Fast forward to late last fall when I decided that there was something missing in my life. Yup, you got it: a furry buddy. I did extensive research into rabbits, spurred along by the revelation that a certain (SPOILER ALERT) has a bun-bun. The more I read the more I realized these guys are more challenging to raise so that changed my mind. (Disclaimer – we did raise rabbits when we were on the farm, but they were not ::cough:: pets. Enuf said…)

I continued to prowl animal shelter sites like a gambling addict looking for a hot poker game. And found Dolly. She’s not a young sprite (6-1/2 years old) and she’s not black and white (like the last two cats) but she is way cool. She’s a tiger kitty so she was promptly renamed Dali after Ilona Andrews‘ were-tiger in the Kate Daniels Series. Dali (the character) is a white tiger so I’m stretching things a lot, but it works in my mind. Just go with it, okay?

I went over to see Dali at her foster mom’s home on May 3rd and found she is a shy kitty. It took some time to coax her out from under the bed. I was allowed one head pet and then she backed off to study me. We played with a ribbon for quite some time, but clearly this cat is going to be one for whom I will have to earn her trust. Which is totally unlike the previous feline resident, Midnight, who wandered out of the cat carrier, jumped up on the closest kitchen chair, licked all her fur back in place and fell asleep. She was so laid back that I had a dinner party a week after she arrived.

Not so with with this little lady. Dali is going to need considerable time to adjust to us. I suspect, however, once that trust is earned it will be unshakable. I decided that day to adopt her, but then personal events took precedence so I asked her foster mom to keep Dali until our private life settled down. It finally did this last Sunday, so….

I present the new cat** in the Oliver household. She’s still spooked (who wouldn’t be) but is settling in. She is taking things very slow, preferring to remain in the den for the time being. She’ll wander into my office every now and then, but any little noise freaks her out.

She has begun a major charm offensive with the husband (who was not involved in this cat selection, unlike previous times). Once the new office is done, if she’s comfortable with the idea, she’ll be going portable with me to my writer’s cottage where she can keep an eye on the ground squirrels and the neighborhood cats.

All is right in the world. I’ll give you Dali updates every now and then as time and interest permit. Thanks for welcoming her to her new home.

** Jean Marie Ward refers to her new cat as her Feline Overlord or The Management. Both of those make sense if you’re a cat “owner.”

The first book in the German edition of the Demon Trappers Series, which is entitled Die Dämonen Fängerin: Aller Anfang ist Hölle (The Demon Catchers: Every Beginning is Hell) is the 2011/2012 Moerser Jugendbuch Jury novel of the year!

A community of teens (those in the Moerser Jugendbuch Jury and from local schools) were invited to read the 20 selected novels in a three month period. Then they voted on their favs from a list (click on Aktuelle Titel link on the left of the MJJ page to see the books). That list included such names as John Connolly, Beth Revis, Jackson Pearce, Kathy Reichs, Brenna Yovanoff and myself.

At a special event held last Friday at the library in Moers, the winner was announced! (Photos of the event are available on their Facebook page. It looked to be a blast.)

Not only am I thrilled my book was chosen for this award, I am so heartened to see teens actively engaged in reading, discussing and critiquing books. The next generation needs agile minds and these young folks are taking the lead.

The event was even reported on the local news (the segment begins at 5:58). You can click the third link down to jump directly to the segment.  (Moerser Jugendbuchjury feiert Abschluss [02:34min]

Tanja Seelbach, Fiction Editor

Tanja Seelbach, my lovely German editor at Fischer FJB, was so kind as to collect the award for me and translate my acceptance speech for approximately one hundred attendees. The award will be headed toward Georgia where it will be displayed with considerable pride. It is my first international award and I will always treasure it.

So I offer my thanks to all those young adults who read my book, found that Riley has a story to tell and helped make Aller Anfang ist Hölle the book of the year. I also thank all the librarians and organizers for hosting such a wonderful event and for encouraging young readers to explore the world of great fiction.

Bless you all!

So on to the report:

About thirty some souls came by to hear me talk about the series, read a section from the last book (the fourth one) and answer questions. Many of these folks were friends of mine, but I got to meet new readers as well. One young lady (Amanda) and her mom drove two hours to come to the signing. I was so jazzed!

One young lady and her mom drove two hours down to Atlanta to attend the launch. Then they joined us for a trip to a local pub for dinner and conversation.

After the signing we adjourned to a local pub (The Firkin and Gryphon) which readily accommodated THIRTEEN of us with no hassle. We chose to sit outdoors because the weather was so nice. Other than a very persistant carpenter bee (boy, those things are big) it was comfortable and critter-free.

We settled in for comfortable conversation, good food and a very pleasant time. Looking down the long table I was reminded how infinitely blessed I am to be surrounded by such wonderful and loving people.

This was especially poignant as I’d just heard that another friend had passed away the night before, far before his time. It was a reminder that our days are short, that friends are dear, and one should always take time to celebrate life.

For all of you who came to the signing (and to Alan and the staff at B&N — you guys rock!) thank you so much for sharing in my crazy stories. It’s all the more meaningful because you’re journeying along with me.

