Words: 3,001.
Total words: 45,578.
Reason for stopping: I have to go to rehearsal, and I've finished chapter twelve.
Music: mostly the Counting Crows.
Lilly and Alice: prowling around the bedroom, sensing my imminent departure.

And now we hit the point at which The Brightest Fell stands up in a field with its arms spread, shouts, "FUCK YOU, I'M AN ANTEATER!" and goes trundling off to do whatever the hell it feels like it, whether I like it or not. Seriously, the outline has just gone out the window, where it can be used as nesting material by the local crows. And the book is SO MUCH BETTER as a consequence. Sometimes my characters give me a headache.

Highlights from this session involve fun with physics and the difficulties of getting good help these days. Also Alice bringing me a dead mouse, three times, before I finally gave in and allowed her to flush it down the toilet, because I am a total pushover.

I'm not going to pretend that this book is suddenly at a stage where it's going to become fun and easy, but it's definitely swinging along a lot faster and more sanely than it was before, which is a pretty bad-ass change, and I think I'm really going to like where it's going. Hopefully, you will, too, but while I write the final draft for everyone else, I write the first draft for me. And right now, I'm making me pretty damn happy.

Go team Toby.

Words: 4,741.
Total words: 42,577.
Reason for stopping: I have reached the end of chapter eleven. I need air.
Music: the entire collection, on random.
Lilly and Alice: sniffing my picnic basket and on the cat tree, respectively.

This may seem like a less impressive word count than last night's 37k, but since that was "revised and official text to date," and this is "one night's hard work," I'm going to call it a win. Also, I feel like I've been ridden madly over the moors for most of a night, and I didn't even get a nice bucket of oatmeal cookies for my troubles. Tired author is tired, and about to retire to the bath.

The Brightest Fell is turning into a real book, with a real point and purpose behind it, and with real ideas about where the narrative is supposed to go. I'm going to spend a chunk of this weekend redoing my outline, since half of it has gone out the damn window, but the book is so much unutterably better for it that I'm not actually complaining. Just, you know. Whining a little. It's so nice to be back in Toby's world, hanging out with all these crazy-train fairy tale rejects and dealing with their even crazier, even trainier, problems. Lots of crazy in this one.

Next up, I attempt to get enough finished text that I can pretend to be at least a novella. Also, I take a nice long nap.

Words: 37,836.
Total words: 37,836.
Reason for stopping: There are not words for how very "bedtime" it is right now.
Music: Alice trying to get me to go to bed.
Lilly and Alice: On the bed, and trying to order me to bed, respectively.

So yeah. Welcome back to the word counter for The Brightest Fell, aka, "Toby Daye, book five," aka, "this is the song that never ends." I have officially been working on this book since the dawn of time, largely because it's always been book five, and hence, very far away on the horizon. There was always room for something else to be higher-priority, and knock it to the back of the queue. Guess what, queue? Not anymore!

Anyway, The Brightest Fell is finally moving forward in a smooth, comprehensible, and I strongly suspect sustainable manner, which is weird but sort of awesome. It has been very much informed by all the things I've learned about being a writer from the first four, and by all the things I've learned about Toby herself from the first four, the short stories, and the prequel that you won't be seeing for a while yet. It's making me really happy, and also weirding me out more than a little, because dude, it's becoming a book. A book that currently spends a lot of time flipping me off, but still, a book.

I make progress! I dance the dance of joy. And now I sleep.

Tuesday, I realized there was something wrong with The Brightest Fell (October Daye, book five).

Wednesday, I began reworking the book from the beginning, to see if I could figure out what the problem was. Twenty pages in, I figured out what the problem was. Twenty pages after that, I came up for air.

Thursday, a package containing the page proofs for An Artificial Night landed on my doorstep, roughly four hours after the official sign-and-return contracts for Late Eclipses and The Brightest Fell landed in my hands. And to this I say...

Here we go again.

Tonight, I'm going to go home, pick up the page proofs, and decamp to the Starbucks down the street, where the combination of caffeine, iPod, and no fixed bedtime will enable me to burn through a decent number of chapters before I collapse into a twitching heap. Tomorrow, I'll get out of bed, take my walk to the 7-11 (land of "it's exactly a mile and a half round-trip"), and get back to work on The Brightest Fell. By the end of the weekend, I expect to be at least eighty pages into both manuscripts.

Toby's world is one that's very familiar to me, and very welcoming, because I've spent so much time there. At the same time, The Brightest Fell has been a challenge—it's resolving a lot of things that should make people very happy—while An Artificial Night remains my favorite of the first three, and thus needs to be as bad-ass as possible. So, you know. No pressure or anything.

But gee, it's nice to be running away with the faeries again.

It's time, once again, to clear out my list o' links before something on my computer actually manages to catch fire. Yay! The links have been building up like nobody's business; I attribute this, in part, to the fact that I put out two books in a little over two months, which makes it a miracle that I still speak English, rather than some exotic new language of my own devising. (That, or I've had a full-on psychotic break and only think I still speak English, in which case, dweezle wooblet mugga ze.)

To start today's roundup, here's a lovely record of the Feed book release event at Borderlands, written by TJ at Book Love Affair. There are pictures of the brain cupcakes and the fabulous Ryman for President buttons that Rae made, and it makes me quite happy. Be sure to read the comments, which are very complimentary of my book events. Yay!

Azz has posted a combo-book review and event review, which is fantastic, detailed, spoiler-free, and includes the best "Should I read Feed?" quizlet I've seen yet. Also, to quote two of my favorite bits...

"If you do emphatically do not like reading about the undead, do not read this book. It is not an unending gore porn festival like many forms of zombie fiction, but there are zombies; they are technically still alive, just horribly infected, and they do bite and feed and need killing. If you wanted a gore porn festival with a game of Zombie Survivor where you watch to see which one or two of the party make it back to an uninfected zone alive, this is not what you are getting; this is the civilization of the post-zombie times, not a survivalist picnic. (Ask Shaun how he feels about the military's recommendations on what to do in case of zombie attack sometime.) I would not give this book to my mother. I might leave this book where my father could find it, but I would not tell my father that he should read it. I would (and already have, quite enthusiastically) tell my best friend that he should read it (as soon as possible)."

...and...

"If you are against vaccination, for your personal safety, do not tell this to the author. The author's hobbies include studying disease for fun, not just for research. If you say something stupid like "It's not like anybody's ever died from smallpox! It's a PERSONAL CHOICE!" ... punching you may be the author's PERSONAL CHOICE. I hope you don't mind."

So very, very true. Moving on, I did an author review with The Intelli-Gent, which was fun, creative, and came up with some rockin' new questions, including some very specific state of publishing questions that I don't get asked all that often. Prior to the interview, Bryce reviewed Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation, just to prepare.

About Rosemary, he says, "Rosemary and Rue stacks up very well against all of the urban fantasy I've read in the last couple of years. The characters, setting and plot all come together to make you feel something, and thus it becometh a page turner. If you're a fan of the genre, you're going to want to add this to your list of things to read this year."

About A Local Habitation, he says, "A Local Habitation is a fine sequel. In many ways, it builds on what was already there, and there are really no major drawbacks to the book. It's nice to see an author that's consistent, as so many seem to have that second book slump, where it just doesn't measure up to their first brilliant idea."

Works for me, and big thanks to TJ, Azz, and Bryce for the interview and reviews. Now if I can just get through the rest of these links before my computer explodes...

I am absolutely delighted to announce the cover release for Nebelbann, the German edition of A Local Habitation. ("Nebelbann" means, roughly, "mist-spell" or "mist-ban." It's a really spiffy compound word, and I'm thrilled.) This is being released by Egmont, my German publisher, and the cover design was done by the artist who designed the cover of Winterfluch.

Behold the pretty:



It's so different from my US covers, and so pretty, that I honestly couldn't be happier. I'm really happy.

What do you think?

Two years ago today, I got out of bed (way too early), put on clothes (because nudity is frowned upon on public transit), and went to work. I don't usually remember what I was wearing on any given day, but this one, I do: jeans, bright yellow tank top, pink-and-yellow Chimera Fancies pendant that reads "fairy changeling this is all a dream." It was an ordinary start to what seemed likely to be an ordinary day.

Two years ago today, The Agent was shopping the Toby Daye books, trying to find just the right house for my debut series. I mean, really, we knew what Just The Right House was: DAW Books. It was the very first publisher we'd been in contact with, after being referred there by one of their existing authors. They had exactly the right sort of atmosphere, and they'd published a lot of books I've really loved. I wanted to work with these people. All I could do was hope that they wanted to work with me.

Two years ago today, my phone rang. Caller ID said that it was The Agent—that's actually what her number is saved as in my phone book, because I am sometimes a little bit bizarre about such things—so I excused myself to take the call.

The Agent said three words to me. "We got DAW."

This was followed by a lot of other information about contracts and money and publishing schedules and blah blah blah fishcakes, because I had really checked out completely. Out of the conversation, out of body, out to lunch, buh-bye. I made all the appropriate noises of assent, and managed to sound like I wasn't crying, because years of fake-it-til-you-make-it has made me really, really good at that sort of thing. (Severe back injury plus chronic pain issues plus "suck it up" equals I can sound perky and happy about my situation while being consumed from the toes up by a giant snake. It's awesome. Also sort of bad, because my automatic response to trauma is frequently "gosh, what fun.")

Eventually, the call ended. I went outside. I called Vixy. I made horrible shrieky bat-noises, causing dogs all around San Francisco to bark themselves hoarse, run in circles, and slam into trees. Pigeons lost the ability to fly and splattered down on the pavement like really disturbing rain. Vixy, upon determining that I was shrieky with joy, not distress, made suitable noises until I calmed down enough to tell her what was going on. Then she started shrieking, too. It was a shrieky day.

