Ann Aguirre

The Squee

First, let me state: Jeri is a good friend of mine. However, I don’t squee about books that aren’t squee-worthy. I might tell you she’s a nice person, I’m excited to present this interview, I love her hair, or that I loved rooming with her in Pittsburgh. I might tell you any number of nice things, but if I didn’t love Wicked Game, there would be no squeeing.

The best part about being an author is that I get to read books early that I would line up to buy. Wicked Game is one of those.

Jeri reinvents vampire mythos and she manages to make them grim, scary as hell, yet still sexy. Ciara and Shane are a fantastic couple with serious conflict. I loved the way the relationship develops; it felt natural to me. And the plot? Amazingly fresh.

As if that’s not enough, Wicked Game has some of the finest writing and characterization it’s been my privilege to read, ever. No spoilers, but certain scenes gave me chills. I just can’t tell you how much I love this book. But don’t take my word for it; Kresley Cole and Rachel Caine love it too. Now check out this blurb:

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, ’60s psychedelia, ’80s goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers just how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.

Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WVMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station — and the link it provides to their original Life Times — the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover is a matter of life and undeath.

To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara rebrands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around — next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher — and the perils graver — than any con game Ciara’s ever played….

The Interview

What book have you read the most? How come?
Alice in Wonderland. There was something about the way it made me feel as a kid—that ANYTHING could happen, and you’d never know what would be around the next corner. I wished so hard for my very own rabbit hole.

What’s your favorite drink, alcoholic or otherwise?
Ginger beer, the hotter the better. I like food that hurts, probably because of the endorphin rush.

What was your favorite book as a kid?
DOGSBODY by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s about the Dog Star Sirius who is punished by the gods (I can’t remember why) by being forced to come to earth and live the life of a stray dog. It combined my love of animals with my passions for astronomy and mythology. Because of that book, Sirius became my favorite star forever (not to mention my eventual choice in satellite radio).

Who do you think is the coolest writer who ever lived? (This can be anyone, living or dead. Of course you have to tell us why. You don’t need to have personal experience of this person.)
Neil Gaiman. Not only is his work amazing on so many levels, he’s an incredibly nice and funny person, and so generous with his time and self. Back in the days when he was merely Big and not OMG MF’ing ROCK STAR, I stood in line for ninety minutes to get a book signed by him. It moved so slowly because he spoke with each reader for at least five minutes. Even now at signings he’ll stay behind long after everyone else to make sure all the readers get to speak with him.

If you could transform into any animal, what would it be? Why that?
I think a dolphin would be tons of fun. Swim around and eat fish all day, but still be smart enough to appreciate life. And hey, sharks are afraid of them. You can’t beat that.

Your rabid fans have proclaimed you the best writer in the world. Defend your title!
The words I hear most often to describe my work are “original” and “unique.” This is flattering, but sometimes it worries me, because conventional wisdom says most people gravitate toward the familiar and aren’t really looking for something different.

But readers should buck the conventional wisdom. Prove the experts wrong! Besides, every mega-author was once original and unique. You can’t stand out and become an OMG MF’ing ROCK STAR by writing the same stuff as everyone else.

What’s one mistake you see in books that drives you nuts? (This can be grammatical, research errors, whatever skeeves your gentle heart.)
It really bugs me when a vampire bites someone in the carotid artery. No. That’d be like drinking from a fire hose. The blood would usually end up on the ceiling and all over the walls, but let’s say, just for yuks, that it actually got into the vampire’s mouth. It would totally come out his nose. Ooh…blood-snarfing—sexaaaay!

Pie or cake?
No contest: Pie! Cake, for the most part, is not worth the calories. Too dry. I like my sweets rich and moist. That being said, if someone wants to send me cake, I wouldn’t turn it down. Though I might x-ray it first.

Pirate or ninjas?
Ninjas are so freaking cool!! They’ve got stealth, balance, strength–they’re like human cats.

Could there be pirate ninjas? Or ninja pirates? Hmm, probably not. I think there are basic philosophical and tactical barriers between the two camps.

Who is your imaginary celebrity boyfriend?
Seth Green. He was at New York Comic Con a few weeks ago, as was I. I had this nutty fantasy he would show up at my book signing saying, “I read about your book in Publisher’s Weekly. Vampires DJs—awesome.” Alas, he did not.

What’s your favorite book, among those you’ve written?
WICKED GAME

That one? Really? How come?
It made me so happy to write it. I’d be in the car listening to music, and a song would come on that resonated with one of the characters or a part of the story. It was so much fun to write and to think about even when I wasn’t actually working on the manuscript.