The books have arrived

on my doorstep!

Win a copy of FORGIVEN (plus some Demon Trapper swag) before you can buy it in the stores! I’ll draw the winners on Wednesday March 21st at 8 p.m. EDT and I’ll contact those folks that very night. Yes, that’s WINNERS. I’ll give away THREE books this time around.

The Rules:

Tell me which character is your fav and why.

One entry only please.

After I contact the winners, if you don’t get back to me with an address by Friday evening at 8 p.m. EDT, I’ll give someone else your book. That would be a bummer.

**US & Canadian residents only**

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Michael Edward Miller of NPR affiliate in Chattanooga (88.1) The first of the two interviews will air Thurs, March 15th at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on their Around and About Chattanooga program. After that it will be available as streaming audio on the station’s website.

Mike is an avid Urban Fantasy enthusiast and we discussed the genre, why I love writing teen urban fantasy, a little bit about the series, and so forth. It was a wide-ranging interview and Mike made sure I earned my keep (LOL).

Please listen and support your local National Public Radio Station whenever possible.

Thanks!

Jana

Word has come down from my Polish editor that their first book will be out very soon. This Riley is a little older than I envision her, but she still has that strength that I admire. Replika did a fine job and  I’m so hoping folks in Poland enjoy the story. To check out the entire site, go here. I employed Google’s cool like translation tool so I had a spin through the description. It’s quite cool.

On March 9th the French edition will be published by Castelmore entitled DEVIL CITY. Their edition opted for a dystopian city instead of a cover model and I like it just as well. My very rudimentary high school French allows me to understand (some) of the description. However, Google comes to the rescue again.

For me, it’s just such a kick to see Riley & Beck’s stories spread all over this globe. Truly an author’s dream come true. Now pardon me while I go do a happy dance!

For those of you who are attending the con, my schedule is below. I’ll also be sharing a dealer’s room table with Tony Ruggerio (we were both published by Dragon Moon Press at one time) so come by and see us. We promise to be entertaining.

My MystiCon Schedule:

Friday, Feb 24

4:00 p.m. – Young Adult Readings (Several YA authors will be reading their works)

6:00 p.m. – Books for Children and Young Adults (Join our authors as they discuss their series for children and young adults.

8:00 p.m. – Alternities  (What makes good alternate histories work and bad ones fail? What points of departure do you change to build a good alternate history and how do you write for audience that isn’t familiar with the true history?)

9:00 p.m. - Adult Themes in Young Adult Novels (Is This Appropriate?)

Saturday, Feb. 25th

10:00 a.m. – Allen Wold’s Writing Workshop

4:00 p.m. – I’ll officially be autographing books (though you can catch me anytime during the con to do the deed)

9:00 p.m. – Small Press vs. Self-Publishing  (In this era of instant media, what are some of the advantages and disadvantages of small press publishing? Is self publishing a viable option?)

Sunday, Feb 26

10:00 a.m. – Writing Short SF/F Stories  (A SF or fantasy short story can be a sparkling jewel, making a long-lasting impact on the reader. The story may be serious or comic, a pleasure to read or a tale that won’t let you stop reading until it is done with you. How does the writer craft effective short fiction? What techniques help the writer achieve success? We go beyond the “good idea” and discuss the craft of writing.)

Time for snippet #3.

And now for the second snippet from FORGIVEN.  If you haven’t read the first two books, this will be a spoiler. You’ve been warned

Setting: The rooftop of a building

Situation: Riley and Peter are on stakeout in an attempt to bust the fake Holy Water scam.

###

Peter pushed off from the roof and stalked a few feet away, his back to her. “Please tell me this is all some kind of a sick joke.”

“It’s the truth. All of it. That’s why hunters are after me.”

“How did they find out?” Peter asked, swiveling toward her now.

“I think Beck ratted me out. I went to his house this morning and told him what had happened. He was furious, Peter. I’ve never seen anyone that angry.”

“Duh! Now there’s a surprise,” her friend replied sarcastically. “I saw the way he looked at you at your dad’s funeral. Of course he’d be mad. You’re about the only one on the planet who doesn’t realize how he feels about you.”

“He never said anything,” she retorted.

“Hey, we guys don’t blurt out that kind of stuff,” he replied. “It’s against the man code. Beck may never have said how he felt, but everything he did for you should have been a big clue. I mean, come on, how slow are you?”

She glowered at her friend. “I figured he was doing it because of my father.”

“Maybe, but the guy is really into you, Riley.”

“No way. If he’d liked me, he wouldn’t have blown me off and—”

“Ancient history, girl!” he countered. “You were, what, fifteen? Your dad would have torn him apart if he’d touched you. Beck had no other choice.”

“He didn’t have to be so mean.”

“God, will you listen to yourself?” Peter retorted.

“You have no idea how much he hurt me,” she shot back.

“Give it up, will you? You’re my best friend, but you can be a real self- centered asshat sometimes.”

###

(c) 2012 Jana Oliver

FORGIVEN

Macmillan Children’s Books (UK & Australia) March 1st

St. Martin’s Griffin (US ) March 27th