Two years ago today, I sold the first three Toby books. Today, I have three framed cover illustrations on my living room walls, and five framed covers hanging scattered through the rest of my house. I have books on the shelf with my name on them, and published reviews in places like Locus and the Onion A.V. Club. I have a contract for two more Toby books after those first three, and my fingers crossed for more after that.

Two years ago today.

Wow.

The links are building up, and they're starting to threaten a coup, which means it's time for—yes—another review roundup. This one is purely focused on the Toby Daye books, since otherwise, the Toby-specific links are going to come for me in the night. Onward!

Jessica at Book Bound has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "Toby has made her way into my top three heroines list and I am doubtful that she will be surpassed. I am sickened by the fact that it took me so long to find out about this book and then finally read it and I absolutely cannot wait to follow October Daye on her next adventure." Also: "Completely original and exhilarating, Rosemary and Rue is one book that will forever remain on my bookshelf." Awesome!

Mardel at Rabid Reader has also posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "The narrative on this novel was good, the dialogue was fine, there were clues to let me think about who the culprit might be, lots of action (unfortunately mostly in the form of injuries to October, but it's action) and the promise of happiness for October." (There's also some awesome objection to the amount of injury Toby sustains, which made me giggle a lot. Oh, pulp detective tropes, is there nothing you can't improve?) I'm pleased.

calico_reaction has posted a very long, thoughtful, and well-considered review of Rosemary and Rue. I'm not going to do any pull quotes, because frankly, the things that she's bringing up, especially as regards Toby's relationship to Devin, don't work nearly as well out of context, and the context is good. The things that bother other people aren't always the things that bother me, but I love to see them articulated and thought-out to this degree. It makes it easier for me to evaluate my own work in the light of how other people will see it.

Because it's always good to balance the sincere with the sincerely silly, I give you The Wanlorn's review of A Local Habitation, which involves a lot of caps lock and flailing. I mean, look, here's a quote:

"I'll be honest, internet. I go back and forth between BFF-shipping Toby and the Luidaeg and, you know. Actually shipping them. I mean, come on. Toby calls her to let her know she won't make their weekly visit. And the Luidaeg started calling Toby to harass her in the first place because she was lonely. The Luidaeg threatens to kill her all the time, and might very well go through with it when Toby asks her final question! MENT2B."

COMIC GENIUS. Also kinda spoilerific. But? COMIC GENIUS.

Over at From Nancy Drew to Dante's Inferno (great name!), Ex Libris has posted a lovely review of A Local Habitation, and says "I discovered McGuire last year when I was hunting online for new authors. All my favorite ones had no new books out and I was desperate for new fantasy/paranormal/mystery books. McGuire is brilliant!" I...can live with that, really. Onward!

Hagel Rat over at Unbound has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and starts with a lovely statement of purpose for urban fantasy. Namely:

"Urban Fantasy at it's very best has the gritty noir and cynicism of Chandler's Philip Marlowe, a dry humour bordering on bitter and a well constructed, logical, fully functioning supernatural element. This doesn't mean cute fluffy vamps that are always falling in love with their sworn enemy. It means a system that makes sense and carries consistently through the series."

Best. Thing. Ever. She goes on to say "This isn't paranormal romance, this is a mystery which the protagonist must solve against the odds and in spite of the threat to their own lives which will suggest a simple case is rather more complex. For me it accesses the same delight as the old noir mysteries too, but with this new twist to freshen it all up." Glee.

Finally, a mini-review of A Local Habitation which notes favorably that we fixed the pronunciation of "kitsune." We can be taught!

Now we must rinse.

Final reminder: Tomorrow morning, I'll be choosing one winner of an ARC of Feed by random selection. Throw in your lot, and see what happens!

Now, on to the show!

Renee, at Renee's Book Addiction, has posted her review of the A Local Habitation audiobook. Yes, you read that right—she reviewed the audio edition. My first audio review! She says "About halfway through, I thought I had figured out “whodunit”. I was in a state of suspense through the second half of the story wondering if I was right or not. In the end, I was only partially correct, but it was such fun trying to look at the mystery from different angles. The mystery-lover in me really enjoyed this." Also, she loves Mary Robinette Kowal as the narrator. Thank you, Mary!

A Working Title has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says "A Local Habitation is a great sequel to Rosemary and Rue," and "The blending of technology and magic in the story is fascinating." (She also found January a little flat, something that will hopefully be addressed by the short stories I'm working on. Yay for back story!)

Chrissa at Supernatural Fairy Tales has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says "Toby's world gives me the shivers as she's wandering down dark roads and flashes of delight as she tells stories about the creatures she's encountered. Following her down just one of those of dark roads makes for an exciting and entertaining read." Oh, I like that.

Finally for tonight, Erika at Jawas Read Too has posted a lovely review of Feed. She says "With Feed, Mira Grant proves she’s an author to be reckoned with. The book may be lengthy (almost 600 pages), but we have to remember it’s the first in a self-contained trilogy. There’s such a large and complex story to tell—a lesser book would not be this involved. If readers haven’t already started paying attention to Seanan McGuire because of her October Daye books, Feed will do the trick."

That's it for right now. Phew.

(As a quick introductory aside: remember that you have until Sunday night to enter to win an ARC of Feed. This drawing is open to everyone located on the actual planet Earth. If you want to enter from Mars, or from a parallel dimension, you have to pay me for postage.)

First up for today is...well, not exactly a review, per se, but a very well-considered endorsement of sorts for Feed, from the awesomeness that is Book Banter. This was written in response to my receiving an entertainingly bad review, and says "Feed is not just a book about zombies, running from zombies, being afraid of zombies, killing zombies, and all that zombie jazz. It’s about a changed world that has had to deal with a zombie invasion, and how life for every living person on the planet is now totally foreign to the reader." Very accurate, and very awesome.

A fun review of both Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation has been posted over at Book Sexy. The reviewer says "The endings of these stories aren’t always happy and the successes all come with high costs attached. McGuire has created a damaged heroine torn between two worlds and unable to find peace in either. Add a supporting cast of characters with motivations as mixed as Toby’s and you have a winning formula." Also: "It all makes for surprisingly good pleasure reading on beaches and buses. And while these books are imperfect—Toby sometimes misses the obvious clues and has a bizarre habit of underestimating her powers—they are steadily improving." Let's hope that trend continues, shall we?

Lesley W. has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "I've been looking at a few reviews of this story and I've come to the conclusion that whether you hate it or love it will largely depend on your opinion of the heroine. I loved her." Also: "I think I'd almost despaired of finding something new and original in UF—preferably ferret free—and yet here it is. October is a melancholy heroine, so if you prefer something jolly, this one probably isn't going to be for you. But she has lost so much, she has a right to be withdrawn." I'm not sure what's up with the ferrets, but I agree with the assessment of Toby.

Marianna at Strictly Antisocial has posted a nice, critical review of A Local Habitation, and says "I liked the book, a lot. It is not a perfect book. But it is entertaining and a slightly different fare than what I have been immersing myself in (vamps and weres!). McGuire, it is obvious, does her homework. It feels like the faeries in Toby's world are real, with a rich and detailed past, that we, as the reader, have yet to uncover." Yay!

Amy at A Room of One's Own has posted a short, sweet review of A Local Habitation. No pull quotes, but I like it.

Karissa's Reading Review has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says "This is the second book in the October Daye series. Last I heard there were eight books* planned for this series; the third book An Artificial Night is due to come out September 2010. I thought this book was much better than the first book in the series; I really enjoyed it." Also: "I thought this book was much more well put together than the first one. The plot was more engaging and really propelled the reader forward; Toby develops into a much more likable heroine (she was not as whiny as in the first book)." She whines even less from here, promise.

We close this roundup with the obligate Livejournal review, this time from silvertwi, who has posted a lovely review of A Local Habitation, and says "A Local Habitation is the second October Daye novel. If the first, Seanan's debut, was good (and it was, I loved it) this was even better." Also: "Some mysteries of Faerie (like the night-haunts and the murders) are solved, but there's clearly a lot more to come. What's going on with Toby's mother? What will happen between Toby and Tybalt? ... And so much more. I can't wait for September and the sequel, An Artificial Night."

That's it for right now. More soon, as my link file is getting out of control!

(*This footnote is mine, not the reviewer's, so's you know. Anyway, there are currently five books sold, two books published, and somewhere between nine and eleven books planned, depending on how you count the prequel. I clearly need more hobbies.)

So let's review, shall we? I started this week a) exhausted from a comic book convention, b) with my back doing its best to murder me in my sleep, c) under deadline, and d) with the announcement that I am on the ballot for the 2010 Campbell Award. The first two have been sorting themselves out—I've had time to sleep, and my back is recovering, since I'm taking things relatively easy—but I'm still under deadline, and I'm still on the ballot.

(This whole thing feels a lot like when I first sold the Toby books. All I wanted to do was go up to strangers and be like "I just sold my first series!" All the strangers wanted me to do was leave them alone. So my friends wind up with a lot of really random-ass interjections. "What do you want for dinner?" "A tiara in Australia!" "Yes, but other than that, what do you want for dinner?" "I'm on the ballot!" "So we're having Baja Fresh again?" I try to keep this as non-offensive as possible, but really, it's like a constant GOTO loop at the back of my brain right now.)

Last night, I sat down with the goal of banging out 2,000 words on "Through This House," a Toby short set between Late Eclipses and The Brightest Fell. It's potentially for an anthology, and I wanted to make some definitive progress before I allowed myself to watch this week's episode of Castle. When I came up for air 4,000 words later, the first draft was done, and I felt vaguely as if I'd been hit with a brick. Tonight, I'm going to try to pull the same trick with "Build a Better...," an Alice/Thomas/colony of over-excitable pantheistic demon mice short (being written as the other option for the same anthology). Then, this weekend, I'll try to get three out of three by whipping through "Last Dance With Mary Jane," the Sparrow Hill Road story for June.

