A Meerkat's Bolthole

So, a long while back (two years, more or less) I had a story out on submission. And an editor said "I like this, I want to buy it. But... we haven't signed the contract for the anthology I want to buy it for yet so can I hold onto it for a while?"

And I - respecting and trusting the editor - said yes.

(okay, there was more negotiation than that, and a 'pending contract' and whatnot, but basically I said 'yeah, you can have it for whenever you can publish it.'  Because you do that for editors you like and respect, and think would be a good match for the story.)

That trust paid off, 'cause today the anthology was Officially Announced.

As folk who know me will tell you, I am not good with being patient*. I'm especially not good with patience when waiting for Ts to be dotted and Eyes crossed. Which means for the past week or so I've been bouncing in my chair and saying now? How about now? How about NOW?"

Now? Now!

I am very pleased to say that there will be two more "Gin and Tonic" mysteries coming from "L.A. Kornetsky" and S&S/Pocket Books!

does happy writer chair-dance

Although I've been writing mysteries-in-fantasy for a long while, the move to straight mysteries was slightly nerve-wracking, and I'm thrilled that the response was "yes more please."

The Very Very Tentative Titles are DOGHOUSE and CHIP AND SWITCH. This will follow 2012's COLLARED, and the forthcoming FIXED (10/2013).



*editor M and Agent J were (I think) vastly amused by my twitching

Film/TV rights are still available. Y'know, if you happen to have a checkbook and interest... (what? It could happen!)

Because someone asked me last week and I swear, I couldn't remember...

Tie-in novels: 3 (2 Buffy, 1 Poltergeist: the Legacy)
YA Fiction: 3 (the GRAIL QUEST trilogy)
YA non-fiction: 3 (Coping with CP; The Yeti, Intro to Finance)
Paranormal Romance: 3 (NIGHT SERPENT, DAUGHTER OF THE SEA [in production], MUSTANG [in progress]
Urban Fantasy: 8 (the six Retriever books, HARD MAGIC [in production], PACK OF LIES [in progress]
Fantasy: 1 (FLESH & FIRE [in production])

So. Fifteen original novels, 3 media tie-ins, and 3 non-fiction works, since 1999?

Plus, of course, there's still the third PSI novel to be written, and the next two Vineart books to be written [one of them Right Now Hurry Up!], that are all under contract, so call that another three....

No fkcuing wonder I'm tired. Maaaaaaaan.


(this also explains why my short story production has fallen off so drastically. Taking steps to correct that, now)

I've been sitting on this, figuratively, for a month until I got the okay to post it. This isn't the final polished version, but at least you'll know what to look for now.

( behold the cover squee )
Yeah, I'm pleased. Nitpicking all the way to the shelf, but pleased. :-D

OMG *flail* http://books.simonandschuster.com/Flesh-and-Fire/Laura-Anne-Gilman/9781439101414

*tries to breathe. Fails utterly*

Yeah, I know, I know. "Gilman, you've been through this how many times before? This is, what, your 10th original book, never mind the media tie-ins?"

Pbbbbthhht. I still can't breathe.

EtA: for those coming late -- I really wasn't ready to see it posted anywhere. It's still a baby! I'm not ready to let it go yet! Eeeep. *ahem* Much calmer now.

When you wake up at 6am and think "something's different," it probably means there's snow on the ground. Dawn sounds different when it's snowing.


Some good news: I am informed by Madame Editrix that STAYING DEAD will be available in audio format the first week of March, via Audible.com.

This is also when the mass market reissues of CURSE THE DARK and BRING IT ON are supposed to hit (and the reprint of STAYING DEAD, to fill all the backorders finally, yay!)

So. I probably should do something to celebrate said events, huh? Hrm. Maye a contest...but what kind? it's almost like we're getting contest exhaustion around here in genre-land... can we come up with something different?

Gimmie your ideas, people. Be wacky. Be creative. Be traditional. Be greedy....


I'm heading back into the word mines. bbl.

As promised, you heard it here first: you can now pre-order Curse the Dark and Bring it On in mass market paperback from Amazon (and so, presumably, your bookstore of choice, as well). If you know you're gonna want it (and you know you will) why not order it now and have it done? My publisher will thank you. (really. they will. Even if I have to drag it out of them. If I see a noticeable jump in pre-order numbers on Amazon, I will drag a representative over here and have them thank you. How'bout that for customer service?))

Also, I can't remember who gave me that stone mortar and pestle, but thank you again! I ground a bunch of spices this morning (I'm making a lamb tagine) and not only does my kitchen smell wonderful now, but my aggravations are mollified. :-)

and now on to the evening's t.v. roundup:

1. Bush's little speech just made me want to dig my heels in further and demand more accountability, not less. I'm contrary that way, yes. When someone I already don't trust tells me to jump Because It's For My Own Good and They Know Best [even though They got us into this], I back away from the ledge. But that's just me.

