50,000 and a late announcement

My latest work-in-progress is a fantasy novel titled Sowing Serpent's Teeth. I just hit 50,000 words, so I'd guess I'm about 50% through this beast. This seems like a good time to start recording my progress on the book.

This is something I did with Zomburbia when I was writing it, though I started tracking that book much later in the process. I'm doing this for a couple of reason. 1) I want to hold myself accountable in a public way. I had a hard time with the beginning of this novel and I want to give myself as few reasons as possible to miss a day of writing. If I think someone somewhere might notice me letting a day slide, then I'm all the less likely to do it. 2) Tracking the numbers forces me to write other things in this space as well since I don't want to write about just the numbers. I've long been neglecting this blog and that needs to change. So, numbers it is if that'll help.

Here's something I should have written about last week and didn't, because I've been slacking off, you see. 

In case you didn't catch it, my novel, Zombified, the sequel to Zomburbia, was released last week. It's available from a number of online retailers, of course (and this link will take you to my publisher's page where you can find links to the book on many of those sites), but it would be great if you decided to buy it from an independent bookseller in your area. One indie book store you may want to consider buying it from is The Book Bin in my hometown of Salem, Oregon. If you get it through them, you can ask to have me sign or personalize your copy; something I'm more than happy to do. 

There have been a few other things going on with me and my writing, but I'll save those for upcoming numbers round-ups. 

That's all there is to say for now, I suppose, except I want to thank you for checking out my blog. Thanks for sticking around during the fallow period if you've been reading for a while, and hello if you're new to the place.

And now, here are the numbers:

Daily word count: 1,386

Novel word count: 50,036

Some Zomburbia and Zombified news

As a way to generate interest for Zombified, the second of my Zombie Apocalypse novels, my publisher, Kensington, have made the first book in the series, Zomburbia, a $2.99 purchase for all e-readers. That's one penny less than $3.00, which can't even buy you a latte, right? Unless my time in the land of overpriced coffee has skewed my perceptions. Anyway, here are all links to all the places where you might buy the e-book:

• Amazon
• Apple
• Barnes&Noble
• Google
• Kobo

It will be this price all through January, so you can pick up a (virtual) copy and be ready when the sequel, Zombified comes out later this month.

Speaking of Zombified, you may now pre-order it if you feel so inclined. The book will ship on January 27, and it's available from a number of online retailers.

• Amazon
• Barnes&Noble
• Books a Million

If you'd like to find a brick and mortar store in your area where you can order a copy, you can go to IndieBound and enter your zip code.

Speaking of brick and mortar stores, The Book Bin in Salem, Oregon, is currently taking pre-orders for Zombified. I'd encourage everyone in Salem to get one there. And if you'd like to order a signed copy, they're the folks to contact. I'll be happy to sign and personalize any of my books that you order through them. Here's their information:

The Book Bin

(503) 361-1235

It's probably best to call, but you may also contact them via email.

I also have an ARC of Zombified that I'm trying to figure out how to give away. I'll keep you all posted. 

I hope you're all having a good New Year so far, and I'll keep in touch!

Want a signed copy of Zomburbia for the holidays?

It's that time of year again and I bet you're wondering what to get for the folks on your gift list. Books make wonderful presents, I think. And do you know what's better than a book? A signed book! And not just a book signed by any random person who might or might not be a hobo. No, you want a book signed by its author! Who may or may not be a hobo...

So, if you'd like to give someone a signed copy of Zomburbia (or give one to yourself -- you deserve to treat yourself), here's how you can do it:

• If you're lucky enough to live in Salem, Oregon, stop by at The Book Bin in downtown. They have copies on hand, and I'll sign 'em up for you. I'm usually there Monday through Friday until 5;30, and even if I'm not, they have a pile of books I've pre-signed.
• If you're from out of town, you can always call The Book Bin and order a signed copy and they'll ship it anywhere you'd like. Their number is (503) 361-1235. If you'd like me to personalize it, let the staff know. You can tell me exactly what to write, or rely on my sparkling wit to come up with something...
• Finally, let's say you already have a copy and want a signature. What do you do then? Easy, you email me with your address and I'll send you a signed bookplate. For free. The bookplate features an excellent illustration by my buddy and collaborator, Todd Demong. The only downside is that the space for the signature is somewhat small, so I can't really personalize them.

This is what the bookplate actually looks like.
I sign it on the blank space on the bottom.

