy all the comments, and will, of course, continue to reply to comments on any other post, so if you have a question for me, leave it on one of those, thank you :-)

All book links lead to Amazon (UK/US) or the Book Depository, and contain affiliate links. I've decided to go affiliate as I love giving books away (and not just as a way of shameless self-promo), but boy does it get expensive.

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Giveaway - Unseen (Outcast #3) – Rachel Caine

Yay! We're now at week 2 of 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the release of

The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3 in the UK on 17th Feb (1st time in print)
and

The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers # 2 in the US on 26th April (out now in the UK)



And this week's giveaway is ... 

*Cue Throaty Sound of Motorbike*

Unseen (Outcast # 3)

by the awesome

Rachel Caine

available 1st February US / Feb UK

"Once she was Cassiel, a Djinn of limitless power. Now, she has been reshaped in human flesh as punishment for defying her master—and living among the Weather Wardens, whose power she must tap into regularly or she will die."

This is the third book in Rachel's fantastic Outcast series (a spin-off from her wonderful Weather Warden series) and is about Cassiel, a Djinn turned kick-ass human (or sort of, on the human bit) and hot, sexy Warden Luis Rocha.

I absolutely love all of Rachel's books - this lady is on my must-buy-as-soon-as-available list whatever she writes - and the Outcast series is no exception. And if you were, like me, sad after reading the last Joanne Baldwin book, Total Eclipse, then Cassiel is a great way to get your next Weather Warden World fix *g*.

So what do you have to do to enter? Well, as we're talking about Djinn here, and I think they're a bit over-looked as a supernatural (says the vampire/faerie writer! *g*) - I think we should make an effort to let them out of their bottles. So, either leave me a comment about your favourite book (or TV series/episode/film) featuring a Djinn (or genie). Here's one of mine: I Dream of Jeannie! Or tell me which Djinn is your favourite from Rachel's Weather Warden series!

Now, I wouldn't mind being a Djinn if the inside of the bottles were all like this *g*

So what are you waiting for, go comment! *g*

How to enter:
Leave a comment with your favourite Djinn (or Genie) from a book/TV series/film, or from Rachel's books.

Please leave a way to contact you (email in comment: Please remember to replace @ with [at] to forestall spam - or your twitter name - no way to contact you - no entry).

Giveaway closes end of day (GMT time) 26th Jan 2011


See rest of General terms and rules below.

And don't forget to check out the Giveaway schedule here! And so you don't miss out on a chance of winning any of the wonderful books in the coming weeks, why not follow me? (following is not a condition of entry).


General terms and rules: 

-Giveaways open internationally where The Book Depository delivers.

-Winners will be chosen by Random.org.

-Winners will be contacted by email. If they do not claim their prize within 7 days, the giveaway will be re-drawn.

-If you do not leave an email/twitter name to contact you with your comment, entry is void.

-Emails will not be used for any other purpose.
-Winner's name will be posted at the top of the relevant giveaway post, and in the comments after the closing date.

-Release dates noted in the giveaways are US, unless otherwise stated: winners will be sent either US or UK version of books as delivered by The Book Depository asap after relevant release date.

-you can enter to win even if you've won something from me before.

-Giveaway books are the latest in the authors' series, but I'm happy to substitute an earlier book from the same series if it's available and the winner wants.
-There is no cash alternative. 
-Oh, and anything else I've forgotten :-)

Please note: My blog policy is that I try to reply to all comments on the blog, but for ease of admin I won't be replying to any comments made on any of the giveaway posts during the 16 weeks. Sorry, but it makes it much harder to sort out the winner. I will still continue to reply to comments on any other post :-) 

All links lead to Amazon (merely for ease). Please note: there are other online books stores available. 

x/posted to my LJ: comment here or there - one entry per person.

Spellcrackers Celebration: 16 weeks of Giveaways: Schedule

Yay! In the next couple of months I have TWO books coming out! 

