At long last a LiveJournal by Jeri Smith-Ready

Just got this message from the foster coordinator for Tails of Hope, the animal rescue organization we volunteer with:

We have a number of dogs in rescue right now and will NOT be taking in any more until some of these are moved. Please talk to people that are considering adopting, friends, neighbors and relatives. Please help these kids, because until they are in homes, we cannot save any others:

Ryan...nothing wrong with him except he needs to play... a family dog with kids is perfect – he’s good family dog and needs training.

( More, including pictures. Can you handle the cute? Can you? )

So if you live in Maryland, DC, south central PA, Delaware, northern VA, or West Virginia, and are looking to adopt or foster a dog, please consider one of these pups. For more information on the application process, visit Tails of Hope's adoption page.

Tails of Hope currently has 26 cats and 53 dogs for adoption. They are also always looking for new foster homes, other types of volunteers, animal sponsors (like Ciara in Wicked Game), and donations of all kinds.

And if you apply, tell 'em Jeri sent you!

----------------
Now playing: Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
via FoxyTunes

I've been promising this post since late last year, partly as a way to explain why I got so quiet online between October and January (other than Twitter, which was a lifesaver) and even canceled a few appearances, and partly as a PSA for other dog owners.

This is Meadow, for those of you who haven't met her. She's a retired racing greyhound who entered our lives on May 1, 2003. As you can see, she is a huge fan of teddy bears:

( WARNING: extreme cuteness )

Meadow turned nine years old today. She went for two walks, visited with the neighbor's kids and horses, and even chased a rabbit in the backyard. Seven months ago, we weren't sure if she would ever see this day.

For more information on canine disk disease, check out Dodger's List. The group was a huge help to me during and after Meadow's surgery. But the biggest savior was the neurologist and his wonderful staff. If I had a million years, I could never thank them enough for giving us back our girl.

Hug your pups and kitties tonight.

Sorry I've been slack on blogging lately. Actually, not so much slack, just really busy writing and taking care of my invalid dog (mostly the latter--she's a very demanding patient).

- A full fifty percent (50%) of "Storm Reaper" is now available on my publisher's website. The link there goes to the main page where you can access chapters 1-4 at will.

- You have one more day to enter two giveaways:

Lori Devoti's 30 Days of Vampires ends tomorrow, and so does the chance to win a signed ARC of Bad to the Bone (or a signed copy of Wicked Game, if you prefer).

Patrick Rothfuss's phenomenal fundraiser for Heifer International will end tomorrow. He's already met his new goal of $40,000 raised by fans and friends, which he will match, because he is a dude of the highest order.

I bought a goat (not for me, for a family somewhere in Foreign Lands) to celebrate a few things I'm grateful for this Christmas:

1. My husband still has a job. Two, in fact! And no, you can't have one. We need them both, because of #2.

2. Meadow had surgery the week before Thanksgiving to fix four ruptured discs in her back. She is recovering nicely and is no longer in massive amounts of pain and fear. It was really bad there for awhile. Her regular vet was starting to suggest that she be put out of her misery, and he was pessimistic about how well she would handle the operation and recovery. Mainly because, unlike her neurologist, he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Pbbbttt! We'll be looking for a new vet pronto. More on that later, because I think it's important for all dog owners to be aware of the symptoms of ruptured discs and what to do in that event.

3. Um, can't tell you about #3 yet, so for now we'll put in a placeholder: the Ravens are having a spectacular season, despite the fact that they have a first-time head coach and a rookie quarterback. For the first time since, uh, ever, they have an offense that doesn't embarrass their terrific defense.

Where was I? Oh, a goat. So the least you can do (for the chance to win an ARC of The Reawakened and prizes much cooler, like the manuscript for Kevin J. Anderson's Batman/Superman: Enemies and Allies, the book where Batman and Superman apparently meet for the first time, and which won't be out until May) is pony up twenty bucks for some chicks. Or name your own donation amount in the white box.

Patrick's already met his 40K goal, but I bet if we get tons of people donating today, he'll raise it to $50,000. That's not a dare, just a hunch.

- Four more days to enter the giant Spirit Animal/Aspect of Crow trilogy giveaway. Details on the click-through.

Anyway, I'm pretty much giving myself permission these days to do nothing but take care of my dog and work on books in various stages of existence. So blogging has to fall by the wayside.

But as always, I'm active on Twitter. If I go off Twitter for more than 48 hours, just assume I'm either dead or held captive by a roving band of clown monkeys. If it's the latter, please pray for the former.

Here's the link for the audio for yesterday's Blog Talk Radio interview, focusing on world-building (I'd hoped to have the embedded audio, but it's not working for me, so just follow the link if you wanna listen).

Also, today I've got blog duty at SFNovelists.com, where I bring up the question of not just where but when to set one's novel--specifically around holidays or certain times of the year?

Our greyhound Meadow just went into surgery to fix four ruptured discs in her back. We tried the "conservative" method, i.e., crate rest and pain meds, to no avail, so this was our last option. Her road to wellness will be a long one (6-8 weeks, maybe more), but the doc seemed optimistic about her chances for a full recovery. Not sure if we'll ever let her run again, and she's definitely hanging up her WWE title belt (do they wear belts?), but we'll be thrilled just to be able to take her for a walk without painful consequences.

Keep your fingers crossed for her!


----------------
Now playing: Lisa Loeb - Do You Sleep
via FoxyTunes

If you're in a bookstore this weekend, look for The Reawakened! Official release date is Tuesday, but some stores put them out early. Or just order from Mysterious Galaxy, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.com.

