Posts Tagged ‘cover’
June in Review, and a fashion post
Posted by janinekspendlove in News and Updates on July 17th, 2012
1/2 way through July already *sigh*
I feel so behind on everything!
WRITING: I wrote nothing new in june, but did a lot of work on releasing The Half-blood (along with Kelli, my editor and Betsy, my artist). In case you missed it, you can get a signed copy from my website, from amazon , or a kindle version, and of course a nook version.
Also, The Human made it to bestseller status on Kindle! At the beginning of June, it made it to #3 on YA Fantasy (topped only by The Hunger Games & Catching fire), #8 on Fantasy overall (topped only by Game of Thrones & Sookie Stackhouse), & I cracked the top 100 in kindle books overall.
Hobbies:
-Running- June was a rough month for training, though I did run at a least once or twice a week all month. Also, I had my annual physical fitness test & I did pretty good. 289 out of 300 possible points. I was also the first one in the run, which was kind of weird. Felt like winning a race – kind of a neat feeling!
-Books read:
Knight Moves – Another fun book by John G. Hartness! Fast paced, great story, and FINALLY some payoff between two if the lead characters, 
I only hate that I have to wait until next year for the next one!
Bitterblue – I really really enjoyed this book. Fire is still my favorite of the series, but this was a fantastic follow up. It works well as a stand alone novel, but also has a lot of payoff for those of us who read the other two books. One word of caution, there are some very adult themes in this book (rape, child abuse, suicide, self-harm, etc), so those could definitely be a trigger for some people.
Black Powder War – third book in the Temeraire series, LOVED IT! I swear this series is soooooo good! I’m trying to make it last long, to savor it. The Napoleonic wars + DRAGONS! SO AWESOME.
Thief of Hope – Fast paced, and hooks you in right from the get go! I loved the world created here and her fantastic characters. I can’t wait to read what happens next!
Health: I’m healthy, the youngling is healthy. Ron is finally out of his cast & running again. But he’s taking it much more gently now.
Travel: Charlotte for ConCarolinas where I was the fan Guest of Honor. Anaheim & San Diego, California (wedding, Disneyland, and time with friends & family, yay!), then Las vegas (another wedding).
Local Events: We watched the Brasil/USA expo game, and it was AWESOME! Brasil won of course.
Personal: I turned 33. Wooooooooo! Lots of celebrating & fun.
Upcoming…
-Signing at midtown scholors (Jul 18th)
-Dragon*Con (Sep)
-Ragnar Relay (Sep)
-Capclave (Oct)
-GMX (Oct)
Also, dear readers, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to see your reviews on goodreads, amazon, and well, pretty much anywhere you can think to post them! Thanks!
Now, how about a Thrifty fashion post? I know it’s been ages since my last one, and for that I apologize.
You might be asking yourself (because I know I’m certainly asking myself), why the heck is this author/Marine/mother/wife writing a fashion blog? Aren’t there like a bajillion fashion blogs out there? Why do we need another?
We probably don’t, and I don’t think I’m a fashionista at all, but apparently some of my friends and family do, and they asked me to do one, soooo… I figured this would be kind of fun to do. So there.
You can see my first post HERE, where I go into the basics of my style & kind of what my shopping “motto” is (never pay full price for anything), and that patience is a virtue (wait 3 years to find a specific pair of $250 Fluevog shoes for $40? Why yes I did…)
Vintage and Fluevogs!
Special Agenda? Nope.
Vintage yellow wool coat, $30 (eBay)
Vintage cotton shirt dress, $30 (vintage shop in Atlanta)
Vintage gloves, $5 (eBay)
Scarf, $8 (Target)
Penny Blossom, $7.50 (etsy)
Watch, TARDIS earrings, & Bracelet, gifts
Fluevogs operetta variadots, $249 (full price, in store)
Total: $329.50. At full price would have been: approx $566.50.
Notes: Well aside from my obvious NON THRIFTINESS on my shoes (this was one of those times where I was in love and caved and paid full price – very rare!), on the whole this entire outfit was a series of really good vintage finds. Plus I always love yellow, and brown is another color I’m starting to enjoy too. As always, I love my penny blossoms, and the paper bracelet my daughter made me is priceless! As for the TARDIS earrings, well, any chance to sneak geekiness into my outfit is a win for me!
Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.
Guest post by Stuart Jaffe & WotS: The Half-blood pre-sale
Posted by janinekspendlove in News and Updates on June 26th, 2012
I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for the talented Stuart Jaffe! You can see it here where I discuss what my musical inspirations for writing have been.
He then very graciously returned the favor and wrote a post for my blog, which I must say I don’t think I deserve, and I hesitated to post at the risk of seeming self-serving. Thank you Stuart!
I first met Janine this year at Ravencon and then again at ConCarolinas. We hit it off from the start and I suspect she’ll be in my writing life for many years to come. When it came to writing this guest post for her blog (thanks for having me, BTW), I went over several possibilities and finally settled on something that wasn’t in my list at all: People.
