A Very WoW Christmas ;-)

Allora and "friend" all decked out for the season.

Ahh time off

It's so nice not being at work this week! I wish I never had to go back. Not that I mind my job - I love it - but the freedom of sleeping in and meeting friends to write our books in Starbucks etc. is very nice too.

Yesterday I got my ears re-pierced. I haven't worn earings in years and years. I hope this time I'll be able to without them getting infected. I'm told if I stick with gold it will be less irritating. I got white gold though cause I'm not a fan of yellow. Anyway, it's funny to look in the mirror and see sparkly studs in my ears. I like them so far. :)

I cooked a steak dinner for Liz and Stacy and they both swore I am the best cook ever. I tried to tell them it was just throwing them on a fry pan and really anyone could do it, but I was proud none the less. I would love to start cooking more if people will come over to eat what I make. It's boring to cook for one's self, which is why I never bother.

After dinner we went and got manicures then headed over to Park Blue where we met up with Leanna and Jacob for some pre-clubbing drinks. Then Stacy went home (she had to work early) and the rest of us went to try out Contemp, a monthly goth night we hadn't gone to before. The music could have been better, but the space was really nice. Good size dance floor and plenty of places to lounge. I'd go back.

Today I've got to work on my copy edits for Gamer Girl. They're due after New Year's so I'm running out of time. I did finish going over my Karma Kitty galleys yesterday, so that was some progress. What I really want to do is get back to writing Razor Girl.

That's about all going on here!

Marianne

Mom Recap

Had a great time with my mom visiting this week. Sad she had to go back to Florida today. Not that I want her living in my studio apartment forever, haha, but it'd be nice if she lived nearby. Oh wellz.

We didn't get to go ice skating cause the weather was crappy yesterday, but we did most everything else we set out to do. We saw the musical Legally Blonde on Broadway, which was very cute. We also saw Enchanted at the movies, also fun. (I get to do all the chick flick stuff when Mom's in town.) We ate down at Little Italy and saw the Christmas lights on 5th Avenue and Rockerfeller Center, etc. etc. It's so crowded in town - I can't imagine what it's like on New Year's!

I need to get back to writing as it was hard to work while having a guest. Luckily I don't have to go back to work til Weds so I should be able to make some headway on that. It's so nice to have Christmas week off!

Okay, time to go back to bed. Had woke up to put Mom in a taxi and needed to decompress. But I need my sleep as we're going wine bar'ing and then clubbing tonight.

Mar

Twas the Day after Christmas!

A few Christmas photos:

My New York apartment size fiber optic Christmas tree!! Sadly, you can't see its uber coolness when the lights are out...

It was so warm on Christmas Day Mom and I were able to take a walk in Central Park and try out the new digital camera my brother and I got her.

We went out to eat at a delicious Irish place called Kennedy's on 57th and 8th for a traditional turkey Christmas dinner. And Molly got herself a Christmas burger!! :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I hope you all have a fabulous holiday!! I am hanging with my Mom and it's really nice out for NYC in the winter. :) More later!!

Marianne

TGIF!

Last day of work before my huge long vacation! Yay!

Last night Liz and I worked on our books at Starbucks and then went over to the movies to watch Juno, which was really, really good. I highly recommend it. It’s so funny and irreverent. Plus Arrested Development alums Jason Bateman and Michael Cerra are in it. Too funny.

Tonight we’re going to go see I Am Legend. Can’t Wait!! No clubbing tonight though ‘cause our beloved goth nightspot has switched from weekly to monthly events. So the next one won’t be until January 4th. So sad. Jacob and I are going to try to fight some clubbing debauchery on Sunday night though, since there’s no work on Monday.

I have come to the realization that I want a Kindle. It might be my overflowing bookshelf in my small studio apartment or the fact that I’m a geek who finds wirelessly downloading books at a moment’s notice an appealing concept. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for Amazon's savvy marketing. But for the first time since I heard of an e-reader, I actually want one. Of course at $400 want =/= have. So it's paper for now...

Speaking of spending money, Liz and I have finally figured out when to go to Tokyo. It’s been nearly impossible to schedule due to conferences, work commitments, and weather, but we’ve narrowed it down to the first week of June. Nine day trip. It should be AMAZING. A once in a lifetime experience. I cannot WAIT.

That’s about all for now. Have a great weekend everyone!

Marianne

Is it Friday Yet?

Work holiday party was super fun. I'd give highlights, but it's probably best if I don't sell out my coworkers on the Internet. ;-) Suffice to say, we went to a place called Public House which had yummy pomegranate martinis.

Tonight Liz and I are going to work on our books and then hopefully go see Juno. Looks like a cute movie. I’ll let you know.

Today I attended a romance novel cover shoot! We’re doing a story for Better TV on what goes into a romance novel cover. So today we went to the actual photo shoot. It was for a CL Wilson book. Was pretty cool to watch. The model was very pretty and had a cool dress and one of those glass balls like David Bowie has in Labyrinth. I also met the artist Judy York who is doing my Razor Girl cover. She sounded very excited about the cover so I can’t wait to see it!

It’s so cool to see the “behind the scenes” stuff. Our story won’t air until late January or early February though – cause there’s a lot more work that goes into the cover before it’s ready for prime time. But I have to say, I think it’s going to come out good!!

Tomorrow is my last day of work before my extra long vacation! Can't wait!

Marianne

Work Xmas party day!

For those of you who think I go out every night of the week, I’ll have you know that last night I cleaned my apartment while watching Alias. (I’m more than halfway through Season #1 by the way. Thank you to Stacy for letting me borrow it.) I watch TV like I read books – from season beginning to end – without watching anything else in between. I think next I’ll get Season #3 of Beverly Hills 90210 which they just put out on DVD. And I’ve go to get around to watching season 1 of Heroes one of these days. (Anyone want to loan me those DVDs?) Oh and I want to watch The Hills, too. I figure if I’m going to time suck by watching TV it should be as trashy as possible.

Anyway, back to my apartment. I even got ambitious and scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom floors! Only to have my dog traipse in an inordinate amount of mud after this morning’s walk. Thanks Molls! The cleaning obsession has been brought to you by “Mom’s Upcoming Trip to NYC” which is in like 5 days, in case you were wondering.

And for those of you who are already bored listening to my cleaning/DVD adventures, I’ve got my work Christmas party tonight. I’m happy about that cause at my old work they basically handed you a 25 dollar gift card to Stop and Shop and that was it. Tonight we’ve got two hours of open bar and free food!! Should be fun – especially since I actually LIKE everyone I work with. (Crazy, I know!)

That’s about all that’s going on. Except I can’t believe Britney Spear’s sister is pregnant at 16. And that her mother sold the story to OK magazine! No wonder Brit is so messed up – she obviously comes from an insane family!! The Spears and the Lohans should get together and film a reality show or something!

Oh and I’ve become obsessed with reading Julia Allison’s blog. I totally want to invite her out for drinks.

Marianne

<3 Tom Brady!

I’m not a huge football fan, but when the Patriots are doing so well, I can’t help but be a little excited. Also, I was a huge Tom Brady fangirl until he left his preggo gf for a Brazilian supermodel – which just sort of left a bad taste in my mouth. Still, that Tom sure has a nice smile. And a great arm. The Pats are STILL undefeated. They are so going all the way. Again. I really want them to play The Cowboys in the Superbowl so I can text jeering messages to Dallas boy Jacob every time they score. Haha. But stupid Dallas lost this weekend and may ruin my evil texting plan. Most people are blaming Jessica Simpson ‘cause she’s hooking up with Tony Romo. Rigggght.

For the record, Tony Romo has nothing on Tom Brady in the hot quarterbacks department. But he sure is a heck of a lot cuter than Peyton Manning.

Funny how I have no desire to move back to Boston but still would never consider rooting for New York teams. Of course my dad would disown me if I ever liked the Yanks. Luckily I’m genetically bred not to. I still have my t-shirt “Real Girls Don’t Date Yankees Fans.” I don’t wear it too much anymore though…

Last night our new SWAT writer’s group met to write and gossip. It’s going to be a regular Monday night thing. I was too tired to actually get much done though. But it was good to see everyone. SWAT stands for something, but I’m not sure what, so don’t ask.

Work holiday party tomorrow night. I Am Legend movie going on Friday. House cleaning for mom’s visit – every free second I get!

Mar

Vampire Ball

Picture from the vampire party at last year's Romantic Times convention, courtesy of author Shannon Emmel. Thanks Shannon! :)

Serena Robar, me, editor Chris Keeslar, Caridad Ferrer, and Alesia Holiday/Alyssa Day. LOVE Serena's vampire slayer costume! It was a vamps of the old west party, btw. Though I obviously just went with the Emo Vamp look, which is pretty much an everyday look for me.

Monday

Liz and my party was an amazing success. Lots of people and everyone seemed to have a good time. It has inspired us to throw more parties in the future, so stay tuned. We really want to do theme parties actually. Cause you know we love an excuse to dress up! :)

Saturday I went to Connecticut to spend an early Christmas with my Dad and step family. It was nice to see everyone and I had a good time. We ate at a delicious Italian place that had my favorite – buttenut squash ravioli. Oh and I got the best Christmas gift – a pair of 14 hole docs martin boots. They obviously read my blog!!!

