It wouldn't be the holidays without...

Feline and fake evergreen pic spam.



And too many German angels sharing company with a Leopard's Leap mask.



Wishing you the very best of the holidays, however you choose to celebrate, and a happy, healthy, prosperous 2011!

Holiday Author Gala & Early Holiday Present

Two early presents, really. The first is the gala itself. This Saturday, December 18, 7-9 p.m., the Borders at 4420 Mitchellville Road, Bowie, MD 20716, will host a book signing featuring:

- Rising romantic suspense star Jeanne Adams,

- Bestselling science fiction and fantasy writer Catherine Asaro,

- Break-out historical romance author Grace Burrowes,

- Award-winning children's author Deborah Da Costa,

- Three time Nebula Award nominee and veteran SF short story writer Bud Sparhawk, and

- Me.

Just in time for your holiday buying. And to help you get into the spirit of the holidays, there will be music by Catherine and Donald Wolcott. How can you you go wrong?

The second present arrived in my email earlier tonight: the Letter of Agreement for Dragon*Con 25. Nine months away and my mind is already there.

Shameless Interview Promotion

Not an interview with me (hey, I heard that sigh of relief!) but the latest in my six-part series of interviews with vampire authors at Buzzy Multimedia. Today's victim--er, subject is Jeri Smith-Ready, author of the WVMP series about vampire DJs and lots more. You'll like it. Jeri's as much fun as her books.
Cheers!

Saturday Six: Snapshots of CapClave 2010

Jeri Smith-Ready (left) and Mindy Klasky sign autographs at CapClave 2010.

I know, I've been a bad blogger. I've been lost in the Revision Cave. But I couldn't let the month past without a report on CapClave 2010. It's all here. Enjoy!

Smiley's Song

(To the tune of “The Volga Boatman”)

I’m a sad spy. (Uh.)

Such a sad spy. (Uh.)

I’m a gloomy twisted mother,

Fated to betray my brother.

I’m a sad spy. (Uh.)

Such a sad spy. (Uh.)

#


Blame Greg. He was the one watching a spy movie when I woke up this a.m.
Happy voting!

For your Halloween pleasure: new stuff!

Just in time for Halloween, I've updated the JeanMarieWard.com "And Stuff" page with links to two real life ghost stories:

"Everyday Haunts" -- You think you know your neighborhood? Maybe it's time to talk to the resident ghosts. (And check out the great cover J.C. Wilder found for the story. Is that a great door to mystery or what?)

"Real Weird" -- More spooky stories from the most ordinary house on the block.

Happy haunting! And don't forget, I'll be signing Dragon's Lure and Fantasy Art Templates at Tea With the Authors at Constellation Books in Reisterstown, Maryland, from 3-5 p.m., Saturday, October 30. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Dragons & Fairies & Book Signing, Oh My!

Is Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity too crazy for you...or not insane enough?

What you need is a large dose of bacon-loving dragons and bad-assed fairies. To get it, join me for Tea with the Authors at Constellation Books, 303 Main Street, Reisterstown, MD 21136, this Saturday, October 30, from 3-5 p.m.

The event also features my partners-in-crime--er, fantasy--er, fellow writers Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Kelly A. Harmon and Robert E. Waters. The spotlighted books will be Dragon's Lure (which includes my short story "Lord Bai's Discovery") and Bad-Assed Fairies 3: Halfling's Court.

There will be tea, cookies, costumes, readings and lots of fun. Hope to see you there!

The Week of a Thousand Blogs continues

Yeah, I know "three" is a long way from "a thousand', but with the house in chaos from drywall repairs and painters (who used the WRONG PAINT, so we had industrial fans running in front of open windows all night-grrrrrrr), it sure feels like it. This time it's my Samhain blog offering a few of my choicer real life tales of the weird. Think of it as a companion piece to the Samhellion freebie scheduled for later in the month. Creeeeeepy. Mwahahahaha!

Blogging at History Hoydens today

Thanks to the kindness of Diane Whiteside, I'm blogging at History Hoydens today. The article covers the joys and frustrations of building a fantasy world set in Ming Dynasty China. If you're working in that period, too, maybe the links will help--or maybe you have better ones to share. ;-)

It's Capclave Time Again

Halloween is my favorite time of year, not only do I get to celebrate my favorite holiday, I get to play at Capclave, the Washington DC area’s literary science fiction, fantasy and horror convention focusing on the short fiction form, held at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville MD Executive Meeting Center, October 22-24. This year’s guests of honor are Connie Willis (writing), and Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (editing).

My schedule comprises two panels, a workshop and the ever popular Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading, where I just might read from “Siren Bridge”. It’s strudel weather, after all.

Friday, 7 p.m.
Mutants: Gift or Curse? (Ends at: 8:00 pm)
Location: Plaza II M
Panelists: C.J. Henderson, Robert Scott, Jean Marie Ward
What are the joys and pains of being a zombie, vampire, werewolf? Discussion of trends in depictions of mutants in books, films, comics, and popular culture.

Friday, 8 p.m.
Writers and the Internet: When is Enough Enough? (Ends at: 9:00 pm)
Location: Plaza II
Panelists: Oz Drummond, Walter H. Hunt, Tee Morris, Karen Wester Newton, Jeff VanderMeer, Jean Marie Ward
How much of the Internet is needed for an author to successfully promote themselves and their works? And how much is too much?

Saturday, 2 p.m.
Reviewer's Workshop (Ends at: 4:00 pm)
Location: Randolph
Panelists: Doug Fratz, Peter Heck (M), Jean Marie Ward
A good reviewer does more then read free books and say "I like that". The panelists will demonstrate the hallmarks of a good review and how to create one. Did we mention Peter Heck is a regular reviewer for Asimov's Science Fiction?

Saturday, 7 p.m.
Broad Universe RapidFire Reading (Ends at: 8:00 pm)
Location: Montrose
Panelists: Roxanne Bland, Oz Drummond, Kelly A. Harmon, Dina Leacock, Jean Marie Ward
The women authors of Broad Universe serve up tasty bites of fiction...and free chocolate!

***

Note: The Fannish Dodo illustrating this post is the Capclave mascot, created by Lynn Perkins in 2005.

"The Vampires Of" return with Tanya Huff

Tanya Huff, author of two vampire series (including the Vicki Nelson novels, which inspired a first-rate Lifetime Channel TV series) and many other wonderful SF and fantasy books, is the featured author in this week's "The Vampires Of" interview at Buzzy Multimedia. Check it out. This is definitely one of my favorites of the series. Tanya's a delight to talk to.

Review: Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

ISBN-13: 978-0373296149
Book Source: Net Galley

Disguised as a young man and fleeing from an arranged marriage to her brother’s murderer, Chinese noblewoman Ai Li takes pity on a starving barbarian (i.e., European) mercenary at a roadside tavern and offers him her rice bowl. Under no illusions as to her gender, Ryam is overwhelmed by her beauty and her kindness to a bai gui, (“white devil”). When he discovers the rice is drugged, he rushes to warn her. He finds her beset by bandits. Ai Li is a skilled practitioner of the double sword technique known as “butterfly swords”, but alone she’s no match for a dozen armed men. Despite the effects of the drugged rice, Ryam’s brute strength is enough to tip the scales in her favor, and they escape together.

Impressed, Ai Li enlists his aid. She’s determined to tell her family about her betrothed’s treachery, and she needs an ally she can trust if she’s going to make it alive to their home in Chang-An, the capital of Tang Empire. But there’s more to the matter than Ai Li admits—deep secrets, hidden agendas, and a growing attraction that could get them both killed.

