Merrie Destefano

Writer Wednesday: Interview with Jane Wells, author of Glitter in the Sun

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today is my second Writer Wednesday, during which I be feature an author you may or may not have heard of. Once again, my goal is to introduce you to some books and authors that you may not have read before.

Today, I'm interviewing debut author, Jane Wells, author of the book, Glitter in the Sun--which releases on November 14, 2011.

AUTHOR BIO AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF HER BOOK:
A wife, mother and writer, Jane Wells has written and taught Bible studies, and served for four years in youth ministry. Currently, however, keeping up with two Golden Retrievers and two very active boys seems to be a full time job on its own. Her book, Glitter in the Sun, will be released November 14 by Read the Spirit/David Crumm Media, LLC. It can be purchased through Amazon.com or through my website, www.glitterinthesun.com. A brief description of the book: Her book explores how readers can glimpse truths of faith through the Twilight saga. Glitter in the Sun invites individual readers and Bible-study groups to consider that there may be links between the love stories of Twilight and the One who can truly satisfy their longing hearts.

INTERVIEW:
MERRIE: If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would it be?
JANE: Someplace warm and sandy with crystal clear blue water… and almost completely deserted. I don’t know where that is because I haven’t been there yet!
MERRIE: I haven’t been there either, but when you find it, let me know!

MERRIE: What’s your favorite TV show?
JANE: Bones. I am fascinated by the science of it all and love how the characters are written and interact.

MERRIE: What is the one book that everyone should read?
JANE: Oooooh, that’s really hard… other than the Bible – because it doesn’t matter what genre you’re looking for, it’s in there – I don’t have any single recommendation.

MERRIE: What movie or book are you looking forward to this year?
JANE: Breaking Dawn, of course! After that, the upcoming Avengers movie.

MERRIE: If you could have lunch with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you eat?
JANE: There are a bunch of writers I know only through Facebook and their books whom I would love to spend real time with (ahem, Merrie Destefano). Even if we weren’t talking about writing the conversation would still be fascinating because writers are information omnivores. As for what I would eat? As long as there was coffee and cheesecake I would be content!
MERRIE: Coffee and cheesecake? I am SO there. Seriously, it would be so much fun to hang out with you for lunch. We must do that someday.

MERRIE: What is your favorite place to write?
JANE: There is a coffee shop here in Monroe, MI called Agua Dulce. It is my office away from home! When I hit a writer’s block I sit back for a few minutes to sip the bottomless coffee and watch people.

MERRIE: Tell us about your current book.
JANE: Glitter in the Sun is a Bible study that explores just why the Twilight Saga has become such a phenomenon. Even if you don’t care for the story, writing or concept, you’ve got to admit that holding all top four positions of the New York Times bestseller list and grossing more than $1.8 billion (yes, with a “b”) with the first three movies alone, makes the Twilight Saga a force to be considered at least.

I believe the Twilight Saga is so popular because it strikes at a universal chord. The themes of eternal love and unconditional acceptance are at the core needs of every person. We are born that way, to be hungry for the love of an eternally and unconditionally loving God.

MERRIE: How long did it take you to write your current book?
JANE: I wrote Glitter in the Sun one week per chapter, so it took about four months.

MERRIE: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
JANE: Making sure that what I thought was in fact what the Bible said about the topic. It was a huge growth experience for me to seek out what God has to say about all these “modern” questions and problems.

MERRIE: What advice would you give to a beginning writer?
JANE: Just do it. If within yourself you deeply wish you were a writer, then I’d say you probably already are. You just need to put fingers to keyboard and hammer it out!

And now, answer the first thing that comes to your mind:

MERRIE: Dog or cat?
JANE: Cat

MERRIE: Hot tea or cold tea?
JANE: Hot
MERRIE: Yay, hot tea wins!

MERRIE: Flying monkeys or munchkins?
JANE: Munchkins (Flying monkeys - *shudder*)
MERRIE: Yikes. I always thought the munchkins were WAY scarier than the flying monkeys.

MERRIE: Supernatural or magical?
JANE: Supernatural

MERRIE: Brownie or cake?
JANE: Brownie
MERRIE: Now, we’re talking.

MERRIE: High heels or tennis shoes?
JANE: Ummmmm… well… will I be playing with my boys or playing at being a grown-up?
MERRIE: Trick question. And…a trick answer. How about tennis shoes with high heels?

MERRIE: Read a book or watch TV?
JANE: Book!

MERRIE: Hawaii or Rio de Janeiro?
JANE: Hawaii

MERRIE: Rich or famous?
JANE: Famous. (My husband would say rich. That’s why we’re a team!)

MERRIE: The beach or the forest?
JANE: Can the beach be at the edge of the forest?
MERRIE: Cheating. Ahem, I mean, you stole my answer.

MERRIE: Now or later?
JANE: Now.
MERRIE: Absolutely. Why wait? Unless we’re talking about cleaning the house.

Thank you, Jane, for stopping by today and I wish you much success with Glitter in the Sun!

Teaser Tuesday:

2011-11-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's Teaser Tuesday (wild round of applause for books, books, and more books) and my selection today is THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell [Joshua Gaylord].

And now, the rules of Teaser Tuesday:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

And my Teaser Tuesday snippet, paragraph two, page 54, from THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell:

"Here among these pretty homes, on a four-lane road with a wide grassy island in the middle where banyan trees are planted at equal intervals, she finds an accumulation of meatskins, a trail of maybe twenty, all loping awkwardly in the same direction. She pulls the car up past them to the front of the line where there is a large man trying to outpace the congregation behind. In his arms is the body of an ancient woman no larger than a child."

Cool Blog Alert: Cinder author Marissa Meyer's NaNoWriMo Countdown

2011-11-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for some NaNo encouragement AND you want to learn more about a debut author, check out Marissa Meyer’s Live Journal. Author of the upcoming Cinder (a book I can’t WAIT to read), Marissa’s doing a day-by-day countdown of author tips during the month of November. Covering items like ARCS, blog tours, conferences, and downloads, her blog posts make great reads for aspiring writers. Interspersed among these tips are updates on her soon-to-be released novel. In her own words: CINDER, in which Cinderella is re-envisioned as a teenage cyborg, is due out 3 January 2012.

(Isn't that cover fabulous?)

Here’s a quote from a recent article by USA today about Cinder:
“Meyer sets this Cinderella story in futuristic New Beijing, where humans and androids coexist in a dystopian society ravaged by plague. Being a teenage cyborg, Linh Cinder is looked down by society on the whole, and especially by her stepmother. She does have one talent working in her favor, however: Her computer brain interface makes her the best mechanic around, which is fortuitous when Prince Kaito comes calling to her market booth and asks her to fix his broken android before the annual royal ball.

Cinder and the prince's lives become intertwined, while an antagonistic force lies in wait in outer space waiting for the right moment to strike Earth.

The next three books in the series will also take a futuristic sci-fi twist on classic tales: Scarlet is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, Cress is a take on Rapunzel and Winter is Meyer's version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.”

And, this is what always sells me on a book. An excerpt. Here's a link to the first chapter.

Also, up tomorrow: An interview with debut author, Jane Wells.

Do tigers like catnip?

2011-11-04T14:23:00.000-07:00

This video makes me smile. I think these cats need a couple of big stuffed mice to play with.

I am totes surviving the apocalypse and these books are why

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Everything I know about surviving the coming apocalypse I learned from these books.

1. World War Z by Max Books
I will not purchase any black market organs infected with a zombie pandemic and then have said organs transplanted.

2. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
I’m not opening the door for any of my dead relatives.

3. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
I will stay the heck away from fast zombies, especially when I'm in the forest.

4. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
I’m not climbing over the fence and going to a ghost amusement park at night, no matter how cute the boys are.

5. Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
The minute my neighbors are possessed by an evil force, I’m getting out of town.

6. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
I’m not making friends with some strange girl who can walk in the sunlight. Not even if I was the last man on earth and everyone else was a vampire.

7. The Stand by Stephen King
I will not catch the flu. Cough. Cough.

8. Xombies: Apocalypse Blues by Walter Greatshell
If blue Xombies come, I’m having a hysterectomy. (Sorry for being so blunt)

9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I am disguising myself as a guy and hiding from cannibals.

10. The Children of Men by P.D. James
I will do everything possible to make sure the last baby survives. Everything. Possible.

Above artwork by Mike Butkus, from How To Draw Zombies, published by Walter Foster

The original odd couple

2011-11-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

They may be an odd couple, but they're definitely beautiful. Heartwarming tale of two rescued big cats.

Playing around with a text cloud

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was playing around on the Internet the other day and discovered this way cool site (Tagxedo.com) where you can transform your writing into a text cloud. So I did a little experiment, using the beginning of a book I was working on, a few years ago.

The title of the book was The Other Side of the Needle and, unfortunately, I haven't gotten very far with it. But I thought I'd share a page or so of the story, plus the text cloud. One of the things I've learned, over the years, is that writing prompts and little things like this can actually recapture you're love of writing and make you fall in love with a "broken story" all over again. This particular was broken and I didn't spend the time trying to fix it. But now, as I look at the beginning again and listen to words of this character, I find that I'm still slightly enchanted by both her and her dilemma.

So, here's the text cloud, created on Tagxedo.com.

TEXT CLOUD:

And here's the snippet that I used to make the text cloud.

BEGINNING OF THE STORY:
I stand in front of the mirror and look for the difference. I know it’s there somewhere, beneath the makeup, under the smile, buried somewhere below bone and flesh, a monster breeds. In silence I speak its name, but otherwise I try to pretend it doesn’t exist. Don’t want It to know that I’ve found out.

A tumor. Growing. In my brain.

Wish this was happening to someone else. Wish I was someone else. Right now I’d switch places with my cat if that were an option.

It isn’t.

The sun shines outside the window, forcing cherry blossoms to glow with a supernatural light. I hate the implication that the rest of the universe is moving along in some ordered fashion. If I’m headed toward death, then shouldn’t everything else come to an end? Shouldn’t all the oxygen get sucked away by some environmental tragedy, shouldn’t the war that’s been hanging over our heads finally start?

Shouldn’t my husband end his affair, the one I’m not supposed to know about, and tell me how much he truly, madly, desperately needs me?

Apparently not. Apparently this tumor with my name on it doesn’t affect anyone but me. Well, me and my doctor, I guess. He stands to make a sizeable increase in salary over the next several months. I glance down at my arms, still bronzed by summer sun, wonder how pale I’ll be when all this is over. My gaze lingers too long on the ID bracelet that hangs loose on my wrist. Like I was going to get lost in this exclusive clinic that feels more like a spa. Like anybody was going to forget my name when I have it tatooed across my left forearm, tangled in a gothic swirl of red and black, as if I myself was going to forget who I was back when I was 19.

Kathryn. Delicate lines. Cursive script.

--------------------

Will I write more about Kathryn and her mysterious illness? Maybe. I haven't decided yet.

How about you? What do you do with your broken stories and how do you fix them?

Doing NaNoWriMo Light

2011-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Me: I’m doing NaNo Light.

Imaginary Friend: What’s that?

Me: I’m drafting off all the real NaNoWriMos, following in the slipstream of the writers who are in front of me.

Imaginary Friend: ???

Me: I’m trying to write many pages per day. Many. Pages. Per. Day.

Imaginary Friend: Do you have an actual goal?

Me: Um.

Imaginary Friend: Isn’t that part of NaNoWriMo? Write 50,000 words in one month?

Me: Well, yeah. But I just want to write many pages in one month.

Imaginary Friend: Slacker.

Me: Am not.

Imaginary Friend: Are too.

Me: You’ll see. I’ll get a lot written. I will.

Imaginary Friend: Snort.

Me: Hey, are my Imaginary Friend or my Inner Editor?

Imaginary Friend: Sorry. Yay for you!! *imaginary hands clapping*

Me: Now we’re talking.

Imaginary Friend: So, how many pages do you have written?

Me: Today, right now, 120.

Imaginary Friend: How many pages do you want to finish by the end of the month? *returning to the original topic of goals and not tricking me one bit*

Me: I’d love, love, love it if I could get 200 pages done by the end of November.

Imaginary Friend: Go for it. Seriously. Write. More. Now.

Me: I will. Thanks! *typing furiously, allowing my characters to tell me where the story is going, wishing someone would bring me a brownie so I would have lots more energy and ideas cuz I seriously need ideas when I'm writing this fast*

Writer Wednesday: Featured book: In Plain Sight

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm launching a new series today called, Writer Wednesday, during which I'll be featuring an author you may or may not have heard of. I'm hoping to introduce you to some books and authors that you may not have read before.

Today's author is Marlayne Giron and her book is IN PLAIN SIGHT.

AUTHOR BIO: Marlayne Giron is a Messianic Jew, wife and mother living in Orange County, California. She has been married to her husband Michael since 1986 and is the mom of a lovely daughter. In 1982 she was inspired to write The Victor from a verse in an Amy Grant song called: “Fairytale” (from her Father's Eyes album): “…two princes wage the battle for eternity but the victor has been known from the start”. It took nearly 30 years before for The Victor was published in 2009. Since she first began to write it in the early 1980s, Marlayne endured a four-year bout with intestinal disease that resulted in major surgery, then infertility followed by the adoption of her daughter in 1997. Because of the demands of having to work full-time and lack of interest from family and friends in the book, she gave up on her dream of ever seeing The Victor in print until April of 2008 when Tate Publishing called to offer her a contract.

IN PLAIN SIGHT synopsis:
It started with the crop circles followed by the disappearance of cattle. Then he appeared. He was obviously Old Order Amish. He did and said everything right but no one knew what family or farm he belonged to. He worked in the fields and barn raising's like everyone else and was in every respect just like one of them except for his silver eyes. Despite his quiet and respectful demeanor the community of Bird-in-Hand was leery of him. Every-one avoided him; except for Rebecca Esh...two star-crossed lovers whose romance not only endangers the Amish family who takes him in but puts the world he and his brother come from in great peril.

IN PLAIN SITE Book Trailer.

The dog story that broke my heart

2011-11-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Crossroads Pet Resort--located in Stanton, California--is where my 2 German shepherds board when we go out of town. I always hate boarding my dogs because I miss them so much. When I'm gone, I think about them all the time and can't wait to get back, so I can take them home.

Home. My home. Their home.

That isn't what happened to Midnight, the 11-month-old husky mix in the photo above.

His owners took him to Crossroads Pet Resort and left him there. They never came back for him.

I almost burst into tears when I got the e-mail last night from Crossroads. The folks at the resort are hoping to find a forever home for this furry guy, because his original owners never bothered to come back and take him home. Midnight had a home. He had people who loved him. And then they just changed their mind. That kind of animal-ownership really bothers me. But I won't get on a rant.

Although I really want to.

The reason I'm posting this is because, maybe, you live in Southern California and, maybe, you would love to give an abandoned dog another chance.

Here is the contact information for the pet resort:
Crossroads Pet Resort
10832 Knott Avenue
Stanton, CA 90680
714-821-6622

I hope Midnight finds a forever home really soon. And I hope his new parents never do what his old parents did.

