Linda Grimes - Tor/Forge Blog

Events / What's New

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for June

June 1, 2016May 10, 2024torforge

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in June! See who is coming to a city near you this month.

Kathleen Baldwin, Exile for Dreamers

Friday, June 10
Murder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM

Sunday, June 12
Barnes & Noble
Dallas, TX
3:00 PM

Claudia Christian, Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator

Thursday, June 30
Barnes & Noble
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Susan Dennard, Truthwitch

Friday, June 10
Barnes & Noble
Grand Rapids, MI
7:00 PM

David Lubar, Character, Driven

Saturday, June 11
Barnes & Noble
Easton, PA
2:00 PM

Avram Noble Ludwig, Shooting the Sphinx

Tuesday, June 28
Barnes & Noble
Upper East Side
New York, NY
7:00 PM

Seanan McGuire, Every Heart a Doorway

Saturday, June 11
Kinokuniya
New York, NY
3:00 PM

Rachel Howzell Hall, Trail of Echoes

Sunday, June 5
Book Carnival
Orange, CA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, June 8
A Great Good Place for Books
Oakland, CA
7:00 PM

Friday, June 17
Murder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM

Saturday, June 18
Mystery Lovers Bookshop
Oakmont, PA
2:00 PM

Linda Grimes, All Fixed Up

Saturday, June 4
Barnes & Noble
McLean, VA
1:00 PM

Malka Older, Infomocracy

Wednesday, June 8
Greenlight Bookstore
Brooklyn, NY
7:30 PM
In conversation with Daniel José Older.

Monday, June 13
Kramerbooks
Washington, D.C.
6:30 PM

Wednesday, June 15
An Unlikely Story
Plainville, MA
6:00 PM

Katie Schickel, The Mermaid’s Secret

Wednesday, June 15
Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse at Mohegan Sun
Books provided by Bank Square Books
Uncasville, CT
12:00 PM

Thursday, June 16
Avon Free Public Library
Local Author Festival with Katie Schickel, Geoffrey Craig, Dawn Leger, Christopher Greene, and Velya Jancz-Urban
Avon, CT
7:00 PM

Friday, June 17
Jabberwocky Bookshop
Newburyport, MA
7:00 PM

Thursday, June 23
Bethany Beach Books
Bethany Beach, DE
6:30 PM

Friday, June 24
Brouseabout Books
Rehoboth Beach, DE
7:00 PM

David C. Taylor, Night Work

Sunday, June 12
Barnes & Noble
Newington, NH
1:00 PM

Dom Testa, The Galahad Archives, Book One

Saturday, June 11
Barnes & Noble
Lakewood, CO
12:00 PM

Simone Zelitch, Judenstaat

Monday, June 20
Philadelphia Free Library
Philadelphia, PA
6:00 PM

Also, be sure not to miss The Poisoned Pen’s Elevengeddon!

Wednesday, June 1
The Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, AZ
Hosted by Kevin Hearne and featuring Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Pierce Brown, Beth Cato, Adam Christopher, Ryan Dalton, Leanna Renee Hieber, Jason Hough, Mary Robinette Kowal, Tom Leveen, Michael Martinez, Brian McClellan, Joseph Nassise, Sarah Remy, V.E. Schwab, Scott Sigler, Michael J. Sullivan, Sam Sykes, Dan Wells, and Django Wexler

New Releases

New Releases: 5/24/2016

May 24, 2016May 10, 2024torforge

Here’s what went on sale today!

All Fixed Up by Linda Grimes

The hilarious adventures of human chameleon Ciel Halligan continue in the fourth installment of this original urban fantasy series, All Fixed Up.

Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire, has a lot of experience filling in for her clients–as them. A rare genetic quirk gives her the ability to absorb human energy and project it back out in a flawless imitation. She’s hard at work, posing as a well-known and celebrated astronaut, about to make a stunning announcement on behalf of the space program…when the photographer documenting the job sees right through her aura. Worse, it soon becomes apparent that he not only knows Ciel’s not who she’s supposed to be, but means her harm.

Exile for Dreamers by Kathleen Baldwin

Exile for Dreamers is the second captivating installment in the Stranje House series for young adults by award-winning author Kathleen Baldwin. #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure “completely original and totally engrossing.”

Tess Aubreyson can’t run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Her dreams bring nothing but death and grief. Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother, until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her fellow students at Stranje House. Tess’s old friend, the traitorous Lady Daneska and the Ghost, ruthless leader of the Iron Crown, have returned to England, intent on paving the way for Napoleon’s invasion of England. Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?

