We interrupt the DARK HUNT blog tour (although that is still going on and there is still loads of chances to win awesome free stuff) to bring you an important Ethan Banning-related announcement.

GONE TO THE DOGS, an Ethan Banning short story, is now available on Amazon US and UK. Huzzahs! And of course, it's at a low, low price, because money into Ethan does not go.


After PI Ethan Banning is kicked out of his favourite bar, he figures the night can't get much worse. Naturally, he's wrong. A trip to the dog track, a meeting with a wannabe femme fatale, and a revenge scheme gone wrong leave Ethan high, dry, and depressingly sober. And that's after he's been mistaken for a hobo...

Some random facts about GONE TO THE DOGS:

1. As with UNGRATEFUL DEAD, this is set before the events of AFTERLIFE, so you can read it without having read any other Shoregrave books.

2. Unlike UNGRATEFUL DEAD, there are no paranormal elements in this story at all. It's just Ethan, his wit, and a bunch of greyhounds.

3. Nothing bad happens to any dogs.

So a few years ago I wrote a short story called Painless, which was published in Midnight Times ezine, which is now defunct, I think. It's about a professional thief who can't feel pain as a result of a childhood incident. I really loved the character, Theo Kane, and the world I touched on, and for years I thought about making it into a novel. Never got round to it though.

Then recently I submitted Painless to a Static Movement anthology, Weird City, which should be available soon (and apparently Caitlin Kittredge is going to be reviewing it, which makes me a bit giddy and fangirly). And there's going to be a Weird City 2, so it seems clear to me that I should write a sequel to Painless. I left Theo's story pretty unfinished, and since I don't think a novel will ever materialise, I've decided on a different tactic. I'm going to write a bunch of short stories set in Theo's world, about her and her cohorts, and then publish them as a collection. 

I'm not planning to do them all at once; Halflife and Blood and Bones are still my priorities, but obviously short stories aren't as time-consuming as novels or novellas, so I see no reason why I can't aim to have a good collection out later in the year. They should make for nice side projects. Huzzahs! 

I'm editing a second Static Movement anthology, since Serve in Heaven, Reign in Hell has been so much fun!
 

Witches and warlocks wanted! I'm after stories of magic and mayhem featuring witches of all kinds – hedge witches, black witches, ceremonial, Satanic, Celtic or solitary ... whatever takes your fancy. Be creative! I'm looking for fantasy (urban, dark, or traditional), horror, and paranormal romance.

Submissions should be between 1,500 – 5,000 words. I'm not especially interested in flash or longer pieces, but if you have something you think will fit, please email me to query.

Usual Static Movement formatting rules apply: single space with indented paragraphs, no space between paragraphs and standard 12 font. Use centered *** for scene breaks, and please put your bio at the end of the story in the manuscript. Please make sure your story is edited, and pay attention to grammar and punctuation!

Please send your submissions with ‘Wicked Witchery’ in the subject line to naomi_jay@hotmail.co.uk

This anthology is opened until filled and is a 'for the love' of anthology. No copies or payment, this one's exposure only.

...I've written 18k this month on Night and Chaos. I've also completed the second draft of BLOOD HUNT, adding 3k to that. I wrote a short story that came to 8k and another that came to just short of 2k. That makes a grand total for Anti-Nano of 31k! Which actually means I (just) exceeded my daily goal of 1k a day for Anti-Nano. AND both of those short stories have been accepted for publication!

I want to celebrate with this cake:

Guess what I did this afternoon?

No! I signed a contract with QueeredFiction for two more Urban Wolf books! 

Huzzahs! That means there's going to be five Urban Wolf books in total! I am so happy and excited, I might have to use more exclamation marks!

I really am delighted. I've been so awed and humbled by the responses to SILVER KISS, and I hope everyone enjoys BLOOD HUNT and the next three books in this series just as much. I've got loads of big ideas for Ayla and Shannon (and Glory), and I can't wait to write them all ^_^

I have won the holiday battle! The week of 4th - 8th October is all mine, bitches. And I'm going to sit around in my dressing gown watching Come Dine With Me and reading and eating blueberries with cream all freaking week BECAUSE I CAN! Take that, evil co-worker!

I'm trying to stay away from LJ, Facebook, and Twitter at the moment because my arm has suddenly kicked into "OMGAMPUTATEITNOWPLEASEPLEASE!!!" mode and I need to conserve my puny strength for writing. That said, two more Static Movement anthologies featuring my stories are now availabe, so:

 I have been remiss, friends! Madness of the Mind, the Static Movement anthology featuring my story THE EDGE OF SIGHT, is available now from Amazon! Huzzahs! It looks like Were-What and Cedar Chest will be available shortly too, so double huzzahs!

I haven't really been blogging much lately because I've been feeling rather crap. I suspect a virus is on its way. But now I have News And Opinions! So damn the earache, here comes the blog:

1. I've been offered a contract for DEMONISED! (or Demonized, as it will be Americanised in editing). Yay! Damnation Books are looking at a March 2011 release, but more details will follow. I'm very excited (or would be if my head didn't feel like it's full of cottonwool), and hope this will be the first of many wacky adventures for Ethan.

2. This whole "I write like..." meme thing is everywhere now, and I'm bored of it. Everyone I know apparently writes like Stephen King, which is probably patently untrue (no offence, anyone, but come on), and I think we should all aspire to write like ourselves anyway.

3. We went to see the trailer for The Expendables Predators last night. OMG. I don't even know. It was vastly superior to both AVP films, but not quite as good as Predator. I have this thing about Predator films where I don't really want the puny humans to have personalities, I just want them to be walking targets. So I get annoyed when people start showing each other pictures of their kids (not least because as soon as you do that YOU ARE GOING TO DIE, QUITE FRANKLY) and having deep philosophical conversations about why they became hitmen or whatever. Look, just run around blindly, realise you're all doomed and then die, okay? Predator does not care for your backstory. And please, please don't EVER get a human and a Predator to team up together! That's not what I watch Predator films for! I hated it in AVP, and I didn't appreciate it last night either.

But it was good! Laurence Fishburne put in a great performance as a crazy-ass wild man, and I loved the sword fight between the Yakuza guy and the Predator. I was disappointed not to notice any xenomorph skulls in the Predator death camp, but they may just have been there and I didn't notice because I was all distracted by Adrian Brody's Wolverine impression. (Oh seriously, Adrian Brody as an action hero? He looks like a Toby jug!). And I totally pegged the doctor at the start. You don't drop a weedy-looking doctor on a planet designed as a game preserve with a group of black ops-serial killer-mercenary-cartel enforcer types unless he's also a Very Bad Man.

Of course, none of that matters because I saw a trailer for The Expendables, and it's like Hollywood looked into my brain, saw everything I love and made it into a film. I cannot wait for August! I need this film in my life. Also saw a trailer for Splice, which I'm convinced will be hilarious good times, and also features Adrian Brody in a more appropriate role.

Anyway. My head hurts so I'm going to hunt down some painkillers.

I want to go to this so very much.

Can you imagine? Two whole days of nothing but female werewolves! Talks about she-wolves in urban fantasy, in cinema, and there's even a talk on shapeshifting and queer activism, which would be so relevant for the Urban Wolf books! EEE! I NEED TO GO!!! I cannot use enough exclamation marks! Plus the whole thing is in Manchester, so it's an excuse to visit The North! Yay!

Registration deadline is August, so I have just over a month to figure out the finances. Conference registration plus ticket to Manchester plus accommodation = no new books for Nome all summer, but it would be so worth it. I might try selling a kidney again, although I had no takers last time...