I'll be happily traveling to Charlotte NC Tuesday September 13 to meet with students at South Meck High School in the morning. I'll be sharing ghost stories and signing boooks at the fabulous PARK ROAD BOOKS in Charlotte at 6 p.m. till we quit.
Of course, my new YA novel DEAD RULES will be on the menu. Also, GHOST CATS OF THE SOUTH has just been released in paperback from John F. Blair. And, you know, wherever Ghost Cats and I show up, GHOST DOGS OF THE SOUTH also comes along.
Should be fun: Ghost cats, ghost dogs, ghost teens... Not to mention the ghost car I'll be driving.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Dead Rules art by Rebecca Mae Gruber
Fresh from the studio of Rebecca Mae Gruber, Freehold (NJ) High, a rather perfectly realized work of Dead Rules art. Thanks, Rebecca!! ./ Randy Russell.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Ghosts and Girls: Live Chat Wednesday August 31 at Inkpop
This is going to be too much fun! I'm doing a live chat on writing from a perspective different from your own at 5:30 PM EST Wednesday Aug 31 at the famed Inkpop.com website.
The Q & A about writing a character or a complete novel from the p.o.v. of a gender other than your own will last only one hour.
But you can leave questions for me right now right here and I will answer them during the chat.
Looks like we'll also be talking about writing from a dog's or cat's perspective. I've done quite a bit of that in my short-story collections, Ghost Dogs of the South and Ghost Cats of the South.
And, of course, your own experiences writing from other perspectives are most welcome at the Inkpop live chat. Join us, won't you?
You can join the live chat by clicking here: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
Or simply drop by and read the discussion as it takes place. Should be fun to see me in a skirt.
The Q & A about writing a character or a complete novel from the p.o.v. of a gender other than your own will last only one hour.
But you can leave questions for me right now right here and I will answer them during the chat.
Looks like we'll also be talking about writing from a dog's or cat's perspective. I've done quite a bit of that in my short-story collections, Ghost Dogs of the South and Ghost Cats of the South.
And, of course, your own experiences writing from other perspectives are most welcome at the Inkpop live chat. Join us, won't you?
You can join the live chat by clicking here: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
Or simply drop by and read the discussion as it takes place. Should be fun to see me in a skirt.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
You're a YA Cliché! ~ by Cara Best
Cara Best, one of my favorite teen bloggers, told me she was working on a list of Clichés in YA Novels. I asked (begged!) her to share it with me as a guest post. Lots of fun ensued (see below).
You may read Cara’s regularly irregular and most charming blog posts and YA Book Reviews at Chasing Words. Drop by.
You're a YA Cliché ~ by Cara Best.
Welcome to your very own YA novel: CLICHED. You're the main character and your story has been told by an anonymous writer who's just released the details. Here's your reality CLICHED in list form
1. Your parents are dead.
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but your parents are dead. Maybe both, maybe one or the other, at least a sibling. Someone in your immediate family is dead. Because being an orphan, half-orphan, or recent only child makes you relatable because no one has a complete, still living family
2. You’ll be in Science Class a lot.
You're a "typical" high school student, but you only attend science classes. Also, you never have homework. Studying is a foreign concept. In said science classes you only ever do lab work and your lab partner is Hotty McGorgeouson. Hotty thinks you're cute which leads to…
3. Instalove!
McG and you have had two full minute-long conversations and now you're in love.
The only thing you know about him is that he broods a lot {brood is a keyword, it's used often to emphasize his mysterious appeal}, has long, lean pulsating muscles {again, phrasing is key}, and that his past was traumatizing. You don't know what was traumatizing, but you must take Hotty's word that he did nothing wrong and was a helpless victim. The pick axe in the trunk of his car is also just for weekend projects
4. You have no interests whatsoever.
This is key. You must enjoy nothing but spending time with Hotty McG and solving whatever mysterious problem you're “battling.” Your token minority friend will constantly try to convince you to do something with your life, but you manage to resist.
5. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT do anything for yourself or by yourself.
CLICHED is going for a 1950s housewife mentality in which you may do feminine tasks but are not allowed to save yourself, be heroic in any way, act as anything other than Damsel in Distress, or do anything without Hotty. Think of what the neighbors will say!
6. Stay on script.
Feel like going out of the box? Don't. Have an original, fresh idea? Kill it with fire. The last thing our publisher needs is you becoming a mid-list author because you don't listen. Our study of five real live teenagers has shown that clichés are beloved among YA readers and we must not divert!