In praise of the independents

2011-11-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Major bookstore chains are great. They really are. But I have to admit that I truly love independent bookstores and always have. I appreciate the fact that the customer service is fantastic, that the folks who work there not only know their products--they actually love the books they sell and have read almost all of them.

One of my all-time favorite bookstores, Mysterious Galaxy, is now actually two bookstores. (Yay and double yay!)

This incredible store, originally located in San Diego and now with a second store in Redondo Beach, boldly touts its theme:

Books of martians, murder, magic, mayhem and more.

Now, you can probably see another reason why I love them so much. They carry my kind of book. I can wander through their store and find exactly what I'm looking for, stuff that some other stores don't carry. This particular independent bookstore has been open for more than eighteen years and this makes me really happy. I love to see independent businesses, not only surviving, but succeeding in today's climate.

So, in honor of the independent bookstore, I encourage you to purchase your next book from your local independent store. Or consider ordering a book online from Mysterious Galaxy. The authors and the bookstore owners will be delighted that you did.

Teaser Tuesday and Happy Release Day to Dark Inside author, Jeyn Roberts

2011-11-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

First, Happy Release Day to Jeyn Roberts!! *confetti flying, people dancing, loud music playing* I picked up an ARC of this book at Comic Con and, once I started reading (which wasn't until I got home and my head stopped spinning from all crazy costumes and a convention hall filled with 130,000 people), anyway, once I started reading this book I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. Seriously. It is that good. I can't talk loud enough or tell enough people about how much I loved, loved, loved this book. I plan to do a proper review of this in the future, but for now let's just call it a 5-star book filled YA apocalyptic awesome. This is one of my new favorite books and favorite authors. I can't WAIT to read the next book in the series.

And now, the rules of Teaser Tuesday:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

And my Teaser Tuesday choice:

The boy--Michael couldn't remember his name--hadn't opened his eyes in a long time. Shallow gasps escaped bluish lips, his chest rising against his shirt. His face was deathly white, eyes sunken deep into the recesses of his skull. The poor kid probably weighed as much as a small animal.

From page 114, DARK INSIDE by Jeyn Roberts

The Scariest Scene from The Wizard of Oz

2011-10-31T16:39:00.001-07:00

Yikes, this thing still gives me chills when I watch it. *hiding and running away*

Some Pure Halloween Crack

2011-10-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun stuff going on today. It is Halloween, after all. Zombie costumes, vampire teeth, hounds of hell wandering the streets. So, in honor of this way-fun holiday, I've been hanging out online. Check it out...

WANT SOME PURE HALLOWEEN CRACK?
Check out my guest post over at fellow Harper author, Helen Lowe's, blog. I'm chatting about 10 movies to get you in the mood for Halloween.

Here's a taste of my list...

8. THE HAUNTING (1963): Be afraid. Be very afraid. This is one of the creepiest movies I’ve ever seen. A group of people do a paranormal investigation on Hill House, spending the night. Be prepared for a rush of pure adrenaline, for this is a tale of psychological horror that builds and builds until even you want out of Hill House.

9. THE OTHERS: Another psychological horror, this movie was inspired by the novella, The Turn of the Screw. Nicole Kidman plays a mother, trying to protect her two children from a houseful of ghosts, or is she? The plot twists and turns as you learn more about this family and the ghosts who live in the house.

WANT TO KNOW MY DEEP DARK SECRETS AND MAYBE WIN A COPY OF FEAST?
Check out my interview and the book giveaway over at Paper Cuts Review. This is part of blog owner, Stephanie's, FEAST OF SCREAMS event (Yikes, does that sound creepy and fun!).

Here's a taste of the interview:

Q: What has your journey been like to become published? What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

A: It took me a long time to get my first book, Afterlife, published. Mainly because I had to write about 4-5 other books first. The whole process took about ten or eleven years, during which time I became an editor at a book publishing company (The Word For Today), and later a magazine editor at Victorian Homes magazine. So, obviously, even though my books weren’t selling, my writing and editing skills were improving. I would advise any aspiring writer to join a good supportive writer’s group, to attend local writer’s conferences, to read books on writing, and to read really well-written books. And every time you get a rejection, get back up, dust yourself off, and start writing again. Your writing will get stronger and your next book will be even better.

AND I haven't forgotten that I promised to post my Top Ten Books for Halloween. So here goes:

TOP TEN BOOKS TO READ FOR HALLOWEEN:

1. iDrakula by Bekka Black

2. Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

3. Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker

4. Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett

5. Don’t Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon

6. Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

7. Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

8. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro

9. Darkness Inside by Jeyn Roberts

10. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

And, just for fun, I’m going to add three additional books (one of which is mine, sorry for the pimpage):

11. Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee

12. Winterland: A Novella by Mike Duran

13. Feast: Harvest of Dreams by Merrie Destefano

So, go out there and enjoy this night of pure candy-crack fun!!

Ten Days of Halloween: Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

2011-10-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, I stumble across a book that leaves me breathless. I'm propelled forward. Compelled to read. Like a lemming, I plunge over the cliff, discover the land beneath my feet is gone. I've scampered through the forest of words too quickly, come face-to-face with the most horrid of all reading calamities...

The book is over. I'm done reading. I'm sailing over the edge of the cliff.

I don’t find a book that pushes me over the edge very often. So when I do, I realize instantly that I’ve just found my New Favorite Author.

Allow me to introduce you to Norman Partridge, my NFA. The book that had me flying through the air—the dark dangerous night air—is Dark Harvest, published by Tor.

You must read it. Really. You just have to.

Besides the stunning prose, the nostalgic setting and the perfect monster, one element captivated my writer's heart. The POV. I’ve never read anything like it. Smooth and flawless, it sailed from one person to the next with nary a skip or a bump. I was never confused (terrified, yes) and I was never irritated. I gladly soared along like the chill autumn wind, danced through swirling leaves as the writer had me chasing one character after another, all within the same scene.

If you're a writer and you struggle with POV, if you want to see something new and daring and creative, if you just plain want a good book that won’t let you rest until you are completely and thoroughly done, this book is a must-read. But I have to warn you. Dark Harvest won’t leave you alone, even after you finish it. Sorry. This one’s going to cling to the walls of your memory. Maybe forever.

So, come with me to the scary lemming edge, to the cliff you can’t resist.

Come. Read the first chapter.

Put on your lemming skin and read.

I dare you.

P.S. Stay tuned for more Halloween book recommendations in the next two days, plus an update on what's new and exciting in YA!!

On the road to fantasyland (which is a little bit like Disneyland, but not really.)

2011-10-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to head down to World Fantasy Con for a few days. (Very excited!) I'll be on a panel Friday morning. Info is below.

FRIDAY: 10:00 AM

Pacific 1: But Can You Bring Him Home To Mother?

You think your last boyfriend was a monster? Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies - is there anything beyond the pale in paranormal romance? A look at relationships with individuals who aren’t quite human. How did we come to regard what used to be considered ravening monsters as prospects? Is the dating pool that desperate?

Panel Members, including me:
Merrie Destefano, Carolyn Grayson, Frances Gross, Linda Thomas-Sundstrom (M), Sandra Wickham

ALSO, I wanted to let you know that I'll have a interview on Paper Cut Reviews on the 29th. (What day is that? Hmmm. Trick question.)

And since I'm going to be gone for a few days, here's something fun to watch:

P.S. I will continue my countdown of Ten Books to Read for Halloween when I get back...

The Ten Days of Halloween: Day One: iDrakula

2011-10-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming. Soon leaves will be blowing across your yard, pumpkins will glow on your porch and troops of ghouls will come knocking on your door, demanding treats. The days are getting shorter and darkness rules the land. We mortals try to stave off the long, lonely night by lighting fires, baking cookies, and curling up in a comfortable chair with a great book.

This is the season for great books. Great spooky books that make the chill in the air a bit more sharp.

Over the next ten days, I’m going to be recommending ten fabulously creepy books, each of them perfect for a long, autumn evening, when the wolves are howling and your cup of tea is steaming.

My first recommendation:
iDrakula by Bekka Black

This digital book is beyond incredible. A reimagining of Dracula, this version brings a familiar tale to life in a new, fresh way. The story is told through a series of e-mails, text messages, Internet searches and voice mails, with the occasional picture attachment thrown in. Designed to be read one day at a time—a technique that heightens the tension and makes you even more invested in the story—Bekka Black’s creation is flawless. I couldn’t put it down. Seriously. The characters feel incredibly real and the story puts a modern spin on the original vampire story, making it not only more contemporary and more scary, but also more believable.

I give this digital book 5 stars and I highly recommend it for a spooky, Halloween read.

My only question is: Can we expect more of these from Black? I hope so. Because I want more. I’m already imagining iFrankenstein or iMummy or iWerewolf.

GOOD NEWS:
The author of iDrakula, Bekka Black, just told me that iFrankenstein is up next (woo hoo!!) and will hopefully be out by Halloween, next year.

If the blogging shoe fits...

2011-10-17T12:26:00.001-07:00

Hey, you know how I don't blog very often? (One of my writing pals just called me a blog sloth on Facebook. Ahem. Okay, so that shoe fits.)

Well, is it okay if I blog to tell you about some free stuff?

Free stuff. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

Here goes:

I'm giving away a $25 Amazon gift card, plus a copy of FEAST over on the Supernatural Underground. Contest ends on October 20. (Hurry!)

Books N Kisses is giving away some cool stuff for Halloween (go over and check out all the loot). In the mix, are a signed copy of Afterlife and a signed copy of Feast, given away by Yours Truly.

Plus, this isn't free, but it is cool. I just re-designed my website and it should be up and running and all sparkly in about 2 days. (I'm very excited about that.)

And, by the way, my motto is: If the shoe fits, then it's time to go shopping for a new handbag.

Great Beginnings

2011-10-03T14:58:00.001-07:00

What catches your attention when you're browsing through the local bookstore? A trendy cover? A kiosk display? I confess, I'm a sucker for both of those. But for me, the bottom line is always the book itself. Story concept and execution are what get me to buy books.

So, I thought I'd just share some first passages from books that I loved.

From The Black Echo by Michael Connelly:

"The boy couldn't see in the dark, but he didn't need to. Experience and long practice told him it was good. Nice and even. Smooth strokes, moving his whole arm while gently rolling his wrist. Keep the marble moving. No runs. Beautiful."

From The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping."

From This Glittering World by T. Greenwood:

"Winter came early to Flagstaff that year. Ben hadn't split the firewood that lay in a cluttered heap in the driveway. He hadn't cleaned out the chimney or brought salt to melt the snow from the sidewalk in front of the house. Sara hadn't gotten the winter coats out of storage, hadn't taken down the artificial spiderwebs and plastic decals she'd hung in the windows for Halloween. the harvest dummy sat ill-prepared and coatless on the porch. The jack-o-lanterns hadn't even started to bruise and rot when the first storm brought twelve inches of snow. They weren't prepared."

From Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell:

"Red Dolly stood at break of day on her cold front steps and smelled coming flurries and saw meat. Meat hung from trees across the creek. The carcasses hung pale of flesh with a fatty gleam from low limbs of saplings in the side yards. Three halt haggard houses formed a kneeling rank on the far creekside and each had two or more skinned torsos dangling by rope from sagged limbs, venison left to the weather for two nights and three days so the early blossoming of decay might round the flavor."

What about you? What gets you to pick and read/buy a book?

Teaser Tuesday

2011-09-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'm joining the ranks of bloggers who share a random, selection of text from a book that they've enjoyed.

My book choice: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. My quote was taken from the third paragraph on page 98.

"It was like a detonation--a sharp intake, all air sucked into a tight core and then expelled. It was silent, lightless--to the gape-jawed witnesses it was nothing at all, just a girl throwing up her hands--but Karou felt it, and the angel did, too. His eyes went wide with recognition in the instant before he was flung back with devastating force to hit a wall some twenty feet away."

And, just for fun, here's a shot of me at Comic Con, when I met Laini and she signed my ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Winner of FEAST and AFTERLIFE announced!

2011-07-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! If you've ever wondered why authors suddenly become invisible and don't post very often on their blogs, it's almost always because they're working on a book. That's what I've been doing and that's why I haven't posted much lately (sorry).

But...

I do have good news.

We have a WINNER in the contest I was running HERE.

Just a reminder of the prizes...

And, the winner is Tiff! Congrats, Tiff. I just sent you an e-mail requesting your shipping address. Yay!! I have the following items waiting for you:

Afterlife tote bag
Signed copy of Afterlife
Signed copy of Feast
Feast and Afterlife buttons and bookmarks

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest! I loved reading your answers. =)

If, by any chance, I don't hear from the winner in three days, another winner will be chosen.

Learn all my deep, dark secrets, plus win some stuff

2011-07-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

So far, this release week has been incredible. People have read FEAST, written reviews and asked me a zillion questions. Believe it or not, I've told them all of my deep, dark secrets--all the stuff that I usually confess to my closest friends--so you really should check out the interviews below. On top of that, many of these sites are hosting contests where I'm giving away some very cool FEAST swag. Again, another reason to check out the links below.

I even have my own contest running on two different sites, one on MY VERY OWN BLOG, and another one on SUPERNATURAL UNDERGROUND. (Above advice still holds true. Check this stuff out too.)

Today, there's book review and swag giveaway over the SciFiChick. This contest runs through July 15. HERE'S A SNIPPET OF THE REVIEW: This unique fantasy is dark, full of mystery, danger, and chills. Fast-paced and thrilling, this gripping novel is excitement from beginning to end.

You can read other reviews of FEAST on the blogs below:

Glitter in the Sun

Mel's Random Reviews

I Smell Sheep

YOU CAN READ SOME OF MY INTERVIEWS HERE:

Mel's Random Reviews

I Smell Sheep

My Bookish Ways

AND THEN THERE ARE THE GUEST BLOG POSTS:

Ruby Reads: HOW BOTH TIME AND PLACE HELP TO CREATE SETTING

Tez Says: SCARY MONSTERS

Bitten By Books: IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME

Book Faery: WHY I LOVE THE BAD GUYS

ON TOP OF ALL THAT YOU CAN READ A NICE LONG EXCERPT OF FEAST HERE:
The amazing HarperCollins site.

Release Day: Excerpt from ROGUE GADDA by Nicole Murphy

2011-07-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today is Release Day for ROGUE GADDA by the amazingly talented Nicole Murphy. You'll get to read an excerpt from her latest release, which did I mention this already?--it releases TODAY! How cool is that? And after you read this delightful snippet from her book and fall in love with it and have to get a copy for yourself--after all of that, please be sure to tell your friends about this book too. Because your friends really like to hear about great books.

So, for more Invasion of the Urban Fantasy Book Babes, just continue reading....

PURCHASE A COPY OF ROGUE GADDA HERE:
Amazon (for Kindle)

Kobo

iBooks for Apple

READ A LONGER CHAPTER EXCERPT HERE.

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER THREE

A young woman was slumped on a sofa, her red hair cascading over the pillows. Leaning over her was a tall creature, thickset with no discernible neck. The crophe had four eyes stretched across its wide, purple-skinned face. Its huge hands were extended toward the woman and it was pulling her power into itself.

