Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 13

[Pre-Order] Proving Grounds Solo Card Game and Novella from Renegade Games

Maia Strongheart stands alone against the world. A cabal of conspirators has framed her for the death of her own mother, the Sun Queen, and they intend to usurp the throne from her family. To prove her own innocence and reclaim her birthright, Maia must step into the Proving Grounds to complete a trial that will stretch her combat skills to the limit. Will the Wizened’s chosen daughter vanquish her foes in the arena? Or will she be overwhelmed by the conspirators and their evil aspirations?

If you’ve never played a solo game before, this is a great place to start. There is a training game and six different gameplay modules. Once you’ve learned the basics, add a single module or mix and match to your tastes. If you’re feeling truly adventurous, put them all together for a true test of your gladiatorial combat skills!

Proving Grounds is a unique title that’ll be released this Spring from Renegade Game Studios. The release is a solo card game plus novella! I designed the fantasy world and wrote the novella titled: “Only the Strongest Has the Heart of a Wizened Queen”.

You can pre-order Proving Grounds now from the Renegade Games store. Exciting!

My CONfusion 2019 Schedule

Hey friends,

I’ll be attending CONfusion 2019 next week in Michigan, and will be attending and speaking on panels. There’s some fun things in programming I’ll be checking out, and I’m looking forward to a great time.

Autograph Session

Saturday, TBD, Eerie Ballroom

Join the attending authors at CONfusion and get your books signed! I’ll be bringing bookplates if you don’t want to drag any of my books to the reading.

How Fears Shape Superstitions

Sunday, 11:00 AM, Allen Park

From black cats-as-familiars to the number 13 being bad, all modern beliefs are rooted in folklore and ancient traditions that have been affected by political and social mores. Panelists will share examples and then discuss whether or not these powerful beliefs are harmful or helpful.

Panelists: Steve Buchheit (M), Lucy A. Snyder, Sarah E. Gibbons, Nino Cipri, Monica Valentinelli

Author Reading

Sunday, 1:00 PM, Rotunda Reading

Authors: Nino Cipri, Stacey Filak, Monica Valentinelli

Expanding The Definition of Witchcraft

Sunday, 2:00 PM, Southfield

Witchcraft in fiction often taps into real world tragedies, myths and folklore, spiritual practices, sexuality and gender treatment through the lens of Western occultism. Witchcraft, however, is more than riding brooms or dancing naked. Panelists will explore the definition of witch and then provide examples of witches through underrepresented lenses.

Panelists: Monica Valentinelli (M), Josef Matulich, Paul Kemner, A. Carina Spears

Read “My Name Is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I Am Beautiful” for Free!

Hey readers! Today I’m pleased to inform you that Uncanny Magazine Issue 25 in all its beautiful glory, is now available for you to read online. My short story, , went live today along with “The Thing about Ghost Stories” by Naomi Kritzer.

There are a LOT of great stories, poems, and essays in this issue which also includes “How to Swallow the Moon” by Isabel Yap, “An Account in the Land of Witches” by Sofia Samatar, “Smile” by Beth Cato, by Cassandra Khaw, and a primer for Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy by Steven Silver.

For the full Table of Contents, ways to support Uncanny Magazine, and free-to-read stories, poetry, and essays, you can visit Uncanny Magazine Issue 25. Huzzah!

My 2018 Summary and Publications in Games, Fiction, and Non-Fiction

Hey everyone, with the end of the year rapidly approaching I thought I’d share what releases I had this year. Most of these books and games are available to purchase online. I have to say–I really appreciate your support this year! Because of you, I was able to hop firmly on the proverbial writing and developing horse to put out some great stuff! This year marked a few milestones, too. As always, if you’re interested in supporting my efforts, you can buy me a coffee or sign up for my newsletter–with the caveat the updates will be changed. Right now they’re sporadic because my emphasis isn’t on marketing or promotion, but I will be wrangling this to more manageable and predictable levels next year. 2019 is going to be very interesting for me, because I’m launching a Patreon and will be focused on releases.

