SUPERNATURAL, 1/28/10

I was already on Facebook, and I heard that tonight’s episode wasn’t going to be that great. I’m trying not to let that sway me. Please be good, episode!

* “I would luuuuve…to have the sex with you.” “Sam”’s nerdy, 17-year-old enthusiasm is a good start, methinks.

* Ugh—even by fast food uniform standards, this one is bad.

* A commercial is on, so now’s a good time to tell you that I saw THE HURT LOCKER this week. Fantastic. Afterward, my jaw was sore because I’d been clenching it for the entire movie. Packs a meaningful punch without being at all preachy.

* Oh, my God, Sam flexing in the mirror. Hello, Sam’s arms.

* LOL for Dean having a cow when his precious Impala gets spanked.

* So…is it a bad thing if I have one of those STAR WARS T-shirts?

* This is what happens when GATE kids get bored.

* Ew points for the blood licking!

* Hey—was that the longest running demon barf we’ve ever seen on SPN? That was some heave!

* Can’t wait for THE WEREWOLF.

* Something tells me we might see these teens again. Just a feeling.

Well, yeah. Not my favorite episode ever, but entertaining enough.
Next week: It’s a Wonderful Supernatural Life

BREAK OF DAWN Reissue Today--and Book Giveaway!

BREAK OF DAWN, Vampire Babylon, Book Three, is being reissued in mass market format today! If you haven't read the series yet, now's a great time to go out and get 'em! ; )

Also, it's Takeaway Tuesday on the Knight Agency blog, and we're giving away signed copies of NIGHT RISING and MIDNIGHT REIGN (mass market editions, books one and two), so come on over!!!

From the Vampire Babylon series comes the sequel to Night Rising and Midnight Reign

Break of Dawn

Hollywood: It Can Suck the Life Out of You…

After facing off against the lethal Vampire Killer, Hollywood stuntwoman Dawn Madison and her friends are reeling with shock. They’re injured, exhausted, and hurting in every way possible.

For Dawn, the pain is much more personal. She’s learned more about her missing father and long-dead mother than she ever wanted to know—a burden of truth that is straining her sanity. And her conflicted feelings about both her enigmatic boss Jonah, and P.I. Matt Lonigan are only making things worse.

Yet Dawn is still determined to save her father. Her private battle will lead her directly into the Vampire Underground, where she will encounter an unthinkable betrayal. And where, finally, the question of who is truly good and who is truly evil will become a matter of life, death—and undeath…

Break of Dawn, Vampire Babylon, Book Three
1/26/10, Ace, 978-0-441-01839-0

Sleep Writing

If any of you happened to read something I Tweeted this morning, I'll clarify here.

"I scribbled this down last night after a dream: Someone called radio...misrepresenting who they are...how they were born on headboard. HUH?"

I'll confess--not only do I occasionally sleep walk and frequently sleep talk, I guess sleep write, too. When it happens, I'm perfectly aware of it. I even think it's a normal thing to do because, lots of times, I get really good idea when I'm lazing in bed, on the edge of slumberland.

There are times, though, when I'll wake up from a weird dream and it seems very important to write down what happened. It feels *urgent,* really, and while I write, it doesn't even occur to me that what I'm scribbling will make NO FREAKIN' SENSE WHATSOEVER when I wake up.

Of course, this does provide me with frequent doses of hilarity in the morning, when I get to read that insane note to myself. As far as this one goes, I know I was having a dream about my headboard. You know how you're half awake and the things in your room take on a whole new meaning? That. Something on my headboard looked like a tiny snake, and I know this came from a movie I was watching earlier in the night. (THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW. Gee, tell me why I'd be having messed up dreams?) As for the part about someone calling and misrepresenting themselves and being born on my headboard and how this connects to a snake? Well, I'm stuck. It's probably Freudian.

And that's what my Tweet meant.

SUPERNATURAL, 1/21/10

I consider a return to SUPERNATURAL to be my final, belated Christmas present.

Water cooler chatter...go!

* Have I ever mentioned how much I love a good asylum story? Especially if it’s about an abandoned asylum. (Attention SESSION 9 fans!)

* Oh, great—a monster that comes through the vents. I’m totally going to sleep well tonight.

* LOL for Sam and Dean telling the utter truth and it’s enough to get them checked in to the asylum.

* Laslo!!! (Okay, to get that reference, you must watch REAL GENIUS. Early Val Kilmer, all awesome. Queue it up!)

* Hah for the co-dependent brother observation. Maybe the Winchesters will finally get some much-needed therapy.

* Ted = sooooo the next victim

* “I want him now. He’s larger.”

* “Hotel California.” The very title makes me shudder. Every time that song used to come on when I was a kid, I’d freak out. I think it has something to do with the “They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can’t…kill, the, beast” part. Naturally, now I love that song.

* “You always were a happy drunk,” Dean says to Sam. But do you guys recall that episode where they went to that old B&B (the one with the ghost girl) and Sam got really ugly drunk? He was barfing and spouting off weird crap that kind of scared Dean, as I remember. That wasn’t happy.

* Those wraiths look like they stuck their faces on a McDonald’s burger fryer.

* Best way to get to Sam? Call him a freak. Mr. “I Only Want To Be Normal” will go off on that.

* Oooo, nasty, brain-fluid-licking, too-perky nurse. Get her, Laslo.

* Once again, Sam is strapped down. This has gone beyond coincidence. I think one or all of the writers has some very interesting issues, and I look forward to a thorough explanation.

Next week: Sam's Freaky Friday!

The new contest page is up at my site

New contest time!

