My So Called Death, Booklist Review, STUFF!

Like any younger sibling, MY SO CALLED DEATH has been very jealous of all the attention UNDEAD MUCH? has been getting lately. Explanations that Undead Much? is on the shelf and in need of commercials and blogs and interviews and such has done nothing to appease this junior offering (it's my third book, so my junior offering, right? Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm easily confused when numbers get higher than two).

Thankfully, this Booklist review was just tossed into my inbox and MY SO CALLED DEATH got a little love!



"The plot is swift paced and appropriately wacky, but the real draws are the satirical portrayl of the popular set and the black humor of zombie life...a welcome horror spoof."

MY SO CALLED DEATH is my last "the funny leads" book for awhile, so if you like the humor, go pre-order this baby. (I'm too lazy to link, so search for it on your favorite site if you're so inspired. I'm not here to pressure you...or make your life easy. Ha! Just kidding, but not really because I'm really not going to give you the link. Sorry.) My upcoming projects have moments of humor, but dark romance is selling and...I like to sell books so...yeah...

But the dark offerings will be delicious, I promise! Like dark chocolate filled with yummy "hot damn! that's good". (I have news that I'm dying to share, but I can't yet...yet...but stay tuned, within a week or two there will be ANNOUNCEMENTS of THINGS that are EXCITING!!)

Also, I'm going to start vlogging...is that a scary thought? I'm thinking to keep it silly and fun, but will hearing my annoying voice ruin my books forever for you? My husband says he hears my voice when he reads my books. For him, that's okay because he's crazy in love with me enough to enjoy my squeaky little voice, but what about the average Joe or Jane? Should I or shouldn't I? Imput apreciated.

Also number two, I'm getting ready to hire someone to spiff up my website, http://staceyjay.com
What do ya'll like to see in a site? Does mine suck as badly as I have heard from certain people who have urged me to redesign it? How can I suck less, if so? (Because I'm all about sucking less in 2010.)

And I'm working on a couple intense blogs about friendship between girls and the choice to be a sexually active young woman. Is that too much? Should I just stick to talking about books?

I've asked for a lot of imput here! Sorry. Especially since--knowing myself the way I do--I'll respectfully listen to imput and then do what I damned well please anyway. (That's not because I don't care about your opinions. I really do. I just am so OCD that once I get the urge to do something it's nearly impossible to stop myself.)

Happy nearly Thursday,

Stacey Jay

Coffins can be funny

For real.

Check out some very unusual final resting places over at Zombies in Tiaras:

http://zombiesintiaras.blogspot.com/2010/01/stylin-in-afterlife.html

See ya'll later in the week when I'm going to blog about female bonding, an exciting research trip I may be taking this coming weekend, or cheese. Or maybe all three if things get really wild and crazy around here.

Don't take any crap from Monday,

Stacey Jay

Red Thursday Redux

Red Thursday Redux!

In Pictures (because I am too tired for many words).

There were red robots watching over a copy of my book!



There was a red t-shirt for me (I can't look at myself when I take a picture or I start laughing or make really dumb faces. So I peer off to the side and look kind of evil and confused. Evfused. It's a look, I do what I can with it.)



There was a red cupcake and spooky creativity fun book for 5 in fitting with the zombie theme.



There were red lips and growls.



There was dancing in red pajamas. (Music supplied by Yo Gabba Gabba)



There was a red binkie...



And a red eyepatch (he's in treatment for a crossed eye, no serious open wound or anything, never fear).



Then things got a little crazy when the zombie baby went rabid, threw his binkie to the floor, and went after a hunk of brother's arm...



(He's never done that before! I thought I was going to get a cute shot of him cuddling brother and instead he just nommed on him. Crazy baby. We're going to try to nip that in the bud. We like our zombies in books not in real life.)

Then there was Disney Game in red PJ. There was red wine and red meat and a lime tart (that wasn't red, but so delicious it should have been) before that, but I forgot to take pictures of that because we always have to eat really quickly before the baby gets sick of being in his playpen.



So yeah. It was another rockin' CRAZY release night party at the Jay house :). Good times.

And remember, UNDEAD MUCH? is out there. Go. Fetch. Devour.

Happy Weekend,

Stacey Jay

UNDEAD MUCH? out today

It's here! Red Thursday is here! "Undead Much?" is now available in stores.

(Warning!!, there is a SPOILER filled blurb on many of the bookstore websites, one my editor and I have done our best to have removed and replaced with the company approved blurb. For now, however, the spoiler filled blurb is still out there. So beware. I'd advise reading the blurb I've posted below and then just running straight to your nearest book store (in your pajamas is fine, I'm sure they'll understand the fervor of Red Thursday). Or ordering online without reading whatever the website of your choice has posted for a blurb.)

