Richelle Mead's Blog, page 20

It's hard to believe with all the Bloodlines and graphic novel mania this week that I actually have ANOTHER new release coming up! Next Tuesday, August 30, is the official US release date for Succubus Revealed, the final book in the Georgina Kincaid series. Its official UK release date is September 15, though you may find it sneaking onto shelves sooner in both countries (and in other English speaking countries). Like before, non-English versions will be coming at some point in the future. The German version is scheduled for October, and I *think* the French one is early next year. Hopefully we'll have news on other translations soon.

To get you in Georgina fever, I have a few awesome things for you today. First up, the second chapter of Succubus Revealed is now online. Yup, now you can learn more about the evil bowling league. :) If you missed when I posted Chapter 1, you can read that here. Both chapters link back and forth to each other. Hope you enjoy! These are two of my favorite chapters from the book.

The other thing I've got for you is a video of me discussing Georgina and Seth. It's just a quick one and has me faced with the question: will Georgina get a happy ending?!

Anyway, I hope Georgina's fans have fun with all of this stuff and enjoy the book when it comes out! Thank you also to those of you who have been reporting in about Bloodlines. It means so much to hear that people are enjoying it! With all these new releases, though, please be careful not to post spoilers around here. It's great seeing comments, but lots of people haven't gotten the books yet, and we want them to be surprised. Thanks for understanding!

BLOODLINES

That's right. After months of talking about it, the day is finally here. Bloodlines, the Vampire Academy spin-off book, came out today in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Other English-speaking countries will follow on August 25, though it may sneak out sooner. Some stores in Aus/NZ had delays, but the Bloodlines Facebook page is keeping track of where copies have been found (Kobo is the Down Under e-retailer, by the way). For the rest of the world, no country has published a translation yet, and I don't know when those will happen. So, find your favorite store that imports English titles and start asking them how you can get a copy!

I still get questions about what Bloodlines is, so be sure and check out my Bloodlines page, which has a description, links to interviews, and excerpts of the book! Lots of online retailers (Amazon, BN) carry it, as do "real" ones (don't forget indies!) and even superstores like Walmart and Target. If your local store doesn't have it, it's not a difficult book to order, so check with them! It's also available in audio, Kindle, Nook, etc. I hope you all love it when you get a chance to read it. Sydney, Jill, Adrian, and Eddie are good times.

THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY GRAPHIC NOVEL

Also out today is the Vampire Academy graphic novel, which has been lurking in Bloodlines' shadow. The VA graphic novel is a complete adaptation of the first VA book. There's some really beautiful artwork in it, and I think everyone's going to like seeing favorite scenes in living color, like Rose punching Mia and, um, shirtless Dimitri:



Here's a preview of more art. The VA graphic novel is being treated like a book, not a comic, when it comes to availability. This means it's easier to find and will be in major online and real bookstores. It's pretty much got the same release stats as Bloodlines, so check it out and have fun seeing the VA world come to life! Other books in the series are also being adapted, so expect Frostbite (ahem, Adrian) out next year.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been so supportive of joining me in a new chapter of the VA world. I think you'll love Sydney, and I'm already having a great time writing the sequel, The Golden Lily. In fact, I have to get back to work so I can finish it before my baby arrives!

Wow, it's becoming increasingly hard to keep up with all the Bloodlines promo going on! There are a few different groups doing it along with me, so I keep having to round up what everyone's doing.


Here's the latest as we count down...

Live Facebook Chat - with me! TODAY!
At the time of this posting, we're less than four hours away from the chat. The chat is being run through Project Paranormal on Facebook. So, you need to be a FB user and "like" their page. When the chat time starts, I'll post a welcome message on the wall (as Project Paranormal) and then you can start posting your questions on the wall! I'll try to answer as many as I can in our hour, but be patient if things are crazy since it's easy to miss things. Keep in mind also that I don't always have the answers and can't always reveal future things either. :) Lastly, if you go to the chat, be advised THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. People may be asking about things you might not have read, so be careful! All in all, this should be super fun, and I can't wait to talk to all of you!

