For I finished grading today! I also knocked out a massive chunk of my to-do list, including deciding what texts to use for my literature course (writing about literature) next semester. It’s a writing intensive course, so there’s not too much we can do, but here’s what I chose:

Don Delillo’s White Noise

Angela Cater The Bloody Chamber and Other  Stories

Henry James The Turn of the Screw

Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author

And an antho of poetry, plus the readings from the textbook.

So I’m very excited! White Noise is one of my all time favorite books, and it’s great to study with English majors, not least as it makes so much fun of academia. I also have a near obsessive love of The Turn of the Screw, but I’m sure there’s a pill for that on the market by now. I’m really excited to teach Carter, as I’ve not taught her before, but I think she’ll BLOW SOME MINDS. And who doesn’t love Pirandello? I mean, really?

And meanwhile, what finishing all of this means is that I get to be an AUTHOR again. The deadline for Tempest’s Fury is alarmingly close (like nibbling on the nape of my neck close), but I’ll be jumping back into Full Author Mode with a book tour. So by the time that’s done I should be totally recharged and ready to write! After a nap. For those of you who are like, “Book tour? What book tour?”, Jaye Wells and I are going to be all over Texas and Louisiana, swarming like ants on the ass of a dead armadillah. Here’s the roster if you’re interested:

Sunday, May 15^th — DALLAS, TX

4:00 pm, Borders (965 West Bethany Dr., Allen, TX 75013)

Monday, May 16^th –  AUSTIN, TX

7:00 pm, BookPeople (603 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78703)

Tuesday, May 17^th — HOUSTON, TX

6:30 pm, Murder By The Book (2342 Bissonnet St., Houston TX, 77005)

Thursday, May, 19^th — BATON ROUGE, LA

6:30 pm, Books-A-Million (2380 Towne Center Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA, 70806)

Friday, May 20^th –  SHREVEPORT, LA

7:00 PM, Barnes & Noble (Bayou Walk, 6646 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA, 71105)

Jaye and I will be doing all sorts of stupid shit with each other’s books, because we get bored doing regular readings. You can also meet the infamous Mary Lois, from Shreveport, who is serving as our Turtle.

You have to get through her, people.

So that’s what I’ll be doing Sunday! Friday and Saturday will be taken up with last minute crazy prep for the tour, plus graduation and the two solid days of activities that it entails.

But then I’ll be FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Man I love being a teacher.

In the meantime, let me know if there’s something you think would be really funny if Jaye & I do on the tour, or what you’d like to know about touring. I’m gonna try to take lots of pictures (read, make ML take lots of pictures), so that we can do some major Bloggage.

See y’all on the flipside!

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s day anyway: corporate, too busy, we should be loving ALL year, etc. But the holiday does still serve as a little lemon juice in the papercut that is my completely stalled love life. So, in return,  I’m going to give it a big middle finger. Who’s with me?

The above image is actually from a doggie shirt, which you can see if you click on the heart. So even your pets can hate Valentine’s Day!

Next I’m linking you to a song. It’s my ultimate non-love love song. It’s Debauchery, which I talk about in Tempest Rising. It’s about a couple who meet on a ferry and go have very drunken sex. I adore it on a number of levels. Unfortunately, all I could find was this single link to the full, real song (which I think stops being for the full song after you listen once).

David Grey’s Debauchery

Finally, before I give you your contest weiner for Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love, I’ve got the ultimate anti-love novel ever written. If you don’t read this and immediately want to move to a cave alone somewhere, where you’ll never again have to deal with the cruelties of society . . . Well, you’re a more optimistic person than should be allowed.  It’s Jean Rhys’s Good Morning, Midnight:

So if you want to have a stonking great depressing Valentine’s Day, dress your dog in that t-shirt, put on “Debauchery,” and read Rhys. You’ll want to push your love life out the window in about ten minutes. OR teach American Literature 1915 Onwards to a roomful of people who want to stab you as they’re young and fresh and deplorably un-cynical and consequently DO have significant others.

One person who I’m hoping has a slightly better Valentine’s Day because of this post is the weiner of the contest for Andrew Shaffer’s Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love. The contest can has spoken, and the weiner is BECKY LEJEUNE! Email me at iheartselkies(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize.

So all y’all who are in love . . . have a good Valentine’s day for the rest of us. For those of you who are alone tonight, do NOT watch Prince of Persia. I did last night, and it was terrible.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Yay.

And on that note, I will be taking a Blogging Vacation for a few weeks. I’ll be back November 8th, with a vlogged reading from Tempest’s Legacy and, hopefully, some other exciting things to gab about. But right now, I have to get this MS ready to send out, and I have an absolute butt-load of grading to do, at the same time.

So don’t miss me too much, and know that I will come back refreshed, thrilled to see you, AND with some teasers for Legacy. And don’t forget, if you’re in the area, that I’ll be in Lancaster, PA, on Saturday, November 6th. Check my Upcoming Appearances page for more details.

