One Hot Mess

Because I'm Not Busy Enough

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:21:37 GMT

So, I really want to start working on Wonderland again. I know! I have a ton of other stuff to be doing. But I've been reading back on it, and despite the mauling the first chapter got from my writers' group a few months ago, I still really love it. I think it's salvagable, if I do some tidying up on the worldbuilding. I've only got, I think, four chapters so far, so that shouldn't be hard. It won't be anything on the scale of Wild, which I'll be rewriting from the ground up over Christmas.

I might have to take out the Pontiac and the firestorms, which serve no purpose except being flashy! and exciting! The magic storms can stay, since they have actual plot purpose. The whole Fey-human-changeling-harvest thing can stay, since that is the plot. Bronte might need a career change, but Nate can remain a heartless bounty hunter, because what good is a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy without a heartless bounty hunter?

Exactly.

Oh hey...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:52:09 GMT

AFTERLIFE is now available for the Kindle! I'm on Amazon, guys!

Oops!

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:18:29 GMT

What with all the excitement and cold medicine yesterday, I forgot that I too was guest blogging somewhere... Over at Jason Kahn's blog! Check it out here.

From Twitter 12-08-2009

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:02:59 GMT

12:54:30: My guest blogger today is Jason Kahn - http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/179532.html come on over!

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Guest blogger - Jason Kahn

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:46:52 GMT

My guest today is Jason Kahn, author of The Dark InSpectre, a supernatural crime series that is currently running courtest of Abandoned Towers Magazine. His short story, The Killer Within, was also just released as an e-book by Damnation Books. So, without further ado, my interview with Jason!

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Naomi: What was your inspiration for The Dark InSpectre?

Jason: The inspiration for the series came from a dream I had, which turned into the first scene of the story. It involved the psychic ghost of a dead girl leading the main character, a telepathic cop (me in my dream), into a room with four prisoners (brothers) encased in blocks of semi-translucent material. Yes, I know, very strange dream. But more important than the actual scene was the mood. It was futuristic and very dark and brooding. I mulled over my dream for about a month as I wound a story around it. I saw it as a cross between L.A. Confidential and the psi-core of Babylon 5. And at heart it was a hardboiled crime thriller.

Naomi: What was your inspiration for The Killer Within?

Jason: I was sitting in a cab in midtown Manhattan, listening to the news on the radio. There was a report about some random killing, and I thought to myself: What if the killer didn’t have a choice? What if he was compelled somehow, by some outside force, maybe hypnosis? Maybe a drug? The drug idea stuck with me, and then the idea followed about how the police would possibly try and combat something like that. I liked the idea of no one knowing who the next killer would be, and the nervous tension that could create. Overall it was another hard-boiled crime thriller.

Naomi: Your serial and The Killer Within are heavily focused on crime fiction. Is that your main interest or is there another subject you'd like to explore with fiction writing?

Jason: Honestly, I write whatever story idea pops into my head and appeals to me. I've also written dark humor and hard sci-fi. I would say my most comfortable area is probably fantasy, since I spent most of my adolescence and early adulthood reading books of that genre.

Naomi: Who are your favorite authors?

Jason: Oh boy, it’s a long list. Raymond Feist, JRR Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Anne Bishop, Patricia McKillip, Steven Brust, Katherine Kurtz, Sheri Tepper, Fritz Leiber, David Eddings, Stephen Donaldson, Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman, and James Ellroy to name a few.

Naomi: Who influenced you most?

Jason: Early on, I would say Feist and Eddings as I tried to write fantasy-adventures, but lately, much more Ellroy as I’ve been writing more noir crime fiction. I read several detective fiction authors as I worked on The Dark InSpectre. Raymond Chandler, Peter Lovesey, and then I read James Ellroy. The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, and many more. I wasn’t prepared, my mind exploded. I could not put them down.

Naomi: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Jason: I was headed toward a journalism degree my second or third year in college, so I knew then that I wanted to be a writer. But it wasn’t until the summer after my senior year that I discovered I wanted to be a WRITER. I’d been reading scifi-fantasy books since I was a kid, and during my senior year, my then-girlfriend/now-wife, said to me, “hey, why don’t you write one of those?” Incredible as it may seem, the thought had never occurred to me before. That summer I started writing, and haven’t stopped since.

Naomi: What is the toughest part about being a writer and how do you get past it?

