Books and blogs and interviews, oh my! Update

Hi everyone! So there's a lot of little things going on at the moment. First off, the re-edited reissue of Thomas Riley (1) (ZOVA Books) is coming out in exactly one week!!! Yep, next Tuesday May 14th it comes out with an enhanced cover and a fun extra chapter for those that can't wait for the second book in the series (Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom) to come out on June 25th. I have to say that I'm really honored to have a book that ZOVA Books and fans around the world deemed as worthy of a reissue! Thank you!

In about thirty minutes, I'm doing an interview which I think airs next Wednesday (I'll check that and let you know if that's correct) on Sounds of Steam which is an awesome website devoted to the propagation of Steampunk culture. More on that later as I'll be doing a blog soon about their sheer awesomeness.

The Blog Tour planning is going great but of course, I need more! So if you have a blog, website, podcast, radio show that I might be able to appear as a guest on, please let me know. You can of course reach me here or you can always email me: Hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com I'd be very appreciative of any help.

For a little fun, I love the new commercial featuring Hell's Kitchen host and chef extraordinaire Gordon Ramsay for the kid's show Team Umizoomi. Super funny! Enjoy!

The Sky Pirates Revenge World Blog Tour

When Thomas Riley (1) came out, I did a huge 32 day blog tour (The Sky Pirate's Barrage Blog Tour) that took me from people's personal blogs to Tor.com. It was an awesome journey and I really appreciate those that hosted me and helped Thomas Riley become what it is today.

I'm excited to announce The Sky Pirate's Revenge World Blog tour that will best my last endeavor by one extra stop. I have already gotten a great response but I need more dates and have a bunch more to fill so I'm asking anyone, my friends, family, fans and wonderful geeks around the world if I might be able to get a spot on their website, blog, podcast, radio show, anything that you do online in promotion for my second steampunk novel, Thomas Riley and The Maelstrom (ZOVA Books).

Anyone that helps out will get my undying love, special entries in contests and a cool treat later down the line. You all know I love patches right? ;)

So, if you would honor me with a spot on your Internet, please message me here or send me an email at: Hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com

The Blog tour starts Tuesday June 25th and ends Monday July 29th.

Thank you all in advance!
~Nick

Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom cover revealed!

It's been a long time coming but the day is here that I can finally reveal the brand spanking new cover for my second steampunk book, Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom! As promised, my awesome blog readers will get the first peek a few hours before I spread the word all over the Internet. As I know, these are slated for a June release. I don't know the exact day but when I do, I'll be doing some really fun pre-orders with special features for my "Sky Pirates" new and old. Also, be on the lookout for a huge blog tour which is in the works now.

First off, here is the new tweaked cover for the first Thomas Riley novel which has been re-edited and with the first chapter of book two at the end. (Out on Zova Books)The new chapter will not only provide a fun teaser for book two but will also answer a few questions left by book one.

Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom is a darker book, a true act two if you will where a now even more famous Thomas and Cynthia leave their home country of West Canvia again in search for unlikely hero, Sam Burgess. In their latest adventure, Thomas and Cynthia's loyalty is put to the test as they face a new and even crazier evil genius, Doctor Wolfgang Gerhard who is in control of the very secret and world changing airship, the Maelstrom, which has the mysterious ability to control the weather. So without further adieu... the cover for Thomas Riley and the Maelstrom by the fabulous, Will Routon.

The Nashville Predators n' Stuff

In 1998, The Nashville Predators NHL hockey team came to Nashville and since then, I've been a huge hockey fan ever since. It only took one game with my dad, the Preds vs. the Ottawa Senators when Patric Cote (not the MMA guy) got in a scuffle on the ice and ignited some gladiatorial instinct, forever hooking me on the sport.

I've seen it all and I was there for everything. The hat tricks, the routs, the fights, the trades, the first lockout and yes... even when they tried to sell my beloved team to a cro-magnon Blackberry goon in Canada I was there to battle him (and ultimately defeating him) as part of the Save The Predators organization. The Preds are in my blood and always will be. I love every aspect of the team and the game and love keeping track of as much as I can.

When I moved up to Washington, I had to be able to watch my team so we have NHL Center Ice where I park my butt in front of the TV to soak up my Preds fix. Of course this year they had to have another lockout... at least it was a half lockout but still disappointing for a guy totally separated from his team. When the season finally returned my team came out pretty flat. Losing in overtime a lot and generally looking like a team that well, hasn't played half a season.

Now it looks like they've found a stride and are picking up where they left off playing determined underdog hockey. It's awesome to watch and awesome to have in my life.

