The Truth About Book Signings

With the release of SIEGE, the final book in the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy, many of my fans have been expecting a book tour. I do have a few appearances booked.  (You can see them here.)

I was thrilled to be in Houston this last Saturday at Murder by the Book and had a lot of fun discussing the origins of SIEGE, the revisions, and how awesome it has been to hear from the fans. I'll also be in Dallas at Texas Frightmare Weekend and will have a book signing at the fabulous BookPeople here in Austin.  We're also working on setting up a few more book signings around Texas.

But what about the rest of the US, you might ask? Or Canada? I've even had Italian fans asking when I'll be there.

The truth is...uh...when I'm a much bigger name than I am right now.

The reality is that when I appear at a book signing, the expenses are coming out of my own pocket.  My hubby and I are paying for our own transportation, lodging, traveling expenses, etc. ourselves.

The big national book tours for big name authors are a whole other ballgame. Amanda Hocking, JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, and other well-known authors who make appearances across the country (and the world) are national bestsellers. The big publishers behind their books are more than willing to put up the money for tours because they know that author is worth their weight in gold pretty much.  Book tours are expensive and that is why a lot of lesser known authors (like me) often don't end up touring.

When fans ask me when I'll be in their area of the country, I always tell them the same thing.

"One day when I'm a much bigger author."

They often think I'm putting myself down, but I'm really not.

I'm pleased with my success so far and hope to build on it.  I hope/plan/dream of garnering more fans, selling more books, and having a very successful career. I am very appreciative of the fans I have now and I'm always thrilled when a new one drops me a line to tell me they recently discovered my work.  I hold my fans in very high regard because I know I would not have any measure of success as writer if not for them.  They mean the world to me.  And I would love to visit the town of every fan out there (or at least a nearby city), but that may not be for a few more years (or longer).

Hopefully, one day, I'll have a national tour, but for now I will mostly be appearing in Texas.  I will keep you posted if I appear out of state and give you all the details.

Hopefully, I will see you soon.

The Final Chapter of AS THE WORLD DIES -- SIEGE Blog Tour Final Stop

Sadly, today is the last day of the SIEGE Blog Tour. Our last stop is at Chapter by Chapter, which seems appropriate, since SIEGE is the last chapter in the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy. I did a fun little interview with Mary Ann that I think you’ll enjoy.  Her review of SIEGE is also posted for your viewing pleasure. Click here to check it out. She has also been reviewing the trilogy. THE FIRST DAYS FIGHTING TO SURVIVE I am so happy that SIEGE is finally in the bookstores and in the hands of the fans.  I have been hearing from a lot of you and the feedback has been tremendous. Thank you so much for all your support throughout the years. To think this journey started with a short story way back in 2005. It's amazing! So what's next? THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING: A Futuristic Zombie Novel is going to be published on June 12, 2012.  I'm already putting together the cover reveal and blog tour for that novel.  You can add that book to your goodreads list by clicking below. And there will be one last AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES book.  I don't have a release date for it yet, but VOLUME THREE will have Rune's Story for sure.  I will keep you posted. Again, thank you so much for everything.  To all the bloggers on the tour, to the readers, to my family and friends, all of you together have made the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy an important and wonderful part of my life for nearly seven years.  Thank you for loving Jenni and Katie as much as I do and being a part of their adventure. I love you all. See you at the fort!

 

 Other stops on the tour!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.
Day 7:  Check out my in depth interview with Bad Ass Book Reviews at the first tour stop. Also enter their SIEGE giveaway.  Read my guest blog post "Women, Society, and the Zombocalypse" at the second tour stop at FishMuffins of Doom.
Day 8:  The ever rabid-leader-of-the-Frater-Fan-Cult Giselle of Xpresso Reads interviews me and we discuss SIEGE. Also read her awesome review of the final book!
Day 9: RELEASE DAY Read the CROWNED review of SIEGE by the super-awesome Ashley at Bookish Brunette!
Day 10: My final love letter to Jenni and Katie "The Two Heroines of AS THE WORLD DIES" is over at Book Chick City. Plus, you can enter to win the ENTIRE trilogy!!
Day 11: My Top Ten Favorite Zombie Things! is at Sweet Tidbits Book Review along with Bonnie's review of Siege.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

My Favorite Zombie Sweet Tidbits - SIEGE Blog Tour day 11

Today's guest blog post is a lot of fun.  Bonnie of Sweet Tidbits asked me to compile a list of my ten favorite zombie books, but I asked if I could do it on my ten favorite zombie things. And she said yes!! The list is a combination of things I already own and things I'm dying to have. If you have any recommendations of cool zombie stuff, feel free to comment! Check out my list here.

