Ghoulia

I'm an animal lover, that's for sure. I guess I'm technically a dog guy more than anything but I really do love all animals. When you don't have one, they always seem like such a huge thing to take on but when you get one, you realize that they really do fill a part of you that was previously missing.

Such is the case with a certain tortoise shell cat we just got about a month or so ago that we named, "Ghoulia". We named her after the comic book loving, nearly mute and smartest goul in school, zombie character "Ghoulia Yelps" from Monster High. (See pic below) Liz found her on Craigslist (I got it on Craigslist!) and swore that tortoise shell cats while often ignored by a lot of cat people are often some of the best behaved cats in the kingdom.

This particular feline was rescued from a real life hoarder's house and that's all we really know about her other than she's six months to a year old. Liz went, checked her out and picked her up after the kitten seemed most overjoyed to be in her arms.

It didn't take long for Miss Ghoulia to assimilate. (Although she is often fearful of the kids) I have to say, that she's a wonderful little cat full of love, playfulness and tolerance. (She's never hissed at all or scratched in anger.)

It's so nice having a happy little creature back in our lives and it's so cool to have a loving writing buddy that curls up in your lap when you're finishing a book. She's actually under the table as I write this licking my sock right now.

So with all smiles, I wanted to fill you in on a little slice of joy that Liz and I have named Ghoulia.

Ghoulia hanging with me as I wrote the end of Thomas Riley 2

I'm Married!!

Yesterday, May 27th 2012 I woke up to a vase of freshly picked flowers and a note from Liz. I was groggy and hardly awake as it was 6AM. I opened the note and it said, "If you would like, I would like to marry you today at 1PM." There were check boxes for Yes Maybe and No. I checked yes and handed it back to her.

Originally, we were going to have a semi grandiose wedding in Nashville where everything went down at one place. Then we thought we'd get married here in Washington at a resort then have a party in Nashville. With life being as crazy as it is, we went and had an elopement ceremony with a Liz's mom and step dad as witnesses. I'll tell you what... it was such an amazing day!

Just so you know, we are still planning on having our reception in Nashville in several months at The Flying Saucer Beer Emporium and we'll still have a ceremony there where everyone can be involved and have a great time.

So yesterday was totally our style. We went to Goodwill where Liz got a dress for $8.00. Then we picked up some campaign, $8.95 at Riteaid. We came home, got dressed and thought, "Oh man! We don't have rings!" So on the way to the officiant's house, we stopped at the dollar store and picked up some plastic rings from the front vending machine. Well, mine is plastic, Liz's is aluminum. That ran us fifty cents each!

Off to the officiant's house where we were married in a quick and perfect ceremony in his garden. It was seriously awesome in every way. We went to our favorite hangout Spiro's here in Gig Harbor for a drink and cheese bread then to Massage Envy where we both got hour long massages. (It was really nice). From there we were hungry and couldn't decide where to eat. we had several options but we're super indecisive. So we went to Anthony's which is a pretty renowned sea food place here on the water. After checking out the menu, we had to go in. Seated with a perfect view of the harbor, we had an amazing meal with Shrimp cocktail, muscles, clams, and medium rare Yellow Tail Ahi Tuna.

From there Liz's mom and step dad lent us their place for the night and again, things couldn't have been more perfect. They have a dynamite house with a deck and hot tub overlooking the bay with a font and center view of Mount Rainier.

The best way to sum this up is that this was one of the most perfect days of my life and it all happened starting at 6AM as a total surprise to me. I'm the happiest guy in the world and I can;t tell you how overjoyed I am to be married to the perfect girl in the world.

NOW for pictures!

Here we are in the garden with the officiant "JP". How awesome is it that he looks like Adam Savage from Mythbusters?

The kiss that seals the deal.

The kiss continued.

Our rings in all of their vending machine glory!

Me with the love of my life.

View from the hot tub sipping campaign.