Too often we get so involved in writing a story, creating a book, marketing a book, garnering reviews, panicking over sales numbers, cheering over sales numbers, up and down, round and round, that we forget the simple fact that all of this is about people. It’s about writers (who are, generally speaking, people) sharing stories with readers (who are, most certainly, people). It’s about human interaction. Even if you and I never meet, we interact through the story.
It may sound a bit airy, but it’s truly the core of what we are doing. It doesn’t matter the story, either. The Way of the Black Beast is the first in my post-apocalyptic fantasy series with magic from tattoos, blues guitarist/assassins, and a whole host of mutated beasties, but at its core, it is about a woman protecting a boy while dealing with her own twisted family issues. My latest novel, Southern Bound, is a paranormal-mystery about a researcher who discovers his office is haunted by a 1940s detective. There’s a cool mystery surrounding North Carolina history mixed with ghosts, curses, and witches, but the story is really about the love between a man and his wife. It’s always been about people. And by making our stories about people, writers connect with readers.
This may all seem rather obvious, but the obvious things are usually the ones we forget so easily. What brought it all in focus for me was thinking about Janine and politics. In this country, we’ve been living through a particularly volatile time lately with everybody drawing lines in the sand and nobody listening to the other, let alone uttering that dreaded word — compromise. And yet, on a human scale, a one-on-one scale, we can still connect with each other without the vitriol that spews all over the comment section of any news article on the Internet.
Janine exemplifies that warm, gracious, human side we should all strive for. And she didn’t even pay me to write that. Perhaps that’s one reason why she’s met with success publishing her book. Perhaps on a deeper, subconscious level, we can all sense when we are being told a story that touches the human side of us.
Sheesh. I didn’t intend for this post to get so heavy but then again, if we didn’t stop once-in-a-while and write about these things, the Internet would have nothing left except porn, comedy, and cats. So, now that I’ve done that, go ahead and return to your porn, comedy, and cats.
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Stuart Jaffe is the author of Southern Bound, The Malja Chronicles, After The Crash, as well as the short story collection, 10 Bits of My Brain. Numerous other short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. He is the co-host of The Eclectic Review — a podcast about science, art, and well, everything. For those who keep count, the latest animal listing is as follows: five cats, one albino corn snake, one Brazilian black tarantula, three aquatic turtles, one tortoise, assorted fish, two lop-eared rabbits, seven chickens, and a horse. Thankfully, the chickens and the horse do not live inside the house.
Lastly, don’t forget, War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-blood **PRE-SALE**
For a limited time only, pre-order the book for only $12.99!
Every book will be signed – please state if you want it personalized (and with what name) in the special instructions to the seller when you purchase.
Each book is $12.99, and there is a flat rate shipping fee of $4.95 in the United States only.
Due to printing timelines, the books will be signed and available for shipment during the 2nd week of July. Expect them to arrive shortly thereafter.
Canadian buyers, shipping will be the same price for you, but it will not be priority, so it will take longer to arrive.
All other international buyers, please contact me first before purchasing (leave a comment on my homepage with your email address – they are screened). Your shipping cost/times will be different.
ConCarolinas in review and Half-blood artwork teaser
Posted by janinekspendlove in News and Updates on June 17th, 2012
Finally, my ConCarolinas wrap up – I’m sorry I took so long on it. As usual, life got in the way.
Let me start out by saying what a wonderful experience it was not just to return to this con as a guest, but as the Fan Guest of Honor.
I was absolutely thrilled and surprised when they asked me to be Fan GoH, and of course, the experience was wonderful.
Here’s the thing though – aside from them providing for my room (thank you!) I wasn’t treated any better, or more special, as a GoH as I was as a previous “regular” guest. ConCarolinas treats ALL their guests as special, and wonderful. Oh, and for that matter, they treat all the attendees to the con as special and wonderful.
ConCarolinas is truly a haven for genre fans, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
2004 was the first time I was a guest at a con (podcasting guest with my husband and Rich Sigfrit), and we were treated like we were a part of the family. Ever since then, ConCarolinas always feels like I’m going home. Many thanks and hugs to everyone who puts ConCarolinas on, but most especially to Jada, Ron, & Stephanie, whose constant friendship & support has meant so much to me and my family.
Love you guys.
At my first ConCarolinas this little gal was an infant wearing the teeny tiny baby Jedi robes I made her. Time keeps passing and I don’t feel any older… But here is proof that I am!
Checking in & who did I see? One of my very dear friends, the supremely talented professional costumer (she most recently worked on The Hunger Games) and fellow author, Cheralyn Lambeth.
I don’t normally wear costumes to conventions these days anymore (time/mobility reasons, and for the sake of people being able to recognize me when looking for me), but given that I was the FAN Guest of Honor, I felt I needed to wear a simple costume or two, and given that MiB3 had just come out (it was fantastic, BTW)…
Just look into this light right here… It was just a weather balloon. Nothing happened.
