Alanna McFall's Blog, page 2
March 19, 2020
“The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus” Finalist for IBPA’s Best New Voice Award!
I am so incredibly thrilled and honored to announce that my debut novel,
The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, is a finalist for the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards, in the Best New Voice: Fiction category.
The other three books in the category are The Boys Who Woke Up Early by A.D. Hopkins, The Last Getaway by Clay Savage and Sassafras by Trish Heald, and I cannot wait to give all of them a look. This means so much to have my work shared with the larger indie publishing community. While the formal ceremony in Redondo Beach had to be cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns, I will still be eagerly awaiting and cheering on the announcement of the winners in April.
The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, is a finalist for the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards, in the Best New Voice: Fiction category.The other three books in the category are The Boys Who Woke Up Early by A.D. Hopkins, The Last Getaway by Clay Savage and Sassafras by Trish Heald, and I cannot wait to give all of them a look. This means so much to have my work shared with the larger indie publishing community. While the formal ceremony in Redondo Beach had to be cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns, I will still be eagerly awaiting and cheering on the announcement of the winners in April.
March 11, 2020
Bay Area Book Festival Cancelled
I am very sad to say that the Bay Area Book Festival has been cancelled, and as such I will no longer have a booth set up to share my novel
with my local community.
This is an event I was very much looking forward to, so I am sad to see it go. Working in the theater arts in the Bay Area, I am surrounded by people making tough choices right now.
If there is a local arts organization, theater, independent publisher, or any small business with a special place in your heart, consider sending them a small donation or token of your appreciation, as they are certainly feeling the sting of the COVID-19 safety measures right now. Everyone is making the best choices that they can for everyone’s safety and well being, but that doesn’t make it any easier to pay the bills after a cancelled event.
And if you are home with a sudden amount of free time, please consider grabbing a copy of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus and going on a road trip across the country without having to leave your living room!
with my local community.This is an event I was very much looking forward to, so I am sad to see it go. Working in the theater arts in the Bay Area, I am surrounded by people making tough choices right now.
If there is a local arts organization, theater, independent publisher, or any small business with a special place in your heart, consider sending them a small donation or token of your appreciation, as they are certainly feeling the sting of the COVID-19 safety measures right now. Everyone is making the best choices that they can for everyone’s safety and well being, but that doesn’t make it any easier to pay the bills after a cancelled event.
And if you are home with a sudden amount of free time, please consider grabbing a copy of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus and going on a road trip across the country without having to leave your living room!
March 5, 2020
Join me at FOGcon, starting tomorrow!
The big day is here, the Friends of Genre Convention in Walnut Creek begins tomorrow! I will be speaking on a couple different panels over the weekend, and would absolutely love to say hello to anyone who stops by! My schedule is listed below.
Reading
Fri, 9:30–10:45 pm
I will be reading an excerpt from my novel,
The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, along with fellow authors Chaz Brenchley and Heather Rose Jones.
Small Scale SFF
Sat, 3:00–4:15 pm
So many well known SFF stories focus on saving or changing the world, yet smaller scale stories matter. Many people have talked about the difficulties of making domestic concerns story shaped.However it’s important to have stories about care-taking, love and warmth and good food. There’s value in small scale stories about people solving problems without violence, and stories about forming communities. These stories help us imagine that we can use the skills that we have to mend the world. So let’s celebrate small cosy and domestic stories!
Panelists M: Debbie Notkin, Laura Davy, Tina LeCount Myers, David D. Levine, Alanna McFall
SFF Podcasts: What’s out there and what does it sound like?
Sun, 9:00–10:15 am
There are too many podcasts for genre fiction readers and writers for any one person to keep track of on their own. What are the best for readers? Which are the most helpful for writers? How does the medium of podcasting change a story?
