Kalayna Price

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...

Today I'm being interviewed over at My Bookish Ways Blog . There is a giveaway for Grave Witch, so if you haven't heard me talk about myself and my books enough yet, please go check it out ! Deadlines are closing in again and at the same time spring has hit my sunny town in the Carolinas. I'm spending most of my time with my laptop pounding out words. My limited spare time I'm devoting to my garden while the weather is still beautiful. (It's in the high seventies and mid eighties now, but spring is a short season here and summer will hit with high nineties and heat indexes over a hundred soon, so I'm enjoying the good gardening weather while it lasts.) Because of those reasons, (though the former more than the latter) my blogging schedule will be rather erratic over the next few weeks. I'll try to have a substantial post at least once a week, so if there are any topics you guys want me to blog about, please let me know in the comments. I'm not sure wha...

It's day two of NaNo. How are things going? I saw several of you knocked a nice chuck of your word count out last night. Congrats! If you find you're falling a little behind, no worries--you have plenty of time to catch up. If you find you're spending a lot of time staring at your screen and not writing, try setting a timer for short bursts of writing--try 10 to 15 minutes at a time and you might be surprised what you can accomplish when a timer is counting down. If you're having trouble carving time to write out of your busy day, remember that you don't need long periods of time. If you can jot down a sentence or two at a time while cooking dinner or waiting on the kids to get out of after school activities you'll find yourself a lot closer to your goal when you finally do reach your computer. (Also, thinking about your story throughout the day will keep it percolating in the back of your head.)  So, how are those word counts looking? Switching gears, I want ...

(Blog X-posted) October is moving right along which means creepy costumes and sugar highs are just around the corner. Or is that just my plan? Surely not. Halloween is nearly here, and it's a good time for the things that go bump in the night. Many creatures which once would have been relegated to horror stories and movies are now featured as heroes and romantic leads, but let's forget them for a moment and talk of the terrifying. What flavor do you prefer your horror stories/movies? Do you like an oppressive atmosphere that keeps your shoulders hitched as you wait for the worst? Do you like the monster you never quite see so he's worsened by your imagination? Perhaps your horror preference is the gore and the gritty details. Or maybe the psychological horror tale that worms itself into the back your mind and then begins to twist. Or perhaps your horror tastes lean toward the destruction of all hope in the face of insurmountable and unstoppable odds? (Zombie Apocalyps...

Irmo, SC by Michelle Several people have sent me pictures of Grave Witch on shelves or even a few of people with a copy, and am absolutely loving seeing the pictures. In fact, I think they are so awesome that I'm considering holding a contest so more people send me such pictures. The question with such a contest is what to give away. A signed book really wouldn't work as most people entering will have already bought a copy. I was thinking something special. Something unique. Charlotte, NC by Sabrina Luna If you've noticed my etsy link in the sidebar, you know that I make hand beaded bookmarks and jewelry, so I was thinking about creating an original, Grave Witch themed bookmark. Would that be something you as readers would be interested in? Would it be worth taking a picture of you (or your cat, or your plant, or get creative[but stay "G" rated]) with a copy of Grave Witch to enter a contest to win such a limited edition bookmark? BAM, Columbia, SC ...

While I have a project on the back burner that is completely unrelated to either of the series under contract, nearly all of my attention is currently on the two series I'm writing. Which means everything I'm writing right now is a sequel to the book or books before it.  In a series, each book should stand alone, as in the major issue presented at the beginning of the book should be resolved to some fashion by the end so the story has its own arc. But most series are connected by more than just character and world. While the main plot might be tied up at the end of each book, plot threads are often woven through a series. Also character growth, relationships, ability development, and such are explored over the course of a series. This means that while theoretically you could pick up a series and read it out of order, you'd get a lot more out of it by starting at the beginning. That doesn't mean everyone starts at the beginning. In fact, I'd gamble from other discu...

When you close your eyes and try to picture the quintessential author, what/who do you see? I mean, when prompted with 'football player' you probably think of a big, muscular guy. 'Basketball player' probably summons images of someone tall. How about librarian? Do you suddenly picture a woman in glasses maybe? Okay, so these are stereotypes, but at the same time they are stereotypes because they are common. So what is the stereotype of an author? What is the first image that pops in your mind? When you read an author's work and then find them (either in person or online) are you often shocked by their appearance? I get the feeling I might not be what most people picture as an author. A series of recent responses to my appearance prompts this particular observation. In particular, a recent interaction with a bookstore employee really left me wondering. The encounter went down something like this: Me (approaching the information counter): Hi, my name is Kala...

