Do Shape-Shifters Trick or Treat?

Yes they do. And you can read all about it in my story on Good Choice Reading today.

If you've read Otherkin, you'll recognize the characters. In my own little timeline of events, this story takes place just before Dez arrives at Morfael's school.

There's also a giveaway you can enter to win my book! And a bigger contest to win a free Kindle and $25 gift card. Go here to see all the fabulous authors posting for Halloween and to enter the big contest.

Now that's a treat!

Death is a Cat

This is a story about death, and cats, and how things go.

Miss Kitty died last week. She was the feral cat whose kittens I rescued, then had spayed, then fed and greeted daily for over 13 years. The story of her death is sad and a little gross and ends up okay at the end. Well, as okay as these sorts of stories go. So don't say you haven't been warned.


I didn't name her Miss Kitty. About five neighbors ago, the very nice man next door  helped me buy a humane cat trap and we trapped and neutered a bunch of stray cats in the area. He's the one who called the skinny black girl cat with a little white on her chest, "Miss Kitty." The name stuck.

Halloween Booktacular!

I've been so busy proofing pages of Othermoon, writing guest blog posts, and, well, working for a living, that I haven't blogged much lately.  But you should know one of the things I did was write up a scene using characters from my books for Halloween!

Yes, the otherkin go trick or treating.

This is all thanks to the Halloween Character Booktacular, created by A Book Lovers Review and Good Choice Reading, with featured blogs:  Books With Bite, The Book Reaper, and Once Upon a Twilight.

You can win any number of fabulous books in the giveaways, or even a Kindle and a $25 gift card! Swag-a-riffic!

Today, for example, writer Cylin Bus has a scene up involving her characters in a Halloween setting on The Book Reaper here. Every day a cool spooky scene shows up on one of these blogs, featuring your favorite paranormal book characters doing something Halloweeny. Tomorrow,  my fellow Apocalypsie, Gretchen McNeil has a cool scene going up on Books With Bite.

My own post will go up Oct. 23 on A Book Lover's Review. I'll alert you again on that day. Until then, enjoy all the other fabulous Halloween fun.

Also, don't forget that October is the month of All Hallow's Read, a movement started by Neil Gaiman in which you give a friend (or a stranger) a scary book to read for Halloween. Neil explains it all, below:



I'll be giving a recommendation for a book to give for All Hallows Read when it comes out officially - next Tuesday!

In Which I Answer Questions and Sign Books at the Big Orange Book Fest

What a crazy week this has been! First up, a post in which I discuss being on a panel at the Big Orange Book Fest.

How lucky am I? To get invited to be on a panel, and to go to a place where there are many books. And there was even more to discover, I found.

1. On Saturday I was a member of a panel of Debut Authors/California Voices at the Big Orange Book Fest in lovely Orange, California. I hadn't been to Orange before. It's incredibly charming, with a cute main drag featuring shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, and of course the Orange County Fruit Exchange.

Enter my Giveaway on Goodreads!

Attention, users of the fabulous Goodreads site! I'm hosting a giveaway of three copies of my book, available in all countries the US Post Office cal reach!

Free books! Everyone loves free books. You have till next Thursday, Sept. 20, to enter.
 
Clicken-zee on the button below to enter! Or if that link doesn't work, go here.

Thanks, and good luck!

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Otherkin
     

     

          by Nina Berry
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends September 20, 2012.
         

         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         

     

   

   

      Enter to win

School's In with the Otherkin!

Dear Readers of Otherkin,

Want to know what November's first day at Morfael's school was like? Well, I wrote about it for Literary Escapism's School's In feature, and the post is up today.

And when I say "I" wrote it, it's actually a letter from November (the school's resident, smart ass rat-shifter) which Morfael forced her to write as a homework assignment. She wasn't thrilled about it, but by now I think she's glad she wrote it.

You can also enter a giveaway to get a free copy of the book!

Be sure to check out Literary Escapism's many wonderful School's In posts throughout the schooly month of September. Which is the name of November's ninth's brother, by the way. No, her sixth brother isn't named June. Her mother's not THAT crazy.

Love,
Nina

In Which I am Interviewed About E-Book Success

As Otherkin heads into its third week in the top ten of the Children's List at the Sony Reader Store (can you believe it? AAAAHHH!), it's the perfect time to post this interview with me by Karleen Tauszik at KidsEBookBestsellers.com.

I'm no expert in e-publishing, but like everyone I have thoughts on it - and I'm continuing to learn more! So thanks to Karleen for asking me to babble about the subject on her blog.

Also big thanks to all the folks at the Reader Store for putting me on the list! You guys rock!

Two Lost Cats. Two Happy Endings

For once, I'm so glad I had to go to the laundromat. My apartment building's plumbing has been on the fritz for months, so they had to remove the washer/dryer ages ago. So I've been going to the laundromat every two weeks for months now.

