Cherie Priest

How do I love Publishers Weekly? Let me count the ways:

Starred review [!!!OMG!!!!] Boneshaker, Cherie Priest. Tor, $15.99 paper (416p) ISBN 978-0-7653-1841-1

Maternal love faces formidable challenges in this stellar steampunk tale. In an alternate 1880s America, mad inventor Leviticus Blue is blamed for destroying Civil War–era Seattle. When Zeke Wilkes, Blue’s son, goes into the walled wreck of a city to clear his father’s name, Zeke’s mother, Briar Wilkes, follows him in an airship, determined to rescue her son from the toxic gas that turns people into zombies (called rotters and described in gut-churning detail). When Briar learns that Seattle still has a mad inventor, Dr. Minnericht, who eerily resembles her dead husband, a simple rescue quickly turns into a thrilling race to save Zeke from the man who may be his father. Intelligent, exceptionally well written and showcasing a phenomenal strong female protagonist who embodies the complexities inherent in motherhood, this yarn is a must-read for the discerning steampunk fan. (Oct.)

I am so happy and relieved and overjoyed that I scarcely know where to begin, except to say THANK YOU to the readers and editors over at PW, and then to add this: Boneshaker will actually be available in September.

It was originally pushed as being an October title,* but due to some happy circumstances and twists of scheduling, it will now be out a bit earlier than that … in just a few short weeks! I am so psyched about this that I can barely sit still, and no, that’s not an exaggeration.

Okay. Squeeing accomplished. Sorry to be so brief, but I have to get some work done and tackle some errands before running somebody to the airport.

[:: crosses arms ::]
[:: blinks like a genie ::]
[:: disappears in poof of gleeful pink smoke ::]

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* Thus PW’s designation of it as an October book; and since I’ve been seeing a lot of other places discuss Boneshaker as an October book also, this is as good an opportunity as any to set the record straight. Or rather, to update it.

Here’s today’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 1276 (not a lot, but I’m happy with it)
Present Total Word Count: 14,195 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Wrapped up Section Five; bitched at a cop; grew somewhat concerned about teenage girl with too much time on her hands.

Things accomplished in real life: Did day-job work and mailed off a package to boss; cleaned house; had another disappointing Subway sandwich experience (I should really just quit eating there, but it’s so damn close); made some phone calls.

Other: I realize today’s word count is low, but I’m very happy with the short scene that it produced. And as I mentioned before, I’m saving up words for future scenes. Some of these middle bits need to be somewhat bite-sized.

• Needly Needly Needly. Visited the Space Needle with Rosie and Caitlin, and was offered fish. Accepted fish. Held fish. Loved fish. Made silly faces.

• Clockwork Century updated with artwork. To be more precise, you can click to go peek at some of Jon Foster’s preliminary sketches, from back when he was chatting with Tor about what the cover art should look like.

• New corset and bustle arrived in time for DCon. And I, for one, am tickled. I wish I had a better picture, though. Sorry. But it’s wicked cute, and looks awesome with hats and goggles and boots and other assorted frippery.*
  

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* Because people always ask - the bustle and corset came from here … and the bustle is pictured with a bustle pillow from here. However, the bustle-seller appears to be out of bustles at the moment (though her corsets are to DIE for); and for those who are interested, I’ve also gotten a couple of very nice bustles from this seller.

TheClockworkCentury.com has been updated … with cast information/some character bios from Dreadnought. Click over there and scroll down to the bottom to get a sneak peak and a few hints about what you might find in that book, when it debuts next year.

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And here’s the weekend’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 2319 (pretty good)
Present Total Word Count: 12,919 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Wrapped up Section Four. This installment’s version of “Who’s More Grizzled?” brought to you by a retiring homicide cop with a grudge and a septuagenarian former mob hitman. There’s no clear winner in these things, but they’re definitely fun to write.

Things accomplished in real life: Cleaned house; got some groceries; ordered the kitty down from many perches upon which she should not be sitting; changed litterbox; hung out with husband; hiked down to the post office to mail some stuff.

Other: I’m going to blow this 30,000 word limit thing, at least in Draft One. At this point, every thousand words is just damage control. (But I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to bring it back under the line before handing it in. Knock on wood.)

TOMORROW: Signing and release party for the Grants Pass anthology at Soul Food Books in Redmond, WA. I won’t be there, I’m afraid. But Jay Lake and Shannon Page will be present, as well as Seanan McGuire and Jennifer Brozek.

You can order/preorder the anthology right here. My contribution to this collection is called “Hell’s Bells,” and it’s about an autistic child who’s abandoned at a hospital during an apocalyptic plague.