I really wanted to love this book. I long to read romances set someplace other than North America and the British Isles. A romance set in Tang China—a time of unparalleled artistic achievement and innovation, peopled with outrageous characters like Wu Zetian, the only Chinese empress to reign in her own right—how could it fail? Butterfly Swords gives you a taste of the culture and opulence of the period. But every time the setting threatens to sweep you away, the romance yanks you up short.

Yes, I know Butterfly Swords is a romance. Even if it hadn’t said so on the cover, I could tell from the way the hero is far more interested in the heroine’s feminine charms than her rice bowl after he hadn’t eaten in days. If that failed to clue me in, I’d know from the way Ai Li revels in his “masculine scent” (translation: several weeks’ worth of unwashed sweat), from the big sex scene which occurs exactly two-thirds of the way through the book, and the subsequent eighty pages of dithering up to the “dark moment”. Then there’s the heroine’s miraculous ability to perform her sword forms less than a week after breaking her ankle and walking on it for miles, and the hero’s equally miraculous ability to fight drugged and perform drunk. For all its luscious Silk Road window dressing, Butterfly Swords reads exactly like every “Reluctant Bride” medieval romance of the past twenty years.

I also realize romance, like all genre fiction, must follow certain rules above and beyond the HEA—a basic structure and sense of pacing that defines it, comparable to the armature of a statue or the wooden frame on which a painter stretched his or her canvas. But just because I know the structure is there, doesn’t mean I want to see it, anymore than I want to taste the flour and baking soda in a chocolate cake. It’s a mark of a novice.

In Ms. Lin’s defense, she is a novice. Butterfly Swords, a 2009 Golden Heart Award-winning manuscript, is her first published book. This argues the clichés I find so irritating may be the very qualities its editor and other reviewers found attractive—a counterbalance to its “risky” setting. With that in mind, I hope Butterfly Swords succeeds in spite of my misgivings. It may be the only way to convince major publishers to take a chance on unusual settings and multi-cultural characters…and to give Ms. Lin the chance to grow as a storyteller. Critical grousing aside, anyone with guts enough to defy romance conventions and let all the men see through her heroine’s disguise has my vote. The writing, too, shows a lot of promise, and after all, even Nora Roberts wasn’t built in a day.

Verdict: One thumb up, with hope for future books.

Review: Breathless by Anne Stuart

ISBN-13: 978-0778328506

Source: Net Galley

Lady Miranda Rohan committed Society’s ultimate crime. After allowing herself to be abducted and deflowered by a fortune hunter, she neither married him nor pined away in decent obscurity. Instead, she adapted to her new life and thrived…except for an occasional spot of boredom. Unfortunately, boredom is a Rohan’s Achilles heel. It’s only a matter of time before her risk-taking nature reasserts itself, playing into the schemes of Lucien de Malheur, the notorious Earl of Rochdale.

Lucien isn’t called the Scorpion simply because he used to keep one as a pet. He’s almost a caricature of Ms. Stuart’s trademark Scorpio heroes: literally scarred and twisted, the light inherent in his name all but extinguished by his experiences. Seeking a cruel poetic justice for his dead half-sister, he will stop at nothing to achieve his vengeance against the Rohans, including relative innocents like Miranda.

As we discover in his first scene, Lucien was the true, if hidden, architect of her ruin. I could accept that. What I found difficult to swallow was the scenario he devised, one which couldn’t help but lead to the 19th century equivalent of date rape. At some level, a man as intelligent as Lucien must’ve known and accepted this outcome. Turning a man capable of that into hero material presents an almost insuperable challenge. Ms. Stuart just about pulls it off.

With the story of Lucien and Miranda, she returns to her favorite theme: the redemption of the not-quite-damned. Lucien excels at mind sex, seducing by the force of his personality and playing on the sunny Miranda’s inevitable curiosity about his shadow life. He claims she wants him to play her Caliban, but he takes his cues from Shakespeare’s Richard III.

Not to mention Hades. Ruthless, the first book in the House of Rohan series, teased the reader with allusions to the abduction of Persephone. Here we see the myth played out, minus the crazy mother-in-law as Deus ex Machina. Miranda-as-Persephone is more than a match for her Dark Lord, especially given her Shakespearean skill set. I loved, loved, loved the strategy she used to wear him down—and the insight Ms. Stuart gives into its cost. The banter and smashing climax (Of the plot! Geez, some people—you know Ms. Stuart always delivers more than one of those) provide everything a fan could ask.

But a part of me still hesitates. It’s one thing to say fiction need only answer to itself and the truth of its characters. It’s quite another to accept it when a hero’s truth contradicts a deep-seated conviction. Heroes don’t hurt heroines, even by proxy. My daddy taught me that, and my mamma reinforced it by teaching me Frying Pan Kung Fu a very early age. It’s to Ms. Stuart’s credit that I enjoyed this book so much in spite of it.

Verdict: Two thumbs up for the writing, but with reservations.

Review: Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

ISBN: 978-0778328209

Source: Net Galley

One thing must be said about large families: they don’t let you get bored. Lady Julia and her favorite husband, enquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane, were closing in on eight months of honeymoon when her siblings Portia and Plum cornered them in Shepheard’s Hotel in old Cairo.

Portia’s former lover Jane unexpectedly found herself widowed on the brink of becoming a mother. The disposition of her late husband’s estate (a tea plantation outside of Darjeeling, India) depends on the gender of Jane’s unborn child, and based on hints in Jane’s letters, Portia suspects Jane’s husband was murdered. Jane or, worse yet, her child could be next. Portia convinces Lady Julia and her somewhat reluctant husband to accompany her and Plum (Portia’s chaperone—the Lady Julia Grey mysteries revel in their late 19th century setting, after all) to the estate.

The trip is arduous, complicated by family peccadilloes and newlywed strife. The marriage of two personalities as decisive as Nicholas and Lady Julia is guaranteed to be volatile, which is exactly how Ms. Raybourn’s fans want it. Romantic mystery series don’t survive on their sleuth’s deductive prowess. They thrive on tension and conflict, ideally sizzling between the principals at all times in all places—the more exotic the better.

And what could be more exotic than the zenith of the British Raj? There is a full measure of deceit, skullduggery and death awaiting our intrepid aristocrats at the tea plantation known as The Peacocks. But that’s only part of the novel’s allure. Like Elizabeth Peters’ classic Amelia Peabody mysteries, Ms. Rayburn’s lush prose invites readers to become tourists of the mind, exploring some of the most evocative locales in history through the fictional experiences of her likeable, passionate and privileged protagonists. The fact that those experiences resonate in the reality beyond the covers of Ms. Peters’ and Ms. Raybourn’s books is a credit to their skill and in no way diminishes their value as entertainment and escape.

Although the fourth in the series, Dark Road to Darjeeling works well as a standalone mystery. In fact, the relatively small number of family members in the cast may make it easier for new readers than earlier volumes in the Lady Julia Grey series. Ms. Raybourn’s sly, sexy wit shimmers through the pages, and the story is punctuated with the historical equivalent of Easter eggs. Chances are you won’t catch all of them. I know I didn’t. Fortunately, they’re too subtle to qualify as in-jokes, and missing them in no way detracts from the reading experience. But the pop of recognition when you catch one makes it doubly gratifying, like Ms. Raybourn’s tip of the hat to one of the most famous rooms in America. I’ve always loved that room, and I can’t think of a better setting for characters I adore.

Verdict: Two thumbs up.

My 2010 Dragon*Con Images Are Live

The Cruxshadows Dancers at the band's September 5 Dragon*Con performance.

