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So in my last post I mentioned I’d be at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in Surrey, BC, Canada later this month. It is, arguable, the best writers’ con in north America and I’m honored to be a guest there for the second year running. More about the con can be found at the above link, and if you can’t make it this year I highly encourage you to try next year. It’s useful for writers of all levels - I’ve already picked out the workshops I’d like to attend - and the camraderie between panelists and attending authors can’t be beat.
Here’s my tentative schedule (though I have blue pencil sessions every day as well, and I read some amazing pages there last year!):
Friday, October 24th, 3:30-5:00 pm: Panel -THE SCIENCE OF INSPIRATION. I am totally qualified to teach this as I learned to French braid my hair in high school chemistry. Trust me. Oh, wait. Here’s the official description: A peek into the secrets behind best-selling speculative fiction from the weavers of alternate reality - and one guy who really buys into it.
Saturday, October 25th, 1:30-3:00 pm: GET OVER YOURSELF - AND GET WRITING. How do you keep out of your own way long enough to sustain an idea and write that idea into a finished book? A look at goal-setting, making time, and helping first-time authors stop making excuses and beat the mind games that stand in the way of publication.
Basically, this is where I get to unleash my inner-writing beast and say, “If I have to work this hard, so do you! Neener-neener!”
And then I proceed to give you tools that show you how.
Let me make a sports analogy, if I may: When I was learning to play tennis my coaches would all say, “Footwork is key…move your feet!” which was undeniably true. But the best coaches would then go on to tell me exactly how to do that. This stuff is not necessarily intuitive, and a good coach/teacher/instructor will find you new ways to tell you old advice so that something finally clicks with 1) your way of learning and 2) skill level. (Wow. That was a long ‘aside’.)
Anyway, this is the second year I’m teaching this workshop and I’ve been told that it was one of the most popular/useful last year. My only guess as to why is that all advice offered is done in the Surrey spirit: to connect with other writers and see all our dreams come true. I’d love for you to join me in this.
5:30 - 7:00 pm - Book Fair! All presenters are on hand to sign. I sneak in a glass of wine and goggle at all the other authors. They are my rock stars.
Sunday 11:00 - 12:15: Blood Runs Cold - Fear, Shock and Horror in No-Holds-Barred Chillers. Two best-selling authors discuss handling all the delicate issues (and tissues) of modern horror.
This is with Michael Slade, a wonderful writer and speaker, and I think the ‘No-Holds Barred’ bit means I get to put him in a headlock. Who wouldn’t pay to see that, right?
For those of you who are attending, please say hi if you see me wandering dazedly around the hallways. That's why I'm there. {s}
An oddity about finishing my latest round of revisions on CITY OF SOULS (fourth in the Signs of the Zodiac series) - I was a zombie for about two days afterwards. And not in a genre-appropriate good way! I finally gave up any pretense of usefulness and watched movies all day in bed. That was yesterday. Today? Refreshed! So maybe there really is something to all this take a break/fill the well garbage, huh?
As autumn and October in specific is my favorite time of year, I’m not starting anything new. I’m going to enjoy the weather, catch up with my poor Real Life cast-offs - if they’ll still have me - and finish the rewrites on the short for next year’s anthology with Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost and Jocelynn Drake. Speaking of which…
If the crick don’t rise, it shall now be known as UNBOUND. Thematically speaking, it fits these adult UF stories, and I love it. So I’m excited to put that story to rest.
However, it is not all candy corn and sloth, and I do have a couple of work-related events I’m looking forward to in October. First,
Sunday Oct 24th-26th - Surrey International Writers’ Conference/Surrey, BC, Canada. This is my second year attending, though I’d been wanting to attend for a good half-decade before that. This is a con for writers of all levels, and it offers one very important thing that most other cons cannot: intimacy.
This does not mean you get to sleep with the presenters. (That would certainly alter the auction aspect of the con, though! {G})
It does mean that you get one-on-one time with them during Blue Pencil Cafe sessions (I mean, when else are you going to get the chance to force-feed your work to author Diana Gabaldon or agent Janet Reid?), you get to pepper them with questions over lunch and dinner because they’re not at a separate ‘writers/presenters’ table. And the workshops have been prepped, planned, well-thought out, and aren’t {koff} sessions meant to stroke a certain author/panel’s ego. (Have we not all attended something like that before? Sorry, but if I want to be treated like a pleb, I’ll go shopping at Nordy’s in my flip-flops. I don’t need the attitude when I’m working hard, prepping a manuscript for submission, and have paid good money for professional advice, thanks!)