Sweepstakes

Spring Cleaning Sweepstakes

March 4, 2013May 30, 2024torforge

Our bookshelves are a little overcrowded right now and we need to make room for new books arriving soon. So, we thought we’d make room by offering up books and more to you! You can win one of the two collections pictured below. Enter by commenting and letting us know which collection you’d like to win most:

COLLECTION #1:

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Collection #1 includes: A Memory of Light backpack filled with The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis, Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente, Redshirts by John Scalzi, The Sunless Countries by Karl Schroeder, Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber, A Memory of Light iPhone case, 1 Wheel of Time hookmark, and a Makers tile card game.

COLLECTION #2:

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Collection #2 includes: A Memory of Light backpack filled with Honeyed Words by J.A. Pitts, Among Others by Jo Walton, The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe, In a Fix by Linda Grimes, The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt, A Memory of Light iPhone case, 1 Wheel of Time hookmark, and a Makers tile card game.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins March 4, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. ET. and ends March 8, 2013 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Sweepstakes

#TorChat October 2012 Sweepstakes

October 17, 2012January 24, 2024torforge

Did you participate in today’s #TorChat? We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to your participation in next month’s chat on November 14th!

In the meantime, here’s your chance to win some amazing books! Two lucky winners will receive copies of Three Parts Dead, Ironskin, and In a Fix. Leave a comment below to enter.

And again we’d like to thank Max Gladstone, Tina Connolly, and Linda Grimes for joining us on Twitter today.

Sweepstakes closes to new entries on October 24th at noon.

And don’t forget to come and join us next month, on November 14th, at 4 PM Eastern!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins October 17, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. ET. and ends October 24, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

What's New

October #TorChat Lineup Revealed

October 15, 2012January 25, 2024torforge

This month, #TorChat is talking about firsts—first novels, that is. Joining us on October 17th from 4 to 5 PM EST are Max Gladstone, Tina Connolly, and Linda Grimes, to talk about their debut novels!

Tor Books (@torbooks) is thrilled to announce the October #TorChat, part of a monthly series of genre-themed, hour-long chats created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter.

This month, #TorChat is talking about firsts—as in, first novels. We’ll be chatting with three debut authors who’ve just published their very first genre fiction books. Joining us to talk about how all their dreams will come true are Max Gladstone, the author of Three Parts Dead, a combination fantasy and legal thriller featuring dead gods and chain-smoking priests; Tina Connolly, whose Ironskin is a retelling of Jane Eyre set during the aftermath of a massive fae war; and Linda Grimes, the author of In a Fix, an urban fantasy featuring the aura adaptor extraordinaire Ciel Halligan. These three authors will be chatting with fans about how it feels to get their first novel published, their path to publication, and what happens once the book is out there in the world.

The chat will be loosely moderated by Digital Marketing Manager Cassandra Ammerman (@leanoir). We hope that fantasy fans and aspiring writers will follow the chat and join in using the Twitter hashtag #TorChat!

About the Authors
MAX GLADSTONE (@maxgladstone) went to Yale, where he studied Chinese and wrote a short story that became a finalist in the Writers of the Future competition. He has taught in southern Anhui, wrecked a bicycle in Angkor Wat, and been thrown from a horse in Mongolia. Three Parts Dead is his first novel. It published on October 2nd.

TINA CONNOLLY (@tinaconnolly) lives in Portland with her husband and toddler. Her stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Fantasy Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Highlights Magazine, and the anthology Unplugged: Year’s Best Online SF 2008. Connolly is a frequent reader for Escape Pod and Podcastle, and works as a face painter, which means a glitter-filled house is an occupational hazard. Ironskin, her first novel, published on October 2nd.

LINDA GRIMES (@linda_grimes) grew up in Texas, where she taught high school English to students who were more interested in heckling her at the theater where she moonlighted than in learning to conjugate verbs. Like her globetrotting main character, Linda has spent her share of time overseas, where, among other things, she witnessed—up close and personal—a police takedown of a purse snatcher in Paris, became a bit too acquainted with a gun-running couple in Ireland (through a misunderstanding while breaking into the ruins of a castle closed for the season), and almost froze to death in an ice cave in Switzerland. She has since decided that writing is slightly less hazardous than travel. Her first novel, In a Fix, published on September 4th.

About #Torchat
#TorChat is a genre-themed, hour-long chat series created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter. Guest authors join fans in lively, informative and entertaining discussions of all that’s hot in genre fiction, 140 characters at a time, from 4 – 5 PM EST on the third Wednesday of every month. Each #TorChat revolves around a different genre topic of interest, often of a timely nature, and strives to provide a new media opportunity for readers to connect with their favorite authors.