Jason: I’d say the hardest part is finding the time. Both to write and to just think about a story, to work it out in my head. I’m a news editor by day, and my job is extremely busy. I’m also a husband and father of two boys in elementary school. I’ll write whenever I can, but long stretches can go by during which I’m not writing. It can be very frustrating. I recently got a lot of writing done on both legs of a business trip where I flew from New York to San Francisco and back. That was a good flight!

Sometimes the writing itself can be hard. Not the “big scenes,” those are usually pretty well thought out. It’s the little scenes, the transitions, the mundane stuff. That can be extremely hard for me to write.

Naomi: What other work do you have coming out?

Jason: In addition to all the stories of mine that have been submitted, I have a fantasy short story, Cold Comfort, coming out in the print version of Abandoned Towers Magazine in May 2010. It’s about a witch and her apprentice, the nature of “true love,” and how a terrible act from the past has shattering consequences for both of them.

Naomi: Where can we find you online?

Jason: I have a web site: www.jrkahn.com, and a blog: http://jasonkahn.blogspot.com/. My latest fiction, The Dark InSpectre, is currently online at: http://darkinspec.blogspot.com/, and The Killer Within is available at Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=978161 5720033. Abandoned Towers Magazine is at: http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/AbandonedTowers/

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Remember, to be in with a chance of winning a Bag of Swag, including a ton of goodies from Ethereal Tales, just leave a comment in this post!

From Twitter 12-06-2009

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:01:45 GMT

16:53:14: Kate Johnson is my guest blogger today - http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/178991.html check her out!

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Guest blogger - Kate Johnson

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:48:46 GMT

My guest blogger today is Kate Johnson, who also writes award-winning erotic romance as Cat Marsters. Huzzah! I'd give a fuller introduction, but I have a head cold and I've eaten too many chocolate cornflake cakes. Sorry! I'll just say that Kate is funny, stylish, talented, and has some amazing shoes.

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So, I read an article recently (and damned if I can remember where) that said the reasons vampires and werewolves are so popular as romantic heroes is because they’re reminiscent of other types of popular characters. Your vampire, with his great dress sense, loads of cash, innate sense of superiority and unfathomable depths of power, is rather like the aristocrats of historical fiction. He’s the lord of the manor. He always looks good, always knows what to say, and has a cutting manner of saying it. Plus he can just about pull off a frock coat and frilly cuffs.

Whereas the werewolf is an earthier creature. He’s not so impeccably dressed, because changing your shape can be hell on seams, and he’s kinda hairy, muddy, less sophisticated than the vampire. He tends to live in the middle of nowhere, but he’s not a total loner. He takes care of his pack and the people important to him. He’s very strong, dependable, and has a brutal sexiness about him. He’s the cowboy of paranormal romance.

And I got to thinking. What other types of romantic hero are there? What other types of paranormal beasties might they relate to? And why are some more successful than others?

Let’s see. There’s the Oh-my-God-you’re-so-handsome-I’m-swooning-like-a-teenager type. The kind who makes you go hot and dizzy, the kind who makes certain parts of your anatomy go all fizzy just by walking into the room. Then he smiles, and you think you might pass out. He’s gorgeous, and he knows it. He’s got so much charm it oozes like honey—and you’re the bee. He has to beat women off with a stick. He has a dozen choices every night, but he always moves on, never settles, and leaves a trail of broken, weeping women behind him, just shadows of their former selves. He’s an incubus. His entire existence revolves around sex, and no one can resist him. He’s the paranormal version of Rupert Campbell-Black. He’s a difficult type of hero, because of course the incubus will suck you dry and leave you an empty husk while he moves on. A charming man will do that too. It’s going to take a pretty special heroine to tame him. But isn’t that the draw?

There’s the solid-gold Alpha Male. The kind who features large in category romances, usually ones with ‘tycoon’ in the title. He’s in charge of everything. He has minions who scuttle about doing his bidding. He has several beautiful houses in gorgeous and important parts of the world, and a private jet to carry him in luxurious style between them. He has yachts and supercars coming out of his ears. He always wears designer, or possibly bespoke. He doesn’t understand the concept of things not going his way. He thinks he’s God. Well, in the paranormal world, he is. He clicks his fingers and lightning strikes his enemies. The fun with this kind of hero is finding him the woman who doesn’t worship at the altar of his perfection.

