Cover Art Contest

Love the cover for BLOOD LAW? How about BLOOD SECRETS?

Here’s your chance to own both! No, not as books. Not even cover flats. No, one very lucky winner is will receive these:

Yes, those are POSTERS of the covers for BLOOD LAW and BLOOD SECRETS and both are signed by me! Each measures approximately 11 in. by 17  in. and are suitable for framing. (There is a slight difference in the height due to printing but it does not affect the artwork.) I only have two of these available so whoever gets them will have the only pair in existence — other than the two I own.

So how do you enter to when these lovely posters? Easy…

1. Leave a comment on this post — NO EMAILS IN POSTS, PLEASE. That’s it. Just a comment. (Just keep it clean.)

2. Contest begins June 13 and ends MIDNIGHT (CT) June 27. Winner will be announced HERE June 28, so check back.

3. Winner will be chosen at random.

4. Winner will receive BOTH posters.

5. Contest is open to international participants.

See below for individual pics of each poster:

“For Blood and Love” — Original short story

FOR BLOOD AND LOVE, a new, original short story featuring FBPI Enforcer Alexandra Sabian, is now available. Click on the link below the “Alexandra Sabian Series” heading to the right.

MidSouthCon 29

MidSouthCon 29 was held March 25-27, 2011, in the Hilton in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. This year marked my first year at MSC, and I will definitely be going back. I’ve been to many cons and every at MSC was awesome! But before I launch into the full details of the weekend, I need to set the stage.

Michelle at one of the many caffeine breaks along the way.

Accompanying me were Mark, my OMG (Official Market Genius) and trophy husband, and fellow Ninja Pea, Michelle Ladner. To say the drive from Mobile to Memphis is long and boring is an understatement. It’s very long and very boring, even with Michelle on a sugar and caffiene high in the backseat. When she spotted the six-foot “rooster,” the trip took a sharp left turn straight to the gutter. (More on the “rooster” in a bit.)

Michelle and me at Waffle House in Horn Lake, MS

Driving to Memphis offered us a chance to visit an authentic BLOOD LAW  location. Yes, the town of Jefferson, Mississippi is fictional, but if you carefully read chapter two (pages 25-32) you’ll find a scene involving Varik Baudelaire, Reyes Cott, and Freddy Haver at a Waffle House in Horn Lake, Mississippi. This is a real location and since we were passing through, we stopped for coffee. It seemed appropriate.

After a quick coffee break and short photo op, we were on the road again and headed to Memphis. Naturally we hit town in time for the 4:30-5:00 pm rush but we made it to the hotel and only had to made one questionably legal U-turn. By the time we checked in, parked the truck, and found our rooms (which were on the 17th floor and reached by loud and somewhat creaky glass elevators), it was time to check-in at registration and go to work. By the way, here is the view from our room, which overlooked the pool. (Unfortunately, the picture was taken on Saturday and it was raining.)

View from the Memphis Hilton's 17th floor

My first panel discussion didn’t start until 10:00 pm (Ghosts in the Machine: How the paranormal manifests in real life and fiction.) So we all registered, familiarized ourselves with the location, checked out a few early discussions, and grabbed dinner. Then it was time for my first panel, and it was a lot of fun. My fellow panelists, Allan Gilbreath, Joy Ward, Kalila Smith, Leslie Gray, and Mallory Kane, were lively, humorous, and experienced with both writing and the paranormal. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to MidSouthCon.

The following day, Saturday, brought more people to the con and the costumes were out in full force. Michelle rode the elevator down from the 14th floor in the company of Darth Vader. I really wish I’d been there to get a picture of her Luke Skywalker moment. Alas, I was off paneling or something.

An Imperial Stormtrooper succumbs to the cute side. No one can resist the call of the balloon animal.

