The random number generator has spoken, and the winner of copies of Rosemary and Rue and Discount Armageddon is...

ccliving!

Please contact me via my website contact form by 1PM PST on Saturday, December 10th, to claim your prize. Please include your name, LJ handle, and mailing address in the message, so that I will know it is you.

Twelve more days to go!

...a starter kit for my two longest-running series: signed copies of Rosemary and Rue and Discount Armageddon! Win them for yourself, for a friend, or for a local library!

Welcome to the second of the Thirteen Days of Hogswatch. I will be starting a new giveaway every day between now and December 13th. Each giveaway will have different rules and a different deadline, although all prizes will be mailed on December 30th, because I am bad at going to the post office (and also, I am avoiding the post office as much as possible until that other winter holiday is over).

The second giveaway is for signed copies of Rosemary and Rue and Discount Armageddon, the first books in the Toby Daye and InCryptid series, respectively. This is going to be a random number drawing, because I am sleepy. So...

1. To enter, comment on this post.
2. If you are international, indicate both this and your willingness to pay postage.
3. Tell me which series you are more excited to start.
4. That's it.

I will choose the winner at 1PM PST on Friday, December 9th.

Game on!

ETA: This drawing is now CLOSED.

I'm still sick (but getting better), and so, in order to keep myself from dwelling on the frailty of the flesh, here is a review roundup. Yay.

Yeti Stomper has put me on notice with great aplomb. I am honored and afraid. And also amused.

Broad Universe has posted a review of Late Eclipses, and says, "This is an exciting book for fans of Seanan McGuire and the October Daye series. It hints at so much more to come and I can't wait to find out what's next." There's an interview with me attached to the review. Bonus!

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

Apex has posted a review of One Salt Sea, and says, "This seamless expansion of the fae world in and around the story being told is one of my favorite things about McGuire's writings. She is a master at informing the reader without the dreaded info dump. One Salt Sea is a worthy addition to the marvelous October Daye series and one I will happily reread again." There's also an interview after the review. Yay!

Rie has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says, "I really enjoyed Rosemary and Rue, though it took me a bit to get a handle on the new style after reading some of Seanan's other work first. It was an entirely new pacing and flow, and the switch was not an automatic one. I don't want to imply that the plot is slow moving—it isn't, it's a rich, complex plot that has an appropriate pace for its style and genre—it just wasn't as non-stop action as Mira's Feed." Since this is something I worry about a lot, this is reassuring to hear.

...and that is all for today. I'm tired, and need a nap.

I am home from the memorial, and I am exhausted. Plus my link file is (still) exploding. So here: have a review roundup, and I'll try to produce some actual content for you soon.

This YouTube video gives five reasons to read the Newsflesh trilogy, and it's brilliant. I salute the guy who made it, even as I quail in fear at what he's willing to do to himself.

The Quiet Voice has posted a review of Blackout, and says, "Mira Grant does not lose any steam in this final installment of the Newsflesh trilogy. She continues the story seamlessly from the chilling ending of Deadline, and grabs readers all the way to the gripping finale." Woo!

RA for All has posted a review of Blackout, and says, "Blackout, as the conclusion of this well plotted and entertaining trilogy, did not disappoint." Works for me.

The handsome, debonair, and all-around sexy gentleman in charge of Schlock Mercenary, Howard Tayler, has posted a review of Blackout, and says, "Mira Grant sticks the landing." That is, as a writer, all I ever wanted. I just wanted to stick the landing.

Mini Love Notes has posted a review of Blackout, and says, "Here marks the end to hands-down one of the best series I’ve read since The Hunger Games trilogy." Oh, very nice.

And now for something completely different: Great Books for Horse Lovers has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue, and says, "Half riotously funny, half darkly suspenseful, Rosemary and Rue will beguile and enchant older teen and adult fans of Celtic myth and urban mysteries. With at least six more books in print and to come in the October Daye series, hopefully, more kelpies will follow for horse-lovers, too!" Hee!

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.

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.

hvideo, please pick up the white courtesy telephone; you have won a copy of Rosemary and Rue, which I will happily mail to you or to the person of your choice (although if you want this puppy mailed internationally, you're going to need to pay for postage).

Please email me through my website contact link to let me know where to send your book!

For our first winter giveaway, let's go with a classic: the random drawing. Leave a comment, potentially win a book. Specifically, potentially win Rosemary and Rue, the first book in the October Daye series. Come in at the beginning, and you'll have time to get fully caught up before book four comes out in March! Or get a copy to give to a friend!

Just comment here to be entered in the drawing. A winner will be chosen Sunday afternoon. Game on!

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.

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!

