I was out at the Art Affair on the Square in Urbana, Ohio, this weekend…and held another drawing for a free ebook.
The winner is….TARI MOSBARGER
Tari…I’ve dropped you an email to find out what format you need. If you haven’t gotten the email yet, drop me a message at addiejking@gmail.com and we’ll get it figured out.
CONGRATULATIONS!!
My novel, THE GRIMM LEGACY, is OUT!
You can buy it at the Musa Publishing website HERE. It’s also up at Amazon HERE.
I have not yet seen it on the Barnes and Noble site, but if you buy it through the publisher, you can get it in different formats that would be compatible with ereaders other than Kindle.
The book is also featured today on the Musa Publishing blog HERE.
I gotta admit. I’m addicted to both Once Upon A Time and Grimm.
I think they are both doing outstanding jobs at incorporating old stories into a new storyline.
Here’s my thoughts on both.
ONCE UPON A TIME
I am thoroughly enjoying this show. There are times I think that the show itself borders on cheesy, but sometimes cheesy works…and it definitely works here.
As a writer, I can see that the writers of this show seem to be having the times of their lives putting this thing together…along with the production staff, the actors, and everyone else involved. The sheer joy in the performances is easy to see.
I am definitely rooting for the Mayor to get her comeuppance. I hate that character, but at the same time, she is the bad guy. Viewers are kinda supposed to hate her. I can see that the actress playing that part is doing so expertly and no question that she’s having a great time doing it.
This show is the epitome of writers and actors and everyone involved knowing that they are working on something special, enjoying every minute of it, and it shows.
GRIMM
This show is so much darker, in tone, in content, and in setting, than OUAT. That’s not a complaint.
I’m liking the introduction of fairy tales into modern police work. And I have to say that my favorite character is a tie…between the completely human Hank and the not-human Monroe. But the character surprising me is….Juliet. She’s definitely coming into her own as a supportive girlfriend who’s not afraid to kick a little ass from time to time, to stand up to Nick’s lies to cover the fact he’s a grimm. I’m good with that…makes me like her even more!
I have to say that there have been times that I’ve wondered where the mythology is coming from. I’ve done a metric ton of research in writing my upcoming novel (using fairy tales), and can’t place them. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist…and every writer is entitled to put their own spin on them. That said, I keep getting distracted from the plot because I’m trying to figure out where it came from. Maybe that’s my own personal foible. Very possible.
COMPARISONS
I’ve had several people ask me recently which is more like the book I wrote. I have to say neither…because the book is different in plot, in storyline, and in characters. That said…it’s closer in tone to Once Upon A Time than Grimm, but I think fans of either show might enjoy The Grimm Legacy.
UPDATERY!!
FREE KINDLE BOOK!
I’m thrilled to tell everybody that TODAY you can see MYSTERY TIMES TEN 2011 for FREE!!
You need either a Kindle, or a free Kindle application, available from Amazon for your phone, tablet, or computer.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771
Here’s the link to the free book!
Go check it out! Not only is my short story in there, there are 9 others that are pretty darn cool!
IN OTHER NEWS…
KINDLEGRAPH
I’m signed up with Kindlegraph…which means I can e-autograph MYSTERY TIMES TEN! I’m still working out the kinks on this one…which means the electronic signature is kinda sloppy, but my signature is kinda sloppy anyway. Interested?
You can go to http://www.kindlegraph.com/books?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search=mystery+times+ten to request a Kindlegraph from me…you need a Twitter account to do it. (and if you’re on Twitter…you can follow me, too….I’m @addiejking)
Heads up…
1) Kindlegraph sends me an email letting me know about requests, which means, unless I’m staring at the computer, I might not see it right away. I check my email more than I probably should, so it probably won’t take long, but still, don’t expect it to happen immediately…I’ll do it as fast as I see it.
2) I have no idea if there’s a cost for the Kindlegraph download. There might be a nominal cost…Kindlegraph is a separate site from Amazon, and therefore have different policies regarding their costs. It’s worth checking out before you clicky on the button!