Sunday I had to come into work to finish a script and then Liz and I met up with Jacob at this restaurant called Employees Only. Was yummy. Later on, Jacob and his friend Trey and I went clubbing. I’m not sure the name of the place we went, but it was We went to Cielo in the Meat Packing district. (I was scene'y! I'm so ashamed! LOL!) I was happy to dance cause I didn’t go out on Friday to our normal haunt. This is the last week at work before Christmas break. My mom arrives a week from today!

Marianne

Party Day!

Went ice skating at Rockerfeller Center with Jacob last night. Was pretty cool - a very New York kind of moment. The tree there is absolutely stunning. We're going to go ice skating again soon but I think next time we'll try Central Park, which is bigger and likely less crowded. Had dinner and drinks after that. Was a fun night.

Tonight Liz and I are holding our holiday party. Yay! I think we'll have like 16 people there, which is a good group. Though with the snow there may be a few no-shows. Oh well, no matter what we'll have a good time, I'm sure.

I got my copy edits for Gamer Girl. The copy editor went a bit overboard with her pencil, I think. She changed a lot of my IMs to more proper English. Heh. As if kids write that way. :) I am going to be STET'ing a lot, I think. Still, I am excited to see this book shaping up. Can't wait to get an ARC of it.

Speaking of ARCs, I'm getting a copy of my News Blues ARC today. Woot. I really need to update my website to include this book (and the rest of my back list). I did write an article for Romantic Times Magazine on working and writing about TV News. So that's cool.

For those who asked, yes Razor Girl is a SHOMI book. Comes out in September 08. My releases next year are:

News Blues - March
These Boots Were Made for Stomping (anthology) - April
Razor Girl - September
Gamer Girl - November

I am kind of psyched today cause I sent an email asking a question to one of my favorite writers, Cory Doctorow (a cyberpunk type who wrote the fab book "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom") and he wrote me back. Now I can list him as great writer AND nice guy. He has a very cool blog, too, which I recommend.

Okay I'm blabbing so more later. Will take pics at the party to share with those of you who can't make it!

Marianne

Razor Girl - Back Cover Copy

Got my back cover copy for Razor Girl today. Check it out below and let me know what you think! Now all I need is a cover. :)

---

THE WORLD HAS ENDED, MOLLY.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?

Molly Anderson is not your average twenty-one year old. It’s been more than a decade since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot that would bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive.

Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague- ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness—what Molly wants most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, her one childhood crush, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: the Magic Kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.

----

Ah Monday

Had a good weekend. Friday Leanna and I watched a movie then went clubbing. There was a band, but it was a good one. Our favorite DJ was not there, but we danced ‘til 2am anyway. Definitely a fun time. Saturday Liz and I had a good writing session – I get so much more done with a writing buddy! Then Saturday night I played WoW, of course. We unsuccessfully raided Zul Aman. Kind of a waste of time since we didn’t get past the first boss. On Sunday Liz, Stacy, Anne and I went to the Anime Fest. That was very cool – lots of amazing cosplay. They had the best gothic lolita outfits at one stand. Sadly I’m broke so I couldn’t buy anything, but I got the woman’s card. Great to see American designers of Goth Loli – will save tons on the shipping costs.

BTW Liz and I are throwing a holiday party on Thursday at an UWS bar. New York friends, if you did not get an Evite it’s cause I’m lousy at keeping everyone’s email addresses organized. Email or comment if you want to come and I’ll add you to the list. The more the merrier!

Marianne

Yay Friday!

Whew. Glad it's Friday. Was a busy week shooting holiday stories. Today we shot one on Creative Holiday Party Ideas, which was fun and gave me good inspiration for future parties. I'll link it when the segment is up on Better.tv in two weeks.

Tonight Leanna's coming over to watch a movie since Liz is too sick to go to Beowulf. Then we'll probably go clubbing as has become our Friday tradition. Fun fun. We're going to reschedule the Beowulf movie night though so those interested send me an email or comment and I'll let you know when. I'm thinking maybe Thursday of this coming week.

Did everyone see the new Sex and the City movie trailer? I'm sooo excited about this! I can't wait til May when it's out. I hope they put out some more teasers soon. I should really re-watch the entire series now that I live in NYC - just to check out all the geography stuff.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but my mom is coming here for Christmas this year so we're going to have a NYC Christmas. I think we will go skating at Rockerfeller Plaza, see Legally Blonde the musical, go on a holiday lights bus tour, and see the Empire State Building. Should be a good time and better yet - it means I don't have to leave the city!

That said, I totally have to plan a trip home to Boston in January.

Mar

Is it Friday yet?

Didn’t go ice skating last night ‘cause it was cold and snowy, but Jacob and I did go to Cowgirl, a fun kind of honky tonk restaurant in the village where we had margaritas in boot shaped glasses. Haha. I am on a mission to taste every flavor of frozen margarita out there. Last night I had cherry and peach. Cherry was a little weird. My favorite still is the coconut margarita at Harry’s Burritos by my apartment. According to Jacob, Cowgirl is the only place in NYC where you can get a decent chicken fried steak. (He is a Texas transplant so he knows.) I don’t really get why one would want to fry steak, but maybe that’s ‘cause I’m a Yankee girl. My chicken quesadilla was good though.

Afterwards, we went to Art Bar, which is a great cozy bar with smooshy couches and really good alternative music. I loved it there and will definitely go back. Got home around 12:30 so I’m a bit tired today. But it was worth it. I love to try out new places in the city and find hidden gems. New York is such an amazing place.

Liz’s delicate California constitution has not been able to brave New York cold and she’s gotten sick already. So I don’t think we’ll be going to the movies tomorrow. It’ll be a weird weekend – everyone I know is either sick, going to holiday parties, or flying home to run marathons. Maybe I’ll actually get some writing done.

Mar

Quick Update

Met a very nice author last night. Brooke, Dorchester’s sales manager, took Liz and I out for drinks so we could meet Jean Marie Pierson, a new Dorchester author who wrote an upcoming March chick lit called “No Good Girls.” We were a little nervous at first – you know how it is when people are like “You will love this person!”, but it turned out she was lovely and smart and interesting! Total writer friend potential. Brooke was so right and I’m glad she made the introduction. By the way, we went to The Blue Bar in the Algonquin on 44th Street. The legendary haunt of Dorothy Parker. Was very cool and yummy old time cocktails. They have one cocktail on the menu called the Diamond Martini – which costs $10,000 and has a diamond at the bottom of the glass. Needless to say we didn’t order that!

Tonight I’m going to dinner and then ice skating. Such a New York thing to do, huh?

I saw one of the new Shomi covers (Eve Kenin’s?) for the summer round and it’s fantastic. No more manga look – more of an urban fantasy kind of thing. But I like it a lot. Can’t wait to see mine! I also can’t wait for the final, final Dutton cover cause I want to post that too. I’ve been walking around with it in my bag and showing strangers off the street, I love it so much. (Okay, maybe not strangers, but my friends are sick of seeing it.)

On Friday Liz and I are planning a trip to see Beowulf on IMAX 3D. Need to invite Leanna and Stacy and anyone else who's around and wants to go. What do you say guys? (This is the laziest invite ever! Worse than texting.)

Okay must run! More updates soon.
MAr

Blog Updating

I got scolded for my blog slackerdom at the NYC RWA Christmas party this weekend so I’m updating now! It’s been a busy, but fun few weeks. Some highlights in no particular order of importance:

• Made an apple pie for Thanksgiving and it didn’t suck.
• I’m healthy! Got a 95/100 on my wellness screening at work, meaning I save $300 on health insurance this year. (woot!)
• Liz moved to town from LA and is now practically my neighbor! Watch out Big Apple!!
• New wine bar opened up in the first floor of my apartment building and it’s really nice with good wine and food.
• Going to the Anime Fest this weekend – still trying to decide on costume.
• Got cover for Gamer Girl and it ROCKS – can’t show it yet, but soon!!
• Started working on Razor Girl. No cover yet.
• Friday night goth clubbing has now become a regular weekly event.
  
  

That’s all I’ve got right now. I promise to post more regularly from now on!

Marianne

Childhood TV Shows

I was reading a NY Times article about how Sesame Street is on DVD now but some of the early episodes are not suitable for today's children. LOL. Crazy. Now I want to go back and watch those. I was ADDICTED to that show as a kid.

Anyway, I thought I'd look up on YouTube to see if I could find a clip from one of my other favorite shows - 3-2-1 Contact. Specifically the mystery segment "The Bloodhound Gang" that aired in the last five minutes of the show. (Except on Fridays when they did a recap show.)

So here's an episode for those of you who might have missed this classic TV drama!! LOL.

Mar

Blog Slacker Update

Hey all,

Sorry I've been a total blog slacker! Let's see, what have I been up to? On Friday went out to Necromantic with some friends for a little dancing. Ended up out til after 3am so needless to say I slept most of Saturday. Worked on my revisions for Karma Kitty novella over the weekend. Went raiding with my new WoW guild and did Kara. Got some nice tanking gloves and a tanking ring. Tonight I’m going to the East Village’s Landmark Theater to see Blade Runner, The Final Cut. Should be awesome. Haven’t seen Blade Runner on the big screen since college days when they came out with the director’s cut. I really want the DVD box set that has ALL the versions, including the first one with the tacked on happy ending.

I’ve decided not to go home over Thanksgiving. I don’t really feel like dealing with the crazy crowds on the busses and trains. Plus most of my friends will be away. Seems like a better plan to pick a weekend to visit when everyone’s around. I’ll enjoy having the four days off in a row though!

