I am currently at WorldCon in Reno Nevada, and having a fine old time, but none as fine as what happened tonight.

The Chelsey Awards are the big award for fantasy artists and are presented by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors. Jason Chan’s work for my book Geist was nominated in the category of Best Cover; Paperback.

Jason couldn’t be at WorldCon, but since Tee and I are here we went along to represent him. We were sitting in the audience, just watching the nominees. I leaned across to Tee and whispered ‘This is one of those categories where it is an honor to be nominated.’ Check out the field of competitors if you don’t believe me.

So when Lou Anders of Pyr books read out Jason’s name, I was so delighted. It felt like I’d won the award. I got up on the stage and blathered something about how getting great cover art was such a joy as an author, and how Jason was so amazing (obviously they already knew that!)

So the beautiful award will be winging its way to Jason, and I hope he knows it was my honor to be there to represent him. He’s fantastically talented, and this recognition just goes to prove that.

Yes, this is now officially award-winning cover art!

Already 2011 has begun with a bang.

First off- Geist’s trailer (which Tee Morris produced) won Best Overall Adult at Parajunkee’s View.

I am so delighted with this as Tee (and me to a certain extent) put such a lot of work into it. If I can wax lyrical about book trailers for a second. I like them to be like movie trailers. I don’t like to have to read a whole slew of text, and I think in this case a voice over worked really well. Wait until you see what Tee has planned for Phoenix Rising!

Speaking of… my other bit of cool news. Phoenix Rising has been sold to a publisher in Russia! So that is the fourth country it will be available in; Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Russia. I am so excited, and can’t wait to see what they do for covers and titles.

But Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is Ministerstvo Osobaya nahodok according to Google translate. If there are any Russian speakers out there that know different, sing out.

I have never been quiet about my love for the work of Jason Chan. He’s produced two wonderful covers for me, Geist and Spectyr, and I truly hope that he will stay on board for Wrayth, and Harbinger.

I also know those covers have bought attention to the writing within. Geist’s success has been aided by that cover. Covers sell books- paper, ebook–they just do.

So now’s a chance to give something back to Jason and highlight his beautiful work.

All Things Urban Fantasy is running it’s annual cover awards, and Geist is up for two; Best Female with Animal and Best Cover.
Click on over here to vote and show some love to Jason- let him know you think his work is awesome.

It’s been two weeks since Geist went out into the world by itself. An exciting, crazy time in any authors time; first New York contract, first dive into the deep end of the pool.

So far I am still alive.

My first actual sighting of Geist was in Barnes and Noble, Union Square, San Francisco. I was spending the day with my agent, Laurie McLean, and she dropped me in. It was surreal and wonderful to see it sitting there- right in among the B’s. I signed those copies (after asking permission of course), and since signed copies in four more stores.

Stories began to trickle in through my various social networks of people finding it out there. It seemed like it was in lots of stores-even in airports.

Two more things bought amazement and excitement to the week.

Jeff Young sent in this picture of Geist in the Barnes & Noble towers.

And then this screen shot from the Science Fiction and Fantasy section of the ibook store. Geist, up there with Jim Butcher’s latest

Then last Wednesday we got the numbers for the first week of sales. I am happy to announce that Geist hit the Bookscan and Barnes & Noble massmarket science fiction and fantasy bestsellers list. UPDATE: This also occurred in the second week on sale!

Also the reviews started to come in, and I find fascinating what people are digging about the book. I have noticed two things out of the reviews so far; Sorcha is a mature heroine (she’s in her late 30s), and the lack of a romantic relationship between two characters. Yep, you heard me right-the lack of romance. Not to say there isn’t romance…but not between who you might think.

Here’s one of my favourite reviews so far.

Although the book is full of exciting action and amazing adventure, the trio created of Sorcha, Merrick and Raed is fascinating and the true heart of the story. Ms. Ballantine does an amazing job with the character development.  The trio each sees things in a unique way, bringing a full spectrum of views in each situation. I enjoyed the give and take that makes this relationship work.

