Tag Archive for 'RomCon'

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: , , , , , , , , , , , .

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: , , , , , .

Where in the World is Nicole Peeler?

I’m all over the place!

For example, this weekend I’ll be doing a signing with Gail Carriger and Jaye Wells, in Houston. We Orbiteers are all VERY proud of Gail, who just made it on the NYTimes bestseller list! YAY Gail! She is fabulous, her book is fabulous, and I am so very very happy for her.

So I’m looking forward to seeing both Gail and Jaye again. But my friend, ML the Economist, and I are also making Houston into a Weekend du Girlie Thangs. We’re staying from Friday to Sunday at a posh hotel and shopping, shopping, shopping. After all, I need new clothes . . .

For Romantic Times! Yes, that following weekend, I will be wandering around the RT Convention, probably smirking at cover models and dodging my fellow Leaguer’s attempts to haze me. I was too late and unorganized (this is my first RT, I had no idea what I was doing) to get on any panels, BUT I do have some things scheduled. I’m definitely doing Club RT, Thursday at 11:00AM, with an absolute shit ton of other members of the League.*  I’ll also be doing the “Giant Book Fair” (I’m not sure if that means the books are giant, giants are involved, or if it’s merely a large signing) on Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Realistically five people will know who I am, so please please please come see me and put me out of my misery. Bring me a Guinness or a cookie. Better yet, bring both.

At RT, we at the League have some AWESOME shenanigans planned for our fans, so definitely stay tuned if you’re coming to RT. Let’s just say we at the League of Reluctant Adults control the gateway to fun . . . if by fun you mean a pint of snark served with a sidecar of sass and finished with a twist of naughty.

I should also hopefully have some VERY cool swag for RT. Vampire heart removable tattoo, anyone? I just ordered them, though, so I’m not sure if they”ll be delivered in time . . .

And yet, no matter what, I know the hearts will be ready by the time RomConvention rolls around! That’s in Denver, in July, and as yet I have no idea what I’m doing. Mostly because it’s creeping up to finals time and I don’t even remember who I am anymore. But I do know where to locate my red pens and my current stack o’ grading. But I can tell you that the lovely Carolyn Crane and Jeanne Stein are cooking up some trouble, and we’ll definitely be partaking in some larger, non-con ridiculousness around that time with Team Denver, so stay tuned.

At some point I’m also going to be in London, and in Brighton, and in Seattle and San Francisco . . . and I’m sure some other places. The feet are itchy, people, and the passport is new and shiny.

So if you’re in one of those places, and own a bookstore or have a book club, I’d be happy to make an appearance. I also do weddings and bar mitzvahs.

And stay tuned. I’ll be back to my more regular blogging, now that I’ve carved out a little wiggle room in my schedule. Mmmm. Wiggle room.

Ciao for now!

*A shit ton is a metric ton plus one unladen swallow.

Published on April 18, 2010 in Appearances, Coming Soon!, Conventions, My Travels, Nicole Peeler and Signings. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .