Meet the Author - Keep the Party Going!

Hey gang!  Comic Con may be in the rear view window, but there's still time to get your geek on!  I'll be a the Rosewood Main Library in the City of Commerce, CA next Saturday for COMIC BOOK INVASION!  Details are below.  Be there AND be square... which is to say, awesome!

Sat., 7/25/15, 10AM – 4PM – COMIC BOOK INVASION

City of Commerce Public Library, Rosewood Main Branch, 5655 Jillson St, Commerce, CA 90040

   Look at this line up!

• Meet comic book authors and artists
• Meet authors of teen literature
• Face painting
• Costume contest
• Create a zine
• Learn about Lucha Libre
• Attend drawing workshops
• Wanna start reading comics, but don’t know where to start?  Join us for Comic Book 101
• Wanna Cosplay, but don’t know where to start?  Join us for a Cosplay panel

    I’ll be on a panel at 11:00AM, and signing afterwards.  

   Sound like fun?  Then I hope to see you there!

Meet the Author: 2015 San Diego Comic Con

COMIC CON

IS

 COMING!

That's right, kids, it's time to:

Come see me this week in San Diego:

7/8/15 - 7/12/15 - Tired Girl Collective, Table O-12, Small Press, San Diego Comic Con

We've got some cute stuff at my crafty table this year.  See more of what's in store here.  Ms. Bates, the famous artist, has outdone herself this year:

And we've got the requisite cute nerdy jewelry!

I'll also have a speculative fiction short story, limited edition!  If you want to read the nearly-unknown works of Sherri L. Smith, swing by and pick up a copy!

I'll also be a on a panel:

Sunday, 7/12/15 - "Middle Grade Spectacular"

11 AM - 12 PM, Room 25ABC

Mysteries, magic, missions! Monsters, myths, Minecraft! It's time for some middle grade merriment! Authors Melissa de la Cruz (The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel), D. J. MacHale (Voyagers: Project Alpha), Jonathan Maberry (Orphan Army),Sherri Smith (The Toymaker's Apprentice), Judd Winick (Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth), and Sean Fay Wolfe (The Elementia Chronicles #1: Quest for Justice) explore the boundless world of middle grade fiction. Ages 8 and up.

Hope to see you all there!

Where I've Been: So Many Places, So Many Things!

Dear readers,

I have been away for so long, I don't know where to begin filling in the story!  I've fulfilled a life long dream:

I've traveled to London...

Venice...

...and Florence for a research trip!

And I've spent two weeks on a writing retreat in Southern Italy!

In short, it's been busy, busy, busy and wonderful.  But new things are up ahead:

Comic Con!  I'll be in San Diego next week for the greatest pop culture and comic book convention of all time.  Come see me at Tired Girl Press, Table O-12 in small press.  I'll also have a panel on Sunday for middle grade books!  Details to follow in another post.

Hope your summer is shaping up to be as adventurous as my Spring!

Post Comic Con Post 2013

This might be a part one if I can get more pictures to post.  Comic Con was crazy this year!  In addition to my usual floor presence as part of the Tired Girl Collective, I was honored to be a part of TWO panels!

The first was Friday night with my fearless former editor Tim Travaglini and the charming Andy Briggs (The New Adventures of Tarzan).  Andy's work with Tarzan has taken him to Cameroon where he is working with Ape Action Africa to help save our fellow primates! 

I moderated the second panel, a jam-packed stage full of awesome writers-- Veronica Wolff (The Keep), Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown), Veronica Roth (Divergent), Marissa Meyer (Cinder), Lissa Price (Starters) and Ally Condie (Matched).  We had a great time talking about romance and the kick-ass heroine.

The view from the podium-- a packed house!

Afterwards, we held a book signing with a line so long, the fire marshal shut us down!  I sat between Lissa and Holly at the signing.  Lissa was giving out advanced copies of the sequel to STARTERS, ENDERS.  In order to win, a reader had to pick a number out of an envelope, flip to that page in their copy of the book, and see if the last letter in the last word on the page ended in a vowel.  If it did, Lissa would shout "We have a winner!" and throw her arms in the air.  It was silly and exciting and a lot of fun.  By the end I was shouting "Ding! Ding! Ding!" like a Vegas slot machine.