With layer after layer unfolding before me – causing several twists and turns, I was on the proverbial edge of my seat. The book came to a satisfying conclusion, yet it was open-ended for subsequent stories. I for one, cannot wait!  I want to know more about the secrets of the Sensitives. I want to know more about how the bond works.  And I want to know what will become of this amazing trio!

- That’s What I am Talking About

So things have started off well, and I have to thank all those that have talked, tweeted and blogged about Geist. It’s not a hit out of the park, but it is a really great start. For a chick from New Zealand, it has been a heady couple of weeks. And there is more to come.

Geist has until after Christmas to get really well sold. You see in the New Year booksellers will do their returns. So think about Geist as a Christmas present–give the gift of lions, magic and the supernatural.

Today is official (well according to Amazon) launch day for Geist.

I’ve already been sent pictures of it out in the wild among all the other books at bricks and mortar stores. From now on it is up to the world to decide how it does. (Well aside from some marketing by me of course)

There are two competitions on the Geist site that I hope all of you will take advantage of.

And for those that have asked, if you buy the book or not, the really helpful thing you can do is talk about it. Write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Tell your friends and neighbours.

I hope you enjoy the book. I enjoyed writing it, and this whole thing has been quite the adventure- one that I hope to keep on doing.

For those that have helped me- the acknowledgments of Geist are very much heartfelt.

My box of Geist are waiting for me in America, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them.

I have however seen the very first example of Geist out in the wild.

Those lovely folks over at the SF Signal apparently got their copy. And I must admit it’s pretty cool to see it sitting there with Patricia Briggs and Jim Butcher. Can’t fault that company!

Also over at Good reads you’ll find I have opened up an Author Q&A. For one whole month I will be answering all things writing, podcasting and Geist.

If you’re a member of Goodreads then pop on over and let’s chat.

It was lovely to chat with Ace marketing the other day, and find out how interested they are in getting people to review Geist.

Not just the big players like Locus or Publishers Weekly, but bloggers and podcasters. Times they are a changing I guess.

So here’s your chance. If you have a blog or a podcast that does book reviews, then send the link to your site and the best physical address, and I will pass this information onto Ace.

The email address is pip at this site.

Then you too can let the world know what you think of Geist.

These are the months when all sorts of goodies are landing in my mailbox. Today it was these lovelies. Apparently they are called cover flats, and contain information to entice the bookseller.

I found three interesting things

• They mention my podcast history- quoting the number of podcast downloads. (So keep that in mind podiobook authors)
• Apparently I am ‘a promising Ace author’
• And they list Author Home ‘New Zealand’

There’s only one more thing to come… a box of books.

I have also revealed the first of my competitions over on booksoftheorder.com

If you want a chance to have your name appear in the sequel to Geist, Spectyr, a signed (by me and Jason Chan) print of the book’s cover, and plenty of chances to win a signed copy, then you’ll want to check it out.

Also Geist is now available to preorder on the ibook store, as well as massmarket and Kindle versions on Amazon.

This thing is really happening. Either that or I am having a really, really vivid dream!

Swimming with the big fish still means I need to get the word out about Geist, and this has pretty much been consuming my life for the last month.

One of the things I wanted to do was create a book trailer- but there was one big problem- yeah… my lack of video skills.

Luckily Tee Morris rode to the rescue, and you can find the result on my homepage, and scattered around the internet. I think it gives a pretty good idea of the tone of Geist.

So if you want to help spread the word, please feel free to imbed the video from youtube.com where ever you feel like it.

Silence is the killer for a book… and silence scares me.

This is a bit of a nerve wracking time for me. My first big New York City book, and I am gearing up for the reviews.

So when my Google Alert told me that someone had reviewed Geist, I was excited and nervous… and then I found out it was from Harriet Klausner

The key to this great horror-fantasy is the belief in the magical world of Philippa Ballantine summed up by the Guardian and the Pretender when she says “If wishes were horses,” and he finishes with “I would never have to walk again.” Little touches like this bring alive the prime element of the Bond, which make the realm of Geist seem genuine. Sorcha and her two comrades are terrific characters who keep the story line focused even as the plot entertainingly switches from fantasy to horror. This is a wonderful thriller.
And if you don’t know who she is- have a read here

All I can say is, thanks Harriet. I feel like I have already arrived, and it was a nice start to the month of October!

