Ann Aguirre

All books in the lottery are signed. Here’s how this works. There will be “hot” times to comment, but you must comment often because you never know when you might get lucky. This contest runs until I have announced ALL the winners, at least one a day. No spamming, no random links. Your comment must contain content and pertain to the books or something a prior commenter has already said. Once I announce a winner, I will “reset” the contest, and we’ll begin again for the books left in the lottery.

Everyone understand how we play? I’ll start us off with a question, but feel free to let the conversation evolve. However, if you’re coming in later, and you can’t think of anything to say on your first comment, you can always answer this for your comment. (Do not answer it repeatedly; that will not win you anything.)

Which five (5) of these books are you most excited to read and why? Basically you make a wish-list for me, and I’ll regularly announce winners. So that’s it. There are some lovely, lovely books up for grabs, and a HUGE number of winners to be found.

By release day, April 6th, I will have given away ALL of these books. That just leaves one final giveaway: a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice. Anyone who has commented to date will be entered in that; the reset function doesn’t count for the grand prize, and each comment counts as one entry. The no spamming rule still applies, though. And go for it!

First winner: Robin K & Wicked Enchantment!
2nd winner: Michelle (of See Michelle Read) & Proof by Seduction
3rd winner: MamaKitty & Take Me
4th winner: Ayla_F & Laid Bare
5th winner: Raelena & Gentlemen Prefer Succubi
6th winner: Mariska & Wicked Game / Bad to the Bone

All winners email me their name & mailing info. You have one week to claim your prize, and then I re-draw.

(I did it again because the load time on the other post was getting long. So it’s locked now, and we’re continuing here.)

Hell Fire Lottery

Ann Aguirre — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:02:33 +0000

As usual, I am throwing a huge party here on the blog to celebrate the release of HELL FIRE. It’s coming soon!

Here’s what you can win over the next 30 days.

Prize list:

Moira Rogers (2 winners)
Crux
Sanctuary

Lauren Dane
Laid Bare (won by Ayla_F)

Carolyn Crane
Mind Games

Juliana Stone
His Darkest Hunger

Megan Hart
No Greater Pleasure

Beth Williamson
The Stranger’s Secrets

Denise Agnew
Primordial

Anya Bast
Wicked Enchantment (won by Robin K)

Cynthia Eden (2 winners)
ARC of I’ll be Slaying You
Eternal Hunter

Shelli Stevens
Take Me (won by MamaKitty)

Tina Leonard
The Cowboy from Christmas Past

Elisabeth Naughton
ARC of Marked

Vivi Anna
The Vampire’s Quest

Carrie Lofty
Scoundrel’s Kiss

Maggie Robinson
Mistress by Mistake

Victoria Dahl
Lead Me On

Jess Granger
Beyond the Shadows

Courtney Milan
Proof by Seduction (Won by Michelle)

TJ Michaels (2 winners)
Doing It the Hard Way
Carinian’s Seeker

Julie Leto
More Blazing Bedtime Stories

Jeri Smith-Ready
Wicked Game & Bad to the Bone (won by Mariska)

Tessa Dare
Goddess of the Hunt

Joely Sue Burkhart
Rose of Shanhasson

Amy Gregg
Magic & Madness

Colby Hodge
Twist

Louisa Edwards
On the Steamy Side

Shiloh Walker
Hunter’s Need

Erica Hayes
Shadowglass

Diana Pharoah Francis
Bitter Night

Jill Myles
Gentlemen Prefer Succubi (won by Raelena)

HelenKay Dimon
Leave Me Breathless

Please visit all these generous authors! Now admire their pretty covers.

All winners email me their name & mailing info. You have one week to claim your prize, and then I re-draw.

The Confusing & Constantly Changing Landscape of My Brain

Ann Aguirre — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:09:12 +0000

Damn, that’s a long-ass title.

I was talking about this with Lauren Dane yesterday, and it seemed to me it was post-worthy, which is sort of like sponge-worthy, only it’s a measure of how much I want to spend the time formalizing my thoughts. Roughly equivalent to the Seinfeldism, no? Anyway. I have a point to make. Stay with me.

A few years back, my goal was to find an agent. I found one. But it didn’t work out. So the new goal became find an agent who can sell my work. I signed with Laura Bradford and omg, she was the THE ONE! So that goal met, instead of being happy and basking in my accomplishment, my brain chemistry immediately rewired itself, so it wasn’t enough. My new goal became sell a new project ASAP so if Jax tanks, you’re not screwed for a follow-up contract. And so we sold Corine! Woohoo! Time for me to be really proud of myself. I can relax, yes?

HELL NO. The devil brain in my skull casing whispers to me, is this really enough? Yes, you’ve diversified, but you need lots of irons in the fire. You need to build buzz around your name! Are you promoting effectively? You need to get on a bestseller list!

At this point, I am thinking, brain, why are you NEVER HAPPY? But I am a slave to my brain; I carry it around all day, and it is like a nagging spouse. Sometimes it doesn’t let me sleep at night. So I busted my ass, and lo, and behold, I made the bestseller lists. I can now put national bestselling author on my books.

