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Monday, May 12, 2008

Logo Contest Wieners!

posted by Mark at 12:28 PM

Yep. Plural!

1/3 of you correctly guessed that Caitlin was missing from the line-up. As an added bit of fun, most, if not all of us, will be posting the original photos we used on our own blogs.

So...drumroll...

Our grand prize winner: tetewa

tetewa get the signed copies of Dead to Me, Personal Demons, Happy Hour of the Damned, Night Life, The Road to Hell, an ebook of Weirdly 2 featuring Jaye's story and assorted swag.

Congratulations!

But...wait...I've got so many signed books on my desk I'm giving more away to...

macbeaner and bunny_b!

I'm going to let you two race for first choice between Rachel Vincent's Rogue and Kim Harrison's The Outlaw Demon Wails. First to email me gets their choice.

me (at) markhenry.us

Go!


Book Club: Personal Demons by Stacia Kane

posted by Mark at 11:18 AM

Okay League readers, it's book club time. Seems like a while since Stacia through me one for Happy Hour and here we are chatting up Personal Demons. What could be a more appropriate time than during Demon Week?

We won't be doing a spoiler thread until later in the week, so even if you haven't read PD yet, you might want to swing by just to chat with Stacia or anyone else, really. We're all usually just hovering around talking about Stacia, anyway.

I did a review of Stacia's book over at my blog, so if you want to check that out, then clicky. But remember, this isn't a place for reviews, or whether you liked it or didn't. That's not the point.

What is the point?

Well, today it's all about the demons. Stacia served 'em up three different ways. You got your scary, sexy and comic all in one. Who was (were) your favorite(s)? Why?

Let's get it goin'!


A Theme Week? Yep!

posted by Mark at 11:08 AM



Sunday, May 11, 2008

The F Word

posted by Anton Strout at 11:59 PM

Yes, folks, it was just a matter of time before it came up.

I'm talking about that most dreaded word to a fledgling writer- frustration.

OMG WTF BBQ??? I wanna be a writer! I'm writing, no one's offered me a deal yet.. should I burn my book? Should I rewrite my serious first person fantasy as a humorous third person military science fiction because one agent said so? Should you start another project while working on one? Should I give up writing all together?OMG! OMG!!!

First of all, grab a paper back and take a couple deep breaths into it. Go ahead. I'll wait.
A little better? Good.
Second, have some chocolate. (Send me some too... not the chocolate in your mouth, the other!)

I'm here to tell you that for the yet to be published, frustration and anxiety are literally a part of the job. I'm also here to tell you that for the published author, they are too, just in different ways. I hope that by hearing this it is of some comfort to you. Does it make it easier to cope when you hear that every last one of has or is going through some form of it? It should.

For me, the best lesson I learned through all the doubt, frustration and anxiety was: what am I learning? We write a story. We think of it as our child, and it's hard to see it rejected or passed over or form lettered. Every one of those hurdles is someone kicking sand in our kids face and it's hard to contend with.

During these times of frustration, I've seen a lot of writers rage against the machine that is the road to publishing, which I find totally pointless. What do they accomplish other than continuing to not get published? Instead, why not weigh what people are saying about your work? Don't take it as gospel, necessarily, but look to see if there is anything merit in it to be added to your work from what you are being told.

Even now, I am in a constant state of learning with every word and book I write, so it's never too late. Let those people kick your kids, going back to my earlier metaphor! What doesn't kill them (your story), only makes them stronger.

And a lot of anxiety also comes from artificial deadlines writers put on themselves. It's good to have schedules if that helps you keep on goal, but the publishing industry is at times a slow and laborious machine, and sometimes getting your work the attention that YOU want it to have simply won't happen in a timely manner. It's not personal, it's just the nature of the beast. In the meantime, learn. Pay attention to what is being said, let go of the frustration as best you can, and keep moving forward with your writing.

Unless, of course, you are one of those people who shouldn't be writing at all because you're hopeless. Unfortunately, that is a topic for another day...!

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Can A Reluctant Adult Be a Parent?

posted by Jackie at 7:53 AM

Happy Mother's Day!

And yeah, I'm a mom. Heck, I'm a freaking soccer mom, as yesterday proved: the Precious Little Tax Deductions both had their soccer games (at two different places), AND their team soccer photos. My boys kicked a...--um, tush--and Loving Husband and I are so proud of them. I can't believe these little people popped out of me.

Then again, there are times when I can, because they know how to push all the buttons--and, if you believe Jackie's Mom (yeah, I know, I don't trust anyone over 40 either), I, shockingly, was a handful.