Games

Production-wise, I’ve been working on wrapping up Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition for Onyx Path Publishing. I also did quite a bit of volunteer work for SFWA, and I’m so pleased that next year we’ll celebrate the very first Game Nebula Award. More to come on that! This was the first year I played a game for ExtraLife, too, and I had a ton of fun with A. Happy Gnome.

KARMIC TIES AND FIFTH WHEELS, Unknown Armies Third Edition, 2018, Atlas Games

TREACHERY IS THE DEEPEST CUT, Prince Valiant RPG Episode, 2018, Nocturnal Media

BECKETT’S JYHAD DIARY, Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, 2018, Onyx Path Publishing/White Wolf Entertainment AB

RING OF SPIRAGOS, a SCARRED LANDS adventure for D&D 5E and Pathfinder, 2018, Nocturnal Media/Onyx Path Publishing AB (Developer)

Fiction

For fiction, I had two short stories come out this year. The first is a short story about a cyborg who faces termination; the story has a contemporary theme and explores the topic of consent.

The second was written as a prequel to Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror”, and focuses on one of the author’s rare female characters. I have a few short stories already scheduled for next year, and I hit submissions hard so watch this space.

“My Name is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I am Beautiful”, 2018, Uncanny Magazine

“From an Honest Sister, to a Neglected Daughter”, Sisterhood: Dark Tales and Secret Mysteries, 2018, Chaosium Publishing

Non-Fiction

In non-fiction, my releases were concentrated in books. I wrote about creating an alien language for Wonderbook Revised, an essay about representation for Hath No Fury, and an entire encyclopedia about Firefly!

The Firefly Encyclopedia is available everywhere worldwide, too–even Walmart and Target! My publisher, Titan Books, has been working with sites like Tor.com and SyFy.com for give-a-ways and previews, too.

WONDERBOOK (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer, 2018, Harry N. Abrams (Contributor)

FIREFLY ENCYCLOPEDIA, 2018, Titan Publishing

“This Is Not Another Why Representation Is Important Essay”, Hath no Fury, 2018, Ragnarok Publishing

That’s it for me this year! I already have announcements for next year and will be pleased to share them with you in the coming months. I hope your 2018 was fabulous, and wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors.

[New Release] “My Name is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I Am Beautiful” in Uncanny Magazine Issue 25

Hello readers! I am pleased to announce my short story titled “My Name is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I Am Beautiful” is now available in the latest issue of Uncanny Magazine! The Table of Contents have been previously announced for Uncanny Magazine Issue 25, and I’m excited to cheer on my fellow contributors that include Steven H. Silver, Isabel Yap, Naomi Kritzer, Beth Cato, Cassandra Khaw and many more.

Today is new release day! So GREAT NEWS: You can pick up your copy of Uncanny Magazine Issue 25 today!

When you visit the Uncanny Magazine website, be sure to also check out previous issues. Uncanny Magazine Issue 24, for example, is a special edition called “Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction” and includes dozens of thoughtful, compelling, gut-wrenching essays and stories by authors ranging from Nisi Shawl to Fran Wilde.

Thanks for supporting my work and for checking out a nifty magazine. I hope you enjoy “My Name is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I Am Beautiful”! Huzzah!

[New Release] Firefly TV Show Encyclopedia + Bonus Interview with Tony Lee!

Today is the official U.S. release date for the Firefly Encyclopedia which is available wherever books are sold–including Target! This book is also a strange milestone for me, because this release marks the fifth year I’ve worked with this property. Thus far, I’ve also developed a line of tabletop roleplaying games and wrote The Gorramn Shiniest Language Guide and Phrasebook in the ‘Verse, too, which features an analysis of the language as well as an interview and Mandarin Chinese translations with the incomparable Jenny Lynn.

The brand new Firefly Encyclopedia presents a narrative retelling of the story thus far, new interviews, an essay about the scientific plausibility of the ‘verse, an homage to Ron Glass, and much, much more.

