Dunkey Self Service...

I'm working so hard on DESTINED that the animals at the ranch have started feeding themselves! Now if I could just teach him to type...

XXOOO
PC

Book giveaway for DRAGON'S OATH!

GoodReads is hosting a fabulous giveaway for DRAGON'S OATH! Check it out at:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/11750-dragon-s-oath

XXXOOO
PC

DRAGON'S OATH LETTER

Hey there to all our awesome HoN fans!

Kristin and I are so excited that the first of our novellas, DRAGON'S OATH, is nearing release time! To help get you ready for it I thought I'd give you a little inside peek at how these novellas came about.

Last winter I was in New York City having a fabulous meeting with my lovely HoN publishing team at St. Martin's Press. Happily, over the years we've become good friends with our SMP team. Kristin and I aren't being hyperbolical when we call them our family - we truly heart our publishing team! Anyway, during the meeting we're all chatting about the HoN because my publisher, editor, agent, publicist, etc., etc., are honestly huge HoN fans, so they always have lots of what you and I would call "fangirl" questions for me. Well, the conversation kept circling around to questions about the past. I think what set me directly on the path of the novellas was a comment someone made about how sad they were because Anastasia had been killed, and how awful it was that Dragon seemed to be unable to recover from her loss, which led to someone else chiming in and saying that they'd love to know how Dragon and Anastasia met. I remember saying that they'd met when Dragon was a fledgling, and that the story inside my head had Anastasia as a little older than him and not particularly impressed by the young Bryan "Dragon" Lankford.

Then questions were fired at me: "When exactly did they meet?" "Why didn't she like him?" "Where were they?" "When were they?" But mostly: "WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" I think it was then that I said something like, "Well, I could tell their story." And there was a resounding, unanimous "Yea!" from my publisher.

So then I got to reach into my imagination and pull out those mental back files I have on my characters. It was such fun to bring alive Dragon when he was just teenage Bryan Lankford, rebellious son of the Earl of Lankford. It was also a pleasure to flesh out the Anastasia of the past, who was the youngest vampyre to be made a professor at the Tower Grove House of Night in St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1800's.

And what I discovered as I told their story was that their past was shaping the very fabric of what was happening today at the Tulsa House of Night. So, by reading about fledgling Dragon you will find keys to understanding adult Dragon's motives and actions in DESTINED.

Oh, and yes, I made myself (and Kristin) cry at the end of the novella...

Happy reading!

PC"

DRAGON'S OATH RELEASE DATE: July 12th!

Home and writing!

My research trip to New Orleans was wonderful! I have Lenobia's story totally outlined. Little hint: most of the action will be set in 1788 in the French Quarter.

I don't have the release date of this novella yet. I just know when I have to turn it in. But my guess is it'll be out early 2012.

It was my first trip to New Orleans and I loved the city! (I think I gained five pounds. Soooo much good food!)

So I'm back in Tulsa now. I'm over the 200 page mark in the DESTINED manuscript and all is well. Wait, let me rephrase that: all is well with me. If you're a HoN character, all might not be well...

Thought you'd like to see some pic from my lovely back yard and my view as I'm writing.

Back to DESTINED...
PC

New Orleans!

I'm in New Orleans researching for Lenobia's story (not sure of the release date for it yet - probably early 2012). I'm loving me some French Quarter! And the Garden District - FABULOUS! Oooh!

Writing...writing...writing...
PC

As promised HOUSE OF NIGHT KITTENS!

So out here at Rancho Cast we've had coyote/owl issues. Tragically I've lost three out of five cats, one the mighty Patchy Poo the Pud who was fifteen glorious years old and my favorite cat in the universe. I hope he gets tired of frolicking with the Goddess and decides to return reborn to terrorize Kristin for another fifteen years!

Speaking of Patchy Poo the Pud being reborn: not long ago a very sweet cat showed up at the ranch, which is not unusual because of ignorant folks dumping their pets in the country. Ugh. Anyway, I adopted her and, of course, she was pregnant. (Yes, I'm a responsible pet owner and she will be spayed ASAP.) Her kittens were born about three weeks ago. I'm going to give them all House of Night names - well, the ones I keep anyway. I have several friends who keep "dropping by" to "see me" but who really are scoping out which kittens they're going to stick in purses and pockets...

Here's the litter! With mom shortly after they were born, and today. Adorable!

XXXOOO
PC
p.s. Reminder: be a responsible pet owner. Spay or neuter your animals!

