Archive for the 'Conventions' Category

Debauchercon! I Mean, Bouchercon!

Hi folks! I’m happy to announce that I survived Bouchercon! It was so much fun, I don’t know where to begin. Okay, that’s a lie, as I know exactly where to begin: with Friday.

Friday I got in that evening, around 4:30. I went up to our room and let Sophie and Julie know I’d arrived. I then hopped in the shower, as I’d been up super early that morning to get some stuff done and was already feeling grotty. Sophie and Julie took coming home to a nekkid little wet girl very well, and there was much hugging and rejoicing. There was also some imbibing of “drawer whiskey,” the best whiskey ever invented.

After we had a thorough catch up, we did some turns around the bar. I then met my absolutely lovely friends Ervin and Gary, and we had dinner. It was so great to see them, although poor Gary’s car had its radiator blow up, so that meant they didn’t have a car to hang out Saturday. Which was a total bummer, although we definitely got in some good bonding time.

After dinner, I met up with the ladies at the hotel, where there were more turns around the bar. Julie and Sophie know everyone, and I mean everyone, so it was a blur of awesome new people. Everyone was really interesting, and I was loving meeting so many people with whom I had so much to talk about. It was also nice to be at a convention where men outnumbered women, and none of them were Cavemen in loin cloths. At least not that we could see.

To cap the night off, we ended up in our rooms with a bunch of people, a bottle of vodka and one of Laphroig, and there was much frivolity. I, however, am used to a 10:00 pm bedtime, so by midnight (central time), I was done. I went ahead and curled up on my cot and had a grand old time listening to everyone talk while I wrestled with sleep.

The next day was more of the same, but it was such great same. We talked, we worked, we networked, we bonded. I may have bought $20 worth of “gooey butter cake,” but can you blame me? I met the beautiful and graceful Victoria Laurie, who I really liked, along with the very wonderful Maddee, who designs our Pens Fatales blog as well as Sophie and Julie’s websites. They were both such great ladies and I had so much fun getting to know them better. I also did much bonding with the Charlatan’s Debi Murray and Murder by the Book’s Johnnie Cakes, whom I couldn’t love more if he were a saltine cracker.

OH, and this was the coolest thing ever. I MET THE REAL GOAT. Yes, Sophie’s gorgeous Sheriff Goat is based on a REAL MAN, a thriller writer, who came to our room party. He was adorable (and by adorable I mean haaaaht), and he really WAS Goat! *fans herself*

Saturday night after dinner, and another bar turn, we discovered there was a free photo booth! Many shenanigans ensued, a few of which I’ve included in this blog. Eventually, we ended up back in the room, where we had another  party. I curled up like a dead thing at midnight again, but everyone was very sweet about tucking me in and giving me cuddles. I think I brought out everyone’s parental instincts with my propensity to swaddle myself like a cocooning caterpillar, and it was lovely to be on the receiving end of a little TLC.

And that’s exactly what this weekend was. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely met some great people with whom I discussed our MFA and our visiting writer opportunities, and I did loads of great networking. But it’s hard to call that work when it’s so enjoyable to see lovely people like Charlaine Harris and her BFF Paula, whom I adore. So, basically I spent a weekend with kind, interesting, caring people, all the while meeting new people who turned out to be just as wonderful.

It was a great way to put everything into perspective, and realize how lucky, and loved, I really am. When I came home I ordered tickets to San Francisco so I can go to Julie’s halloween party. Viva la ladies!

I was my typical rubbish self at taking pictures, but I still got some fun ones. Mostly due to the photo booth, of course. First off, here’s me with Gary and Ervin. Could they be any hotter? Feel that sizzle.

Next, here’s me trying out a new look:

It made everyone want to pet my kitty. Next we have our first round of photo booth shenanigans. How many writers can you fit into one photo booth? It was like a clown car when we poured out.

And here we are abusing John. Poor muffin.

There are more, but they get increasingly more inappropriate.

Sunday morning, I shared a taxi to the airport with Sophie’s brother, Mike Cooper, whose debut is coming out very soon. He was so nice, and it was very cute seeing Sophie with her bro.

I got home nice and early Sunday, but I was wiped out. I watched much Doctor Who and basked in the glow of the weekend. It was lovely, and much needed, and will remain a great memory.

That was my Bouchercon weekend! How was yours? ;-)

OH, I almost forgot. Vote for me in the Bookies for AAD 2012!