There are the Beautiful People. The rockstar types. The hero who’s a prince, or a movie star, or someone else impossibly unattainable. He might be a really nice guy, but he exists on another plane entirely. He’s the kind of guy you have a crush on, but it’s a nice, safe crush, because the only time you’ll ever come face to face is when you’re staring at the TV screen. He wouldn’t even be able to see an ordinary mortal. He’s an elf, or a fae. Remember Legolas? Not quite the boy next door, was he? Cool, aloof, powerful, superior. Don’t you want to make those pointy ears quiver?

A popular choice for a hero is the wounded man. You know the kind: he’s often a widower, or has suffered some other personal tragedy that makes him emotionally fragile. He’s damaged. He’s remote. He doesn’t want to connect with anyone and he lives in the past. He’s a ghost. You want to help him, to find the way to cure his sadness and bring him back to life, but you’re never really sure if you can. How can it all work out? Isn’t this dude actually dead?

The law-enforcement hero remains perennially popular. He’s a Grade A good guy. He’s absolutely lethal—but only towards bad guys. He has an impeccable moral compass and he looks really good when he gets hot and sweaty. He’s your basic demon-killer. Or vampire-hunter. In a world where the paranormal beasties are the bad guys, the guy who keeps the world free of vermin is the one you want on your side.

And finally, one of my favourite hero types: the bad boy. And by bad I don’t mean “wears leather and rides a motorbike.” I’ve read rather too many ‘bad boys’ who just came off as a little bit…well, as if they shouldn’t have been in a hetero romance, if you know what I mean (and I think you do). This kind of bad boy is the kind you cross a continent to avoid. He’s the assassin, the mercenary, the thief. He causes pain and havoc and he likes it. He’s the very devil. Literally. He has horns and a pointy tail, or at least he ought to. He’s a demon, a warlock, a practitioner of the dark arts. You don’t tend to get many of this hero around, because redeeming him is an absolute bitch. Can his heroine ever forgive the things he’s done? Can the reader? But if you can pull it off, this is one of my very favourite types of hero. He might be a monster—but he can be your monster, and he’ll love you forever.

Kate lives in Essex and belongs to a cat named Spike. A mis-spent youth watching Buffy and reading Terry Pratchett made it sort of inevitable that she'd end up writing about sexy vampires and inventing whole universes. She's been writing since her teens and is damn glad it’s finally taking off since this means she won’t have to go back to working airport check-in any more. Her hobbies include reading lots of books (researching her literary competition), watching films and TV (researching through a broad spectrum of media), drooling over (admiring) the work of fine actors such as David Tennant, Richard Armitage and Hugh Jackman, and being used as a bed/scratch-post/chew-toy/human slave by Spike and his chief acolytes, Jack and Daisy. There's also a Demon Puppy but she's nothing to do with Kate. Honest. She is single but aspirational (Prince William likes Kates, right?) and asks all potential dates to send in pictures of themselves and their Aston Martins.

www.katejohnson.co.uk

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Remember, if you want to be in with a chance of winning a Bag of Swag, including samples of Kate/Cat's latest releases, just leave a comment on this post! I'm off to nurse my cold and eat more chocolate cornflake cakes.

From Twitter 12-04-2009

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:01:50 GMT

16:56:42: My guest blogger today is J Lee Moffatt - see what she has to say here http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/178643.html

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Guest Blogger - J Lee Moffatt

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:49:56 GMT

My guest blogger today is the awesome J Lee Moffatt, editor of Drops of Crimson (an ezine you should all be reading, btw), and also my critique partner :). I leave you in her capable hands as she helps your muse find it's music.

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Let the Music do the Talking

Music has always been a big part of my life. I learned how to read it when I was in the third grade, played guitar for years and years. I was even in choir and glee club in high school.

As a writer music has become even more important. Selecting the music for the character I’m writing is an integral part of the creative process. The only thing more important than the music is the computer, and conveniently it holds the tunes too.

Each character speaks to me. I let them tell me what music they like. For Denver Sinclair, scumbag vampire, it’s all classic rock all the time. Denver may have been born in 1864, but he listens to no music after 1985 except for Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. Yes my vampire likes Bon Jovi. Blaze of Glory is his theme song.

