Philippa Ballantine's Blog, page 11

Cat in the snow…

It’s the untold joys and disappointments of the writing lifestyle that I have to get used to. Sometimes you are a cat lying in the sun, sometimes you are dumped in the snow. Sometimes both happen in one day..

On one hand. Got to see the new cover for Dawn’s Early Light. It’s awesome, and come May 29th we’ll be revealing it. Yay!

On the other, trying to get a handle on a new series that I am putting together and finding a home for it. Boo!

On a second hand. The Janus Affair won the Steampunk Chronicles Reader’s Choice Award for Best Fiction. Yay!

On another. Trying to find a home for the book I love set in New Zealand that seems to be a hard sell to America. Boo!

And so on…and so on…

I have to keep reminding myself that in a regular job there are ups and downs to. I am still living the dream of making a living off writing, but I would caution writers hoping to do the same, you’re going to have days like these.

However, on the plus side, I am developing a new historical fantasy series, a new YA series, and a new high fantasy series. At this stage it is up to the point of seeing which one publishers like the look of.

In the meantime, plenty of new short stories coming out, so if you are in the mood for supporting my independent projects, check out Imagine That! Studios offering.

Now, I am off to wrestle with a whole new fantasy world, magic system, and a batch of screaming sisters. Hopefully there are no more cats-dumped-in-the-snow moments…

Harbinger – Cover reveal

… a bitter sweet moment.

The last reveal of a Jason Chan cover for Sorcha, Merrick, and Raed. Over the last three years I have become a huge fan of Jason’s work. It was also a huge honor to be able to pick up the Chelsey Award he won for the cover of Geist.

This however is my favourite cover…and thus a nice way to go out. I can only hope that in the future I somehow get to request Jason again.

For now, here is the image I have been unable to release until today. (Click to see the full beauty!)

Please feel free to tweet, pin, and Facebook share this image. But don’t forget you can pre-order the book right now, so you don’t miss out. Amazon — Nook

 

Foreword into the future

So…this just happened…

I am with a new agency. If you know how much I love working with my agent Laurie McLean you might be shocked. However, I am still with Laurie, it is just the Laurie has launched into a this venture. Foreword Literary is a brand new venture in agencies, one that looks at the oncoming changes in publishing and meets them, not with fear but excitement.

Laurie has always been full of ideas, and with her experience working in with technology and marketing, she has a great handle on what is happening right now in publishing. Reading her reasoning behind starting Foreword explains it all. And I am sure its going to go to be a fun and exciting ride. I’m very happy to be on this new adventure.

Here’s the press release and the website to check out the awesome coming from this team.

FOREWORD LITERARY DEBUTS IN SAN FRANCISCO

New agency to concentrate on traditional and emerging aspects

of book publishing for their author-clients

 

March 5, 2013—San Francisco Bay Area—A new literary agency was formed today in California’s Silicon Valley…one focused on technology and innovation in addition to the more traditional aspects of publishing. Laurie McLean and Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, both former literary agents with Larsen Pomada Literary Agents, along with Gordon Warnock, formerly a senior agent at Andrea Hurst & Associates, have joined forces to create FOREWORD LITERARY, INC. with headquarters in the Silicon Valley and offices throughout the country.

“My background for more than 20 years before I entered publishing was in high tech marketing,” McLean said. “So in 2008 I recognized the emergence of Smashwords, Kindle, self-publishing, and ebooks, as a disruptive force that would revolutionize the publishing industry. I’ve seen this type of transformation many times before, and I know how to take advantage of the opportunities that are cropping up everywhere. This is where I want to make a difference for authors and publishers.”

Foreword Literary will be a virtual agency with professionals in the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, Chicago and the Central Coast of California to begin with. But geographic limitations will be swept away through the use of cloud-based technology.

