I got the "I missed BEA" blues.

Le sigh.

Well, BEA is over, and I'm almost glad in a horrible selfish way, because it means I won't have to see all the BEA tweets on Twitter anymore and be consumed by the terrible Green-Eyed Monster.





I MUST, somehow, come hell or high water, get to BEA next year or I will turn into a slobbering crazy person (or people in ninja suits will come kidnap me, or so I've been threatened).




In other random news, I've been consumed with a new game lately: Red Dead Redemption, which has sort of eased the pain of missing BEA. I've never been much of a cowboy fan, but let me tell you, I'm having a a blast galloping around the sandbox world of New Austin, hunting wanted men, shooting bandits while driving a stagecoach, and lassoing wild horses.












Also, WINTER'S PASSAGE is only a few short days from release (YAY!), and will be available for download at Amazon.com, eharlequin.com, and enterthefaeryworld.com. Don't be alarmed by the 2.99 price you might see; Harlequin has assured me it WILL be free, at least until August when The Iron Daughter hits shelves.

I think that's everything for now. For those of you who went to BEA, how was it? Did you get all the books you wanted? Did your arms fall off trying to carry them home? Who were you most excited to meet? I know I would've loved to see Neil Gaiman (my author hero), Maria V. Snyder, my editor Natashya Wilson, and all my fellow Tenners. Waiting for next year is going to be torture.

Winter Passage teaser

As some of you know, I've been posting Winter's Passage teasers on Twitter for the past few evenings. For those who have missed it, here is an excerpt of most of the tweets, compiled into one nice excerpt chunk. :)

You can also find the excerpt on BookBinge.

Anyway, I present you...Winter's Passage mega-teaser, take 1.


















My name is Meghan Chase.

If there are three things I’ve learned in my time among the fey, they are this: don’t eat anything you’re offered in Faeryland, don’t go swimming in quiet little ponds and never, ever, make a bargain with anyone.

Okay, sometimes, you have no choice. Sometimes, you’ve been backed into a corner and you have to make a deal. Like when your little brother has been kidnapped, and you have to convince a prince of the Unseelie Court to help you rescue him instead of dragging you back to his queen. Or, you’re lost, and you have to bribe a smart-mouthed, talking cat to guide you through the forest. Or you need to get through a certain door, but the gatekeeper won’t let you through without a price. The fey love their bargains, and you have to listen to the terms very carefully, or you’re going to get screwed. If you do end up in a contract with a faery, remember this: there’s no way you can back out, not without disastrous consequences. And faeries always come to collect.

Which is how, 48 hours ago, I found myself walking across my front yard in the middle of the night, my house growing smaller and smaller in the background. I didn’t look back. If I looked back, I might lose my nerve. At the edge of the woods, a dark prince and a pair of glowing, blue-eyed steeds waited for me.

Prince Ash, third son of the Winter Court, regarded me gravely as I approached, his silver eyes reflecting the light of the moon. Tall and pale, with raven-black hair and the unattainable elegance of the fey, he looked both beautiful and dangerous, and my heart beat faster in anticipation or fear, I couldn’t tell. As I stepped into the shadows of the trees, Ash held out a pale, long-fingered hand, and I placed my own in his.

His fingers curled over mine, and he drew me close, hands resting lightly on my waist. I lay my head against his chest and closed my eyes, listening to his beating heart, breathing in the frosty scent of him.

“You have to do this, don’t you?” I whispered, my fingers clutched in the fabric of his white shirt. Ash made a soft noise that might’ve been a sigh.

“Yes.” His voice, low and deep, was barely above a murmur. I pulled back to look at him, seeing myself reflected in those silver eyes. When I’d first met him, those eyes were blank and cold, like the face of a mirror. Ash had been the enemy, once. He was the youngest son of Mab, queen of Winter and the ancient rival of my father, Oberon, the king of the Summer Court. That’s right. I’m half-fey—a faery princess, no less—and I didn’t even know it until recently, when my human brother was kidnapped by faeries and taken into the Nevernever. When I found out, I convinced my best friend, Robbie Goodfell—who turned out to be Oberon’s servant, Puck—to take me into Faeryland to get him back. But being a faery princess in the Nevernever proved to be extremely dangerous. For one, the Winter Queen sent Ash to capture me, to use me as leverage against Oberon.

That’s when I made the bargain with the Winter prince that would change my life: help me rescue Ethan, and I’ll go with you to the Winter Court.