BLURB:

Even Zombie Settlers with Super Hot Boyfriends get the Blues...

A few months ago I was a normal girl with a normal life. But that was before my power to Settle the Undead returned and someone tried to kill me with zombies.

Now I work magic and practice kicking butt while trying to find time for pom squad and my boyfriend, Ethan, and trying NOT to think about how freaky my life has become. It can be tough. Still…things could be worse…

Oh yeah, right:
1. Feral new super-strong zombies. Check.
2. Undead psychic hottie predicting a zombie apocolypse. Check.
3. Earth-shattering secrets that could land me in Settler prison for life. Check.
4. Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening the end of the half time as we know it. Check.

I’m going to need therapy (and a cookie) if I live through the week. Unfortunately I’m learning that’s not something Zombie Queens can take for granted.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Undead-Much-Megan-Berry-Book/dp/1595142738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264085568&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Undead-Much/Stacey-Jay/e/9781595142733/?itm=1&usri=Undead+Much

Indie bound:

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781595142733

Thank you for reading! And let me know if you spot UNDEAD MUCH? in the wild.

Stay tuned for a recap of all the Red Thursday excitement tomorrow. (Which I'm going to call Still Mostly Pink Friday, also an excellent day to go buy a zombie book....or so I hear ;)).

Stacey Jay

Red Thursday...it's coming...

Haircut Horror with Guest Blogger Baby Lo

He was a year old. It was time.

Baby Lo's hair had finally grown so long that I had no choice but to take him to get his first haircut. Unlike with his older brother, however, I was determined to go about this in a clever and prepared super-mommy fashion. I was going to anticipate how traumatic this rite of passage can be and head it off at the pass.

So I took Baby Lo to a fancy, schmancy hair studio specializing in cutting kid hair. There were toys and bright colors and televisions. There were bubbles and bells and snacks. From the second we walked in...I just knew it was going to be great!...

Or not...



I don't know what this woman is talking about. I don't need no stinkin' haircut.



No. I'm not going to go play with the trains. I'm going to lay on you because clearly this is some kind of evil grown-up place where they will lure me into relaxing my guard with shiny toys and then weigh me, measure my head, and stick me with needles when I least expect it. I'll just stay right here with my binkie. Thank you very much, jerk faces with your bubbles and bells and cups of animal crackers.

(Thirty minutes later, after trying to cajole Baby L into sitting in the cute little airplane or car and failing miserably...)



No! Save me! Don't take pictures!



Mom! No! You betrayer!! Ahhhhh!!!



Scarred! I'm scarred for life. Scarred!!!! View my torment. View it!

(Back in the family van ten minutes later, after a tear-filled and hair-covered departure...)



How awful was that? God, hold me, blankie. I'm really messed up.



For real. I'm dealing with my trauma! No more pictures.



Okay. I'll eat those animal crackers you took from them, but I'm not going to be happy about it.

(Four animal crackers later...)



For realz! I'm still really upset.



Okay. Fine. So maybe this looks a tiny bit better than it did before.

And now a gratuitous shot of Baby Lo looking fabulous with Grover and his green martian puppy...



And we're out!

Stay tuned for the RED THURSDAY drama starting Monday!!! It's going to be made of awesome around here on the blog as I celebrate the release of UNDEAD MUCH? next week.

It's next week, people! Next week!

Stacey Jay

Team Jacob! Go forth to ZIT!

Julie and I are talking about The People's Choice Awards fashion nightmares (and Taylor Lautner) over at Zombies in Tiaras:

http://zombiesintiaras.blogspot.com/

Go forth and view the snark and report back here. Or report there. Just report...if you'd like.

Soon, the hair cut blog. I swear. I'm going to get a spare second to breathe ANY SECOND!!

Peace, (please send me a little)

Stacey Jay

Some FAQs

Quetions!!

I've been getting more of them lately. Here are a few answers. I'll have more soon as well as a tragic photo pictorial show-casing the agony of a first haircut.

And now, the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Ever since I read the critic's reviews of Undead Much I've been wondering, if Megan and Ethan are dating how close can they really get because their both settlers so the nights could have many-a zombie busting in on them.

Dude, you are so right. But yet...what about the days? Day time dates are the best! And even zombies have to take a break every now and then.

2. What inspired you to start writing?

I've always written. I can't remember what inspired me. It was just something that seemed like it had to be done.

3. You said you were a C-movie actress, what movies were you in??

I will never tell! You may find out, but I will NEVER tell, lol. They're too embarrassing. I really think I was a decent actress at one point in time, but lord, you couldn't tell it from watching those movies. *Shudder* So. Bad.

