Archive for the 'Nicole Peeler' Category

Update: Busy Bee!

Hello folks! It’s all been a bit mad here, perhaps even madder than normal. As my friend put it in a text, “You look like you’ve been even busier than usual.” And that’s because I have. It all started when I got back from the holidays, and we plunged into residency. We had a bumper crop this year, with over 20 new students added to our fold. The library at Seton Hill was packed:

I, of course, kept forgetting the name tag that I’d been convinced I’d lost, but then found, and then very carefully squirreled away so I wouldn’t lose it again. I was very proud of myself for finally remembering to dig it up.

The residency, itself, was a blast, as they always are. I love the students and the teaching, and the chance to see people discuss their work. This one was extra special, though, as our guest speakers were my good friends Juliet Blackwell, Sophie Littlefield, and Rachael Herron. They came in a day early and we did some damage to the booze and cheese…

 And then they were brilliant guest speakers, as well as brilliant guests. We had an amazing time, and they stayed a few extra nights so we could bond, and plot both books and conventions, and basically break down the world into more manageable chunks. I really love these ladies, and it was so great to spend time with them.

 The day after graduation, the ladies left and I flew to Boston for an SF/F convention named Arisia. It was great fun, and I had the pleasure of meeting Toni L.P. Kelner, who edits some of my favorite anthologies with Charlaine Harris. I also spoke on a few panels, and did a reading and a signing, so all in all it was a great con.

But, even more fun for me was the fact the con was in Boston, my old stomping grounds. I had a great time hanging with my old friends from BU, Whitney, Chris, and Anthony, and stopping by to see the daughter of my good friend and mentor, although the lady in question was traveling. But the highlight of the social occasions, just because it was so fancy, was the Ancient Universities Alumni Robbie Burns Nicht at the Harvard Boat Club, for which I got to wear a fascinator:

The event was unbelievably good fun and very posh. I attended with my fellow University of Edinburgh alumni, and good friends, Christie and Zack. For those of you who pay attention to these things, Christie is not only my friend but my beta reader and ideas factory for Jane, and she has been with the books from the start. She’s been a huge help to me, a wonderful friend, and a fabulous inspiration.

It was also wonderful to honor the place from which I received my graduate degree in the city that I received my undergraduate degree. It sounds cheesy, but my education was obviously very important to me, not only for the degrees but for the experiences. I loved both places very much, and I loved living in both times very much, and it felt really special to me to be able to bring the two together in this wonderful way.

 The pours were also quite heavy, and no one was lacking for whisky…

And they’d really done a fab job on the boat house. Isn’t it gorgeous?

For dinner, I was one of the only ones brave enough for the Boston haggis, and I was both faintly alarmed and slightly aroused (don’t ask) by the fact the haggis so closely resembled the sticky toffee pudding. For the record, neither was quite right, but still lovely.

 I was also alarmed by seeing that even Harvard keeps it classy in their ladies bathroom stalls:

And here we all are, all dressed up, right before dancing like dance fiends. I must say, Christie and I stripped that willow. We stripped it good.

 The day after the ceilidh, I had a lot of  con duties, but then I had an entirely free day to explore the city. Christie met me at my favorite Thai restaurant, Brown Sugar Cafe near Packard’s Corner. We had a wonderful lunch, and then went to my friend’s house to see her daughter. Then we just walked all over campus. The great joy of it all was that now, alongside the nostalgia I have for BU as a student, I also got to write about BU in my books. Tracking the Tempest takes place in all my old haunts, so I was seeing it in two ways this trip. For example, does this luncheon destination look familiar?

I also had the chance to sign some of my books at the BU bookstore. I can remember so vividly going there for the first time, as a freshmen, and being completely overwhelmed. I never dreamed I’d have books on those shelves one day, especially not novels.

And then, I returned home to find a package from the ladies who’d been visiting. They sent me a lovely hostess gift, to replace our downed soldiers. I couldn’t have been happier to come to home to such a reminder of friendship. I’ll also be bringing one of those bottles when I join Julie and Sophie for Malice Domestic. ;-)

I had a day to furiously prep last minute things to teach the next day, on Thursday, which I did. My classes are going great already, and I cannot believe I get paid to teach urban fantasy. Do they know they’re paying me to geek out, every day, about a subject I love?