Sleep is for the weak and sickly.

In the cracks between the rushing, I've been dealing with taxes, trying to clean my room whilst entirely incapable of bending (it's a good thing I have flexible toes), and revamping both my websites, since the whole "on an internationally-published ballot" has been shoving a lot of traffic in my direction. It's fun like hysteria! And to be honest, I really am loving every minute of it. I am a sad, sad bunny-girl sometimes. So sad.

Next up, a webcomic endorsement, a Feed giveaway, some weird monkey noises, and a funky little dance. Whee!

My browser is getting out-of-control again, and that means it's time to snag some links to clear some tags. Because that's just how we roll around here.

First up for today: I was part of an essay collection called Chicks Dig Time Lords, conceptualized by the lovely Tara O'Shea (who took my subtle hints about how she should let me submit with extremely good grace). Tansy Rayner Roberts posted a lovely review of the book as a whole, and called out my essay, "Mathematical Excellence: A Documentary" as "the pathos-ridden, hilarious, awful tale of a child whose childhood is colored by the deeply held belief that Doctor Who was a documentary series." Sadly accurate. Very cool review—and very cool book!

Heather at Darkly Reading has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says "Ahh...what can I say about A Local Habitation, it has location (San Francisco Bay Area), hot and broody potential love interest (Tybalt), awesome heroine job (knight errant), and amusing sidekick (Quentin). All the perfect elements to make another great entry into one of my new favorite urban fantasy series." People who love Quentin and Tybalt are a-okay by me!

Heather also posted today's Sinful Sunday, with a focus on everybody's favorite snarky Cait Sidhe hottie. Yes: it's a whole post about Tybalt being awesome. Don't say I never gave you anything.

Dawn interviewed me for Horror Web! It was super-fun (good interviews usually are), and covered some really interesting ground. Check it out.

defectivewookie has posted an LJ review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "The prologue to Rosemary and Rue floored me. I put the book down, sat there for a moment, and then literally said "wow" out loud." Also: "The rest of the novel built on that impression, giving one of the most fleshed out and fully realized worlds I've encountered in Urban Fantasy. Read it. Now." Totally cool!

Rob at Aphelion has posted a review of A Local Habitation. He says "In the center of it all, complaining bitterly the entire time, is Toby Daye, a remarkably flawed, complex antihero who inspires you to alternately cheer her on and want to slap her silly. In a genre populated by unflappable protagonists who never blink in the face of danger, Toby is willing to admit, to herself if not always to others, when she's in way over her head." WIN! Also: "A Local Habitation is a delightful continuation of the October Daye series, and in many ways improves on its exceptional predecessor. With luck, we'll be seeing a lot more of Toby, and Seanan McGuire, in the future."

Miss Corene has posted a short, sweet review of Rosemary and Rue. No pull-quotes—like I said, it's short—but totally worth it for the pictures she took of the book in fun places.

Erika at Jawas Read, Too has posted a lovely review of A Local Habitation. The review is long, meaty, and difficult to pull a single quote from; go and give it a read, because she has some fascinating things to say.

I have lots more links, but not lots more time—Wondercon calls!—so that's where I'll leave things for today. More later.

The GIRL FIGHT TONIGHT is down to the final two! In this corner, weighing in at 130 pounds, half-human, half-fae, all pretty much pissed off by this entire situation, it's October "Toby" Daye! In the other corner, weighing in at none of your damn business, the best witch in the Ramtops and possibly the world, Granny Esme Weatherwax!

...well, then.

I consider Toby getting the stuffing kicked out of her by Granny Weatherwax to actually be a win, since dude, "wasn't expected to place" girl coming in second, not too shabby. Still, pros and cons:

Toby will win because she's tenacious, surprisingly difficult to kill, and tends to approach all situations as life-or-death, even when they're not. Maybe she's a little over-enthusiastic that way, but still, it's sometimes an asset. Toby will lose because she's fighting Granny fucking Weatherwax.

Granny will win because she's Granny fucking Weatherwax, a witch so good that she rarely needs to use any witchcraft at all. Granny will lose because she mostly goes up against people who want to get into her head, and Toby doesn't want to get into her head; Toby just wants to go the fuck home. Also, Granny doesn't care as much, and might well throw the fight, hence winning by controlling the outcome.

Right now, Granny's in the lead. But we shall see.

Meanwhile, over in the Fourth Annual BSC Review Tournament, Rosemary and Rue has managed to defeat Juliet Marillier's Heart's Blood, with Toby holding on by the skin of her teeth...and is now up against catvalente's Palimpsest in what may well be the girl fight of the century (or at least, the girl fight of the week). I admit, I was hoping we'd be the last two, duking it out atop a mountaintop, hair flying in the wind, being all creepily photogenic. But as this is not to be, I merely urge you to swing by and place your vote. Whichever way it goes, one of us is making that mountain. Dammit.

Girl fight goes on! Soon, only one will leave the tourney grounds alive!

Bit #1: Toby has actually made it to the final four in the GIRL FIGHT TONIGHT, and she and Professor McGonagall are running literally neck-in-neck. Consider that a moment. Toby is a viable contender for defeating Professor McGonagall. The world has gone insane, and your vote could help her get to the finals, where she can have the pleasure of having her ass handed to her by Granny Weatherwax. Which is a victory unto itself, really.

Bit #2: Alcestis [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] is a retelling of the classical Greek myth of Alcestis in the Underworld, and is just breathtakingly gorgeous. I am glad to own this in hardcover, because despite it taking up additional space, it is now sturdy enough to survive the many, many re-reads that it will be receiving as the years slip by. It's a beautiful book. Pair it with Malinda Lo's Ash and you have the perfect late Valentine (or early).

Bit #3: Castle has been picked up for a third season, guaranteeing me another night of brilliant television as time goes by. I really feel like I'm in something of a golden age, television-wise. I have my caper show (Leverage), my wacky science fiction (Eureka, Warehouse 13), my serious science fiction (Fringe), my comedy (Big Bang Theory), my mystery (Castle), and my good-n-gory (NCIS, Bones). Really, the networks don't need to do anything new with the upcoming season. I'm good.

Bit #4: Toby is still a contender in the Fourth Annual BSC Review Tournament, but her current round—in which she's going up against Juliet Marillier's Heart's Blood—remains very nearly too close to call. We're moving toward the end of the tournament, and it would be bad-ass to progress at least one more round, so please, if you have the chance, bop over and drop a vote.

Bit #5: I am apparently writing at least one short story (and maybe more than one, knowing me and my scary over-achieving ways) set before A Local Habitation, focusing on and narrated by January O'Leary. You can meet her girlfriend! Who is awesome, and puts up with an immense amount of crap from her scary technophile significant other.

Bit #6: Wondercon is this weekend! I am super-excited, and plan to spend the entire weekend wandering the floor, seeing awesome stuff, and learning new and exciting things about the X-Men. Because there is always something new and exciting to learn about the X-Men. (Hopefully not "Jean Grey is coming back," but things can't be wonderful forever.) I have also purchased my tickets for San Diego, which becomes a little more real every day. GEEK PROM IS GO!

Bit #7: Starfish loves you.

Okay, yes, I admit it: I have a lot of deadlines right now, I have a lot of editing that's nibbling at me like a flock of wild ducks, and playing literary cage match is currently my guilty "sometimes it's okay to be crazy-silly" pleasure. Thanks to everyone who's been tolerating my crazy; double thanks to everyone who's been helping me with it. And now, today's cage match updates:

Over in the Fourth Annual BSC Review Tournament, Toby has managed to make it to round three. So far, she's defeated both Butcher's Turn Coat and Brett's The Warded Man...but now she's going up against Juliet Marillier's Heart's Blood, and the race remains too close to call. Rally! Help Toby progress! Especially since catvalente's Palimpsest is still swinging (currently against The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick), and there's a wacky bonus comic strip in it for you if we wind up facing off in the final round. Pretty please?

Meanwhile, over in the GIRL FIGHT TONIGHT, Toby has made it to the Elite Eight, and needs only to smack down Hunter from Neverwhere to make a clean sweep of her bracket! Woo! From here, the winner goes up against the winners of other brackets, which means she'd have the opportunity to get beat down by a Discworld girl. You know you want to see that.

Go forth, vote, and keep Toby kicking ass!

(Some of these links may be getting posted for the second time. I had a minor browser crash, and I think it restarted from an earlier session. Sorry about any confusion this may cause.)

First up for tonight's roundup, there's a discussion of A Local Habitation going on over at the dawbooks community. This is a great community for discussing the latest releases from my beloved publisher, and sometimes there are even giveaways (and other awesome things). Go, discuss, and hang out for the possibility of free books! It's a win-win situation.

Book Lovers Inc. has posted a lovely review of A Local Habitation, and says "Where A Local Habitation becomes art is that while it has so much that speaks to a classic detective story, you feel like you have fallen down the rabbit hole at the same time. The two divergent feelings co-exist with neither completely canceling the other out. You lose yourself in this wonderland, continuing to look for clues and nothing seems outrageous. The mythical and the dark realism flow seamlessly one into the other. By the end you are left with a feeling of being trapped inside the haunted house in a classic horror flick. That my friends, is art."

...um, wow. Okay; there's really nothing I can add to that. Moving along...

Don D'Ammassa included A Local Habitation in his review list, and says "Like the first in the series, this rises above the limitations of its format. It would be a shame if this got lost in the crowd of similarly conceived though far less well executed novels." Cool. Hopefully, I can get found instead.

Rhymes With Truculent has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says "I think that this is the first time I've read a novel about fairies set in the "real" non-faerie world, and believed it." Again...um, wow. That's just a wonderful thing to hear, and I couldn't be happier. This whole review makes me happy, but that's the bit I just want to stare at for a while.