The next morning we headed home but not without a stop at "Smokin' Hot Espresso" a Bikini Barista establishment.

The Games We Play

I don't recall meeting Sean Hayden in person but we've been connected online for quite some time now. He's been a really cool friend and I really hope to meet him in person one day. Sean and I are also in the international steampunk anthology Her Majesty's Mysterious Conveyance.

So, my main point of writing this blog is to spread the word about Sean's new paranormal romance e-short out on Untold Press. It's kind of rare that a guy writes paranormal romance and I think it's really cool that Sean is not constrained by the mainstream stereotypes. It's awesome when a guy can write a romance from a female's perspective and be successful!

So, he wrote this really great book called The Games We Play which is a paranormal romance that judging from the reviews will leave you "hot and bothered". Yep, for my YA fans, this is a spicy story and may not be the book for you... but for everyone else... you have to give this a whirl. For 99 cents this is an absolute steal!

To jump start your inner temperature, here's the description:
"A smoky bar, a few too many drinks, it had all the makings of a perfect night. It looked even brighter when he walked in. "Tall, dark, and delicious," she thought. Too bad Veronica didn't realize he was having the same thoughts about her. She looked very delicious...to the predator. A shot with a chaser quickly turns into just a chase. Running for her life was not how she thought the night would end. Veronica had always had a thing for games. She could only pray she would win this one."

For some added incentive, check out the reviews that nabbed my attention:
"Hot, sexy and twisted. Just like the author." - Jen Wylie, Author of Sweet Light

"Sexy, sassy and served up with a twist, Sean Hayden's 'The Games We Play' will leave you hot, bothered and lusting for one more bite." - Katy O'Dowd, Author of The Lady Astronomer

"Dark and dangerous, suspenseful and sexy, this short story is a well-written, engaging tale of greed, lust and love." - Jenny Hilborne, Author of Madness and Murder

Get Sean Hayden's latest book, The Games We Play. You'll love that you did!

Storiad

We need another social network like we need a hole in the head. Well, I tend to join a bunch of these to give them a test run and see how they pan out. That's what everyone does right? (See Google+)

I got an email from my publisher, ZOVA Books the other day asking if I'd be interested in joining a nifty little social networking/promotion site called Storiad. I'm still feeling my way through it but it seems like a cool intimate group of authors, writers, promoters and publishers that are interested in doing some creative things with everyone's work around them. So I joined yesterday and I'm enjoying what I'm seeing. There are a lot of features that are not included in other sites like this. (Like I said, I'm pretty new at this site) but they offer a neat projects section where you can list the things you're working on with descriptions and samples if you like. The idea is that other people will see and become interested in your work.

So far I'm digging it. If you're a writer, book promoter, publisher, or just a book fan, check out Storiad. Here's my profile:

http://storiad.com/community/members/nickvalentino/profile

                                                   
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In other news, ZOVA is working on Thomas Riley 2 edits. I'm super stoked to see what they look like and how much crazy awesome work I'll have to do. Don;t read that wrong, I really am excited. It's going to feel great smoothing that story out and making it even better.

An upper cut for cancer

Dear friends,
I wanted you all to be aware of something very important to me. A friend of mine Anne-Marie Edens De Witt (from Fireside Games) is fighting cancer and she's doing amazing! My forever-sisters, the Frenzy Gals, (Frenzy Universe) are heading up a campaign to help Anne-Marie raise money to pay for the out of pocket expenses which is up past the $10,000 range.

Originally, the campaign was to pay for an expensive treatment that is possibly more effective and as I understand it more comfortable. So basically it's worth every penny. Now, Anne-Marie is doing super well with the current treatment and she posted a few days ago that half the tumor is gone! Amazing news!

Still, there are massive out of pocket expenses that go along with cancer and the campaign rolls on at full steam ahead. So, with that, if you could find it in your hearts to donate anything at all, here is the giveforward website where you can help Anne-Marie out. They're at 75% of their goal and just need a little more to get there!

