I've spoken before about my love of fanfic, and how it allows you to do things you can't necessarily do "in canon." One of those things, one of my favorite things, is the alternate universe. What would have happened if Toby had never become a fish? If Thomas had convinced Alice to go back to the Covenant with him, instead of leaving it for her?

If someone else had been the first to die?

I have written an alternate ending to Feed, picking up at what was originally chapter twenty-five. It's called Fed, and I'm very pleased with it, in part because it shows that no, the original ending wasn't the worst possible outcome. This was.

Fed is kindly being hosted by Orbit, thus preventing me from becoming a blibbering mess in the week leading up to the release of Blackout, and for right now, you can download and read by liking the Facebook page they've set up specifically for this purpose. (It's getting a one-week Facebook exclusive for marketing purposes, and I surely would appreciate it if you went and hit the "like" button.) This is full of spoilers, so I recommend against reading it if you haven't read Feed.

Rise up while you can.

And now, the May 2012 current projects post, which makes me a little sad, because I made the April post from Cat's place in Maine, and I am not in Maine now. Oh, well. This is the post in which I tell you what I'm working on, and you finally understand why I don't have time for tea. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout, Ashes of Honor). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

Not everything on this list has been sold. I will not discuss the sale status of anything which has not been publicly announced. Please don't ask.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

10. If you read yesterday's post about ebook distribution around the world, you may want to go back and read it again; I made some pretty hefty edits after having a contract discussion with The Agent, and I think it's more accurate now.

9. While I will not say that Joss Whedon is my master now—I remain too critical for that, and still haven't forgiven him for several things—he has made my two favorite theatrical releases of this year, Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers.

8. Although if we don't get another female hero in the sequel, I am going to be one cranky kitty. I knew that would be an issue for me going in; I was not wrong.

7. We're down to three girls on this season of America's Next Top Model, and I don't hate any of them. What? How can this be? I think the world has been intrinsically damaged by the inanity of this season's "US v. UK" concept.

6. You know what's awesome? Disneyland, that's what's awesome. You know what's better? I'm going there in two weeks, with Vixy. Are we now planning to hit every Disney park in the world? Yes. Yes, we are. Next up, Disneyland Paris.

5. Eleven days to Blackout! Who's excited? I'm excited!

4. If you somehow get an early copy, please don't tell me. There's nothing I can do about it, and it'll just raise my blood pressure. But feel free to post a review. Reviews are awesome.

3. You know what makes everything better? Poison dart frickens make everything better. Look at their tiny technicolor deadliness!

2. Jean Grey is still dead.

1. I'm seeing The Devil's Carnival tonight! Yay!

Hope you're all having a great Friday, and are looking forward to an even greater weekend.

...cmsieg! If I do not receive an email from you by 9:30 PST tonight, I will choose a new winner for the early copy of Blackout!

Please email me. :(

Don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer, 'cause the judge in the town's got bloodstains on his hand, and the two winners of an early copy of Blackout are...

cmsieg
amberswansong

The rules!

You must send an email with your mailing information via my website contact form (mine, not Mira's) within the next twenty-four hours. If you do not, I will be forced to choose another winner. This contest was open only to the US, UK, and Canada. If you do not live in one of those places, please let me know, so I can select another winner.

Your books will be sent by Orbit, not by me. So I just need addresses, and then it's out of my hands.

Congratulations to our winners, and more giveaways to come!

Submitted for by my publisher for your approval...

***

Yesterday, io9 published an excerpt of Blackout, the final book in the Newsflesh trilogy. Today, an intrepid Newsie hacked into the CDC computer system and liberated another file. For this one, though, you'll have to do a little digging...

Below is a puzzle whose answer reveals one of the five codes you'll need to access the second, top-secret document.

( Click here for the party.Collapse )

It's time for the April 2012 current projects post, coming to you live from the wilds of Maine! This is the post in which I tell you what I'm working on, and you finally understand why I don't have time for tea. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout, Ashes of Honor). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

Not everything on this list has been sold. I will not discuss the sale status of anything which has not been publicly announced. Please don't ask.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

The odds are decent that you've seen this by now, if you were online at all this past weekend. But since I'm going to be posting about the Hugos a bit this week, I thought it might be kind of me to put the whole ballot up here for people to review. If you don't need to know, don't click the cut. Life is simple!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Hugo Awards, they are given each year at WorldCon to celebrate the best the science fiction and fantasy fields have to offer. They are voted on (and people are nominated by) the members of the World Science Fiction Society. You can become a member by joining the current year's World Science Fiction Convention.

This is important, and we will talk more about it later. But what you should know right now is a) if you're going to WorldCon, you can vote, and b) if you're not going to WorldCon, but you want to have a say in what we, as a community, recognize, you can obtain the right to vote by purchasing a Supporting Membership to the current WorldCon. Supporting Memberships cost $50, and get you access to the entire electronic Hugo Voter's Packet, which contains all the nominated fiction of the year, as well as other exciting goodies. This is a more than $50 value, grants you the opportunity to find out what we as a community think warranted inclusion on a Top 5 list for the previous year, and lets you be a part of making history.

And now...the ballot.

( Click here if you're curious, or just want the reminder.Collapse )

...and between myself-as-me and myself-as-Mira, I am on the ballot four times. Which is the first time a woman has ever been on the ballot four times in a single year. I'm nominated for...

Best Novel, Deadline.
Best Novella, Countdown.
Best Fancast, The SF Squeecast.
Best Related Work, Wicked Girls.

I am both insanely excited and paralyzed with fear, which means I feel sort of sick to my stomach. Thank you, thank you, thank you a thousand times to everyone who nominated; it means the world to me, and we have made history this year.

Congratulations to all the nominees, especially Jim Hines (Best Fan Writer), Betsy Wolheim (Best Long Form Editor), the voice of Toby, Mary Robinette Kowall (Best Novella), Paul Cornell (Best Novelette) and my beloved Cat Valente (Best Novella). I'll post the full ballot soon, when I get over the twitching and the nausea.