“Like the name says, Foreword Literary was created to move our clients’ careers and publishing forward. We keep abreast of all current and upcoming technology and plan to utilize every aspect of publishing to our clients’ favor, be it print, digital, or the newest thing since Gutenberg that hasn’t been invented yet,” said van Hylckama Vlieg.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling YA fantasy author Julie Kagawa, who landed three seven-figure deals while McLean’s client, will make the move to Foreword, as will 24 of McLean’s clients, 23 of van Hylckama Vlieg’s clients, and all of Warnock’s clients.

Warnock said, “I’m excited about what this means for our clients. We all have writing backgrounds, and we bring that passion and understanding to each of our projects. We’re also very aware that we can only be successful when our clients are successful. We’ve created an environment that is conducive to building promising writing careers, and I honestly think they’ll be some of the best served in the business.”

Gauntlets and confessions

I’ve mentioned the strange isolation of writing before, and how amazing it is to me that something I pounded out on my keyboard has given people joy or wonder.

So that amazement is even greater when someone goes to all the trouble of making something for me. The lovely Wendy contacted me about producing some gauntlets for me. At first they started off as Sive’s but through a process of evolution which Wendy wrote about here, they became Sorcha’s.

She decorated them with beautiful beads and stones, and I am utterly in awe of her talent. My beloved great-aunt Ruth was a wonderful knitter, and bless her heart, she did try to teach me. I just know she would ohhhhh and ahhhh over these creations.

Strangely, in photos they come out far more blue than they actually are. In reality they are much closer to purple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…very excited. Thank you Wendy, you made me smile, and you made me in awe of your abilities. I shall wear these with pride at my next convention.

Speaking of conventions—we’ve had some news on that front too. If you check out the appearances page, you will be able to see what I have planned for the foreseeable future. The end of the year is still foggy, but I am trying to keep my schedule to a manageable…if slightly hectic…one con a month.

So the two new conventions confirmed where I (and Tee Morris) will be attending are Up in the Aether in Detroit, and later in the year OctopodiCon in (not that strangely) Oaklahoma. These are both new cities and new states for me so I am looking forward to meeting some new listeners and readers that I haven’t been able to reach before.

We are sorry not to be attending Balticon this year, as it is our go to convention, but we should be back next year. However, we highly recommend going this year—especially if you are a fan of podcast fiction. Balticon is like a family reunion of those folk, and I hear they are flying in from all over the country to be there.

So there we are; approaching something like organized for 2013. However, in the next couple of months there will be more developments on a couple of projects I’m working on. So hang onto your hats—2013 is going to be another blazing fast year!

Welcome 2013!

It’s a little late, but I’ve been assessing 2012, and planning 2013 so that takes some time.

2012 was my best year yet as far as financial rewards for writing, but there were some goals that I didn’t reach. I’m not going to get depressed about that, but it comes time to set new ones for the year ahead.

In 2012 Tee and I worked not only on novels, but on getting our own self-publishing business, Imagine That! Studios, as a nice side income stream working for us. ITS is about producing new short fiction, as well as being a way to have our independent novels out there in the wild. It did about seven times better than 2011, but I know 2013 can be even better. I started the year by releasing a project I’d been working on for awhile The Little Clockwork Mermaid, but look for more from ITS in future months.

In 2012 the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences became a Locus Bestseller, and I won a Parsec for the Precarious Child. This year means a new round of awards open up for us. First up is the Sir Julius Vogel Award, which has a special place in my heart because it recognises New Zealand fiction writers. Wrayth, the Janus Affair, and Hunter and Fox are all open to be nominated, the more nominations the better. So if you think any of these deserve to be on the list, please go nominate! Later on there are the Parsecs and the Airship Awards…so we shall see…

And just got word today that the omnibus edition of Geist, Spectyr and Wrayth is shipping. So if you’d like a hardback edition with an awesome cover, then please order away. I am very excited because this is my very first omnibus anything.