The mass market reissue of BREAK OF DAWN, Vampire Babylon, Book 3, will hit shelves on January 26. (The new trade release of DEEP IN THE WOODS, Book 6, will follow soon afterward, on March 2!) To mark this wonderful occasion, I’ve got a new prize package up for grabs. This month’s theme is “writers workshop,” and it includes:

* A bundle of non-fiction books, including HOW I WRITE by Janet Evanovich and Ina Yalof, BEYOND HEAVING BOSOMS by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan, and BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS: CREATING WITH ENNEAGRAMS by Laurie Schnebly

* A dainty Swarovski Crystal Memories Classics collectible called “wine set.” You can’t drink from this little decorative set, but it signifies those nights after you write all day and you need some vino (retail value $50)

* Signed mass market copies of Chris Marie Green’s NIGHT RISING (Book 1) and MIDNIGHT REIGN (Book 2) for even more fun and relaxation after your long day of study

To enter, go to my main site at www.crystal-green.com and click on the contest link. Good luck!

Contest Winner

The latest contest winner is Lexie Cenni! Congratulations, Lexie--your prize package (some signed books and a Christmas necklace/earring set) will be in the mail soon. : )

Stay tuned for the new contest, as the updates will be going live today--and they'll include an excerpt for DEEP IN THE WOODS, Vampire Babylon, Book Six!

ConDor, San Diego

If any of you are planning a trip to San Diego in late February, I'll be at ConDor, a fantasy/sci-fi convention, along with Nancy Holder and Linda Thomas-Sundstrom. It's the weekend of the 26-28.

More info here!

SUPERNATURAL...But Fast

Rumors are abounding about a sixth season for SUPERNATURAL. I'm not sure how I feel about that, since I'd love to have the series end on the top of its game. I'd love to leave with good memories of it, you know? Then again, a couple more years of Sam and Dean would never be a bad thang.

In honor of more possible SUPERNATURAL goodness (and because I'm procrastinating), I present to you a weird little compilation I found on YouTube. It's SUPERNATURAL in a way you've never quite seen it before (especially when it comes to a "jerk"/"bitch" exchange), and if you have 7 minutes to spare, have a peek. The chipmunk laughing alone makes this worth while....

Chuck Me!

I'm not sure I'll be able to do CHUCK recaps this time out, but that doesn't mean I won't tell you how very happy I am to have this series back.

I haven't seen last night's eppie yet, but Sunday's installments gave me that "Oh, get over here, you--I really missed ya!" feeling. Everything seemed familiar, yet a bit different. I like how they worked in Chuck's new powers--they didn't overdo it. And I like how Sarah must now protect the world from Chuck rather than the other way around. And who's this Shaw person? He intrigues me.

Can't wait for Brandon Routh (yow) to show up. (Is he Shaw?) I can't say I have the same enthusiasm for Lana Lang, but oh well.

I want to hug CHUCK.

Meanwhile, I've been Tweeting about my reading glut. Last weekend, during a couple of days that I sort-of took off, I finished a few books. DEAD UNTIL DARK, the first Sookie Stackhouse book, which I loved. (Awesome voice and characters and setting.) DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER. (Ditto the voice. Dexter is funny on the Showtime series, but he is *hilarious* in the books.) And a "writing craft" book called WRITERS WORKSHOP OF HORROR, edited by Michael Knost. It's a book that goes beyond just horror writing and is helpful in all genres. And it's highly entertaining.

I'm waiting for my RITA romance contest books, so it's hard to get into anything major right now. I do have a Maggie Osborne book winking at me though....

On to the Next

Bright and early this morning, I wrote the first pages (very short chapter) for my next project--the first book in a new Special Edition miniseries called Cowboy Billionaires, Inc.

It's always kind of a challenge to "switch over" to writing another genre. Going from big-time post-apocalyptic paranormal stuff to heartwarming romance is like...
Well, being in a furious storm where I get to slow down every once in a while to build a really cool snow-creature, stop to enjoy it, then run on to the next adrenaline-fueled activity, then walking into a nice warm room where I get to cuddle under a favorite blanket.

Both are rewarding in their own ways.

Bitten by Books...2/22/10

I'm working on my next web site update, but I want you guys to know this one little tidbit before the newsletter actually comes out. I'll be appearing at the fantastic Bitten by Books site on February 2, 2010, about a week after the mass market reissue of BREAK OF DAWN, Vampire Babylon, Book 3, hits the shelves.

I don't have every detail ironed out yet, but we'll be offering a really big prize. You can check out some of their other release parties (one of which is still in progress, I believe!) to see what kind of things authors are offering.

No small potatoes here, you guys.

It'd be great if you all could visit for the release party on 2/22. It's officially for BREAK OF DAWN, but book 6, DEEP IN THE WOODS, comes out not long afterward on 3/2, so I'm kind of sneaking that in there, as well.

Hope to see you then!

And I Will Rest Well Tonight

Whew--I now have the first two books from my post-apocalyptic urban fantasy series (release 2011) on my editor's desk! I spent all day today revising the first one, BLOODLANDS, for continuity with this second book, which is still being called (NO) SPILL BLOOD at this time.

How am I celebrating? By hopping into my next project tomorrow, of course. :) I'll be starting to write a Special Edition.

Good start to the New Year!

Selena's Guest Blog

Hey!

Our own Selena has a guest blog in which she mentions THE PATH OF RAZORS. You can read an excerpt from her newest work, too, at http://lovesbooksandmore.blogspot.com/2010/01/meet-author-selena-illyria.html

Have a great day, you all!