From yesterday, an example of my kids being very good at being six and four:

PRECIOUS LITTLE TAX DEDUCTIONS THE ELDER AND YOUNGER: **Throwing a super bounce ball in Tax Deduction the Elder's room and banging it hard enough to make the walls vibrate**

ME: I'm going to kill them.

LOVING HUSBAND: Don't do that.

PLTDTEAY: **Bang, crash, emphasized with maniacal laughter**

ME: I'm going to kill them slowly. Painfully. I may even feel guilty about it for minutes afterwards.

LH: I'll handle this. **Walks to TDTE's room and glares with all the power of Daddyhood**

TDTE: What?

LH: I'll take the ball now.

TDTY: **Hands LH the ball**

TDTE: I've got another one, you know.

So for those parents out there who are also reluctant adults, I give you...

WAYS A PARENT CAN STILL BE A KID:

Watch cartoons. Yeah, we had the classics back then -- forget the original Bugs Bunny, I'm talking Smurfs! And who could forget "Thunder, thunder, thunder, Thundercats"? But there's a lot of cool stuff these days too, like The Batman (not to be confused with Batman), and Ben Ten, and The Legion of Super Heroes. (Oh Lightning Lad, with your wicked scar and your sexay, sexay red hair...)

Play games. And not just soccer and basketball, even though those count. We love destroying each other in Sorry (yeah, yeah, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, blah blah. Take no prisoners!) And Chutes and Ladders can be evil, baby. Evil!

Listen to music. Imagine, if you will, my four year old belting out "Who, who, who?" to "Who Let the Dogs Out". Or my six year old, snapping along to "Mambo Number Five." I'm telling you, these boys are ready for college. (Er, no. No they're not. No college. And no dating. And no reading my books. Okay, I digress...)

And of course, there's...

WAYS A PARENT CAN FEEL REALLY FREAKING OLD:

Watch cartoons. Specifically, Pokemon. WTF? Is this seriously a cartoon? ZOMG. Now I understand why my parents would roll their eyes when I would watch Battle of the Planets. It has to be a generational thing, because Pokemon makes no freaking sense, in any language.

Play games. Specifically, computer games. What does it say about me that my four year old is better at every computer game than I am? (And no, "Early onset arthritis" is not an option, thank you very much. Don't you sass me, it's Mother's Day.)

Listen to music. Specifically, on the radio. There's nothing like singing along to a killer tune from your youth, feeling darn good and nostalgic and all sorts of happy...and then the DJ gleefully announces at the end of the killer tune that it is 30 years old.

(Okay, so maybe I shouldn't trust anyone over 50...)

So what are you doing to still be a kid, even though you're also (reluctantly) an adult?

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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Contest Reminder and a Thank You

posted by Mark at 1:39 PM

First of all, we won't be choosing our winners (yep! With an "s") until Monday, so tell your friends about the League and jump on the free shit bandwagon. Just make sure that the comment is under the contest post and not this one, cuz I'm too lazy to go huntin'.

I have to thank Jaye for that post she did yesterday. Got me putting together a playlist, where I remembered a song that would be perfect for Dark Rites. But more than that, gave me an idea for a secondary character that I'm super psyched about. Here's the video for Lagartija Nick...



...and nope, the character I'm thinking of is not the devil, or Nick, or whatever you want to call him. Any guesses? Stace, you're excluded, since you know.

Happy Mudda's Day, tomorrow. Don't forget about Jackie's Mother's Day post!


Friday, May 9, 2008

Gettin' Some Play

posted by Jaye Wells at 11:59 PM

It's Friday at the League, and we all know what that means--Jaye Day.

Unfortunately, there'll be no interesting list of cool things I've done because, frankly, nothing I've done beats being a phone psychic.

So I decided instead to share with you the play list for my debut novel, RED-HEADED STEPCHILD. I figure since none of you can read the book until next April (start saving now, people), you could at least get a taste of the music that influenced its writing.

Here goes:
Voodoo by Godsmack
Bodies by Drowning Pool
Red-Headed Stepchild by Golden Smog
Coming Undone by Korn
Breathe by The Prodigy
Temptation Awaits by Garbage
Push It by Garbage
Blood Sugar Sex Magic by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Apple of Sodom by Marilyn Manson
Fatal by The RZA
Heirate Mich by Rammstein
Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
The Witch by The Cult
Lazy Eye by The Silversun Pickups
Under the Milkyway by The Church
Cuts You Up by Peter Murphy

A lot of these songs are purely to get me in the mood for writing some ass-kicking scenes, and, yes, there are many of those. Others reflect specific things about certain characters. And, in case you're wondering, the title of the book didn't come from the Golden Smog song, even though I've loved it for years.