Hampton held his hands up and sent out a stream of power, aiming to catch hold of the creature and pull it away from its victim. The moment his power touched it, however, the beast shimmered and then transferred.

Hampton swore and pulled his power into himself. He closed his eyes and focussed on the threads of essence the creature had left behind, a barely perceptible pathway to its destination. Then he followed.

He was in a dark alley, full of refuse. The smell hit him like a punch and he grimaced. He turned slowly, but the crophe was nowhere in sight. He walked around, trying to find its essence and failing. Its creator had obviously met it here and then shrouded them both before leaving.

He shook his head, then transferred back to the victim’s room. He knelt by the sofa and put a hand on the woman’s forehead. Her power had been completely drained.

This time, Hampton allowed himself to swear aloud.

He scooped her into his arms, pictured a white room with benches and coffee tables covered with magazines, and transferred.

He marched down the corridor, firing out mental messages. In seconds Madge Florrie, the head healer of Sclossin, popped out of a room. She looked at the woman and nodded. ‘In here.’

By the time Hampton lay her down, Madge had been joined by Sarah and Horatio Cormac, caelleach of the gadda..

Is that Bridget Kelly? What happened?’ the caelleach said.

‘Bridget was attacked by a conjured creature. A crophe.’

‘She’s been hurt?’

‘Power totally drained.’

Cormac frowned. ‘You took it back from the creature and returned it, didn’t you? Why is she still unconscious?’

Hampton clenched his teeth. ‘The monster disappeared before I could apprehend it.’

‘It escaped?’ Cormac’s face went red. ‘You let it go?’

Hampton knew what Cormac was thinking - what kind of Sabhamir would let a beast escape?

It was a question he was asking himself.

Release Day: Excerpt from BURN THE NIGHT by Jocelynn Drake

2011-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yowsa. We're now on Day Three of the Invasion of the Urban Fantasy BOOK BABES. Guess who's up today? None other than the incredibly talented, New York Times best-selling author, Jocelynn Drake. (Hurrah!)

Today you're getting a real literary treat. You get to read an excerpt from Jocelynn's new release, BURN THE NIGHT.

Book description

The Great Awakening approaches . . .
After eons in exile, the naturi have broken their chains and now roam the Earth bent on revenge. It is the sworn duty of Mira, the Fire Starter, to protect the nightwalker race—though even she may be powerless to withstand the horrific onslaught. As Mira and her brave lover, the vampire slayer Danaus, stand ready to do battle, thousands of winged shapeshifters darken the skies. The war of ultimate extermination has begun, and the battleground is Mira's home turf.

The humans don't yet recognize the doom descending upon them. And the nightwalkers will surely perish unless they unite with outcast naturi who claim to want peace. But these unexpected "allies" are the same demons who have long worked for Mira's destruction—and in these darkest of days the lines between friend and foe will blur treacherously before the bloody end of all things.

YOU CAN READ AN EXTENDED EXCERPT HERE.

Please note: The reading order of Jocelynn's books is as follows:
Nightwalker
Dayhunter
Dawnbreaker
Pray for Dawn
Wait for Dusk
Burn the Night

YOU CAN PURCHASE BURN THE NIGHT HERE.

And now here's what you've been waiting for

AN EXCERPT FROM JOCELYNN'S LATEST FABULOUS RELEASE, FABULOUS BURN THE NIGHT:

Chapter 1

The clang of clashing swords echoed through the woods.

Gritting my teeth, I dodged one blow and swung my short sword at her throat, aiming to remove her head. Rain pelted us in large, heavy drops, blurring vision and soaking clothes. I had called down the rain, but was holding back on the lightning, knowing I would finally need it when they tried to overwhelm me. The torrential downpour I had created wasn’t succeeding in slowing down my opponents as much as I had hoped. Only the one light clan naturi seemed bothered by the weather, while the other four earth clan members stalked me like a pack of wolves looking for a weakness in their prey.

As I fought my one-time brethren, I could easily hear Cynnia’s voice ringing in my head when I would most like to walk away from this battle and return to her side.

Please, Nyx, I need him.

The moment Cynnia spoke those words I knew that I was in trouble. Rowe had become a nightmarish creature among our kind, the first in all of memory to ever be banished. Yet, I also understood my young sister’s thinking. Rowe was a powerful naturi, a force to be reckoned with. He would make a powerful ally if we could win him over onto our side, which was looking thin and sickly in comparison to those that had gathered to Aurora’s skirts.

After traveling for more than a month, word finally leaked into my camp that a group of earth naturi had gotten their hands on Rowe and were dragging him toward Aurora’s domain in the western part of the United States. I could only guess that their plan was to throw a weakened Rowe at Aurora’s feet so that she could deliver his death rather than allow his continued banishment. He was too much of a threat to leave alive.

Sparing a glance out of the corner of my eye, I found that Rowe still lay on his side not far from the fire they had tried to start before my arrival. His arms were bound behind his back and his clothes appeared to be torn and muddy. Whatever their grand scheme was, Rowe was not going to see his wife-queen willingly. He was being dragged before her.

When I had gotten within feet of the camp, they had not hesitated to attack, while the light clan member hung back and vainly attempted to maintain the fire they had been building. Blocks blows and sliding out of harm’s way with a practiced ease, I managed to edge closer to the camp while avoiding my opponents.

“I’ve come for Rowe,” I announced, not looking at my fallen compatriot. “I have need of him. Please, hand him over.”

“Aurora desires his presence as well,” the light clan member smirked as the others circled me. It was the smirk that caused me to recall that this was Claudia, one of Aurora’s long-time assistants and loyal followers. Now, she was reduced to errand runner as there were too few that Aurora felt she could trust. Paranoia and mistrust had sunk its fangs deep into the queen over the past several years.

My grip tightened on my sword, but my gaze never wavered from Claudia. “What does she want with him? He’s been banished.”

I could feel a gathering of energy beneath my feet. One of the earth naturi had moved closer. Someone was about to make their move and I needed to be ready. However, I preferred to know what Aurora was up to before I started killing at my adversaries.

“She’s willing to forgive him if he can hand her the Fire Starter.”

“I doubt that.” Forgiveness was not something that my sister understood or even believed in. While I wasn’t too fond of Rowe, I was willing to let him live if he assisted Cynnia in her endeavors.

“Hand him over to me and no one will get hurt,” I commanded. The muscles throughout my body tensed as I readied for the attack.

“You’re just one pathetic warrior without a nation to protect. We outnumber you now, Nyx, and Our Queen has ordered your death. It’s you who should run,” Claudia mocked.

Pressing my lips into a firm line, I swung my left hand grabbed the small crossbow at my side. As my arm swung up, the bolt shot from the weapon and embedded itself deep within Claudia’s throat, causing her to stumble backward, gasping in horror and pain. She was the obvious leader of the group and now she would be unable to shout orders while I decimated her comrades. The crossbow was hooked back on a strap on my side before she finally hit the ground.

My sword whipped through the air, slicing one earth naturi across the chest. It was little more than a flesh wound, but the blood saturating his shirt was enough to give anyone second thoughts about continuing. Another earth naturi with more common sense and clarity awoke the trees around us. A large limb reached down to grab me, but I ducked out of the way, sliding in the mud and leaves. I grabbed a sleeping branch and swung up so that I was looking down on the little camp. Darkness had thickened in the area, giving me an edge. I had spent too many centuries working exclusively at night, making my night vision sharper, keener than that of my brethren.

--------------------------------------

Awesome stuff, right? If you want to know more about Jocelynn and all her great books (and I KNOW you do), check out her AUTHOR WEBSITE HERE.

Release Day: Excerpt from FEAST by Merrie Destefano

2011-06-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

Today, for the second installment of the Invasion of the Urban Fantasy BOOK BABES, I'm going to be sharing all of FEAST's delicious news and reviews, a contest and a scrumptious excerpt. You can also read other excerpts of FEAST on my fellow BOOK BABES' blogs here: Karina Cooper, Jocelynn Drake and Nicole Murphy.

So now, let's GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!

First up, there have already been a number of cool reviews for FEAST here:

BITTEN BY BOOKS:
"Feast was like a dark fairy tale come to life, full of monsters and heroes and things that go bump in the night that feed on your dreams. Part Urban Fantasy, part Horror, I fell in love with this world."

I SMELL SHEEP:
"This isn’t a traditional Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. It is a dark Fairy Tale, a Fantasy. A story of dreams and nightmares, where the spoken word has a power of its own. Her descriptive prose builds a magical atmosphere."

And there are some guest posts and interviews here:

There's a guest post and contest over at Book Faery, where I confess why I the bad guys. You should check it out!

I have an interview over at I Smell Sheep where I discuss how long it took me to write FEAST. And there's a contest running over there.

There's also a guest post and contest at Bitten By Books where I discuss the world-building and creation of the Darklings in FEAST.

AND NOW, HERE'S AN EXCERPT FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER OF FEAST:

She was just a girl—bony, pale-skinned and wild—when we stumbled upon each other in the woods, the wind shimmering through the trees around us. I remember thinking that she was nothing like her parents, both of them sleeping back in their rented cabin, the stench of rum and coke seeping out the windows and doors.

She should have been scared when she saw me, appearing suddenly in the russet shadows, but I could tell that she wasn't. Her long dark hair hung in a tangle, almost hiding her face. In that moment, I realized that she lived in a world of her own.

Just like me.

“Do you work at the inn?” she asked, her gaze running over my form curiously.

I nodded. Somehow she had recognized me. True enough, we’d seen other often. I did work at the inn. I brought her parents fresh linens and coffee every morning. But this was my free time and I no longer wore human skin.

“You're different. Not like the other one.”

I frowned, unsure what she meant. I cocked my head and then followed her pointing finger with my gaze. She gestured toward a trail that led deep into the woods, all the way to the edge of my territory.

“Have you gone that way?” I asked, concerned when I saw her yawn.

She nodded and stretched, all of her barely as tall as my chest.

I heard him then, one of my wild cousins, calling to her. She lifted her head and listened.

“He wants me to come back.” She shifted away from me, started to head down a path that led to shadows and darkness.

In that instant, a stray beam of sunlight sliced through the trees, fell upon her milky skin and set it aglow, almost like fire.

That was when I saw them.

She was surrounded by imaginary playmates. Transparent as ghosts, though they were only visible occasionally. An arm here, a leg there, a laugh that echoed and followed after her.

I quickly glanced at her forearms, bare for midsummer and they bore no mark. No one had claimed her yet. She was still free.

I could have claimed her for myself right then and to this day I sometimes wonder why I didn't. I think it was because she was so small—only seven years old, much too young to harvest, though my wild cousin wouldn’t think so.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Here's a LINK where you can read an even longer excerpt on the HarperCollins website.

And here's where you can purchase your very own copy of FEAST: Amazon l Barnes and Noble l Borders l Mysterious Galaxy l Laguna Beach Books l Vroman's Bookstore l Indie Bound Books l Or at your favorite local bookstore.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ON TOP OF THAT, HERE'S A CONTEST:

To enter the contest, all you have to do it post a comment below and tell me what's the best book you've read this year. Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact the winner. This contest will run through July 13. Prizes include: Afterlife totebag, copy of FEAST, copy of AFTERLIFE, buttons and bookmarks.

I look forward to reading your comments!

Release Day: Excerpt from Lure of the Wicked by Karina Cooper

2011-06-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here you go--the first installment of the Invasion of the Urban Fantasy BOOK BABES. Featured author of the day is none other than the fabulous, Karina Cooper. (Wild crowd noise and applause in background.)

Up today, for your reading enjoyment, is an excerpt from her brand new release, LURE OF THE WICKED.

NOTE: The reading order of Karina's books is as follows: Blood of the Wicked, Lure of the Wicked, All Things Wicked (Feb 2012)

PURCHASE LURE OF THE WICKED HERE.

READ AN EVEN LONGER EXCERPT HERE. (Be prepared to fall in love with this story and NEED to buy it right away.)

EXCERPT BELOW:

God take them all, he hated this sacrilegious tomb and its aberrant clientele.

But he couldn't do anything about it yet. Patience. It was the stake-out to end all stake-outs. He could do patience.

He had to. He'd had the perfect vantage point, the perfect box seat to watch the opera unfold, but no.

The missionary had to ruin it.

That should have driven him insane. It should have worried him. Instead, he'd barely escaped her sharp eye and quick mind, and even now he smiled from the cramped hole he hid in.

Naomi West would make it fun. Much more fun than he'd thought when he'd first taken on this operation. It wasn't her fault she'd stuck her foot in it, after all. Like him, she was just doing her job.

But now he had to plan a little more carefully. A little more cautiously. It wasn't like shooting oily fish in a barrel anymore.

The Church had dealt its hand. Joe wondered if it knew that it was playing itself at the table.

He imagined that his fellow missionary was well and truly pissed at losing him. It'd been damned close. Only the vase he'd thrown at her had given him the time to get away, but she was tough stuff. Mission-suit Teflon.

And if she ever got her hands on him... He didn't laugh, but it was close. Swallowing back a bubble of eagerness, he didn't so much as shift a muscle. Strain already ripped through his cramping limbs, but he could hold it until the Second Coming if he had to. Tenacity. That's what made him a damn good missionary.

And based on what he knew about Naomi West, that's what made her almost as good as he was.

Almost.

----------------

Phew. Was that amazing or what? Don't forget, you can read a longer excerpt of this book HERE.

Not one, but two FEAST Release Parties with swag today

2011-06-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

My second novel, FEAST: HARVEST OF DREAMS, is out in the wild today. In honor of her release, I'm inviting you to not one, but TWO Release Parties today. Both parties have a contest with the sweet swag you see above: large FEAST tote bag, signed copy of FEAST, FEAST and AFTERLIFE buttons and bookmarks.

Release Party One is actually an interview over at I Smell Sheep. Stop by and check it out. You'll find out things like how long it took me to write FEAST and why I wanted it to have the tone of a dark fairy tale.

Release Party Two will be held at Bitten By Books and has a guest post titled "If You Could Turn Back the Hands of Time." In it I discuss the world building I did while creating the Darklings--the supernatural creatures in FEAST. This party will go live at noon Central Time.

Plans for the Urban Fantasy Invasion: Day One

2011-06-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Plans for the BOOK BABE party are underway and whispers are rumbling down back alleys. It all begins tomorrow, right here, at 9:00 a.m. PST. That's when you'll get a taste of Karina Cooper's steamy LURE OF THE WICKED.

And, trust me, that's not all.

On Wednesday, you'll get some snippets of FEAST. Plus links to all the FEAST events going on online, plus a CONTEST!!

On Thursday, you'll get a sampling of Jocelynn Drake's BURN THE NIGHT.

And then, on Friday, you'll get read some of Nicole Murphy's ROGUE GADDA.

All new releases. Hot off the steamy press. Guaranteed to make you stay up all night and keep the lights on.

Sentimental Endings: A Story

2011-06-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

“I’m not one for sentimental endings. Not this time.”

That’s what he said. When he slammed the car door. When he walked away into blue velvet. Those were his words, each one like the drumbeat to a funeral dirge, like the handful of stones I’m forced to carry in my heart.

