Beth Bernobich's Blog, page 7
January 6, 2013
first lines...
These are first lines from books or stories I've written and one from the current work in progress:
In the game of word links, a large vocabulary was not always an advantage.—Passion Play
Once, when he was a young child, six years old, Gerek Hessler had asked his great-grandmother about her life dreams, the vivid dreams that came like nightmares upon a person to remind them of their past lives.—Queen's Hunt
Endings, the poet Tanja Duhr once wrote, were deceptive things.—Allegiance
March 10th was too early for planting, too early (almost) for anything but raking away the detritus of winter.—Remembrance
I first met Breandan Reid ó Cuilinn in my father's Court, in Cill Cannig, on a bright cold November day.—The Golden Octopus
In the Andelizien Islands, everything changes.—The Edge of the Empire
It's hard to tell when someone loves you. It's easy to tell when they don't.—The Ghost Dragon's Daughter
Like every other visitation room in Aonach Sanitarium—and Simon knew them all—this one was painfully bare, with narrow windows set high in the walls.—A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange
The old records say that Duenne's University was born from a philosophical debate begun in a wine shop.—Untitled novella-in-progress
In the game of word links, a large vocabulary was not always an advantage.—Passion Play
Once, when he was a young child, six years old, Gerek Hessler had asked his great-grandmother about her life dreams, the vivid dreams that came like nightmares upon a person to remind them of their past lives.—Queen's Hunt
Endings, the poet Tanja Duhr once wrote, were deceptive things.—Allegiance
March 10th was too early for planting, too early (almost) for anything but raking away the detritus of winter.—Remembrance
I first met Breandan Reid ó Cuilinn in my father's Court, in Cill Cannig, on a bright cold November day.—The Golden Octopus
In the Andelizien Islands, everything changes.—The Edge of the Empire
It's hard to tell when someone loves you. It's easy to tell when they don't.—The Ghost Dragon's Daughter
Like every other visitation room in Aonach Sanitarium—and Simon knew them all—this one was painfully bare, with narrow windows set high in the walls.—A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange
The old records say that Duenne's University was born from a philosophical debate begun in a wine shop.—Untitled novella-in-progress
December 16, 2012
consent is sexy
More than once, I've come across the complaint that the need to ask for consent isn't sexy. I disagree, and in my current story-in-progress, I wrote a scene that is all about consent:
"May I?" he whispered.
I nodded, and he brushed his lips against mine.
I stretched up on my toes and kissed him back, then drew a sharp breath at my temerity, but his expression was one of grave delight.
"I forgot to ask," I said. "I'm sorry."
He touched his fingertips to my cheek. "You may, you may, you may again."
Three more times I kissed him.
"You may," he said again, his voice low and rough.
"You may," I replied.
And so we progressed, kiss by kiss, touch upon touch, throughout the evening and the night, until we lay entangled in each others arms, having taken love and given it in return a hundredfold. Even as I lay drifting into sleep, I knew I would not forget Taavi Matlik, nor this night. He was as tender a lover as I had imagined, and with him, laughter came easily, and passion followed soon after, a quick flame burning hot and bright, until it ebbed to a warmth that eased us back to laughter and then a silence that fell soft and slow. Poised on the edge of sleep, I could only think that he had fitted to me, in body and spirit, so perfectly, it was as though he and I had been fashioned for one another.
December 5, 2012
If...
If you could ask me for any one book to write next, which one would that be?
November 4, 2012
next project...
If you count by publication date, my next novel is The Edge of the Empire, which takes place 500 years before Passion Play, with Ilse and Raul in a previous lifetime. My tagline for that is "pirates, sex, and magic."
The novel is written, but I won't get edits for that until spring, so I'm gently poking at The Time Roads. This book consists of four linked novelettes/novellas. Years ago, in 2002/2003, I started the first of these stories, and all I knew about the characters and their story was that it involved prime numbers and graduate students. Along the way, I "discovered" that it took place in the 1890s, that this was not England, but Ireland, and that Ireland was the world power. Also, cocaine and time travel were involved.
Once I finished the story, I knew there would be a total of four stories that would link together. The first story, "A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange," took ages to write properly, but it eventually sold to Asimov's and landed on the Preliminary Nebula ballot. The second, "The Golden Octopus," sold to Postscripts Magazine and was reprinted in Rich Horton's Year's Best SF/F. The third, Ars Memoriae, came out as a print novella from PS Publishing. (With a truly splendid cover by Vincent Chong.)