As for what I am working on currently…well now is the time to be producing three chapter and synopsis for new series. I have ideas for two. The first whose working title is the Knack, is set in 1920s with a fun new heroine and a dark conspiracy in the heart of England. I’m enjoying pulling together the plot with Scrivener, and making all the character sketches. The second idea I will be constructing a submission package for in February is set in America just after the civil war.

So I am messing about with history again, though I am not ruling out a return to epic fantasy after the saga of Sorcha, Merrick, Raed and the Rossin finish.

Also ahead in 2013 we have the release of several things in the summer. Harbinger, Kindred and Wings, and the clockwork fairytale anthology I am in are all coming out fairly close to each other.

Tee and I are also working on Ministry projects to span the slight gap between book two and three. Look for a Kickstarter in March for a print anthology. We have some exciting authors lined up to write for us, and we think our readers and listeners will be excited too.

Once again though, I would like to thank those readers and listeners for supporting me. You make it possible for me to keep doing what I am doing, and I’m going to work even harder in 2013 to keep bringing you stories.

Counting those blessings…thank you 2012

Originally this post was going to be all about how 2012 was a roller coaster of a year. I know that many folks have felt that way in 2012. With two lay offs for Tee, and the financial and emotional stress of that, things haven’t been easy for us. However, I also know plenty of folks that have had it worse, so I determined not to complain in this post.

Once I decided to do that, I thought about 2012 with a bit more of a balanced eye, and I realized something. We’ve in fact been very blessed this year in one amazing respect. Friends.

Tee and I have met and made friends with some amazing folks in 2012. I shall preface this with we were already surrounded with amazing folks that we met through the podcasting community. Ever since I started podcasting in 2006 I have felt the warmth, generosity and kindness of that community. Having a friend in practically any American city I have gone to has made this country a far more welcoming place than I ever could have imagined.

However, in 2013 Tee and I made the conscious decision to go beyond our usual convention circuit, and particularly go to more steampunk conventions. We found there were a bunch more wonderful folks that we hadn’t connected with before, who were just as welcoming and kind as our podcasting friends.

Many of these new friends, stepped up to help us in ways that blew our minds this year. I’m going to give shoutouts to some folk, but there are so many more than I can fit on one blog post.

Sarah and Thomas of Brute Force. They helped Tee and I out with the Janus Affair book trailer, welcomed us into their house, and made an impression that will last forever. I look forward to more madness and delight at their manor in 2013.

PJ Schnyder. A dear friend who cooks far too well, and leads us into temptation because of it. Another project coming in 2013 we have trusted to her hands, and I know she will knock it out of the park.

Kate Cross. Kate Locke. She of many names. We met this delightful fellow author at New York Comic Con in 2011, but got some time with her at DragonCon that made me wish she didn’t live so far away.

The sweet Professor Upsidasium, Doctor Q, Steampunk Boba Fett, Karina Cooper we all met at DragonCon as well, and welcomed us into their steampunky world. I hope 2013 will mean more time with them.

Not to forget the darling Peter Woodworth, who it turns out has connections with our friends Jared Axelrod and JR Blackwell. He quite charmed us—and Sonic Boom. We won’t forget that in a hurry.

We got to meet some fine folks in New Orleans at Authors After Dark. It was a convention we never expected to go to, but thanks to Stella Price we were able to jump at the chance. Very much looking forward to Savannah in 2013!

All new wonderful friends. Added to those clever, witty, generous, and kind friends in our neighborhood and in podcasting, and I realize Tee and I have an embarrassment of riches in friends. Every one of them made a difference this year. So it feels a little churlish to complain about the bumps in 2012.

So many exciting things lie ahead, plenty of books in the summer, anthologies, roleplaying games, conventions we’ve never been to, and a trip back to New Zealand. Yet so many of these would not have been possible without our friends.

It also means, I will never run out of people to dedicate books to.

If you’re reading this, then you are probably someone I owe thanks to as well. Without listeners, readers, supporters, none of these things would have happened. I hope 2013 is kind to us all.

