Thirteen days until the world goes boom.: seanan

Thirteen days until the world goes boom.

Last night when I got home from a trip to Borderlands Books (where I was roundly snuggled and nose-licked by Ripley the Sphynx), I found a box on my front porch. The box, when opened, proved to contain twenty copies of A Local Habitation. Not ARCs—actual, finished books, suitable for fondling, screaming over, and putting on bookshelves. Alice promptly started trying to eat them. Not to be outdone, Lilly promptly started trying to eat the box that they came in. I have emailed my publisher to thank them for the cat toys.

I called my mother, whose usual response to "Mom, I just got _______" is to show up at my house and refuse to leave until she's managed to acquire a copy for herself. "Mom, I got my author's copies of A Local Habitation," I said.

"Wow!"

"So are you coming over?"

"Not tonight."

You could have knocked me over with a feather. (There are plenty of feathers to be had in my house because, again, cats.) "What? Why not?"

"Idol starts in half an hour."

So now we know where I rank in my mother's eyes. Not second, as I always feared, but third, behind Jim Hines and American Idol. As I cannot swear eternal vengeance against American Idol, I'm going to have to swear it against Jim Hines. He has a lot less in the way of professionally-trained security guards and hungry lawyers. I mean, sure, he's got goblins and all, and to this I say, again, cats.

It's a little freaky to be able to look at A Local Habitation and see it all book-shaped and real, with a bar code and a price tag and an ISBN and everything. I don't think it's ever going to get less freaky. Sometimes I still wake up and wonder "did I really sell the books? If I turn on the light, will they really be sitting on the shelf?" Thus far, they always have been, but my dreams have fooled me before. Although I'd like to think that if I'd dreamt the last few years, there would have been more candy corn and semi-appropriate nudity.

Thirteen days. That's all that remains before A Local Habitation is available on store shelves, waiting to be taken down, read, and enjoyed. Hopefully, lots of people will find and adore it, and hopefully, some of them won't have read Rosemary and Rue, creating a beautiful synergy through which many, many copies of both books will be sold. (Crass commercialism? Well, yeah. But I'd like this series to last for a long, long time, so I think this desire makes perfect sense. Anyone who looks noble and says "I don't care if my book sells well, I just care if it's loved" is either independently wealthy, insane, or messing with you.)

Thirteen days. That's all that remains before the second of Toby's stories is out there for anyone to read. That may be the weirdest part of all this. I mean, I'm used to my friends reading drafts and telling me what they did or didn't like, and I'm used to my publishers (all of whom I know) reading things and telling me what to fix, but there's no possible way for me to know every single person who reads my books personally. It just isn't going to happen. So there are all these strangers out there choosing me to tell them stories, and it's just...it's amazing. There was even a four-star review in the new issue of Romantic Times, a glossy, awesome, nationally-published magazine:

"McGuire's second October Daye novel is a gripping, well-paced read. Toby continues to be an enjoyable, if complex and strong-willed protagonist who recognizes no authority but her own. The plot is solid and moves along at a not-quite-breakneck pace. McGuire has more than a few surprises up her sleeve for the reader."

This is all very real, and very wonderful, and Great Pumpkin, I just hope it goes spectacularly, and that I don't catch fire.

Thirteen days. Wow.

trektone

February 17 2010, 16:34:56 UTC 7 years ago Edited: February 17 2010, 16:35:09 UTC

New comment

Congratulations!

And if I see you "flame on," I'll know Jim retaliated with fire-spiders.

seanan_mcguire

February 17 2010, 16:40:58 UTC 7 years ago

I have confidence in Alice's ability to take those leggy little bastards down.

Will we see you at Borderlands on the 9th?

jimhines

7 years ago

kyrielle

actoplasm

February 17 2010, 16:38:25 UTC 7 years ago

Already over a hundred pages into it and loving it. Should be able to get the review done for the March 1st Bookbanter update and just in time for the release!

February 17 2010, 16:41:43 UTC 7 years ago

Yay!

You're my hero.

angel_vixen

February 17 2010, 16:42:38 UTC 7 years ago

When I was in college, my mother tried to break me of the habit of calling on Mondays (my non-class night), because Nash Bridges was on, and nothing short of me suddenly expiring on the spot would convince her away from her comfy spot. Some years after that, when I lived even further away, and thus had to completely rely on telephone conversations to keep in touch, I used to call and be told "Honey, if you or the cat isn't dying, call me later. NCIS is on in 5."

AngelVixen :-)

February 17 2010, 17:44:04 UTC 7 years ago

Tara is driven regularly insane by my insistence on calling during her time zone's airing of NCIS.

taraoshea

linenoise

amazon_syren

February 17 2010, 16:44:51 UTC 7 years ago

Toby continues to be an enjoyable, if complex and strong-willed protagonist[...]

See now I would have left out the "if" in that sentence... <*eyebrow*>

In other news: Woohoo! Less than two weeks until my pre-order shows up in the mail! :-D

February 17 2010, 17:44:17 UTC 7 years ago

Yay!

murphy73

February 17 2010, 16:46:05 UTC 7 years ago

I wait, and then watch the entire season on Netflix. No commercials, no waiting for the next episode. "sigh" sheer bliss.

A local habitation is on my wish list at B&N. Just as soon as the date arrives, it will be ordered.

February 17 2010, 17:44:31 UTC 7 years ago

My mother isn't quite that technologically advanced, just yet.

dornbeast

February 17 2010, 16:49:38 UTC 7 years ago

Maybe you could include a fire extinguisher as part of your next book sale? I'm fairly certain the publisher could be convinced that it's a cheap way to improve the probability of your continuing to write books...

February 17 2010, 17:44:41 UTC 7 years ago

FLAME ON!