Ava has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "I loved this book. I was a little hesitant at first. From the blurbs I read, I knew the book must be a mixture of fantasy and hard-boiled, two genres I enjoy a lot but that seemed to have the potential to make a big mess when put together. I couldn't be more wrong. The narrative is consistent and concise, the characters are well-rounded and believable and the story is intriguing."

She also says "I was especially fascinated by the excellent job the author did of building a realistic main character. Let's face it, the woman's name is October Daye, she's half-fairy, she has a certain air of Legolas about her and she behaves like Humphrey Bogart minus the Y chromosome; it's a cocktail that you'd expect to turn out strange at least, or most likely awful. But McGuire shows such skill in handling her ingredients that the result is someone so believable you wouldn't be surprised to find her on the street."

That's more than I usually quote from a single review, but that's just so...this is a really "um, wow" roundup, for me. I'm getting better. I can see it, and so can the reviewers, and that just delights me all the way from my tip to my toes.

And now, bed.

It's apparently wild cage match season here in literary-land, because the cage matches are everywhere, and Toby is making a decent showing for herself. Over in the Fourth Annual BSC Review Tournament, she's managed to make it to round three, defeating both Butcher's Turn Coat and Brett's The Warded Man.

This brutal tourey pits a year's-worth of book releases against one another in bloody single combat, and only one can emerge victorious. And Toby's in trouble. Her latest match is against Juliet Marillier's Heart's Blood, and she's getting the smackdown. Rally! Help Toby progress! Especially since catvalente's Palimpsest is still swinging (currently against The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick), and there's a wacky bonus comic strip in it for you if we wind up facing off in the final round.

In somewhat less serious cage fight news, there's a GIRL FIGHT TONIGHT, and Toby is currently facing off against Neil Gaiman's Door. Now, Door is a badass, it's true, but she needs a Hunter to rescue her (be it Hunter or Richard). Toby'll just shoot her kneecaps out.

Go forth, vote, and keep Toby kicking ass!

This one comes in two parts. Part the first: The Toby Daye FAQ is looking a little thin on the ground, with very few questions directly relating to the books themselves. Please give the FAQ a glance, if you get the chance, and propose new questions? I want to get things cleaned up and updated. In, y'know, my copious spare time.

Part the second: The Horror Movie Survival FAQ is going to be moving to MiraGrant.com with the launch of the new site. I know, I know, it's a sad day. But it'll fit in better there, and I'll have a lot of really awesome opportunities to update and expand.

This means I need a new "silly" FAQ for my main site...and that's where today comes in. I'm going to do a Fairy Tale and Ballad Survival FAQ. Please propose questions, offer survival tips, whatever comes to mind, and I'll get started from there! Help protect a new generation of children from evil stepmothers, wicked witches, inexplicable beanstalks, and the dangers of gingerbread houses.

Sometimes my life is awesome.

To celebrate the announcement of the fourth and fifth books in the Toby Daye series, we're having a little contest! Namely...

1. If you have purchased either Toby book since the official release of A Local Habitation (March 2nd, 2010), post or email me* a picture of your receipt. Make sure I can tell which book it was for.

2. I will put your name in a spreadsheet.

3. On April 1st, I will choose five names at random from the spreadsheet. Those five people will win the book they didn't send me the receipt for.

What does this mean? Well, it means you could win a signed copy of either book. Or, if you've been looking at the series and wondering whether you're ready to jump in, you can pick up a copy of Rosemary and Rue and potentially get a copy of A Local Habitation right about when you're really starting to yearn for more Toby. Or you can direct your friends over here as a chance to get a foothold in a new series. Whatever makes you happy.

Also, to clarify a few points: In this instance, the contest is hard-copy book purchases only, since that's what I have to send as prizes, and is US/Canada only. I do lots of "no purchase required" contests, so we'll just roll with this one being a little specialized, okay?

Game on!

(*This is a paid Livejournal. You can email to my-journal-name at livejournal-dot-com. That allows attachments.)

It is with great delight and Muppet-like flailing that I announce that the next two October Daye novels have been acquired by DAW Books. These urban fantasy/mysteries continue the adventures of October Daye, under-caffeinated changeling detective, and will be coming soon to a world near you. They are:

Late Eclipses
The Brightest Fell

I am grateful, excited, delighted, and really looking forward to being able to bring more of Toby's adventures to the world. I'm going to be working with the same team at DAW, which is awesome, and I'm really looking forward to wading into these books and taking the steps necessary to make then wonderful.

The world gets more Toby!

So currently, I am...

...working on The Agent's revisions to Deadline, all of which have been totally awesome, erudite, and coherent (at least so far; for all I know, I'm going to hit page 200 and suddenly she'll be demanding I insert evil clowns and flying monkeys). I'm addressing the manuscript 10% (IE, fifty pages) at a time, so that I can imagine a little progress bar guiding me sweetly toward the conclusion of draft two. Currently, the status bar stands at 20%. Since I started work yesterday, I am not yet freaking out over this.

...hammering away on The Brightest Fell (Toby Daye, book five), which, like, woke up one morning and just decided that it wasn't going to suck anymore. Seriously. This book has been a petulant brat for ages, and then bam, all of a sudden, it was all "La la la, I am ready to play nicely with the other children." So now I'm burning pages, the stakes are getting higher, the action's getting tighter, and Toby's having one of her Worst Weeks Ever. I'm always happy when Toby is having one of her Worst Weeks Ever. This is why Toby will eventually find a way to kill me in my sleep.

...getting content up on MiraGrant.com. If you go there right now, you'll still get the splash page, but I promise you, Behind The Scenes, Things Are Brewing. We'll be ready to launch super-soon, and when we do, look out world! Tara has done an incredible job with the site design, and Chris has done an equally incredible job with the coding. And of course, there's things afoot over on the Orbit side of things, and soon the whole world will be asking the question that's been gnawing at me for a while now: When will you rise?

...writing two short stories for the same anthology, since that's the only way to have a proper cage match between the two (thus letting me determine which one works better). In this corner, Toby, Danny, and Quentin do stuff involving poking things with sticks and following the basic rules of horror movie survival (IE, "When the house tells you to get out, you leave"). In this corner, Alice, Thomas, and the mice go wandering around the woods looking for fricken nests, and face the usual dangers inherent in doing what a tribe of talking pantheistic mice tells you to do. Fun!

...finishing the sixth Sparrow Hill Road story, "Last Dance With Mary Jane," in which we finally find out what actually happened on the night Rose Marshall died. This is sort of where the series turns, and where everything else that happens becomes inevitable. I'm really excited.

...really in need of a nap.

I will have a silly, silly contest starting later today, and remember, the various cage matches are still going on. Help Toby deliver the ULTIMATE SMACKDOWN, thus earning her a pretty tiara that she won't wear and a Starbucks gift card that she will use up in an afternoon.

The Fourth Annual BSC Review Tournament is off and running! This brutal tourney pits a year's-worth of book releases against one another in bloody single combat, and only one can emerge victorious.

Rosemary and Rue has already defeated Jim Butcher's Turn Coat in round one, and has entered round two, against Peter V. Brett's The Warded Man. I didn't think Toby could face down Harry Dresden, so let's see how far she can go!

(catvalente's Palimpsest is also in the running. I'm not saying that if the tourney comes to the two of us facing off, we'll put on swimsuits and wrestle in a swimming pool filled with whipped cream and pumpkin pie filling. Honestly. I don't know where you'd get that idea...)

Now go vote!

First off, here is the RSVP link for tomorrow's Bitten By Books event (http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2043). I'll be answering questions and carrying on conversation all the live-long day, and you can get extra points in the exciting site giveaway by confirming that you'll be there!

Now, on to the reviews for today. The Writing Spectacle came by Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] the funny way: it was an Amazon recommendation, selected to receive free shipping on the order as a whole. Hee! She loved it (yay), and says "Needless to say, I inhaled the book yesterday - to the exclusion of everything else. I loved McGuire's writing style..." Also: "Worth every penny." Plus, she has the best blog disclaimer ever.

Reality Bypass Books gives Toby four out of five paws, and actually took the book to DisneyWorld! Now that's love. The reviewer says "It was a fast read and while there were a few moments where I wanted to slap Toby around, mostly I understood why she was doing what she was doing and I feel like the information pertaining to the mystery was well paced. There are many of the secondary characters who I'm really hoping to see again in future books, as I feel like they have strong stories to tell and Toby is made stronger by having them there for the most part. Connor I want to slap to sleep, but maybe that's just me." (Sadly, no, it's not just you...)

Virginia at Bitten By Books has posted a review, and says "I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel of Rosemary and Rue since I first read it. The October Daye saga is enthralling, and I find myself unable to put the book down once I start it." Also "Ms. McGuire will take that storyline in future books in the series. Seanan McGuire has a compelling writing style that leaves the reader anticipating more. I know I thoroughly enjoyed A Local Habitation and will sit on my hands, impatiently waiting for the next book in the October Daye series." Um, yay much? Total yay.

Finally (for the moment), Alex at Book Banter has reviewed A Local Habitation, and says "A Local Habitation is a great sequel to Rosemary and Rue, ratcheting up the action and fear as Toby once again finds herself fighting for her life, while readers learn more of the complexities of this world that Seanan McGuire had created. The good news is, after finishing A Local Habitation, as readers attempt to catch their breaths, they won’t have to wait long, with An Artificial Night due out in September."

(Footnote: I don't edit review quotes, as a general rule, because that's not nice, but in that last quote, I corrected the spelling of my name and the title of book three. Just to be totally open, here!)

It's a good, good day.

Mindy Klasky has been talking about "author branding" lately. Is it a bad thing that my brand is "slightly maniacal but easily distracted Disney Halloweentown Princess on a never-ending quest to dominate your puny planet"? I mean, it doesn't fit very easily on a T-shirt...