Other cool and unrelated news:
I've been talking to my publisher, Zova Books and I'm really getting stoked for the new book releases! I'm now in the very early staging plans for some appearances, blog tours, contests and all types of fun stuff to celebrate the new stories.

Spook House by Michael West

Horror writer extraordinaire Michael West's new book, Spook House, is out today!! Published by Seventh Star Press, Mr. West's new book looks to be an amazing ride of thrills and scares and is a must have for anyone remotely interested in the horror genre.

Here's the blurb:
The latest Harmony, Indiana novel following 2011’s Cinema of Shadows arrives just in time for Halloween, exploring the places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.


It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.


Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

Michael West  has been on the scene for quite some time, building an amazing reputation as a top notch horror writer. You can probably catch him at all the best horror and fantasy conventions so if you get the chance to meet him, don't pass it up! He's a very cool guy!

He's also doing a 33 date blog tour (Sounds like me) so be sure to check out his posts all over the Internet. Also, if you're in the area, the book release launch party will be at "That Book Place" in Madison Indiana on October 27th.

See Michael's press release here: http://www.bymichaelwest.com/spook-house-for-sale

Pre-order one of only 75 hardcover copies of Spook House here: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/pre-orders/

Visit Seventh Star Press' website here: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/pre-orders/

The Literary Underworld

 

The Literary Underworld is a group on authors and just plain awesome people that travel to cons selling books for awesome "underground" authors. Now, I may not be "awesome" but I am honored to be in with this wonderful group of people and this week, they're doing a massive blitz/blog tour. There were a few authors scheduled to be on my blog but life sent me a few waves this week and I fell behind. So to try to make up for my slack, I'm posting my own blog here for them in addition to my other posts.

It doesn't matter what you're interested in, The Literary Underworld has a book for you! I picked up Elizabeth Donald's "The Cold Ones" at MidSouthCon in Memphis TN and I have one word for you... AWESOME! It's a great horror/action story that's a wonderful quick read and leaves you wanting more and more. This is just a tiny sampling of what The Literary Underworld has to offer. Check out their store and fall in love with a new piece of literature today!

Check out their website here: http://www.literaryunderworld.com/

Blog Post Burnout

BPM
So you need to know I've been avoiding blogs for the last bit because of a sickness called BPB, or Blog Posting Burnout. 32 Blogs, & 3 interviews in 30 days really put a damper on my need to give you a lot of new information recently. So, I apologise and with that, I'm officially back. If you have any desire to see my blog tour exploits, see the bottom of this post for the entire list with links.

The Books
Ok... I don't know what to say about the books. I realise that many of you have not gotten your copy and for that I can not apologise enough to you. I want to thank you for your patience and I promise the second I get my copies in I will have them signed and in the mail to you ASAP. Apparently there is a bit of a back up at the printing press and Thomas Riley is basically in limbo. The copies could arrive today (which would be ideal) or they may not arrive until... well, the information is cloudy. Either way, I know a lot of you have been asking and I promise I will get these to you as fast as humanly possible. Your continued patience is much appreciated.

The Schedule
Starting January 16, 2010 my life goes crazy. Crazy in a good way of course, but crazy none the less. As it stands now I have one weekend off between January 16 and March 31... I'll make another post about where I will be and I hope to see many of you on the road. So look out, Huntsville, Birmingham, Nashville, Columbia and San Diego, I'm coming back!

Star Wars
I need to take a "non-book moment" and say that I saw Star Wars in Concert last night. This was the London Symphony Orchestra playing Star Wars music with the (In person) Anthony Daniels hosting the event. There isn't much I can say than it was actually and literally amazing. (Isn't it nice to be able to use that word and actually mean it?) If you were lucky enough to catch this two and a half month tour across the US, well, you know what I'm talking about. Here's a picture from my seats. Thank you to everyone that was ever involved in Star Wars, you have made a truly epic picture.



More Thomas Riley
You can still order signed copies of Thomas Riley HERE
You can enlist as a Sky Pirate HERE You'll get some pretty nifty stuff in the mail if you do so.