And I hate it.

This is the couch in the laundromat. I don't hate going because of the couch. I'd hate going even if it was luxurious inside, but the photo conveys my feelings.

But today I'm glad I had to go do my laundry, because I witnessed the happy end of what I thought was a sad tail, er tale.

Giveaway on Facebook and Twitter!

It's past time I did a quick giveaway, and a recent influx of followers on Twitter and "likes" on my Facebook page is a great excuse! It's my way of saying thanks!

This is an international contest. If the US Mail can reach you, you can enter.

What will you win?

1 personally autographed copy of my book, Otherkin (if you already have it - good for you and thanks! If you win it in this contest, you can give it to a friend or to a library, plus this one will be signed personally to you or whatever name you tell me to put in it.)

Five Otherkin bookmarks

One cover proof of the Otherkin cover. Something usually only publishing insiders get! (No, it's not very useful, but I have, like, dozens of them and now so should you!)

One set of tiger ears. (Not actual ears of course. Fun ears. Wear them at Halloween or give to your favorite child.)

Three temporary tiger tattoos. (More fun. Put them on with water, they last for days, or just remove them with rubbing alcohol or baby oil. Hand out a couple to your fellow tigers.)

 (Yes, that's my green couch.)

Here's the deal

To enter the Facebook contest:

1. "Like" my page on Facebook (if you haven't already) and comment on the giveaway post there, telling me what kind of shifter you'd be if you could, and why.

So write along the lines of "If I could shift into any animal, I'd be a tiger because they fear nothing and no one."

The contest starts August 28 at 11am PST and ends in two days, August 30 at 11am PST.

2. The winner will be chosen randomly from among everyone who made a comment during that time using a random number generator.

3. I'll message the winner, get your info, and send you the goodies.

To enter the Twitter contest:

1. Tweet  something like: "In @Ninaberry's Otherkin, I'd shift into a (some kind of animal) because..."  Include the hastag #otherkinbook.

So if I entered, I'd tweet: "In @Ninaberry's Otherkin I'd shift into a tiger because they fear nothing and no one. #otherkinbook" That's way less than 140 characters so hopefully no one will have a problem.

2. You've got between the hours of 11am Pacific time August 28 and 11am Pacific time August 30. So just two days.

You don't need to do it more than once, and doing it more won't increase your chances to win.  You don't have to follow me on Twitter to win. You just have to tweet something like what you see in #1, above.


3. After 11am on August 30, I'll go through the list of the Twitter handles of all those who tweeted something along those lines and use a random number generator to pick one, you guessed it, randomly. I'll tweet and DM the winner and get your info so I can mail you the swag.


4. Be sure your tweet has my twitter handle @Ninaberry in it and/or the hashtag #otherkinbook, or I won't be able to find your tweet and enter you in the giveaway!


Yes, you can enter both contests to double your chances. But you can't win both. I'll pick the Facebook winner first, and if that's you, I'll disqualify you from the Twitter contest so that I can spread the swag as far and wide as possible.


Yay for swag!

Good luck!

Stomp vs Romp! Vote Stomp!

I wrote a prequel action scene involving a major supporting character from Otherkin (hint, she likes to pick locks...) for my Team Stomp post on Rabid Reads Stomp vs. Romp August extravaganza, appearing on the site today.

Want to get inside the head of one of Otherkin's supporting characters just before the book begins? Want to read a fun action scene? Want to see a cool map/info graphic from the POV of the Tribunal assessing the "Otherkin Threat" made by the amazing Elisa Nader?

Then get thee over to my post at Rabid Reads now, and vote for Team Stomp!

Teen Night at the LA Public Library!

I'll be one of four YA authors on the Teen Reader Panel at the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library this Thursday, August 23 at 6:30.

It almost feels like I'm really an author....

I mean, look at the cool company I'm keeping! Along with fabulous moderator Cecil Castelluci, check out my fellow panel members:

Each of us will read from our books for a short bit, then Cecil will ask and moderate questions.

If you or your teen are in the area, stop by! Should be tons of fun.

In Which I am Interviewed and Talk of My Time at Playboy

This interview with me is appearing in a number of newspapers and online sites today, thanks to interviewer David Kentner and GateHouse News Service.

It's weird to see my own words about my own crazy life in print. It's like I'm me and someone else at the same time. But I talk about my work at Playboy (those were some interesting years!) and how I'm not the model on the cover of my book and how my writing got better once I stopped using it to run away.

Oooh, here it is in another paper! Woo hoo!

OTHERKIN Kindle edition only $3.99!

I just happened to check out the Kindle edition of my book today and saw that it's been discounted to only $3.99! (Usually it's a bit over $7, I think.)

