The official release date for For Want of a Fiend is almost upon us, and you know what that means…
It’s blog hopping time! Join me today at Women and Words for a post about sequels, ennui, and of course, glitter!
Hope to see ya there. And if you’d like me to hop on over to your blog for a guest post, give me a holler.
Sorry I’ve been away, campers. Things are getting crazy around her as I’m preparing for the release of For Want of a Fiend and trying to finish its sequel! I had to stop in and ask you to celebrate with me because…
You can get For Want of a Fiend today! If you order it from the BSB website as a paperback, it’ll ship today, and if you want an ebook, you can have it in your hot little hands right now!
BSB sells formats compatible with every tablet, smartphone, and eReader. For more information, check out their FAQ. Also, they offer a 10% discount on purchases over $25! So look around a bit! You can get a handful of ebooks for cheaper than from Amazon.
Here’s the skinny on FWoaF, just in case you missed it:
Princess Katya Nar Umbriel’s uncle Roland rose from the grave, kidnapped her cousin, and stripped her of her greatest weapon—her Fiendish power. Without her Fiend, Katya doubts her ability to weather the storm her uncle is brewing. When she lacks what even the children in her family possess, can she even call herself an Umbriel?
In only a short time, Starbride has become the princess consort, a pyradisté, and a member of a secret order in charge of protecting the crown. Even steeped in responsibility, she’s still an outsider. While wading through court intrigue and resisting schemes to break her bond with Katya, Starbride must prepare for a covert war. Roland is waiting, watching, ready for any chink in their armor, and he doesn’t care who knows their secrets.
If you haven’t read The Pyramid Waltz, you should definitely start there or you’ll be lost. Good thing is, you can get that from the BSB site too, both in paperback and ebook. That 10% discount is really calling to you now, isn’t it…
I hope everyone enjoys. I’ll keep you posted on where I’m going to be in the future!
I’ve been tagged by that cool kat, Melissa Brayden in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop! If you’ve never heard of this, it’s where people stalk you over the internets, weaving a web of blogs until they can find all your personal info and steal your credit card.
…um, okay, it’s not that.
It is a good way to find new blogs and read about awesome people, though, so I’m gonna give it a whirl.
Name of the book:
The Pyramid Waltz and For Want of a Fiend. Yeah, I’m doing two. I live to pimp.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
I’d say both came from the fact that I wanted to write a lesbian romance and that NaNoWriMo was coming. I knew that if I was going to be strong enough to write my dream book, I needed the support of the great Nano and all my fellow writers. Then I just sort of put my head down and went for it, running for the finish line.
What genre does your book fall under?
Several. Mostly fantasy. Then fantasy romance. And then lesbian fantasy romance. If asked what kind of fantasy, I usually say traditional as there are swords and magic and a made up kingdom.
Which actors would choose to play your characters in the movie rendition?
I’m gonna have to go with an assortment of Barbies and Kens.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
The Pyramid Waltz: Princess Katya Nar Umbriel wants a perfect romance, but her Fiendish nature and duties to the crown mean she can never tell the truth – until she meets Starbride, a woman who gets to the heart of every secret, even if it’ll be the death of her.
(SPOILER ALERT!) IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE FIRST BOOK, THE SYNOPSIS FOR THE SECOND CONTAINS SPOILERAGE.
For Want of a Fiend: Without her Fiendish power, can Princess Katya and her consort Starbride stop a magic-wielding madman from sparking an uprising in the kingdom of Farraday?
(END SPOILER)
What is the longer synopsis of your book?
The Pyramid Waltz: To most, Princess Katya Nar Umbriel is a rogue and a layabout; she parties, she hunts and she breaks women’s hearts. But when the festival lights go down and the palace slumbers, Katya chases traitors to the crown and protects the kingdom’s greatest secret: the royal Umbriels are part Fiend. When Katya thwarts an attempt to expose the king’s monstrous side, she uncovers a plot to let the Fiends out to play.
Starbride has no interest in being a courtier. Ignoring her mother’s order to snare an influential spouse, she comes to court only to study law. But a flirtatious rake of a princess proves hard to resist, and Starbride is pulled into a world of secrets that leaves little room for honesty or love, a world neither woman may survive.
