Frost Light » Jeaniene

Frost Fans podcast

Jeaniene — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:24:49 +0000

Recently I did a podcast with the amazing moderators of the Frost Fans site. In this, I chatted with them about Eternal Kiss Of Darkness, the Name That Kitty contest, Vlad, Ian (is he redeemable? And what about that piercing?), Bones, and more. There were some not-so-subtle attempts to get me to reveal some spoilers about the upcoming plot of This Side Of The Grave, too, as well as my plans for future books. Click below to listen in:

Frost Fans podcast
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(if I didn’t paste the podcast link properly, it’s up here on the fan site)

Thanks so much to Tee, Engarde, and Wont, for the fun time!

Quiet doesn’t mean unproductive…

Jeaniene — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:38:40 +0000

Sunday night already? I kept meaning to post a blog this past week, but you know what they say about good intentions and how far they get you. First, thanks to everyone for all your comments about the cover/stepback for THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE. I think it’s my favorite of the bunch as well. On Monday, I turned in the first few chapters of Cat and Bones #6 (still untitled) to my editor. The object was to see if there was anything decent that could be excerpted in the back of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE. I am notoriously awful at beginnings and thus far have only kept one original beginning out of the seven books I’ve written. So imagine my surprise when my editor got back to me with the happy news that the chapters didn’t suck. After some chatting, we determined that chapter two would work best as an excerpt for book six. Therefore, readers, once THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE comes out, you will be able to flip to the back and get a teaser of what’s next in store for Cat, Bones, and the gang.

Speaking of my difficulty writing beginnings, I wrote a blog comparing them to blind dates over at Literary Escapism, with a contest attached. Contest is running now and ends on September 9th. Go HERE to read the post and enter, if you’re interested.

Also, this week it was my turn to post over at Supernatural Underground, the blog site for HarperCollins paranormal authors no matter if you’re romance, urban fantasy, young adult, fantasy, or something in between. I chose to chat about horror movies because – no shock to long-time readers – I’m a horror movie buff and I look for any chance I get to talk about them. If you want to see some of my faves and what movie scared me into sleeping with the light on for six months, go HERE.

Furthermore, I’ve been trying to spruce things up around the ol’ online homestead, so I added some new pages onto my website. If you’re interested in audio books for my series, check out the handy-dandy Audio Books page with release date information and ordering links. Didn’t know I had deleted scenes from the books available to read? Now you can go to the Deleted Scenes page to browse through the parts that didn’t make it into the final cut of the Night Huntress series. Saw pictures of readers wearing Chapter 32, Bones, or other NH/NHW tee shirts and wished you had your own? Go to the brand new Frost Shop and see if anything strikes your fancy.

And now, it’s back to writing more of Cat & Bones #6 for me. My goal is to have it finished the first week of November, but we’ll see how it goes. Sometimes there’s just more story to be told than I realize while still at the beginning of it.

Happy Labor Day! To celebrate it, I’ll be laboring on the book .

THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE cover!

Jeaniene — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:35:36 +0000

Last night, Harper posted the cover for THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE on their pdf catalog, which meant that this morning, it had already been picked up by a few blog sites. My reaction? Yay, I get to show the cover earlier than I thought!

Without further ado, the cover:

And now, the stepback!

I’ve wanted gargoyles in the background for AGES, and of course, I always love cemetery settings. As I mentioned in another post, yes, I know that Bones’s tattoo doesn’t match the description in the book, but if it had, you wouldn’t see it. Also, Cat’s not wearing her ring, but as my editor pointed out, when Cat’s out hunting, she’d leave it at home because she wouldn’t want something happening to it. So that’s why those things differ from the book description, but I am very happy with the cover and stepback. Big shout out to my cover artist, Tom Egner!

Name That Kitty winners!