Want to buy something original and amazing that will go toward helping Anne-Marie? Check out the shockingly cool etsy site where a huge group of artists and craftspeople are donating their goods to help the cause.

Also, find and like the campaign on Facebook here. You'll get all the latest updates there.
Thank you all for reading this!
~Nick

Clockwork Spells and Magical Bells

I have the honor of being in a new steampunk anthology called Clockwork Spells and Magical Bells published by Kerlak Publishing. This is a super fun and once again super different anthology where the writers mix magic and steampunk or in many cases, magic vs. steampunk in their stories. So you get a wonderful mix of technology against mystisism.

My story is called "The Black Dress" and follows a Victorian paranormal investigator and her assistant as they chase down a spellbinding mesmerist in New England.

So go get your copy. It's available in all formats. Print, Kindle, Nook

There are tons of amazing writers in this one. Check out the list here:

Ironwork Falcon - Jackie Gamber
Discombobulation - Robert J. Krog
Moved To Action - Angelia Sparrow
The Taste Of Treasure - Kathryn Sullivan
Quest For The Dragon's Scale - M. R. Williamson
A Bit Of A Bind - CRS Bailey
The Leprechaun's Story - J. L. Mulvihill
The Witch Of Midnight Hollow - Alexander S. Brown
When The Heart Lies Open To Steam And Star - Anne E. Barringer
Wax Seal - Mandi M. Lynch
Survival - S. P. Dorning
The Black Dress - Nick Valentino
Words in Eden - Lewis Sanders
Time - Windsong Levitch
A Series of Steampunk Haiku - Michael Greenway
Flying Machine I (CAM) - Michael Bielaczyc
Flying Machine II (WASP) - Michael Bielaczyc
Dragon Chase – Emily Mottesheard
Apotheosis Jones – Nigel Sade

Angelkiller by H. David Blalock

H. David Blalock. I'm a huge fan of this amazing writer for a whole truckload of reasons. I first met David at Shadowcon in Memphis, TN a few years back and I've been overwhelmed by his awesomeness ever since.

He has a new book out on Seventh Star Press called Angelkiller (which is a favorite subject of mine by the way) and guess what? For a very limited time, it's FREE on your kindle! This is your chance to get a really cool story for free by a really cool writer.

Here's a little blurb from Amazon to wet your further appetite.
Why do bad things happen to good people? Simple. In the ancient war between the Angels of Light and Darkness, the Dark won. Now it is the job of an undercover force simply known as The Army to rectify that.

Using every tool available, The Army has worked to liberate our world from The Enemy for thousands of years, slowly and painfully lifting Mankind out of the dark. On the front of the great Conflict are the Angelkillers, veterans of the fight with centuries of experience.

Jonah Mason is an Angelkiller, and his cell is targeted as part of plot to unseat a very powerful Minion of The Enemy. Mason and his troop are drawn into a battle that stretches from real-time to virtual reality and back. The Conflict is about to expand into cyberspace, and if Mason is unable to stop it, The Enemy will have gained dominion over yet another realm.

Here's the link to the Amazon Kindle page where you can get this for free.

Also, check out David's Facebook Page HERE

What are you waiting for?

PH Factor/Meier's House of Clocks

Hans Meier is a gold standard in the steampunk community. He does amazing steampunk costume and accessory work that holds a place in the upper echelon of craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty. Hans is not only an insanely cool guy but he also is very popular in the steampunk subculture. He was one one the first people I heard about when it came to goggles, accessories and guns.

I'm also writing this because a unique opportunity has come upon Hans and his work. He runs a shop called Meiers House of Clocks in Tacoma WA and Chase (as in the credit card company) is awarding 12 small local businesses $250K grants to those that get votes and the support of the online community.

It's crazy easy. You just need to go HERE, log in with facebook (it literally takes 2 seconds) and enter "Meier's House of Clocks" in Tacoma, Washington
Then hit "Support" and you're done.
By the way, this is totally free. Chase adds $5 in the grant pool when you vote.