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Here’s today’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 2002 (not bad)
Present Total Word Count: 10,600 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Wrapped up Section Three. Was shooting for 2000 words, and I pretty much nailed it. Wrote a scene between two old cops that turned into an episode of “Who’s More Grizzled?”

Things accomplished in real life: Did day-job work; tidied apartment; exchanged business emails; not much else.

Other: At present, I have about 20,000 words to go, and ten more sections. The plan is as follows — I will try to keep the next few subsequent sections under 2000 words each, in order to “save up” room for the conclusion/big reveal. Eh. Well. One way or another, I’ve got to keep that average intact, anyway. We’ll see how it goes.

• Certified, pre-owned cats. Great ad campaign by a Michigan humane society, and the message is applicable absolutely anywhere. As for me, I have a genuine certified pre-owned Tennessee Random Cat. Still runs great. Has most of her original parts, sans a bit of intestine she lost to hair twistie removal surgery. Over the years her value has only increased.

• LOLBots. You like DieselSweeties? Of course you do. Now the inimitable Richard Stevens has begun a new web comic, and you should go check it out — just in case you like to read about very funny robots.

• Free shipping weekend Friday-Sunday at PH Factor. Not too long ago, I got some really lovely goggles from this place/this creator. If you’re interested in steampunky gadgetry and whatnot, there’s no time like the present to check out his stock and see if anything strikes your fancy.
  

Here’s today’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 2274 (pretty good)
Present Total Word Count: 8600 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Finished Section Two. This one came in at more of a reasonable length (2274 words) though I’ll try and trim that down to 2000 tomorrow or the next day. In my thirteen sections, some will be longer than others, obviously; and some will be very, very short — more like 1000 words. But these early sections set up … well … everything. And they’re bound to have a smidge more heft than some of fiddly bits in the middle.

Things accomplished in real life: Did day-job work; cleaned entire apartment, even the floors; brushed the cat; cleaned the litter box; went to the post office to mail a few things; paid some bills; readied self for out-of-town guests.

Other: Sent off some emails, including one to one of my fellow consortium members, asking for a couple of details re: something that happens in the space between two of my sections. It’s tricky business, this. And I realize it’s only the first draft that’s due mid-October, but I’d still prefer to make it as correct as possible.

Here’s today’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 2225 (pretty good)
Present Total Word Count: 6326 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Finished Section One. (Not exactly chapters. Sections.) It runs way long, vis-a-vis how I have to fit thirteen sections into thirty thousand words; but this was the introduction and it was bound to be so. Regardless, just in case, I’ve built in a “hypothetical break” on the off chance that the editor changes his mind and splits this into two parts.

Things accomplished in real life: Wrapped up one day-job project and received another; some housework including laundry; removed FIVE BEES from my living space (ZOMGWTF??) but didn’t kill any of them; mailed out handbills/flyers; ran errands.

Other: None.

EDIT: ALL OUT. Thanks so much to those of you who asked for samples! But I’m afraid I need to keep the rest for the upcoming convention season. HOWEVER. As some have asked, I do in fact have the two (very large, high-res) JPGs which make up the handbill — and I can email those to anyone who wants them.

Okay, folks. I’ve had so many people ask if they could have a few of these handbills that at this point, it’d be downright rude not to set some aside. So I went out and bought some envelopes that fit them nicely; I cut off a sacrificial portion of handbills from my main stash; and I’m ready to dole them out in batches of oh, say, ten or fifteen.

On a first-come, first-served basis, I’ll ship these to folks who email their snail mail addresses to: cherie.priest@gmail.com — but when my sacrificial stack is depleted, that’s all she wrote (so to speak).

POINTS OF NOTE:

• I only have a limited number of these, and as a matter of necessity, I’m saving the bulk of them for DragonCon, SteamCon, and the PNBA conference in a few weeks. I don’t have enough to mail everyone a big fat stack, so please do not take this personally.

• They are expensive, and I can’t afford to make any more of them right now.

• If at all possible, I’d ask those who receive handbills to please distribute at least some of them. Libraries, bookstores, university student centers — anyplace such handbills or flyers are welcome (and please don’t leave them where they won’t be welcome). If you have a special case, i.e., you work at a library or a bookstore or a coffeeshop where these flyers might be particularly well-suited, then feel free to let me know. I might be persuaded to make exceptions to that first-come, first-served thing.

Anyway, now I have an errand to run. This errand will take about an hour. I’ll start sorting out the handbill thing when I get back.