There. I've made your holiday shopping easier by a factor of, oh, I don't know, ten. Or zombies. Or something. I'm a writer, math isn't my strong suit.

Happy holidays, folks!

Forgive me while I crow a bit..

Me upon reading said review.

So, Bill Ransom, who has an impressive list of accomplishments, among which I can number:

• Finalist for both the Pulitzer and National Book Award 
• Coauthor, with Frank Herbert, of the Pandora sequence.
• Possessor of a "hot" rating on RateMyProfessor.com 

That very same Bill Ransom left this amazing review for Zomburbia on Amazon:

"This is the best-written Zombie novel I've ever read, and I'm looking forward to 'Zombified'. Gallardo has captured the essence of suburban adolescence and angst with masterfully crafted scenes. This could be some director's next hit film!"

This means a lot to me because I studied with Bill at Evergreen and have long admired his work.

Thanks, Bill! And thanks to everyone who's rated or reviewed the book. It's truly appreciated!

Another Zomburbia review, and a belated thank you

To quote my publisher's publicist (Hi, Vida!): "VOYA(Voice of Youth Advocates) magazine is the leading library journal dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians, the advocacy of young adults, and the promotion of young adult literature and reading."

This is a great organization of which I just recently became aware. I think they're doing terrific work. So it's really satisfying to me that they chose to review Zomburbia, and that they seemed to like it.

Here's the TL;DR version in case you don't have time for the whole thing: “Gallardo provides a fresh take on the post-zombie apocalypse…Gallardo develops Courtney with an authentic voice, and while she is thoughtless at first, she becomes a strong heroine. Teens looking for zombie action with a determined female narrator will enjoy this quick read.” – VOYA

And here's the full review: “How do you live like a normal teenager after the zombie apocalypse? For snarky high school junior Courtney, this means dealing with boys’ attention, working at a fenced-in fast food joint, and selling illegal drugs derived from zombie brains, all while the undead lurk just outside. In the suburbs where Courtney lives, the rich are protected in gated communities while people like Courtney press their luck with chain link fences. Her only dream is traveling to soon-to-be-reclaimed New York City to attend college. She almost has enough drug money saved when popular jock Brandon Ikaros shows interest in her, leading Courtney into a world where parties, drugs, and bad decisions are the norm. As Courtney struggles with managing different cliques, more reports of zombie attacks crop up. Courtney is among the first to notice the zombies are different now: smarter, faster, healthier, younger. When a few bad decisions lead Courtney and her friends into a dangerous situation, Courtney must decide whether she has the guts to fight or become a zombie.

Zomburbia is filled with the typical high school drama, but Gallardo provides a fresh take on the post-zombie apocalypse. The world is not destroyed, but the challenges faced in high school are much more tense and violent. Students carry weapons, take zombie virus courses, and deal with more death. Gallardo develops Courtney with an authentic voice, and while she is thoughtless at first, she becomes a strong heroine. Teens looking for zombie action with a determined female narrator will enjoy this quick read.”

That's nice, right?

This reminds me – I know I've been writing about the reviews that appear in big magazines, but I also wanted to give a shout out to everyone who's taken the time to review the book on sites like amazon and goodreads. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to read the book and comment on it or rate it. And that includes the people who gave it one star (there are a few), not just the ones who gave it four or five (the majority, I hasten to point out...). Really, thank you! It means a lot to me. And it's never to late to add your review if you feel so inclined. It really does help.

Thanks again.

It's Zomburbia release day -- let me give you something

My book hits store shelves today. This brings up huge feelings for me that will probably lead to tears (mine) if I talk about it. Instead, let me send you a free something.

I'm doing readings in both Portland and Salem for the book's release, and folks will also be able to get their books signed at these readings, if they want. But I don't have any other events planned right now, so how might a person who is geographically-challenged get a signature from me for their book? With these lovely bookplates that I have designed and had made which I will send to you free of charge. All you need to do is ask for it.

I'm especially happy with this piece because I got my buddy, Todd Demong, to supply me with an original zombie sketch. Todd is the artist with whom I created the comic 100 Girls, and he's truly amazing. Please don't hold it against him that he's Canadian.

You want one, right? Well, all you have to do is email me your meat-world address using this here email address and I'll sign one of these bad boys and put it in the mail to you.* Just like that. Once you get it, just place the sticker in your book and you'll have something that book-selling site like AbeBooks considers just as valuable as an original signed book. Not that you'd ever consider selling your copy of Zomburbia, right? Right?