He only needs 250 votes to get in so, that should be pretty easy right? Well, yeah but every vote counts and the more we can drum up, the better chance a well deserving, top notch artist and craftsman has at getting a lot of money for his business.


While you're at it, check out the PH Factor store website HERE.

Black Caverns

Yeah, two music posts in like a week. This one is about my friend's band Black Caverns. It's ever evolving instrumental music of the ilk of bands like Isis and Pelican. There are lots of layers that remind me of a dramatic movie soundtrack but with a harder edge. It's spooky, sometimes dark, sometimes melancholy, and sometimes inspirational.

I heard a new song this morning and it made me want to put it on my writing music list and inspired me to write this little blog. Forget that these guys are my friends, they make good moody music that I could easily hear on any anti-hero major motion picture soundtrack.

It's often hard for me to get into heavier instrumental music but this is easily accessable and taps into feelings that conjure up vast landscapes, battle scenes and vengeful sky pirates heading off to level a far off city.

Take a listen to their newest song "The Ides of March" here.

If you like what you hear and I can pretty much guarantee you will, you can find them on Facebook as well. Or hey, comment here.

Beginnings and Endings

Beginnings and Endings

Ending
As you probably know, Thomas Riley 2 is finished. It took insanely long to finish because of reasons that I explained in an earlier post. Life, divorce, move across the country, getting settled in a new house, becoming a step parent. There's more I'm sure. But I'm happy to say that TR2 rings in at a pretty hefty  101,571 words and 241 single spaced Microsoft Word pages.

Beginning
So I'm working on Thomas Riley 3 and while I know where it is going and how it will end, I'm having problems starting the first chapter. The same thing happened on the second book too... I write half of the first chapter and I'm not happy with it... then I do it again, and I'm not happy with it again. I'm not worried, I'll get it right, it's just a pain in my ass. I will give these hints. TR3 should have some elements of time travel, and a possible trip to America... um, I mean "The Colonies".

Ending
If you know me, you know I'm a pretty obsessed hockey fan and my Nashville Predators were taken out by the Phoenix Coyotes in the second round of the playoffs. I'm disappointed... I always am when the season is over. I kind of felt like they would go really far this year. But I have to hand it to the Coyotes, they kicked out butts fair and square. So, I'll defer to the sports fan cliche: There's always next year.

Beginning
I'm finally getting pretty settled in Washington. Things are different, that's for sure but they are awesome in totally different ways. Despite what everyone says, the weather is amazing. Everyday feels like Halloween in Nashville. Also the weather reminds me a lot of London or Amsterdam. Anyway, Gig Harbor feels like home. I mean essentially, it's kind of a place one would retire... There's an amazing Harbor (hence the name), fun mom and pop places to eat and a few fun water front bars that we've been enjoying. It's a much slower place than Nashville but it's also awesome.

Steampunk Discount

In honor of Star Wars Day, (Well, I'm claiming that part) Echelon Press is giving a discount 20% on selected titles all month! Check out the newest steampunk anthology, Her Majesty's Mysterious Conveyance, that I'm in with Elizabeth Darvill, Sean Hayden, and Jennifer Williams. So get a sweet discount on some fun international steampunk stories for all ages.

Click here for the link to the book.

Make sure to use this discount code for your %20 off: ZUSND7VY

MCA

I thought it would be appropriate to give my own little tribute to MCA, (Adam Yauch) of the music changing group, The Beastie Boys. While hip hop might not be for everyone, The Beastie Boys changed music forever in the 80s. Adam died today after losing his long time battle with cancer.

My first live concert ever was The Beastie Boys on the Licenced To Ill tour when they opened for Run DMC in 1986. Even though they drove my parents crazy, my dad was totally awesome and took me. (I was ten at the time) I'm pretty sure The Beastie Boys were drunk on stage but they were still awesome in their own middle finger to the world kind of way.