Thank you so much. This is such an honor. I am so lucky. I can't stop crying.

Thank you.

The official notice of sale, ladies and gentlemen:

"Seanan McGuire writing as Mira Grant's Parasitology and Symbiogenesis, a duology of science fiction medical thrillers in the tradition of Frankenstein and Jurassic Park, in which parasites intended to bolster human immune systems rebel against their hosts, along with three novellas set in the universe of the Newsflesh series, to Tim Holman at Orbit, with Tom Bouman editing, by Diana Fox at Fox Literary (World English)."

I think of them as a bit more in the tradition of "The Only Really Neat Thing to Do" and Carnisaur, but that's why I don't write the announcements. The novellas included in this deal are...

"Countdown"
"San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats"
"How Green This Land, How Blue This Sky"

I also sort of want to do "The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell," which is the origin story of a character you haven't met yet, but that's not a part of this deal, which is to say, I have sold two more books as Mira, and three novellas (one of which has already been published), and I am very happy, and you should be, too.

I am very pleased to be able to properly and formally announce that my very first ever book with the awesome Subterranean Press will be coming out this fall. Presenting...

When Will You Rise

This gorgeous hardcover will be 144 pages long, and contains "Countdown," my novella of how the Rising began, as well as the first print edition of "Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box." It will be illustrated, inside and out, by Lauren K. Cannon. Limited to 1,000 copies, all signed, which is also pretty much hammered awesome.

I am so excited about this book. So excited. I hope it does really well and everyone loves it and Subterranean lets me do lots more beautiful books with them, because wow.

When will you rise?

I guess we'll finally know.

Now is the time on Sprockets where we continue trying to murder the link file, in part because the remains of this cold have left me cotton-headed and glassy-eyed. Now is not the time for deep thoughts. Now is the time for links and listlessness. And so...

Look! It's the Salon Futura interview I recorded immediately after winning the Campbell! Just in case you were starting to think I was exaggerating about the size of this file. Sniff. I miss my tiara...

And here's another interview, this time with Fantasy Faction. There were some interesting capitalization and punctuation choices made in the transcription of this interview. Read it, and marvel!

The Guilded Earlobe did seven questions with Mira Grant. Thrill as I defend zombies as being for everybody, not just for the boys, and explain why I should have a tank. You think I should have a tank, don't you?

The wonderful Kenda at Lurv ala Mode had me stop by to explain a bit about surviving Faerie; I may eventually use this format again, because it was disturbingly fun. Seriously. Best guest post ever.

Oh, right, I promised you some reviews. Here's Fantasy Faction's review of Feed, which says, "To be blunt, I find Feed to be one of the best novels about zombies that I have ever read." Moving on! To...

The Fantasy Faction review of Deadline, which says, "I don't think that Grant should have done anything differently with Deadline. This book was amazing, and an excellent continuation of the Newsflesh trilogy. I know that I will be reading this book, and Feed, again before Blackout releases next year. Probably a few times, if I'm to be honest. I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the story, but at the same time I'm so sad for it to come to an end."

I am, too.

And that ends this roundup.

It's the 15th of the month, and that means it's time for the February 2012 current projects post, in which I tell you what I'm working on, and you finally understand why I don't have time for tea. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

People of Earth!

Mira Grant* will be appearing at San Francisco's own Borderlands Books this coming Saturday at 3:00 PM, to celebrate the release of Stephen Blackmoore's awesome new book, City of the Lost. I blurbed it, even! Here's what I said:

"The gritty streets of City of the Lost are filled with snappy dialog, and fascinating characters, as well as a rollercoaster of a plot that doesn't slow down from beginning to end. This is the zombie crime novel we didn't know we were all waiting for."

Stephen will be making his Borderlands debut, and you know you want to come out and make him feel at home. Besides which, this is your opportunity to hear about an awesome new book, hear readings, ask questions, and generally shine a little light of spectacular on the landscape. Borderlands does take requests for signed and personalized copies; both Stephen and I will be happy to sign anything that's put in front of us. Oh, and so will Mira.

Hope to see you there!

(*You know, my somewhat evil—or, I guess, eviler—alter-ego.)

My link file isn't "out of control," it's totally in control...of everything. Including, possibly, the laws of physics. Here is a ten-link roundup focusing on Mira and Mira's books, to try and get the file back down to size. Not that it's going to work.

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Tired cat is tired. Have some links in lieu of actual content.

Hey, what's that at #8 on the Barnes and Noble Book Club list of the best paranormal fantasy releases of 2011? Is it Late Eclipses? Why yes, I do believe that it is.

And what's that at #19 on Ranting Dragon's best fantasy releases of 2011? Is it Deadline? Again, yes, I do believe that it is. Both my personalities get the love!

Meanwhile, over at Chicks With Crossbows, there's some Tybalt-hunting funny business going on. Now, I don't know whether I'd go looking for Tybalt, since if I found him, I might also find Toby, and she might be annoyed about me bothering her resident Cait Sidhe monarch, but I'm glad someone took the risk! Totally hysterical.

Oh, and also, what's that appearing on both best of 2011 lists? Toby books and Newsflesh books, oh, my!

And those are today's links. Real content later.

Welcome to the first current projects post of 2012. That's...daunting. Anyway, these posts are made because I am the gift that keeps on giving, and time is the gift that keeps on taking. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout, Ashes of Honor). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

So, uh. That happened. Deadline—the second installment in the Newsflesh trilogy—has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award. This is a juried award, and, to quote the website, "The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States."

Distinguished science fiction. Screw winning (although naturally I'd like to win; I am only human, and pretending I don't dream of winning the things I'm nominated for seems needlessly coy and a little idiotic): I have been nominated for an award because I wrote something that's regarded as distinguished science fiction.

Dude. What.

Orbit, which has three books in the list of seven, has already posted a gleeful post of gleeful congratulations, which made me feel very loved. I'm seriously over the moon about this.