 

 Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.
Day 7:  Check out my in depth interview with Bad Ass Book Reviews at the first tour stop. Also enter their SIEGE giveaway.  Read my guest blog post "Women, Society, and the Zombocalypse" at the second tour stop at FishMuffins of Doom.
Day 8:  The ever rabid-leader-of-the-Frater-Fan-Cult Giselle of Xpresso Reads interviews me and we discuss SIEGE. Also read her awesome review of the final book!
Day 9: RELEASE DAY Read the CROWNED review of SIEGE by the super-awesome Ashley at Bookish Brunette!
Day 10: My final love letter to Jenni and Katie "The Two Heroines of AS THE WORLD DIES" is over at Book Chick City. Plus, you can enter to win the ENTIRE trilogy!!

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

Jenni and Katie Invade Book Chick City - SIEGE Blog Tour Day 10

SIEGE is out and on the bookshelves of your local bookstores and at your online retailer. Finally, at last, the end of the trilogy is here! I’m already getting feedback from a lot of the fans who consumed the book in all night reading-sprees. Thank you so much for every kind word. It means so much to me. Honestly, the SIEGE release day was the most emotional one I’ve had yet. I sobbed for awhile in my husband’s arms, overwhelmed with so many different emotions. It’s been a helluva ride with Jenni and Katie and in many ways, it is hard to see it come to an end. Today's blog tour stop is at Book Chick City. She’s been a big supporter of the series ever since she read THE FIRST DAYS. She recently gave SIEGE an awesome review that you can read here. I’m guest blogging at her site today and I get to talk about my two favorite zombie killers, Jenni and Katie. Both characters are so close to my heart and I love them so much. It was rather cathartic writing a post just about them and their unique roles in the story. Please hop over to Book Chick City and check out my farewell love letter to Jenni and Katie.

 

 Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.
Day 7:  Check out my in depth interview with Bad Ass Book Reviews at the first tour stop. Also enter their SIEGE giveaway.  Read my guest blog post "Women, Society, and the Zombocalypse" at the second tour stop at FishMuffins of Doom.
Day 8:  The ever rabid-leader-of-the-Frater-Fan-Cult Giselle of Xpresso Reads interviews me and we discuss SIEGE. Also read her awesome review of the final book!
Day 9: RELEASE DAY Read the CROWNED review of SIEGE by the super-awesome Ashley at Bookish Brunette!

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

SIEGE RELEASE DAY

Today is the big day!    The release day for SIEGE, the final book in the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy.   I cannot express how excited, happy, overwhelmed, and just a little traumatized I am.  It still just floors me every time I think about how this series got started way back in 2005 and what it has grown into.  Sometimes, it feels like an eternity since I wrote the opening scene, other times, like today, it feels like I blinked my eyes and here we are. Since today is release day, it's very fitting that today's stop is at THE BOOKISH BRUNETTE.  Ashley had been a huge supporter of the series ever since she read THE FIRST DAYS.  She even gave the first book a Crowned review on her site, which is the best you can receive from her.  And now SIEGE has received the same!  Another Crowned Review  I treasure this review, which you can read by clicking the image below. Ashley's rabid support of the series drew a lot of attention since her initial review and I give her a lot of kudos for getting the word out about the adventures of Jenni and Katie in zombieland.  Quite honestly, I'm so glad she reached out to me during Zombie Craze 2011, because since then I've got to know her pretty well and she's a great gal. So take a leap over to The Bookish Brunette and see what she has to say about the final installment of AS THE WORLD DIES. And don't forget about Zombie Craze coming in May, 2012!

 

 Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.
Day 7:  Check out my in depth interview with Bad Ass Book Reviews at the first tour stop. Also enter their SIEGE giveaway.  Read my guest blog post "Women, Society, and the Zombocalypse" at the second tour stop at FishMuffins of Doom.
Day 8:  The ever rabid-leader-of-the-Frater-Fan-Cult Giselle of Xpresso Reads interviews me and we discuss SIEGE. Also read her awesome review of the final book!

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

An Interview with a Shot of Xpresso-SIEGE Blog Tour Day 8

Today's blog stop on the SIEGE Blog Tour is at Xpresso Reads.  I have to say I have been very lucky to get the support of book bloggers like The Bookish Brunette, Book Chick City, and many more. Giselle popped onto my radar just recently when she read THE FIRST DAYS and was an instant rabid fan. Since then, she has basically..uhm...strongly suggested....to many bloggers that they should be reading the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy. Oh, hell. Let's be frank. If there is a cult of Rhiannon Frater, Giselle started it and is the high priestess. She's a very ardent fan and is a huge supporter of my writing. I'm very grateful to her for her ardent support and honest reviews of my work (she was a test reader for THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING and kicked me in the teeth more than once when I screwed something up). Check out my interview with Giselle of Xpresso Read here.  Enjoy!