I arrived home from a very fun, very informative, very useful WorldCon in Melbourne (blogpost to come on that), to find the uncorrected proofs of Geist. These are not the final product, but still being able to actually hold my bound words was quite the moment, and one more step towards the novel in stores.

Once it is, the market will decide its worth, but my aim is to make people aware of it. Yes, with all the books being published, getting yours noticed is the real battle.

So, as part of that effort I am doing a blogtour for three months. I’ll be talking about all sorts of things, but the first is an interview with Odin1Eye over at View from Valhalla. There were some pretty probing questions that made me think hard, and I hope you find it interesting.

Check it out here and see what other places I will be hitting.

In addition I have some beautiful Geist postcards to distribute- so if you can think of a place to put them where they would attract interest, then please email me motherabbey@booksoftheorder.com – I’ll send you a sweet treat to go along with it

I’ve been working hard of the site Books of the Order which is where I am putting all Geist related content

You can subscribe right here so you don’t miss out- especially for the release of Chronicles of the Order. This short story podcast is turning out to be such fun, with writers such as Tee Morris, Sandra Wickam, Nobilis, Laurie McLean and more!

Shortly there will be a couple of contests, where you can win a signed galley of Geist, and a box of New Zealand goodies. So.. another reason to subscribe.

Another feature of Books of the Order is a feature called ‘Need the Order’. I have been asking people to send in their experiences with the supernatural. As a storyteller I find these tales fascinating, and have a couple from within my own family. I also find it interesting that most people have asked for anonymity–apparently talking about these things can draw derision. As a storyteller I find it sad. If we cannot share our stories, then what is the point of being a community of human beings. We all have our own beliefs and experiences and that is what I find fascinating.

So if you want to share your experience then email motherabbey@booksoftheorder.com and let me know if you want to reveal your name or not.

Stories told around the campfire matter, and I hope you will share yours with me and the world.

Just over two months out until the release of Geist, and I am beginning to gear up.

First off, you will find me at WorldCon in Melbourne. This is my first experience at a big literary con, and I am really excited to get into it. I know that Gail Carriger, Mur Lafferty, Dr. John Cmar and rocket scientist Laura Burns will also be venturing south to Australia.

Tee Morris and I will both be there too and we will have give aways. There will be Geist buttons and postcards, as well as Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences buttons too. So look for those on the freebie tables.

We’ll be attending the Voyager party on Friday night (our editor Diana Gill from Eos will be there!), but apart from that I cannot tell you where else we might be. We’re still waiting on confirmation from the organisers. But even if I am not on any panels I’ll be there to hang out, enjoy the atmosphere before the big dive into the year.

I just have this feeling once Geist is launched its going to get a little crazy….

Also if you pop over to my Appearances page you will see two things.

1) The Geist blog tour. It’s shaping up, but my plan is to have two guest blog or podcast spots each week for September, Ocotober and November. Hopefully you won’t get sick of seeing me pop up, because I will be talking and writing about different things in each one. From steampunk suffragettes, to were-creatures, to plot vs character, to interviews.

2) After WorldCon you will find a tentative schedule for what I want to get to between now and October 2011. This is all very contingent on a business visa from the American government. But hopefully supporting three books in one year with a con a month will be enough of a reason. If that fails, I still plan to get to some events, but they will be fewer. So *fingers crossed*

The characteristics of the New Zealander are not naturally attuned to marketing. We are more bent towards egalitarianism, which is nice, but it also means ‘tooting your own horn’ is not generally looked upon as a good thing.

However in all my years podcasting, and with the example of those that have gone before me into print, I have learned that not to talk about projects is to have them wither on the vine. That’s something I don’t want to happen to Geist.

I am proud of this book. My editor Danielle at Ace said it combines romance, epic and supernatural fantasy, but written with a modern sensibility. Who am I to argue.