There you have it. CLICHED in a nutshell. The next book in the series OVERDONE is set to come out in one year with seventeen more books rounding out the series. Feature films to come. Happy reading everyone!
You may read Cara’s regularly irregular and most charming blog posts and YA Book Reviews at Chasing Words. Drop by.
You're a YA Cliché ~ by Cara Best.
Welcome to your very own YA novel: CLICHED. You're the main character and your story has been told by an anonymous writer who's just released the details. Here's your reality CLICHED in list form
1. Your parents are dead.
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but your parents are dead. Maybe both, maybe one or the other, at least a sibling. Someone in your immediate family is dead. Because being an orphan, half-orphan, or recent only child makes you relatable because no one has a complete, still living family
2. You’ll be in Science Class a lot.
You're a "typical" high school student, but you only attend science classes. Also, you never have homework. Studying is a foreign concept. In said science classes you only ever do lab work and your lab partner is Hotty McGorgeouson. Hotty thinks you're cute which leads to…
3. Instalove!
McG and you have had two full minute-long conversations and now you're in love.
The only thing you know about him is that he broods a lot {brood is a keyword, it's used often to emphasize his mysterious appeal}, has long, lean pulsating muscles {again, phrasing is key}, and that his past was traumatizing. You don't know what was traumatizing, but you must take Hotty's word that he did nothing wrong and was a helpless victim. The pick axe in the trunk of his car is also just for weekend projects
4. You have no interests whatsoever.
This is key. You must enjoy nothing but spending time with Hotty McG and solving whatever mysterious problem you're “battling.” Your token minority friend will constantly try to convince you to do something with your life, but you manage to resist.
5. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT do anything for yourself or by yourself.
CLICHED is going for a 1950s housewife mentality in which you may do feminine tasks but are not allowed to save yourself, be heroic in any way, act as anything other than Damsel in Distress, or do anything without Hotty. Think of what the neighbors will say!
6. Stay on script.
Feel like going out of the box? Don't. Have an original, fresh idea? Kill it with fire. The last thing our publisher needs is you becoming a mid-list author because you don't listen. Our study of five real live teenagers has shown that clichés are beloved among YA readers and we must not divert!
There you have it. CLICHED in a nutshell. The next book in the series OVERDONE is set to come out in one year with seventeen more books rounding out the series. Feature films to come. Happy reading everyone!
Monday, August 8, 2011
St Louis, Wichita, Memphis & Blytheville Arkansas
Boards on the windows, mail by the door...
why would anybody leave so quickly for?
Dead Rules and Randy Russell (me) are on the road this week.
Talking about ghosts and love at these wonderful Independent bookstores:
Wednesday, August 10, Puddnhead Books, St. Louis (Webster Groves) MO, 7 p.m.
Thursday, August 11, Watermark Bookstore, Wichita KS, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, August 16, The Booksellers at Laurelwood, Memphis, TN, 6 p.m.
Short and sweet, due to the heat, Dead Rules & I will only be at the best bookstores ever.
And I’ll also be signing stock at That Bookstore in Blytheville Arkansas because I love this place! Order the signed first edition from Mary Gay after August 15.
why would anybody leave so quickly for?
Dead Rules and Randy Russell (me) are on the road this week.
Talking about ghosts and love at these wonderful Independent bookstores:
Wednesday, August 10, Puddnhead Books, St. Louis (Webster Groves) MO, 7 p.m.
Thursday, August 11, Watermark Bookstore, Wichita KS, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, August 16, The Booksellers at Laurelwood, Memphis, TN, 6 p.m.
Short and sweet, due to the heat, Dead Rules & I will only be at the best bookstores ever.
And I’ll also be signing stock at That Bookstore in Blytheville Arkansas because I love this place! Order the signed first edition from Mary Gay after August 15.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Living On the Air in Cincinnati
Dead Rules in Cincinnati at the Public library:
"Dead Rules. As embarrassing as it was to be killed in a freak bowling accident, high school junior Jana is not finding the afterlife to be all that great, either. Before her death, Jana had envisioned that her boyfriend, Michael, and she would be together forever. Now, though, she is stuck in Dead School, where she is supposed to be studying to become a Riser, and move on. Jana really wants to learn how to be is a Slider, so she can go back and get another chance with Michael. To do this, Jana enlists the help of Mars, a Slider whom, she can’t help noticing, is very handsome. But, nevermind that, Jana wants Michael back. Now if she can just find a way to achieve this without killing him, too. Just like Jana herself, this critically acclaimed, darkly comic story isn’t at all afraid to challenge all the conventions of the paranormal romance genre."