Don't forget that the Get the word out contest (with your chance to win a cool swag pack including the Ace/Roc sampler) is running until Sunday August 15th. Details can be found HERE . When the button maker first came in, the DH immediately announced that he wanted a button which read "Minion". Why? Because minion has been a running joke for almost a year now. You see, he attended his first convention only because I begged him to go with me--traveling alone is no fun. He agreed but stated he was going as my minion. Once he got to the con, he decided he liked it--there is more geek in him than he lets on--but the minion joke persisted. When we met the wonderful Rachel Caine at RavenCon the DH went as far as introducing himself as "Kalayna's Minion." (Her response? "Where can I get a minion?" ^_^) So, when the button maker arrived, I designed a stark black and white button with just the word "MINION" across the face and my website ...

(I'm buried under deadlines at the moment, so this post is  cross posted.) Several of my writer friends recently returned from the RWA National conference. I've never personally been to the conference, but from what people tell me the con is an amazing place not only to learn about craft, but to check the pulse of the writing business. Most major publishers and dozens of top notch agents attend every year. Trends in publishing inevitably come up at the conference and the RWA loops are always buzzing with what was said once the conference ends. What's hot? What's selling? What's out and overdone? This year Donald Maass (from Donald Maass Literary Agency) was quoted as saying that Vampires were dead (again). In contrast, the editors on the Pocket Books spotlight said that there is something timeless about vampires. The trend they think is out? Fallen Angels. (I didn't know fallen angels were in . I can only think of one or two books with fallen angels. Anyon...

I've been trying very hard to keep my daily NaNo blogs short but interesting. I'm accomplishing the first, but I'm not too sure about the second, and I doubt very much they are useful to you guys. So, I think that means this is a good time to open the floor for questions. Anyone have questions for me? Maybe a writing topic you'd like me to blog about? Something about my process? About the publishing world? About my books in particular or the genre in general? Now's the time, let's hear those questions!

Typically I know a lot more about every person who walks onto the page of one of my stories than the reader ever needs to know. For minor, repeating characters I like to have at least a general idea of the character's back story because it influences how the character acts and reacts to what is happening in the story. For major characters, this is, of course, a necessity, but I also like to know at least a little information about every character who has a name. As I'm digging through my rough draft and starting my revision process, I'm finding myself bogged down with keeping up with characters. Not that there are all that many characters, but by chapter seven, I no longer remember what color a minor character's hair was in chapter two or if I spelled a name with an 'e' or an 'i'. Trying to keep up this information between two books is even more complicated. A system is definitely called for. At some point while working on Once Bitten, I created separat...

It has been a over a year since I last changed my web/blog layout, and with the looming release of Once Bitten, I think it is time for a makeover. With that in mind, I am facing a dilemma: do I separate my art from my writing? Writing and painting are different parts of my life. I am pursuing writing as a career while painting is a hobby. Both tend toward fantasy, but if I am presenting myself as a professional writer should I showcase amateur artwork in the same space? Or should I have a site dedicated solely to my writing and a totally removed site dedicated to my art? What do you think? Is it interesting to know a writer's hobby, or is it best something kept separate? Thanks for you input!!

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about promo material. From my time working at a bookstore, I know most of it gets junked immediately if sent to a store. Bookmarks are the only thing to survive, and their effectiveness depends a lot on the store in question. Placed in books in genre, bookmarks might just earn a new writer a second glance. Typically though, bookmarks are placed on the counter where most the people who pick them up are interested only in the fact it is a bookmark and not in the book, or worse, the bookmark is stuffed in a bag—where it will likely stay. Conventions, conferences, and signings are a little different. At Dragon*con the ‘freebie’ tables were covered in all kinds of things: postcards, bookmarks, flyers, fold out pamphlets, pens… Some were really cool. Most I would consider tossable (so I didn’t pick them up.) About the only thing I grabbed were bookmarks. I like bookmarks. I’ve bought several books after staring at a bookmark in books I was reading at the tim...

Okay everyone, I need some help. I've been asked to provide an author photo which will first go on my publisher's website, and then will later end up in the back of my book. I took a couple dozen photos this weekend, and I narrowed it down to the following. Which do you think I should use? Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5 Option 6 So what do you think? I'm going to post a poll in the sidebar, but feel free to voice your opinion in the comments. Thanks so much!

