Words: 10,262.
Total words: 43,795.
Reason for stopping: finished chapter nine, and it is so time for bed.
Music: random shuffle, lots of country music. THE MUSIC OF PAIN.
Cats: Alice, a large blue lump on the floor; Lilly, unknown; Thomas, a long blue line on the bed.

So four days ago I went "yay, I'm over 100 pages, yippee for me." Today, I am going "I am now over 150 pages, dude, what the fuck." (153 pages, to be precise.) I have finally hit the point where the book basically writes itself, and I have to type as fast as I can, just to catch up. This is the stage where I make the most fascinating word-substitution typos, the ones my spell check can't catch but my early readers thankfully can. (Tonight's gems include "assistance" for "assistants," and "dune" for "done.") This will last another 20,000 words or so, before I reach the bottom of the hill and have to start forcibly dragging myself upward again. And I can live with that.

In "my brain is an ecosystem" news, I got my editorial letter for One Salt Sea today. I'd been expecting it sometime this month, which is part of why I've been writing with such frantic focus, since Blackout will now need to take a backseat to revisions on the fifth Toby book, at least for a few weeks. But there's no way I'm going to let work stop completely. I couldn't, even if I wanted to; the book has too much momentum, and it's going to drag me along with it, whether I want to go or not.

I'm so amazed that we're finally here. I never dreamed we'd make it this far.

When will you rise?

Words: 10,302.
Total words: 24,343.
Reason for stopping: chapter five is finished! And everyone rejoices.
Music: mostly my own latest album. I'm not sick of it yet, which is a good sign.
Cats: Alice, eating; Lilly, in my underwear drawer; Thomas, making chirping noises at me.

I'm done with chapter five! More importantly, I've broken 20,000 words, and I'm rapidly approaching the magic 100 page mark! For me, that's when a book stops messing around, and shit starts getting real in a big, big hurry.

This book is moving more slowly than I expected, because it's a big jigsaw of loose ends and necessary connections, and I absolutely want to stick this landing. I don't think I've ever wanted a book to be amazing quite as much as I want this one to be amazing. I want to finish the first draft and go "Whoa, did I write that?" I want to love it, because it's the last block of time I get to spend with the Masons. This is where it ends. This is where I put my huge, messed-up zombies-and-politics epic to bed.

And to think it all started in Micheal's kitchen.

Thanks, Michael.

Blah blah links, blah blah drowning, blah blah I wanna go watch iCarly with the cats. So here is your super-rapid-fire review roundup, mostly Feed, some others.

On the Brink of Insanity has posted a Feed review, and says, "The science level explanations for the virus is amazingly well done. Grant made the possibility of a viral outbreak that actually creates zombies seem very real. I also really enjoyed the details given about the character's living conditions and the new technology and how one goes about surviving in a nation filled with zombies and what freedoms people are willing to give up to stay alive."

Dawn of the Lead has also reviewed Feed, and says, "For me, World War Z has always—since I read it, that is—been THE zombie novel. That position is now heavily contested by Mira Grant's Feed, the first part of her Newsflesh trilogy." Dude, win.

Post Whatever has posted a Feed review, and says, "Feed bucked my vision of what a zombie story would be. Sure, there were gory undead running around, along with super-charged security to help keep the living alive, but I didn’t expect to find a political campaign and an engaging conspiracy theory inside this book, regardless of what the cover blurb said."

Remember Sparrow Hill Road? Well, Rise Reviews has reviewed the last issue of The Edge of Propinquity to feature our darling Rose, and says, "'Thunder Road' of Seanan McGuire's Sparrow Hill Road series is far and away the best piece in this issue of TEOP. And for anyone who enjoys darkly all-American fare, this series is very satisfying to read." All of Sparrow Hill is available to read for free, in the archives!

Here's something you haven't seen in a while: a review of A Local Habitation, posted by Lesley W.'s Book Nook. Lesley says, "I loved this. Not quite as much as the first in the series, but it's definitely one of my favorite books of the year. October is an imperfect heroine. She makes mistakes, she's obtuse about some things. I think she wants to do the right thing, though, but she knows that that can come with a heavy price." Rock on!

That's about what I have time for right now. I'm going to go feed the cats.

The trouble with having little spiders that wander around the Internet looking for reviews is that I wind up with a lot of reviews. And once I have them, I want to post them, because that is how my brain is wired. And then? Then I drown in a sea of links.

Travels Through Iest has chosen Feed as a favorite read of 2010. To quote, "Feed is a zombie apocalypse novel mixed with political thriller. It sounds insane and it kind of is, but it's well written, cleverly realised with a remarkably believable future world." Go team insanity!

Oh, hey, and the Word Zombie also chose Feed as a favorite read of 2010. To quote, "This is that rare combination of a great story, that also happens to be a great zombie story." Hooray!

Vampires and Tofu (another great blog name!) has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Feed is a wonderful story of zombies, social commentary, politics, religion and the struggle to hold onto the ideals of a nation. It is intelligent and heartbreaking and don't be surprised if you find yourself shedding a tear when you read it." This works for me.

To give you an idea of how long it's taking me to clear the link lists these days, here's a Halloween plug for Feed from Pretty In Dayton, who says, "Primarily, this was just a fun read. But it is the first book that I have read that centered on zombies that made me cry. Yes I'm a sap, but I don't usually cry when reading books. I enjoyed the characters very much. And you know, since it's a zombie book, people die. Apparently this book is to be a series (Newsflesh). I can't wait to read what comes next!" And I can't wait for you to read it.

And here's an SFReader Forum review of Feed, which says, "I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys zombies, political thrillers, or anything along those lines from the fiction section. It reminds me most strongly of Stephen King's novels, although it is not a rip-off of any of Stephen King's books."

Any review roundup that ends with a Stephen King comparison is a good review roundup from my perspective. Later!

Words: 4,014.
Total words: 14,041.
Reason for stopping: chapter four is finished at last.
Music: everyone else in the house playing Rock Band.
Cats: back in California, one hopes.

I have finished the fourth chapter of Blackout! After cooking a large dinner for everybody, making my Rock Band 3 character, processing some edits, writing two bios, recording a children's show about vegetables, and chopping up ALL THE THINGS. Basically, I am Superwoman.

I am in Seattle. Seattle is a good place to be.

Now, back to Midnight Blue-Light Special!

So people are stating to post their "best of..." lists for 2010. Heck, I'm even doing it, and I'm frequently the last person to notice that the bandwagon is rolling through the center of my town. Much to my surprise and delight, Feed is showing up on a few of those lists, which is sort of like, whoa, really? I mean...whoa, really? I love this book like I love sunshine and zombie puppies, but I didn't write it to make lists, I wrote it to get it out of my head. So the fact that it is is just...

It's staggering.

But here it is on Book Yurt's 2010 W00t List, described as "smart, scary, sassy and not at all what you'd expect from a zombie novel." (I'm also described here, as "both hilarious and ferociously smart." I can roll with that, being an overly-intellectual former stand-up comic. See? Every skill applies somewhere.)

And the Devourer of Books listed Feed as one of the books she gushed about in 2010, describing it as, "a smart book with fantastic world building." She was talking about the audio book, too, and gave kudos to the narrators.

But the one that really floored me—I mean floored me, knocked me on my ass and stole my lunch money—is the one that half the world emailed me about while I was sleeping. Because Feed, my little zombies-and-politics Sorkin/Romero love letter, Feed...

Well, it made The Onion AV Club's list of the Best Books They Read in 2010. Feed. My book. Made that list. HOLY CRAP. And they say:

"Feed resembles a Cory Doctorow novel in its intelligent speculation about how technology will reshape familiar aspects of the world, but it's more like The West Wing in its close observation of a presidential campaign from the inside, as seen through the eyes of a handful of bloggers invited along on the campaign trail. It's a breathless, exciting pulp novel with one of 2010's most surprising endings, but it's also a smart futuristic extrapolation about what the future may look like thanks to the Internet and new modes of communication, zombies or no."

I am stunned. Totally stunned. And also, have no lunch money, because this review took it. And somehow, I do not mind.

BEST OF 2010, BABY! WOOOOOOOOO!

The links are beginning to haunt my dreams. So here: let's get a few of them out of the way.

First up, Tim Pratt's fabulous Locus review has been posted online, and says, "While there's plenty of zombie mayhem, political snark, and pointedly funny observations here, the heart of this book is about human relationships, which are still the most important thing in the world...even in a world where you might have to shoot the person you love most in the head, just to stop them from biting off your face. While Feed is the first volume of the Newsflesh trilogy, it stands alone perfectly well—but if you like smart zombie action with a heart, you’ll be eager for the sequel, Deadline." Locus Magazine: where the awesome is.

