Guest Who's going to Dinner?

I have  a guest post - my first! wooo! - over at Oh Get a Grip, where several of my favorite writers blog weekly on a wide variety of topics, including the ever-marvelous Charlotte Stein and my personal favorite editor, Kristina Wright.

So, drop by, see what I have to say about the Noise in the Universe... and if you're come here from there, welcome!

Today I'm totally off to do good works; supporting the Can't Stop the Serenity screening, proceeds go to Equality Now and Samaritan House (global and local charities). Of course the fact that I'm a raging Whedon nerd has nothing to do with it... So if you're out and about in Hampton Roads today, stop by Colley Ave in Norfolk for a good show.

And then later, we're taking Mikey Mason out for some beers at our favorite local restaurant, the Biergarden, with its impressive menu of 300-350 beers and the best German food in Virginia.

Me Me Meme'd

So, unshockingly, I've been tagged by Elizabeth Brooks for this meme I've seen floating around for the last few days...

Rules: Go to page 7 or 77 of your latest work. Read down to the seventh line and then post online the next seven lines or sentences. Then head off and tag seven more writers.

So here's 7 lines from my most recent story out the door, Big Trucks:

swinging loose over her back, eyes closed. She licked her lips in appreciation, a few low groans passing between her lips as he massaged first one hand, then the other. He moved closer, holding her arm to his chest as he worked his thumbs into sore muscles. "You slipped up, today."

"Hmmm?" He wasn't exactly listening, too busy watching the play of sensual response on her face, his body heating from her nearness.

"How about we not play this game anymore?" Amy opened her eyes, a rich cream smile painting her mouth as she took note of how close he was, their faces separated by nothing more than the merest whisper. "Let's just admit we like each other, and see what happens."

And to tag seven more writers... that's going to be a bit tricky... How about Richard Crawford, Ada McEwan, Leanna Gagnon, Sara Reine, Shannon Butcher, Charlotte Stein, and Kristina Wright.

Guest Post: Jonah Knight

Is Lit Rock A Thing?

When Lynn told me that she had been listening to my music during the writing and editing of Blister Effect and that she wanted to credit me with a dedication, I was extremely flattered. And it got me thinking again about the two-way influence of music and literature. It’s not news that songwriters often find inspiration from fiction and that writers of fiction talk about the music they listen to when they write. Recently though, I’ve heard whispers of something new but not really. Something sure to shake the music and publishing industries to their knees: Lit Rock.

My unscientific research indicates that the desire for naming this new subgenre is coming from the Wizard Rock community. If you don’t know, Wizard Rock is a large and passionate group of hardcore Harry Potter fans that have been writing, recording, and performing music inspired by their favorite boy wizard. There are festivals, conventions, and large scale tours. It’s bigger than Hagrid’s appetite.

But alas! The Potter passion is dwindling with the end of the movie franchise and no immediate plans for more books. So what do these musicians do? What do the thousands of fans listen to next?

Enter Lit Rock.

Did you know that there are cool books that have nothing to do with Harry Potter? Well, some of the Wizard Rock people are making a transition from all-Harry all-the-time towards a more varied literature inspired setlist. But that’s not all that Lit Rock might become.

I was recently contracted by Mercury Retrograde Press to spend two years writing songs for their novels. I think that this partnership represents another step into the future of music and publishing. As the world of Fandom has exploded, dozens of hundreds of songs have been written based on books, and as trans-media projects come along with greater frequency and with bigger budgets, the collaborations have become higher profile.

I dare say however, that my contract with Mercury Retrograde is truly the first of its kind. I think that I am the first songwriter to essentially be put on staff by a publisher. We anticipate well over a dozen songs to be released between 2013-2014 that tie-in with the worlds of the books. I am very excited and, truthfully, a little nervous. If a small press and an independent musician can pull this off, look for more of this strange new world.

Jonah Knight performs Paranormal Modern Folk, often at Science Fiction conventions in the mid-Atlantic region. Thus far in 2012 he has performed at MarsCon, Farpoint, Madicon (Musical Guest of Honor), RavenCon, The Steampunk World's Fair, Balticon, and ConCarolinas. For the rest of the year, he is currently scheduled to appear at Confluence and Capclave, is waiting to hear back from a few more, and is scheduling house concerts. He is at work on his sixth album, Another Creepy Christmas, a collection of creepy holiday songs. 

Blister Effect

Is officially up for sale...

Don't forget to enter the contest to get a free copy, plus some other Gnifty Stuff...

Contestia!

Ok...

First, I am all moved.

Yay, writer in the House! For Shizzle.

Whatever that means.

