Friday Cat Blogging

I suppose you're wondering why I've called you all here today…



Not really.



Nope.



Did you say something?



Fine, I hope they do eat you.

A Year Later

On Facebook, I noticed that Laura Anne Gilman posted this note: "Accounting has revelaed unto us that sales of BREAKING WAVES, our ocean-centric charity antholgy, has to date earned $585.28 for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund."

To which, I say: HOORAY! I contributed a story, and I'm glad to hear we're making a difference. But, one year later, there's still much to do to help the people and animals suffering after the BP spill. So, if you haven't already, please consider purchasing a copy via Book View Cafe.

Friday Cat Blogging

Sleeping here!



Blobbing here!



Panicking here!



Wait, where is here again?

A New Book!

Naomi has a new e-book on offer. She's collected eleven stories in an anthology called Gift of the Winter King and Other Stories. You should check it out, it's awesome. She talks a bit about the process and the stories included on her LJ.

Our Stuff in Their Stuff

I'm always interested to see articles about our genre(s) in the mundane media, and in the past couple of weeks I've run across quite a few of them, so here's some link salad for you.

In the New Yorker, an extremely interesting article about George R. R. Martin's unfinished final "Song of Fire and Ice" novel and his impatient fans:

"Just Write It!" by Laura Miller

In the New York Times Magazine, a mostly irritating article about HBO's Game of Thrones and contemporary fantasy:

"The Bleak Game of Thrones Needs More Light," by Heather Havrilesky

Also in the NYTM, a good piece on Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series:

"Suzanne Collins's War Stories for Kids," by Susan Dominus

Also there, an article from a while back on our friends at Marvel Comics:

"Modern Marvel," by Dave Itzkoff

And for good measure, Publishers Weekly's regular comics roundup:

Comics Briefly 4.12.122

Crowd of Nine

Uncle Hugo's passed this on to me and it made me laugh/cry. The Onion gets it right with this article: Author Promoting Book Gives it Her All, Whether it's Just 2 People or a Crowd of 9.

Unless, of course, you're Doug. :-)

Arts Count

Hey, all you Minnesotans! The Minnesota Start Arts Board is sponsoring an "Arts Count," wherein they try to get a sense of how many of us out here are engaged in, as they put it, creative expression. I filled it out, and it's super-short. It's also very friendly, in that, you are not required to make ANY money from your art (they do ask what percentage you make, but ZERO is an option.)

So, writers, dancers, musicians, poets, crafters, actors, playwrights, and generally creative folks -- stand up and be counted: MN Arts Count

Friday Cat Blogging

Where did you put the sun, damnit!



Crazy eyes? What crazy eyes?



I am the empress of the laundry pile.



Yeah? Well %#$@ you too!

NASA APOD

On April 12th, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin became the first human in space. His remotely controlled Vostok 1 spacecraft lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once around planet Earth. Commenting on the first view from space he reported, "The sky is very dark; the Earth is bluish. Everything is seen very clearly". His view could have resembled this image taken in 2003 from the International Space Station. Alan Shepard, the first US astronaut, would not be launched until almost a month later and then on a comparatively short suborbital flight. Born on March 9, 1934, Gagarin was a military pilot before being chosen for the first group of cosmonauts in 1960. As a result of his historic flight he became an international hero and legend. Killed when his MIG jet crashed during a training flight in 1968, Gagarin was given a hero's funeral, his ashes interred in the Kremlin Wall. Twenty years later, on yet another April 12th, in 1981, NASA launched the first space shuttle.

More about Moi

Tracy S. Morris interviews me at her blog: http://tracysmorris.com/

Friday Cat Blogging

4 cats, 1 spouse, no movement



SUN!



Thinking thoughty thinks, why you ask?



Watchoo lookin' at?



Worship me, peasant



What do you mean "dog treat?"



Delicate! Dainty! A Princess! Slurpslurpslur…

Right On, Write On!

If you missed me last night (which I'm sure you did, given that it was SRO at Doug's sold out reading/signing at B&N), check out the "Write On Radio" show last night: http://www.kfai.org/node/35216. I'm actually the first guest for once so you don't have to wait!

I always feel really stupid doing these things, but my partner tells me I came off much smarter than I felt. I'm more in my persona as Lyda at the beginning and tend to focus on Resurrection Code as it's the most recent release, but the host and I get around to talking about vampires and even bring up Whedonistas! the other book project I was involved in through Mad Norwegian Press.

Launch minus One, and still we manage swag

Among Thieves officially hits the shelves in the U.S. tomorrow. And while I am sure this will result in the kind of mad-cap rush usually portrayed in Keystone Cops & Mel Brooks movies (whether to or from the store is still open to debate), I can tell you how to avoid the crush should you want to get your own copy...for FREE.

Fellow Penguin fantasy author, Lisa Shearin, is graciously hosting a giveaway of two signed copies of my debut effort over on her web site. All you need to do is stop on by and leave a comment in the thread for a chance to win. How easy is that? (Answer: it's very easy. Like, one click and little typing easy. You expended more effort ordering/making/opening your coffee/tea/energy drink this morning. No, don't deny it--we both know better.)

So stop on over to Lisa's site and toss your name in the hat; and check out her stuff while you're there, too. She shares the same editor as Kelly and myself, and since our editor has exceptional taste (ahem)...well, you get the picture. ;)

Write On!

Sorry to be so shameless with my self-promotion, but I would like y'all to know that I'm going to be a guest tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 5) on the "Write On Radio" show on KFAI (90.3 FM Minneapolis/106.7 FM St. Paul) from 7:00 - 8:00 pm Central Time. If you're not local and want to listen as it's happenin', you can stream it at http://www.kfai.org/.

Even if you can't listen in, say, because you might be attending a reading/signing of Douglas Hulick at B&N at the same time, you can check out the archives at http://www.kfai.org/archive the next morning. I'll try to remember to post a link here on Wednesday morning.

Friday Cat Blogging

Look dude, the radiator stays ON, and that's final.



Step over here please, I want to smack you one.



Blah-blah-blah, that's all you do.



Goo-goo-gachoo, baby!

Friday Cat Blogging: St. Paul Edition

Midnight Cat seez U in deh dark.



Lafing Cat tinks U r funnie... lookin!