Kalayna Price

Some of you likely recall my post "where did the author go?" from several years ago. This post is basically a follow up to that, as well as a look toward the horizon. This weekend, I made my first public appearance since about 2012. I was nervous for many reasons, not the least of which was my long hiatus. Thankfully, it went really well. ConCarolinas, while not the biggest convention, has always been a favorite because of all the great friends who attend it. Thank you everyone who stopped by the table to say hi, who attended panels, and who chatted at the bar and/or breakfast. All of you made this a wonderful first con back, and I am encouraged to expand my schedule further in the future! But where have I been? Well, that is a murky tale, and I don't like putting too much of my personal life out for public consumption, but I feel that those of you who have stuck around deserve some information. So, let me try a little non-fiction here: I ran into some health troubl...

Earlier this week, the head minion had a birthday and to celebrate, we ran off for a day at the beach. While walking down the beach, enjoying the sand squishing under foot and the ebbing waves washing over my ankles, I started to think about what that same beach might be like in Alex's world. In her world, more than likely marrow or mermaids would be out amongst the waves or sunning themselves on the rocks. Depending on which folklore you read, that could be a rather delightful sight, or a very dangerous one as the presence mermaids were often thought to foretell storms. Or, other stories tell of them luring mortals into the ocean where they would then drown them and either eat them or trap their souls in pots far beneath the waves. Very deadly indeed. I then looked toward the land and thought about how in Alex's world the sand dunes would probably be covered in enchantments. Some would be enchantments to prevent erosion of the shoreline, but others would be strong spells mea...

November 4th 2010 might forever be known as the day the internet fought copyright infringement. Most of you are likely already familiar with the events surrounding Monica Gaudio and Cooks Source Magazine , but for those new to the story (were you away from your computer yesterday?) I'll recap very quickly. On Wednesday night Monica blogged about discovering that a post she'd written several years ago on apple pie had been reprinted in a magazine she'd never heard of let alone granted permission to print her piece or received compensation from. After emailing and calling the contact information (which used to be provided on both Cooks Source's home page and facebook profile), Monica was eventually asked what it was she wanted. She asked for an apology and a $130 charitable donation to the Columbia School of Journalism (which considering she'd been plagiarized by a for profit 'professional' magazine, her request was both kind and rather selfless.) The man...

Pets fill a number of different roles in peoples' lives. For me they are family, so today I lost a family member. Licorice was 11 1/2 years old and the sweetest guy you could meet. He was a lap kitty and purr box who often had the tip of his tongue peeking out. Monday we made an emergency appointment with the vet because one of his toes suddenly doubled in size. They put him on a steroid, an anti inflamatory drug, and an antibiotic as a first step, but there was a good chance it was cancer and that on the recheck next week we might have to consider amputation. Yesterday he was happy enough. This morning he was having trouble breathing. He died in transit to the vet. At least he died in someone's arms, knowing he was loved. And it was fairly fast, so I don't think he suffered much. I do believe animals have souls and that he is in a better place, but that doesn't dampen the ache of saying goodbye. Here are some pictures of my baby so he is immortalized here on the blog....

The last week has been busy but extremely exciting, and I owe most of that to you guys, so I just want to say Thank You to all of you. The release of Grave Witch seems to be going well from my outside view (Of course, I won't  know anything definite until I hear from my publisher in several months.) The blog tour stops have seen good traffic, the online chatter has been really positive, and reviews are cropping up! Thank you everyone who has picked up a copy already, and double thank you to everyone who has blogged/tweeted/recommend it to others. You guys are AWESOME! Now, I promised you a wrap up of my first ever book signing. The event on Friday went extremely well (or at least I though it did). I was crazy nervous, which didn't help my already chicken-scratch hand writing or the fact that on good days letters get jumbled in my head and when I'm nervous? Yeah . . . But everyone who came out was absolutely amazing. I must have talked to fifty or sixty people over the...

I'm out of town at the Writers' Police Academy, so today's post is from the blog archive. This post was originally written back in May of 2008--you know, back when the blog had maybe three viewers. So I'm bringing it for your entertainment. The post is updated slightly and now includes even more kittehs! Enjoy! Admit it. You've been there. Icanhascheezburger.com or a some other Caterday site. You've looked at the cute little animals with clever little captions because well, they make you laugh. (And if you haven't looked, you should, laughing is good for you.) The problem becomes apparent when you think about the fact most people understand grammar intrinsically, not factually. Things sound right to the ear. But if enough people use words/phrases incorrectly, they start sounding 'right' and are eventually adopted as slang , and after enough time, slang is adopted as an evolution of the English language. That's what a livin...

