As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our third question comes from tylik, who asked...

"How does lineage through firstborns work?

I mean, it seems like it's still sexual reproduction, and sometimes both parents are firstborns, but it seems that descent of record is usually tracked only through one (so, maybe dominant descent? Or are their multiple varieties of offspring any given firstborn may have?) But in at least one case there are multiple firstborn, and while firstborns clearly have children by people who aren't firstborn themselves, logic suggests that at some point the mating population was only other firstborn, their parents, and Something Else Altogether."

And then parcae asked...

"A question that a friend at work and I are both curious about: I know you've covered the way children descend from their parents, and the way races descend from the Big Three, but past that -- how do the Firstborn themselves reproduce? If two Firstborn have children, would those children themselves be wholly a separate race, or would they be half of one parent's race and half of the other? Toby is the child of a Firstborn, but since she's also the child of a human, she's still a changeling. And it's come up that the Tuatha de Danann have two Firstborn, each of whom have their own line, and each of those lines have their own scent as far as magic goes, so they can't have reproduced with each other (as far as I can tell the whole inbreeding thing means slightly less to the fae, but if they had then I don't think there would be the two distinct lines with the distinct scents)."

Since these questions are basically the same thing, I'm answering them together. Hooray!

First up, let's do a little weird science. It's weird science because it's weird, and because it's not really scientific. At the same time, it is an absolute constant of the Toby universe, so it counts. So:

Oberon, Maeve, and Titania are considered genetically unstable, to use words that we probably all agree mean what I want. Any time any one of them has a child, that child will be biologically unique. Think komodo dragons. Female komodo can (and do) give birth to parthenogenically conceived male offspring who are distinct enough from them to breed with, without worrying about inbreeding. Because nature is weird. So when Oberon and Maeve have a kid, while that kid is definitely theirs, and while both of them would be weirded out and disgusted by the thought of reproduction with said kid (Oberon is not actually Zeus), biologically, they could immediately wait for the kid to hit adulthood and then have kids with their kid, without concern about what that would do to the genetics. Gross, but there you go. There have almost certainly been cases of "Maeve gets frisky with one of Titania's kids, after the kid is a couple of hundred years old," because that are immortal, inhuman, and easily bored.

Any time one of the Three has a child, with anyone, the child will be Firstborn. The genetic instability that the Three bring to the table will mean that the kid is effectively not related to either parent. They'll inherit a class of magic from their Three parent; they may get traits from their other parent (if it is not one of the Three). They may not. Faerie does not like rules, and gets cranky when they are applied. Blind Michael and the Luidaeg, for example, have the same parents (Maeve and Oberon), and do not share any physical or magical traits. Acacia is Titania's daughter by an unknown father, but most people figure Titania didn't bang a tree. The beat goes on.

The one exception to the "nothing from their non-Three parent" is repeated reproduction within a relatively short period of time. If Titania were to have multiple children with the same non-Oberon father during a short span, she would get a cluster of Firstborn who were physically extremely similar, and had complimentary magical gifts. Why? No one knows. One theory is that Faerie is actually guiding the creation of the Firstborn, and doesn't change directions quickly. So Faerie says "I need a type of fae that does _______," puts out the order, and doesn't cancel it fast enough to avoid getting four possibles. This is not a bad thing. Quite a few races have multiple Firsts because of this. (Multiple births can go either way. The Tuatha have two Firsts because the mother of their Firstborn had twins. They were almost, but not quite, identical, and when their children intermarried, the two lines became utterly entangled.)

Firstborn are partially genetically unstable. If Firstborn A has ten children with non-First B, they will all be representatives of the same descendant race. They will also not be biologically related. The DNA gets "scrubbed," for lack of a better term. Fae do have taboos against incest, but only among siblings who actually grew up together. If the same Firstborn goes on to have more children with someone else, whether they get members of the same descendant race, a slightly different descendant race, or a totally new descendant race will be determined partially by the non-Firstborn parent. First + First pairings will always result in consistent descendant races.

Your common scenarios are:

1. Firstborn + member of the Three. Assuming that none of the Three has willingly had children with one of their own children, this still leaves one potential mate for each Firstborn child.

2. Firstborn + Firstborn.

3. Firstborn + other fae.

4. Firstborn + mortal.

5. Firstborn + something else.

Assume the same Firstborn decided, over the course of centuries, to try all five methods. First they breed with one of the Three, and become parent to a descendant race which doesn't thrive. Next they breed with another Firstborn, and become parent to a descendant race that thrives, but in a limited form. Then they breed with another fae, and become parent to a descendant race that spreads and becomes what they are known for. They tarry with a mortal, get a changeling child, and because they cannot find a hope chest, go no further. Finally, they breed with a cloud, and become a parent to a second well-established descendant race.

Faerie is complicated, and Mother's Day cards are confusing.

It's review roundup time! The time where the points are made up and the prizes don't matter. Today's reviews are all blasts from the deep past, beginning with...

From 2012, Fangs For the Fantasy has posted a good, thorough review of An Artificial Night, and says, "Relatedly, Toby is a much stronger, more active participant in this book. She isn't being constantly injured and recovering (though she is injured) nor is she flailing around without seeming to know what to do next and letting events happen. She's more active, she’s leading the plot, she's directing the plot and she's resolving the plot very much on her terms." There's also some excellent, spot-on commentary about diversity in the cast as of this point in the series.

From 2011, SFFWorld has posted an excellent, if spoiler-heavy review of Deadline. Not recommended unless you've read Feed. The review says, "The Newsflesh Trilogy is turning into one of my favorite SF stories and one that is continuing to surprise me&mdsp;up until the very end of Deadline. This second installment raises the stakes considerably and brings new players into the game, while maintaining the blistering pace of Feed, its predecessor. I can’t say enough good things about this novel, which has made the concluding volume Blackout, quite possibly my most anticipated novel publishing in 2012." Yay!

From 2012, Cannonball Read has posted a review of Late Eclipses, and says, "While I’ve enjoyed the previous three October Daye books, and especially admired the world building, this is the first one I actually had trouble putting down." Neat!

Also from 2012, Cannonball Read has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and recommends you not start at this point in the series. I love this sort of recommendation.

Finally (for now), from 2012, Fangs For the Fantasy has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "All in all, this book got so much right. The balance between emotion and plot, the pacing, the main character and the rich, amazing world that it not only continued a great series in the same line but took it a step higher as well. I loved this book and am eager to read the second one&mbspthis series is heartily recommended." I'm assuming "second" means "next." She also fairly called me out on "crazy" as shorthand in the early Toby books, and I've tried to unpack more about what's actually going on with fae biology and behavior because of critiques like this one.

You may have noticed that all these reviews are old, and that newer reviews are getting rare. There's a reason for that. Whether I'm more secure (I don't feel like I am), more exhausted (I do feel like I am), or whether more bloggers have just moved to Goodreads and Amazon, I don't pull as many review links as I used to. That may change when I finish clearing the backlog, or I may decide that this ship's time has sailed.

We shall see.

Would you like fries with that?

After the day I've had, I lack the focus to do anything more involved than a review roundup. And so, with no further ado, I present...the review roundup. Again, it's cut-tagged because it's huge; I'm trying to winnow the list enough to get back to my customary sets of five.

( We cut because we love. Also because we have knives.Collapse )

Yes, it's another super-sized review roundup, because seriously, if I don't get some of the links out of this file, I'm never going to find the floor. Fifteen links, all confirmed as currently valid, no waiting.

