Ten things you ought to know.: seanan

Ten things you ought to know.

There has once again been a massive influx of people, due to the fact that Alice is adorable—welcome, massive influx of people; it's nice to meet you, although I realize half of you will leave again as you realize that this isn't the all-kitten-doing-weird-stuff, all-the-time channel, and that's fine—I have decided to once again do the abbreviated "here are ten things you might want to know" version of the periodic welcome post. So here it is. Ta-da! (As a footnote, Alice is aware of your worship, and was puffy all over my face at 2AM last night.)

***

1. My name is Seanan McGuire; I'm an author, musician, poet, cartoonist, and amiable nutcase, presently living in Northern California, planning to relocate to Washington at some point in the next few years. I am a very chatty person, whether you're talking literally "we're in the same place" chattiness, or more abstract "someone has left Seanan alone with a keyboard, run for the hills" chattiness. This does not, paradoxically, make me terribly good about keeping up with email or answering comments in anything that resembles a reasonable fashion. We all have our flaws. Luckily for my agent's sanity, I am very good about making my deadlines.

2. My name is pronounced "SHAWN-in", although a great many people elect to pronounce it "SHAWN-anne" instead. Either is fine with me. I went to an event where we all got name tags once, and the person making the name tags was a "SHAWN-anne" person, who proceeded to label me as "Shawn Anne McGuire". I choose to believe that Shawn Anne is my alter-ego from a universe where, instead of becoming an author, I chose to become a country superstar. She wears a great many rhinestones, because they're sparkly, and she can get away with it. Just don't call me "See-an-an" and we'll be fine.

3. I write: urban fantasy, horror, young adult, supernatural romance, and straight chick-lit romance. I occasionally threaten to write medical thrillers, but everyone knows that's just so I'd have an excuse to take more epidemiology courses. I love me a good plague. I believe that editing is a full-contact sport, complete with penalty boxes, illegal checking, and team pennants. My editing team is the Fighting Pumpkins. We're going all the way to the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS this year, bay-bee!

4. I find it useful to keep a record of the status of my various projects, both because it warms the little Type-A cockles of my heart, and because it helps people who need to know what's going on know, well, what's going on. So you'll see word counts and editing updates go rolling by if you stick around, as well as more generalized complaining about the behavior of fictional people. I am told this is entertaining. I am also told that this is possibly a sign of madness. I don't know.

5. I currently publish both as myself, and as my own evil twin, Mira Grant. My first book under my own name, Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy], came out from DAW in September 2009. The sequel, A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy], is coming out in March 2010, also from DAW. Mira's first book, Feed [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy], will be out from Orbit in May 2010. I don't get very much sleep.

6. I am a musician! More specifically, I'm a filk musician. If you know filk, this statement makes total sense. If you don't know filk, think "the folk music of the science fiction and fantasy community"—or you can check out the music FAQ on my website. I have three CDs available: Pretty Little Dead Girl, Stars Fall Home, and Red Roses and Dead Things. I'm currently recording a fourth CD, Wicked Girls, which will be out sometime in 2010. I write mostly original material, and don't spend much time in ParodyLand. It just doesn't work out for me.

7. Things I find absolutely enthralling: giant squid. Plush dinosaurs. Siamese and Maine Coon cats. Zombies. The plague. Pandemic flu. Horror movies of all quality levels. Horror television. Science Fictional Channel Original Movies. Shopping for used books. Halloween. Marvel comics. Candy corn. Carnivorous plants. Pumpkin cake. Stephen King. The Black Death. Pandemic disease of all types. Learning how to say horrifying things in American Sign Language. Diet Dr Pepper.

8. Things I find absolutely horrifying: slugs. Big spiders dropping down from the ceiling and landing on me because ew. Bell peppers. Rice. Movies that consist largely of car chases and do not contain a satisfying amount of carnage. Animal cruelty. People who go hiking on mountain trails in Northern California and freak out over a little rattlesnake. Most sitcoms. A large percentage of modern advertising. Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr Pepper.

9. I am owned by two cats: a classic bluepoint Siamese named Lillian Kane Moskowitz Munster McGuire, and a blue classic tabby and white Maine Coon named Alice Price-Healy Little Liddel Abernathy McGuire. Yes, I call them that, usually when they've been naughty. The rest of the time, they're respectively "Lilly" or "Lil," and either "Alice" or "Ally." I'm planning to get a Sphynx, eventually, when the time comes to expand to having a third cat.