*I think I'm going to have to restrict this to North America only as postage anywhere else would probably break me. Sorry, four-fifths of the world's population...

Publishers Weekly shows Zomburbia some love

Publishers Weekly have posted a capsule review of Zomburbia to their site. I imagine it'll show up in the magazine, but who knows. Anyway, they seemed to like. Here's the sentence that made me wet in my pants in a little bit:

"With its complicated and believable heroine, exploration of moral dilemmas, and disturbingly mundane vision of life among the undead, this action-and-gore-soaked adventure entertains on numerous levels."

So, for those keeping score at home, Zomburbia has now been reviewed favorably by both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. And I know that Booklist are going to review it, but who knows if they'll like it. Either way, I'm pretty stoked about the critical response the book has received so far.

One hopes that unmitigated commercial success will follow. That's how this usually works, right?

Aspirations of a ten-year-old

My book for reals.

I think I was nine or ten when I decided I wanted to be a writer. It was around this time anyway that I started looking for ways to write stories as a means of fulfilling homework assignments, and that I began to fudge the answers on aptitude tests so the results would show I ought to be a writer. Since then I've done some of the things that most writers do – I've sporadically kept journals, I've written and submitted in a variety of genres and styles, I've bought and read entire libraries-full of writing how-to books. And I've done some things most writers probably don't, such as just plain trying to give up writing because it's so fucking hard and heart-breaking.

But I've always come back to it. And I always feel a huge sense of relief when I do.

And now, finally, after a lot of years, I have a novel coming out that has my name on the cover and everything. And I know that I already have several books with my name on them out there. But they've been collections of comics and that's just not what I envisioned back when I was nine or ten. And this is not meant as a slight against comics at all. Comics buoyed me at a time when I was very low, and they helped me pay some bills. The work I did in comics kept me believing that I was able to write at all. Hell, it's because I was able to sell comics scripts that I even decided to give writing prose again a chance. So, yeah, I owe a lot to comics.

Still, I always wanted to write a prose novel and to have it be published and loose in the world, and it looks like that's about to happen. Last week I received a small package from my publisher (Kensington, which is an independent publisher and which has been just freaking wonderful to work with). The package contained a small number of comp copies of my book, Zomburbia – just a taste, the rest of my comps will come later. I opened that package and held in my hands a real book with my name on the cover.

And the nine-or ten-year-old in me knew that I hadn't messed things up too badly if I'd accomplished this.

Listen, I know what the book market is like. Zomburbia may come and go without making a single ripple in the publishing industry, but it's here now. And that's enough. Also, the sequel is already written and in the hands of the publisher and now I'm writing something new and I have a reasonable expectation that someone will buy it. So there's that.

By the way, my second choice of career when I was ten was to become a politician. I think we can all be happy I chose to become a writer.

Wasn't there some sort of contest going on?

Last night I had my son, Oscar, help me draw names from a literal hat to determine the winners of the little contest I had going. Remember, there were ten signed cover flats up for grabs and one lucky person won a signed ARC of Zomburbia, my debut YA novel which is set to be released next month from Kensington.

Without any more rambling, here are the winners:

Signed cover flats (in the order they were drawn):

1. Marlene Pardo
2. Hans Strickler
3. Mike Perron
4. Zachary Jernigan
5. Victoria Fountain
6. Trinh Le
7. Dan Jones
8. Benjamina Harmon Balmer
9. Kat Kem
10. Eryca Latham

And the winner of the signed Zomburbia Arc:

1. Aaron Marvin!

I'l be contacting all of the winners in the next day or two to get addresses where I should send their goodies.

I want to thank everyone who helped me spread the word about my book. I truly appreciate it.

And if you're disappointed that you didn't win an ARC, Goodreads.com is still giving away 25 of them. Of course, more than 300 people have entered the contest, so maybe the odds aren't great – and none of those will be signed. Or not signed by me, at least... Also, I think I'll be doing something different as the pub date gets closer, but I'll be giving away a signed copy of the regular book. So stay tuned.

Finally, if you definitely want a copy and don't want to leave it to chance, you might consider preordering it from one of these fine online retailers*:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell's
Indie Bound

Thank you again to everyone who helped out!

*I realize I called Amazon a fine online retailer, but rest assured I did it with tongue firmly in cheek. Still, I won't judge you if that's where you choose to preorder the book.