( What are people saying? Click here to find out.Collapse )

So here's the deal:

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

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

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

Again, links eat world. But also, as of today, we are ninety-five days out from the release of One Salt Sea, and that means I need to make sure people remember Toby! So here is today's Toby-centric review roundup.

We start with a review of Rosemary and Rue by Fuzzy Steve, who says, "Damn good. Classic Urban fantasy, with a strong female lead. If you like the Dresden files, you'll probably like these. So give the first book a chance." I like "damn good" as a sales pitch, frankly.

Also Rosemary and Rue-related, although a bit more specialized, here's the Unshelved Book Club review of the audio edition, which says, "My previous attempts to listen to urban fantasy novels left me thinking I needed to read a faerie encyclopedia. But McGuire gave all the background necessary to Daye's world, with all the grit, deception, and intrigue I feel is essential to a mystery. And Kowal voiced the characters—both otherworldly and human—with distinction, personality, and just the right amount of tension." Yay!

Moving on to a later book, Fantasy Literature has reviewed Late Eclipses, and says, "The world-building is great, featuring a plethora of fae beings from folklore, and the political intrigue is always interesting. Late Eclipses has the added bonus of new revelations about the nature of Toby's mother, Amandine, and of Toby herself. Yes, I love these books. Even when they're flawed." She goes on to call out several of these flaws, and they're a fair cop; this is a good review.

It's time for another Book Pushers review! Yay! This time, it's a review of Late Eclipses, and says, "Late Eclipses is a solid and enjoyable entry in the series. Lush mythology and darkly imaginative and tense, I was caught up with the mystery and developments that bring forward ongoing plots and characters. I eagerly await for the next book, to see what else will be unveiled."

Finally, for right now (since I try to stop at five links), the Cookies, Books, and Bikes review of An Artificial Night, which says, "I throughly enjoyed this book. It was completely engrossing and I loved learning more about many of the other characters within this book." Rock and roll.

And that's it for today. More soon.

The 2011 BSC Review Book Tournament is over, and An Artificial Night is the winner, stomping The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by a mere 5%! Yes, it was 55/45 when the polls closed, and Mark Hodder's tale of gaslight London and the monsters therein came very close to victory. But in the end, there could be only one, and your tireless devotion to clicking little boxes meant that Toby walked away with the gold!

Also, you know. Some heads. Heads are awesome.

Thank you all for clicking, and for putting up with my random fascination with online contests. It was a lot of fun, and I deeply appreciate it. We now return you to your regularly scheduled nonsense.

This is it, you guys. The final round of the BSC Tournament. The time to nut up or shut up.

The time to vote for An Artificial Night, lest it fall before The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack.

We are mighty. We are legion. We have vanquished some amazing books this year, as Toby clawed her way ever closer to victory, and we must STAND UP AND BE HEARD!

So, y'know. Vote, and stuff. Please? Pretty please? I'll be your best friend. Well, okay, I probably won't be, but I'll be really, really happy.

Vote Toby! Vote victory!

And stuff.

1. The Roseville event was awesome, and the store now has autographed copies of all five of my currently published books. A Local Habitation is naturally in the shortest supply, so if you'd been planning to swing by the store and pick up a set, you should probably do so soon, before everything goes away. Thanks to Alex, for having me, and to Sunil, for bringing me wonderful goodies from England and giving me hugs.

2. In case you missed the announcement, An Artificial Night is in the BSC Review Book Tournament Finals, and Toby could use your vote. Also, once she has conclusively CRUSHED HER OPPONENT, I can stop posting about this, thus freeing up your valuable display space for other topics, like the ever-popular "complaining about my cats."

3. I really enjoyed the newest Disney Channel Original Movie, Lemonade Mouth. I did not enjoy them presenting the first hour of the movie sans commercials without warning me first, as it meant I had not brought a soda, or a blanket, or the paperwork I needed to finish during the movie, before sitting down on the couch. I am told the book is better than the movie. I must now read the book.

4. Served at yesterday's brunch: potato cake. It's cake, made of potatoes, bacon fat, and bacon. HOW CAN THIS BE? The spirit of sweetmusic_27 hovered over my shoulder and watched me eat it, and I now need the recipe, because I must cook it for her. It is a moral imperative.

5. I visited the Sacramento Shirt Shop, and plans for Wicked Girls shirts are now proceeding apace. I should be posting about it soon. Girl-cut shirts are available up to 2x, and we'll be able to do standard-cut shirts up to 5x, as needed, for no additional cost. Baby shirts are a different setup, and so would be a different order. Details will be forthcoming; I don't have them just yet.

6. I am solidly on target to hit 100,000 words on Blackout by Saturday. This is both incredibly exciting and incredibly stressful, since it means I'm coming closer and closer to the point where I have to stop setting things up in favor of knocking everything down. Considering what I have left to do in this volume, I'm starting to worry that the first draft may need more trimming than I thought. Since I am a perennial trimmer (better a late trim than a panicked plumping), this is okay, it's just surprising.

7. Zombies are love.

8. The Cartoon Network schedule for the rest of 2011 has been released, and Tower Prep is not represented. Here's hoping this is either a glitch, or they're about to announce moving Tower Prep to SyFy, where it could find an enormous audience and live forever.

9. I will probably celebrate hitting 100,000 words on Blackout by cleaning as much of my room as is physically possible and then writing the rest of "Rat-Catcher" in one feverish sprint. Don't judge me, this is how writers party hard.

10. Doctor Who comes back on Saturday. Saturday can't come fast enough.

We have reached the last round of the BSC Review Book Tournament. It has been a hard battle; Toby has faced both strangers and friends on the road to the finals, and now only Springheel Jack stands between her and victory.

Springheel Jack is technically a monster. Toby knows what to do with those.

So go forth! A vote for Toby is a vote for a world where the monsters don't eat us in our beds!

Seriously, though, if you could take a moment to vote, I would appreciate it. Toby and I are both counting on you, and right now, we're losing.

To victory!

Toby has managed to navigate the wilds of the Kingdom of Prestor John, smacking down The Habitation of the Blessed in round three of the BSC Book Tournament and proceeding to the quarterfinals, where it's An Artificial Night against Elizabeth Bear's Chill. Bear and I have been enthusiastically attacking each other on Twitter in anticipation of this match (I have predatory dinosaurs, she has balrogs and the forces of logic), and now it's finally here!

You have what you have to do.

Go ye forth, get thee funky, and vote like your life depended on it! Which, given the number of monsters we have merrily marching around here, it just might. Toby has smacked the crap out of three challengers in three different bouts. This is your chance to help her smack the crap out of challenger number four, and proceed to the semifinals, where she can begin to merrily swing her sock full of butter* at challengers from different brackets.

(*Sock full of butter: makes a great bludgeoning weapon, and when you're done, you have a sock full of nicely softened butter, ready to be turned into cookies. Everybody wins! Except maybe the people you hit with the sock full of butter.)

Remember last week, when I was all "let's get ready to rumble," because the BSC Book Tournament was getting underway, and Toby needed help to stay in the game? Well, your help totally helped, because Toby CRUSHED her competition, taking 93% of the vote. Wowie!

That means she's moving on to Round Two in the competition, where she's going up against Imager's Intrigue by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. Again, I haven't read the book she's pitted against, but I'm sure it's awesome if it managed to win its previous round.

So here is my plea: please, go, vote! Keep Toby from getting her ass kicked on the literary playground as things get ugly! Victory is just a (whole bunch of...) click away.

