Guest Author Lori Handeland

Book Release Panic

Has anyone been watching the TV show Castle? It's the best show, not only because of Nathan Fillion (I miss Firefly!) but because whoever's writing it is a writer.

Not too long ago there was a show that took place during Richard Castle's book release day and they got it SO right.

He's trying not to think of the book, but everyone's talking about the book. His mother keeps going to bookstores and calling him to tell him no one's buying the book, or the book isn't there, or it's not placed where it's supposed to be.

I was laughing my head off. Mostly because at that moment it wasn't ME who was in "Book Release Panic."

The latest entry in my urban fantasy series, The Phoenix Chronicles, APOCALYPSE HAPPENS, was released on Tuesday and it's been personal panic for me for over a week now.

The week before a release is spent pretending that I'm not thinking about next week. I keep working on whatever book I'm writing at the time, which is usually 2 or 3 books removed from the one that's about to be released. But I don't get much done. I can pretend all I want that I'm not thinking about the upcoming release.

But I am.

Then the day of the release arrives and I can tell myself all I want that I'm not going to go to the bookstore and look for the book.

But I do.

Half the time it's not on the shelves yet. Or it's not placed where it's supposed to be. Or no one's buying it.

Sigh. Richard Castle and I have the same issues.

Here's a taste of the book that's keeping me up nights, APOCALYPSE HAPPENS--
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 3!!

Jimmy and I had always had a volatile relationship. Hell, the first time I’d met him he’d put a snake in my bed; then I’d loosened his teeth. We were twelve. At seventeen he’d relieved me of my virginity; a year later he’d broken my heart. Same old tune, heard a thousand times before. Except Jimmy and I weren’t like a thousand other couples. I was psychic and Jimmy— Jimmy was a dhampir. My gaze lowered from his face to his gored shoulder, which wasn’t gored anymore. The gaping wound had almost healed. Most demon killers were breeds—offspring of a Nephilim and a human.. With less demon to contend with, they could choose to fight for the forces of good, and because they had demon blood, breeds had supernatural powers. To fight demons of biblical proportion, they needed them. Jimmy was the son of a vampire and a woman. He was very good at finding and killing bloodsuckers of any type. As a dhampir, Jimmy had mythical strength and speed; he could heal just about anything--although wounds made with a weapon of pure gold took longer, and they stung like a bitch. My gaze went to the approaching cadre of varcolacs. Each of them now carried a weapon that glinted golden beneath the moon. Swell.


I've learned to give in to the urge to visit every book store in my town and the next. Once I see my baby on the shelves a few times, I calm down.

A little . . .
So what do you panic about? And what do you do to stave off that panic? I'm giving away a signed copy to ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY to one commenter today!

www.lorihandeland.com