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!

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.)

With the third book in the Toby series coming up (rapidly), I want to make sure that people who want the opportunity to read the series at all have the chance. So...

I am giving away five copies of Rosemary and Rue. I am unfortunately able to give them to US addresses only; the cost of postage is just too high for me to be able to do this with International shipping on top of everything else. What do you need to do?

1) Comment here, explaining either a) why you'd like a copy of Rosemary and Rue, or b) why I should be giving a copy to someone else (a friend, a relative, that guy who commented right before you...)

2) That's all. I'll pick winners on Sunday evening, when I draw the winners of the latest ARC contest. (Which is still going, by the way, and you have to enter if you want to win.)

Yes, you can enter both. Rock and roll!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah. Good luck with that.

We begin today's "oh my God it's full of links" round-up post with the obligate LiveJournal review, this time by quippe, who says Rosemary and Rue is "An interesting urban fantasy whose central character is very different to the type usually found in this type of fiction and a carefully constructed world with a huge amount of potential, this is an entertaining novel and I will be reading more of this series." Yay!

Meanwhile, the Book Faery has posted a lengthy, lovely review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "I was pleased because I kept guessing. I honestly, for the life of me, could not figure out the ending to this book early on. It wasn't until the very end, when tiny hints were given, that everything suddenly began to click in my mind. So much like the delightful Toby, I was riding this story on the edge of my seat, curious." Also, she likes Tybalt a lot. So at least he has one fan, right? (Ow, ow, don't hit!)

Carrie gives us a two-fer, starting with her review of Rosemary and Rue, in which she says something that pleased me enough to quote at length. Specifically:

"Fairies, to me, are a lot like sparkly vampires: they're based on creatures which were, originally, something much worse, but they've been prettied up to fit in with the buying habits of tween girls and unmarried aunts. Fairies now mean fluttery and flowery and beautiful, but I know better than to believe that. Fairies are supposed to be nasty, bitey little creatures, and impossibly beautiful ice queens, and confusing things made of mixed together bits of tree branches and stolen shoes. They're not creatures of light and happiness, no matter how much glitter you slap on them. Too few people want to write about the dark side of fairies.

"Seanan McGuire understands the dark.

"She blends together Shakespeare, Irish legends, Japanese myth, medieval ballads, and Victorian Flower Fairies to tell a tale so familiar it doesn't occur to you to look for where she's gotten it wrong because it's all unbelievably right. Toby lives in a world that makes sense, in a sad and disturbing way, because it's our world, if you could see just a little more of it."

See, I sort of want this on the back cover of a book, someday.

Carrie also reviewed A Local Habitation, and says "McGuire keeps to the strict first-person perspective that helps set this series apart from other books in the genre. Toby doesn’t know anything that she doesn’t have direct knowledge of, which means that there are times she gets it wrong. Even better, McGuire doesn't 'cheat' by giving Toby a dozen well-informed advisers to fill her in on everything under the sun. There were a few times that I'd figured out a clue before Toby did, and that added to the feeling of anticipation. When you can see the monster just outside the window, the story isn't so much about figuring out if the monster is really there as it is finding out what your heroine will do when it finally catches up to her. McGuire gives us monsters, and Toby is a hero, however reluctantly, because the harder it gets, the more she resigns herself to never giving up."

Carrie, you sure do say the sweetest things...

Also reviewing A Local Habitation is Dana of Reading Amidst the Chaos, who was sadly a little less quotable, but was also a little more critical (these things are not connected), and provides a nicely balanced perspective. (Mind you, as the author, I'm about as biased as they come, so my idea of "balanced" is "liked it, but won't let it have the keys to the liquor cabinet yet." So keep that in mind.) And she thinks they're getting better! Yay!

My list of links is still insane, and I leave for San Diego in two days, so watch for a Feed review roundup tomorrow. Right now, I'm going to go put lotion on my sunburn and sprawl under the air conditioning vent.

Nnngh.

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...

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.

(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.)

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.

(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.

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!

The one problem with being immediately post-release for one book and pre-release for another—and believe me, I know, as problems go, this is possibly one of the best ones to have—is the speed with which links build up in my little pile o' things I need to post here. Since I need to get to work on the content for MiraGrant.com, I'm doing a roundup a little closer to the last one than I normally do, just to get them out of the way and free up a few tabs.

(I do these for reference sake, for archive's sake, and because my publisher actually does track reviews through my blog. In case you were wondering.)

First up, Sunil, who will be rooming with me at the San Diego International Comic Convention, has posted his LJ review of A Local Habitation. He had some issues with the book, which I found totally fair, but it was a generally positive review. There were no good pull quotes from this one; you'll just need to read it. Also, if you're in the Bay Area, Sunil is currently appearing in DeathPlay in San Francisco, and I highly recommend it for a night's entertainment. He's a funny guy!