Jace Winters, a freshly turned vampire and detective with Las Vegas Metro, prefers dark angst filled alternative tunes. Jace isn’t a happy boy, and neither is his music. Jace hasn’t told me what his theme song is yet, but I’m sure he will.

God forbid I sit down to write for a character and play the wrong music. There’s a mutiny in the making. Even harder when Jace and Denver are in the same novel, vying not only for who gets the words, but who gets to pick the music for the day.

Another character of mine lives in the 22^nd century in Japan, where the feudal system is once again in power. Toya’s music is Hyde, Gackt and a lot of other JRock. You don’t have to understand the words to let the music help to spin the world.

There are some great sites out there where you can build and store playlists too, so you don’t have to fill your MP3 player or go broke buying downloads. I don’t encourage illegal downloads of any materials, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to listen to something online before you buy.

Project Playlist – www.playlist.com – On Project Playlist you can create an endless list of playlists up to 99 songs each. As a member of the Playlist.com community, you can create your own personal music experience by building playlists for every mood, genre, activity and occasion. You can recommend music to others. You can follow the musical journey your friends are taking. You can share your playlists on your social network profile or blog. I use the free version of Playlist, but they are starting a premium service too.

Grooveshark – http://listen.grooveshark.com/ - I discovered Grooveshark through Twitter, and I use it to tweet songs. You can also build playlists there, and they have a radio function that will automatically build a near endless playlist for you. It’s free with ads or $3 a month for no ads. The advertisements don’t interrupt the music, so I don’t see a reason to fork over the cash other than to support the site. You can find just about anything there to listen too, and you can upload songs too.

Last.FM – http://www.last.fm/ - Was my first online radio station. Every track you play will tell your Last.fm profile something about what you like. It can connect you to other people who like what you like - and recommend songs from their music collections and yours too. The Last.FM Scrobler scans what music you are listening to, and uses it to match you with more music over time. The service is free, but you can opt for a memberhip as well for extra services.

There are more music services out there, but these are the three I use and trust. I haven’t had to deal with viruses or junk mail by using them which is always a plus.

Thanks to my friend Naomi Clark for letting me fill up her Blog.

See Ya – J. Lee Moffatt – www.jleemoffatt.com

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Remember, to be in with a chance of winning an Afterlife Bag of Swag all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Go!

From Twitter 12-03-2009

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:01:59 GMT

10:29:55: @yolandasfetsos Hee! I hope you like it!
10:51:04: @yolandasfetsos Thank you! I'm still a bit overwhelmed by that to be honest, lol
12:39:27: @porksmith Noooooooo! But okay
12:42:52: @RebeccaJPayne Lol, I just emailed you about it. Well, I guess I can wait that long, given the depth of my unholy love for the man
12:55:56: @RebeccaJPayne Eek, hope it's not on the 15th - 18th Jan. I don't think I'll be around!
14:14:04: Just finished reading Spares by Michael Marshall Smith. OMGWTFBBQ? I need to read more
14:22:33: @JArmintrout I once dreamed that I stopped by your house to get petrol. I guess that's just as weird?
18:16:25: Tagline for Clash of the Titans remake is apparently "Titans will CLASH!" Looking forward to that one...

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The cinema is not your living room

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:50:09 GMT

If you haven't yet read or commented on yolandasfetsos 's post yesterday, you can still do so! Go forth and enter the AFTERLIFE Bag of Swag contest. And thank you to everyone who's given me a shout-out and/or bought a copy! ^_^ My dad keeps texting me to ask when he can retire and live off my millions, so if you haven't bought a copy yet, don't do it for me. Do it for him.

Anyway. Kyle and I went and saw Paranormal Activity last night, a film I would have enjoyed a lot more if the cinema hadn't been full of shrieking teenagers. Seriously. When did it become okay to sit and talk loudly throughout a film? If you want to do that, stay at home and do it, and leave those of us who actually want to watch the film in peace. Every time anything remotely creepy happened onscreen, we got a five minute chorus of screams, giggles, and OMFGdidyouseethatI'msoscared!!!?!!!s. Not amused. And, to be honest, it wasn't even that terrifying of a film. Don't me wrong - I liked it and there were some genuinely jumpy, creepy moments, but it didn't warrant the level of screaming idiocy we had inflicted on us.