Jeaniene — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:16:03 +0000

First, thanks SO MUCH to everyone who submitted an entry in the Name That Kitty contest. I received over four hundred name suggestions and they were so awesome, creative, and witty, I wish Cat had a farm of pets that needed names! . Many of you sent pictures with your suggestions (funniest had to be from Vampy, whose pic of a kitten in a cast was a perfect representation of how Cat’s kitty looked when she first got him). There were so many clever reasons behind the suggestions of what Cat would name her kitty. Some of you also included stories about your own pets in the entries, some of which were hilarious and some that were tearjerkers. Our furry family members can become such a big part of our lives, can’t they, and they are truly missed when they’re gone *sniffles in remembrance of my six deceased ferrets*.

But let me get to the part of the post that you’re all waiting for: the winner of the Name That Kitty contest! In this case, there were two winners, because they submitted the identical name that – after much tough deliberation – I chose for Cat’s kitty.

So the winners of an Arc (advance reading copy) of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE *** are Miriam Struett and Angelika from Hungary, for their entry of HELSING. Yes, the name is an homage to Abraham Van Helsing, famed fictional vampire hunter. Like Miriam and Angelika, I too thought Cat’s dark sense of humor would make this a fitting choice for her kitty…and it makes me doubly laugh to know that when she would have picked the name, Cat had no idea that Dracula was still alive and well. Might have to write a scene where Cat calls for her cat when Vlad is around. Something tells me his reaction might be funny *wink*.

Again, huge thanks to everyone who participated! I had so much fun reading all the entries. If you were one of he 400+ readers who didn’t win, never fear that this was your only chance to get an early look at THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE. I’ll be holding more contests once I have the Arcs, so you’ll have more chances to win.

Miriam and Angelika, congrats! I think the kitty was starting to get a complex about how long he’d gone without a name, heh.

***As mentioned in the original contest post, I won’t have Arc’s for THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE until late November at the earliest. Once I do, however, I will mail them out to the winners.

THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE “Name that kitty” contest!

Jeaniene — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:18:10 +0000

As many of you know, the next Cat and Bones novel, THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE, releases February 22, 2011. Normally I start running Arc (advance reading copy) contests about two months before the drop date, but I’m holding a special one now because of production deadlines.

Let me explain. Remember the cat that Cat adopted in ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE? Well, said kitty has remained deliberately nameless in the books, just waiting for me to finally get around to hosting this contest. See, I’m going to let one of you name Cat’s kitty, and in order for the furry feline to show off his fan-picked name in THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE, I have to submit it to my editor by Monday, August 23rd when I turn in my copyedits. So while Arc’s won’t be available for at least three months, if I don’t hold this contest now, due to publisher production deadlines, the kitty’s new name wouldn’t show up in the book.

How to enter:

Send me an email (frostlight1 AT yahoo DOT com) with the subject line of “Name that kitty” and the name that you think Cat would’ve picked for her new pet back when she first adopted him. Be sure to tell me WHY you think Cat would have picked that particular name. I’m not looking for a huge, long-winded explanation (though you’re free to elaborate if you choose) but just a simple note as to why Cat decided to name the kitty ____. I’ve also deliberately not mentioned what the kitty looks like in the books so that readers can choose the cat’s coloring and breed as well, if you want to use those things as a reason for why Cat would have chosen a particular name. It’s all up to you. The only thing that’s set in stone is that the kitty is male.

I will pick the name that I like best. Winner will receive an Arc of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE, plus a mention in the Acknowledgments page as the person who chose the cat’s name.

Contest starts now and ends on Sunday, August 22nd at 11:59pm EST.

One entry per person, so be sure to send me only your favorite name idea. I will delete double emails in the interest of fairness to all. Contest is open to all readers regardless of where in the world you live.

If you want to see the scene where Cat first gets the kitty and you don’t have your copy of ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE handy, no worries. It’s on pages 18-20 here: http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061245091

Now for the boring disclaimer stuff…

The winner will receive an Arc of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE once my publisher sends them to me (figure around late November). If you enter this contest, I’m assuming you’re 18 or older, or have the permission of your parent/guardian to read the book (everyone knows my stories are very R-rated and THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE is no exception). If more than one person submits the exact same name that I choose as the winner, then both readers will receive an Arc. Similar names…sorry, but the whole “close but no cigar” rule will apply.