My friend Will recommended the Toby books to stormfeather, who read and reviewed Rosemary and Rue. Yay! She says "The stories are intricate enough and involving, and I basically just enjoyed most of the things about these books." (She also wants to see more of the San Francisco crew, which I can guarantee in An Artificial Night. Yay!)

Harriet has posted a review of Feed over at Genre-Go-Round, and says "Feed is a profound action-packed paranormal political thriller that extrapolates from modern trends including epidemiology research, political buying, handling and spins, and blogging superseding mains stream media, but in a way that the audience would not expect." Woo-hoo! That makes me very happy. And not just because she said "politics" a lot.

There's a new interview with me up over at Dirty Sexy Books! I love this site, and this interview included some really fun questions for me to answer. (Actually, I just love interviews, period, as long as they don't ask where I get my ideas or make nasty comments about the amount of soda I consume.)

jawastew has posted a lovely review of Rosemary and Rue, and says "Rosemary and Rue is one of those novels I love and had so much fun with, I almost don’t want to screw those super fantastic feelings of glee with a review." But the review is there, and absolutely lovely. Give it a read.

bookblather has posted a review of A Local Habitation that is essentially pure comedy gold. She says "I promised myself I would be calm and coherent in this review. But I think we can all agree that that's not happening." Seriously, just...just read it (if you've read the book, she freely admits to the presence of spoilers). The laughing out loud, I does it.

That's it for right now; more to come!

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!

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...

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.

So I'm hammering away on the sequel to Feed (which is potentially going to be going through a name change before much longer; watch this space for news), and I have about 13,000 words to go before the book is over. It's a little weird to realize that I'm so close to being finished with the first draft. Feed took me the better part of two years to write...but then, Feed required me to front-load a lot of the research, reading, and world construction that this book is cheerfully benefiting from. Half the work is done for me already.

I guess this means book three will be a cake-walk, huh? Or something like that.

(I find myself planning another trilogy after this one is finished, involving genetically-engineered parasites, mind-control, symbiotic evolution, and lots of other lovely things. The books are called Parasite, Symbiont, and Predator, at least for right now. Because I really needed to be working on more books, right?)

The German editions of Rosemary and Rue showed up today, and they are absolutely gorgeous. The book is called Winterfluch in German, and wow, do they have nice standard paperbacks over there. My mother promptly stole a copy, because that's what my mother does, and I've placed one ceremonially on my expanding shelf o' Things What I Wrote. I'm sure it's semi-cheating to have multiple editions of the same book, but if it has a different cover, I really don't care. It's increasingly amazing to look at the shelf. Stunning, and amazing. I can't wait to add Feed in the US and UK editions.

I'm catching up on NCIS before I head off to bed, to dream of zombies and parasites and cupcakes and blue cats and all those other wonderful things that keep me busy through my days. Hope your week is going wonderfully, and remember, Locus says you need a copy of Rosemary and Rue.

"Hey, why didn't you mention that Rosemary and Rue made the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009?"
"I didn't think of it."
"Well, you should."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"It's not braggy?"
"MENTION IT."

So here, by order of one of my many secret masters, is the official mention: Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] made the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009, under the "Debut Novel" category. I am...honestly stunned and bewildered and amazed and delighted, and a whole lot of other things. Like, emotionally, I'm scrambled eggs right now.

In case you don't know what Locus Magazine is, it's essentially the trade magazine for the science fiction/fantasy/horror literary community. They publish announcements, interviews, reviews, and basically anything else that readers (and writers) are likely to really care about. It's pretty awesome. The first time my name was in the magazine, I screamed and bought three copies. Now? Now I'm just looking stunned (and buying three copies).

This time last year, I was paralyzed with fear over the upcoming release of my first book. Now, I'm paralyzed with fear over the upcoming release of my second book, and still utterly over-the-moon and waiting to wake up. Also, if you haven't read Rosemary and Rue yet, you should get a copy.

Locus says so.

Sometime in the last few weeks, reviews of A Local Habitation started trickling in while I watched, amazed and a little afraid. It's difficult, seeing a book go out into the world for the first time. (It's also hard to keep from trying to explain things to reviewers, but I manage to restrain myself. Mostly. And when I don't, it's usually because they've asked a direct question.) Since it's a shiny new month and we're on the verge of a shiny new book, here's a shiny new review roundup to try to distract me from my impending book release.