I've posted a Thursday Thirteen of pictures for my monthly blog at Beyond the Veil. But be warned, those shots are just the teaser. To see the rest of the photos you'll need to follow the link at the end of the article. Enjoy!

Review: Reckless by Anne Stuart

ISBN-13: 978-0778328490
Source: Net Galley

Miss Charlotte Spencer wants to become a woman of the world without experiencing the messy situations the condition normally entails. But nothing works quite the way she planned. She can’t even curse properly—except when she stumbles blindly into her secret crush, Adrian Rohan, cub of the devilish Marquess of Haverstoke (hero of Ruthless, the first volume in Anne Stuart’s House of Rohan series).

Fortunately for Charlotte, contrariness is bred to the Rohans’ bones. Being too tall, too strong-minded and too original for Society’s taste merely adds to Charlotte allure. Far from viewing her as an “antidote” in the sense of 19th century slant—an unattractive spinster firmly on the shelf—Adrian sees her as the true antidote to his growing boredom with the rakish life style. He fights the impulse to claim her, ably assisted by his suave older cousin, the Comte de Giverney. But when Charlotte’s quest for second-hand sensation takes her into one of the unsafe areas of a Heavenly Host orgy, Adrian rushes to her rescue. Sort of. Let’s just say Charlotte’s in for an education of the most sensual kind.

Like all of Ms. Stuart’s heroes, Adrian qualifies as mad, bad and dangerous to know—though not necessarily for the reason you might suspect. He does debauchery with the best (or worst) of them. He’s beautiful, demanding, sarcastic and high-handed. But he isn’t an all-out rotter. He can’t be. Ms. Stuart doesn’t cheat on her previous books’ endings. His father, the marquess, earned his happily ever after, and Ms. Stuart follows the HEA to its inevitable conclusion: a happy, stable home life for his children. This smoothes Adrian’s hard edges and changes the central romantic question from “Will he give in?” to “Will she?” Most of the obstacles arise from Charlotte’s actions and choices, which helps distinguish this entry from books one and three of the House of Rohan entries.

As does the theme. Most of Ms. Stuart’s books revolve around the themes of predation and redemption. Here the story hinges on the characters’ sense of duty, most often expressed in protectiveness. The admirable characters rush to each other’s rescue, heedless of image or their own self-interest, and invariably wind up butting heads as a result. It’s a wickedly devious plot device, complicating their lives far more effectively than any villain ever could.

Which isn’t to say Reckless fails to deliver ample servings of the tension, wit, lush writing and, yes, sex Ms. Stuart’s fans expect and crave. There’s danger, a high-tension secondary romance and a charmingly roguish matchmaker. Recurring characters, suitably adjusted for their respective experiences, play out the roles sketched for them in Ruthless, but as with Devil’s Cub (Georgette Heyer’s romance about the son of a notorious rake and a cit’s daughter) you don’t need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy the second.

Or, in the case of this trilogy, eagerly anticipate the third.

Verdict: Two thumbs up.

Con Report: ReConStruction 2010

It was the opposite of Dragon*Con. ReConStruction, the tenth occasional North American Science Fiction Convention held in Raleigh August 5-8, was the definition of low-key. Preliminary counts put attendance at only a little over six hundred. But that only meant a glorious lack of queues.

There were no lines for Raleigh’s famous rickshaw taxis when Jana Oliver and I strolled out of our hotel the day before the con. Or for the restaurants or the small museums which dotted downtown Raleigh. Or the panels and exhibits, which sometime seemed dwarfed by their facilities. This gave the proceedings a very relaxed feel and, as Lee Martindale pointed out in her entry “Con Trails”, encouraged folks to make things work in spite of glitches and unexpected hotel issues.


Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Raleigh, NC (photo by Jean Marie Ward)

Lots of stand-out memories remain, even after the six weeks it took me to post this. Ada Milenkovic Brown organized the con’s Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading and a pre-reading get together at the appropriately named Flying Saucer bar. The saucers, though, had more to do with beer than little green men. The saucers lining the walls were awarded for drinking a thousand beers at the bar. While we were there, a gentleman was awarded his third. Hmm, maybe little green men were involved after all…riding to the rescue on pink elephants.

My panels included a one-on-one with con toastmaster and Baen editor Toni Weiskopf (“Urban Fantasy make-over”), and Susan and Clay Griffith, the husband and wife writing team whose The Greyfriar will be released in early November (“Writing with someone close to you”). Fan guest of honor Juanita Coulson recounted the most wonderful stories about collaborating in SF’s Golden Age on the Writing in Collaboration panel with Chuck Gannon and me. But “Worst panel ever” will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only did my fellow panelists (Michael D’Ambrosio, Chris Garcia, James Daniel Ross and Lawrence M. Schoen) reduce me to tears of laughter, but a member of the audience later greeted me with the words: “Worst Panel Ever—best panel ever!” Music to this panel moderator’s ears.

The RFR boasted a large audience and eight accomplished writers. Everyone read at their best, too. Afterwards, most of us decamped to the party of the con: the launch party for Mary Robinette Kowal’s Shades of Milk and Honey. The party featured the author in picture perfect Regency dress, scented fan souvenirs and a musical performance by Mary’s father Ken Harrison on the saw. Yes, you read that right. He played the saw, the same carpentry implement most of us use to cut wood, and he made it sing. Mary called it “an analog theremin”, and that’s a very good description of the sound. The eerie vibrato tone lent a special magic to the selection of traditional tunes he played. Unfortunately, your reporter neglected to pack her notebook to record the titles, but I did get pictures.


Ken Harrison (left) and Mary Robinette Kowal at the launch party
for Mary's Shades of Milk and Honey. (photo by Jean Marie Ward)

Regular roomies (Jana and Gail, I am looking at you) know that I can’t go to a new city without cruising the restaurants. Jana and I stumbled on bu*ku, an elegant bistro specializing in “global street food” after our rickshaw ride, and we ate more than one meal at Sitti, a friendly but sophisticated Lebanese café. The city saved its most unique dining experience for last, however—with a little help from fellow “Broad” and Samhain author Marcia Colette.

Marcia brought me to Spize, a café run by a friend and colleague. Imagine divine Asian fusion sandwiches on the best baguettes you ever ate. The owner, an IT superstar who founded the café during a brief sabbatical, has the bread flown in from New York. Yet the café is both unpretentious and green. There’s something decidedly fantastical about that, too.

(Glutton for pun--er, want more? Click here for the rest of my ReConStruction photos.)

Cover dance of glee for Hellebore & Rue

Remember my little ugly duckling of a story that no one loved because my heroine happened to be lesbian...and a sorceress...and totally unapologetic about any of it? Well, it's official, "Personal Demons" has turned into a swan, thanks to the kind offices of editors Catherine Lundoff and JoSelle Vanderhooft and the good folks at Drollerie Press. Look at the line-up "Personal Demons" will be sharing page space with. Heck, look at the cover. Even Greg, who's an artist in his own right, is in awe. Con crud? What con crud? Watch me dance! ;-)

A little bit of Intervention

Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, creator of the fantasy
webcomic "Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire", mugs
for your pestilential reporter.

It may seem backwards to post my photos of Intervention Con, the brand new Washington DC-area webcomics convention, first but it's only fair. Although I was pencilled into the program for two days, the horrors of Con Crud (my first-ever unwelcome souvenir of Dragon*Con) will keep me from playing on today's panels. I only hope I didn't spread my plague to the other attendees.