KT Grant has posted her review of Feed, including some very sweet commentary on having met me at New York City Comicon. She says, "Mira's world building in Feed is bar none, one of the best I've ever read." Also, "The best possible compliment I can give this book and the writing talents of Mira Grant, is that if Edward R, Murrow, one of the greatest American broadcast journalists was still alive, he would embrace Feed for its message. George Romero, the godfather of the zombie apocalypse, would stand up and cheer. Feed is, hands down, one of the best zombie stories I’ve ever read, behind George Matheson's I Am Legend."

This is where I pause a moment (something I rarely do in these review roundups) and note that this, right here, is why I am Mira Grant. KT is a lovely person, with taste in books that does not, unfortunately, include my Toby series. She really, really disliked Rosemary and Rue, and has not, so far as I know, read the sequels. She was going to pass on Feed solely because she knew it was me. Reviews changed her mind. But for all those people who picked up Feed not knowing it was me, and not liking my work under my own name...this is why I'm Mira Grant. Because they are so different.

Carrying on...

Vampifan has posted a great review of Feed, and says, "This is a novel that can be read as a political thriller with zombies, which is how I described it to my parents. They both read it and both enjoyed it as much as me, which is high praise as neither of them has ever read a zombie novel before." I have crossover appeal!

karenhealey (best name ever) has posted her spoiler-tagged Feed review, and it's hysterical. Seriously, if you've read Feed, click through.

Persephone Magazine has posted a lovely critical review of Feed (and has some harsh things to say about the book's print quality). No good pull quotes this time, but give it a read; it's quite solid.

That's all for now. I will triumph over this link list! Maybe...

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through my brain
Were bunny girls bitching, and men not quite sane,
And fairy tale murders and pandemic flu—
My friends hope my holiday dreams won't come true—

And Tara is working on graphics so fine
To help and promote that new novel of mine
(The fourth in a series that you may have read,
With Toby and Tybalt and new things to dread).

My tickets are purchased, my plans are all set,
I'm wracking my brain to guess what I'll forget,
And Vixy and Tony are waiting with glee
For the holiday gift that I'm giving them—me.

Two thousand and ten is a year nearly spent!
Oh, the things that we did, and the places we went!
I'm still with the agent—now more than two years!
She still knows I'm crazy, and yet she's still here.

Toby's first three adventures are there on the shelves,
Full of wise-cracking Cait Sidhe and put-upon elves,
And two more adventures are coming this year,
Which ought to be good for your holiday cheer.

In March, Late Eclipses, and Deadline in May
(My evil twin, Mira, says you should obey),
And then in September, there's just One Salt Sea,
To close out the year and tell us what's to be.

InCryptid and Velveteen, Babylon Archer,
And so many more are prepared for departure
At seanan_mcguire the updates are steady—
I'm keeping you posted. You'd better get ready.

The year yet to come will bring wonders galore,
And I can't start to guess at the great things in store,
So whatever you celebrate when the world's cold,
Be it secular, modern, or something quite old,

I hope that you're happy, I hope that you're warm,
I hope that you're ready to weather the storm,
And I wish you the joys that a winter provides,
All you Kings of the Summer and sweet Snow Queen brides,

And I can't wait to see what the next year will bring,
The stories we'll tell, and the songs that we'll sing.
The dead and the living will stand and rejoice!
(I beg you to rise while you still have a choice.)

The journey's been fun, and there's much more to see,
So grab your machete and come now with me,
And they'll hear us exclaim as we dash out of sight,
"Scary Christmas to all, and to all a good fright!"

I'm three months out from the next Toby Daye book hitting shelves, and that means I have the opportunity to clean out my link list a little bit before I am once again smothered by reviews. FOR GREAT JUSTICE! So here's a nice mixed-bag of commentary, provided for your delight and edification. And, you know. Stuff.

Amanda at Diary of a Book Addict has posted her review of An Artificial Night, and says, "With characters that are just as fascinating as the plot and the world, An Artificial Night is so mesmerizing that you'll desperately be looking for the next installment as soon as you finish the last page." I love you, too!

KB did a guest post at the Book Smugglers, listing her favorite reads of 2010, and Feed made the cut! Quoth KB, "If Edward R, Murrow, one of the greatest American broadcast journalist was still alive, he would embrace Feed for its message. George Romero, the godfather of the zombie apocalypse, would stand up and cheer. Possibly one of the best zombie stories I’ve ever read, behind George Matheson's I Am Legend." Wow. That's...wow.

Kristin at Aspiring Author has posted her review of Feed, and says, "This book is smart and will appeal to lovers of the zombie genre as well as those who don't like the gore. It's well-written and well-executed, and it will be interesting to see how the story progresses through the rest of the trilogy. Recommended." Yay!

LJ review time! christina_reads has posted her review of A Local Habitation, and says, "I'm really impressed with the complex world of this series—I get the impression that McGuire has really thought things through—but it sometimes seems a little overcrowded." A fair cop.

Tansy Rayner Roberts has posted a long and thoughtful review of Feed, calling it "a hard-edged SF political thriller which deals with the future of communications and the media, and happens to have zombies in it," and saying, "Georgia is an extraordinary protagonist." Hooray! She also has some fair issues with the portrayal of Congresswoman Wagman, and some very interesting thoughts about the book as a whole. Give it a read.

Travels Through Iest has posted a nice review of Feed, and says, "I found myself getting wound up in the story and the lives of the participants. The dialogue is snappy and funny, the action well described and at times I found myself genuinely sad for what was happening in the story. Feed is a tight, well told tale full of zombie goodness and plenty of pop culture references. It's been given a number of accolades and totally deserves them all."

That seems like a good place to stop for right now, don't you think? More to come!

A little while ago, Lauren (who designed the fantastic covers for Feed and Deadline) emailed to ask if I might have a parody of "The Night Before Christmas" that related to dead things just, you know. Lying around. I did not. But I did have a history in filk, and access to the original poem. So fifteen or so minutes later, "I do not" became "sure!" and I was able to send Lauren a nice, zombie-filled bit of Christmas fear.

Because Lauren is insanely awesome, she promptly turned it into a poster. And because Orbit is insanely awesome, you can now download this gruesome collaboration in a variety of exciting formats. It's suitable for use as an e-card, a computer wallpaper, or even a printed holiday letter.

So from all of us to all of you, have yourself a scary little Christmas now.

Dear Great Pumpkin;

Another harvest season has come and gone, rich with tricks, treats, and unexplained disappearances in the haunted cornfield. I hope you have been well. Since my last letter to you, I have not wiped out mankind with a genetically engineered pandemic, or challenged any major religious figures to duels to the death in the public square. I have loved my friends and refrained from destroying my enemies. I have given out hugs, cupcakes, and cuddles with kittens freely and without hesitation. I have offered support when I could, and comfort when it was needed. I have not unleashed my scarecrow army to devastate North America. I have continued to make all my deadlines, even the ones I most wanted to avoid. I have not "accidentally" put tapeworm eggs in anyone's food. So as you can see, I've pretty much been a saint, by our somewhat lax local standards.

Today, Great Pumpkin, I am asking for the following gifts:

* A smooth and successful release for Late Eclipses, with books shipping when they're meant to ship, stores putting them out when they're supposed to put them out, and reviews that are accurate, insightful, and capable of steering people who will enjoy my book to read it. Please, Great Pumpkin, show mercy on your loving Pumpkin Princess of the West, and let it all be wonderful. I'm not asking you to make it easy, Great Pumpkin, but I'm asking you to make it good.

* Please let me make the revisions to One Salt Sea and Discount Armageddon smoothly, satisfyingly, and in a timely fashion, hopefully including a minimum of typographical and factual errors, plus a maximum level of awesome and win. If this request seems familiar, Great Pumpkin, it's because I make it just about every time I have a new book on the table, and this time is doubly important. One Salt Sea concludes a major arc in Toby's story, and Discount Armageddon kicks off a whole new series. I want them both to be amazing. Pretty please with candy corn on top?

* While I'm at it, please let the next books in their respective series be up to my admittedly nearly-impossible standards for myself. Let Ashes of Honor be exciting and worth the commitment, let Midnight Blue-Light Special be peppy and perfect in its insanity, and let Blackout seal the deal on the Newsflesh universe. It's wonderful to be working on three totally new books. It's also terrifying. There's a period at the start of a novel, where I'm trying to chip the shape of the story out of nothing, that's just scary as hell, and I'm there times three right now. Please show mercy, and let this work.

* I thank you for Alice's return to health, Great Pumpkin, and ask for your blessings as she continues her recovery. I thought I was going to lose her. I'm still shaky when I think about it. Please let her keep getting better, and please let her be exactly the same goofy, graceless cat that she's always been. While you're at it, please make sure Lilly and Thomas stay healthy, and that Thomas continues his incredible, faintly frightening growth. I think he doubles in size once a week. It's awesome. Look out for my cats, Great Pumpkin. They mean the world to me.

* As I approach the 2011 convention season, I ask for your blessings. Let things be smooth when they can, and let me take that which is not smooth with good humor, good grace, and a good sense of restraint. Let me be clever when I need to be, calm when I need to be, and a good guest for everyone who has been kind enough to invite me to their convention. Let me be the kind of guest that is remembered with joy, not the kind who is remembered with glum "and then there was the year of the great tragedy" stories.