Panelists: Heather Rose Jones, Alanna McFall
Reading
Fri, 9:30–10:45 pm
I will be reading an excerpt from my novel,
The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, along with fellow authors Chaz Brenchley and Heather Rose Jones.Small Scale SFF
Sat, 3:00–4:15 pm
So many well known SFF stories focus on saving or changing the world, yet smaller scale stories matter. Many people have talked about the difficulties of making domestic concerns story shaped.However it’s important to have stories about care-taking, love and warmth and good food. There’s value in small scale stories about people solving problems without violence, and stories about forming communities. These stories help us imagine that we can use the skills that we have to mend the world. So let’s celebrate small cosy and domestic stories!
Panelists M: Debbie Notkin, Laura Davy, Tina LeCount Myers, David D. Levine, Alanna McFall
SFF Podcasts: What’s out there and what does it sound like?
Sun, 9:00–10:15 am
There are too many podcasts for genre fiction readers and writers for any one person to keep track of on their own. What are the best for readers? Which are the most helpful for writers? How does the medium of podcasting change a story?
Panelists: Heather Rose Jones, Alanna McFall
March 1, 2020
Monthly Update- February!
This wasn't as much of a busy month, but February definitely had a fair amount of things in progress.
Writing:
February has seen a couple new projects for me, as I submitted a ten-minute play for this month's Monday Night PlayGround, and have a new novel project that I'm in the early stages of. I have been editing my full-length play "This Time Last Year", which will see its first full table reading this upcoming Saturday, and I cannot wait to see what that brings for the project.
Events:
FOGcon is in less than a week! I am participating in a reading, speaking on two panels, and will be thrilled to see anyone else who is around and wants to say hello! Get your tickets now!
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
Bit of a slighter month for reading. I finished Interview with the Vampire, which I was lukewarm on, and am nearly done with The Book of Memory, which I am unfortunately feeling the same about. But I have seen some great movies and was delighted by Birds of Prey.
General:
Atthis Arts, the publisher of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, has a lot of new works and collections that you should check out. Support your indie publishers!
Writing:
February has seen a couple new projects for me, as I submitted a ten-minute play for this month's Monday Night PlayGround, and have a new novel project that I'm in the early stages of. I have been editing my full-length play "This Time Last Year", which will see its first full table reading this upcoming Saturday, and I cannot wait to see what that brings for the project.
Events:
FOGcon is in less than a week! I am participating in a reading, speaking on two panels, and will be thrilled to see anyone else who is around and wants to say hello! Get your tickets now!
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
Bit of a slighter month for reading. I finished Interview with the Vampire, which I was lukewarm on, and am nearly done with The Book of Memory, which I am unfortunately feeling the same about. But I have seen some great movies and was delighted by Birds of Prey.
General:
Atthis Arts, the publisher of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, has a lot of new works and collections that you should check out. Support your indie publishers!
February 4, 2020
Monthly Update- January!
I feel like trying something this year: after the end of the month, I’d love to give folks a little wrap-up post on how the month has been going for my writing, my general stuff, and anything else I have going on. I hope you all enjoy!
Writing:
It’s been a big script-writing month for me. I finished the first draft of my play “This Time Last Year”, which I am thrilled to have worked on. This piece is a commission from PlayGround, in conjunction with my winning the June Anne Baker Award this past season. This piece will be getting a table read at the PlayGround PlaySpace on March 7th, and I invite anyone who would like to stop by to join me.
I am also currently hard at work on my submission for this month’s Monday Night PlayGround. I haven’t been able to participate much this season, as I’ve been deep in work on the full-length, but my fingers are crossed that I can put together something fun this season.
Events:
It has been a planning month for me! In March, I will be attending FOGcon in Walnut Creek, and hopefully speaking on some of the panels there (still TBA). And in May, you will find me with my own book at the Bay Area Book Festival! There’s a lot more to come there, so keep your eyes peeled.
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
I have been positively eating books and movies this month. My favorite has probably been the Order of the Stick prequel book, because I love getting back to my nerdy fandom side.
General:
It’s 2020 and a whole new year where you can read my debut novel The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus. As award season approaches, please consider Triple-C for any nominations you contribute to, as I would love to bring these ghosts and mimes to a wider audience. And thank you to everyone who made 2019 a great year for me to achieve an important milestone in my professional and creative life.
