Laura Anne Gilman's Blog, page 28
September 8, 2015
lacking content, have context.
Hi, I’m back from DragonCon.
I’m kinda fried, though.
And SILVER ON THE ROAD comes out in 4 weeks.
Which means our book launch at University Bookstore will be the same night as the season premiere of Supernatural.
(yes, you can come and make it home in time, I promise…)
Wheee?
I’m kinda fried, though.
And SILVER ON THE ROAD comes out in 4 weeks.
Which means our book launch at University Bookstore will be the same night as the season premiere of Supernatural.
(yes, you can come and make it home in time, I promise…)
Wheee?
September 4, 2015
Rachel Caine on SILVER ON THE ROAD
Not gonna lie, this one made me squee loud enough for dogs in New Zealand to go "WTF was that?"
"(Gilman's) SILVER ON THE ROAD feels like a story you've always known, but never read; the kind of haunting, perfect myth that draws together magic, the Old West, saints and sinners and innocents into a brilliant blend…. "
-Rachel Caine, NYT bestselling author of the Morganville Vampire series
"(Gilman's) SILVER ON THE ROAD feels like a story you've always known, but never read; the kind of haunting, perfect myth that draws together magic, the Old West, saints and sinners and innocents into a brilliant blend…. "
-Rachel Caine, NYT bestselling author of the Morganville Vampire series
September 1, 2015
Disasters! Dragon Virus
When Kevin Anderson approached me about being part of the Storybundle for his Disasters collection, I was surprised - because I'd never thought of DRAGON VIRUS in that way before. I mean, disaster books are action-adventure stories, as a rule. DRAGON VIRUS has action, and it has adventure, and courage and tragedy and all that, but...a disaster story?
Well, yes. Once I'd thought about it, yes.
dis·as·terdəˈzastər/noun
a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life."159 people died in the disaster"
denoting a genre of films that use natural or accidental catastrophe as the mainspring of plot and setting.modifier noun: disaster"a disaster movie"
an event or fact that has unfortunate consequences.
From the extinction-bent Wheelies to the families struggling to survive when the rules keep changing, DRAGON VIRUS is about disaster... and how nothing emerges - or survives - unchanged. And how, scary as it seems at the time, no matter how we despair, change isn't the end.
Don't believe me? Pick up a copy a DRAGON VIRUS via Storybundle, and discover for yourself. And while you're at it, pick up ten other novels of disaster, courage, and change, too...
Find out more about:Chris Mandeville's SEEDS
Well, yes. Once I'd thought about it, yes.
dis·as·terdəˈzastər/noun
a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life."159 people died in the disaster"
denoting a genre of films that use natural or accidental catastrophe as the mainspring of plot and setting.modifier noun: disaster"a disaster movie"
an event or fact that has unfortunate consequences.
From the extinction-bent Wheelies to the families struggling to survive when the rules keep changing, DRAGON VIRUS is about disaster... and how nothing emerges - or survives - unchanged. And how, scary as it seems at the time, no matter how we despair, change isn't the end.
Don't believe me? Pick up a copy a DRAGON VIRUS via Storybundle, and discover for yourself. And while you're at it, pick up ten other novels of disaster, courage, and change, too...
Find out more about:Chris Mandeville's SEEDS
August 31, 2015
Publishers Weekly on SILVER ON THE ROAD....
Gilman (the Vineart War trilogy) takes readers on a scenic tour of a very weird Wild West in this delightful start to the Devil’s West series. In an early 19th-century America where superstition, magic, and unusual beings flourish, a man considered to be the devil has claimed a vast region west of the Mississippi that’s known simply as the Territory. When saloon girl Isobel turns 16, she volunteers to work for the devil and is appointed as his Left Hand, an agent to help keep the Territory under control. Under the guidance of her new mentor, the enigmatic Gabriel, Isobel sets out to learn the ways of the road and discover what her role truly entails. A rash of supernatural events terrorizing the Territory forces Isobel and Gabriel to team with unlikely allies in hopes of preventing further tragedy. Gilman skillfully plays with western folklore and history, infusing them with ambiguity and subtle strangeness to deliver a memorable adventure out on the untamed frontier. Refreshingly, her vision of the American West includes respectful portrayals of Native Americans. Isobel’s coming-of-age story is very accessible to teens, and there’s plenty for adventure-minded adults to enjoy as well. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency. (Oct.)
(bolding mine, obvs)So yeah, they kinda sorta liked SILVER ON THE ROAD a little bit... And the placement of the review did not suck, either...
August 30, 2015
Weekend (and end-of-week) Recap
Everyone visiting went home, post-WorldCon.
Birthdays were celebrated (several times over).
It rained (finally!) and is still on-and-off-again raining.
We had a massive windstorm that knocked power out for a lot of people, area-wide.
I worked on two short stories that I intend to finish this week, damn it.