* Thank you, thank you, thank you again for shining your holy candle upon the Campbell Award, Great Pumpkin. I hope only that I did you proud with my acceptance speech, and that you are pleased with my endeavors. It may be a little forward of me to point this out, but Feed is eligible for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards this year, and, well...any assistance you wanted to throw my way would be very much appreciated. I think my mother would catch fire if I came home with either award, and that would be fun to watch.

I remain your faithful Halloween girl,
Seanan.

PS: While you're at it, can you please make Oasis get back to me? I'd really like to be done with Wicked Girls before I'm done with 2010.

Words: 2,026.
Total words: 10,017.
Reason for stopping: my head hurts.
Music: random shuffle. An unusual amount of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Cats: Lilly, cat tree; Thomas, bedroom floor; Alice, same.

I'm stopping not because I've reached the end of a chapter—I haven't—but because my head is killing me, which means my painkillers are wearing off, which means it's time to do something less important than working on the final book in the Newsflesh trilogy. You know, like taking more pills and crying into my pillow until sweet unconsciousness comes to claim me. The fun thing to do on a Sunday night!

I remain very pleased, and somewhat daunted, with the way this book is going. I'm trying not to think too hard about how much I have left to go before I come to the ending; instead, I'm focusing on the fact that every page I finish is one page closer to the conclusion, which is going to be mind-blowing. For me, if for no one else. I mean, this is going to be the first series I've ever actually finished, and while yes, that makes me a little nervous, it's also one of those incredible milestones that every author dreams of.

We're more than 10,000 words into the story. That means there's no turning back now, and you know what? I'm glad.

It's a Sunday afternoon and I'm too sick to think, with one of those headaches that makes it feel like my brains are going to run out my ears and causes every medical website on the Internet to say that I have brain parasites or something. OH JOY. So here are ten reviews, very quickly, and I'm going back to bed.

Grapeshot Magazine says, "Feed, I have to say, is a book for the geeks. Those who are into blogging (both posting and reading), enjoyed reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or are horror junkies, should definitely put Feed on their must-read list."

Shroud Magazine Book Reviews says, "...she has written what is, in my humble opinion, the best zombie novel since the one by that Brooks fella."

The Unfanboy says, "While Grant is far from the first author to use epidemiological mayhem as the basis for a zombie story, her premise is just original enough to lead to some new implications that keep this one fresh."

Crackin' Spines and Takin' Names says, "For me, this book had everything! I laughed, I cried, I threw up in my mouth a little bit, I cried some more...It was the closest thing to a perfect zombie book and I truly cannot wait to read the next installment of the Newsflesh series."

Coffeespoons says, "You can read it as a zombie book or a commentary on new media. Either way, Feed is a powerful book, and anyone who's read through till the end will understand why."

BookGirl's Book Nook says, "I loved this book, even if it did scare the shit out of me."

Bite Club says, "Feed is an interesting, clever, and engrossing book that kept me reading to the very end."

Poisoned Rationality says, "Grant is as sneaky as Joss Whedon with her foreshadowing."

Good Books and Good Wine says, "The ending blew me away and I definitely choked up a little bit while driving."

Finally for now, SFReader says, "Feed is a post apocalyptic zombie novel, and it's a damn good one."

...and that's about what I can handle just at the moment. I'm going to go be horizontal before there is cookie-tossing. Someone come over here and kill my headache with a chainsaw, will you?

Words: 3,477.
Total words: 7,921.
Reason for stopping: I have finished chapter two.
Music: random shuffle. A great many Browncoat songs.
Cats: Lilly, bed; Thomas, floor; Alice, sulking under the couch.

Chapter two is done. This book is officially off the ground, and while I have a long way to go before I can see the exit—like, somewhere in the neighborhood of 138,000 words of "a long way to go"—everything has a beginning, and this one is now solid.

Writing this book is going to be a really interesting exercise, because there's so much I can't talk about. Not won't or don't want to, actually can't, as any discussion would constitute spoilers for the first two books in the trilogy. Suffice to say, it's a challenge, and it's going to get harder before it gets easier, but I'm very, very excited to be writing it. I was nowhere near good enough to write this book three years ago.

Let's see if I'm good enough to write it today, shall we?

Psst.

I've been sitting on this for months and months and months, and now, finally, I can show you something totally bitchin' that you really want to see. I mean, assuming you like things that are awesome, that is, and that you include FEED on that list.

Go ahead. Take a peek.

( Cut-tagged for the protection of your friends' list, which really doesn't need something this huge suddenly showing up without warning. But trust me, you should totally click.Collapse )

I'm a Zombie Girl,
In a Zombie wo-oo-orld,
I'm decaying,
But I'm staying!

Out of mercy to the sensitive souls among you, I will stop there. See how merciful I can be? When I remember that other people don't necessarily enjoy cannibalism before breakfast? Then again, when one is attempting to build a better pain chart (thank you, Hyperbole and a Half), sometimes it's necessary to find out where the limits are.

I'm in a very Mira mood today, maybe because it's gray and raining, maybe because my weekend is like a katamari, and full of things, and maybe because, drullroll please...

FEED is a 2010 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee in the Science Fiction Category! (For a slightly more compact ballot, focusing on the paranormal and science fiction nominees, check this link.)

I am, like, crazy-excited over this, because this is a really big deal. The Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards are a great bellwether of quality and awesomeness, and this is my first time appearing on the ballot. I'm truly, totally jazzed. So, y'know. Fingers crossed and the apocalypse doesn't come!

PANDEMIC DANCE PARTY FOR EVERYBODY!

We're already somehow halfway through November, which is a bit of an "um, what?" for me, but that means it's time for the monthly current projects post. I actually look forward to this one, most of the time, since it means I can demonstrate that I occasionally Get Things Done. Of course, it also means another month has somehow slipped away, which is a trifle stressful, but hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles. This is the November 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 (Late Eclipses and Deadline). 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 )

Publishers Weekly has released their list of the Best Books of 2010. Including their selections for the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Feed made the list.

I am genuinely overjoyed. It's also a nice change from focusing on trying to breathe without hacking up a lung, that having been my previous activity for the morning. I wrote one of the Best Books of 2010! OH MY SWEET GREAT PUMPKIN AND PIE.

This isn't very coherent, in part because I don't have it in me to be coherent right now. Mostly, I just have it in me to be flailing wildly, and totally ecstatic.

Squee.

Hello, boys and ghouls, as the great Elvira once said. The time has come for another review roundup, this one celebrating the most wonderful time of the year: Halloween. And that means, surprise, surprise, that we'll be focusing on my more undead works.

First up, there's a lengthy, fantastic video review of Feed up at the New Jedi Order. Now, as a warning, this is a thirty-minute review: it's literally a Halloween special's-worth of zombie goodness. There's swearing and adult content, and it's huge fun, and I get compared to Stephen King. I am a happy girl.

There's also a kick-ass review of Feed on the blog "I Smell Blood and an Era of Prominent Madman," a name which I now want to see on a business card. The reviewer says, "Feed by Mira Grant AKA Seanan McGuire, (you'll never see them in the same room together) is the first book in the Newsflesh trilogy to which all I can say is: Get cracking woman I want the rest of the story." Working on it!

The Paperback Dolls are celebrating Zombie Week, and have posted a fantastic Feed review as part of the party. They say, "Feed resonates because it is a call to open your eyes and really see the problems of the world around you. See them, act on them, hold our leaders responsible for making progress on the grave issues facing us. Whether the problem is an out-of-control zombie virus, global warming, a limp economy, or dangerous enemies wielding the weapons of hate and terror, the call is the same. Take ownership of these problems, and shine a light into all dark corners." Also, "Rise up and read this book, too. If you like zombies, read it. If you like political thrillers, read it. If you are more than a bump on a log, read it. It's worth it." Win!

The Feed review at My Friend Amy's Blog (actual blog title) says, "It is not in any way a romance. There are zombies. There is death. The dead rise again...but only to eat your brains. There's a lot of action and a lot of mystery. And the biggest compliment I can pay it is that when I wasn't reading it, I was wishing I was reading it." That's a damn big compliment, frankly.

Finally for this batch, another video review of Feed, this one by MoonstarElf, who is peppy and fun, and got the book from her mother, which is totally a chain of transmission that I approve of. YAY VIDEO BLOG REVIEWS!

I am a happy blonde, and I hope you have a happy Halloween!

You know the drill: the links are winning, and it's time to smack them down again. I'm trying to keep these posts to a minimum, and I thank you all for your patience. I'll provide koala pictures soon, as penance.

First up, there's a really fun interview with Mira Grant on the Realm Cast, including some questions that aren't part of the "every time, they ask me" list. In fact, some of these questions were totally new. Reward ingenuity! It's fun!

