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Frost Fans podcast

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:

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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!

Posted by Jeaniene | 5 Comments

Quiet doesn’t mean unproductive…

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 .

Posted by Jeaniene | 63 Comments

THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE cover!

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!

Posted by Jeaniene | 26 Comments

Name That Kitty winners!

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.

Posted by Jeaniene | 22 Comments

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

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 .

Posted by Jeaniene | 9 Comments

Pics and contest winners

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 .

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!