So much cooking the next month or so. Am still writing to deadline but time for SwanCon is creeping closer. Among the many fun things I get to do there, is to launch the new anthology from Ticonderoga Publications called Damnation and Dames. Liz Gryzb and Russell B. Farr have been friends of mine forever and a day and I’m excited to be in town and available to launch this for them. Later next week, I’m also having an interview with Ian Nichols for the West Australian.

After I get back there are all sorts of appearances coming up, including Bundaberg Writefest and the Golf Coast Literati event. But before I go, I get to cross swords with my mate Alex Adsett and others on a ASA panel on digital rights.

So much fun stuff, and timely. I feel like I need to get out of the house. Finishing up two books over the early part of the year has meant living a very routine life. So ready for time out!

And speaking of my books, today I got the new cover for the next Tara Sharp novel. This is a departure from the previous look and I like it a lot. in this episode, Tara travels to Brisbane to help out a music promoter with his troublesome client. Sharp madness ensues!

The book will be released in September. For a big, close look at it, check out the Tara Sharp tumblr page.

See what y’all think!

Executioner (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse #3) by Laurell K. Hamilton, Ron Lim, Jess Ruffner-Booth

Current queen of the book charts and soon to be the star of her own television film, best-selling author Laurell K. Hamilton’s vampire hunter continues to take comics by storm As The Laughing Corpse enters its haunting final act, Anita Blake thinks she has the deadly voodoo priestess who’s made her life hell dead to rights… but the necromancer is about to find out her nightmare’s only just begun Find out why everyone in America is talking about Anita Collects Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse – Executioner

#1-5 Hardcover, Graphic Novel, 112 pages Published June 9th 2010 by Marvel Comics (first published 2010)

ISBN  0785136347 (ISBN13: 9780785136347)

As Anita’s problems begin to worsen, one dead body after another showing up. All the clues start pointing to the Vaudun priestess. She is accused of a murder with possible proof, but then the proof disappears. She is a very magical being and recently Anita’s been causing her some grief.  She decides it’s finally time that Anita pays for causing her life so many problems…

Anita eventually gets trapped in the middle of the biggest mess of her life and taken hostage. There is a blob of zombie parts that have been molded together guarding her in the basement. She has to get past the guards who have weapons and take on a battle with this grotesque rotting corpse to get herself as well as the other hostages free.

In the end, we get to see Anita be the most powerful and truest form of Animator. She has to fight back with what she knows best; all out Zombie Apocalypse.

These are some of the best renditions of novels into graphic form I have come across. I love that that there is just as much dialogue to go along with the illustrations and full colored glossy pages.

I’m on deadline with Blaze Dark and finishing edits for Tara Sharp 3, so my time is very regimented at the moment. And as happens when you have not a second to spare, lovely invites come along that you can’t refuse.

So I’m opening/christening the new Reading Room at our school library in a couple of weeks. This will give me great pleasure, as I was definitely one of those kids who found peace in the library in my own school. Not from other kids, but from my own mind.

As well as that, I’m speaking on a panel on Digital Rights soon:

Australian Society of Authors are hosting a panel discussion on digital rights at the State Library of Queensland on Friday 30th March, 6-9pm.

Hope to see some Brisbanites there.

Meanwhile, it’s almost SwanCon time and I’m so looking forward to going to Perth to see everyone! Am planning to ask Kendra to do my make-up for the Masquerade Ball.