On the opposite end of the happiness spectrum, VOICE OF CROW is my other favorite novel, because it was the Book That Almost Killed Me. It was my first attempt at multiple POVs, and it drove me crazy trying to balance the “screen time” among all the characters. The rewrite was hellish, but it ultimately turned out really well (I think). So VOICE OF CROW is like that troublesome kid who earns a special kind of love.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?
For more about Wicked Game, including the entire first chapter, check out www.jerismithready.com/wicked-game. To visit the DJs and listen to a sample of their shows, go to www.wvmpradio.com. Jeri and her heroine Ciara can also be found on MySpace, though mysteriously never at the same time (www.myspace.com/jerismithready and www.myspace.com/ciarawvmp).

You can win a copy of this awesome book for commenting. Ask Jeri some questions or comment on her work. You don’t want to miss this!

Without further ado I bring you… the winners!

Grand prize (150 in book money) =

Lisa Kessler

Bonus prize (50 in book money, funded by Alessia Brio) =

Will Nobilis

Bonus prize (50 in book money), funded by Lauren Dane) =

Jolene

Congrats! I need you three to email me with your information. If you want an e-gift certificate from your favorite bookstore, I’ll just need the email you want us to use and your full name. If you want a gift card mailed to you from somewhere like BN, then we’ll need name and mailing address.

Thanks so much for pitching in. We raised nearly 3K, and I’m so thankful to have such great folks reading my blog.

Stay tuned for another contest tomorrow, and an interview with an author who is made of awesome.

Cyclone Nargis Contest

Dear Ann,

Thank you for your donation to Save the Children’s response to the Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. With the support of friends like you, brighter futures await children and families in need who are benefiting from your support.

Transaction ID: 31003151
Date: May 7, 2008
Name: Ann Aguirre

Now I’m going to sponsor a contest to get you to do the same. Over at Smart Bitches, Sarah has bridged the subject of where to donate your dollars in order to help a people who are really struggling, both with natural disasters and poor leadership. The juntas in charge are actively preventing people from acquiring visas, people who just want to help.

I strongly recommend making sure the charity you donate to has people already in the country. I don’t want our money going to the military who may not use it for relief, but there are a number of organizations already working in Myanmar, so we can make a difference. If you don’t want to go to Smart Bitches, you can find the info here.

Here’s the deal. You pick a charity and donate some money. I don’t care how much. Send me an email with a transaction number, showing that you gave to disaster relief (even just a buck), and I’ll enter you in a drawing for free books. (Note: the prizes have changed. I started at $150, but Alessia Brio is adding $50 to the pot. Lauren Dane is now kicking in $50 as well.) Now we’re looking at three winners total. We wanted to spread the love around.

The new prizes:
$150 gift card to any bookstore
$50 gift card to any bookstore
$50 gift card to any bookstore

If you tell me how much you donated in that email, I’ll give you another entry. I’d love to track how much we raise. I’ll include my own donation in the tally. Next, post a comment as a secondary tracking system for me, so I don’t lose any entries. I’ll be updating the tally in the sidebar as we go along.

The winner can pick the store where he or she spends his loot. I’ll do Amazon, B&N, Powells, wherever you want. I know contests are usually free, but even small donations will help people who are starving and homeless. A little might make a huge difference in someone else’s life.

I’m going to run this a week, so it will wrap up at midnight on May 14, and I’ll announce the winner on May 15th.

The contest has ended. Winners posted!

Houston, I have a draft.

Let the loafing begin!

Seriously, this was a fucking hard book, emotionally wrenching. Now that I’ve written the final lines, I feel like getting drunk or taking a Xanax or something. Because damn, this project took a lot out of me.

Happy stories and good news, stat!

Pam K (19)
Sula (37)
Melissa (52)
Robyn L (13)
Jackie (28)

Congrats, ladies! Email me with your addresses and I’ll get the book sent out to you right away. Be sure to send me a link when you’ve written your reviews. Enjoy the sexy!

Okay, so last night, I had the weirdest dream ever in a long history of weird dreams.