Finished reading Life as We Knew It, a YA apocalyptic novel about an asteroid hitting the earth and one family’s dealing with the end of the world as we know it. Everyone raved about this book, but I got to say, I found it a bit slow. It was probably very realistic, but all of the chaos happened off screen. It’s kind of like an apocalyptic Anne Frank, where everyone’s cooped up in a house for much of the book with little news about what’s happening in the outside world. It was more about family relationships, which is fine, but I guess I was hoping for more looting and chaos and volcano eruptions instead of slow starving to death and accounts of what the characters had for dinner every day. Also, the ending was a bit weak – very dues ex machina, in my opinion. But everyone else seems to love this book, so maybe it’s just me.

Now I’m reading Isolde, Queen of the Emerald Isle, by Rosalind Miles, which I know I’ll like cause I’m a huge fan of her Guenevere series.

I’m looking forward to next week when Liz moves to NYC. And then the week after that a bunch of us are attending the NY Anime Convention. Cosplay time! Woot!

Marianne

Hey all,

Continuing to enjoy my week off of writing. I really need to buckle down starting tomorrow and work on those novella revisions. They're not major so no big deal, but I have to finish them before I can start the new book! Time's a wasting.

Last night I went to see one of the After Dark Horror Fest movies. It's like a film festival for independent horror movies. We saw Crazy Eights which was fun. Definitely one of those ones where you just have to laugh. Then went to Zanzibar for dinner/drinks. Turns out they serve my favorite wine -a New Zealand Sauv Blanc called Noblio. Yum. Got home way too late for a Tuesday, but oh well. Tonight I had to work late on a night shoot in Queens. It wasn't too bad though. And I got to walk through Queens for the first time.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. I don't think I'm going home for it this year. But I will enjoy the 4 day weekend. Maybe I'll go check out the Macys parade. I used to always watch that as a kid. It would be cool to see some of it live.

Well that's about it - just wanted to do a quick update. Time for bed!!

Mar

Random Stuffz

Nothing too exciting going on here. Had a pretty uneventful weekend. Did go to see Saw IV, which was enjoyable, but not as good as the first three. A lot more confusing and they didn’t explain the twist in the end very well, which was disapointing.

Went out for dinner/drinks with my friend Stacy last night down in Union Square and St. Marks. We visited my favorite goth store - Trash and Vaudville - while down there. I really wish I had money for boots! I still totally want a new pair of docs.

In WoW news, I finally got my Netherdrake mount! So I get to fly around on my very own dragon from now on!! Woot! It was a pain to get – saving up 5,000 gold and then doing a long series of repeatable daily quests until I was exalted by the Netherdrake faction, but it was all worth it!! Weird how things in WoW feel like real accomplishments. I know they’re really meaningless, lol. Still, it’s fun and I’ll post a picture when I get a chance.

Now that I’m done my Gamer Girl edits my goal is to join a gym and work out more. I’m too busy this week, but I swear next week I’ll do it. We have a deal through work where it’s like $20 a month for a great gym so I really don’t have any excuse!

Any Malomar fans out there? They’re like my favorite cookie ever! And we learned how to make homemade Malomar like cookies yesterday on our show. It’s super easy, too – I think even cooking challenged me could do it! They were totally yummy as well. They’re from a Ladies’ Home Journal recipe, but I don’t think they’ve posted them yet. I’ll link when they do for those of you who are interested.

Speaking of cookies – I’m ready for lunch. Which will not be cookies, sadly, but more likely salad. Oh wellz.
Mar

Gamer Girl Done! Woot!

I'm happy today cause I was able to send in my revisions for Gamer Girl to my editor. I have been working like crazy on them all week - morning, noon and night - and am so glad to have them finished. The book is also a lot better for doing them - I'm thinking my editor is pretty brilliant at this point. (And I'm not just saying that on the chance she reads my blog, lol.) I cannot WAIT to see the cover for this book. I've seen a mock-up with stock art already so I know the direction they're going in, but am waiting for the custom art to be created for the final product. It'll be a manga cover and there will be manga artwork inside at the top of each chapter as well - so cool! I can't wait to see the book all put together. Sadly, I must since it won't be out for another year. **sniff**

Leanna's still too sick to go clubbing tonight - boo!! Not sure what I'll do instead. Maybe just play some WoW. I think we're joining a new guild and that means we'll start raiding again. I really would like to cause I miss it and also it'll help me get better gear. (Just in time for the 2nd expansion which will make it all useless again, lol.)

Oh special shout out to Diana Peterfreuend who got married this week! Congrats, girl!

Gotta run. Have a great weekend!

Marianne

Busy, busy!

Been a busy week for me, working hard and trying to finish up Gamer Girl revisions in my spare time. They’re going well, though—will be ready to pass them in to my editor on Friday. Then a few quick tweaks on my novella for the boots anthology (which my editor said he LOVED – yay!) and I’m free to start on Razor Girl! Can’t wait. Feels like I’ve been revising forever…so ready to start something new.

It’s crazy that I have three books and one novella out next year. I am so cutting back from now on. I just can’t take the work load with my current day job schedule and I’d rather spend more time on a book and enjoy writing it then to be always pressured to get finished.

For those of you American Idol fans out there, we had Elliot Yamin on the show yesterday. He was really very sweet. Of course, I’m the only person on the planet who doesn’t watch the show so I’m not sure how far he got in the finals or what kind of music he plays, but he seemed genuine and nice.

That’s about all that’s going on here. Not very exciting, I know! But I must be lame for a few more days for the good of my book. :)

Marianne

Go Liz!!

I'm "wired" this afternoon after hearing some great news! My friend (and partner in crime) Liz Maverick's Shomi book "WIRED" received a BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR (!!) award from Publisher's Weekly. They only picked five romance for the entire year and hers was one of them. I am sooo psyched for her!!! Go Liz!!! An honor totally deserved.

Here's what they said:

Wired Liz Maverick (Dorchester/Shomi)
Told by a sassy female computer programmer pursued by two strange men with the power to alter reality, this suprising mashup of romance and cyberpunk may be the blueprint for romance's next generation.

By the way, for those of you who don't know, Liz is also signed up for another round of Shomi next year. She's writing a yet-to-be-titled sequel to Wired, starring Roxanne's best friend Kitty. Can't wait!

Marianne

Busy Friday

Today was a crazy busy day at work. I'm already exhausted and yet I have a whole night full of fun ahead of me. Red Bull anyone? :)

We did a couple stories with Brenda Cooper, an Emmy award winning Hollywood stylist. She actually created the whole look of The Nanny back in the day. And she hosted one of the original reality shows - E's Fashion Emergency. I used to watch that show religiously (before I gave up TV) and so it was really cool to work with her. She was so sweet and nice, too. The first segment we did was on finding your "true colors" - you know, like are you a summer, winter, fall, etc. But it's much more sophisticated these days. Turns out I'm a soft autumn. Which means it's better for me to wear grays and browns rather than black. Guess Mom was right all these years.

Then we went to the White House, Black Market store on 5th Avenue and did a segment on building a complete wardrobe (work, evening, comfy) starting from a basic black silhouette. I stood in as one of the models and it was a lot of fun trying on all the outfits. I wish I had a Hollywood stylist to go shopping with all the time! My wardrobe would be so much more functional instead of all the odds and ends I have that never match.

In the afternoon we interviewed plastic surgeon Dr. Rey of the E show Dr. 90210. He was quite the character-- a little crazy, but a lot of fun. He is promoting his new line of body shapers. Good way to skip the plastic surgery and look good. He drew a naked woman on our celebrity signing wall. Boss is going to freak about that, come Monday!!

Here's a pic of he and I on the Better TV set.

Tonight I'm going to a booksigning for Kathryn Smith over at Posner's in Grand Central, then to NYC RWA president Elizabeth Mahon's bday party. And late night, Leanna and I are hoping to hit the Knitting Factory for some dancing. Fun, fun.

Then the rest of the weekend I need to be a good little girl and work on my Gamer Girl edits!!

Marianne

Halloween Pics

The Village Halloween parade was such a blast!! There were so many cool costumes and it was so much fun parading up 6th avenue. We danced and frolicked and generally had much too much fun.

As I think I mentioned, we went as the 4 Elements. (I was fire.) Here we are in all our elemental glory!

I definitely think marching in the parade is more fun than just watching it! Already trying to decide on a costume for next year. :)

Marianne

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!

Tonight my friends and I are going to march in the Village Halloween parade. We’re going as the four elements (air, earth, fire, water.) I’m fire. I think I might look more like a club kid or drag queen than an actual element in my costume, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, considering the parade! :) I need a couple of finishing touches which I’ll run out and grab at lunch, but then I should be all set! It’s a lot harder to be something abstract than say, a pirate, I’ve realized, but creating costumes is fun.

I’m sure we’ll take pics and I’ll post them.

Yesterday I attended a NY Library teen Halloween party and read from my Girls that Growl book and talked about writing to the teens. They were really great – so into it and we had a really good discussion together. I’d like to do more events like that in the future.

I told you how the other day my dog Molly came into work to film a segment about dog massage, right? Well, it’s since aired and is now up on our Better.tv website. Check it out! I think she did a very good job! Most dogs would have jumped off the table! I am a very proud dog mommy.

Marianne

Let's go Red Sox, Let's go!

Yay Boston won the World Series!!! Go Boston!!!

It seems weird to be in NY and be so far removed from the excitement. I remember the last time they won I was working in Boston at the NBC station and so we were crazy busy, working nonstop every day and night. Then I'd go to parties to watch the games. I was so exhausted, but it was an exciting time. Seems like a lifetime ago.