 

Published on September 19, 2011 in Appearances, Conventions and My Travels. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

AAD: or, Philly, I Hardly Knew Ye!

Howdy folks!

I’m back in  Greensburg, believe it or not! I came home to a dusty, but intact, apartment. Yay! Then I had TWO FULL DAYS of meetings for the day job. It was intense! But great seeing my colleagues again, all of whom are awesome.

But that’s not what you want to hear about. You want to hear about Authors After Dark! And see all the pictures I took, right?

Wellllllllllll….imma tell you about my photography skillz.

I have none.

So I took all these wonky-assed, out of focus, ridiculously far away photos of stuff that amused me at the time, but now I a) can’t think why and b) am not really sure what they are.

Which is why there will be my USUAL DEARTH OF PHOTOGRAPHS on this blog post. Because I suck.

AAD, on the other hand, DID NOT SUCK. It was, in fact, SO MUCH FUN! So fun I have to use all caps AND exclamation marks. There was just such a great vibe at the con: everyone was super enthusiastic, eager to be there and meet each other and the authors, and generally just be happy and enthusiastic. I had a blast meeting everyone, and hanging out with people, and I don’t know what else to say except it was GOOD.

There was much laughter, quite a bit of food consumed, some raunchy readings, many panels, I put the slap down as a moderator on occasion, and incited some pinnings of pensises on our poor founding fathers. To top it all off, there was also a film crew, filming a documentary about the romance community. So all in all it was a surreal, but fabulous, experience.

I will definitely be rocking out AAD 2012 in NOLA, my fave city. That said, it’s gonna be hotter than the hubs of hell, but you’re supposed to sweat in NOLA. If you ain’t sweatin’, you ain’t doin’ it right. ;-)

So that’s all she wrote about AAD. It’s not that I don’t have more to say, but it’s already been AGES, and everyone else and their mother has done AWESOME blog posts on everything that happened (with pictures! That don’t suck!). So if you’re intrigued, just follow the #aad2011 hashtag on twitter and it’ll lead you to many blog posts.

But it DID rock, and if you’re on the fence about coming next year, don’t be. Get off that fence and get to New Orleans!

Now, because I don’t have any of my OWN GODDAMNED PICTURES BECAUSE I SUCK, I’m going to share with you what has to be my favorite piece of fan art yet. I know, I say every new piece is my favorite, but that’s because it is!

I bet you readers will know exactly where this scene comes from, no?

This was made by Regan Johnson (blog and website) and I adore it! It’s now my wallpaper on my laptop.

I totally get a kick out of stuff like this, so whenever you’ve made anything Jane related, lemme know! I’ll pimp it on the blog. Because one of the things AAD and RomCon reminded me of is that I have the coolest fans ever. They’re people I like hanging out with, people who inevitably get me since they get my books, and people whom I’m lucky to have in my corner.

So VIVA LA FANS! In honor of you all, I’m going to do a contest. Just comment here about anything you like that authors do. Do you like when we blog? Do book groups? Do you like newsletters? Tweets? What? Let me know, as I’m always trying to figure out new ways to reach out to you and get you the information you desire.

So comment below, and on Monday, August 22, at 8:00 AM ET, I’ll randomly pick THREE winners (lucky number three!) who can pick ANY MASS MARKET PAPERBACK (the kind that are $7.99 or under) on Amazon and I’ll have it shipped directly to your door. Sound good? That’s ANY mass market paperback: it doesn’t have to be mine, or UF, or whatever. I can also ship it to your kindle if that’s how you roll.

I heart you guys! GROUP HUG!!! *slobbers*

Published on August 17, 2011 in Appearances, Contests, Conventions and Fan Art. 40 Comments Tags: , , .

RomCon Rumbled…

Hi folks! I’m back from RomCon in Denver. I went last year, and although the con was significantly smaller than it was, it was still fun. Not least because we were hosted by the fierce creatures otherwise known of as Mario Acevedo and Jeanne C. Stein. Here they are, looking like they might shiv me:

Just as fun as seeing old friends is meeting new friends, and I shared a room with an author I’ve “known” through email, etc., for a long time, but had never actually met. Her name is Kimberly Frost, and we’re both with McIntosh and Otis, although with different agents. Kimberly was a great roommate and an awesome human being. She’s an ER doctor for her day job, and she regaled us with harrowing stories, assuring us that we’d “love how lungs felt, they’re like souffles!” So basically we were all obsessed, and made her tell us everything while we made ick faces. Well, while I made ick faces. Then Kimberly would say, “Oh, I’m grossing Nicole out, I’ll stop,” and I’d shake my head furiously and say, “No! I want more! Keep talking!” It was awesome. And a bit icky. Let’s just say I never knew there were so many ways to “crack a chest.” *shudders*