So, in a nutshell, the goal of Surrey is to offer writers of all levels a venue to come together and support each other. It’s also extremely well-priced compared to other cons. For more info, click on the above link. I’m going to talk about a couple of other events so they don’t get lost in the Surrey-love, but I’ll have my full Surrey schedule up next week.
Next: Something I must mention because I was supposed to be a part of it, and am heartbroken that I cannot: In Las Vegas Sunday October 26th - all day: Cheesecake and Crime’s (Mystery Book Shop and Cheesecake Joint) Sunday Spooktacular — “Dracula’s Bite” Blood Drive.
What a wonderful idea, huh? I love this bookstore, and I’m going to go back and take some pictures so I can blog about why I love it so much, but this sort of fun and ingenuity is one good example. Chris Marie Green (who writes the Vampire Babylon series, and whom I got a chance to meet at this year’s Comic-Con) will be there signing her books, and I know they’re going to have a pumpkin carving contest, a costume contest, and they’ll be showing “Dracula” at 6 pm. I am so sorry to miss this event, but if you want to check out more about Cheesecake and Crime (and I highly suggest doing so!) you can find them at the above link.
Thursday Oct 30th - All Soul’s Eve/Halloween Podcast on BlogTalk Radio at 3:00 pm EST. You can call in or text questions you have for me or (drumroll, please): Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, Mark Del Franco, Jocelynn Drake and Holly Black. It will be an hour program, but if you miss the live feed, it’ll be available for download immediately after. So if you have any question for me or any of these other amazing authors, bookmark the above link and write in or call during the show: 347-826-9684.
So I took a break over the weekend to attend a local book club. I’m friends with one of the members because - let’s be honest here - she likes my books. (What, I’m going to attend a book club where they don’t?) I actually met LeAnne when she carted TSoS up to the register at Borders while I was standing there with “the Cadillac of strollers” and signing books. So after getting the rest of the girls to read my latest (Reading the book is not actually a requirement for this bookclub. Being able to hold your own on a playdate and in a dive bar is) and promising me there’d be mixed drinks, I dropped by their latest meeting.
And by “meeting” I mean to say, “What the hell?”
Because at one point, after a drink or three, I said, “Look, are you guys ever going to talk about my books?”
They said no, and we moved on to more important things. Like:
*Lill knows definitively who killed JFK, but she’s mostly keeping her trap shut about it, so don’t come after her if you’re worried about the truth getting out. (And if you do, she’s second from right in the picture below, not the one in the middle. That’s me.)
*The classic ‘dog-ear book pages or not?’ debate. This was divided, and some people seemed to play favorites with hardcovers. I’m very right-wing about my book use, and not opposed to banging the b*stards against the wall if I feel like it, but I’m also tolerant of those with more exacting standards. As we all liked one another, we declared it a draw.
*LeAnne asked that I inform Harper that my books aren’t terribly well bound. For instance, she was holding SCENT when she fell off her floatie and into the pool, and then left it out in 100 degree heat and the damned binding fell apart, making it hard to read. So I’m here to say, Work on it, Harper! These harsh elements aren’t going anywhere soon!
*Republicans should never, under any circumstance, get laid. This was almost unanimous. (Don’t worry, LeAnne. They’ll never find that body.)
*Keri reads the most of all of us: 4-5 books a week. B*tch has my life.
*I need more sex in my books. (I did not get to vote in this matter.)
*If you want to wear it, you know it’s good champagne. (This is book related because I’m going to put it in one.)
*LeAnne is the queen of the dead. She can tell you everyone who has died recently. Or ever.
*Though some book club members have clung to their classic Catholic guilt, most of us would become Pastafarians (Worshippers of The Flying Spaghetti Monster) if pressed.
*Owning your own business while raising four kids really cuts into your reading time. (Note, Anje, I didn’t say “Boy, you have your hands full!”)
Unfortunately we all had to go home before we drank ourselves sober - a Vegas girl hazard - but we’ll meet again soon for the Haunted Vegas tour.
