Big review roundup.

It's a Sunday afternoon and I'm too sick to think, with one of those headaches that makes it feel like my brains are going to run out my ears and causes every medical website on the Internet to say that I have brain parasites or something. OH JOY. So here are ten reviews, very quickly, and I'm going back to bed.

Grapeshot Magazine says, "Feed, I have to say, is a book for the geeks. Those who are into blogging (both posting and reading), enjoyed reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or are horror junkies, should definitely put Feed on their must-read list."

Shroud Magazine Book Reviews says, "...she has written what is, in my humble opinion, the best zombie novel since the one by that Brooks fella."

The Unfanboy says, "While Grant is far from the first author to use epidemiological mayhem as the basis for a zombie story, her premise is just original enough to lead to some new implications that keep this one fresh."

Crackin' Spines and Takin' Names says, "For me, this book had everything! I laughed, I cried, I threw up in my mouth a little bit, I cried some more...It was the closest thing to a perfect zombie book and I truly cannot wait to read the next installment of the Newsflesh series."

Coffeespoons says, "You can read it as a zombie book or a commentary on new media. Either way, Feed is a powerful book, and anyone who's read through till the end will understand why."

BookGirl's Book Nook says, "I loved this book, even if it did scare the shit out of me."

Bite Club says, "Feed is an interesting, clever, and engrossing book that kept me reading to the very end."

Poisoned Rationality says, "Grant is as sneaky as Joss Whedon with her foreshadowing."

Good Books and Good Wine says, "The ending blew me away and I definitely choked up a little bit while driving."

Finally for now, SFReader says, "Feed is a post apocalyptic zombie novel, and it's a damn good one."

...and that's about what I can handle just at the moment. I'm going to go be horizontal before there is cookie-tossing. Someone come over here and kill my headache with a chainsaw, will you?

Results of winter giveaway #1!

hvideo, please pick up the white courtesy telephone; you have won a copy of Rosemary and Rue, which I will happily mail to you or to the person of your choice (although if you want this puppy mailed internationally, you're going to need to pay for postage).

Please email me through my website contact link to let me know where to send your book!

Winter giveaway #3: WICKED GIRLS poster.

For our third winter giveaway, I'm going to deviate a little bit from the expected. While I will be giving away a copy of An Artificial Night, I want to make sure I have time to mail today's offering, which takes a little special packing. So...

Today's giveaway is a copy of the "Wicked Girls" poster. I'll be selecting our winner Thursday, and doing my mailing that weekend. The drawing will be random, so just leave a comment if you'd like a chance to win.

There is, however, one catch this time. If you're outside North America, you're still eligible for the drawing, but I will have to ask you to pay postage ($6 US). I just can't afford the shipping. If you decide to enter anyway, please identify yourself as outside North America in your comment. This will not change your chances of winning, it just tells me I have to work out postage payment with you if you win.

Game on!

Word count -- BLACKOUT.

Words: 2,026.
Total words: 10,017.
Reason for stopping: my head hurts.
Music: random shuffle. An unusual amount of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Cats: Lilly, cat tree; Thomas, bedroom floor; Alice, same.

I'm stopping not because I've reached the end of a chapter—I haven't—but because my head is killing me, which means my painkillers are wearing off, which means it's time to do something less important than working on the final book in the Newsflesh trilogy. You know, like taking more pills and crying into my pillow until sweet unconsciousness comes to claim me. The fun thing to do on a Sunday night!

I remain very pleased, and somewhat daunted, with the way this book is going. I'm trying not to think too hard about how much I have left to go before I come to the ending; instead, I'm focusing on the fact that every page I finish is one page closer to the conclusion, which is going to be mind-blowing. For me, if for no one else. I mean, this is going to be the first series I've ever actually finished, and while yes, that makes me a little nervous, it's also one of those incredible milestones that every author dreams of.

We're more than 10,000 words into the story. That means there's no turning back now, and you know what? I'm glad.