The first night we were in Denver, we did an event for the Public Library, called Mucho Mojo. It was super fun, and we got to hang out with Mario’s awesome friend Jennifer Mosquera, an incredible artist who runs one of the coolest galleries I’ve ever been in, The Art Salon in Denver. She wants it to be a real Salon, so there are tons of really interactive, awesome events, and also classes. If you live in Denver or the surrounding area you MUST check it out! Check out her website and the Salon’s for upcoming events.

The next day was full RomCon action! There were some peeps from last year, whom I was happy to see again, such as the lovely Monica Kaye:

There were swag bags full of mysterious, vaguely alarming items, such as this one. It’s called, quite ominously, “The Buzz Brush.” What do you think it’s for?

Finally, there was both cardboard and in-the-flesh man meat, as any good Romance Con must have. here’s me with the cardboard version:

We tried to get Mario to play with the fleshly version of the one on the right. He was there wearing leather pants and had a plethora of props, such as a dagger and a whip, to help him take pictures with the ladies. The model was also on hand to take pictures….

HAHAHAHA. See what I did there? I made it seem like Mario was walking around in leather pants with a whip hoping to get pictures with ladies.

Which he was.

No, seriously, Mario was his using charming self, and he even entertained us with this adorable fork dance:

I cackle like a hyena, which is my superpower. It can be ear shattering, depending on how much whisky has been consumed.

The final day we were in Denver, we did a signing at the Broadway Book Mall, my favorite coop bookstore ever. It was really cool, but when I did the same signing last year, I just had the one book out and I think everyone who came out was really there for the store and had no idea who I was. This year, there were tons of people there and all of them were there to see me or one of the other authors, so it felt like we had real fans. It was awesome! I saw the difference a year makes in publishing, in terms of building a readership, etc. There was even one of our SHU students there, Lesley, who blogged about her insights into author signings.

All in all it was an absolutely fabulous time, and I even managed to get a lot of school work done. I also signed up for an intensive Spanish class on Saturdays this semester, to brush up on my Espagnol. I used to chatter away quite rapidly, but now I sound like a three-year-old who may or may not have been drinking. So I’m very excited about that!

Tomorrow, meanwhile, will find me flying out to AAD in Philly. If you’re in the area but aren’t doing the con, there’s a FREE public booksigning Saturday, August 13th, from 2-5 in the Ormandy ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel, Center City Philadelphia. Come see me, Carolyn Crane, Dakota Cassidy, Anton Strout, Allison Pang, and tons more!

So hope to see you in Philly! Ciao for now!

Published on August 9, 2011 in Appearances, Conventions, My Travels, Nicole Peeler and Signings. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Repatriation, More Travels, Mario’s Bullwhip, and some Pimpage!

Hello mah friends!

This finds me writing from Illinois, for I have been repatriated. I came back from London on Monday, and I only cried a tiny, tiny bit. Mostly because I was too tired to summon the energy for tears, and because after a month of glorious decadence I was actually ready to get back to a routine. And by “routine” I mean fruit smoothies and zumba.

That said, my last week in London couldn’t have been nicer. On Monday, I got back from Whitby, and did absolutely fuck all but recover. Then Tuesday I worked and worked, before making tacos for Dr. Ruth. Wednesday I worked and worked, before going out for delicious tapas with Linda. And then Thursday, I worked and worked before my friend came in for one last visit.

Sometime during All That Working, however, I did IT again. In my third book, something happens at the end that is Very Big. A character we thought was one thing turns out to be another. I think IT works perfectly, and IT was one of those things that, as I was writing IT, suddenly made perfect sense.

The problem was that I hadn’t planned IT to happen. That character had been slated for a totally different role in the rest of the series. Her doing what she did was awesome, but IT totally threw a wrench (a good wrench, I think, but a wrench nonetheless) into the works.

So I was writing either Wednesday or Thursday, and I was finishing the book. I had but a few more pages to write. And then IT hit me. Again. A totally mad, totally awesome, totally book six changing idea. At first, however, I dismissed IT, as IT was SO huge.