Sometimes I repeat them to myself, roll the syllables over my tongue. When the midnight pours in my window, cold and dark. When my bed feels as empty as my soul. Sometimes I imagine another ending and I write it down.

“I’m not one for sentimental endings. But this is a beginning—”

He would lean toward me, over cracked vinyl seats, cup my face in his hands and look into my eyes. The single tear sliding down my cheek would take his breath away for a moment, then he would kiss it away . . .

“I’m not one for sentimental endings. But this is breaking my heart, I just can’t—”
He would weep; he would beg me to stay. He would promise to change, to be different, to do anything I ask. One hand would slide over mine and he would pull me back into his arms. My face would be wet from his tears . . .

“I’m not one for sentimental endings. Not this time.”

I would turn away from him, the words still warm in my mouth. I would open the car door, swing my legs out onto pavement, stand up and feel an intoxicating sense of freedom. I am leaving him and he is devastated . . .

Of all my imagined endings, this last one is my favorite, the one I rehearse when the ache drives me to my knees, the one that gets me through the day when I feel like a shadow walking through bright crowds.

6 Things That Make Me Toss Aside A Book In Frustration

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I must confess, if a book doesn’t hold my interest, I stop reading. I’m limited in how much time I have to read, so I try to read only the best books. Some things that will make me stop reading are:

1. If I can’t connect with the main character

2. Sloppy storytelling/poor writing

3. Plot threads that don’t lead anywhere

4. Meandering plot

5. Implausibility

6. And this one will cause me to not buy the author’s next book: an ending that wasn’t as phenomenal as the beginning.

How about you? Do you stop reading a book if it doesn't meet your expectations? Do you agree with my list or do you have another list that you'd like to share?

Coming soon to a bookstore near you!

2011-06-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Invasion of the Urban Fantasy Book Babes...it all begins on June 28. Release Day Madness. And it runs through July 1. All release day madness, every day.

Featured authors include: Karina Cooper, Jocelynn Drake, Nicole Murphy and myself.

We'll be posting excerpts of our novels (gasp), posting links (eeek), and quite possibly revealing deep, dark secrets (oh, no).

You never know. We may even toss in a giveaway or two.

Stay tuned for more details. But, if you really want to be safe, RUN to your local bookstore. And ask for our books by name.

The book born out of insomnia, is now causing insomnia...

2011-06-26T11:40:00.001-07:00

What's coming up this week? Madness. I mean, a book release. Plus I've been trying to finish a WIP. So far I've had 3 nights this week where I couldn't get to sleep until 4 a.m. !!! I suppose it's my book, Feast, getting her revenge.

See, it was a book born out of insomnia. And now--just as it's about to release and the whole world will have a chance to see it--I have insomnia all over again.

Does this mean I need to write a sequel? Are the Darklings tormenting me, silently begging me to tell more of their story? I definitely have ideas for another book. I even have some cool ideas for a sequel to Afterlife.

If. I. Could. Sleep. I. Might. Be. Able. To. Write.

In other words, hint to any lurking Darklings, let me sleep, okay??

So, just for fun, I thought I'd post some photos of actors that I would cast in the main character roles. Here goes:

In this shot, Zachary Quinto plays Ash, who is caught in the act of casting an enchantment:

A young Sandra Bullock would star as Maddie MacFadden, the woman who unwittingly becomes the main target in the Darkling hunt:

Here's a shot of Zachary Quinto as Ash, looking devious:

And the shot at the top of the page was an inspiration photo I chose to help me imagine the forests that surround Ticonderoga Falls.

10 Things I Like To See In A Good Book

2011-06-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love reading and I’m always delighted when I discover a new author or a new book. Things that I look for are:

1. Extraordinary writing

2. Captivating voice

3. Excellent story-telling ability

4. Realistic characters

5. Believable world-building

6. The magical ability to make me forget that I’m reading a book

7. A story or character that takes me to a new world

8. Well-crafted metaphors and themes

9. Moral value

10. An ending that lives up to the beginning

As an author, I'm curious what you look for in a book. Do you agree with me or am I way off base? I'd love to hear your opinions!

The Feast countdown continues

2011-06-22T10:14:00.001-07:00

Today I have a contest running over on the Supernatural Underground.

This is what you can win in if you enter the contest...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I can't believe that Release Day--June 28--is almost here.

So, here's the countdown of what I will do until Feast releases:

I will have 6 showers, watch 15 TV shows, read part of one book, go for 8 walks, climb 25 flights of stairs, crack up laughing 8 times, burst into tears 2 times, send 310 e-mails, read most of those e-mails before I send them, troll the Internet 6 hours longer than I should, wear my PJs all day 2 times, cook a meal 0 times, feed and medicate the dogs 12 times, feed and medicate myself more times than I can count, forget what I was going to say right when I was in the middle of a sentence 16 times, do a happy dance 3 times, drink 35 bottles of water, check on the baby hummingbirds in my yard 10 times and try to get some writing/editing done 18 times.

Yikes.

One of the best things a writer can see

2011-06-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Friday evening I got to meet the members of The Ladies Guilty Pleasures Book Club. I had a great time chatting with them and answering questions about Afterlife. One of my favorite parts of the evening--besides meeting the ladies themselves--was when I got to see their copies of the book, many of them dogeared and full of bookmarks.

That's the best thing a writer can ever see--a copy of your book that has been well-read.

Thanks to everyone in the club! I really enjoyed meeting you and hope I get to come back sometime.

Baby hummingbirds in nest--so cute!

2011-06-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

You have to look really close, but two baby hummingbirds are waiting for the mama bird to return and feed them. Their tiny beaks are pointed toward the sky. You can even see one of them stick his tongue out. So adorable! These little guys have a nest in the bougainvillea in my backyard.

Heads or Tails: A Story

2011-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

The coin flipped through the air. Heads. Tails. Love. Hate. Such a human thing to do. Such a weak response to something as important and necessary as breathing. Sometimes I wonder if humans even have a heart, if they are truly alive.

I watched as my current victim-in-progress debated whether to call a young woman he fancied. A thick silver disk, stamped with symbols on both sides, spun through the air in a high arc, sunlight catching, reflecting; a heavenly mixture of silver and golden light, an almost magical and musical act. The coin finally spun to a halt with a chorus of bright ringing notes as it landed on the ground.

My human, my favorite Creature To Haunt And Torment, held his breath. Leaned over. Stared at the silver answer.

Heads. Tails. Love. Hate.

His answer, the one he wanted, stared back up at him.

It was almost funny.

Because the thing he didn’t know, the one thing he couldn’t possibly know, was that I was going to steal this dream from him. As soon as he would lay down his head, close his eyes and sail off into the land of dreams, I would take it away. I would burst it, like a golden bubble, lick it up like a bowl of melting ice cream.

And his dream of a life of love would dissolve. He would forget this Valentine’s Day Coin Toss. He wouldn’t remember his resolve to call Violet in the morning. The jeweler might phone him in a day or two, ask him about the ring that he had ordered and my sweet captive human would wonder what he was talking about.

Heads. Tails. Love. Hate.

In my world, hate wins every time.

Revealing my secrets, one by one

2011-06-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

There are some very cool things going on the cyber universe today...

First, FEAST was reviewed over at The Aussie Bookworm. You can read the review here.

Here's a snippet:

"I really liked the way that the bits and pieces of vampiric lore were sprinkled throughout the novel. Some of them as we have always believed i.e. that they need to be invited to be able to cross your threshold while others have been tweaked slightly. They don’t drink blood but they harvest dreams."

Also, Kristin over at My Bookish Ways posted an interview with me today. AND she's giving away a copy of Afterlife. Believe it or not, she got me to confess something I've never told anyone online before. *gasp*

Some of the other things we discussed: What I like to see in a good book and what makes me toss a book aside in frustration. VERY good questions!

AND one more cool thing going on. I Smell Sheep has a very fun Swag Day Contest going on through Friday, June 17. Their contest involves matching an author with his/her pet. And, yes, I'm one of the featured authors! Followers of my blog should be able to figure out which one of those furry beasts belong to me. Hint, hint: Remember, I have 2 black and tan German shepherds? See, I just gave you one answer so you'll be ahead of the game.

Besides cover flats, bookmarks, buttons and trading cards, the folks at I Smell Sheep are also giving away the following books: signed copies of Afterlife and Nightwalker, an ARC of The Iron Duke, a paper copy of Demon Slayer. E-copies of Along Came a Demon and Shades of Gray, and Devil Without a Cause, which can be either a paper or e-copy.

I hope you'll check those posts out and say hi to the blog owners. They love visitors!

The Day The Earth Stood Still: A Story

2011-06-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

The sun didn’t rise on Thursday. That should have been a sign, a warning. It should have set all the alarms ringing inside Sam’s head. But it didn’t.

Because he didn’t wake up.

Nobody did.

The day the Earth stood still—the day everything changed—went completely undetected. It lodged, like a rock, right between Wednesday and Friday, dark, cold, silent. No NASA scientist and no Hindu philosopher caught the great hiccup in the universe. Friday came, blinding and bright and charged with energy—a bit too much energy, in fact. Power surged and crackled through cables and wires and ended up shorting out cell phones around the world.

The Internet, on the other hand, ran smoother than ever.

Sam thought he noticed a difference when he sat down, fingers poised over keyboard. Thought he heard a crack, snazzle, pop in his ears. Like liquid silver, every connection zapped into place faster than it ever had before.

He grinned.

New Web sites sparked into prime time, exquisite and compelling and somehow already linked to existing sites. Without realizing it, his computer began to prefer these new, almost alien sites, would route him there over and again, leave him there for long intervals.

Basking in the light.

Sweet. Ambient. Light.

A soft strobe pulsing just beneath the surface, a message read by brainstem and cerebellum like secret code. A whisper program that ran undetected, just like that missing Thursday. A cyber virus that thrummed all day long. Even after his computer was turned off.

That night, while the computer junkies around the world slept, cozy and warm and safe inside footed pajamas and Ambien cocktails, the program kicked into high gear and the transformation began. So subtle it wouldn’t even be noticed, not by the humans anyway, just like that missing middle-of-the-week day.

The morning came and a few hackers noticed that the sky hung a bit darker, cereal crunched a bit quieter, surfaces felt a bit smoother and dialogue—well, dialogue came in a steady stream, more like binary code than conversation.

1101011010001010101

Sam smiled as he sat down on the wrong side of the screen, 001010101111, ready and eager to get to work.

Head tilted, he listened.

00001010101

The sound of birds, singing.

11110101

The clatter of keyboard keys, a cyber universe turned inside out.

001010101111

One word repeating itself over and over, one human staring at him through transparent screen, typing.

001010101111

In some languages the word meant Aliens.

But in most it simply meant:

Monsters.

Visiting the town that became Ticonderoga Falls in Feast

2011-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts about writing is getting to do research--especially when that research involves taking a trip up into the mountains and staying in a cabin. My next novel, Feast, (which releases in just 18 days--yikes!) is set in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. Although the actual town where the story takes place, Ticonderoga Falls, is fictional, it was based on the very real and very charming town of Big Bear, California.

So, at the beginning of December, 2009, my husband, our two German shepherds, our Siamese cat and I spent four days in Big Bear. My husband and the dogs got to go sledding and hiking, while I did research. No, really, I got to go sledding and hiking too. But I really did a considerable amount of research while I was there. We even stayed in a little cabin, similar to the one the main character in Feast, Maddie MacFadden, stays in.

I must confess, I never saw any Darklings though. But they may have been hiding. After all, I was just about to expose them all to the world.

So, here is my photo travelogue of the trip, with captions so you don't feel lost...

The gorgeous drive up into the local mountains...the higher you go, the taller the trees, until finally it seems like the forests could just eat you alive. The perfect setting for my scary, yet romantic novel:

Caleb, the larger than life dog...we finally arrived in the cabin, started to get our things unpacked and, of course, the dog took that time to choose the most comfortable chair for himself. He just watched while we worked:

Hezzie relaxed, glad the evil car ride was finally over...he stretched out on an ottoman and waited for us to start a fire in the fireplace. Sometimes he enjoyed being in the cabin, sometimes he acted like we were torturing him. Poor kitty:

Chatting with someone who lived in Big Bear...this was my favorite part of the trip, meeting the amazing people who lived here. This incredible woman, Cathy Jones, took the time to share stories about the town, pointed out local hiking spots on the map, gave me advice on who to interview and how to get hold of them. She even told me about a local independent bookstore that might be interested in carrying Feast. She gets 5 gold stars for being hospitable and for making the trip much more fun:

Investigating the SUVs the policemen drove...part of my research involved asking the local police a zillion questions (there's a bit of a mystery in this book) and checking out their SUVs. Since one of my characters was the local sheriff, I needed to know what kind of car he would drive, what his uniform would look like, how he would handle a certain situation (can't give away too many clues!), and what kind of gun he would carry:

Big Bear Lake, surrounded by snow and shrouded by clouds...isn't this picture a bit eerie? Well, that's exactly what I was hoping for when I picked this tourist town--I wanted something close enough to L.A. to visit within a day and remote enough to be slightly creepy:

The dogs and I...okay, here's where worlds collide and everything gets really strange. I was up in Big Bear working on the research for my second novel, but at the same time my editor and the staff at Harper Voyager were hard at work getting my first novel ready for printing. So, here I am, frolicking in the snow with my two wild German shepherds. For some reason, Caleb--the one with mouth open--wouldn't stop barking when we were taking his picture. Call of the wild or something. Anyway, that's the only picture I have of him, in eight years, where he's doing anything like that.

So, then we go home and the next day, my editor sends me the gorgeous cover artwork for Afterlife. Do you see how much my dog looks like the dog on the cover? I couldn't believe it. And not like I look anything like that cover model, but it's weird that we're standing in almost the same position. Worlds were colliding and aliens were dying when all this was going on, that's all I've got to say:

So, there you have it. A tiny glimpse into the real town behind the fictional town of Ticonderoga Falls. And very soon you'll be able to read more about the inhabitants of this mountain village, both human and Darkling.

This is what I do when I finish writing a book

2011-06-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

I love this video--it makes me smile. And want to dance.

Winners Announced in The Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Contest

2011-05-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I hosted a contest in celebration of my second novel, FEAST, and its official Coming Out Party (June 28, 2011 to be exact—Notice the way cool countdown widget to the right).

Today I'm announcing the 5 winners in The Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Contest.

Let's take a look at those fab prizes again...

FIRST:
One Grand Prize Winner will receive the following: A FEAST tote bag, a signed copy of FEAST and a signed copy of AFTERLIFE, plus a one-pound box of yummy See’s candy.

Four Runner Up Winners will each receive the following: A signed copy of FEAST, plus 5 FEAST/AFTERLIFE bookmarks.

Here are the winners.

Grand Prize Winner (who will receive a tote bag, signed copy of FEAST, and a one-pound box of See's candy):

Renee (SteelerGirl83)

And the four Runner Up Winners are:

Cath

Van Pham

Sharon

Thepix

Congrats to all of you and I will be contacting you shortly for your mailing addresses. Please note that none of the prizes will be mailed until I get my author copies of Feast. So the prizes may not get in the mail until the end of June. Thank you to everyone who participated!!