Start time: 2pm today (August 18) on the US West Coast, 5pm on the US East coast. That works out to 10pm in the UK and 11pm in western Europe. It's 7am (on August 19) in Australia EST and 5am in Australia WST. For other places or if in doubt, use this time zone converter. Put in August 18, 5pm, USA - New York for "convert from" and then have it convert to where you live to show you when the chat starts in your time zone. Good luck! Talk to you soon.

****Update: the chat has come and gone! Thanks so much to those who participated, and I'm so sorry I couldn't answer everything. We got an insane response, and an hour flies by. Thank you again! You guys are great.****

The first FOUR chapters of Bloodlines are posted!
Along with a new book trailer (remember, book trailers aren't movie trailers). Check it all out right here.


Bloodlines Contest
The contest I was running for autographed books has closed, and winners have been notified. If you were one of the nine out of 3000 entries, then congratulations! There should be a message in your inbox. Winners were chosen by a random number draw, and about half the winners were from countries outside the US. So, we got a good representation! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. We hope you have fun and appreciate all the excitement. Hope you all love Bloodlines! Prizes will be mailed out when all of the winners have responded back. We're hoping that'll be within the next week but don't know for sure yet.


Tattoo Generator!
Over on Penguin's Bloodlines page, they've just launched an app where you can get quizzed to see which VA tattoo best suits you and then upload your picture to try it on. It's pretty fun, and you can check it out here.


VA Recap a la Facebook
This isn't really Bloodlines promo, but I love it so much. Penguin Between the Lines recapped the first part of Vampire Academy as it would happen on Facebook, complete with characters checking in on Foursquare and "liking" each other's status. Good times.

Bloodlines comes out in ten days, and there are so many promo things going on that I finally figured I should round them all up into one post for your (and my) convenience. It's getting too easy to lose track! Here we go.

* Bloodlines Contest!
Win an early copy of Bloodlines, the VA graphic novel, and more! Details are posted on the "info" tab of this Facebook page, though you don't need to be a FB member to enter. Contest runs through August 16, and the questions that keeping coming up are all answered on that page. Read carefully, and good luck!

* Autographed Books
If you're interested in ordering autographed/personalized copies of any of the new August releases (Bloodlines, the VA graphic novel, or Succubus Revealed), orders must be placed with University Bookstore before August 15 to make the first shipping round. Details here.

* Live chat...with me!
On August 18, 2pm Pacific Time, I'll be live chatting over at Project Paranormal on Facebook. You do have to be a FB member and "like" their page. Then, when the chat starts (not before), post your questions on the wall as you normally would in FB. I'll do my best to get through them in an hour! We may not get to everything if there's a huge rush, and duplicates may get skipped...but like I said, we'll see what we can do. 2pm US Pacific on 8/18 is 5pm US Eastern time, 10pm in the UK, and 11pm in western Europe. In Australia, this will technically be on 8/19, 7am in Australian EST and 5am Australian WST. For other time zones in the world or questions use this time zone converter. This chat is being run as part of the Bloodlines promo, but you can ask questions about other things. Just know it's not a license for me to answer everything in the world! You should know by now how cautious I am with spoilers. :)

* Bloodlines 1020 Challenge
Man, Facebook's everywhere, isn't it? Over on the Bloodlines Official Global Page, they're trying to reach 20,000 likes. They're half-way there, and if they hit 20k, they'll release an early video of me revealing a BIG secret from Bloodlines. So, if that's something you'd be into, head on over and help them out!

What a silly question. Of course you do!

All the rules are posted over on the Bloodlines Contest page on Facebook in the "Info" section. It's pretty easy to enter, but make sure you read everything carefully. Also, if copying and pasting the contest email address doesn't work, try typing it out to enter. Lots of prizes are on the line, including Bloodlines, the VA graphic novel, and other autographed VA books. The contest is open to all countries. Good luck!