I dreamed I was on this multi-author book tour, and we had our own fancy painted bus (just like the Partridge Family). When the trip first started, we were all:

Hello world, here’s a song that we’re singin’
Come on, get happy
A whole lotta lovin’ is what we’ll be bringin’
We’ll make you happy

We had a dream we’d go travelin’ together
And spread a little lovin’ if we’ll keep movin’ on
Somethin’ always happens whenever we’re together
We get a happy feelin’ when we’re singin’ a song

Travelin’ along, there’s a song that we’re singin’
Come on, get happy
A whole lotta lovin’ is what we’ll be bringin’
We’ll make you happy

We’ll make you happy
We’ll make you happy

For a while, everything went just swell. This part of the dream was sort of a movie-montage of all of us running from bookstore to bookstore, signing all the books and singing as we did it. OMGZ. I’m in hell! See, I really, really hate musicals, and here I found myself trapped in one. The horror! I also didn’t get a good look at the people I was traveling with. Oh, and there was cake.

So then we were crossing Arizona or Nevada or some equally desolate desert when our bus driver had a heart attack. Yes, while he was driving the bus. We tried to get him out of the seat and steer to safety, but he was flailing and dying, and he was a big guy. By the time we sorted the situation, the bus went seriously off road and plunged into a shallow ravine. We were all very sad Partridges.

Now the dream gets sort of jumbly. We were all running about like mad and going, “Oh noes, we’re all going to die”. At this point, I identified some of my companions in this nightmare book tour:

Jeri Smith-Ready
Mark Henry
Jackie Kessler
Anton Strout
Meredith Duran
Carrie Lofty
Dakota Cassidy
Gennita Low
Lauren Dane

Those are the ones I’m sure about. There were other people milling around, but I can’t remember their faces for sure. Now some of those people I know well, some I met in passing at RT, some I saw at RT and didn’t talk to. Some I’ve never met at all.

The funniest part about this dream? We were all falling into a terrible panic. We had no food, no water. Death seemed imminent and inescapable.

And then, a leader rose up among us: someone strong and indomitable, cool under crisis, and armed with the most impressive of survival skills. I was in awe of this person’s commanding presence. In catching and filleting scorpions for our dinner, this person put Bear Grylls to shame. Based on those listed, can you guess our fearless leader’s name?

You want it, don’t you? You don’t even need me to tell you how hot this antho is. Just look at that cover. It calls to you, doesn’t it?

At this point, you know me well enough to figure there’s going to be a contest. The question is, what am I going to do? Well, let me lay it out for you.

I’m giving away

five

copies of this sexy book. If you win, you promise you’ll review it somewhere.

To enter, there are two steps. First, you need to say you want the book in comment, but don’t just say “I want it!” or “Throw my name in the hat.” Tell me why you want it. If you’re a fan girl of one of the authors, say so. If you think it looks like prime wanking material, tell me that (but not in great detail — I’m not looking to host your onanistic fantasies). Next, you need to tell one other person about the contest. Obviously, this is on the honor system. Finally, I’m running this on a one comment / one entry system, so if you want the book bad you can greatly increase your chances of winning by hanging out here and conversing. To that end, I feel I must point out: comments must be at least five words, no spamming, no random links. In other words, I want you to post, but your remarks must have content and relate back to something in the comments thread somehow.

On Monday, May 5th, I’ll announce the winner. The contest will run for a week, and on Cinco de Mayo, I’ll use a random number generator to pick five lucky souls who will receive a free copy of What Happens in Vegas. Are you ready for this?

Game on!

Chat here tonight, 7pm central. I’ll be announcing the winner of the Monthly Favorites contest and conducting an hour-long Q&A with y’all.

Why do I still love John Cusack, almost twenty years after he stole my heart in Say Anything? Read this. I defy you not to swoon. Brains, principles, passion. O.M.G. War, Inc — I am so there.

In comments, Christine wrote: “You’re so awesome, Ann! Always doing something fun for your readers and friends!”

Well, she’s right. At least about doing stuff, if not the awesome part. I’ll let y’all judge my awesomeness individually. See, after I finished my “for pay” words on HELL FIRE (Corine 2), I started working on the free short story I’ll be posting on my Free Reads page in June. RENEGADE is written in March’s POV, third-person / past-tense for people who care about such things.

You may not know about this about me, but I’m also a heartless tease. Just ask Azteclady. What do I mean by that? Well, I’m going to post the first paragraph of RENEGADE today. I’ll tantalize all you March-junkies out there just because I can. To read the rest, you have to check my website, come June. *maniacal laughter*

Enjoy!

Renegade

Nicu Tertius, late summer

The air was thick with clotting blood, the ground a morass of churned mud. Blueflies droned in the distance, laying eggs in the corpses of men he’d called comrade. This plan had been doomed from the beginning, and if March owned anything like a conscience, he’d have told the soft little Nicuan nobleman where he could stuff his credits because clearly he already had his head wedged up there.