Want a signed ARC of Zomburbia?

These are the cover flats you might win. They look better in real life.

It's contest time, folks!

I have an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy – though Action Robot Cop would be a lot more cool...) and some cover flats of Zomburbia to give away.

And what, I hear you asking, must one do to win one of these fine prizes? The answer is simple: Help me spread the word about Zomburbia. The book comes out on August 26, which is just a little over a month away, and I'd like to build awareness of its launch. Some people have already been talking about it with folks they know, and for that I'm very grateful. I'm hoping this little contest will help the word-of-mouth campaign build (and, as a result, will help grow the preorder figures as well).

You can talk it up on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and your own blog. Or anywhere else it occurs to you to mention it. But here's the thing: If you share it, let me know. If you do it on Facebook or Twitter, you can just tag me and I'll see it. If you choose some other venue, you may need to actually point it out by emailing me.

Talk about the book and I'll put your name in a hat. More than likely it will be a metaphorical hat, but who knows, I may go crazy and get a real-live hat for the drawing. Share it on multiple platforms and I'll put your name in multiple times. Get it?

This blog post is going live on Friday, July 18, so we'll give it until Thursday, July 24 when I'll choose winners and announce them that Friday. Ten folks will win a cover flat, signed by me if you'd like. One lucky winner will get the ARC well before the book is available to everyone else. And I'll lower its value by signing it if you'd like.

Here are some suggestions for things you might want to shout out to the world:

• TheZomburbia cover reveal (which includes links to major retailers carrying the book)
• The first chapter of the book
• TheKirkus review
• This very post!

And please remember to tag me. On Twitter, I'm @adamgallardo; If we're not already friends on Facebook, why not friend me?; and if you do something on a site other than those, email me to let me know.

You have a week. Get to sharing! And thanks.

Seriously, I appreciate everyone who's already talked about Zomburbia with their friends, and I'm grateful that so many of you are excited for me and for Zomburbia to be published. Thanks!

Enter to win an ARC of Zomburbia on GoodReads

This is just a screen cap, Bucky. To enter, click the link below.

My publisher, Kensington, are giving away a number of ARCs of Zomburbia on Goodreads. The contest is open now until the 31st of August. Unfortunately, it's only open to people in the US and Canada. Sorry about that, rest of the world...

For those of you in North America however, go to it!

Kirkus reviews Zomburbia

As stated in the headline, Kirkus have reviewed, mostly favorably, Zomburbia. Pasted below is the full text of that review.

KIRKUS REVIEWS

ZOMBURBIA
Author: Adam Gallardo

PULL QUOTE

“Comics author Gallardo nails her voice—likable yet self-absorbed… the interpersonal drama strikes a comfortable balance with undead action. More brains than your average zombie novel…and more entrails as well!” – Kirkus Reviews

FULL REVIEW:
Unlike the classic zombie-apocalypse scenario, humanity here hasn't been completely devastated—in suburbia, life has adapted. Post-zombie outbreak, people live behind gates or fences, students take a yearly health and hygiene class on the zombie virus, and firearms are commonplace in backpacks and cars. Courtney's determined to escape the suburbs and attend college in New York—the government hopes the city will be habitable again—but her father will only pay for her college if she goes in-state. To fund her dream, she works at a local burger joint—and sells Vitamin Z (an illegal drug made from zombie brains). Then jock Brandon falls for her, crossing clique lines. Courtney vacillates between her old friends and Brandon's popular world while hiding her drug dealing. Courtney's smart and ambitious, and she makes terrible decisions.Comics author Gallardo nails her voice—likable yet self-absorbed. This rough world lends itself to drug dealing, partying, guns-blazing action sequences and unvarnished language, but it occasionally enables the characters' emotional detachment, resulting in weak motivations for their actions. There's an additional mystery about some smarter, faster zombies—seemingly left for the sequel despite heavy hints that make the answer seem obvious. Aside from that, the interpersonal drama strikes a comfortable balance with undead action. More brains than your average zombie novel…and more entrails as well! (Horror. 14 & up)

What's been happening?

Since last we spoke, some stuff has happened. Some of that stuff took up so much of my time that I failed to update this blog. For instance, I finished up the draft of Zombified, which is the sequel to Zomburbia. I finished it, I got it to my agent, my agent gave me notes, I made changes based on those notes and sent it off to my editor. Just yesterday, I heard from my editor. She accepted the manuscript with no major revisions. All the notes she had will be incorporated along with the copy editor's notes on the production draft. The process I just described took up a good chunk of May and all of June.