The full ballot for this year:

The Company Man, Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)
Deadline, Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Other, Matthew Hughes (Underland)
A Soldier’s Duty, Jean Johnson (Ace)
The Postmortal, Drew Magary (Penguin)
After the Apocalypse, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer)
The Samuel Petrovich Trilogy, Simon Morden (Orbit)

I am very excited, and very flattered, and yeah, a little hopeful, because who wouldn't be? This is amazing.

Yay.

Welcome to the final current projects post of 2011. Wow. These posts are made because I am the gift that keeps on giving, and time is the gift that keeps on taking. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout, Ashes of Honor). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

My planned Newsflesh novella for 2012 is a little piece entitled "San Diego 2014: The Last Stand and Final Fall of the California Browncoats." It's the story of what really happened when the Rising came to the San Diego International Comic Convention. Blood will spill, heads will roll, and a wonderful time will be had by all. The story will be set largely in 2014, with some modern-day narration and stitch-together from Mahir Gowda and Lorelei Tutt.

Where do you come in? Well...

The California Browncoats are auctioning off two Tuckerizations in this story, to benefit Equality Now. You can find details, and a link to the auction, in their original post. The first Tuckerization auction is live now; the second will be going live on November 20th.

What do you get if you win? Well:

1. I will write you into the story.
2. You will die horribly.
3. It will be awesome.

Also, if there is ever a printed edition of "San Diego 2014," I will supply two copies to the California Browncoats, signed, to be delivered to the winners of these auctions. This is one of the biggest tragedies in the history of the Newsflesh universe, and you have a chance to be a part of it. Literally. I mean, you can die.

Questions? Ask 'em here! And consider wanting a little zombie mayhem for your holiday season.

Welcome to the November 2011 list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving, and time is the gift that keeps on taking. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

Why cut-tagged? Because I am trying, vainly, to slaughter a little bit more of the standing file, and I think it's unfriendly to make you look at more than five links at a go. (I know that for some of you, these roundups are a necessary evil, and I thank you for your patience. For me, they're housekeeping and a way of putting things where I can find them again if I need them later.)

Reviews!

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I have once again contributed Epic Silliness to the Orbit blog to celebrate a holiday.

Annabel Lee, After the Rising.

Go forth and be amused. And remember, once she's dead, she is no longer your girlfriend.

Blah blah review roundup blah blah links eat world blah blah I will run out of bullets before I run out of reviews. And so...

Ages and ages ago, John Joseph Adams interviewed me about my Newsflesh-universe short story, "Everglades," published in his anthology, The Living Dead 2. It's a fun interview, and he asked some really excellent questions. Check it out.

Pen and Ink, Camera and Keyboard has posted a review of Deadline, and says, "Deadline is a great book, it’s well written and genuinely enthralling." Works for me!

Jordan Wyn has posted a review of Feed, and says, "As with most successful dystopias, Feed takes the world we know and pushes it farther." I, and my love of Orwell, salute you.

The Guilded Earlobe has posted a review of the Deadline audiobook, and says, "Listeners will miss elements of the first novel, particularly the covering of the Ryman campaign, yet will enjoy getting to know some new characters, and finding out more about some old ones. Add to that a lot of great zombie action and a brilliant ending, and readers will be beating down Ms. Grant’s door demanding the finale of the trilogy." Woo!

Underground Reading has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Feed is a great zombie thriller—this already makes it a rarity, and it needs no additional layers of meaning to be a worthwhile read. Ms. Grant uses the setting of politics to create a background of tension and as a vehicle that keep the protagonists moving and motivated. She also uses blogging as a method of getting her protagonists not only involved in the action, but also actively pursuing it. Feed isn't secretly about politics or journalism, it is overtly about zombies. This is one case where we should celebrate a book at face value, without trying to stretch it into anything more." Hee!

And that's it for right now, even though it barely represents a dent in this cursed file. One day, it will eat me.

Welcome to the October 2011 list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving, and time is the gift that keeps on taking. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company. There has been very little change between this month's list and last month's list, as I've been trying to hammer through Ashes of Honor.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

First, the oddity. My friend Jeri Smith-Ready wrote a song to accompany her truly awesome ghosts-and-true love YA novel, Shade. Then she said "I am not a professional lyricist," and let me take a whack at adjusting her lyrical scansion to make it more like a Top 40 alt-rock hit. And then she posted the result, which is basically awesome. Her characters, her world, her words, my helpful hand. I'm like bacon: a little bit goes a long, long way.

Next, the reviews. Tif of Tif Talks Books has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Grant's novel combines a number of realistic elements to the zombie apocalypse, which immediately drew me in. I was pulling for my fellow bloggers, trying to figure out the mystery, but loving the paranormal aspects along the way. The Masons are likeable. The plot was addictive. And, this reader simply could not Feed on the story fast enough!" Hee. Works for me.

Kristi of Books, Yarn, Ink, and Other Pursuits has posted a truly lovely review of One Salt Sea, and says, "I thought that it would be difficult to top Late Eclipses, but I should have known better. This book builds upon everything that Toby has been through the past stories and keeps leading her down the path of change. This is definitely a pivotal book, as relationships with many characters begin, end, and transform. McGuire's ability to make Toby strong and vulnerable shines in One Salt Sea, and her continued relationship with children, her own and others, show the parallels to Toby's own views on her relationships with her mother, her foster families, and the one she is creating around her."

Awesome.

Alisa at The Book Bundle also posted a review of One Salt Sea. It's a great review, but there are no simple pull quotes; you should just give it a read.

Dawn at Absolute Forest of Words has posted a nice Deadline review, and says, "I read Deadline and while not quite the same feel, it's still an amazing book." Warning: the review contains necessary spoilers for Feed.

Finally, for right now, Tia at Tia's Book Musings, has posted a review of Feed. She didn't like the book as much of some of the reviewers, but she has some solid points, and hey, it kept her entertained. Sometimes, that's all a girl can ask for.

More later!