Necroscope is the official zombie fiction review blog of Horrorscope (which says something terrifying about the scope of zombie fiction), and has posted a review of Feed, saying "Feed is a page-turner of the highest order, which hits the reader (emotionally speaking) like a ton of bricks when their defenses are down. A must-read for all fans of horror, SF, and anything in-between." Okay, Chuck at Necroscope, I officially adore you.

Oh, what the hell, have another Feed review, this one from Lordazen's blog. He says, "Mira Grant's first release in the Newsflesh trilogy is a roller coaster ride of action and emotion. She has captured the Zombie apocalypse in its most raw format and dishes it out on discs of pure saw blade lethality. An excellent beginning to what promises to be a thrill ride of a series." Fantastic!

Sick Damage has posted a review of Feed, complete with a first for me in book reviews: a picture of Conan the Barbarian. Well, okay. Anyway, their reviewer says, "The book is really really good. There are a lot of twists and turns and plenty of action to keep you going. It’s also one of the more original zombie novels I've read in a while." Thank you, Conan!

Finally for this batch, since I try to stop at five, Beyond Scary has posted a review of Feed, and says, "I had a lot of fun with this book, which is just as well as it runs to a lurching 560 odd pages of mayhem, and was generally surprised at just how well written it was. Okay the whole media thing isn't a Down Under perspective but I could get with the program there and go with the flow. I have seen the future of the zombie novel folks, and am now simply dying to get my hands on the next novel. Wonder if Mira Grant has thought about a sequel or another novel set in her undead world?" You have no idea how much this review makes me want to set a Newsflesh-universe book set in Australia. ZOMBIE KANGAROOS FOR EVERYBODY!

And that's a wrap. For now.

I'll have better things later today (and things which include slightly more in the way of "actual coherence"), but I was out late last night, and a nice big pot of link soup is currently about my speed. Yum, yum, link soup. Anyway...

SFX Magazine conducted this fun interview with me in my guise as Mira Grant with me at this year's San Diego International Comic Con, which means they transcribed my actual speech, thus leading to a lot of exclamation points. They had some fun new questions. I heartily approve.

And while we're in the Mira part of the library, Fantasy Magazine posted this excellent review of Feed. It's a fun read, even if it doesn't provide any good pull quotes for me to share with the rest of the class.

Pseudo Emo Teen posted a lovely review of Feed, and says, "Let me start out by saying: Feed is one of the best, if not the best, book I have read in long time." Okay, you know, that works for me. Let's just go with that.

Sometimes it's nice to get interviewed in my guise as, you know, me. So here's a fun interview that was conducted before my trip to Australia, during which I talk about the Campbell and the destruction of mankind. You know, the usual jibber-jabber around these parts. (The lovely lady who interviewed me posted her review of Feed after I won the Campbell, and you should read that, too.)

And now for something completely different...a review of Grants Pass, the first anthology I ever actually sold a story to. They call out my story, which makes this relevant. Also, it's a bad-ass anthology, and if you like horror, you should totally read it.

You know the drill by now.

First up, a relatively rare pitch for people to pick up my CDs. I'm posting this largely because Wicked Girls is still in pre-order (through my website), and Stars Fall Home is on the verge of going entirely out of print. Seriously. Not joking. So you may want to consider picking these up soon, if you were ever going to.

A review of Rosemary and Rue is up at Genre Reviews, and reads, "I'm sure I'm not really conveying here how awesome I find this series, but discovering what happens next fills me with anticipatory need." Spiffy!

hanabishirecca has posted a lovely LJ review of An Artificial Night, and says, "An Artificial Night provided for me everything I want in a novel. The characters are rock solid. The plot is phenomenal. I even found myself cheering with glee one moment and nearly weeping another. This book was overall superb and is a must read for anyone that finds at least a remote interest in Urban Fantasy." DUDE. That's a win.

Oh, hey, I did a guest post for Marianne de Pierres about writing and being Mira Grant and lots of other fun stuff. You should check it out.

Finally for this grab-bag of things I needed out of my link soup, Fantastique Foibles and Fables has posted a lovely review of Feed (which was given an A+!). There are no real pull quotes, but you should definitely take a look.

Today is the 15th of October, or, as the Disney Channel likes to call it, "the fifteenth day of Halloween." Since I have to put up with a full month of Christmas every year, I am okay with getting a month of Halloween to soothe my wounded, ghoulish soul. Anyway, welcome to my monthly current projects post, the regularly scheduled update which provides the only non-hysteria-inducing answer to the question "What are you working on?" It has the extra added bonus of proving that I am able to stop time, since otherwise, even I don't quite understand how the hell I'm getting everything finished in a timely manner. Seriously, I don't think I sleep. This is the October 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. Late Eclipses and Deadline are off the list because they have been turned in to their respective editors, and I am waiting for page proofs.

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 my recent radio silence has been largely the result of the New York Comic Convention, where I have paneled many panels, signed many signatures, shopped much shopping, and slept many sleeps. Honestly, I should probably sleep a few more sleeps, and that's why you're getting a link roundup now. Because I am lazy, and my inbox is exploding.

Rena has posted a lovely review of A Local Habitation, and says that, "There are some interesting twists and turns, and a lot of action—this book was less about solving the mystery than it was about advancing other aspects of the plot of the series, with some very discreet info dumping." Cool.

Wayward Drui has posted a review of An Artificial Night, and says, "This is the most solid book to come out of this series yet. And the creepiest. And topping A Local Habitation for chill factor was quite the feat in of itself." I'm creepy! Yay!

Dave at Dave Does the Blog (love that name) has reviewed Feed, and says, "This is ostensibly the first of a series. I’ve rarely read such that didn’t scream for a sequel, but this story works perfectly well stand-alone novel. A really fun, really readable, really engrossing book. Very highly recommended." He's ambivalent about the idea of a sequel, but I'm not.

A fabulous review of An Artificial Night has been posted at From the Shadows, and says, "I highly recommend An Artificial Night to readers of urban fantasy, paranormal suspense, fantasy, and especially to fans of the Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison and The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher." Yay!

Finally for this batch of THE LINKS THE LINKS OH GOD THE LINKS, Janicu has posted a review of An Artificial Night, and says, "What an awesome series this is. Every time I read one, it manages to make me feel a jittery need to read the next one. Luckily, McGuire seems to be a prolific writer and so far we’ve seen two Toby Daye installments a year." ...prolific, I can do.

Anyway, that kills the current batch of links, for which I am very grateful, as it means I can go back to posting the unending archival links (and thus, someday, potentially, end them). I am still in New York, I am still largely away from the keyboard, and I am still dying for a Diet Dr Pepper.

IGNITE THE BIOSPHERE!

I'm starting to have nightmares about my link list. Anyway...

The Horror Fiction Review has published a review of Feed, and says, "At the risk of seeming disloyal to some of my idols, mentors and all-around awesome cool guys like Brian Keene and Dr. Kim Paffenroth, I am going to go ahead and come right out and say it...Mira Grant's Feed just might be the best damn zombie book I’ve ever read." Well, that's hard to beat, really.

Brutal As Hell has also posted a Feed review, now with bonus profanity (yay!), and says, "Feed is hands-down one of the best zombie novels to be published in a long time, which is saying something extremely special given the volume of zombie literature being published right now. Grant weaves a plot with a substantial amount of twists and turns, never losing the quality of writing, and she is certainly not afraid to go to places most authors wouldn’t even consider. I've read some great books this year, but nothing has left me with such a sense of excitement for future installments or for zombie literature as a whole like Feed has. Mira Grant has certainly captured my attention in a way that no other author, particularly a new author, ever has. Run to your nearest bookstore to get this book immediately. Bring a machete if it makes you feel more comfortable." Dude.

Cookies, Books, and Bikes has posted a Feed review, and says, "I loved this book! I was captured by the story from the first couple of pages and couldn't stop reading until it was done. The action just dragged me right in and kept me reading. The story had enough action interspersed with more mild events keep me reading and waiting for the next big event." That's all I can ask for, really.

Here, let's break things up a little with a new interview of Mira, conducted by the lovely crew at Fanatic Space. With some new questions and some new answers, it was a really good time, and you should totally give it a look.

Finally, for right now, Girl On Book Action (this is my new Journey cover band name) has posted a fabulous Feed review. Her review is long, detailed, and doesn't offer many pull quotes...although she does criticize the number of typos in the book. Oh, well, can't win 'em all.

That's it for today; look for another roundup coming soon, as I struggle to reclaim my link file.

So I'm still trying to dig my way out from under the review links that built up in the time leading to and including my trip to Australia. Thank you for being understanding; I'll be through them pretty soon, if I continue at my current pace, and shall reward you soon with kitty pictures. Anyway...

The Devourer of Books has posted a review of the audio edition of Feed, and says, "Honestly, Feed was everything I had hoped that The Passage would be but it wasn't." You know, that really works for me. It's a good review, and she definitely liked the audio edition.