Good luck, everyone! Can’t wait to see what names you come up with .

Pics and contest winners

Jeaniene — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:35:18 +0000

Okay, so this post is a week late, but as soon as I got back into town I had copyedits to tackle, an inbox bulging with unanswered mail, and a husband who kinda wanted to hang out after I’d been gone for 16 out of the past 31 days. Plus, you know, that pesky sleep to catch up on. However, I’m glad to say that in the past week I’ve gotten my inbox caught up, copyedits *almost* done, and my husband doesn’t feel single anymore, lol.

But enough of my rambling, let’s get to the pictures!

At the Romance Writers of America literacy signing

The day before I left for RWA, my friend and fan site moderator, Tee, sent me these amazing chocolate-covered strawberries to celebrate the release of Eternal Kiss of Darkness!

At the RWA "Paranormal" panel. From left, Juliana Stone, Terri Garey, Colleen Gleason, me, Kelley Armstrong, and Cheryl Wilson. We had such a great audience for this panel. It was so much fun!

My niece, Lauren, and my nephew, Patrick, at RWA signing.

The tub from my Savanna hotel room. Trust me, it was bigger than it looks in this pic. It's now my goal in life to get one of these for my own home.

On the phone with a reader who couldn't make the Savanna signing, but her friends called her for me .

Signing EKOD at the Borders store in Savanna.

The lovely display WaldenBooks had set up for me in Charleston

My friend Vampy surprised me in Charleston after driving for four hours to get there!

As you can see, Raleigh readers were out in force for my stop there.

With the lovely Rumesha at Raleigh

In Raleigh, reading the first scene from my story in the Death's Excellent Vacation anthology.

With Supernatural Underground's "biggest fan" Sharon in Charlotte. Love the banner!

Signing in Charlotte. Look at the yummy dessert tray Borders put out for everyone - and I was dieting! *cries*

And look what was waiting for me when I got home: a gift from Wont, new fan site moderator, who apparently thinks innocent people need to be warned of my presence .

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for the signings, and who took pictures and then tagged me with them on FaceBook! That’s where I got the majority of these. I had a blast and I’m so glad to have met all of you.

And now, like I promised (though also a week late), here’s the grand prize winner for the Supernatural Underground contest that closed on Saturday the 7th. Randomizer was consulted and for the grand prize winner, it chose Stephanie G, who said, “What I love most about reading is the escape from my daily like and issues. I get to take a mini vacation each time I open a book. I also love getting involved with the characters to the point where it feels like I know them personally. ”

I couldn’t agree more. Congrats, Stephanie! I’ve sent you a winning email notice for your signed HARDCOVER copy of Eternal Kiss of Darkness.

And according to Randomizer, the two second prize winners who will receive a paperback edition of Eternal Kiss of Darkness are: Bethany C, who said, “I love being able to submerse myself in new creative worlds. It doesn’t help that I have wanderlust and have never been able to travel.” and Violet who said, “I love immersing myself in books about phenomenal adventures, inspiring heroines, and delicious heroes because having a great book on hand is like having a mini-vacation awaiting you in the middle of a hectic day. Love it! ”

Congrats, ladies! Violet, I have sent you a winning notification by email, but Bethany C, I don’t have your email address. Please email me at frostlight1 AT yahoo DOT com with your shipping information.

And speaking of contests, I’ll be holding one very soon for an Arc of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE. Why have a contest so soon when the book isn’t even out for 6 months? I’ll explain the contest notice. Check back here for details, it’s coming up shortly!

End of the road at Charlotte

Jeaniene — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:05:46 +0000

Thursday was the final day on my tour for Eternal Kiss of Darkness. My signing was set up for 7pm at the Borders store on Northlake Mall Drive in Charlotte. Around 5pm, the skies seemed to open up with torrential rain. New stations warned of frequent lighting strikes and storms lasting all evening. Since I live in Florida, this was Situation Normal for me, but my sister reminded me that this meant my signing would probably be sparsely attended. Made sense; no one likes to go out in nasty weather if they can avoid it (unless you also live in FL, and then it’s go out in nasty weather, or don’t leave your home 5 out of the 12 months in a year ). So I went to the store expecting to spend most of the evening in the company of me, myself, and I.