 

 Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.
Day 7:  Check out my in depth interview with Bad Ass Book Reviews at the first tour stop. Also enter their SIEGE giveaway.  Read my guest blog post "Women, Society, and the Zombocalypse" at the second tour stop at FishMuffins of Doom.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

Muffins of Doom!-SIEGE Blog Tour Day 7-Second Stop

Today’s second stop is at the strangely named FishMuffins of Doom Blog. I actually really love that name! I was asked to write about the women and the society in AS THE WORLD DIES. This is probably one of my more serious blog posts, and I gave it a lot of thought. To read my post "Women, Society and the Zombocalypse", just click here!

 

 Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

A Bad Ass Interview- Day 7 of the SIEGE Blog Tour

Today’s stop is at the awesomely named Bad Ass Book Review.  Regina and I had a fun time with a brand new interview.  It is probably the most in depth interview of the entire tour and we cover a lot of different aspects of my career.  I just loved the questions she asked me!  I encourage you to check it out and leave a comment.  Regina is hosting another SIEGE giveaway, so you can enter the SIEGE Blog Tour giveaway at Addicted2Heroines and the giveaway at Badass Reviews!

 

 Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.
Day 6:  Check out my interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

Smash Attack on SIEGE - SIEGE Blog Tour Day 6

Today SIEGE blog tour stop is at Smash Attack Reads. The fabulous Smash decided she wanted to interview some of the characters in the series. Since I don’t do “character interviews” (I like them to remain in my head and not wandering the internet), instead she asked me questions about the inception or aspects of some the characters. I love talking about the AS THE WORLD DIES characters and some of the challenges of writing them. Click to read the interview and Smash's review of SIEGE.

Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.
Day 5:  Check out my interview with Jess at Jess Resides Here and enter her own SIEGE giveaway.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE  Blog Tour Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

An Interview With An Early Fan--SIEGE Blog Tour Day 5

Today’s blog post stop is at Jess Resides Here. It’s a special stop for me because Jess was one of the first bloggers to throw her love and support behind THE FIRST DAYS. Her ardent support of the book helped bring it to the attention of THE BOOKISH BRUNETTE. Ashley’s rabid love of THE FIRST DAYS garnered even more attention. It’s been like dominos falling as the word of mouth about the series has built over time. Jess sent me some truly awesome questions for our Q&A at her blog today. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did answering them. Click here to read our interview.

Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.
Day 4:  Check out my guest post "The Power of Fandom" at Love of Books.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

Love Letter to My Fans at Love of Books-SIEGE Blog Tour Day 4

Today’s blog tour stop is at Love of Books. Again I get to talk about a subject that is close to my heart…fans!  Christy asked me to discuss my relationship with fans in my guest blog today. I loved the idea. Fans are a vital part of a writer’s career and I definitely appreciate mine. So hop over to Love of Books and check out my love letter to my fans.  I discuss how my fans affected my career and how they can continue to support my writing endeavors. Enjoy! Click here to read the post.

Other stops on the tour so far!

Day 1: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day 2: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.
Day 3: Check out my guest post "Horror Writers-Are We Really That Scary" at Blood, Sweat and Books and a review of SIEGE at Livre De Amour.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

Two Stops Today on the SIEGE Blog Tour Day 3

Today has to blog stops for your reading pleasure. One of the things I love about blog tours is writing guest posts and being interviewed about my books. It’s always fun to discuss the characters, plots, and scenarios in the novels I write. Being a writer is a solitary endeavor most of the time. We’re trapped in the world in our own minds, typing away on our computers, and it can be quite some time before the book is published and we finally hear from the fandom. Now that the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy complete with the release of SIEGE, I’m having a blast discussing the world and characters I spent so much time with. Today’s guest post is at Blood, Sweat, and Books and I get to discuss the stereotypes about horror writers and whether or not I fit the bill. At Livre de Amour, there is a new review of SIEGE.

Other stops on the tour so far!

Day One: Check out my guest post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.
Day Two: Check out my guest post "Zombies-Texas Style" at Swedish Zombie.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

Swedish Zombies and The SIEGE Blog Tour Day 2

Today's blog stop is overseas in Sweden. Swedish Zombie is a very popular website that covers all things zombie from across the world.  