This is the life.

And then I dyed my hair black, because I live for change. Whadoyathink?

I’m afraid I’ll probably be a bit rushed off my feet for at least one more week as I put the kibosh on organizing these courses. I’ve also got book six to write, and I’m nearly 20,000 words in and already in love.

2012 is looking good, folks. I’m anticipating a lot of changes in my life, but they’re things about which I’m very excited. I hope to take you all along for the ride.

And if you’re fixing for some Jane True to tide you over till July, I’m afraid I don’t have anything pure Jane. But I do have something Trueniverse. You can read about the ladies of Triptych–Capitola, Moo, and Shar–in this short story, available from Orbit Digital Short Stories.  For my UK readers, it’ll be available in the UK soon, hopefully. But it will definitely be available at some time.

I’ll see y’all back here shortly, once the waters are a little more calm. ;-)

Published on January 24, 2012 in Appearances, My Travels, Nicole Peeler and Something Wikkid This Way Comes. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

Happy 2012!!!!

Hi my friends!

First of all, happy new year! I can’t believe it’s 2012. That means I’ve been author, now, for three years. It feels like it just happened, and these have been some of the craziest, most fun, fastest, and most rewarding years of my life.

So what can you expect from me, this  year?

We’ll be publishing Jane book 5, Tempest’s Fury, which you can pre-order here. It’ll be coming out June 26th in paperback and July 1 on Kindle.

But if you can’t wait for June, I’m coming out with a short story, set in Jane’s Trueniverse and starring Capitola, Moo, and Shar, the ladies from Triptych that you met in book 3. That will be coming out mid-January, and you can pre-order it here. I’ll have a lot more information on it, shortly, at this site.

During all of this, I’ll be working on Jane’s sixth and final book. I’ve loved writing her, and I can’t wait to cap off her adventures. For those of you wondering why I don’t write more, I’m a firm believer in capping really character-driven series, before the action gets old.

But that doesn’t mean that Jane won’t crop in one of Cappie’s stories, or get her own short stories. :-)

After that, who knows? I’d love to write more about Cappie, and hopefully if everyone likes the story that’ll help me do so. Otherwise I’ll be starting work on a YA idea I have, while I wait for inspiration to hit. ;-)

In terms of conventions, I’m already pretty booked up for next semester. Next week, people in Boston can find me at Arisia, where I’ll be speaking on some panels and visiting my old stomping grounds at Boston University.

February I’ll be back in London, where I’ll definitely be signing some stock, and will let you know deets later.

As for the rest of the year, April will find me in Chicago, for Romantic Times. In August, I’m in NOLA for Authors After Dark, and then shortly after, in October, I’ll be in Cleveland for Bouchercon.

That’s just a general sketch, and I’m sure I’ll add more along the way. But no matter what, this year looks to be a time of great change for me, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

In the meantime, thank you to all of you who have made these last three years such an incredible adventure. I’m very grateful for all of your attention, support, and care. I feel very lucky, and very loved.

*group hug!* Here’s to 2012!

Published on January 6, 2012 in Nicole Peeler. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Jane True, Cheap for the Holidays!

Who here has asked for an eReader for the Holidays?

Who thinks that nothings says vacation like reading a book (or two) a day?

For those who answered both questions with a resounding “me!”, Hachette is running a very fun deal, called 8 Nights of Lite Reading. For the next eight days, it has eight awesome e-books for sale.

And Tempest Rising is one of them. :) So go check out what else is on offer, and if you’re still struggling with last minute shopping, maybe some on-sale ebooks is your answer. Remember, they can be gifted–you just need to know the other person’s email.

So enjoy the sale! And Friday I’ll have something up here that I haven’t done in a while–Cooking with Nicole! In which I’ll share our secrets of the Peeler Family Crab Dip . . . including the Peeler Family Secret Ingredient. I’m sure you’ll be waiting with bated breath!

Published on December 19, 2011 in Nicole Peeler and Tempest Rising. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Over at the League: Dr. Peeler’s Five Laws of Nanowrimo!

Click on the link below to get schooled in the Nanowrimo:

Published on November 15, 2011 in Nicole Peeler and Over at the League . . .. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Happy Labor Day!