Cooling off from DESTINED

What do I do to cool off and relax between burning up the keyboard trying to get DESTINED in on time?? My water horse and I go for a swim! (I swear Anjo is half hippo. She loves to submerge herself in the water.) Also pictured is Janelle on David the Dunderhorse having an anxiety attack (David, not Janelle).

Next up - HOUSE OF NIGHT KITTENS! Oh boy!

Back to writing...
PC

Homework and interviews and such

Hi Guys,
Okay, it's obviously nearing the end of the school year here in the US of A, which means I'm getting a zillion requests to be interviewed for school projects, research papers, power point presentations, etc., etc. Here's the deal:

1) To successfully complete a research paper or homework assignment in general it requires the student to actually do the work and research. I know this because I taught English for fifteen years (at the above pictured school). So, believe me when I say YOUR TEACHER DOESN'T MEAN FOR YOU TO SKYPE OR EMAIL OR CALL YOUR RESEARCH SUBJECT AND HAVE THEM DO YOUR WORK FOR YOU.

2) All the information about me I want shared with the public can be found with actually very little effort through the internet. Anything else is private.

3) I don't give homework/research paper "interviews" because I need to do my job, which is writing my next novel.

4) For real interviews (this doesn't mean homework assignments) the requests need to go through my publicist, Rachel Ekstrom at rachel.ekstrom@stmartins.com.

5) Snail mail: You can send letters to us in care of St. Martin's Press, 175 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Enclose a SASE. I'm way behind on my fan mail, but I do try to respond to everyone. No, that doesn't mean I write interview question answers. Please refer to 1-4 above for that.

6) To all those teachers out there who are thinking it'd be better to hurl themselves off a bridge than read another poorly written paper: hang in there. It's almost summer. I heart you.

XXXOOO
PC

German HoN! Ooooh!

So as y'all who are not from the US know, there is often a time difference in the release of the English written versions of the HoN books (as well as my other books) and foreign copies. Well, in Germany, where we have a zillion amazing fans, book 6, TEMPTED, is getting ready to release. Our super cool German publisher (wave at Julia, our editor!) hosted a giant HoN party in celebration. Kristin and I would have loved to have been able to be there, but deadlines are killing me. So instead we recorded a little hello and answered some questions. Here are some great pictures from that night! Ooooh! Love the Temple of Nyx and the "tattoos"! Also, here's the link to the recording of the evening. Uh, yeah, it's in German. Well, except for the part Kristin and I did. Still, it's fun to watch!

http://www.houseofnight.de/Bewerbung_Berlin

OK Magazine Article

Oooh! The issue of Oklahoma Magazine with the article on Kristin and me is out! It's a lovely piece. Okies - I just grabbed my copy from Petty's (grocery store) in Tulsa. Non-Okies, here's the OK Mag website: www.okmag.com.

Happy reading!
PC

CCBA/A Story Before Bed

Hi Guys,
I posted earlier about how honored Kristin and I are to be finalists in the Children's Choice Book Awards, and that I did a video recording of BURNED for the nice people at A Story Before Bed. Well, they've grouped some of the authors together. It's fun to watch!

http://www.astorybeforebed.com/ccba

XXXOOO
PC

Awesome photo shoot!

The fabulous Jeremy Charles (www.jeremycharles.com) just did a photo shoot of Kristin and me for Oklahoma Magazine. Here's one of the pics they aren't going to use. Just wanted to give Jeremy a big thumbs up! He was great to work with, and took beautiful pictures. Tulsa area people - I highly recommend him!

Oooh! Me reading!

Hi Guys!
Because BURNED is a finalist for the Children's Choice Book Award, the nice people at A Story Before Bed asked me to video myself reading Chapter 1 of the book. I did, and here's the link:
http://www.astorybeforebed.com/recordings/470dc0512f267b0e

Okay, yes, I'm dorky. Yes, MY DOGS ARE REALLY LOUD. (Sorry about that. They only bark once.) Oh, and sorry about the plane, too. It's a beautiful evening in Tulsa and I have all of my windows open...

Enjoy!
PC
p.s. Story Before Bed is a really cool idea and an awesome website! Check them out at www.astorybeforebed.com

Which one???

Hi Guys,
We're having a little debate here in the House of Night world! We're wondering which cover my fans like best. Can you help me out and weigh in with your choice? The purple cover is the US version. The blue/black cover is the UK version. Which one would you rather buy?

