Confessions of a fan girl

I must confess, the more I look at the schedule at Comic Con, the more my fangirl tendencies come out. Pardon me while I squee! I just found out about the following panels:

* The Vampire Diaries Screening and Q&A [yes, Ian Somerhalder will be there]

* Warehouse 13 and Eureka [I LOVE Eureka]

* V Screening and Q&A [Can't wait for the new season to start!]

* Little Lulu Fan Group [Okay, here I'm really a nerd, but I just adored Little Lulu comics when I was a kid. That and Superman. Quite a mix, huh?]

* Reading with Brains: The Rise and Unrelenting Stamina of Zombie Fiction [My only question here is: why isn't Robin Becker on this panel? That girl wrote a stunning zombie book: Brains: A Zombie Memoir.]

* Spotlight on Ray Bradbury [I cut my sci-fi teeth on this guy's books. He rules.]

* Panel of the Living Dead: Surviving the Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Onslaught on Xbox 360

* Falling Skies [The new TV series by Stephen Spielberg]

* The Big Bang Theory [absolutely, the coolest nerds on the planet! Included in the panel will be uber-sci-fi-star Wil Wheaton]

* USA Network's White Collar [Unfortunately, I'll have to miss this one. I'm crying already.]

* Welcome to The Future: Are You Sure You Want to Stay? [Do I like dystopian fiction? Yes!]

And of course:

* Bite Me: Evolving Urban Fantasy Beyond the Vampire Phenomenon [The panel I'll be on]

* What's Hot @ Harper: A Special Sneak Preview of Upcoming SF, Fantasy, Urban Noir, Horror & More [Hosted by my editor, Diana Gill]

I know I won't be able to make it to all of these panels, but a fangirl can dream right?

Awesome free stuff at ComicCon: HarperCollins panel

I just saw this over at the Eos blog and had to share it. (It was just too cool to keep a secret!)

HarperCollins will be having a special sneak preview of all the upcoming science fiction, fantasy, urban noir, horror and more: In other words, all those books we love! AND they will be giving away some fabulous stuff to EVERY person who attends the panel--hosted by none other than my super-human editor, Diana Gill.

All the lovely details are below:

COMIC CON PANEL:

Saturday, 7/24, 6:30-7:30pm:

What's Hot @ Harper: A Special Sneak Preview of Upcoming SF, Fantasy, Urban Noir, Horror & More— Want to hear about The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan? Get a sneak preview of the next Kim Harrison? Meet some of the Eos and Avon authors and hear about their upcoming books? Plus get free stuff (including a chance to win a new e-Reader, so you can enjoy all of Harper's 'e' offerings)? Then don't miss this panel on HarperCollins's upcoming sci-fi/fantasy/horror titles and more! Moderated by Diana Gill, executive editor, HarperCollins Publishers, with authors . Room 26AB

YEP--We're giving stuff away at this panel! Every attendee will receive the Eos 2010 sampler, which has excerpts from 25 current and upcoming books ranging from science fiction all the way to paranormal romance. PLUS we'll be giving away galleys of upcoming books, some special editions,and your chance to win an E-reader! So before you head out to dinner, come to the Hot at Harper panel!

Our little menace to society

Just got back from an urgent trip to the vet. Imagine having an ear infection with ears this big. Poor baby.

Meanwhile, Caleb the Wonder Dog is doing well. Two hundred dollars later, we returned from the vet with a bag full of meds for our little menace to society. He's currently sulking in the living room, probably dreaming of how nice it would be to have different owners--people who never take him to the vet or make him take medicine.

Blade-Runner Beauty

Yesterday I dashed over to South Coast Plaza to pick up some mascara. Surprisingly, I discovered my local Sephora had been transformed into a high-tech stage for Blade-Runner beauty. Anybody besides me remember how Darryl Hannah put her eye make-up on in that movie? Well, here a team of experts were using an air-brush to apply make-up on volunteers. During one portion of the demonstration, a spokesman even said it was like having your own personal Photoshop.


For a long time, I've wished that I had my own personal sci-fi Photoshop geek to follow me around in real time, adjusting my clothes to make me look thinner. Just like they do for models on magazine covers. As if those girls really need to be thinner.

Anyway, the company that makes this super cool, space-age, high tech, sci-fi make-up is Temptu.



Since they also had some killer temporary body tattoos, I did some online research and found the following photo. According to the text that accompanied the image, Temptu developed a "resin-based temporary tattoo paint," a product used by actors in films. I love it! But then I've loved tattoos for a long time, so no surprise here.



I guess the real question here is: how long before I buy all this stuff?

Afterlife giveaway

Today I'm giving away another advance reader copy of Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles over at the Supernatural Underground. Yay and double yay! So stop over there and check it out! Be sure to bring your imaginary friends with you.

Here's a clue about my post:

Afterlife book reviews

The advance reader copies for Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles have only been out for a short while, but there are already two great reviews up online.

ONE:
By Angela over at TheSciFiChick.com.

Here's a short blurb from her awesome review:
"The plot is complex and inspired. The mood is dark and suspenseful. It’s rare when I’m so impressed by a debut. And this science fiction novel definitely took me by surprise. The narrative is fast-paced, jumping around among several key characters’ point of view. So readers see what’s coming a bit before Chaz, building suspense and excitement. The mystery builds to a climactic ending, offering several surprises. And I finished the book with a smile, loving every bit of Destefano’s thought-provoking tale."

TWO:
By Tez Miller over at Tez Says.

Here's a snippet from her fab review:
"Merrie Destefano has crafted a premise that’s powerful in its simplicity. The perfect blend of urban fantasy and science fiction, there are characters to cheer for and settings that spook. From the City of the Dead to the Underground Circus, from gen-spikes to liquid light, from dogs to their human counterparts, Afterlife has so much to love, and the second Resurrection Chronicle can’t come soon enough! (No cliff-hanger ending, though – it’s a gorgeous standalone.)"

Some fun stuff

Since I haven't written anything here in awhile, I thought I would post some fun stuff.

BOOK BLOGGERS: Want to review a HarperCollins book? Check out this list of contact info.

SUPERNATURAL UNDERGROUND: Check out the latest post over at the Supernatural Underground. Terri Garey spills the beans on how fun the latest RomCon 2010 was. Plus she's giving away some cool books if you enter her contest today.

COMIC CON: There's a cool post over at the Eos Books blog. Lots of info about the upcoming Comic Con author panels in San Diego. And there will be some awesome give-aways! Check out the full article here. A snippet is below:

PANEL: 3:00-4:00 Bite Me: Evolving Urban Fantasy Beyond the Vampire Phenomenon— Some of the top names in urban fantasy gather to discuss how to evolve the urban fantasy genre beyond the vampire phenom, spurred by the mass commercial appeal of The Twilight Saga and True Blood. Authors include Tanya Huff (the Victoria Nelson novels), Mario Acevedo (the Felix Gomez detective-vampire series), Merrie Destefano (Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles), Jocelynn Drake (Pray for Dawn), Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim), Lauren Kate (Fallen series), and Marjorie M. Liu (In the Dark of Dreams). Moderator: Diana Gill, executive editor at HarperCollins Publishers. Room 8


AFTERLIFE GIVE-AWAY: And, last but not least, stay tuned. I will be giving away another advance reader copy of Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles this Friday over at the Supernatural Underground.

TWO DAYS LEFT: Quick reminder: Only two days left in @TheSciFiChick's Twitter-only Afterlife ARC giveaway. Details here.

Meanwhile, have fun and stay safe. Recent rumors say that the schedule for the zombie apocalypse has been moved up. It's now on for next Tuesday.