Moshe posted his review of Deadline. He didn't like it very much, which is absolutely his right as a reader, and some of his points as to why he disliked the book are interesting and thought-provoking for me. Most of the time, I don't link to the negative reviews, both because I try to be fairly positive (biosphere ignition and all), and because I don't want to risk accidentally sending a swarm of people over to yell at a reviewer* for being wrong.

(*All reviews are matters of opinion. One man's trash is another man's treasure is a third man's raw materials for their planet-buster earthquake machine. Please do not yell at reviewers, unless the reviewers are saying things like "and this book is so bad that it proves the author likes to microwave kittens." If I am accused of being a kitten microwaving fiend, feel free to step in.)

I did not meet this reviewer's expectations, and my ending did not meet his standards for "this is how a book should end." That is fair, and I am sorry, although I stand by the shape of the story. I do find it interesting that there's often this assumption that a) things are artificially inflated into trilogies, and b) my publisher forced me to end Deadline the way that I did. So I wanted to state two things, for people who may have been wondering:

This was always a trilogy. It's a trilogy not because people expected it to be, but because that was the shape the story took. I started writing Feed (then Newsflesh) as a stand-alone book, and watched as it turned into something longer, a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Acts one, two, and three. We went to Orbit with three books, one finished, one half-finished, and one heavily outlined. The next project I'm planning to undertake as Mira Grant is a duology, rather than the admittedly more marketable trilogy. Why? Because that's the shape of the story.

The ending of Deadline (then The Mourning Edition) was always exactly as written. Why the stress? Because when you read the book, I want you to understand that the book's last line was in the original pitch package. Orbit had absolutely nothing to do with that ending. If anything, they might have encouraged me to provide something a little more concrete, and a little less "now is the time that the house lights come up and we all go to intermission."

The Newsflesh trilogy is a Schwartz musical, not a Sondheim; it's a 1980s horror film, not a 1950s monster mash. That's just how the story is shaped. I'm really sorry if I let any of you down, or if you don't like this shape. But it was my choice, not my publisher's, and it was dictated to me by the way the story needed to go. I will always go the way the story needs to go, even if that way isn't the one that's guaranteed to make the most people happy.

Treasure, trash, or death ray. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Welcome to the September 2011 list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving, and time is the gift that keeps on taking. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Blackout). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

Newsflesh trilogy, final stats.

Start date: September 4th, 2005.
End date: September 2nd, 2011.

Volumes: Three.
Words: 455,814.
Pages: An awful lot.

...so yeah. That happened.

Last night, at approximately 9:15PM, I finished processing the last of the editorial changes to Blackout, and kicked the manuscript off to The Agent for a final typo check. She kicked it back to me this morning, and at approximately 5:21AM, I finished correcting the last of the grammatical and typographical errors. The book is back with her for a final final check, and then it's off to The Other Editor, to begin the process of transforming into something you can read.

It's over.

I have other things to do in this universe, other stories to tell and to enjoy telling, but this story, this trilogy...it's over. I am finished with the Masons. Their tale is done.

I've never finished anything like this before. I feel a little numb and a little scalded and a little overwhelmed, all at once.

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who's read these books, recommended these books, loved these books, hated these books, or interacted with them in any way. Thank you to Michael and Amanda, Kate and GP, Spider and Steve, Alan and Jude, Brooke and Vixy and Bill and Mike and Rae and Sunil and Amy and Cat and...and...and everyone. Just thank you.

Thank you for helping me tell this story. I never could have done it on my own.

Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Thank you for helping me to rise up while I could.

Hey. Remember when I wrote a novella leading up to the release of Deadline, and we called it "Countdown," and everybody had a good time watching the end of the world? Yeah, that was fun. In fact, that was so fun that Orbit wound up purchasing the novella for the Orbit Short Fiction Program, which gave me the luxury of revising and expanding on the original text (since I couldn't really afford the time when I wasn't getting paid for it). Good times.

Well. The times are getting better. Subterranean Press, the publishers of amazing limited-edition, illustrated works of speculative fiction, have acquired the rights to "Countdown," and will be publishing a special hardcover edition of the novella. These books will be limited to a signed and numbered print run of 1,000, and will include both "Countdown" and "Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box" (also previously published by the Orbit Short Fiction Program).

I am so excited. I don't know yet exactly when the books will be available, although believe me, I'll be announcing it as soon as I have any information. They should sell for about $35 USD, and are likely to sell out, if past books from this publisher are anything to measure by. Subterranean does small, beautiful, collector's-quality books, and having an edition from them is something I have dreamed of for years.

Life is good.

I am leaving for the WorldCon in Reno tomorrow, and a little bit horrified by how quickly this year has gone by. Maybe if I started sleeping, time would slow down. Do you think? Yeah, probably not. Oh, well. A girl can dream. Anyway:

Welcome to the August 2011 list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (One Salt Sea, Blackout). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

Hello, everybody, and welcome to my journal. I'm pretty sure you know who I am, my name being in the URL and all, but just in case, I'm Seanan McGuire (also known as Mira Grant), and you're probably not on Candid Camera. This post exists to answer a few of the questions I get asked on a semi-hemi-demi-regular basis. It may look familiar; that's because it gets updated and re-posted roughly every two months, to let folks who've just wandered in know how things work around here. Also, sometimes I change the questions. Because I can.

If you've read this before, feel free to skip, although there may be interesting new things to discover and know beyond the cut.

Anyway, here you go:

( This way lies a lot of information you may or may not need about the person whose LJ you may or may not be reading right at this moment. Also, I may or may not be the King of Rain, which may or may not explain why it's drizzling right now. Essentially, this is Schrodinger's cut-tag.Collapse )

Remember when Feed was named one of NPR's Top 100 Killer Thrillers? So do I. Good times, my friends, good times.

Now NPR is looking for the Top 100 Science Fiction/Fantasy Titles. And the Newsflesh trilogy, by Mira Grant, is on the list.

To be fair, this is a popularity contest. Some amazing books are missing. There's a heavy bias toward titles published in the last five years. But still. Wouldn't it be nice to make the list?

Go ye forth, and vote!