I had two afternoon panels and a signing on Saturday. The first discussion, Different Flavors of Fantasy, discussed the various subgenres of fantasy and why we write the ones we do. My fellow panelists Ruth Souther, Stephen Zimmer, and Violette Reid were awesome and we had a great discussion with lots of audience questions. I had a chance to talk with Ruth and Stephen, separately, in greater detail later and hope I see them again on the con circuit. I also wish I’d had an opportunity to speak with Violette again but our schedules unfortunately didn’t mesh. My schedule panel, Guide To Writers’ Organizations, with J. F. Lewis, Jason Sizemore, and Mary Robinette Kowal, also had tons of audience participation. I’ve been to some cons where audience interaction was difficult to obtain, but MSC wasn’t one of them. Great questions, polite debate, and outstanding discussions made my experience with MSC among the best.

Next on my agenda was the signing. I gave away copies of BLOOD LAW and met a lot of wonderful readers. Once my time at the table was over, it was time to regroup with Mark, Michelle, and Katie (a reader and pre-published author from Mississippi) for dinner. My official obligations were over for this year’s MSC but the Dealer’s Room had yet to be conquered…

Six-foot "rooster" along Highway 49, north of Hattiesburg, MS

And conquer it I did on Sunday. New dice and two new T-shirts later, it was time to hit on final panel discussion and then we were on the road for home. Remember the six-foot “rooster” Michelle saw? We found it on the way back — big yellow and red “thing” on the right side of the photo. We don’t know what it is, what it’s intended use may be, but it provided hours of entertainment during an otherwise boring drive.

MidSouthCon 29 was anything but boring and if you haven’t been, you really should go. I know I’ll be back.

Thanks to all who came to the panels, to the organizers and volunteers who made the whole thing run, and to my fellow panelists for the lively discussions. Thanks to Katie for braving the weather to show your support. Special thanks to Mark and Michelle for their support, entertainment, and keeping me on schedule. I couldn’t do what I do without you. Much (Ninja Pea) love!

The Writer’s Prayer

I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump for the past few weeks. Something about this time of year saps my motivation and drains all the smarts from my brains like a zombie on crack. My critique partners and fellow writers all gave me support and encouraging words, but still the slump continued and I kept searching for a way to break out of it.

And then it happened. Through the miracle that is Twitter, I was led to a marvelous post by author Chuck Wendig…a little inspirational boost he dubbed “The Writer’s Prayer.” (Click the link for the full text.) Here is but an example of the wisdom contained therein….

“This book is not the boss of my shit.”

“My hamstrings might snap like high-tension cables and take out one of my eyes. My back may bend and bow until my scoliosis allows me to pleasure myself with my mouth. My knee caps might shoot off, striking a Yeti in the eye which makes him really mad and so he comes over and tears both of my arms off and beats me about the head and neck with my own gore-spewing limbs. My mind may crumble under the assault, driven to the very precipice of sanity, staring down into the deepest yawning yawping abyss and as the Yeti howls and my synapses fire I will smell the scent of funeral flowers wafting up from that abyss and I will find it peaceful and comfortable and will realize how easy it would be to just pivot my hips just-so and go tumbling down into that satisfying darkness, the darkness of ease, the darkness of acquiescence, the milk-livered niddering darkness of sweet sweet cowardice.”

“I am a writer, and I will finish the shit that I started.”

Thank you, Chuck. Your words of wisdom and gift of laughter have provided me with a much needed kick in the ass. I will now finish the shit that I started.

Live Chat — November 18, 2010

Have you read BLOOD LAW? Dying to know what happens in BLOOD SECRETS? Have a question about Varik’s past…or Alex’s future? Here’s your chance to ask the only person who truly knows…. Me!

Mark your calendars, peeps! I’ll be having a live chat at the Jeannie Holmes Fan Forum on Thursday, November 18 at 8:30/7:30 PM (ET/CT). The chat is sponsored by the JHeeps Minions and is open to the public.

To access the chat, go to the Jeannie Holmes Chat Forum and click the “Jeannie Holmes Chat Forum Live Chat” link directly below the (annoying) banner ad. Type in a user name and join the fun.

Hope to see you there!

Here’s what really happened…

Dweezil, the loveable kitty companion to Alexandra Sabian, describes the event portrayed in BLOOD LAW in this exclusive video:(Video created by Mark Holmes)