Scarlet Letters

First of all, let me give kudos to the Hypericon staff. Darrell LuAllen, Fred and Stephania Grimm, Chip Allen and all the folks who run Hypericon make it the great show that it is. I imagine they're all still sleeping. Folks, if you haven't experienced the fun that is Hypericon, put it on your list for next year. I've remarked to several people now that it's damned rare to find a con with no assholes. No egotistical guests lording over their minions. No drunken stupidity (well, a minimum of it). A serious lack of Drahmah. So often the juxtaposition of fandom personalities, sleep deprivation and the seesaw of caffeine and alcohol leads to mindless stupidity and some drunken idiot ends up weeping on the ledge. Not at Hypericon. Fred pointed out that last year, their security staff consisted of one guy with a big stick, and they had fewer problems than cons with a staff of twenty. This year, the guy and the big stick were joined by a handful of teenagers, all helpful and p...

I've been watching "Look, Up In The Sky," a two-hour documentary on Superman as a cultural icon, for several days now. I'm watching it in short increments with my son. We don't watch a lot of television - no, really, I watch most of it after he goes to bed. But his favorite television show is SMALLVILLE, one of his favorite movies is SUPERMAN, and he is utterly beside himself about the new SUPERMAN movie. I predict by the time the hype is over, he'll be after me to redecorate his room from its current Mickey Mouse theme to reflect the Man of Steel. And after all, there are few icons so appropriate. Superman has gone through his ups and downs (notably George Reeves' suicide and the debacle that was SUPERMAN IV), but has remained remarkably whole and untouched by the seventy-odd years he's been flying about our popular culture. When Christopher Reeve stood before us and declared he was there to fight for truth, justice and the American way, only Lois lau...

I'm happy to announce that TANDEM is now available for purchase on the Ellora's Cave web site! http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=1-4199-0636-4 Jericho Trail was too dangerous to hike alone—those were park rules. That's how Chris and Reed ended up hiking together - two strangers. Chris went to the woods to be alone, to think and find peace in a time of trouble. Reed went to the woods for a good time. But he had no idea the trail would be so difficult — or that he would share it with such an intoxicating woman. Separated from the world, the dangers of the trail are nothing compared to the dance between two lost souls, forced together by circumstance but drawn together by the fire burning their blood. TANDEM is part of the Fun In the Sun series of erotic novellas released all month from Ellora's Cave. It is an ebook, and costs only $2.99. C'mon, it's gonna fund my appearance at Dragoncon. You wanna see me at Dragoncon, don't you? Go! Buy! And as a...

And this one's going to be a little different. I'd like to introduce the Sleepwalkers writing group, of which I am proud to be a member. And for the first time ever, we'll all be in ONE PLACE. Yup, the chat party on June 13 (yes, that's Tuesday the Thirteenth; Friday was unavailable) will put all five of us in the Wilderness Chat Room for you to meet and greet. I'm sure it will be dignified, intellectual and respectful, with a minimum of snark. Surely.

WHAT: Sleepwalkers Chat Party
WHEN: 8-10 p.m. EST June 13
WHERE: Wilderness Chat Room (see instructions below

JEFF STRAND (www.jeffstrand.com) is the author of the upcoming thriller PRESSURE, which has gotten such terrific reviews that the rest of us are salivating to read it. He's already cut a name for himself writing horror comedies such as GRAVEROBBERS WANTED, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY; HOW TO RESCUE A DEAD PRINCESS; and SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME, as well as others. Jeff is the king of titles, I tell ...

This coming weekend is Relay for Life. That means yes, I'm in my annual panic. I have a team full of Episcopalians to direct, which resembles herding cats in no small amount. In the meantime, you have three more days to donate. All funds go to the American Cancer Society for research and support services for cancer patients. Today I wrote my check to purchase two luminaries in honor of two friends currently facing cancer. One is in her third bout with the disease... and she's exactly one year older than I am. There is literally no one untouched by this disease. There's a Paypal button on my web site at the link below. All donations are tax-deductible. If you prefer not to go through my web site for whatever reason, Paypal your donation (marked as such) to elizabethdonald at yahoo dot com. And just to sweeten the pot, anyone who donates gets his or her name entered into a drawing for a free book. Keep the faith. http://www.elizabethdonald.com/shop.html

Rock Us All Down (Torquere Press) by my dear friend Angelia Sparrow! Once Upon a Time... Rapunzel and Medusa fell in love. $1.99. What a deal! http://www.torquerepress.com/cart/cart.php?m=product_list&c=624 Official Blurb: Once upon a time, Medusa and Rapunzel fell in love. That's the premise of this legendary tale. Fusing the Rapunzel and Medusa legends, author Angel takes what could be a really bad hair day and makes it an erotic lesbian myth. Medusa is a priestess. Rapunzel is a witch. They come together and apart while the world changes around them, living the lives of those cursed, and blessed, by the Gods. Can they find the balance they need to keep their love alive? "A Night In Electric Squidland" (Lone Star Stories) by the brilliant Sarah Monette!! http://literary.erictmarin.com/current.htm And it's FREE. " Sleeping Beauty, Indeed" (Torquere Press), an anthology including "Undertow," a story by the terrific Meredith Schwartz! $5.95 at h...