The Greatest Marriage Proposal Ever--prepare to cry!

2011-05-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Why you should procrastinate just long enough to watch this video on .... wait for it ... procrastination

2011-05-19T15:04:00.001-07:00

Why should you watch this video?

1. It's funny.

2. It's cute.

3. He mentions chocolate chip cookies and we all know I love cookies.

4. He has a great accent.

5. You might actually be able to stop procrastinating. Maybe.

Evidence that the Avon Dusk Til Dark Party rocked!

2011-05-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here you can see snippets and interviews from the lavish and wonderful Dusk Til Dark party hosted by Avon at the recent Romantic Times Convention in L.A. Interviewed authors included Sophie Jordan, Pamela Palmer, Kimberly Derting, Tera Lynn Childs, Joss Ware, Kelly Armstrong, Jamie Rush and Syrie James.

And, believe it or not, I'm in the video too. There's a short clip at the beginning (don't blink!) where all the attending authors are standing in front of a backdrop. I'm the shortest person (as always!) and I'm right in the middle.

One of the coolest things about the video is that you get hear from the readers who were attending the 2011 Romantic Times Convention too. It's awesome to hear how much they were enjoying the convention and this event.

Upcoming books I'm excited about

2011-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

There are a slew of really cool YA books on the horizon and I can't wait to read them all. Some I haven't even seen covers for yet, but that doesn't stop me from drooling.

Here are my picks of New Things To Come:

1. A new series by debut author, Heather Burch, published by Zondervan. The first in the series is scheduled for release in Feb., 2012 (ouch, that's a long wait for me) and the main characters are half-human, half-angel teenagers. First in the series is titled, PURE, followed by DARK and RISEN.

2. Starcrossed, debut novel by Josephine Angelina, published by Harper Teen. The first in a series of three novels releases on May 31 and here's a blurb from the Dark Faerie Tales blog:

"In Starcrossed, which brings Greek tragedy to high school, a shy Nantucket teenager named Helen Hamilton attempts to kill the most attractive boy on the island, Lucas Delos, in front of her entire class. The incident proves more than a bit inconvenient for Helen, who’s already concerned that she’s going insane–whenever she’s sees Lucas (or any of his family members) the image of three crying women appear to her."

3. Last, but certainly not least, is The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (already one of my fave authors). Published by Margaret K. McElderry (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), this book is scheduled for release on November 15, 2011 (ouch, another long wait for me). Here's a blurb from the author's website about this book:

"In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret."

Meanwhile, I'm trying to distract myself by reading some other fantastic books on my TBR pile:

1. The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett
2. Graveminder by Melissa Marr
3. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
4. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
5. Light Boxes by Shane Jones

Two very nice reviews of AFTERLIFE, both posted this week

2011-05-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

I am continually amazed and blessed by how wonderful the blogging community has treated me and my debut novel, AFTERLIFE. I mean, if you think about, they don’t have to post reviews. They could just read books and that would actually be very cool all by itself. But this group of awesome people reads books and then they post their reviews online. They go out of their way to let other people know when they come across a book they love.

I really like that. A lot.

So, I wanted to share two incredible reviews that AFTERLIFE received online this week.

The first was posted on May 4, on the Literary Escapism blog and was written by Casey. You can read the review HERE. And here’s a snippet of what Casey said about the book:

“No matter what you believe in, Afterlife will make you think about what is going to happen to you after you die. It will make you think about what immortality would be like. It will make you think. Period. (It probably will make you want to hug everyone in your family, or maybe that’s just me.)”

The second review was posted on May 5, on Sapphyria’s Book Blog by Sapphyria. She gave AFTERLIFE 5 out of 5 stars (Yay!) and you can read the entire review HERE. A snippet of her review is below:

“There are so many twists, turns, and happenings that you don’t expect but make total sense. When it was all said and done, I found this book to be a great read…I give this book a 5/5. I can’t wait to get her next novel FEAST.”

Thanks again to the folks over at Literary Escapism and Sapphyria’s Book Blog for posting their reviews and for loving books! You all get five out of five stars in my book.

RT Tote Bag Winner

2011-05-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! Thanks for your patience. I got slightly distracted by the conference I went to this past weekend. And forgot that I had a CONTEST GOING ON.

Argh.

So, in case anyone besides me forgot, the giveaway is this lovely totebag from the recent Romantic Times convention, signed by 12 amazing authors. And the WINNER is.....

[drum roll, please]

JESSICA!!! Yay, congrats, Jessica!!

I already have your e-mail address and I will contact you shortly to get your shipping information. Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest!!

Because sometimes you just have to laugh

2011-05-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Cute--no, this is beyond cute--adorable video of a "talking" dog. But all dogs talk, right? Well, this talking dog is the best one ever. And besides that, sometimes you just need to smile.

Reason Number Five Why I Will Probably Never Run For Office

2011-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is besides the whole public speaking thing, which I think is kinda mandatory.

Reason Number Five Why I Will Probably Never Run For Office:

[drum roll, please]

I keep forgetting to ask people to vote. For me.

I Smell Sheep is having a very cool contest/award ceremony called the First Annual Boogity Boo Awards. And the grand prize is BEYOND cool. They will be donating a sheep (in the winning author's name) to a needy family. This is being done through World Vision, a non-profit organization that does some amazing things.

So, please VOTE. You don't have to vote for me. But this is for a very good cause. And it's fun. And you should really check out I Smell Sheep, because it's one of the most fun blogs out there!

Dinah Eng's Amazing Adventures at RT or How I ended up in an article with Melissa Marr and Pamela Palmer

2011-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Dinah Eng, a freelance columnist in Los Angeles, wrote an amazing article for Scrippsnews that got posted yesterday. Titled, "Romance novels feature paranormal twist," Eng's article discusses her recent trip to the Romantic Times Convention 2011 in Los Angeles, and most specifically, the Avon Paranormal Party. She interviewed three authors that attended the Avon Dusk To Dark event, Melissa Marr, Pamela Palmer, and believe it not, me.

SQUEEEE. I know. I was trying to play the part of the journalist and tell this story all professional, but it's really hard when someone writes an article that includes ME alongside amazing authors like Melissa Marr and Pamela Palmer.

Okay. Deep breath. Now, back to my "professional" voice...

Here are some quotes from the article:

“All my books are based in folklore that have been popular for centuries. I come from an Irish and Scottish family, and grew up hearing about faeries, ghosts, vampires and things that go bump in the night.” [Melissa Marr speaking.]

“In society, we want our men to be kind and civilized, but in fantasy, it’s fun to think of a man who’s not civilized and can be tamed by love,” [Pamela] Palmer says. “I used to be an IBM engineer, so I’ve got a very logical, analytical mind that can think through the story. But I’ve always had an imagination and story to tell.”

And here's a part about me [pardon me, my SQUEEE is coming back!]:

Another popular aspect of the paranormal romance genre can be categorized as urban fantasy. Merrie Destefano likes to write a combination of fantasy, romance, mystery, and science fiction. Her second novel, “Feast: Harvest of Dreams” debuts June 28, is a story with new monsters.

The characters in the book are a cross between faeries and vampires, and harvest people’s dreams. The idea came to Destefano one night when she was unable to sleep.

“I thought, okay, I can’t sleep... what if there were other creatures who can’t sleep?” Destefano says. “What would they be doing? The main character’s in the midst of the hunt. She’s slightly enchanted, and not horrified, by what she sees. She’s a survivor. I like strong women, and women are allowed to have roles in which they win in urban fantasy.”

---------------------------

So very cool. Really.

And Dinah Eng ends the article with this lovely line:
"Romance novels always have a happy ending."

And this author, who loves to include romance in every story, would have to say, "I heartily agree! I love happy endings!!"

Contest winners, upcoming events and MORE

2011-04-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you all know about some fun things going on now and in the near future:

CONTESTS ON THIS BLOG::

WIDGET CONTEST WINNERS:
Congrats to Renee, Katie, Cath, Natasha, and Patricia! You all won a signed cover flat of FEAST. Yay!! Please note, I will need all of you to send me a quick e-mail with your mailing address and let me know if you want the cover flat signed to you. (If you already have one, this flat could make a fun giveaway on your blog!) My e-mail is: merriedestefano [at] yahoo [dot] com. And thank you ALL for helping to share the love for my next novel, FEAST. You all rock!!

SIGNED RT SWAG GIVEAWAY
You still have time to enter this contest, where the prize is a book bag that I got at the Romantic Times Convention in Los Angeles. This beauty has been signed by 12 authors including: Kimberly Derting, Melissa Marr, Rachel Vincent, Carrie Ryan, Kami Garcia and MORE. I am dearly in love with this totebag and hope that it goes to a good home! Contest ends Sunday, April 30, and the winner will be announced on this blog on Monday, May 1.

VIRTUAL FEAST DESSERT-TO-DIE-FOR
There's still time to enter your fave dessert in the Virtual Feast Dessert Contest. Last date for entry is May 20. Prizes and rules included in this LINK.

CONTEST ON ANOTHER BLOG:
RED HOT BOOKS:
Again, a hearty thank you and round of applause to the folks over at Red Hot Books for doing an AFTERLIFE giveaway. And congrats to the winner, Judy!

REAL LIVE EVENTS:

OCCWF Writer's Conference:
April 29-30: This Friday and Saturday I will be speaking at the OCCWF Writer's Conference in Irvine, California. On Friday evening I'll be doing a panel with all the other speakers. Saturday I will be teaching a class on Backstory: The Secret Reason Why Readers Might Love or Hate Your Novel. I'm really excited and look forward to meeting all the people who will be attending the conference!

Ladies' Guilty Pleasures Book Club
June 17: I will be discussing AFTERLIFE and FEAST with this amazing group of ladies. I've been told that I will be the first urban fantasy author to visit their book club, so that is way cool!

ONLINE EVENTS:

May 12: Interview and AFTERLIFE giveaway at Bookmark Your Thoughts.

June 15: Interview at My Bookish Ways.

June 28: FEAST RELEASE DAY!!! WOO HOO!!

June 27 & 28: Review of FEAST and interview with moi at the ever-incredible I Smell Sheep blog. We will be doing a giveaway there to celebrate the release of FEAST.

June 28: Launch Party Extravaganza at Bitten By Books. We will be doing a giveaway to celebrate the release of FEAST.

June 29: Guest post by moi at the delightful Book Faery blog. Again, a fun giveaway in honor of the birth of FEAST.

There will be many more online and live events to celebrate the release of my second novel, FEAST. I will let you know what they are and when they will be as soon as I have more details!!

Meanwhile, Happy Reading!

You CAN create a Keynote presentation with an iPad

2011-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I'll be teaching a class on backstory at the OCCWF writer's conference. Of course, I'm still fine-tuning my speech and organizing all the points I'll be discussing. But one way cool thing that I recently discovered is that I should be able to do a Power Point presentation using my iPad.

!!!!

Suffice to say, I'm just really in love with my iPad. I don't have another laptop, so this puppy has to do everything I need and more.

I just finished up my presentation using a program called Keynote. I downloaded it from iTunes and had to purchase two copies, one for my desktop computer ($20.) and one for my iPad ($10.) A total of $30 for a program isn't that bad. Apparently Power Point doesn't work on an iPad, or I might have used that instead.

I had two sessions at the local Apple store, both one-on-one, and they really gave me all the info I needed. Which, again, was cool.

Of course, the rest of the world runs on PCs, so I had to get a special, snazzy adapter that will connect my iPad to the projector where I'm going to be speaking. But the way I see it, once I conquer this Dragon, I will be one step closer to being Dungeon Mistress.

So, the final word on all of this is: Yes, Virginia, you can do a presentation using an iPad.

Guest Blog Posts on Organic World Building, Story Ideas, The Quest for Immortality and more...

2011-04-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just in case you missed these, below are some guest posts I wrote during the AFTERLIFE blog tour.

SciFiGuy: The Intersection of Faith, Science and the Supernatural

Literary Escapism: Where Do Story Ideas Come From?

Speculative Faith: Organic World Building, Or Avoiding The Stereotypical Speculative Fiction Wormhole

Dark Faery Tales: Short story titled, "Chasing Spring-Heeled Jack"

Bookgasm: The Afterlife Evolution

Dark Faerie Tales: The Quest for Immortality

Red Hot Books hosts a Cool Giveway

2011-04-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

I just found that Red Hot Books is giving away a copy of AFTERLIFE. Woo hoo!! AND they're giving away a copy of Tracey O'Hara's DEATH SWEET EMBRACE.

So, I highly recommend that you check out their blog and their giveaway!

Better late than never (that’s what she said)

2011-04-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret that I love to read. I mean, I REALLY love to read. So, I thought I would let you all know what books I fell in love with in 2010. I know, everyone else made their lists months ago. No excuse here. But late’s better than never, right?

I’m taking your silence as a yes.

So, here’s my list of fab, couldn’t put them down books:

1. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
2. Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett
3. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
4. Origin: A Novel by Diana Abu-Jaber
5. Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
6. The Breach by Patrick Lee
7. Ash by Malinda Lo
8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
9. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I posted a partial list over on The Supernatural Underground last week, but then I realized, Hey, this really needs to be a Top Ten List. As I mentioned in my other post, every one of these books ranks five stars for me. You’ll note that I enjoy a somewhat diverse selection of books, but they all have one thing in common.

They’re all fantastic stories told by incredibly talented writers.

That’s always Number One in my list of preferences. I hope that you discovered some new authors this year too and that you continue to look for new things to read. And I’d LOVE to hear about your favorite books. Really. Let me know your faves in the comment section. I’m always on the hunt for What To Read Next.

Killer Apple Crisp (yes, it’s really THAT good)

2011-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, here’s one of my all-time favorite dessert recipes. This one will be definitely be included in the Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Cookbook.

Killer Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
4 Jonathon apples
2/3 C brown sugar
¼ C sifted flour
½ C rolled oats
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. nutmeg
1/3 C margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Wash, peel and core apples. Slice each ¼ apple into 4 slices.
2. Grease 8” x 5” pan. Put in apples.
3. Blend remaining ingredients until crumbly. Use spoon to spread over apples.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes.
5. Serve warm. Can be topped with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

The Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Contest

2011-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

It won’t be long before my second novel, FEAST, will have its official Coming Out Party (June 28, 2011 to be exact—Notice the way cool countdown widget to the right). I want this celebration to last for a VERY LONG TIME—so I’m starting the festivities TODAY!! What better way to get the party started than with a dessert contest?

First of you all, you must know that the creatures in my next book LOVE sweets. They really do. In fact, that’s the only human food they like to eat. Right now, we aren’t going to discuss their Number One Food of Choice, but let’s just say that HarperCollins has rightly dubbed my main character, The Lord of the Hunt. And that title SO fits Ash, my gorgeous rascal from another world. (Pardon me while I drool.)

Sigh. Back to the contest and all the sugar-drenched fun.