Anyway. Tomorrow my guest blogger will be Jenn Moffatt, editor and founder of Drops of Crimson ezine. Hope you all stop by to join her!

From Twitter 12-02-2009

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:01:54 GMT

10:30:49: I'm guest blogging at Yolanda Sfetsos's livejournal today - http://yolandasfetsos.livejournal.com/94410.html
10:58:50: And Yolanda Sfetsos is guest blogging for me too! http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/177549.html
10:59:08: Go and leave a comment on her post to be in with a chance of winning a big Bag of Swag!
11:16:03: @annelyle So sorry about Bertie :( *hugs*
14:11:34: All my workmates have disappeared and I can't go for lunch! I'm not impressed at all, Twitter
14:15:48: Cramming a cereal bar down my throat whilst attempting to deal with arriving mathematicians and their kids does not count as a lunch break!
14:27:09: Also, mathematicians? Telling me you've been "told to look" does not give me any clues as what you want.
17:10:40: @SanguinePen Looking forward to it! ^_^
17:28:34: @SanguinePen Lol, but you remembered! That's the important thing. Oh, and I think I might finally have a story for Drops of Crimson!
18:18:49: RT @DamnationBooks: Yolanda Sfetsos is guest blogs today. Leave a comment for a chance of winning a load of swag http://naomi-jay.livejo ...

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Guest Blogger - Yolanda Sfetsos

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:54:48 GMT

I'm very pleased to welcome Yolanda Sfetsos to my blog today! She's a multi-talented, multi-genre author, and her current releases, CHRISTMAS DAY OF THE DEAD and BETTER OFF ALONE, are available now from Damnation Books. You should totally check them out. Take it away, Yolanda...

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Have you noticed how many zombie novels, anthologies, TV shows, and movies are coming out lately? Why do you suppose that is? Are zombies the new vampires, or are these walking, rotting, undead, and usually vicious corpses just a passing fad? Personally, I think they’ve been around for a long time and will stay that way.

When I was a kid and still living in Madrid (yes, I was born in Spain) I remember my father going to watch George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to watch it but I might as well have because he told me all about it afterwards. But I didn’t have nightmares. Instead, I was intrigued by the concept, and finally watched the movie many years later.

Then Michael Jackson’s Thriller was released, and the film clip featured dancing zombies. Not to mention that a bunch of comedy-slash-gory movies hit the video stores in the 80s. And I loved it!

Fast forward to now. Zombies seem to be everywhere. Everyone wants a piece of the zombies. And I’m all for it because I’ve written my fair share of zombie tales. I've found them very inspirational throughout the years and constantly find myself returning to them. Actually, I’ve got two zombie stories available from Damnation Books this month. One is available as a FREE download, and it's called CHRISTMAS DAY OF THE DEAD. All you have to do to get your copy is pop into the Damnation Books website, add the book to your cart, and enter this promo code at the checkout: 61DODholiday.

The other one is a short story called BETTER OFF ALONE. To be honest, the main
characters aren’t the zombies in either story, though I’ve done that too. But that’s a completely different story. ;)

Still, everyone loves a little zombie apocalypse, don't they?

So, what’s the appeal of this subject matter? Well, as a writer, zombie tales open up a lot of possibilities. So many things can go wrong, so many scenarios, locations, situations–it’s enough to get my muse excited. Oh, hold on, she’s getting a little carried away as we speak. It’s just amazing how many different characters can arise in a post-apocalyptic scenario featuring these undead, rotting corpses. And I’m willing to tackle every angle that sparks an idea in my head.

What do you think? Are you a zombie fan or do they repulse you? Do you enjoy the variety available in the genre as much as I do? Don’t be shy. Let me know what you think. Don’t worry, there aren’t any zombies here to eat your brain. Well, except for this one:

Thanks for reading!

Yolanda Sfetsos
www.yolandasfetsos.com

Yolanda Sfetsos lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, daughter, and cat. She loves to spend most of her days writing stories. Her muse doesn't like genre restrictions and is always happy to toe the dark edge of storytelling. When she’s not writing she spends as much time as possible with her small family. She also enjoys watching movies, TV shows and reading.

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Remember, to be in with a chance of winning an Afterlife Bag of Swag, including a signed copy of Yolanda's dark erotic novella, FAITHLESS, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Go!

