Helping to decide the Fate of the Jedi….

So as many of you know, I’m involved with a project called Book View Cafe. It’s a website that hosts many different authors and offers lovely tidbits of free reading (sometimes whole books!) along with the opportunity to buy access to a book or story all at once. They asked me to blog about my Star Wars experience….so here’s the link. Today, OMEN comes out. I don’t think my life will ever be quite the same.

www.bookviewcafe.com

I <3 New York Part 1

So, I gotta say, I had a spectacular time. Even though my time was short, I made the most of it! So here’s a quickie summary of my trip to the Big Apple and the Long Island.

I arrived on Friday in the late afternoon, enjoying my trip to the hotel which granted me spectacular views of the city. I got a kick out of being driven along 5th Avenue and Park Avenue–I mean, this is classic stuff. I arrived at my hotel with time to freshen up and meet my agent for dinner. My hotel was located right across from Central Park and next to 5th Avenue, and a quick walk brought me to dinner at Mon Petite Cafe.

www.monpetitecafe.com

My agent was shocked to see me–I’ve lost a lot of weight since she last saw me and she couldn’t believe it. “You look great! I swear you are growing younger!”

…Did I mention I love my agent?

Got to catch up with her and we had a lovely dinner (I had the special paella and she had the Coq au Vin, we washed it down with a lovely savignon blanc), discussed some trends in the biz, and in general had a blast. Walked back to my hotel room and spent the evening figuring out how I would spend my one big day in the big Apple.

I r gud planner. Here is what I did!

Started my day at F.A.O. Schwarz, where I saw a Lego Chewbacca and a giant dragon stuffed toy which I covet desperately. Got myself some of the freshest gummy bears I have ever had and munched on them as I walked south down Fifth Avenue to the Trump Tower, which I poked my head into, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which I stopped in to visit. It is a beautiful place, serene feeling even with the milling of (too loud) tourists.

I went on, hung a right, and stopped in at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop, where I picked up a business card holder with a Leonardo da Vinci notebook design. How cool is that? And I’d been looking for a card holder forever.

On to Rockefeller Plaza and Radio City Music Hall. By now I had been walking for some time, and I thought a trip on the subway would be cool. Consulting my map, I was suddenly seized with a desire to go to Ground Zero. Everyone remembers where they were on September 11, 2001; I was actually visiting family in Washington DC who live very close to the Pentagon. So I decided I would go do that.

On my way I passed several stores down in the subway area and one offered…threading.

Threading is an ancient technique for hair removal that originated in Persia. It consists of twisting threads around the hair, sometimes as much as an entire line of hair at once.

I, being me, thought this was Way Cool. I am an Experience Junkie, and the chance to try something that was so ancient couldn’t be missed.

And for eight bucks–EIGHT BUCKS, almost as much as I paid for coffee and a muffin–my brows look great. It was fairly painless and took like three minutes. A definite positive.

Next…Ground Zero, the Russian Tea Room, and my signing and reading at Book Revue!

Signing June 13 at Book Revue in New York!

I am heading to the city that never sleeps this weekend! I’ll be doing a reading and a signing at Book Revue in Huntington, NY at 7:00 on Saturday, June 13. This is my first trip to Long Island and my first signing in New York although I have been there before. I’m delighted to be returning to do a signing at such a cool-sounding bookstore! The staff seems excited to have me and I’m very much looking forward to it.

Here’s the website, and here’s a short interview a local newspaper “Newsday” did with me. Enjoy, and if you’re in NYC, please stop by and say hello!

http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/huntington/blog/2009/06/_photos_of_golden_and.html

www.bookrevue.com

Lost in Translation

As many of you know, I recently had a local signing. My editor jumped in the internet to see where it was being announced. Apparently for a signing in a fairly small city, it got a lot of coverage. The good folks over at WoW Insider posted this very nice announcement:

“Here’s a heads up to all our readers in the general area of Loveland, Colorado. Christie Golden will appear at 2 PM Today at your local Barnes and Noble to sign copies of her New York Times best selling book, Arthas. If you’re in the area and don’t need to be glued to your computer waiting for BlizzCon tickets — or are lucky enough to get one of the first tickets — this is a pretty decent use of a Saturday afternoon, I’d say.

And whether you’re in Colorado or California or anywhere else, if you haven’t checked Arthas out yet, it’s definitely worth a shot. If you have anything more than a passing interest in WoW Lore, you owe it to yourself to buy or borrow this book. Not only is it the best piece of non-game Warcraft fiction according to multiple members of the WoW Insider team, but it contains tidbits of lore and happenings that are almost sure to figure prominently in future patches and expansions. You can read our review of the book for more of my gushing on the book.

But anyway, if you’re in the Loveland area and happen to drop by Barnes and Noble, let us know if anything cool goes down, and happy reading.”

Thanks guys!

But the icing on the cake was seeing the above picked up and reprinted…after it had been translated into another language…and from that back into English. For your amusement, I offer the following. And I also offer the disclaimer that this is probably a better translation than any I could have made from English to another language.

“Here’s a heads up to every our readers in the generalized Atlantic of Loveland, Colorado. author Golden module materialize at 2 PM Today at your topical Barnes and Noble to clew copies of her New royalty Times prizewinning commerce book, Arthas. If you’re in the Atlantic and don’t requirement to be affixed to your computer inactivity for BlizzCon tickets — or are serendipitous sufficiency to intend digit of the prototypal tickets — this is a pretty decorous ingest of a Sat afternoon, I’d say.