Kindred and Wings- COVER REVEAL

I hope however you celebrate and whatever holiday you observe, that you had a good time.

I got a little present for you myself. The cover for Kindred and Wings. Yes, the pre-order is live, and the book should be available on 6th August 2013.

Cynthia Sheppard has done a wonderful job of capturing my very first dragon cover! Wait until you see what Wahirangi CloudLord can do. He’s been a lot of fun to write.

Roll on 2013!!

A new artist a new delight

As long time readers of this blog will know, I am a huge admirer of Jason Chan. He won the Chesley Award with his cover for Geist, and has always bought my vision of the characters to life. I was just fortunate to see the cover for the last book, Harbinger last night. I am not yet at liberty to share, but Jason has produced my favourite cover, knocking it out of the park for the last cover of the series.

However, I have a new artistic delight to share right now—and it is not by Jason. The Science Fiction Book Club is bringing out in early January an omnibus edition of the Books of the Order— you can order it here. It is called the Order of Deacons, and when I saw the cover I was convinced it had been done by Jason. I was wrong.

Matthew Kalamidas was the art director for the SFBC project and has blogged about that process.  Apparently Jason couldn’t fit it into his schedule, but he recommended Karla Ortiz. I think you will agree she did a great job. I love that both Matthew and Karla worked hard to maintain the continuity of the series.

Karla’s work is just beautiful, and as Matthew says and I agree, she is definitely a talent to watch.

Here’s the cover.

And here is the full artwork. I think you’ll agree…I am a very lucky author

Lessons in Publishing and Kickstarting from Ripley Patton

Back in July I had fellow SpecFicNZer Ripley Patton on this blog, talking about her Kickstarter project Ghost Hand. I’m happy to report Ripley got her project off the ground, and now she’s back to talk about what she has learned through this self publishing journey.

In my new YA paranormal thriller, Ghost Hand, the main character, Olivia Black, discovers that her rare birth defect, a ghost hand, can do more than light up a room. It can pull things out of people. Things from the darkest depths of the human psyche never meant to exist in this world. Olivia can pickpocket the soul. And, as a first-time self-published author, the metaphor of the challenges and pitfalls of pulling something straight out of one’s soul isn’t lost on me.

Writing a book is one thing. One very big thing. Publishing that book yourself is another big thing entirely.

So why did I do it? And how?

The how is easier to explain, so I’ll address that first. Stated simply, I did it one step at a time. First, I researched to see if it was even possible. It was. Second, I looked into how much money I’d need up front. About $2,500 at the very least. Then I looked around for a way to get that. And I found Kickstarter. So, I ran a Kickstarter project and raised more than my goal. Then, I started buying things like ISBNs and hiring people like editors and formatters and cover designers. Step by step, I came to having a book. Any time I looked at the process as a whole, I felt overwhelmed and terrified. But as long as I focused on the next reasonable step, I could do it.

The thing that surprised me the most is that I really enjoyed it. Helping design my own cover was a blast. Learning all the ins and outs of publishing was fascinating. The generosity and help of my friends and colleagues was encouraging. Yes, there were challenges. The editing phase was a labyrinth I seemed unable to escape. Just when I thought I’d found the exit, I discovered it was just another turn in the maze. The paperback took much longer than the e-book to produce. In fact, the e-book has been on sale since the end of November, but the paperback goes to the printers this coming week (knock on wood). Granted, I like having control and learning new skills. And I don’t give up easily. These are the qualities I think a self-published author needs. Oh, and also a good book and the strong desire to share it with the world. This last one is the metaphorical Ghost Hand, the thing we are born with that makes us other and different and writers.