2xKnight at Fanatic Space has posted a review of Feed, and says, "I highly recommend this book." Also, "Feed combines some wildly different subject matter in a way that is both natural and riveting. Not only does Mira Grant come up with a novel approach to zombification, giving her zombies a very interesting background, but she also makes the people living in that world just as much fun to read about." Win!

Grumpy Dan has posted his review of Feed, and says, "One of the better zombie stories I have read. I can't wait for the next book in this series." Rock on.

Word Nerd has posted an excellent review of Feed. It's structured in a way that doesn't lend itself well to pull quotes, unfortunately, but you should still take a look, as it's lovely.

Finally for today, Sommer Leigh has posted her review of Feed, brilliantly titled "President Bartlett Hates Zombies Too." She says, "Feed is like a cross between Dawn of the Dead, Hackers, and The West Wing. You think I’m joking, but I'm not." Goodnight, everybody!

More to come, later on.

Yes, again. Australia let my links get all out of control, and I'm just now starting to beat them back down to a manageable level. It's like wordy kudzu!

The Fantasy Cafe has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Even though I usually would treat a zombie book like zombies themselves and run the other way, I'm glad I read this one." Works for me.

Oh, hey! I did an interview with the Word Zombie to go with their Feed review. Give it a look, it's fun. Plus? Actual photo representations of my dream casting. Swoon.

My darling catvalente posted a long, thoughtful review of Feed, complete with MAINE COON MADNESS, and says, "The plot? Bloggers are hired to follow the Republican candidate for president some 40 years after the zombie apocalypse. A full society is in swing that knows how to deal with zombies but is still plagued by them. It's fascinating stuff. There is a conspiracy. Things bite other things. There are, I shit you not, both zombie palominos and zombie moose. This is unassailably awesome." Hee.

Beth at Flying Off the Shelves posted a lovely review of Feed, and says, "When I first started reading this book I wasn't expecting it to be nearly as good as it is. I questioned it and asked myself, 'How could this book be any good after reading World War Z? I don't want to read another crappy zombie book,' but I took the chance and I found that this book is truly an amazing piece of writing. The characters are dynamic and complex. The story line will knock your socks off. I actually don't have anything bad to say about this book whatsoever. Even the science behind this story is interesting and spot on when it comes to basic virus information. If her next book is anything like this I may just die (and hopefully not zombify)." Yay!

Finally for today, my old friend Mike Jones reviewed Feed for SF Site, and says, "Combining zombies, politics, epidemiology, pop culture, blogging, humor and horror, this is one hell of a series opener. Grant (the open pseudonym for urban fantasist/artist/songwriter Seanan McGuire) knocks the ball out of the park with Feed." Works for me.

Rise up while you can.

The fun never stops!

Ragnarfan has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Feed is a proper thriller with zombies. Grant doesn't get carried away with describing her world or the virus. She's clearly thought both out brilliantly, but she doesn't let it get in the way of a taut, well-written story." Hooray, proper thrillers!

The Word Zombie (still love that blog name) also posted a Feed review, and says, "I enjoyed this book far more than I had anticipated. It's that rare combination of a great story that also happens to be a great zombie story. I really found myself invested in the characters and was emotionally affected by the ending in a manner that happens far too infrequently for me these days. For that, I have to thank Mira Grant—job well done." Yay! You're welcome!

This detailed Feed review has been posted at Ravenous Bookshelf, the blog of a library school student, and says, "If I wanted to be really analytical, I could talk about the parallels of zombie virology (Grant has crafted a fascinating model of infection) and the 'viral' spread of information among people with the blogging universe, crowdsourcing and communications advancements...but mostly? Georgia + Shaun = Love." Awwww. I agree.

Bea Connors posted this review on the Falcata Times, and says, "Grant takes a while to establish her world and is occasionally stingy about revealing information but overall, the book is a solid, fascinating read, well worth the reader's patience. It's an intriguing mix of science fiction, sociology, current events, action, horror and politics. One note: hardcore zombie fans may wish there were more zombie appearances but it was just right for me." Awesome.

Finally for right now, SFRevu has posted a kick-ass Feed review, and says, "Overall I thought the idea was very well done and executed and I'll be looking forward to seeing what Grant does with the second book in the series." Works for me.

That's all for right now. More, as always, to come.

When will you rise?

Words: 4,444.
Total words: 4,444.
Reason for stopping: I have finished chapter one.
Music: random shuffle. Lots of angry rock.
Lilly and Alice: flopped on the bed.

Well.

I just wrote an entire first chapter in one long sitting. Like, the whole thing. Beginning, middle, end. I'm just saying. That's a thing. Anyway, here we go again. I recommend hanging onto your seats, because it's going to be a bumpy-ass ride.

Rise up while you can.

To celebrate the release of The Living Dead 2 (featuring my/Mira's new story, "Everglades"), John Joseph Adams has arranged a full-on zombie week over at Tor.com, beginning with a massive prize pack associated with a zombie caption contest. That's right; caption a picture, potentially win an incredible amount of crap.

The prize package includes, among other things...

* Both anthologies
* A signed copy of Feed (US or UK edition to be determined)
* A copy of Red Roses and Dead Things
* A DVD of Shaun of the Dead
* A copy of The Zombie Combat Manual

...and lots and lots of other signed books, short stories, and other goodies. Seriously, it's like doing five minutes of work for the potential of a whole lot of pay-out. Give it a go! All you have to lose is your braaaaaaaain.

Bit by bit, I am beginning to catch up on everything that went undone while I was in Australia! First up...

The Living Dead [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] is one of my favorite anthologies of the past few years. It's smart, it's savvy, it's awesome, and it's chock-full of zombie goodness, in every shape and size and degree of decomposition. So when it was announced that there was going to be a sequel, you can probably guess that I damn near dislocated something running to beg for a slot on the table of contents.

Well, I got it—or Mira did, anyway. "Everglades" is a story of the Rising, set in the Newsflesh universe more than twenty years before the events of Feed. You can acquire it, along with many other pieces of awesome zombie awesomeness, in The Living Dead 2 [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]. We're talking forty-three stories, many of them appearing for the first time ever, all edited by the fabulous John Joseph Adams. It's swanky.

Come on. Let us tell you a deadtime story.

Well, that's that; my magical murder pixie toils are done, and they have borne sweet, sweet fruit, has the second book in the Newsflesh trilogy, Deadline, has just been sent back to my publisher in final draft form. Barring acts of god or unforeseen gaping plot holes, my part in this book is over until the page proofs. Which will probably hit around October, assuming we follow the timeline we followed for Feed. Post-It notes in Ohio, here we go again!

Final book stats, including Dedication and Acknowledgments:

150,001 words.
525 pages.
Twenty-seven chapters.

When asked to say something about the book, Vixy says, "Fucking brilliant. Gripping. Terrifying. Satisfying. It's about heroes." So, you know. Fucking brilliant. You heard it here first, folks. Really, I'm scared out of my mind—I always am at this point—but I'm also deeply relieved, because it's done. It's finished. My baby is heading out into the great wide world, and there's no more chopping or stitching or graverobbing to be done. (What? You mean everyone doesn't assemble their offspring out of transistors and corpse parts?)

I'm done.

One more book, and this grand adventure is over; one more book, and we find out whether or not I can stick the landing. I think I can. I hope I can. I believe I can. Because alive or dead, the truth won't rest.

Rise up while you can.

We're only inches away from An Artificial Night, and how better to celebrate than with a mixed review roundup? First off, Amanda at Diary of a Book Addict has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says, "Set up in a somewhat unexpected way, A Local Habitation continues Toby's adventures in an enthralling, amazing and character-driven story that is just as good as the first one. McGuire's writing skills glow and her world is vibrant and engaging. I couldn't put it down until the very end." Hooray!

Meanwhile, SFX in the UK is showing the Feed love. Their reviewer says, "Feed is a proper thriller with zombies. Grant doesn’t get carried away with describing her world or the virus. She’s clearly thought both out brilliantly, but she doesn’t let it get in the way of a taut, well-written story." Glee.

Today's Livejournal review comes from apocalypticbob, who decided she was going to tackle Feed. She says, "I was lucky enough to win a signed ARC of this book, and it was so incredible that I couldn't wrap my head around it well enough to review it. Seanan has the ability to build worlds that suck you in and characters you love even when you aren't sure if you like them." Awwww. I like that.

There's another Feed review up at A Book A Day 'Til I Can Stay, where the reviewer says, "Feed is passionate and incisive writing. Grant is clever and thought-provoking, piggybacking on horror fiction tropes to speak to the audience about how we may be manipulated by the ‘news’, how fear motivates our decisions and how democracy is reduced to a special interest land-grab. At its core though, Feed is a story about a brother and sister who love each other very much. I eagerly await Deadline." That works for me.

Finally for today, sarahtales (Sarah Rees Brennan) has posted her awesome Feed review, and says, "These are not the zombie boyfriends or girlfriends you're looking for. What this is, is the ideal zombie book for nerds." Seriously, just go read the review. It's MADE OF WIN.

