Rose-Owls and Pumpkin Girls

I hope the month has treated everyone well, and even more, I hope the week has treated you wonderfully. We're sliding into fall, the month of my heart, and October is going to be just amazing this year. You'll see.

As always, I am fighting against my links, and losing; because of this, I need to burn a few of them off. Don't worry, they make a lovely light.

First up, Lesley Smith (who still likes me, even though I killed her in "San Diego 2014") interviewed me for Amazing Stories. It's a very honest interview, which means that some parts of it are sad and some are not, and some are just me being faintly confused. Check it out!

I also did a "ask Seanan anything" interview over at Worlds Without End, and had a lot of fun answering their questions. It's silly and strange and includes some stuff about why I don't say things.

We're kind of on a roll with the interviews, so here: here is me talking to the nice folks at Omnivoracious about lots of things, including a picture of the exact moment when I realized that the cover of Parasite mirrors the colors used to signify "this shit here belongs to the Umbrella Corporation" and was overcome with geeky joy.

...and you know, that's only three items, but it seems like a good place to stop, because this is more of an "interview roundup" than a "review roundup," and that's okay.

Happy Friday everyone!

This is one of those days that calls to mind the opening line of Clive Barker's classic The Thief of Time: "The great gray beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive." February is a monster, and we're all being digested. In an effort to slow the process, here are a few interesting things from my link file.

Susan, who is splendid, and who makes amazing hand-crafted leather goods, is making leather wrist straps with the Ashes of Honor ding bat on them (with my permission, naturally). That's not all she has to offer (my cats love her catnip toys, for example). Check her out!

Here are some rejected warning signs for you. I basically want to put these all around my house, especially "Annnnnnnnd...you're infected." That, and "We Apologize For What is About to Occur," which may eventually be the title of one of my books.

Publishers Weekly did a profile on me and it's pretty much amazing. I'm just saying.

Also I went on the SF Signal Podcast and spent like, an hour talking about television and how the Syfy Channel Saturday night movies have lost their integrity. You can listen to the whole thing here. Warning: It turns out I swear a lot. Who knew?

In other news, I really need to do a couple of mega review round-ups; my link file is currently threatening to eat my soul in the night, and that would be bad.

Happy Wednesday!

I have been doing stuff! On the internet! With people!

Have you ever wondered whether I had guilty pleasures? Well, I don't actually believe in being guilty about the things that bring me joy, but that didn't stop me from appearing on My Countless Lives to talk about my not-so-guilty pleasures. Looking at this list, I believe I can say, without reservations, that I'm a little weird. But I'm also super-fun to go to Disneyland with, so it all balances out.

Orbit asked me to write a thing about fictional politicians. So I wrote a thing about fictional politicians. Being as I am me, it's a pretty eclectic list. I kept it short by leaving off people who inherited their titles and became kick-ass royals, because yes, Neo-Queen Serenity is awesome, but that would have been the point at which things got completely out of control.

Oh, hey, I did an interview (as Mira Grant) for the Examiner. So that's a thing and you should totally read it.

Oh! Also! I did a sort of micro-interview with Romantic Times, also as Mira Grant. Not many questions, but the ones they asked were fun, so that works out.

Also, this one time, at band camp, I interviewed Mira Grant, and things quickly got really weird. So that's a thing which I have done on the internet.

And those are things and stuff what I have done on the internet.

Doobie-doo.

So very tired cat is so very tired. Tired enough that the effort of packing a suitcase for a trip to New York seems to be unendurable. Consequentially, I am updating my blog, because I can generally manage that...but I am too tired to say anything useful. So here. Have a Discount Armageddon review roundup.

Book Devourer has posted a review of Discount Armageddon, and says, "Discount Armageddon was something kind of like an impulse buy, but I’m so pleased to have bought it. It was enjoyable and entertaining with interesting characters and fast pacing that just keeps you glued to the book for hours on end. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next books in this series!" Awesome.

Dark Faerie Tales interviewed me about Discount Armageddon, and we had a lot of fun. Check it out.

janicu has posted a review of Discount Armageddon, and says, "A refreshing urban fantasy that does not take itself too seriously. Discount Armageddon is full of fun and humor, but is balanced with just the right amount of grit. I thoroughly enjoyed Verity's dynamo presence and her enthusiasm for being in the Now. She's a kick-ass UF heroine who isn't angry or angsty, doesn't have a painful past, and comes with a supportive family. I recommend this one for urban fantasy fans that are looking for something that approaches the genre from a different angle." What a great summation!