I haven't been blogging as much recently because I've been buried under deadlines (actually, that shouldn't be past tense, as those deadlines are ongoing) and blogging takes up writing/editing time. I hate ignoring the blog though, so today you get a bit of random bloggage.  Nothing too thought out, but hey, it's an update. ^_^ As I was searching for a friend's house this afternoon, I discovered there is a road about two miles from my new house called Lonely Street. I didn't take this road, but I glanced down it as I drove by. It was a small, one way street with overgrown foliage pushing in on either side. The pavement extended only a couple yards past the main road; then it turned into a dirt road with two deep trenches where tires had cut a path and weeds covering the mound in the center. It did, in fact, look very lonely. Okay, that's it for me. I hope everyone is having a great day!

It is the last day of the year, and of the decade . . . Wow. How did that happen? It has been an interesting year for me, and by and large, a very good one. As I am writing this post, it is hard to believe that this is the same year I was sitting at my desk at work reading about all the layoffs in publishing. I remember all the doom and gloom, of people saying no new writers would be published and only the already established bestsellers had a shot in this market. Not that there isn't a lot of darkness hanging over publishing right now, but I have always chosen to be cautiously optimistic, and well, this year, it certainly paid off. Career-wise, here are my 2009 highlights: ONCE BITTEN , my very first novel, was released. I signed a deal for five more books in the Haven series. I was offered representation by the absolutely amazing Lucienne Diver with the The Knight Agency . Lucienne sent the first book in a new Urban Fantasy series to New York, and within two weeks we h...

(X-Posted on the Tri Mu Blog .) This is one of those “Where do you get your ideas” posts. I write on this topic once in a while because this is honestly the question I hear most. Again I would like to mention that ideas are everywhere, and writers should always pour what they see into that churning pot of plot soup in the back of their heads. Today I would like to highlight a couple ‘characters’ I encountered in the last twenty-four hours. I saw the most interesting chef/waiter yesterday. He seemed almost a caricature of a person—or maybe like a muppet. His nose was large, the size further exaggerated by a thin, dark mustache, but his head was almost bare, just a few wisps of hair over his ears and around the back of his skull. He wore dark dress pants and shoes with a long white apron that started at his waist and fell to his ankles. His shoulders slumped slightly, his head craned forward as he carried a silver tray over the brick walk. He was, in a word, fascinating—not in a I-wonde...

Today I went to a rather dull training session for a new program I'll be using on the job some day in the unknown future. Most of the other attendees appeared to be as enthused about the two hour session as I was, and after the third technical error, I realized this was a good time to do a little discreet people watching. So what do people do when they're bored? Here is what I observed: -twist jewelry -rub nose, lips, facial hair -twist in chair/roll shoulders -spin pen, tapping the eraser on the table at every rotation -chew/twist hair -pick teeth (ewww!) -tap fingers to thumb -pick at clothing seams Nothing too extraordinary or out of the ordinary in this bunch of bored mannerisms, but it is always a good idea to keep a running list of possible non-verbal communication cues. After all, characters are made of many small things. What body language have you observed recently? *updated to fix grammar.

X-posted over at the Tri Mu blog . Every time I’ve attended a session where an author opens the floor to questions from the public, someone inevitably raises their hand and asks “Where do you get your ideas?” These few words almost always produce a pained look on the author’s face, and even I have learned to cringe. Sometimes the author laughs it off, but when pressed to answer, she typically says, “Everywhere.” This answer rarely satisfies, despite its validity, and the author knows this, but how else can she answer and still have time to address other questions? Defining an author as someone who has at least one published book and a writer as someone who has completed a manuscript but has not been published, I can only attest to the truth of the statement of ‘everywhere’ as a writer. Everything a writer/author sees, reads, and hears and everyone she meets gets thrown into the plot soup in the back of her head. Since that is such an unsatisfying answer, I’ll give you some examples ...

I read a lot of series in several genres, and many have hit double digits in number of books. I love series--particularly ones with the same main character in each book--because every time I pick one up it's like seeing old friends again. That said, I'm starting to wonder if series should end at a point. Several of the series I read today, I first picked up when I was a teenager. Over the years, some have changed drastically, some not so much. Both these extremes have their own issues. The series that change drastically tend to push character growth and as the character reaches a peek, something new has to level them back out (lets not talk about paranormal sides where the MC ends up godlike because s/he keeps gaining new powers each book.) The series that don't change much, have much less character growth, and you can usually pick up the later ones in any order and and only miss some minor references. The middle ground is a little fuzzy and harder to find as each new book ...

Admit it. You've been there. I can has cheezburger or a Caterday site. You've looked at the cute little animals with clever little captions because well, they make you laugh. (And if you haven't looked, you should, laughing is good for you.) The problem becomes apparent when you think about the fact most people know grammar intrinsically, not factually. Things sound right to the ear. But if enough people use words/phrases incorrectly, they start sounding 'right' and are eventually adopted as slang , and after enough time, slang is adopted as an evolution of the English language. That's what a living language does--it evolves. Since the advent of instant messenger, English teachers around the states have reported a rapid degradation of proper grammar. I occasionally have to remind myself that smiley faces ^_^ and *emotes* have no place in professional correspondences. That doesn't mean I don't receive them from other 'professionals' at work so...