TJ over at Book Love Affair beat the crowd with the first review of A Local Habitation that I saw anywhere. TJ says "For those of you who have read Rosemary and Rue, I have to say: A Local Habitation is even better. All the things that made Rosemary and Rue such a strong debut are still there: the wonderfully damaged heroine, the melancholy story, the gritty details, the perfect rendering of San Francisco, unique and varied fantastic creatures, and I could go on a long while. However, I would say without hesitation that A Local Habitation improves in many of these areas." She also says "Toby Daye is probably one of my favorite protagonists in urban fantasy." Such statements make me a happy girl.

Suzie over at Confessions of a Wandering Heart has posted a long and fairly involved review of A Local Habitation. She says "Toby Daye is fast becoming one of my favorite heroines in urban fantasy," and "Toby is witty, sarcastic, tough, and no nonsense, yet she has a softer side—she takes care of the people she's responsible for. And she's loyal to her friends. I feel for her. I'm hoping she'll find happiness and love (with Tybalt! I love him) and I'm rooting for her to find and punish the guys responsible for ruining her life." She also says "The October Daye series has easily become my favorite faerie urban fantasy series. Toby is the kind of kick butt heroine I can admire, relate to, and root for. This series is best read in order, so if you're interested pick up Rosemary and Rue and keep an eye out for A Local Habitation in March."

Rosemary and Rue reviews keep cropping up, on Livejournal and others. Among them is this noir-informed review from bookelfe, who is a friend of several friends but doesn't know me (and was hence understandably nervous about the book). She calls Rosemary and Rue "a genuine noir urban fantasy novel" and calls out a lot of the more noir aspects of the book very nicely. She isn't too hot on the worldbuilding, saying "it's your standard almost-entirely-European mix of fairy creatures," but that's a fair cop, and she goes on to say "if you are looking for a fun mystery-fantasy read that is high on the awesome noir tropes and low on the completely gratuitous sex, maybe give this a go!" Thanks!

Karissa has posted a long, well-balanced review of Rosemary and Rue, including "There are some wonderful action scenes in this book. McGuire does an excellent job with these. The plot is fast moving and very engaging. The book was hard to put down, you always wonder what is going to happen to October next and if she will be successful in solving the murder. This is definitely not a romance book, but an action packed urban fantasy." She goes on to list the things she didn't like (which are quite well-considered), and closes with "Overall I liked the book. I think this could be the start of a magnificent series." Works for me!

John received an ARC of A Local Habitation, which spurred him to read Rosemary and Rue and post his review. I appreciate this immensely. He says "This book is everything that I love about urban fantasy. It has well developed characters, a vivid setting, a well defined world, and a story that will suck you in." He also says "Toby is an amazing character"—a statement I'm sure she'd appreciate, with all the crap I put her through—and "McGuire's plot moves along quickly, and holds enough turns to keep the reader guessing. It also leaves plenty of unresolved things to make you want to pick up the second book to see what's going to be revisited later. It's also great to see another urban fantasy book that involves other supernatural races other than vampires at werewolves." Awesome!

Our last review of the day comes from Jennifer at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library in Vicksburg, Mississippi. She says "Seanan McGuire begins her October 'Toby' Daye series with a bang!" I like bangs. She also says "This is a great book, full of mystery and a great story" and "This book is the first in the October Daye series and I know that I am looking forward to reading more about this character."

That's all for today. I now resume my march toward madness.

It's currently bucketing rain here in Northern California, and I'm taking advantage of my weather-enforced house-boundness to take care of some of the things that I've been putting off—including, naturally enough, another review roundup. They're coming more slowly now that Rosemary and Rue has been out for a little while, but they're still coming, and this is actually really well-timed; I'm working on a fairly long post about reviews, so having some, y'know, reviews is a good thing.

Over at Just Finished, Rosemary and Rue has just been finished (or, well, was finished a few weeks ago; I'm behind). Quoth the reviewer, "McGuire, a local author who is also a must see feature on the local SF convention scene due to her off the cuff witty remarks, does a good job with the first book of this planned series." See? I'm witty! It's a short review, but a pleasing one.

Tiffers has posted a nicely detailed review, and says, "I haven't been this pleased with a random pick off the shelf in forever. There is excitement, magic, mystery, humor, and fairies fairies fairies. This type of fantasy hidden so well within the real world of San Francisco makes it feel real and so much easier to follow. So many urban fantasies are falling short of the mark now because they're the in thing, but this book doesn't disappoint and leaves you waiting for more." Yay!

And...that's it for today! I have some non-review links that need to be posted, but those are for another entry, thus allowing those of you who are tired of my seemingly endless review posts to skip this one without shame.

Whee!