4. Other than close family and friends, who's your biggest inspiration in writing??

My critique partner. She's so talented and her writing grows with every book. She inspires me to keep pushing myself to become a better story-teller.

Have a great weekend ya'll, see you Monday,

Stacey Jay

Sophomore Blog Tour: Erin Dionne

Hey ya'll!

I'm thrilled to start the sophomore blog tour with the amazing Erin Dionne's Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. I haven't had the chance to read this one yet, but Erin's got an amazing voice. If you read her debut, Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies, you know the sparkle. So check this one out.



About the book:

Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that’s not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet’s genius sevenyear- old sister will attend middle school with her— and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she—like her family—is anything but average.

In a novel every bit as funny as her debut, Erin Dionne has created another eighth grader whose situation is utterly unique—but whose foibles and farces will resound with every girl currently suffering through middle school.

About Erin Dionne:

Erin lives outside of Boston with her husband and daughter, and a very insistent dog named Grafton. She roots for the Red Sox, teaches English at an art college, and sometimes eats chocolate cookies.

Buy Here: http://www.amazon.com/Total-Tragedy-Girl-Named-Hamlet/dp/0803732988/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2

Be back tomorrow with a few Frequently Asked Questions I've received from readers. Have a great Friday all,

Stacey Jay

Where the hell I've been, resolutions

So, I'm back. Mostly.

Well, not really, I have to run out the door in about fifteen minutes to head to the post office to mail First Pass Pages that will be late if I don't mail them today. That means I've got to get the baby ready to go out into the snow, dig out my mini-van (Oh, garage! How I miss thee!), and mentally prepare to drive on slick streets. I've reconnected to my southern roots and totally blocked out all the years I drove in snow and sleet while I was in college in upstate New York. Now I am a-skeered to drive in the snow and--

46 minutes later--

Baby wouldn't let me finish that blog so we went to the Post Office. The snow wasn't nearly as scary as I thought and he loved watching it fall. He kept squealing and pointing. It was cute.

So, anyway....what was I blogging about?

Oh yeah, where the hell I've been:

1. Packing up house and unpacking at the apartment. The former I did with a 102 degree fever. The latter I did while coughing my lungs out from the secondary effects of the wretched virus that laid me low during the move. If you think cleaning out cabinets is fun when you're healthy, you should try it while feverish. (It was even more fun because I'd just had a great Christmas lunch with the Diamond State romance authors only hours before I fell very, very ill. I'm just hoping I didn't infect any of them. Sorry guys, if any of you are reading this and recovering from the plague cough death disease from hell.)

2. Coughing my lungs out and going to the doctor so they can tell me there's nothing they can do to help me get better except prescribe cough medicine that doesn't really work and--

4 hours and 24 minutes later...

All right. Um, so, my precious 5 year old is home on a snow day and NEEDED me to play Super Mario Brothers with him. In the name of love and motherhood and old teenage nintendo addiction, I had to play and now....

I have no idea where I was or what I was planning for this blog. Let's just sum it up quick before the boys need their bath:

1. I moved a lot of crap.

2. I did a crap load of work.

3. I met one deadline, another still looms in the near distance. (With no childcare for the past 3 weeks and more snow days in sight, it might just have to loom for a bit. I'm trying not to make eye contact with it in hopes that it won't notice I'm here.)

4. I scanned old pictures for my husband and fixed them up in Photoshop:

Before:



After:



Aww! Hubs as a baby! So cute, such scary 1970's carpet!

5. I made some resolutions:

You can read more about that here: http://zombiesintiaras.blogspot.com

And here's a couple I forgot to add over there, some serious ones:

-Turn off Google Alert. Not because I don't care, but because I figure people who want me to know what they've written about me or my books will write me an email and let me know about it. By turning it off, I will help reclaim my sanity and some much needed time.

-Not stress about life events that are out of my control. If the kids or I get sick and I can't meet my deadline, life will go on. All I can do is my best. I'm juggling motherhood and a writing career and it's time my family gets put in first place. I've been letting them slip into the number two spot the past 12-18 months and I don't like that. Work will keep. Childhoods won't. The end.

-Tell my husband I love him more often and do random acts of kick-ass-wifely-ness for him on a regular basis. A kick-ass man like him deserves it.

-Make time for photography again. I haven't taken a single pic that wasn't a kid snapshot in the past two years. I miss taking pictures purely for their interesting-ness.

And that's it! Time's up for me. What about ya'll? Any resolutions to share?

Happy 2010!

Stacey Jay