So... maybe I'll actually be around here more often and making with the writing. I have a few short-shorts due July 15th, a novella in the works, and part 3 of London Steam that I'm working on.

(in various loose interpretations of the word "work" because I am all kinds of not-capable of multi-tasking... also, I am all kinds of not-capable of letting other people do work when I am not working. It's one of those things... if the Husband is cleaning, I have to stop what I'm doing and clean TOO, even if I've been cleaning all day and I just want to relax. I have actually gotten to my feet to help him clean when I'm about two seconds away from bursting into tears from exhaustion.... I feel inordinately GUILTY when someone is doing something that I consider "my job" and cleaning and packing and moving are all parts of my job description... which is probably why we haven't moved in eight years...)

We still have one more big thing to do with the house. We're getting hardwood floors installed, and they did the Great Room last week before we moved in, but because our timeline was so tight, they weren't able to get it all done before we moved. So the office - where I am now typing to you from - wasn't fixed. The wood is in my closet, "acclimating..." and they'll bring in a few more crates of that on Friday to acclimate over the weekend. But it does mean I have to move my desk AGAIN and my computer stuff AGAIN to get out of the way while they replace the hideous white carpet.

Then there are about 400 million smaller projects, including all the UNpacking... and I have a bet with my dad that I can be "completely unpacked" by June 23rd. (Don't ask. My father and I are physically incapable of not pissing each other off if we're in the same room for more than 3 days... and he was here all week helping. And I appreciate the help. And at the same time... )

So, I'll be off-line again for Monday - Wednesday or so, which they install floor.

Ok... Now! Contest... what you're all actually interested in, I expect...

I have a "gift box" for one lucky reader; it includes a copy of Lustfully Ever After, a copy of Steamlust, an e-copy of Blister Effect (officially released next week, so this contest will run til a week past its release date!), an e-copy of Shifting Steam, The Age of Steam CD from my friend Jonah Knight (either a music download, or I can get the actual physical CD if you still do that sort of thing!) and a poster from last year's Ladies of Steampunk calendar; the Absinthe Fairy. (Link shows you the picture, I have it as a small poster...) Both physical books will be signed to a person of your choice, and if you want the physical CD, I'm almost positive I can get Jonah to sign it for you. He's nice like that. Also, weird. But nice.

So, here's the deets: comment below for one entry. That's it. No need to buy anything or retweet or whatever... if you DO retweet or facebook link or any of that fun stuff, I will add one extra entry for each "social media" thing you do, just LET ME KNOW that you've done so in the comments below, because I am social media inept sometimes and I might not see it. My twitter handle is @tisfan and Lynn Townsend is me on Facebook, so include appropriate linkage!

Blister Effect is released on May 23rd, and so I will run this contest til May 31st.

Have at!

A post of absolutely no substance whatsoever

Hi!

I'm still in the process of moving. God. The new new revised plan is to close on Wednesday. My tiny little apartment is filled with boxes and I am filled with crazy.

Tomorrow is my birthday, just so you know. 40 years of the world having to put up with me, and me having to put up with the world.

I spent Friday night in the E.R. And for once, it was me doing the sitting around and waiting. Usually it's me doing the writhing around on the cot. So, that was a new experience. And I have to say, ER chairs are hella uncomfortable. More so at 2am than other times. (Don't worry, everyone's fine. The husband has kidney stones, which he might debate as "not fine" but it's not life-threatening... just unpleasant.)

I have 2 stories coming out this month; Lustfully Ever After, which contains my short story, Garden Variety.

Some ARC review excerpts:

"... and Lynn Townsend’s “Garden Variety,” in which an urban gardener’s beanstalk finds a most unorthodox way to repay her ministrations." - Publisher's Weekly

"Townsend's take on Jack and the Beanstalk is creative and erotic..." - Laurie Gold

So, you know, there's that.

Lustfully Ever After is currently available on Amazon, even tho it's not technically released until the 15th, but hey... We don't mind.

And then The Blister Effect will be out through Torquere toward the end of the month; that will be available as an eBook only. (also, for those of you who don't pay attention, that's a sequel to Shadow of Kenfig, released as part of Shifting Steam last October. Also, it's m/m, so if that's not your thing, you're warned.)

And I updated the look of my author page on Facebook. If you don't follow me there, you should. I'm much more likely to say stuff on Facebook because I am hella lazy these days.

But, keep your eyes out. Once I get my copies of Lustfully Ever After, I'll be doing another promo contest, and I have some nice stuff; a CD, 2 books, and a few other spiffs. 

Cover Art

I love it... look at the wolf... and the airship over London... and Dex's eye. Totally cool. Thrilled to see it.