Fangtastic Fridays - Week Four

This is it!  The end of the PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES read-along. I hope everyone had fun.  Today's final discussion questions are from The Unread Reader.

Next week The Bookish Brunette will unveil the cover for PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS and interview the cover artist, Claudia McKinney of Phat Puppy Art.

Chapters 19-Epilogue Wrap Up 

1. Amaliya states to Cian that he has changed since she first meet him only a few days prior. Do you agree with her? Why or why not? Has your impression of Cian changed? If so, how? (Chapter 19) 

It's always interesting to me as a writer to watch the evolution of my characters as the story progresses.  I also get the luxury of not only seeing the transformation as the writer, but also through the eyes of my characters.  I agree with Amaliya to a certain extent.  Outwardly, Cian changes a lot.  But inwardly, I think the change was not quite as dramatic.  I think he finally stopped wearing a mask and lying to himself.  I think of the scene in Elysium where he first meets Amaliya and how he had a very dangerous edge to him.  It was always there.  He was just in denial.

 2. When Grandmama doesn't hear from Amaliya for a couple of days, she decides to grab Sergio and head over to Austin because she's worried. Later, she and Serigo meet up with Jeff and Sam for the first time and they squabble about who is at fault for the mess Cian and Amaliya are in. Which side are you on? Do you think either side are right in their assumptions? (Chapter 20) 

I love both Innocente and Samantha so much.  They're both feisty, loyal, and strong women.  Their scene amused me because they are both trying to do the exact same thing: save the person they love.  Sam gets so much crap slung at her by readers, but I have to believe its because we've been conditioned to take sides.  If I had changed the story's perspective to Sam, she would be the heroine of the piece and Amaliya the dangerous interloper.  When people find Samantha's perkiness annoying, it saddens me just a bit because I think its part of her charm.

Samantha and Innocente mirror each other quite a bit in the book and that is why I love both of them.  Despite the terrible danger they face, they don't back down.  Their love runs deep and strong.

 3. After the Summoner forces Amaliya into a gruesome fight for her life against two hideous creatures, he tells her that he doesn't know if he should kill her because she could be a potential threat, or if he should keep her so he could use her abilities. At this point, what do you think of this development? (Chapter 21) 

When the big battle flooded my mind, I was like..."YES!"  It was awesome to see Amaliya in action and have The Summoner be unnerved by his creation.

 4. Doooood! Grandmama is a machete wielding zombie killer! If you were a Supernatural Hunter, what kind would you be and why? (Chapter 22) 

I have no clue.  LOL.

 5. What did you think of the final showdown between The Summoner and Amaliya? Were you surprised to find out how her ability worked? (Chapter 23) 

I loved the showdown.  I was like, "YES!" And yes, I do that a lot.  I was so excited.  And I loved how her power worked because..c'mon...its kinda epic.  

 6. Where you satisfied with the way things ended in Pretty When She Dies? What was your favorite part of the story? What do you think is coming up next for Amaliya and Cian? Do you have any hopes or expectations that you want to see in the sequel, Pretty When She Kills? 

Was I satisfied with the ending?  No.  Not really.  This was a book where it was very hard to find an ending spot.  I was tempted to end it right after the battle with The Summoner.  It just felt like there was more story to tell though.  And there still is more.  I struggled with the ending.  I'm okay with it.  But...*shrugs*  I guess it's a good opening to PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS.

As for what is coming up next for Amaliya and Cian...*evil grin*  In the very first chapter of PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS everything that seemed so nicely wrapped up unravels faster than you can blink your eyes.  Yes, Ashley (our Bookish Brunette), I know.  I'm evil.

 7. Who's would you cast to play the main characters in Pretty When She Dies? Show us with pictures!

Julian Sands & Rhiannon Frater

Julian signed his photo "The Summoner

Well, Julian Sands as The Summonor.  I met him a few years ago, gave him the book, and the producer who optioned the book sent his agent the script. Julian read it and loved it and should the movie get the greenlight, he  said he'd love to play the part.

I vote Jared Leto as Cian.  They look very similar in my mind.

Lee Pace would be so good as Jeff.  They both have the cute nerd thing going on.

Sarah Chalke would be adorable as Samantha.

My nephew votes for Megan Fox (he is 16).  She does resemble Amaliya to some extent and she has the same kind of vibe as our unlucky (or is that lucky) heroine.