Blog Tour
Here are the links to each blog tour stop I made. Enjoy!
• http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58084
• http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-tour-day-2-extras.html
• http://mysteriesandchitchat.blogspot.com/2009/10/steampunk-101-nick-valentino.html
• http://evilamy.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/guest-post-nick-valentino-author-of-thomas-riley/
• http://themagicalbuffet.com/blog1/2009/10/30/thomas-riley-blog-tour/
• http://inertblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/valentino-takeover.html
• http://www.marywelk.com/2009/11/nick-valentino-and-thomas-riley.html
• http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/2009/11/welcome-to-nick-valentino-author-of.html
• http://teresaburrell.blogspot.com/2009/11/v-word-is-valentino.html
• http://opheliajulien.blogspot.com/2009/11/ghosts-steampunk-and-nick-valentino.html
• http://teen-seen.blogspot.com/2009/11/story-of-pavlov-and-moose.html
• http://rivetgallery.blogspot.com/2009/11/art-of-thomas-riley.html
• http://davegatesdesign.com/myblog/a-pause-for-steampunk/
• http://ascamacho.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html#1296011591779317798
• http://frazer-makingstuffup.blogspot.com/2009/11/nick-valentino-guest-blogs-on-making.html
• http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com/2009/11/down-thru-chimney-with-good-saint.html
• http://eastnashvilleblog.com/2009/11/12/an-east-nashville-query-guest-blog-by-author-nick-valentino/
• http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-author-nick-valentino.html
• http://bookblabbing.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-nick-valentino-author-of.html
• http://readingwatchingliving.blogspot.com/2009/11/blog-tour-nick-valentino.html
• http://razloversbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-nick-valentino.html
• http://sumanam.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/guestpost-by-nick-valentino-author-of-thomas-riley/
• http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com/2009/11/thomas-riley-and-basics-of-steampunk.html
• http://freret.blogspot.com/2009/11/guest-post-thomas-riley-steampunk-twist_24.html
• http://www.myskoteket.se/featured-articles/thomas-riley-steampunk-novel-gastinlagg
• http://www.myskoteket.se/bocker/steampunk-via-posten
• http://straitjacketchillers.blogspot.com/2009/11/thomas-riley-steampunk-adventure-novel.html
• http://straitjacketchillers.blogspot.com/2009/11/evolution-of-thomas-riley-steampunk.html

A word from Lana Richmond

Hey Everyone! Lana Richmond of Pixie Chick fame here. I'm still hijacking Regan's plans for her blog tour. Nick's cool enough to host us today and I just managed to get my email sent off before Regan. It's not like there was an option. Come on! Sky Pirates and Steampunk? It all sounds so much cooler than anything I've seen around my town lately.

My high school's got all the requisite classes - and by that I'm talking social, not academic. We've got band geeks, jocks, nerds, goths, and preps, but we're fresh out of Steampunk. I'm thinking of starting a trend though.

Thomas Riley (Nick's lead character) gave me a crash course in wardrobing and accessories. It could be Halloween all year round with Steampunk, because it can go subtle or all out. And none of it violates our school dress code. Besides, clothes are just another way to declare yourself and your interests. Who wouldn't want to declare themselves ready for any adventure?

Really, the goggles did it for me, although I'm liking the boots a lot. And the inventive gadgets...that's just fun and trouble waiting to happen. Since I don't sleep much, tinkering with gadgetry (no, Regan, not weaponry) might be a fine new hobby.

And who knows, the goggles might be the one thing I need to finally break through the Hobbitville portals.

My hometown is so boring, it's no wonder someone created a magic garden - they needed the fast ticket to somewhere interesting. But after poking around Nick's world of Steampunk, I'm going back to the library - maybe there are some alternatives hidden away in my town's history. If I find that we did have a few inventive types, maybe I can find a way to escape and explore without the Hobbitville magic after all.

Wish me luck!
Lana Richmond,
band geek, Pixie Chick, Hobbitville magic seeker, and potential Sky Pirate!


~Well, thank you Miss Richmond. I'm sure Regan will just be thrilled that you've done all of her tour stops for her. So now that you all have heard, Regan Black has a new short story on Echelon Shorts called The Shadow Stone. Want to know more? Yeah, I thought so. Here is the blurb about the new short:

Lana Richmond will not be the left behind when all her friends are using the magic of Hobbitville to escape their small Midwestern town for more exciting places. She's been trying–and failing–to use the garden's portals. The bruises haven't quite faded when Lana takes matters into her own hands and meets a stranger who promises to help her…on Halloween. Will Lana have the courage to follow her wanderlust, or will she settle for being the only Pixie Chick who can't work the Hobbitville magic?

I thought that would interest you. Ok, I guess I'm allowed to give you a little more. Here's an excerpt.

Lana is alone in Hobbitville the night before Halloween, determined to find what the kids call a touchstone - a garden statue that allows them to travel magically to other gardens around the world.