Some of you may remember that I did a series of blog posts "counting down" to the release of Deadline, chronicling the days leading up to the Rising of 2014. Some of you may remember asking me whether there would ever be a collected edition. And, well. Some of you may remember getting my standard "I can't say anything right now" reply of "LOOK! A BUNNY!"

Well, look. A bunny. Or more specifically, look, Countdown: A Newsflesh Novella now available for your e-reading pleasure! Countdown retails for $2.99, and is an awesome opportunity to have more Kellis-Amberlee goodness for your very own.

Click here to go to the official Orbit Short Fiction page for Countdown.
Click here to go to Amazon, and the Kindle store.
Click here to go to Barnes and Noble, and the Nook store.
Click here to go to the iBook store.

Now, some people will doubtless ask why they should pay for this when they can (and possibly have) read it for free on my blog. They may not ask me directly, 'cause we're normally more civil than that around here, but I'm going to answer anyway. There are four really good reasons.

1. This is a professionally formatted file, with all thirty days in the same place. No clicking, scrolling, or getting lost in my occasionally quixotic tag system. Basically, it's three dollars for total convenience.

2. I said a few times while writing the original series of posts that errors would creep in because writing live left me no time to go back and revise. Well, the luxury of Countdown becoming something I was paid for allowed me to go back, edit, adjust, and correct a lot of things, some little, some big. It also got a pass through the Machete Squad, making it a much higher-quality work.

3. The novella I want to do next year for Blackout is much larger and more ambitious, and it's really going to need those editorial revisions to be as good as I want it to be. The sales of Countdown will encourage Orbit to buy The Rising 2014: The Last Stand and Final Fall of the California Browncoats.

4. My cats like to eat. My cats like to eat a lot. My cats will, eventually, if unfed, eat me. If the cats eat me, I stop writing. If I stop writing, everyone will be sad. Except for me, as I will have been eaten. Buying Countdown helps me shove gooshy food into the fluffy monsters, and allows me to remain uneaten.

Countdown!

(If you have links to other ebook stores, please kick them over, and I'll add them.)

So here's the deal:

Every time I let my link list get away from me, it gets a little more away from me than it did the last time. At first, it wasn't making it out of the yard, and now it's halfway to Tijuana, and I think it took the car. This will not stand. So while I have a usual rule of "five links to a roundup, to keep things from getting vile," this time, I'm doing fifteen links, and I'm doing them behind a cut-tag. Otherwise, you'll be seeing the One Salt Sea reviews hitting the top of the list right around the time Ashes of Honor comes out, and how useful is that?

If you like the review roundups, click away, and if you don't, don't. I'll have a less review-y post in a little bit.

( Clicky for review goodness and lots of fun!Collapse )

Ah, July. When a fan girl's thoughts turn to sweet San Diego, city of a thousand delights, fairy tale wonderland of geeky goodness...at least for a week. We roll into town like the biggest circus ever, make a huge mess, drink all the rum in the county, and then disappear, leaving city coffers fuller and city children more confused. It's a good life. And now, now...now I tell you where to find me.

No Damsels in Distress Here. Thursday, 4-5 PM.
Chicks kick ass! According to the panel description, "danger just might be these girls' middle name." (Toby's middle name is actually "Christine.") Come see me trade barbs and witty banter with Marie Lu, Kathy Reichs, Chloe Neill, Jeanne Stein, Merrie deStefano, Carrie Vaughn, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 25ABC.

Note: The panel will be immediately followed by an autographing session in the autograph area.

Orbit booth signing. Friday, 11-12PM.
Hey, look, it's Mira Grant! I'll be at the Orbit booth on Friday morning, eleven to noon, signing books. Perhaps your books. Perhaps someone else's books. Don't you want to find out?

Writing the Apocalypse. Friday, 4-5 PM.
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine, yo. Also, my name is listed first on this panel description, which is a San Diego first for me. Yay! Come see me argue the end times with Thomas Mullen, Anna North, Walter Greatshell, Richard Kadrey, Daniel Wilson, Isaac Marion, and Steven Schlozman. Maryelizabeth Hart is moderating. Fear for her soul. Room 7AB.

Note: The panel will be immediately followed by an autographing session in the autograph area.

Penguin booth signing. Saturday, 12-1PM.
How many things can I sign in a weekend? I'll be at the Penguin booth Saturday from noon to one, signing things as my actual self. You should totally show.

SFX booth signing. Sunday, 11-12PM.
SFX Magazine makes me happy, so I'm going to make them happy by being their trained booth monkey for an hour. I will sign things! I will smile! Maybe I will sign your things! This is your last chance to catch me in an official capacity this year, so you should take it. I'm just saying.

And that's San Diego! Hope to see you there.

Date started: September 14th, 2010.
Date finished: July 10th, 2011.

Total words: 165,481.
Total pages: 605.
Total chapters: Forty.

Well, that's that. It's done. Three books. More than three years. My first finished series. And while this is only the first draft, it will go quickly through the next few cycles, becoming a finished book in the time it takes to blink. And then it will be over.

Mira Grant was born after this series. Newsflesh became Feed; a standalone became a trilogy; "that zombie novel Seanan keeps threatening to write" became the book that would get me nominated for a Hugo award. The Masons and their friends and their enemies and the science and the politics and the zombies, it all became...

It became...

It became so much bigger than I ever dreamed it was going to become. I am so grateful. I am so sad that it's over.

Alive or dead, the truth won't rest.

Rise up while you can.

Must. Post. Reviews. Must. Not. Drown in links. So here:

Man in Black Reviews has posted a fabulous review of Deadline, and says, "I commented that the Newsflesh trilogy opening was one of the better novels I have read in several years, that it had nowhere up left to go, and that the second novel, Deadline, would have no choice but to go down. I come here today to eat those words, because Deadline goes anywhere but down hill." Woo!

