Christopher Husberg's Blog, page 4
June 2, 2022
QR22 Day 2 - She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
For Day 2 of Queer Representation, it's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power! (Click here for the in-progress full list.)
While technically a reboot of the 80s She-Ra cartoons, the two series have little in common other than some character/location ideas and names and the general science-fantasy premise. But that's okay, because this series is amazing.The story is genuinely good, the characters well-rounded and entertaining, and it deftly navigates the comedy-drama fault line.The entire cast might be queer! Or at least a huge portion of it. Seriously, characters are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, non-binary, asexual, etc.It's an animated series for both kids and adults. I watched it with a 5yo who ate the series up. There is some fantasy violence, and the series treats deeper themes like abuse sometimes, but it does it all very well and in an appropriate way for children imo.It's created by Noelle Stevenson, who is awesome.Basically if you're looking for a show that normalizes same-sex relationships, they/them pronouns, neurodivergence, does it all in a kid AND adult friendly format, and is also just really really good, this is the show for you. 🏳️🌈
June 1, 2022
QR22 Day 1 - Heartstopper
Hey alls! I've decided that for each day of Pride Month I'm going to talk about my favorite queer books, TV shows, and films (and some other things). If any of this stuff sounds good to you, check it out! I think more *quality* representation is only a good thing. (You can find an ongoing master list of everything I recommend here.)
But first on my list is Hearstopper! Netflix recently released a really great adaptation of Alice Oseman's graphic novel series. Both are really good. If you're looking for a really fun, gay, angsty yet heartwarming teen romance, look no more. Also there's bi representation, which can be tough to come by (more on that later), and the soundtrack SLAPS. All around it's a win. 🏳️🌈
Queer Representation 2022 (Day 1 - Heartstopper)
Hey alls! I've decided that for each day of Pride Month I'm going to talk about my favorite queer books, TV shows, and films (and some other things). If any of this stuff sounds good to you, check it out! I think more *quality* representation is only a good thing. (Below you'll also find a master list of everything I recommend that I'll update as the month goes on.)
And first on my list is Hearstopper! Netflix recently released a really great adaptation of Alice Oseman's graphic novel series. Both are really good. If you're looking for a really fun, gay, angsty yet heartwarming teen romance, look no more. Also there's bi representation, which can be tough to come by (more on that later), and the soundtrack SLAPS. All around it's a win. 🏳️🌈
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Queer Representation 2022 MASTER LIST Heartstopper
May 23, 2022
Five Book Giveaway!
Alright, it's been a minute, I know. I'm sure at some point I'll go into what I've been up to for the past...while.
But for now, prizes!
I've joined several authors for the giveaway of five signed books, including Duskfall. So, if you win, you get five signed books. And there will be five winners. It's a good deal.
When you sign up, make sure you click on the link in the confirmation email (you might need to check your spam folder). If you reshare the giveaway through the links on the confirmation page, you'll also get more entries into the drawing and improve your chance of winning.
SIGN UP FOR THE GIVEAWAY HERE!
You'll probably recognize at least one other author participating: D.J. Butler, of Book Tour Fame (see here, here, and here). He's got a new book available, Abbot in Darkness. He's known to write very good books, and this one doesn't disappoint.
Here's a quick run-down of each book in the giveaway:
Forgotten Ruin by Jason Anspatch and Nick Cole
Orcs. Trolls. Wraith riders. Dark wizards. Together, they form an unstoppable force. Or so they thought.
Dark Army… meet the U.S. Army Rangers.
When a Joint Task Force of elite Rangers are transported to a strange and fantastic future where science and evolution have incarnated the evils of myth and legend, they find themselves surrounded, pinned down, and in a desperate fight for their very survival—against nightmares of flesh and blood made real. Which means only one thing.
It’s time to Ranger Up and stack bodies.
The forces of evil have no idea how dangerous a Ranger has been trained to be, and once the action starts, it won’t let up in this no-holds-barred, full-auto, epic battle for survival in the Forgotten Ruin.
From the creators of Galaxy's Edge...
Buy in, and jock up for this thrilling WarGate adventure. A battle unlike any other is calling.
Lost Girl by Michaelbrent Collings
What if Peter Pan... was the bad guy?