When they had the celebratory parade I got to go out on Fenway's field and interview players. Here is me with my then favorite Red Sox - Bronson Arroyo - with his infamous cornrows. Yes, I had quite the crush! (Taken with my camera phone, which is why the quality is bad.)

Hope you all had a good weekend! Halloween is in 2 days!!!

Mar

Yay Friday and Sat YA library event

Yay it's Friday! I've been so tired all week, I'm soo ready for the weekend. Going to go out dancing tonight with my friend Leanna. Woot! Can't stay out too late though cause I'm going to do a writer event at the NY Public Library at 2pm the next day. Actually I should post the details of this, cause it's kind of cool, for those of you in the NYC area.

When : Saturday, October 27 @ 2pm

Where : Donnell Library Center 's Central Children's Room2nd floor of the Donnell Library Center20 West 53rd StreetNew York , NY

Description : A monthly opportunity to join others interested inchildren's and young adult literature for a stimulating discussion ofbooks, reading trends and services to youth.

This group is open to authors, librarians, parents, publishers, students,teachers and anyone else who loves children's and young adult literature.

This is not a formal book discussion group, but rather a chance to:-connect with others-find out what's going on in the world of publishing,-come away with exciting new ideas and reading recommendationsWe'll also have lovely refreshments and piles of Advanced Reader Copies ofbooks to give away.

The second meeting of the Children's and Young Adult LiteratureCafe will take place on Saturday, November 10 at 2pm. Shaun Tan, authorof the critically acclaimed graphic novel The Arrival , will be ourspecial guest!

For more information, please contact: Sarah Couri (Senior Young Adult Librarian in Teen Central):scouri@nypl.org ; 212-621-0633Rebecca Schosha (Senior Children's Librarian in the Central Children'sRoom): rschosha@nypl.org ; 212-621-0636

10 Tenors

I promised you a picture of the hot Australian opera singers who graced our Better TV studios on Monday. So here they are! The Ten Tenors and me. (Yes, I have a great job!)

Blogger is cutting off the 10th guy so click on the pic for all their true glory. :)



And yes, they can really sing too! Check them out online at TheTenTenors.com.

Win Girls that Growl

The lovely Melissa Walker (author of Violet on the Runway) is giving away an autographed copy of GIRLS THAT GROWL. Go over to her website (or MySpace) for your chance to win it!

All is well here. Finished my novella story and am on to edits on News Blues. Luckily they are minor and I should be done by Monday. Then I have to do revisions on Gamer Girl. Then start the new book!

Shot a few stories with Dannielle Romano, editor at large of DailyCandy.com yesterday. She is such a sweetheart. I love working with her. And I love the Daily Candy newsletter, too.

Not too much else going on. Saturday I am doing a YA author event at the NY Public Library, which means if I go out on Friday I need to force myself to get home at a reasonable hour! I haven't been sleeping well because of the lingering cough and so I'm really exhausted all the time.

Marianne

Doing time in Boston

I’m back from Boston. It was great trip. The 6B Lounge didn’t play 80s music cause the Red Sox were playing so we ended up going to CLINK, this bar in Boston that was converted from an actual jail! It still looked like a jail, too, with bars and original brickwork. The center was open and there were different levels of balconies (where the cells used to be) circling the building, just like you see in regular jails. It has to be one of the coolest bars I’ve ever been to. Here’s my friend Mary and her boyfriend “locked up.” And below, me, evidently posing as one of the femme fatales in Chicago, lol.

Then on Sunday we went walking the dogs with my dad and Sherri at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport. Very beautiful day and nice to see some fall foliage.

Now I’m back. We had some great studio guests in this morning on our show. The Ten Tenors – a group of 10 hot Australian men who sing. Nice way to start off a Monday! And those accents! I think Audra and I were swooning a bit. Their PR guy took a picture. If he sends it to me I’ll post it here.

I’m mostly better from being sick, but still have a bit of a cold. Will be happy once I’m 100 percent again. Hopefully soon.

Quick Update from Boston

Hey - been a blog slacker so I thought I should quickly update and say I'm alive and well and in Boston for the weekend. A bunch of friends and I are going to a the 6B lounge, which is spinning 80s tonight. Woot! I spent the day wandering around shopping. Got a nice new pair of Steve Madden boots.

Boston was PACKED though! Evidently everyone is in town for the Sox game and some Regatta thing on the Charles river. I'm sick of Sox talk already, but I'm sure there's going to be a lot more out at the bars. I mean, I do hope they win. But let's talk about something else!

It's great to hang with Mary. Missed her while I've been in NY. Luckily with good friends like her you can pick up right where you left off.

Okay gotta run! More later. :)

Marianne

Sk8er Boy en Francais

I stayed out of work today cause of my sickness. Didn't want to infect my coworkers and all that. Been vegging out, watching Battlestar Galactica, which I borrowed part of the first season from a friend. Finished what I borrowed - need the rest now. Maybe it's best that I ran out, however, since I really should get some writing done.

In the meantime, I found a cover for the French version of Sk8er Boy. They spelled it "Sk8ter Boy" though. I don't get why people do that. It's sk-eighT-er, right? Don't need an extra "T". Oh wellz.

It's a cute cover though! Funny - the girl is wearing a very similar getup to my RWA "costume" -- maybe THIS was the character I was accused of being dressed as! Who knew? Hopefully they'll send me a couple of real copies. I can read a little French - would be fun to try to interpret.

:)
Marianne

Still Ill

I was way too sick to go to work today, but did anyway cause I had so much going on. We had Keri Russell (aka Felicity or the actress with the curly hair who once cut it, lol.) in for an interview. She is so sweet and nice and down to earth. So tiny too! I can't believe she just had a baby 4 months ago. But yes, she was great. She's evidently in a movie coming out with Robin Williams and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. She told me all the girls love Jonathan. What?!? I thought my crush was exclusive!! haha.

Had a lunch meeting at The Capital Grille that I didn't even feel like eating cause I was feeling so rough. Hopefully I didn't come off as a moron to the potential guest. She was fab, actually. Runs a site called SpaAddicts.com. We'll probably be working with her on some spa segments in the near future.

Lastly, I had a night shoot at our resident hair stylist who is giving one of our contributors a makeover. Even though they were completely nice and wonderful, I was so happy to leave and come home to collapse.

The sickness is bad cause I haven't been able to write this week. I need to get better for Boston, too!

So I guess I should sign out and rest, huh? TTYL!

Marianne

Ugh, Monday already?

Clubbing at the Knitting Factory on Friday night was a blast. It was so good to hear the music and dance and we stayed until like 3:30am. Was cheap to get in ($8) and cheap drinks, too. I can’t wait to go back! I love goth clubs because unlike regular clubs you don't get harassed by guys who want to grind up on you.

The rest of the weekend I kind of vegged out and played WoW. Oh Saturday I lost my phone in a taxi and so I bought a new one on Sunday. Then they found my phone, but I love my new phone and my old one was dying anyway, so it’s for the best.

I saw some cover art conceptions for my Dutton book, Gamer Girl, today. Looks really awesome! I’m psyched. They’re going with a manga look since my heroine is a budding manga artist. Sooo cool!!

This weekend I’m going to Boston for a visit. About time – I haven’t been back since I moved here in March. I’m long overdue to see friends. Can’t wait!!

I’m not feeling very well, so I’m on my way home to take a nap.

Mar

Sex and the City Sightings

Went to meet a friend for lunch in Bryant Park this afternoon and ran into today’s Sex and the City movie filming. (I swear they’re everywhere!! Drove past them filming earlier in the week down in the village.) There were a ton of people crowded the street set and I had my dog so it was hard to stop to look, but I did walk right by Chris North. (Ahhh, Big, I loves you!!!!) Anyway, just seemed like a very New York moment.

Oh and yes, my dog got to come to work with me today, which was extra fun! We were shooting a segment on dog massage. She did a great job lying still on a table under the bright lights, allowing some stranger to touch her. Actually the stranger was the masseuse for the NJ Nets, so I guess Molly was in good hands, to say the least.

So glad it’s Friday! I think I mention I’m going clubbing tonight. Fun, fun! Then tomorrow I’m going to try to go to the NY RWA meeting if I’m not too tired from being out all night dancing. I’ve also got to work on my novella which is getting very close to being finished. Just in time to start the edits for my book News Blues, which should come to me next week. THEN I hope I can start my new Shomi book!

Speaking of, I asked before if anyone knew what Razor Girl referred to. Well, it’s a nod to William Gibson’s Neuromancer. The original Razor Girl, Molly Millions, had 4cm retractable razor blade implants in her fingers, along with other cybernetic enhancements, which helped her fight and hustle. She’s a street samurai and one of the coolest women ever in cyberpunk fiction. I don’t want to spoil the plot of my book by explaining why my title fits, but that’s what it references.

Happy Weekend!

Thursday

Wet and rainy Thursday here in NYC. Bleh.

Last night I had drinks with my fellow Berkley Jam author Melissa Walker (Violet on the Runway – go buy and read, it’s fab!) at this really cool bar on West Houston called the Pegu Club. They specialize in gin drinks and had some amazingly creative ones. It’s cool because they bring you over a thing of “drink condiments” where you can add sugar or bitters or lemon juice or other things if you want to customize your drink more to your tastes. Of course the drinks were so delicious I didn’t even need to use them!