Go see a movie! Maybe this one:

Looks AWESOME, doesn’t it?

Published on September 5, 2011 in Nicole Peeler. 5 Comments

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: , , , , , , .

Belly Dancing is BACK!

So, I’m back to belly dancing, and it’s awesome. I’m having  a great time in the classes, and I’m so happy to be dancing again. That said, the place I’m taking lessons here in Pittsburgh is very different from the place I studied in Louisiana.

The studio in Louisiana, Lotus Studios, is awesome, and it’s definitely got a distinct vibe. It’s all tribal dance, and yoga, and drum circles. You walk in and you want to paint yourself in mud and dedicate yourself to the Earth Mother.

When you walk into my new studio in Pittsburgh?  You’re greeted by stripper poles.

This studio specializes in pole dancing and “floor dancing,” something I conjectured was “sexy rolling,” but has been suggested to me is lap dancing. The walls are covered in boas and corsets, and there’s a massive display of perspex stripper heels when you walk in the door. It’s hilarious.

The teacher is great, and she has nothing to do with the stripper poles. We ignore them for our classes.

And yet they call to me.

I keep grabbing hold of the poles, and swinging around . . . I imagine myself, swinging again and again, before I suddenly bust out in a full on stripper routine. In my mind, it goes something like this…………

In reality, however, my dancing probably looks a little more like this . . .

But who cares, because I’m having more fun than should be allowed. I’m also doing a great job sticking to my 2011 goals. On Wednesdays, I’ve started doing Zumba with a colleague, and I love it! I’m also bringing my gym clothes to work and walking every Tuesday and Thursday, plus at my gym on Saturday. In a few weeks I hope to amp that walk up and redo the Couch to 5K. Finally, on Fridays I’m doing yoga at a studio here in Greensburg. Which means that Saturday and Sunday I complain bitterly and to all who will listen about how I fucking hate yoga, I’m now a walking sack of lactic acid, and I want to die.

I’ll know I’ve gotten fitter when I don’t think longingly of a bullet to the brain 45 minutes into yoga. For whatever reason, it kills me more than anything else.

But it’s good for me! And to cap off my current “good for me” thrust, I’ve also joined Lose It, which is a great web site (with iPhone app) that tracks calories, etc. You can find me under my name, Nicole Peeler, if you want to add me as a friend.

So February is off to an awesomely healthy start, especially if we ignore the lashings of foie gras that ushered in January.

When I do get back to fighting trim, who knows . . . I might just give one of those poles a real shot.

Probably breaking my neck. :-)

Published on February 11, 2011 in Nicole Peeler. 21 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Eurovision 2011!

Why hello there! I’m trapped in JFK, having “missed” my flight to Pittsburgh due to a series of clusterfuck conditions at Heathrow and at JFK. I say “missed” as I was actually at my original flight’s gate before it even began boarding, but I’d already been helpfully checked onto the 9 pm flight. And by “helpfully,” I mean I’ve seen better service on Cops, when they run down men wearing their underpants.

Anyway, I’m trying to kill some time by blogging, but realistically that means shite will pour forth from my exhausted brain, onto my laptop, and directly to you! Awesome!

But I really need to pull up my big girl pants and not complain. Up until the horror which has been Delta’s customer service, I’ve had an absolutely amazing trip.

For those of you who haven’t seen my travels with Dr. Ruth, she’s the photographer. Meaning that the night we were in Paris, we have over 200 beautiful photos. For the rest of my trip, when I was on my own? I think I have one fuzzy iPhone photo of an off-center cooked breakfast. Pathetic!

So I hope you enjoy the Paris photos, but I can’t take any credit. They were all Dr. Ruth’s!

Here we are at the EuroStar, waiting for the train. Everyone looks very glamorous! You’ll be seeing this “cafe configuration,” as I like to call it, quite a bit in these photos.

And here we are! On the banks of the Seine. The train ride is ridiculously short, and does not go through Wales. Also, if you ask your Europeans friends (with their much firmer grasp on geography) whether you’ll be going through Wales, they will mock you. From left to right, we have Mrs. Whisky, representing Norway; me, representing either oompah loompahs or the USA, depending on whom I’m standing next to in a photo; Dr. Ruth, representing England and Wales (which you do not go through on the Eurostar), Judith, or Yoooo-deeeee, representing the Netherlands; and Linda, representing both Ireland, and Salim in that one reading my friends did for me. Such pretty ladies!