• There will be Blood Cancer Research! My friend Miriam is running to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, for her grandmother and uncle — both of whom died of blood cancer. She’s good peeps, I know it for a fact. Go check out that link (with info on why she’s running, and how it works); and then, if you like, feel free to check out her OMG I’m going to run a race blog.

• Happy Hour of the Damned in mass market - up for preorder. My buddy Mark Henry’s screamingly funny (and charmingly disgusting) zombie socialite novel (which I liked well enough to blurb, I’ll have you to know) is coming out in mass market. Feel free to put in for a copy now. You won’t regret it. Um. Unless you don’t LIKE hilarious perverted zombie sluts.

• Writertopia’s Toolbox. Because every time I start a new writing projects and posting metrics, about a dozen new people ask me where I got the word meter bar. I GOT IT HERE. Do ye also likewise.
  

And now: here’s today’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 1775 (not bad)
Present Total Word Count: 4101 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: More than the reported word count, actually, because I removed about 300 words from yesterday’s work before I got started. That’s kind of the goal — keep this as tight as possible. I could easily write this up to 50,000-70,000, no problem; but this must come in under 30,000. It’s a challenge, but kind of a fun one. And now every writing day starts with a re-read and culling, just to see how many words I can take out of what came previously.

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work, but other than that, virtually nothing.

Other: Had spaghetti for lunch. Woo.

Here’s today’s progress on my modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 1686 (not bad)
Present Total Word Count: 2326 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Still working on this first big scene, and working slowly (thus my assertion that 1600 words is not bad). I need to fit a LOT of information into a very tight space. I’m about halfway through getting everything important written down; which means the final chapter will be up around 5000 words. That’s a little high for my goal, but since it’s the first chapter, it might be all right.

Things accomplished in real life: Went to the printer and actually PICKED UP super-slick postcard/handbill promoting TheClockworkCentury in general and Boneshaker in particular. They look really great! Can’t wait to start passing them around. Also received via mail new Moo cards, some of which have the same artwork; as well as a second bustle which is too cute for words (but I haven’t gotten around to playing dress-up in it); and postcards from a friend who is visiting some Civil War battlefields (thanks Danny!). Also: did day job work; did a bunch more reading; paced around and swore.

Other: Wrote a sentence that might be too noir-cheesy to survive the edits. But it felt right at the time, so in it goes.

Finally. After as much downtime as I can give myself, I’ve started my segment of Fort Freak, the upcoming Wild Cards project I announced a few months ago. Yes, I’m only just now getting around to it. (You may recall that I owed Dreadnought to Tor by the beginning of this month.)

It would be a gross understatement to say that I am super-psyched about my contribution to this mosaic novel. No, seriously — just now I had to delete a row of exclamation points because they looked silly; but now I look at that period after “novel” and it seems really inadequate. I just don’t know how to fix it without coming off like a thirteen-year-old who just got her ears pierced.

So I’ll restrain myself and move along.
*ahem*

And now, for the sake of posting consistency, I shall henceforth refer to this as: My modern pseudo-noir police procedural about a neighborhood full of mutated freaks, a sexy former court reporter, an aging cop who’s being forced into retirement, and a multiple murder that took place thirty years ago in an all-night diner called “The Rathole.”

Project: Fort Freak “Remember the Rathole” (tentative)
New Words: 640
Present Total Word Count: 640 words
Goal: 30,000 words
Due date: October 15

Things accomplished in fiction: Got started! Jesus, I’d been trying to just string a few starting sentences together since last week — but first I had to re-read several hundred pages (no shit) of notes and character bios, and skim some more of the pertinent books that take place in the Wild Cards universe. The going should be smoother from here on out. I don’t know how it works for other writers, but I find that getting the first paragraph down on paper is just a ridiculous chore.

Things accomplished in real life: Went out to the printer and approved the proofs for a super-slick postcard/handbill promoting TheClockworkCentury in general and Boneshaker in particular. If all goes according to plan, these should be in my hot little hands in plenty of time for DragonCon. Also: did day job work; did a bunch more reading; paced around and swore; finally got butt-in-chair and started typing.

Other: Must log off and start supper. All this work has made me hungry.

For some time now, I’ve been meaning to write up a little steampunk primer post to serve as an introduction for people who aren’t familiar with the term or the aesthetic. But every time I started writing I got sidetracked, and began wandering, and ended up with something bulkier and denser than I really wanted.

So I gave up.
Temporarily.

Last weekend’s PNWA conference really underscored for me how many people are (a). totally interested in the subject, but (b). have no idea (or only a vague idea) what it is. So I’ve taken another stab at the topic over on TheClockworkCentury.com (since that’s where my steampunk universe hub is located).