One Good Book Deserves Another has posted a review of Discount Armageddon, and says, "I loved this book. It's original, funny, creative, and while there's room for more complexity in the plot and more detail for the secondary characters, Verity herself was highly enjoyable and carried the book well. I'd love to meet her sister, though." Oh, don't worry. You will. Heh heh heh.

Impressions of a Reader has posted a review of Discount Armageddon, and says, "Discount Armageddon is fun and refreshing, full of wonderful characters, and I love this world. I can't wait to meet Alex and Antimony, or to find out what the heck is up with Dominic. And of course, Hail Verity!" I love how much everyone wants to meet her siblings.

Finally for right now, calico_reaction has posted a review of Discount Armageddon, and says, "This is just a wonderfully fun book to read, and rather utterly different that McGuire’s other work, namely her October Daye series and NewsFlesh series, with one exception: as always, the world-building is utterly full and vivid. But where the InCryptid series deviates so far is the humor, and this book had me giggling and entertained the entire time I read it. There’s a lot of crazy ingredients to the story, and some might mix well better than others, depending on the reader, but if you’re looking for a fun, creative story, look no further."

On that note, we wrap for now.

Goodnight, moon.

Blah blah review roundup blah blah links eat world blah blah I will run out of bullets before I run out of reviews. And so...

Ages and ages ago, John Joseph Adams interviewed me about my Newsflesh-universe short story, "Everglades," published in his anthology, The Living Dead 2. It's a fun interview, and he asked some really excellent questions. Check it out.

Pen and Ink, Camera and Keyboard has posted a review of Deadline, and says, "Deadline is a great book, it’s well written and genuinely enthralling." Works for me!

Jordan Wyn has posted a review of Feed, and says, "As with most successful dystopias, Feed takes the world we know and pushes it farther." I, and my love of Orwell, salute you.

The Guilded Earlobe has posted a review of the Deadline audiobook, and says, "Listeners will miss elements of the first novel, particularly the covering of the Ryman campaign, yet will enjoy getting to know some new characters, and finding out more about some old ones. Add to that a lot of great zombie action and a brilliant ending, and readers will be beating down Ms. Grant’s door demanding the finale of the trilogy." Woo!

Underground Reading has posted a review of Feed, and says, "Feed is a great zombie thriller—this already makes it a rarity, and it needs no additional layers of meaning to be a worthwhile read. Ms. Grant uses the setting of politics to create a background of tension and as a vehicle that keep the protagonists moving and motivated. She also uses blogging as a method of getting her protagonists not only involved in the action, but also actively pursuing it. Feed isn't secretly about politics or journalism, it is overtly about zombies. This is one case where we should celebrate a book at face value, without trying to stretch it into anything more." Hee!

And that's it for right now, even though it barely represents a dent in this cursed file. One day, it will eat me.

Must. Post. Reviews. Must. Not. Drown in links. So here:

Man in Black Reviews has posted a fabulous review of Deadline, and says, "I commented that the Newsflesh trilogy opening was one of the better novels I have read in several years, that it had nowhere up left to go, and that the second novel, Deadline, would have no choice but to go down. I come here today to eat those words, because Deadline goes anywhere but down hill." Woo!

Blogcritics has also posted a lovely review of Deadline, and says, "Grant takes the political intrigue of Feed and ratchets it up to 11 to a stunning conclusion in Deadline. And we can only hope that the next book of the trilogy—Blackout—serves to answer some of the questions asked in the first two books. The only bad part is we have to wait a while for those answers when Blackout is released in May 2012. I'm not sure I can wait another year!!" Neither am I!

Everything's better with Feed, right? Well, Alysha De Shae has posted a lovely review of Feed. There are no real pull quotes this time, but it's a good, solid review, and I appreciated it.

Our friends at Geek Speak Magazine have posted an awesome review of Feed, and say, "I’ve lost count of how many people I have recommended this book to, and/or bought this book for. Twenty? Thirty? Fifty? Maybe more. It is just one of those rare books you start to read and then just cannot stop, no matter what else is happening in your life that demands your immediate attention. You. Cannot. Stop. And then, when you come to the end of it, you’re all like HOLY FUCK, did that just really happen? That was INCREDIBLE!" Also: "There is not a zombie story anywhere that compares to Feed. For mine, it is the single best genre book of last year, bar none."

Sniffle.

I can't top that review right now, and so I won't even try. Here. Go listen to me hanging out on the Orbit podcast, instead.

More soon.

The countdown sort of scrambled my ability to stay afloat in the link soup over here, and so, in an effort to stop myself from drowning, I present Deadline reviews and interviews. Because otherwise, you may never find my body.