Here we have another cafe configuration, this one con blankets. I’m practicing my French, which I’m ashamed to say was absolute pants. Apparently, two years of high school french over a decade ago gets you bupkes in the field.

Here we have the ubiquitous “upward photo” shot:

And the  ubiquitous Louvre, “Look, that’s where Mary Magdalene is buried!” shot:

With another at night, just to keep it real:

Keeping in mind that between the five us girls there are about 97 degrees ranging from physics to sexual health, you might wonder what cultural things we got up to. Well, we made Linda act like an Egyptian:

But she wasn’t Egyptian enough for Ruth, who had to intervene:

There may have been some molesting of statuary:

Someone (Dr. Ruth) might have pointed at a fountain and said, “Who wants to pretend she’s peeing!” And someone (Dr. Peeler) might have said, “Me! Me!”:

Obviously, none of these things can be blamed on the drinking of many kir royales and pastises:

Or the two helpings of abused goose I managed to cram into my gob on the first day we were there. Here’s round two. And yes, Mrs. Whisky’s starter featured a shot of vodka. How very Scandinavian!

The steak frites was amazing, and enjoyed by all:

And, admittedly, quite a few croissants were abused in the photographing of this trip:

We did have a few moments of serious contemplation of Paris’s incredible beauty:

And there were a few monuments too large for us to mess with:

But the best part of this trip was being with my beautiful friends, who make me so very, very happy.

Ruth says it all with this lovely smile in front of the Eiffel Tower:

There was much catching up, and gossiping, and sharing. I dont’ know what we were talking about here, but it must have been intense:

I think this looks like a still from a soap opera. Cracks me up! Finally, the whole whirlwind trip can be summed up by these two photos. Now you see it; now you don’t:

Mmmm. Fondant.

Anyway, the trip was gorgeous. We got back to London late evening, and the next morning Ruth and I went for a full English breakfast. Then I went to grab a train up to visit another friend, leaving Ruth to her work week. I had a brilliant time in the frozen North: totally relaxed and louche. We did nothing, which is exactly what I needed. A few wee wanders, much watching of movies in our skivvies, and a few nice meals with lovely conversation. Brilliant!

Then I returned to London, where I had one last meal with Dr. Ruth. This morning, very early, I was up to get to Heathrow. Where Delta commenced screwing me silly. So right now I may smell like a goat, and I’m absolutely dreading the 11:30 pm drive back to Greensburg, but the trip was lovely. I’m so privileged to have such amazing people in my life, and to be able to visit such beautiful cultures. And to eat their food in copious quantities.

And despite sitting in the Sartrean hell which is JFK, I was also very, very thrilled to see some of my favorite book bloggers have made themselves into Peeler’s Cheerleaders. They’re adorable:

Jessica, aka the SPINECRACKER (rawr!) has a contest to win Tempest Rising attached to the post, as they’ve made it their mission to wrangle me more fans. Which I appreciate very, very much. You girls are lovely, and I’m so glad I get to meet some of you at AAD, and hopefully more of you at RT! I’d give you big sloppy goat kisses but I’m thinking I should just say, “thanks,” and maybe buy you a bevvie.

All right, I am about to melt into some sort of primordial goo, so I’d better sort myself a coffee and a walkabout. Maybe throw a temper tantrum. Or write a strongly worded letter to Delta, using copious amounts of metaphor and simile.

It’s been a long day. See you in a few, after mucho zzzzzzzzzs. Don’t forget you still have time to enter to win the contests on this page. Just scroll down a few entries!

Published on January 21, 2011 in Contests, Food!, My Travels and Nicole Peeler. 11 Comments

London Calling…

Hello my pretties! This is just a brief update post before I leave tonight for London. I’m so excited to see my friends, it’s a little ridiculous.

First of all, here are a couple of great reviews of Jane. Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy enjoyed Jane, as did Amanda at Floor to Ceiling Books.

Paul Goat Allen, the paranormal reviewer/blogger for Barnes and Noble, also wrote an absolutely gorgeous review of Tempest’s Legacy, in which he says, “Jane is such a great character – she is definitely paranormal fantasy’s “It Girl” – she’s spunky, naïve, idealistic, courageous, funny, and incredibly sexy in her own way.” I think that about sums up Jane, and it was so lovely to read. Thank you, Paul!