But the brain is not satisfied. It still wants more. As I level up as a writer, it is constantly updating my goals. But some of them (like making the NYT or whatever) are pretty far out of my control. I can’t make one of my series “take off” magically. Of course I want them to, but I seriously have little impact on it. And it’s frustrating because my brain is like, None of your slacker-talk, missy! Make it happen! But I really feel like at a certain plateau, you almost need a lucky break or an increase in publisher support to bump you up to that next level. So the “goals’ I make at this point might as well be find a magic lamp or locate a four-leaf clover.

I write all this out in hopes of opening a dialogue. I don’t think there’s a magical formula for hitting big; otherwise more people would do it, surely! Is it confluence of timing, subject matter and publisher push? I know there are no magic beans–I’m the original proponent for hard work. But does there come a point where the success really can’t be improved at the author’s hands? Is there a mid-list plateau?

Thoughts?

Things that Piss Me Off

Ann Aguirre — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:38:57 +0000

People who drive in the middle of two lanes.

People who don’t own their faults.

People who write one book, spend three years revising it and getting rejections, and then say sadly, “I don’t think I can start over.” Guess what? This business is about writing books, most likely many of them, unless you’re Harper Lee (and you’re probably not), and if you don’t want to write another book, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? Sure, nobody likes to fail, but the business could use less whiners and more workers.

People who don’t apologize when it’s due.

People who talk on the cell phone while driving.

People who think the world owes them something.

Dogs who eat my lunch and think it’s cool. (I’m really talking about one dog in particular here. Bitch.)

People who want “tips” that substitute for hard work.

People who fondle me when we meet because they think they know me from reading my books.

People who Follow / Unfollow me repeatedly on Twitter to get my attention. (I’ve set those notices to go straight into my trash now. You’re not even hitting my inbox, people. So stop it. Either you’re interested in what I have to say or you’re not.) Let me be clear: these follow / unfollows would take place in the space of an hour or two, most times when I wasn’t even twittering.

People who spam their links all over my Facebook page, send me 12 messages, randomly IM me, and cover my wall with ribbons and hugs and toy poodles. Please stop. Seriously. Here’s a clue: if I didn’t answer your private message the first 11 times you said, “Hi!”, once in Arabic (I think you said hi that time but I am not sure since I don’t SPEAK Arabic), I probably am not going to answer #12 either.

Mole sauce. That shit is rank. Enough said.

Hey, that was surprisingly fun. Feel free to vent in comments.

Hell Fire Arc Winners

Ann Aguirre — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:41:26 +0000

I’m announcing eight winners now, but I haven’t reached the 2K goal on Twitter yet. When I do, I’ll give away two more ARCs. So without further ado:

EmmaD
Lauren
Spav
Amy Stewart
Katee Robert
Loves Sam
TheBookPimp
Sayuri

Email your name & mailing address, so I can hook you up with your ARCs. Congrats!

(If you didn’t win, don’t despair. If you follow me on Twitter, you’re still in the running for the last two ARCs, but I have to hit 2K first, and if that happens before midnight tonight, I’ll give away that $50 in book money.)

Killbox cover hotness

Ann Aguirre — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:02:54 +0000

Jax gets hotter and more bad-ass with every book. Yum. I’d hit that.

Seriously, though, it’s gorgeous. It just might be my favorite in the whole series and I’ve had some amazing covers. I love the suggestion of blood, the composition, the look in her eyes, and the movement of her hair.

Hell Fire Arc contest

Ann Aguirre — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:22:00 +0000

So I have 10 arcs of this fine book.

Two of them are reserved for a Twitter contest. When I reach 2000 followers, I’m giving away two of these arcs. So that’s one way you can enter. Then post a comment saying you’ve done so. You must be following me at the time these two ARCs are awarded.

That leaves eight others ARCs up for grabs for other people. But I’m combining these contests for simplicity. To enter, simply post this widget in your blog sidebar.

If you don’t have a blog, you can Twitter about the contest. You can also post the widget on Facebook and MySpace. Then come back here to comment and tell me it’s done. If you have no social media whatsoever, then tell your friends about the giveaway in whatever manner you see fit. Comment to tell me how you’re spreading the word about the second Corine Solomon book.

This contest will run for two weeks. By entering, you agree you’ll post a review somewhere by April 6.

ETA: One week left. To sweeten the pot and make sure I hit 2K by next Friday, I’m adding a $50 Amazon gift certificate. One lucky, random winner will get a $50 Amazon gift certificate in addition to the Hell Fire ARC. How sweet is that? You must be following me on Twitter to enter and win. If you don’t have Twitter and you want that book money, well, it’s pretty simple to open an account. You can decide if it’s worth it.

Through My Eyes

Ann Aguirre — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:38:10 +0000

I get up. I shower. I work. I answer emails.

