Relationships and words

Being a couple is tricky.

The question we get asked most is "How does a couple write together?"

You could easily ask "How do two individuals do ANYthing as a couple?" It's not an easy question. And it's not an easy thing to do. But we do it anyway.

We recently wrote a blog for the Romance Writers of America chapter in Birmingham, AL that talks about writing together, being a couple, and creating characters who are couples.

Here's the link if you want to read it.

Library Journal sez: The Greyfriar is good steampunk

The Greyfriar and Mark Hodder's Spring Heeled Jack get buzz.

It's always wonderful to get good reviews. And it's really heartening to have a respected source like Library Journal include us in their list of steampunk books for librarians to use in creating a collection for this booming subgenre.

Griffith, Clay & Susan. The Greyfriar. Pyr. (Vampire Empire, Bk. 1). 2010. ISBN 9781616142476. 301p. pap. $16. FANTASY
It was only a matter of time before a steampunk vampire novel was published. Thankfully, the first one is well written and entertaining. The story starts in 1870, when vampires conquer the north and send human elites to the south; it picks up again in 2020, when Princess Adele of the Equatorian Empire becomes lost in vampire territory. Alone with the mysterious Greyfriar, Adele becomes the driving factor behind a final war between humans and vampires. It is a testament to the writing skill of the Griffiths that they were able to take something so overdone as vampires and make it feel fresh. Fans of Cherie Priest will gobble up this book and its forthcoming sequels.

And this for our Pyr Books friend:

Hodder, Mark. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne in). Pyr. 2010. ISBN 9781616142407. 373p. pap. $16. SF
This is big, meaty steampunk, set in the mid- to late 1800s, featuring historical figures (e.g., Richard Burton, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale) in new roles, lots of steam-driven science (including my favorite: velocipedes), and crazy mutated creatures. Hodder's fast-paced and lively writing will keep readers of all levels engaged. There is coarse language, but this would work well in a YA collection, too. That Hodder brings the story full circle at the end is an impressive feat. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished original science fiction paperback; a sequel, The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man, has also been published.

The read the entire list.

Comic-Con International!

We are appearing on a panel.

Vampires and Others

Saturday, 5/23/11

1:45 - 2:45

Room 6A

Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)

Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson)

Nancy Holder (Crusade)

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom (The Golden Vampire)

S.G. Browne (Fated)

Clay and Susan Griffith (Vampire Empire)

Autographing to follow.

We are stoked! I just hope we remember we're there to speak, not just get autographs from our fellow panelists...

The blurb!

Marjorie M. Liu, NY Times bestselling author of the Dirk and Steele series and the Hunter Kiss series.

Marjorie was one of the earliest supporters of The Greyfriar, and now she has provided a blurb for The Rift Walker. And we couldn't be happier. Not just because the blurb is great, but because Marjorie really gets the heart of the book, and the series. While The Rift Walker has a bit more humor than The Greyfriar, it is still a similarly intense adventure set against a desperate clash of nations, species, and moralities. But, first and foremost, it is exciting, exhilarating, romantic adventure.

We can't encourage you strongly enough to read Marjorie's books,  if you haven't already. She is the master of paranormal adventure and romance.

Another cool thing about Marjorie is that she writes comics (which we do too), including the dark, sexy X-23 and Daken: Dark Wolverine for Marvel Comics.

Check out Marjorie's website and her wonderful, enticing work.

It Came From Beneath the Sea...Again

It rises!
Finally.




We started writing this book in summer 2007. Now, it's coming out. That's how the comic business works sometimes.

Congratulations to Chris Noeth, Todd Tennant, and letterer extraordinaire, Nikki Foxrobot, who did a lot to save the project.

The graphic novel got a terrific review on Ain't It Cool News. Being constant readers of AICN, we were surprised and delighted to see the book reviewed there.

Here's a couple of quotes:

"Clay and Susan do a great job of capturing the tone of those old films where science was wonky and quips were lobbed back and forth like hand grenades."

"Everything about this story screams old school and if you're a fan of the way movies used to be, then you have to pick up this homage to the classics."

"Though films such as IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA are often made these days, it's apparent with the creators behind this comic book sequel that there is love and respect for the original that can't be duplicated in today's Hollywood."


Those words mean a lot. We are old movie buffs. Clay particularly is a Ray Harryhausen fanatic. This project was very important to us, and we are extremely proud of the script. We are thrilled it is finally coming out in June, and that it's being appreciated for what it is -- a loving homage to Ray Harryhausen's creativity and imagination, but with our own peculiar twist.

Hope everyone reads it and enjoys it.

BookExpo America 2011 meets The Rift Walker

    BookExpo America was an eye opening experience for us. It was our first  BEA and we had always assumed it was for the bookselling industry. Far from it. The advent of blogging and the web has opened the door for so many others to become a part of the event, making if feel very down to earth.

   We hadn’t expected such crowds and enthusiasm at the autograph session either. Our lane was filled and we signed the entire hour! What we loved the most was personally meeting the bloggers who helped spread the word about “The Greyfriar”. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and your tireless efforts.

   Without a doubt the Prometheus booth had a colorful and dynamic artwork display. The Rift Walker and the slew of other upcoming Pyr covers caught the attention of everyone who walked past the booth. Not to mention they had a very comfy couch! We even signed the remaining books as we lounged. All we needed was a beer in hand and we would have felt right at home.

   It was a great event and we will definitely be adding BEA to our list of conventions for next year.

Steampunk World's Fair 2011

    Despite the prevailing grey skies in New Jersey we had our one sunny day so far at the Steampunk World’s Fair. The venue was packed! We were amazed at the large number of attendees. At this rate they will need a bigger hotel next year.

    The costumes were fabulous and inventive as well. What thrilled us was the number of variations of steampunk present. Everything from Russian Steampunk to Rajahs to WW2. It’s exciting to see the genre branch out beyond their British Victorian roots. You know how we love to mix things up! Aside from bringing great costume diversity we think it will allow the genre to endure for a long time to come. There were a wide range of folks of all ages, young and old, and that too is the mark of longevity.

    We participated in two panels. The first one was Mixing Genres in Steampunk Literature with CJ Henderson, and the second was Writing Alternate History. Despite a room malfunction and having to hold the panel in the lobby, we made the best of a bad situation. The participants were eager and raised excellent questions. Hopefully we left them with some direction for their own stories.

    Thanks to all who came up and expressed their love of The Greyfriar! It meant a great deal to us.

   Now it’s off to Book Expo America on Tuesday. We’ll be signing autographs at Table 25 at 10:30 am on May 24. We’ll probably also be hanging out at the Pyr booth before and after too (Table #4566). Hope to see you there!