Anyway, today is a day for awesome news that is awesome. Those of you who follow dianafox will have already seen the first part of this: the Newsflesh trilogy (Feed, Deadline, Blackout) has sold to Egmont in Germany. Egmont is also the German publisher of the Toby Daye books. Because of this (and some questionable black marks on Mira's legal record, but that's beside the point), they'll be publishing the Newsflesh trilogy under the name "Seanan McGuire." I like being confusing!

Meanwhile, rights to the first three Toby books (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, and An Artificial Night) have sold to Azbooka in Russia. Vixy is very excited, because she actually speaks Russian, and will thus be able to read my books in a whole new language. I'm very excited because dude, Russia.

Soon, my conquest of your world will be complete, and my collection of foreign language editions will require its own shelf.

Yay!

As it is March 15th, marking the middle of the month and the defeat of my sanity, it's time for me to make my monthly current projects post. This is the post wherein I prove to the curious that I either don't sleep or have access to some mechanism for stopping time (don't I wish). There's a reason I start to giggle and twitch whenever someone asks me "What are you working on?", and this post provides a bit of explanation. It also serves as something I can point to when the question gets asked, which it does. This is the March 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 the first two Toby books (Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation) are off the list because they are now in print. Feed is off the list because it is in the process of being printed, and it's too late for me to make changes of any kind. The third and fourth Toby books (An Artificial Night and Late Eclipses) are off the list until The Editor tells me otherwise. Discount Armageddon and Deadline are off the list because they have been turned in to The Agent.

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 )

Okay, so here's the situation:

The electronic edition of A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] has been delayed twice now, resulting in people who were looking for the electronic edition seeing a slowly-shifting date that didn't necessarily make sense. It didn't make sense to me, either, since I don't really work on that side of the publishing process (and I've been a little busy with the whole "book release" process). I've been getting a lot of emails, blog comments, and Tweets about the electronic edition, so I'm aware that it's been frustrating, and I'm sorry.

I spoke to my publisher this morning, and confirmed that there was a problem with the file, which is now being fixed. The electronic version should be available in one to two weeks. This has been technical, not financial or anything else silly like that. Promise. I'll post when I have an exact date, or you can follow @dawbooks on Twitter, since that's a good way to stay on top of things.

In the meantime, if you really don't want to wait, please consider buying a copy of the physical book and donating it to a women's shelter, local library, or other charity of your choice when you're done. I realize that's not a perfect solution (among other things, if you're on a limited book budget, it can be impossible), but it's the best one I have, and it means that you not only get to read the book now, you get to bring the gift of literature to someone else when you're finished. Otherwise, well, chalk this one up to the learning curve of a changing industry, and you should be able to get your hands on A Local Habitation sooner than later.

Thank you so very much for your patience. It really means a lot to me.

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 that 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 )

After a long weekend away from my computer and falling way, way behind on things, it's time for me to do a quick review roundup, before my Firefox decides to swear eternal vengeance on everything I've ever loved. So...

We begin with Book Lovers Inc., where a lovely review of A Local Habitation has been posted. To quote a bit: "A Local Habitation is just as good as the first Toby Daye book." Also, "Where A Local Habitation becomes art is that while it has so much that speaks to a classic detective story, you feel like you have fallen down the rabbit hole at the same time. The two divergent feelings co-exist with neither completely canceling the other out. You lose yourself in this wonderland, continuing to look for clues and nothing seems outrageous. The mythical and the dark realism flow seamlessly one into the other. By the end you are left with a feeling of being trapped inside the haunted house in a classic horror flick. That my friends, is art."

Well, thank you.

Kelly at Fantasy Literature has posted a review of A Local Habitation. Rosemary and Rue didn't quite ring her bells, but book two seems to have done the trick! Quote: "I was a little disappointed in Rosemary and Rue, the first October Daye novel, but I could see tons of potential there and looked forward to the rest of the series. A Local Habitation blows it out of the water, and blows most of the urban fantasy on the shelves out of the water while it's at it." Um, dude. Also, "The suspense, the world-building, the characterization, and the writing combine to make A Local Habitation a standout. I can’t wait for An Artificial Night; I want more Toby, and definitely more Tybalt!"

The Paperback Dolls have published back-to-back reviews of Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation! Of Rosemary, they say "Even though Rosemary and Rue (which came out in September 2009) reads as if it came from the pen of an experienced writer, it is, in fact, Seanan McGuire’s first published novel...and what a fabulously-engrossing novel she has produced for her debut!" Also, "Combining that with McGuire's imaginative and fascinating mix of beings from supernatural lore, what we're left with is a rather brilliant fusion of the two genres. This is a story, and a world, and a group of characters just begging for a continuing series. Fortunately for us, that's exactly what we're going to get."

Of A Local Habitation, they say "If Seanan McGuire’s first October Daye novel was her spin on a moody, atmospheric, noir-style mystery (set in an uber-cool world populated by the Fae, Changelings, and regular humans), then her follow-up novel, A Local Habitation, goes the modern, high-tech crime thriller route (albeit with the same Fae and human mishmash of characters). And once again, the result is something quite magical." Also, "McGuire has succeeded in fashioning yet another brilliantly-inventive, twisty tale. She's given me characters I genuinely care about and a world I'm fascinated with; I can hardly wait to see how those characters and that world interact and change and grow as time passes. Far from being a stagnant place which lives only on the printed page, McGuire's creation now runs freely through my imagination...and I'm more than happy to let it do so, for as long as she writes such compelling and beautiful stories."

Finally, at least for right now, Night Owl Romance has posted a review of A Local Habitation. To quote a bit, "This is an intricate world she has constructed, intriguing the reader, luring them further and further into the story well past bedtime. The language and imagery is a treat, a hidden delight that I lingered over. This book, this series, is such a banquet of darkness and depth, sorrow and regret. Toby is a wonderful character and as I spend more time with her I enjoy her more and more."

On that note...thank you all for reading.

As I've mentioned before, I qualify for the Campbell Award this year, and I'd really like to win the tiara, because receiving a tiara in Australia, the Land of Poison and Flame, would be basically a defining moment in my Halloweentown Disney Princess existence. (Receiving a tiara is always awesome. Receiving a tiara in Australia proves that I've been asleep for the past three years.) Some of my friends have made Campbell Awareness posts, spreading the love and letting it be known that I'm eligible. Specifically...

catvalente posted to give me her endorsement, and also link to my comic strip about why I want a tiara (because let's face it, it's eye-catching). talkstowolves posted a long, bullet-pointed endorsement (with, again, the comic strip). Both pointed out that urban fantasy is rarely represented on these ballots, so...let's change the world!

Meanwhile, theferrett (who is also eligible for the Campbell this year and next year) posted about reading Rosemary and Rue, and the difficulties of my specific literary style. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

On to the reviews and interviews and whatnot! First up, Larissa, of Larrissa's Life, conducted an interview with, well, me which went up today. Learn about some of my favorite things, and enter to win an autographed copy of A Local Habitation. Fun for the whole family! Larissa also posted a review of Rosemary and Rue. She says "The plot of this book was great, fast paced and riveting. I could not stop reading for a second and was almost blind sighted by who the villain really was." She adds, "I absolutely recommend this book to any UF lover out there." Go, read, enjoy, and enter to win!

janicu has posted a lengthy review of A Local Habitation, and says "I liked this one better than the first book. I love the heroine and the pacing of the story seems just right." More, "I highly recommend this series if you like Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs or Ann Aguirre. The author writes complete installments but threads each book with hints as to the ongoing drama of Toby's life,and anticipating what could happen next is delicious. This is actually a series that I hope won't end at three books." You and me both!

Robin at Romance Reviews Today has reviewed A Local Habitation. Robin says "A Local Habitation is the second novel in this series, so some history is alluded to, but this does not affect the reading of this novel. It is a gripping mystery in a very well constructed otherworld. October is a great character, as are the supporting characters. There are some interesting romantic moments both expressed and constrained between Toby and three of the male characters, but business comes first. Quentin is a seemingly normal teenager caught in events out of his depth." Also "A Local Habitation is a wonderful urban fantasy readers will love." Well, they seem to so far...

s00j doesn't do many book reviews, but she decided to review A Local Habitation, because she is lovely. Sooj says "There's no doubt in my mind after reading this second October Daye novel that our heroine is made of sterner stuff (mostly coffee, if we are in fact what we eat) than me, and I do not envy her. Toby's pretty good at her job, but she can't stop people dying. Not even her friends, not even her superiors among the immortal Fae. If you thought she was strong in book one, Rosemary and Rue, you're not gonna believe all the crap she has to go through to make it to the end of A Local Habitation in one piece." She also says "If you couldn't put the first book down, make sure you set an alarm for a dinner break once you open this one. You'll need it. Once the action starts, it just gets weirder (and darker; we're not messing around here), and it doesn't waste any time. The only way in which A Local Habitation will do you wrong is that it will end, and it'll end in a pretty merciless way. But I find that, as with Rosemary and Rue, it's more than worth the ride." Yay!

Don D'Ammassa included A Local Habitation in his recent short reviews, and says "Like the first in the series, this rises above the limitations of its format. It would be a shame if this got lost in the crowd of similarly conceived though far less well executed novels."

And on that sweet, delightful note, I'm gonna end this post. Cheers!

So it's the day after the official release of A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy, and that means it's time to do a big ol' review roundup. A lot of new reviews of Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] have been cropping up as people realize the series exists, so today's roundup is a mixture of the first two books.

Melancholy Musings has a short, sweet Rosemary and Rue review—short enough that I don't really have any pull quotes, but it's still a nice review, and I really appreciate it. Yolanda also has a short Rosemary and Rue review, and what it lacks in quotes, it makes up for in awesome. Hooray for reviewers!

