Happy Birthday, Morganville

I think it's safe to say that we have all that series. You know, that series. It may not have been the one that got you into reading, and it may not be the one you call bae. It is, however, a series (or book, for that matter) that has a very special place in your heart and soul. It's a collection of stories and characters in a world that's utterly precious to you. Reading those books fills you with a sort of love and elation, and revisiting that world is always familiar and relaxing. In short, it feels like an awful lot like going home, and those books are home. So. It's that series. And today I'm absolutely honored to have the creator and Founder of Morganville herself on my blog to talk about Morganville, because that series--my series--turned ten years old this month, which is cause for a celebration.

Morganville: Thank you fans for 10 amazing years

10 years! Well, I can't believe it, still, but there it is ... if you started reading the Morganville Vampires series when you were 14, you're an adult now, out in the world, making your own wonderful life. So I'd like to make this post about you, readers.

What makes a series like this so fun to do is both the excitement of writing characters that I like and a story that compels me, but meeting all of you. Even online! When I first started Morganville, I was still on (gasp) Livejournal for social media; MySpace came along, and if you're hilariously retro like me, you can still find the page there (MYSPACE IS STILL ALIVE Y'ALL) ... last updated with the release of Bite Club. I made more friends on Facebook, when that started. Then I found Twitter, and that was my jam--short, fun bursts of connection that didn't require me to commit to writing an entire blog post. (Sorry, Instagrammers; I'm not enough of a picture person to do well over there.) I have Tumblr, too, but I'm not consistent about it. See my commitment issues on posting.

But anyway. What all those online forums did was connect me with you, the readers, and it was a huge shift for me. I started writing at a time when authors were insulated from opinions, except for reviews in official publications, and occasional snail mail letters received at the publisher. The most compelling thing about social media for me--from the beginning--was the ability to talk directly to my readers, hear what they liked and didn't like, what appealed to them and what bothered them about my work. Some authors hate that. I don't. I think without that feedback, I never would have realized how timid I'd been in some important ways, and how wrong in others. I enjoy the 360 feedback circle.

Not only that, I enjoy talking books, and social media is the best thing ever for that.

That's not to underestimate the joy of going on tour, either, and meeting you in person! So far, I've signed books in about 25 states in the US (I'm going to get all 50 before I'm done!); I've gotten to appear at hundreds of conventions and conferences, meeting YA readers, romance readers, SF/F readers, teachers, librarians, and aspiring writers. I've been honored to tour in Canada, Brazil, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia. I've met tens of thousands of readers at events, and I'm looking forward to continuing to meet you, because that makes writing worth it.

Writing is a lot of hours struggling with yourself. Worrying about your decisions. Feeling limited and anguished about it. The self-doubt that's involved can be crippling and disheartening, and it's such a shock (in a wonderful way) to walk into a room full of people entranced by the stories you're telling, and hear that it's made a difference.

And from what I hear, Morganville has made a difference. Some readers tell me it helped get them through terrible emotional crises. Some through personal or family health disasters. Some through a nightmare of bullying. A few tell me that a Morganville book was the first book they'd ever read and connected with, and that still makes me cry, because I remember that feeling, of the world opening and my imagination coming alive. It's incredible. And it's an honor.

So thank you, readers. Thank you for making these 10 years of Morganville so incredibly magical.

I'm not done with our strange little town, either. We experimented with the web series, and while I'm super proud of what we accomplished there, it's far too much of an undertaking for me to do again; it's a full time job on its own, and I have to be focused on writing. So while more film/TV isn't off the table, it's going to have to be in partnership with a studio at this point.

But books? Books I can do all by myself!

So, dear readers, there will be more Morganville. It won't be the same, because both you and I are different people now, but I think it'll still be something I'll love writing, and I hope you'll enjoy reading.

Look for some news in 2017. I'll be doing some polling to find out what you'd like to see, and how you'd like to read it. MORE SOON.

And meanwhile: to celebrate, I'm tossing in an EXTRA giveaway on this last blog! So if you win one of the 5 prizes, you also get a free, signed Morganville DVD.