Our friends at BookBanter have posted a conveniently spoiler-tagged for Feed review of Deadline, and say, "Once again Grant has achieved the incredible with a long story of over six hundred pages that will have you wide eyed and mouth wateringly hooked from the very first to the very last. Middle books in trilogies are often weak compared to the strong start and captivating end, but Deadline is a worthy next installment that is as good as Feed in many ways, making it feel more like a continuation of the same book." Also, I am compared to Stephen King and Dean Koontz, making this THE BEST REVIEW EVER.

Keeping up our BookBanter party, I did an interview for them as Mira Grant, and we discuss lots of lovely things, including what Seanan and Mira have in common, what Mira does for fun, and what's coming up next. You should give it a read! Plus you can win a book if you do.

Kind of an interview and kind of not: I did another Big Idea piece for John Scalzi's Whatever, this time all about the concepts and science behind Deadline. It was fun and challenging to write, and you should definitely stop by and see what drove me to another 150,000 words of sheer insanity.

My Bookish Ways has posted an excellent review of Deadline, and says, "Sometimes it's hard to follow up such amazing work, and sometimes second novels in a series suffer a bit. Not Deadline. It's just as good as Feed, and you'll find yourself plowing through this 600+ page novel in no time. I missed quite a bit of sleep finishing this one up. Was it worth it? Totally." I am the cause of insomnia!

Finally (for now), Pen and Ink, Camera and Keyboard has posted a nice review of Deadline, and says, "Deadline is a great book, it's well written and genuinely enthralling." Also: "The build up at first feels off with a climatic introduction and action packed first chapters, only for everything to simmer down. That's until you realize that something big is building and when you finally hit the last act, well the terrible realization of the sheer scope is palpable. There's a section where Shaun and co are driving home and it's like the eye of a storm...the eerie silence before the shit hits the fan."

I cause insomnia AND terrible realizations! I win!

And that's all for the moment. I will now go sleep the sleep of the just and exhausted.

The random number generator has spoken! And it says the winners of Whedonistas are...

firebirdgrrl
jeffreycwells

Congratulations! Please send me your mailing information via my website contact form within the next twenty-four hours to receive your prize. If I don't hear from you by the time I rise from the depths of sleep tomorrow morning, I'll choose a new winner. For which I apologize, but well, that's the only way to maintain order around here.

For those of you who are waiting for me to mail you something: I will be packing posters for mailing out tonight, and doing the mass mailing on Monday. I currently have four paid posters pending (say that five times fast). If you wanted to order a "Wicked Girls" poster, now would be a good time to do it, as it would get you into a guaranteed mail batch (IE, Monday). I will be deleting all unpaid poster requests on Monday the 21st, which should free up several numbered posters. Again, I apologize, but I can't hold things forever. If you have not received a poster, and think you've paid, feel free to email me.

Interview and giveaway over at My Bookish Ways! I'm mailing the prizes, so they will be signed. Go ye forth, and participate. Or point people at the interview, and let them participate. I'm pretty easy, as such things go.

Descended From Darkness, Volume II is now available from the Apex Book Company, and contains my story, "Dying With Her Cheer Pants On," a Fighting Pumpkins adventure that first appeared in Apex Magazine. If you're trying to acquire the whole pumpkin patch, this book is a must. Also, you know. Rah rah supporting Apex, lots of other awesome stories (seriously, some of them blew my socks off), go team. But it's early in the morning where I am, so "GO PUMPKINS!" is about the extent of my brain.

What's news with you?

Let's go in reverse order, shall we? Because sometimes linearity just doesn't cut it. Anyway, the annual Locus Magazine poll for the best speculative fiction has been posted, covering those items published during 2010. Many excellent things are on the list already, and there are write-in slots for excellent things which you feel should have been included there, but weren't. The poll is open until April 15th, and everyone can vote, although votes cast by actual subscribers count for double. (This is one reason, among many, that it is awesome to have a Locus subscription.) Go, take a look, and help paint an accurate picture of what people loved about the speculative fiction of 2010!

I recently did an interview with the charming Katie Babs, who has posted our conversation for everyone to see. Being more sophisticated about these things than l'il ol' me, she even included graphics and other such awesome bells and whistles. It was a fun interview, with good questions, and I highly recommend taking a peek, if only so she'll feel that her site traffic justifies having me back someday!

Why, no. I do not have any pride. Why do you ask?

The cats continue healthy. Alice is a bit heavier than I want her to be, since recovering from her illness included a lot of gooshy food and spoiling, so we're trying to feed lightly for the moment. This might work better if a) Thomas weren't a growing boy, b) Lilly were more willing to be pushy about her food, and c) Alice didn't flop in the middle of the floor wailing about how she's starving to death and I am the WORST MONKEY EVER. Although, to be fair, Alice's flopping would be more believable if she didn't shake the floor when she did it. Yes, yes, you're starving, my little tauntaun. And next time there's a cold snap, I am going to crawl inside you to keep myself warm.