FIRST, here are the prizes:
One Grand Prize Winner will receive the following: A FEAST tote bag, a signed copy of FEAST and a signed copy of AFTERLIFE, plus a one-pound box of yummy See’s candy.

Four Runner Up Winners will each receive the following: A signed copy of FEAST, plus 5 FEAST/AFTERLIFE bookmarks.

SECOND, here are the rules for entering The Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Contest:

1. Post your favorite dessert recipe on your site, then post a link to the recipe in the comment section below.
2. Give your dessert a fun name, like Vampire Kiss Cookies or Full Moon Cake or To-Die-For Brownies.
3. Also include the following in the comment section below: Your e-mail address, your name and your state. You can use your first name if you prefer not to share your last name.
4. Link to this contest on your site.
5. DO NOT INCLUDE four letter words or off-color language in your dessert name or your entry will be disqualified.
6. If there are any duplicate recipes (for instance, if I get 5 recipes for chocolate chip cookies), only the first entry will be counted. The others will be deleted. So make sure you look at what previous people have posted.
7. You MAY enter the contest more than once. Just make sure that you post two different recipes.
8. IMPORTANT: After the contest is over, I will compile all the recipes—those that win and those that don’t—into a PDF Virtual Feast Cookbook that will be available to all my blog readers as a FREE download. By entering this contest you are agreeing to be part of the cookbook with no compensation. Your name and state will be included, right below the title of your dessert.
9. The contest will run from April 20th through May 20th. Winners will be announced on this blog on Monday, May 23rd.

So a sample comment/entry would look like this:
Killer Apple Crisp
[link to recipe on your site here]
Submitted by Jill Smith from Wisconsin
E-mail: jillsmith@smith.com

By the way, I will be posting some of my favorite desserts too. You know, just to whet your appetite for the impending FEAST. *grin*

I can’t wait to see all of your fabulous recipes!! You better believe I’m going to be trying some of them out. Yum!!

Help share the love for FEAST and we can drink the stars together!

2011-04-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to help SHARE THE LOVE for my upcoming book, FEAST, you would be my BFF forever!

Below is a fancy-nancy, makes you want to dance-all-night-long countdown widget. All you need to do is click on the Get Widget button and you'll get the code to embed this shiny widget on your own site. Like in your sidebar. Or in a post.

And if you are kind enough to post this clever little widget creature on your site, please let me know in the comment section below. That way we can dance and rejoice and drink the stars together!! *

PLUS, A WIDGET CONTEST:
Post this widget on your site, then let me know that you did in the comment section below. Include a link to your site. And then you will be entered in a SIGNED COVER FLAT OF FEAST giveaway. I will choose FIVE people from the comment section to each win one signed cover flat! Contest runs through next Tuesday, April 26th. Winners will be announced on this blog.

Countdown Creator Progreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

* That was a somewhat obscure reference to a tale that claims that Dom Pierre Perignon, a Benedectine monk, invented champagne. His supposed, but nonetheless beautiful, quote was, "Come quickly. I am drinking the stars!"

The Lord of the Hunt

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share the amazing copy that the folks at HarperCollins wrote about FEAST on their site. You can read it below:

"With her brilliant debut novel, Afterlife, author Merrie Destefano earned herself a place of honor at the banquet table alongside today’s top authors of sf and urban fantasy. With Feast, she serves up another heaping helping of thrills, shivers, wonder, and glorious invention while spicing up the recipe with dark romance in the bestselling vein of C.L Wilson, Marjorie M. Liu, and other paranormal superstars. A spellbinding fantasy of supernatural intrigue and forbidden love, Feast blends vampire and fairy lore, with the resulting dish offering a sumptuous new take on both, as a troubled storyteller returns home to the mysterious autumn woods just prior to Halloween, to find her life and her soul captivated by a cursed immortal, the Lord of the Hunt."

I especially love that last phrase, "The Lord of the Hunt." Wow. Wish I had come up with that. (Don't tell anyone, but I might just steal it and use it on some of my FEAST promotional materials!)

STAY TUNED: The first of my Virtual Feast contests and promotions is coming up in a few days. And this one is delectable! I'm going to launch a Virtual Feast Dessert Contest with fun prizes (like books and tote bags and CHOCOLATE!!) and I'm also going to take all the submitted recipes and use them to make something REALLY COOL just for you!!

If this is my blog, then why am I posting somewhere else?

2011-04-15T09:33:00.001-07:00

Okay, that was really a rhetorical question. Of course, I post on other blogs. One in particular. The Supernatural Underground. If you didn't already know, I post there once a month, along with other HarperCollins authors like: Terri Garey, Pamela Palmer, Kimberly Derting, Melissa Marr, Tracey O'Hara, Karina Cooper, Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, Kerrlyn Sparks, and believe it or not, the list just keeps going. It's a fantastic group and we all chat about a wide variety of topics. You should stop by. Really.

Wanna a taste of FEAST?

2011-04-14T07:39:00.001-07:00

This is just a quick reminder for anyone who hasn't signed up for my newsletter yet (and if you haven't, why not? It's actually quite shiny and fun). In the next several issues, my subscribers will get EXTRA special sneak peeks into my upcoming book, FEAST.

For instance:

In my next newsletter, which should be coming out in a few days--definitely before the end of April, since it will technically be my April issue--I will be sharing an awesome deleted scene from FEAST.

In fact, it's possible that no one has ever read this scene but me.

And it was one of my favorite scenes in the book.

So, I'm really excited to finally share it with someone.

Sign up now in the little box on the right side of my blog. Very easy. No down payment. No blood ritual. No thievery of first born children. I promise.

Signed RT Swag Giveaway

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

If you like signed swag, then today's giveaway is pretty darned cool. First, it's a way cool, cherry red tote bag with romance book covers on the front and the back.

But what makes this tote bag EXTRA special is that it's signed. By twelve (!!!) paranormal, urban fantasy, YA and romance authors.

Author signatures include:

Kimberly Derting: author of Desires of the Dead
Kami Garcia: co-author of Beautiful Darkness
Melissa Marr: author of Graveminder
Rachel Vincent: author of My Soul to Steal
Margaret Stohl: author of Beautiful Darkness
Carrie Ryan: author of The Dark and Hollow Places
Sophie Jordan: author of Firelight
Tera Lynn Childs: author of Fins are Forever
Pamela Palmer: author of Hunger Untamed
Kerrlyn Sparks: author of Eat, Prey, Love
Virna DePaul: Chosen by Blood
And me, Merrie Destefano: Feast

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1) Comment below and leave your e-mail address
2) Sign up for my newsletter
3) Mention this giveaway somewhere else online with a link to this post: Twitter, Facebook or your own blog
4) Follow this blog

CONTEST WILL RUN THROUGH APRIL. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MAY 1, ON THIS BLOG.

Romantic Times Highlights

2011-04-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some photos from my journey to the Romantic Times Convention:

The Dusk Til Dark event was about to begin, but first we stopped for a quick photo. Here we have Sophie Jordan, Kimberly Derting, me, and Tera Lynn Childs. Notice the copies of Graveminder Kimberly and Tera are holding. I think we all got a copy. I already started reading mine and I LOVE it!

Below you can see all the authors who were signing books at the Dusk Til Dark event. I was in great company!

This woman amazes me--not just because she a phenomenal writer, but also because she has boundless energy. (I'm always astonished by people with lots of energy.) Here Melissa Marr is signing copies of her new adult novel, Graveminder, during the Dusk Til Dark event.

Just before the Dusk Til Dark event started, I managed to snap a shot of two lovely authors, who are also part of The Supernatural Underground: Pamela Palmer and Sophie Jordan.

Here you can see the superheros behind the Dusk Til Dark event: Erika Tsang, Avon editor, and Pam Jaffee, Director of Paperback Publicity for Avon, HarperVoyager and Harper paperbacks.

After the incredible Dusk Til Dark event, Pam Jaffee and Erika Tsang took us all out to dinner at a fabulous restaurant. On the right you can see Joss Ware. Other authors at my table were Kerrlyn Sparks and Pamela Palmer.

I got to meet the uber-talented Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. She's one of my favorite authors.

The Unbelievably Epic, Amazing and Astounding, GIANT Book Fair.

If you've ever wondered what I look like on four hours sleep, here it is! I think somebody might be propping me up on an easel or something. Not sure how I was even able to stand up. Oh, wait a minute. Now I remember. Some kind soul gave me a box of chocolate (and delicious) Tim Tam cookies just before the event started. Yum!

One of the best things about going to a conference is meeting fans. I got to meet Jill Bakkum at the Dusk Til Dark event. Jill and I are pals on Facebook and she a regular visitor to The Supernatural Underground blog. Thanks for stopping to say hi, Jill!

Also, how cute are these Cassandra Clare fans? One of them made the gorgeous T-shirts they're all wearing. Note how each shirt has a different cover and how they're each trimmed with scrolls of glitter. Clare's fans had to get numbered wristbands and then had to wait in line in order to get their books signed.

Altogether, RT was a fantastic event and I'm so glad I went! I had an amazing time, meeting and chatting with other people who love books. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Tomorrow: A cool swag giveaway that I got at the conference!! Stop back on Wednesday for details!

Just for fun

2011-04-11T17:37:00.001-07:00

Love this cat and his new friend. So cute!

Pinch me

2011-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the Romantic Times Convention and I must say, I had a fabulous time. I’ve been to a lot of conferences over the years, but I’ve never attended one quite like this. Attendees were divided into four different groups: readers, aspiring authors, booksellers and published authors. And everyone wore a nametag so you knew right away what category she fell into.

I loved that. Probably because I really enjoy talking to writers who hope to get published. I fell into that category for such a long time and I’ll never forget those established writers who took the time to encourage and mentor me. So, whenever possible, I enjoy chatting with other writers who are still seeking publication. I love hearing about their books and their characters, love to hear how much they have written and what their plans are.

I also had the opportunity to meet some of my favorite authors at the event, people like Dean Koontz, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Carrie Ryan, Kimberly Derting, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Rachel Vincent, Nicole Murphy, Pamela Palmer, Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, Kerrlyn Sparks and Joss Ware.

Authors are like movie stars to me. I’m in awe of the work they do. So this event was wonderful because I got to meet so many writers that I’ve admired for years.

But it was also an opportunity for me to meet people who enjoy my work. That’s something that I haven’t gotten used to yet. It’s strange to think that there are people out there reading my work now.

Somehow I snuck into that category of published authors. I keep waiting for the Publishing Police to come along and revoke my license.

Pinch me, I think I’m dreaming.

Wait. Don’t pinch me. If this isn’t real, then I don’t want to wake up.

P.S. I will post RT photos tomorrow!

On the road again

2011-04-06T08:21:00.001-07:00

I'm getting ready for my trip to Romantic Times. Packing my bags. Loading up the car. Putting the directions for the hotel in my GPS and then checking my directions again. And again. (I hate getting lost. Big Time.)

If you're going to Romantic Times and you want to say hello (I hope you do want to say hello!), here's where I'm going to be and when:

AVON'S DUSK TO DARK MIXER
Friday, April 8
6- 7 p.m.
Hollywood Ballroom

GIANT BOOK FAIR
Saturday, April 9
11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Cool note to those attending AVON'S DUSK TO DARK MIXER: We will be GIVING away copies of AFTERLIFE!! Signed copies. Signed by me. How cool is that?

And, if you are one of those folks who can't make it to RT this year, here's a live link to some of the stuff going on:
Link here

Meanwhile, I hope to return home with lots of writing tidbits and photos of authors that I've always wanted to meet. And if all goes according to my typical dastardly plan, I will be sharing some of that with you.

This is how it starts…

2011-04-04T10:44:00.001-07:00

My computer screen was pink. I got about 4 hours sleep the night before. I just finished a new manuscript and was waiting to hear back from my agent. Meanwhile, my second novel was coming out in a few months and I needed to get ready for an upcoming conference.

So, in reality, I should have been taking a few days off from writing. For good behavior. Or for moderately good behavior.

Instead, an idea for another novel (yes, that would be on top of the four other novel ideas that I already have) came to me in the middle of the night. Hence one of the reasons why I didn’t get much sleep.

I’m blaming the pink computer screen on my cat.

Anyway, I only had a few minutes and didn’t have enough time to fix my computer, so I wrote two pages of what could be the beginning of my next novel. In long hand. Now, I plan to type those pages into my computer—for me, no story is real until it shows up on my computer screen. For the past several days, I’ve been thinking about the characters, about the story, about the possible complications, and I am really liking this book idea.

A lot.

That’s usually how my story ideas come. When I really don’t have time for them. When I’m supposed to be doing my taxes or cleaning my house. Or sleeping. For me to commit eight months to a year for any story idea, I have to fall in love with it.

Right now, I have a really big crush on this one. So, with fingers crossed, wish me well as I dive back into that land of words.

I may not come up to the surface again for a very long time.

The secret reason why you need to subscribe to my newsletter

2011-04-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, I lied a little bit in my title. There isn’t a secret reason. There are about seven reasons.

The awesome folks who just received my shiny, very first newsletter already know Reason Number One, listed below.

1. Novel Excerpts: You’ll get to read sample chapters from my upcoming books before anybody else. My current subscribers just got to read the first chapter of FEAST, my brand new urban fantasy novel that won’t be released until June 28, 2011.

But, wait, like I said above, there are more reasons. And almost all of them are way cool.

2. Deleted Scenes: From time to time, I’ll include deleted scenes, never before read by hardly anyone—not even my agent or my editor or my very best writing pals.

3. Writing Tips: For the aspiring authors in the bunch, I’ll be sharing juicy tidbits on how to make your writing stronger. I know. I can’t believe I’m going to do that either.

4. Short Stories: For the readers in the bunch, I’ll be sharing some of my short stories. Many of these have been posted on my old blogs or websites, but some will be brand new.

5. Give Aways: Just for you. Really. I’ll have exclusive give-aways and contests just for my newsletter subscribers. Signed books and cover flats and who knows what else might sneak into my bag of free stuff.

6. Updates on Personal Appearances: I admit, like most writers I’m an introvert. But I do occasionally go out of the house. I go fun places like writer’s conferences (like the Romantic Times Convention in Los Angles, from April 6-10 and the OCCWF Writer’s Conference in Irvine, from April 29-30). And sometimes I even speak. Out loud. On panels or in workshops. At the OCCWF conference, I’m going to be teaching a workshop on Backstory. At the recent ConDor Con in San Diego, I was on three different panels (eeeek!), all of them included best-selling authors way more impressive than me. I’m talking people like Kiersten White and Sherwood Smith and Art Holcomb.

7. Typos: Most people wouldn’t consider the occasional typo as a bonus, but it really is. This is an opportunity for you to see how much I really need and treasure my editor, Diana Gill. Without her and her amazing staff of wordsmiths, I am prone to make mistakes. And they can actually be fun. You can laugh at them. Or you can take pity on me (I like that option better.) You can imagine that I had a throbbing headache (I did during my last newsletter) and multiple deadlines (well, not so much with that newsletter) and maybe I’ve even skipped a couple of meals (okay, that never really happens, but you can still imagine that it might).