Melissa is going to be giving away a signed copy of Girls that Growl on her blog soon – I will let you know when. I am going to run a contest at the same time for a copy of Violet on the Runway.

Afterwards I met my friend Jamie in the East Village and caught up with her. It’s amazing how busy I’ve been with the book and work stuff and how I’ve managed to neglect friends and going out. So it was nice to have a night off of writing for a change. Just can’t get too caught up in it all or I’ll fall behind again. I don’t know how writers with husbands and kids do it.

Friday I’m going dancing with my new friend Leanna, who I met at the NJ conference this past weekend. Totally psyched to find a clubbing buddy in the city.

Marianne

New Cover!!

(A reminder, I always cross post to Livejournal now if you prefer that format. User name is Starrgirl7.)

On the heels of yesterday's new SHOMI book news, I have a new cover to share with you as well. This is for the shoe anthology that's out in April.

The title of my story is "Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Con."

As for dressing like one's character, I'm not sure I could balance in those!!!

:)
Marianne

Shomi: Round #2

Okay, I promised you news, so here it is. I have agreed to write a second book for the SHOMI line. Woot! The book is called RAZOR GIRL and will be out September '08.

The best way to describe it would be as folows:

A post-apocalyptic pilgrimage to Disney World (the last remaining civilization on Earth) featuring a cybernetically enhanced heroine, a reluctant, drug addicted hero, thirteen orphan children, and zombie like creatures who are hoping to eat them.

Or as editor says: Edwards Scissorhands meets 28 Days Later.

More soon. Also have my anthology cover to post!

:)
Marianne

PS Bonus points if one of you can tell me what Razor Girl references without Googling...

NJ Conference Final Wrap-up

I have to say, NJ RWA so did NOT disapoint. Probably the most conference fun I've had since RT in the spring. The last night was an after party with a DJ and dancing and though a lot of the music was on the cheesy side, we had a blast dancing to it.

A couple pics:

As you can see, lots of fun to be had. :)

On Sunday I returned to reality and did lots of writing. Finished up the tweaks I wanted to make on News Blues so I could pass it into my editor for editing. Now I'm back to my anthology, which is still coming along swimmingly. I figure I'll try to finish it by the end of the week or Monday at the latest.

Oh and I got some really good news today! But I'll save it for tomorrow!! ;-)

MARIANNE

NJ RWA Conference Part 2

The conference is over, though there's an after party tonight. Our author branding workshop went really well and people asked great questions. Then we heard a truly inspiration speech by Sherrilyn Kenyon that made me cry and afterwards I went to her and Diana Love Snell's world building workshop which was fab and had a great handout that I'm definitely going to use next time I create a world. :) Then this afternoon we had a booksigning. I sold out of Girls that Growl and sold quite a few Moongazer books, too. So that was good. Here are a few pics:

The Black Swan Posse!! Me, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Liz. (We're not worthy!)


Liz and her swan posse tank top.


My original outfit before I had button issues.


Talking up Shomi to attendees.


That's all for now. Return home tomorrow morning. Gotta do some writing.

Oh and I'll be annoucing contest winners tomorrow - entries cut off at midnight!!

MAR

NJ RWA Update

I'm sitting in my hotel room in NJ, getting ready to do our author branding workshop. The conference has been great so far! Liz and I led a PAN discussion on publicity yesterday, then went to a Q&A with Sherrilyn Kenyon. She called me out in front of everyone to chat about goth fashion. :) I love her. We chatted with her for a while afterwards. Did you hear there's a release date finally for Ash's book? It's July 08, I believe. Cannot WAIT! She was like "You stole my corset" cause remember I found the exact one her Simi character was wearing (the girl who plays Simi is actually her cousin, I guess.) She said she has it in purple though.

Here's what my outfit looked like. (Liz and I took goofy pics before going out.)

Liz also took this pic of me after we had a few drinks and were waiting around for the awards ceremony to begin. I really like how it came out so I'm posting it as well.



That night we went to the awards ceremony. I like how they read a steamy passage from each winner's book. The woman who reads them is really good. Liz had to go up and present the paranormal award cause she won the category last year. They gave away gift baskets and I won one with lots of Christmas goodies in it! Very cool cause I don't have a lot of Christmas stuff since I lost it all in the fire.

Then there was an amazing dessert reception with the most delicious cakes. I stuffed myself with sweets. We met up with Stacey Agden from Posner Books and her friend who was a really cool goth girl type. She and I made plans to go clubbing in NYC sometime soon. I'm totally psyched about this because I miss going to goth clubs since Manray in Cambridge closed down and before now didn't know anyone in NYC who was into that scene. Can't wait to go!!

This morning we heard a breakfast speech from Karen Robards which was really funny and inspiring. I can't believe people used to have to write books with typewriters. I would NOT be a writer today if I had to - my brain just doesn't work like that! Thank goodness for computers.

Okay better get ready for my workshop. Will recap more later. :) Having a wonderful time!!!

MARIANNE

Vampire Week: My Turn!!!!

Okay we've heard from fab authors PC Cast and Rachel Caine about their vampire mythology. Now it's my turn to round out Vampire Week here on the blog. And yes, you have a chance to win all three books - Boys that Bite, Stake That! and Girls that Growl - when you comment.

Commenting is still open for PC and Rachel as well. Contest closes midnight on Saturday.

So now...let's talk Blood Coven!

In BOYS THAT BITE, all sixteen year old Rayne McDonald wanted in life was to become a vampire. She networked, got on the waiting list, even took her vampire certification class (which required some heavy homework.) But on the night she was supposed to be bitten and made undead, her intended Blood Mate, Magnus, accidentally bit her identical twin sister Sunny instead. Sunny had no idea, up until this point, that vampires even existed, and was so not pleased to be informed that she would now be turning into one a week before prom.

Poor Rayne’s luck doesn’t get much better in Book #2, STAKE THAT!. She’s informed by her school’s drama teacher (who also happens to be VP of Slayer Inc) that she’s the one in her generation destined to become--not a vampire, but a vampire slayer. Her first assignment? To get into a seedy blood bar downtown and slay its owner, a baddie vamp named Maverick. Luckily, she has help in the form of brooding, emo vampire Jareth.

In book #3, GIRLS THAT GROWL, our Goth heroine Rayne gets a new assignment—her toughest yet. To infiltrate the ranks of her high school cheerleading squad! Some football players have gone missing and the cheerleaders have been heard, well, growling.

A lot of people have compared my series to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I would definitely say I was influenced by Joss Whedon’s brilliance. But while the humor may be similar, the vampire world I created is very different than his. My vampires are high tech and organized and most of them are good—mingling with humans and getting blood from specially tested paid Blood Donors, instead of running around biting and killing people. They don’t like garlic and crosses, but have no problem with mirrors. They can regenerate quickly when injured, except when infected by tainted blood. They can’t go out in the sunshine and live in massive underground crypts hidden below cemeteries. They are extremely rich and hold many prominent positions around the world.

When Rayne decided she wanted to become a vampire, she had to go through a ton of testing and take certification classes. Once she was approved, the Council had to find her a Blood Mate with compatible DNA. A Blood Mate is kind of like a soul mate, who agrees to share his or her blood with the vampire-to-be and become partners with them for eternity.

I hope you will get a chance to check out the series. Book 1, BOYS THAT BITE, was released in May 2006 and was a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Book 2, STAKE THAT!, came out in December 2006. And now, we continue the story with GIRLS THAT GROWL, out this week!! For more information, friend me on MySpace at www.myspace.com/marimancusi.

Comment below to win the entire trilogy!

MARI

Vampire Week Continues with Rachel Caine! WIN BOOKS!

Today we have our second teen vampire author with us--Rachel Caine - who writes the truly awesome Morganville vampire series for NAL Jam. If you haven't checked them out yet, you definitely should.

Make sure you comment below for a chance win all three books in the Morganville series! Both Rachel and PC's contests will be open until Saturday. Also, if you want to be entered to win MY vampire series (Boys that Bite, Stake That!, and Girls that Growl) head over to Rachel Caine's livejournal and comment there. And you can get a second chance over at PC Cast's blog as well.

Now, without further ado, here's Rachel!

Hi, I’m Rachel Caine, author of a young adult series called THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES. The latest book, MIDNIGHT ALLEY, is coming out on October 2, and I’m very excited to welcome you back, if you’re already a Morganville resident, or if not, give you the Visitor’s Tour!

Morganville, Texas is a small, dusty town in the middle of nowhere – it has a not-very-good college, and not much else to recommend it. But Morganville hides a drastic secret … because it’s the last safe haven for vampires. In fact, the town was founded by vampires. Vampires are the shadow government – and the not-so-shadowy rules of the human population, sometimes interacting directly, sometimes staying apart.

It’s like the Mafia, with fangs.

Claire Danvers, who was all set to head off to a glorious Ivy League early admission, has been forced to attend Texas Prairie University in Morganville … a “safe place” until she comes of age, at least according to her parents. But her parents don’t know just how dangerous things are. Claire’s made a lot of enemies in town – some accidentally, some deliberately – and she’s also made some very powerful allies, including the biggest, baddest vampire in town, the Founder Amelie.

Now, in MIDNIGHT ALLEY, Claire is being asked to take on a new job as an assistant to a secret, very dangerous vampire … one who holds the secrets to everything in Morganville. She’s balancing that with keeping her boyfriend Shane and friends Michael and Eve out of trouble, making her classes, and keeping her parents from becoming even more suspicious about her Morganville lifestyle. But the new job is going to be both seductive and even more deadly than she’s been told … and all of Morganville is at stake.