GO TOBY GO!

It's that time again: that time when the air is sweet, the daffodils are blooming, and a young girl's fancy turns to thoughts of BLOODY INTERNET SMACKDOWNS. Specifically, it's time once again for the BSC Review Book Tournament, wherein books published during the last year BEAT THE HOLY CRAP OUT OF EACH OTHER for your amusement. See how much we love you?

Currently, An Artificial Night is up in the first round of the Westeros Bracket, and Toby needs your help! She's up against Wizard Squared by K. E. Mills (which I have not read, but which I am sure is a fabulous book in its own right), and if you don't step in, she could get schooled.

So come on! Let's indulge in some good, old-fashioned schoolyard brawling. Because it's fun.

I am so easily pleased sometimes.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my recent massive drawing for free copies of my books! After feeding everyone's names into an Excel file (to sort them) and then into a random number generator, the winners are...

Rosemary and Rue winner #1: amber_fool
Rosemary and Rue winner #2: bahnree

An Artificial Night winner #1: Dayle Dermatis
An Artificial Night winner #2: myre_angel

Late Eclipses winner #1: gwyd
Late Eclipses winner #2: lilysea

And now, the fine print! Each of you has twenty-four hours to contact me, via my website contact link, with your mailing information. If you're outside North America, we can work out postage payment at that time. If I do not hear from you within twenty-four hours, I will draw another winner for your prize. I kept the file just in case this happens.

Thanks again to everyone who tossed their name into the hat; watch this space for more giveaways and drawings.

It's time for my exciting Book Four GIVEAPALOOZA!!!! (Cue iCarly excited crowd noises.) Because Late Eclipses drops in just eleven days, I want to get everybody excited through the most basic means available to me:

Giving things away.

Specifically, I am giving away six books: two copies each of Rosemary and Rue (book one, for beginners!), An Artificial Night (get caught up!), and Late Eclipses (because new releases are awesome!). This giveaway is open only to North American addresses, unless you indicate in your entry that you're willing to pay postage. I'm really sorry about that, I just can't afford to both give books away and ship them overseas.

So here's how this will work:

1. Leave a comment on this entry. Leave it on the entry, please, not in response to another comment (replies to comments cannot win).
2. Indicate which book you want.
3. Indicate why you want it. Be as factual or as ridiculous as you like. Is it your birthday? Do you plan to encase it in amber and throw it in the ocean? Are termites involved? Have a party!
4. If you are outside North America, and willing to pay postage, include this in your comment.

...and that's all. The winners will be selected by our old friend, Random Number Generator, on Tuesday, February 22nd.

Game on!

ETA: Guys, remember, An Artificial Night is book THREE. I sadly do not have any copies of book two in this giveaway, and if you try to read book three or four without reading books one and two, you're going to be really, really confused.

The "Best of 2010" lists have continued to come in, and I'm totally amazed and delighted to find that I keep appearing on them. Who'd have thought, right? First, the big one:

FEED won the 2010 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction Book!

Oh my sweet pumpkin and pie, you guys, I won! I mean...holy cats!!! This is totally exciting, and totally amazing, and I am so overjoyed. I'm going to see about getting some new wallpapers up, to celebrate.

Moving on to the next item on my list, I actually wrote two of Bookbanter's top fifteen books of 2010, with Feed coming in at #1, and An Artificial Night coming in at #9. Where's the love? There's the love. Oooooh, yeah.

Oh, and also? Both Feed and An Artificial Night appear in the 2010 Powell's Books Staff Picks, which is pretty much entirely bad-ass and amazing and I am so totally over-the-moon.

Is this a mostly content-free post? Yes, this is, although, you know, lots of squealing and delight on my part. But I am so jet-lagged from my attempts to escape from the snowy wilds of Georgia (not a sentence I have many occasions to use) that this is about all I'm capable of. More actual substance later. For now, please accept this sizzle in place of steak.

At least it's pretty sizzle, right? So pretty...

Best of!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Item the first: kirylyn, you have won a copy of An Artificial Night in the fourth of my random holiday drawings. Please email me within the next twenty-four hours, using the contact form on my website, to be mailing your book. If I don't hear from you inside this time, I will have to draw a new winner. So I surely do hope I hear from you!

Item the second: I spent most of the day in San Francisco, as The Editor was flying in through SFO, and needed to be picked up and toted to her final destination (for the moment). With a stop at Borderlands Books, naturally, to meet the hairless cats. Sadly, the hairless cats were not in when we swung by, but we got to hang out with Jude, and I convinced a nice lady to buy Carousel Tides for her wife. So life, pretty good, really.

Item the third: Alice is continuing to get better, and has now improved enough to be pushy and imperious when she doesn't get what she wants. Given that at her worst, she was barely interactive, this is wonderful, and I relish being bullied by my big fuzzy baby. She knows it, too, and is taking shameless advantage of me. Oddly, I'm okay with that.

Item the fourth: My bedroom may actually be a black hole. I'm trying to clean up and rearrange in here, and it's dauntingly horrific. I keep finding things I didn't know existed, like a long box half-full of Stars Fall Home. In other news, I now have ten more copies of Stars Fall Home.

Item the fifth: As part of my cleaning efforts, I'm sorting, indexing, and purging my collection of My Little Ponies. When I'm done, I'll actually be able to make a coherent wish list. This is...maybe not such a good thing, really, since I have access to eBay. But hey. Everything has its downside.

How's by you?

The nominees for the 2010 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced, and PRAISE THE GREAT PUMPKIN, I've been nominated not once, but twice!!! To quote the email sent to inform me of this delicious little slice of awesome...

"The Goodreads Choice Awards reflect what readers like. There were no secret committees. We did not defer to experts or look at book sales or previous awards. Goodreads nominated 15 books in 23 categories by analyzing statistics about books read by our members from the 47 million books added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2010. Official nominees were selected based on a book's popularity and average rating among Goodreads members, so a nomination is truly an honor because it comes from your readers!"

So thank you, readers! And, you know. Cats, or whoever else may have decided to put my books into their system. I've been nominated in two different categories: Feed, written under the name "Mira Grant," is up for the Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction, and An Artificial Night is up for a Goodreads Choice Award for Paranormal Fantasy. The polls are open to all readers for the entire month of December, and the winners will be announced in January. Specifically, on January 5th. My birthday.

An award would be so much cooler than a card. I'm just saying. Here are the links to the respective voting pages:

http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice#41650-Science-Fiction
http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice/2010#41647-Paranormal-Fantasy

So anyway, pass the word, cast your votes, and if I win either (or both), I'll do something interesting for your amusement. Because that's just the kind of girl I am.

Awards!

I forgot to share the most positive review from Publisher's Weekly yet received by a Toby Daye book:

"McGuire hits her stride with this fast-paced, sharply plotted, tense urban fantasy, the third featuring half-fae detective Toby Daye (after 2009's A Local Habitation). Toby is dismayed to encounter her frighteningly upbeat Fetch, May Daye, a magical doppelganger heralding her imminent demise. Hot on its heels comes the discovery that Blind Michael, lord of the Wild Hunt, has kidnapped a number of fae and human children—including several whom Toby considers family—to replenish his riders. Determined to outfight or outwit Michael, Toby chases him down several increasingly dangerous Faerie Roads and through the streets of San Francisco, finding unexpected allies and new inner strength. McGuire adeptly plunders folklore, nursery rhymes, traditional ballads, and fairy tales for her framework, and fleshes it out with plenty of action and intrigue. With the addition of May, the cast finally clicks and the series really solidifies." —PW

What do I take away from this? Well, a) May is totally awesome, b) it is possible for me to get a positive review that doesn't mention Tybalt (although Tybalt disagrees with this position), and c) I am totally a folklore pirate. Ahoy, mateys! Slow down your fairy tale and prepare to be boarded!