(SPOILER ALERT AGAIN.)
For Want of a Fiend: Princess Katya Nar Umbriel’s uncle Roland rose from the grave, kidnapped her cousin, and stripped her of her greatest weapon—her Fiendish power. Without her Fiend, Katya doubts her ability to weather the storm her uncle is brewing. When she lacks what even the children in her family possess, can she even call herself an Umbriel?
In only a short time, Starbride has become the princess consort, a pyradisté, and a member of a secret order in charge of protecting the crown. Even steeped in responsibility, she’s still an outsider. While wading through court intrigue and resisting schemes to break her bond with Katya, Starbride must prepare for a covert war. Roland is waiting, watching, ready for any chink in their armor, and he doesn’t care who knows their secrets.
(END SPOILER)
Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
Both books are published by Bold Strokes Books. The Pyramid Waltz is available now. For Want of a Fiend will be available in May 2013.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Since it was a Nano to start with, 30 days. But that was very very rough.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve written a lot of blogs dealing with this question. ^_^ Like this one. I’ll just sum up and say, I needed to write it.
What else about this book might pique the reader’s interest?
Swords, sorcery, and lesbians, baby! What else do you need?
Tag You’re It.
Two words: Jennifer Lavoie. Three other words: You are it!
When I was writing The Pyramid Waltz, I didn’t want to fall into a trap where my characters of color are concerned. (Try saying that five times fast.)
We’re not here to empower you.
I didn’t want Starbride to be the wise brown person only there to enlighten her paler counterparts. I wanted her to be her own person, with her own quirks and faults and strengths. Many of my lovely beta readers have told me that she’s very human. I take that as high praise since I was hoping to stay far away from stereotypes.
I think some of blond Barbies might be darker than these two, tho. Seriously, Mattel, what’s up with that?
Anyway! I got lots of birthday Barbies, so guess what? Now Evil Barbie and Good Barbie can have allies! Can you say, epic fight scenes?
I think a black hole of awesome just opened up
Two kens, glamorous evil side, sensible shoes good side, and one panda. Who will win?!?!?
One thing never changes, though. This:
Welcome to the bondage club, half-naked Ken.
Still equals this:
Welcome to the bondage club, plastic swiss cheese.
Some things never change. The Barbies of color are just glad they’re not A) The ones in the ropes B) The mythical spiritual healers or C) The plucky/macho soldiers who never make it through the film.
We love you, Michelle Rodriguez.
p.s. Is anyone else doing extreme writing this summer? I’m in both Camp Nanowrimo and the Clarion West Write-a-thon. Who’s with me!?!?! C’mon. Being insane is fuuuun. ^_^
Happy Wednesday, everyone. Thank goodness it’s June.
*snort* I’m 35. Suuure.
…I am working on a Barbie post.
In the meantime,
Edits are away to my publisher. Now to decide what the hell I’m gonna do until The Pyramid Waltz comes out in September!
Network: I’ve missed talking to my blog buddies as much as I want, and I haven’t been able to click any #FF links on twitter or to take any blog recommendations. Now I can! I’m looking forward to meeting more internet friends. I’m soooo much more awkward in person. I tend to smile really wide in overcompensation. ^_^
Book release party: I’ve got to plan one. Got to figure out how many people might come, book a venue, and then…no clue. Bake some cheese sticks?
Keep writing: Not only do I have to jot down some ideas for what I’m hoping will turn into a series from The Pyramid Waltz, I also want to write some new stuff, just to keep my brain elastic. Maybe something about giant sharks. Or pirates. Or giant shark pirates. Heh. I almost typed pilates. Giant shark pilates might be fun, too.
On a totally unrelated note and since in my day-to-day life I keep flipping from topic to topic here, I heard Huey Lewis and the News’s “Heart of Rock in Roll” in the car, and when he’s singing about LA, I know what he really says, but it sounds like:
“Neon signs and the pretty pretty girls
All dressed so skeptically.”
You’d need sensible walking shoes, in case you have to disprove something in the wilderness. You’d need heavy trousers for wading through weeds. You’d need all sorts of gear for your skeptical tasks, like cameras, meteorological sensors, tape measures and other tools, and an EMF detector in case you’re investigating ghosts. A girl dressed skeptically has to be prepared to disprove anything. ^_^ I didn’t know they were all Scullys in LA.