I was pretty thrilled to be approached by Swedish Zombie about the blog tour. I know I have Swedish fans from previous correspondence with them.  I've also had a die-hard fan order all my books from my online store.  I never thought I would be mailing my books to Sweden!

In my guest blog post, I talk about the difficulty selling the international rights to the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy.  Publishers overseas are inclined to believe that a story in Texas won't interest their countrymen, yet I have plenty of international fans.  You can read my guest post by click here.

Also, Swedish Zombie posted two reviews of my books.  They're in Swedish, but you can have google translate them for you. 

• Review of THE FIRST DAYS
• Review of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE

Thanks again to Swedish Zombie for hosting!

Other stops on the tour so far!

 Day One: Check out my guest blog post "Let Me Frighten You" at Addicted to Heroines.

Make sure to enter the SIEGE Giveaway hosted by Addicted to Heroines!!

Click the image below

The SIEGE Blog Tour Begins Today!!! Reviews, Interviews, Guest Posts + Giveaway!

The SIEGE Blog Tour begins today and I'm so excited to be promoting the FINAL book in the trilogy. It has been an amazing journey.  I never dreamed when I wrote the short story "Tiny Fingers" in 2005 that in 2012 I would be seeing the publication of the third and final AS THE WORLD DIES book.  AMAZING!

Today's blog stop is at the fabulously named Addicted2Heroines.  Please pop over there to read my blog post on why I believe my characters are so dear to fans of the series.  Also enter to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of SIEGE and a flat of the cover.  

You can also read the reviews of all three books.

• THE FIRST DAYS
• FIGHTING TO SURVIVE
• SIEGE

Click here to start the SIEGE blog tour!

Author Guest Post-Jessica Meigs on Kick Ass Heroines + A free ebook!

Today's exciting post is by Jessica Meigs, author of THE BECOMING zombies series. Jessica, like me, started off self-publishing, and later signed with Permuted Press.  Her first book in the series has appeared on some of the same lists as THE FIRST DAYS for best apocalyptic and zombie fiction.

It's always exciting to have another female zombie genre writer in the fold and to see her writing about fabulous female characters.  

Enjoy her post!

          I started to read zombie apocalypse fiction back in 2009, when I picked up an e-copy of World War Z and devoured it in two short, somewhat disturbing days of too little sleep and too much caffeine. I loved every single page, and it didn’t take me long to start reading even more z-poc literature. It wasn’t long after that, though, that I started to run into what I viewed as a major problem in the genre: there was next to nothing there geared toward women. There were virtually no female leads; and what women there were trended toward the weak and dependent and victimized end of the spectrum. (And that’s ignoring the ones where the women were merely men with breasts.) Being a woman myself, I saw this as a real problem. I wanted to read about strong, tough women. And it seemed the genre was sorely lacking in that, much to my surprise. It was enough to make one weep.

          I think it was when I read a really bad book (which I’ve infamously refused to name) that featured a female role that could have been a real plus to the genre but most decidedly wasn’t that I was prompted to sit down and write my own zombie book. I wanted to put everything I desired to read in a zombie book into one of my own, including a tough, no-nonsense, I-can-take-care-of-myself woman who is decidedly a woman and not afraid to show it, while at the same time willing to take care of business when the chips were down.

          Thus was born Cade Alton.

          Cade is a thirty-two-year-old Memphis resident who is an immigrant from Israel. Trained extensively in all matters military, she spent seven years in the IDF and, as such, honed some serious sniper skills—a woman so good at what she did that she would have made a great recruit for Mossad. She is a rifle-toting, knife-and-gun-collecting enigma wrapped in a mystery with all the assorted mood swings to go along with it. She’s strong-willed and independent, loyal to a fault, and quite capable of some major butt-kicking whenever the situation calls for it. Oh, and she has a very unladylike habit of swearing like a sailor on shore leave too. Just call it “venting.”

          It’s interesting, at least to me, how Cade came into existence. When I sat down and started to work out what I wanted to happen in my book and who I wanted it to happen to, I knew from the start that there were going to be three major characters that the entire trilogy would revolve around: Ethan Bennett, Brandt Evans, and Cade Alton. I knew too that I wanted Cade to be not only the unspoken leader of the trio but also the most highly skilled. I knew too that I wanted her to be Israeli: where else in the world would a woman be able to gain the military experience and sniper-training than in the IDF? (This was, of course, all planned without having ever read Rhiannon Frater’s ATWD trilogy, so I had no idea that the whole Israeli-awesomeness thing wasn’t original! Great minds think alike, or so the saying goes.) That, however, was as far as I actively planned before I began to write. As a result, a lot of Cade’s background was a mystery to me until I actually encountered situations where it came into play, which made the development of the character that much more interesting to me. For example, I had no idea she was a sniper until she shows Ethan her newest addition to her collection in the second chapter of The Becoming. It just fell in naturally with what I had planned to happen to her throughout the trilogy. Those little things, alongside a lot of other little things littered through the first book alone, ended up creating the most elaborately written character in the entire series.