Therefore, I was very pleasantly surprised to find several people already waiting in the section Borders had set up for me. I’d arrived a little early and by the time 7pm rolled around, a few more people had shown up, too. Never let it be said that rain and lightning can keep determined readers down! Everyone was in a good mood, too, despite the miserable weather. The store staff was awesome for passing around sample drinks that looked like mini chilled lattes and setting up a dessert platter on my table for anyone who wanted to get their sweet tooth on. I opened the signing by reading the first scene of Eternal Kiss of Darkness, and then followed that with the first scene from One For the Money, my short story in the Death’s Excellent Vacation anthology.

After that, I had a great time chatting with everyone about Eternal, plus what’s next for Cat and Bones, and what other characters I want to give their own books to (cough, Vlad, cough). During this, the rain and wind gusts got so strong that they blew over a few items set up by the automatic doors of the store entrance, so the doors had to be sealed. Nothing like having a captive audience! (lest anyone be concerned about me teaming up with Mother Nature to keep readers there, don’t fret; there was another entrance/exit into the store – darn it *wink*).

Then the next half hour consisted of taking pictures, signing copies of new books, books people had brought from home, a few e-reader covers, too. One of the readers even had on a pair of faux fangs. Awesome! After signing everyone’s books, I chatted with a group of hardy souls who hung around despite it getting late, and the topic turned to another of my favorite things aside from books: horror movies. Everyone ante’d up on what movie scared/disturbed them the most (that would be Paranormal Activity for me), exchanged recommendations, and vented about horror movie remakes that they wished were never made (that would be Halloween for me). It was a wonderful way to finish up a great night.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out on all the tour stops! You made my first “on the road” experience a really lovely one. Thanks also to everyone who stopped by to see my at the RWA convention. That was a lot of fun, too. I’ll be compiling a blog post in the next day or so with several pics from the convention and the tour stops, so stay tuned. If you’ve commented on my blog or sent me an email recently, sorry for the delay replying. Just got back home last night. Being out of town over 10 days has been hell on my inbox, lol.

Raleigh recap, last tour stop tonight in Charlotte

Jeaniene — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:05:57 +0000

Yesterday I was in Raleigh, NC for a signing at the Borders book store on Six Forks Road. Right before I left to go to the store, my editor called with excellent news about Eternal Kiss of Darkness. It debuted at # 7 on the New York Times and # 29 on the USA Today bestseller lists. I was beyond thrilled, of course, so I already had a big smile on my face even before I saw the crowd of people waiting for me. What a great turnout! The store kindly set up chairs in rows so that most everyone had a seat. I started the signing off with a reading from the first scene of my short story in the Death’s Excellent Vacation anthology, as a show of hands revealed that most everyone had already read Eternal Kiss of Darkness, much to my delight. After the reading, there was a fun question-and-answer session about various characters and events in the Night Huntress series and the Night Huntress World novels. I love that a recurring question I keep getting asked at signings is, “When are you going to write a Vlad book?” If I have my way, readers, the answer is Soon. But Cat and Bones fans shouldn’t worry. Their fifth book, This Side of the Grave, comes out in February. I’m writing the sixth novel in their series now, plus there’s at least one more full length novel and an anthology with them scheduled after that. 2011 will see three releases of Cat and Bones stories, so readers will probably be ready for a switch to different characters after that .

After the Q&A, I started signing books and having pictures taken. Jokes were made about readers who crease the spines of their paperbacks and those who don’t (I admit to being in the do-not-crease category with my own book collection, but I will dog-ear pages no matter how many book marks I have nearby). The signing probably went a little slower than was efficient because I was having such a nice time chatting with everyone. Some people I know from online were there as well (waves to ShirleyJo, her very patient husband, Candace, and Teresa, to name a few). I was still chatting with a few readers when the lights in the store briefly blinked out – a sign that the store wasn’t kidding when they said it was closing time, lol. The staff was really nice, though, and let me sign the remaining stock of my books and then wait inside for my cab even though it was past nine.