So Kindle owners, if you haven't checked it out yet, now's the time. I have no idea how long this special price will last.

Visit the World of Otherkin!

Today on All Things Urban Fantasy's Deadly Destinations, Otherkin is featured, along with a fabulous info graphic created by designer extraordinaire Elisa Nader.

The graphic is a bit hidden at the very top of my post (at least it is on my browser), so be sure to click on it to embiggen! It's amazing how seeing a map and info on it makes a world feel so much more real.

For those who have read the book, the map and accompanying letter will give you insight into events that lead up to the beginning of Otherkin, as well as hints of dangerous things to come...

For those who have not read it, the post gives you insight into the world that book readers do not have. If/when you do read it, you'll enter the book armed with a bit more information that other readers.

A Visit from Shortie the Raccoon

Those who have followed this blog for awhile will know that I have a lot of wildlife come visit my back door. One memorable night a mother raccoon brought five of her babies by to snack on the kibble I put out there for Miss Kitty. (Miss Kitty is a story in herself, but suffice to say she's a feral cat I had fixed after I adopted out her kittens and kept one for myself.)

Well, I think one of the babies stuck around, grew up, and is now a mom herself. I named her Shortie because in the dark her tail looked kind of short. Today she came at dusk for a snack, and a showdown commenced with Miss Kitty while Lucy (my cat and Miss Kitty's daughter) looked on from behind the screen door.

Miss Kitty meows as Shortie moves defensively behind the steps. Lucy's ears lurk in the foreground as she watches it all like a movie.

Shortie circles around and comes back from a different angle as Lucy continues to observe. Miss Kitty is off camera to the left.

Shortie stands up to get a better look at me and Lucy. You might not be able to see it, but at this point I saw that she must be nursing, which means she has little ones somewhere. She needs to eat to feed them!

As Shortie noses the kibble, Miss Kitty moves in behind the raccoon and pokes at her tail with a paw.

Shortie backs away. An uneasy moment or two passes as the trio eyes each other.

All is resolved when (no photo of this) I pour a cup of kibble in a line down the back porch area, so that Shortie and Miss Kitty can both eat at the same time, far enough apart for everyone to be happy.

An Owlish Break from Book Matters

Are owls the cutest birds ever?

Interviews, Reviews, and More!

Yesterday was amazing. Because of my book launch, I got so much love on Twitter and Facebook I almost felt beat up by it. But in a good way. (Does that make any sense? Do feelings have to make any sense?). A few dear friends took me out for flaming margaritas at El Compadre to celebrate.

I'm so lucky!

When I checked Amazon a little while ago, Otherkin was #73 in Love and Romance! Woo hoo! Thank you all!

In case you're not sick of me yet, below are some links to interviews, reviews, and an article I wrote, all sent to me by the kind folks who put them on their sites.

RT Book Reviews has a review, an excerpt from Otherkin, and a short piece I wrote about otherkin in the "real" world.

I did an interview with La'Tia at The BoOki3 blog. She asked a lot of great questions!

Over in Australia, Ellen at Reading is My Drug also did a terrific interview with me, then wrote a review.

Sana at Arty Musings gave me a very nice review.

Kala at Toonari Post gave me delusions of grandeur with her review.

August is going to be full of more posts by me for some very cool blogs. August 9, I'll be featured in All Things UF's Deadly Destinations event. Be sure to check out the other authors' contributions, a new one each day, to learn more about the worlds they created.

Happy Birthday, Otherkin!

There have been early sightings in bookstores, but today is the day my first book, OTHERKIN, comes out.

July 31, 2012.

I'm a bit dazed, overwhelmed, and giddy.  My book is out! Sing hey!

Thank you, KTeen. Thank you, everyone.

The Crazy and Amazing Otherkin Book Launch and Signing

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I had my first book launch and signing at Vroman's Bookstore with fellow authors Brigid Kemmerer and Marni Bates.

It went well. To put it mildly.

(That's Brigid on the left, then Marni, then me - holding our books at the signing!)

It went so well that the day after I was completely drained and overwhelmed with all the love and support I felt yesterday. And I was a little scared. More on that later.

About 50 people showed up, and the store sold out of my book, as well as selling a lot of Marni and Brigid's books. A good number of people there were my amazing friends (this is my home town and Brigid and Marni both live elsewhere and kindly came to the signing while they were at the RWA convention in nearby Anaheim), so that's why more of my book sold. But Brigid and Marni had fans there too.

Book Signing Next Saturday!

The cupcakes have been ordered! Sparkling wine and sparkling cider has been purchased!

Cool giveaways of - Books! Gift Cards! A Nikon Coolpix S6100 Digital Camera!

Why wouldn't you come to my book launch/signing with Brigid Kemmerer and Marni Bates next Saturday at 3pm at Vroman's in Pasadena?