You can check out the entire Morganville experience in GLASS HOUSES, THE DEAD GIRLS’ DANCE, and this new release, MIDNIGHT ALLEY. I’ve also got short stories out on my website at http://www.rachelcaine.com//morganville!

Comment below to win signed copies of all three Morganville books!

PC Cast Vampire Guest Blogging AND Giveaways!

October—Halloween month!--is a great month for vampire books, don’t you think? Well, obviously publishers agree, too. In fact, today marks the release of at least 3 teen vampire books!! Girls that Growl is mine, obviously. But we’ve also got the third book in the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine and PC Cast’s second book in her House of the Night series.

So for the next couple of days, Rachel, PC, and I are going to be guest blogging on each other’s sites, talking about our own “rules” for vampires and celebrating the releases of our latest books. Oh and we’ll all be giving away free books, too. I’m on PC’s blog today and she’s on mine.

So without further ado, here’s PC. Make sure you comment – she’ll be giving away a set of her vampire books to a lucky commenter!

~~

When sixteen year old Zoey gets Marked by the vampyre Tracker and the outline of a sapphire colored crescent moon appears on her forehead the good news is she won’t have to take her geometry test the next day.

The bad news is she has to pack her bags that night and move to the House of Night, a private boarding school in Tulsa’s Midtown, commonly known in the ‘real’ world as Vampyre Finishing School or Hell High, where she’ll spend the next four years going through bizarre and unnamable physical changes, as well as a total religious and social shake-up. And that’s only if the whole process doesn’t kill her.

The Change from human teenager to adult vampyre kills at least one in every ten Marked kids.

So the vampyres my co-author and daughter Kristin and I have created are based on biology and then enriched with culture and magic. We came up with the physiological versus mystical basis of our vamps by working with our dad/granddad, who is a biologist. Here are our world rules:

The setting for the House of Night is in a world much like our own, except in Zoey’s world vampyres have always existed. Religion and superstition were all that could explain the phenomena of how perfectly healthy teenagers suddenly began Changing into powerful beings who drank blood and walked the night until modern medicine developed enough to discover that during the hormone surge of teenage years a junk DNA strand sometimes activated, causing an irreversible and incurable physiological chain reaction. During this Change recessive pheromones begin to secrete a trail that only a Tracker vampyre (one with highly developed scent senses) could detect. Once the pheromones become active the fledgling vampyre must be brought within an adult vampyre fold so that the physiological Change can be controlled and slowed, but even when surrounded by the power of mature vampyres, not all human teens survive the transition to become mature vampyres.

Vampyre society is strongly matriarchal. They worship the Goddess Nyx, who the personification of Night, as their main deity. A secondary deity is her consort, the God Erebus, who is the personification of Darkness. Adult vampyres have enhanced human abilities, which means that women are stronger psychically, and over the centuries have evolved into the majority of the leadership roles. Male adult vampyres are warriors, protectors and consorts.

There are five House of Night vampyre finishing schools in the United States, each in a different region of the country. They each have a sister school in Europe. The vampyre society is close-knit and because they are virtually immortal the culture has amassed an enormous amount of wealth, which the Priestesses of Nxy control and the Warriors of Erebus protect.

Vampyres do age and die, but their lifespan normally reaches several hundred years. They have amazing regenerative abilities, but can be killed if their heads are removed, their hearts are pierced, or their bodies are burned.

So take a stroll over to our world and discover the House of Night and our version of the timeless myth of vampyres. Book 1, MARKED, was released May 2007 (and has recently been nominated YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers List). Book 2, BETRAYED, will be released October 2nd. Book 2, CHOSEN, will be out March 2008. Check out: http://www.pccast.net/, and coming in October, http://www.houseofnightseries.com/

Monday Monday

Happy Monday!

I had a good weekend. Went to this really cool Renn Faire in Ft. Tyron (which is upper Manhattan) on Sunday. There were like 50,000 people there, but it was fun even with the crowds. Lots of cool booths to check out, as well as sword fighting, etc. I found a really cool necklace to go with the outfit I'm putting together for NJ. It's a beautiful gothic cross kind of thing. Perfect! A lot of people were dressed up in Medieval garb and I was jealous that I didn't have any to wear. There was even a gypsy reading palms, which totally reminded me of the scene in Connecticut Fashionista where Kat gets sent back in time.

This week I really need to buckle down and work on my anthology story so I can get that turned in soon. Then on Friday I'm going to the NJ RWA conference, which should be fun. I've been to this conference for like the last 5 years and it's one of my favorites. Actually the first year I went I pitched and got my first agent! That was exciting, to say the least!! Please come up and say hi if you see me there. Liz and I will likely be hard to miss. :)

Tomorrow is BOOK RELEASE DAY!! Yay GiRLs that Growl!! Also, we're going to have a very special guest blogger later today -- with vampire giveaways! So check back soon!

Marianne

TGIF

I'm so excited...I not only found a top that looked like Sherrilyn Kenyon's Simi, I found the exact same top. It's from the TRIPP line, which I love anyway, and they had it in stock down at Trash and Vaudeville. Yay! It's sooo adorable. I can't wait to wear it in NJ. I tried to buy Docs too, but they didn't have any 14 hole black ones in my size, so I'll have to wait on those. I think my other black boots will work with the outfit, so no big deal. Bought a bunch of pink hair accessories to go with the outfit as well. I don't have anything as cool as Simi's skirt, so I think I'll go with my black pleated one.

I'm so happy it's the weekend! Got some fun stuff planned, too. Though, of course, I also need to work on my anthology, which actually, it coming out great and I'm really enjoying. It's such a silly story--but in a good way, I think.

Four more days til Girls that Growl is out!! I'm really psyched about that! And I should have some news about a fourth Blood Coven book really, really soon. So stay tuned!! (And buy lots of copies of Girls that Growl so that the publisher will be amazed and awed by the book's success and buy 50 more sequels. LOL.)

Okay that's all for now. Time to jumpstart the weekend!! :)
MARIANNE

Random stuff

NOTE: I am experimenting by cross-posting on Livejournal from now on. If you'd rather read me there, I'm starrgirl7.

Is it Friday YET? I feel like this week has lasted an eternity. Which was good, in a way, because I had to finish up my Gamer Girl edits, due tomorrow. I actually passed them in today though—yes, one day early, go me! LOL. Hopefully my editor will like what I did to the book.

Now it’s time to go back to Karma Kitty, my anthology story in “These Boots Were Made for Stomping”. Oh and I should be getting edits for my March book NEWS BLUES any day now. Yes, no rest for the wicked!

Are any of you going to the New Jersey RWA conference? Liz and I will now be giving two promotion workshops—one during the PAN session and one for everyone to attend. We’ll be addressing author branding and different nontraditional mediums to get exposure for you and your books. I’ll also be signing GIRLS THAT GROWL which – woot! – is out on Tuesday. I haven’t figured out my “outfits” yet, but stay tuned!! Will definitely be heading down to Trash and Vaudeville on St. Mark’s very soon. I’m thinking an outfit like Sherrilyn Kenyon’s “Simi” wore to Dragoncon.

It is too cute for words, no? (So is the guy playing Ash, but for very different reasons. heh heh. Cute roleplaying guys, FTW.)

Speaking of, one thing I want to get, actually, while I’m there is a pair of Docs. Yes, Doc Martens are back in fashion this year. Which is so funny ‘cause I had been thinking of getting a pair anyway before I knew that. I LOVED wearing them in high school – don’t think I wore anything else, actually. I think I want a pair of 14 hole black ones, though I could be tempted into Cherry Reds. They are going to look so cute with skirts and baby doll dresses. It’ll be like high school all over again!

Marianne

Livejournal, Butter and Editing - Oh My!

I've been chatting/commenting on some LiveJournal blogs recently which really has re-interested me in livejournal versus blogger blogging. I like the friends thing and how it's more of a cross conversation than just posting entries with no back and forth like I feel I do here. I also like the changing avatar ability when you comment. At the same time, I like being able to control the look of my page, which seems more of a blogger thing. I don't know...anyone have any thoughts?

Last night I had a work dinner at Butter, one of the real scene'y restaurants in NYC, where Paris Hilton often hangs out. (Sadly, no sign of her last night.) The food was delicious! I started with a warm, goat cheese salad, then duck confit, with rasberry beignets for dessert--mmm. Washed it all down with a couple delectable Butter Martinis.

I'm sooo close to being done with all my Gamer Girl edits. I'm just re-reading it through now, making sure all the changes are in and make sense. I hope my editor likes what I've done with it. Next up will be finishing my anthology and doing edits on News Blues. Never ends, I tell you!

Today in the studio we had Carolyn Kepcher, Donald Trump's former right hand woman on The Apprentice. She was really nice and down to earth. I never really watched the show so I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised.

That's about it for now! :)
Marianne

Rebels of Romance Invade RT

It's official!!

From Carol Stacy's letter in today's Romantic Times magazine e-newsletter...

And speaking of our convention, Liz Maverick and Marianne Mancusi, Dorchester 's dynamic duo for the Shomi line, dropped by the office to discuss plans for the upcoming event. The author buddies made quite a splash with a video presentation they created recapping their experience at Book Expo America held in New York and offered to create one for the RT Convention, which we are very excited about. They will create a video of each day's events and workshops and it will be posted on our site at the end of the day. This will be great for anyone who can't attend the convention so that you can get a glimpse of all the fun.