My links are building up again, which means it's time for a review roundup. Because that is what keeps my browser from exploding. (Archiving my reviews like this actually is helpful to me, since it creates a reasonable sample set from which to start extracting results. I probably shouldn't treat book reviews like a contagion, but I treat everything like a contagion, so I guess it's only to be expected.) Anyway...

Lady Rhian at Deep Thoughts has posted a long and detailed review of Rosemary and Rue. She says "I really liked this book. The story is fast-paced and engaging, drawing you into Toby's world and making you root for her as she struggles against villains and obstacles on her path to the goal. She's suspicious and mostly sarcastic, but you don't like her any less for it. Highly recommended." Yay, and thank you!

Night Owl Reviews is a fairly large review site, and I was delighted when I saw that they'd chosen to review Rosemary and Rue. Night Owl says "This book is haunting, even after you finish it. I was so impressed with this book that I want to read it again." Further, "This is a stellar debut from Seanan McGuire. Rosemary and Rue is urban fantasy at its best!" I like the phrase "stellar debut." I won't qualify for it ever again, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

kitsuchi says "I read a fair bit of urban fantasy this year, and Seanan McGuire's Rosemary and Rue was probably the one I enjoyed most unreservedly. A strong mystery with an engaging heroine and plenty left to explore. Also no annoying romantic options." (You can view the original post here. Also, remember that bit about romantic options; I have a post coming up on that topic.)

Over on the Bookish LJ Community, admnaismith posted a deeply humorous review, explaining how the book was specifically targeted at him. He says "Rosemary and Rue is about a high spirit, low status changeling with the whimsical name October Daye (her mundane San Francisco friends nod sympathetically and mutter about hippie parents) in a world where changelings have limited fae abilities and the sidhe and other pureblooded fae, many of whom have personal grudges against Daye, are almost powerful enough to kill her by blinking. Daye is outmatched and in mortal danger constantly, and needs to judiciously trade favors with stronger faeries in order to get what she needs to solve the crime and defeat the culprit (In this world, Bad Things happen when you are indebted to someone like, say, the Luidaeg)." He also says "Remember the name: October Daye. We’ll be seeing plenty more of her in days and books to come."

talkstowolves has posted a long and thoughtful review, complete with a disclaimer about how our friendship doesn't stop her from being critical. I love academics, and I love her review. She says "this debut novel from Seanan McGuire plays to type; yet I can say, without a doubt, that this is the best urban fantasy novel I've read in five years. I make this assertion drawing from a pool of novels by Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, Emma Bull, Patricia Briggs, and others." She also says "Rosemary and Rue isn't without its flaws—at times, the exposition overbalances from stage-setting to distracting, and the mystery does seem to wander a bit aimlessly in the middle—but the exhilaration of getting to know this particular San Francisco and this particular Faerie more than compensate for any of those drawbacks. Moreover, these are flaws that I don't expect will continue past this debut: the occasional over-exposition was due to initial worldbuilding, and any issues with plot pacing are overcome with experience." I have the glee. The glee is mine.

Fantasy Magazine has posted a review of Rosemary and Rue. It says "October Daye, the narrator/protagonist, is a welcome addition to the ranks of urban fantasy’s hardboiled female leads. She’s tough and smart. She’s also psychologically damaged by her changeling’s existence among the disdainful purebloods, and her secret life among the humans and other changelings. In short, she’s complicated, sympathetic, maddening, and believable." Also, "Rosemary and Rue is strong enough to win its author a large well-deserved following."

And that's today's review roundup. Whew.

After going through the truly awesome questions presented for possible inclusion in the FAQ, I've settled on...

g33kboi, you are the winner of an ARC of A Local Habitation! Please email me through my website "contact" link with your mailing address.

tigertoy, you are the winner of a signed copy of Rosemary and Rue! Please email me through my website "contact" link with your mailing address, or with the address you'd like it sent to, if you want to give it to someone else.

Thanks, all!

So as you may have noticed, I love FAQs. I love writing them, I love updating them, and I love pointing people to them. With that in mind, we come to our second giveaway for the day:

Here is the current October Daye FAQ. You may notice that it's pretty sparse. That's why I'm turning to you, my best-beloved people who live free things, to ask for more questions. Be creative, be specific, be general, be pedantic, be whatever makes you happy, but ask questions.

I will be adding the best questions to the FAQ. I will also be selecting two winners from out those questions. One will receive a signed copy of Rosemary and Rue (and if you already have one, I can send a copy to your local high school or library).

One will receive a signed ARC of A Local Habitation.

I'll take entries until tomorrow morning. Now please, please, question me! Get rewarded! Flesh out my website! I'll be your bestest blonde if you will...