*MEGA HAPPY DANCING*

The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3 is released into all good bricks and mortar book stores and online* in the UK on 17th February (first time in print)

The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers # 2 is released into all good bricks and mortar book stores and online in the US on 26th April (already avail in the UK)

To celebrate I'm holding weekly** giveaways of some of my fav authors***, and in the spirit of being organized (O_o) as per my New Year's Resolution, I'm posting the giveaway schedule below.  So, with a chance of winning any of these wonderful books in the offing, why not be organized too , and follow me****.

13th Jan – The Iron Witch – Karen Mahoney (Release date 20th Jan)
20th Jan – Unseen (Outcast #3) – Rachel Caine (1st Feb)
27th Jan – Green Eyed Demon (Sabina Kane #3) – Jaye Wells (22nd Feb)
3rd Feb – The Bitter Seed of Magic(Spellcrackers #3)– Suzanne McLeod (17th Feb UK)
11th Feb – This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5) – Jeaniene Frost (22nd Feb)
18th Feb – Iron Crowned (Dark Swan #3) – Richelle Mead (22nd Feb US)
25th Feb – River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) – Patricia Briggs (1st Mar)
4th Mar – Late Eclipses (October Daye #4) – Seanan McGuire (1st Mar)
11th Mar – Vampires: The Recent Undead – Charlaine Harris, Kelly Armstrong, Holly Black, Rachel Caine & more 15th Mar)
18th Mar – Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) – Jim Butcher (5th April) (Now July 26th)
Ghost Story's release date has been changed, but I hope to have a surprise when this week's giveaway goes live *looks mysterious*
25th Mar – Shady Lady (Corine Solomon #3) – Ann Aguirre (5th April)
1st Apr – Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom #6) – Devon Monk (5th April)
8th Apr   – Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11) – Charlaine Harris (3rd May)
15th Apr – The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers #2)– Suzanne McLeod (26th Apr US)
22nd Apr – Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, #4) – Jennifer Estep (26th April US)
29th Apr – Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) – Ilona Andrews (31st May)

 ETA: Starting dates for giveaways have been moved forward one day (Thursdays weren't working out as the changeover day for me :-( ).


*Giveaways will be posted at some time during the (GMT) date on the left above. 
** Please note: only the book supplied, no actual authors can be won! Giveaway books are the latest in the authors' series, but I'm happy to substitute an earlier book from the same series if the winner wants.
*** Follow at your own risk: not a condition of entry for any giveaway.

General rules:

-Giveaways open internationally where The Book Depository delivers.
-Winners will be chosen by Random.org
-See individual giveaways for specific entry conditions/rules. Heads up: There will be (stunningly easy, or maybe devilishly hard *evil cackle*) questions to answer .
-Release dates are US, unless otherwise stated: winners will be sent either US or UK version of books as delivered by The Book Depository asap after relevant release date.


So, don't forget to check back tomorrow (the 13th) for the details of how you can win
The Iron Witch the wonderful debut novel from the fabulous Karen Mahoney.

*And hopefully the Trade Paperback of The Bitter Seed of Magic should be able to be ordered from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery. Currently it says 'out of stock'. I have asked if they will be stocking it, and am waiting for an answer. I'll keep you posted :-)

All links lead to Amazon (merely for ease). Please note: there are other online books stores available.

Fangs for Morganville : Giveaway

Yay! Less than a month [okay, that's 27 days, 1 hour, 35 minutes and 17 seconds as I write this *g*] until The Cold Kiss of Death :: Spellcrackers.com book 2 :: hits the virtual and real shelves of the book stores, and to continue my celebratory giveaways to help get the word out, here's this weeks contest - Fangs for Morganville!

!!Attention: Fan-Girl moment follows!!

One of my writing heros is Rachel Caine. I love her Weather Warden* books and when I heard she was writing about vampires . . . Well, squeeeeeeee was an understatement :-) Then I read the Morganville Vampires books ... WOW ... I totally love this series :-). Then a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet Rachel [see the Murder One event report by Karen Mahoney here] in person and watch The Lost Boys [one of my fav films] along with her and a wonderful group of her other UK fans. And Rachel is just as lovely and gracious in real life as she is in her virtual one**.