Blogcritics has also posted a lovely review of Deadline, and says, "Grant takes the political intrigue of Feed and ratchets it up to 11 to a stunning conclusion in Deadline. And we can only hope that the next book of the trilogy—Blackout—serves to answer some of the questions asked in the first two books. The only bad part is we have to wait a while for those answers when Blackout is released in May 2012. I'm not sure I can wait another year!!" Neither am I!

Everything's better with Feed, right? Well, Alysha De Shae has posted a lovely review of Feed. There are no real pull quotes this time, but it's a good, solid review, and I appreciated it.

Our friends at Geek Speak Magazine have posted an awesome review of Feed, and say, "I’ve lost count of how many people I have recommended this book to, and/or bought this book for. Twenty? Thirty? Fifty? Maybe more. It is just one of those rare books you start to read and then just cannot stop, no matter what else is happening in your life that demands your immediate attention. You. Cannot. Stop. And then, when you come to the end of it, you’re all like HOLY FUCK, did that just really happen? That was INCREDIBLE!" Also: "There is not a zombie story anywhere that compares to Feed. For mine, it is the single best genre book of last year, bar none."

Sniffle.

I can't top that review right now, and so I won't even try. Here. Go listen to me hanging out on the Orbit podcast, instead.

More soon.

Hey! It's time once more for Science Fiction in San Francisco, the game where the rules are made up and the points don't matter! This Saturday, July 9th, at the Variety Preview Room Theatre in San Francisco, California. Doors open at 6:00PM, readings begin at 7:00PM. Who's going to be there? John "I am so damn cool, I wrote songs for Blue Oyster Cult" Shirley, and Mira "Who wants to find out what's lurking in the haunted cornfield?" Grant. To quote the Mira bio from the website:

"Mira Grant may or may not have attended SF in SF before. She is the evil twin of local urban fantasy writer, Seanan McGuire, who shot to fame last year by winning the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer at the WorldCon in Australia. More recently Mira's personality has crept to the fore. Her debut science fictional zombie tale, Feed, has received nominations for Best Novel in the Shirley Jackson and Hugo awards. Rumors that Mira has kidnapped Seanan and plans to torture her to death in various slow and painful ways are hotly denied by her publicist (but then he's a demon and does everything hotly). Mira's new novel, Deadline, a sequel to Feed, is currently available in bookstores and summoning circles for appropriate payment."

See how awesome this event is? I get a DEMON PUBLICIST. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to find out that he's been outed to the world by a local literary event. Hopefully "thrilled" won't involve cleansing us with fire.

Readings will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Terry Bisson. Admission is free, but there will be a cash bar, with all proceeds benefiting Variety. There will also be book sales courtesy of the ever-awesome Borderlands Books. Support a good cause and a local bookstore and see me read live! Fun for everybody!

Hope to see you there!

I am officially too tired to brain. Wait, no; that's not entirely true. I am too scatter-pants to brain. I need more sleep, but I'm also trying to think about like twenty things at the same time, which doesn't help with the braining. Someone come over and give me a booster shot of single-mindedness, because I am out.

Anyway, here, have some interviews I've done recently, because they're fun.

Ramblings of a Teenage Novelist is a relatively new blog, and demonstrated "if you don't ask, you don't get" by requesting an interview about the Mira Grant books. I was glad to oblige, and some awesome questions got asked! Check it out.

Remember the whole thing with Feed being up for a Shirley Jackson Award and me being basically dead of amazed? Well, here's my official interview for the award site, about suspense and research and plausibility. I squealed when I got the request. It made the nomination way more real.

Amazon Omnivoracious posed some excellent questions about the world of Newsflesh, which I was happy to answer. It's hard doing the interview circuit right around the time of a book release; I keep needing to find new things to say. Go see if I succeeded.

Finally, not quite a review, but: Georgia Mason made io9's list of the Top Ten Investigative Reporters from Science Fiction and Fantasy. They're from the future, you know. Them liking me melts my blackened little serial killer heart.

Now can I have a nap?

The links. Oh sweet Great Pumpkin, the links. And now it's time for another review roundup, because I'd like to eventually be able to view my entire link soup on a single screen again. (Like that's ever going to happen.)

First up, an absolutely fucking amazing review of Deadline from Paul Goat Allen at the Barnes & Noble Book Club. Paul says:

"While I impatiently awaited the release of the second Newsflesh novel, Deadline, I knew that it probably wouldn’t be as jaw-droppingly extraordinary and satisfying as Feed—middle volumes are generally the least satisfying installments in trilogies, at least for me.

"I'm happy to report that I was wrong.

"Deadline cranks everything up to volume 11. The mythical conspiracy that Shaun and his team are striving to uncover expands to mind-boggling proportions. The pacing is breakneck, desperate, and the action is literally nonstop throughout—and that’s saying something for a 582-page book! Major characters die. Entire cities are wiped out. The end of the world approaches..."

I call this review a win, no?

With Regards has also posted a lovely Deadline review, and says, "That, my friends, is the trademark of a good novel. When a person will, quite literally, debate on whether or not having dinner is as important as reading the next chapter...Well, you know you've written a damned good story. Deadline is a fantastic novel that I cannot praise highly enough."

When I make people late for dinner, I call that an unquestionable win.

From an unexpected and awesome corner comes this joint review of Feed and Deadline from fellow Hugo nominee Howard Tayler of Schlock Mercenary. Howard says, "I loved Feed. The story isn't really about the zombies. It's about some bloggers who get hired to cover a presidential candidate. The zombies in this tale are more like wallpaper. That moves. And then tries to eat your face. Okay, the book IS about the zombies, but there's ever so much more to it than that. And Deadline? EVEN BETTER." Duuuuuuuuuuude.

For our LJ review of the day, have this short, sweet review from chaiya. No pull quotes, but some lovely sincerity, and a very nice review overall. Thank you!

Finally (for right now) here's The Word Zombie sounding out on Deadline. Quote: "With Feed, Mira Grant established herself as a major new voice in zombie fiction. With Deadline, she proves that 'zombie' is a superfluous addition to that accolade. Without the subtlety of her storytelling, the layers of conspiracy at the heart of this book would have ripped apart like so many sheets of rice paper. Instead, she parceled out the story with the literary timing of Stephen King at his best, while managing to do what King has suffered with so much in recent years—tying the story together in the end and leaving the reader with an emotional punch akin to being hit in the chest with a Taser."