To celebrate the Firefly Encyclopedia‘s release, I’ve sat down with Mandarin Chinese translator Tony Lee, who lent his talents to provide additional translations. Please enjoy this bonus interview with expert translator Tony Lee! If you’re interested in hiring Tony, I’m happy to forward your information to him so he can follow up. Just use my Contact Monica page and make sure it’s clear I need to pass your message along. Thanks for understanding! He’s not on social media and I don’t want to put his email address on blast.

Interview with Mandarin Chinese Translator Tony Lee

Tony Lee hailed from Taipei, Taiwan but lacked the common sense to go into any profitable fields (like computer or medical), and chose the tabletop gaming industry instead. Over the course of 15+ years, he’s freelanced for Wizards of the Coast/TSR, Pinnacle Entertainment, Margaret Weis Productions, Z-Man Games, and several companies for TTRPG lines ranging from Dungeons & Dragons to the Firefly RPG. Tony’s latest contribution is to the Firefly Encyclopedia. He now works as a Mandarin-to-English translator of mostly—what else?—MMO and cell phone games.

You’ve been a Mandarin Chinese translator working in games for years. What was your first (or favorite) project?

My first in tabletop gaming was the titles for Z-Man Games’ Shadowfist CCG expansions. In mobile/computer, it was an MMO that I had no idea what was called; it was a rush job and to be honest, I didn’t do well because I wasn’t familiar with the terminology at the time.

What was the strangest phrase you had to translate into Mandarin Chinese?

Not so much strange as… paradoxical. I have already translated a considerable block of dialogue when the main character suddenly busted out some English, whereupon the other person replied: “I don’t speak English!” Now, the problem is, of course, they have been conversing in English this whole time in my translation, so that wasn’t going to make sense if I translated the source exactly as it was! Took me a while to figure out a solution: I changed the English line into Japanese, spelling it out phonetically (thankfully that was something my very miniscule Japanese could handle, with some help from Google), then translated the reply as “I don’t speak Japanese!” (It worked extra well since the main character had Japanese heritage.)

You’ve translated English-to-Mandarin and back again. Which process is easier? Why?

I’d say Mandarin-to-English is easier for me now. Even though Mandarin is technically my first and native language, I’m much more accustomed to English now and actually have better command compared to Mandarin. I can read Mandarin, no problem, but I don’t always come up with the best and proper word or phrase going from English to Mandarin. Often enough that it’s on the tip of my tongue but just can’t grasp it quite enough to put down on paper.

What are some important things to consider when hiring a translator?

Anybody can transliterate; you can just use Google for that. You want someone who translate by meaning, not by individual words, otherwise you get a funny, nonsensical appliance instruction manual. What you look for is how well a translator “localizes”, using all conventions of the target language that you can’t tell it was a translation. This involves attention to details as well. For instance, in China they put the dollar sign behind the amount (“10$”) but it’s the other way around here in America (“$10”), so it’s simple to spot a “translator” vs. a “localizer” with little things like that.

What’s the one thing Browncoats may not know about the Chinese in Firefly?

It’s been mentioned that nobody speaks Chinese like that in real life (or something to that effect), but I think Firefly Chinese would be easier to learn since, ironically, it’s somewhat heavy on transliteration and very simple in sentence structure (which is why no one talks that way). I can see the language changing to fit the new Sino-American society of the universe.

I’d like to thank Tony Lee for his contributions to the Firefly Encyclopedia, and am happy his work has the ability to shine. Yay! For additional information about the language used in Firefly, you can also find a wonderful interview with Jenny Lynn in the The Gorramn Shiniest Language Guide and Phrasebook in the ‘Verse. Shiny!