Eve has no father. An alcoholic mother. Abused at school. A loser. But when the new boy comes to school, things start to change. He's popular, he's good-looking, he's smart. He likes her. And he wants to kill her. Because he's Peter Pan. And he's a vampire.
Kill Three Birds by Nicole Givens Kurtz
Sent to investigate a strange murder in a quiet remote egg, can Hawk Tasifa find the killer before she becomes the next target?
Prentice Tasifa is an investigative hawk whose been deployed from The Order to the small egg of Gould, a mountain village. A missing girl had been found dead. Hawks investigate strange and difficult situations throughout the kingdom of Aves. They can “see the unseen,” by accessing a unique ability to activate hawk-like vision, a trait they carry through their bloodlines.
When Prentice arrives in Gould, she soon discovers that there isn’t just one bird dead, but three. Has the hidden town’s secrets contributed to the deaths? Did the victim’s controversial relationship?
There’s a serial killer operating in little known Gould, and she has to find the person before she ends up next.
Abbot in Darkness by D.J. Butler
John Abbott is all in.
He’s up to his eyeballs in debt to pay for school, and he’s just moved his small family forty light-years from Earth for a plum job with the wealthy interstellar corporation, The Sarovar Company. John’s first assignment is to discreetly investigate possible corruption at the remote Arrowhawk Station, where Company traders buy the famous Sarovari Weave from the three-sided, crablike Weavers.
John finds evidence of theft and worse, but when the guilty parties realize he’s getting close, they come after him and his family. Can John catch the thieves and end their corrupt trade? Can he head off a war between the Company and the Weavers? Can he make a life for his family in this remote wilderness without corrupting himself?
With no way back to Earth, the only direction for John Abbott and his family to go is forward—into danger.
And if you don't know about Duskfall by yours truly, why are you even here??? But also go ahead and check it out.
They all sound pretty awesome. But don't take my word for it! Sign up for the giveaway!
November 30, 2020
DAWNRISE Release Date (Revisited) - and Graphic Audio Adaptations!
I've got another update on the last book in the Chaos Queen Quintet. Unfortunately, DAWNRISE has once again been delayed, this time until April 2021.
Print, ebook, and regular audio version of DAWNRISE have been delayed until 6 April 2021.
I know a lot of people are not happy about this, and honestly, neither am I. This book ahs been completely finished since March (2020), but, well...COVID. I'm not really sure what else to say about it. My publisher furloughed a number of folks due to the global pandemic, and while they've hired a lot of them back on, it jammed quite a wrench into their production schedule. While I'm disappointed ya'll won't get to read Book 5 sooner, the situation is what it is, and I hope that when you DO finally read DAWNRISE in April, you'll be as happy about the ending to the Chaos Queen Quintet as I am.
There is a bright side to all of this, however. It seems George RR Martin and I will have at least one thing in common in that the adaptations of our work will be produced and available before the print versions ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. (In my defense, once again, the book has been finished for some time, it just...isn't being printed, yet.) But Graphic Audio, the company that produces the fantastic audio adaptations (full cast, soundtrack, sound effects, etc.) of my work will be releasing Parts 1 and 2 of DAWNRISE in DECEMBER! So, if you just can't wait for the print version, you should definitely check out the Graphic Audio versions! Or, even better, get them both :-). I genuinely love Graphic Audio's adaptations, and I think they've done an excellent job with my entire series.
Part 1 of Graphic Audio's adaptation of DAWNRISE comes out December 8th!
Part 2 of Graphic Audio's adaptation of DAWNRISE comes out December 30th!Anyway, a huge thanks to all of you who read my books, and I hope that, however you experience the ending of the Chaos Queen Quintet, it will be awesome on every level.
August 17, 2020
DAWNRISE Release Date
Many have been asking, so let me give ya'll the good and bad news about book 5.
Good news: It's still coming out this year!
Bad news: Due to COVID-19-related delays, it won't be available until December 8th.
That said, I think the good outweighs the bad. The Chaos Queen Quintet's conclusion is nigh, and I'm excited for book 5 to FINALLY be in your hands!
October 22, 2019
DAWNRISE
I don't know what you were up to last week, but I finished the final volume of a five-book dark epic fantasy series.
