When will you rise?: seanan

When will you rise?

...quite soon, actually. Like, in a month. Actually, like, in twenty-nine days. (That's twenty-nine days if you believe the date I got from my publisher, IE, "May 1st." Everyone else seems to think the book comes out on April 27th. I am choosing to continue believing May 1st, because at least that's two months after my last book release, not one month after my last book release, and implies that I might have had the opportunity to take a nap in the interim.)

I am terrified, elated, and a whole bunch of other things that are surprisingly difficult to describe. See, Feed was a thought experiment. It was my game of "What if...?" What if the zombie apocalypse happened...and we lived? What if society had to restructure itself around the idea that the dead will always walk? What if this wasn't going to go away? What if?

I walked around for years with a zombie world and no zombie story. I tinkered with the ecology when I got bored, working out dozens of things that will never make it into the novels (as I lack a naturalist protagonist), but which combined to make a deeper, more convincing reality when I finally started really having a party there. I periodically bitched to my more understanding friends about how I had this truly awesome world, all full of zombies and personal firearms and stuff, and no story to tell there.

Then my friend Micheal Ellis said "Well, why don't you write about a Presidential campaign?"

And it all happened from there.

I'm sure I've told this story here before, because I've told this story a lot. But I'm still so grateful, and so overjoyed, that there are no words. I love the Masons, and my weird journalistic world, and everything else about this series, and for all that I am girl, paralyzed by fear, I really am unbelievably excited that you're going to get to meet them all.

One month 'til the Rising. Wow. It's been a long time coming.

beccastareyes

April 2 2010, 14:59:51 UTC 7 years ago

New comment

Well, if this is successful, you could always write a book in the same universe about biologists.

seanan_mcguire

April 2 2010, 15:16:10 UTC 7 years ago

More likely to be short stories, at this point; I think three 500+ page books in that universe is enough, for now.

7 years ago

rhoda_rants

April 2 2010, 15:06:03 UTC 7 years ago

Okay, the more you tell us about "Feed," the more excited I get to read it. And if it's coming out May 1st, I can totally get it for my birthday!! (My birthday's actually April 30th, but someone always gets me a Borders giftcard.)

April 2 2010, 15:16:21 UTC 7 years ago

Awesome!

archangelbeth

April 2 2010, 15:49:47 UTC 7 years ago

You know, every time you unpack more of the Feed universe, I go, "OH! Yeah, I really must get this book." I mean, first I'm planning to pick it up 'cause "anyone who wrote [assorted songs I love] gets a chance or six when she writes a book," but... A Presidental campaign, a background of "the dead rise, and we persevere"... Is cool!

April 2 2010, 17:28:19 UTC 7 years ago

Hee, yay.

vixyish

April 2 2010, 16:01:22 UTC 7 years ago

Strangely, I've never heard this story before. I think probably since I declared "I Don't Do Horror (tm)" early on, you filter a bit when you talk to me.

Except the more I hear about it (not just from you, from the proofers too) the more I think it's probably horror I *could* do, after all. :)

April 2 2010, 17:29:15 UTC 7 years ago

Yeah, it was one of those moments that was like OH MY GOD I AM AN IDIOT I LOVE YOU OH MY GOD.

That's why the virus is "Kellis-Amberlee." His name is Michael K. Ellis. And yeah, I do think this is horror you could do; the focus is much more clinical than gory.

tibicina

catnip13

lostwind

April 2 2010, 16:07:17 UTC 7 years ago

To Rhoda Rants: Same Birthday, same plan!
To Vixyish: I think this is the right type of horror for people who don't "do horror", because your mind will instead follow the political thriller mystery plot, and the characters and world and plot are so well written.
To Seanan: I AM SO EXCITED! I've already started plotting with the husband to get as many of our friends to read it, just so we have people to geek over it with. SQUEEE!

April 2 2010, 16:33:06 UTC 7 years ago

April Taureans Unite--Huzzah!

moshez

April 2 2010, 16:52:47 UTC 7 years ago

"Feed" is awesome, and I can't wait for the chance to get my friends addicted to it :)
I liked the zombies. I liked the "presidential campaign" bits. But I *loved* your take on the future of journalism and blogging. This is the sort of book that I use as an example for "why I like sci-fi and fantasy": it uses the sci-fi/fantasy bits to portray the true nature of the world in stark, clear colors.
Here's to a successful book launch :)

April 2 2010, 17:30:01 UTC 7 years ago

Here's hoping!

snowcoma

April 2 2010, 17:15:01 UTC 7 years ago

Considering that you're the only author thusfar to write about Faerie politics in a way I found pleasant to read, I think your human politics are going to wow me.

Also, my birthday is in May, so I view this as getting zombies for my 22nd. Huzzah!

April 2 2010, 17:30:34 UTC 7 years ago

Awesome! I think this will be a gift that makes you happy. :)

popelizbet

April 2 2010, 17:21:53 UTC 7 years ago

I have law school dudes who were laboring under the misapprehension that girls don't dig zombies awaiting this book with eagerness. :D

April 2 2010, 17:31:09 UTC 7 years ago

Oh, won't they be surprised...

April 2 2010, 19:36:35 UTC 7 years ago

Pfft. Silly boys, what do they know? They probably think girls don't dig comic books or superheroes either.

mkellis

April 2 2010, 21:54:04 UTC 7 years ago

Hey, I'm looking forward to it, too.

(To be fair, Seanan caught me on a day when I had been reading Hunter S. Thompson's 'Song of the Sausage Creature', and while Zombies and motorcycles go well together, I was thinking zombies and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' might be even better. Thus, zombies + politics.)

April 3 2010, 14:50:48 UTC 7 years ago

And wow, am I glad I did.

gorgeousgary

April 3 2010, 00:14:17 UTC 7 years ago

I can tell I'm going to be writing a biiiiiiiig check to Larry Smith at Balticon! 8-)

April 3 2010, 14:51:05 UTC 7 years ago

Hooray!

arison

April 5 2010, 03:01:48 UTC 7 years ago

Words do not describe how excited I am to know that pretty soon, I'll be able to walk into a bookstore and grab Feed off the shelf.
This is better than Christmas, my birthday and Halloween rolled into one. No contest.