You guys are the best!
XXXOOO
PC

UK DRAGON'S OATH

Oooh! I just got this from my fabulous UK publisher! Here's the UK cover for DRAGON'S OATH. It's going to be published simultaneously with the US, which means it'll release July 12th. What do you think? I really like the blue!

XXXOOO
PC

Yep, a burro...

So, I promised y'all more pet pictures. You saw my majestic mare, Anjo the Wonderhorse, and the Snottie duggies, one ginger cat, and Cul. Now, for your viewing pleasure, I present Seoras's paint horse, Okie Dodger and Dunkey! Yep, I have a kinda crazy burro named Dunkey at the Cast Ranch. (Please note the Scotties scrambling out of the way in the Okie Dodger picture!)

I'm letting DRAGON'S OATH (release date July) sit for a little while before I do a rewrite, so I'm working on DESTINED (release date November)! Oooh, you won't believe what's happening!

Back to writing...
PC

Childen's Choice Book Award Finalist!

OH BOY! Kristin and I are honored to announce that BURNED is a finalist in the Children's Choice Book Awards!

The complete list of YA finalists:

Teen Choice Book of the Year:

Burned (House of Night, Book 7) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin/Macmillan)

Fang (A Maximum Ride Novel) by James Patterson (Little, Brown)

Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press)

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5) by Richelle Mead (Razorbill/Penguin)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Dutton/Penguin)

We're super excited! What great books! Y'all can find out more and learn how to vote for your favorite at: http://www.cbcbooks.org

Congratulations to all of the finalists and thank you so much to those of you who helped put us on the list!

XXXOOO
PC

Dogs!

So y'all already saw my wheaton colored Scottie, Cammy. Now Chloe and Cul want their turns! Chloe (also know as the Sapulpa Assassin) is my black brindle Scottie who is Boss of Everything. Cul, or if you want to be formal Cuchulain. He's just a puppy - only seven months old. He's a greyhound/deer hound mix. Chloe, Cammy, and Cul have epic mock dog fights, which Chloe always, always wins. Check out her Scottie sneak attack! (No, nae duggies got hurt!)

Next up: a burro! What? A burro at the Cast Ranch? Yep. I'll have to figure out some way to write him into the HoN...hum...

Back to writing...with or without burros!


PC

More animals!

Since y'all liked my post with my Scottie dog and ginger cat I thought I'd show you some of the rest of the menagerie at the Cast Ranch. This is my fabulous, amazing, incredible mare, Anjo the Wonder Horse! She's actually even more beautiful than these pictures, especially as she still has her fuzzy winter coat on. I heart her totally (even though in the picture with me on her she was not behaving very well and got in lots of trouble that day...).

Next, more dogs!

Back to writing!
PC

Oklahoma in the Spring...ugh

Yes, my state is beautiful. But it's spring. Pollen. Rain. MUD. Just thought I'd share with y'all an example of the MUD. Yes, the dog came inside (ahhhhhh!). WHY IS THE CAT CLEAN???

I'm still working on DRAGON'S OATH! Ooooh, it's good!

XXXOOO
PC

Foreign Book Sale Update

*UPDATE: SALE WILL END MARCH 15TH!*

Hi Guys,
We've reached the $500 mark on our sale of my foreign book copies, and all of that will go to Will Rogers High School and their English Department! Yea! Thank you so much!

I still have books left, so what I've decided to do is to donate the rest of the proceeds to the fabulous Tulsa organization, Street Cats! (Yes, it is a real cat rescue organization, but it's not run by nuns.) You can learn more about them through their website, www.streetcatstulsa.org.

So here's a list of the books I have left. It's probably easiest if you email my PA, Kat, through The Assistant Agency, if you'd like to purchase one: theassistantagency@gmail.com
(REMEMBER, THIS LIST WILL CHANGE AS THE BOOKS SELL.)
Oh, yeah, Kristin and I have signed all of the books.

Marked-Germany
Marked-Mainland China
Marked-Slovakia
Marked-Norway
Marked-Vietnam
Marked-Finland
Marked-Korea
Marked-France
Marked-Romanian
Marked-Polish
Marked-Sweden

Betrayed-Thailand
Betrayed-Finland
Betrayed-Mainland China
Betrayed-Germany
Betrayed-Vietnam
Betrayed-Swedish
Betrayed-Lithuania
Betrayed-French
Betrayed-Korea
Betrayed-Polish
Betrayed-Romanian
Betrayed-Dutch