This is what I get for not checking my email for a week. While the beach was lovely, the work sure piled up while I was gone. In between final draft reviews and galley inspections, I got the release date for TANDEM: June 16. So we'll be setting a date shortly for the release chat party. Can't do it the night of, because I have theater tickets. So there. Back to the galleys...

I'm physically ill, and it's not the fries. I am sitting in McDonald's, because we have no food in the house. We've been trying to eat up all our perishable groceries while we get ready for a vacation. And because it's Thursday, therefore Restaurant Day, and nothing dissuades my son from our weekly excursion to Ronald's place. Our Town's McDonald's has a TV. There are times when I fervently wish it didn't. This time, however, it isn't Fox News that's causing my gallbladder to try to climb up my esophagus. CNN just carried a story with gruesome images I fervently wish they hadn't shown me, and it's not another bombing in Iraq. From the soulless cretins who brought you Ethnic Cleansing the Videogame, we now have Border Patrol the Videogame. Trigger-happy little bastards get to take aim at Mexicans crossing the border and watch them splatter in "amusing" bursts of blood and horrified faces of terror. Extra points for shooting a...

This is only a test. If this had been a real post, it would have contained actual content. Move along, nothing to see here...

Sequential Tart has reviewed SETTING SUNS... and loves it. http://www.sequentialtart.com/reports.php?ID=4584&issue=2006-05-01 A few choice excerpts: "A number of the stories are set in Donald's Sanctuary setting, which makes me curious to read more from it — and normally I don't even like Evil Alien Takeover-type stories. These stories are almost cruel to the reader, giving you a taste that leaves you pining. Donald, if you're reading this, I particularly would like to see more of the characters in "Memoir" (though that desire goes directly against the wisdom offered in your author notes in that story; I don't want to let Tony go!)That story, about one woman's dealings with the aliens, and the technology that helps her through it in a most unexpected way, is definitely among my favorites from the collection." "It usually takes a lot to sell me a short story, especially when it comes to sci-fi or horror, and extra-especially when stories ...

I'm glad to report that NOCTURNAL URGES and A MORE PERFECT UNION will finally see print this summer! The two books will be combined into a trade paperback release from Cerridwen Press, titled NOCTURNE. It's set to come out in late summer or early fall, and when I get a more definite date you'll all know, believe me. You folks know how much time, effort and affection has gone into the Nocturnal Urges series. As I'm working on the third book - sex-free, I'm afraid, too much death and destruction for a romance - I'm struck by how much this little world has grown in my imagination. Before Nocturnal Urges, most of my mind lived in the Sanctuary universe, with little forays into horror sideshows. Now I switch between my oppressed slaves and my lusty vampires with equal sadistic delight. So, you say: Why should I buy NOCTURNE? After all, I'm a devoted Elizabeth Donald fan and I already bought the ebooks! For several reasons. First, a print book is always going to b...

There is just something about my coffeehouse. I've been stuck on INFERNII for quite some time. Hell, I'm weeks behind in everything. I was supposed to finish the second draft of INFERNII by the end of April, and guess how THAT'S not happening? Somehow I just can't work well in my apartment. It's like pulling teeth. My concentration is lousy. I get nothing accomplished. But as I am kidless this week, I chose to go to my coffeehouse tonight after work. In the three-and-a-half hours since I got here, I have gone through half of SETTING SUNS seeking the typos to correct, reread ALL of the 26,000 words already written for INFERNII, gone over my outline and written the first 2,000 words of the bedamned traps chapter. It's better than I remembered. As I write this, it's just after 10 p.m. The door is open, letting in the cool spring breeze. There are young people sitting outside at the black metal tables. There are more young people and a few older people sitting i...

Some of you may know I'm the captain of a Relay for Life team, raising money for the American Cancer Society. Last year we raised almost $1200 for cancer research. It's that time again, folks. I am beginning with the annual promotion on my web site. It's just a few promotional items, but all funds will go to the Relay for Life fund this year. Also, you can donate directly to the fund via a Paypal button. Note: Direct donations are tax-deductible. The purchases, alas, are not. Something about the IRS tax code, I dunno. Every one of us knows someone who has fought a battle with cancer, or God forbid, lost their lives to cancer. There is literally no one untouched by the disease. The American Cancer Society funds research and local programs to support cancer patients in their fight. Please consider donating to this important cause. And now I'm done asking for your money. Well, for today... www.elizabethdonald.com

Many years ago, two little girls in Massachusetts decided that if there was a Mother's Day, a Father's Day and a Grandparents' Day, there should be a Sister Day. And lo, those two little girls declared March 31 to be Sister Day. Originally commemorated by doing each others' chores, through the years, it occasionally passed unmarked. But there was usually a phone call, an e-card, and on the few occasions they lived in the same state, a lunch or shopping trip. When I told my co-workers that today is Sister Day, there was good-natured gibing that soon Hallmark will be printing cards. It's all my fault. We invented a holiday. And it's true, we tend to sneer at these holidays - artificially created excuses for us to spend money. But aside from the Hallmark silliness, these minor holidays serve as an annual reminder to tell our loved ones how we feel. It is far too easy to let the years pass with so much left unsaid, and when inevitably we part our ways, how much wors...

