My author’s copies of the UK/Aus/NZ edition of COLD FIRE arrived today. It’s visually a striking book, and I feel I can safely say that since I had nothing to do with the illustration or design (although I did help write the back cover copy).

In celebration I want to do another giveaway, this time for a  SIGNED copy of the book (it can be personalized if you so desire but doesn’t need to be).

The theme of this contest relates to the Cold Fire sentence I quote in the title of this post.

I had never in my life been too stunned to eat.

Cat spends a lot of COLD MAGIC thinking about food and wishing she had food and finding food to eat and relishing the food she does have to eat.

Food plays an important role in COLD FIRE as well, as the people who have read it already know. Yes, the photo below is of a papaya tree. You know why, and the rest of you (those who read the book) will find out.

Continue reading →

Because I live in an out of the way place, I do very few signings.

I plan to attend World Fantasy Convention in San Diego the last weekend of October (27 – 30) this year, but other than that (and any potential signing I might do in the area then) I am as of now only doing a single signing for the release of COLD FIRE.

Blake Charlton (SPELLBOUND) and I will be reading and signing at Powells Bookstore (the Cedar Hills/Beaverton branch) on September 20 at 7 pm.

Although the official release date for COLD FIRE is Sept 26, I have been assured by my publisher that there will be pre-release copies available at the signing.

If you want a signed copy of COLD FIRE but can’t make it to the signing, you can pre-order a signed copy at Powells via this link.

I should note that I have written a bonus chapter that fits within the storyline of COLD FIRE but which is not in the published book because it is not written from Cat’s point of view and because it contains more explicit sexual content than I normally write (fair warning).

Copies pre-ordered at Powells before the signing will receive, with the signed book, a copy of the bonus chapter (in the form of a very short pamphlet that can be tucked inside the pages of the book in the appropriate spot). If you order because of reading about it in this post, best to note that you would like (or do not want) the bonus chapter.

If you can make it to the signing, Blake and I would love to see you there.

And, yes, those of you who are actually paying attention will see this signing flagged at least 3 more times before Sept 20, so my apologies in advance.

I will endeavor not to bombard this blog with quotes from or links to reviews of COLD FIRE as they begin to appear (UK/Oz/NZ release is 1 Sept; US/NA release is Sept 26) .

However, it’s difficult not to get excited about the first review that appears in the wild, in this case, the forthcoming (Monday’s issue) Publishers Weekly.

I’m chuffed because the review (which can be found in its entirety here) mentions two things I am very glad to see highlighted:

The setting:

Elliott’s second Spiritwalker novel (after Cold Magic) explores a magical alternate Earth in all its intricate and colorful glory.

And the mix of action and emotion that characterizes this particular story:

Elliott skillfully blends intrigue and romance in this lively series about strong women caught among powerful and deadly forces.

Orbit UK has copies in the office of COLD FIRE (release date in the UK market is 1 September, while release date in the US/NA market is Sept. 26), and have generously offered to supply a copy for a giveaway. They’ve also sent me advance copies (which should be arriving any day now).

So with a new wordpress blog and a new release, it is time for a giveaway.

This one is easy to enter.

1) Anyone can enter internationally, no region restrictions.

2) One entry per person, please.

3) Just make your guess, in the comments below, of where the photo in the header was taken (I took it). Personally, I think you should just guess without checking to see what other people have already said, because

There will be two winners:

3a) One drawn randomly from all people who commented below.

3b) One drawn randomly from that subset of people who guessed correctly. If no one guesses correctly, I’ll simply do another random drawing from the entire set.

4) Comments will be open from NOW until Friday midnight HT (Hawaiian Time) 26 August.

Your COLD FIRE sentence of the day:

With a snarl of rage, Rory dropped the bags. In a blur of gold too bright to be fully seen, he melted from man into huge, deadly saber- toothed cat, and sprang at the . . . [cut for spoiler]