Also?  I got to meet Jim Butcher.  Which. Was. Awesome.  Because I heart me some Dresden Files.  I never thought I'd geek out over someone at Comic Con, and I've seen or talked to a ton of "names" at conventions-- Christian Bale, Jason Statham, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Gene Simmons, etc.  But who does it for me?  Writers.  Novelists.  Jim Butcher!  Squee!

All in all, it was an awesome, exhausting, wonderful time.  If you were there, thanks for coming!  If you missed it, maybe next time?  It's worth the trip.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled deadline...

Comic Con 2013!

It's that time of the year again!  I'm off to Comic Con and I've got an exciting line up this year.  Thanks to ORLEANS finally being a considered genre enough for Con, I'll be doing a couple of panels and signings, in addition to my usual crafty presence in Small Press with Tired Girl Collective.

The Schedule:

·         Wednesday, 7/17 – Sunday, 7/21/13 – TIRED GIRL COLLECTIVE, Small Press Table O-12

 

Visit Sherri and her pals at their arts, crafts and jewelry table known as the “pinkest booth at Con!”  You can see a preview of some of this year's wares below.

      · Thursday, 7/18/13 – AUTHOR SIGNING,2pm to 3pm, Penguin Booth 1028/1030

· Friday, 7/19/13 –PANEL: PUBLISHING SF/F IN THE DIGITAL AGE, 7pm to 8pm, Room 25ABC

Moderated by Timothy Travaglini (Open Road Integrated Media); authors Kevin J. Anderson(Dune) and Rebecca Moesta (WordFire Press), Cory Doctorow (Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Little Brother, Boing Boing), Andy Briggs (Hero.com, Villain.net, Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy), Sherri L. Smith (Orleans, Flygirl), and Nick Cole (The Old Man and the Wasteland, The Savage Boy), and bookseller Maggie Tokuda-Hall (Books, Inc) discuss impact of the digital age on writing, publishing, reading, bookselling, and the traditional book as we know it.

· Saturday, 7/20/13 – PANEL: WHEN GRRLS FALL IN LOVE, 11am to 12pm, Room 23ABC

From The Hunger Games' Katniss to Divergent's Tris, no one knows how to give a solid ass-kicking like a YA novel heroine. But when these young ladies aren't saving the world, overthrowing powerful regimes, or slaying everything from zombies to dragons, they still find time for romance. Ally Condie(Matched), Veronica Roth (Divergent), Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown),Marissa Meyer(Scarlet), Lissa Price (Starters), and Veronica Wolff (The Watchers) discuss the delicate balance between killing and kissing, and what it takes to properly woo a YA heroine. Moderated by Sherri Smith (Orleans).

· Saturday July 20, 2013 – AUTHOR SIGNING, 1:30pm to 2:30pm, Sails Pavillion – Autographs

With When Grrls Fall in Love Panelists Ally Condie (Matched),Veronica Roth (Divergent), Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown), Marissa Meyer (Scarlet), Lissa Price (Starters), Veronica Wolff (The Watchers), Sherri Smith (Orleans).

 

Now, if you're wondering what Tired Girl Collective is, it's a crafting co-op I started with a couple of friends back in the dark ages of 2006.  Comprised of my odd random crafts and jewelry (as Miss Smith's Miscellany and Bookish Press),

 

What I get up to when I'm not writing...



... or working....

...or sleeping.  This is a hairclip!

my partner-in-crime Ren of Karen Lucrece's beautiful art (she designed the look of my webpage!),

 

and a rotating cast of other exhausted women who stay up late making strange things because we think they are funny or cute. This year we have Melanie of Belle Pottery with us. she's got AWESOME jewelry this year.  You must come see it if you can! 

 

Okay, that's enough self-promotion for one day.  I hope to see you in San Diego.  If not, I'm sure I'll come back with some good stories.  See you next week!

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting afternoon

Pin up by my talented friend Ren from Tired Girl Collective-- check us out at SDCC!

Yesterday I did my first podcast with Black Girl Nerds.  My favorite part?  Hearing the host say "Caller, you're on the air, what's your question?"  It brought me back to all those episodes of "WKRP in Cincinnati" my parents used to watch-- surprisingly exciting!  A big thanks to Jaime and Cynthia for making me feel so welcome. 

You can catch the podcast right here, but I encourage you to visit the BGN blog.  (While you're at it, join their book club.  WILDSEED by Octavia S. Butler is next up!)  In this day and age when so many people are openly living the lives they choose, it's astonishing to me that some folks are still shy about owning their nerdiness.  The founder of BGN, Jamie, started her blog as a safe place for women of color, and all people to embrace their inner geek.  I, for one, am down with that message.  Live long and prosper, y'all!