It seems the distribution problem with SETTING SUNS has been sorted out. If you've been waiting to order SETTING SUNS from your local bookstore (and really, why would you wait?), you can now go in and ask them for it. And honestly, even if you have the book, you can help by asking the bookstore clerks if they carry the book. The more a bookstore hears, "Do you have SETTING SUNS by Elizabeth Donald? It's from New Babel Books," the more likely it is they may decide to stock a few copies. Capish?

Happy to report I have purchased www.nocturnalurges.com! I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. Fortunately, it had not been purchased by a porn shop, as was the case with Scarlet Letters. Now I have a web site solely dedicated to the Nocturnal Urges series. The site is pretty simple at the moment, and I will have more offerings in the future. For now, please drop by and let me know if there are any coding errors or funky design elements. Remember, folks, I do all my web design myself. With Netscape Composer. Real web designers just started crying. What can I say? I'm HTML-challenged. Major kudos to Devin Harris, my brilliant graphic designer. Folks, if you ever need work done, give her a call. She designed the neat series graphic. (And no, that's not the cover image for INFERNII, it's just a placeholder. I have to finish writing it, and then contract it, before we get a cover. Patience!)

• Let's get the award out of the way: It's an honor just to be nominated. No, seriously. I was in fine, fine company. In fact, the woman sitting next to me had a stellar novella, at least what I could tell from her reading, and I was proud to come in behind her. Her name is Tracy S. Morris, her novella TRANQUILITY appeared in DOUBLE DOG #2 by Yard Dog Press. Go forth and buy. My dad texted me: "It was fixed. Blow up Memphis again." I laughed out loud. But in all seriousness, A MORE PERFECT UNION is both an extremely sexual book and a violent serial-killer mystery dealing with dark aspects of obsession, sexual hypocrisy and madness. It's not for everyone, particularly the sexuality. A few members of the committee let me know they didn't hate it, and that's enough for me. And by losing, I did not have to arm-wrestle Selina Rosen. I may be nuts, but I'm not fuckin' crazy. • I love hotels. I always sleep well, stretching out on clean sheets that someon...

Actually, I boarded my car and drove to Memphis. I love this city. I lived here for three years as a young woman, and it has always held a place in my heart. I've lived all across the country - moved 26 times at last count - and Illinois is my home. But Memphis is sort of where I'm from. Updates will be sporadic, as I've got a heavy schedule for the past few days. But I look forward to seeing any denizens of the Underworld while I'm here. And hopefully I'll get to visit downtown and gather inspiration for INFERNII. After all, at least once a year I need to wave hello to my vampires...

Regrettably, I have never read V FOR VENDETTA. It is now on my short list of Stuff I Must Read Yesterday. I thought it was a good movie in the way that movies should be good - exciting, a few plot twists I didn't see coming, characters of dimension and thought-provoking as well as emotional. I have no idea if it's anything like the graphic novel, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I'm surprised it's not causing more controversy, given its themes. The episodic nature of a graphic novel shows a little, in a segmented structure that nevertheless works very well. Many have slammed it for being too much of an action film, when the novel is one of ideas and philosophy. However, being an aficionado of action films, I'd say it's actually rather light on the action. V only really gets his game on two or three times, and the scenes are brief. What can you say about a movie in which you begin by thinking the "hero" is an official loon, and end by cheering on h...

I took a one-day vacation yesterday to celebrate a momentous occasion. No, not St. Patrick's Day. That's what all of YOU were celebrating. I selfishly chose to focus on my own birthday. Yes, I was born on St. Patrick's Day. I think that's why my middle name is Kathleen. I spent the thirty-first anniversary of my birth with a good friend, her son and my son. There are worse things in the world than watching two boys who pretend to be brothers play in the backseat. There shall be a longer post on the Most Haunted Small Town in America, which we explored in a half-day driving tour. Oh yes, there shall be a post. When I figure out how to upload pictures onto this thing. At any rate, my birthday was enlivened by a few people singing into my voice mail, numerous text messages and e-cards... and the arrival of a box of books. SETTING SUNS has finally arrived - two weeks later to me than to the customers! - and I can start sending out copies to all the kind people who have orde...