It’s only an overview, and a bit “Steampunk 101″-esque at that, but I tried very hard to make it both informative and personal, and at least kind of brief. And although this is an essay and not a Wikipedia article, I’m open to feedback or suggestions.

Steampunk: What it is, why I came to like it, and why I think it’ll stick around.

Thanks a bunch for reading!

I’m neither suggesting nor implying anything about either field, but tonight I realized something really freaking obvious about two of my favorite research interests — ghost hunting and archeology. Which is to say — they’re not terribly different.

I was watching that new PBS show “Time Team America” and it dawned on me that both ghost-hunting and archeology rely heavily on (a). grueling, tedious, frequently unrewarding legwork, and (b). (these days) magnetic- and electric-field tech — which scarcely tells the researchers anything useful at all, and only hints vaguely at stuff that might have been there a long time ago, depending on your optimistic and possibly overreaching interpretation of the meager facts.

And at the end of a productive day, everyone goes home feeling satisfied and enlightened, and certain that there’s more work to be done and more hard evidence to be uncovered, even as conclusions are drawn from sketchy facts and fragmented information.

Then, educated and well informed people bicker endlessly over the hypotheticals, details, and possible courses of future action. And onlookers merely gawk over the Sites of Interest if the professionals are lucky — and if they’re unlucky, trespassers loot those same sites, disturbing and contaminating whatever conclusive evidence might’ve been there in the first place.

I’m not sure what it says about me that archeology and paranormal investigation are two of my favorite things in the whole wide world.

But anyway. Yeah.
Don’t mind me.
Just thinking out loud here.

Last night I went to my friend Kat Richardson’s book release event for her new novel Vanished. The reading was really great — well attended, and a whole lot of fun. I recommend nabbing that book … or well, heck, the whole series really. May as well start at the beginning.

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Speaking of the University of Washington Bookstore (I did. Just now. That’s where the reading was held.) … things have finally firmed up for my next event there. On November 4, at 7:00 p.m., you’ll find me at this grand establishment in the very fine company of Jeff VanderMeer and Cat Rambo. (Don’t worry. I’ll post a reminder closer to the event.)

I’ll be shilling Boneshaker, of course. And talking steampunk. And generally being tickled pink.

By the way, if you if you click that-there link above, you’ll see that Amazon finally has Boneshaker’s cover image and flap copy up, and the listing looks like a real live page from which one could preorder the book, if one were so inclined. I’m just sayin’.

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In other news, as you know Bob, I’ll be attending DragonCon next month and I, for one, cannot wait! Already I’m gathering gear and contemplating dress-up wear, whilst pondering how best to warp the space-time continuum in order to get all this stuff to Atlanta without checking any bags.

I don’t have my final schedule pinned down yet, but it looks like you’ll find me on the dark fantasy track as well as the alternate-history/steampunk track, so it is to be hoped that I’ll be a very busy girl all weekend — parties and old friends and costumes aside.

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Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now, folks … except possibly this video of Spain the Cat, since such videos are so popular. Today’s installment features the fat little monster lounging on the bed, refusing to vacate it … until she is lovingly pestered into submission. Enjoy!

• Who likes cover flats? WE like cover flats! And Mark Henry has all your cover flat and transvestite needs covered today, I tell you what. Contest going on over at his page. Click to go check it out, if only to read a little pun and watch Divine do a little strut.

• SFWA.org as revamped by Mary Robinette Kowal. And therefore the organization was hauled kicking and screaming into the Century of the Fruitbat. NOW it looks like the hub of a modern writers association, and not like something done on Angelfire back in 1995. Good on ya, Mary.

• How gaming ruined my life and left me a shiftless degenerate. Nah, just kidding. It’s an interview with yours truly over at GrindingToValhalla, vis-a-vis how my experiences gaming (video gaming, LARPing, etc.) have shaped and influenced the things I write today. Nice folks over there.

• Fish swimming among the ruins. Well, they’re cute little resin ruins, purchased today and installed in Merrimack’s freshly scrubbed tank. She seems to approve. At least, I’ve seen her swimming in and out of the little doorways and hanging out inside the wee courtyard.

• Spain the Cat loves Neil deGrasse Tyson too. Lest the kitty feel left out, here’s a video of me and her watching NOVA: SCIENCE NOW together. She loves her some astrophysics in the evening, she does. Beware: This one winds up with her doing kneady-paws on my tummy, which inexplicably looks ENORMOUS. For the sake of scale (and personal vanity), please recall that the cat weighs about twelve pounds and is immensely fluffy. Ahem.