Suzanne McLeod

Twisting Myths!

I'm talking about myths over at the fab new Gollancz blog - why not go see? :-D

It's no secret I love Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books, and lookee here! My lovely publisher, Gollancz, have given the UK editions some bloody spiffy new covers!

(I've added the obligatory Eric Northman pic*, to round out the set, of course! *g*)

But can you see what's there? I couldn't, not until it was pointed out to me* :-D

*observationalskillzfail* *sigh*

*Clue! Check out the blood!

Filming at The Rookery!

Want to know a really ~~scary~~ exciting, cool thing that happened to me a couple of weeks ago? 'Course you do! (Hey, stop that heckling at the back there! *g*) Well, I was filmed* for a short piece that's going to be part of the fantastic TV show - The Book Show. Squeeeeee! (and also *faints*) Find them on twitter here: @thebookshow

The show's host, Mariella Frostrup, is interviewing Anne Rice, author of Interview with a Vampire (bet you can guess what they wanted to ask me about - yep, those fanged creatures who are so popular just now *g*). So if you want to see how I did *bites knuckles* (and you're in the UK and can view the Sky TV channel 243 - not sure if it will be available online - for which you're all probably thankful ;p) then tune in at 8pm on Thursday 13th October.

*The actual filming took just over an hour - obviously that's a lot of me on film O_O, which was pretty nerve wracking, though not so bad as it could've been, as I knew that they were only going to use about 2/4 mins of it at most (the best/most pertinent bits *phew*). And for those interested in these things, I did my own make up - not one of my strong suits, and something I don't usually wear too much of, so hopefully I don't look too washed out or overdone *sighs*.

The film crew consisted of the lovely Victoria who asked me questions, the camera man, the lighting man, and the sound man, all who were very friendly and professional. The filming took place in the gorgeous room above (I sat at the side end of the table there, with the bookcases behind me). The room was chosen for its slightly gothic feel, and the curtains drawn/lights off so it looked suitably dark, but the actual camera lights trained on me were bright enough to double for an interrogation! (Not that it felt like that at all :-D!!). Victoria and the cameraman also had a small monitor which they used to check they were getting the shots they wanted, and the mic - perched just above my head - wasn't in frame. It was really so interesting and cool to see how it is all done.

I wasn't the only one being filmed (I didn't see any of the other participants, though, so I don't know who they are :-)), so I'm curious to see who else is on the show.

Hey, and if I really suck, please be kind to me :-)

ETA: Well, I got my 15 seconds of fame :-D. I was quite anxious waiting to see what I was going to sound/look like* and whilst short (yep, hope no one blinked, otherwise they'd have missed me - which is a whole lot better than ending on the cutting room floor *g*), but I thought I did okay'ish. So, now feeling very relieved, it's wine o'clock! And loved the spooky lights and sounds added!

With thanks to the superawesome Jon Weir, Senior Publicity Manager at Gollancz for getting me the gig - find him on twitter @jon_weir

Book Chat + Giveaway at Book Lovers Inc.

I'm over at the wonderful Book Lovers Inc, talking a bit about characters and books (bet that surprised you, heh? *g*), for their 1000 Follower Celebration!

Plus there are Giveaways!Woot!!

Winner's choice of one of my books (Int.)!

(Read them already? Then why not enter to win for a friend and spread the Spellcrackers love :-D)

A super-awesome Blowout Giveaway!

And more fabulous giveaways to come!

So click on over and check it out! Go on, you know you want to *g*

All Giveaways will end on Saturday, October 22 and Book Lovers Inc will announce the winners on Sunday, 23rd. Details here.

Dragons, Daleks and Spooky Houses!

Facebook/Twitter peeps will have already seen, but the pic spam is too good not to share again :-D

Where I'm going this weekend . . .

FantasyCon

Yay! And here's my schedule!

Friday

4:00 – 5:00 pm
HAS CROSSOVER OVERTAKEN GENRE? (Fitzherbert Room): Suzanne
McLeod, Gary McMahon, Mike Carey, Steve Mosby, Sarah Pinborough (mod.)

8:00 - 9:00 pm
MASS SIGNING with tons of other wonderful folk. I'm happy to sign anything (within reason *g*), and especially happy to sign any of my books! *looks hopeful*.