And that is all I got.  What do you think?  Who would you choose?

Farewell, Anne McCaffrey

Wired and Tor are reporting that science fiction legend Anne McCaffrey has passed away.

In my teen years, I was a voracious reader of her Dragonriders of Pern series.  Though I would later move on to reading in different genres, her books enthralled me for several years.

When I wrote a blog about the top female writers who influenced me and my writing, Anne MaCaffery was on my list.  Her vivid imagination, strong female characters, and epic storytelling were what I loved most about her writing.

I believe it was the lack of new books in my local library that eventually drew me away from the Pern series.  Our local bookstore never seemed to carry anything I wanted to read and it was hard to find science fiction books.  I have often considered rereading the series now that I'm an adult.

Maybe now is the time...

RIP, Anne, and thank you for the dragons...

Words of Wisdom from Congressman Lloyd Dogget on SOPA

I am not part of any political party.  I vote my conscious and have voted Democrat, Republican, Independent, and Libertarian in the past.  I am very passionate about certain issues, but I am not a one issue voter.

Recently, a new bill was proposed called Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).  It has caused quite a ruckus online and it's a reason for great concern.  Though the bill is supposed to protect copyright, it goes much further than it should.   


Frankly, I'm for copyright protection.  If someone creates something and holds that copyright, they should be able to choose whether or not to protect it via legal means. 

I expressed my concerns with my representative in congress.  He emailed me back and said:

I strongly oppose this bill and have already urged the House Judiciary Committee to reject the House version of this bill's overly broad language that would force Internet Service Providers to implement various filtering technologies on their networks. 

Frankly, his letter to the Judiciary Committee (that he included in his email to me) expresses my concerns better than I could even word them, so I have cut and pasted it below.

Dear Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Conyers, 

We write to express our concerns with H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). While combating online copyright infringement is a goal we all strongly support, if enacted as currently written, this legislation would cause substantial harm to the innovation and economic opportunities created by the Internet.

The Internet continues to be a revolutionary tool, advancing technological innovation, disseminating artistic expression, and supporting millions of jobs across the country. In fact, a recent McKinsey report concluded that 15 percent of U.S. GDP growth from 2004 through 2009 came from the Internet industry.  

You've previously stated that this legislation is intended to target "rogue" foreign websites engaging in copyright infringement. While this is a laudable goal and one we support, the SOPA's overly broad language, in its current form, would target legitimate domestic websites, creating significant uncertainty for those in the technology and venture capital industries.

As you know, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, signed into law in 1998, already includes a notice-and-takedown process for both foreign and domestic infringing content. Additionally, a carefully crafted safe harbor protection has enabled countless Silicon Valley successes like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google. The SOPA overturns this basic protection through broad, vague new standards of liability. The result will be an explosion of innovation-killing lawsuits and litigation. 

The impact on new businesses and startups, particularly small businesses, will be far more detrimental. For example, venture capitalists will be hesitant to invest in new Internet-based businesses if they fear their money will be tied up in litigation. As prominent Silicon Valley investor Derek Parham explains, 

What used to be two guys in a garage coming up with an idea and starting a company is now going to be two guys in a garage with four lawyers behind them — and that's not how the Valley really got started. People shouldn't be fearful of getting sued out of oblivion when they go create a new idea.

At a time of continued economic uncertainty, this legislation will result in fewer new businesses, fewer new investments, and fewer new jobs. "Rogue websites" are no doubt a serious problem and we fully support targeted measures to shut them down. Like you, we understand the importance of combating piracy to protect the intellectual property of the American entertainment industry from copyright infringement in other parts of the world. We believe this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The SOPA as written, however, is overly broad and would cause serious and long term damage to the technology industry, one of the few bright spots in our economy.  

We hope you will work with the technology community to find narrow and targeted remedies against online infringers.  We also stand ready to work with you and your colleagues to find a solution that protects innovation, while combating against truly "rogue" websites. Thank you in advance for your consideration of our views.

 

Thank you, Congressman Doggett for being a wise crusader in this cause. I will remember your swift response to my concerns the next time I enter the voting booth.

Fangtastic Fridays-Week Three!!

This is our third week reading PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES and it has been a blast!  The read-along has been one of the most fun events I've had the pleasure of participating in.  And yes, I did reread PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES.  Since I'm close to starting work on the sequel, I needed to reread the first book again.  Joining in on the read-along made it a lot of fun.  Plus it has been fun reading the insights of the other people reading as well.