But IT stuck with me, like a burr in my hair. My poor friend came in Thursday, and I was totally distracted. I think he thought I was already pining for him, bless, when I told him I couldn’t stop thinking of the end. He reminded me we still had the whole weekend together. I told him I meant the actual ending, of my book. It was one of those deliciously awkward moments I live for, and if I wrote about a writer I’d use it in a novel.

Anyway, I finally had a talk with my marvelous agent, and by that point I’d gone over the scenario a million times in my head and I realized it was the right thing to do. It DID bugger up my plans for book six, but that’s because my plans for book six sucked, quite frankly. The Mad Idea will give book six a great tension, and I’m seeing a whole ‘nother facet of book five that I can now explore, and that might otherwise have been dropped.

So Saturday morning found me frantically writing. My friend popped off to the comic shops to give me some working space. The ending came stark and glorious to my fingertips, flowing into my computer with a relish that was the same as when I wrote the ending of book 3. It just felt right. I had about a paragraph left when my friend came back, and he found it equally glorious to natter at me while I was trying to get out those last lines, giggling when I threatened to end his life. But he did finally leave me alone, and I finished.

And it felt goooooooood.

So book five is in the can! I pretty much immediately sent it off to my critique partner Diana Rowland and to my friend Mary Lois, for them to give it an initial “What Does and Doesn’t Make Any Sense” read. Then I’ll give it a polish based on their feedback, and send it off to the other members of my Alpha Team, James Clawson and Christie Ko, for their input.

Immediately after finishing the book, however, I had to rush to get ready and head out to a signing at Forbidden Planet. I’d gotten an amazing dress from Vivien of Halloway just the day before, although of course I didn’t get any pictures. I’ll be wearing it next week in Denver, at RomCon, so will endeavor to be more organized. But the signing itself was awesome. I got to meet some of my UK fans, some of whom brought me some amazing presents. It was also great to hang out with Philip Palmer again, whom I adore, and it was equally nice to meet Simon Morden and Tim Lebbon. Tim’s last name is pronounced as one would the beginning of Lebanese, but the staff kept pronouncing it Le Bon (like Simon) over the PA, sending us all into fits of laughter.

After the signing, Orbit UK arranged some drinks to be had at a local pub for the authors and some local bloggers and journalists. It was great fun, and I was quite happy to celebrate both finishing book five and a successful signing. Eventually, Dr. Ruth and her friend Russel wandered in, and we all had dinner downstairs at the pub. Then we all went to see a West End show, The 39 Steps, and it was the absolutely perfect end to a perfect day.

It was the kind of day that made me feel very lucky, very loved, and very happy.

The next day we were off to the Steam Museum’s Steampunk exhibit and then to Kew Gardens, which were gorgeous and huge and we walked absolutely miles and miles. Then we had a quiet night at my lovely little rented flat, and the next morning I was off.

The month went way too fast, but it was perfect. And I even managed to dunk my deadline, which felt very good. Also, if any UK folks want signed copies of my first two books, there are TONS at Forbidden Planet in London. ;-)

And now that I’ve mostly recovered from my jet lag, I’m off again! Tomorrow I leave for Denver, where I have RomCon and some other fun events planned by the ever-nefarious Mario Acevedo. The night I arrive, in fact, Mario’s arranged an orgy of debauchery he’s entitled Mucho Mojo. If you don’t believe me, he’s making us perform “spicy readings,” and he’s threatening to bring a bull whip. Pervert.

Then it’s off to the equally raucous RomCon, where I’ll be doing loads of events.

Finally, we’ve got another, separate signing that Sunday at the Broadway Book Mall, so if you’re not able to make RomCon please see me there!

Then I come home for a day before leaving for AAD in Philly, but that’s another blog post.

I will leave you now, with some Pimpage. There’s been some great releases this week, from some of my fave people.

First up, we have Rachel Caine’s new book Working Stiff, from her new Revivalist series. It looks awesome! I’m a huge fan of Rachel Caine. I love her writing, and she was so very kind to blurb my first book. This series, meanwhile, looks awesome, and a big departure from her other books. I also adore this cover!

Next up is the ever lovely Kat Richardson, a good friend of mine and someone whose work I greatly admire. She’s got the latest in her Greywalker series out, Downpour! Like all her covers, this one’s a stunner:

In the arena of Romance, I was lucky enough to meet the fabulous Louisa Edwards last year at Romantic Times, and she’s got a release out this week, as well. It looks just as delicious as her other books!

