Kalayna Price

[If you missed the first post in this series, click here to see more info on James Tuck and don't forget to enter to win a copy of Blood and Bullets!]

For the second post in the Fantastical Mystery Tour series, I'd like to move the spotlight to the amazing and completely unconventional John G. Hartness. I first met John at RoundCon and I've made a point of running into him at other events because this guy is awesome. He's an unabashed redneck who writes about snarky vampires (among other things)--what's not to love? He's had a rather unusual path to publication and considers himself a hybrid writer as he both self-publishes and traditionally publishes his work. I don't usually talk about many self-published books, but John has a voice that will entangle you from the first page. I laughed so much while reading HARD DAY'S KNIGHT, the first book in the Black Night Chronicles, that the head minion came to see what I was reading. John also recently started …

To prepare for the release of GRAVE MEMORY and the upcoming Second Annual Fantastical Mystery Tour, I thought I'd start a series to spotlight the Authors who will be participating in the tour. And of course, I'll give away books during each spotlight. Sound good?

Today I'd like to start the series with a spotlight on James R Tuck, the author of the Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series. I first met James last year at DragonCon before his first book, BLOOD AND BULLETS was released. But Dragon is huge and we didn't have much time to talk. I ran into him again at ConCarolinas, and I have to say, this is one guy you want to hang out with. He is smart and witty and all around fun, so don't let the fact he looks like a scary bouncer intimidate you--he is totally approachable. He is also one of the people who talked me into my last minute decision to join Fandomfest, so if you'll be at the con, make sure you go chat him up.

Okay, enough of my blathering and let…

I have cranked up the random number generator and drawn three winners for the T-Shirt contest. Congratulations:
Nicola
Melissa
and
Maria A.

Thank you everyone who entered! And again, congratulations to the winners. If you will write me at Contests (AT) Kalayna (DOT) Com with the t-shirt design you want as well as the desired size, I'll get those in the mail to you.

In other news, please check the blog tomorrow as I will start a series of contests for the books of my fellow Fantastical Mystery Tour authors. Stay tuned!

Happy Monday everyone.

[If you haven't entered yet, scroll down for a chance to win an Alex Craft or Haven themed t-shirt!]

 You've heard about the Second Annual Fantastical Mystery Tour, right? This massive signing event will feature seven amazing fantasy authors who will give two talks (one geared toward readers and one toward writers),  have a Q&A session, a signing (of course), and will give away several gift baskets. This event also doubles as my official release party for Grave Memory and to celebrate I'll be giving away a NOOK. For one night only, we'll be at the Barnes and Noble on Forest Drive in Columbia, SC from 4-7pm on July 7th. (3400 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29204)

This event was tons of fun last year, and I anticipate it to be even better this year. So, I hope you'll mark your calendars and come out to the event. We'd love to see you there! 

Schedule:
4-5pm: Short panel and an open-forum question and answer with the attendees.
5-6:30pm: Book Signing followed by th…

[If you haven't seen it yet, scroll down to check out the current contest for a chance to win an Alex Craft or Haven themed t-shirt!]

June 28-July 1st I'll be in Louisville, Kentucky for Fandomfest. This will be my first time at Fandomfest, so I'm very excited but a little nervous. If you see me looking lost and alone, please come talk to me. (Even if I don't look lost and alone, come talk to me! I love talking to new and old friends alike.)  The panels look great, and I'll be at a table with John Hartness and James Tuck, so I think this will be an awesome conference. I hope I'll see you there. Here is my schedule:

Friday:
4:00pm
Horror Genre Perspectives from Female Writers (Morrow Room)
Join a discussion with a group of female authors as they explore the horror genre from the context of a woman’s perspective!
Panel Features:   Selah Janel (M), Mandi M. Lynch, SH Roddey, Pamela Turner, Kalayna Price

5:30pm
Using Folklore in Fiction (Wilson Room)
Folklore is a…

Some of you who've seen me at conventions recently know that I've started selling Alex Craft and Haven themed t-shirts. I was screen printing them myself for the last year, but I finally farmed the printing out to a company so I can keep up with demand. I now have s-xxl in stock and ready for upcoming conventions as well as for sale on the site. ($20 each - free shipping in the US.)