Unabridged Andra sped to the end of the book and posted her review this week.

Can you say awesomesauce?? You better, because this book kicks major vampire ass! 

I love that quote from her review!

Now onto my answers of the discussion questions.

Discussion Questions for Chapters 13 - 18

(Chapter 13) Samantha and Amaliya meet in less than "ideal" circumstances for either one of them.  What would your reaction have been if you were Sam? Amal? Cian?

This is such a sad moment for Samantha.  I felt bad for her.  This is the moment when all her dreams start falling apart.  She's so spunky and full of life that it was hard to see her lose some of that energy when faced with the beginning of the end of her blissful life with Cian.  She still handles the situation much better than I would have!

As for Amaliya, if I had been in her shoes, I would have felt awkward!  And very apologetic!  

Cian doesn't handle the situation very well, and I probably wouldn't have either.  I think he's so conflicted that he can't think straight.  

(Chapter 14) Cian takes Amaliya on a training feed run---What did you think?  Did it go the way thought it would?

One of my favorite scenes in the entire story!  I just love how she needles Cian relentlessly.  And no, it didn't go the way I thought it would.  I was shocked with what happened on their way home.  It was definitely one of those organic moments that comes out of nowhere and that I love so much as a writer.

(Chapter 15) When Amaliya is recounting her dream of  her awakening did you feel differently about it than you did at the beginning?  Has it changed your opinion of the professor's/summoner's actions?

The Summoner's killing of Amaliya continues to be one of the most chilling things I've ever written.  I think I became more afraid of him while writing this scene and even more worried than before.  As I said, at this point in the book, I had no idea how it would end.

(Chapter 16) Samantha meets Jeff in this chapter.  What did you think of Jeff and his job as it relates to Cian?

I really adore Jeff and I loved it when he entered the story.  I like how both Cian and Jeff live in the shadow of their "fathers" and have to deal with a much more complicated world because of the men who "created" them.

(Chapter 17) Roberto "removes" Amaliya from Cian's place.  What was your reaction to his choice of places and his decision to do this in the first place?

This part made me laugh out loud because, again, I didn't see it coming.  Roberto can be such an ass, yet his reasons make perfect sense for his character.

(Chapter 18) OMG!  Don't want to give anything away before you read this chapter!  So I will simply say---what the heck was your reaction to what happened in San Antonio?  (I really did think this was a turning point chapter)

This was the chapter where I was like "THAT'S MY GIRL!"  I loved it so much.  This is when I started to have hope that she would survive the book.

Please join the read-a-long and enter the discussion!

   Paperback                    Kindle

Other blogs following the read-a-long are:

1.	Christy @ Love of Books	4.	Crystal @ Elegantly Bound Books	7.	Francine@BooksAndBeyond
2.	Amy @ bookgoonie	5.	Kristi-The Book Faery	8.	Amber @ Just a Little {Para}normal
3.	Andra @ Unabridged Andra	6.	Lindsey @ Feasibly Happy	9.	Hannah @ Once Upon A Time

Discussion Schedule for Fang-tastic Fridays:
a Pretty When She Dies read-a-long 

11/4: Kick off and Chapters 1-6 hosted by The Bookish Brunette (check out the post here)
11/11: Chapters 7-12 hosted by On a Book Bender (the questions for week two are here)
11/18: Chapters 13-18 hosted by Geeky Blogger's Book Blog (the questions for week three are here)
11/25: Chapters 19-Epilogue and wrap up hosted by The Unread Reader (the questions for week four are here)

Book Sales Count - Why You Should Buy Your Favorite Authors Books

Note:  I want to make it very clear that I am well aware that in this economy it is rough to buy books full price.  When I was low on funds, I bought books at Half Priced Books, or through second-hand retailers.  Later, when money was available, I bought the latest books by those authors to support them.  I will never knock anyone for borrowing a book from a library, friend, paperback swap, or for buying it from a second-hand retailer.  This post is a response to various queries made by my fans and bloggers.

I now have two books out in the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy and the excitement is growing for SIEGE.  It's been one hell of a ride this year with the first book, THE FIRST DAYS, dropping on July 5, 2011 and the second book, FIGHTING TO SURVIVE, on November 8, 2011.  The anxiety of the first book release was pretty intense because I was very aware of the Borders fiasco (they shut down about this time) and that Tor had invested a pretty penny in the series because they believed in it.  I didn't wan to let down Tor or my fans, and that first release day was not the euphoric moment I thought it was going to be.