Thank you, ladies, for the invite, the much needed break, and the laughs.
(BTW, I know it looks like I have to goto the bathroom in the pic below, but I’m really just wringing my hands. I was tired, and pulling on body parts to stay awake.)
 Keri, Anje, me, Lillian, and LeAnne
Rachel Vincent announced she finished her book today. What she didn't tell you is that we've been encouraging one another behind the scenes - checking up on our respective progress daily, calling if we need a pep talk - and just being there for one another, if needed. We don't have entirely similar working methods, but we do some things the same. F'rinstance, the whole one-word-in-front-of-the-next-and-don't-stop-until-you're-finished is pretty tried and true.
So are notecards. For example, here's a shot of mine:
 And here's Rachel's:
Gee. Good work, Rach. I'm SOOOOO shocked you finished first.
to those of you whom I own an email...
I'm sorry. I'm behind in all my correspondences. And I'm going offline for a week or so. I promise to answer in good time...there's just not a lot of that to be had right now!
So: deadline. Then deadline.
Okay, so I know the majority of authors probably love their publishers. But I really do love Harper. They're such a supportive house, and in addition to the very cool author microsites on their Harper pages, they've now launched a new site for Avon books - www.avonbooks.com - which includes sneak peeks at forthcoming novels, full access to many backlists, videos, essays, sweepstakes and book tour information. IOW, one-stop shopping for the voracious reader.
Better yet, their "Love Gives Back" program allows readers to preview the opening chapter of Avon romances two full weeks before they're in stores! Other books will be available online in their entirety, for free. Avon will track reader visits and donate books to ProLiteracy Worldwide (www.proliteracy.org).
**MUAH, MUAH, MUAH!!!**
Now that's true love.
Also, check out the direct click through to RomanceRadio. They'll be airing interviews will many popular Avon authors.
And speaking of radio, Kim Harrison will be answering questions from readers this Thursday, the 21st, at 2:30 p.m. EST. To call in and ask Kim questions, call (347) 826-9684 during the show. To listen in, click here.
If you can't hear the show, go to this link.The podcast will be up about 10 minutes after the show, and we'll also have links on the Eos blog and on our webside at www.outofthiseos.com. THE BEYOND is just one of several new radio shows featured on AuthorsonAir.com, so check them all out!
...to the guy I yelled at while running this morning:
Um ... sorry.
But here's the deal. You looked exactly like my husband.
And when I yelled at you in Swedish, you acted like my husband does whenever I mangle his language.
And when I threw my arms in the air as if to say "What the fuck are you doing?" you responded like my husband, and threw up your arms as well.
And when I chased you, thinking, "Yeah, you'd better run, buddy" you outpaced me, just as my husband would.
Just to clarify, I don't really want you to be at my house watching my toddler while I go for my morning run. I have my husband for that.
Sorry.
But next time, wear something to distinguish yourself from the man I've known for fifteen years, and don't respond to my Swenglish.
And you're welcome for the added kick to your workout.
Just a quick note...
If I owe you an email, I apologize for the delay. I'm under deadline and my inbox is suffering. Thanks for understanding!
Back to it...
To celebrate the release of my first three titles in the UK I've done an interview with the E-Zine, Falcata Times, which can be found here. My interview starts on page 18, but this issue also showcases Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton and CE Murphy, among others, so be sure to check it out if you're a true UF lovah.
Thank you to Gareth for the insightful questions, too. You're on notice, G. I'm stealing your name for a book! {wink}
My girlfriend Stacey and I have blogged about our Comic-Con experiences here (my panel) here (the C-Con sights - OMG!) and here (my own account - not as thorough as Stace's!). They're all on my message board, along with pictures, and I can tell you already that I'll be back next year.
My story is called 'Remember the Blood' and I'm anxious to read the others. So check it out!
And please don't forget that Jocelynn Drake's first book, NIGHTWALKER is also now available. Want a new twist on the vampire genre? Looking for an epic far-reaching story, and characters to (literally) die for? You can buy it here.
