Feb
22
2012
Thanks to all who entered, Tweeted, Facebooked, and generally pimped my INHALE paperback giveaway this week! It’s time to announce the winner…
Amelia James, come on down! Rafflecopter has named you the winner of a brand-new shiny copy of INHALE! Congrats, girlie! If you’ll email your snail mail addy to kendall (at) kendallgrey (dot) com, I’ll get your book in the mail later this week. I hope you enjoy it!
Wow, that was fun. I might have to plan another one soon. Stay tuned. :-)
In the meantime, I got something totally freaking awesome in the mail yesterday and had to share. The picture is shitty (stupid phone camera), but I think you can see it well enough…
My super creative friend Renee Coffey designed this Cetacean Research Network shirt. It’s the same one my heroine, Dr. Zoe Morgan, wears in the JUST BREATHE trilogy. The back (click image to view details) is way cool too – I love how Renee snuck the titles of the books in at the bottom. She’s a clever girl, that one. Ha!
I think for now, I’ll keep these shirts as a sort of “Special Edition” type thing for giveaways and stuff. If the trilogy takes off and people show interest, we might look at selling them later.
If you haven’t checked out the Cetacean Research Network’s web site, consider hopping over. Though it’s a fictional organization, the whale information there is factual. You can also get to know some of the characters from the books and learn about what they do when they go to work every day. There’s even a form you can fill out to ask a whale- or book-related question. Those who’ve been following me for a while know how important the whales are to me, and I LOVE sharing my (limited) knowledge with people.
That’s all for now, friends. Hope you all have a great rest of the week! *SMOOCH*
Feb
19
2012
I’m coming up on 2,000 Twitter followers! Resident Geek suggested I celebrate by giving away a brand-stinking new paperback copy of my upcoming urban fantasy romance, INHALE. He’s the boss, so I do what he says.
Here’s the deal:
Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. The contest runs from 12:01 a.m. EST Sunday, February 19, 2012 until 12:01 a.m February 21. I’ll announce the winner on Thursday, February 23. This paperback giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. If you live outside the U.S. and want to enter to win a digital copy of INHALE instead (mobi, epub, or PDF formats available), you are welcome to do so. Retweets and sharing on your social networks are appreciated.
I’m super excited about hitting this important 2K Twitter milestone. Thanks *so much* for following and supporting me on my journey to publication. Release day is coming up quick — May 1! I can’t believe I’m almost there. I couldn’t have gotten this far without your help. A thousand thanks and wanks from Gavin, Zoe, and me. ;-)
If you’d like to read more about INHALE before you enter, check out the blurb on Goodreads. INHALE contains graphic language, sex, and some violence.
Feb
16
2012
Resident Geek and I hit a raft whale watch out of Lahaina, Hawaii yesterday, and MAN, what a difference it makes being on a smaller vessel, low on the water. We caught up to a mom-calf pair and eventually found ourselves in the middle of a couple competition groups. These groups are composed of a female (sometimes with a nursing newborn calf, as was the case yesterday) and one or more males vying for her affection. There were at least six males in the first competition group. These guys get up to 45+ feet long and 80,000ish pounds. They are fueled by high-octane testosterone, and they won’t let anyone stop them from gettin’ with a lovely lady whale. *Bow chicka-bow-wow*
Check out this sequence showing one of the males exerting his dominance and manly essence:
Also caught this other dude breaching. First shot is the approach, and second shows him opening his mouth with an aggressive jaw-clap maneuver specially engineered for intimidation:
And here’s one last breach illustrating how close these guys get to one another to show they aren’t screwing around. We actually saw one of the six males smack another with his 15 foot wide fluke. These body parts can inflict MAJOR damage.
Today will be our last whale watch. We’re going on the raft again, so hopefully I’ll get some more good shots and video. Until we meet again, Aloha!
Feb
15
2012
I’m hanging out on the Hawaiian island of Maui this week, watching whales. Here are some pics I’ve shot so far. I got some video of a wild-ass breaching calf Monday, but I haven’t had time to look at it yet. I *hope* I got at least a few seconds of good footage. Will post soon if I did.
Enjoy!
