Last call for the tip jar.

As mentioned in this post, I have been running a "tip jar" all week for the short fiction that I give away on my website. I'll be closing the tip jar tonight, so this is the last call.

A few answers to things people have asked me:

1. No, I am not holding anything finished hostage. This is just a way of moving things up onto the "paid work" list, which gets them finished and posted faster.

1b. ...on the other hand, I will still be pacing stories. So I'm not going to post a new short the day after a book comes out, just for the sake of my own sanity. That's why I'm not promising hard delivery dates.

2. Yes, you can "tip" me any time, but it won't go into the "tip jar total," which is what I'm basing my schedule off of. You can also wait until I decide to do this again (probably in six months or so).

3. Yes, this particular tip jar is for InCryptid stories only. If I open a jar for another series, it will be clearly marked as such.

3b. No, you can't tell me what series to take tips for next.

If you had been meaning to tip, or wanted to tip before the jar closed tonight, you can PayPal to delirium@xocolatl.com. I promise that is really my account, despite the weirdness of the email address and spelling.

Thanks to everyone who's donated so far, and I will post both a total collected and a "what I am committing to" after the tip jar closes.

Dance or die: MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL review roundup!

It's time to reduce the link file by posting some of the truly awesome Midnight Blue-Light Special reviews that have shown up recently. Hooray!

Alice the Writer has posted a review of Midnight Blue-Light Special, and says, "If this book were worse, I would be using this space to rail about how Seanan McGuire should spend her time focusing on Toby Daye's adventures so we'd have more of those. Alas, Verity's world is just as well-rounded as Toby's, her monsters and men just as interesting, her allies just as amusing." This is the best complaint ever, and I wish to hug it a lot.

Over the Effing Rainbow has posted a review of Midnight Blue-Light Special, and says, "Right, then. No beating around the bush with this one—the second book in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series is, in my opinion, possibly one of the most well-written and engaging urban fantasy novels I've read—and I've read every one of the Dresden Files novels several times over by now. McGuire is, for me, an author who is well within Jim Butcher's league for this stuff—her October Daye series continues to improve with every new book, and I can already tell that her pattern is holding true with this series as well." Daaaaaamn.

Badass Book Reviews has posted a review of Midnight Blue-Light Special, and says, "This book will take you through the entire gamut of emotions. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll worry for the characters safety, and you'll cheer their triumphs. As with all Seanan McGuire novels, the writing is top-notch and the world entirely engrossing. Give yourself some time to savor this novel; once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down!" Yay!

Michael Jones at Tor.com has posted a review of Midnight Blue-Light Special, and says, "Midnight Blue-Light Special is fun. Even in the darkest moments, when Verity is dealing with ruthless enemies and fighting for her life, when good people are making desperate choices, there’s that sense of whimsy, of magic, of joy, which makes this a book, and a series, well worth checking out. I can’t wait for the next installment." He also calls attention to the amount of As You Know, Bob in the book, which is a fair cop, if not one that I have a clear bead on fixing, since when I cut the AYKB, I get complaints about things being dense and confusing. This is the lesser of two evils, I guess. It's a great review, and Michael Jones pulls no punches, as always.

Fantasy Book Cafe has posted a review of Midnight Blue-Light Special, and says, "Like its predecessor, Midnight Blue-Light Special is humorous and highly entertaining without a dull moment. While I wanted to see the premise of the first book built on a little more in the second book, I thought it did a great job with a kickass main protagonist who had strengths beyond her fighting ability as well as a quieter character with inner strength. I also enjoyed that it got a bit darker and the stakes were higher for the characters, and I’m certainly looking forward to reading more in this series." Woo!

I am pleased with how this book has been received, and I can't wait for y'all to see book three, and meet Alex properly for the first time.