To celebrate the change, and to get the word out about the upcoming book release, I thought I'd give away a few t-shirts. (Everyone likes free stuff, right?) Are you interested?

Entering is easy. Simply mention GRAVE MEMORY's upcoming release or link to the excerpt on Twitter/ your Blog/Facebook/etc. Then return here and leave a link to the mention in the comments section. Each mention between now and Sunday the 24th at 11:59pm will count as an entry (no more than one entry per each form of social media per day.) I'll draw three winners on Monday. Winners will be able to pick one shirt…

Today I'm very happy to release the first two chapters of Grave Memory. You can find the excerpt HERE. I hope that you enjoy!

Also, it is time to announce the winner of the Grave Memory ARC (contest rules were in June's newsletter). To enter, I asked you to send me the name of Alex's uncle. The correct answer is Nandin, the King of Shadows. I received nearly two hundred correct responses--you guys are awesome. I employed a random number generator, and the winner is:

Karin Anderson

Congratulations! Karin, I'll get the ARC out to you in the next few days. Thank you everyone who entered.

 Have a great Monday everyone, and check back soon, because I'll be releasing a sneak peek of THIRD BLOOD in the next few days!

Remember a couple months ago when I jumped out of a plane? Well, I finally got the video uploaded to share with you. I hope you enjoy!



Happy Wednesday everyone. Oh, and I'll be releasing an excerpt from GRAVE MEMORY in the next few days. Remember, newsletter readers get it first, so if you aren't a member--now is the time to sign up!

ConCarolinas starts tomorrow (check out the last post for my schedule) and I've spent most of the day preparing. There were shirts to screen print, buttons to press, and outfits to arrange. And of course, that gift basket I mentioned in the last post. Want to see?

Lots of goodies in there, including an ARC of Grave Memory. You have to be present to win, so I hope you'll stop by my table and say hi. I'd love to chat with you!

Okay, time for me to go pack and stuff. I'll see you at the convention!

[If you didn't see yesterday's call for minions, please scroll down to the previous post to learn how to get some free stuff by helping me spread the word with bookmarks!]

June is almost here (time moves faster each year, I swear) which means it is almost time for ConCarolinas!  This is a convention I look forward to each year because I always see so many friends. The Magical Words crew will be having our yearly reader lunch on Saturday, which is always a highlight of the weekend. I think last year we had sixty-four people turn out for the event--it was amazing. The line up of panels this year is once again exciting, and I'll have a table where I'll be signing books, giving out free stuff, and of course have books for sale. I'll also have a giveaway basket that will include an ARC of Grave Memory--I haven't decided how I'll give out tickets yet, but you have to be present to win, so I hope I'll see you there!

Here is my panel schedule.


Friday 04:00 pm to…

Today I'm calling all minions (aka volunteers for a street team) to see if anyone would be interested in helping me spread the word by taking bookmarks to their local bookstores!

 What I'm proposing is that if you're interested in helping me get the word out about the books (and helping some bookmarks find good homes) send an email to kalayna(AT)kalayna(dot)com with the words "BOOKMARK PROJECT" in the subject line and include your name, shipping address, and the name of the bookstore you plan to take the bookmarks to. I will  send you 20-30 bookmarks that you can take to the bookstore and either ask the manager to put on the checkout desk for customers to claim, or you can take the bookmarks back to the fantasy section and place them inside other urban fantasy titles so that the reader who buys that book will have a free bookmark and learn about my series.

Of course, I wouldn't ask you to help without giving you something in return. Along with the book…

Wow, you guys are awesome. Between the Goodreads blog and the blogger blog there were over 100 reviews entered. Thank you everyone who reviewed one of my books and entered the contest! I wish I could give you all copies. Unfortunately, I only have the two ARCs. So, on to what you are all waiting for.