Today I want to talk about writing blurbs and pitches. Blurbs are used for many different things: they are included in query letters, pitched to agents/editors at a conferences, and some end up on book jackets. In all cases, the blurb serves the same purpose, to entice the intended audience into reading more. Most blurbs are only a couple lines long, maybe a couple paragraphs at most, and they have a lot to do in that small amount of space. Each word counts, and should work toward introducing main characters and throwing out a plot hook strong enough to draw in readers. I've written a handful of blurbs (that may or may not be any good) but all have been for 'first books'. A couple days ago, I had a chance to see my agent face to face, and she asked me to send her a blurb for the sequel to the book she is currently pitching to editors, so she can pitch it as a series with a little more authority. My first thought was, "Hey, no problem. I can do that." After all, I ...

They say you learn something with every word you write. Well, I'm certainly learning today (I hope.) Today I'm tackling something new, and if you're glancing at the title of this post and trying to guess what it is, I'll you a hint: I've written LOTS of fight scenes. That's right, I'm writing my very first love scene today. Yes, I've written two novels with romantic subplots before, and while there is (hopefully) a lot of sexual tension and some 'hot' moments, the relationship doesn't progress all the way to the bedroom (though if I ever write the rest of the books plotted for the series, they will get there.) I also wrote a short story last year that included a heavy hand of romance, but I copped out and (if you will humor me by accepting a film-technique analogy) panned out at the bedroom scene. This WIP is different. I knew, almost from the get-go, that my main characters would end up rumpling the sheets at some point in the book. I starte...

I'm taking the plunge again and heading back into the madness that is Myspace . I've had an account for over a year, and it's been months since I checked it, but recently a lot of writers have been joining the ranks, so I thought it couldn't hurt to reinvestigate Myspace. I've customized my page so it's not so boring, and I'm currently going out and friending the authors/people I know. If you find me before I find you, please feel free to friend me. I haven't decided if I'll mirror my blog on myspace or not. I'm terrible about mirroring to my LiveJounal account, so I can't imagine I'll be very good at remembering to mirror THREE blogs. What do those of you with myspace accounts do? Do you mirror all your posts, just the really important/informative ones, x-post none sticking to only one blog, or do you make separate posts for your different sites? (Okay that last one makes me cringe even thinking about it.) I also haven't figured out...

I was wondering if any other unpubbed writer, when in the bookstore, finds the spot on the shelf where your books will be one day? (or am I the only crazy one?) As readers, do you think it's better for a book to be surrounded by big name authors in the same subgenre, or is it better to share shelf space with books not in the same subgenre? Either way has advantages and disadvantages. For example, when someone is searching for "Mrs Big Name's" newest book, if a new author's book is next to her on the shelf, there is a chance the reader will notice it. Or, they might only see MBN's book, and with a limited budget, will buy the author they already know. On the other hand, floating off alone in a sea of another subgenres means the new author's spine might really stand out from those books around it. But, at the same time, readers who aren't looking for her and have never found a book in the subgenre they read on that shelf might not look there. Kind of six...

I went to a local round-table critique group last night. I didn't bring pages with me because, well honestly, I was so very nervous I didn't think I'd be able to read them. It was quite a mixed bag of writers who attended: several poets, a man working on a civil war historical, a couple short story writers, a man working on his memoir, one writing a historical set in ancient Rome, some literary fiction writers, and a couple people who said they weren't real sure what they were working on, they just wanted to throw it out to the group to see if it was any good. Some of the writing was better than others, but everyone was kind to the author while still sharing at least a little honest and helpful critisim. To be truthful, there was a piece or two I didn't care for much, not because the writing was bad, but because the subject matter bored me to tears. So, when my turn to comment came around the table, I focused my critique solely on grammar and complimented some part ...

Do you ever look back and wonder how you ever got anything done in the past, and if you were able to do it then, why you can't now? The year I wrote (and finished) my first novel was a busy one. I got married, graduated from college, was working a crazy job, painted enough during the year to enter newly finished paintings in two separate art shows, and read over 100 books. I don't remember being over taxed by all that. I think I even had a social life now and then. It was hectic at times, but hey, life just is. So, why can't I juggle life now? Do you ever get the feeling someone is stealing your time? Maybe I just procrastinate more than I used to(hey most of that's research, right?...)or maybe there are more obligations that complicate things. Whatever the reason...I clearly need a plan to increase my productivity. So how do you balance your time? Do you have a set plan, maybe a certain time set aside for creative endeavors, or do you steal moments here and there as ...