I just posted my original draft of my second novel over at Scribd as a free read. Monster Motel was rewritten extensively and published in 2007 as Midnight Brunch, but I thought fans of the series might enjoy reading Milagro's adventures among eccentric movie people. You'll find some of the same characters, and also different versions of the characters, as well as those who never made it to the final cut. It's really quite a different book.
That said, it is a first draft and it's filled with typos and inconsistencies. My books generally go through at least three full rewrites over the course of a year or more, when I develop the plots and characters. Then they go though a few rounds with my editor and copyeditors. I hope you'll enjoy Monster Motel as both a funny, sexy story and a study in how the book changed and evolved.
Feel free to share the link with your friends. You can read it without joining Scribd at their site, or you can join and download it to your personal reader. Please do not embed it at another site. Have a great weekend!
Yesterday I had a nice time at my book signing for Nancy's Theory of Style. I was particularly happy to meet some longtime fans. One mentioned that she's wanted to write to me, but didn't want to bother me. Here's something all fans should know: we do it for you. When we hear from you, it's the highlight of our day. It cheers us up and keeps us going. Okay, that's not true for every author, but I think it's true for most. Even the ones who are really popular and don't have time to answer every letter appreciate the emails.
Yes, there are some emails I haven't answered just because they're more complicated, like where can someone buy a Russian edition of my book, or will I ever have signed bookplates. I don't know to the first and what a good idea to the second. I'll have to do that.
Last night a pal who is a pretty high mucky-muck of an agent (can we say Oprah?) mentioned that she hates it when she goes to writers conferences and a speaker tells aspiring writers that it's impossible to get published. She knows exactly how difficult it is, but it's not impossible. So all you aspiring writers out there, keep working and trying.
MOONLIGHT & THE VAMPIRE DIAIRES: If you miss vampire Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) and need to catch up on the hawt new vamps on the block, The Vampire Diaries, the CW will be broadcasting them on Thursday nights this summer. "Mick St. John is a vampire private detective. He's cool, charming, and a real do-gooder who only gets his blood from the blood bank."
SCIFI GUY UPDATE: As many of you know, I am engaged in a bitter, no-holds-barred rivalry with my arch nemesis Canadian blogger Doug Knipe of Sci-Fi Guy. He's been absent for weeks, which meant that my life no longer had meaning or purpose. I contacted his company and found out that he's still recouping from illness, but that his health is improving. He's using his time to catch up on his reading. I passed along everyone's best wishes for his full recovery.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
These go out to Moonlight fans to celebrate the summer reruns of a show canceled before it had a chance.
Fab music. I'm loving the piano. Have a wonderful weekend!
"Such a fabulous read, a hilarious and heartfelt debut by Coopersmith, and a stunning example of exceptional writing. A must read for the summer as far as I am concerned."
Book Junkie
"Nancy's Theory of Style is a spectacular read! Perfect for the beach!"
The Minding Spot
First and most important, I'll be doing a book signing tonight to talk about my new novel,Nancy's Theory of Style, which I wrote under my non-vampy pen name of Grace Coopersmith.
Books Inc.
1760 Fourth Street
Berkeley, CA
510.525.777
If you can't make it tonight, please be sure tobuy a copy of this "perfect feel-good summer read," (Bookaholics Romance, Five Star Rating), which has been described as "crackalicious," "laugh-out-loud funny," and a "fantastic feel-good contemporary love story." (Dirty Sexy Books)
Yesterday I had lunch with my college roomie from my own Fancy University (F.U.) and she said, "How did you come up with the name Grace Coopersmith? I love it." I said, "Certain names get stuck in my brain, like Boutros Boutros Ghali and Oksana Baiul and Maxsim Chmerkovskiy. Coopersmith was one of those names."
It's funny about names, some stick with you and others disappear even though you like the character. I reference Lloyd Dobler in my new book. It seems like a banal name, but I've remembered it from the first time I saw Say Anything.
Memorable vampire names? The top must be Lestat de Lioncourt. Sookie Stackhouse is a serious contender, but Charlaine Harris is really good at coming up with memorable names. There are authors who take already known names and use them, like Tanya Huff using Henry Fitzroy. And you may remember a name even though you don't particularly like a character. It just gets stuck in your head.
What name gets stuck in your head?
Book series titles are more complicated. Sometimes an author uses a different title than the publisher, or a more natural name evolves from the series. The Vampire Chronicles? Simple, descriptive, unforgettable.
The fab chicks at Midnight Moon Cafe are running a month-long contest for Rachel Caine's Thin Air, her new Weather Wardens book, and promo items. Leave a comment anytime during the month to be entered into the contest. You may want to check out their right-sidebar, where MMC bloggers/authors Cassandra Curtis and Cora Zane have links to free reads.