Speaking of reviews it's difficult to quote, the_wanlorn has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue that is a) absolutely hysterical, and b) not exactly linear in that way which lends itself easily to quotations. But there's lots of caps-lock, and it nearly made me snort soda out my nose, which is sort of an endorsement.

Meanwhile, over at Horror Web, Penny Dreadful has posted a review of A Local Habitation. She says "This is a world worth diving headlong into, a story with depth and detail you can lose yourself in and you might not want to ever get found. The characters are emotionally riveting; you feel for them, especially October. Sure, sometimes you might want to slap her around a little bit—that's ok, so do a lot of the other characters." Also "Horror fans will not be disappointed. Mystery fans will be kept on their toes. October’s world is well worth visiting, time and time again. Good thing McGuire isn't thinking of leaving it anytime soon." (I'll be doing an Interview at Horror Web soon. Watch this space for details.)

Heather at Darkly Reading has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "This book is a 4 out of 5 stars for me, the book is a great introduction to a new heroine Toby in one of my favorite locations—San Francisco." Works for me!

To bring the balance back into favor of the new book, here's a review of A Local Habitation from The Book Pushers. They say "Ms. McGuire's October Daye series does not shy away from showing how the Sidhe have a very different viewpoint on life and what death really means. I also got to see the manifestation of power and what it means to have and control that power." Also "I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next installment in October Daye's life, An Artificial Night." (Warning: review contains mild spoilers for Rosemary and Rue.)

The Bibliomaniac has posted a lengthy review of A Local Habitation at The Discriminating Fangirl. She says "To be fair, I admit to being a sucker for all things Fae. This doesn’t mean that any book set in Faerie or with Fae characters gets a free pass from me; on the contrary, it means I hold them to a much higher standard. Not once does the writing here rely on stereotypes, clichés, or lazy plotting, putting her in the company of such writers as Melissa Marr, Holly Black, and yes, Neil Gaiman. I predict that, before very much more time passes, McGuire will be known as well as any of them."

On that note, I am done with today's roundup, and will now go in pursuit of sweet caffeine. Mmmmm, caffeine. Savior of blonde girls everywhere...

Today is the official release date for A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy], available now in bookstores across North America. The Kindle edition comes out on March 9th; I do not know why there is a week's delay between the two, but it's a great opportunity for you Kindle-lovers to pick up a physical copy, read it, and give it your local women's shelter. ;)

Because this is What We Do Around Here, I present our resident little dead ghoul, Mel, all dressed up for the occasion. Not that she has anywhere to go, as she has a tendency to get herself barred from all pleasant social venues. Something about killing the other patrons...

But yes, it is my release day. I have an Amy and several puffy cats, and have thus far resisted the urge to smack my head against anything. Now help the bookstores empty their shelves by rushing out and bringing Toby home with you!

And now we reach the end of our countdown to the release of A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]; it comes out tomorrow, and I don't feel like going into negative numbers. ("Reason -6 why I am getting really tired of this game...") One more day. One more day before the sky falls on my head and I suddenly have to admit that book two is actually out.

Aigh.

On the plus side, this means that as of tomorrow, I can start going crazy over different things. You know, things like "do people like the book?", "will people like book three?", and "will I be the top-selling paperback at Borderlands for the month of March?" (Hint on that last one: they do mail order, they'll have signed copies, and I would really appreciate it if you could order from them if you wanted a signed and personalized book but can't get to any of my signing events.) I can also resume going crazy over the process of writing book five, The Brightest Fell, which is kicking my ass in the most delightful of ways. Seriously, this book is like "no, you don't know what's going on, now shut up and sit down." If I don't wear my seat belt, I may go through the front windshield of the book the next time it hits the brakes. It's very odd, but sort of awesome.

Amy the Fiddler arrives tonight, fresh from the wilds of Alabama, where she's been staying with my Halloween Family for a week. I envy her immensely, but I'll forgive her instantly, because it means I get an Amy, and I really need an Amy right now.

In other news, I have uploaded a bunch of new strips to the "With Friends Like These..." strip gallery, and will continue updating it as I get them re-sized for easy viewing. We're actually moving into the ones where the art isn't quite so primitive. Yay!

And now we must rinse.

We are now officially entering release week for A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]. Yes, I know that the book has been unpredictably available for the last week and a half or so, but as of tomorrow, we're really and for truly in the realm of "this is your release week," and I will become prone to bouts of random twitching.

I don't know, honestly, whether release week trauma is a thing I'll ever fully get over. When I look at my saved email, the earliest mention of Toby Daye is from January 6th, 1998. That's officially more than twelve years ago. For a decade, Toby was just this weird girl who lived in my head, and who I sometimes claimed to be writing a novel (or novels) about. Some of my friends read those early drafts, and gave me useful critique, and I kept writing...but for a really long time, she was practically my Mr. Snuffleupagus, the protagonist of a series I kept saying existed, yet could never produce.

It is constantly strange to me that people I don't know have met Toby. She's not my secret friend anymore; she's everybody's, and they get to have their own ideas about her, about the things she does and the places that she goes. People send me letters thanking me for writing. How weird is that? Writing is that thing my friends yell at me for doing when they're having parties, not something that I get thanked for. It's bizarre. So when release day rolls around, I get a little twitchy, waiting to find out that it was all just a dream; I didn't get to kick the football, nobody went to Oz, and Jean Grey isn't dead after all.

So. Weird.

Thank you all for reading, and for being here, and I'll do my best not to rip a hole in the fabric of reality, allowing the black hounds of the unreal to pour through and devour all that lives or dreams on this plane of existence. Promise.

Two more days remain in our pre-release countdown, which has been a surprisingly fun and distracting way to pass the time between now and A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]. So that's a big "hooray," at least on my part. I like distractions that actually work, rather than ending with me starting a new essay series or something.

2 Things About the October Daye Series.

2. People periodically ask me "well, if you had your way, how long would this series go?" And to them I must say...I don't actually know. See, I know how it ends. I have detailed outlines through book seven, and looser outlines for books eight and nine, as well as a lengthy list of things that happen after that. Also, there's a prequel called Strangers in the Court that's supposed to happen between books six and seven; it's about how Toby got knighted, and it's going to be lots of fun. I always know where I am in relation to the ending, and I can always get there in one volume, but I don't have any sort of firm "it is X books long" statement that I can go bandying around.

1. I really do take a malicious glee in doing horrible things to Toby's car. I mean, people are like "why do you do those things to Toby's car?", and I'm like, "BECAUSE IT'S FUNNY." I also enjoy preventing her from sleeping, taking away her food, and denying her coffee. I am a cruel, cruel author.

I am now four days out from the release of A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]. The uncontrollable twitching hasn't started, largely, I'm assuming, because I've been too tense to twitch. I literally coughed myself into a migraine yesterday, which only went away when I went home and went to bed.

In an effort to keep myself breathing, I am now going to envision my perfect world. A world of sunshine and zombie puppies, where all I have to do is watch horror movies, take long walks, go to conventions, and write. In that world, I don't have to put things aside because there's no time.

I want to live there.

4 Things I'd Love to Write.

4. It's been on my "current projects" post for a while now, because hope springs eternal, but I really, really want to write this crazy math/language/Greek philosophy epic urban fantasy monster called The Nativity of Chance, which should probably have moved into the head of Tim Powers, but wound up with me instead. It's book one of a trilogy, and it's so deliciously messed-up that I just want to spend some serious quality time in its loving arms.

3. Lady of the Underground is the sequel to a romantic comedy I wrote a few years back, called Chasing St. Margaret. (I'm planning to revise Chasing St. Margaret this year, probably on the plane to Australia, and get it into publishable form, because I love it so.) Lady of the Underground would give me an excuse to spend more time with some characters I really adore, and that's just an awesome concept.

2. Spelunking Through Hell: A Visitor's Guide to the Underworld. It's the tenth book in the InCryptid series, and the story of Alice Price-Healy's quest for her wayward husband (who is going to be getting so punched in the face when she finds him). Don't judge my series-oriented ways. My idea of pacing is not like your Earth idea of pacing.

1. The rest of Toby. I want the world to arrange itself so I can write this series until it's finished and over and done. And then I will do a little dance, and it will be glorious.

I'm a writer. I've been a writer for as long as I've had a grasp of written language, although my earliest works were, admittedly, not all that complex. I get asked "when did you start writing?" pretty commonly in interviews, and my response is always something along the lines of "I have no idea, in the womb, maybe, I don't know." Because really, I don't.

So as we continue our countdown (five days! Sweet pumpkin pie, five days!), here's today's list:

5 Reasons I Love Writing.

5. Stephen King put it best when he said that writing is like a form of telepathy. I make things up, I write them down, and then you can see them, in your mind. You "hear" dialog that I wrote. You "meet" people that I invented. When I write, I am Emma Frost, and that is awesome.

4. Writing continually surprises me. No matter how long I do it, no matter how much time I spend working to improve, I still find myself staring at things on the page and going "whoa, where did that come from?"

3. Writing comes with a very concrete and visible reward for hard work. If I write 2,000 words, I have 2,000 words that I didn't have before. If I write a book, dude, there is now a book in the world that didn't exist before I started typing. Me! I made that! It's incredibly fulfilling. Very few things in life are this immediately fulfilling.

2. I have to work to write. It's my hobby and what I do to relax and it makes me happy, but it's also work. If I don't revise, edit, check my spelling, check my continuity, and basically do hard labor, I don't get good books. I feel like I've done something when a story is finished, and that's amazing.

1. When I'm writing, I make all the rules. I don't think there's anything better than that.

My pre-release countdown for A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] continues. I'm six days out now. Books have been sighted all over the place (although still not in my home town, which is probably good for my overall level of twitchiness, if not for the local folks who want to buy them). And I've been thinking a lot about urban fantasy.

