OK, using the magic of Random.org, I have a list of numbers, which equals a list of winners for the Pizza Party invite! Yay!
Jeo
Ross
Robyn
Tara
and Alexandria!

Evites will be going out to the luckies in a few minutes! Congrats and looking forward to seeing you at the party! If for some reason you can no longer attend, please let me know and I'll pick another winner.

Wanna come to a party in Seattle? Well you can! Maybe, sorta. Here's the deal: I'm throwing a party on December 12 from Noon to three in downtown Seattle--very informal--and I have space for five (that's 5) fans plus one guest each. No transportation or accommodations are provided and you must be over 21 to get into the venue, but once there I'm providing pizza, soft drinks, and a movie for friends and family and... yup, five fans.

So send me email (this MUST be email--no other entry will be counted) by this Monday night (that's November 23rd by 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time) at kat(dot)rchrdsn(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject "Pizza Party Please" and your name and email address in the body. I will draw five at random and reply by Tuesday evening to the winners with an eVite.

You will be responsible for your own transportation, lodging, and so on. The venue is 21 and over only, so alas, no minors on this one. Feel free to forward this information to Friends and other Fans.

There's another interview with li'l ol moi up at Midnight Moon Cafe and you can enter by midnight this Friday to win any book from my backlist. Nifty yes? Yes! So go, go... what are you waiting for?

Ah, frabjus day: the lovely Lisa Mantchev's debut YA novel, EYES LIKE STARS, is on the loose today, officially! Do you like fairies, orphans living in magical theaters, Shakespeare, and cake? Then you must have this book! Yes, you really must. Or you may find frosting in your pillow tomorrow. (I hear Peasblossom and Moth really get around.) Go get a copy. Right now!

Congratulations and Hurray for Lisa! (have some cake, my dear.)

And Poltergeist mass market is out today. Time for more prizes for photos of the wicked thing caught in the wild--the weirder the better!

I finally have the outline mostly complete (points exist, but order is still a little scrambled) and I'm quite, quite chuffed with it. Hehehehehe... I gets to kill stuff and blow shit up and stuff like that! Wooohooo!

Now to get the writing itself moving, but not until after I go see Andrew Grant at Seattle Mystery Bookshop at Noon! (He is sooooooo nice it ought to be sickening, but isn't.)

Hohohohohoho.... Happy Katmass to me!

And don't forget to stalk Greywalker in the wild: still three prizes to be given away (unless McBeaner forgets to get in touch and give me her email address! You hear me McB? Get in touch!)

Hey, fiends! Greywalker mass market (the standard small paperback) will be officially released on Tuesday (June 2). It's already out in a few places, but to make this fair for those who don't have access to places that shelve books early, we shall start on Tuesday.

So here's the deal: take a photo of the new Greywalker edition "in the wild"; post it someplace and then post the link to the Greywalker forum. This contest will repeat for Poltergeist and Underground as they become available. Keep checking in!

While I know a lot of authors, I also know a lot of folks who aspire to be published authors and run around madly one month out of the year after being a hermit who lives with their laptop the other eleven. So for the people who are still pitching, here's a little news.

Cheerios cereal is sponsoring a Children's Book contest. The Prize being $5,000 and a possible contract with Simon and Schuster Children's Books division. Now, you do have to be a little wary, since S&S is the company that continues to try and slide in a contractual clause that keeps your book "in print" (and therefore in their control) so long as any copy exists in their system, including the electronic archive in their database. However, they are a legit company with major distribution so if you're a children's story writer, check it out:

Cheerio's Spoonfuls of Stories contest info and forms.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my new issue of Crimespree magazine today and found a story I'd sent them about... four or five years ago. I'd assumed the file had gone feral and escaped into the wilds of Milwaukee long ago to wreak havoc on unsuspecting tourists visiting the Harley Davidson Museum nearby but... no... there it is on page 24 of issue #29: "Pigeons" by Kat Richardson.

I have to admit it's not my best, but it's not totally stinking bad. Just a short story about a homeless woman (who might be a college researcher or might just be crazy) and the murder of pigeons, friends, and overripe tomatoes. It's not a Harper Blaine story, just a short mystery, but if you are in need of a quick Kat-fix, it'll do. (And you might spot some characters who got updated and polished and turned up in Underground.)