Speaking of free reads, I'm going to post my original draft for my second Casa Dracula book online today or tomorrow. Yes, it has typos and it's just a first draft, but it's also got some favorite characters, characters who don't appear anywhere else, and Milagro's trademark sexy nuttiness.
SciFi Guy must be still under the weather since he hasn't blogged lately. If any of you Canadians lives near him, please drop by to see how he is and take him a six o' Molson's and a bottle of maple syrup with my best wishes for his recovery.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Carolyn Crane was happy for an Eric Northman (easy to remember name, please see above) video yesterday, so I'm posting more in the hope that she'll come and guest blog. No, I'm not crying because she ignored Vampire Wire -- I've just got something in my eye, jeez.
"Cabot winningly applies her trademark likably fallible protagonists and breezy storytelling to a vampire war in New York City."
Publishers Weekly
Today's contest is for a copy of Insatiable by New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot. The book, which will be released on June 8, is Meg's first foray into paranormal romance.
Publishers summary:
Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper. But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them. Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die. (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)
But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It's a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare. Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future. . . . If she even has one.
Thanks to Katrina at WiredSet for offering the prize!
To enter the contest, just leave a comment saying whether you'd prefer to be dating a vampire or on the side of the ancient vampire hunters, a la Buffy and the Scoobies. Going out for steaks, or wielding a stake? Personally I can't even remove splinters, so I wouldn't be happy staking someone. The contest runs through June 8, the release date of Insatiable, and is limited to U.S. and Canada entries. A winner will be chosen at random.
Mind Games is the first book in the Justin Jones Disillusionist series. Here's the publisher's description:
Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem.
Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.
One of my favorite blogger, Rebecca Baumann of Dirty Sexy Books, said, "“Carolyn Crane’s debut novel is a brilliant original in every way. Just when I think that urban fantasy heroines are becoming too clichéd and predictable, Mind Games blows me out of the water with its unique premise. Justine does not wield a katana, or ride a Harley, or kick like a ninja. Instead she fights with her mind, and speaking as a nerd myself, I find that concept oh so sexy.”
BerriesBabymade a mini-movie called "A Monster in Someone Else's Eyes." She used some fave antiheroes for her characters. You can go to her page and read the entire description and cast. The video is beautifully done.
Thanks to everyone who entered my week o' contests last week. They're still going on and at some point, I'm going to fix the links on the top bar so you can just click to the list of contests
who is already a Stacia fan, all the more good that she can share the love with pals. She also has a speculative fiction writing blog, WrittenWyrrd, and aspiring writers may want to check it out for inspiration and ideas.
Winners, please send me an email with your mailing address so I can forward it on and you can get your prizes. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the Elemental Assassin prize, and Random House for the Downside Ghosts prize.
I've been busy trying to do a light clean-up (but not at all a precise proofing, because that takes forever) of my original manuscript for Casa Dracula Book 2. The original is very different than Midnight Brunch, which was published. I'm going to post it as a free read online this week and will give you a heads up.
I'd forgotten scenes, characters, and how different some characters were. Anyway, fans of the series may be interested.
I'm thinking of having a contest for galleys of Haunted Honeymoon, Casa Dracula Book 4. But then I get all "what have you done for me lately?" which goes against my general reputation as a Good Samaritan, and someone who loves fluffy kittens and rainbows. In the immortal words of Meatloaf, "Let me sleep on it."
I need coffee so I'm going straight to GVDs.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Yes, I did a YouTube search for +Supernatural +Meatloaf. That was the Good Samaritan part of me.
Agh, these videos are loading really slow at home.
, but I thought fans of the series might enjoy reading Milagro's adventures among eccentric movie people. You'll find some of the same characters, and also different versions of the characters, as well as those who never made it to the final cut. It's really quite a different book.
I was particularly happy to meet some longtime fans. One mentioned that she's wanted to write to me, but didn't want to bother me. Here's something all fans should know: we do it for you. When we hear from you, it's the highlight of our day. It cheers us up and keeps us going. Okay, that's not true for every author, but I think it's true for most. Even the ones who are really popular and don't have time to answer every letter appreciate the emails.
? Simple, descriptive, unforgettable.
, which was published. I'm going to post it as a free read online this week and will give you a heads up.
, Casa Dracula Book 4. But then I get all "what have you done for me lately?" which goes against my general reputation as a Good Samaritan, and someone who loves fluffy kittens and rainbows. In the immortal words of 
, "Let me sleep on it."