Carrie Jones’ latest book NEED comes out today and I interviewed her about it over at Niteblade. Take a peek and leave a comment, I know Carrie loves comments, and I do too

Interview with Carrie Jones

I just sent my first newsletter out. I’m a bit nervous. I hope I’m not suddenly flooded by a bunch of people unsubscribing because it wasn’t what they thought it would be.

I wrote it like a letter to a friend and included a teaser from my current work-in-progress, a previously published poem and an unpublished piece of flash. I also listed what pieces I had which were published today and the acceptances I received this month. It sounds a little dry when I put it like that, but I think it was pretty good.

Actually, here, if you’d like to download a copy of the first issue you can download it here–> December Newsletter and take a look. If you like what you see, please consider subscribing to my mailing list. I’ll be sending out one letter a month

How’s the weather where you’re at? Here it’s freaking freezing. It’s been about -30 (before wind chill) here for a few days now. That’s celcius, but I think celcius and farenheit meet up around -40 and it’s been that cold once you factor in wind chill. Brrr. I am not a fan of the cold. Especially when it seeps in around windows and makes it so I have to work with a blanket over my lap. My house is a bit old (not ancient, it was built in 1945) and it has lots of drafts. Brr I say again.

Back on the topic of writing, however, things are heating up. It’s the 15th today and thus is the day I was going to release my first newsletter, I’ve decided to put it off for one more day though because I’m making a couple ‘appearances’ (makes me sound all important when I say it like that doesn’t it? LOL) today and if anyone signs up for the newsletter after I’ve sent it, they have to wait a whole other month.

My first ‘appearance’ today is at Beth Wylde’s Yahoogroup. I will be hanging out there all day chatting about myself, Niteblade and my own writing and giving away some prizes. A couple Niteblade authors may also be popping in to say hello. I think it will be lots of fun. I’m ‘heading over there’ as soon as I post this entry.

I’m also guest-blogging at E-Read Indeed today. As I write this my post hasn’t gone up but I’ve sent it off to the proper authorities so I’m sure it will appear very shortly. I blog about holiday shopping and e-books over there

If you’re new to my site and coming from one of those places (or even coming from elsewhere), hello Welcome to my world. I hope you will take a look around, join the mailing list and drop me a note to say hi. And if your part of the world is as chilly as my part is today, I also hope you stay warm.

At the World Fantasy Convention I became a fan of several people even before reading anything they’d ever written, I also added people to the (very small) list of authors whose books I will never buy, again without reading a word they’d written. I can’t be the only person who buys books (or doesn’t) based on how the author conducts themselves, thus reinforcing the need to always be professional and polite.

Anyway, this isn’t meant to devolve into a lecture or an essay. Quite the contrary.

One of the men who impressed the hell out of me at WFC and made me buy his work even though it’s in a genre I don’t usually read, is David Drake. I emailed him to tell him that, and to thank him for a very powerful panel he was on and we began ‘talking’. One thing that came out of that emailed conversation was that he agreed to do an interview with me for Niteblade.

I’m planning to do a series of author interviews on Niteblade, this is only the first, but I hope you’ll check it out and tell me what you think.

Interview with David Drake.

Please leave a comment so I know you were there. I’d bribe you with prizes if I could, but alas, I’ve nothing to offer at the moment, except karma and gratitude.

Shiny #4 was reviewed at The Fix and because my story, “Skitter Skitter” was in it, that means it got a review too. I love reviews. Love them. Even negative reviews…as long as they say something constructive rather than just ‘you suck’. Anywho, this was not a negative review

In Rhonda Parrish’s “Skitter Skitter,” Chloe and Melody are teens assigned to work on a report together. They are investigating a house where a terrible murder took place, and Chloe describes the experience as they make their way in. Parrish does a great job with teen exasperation as Chloe describes their progress, often talking in the purple clichés (“I feel a chill down my spine that touches my very soul”) of teen writing, in spite of Melody’s phlegmatic interruptions.

…and that’s when things bend. The rest will please readers who like the illogic of go-for-the-grue horror.

If you’d like to see the complete review you can see it by clicking here. Yay!