What? You don't have your own subscription to Crimespree? And you can't find it on the newstand (because it's a subscription-only publication unless you happen to know the right Mystery bookstores to pop into)? But you can remedy that! Sean Chercover is giving away subscriptions to this fine publication! It says so right here at the Central Crime Zone! (and no, in spite of the date of posting, that's not an April Fool's joke.) OK, yes... you have to take a photo of yourself reading Sean's wonderful thriller Trigger City while you're at work, but... aren't you already reading that...? (You should be: it's fantastic!)

First off: the League of Reluctant Adults is back up and running! W00t! (and yes, the answer to the burning question "Why aren't you there, Kat?" is "I'm a jackass.")

And the fantastic Carrie Ryan got a starred review from Publishers Weekly for her debut novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth! Congrats to Carrie! (Not that we didn't know it had to happen because... well... Carrie rocks!)

Rachel Vincent's new were novel Pride is officially out today! Hurray Rachel!

Joshua Palmatier is an uncle! Congratulations to the family of a brand new bouncing boy!

And very soon Urban Fantasy Land will be announcing its Readers Choice Contest winners. Eeek!

What a busy day!

And I got 1000 words on the Librarian superhero done last night. Today I'm shooting for 1000 more. W00t!

Oh yeah, and Warren Ellis has a photo up of a snowbound canal boat in London, which I much admire, since a similar boat features in an upcoming book by moi....

Winners are up at the Greywalker forum for signed copies of Mean Streets! Go check it out to see if you're one of the lucky 6!

OK, so... today and tomorrow are the last days for the MEAN STREETS favorite character contest at the Greywalker forum.

And I have received and returned my official invite and contract for Dragon*Con! So I'll be in Atlanta Labor Day weekend! Yay!

Hey, guys. Just a friendly reminder about the Mean Streets Favorite Character contest. Deadline is looming, books are waiting to be given away!

Wow, a whole bunch of my writing buddies and fellow SFNovelists are having new book releases this week (I have one too, as you know) and some of them are giving books away! Not only are they all excellent writers, but they are very cool people and they create wonderful books in a variety of styles and subgenres--something for everyone with this bunch.

Whose got a new book?

Joshua Palmatier has a new Throne of Amenkor book, VACANT THRONE

Diana Pharaoh Francis has a new Crosspointe novel, THE BLACK SHIP

Elizabeth Bear has a new Novel of the Promethean Age, WHISKEY AND WATER

Jim C. Hines has a new stand-alone, THE STEPSISTER SCHEME

S.C. Butler has the second Stoneway novel, QUEEN FERRIS

and
Jackie Kessler's got a novella in the erotic romance collection A RED HOT VALENTINE'S DAY--and when they say "red hot" they aren't teasing. Steam rises off this book. Oh my god, you'll need asbestos undies!

Want a chance to win the first 4 books? Of course you do! Then go to Joshua Palmatier's blog and answer the magic questions. Joshua has three other contests going on there, so be sure to read the whole entry to see other nifty ways to win coolness from one of the nicest guys in Fantasy--his books are gritty, but he's a sweetheart.

What a way to start the new year! Great books from fabulous writers. Go get some!

Yet more contests! I have 6 copies of Mean Streets to give away and I have a forum that needs members so.... here's the deal:

1. go to the Greywalker forum,


2. if you aren't already a member, register and become one,


3. then post a reply to the "Favorite Character" thread telling me who your favorite secondary character is from the Greywalker series (it can't be Harper) which book they appear in, and why you think they are cool/bad/fun/scary/whatever.

I'll read them and of course there will probably be some voting and campaining and then I'll pick 6 winners--they can be from anywhere in the world--to receive a copy of the book signed by me. I can't get the other authors to sign them, so I'll have to do.... All answers must be in by midnight, forum time, on January 16th (Forum time is -8 GMT so, that's one minute past 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard time on Jan 16, not Jan 15.) You can only post one "favorite" though you're free to discuss other people's posts and even to edit your own.

(Oh yeah: members of my family can't play for prizes, only for fun--I have goodies for them...)

I did get a Christmas present of sorts: author copies of Mean Streets arrived on Dec 23. I shall put my horrid mind to some way to tease you guys into doing silly things to get them. Bwahahaha....

OK, this was incredibly difficult because all the entries were good and very funny. But since I get to be totally subjective and pick the ones I liked the very best, these are they. If you won, even if you sent me your address, please write again and tell me to whom you want the book inscribed (just in case it's not you.) Also, I'm kind of a dip where geography is concerned, so if you're not in the US, I may not have figured out which country your address is in, so please let me know and goodies will be on their way.