In fact, all day I kept thinking..."What if no one buys the book?"

By evening I settled down.  My agent's kind words helped.  My husband's support was what I needed.  A few margaritas helped me finally relax.

I let go of THE FIRST DAYS in my mind and released it to the cosmos.

The second book's release was much more fun.  I was far more relaxed and ecstatic.  It was fun seeing the reviews being posted in the blogsphere and seeing the tweets and facebook updates of fans anxiously running out to buy FIGHTING TO SURVIVE.  I noticed a lot of comments popping up all over the place from people saying, "This book is on my To Be Read list, but I haven't bought it yet."  

Over the last week or so a lot of fans, bloggers, friends and family have asked me about sales. I really don't know the numbers at this time.  I noticed on Amazon.com FIGHTING TO SURVIVE was my bestseller for most of the week followed by THE FIRST DAYS.  It seems the second book pulled up the first books sales.  This makes sense.  A lot of people hate reading the first book of a series without knowing when the second one will be out.  It's a lot easier for people to buy complete series.

Today I read an article by Alan Baxter called "While you wait for book three, authors die!"  In it he discusses the importance of investing in a series with book one.

From the article:

However, if no one buys the first book, it’s very possible that books two and three will never see the light of day. An author survives on their sales figures. If they perform poorly at the checkout, the publisher will discard them like a greasy burger wrapper and think nothing of it. That’s business. It’s fucked, but it’s business.   

A lot of the time readers have no clue how much power they posses. The simple act of buying a book is a powerful statement to the publisher.  It says, "I want to invest in this writer and continue to buy his/her books."  

I have had a lot of readers tell me they will buy the entire series when the third book comes out.  Or they tell me they will borrow it from a friend, a library, paperback swap, etc.  I am VERY grateful that they are interested in my books enough to read them, but as they wait, or option to borrow the book, that is a sale the publisher doesn't see.

So if you want to support the AS THE WORLD DIES series and hope to see more in the future, even if you read the original online serial, or the self-published books, please buy the Tor books.  If you are low on funds, maybe you and a few friends can pool money together so you can buy one book and share it.

I do promise my readers that I will always do my best to write books they will enjoy and complete the series I have started (As The World Dies Untold Tales, The Vampire Bride series, The Pretty Series).  I am eternally grateful for all your support.  Even if I didn't have a major publisher behind some my writing endeavors, I would continue to write and self-publish.

For more on how to support your favorite author, read my previous post on the topic here.

FANGTASTIC FRIDAYS--PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES Read Along Week 2

This is the second week of the PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES read-along which is being hosted by four book bloggers, The Bookish Brunette, The Unread Reader, Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, and On A Book Bender.  I'm doing the read along and answering the questions posted each week by the bloggers.  It's definitely fun reflecting on when I was writing the book.

The read-along will conclude with a reveal of the cover for the sequel, PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS, and an interview with the artist at The Bookish Brunette Blog.  I'm so excited!

Here are my answers to questions posed by On A Book Bender.

Discussion Questions for Chapters 7 – 12

1.  The end of chapter 6 gives us a sense that something bad is going to happen between Rob, the truck driver, and Amaliya.  What are your thoughts on what actually happened between Rob and Amaliya in Chapter 7?  Do you think it could have been avoided?  Why or why not?

When I wrote this part of the book and I literally felt sick to my stomach.  For some reason this scene was much harder for me than Amaliya's transformation or her earlier killings. Something about Rob and his attack on her just made me so damn angry, but also sick. I was so plugged into Amaliya's mind that when Rob shoved his hand under her clothing, I started to shake.  I think what upset me the most was that Amaliya thought Rob was an okay guy and never expected what happened to her.  I agree with Cian about Amaliya.  For looking so worldly, she can sometimes be terribly naive.  She never recognized Rob as a predator until it was too late.  Luckily for her, she was able to fight back.

2.  Chapter 8 introduces us to some new characters, Cian and Roberto.  Ashley asked us earlier whether we thought the man who created Amaliya was friend or foe.  After listening to Cian and Roberto talk, has your opinion about the professor changed?  How?  Do you think Cian and Roberto would be Amaliya’s allies or enemies?