Saturday

Will be there all day and enjoying all the panels - if you're going, check out the programme: there's lots of great ones to choose from. (Oh, and will more than likely be enjoying some quality time in the bar :-D) #needsacloneorthree

Sunday

Will be around in the morning, then sadly will have to leave :-(

So if you're at FantasyCon, do say hello and chat; I promise I won't bite . . . *looks shifty*. And forgive me if I peer curiously at your badge (particularly if we know each other from twitter or somewhere - I'm dreadful about remembering names *sigh* )

Mysterious Paper Sculptures left in Scottish Libraries

Mysterious and beautiful Paper Sculptures left in Scottish Libraries.

ETA: Scottish library paper sculptures might be by this artist!

More sculptures with close-ups and the full story here.
More details here in the Guardian.

Bread Pic Spam!

I've been watching the Great British Bake Off, which is strangely addictive viewing (or maybe that's just me drooling *g*). So duly inspired, I present you with Bread Pic Spam!

It's been a long while since I baked bread (over a decade, or nearly two, poss), but other than it needs more salt, it turned out not too shabby. :-)

Anyone else done any procrastination, err, sorry, bread baking recently?

Giveaways, faeries and Hawt Guy pics!

Two chances to win your choice of one of my books!

I'm interviewed over at Dangerous Romance - not only that, but the lovely Laurie there asked what Malik and Finn look like, so I ~~spent a long while procrastinating~~ had a quick shifty round the internet searching for pics of Hawt Guys who might fit the bill. So there's a couple of pics up with the interview - along with Laurie's own take on Malik (definitely hawt, and one of my fav actors *fans herself*). Plus you could win your choice of one of my books! So what are you waiting for? Go now! You know you want to! *g*

I'm also over at awesome author Shiloh Walker's place with a short piece about a faerie myth I love, and an extract from The Cold Kiss of Death (if you haven't read it yet!) as part of Shiloh's Grimm Giveaway!

There's other Grimm guests stopping by with excerpts, guest blogs, and prizes every day. So why not check them out?

Commenting each day over at Shiloh's will enter you for that day’s prize (your choice of one of my books, on my day :-D), and all comments left on the Grimm giveaway posts will be entered to win Shiloh's prize…an angel wing pendant by Luxe Deluxe.

And Shiloh's fab new book - Locked in Silence - is due out on Sept 20!

Dying is hard enough… coming back to life is brutal.

Grimm’s Circle, Book 5

Vanya has been hunting and killing demons ever since one of them scarred her face and killed her sister. Correction—since she was forced to kill the demon possessing her sister.

Then some sort of angel offers her a deal she can’t refuse—that if she becomes one of them, she gets to kill even more demons. Tonight, she’s made that choice. The death she smells on the air will be her own—and she welcomes it.

Silence feels a darkness is looming. Change—something he has every reason not to welcome. The deeply hidden memories that robbed him of his past, of his own name, render him unfit to teach anyone the ways of the Grimm. Yet here he is in the dankest sex club in town, waiting to assume his charge—after he stands by and watches her die.

When Vanya awakes, their complicated, dangerous dance begins. And so does something else—a searing need that blisters along their unexpected mental connection. Silence shouldn’t be drawn to his student, but once they touch, he can’t think of a reason to stop. Even though acting out their darkest desires puts them in more danger than they realize.

Warning: This book contains sex-starved demons, lonely angels, demon-angel sandwiches, blood, violence, death and a happy-ever-after.

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Oh, and just in case you can't get enough of hearing all about me, me, me . . . *g* then don't forget to check out the grilling I got about Spellcrackers vampires from wonderful Jalisa here over at her Semi-Educational Reviews (among other things) blog!

My Super Power! Not! And Paella!