With love from a writer to her readers ... happy anniversary.

-- Rachel Caine

The Morganville Vampires is a fifteen-book series--sixteen, if you count Midnight Bites, the collection of short stories. It may seem like a lot, but I promise you: it is not--and never will be--enough. But it all starts with a little book published ten years ago...

Title: Glass Houses

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: NAL Jam

Publishing Date: October 3, 2006

Pages: 239

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?

Rachel Caine's rich, diverse bibliography of more than 45 books in print covers many categories and genres. She started out writing horror and fantasy as Roxanne Longstreet (Stormriders, The Undead, Red Angel, Cold Kiss, Slow Burn) before switching to the name Roxanne Conrad and publishing romantic suspense and mystery (Copper Moon, Bridge of Shadows, Exile). By 2003, she began to publish under her current pseudonym, specializing in urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal young adult fiction. 

She has been writing original fiction since the age of fourteen, and professionally published since 1991. She graduated from Socorro High School in El Paso Texas (where she was a UIL all-state champion in music and journalism) and went on to earn an accounting degree from Texas Tech University. She played professionally as a musician for several years once out of college, but ultimately gave up the music for writing.

She's had a varied "day job" career, including web design, graphic arts, accounting, payroll management, insurance investigation, and (most recently) corporate communications and crisis management. (It all counts as research.)

Rachel loves reading, writing, and mild amounts of arithmetic when required ... but she has a special place in her heart for history, music, and science, and you'll find those themes in many of her works. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook

10/3: Mundie Moms

10/3: Vampire Book Club

10/7: Gone with the Words

10/10: Wicked Lil Pixie

10/14: Pandora's Book Blog

10/17: Lost in Ever After

10/21: Adventures of a Book Junkie

10/24: Ali's Reviews and More

10/28 Take Me Away To A Good Read

10/31: Beauty and the Bookshelf

Would you like to enter a giveaway? How about TWO? Fangtastic, isn't it? First up:

Enter for your chance to win a personal Halloween card from Rachel Caine, a TPU sampler booklet, a photo still from Morganville: The Series, and a Fall of Night lenticular bookmark! 4 runners-up will also receive a personal Halloween card from Rachel Caine!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Then there's the SCAVENGER HUNT! There are ten blogs participating in the Morganville Vampires 10^th Anniversary Bash (listed after the Rafflecopter) and each blog has a bold, red, hidden buzz word in their posts that you'll need to find in order to win. (And yes, there's a word hidden in this post, too!) Find all ten buzz words, enter them in the Scavenger Hunt Rafflecopter on any of the ten participating blogs, and be entered to win 1 of 3 prizes:

2 Runners-up will receive a Morganville Vampires tote bag, a signed paperback copy of Midnight Bites, a TPU sampler booklet, a Fall of Night lenticular, a photo still from Morganville: The Series, a Welcome to Morganville postcard, a Ghost Town lenticular, and a Morganville: The Series poster.

1 Grand Prize winner will receive a Morganville Vampires tote bag, a limited edition UK  Daylighters, a signed paperback copy of Midnight Bites, a TPU sampler booklet, a Fall of Night lenticular bookmark, a photo still from Morganville: The Series, a a Welcome to Morganville postcard, a Ghost Town lenticular bookmark, and a Morganville Resident Survival Kit.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There's a little saying in Morganville, Texas: once you're there, you'll never want to leave. (Not that you really can.) And it's true: I've never left, and I never really will. But damn if it doesn't feel good to really go back. (And if I haven't already written a million love letters So thank you, Rachel Caine. Thank you for creating this fun and perfect and amazing vampire series, and for saying "yes!" when I sent you an email saying, "Hey! Morganville's turning ten! Let's party!" (And thank you, Sarah, for putting it all together.) If you're ever in Seattle for a book signing, be prepared: I have over thirty books with your name on them, and I just might cry. Seriously though: for Morganville and all its characters and stories and adventures and laughs and perils, thank you. (And if YOU, dear reader, haven't read these books: please get on them...preferably before someone of the fanged variety "asks" you too...)