From Twitter 12-01-2009

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:02:11 GMT

10:56:06: AFTERLIFE is out today! http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/177065.html
10:56:22: RT @yolandasfetsos: @DamnationBooks December books are now available: http://www.damnationbooks.com @ variable prices. :)
12:46:45: @RebeccaJPayne Can you even still get Curly Wurlys? That's awesome!
13:24:45: AFTERLIFE currently just $1.50 at Damnation Books - bargain! http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615720538
16:01:31: @caseyparry Lol, as long as you buy! ;)

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AFTERLIFE is out now!

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:55:36 GMT

Right now! I know! So if you want a copy, just head on over toDamnation Books and snap it up! And if you're fast, you can take advantage of Damnation Books variable pricing, which means you can get loads of great books for awesomely low prices! You know you want to.

But wait! There's more! To celebrate AFTERLIFE's release, I'm having a big fat swag giveaway throughout December. Here's how it works:

I've got a whole host of surprise guest bloggers lined up (each more surprising than the last!), and they're going to be posting here throughout December. To enter the Afterlife Swag Giveaway all you have to do is comment on any of their posts and you're automatically entered. Oh yes, it's that simple.

And what can you win, you ask? A whole bunch of stuff! Authors like Yolanda Sfetsos, Kate Johnson and her alter-ego Cat Marsters, Michele Lee, and LA Burton, amongst others, have contributed everything from books to keyrings to bookmarks and back again. There will also be a whole bunch of stuff contributed by the lovely Teresa Ford of Ethereal Tales. I'm throwing in an e-book of AFTERLIFE, of course, as well as a signed copy of QUEER WOLF, featuring my short story WOLF STRAP. Seriously! And it all comes in a swanky AFTERLIFE bag, so you know you need it. You do. You need it.

From Twitter 11-30-2009

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:01:52 GMT

10:18:45: Only one more day til Afterlife is released... *nervous*
11:57:57: @kaz_mahoney I need to do that! I have to get up to Manchester in February on a budget of £0!
12:31:14: @kaz_mahoney That's ludicrously cheap. I need to get organised
12:46:43: @kaz_mahoney Lol, let's hope not!
12:48:18: I want to go to FantasyCon 2010 http://bit.ly/6BEDkn
12:48:44: But I also want to go to the RNA conference http://www.rna-uk.org/index.php?page=conference
12:49:12: I don't think I can afford both... Woe is Nome!
14:04:26: @janjonesauthor On the other hand, I'm guaranteed to have fun at RNA - BFS is still an unknown quantity...
15:12:53: The return of the giant jellyfish! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8385953.stm
15:13:05: Can the Cephalopod Revolution really be that far away?
15:27:46: RT @kaz_mahoney: Guest post & giveaway from @naomi_jay at my blog today, celebrating her debut novel AFTERLIFE: http://tinyurl.com/yfupc72
17:15:28: @kaz_mahoney Yay! Well done to you!
17:23:13: @kaz_mahoney You should be happy - a good review is always worth celebrating!

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Where Am I?

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:25:55 GMT

Why, I'm over at kaz_mahoney's blog, talking about AFTERLIFE, the novel that was not meant to be :) Because, you know, it's out tomorrow! So head on over to Kaz's and you can snag yourself a copy!

Srs Riter!

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:30:20 GMT

Check me out! I'm offically on the Damnation Books website! OMG. And with only two short days to go until AFTERLIFE is released, I'm now a bag of nerves. I'm planning a lot of stuff for December - I'll be having guest bloggers here throughout the month, and I'll be doing a couple of guest appearances myself. I'll be giving away a whole lot of swag, with contributions from Yolanda Sfetsos and Ethereal Tales, amongst others, not to mention a copy of AFTERLIFE.

I'll also be working on Afterburn and doing some serious reworking on Wild because, squee, good news ahoy! So stick with me in December for fun, frolics, writing, and more!

From Twitter 11-27-2009

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:01:37 GMT

11:50:49: Using scissors makes my right wrist hurt. Why can't I just get this arm removed and replaced with a robotic one?
17:46:37: @rachelkvincent Manx gets my vote!

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Don't I deserve better than this?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:35:24 GMT

I don't think I can continue to work at the Institute if they're not going to replenish the Twirl supply. I mean, it's been nearly a week since we ran out. What is this, the freaking Middle Ages?