Jennifer Estep’s new book is also getting a lot of buzz. I’ve not yet read or met Jennifer, but this looks awesome and I think I’ll have to read it very soon:

Finally, last but certainly not least, Stacia Kane has a story out in Charlaine Harris’s new Antho, Home Improvement: Undead Edition. I always love these anthologies!

So there’s loads of great stuff out this week, in case you can’t come to Denver and watch Mario torture us. But now I have to go do laundry and pack. Viva new adventures!

Published on August 3, 2011 in Appearances, Conventions and Pimpage!. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Romantic Times Love Fest with Rachael Herron

Hello folks! Just wanted to show you the video interview that Rachael Herron and I did at Romantic Times, which is quite the love fest. She’s an awesome lady, and thanks to RT for letting us do this! Fun!

Published on July 27, 2011 in Conventions. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

Updates and Some Book Recs for the Holidays!

First of all, sorry I was a bit MIA over the holidays. Went to Chicago, ate like a pig, got a bit of a stomach bug–the usual holiday madness.

But I’m back, and l I have some fun things to report!

First off, Publisher’s Weekly liked Jane’s latest adventures in Tempest’s Legacy, which is always great to hear. PW writes, “Jane is sure to endear herself to new readers with her charm, sass, and vulnerability, while longtime fans will be thrilled by her magical and emotional growth.” Yay!

Secondly, I’ve foisted myself onto a few more conventions! My appearances page is updated with such additions as August appearances at RomCon, in Denver, and Authors After Dark, in Philadelphia. I’m also doing another appearance in Lancaster, in January. Fun!

I’ve also got a little blog post up on Strange Candy’s Jen Rardin tribute, that is attached to a contest. Tracking The Tempest is also up for “Most Unique Cover,” at All Things Urban Fantasy, along with a slew of other Orbit covers. Personally, I’m digging the cover next to mine on the contest, the red and black one. Hot! But you can go there to vote on your favorite cover, and there’s some really fun stuff to pick from.

Finally, I’ve just learned that Tracking the Tempest has sold in Germany. Tempest Rising, translated as Nachtsturme (!!) will be coming out there this month. So hopefully we’ll have another marvelously accurate cover like this one, soon:

In other news, I have finally been able to read again. And I finally read two of My Favorite Ladies’s books, Juliet Blackwell’s and Sophie Littleton’s. I had high hopes for these novels, as I already have HUGE girl crushes on both of their authors. But I wasn’t just happy with their work, I was blown away. They’re writing completely different mysteries, but in equally entertaining ways.

Let’s start with Juliet… Here are her bookie-wooks that I’ve just read….

, the first in the series, and the second,

These books are adorable! Take them with you on holiday; they ache to be read on a beach, or curled up with on your couch in front of the fire. I love the heroine, and I love that these are all about the paranormal elements but are still definitely mysteries. Cross-genre hybrids are all the rage right now, and these books prove why dipping into other genres injects such life into established tropes. Who knew that the cozy mystery would lend itself so well to magic, or witch-politics?

Next we have Sophie. I read this one in one night:

only to begin motoring through:

These books are amazing. Gritty, hilarious, and genuinely scary at times, I loved them. They’re as “real” as novels can get, in the sense that there’s no magic, supernatural creatures, or the like. And, to be honest, I was a bit nervous starting them as I only ever seem to read things with elves, or their equivalent, nowadays. But I adored these books, and can’t recommend them highly enough. They’re totally different from Juliet’s, but equally as refreshing, exciting, and fun.

So my girl crushes have ponied up, big time. Now I just have to read Rachael Herron’s book–you’re next on the list, girlie!–and my Triumvirate Of Female Awesomeness will be complete.

And to think I got to eat prime rib with these women??? I’m a lucky gal.

Published on December 1, 2010 in Appearances and Conventions. 12 Comments Tags: , , , , .

RomConRiffic!

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of going to RomCon, in Denver. It was fabulous! I met loads of fans and had such a great time. When I first arrived, I immediately hooked up with the effervescent Heather Osborn, of Tor. I adore Heather, and we always have a great time together. Here’s us posing in a Romance cover . . . that inexplicably (to me, at least) involves a baby. I am the baby:

Besides Heather, loads of great peeps were at RomCon. On the shuttle bus from the airport, I ran into an editor from Grand Central’s Forever line (a sister imprint of Orbit’s), named Amy Pierpont. The first thing Amy said to me was, “Are you an author? You have romance writer hair,” which cracked me up. When I told her I wrote for Orbit, she was kind enough to invite me to dinner that night with other writers from Hachette (our parent company). The dinner was awesome. We went to this super swank place called 1515 that was rocking the nouvelle cuisine. Which is apparently French for “stick a fake syringe in that shiz.” For example, there was an appetizer of melon, prusciotto and cheese that arrived with a small syringe of balsamic vinegar stuck into it. But when I ordered my dessert–a root beer float–I was more than a little shocked to see this bad boy come at me:

That said, it was delicious. And I had a lovely time chatting with Amy and the other writers from Forever.