Sorcha Faris is a Deacon of the Order, and has vowed to stand between the citizens of the Empire and the geists, evil spirits from the Otherside that terrorize and possess the living. When her partner is critically injured, it’s up to Sorcha to investigate a surge of geist activity, with the help of a seafaring prince who bears a terrible curse- an ancient geist that resides within him.

So here is my call to arms to those who enjoy my writing, friends, fans, and heck even family.

Geist is coming out at the end of October, but now is the time to act to secure the future of more books in the Geist universe. I have a contract for Spectyr, but the whole scope of the story will take two more books to reach fruition.

Now is the time when Ace will decide about the third book. Now?? I can hear you say- but it does actually make sense. Before the book is even published is the time when Ace will begin to have an idea of the demand for Geist, and decide if they want to support the story with more novels. Booksellers are picking which books they will stock right at this very moment.

So what I need is for them to have Geist top of their mind. I need them to order the Books of the Order.

So dearest Americans, here’s something you can do to help me, and my books. It’s pretty simple really- just email, phone or visit your local bookstore (indie or chain store doesn’t matter) and ask if they are going to stock Geist by Philippa Ballantine- coming out at the end of October. (Others can help by ordering via Amazon or Barnes and Noble)

It’s a simple, yet effective way for you to let them know there is a market for the book, and that people are excited enough to ask before it is even out.

Now, if you’ve read my work you probably have a good idea what to expect, but right here is a sample chapter of Geist- the very first. So dive right in, meet Deacon Sorcha Faris and then contact your local bookseller (or for the really keen booksellers)

Phew! I managed to get through that. Thanks so much for your support through the years- it means a lot and constantly amazes me.

You know I love the cover Jason Chan did for Geist. I know the people at Ace love it too. Jason is an amazingly talented artist, so having him bring Sorcha and the Rossin to life was just wonderful to me.

So I encouraged him to make the print available, and he has! I have placed my order for the biggest one for my wall- and if you want the same, then head on over to the print shop and order.

So that’s the art, now here’s the fun….

Balticon!

This Memorial Day weekend in Baltimore, writers, costumers and tons of New Media producers will be gathering for networking, partying and chit chat. If you can join us then please do.

Here’s where you will be able to find me

Readings

From the upcoming release Geist- 1PM Sunday in the Pimlico Room

With Tee Morris- Books and Braun Chapter Two (including a special announcement!!) – 11PM Sunday in the Chesapeake Suite

Live Recordings

Metamor City – 5pm Saturday at the Chesapeake Suite

Girls’ Rules- 4PM Sunday in the Chesapeake Suite

Panels

Social Media for the Midlist author – 6pm Friday in the Chesapeake Suite

What’s Steamy in New Media? – 11AM Monday in the Derby Room

DragonMoon Press Booth

A host of DragonMoon Press authors will be there; Christiana Ellis, Val Griswold Ford, PG Holyfield, Tee Morris, and Phil Rossi. We will all be taking turns manning the DMP booth in the dealers room. So pop on over, buy a book (or three) and have it signed. We’d all love to meet you.

Writing is hard- make not bones about that. There’s the long hours, the editing, the rejections.. it’s not something that is for the faint of heart. Yet it can also be tremendously rewarding. Then those are those moments which shine.

Today I had one of those moments. It came when I opened an email from my editor at Ace. It is the cover for Geist coming out with Ace in October/November this year.

To say I was happy was an understatement. Not only has the artist Jason Chan done a wonderful job. Here is Sorcha just as I imagined her – and the little details are perfectly correct- right down to her eye colour.

And there is the Rossin (who is so much more than a big ole pussy cat) the right size and shape. Also the description and the font are just wonderful.

Covers are always a dice roll, because rarely do authors get to have any input. I have heard some horror stories, but the folks at Ace and Jason have done me and Geist proud.

If you would like to pre-order Geist then the link is available under Store on this site. It is an affliate link, so gives me a few extra pennies when you purchase.

As I have intimated; from May this year writing and voicework will be my sole means of income. That may seem somewhat crazy, but it has reached the point where I need to concentrate on writing and marketing- making the most of the opportunities that have been given to me.

Well if I thought it was all just a mad dream, here is evidence that I am not. From May 2009 edition of Locus confirmation that the Ace deal is a go.

