Hail and welcome! Now come, and know me better.

[seanan_mcguire]

So hello! Good morning, and welcome to the many people who have shown up over the weekend. Here are a few things you might want to know, as you're deciding whether or not to stick around.

1. This is not a social issues blog. Mostly, it's about writing, my cats, and me doing stupid things in the interest of not being bored out of my skull. Because I have very strong feelings about a lot of social issues, they do crop up from time to time, but they're not my focus. Rage is exhausting. I try to focus on happier things, like that new rabies/Ebola virus that's started melting people while being inexplicable and impossible to cure. It's the little things in life.

2. I write urban fantasy under my own name, and science fiction medical thrillers under the name Mira Grant. The first books in my urban fantasy series are Rosemary and Rue (for the October Daye series), and Discount Armageddon (for my InCryptid series). There's also a lot of free fiction on my website, mostly in the Velveteen vs. superhero universe and the InCryptid universe, so you can try things if you want to see whether you like them.

3. I have OCD, in the literal, medically diagnosed sense, not in the joking "that was a little OCD of me" sense. This translates to a love of lists, both to do and to generate (hence this entry). I will occasionally do things that don't make much sense, like my insistence on answering every top-level comment I receive. Don't worry about it. I do my best not to make my problems anyone else's concern, and will let you know if there's a problem.

4. I do not ban people, but I do ask them to play nicely. Because I have a full-time day job, sometimes I can't clean up the comments as quickly as I want to. Please don't take a comment appearing as a sign of authorial approval. If it's inappropriate, rude, or over the line, I'll speak up as soon as I get the chance.

5. Cumulatively, my three cats weigh as much as a small golden retriever, and none of them are overweight. Jim Hines once said that I took my cats very seriously. This is because they can eat me. This is also why I tend to respond to "I just bought your book" with "thank you for feeding my cats." I do not wish to be eaten.

Again, welcome. You are all welcome to stay, and while I hope you will, I will not be hurt if you choose to go. It's a big internet, and we'd all explode if we tried to pay attention to absolutely everything.

Happy Monday!

Comments

[shanejayell.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm a follower of your October Daye series, and I didn't know you wrote SF too. I'll be looking on my day off for your Mira Grant books. :D

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Awesome!

[ohari.livejournal.com]

1. Is that (Rabies/Ebola melting virus) a real thing?
2. Thank You. I like them all.
3. I think I missed the "Diagnosed" part, which is neither here nor there, and I love lists. Not as much as flow charts, but lists are close.
4. Perhaps repeat offenders should be infected with that virus from #1.
5. By cats.

Happy Monday, Wonderful Lady!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yup, it's a real thing. Brand new and really lethal!

I was diagnosed in my teens. I'm pretty open about it, but it doesn't define me.

[cypherindigo.livejournal.com]

Thank you, for the lovely welcome. I will curl up over here, and maybe one of the nice cats will let me pet Her/Him.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

They'll definitely submit to pettings. My cats love affection of all kinds.

[melchar.livejournal.com]

That's it! Americans are getting fatter because we are -eating- the internet! Run - run before we all eat that last mint because it's 'wafer thin!' [Monty Python 'Meaning of Life' reference]

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

NOM NOM NOM INTERNET NOM.

[morningapproach.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that about your OCD. What do you do as a full time day job? Do you get famous author perks or recognition there?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I work as a non-profit QA analyst. Sometimes the people I work with encounter evidence that I'm famous on the internet, and then they look confused and disoriented before backing slowly away.

[la-chica-08.livejournal.com]

So I stumbled on your lj via metaquotes and was rather fascinated by the descriptions of your characters. Definitely looking into the October Daye series, sounds amazing.

Then I realized you wrote the Newsflesh (Trilogy? series?) which I've heard of because it's one of the books Mark Reads is doing (which I was going to pick up and read once he'd gone through them all, I can't read one chapter every other day...I tried...)

so rambling aside. Yeah! new books to read :)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I am really enjoying Mark Reads! It delights me.

[lauowolf.livejournal.com]

I just met my new tenants' cat.
It is lovely, some kind of fancy wild-kitty designer effect cat.
Full-grown, my guess is maybe as much as five pounds.
Or not.
I don't have your monsters, but at least three of my guys are Big Kitties, over ten pounds at least.
It was strangely affecting to see Leema (her name).
And, clearly, she could still beat me up.
It would just be even more embarrassing.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

KITTY.

Ahem.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

Came due to a link to "Things I Will Not Do," somehow stumbled into the Vel stories, READ EVERY ONE OF THEM IN ONE SITTING, realized I should add you to my friendslist so there's zero chance of missing any future installments.

So, you know... sort of an insta-fan, I guess. *wry grin*

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hooray!

I <3 Vel.

[gorgeousgary]

Because I have a full-time day job, sometimes I can't clean up the comments as quickly as I want to.