Here it is, in brief, so if any of you find yourselves in the San Diego area next Thursday, and are willing to brave the Storm Troopers, I can be found at the following:
Panel: THURSDAY, JULY 24
4:00-5:00 pm Superhero Superfiction Room 5AB Superheros don't just appear in comics anymore. Authors discuss how to write superhero prose. Superhero prose authors: Kevin J. Anderson (Last Days of Krypton, Dune novels, Saga of Seven Suns), Michael Carroll (Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening), Professor Christopher Chambers (The Darker Mask), Vicki Pettersson (The Signs of the Zodiac series; The Touch of Twilight, June '08), Gary Phillips (The Darker Mask and High Rollers), Melinda M. Snodgrass (Wild Cards, The Edge of Reason), Caroline Spector (Wild Cards) and Doselle Young (The Darker Mask). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. THURSDAY, JULY 24
5:00 – 6:00 pm Superhero Superfiction Autographing Table AA5 I also anticipate crashing Bill Willingham's after-party, and I plan on using my Mysterious Galaxy connections to stalk Joe Hill. The rest of my nefarious deeds must remain top secret. {G} But I'll take pictures this time. I promise.
Hi All!
Harper has gone live with my new microsite. I've toyed with the idea of using it as my primary blog as I (what's the word? Be precise, Vic, you're a writer...oh, yeah, it's...) SUCK at keeping a blog here, but I've come to no definite conclusions yet. I'm sure some of you have an opinion...
Meanwhile, monsoon season has arrived in the valley, something I look forward to every year as it means we're nearing the end of the summer...or at least that we're not still stuck at the beginning of it. Fortunately, I'm readying for next week's Comic-Con in San Diego (I'll post programming soon) and I look forward to lounging on the beach with la familia when not stalking Joe Hill, chasing after Marjorie Liu, having ice cream with Eldon Thompson, or discretely worshipping Bill Willingham. (Overt worship is totally beneath me.)
My guess is that these say "THE FIRST SIGN OF THE ZODIAC" and "THE SECOND SIGN OF THE ZODIAC" respectively, to be released in September '08 and February '09. I'm extremely excited about the German release because these are serious, ravenous, demanding and knowledgeable readers. Of course, I trust Harper on the translation side, but if its half as good as what they've done with these covers, then I have no fear whatsoever. I LOVE these! Meanwhile, I'm going to have to get my husband to read my own books to me. His German is a little rusty, but mine is non-existent.
 
Little snippets from my working world: I found out last week that Harper sold audio rights to the first three books to audible.com. Yay! This is going to make my grandmother - to whom the third book is dedicated - very happy. She's been having a hard time with her eyes lately, so I love that she can now get it in this format. No word yet on when it'll be released, but I'm thrilled for a chance to hear Jo&Co. come to life, and I'll post that news here as soon as I learn more.
And I've been given the go-ahead to reveal the title for book4 (for some reason they won't let me keep calling it that {g}) so unless sales loathes and hates it, which I can't really see (I love it) book4 will henceforth be known as...
{drum roll please}
CITY OF SOULS
Now doesn't that sound bright and cheery?
One of the books I treated myself to upon exiting my cave this weekend was Marjorie M. Liu's THE IRON HUNT. She's a cool chick and she's come up with a complex and compelling idea for a new Urban Fantasy series, and I can't wait to dive into this one. More, she has a fun (dare I say Lara Croft-esque) book trailer here, which only serves to make me want to read it more. Good job all around, and I can't wait to read this one.
Anyone else pick it up?
Complete radio silence for weeks, and then two posts in one day. Wassup with that?
Well, as I just got two irate phone calls from my mother and grandmother yelling at me for not telling them I was going to be on local television. My grandmother just happened to stumble upon me while channel surfing. Sorry, grandma. So it needs to be said:
If you're in the Vegas area and want to catch my interview on LUNCHTIME WITH IRA, you can do so on Clark County Television (CCTV), Cox Cable Channel 4 tonight (Friday) at 8 p.m. and Saturday at Noon and 8 p.m.
I swear I made a mental note to tell everyone this, but then I lost my mind. (If anyone is truly upset about this, I'll give you my editor's email. Talk to her. (This means you, Grandma.))
If radio is your thing, you can hear it tomorrow, Saturday, at 9 p.m. on KDWN AM 720 Talk Radio.
For everyone else, the videocast and podcast will be up soon, and I'll post that when it goes live ... as grandma twists my arm.
