Art imitating life

I've been wanting to share this photo for a long time. My husband, the dogs, and yes even the cat, and I took a trip up into the mountains last winter. Everyone enjoyed it--except the cat, who took his vengeance by running away as soon as we got home. (He came back, thank goodness, but I digress...)

Here's the weird thing. My husband took this shot of me, hanging out with our wild-at-heart German shepherds. Caleb was in full bark mode. We've never gotten a shot of him barking before. Woof.

Two days later, my lovely editor, Diana Gill, sent me the cover art for Afterlife. It was so gorgeous, I cried. Then I remembered the photo we had just taken. Now, I don't look anything like that stunning blonde--especially since I was wearing two pairs of pants, two sweaters and a thick coat (I'm blaming it all on the coat), but my dog definitely looks like he's posing for a cover shot. I think he has a secret desire to be a star.

Who knows. Maybe he'll get a part in my next book...

Permission Granted

I'm so excited! I just got permission to post the gorgeous cover for my debut novel, Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles.

Below are some endorsements from other authors:

“AFTERLIFE is a seamless combination of hard-boiled mystery, science-fiction exploration of a future based on cloned survival after death, and a fantasy struggle for the survival of good in an evil world. Merrie Destefano has made a fine start on a promising career.”
James Gunn, Science fiction Grand Master, author of The Immortals

“Life, death and AFTERLIFE—a haunting story that seamlessly blends the hard-boiled twists of cyberpunk with the noir flavor of a Southern Gothic thriller. Gritty and compelling, Destefano's debut tackles the big questions of immortality and faith amidst a labyrinthine web of murder and deceit. Truly high octane stuff, sure to please both fans of science-fiction and mystery.”
Marc Giller, author of Hammerjack

“AFTERLIFE is like smoke in the darkness—intriguing and illusive. Merrie Destefano led me on a gritty page-turning journey of life, death and resurrection. I was riveted from the first page to the last and personally can’t wait for her next one.”
Tracey O’Hara, author of Night’s Cold Kiss

"Merrie Destefano storms the world of urban fantasy with AFTERLIFE, breathing new life into the vast genre of the undead. Gritty, poignant, in the tradition of Bladerunner with the nostalgia of New Orleans. With crisp and beautiful prose, AFTERLIFE blurs the line between the living and the dead to ask life's ultimate questions--even if they take nine lives to solve.”
Tosca Lee, author of Havah and Demon: A Memoir

The release date for Afterlife is September 28, 2010. The book is available for pre-order here:

Amazon

Borders

Barnes and Noble

Books A Million

Happy Release Day!

Happy Release Day to two fabulous writers...today is the release of Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker. Below is a brief description of the book from the author's website:



"Forget contemporary American literature--former college professor Jack Barnes has a new passion: Brains. It’s in his nature…he’s a zombie. But he’s not your normal, vacant-eyed, undead idiot. No, Jack Barnes has something most other victims of the zombie apocalypse don’t have: sentience. In fact, he can even write. And the story he has to tell is a truly disturbing--yet strangely heartwarming--one.

Convinced he’ll bring about a peaceful coexistence between zombies and humans if he can demonstrate his unique condition to the man responsible for the zombie virus, Howard Stein, Barnes sets off on a grueling cross-country journey to meet his maker. Along the way he meets more like him, rotting brain-eaters who have retained some sort of cognitive ability, and soon forms a small army that will stop at nothing to reach their goal. There’s Guts, the agile, dread-locked boy who can run like the wind; Joan, the matronly nurse adept at re-attaching rotting appendages; Annie, the young girl with a fierce quick-draw; and Ros, who can actually speak coherent sentences. Together they make their way through an eerie new world of roving zombie hunters, empty McMansions, and clogged highways on a quest to attain what all men, women--and apparently zombies--yearn for: equality."

And today is also the release day for Vicki Pettersson's new book: Cheat The Grave. Below is a brief description of the book from Amazon.com.



"Las Vegas socialite and otherwordly avenger Joanna Archer gave up everything when she embraced mortality—abandoning her powers and altering her destiny to save a child . . . and a city. Now her former allies are her enemies—and her enemies have nothing to fear.

Yet still she is bound to a prophecy that condemns her to roam a nightmare landscape that ordinary humans cannot see and dare not enter. And a beast is on her trail—an insane killer blinded by bloodlust, who's determined to rip much more from Joanna than merely her now-fragile life. Survival is no longer an option in this dark realm where good and evil have blurred into confusing shades of gray—unless she can gather together an army of onetime foes and destroy everything she once believed in."

Interview

Zombie Carter has an interview with me over at The Zombie Nation today. We discuss all sorts of things related to the undead and writing and art. Stop by and say hi!

Thanks, Carter!

The Zombie Nation

Very kind comment by Zombie Carter over on The Zombie Nation. He sang zombie praises for How To Draw Zombies.

Zombies rule. They really do.

As a treat, below is a sample of Mike Butkus's artwork in the book, published by Walter Foster.

Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara

One of the many things I can do on my awesome Blogspot blog is show videos. Oh, I have been deprived for way too long. Here's Tracey O'Hara's gorgeous video for her first novel, Night's Cold Kiss.

And a brief description of the book from the HarperCollins website:

For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires—until courageous efforts on both sides forged a fragile peace.

But the rogue Necrodreniacs will never be controlled—addicted as they are to the death-high . . . and bloody chaos.

Since witnessing the murder of her mother, Antoinette Petrescu has burned with fiery hatred for the vampire race—even for Christian Laroque, the noble, dangerously handsome Aeternus who rescued her. Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Christian's help to achieve her vengeance—even as he plots to use the beautiful, unsuspecting warrior as bait to draw out the bloodthirsty dreniacs.

Once Again

A new week, a new day, a new blog. I've lost count of how many blogs I've had over the years. Right now I must confess that Blogspot has always been my favorite program. So, as I waddle my way into that everbright future, I decided I may as well return to my first love.

So. Here I am. On Blogspot again.

Soon I will be developing a new website--yes, another one. All this to help launch my first novel. My little baby.

Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles.

It's coming in late September. Soon and very soon I'll be able to show you the killer cover designed by the pros over at HarperCollins/Eos.

And as I stumble along on my journey to publication, I'm sure I'll interview other authors, review other books, and occasionally post about that tornado-life of a first-time novelist.

But the winds are already swirling around me--must get back to editing my second novel which is due very soon. Yikes. What am I doing posting on a blog when I'm supposed to be working?

All the above, perils of the first-time novelist. Soaked to her skin in excitement and deadlines and the ever-present danger of the blank page.