I may go into more detail about this process at some point, but maybe not. I'm not being coy, I'm genuinely trying to suss out how I feel about what I just went through and how much I want to share. So, you'll have to wait and see, I guess.

What else? Well, despite the fact that the manuscript was just accepted yesterday, there's now a cover for Zombified. It was photographed by Blake Morrow, the same guy who shot the cover for Zomburbia, and I think it's just as great. Ready to see it?

Terrific, right?

Zombified is already in Kensington's catalog and it has a pub date in January. Believe me when I tell you that I'll keep you informed as that date gets closer.

And I'll also be doing some promotion-type stuff for Zomburbia as well. Watch this space later in the week for more on that.

That's all for now, I suppose.

Man, my blogging skills are rusty...

What's that? I have a blog, you say...?

Did you know that even when I don't write posts here about what I'm doing, things still continue to happen in my life? I know, it's as flabbergasting to me as it is to you... So I thought I'd write a bit of a catch-up post to, you know... catch you up...

The biggest news is that I sent the final edits of Zomburbia off to the printer. Preparing the manuscript for printing basically meant I had to read the novel again and mark any typos or errors I found. Despite having been read many times by many people, I still found a number of both. Typos and errors, I mean. I apparently have a habit of switching from the past to the present tense every so often, and I found errors of continuity that I can't believe were still present this late in the game. Now that those are off, I can devote myself to writing the draft of the sequel, right? Right?

My oldest, Oscar, turned six a few days ago. Do you realize what this means? It means I am the father of a human being who is six years old! I used to write about him (and the rest of my family) more often than I have recently. I might get back to that. For now, here's a photo of one of the cutest creatures on Earth.

Do you think he gave me a bite? No, he did not.

I joined the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) recently. If you aren't a part of the SF community, you may still be aware of the organization because it's going through some growing pains and a lot of its dirty laundry is being exposed. I thought this was a perfect time to join, actually, because I want to be a part of the rising tide which sweeps a lot of bigoted old men out to sea. There, I said it. It felt good.

I am also a member of the HWA (Horror Writers Association. This years's World Horror Con is this coming weekend in Portland, Oregon. I'll be attending, and I'll be taking part in a panel on using Social Media Marketing. The panel will be Friday from 2-3. If you're around, you should come by and watch me struggle to understand what Twitter and Facebook mean...

Finally, a couple of buddies and I are making a short film in a couple of weeks. It's set in the same world as Zomburbia and it should be a blast. I'll write more in a bit about how it all came together and what we've done on it so far. Let me just say here, in case you are my editor or my agent and you're reading this, it's stolen very little time from my writing the next book. I promise.

Zomburbia chapter one

I've written often enough that I have a novel coming out later this year. Perhaps you'd like to read a sample of it? If so, then you are in the right place!

My publisher, Kensington, have given me permission to post the first chapter of Zomburbia here. I'll post link to various online retailers at the end of the excerpt in case you like the sample and want to read more.

ZOMBURBIA
A Zombie Apocalypse Novel
By Adam Gallardo

Chapter One
Good Times at Bully Burger

The night shifts at Bully Burger are the absolute worst. It’s like sitting through a five-hour History lecture from Mr. Chanders, only you have to wear a festively colored polyester uniform while you do it. Maybe a car an hour comes through the drive-thru, and you really get tired of that fearful look people get in their eyes after dark.

The Bully Burger—whose mascot, I swear to God, is a cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt holding a hamburger—is a minor big deal in these parts. Six stores that sprouted up back at the dawn of time. People around here are crazy proud of this homegrown franchise. This particular store, the last one to be built, is at the far end of a developed strip out on Commercial Street. That nicely named strip is where the town started to shove all the franchises and big-box stores in the late ’70s and, as you can imagine, it looks like one long stretch of hell. It’s all Walmarts and Mickey D’s as far as the eye can see. Depressing.

Zomburbia cover image and some quotes

This seems as good a reason to start writing on my blog as any, I guess.

Last week, my editor at Kensington sent me the design for Zomburbia and said I could share it. So that's what I'm gonna do. This is the art that will go on the printed ARCs (advanced reader copies) and so it may be tweaked a bit on the final product, but this should give you a good idea of what it's all about.