Or is it? So, when you're extremely excited about a new book, even if it was written by a long-time friend, is it shameless to put up a giddy post about it? Because Joanna Bourne's new historical romance, MY LORD AND SPYMASTER, is out today! As I said, Jo is a friend, but she's also somewhat of a mentor to me. We've spent years together on Compuserve's Books and Writer's forum, and she has probably forgotten things about crafting fiction that I've yet to learn. She's. That. Good. Get thee to a bookstore. (And for more with Ms. Bourne, check out her interview on Susan Adrian's blog.)
In other news, I'm happy to announce I'm finishing up the next book in the Zodiac series - just fiddling with formatting and niggling bits now - and I'll send that off to my editor this weekend. I'm not sure it's hit me yet that I'm done, but I have a light, dizzy feeling which I remember from putting all my books to bed, and it feels good. Next up: the immediate gratification of a short story. Ah, luxury!
And now a writerly hint: Drink Fuze! Seriously, the green tea with ginseng. Does the trick every time. It keeps me awake and aware, but without the jitters that too much coffee can bring. It's my new secret weapon.
See, and you thought Rachel Vincent gave good advice. Ha!
More bits and pieces of news to come, but they can all be combined in another post.* I've a book to ship off.
*Except to say that I can't wait until Jocelyn Drake's NIGHTWALKER comes out in August! I read it in ARC form, but I need to get my grubby hands on that pretty little cover. And it's coming out right after all the big stuff is cleared from my plate. I'll be in the mood for a good read by then!
Twenty-seven red roses from one's agent can only mean one thing...
 New York Times, baby! Yippee!
A big thank you to everyone who went out and bought THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT in the first week, and who've written to tell me they enjoyed it. I'm working hard on the next book in the series, due at the end of this month (thus the radio silence -- eek!) and I'm thrilled that you're all coming along on Joanna Archer's journey with me.* Thank you.
*Note: if you'd like to talk about the latest book, or the Zodiac series as a whole, click on the link to the right for my forum. I promise none of the regulars there bite (or, at least, not hard) and we have a great time chatting about books, reading, cupcakes and cocktails. Er...among other things. {G}
In the near-week since the release of THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT, a couple of other reviews have trickled in. I’ll post those below, with my thanks, but I also must take time to thank my peers for their support and kind words — it has been a year since my last release so it’s nice to know I’m not forgotten. {S} Moreover, it’s nice to have made such amazing friends in the last year, and I look forward to continuing this amazing journey with them. So Melissa, Jeaniene, Susan, Rachel, Jocelynn and Kim…thank you ever so much for your kind words, but especially your friendship.
Ms. Pettersson shares another well-imagined tale with engaging characters and action filled scenes. While Joanna’s first love continues to fill her thoughts, the chemistry she shares with Hunter increases to scorching proportions. The Touch of Twilight is an entertaining read that fans of the series shouldn’t miss. — Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews
A gritty and often dark fantasy, the Sign of the Zodiac series is as entertaining as it is edge-of-your-seat thrilling. Readers expecting a happily-ever-after may be a bit disappointed, but not with the wonderful writing and characters who grab you from the first page and literally hold you hostage until the last word…Along with this wonderful series, I highly recommend readers not schedule anything besides reading when they pick up THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT. — Kathy Samuels/Romance Reviews Today
Also this mention in the LibraryJournal.com, and an article about Urban Fantasy:
This graphically violent, emotionally intense series isn't for the faint of heart, but readers who can stomach the brutality will be rewarded. As a teenager, Joanna Archer was the victim of a violent attack that should have killed her—but her future may be even darker. She lives in a Las Vegas torn between the battling forces of Light and Shadow. When Joanna discovers that she's equal parts shadow and light, everything changes.
I was a bit surprised to hear that some might consider the Zodiac series more graphic or brutal than some of the other dark fantasy out there. I don't think of it that way, but that may be my shortcoming alone. My only explanation is that I've never tried to write urban fantasy...I mean, I didn't even know what it was when I started pitching SCENT. (My agent had to tell me after taking me on. {g}) I've simply always drawn on my fascination of horror and love of noir to guide my internal violence barometer, plus it just seemed to fit Jo and her world. But hey -- I'll happily take "emotionally intense." {G}
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