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
I’ve got an Author Page at Amazon…you can find it HERE https://www.amazon.com/author/addiejking
AND….you can watch my Twitter feed and read my blog entries from the Author Page!
I’ll eventually add links on my blog to take you to all these fun places, but until then, you can always find me with the links above!
There’s a lot going on here at Chez King, but not a lot that I can talk about. Needless to say, plenty of stress, plenty of holiday, plenty of family, and plenty of fun…and editing deadlines and conference appearances and writing, oh my!!
Lots of overwhelming gratitude and thanks go out to Jamie-Kristal Lott and Matt Teel, my editor and the head of the Urania fantasy imprint at Musa Publishing, respectively, for being prompt and thorough with all their work on my book, and for their patience in dealing with an author who is still figuring out how to make deadlines work with real life thrown into the mix. Now wait, that sounds bad. I did hit my editing deadlines with time to spare, but still, it was nice that they were so understanding about my questions and concerns. And they GET the book. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I’m just days back from MARCon, where I appeared on some interesting panels. Those who know me, know that I’ve just about always got plenty to say about just about anything…the question is whether I’ll say it or not. The panelists were all interesting and knowledgeable, and I hope that the people who attended got as much out of them as I did. I had a blast! Got to see some old friends and make new ones, and enjoyed the heck out of the time I spent there.
The only downside to the conference was that I was on LATE panels and driving back and forth to sleep in my own bed, and Easter Sunday was the last day of the conference. I chose to go to church with the family and eat way too much Easter dinner rather than come back for the third day when I found out that I was not on any panels on Sunday. I’d make the same choice again, although, next time I might need a steady IV of coffee to get through it all!
I’m through a bunch of edits on my novel, THE GRIMM LEGACY, which is still scheduled for release on May 25, 2012. I’m hoping to have more news soon regarding this, and some fun stuff for when it comes out, but those are still in the works, so rest assured…stuff is being planned. More stuff is being talked about. Miscellaneous stuff is being pondered. (And yes, Brother, that joke still works).
I’m finishing up some legal work tonight, and then hoping to dive back into writing tomorrow night, where at least two (and possibly three) projects will be claiming my attention. Plus we’re making plans for fun activities for the weekend. Life is all kinds of hectic, but in a pretty darn good way.
Meanwhile, Fuzzy Minion wanted to say hi.
And now I must step away from the computer and pay homage to the Fuzzy Minion. You see, it’s her house. I’m just allowed to live in it and pay the bills.
Musa Publishing (awesome awesome publisher who is publishing my novel next year) has some cool stuff coming up!
Twelve Days of Christmas Free Reads between November 29 and December 9
ALSO, coming from Musa will be publication of the complete works of Homer Eon Flint, pulp and speculative fiction writer.
Keep your eyes peeled…more cool news to come!
My friend, Steven Saus, has been working on this charity anthology. I wish I’d had something appropriate to submit for it, but I did not. It looks like it’s filled with all kinds of awesome. (And I see from the author list that a few friends have contributed…can’t wait to pick it up myself and see what they’ve all done!)
SPEC THE HALLS is an anthology of holiday themed speculative fiction (i.e., science fiction, fantasy, and horror), and on sale now. All of the authors (and, well, pretty much everyone involved) has donated time, effort, and stories for a good cause, Heifer International. And that’s a cause that’s been near and dear to my heart for a long time.
The website for the anthology itself is HERE.
It’s $9.99. Which is cheaper than a movie ticket and popcorn, will likely last longer, and won’t get stuck in your teeth. It’s also cheaper than three gallons of gas, which you’ll use up long before you can get the whole anthology read! AND, it’s for a GREAT CAUSE!!
If you buy the ebook from the anthology website, you get it in PDF, ePub, and Kindle formats. And more money goes to charity than if you bought through another site like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or any other third party website (fees, you know). If you buy through a third party website (and it will be available there), you only get their single format (i.e., Kindle from Amazon, ePub from B&N), and less of the proceeds go to Heifer.