Writing:
It’s been a big script-writing month for me. I finished the first draft of my play “This Time Last Year”, which I am thrilled to have worked on. This piece is a commission from PlayGround, in conjunction with my winning the June Anne Baker Award this past season. This piece will be getting a table read at the PlayGround PlaySpace on March 7th, and I invite anyone who would like to stop by to join me.
I am also currently hard at work on my submission for this month’s Monday Night PlayGround. I haven’t been able to participate much this season, as I’ve been deep in work on the full-length, but my fingers are crossed that I can put together something fun this season.
Events:
It has been a planning month for me! In March, I will be attending FOGcon in Walnut Creek, and hopefully speaking on some of the panels there (still TBA). And in May, you will find me with my own book at the Bay Area Book Festival! There’s a lot more to come there, so keep your eyes peeled.
Reading and Watching Resolutions:
I have been positively eating books and movies this month. My favorite has probably been the Order of the Stick prequel book, because I love getting back to my nerdy fandom side.
General:
It’s 2020 and a whole new year where you can read my debut novel The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus. As award season approaches, please consider Triple-C for any nominations you contribute to, as I would love to bring these ghosts and mimes to a wider audience. And thank you to everyone who made 2019 a great year for me to achieve an important milestone in my professional and creative life.
January 6, 2020
2020 Reading Resolution!
New year, new decade, new books! (Though the first one I post will definitely be majority-read in 2019.) I am ready to go with a fresh new year of reading resolutions!
So my fiancee did point out an issue with my previous year’s list: I was having to pass on a lot of contemporary fiction and spec fic because I couldn’t find anywhere to fit it in the list. And while the list’s purpose is to guide me to new reading horizons, I do also need to remember that I am a member of the spec-fic publishing community now, and I should know what my peers are producing. So with a bit of trimming, this year’s list now has five Wild Card slots, as opposed to the one from last year. Hopefully this will give me some more room to follow my bliss, while still inspiring me to read things I might not have tried otherwise. (The watching resolution list is unchanged, as it served me well this year.)
So here we go! And if you have any recommendations, feel free to drop them my way!
2020 Reading Resolution
A book written in North America:
A book written in Central America:
A book written in South America:
A book written in East Asia:
A book written in South Asia:
A book written in Africa:
A book written in the Middle East:
A book written in Australia/Oceania :
A book written in Russia:
A book written in Europe:
A biography:
A non-fiction book:
A collection of short stories:
A collection of poetry:
A play:
A book you’ve seen adapted:
A graphic novel:
A children’s book:
A book older than 100 years:
A debut novel:
A novel by a famous author, other than the one(s) they are best known for:
A book we’re intimidated by:
A book by an author you’ve never given a fair shot:
A book you’ve heard bad things about:
A book released in 2020:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
So my fiancee did point out an issue with my previous year’s list: I was having to pass on a lot of contemporary fiction and spec fic because I couldn’t find anywhere to fit it in the list. And while the list’s purpose is to guide me to new reading horizons, I do also need to remember that I am a member of the spec-fic publishing community now, and I should know what my peers are producing. So with a bit of trimming, this year’s list now has five Wild Card slots, as opposed to the one from last year. Hopefully this will give me some more room to follow my bliss, while still inspiring me to read things I might not have tried otherwise. (The watching resolution list is unchanged, as it served me well this year.)
So here we go! And if you have any recommendations, feel free to drop them my way!
2020 Reading Resolution
A book written in North America:
A book written in Central America:
A book written in South America:
A book written in East Asia:
A book written in South Asia:
A book written in Africa:
A book written in the Middle East:
A book written in Australia/Oceania :
A book written in Russia:
A book written in Europe:
A biography:
A non-fiction book:
A collection of short stories:
A collection of poetry:
A play:
A book you’ve seen adapted:
A graphic novel:
A children’s book:
A book older than 100 years:
A debut novel:
A novel by a famous author, other than the one(s) they are best known for:
A book we’re intimidated by:
A book by an author you’ve never given a fair shot:
A book you’ve heard bad things about:
A book released in 2020:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
January 2, 2020
Reading Resolution Year in Review!
