Vampire invasion of Ashland

The Ashland Daily Tidings gave a nice review of The Ghost Runner.

The reviewer wonders who Blair Richmond is:

I, of course, found myself looking for "mistakes" — signs that the author doesn't really know Ashland and might just be a visiting tourist. The trilogy is written under the pen name Blair Richmond, and the only clue its publisher — our very own Ashland Creek Press — will give about the identity of the author is that she (or he) lives in the Pacific Northwest.

I do live in the area and will in fact be in Ashland for the Halloween parade.

And of course, I'll be in costume.

Win a free copy of The Ghost Runner

If you're on Goodreads -- and if you're a reader you should be -- sign up to win a free copy of my new book.

Now, you've probably already purchased a copy for yourself (or so I hope), but this additional copy will make a nice gift.

Tell your friends, neighbors, people standing in line at the bank...

Here's the link.

Kirkus says the The Ghost Runner is "thoroughly entertaining"

Kirkus Reviews is one of those publications I had never heard of before I became a writer.

But it's an important publication, if you're a writer.

Librarians read it cover to cover, or so I'm told.

Just getting a book reviewed by Kirkus is an accomplishment.

So I'm a little giddy to see this review for The Ghost Runner.

Here's an excerpt:

"Vegan vampires, Shakespearean actors, food–co-op aficionados and serious runners face off against old-school bloodsuckers and rapacious, forest-devouring builders in this follow-up to Out of Breath (2011) set in—where else?—Lithia…Spunky Kat is good company; Alex and Roman are better defined this time around, but most vivid character honors go to the setting, whose tall evergreens and babbling brooks, shadowed by brooding mountains, enhance the sturdy plot. Thoroughly entertaining."

I particularly appreciate those last two words: Thoroughly entertaining.

And, like the movies do, I'm going to use these two words everywhere I go.

I'll get bumper stickers made. Posters. T-shirts.

Or, maybe I'll simply post a thoroughly self-absorbed blog post.

Check.

Ghost Runner excerpt on Scribd

Okay, so I know you can already download a PDF excerpt of The Ghost Runner over at the Ashland Creek Press site.

But if you don't like downloading things because you never know where they've been, you can now read an excerpt right on Scribd (or, better yet, right below). The Ghost Runner: Book Two in the Lithia Trilogy (excerpt)

A dog is a whale's best friend

I love this article in The New York Times about a dog who has been trained to detect whale scat from up to a mile away. And he does it all without getting seasick! Says the article:

And it is not easy. Scat can sink or disperse in 30 minutes or less. But it is crucial in monitoring the health of the whales here, an endangered group that is probably among the most studied animal populations in the world. Most of the 85 or so orcas, or killer whales, that frequent the San Juans, about two hours northwest of Seattle, have been genotyped and tracked for decades, down to their birth years and number of offspring.

So I did some web research (a.k.a. procrastinating) into the Center for Conservation Biology (up north in Seattle). They are devoted to recruiting dogs to help them help other animals.

Some of the most pressing conservation issues need to distinguish between multiple, concurrent pressures facing wildlife over a large geographic range. The Conservation Canines program addresses this need by combining the precision and efficiency of detection dogs to readily locate wildlife scat (feces) samples with the ability to extract a wide variety of genetic and physiological indicators from these samples. These indicators enable us to ascertain species abundance, distribution, resource use, and physiological health all in relation to the environmental pressure(s) the species is encountering.

An organization devoted to training (and rescuing) dogs for conservation purposes. That's right. These dogs are all rescue dogs. This is so amazing and I think it might find its way into book three.

Out of Breath is number one (sorta)

The essential challenge here is moving the book from the free column to the paid column.

I'll add that to my 'to do' list.

Free excerpt of The Ghost Runner

If you're curious about what happens after Out of Breath, I've got good news.

Sort of.

The good news is that you can download a free excerpt from book two in the series -- The Ghost Runner -- here.

The bad news is that you can't download anything else just yet.

The book doesn't go on sale until November.

I know. I know. I hate waiting too.

I mean, the book is done, right?

Yes, but the publisher likes to send out early review copies and I have to respect the process.

And I really should just focus on writing book three.

The Ghost Runner: Coming in November!

Last fall, there was Out of Breath.

I knew I wanted to write a book about a runaway who hides out in a small town, a magical town of many secrets, only to realize that she cannot outrun her past.

I wanted to write about a young woman who believes she can make a difference in the world. And  succeeds, in ways she doesn't expect.

And I wanted to write a book about love. About how love can turn a person -- even a vampire -- into something different, something better.

But I couldn't say everything I wanted to say in one book.

I think I'll need three.

So in November we'll see book two in the Lithia Trilogy: The Ghost Runner.

Ghost runner? You mean this book features ghosts in addition to vampires?

What can I say, Lithia is a town of many secrets.


And a few new characters.

I'll have much more to say in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned...

Out of Breath in Creations Magazine

I was so happy this morning to see a wonderful review of Out of Breath in Creations Magazine.

The reviewer, Erica Settino, writes:

Out Of Breath far surpasses the industry standard for young adult literature, and introduces an exciting and rare form of thought-provoking subject matter into mainstream storytelling. Blair Richmond fuses an undoubtedly honed craft with vivid description, emotional characterization and development, and the subtler, yet ever-present gift of metaphor. This is what brings her voice to life.

This review was first published in This Dish is Veg.



 

Writing about running

My main character Kat is a runner.

An amazing runner.

I'm an Oregonian and we love our runners. Like the great one, Prefontaine.

Many people have asked if I'm some Olympic athlete writing incognito.

I wish.

I'm a runner but not of Olympian standards. It's a hobby. A lifestyle. An excuse to procrastinate when I'm trying to write.

But for the purposes of this blog, let's assume that I am an Olympic athlete.

With great hair.

Long legs.

Arms that don't waddle.

The endurance of a gazelle.

….. or not. But that's the fun of writing fiction. In Out of Breath, I could envision being Kat, crossing the finish line of a nose-bleeding, foot freezing mountain race. It was fun to be a competitive runner for a while, even if it was only in character.

Lithia Park

Following closely on my last post -- where in the world is Lithia -- I seek to further confuse you by introducing you to Lithia Park.

And Lithia Park does actually exist.

It's a long and meandering park that closely follows a creek as it begins its long journey to the sea.

Right about now, the park is thick with tourists so I avoid it. I like it best when it's just me and the water and the occasional deer.

Where in the world is Lithia?

Readers of Out of Breath have often emailed me wondering where in the world is the little bucolic town of Lithia, Oregon.

I'll save you some searching on Google Maps and tell you right now that Lithia doesn't exist.

At least not as Lithia.

But if you visit a little town named Ashland, down near the California border, I'm quite certain you'll see the resemblances.

Ashland is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and is situated at the edge of the Klamath National Forest -- the perfect refuge for ghosts and vampires and lots of other creepy residents! And there are so many hiking trails up in those hills that I don't think I will ever see them all.

The lovely town of Ashland, Oregon

So if you want to see the town that inspired Lithia, drop by Ashland.