the league of reluctant adults

I've noticed that race car drivers make a big point of taking a swig of their sponsor's drink during the post-race interview. Unless they happen to be running the colors of a booze maker. But I think it'd be refreshing to see a driver slam a couple of shots of Jack Daniels while the media peppered him with questions. We might end up with a much more interesting segment. Kinda like: "What did you think of the race, Dan?" "I am the best driver that ever lived! Fear me, or I will put you on your lid!" Elbow nudge and a wink. "Didja see how I rhymed just now? Kinda like Muhammad Ali used to? Anyway, where was I? I rock, we established that . . . oh, also my crew is pretty bitchin'. Except for this guy named Milt who never gets our lunch orders right and always comes in smelling like gym socks." Nose wrinkle. "I hate going to the gym. It's like, run, run, run for a freaking hour. And then lift weights until you've kil...

We had an outstanding 23 entries for the Linda Robertson Interview drawing! Thank you, everyone, for participating. And a special thank you to Linda for volunteering your time! And the winner of the signed copy of VICIOUS CIRCLE is: Beth! Congratulations, Beth! You can email your mailing address to me [ mail (at) kellymeding.com ] and I'll forward it to Linda, so we can get your book out to you! And congrats, Linda, for tomorrow is Release Day!!!!

Through a not-so strange sequence of events, I was very recently turned on to the band XTC... and "Books are Burning" may be my new favorite song. There are a few folks to whom I am incredibly tempted to send this video... Super tempted. Instead, I'll share it with you guys. :) How does a guy who listens mostly to metal, musicals, soundtracks, and They Might Be Giants get turned on to a New Wave British band you ask? All you have to do is read What Time Devours by A. J. Hartley and you'll want to listen to XTC. Andrew doesn't write urban fantasy, but the books are extremely good. As a result, I even wound up with a great song for the death of one of my important characters: "No Thugs in our House". Oh, and if anyone would be interested in a contest where you get to be eaten by a vampire (Greta) and have your corpse devoured by an undead 1964 1/2 Mustang (Fang) in one of my future books, leave a comment letting me know how you think such a contest...

Despite any personal misgivings about the man, one of my favorite zombies has passed. It got me to thinking about creativity, though. I struggle wondering if I'm writing good stuff, how is it selling, where do I stand in the great hierarchy of books coming out, etc. But I'm terribly lucky that I get to create and share. And to my fellow creators and those who wonder if they are creators all I can say is create what you want to create and do it now. None of us is long for this world... if we're lucky, we'll get to terrorize y'allz neighborhood. And since it won't embed the file, go watch Thriller, won't you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8

I was trying to think of good places to post my recently-announced tour dates, and when I asked Mark if I should do it here, he politely suggested that maybe I should try posting an intro before shamelessly pimping myself out. This is a fair point, seeing as I've been a member here for a few months. Possibly more. Thus far, the only real evidence of my presence has been my book covers in the sidebar and the picture that Jeanne Stein posted of my office, back before my boyfriend cracked and cleaned it for me because it was literally impossible to walk in. Anyway, I digress. Unlike everyone else here, I write post-modern erotic literary fiction. Okay--no, that's not true. At least not until retirement. I write urban fantasy like the others and currently have three series out, two for adults and one for teens. My Georgina Kincaid series is about a reluctant succubus who's unlucky in love, seeing as getting physically close to others steals their souls. When not caught up in th...

ETA: CONTEST CLOSED!!! In anticipation of the release of my debut novel, I've been running a series of contests over at my blog, Organized Chaos . This month, Countdown: June! Contest will happen right here at the League. I've got an interview with a great lady and fellow-debut author, Linda Robertson , whose first novel, VICIOUS CIRCLE , releases June 30th from Juno/Pocket. Here's how the contest part works: Comment and ask questions. It's that simple. Linda will pop in a few times a day to answer your questions, so ask away! All comments and questions count an entry into our Prize Drawing. One entry per participant, but you can comment as often as you like. The comments section will remain open today through Monday morning, June 29th. So you've got all weekend! What's the Prize, you ask? An autographed copy of VICIOUS CIRCLE , to one lucky, randomly selected participant. And as in prior contests, the winner of this one will be put in the pot for an e...

As if anyone forgot, today marks the release of debut author and fellow Leaguer Diana Rowland's urban fantasy novel MARK OF THE DEMON . If you don't have a copy, get to your local bookstore. You don't want to miss it! Congrats, Diana!!!

I've basically shut myself off from the internet over the last week or so while I concentrated on finishing a first draft of my new book, a werewolf romance set in Alaska. Which I did, last night at 11:20. This is probably the most difficult manuscript I've worked on so far, from the beggining, when I started it during the ice storm, without electricty for a week, writing more than 20 pages longhand. And then I had nearly crippling writer's block for about three weeks, which freaked me out enough to seek professional help. (Granted, that help was from another romance writer, but it was still professional help.) So needless to say, I'm pretty excited about it and I'm not far enough into my career that I take it for granted that it will be published, so keep your fingers crossed.

First off, watch this. I mean it. Let's all go see it together.

So I'm eating my oatmeal with sliced banana this morning and I realize this isn't gonna last. Because I have taken my gooshy-food phase out of sequence. Which means by the time I'm eighty I will definitely be breakfasting on steak and corn on the cob. I have pondered the practical details of this dealie, and here's how I figure I'm gonna solve the molars-worn-to-a-nub problem . What funky fun are you planning for your old age?