Oh yeah, baby! Can't wait!!
Mar

ParaNormal Romance Interview

The fabulous Dee of ParaNormal Romance did a big SHOMI feature with interviews from Liz, me, and Eve. Check it out!

Now THESE were costumes...

During the costume controversy, people were accusing Liz and I of dressing like our Shomi characters, at the RWA conference, when really we were just dressing in generic manga-esque style.

However, at the Romantic Times Convention Dorchester Bookseller Party, Liz and I DID dress as our Shomi characters--Roxanne (Liz) and Skye (me)--wigs and all. I hadn't been able to find a single photo of us in the outfits until now.

Stolen from the delightful Rosemary from Rosemary's Books in Australia. That's our editor, Chris Keeslar of Dorchester, between us.

It’s been a good week so far. On Tuesday night, Liz and I met up with Carol Stacy and Jo Carol of Romantic Times for dinner/drinks and discussed our new partnership. You heard it here first! The Rebels of Romance are now the official video bloggers of this year’s Romantic Times Convention in Pittsburgh. We’ll be bringing you daily reports of the convention and interviewing your favorite authors. Should be a lot of fun! I’ve so got to start getting my costumes in order. ;-)

After that, we headed over to the Golden Apple awards, being held by the NYC RWA chapter. We met up with Bookseller of the Year, Stacey Agdern and took her out for drinks to celebrate her award. Stacey works for Posner at Grand Central Station and is simply fabulous. If you’re ever in NYC, you have to stop by and say hi.

Yesterday on Better TV, we interviewed Tammy Trenta, a former reality star from the fifth season of The Apprentice. She’s a handbag maker now and brought in some of her designs. They were so cool. I totally wanted one. (Too bad I’m so broke!) Anyway, they’re from the Theresa Kathryn line and hold everything—including a laptop—which is so nice cause I hate lugging around a purse AND a laptop. I think this one's my favorite, though it's hard to get a good sense of how nice it was from a photo. It was really soft leather, though, with a gorgeous lining.

Did anyone watch Gossip Girl last night? I thought it was great. Gotta love a trashy teen soap! And by the maker of The OC nonetheless. They followed the storyline of the first book pretty closely…I wonder how soon they’ll run out of material and will have to come up with their own plots? Also there were some definite additions – including a relationship history between Jenny’s dad and Serena’s mom. Hmmm. That’s a very OC plotline, actually. All in all, I liked it. It was beautiful to look at and I enjoyed finally seeing a NYC backdrop instead of yet another Southern CA. After all, we have snobby spoiled teens here, too!





Lastly: 12 Days ‘til Girls that Growl is released! Luckily, I’ve been getting great response from my Street Team readers who were sent early release copies. It’s always a relief to know that the book lived up to expectations. You never want the “Oh, it’s not as good as the first two” kind of thing!

Marianne

National Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Arrr...

My matey Molly just had to celebrate!

hehe - please don't call the SPCA on me.
Marianne

Happy Monday everyone!

Had a great weekend. Liz was here and we met up with the fabulous producers of RomanceNovel.tv and shot segments with them all weekend. It was a blast! Usually I'm behind the scenes and so to be on camera for once was a lot of fun. I can't wait to see how the segments turn out. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll be up until November or so.

On Saturday, we met up with fellow author Alisa Kwitney for drinks at my favorite bar, the Shalel Lounge and then dinner at a Thai place called Rain on 82nd/Columbus. Was very fun. And on Sunday night, Liz and I went to the movies and saw Death at a Funeral, a British flick. Was funny, but not as good as we thought it'd be, honestly.

I was going to post links of all these places, but my PASTE feature seems not to be working...Weird. Oh well, Google if you're curious! :)

Marianne

Yay Friday!

Yay it's Friday!

Today we interviewed the Better Homes and Gardens new contributing editor, home designer Stephen Saint Onge for our show. He turned out to be the NICEST guy. So personable and cool. I thought I wouldn't at all be interested, as I live in a small studio and don't exactly have a disposable income to redecorate with, but I was inspired all the same.

Liz is visiting this weekend and is on her way to my apartment as we speak. The Rebels united again, lol. Actually, we're also making an appearance at the NJ RWA conference in a couple weeks. Doing a workshop on Author Branding -- our specialty!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Mar

Editors and Writers

My agent sent me this. Tooooo funny!!

Boys that Bite in Japan

I got home from work and found a letter from Berkley saying that they've sold Japanese rights to my book "Boys that Bite"! Totally made my week!

Japan is my favorite country and I'm even planning a visit there next year. Now I have a real excuse to go!

I hope they do a manga cover. Seriously, I can't think of anything cooler than seeing Sunny and Magnus drawn by a Japanese artist.

Happy dance!! (Then back to work on those darn edits...)
Mar

Tuesday Update

I can't believe in only 3 weeks Girls that Growl will be released. It seems weird to me, especially since I just had a release last month with Moongazer. But I'm trying to stay on top of it all. I sent out pre-release copies to my street team this week and have been fielding reviewer requests. Hopefully the fact that it's a vampire book coming out in October will help with store placement, too.

In the meantime, edits on Gamer Girl are going swimmingly. It's a lot of work and I truly have no life at the moment, but we must all suffer for our art, right? :) And in the end, it's always worth it.

At least this weekend Liz is coming for a visit. That should be fun. And in a couple weeks I've got the NJ RWA conference. Gotta figure out what I'm wearing for that--now that everyone will be expecting costumes, lol.

I'm still reading Stephen King's Dark Tower...only like 250 pages out of 800 something to go. Also picked up the just released Berkley Jam YA Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker to read on the subway as King's book is just too massive to lug around town. And I'm rewatching Seasons 1 & 2 of Veronica Mars so I can go buy Season 3 on DVD. Ah, what a great show.

Mar

B&N, RT, and Weekend Stuff

I was at B&N today, editing Gamer Girl and warding off the crazies. What is it about a B&N cafe that makes people think it's okay to sit at YOUR table? The tables are tiny. My laptop covers nearly the whole thing--and CLEARLY I'm WORKING. Fine, if you have to sit down, sit, but read or something. Don't sit down to socialize. Pick another table for that. Seriously -- has anyone heard of respect in this town?

Even with the fight with the crazy woman (which I'd love to go into, but it'll just make me mad again) I got a lot of work done. The book is shaping up nicely.

After working, I checked out the magazine section and was paging through Romantic Times. (I so need to renew my subscription.) I came across the FAN FORUM section where "Flavia" writes her monthly column. Low and behold it was all about Liz and my costumes at RWA. LOL! That story really has legs, huh? (No pun intended!!) Anyway, the article was completely complementary and supportive and made me smile. I knew there was a reason I loved RT so much!!

Other than that, the weekend has been quiet. I was supposed to go out clubbing with my friend Jamie last night for her birthday, but she got really sick. Boo! Hopefully we'll manage a rain date. In a way, it was probably for the best as it's nice to edit my book after a full night's sleep. I did get to do a lot of rollerblading in Central Park, which was fun. I'm trying for muscular legs in case Liz makes me don thigh highs again for NJ RWA!! hehe.

Speaking of, this pic of Liz and me dressed at RWA just popped up on author Hank Phillippi Ryan's website. :)

In addition to being an author, Hank's also a reporter. She and I go way back -- I even interned for her back in the day, before becoming her producer much later. She teases me that I used to come into my internship in pigtails, Hello Kitty barretts, and black nail polish. hehe. The more things change...

By the way, Hank's next NEXT book (as in Harlequin NEXT) is out in stores in October. It's called Face Time. It's the sequel to PRIME TIME, her first book, and continues the adventures of Charlie McNally, the intrepid investigative reporter. You should pre-order it, cause it's good. Her 2nd top pick from RT!! The woman is on a roll. Not that I am the least bit surprised.

Okay time for some Tasti DeLite and then some WoW. Make my weekend complete. :)

MARIANNE

Yay Friday!

My readers are so artistic. Last night Elisabeth sent me a 3D art piece she did on Skye in Moongazer. It's super cool - check it out!

I'm happy for the weekend, but I have to work tomorrow so it's not as great as it could be. Plus I have to continue with the revisions on Gamer Girl.

We've had some good studio guests in to Better TV this week. Today we had The Supernanny from the ABC show who was really sweet and smart and also Daisy Fuentes, who was fun and passionate. Daisy is really tall in real life! Of course all the guys in the building hung around the studio asking if they could help. Where are they when we have non-hot, non-celebrity guests?? Hmm?

Juli, our reporter, got to go down to Fashion Week and mingle with the celebs. So jealous of that! She said it was quite crazy, but fun.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Marianne

Work work work

Wow life has been busy lately. Work is crazy, trying to launch the new show on Monday. I’m so behind on everything! Blogging may be brief for a while. I did have a nice Labor Day weekend. Went to my friend’s wedding at Acqua, this yummy Italian restaurant in the South Street Seaport District. About as far away in Manhattan as you can go from my apartment, but well worth it. Was a lot of fun and the couple, Jenny and Stefano, seemed very happy together.

Today I met an author (we had her in as a studio guest on Better TV) named Dina Koutas Poch who wrote a really funny book called I HEART MY INLAWS. It’s nonfiction, with a lot of great tongue-in-cheek and real advice for getting along with your bf/husband’s family. Great reading for anyone in a relationship...we've ALL been there. Dina was really nice and we chatted about books for a while, though I was so busy I didn’t get to spend as much time chatting as I’d have liked to.