There was a lot to like at Intervention 2010. The organizers were friendly and helpful, and the attendees were thrilled at the chance to promote an artform they love to DC and the world. Guest Relations Chair Gloria Chapa deserves special thanks for dealing with my unexpectedly diminished schedule. But everyone I dealt with, from PR maven Brian Lynch to hotel liaison Colette Fozard (of the fabulous cat ears) to the dread photographer/videographers Wes Mason and Isaiah Beard, were first-rate folks.

Another special shout-out needs to go to Chris "Kilika" Malone (New Jersey's premier surfer and creator of Blue and Blond) and fellow DC Area Storyteller Anthony Stevens for helping to make Greg's (aka the Spouse Person and IV Caffeine's chief squirrel wrangler) first ever con as vendor and guest a success. Thanks guys! My only regret is I was too spacey to get Chris's picture. My reportorial instincts were obviously out to lunch all day long.

Oh well, with any luck they'll do it again next year. I'll be better then. Promise!

Review: Ruthless by Anne Stuart

ISBN-13: 978-0778328483
Source: Purchased

Yes, it’s true. I’ve succumbed to the siren lure of Net Galley, which means I’m back in the reviewing business—at least for books I actually want to read.

And I always want to read Anne Stuart. Even when I rage at her for forgetting to describe a major character (not a problem in Ruthless) or the vagaries of her copyeditor (ALWAYS a problem), I would read her grocery lists if somebody let me.

Fortunately for you, they only let me read her books. Ruthless (which I bought in anticipation of reviewing the other books in the series) ranks as a vintage Stuart historical.

Impoverished 18th century gentlewoman Elinor Harriman storms the gates of hell—aka, the country estate of dissolute but dangerously gorgeous Viscount Rohan, leader of a Paris-based version of the Hellfire Club known as the Heavenly Host—to prevent her demented syphilitic mother from gambling away their little family’s last centime. Elinor fails, but something about her interesting (if not conventionally beautiful) looks, her vulnerable pride and tart tongue piques Rohan’s “curiosity”. He thinks his jaded appetites have finally up with him. Any dedicated Stuart reader (heck, any romance reader) knows better.

Along the way to the happy ending (for crying out loud, the book’s labeled romance; it’s absolutely no spoiler to say there’s a happy ending), the reader finds finger-sizzling sexual tension, beaucoup witty dialogue, a murderous villain, and a darling secondary romance.

Rohan slinks. Stuart, like Georgette Heyer, possesses the enviable ability to create truly feline heroes—predatory, lethal, graceful, beautiful, image-obsessed men who somehow remain entirely masculine. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s damn near impossible. My forebrain, trained in the ways of masculinity by my career Army father and years of working with warriors of every stripe, laughs at the very notion. Yet Stuart and Heyer always manage to slide past my preconceptions, usually by letting the hero’s act slip just a little and following up with the one-two punch of a killer back story.

Ruthless doesn’t explode any preconceived notions of Stuart’s style or her favorite plot devices. I knew who the hidden bad guy was at the second assault. But I didn’t hate the characters for failing to keep up, because they either lacked the necessary background or were, um, otherwise engaged at the moment. Stuart writes too smart for that.

She writes beautifully, too, and when I wasn’t wishing I could’ve given the manuscript one final proofing, her words and emotions propelled me through the pages. Lifting this book to a higher level were Stuart’s playful allusions to Heyer, specifically Heyer’s These Old Shades and Faro’s Daughter (one of this redhead’s very favorite books ever). Meanwhile she rings the changes on the Persephone myth with a variation as juicy as the pomegranate seeds that spelled Persephone’s doom.

Or her salvation. That’s the beauty of Stuart’s tales of dangerous men. She never breaks them. Over the course of the novel, her hero and her heroine grow into a delicious accommodation which ultimately respects both parties—something my forebrain loves as much as good writing, and that’s saying a lot.

Now to dive into the next two books of the House of Rohan series, Reckless and Breathless. Like I said, Net Galley has a lot to answer for.

Verdict: Two thumbs up.

Intervention Schedule

No, not that kind of intervention. This is Intervention capitalized, a very new webcomic convention gracing the Hilton DC/Rockville, Maryland, September 10-12. Yes, the con starts tomorrow, and yes, I do have panels. So does Greg, the darling spouse and squirrel wrangler of Intravenous Caffeine. This will be Greg's first con as a participating artist and guest, so come on by and show him some con love. Our schedule is:

Friday, September 10
1 p.m.
Okay, I Finished My Story. What Happens Next?
How does your story get from your keyboard to into a reader’s hands? What’s the editorial process? Why does it take so long?
Panelists: Elaine Corvidae, Jean Marie Ward

7 p.m
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Publishing, But Didn’t Know You Had to Ask.
Writers at all points in the publishing food chain share their experiences, good and bad. Panelists will discuss the various advantages of NY publishers, small press and self-publishing. Along the way you’ll learn what publishers really look for in a book, how to get your project noticed in a good way, and how to spot potential warning signs of trouble. (I had hoped to lure Ben Bova into this one, but alas, he had the flu and had to cancel. But trust me, Elaine and I have lots of experiences to share, good, bad, our own and others’.)
Panelists: Elaine Corvidae, Jean Marie Ward

9 p.m.
Free Is a Good Place to Start.
Do you have big dreams, but a minuscule budget? Never fear; our panelists can show you the path to Freedonia. This panel is a short seminar with hand-outs highlighting free word processing, graphics, audio and video programs, and free web site templates. (This is Greg’s first panel ever. Drop by and show him some con love.)
Panelists: Anthony Stevens, Chris Impink, Ryan Thompson, Greg Uchrin, Jean Marie Ward

10 p.m.
The Economies of Small Scale.
Just because your dreams are big doesn’t mean that you’ll be forced to break the bank. This panel deals with posting a comic on the cheap, a word about copyright, and the real costs of self-publishing in ink and paper.
Panelists: Anthony Stevens, Greg Uchrin

Sunday, September 12
11 a.m.
How to Use Social Media Without Inadvertently Seeming like a Jerk.
Social Media has changed the industry dramatically. Gone are the days when creators had little to no contact with their fans. Which services are worth using? How do we use them? What are some common mistakes? What are some creative promotional techniques?
Panelists: Chris Flick, Illya Kuryakin, Christiann MacAuley, Ben McCormick, Jean Marie Ward

1 p.m.
Creating Three-Dimensional Characters.
When writing an adventure or a story, having characters that the readers can get into is half the battle. If the readers or players become intrigued by the characters, then the rest of the story will fall into place. Join our panelists as they discuss creating characters that are non-flat and can intrigue.
Panelists: Pete Abrams, Chezhnian Angelus, Garth Graham, Michael Terracciano, Jean Marie Ward

And that’s just our panels. The con boasts three full-time tracks, workshops, a club (with dances) and a video room. You’ll even get the chance to meet fellow DC Area Storyteller Anthony Stevens. See you there!

The 2010 Dragon*Con Schedule of Dooooom

Diana Gabaldon! Peter David! Elizabeth Moon! Jeanne C. Stein! Jody Lynn Nye! Eric Flint! Not only are they all at Dragon*Con, they’re all on panels with moi. Not to mention all the other fabulous people on my twelve panels. Yes, twelve. Now you know where the Dooooom comes from.

