Rose-Owls and Pumpkin Girls

Title: Velveteen vs. Recovery.
Summary: What happens to a child superhero who finds that after everything she has done, everything she has endured...life goes on?

( As a rule, life at the Crystal Glitter Unicorn Cloud Castle followed a fairly strict set of guidelines... )

Title: Velveteen vs. The Retroactive Continuity.
Summary: What happens when a former child superhero returns from her travels in the seasonal lands, only to discover that things have changed, possibly forever? Velveteen is home. Home is not the same.

( The four women were locked in an uneasy standoff, none of them willing to be the first to move and hence kick off the fight... )

Title: Velveteen vs. Going Home Again.
Summary: What happens when a former child superhero returns from her travels in the seasonal lands, only to discover that things have changed, possibly forever? Velveteen is home. Home is not the same.

( The Princess sat on her (increasingly tarnished) throne, hands gripping the armrests so tight that it felt like she was going to break a nail... )

Title: Velveteen Presents Action Dude vs. Doing the Right Thing.
Summary: And now for something completely different. Velveteen is gone, and Action Dude has found himself in situations his training never prepared him for.

( It felt like Aaron Frank had become a luxury... )

It is with absolute joy and no small amount of confusion that I make the following announcement:

Velveteen vs. The Seasons is under discussion to be released this coming Memorial Day weekend at Marcon in Columbus, Ohio. Like the first two volumes, it will be a hardcover from ISFiC Press. It will include all the stories released after the end of volume two (and possibly a few that I haven't had the chance to post yet, depending on how my schedule shakes out).

Action! Adventure! Punching things! Vel having a really, really lousy time! Honestly, I can't wait.

This does, however, bring us to a point of administrative order: my contract terms with ISFiC are for two year periods. This means that at the end of this month, the first two Velveteen volumes will no longer be available for purchase in eBook form. The physical books will remain available until they sell out, and the stories will remain available for free on this blog, but the collected eBooks? Gone. So get 'em now or get 'em never.

I am so thrilled to know that Vel's next big adventure is going to be a book, and I think you're really going to like where things go. My bunny-girl sure did make it a lot farther than I ever thought she would.

For justice!

FOR CAKE!

Title: Velveteen vs. The Melancholy of Autumn.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( Velveteen opened her eyes to find herself staring up into the rafters of a house that should probably have been condemned five minutes after it was built... )

Title: Velveteen vs. Spring Cleaning.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( Velveteen walked through the green world and the green world moved through Velveteen... )

Title: Velveteen vs. The Thaw.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( Cradled in a bed of moss and new spring leaves, draped in a blanket of flower petals and thistledown, Velveteen slept... )

Title: Velveteen vs. Global Warming.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( Time ran differently in the Winter... )

So it turns out that there are some admin tasks that I was really good at when I had a day job, but am not so good at when "wander away from the computer and watch an episode of Law & Order" is on the table. The review roundup is one of these tasks. I will strive to do better, if only because my notes file is becoming impossible to navigate. This is the first step toward doing better.

Brewing Tea & Books has posted a review of Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, and says, "This book is in one word: Fun." The review goes on to say "But if I have to write a bit more, since one word reviews aren’t very interesting now are they. The book is not only very entertaining and funny, it is also very intelligent and thought-provoking." (Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots is available now from ISFic Press, or via Borderlands Books in San Francisco; they should be getting a shipment soon, and books ordered from them can be signed or personalized.)

Jennifer Brozek has reviewed Half-Off Ragnarok, and says, "Half-Off Ragnarok is my favorite book in the InCryptid series thus far. I thought Verity was interesting but I’m half in love with Alex. The whole Price family is a hoot and Shelby is an interesting wild card in the mix. If urban fantasy, intriguing animals, and fast-paced adventure is your thing, you’re going to love Half-Off Ragnarok. Highly recommended." Woo!

Vampire Book Club has reviewed Ashes of Honor, and says, "Let’s cut to the chase. Ashes of Honor is THE book." I'm...just going to leave that there and wander off. Because dude.

Amazing Stories has reviewed Chimes at Midnight, and says, "Urban fantasy novels are big right now and it’s hard not to love Toby Daye, the unlikely knight and changeling protagonist of Seanan McGuire's popular series set in magic-rich San Francisco. Chimes at Midnight is book seven in the on-going series and, now we’ve met the characters and had hints dropped about the history of the Kingdom in the Mists, the story is getting fascinating." Woo!

Finally for today, Whatchamacallit Reviews has reviewed Games Creatures Play, and had this to say about my story: "Seanan McGuire takes readers into her Incryptid world. Fans of the series will enjoy reading a fun roller derby story from the youngest sibling (and only sibling not to get a book yet) Antinomy’s POV. Readers who have not read the series should read the series, not because they need to in order to understand this short story, just because it this is a fun and entertaining series."

That's all for now: more to come, including a focused roundup about Sparrow Hill Road, shortly.