In a year where I also published my own debut novel, it was interesting to see how my feelings about my reading list evolved. Every book, even the “simplest” or “worst”, is the product of a huge amount of work, passion and dedication.
That being said, this year was a fairly mixed bag for me. Nothing toooo terrible, and a few mind-blowers, but mostly a pretty solid swath of books in the middle. But here are my stand-outs of my 2019 reading!
Best Book: A tie between Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement edited by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway and Sarah Shourd, and Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley. Non-fiction has been somehow taking over my best-of slots for the past two years, but these two books were very moving in two incredibly different, but also similar, ways. Both are telling stories about unbalanced and unfair systems through individual stories. Hell is a Very Small Place shares first-hand accounts from a number of prisoners held in solitary confinement in the US, and I have an immense amount of respect for the editors for bringing these stories out into the light. Kid Gloves is an autobiography by one person, but still takes on the scope of obstetrics in America and how we talk about pregnancy, miscarriage and childbirth. These can both be difficult to read, but I would highly recommend both.
Most Enjoyable Book: I created this category in previous years to give a place to shout-out to my guilty pleasures. Confessionsby by Kanae Minato, translated by Stephen Snyder, is some solid, enjoyable thriller pulp. Sometimes you want a book to make you think, sometimes you want a book to take you for a ride, and Confessions brings you to some weird and wonderful places.
Worst Book: Vox by Christina Dalcher, no question. Poorly paced, poorly developed, poorly written, and a terrible under-developed premise that the book barely even commits to. There were frustrating sections of most of the other books, but Vox was just incompetent throughout.
Most Frustrating Book: While Vox was bad (oh wow, was Vox bad), I had already heard that about it going in, and the book was so universally bad that it almost became entertaining. In Real Life, by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, however, frustrated me by having a lot of potential, a great start, and a central conceit that I have never seen portrayed in fiction before, only to let it go at the end. It really felt like Doctorow and Wang wrote themselves into a corner with material heavier than they could handle and couldn’t realistically give their story a happy ending, so they had to cram one in.
Biggest Surprise: Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowell, just because I have never in my life considered writing a hobby-focused history of someone’s lifetime. This book is pretty thin, but if you like both Beatrix Potter and gardening, it is very charming.
That being said, this year was a fairly mixed bag for me. Nothing toooo terrible, and a few mind-blowers, but mostly a pretty solid swath of books in the middle. But here are my stand-outs of my 2019 reading!
Best Book: A tie between Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement edited by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway and Sarah Shourd, and Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley. Non-fiction has been somehow taking over my best-of slots for the past two years, but these two books were very moving in two incredibly different, but also similar, ways. Both are telling stories about unbalanced and unfair systems through individual stories. Hell is a Very Small Place shares first-hand accounts from a number of prisoners held in solitary confinement in the US, and I have an immense amount of respect for the editors for bringing these stories out into the light. Kid Gloves is an autobiography by one person, but still takes on the scope of obstetrics in America and how we talk about pregnancy, miscarriage and childbirth. These can both be difficult to read, but I would highly recommend both.
Most Enjoyable Book: I created this category in previous years to give a place to shout-out to my guilty pleasures. Confessionsby by Kanae Minato, translated by Stephen Snyder, is some solid, enjoyable thriller pulp. Sometimes you want a book to make you think, sometimes you want a book to take you for a ride, and Confessions brings you to some weird and wonderful places.
Worst Book: Vox by Christina Dalcher, no question. Poorly paced, poorly developed, poorly written, and a terrible under-developed premise that the book barely even commits to. There were frustrating sections of most of the other books, but Vox was just incompetent throughout.
Most Frustrating Book: While Vox was bad (oh wow, was Vox bad), I had already heard that about it going in, and the book was so universally bad that it almost became entertaining. In Real Life, by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, however, frustrated me by having a lot of potential, a great start, and a central conceit that I have never seen portrayed in fiction before, only to let it go at the end. It really felt like Doctorow and Wang wrote themselves into a corner with material heavier than they could handle and couldn’t realistically give their story a happy ending, so they had to cram one in.