Mario Acevedo, my fellow Leaguer and a native of Denver, met me at the restaurant during dessert then took me on a tour. Of course, it was a Denver Tour, Mario Style, which means it involved stories of murder and mayhem, the most memorable of which was the murder of a midget crackwhore named Lil Bit, whose body was discovered shoved in a box behind some bar. Mario claims her death was investigated by a detective named Snowhite, something so entirely ridiculous it has to be the truth.

On the second day of the con, we were really busy. I met Meljean Brook, who was really sweet and interesting. I also hung out with Nalini Singh, which was super fun as I’m a HUGE fan of both of her series. At the Con, itself, I did speed dating, charades, and tons of other events that meant I got a lot of time to chat with readers and fans. We also did a huge signing, which was very fun except for a wee mix up with my name:

That Friday night I was a bit of a bore and went to bed really early. But that was partly because we had big plans for the next day.

On Saturday, Nalini was nice enough to do a signing with me, Carolyn Crane, and Jeanne C. Stein at the Broadway Book Mall. Heather Osborn came along, and she took us out for a gorgeous lunch. The signing itself was very fun, and we signed lots of stock. Heather took this fab picture of us all in action:

The ladies in action! on Twitpic

After the signing, Mario had made huge plans for us involving a restaurant called d Bar–which specializes in desserts–and the absent-but-attending-in-spirit Juliet Blackwell, who was represented by a parfait. Basically, Mario’s intentions were to get us to act out eating Juliet’s parfait, because he’s subtle and not pervy at all. Ever. Right Mario?

Here’s the action sequence, involving Carolyn Crane, Juliet’s Parfait, and moi. We go from diving into Juliet’s parfait, to a little post-parfait snuggle, to an empty parfait glass wearing a witch hat (which is obviously a metaphor for something very suggestive, and stuff).

Needless to say, there was much shenigans. After dinner, Jeanne took Nalini and Heather back to the hotel, while Carolyn and me went out with Mario. We went for a walk in this gorgeous park, then I found my ultimate dive bar, called the Satire Lounge. Yes, Satire. Amazing!

It was absolutely hilarious, with PBR on tap for only $1.75. My inner hipster came out to play. I also had the honor of sitting next to the craziest sumbitch in the bar, who was filthy and bearded and doing some serious chair dancing to Michael Jackson.

Carolyn and I stayed at the Sheraton in Downtown Denver, and it was a very, very nice hotel. Seriously swank. on Sunday morning, Mario was so sweet as to pick us up to take us to brunch, then give us a ride to the airport:

Full service Mario! Both Jeanne and Mario were unbelievably hospitable to us, and I know we all had a great time hanging out with them and attending RomCon. I loved meeting all my old and new fans, and talking with the Romance community, in general, about what they read and why.

So thanks for inviting us, RomCon! And I look forward to attending next year, hopefully. Not least because I absolutely loved Denver and would love to see some more of it.

Up next is my move to PA and my trip to Seattle. Never a dull moment… ;-)

Published on July 14, 2010 in Appearances and Conventions. 16 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Jane and You are Friends!

Hello my friends! Everything is pretty hectic here at Casa Peeler . . . mostly because Casa Peeler is being uprooted to Greensburg, PA. I hate the actual act of moving, obviously, but I’m very excited for my new job and my new apartment. It’s HUGE:

I have been trawling furniture stores looking for dining sets, and of course I’m obsessed with two from Needless Markup. I could sell a kidney and maybe buy the chairs! Who needs two kidneys?

Before I sell any of my organs for hoity-toity furniture, however, I will be in Denver, for RomConvention 2010. I’m super excited to bond with my fellow leaguers Mario Acevedo, Jeanne Stein, and Carolyn Crane. I’m also ridiculously excited to meet Nalini Singh, because I’m a huge nerdy fan of hers.

