Randomness for 9/26

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1) A die to cure writer’s block. It jingles when you roll it, so that has to be worth $45.

2) How many continents are there? Video.

3) Joe Lansdale beats the hell out of his son-in-law (in a martial arts exhibition). Video. As always, I’m a little dubious about this stuff, but it’s still cool to watch.

4) This is odd. via @mizkit on Twitter

5) Beautiful, anonymous paper sculptures being left at Scottish Museums.

6) Soon-to-be Father of the Year photoshops Ewoks into family photos to convince kids they are real.

7) A fantastic new webcomic.

This is how today went:

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Me: “Hey, book.”

Book, still sprawled out all over my life like the non-rent-paying couch-surfer it is, looks up. “Hmm?”

Me: ::Punches book in the face so hard it flies through the window, over the city, and lands in an open grave. The impact is so powerful that the piles of dirt on either side collapse onto it, burying it completely.::

Me, an hour later: ::Saunters up to grave, a celebratory burger in one hand, a marble tombstone tucked under the other. Drops tombstone in place and takes out broken, petrified femur stolen from Dorothy L. Sayers’s coffin. Kneels down and carves “A KEY, AND EGG, AN UNFORTUNATE REMARK” at top of headstone with bronzed tip. Below that line, carves “Agent has called this one to judgement.”::

Me: ::Walks away, eating burger::

(Actually, I haven’t sent it to my agent yet. I have to prep a nice little thing to accompany it it first.)

Sorry I’ve been so quiet here

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I’ve been pushing to finish A Key, An Egg, An Unfortunate Remark and clocking some serious family time.

Plus, my brain has been incredibly boring lately.

The French version of CHILD OF FIRE came out last week

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And I didn’t even know!

Here it is. It even has a five-star review already.

Talk Like A Pirate Day Officially Cancelled

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It’s official. So don’t.

While I was away:

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Quick updates here:

While I was away I submitted a revision of a short story to a shared-world anthology (details to come) that was received quite well.

I received my final check for my current contract with Del Rey, which my stupid bank is going to hold until next week even though they’ve promised they wouldn’t have to do that any more and I have enough in my fucking account to cover it. (Good to have new money, though).

I made good progress on the revisions for A Key, An Egg, An Unfortunate Remark, having solved the notes my agent gave me. I hope I’ve solved them, anyway.

Finally, I dealt with a hundred minor annoyances that I couldn’t tweet about. Hmph.

Doing Without

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So.

Starting Saturday I went on an internet fast. I didn’t check Twitter, read my friend’s list on LiveJournal (which is where I follow blogs, webcomics, whatever) or post to my own blog.

I did check email once a day in case something important came in. Nothing did, with the exception of some none-urgent short fiction stuff.

What did I learn from it?

Well, first let me admit that I broke my fast a couple of times. Cheating! Continue reading

Internet fast is over

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I have a lot to (not) catch up on, and some thoughts to post later when I’m out of the apartment.

In the meantime, Circle of Enemies is finally available at Barnes & Noble stores.

Going Dark

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This is just a placeholder to remind people that I’m going to be on an internet fast starting today, Sept 10th and ending the Saturday following. When I come back, I’m going to mark everything read and hopefully have some insight into how I use the web and how it affects my life.

I’ll be checking email once a day.

In the meantime, if you’ve read and enjoyed my novels, you can read e-versions of several of my short stories and novellas. (Kindle | The Nook)

See you on the other side.

Reviews, part 28

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1) Owlcat Mountain thought Circle of Enemies was the best Twenty Palaces book yet: “The unique system of magic, the complex characters, and the fresh and vibrant plotline all combine to form one of the summer’s best fantasy novels.”

2) Dean Fetzer liked both Game of Cages and Child of Fire enough to use the word “genius”: “Okay, if you don’t like anything fantastical or supernatural, my advice would be to look away now. But you’ll be missing good reads. Your loss.”

3) Samantha Holloway at the NY Journal of Books liked Circle of Enemies quite a bit. “It’s noir made vital again with really strange monsters. It’s a thriller almost totally lacking the usual obsession with the technical details of the weapons, leaving more space for thrills. It’s one man against the dark with only a paper knife and woefully little education. And it’s addictively compelling.”

4) Beth at Library Chicken also liked Circle of Enemies: “It’s a gripping combination of characters and situation, and finishing the last book makes me want to start the series all over again.”

5) Michael B. Sullivan also also liked Circle of Enemies: “But if you’re looking for a dark, action-and-investigation oriented modern day fantasy series, nobody else is writing books quite like Harry Connolly, and you should check out Child of Fire.”

6) Charlaine Harris says nice things about my books: “I think Connolly’s books are startlingly original and suspenseful, and I recommend them all highly.” (Which is very nice! I expect I’ll have to update that link very soon, though)

7) K.C. Shaw at Skunk Cat Book Reviews thought Circle of Enemies was the best book yet: “Connolly’s monsters would freak the hell out of Lovecraft.“