2. The writers of "Bones" have redeemed themselves considerably. Poor Zack. For a brilliant alien creature, he's such an idiot. But their idea of what a "publisher" looks/dresses/talks like? Okay, let me break it to you gently, guys. Publishers of major houses look, dress, and talk like any other executive of any other corporation. They absolutely don't look/dress/talk like the director of a cheap porn movie from the 1970's. Sorry.

3. You know a show's got it goin' on when you watch the entire show standing up and pacing. Welcome back, Criminal Minds. We missed you.... [although ( for spoilers ) Also, the off-timing because of #1 kept throwing me in terms of pacing the plot. I wasn't sure if they would ( for more spoilers ) I did like the ending. Poor Hotch. Poor Morgan. You idiot.]

3a. I still have trouble seeing my city get beat up. Especially under a terrorist attack scenario. Not any kind of active reaction, but a passive awareness of the fact that it disturbs me. Interesting, to map my progress that way.

4. Letterman was really, really funny (in an "I'm bitter, damn it" way) about McCain canceling on him at the 11th hour. McCain's handlers really should have timed their decision better. Pissing off a national tv host with an office of pretty damn good comedy writers on-call is never a good idea.

5. Plexico, you eeeeediot. [the previous will only make sense to Giants fans]

It's not all doom and gloom on the financial front: CURSE THE DARK (book 2) and BRING IT ON (book 3) are [finally!] being reissued as $6.99 paperbacks! Yes, I can say this with assurance because I have on my desk the solicitation covers for both books.

Numfar! Do the Dance of Mass Market Joy!

Alas, it is delayed joy, because they will not be in your hot and needy (and fiscally prudent) hands until March 2009. But you will be able to pre-order them! When? Soon! I promise. In the meanwhile, though, if you like having all your books in one format, I'd avise ordering the trade editions before they go out of print...


Meanwhile over on Smart Bitches, they point out that the male model for "Dreamcatcher" was recycled from another earlier (print) book. Before anyone faints away in horror, let me assure you that this is not uncommon in series* books (if you look at a lot of media tie-ins, you may notice that the actor/actress is simple redressed and placed in a different backdrop, courtesy of Photoshop, not that I'm naming any *coughMurderSheWrotecough* names). There's only so much budget, and model fees are expensive, while stock art is cheaper. Same goes for anthologies or backlist reissues. Plus, in my case, "Dreamcatcher" is an e-book only so the cover is really a moot point -- why hit the budget for that?

For the record, I am amused rather than po'd, and have tweaked my editor on the topic already (it's an art department/publisher thing, so all editors can do, realistically, is lodge a protest and say "toljaso" when they get busted).

That said, there's been a run of the same thing on higher-profile books, especially in the chick-lit and literary end, and apparently people are less amused by that. I understand -- I'd be seriously pissed if this happened with Luna, or Pocket. Individual titles have different expectations from series, and nobody wants to discover that their highly anticipated novel got someone else's redressed hand-me-downs....


* 'series' does not mean "related books by one author" but "books published as part of a series imprint, i.e. Nocturne." Confusing, I know.

No, not writing, although there's that happening, too.

In September 2002, I signed a contract to contribute an article to the Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore, from Sharpe Reference. The essay was due "on or before 9/1/02," and the payment ($100) was due on-publication.

Time passed. More time passed. Even more time passed....

I just got my contributor's copy. It is a lovely, lovely thing, I have to say. Not worth waiting six years for, mind you, but it is quite nice.

I have not yet, however, gotten paid.

Children, this is why "payment on publication" is a bad idea. Even when it's a small sum. Because six years of interest on $100 would not have been insignificant.


(had this been a solo project, I would have yanked it. Since I was merely a contributor, that wasn't really an option)

Publication date update! I am informed that Unusual Suspects (aka "Powers of Detection 2") will be on-sale in December 2008 (thereby juuuust barely making the 2008 pub date we were told lo these many many months ago). This is the anthology with "Illumination," the first Bonnie Torres story in it -- the story that leads into HARD MAGIC.
( cover behind the cut )
Just so's y'all know, and can put it on your pre-order/gift-buying list...
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Meanwhile, a lot of running about, and 2600 new words on HARD MAGIC. Tomorrow I will be running hither and yon once again, and I have to write up something for Harlequin's blog, so this may be it for the weekend.

Oh, and if I promised you something and you haven't gotten it yet, please let me know, as my desk was cleared as of 4pm this afternoon (yay me!)
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Comment of the weekend [so far]: "Nothing in this place is perfect or unblemished. So? That is sort of the point after a certain age, no? Unblemished means you haven't been in it. Life, I mean." Words to live by.