This one's off-center, but that's how it goes. You never know when a whale will pop up, so I just click my camera until I get a decent shot. :-)
Insanely happy little calf. He was a bit of a show-off, which was fine by me!
Here's the calf falling onto his back. He breached so many times, I lost track.
I love these calf Buddha poses. So cute!
Another free fall onto his back. They must have such fun breaching.
Little calf played for a long time, and then suddenly Big Ma showed up and waved hello with several pec slaps. So awesome to see the size difference between mom and baby. Mom is the size of a school bus. Baby is a pick-up truck. :-)
I guess all the splashing attracted a possible new daddy. The inflated head on this male escort and lunging behavior are signs of aggression/dominance
Here's a different mom and her escort. I love the fluke pattern. Each whale has a unique pattern that scientists use for identification, just like our fingerprints.
Feb
14
2012
If you’re reading this post, you’re special to me. I appreciate everyone who visits this blog. In recognition of your awesomeness, I offer you this heartfelt Valentine’s Day sentiment…
Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends! ;-)
Feb
7
2012
AWAITED, the sequel to Lynn Rush’s debut paranormal romance, WASTELAND, is coming out in May. I’m honored to participate in her beautiful new cover reveal today. Check out the blurb for AWAITED and consider adding it to your Goodreads To Be Read shelf:
The voice is a powerful thing…
Russell Leonard is a centuries-old Guardian who’s lost faith in his purpose. So when he’s charged with procuring the first female Guardian in over two centuries, he can only hope it’s the red-headed beauty who’s been haunting his dreams for months. And if it is, he intends to claim her as his. But when he finds his dream woman, Annabelle is mute and bears no Guardian’s Mark.
He soon realizes she’s been tainted by an ancient evil. Russell must somehow release the secrets trapped within this delicate, mute beauty, to help her tap into the only weapon powerful enough to silence a millennia-old demon—her voice.
Are you ready for some cover awesomeness? Of course you are! Enjoy. :-)
Add Awaited to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Feb
2
2012
I’m gonna disappear from the world (translation: blogs and social networks) for a while. I will be back here on Feb. 7 to host a cover reveal for a friend many of you know and love. :-) After that, I’m heading to Maui to watch whales for a week. If I feel inspired, I’ll post pics and/or videos.
Until then…steer clear of orca whales. They may appear cute and sweet, but they’ll rip yer fuckin’ head off when you ain’t lookin’.
Jan
31
2012
In the South, we have a way of expressing pity for people who are just too stupid and sweet to know any better. When someone does something so dumb that all you can do is feel sorry for them, we say, “Oh, bless your heart.” Sounds innocent enough, and even comes across as genuine. Southerners have a way with words. :-)
INHALE left the gate to spectacular reviews, but now I sense the tide is turning. In hindsight, I kinda wish it had gotten a bunch of 3- or 4-stars first. Get the bad shit out of the way so I can only go up, right?
Bless my heart.
Not everyone is going to like my book. Some people won’t get it. They won’t like my style or my voice. Others will say the language is too rough. There’s too much graphic sex. Not enough graphic sex. Too much back story, yet they don’t understand the world building. Too many stereotypes. Predictable. The plot has holes big enough to fly a space shuttle through.
Worse, some readers will say, “It was okay.” Or they won’t be able to finish it. *GULP* Twist the knife in a little harder, why don’t ya?
Reviewers always remind us writers, “It’s not about you. It’s about the story. Don’t take it personally.” They’re 100% right. But just like agent and editor rejections, reader “rejections” hurt. Maybe even more than those highfalutin assholes in New York, because I wrote the books for readers, not dickhead agents.
That said, I couldn’t have written the books any other way. These are the characters and story as I see them. If you don’t like the book, that’s cool. You’re entitled to your opinion. Don’t waste your time on the next one.
I’m having my moment of doubt, but only a moment. I’m getting back to editing #EXHALE and focusing on the future today.
<<<We now return to our regularly scheduled ass-kicking, womancock bashing, fuck ‘em all attitude.>>>
Bless my little heart.