The crazy thing about The Beastie Boys was that their legacy lasted for 33 years! Pretty crazy for a group that was supposed to be a flash in the pan. And wow, did they ever make some bad ass music in that time. I still know all the words to Paul Revere.

So thank you Beastie Boys and thank you Adam for all the great tunes and all the great memories. Rest in Peace MCA.

Here's the newest Beastie Boys video featuring everyone that's anyone in Hollywood today:

http://youtu.be/FSXnxsXqvAU

Thomas Riley 2 is done

I'm done! After way too long and the roughest yet most amazing and wonderful time of my life, I'm so happy to say that Thomas Riley 2 is finished. I promise, this won't happen again. I'll literally be starting Thomas Riley 3 tomorrow. Thank you to everyone that have been so awesome waiting for the next book. I hope that the extra time it took to finish this has yielded a more dynamic novel. Musically, it took everything from Cradle of Filth to Made out of Babies to La Dispute and Touche Amore to get the steam to write this. Also the art above is a rough in progress look at the cover art by the amazing Will Routon (who did the art for book one). I figured he wouldn't mind me sharing.

Thomas Riley 2 (which doesn't have an official title yet) is a much darker story than book one. It's definitely an act two kind of tale. It's a love triangle that has turned into a love square. The story follows Thomas Riley and Cynthia Basset into a new battle against their longtime enemies, the Lemurian nation where Cynthia threatens everything with her love for famous sky pirate and now Lemurian recruit Sam Burges.

This instalment in the Thomas Riley series has a title wave of new characters and dangers ranging from Lemurian sharpshooter Joseph Allerberger, the even more insane than his predecessor, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard and an airship larger than the Titanic that has the futuristic ability to manipulate the weather. Also there's an "American" pirate, Captain Bradford Booker who assists Thomas and Cynthia on their journey with his ethnically diverse crew to find Sam Burgess when he was taken prisoner after saving Thom and Cyn in book one. And finally, a young Sophie, or (Long Form) Sophie Marie Franziska Antonia Ignatia Alberta von Hohenberg, daughter of the Lemurian ruler takes center stage in book two. You may remember her from book one when Thomas and Sam infiltrate the Lemurian palace to rescue Cynthia. You'll also get a more in depth look into the characters from book one. Ann Read has become more bitter and vengeful while her counterpart Kathleen Benika has become completely mad. The latter may or may not have cannibalized a priest...

I like to think that more time was taken for the reader to really get involved with the characters, you get some back story as well as a hearty look into their personalities (even though many of them are completely crazy). Also for those who were wondering where the phantoms come into play in book one... all of that is explained and actually is now a part of an evil Lemurian scheme to win the twenty year war. Also, for those wondering what happened to Lillian Beuafort's soul? You'll get all the answers while being given a host of new ones.

So again, thank you to everyone that has been so patient waiting for this to be finished. This includes everyone from friends and family to Zova Books and fans that have been so great during this process.

Bleeding Heart Blues

Bleeding Heart Blues

When it's awesome and when it's important to me, I like to post about music from time to time. Today, I wanted to write up a little post about my hella good friends who are in an amazing band called Bleeding Heart Blues. From my hometown of Nashville, TN, these guys (and gal) have done so much not only for the local music scene in Nashville but have also been through it all (which I assure you is mind boggling if I took the time to tell you) when it comes to music.

All the members of Bleeding Heart Blues are masters at their craft and have a unique style and personality that's honestly hard to find anywhere else. I've heard a lot of people try to pin them down as a band by comparing them to other bands and every time, it's different and wide ranging. Like if you asked me who they sound like, I'd say: Heart meets Janitor Joe, meets Danzig, meets Cat Power... the list could kind of go on forever but you get my drift right? Dark and evil at times yet often awesomely heavier than you'd expect. Think Angsty like AMREP bands but with the charcoal soul of Austin's own Black Angels.

Don't take my word for it, check out their latest album here.