...whoa. I'm, uh, just going to leave things there for right now.

And go call my Mom.

Well, I promised two copies of Deadline and one set of promotional buttons, to be given out via random number generator. The numbers have been generated, and the random has spoken. Your winners are...

Deadline winner #1: briargrey!
Deadline winner #2: arison!

And the winner of the buttons is...

irish_ais!

If you have won a prize, please contact me with your mailing information via my website contact form by noon PST on Sunday, June 19th. Anyone who does not contact me will have their prize given to someone else. Sorry about that.

Thanks to everyone who played, and watch for more giveaways coming very soon!

Nothing says "hooray for Thursday" like a review roundup. No, really. It's a totally unique way of saying "hooray for Thursday." Anyway...

The Devourer of Books has posted a Deadline review, and says, "As in Feed, the zombies are not the point, but more a part of the setting, telling a story of news, blogs, politics, and the culture of fear. It is this that makes the Newsflesh series so successful for me. Grant is using her zombie setting to tell us all a story about ourselves." Woo!

Here's something new: a Feed review posted at the Game Vortex, which says, "It is probably the best novel that I've read in years and I read more than a book a week. The real genius of the novel is that yes, it is a horror novel, but the horror is not because of the zombies. The real horror is found in the human beings that are left in the world and their actions upon each other." Awesome.

...and hey, look, it's the Game Vortex review of Deadline. This one says, "As I said about Feed, it is probably one of the best novels that I have read in years. Deadline picks up right there and continues the amazing story. When I got to the end of Deadline, I really did not want to believe that it was over. Now, I cannot wait for the next novel, Blackout." It's nice not to disappoint.

Flights of Fantasy has posted a Deadline review, and says, "If you loved Feed, I strongly advise you pick up Deadline, ASAP. It’s a good read. I finished it, cover to cover in about a day and a half or so. And if you haven’t read Feed, go pick it up." That works for me!

Finally for today, here's the Fantasy Magazine review of Feed, which says, "The sibs are entertaining company, their thoroughly extrapolated post-apocalyptic world is a terrific setting, the SF zombies are skillfully rationalized, the body count is high, and the plot delivers some unexpected twists." Rock and roll.

Rock and roll and zombies.

Item the first: remember that I currently have a random-number giveaway for Deadline and some swag gathering entries. I'll be picking my three winners tomorrow. For details on how to enter and what you can potentially win, please see the post I've linked above. Go ahead. I can wait.

Item the second: this has literally been sitting in my link soup for a year, waiting for me to find something that makes it topical. As I have failed, I am now providing the link in isolation, because it amuses me. Moshez comments on zombies and weapons, and why my Horror Survival FAQ is sometimes sub-optimal. Join me in giggling.

Item the third: while I'm linking to random crap that makes me smile, here. Have the Animal Review review of the deep sea anglerfish. They give the anglerfish an overall F for being horrifying and upsetting and not really very friendly at all. Amusingly enough, these are all the reasons I give the anglerfish an overall A. For AWESOME.

Item the fourth: I can't remember if I ever actually linked to these, despite their being, you know, mad awesome, so here. Have a link to some absolutely gorgeous icons that were made using lyrics from my latest album, Wicked Girls. The icons, which are by snowishness, cannot help but make me happy, and so I am sharing them with you.

Item the fifth: Megan Lara's art is pure hammered awesome.

Item the sixth: I managed to find the Dead Tired Frankie Stein doll last night, which means a) I now have all the individual Dead Tired dolls except for Cleo De Nile, who I'm hoping to find this weekend, b) everyone at my local Toys R Us knows me on sight, and c) I am a total nerd. I am, thus far, a total nerd who has managed to resist the lure of the ball-jointed Soom doll, however, so I'm calling this a win for me, even as I call it a loss for my shelf space.

Item the seventh: I am so tired it physically hurts. I have to sleep tonight, or I'm just going to dissolve off my own bones like an overcooked chicken or one of those airline passengers in the first episode of Fringe. I didn't sleep at all on Tuesday night, and last night was our first really hot night of the summer, so the cats kept waking me up to freak out. Please play nicely today, as I may start to tremble and cry otherwise.

What's news with you?

Who likes free stuff? I know I do! Plus I just got my author's copies of the North American edition of Deadline, which is gorgeous and makes me happy. Also I have a fantastic book trailer. So how can I combine these things?

Like this.

I am giving away two signed copies of the North American edition of Deadline to people who watch and link to the book trailer. To enter, do the following:

1. Watch the trailer, because it is awesome. If you have a YouTube account, you can also leave a comment to let Lauren, who did the graphic design, know how awesome it is. This is optional.

2. Link to the trailer. Blog, Facebook, Twitter, bathroom wall graffiti (although in that case, I want a picture).

3. Comment here letting me know that you have done both things.

...and that's all. I'll pick two winners via random number on Friday, and then? Wonderful goodness can be arriving in your mailbox! North American entries only, please, unless you're willing to pay some of the postage; shipping books outside the continent is just too expensive for me right now. :( I'm sorry about that.

But wait, there's more. I will pick a third winner, also by random number, and they will receive an exclusive button set—one each of the Feed and Deadline buttons made by Orbit for handing out at conventions. Not sold in any store! Totally spiffing!

Oh, and because this trailer launched last week, step #2 can absolutely be retroactive. So if you already blogged or Tweeted or whatever, just let me know, and I'll enter you in the drawing. Not that I'd object to your doing it again, but my goal here is not spamming the internet, because spamming the internet makes people sad and bitey.

You know what comes next:

GAME ON!

I received an email this morning that said, very politely, that while the writer loved my books and had enjoyed them greatly, they were no longer a fan and would not be buying any of my work in the future. Okay, fair enough. Why?