I've been thinking so much about urban fantasy, in fact, that it's today's countdown item. So there.

6 Awesome Things About Urban Fantasy.

6. Because urban fantasy is a relatively new genre, there's a lot of flexibility for making up rules as you go along. No one says "oh, this book was terrible because they didn't all meet up in a bar and there was no quest for the magical wing-diddy of Macguffindonia." There's an insane amount of freedom in urban fantasy.

5. Because urban fantasy in an incredibly old genre that's just making its reappearance, there are centuries of tradition to draw on. Seem like a contradiction? It's not. As I've said many times, we are the children of Lily Fair, and we are carrying on the traditions of our fairy tale ancestors. There are monsters in those woods.

4. Urban fantasy gives its authors the freedom to play with creatures from both sides of the divide between "fantasy" and "horror." You can have pixies and werewolves, if that's what makes you happy, and nobody gets to tell you different. It's awesome.

3. The modern/pseudo-modern settings of most urban fantasies make it easier to build engrossing and detailed non-human societies, without needing to first introduce your readers to a whole new reality. That creates an illusionary accessibility that reveals itself only when it's too late to escape. Mwahahaha.

2. The scope of urban fantasy means that it really does contain something for everybody. Maybe you don't like my work. That's fine. Kelley Armstrong is more horror, and Kim Harrison is more sexy, and Anton Strout is more funny. We can find you a match!

1. All the ass-kicking heroines. Naturally.

First up, do you remember when I met with that reporter, and there were all those things I wasn't supposed to talk about? Well, the article has finally appeared in my local newspaper, and is available now for you to read and enjoy. Marvel at how non-terrified the reporter seems! Delight in the funky quotes from my friends, peers, and former teachers! And be glad you can't see the picture from the print edition, 'cause it was terrible.

Meanwhile, I've been doing my pre-release tour of the wild book blogs, and have written a guest blog for SFF Insider in which I discuss the differences between Toby's world and the fairy tales we all remember.

I also dropped by Confessions of a Wandering Heart for a guest blog, this one on what it's like to be (and put up with) a working author, especially one with my...amazing talent...for stacking deadlines right on top of one another. It's a gift. And a curse.

And now, some reviews. Fresh Fiction has reviewed A Local Habitation, and says, "Seanan McGuire has built a beautifully detailed world here—so much so that at times, especially early in the book, I felt a bit lost, not having read the previous novel. But the characters are what drew me in: Toby is a tough, cynical heroine, yet like many of us mere mortals, she is still searching for her place in life; Quentin at first seems to be a stereotypical teenager but develops surprising maturity and courage; no character is stock or trite—everyone is fully realized, with quirks, moods and abilities, from the Dryad April to Tybalt, King of Cats. Fans of urban fantasy should definitely check out this series!"

Cool. Library Journal has spoken up, and says "Second in an urban fantasy detective series featuring a resourceful female detective, this sequel to Rosemary and Rue should appeal to fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files as well as the novels of Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, and similar authors." Good company to be in!

Lurv ala Mode is a great review site that's always been awesome to me, and the latest long, detailed review of A Local Habitation is no different, managing to be detailed and meaty and yet also spoiler-free. The review begins, "I’m not big on fae as the main character type in fantasy books. They’re a very hard sell for me and I don’t tend to cut this particular type of mythology and lore much slack. I’m not a fan of the wispy, airy quality that comes with so much of it. I like it dark. I like it gritty. I like it with a lot more meat on the bones. McGuire’s series, two books strong now, answers this need." Yay!

It goes on to say "Coming in second in a series is pretty tough. I think firsts in a new series have it tough as well, but seconds do for different reasons, namely can they live up to a hugely successful first. Considering how much I loved the first book, I think A Local Habitation continues the adventures of October Daye just about perfectly. There’s no doubt that Toby is a fresh and wonderful character in the urban fantasy genre. Without a doubt in my mind, I’m definitely looking forward to more. The third book, An Artificial Night, releases September 2010."

And that's all for today.

Around this time in the release cycle, I get lots of people asking me what they can do to help. This is because people are awesome sometimes. So here is a handy list for day eight of our pre-release countdown, telling you what you can do to make the release of A Local Habitation as good as a book release gets.

8 Things You Can Do To Help.

8. Post book reviews. Your blog, Goodreads, Amazon, wherever. (Don't post them in the comments of someone else's blog unless they've asked you for book recommendations. That's rude, and may have the opposite of the desired effect. But other than that...) Book reviews give people an idea of a thing, and can tell them whether it's something they want to read.

7. Check with your local library to be sure they have a copy of A Local Habitation on order and, if they don't, fill out a library request form. Spread the paperback love!

6. While we're on the subject of libraries, remember that many libraries, especially on the high school level, are really strapped for cash right now, and that book donations are frequently tax deductible. If you have a few bucks to spare, you can improve the world on multiple levels by donating books to your local public and high school libraries.

5. Do not expect immediate email response from me for anything short of "you promised us this interview, it runs tomorrow, where are your answers?" I normally make an effort to be a semi-competent correspondent, but with the book dropping in eight days, I've hit the stage where I flail around and scream "ICE WORMS!" a lot, which doesn't help me answer email.

4. Do not email me my Amazon reviews. I don't read them, I don't want to read them, and I really, really don't want them ambushing me in my inbox. Please show mercy, and don't share.

3. Please don't ask me when book three is coming out. I may cry (also, the answer is "September").

2. When you visit a bookstore and discover that they don't have any copies in stock/on order, don't be unpleasant. Just politely suggest that it may be something they'd want to carry. Unless they're, like, a non-fiction bookstore specializing in travel books. In that case, don't.

1. Buy the book. Brick-and-mortar store purchases are best, as they encourage reordering. After that, Amazon or mail order purchases, and after that, e-book purchases (which do not count the same way against my sell-through). If you've already bought the book, consider buying the book again, as a single copy might get lonely. They make great gifts!

And now, chosen by random number draw, our entries for voting:



Voting will close Wednesday, when I will announce who has won an ARC of A Local Habitation. Please pick your favorite, and thank you all so much for playing.

Well, we're now nine days out from the release of A Local Habitation, and so our countdown continues, with...

9 Things About Faerie.

9. All the various races in Faerie trace their origins back to Oberon, Maeve, and Titania in some way, even the monsters.

8. Descendants of Titania tend to be skilled at the classes of magic called "flower magic." Descendants of Maeve tend to be skilled at the classes of magic called "water magic." When Oberon gets involved, things get weird.

7. The prohibition against saying "thank you" originated with the Firstborn, many of whom are so tied to Faerie that they really are bound by gratitude. Their descendants are less bound by their given word, but cling to the restriction anyway.

6. Humans with too little fae blood to be considered changelings can sometimes develop magical powers anyway. These individuals are called "merlins," and can be substantially more powerful than quarter-blood changelings. They don't have instinctive magical knowledge, but they also lack most fae weaknesses.

5. Faerie as a world is very protean, and creates a new country for each new race, allowing them to live in the conditions they prefer, without needing to constantly war with their neighbors. A lot of the tensions in the current fae society stem from the fact that they can't get away from each other when they want to.

4. Not all fae have surnames. Those that do generally take them to reflect descent from a noble line. When two fae of noble lines marry, they will each keep their own name, and the children will take the surname of the parent with the higher title.

3. Fae started immigrating to North America years before the Europeans did, but the big population rush came when the settlers started moving en masse, as that allowed them to bring their changeling children and mortal servants without forcing them to travel via magical means.

2. The four sacred woods of Faerie are oak, ash, rowan, and thorn.

1. All fae races are claimed by one of the original Three. Much like the surnames issue, a race can only be claimed by one parent. The Cait Sidhe are a major exception. As they had three Firstborn (Malvic, Erda, Jibvel), each descended from a different of the Three, they are technically claimed by all, and by none.

Welcome to my book release countdown! With A Local Habitation available in North American stores as of March 2nd, we're ten days out, and so I give you...

10 Things About October Daye.

10. Toby developed her caffeine addiction as a result of trying to hide her fae nature from Clifford Marks, her human ex-boyfriend. Humans are diurnal, fae are not, and so she needed a lot of coffee to stay awake during what were, for her, sleepy naptimes. You can often recognize fae who've played fairy bride by their raging Starbucks addictions.

9. It wasn't until she moved Home that Toby began refusing to be called "October," since her name is really nothing even remotely weird by fae standards. After six months of being teased by the other changelings, she started demanding people call her "Toby," and was happy to support her requests with hitting.

8. Toby has a secret weakness for name-brand cereal.

7. Cagney and Lacey are the first cats Toby has actually adopted on her own. She actually hadn't spent that much time around cats before the two of them; Amandine didn't allow them in her tower, Shadowed Hills is really more a "rose goblin" kind of place, and Devin hated them.

6. Toby loves James Bond movies and old musicals. Really old ones, the ones where nothing needs to make sense as long as it can get you to the next musical number. She can't carry a tune in a bucket, but she still sings along if she's alone.

5. Toby's illusions aren't good enough to let her visibly age her mortal glamour, and has looked roughly the same age for as long as anyone in the human world has known her. She avoids her neighbors as much as possible because she wants to stay put as long as she can, and when they figure out she isn't aging, she'll have to move.

4. Despite the fact that she hates courtly settings, Toby has been thoroughly schooled in courtly behavior, and can dance multiple forms of waltz, foxtrot, and other formal forms. She can also behave herself at dinner parties. She just generally doesn't bother.

3. Toby sets her wards every morning before she goes to bed, even knowing that the sun will destroy half of them before she wakes up. It's the only way she can get to sleep.

2. If she could go anywhere in the world for dinner, and know that she wouldn't be interrupted, Toby would probably go to the Outback Steakhouse. And eat an entire cow.