This part of the book was fun for me because I was finally in the minds of the other characters.  It was at this point I started learning more about Amaliya's creator as well.  Since I'm an organic writer and often don't know exactly what comes next, this was a very exciting time of discovery for me.  Amaliya's creator definitely became more of a tangible evil in her life.  As for Cian and Roberto at this point, I still wasn't sure how things were going to play out.

3. There seems to be a growing divide between Amaliya’s humanity and her actions as a vampire.  Do you think this would be “normal” for a new vampire, or do you think it is not a “clean transformation” as Cian stated in Chapter 8?

It was through Cian that I gained a greater understanding of Amaliya.  His concerns mirrored my own about my complicated Amaliya.  I was certain she was not quite "right" somehow, but I had yet to fully grasp what was wrong.  I actually did like the fact that she was growing more comfortable in her vampire skin and wasn't moping about.

4. Amaliya seems to be running primarily on vampire instinct.  After reading chapter 10, specifically the beginning, do you think vampires can overcome their instincts and be good — or at least, not deadly?

This was the part of the story I really enjoyed.  Vampires are predators.  They're former humans, but not human anymore.  It was fun to dive into their mentality and explore their complexity.

5. In Chapter 11, we finally learn more about the Summoner and Cian.  How do you think this information will impact the rest of the story?  What do you think will happen?

This is where I was pretty sure they were all fucked.  LOL.  The Summoner is such an EVIL guy that I was nervous for my protagonists.  I was writing the book for Candy Haven's Fast Draft class and writing around four hours a day after I got home from my day job.  I was completely immersed in the story and it was pouring out of me.  I still had no clue how the book was going to end, so this was the point where I got REAL nervous.

6. The Summoner thinks that Amaliya has had good luck thus far.  Amaliya thinks she has had lousy luck.  With whom do you agree?

I love how subjective this is. I think Amaliya has "luck" like others have talents.  Things just happen to her, and depending on how she reacts, it either turns out good or bad.  

Please join the read-a-long and enter the discussion!

   Paperback                    Kindle

Other blogs following the read-a-long are:

1.	Christy @ Love of Books	4.	Crystal @ Elegantly Bound Books	7.	Francine@BooksAndBeyond
2.	Amy @ bookgoonie	5.	Kristi-The Book Faery	8.	Amber @ Just a Little {Para}normal
3.	Andra @ Unabridged Andra	6.	Lindsey @ Feasibly Happy	9.	Hannah @ Once Upon A Time

Discussion Schedule for Fang-tastic Fridays:
a Pretty When She Dies read-a-long 

11/4: Kick off and Chapters 1-6 hosted by The Bookish Brunette (check out the post here)
11/11: Chapters 7-12 hosted by On a Book Bender (the questions for week two are here)
11/18: Chapters 13-18 hosted by Geeky Blogger's Book Blog (the questions for week three are here)
11/25: Chapters 19-Epilogue and wrap up hosted by The Unread Reader

Some of My Books Are On Sale Now!!

I'm always looking out for a bargain.  I won't lie.  I love sales.  I love it when there are book sales, so I can feed my reading addiction.  I took a quick swing by amazon.com this morning and saw that some of the trade paperbacks of my books are presently on sale.  If you've been delaying purchasing because you need to watch your pennies, this is a great time to order.

Here are the books presently on sale.

My Projected Writing Schedule

The question I get asked most often is "what are you working on now?"  The second most asked question is "what are you working on next?"  I can totally understand the curiosity.  I'm always checking out the blogs of my favorite writers to see what they are up to and their upcoming releases.

I have also become increasingly aware of the fact that I have three different sets of fans:
1.  The fans who read only my zombie stuff
2.  The fans who read only my vampire stuff
3.  The fans who will read anything I write

I didn't realize this at first. But as time  goes on and fans express displeasure that I'm working on a book other than the one they were hoping I was writing, I have learned that sometimes the book I'm writing makes one fan cheer, while the other scowls.

In all honesty, I see myself as a horror writer.  I don't consider myself a vampire genre writer or a zombie genre writer exclusively.  I'm both of those and more.  I have so many ideas pouring into my head that at times it is a little overwhelming.  Before I was published by Tor I was able to just pick an idea and write it.  Now I have to consider my contractual obligations.

I recently made the decision to continue self-publishing my two vampire series (Pretty When She..., and Vampire Bride) for the time being.  Several factors played into this decision.