If you want to know what's happening with me, come follow me on Twitter. No time to blog due to deadline on Tuesday, but I have moments here and there when I can spit out a sentence or two. This morning I've been answering questions on how I can write 176K words on a ~100K novel, and yesterday I discussed my little girl Meadow's recent medical adventures.

There may come a day when I give up regular blogging in favor of the less time-consuming Twitter. It suits my need to spit out random thoughts and connect with others without having to develop a full-blown essay.

Enjoy your weekends!

I'm drowning in deadline, and nursing a very sick dog and a mildly sick cat this weekend (they're feeling better now) set things even more in arrears.  So don't expect me back until, well, until I'm back.

Today’s voter registration nag video has nothing to do with voter registration. I just really like Guy Davis (I wrote about him a few years ago in this post), and this song makes me happy, despite the fact that it's about economic woes. It's a song called "Things About Coming My Way," and it describes the moment when you think things might just might turn around.  At least, that's what it means to me.

Here's your semi-daily update of the dwindling list of states that are still registering voters. The blinky states are closing their voter registration rolls this Monday through Wednesday.

As always, visit VotersUnite! for rules and regs pertaining to your own personal state.

Alabama
California
Connecticut
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Dakota
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin



----------------
Now playing: Volcano - Beck
via FoxyTunes

Time for a few sundry items.

Bitten by Books reviewed Wicked Game yesterday. I post a link not only so you can read the review (Five Headstones!), because I don't blog about every review (seems a bit brag-alicious, and besides, if you're reading my blog regularly you've probably already decided whether or not to buy Wicked Game), but also to introduce you to this fabulous new site. Rachel Smith has put together a great design and a very active community, so if you like paranormal fiction, it's the new place to be!

Ciara has blogged again, this time about her fear of being interviewed by Dante from A Rush of Wings. It'll happen soon, whether she likes it or not. I mean, I give her free room and board--the least she can do is field a few interviews for me.

Misha was walking wobbly this morning, with his back legs giving out on him, so I rushed him to the vet, fearing a thrombosis (blood clot). Of course, once we got there, he steadily improved and now seems a lot better. (Probably regretting getting into the Jim Beam.) The vet said to keep an eye on him all weekend to make sure he doesn't get worse. He's a very athletic cat, so it's sad to see him sort of feeble.

Speaking of beasts, Baron went into a foster-to-adopt home, so we're not sure which foster dog we're getting and when. I'll be sure to update you and post pictures when I find out.

Still working on Monroe's story and planning to have it up on jerismithready.com on Monday. Will post when live! Have great weekends.

----------------
Now playing: Robert Johnson - Sweet Home Chicago
via FoxyTunes    

I finished Bad to the Bone! I "completed" a first draft at the end of February, but missed that feeling of elation because I never wrote the final scene. I just sort of...stopped.

But tonight, it's done! Tomorrow it'll go off to my editor and hopefully won't make her weep in despair. It's got at least one too many plot lines, but some space and feedback will help me figure out which ones stay and which ones go.

I'm taking Tuesday off, my first deliberate vacation day since December 2. Not that I'm complaining. Busy = employed. But too much of a good thing is....

OK, enough words! Say Happy Eighth Birthday to Meadow Sophia Ready, pictured here under one of our white pines (or, as Meadow thinks of them, The Tickle Trees):

I'm thrilled and dismayed to report that Wicked Game is selling out at many bookstores! Thrilled because, hey, selling out = selling. But dismayed because it means some people won't be able to find it.

Here's what you do. First of all, don't panic if you can't find it at your local bookstore. It might be shelved under science fiction/fantasy, or romance, or even horror (EDITED TO ADD: and general fiction). It might be in new releases. It might be under "S" for Smith-Ready, or "R" for Ready. One person found it under "J" for Jeri. (Seriously. I can't wait until I'm famous enough to be known by one name, but let's not jump the gun.)

Just walk up to the information desk and ask the nice person to look it up for you. If they tell you they currently have no copies, it's not a problem. It's an opportunity! An opportunity for you to be my own personal hero(ine).

See, bookstore employees are busy people, and as you might've noticed, there are A LOT of books out there. At least thirty or maybe even forty.

The computer doesn't send out a DANGER! DANGER! alert when a book sells out, because really, that ought to be saved for a true emergency, like a fire or a system crash or a faulty coffee maker. So lots of times a store won't restock a title even if, say, it sells out in the first week of release.

Here's where you come in. Ask them to order you a copy of Wicked Game (EDITED TO ADD: Don't worry--it won't cost you anything; they'll call you when it's ready and then you go pick it up, with much rejoicing). That gets their attention (especially if you drop the A-bomb* under your breath), and they might even order more than one. If you're not the first person to ask for it, that really gets their attention. They'll think it's a movement!

If you're like me and don't like to waste gas, call first and see if they have it. If they don't, consider ordering it. 

Or if you're really like me and too lazy to drag yourself out of the house, order it online.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by the Misha Ready Catnip Foundation, working to bring health and happiness to cats cat all around the house:


*A is for Amazon.com

As an amateur-turned-professional-turned-amateur environmentalist, I tend not to celebrate (or even notice) this Gaia-honoring holiday. To me, every day is Earth Day.

However, every day is not Misha's birthday. The only cat I've ever had whose birthday I knew for sure (we got him from a coworker whose harlot kitty came home knocked up one night), Misha turns Lucky 13 today.

To join me in celebrating the Day of the Guy, please enjoy this instructive video, "An Engineer's Guide to Cats." It even contains a potential solution to global warming at the end, thus fulfilling my holiday obligation.

( Click for video and a semi-sleazy picture of Misha. )