10. I frequently claim to be either a Disney Halloweentown princess or Marilyn Munster. These claims are more accurate than most people realize. Although I wasn't animated in Pasadena.

***

Welcome!

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

November 6 2009, 18:17:36 UTC 7 years ago

New comment

Glee!

7 years ago

liret

November 6 2009, 17:13:39 UTC 7 years ago

Having adorable kittens is like a genius marketing campaign. A genius marketing campaign that is fluffy on your face at 2am.

November 6 2009, 18:17:51 UTC 7 years ago

Sadly true. Also why I sometimes wake up with hairballs.

the_s_guy

November 6 2009, 17:23:38 UTC 7 years ago

I believe that editing is a full-contact sport

I love hearing this. I imagine something along the lines of:

SCENE: A COSY COTTAGE WITH A WRITING DESK

WRITER: Hmm, I believe I shall be daring and add a comma right... there.

EDITOR (from offscreen): FLYING TACKLE!

FX: rolling catfight, WW3, rubber chickens, etc

November 6 2009, 18:18:02 UTC 7 years ago

Yes. That is exactly how it is.

wyldemusick

controuble

November 6 2009, 17:29:30 UTC 7 years ago

Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr Pepper.
Wow - I thought I was the only person who thinks that's the most ghod-awful stuff ever invented.

ohari

brownkitty

November 6 2009, 18:06:37 UTC 7 years ago

You mean you're not supposed to have characters that do something other than what you want them to? You're not supposed to get into arguments with them (and sometimes lose)?

November 6 2009, 18:18:38 UTC 7 years ago

...if doing all that is wrong, I'm constitutionally incapable of being right.

grey_lady

November 6 2009, 18:22:24 UTC 7 years ago

Just don't call me "See-an-an" and we'll be fine.

I have a horrible temptation to filk Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" as "See-an-an" but I know I'd die a horrible death, probably involving chainsaws, zombies, plague, or all three.

stevemb

November 6 2009, 18:37:08 UTC 7 years ago

Now I'm picturing a movie marquee reading "CHAINSAW PLAGUE ZOMBIES".

jerusha

martianmooncrab

November 6 2009, 18:22:25 UTC 7 years ago

My name is pronounced "SHAWN-in

.... I can imagine that the misprounciations dont stop there.. when they get to Shawwnnaaa... you start to consider stripper names?

November 6 2009, 18:43:46 UTC 7 years ago

My stripper name is "My name isn't Shawna, you fucking moron."

jennifer_brozek

November 6 2009, 18:40:58 UTC 7 years ago

Thing #11 - You are much loved, adored and occasionally feared by your friends. *mwah*

No, you may not have a genetically modified dinosaur. Kate says, "no."

November 6 2009, 18:43:58 UTC 7 years ago

*sniff*

You never let me have anything fun.

tibicina

lysystratae

November 6 2009, 19:10:08 UTC 7 years ago

My brain always wants to do your name as SHANE-in, and then I end up with a little hiccup as the memory chip smacks the brain and says 'no, you idjit'...

November 8 2009, 00:44:33 UTC 7 years ago

At least that's closer than some folks manage to get?

ravens_shadow

November 6 2009, 19:41:08 UTC 7 years ago

What are your thoughts on the proposed Diet Chocolate Raspberry Banana Neopolitan Dr. Pepper? Of course, it won't be offered in regular.

(Sorry. We were getting a lot of commercials and print ads here for the crazy long-named fancy diet Dr. Pepper, but I could never find it, and it never seemed to be offered as regular. I like Dr. Pepper, and will drink diet, but darned if it wasn't irritating. Go from simple cherry Coke or Pepsi to Dr. Pepper with half a dozen extra flavors. Oy.)

I swear that started as a one-line joke, then it veered off into 'why are they talking crazy-talk?!' rant.

So hiiii. I can also be very chatty in text or in person, while being horrible about responding to email in a timely manner.

~Sabrina

November 8 2009, 00:45:47 UTC 7 years ago

Hi! Chatty is good. Most of the more elaborate Dr Pepper flavors have been horrible; you haven't been missing much, I swear.

ravenclawed

November 6 2009, 20:29:17 UTC 7 years ago Edited: November 6 2009, 20:32:17 UTC

5. Just preordered Feed. Can't wait.

6. Yay, new CD! I just got "Red Roses and Dead Things" this week and it's really good. Playing all three CDs in succession makes for a fun and surreal musical experience. :-)

7. I love used book stores. I just got back from Half-Price Books after buying three romance Christmas anthologies.

9. I'd love to know what you'd name a Sphynx. Don't they also tend to be large cats? Poor Lilly will be out-massed.

dormouse_in_tea

November 7 2009, 20:44:45 UTC 7 years ago

I like putting all three CDs on a single iPod playlist on shuffle and singing along while I'm the last person left at work, only to turn around and realize people are hanging around staring at me.