I know! And my three-thirty Twirl and hot chocolate is all that keeps me from impaling myself on a protractor. I don't think Galaxy Minstrels are a suitable substitute, since I can't dunk them in my hot chocolate like I can a Twirl. I mean, look!:

Is it so much to ask that I get one of these a day? Is that so hard? What kind of society are we living in anyway?

This Weekend...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:01:08 GMT

I intend to consume this many cocktails:

I shall be celebrating j_rah's birthday, the impending release of AFTERLIFE (only five days to go, kids!), and the goods news I hope to able to share shortly. ^_^

From Twitter 11-26-2009

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:01:31 GMT

11:25:02: I haz a S.A.D. Anyone know where I can get a cheap lightbox to lift the winter blues?
11:34:46: OMG, and I have the song from that godawful Iceland ad in my head... Could this day get any worse?
11:41:09: @dbridger Thanks :) I'm trying to purge it
11:56:44: @RebeccaJPayne Good plan! Will check it out
14:08:39: @imogenhowson Ooh, I've got my eye on a slanket. Apparently I wouldn't be allowed to wear it at work though :(
16:18:09: My fan heater is neither fanning nor heating. Technofail!
16:21:46: I don't think I should have to work under these conditions
17:11:25: Still no Twirls at work! This is just barbaric
17:21:16: And why the hell would an air conditioning company want to follow my tweets?

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Anyway

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:35:34 GMT

I'm trying to write a bio for QueeredFiction. I don't know why I feel the need to provide a new one when there's a perfectly serviceable one on my website already, but I do. Possibly this is displacement activity, since if I'm writing a bio, I'm not doing Day Job Stuff. Always a good thing. The problem is, I can't think of anything to say about myself except "Naomi has a deep and unholy fascination with cephalopods, werewolves, and cocktails." Maybe that will do? Maybe I should make up a bunch of lies, like "Naomi travels in a pimped-out Mustang and always keeps a bottle of brandy and a flamethrower close at hand."

Anyway.

(I just copied and pasted the bio from my website, thinking I'd modify it accordingly, and have just deleted everything except the first line. Sigh).

Anyway.

I've also been pondering some more on the zombie/military UF. My ex-military heroine now has a name and a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder (got to keep everything clean when you're a plague-bearer, you know). I really, really want to write this book. I just need to settle on a title. I fancied Living Dead Girl, until I read Elizabeth Scott's book of the same name (it's an awesome, heart-wrenching book, you should all read it), and now I feel I can't use that title. Then I thought of Better Off Dead, but that's a bit too generically UF. So, I'm pondering more. I plan to start work properly once the Institute closes for Christmas (other projects allowing), so I'm sure the perfect title will hit me by then. If not, I'll just call it The Incredible and True Tale of the Zombie Plague Bearer and Her Brave Struggle with Hair Loss and leave it at that

From Twitter 11-25-2009

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:01:49 GMT

11:14:57: @yolandasfetsos *hugs* Hope you feel better fast!
11:49:24: @yolandasfetsos Almost! A few more pages to go and it's done and dusted
15:01:46: Okay! Afterlife is now officially out of my hands. Time to rock back and forth in the corner whilst ripping my hair out
15:05:11: Not that I'm at all nervous about my debut novel being released in under a week. Oh no.
15:14:59: @brian_ohio I will never be calm again
17:21:15: There are no Twirls in the Institute! Twitter, this will not stand
17:28:06: @imogenhowson I keep seeing the word "elitist" in reference to this Horizons debacle. It really irritates me
17:36:55: @imogenhowson It's an argument that totally ignores the slush pile/querying process! Like bestselling authors are grown in a lab somewhere
18:09:34: Love that "totally real" is an official piece of maths terminology. Makes them sound much cooler and surfer-dude-esque than they really are

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From Twitter 11-23-2009

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:01:45 GMT

10:57:24: My concentration is shot today. I'm already obsessing over Wild being out on submission
10:58:03: Actually make that over-obsessing. Just checked my emails for the sixth time in five minutes. Argh!
10:59:14: I only started querying last night. I expect to have a full-on melt-down by noon
11:12:42: Oh, here comes that meltdown. Two hours ahead of schedule, too
15:26:23: I'm thinking of changing my name to Dr J Funke. Has a certain ring to it
17:06:11: @etaknosnhoj But now you have BBC approved proof!

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