First and foremost is that there is already a fan base for both these series and the fans are clamoring for the next release. If I were to sell them to a publisher, this could mean delays of a year or more before the self-published book I have published now is re-released and another year or two for the next sequel to come out.  This is really hard for me to accept.  There was 11 months between the time when I pulled down the self-published versions of AS THE WORLD DIES and the release of the revised THE FIRST DAYS.  During that time I had email pouring into my inbox wondering what had happened to my books.  A lot of people were disappointed to find the originals were gone from circulation except for the second-hand copies.  I'd hate to put fans through that again.

Secondly, I have been working on the AS THE WORLD DIES zombie trilogy for the last 6 (almost 7) years.  The SIEGE revision was not as difficult as I feared, but the emotional fallout hit my like a runaway train.  Just after I hit send to my editor, I realized I was completely burned out on the trilogy.  The Vampire Bride series and Pretty When She...series are nearly as old (or older) than AS THE WORLD DIES.  The thought of going back into those already written, already published books to revise them yet again made me want to crawl into bed and hide.  I realized I couldn't bare to go back to old work.  I want to move forward to new stories.

I spoke to my agent and told her what I had decided and she enthusiastically agreed with me.  Though she loves the two vampire series, she agreed that setting them aside for now is the way to go.  I think she could hear it in my voice how much I want to write something new and fresh.  Maybe one day I'll sell the two vampire series, but for now I'm keeping them.

That being said, I recently pitched three book ideas to my editor.  We'll see if one of them gets snapped up once I submit the synopsis for each one.  All three are original works, not connected to anything else I've written.

Meanwhile, I have other books planned out.  The time frame is always subject to change if I end up with a contractual obligation and hard deadlines.  I just had to put aside my latest work to do the copyedits on SIEGE for example.

This is my tentative schedule right now.  I am trying to leave the early part of 2012 open just in case I will have a new novel to write for my editor.

Last Bastion of the Living (futuristic zombie novel) Projected writing period to finish the novel already in progress - November

Pretty When She Kills (vampires, necromancers, zombies in modern day Texas) Projected writing period December - January for a projected release date in March.

As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume 2 (featuring Ken & Lenore's story, Katarina's story, and unknown story)Projected writing period - Possibly end of November -- commissioning cover art now

As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume 3 (featuring Rune's story, the Senator's story, and unknown story) Projected writing period - March for a projected release date in May

Untitled third book in Vampire Bride Series - Projected writing period - June for a projected release date in September

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE AVAILABLE TODAY!!!

Today is the official release date for FIGHTING TO SURVIVE! I'm so excited. Not only is the book available in trade paperback, Kindle, and Nook, but also as an audio book! Audible.com has released both THE FIRST DAYS and FIGHTING TO SURVIVE today!  I'm so glad to have the books available in so many formats.  I know the readers all have their favorites.  

Remember, this version of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE has a whole lot more scenes and some new plot developments.  I had a ton of fun going in and revising the second book in the series and it is better than ever.

Another quick reminder is that the online release party is underway at Bitten by Books.  Drop by and ask a question or two!

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE Book Release Online Party at Bitten by Books!

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE hits stores tomorrow! The book release party is online at Bitten by Books!

Make sure to RSVP at this link for a chance to win a $50.00 gift card from Amazon.com!

I'll have a guest post tomorrow and will be answering your questions about the AS THE WORLD DIES series and my writing career.  Make sure to join in the fun and pick up your copy of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE!

Fangtastic Fridays!! PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES Read-A-Long!!!

The PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES read-along is underway and I hope you can join us.  I'm revisiting the novel, too, since I wrote it oh-so-long-ago in 2007.  It is a ton of fun and it feels like I'm chillin' with old friends (and foes).

I wrote a guest post for The Bookish Brunette that is up at her site where I talk about how damn hard it was to write Amaliya, the protagonist of the novel.  Yet, she is definitely one of my favs.  I hope you will read PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES.  It has vampires, necromancers and zombies.  What more could you want?

I've decided to answer the questions the bloggers are listing every week for fun.  Please feel free to make comments or join the read-along!  There is still time!  I have cut and pasted from The Bookish Brunette blog the information on the four bloggers hosing this event and the other bloggers following the discussion at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy!