...okay, so this was less "mixed" than "four Feed reviews with a Toby on top." Whatever. The ratios will be shifting soon, and I have a link file to clear out!

More to come.

maryrobinette is in town for this month's SF in SF—which I will regrettably be missing, due to having a prior engagement—and I managed to catch her on chat this morning and arrange for an afternoon meeting to hang out. This delighted me utterly, because I adore Mary, and don't get to see her often. (For those of you who need a footnote: Mary Robinette is the "voice" of the October Daye series, as she reads them in audio book form. She's also a puppeteer, an author, and the 2008 recipient of the Campbell Award. Girl's got game.)

Since the first thing I do with any out-of-town guest is take 'em for cupcakes, I arranged to have Mary meet me at Cups and Cakes Bakery. Yes, I am the devil. She was properly delighted by the palace of sugary delights, and consumed a peanut butter cup (chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting, dipped in chocolate ganache) and a red velvet, while I, being a pretty pink princess, ate a Pretty Pretty Princess (strawberry cake with strawberry frosting). Yum, all the way around.

You can't hang out in a bakery forever, so I asked Mary if she'd like to walk over to Borderlands. She was game for this adventure, and I've walked that route so many times now that I don't really need to pay attention anymore. Gleeful chattering and wandering ensued, culminating in our arrival at the bookstore, where we found Jude, Alan, and—eventually—Jeremy.

Jeremy had a box.

Inside the box was the new Night Shade Press anthology, The Living Dead 2. This is a big, handsome book, with a gorgeous cover, and a great table of contents. Said table of contents includes Kelley Armstrong, Max Brooks, David Wellington...and Mira Grant.

Oh, wait. That's me.

Oxygen is hard.

The story, "Everglades," is set on the U.C. Berkeley campus during the Rising. It's sad and wistful and tragic, and you should totally read it. I mean, you should totally buy this anthology if you like zombies, even a little, because it's gorgeous, but really? My story. In a book. With all these amazing people.

I managed a) not to break Jeremy's fingers snatching the book away, and b) to stay and keep talking for a while, because running cackling into the night would have been rude. We eventually shifted to the cafe, where I hugged Cole, hugged Mary goodbye, and departed for home, taking my book with me.

My book. You cannot have it. Get your own. MINE.

Damn, this was a surprisingly good day.

I have come to admit that I will not be clearing my list o' links before I leave for Australia, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to give it the old college try. So here's another batch of Feed reviews, to whet your interest in the book:

N.K. Jemisin included Feed in an awesome book rec post, and says, "This is a thriller. The fact that it takes place during the zombie apocalypse is irrelevant; it could be taking place during an outbreak of weaponized ebola. (Except ebola victims don’t try to eat you.) I count it as science fiction, though, because Grant deals realistically with the evolution of society; the worldbuilding here is fascinating in and of itself. And the characters kept me hooked all the way through, particularly as Grant pulls no punches in showing just how ugly a conspiracy in high places can get. There are some obvious digs at Bush-era politics and the information privacy wars. I can’t wait for the next book." Yay!

Lions and Men posted a lovely review of Feed, and said, "This novel is written in first person perspective and is interlaced with excerpts from the main characters' blogs. This alone is a fresh breath in the horror genre. The way in which Grant writes her characters allows the reader to truly connect with them. You never get the feeling that any of the characters are just placed in the novel to become zombie food; each one has a unique perspective of the world they find themselves in. The dialogue is at times hilarious, and at others, grave." More, it's a review of the audio edition! How cool is that?

To spice things up a little, Lions and Men also interviewed me, which is always a good time. Check it out!

Here's something awesome: a video review of Feed, posted at Through the Eyes of a Journalist. Also, the reviewer wears sunglasses the whole time, which is badass. I am a happy blonde.

Finally, for right now, Feed was reviewed by the Seattle Pi. The reviewer says, "These days I am often intrigued by cover blurbs for novels, but rarely surprised by the words within. Mira Grant's novel Feed starts out innocently enough but morphs into a complex, amazingly intelligent, engaging story that kept me reading late into the night a few nights. This is not your average zombie story and easily in the top three books I've read so far in 2010." Also: "Honestly, if you only read one book about zombies this year, read Mira Grant's Feed." Works for me!

Okay; more to come, as I try to muck out the stable of tabs, but for right now, this batch will have to do. Whee!

Well. There we go. As of roughly an hour ago, I'm done with my next-to-last pass through Deadline, incorporating commentary from The Editor, a vast file of notes from Vixy, and a lot of extremely useful technical detail from Alan, aka "my new things-that-kill-people expert." All hail those who actually know what the hell they're talking about!

I still have some work to do—the nature of my revision process means I'll be getting notes from my editorial pool for a week or so, and I want to go back and add a few things here and there throughout the text—but the heavy lifting is essentially done. The most thought-intensive part that remains is writing the acknowledgments page (which I hate doing, almost as much as I hate gargling with Spaghetti-Os). It's all commas and commentary from here to Australia...and it looks like I'll be making my "turn it in by" date, allowing me to spend the trip focusing on The Brightest Fell. Total win.

The nicest thing about final-pass editorial is that it generally happens after the book has been in someone else's hands for weeks, if not months, allowing the text to "age out" and turn alien to me. I remember writing scenes, but not sentences; I remember pages, not paragraphs. So I can rip things out with impunity, having lost all emotional attachment to the words in favor of being emotionally attached to the core point of the scene. This stage can also be dangerous, as the urge to rewrite entire chapters into something better is always there. It's the Mad Science Editorial phase.

(Appropriately enough, as I write this, my iTunes is producing a run of songs that can really only be referred to as "Seanan's greatest mad science hits." Seriously, it's played three versions of "Maybe It's Crazy" in the last half hour. Apple wants me to ignite the biosphere.)

I am done with book two of the Newsflesh trilogy. And because I've met me, I can say with certainty that while I'm busting ass on The Brightest Fell, I'll also be taking the first happy steps into the world of Blackout. It's...a little sad, actually. I only get to spend one more book with these weird, wonderful, fascinating, fucked-up people. I think I'm going to have separation anxiety when I get to the end of book three.

But I'm not there yet. Right now, I'm at the end of book two. And while the final stats are not yet ready, I believe I can say with assurance that I am now a magic murder pixie with a chainsaw.

DINO DANCE PARTY!

It's August 15th, and that means I need to take a break in my preparation for Australia and make my monthly current projects post. This is the regularly scheduled update which provides the only non-hysteria-inducing answer to the question "What are you working on?" It has the extra added bonus of proving that I am able to stop time, since otherwise, even I don't quite understand how the hell I'm getting everything finished in a timely manner. Seriously, I don't think I sleep. This is the August 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. Discount Armageddon is off the list because it has been turned in to The Agent. Late Eclipses is off the list because it has been turned in to The Editor.

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 )

It's Sunday, and that means it's time for a Feed review roundup! ...what? Look, I need to justify these things somehow, and this is as good an excuse as any. Next week, I'll probably use being carbon-based as my excuse. Anyway:

The Literate Kitty has posted a lengthy review of Feed, and says, "Every once in awhile, though, something manages to exceed all your expectations, proving to be far better than you'd even hoped. So, with that in mind, let me start by saying that I was totally unprepared for Feed." Also, "Feed is an intricate yet at the same time sort of simplistic tale, dealing both with 'big issues' such as the role of the media, politics, duty, and governmental and societal responses to major outbreaks (including all the paranoia, irrational fear, and hatred that too often result); as well as looking at 'smaller issues' like friendship, integrity and honesty, family, and sometimes just figuring out how to get through another day." Very nice.

tigertoy provides today's Livejournal review of Feed, and says, "On one level, this is a nearly mindless high-speed romp through a world derived from a premise so silly that it is not enough to suspend your disbelief, you must actually expel it. On another level, it's a spot on, scathing commentary on the society we live in today, with a clear message that a lot of people need to hear. I could quibble about a lot of things that don't seem to be quite right, but they're just quibbles; the story works." Excellent.

The Book Bag has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Feed is a book filled with menace and fear that grips you hard from the opening lines and doesn't let go. Probably won't even long after the final page of the final book in the trilogy. Absolutely superb." Short, sweet, and awesome.

Alpha Reader has also posted a lovely review of Feed, and says, "This book is a spectacular Zombie-romp. But to call it a 'Zombie' book is too simplistic. It's more a post-Apocalyptic political thriller with Zombies in the background. Seanan McGuire, aka 'Mira Grant' is a deft hand at world-building and characterization, and she is in her writing element in this living undead disaster-filled universe." What can I say? I like me some dead stuff.

There's a lovely short review of Feed up at We Zombie. No pull quotes, since again, short, but you should still have a look.

That's it for right now—believe me, there's buckets and buckets more to come, as I struggle to kill my link file before Australia—and here's hoping you've had a wonderful weekend!