ADDENDUM:
Thanks to Barbara Jean Byrem’s comment, I’m now slaying my vampires. You can too. Listen to this song to find out how.
You’re welcome. :-)
Jan
30
2012
Public Service Announcement: If you haven't read the "Preacher" comic books by Garth Ennis, you need to. Not for the faint at heart, but DAMN fine writing.
I’ve been asked by fellow writers to write some posts about self-publishing. I’m not sure why anyone thinks I’m qualified to rant on the topic, but you know me — any opportunity to proselytize about my publishing religion, and I’m there.
Today, I’m on Amelia James’s Trashy’s Treasures blog yakking about the importance of planning for self-publishers. I could have written a dissertation on that topic. I hope you’ll check it out and leave comments or questions for me.
I’m trying to decide what to write for another blog I’ve been invited to preach post at, and I’d love some ideas. Below is a running list of topics from Twitter and Facebook friends. Are there any other self-publishing questions you’d like answered? If I don’t know the answer, I can probably find out. Please list your self-pub ponderings in the comments section so I can add them to my list.
- What hard costs have you encountered in the process?
- What tools do you recommend for getting into different e-formats?
- What site(s) is best for print options?
- How much time (roughly) would you say is needed to successfully promote a self-pubbed book?
- It’s taken a long time to get your first book out — how has it benefited and what would you do differently?
- How do you format the manuscript?
Don’t forget to stop by Amelia’s blog. I hope you find something useful in my spewage there.
Jan
23
2012
Reviews are starting to come in for INHALE, and I couldn’t be happier. So far, the book has received six 5-star ratings on Goodreads. Delphina and TSDavies posted two amazing reviews this weekend that literally had me in tears. If these are the only two good reviews I get, I’ll die a happy woman.
As of yesterday, INHALE is holding steady at #43 on Goodreads’ Most Expected Romance Titles 2012 list. Holy shit, people! Forty-three! I don’t even know how INHALE got on there, let alone climbed that high! My silly little self-published (and widely rejected by NY know-it-alls) book is hanging tough with the likes of J.R. Ward, P.C. Cast, Larissa Ione, Kresley Cole, Jennifer Armentrout, Nalini Singh, and TONS of other badass writers. INHALE is also at #224 on Goodreads’ Most Expected Books of 2012 {PNR, UF, PNYA}. If you have a Goodreads account, you can vote for your fave books, too. Just click the links and add titles if you don’t see the one you’re looking for.
Several people are reading INHALE right now. This makes me insanely anxious, so I try not to think about it. I’m keeping positive and focusing on getting the book reformatted and ready for print. Life is about to get medieval on my ass, so I probably won’t be visiting as many blogs or posting on social networks as much as I usually do for the next few weeks. It’s not that I’m being a snob. I’m just booked SOLID at the moment and trying to meet my deadlines. If you have something you want me to pimp, send me a private message or @ me on Twitter/FB, and I’ll be happy to give you a shout-out.
Thanks to all who’ve supported, pimped, and/or sung INHALE’s praises on the Interwebs. I’m booking a pseudo-blog tour for April and May. If you’re interested in having me on your blog for a giveaway or whatever, yell at me.
I can’t wait to get INHALE into the world and see how she fares. Cross your fingers for me. In this fiercely competitive publishing climate, I’m really gonna need it!
Big wet sloppy kisses to everyone!
Awesome Book Reviewers
Blogroll
Fiendish Writer Friends
- Alan Edwards
- Amelia James
- Amy L. Overley
- Anne Michaud
- Belinda Frisch
- Brenda Nelson-Davis
- Carissa Elg
- Ciara Knight
- Colin F. Barnes
- Erin Danzer
- Erin Grace
- Gina Lamm
- Gina Penn
- Hayden Thorne
- Heather Howland
- Hildie McQueen
- Jessie Stank
- Ket's Inanity
- Lynn Rush
- Pam Asberry
- Rachel Firasek
- Ren Warom
- Sara Reine
- Suzanne Brandyn
- Theresa Breaux
- TL Jeffcoat
- Victoria Griesdoorn
Resources for Writers
Urban Fantasy Writer
Kendall Grey's books on Goodreads