Because Deadline doesn't have a proper ending, and they don't want to encourage this behavior from publishers.

Okay. Look: if your definition of "proper ending" is "the story is over, and I can walk away satisfied and never need to read another volume," then no, Deadline doesn't have a proper ending. I have often said that the only time it's appropriate to end on a cliffhanger is in the second book of a trilogy, and Deadline ends on a pretty major cliffhanger. I can't apologize for that. It's the nature of the trilogy structure that part two will often end on a cliffhanger, and is allowed to do so. I don't end series books on cliffhangers; the Toby books, and the InCryptid books, all have solid, closed endings. I try to make sure there's always more story, but you can still walk away if you need to. This book is not those books.

Let me be clear: Deadline has an ending. There is a point where it ceases to be Deadline, and becomes Blackout, and that point is where the book ends. The Newsflesh trilogy is three books long, and those books are intrinsically linked, but each of them begins, and ends, at a certain place. The thrust and mood and structure of each volume is different, and when you pick up Blackout, you'll be reading a very different book, even if Deadline ended with some pretty major questions unanswered. I didn't pick that end point arbitrarily. I picked it because that was where the story of Deadline ended, and the story of Blackout began.

I completely understand and appreciate frustration over unanswered questions, unfinished measures, and endings that don't appear to end. And I also understand why some people have chosen to buy Deadline and put it on the shelf to wait for Blackout. I wrote back to the person who emailed me and said that I was sorry, I hadn't done it to increase sales or because my publisher made me; I ended the story where I did because that was where the story ended. And I stand by that.

Deadline may not have a "proper" ending.

But it has the right one.

So it turns out that even being deathly ill doesn't stop the world from continuing to produce awesome things, and that's what we're talking about right now. Specifically, we're talking about the part where Orbit has created an absolutely stunning book trailer for the Newsflesh series—and if you watch to the very end, you might catch a sneak peek at the cover for Blackout! Watch the video, spread links, tell your friends. Let's go VIRAL.

Seriously, this is my first book trailer, and if I weren't so damn sick, I'd be jumping around and screaming. Please, please, check it out, spread it around, and see if we can't convince my publisher that I should always get these. Because they're awesome.

Once you've seen the trailer, why not gussy up your computer with a little bit of home-brewed awesome in the form of icons and wallpapers from the Mira Grant website, created by the ever-fabulous Miss Tara? The site itself is about to get some pretty massive updates (they were planned for this week, and then I slept for two days), but the icons and wallpapers are fresh and sweet and waiting for you right now.

Not quite the same, but semi-related, you can read my thoughts on California's recent unseasonable rains and how they relate to writing speculative fiction at Larissa's Bookish Life, where a guest blog I wrote for her has been posted. It's not as visually striking as the first two items on our list, but hey, I managed to make it vaguely applicable, right?

Oh, and hey, the Blog Critics include Feed in an article on dystopias, alongside 1984 and The Hunger Games. I directed a stage production of 1984 in high school. Seeing my book in a graphic with that book is like...whoa. I win the universe.

That's all for now. I'm going back to bed.

Words: 4,226.
Total words: 146,291.
Estimated words remaining: 4,000.
Reason for stopping: I am sick even unto death.
Music: really, really LOUD rock and roll.
Cats: Alice, flat on the lower tier of the cat tree; Lilly, on the windowsill; Thomas, on the top level of the cat tree.

As expected, I did not finish the book today. Also as expected, the book is going to run a little over my first draft estimate, putting us, oh, probably closer to 155,000 than 150,000 words. That's fine. Soon, I will finish this draft, process my pending edits, and ship the whole messy thing off to the patient Machete Squad for hacking into bits.

I am truly and genuinely almost done with my first series as Mira Grant. I am getting ready to write "THE END" on this huge, sprawling, amazing story. I am delighted. I am terrified.

I am also sick even unto death, so I'm going to go sleep now.

Words: 7,639.
Total words: 142,065.
Estimated words remaining: 8,000.
Reason for stopping: I'm tired, and it's time for bed.
Music: really, really LOUD rock and roll.
Cats: Alice, eating; Lilly, loafing on the bed; Thomas, eating

On an average work night, I write between 2,000 and 4,000 words, along with assorted edits, emails, and the rest.

I have an estimated 8,000 words to go in this book. That is, essentially, two days of work. Now, I'm not actually going to finish Blackout on Wednesday; I have edits to process, and the first draft will almost certainly run 3,000 to 8,000 words long, giving me lots of room to go back and cut things that are repetitive or turn out not to be necessary. But I'll hit the point where everything becomes gravy sometime this week. Even with the event this weekend, even with Amy and Wes showing up on Friday, I'm almost there.

It's a weird feeling, sort of pride and terror all tangled up together. A lot of people are reserving judgement on the trilogy as a whole based on this book. If it's not good, they're going to be disappointed in me. So I have to stick this landing like it's the fucking Olympics, and I need to do it with style and grace. It's scary. It's amazing. It's the reason I write books, rather than sticking with stories that come out quicker and clearer and don't bleed on my floor quite as much.

We're almost there.

Now that you've had about a week to read and enjoy Deadline (and to jump in over on the spoiler thread, which is rocking and rolling like whoa), it's time for a party! Specifically, it's time for a Borderlands Books party, which are some of the best parties in the world.

Since this is a Mira Grant party, it's going to be somewhat more low-key than a Toby release. We'll have readings, signings, Q&A, and, of course, cupcakes. The festivities will begin at 5:00 PM, and continue until 8:00 PM, with cupcakes served at 6:30, to divide the evening. Which brings me to...

The first Q&A will be held from 6:00-6:30 PM, and it will be a spoiler-free session. I'll repeat that before we start. Some people still haven't read Feed, and I'd like them to have the chance to get in, say hello, grab books, get a cupcake, and run without having the ending of the book spoiled for them.

If you can't make it, remember that the bookstore does take internet and phone orders, and I'd be happy to sign and personalize anything they have on hand. You can find contact details on the bookstore website.

Hope to see you there!