Note: you may have seen an earlier post about entering this contest by changing your Facebook picture and status. If you entered that way, please check the Info section again since the rules had to be changed. You'll need to enter in the new email way to be counted. You don't have to keep the VA profile pic up anymore, but you're certainly welcome to if you'd like to show your support! :)

With all the Bloodlines and Succubus Revealed excitement, let's not forget Eugenie and the Dark Swan series! Here are a couple of cool things going on with her today. Earlier this summer, Sea Lion Books (the Dark Swan comic publisher) ran a contest where one lucky person would get to be drawn into a comic. Well, the results are in, and the winner is Christina Marotti. Congratulations, Christina! You'll be making an artistic cameo in one of the issues later in the series. Good times. :)

In other Eugenie news, I figured I should get around to posting the US cover to Shadow Heir , the fourth Dark Swan novel, which is coming January 2012. This cover's already been floating around in some places, though I haven't posted it yet because 1) things have been crazy busy, and 2) it's early enough that there may still be some changes--particularly to her hair, which isn't quite as red as it needs to be here. But here's the current version. Enjoy!

I'll start off by saying that, as always, you can purchase my books at any store you like. Big online sites like Amazon and B&N. Your local hometown bookstores and all the wonderful indies out there. Superstores like Target and Walmart. Kindle/Nook/Sony/etc. sites. My books aren't obscure titles, and most "real" stores in the US, Canada, and Australia should carry them or at least be able to order them.

That being said, I'm always pitching University Bookstore because I know a lot of people like ordering autographed books (especially since I won't be doing any touring until 2012). Order from them, and I'll sign your books to you before they ship. Things are tricky this time because I have a baby on the way and three new books this month. Here's the scoop if you want to order signed copies of any of my new releases coming out at the end of August, which are:

Bloodlines - August 23
Vampire Academy Graphic Novel - August 23
Succubus Revealed - August 30

University Bookstore in Seattle is taking orders for these (along with all my other titles), and I'll be coming in to autograph and personalize them before they ship out. To be guaranteed that your books will ship out on the first possible ship day (August 23 or 30, depending on the book), orders for the above three titles must be placed BEFORE August 15 . This is to make sure my baby's due date doesn't delay things. Also, as you can see from this picture of when I signed Last Sacrifice mail orders in December, the bookstore needs some lead time to package them all up for shipping:



Now, if you place an order on, say, August 17 and I haven't had the baby, it's likely I can hop over to the store and still sign your book(s) in time for that first round of shipping. But, the store and I make no guarantees on that happening. Orders placed after August 15 may not go out until after the new books' release date.

So, if you want to order any signed copies from University Bookstore, the time is now! Here are the instructions. Please direct any selling questions to them. Note also that books CANNOT ship before their release dates. If you order Bloodlines and Succubus Revealed together, Bloodlines won't ship until SR's release date (August 30) unless you pay extra shipping. University Bookstore will also ship internationally, which is good since none of these August releases currently have publishing dates in non-English speaking countries yet. Again--talk to the store about shipping costs overseas.

That's the pitch for University Books and autographs. If autographs don't matter to you, then by all means, feel free to order elsewhere or even walk into a store and get the book on release day. I'm not fussy. :) I just want to make sure you have all your options! Thanks, everyone. We're almost there!

Quick addendum: I signed a large number of title pages for Bloodlines that were later inserted into final copies of the book. So, you may occasionally find some autographed copies via other bookstores (Books-A-Million carries some). These are legit! But, they're just my signature, so if you want it made out to you or for your friend's birthday, U Books is the place for customization.

As promised, the reward for the Bloodlines Challenge is live! Before I get to it, I want to quickly go over something I've tried to explain but that still has people confused.

Originally, Bloodlines was going to be told from a few different characters' points of view. It was going to be in third person (the "he" voice) and alternate characters each chapter. A few chapters in, problems were emerging from this (you've got to trust me on that!). I ended up starting completely over and simply doing the entire book from just Sydney's point of view in first person (the "I" voice). The all-Sydney version is what you're going to get when the book hits the shelves August 23. Hope that clears things up!