All in all, a wonderful night! If you want to see some pictures from the Raleigh signing, please go to my Facebook “wall” page where a few readers have posted links to them: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000241097422&v=photos

Thanks so much to everyone who came out! I’m looking forward to continuing my time in NC with a signing at the Borders books store on 6801 Northlake Mall Drive in Charlotte tonight at 7pm. If you’re in the area, hope to see you there!

Charleston recap, what’s new, and what’s next

Jeaniene — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:53:46 +0000

Yesterday, I was at the WaldenBooks store in Charleston, SC. The store is located in a mall called the Shoppes at Charleston Place. It was such a neat area, with horse and buggy tour rides going up and down the streets, tons of shops, and enough pamphlets for ghost tours of reportedly haunted locales that it was all I could do not to take a late one after the signing. But, I knew I had an early train to catch, so I was a Good Little Author and went back to my hotel room instead of prowling the Charleston streets in an evening tour group.

When I arrived at the book store, the employees were so friendly, and they had set up a beautiful display of my books in their store window. Can I confess that it still feels surreal to see my books in a store window, after all the years of hoping I’d get published one day, but not *really* thinking it would happen? It was great to chat with the readers who stopped by – and the woman who brought her dog, not knowing that I am unable to keep from petting any animal in my immediate vicinity – but probably the best part of last night was being surprised by an online friend that lived so far away, I didn’t think he was coming. Thanks so much for making the four-hour drive, Vampy! It was awesome to chat with you and you are even funnier in person than you are online.

I also received some wonderful news about Eternal Kiss of Darkness. It debuted at number 2 on Borders Romance bestseller list and number 7 on Barnes and Noble’s overall mass market list. What a nice thing to wake up to today! Another nice thing about today is that it’s the release of Death’s Excellent Vacation, an anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. My story in it is One For the Money, where Cat and Bones find their vacation interrupted when they have to protect a spoiled heiress with a price on her head and an undead hitman on her trail. Hope you enjoy it!

And back by popular demand are the downloadable wallpapers of my book covers and stepbacks. Go here to browse through and pick which ones you’d like to keep for yourself: http://jeanienefrost.com/wallpapers/

Next stop on my tour schedule is Borders store on 404-101 East Six Forks Road, on Wednesday the 4^th at 7pm in Raleigh, NC. If you’re in the area, please come out and say hello! It’s always so much fun to meet everyone .

Savanna signing recap, Charleston up next!

Jeaniene — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:57:39 +0000

Yesterday was my first trip to Savanna. I didn’t have time to sight-see, but I caught enough glimpses out of the back of cabs that I hope to return soon. My hotel was in the historic district, and the parks, picturesque churches, old-styled homes, and Spanish moss decorating every tree was enough to enthrall me. It’s a good thing I didn’t even attempt to visit the famous Bonaventure cemetery, or I might have spent the majority of last night taking pictures instead of sleeping!

In addition to the wonderful sights I glimpsed of the city, the people were also lovely. My signing yesterday at the Books-A-Million store was so much fun. For starters, the staff couldn’t have been nicer, and when I arrived at the store, even though I was a little early, there were already some readers waiting for me. Let me tell you, that was a heart-warming sight for me! Two of them had driven all the way from Atlanta, which was quite humbling. It was great meeting everyone, and really nice to get the chance to chat at length with a few people who hung around after the first wave of signings. Note to all readers: please consider yourselves invited to stay and chat after I sign your books! I’m at each store for around two hours and I’d love to talk to you.

I left Savanna this morning and I’m now in Charleston, gearing up for the signing at Borders on 120 Market Street at 7pm tonight (Aug 2nd). If you’re in the area, I hope you come out. Looking forward to meeting you!