I'm Christopher Husberg, fantasy author (of the Chaos Queen Series), desultory blogger, and zombie apologist. Also Buffy fanatic. Ballroom danced a bit. Etc.
I traveled around to all the Barnes & Noble bookstores in the area yesterday, signing all the copies of Chaos Queen books they had. It was nice to get out and about, and nice to see that each of the stores carried at least my first book, if not books 2 and 3 in the series as well. (Incidentally, Sandy was the only store to have all three, but I also requested each store order copies of the books, and I'll do a follow-up post probably in January when I get around to sign those copies, too.)
Unfortunately, my mini-tour is down to eight bookstores this year instead of the nine I hit up last year--the B&N at the Gateway in SLC closed recently. That's sad news, but not new news, and while it doesn't bode well, my hope is still that B&N can keep its head above water and do well as a business. (It only helps me, after all.)
Oh, and I slipped some postcards and stickers in each of the books I signed, including promotional material for book 4 in the series, Fear the Stars, that features the upcoming book's gorgeous cover. Get on that while you can! And if you're in the area and looking for a last-minute holiday gift, hit up one of these bookstores and give your friends/fams/whoevers some Chaos Queen goodness!
Sandy
Midvale
Murray
Sugarhouse
[I also stopped at the B&N in Bountiful, but the manager I spoke with there bought up the copy of Book 1 I signed--hopefully he enjoyed it, and there should be more on the way!]
The covers continue to roll out! I have to say, the color scheme for this one is perhaps my favorite of all the covers I've had up to this point--the crimson and pale grey look gorgeous together. This cover also continues the German series aesthetic (cool-looking crowns, basically--check out the covers for the German editions of Book 1 and Book 2), which I also think is awesome.
Also, the parade of covers is likely to continue; as I understand it, books 1, 2, and 3 of the Chaos Queen Quintet will all be coming out in Poland next year, so I should start seeing covers for those books soon as well..
Anyway. Clearly I've been incredibly fortunate as far as covers are concerned, so far. If they're all even close to as good as this one, I'll be one happy writer.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Anchorage, Alaska. I'm from Eagle River, AK, just outside of Anchorage, and things have been crazy. My parents and two younger brothers were all there when the earthquake happened, and it just sounds awful and insane.
In Alaska, you grow up relatively used to earthquakes. Tiny ones happen all the time, and on occasion (maybe once or twice a year, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less) you'll feel something in the 4.0-5.5 range. Right around 6.0 is when the quakes get kind of scary. I think I've experienced a 6+ once, maybe twice. I've never been in a 7, at least not that I can remember, and I can't imagine how terrifying it would have been.
And there have been hundreds of aftershocks--smaller earthquakes after the big one, anywhere from 3-5 on the scale. I know a lot of people who had trouble sleeping last night because the aftershocks were so frequent and relatively powerful.
So, anyway, it's a crazy time. The next few days, weeks, and months will constitute a lot of cleaning up and assessing damage for pretty much everyone I know up there. I imagine there will be a shortage of dishes, bookshelves, and plumbing services for a while. Thankfully, at least, most areas have power again--it's been hovering right around 32 degrees, and that's relatively warm for this time of year.
The following photos taken by my Dad, Brad Husberg, and show just a snippet of the damage:
Structural damage to my parents' house.
My Dad's office--thankfully he avoided getting crushed by these huge bookshelves.
My family's kitchen.
I mean...
Local grocery store.
Basically, it's a huge mess for a lot of folks up there, and my family didn't even get the worst of it. A part of me is glad I wasn't up there to experience it, and another part of me wants to get up there asap and help out with the cleanup.
All of me, however, is proud to be an Alaskan. They're some of the toughest, most practical, independent people I know, and they're all bad-ass and awesome. I'm proud of my family and friends, I'm so happy that everyone I've heard from is safe, and I'm sending them love and hope the best for them.
And, in the tiniest token of solidarity, I'm wearing one of my favorite sweatshirts today.