Today is my birthday! Yaaaaaaay! And to celebrate my birthday, I'm going to give stuff away. Because I can. (Also because it's quite frankly easier than thinking of something coherent to say. The cats still haven't forgiven me for leaving, and I didn't get all that much sleep as a consequence. What sleep I did get involved dreams that were basically a cross between Cabin Fever and Parasite Rex, so I'm understandably a little loopy this morning.)

First up, let's give away a copy of Rosemary and Rue, again, because I can. To enter, comment here. I'll do the drawing in five hours, my time, using random numbers and snazzy math to select a winner, and then I'll post a second giveaway. Many will enter, few will win, please ask your parents before calling those suspicious-looking numbers that appear during the Saturday morning cartoons.

Now I nap.

My recent radio silence has been the result, not of traumatic head injury or watching all of The West Wing in one huge gluttonous marathon, but of having a lovely time in Seattle with some of my favorite people in the world. (Seriously, I sometimes think my definition of "absolutely perfect" would include a guest list of about eight people, bribing Betsy to let us come have a kitchen party at her place, and "accidentally" cutting the phone lines.) Also, everyone here tends to sleep until noon when not actively poked with sticks, and I get up at seven-thirty, so I've been doing a lot of catch-up work, very little of which sparks my brain to post.

I shall say interesting and insightful things later; for right now, this is a random time for random things, because I need to clean up my tabs again.

rivkat has tossed a short review of Rosemary and Rue into the fray, and says "It's a good debut, giving information at the right pace and creating an engaging urban fantasy world." I approve.

There's also a short review over on Just Finished, which says "McGuire, a local author who is also a must see feature on the local SF convention scene due to her off the cuff witty remarks, does a good job with the first book of this planned series." (Also, the complaint that I sometimes get overly wrapped up in things that won't happen for eight books is fair. I've gotten much better about it, promise.)

Vixen's Daily Reads posted a review, and says "I read this a few weeks ago, but wasn't sure how I would write a review that would do this justice. I honestly still don't think I will do the book justice, but I want to write the review before the new year. This is one of my favorite books of the year. This is an amazing, intelligent, action packed story that I could not put down once I started it. Well, I had to put it down to sleep at some point, but I didn't want to." I'm in your library, stealin' your sleep!

2009 is officially used up, and I've made jennifer_brozek's (who edits The Edge of Propinquity) Best Reads of 2009 list! Yay! In related news, the first Sparrow Hill Road story is turned in, and should be going live on the 15th of this month. Watch for it!

Finally, for the good of all, here are Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling. Thanks to The Oatmeal for educating us all.

And therein endith the random. For now.

First off, huge, huge thanks to everyone who came to the show at the Wayward Coffeehouse. We'd been somewhat concerned that we wouldn't be able to drum up an audience, it being Boxing Day and all, so imagine our delight when we wound up playing to an essentially full house! (If you couldn't attended, snowcoma has posted a lovely and detailed review.) A good time was had by all.

If you're curious about what kinds of things we performed, all three of my albums are currently available through CD Baby, as is Thirteen, the first album by Vixy and Tony. Or you could take a gander at The First Rule of Flying: Songs From The Black II. This is the latest collection of music from The Signal, an awesome Firefly-themed podcast, and includes songs by all of the people previously named. Plus it's free, which makes it an awesome taster.

In literary news, Lurv ala Mode has named Rosemary and Rue as an Honorable Mention for Best Read of the Year. This is a review site run by a reviewer I have come to very much respect, and I'm delighted to be on the list. Maybe next year, I can make it to one of the named slots!

I'll post another review roundup soon. For now, I leave you with the knowledge that 2009 is almost over, and the world hasn't ended yet. Oh, and I made a metric fuck-ton of rosemary shortbread last night. I rule.

Happy winter!

Once again, review roundup for the sake of posterity. (Also for the sake of closing some tabs on my browser, which is starting to rock itself to sleep at night. I am not gentle with the poor dear.)

Cheryl Morgan says that "Some books leap out at me because they are really well written. Others leap out because they have dollar signs all over them." She puts Rosemary and Rue in the latter category. As I would be totally okay with having piles of money, I am totally okay with this. She says "The book is urban fantasy cut with a Chandleresque noir detective story, and it works very well." Thanks, Cheryl!

Christina from 3 Girls and a Stack of Books (which may be my favorite blog name of the week) says "I actually liked this book. Not one I would normally like, but I do like the little plot twists that keep cropping up." Also "I love the fae mythology used to keep this book hopping and can hardly wait for the next one." Since the next one is coming out so soon it's sort of scary, she won't have to wait for long.