So, here I was. Ethan was home safe. Ash had kept his side of the bargain. It was my turn to uphold my end and travel with him to the court of my father’s ancient enemies. There was only one problem.

Summer and Winter were not supposed to fall in love.

***

Blurb from Amazon.com

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

These writer's have much more talent then me.

Writerly videos that absolutely rock!




I feel your pain, Parnell, I really do.





Totally awesome. I need to get to writing now...after I check more YouTube videos. xD

Teaser Tuesday

Apologies for the missing teaser last week. I was sickly and my posting suffered for it. Anyway, here is this week's Iron Daughter Teaser Tuesday. Someone said they were missing Puck. So, with that in mind...

Puck laughed. “Hate to break it to you, kid, but unless you’re a priest, that isn’t going to work. Neither is the salt you have poured across the floor. I’m not your average bogie.”

Also, check out The Page Turner's teaser for this week, also mentioning everyone's favorite redheaded faery.

Page Turner's blog

And don't forget to check out my Twitterfeed (@jkagawa) in the evenings for short 140 character teasers of WINTER'S PASSAGE, the free e-novella coming out in June.

Ask Meghan/Ash/Puck/Grim

To celebrate the imminent release of WINTER'S PASSAGE, the free downloadable e-novella available June 1st, I've opened up the blog to questions for the characters in the story, Meghan, Puck, Ash, and Grimalkin. If there is a burning question you'd like to ask the four, now's your chance. Wondering what Ash's favorite song is? Or Grimalkin's favorite food? Ask away!

(Warning: I take no responsibility for any of the character's answers. If you ask Puck if he is able to turn you into a hedgehog, don't blame me if you end up small and spiky.)
















Okay, got your questions?

Ready, set...ASK!

The Three Musketeers signing

Just a quick note...

I'm excited to announce that I will be doing a joint signing with authors Kay Cassidy (The Cinderella Society) and Saundra Mitchell (Shadowed Summer) on Saturday, May 22nd, at the Louisville Summit Barnes & Noble.




































These ladies are awesome, they wrote awesome books, and I'm thrilled to finally meet them. You should be thrilled too. We are all thrilling people. So come on down to B&N next Saturday: we'll be answering questions, signing books, and giving away prizes. It'll be a blast. You don't wanna miss it.

Barnes and Noble booksellers
4100 Summit Plaza Dr.
Louisville, KY 40241
Saturday, May 22nd, 2pm


Hope to see you there!

Weapons in a Zombie Apocalypse

Because I was bored...


The best (and worst) weapons for surviving a zombie apocalypse.

(Please note: this is all speculation. I have never been in a zombie apocalypse, nor am I an expert in zombie apocalypses, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Also, this is all for fun.)













So, the zombie apocalypse has come, and you're wondering what weapons you should take to better survive the invasion. Should you take the baseball bat or the chainsaw, the Machete or the flamethrower (and why do you even have a flamethrower in your house?) Wonder no more. Here are a few popular weapon choices for the zombie apocalypse. Are they right for you? Just read on...



Weapons you probably don't want to use during a zombie apocalypse:

Flamethrower--Yeah, it looks all cool and bad-ass and all, but its not as useful as one might think. One, it slows you down, something you do not want during a zombie invasion. Two, what's worse than hungry murderous zombies? Hungry murderous zombies on fire.



















Sniper Rifle--Okay, this is awesome if you're, say, two miles away and can see the zombies staggering toward you up a hill. But, as we all know, where does everyone always end up in a zombie apocalypse? Right, completely surrounded by a huge zombie mob. Leave the Sniper Rifle for target practice.

Chainsaw--This is a popular weapon of choice for the zombie apocalypse, but it might not be the best. After all its heavy, its awkward, and unless you're a lumberjack you're not going to know how to use it efficiently. And once it runs out of gas, its pretty much useless. Still, a good weapon in a pinch if there is only a few zombies, and you don't mind getting spectacularly messy.


Good weapons of choice for the zombie apocalypse

Baseball Bat--Possibly the best all around weapon for killing zombies; cheap, readily available, no ammo, and little skill required. Metal is probably better then wood, and of course, always aim for the skull.