So, in no particular order, here are the winning entries:

Mr. Orange Monkey and Rik Sheppard said...

Werewolves are better than owls....

1. No-one ever looked at a werewolf and thought "I could play that creature like an accordion"


2. Werewolves don't need special societies to protect them


3. Owls can't tell you what phase the moon is in


4. You can have a rational conversation with a werewolf most of the month


5. Werewolves seldom fly into power lines


6. Werewolves never rotate their heads through 360 degrees


7. Werewolves never steal your silver trinkets


8. No-one would pay money to see 'An American Owl in London'


9. Owls never help with the washing up


10. Werewolves help you meet the neighbours, especially the ones with pitchforks and flaming torches

Rayana K. Hart said...

Ten Reasons Werewolves are Better Than Men

10) They can smell when you're upset.
9) They imprint their mate by scent, so you always feel beautiful.
8) Stamina.
7) Their thick fur keeps you warm on the cold winter nights.
6) Sometimes you just need something big, warm, and furry to hug.
5) Attackers would think twice about messing with a giant wolf.
4) Werewolves mate for life, so you never have to worry about him cheating on you.
3) Wolf!sex.
2) Your kids would be the cutest puppies.

And the number one reason:

1) Be honest. It's all about the wolf!sex.


Zita Hildebrandt said...

1. Werewolves are better than humans because there is no such thing as male pattern baldness (or female, for that matter)


2. Werewolves are better than vampires because they don’t drain all the blood from you faster than you can say “Dracula”


3. Werewolves are better than merfolk because they don’t leave water marks wherever they go


4. Werewolves are better than zombies because their parts don’t fall off


5. Werewolves are better than werecats because they don’t cough up fur balls


6. Werewolves are better than mummies because they don’t insist on cursing you every time you wake them up


7. Werewolves are better than Frankenstein’s monster because their brains are not “Abby Normal”


8. Werewolves are better than aliens because they don’t get into the whole “probe” thing


9. Werewolves are better than dragons because they aren’t sticklers for virginity


10. Werewolves are better than demons because they don’t expect you to hand over your soul for every little thing

I wish I had more books and baubles for you guys, since all the entries were funny, so here are a few more entries, just to make you laugh:

( Read more... )

Entries in the "Ten Reasons Werewolves are Better Than..." contest must be in by midnight PST tonight (that's 08:00 GMT on Wednesday morning if you're in Britain.) Send your lists to kat(dot)rchrdsn[at]gmail(dot)com and win a personalized copy of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and a limited edition (ony 100 were made and only 7 have been signed to date), signed "wolfy bauble" ornament for your holiday decorating needs!

Ah yes, my dears. Time for a holiday contest! I have 3 "wolfy baubles" left from the Wolfsbane and Mistletoe promotion that need homes.

(Don't worry: they're acryclic so they travel just fine and are damn-near unbreakable.) So I propose this:

 

I shall pick the three best lists of "Ten Reasons Werewolves are Better Than..." whatever you want to say they are better than and mail the winners the remaining Christmas ornaments (signed by moi) and a signed copy of the Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology (I have a story in it, but it's just a fun book for the holidays.)

Please send your entries via e-mail (so no one can crib off your papers) to: kat(dot)rchrdsn[at]gmail(dot)com.

Deadline is December second (next Tuesday and also my brother Andrew's birthday--Hi Drew!). Winners will be announced on all blogs and my website Thursday December fourth and items mailed by the following Monday so you'll have your prizes before Christmas!

Get listin'!

And have a lovely Thanksgiving!

OMG today's the day the book comes out! I have a ton to do, like pack and go to an interview and go sign books at University Bookshop tonight. But the sick and fabulous Mark Henry is having a contest at his blog to keep you happy. So go visit ZOMBIE CHOW and see what's up!

Thanks to some lovely folks at the Barnes & Noble Paranormal Book Club there will be schwag! There were lots of good suggestions both on the blogs and the book club, but I had to narrow it down to something easy for me, quick, and appropriate, which wasn't easy! So here's the low down:


TiggerBear's suggestion of small flashlights won the day--because everyone needs a flashlight in the Underground! (And I was finally able to find some nice keychain lights that fill the bill and aren't ugly as hell.)

Another suggestion from Lord Ruthven (Derek Tatum of DragonCon) got heavily modified but resulted in a nice notebook apparently stolen from Harper Blaine's office.

Both items should be available soon and I'll be dragging them around the signings with me, so... come and get your goodies!