Delusional Ange has posted her review over at Delusional World. It's short, consisting mostly of a plot summary, but says "I was torn between four and five stars. It's a really good book." Works for me.

Finally for today, the speed-reading book nerd has posted a review. Quote, "This has been on my "get it eventually" list for awhile, but I started reading it in the store and couldn't put it down. And I'm not even necessarily into the whole evil-fairy thing." Also: "I was actually rather nervous about finding out who the killer was because I kept hoping, "please, not that one! or that one!"" These things mean I win.

For those who wonder why I keep posting review roundups: It's helpful for me to remember that people are still reading and enjoying Rosemary and Rue, and it's sort of nice to have a single tag I can click to see what folks have been saying. (Also, watching the non-Amazon reviews tells me what I need to work on in future volumes. I take notes.)

2009 has been a good year. Here's hoping 2010 is even better.

Are you wondering what to get for the person in your life who has everything? How about for that workplace Secret Santa, the one you barely know but sometimes see in the mail room? Or are you just looking for a treat to reward yourself for getting through 2009 without killing anybody with an axe? Well, then, might I recommend Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]? Which, to make things even more exciting, made the Locus Magazine Bestsellers List for September 2009? See? It's a bestseller! That means it's the perfect winter holiday gift! (Also, it takes place at Christmas, although hopefully, your winter holiday of choice will be more pleasant than Toby's.)

If you were hoping to get a signed copy, they have them at Borderlands Books in San Francisco, and they do ship. And, of course, all three of my CDs are available through CD Baby (the live album, Pretty Little Dead Girl, is about six inches from going out of print).

By this time next year I'll have four books and four CDs to worry about, so I won't necessarily be fussing quite as much over a single title (although, having met me, like, ever, you know that I will). But anyway, in short, Toby makes the perfect holiday gift. She'll drink all the eggnog and pass out on your living room couch, and she may throw things if you try to wake her, but on the whole, she's a really mellow house guest.

Really.

I swear.

Now please get her out of my house, and into yours.

First up, my short story, "Let's Pretend," will be appearing in the anthology Ladies of Horror, coming out in 2010. "Let's Pretend" originally appeared at The Edge of Propinquity (where my Sparrow Hill Road series will be launching in January). It's one of my rare vampire pieces, and is...nasty.

(It's also one of those stories that really makes me want to write "DVD extras" for a lot of my work. The first draft was written during a game of Three Beers and a Story. How do you play? Well, you drink three beers. And you write a story. Personally, I prefer Three Long Island Iced Teas and a Story, but that's sort of the X-Games variation.)

Secondly, the Orbit catalog for Spring/Summer 2010 is live, and includes the official press release on Feed. The book is available for pre-order now, and I am beginning to accept its reality, which is both exciting and terrifying. How did I get here? Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?

Finally, because it is THE MOST AWESOME OMG, Barnes and Noble has named Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] as one of the best urban fantasy releases of 2009. You'll pardon me while I scream like a girl, won't you?

2009 is drawing to a close; the number of days it has left to present me with awesome things is dwindling steadily. But this is a year that brought me my first anthology, my first novel, my first book release party, the first gathering of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show, my first Maine Coon, my first solicited artwork-for-pay that wasn't a personal commission, my first solo guest of honor slot, and so much more. 2009 is going down in the record books as a pretty good year to be a blonde.

Thanks for being here.

I tend to hoard interesting links and reviews of Rosemary and Rue until they hit a certain critical mass, at which point my choices become "make a post" or "suffer from a browser crash." Because this is how I sort of preserve things for future reference, here's the latest in our "Seanan likes reviews" series of entries.

Over at ALPHA Reader, Danielle has posted a lovely, well-considered review. She says "I really loved this book" and "McGuire is currently contracted for three books, but has six planned all together." Won't she be surprised when we reach book eight? (To be clear, I am currently contracted through book three, working on book five, and clearly outlined through book nine. I clearly never want to sleep again.)

The Williamsburg Regional Library posts a daily book recommendation, and recently Rosemary and Rue was their book of the day. Their Circulation Services Director says "What makes this book original are the myriad details. A wealth of characters from fantasy—Daoine Sidhe, Kitsune, Undine, Cait Sidhe, as well as goblins, selkies, and a variety of changeling combinations populate both Faerie and the human realm. It's interesting to see how the different races interact with each other." Yay world-building for the win!

ashnistrike has posted a brief review, and says "It's very good urban fantasy—not so brilliant as to make me do cartwheels and cry because the next one isn't out yet, but good enough that I will buy the next as soon as it's available."