Chosen-Sweden
Chosen-Taiwan
Chosen-Germany (audio)
Chosen-Sweden
Chosen-Germany
Chosen-Japan
Chosen-Norway
Chosen-Thailand
Chosen-Mainland China
Chosen-Slovakia
Chosen-France
Chosen-Italy
Chosen-Portugal
Chosen-Poland

Untamed-Denmark
Untamed-S. Korea
Untamed-Thailand
Untamed-Lithuania
Untamed-Chinese
Untamed-Portugal

Hunted-Sweden
Hunted-Slovakia
Hunted-Denmark
Hunted-S. Korea
Hunted-Thailand
Hunted-Italy

Divine By Choice-France
Divine By Mistake-Lithuania
Divine by Mistake-Spanish
Divine By Blood-Norway
Divine By Blood-France

Tempted-Thailand

Burned-Thailand

I thank you, the kids thank you, and the cats thank you, too!

XXXOOO
PC

NYX IN THE HOUSE OF NIGHT

In an earlier post Christina reminded me about this book. I heart me some BenBella Books (a lovely small press). Leah Wilson (editor) and I have worked together on several project, so when she came to me with a proposal to do a Smart Pop (popular culture) book on the mythos of the House of Night I was thrilled to say yes! Actually, I asked to include illustrations to be created for it by a good friend who is part of Clan Wallace, Alan Torrence. AND I said I wanted to write one of the essays, too! The book is awesome, and will be released in June. You can find out more info at http://www.smartpopbooks.com/book/nyx-in-the-house-of-night

Here's some more info:

Nyx in the House of Night

Mythology, Folklore, and Religion in the PC and Kristin Cast Vampyre Series

Edited by P.C. Cast

With more than 10 million copies sold internationally, and 7 million copies in print in North America alone, P.C. and Kristin Cast’s House of Night series, featuring fledgling teenage vampyre Zoey Redbird and her friends at the Oklahoma House of Night vampyre boarding school, is more than just another vampire series.

A big part of the reason is its strong mythological underpinnings. From Nyx, the goddess worshipped by the series vampyres, to the Cherokee legend that drives the plot, the House of Night series is infused with elements from multiple mythos and religious traditions to create a new, modern mythology all its own.

Edited by P.C. Cast, Nyx in the House of Night—a 2-color illustrated guide to the House of Night series—brings these rich mythological influences to life, providing the real-world stories behind the series and insight into the way those stories are used to create the captivating story of Zoey and the House of Night.

Chapters includes:

• Wiccan ritual
• The original story of Erebus and Nyx
• Cherokee mythology
• The historical significance of tattoos
• And more

The book also includes an original introduction and chapter on Scottish folklore by P.C. Cast herself.

Dragon's Oath!

Ooooh! Check out the cover of DRAGON'S OATH! Its release date is July 12th of this year. It's the first of the House of Night back story novellas. Here's the back copy:

Before Zoey is Marked and arrives at the House of Night… before she rises in power to confront utter darkness, and the House of Night is divided… there’s Dragon’s Oath, the thrilling story behind the House of Night's formidable fencing instructor and warrior – the love that will transform him, and the mercy that will come back to haunt him…

I'm writing it right now, and NO I won't answer any questions about it (mostly because the plot unfolds as I'm writing, so I don't know the answers yet!).

XXXOOO
PC

HoN Book Sale!!!

Hi Guys!
As many of you know, the House of Night has been translated into a bunch of languages (over 30). Well, every time the book is released in a foreign country, I get copies of it. Sometimes I just get one or two - and sometimes I get a bunch. So, what's happened is that they've been piling up in my office. I've donated to our local libraries and our Oklahoma Equality Center, but still I have a bunch of books.

Long story short - what I've decided to do is to put my excess foreign copies up for sale, and donate the proceeds to the English department of Will Rogers High School. Some of the books are already up on ebay (follow this link and click into store to find them: Http://myworld.ebay.com/theassistantagency11). You can also purchase them by emailing The Assistant Agency at theassistantagency@gmail.com and inquiring about the language and title you'd like, and then check on shipping. Yes - we will ship outside the US, but you'll have to pay for it.

There are also some books for sale through Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A2CV7ENNSAYQ6G

Yes, Kristin and I will sign every copy. Below is a list of the languages currently available. This will change as they sell. To ask about a specific title, just email The Assistant Agency, or go to the ebay link.

Yea! Let's support Will Rogers High School!

**Hey guys, a quick additional note: Tulsa is in the middle of a nasty bit of weather. I'm at my ranch, which is outside the city. As soon as I can safely get into Tulsa and get these books signed they'll be put in the mail. Actually, I'm going to instruct my PA to make weekly trips to the post office after I've signed them all. So be a little patient, especially if we get more snow on Wednesday as they're forecasting...ugh...