I think the designer(s) did a great job. I love the design elements and I think the photo is evocative without being over the top gory. I'm just over the goddammed moon about this and can't wait to hold the final product in my hand.

If you feel a similar desire, perhaps you'd consider pre-ordering the book. Something that's very helpful, I understand. I'll post links to different web sites below, but first, this:

And here are those links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell's
Indie Bound

You'll notice that the pages for the book on those sites currently lack any cover art or description. Well, as an enticement, let me hit you with a couple of quotes from folks who've already read the book:

"What if the zombie apocalypse didn't get all that apocalyptic? What if life
went on pretty much as normal for most kids, except it was incredibly
dangerous just getting to and from high school? What would it be like togrow up in a weird but eerily familiar Zomburbia? Meet Courtney, a flawedbut spunky teen, and her misfit pals who are trying to find their places ina world where death lurks around every corner. Readers are guaranteedplenty of mayhem and romance, laughter and heartbreak in Adam Gallardo'saccomplished debut novel."-- James Patrick Kelly, winner of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards

"If you haven't read Zomburbia, you haven't read about zombies. This is a new take and it is scary, freaky, and original. Gallardo resets the zombie bar and it's sky-high. Get this book!"-- Nancy Holder, NYT Bestelling Author, The Wicked Saga

Man, if those don't make you want to read the book, I don't know what will. (I really, really hope those make you want to read the book...)

Next time I'll write a bit about what's going on with Zomburbia schedule-wise, and what's going on with the sequel.

Yours in self-promotion...

The Blow

This was a long time ago. It was the first year of Portland's Time Based Arts Festival, I think, so call it maybe twelve or thirteen years ago. A friend invited me to one of the festival's after-parties. I went despite not knowing what time based art was. It seemed (and seems) that all art is time based. Anyway. The party took place in a warehouse space. It was jammed with people, a bar, free food and, at one end, a stage. I knew that there's be a show of some sort by a band called The Blow.

After a while, I girl came out. Blonde and tiny. She carried a boom box. She approached the mic and did her best to get the attention of the crowd. It took a while. Finally, when the majority of people had quieted down, she told us all that the band was running late and that they'd sent her out to entertain us until they were ready. She started to tell a rambling story about (I think) going on a drive with a boy and the conversation they'd had. After a while, she said that it might be better if she sang the next part. She bent over and pressed play on the boom box and began to sing.

It was at that moment that I figured out this girl was The Blow and that everything she had said and done from the very first moment had been part of her act. And I was smitten. I've been a fan of hers ever since through a number of incarnations. All because she played so expertly with my sense of expectation

I called her tiny earlier. Well, as the performance went on, she seemed to grow bigger and bigger with each new song. Honestly, I think I've only had one other musical experience that was like it. I felt like it reshaped me.

Right. What's this got to do with anything? I've been thinking about what I want to do with Zomburbia. You know, my debut YA novel which will be out from Kensington Books next year... I've had a couple of conversations lately about including a message in a story. Does Zomburbia have a message? Yep, and I hope I've sneaked it in in such a way that almost invisible. No matter how important your message, no one's going to get it if it isn't wrapped up in a good story. I hope that's what I've done. I hope I've crafted a novel that walks out on stage, presents itself as one thing – a good horror story – and is in truth something else as well.

Have I succeeded? How the hell should I know? I just wrote the thing. I'll have to wait until the book is out and see what people think of it to know how well I did.

By the way, as I write this, I'm listening to the new self-titled album by The Blow. It came out earlier this month, and it's excellent. I can't recommend it enough.

That's all for now.

What's next?

I want to be as transparent as possible about the publishing process, but I have been asked not to reveal the name of the publisher who acquired my book until all the contracts have been signed, so I'll talk around some things for the time being.

So, what am I doing now that I've learned my book will be published?

I've already spoken with my editor and they have let me know that there will be some edits to the Zomburbia manuscript, though, thankfully, nothing structural. I won't receive those until after the contracts are signed, either. In the meantime, I'm thinking about the general shape of book two. Later in the year, I'll need to deliver the first three chapters and a detailed outline. That part scares me a bit because I haven't worked from an outline before – not a detailed one, at any rate. Zomburbia had a four-page plot and I diverged from it somewhere around the middle of the book. Regardless, that needs to be done.