Deleted comment

February 17 2010, 17:44:47 UTC 7 years ago

threeparts

February 17 2010, 17:10:46 UTC 7 years ago

Only thirteen?! I gotta get my pre-order in!

February 17 2010, 17:45:20 UTC 7 years ago

Where are you pre-ordering from? If you order from Borderlands, you can request signature/personalization.

dave_gallaher

February 17 2010, 17:24:03 UTC 7 years ago

Congratulations!

This brings up the question for those of us filling out our Hugo Nominating Ballots for this year: are you eligible for the Campbell this year? I did not see you name on the Campbell Awards eligibility website at http://www.writertopia.com/awards/campbell.

Dave

February 17 2010, 17:37:15 UTC 7 years ago

I am eligible, and thanks for letting me know I wasn't on their list. I've emailed to have myself added.

maryrobinette

keristor

February 17 2010, 17:43:09 UTC 7 years ago

Thirteen! *g*

February 17 2010, 17:45:33 UTC 7 years ago

Yup. Thirteen.

ladymondegreen

February 17 2010, 17:56:38 UTC 7 years ago

*bat noises*

February 17 2010, 19:51:59 UTC 7 years ago

*earplugs*

tikiera

February 17 2010, 18:04:28 UTC 7 years ago

Next Tuesday will be a said 'new book Tuesday' for me - all of my budget is going to preordered kindle books - for March 2 (it's in this budget's timeframe). Was going to preorder Local Habitation and get the new J.D. Robb, but that publisher has decided to price themselves out of my range for J.D. Robb, so now it's Local Habitation and either the new Anne Bishop (if that one also doesn't get priced out of my range) or the new Rob Thurman. Thurman is still in the paperback release, so they aren't likely to jump in cost. But that means no new books next week, I have to wait an additional week. And since waiting that week is for Local Habitation, it's going to be a hard wait. On the plus side, hey, preorder means I wake up to the book in my magic phone.

Gonna hafta console myself with rereading Rosemary and Rue and Magic Bites and a trip to the library to put myself on the list for the J.D. Robb book.

February 17 2010, 19:52:19 UTC 7 years ago

Yay, waking up to book magically in your house!

This was exciting.

amberswansong

February 17 2010, 18:25:38 UTC 7 years ago

I logged into my email this morning and the first subject that met my eyes was Now available: "A Local Habitation: An October Daye Novel" by Seanan McGuire on Amazon.com. Of course the email goes on to say that it won't be released until March 2 (which suggests that Amazon and I have rather different descriptions of "now"), and I am disinclined to order from Amazon anyway, but the product description calls you "a dynamic new fantasy talent" so I'll maybe forgive their liberal interpretations of the truth.

Re: This was exciting.

February 17 2010, 19:52:39 UTC 7 years ago

Woo-hoo! I'm dynamic!

Also twitchy.

meko00

February 17 2010, 18:33:23 UTC 7 years ago

*waits impatiently*

Oh, I commented briefly on Rosemary and Rue in my LJ the other day; it's the top entry.

February 17 2010, 19:52:49 UTC 7 years ago

Oh, yay. <3

ravenclawed

February 17 2010, 18:45:45 UTC 7 years ago

13 days? That's all?! I can't wait to have my pre-ordered copy in my hot little hands.

Congrats on the good review!

February 17 2010, 19:53:02 UTC 7 years ago

That's all. And then people wonder why I'm so twitchy.

lavenderfae9

February 17 2010, 18:48:57 UTC 7 years ago

OK, marking my calendar. When it comes out, I will go to Powell's City of Books in Portland, OR (the best bookstore in the world), and go to all the computers in the store. I'll do a search for it, and leave the search up when I walk away. (It's a game I play there. Perhaps someone will go to the computer after me, and before they begin their search, they will say, "That looks interesting...") Then I will buy my copy, and lock myself away somewhere to read it. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

February 17 2010, 19:53:27 UTC 7 years ago

Powell's is awesome. I only wish it were awesome while being closer.

mskauri

hobbitblue

February 17 2010, 19:22:08 UTC 7 years ago

Wheee, thirteen days!!!

Or, in the UK, April.

Rosemary and Rue was well worth the wait, mind.

February 17 2010, 19:53:40 UTC 7 years ago

Which is good!

scholarinexile

February 17 2010, 19:30:19 UTC 7 years ago

Honestly, I'm having a hard time waiting. I'm so excited- for the book, and for you. :)

February 17 2010, 19:53:48 UTC 7 years ago

Thank you!

February 17 2010, 20:31:18 UTC 7 years ago

Anyone who looks noble and says "I don't care if my book sells well, I just care if it's loved" is either independently wealthy, insane, or messing with you.

I pick "D: All of the above"!!

Congrats on the arrival of REAL BOOKS--I can only imagine how exciting that is!

I have been thinking of you all weekend, my author friend....the current issue of Salem Monthly (online version at www.willamettelive.com and visible to all but me because the IT department has blocked it on all the agency's workstations due to "pornography and adult language") has a column on surviving Zombie attacks. Apparently Max Brooks (author of The Zombie Survival Guide) is coming to speak at the Salem Library on the 27th. So now, when I see "Zombies" I think "Seanan!"

February 17 2010, 21:26:55 UTC 7 years ago

Oh, wow. I wish I could come!

martianmooncrab

February 17 2010, 20:37:36 UTC 7 years ago

sure, he's got goblins and all,

..goblins can be bought ...

February 17 2010, 21:27:03 UTC 7 years ago

True...

February 18 2010, 02:51:39 UTC 7 years ago

I was just online at Barnes & Noble, looking at my wish list. Low and behold there was A Local Habitation with a "ships in 24 hours" line. So I ordered it. We'll see if they go ahead and send it. Keeping fingers crossed.