Don't Panic!

Last night was another session of the Mobile Police Department's citizen's academy. (I did not try to drown myself with a water bottle this week!) We learned about the various precincts, different areas within the department, saw video from a dashboard camera of a pursuit that ended in a shoot out (The officer involved was uninjured and the two car thieves were arrested.), and saw some of the cool toys Mobile PD uses, including Segways and the ultra coolest, Sky Watch. (Right: example of a Sky Watch mobile observation tower.)

We also signed up for "ride alongs" with patrol officers. I chose to ride with someone from the precinct in which I live and to report for morning roll call in order to get the "full experience." The patrol officers work in 12-hours shifts. I'm going to attempt to stay for the entire shift. I don't know if I'll make it the full 12-hours, but I'm going to try. The "ride along" is scheduled for Friday...chosen because Mark will be working from home that day and my day of editing BLOOD LAW would be somewhat disrupted anyway. Plus, I'd rather sleep in on Saturday.

Speaking of BLOOD LAW, if you have already pre-ordered through Amazon.com (Thank you, thank you, thank you!!), you probably received an email stating the release date has changed from May 25, 2010, to June 22, 2010. Don't panic! This isn't really a "delay" so much as a "correction." Dell, my publisher, has said from day one that I was scheduled for a June 2010 release. This was not unexpected. All you have to do is follow the instructions in Amazon's email to accept the changed date. (And, please, do so before the deadline listed in the email, otherwise, I believe your order will be cancelled!)

Bouchercon 2009 is only a few weeks away! My schedule is rapidly filling up with all the requests for lunch, coffee, drinks, and dinner. (Sorry, folks, but Friday, October 16 is booked solid, including lunch with Ms. Editor and Ms. Publisher, and the Random House cocktail party.) When, why, and how did I become...popular? It amazes me. I'm just a geeky gal from the Mississippi backwoods, never "popular" or "cool" in high school, and now...suddenly...people know my name and want to hang out with me. It's all very surreal to me.

While on the subject of surreal, I've confirmed my attendance to the RT Booklovers Convention in Columbus, OH -- April 28-May 2, 2010. This is the first confirmed conference appearance for next year -- and my first RT Convention, period. I've heard wild stories. Don't know if I'm ready for this or not, but I'll be there. Other appearances are in the works and I'll keep everyone posted as news becomes available.

One tiny final conference-related bit of trivia here... One of Mark's (former) co-workers, Mike, (Hey, dude! *waves*) recently moved to San Diego, CA. Mike has been a great and early supporter for BLOOD LAW and I made a deal with him. If he can provide 100 people to show up for a book signing at the Random House booth, I would attend San Diego Comic Con next year. Mike's response: "I can do this." So...now comes the question, "Can he do this?" If memory serves me correctly, I believe the last count for BLOOD LAW attendees stood at 7. Will he make it? Will I attend SDCC? *looks at calendar* Hmm...I don't know...only time will tell...

Of course, all these appearances hinge on BLOOD LAW's release. To that end, I should probably get back to work. So....

TTFN

Cops and Wet T-shirts

Yesterday was a busy day here at Hacienda del Holmes. Naturally, the cats were spazzing most of the morning. Scraps of paper, dust bunnies, and shed whiskers become mighty dragons in their minds. There was a whole lotta pouncing, chasing, and general mayhem. (Only Nugget was in a dragon-slaying mood this morning, so it was relatively quiet.)

I spent most of the day catching up on emails and doing other "housekeeping" type stuff until it was time for Ms. Editor to call and discuss the final round of edits for BLOOD LAW. It's all minor tweaking in the vein of adding a sentence or two here and there to clarify things. It shouldn't take long to wrap these up at all. Huzzah! We also discussed the plan for Book 2 and she gave the official green light on it. (Good thing, too, since I already started writing it. Hehe.) We also discussed other Super Secret Items Which I'm Not Currently At Liberty To Divulge. *evil author grin* Overall, it was a good conversation that left me completely jazzed to get to work on these edits.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to start work right away. Last night was the opening night for the Mobile Police Department's "Citizen's Academy" and I was selected to participate in the program. I spent three glorious hours learning some of the basic foundations of law enforcement. According to our schedule of events, the next 11-weeks are going to be filled with information and fun. I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about their community and how the police operate within it to check with their local PD and see if they offer a "Citizen's Academy" type program. It's a great way to get to know your neighbors, the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us all, and have a little fun in the process.

Of course, being the complete klutz that I am, I can't go anywhere in public without doing something to embarrass myself. The Academy staff provided light food fare -- finger sandwiches, fried chicken wings, barbecue meatballs, and beverages -- for everyone. I chose to stick with water as my beverage of choice. Everything is going great when suddenly the water bottle slips as I'm taking a sip. What is the most natural of reactions when something starts slipping from your hand? You tighten your grip. Well, you can guess what happened next.

*sploosh*

Water up the nose. Water splashed all over my chest. (When I told Mark about the incident, his reaction was to laugh hysterically and say that I should've told everyone I was "there for the wet T-shirt contest." Yes, I smacked him.)

*sigh* Only I can nearly drown myself with a bottle of water while surrounded by about thirty people, including five or six highly trained cops, and at least one nurse.