So, as you can see, there are at least seven reasons why you need to subscribe to my newsletter. Or, if you’re already a subscriber—and if you are, I love you very much—then you might want to consider telling your friends about the newsletter. Or you could just tell them about me. Or about my books. Any of those options are way cool and earn you BFF points.

It's easy to sign up. I promise. No blood rituals or changelings traded for firstborns. All you have to do is fill out that teeny, tiny form in the upper right corner of my blog. And you can opt at any time. I won't chase you or stalk you. I may cry a little, but I vow you will remain a completely free human. Well, you may become addicted to my books, but that was always my dastardly plan.

[Insert laugh here, one both sweet and slightly dangerous.]

FEAST Book Trailer

2011-03-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

In the life of a writer, some days are way more exciting than others. Days like when you get an agent or when you sign your publishing contract or when you finally get to meet your editor face-to-face. Days like when you press the send button on your final edits or when you get to see your amazing book cover for the first time. One of my favorite days is when I get my galley pages (the layout of the interior of the book). That's when the book feels real to me. And, of course, everybody loves the day when the actual printed book arrives and you get to hold it in your hand.

Well, today I need to add another favorite, way-exciting day to that list.

Today is the day the world gets to see the trailer for my next book, FEAST.

Eeeeeeeeek! I'm so excited!!!

So, before I float away because my feet are NOT touching the ground, here's the trailer. I hope you love it as much as I do.

The benefits of being exclusive

2011-01-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life zips by, faster than I can keep up. My bad. If I haven't shown you the awesome cover for my next book yet, well, here it is:

Titled, FEAST: HARVEST OF DREAMS, this book is a stand-alone and it comes out on June 28, 2011.

Here's the back cover copy:

BACK COVER COPY:

Halloween is a bad time to return to the woods…

Madeline MacFadden (“Mad Mac” to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she’s always believed there was something living in these wooded hills.

But Maddie doesn’t remember the dark parts—and knows nothing of the mountain legend that holds the area’s terrified residents captive. She has no recollection of Ash, the strange and magnificent creature who once saved her life as a child, even though it is the destiny of his kind to prey upon humanity. And soon it will be the Harvest…the time to feast.

Once again Maddie’s dreams—and her soul—are in grave danger. But magic runs deep during Harvest. Even a spinner of enchanted tales has wondrous powers of her own…

------------------------

And, believe it or not, I just found out the coolest thing from my editor, Diana Gill. (SQUEEEEE)

I can share an exclusive excerpt of FEAST with subscribers of my newsletter.

So, if you'd like to read the first chapter, then sign up for my newsletter, either in the box in the right sidebar or follow the link HERE.

All I can say is, I'm so excited that I can finally share part of my new book with my readers! Yay!!

One of the best things about the writer's journey

2011-01-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

You've probably heard this a thousand times. But it's really true. Making new friends is one of the absolute best things that can happen to you during the writer's journey--friends who also happen to love words. I treasure each and every person that I've met along the way, from people like me who are just starting out to people who are still hoping to get published to people who are much farther along and actually have books out there in the literary universe.

One super awesome pal I've met along the way is the uber-talented Tracey O'Hara. And she has a new release in her Dark Brethren series: DEATH'S SWEET EMBRACE. In fact, right now, she's in the midst of a whirlwind blog tour.

Today, Bitten By Books is hosting her amazing launch party, so I highly recommend that you check it out. And, just for fun, here's a link to a cool review of her first book, NIGHT'S COLD KISS.

And if you click on THIS LINK, you can find out about the rest of the stops on her blog tour. Believe it or not, she's going to be here, on THIS VERY BLOG, on February 13. And she's going to be chatting about her writing rituals and she's going to give us tips on writing a series. I don't know about you, but any info a multi-published author can give me on writing a series is very welcome.

And if you want to hang out with Tracey some more, you can follow her on TWITTER HERE, you can friend her on FACEBOOK HERE, you can check out her WEBSITE HERE.

And you can purchase her brand, new, shiny book, DEATH'S SWEET EMBRACE here.

Three cheers for Tracey, one of my bestest writing pals!! I hope your book sells gazillions!

The long day that wasn't

2011-01-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

Have you ever spent all day working on something, only to finally realize that it really wasn't working? Not even a tiny bit? That was me and my imaginary newsletter today. I spent the entire day working on a layout and putting together a subscriber's list. Now, at the end of the day, after e-mailing myself a sample of said newsletter, I've come to the conclusion that I could have had this done as a blog post in about half an hour. As a newsletter, it took all day and still isn't quite right.

Me thinks my grand plans for communicating with the ever-expanding cyber universe via e-mail is not what I hoped.

But I can still blog, right? I mean, we always have Paris. (Weird, incongruent reference to an old movie there.)

Anyway, there are some cool things going on online right now that I haven't mentioned here, on my own blog. Because I forgot. Or maybe because I was working on my third novel. Or maybe because I was playing around with that blasted newsletter.

So, forgetting about those things that are behind me and are named N - - - - - - - - R, here are some cool happenings on the Net...

I wrote two other blog posts. On other blogs. And each one of them is giving away one of my books. I know. I can't believe I didn't mention it either.

Here they are:

Right now I have a VERY REVEALING post over at the Supernatural Underground. You can check that one out HERE.

And I wrote a blog-post-article thingie about Organic World Building over at Speculative Faith. What's organic world building, you ask? Good question. The answer to that can be found HERE.

So, I hope your day was MUCH more productive than mine. But if not, and you feel like sharing the details--from the moment the dog ran out the door without his leash to the moment that you remembered that you have NO hot water but you still need to take a shower--feel free to tell me ALL about it. That's what the comments section is for.

And right now, I'm going to do my best to step away from the newsletter. Before one of us gets hurt.

The King's Speech and a Collin Firth fan side note

2011-01-21T09:05:00.001-08:00

Wow.

Okay, that was my one-word review of the movie, The King's Speech. I've always loved historical dramas and biographies of historic figures, but this one was phenomenal. Such an incredible story of love (between King George and his wife, between George and his children, between Lionel and his wife and his children), of friendship (between George and Lionel), and perseverance over disabilities.

I think we, as commoners, will never truly know what it would be like to grow up in a royal family, but this movie gives you an inside look--and it's one that might surprise you. I have a feeling that everyone will fall in love with Colin Firth's character by the end of the movie. In fact, during the showing I attended, the audience clapped when the movie was over. In a way, the film was a little bit like Rudy, where everyone was rooting for the main character to succeed.

I think most of us can identify with the underdog, in some way. And if that underdog can manage to defeat his own inner demons, then go on to fight against one of the greatest monsters of all time (in this case, Hitler), well, that is the stuff of legends.

On a quirky side note: Did anybody out there recognize the actress who played Lionel's wife?

Jennifer Ehle played Myrtle Logue in this film. But she also played Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, opposite Colin Firth, as Mr. Darcy.

Here's my favorite scene from that 1995 film, the one where Colin Firth first captured my heart. The dance scene:

Interview & Book Giveaway

2010-12-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

I just finished a cool interview with Kathy Harris over at Divine Detour, where some of the things we discuss include, "Who was the inspiration for Omega, the dog in Afterlife?" and "Did I know that I wanted to be a writer as child?" and "What's my next writing project?"

I had a lot of fun chatting with her. On top of being a fantastic Blog Master and Incredible Interviewer, she also happens to be a fellow German shepherd lover. So, of course, she scored big points with me. Anyone who loves animals get lots of points from me.

So, anyway, you should stop by her blog and say hi. We're giving away a signed copy of Afterlife, but the book contest only runs through December 30.

Joseph, We need to talk, or, The digital tale of the Nativity

2010-12-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Pardon my dust (cough cough)

2010-12-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

I've thought about it for a long time and it looks like I'm finally ready to break up with WordPress. We never were very good friends anyway. I don't know about you, but every time I wanted to try something new--like adding a picture somewhere on my site or adding a YouTube video of MY OWN book trailer (sorry for the caps there, didn't mean to shout)--I would spend hours trying to figure it out. Then in the end, WordPress would always win. I was never able to put a book trailer on my website, even with an honest to goodness, real website designer helping me.

So, I'm back with my old love, Blogger.

Blogger and I have been tight for years. He NEVER gives me any lip when I want to add another sidebar or photo or HTML.

But, unfortunately, this all means that I'm in the process of abandoning my current website here, creating a new website here and redesigning my blog (you know, the one you're looking at right now) and, at the same time, I'm creating a new site to feature my debut novel, AFTERLIFE, here.

So, I apologize for all the cyber dust. There are a lot of links that don't work yet. And there are some pages without text. And there are even some pages with Greek text (non-sensical words like xljcouren lekjoruen rlj eoruen erlel).

In the near future, everything will be shiny and sparkly and all the links will actually lead somewhere. I promise. Even though right now, it all seems a bit like getting lost in a maze created by M.C. Escher.

By the way, if you didn't know it, Escher influenced the creator of the movie, Inception.

The image shown above is called Relativity and it was done by M.C. Escher. You can buy a print of it here.

Playing in the snow--woof!

2010-12-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

Just for fun

2010-12-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

Just for fun, I posted a short story, starring characters from my novel, AFTERLIFE, over on my new site. You can check it out here.

AFTERLIFE is recommended read

2010-12-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

UF_Chat, the brain child of @InkGypsy, is a lively Saturday afternoon Twitter chat about everything that falls into the urban fantasy category. I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed as a guest, which was great fun!

On top of that, UF_Chat made AFTERLIFE a recommended read. Woo hoo!

You can read all about it here, plus I'll let you know as soon the transcripts from my on-line Twitter interview are up.

Also, a blurb from InkGypsy's Amazon review, which is posted on the UF_Chat site:
“It’s #UFchat’s* recommended read for the end of 2010 and we can’t wait to speak to Ms. Destefano about how she built and crafted this wonderful novel, with its very real and complex characters, twisted mysteries, wonder-full urban darkness and the cities of the dead. I only have one question: can we have more please?!”— Ink Gypsy on The UFChat Blog

Afterlife Playlist

2010-12-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Writers need inspiration. Lots of it. In the below playlist, you'll hear a small collection of the music that I listened to while writing Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles. Even though the main character, Chaz Domingue, studied music and played a mean saxophone, I chose a different type of music to get in the mood.

A new version of Deck the Halls

2010-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

My Top Ten Christmas Movies

2010-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is a list of my favorite Christmas movies. I go on a mad mission in the month of December. I feel I must watch each and every one of these or I won’t be able to get in the spirit of the holiday.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life
I first saw this in a film class in college. First, we all heard the story behind the movie—how Jimmy Stewart wanted to quit acting, but the director convinced him to star in one more movie—then we saw the film. We all sat, crowded into it an auditorium, and I couldn’t help but think that this was how movie-goers saw this for the film for the first time. I fell in love with the movie and have loved it ever since.

2. The Bishop’s Wife
Who wouldn’t enjoy watching Cary Grant bumble around as a dangerously handsome angel, falling in love with a woman he’s supposed to be helping. Loretta Young glistens as the object of his affection, albeit always faithful to her husband, the bishop.

3. While You Were Sleeping
Sandra Bullock rescues the man she thinks she loves, although he falls immediately into a coma. In the process, she finds herself enchanted with his family—and his brother, played by Bill Pullman—and for the first time in years, she doesn’t feel lonely on Christmas. This one melts my heart every single time I watch it.

4. Christmas in Connecticut
Did I love this movie because the main character was a writer? In retrospect, it’s hard to say, but over the years this story of a columnist, Barbara Stanwyck, who must pretend she is a great cook and homemaker (I can relate to that dilemma) has become one of my favorites.

5. Home Alone
He’s a brat and he needs a spanking and, yet, you find yourself rooting for Macaulay Culkin before his family even lands in Paris. Completely alone, unless you count that dastardly tarantula (shivers), Culkin sets a trap for holiday thieves that makes me laugh until my sides hurt. Every. Single. Time. I. Watch.

6. Meet Me in St. Louis
Judy Garland at her most charming. She sings, she dances, she falls in love—literally. Her director in this film was her future husband, Vincente Minelli, and this was the first time the two of them met. This tale of a family who lives in turn-of-the-century St. Louis captures al the romance of the era.

7. Scrooged
For some reason, this is my favorite version of A Christmas Carol. Starring Bill Murray and Karen Allen (remember her from Raider’s of the Lost Ark?) star as lovers who went their separate ways years ago. Murray went on to become a lonely, wealthy TV executive, while Allen became a tender-hearted social worker who runs the local homeless shelter. Murray is given a second chance when their paths cross again.

8. Little Women
My favorite version of this movie stars Claire Danes, Winona Ryder, Christian Bale and Kirsten Dunst. Set during the Civil War, this tale of a young woman who wants to be a writer is heart-warming, to say the least. Of course, I never could figure out why Jo (Ryder) didn’t fall in love with Laurie (Bale), but then I can’t figure out why Bella doesn’t love Jacob either.

9. Elf
Adorable. Simply adorable. Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel (one of my favorite actresses) are just so cute in this film about a real, live elf who leaves the North Pole to find his true father. By the end of the movie you just want to give Ferrell a big hug.

10. The Family Man
A little bit like A Christmas Carol, this film stars Nicholas Cage as a rich man who gets a chance to see what his life might have been like, if he had made different choices along the way. Also starring Tea Leoni, one reason I love this show is the fact that it adds that element of an alternate universe—and I do love alternate universes.

Magic runs deep during Harvest...

2010-12-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

At long last, I have permission to share the back cover copy of my next novel. Titled Feast: Harvest of Dreams, it releases on June 28, 2011.

Here's the back cover copy:

Halloween is a bad time to return to the woods…

Madeline MacFadden (“Mad Mac” to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she’s always believed there was something living in these wooded hills.

But Maddie doesn’t remember the dark parts—and knows nothing of the mountain legend that holds the area’s terrified residents captive. She has no recollection of Ash, the strange and magnificent creature who once saved her life as a child, even though it is the destiny of his kind to prey upon humanity. And soon it will be the Harvest…the time to feast.

Once again Maddie’s dreams—and her soul—are in grave danger. But magic runs deep during Harvest. Even a spinner of enchanted tales has wondrous powers of her own…

-----------------------------

I can't wait to show you the cover. But for now, just imagine something REALLY awesome!

One of my favorite Christmas songs

2010-12-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

This song began as a poem, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the Civil War. Longfellow had suffered great loss at the time--the death of his wife by an accidental fire and the severe wounding of his son in the war. And yet, despite his own personal tragedy, Longfellow was able to still believe in the oft-used phrase, "Peace on Earth."

May you have peace and joy in this Christmas season.

The name of this song is, I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day, and this version is performed by Casting Crowns.

New Song by Coldplay

2010-12-02T16:22:00.001-08:00

Just in time for Christmas, here's a new song by my favorite band. Christmas Lights by Coldplay, available on iTunes.

Enjoy!

The best cat video of the day

2010-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

The best cat video of the day. Meow.

The best Afterlife party pack ever

2010-10-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

The lovely folks over at the I Smell Sheep blog (Katie and Amber) posted an interview with Yours Truly [I know, I can't believe it either]. But maybe, even cooler than learning why I chose New Orleans for the location in Afterlife or what I think about writing from a male POV, is the awesome Afterlife Party Pack they are giving away.

