Librarian

Bondage and Self-Worth

…were two of the wonderful things I got to babble about in my library talk at the Ocean County Library last night (I referenced 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight). It was nerve-wracking, as I haven’t spoken publicly since my Oxford days, but the people who came out — despite the cold — were warm and receptive, and asked some really great questions. And hey, I sold a few books, which means Lenna’s story is making the rounds again! Yahoo!

Now that Librarian‘s audiobook and its promotions are more or less done, I can focus on the big task at hand: FINISHING APPRENTICE. I’m hoping to knock out the last few chapters during February, then send it out for copy editing in March or April. Get excited: I will be looking for people to read the galley/ARC (look, I use publishing terms now)!

Snowed… Out?

I’m the first one to say, “YES, SNOW! YES! SNOW MORE! SNOW HARDER!” (much to the dismay of those around me), but now that my flight is canceled I’ll be forced to enjoy the nice SF weather for another two days! *gasp*

Up yours, winter; while you’ll be harassing my loved ones back home, I’ll be enjoying this:

In the meantime, I’m off to eat curry, visit museums, and then (maybe) tomorrow get some work done.

Remember to register for my upcoming library talk at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library on Tuesday, 28 January at 7:00 pm, and if you haven’t entered the Audible audiobook giveaway for Librarian yet, you should totally join the contest!

Audible Giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of the audiobook version of Librarian, we’re pleased to announce that we’re giving away 20 copies of the Audible.com digital edition of the beautifully narrated book!

Tweet #lennaspeaks or submit your info on this page to enter the giveaway. Winners will be notified by email or direct message on Twitter! GOOD LUCK! The contest ends Friday, 24 January at 12:00 PM EST. Make sure to tell your friends, too!!

*UPDATE* The contest has officially ended! Congratulations to the winners!

Audiobook Launch!

Yay! I’m proud to announce that Librarian the audiobook is now officially available for digital purchase! It is narrated by the extremely talented Anisha Dadia, so for those of you who enjoy listening to books, please pick up a copy and support the industry! It can currently be purchased at the following sites:

Audible
Amazon
iTunes

Crashpow Through January

Jeepers, I never thought 2014 would kick off with such a bang. Where is my free time? Where is my relaxation? (If anyone mentions the new Zelda for Nintendo 3DS, they will get kicked in the shin. IT WAS ONE DAY.)

First-read commentary on chapters seven and eight for Apprentice have arrived from our lovely James, so after incorporating some annotations into the first draft, I can get to red-penning again. Huzzah.

The audiobook version of Librarian should be up on Amazon/Audible/iTunes next week, assuming the quality check at ACX goes smoothly. Fingers crossed! #amirite

I’m also currently reviewing a book, Welcome to New Brooklyn, for fellow author, Tom Hobbs; it’s exciting to be more active in the writing community. You can find more info on Tom over at kindlemojo.

This has been a pretty tame update from me, eh? Zero swearing! Zero mentions of ponies! Forgive me my lack of entertaining news to share; puppy-sitting left me quite exhausted!

Puppy Intervention — It’s hard to work when a German Shepherd puppy gets between you and the laptop.

Nothing Wrong with Eight Inches

I love a good snowstorm, the kind that forces you to sit inside and… do some work. Don’t worry; I am actually working on Apprentice, though we’re mucking about a bit in a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey scene at the moment and I require lots of irrelevant snippets of paper, thumbtacks, and, very soon, the OLD SCHOOL CORK BOARD SHALL RETURN.

The audiobook version of Librarian is complete and as soon as it hits the distributors, I’ll let you know. I’ll also, similarly to my first run of hardcover/paperbacks of the novel, offer signed audio CDs with a special message from me exclusively for sale on my website. Stay tuned for details. 😀

Also, don’t forget! I’m giving an amazing, socially-relevant talk at the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library on Tuesday, 28 January at 19:00 EST! Sign up here!

Librarian Library Talk

That’s right! I’ve been asked to speak at the Ocean County Library (Toms River branch) in January! I will apparently be babbli — er, giving a talk about the portrayal of women in popular fiction and the hellishness of navigating the ever-changing publishing industry.

Registration is necessary, I believe! So if you want to see me use my sociologist degree for something, go ahead and sign up. (PS — I’ll be heading across the street afterward for drinksies, so feel free to follow along!)

Here’s the proper link:

http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=2161&EventID=192276&PK=

Okay, PSA ended! 😉

The Day the Ponies Danced

Wahoo! I’ve hit the 75,000-word mark on Apprentice! The original ‘target’ for the first draft was 90k, but as Librarian ended up at 96k, I imagine its sequel is going well into the 100,000-word range. So! 75% of the way there on the first draft!

Of course, rather than continuing writing with my usual gusto, I took the moment to gather up all the wonderful ponies on my desk and have them do a little dance around my MacBook Pro to bestow upon Apprentice the magic of friendship.

I’m totally sane, right?

*goes back to playing with his dolls*

Get Out Dem Bose Headphones

That’s right! Long requested, long ignored by me (until now), LIBRARIAN is finally getting the audiobook treatment! A talented VO producer will be handling the final version, soon to be available via Amazon, Audible, iTunes, CD, et cetera! Behold the cover art!

I can’t wait for everyone to HEAR the finished product!

PS — I have more to update about, like my wonderful weekend in DC with old friends and new, but right now this little X-Mas bunneh just decorated the tree and wants to hide in the branches for a nap!

The Aftermath of a Nerdgasm

If you read the post from the other day where I refused to be productive because of the possibility of too much fandom going on in my life, you’ll know yesterday was pretty epic from a geek standpoint for me. I shan’t go into the details (SPOILERS), but suffice it to say I made too much food and got far too excited.

Also, I dropped a food processor on my knee, severely crippling my efforts at mastering this paso doble. Oh well.

There’s one more day until the FINAL (I mean it) Goodreads giveaway for Librarian ends so, really: it’s Sunday, it’s cold out — sign up if you haven’t! Meanwhile, I’m actually being a good boy and working on Apprentice.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

by Brian Fence

Giveaway ends November 25, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win