FRIDAY 1 p.m.
Collaborations: Are Two Heads Better Than One?
See title. Is a good collaboration as good or better than a solo author's work? Why or why not?
Eric Flint, C. Robin (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Greenbriar (SF/Fantasy Literature Track)

FRIDAY 2:30 p.m.
To Tell the Truth
For the non-fiction writer. Blogs, articles and books about the speculative fiction markets, including books, short stories, movies and television.
Dr. Bob Blackwood, John Flynn, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Anya Martin, Jennifer Ouellette, Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Manila/Singapore/Hong Kong (Writer’s Track)

FRIDAY 4 p.m.
Broad Universe Rapid Fire Readings: Time Travel
The women of Broad Universe take you on a time-traveling trip-tic of storytelling featuring visions of the past, present and future.
Kathryn Hinds, Racheline Maltese, Gail Z. Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward
Location: Westin – International C - Westin (Alternate History Track)

FRIDAY 7 p.m.
True Blood – From Page to Screen
Like the changes to Sookie's world? Hate them? Come by and share your thoughts!
J.F. Lewis, Carol Malcolm (Moderator), Jeanne C. Stein, Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Montreal/Vancouver (Dark Fantasy Track)

FRIDAY 10 p.m.
Sexy Science Fiction
What makes a book sexy? Naked women and actual sex scenes? Or are there other literary pheromones at work?
Diana Gabaldon, Gail Z. Martin, G. Mitchell (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward, Diane Whiteside
Location: Hyatt – Fairlie (SF/Fantasy Literature Track)

SATURDAY 10 a.m.
Turning Stellar Rejections into Sales
According to the rejection letter, your book just misses being bought. What can you do to turn a rejection into a sale?
Lynn Abbey, Peter David, Christopher Golden, Lee Martindale, Josepha Sherman, Anne Sowards, Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Manila/Singapore/Hong Kong (Writer’s Track)

SATURDAY 11:30 a.m.
Broad Universe Reading
Discover new writers, rediscover ones you know! Up-and-coming women writers read from their own works and others. (2 ½ hours)
Kathryn Hinds, Mary Robinette Kowal, Racheline Maltese, Gail Z. Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward, Diane Whiteside, Trisha Wooldridge
Location: Hyatt – Greenbriar (SF/Fantasy Literature Track)

SATURDAY 7 p.m.
The Worlds of Tim Burton
A fan panel about the works of Tim Burton. What did you think of Alice in Wonderland? Do you ever think he'll ever make that Dark Shadows movie?
Leanna Renee Hieber, DJ Ichabod (Moderator), Mari Mancusi, Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Cairo (Dark Fantasy Track)

SATURDAY 8:30 p.m.
Gray Areas: Polymoral Characters
Sometimes bad people do good things and vice versa. Does this make the bad good or the good bad?
Larry Davis (Moderator), Van Plexico, Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Greenbriar (SF/Fantasy Literature Track)

SATURDAY 10 p.m.
Love Rots
Zombies in erotica and romance.
Elizabeth Donald, John Everson, Stacia Kane, Mari Mancusi, M. Miller (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward
Location: Hyatt – Montreal/Vancouver (Dark Fantasy Track)

MONDAY 11:30 am.
The New Amazons
Women kick bad guy butt in urban fantasy, young adult fiction, television and real life. How are they doing in epic fantasy?
Lynn Abbey, Gail Z. Martin, Elizabeth Moon, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator)
Location: Hyatt – Greenbriar (SF/Fantasy Literature Track)

MONDAY 2:30 p.m.
Win, Lose or Draw – SF style
Use your drawing skills to win books and prizes in our version of the old game.
Jean Marie Ward (Moderator)
Location: Hyatt – Greenbriar (SF/Fantasy Literature Track)

Yeah, I’m going to be a gibbering ball of goo by the time it’s all over. But dang, what a way to go!

"Personal Demons" under contract

"Personal Demons", a tale about demonic possession and tantric sorcery in Alexandria, Virginia, has been accepted and contracted for Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff. (Insert demented happy dances here. :D) I've loved this story for ages, but people told me it would never sell because my protagonist happened to be a lesbian. Just goes to show the story (and its magically gifted heroine) knew better than anybody. They were waiting for the right home, and what a lovely home it will be. Drollerie Press has a rep for fantastic covers and amazing content. I can't wait to read the other stories in the anthology. Fortunately, the wait won't be too long. The editors and Drollerie Press hope to issue the ebook in time for Halloween. This year! Color me thrilled.

The Vampires Of: Ginjer Buchanan

The good folks at Buzzy Multimedia have published the second in my series of vampire-related interviews. This one features top Ace Books editor Ginjer Buchanan. Enjoy!

The 2010 Pre-DragonCon Post

Is now live--with pictures--at Beyond the Veil. Enjoy!

The Vampires Of...

For those of you who like it when I wear my reporter hat, I've started a new mini-series at Buzzy Multimedia: "The Vampires Of..." The first installment features the delightful Rachel Caine, with a photo of her and her husband R. Cat. Enjoy!

Just Because

Today's Beyond the Veil post wasn't what I planned doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. ;-)

Surfacing at last

I know, I know. The only interesting blogging I've been doing lately has been on behalf of S.J. Willing. It's not that I've given up blogging for un-Lent or anything. I've just been busy, working on some fiction, nonfiction and, for the first time in ages, some fan fiction.

You'll like the short story. It's the new and improved "Syren Bridge", twice as long with more characters, more fun and all the strudel-ly goodness you loved in the first version. I hope to be able to tell you more about its new home in a couple months.

It'll be a lot longer before I can talk about the nonfiction project. It's very different from anything I've done before, but you'll definitely want to read it.

On the guilty pleasures front, I succumbed to the lure of John Scalzi’s June fan fiction challenge. Scalzi is a very evil man, and I say that in full knowledge that he is now president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and therefore ruler of the known SF/fantasy multiverse. But he’s still ebil, Ebil, EBIL.

To benefit the Lupus Alliance of America, Scalzi, Wil Wheaton (yes, that Wil Wheaton), Catherynne Valente, Patrick Rothfuss created a chapbook for electronic publication by Subterranean Press later this year. If that’s all they did I would’ve give them a karmic pass and scoped out the book when it appeared. But noooooooooooo, they couldn’t let it go at a good deed. Somebody (and I think we know who that is) commissioned Jeff Zugale to create the attached cover art. But that wasn’t all they did. Scalzi, Wheaton and SP solicited fanfic writers to create stories explaining the picture. The best story, as determined by the Jury of Awesomeness, will be awarded double the SFWA-defined professional rate/word and be included in the chapbook.

And this is how I spent my June.

Before it was over, Scalzi & Co. received over 350 submissions—which tells you how the Jury of Awesomeness is going to spend their July, August and possibly September. From the links posted after the contest closed, some of the entries were mind-boggling. How does anyone compete with a complete play? Meep!

In other news, I'm attending a new con. I've been added to the guest list of Intervention, the Washington DC-area webcomics con. Intervention will be held at the Rockville Hilton (home of Capclave) September 10-12. I'll be sharing the bill with fellow DC Area Storyteller Anthony Stevens and, for the first time, the love of my life. Yes, Greg Uchrin of IV Caffeine will be attending Intervention as a guest and a dealer. Come and cheer him on...and buy lots of stuff.

In the meantime, there’s ReConStruction and DragonCon.

ReConStruction (August 3-8 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is the tenth occasional North American Science Fiction Convention—in other words, what happens when WorldCon travels somewhere other than the U.S. or Canada for the summer, like this year. It boasts all the usual WorldCon events, including dances, masquerades, auctions, interviews and panels. Laurie Toby Edison, one of my very favorite jewelers, will be there, too. No word on the final program yet, but the interim list of participants and panels looks really good.