So. One more novella to write. I know a few things about the story already. It's told from the queen's point of view. It takes place around ten years after Ars Memoriae. And it will finally deal with the matter of the Anglians. The rest I'll find out as I write it.
The novel is written, but I won't get edits for that until spring, so I'm gently poking at The Time Roads. This book consists of four linked novelettes/novellas. Years ago, in 2002/2003, I started the first of these stories, and all I knew about the characters and their story was that it involved prime numbers and graduate students. Along the way, I "discovered" that it took place in the 1890s, that this was not England, but Ireland, and that Ireland was the world power. Also, cocaine and time travel were involved.
Once I finished the story, I knew there would be a total of four stories that would link together. The first story, "A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange," took ages to write properly, but it eventually sold to Asimov's and landed on the Preliminary Nebula ballot. The second, "The Golden Octopus," sold to Postscripts Magazine and was reprinted in Rich Horton's Year's Best SF/F. The third, Ars Memoriae, came out as a print novella from PS Publishing. (With a truly splendid cover by Vincent Chong.)
So. One more novella to write. I know a few things about the story already. It's told from the queen's point of view. It takes place around ten years after Ars Memoriae. And it will finally deal with the matter of the Anglians. The rest I'll find out as I write it.
October 28, 2012
thud!
The new version of ALLEGIANCE is done and off to my editor. Here are the stats:
28 chapters total
19K words added since the previous draft
9 new characters (some mentioned in previous books)
3 characters from Passion Play returned
2 kingdoms in turmoil
1 new city, 1 new village visited
1 completely new romance
1 romance revisited from previous lives
? major characters killed
28 chapters total
19K words added since the previous draft
9 new characters (some mentioned in previous books)
3 characters from Passion Play returned
2 kingdoms in turmoil
1 new city, 1 new village visited
1 completely new romance
1 romance revisited from previous lives
? major characters killed
September 24, 2012
allegiance update
I love this book. At the same time, I can't wait to be done.
I handed in my original draft back in March. My editor's revision letter arrived in mid-July, and since then, I've been deep in revisions, so deep, I've lost track of the sun and stars. ALLEGIANCE is currently slated for release next October. For that to happen, the book must go into product by December 1st this year. And for *that* to happen, I need to hand in the new version to my editor by November 1st.
Can I make it? Yes.
I have 3 1/2 chapters away from finishing the first round of edits. That leaves the second round to polish the prose and fix continuity errors, and I'm halfway through that as well. Then I fall down in a heap.
I'm both excited and sad. Sure, I have copyedits and galleys to review, but in essence I will be done with the book and the trilogy.
I do have more novels to write in this world. Some are about other characters, and some about Ilse and Raul in previous lives. I even have a few short stories planned.
But it won't be the same.
I handed in my original draft back in March. My editor's revision letter arrived in mid-July, and since then, I've been deep in revisions, so deep, I've lost track of the sun and stars. ALLEGIANCE is currently slated for release next October. For that to happen, the book must go into product by December 1st this year. And for *that* to happen, I need to hand in the new version to my editor by November 1st.
Can I make it? Yes.
I have 3 1/2 chapters away from finishing the first round of edits. That leaves the second round to polish the prose and fix continuity errors, and I'm halfway through that as well. Then I fall down in a heap.
I'm both excited and sad. Sure, I have copyedits and galleys to review, but in essence I will be done with the book and the trilogy.
I do have more novels to write in this world. Some are about other characters, and some about Ilse and Raul in previous lives. I even have a few short stories planned.
But it won't be the same.
August 23, 2012
July 21, 2012
the river of souls
So far I've sold four books in my River of Souls series. The first three (Passion Play, Queen's Hunt, and Allegiance) make a trilogy with a single story arc.
The fourth one, Edge of the Empire, is a stand-alone book about Ilse and Raul in a previous lifetime, set 500 years before the trilogy. (At one point in Queen's Hunt, Gerek Hessler is cataloging a book by one of the characters from Empire.)
I do have more books and stories planned for the world, including books about other characters. When and how they will see publication...I don't know yet.
The fourth one, Edge of the Empire, is a stand-alone book about Ilse and Raul in a previous lifetime, set 500 years before the trilogy. (At one point in Queen's Hunt, Gerek Hessler is cataloging a book by one of the characters from Empire.)
I do have more books and stories planned for the world, including books about other characters. When and how they will see publication...I don't know yet.
July 10, 2012
Double Giveaway Time!
It's one week until Queen's Hunt comes out. To celebrate, I'm holding a double giveaway. See details on my Livejournal here.