I am disorganised, no really*, it's the opposite of having a Super Power. I see and buy lovely cards thinking that next time I need a b'day card, I will have one handy! Except for some reason when b'days come round, the only cards I have handy are all Get Well or New Home cards*. So, today, in further proof (if I needed it) of my dreadful disorganisation, I got an email from a dear friend to whom I had sent some books (via Book Depository) as a thank you . . . asking why she'd received the books! Because, of course, I hadn't told her they were on their way. *facepalm*

And on the same subject, Mr Mc and I love paella. (How is that relevant, I hear you cry! But hey, bear with me, I'll get there!) So some years ago (let's say between 12 and 15 as I'm really not sure) after a lovely holiday during which we ate a lot of paella, and drunk a lot of sangria, I bought one of these . . .

Now this pan was an 18 inch diameter beauty of polished steel (hey, I buy big! That's what a freezer is for!) and came wrapped in special paper to protect it from damp and stop it rusting. This pan also spent a lot of time* wrapped in its special paper in cupboards and on top of cupboards and on top of fridges and freezers. It moved house three times. It was carefully looked after during two major renovations*. And yep, I never used it!

Then a couple of weeks ago-- I finished writing my book!! Yay!

Things other than writing happen when I finish books *g*

So we were watching the fabulous Rick Stein rock around somewhere hot and sunny, with lots of lovely seafood and markets full of brightly coloured veggies, and saw him do his cheffy bit on cooking paella! And as we were drooling over the TV, the idea fairy whispered in my ear-- Ah, ha! I thought, I have a paella pan! I too, could make paella!

So all the ingredients (not the saffron; strangely enough, I already had that in the cupboard, unused and only slightly out of date, from the last time I might have had this very same idea . . .) were sourced from the local supermarket, along with a handy recipe on the packet of paella rice, and I set out to make a fabulouso paella . . .

Except . . .

Yep, you've guessed it-- The paella pan was nowhere to be found. Not in the kitchen, the garage, the shed, the loft, nowhere. This pan was not small. It should be here. Neither Mr Mc nor I can remember doing anything other than take care of this pan, and believe me, the 'unused' paella pan has been a subject of many 'discussions' between us (as has the unused fish kettle, which is not missing . . .). But sadly the paella pan has utterly vanished. It is a mystery, due, no doubt, in some form to my dis-organisational abilities, possibly. A mystery I suspect we will never solve. *sad face*

In other news I did cook paella (in a large casserole) and it was scrummy! Next time I'll remember and take pictures :-D

So, have any of you 'lost' something huge, oh say, like an 18 inch diameter paella pan?

*This actually won't come as news to those who know me ;p
*Seriously, I have five New Home cards. People I know don't move that often. I suspect house-hopping rabbits are involved.
*I have mad DIY skillz!
*All its time!

Interview about Vampires* in Spellcrackers!

The fabulous Jalisa has ~~interrogated~~ interviewed me about all sorts from what I think makes a good story, to how I developed the Spellcrackers world’s specific vampire lore.

Why not click on over and see what I had to say? Go on, you know you want to! :-D

She's also done a lovely review of The Sweet Scent of Blood here!

*and other things! :-D

Friday Three!

1. I had a trip up to London yesterday and my editor, the wonderful Ms Redfearn, treated me to a scrumptious afternoon tea of delicious cakes, pastries and tasty finger sandwiches, very appropriately* here! Nomnomnom! And we had a great chat about what The Shifting Price of Prey needs to make it the best book it can be! So I'm plotting those ideas over, and hope to have all the revisions done in the next 3'ish weeks! Yay! Then it's on to #5 The Hidden Rune of Iron, which I'm eager to do, to see where Genny & Co., go next!

(And I can tell you that, yes, my editor did ask me That Question, you know, the one about Genny and who she might end up with . . . and I told her . . . she will have to wait, like everyone esle, till that part of Genny's story is written. *evil author cackles* *g*)

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Book # 4

2. Then I spent a fabulous evening at 'A Wake for Isak' a.k.a. a party to celebrate awesome author Tom Lloyd writing The End on the fifth and final book in his Twilight Reign series: The Dusk Watchman. With lots of ~~bubbly, vino, and mojitos* to wet the finished book's pages~~ interesting and great chats about things SFF and Book'ish with Gollancz folk and author pals Chris Wooding, Jaine Fenn, and Stephen Deas. And was delighted to meet author Simon Morden and bookseller and blogger Den Patrick, who has a great post on Thoughts on Women in SFF on his blog.

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