The links are seriously trying to eat me over here, you guys. And in answer to a question I keep getting asked (well, two questions, really): I don't link every review, whether positive or negative, because some of them are short, or have spoilers, or don't show up in my Google scans, or are friend-locked here on LJ, or or or. I tend to throw links I plan to post into a big list, and then grab almost at random when doing a roundup. So while half the links will be new, half of them will be older, and have been patiently waiting their turn. All good things come to those who wait.

Anyway...

Harriet Klausner has reviewed An Artificial Night. I don't know how she reads as much as she does, but the appearance of her review means that release really is right around the corner. The terrifying...terrifying corner.

The Literate Kitty has also posted a review of An Artificial Night. I have to say, I love this review, because the reviewer's sense of humor cracks me up. She says "Have a tough job involving some nasty-angry-crazy fae business, dial 555-TOBY," and "So, yes, when Toby wakes up each day, she’d really prefer there be considerably less of that charging-headfirst-into-danger penciled in on her daily planner. Her life is tough enough, without the equivalent of walking around sticking forks into wall outlets in flooded rooms during electrical storms." Love! As for the book itself, she says:

"As much as I'm crazy about the first two books in this series...I love An Artificial Night that much more."

...and...

"An Artificial Night is both pure fairy tale—a spine-tingly reminder of all those fantastical stories from my youth—and gritty, tough tale, which feels really right."

Backing up a book, Amberdrake has posted a review of A Local Habitation at BSC Review. She says, "I found this second book in the series to be a very quick, fun, and interesting read. I really enjoy October as a character, because she isn’t perfect and she knows it, and she works around her limitations as well as the expectations others have of her. Another little treat is McGuire's use of Shakespeare in the titles. Both Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation are from Shakespeare, and they are both very fitting for the books they title. (I would tell you why they are fitting, but I found it very fun to do the research and find the original quotes and read the surrounding text and get why the author chose them as the titles. Trust me, it won't take long to find out and you'll have fun along the way.)" Anyone advocating Shakespeare is okay by me!

Charlotte has reviewed Feed over at Blogging For A Good Book, and she says, "The prose, punctuated by posts from George, Shaun, and Buffy, is as fast moving and punchline-driven as the tagline on the cover (“The good news: we survived. The bad news: so did they”). The close sibling relationship between George and Shaun, despite their constant bickering, is well done, and it’s their fear for one another that makes the stakes seem real." Yay!

An excellent review/recommendation of Feed is up at Beatrice, and says, "Given the completeness of this particular story, it will be interesting to see where she takes the two promised sequels: What else will she have to say about her zombie-ridden society?" Mwahahahaahahaha.

Finally for today, a review of the Feed audiobook is up at Robots and Vamps. Matt says, "Holy shit. Excuse me for a second while I catch my breath and I apologize for the curse words. For a change, I am going to discuss the ending of this novel first. There is an event that occurs at the end of this story that absolutely crushed me and I still can’t believe that Ms. Grant did it. It was truly epic. For spoiler reasons I won’t discuss the plot twist here but I am in total awe of the author for taking this risk in this day and age of safe urban fantasy fiction. I am still in shock. Let’s put it this way, it affected me the whole day at work as I replayed the events in my head. Wow." I'm...gonna call that a win, really. Yeah. (Plus, there's a comparison to The Stand. EPIC VICTORY.)

More to come!

Um. Um. Um. Okay. Look:

The NPR List of 100 Killer Thrillers has been released.

HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS LOOK LOOK AT #74 LOOK AT IT LOOK THAT'S MY BOOK THAT I WROTE THAT'S FEED ON A LIST PUBLISHED BY NPR HOLY CRAP.

...okay, I'm better now. Sorry about that. Except that I'm neither better nor sorry, but I am fairly convinced that I've been asleep for the last two years. If I wake up and this has all been a really detailed linear dream, I'm taking my brain out behind the woodshed. I'm just saying.

I mean, this isn't the first awesome Feed-related thing that's happened. Consider, if you will, io9's top picks for summer reading. Sure, the summer's almost over, but there's still a little warm weather left in which to enjoy a good zombie apoca—WHO AM I KIDDING WITH THE CALM RATIONALITY?! MY BOOK THAT I WROTE IS ON A LIST PUBLISHED BY NPR HOLY CRAP.

I love this book so much, and I love that my weird science fiction dystopian political thriller full of zombies is actually getting out there and infecting the world with its, well, weirdness and its virology and I am so excited I could just about scream right now. Because HOLY CRAP. That's going to be my refrain today, I swear. HOLY CRAP.

I leave you with the meme your meme could smell like, an awesome Old Spice Man-inspired "everybody is awesome" feedback meme, and I go off to gibber and giggle in a corner until I can calm down a little.

HOLY CRAP.

I am home from Spokane, Washington, where I had a fabulous time as Spocon 2010's Music Guest of Honor. I'll actually post about it later, when I'm fully awake and capable of thoughts beyond "shower good, port pretty." For right now, have a roundup of the review links that came in while I was offline.

quippe has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue on Livejournal's own Urban Fantasy Fan community, and says "Seanan McGuire's novel, the first in a series, is an entertaining introduction to a carefully constructed urban fantasy world where Fae and humans live an awkward side-by-side existence." Also, "An interesting urban fantasy whose central character is very different to the type usually found in this type of fiction and a carefully constructed world with a huge amount of potential, this is an entertaining novel and I will be reading more of this series."

quippe has also posted a review of Feed, and says "Mira Grant has created a world where zombies and technology exist simultaneously and her carefully thought through society was a joy to read. Although the mystery element was a little too perfunctory and played second string to the world-building, the book ends with a set-up for the mystery to be developed in the sequel and I shall definitely be reading it."

Over at Book Addicts, a review of Feed has been posted, and says "The night I finished Feed, slept with my living room lights on because I couldn't handle sleeping in a completely dark apartment. I knew the dangers going into this when I picked up a book about Zombies, but I plunged in anyways. Yes, the size of the book is a little intimidating, but...just read it. The hooks go in and you’re dragged through this book like being dragged behind a boat on nothing more substantial than a piece of cardboard. It's terrifying and thrilling and we won't talk about the boat-and-cardboard-incident."

Yay! There's also a fun new interview with me-as-Mira, where some totally new questions were asked. It's well-worth checking out. Plus, it comes with an awesome contest. Take a look!

...okay, back to Toby. There's a new review of Rosemary and Rue up at All Things Urban Fantasy, which says "Rosemary and Rue, which gets its title from Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale, is a gritty and glorious true urban fantasy. I defy you to put this book down after the first chapter." Wow! Also, "Overall, Rosemary and Rue shocked me with how good it was." Double-wow!

Finally (for right now), Miss Geeky has reviewed Feed, and she says, "I really enjoyed Feed and I'm now really curious to what else Mira Grant has written (this is her first book as Grant, but she also writes as Seanan McGuire). Feed has a great story, which sucks you completely in. And it's got a fascinating world to discover along the way."

Well, folks, that's the weekend. I will now stagger off to bed. Tomorrow, I'll pretend to be coherent.

Yeah. Good luck with that.

There is a review of Feed in the October issue of SciFi Magazine. This is a major newsstand glossy, produced by the media group that ones the SyFy Channel (you know, where I spend much of my time). The cover story is about Resident Evil: Afterlife. Inside, there are stories about Haven and the new season of Eureka.

And then there is me.

A review of my book. In this magazine.

Sometimes this business of writing continues to astonish me. I know, I know: I worked hard, I worked for a long time, this isn't all being handed to me on platters by magical ponies from the moon (which is really a pity, as I would love to catch me some magical moon ponies of my very own). I don't sit here feeling like I'm getting things I shouldn't have...even if I do occasionally wonder when I'm going to wake up from this astonishingly detailed linear dream.

My book is reviewed in a magazine that includes a review of a Resident Evil movie and a television show based on the works of Stephen King. If there was any actual question of whether or not I may have accidentally sold my soul at the crossroads, this pretty much answers it.

Good thing I keep a fiddler around, huh?

Golly.

( Click here for review goodness.Collapse )

I am home from the San Diego International Comic Convention, where a fantastic, if exhausting, time was had by all. I'm still doing my post-con administrative cleanup (rendered more exciting by the fact that I have another convention this weekend, which makes the cycles for certain things much tighter than is the norm). This batch of cleanup is about awards and suchlike.

First up, as a quick reminder, voting for the Hugo and Campbell Awards closes at midnight, Pacific Time, on July 31st. So that means you have, effectively, until midnight on Saturday to vote. Details are here:

http://www.aussiecon4.org.au/index.php?page=66

This includes a full list of the nominees in their various categories. Remember that you must be either a supporting or attending member of AussieCon 4 to vote; supporting memberships are still available. Details on how to purchase a supporting membership are at the convention's website; they cost $50 a person.

It really is an honor to be nominated, and I'm still a little stunned over here. I also really want to receive a tiara in the Kingdom of Poison and Flame, for then I will truly be a Halloweentown Princess.