1. Toby likes people. She just wishes she remembered how to trust them.

Tonight's winner, for amusing our panel of extremely giggly judges, is kittikins! She's won an ARC of A Local Habitation for awesomeness in fake casting.

The LOLtest is still open through Sunday. Thanks, all!

I'm bored, and this is dangerous. So...

Cast your movie version of Rosemary and Rue! Tell me who you'd pick to play the major roles, and why. The cast list I find the most utterly delightful will win a signed ARC of A Local Habitation.

To get you started, here are some main characters to consider:

* October "Toby" Daye
* Sylvester and Simon Torquill
* Devin
* Dare
* Tybalt
* Connor O'Dell
* Danny
* Luna Torquill
* Rayseline Torquill

Game on!

ETA: ...and a winner has been chosen. Feel free to keep on casting, though, this is hysterical!

So I'm existing on a diet of Diet Dr Pepper, canned peas, and plain-baked chicken breasts with way too many mushrooms, and I'm waking up earlier every morning (new record: 5:02 AM). I thus figure it's time to give the general status updates, before I'm too fried to think straight.

Books. I have three coming out in 2010: A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] and An Artificial Night as me, and Feed [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] as Mira Grant. I have one currently due in 2010, Deadline (the sequel to Feed).

In addition to the books that are already sold/slated for publication, I have one finished October Daye book, Late Eclipses, and one finished InCryptid book, Discount Armageddon. I am currently working on The Brightest Fell (Toby five), Midnight Blue-Light Special (InCryptid two), and Sit, Stay, I Hate You (Coyote Girls two). In 2010, I'm planning to finish all three of these, start on Blackout (Newsflesh three), start on Ashes of Honor (Toby six), and start on Hunting Grounds (InCryptid three). I am not planning on a particularly large quantity of sleep.

There's currently a contest running to win an ARC of A Local Habitation. Drop by and give it a shot!

Short Stories. I'm one of the 2010 universe authors for The Edge of Propinquity, which is running my Sparrow Hill Road series for the rest of the year. The second story, "Dead Man's Party," went live earlier this week, and I'm working on the fifth story, "El Viento Del Diablo," which should be finished in a week or so. After that comes "Last Dance With Mary Jane," which will answer a lot of questions people have been asking for a very long time. This is a series heavily influenced by the mythology of the American highway, and with a very strong soundtrack accompanying every story. There will be playlists! Much fun.

I have various other short stories out on secret missions, including two Fighting Pumpkins adventures ("Dying With Her Cheer Pants On" and "Gimme a 'Z'!"), my first-ever steampunk piece ("Alchemy and Alcohol," which comes complete with cocktail recipes), and an actual Mira Grant short story ("Everglades"). I'm noticing a high level of dead stuff in my recent short story output. Somehow, this is not striking me as terribly surprising.

Non-fiction. My essay in Chicks Dig Time Lords [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] will be available later this month, along with, y'know, the rest of the book, which includes an essay from my beloved Tara O'Shea. So if you've ever wondered why I love math and have trouble with linear time, you should probably pick up a copy of this book. (You should do that anyway, because the book is awesome, but that's beside the point.)

My introduction for jennifer_brozek's In A Gilded Light will also be available with the rest of the book, sometime in mid-2010. I plan to finish the "On Writing" series by the end of 2010.

Albums. Work on Wicked Girls is proceeding apace, and beginning to pick up speed as we get deeper into the process of mixing and arranging songs. I'm scheduling my various instrumentalists to come into the studio and get their parts recorded, and some of the arrangements are just going to be incredible. I still need to confirm the covers for this album, and start thinking about graphic design, but I'm still really, really pleased. There's no confirmed release date yet, and there's not going to be one until we're a lot closer to done: as I've said a few times, as soon as there's a deadline, this ceases to be fun and relaxing, and right now, we're too far from finished for that to be a good idea.

I'm within a hundred copies of being entirely out of Stars Fall Home (my first studio album), and right now, I couldn't tell you if or when there's going to be another printing. I'm doing a little better for Pretty Little Dead Girl, but at the current rate, I'd estimate that I'll be out (or very close to out) by this time next year. Red Roses and Dead Things, being my most recent release, is also the one with the most remaining stock (paradoxically, it's also my fastest seller, since a lot of folks don't have it yet). In summary, if you're missing any of my first three albums, you may want to consider whether you're going to want them, because when they're gone, they're gone.

Cats. Alice continues to steal mass from the very center of the sun, growing at a rate usually seen only in big green dudes who have been exposed to Gamma radiation. She's pissed at Cat Valente, who keeps showing pictures of a very enticing kitten, and then not sending the kitten through the screen. Lilly, meanwhile, has taken to jangling her bell right next to my ear in the middle of the night to express her displeasure with the state of the food supply. Lilly wants to be mittens.

And that's the local weather report. Back to you, Ken.

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

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

"Wow!"

"So are you coming over?"

"Not tonight."

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

"Idol starts in half an hour."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thirteen days. Wow.

It's time for another ARC giveaway! Because you were starting to think I didn't love you anymore. I really enjoyed this contest the first time it came around, and so I give you...

The LOLtest. Yes, if you hate LOLcats, you probably want to shoot me right about now, but that's okay, because I love the freaky little guys, and I'm not asking people to invade your blog with countless graphics of the things. So what do you have to do to enter? Simple. You have to make a LOL___ and post it here. What do I mean by LOL___?

LOLcats. LOLold fairy tale illustrations. LOLmy cover art. LOLhome photography—if you want to take a tip from A Softer World and take your own pictures, be my guest. (Toby is brunette, fairly pale, and tends to wear sensible clothing. You want to slap a leather jacket on your girlfriend/best friend/self and take pictures solely for captioning purposes, I'm down with that.) For examples of the inimitable LOLcat in its natural habitat, see I Can Has Cheezburger, along with countless other sites in the same vein...and then knock yourself out.

Post your contest submissions on this entry. I'll take entries until Sunday, February 21, and then opening the floor for voting. I'll definitely be giving away one ARC through this contest; depending on the number and variety of entries received, I may well increase that to two, as well as putting together a few runner-up prizes (who wants a CD?). This contest is open to everyone, including my mother, my agent, God, and people who have already won ARCs. Bring out your LOLcats, and rock the world.

Game on!

(To be clear, all LOL___ must be Toby-related to be considered actual entries. Although all LOL___ are cute and make me smile.)

Our lovely original winner, antigoneschase, has decided that since she won an ARC of Rosemary and Rue, she'd like to spread the love around, and asked me to draw again. So I did, and our new winner is...

...shawntutt!

Sorry for the delay; work got crazy. Anyway, the third and final winner of our ARC Valentine's giveaway has been selected. Congratulations to...

...antigoneschase! Please email me your shipping information via the contact link on my website (www.seananmcguire.com), and I'll get your ARC in the mail by early next week!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and watch this space for more giveaways and excitement as release date approaches.

Yup. It's that time again. The time when my collection of links has become ludicrously large enough to force my hand and generate a post of review and interview links. In fact, let's start with the interview links, since I'm in pre-release madness right now. Fun for the whole family!

The delightful Realm Lovejoy not only interviewed me, she drew a picture of Toby. Wow! She'd previously interviewed my agent, who introduced the two of us, and I couldn't be more pleased with the interview as a whole. (I may have already linked this. I can't remember, and in the case of data failure, it's best to take a second shot.)

Book Bound invited me over for an interview, and we had a dismaying amount of fun. Check it out, and learn more about my writing habits, what I think one should do with canned peas, and, naturally, my cats. This was a cheery, macabre conversation, and I'm happy to share it.

In the "reviews" division, Jennifer Brozek has reviewed A Local Habitation for Flames Rising. She says "This is an excellent standalone book that may be read without reading the first book in the series while still fitting into the supernatural world McGuire has created to overlay the San Francisco Bay Area," and "Over all, A Local Habitation is an excellent book that continues October Daye's story after a fourteen year curse, a hell of a wake up, the murder of her only friend and her attempts to make sense of a life that refuses to cooperate. This is my favorite urban fantasy series to date and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment." Yay!

Jenn at I Read Good has posted her review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "Rosemary and Rue is the great book set in the world of Faerie." She also says "Seanan McGuire has put together a great book. Toby's an interesting protagonist and you really want her to succeed in her mission." Rock on.

AJ reviewed both books in one huge, delicious sandwich. AJ says "At last, urban fantasy done right! Oh, I'm sure there's plenty of good urban fantasy out there, but it's hard to find amongst the books that feel more like mis-shelved romance novels. Seanan McGuire's October Daye series gives us that perfect melding of "real world" and magic, with just a dash of romantic subplot, enhancing the main story rather than derailing it." Of Rosemary and Rue: "It's a pretty fast-paced page turner and kept me in the dark about who the killer was until the end." Of A Local Habitation: "I enjoyed this one even more than the first, as Toby and a young faerie squire named Quentin find themselves investigating a series of mysterious deaths—in a software company run by faeries. Finally! Faeries not just able to use technology, but outright embracing it."

The Discriminating Fangirl has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "I'd been waiting for this book for quite a while. It was worth the wait." At more length: "McGuire's grasp of dialogue is realistic, with different quirks of speech for each different character; I’ve read a number of books lately where everyone talked exactly alike, so much so that each exchange could have been stamped out with a cookie cutter. The description here is lush and decadent, vividly describing both the mundane setting of San Francisco and the otherworldly vistas of the faerie realm. The action sequences and plot twists were fast-paced and kept my heart pounding. The mixture of noir detective story elements (reminiscent of the best work of Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett) with the urban fantasy setting makes Rosemary and Rue stand out from the crowd of other urban fantasies."

Whee!

Finally for this roundup, it's not too late to potentially win a free copy of Rosemary and Rue! Hie ye over to the Confessions of a Wandering Heart and find out how.