Thomas is growing at a truly staggering rate; it's like he's taken Alice's size as a personal challenge, and is determined to beat her before the next time he sees Betsy (I always assume my cats are trying to impress their breeder with their spectacular awesomeness). He's still the sweetest thing on four feet, which is good, since otherwise, I would be in trouble. He's very smart, and very curious. He's also stubborn as hell. Last night, he was on my lap, trying to play with the popcorn I was eating, so every time he reached for a piece, I would flick his paw. A normal cat would have grown annoyed and stalked off, furious at such callous treatment. Thomas started flicking me back. I love my Maine Coons.

I also love my Siamese. Lilly remains the lickingest cat in the entire known universe, as the patch of skin she licked off the inside my elbow last night while I slept will cheerfully attest. She's a little daunted by suddenly being the smallest cat in the house, but she's dignified enough (in all regards except for the licking) to hold her own against the fluffy tide.

And now...toys. As you may know, I love toys. My bedroom is like a terrifying cross between a set built for the Halloweentown movies and a toy store. I have well over a hundred My Little Ponies (and am collecting more every day), the entire current Monster High toy line, and a bunch of random assorted dolls, action figures, and weird things, including an anime-style Emma Frost, a hungry flesh-eating wasp-woman, and the Impala from Supernatural. It's a fun room to sleep in sometimes.

Anyway, yesterday, I got home to find a box on my porch. And inside that box...PONIES. Lots and lots of lovely Ponies, including Baby Racer (a yellow Baby Brother Pony with blue hair and a race car on his rump) and Applejack and some beautifully ringletted Candy Cane Ponies...

And Oakly. The My Little Pony Moose. Who has been on my Top 10 Wish List for ages. And now? NOW SHE IS MINE.

It's a good week to be a Pony geek.

Tara is making me a Barbie version of Alice Price-Healy, which has given me an excuse to go shopping for lots and lots of 1/6th scale weapons on eBay. This is incredibly soothing. It's shopping with purpose, and that purpose will result in my having the best. Barbie. EVER. The other Barbie she made for me, Lt. Anis Bihari of the USS Rutan, is currently off-site having her uniform tailored. I expect much joy when she returns. Oh, and they just announced the second wave of the Monster High Dawn of the Dance line, which will include two of my favorite dolls (Draculaura and Ghoulia).

It's a good week to be a toy geek, period. I am a happy blonde.

You know the drill: the links are winning, and it's time to smack them down again. I'm trying to keep these posts to a minimum, and I thank you all for your patience. I'll provide koala pictures soon, as penance.

First up, there's a really fun interview with Mira Grant on the Realm Cast, including some questions that aren't part of the "every time, they ask me" list. In fact, some of these questions were totally new. Reward ingenuity! It's fun!

Necroscope is the official zombie fiction review blog of Horrorscope (which says something terrifying about the scope of zombie fiction), and has posted a review of Feed, saying "Feed is a page-turner of the highest order, which hits the reader (emotionally speaking) like a ton of bricks when their defenses are down. A must-read for all fans of horror, SF, and anything in-between." Okay, Chuck at Necroscope, I officially adore you.

Oh, what the hell, have another Feed review, this one from Lordazen's blog. He says, "Mira Grant's first release in the Newsflesh trilogy is a roller coaster ride of action and emotion. She has captured the Zombie apocalypse in its most raw format and dishes it out on discs of pure saw blade lethality. An excellent beginning to what promises to be a thrill ride of a series." Fantastic!

Sick Damage has posted a review of Feed, complete with a first for me in book reviews: a picture of Conan the Barbarian. Well, okay. Anyway, their reviewer says, "The book is really really good. There are a lot of twists and turns and plenty of action to keep you going. It’s also one of the more original zombie novels I've read in a while." Thank you, Conan!

Finally for this batch, since I try to stop at five, Beyond Scary has posted a review of Feed, and says, "I had a lot of fun with this book, which is just as well as it runs to a lurching 560 odd pages of mayhem, and was generally surprised at just how well written it was. Okay the whole media thing isn't a Down Under perspective but I could get with the program there and go with the flow. I have seen the future of the zombie novel folks, and am now simply dying to get my hands on the next novel. Wonder if Mira Grant has thought about a sequel or another novel set in her undead world?" You have no idea how much this review makes me want to set a Newsflesh-universe book set in Australia. ZOMBIE KANGAROOS FOR EVERYBODY!

And that's a wrap. For now.