Only there's a couple I really need to take off rotation.

shiyiya

November 8 2009, 00:51:05 UTC 7 years ago

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Look! Its nearly here!

hobbitblue

November 6 2009, 22:00:38 UTC 7 years ago

Items not yet dispatched:
Delivery estimate: 9 Nov 2009
Dispatch estimate: 6 Nov 2009

* 1 of: Rosemary and Rue (Toby Daye)
Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.

*waits to ambush postman*

bugger, no its not :(

November 7 2009, 01:19:50 UTC 7 years ago

Dear Customer,

Greetings from Amazon.co.uk.

We regret to inform you that the following items have been delayed as we are still awaiting stock from our suppliers :

Seanan McGuire "Rosemary and Rue (Toby Daye)"
Estimated arrival date: November 10 2009 - December 21 2009

One of Amazon's aims is to provide a convenient and efficient service; in this case, we have fallen short. Please accept our sincere apologies.

Re: bugger, no its not :(

alicetheowl

November 6 2009, 23:32:23 UTC 7 years ago

Oh, that's how you pronounce it!

Your name is precisely two letters off from my first crush's. He broke my fourteen-year-old heart into a million pieces.

Also, I am related to the original Alice Pleasance Liddell, though not as closely as I am to Ambrose Bierce. My name really is Alice, and I was named after four people, and a song.

Because I thought you'd like to know.

November 11 2009, 03:18:26 UTC 7 years ago

Oh, that's fantastic! Your relation pleases me. My cat is named after four people and my family.

I did want to know.

vincentursus

November 7 2009, 02:23:59 UTC 7 years ago

You are concentrated awesome.

There's such a thing as Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr Pepper? The mind boggles.

November 7 2009, 21:09:43 UTC 7 years ago

Yes, there is. Seanan bravely drank it and reported back to the masses to keep us safe.

I drank it anyway.

It's HORRIBLE.

November 7 2009, 06:32:12 UTC 7 years ago

Inversely, conversely, and quite convexly, welcome in turn, though my LJ has seen little Live of late...too much Facebook and too much Twitter (though less of that of late too.)

It wasn't Alice that whiterabbited me here, indeed, doubtless to the disappointment of Alice, but the presence of yet another fellow author and fellow musician (I'm more the instrumental/score type, however; as I explained earlier to a newly acquired, short, and quite buxom blues-belting friend, I'm a highly regarded poet who has difficulty writing actual songs...it's disconcerting, and leaves me with the tiniest black coal of hatred for Leonard Cohen buried in my filthy appreciation of his work.)

Anyway and so, time for adventure! Well, for the young uns and the cats; me and the dog are going to nap on the porch awhile.

November 11 2009, 03:19:30 UTC 7 years ago

Oh, neat! Welcome!

angel_vixen

November 7 2009, 18:20:11 UTC 7 years ago

2. I have decided that, from now on, when I have to go out in public, I'm going to wear a name-tag with my name and its proper pronunciation, darn it, so that I can at least head most well-meaning name-manglers off. I'm actually named quite similarly to you, so you have all my empathy for your woes.

7. Don't mind me, I'll just be over here, taking notes on what sort of bribes will save me and my cats when you take over my part of the world. :) Do you prefer the small, individual-serving bags of candy corn (easier to carry) or larger ones (more satiating)? And will it please the Halloween Princess even more to let us live if you get a list of all the second-hand bookshops in the area? ;)

AngelVixen :-)

November 11 2009, 03:20:39 UTC 7 years ago

I prefer the large bags of autumn mix (when in season), and cheerful candy corn thoughts that don't use my Weight Watchers Points for the rest of the year. :) Bookstores always buy extra indulgence!

allaboutm_e

November 7 2009, 23:14:42 UTC 7 years ago

Giant squid!

November 11 2009, 03:21:08 UTC 7 years ago

They have TENTACLES! Ten of 'em!

November 9 2009, 07:31:34 UTC 7 years ago

Seanan's been ending up in my head as something resembling sea-nun or she-nun. Or she-nan. >_< I have issues with pronouncing things correctly from reading them. Now I get to attempt to retrain my brain into a better pronunciation! Whee.