I just finished reading Unshapely Things , Mark Del Franco's debut Urban Fantasy novel, and it got me thinking about the gender disparity in UF. Mark's main character (a magic-crippled druid) is male, which among UF titles, is very rare. Off the top of my head, the only other books I can think of with male protagonists are the Nightside novels by Simon R. Green, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and Night Life by Rob Thurman. I know there are a couple more UF novels by males currently being released, but still, there doesn't seem to be many out there. Mostly, urban fantasy is the home to a lot of sharp-attitude(d), kick-ass female protagonists. The girls run the show in this emerging sub-genre, but there is no denying the huge popularity of the few male series out there. This being true, why aren't there more men writing UF series? Granted, there are less men reading it, and most series have a strong romance sub-plot--not exactly a guy genre. From my time in the...

There is a very special kind of evil in this world. The evil that brings sugary tastiness to the office when she knows all her coworkers are on a diet. That evil is me. *takes her bow* Thank you. (Okay, there is more to that story, but the short of the long is that yesterday was my Mother's birthday, so I baked like 5 dozen cookies that are her (and my) favorite. With that many--and since its a super special family recipe--I thought I'd share. Apparently every woman over the age of 16 is on a diet, so bringing cookies to your coworkers is *baaad*) Switching gears completely...is Bloglines being weird for anyone else? Aside from one or two people on my list, things have been pretty quiet on the blogfront recently. Or, so I thought. It seems that Bloglines has only been sending me posts by people on blogger...those using Live Journal or Wordpress have not been showing up. That changed this morning, when I logged on to a message that there were 99 new posts waiting for me to read...

I was having a conversation with my hubbie the other day when it ended abruptly with the comment that I didn't live in the real world. Now there are lots of reasons someone could look at me and say I didn't live in the real world. The most obvious reason might be the fact I write fantasy so I spend a lot of time thinking about things and people who don't exist. Or maybe the fact I don't work a regular nine to five in an office, but spend ungodly amounts of time in the spare bedroom I've converted into a office/studio unless I have to run out and see a client face-to-face. Being able to go to work in my PJ's tends to earn some people's scorn. But neither of these reasons is why my hubbie accused me of not living in the real world. Why then? Because I think paying $100 for a pair of shoes is absolutely preposterous. I've always been under the impression clothes should be inexpensive and last forever. (Which I'm reminded is not true every time somethin...

A couple days ago, I was having a conversation with my brother who had just been invited to the second round of interviews for a job he really wants. He was trying to explain the uncontainable excitement and nervousness he felt--and the interview is still a month off. Ah, the waiting game; I know it well. So my advice, stay busy for a couple days, until the giddy brain -buzz wears off and then buckle in and settle down to wait. From experience I've found that the longer you wait, the easier it gets. That is, of course, until something changes and all of a sudden you are dropped right in the middle of that dizzying anxiousness again.

This week's library requests include: 2 books on forensic science, a book on criminal investigation, a book on autopsies, a psychology book on mannerisms and body language, and book about firearms. Really, I'm not crazy or planning on committing/solving a crime, but I am planning on writing about one. The book that is refusing to leave my peripheral (so I've been mentally plotting anytime my mind wanders) is very different from the books I've been writing. In everything I've written up until now, my point of view characters have had no reason to have intimate knowledge of guns or police procedure, so the bits and pieces I've gleaned from watching crime shows and reading mysteries has always been more than enough. But, this new character works closely with the police, so I'm thinking I should have at least a little knowledge that doesn't come from fiction. It does make me wonder what the lady putting my holds on the shelf will think of the selection thou...

Recently CNN put out an article about a 12 step program for email addicts. The first step, of course, is to admit you have a problem and email is controlling your life. Most of the subsequent steps are actually very practical advice like sorting email into categories and setting specific times to check the email. I found this article incredibly amusing, probably because around the end of last year I was definitely an addict. I have since come to terms with the fact that if a message were really important and needed my immediately attention, someone would call me. Thus I have mostly cut the cord between the inbox and me. Now I will admit, the first couple days after I send something new out I do hit the send/receive button a little more often, but who doesn't, right?

My dog has a curious habit If he sees me looking at him, he will wag just the tip of his tail, just once or twice. *thump.....thump* If I then talk to him, the whole tail wags. *thump, thump* If I stand and start walking over to him, the tail really gets going. *Thump, Thump, Thump* I reach out, *THUMP, THUMP, THUMP* my hand reaches his head, *THUMP.....* and the tail stops. Now, this happens on a regular basis, not just once in a while. So, is petting a let down? Or is it that the anticipation is exciting and once the petting starts he calms down to happily indulge in it? I'm not sure, but I know when I'm reading a book, it is the anticipation that really strings me along and adds tension. This works in lots of writing elements, whether it's action and danger, or relationships. Holding out really keeps the pages turning (and the readers tail thumping.) Once we reach that fight/love scene/ whatever has been building, that anticipation should be reaching the boiling point, b...