XXXOOO
PC

p.s. Oh, there are also limited copies of my Partholon books available in foreign copies, too.

HoN copies available in the following languages:
ITALIAN
KOREAN
SWEDISH
CHINESE
VIETNAMESE
PORTUGUESE
DUTCH
FRENCH
SLOVAK
GREEK
ROMANIAN
POLISH
SWEDISH
CHINESE
ITALIAN
DUTCH
DANISH
LITHUANIAN
NORWEGIAN
POLISH
ROMANIAN
AUDIO CD GERMAN
POLISH
GERMAN
THAI
LITHUANIAN
SCANDINAVIAN
PORTUGUESE
ITALIAN
GERMAN
CHINESE
DANISH
KOREAN
THAI
SPANISH

PARTHOLON BOOKS:
FRENCH
SPANISH
SWEDISH
NORWEGIAN

MY PA ALSO JUST DISCOVERED A BOX OF GODDESS OF THE SEA AND OLD COPIES OF DIVINE BY BLOOD, BOTH IN ENGLISH. WE'LL BE PUTTING THOSE UP FOR SALE ON EBAY, TOO.

SNOWPOCALYPSE!

For all of you watching the weather (especially my friends on Grand Cayman Island) wondering if it's really as bad in Oklahoma as the news is reporting: HELL YES. IT'S REALLY THAT BAD. At least we haven't lost electricity. Yet. Ugh.

Time to burrow!

Amazing new series!

Whilst you're waiting for the next HoN book I'd like to highly recommend a new series to you. It's already been released in the UK, and tomorrow, February 1st, it'll release in the states (coming soon to Germany, too). THE DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER is by my good friend Jana Oliver. It's an awesome book, filled with a cool new mythos about demons and those who trap them. It's funny and smart, as well as dark and kinda scarey. Check it out! And as of tomorrow: HAPPY RELEASE DAY JANA!! I'm wishing you all the best, girlfriend!

XXXOOO
PC

Interview

Check out the interview I gave to the very cool Lambda Literary site. You can find it at:
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/interviews/01/13/p-c-cast-standing-up/

XXXOOO
PC

Cool Girlfriend Release!

I have a group of amazing friends, for which I am very grateful. They're talented, funny, and interesting. Among my friends is the fabulous intuitive, Colette Baron-Reid. She and I have been buddies since she read my very first book (DIVINE BY MISTAKE, originally published as GODDESS BY MISTAKE). Well, not only is she a good friend and an excellent intuitive counselor, but she's also a well published author. Her current release looks fascinating. I'll be picking it up as soon as I can get myself to the 21st Street Borders in Tulsa. It's called THE MAP (pictured above), FINDING THE MAGIC AND MEANING IN THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE. I know for a fact Colette is magical - she predicted the success of the HoN before I'd written the books! (As a side note, she tells me that my success will move to film - and I'm believing her!)

In honor of the release of THE MAP, Colette is hosting a great giveaway. You can find out more info at www.themaplaunch.com.

Also, check out Colette's WISDOM OF AVALON oracle cards (easy to find on Amazon or B&N or Borders sites). I have a pack, and I love them!


Here's wishing Colette a magical launch!

XXXOOO
PC

Safely home!

So, I went from frosty but magical Scotland (picture taken by Loch Lomond) to sunny but cold Oklahoma (picture taken of my front pasture).




I want to say a big thank you to all my Scottish fans! You made my mini-tour wonderful! Now I'm going to wade my way through jet lag and get back to writing. First I'm going to finish the Dragon and Anastasia Lankford story, DRAGON'S OATH (release date summer of 2011) and then continue working on DESTINED (release date of November 2011).

Hugs and Kisses to my friends in Scotland!
PC

Glasgow Event!

I'm looking forward to my Glasgow event, which will be the last one of my mini-tour (I'm always a little sad when I leave Scotland!). It's tomorrow (Thursday the 20th) at the Sauchiehall Street Waterstone's, 6:30 pm. I know the event is sold out, but as with the Stirling Waterstone's I'll stay afterward and sign a bunch of stock so there will be autographed copies available in the store.

See y'all there!
PC

My favorite moment from the Golden Globes, too!

I had to share! Yea for Chris Colfer, who I think would make a fabulous Damien! Hugs and kisses and congrats to him and Glee!

XXXOOO

PC