Then there’s DragonCon, the ultimate end of summer party. It’s bigger than ever this year. We even sucked in the Westin. Soon all the business district will be ours! Then…

Er, leaving off the plans for world domination, programming is coming together for that, too. What I’ve seen looks fabulous. And if you’re there, be sure to join us for the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Readings. I’ll firing up two new stories: “Syren Bridge” and “Lord Bai and the Magic Pirates”. I am told my impression of a Wagnerian soprano singing about strudel is enough to scar a person for life. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Wrong Wrong Wrong *headdesk*

I write like
James Joyce

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Save our SJ

After a five-year medical nightmare, writer SJ Willing has lost the use of his pancreas. He can survive and thrive with the right meds, but they cost $250/month he can't afford, and like most writers, he lacks insurance. His fellow writers at Beyond the Veil have started a number of projects to help out. The first, a "Save our SJ" Donate button on the cover of the group novel Dunvegas, is now live. Please, visit and click. If you need more incentives, I've posted 13 reasons why you should. And I'll add one more: He's a good guy with family who loves and needs him. Thanks!

"Hoodoo Cupid" is front & center at Fictionwise

Well, look at that. I have no idea how long it will be up there, but seeing my little romance on the front page of anything makes me squee.  I am so easy.  Of course, I just finished watching "Comes a Horseman" again on Syfy.  Now off to bed, hopefully with dreams of Domain in my head...

All This & Glitter Too

Rose of Night Shade Industries (right) and yours truly at Balticon 44.

If you want to know what kind of mischief I got into at last week's Balticon, the story is now live. The photos, too. Enjoy!

New Short Story

I took a page out of S.J. Willing's book today and posted a short short story for my Samhain blog. Consider it a free pass into the weirder corners of my mind. It's "All About the Flies". Really. ;-)

Coming Soon to a Balticon Near You

Normally I wait until I’ve got my schedule in my hand to do a long Balticon promo post, but I think this merits a special post. Danielle Ackley-McPhail—writer, editor and hostess of some of the wildest con parties around—will be launching not one, not two, but three anthologies at Balticon from 7-9 p.m., Sunday May 30, at the Hunt Valley Marriott outside Baltimore, Maryland.

On the surface dragons, fairies and vampires might not seem to have a lot in common, but as Dani says, fiction readers never grow tired of them. “Each of these anthologies takes one of those legends and gives the reader what they want…and so much more.”

Since one of my favorite short stories, “Lord Bai’s Discovery”, is included in Dragon’s Lure, I must heartily agree. :-)

As always with Dani’s parties, there will be scads of writers, great refreshments and marvelous prizes, including a hand-sculpted dragon box by acclaimed artist Linda Saboe. There will also be readings by the anthology contributors including Dani, Linda, Elaine Corvidae, Keith R.A. DeCandido, John Grant, Kelly Harmon, C.J. Henderson, Brian Koscienski, Jeffrey Lymon, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Terri Osborne, Chris Pisano and me, Me, ME!

Well, to be honest, I won’t be reading three times. But I do plan to read “Lord Bai’s Discovery”. Hope to see you there. In the meantime, if you want to learn more, check out Dani’s launch page.

Enjoy!

Con Catch-up

Finally finished my April con reports on RavenCon, the Library of Congress, Turn the Page Bookstore Cafe's 2010 mega-signing and the Washington Romance Writers Retreat. The results, plus twelve occasions for blackmail--er, photos are now live at Beyond the Veil. That means if you want to know what Roxanne St. Claire and Charlaine Harris are doing with those sugar packets, you'll just have to click the link. Mwahahahahahaha!

How to Tell You Married the Right Guy, Writers Edition

Me: I had the weirdest dream last night. We were with this old guy who was certain there was a vampire in the basement. He picked up an ax and a Coleman lantern and headed for a partially painted over door. I was afraid he'd hurt himself, so I went with him through two or three doorways leading deeper into the cellar. But after the third room, I was sure this was a bad idea, so I headed back to the main room to wait for the folks from New Orleans who knew how to deal with this stuff.

The "experts" were just arriving as he emerged from the cellar, looking a little burned. Most importantly his face looked different, like he was somebody else masquerading as the old guy and couldn't quite get it right. Trailing him was a small man who looked a little like a dead version of an Indian politician from the 1950s, wearing a burned white Nehru jacket, who was walking like a bat--knuckles trailing on the ground, elbows up, everything.

They sat at one of the tables in the basement room, and I realized they weren't human at all. They were more like translucent, wraithlike, humanoid lampreys with trailing feelers like catfish. Peculiar but pretty in a deadly sort of way.

You were fascinated. All I wanted to do was find the person in the New Orleans group, most of whom were dressed up like Victorian era reenactors, who was supposed to know what to do. When I looked back, you were coming out of the cellar door where the others had been, and you didn't look like yourself, either.

We looked at each other. You knew I knew you were one of them now. And you planned to prevent me from stopping you and your "friends". I stood there, my stomach in knot, knowing it wasn't you, and wondering how in hell I was going to dispose of the body.

Greg: [Laughing.] Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem.

RavenCon, Retreat and the Library of Congress, Oh My!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the more fun I’m having away from the keyboard, the less likely I am to blog. Guess who’s been having way too much fun this month. We’ll draw a veil over the household’s Easter/Oster celebrations. Suffice it to say much chocolate was consumed—necessary fuel for what was to follow.

Next came RavenCon, which this year featured two of my favorite people, Rachel Caine and her husband R. Cat, as Writer and Artist Guests of Honor, respectively. And that’s not even counting the great people who run the convention. If you’re interested in a visual tour of the fun, my April 9 and 10 photos can be found here. Sunday, April 11, I was too busy to shoot. Honest!

The very next day, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sarah Avery, Christine Norris and I upheld the honor of Broad Universe at the Library of Congress. We didn’t get any photos of the Rapid Fire Reading itself, but if you want to see the unusual suspects, click here.

On April 16, it was off to Turn the Page Bookstore Café in Boonsboro, Maryland, for the annual mega-signing with Nora Roberts and the featured guests of the Washington Romance Writers annual conference, “In the Company of Writers”, then the conference itself. The Retreat, as it’s called, is always a highlight of my year. I just wish the love came through in the photos. The subjects are so much lovelier than their photos.

I’ll write a longer report for my monthly Beyond the Veil blog on May 8. But until then, I leave you with this. Enjoy!


(Left to right) authors Charlaine Harris, Diane Whiteside and Ginjer Buchanan, Ace/Roc editor-in-chief at the WRW Retreat, April 17.

###

The Library of Congress, signing with Nora, and DragonCon--oh my!

RavenCon isn’t the only thing on my calendar this month. Monday, April 12, barely hours after I return from Richmond, I’ll be reading at the Library of Congress in downtown Washington, D.C. The Library of Congress! You can’t see it, but I’m grinning so hard my cheeks are aching.

The reading resulted from a collaboration between the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum and Broad Universe, an international organization dedicated to exploring and promoting the work of women writers in science fiction, fantasy and horror. It will take the form of a four-person Rapid Fire Reading featuring Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sarah Avery, fellow BtV blogger Christine Norris and me. You’ve already seen the poster I prepped when the reading was announced. Now you can read the bios, too, in the hand-out I’ll be using as our program.

But that’s not the only reason I may expire of excitement. I’ve been added to the roster of major authors (like Charlaine Harris!) signing with Nora Roberts at Turn the Page Bookstore Café in Boonsboro, Maryland, on Friday, April 16. My name and web site link seem to wander around the page, but the confirmation of my presence is right there at the bottom of the page: the buy link for Fantasy Art Templates.

I signed With Nine You Get Vanyr at the Turn the Page spring mega-signing in 2007. Nora and the top names sell hundreds of books, and even small fry like me sell in the dozens. This time, there are some new rules. For example, the writers can only sign books purchased at the event. Trust me, that’s a relief. Yes, you sign that much.