So to say thanks Fangs for the Morganville Vampires and many, many happy reading hours, here's this week's giveaway ...

A copy of Lord of Misrule : Book five, signed by Rachel herself. This is the UK version, which is not only beautiful but glows in the dark!

A copy of Carpe Corpus : Book Six [US cover and sadly not signed by Rachel] that doesn't release in the UK until October '09 [but look at the stunning UK cover it's going to have]

And each book comes with one of these two exclusive Morganville bracelets [raffled by Rachel at the Murder One event and rather less than elegantly modeled on my odd looking limb above ... quite why it looks odd in this photo, I'm not sure, but hey, at least I cleaned the blood off after last week's zombie fest, so it's cool *g*] The top one is leather and embossed with Morganville 'Don't stay out after dark' and fastens with adjustable poppers, the black one is rubber-like and printed with Morganville.

Here's what and how you can win: leave a comment telling me your favourite comfort read and the first commentator drawn by Random.org will win their choice out of Lord of Misrule or Carpe Corpus and their choice of bracelet, plus a signed copy of either The Cold Kiss of Death, or The Sweet Scent of Blood***. Second commentator drawn will win the other book and bracelet. Contest open to all, and ends end of day [anywhere] Thursday 25th June 2009.

I comment = 1 entry

Please help me spread the word about the release of The Cold Kiss of Death and the giveaways with a mention of the giveaway on your blog/live journal/myspace/facebook/twitter/etc [post the link to the mention into the comments again] and win yourself more entries into this week's giveaway :-) 1 link = 1 entry

Which means you could end up with more entries into the metaphorical hat, so what are you waiting for? Get posting and linking!! Good Luck!!

x/posted to my LJ: leave a comment here or there.

* They're my comfort reads when I'm writing :-).
** Rachel is also petite, or at least that's what I thought when I met her, then I saw this photo of us together, and decided either I'd shrunk since last I looked in the mirror, or I'm not as tall as I thought I was LOL!
*** The Serious Bit: Morganville Vampire books are young adult and the main characters are teenagers. My own books are not young adult, and feature strong language, voilence and scenes of a sexual nature as do a lot of current urban fantasy; they may not be suitable reading for some young adults. Whilst I've featured young adult books in the giveaways before, it hasn't been quite as prominently. I'm not going to police this giveaway, as I don't feel I'm not the correct person to judge what a young adult should or should not read [we all mature at different rates]. The decision should be the responsibility of the reader and if necessary their parent or guardian. But if the winner feels that my books would be unsuitable reading for them, I'm happy to offer an alternative.

Rachel Caine at Murder One Film Club :: London

Monday 18th May, 6.30pm SHOREDITCH, LONDON EC1 *

Murder One Film Club presents an evening with Rachel Caine, author of the bestselling Morganville Vampire series, at HOME (101-106 Leonard Street, Shoreditch EC2) including a book signing and a screening of her favourite vampire film Lost Boys (complete with popcorn!). The 80’s classic starring a very young & cute pre-24 Kiefer Sutherland. This exclusive event is only open to Murder One Film Club members (Not a member? Just order any Rachel Caine title from Murder One, and you are automatically a bonafide, card-carrying member of their Film Club) and asks just for a ridiculously low £1 at the door. Please RSVP to trisha@murderone.co.uk or call them on 02077397796.

+++

Luckily, I'm a member! Yay! And I'll be in full fan-girl sqeeeeeeeee mode at this on Monday night: Rachel Caine and Lost Boys!!!!!

And I'll be asking Rachel to sign the next Morganville Vampires book [UK] Lord of Misrule [available on the night as a special pre-release, so no waiting until the 10th July 2009 to pick up this beautiful book and find out what happens next]. And then I'm thinking *giveaway*! So, watch this space ...

*Tickets still available, but going fast . . .