The reward for the Bloodlines Challenge is a glimpse at the original scrapped first chapter, which is told from Adrian's POV. It's fun, but again trust me when I say the momentum didn't last much longer in that version of the book! But, as a thank you for everyone's amazing support and because I know everyone's secretly dying to get inside Adrian's head, I give you:

The original beginning of Bloodlines, as told by Adrian

Hope you enjoy it, and THANK YOU again for all of your amazing support! If you still have Bloodlines questions or want to read what is now the "real" first chapter of Bloodlines, head over to my website.

ADDENDUM: There are a couple of quirky things going on with the chapter's formatting. iPad (and some phone) viewers are having trouble reading it--it comes out gibberishy. Tech types are hoping to fix this, but if possible, try another computer. Also, when the chapter was formatted, it looks like someone's spellcheck "fixed" Dimitri to the more traditional "Dmitri" spelling. Don't worry, I haven't changed his name! :)

Well, I'm pleased and overwhelmed to report that last week's Bloodlines Challenge resulted in...success! I can't even begin to say how grateful I am, particularly since I know it can be scary getting on board with a new series. I'm sure it helps that we're still in the VA world, but as a reader, I've hesitated before too. Honestly, though, in looking at my favorite authors, I've noticed that in the end, it's their style and ability to tell a story and make compelling characters that really shines through, no matter the series. I've loved every spin-off just as much as the originals and--in the case of Tamora Pierce's books--even enjoyed the spin-offs more (which I didn't think could happen)!

So, again, many, many thanks to those who are on board with Bloodlines and stepped up to the pre-orders! I've really had a great time with it and think you'll like getting anew side of the Moroi world. Some people sent me apologetic emails about the challenge, saying the money wasn't there or that it just wasn't possible right now. Believe me when I tell you: that is totally and absolutely okay. I have been there. I understand. Bloodlines is still going to be around whenever the time is right. If you pre-order it this week, buy it the day it comes out, or even get it six months after it comes out, that is still absolutely wonderful. I'm so thankful for any and all support you show.

Now that you've gotten me all emotional, let's talk rewards! Tomorrow, the original first chapter of Bloodlines will go live on Entertainment Weekly. I don't know the time yet, but I'll let you know when I do. The chapter is in third person POV but still in Adrian's head. What that means is that the narration kind of goes like this, "Adrian knew better than to trust anything she said and didn't know how he felt about the matter." (That's not actually a line from the chapter). So, it's still all told from how he sees the word but doesn't use "I." If that doesn't make sense, it will when you read it.

As a recap, Bloodlines was originally going to all be told in third, rotating characters in each chapter. Various things ended up preventing this, and switching to Sydney's "I" voice made for a more streamlined story. She's a pretty good narrator too. Some of the original chapters I did were fun, though, so I'm glad you'll get to read a little Adrian--even if, like I've mentioned, cut material always makes me nervous to reveal!

So, that's the scoop. Thank you again for all the support, and I hope you enjoy the reward. And for those who missed some of the Bloodlines background, here's my website page with release date info and an informative Q&A I did on the book. More soon!

Bloodlines has been quite a rollercoaster, and it's hard to believe we're now less than a month away! I'm getting excited for everyone to read it. I'm also impatient because I'm already working on the sequel, and there are times I want to say something about it and then have to remind myself, "Oh, yeah. The first book's not out yet. No one will know what I'm talking about."

I believe without a doubt that people who loved the first VA series will love Bloodlines. I've talked to a lot of readers, in person and online, and I'm continually floored by the passion and dedication you've shown for the books. That passion wasn't just for Rose alone--it was for all the things that make the VA world so awesome, like the romance, action, and humor. All those things are still in Bloodlines (even Rose is a bit), and I've already been amazed and humbled at all those fans who have told me from day one how excited they are to read Bloodlines and find out what happens in this next stage of the VA world. You guys rock.

