Blogflog - Live reading of the next Anita Blake novel

[blogfloggery.livejournal.com]

Link: Live reading of the next Anita Blake novel
Disclaimer: This blog entry is verbatim, as originally posted on LKH's blog. Copyright belongs to Ma Petite Enterprises.

Here I am reading the very beginning of the next Anita Blake novel, Jason. It’s due to hit the shelves December 2, 2014. It will be the first original paperback since, Micah. Jason will also have the first chapters of the next original hardback Anita Blake novel. I have done my best for those of you who keep telling me you can’t stand to wait for more adventures from Anita and the gang.

After the reading, I took questions from the audience at DragonCon, where this was filmed, but I also did something new. I answered the top five questions from my FaceBook page. Thanks to everyone who participated. It went so well, that Media Minion Jess may solicit questions again in the future. I’m hoping with her on board we can do more fun things on line where you can participate more.

Speaking of your participation, I make an announcement in the videos. We’ll be making a more formal announcement soon. Let us know if you guys enjoy the videos. The more positive feedback we get, the more likely I am to do more videos for my YouTube channel.

MOD NOTE: Here's links to LKH's DragonCon panel

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

Comments

[apep727.livejournal.com]

God damn it, LKH - learn how to properly use a comma. Please. This is not hard.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

WELL. I watched the entire panel. And they run out of questions to ask after the first few, it's pretty embarrassing. Though at the end there's a quick pan around to show that most of the seats are taken, so they had a reasonable turn out but not to the point of standing room only.

If the Jason excerpt remains unedited (most likely) - it's going to hit wank bingo from the first chapter alone. I mean there's one sentence where LKH has Anita describing Envy so there's ICKY TALL LEGGY BLONDE vs Anita's short, dark haired chip on her shoulder. IN ONE SENTENCE.

[lliira (from livejournal.com)]

I am really curious, but I can't stand watching her.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

The good news is that she's not pacing everywhere around the stage and she sits still behind the mic.

But the gist of the opening chapter of Jason is that she's at home (actual home!) the morning after the night before with Jason, Anita's kinda awkward about the whole fuckbuddy/friends with benefit thing and feels weird about flashing boob at him, and then suddenly Envy strolls through the kitchen. Cue an infodump about who she is -- apparently she's now both Richard and JC's girlfriend now, so cue polyamoury!!! burble -- and how she's a tall leggy blonde that Anita really wished she was, to fit in with her tall Nordic family but she's short and curvy and brunette. But apparently Envy stayed the night because dropping her off at Anita's was easier than going to the Circus or something. And there's a discussion about rough sex, where Envy's asking Anita how to tell Richard that it's too much and it's along the lines of "tell him no and stop!" Because I guess nobody's heard of safe words...?

LKH also answers some questions on weaponry, says she can't imagine doing an Edward book without Anita because he just doesn't "talk" to her, someone brings up the JC/Asher/Julianna prequel and LKH says she's still working on that and one of the surprises for her is that Jean-Claude is not his real name, so he most likely dueled for the right to use it. There's a mention of Olaf and how she's surprised he's still alive but nothing clear on what may happen next. She talked a bit more about her male protagonist series idea; the character is supposed to be tall and athletic and she reaalllllyyy wants him to be monogamous so she doesen't have to deal with such a massive cast. And she says that both MG and ABVH have such huge casts due to the lack of monogamy in them. Y'know, because otherwise Merry and Anita might have to make friends and like people because of their personality or something weird like that.

Though the most embarrassing thing is that the first question in the Q&A part is "When's the Merry Gentry book out?" "...it was out in June."

[guardians-song.livejournal.com]

Cue an infodump about who she is -- apparently she's now both Richard and JC's girlfriend now, so cue polyamoury!!! burble
What tells me that LKH is eventually going to snap and have Envy turn out to be a pathetic girly blonde who could NEVER love Richard and JC as much as she does.

She talked a bit more about her male protagonist series idea; the character is supposed to be tall and athletic and she reaalllllyyy wants him to be monogamous so she doesen't have to deal with such a massive cast.
What tells me it's ACTUALLY so that his sole girlfriend can be a short busty brunette?

I'm sorry, that's cynical of me. (Too much so, or not cynical enough?)

Y'know, because otherwise Merry and Anita might have to make friends and like people because of their personality or something weird like that.
I would take this as sarcasm except for Shutdown. I THINK THIS IS ACTUALLY TRUE IN ANITAVERSE.

Though the most embarrassing thing is that the first question in the Q&A part is "When's the Merry Gentry book out?" "...it was out in June."
OUCH.