Ciao for now!

And speaking of settling, my new apartment is getting there. I’ve got lots of new furniture. Here’s some random pics:

Yay! Eventually, when I can afford them, I’ll buy dining room chairs. Then I’ll be domestic as a plate!

In book news, Eye is coming along nicely. There’s something about me and work: the more I have to do, the more I do do. I’m so anxious about the deadline for Eye that I’m sort of obsessive about working on it. I’m also having a huge amount of fun writing it, and I find that it becomes its own stress relief. I get anxious, I write, and then I feel 100% better about myself and the world. Funny, that!

TR and Tracking have also both come out in the UK, and I’ve got some extra copies of the British TR. I’ll definitely be doing a contest in a few weeks, once things settle down, to give some away. They look stunning! Slightly larger than the ones in the US, with covers that are Sharon’s original art with a sort of Frank Milleresque wash to the color scheme. Love them!

And speaking of contests, for those people to whom I owe prize packs, THEY HAVE BEEN UNEARTHED! Now I just have to make time to go to the post office. That WILL happen in the next week, come hell or high water. If it doesn’t you can send your people after me. I’ll deserve it.

In very, very exciting news, the lovely Psynde has created a line of jewelry inspired by Jane! I absolutely adore this stuff, and I get to vet all the pieces, so you guys have to check it out! Jane doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry in the books, but if she did, this would be it, for sure. I love this stuff!

Finally, for the next two weeks, things will be pretty quiet over at Dr. Peeler’s Emporium, because I’m squaring off with Jaye Wells at BABEL CLASH. Hopefully no chairs will be involved, although I’m perfectly willing to cut a bitch if that Wells woman gets out of hand.

So see you over at Babel Clash! Until then, I’ll keep the Emporium warm for our return.

First of all, there’s going to be MORE JANE TRUE! Orbit has bought Jane True, Books 4, 5, and 6. Don’t ask me what they’re going to be called, because I am totally stuck. “Tempest” related names seemed like SUCH a good idea . . . till I ran the fuck out of ideas. Number six might wind up “Tempest Bledsoe.” Just a warning.

But, names aside, there’s going to be MORE JANE! Which makes me so unbelievably happy, not least because I can continue working with everyone at Orbit. They’ve been SO great, and I feel so very honored and humbled by their faith in me.

So that’s some huge news, and very exciting. But equally huge and exciting is that I am on the move, again!

I’ve adored my time at LSUS. My colleagues and students couldn’t have been more amazing. But my life has changed so much with the publication of the books, and it’s more than a little scary working for Louisiana higher ed when there’s a budget crisis. So I am thrilled to announce that I’m moving to teach as an assistant professor in Seton Hill’s MFA program for Writing Popular Fiction. Yes, you read that correctly . . . it’s an MFA specifically for popular, publishable fiction. Here’s the blurb from our website:

http://www.setonhill.edu/index.cfm

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill is one of the only programs in the country that teaches writers to create – and market – the fiction that sells. Upon graduation from Seton Hill’s program, you will have completed a full-length market-ready novel, earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from a leading liberal arts University, and become part of a supportive network of published authors.

Seton Hill University’s unique Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Knowing that graduate students have many obligations, Seton Hill has designed a flexible, intensive-residency format that allows you to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree while working full-time or caring for a family. One-on-one mentoring by established writers enables students to develop a writing project in a genre of their choice. Online contact with other participants ensures that students become part of a writing community and that they receive varied commentary on their work-in-progress. Week long residencies, twice each year, inform and enliven the writing experience, bringing students together on Seton Hill’s campus to learn the basics and complexities of popular fiction. Lectures and workshops by guest writers of regional and national fame (and editors, agents and publishers) add extra impact to the residency experience.

How cool is that? This semester, I’ll be mentoring students who are writing Urban Fantasy, and teaching at least one online course. I’ll also get an iPad, which I will name Bessie.

So I’m moving to Pittsburgh, people! Seton Hill is in Greensburg, but I’m a city gal by nature. The idea of walking to get a coffee THRILLS me. And in Pittsburgh, I’ll be closer to my family and friends in Chicago, my friends on the East Coast, and an airport from which I can go wherever I please (not just DFW).

That said, I am very sad to leave Shreveport and my friends, colleagues, and students here in Louisiana. I’ve loved my time here and y’all couldn’t have been more welcoming and generous. Thank you so much for a beautiful run, and I will miss you all very, very much. Look me up if you’re in Pennsylvania.

If you’d like to send her care packages, mail them c/o LSUS’s Grading Oubliette. We’ll poke it through the bars of her cage:

I think I caught the drifting strains of, “I’ll bastardize your predicates,” sung to the theme song of Young Guns, just a little while ago. Which means it’s time for Nicole’s rainwater and day old bread. We’ll let her enjoy it in peace.