Still, there are always nay-sayers out there who try to tell me VA readers aren't going to stick with me and read Bloodlines. I don't believe that at all. Like I said, I see the passion for the VA world every day. And after reading the excited reactions to Bloodlines' first chapter, I'm more confident than ever that you'll love Sydney's take on Moroi and Strigoi life. Nonetheless, some people have thrown a challenge down before me--a challenge I intend to accept.

The challenge: Can Bloodlines get 10,000 pre-orders in a week?

I say: yup.

Plenty of you have pre-ordered already, and from all the enthusiasm I've heard from readers, I know more are coming. I think this challenge is totally doable. To show my faith in this, I'm actually going to wager something that makes me nervous. People always ask me for cut scenes from past books, and I always decline. There's a part of me that thinks, "Well, if it's not in the book, maybe it's not meant to be seen." But if you guys can come through on this challenge, I'll deliver for you. If we get our 10,000 this week, I'll swallow my fear and release the original cut first chapter of Bloodlines--which is very, very different from what you saw in the official chapter last week. Originally, Bloodlines was going to be written in third POV, from every main character's perspective. And who was originally going to kick the book off? Adrian, of course. Now, there's a lot of Adrian wit and wisdom in Bloodlines as it is, but this "lost" first chapter was in his point of view, putting us right inside his thoughts (scary...but kind of enticing too, huh?). This chapter also covers things that were cut from Bloodlines, so it really is new material--not just a rehashing of what Sydney's told us. It bridges the gap between the two series.

So those are the stakes! If 10,000 people pre-order Bloodlines this week, we'll get to see the world through Adrian Ivashkov's eyes. When does the challenge kick off? Well...today! It'll run one week. If we can make our numbers, Adrian's lost chapter will be posted online the first week of August--before the "real" Bloodlines release.

If you've already pre-ordered Bloodlines, then I am super grateful and happy that you're ready for the next ride. Thank you so much for your support! If you've been thinking about pre-ordering but just haven't gotten around to it (I'm a procrastination queen, so I totally understand this), then this is the week to do it! Pre-ordering from any store counts, as do Kindle, Nook, etc. Here are some links to help:

Penguin's Official Bloodlines Page - Click on "Book Info" to be a shown a list of major retailers, indies, and e-book sellers with direct links to ordering Bloodlines.

Autographed Books from University Bookstore - Here are the instructions to order from the Seattle bookstore I autograph and personalize books for. You can get the book made out to you, and they'll ship internationally.

And speaking of international stuff...I mentioned in The Bloodlines Q&A that at the moment, only English speaking countries have confirmed Bloodlines release dates. So, those in non-English speaking countries can cheer on the other pre-ordering countries until we know more. But, for those in the UK, Australia, and Canada, you can take the challenge and pre-order from any of your own major bookstores and indies. For the big retailers, I'm guessing Amazon and Waterstone's in the UK; Dymock's in Australia; and Amazon and Chapters/Indigo for Canada. You guys know better than me. I know all three countries also have really awesome indie bookstores too, so definitely support those if you love them.

I'll close with a little more info for those still curious about Bloodlines. The links to the Q&A and first chapter I posted above will definitely give you the most background on the book. However, there are also some awesome reviews from readers who got to look at the book early that'll give you some insight as well:

Eleusian Mysteries Review - From a fan of the first series, who now adores Sydney as a narrator

Bibliopunkk - Reviewer who thinks Bloodlines has its own unique feel yet still perfectly continues the VA series

Teenage Bibliophile - This reviewer never actually read the first set of VA books - but had no trouble getting hooked on Bloodlines

Makshift Bookmark - A reviewer who was unsure about spin-offs and ended up loving Bloodlines. Best quote: "My fear of venturing outside Rose Hathaway's POV was unwarranted. FEAR NOT, SKEPTICS."

Exhausting post! Thank you again to those who have pre-ordered already, and thank you in advance to those who jump on the challenge this week. I'm so excited to see what unfolds! I don't write much in third or a male POV, so I'm also going to be excited and nervous when I post Adrian's chapter and get reactions. (Did you notice my use of "when I post"? Like I said, I'm pretty confident we can meet this challenge).