There’s another way to do this…email Steven Saus with proof of donations to Heifer International after November 1, 2011 in lieu of payment. Steven runs Alliteration Ink, the digital publishing company handling the anthology. You can reach him at steven AT alliterationink.com(replacing the AT with the @ thingy).
That reminds me. I need to go check out the Heifer website and see what cool new things they’re doing this year…so that I can also get a copy of this AWESOME anthology!
I’m not sure how to top the news from yesterday. I don’t think I can at this point.
I’m overwhelmed at the support, and the encouragement I’ve seen since I’ve announced this…the number of comments and likes on Facebook, the responses on Twitter, and the number of visitors to the site in the last 24-48 hours has been phenomenal.
You guys do get that just because I signed the contract this week doesn’t mean that it gets released tomorrow, right?
The official release date has not yet been set. It’s likely several months away.
Let me lay a few things to rest:
1) No, I’m not quitting my day job.
This is my first published novel (not the first novel I’ve written, but the first one to be accepted for publication). To date, my writing income is a four figure amount…if you count the figures that come after the decimal point. I’ve got a mortgage, a student loan payment, and a car payment, and I’d like to, well, buy groceries and pay the electric bill, too. All of that means I need the day job.
And well, the health insurance and dental insurance are nice, too. Writing doesn’t come with benefits, usually.
2) You’ve made it…you wanted to get published. You ready to put that writing thing away yet?
Boy, if someone’s thinking this, they sure don’t know me. I’ve been writing fiction in various forms and states of completion since I was eight years old. Writing’s not ever gonna go away.
Technically, however, I’m already published, even before my news yesterday, with the anthology MYSTERY TIMES TEN, which came out this past summer. My short story, “Poltergeist on Aisle Fourteen” was included. That didn’t stop me from seeking out a publisher for my novel. And it hasn’t stopped me from working on the novel I’m writing now. Or the outline for the novel after that. Or making notes for other projects. Or working on new short stories. Or submitting the short stories that are ready.
So what’s my bigger goal?
Well, to take over the world, of course.
No, seriously, it’s not. I’m kidding. (Maybe 😉 But I believe that setting goals for ourselves is important. And when you reach a goal…you set a new one…who knows, maybe my next goal will be learning to juggle baby geese (bonus points if you get this reference!)
Nah, it’s to finish the current novel. I’m allergic to feathers, anyway.
3) What did you do to celebrate?
Well, my best friend lives a couple of hours away, with her husband and baby. We all love to cook and try new foodie things, so I went down there for the weekend. Brother and his girlfriend live closer to them than to where I live, so they joined us. We joked and laughed and talked and watched movies and opened a bottle of wine or three, had yummy snacks and a lovely dinner…and Boston cream pie for dessert.
And talked life, the universe, and writing, among other things.
Because I am that kind of geek.
And then, breakfast with friends, driving home for a writer’s group meeting, and cuddling up with a good book at the end of the night with the fuzzy minion purring away in my lap.
I count that as a pretty awesome weekend.
It’s official!
As of last night, I have signed a contract with Musa Publishing to publish my contemporary fantasy novel, THE GRIMM LEGACY.
I do not have an official publication date yet; the discussion involves mid-2012. I will post when I have an official date.
You can find the website for Musa Publishing here.
I am all kinds of thrilled, not just for this opportunity, but also about the amazing conversations I’ve had with the editor for Urania, the speculative fiction imprint, as well as the promotions department and the main office. I’m excited to work with this company!
My friend Jamie Mason has just announced that her new novel, THE LIAR’S MARGIN, will be published in 2013.
Here’s a link to Jamie’s website…here.
Jamie also writes for and edits Author Scoop.
Here’s the Publisher’s Marketplace listing for the sale.
Congratulations, Jamie!
Weathering the Storm 