Tomorrow Blair from One Life to Live is coming in to our studios. (Er, I mean Kassie DePavia.) I used to love watching her and Todd’s adventures when I was in college! I so need a TV at work again. (Most TV producers have TVs at their desks, but here at the new job I haven’t gotten one hooked up yet.) Then I can waste my afternoon watching soaps research upcoming studio guests.

Okay, gotta go. Hope everyone is well.
Marianne

Shomi Girls on Smart Bitches

Some of you might remember a small little discussion on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books blog back in July about Liz and my choice in dress at RWA Nationals. A few authors had opinions, it seemed.

We're back on the blog today, this time in our own words. Check it out.

Out of the Blogosphere Tour

Happy Friday! Today I'm blogging about the latest novel out on the Out of the Blogosphere tour.

WICKED MAGIC
by Cheyenne McCray

USA Today bestselling author Cheyenne McCray continues her sizzling series with an erotic tale about a gifted witch and a powerful warrior who together create WICKED MAGIC.

A DARK SECRET
Rhiannon Castle is a D'Anu witch whose Coven sisters know nothing of the Shadows that lurk within her. Rhiannon can't reveal the truth to anyone-least of all Keir, a rugged soldier who walks into Rhiannon's life and awakens her to a reckless desire.

A SEARING PASSION
Keir's Tuatha D'Danann brethren are the only real family he has ever known. He trusts no one-until he is sent to San Francisco and meets Rhiannon, the one woman with enough fire to tame him. Every seductive encounter convinces Keir that she belongs with him-even though Rhiannon knows her powers could put him in peril.

A SHARED DESTINY
A new threat rises from the depths of Underworld. When a demon goddess unleashes her evil upon our world, Rhiannon's secret could prove the ultimate weapon in this epic battle-or forge a pathway to destruction for the only man she's ever loved.

Sound good? Check out an excerpt here.

REVIEWS

4 Stars! “Blistering sex and riveting battles…” Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine

“…all the ingredients for a fiery dish -- stirred up with a big old bundle of lust… the most fun I've had in awhile.” Fresh Fiction

How do you say vampire in German?

So I have a new pathetic author obsession. Translating German reviews of Boys that Bite. Sad, huh? I'm pasting in reviews to Babblefish and reading them as best I can. Mostly, from what I can tell from the weird translation, German reviewers like it, which is cool. They also totally get the Buffy refs, so I guess Buffy aired in Germany. Buffy probably aired everywhere, but I guess I just never thought about it before.

I even found one webpage with German Boys that Bite fan fic. Awh. I wish I could read it!!

I'll do better when Sk8er Boy is released in French, as I took that in high school and probably retained a tiny bit. Enough to read, at least.

Work has been CRAZY busy still. I get home exhausted. But it's cool cause it feels like we're working towards something good and not just clocking in. Still, it makes it hard to get writing done. I'm home now at 7pm and have to go walk the dog and then work on my anthology. It is very lucky for me I have no life!!

Oh in other coolness, A Hoboken Hipster in Sherwood Forest was chosen as a "Fresh Pick" today by Fresh Fiction. Yay! I would love to write the third book in that series, but I doubt it will ever happen. Too much else going on. Maybe someday...

Okay, time to walk the woof and get working some more!

Mar

Speaking of...

...Girls that Growl. I just got my first copy of the finalized book in the mail today. Looks great in real life!

I don't care if it's your first book or your hundred and first...seeing it all put together in book form for the first time is always a special thrill.

I can't wait to hear what people think! One month to go before release date. Woot!

Mar

Happy Monday!

Had a good weekend. Dad came down Saturday afternoon and we took a walk through Central Park and then got pizza at Patsy’s and ice cream at Cold Stone. Mmmm. Yum. Then I went out for a bachelorette kind of thing for my friend who’s getting married next week. We had pre-dinner margaritas and then went out to dinner at a delish Italian place in the East Village. Fun, fun. Sunday I went rollerblading around Central Park.

Now that Moongazer has been successfully launched, I need to turn my attention to Girls that Growl, which comes out in October. I should be getting bound galleys next week and will be starting to form my street team then.

By the way, for those of you wondering, I have not yet gotten a final answer on a 4th book in my Boys that Bite series. They’re going back to look at the numbers and will let me know soon. I am really, really hoping I’ll get to write it – mostly because I love writing the series and have so many more stories to tell about the twins and their adventures. It would be so sad if I had to end it now. Also, I don’t want to disappoint my loyal readers who have helped me spread the word about the series in their communities, schools, and libraries. They deserve a book #4!!

But of course real life doesn’t always have happy endings so I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much. In any case, I am very appreciative that I got to write the three books that I did in the series and that people responded so well to them. So thank you all and I hope you enjoy Girls that Growl!!

Mar

Crappy Weather = Fall Fashion

Another busy day at work. I kept thinking it was Friday. Sad that it was not. Got my 2,000 words done on the anthology. Feel good about that. Now I have to clean my apartment for my dad's visit. Always something.

The weather in NY has been so crappy lately. All cloudy and rainy. I hope it's nicer this weekend. I do like the fact that it's been nice and cool though. Have been able to break out some fall fashions. I feel like I spent all summer in a sundress.

Speaking of fall fashions, today we had Dannielle Romano, editor at large from DailyCandy.com come into our studios to do some fashion and jewelry trends. She had the cutest dress on, which she said she got from the Vera Wang collection at Kohl's. Vera Wang does a line for Kohl's? Who would have thought! But yes! Seems it is true. The line launches September 9th and the clothes are totally affordable.

So um, is there a Kohl's in NY? Maybe? I hope?

Mar

Busy, busy

Busy day today - just now getting a chance to blog. Woke up late -- 9:20am -- supposed to be at work at 9:30. Rushed in and got there by 10am. Not bad, considering.

Went through like 200 emails of people interested in being featured on our new TV show at the day job. At least we won't be short content. Seems like everyone in the world has something they'd like to promote on TV. It's good though. Gives me a chance to start my NYC Rolodex...essential for a booker/producer.

Up to 5,000 words on the anthology. I think I'm calling it Karma Kitty. Or maybe Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Con. It's definitely a comedy. Silly, but fun. I'm enjoying writing it. Going to try to get 2,000 words a day written so I can be done in 2 weeks. Cause I've also got revisions on Gamer Girl that I have to tackle by the end of September.

I think my dad is coming in on Saturday to visit, which will be great. Haven't seen him since March and I really want to show him my place and around NY. Then at night I have a party to go to for a friend who's getting married the following weekend. Looking forward to that, too. Should be a fun weekend.

I finished Book #6 in Stephen King's Dark Tower series (Song of Susannah). Ended in a cliffhanger so of course I swung by my favorite bookstore (Posner's in Grand Central Station) and grabbed the 7th and final book in the series. Stephen King is one of those authors where I absolutely adore some of his stuff and can't stand other things. The Stand, for example, may be one of my favorite books of all time. Not so much on the horror stuff though. The Dark Tower series is amazing though. Got a bit stalled with Book #5 - Wolves of Calla - which I didn't really love and so I put off moving on to Book #6, but now that I'm done reading it, I'm mad I didn't get to it sooner. I really like the twist of King being in the book, not to give too much away. Book #7 is 850 pages (gah!) but I bet I'll breeze through it.

Okay off to play some WoW. I started a draneai character. A shaman. She's level 10 right now. Having fun playing her. Also doing the Netherdrake quests so I can get my dragon mount. I'm revered now -- less than 21,000 rep to go!

Mar

Murloc Suits

I meant to post this earlier for the WoW fans out there. Here's my WoW character, Allora, dressed in her limited edition Murloc suit, which they gave out as a bonus for people attending Blizcon. Isn't he...cute? He does a funny little dance, too. hehe. If you want a suit of your own, but couldn't attend Blizcon, they're going for like $100 plus dollars on eBay. :P

It's pouring rain in NYC today. Bleh!!

Mar

Comic Con Pics (Finally!)

I realized I never shared with you guys our pics from Comic Con!

You can check out the rest -- our costumes and everyone else's -- on Flickr.

My virtual "stalkers"

So I sign into World of Warcraft last night (from a friend’s house since I still have no internet!), log onto my character Allora, and see that I have in-game mail. I wander over to the mailbox and look inside. The letter says “Moongazer.” Intrigued, I open it. It’s a reader letter from a WoW player who read the book! They looked up my character’s name (who I mention in my bio) on the Armory (where you can find every WoW player by name), figured out what server I was on, then created a character on my server just so they could mail an in-game letter to me to say how much they liked the book. What effort! I was so pleased. I think it’s my favorite fan letter yet!

Okay, but then it gets even weirder. A few minutes later, I suddenly get messaged by DawnGrey. Now, for those of you who haven’t read Moongazer, Dawn Grey is the book’s hero. Yes, another reader has found me. This one is a high school boy who got the book in the Houston airport while waiting for his flight. He read it, loved it and since he’s a WoW player, decided to create a character on my server so he could “meet” me…virtually, of course.

My friends were teasing me that I now have virtual stalkers. But I think it’s kind of cool. I love that people would put that much effort into finding me in-game instead of just being content with sending an email or MySpace message. It really says a lot about the growing online network we’re weaving around our lives and how the world is shrinking. And that I, as a person, can really represent myself and exist in the form of a virtual character. I can “meet” anyone from around the world, face to face.

Mar
PS I also think it's cool that Shomi is enough of a hybrid to interest teenage boys.