For a real blast, take a look at the talk on their twitter page.  Some great dream casting suggestions (complete with pictures!) for ORLEANS!

Listen to internet radio with Black Girl Nerds on BlogTalkRadio

Countdown to Comic Con 2013 - The Reading List

Happy July, everyone!  San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner and I am rushing to meet it.  In addition to that rewrite I keep promising you I am working on (I still am, I promise!), I've got a stack of reading to do for the panel I'm moderating.

I mentioned that, right?  I'll be moderating a panel at Con!  The official description is:

When Grrls Fall in Love, Saturday, 7/20/13, 11:00a.m. - 12:00p.m., Room: 23ABC
From The Hunger Games’ Katniss to Divergent’s Tris, no one knows how to give a solid ass-kicking like a young adult novel heroine. But when these young ladies aren’t saving the world, overthrowing powerful regimes, or slaying everything from zombies to dragons, they still find time for romance. Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments), Ally Condie (Matched), Veronica Roth (Divergent), Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown), Marissa Meyer (Scarlet), Lissa Price (Starters), and Veronica Wolff (The Watchers) discuss the delicate balance between killing and kissing, and what it takes to properly woo a YA heroine.

I just finished the creepy, compelling ageism thriller Starters and I'm knee-deep in Tris right now.  (When faced with a knife and a block of cheese, I think I would cube the cheese.  Is there a tribe for that?)  So far, so fun.  There's quite a stack to go, but I'm looking forward to it all.

So, tell me, fans of the above, what questions would you ask if you were lucky enough to be sitting in Room 23ABC on Saturday the 20th?  If you actually will be there, let me know.  I'd love to say hi.

Aside from the panel fun, I'll be camped out in my usual spot in Small Press with Tired Girl Collective.  We'll be the very pink table O-12.



This year, I'm bringing hand-stamped notebooks (if they look okay), some Avenger-themed rice bags (you know, with lavender, for boo boos and aches), lots of sound fx jewelry, and other fun things. 
Our little website is woefully out of date, but the link above will show you some of what we've done in the past.  We've got a new Tired Girl with us this year, so swing by if you're at the show and check out all the pretty nerd things!

Lastly, I'll be doing signings at the Penguin booth on Thursday, July 18th at 2:00pm and in Autograph Alley on Saturday after the panel.

I'm so freakin' excited!  And there's so much work to do! 

Enjoy your Independence Day Weekend, everyone.  I know what I'll be doing!

Zombie Aftermath, or How I Am So Not Michonne

 

The Walking Dead, Issue #1

 

I'm having surgery today to fix the ACL I tore in my right knee while dodging a zombie at Comic Con last year.  In honor of the event, everyone should read the entire Walking Dead comic book series.  It's different from the TV show.  (Better, in my opinion.)  And the reason why I'm having surgery today.  See how I forgive and forget? 

 

Michonne.  Way cooler than me.

 

Oh, and if you ever see an undead guy in a lab coat coming at you, do yourself a favor and just run away.  Dodging him doesn't seem to work. 

It's that time of year again!

So, you've probably been wondering where I've been.  Deep in the Middle Hundred, people, deep in it.  I've been up to my elbows in rewrites on Orleans and another project that shall remain nameless for the time being.  I've been revising and revising since February.  I tell you, it's like a fine sauce, or a soup, cooking a book is, reducing it until it's rich and thick and delicious.  Unfortunately, it's not soup just yet, but it's getting there.  In fact, I've called in the tasters and now I'm anxiously awaiting their comments-- more salt?  More pepper?  A dash of thyme?

In the meantime, this week is Comic Con!!!   I'm off to my favorite gobin market to see what there is to see.  Now, I'll let you in on a secret.  If you want to know what writers do when they aren't writing, well, this one makes jewelry and other random stuff.  If you want to see it, and you are at Comic Con, then swing by the Small Press section and look for Tired Girl Collective.  It's the pink table with me and my friend Ren behind it.  And if you happen to have a book with you that you'd like signed, well, I suppose I'd be willing to do that too!  I'll be around Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, so come on by and say hello.

When I come back, I promise I'll tell you all about what's been happening in my book kitchen.  Or, at least the parts that seem interesting.  Until then, ROCK OUT!