Here's what they've got in their giveaway treasure chest:
Mardi Gras mask and beads
Zatarians red bean and rice
A jar of Liquid Light
An adorable, plush German shepherd puppy
AND a signed copy of AFTERLIFE: THE RESURRECTION CHRONICLES

Now that's what I call a party pack!

And all you have to do is post a comment on their blog to enter. So mosey on over to their fab blog. This contest ends on November 1.

Funny stuff for Freaky Friday

2010-10-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post a few funny, yet weird things for Friday.

Here goes:

Who loves zombies? Apparently, Sears loves zombies!

And the funniest, yet somehow creepiest, video of a dog that you will see today:

The Afterlife Evolution

2010-10-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

I wish I was one of those people who could slam out a book in three months, whose first draft was pretty near perfect. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The truth of the matter is, I drive my writing group nuts. What book is this, they’ll ask after I start reading a few pages for critique. Oh, it’s the same book, I’ll tell them, just completely different.

I have a tendency to write and rewrite and then write some more, changing names and moving characters around and slashing plot lines. While it might seem like I’m having a great time, throwing away thousands of words at a time, I’m not.

I’m driving everyone I know, me included, nuts. They probably all wish that I would take up something meaningful to do in my spare instead of write. Something like playing miniature golf. Or raising bonsai trees. Or studying organic chemistry.

Just in case you don’t believe me, listen to the genesis of Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles.

In the first draft—under the title, White Burn—this story took place on Mars. (Do I hear snickers already?) It was a detective story, where the main character was tracking down a cult leader who had stolen a serum that could raise the dead. Besides falling into the hands of a dangerous cult leader, this serum also happened to be stolen by a gang leader, which led to one grisly gang war—a little bit like The Night of the Living Dead. Only on Mars.

Needless to say, that book didn’t garner much attention from agents or editors.

In the second draft—under the title, Once to Die—the story was moved to Los Angeles. Here, I had a homicide detective, a woman named Addy, chasing a serial killer who could raise the dead. This story must have been tighter and better written, because at least a few editors talked to me at this point. They even smiled. Right before they told me, no way were they going to publish this book. One of them was even kind enough to give me a few pointers. He said something like, try setting it in the future and throw out everything except the resurrection drug.

I confess, I’m the brooding sort, so I mulled and groused over his well-meaning rejection. I thought about it for so long that I actually came up with a story idea based on that simple one-line suggestion.

In Afterlife, I built a future where the technology for resurrection has been around for awhile, long enough for it to have a serious impact on our culture, our major world religions, our family system, our judicial system, you name it. After working on the story for a month or so, I realized that if I removed this one small element—death—from our culture, it changed everything.

Writing the actual book took me about a year and a half, with the prerequisite three-to-four month period of writer’s block tossed in the mix. Once I found my agent, Kimberley Cameron, she sold my book in a relatively short time period to Diana Gill of Eos/HarperCollins. I think we sold the book in August, 2009, and the book came out in September, 2010.

Afterlife is a Hydra of sorts: one part urban fantasy, one part romance, one part science fiction, one part mystery. It’s a tale about a man who watches over people during that fragile first week after resurrection, when memories from previous lives are still sifting to the surface. And it’s a story about the woman who has just resurrected, who holds a secret in her subconscious that could change the world.

But for me, it’s a story that tells me that my wild and disorganized writing process somehow manages to work. Even though I drive a lot of people nutty along the way.

Getting in touch with your inner monster

2010-10-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love monsters. I fell in love with them when I was just a kid. Vincent Price ruled the cinema in the ‘60s, and nearly every movie had some sort of creepy villain in it. So I was thrilled when artist, Jack Ruttan, offered to turn me into a vampire. I mean, isn’t that every woman’s secret desire? Immortality, eternal youth, an interesting dental plan.

Believe it or not, he didn’t stop there. He made me a zombie too. Now I’ve got two new monster avatars. Look out, world. Monster Merrie is here.

Anyway, I’m not the kind to keep all the cool toys for myself. I like to share. So I asked Jack to tell us a little about himself. I wanted you to find out how you can get your own scary avatar.

Jack's interview is below:

MERRIE: What is your background as an artist?
JACK: I'm self-taught. My mom was a watercolorist.

MERRIE: Well, you are definitely talented. If anybody wants to take a peek at what Jack does when he’s not drawing monsters, here’s a link to his website. Jack, why did you decide to start drawing monster portraits?

JACK: I thought it would be fun for Halloween. Actually, twittering with you, hearing about your book, How to Draw Zombies, gave me the idea. Then I had the brainstorm of thinking wouldn't it be cool if a lot of people zombiefied or monster-ized themselves just for Halloween, and sensed a business opportunity.

MERRIE: I think it’s a great idea! Everyone should get zombiefied. What’s the next step for you?

JACK: I'm going to set up an online web store, and zombify people for a fee (see below). It's a little late, and I wish I had the idea earlier, but I wanted to do this eventually to try and sell my usual watercolors, and this was a good push to get me started.

Monsters are a challenge, because I normally try to draw cute and charming things. But I love monsters, even though my parents would take me to the student counselor when I drew them. So, I've censored myself a bit. It's fun to get back into them, because I love horror movies and comics, not to mention "Rat Fink," Topps Bubblegum cards, and those bizarre cartoons from the 1960s. I'm getting in touch with my inner monster.

But it's actually a bit of a challenge, cause I want it to look like the person, and be fun and scary at the same time. Also make sense when shrunk to a tiny twitter icon.

MERRIE: I’ve always loved monsters too. What type of monsters do you like to draw best?

JACK: Some of the ones I mentioned above. I like Orcs and alien beings. Also dinosaurs and cryptids. Godzilla and his friends. Almost anything really, because I'm really just getting into it.

MERRIE: Well, I’m glad you are! Where can people find out more about your art?

JACK: At my website, also my sketch blog, and now my tumblr, which is sort of like my giant version of twitter. I like the web obviously. See my webcomic done in collaboration with R. Gagnon: The Skinny Nameless Punk.

MERRIE: If someone wanted to get their own monster portrait, approximately how much would it cost and how long would it take?

JACK: I'm thinking $20, and give me a day or two. For $35.00 plus $3.00 postage and packing, I'll send them the watercolor original, which will measure 9 x 9 cm, and be prettily matted (that will take a little more time). I've also got a Paypal account. Not sure how that works!

Send me a shot you want zombified or vampirized. Pets, even. $30 if it's more than one person in the picture. Three or four, we'll talk. Also other commissions!

MERRIE: If someone wanted to get their own monster portrait, how should they contact you?

JACK: You can e-mail at: jack [dot] ruttan090 [at] sympatico [dot] ca. And you can visit my Twitter profile here.

Thanks SO much for stopping by today, Jack. These profile avatars are creepy and cool and beyond awesome! I hope I start seeing them all over the place soon. The world needs more monsters.

Freaky Friday Contest Winners

2010-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in my Freaky Friday contest. I enjoyed all of your answers. (I love monsters!)

I ran the contest through a random number generator to determine the winners, and here are the winners:

Sandy

Van_Pham

Winners, please contact me via e-mail by the end of the day on Monday. My e-mail is: merrie [dot] destefano [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Thanks again!

Freaky Friday Giveaway

2010-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

The wind is blowing and leaves are falling off the trees. October is here and that means that Halloween will upon us soon. (Insert spooky music here.)

In honor of Halloween and all things that go bump in the night, I'm going to give away two spooky, yet inspiring, books: HOW TO DRAW ZOMBIES and HOW TO DRAW VAMPIRES. Both of these books were co-authored by Mike Butkis and me.

How can you win one of these books? Glad you asked!

Here are the rules:

I will give away one signed copy of How To Draw Zombies and one signed copy of How To Draw Vampires today, each to a different person.

To enter, you must:
1. Follow this blog
2. Post a comment, telling us about your favorite monster.
3. Mention this post on either Twitter or Facebook

Contest will run for 24 hours and will end tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 9) at noon. Winners will be announced tomorrow. Winners must contact me at: merrie [dot] destefano [at] yahoo [dot] com by Monday, Oct. 11, or their prize will be forfeited.

Thanks for playing!

SFRevu Review & SciFiGuy guest blog post

2010-10-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday and we have another episode of Where's Merrie and What's Going On With Afterlife?

This is what's been going on in the past several days:

AFTERLIFE: THE RESURRECTION CHRONICLES just got an awesome review over at SFRevu. You can check it out here.

Also, I'm guest blogging over at SciFiGuy today. We're discussing the intersection between faith, science, and the supernatural. Stop by and comment for a chance to win a signed copy of AFTERLIFE!

There's another cool review of AFTERLIFE over at the Whispers of Dawn blog, by fellow writer, Sally Apokedak. Sally writes for the YA audience and I was glad to hear that she gave AFTERLIFE a thumbs up for YA readers. Yay!

Another really fun review of AFTERLIFE was posted at the ismellsheep blog. I also have an interview coming up there on October 26, so be sure to stop back then.

Also, the folks over at Nocturne Romance Reads did a really great interview with me last week. [I LOVED their questions!] You might need to scroll down to the middle of the page to find my Q & A.

NOTE FOR AFTERLIFE READERS:
I just wanted to let you all know that I'm currently working on a reader's guide for AFTERLIFE. Also, if you're considering choosing AFTERLIFE for your book club, please let me know. I'll send you a pack of signed book plates. Just post your e-mail address in the comment section and let me know.

And thank you again to everyone who's been reading AFTERLIFE! You all rock!

Book Launch Party & Giveaway & More

2010-09-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

It's day three in Release Week Madness and so far the universe hasn't accidentally twisted inside out. Yay! [I was worried there for awhile.] I must confess, I've been really blessed this week by a number of great book reviews, plus opportunities to write guest post on blogs.

Have I mentioned lately how awesome the blogging community is?

BLOGGERS ROCK!!!!

Thank you to everyone who went out of their way to read, review and host my posts in the past several weeks. You are all princes and princesses with halos and angel wings and stardust between your fingers.

So, back to the game of the week. Where's Merrie Today? [I may have to list where I've been for the past couple of days, because I've been a bit busy finishing up my next book. Saw the cover for it and it was SO FRIGGIN' AWESOME that I couldn't focus on anything else for an insanely long time!]

Here goes:

BOOK LAUNCH PARTY
Bitten by Books
From noon to midnight Central Time
Giveaways: $100 Amazon Gift Card and 5 signed copies of AFTERLIFE
Topic of discussion is the quest of immortality.

GUEST BLOG POST
Bookgasm
I discuss the ever-changing journey AFTERLIFE took during its genesis.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Night Owl Paranormal

Also, Night Owl Reviews reviewed AFTERLIFE here.

BOOK REVIEW
Tori, the creator of Book Faery wrote an awesome review of AFTERLIFE here.
Here's a snippet:
AFTERLIFE is a unique debut with beautiful descriptions by an insanely talented author who is not afraid to try something new. This novel was refreshing and exciting, and I am eagerly anticipating Merrie's future releases. If you enjoy urban fantasy,and if you want to see a new take on what life would be like if humanity could be almost immortal, then you definitely need to check this book out. You'll regret it if you don't!

I've heard from a few people that their local bookstores were already sold out of AFTERLIFE. I'm really sorry about that. I highly recommend checking with your local stores first, but if they don't have any copies, then try their online stores. Or you could ask the manager to order a few more copies. If all else fails, you can purchase the book on Kindle or iBooks. This is definitely one time when the digital revolution is a good thing!

Release Day & Contest Winners

2010-09-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like I survived my first release day. I must say, it's a pretty wild experience. Cool, but wild. It's like having six million things going on at once and every one of them is super important.

The book is out. Yay! I actually saw a copy tonight over at the local Borders. The Barnes & Noble didn't have their books unpacked yet, but Afterlife is supposed to go on a cool kiosk. I'll go back in a day or so and see if I can get a picture. I kinda felt like a stalker, stalking myself, going around asking where my own book was. I was trying to be all incognito, but my husband kept giving me away. (I'll never make it as a spy if he's with me.)

And here's another episode of Where's Merrie Today:
Today I am over at Dark Faerie Tales, talking about the Quest for Immortality, and giving away 1 signed copy of AFTERLIFE. That contest runs until October 19, so you still have time to stop over and say hi!

I have 2 contests going on that I need to announce the winners. Sorry. I got so busy today that I haven't had time until now.

So here goes:

CONTEST WINNERS:

First, thank you to everyone who participated! I really enjoyed reading all of your comments and getting to know each of you. I hope you stop back! Now, for the winners:

Supernatural Underground:
Daniell: Winner of a signed copy of AFTERLIFE
Natasha17: Winner of a signed copy of AFTERLIFE
BaileytheBookWorm: Winner of a signed copy of HOW TO DRAW ZOMBIES
Donnas15: Winner of a signed copy of HOW TO DRAW VAMPIRES

My blog:
Pacey1927: Winner of a signed copy of AFTERLIFE

Winners: Please note that you have 3 days to contact me or the prizes/books will be awarded to another commenter. You can either leave me your e-mail address in the comments of this blog post or you can drop me an e-mail at: merrie [dot] destefano [at] yahoo [dot] com.

What I think about writing groups

2010-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Writing group pal, Mike Duran, filmed this interview with me recently. Yikes. I'm on camera!

Merrie's Very Busy, Extra Special, Event-Packed, Contest-Ridden, Book Launch Week

2010-09-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally here. My book launch week. And every day, I'll be somewhere else. On top of a slew of guest posts and launch parties and MY FIRST NOVEL RELEASE TOMORROW!!! [insert silent scream here]--on top of all of that, I am also finishing up my second novel, still unnamed, and will be turning that in to my editor on Wednesday.

This is the week that sleep is a four-letter word.

So, the games begin. Let's play, Where's Merrie Today?

TODAY:

GUEST BLOG POST:
I'm doing a guest blog post over at Romance University with another urban fantasy author, Elisabeth Naughton
Post title is: Urban Fantasy: Hot or Not?

Stop by and say hello, make comments or ask questions!

VIDEO INTERVIEW:
Then, I also did a video interview with a fellow writer, Mike Duran, that's running on his blog today. Mike's in one of my writer's groups and his first novel, THE RESURRECTION, is coming out in February, 2011.

So, if you ever wanted to see me in live action [joking! I wouldn't wish that on anyone!], stop by. Some of the things I discuss are: the concept behind my novel, AFTERLIFE: THE RESURRECTION CHRONICLES; why I write urban fantasy; and what I think about writing groups.

By the way, for those of you who aren't familiar with the image used above, it's one of my favorite paintings. Created by Edvard Munch in 1893 and aptly titled "The Scream," I've always felt this picture was a great representation of what a panic attack feels like.

One more thing I would never do

2010-09-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe these guys kept driving. In the same direction, that is. I'd have turned around and gone the other way.

And now, an even longer excerpt from Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles

2010-09-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

HarperCollins has a very cool feature on their site called Browse Inside. Now you can read the first 57 pages of Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles here.

Enjoy!! Release date on Sept. 28.