You can also join the Barnes and Noble discussion about Tempest’s Legacy, here.

Orbit’s also put up this adorable advertisement over at Smart Bitches:

It links over to a sample chapter of Legacy… one of my favorites in the book!

I think that’s it for Jane! If I’ve missed something, give me a shout. As for me, it’s been a very hectic and very rewarding week at our MFA residency. Here’s a pic of all the students at the first evening’s reception:

And here’s a pic of all our graduates on SHU’s lovely grand staircase:

It was my first “real” residency–I’d attended the last one, but more as an observer. And it was so much fun, this time. I loved the teaching, and the students are wonderful. I’m so happy for the graduates, and any sadness about their leaving is mitigated by the fact they always come back for a summer retreat that runs parallel to our summer residency. In other words, people, if you come to SHU for our MFA, know this: you apparently never, ever leave. Which I think says a lot for the program.

And if you’re curious about my other hat, the academic one, here’s an article I did for Beatrice.com on the recent Huckleberry Finn censoring debacle. I forget how much I love writing more academic things, until I’m doing it and it feels so good.

Finally, I am officially off the fence when it comes to my hair. I’ve always had long hair, and recently cut it short. It took me a while to feel like I wasn’t wearing a wig. As a friend commented, “You’re a ‘long hair’ person,” and it took me a while to become a “short hair person.” Anyway, I am now completely sold. Here’s the latest incarnation, and I’m very pleased:

So yay to short hair! It’s so much easier, and it always looks okay. The problem with my long hair was it looked nice about twice a month. Other than that, it was in a ponytail. So this haircut always looks like I’m definitively not homeless, whereas it was sometimes hard to tell with the long hair.

Published on January 13, 2011 in My Travels, Nicole Peeler, Over at Orbit Books . . ., Tempest's Legacy and Tracking the Tempest. 9 Comments Tags: , , .

Happy Pre-New Years!

Well, hello there! I hope you’re having as great a vacation as I am! It’s been non-stop parties this week . . . parties here, parties there, parties EVERYWHERE. Also, loads of catching up with friends from all over.

The good news is, I’ve had a blast and I feel myself again. The bad news is, I’m a few days behind in my revisions. I’ve been working pretty steadily, but not quite steadily enough.

So I think I’m going to take one for the team and not do anything super crazy on New Years. While I’d love to take up all mah friend’s offers to get into Chicago and show it how to swing, I think I have to finish book 4.

The thing is, I’m going back to G’Burg the 2nd, and then I have Three Days of Frantic Preparation for our January residency for our MFA program, then I have the residency, and the day after the residency I fly to London.

So, yeah, it’s going to be nutso. And it will be so much LESS nutso if I have my revisions all done and shipped off BEFORE January 2nd, don’t you think?

What’s your opinion on what I should do? Book 4 or par-tay?

As for book 3, it’s all over the wild. As I said, once I get home I’ll do some Contests, Contests, Contests! And at least one vlog for you. With something cheekeh!

But for right now, here’s some Legacy stuff to wet your whistle:

A great review from Book Series Reviews.

An interview with an international giveaway!

Review from Nocturne Romance Reads

Melissa from My World interviews both Anyan  and Ryu with a contest!(these are all separate links.)

And a recent review of Book 1, Tempest Rising, in case you’re wondering what all the fuss is about. ;-)

If you’ve reviewed or interviewed me, and I haven’t pimped you out, remember you can always bother me on twitter, facebook, or email me at iheartselkies(at)gmail(dot)com.

This’ll probably be my last post till I get back to G’Burg and start the Release Madness for Tempest’s Legacy. Have a FABULOUS New Years, drink something bubbly for me, remember not to make any stupid resolutions but instead make GOALS that you can achieve, and remember to buy Tempest’s Legacy! ;-) I heart you guys, and I can’t wait to see what y’all get up to in the New Year!

Published on December 30, 2010 in Coming Soon!, Contests, Eye of the Tempest, My Travels, Nicole Peeler, Pimpage!, Reviews and Tempest's Legacy. 16 Comments