Everyone else got any news?
So much editing! Deadlines fast approaching!! Writing well in hand but pressure leading to heart attack!!!
And breathe.
I’m going off on those OMG deadline tangents a lot lately. Luckily, I’ve got them pretty condensed and can go straight into the breathing much sooner than I could before.
And breathe a little more.
Before I pass out, I have some fabupendous news. (I thought about going for stupenabulous, but that’s more like stupid fabulous. Well…that could work.)
Okay, stupid fabulous, stupendous news. I’m on amazon again! But for my book this time which guarantees I will never ever go away.
NEVER.
Squeeee! It’s very exciting. Go ahead and hit that preorder button, don’t be shy! ^_^ I’m sure the cover art will be up as soon as publication time gets closer. (It’s not until September.)
So, who’s coming to my book launch party in Austin? You’re all invited!
The blurgh laid me low again yesterday, this time with a fever. Some days I’m fine, some nearly fine and well, yesterday, full on blurgh. It’s like my sinuses are just feeling me out, deciding how much they can get away with. In defiance, I worked from bed yesterday. You may take my balance, blurgh, but you will never take my mouse-hand!
Going well in edit-land. I’m putting in some plot points now that we’re quite wrapped up earlier. Then I smooth the rough edges and put in description where I need it most. I always do description last. I find it keeps me from over describing and using the same descriptive phrases more than once.
Who’s with me? What do you do last in your editing process? (Besides general clean-up and tightening, I mean. Everyone does those on each go through, or so I imagine.) And with this cooky world-wide weather, how is everyone else feeling? Does the whole world have the blurgh?
You know you are. ^_^ I’m very happy that everyone’s liking them.
Guess who's engaged to whom
I’m going full steam on edits right now as well as freaking out that I’ll have to do author appearances and beg people to review my book before the year is out. You may think I’m funny, but I’m really a hollow shell of a person held together with caffeine and candy.
What have you dreaded lately? I’d love to hear a few stories of when you were sure you would fail but instead came through with flying colors. Go ahead, after-school-special me.
You guys, what bliss!
I almost had NOTHING to blog about today. My next IWW post won’t be ready until next week, but I felt the need to say something, as I do every Wednesday. I’m hip deep in edits and thought I would have to redirect you to more interesting things when lo, I get an email from Letty herself!
Quoth the Letty:
“You are the reason I joined another group…I doubt you REALLY HAVE A BOOK COMING OUT UNLESS IT IS SELF PUBLISHED.
You need to get an honest opinion of your writing. You already have mine.”
Oh, you darling flirt. What acts of charitable kindness did I do to deserve you? I despaired, oh Letty, and down you dropped like a troll-scented angel from Topic Heaven. (Which was next door to Hot Topic in the mall.)
Look how kind you are, trying to assuage my guilt for helping you get tossed from your group by hinting that you left of your own accord. And that you joined a group because of me!!! Did they remind you of me somehow, and you couldn’t stay away?
You’re still a teensy bit confused about the book, though. It’s coming September 18th from Bold Strokes Books. (I never just want to throw the link up, but since you asked so nicely…) And thank you for your honest opinion about my writing. I clearly remember you saying how much you loved it. You’re such a dear.
Ah, now I feel better. A topic and a lovely conversation with my dear Letty. Anyone else have a wonderful yet unexpected email today?
Well, we have a date for liftoff. My novel, The Pyramid Waltz is being published on:
Woooooooo hooooooo! It might seem a long way off, but it’s really just around the corner. I’ve got so much to do, most of it mental preparation. I’ve got to get ready to talk to scads of people I don’t know. On the internet, it’s easy. In person, it can be a lot harder. I can be pretty funny, but I usually make jokes around what other people are saying, making them laugh. If people won’t talk to me, well, there’s not much I can do. I think I must be meeting lots of introverts lately. When no one can think of anything to say, damn it’s awkward.
Does anyone have any tips about getting people to come out of their shells? I’ve got a lot of talking to do. ^_^
Right now, let’s celebrate. I don’t drink champagne, so this will have to do:
(Find this recipe here.)
What are you up to this week, friends? Got any big deadlines looming on the horizon?