In a related, if not identical, vein, I will now quote NPR:

"Last month when we asked the NPR audience to submit nominations for a list of the 100 most pulse-quickening, suspenseful novels ever written, you came through with some 600 titles. It was a fascinating, if unwieldy, collection.

"Now, with your input, a panel of thriller writers and critics has whittled that list down to a manageable 182 novels. That roster, which we now offer for final voting, draws from every known thriller sub-genre—techno, espionage, crime, medical, psychological, horror, legal, supernatural and more."

Here is a link to the full story, including the list of 182 novels being considered for the top 100.

Winners will be announced August 2nd. Please spread the word? In conclusion, I leave you with this delightful message from autographedcat...which, if I make the list, I will arrange to have recorded in MP3 form for your enjoyment:

"Hello, readers. Look at your book. Now back to me. Now back at your book. Now back to me. Sadly, you aren't me, but if you stopped reading trashy airport novels and switched to Feed by Mira Grant, you could be well-read like me.

"Look down, back up, where are you? You're on the beach with the person you could be as well read as. What's in your hand? Back to me. I have it; it's an epidemiology textbook with an explanation of the science behind the Kellis-Amberlee virus. Look again, the textbook is now a DVD of the future Rosemary and Rue movie. Anything is possible when you read Feed by Mira Grant.

"I'm on a velociraptor."

Well, I'm home from San Diego; more (much more) on that to come later, once I finish waking up and catching up on my email. First up, here's some link-spam to clean up what's come into my inbox in the interim. Forgive me that it's not as sorted as normal. I'm still not technically awake.

First up, check out this awesome Publishers Weekly review of The Living Dead 2, that upcoming anthology of zombie awesomeness from Night Shade Press. Does it mention my/Mira's new short story, "Everglades," set during the Rising? Why, yes. Yes, it does.

Second up, here's a shiny new review of A Local Habitation, posted by Tracy, who says "I said it in my review of Rosemary and Rue, the first book in the October Daye series; I tend to not be fond of fae mythos in general because it makes my brain hurt. I also said that I really liked Rosemary and Rue despite it...and despite myself. Well, with A Local Habitation, I may have to stop saying it altogether. I don't know what it is about Seanan McGuire, but she makes me like (if not totally understand) fae mythos. That's pretty darn impressive." Yay!

Our one Feed review for the day comes courtesy of Miss Geeky in the UK. It's well-written and thoughtful, but doesn't really have any good pull quotes for this sort of entry. So go check it out, shall you?

Now for the reviews I'm really getting excited about: two more reviews of An Artificial Night have hit the wide, wide world. Pardon me while I hyperventilate, 'kay?

The first is from Rebecca at Dirty Sexy Books, who says, "For me, An Artificial Night brought this series back up to the five-star rating that I gave to book one, Rosemary and Rue. Seanan McGuire's writing feels so dense and weighty to me, like a flour-less chocolate cake, but what astounds me is that her stories are such easy-to-read page-turners as well." Also, "I assumed this would be a rather simple three part play: Toby finds the kids; Toby fights the bad guy; Toby brings them home; The End. I was wrong. It was an emotional ride of ups and downs, and Toby is such a gritty, stubborn little fighter. I love her resolve. Toby's personal story progressed, and I have to say, I like where it's going." Glee!

Also up today is TJ's review at Dreams and Speculation. TJ says "Another strong installment in the Toby Daye series. The story isn't as gleaming with manic energy as the first or second, but still a fast and compelling read." Rock on!

And that's our administrative stuff for the right now. More later.

Um.

To quote the NPR page:

"Last month when we asked the NPR audience to submit nominations for a list of the 100 most pulse-quickening, suspenseful novels ever written, you came through with some 600 titles. It was a fascinating, if unwieldy, collection.

"Now, with your input, a panel of thriller writers and critics has whittled that list down to a manageable 182 novels. That roster, which we now offer for final voting, draws from every known thriller sub-genre—techno, espionage, crime, medical, psychological, horror, legal, supernatural and more."

Here is a link to the full story, including the list of 182 novels being considered for the top 100.

Scroll down. Scroll down to books beginning with the letter "F."

Understand why I am sitting here looking pole-axed.

I AM IN THE SECOND-TIER NPR LIST. ME. I am right fucking there, along with my two favorite Stephen King novels of all time, and the first Repairman Jack novel, and Jurassic Park, and and and and...

Ack.

So they say lobbying is okay, right there in the article, and this is me, lobbying. I'm not sure how I made this list; it would mean a lot to me to make the final cut. Please consider swinging by and taking a look at the nominees? And maybe, you know, making with the clicky?

Now please excuse me. I seem to have something in my eye.

As noted yesterday, the links are no longer threatening to eat my world; the links are actively chowing down. So here is another review roundup, this one focusing on Feed. You're welcome!

Once again, we begin with the obligate Livejournal review, this time from my beloved markbernstein (see me identifying my bias?). He says "There are zombies. There's some gore, though not as much as you might think. And yes, some people (and animals) die in highly unpleasant ways. Still, I don't think of Feed by Mira Grant as a horror novel. It's science fiction in both the extrapolative and speculative sense, and a fine example of both." Aww, thanks! He also says "This is an outstanding book. Highly recommended." I couldn't have said it better.

Brion posted his review of Feed, and is also up-front about his biases, as he says "Disclaimer: I know the author personally, which may mean I'm biased in favor of awesomeness." This is because, clearly, I inspire awesome. He says "I grew up reading the science fiction classics: Asimov, Heinlein, Farmer, Niven, McCaffrey...What always kept me reading late at night, eyes wide open, was their ability to craft a detailed world, working out the consequences of the big What If, and then tell a great story in it. Grant doesn't disappoint; her post-Rising world is rich, weaving a gripping story from the societal consequences of a planet that has become quite legitimately paranoid." Thanks, Brion!

Amanda at Another Book Junkie has posted her review of Feed, and says "Oh man, I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot about Mira Grant in the future." Also, "Well done, Ms. Grant. Well done." There's a lot of review between those statements, and you should totally go read it. Don't worry, I'll wait.

Doyce Testerman has posted an awesome review of Feed. It is thoughtful and incisive and well-composed, and quoting it would do both you and it a disservice, because it hangs together so well as a contemplation of the book's message, as well as, y'know, as a review. Go check it out. Again, I'll wait, and thank you, Doyce.

A lovely Feed review has been posted at Flying Off the Shelves, and says "When I first started reading this book I wasn't expecting it to be nearly as good as it is. I questioned it and asked myself, "How could this book be any good after reading World War Z? I don't want to read another crappy zombie book.", but I took the chance and I found that this book is truly an amazing piece of writing. The characters are dynamic and complex. The story line will knock your socks off. I actually don't have anything bad to say about this book whatsoever. Even the science behind this story is interesting and spot on when it comes to basic virus information. If her next book is anything like this I may just die (and hopefully not zombify). Honestly, I rarely buy books in hardcover and I want this one in hardcover. If it isn't obvious already this book easily claims a five rating. Extremely well done Mira Grant." Yay!

That's five links posted, and barely a dent made in my list o' links. Clearly, I need to clean up my act. More to come!

You have four years left to prepare, because it all begins on July 18th, 2014.

At 11:53 AM, CDT, in the city of Peoria, Illinois, a man named Jonathan Dowell will be hit by a car while crossing the street at a busy intersection. Despite flying more than three yards through the air and hitting the ground with a bone-shattering degree of force, Jonathan will get back to his feet in a matter of minutes, to the great relief of bystanders and drivers alike. This relief will turn to bewilderment and terror as he lunges at the crowd, biting four people before he is subdued. By nightfall, the first Peoria outbreak will be well underway.

At 10:15 AM, PDT, in the town of Lodi, California, a woman named Debbie Goldman will be jogging along her usual route, despite the record-breaking heat and the recent warnings of her physician. Her explosive cardiac event will go entirely unwitnessed, as will her subsequent revival. As she makes her way along the road, she will find a group of teenagers out for a walk; in the struggle that follows, three of the six will be bitten. The Lodi outbreak will begin to spread shortly after two o'clock that afternoon.

At 11:31 AM, MDT, in a research laboratory just outside Denver, Colorado, two of the test subjects currently being treated with Marburg Amberlee will go into spontaneous viral amplification as the live virus bodies being pumped into their systems encounter the resting viral bodies already there. The details of this outbreak are almost entirely unknown, as the lab will be successfully sealed and burned to the ground before the infection can spread. Denver will be spared the worst ravages of the Rising until the second wave begins on July 26th. Some will say that the tragedy which follows will come only because of that temporary reprieve; they weren't prepared.

The Rising begins four years from today.

Are you prepared?

Hello, 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 )

You may remember that I took a trip to Cups and Cakes Bakery recently, to document the process of making delicious BRAIN CUPCAKES. Because, well. BRAIN CUPCAKES. And now the lovely folks at Orbit have posted that documentation for you to devour and enjoy. I give you...

How to make BRAIN CUPCAKES.

We share because we care. About delicious brains, anyway.