I cranked up the random number generator and it picked two reviews. Congratulations:

-Eileen with your review at: http://speakcoffeetome.blogspot.com/2012/04/grave-witch.html
and
-proud_farmgirl with your review at: Amazon (it was a really long link)

Please send me an email at CONTESTS (AT) KALAYNA (DOT) COM with who you would like me to sign the book to and shipping information.  I'll get the ARCs in the mail asap.

Thank you again everyone who entered and please check back tomorrow: I'll be putting out a call for minions to help me spread the word with free bookmarks! (And, of course, everyone who volunteers will get free stuff.)

Happy Monday everyone!

[ETA sorry this is going…

Hey all. I promised I had big news and I do. I received my ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies**) of Grave Memory and I want to give them away to YOU. Of course, I have only two copies and there are likely a lot of you who are interested, so I've devised an easy contest.

To enter simply write a review on any book in my backlist and post it to the review site of your choice. (Goodreads, Shelfari, Amazon, B&N, etc) Once you've published the review, drop a link to it in the comments section of this blog. The more books you review and the more places you post your reviews, the more entries you receive. Easy enough?

The contest is open internationally and will run from now until Sunday, May 20th at 11:59 EST. If you'd like to be one of the first to read Grave Memory, I hope you'll help me spread the word with a review and enter to win an ARC.

Best of Luck!


**ARCs are printed before final edits so expect minor differences between the ARC and the book that hits shelves in July.…

I just saw the German cover for Twice Dead and it is gorgeous! Check it out:

What do you think?

Oh, and I have special news coming very soon, so check back on Monday!

I've become spoiled using the writing program Scrivener and online backup storage space on Dropbox. Scrivener saves my work constantly, and as I have it saving to external storage, I rarely have to worry about losing my work.  But in the late stages of a book, for instance during copyedits (which I'm currently finishing for GRAVE MEMORY right now) I can no longer use scrivener and must switch over to Word as that is what my publisher uses.

But I'm not accustomed to Word anymore. I forget little things like that I need to tell the program to save. I tend to spend hours working before my brain goes "Oh, this doesn't auto-save, I should probably save." This typically isn't a problem.

Unless something goes wrong. Like it did last night.

My MacBook Air has a problem. I've known this for a while. It occasionally goes rather nuts. The problem isn't reproduceable, it can't be found on a diagnostic test, and it doesn't happen often, so for the las…

This weekend I will be Roanoke, VA for MystiCon. Here is a quick look at my schedule for the event:

Fri

8:00 PM

Boardroom 1

How To Be a Dark Hunter

Determined to vanquish evil in the night. Join Sherrilyn and our other panelists as they discuss how you too can be a dark hunter and protect humanity from things that go bump in the night.

Sat

10:00 AM

Dogwood 2

Sympathy for The Devil - Liking the Bad Guy

We all love to hate the bad guy. The best villains keep fans yearning for more. What makes them so intriguing and how do you write the villain without him/her becoming a caricature.

Sat

1:00 PM

Signing Table

Kalanya Price Signing

Sat

6:00 PM

Restaurant

Koffee Klatch

Readings by several of our authors.

Sat

8:00 PM

Boardroom 1

Where's the Line? Handling Potentially Offensive Topics in Your Work

How do you decide how far to go with humor, language, violence, sex and other situations? Do creators have a responsibility to police themselves, or does anything go?

Sat

9:00 PM

Boardroom 1
When True Crime Meets…

Just a reminder that tonight NYT bestselling author Faith Hunter and I will be at Barnes and Noble on Forest Dr tonight from six until eight pm tonight. We'll have a short talk and Q&A session followed by a signing. I hope that you'll join us. We'd love to see you!