Perhaps I'll do a longer post about the process of writing book 5 at a later date, but for now let me just say that it was, in a word, tough. Dawnrise is right up there with Dark Immolation as far as the difficulty of the process goes, and perhaps even more difficult, although for different reasons.
However, it is now DONE. Or, at least, a revised-ish draft is done; as usual, I'll do another big revision and edits early next year. But the bones are there, and despite how much I hated myself as a writer and how much I hated this book as I was writing it, I (again, as usual) was pleasantly surprised by most of the book in the quick pass I did before sending it to my editor. That first-draft insecurity is pretty typical for most writers, it seems, including myself, but I was really feeling it with this book.
I am really glad it's done.
Also, I think you'll really like the ending.
Anyway, let's get some of the details out, as I do:
Title: Dawnrise. This title has pretty much been written in stone since I titled the first novel of the series Duskfall. I'm a sucker for symmetry, so...yep :-).Version: 2.2.Total Word Count: 141,051. That's on the lower end of the other books in the series; the first-draft lengths of each of the previous novels were 162,000 (DF); 177,200 (DI); 131,600 (BR); and 187,000 (FtS).Chapters: 41, not including a prologue and an epilogue.Viewpoint Characters: Yeesh...let's see. All told, I'm looking at about 10 viewpoint characters. Some of them have smaller parts than others, but they're all pretty significant to the story.Start Date: January 2019End Date: 17 October 2019And there you have it. If you're curious about some of the stats of the previous books in the series, here are some links:
DUSKFALL (also, incidentally, the first-ever post on this blog!)DARK IMMOLATIONBLOOD REQUIEMFEAR THE STARS
And, for now, I've got a few other projects calling my name that I've been really looking forward to tackling, so, if you'll excuse me...!
October 8, 2019
PARALLEL WORLDS: THE HEROES WITHIN available today!
Okay, fine, I'll tell you a little bit more. I have a story in this awesome anthology available TODAY, along with some other awesome and bestselling authors, including but not limited to Jim Butcher, Jody Lynn Nye, Dave Butler, LJ Hachmeister, Christopher Ruocchio, and others! Seriously, there are a lot of fantastic stories in this one, so if you have a chance, you should check it out. It's available electronically now, and print should be available soon.
(My story is an original, non-Chaos Queen thing, presented as the blog of a young woman trying to survive in a zombie-ish apocalypse. I like it a lot.)
So check it out now!
September 6, 2019
PARALLEL WORLDS Anthology giveaway!
The anthology contains other stories from such awesome authors as Jim Butcher, Dave Butler, Christopher Ruocchio, Jody Lynn Nye, and LJ Hachmeister. It's going to be a phenomenal collection of tales, and you should totes check it out.
Incidentally, Dave Butler is hosting a giveaway for 11 pdf copies of the book and 1 hard copy, signed by Jim Butcher! If that sort of thing interests you, get on over to his website and sign up! (Bonus: you don't even have to get added to a mailing list to do it!)
What are you waiting for?? Get on it!
September 4, 2019
CHAOS QUEEN books 1-4 on sale at Graphic Audio!
The audio adaptations of my books are on sale at Graphic Audio! Use the SET30 discount code to get 30% off your purchase of the entire set! Sale ends on 8 September! Here's the link for the page to purchase the full set.(Alternatively, if you'd rather just check out the Graphic Audio version of the first book, go here and use discount code FALL25 for a 25% discount until the end of September!)Note that these are the audio adaptations--slightly different from the regular audiobooks. These have a full cast, soundtrack, and sound effects. More along the lines of a radio play than an audiobook. For what it's worth, I think they are AWESOME. I love these adaptations of my books, and I think they've portrayed almost every single one of the characters very accurately.The set for sale right now includes:
DUSKFALL
DARK IMMOLATION Part 1
DARK IMMOLATION Part 2
BLOOD REQUIEM Part 1
BLOOD REQUIEM Part 2
FEAR THE STARS Part 1
FEAR THE STARS Part 2 (not out yet but will be soon)So it doesn't include the forthcoming DAWNRISE adaptations, which aren't scheduled for release until late 2020.Check them out!