She's all over the fucking place! Seriously! That girl has antsies in her pantsies. And so does her friend, Dr. Ruth. To find out where and what she's doing, check out her website ! The Docs do Various Cities Throughout the US* is up! With pictures! (Sorry for talking about myself in the third person. I had a moment.) *working title only

I don't think there's nearly enough discussion of Twilight on this blog, people. Anyone who has the misfortune to know me IRL (In Real LIfe) knows that I'm a Twihard. I'm not proud. It's a disease that I'm learning to live with. There's an ointment. I heart Edward Cullen. I used to heart Jacob Black, but I can't reconcile the fact he's played by a baby-faced 18-year-old. Don't judge me. Love me. I need help. In any case, here's the teaser trailer for New Moon, out November 20th. (barely restrained squee) Five billion people have already watched it multiple times. Some fans even taped their first reactions to it. This one amused me greatly. And that reaction? Say what you will about the books or the writing, but anything that elicits this kind of a fan/reader response is something no writer should dismiss. SMeyer's doing something right. This is why I study Robert Pattison. Uh...I mean, study the characterization and important story themes...

My husband, David, and I were in a bookstore last night, marveling at the sheer number of fantasy book covers featuring half-naked ladies wielding swords. I muttered, "I really need to tap into the horny geek market for my next project..." David thought about that for a minute. "I think you'd do well in the horny geek market. Clearly, you understand their mind-set. Look who you married." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I married him. I love my geek.

So, yeah, I'm 44 and still have a kid at home. Which means when I celebrate the July 1 mass market release of my first book ( Once Bitten, Twice Shy ) I reach for . . . my laptop. I know. Sew lame! Well, even if you can't take the geek outta the girl, you can squeeze a mini-mission from her. Which is what I'm gonna be posting to my website for the next few. Yup. That's what I said. Free Jaz Parks fer all, starting today! Consider this a yellow flyer with big black lettering that you don't even have to toss into the nearest trash can. YOU ARE INVITED . . . . http://www.jenniferrardin.com

Okay, show of hands: Who loves "The A-Team?" I adored this show growing up, watched reruns religiously when Spike was still Television for Men (ha!), and have most of the reasons on DVD. It's a super-fun show with a catchy theme song. Another show of hands: Who loves The Lord of the Rings? Movies and/or books? Classic fantasy novels that became amazing, classic films. I was one of the geeks who freaked when she heard there would be special, extended edition DVD's of the theatrical versions. So imagine my surprise and delight to find this little ditty on YouTube: Too. Much. Fun. And it got me thinking (I know, dangerous). What cast of characters from another book (yours or someone else's) would you match up to characters from "The A-Team?" Who's your Hannibal? Who's your Murdock? Who's your Amy Allen?

So I have a serious fashion dilemma. The thing is, I'm not normally stumped. I definitely have my own "style." I'm not claiming it's actually "styl ish , but it's my own style. And yet sometimes you get an invite to something so new and exciting that you need a little help with what to wear. Like tea with the Queen! Or a really fancy horse race! Or a date with a Finnish death metal drummer who is reputed to have eaten his own pinkie finger, raw, after chopping it off with an axe one night when he was drunk on acquavit! Ukso was a big softie, once you got to know him. Anyway, I'm confronted with just such an occasion. What does one wear to a former cockfighting bar? I'm thinking this is too much: What do you think I should wear?

We have so much in common we'll probably eventually find we were conjoined twins, tragically separated at birth by our feuding parents. (I have a suspicious purple birthmark on my left knee--how 'bout you, Jaye?) So I figured it was about time to invite Jaye to my website , especially since she's got a kickin' new book on the scene. Feel free to join us for some fun talk about Red-Headed Stepchild !!

X-posted from my personal blog . Wow. Can I just say, officially, Battle of the Network Zombies kicked my ass.  It was what I imagined my second book would be like to write, only it wasn't--Road Trip was a breeze comparitively.  I think I spent so much time and energy into one of my spec projects (The Dark Rites of Joe Barkley), when I had to switch gears and drop back into Amanda's filthy cluttered mind, I just wasn't prepared. So, I'm really just happy to have a completed draft.  It needs a ton of work and it seems I have a bit more time to do that work than I'd previously expected, but I'm happy with the comedic elements and the new characters that cropped up despite a pretty detailed outline (oops). Summer's here and so I'll be doing revisions here... ...which helps a great deal.  Something about the moving water from the fountain and the dogs roaming in the yard really helps the vile snark to rise out of me like a meaty belch.  Or not. We got ...

So next week Mr. Jaye and I are going on vacation to Italy. This will be the first major trip we've taken since our honeymoon ten years ago next month. I'm totally stoked. I've wanted to go to Italy ever since I saw Stealing Beauty in college. Liv Tyler I'm not, but I will do my best to recreate the bohemian lifestyle. The town we're starting out trip in is famous for it's wine, and I plan to indulge. Heavily. Then it's off to Florence to glut ourselves on Renaissance art and fattening foodstuffs. But a dark cloud looms on the periphery of the excitement. Mr. Jaye has forbidden me to take any device which allows internet access. I'll pause for a moment for that to sink in. Eleven days with no Twitter, Facebook, blogs, email or instant messenger. Eleven days without my precious laptop. Eleven days when I'm forbidden to think about deadlines or rewrites. (Okay this last part isn't so bad.) My name is Jaye and I'm an internet junky. My ego cra...