Discussion Questions for Chapters 1-6

1. After reading through Amaliya's 'awakening'... So realistic and freaking horrifying right? *shudders* What are your reactions to such a vivid scene?
I dreamed it!  And it wasn't pleasant.  In fact, I was Amaliya in the dream so I experienced everything first hand.  I woke up just after she realizes she has killed everyone in the orgy and her creator is speaking to her.  I was disoriented and horrified that I had murdered people and jumped out of bed. Only after walking around the apartment and settling back into my own reality did I feel relief that it was only a dream.  Of course, Amaliya did not get that same luxury.

2. I know it's EARLY on, and we've only gotten a glimpse of him, but... In YOUR opinion, the man who made Amaliya into a vampire... friend or foe?
At this point in writing the book I had a good idea how things were going to go down between Amaliya and her creator, but I was really surprised by a few things that did occur later on.  In the dream I did find him amazingly appealing, handsome, and downright sexy, but what he was saying just filled me with rage (both me and Amaliya).  I remember thinking "You killed me!" over and over again.  Not a good moment.

3. Amaliya's family are some PIECES of work aren't they??? While I HOPE no one has a family as freaking crazy nuts as hers... We all have a few nutjobs in our family tree right? Tell me about a crazy member of YOUR family... Or a time when you thought, "Please, NO... I am SO not with them!"
I am going to take this chance to say that the Vezoraks aren't supposed to be a representation of rednecks, Texans, or East Texans, but of a dysfunctional family.  When I was growing up I did know about a family where the husband married the dead wife's niece (the niece was close to her in age) and it freaked me out.  


As for my own family, every time my brothers get together they sound like mobsters.  In a restaurant one time I'm pretty sure that everyone really thought they were Italian mobsters.

4. Pete... Awww, Pete... He confesses his unending love for her, then everything goes to hell in a hand-basket! Who is/was YOUR Pete? Did you have a guy who was hopelessly in love with you for years that you never even knew about?
Doesn't Pete just break your heart?  He's so sweet!  I did have a few guys tell me after my husband and I announced we were a couple that they had liked me, but had been pretty sure that my hubby and I were destined to be together (we were best friends at the time) so they didn't ask me out.

5. Have you started connecting with Amaliya? What specific instance stands out the most for you? (hopefully you are LOVING her hardcore by Chapter 6!)  
As I wrote at The Bookish Brunette I struggled with Amaliya.  She is so far removed from my own personality it was very, very hard to write her.  But I did feel for her and often winced when she did things that I was sure was going to backfire.

Please join in the read-a-long and enter the discussion!  Other blogs following the read-a-long are:

1.	Christy @ Love of Books	4.	Crystal @ Elegantly Bound Books	7.	Francine@BooksAndBeyond
2.	Amy @ bookgoonie	5.	Kristi-The Book Faery	8.	Amber @ Just a Little {Para}normal
3.	Andra @ Unabridged Andra	6.	Lindsey @ Feasibly Happy	9.	Hannah @ Once Upon A Time

Discussion Schedule for Fang-tastic Fridays:
a Pretty When She Dies read-a-long 

11/4: Kick off and Chapters 1-6 hosted by The Bookish Brunette (check out the post here)
11/11: Chapters 7-12 hosted by On a Book Bender (the questions for week two are here)
11/18: Chapters 13-18 hosted by Geeky Blogger's Book Blog
11/25: Chapters 19-Epilogue and wrap up hosted by The Unread Reader

San Antonio Book Signing This Saturday-November 5, 2011!!

Here are the details for the San Antonio Book Signing this Saturday. If you're in the area, I hope you'll come out and say hi! If you have any of my older books, bring those for me to sign, too! 

Time: Saturday, November 5 · 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Barnes and Noble 15900 La Cantera Pkwy

More Info:  Join author Rhiannon Frater at Barnes and Noble in San Antonio, Texas to celebrate the release of the second book in the AS THE WORLD DIES zombie trilogy. She will be signing new copies of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE and visiting with fans. Copies of the first book in the series THE FIRST DAYS will also be available.

Tor is Giving Away Copies of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE AND FIGHTING TO SURVIVE!!

Tor is giving away copies of the first two books in the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy for their All Hallow’s Read Sweepstakes.  In fact, they will give the lucky winner TWO copies of both books, one for themselves and one to give to a friend.
To enter check out the blog post at tor.com announcing the contest. 

And good luck!!!