Biggest Surprise: Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowell, just because I have never in my life considered writing a hobby-focused history of someone’s lifetime. This book is pretty thin, but if you like both Beatrix Potter and gardening, it is very charming.
December 3, 2019
Six Months of The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus (A Perfect Holiday Gift!)
Six months ago, my debut novel, The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus, was released. That’s been six months of getting to share ghosts, mimes, friendships, loves, queer relationships, road trips, drama, laughs, tears, and a lot of circus with the rest of the world. I want to thank everyone who has helped me come this far, both to Atthis Arts for what they’ve done bringing this book to the world, and to everyone who has read it and shared their kind words. I am truly touched and humbled by the warm responses I’ve gotten.
But it has certainly not been easy. Publishing with an indie publisher, and being an emerging author, have incredibly difficult aspects and it feels like I am still straining to get the word out about this novel, to build some momentum in getting my work out there.
So if you have read and enjoyed Triple-C, I would be so appreciative if you could help me spread this work. Posting reviews with the website/source where you bought the novel, posting on Goodreads, writing a blog post, or telling a friend; it all helps me to get a foothold in the publishing word and it means a lot.
If you are at all involved with the reviewing or literary community, I would love to hear from you! Guest posts, interviews, review swaps, I am happy to interact with the community however I can. Feel free to drop me a line! Any nods in year-end lists are always very much appreciated.
And as we approach the end of the year, please consider The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus as a gift for someone you love. Do you have any friends or family who would appreciate ghosts, mimes, road trips, and the combination of all three? Then get them a book and support indie publishing at the same time.
This has been a wild ride and this novel is just the first chapter of it. Thank you again to everyone who has been so generous with your time, energy and love. This crazy circus is for all of us.
But it has certainly not been easy. Publishing with an indie publisher, and being an emerging author, have incredibly difficult aspects and it feels like I am still straining to get the word out about this novel, to build some momentum in getting my work out there.
So if you have read and enjoyed Triple-C, I would be so appreciative if you could help me spread this work. Posting reviews with the website/source where you bought the novel, posting on Goodreads, writing a blog post, or telling a friend; it all helps me to get a foothold in the publishing word and it means a lot.
If you are at all involved with the reviewing or literary community, I would love to hear from you! Guest posts, interviews, review swaps, I am happy to interact with the community however I can. Feel free to drop me a line! Any nods in year-end lists are always very much appreciated.
And as we approach the end of the year, please consider The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus as a gift for someone you love. Do you have any friends or family who would appreciate ghosts, mimes, road trips, and the combination of all three? Then get them a book and support indie publishing at the same time.
This has been a wild ride and this novel is just the first chapter of it. Thank you again to everyone who has been so generous with your time, energy and love. This crazy circus is for all of us.
November 26, 2019
Interview with Queer Words Podcast
I sat down recently with Wayne Goodman of the Queer Words Podcast to discuss my debut novel, The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus.
Check out my interview with Queer Words Podcast! Being a queer author and writing queer works has always been an important part of my identity, so it was great to get a chance to discuss it!
Listen to the interview here!
Check out my interview with Queer Words Podcast! Being a queer author and writing queer works has always been an important part of my identity, so it was great to get a chance to discuss it!
Listen to the interview here!
October 14, 2019
Check out my piece on “Authors Interviews”
I was fortunate to be able to speak with blogger Fiona Mcvie today, and my interview is now up on her website, Authors Interviews!
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
Alanna: I have been writing for as long as I can remember, mostly making up stories to go with my make-believe games around the house as a child. Telling stories, making characters and sharing my imagination with those around me has always been important to me, and somewhere along the line I realized that writing those stories down helped me save them.
Read More...
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
Alanna: I have been writing for as long as I can remember, mostly making up stories to go with my make-believe games around the house as a child. Telling stories, making characters and sharing my imagination with those around me has always been important to me, and somewhere along the line I realized that writing those stories down helped me save them.
Read More...
