January 2008 Volume 6, Issue 1

2008?! Damn, I'm gettin' old...

Yeah, I know. I need a new picture...But, hey...At least there is still some color in my beard in this one. If I get a new pic it's just going to look like Santa Claus sat in for me.

Well, honestly, I went through all of the pictures from 2007 and there just weren't any of me alone that didn't make me look like someone had just snuck up on me. And, yeah, there is still the white beard thing...

Anyway, before I forget, The End Of Desire has been nominated for a Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll Award - There is actually more info on that later in the newsletter, but I thought it warranted a quick mention here. If you haven't voted for it yet, what are you waiting for? (GRIN)...Seriously though, polling closes Jan 15, so if you'd like to cast your vote, head over to www.critters.org/predpoll/novelh.shtml.

 

So, anyway, enough of that... It's been awhile since I've had a chance to actually sit down and generate a newsletter, so I guess all of you subscribers have been wondering what happened to me. Well, there was this truck and I was crossing against the light...But, seriously, it was just a very busy touring season. 2007 saw me being away from home for a grand total of 7 months. What that boils down to is that the rest of the folks in the US (especially in airports) got to see me more than my wife and daughter. The running joke (sad and true though it is) was that Dorothy Morrison spent more time with me in 2007 than she did with her husband, and vice versa. This has lead us to a meeting of the minds - for 2008 we are both trimming back our schedules somewhat so we can spend more time with our families as opposed to roaming the country in a rental car, forgetting to eat, and only managing 2 to 3 hours sleep per night. It's not that we don't enjoy touring together, because we definitely do...However, we also aren't opposed to some quality time with our resepective spouses either, if you know what I mean...

Now, this doesn't mean we won't be touring, because we absolutely will... It just means we aren't going to try to go everywhere in 2008. We're going to save some frontiers for 2009 and beyond...

Back to 2007 though...

For all the trials and tribulations of being away from home for so long, it was a very good year for touring. Morrison and I bounced all over the country from New England to the Midwest, and from Spokane, WA to Florida.

Everywhere we went we met wonderful folks, had a great time, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We are hoping to return in 2009 to some of the places we visited during the 2007 touring season, as well as finding new and wonderful places to visit.

2007 HIGHLIGHTS

(In no particular order)

Fans never cease to amaze me - Pictured left is Tish Le Fey. She and her friend Bella (pictured below) drove all the way from Phoenix to Tucson for a one day festival just to meet me.

This was my first time in Tucson, and the TAWN Fall Fest was a blast. The staff and attendees were wonderful - I got to stay with Ashleen O'Gaea and her husband - As I'm sure most of you know, Ashleen is an author and she is also an old friend of mine.

Patrick Campion was the official coordinator for the fest this year and he did a great job both organizing the event and making sure I was taken care of.

 

And, I have to say Tish & Bella were absolute lifesavers! Since I was unaccustomed to the dry heat in AZ, these two made sure I had water on hand at all times whenever I was stuck at my table signing books - Of course, having two lovely ladies hanging around with you all day definitely doesn't help where the heat is concerned, but who am I to complain? :)

And, I suppose I should explain my "Willie Nelson" look - The headband is one of those special deals you soak in cool water before you put it on. It was one of the important survival items Ashleen provided for me in a gift bag along with the ever important sun screen!

 

Like it said...No particular order.

Jumping back earlier in the year, Dorothy and I did a 17 day tour starting in Saint Louis, MO, extending up through New England and the Mid-Atlantic region, finally ending in Virginia. One of the stops along the way was a small store in Rehoboth, MA, called The Silver Willow. (Pictured left to right: Sellars, Morrison, Chuck and Sha [store owners])

What The Silver Willow lacks in physical size they definitely make up for in all other areas. Chuck, Sha, and their entire clinetele were a blast. We had such a full house at one point that Dorothy and I even stood out on the parking lot signing books on the hood of our rental car because there was no room left inside. Trust me, we weren't complaining. These folks were wonderful and we can't wait to visit them again!

Our stops were many on that particular tour, and unfortunately we didn't get pictures from each and every one as we would have liked. However, we did get a few...