So I sent the contract by fast plane to New York, and now I have a date of publication. Geist will be out November 2010 and its sequel the following year.

I can’t wait to get start on final edits. Geist 2 (still have to come up with a satisfactory name) is about 15,000 words done and it is a lot of fun to get back to this world.

So apart from that writing here’s my calendar of things to get done

• Finish podcasting Weather Child.
• Begin planning and then podcast Digital Magic
• Write, edit, produce and podcast Books and Braun
• Write and podcast a series of perhaps 10 episodes of short stories in the Geist universe.

It’s been a long time coming, and it’s something I will have to get used to- but it has happened. After ebooks, small presses, and riding the wave of podcasting- I can finally tell you all. I have reached that thing that I have been dreaming of for over a decade of active writing.

Yes, I have just confirmed that I will in fact be an Ace Books author. Ace is an imprint of Berkley Books (which is part of Penguin), and has a fine history. The deal is for two novels, with the possibility of more if those sell. The book in question is indeed Geist, and a to be named sequel.

This will take some major adjustment in my mind set- but as you can imagine is very VERY exciting. I can now say that like Scott Sigler and JC Hutchins I have moved into the big leagues. The names I will be joining in Ace include Ursula Le Guin, Tanya Huff, and Tad Williams to name but a few. These are stellar names, and it is a pleasure to be in the same stable.

This totally justifies my decision this year to go part-time in the corporate library, but I am not yet at the point where I can be a full time writer. That’s OK, I’m on my way. I expect there will be huge amounts of work ahead, but I am ready for it.

This would not have been possible without the assistance of three people. Gabrielle Harbowy who helped me edit Geist and get it ready for the big time. Laurie McLean, my agent, who is both an inspiration and a rock. And Tee Morris, who was my sounding board, kick in the pants and inspiration.

The final details are still being ironed out, and I will keep you all in the loop as things progress.  All I can say is…. YESSSSSSSSSS!

The story I wrote, Geist is top of mind at the moment. This is the tale that I was motivated to write after my visit to America in 2007, when I got to rub shoulders with some of the most creative people I know- in both the writing and podcasting world.
Then a social media meme sprang up on Twitter among those same people, called Solidarity. Writers all over the globe posted their word count and supported each other to write more.

So Geist was born.

Deacon Sorcha Faris has plenty of supernatural problems and also her fair share of real life ones. A terrible riot caused by a geist attack has left her partner and husband badly injured and she is assigned a new partner that she doesn’t want. Merrick Chambers is young, talented and tormented by what he saw Sorcha do to his family years before. A good start to any partnership. As Active and Sensitive they are supposed to work seamlessly as a team. Sorcha wonders what their Abbot was thinking.
In the north, the Young Pretender to the throne that Sorcha’s Emperor now sits on, is struggling to find a safe harbor to make repairs to his ship. When Raed Rossin is offered the isolated village of Ulrich, he is grateful. However he cannot know that his ancient familial curse and the rising threat of the unliving will combine to make this place the most dangerous place for him to go.

The inspiration for the story is once again drawn from history. The world that Sorcha and her Deacons inhabit is based loosely on Imperial Russia, vast and packed with bickering Princes. The idea of an Emperor that was invited in to rule is not without precedent. George I of Greece and Haarkon VII of Norway were both born Danish princes.

The concept of the Deacons, who are sworn to protect the world from the unliving, came from several places. The Knights Templar might well have become the Deacons in another world. Organized in the same way as a religious order, they gave up the belief in what they call ‘the small gods’ in the face of a steady stream of paranormal attackers. While their weapons, the Gauntlet and the Strop hark back to ancient stories of artifacts imbued with special powers- the magical shield or sword of the Celts and Vikings.

And the challenges Sorcha faces… well I have always thought that in the fantasy genre real life personal crisises are not realistically portrayed. The hero rides off with the heroine and all is well. But what if the heroine chose the wrong person? What if like real life things changed? Hence Sorcha has to face the kind of turmoil people in our world know all too well.

So the supernatural, intrigue, dirigibles and a tormented heroine.