Lana's thoughts rambled back across the memories as she hovered over every stone of any artistic formation. It seemed memories didn't open portals either. She tried to amuse herself with philosophy as she moved from Brie's section on to the next portion of the
garden. "When something's lost, you always find it in the last place you look," she murmured to the cherub-faced cupid cloaked in shadows.
She reached out, more than a little conflicted. She definitely wanted to find her touchstone, but a cupid was so not her.
As expected, the cupid did nothing for her, but maybe that was because she expected nothing from it. Philosophy was an annoying companion tonight. She tried to rev up some enthusiasm and made a second attempt. Still nothing.
She moved on before she made herself crazy with circular arguments. "The lost thing's always in the last
place you look because you stop looking once you've found it."
"It is pretty silly to keep looking once something's
found," a deep voice rumbled out of the darkness.

Oh now you really want to read the whole thing. Gotcha. Try these:

Here's a link to all of Ms. Black's Kindle titles

Go here to purchase your own copy of Shadow Stone from Echelon (It's going to be the best $2.25 you've ever spent.)

I know... You want to know more about Regan Black. Click here to go to her blog.

The Sky Pirate's Barrage World Blog Tour

In preparation for the book release, I'm embarking on a 30 day blog tour which I've aptly named "The Sky Pirate's Barrage World Blog Tour". If you don't know what a blog tour is, here's the short and sweet version. For 30 days I will "guest blog" on different blogs. Each one will be different and blog specific. So if I'm writing for an author's blog, I'll probably be writing well, about writing. If I'm on an art blog, I'll be saying something about art, cover art or design. If I'm on a Sky Pirate blog, I'll probably talk about wind resistance versus cannon velocity. You get the picture right?

I've gotten such a great response from everyone, I officially owe my first born to at least 30 people for being so generous with the private blogs. If you are hosting me for one of these days, I am truly in your debt. With that said, I'm always looking to add more dates to the tour and to do a second leg later on down the road. So If you have a blog you would like to share, please email me so that I may also be in your debt.

Email this address: Hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com

So without further ado here are the dates and locations for

The Sky Pirate's Barrage World Blog Tour:

Friday October 23- Interview by Jaymee Goh for TOR
Monday October 26- Writing & Life
Tuesday October 27- Life Of A Publisher
Wednesday October 28- Mysteries & Chitchat
Thursday October 29- Four-Door Handbasket
Friday October 30- The Magical Buffet
Saturday October 31- Inert Nashville
Sunday November 1 - Thomas Riley
Monday November 2 - Cicero's Children
Tuesday November 3 - Candid Canine
Wednesday November 4 - Write or Wrong
Thursday November 5 - Ubiquitous Ghosts
Friday November 6 - Teen Seen
Saturday November 7 - Rivet Gallery
Sunday November 8 - Dave Gates Design
Monday November 9 - Another Writer's Life
Tuesday November 10- Making Stuff Up
Wednesday November 11- On the Edge of the Chair of Literature
Thursday November 12- East Nashville Blog
Friday November 13- My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Monday November 16- Book Blab
Tuesday November 17- Opinionated? Me?
Wednesday November 18- Emeraldfire's Bookmark
Thursday November 19- Razlover's Book Blog
Friday November 20- I Read...
Monday November 23- Revenge Of The Book Nerds!
Tuesday November 24- The Adventures of B. Freret
Wednesday November 25- Myskoteket
Thursday November 26- Straight Jacket Chillers
Friday November 27- For Writers

In the meantime, Thomas Riley is on pre-sale right now and I'm giving everyone that pre-orders FREE shipping and signed copies of the book. Get your copy today and save some money. ORDER HERE

And if you just want free steampunk stuff, offers, discounts and exclusive contests Enlist to be a Sky Pirate HERE.

Blog Tour!

I know I've been talking a lot about the promotion of Thomas Riley. To be honest, it encompasses most if not all of my free time. I'm really hitting this hard, so please forgive my one track mind.

The newest plan is a 30 day blog tour. That's right 30 blogs in 30 days. So far I have 15 lined up starting on Monday October 26th. Well, what about the other 15 days Nick? That's where I need your help. Yep you who's reading this right now. (Thank you by the way.) I'm looking for anyone with a blog that wouldn't mind me guest blogging for 1 day on your site. Don't worry, I won't need access to your blog or anything weird like that. We will agree on a day, I'll write the content and I'll send it to you weeks in advance so you can program it on our day. Boom we're done. It's easy, free and fun.

Of course in return for your generosity, I will drive traffic to your blog as well as welcome you to guest blog here or I can just write something about you, your book or whatever it is you're doing.

If this sounds like fun to you, email me: hazeltherabbit@yahoo.com

Also, don't forget to sign up to be a Sky Pirate HERE. This will get you in exclusive contests, random fun things and secret discounts. I must reiterate that your information will never be shared.

Also I'm proud to announce our first Canadian, Australian and Swedish pirates!