In other news, An Artificial Night was the top-selling mass-market paperback at Borderlands Books last month. That? Rules. (Also, Feed was number ten. If I can get a third book onto the list at the same time, I get to shout BINGO! really loud.)

Life is good.

You know the drill by now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IGNITE THE BIOSPHERE!

It's that time again! The time when I, and my good friend Random, generate the winners for the latest Toby Daye giveaway. Everybody dance! Anyway, after feeding the range into the random number generator, our winners are...

sasquatch1313, who wins a copy of An Artificial Night!
lyssabard, who also wins a copy of An Artificial Night!
janetmiles, who wins a copy of Rosemary and Rue!

Please use my website contact form to provide your mailing information, and, if you're planning to give the book as a gift rather than treasuring it forever, the name of the person you want me to inscribe it to. Remember, if you try to contact me through any other* mechanism, I may not see it in time, and if I don't hear from you by Monday, I'll pick again.

(*This is not entirely true. If you dispatch a talking pink pegasus to carry me back to Ponyland, I will totally hand-deliver your book before we fly over the rainbow into the glorious embrace of Paradise Valley.)

Winners!

I feel like giving things away (I know you all love it when I do that). Specifically, I feel like giving away copies of the Toby Daye books. Want to win a book? Then come play my game. What game are we playing today?

Six word biography.

It's simple: leave a comment on this entry with a six word biography of yourself. They can be serious, silly, or anything in-between. Here are some examples for me:

"I've always been a cornfield girl."
"Halloweentown princess seeks candy corn, companionship."
"I did it all for dreaming."

Indicate which of the three books you're interested in. On Saturday, I'll use the random number generator to select three winners, one for each book. You can only win once, but you can ask for all three books, if that's what rings your chimes.

Game on!

My darling Mia at chimera_fancies is running a set of truly awesome sales right now. Six, all told, when you add up the auctions and the rest. It's an embarrassment of riches, one which awes and delights.

First up, the pendants she made from An Artificial Night are now available for sale. This is just the first batch; the second will be going live tonight. They're made from pieces of an ARC of the book, and all of them are signed by me. I honestly think this is Mia's best work yet. I'm honored and delighted to have been a part of it (and not just because it meant I got to see the pendants before anybody else did).

She also made three special pendants for auction sale. These are pressed under glass, with charms and extra glitter, and to make things extra-special, she had me write blurbs for all three.

"When one seeks advice on love, matters of the hearth, children, gardens, or the maintenance of apple orchards, ask the sun. When one seeks advice on wishes better left unwished, quests better left untaken, the mathematical definitions of the universe, or the maintenance of cherry orchards, ask the stars. When one seeks advice on kisses, on candles, on secrets, on fairy tales, on riddles, or on the maintenance of the peaches of immortality...ask the moon. If you word your question well enough, the moon may even answer." —Pendant #1: Ask the Moon.

"There are rules that bind transactions in the magical world, forms that must be followed, customs that must be obeyed. In time, one learns the tricks that allow these rules to be suspended, if only for a time. Make contracts with frog princes only when the moon is new; barter with small, nameless men only in perfectly round rooms with windows facing east. Do not trust cakes baked by women made of flowers, or wine pressed by men made of stone. There are ways to slip past every rule, if you are clever. Now come, bearing all these things in mind, and raise your hand, and dare the sea witch's door. —Pendant #2: Bargain With the Sea Witch.

"On the eve of her execution, the Princess Calendra—condemned by her own silence, and by the words of her father, who named her as a witch—stood before the pyre, squared her shoulders, and said, "In a Kingdom of men who fancy themselves as heroes, not a one has come to save me. In a world of stableboys and swineherds who dream of working wonders, not a one has come to my defense. In a time of so much pride, so much smug reliance on the words of storytellers, one man should have come...but instead I stand here, wicker maid and sacrifice to the harvest of your cowardice. Very well. If you will not save me, the time has come, I fear, to save myself." They say she vanished then, that she and her handmaids—who had been loyal, held in chains even as she was—rose on black white owl wings and flew away into the night. And where they went, none know...but the owls ask, always, who? Who will save you, little one, with your silence and your sorrows? Will you wait for a hero who may never come, or will you rise, and save yourself?" —Pendant #3: Then I'll Save Myself.

Now, if you, like me, already have a great many pretty things, you may be dreaming of jewelry boxes. This need, too, can be met. More than once, even, and for auction. I love it when the world meets our needs.

Beautiful things. Thank you, Mia!

Did you miss the latest iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show? Do you like your events a little more low-key? Do you want to hang out and get things signed? Well, you're in luck on all three counts, because I will be at the Other Change of Hobbit in Berkeley, California this Saturday, from five to seven PM.

Yes, I will read; yes, I will sign; yes, I will answer silly questions. Yes, there may well be music, because I am me, and it is borderline inevitable that there will be music when I go around being me in a public place. Yes, I hope to see you there.

Book events are fun!

Yeah, I'm Skippy McPosts-a-lot today, aren't I? Forgive me. It's been a hard Monday.

Anyway, I'm drowning in links, and that means it's time to clear a few of them away. In honor of An Artificial Night (that being my most recent book, and all), it's a Toby-centric day, and we're starting with a review from Renee's Book Addiction, in which she says, "As with book two (A Local Habitation), An Artificial Night not only lived up the the high expectations, but took the series in ever more interesting and complex directions." The rest of the review is lovely, and you should read it. Also, it's technically a review of the audio book, which is super-fun.

Karissa, at Karissa's Reading Review, has reviewed An Artificial Night, and says "This was a great installment in this series. The book was different from the previous books in that most of it takes place in the Summerlands and it is more of a questing/adventure type of story. I loved it." She says a lot more, and very well. I'm pleased.

What's a review roundup without a Livejournal review? Silly, that's what, so here it is. kay_gmd says "I'm not generally an emotional reader, I can definitely be taken away by a story, but this is the first time I remember crying while reading. As a caveat I am pregnant, and I'm told that while pregnant I'm more inclined to such things. (It was late in the book, so I'm not going to tell you where it hit)." Yay! I made...a pregnant woman...cry. Er. Please don't hit me.

Phantastic Student has posted a review, and says, "An Artificial Night took the background from the second book, used it and added to it. It took the toughness, grittiness and heartbreak from the first book and compounded it. It took the best of both books, used it and made it better. It totally kicked ass. McGuire's hit her stride and is going to keep going." Woo! EPIC WIN.

Here: have a second Livejournal review. markbernstein has posted a review of An Artificial Night, and says, "More important, this is the book in which we leave behind Toby, the reluctant private investigator and damaged person, and truly meet October Daye, knight of Shadowed Hills and hero. Here in full display is the moral determination, the unshakable loyalty to family and friends (that has in turn inspired the love and loyalty given her, which is key to the book both plotwise and thematically), and the near-pathological stubbornness that together form the core of Toby's character."

Awesome. And that's all for now. Good night, moon.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you tomorrow's...

PARTY SCHEDULE!