Later, I go to the grocery store. To get to Superama, I drive up to Pinon and back down Alcanfores. I pass a brightly painted shopping center the right called Plaza Jardins, but I don’t love shopping at Soriana. Their grocery section isn’t as nice. So I take the roundabout up and back down to the back road that leads to the market. This street is wide and has a garden running down the center of it. Fir trees march alongside palm and acacia, bougainvillea and redbud, aloe vera and rubber trees. My drive to the supermarket is, surprisingly, quite green. White paint bands the bottom of each tree, discouraging insects. The houses are bright, like a flock of tropical birds.

First on that road, I come to protesters angry with the government for closing down independent power stations. The government alleges these stations were corrupt and took kickbacks for power discounts. Either way, I see men in mufflers and down jackets milling around, carrying signs. In the next block, a man sits on a lawn chair behind an open red hatchback car, selling bonsai trees for fifty pesos. He is drinking from a thermos and reading a magazine. I make the left turn at the big tree, and this side street has a man washing a car. He waves as if I might know him. I wave back. I continue down to the restaurant that sells flautas and pozole and make a right turn. Two buses block the narrow road and the drivers are arguing in the street. It takes four minutes before everyone shakes a fist one last time and goes their own way. Then I’m at the store. I find a place to park and get a cart.

It’s cold out, the sky so gray I think it portends snow. It has been freezing these past weeks, and we are just not prepared for it. Everyone hustles in and out in their jackets and hats, head down. The man who sells magazines is not around; nor is the flower seller. The woman who sells pastries is not working. Clearly, this is a winter unlike we’ve seen before. To make matters worse, my back door is broken. The repair men were supposed to come today. Now they are supposed to come tomorrow. When will they be here? Who knows? This is Mexico. I have become philosophical about such things.

I do my shopping and listen to conversations in Spanish. In the produce aisle, a toddler tugs on his mom’s coat and wails, “Quiero fresas!” (“I want strawberries!”) Another woman talks about a scarf she is knitting. An old man tells his grandson that he cannot have the new Hershey’s Good Night Hot Chocolate. I ask the clerk to step away from the onions so I can buy some. At the checkout, I pay in a mix of vales and cash. The bagger is quick, so I tip him extra. In the parking lot, I pay a security guard twenty pesos to take my groceries out and put them in the trunk of my car. Once home, I carry them inside and put them away. Next I make a pot of beef vegetable soup to ward off the chill.

And this is a day, through my eyes.

Happy New Year!

Ann Aguirre — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:45:13 +0000

I am posting because I desperately need your help. There’s a book on my mind, but I can’t remember enough of it to identify it:

It’s epic fantasy, probably written in the late 80s or possibly the 90s. The main characters were a bard and mercenary. They fell in love over the course of the book and had adventures, both together and separately. Because the country was at war, the mercenary (or soldier) did many brave things. He was a bit older, battered and scarred, possibly missing an eye. He was elevated to nobility by the end, and they could not be together officially because (a) she was a bard and (b) she was also barren. It was a lovely, bittersweet story. I’d like to revisit it but I can’t remember who it’s by! (I’m sure it’s not Mercedes Lackey.) Does this ring any bells for anyone?

Help!

Oh, and Happy New Year.

Happy holidays

Ann Aguirre — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:29:54 +0000

Yes, that’s my Christmas tree this year (and the actual view into the front garden / garage). The kids did a great job, don’t you think? I mostly supervised.

This is the last post I’ll be making for 2009. Sometimes I do a “best of” post, including my top ten favorite books. I’m not going to do that, mainly because 2009 has been the year of work for me. I’m pleased and proud of what I’ve accomplished but I am not in a ranking mood.

Today I am in a giving mood.

Or if you’re in the UK… *points to the right* Gollancz is doing back-to-back releases for Blue Diablo and Hell Fire in the UK. I hope y’all like reading about Texas. In book four (if there is a book four), Corine will be traveling to England, Stoke to be exact, to meet (and help) the oh-so-mysterious Ian Booke. Which means I’ll be planning a trip soon.

So without further ado, I offer you, my dear readers, a chance to win a copy of my Hell Fire proofs. They have been marked in a few places by me. Not many, I will grant you, and not much. This was a fairly clean set of proofs. I will bind these with a ribbon inside a cover flat, so it will be pretty close to a proper book, only personalized, signed, and written on, by me. If that seems like a cool thing to get for the holidays, then you should enter the contest. What do you have to do?

It’s simple. Tell me what you liked most about Blue Diablo. Since this giveaway is for the second book in the series, I assume you’ve read it. If not, and you just want the bragging rights, then I guess you’d better get reading regardless. Cos I will not accept answers like, It has a great cover, or I like the heroine’s hair, or it’s awesomely book-like. Alternately, I will also accept the answer to why you want to read Hell Fire.

And go!

(Winner announced next Monday. You will probably receive it after the holidays, due to slow mail.)

ETA: And the winner is… Meghan! Email me your full name and mailing address, so I can hook you up. Happy holidays, everyone!