For those of you attending RomCon, here’s my schedule:

Friday

2:00 PM 2:50 PM Q&A Author Chat – UF/RE Authors Steamboat

3:00 PM 3:50 PM Memory Lane Convention Center E

Saturday

9:00 AM 9:50 AM Speed Date an Author Steamboat

10:00 AM 10:50 AM Monsters & More Semi-Charades Breckenridge

12:00 PM 2:00 PM Book Fair

3:30 PM 4:20 PM Betwixt and Between–Paranormal Authors Tea Breckenridge

Sunday

9:00 AM 9:50 AM Author Avenue Convention Center

Denver signing with Nalini Singh, Carolyn Crane, Jeanne Stein and me. Details are here, and there’s a Facebook invite, here.

In other news, Tracking the Tempest has been out for over a week now. I think she’s doing pretty well, and it also seems like a lot more people have picked up Tempest Rising because they’ve heard of or seen Tracking. Which Nikki likey. And I trace this success to my readers. I know you guys talk about the books, lend them to friends, review them, et cetera.

So I heart you guys! And I love when you send me your photos of Jane.

Here’s Aimee’s Corgi, Wilson, with Jane. That’s an adorable dog! I love how his paws frame the books perfectly. He’s like a fluffy book stand!

In a dramatic turn of events, Amber Y. suffered a broken alternator something or other (not much of a car person!) on the way to buy Tracking. Here’s Jane with the evidence:

Becky sent a picture of her cat with Jane, and Heather C. sent one of Jane with her pup, Harley:

Dawn sent pics of Tracking from North Dakota. Here are two with the capital building, or, as Dawn called it, “The Penis on the Prairie” framed in the background. I’m still giggling.

Qwill took a picture of Tracking with two of her own sows:

Jessica S. and Zita sent in pics of their books, as did Jessica W. Hers was autographed!

Melissa already has Jane housed in her very crowded bookcase (very nice!) and Lauren B. made it look like Jane is swimming on her sheets.

Finally, here’s Jane on an iPad. She’s so fancy!

Very cool! Thanks, you guys, for all the pictures and all the support. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know you enjoyed the books.

Viva la Jane! ;-)

Published on July 8, 2010 in Conventions, Pimpage! and Tracking the Tempest. 5 Comments

RT in Review

I have one thing to say about Romantic Times: I loved it.

The fans were awesome, I had SO MUCH FUN with the League and the other authors, and the con, itself, couldn’t have been more well organized. I also adored Columbus and the actual location of the convention. There’s nothing worse, to me, than being trapped in the middle of nowhere in a hotel, but the Hyatt Columbus is in a great area, close to bars, restaurants, and even a farmer’s market where you could buy fresh produce and deliciously evil ice cream.

I arrived a day late, unfortunately, to find that things were already in full swing. And by full swing I mean most of the League already looked decidedly hung over. The rest of the con was a bit of a blur, but a blur of hilarity; loads of fantastic friends, both old and new; and, admittedly, a lot of food and booze. Here’s a wee RT in Pictures (some of which I’ve stolen from other people’s websites–with permission–as I’m rubbish at taking photos):

The Hyatt Columbus did some really smart customer outreach by having a Twitter Fairy: Basically, people were hashtagging #RT10 on Twitter, and if anyone said anything about needing hangers, for example, hangers would magically appear in their room, that night. Pretty soon people caught on, and I asked for dancing girls and champagne. I got the champagne, which was lovely. And the hotel, in general, was wonderful: clean, great service, and an absolutely marvelous location. The nearby North Market was my heaven.

I’m sure y’all have seen other pics of Diana Rowland’s Creepy Doll, but here are two from my own phone. In the first, Kat Richardson reacts with appropriate horror. In the second, Dakota’s maternal instincts extend even to Creepy Doll, whom Dakota teaches to play drums. Creepy Doll only tried to stab Dakota twice with the drum sticks. I love the look on Jeanne Stein’s face almost as much as I love Jeanne, herself. Classic! And you can just see Carolyn Crane peeping out behind Jeanne. She’s adorable! Carolyn, Jeanne Stein and I will be rocking Rom Com this summer, so look out for us, if you’re there.

Meanwhile, Diana took that damned doll everywhere. Here she is out with us for food (fried cheese curds!). That’s me, Jaye Wells, Tor’s Heather Osborne, and Zombie Joe (who made us lovely cupcakes). Meanwhile, I stole this picture directly from Lucienne Diver’s blog. Lucienne is an agent and writer and absolute bombshell who I really enjoyed hanging out with. Check out the rest of her RT pics at her site!