About Tor Books
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books. Founded in 1980, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. In 2002, Tor launched Starscape, an imprint dedicated to publishing quality science fiction and fantasy for young readers, including books by critically acclaimed and award winning authors such as Cory Doctorow, Orson Scott Card, and David Lubar. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperbacks, books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and has been named Best Publisher 25 years in a row in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.

Author Features

Books, the Universe, and Cosmic Oddities

September 10, 2012January 25, 2024torforge

Written by Linda Grimes

Sometimes the stars and planets align, and you find out something you’ve written isn’t as batshi—er, batpoop crazy as you originally feared it might be.

I love it when that happens. It’s validating. And when you can email your agent and editor about it, and crack them up long-distance, it can downright warm the cockles of your heart. (Whatever the heck “cockles” are. All I know is, warming them is apparently a good thing.)

A few months ago, shortly after my sister-in-law read a bound galley of In a Fix, she heard something that made her laugh out loud while she was listening to the radio in her car. Came close to making her run off the road, actually. Though, she admitted later, that part could have been caused by an unexpected thrill when her cell phone started vibrating in her pocket. But still. The point is, it was funny.

A little background info about a certain plot point in my book might be useful at this juncture: the bad guys are members of a neo-Viking group promoting an uber-macho ideal in Sweden. They’re tired of being told by society to “pee sitting down.” Metaphorically speaking. Or so I thought.

(I know! Wacky, huh? I was kind of going for the laugh there. But trust me, it all makes sense in the context of the book.)

Anyway, when my sister-in-law got home, she Googled the reference that cracked her up, and found an article from The Local: Sweden’s News in English.

The gist of the article is that the Left Party in Sörmland, Sweden, wants to force … um, I mean, strongly encourage… men to sit down to empty their bladders in the county council’s restrooms. Not only for hygiene reasons, they stress, but because it’s good for their prostates.

Um, yeah. Being able to pee standing up is about the only thing that makes me envy men. No offense to men. I love men—just ask my husband. He’ll tell you flat out, other than chocolate and a good martini, there’s nothing Linda loves more than men.

But I don’t want to be one.

Okay, when I was a kid, I also used to envy men their ability to grow facial hair, but I’ve since evolved beyond thinking it would be cool to do it myself. Not that I don’t still appreciate a good set of sideburns or a fine mustache. Only I don’t particularly want to see it in the mirror. (Ironic that I lose the desire as I approach the age when, according to ads for female facial hair removal products, I might finally be able to achieve it. My timing sucks.)

But back to the point. The article about Sörmland’s fastidious city council, and their truly touching concern for Swedish prostates, was of course published long after I wrote In a Fix. And yet, silly as the subject matter seems, it applies. It relates. It connects.

It’s the kind of coincidence I suspect happens a lot with writers. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? (Well, it makes me wonder. You might not give two toots on a penny whistle.)

Not that I’m implying there’s any New Age stuff going on. I don’t light incense before a writing session, calling on my muse to bring real-world relevance to my fiction or anything. But a little cosmic oddity here and there? Yeah, I can enjoy the wonder of it.

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From the Tor/Forge September newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

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More from the September Tor/Forge newsletter:

What's New

New Releases: 9/4/2012

September 4, 2012February 26, 2024torforge1 Comment

AND

Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 5 story and art by Yu Aida

See upcoming releases.

What's New

Starred Review: In a Fix by Linda Grimes

August 29, 2012May 30, 2024torforge

“Urban fantasy and paranormal novels crowd the shelves these days, so this reviewer is impressed by debut author Grimes’s fresh take on the genre.”

In a Fix, by Linda Grimes, gets a starred review in Library Journal!

Here’s the full review, from the August issue:

Ciel Halligan is an aura adaptor, a human imitator, and there are many like her out there. The trait lends itself well to careers in covert operations, but becoming a spook doesn’t sit well with the macho males in her family. So Ciel runs a business impersonating clients, giving them a way out of sticky situations they’d rather not deal with personally. When her current client’s fiancé is kidnapped by neo-Vikings, Ciel finds herself caught between two men who play havoc with her emotions. When the case heats up, so does the attraction she feels for both of them. Can Ciel convince them she’s adult enough to play in their game, and will she survive to see where the fates will lead her heart?

VERDICT Urban fantasy and paranormal novels crowd the shelves these days, so this reviewer is impressed by debut author Grimes’s fresh take on the genre. Fans of both hard and soft fantasy and crime drama will love her protagonist’s spunky, irreverent attitude as well as Grimes’s character-building skills and unusual storyline. —Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City/Cty P.L., MO

In a Fix will be published on September 4th.

Video

Book Trailer: In a Fix by Linda Grimes

August 22, 2012May 17, 2024torforge

In a Fix by Linda Grimes

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable…that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

In a Fix, by Linda Grimes, releases September 4th!