4:00 PM: Setup, sound check, and final details. You can show up, but we may ignore you if you do. Sorry about that.
5:00 PM: Welcome to our party. We're done ignoring you now.
5:40 PM: Perhaps you would like some music.
6:00 PM: Perhaps you would like to win things.
6:30 PM: Now there will be cake.
7:00 PM: More music?
7:30 PM: More prizes?
7:45 PM: Assuming people are not too busy buying books and drinking coffee, I'll read something. No, really.
8:30 PM: Last music of the night.
8:50 PM: Last chance to give the bookstore and cafe money before we say goodnight.
9:00 PM: Last raffle drawing of the night and we close the evening.

This iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be in the bookstore proper; the cafe will be open throughout the evening, and they've promised to get more bread and delicious pastry this time. Raffle tickets will be available through the three standard methods: show up, buy something from the bookstore, or buy something from the cafe.

All performing musicians will have CDs for sale, because we're predictable like that. Mia will be there with pendants for sale, and they are gorgeous. There will be cake, and candy, provided as part of the party, and a whole cafe full of delicious things to purchase and enjoy.

It's gonna be a good night. Hope to see you there.

Have you always wanted to attend one of my book events? Well, here's your chance!

The Traveling Circus will be reuniting this Saturday, September 18th, for a gala bash at Borderlands Books in San Francisco, California! Festivities will commence at five, and continue until nine, by which point the bookstore will have had more than enough of us, and will doubtless shovel us all out into the street.

Will there be music? Yes, there will be music. With Amy McNally, Michelle Dockrey, Betsy Tinney, SJ Tucker, and Brooke Lunderville in attendance, music has become unavoidable. The musicians will be back in the bookstore this time, leaving the cafe open for the consumption of delicious, delicious beverages, and even more delicious food.

Will there be a raffle? Yes, there will be a raffle. Awesome prizes are being prepared as we speak, tucked into their box with care as we get ready for the big night. All attendees will get a raffle ticket automatically; get another ticket by making a purchase at either the bookstore or the cafe (three tickets per person, maximum).

Will there be cake? Yes, there will be cake. It's Toby's one-year publication "birthday," and cake makes every birthday better.

Will there be pendants? Yes, there will be pendants. chimera_fancies will be in attendance, with a never-before-seen batch of pendants created from an ARC of An Artificial Night. They're some of her best work to date, and will be available for sale throughout the evening. Seriously, you don't want to miss these.

Remember that, if you can't attend, Borderlands is happy to take requests for signed and personalized books, and I'd be thrilled to sign a book to be mailed to you. They have all three Toby books, Feed, The Living Dead 2, and—the last time I checked—one of the last remaining retail copies of Ravens in the Library. So show up if you can, and consider placing an order if you can't!

This message bought and paid for by The Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show, LLC.

A year ago, I was in a state of low-grade panic because of the upcoming release of my first novel, Rosemary and Rue. Was it really going to happen? Would anybody buy my book? Was my book even worth reading? What if this was some sort of elaborate practical joke (admittedly, one pulled by someone who could afford wasting a book advance on fucking with my head)? What if DAW hated me? What if, what if, what if?

Six months ago, I was in a state of low-grade panic because of the upcoming release of my second novel, A Local Habitation. What if the first book was just a fluke? What if nobody liked Toby when she was less broken? What if everyone lost interest and went off to read something else, and my publisher dropped me, and my numbers were terrible, and my agent told me I should be a dishwasher or something? What if, dammit?!

Right now, I would be in a state of low-grade panic, but I'm honestly too tired to work up the flailing. An Artificial Night, the third Toby Daye book, is out now, and I would really appreciate it if you'd go out and buy a copy, assuming you haven't already. My reasons are legion: I really think it's the best book of the series so far, I really love it as a piece of work, and it's the last book on my original contract with DAW, so it would be nice if it went out with a bang. Like all authors, I worry vaguely about an unknown god known only as "the numbers," and I'm sure I want the numbers to look on me with grace. So that means book sales, and maybe, I don't know, sacrificing a pizza. I'll get on that.

I really love this book. I love the way it looks, I love the way it feels, I love the fact that it exists. It makes me feel like a real girl, because now I can look at my brag shelf and see three Toby books in finished form, all of them there, waiting to be opened. It's amazing. And still a little terrifying.

Release parties start next weekend. Fun for the whole family!

Well, this is it: my plane for Australia leaves tonight, which means I am officially going to be out of the country when An Artificial Night [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] starts landing on store shelves. This is a little scary, since I don't know whether I'll have any Internet access at all during the days of my release, but hey, nothing in this world comes without cost, right? Australia or release day, pick one...and I picked the Kingdom of Poison and Flame. I have no regrets. Still, the book has to come out, so I've made a list of things you can do to help, if you are so inclined.

DO buy the book as soon as you can. Sales during the first week are very important—think of it as "opening weekend" for a movie—but they're not the end-all be-all. If you can get the book tomorrow, get the book; if you can get it at my book release party, get it at my book release party. Whatever works for you. 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!

DON'T yell at other people who haven't bought the book yet. I know, that's sort of a "why are you saying this?" statement, but I got a very sad email from a teenager who'd been yelled at for not buying A Local Habitation the week that it came out. So just be chill. Unless you want to buy books for people who don't have them, in which case, don't yell, just buy.

DO ask your local bookstore if they have it on order. If your local store is part of a large chain, such as Borders or Barnes and Noble, the odds are very good that the answer will be "yes," and that they'll be more than happy to hold one for you. If your local store is small, and does not focus specifically on science fiction/fantasy, they may have been waiting to see signs of interest before placing an order. Get interested! Interest is awesome!

DON'T berate your local bookseller if they say "no." Telling people they're overlooking something awesome doesn't make them go "gosh, I see the error of my ways." It makes them go "well, I guess it can be awesome without me." Suggest. Ask if you can special-order a copy. But don't be nasty to people just because their shelves can't hold every book ever written.

DO post reviews on your blog or on Amazon.com. Reviews are fantastic! Reviews make everything better! Please, write and post a review, even if it's just "I liked it." Honestly, even if it's just "this wasn't really my thing." As long as you're being fair and reasoned in your commentary, I'm thrilled. (I like to think you won't all race right out to post one-star reviews, but if that's what you really think, I promise that I won't be mad.)

DON'T get nasty at people who post negative reviews. You are all people. You all have a right to the ball. That includes people who don't like my work. Please don't argue with negative reviewers on my behalf. It just makes everybody sad. If you really think someone's being unfair, why don't you post your own review, to present an alternate perspective? (Also, please don't email me my Amazon reviews. I don't read them, I don't want to read them, and I definitely don't want to be surprised with them. Please have mercy.)

DO feel free to get multiple copies. No, you probably don't need eight copies of An Artificial Night for your permanent collection, but remember that libraries, school libraries, and shelters are always in need of books. I'm donating a few of my author's copies to a local women's shelter, because they get a lot of women there who really need the escape. There are also people who just can't afford their own copies, and would be delighted. I wouldn't have had half the library I did as a teenager if it weren't for the kindness of the people around me.

DON'T feel obligated to get multiple copies, or nag other people to do so. Seriously, we're all on budgets, and too much aggressive press can actually turn people off on a good thing. Let people make their own choices. Have faith.

DO check with your local library to be sure they have a copy of on order. If they don't, you can fill out a library request form. Spread the paperback love!

DON'T forget that libraries need books. Many libraries, especially on the high school level, are really strapped for cash right now, and 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.

DO suggest the book to bookstore employees who like urban fantasy. Nothing boosts sales like having people in the stores who really like a project. If your Cousin Danny (or Dani) works at a bookstore, say "Hey, why don't you give this a try?" It just might help.