And whether you’re in river or Calif. or anywhere else, if you haven’t patterned Arthas discover yet, it’s definitely worth a shot. If you hit anything more than a expiration welfare in WoW Lore, you owe it to yourself to acquire or take this book. Not exclusive is it the prizewinning example of non-game Warcraft falsity according to binary members of the WoW Insider team, but it contains tidbits of content and happenings that are nearly trusty to amount prominently in future patches and expansions. You crapper read our analyse of the book for more of my running on the book.

But anyway, if you’re in the Loveland Atlantic and hap to modify by Barnes and Noble, permit us undergo if anything modify goes down, and bright reading.”

…Bright Reading indeed, everyone.

Signing Saturday, May 16

Well, I’m going to do my very first signing as a New York Times Bestselling Author, and I certainly hope I move some books. As I have lamented before, often signings consist of sitting quietly under a sign that says “Meet the Author” and being asked where the bathroom is, or the cookbooks are. I did contact the Barnes & Noble and inform them of the happy news, perhaps though not in time to do anything with their publicity. Ah well, we shall see what happens.

So if you happen to be at the Centerra shops in Loveland, CO, on Saturday, May 16 at 2:00, please stop in at the Barnes & Noble and say hello! It’s 5835 Sky Pond Drive, and the phone number is 970-663-9473. Tell them I sent you.

ARTHAS #16 on May 10 NYT Bestseller list!

I am delighted to report the above news! I found out last week, but I have been so busy with various and sundry things including some out of town travel that I simply did not have the time or the chance to gather my thoughts sufficiently to post a proper blog.

As you all know my relationship with Blizzard has been an excellent one. ARTHAS was their first hardcover novel (and only my second), and their first book to hit the NYT list. I am delighted almost as much for them as for me. Almost!

And more good news…looks like it will be #23 on the May 17 list as well!

Thank you Mr. Lich King sir!

Happy Launch Day Arthas!

Today is the big day! Arthas formally hits bookstores and you can get your very own copy! It was a lot of fun to “debut” the book a couple of days ahead of time at Starfest this weekend. People were very excited to have the chance to pick up a book so new and shiny that it hadn’t even hit stores yet. I sold over thirty-five copies, and some people were already well into the book by the time they left the convention!

As you all know from reading the blog, there is a limited edition print run of 10,000 copies in the gorgeous leather box featuring my signature on the book. I’ve already done five thousand, and Pocket says they want five hundred more! We may run out that full ten thousand, who knows? I’ll be signing more on Tuesday and my hand is feeling fine.

I am theater trained and I miss acting, so I always love to do readings from my books. I like to think I’m pretty good, but I have to say…Chris Metzen is better! Here’s a link to him reading from the prologue of ARTHAS and also some very cool wallpaper of that incredible cover.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml

And fun fact? A huuuuge snowstorm rolled into Colorado on Friday, the first night of Starfest. dropping up to 18 inches of snow. Hm…..big old snowstorm the same day Arthas becomes available for purchase in Denver? Coincidence? YOU TELL ME. He’s a pretty powerful dude, that Lich King….

StarFest, April 17-19 in Denver

So for those of you who know me, you know I always attend Starfest. I bring lots and lots of books, many of them out of print, and I love to see so many familiar faces.

Familiar faces whose names I ALWAYS FORGET because I am really, really bad about that. So if you do show up and I have that deer in the headlights look, be gentle and remind me of your name. Because I DO know it…I just can’t call it up. ><

The really fun thing about this weekend is, we’re debuting ARTHAS. That’s right, before it even officially hits bookstores, I will be bringing 50 copies to StarFest! I’m really excited about this and hope to report on Monday that I didn’t bring a single copy home!

Please go to www.starland.com for more information if you’re going to be in Denver this weekend. If you come, tell me you read my blog!

Hope to see you there!

Online Q&A Thursday, 4/9

I know, I should have posted about this sooner, but I’ve been busy!

I’m doing an online Q&A tomorrow night at 9 EST, which should be a pretty good time for all time zones. It’s going to be hosted by Medievaldragon, who has done several interviews with me for Blizzplanet.com. To participate, go to Coveritlive.com and sign up.

I should warn you, I am a technophobe, so this will be interesting. See you there!

Update on Aaron Allston, fellow Star Wars author

So in the midst of all my happy news about Star Wars, I have just gotten some distressing news about Aaron Allston. As many of you know, Aaron, Troy Denning and I are working closely together on FATE OF THE JEDI, a nine-book Star Wars series. Aaron’s book OUTCAST was just published on March 24 to good reviews and a #3 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. Aaron himself was out touring to promote the book.

On April 3, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in Texas. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery and currently is in intensive care but stable condition.

Aaron’s family has set up a blood donation sponsorship. If anyone in the Dallas area would like to donate blood, you can go to the National Blood Exchange http://www.aabb.org/Content/Programs_and_Services/National_Blood_Exchange/ or Carter BloodCare http://www.carterbloodcare.org/. Say that you are donating blood for Aaron Allston, patient of Carter Blood Care in Bedford, TX, and give his sponsor number: SPON 047786.

Please send any well-wishes to:

Aaron Allston
c/o Del Rey Books
1745 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

But please DO NOT send any perishable items or flowers, as Aaron will not be able to receive anything this week.

I had a wonderful time meeting Aaron a year ago when we all first brainstormed this series together. He is a warm and humorous man and made me feel very welcomed right away. His writing is playful, fun, exciting, and moving. He has my hopes and prayers and I’m sure all of yours as well. If you’re in the Dallas area and would like to donate blood, please know that you are doing something positive to help someone who truly deserves it. Please spread the word!