Maybe if I was smart, like Mark, I'd have figured out a way to include the lists in the book itself. But, since that's not an option, I'm thinking about making the complete play list available on iTunes when the book comes out. What do you all think? Should more authors publish their play lists as part of their book extras? Or is this just a lame attempt on my part to have something to blog about? Discuss.


Thursday, May 8, 2008

Some things you should know

posted by Caitlin Kittredge at 3:07 PM

Hi, everybody!

Hi, Caitlin!

Since this is my first post at the League, I figured I might as well go for full disclosure and reveal embarrassing things about my personal/writing life.

So here we go:

I once worked as an internet psychic. No lie. I sat in chat for a scummy company based in New York and read tarot cards. I wouldn't lie to people, so I didn't last long. However, when I was bored or needed to get a soda, I could pretend to go into a trance, so that was fun.

I know all the words to 'Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)' by Travis Tritt. And whatever your feelings on country, it is a great song.

I'm a hidden geek. Or not so hidden, if you get me talking about Batman.

I'm incapable of writing well-adjusted characters in my novels. Okay, I probably am capable but I find them incredibly boring, so all of my characters tend to be broken and screwed up. At last count, my protagonists number a werewolf, a heroin addict, a runaway Fae, a redneck exorcist and a psychic brother and sister with abusive parents. And those are just the books I've written.

Before I sold my first novel I wanted to be a cop. Now I just write about them, which is probably better because I have neither the patience or the self-control to be a good law enforcement officer. But I maintain I would make a kick-ass bounty hunter.

And there it is...Stuff to Know about me. If you came here expecting to hear about my books...uh...yeah. Next week. Unless I forget and blog about how I want to marry Iron Man. You'll just have to wait and see.



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

What Does Your To Be Read Pile Say About You?

posted by Mark at 11:59 PM

Let's start this one off with the list...

The Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy
War of the Oaks by Emma Bull
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont
Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis
The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson
Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
Hell's Belles by Jackie Kessler
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain
One Mississippi by Mark Childress
The Night Gardener by George Pellicanos
Greywalker by Kat Richardson
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
A Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith
Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan
Bloodangel by Justine Musk
Duma Key by Stephen King
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

Okay, so what does it say?

1. The zombie guy hasn't read World War Z yet? That's pure laziness any way you slice it. You probably won't be surprised that I've not read Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide, either. Such a slacker. Seriously, any ideas I've formed on the subject have come from the movies...and my own fractured mind.

2. I'm more likely to pick up mysteries, comedies and horror more than my own genre, which is odd because I kind of see urban fantasy as a mixture of those three anyway. Now, that said. I buy up every urban fantasy title I can find and some paranormal romance, so I'm totally supportive that way.

3. I should be reading a couple of romances, just to get a feel for their structure. Despite being terribly abrasive and self absorbed, in the next two books, Amanda is getting a romantic arc that's going to test her ability to look beyond her own needs (in a comic way, of course--that was almost sounding serious).

4. I totally read my friend's books before others in the genre. Lucky for me, they're writing different enough stuff not to become monotonous. As soon as the material gets too homogenous, it's time to restructure friendships. I think you know what I'm talking about.

5. David Sedaris MUST be read within two days of the release of his book. This is not optional. He's a God of observational humor and a huge influence. Jen Lancaster is a close second (I challenge people that love Happy Hour to NOT laugh themselves into a pee puddle while reading Jen's Bitter is the New Black).

6. I read a lot of books based on recommendations. The awesome Jessica Morrell (she of the endless supply of writing knowledge) told me that Pellicanos kicks out dialogue so fierce, you can hear it in your head. Hill is getting a reputation for creeping people out (and I kinda like that).

7. I'm heavily influenced by my experiences. I picked up F. Paul Wilson's The Tomb based on seeing him perform Hotel California in full-on zombie butler drag at RT. Dakota, who is a bomb ass chick, forbade me to read her book, thereby forcing it to the top of the pile. Alexander McCall Smith did this amazing presentation at Pacific Lutheran U. last week (1600 people showed up to an author event--how amazing is that?).

8. My book club selections stand out like a Red-Headed Stepchild (winks @ Jaye). Anyone care to guess?


What's on your list? And better yet, why?


Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Pictures!

posted by December/Stacia at 11:59 PM

Ahh, best friends. They do things like go into bookstores and take pictures of your books when you can't be there yourself. Or video themselves going to buy it, which MY best friend Cori totally did, which is one of the many reasons why she's awesome.

Look! Aren't they pretty? They really exist, at least at the Barnes & Noble Cori went to which is somewhere in South Florida but I'm not exactly sure which one.

What does all this mean to you? LOTS, especially because I know me and my book are way up high on your personal priority list.


But wait! There's more!

Next week we're going to have DEMON WEEK here at the League, along with Fun Book Club Posts. Mark is running it, and I will of course be coming in to comment, so I'm sure we're going to have a blast. We will also have an awesome Guest Blogger in the form of Jeri Smith-Ready, so you definitely don't want to miss that one!

But WAIT! There's MORE!

This Friday the 9th I'll be chatting over at Chris Eldin's blog, about, oh, all sorts of things. There's going to be a fun little quiz, and chatting, and probably booze. At least there will be for me, because this thing goes on until 9pm EDT which is like 2 am for me. (See, I make it sound like this is really exciting, but the truth is I'm terrified I'm going to sit there by myself all day. So please, I beg of you, at least come by if you can so I don't look like a total and complete loser.)

It's a barrel of me! A whole lotta me! Me all over the place! Me! And demons! And book clubs! And me! Don't miss it! I can't stop using exclamation points! Seriously! I need help!


Chat with me, book club, and demon week. Be there or be square, loser.


NIN for FREE!

posted by Mark at 1:06 PM

I don't know about you guys, but when I get really deep into a project I like a little music to write to. You know what's the best kind of music to kick start your ass?

FREE MUSIC!

Head on over to nin.com

Trent Reznor's gone nuts and is giving away his best album since Closer for free.

That's right: f.r.e.e.


Monday, May 5, 2008

A Whole New League!

posted by Mark at 2:12 AM

...well not a WHOLE new League, three of us are the same people--though forever immatured by our experience with the first League--but still a very different League.

Let's call it the League 1.5.

Does that work?

First off, some sad news. Jill Myles has decided to leave our ranks. We wish her the best with her writing pursuits and much success in her career. Don't be surprised if you see her popping up here from time to time (particularly when Sex Starved hits the shelves).

So...what's new?

I've been looking around the internets and saw that some of our readers were involved in a bit of the old speculation as to what was going on at the League Lounge. Understandable, we were 2 down and that's 2 too few, after all. So, we went on the hunt and coralled us some fresh meat. Who, who, who, you ask?

Introducing our newest members (cue drumroll)...

Caitlin Kittredge (MY BIG FAT SUPERNATURAL HONEYMOON, NIGHT LIFE)
Jaye Wells (RED-HEADED STEPCHILD)
Jackie Kessler (HELL'S BELLES, THE ROAD TO HELL, ETERNAL LOVER)

I know. Exciting, right?

In addition, we've done some housekeeping on the site--check out the new header, "About Us" page for centerfold bios and the new profiles. We're moving toward more daily contact, theme weeks (such as the upcoming Demon Week (May 11-17), guest bloggers and more interviews, contests and book club events. We're pretty excited about the progression here.

Excited enough to offer our biggest contest yet. We're giving away a MASSIVE pack of signed books by all of us (except Jaye, but she'll probably throw something in--loaf of Wonder Bread, Pet Rock, Stolen Religious Iconography, something. EDIT: Jaye's offering up her short story, RED LIFE, featured in the anthology WEIRDLY II, you'll get an e-book of that, as well). So here's the (rest 0f the) loot...


...oh yeah, signed books and some swaggy stuff (dead duck, "What's Your Sin? Personal Demons bracelet, smexy demon girl button, and that's just the beginning).

I know what you're thinking, what do I, loyal League reader, have to do to acquire such booty?

Quite simple really. There's someone missing from the new League logo. Take a guess who it is in the comments. Correct answers will be entered into the drawing. We've got some runner up prizes, too, so keep that in mind.

Contest runs 'til Monday.

Make sure to welcome the ladies and let us know what you think!

Cheers!


Friday, May 2, 2008

Watch This Space...

posted by December/Stacia at 6:22 PM

Come Monday we're going to have some stuff to tell you about!

Meanwhile, I'm totally stealing this day to plug my guest chat thing, next Friday May 9th, at Chris Eldin's blog. I'll be there most of the day, and I'm giving away a free book, and I'll bet chatting and answering questions and doing all those promolicious happy fun things, so make sure you come by!


Meanwhile, here's an amusing book cover for you to look at.