Our next review comes from the Warren Public Library, and says "It's a gripping mystery with a lot of urban fantasy thrown in to the mix, and as Toby delves into the dark side of her past and present (and maybe even future), you'll learn about the world of the fullblooded fairies and the halfblooded changelings that inhabit the California coast." Works for me.

Renee's Book Addiction (and, one presumes, Renee) says "This was a really enjoyable new UF (urban fantasy) series. I love stories about the fae, and the San Francisco setting really made the story vivid for me."

Finally for tonight's roundup, Felicia Day sounds off on the topic of Toby. She says "This book had a GREAT setting and environment, I was engrossed in the mystery and, (although a bit exposition-y in sections) I was along for the ride the whole way and immersed in the mythology." She has some plot issues (which are spoilery if you haven't read the book), but it was a positive review, and I couldn't be happier.

That's it for tonight. Join me next week when I try to close down Firefox without using a hammer. Again.

In January of 2010, Egmont Lyx in Germany will be releasing the German-language edition of Rosemary and Rue, retitled Winterfluch ("Winter's Curse"). German-language editions of A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night will follow (titles to be announced). You can view the Amazon.de page here, and request a copy for yourself. Assuming you speak German. Or are in Germany.

As of today, the cover of Winterfluch is finally public, and I am so very excited. Would you like to be excited? It's fun to be excited.

( Click here for the glory and excitement of my German cover art.Collapse )

The reviews continue to crop up here and there (and if you haven't written a review on Goodreads or Amazon yet, please consider that as my Christmas present). We're about to hit December, and hence the tail-end of 2009, so here is a quick collection of the best of the last little stretch of time:

Over on Michelle's Book Blog, the eponymous Michelle says "I loved this book!" and "I have never been so blown away by a book's prologue as I was with Rosemary and Rue." I win! And you win at review, Michelle!

The Sacramento Book Review, meanwhile, says "Author Seanan McGuire bursts through the gates of fantastical romance with this incredible first novel." Also, "Rosemary and Rue is a fast paced ride through the streets, parks, and cliffs of San Francisco, lifting the covers to reveal that which lies unseen. An incredible mix of action, mystery, fairy, urban fantasy, and just a smidgen of romance artfully woven into a story impossible to put down." You'll excuse me while I dance.

Finally for today, Ravings of a Textual Deviant is doing thirty books in thirty days, and Rosemary and Rue was book number twenty-nine. The review says, helpfully, "Like the main character, the novel is continually striking a balance between the urban and the fantasy, and it's a good balancing act." Also, there's another Jim Butcher comparison (and since I'd love to have his readership, I'm okay with that.)

So that's it for today—whee!

I love Thanksgiving. I love the excuse to gather people in a teeming locust-mass, turning life into a potluck adventure of giant birds and pumpkin pies. I love the way the house smells once the first bird gets underway, and the sound of chopping, and the random things folks do to innocent asparagus. Most of all, I love the fact that it's a day where people are expected to stop, look at their lives, and really see what they're thankful for. Not what they're supposed to be thankful for; what they are.

Two years ago today, I was still struggling to finish the book that would become Feed, and still wondering if I was being silly in my refusal to abandon my dreams of being a novelist. Now I have one book on the shelves and five more coming out. All four of the covers that I've seen so far have just been amazing. I have an agent I love (and who puts up with my crazy like a real trooper). I have two editors who make me better than I could ever be on my own. I have two publishers who support me. I have anthologies with my name on the table of contents. I am so thankful for all these things that there are barely words.

I am thankful to the unpaid coal miners who labor on the tropical island where my private reality show is filmed. They scold me when I'm heavy-handed, cut out my sloppy adjectives and wishy-washy modifiers, and generally make me strive to become a better writer. These are the people who sometimes get asked to flip around revisions on a short story six times in sixteen hours. I love them so.

I am thankful for the health and happiness of my cats. Losing Nyssa was even harder on Lilly than it was on me, because Lilly just didn't understand. The fact that she has been able to bond with Alice the way she has is just such a huge relief. Alice herself is a revelation every day, as she grows into all her puffy glory, and Lilly remains the cat I've been praying to have since I was seven years old. I'm so lucky to have them.

I am thankful for the reception that Rosemary and Rue has gotten out there in the big wide world. I had faith in my book, I loved my book, but there's nothing like getting that first positive review and realizing that your faith was at least a little justified. Thank you, thank you, to everyone who's read it, who's liked it, who's encouraged me, and who's said they're excited about the next one. It means everything to me.

Finally, I'm thankful for all of you. I don't know many of you very well, if at all, but that doesn't matter; knowing you exist, participate, read, and care? That makes all the effort worthwhile.

Thank you.