DON'T rearrange bookstore displays. If the staff of my local bookstore is constantly being forced to deal with fixing the shelves after someone "helpfully" rearranged things to give their chosen favorites a better position, they're unlikely to feel well inclined toward that book—or author. It's not a good thing to piss off the bookstores. Let's just not.

So those are some do's and don't's. I'm sure there are lots of other things to consider; this is, at least, a start. Finally, a few things that don't help the book, but do help the me:

Please don't 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 eleven days and my flight leaving tonight, I've hit the stage where I flail around and scream "ICE WORMS!" a lot, which doesn't help me answer email. (Also, remember that I can't guarantee my Internet access while in Australia, so this wouldn't work anyway.)

Please don't ask me when book four is coming out. I may cry. Plus, the answer is March 2011.

Whee!

Oh, my!

First up, I did another interview with Kenda at Lurv ala Mode, who asked some truly awesome questions, and was, as always, a joy to chat with. Get some hints about Late Eclipses, find out which of Toby's boys I'm 'shipping, and enter to win a copy of any of the first three Toby Daye books. It's fun! And thanks again, Kenda, you rule.

We have some fresh Rosemary and Rue reviews hitting as An Artificial Night approaches. Our first for today is from Fiona and Sara at Inspired Quill, who say, "With a cast of characters that are perhaps not immediately endearing but absolutely real, Seanan McGuire brings the darker side of faerie home to California with Rosemary and Rue. It's very easy to see exactly why this new author has been nominated for a 2010 Campbell Award for Best New Author—Toby's world is a place that Hamilton doesn’t begin to touch, a world where any reader is reminded of the original stories we humans have heard about the fae." Awesome, all around.

Tansy Rayner Roberts has posted a very interesting examination of Rosemary and Rue. She says, "Rosemary and Rue and the rest of the October Daye series may not appeal to the urban fantasy readers who like their sexy magical creatures to be banterific and uncomplicated. Those who appreciate the darker crime novels that are the root of this genre, however, and are looking for a more grown up, hardboiled example of this genre, should definitely check out Rosemary and Rue."

Cookies, Books, and Bikes (love the name) has posted a Rosemary and Rue review, and says, "This was a great book." That...works for me, really. I am a simple soul.

I leave you for now with the Fresh Fiction review of An Artificial Night, which says, "The third in a series featuring October 'Toby' Daye, this story ratchets up the suspense as she literally comes face-to-face with her own death. But despite the grim subject matter, there's a lot of humor, much of which comes from Toby's dry wit and sarcastic attitude. The world building is vivid and realistic, whether it's the human world or one of the fae realms. Readers of the previous books will appreciate the many returning characters, and Blind Michael is a truly chilling villain. This book could be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading the first books, Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation, beforehand. It helps with the rather complex backstory, and they are just as good as this one. Besides, if you're a fan of urban fantasy, this whole series should be in your library anyway!"

See you at the bookstore!

With An Artificial Night [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] just around the corner and the links building up like crazy, it's time for a Toby-centric review roundup. To, y'know, take the pressure off a little bit. Also? It's fun.

First up, the Literate Kitty reminds us where it all began with an excellent review of Rosemary and Rue. She says, "Even though Rosemary and Rue 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. Avoiding the major pitfall inherent in the work of so many other writers out there today—that of falling back on yet another retelling of a story we've all read before—McGuire has created a fresh and original story, with an array of well-drawn characters, an extremely well-realized world, and full of intricate plotting—and she has accomplished it all in a poetic, lyrical style." Awesome!

You can't stop the beat, and the Literate Kitty keeps rocking with a review of A Local Habitation. She says, "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." Ahem. Swoon.

Rene at Errant Dreams has posted a thoughtful, balanced review of A Local Habitation, and says, "This book has so many well-constructed layers that I got completely sucked in. I was on tenterhooks worrying about characters that I genuinely cared for, while having a blast learning about and trying to figure out a wonderfully complex set of interactions between the fae and the modern world. And while Toby is definitely an urban fantasy heroine, she manages to do it without a lot of the self-indulgent self-pity that I've seen in other urban fantasy series. This book made me care, laugh, and cry, and I can't wait to see what Toby does next." Win!

I Read Good (great blog name) has posted a review of A Local Habitation, and says, "Once again, Seanan McGuire has delivered an awesome read. A Local Habitation is fantastic." Short, sweet, works for me.

And the cherry atop today's sundae of awesome...a shiny new review of An Artificial Night from Kendra at Lurv ala Mode. She says, "An Artificial Night carries on the series tradition of starting off with a bang and pretty much refusing to let the reader rest from there on out. Which is how I like this series to be: fast-paced, gritty and emotionally gripping." Also: "This has been the kind of series that I ache for the next book immediately upon finishing the current release." So much awesome, there are no words.

That's it for right now; more to come, with a Feed-centric roundup scheduled for this weekend, as I try to beat down the links. Twenty-five days to An Artificial Night!

Item the first: I have updated my website appearances. Go, view, and learn where I'm going to be. I have confirmed appearances in Australia, New York, California, and Oregon. Which brings me to...

Item the second: I am delighted and honored to announce that I have been selected as the Friends of Filk Guest for OryCon 32. This year's theme is "the Darker Side of Fantasy," which is something I feel I can work with quite well. I'll be appearing with Vixy and Tony, which always makes me happy, and maybe I'll even have a brand new album by then! The convention will be held in Portland, Oregon, from November 12th through the 14th. I hope you can make it, if it's even remotely local to you.

Item the third: If you ever feel the need to quit your job, this is pretty much the way to do it. Style, a sense of humor, and a great way of making your point. (I do wonder what kind of reference she's going to get, but...) Just don't read the comments. The sexism can get a little scary at certain points. But the facial expressions are twenty miles beyond awesome.

Item the fourth: This is what you've all been waiting for, which is a large part of why I've been keeping you in suspense. I'd say that I was sorry, but you'd all know that I was lying through my teeth. So instead, I shall say LOOK! SHINY! Much more effective.

Icons and Wallpapers for An Artificial Night have been posted on my site.

Tara has really outdone herself with this latest batch, and I am absolutely enthralled by her graphic awesome. Some will make more sense after you've read the book, but they're all fantastic now. Go, look, take, have, and join the flailing excitement as you realize...book three is ALMOST HERE.

Gleh.

First up, sageautumn to the white courtesy telephone; sageautumn, please pick up the white courtesy telephone. You are the third and final winner of an ARC of An Artificial Night! To claim your prize, please email me via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours. If I don't hear from you by this time tomorrow, I'll draw another winner.

Secondly, the winners of a free copy of Rosemary and Rue are...

markush
jeffreycwells
dragonsflame71
the_liz666
evaleastaristev

All of you, please follow the directions above. Again, yadda yadda, twenty-four hours OR THE ICE WEASELS COME.

(Administrative foo: No, people cannot win more than once, even if the random number generator wants them to. No, you cannot contact me through any other means. I'm not allowed to unleash the ice weasels without Kate's permission, you can't message me through LJ. If you do, I won't see it, and you'll miss the window.)

cupcakery to the white courtesy telephone; cupcakery, please pick up the white courtesy telephone. You have won an ARC of An Artificial Night. To claim your prize, please email me via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours. If I don't hear from you by this time tomorrow, I'll draw another winner.