Mark Your Calendars! My Upcoming Story in Uncanny Magazine

Hello readers! I am pleased to announce I will have a short story titled “My Name is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I Am Beautiful” appearing in Uncanny Magazine alongside these very fine contributors. The date next to the contributions reflect when the short story will be available to read online. For more information, please visit UncannyMagazine.com.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 25 Table of Contents

Cover

John Picacio- La Valiente

Editorial

The Uncanny Valley (11/6)

Fiction

Isabel Yap- “How to Swallow the Moon” (11/6)

T. Kingfisher- “The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society” (11/6)

Naomi Kritzer- “The Thing About Ghost Stories” (12/4)

Monica Valentinelli- “My Name is Cybernetic Model XR389F, and I Am Beautiful” (12/4)

Cassandra Khaw- “Monologue by an unnamed mage, recorded at the brink of the end” (12/4)

Reprint

Sofia Samatar- “An Account of the Land of Witches” (11/6)

Essays

Diana M. Pho- “ConCrit in Comments Only: What Writing Fanfiction Taught Me as an Editor” (11/6)

Steven H Silver- “Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy: A Primer” (11/6)

Sarah Goslee- “There and Back Again” (12/4)

Nilah Magruder- “Through a Painted Door: An Ode to Children’s Science Fiction/Fantasy Art” (12/4)

Poetry

Beth Cato- “smile” (11/6)

Hal Y. Zhang- “cardioid” (11/6)

Leah Bobet- “Osiris” (12/4)

Sharon Hsu- “Translatio” (12/4)

Interviews

Caroline M. Yoachim Interviews Isabel Yap (11/6)

Caroline M. Yoachim Interviews Monica Valentinelli (12/4)

Podcast 25A (11/6)

T. Kingfisher- “The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society,” as read by Erika Ensign

Hal Y. Zhang- “cardioid,” as read by Stephanie Malia Morris

Lynne M. Thomas Interviews T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)

Podcast 25B (12/4)

Naomi Kritzer- “The Thing About Ghost Stories,” as read by Stephanie Malia Morris

Leah Bobet- “Osiris,” as read by Erika Ensign

Lynne M. Thomas Interviews Naomi Kritzer

Why I Believe the Voynich Manuscript was Created by a Woman

Over the years, there have been several theories written about the Voynich Manuscript ranging from the now-debunked idea it was a plagiarized women’s health book to the most recent scholar’s theory that an Italian Jew wrote it. Regardless, the text hasn’t been decoded, even by an AI–and I’ve formed fresh theories about its author beyond my earlier thought that it may be an alchemical text. I have a facsimile of the folios, and after reviewing all the theories I’ve realized the Voynich Manuscript may have been written by a woman.

For background, the vellum has been carbon-dated to the early 1400s, and illustrations potentially place its author in Northern Italy. Okay, so what was happening in Northern Italy at that time? The Italian Renaissance was flourishing despite the long shadow of the Holy Roman Empire and the established patriarchy. While it’s true that belief in witches during this time period was present, primarily among peasants and commoners, keep in mind the hysteria not peak until much later following the publication of the international best-seller Malleus Maleficarum in 1486.

Why write an untranslatable book about women’s health during the Italian Renaissance? One that has no overtly Christian or Catholic-specific symbols in it, either? On the one hand, you have an age of discovery and a period of enlightenment. On the other, you have the establishment of the Church and its political might. In between, however, you also have the birth of an Italian feminist movement that began in the late 14th century. Several Italian women of privilege were not only literate, they also taught at university, published books, and participated in the Italian Renaissance as thinkers of their age. Dorotea Bucca was a professor of health and medicine in Bologna, for example, for forty years from 1390-1430. As another example, Christine di Pizan challenged the idea that women were inferior to men by publishing the City of Ladies in 1404.

This, dear reader, points to my “who”. Who would be interested in writing a book that emphasized women’s health? One that stretched the boundaries of the knowledge they possessed at the time? Who’d have access to vellum and inks? Who’d have access to women to illustrate and study their naked bodies in a non-threatening, non-sexual way? Answer: an Italian woman of privilege. There is no reason to assume the Voynich Manuscript’s author was male, and I feel that gender absolutely plays a role in the discussion about its author given all that was going on in Italy at the time. If the folio was written by an educated woman, then she has more than one reason to ensure the text is not translatable–especially if she continued to work on the text as time progressed. And, since we know that literary among women was not as widespread, those who were educated would have stood out because their numbers were few. So, an Italian woman of means who wanted to explore the sciences would have just cause to write an untranslatable text that only she could decode.