I was also asked to start looking at YA book covers. While I will not have anything like final say, I was told I'd be consulted on the cover design. I sense a field trip coming on, maybe to Powell's, though our local indy bookstore has a great YA selection.

And as to what I'll actually be writing as I wait for notes from my editor, I am 91,000 words into a steampunk novel that I started writing because I had no idea whether or not Zomburbia would ever sell. I wasn't being pessimistic, just honest about how the world of publishing works. I plan to barrel along on that manuscript for as long as I can before I have to back-burner it. No matter what else happens, I will finish it, it just might take me longer than I planned.

Finally, I plan to wrap my head around the fact that someone wants to publish a book I've written. And its sequel. It's still a bit unreal to me. Part of that may be that I haven't had a chance to really celebrate it. A friend asked me today what happened when I found out about the deal. I told her the truth: I showed my wife the phone with the email from Ann, my agent, and we both cheered and jumped around for a bit. Then we regained our composure and my wife reminded me that the garbage needed to be taken out to the curb. I'm sure that we'll time to celebrate, but we have to get on with life at the moment, since life just keeps happening.

I should also take a few days and update the links and other stuff on this blog. It's all painfully out of date...

If folks have any questions about this process as we go, please feel free to leave a comment, or send me anemail.

An early announcement

More details to come after all the paperwork is signed, but I wanted to let people know that a publisher has offered me a two-book deal (for Zomburbia and its as-yet unwritten sequel) and, through my agent, Ann Collette of the Rees Agency, I've accepted. Like I said, as soon as the paperwork is finalized, I'll be on  here with all the news. I've been sitting on this news for more than a week and finally got the go-ahead to say this much, so there you go.

And here's a funny story about Ann. Her first words to me, after she learned my name, were, "Come to Momma!"

More later.

A Zomburbia update

C. S. Lewis. Mr. Lewis received some 800
rejections before any of his stories saw print.

The last time we spoke, or, perhaps more accurately, the last time I talked at you, I'd just acquired an agent and she was preparing to send out my novel, Zomburbia, to a number of publishers and editors. I just wanted to bop over here and give an update on that situation. Just like the title of this post says. Truth in advertising, kids.

True to her word, Ann prepared a submission packet and sent it off to eighteen publishers. That may seem like a lot, and it is -- it's more than she would normally query, but she's not known in the YA field and she wanted to cast a wide net. Of those eighteen, six have gotten back to us with some version of no thanks. Most of these have said something along the lines of, "It doesn't sound right for us" or "It sounds like something we already have in our pipeline." Two have mentioned that they think there's zombie fatigue in the market. That's a bit worrying, but I'll address it in a moment.

But it's not all bad news: So far, five publishers have asked to see the full manuscript. Those aren't bad numbers, right? Six said no thanks, five want to read it, and seven still need to respond. Ann and I feel confident that if folks read the book, the voice of the main character will win them over. For "confident," you may want to insert "hopeful." Whatever, we think we have a good shot at attracting at least one publisher. We may need to wait a while to find that out, however. The reading/approval process is a long one and there's the Christmas/New Year's holiday at this end of this month, so it will probably be drawn out even longer. I'm doing my best to be patient.

Here's where I want to talk about zombie fatigue. A couple of years ago, when I had first started writing what would become Zomburbia, I had a chance to talk to an agent about my writing and she asked to see the opening chapters of the book. She was mostly negative about it, mainly citing that there were too many zombie books on the market. This was two years ago, mind, and the field hasn't become any less crowded. She then suggested I write something else, something very specific. For a time, I abandoned the manuscript and tried to write what she'd asked for, but my heart was never in it. I later came to realize that she was probably only ever interested in this one thing she wanted written and was looking for someone to write it for her. Even after that realization, I didn't pick up Zomburbia again. Her comment about the saturation of the field gnawed at me.

But...

But I couldn't get the book out of my head. Courtney, the main character spoke to me, delivered long speeches in that voice of hers, speeches that made their way into the book once I got back to writing the stupid thing. Because I realized that no matter how saturated the market was, this was a book I had to write. It was a book I wanted to read and it was about characters and situations that I wanted to know about. I wanted to see how it all worked out in the end. And isn't that what you're supposed to do? Aren't you supposed to write books and stories that you want to read, market forces be damned? Well, I sure as shit hope that's what you're supposed to do. And I hope that those five editors who now have my manuscript can sense the urgency I had when I wrote it.

I think that might be the book's only hope, and I think it's a good one.