          Cade ended up having everything I wanted in a female character when I set out to write my books: the toughness, the no-nonsense attitude and the ability to unhesitatingly put down the infected and defend her friends when their lives were in danger. She’s not reliant on any of the men in the group to defend her or protect her—if anything, she spends a good portion of the books protecting them. And even when a potential love interest emerges from the chaos, she doesn’t let that cloud her judgment in the slightest or, for that matter, prevent her from telling said potential love interest just what an idiot he is. (But considering the fascinating interplay between Cade and her love interest, it’s most assuredly a topic for another day; if I were to try to write all about it now, I’m sure that not only would I babble for far longer than I really intend to but it’d most certainly spoil major plot points in books two and three!)

          I remember the exact moment when I realized I might have actually created a truly amazing character: it was when my editor got back with me on the initial edit declaring Cade her favorite character, saying she felt “very real, very believable” and wanting to know who I’d based her off of (nobody—and, as such, I think she’s the most original character I’ve ever written). Since the book’s release, fans have gotten in on the act with particularly positive things to say about Cade, declaring her “a badass with a heart;” “tough and lethal but still very human and capable of emotion;” “an IDF trained badass babe with a rifle;” and many other descriptions that have made me laugh and smile and do all those other silly things authors do when hearing praise. Even Fangoria got in on the game, calling Cade a “Milla Jovovich-Alice-inspired female warrior” (which is high praise, if you ask me). But, in the end, I think Barnes & Noble’s Paul Goat Allen summed Cade up best when he said: “She is complicated and, at times, contradictory—she is a smart, savvy, and an undeniably sexy heroine of the apocalypse…the leader—and the lifeblood—of the group.”




Thank you, Jessica, for that awesome post!


Order your copy of the THE BECOMING today!

Jessica is offering her free novella, BROTHERS IN ARMS, for FREE until midnight April 15.

FREE EBOOK!!!

Click here to get your free Kindle e-book.

Jessica lives in semi-obscurity in Demopolis, Alabama. When she’s not writing, she works full time as an EMT. She enjoys listening to music and spends way too much time building playlists for everything she writes. 

Contact Jessica Meigs 

Twitter: @JessicaMeigs

www.jessicameigs.com 

facebook.com/jessicameigs
http://www.goodreads.com/JessicaMeigs

Join Me This Friday the 13th at the Houston Writer's Guild Conference

Houston, TX fans and writers, I'll be appearing at the Houston Writer's Guild Writers Conference on Friday, April 13th. 


I will be discussing self-publishing and how to do it right!  I will also be discussing my own career and answering questions about publishing.


I will be signing books after my presentation that runs 1pm-5pm. 


It's $45 for the workshop. 


Hope to see you there!

http://www.houstonwritersguild.org/welcome.html

And if you can't make it to this event, I will be at Murder by the Books in Houston, TX on April 28, 2012.

You can see all the details of my upcoming appearances by clicking here.

THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING Rough Draft is Complete!

Whew.

Excuse me.

Whew.

I'm a little breathless. A marathon writing spree last night of around 8,000 words and my futuristic zombie novel is finally done.

Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever finish!

Even though I started the novel last year, I had to break away from it numerous times to work on the AS THE WORLD DIES revisions.  I took a break during the holidays, hoping to get back to it at the beginning of the year, but ended up sick and delirious for almost a month and a half.

And then I had to set it aside to get UNTOLD TALES VOLUME 2 ready for publication.

Finally, I was able to sit down and fix up all the stuff I had goofed up when sick (and kept trying to write anyway) and work out the final plot threads I had scrambled.

I started sending off four chapter increments to the test readers last week and so far the feedback has been glowingly positive (though I have a few small things to tidy up).

I'm going to go over the last few chapters probably this evening, then send off the rest of the book to the test readers. Once they're done and send in their feedback, I'll revise again.  Then Felicia Sullivan will get the book to edit.

Meanwhile, I have the SIEGE Blog Tour to get ready for and a workshop in Houston this Friday.

In case you were wondering, my next writing project is THE MIDNIGHT SPELL with Kody Boye.

Hopefully, sometime early next month THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING will have a cover.

At this point I'm looking at an early summer release. Once the release date is sorted out, I'll announced.

But for now, I'm taking my tired brain and body to bed for some much needed rest.