(Administrative foo: No, people cannot win more than once, even if the random number generator wants them to. No, you cannot contact me through any other means. I can't subjugate this puny planet to my iron will, you can't message me through LJ. If you do, I won't see it, and you'll miss the window.)

The final winner, and the winners of the free Rosemary and Rue, will be announced later tonight, after they're selected. So you can still enter either of those giveaways. We have time for one more effort-required giveaway before I leave for Australia; if you have suggestions, please post 'em here, and I'll pick what I like best.

Whee!

This past weekend, with very little fuss or bother, we officially slipped past the one-month mark. In less than a month, An Artificial Night will be showing up on bookstore shelves, full of words and wonders for people to experience and enjoy. This is my third October Daye book, and my fourth book overall. Those numbers are very "wait, what?" to me. How did I go from no books to four? How do I make sure I get to keep doing it? How do I find time for a nap? How?

I like to think I'm more centered as an author than I was a year ago. I've had good reviews and I've had bad reviews; I've wanted to argue with some in both categories (although I didn't, because I'm not insane). I've had fan mail and I've had...not hate mail, exactly, but definitely the opposite of fan mail. I've attended conventions that were new to me, and attended familiar conventions in a new context. It's all very wonderful, and very strange, and I've learned some things from the whole experience, which is good, 'cause if I wasn't learning, my friends would probably beat me to death.

So here. Have some hard-won wisdom. Or something. I'm going to go sit under a desk and hyperventilate.

Ten Things Seanan Has Learned About Being A Published Author.

10. You know how your book is the center of your world, and it feels like you talk about it constantly, and everyone you know is sick of it? Well, you probably do talk about it constantly, and everyone you know probably is sick of it, but the rest of the world has no clue who you are, or that you just put out a book, and while they'll be very impressed, they don't necessarily care. Don't take it personally.

9. Other things not to take personally: when people answer "I wrote a book" with "Oh, really? Can you sell me a copy?" and then look surprised to hear that they can buy it from the bookstore, just chill. Yes, it's faintly upsetting, but again, they don't mean anything by it, and at least they're asking where they can get the book.

8. You are probably not going to see anyone reading your book on the train. I'm sorry.

7. Assuming you've written the sort of book that shows up in airport bookstores, the first time you see it there, you're going to cry. Just accept that and move on. Also, carry tissues when you're trying to surreptitiously check bookstore stock.

6. Somebody is going to get a copy a week early. And that somebody is going to email you three days before the actual release date, and go "When does the next one come out?" It is actually rude to fill somebody's bedroom with live fiddler crabs while they sleep, no matter how much that question makes you want to. Just learn to grin and bear it.

5. People are going to assume that you have an endless supply of free books to hand out, like candy. When you say you don't, they're going to sulk at you, and may even say you're being mean. Carry pictures of sad-looking cats or children, and inform these people that your babies need to eat. It works.

4. If you spend all your time reading reviews and answering email, you will go insane. Don't do that.

3. Assuming you're writing a series, or even if you're not, odds are good that by the time the first book comes out, you'll be neck-deep in the second, or even the third, and it's going to be really hard to switch back into thinking about the new book as "current." Just try to remember what happens when, so you don't accidentally spoiler an entire book release party.

2. It's going to be hard to find time to write, but you have to. That's what got you into the position of not being able to find time to write, remember?

1. All the reviews in the world can't change your book. Nothing can change your book. It's yours. You made it. Everything else is just opinion, and you can weather a little opinion. Promise.

kerimaya to the white courtesy telephone; kerimaya, please pick up the white courtesy telephone. You have won an ARC of An Artificial Night. To claim your prize, please email me via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours. If I don't hear from you by this time tomorrow, I'll draw another winner.

(Administrative foo: No, people cannot win more than once, even if the random number generator wants them to. No, you cannot contact me through any other means. I can't visit Ireland by flying rainbow dragon, you can't message me through LJ. If you do, I won't see it, and you'll miss the window.)

More to come tomorrow!

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

Anyway...

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

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

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

...and...

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

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

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

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

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

More to come!

I'm too tired to be creative, so it's once more time for everyone's favorite ARC giveaway, the random drawing. To participate...

1) Leave a comment telling me why you like Toby. As a reply to the entry, please, not as a reply to someone else's comment. Replies to other people's comments can't win anything.
2) That's all.

But there's a twist! This time, I'm selecting three winners of a signed ARC of An Artificial Night, the third October Daye adventure. The first will be chosen at noon Pacific time on Sunday, August 8th; the second will be chosen at noon Pacific time on Monday, August 9th; and the third will be chosen at eight PM Pacific time on Monday, August 9th. All winners will have twenty-four hours from the time they're announced to provide me with a mailing address before I pick another winner.

The winner will be chosen via random number generation, so going "ooo, ooo, pick me" doesn't improve your chances, it just makes me faintly grumpy. So comment, and let me know why you like Toby—her world, her stories, her as a person, whatever. Maybe you could win an early look!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first person to answer all questions correctly will win a signed ARC of An Artificial Night! I will notify you via LJ, but you must send me your address via my website by noon PST tomorrow to receive your prize.

You can use both my websites in researching your answers.

( Let the games begin!Collapse )

So here we go again: as of today, we're fifty days away from the official North American release of An Artificial Night [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]. (Of course, if the first two books are anything to go by, we're actually about thirty-five days away from my hysterical meltdown in the Borders near my office.) If I had a nickel for every day remaining before the official release, I wouldn't have enough to buy myself a Diet Dr Pepper. Which would be sad. I'd rather have a quarter for every day remaining before the official release. Then I could buy lots of Diet Dr Pepper.

Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] was my first book. A Local Habitation was my second. They taught me a lot about marketing, pre-release crazy, post-release crazy, going crazy from good reviews, going crazy from bad reviews, living by my own rules regarding engaging reviewers and trying to explain myself, hyperventilating when I see my book on shelves, and trying to look nonchalant when I really just want to be screaming "I WROTE A BOOK OH MY GOD YOU GUYS LOOK LOOK LOOK YOU CAN TRADE MONEY FOR GOODS AND SERVICES AND THE GOODS AND SERVICES ARE MY BOOK!!!" while jumping up and down and providing expository hand gestures. This whole process has been a learning experience, and while I'd like to claim that it has left me a calm and mature author, prepared for anything, the fact of the matter is this:

I am so totally going to cry the first time I see An Artificial Night on the bookshelf. And then I'm going to call Vixy and make shrieky bat-noises until she talks me down from my happy hysteria. Because that's just how we roll around here.

I leave for the San Diego International Comic Convention the day after tomorrow. I leave for Australia eleven days before the book officially hits shelves. And I'm Guest of Honor at Spocon next weekend. So clearly, my method for planning a book release mostly involves running myself ragged, falling down, and sleeping until it's all over. This apparently works for me, so who I am I to argue?

Fifty days. A year ago, I was worried that no one would like Toby, that she'd just disappear into the urban fantasy jungle and never be seen again. Now I'm worried about not letting people down, and whether they'll still like Toby now that she's been through a little more and grown a little bit and made up her mind about a few things.

Fifty days.

Wow.

Dear Great Pumpkin;

It has been some time since I last wrote to you, but you have never been far from my thoughts. I just figured you could use a break. Since our last correspondence, I have refrained from starting any riots or overthrowing any governments. I have been kind to my friends, and relatively merciful to my enemies. I have offered friendship and support to those around me. I have given people cupcakes. I have not brought forth the end of days, nor capered gleefully by the bloody light of an apocalypse moon. I have continued to make all my deadlines, even the ones I most wanted to avoid. I have not talked about parasites at the dinner table. Much. So obviously, I have been quite well-behaved, especially considering my nature.