Finally, it’s official. I’m on the guest list at DragonCon. Atlanta, here I come. I can’t wait.

RavenCon Anon

RavenCon 2010 makes Richmond, Virginia, the place to be this weekend, April 9-11. The con features Rachel Caine, author of the best selling Weather Warden and Morganville Vampire series, her multi-talented artist husband R. Cat and gaming guru Steve Long as guests of honor, as well as lots of other talented writers, artists, gamers and costumers you really want to meet.

With a guest list like that, you know I couldn’t stay away. Not only that, I even strong-armed—ahem, persuaded the con committee to let me play on some panels. My schedule follows. I hope you’ll join me there!

Friday

7 p.m.: Two Way Street
Writers and artists often feed each other muses. Artists talk about the writers who inspired them and vice versa.
Panelists: R. Cat (Artist Guest of Honor), James Enge, Heidi Hooper, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), J. Andrew World

10 p.m.: Where Have All the Female Vampires Gone?
Help us find out.
Panelists: Jim Blanton, Rob Floyd, Kalayna Price (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward

Saturday

11 p.m.: Ghost Hunting—New Trend or Passing Fad
There's a lot of stuff on TV and in literature—but is anyone still pursuing this at home? What makes or breaks the hunt for a ghost and how long will it continue?
Panelists: Pam Kinney, Cheralyn Lambeth, Laura Underwood (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward

Sunday

10:30 a.m.: Jean Marie’s Koffee Klatsch
Come rescue me from talking to myself for a half hour after wrestling ghosts ‘til the wee hours of the morning. I will have chocolate…

Noon: That’s Bull
We all agree it's fiction but there are times when even authors take too much liberty. Panelists discuss what they have read and perhaps their own forays across the line of believability. How far will a reader be willing to go to suspend disbelief? Does a writer lose credibility or are they just pushing the envelope?
Panelists: Laura Cory-Haywood, Sarah Harvey (Moderator), Larry Hodges, Jean Marie Ward

1 p.m.: Leyaks Don’t Get No Respect
World mythology is full of weird and wondrous beings who've yet to make their mark on the fiction bestseller lists. Writers and artists talk about their favorite obscure creatures and why they deserve their time to shine…or darkly glow, as the case may be.
Panelists: Iver Cooper, Kalayna Price, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Leona Wisoker

2 p.m.: Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Four first-rate authors read exciting, bite-sized excerpts of their work that will leave you hungry for more. (Check out the flyer if you want to know more about the writers.)
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Debra Killeen, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Diane Whiteside

Library of Congress... Squeee!

The Library of Congress Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum has invited four Broad Universe members--Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Susan Avery, Christine Norris and me--for a Rapid Fire Reading at the Library's Madison Building at 12:10 p.m., April 13. You can see the details (and our neat flyer) here.

This is not Broad Universe's first RFR at the Library of Congress this year. We were preceded by Catherine Asaro, Kelly A. Harmon, Ellen Kushner and Sue Lange earlier this month. Which means we've got a tough act to follow.

I'm bringing Bai.

Hope to see you there!

The Duz is famous! Plus pics from Fantasy Art Templates

It's all about the links.
A couple weeks ago, Carole Nelson Douglas asked me to weigh in on the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's great Cat vs. Dog Mystery debate. I...ahem, Duz couldn't resist. Just got word they posted my--er, Duzie's reply--with book links! Score!
Speaking of good stuff, today I also posted a Thursday 13 at Beyond the Veil. It concerns 13 great characters and creatures mentioned in Fantasy Art Templates. But the real reason you want to click the link are the pictures--the cover and three of the book's luscious interior pages.
Enjoy!

For those who only know me from my posts on teh Intarwebs...

You can now hear my voice, almost as if you were stuck next to me at a con.  ;-)  I'm the second of four featured writers on the Women's History Month edition of the Broad Universe Broad Pod podcast.  My readings are two of the very short stories at JeanMarieWard.com: "Clear as Glass" and "Green Eyes". The other readers are Phoebe Wray, Karen A. Romanko and Elissa Malcohn.
Broad Universe is an international organization of women and men dedicated to exploring and promoting the work of women writers in science fiction, fantasy and horror.  They're the organization which sponsors the Rapid Fire Readings I'm so addicted to, including the one scheduled for the Library of Congress April 12.  But more about that tomorrow.  This post is all about the Pod, the Broad Pod.
Cheers,

Blog Tour Interview: Bianca D'Arc

Once Bitten, Twice Dead--sexy bad boys, strong women and zombies, oh my!

Award-winning paranormal romance author Bianca D’Arc and I share several firsts. She was the first author bought by Jessica Bimberg, my first editor at Samhain. Hers was the first novel I copyedited at Samhain, and now we share her first blog tour—her first tour, my first time as a destination.

Today marks the release of her first mass market paperback from Kensington Brava, Once Bitten, Twice Dead, a sizzling hot romance with zombies. No, really. You don’t have to take my word for it. At the end of this post you’ll find proof in the form of the jacket copy and excerpt, plus information about a sweet contest Bianca’s running to promote the book. Better yet, I have the words of the lady herself, because I couldn’t let the occasion pass without asking her a few questions.

What's the one thing you'd like readers to know about Once Bitten, Twice Dead?

That it's not horror. It's really an action packed romance. Okay, there are zombies in it, but they're the bad guys. The hero is a military bad boy and the heroine is a strong, modern woman who's right there with him, working with him as a team to keep the world safe for the rest of us.

Why zombies?

To be brutally honest, because that's what my editor asked for. She knew me for my paranormal work and wanted something with zombies in it. I was surprised by the request, but happy to give it a whirl. I figured I could go the traditional voodoo zombie route or give it a twist with the science experiment run amok angle. Because of my science background, I chose the latter. It's been a fun world to play in!

How'd you get started writing?

I've pretty much always written for my own amusement. I used to think of it as a cheap form of therapy. I was first published in 2006 with a fledgling publishing company called Samhain Publishing. I was lucky enough to be one of the first authors signed to the new company and the rest, as they say, is history.

What would you say was the biggest turning point in your writing career so far?

Getting my first NY contract last June was a big step in my career. While I continue to write several series for Samhain, I'm trying something new, on a bigger stage, as it were. With any luck, it will lead to more books for bigger publishers and I hope to at some point have my books come out in mass market paperbacks rather than trade paperbacks, so I always have something to work toward.

Your e-pubbed and small press fiction has won many awards. Do you think that helped your transition from small press to mass market?

I'm really not sure. It certainly has helped with credibility, but I think more than anything, submitting books and being willing to write fast and under an editor's direction has been most helpful.

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about publishing before you started writing?

That writing the book is the easy part! All the marketing and promotion that goes along with making your book a success is exhausting. I didn't realize how much work there was behind the scenes when I decided to write full time.

What are you reading now?

I don't have a lot of time to read lately because I've been on deadline and trying to recover from the loss of my beloved Mom just before Christmas. But when I do read, I tend to look for either old favorites like Suzanne Brockman, Christine Feehan, Diana Palmer, Rachel Lee, etc, or I browse the ebook sites for anything that looks good. I like to find new writers and support small press as much as possible.

Any hints about your next project?

I'm writing zombies now until I meet all my contractual obligations for those books. There will be five stories in all - two novellas and three novels. After that, I have plans to work on a new Were story for Samhain. I also need to write a new dragon book and the last in my Resonance Mates series. I have a lot to choose from, so I'm not sure exactly what I'll be working on after the zombies are done. It's good to have choices. ;-)

Anything you'd like to add?