Machete--A nice big knife with a nice sharp edge is always a good choice for the zombie apocalypse, with one caution: Machete's and other big knives have been known to stick in a body when used, so be careful your weapon isn't yanked from your grip when surrounded by zombies. Don't waste time and energy hacking at a zombie's chest or arms--always go for the neck. A zombie with no head is a zombie who can't bite you.

Katana--If you happen to have one of these, properly sharpened, they're excellent for cutting zombies clean in half. Again, to be safe, always go for the beheading. Or, in a pinch, the legs. Even if its not dead, a legless zombie will be considerably slower, giving you a chance to run away.

Guns--Pistols and handguns are extremely useful during a zombie apocalypse. They're quick, and they have range, allowing you to pick off a horde before it can get close enough to eat you. But they require skill to use, so its best to take several shooting classes to familiarize yourself with a gun if you suspect a zombie plague will break out soon.

Grenades--Most of us aren't lucky enough to have grenades but if you can get access to some they're excellent for thinning out a big horde. Strategically placed mines, napalm, C-4, and dynamite is also useful.

Vehicle--What's the best thing for breaking through a zombie horde? A two-ton hunk of metal going 45 mph. Hummers, armored vans, and SUVs are good choices. Attaching a snow plow to the front is ideal. Open-top jeeps and convertibles are not recommended.













Axe--Good only if you're strong enough to swing it quickly. Also, watch out for it sticking in the skull.

Mace/Morningstar/Iron pipe/Other--Blunt, bludgeoning weapons are always good choices. Really, anything that you can pick up and swing with enough force to crack a skull is good. In an emergency, lots of everyday items will do: lamps, chairs, shovels, golf clubs. Know your surroundings, and use them to fight off your attackers.

And, my number one choice for surviving the zombie apocalypse

Shotgun--There is no better close-quarters weapon then the humble shotgun. Except perhaps a sawed-off shotgun for an even wider angle. For sheer, face shredding, multiple skull exploding power it really can't be beat. Just make sure you grab a lot of ammo and have a backup bludgeoning weapon on hand (see: baseball bat) when you run out of shells. Really, you should carry at least three weapons on you at all times. It's essential to be prepared when facing the zombie apocalypse.

So, did I leave any out? What are your favorite weapons for zombie survival?

Team Ash/Team Puck Winners!

And we have a winner!

First off, thank you to everyone who entered! It was so much fun seeing everyone's comments and reasons why they're Team Ash or Team Puck. (Or Team Grim.) And a HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to my four Team Captains, Gail, Erica, Stacey and Nicole. I could not have done this without you guys, so thanks so much!

Congratulations to the winners of the signed Iron King and the Grimalkin rocks:

Joy P.
Karen
Sonia
Giada

And now, the winner of The Signed IRON DAUGHTER is:

*drumroll*




SONIA!


Congratulations, Sonia! I hear you're a proud member of Team Puck! I will be emailing you for your ARC of The Iron Daughter. Congrats again, and thanks for entering!

Sooooooooooo, who won the Faceoff? Well, I went to all four blogs to tally up the votes and we have a very definite and clear winner. The tallies look something like this:

Ash: 139 votes
Puck: 74 votes
Grim: 21 votes
Undecided: 19 votes

Ladies and gentlemen, the masses have decided. The winner of the Team Ash/Team Puck Faceoff is:

Ash! (handsomely portrayed by the lovely BinBons--I MEAN--Ben Barnes)













So, Ash has prevailed in this fight. But, Team Puck fans, don't despair. Puck is and will always be the scrappy underdog. And he has more opportunities to sway people to his way of thinking. This battle is not over. Perhaps, after Iron Daughter and Iron Queen, there will be another Team Ash/Team Puck Faceoff.

Maybe next time I'll include Team Grim.

But then it would be no contest.



Thanks again, everyone!

Julie K.

Teaser Tuesday (on a Wednesday)

Well, I forgot to post yesterday, so today's Teaser Tuesday will actually be on a Wednesday. Anyway, someone said they wanted a Puck teaser this time, so here ya go.



"Why?" I whispered. "Why do you hang around? You and Ash could've died today."

Puck's heartbeat sped up under my fingers. His voice, when it came, was very soft, almost a whisper. "I would've thought you'd have figured that out by now."


In other news, I will be choosing a grand prize winner for the Team Ash/Team Puck Faceoff very soon, and thanks to everyone who entered! I had a lot of fun, and I hope you all did, too. Stay tuned to see who was the ultimate winner, brooding Ash or mischievous Puck.