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

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

* Please help me finish the revisions to Late Eclipses in a smooth, satisfying, timely way, hopefully including a minimum number of typographical and factual errors, plus a maximum level of awesome and win. I'm about halfway through, which is wonderful—I'm almost done!—and terrifying—soon I won't be able to make changes anymore!—at the same time. I want to bring this book to a close, so I can get back to work on the fifth Toby book and the third Newsflesh book. What I have is good. Please let the rest be amazing.

* Since I'm being a Greedy Greta today, please let me swing back into The Brightest Fell with speed and elan, overcoming all challenges in my pursuit of the perfect ending. Thanks to changes in the book's overall plot, I no longer know for sure whether book six will be Ashes of Honor or One Salt Sea, and I'd really like to figure that one out. Please let the book be good, and please let the book be easy on my sanity. The more time I have to spend stressing out over this book, the less time I spend preaching your gospel to the unenlightened, or lurking in corn mazes scaring the living crap out of tourists. You like it when I scare the crap out of tourists, don't you, Great Pumpkin?

* I thank you once again for my cats, Great Pumpkin, who are wonderful and beautiful and a comfort beyond all measure. Alice is huge, puffy, and utterly without dignity. Lilly is sleek, smug, and satisfied with herself. Both are glorious representatives of their breed, and now, as I look to adding a third member to the family, I turn to you. Please make sure I find the right kitten, Great Pumpkin, the one which will enrich and benefit my feline family in ways that I haven't even thought of yet. Keep them healthy, keep them happy, and keep them exactly as they are.

* Please help me write a successful, smooth, and most of all, correct conclusion for the "Sparrow Hill Road" series of stories. It's been exciting and educational, and I've enjoyed the process of delving into Rose's world, but as I start moving toward the end of this particular journey, I start worrying about my ability to stick the landing. Please help me stick the landing, Great Pumpkin. Rose has waited a long time for her story to be told in a truthful, respectful manner, and she deserves a narrative that gets her all the way to the last exit on the ghostroads.

* I haven't said anything up to now about what I really want this year, Great Pumpkin, but...you know I've been nominated for the Campbell Award. You know that if I win, I'll be given a tiara, in Australia. You know that this is essentially what I've wanted my whole life. Some little girls want to be Prom Queen; I wanted to be Princess of the Kingdom of Poison and Flame. Please shine your holy candle upon the Campbell, Great Pumpkin, and, if you see fit, I will thank you in any speeches I have to give (which might be worth it right there).

I remain your faithful Halloween girl,
Seanan.

PS: While you're at it, can you please turn your graces on InCryptid? I really love these books. I want to be able to write more of them.

After much debate (and some random number generation), your contestants are...



Voting is open through July 15th. Vote! Mix drinks for your friends (or bake them pies), and get them to vote! Winner gets an ARC of An Artificial Night.

Game on!

hanabishirecca, you are the winner of an ARC of An Artificial Night! Please contact me with your mailing address via my website before Wednesday evening in order to receive your prize.

Also, I expect that YouTube video now.

The voting will commence...soon.

It's time for another ARC giveaway here in my weird little corner of the world. This time, it's going to be a two-fer. Specifically, we're having both a contest and a random drawing. If you comment at all, you'll be entered in the random drawing for an ARC of An Artificial Night. If you comment and participate in the contest, you'll be entered both in the random drawing, and in the judged portion of the giveaway. Ready? Awesome.

Suggested by talkstowolves, our contest for today is:

"Design signature cocktails or desserts for major characters/places in the Tobyverse."

What does the Luidaeg drink on a Friday night? What's Toby's favorite way to get wasted? How many virgin cocktails can Quentin down before he reaches legal age? Whip up something intoxicating and put it in the comments for the world to see.

The random drawing will be held Monday, July 12th. Voting on the cocktail/dessert competition* will begin the same day, and continue through July 15th. As no actual drinking is involved, you don't have to be twenty-one to enter, and there are lots of websites happy to help you out.

(*If we receive fewer than five entries, I won't do open judging, and the prize will be awarded based on how much I want to drink your cocktail or eat your pie.)

Game on!

Item the first: I have run the random number generator against the latest ARC contest, and saladofdoom is our winner. saladofdoom, you have until Sunday, July 4th, to contact me with your mailing information. (This is longer than I usually give, but I'm about to head for Westercon, so I'm not going to be checking mail reliably for a few days.) I can also just bring your book with me when I come up to Seattle next weekend. Let me know your preference, and it shall be done.

Item the second: Yesterday morning, I saw a single crow sitting on the telephone pole next to the bus stop, watching me. "One for sorrow," I thought, and followed it up with, "But where's the sorrow?" Immediately, a car drove through a puddle that shouldn't have been there, it being, you know, July, and spattered me with lukewarm water. The message is clear: do not taunt the crow oracle, yo. You will not enjoy the results one little bit.

Item the third: The editorial revisions of Late Eclipses are barreling merrily along, and reminding me once again that there's a reason we do multiple passes on these things. So far, I've found an appearing/disappearing jacket, an appearing/disappearing car, a totally misnamed architectural feature, and a chunk of dialog that seriously read like it had been pasted in from another book. Thank the Great Pumpkin for the editorial process.

Item the fourth: My mother came by last night with my sister and her wife in tow. They have once again absconded with a very large sack of books, because I am the family lending library. I treated them to the hysterical spectacle that is Alice trying to get me to give her wet food, because I am a cruel, heartless lending library. (Their favorite part was when I picked her up, and she tried to swim through the air to the bowl.) It was nice to see them, even if it did mean I had to save the second half of this week's Leverage for tonight.

Item the fifth: I am watching the second half of this week's Leverage tonight.

Item the sixth: I should have some very concrete information about Wicked Girls super-soon, and it's really shaping up to be amazing. I love working with Kristoph, and I love all the material on this album. Both of my cover songs have been approved ("Tanglewood Tree" and "Writing Again"), and since I wrote the other fourteen, I'm not particularly concerned. I'm so pleased with this whole process. Life is good.

Item the seventh: My dreams last night featured a tank of lionfish that wanted snuggles, two connected houses in a suburb of San Francisco that managed to look exactly like Concord, buying new luggage, trying to fly to Australia while balancing on a bathroom railing, taking a nap, and a visit to the tiara store. I'm reasonably sure this was a big ol' anxiety dream about Australia and the Campbell Award, but I woke up going "awwwwwwwww, cutest lionfishes ever." This proves that not even my own brain is very good at upsetting me.

What's new with you?

liret to the white courtesy telephone, will liret please pick up the white courtesy telephone? You would appear to have won an ARC of An Artificial Night (October Daye, book three).

Please email me through my website contact form to provide a mailing address. If I don't get one by Sunday evening, I'll have to draw again.

More contests coming, and congratulations!

It's time for everyone's favorite ARC giveaway, the random drawing. To participate...

1) Leave a comment. As a reply to the entry, please, not as a reply to someone else's comment.
2) That's all.

I will select the winner of a signed ARC of An Artificial Night, the third October Daye adventure, at noon Pacific time on Friday, June 18th. The winner will have until Sunday evening to provide me with a mailing address; otherwise, I'll pick another winner. The winner will be chosen via random number generation.

So comment, and tell me why you're excited about book three! Maybe you could win an early look!