Here’s another couple of pics from Lucienne’s site:

Me with John Scalzi and my gorgeous critique partner, Diana Rowland.

I was rocking out my vampire heart fake tattoos, and for the final big night I went for something super subtle and classy. It’s about time the girls earned their keep!

Probably the coolest thing at RT was the League and our Passports to Snark. Mario Acevedo and Mark Henry cooked up the plan, and it worked a treat. And by treat, I mean I have never seen such foulness spewed onto a page as was spewed onto those passports. And everything said about me (especially by Mario!) is a foul lie. A lie, I tell you! A lie.

Here’s my little set up for the GINORMOUS signing on Saturday. I was sitting on the very end of a slightly extended row. So I watched as the doors to the signing opened, and hundreds of people came running towards me . . . and then past me, and on to J. R. Ward’s ticketed line. I had a good giggle, at that, once I came out from underneath my chair.

Dinner with @jayewells and @NicolePeeler whoa!! on Twitpic

Another highlight of RT was the fact my wondrous editor, the Eye of Sauron herself, Devi Pillai, came to RT! She took Jaye Wells and me to  a lovely dinner, and here’s a picture Devi took of the two of us. I think I should get the tattoos for real. My mother would be thrilled.

My final night at RT (Saturday) meant only one thing: Suite party (hosted by the effervescent Michele Bardsley), featuring Erotic Readings by the League. Apparently it’s an old tradition, one that I was thrilled to enjoy. But before the readings, there were all sorts of shenanigans. Including the gifting of these Fetish Feet to Mark Henry, although the model in question is the absolutely fabulous Sophie Littlefield. I hung out quite a bit with her, Julie Goodson Lawe, and Rachael Herron. I am slightly obsessed with all three of them, as they are rockin’ ladies.

Here are some live action shots of Mark Henry and Stacia Kane reading their amazing, amazing smut. The word “glutinous” was used at some point, and not to describe Elmer’s Glue. I was transfixed and inspired. Look for “glutionous” in my next work . . . it will be hot. And sticky.

To round out my pictures, I’ll leave you with my favorite of the lot. The moment Stacia broke Mark. It was beautiful.

Enjoy! And I will definitely be seeing you at RT, next year, in LA. If I were any more excited, I could spit. Glutinously!

Published on May 6, 2010 in Conventions, My Travels and Nicole Peeler. 10 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

RT Schedule, UK Editions, and More!

So, I’ve had a ridiculously exciting week and to top it off, I get to fly out to Romantic Times tomorrow! Here’s my schedule for those also attending:

Wednesday: Find other Leaguers and snark

Thursday: Between snarking, attend Club RT at 11:00 AM

Friday: Much Snark, culminating in dinner with my Editrix, then a huge get together with all the Orbit writers attending RT.

Saturday: MONDO SIGNING from 11:00-2:00. I will sign anything, including babies. Especially if you bring me Guinness. In exchange, I will give you sweet, sweet, snark and . . . better yet . .  . check out THESE babies:

VAMPIRE HEART TATTOOS! I know you want one! So come and get ‘em!

In other, very exciting, news, Orbit UK has just picked up all three Jane True books! It was very important for me that they be released in the UK, as I wrote the first book in Edinburgh. So I am absolutely chuffed to bits. Here’s the link to Amazon.co.uk, with all the release dates! Tempest Rising and Tracking the Tempest will both be released in the UK on August 5th, 2010, and it looks like Tempest’s Legacy will only be a few days later than its US release, at January 6, 2011.

In looking these things up, I also spy on amazon.co.uk my German title! Tempest Rising becomes Nachtstürme: Roman in German. I think that sounds AWESOME. Like a death metal band wearing a toga.

Needless to say, I can’t wait to see all the European covers. Sooooo exciting.

Finally, I had a fantastic time in Houston with Gail Carriger and Jaye Wells. You can read all about it on Orbit’s site. Everyone who came out was awesome, the staff at Murder By the Book were absolutely stellar, and Jaye and Gail are great gals. It was wonderful to see them again and we had a really good time working together.

I’ll try to update from RT, and take lots of pictures, and try not to get too greasy on any baby oil slathered cover models. Gross! And yet bizarrely titillating! From what I hear they’re like slip and slides. Only bumpier.

Y’all go ahead and think on that. ;-)

Published on April 27, 2010 in Conventions, My Travels, Over at Orbit Books . . ., Signings, Tempest Rising, Tempest's Legacy and Tracking the Tempest. 15 Comments Tags: , , , , , .