[apep727.livejournal.com]

What tells me that LKH is eventually going to snap and have Envy turn out to be a pathetic girly blonde who could NEVER love Richard and JC as much as she does.

Of course she is. Anita has the magic vajayjay and has perfect sex with every partner she has, and no other woman can possibly compare to that. Never mind all the non-sex parts of romantic relationships - those don't really matter.

I'm sorry, that's cynical of me. (Too much so, or not cynical enough?)

If it were almost any other author...

"When's the Merry Gentry book out?" "...it was out in June."

Really says something about her remaining fanbase, doesn't it?

[dwg.livejournal.com]

It's totally true in the Anitaverse. I vaguely remember LKH actually saying outright that she prefers male company to women, but I can't remember if that actually made it into the books. There may have been a variation on it when she was describing Edward as Anita's BESTEST FRIEND.

Yeah. Edward's the beffie now.

Ronnie who?

The Merryverse is just...weird. Like, she's got at least one friend! Detective Lucy Tate! SHE'S GOT A LADY FRIEND! Except Lucy then spends a chapter being creepily invested in making sure that Merry's dudes live because she can't handle the idea of Merry having the SADS. And she's even like "me and the police will DIE because it's our duty to do so and you assholes had better live so Merry can be a big happy family!" Merry dismisses it as Lucy "taking it personally" that Merry was raped, though it's nice to see someone upset about that because A Shiver of Light largely treats the rape like an inconvenience.

[lliira (from livejournal.com)]

Envy's asking Anita how to tell Richard that it's too much and it's along the lines of "tell him no and stop!" Because I guess nobody's heard of safe words...?

GAAAAAAH.

1) Richard isn't caring at all for his sex partner, of course he isn't, but I bet LKH is going to blame this completely on Envy.
2) LKH pretends this is BDSM. It's not. It's abuse, pure and simple.
3) Anita is the center of everyone's sex life even when they're not fucking her!
4) Rape rape rapity rape rape rape, rape all the time, rape everywhere, everybody must get raped! Or be a rapist.
5) And this is the Richard who's been properly therapized. When he supposedly had "issues", he didn't do this. Now that he's been brainwashed and is therefore no longer an antagonist to Anita, he's a sexual abuser. Because that means he's a manly man.

HAAAAATE.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

IT GETS WORSE. It's treated as a punchline where if "no and stop" don't work, go with "I'll kill you!" and then Jason is like "no you mean 'I'll fucking kill you!'" and then everyone in the audience laughs because it's so very funny.

My headcanon is that the real Richard met a nice witch that he wanted to be part of the pack, sort of like Marianne for the Tennessee pack. They both like camping and ugly Christmas sweaters! She's interested in where science and magic intersect! They build a relationship on more than just "you're hot, I'm hot, let's be hot together." She finds a way to break the bonds of the triumvirate so Richard can finally leave JC and Anita. Richard gets engaged again and this time they have like a year and a half to plan a lovely outdoors wedding (to which the entire pack is invited, but not Anita).

What we're dealing with here is a homunculus that's probably made out of mud and hair and Anita can't tell the difference.

[lliira (from livejournal.com)]

It's treated as a punchline

............

LKH is getting worse.

What we're dealing with here is a homunculus that's probably made out of mud and hair and Anita can't tell the difference.

YES. That is my headcanon too. I shall believe that Ellen is the witch and she made the homunculus to rescue Richard and then had that dinner with Anita to throw her off the scent. And Ellen and Richard have more plans to take down JC and Anita, too.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Maybe Ellen and Richard are also working with Zane and Cherry and the rest of the old pard, plus Joseph and his wife, to help rescue other therians from the evil network that's going on in St Louis. And in doing so, are a more positive force than Micah's "Furry Coalition" that just serves to elevate him in the power hierarchy rather than doing any actual good.

[duamuteffe.livejournal.com]

"...and one of the surprises for her is that Jean-Claude is not his real name, so he most likely dueled for the right to use it."

Out of all the names in the world, he chose to put his life on the line for the right to be called "Jean-Claude?" o_O

[dwg.livejournal.com]

She brought up the whole "only one vampire can have Name in a territory and sometimes they duel for the right to use it" thing, so I'm guessing he fought to use Jean-Claude.

NGL this is still the goofiest thing I've ever heard. Though I really want a vampire named Bob that's like the Ultimate Badass.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

OH! I almost forgot - LKH mentions that the Jason book was almost named "Jade" because she's got a big part in the book. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm certainly looking forward to the infodump of her backstory and possibly more Asian stereotype.

At least the book comes out in time for my annual Christmas bout of self-loathing.

[duamuteffe.livejournal.com]

Oh lord.