Now you can read the first 75 pages FREE online at Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
"Dead Rules. As embarrassing as it was to be killed in a freak bowling accident, high school junior Jana is not finding the afterlife to be all that great, either. Before her death, Jana had envisioned that her boyfriend, Michael, and she would be together forever. Now, though, she is stuck in Dead School, where she is supposed to be studying to become a Riser, and move on. Jana really wants to learn how to be is a Slider, so she can go back and get another chance with Michael. To do this, Jana enlists the help of Mars, a Slider whom, she can’t help noticing, is very handsome. But, nevermind that, Jana wants Michael back. Now if she can just find a way to achieve this without killing him, too. Just like Jana herself, this critically acclaimed, darkly comic story isn’t at all afraid to challenge all the conventions of the paranormal romance genre."
Now you can read the first 75 pages FREE online at Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Looking for (Ghost) Applause in Virginia
I'll be traveling through Virginia this week to visit Kelly Justice at her fabulous and famous Fountain Bookstore in Richmond on Saturday, July 9. This reminded me that I might anticipate applause while driving through Va.
I have been fascinated for quite some time by Mary T.'s account of ghost applause in Virginia. She was kind enough to send this along to me and allow me to post her original telling of the encounter. Thanks, Mary!
>>"Randy, When I met you at City Lights bookstore in Sylva, I promised to tell about my experiences when staying in a plantation house in Clarke County, Virginia. In brief,this is what occurred.
I spent 3 nights and parts of 4 days in one of the many plantation houses to be found in Clarke County. The first 2 nights, I awoke to a sensation of extreme cold (the infamous "cold spot".)
The 3rd night I was awakened by what sounded like applause, not in my room, but in the front of the house where the drawing room and dining room/ball room are located.
One afternoon, while standing in the entry hall, I heard what sounded like people talking. I knew I was alone in the house, but nevertheless I turned around. Of course there was nothing to be seen, but the sounds were real.
Perhaps the applause and the voices were connected in some way - a house party of some sort?! None of these caused me any alarm, but there was one further event that did.
If you have any further questions I would be happy to try to answer them for you. I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, and your book "Ghost Cats of the South."
Sincerely, Mary T.">>
Thursday, June 30, 2011
A Summer Ghost for Everyone
Oh, a summer evening at the haunted Transylvania County Library in Brevard North Carolina is perfect for ghost stories.
Start the 4th of July weekend with a little chill in the air.
I'll be there at 6:30 PM and I'm bringing along a least one ghost for everybody. If you're in the area: Dead Rules in Transylvania County.
Start the 4th of July weekend with a little chill in the air.
I'll be there at 6:30 PM and I'm bringing along a least one ghost for everybody. If you're in the area: Dead Rules in Transylvania County.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Me & Southern Ghosts on Talk Radio
David Schrader, aka Darkness Dave, invited me to share stories of True Ghosts of the South in a one-hour live interview (gulp!) on KTLK-FM Talk Radio, Minneapolis, tonight at 11 PM CST. I'm bringing as many Southern Ghosts with me as I can round up in a day: ghost dogs, ghost cats, and, oh, a bunch of those lovable dead High School students from Dead Rules. :-)
If you don't know anything about Dead Rules yet, here's a current online review at Fitkshun.com to catch you upon the romantic goings on in Dead School. Click: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
If you don't know anything about Dead Rules yet, here's a current online review at Fitkshun.com to catch you upon the romantic goings on in Dead School. Click: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Read 75 pgs of DEAD RULES free online!
HaperTeen released the Dead Rule #4 booktrailer!
Careful, though, this is the world of Sliders from the novel and they're a little scary.
Dare to read a little?
HarperTeen is providing the first 75 pages FREE online.
You can read a portion to see if there's anything you like by clicking here: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
Careful, though, this is the world of Sliders from the novel and they're a little scary.
Dare to read a little?
HarperTeen is providing the first 75 pages FREE online.
You can read a portion to see if there's anything you like by clicking here: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.
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