I wonder if John Scalzi would be willing to occasionally rent himself out as a special guest malleter of unwanted comments. ;-)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I suspect he's busier than I am.

[sarahfish.livejournal.com]

Regarding point 1: I'm glad you get excited about these things. I get excited about these things too. Actually, part of why I love Newsflesh so much is that you clearly spent so much time thinking about the viruses, and so many people... well, don't. To them, viruses are sort of like this magical black box that just makes things suddenly happen. As someone who studies viruses, I really appreciate this. A lot. Viruses need more people like you!

Regarding point 5: I knew you had big cats but somehow didn't make the connection between size and being able to eat you. This suddenly makes a lot more sense!

[paksenarrion2.livejournal.com]

I have one Maine Coon and there are mornings I wake up to him *looking* at me. I swear he is drooling

I'm afraid one morning I'm going to wake up with a few good sized chunks missing.

And heaven forend he turn zombie. *quivers in dread*

[deire.livejournal.com]

Rabies Ebola wait what? I missed this!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It's new!

[geekhyena.livejournal.com]

I found your work through Kory Bing (whose work I have been following for years), and I have to say that not only is InCryptid one of the best examples of worldbuilding I've seen in urban fantasy, but also that "Countdown" was the first zombie story I read and actually enjoyed. Are you a fan of Richard Preston? "Countdown" had a delicious The Hot Zone feel to it that made me unable to put it down (and I'm waiting for the library to get the Newsflesh books). It was like the mental equivalent of really, really good chocolate - I read it, and then reread it, savoring it.

Also, glad to finally see the cactus cats up on the site! (You showed me the sketch at Worldcon, and the colored version is even more adorable). My girlfriend thinks they are the cutest things ever.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I adore me some Richard Preston, although I was really disappointed with the recent novel he "co-wrote" from Crichton's notes.

Kory's been slammed lately, so I only just got the color version. But I quite agree: cutest things ever.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

"...that new rabies/Ebola virus that's started melting people..."

I'm melting! I'm melting! What a world!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee.

[phoenixsansfyr.livejournal.com]

Getting my news about horrible new things via your journal makes me stupidly happy.

In other news, I had HazMat training yesterday and I think I freaked the instructor out on the subjects of Sarin, Ricin, Ebola VHF... And I had far too much fun tromping about in a gas mask. Come share my job, because gas masks are fun!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Awesome!!!!

[jacylrin.livejournal.com]

I have a file on my laptop titled "Crap Seanan Said" because sometimes I simply *must* remember these things. And may need to cross-stitch some of them *grin*

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Okay, that rules.

[westrider.livejournal.com]

OK, probably would have friended you earlier if I'd realized you had an LJ, because I'm a pretty big fan of both Toby and the Newsflesh books.

But then I come over here and there's mention of huge cats who could eat you*, and a Bill & Ted reference. There's no way I couldn't friend you after seeing that!

*This is a concern with my cat as well, tho she's not so huge. She's grown more since even the later picture in that Icon, tho :3

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

KITTY!

Ahem.

I'm better now.

[ironed_orchid]

HAIL!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

HAIL!

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

2. Fascinating! I had never thought of the Mira Grant books as anything but The Zombie Books (aka The Best Ever Zombie Books) though they obviously aren't primarily about the zombies. So it is interesting to read them defined as you have (see me nodding). Cool. We need more books in this subgenre of science fiction, IMO.

Your cats rule.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I think so too. :)

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

"...I have a full-time day job..."

Waitaminit?
Another job *besides* the writing?
That answers my wondering what you do with your copious free time.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's basically hell.

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

Happy Monday to you, too!

I hopped on board because I really enjoyed reading Feed and Deadline a few months back (first zombie books I'd ever liked, to be honest), and I suddenly realized I hadn't started reading your LJ regularly. Now I will. (And now I've suddenly realized I need to start Blackout, too.)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[arachne10.livejournal.com]

I like. :-)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

SPIDER ICON.

Yes good.

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

Rabies and ebola combined? Oooooo, that is FANTASTIC. Especially since the actual event happened in 2009, this means that there are probably more viral hybrids out there, lurking and waiting.

To the academic journals!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hooray!

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Tell your cats I'm happy to continue feeding them via my local indie bookstore. Not that I needed any justification, mind you...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[thedragonweaver.livejournal.com]

The Rabies-Ebola virus. Dang. Vaccines now, please?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Seriously.

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

Cumulatively, my three cats weigh as much as a small golden retriever, and none of them are overweight. Jim Hines once said that I took my cats very seriously. This is because they can eat me. This is also why I tend to respond to "I just bought your book" with "thank you for feeding my cats." I do not wish to be eaten.

I have a theory that no-one should walk more dog(s) than they can outvote. I never thought to apply that to cats. (Well, domestic cats. Big as I am, I would never think to try to outvote a liger.)

I approve your plan not to be eaten. I can't imagine that it would be relaxing.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It would probably hurt a lot.