Keep in mind that Yale’s Beinecke Library states that the Voynich Manuscript was written in the 15th or 16th century, and of the articles I read (linked above) this folio was reliably produced before the invention of the printing press. This further underlines the possibility that a woman had yet another reason to hide her discoveries: because there was a growing backlash to the rise in feminism even before the ultra-popular, anti-feminist Malleus Maleficarum was published in 1487. History teaches us that every moment of progress, in this case the Italian Renaissance, is followed by a period of regression. Modern societies weather those periods faster, because the zeitgeist changes at a more rapid rate. Not so in centuries past, for sure. Anyway, this “rubber band” effect caused by a number of factors (including the then-inexplicable plagues) began to target devil-worshipping women as the reason why all bad things were happening; because of that any female doctor, scholar, professor, or healer would be at risk of discrimination or, as the centuries progressed, much worse. Keep in mind the Malleus Maleficarum was not conjured from thin air, and many existing beliefs were drawn upon and extrapolated to fit Church guidelines. (One of the many reasons why this damnable book was so popular.) As one of several examples, the witch’s mark bears a lot of similarities to signs of a bubonic plague infection. All of Europe experienced heavy losses, and when there is no explanation for tragedy and suffering often the most vulnerable populations are to blame. In this case, women.

Why untranslatable? As long as the author retains knowledge, then she’s fighting back against that feminist backlash until it’s safer to do her work once again. Having said that, there is another possibility. Drawing from earlier theories, if the text was copied from an existing text (or, as is more likely, several of them) by someone who was illiterate but of means, then the folio wouldn’t make sense to anyone–including the author. The illustrations could have been the author’s interpretation of existing materials, too, so they aren’t a precise copy. Thus, there may be no translation for the text because the author either did not know what they were writing, they had no guidance to ensure the material was copied correctly, or they were not copying the content for accuracy. Here, too, it’s possible a woman who desired to be literate would have been the author. Who else would be drawn to illustrations of herself and want to hold those dear? Who else would take the time to practice lettering? Who might admire a book and long to read it?

Well, there you have it. A different take on the “who” might have penned the Voynich Manuscript and “why” it can’t be translated. Sadly, I could only prove this with a lot of time and research. So, for now they’ll remain theories. May my author funds be bountiful so I can explore this further one day. Wouldn’t that be amazing!

Help Me Give Kids an Extra Life!

Hi everyone,

I’ll be a guest at GameHoleCon which takes place Thursday, November 8th through Sunday, November 11th. During the show, I’ll be playing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition to raise funds that’ll help sick kids get the healthcare they need! The charity drive is called “Extra Life” and will help cover expensive hospital costs.

Since this is the first year I’m participating in the event, I set an initial goal of $250. There’s a list of donation incentive rewards you can choose from, and these will help build and customize my character for the game. If I reach my fundraising goal, I’ll up the limit and sweeten the reward pot!

Hope you can help me participate. Every little bit helps!

Here’s a link to my Extra Life participant page.

Happy gaming!

– Monica

Announcing the Firefly Encyclopedia and Pre-Order

The Firefly Encyclopedia is a lavish guide to Joss Whedon’s much-loved creation. The book includes a detailed timeline of events, in-depth character studies from Badger to Zoe, a guide to the science of the show, and sections of script with accompanying notes from the author. Alongside all of this are countless images of the characters, ships, weapons, props and sets. This is a must-have item for all fans of the ‘verse.

Included in this mighty tome is a narrative re-telling of the events thus far, a new interview with Serenity novelist Keith R.A. DeCandido, an essay about the science of Firefly written by Mike Brotherton, new Mandarin Chinese-to-English translations provided by Tony Lee and a whole lot more!

The Firefly Encyclopedia will be available wherever fine books are sold, and is now available for pre-order. The book is at press, and will debut late 2018–just in time for the holidays. Shiny!