I just want to thank JeanMarie for having me here today and also to thank the readers for their support. The past few months have been the hardest of my life since losing my Mom. Without my readers and the friends I've made through my writing, I don't know how I would have survived. I love you all.

*

Once Bitten, Twice Dead

March 2010 - Kensington Brava

ISBN: 978-0-7582-4729-2

When police officer Sarah Petit investigates a disturbance in an abandoned building, she expects to find a few underage drinkers. Instead, she's attacked by creatures straight out of a horror movie. Waking a week later in a hospital, Sarah is visited by Special Forces soldier Captain Xavier Beauvoir. The zombies who attacked Sarah are the result of military research gone terrifyingly wrong, and Sarah's immunity to the virus makes her the perfect person to help Xavier eradicate them. But his smooth Cajun accent, whiskey-colored eyes, and dizzying kiss are risky to her in a very different way.

Sarah attracts danger like a magnet—and the smart, fearless cop attracts Xavier too, instilling a bone-deep need that's undermining his steady façade. Enlisting her aid is a necessary gamble, but vicious undead creatures are not the only enemy they face. And the only way to keep each other safe is to trust in an instant connection that could be their greatest strength--or the perfect way to destroy them both...

Read an Excerpt

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Once-Bitten-Twice-Dead-Bianca/dp/075824729X

Amazon Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/Once-Bitten-Twice-Dead-ebook/dp/B0031W1E8Q

As a special thank you to readers, Bianca is giving away a prize pack of SWAG and romance books. (For details on the prize, check out her blog contest page.) All you have to do to enter is send an email with OBTD Blog Contest in the subject line to BIANCADARC at gmail dot com, with your mailing address, before March 31st, 2010. The drawing will be held April 1st and the winner will be announced on her blog at http://biancadarc.com/blog/.

Vanyr's Cover Featured at Undercover Selections

Just saying you can see the details here. Also just saying Anne Cain is fabulous. Cheers and smiles,

SnowMyGosh 2010

You knew I had to post pictures of this weekend's SnowMyGosh. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it. Depending on where you were in the Washington DC area, the snow stick measured between 18 and 32 inches of accumulation. The Squirrel Towers side of the hill collected around 24 inches.

I'm still stupefied. I've lived in this area most of my life, and I've never seen a winter to match. Not one, but two--TWO--record snowfalls, and the season's still promising more. We could get between another two and eight inches by mid-week.

What makes this all the more surreal: in late 2008 I visited a friend in Montana. I was enchanted by her town and awed by the vastness of the landscape, but we both agreed I couldn't handle the winter. So I flew home to Virginia.
How the heck did Montana sneak on the plane?

My Thursday Thirteen Favorite Lines from "Hoodoo Cupid"

Cue the trumpet fanfare. Today marks the release of “Hoodoo Cupid”, my first contemporary romance, by Red Rose Publishing. “Hoodoo Cupid” tells the story of two ad agency pros—copywriter Maggie Scanlan and agency wunderkind Dan Constantine—who fall in love in an Emergency Room…with a little help from a certain voodoo doll.

In honor of the occasion, and because it’s Thursday, here are thirteen of my favorite lines from the story:

1. Forget the clichés about friends helping you move and friends helping you move bodies. Real friends sacrificed their lunch hour to help you exact proxy revenge outdoors on a day so brutally cold even the agency’s smokers refused to risk it.

2. “Now hurry up and push your pin in his heart so we can get back inside. My five-year plan doesn’t include freezing to death for the sake of you or your bad boy.”

3. “It’s not going to work. It never does. All it does is make me feel better. Take that, Daniel Curtiss Constantine.” Maggie finished hacking through the second leg and started to sob.

4. “Yeah, I can see how it’s a real attitude adjuster,” Germaine said dryly.

5. The universe had other plans. It planned to enjoy a big honking, snorting, coffee-through-the-nose-spewing belly laugh at Maggie’s expense. There, not a dozen yards in front of her, striding in the direction of her favorite takeout, was the bane of her professional life.

6. It never occurred to her to push him into traffic. He stepped off the curb all by himself.

7. “So this is what it takes,” Constantine gasped, “to get your attention.”

8. She expected the surroundings to diminish him. Instead she discovered the width of his shoulders owed nothing to padding. An uneasy mix of guilt and curiosity writhed inside her. Did his legs match the rest of him?

9. [His eyes] were a clear light gray, completely at odds with his Mediterranean complexion and the dark brown eyelashes that belonged in a mascara commercial. When those eyes focused on a person—the way they focused on her now—it was like being targeted by a pair of lasers.

10. His voice had a husky quality—a subtle roughness like vintage mohair upholstery, which inspired almost as much thigh wriggling and skirt palming among the agency power groupies as his eyes.

11. The only answers Maggie had were rude. She found a spot on the floor that looked like Kansas and wished for a tornado.

12. Worse, the movement called attention to his muscular, mostly naked legs. Inside her head she groaned. He’d be perfect if only he weren’t in advertising.

13. (The one my Texas friends like best.)
“Afghanistan?” she squeaked. “You were in the Army?”
“Three years, eight months, seventeen days, and just a little over three hours. Do you want it in minutes? C’mon, Maggie, give me a little credit. You didn’t think it took me seven years to graduate Yale, did you?” He laughed. “If I’d been that slow, the only way I could’ve made a living would’ve been to move to Texas and go into politics.”

Now you know you want to read the rest. Check it out at Red Rose Publishing and, maybe, take it home for Valentine’s Day.

Happy Reading!

Jean Marie

Join Me on the Red Rose Channel of Blog Talk Radio

That's right--me, the person who hates to chat--will be co-hosting the Red Rose Channel at Blog Talk Radio tomorrow, January 31, from 2-3 p.m. EST. Well, I might hate IM chat, but I do like to talk.
And I won't be the only one there. The featured guest will be Red Rose author Angela Kaye Austin. Angela is an author of inter-racial contemporary romance novels featuring strong African-American women whose love can't be bound by race, bank accounts, age, religion or gender. Her current novel, Love's Chance, tells the story of Sinclair Mosley, a woman on a mission to pay back her parents and save her family business. That mission takes her to Pennsylvania, where the locals don't exactly welcome her with open arms. But Chance O'Malley does. At the risk of losing everything that brought her to Pennsylvania, including her family's restaurant, Sinclair must decide if she's willing to take a chance on love.
My co-host will be one half of the Red Rose Channel's terrific twosome, Kali Willows. Franny is away on a well-deserved vacation, and she turned over the keys to the kingdom. Tune in or call in (917-889-3332), if only to see how I manage to make her sorry. ;-)

Waiting to Promo

Still deep in the writing cave, but I'll be emerging soon. Promise! (Be afraid. Be very afraid...) As a foretaste, today I posted the first tickle of promo for "Hoodoo Cupid", my February 4 release from Red Rose, at Beyond the Veil.
Tomorrow, if I figure out how to do it, I'll try to post a very low res version of one of the interior pages of Fantasy Art Templates. My promo copies arrived yesterday, and they are beautiful beyond belief. Even better, earlier tonight Jana Oliver was looking for the name of a specific member of the angelic hosts--and it was in there, along with everything from pirates to giants to snake goddesses. Not only is it gorgeous, the book's a great reference too. Win!
Cheers and smiles,

Blogging for New Year at Samhain Publishing

For reasons beyond human ken, the good folks at Samhain Publishing thought I'd be the perfect person to open the next decade of the company blog. You can read the damage here. One thing you can be sure of, it fits right in with the Cartoon Network's New Year Looney Tunes marathon. Enjoy!
Best New Year wishes,
Jean Marie