Today I'm very happy to share with you the back cover copy for GRAVE MEMORY. So now all of those who have been asking me what the book is about, I can now tell you!

When the dead need to talk, Alex Craft is always ready to listen…
As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie. But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a mysterious suicide occurs in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shade she raises has no memory of the days leading up to his brutal ending, s…

Thank you everyone who helped me get the word out about the UK release of GRAVE DANCE! The random number generator has spoken, and we have winners.

Congratulations to: Melliane and jbon! If you will write me with your shipping information and who you'd like your book signed to at Contests (AT) Kalayna (DOT) com I will send you your book and handmade bookmark.

To those who didn't win, I'd still love to thank you for helping me get the word out by sending you something. How does bookmarks (sorry, not handmade) and a signed bookplate sound? If you're interested, send me an email at Kalayna (at) Kalayna (dot) com with the subject line Get the word out! Be sure to include your shipping information and who you'd like the bookplate made out to and I'll get them in the mail.

Thank you again everyone who helped get the word out!
Have a great Monday.

Hello United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand! Did  you know that GRAVE DANCE hits your shores (and e-readers) today? It's true! 

In Alex's second adventure, something foul is afoot in Nekros City, but as Alex begins investigating the murder case, it quickly becomes apparent that the only thing someone wants her to find is a dead end--her own. 
To read an excerpt click HERE.  (Note, excerpt contains spoilers from book one. If you haven't checked out GRAVE WITCH yet, you can read and excerpt HERE)

As the official release day for the UK version of GRAVE DANCE, the second Alex Craft novel,  I think it's a good time to do a "get the word out" contest: UK version.

Entering is easy. Simply tweet, blog, google+, facebook--whatever social media you like--the news about the release and include a link back to this blog post, to the excerpt (HERE) or a site selling the book (Amazon UK HERE, iBooks HERE, Book Depository HERE,  or anywhere else books are sold) Once you s…

Today I'm very happy to unveil the cover for the third Alex Craft novel, GRAVE MEMORY, which will be hitting shelves this July. And not only do I have US cover, but I also have the UK cover. I believe the books should be hitting shelves simultaneously, so this is super exciting.

Okay, enough chatter. You want the covers, right?



Above is the US cover (The title will be printed with gold embossing) 

And this is the UK cover

So, what do you think? I love them. Of course, blue is my favorite color, so I'm probably biased. ^_^

This is a fly by posting. I just wanted to post some pictures I found rather exciting:





First up, from this weekend here is a picture of Faith and me signing books at the Raven Cursed release party (Which was tons of fun. Thank you everyone who came out!) In front of me, you can see PC in his first public appearance.









Next, another image from the signing--my name on the sign! This is a first for me. I've been in program books and on posters, but never on a sign. So this moment is now memorialized. ^_^ (yes, I'm very easily excited.)








And lastly for this post, some pretties. (This picture doesn't do them justice.) On the left you can see the UK version of Grave Dance which will be released February 2nd and on the right a copy of the German edition of Once Bitten. There is absolutely nothing like holding a book in your hands for the first time.




Okay, that's it for me. Back to writing!
Happy Monday everyone.

Two bits of news today--both dealing with signed books.

First up, I want to remind everyone that this Saturday (1/07)  I'll be at the Booknack in Rockhill, SC from 5-7pmas part of the release party for the newest Jane Yellowrock novel, Raven Cursed, by NYT best selling author Faith Hunter. I love Faith's books, and I'm thrilled to have been invited to join her release party, so I hope you'll stop by. We'd both love to see you!

I know some of you aren't in the South East (where most of the events and conventions I attend are located). Which leads me to my second bit of news: I talked to Mike (the very awesome guy at the Booknack) and if you'd like me to sign a book made out to you, the Alex Craft novels can be ordered before the event and I'll sign and personalize it for you while I'm at the store Saturday and the Booknack will ship the signed book(s) to you.

Yes, you read that correctly. You can get a signed and personalized book without driving ha…