In the first picture we are visting Ostara* in Bethlehem, PA. This store wasn't originally on the tour schedule, but we managed to rearrange things enough as to be able to drop in for a few hours before hitting the road and hightailing it to our next gig (left to right: Mary [owner], Sellars, Morrison, and one of the Ostara staff members whose name escapes me at the moment sorry! )

Another of our wonderful visits was Crescent Moongoddess in Hicksville, NY. Bonnie and her family treated us like royalty, welcoming us into their home and feeding us fantastic meal. The clientele of the store was a blast and we had an overflowing house for the workshop, which we moved out onto the lawn to make everyone comfortable. Bonnie also runs the New York Witch Fest which Dorothy and I are trying to rearrange our schedules to do in 2009...

 

LATEST and GREATEST

Well, of all the things that are going on right now, probably one of the most exciting is the fact that I have once again been nominated for a "Preditors and Editors" Reader's Poll Award. Yeah, I know, I mentioned it already, but I also promised there would be more info later in the newsletter, so here it is (Grin)...

The Preditors and Editors Readers Poll awards are a neat thing because the readers actually get to vote, which means the award is really coming from the fans of a book, not from some comittee. While all rewards are cool, I have always been partial to the "people's choice" types such as the P&E.

The polls opened January 1st and will close January 15th, so if you are so inclined to vote, The End Of Desire has been nominated in the 2007 Best Horror Novel Category. Some of you may remember that All Acts Of Pleasure won in the Mainstream Novel Category last year, so it would be very cool to see another book in the Miranda Trilogy pick up a P&E Award!

To vote, visit: www.critters.org/predpoll/novelh.shtml

TEOD is listed as End of Desire, without the "The":... To echo the words of Joe Walsh, "I'd appreciate it if you'd vote for me!"

 

BEWARE OF MIRANDA

The psycho killer dominatrix everyone loves to hate, or hates to love, or...well, whatever...Miranda has a web presence. It seems that she is in almost a dead heat with Felicity for being the most popular character in the RGI series. While Felicity still tops her in marriage proposals received (a fact I will never understand...I mean, this is fiction folks...)... Miranda has developed quite a following.

Her personal website is www.evilinhighheels.com, and has behind the scenes photos of how the covers and posters were created, downloadable wallpapers, trivia about the Trilogy, and links to Miranda Swag. More content is coming soon.

And, speaking of the psycho redhead, the Blood Moon pre-release poster is out and about...

Yep, the trilogy is over, but you really didn't think Miranda would go away THAT easily did you?

Blood Moon will actually encompass a non-Miranda storyline, but her supreme evilness will have her own sub-plot running through the saga.

This next installment in the RGI series is due out a bit earlier than in the past - not a LOT, but a little - with a scheduled release date of October 3, 2008. Dorothy Morrison and I will be kicking off our joint Southern US book tour with a dual release party for Blood Moon, and her debut novel, Lucinda's Web.

The party is already scheduled as a two day gala, taking place at 13 Magickal Moons in Occoquan, VA.

My guess is that Samantha, the owner of 13 Magickal Moons, will throw one serious party, because every time we have visited her store it has been fantastic. With a double book release on the line, she is sure to pull out all the stops!

You can visit the store online at:

www.13magickalmoons.com

Okay, so that seems to be just about all the silliness I can drum up for the moment...As usual, visit my site, www.mrsellars.com, for up the most up to date tour schedule...And, drop in and read my blog at www.myspace.com/mrsellars to see what I am up to on weekly (or thereabouts) basis.

In the meantime, I'll continue to let my beard grow out and take horrible pictures of myself looking surprised even though I am the one taking the picture...Oh, and writing. I'll be doing some of that too...

Till later!

Murv

CURRENT 2008 TOUR SCHEDULE
2/21 - 2/24
ConVocation - Detroit, MI
3/14 - 3/16
Ostara Fest - Harker Heights, TX
10/3 - 10/4
13 Magickal Moons, Occoquan, VA
   
The 2008 Tour Schedule is still in the works so visit www.mrsellars.com for all of the up to date changes over the next few months.