This is why I often avoid the buffets and such at cocktail parties and stick to non-alcoholic drinks served in real glasses. I'm a klutz. If I can possibly drip, dribble, spill, stain, or otherwise embarrass the hell out of myself, I'll find a way to do it. I don't even have to be at an important function. I can do the same whenever Mark and I go out for dinner. It happens so frequently that we've created a motto: "If Jeannie doesn't drip, it wasn't worth the trip." Grace in motion, I am not.

Oh well... All these little embarrassments build character. Right? Right?

Visit my Random House author page

Check out my Random House Author Spotlight page! (Dell Publishing is an imprint of Random House.)

There isn't much to see at the moment other than my name and you can pre-order BLOOD LAW directly from the publisher. However, you can sign up for the Author Alert e-mails to learn all the latest updates.

Jeannie Holmes - Random House Author Spotlight

Blog Consolidation

I'm consolidating my LiveJournal, MySpace, and other blogs to a central location:

Wayward Muses and Shiny Object: Random thoughts and experiences of paranormal suspense and dark urban fantasy author Jeannie Holmes.

The reason behind this is a simple one -- my time has become increasingly valuable now that BLOOD LAW is rocking along to publication and I'm working on the sequel (lovingly referred to as "Book 2," "Alex WIP," or "AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!"). Tons of things are hitting at once and I no longer have the time to update forty bazillion individual sites.

Sooooo.....

I'm going to try to consolidation thing and see how it works. I've already moved a few important posts from other blogs to the new digs. Don't know how long this new venture will last, but I'm giving it a shot. Hope you'll stick around for a while. :)

TTFN JKH

BLOOD LAW is available for pre-order!

I can't decide if I should be jumping for joy or having a panic attack so I think I'll just go stand in the corner and babble incoherently for a little while.

Support your local indie book stores! Call or stop by and ask them to pre-order BLOOD LAW by Jeannie Holmes.

Publisher: Dell (May 25, 2010)

ISBN-10: 055359267X

ISBN-13: 978-0553592672

BLOOD LAW is available for pre-order on Amazon.com -- Click here to visit the pre-order page.

BLOOD LAW is available for pre-order on Amazon.ca -- Click here to visit the pre-order page.

BLOOD LAW is available for pre-order on Chapter.Indigo.ca -- Click here to visit the pre-order page.

I really should update this more often...

Quick update and then it's back to work:

I don't have much to report on BLOOD LAW other than to say thanks to everyone who's supported me and the book this far. Hang in there, guys!

Currently, I'm working on the sequel to BLOOD LAW. Lots of cool stuff happening in this one. Of course, I can't tell you about any of it yet. You'll just have to wait. (Yes, I'm one of *those* evil authors.)

And... I'm now officially one of the cool kids. My membership in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America was confirmed today (August 13)! Yay!

Bouchercon 2009 is rapidly approaching and I'm looking forward to it. I have a lot of writer friends who will be there as well and I always love to see them. Also looking forward to meeting some of my advance supporters -- you know who you are! Bouchercon will be my final conference for the year so I can concentrate on the next book. The conference schedule for 2010 is already in the planning stages. I'll announce where I'll be and when as the dates are confirmed.

A little birdie told me that my friend and mentor, Carolyn Haines, has a new book available -- GREEDY BONES. I've also been told that page 124 is particularly interesting...but I can say no more. Go buy the book if you want to know. *eg*

Speaking of Carolyn Haines, DELTA BLUES, a collection of short crime stories set in the Mississippi Delta will be published by Tyrus Books in spring 2010. Some of the contributing authors include Charlaine Harris, John Grisham, James Lee Burke, Toni L. P. Kelner, and many more. Carolyn served as the editor for the anthology. Be sure to check out the DELTA BLUES website for more information.

I think that covers all the news that isn't really news. Now, it's back to work.

TTFN JKH

The Big Announcement -- The Book Formerly Titled CRIMSON SWAN

As often happens in publishing, book titles change. Why they change can vary and really unimportant in the grand scheme. What matters is that the title is memorable and reflects the story unfolding between the covers. With that said, my debut novel has undergone a title change and I couldn't be more excited...

CRIMSON SWAN is now officially titled BLOOD LAW!

Poster from ThrillerFest 2009 advertising Random House books and authors, including BLOOD LAW by Jeannie Holmes. No, that isn't the official cover. Cover art hasn't yet been created for BLOOD LAW.

Title changes aren't made lightly and without due consideration. Changing to BLOOD LAW is a joint decision between my publisher, my editor, and myself. We all feel that it better captures the essence of the story and we're all super excited about it.

Also new is the release date. BLOOD LAW is slated for release next summer (2010) from Bantam Dell. I'll keep you, my loyal minions, posted on the date as the release draws closer.

During my recent trip to New York, I discussed Book 2 with my editor and many other things. I can't reveal everything yet -- Patience, my minions, patience! -- but it's all good...really good...evilly good, in fact. Trust me.

In closing, I'd like to thank you, my loyal minions, for your early and continued support for BLOOD LAW. You'll be rewarded.

Thanks to Ms. Agent for her words of wisdom, insight, and unfaltering guidance. You're the bestest!

Thanks to Ms. Editor for her understanding, flexibility, and the occasional swift kick in the ass. It's much appreciated and that thing you wanted will be on your desk by week's end.