So, that is the how, but what about the why? Why not go the traditional route and run the gauntlet of agents and editor and publishers? Well, I tried. Not for very long, but I did. And frankly, that process made me miserable. I don’t mean just sad or impatient. I mean deep, depression-ridden, misery. I hated the feeling that the destiny of the book I had pulled out of my soul was in someone else’s hands. And I came to the conclusion, while waiting to hear back about a full read from a major agency, that if THIS was writing, I hated it. Since a world where I hate writing is not an option, I decided to look around for alternatives, and there were all these people blogging and writing and raving about self-publishing. They were saying I could do it. They were saying I could make money at it, maybe not a lot, but quite possibly a living. They were saying I would have more control over my rights and my royalties and my career choices. They were saying the future of publishing is e-books, and they are much easier and quicker for an individual to produce and distribute than paperbacks. And I have found all these things to be true so far, though admittedly, I’m not that far into the process. Honestly, another element for me was time. I needed to start my novel writing career yesterday to help support my family in these hard economic times. I couldn’t wait for the 2-4 year time frame of traditional publishing. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to be a writer by then.

That is the how and the why of my journey, but it isn’t nearly as exciting as Olivia Black’s. Her story, I am told, is a page-turner, the kind of book you start reading at six and look up at midnight, grinning, when you’ve finished it. It is a story about a girl, and the power we hold within us, and what happens when things long hidden finally see the light of day.

To find out more about Ghost Hand and my writing and my journey, you can go to my website at www.ripleypatton.com. Or follow me on Twitter @rippatton where I try to tweet a daily Self-Pub Tip of the Day.

To read the first four and a bit chapters of Ghost Hand, I encourage you to check out Amazon’s Look Inside Feature. If that doesn’t hook you, I don’t know what will.

Currently, Ghost Hand is available in e-book on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble. The paperback should be available through Amazon in mid-December, just in time for the Holidays.

 

News from near and far

December is going to be a fun month. I hope everyone recovered from their turkey (I cooked my first one!) and ready for the next assault on the waistline.

With all that lies ahead in 2013 my husband and I are on a new regime of healthy eating and exercise, and I highly recommend it for keeping the creative juices flowing. I’m currently finishing off the first round of edits of Harbinger, and as always my wonderful editor at Ace, Danielle Stockley has done a bang up job of pointing out the weaknesses of the story.

That’s the funny thing about editors, they usually end up telling you things you already knew in the back of your mind. The nice bit is they usually give you suggestions how to get around that blockage. I think Harbinger is going to nicely tie up loose ends for Sorcha, Merrick and Raed. I don’t think I am doing spoilers by saying Danielle might have teared up at the ending…

Harbinger has no cover yet, but does have a release date of July 30th 2013 over on Amazon.

However there is more Sorcha news sooner than that. First the Science Fiction Book Club now has the order page up and running for the hardcover Omnibus edition of the first three books. It’s called the Order of Deacons. I haven’t got a really good quality version of the cover image, but what I can see I approve. It apparently was not done by Jason Chan, but the artist has done a great job of capturing Sorcha, Merrick and the Rossin in all their glory. I can’t wait for January when the hardback arrive.

You can pre-order from here—but you have to be a member. (I really enjoy my membership!)

In more news from the Order, the German edition of Geist is now also available for pre-order. Interestingly the German publisher decided not to go with the American title, and instead it is called Der verfluchte Prinz (The Cursed Prince) which I am totally fine with. The series is also called something different Die Runen der Macht (The Runes of Power). And then there is the cover. Personally, I nearly always love the German covers. There is something of a different sensibility to them, and luckily this is one of those times when I was blown away.

The hair colour is darker than in the American version, but that really doesn’t bother me, because of the totally Sorcha attitude on display. The little details, the background, and the sense of movement and purpose in it, very much captures my heroine.

You can pre-order Der verfluchte Prinz from here

 

And in December the Janus Affair comes out in Germany.

 

And finally, the anthology I have a novella in is available for pre-order on Amazon. Clockwork Fairytales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables should be out in June.

Phew! Looks like 2013 is going to be as busy as 2012—if not more so. So what do you think of the covers?