Another friend and fellow author of the Black Knight Chronicles (hilarious! I love them!), John Hartness, was at the con, and though I didn’t get to spend much time with him, I was happy enough to pick up a signed copy of “Knight Moves.” Also, just last week John had his home broken into and burglarized. His laptop, among many things was stolen. He’s a writer, so you see how this is a problem. If you have a spare buck, or maybe 5, would you consider either buying one of his books or donating to help him replace his computer? Thank you!
One of the best costumes I saw at the Con. Man I still miss Firefly!
Original Zoe Washburne (in another outfit) from Firefly.
Dear friends Kathy and Cami – man I love these two ladies!
The twins were in tow, of course. Sadly Al couldn’t make it. 
BitBit decided to be me on my next panel, The Hunger Games books.
Where I met these awesome guys, the L4gMast3Rz (Eddie Mansius, Maddie Moore, Nick Rhyne)! They’re rising seniors from Charlotte, NC area & they are so bright, intelligent, and enthusiastic! They made a fantastic Hunger Games FanFilm, and you can see their Catching Fire fan film trailer embedded below. Be sure to subscribe to their channel on YouTube (they have nearly 3 million views!) and like them on FB/follow them on twitter. These guys have talent and are definitely going somewhere!
Here is their ConCarolinas post – aren’t they adorable? Also around 3:40 they gave me the most amazing shout out that I certainly don’t think I deserved. Thanks guys! I loved meeting these guys.
Here’s their Catching Fire trailer:
A VERY wonderfully done Katniss who was thrilled to run into my little Rue.
I was super excited to Gail Z. Martin as well, and of course came home with a couple of her books. Can’t wait to read them!
I loved this Dr Facilier from Princess & the Frog. Well done!
Jada’s wonderful daughter in her very creative super fun costume!
Since Albin couldn’t attend, and Ron is a former 501st Legion XO, he essentially acted as Al, and attended his panels for him. By all accounts he did a good job too (the only one I was on with him was the sporting one).
There was a pet pig outside, and it was ADORABLE!
Me & Jim Bernheimer at our table. I love this guy – you need to check out his book Confessions of a D-List Supervillain!
I also need to mention fantastic writer Stuart Jaffe was also there (wish I’d snagged a pic of us together). I’ll be guest blogging on his blog this week I think, so be sure to check it out on Tuesday. http://www.stuartjaffe.com/
It was also great to see authors Allen Wold, Stephen, Zimmer, Betty Cross, & Nathan P. Butler again, and wonderful to meet & chat with author Guest of Honor Jack McDevitt, actor Amber Chaney (she the Avox in The Hunger Games), as well. I’m sure I’ve left out several people, and if I have, please forgive me.
10 and his, I mean HER 3 lovely companions.
Their costumes were AMAZING!
The youngling as Rapunzel & my dear friend Jess, dressed as a fantastic Flynn.
My 2nd day at the con I ran around as Katniss (super comfy) and BAM there was Effie! 
BitBit with Conley in her fantastic Bernadette from Big Bang Theory costume.
Lulu LOVES Rapunzel, so she was VERY excited when she met Flynn.
Bernadette, Amy Farrah Fowler, and “Sheldon”
The most adorable “Ginger” Doctor!
Sold out! A good problem to have.
LOL!
Look! It’s the United States Soccer Team!
Me on one of my panels.
In closing, ConCarolinas was wonderful, and if you’d like to listen to a great podcast about it, check out Stephen Euin Cobb’s, The Future and You, ConCarolinas episode. I’ve got an interview there about 6 minutes in.
Can’t wait for next year!
Now onto my next subject, my friend (and cover artist for my next novel “A Truth Universally Acknowledged”), Mark Dos Santos, is putting together a book of his original artwork. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44582565/mark-dos-santos-art-book
Yeah, that’s the caliber of stuff he draws. To get his book off the ground he’s doing a Kickstarter where you can donate any amount, BUT if you donate at least $30 you get a signed copy of the book! I mean, that’s totally worth it right there!
So you should go to his KICKSTARTER RIGHT NOW and donate! Tell your friends, this is absolutely worth it. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44582565/mark-dos-santos-art-book
In case you missed it, Songs of the Seasons: White Flag is now out. It’s a short story that takes place in the War of the Seasons universe and is the back story of a few of the side characters. Also, it’s got the exclusive preview for my next novel, due out later this month, War of the Seasons, book 2: The Half-blood, sequel to the best selling War of the Seasons, book 1: The Human. You can buy it from Amazon here and from Barnes & Noble here.
Bestselling, you ask? Why yes! On the first day of June, thanks to all of you and your fantastic “word spreading” to all your friends and family about War of the Seasons, The Human – was the #3 downloaded YA Fantasy kindle book on Amazon (it was #8 in general fantasy) for a couple days. It dropped off the next day, but I don’t care. It was a bestseller, and that was a dream come true! A dream you all helped me achieve, so thank you.
And hey, if you want to help some more, I’d love to see your reviews on goodreads, amazon, and well, pretty much anywhere you can think to post them!
And here’s a sneak peak at the cover art for War of the Seasons: The Half-blood… it’ll be out at the end of this month!
Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.