I posted my DragonCon schedule
oh, and I may have geebled a bit about the Major Disaster I'm involved in.... 11 stories of epic disaster, both natural and man-made, from some major names in the genre... and hey, ME! It's a Storybundle, so you pay-what-you-want for the base level, but a few dollars more gets you another FIVE books....
and you'll totally want to check in tomorrow, to see what's new. :-)
Birthdays were celebrated (several times over).
It rained (finally!) and is still on-and-off-again raining.
We had a massive windstorm that knocked power out for a lot of people, area-wide.
I worked on two short stories that I intend to finish this week, damn it.
I posted my DragonCon schedule
oh, and I may have geebled a bit about the Major Disaster I'm involved in.... 11 stories of epic disaster, both natural and man-made, from some major names in the genre... and hey, ME! It's a Storybundle, so you pay-what-you-want for the base level, but a few dollars more gets you another FIVE books....
and you'll totally want to check in tomorrow, to see what's new. :-)
August 29, 2015
Writer World Problems...
Trying to come up with a book- and series-appropriate line to use when signing copies of SILVER ON THE ROAD.
Don't laugh - this is important.
Also, it keeps me from thinking about all the other things I need to be thinking about today.
Don't laugh - this is important.
Also, it keeps me from thinking about all the other things I need to be thinking about today.
DragonCon 2015 Schedule
The DragonCon programming folk were kind enough to give me afternoon/evening panels, or the most part, so Operation Meet-Me-For-Breakfast is a Go. I repeat: Operation Meet-Me-For-Breakfast is a Go. Friday morning, 8:30-9:30, at a Location TBA here and via Twitter. There may (will) be t-shirts, galleys, and Other Items for the early birds....
The Official Schedule
Friday
The Plot Thickens: Mystery & Suspense in UF
Fri 02:30 pm Location: Chastain ED - Westin
How mystery & suspense characterize Urban Fantasy.
The Weird West Rides Again!
Time: Fri 07:00 pm Location: Augusta 3 - Westin
The changing genre of the Old West: alternate history, sci-fi, and fantasy.
(note: I will have a few advance reading copies of SILVER ON THE ROAD with me at this panel, if you come up and ask nicely....!)
Saturday
Reading
Sat 02:30 pm Location: Edgewood - Hyatt
(I will be reading from both SILVER ON THE ROAD and the next Sylvan Investigations novella)
Challenges for Today's Writers
Sat 07:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt
Who's paying the rent? Is insurance even an option? Where's the money coming from? When can I quit my day job? And other items of importance that will come up out of nowhere...
Sunday
Backdrop: Settings and Locales in UF
Sun 11:30 am Location: Chastain ED - Westin
How settings influence characters and worlds.
The Official Schedule
Friday
The Plot Thickens: Mystery & Suspense in UF
Fri 02:30 pm Location: Chastain ED - Westin
How mystery & suspense characterize Urban Fantasy.
The Weird West Rides Again!
Time: Fri 07:00 pm Location: Augusta 3 - Westin
The changing genre of the Old West: alternate history, sci-fi, and fantasy.
(note: I will have a few advance reading copies of SILVER ON THE ROAD with me at this panel, if you come up and ask nicely....!)
Saturday
Reading
Sat 02:30 pm Location: Edgewood - Hyatt
(I will be reading from both SILVER ON THE ROAD and the next Sylvan Investigations novella)
Challenges for Today's Writers
Sat 07:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt
Who's paying the rent? Is insurance even an option? Where's the money coming from? When can I quit my day job? And other items of importance that will come up out of nowhere...
Sunday
Backdrop: Settings and Locales in UF
Sun 11:30 am Location: Chastain ED - Westin
How settings influence characters and worlds.
August 27, 2015
So much STUFF to talk about! But first, a Disaster....
Have you ever want to immerse yourself in a series of really EPIC disasters - from a safe reading distance? Of course you have.
And the folk at Storybundle heard you....
Every time you turn on the news, you see a different possibility for how the world might end—and imminently! Climate change, Ebola, asteroid impact, nuclear war...zombie apocalypse. How will you prepare? How will you save your family? How will you help save the world for your children and future generations? Obviously, the best preparation is to read up on every possible disaster scenario. That's where The Disasters Bundle comes in.
One of our favorite curators, Kevin J. Anderson, has put together a new bundle of 11 epic disaster novels that cover the gamut of What Can Go Wrong. Think of it as 50 Shades of Doom. But these aren't just tales of disaster...but tales of heroism, persistence, ingenuity, and survival. These are truly the best things to read while you're huddled underground in your bomb shelter (or just in your living room, in the meantime)....
Pay what you think's fair - pay $15 or more, and get FIVE bonus books! The money goes directly to the authors (with a chunk to Storybundle, so they can continue the good work). No DRM. No tricks.
And you'll be getting one of the projects I'm most proud of - the darkly SFnal DRAGON VIRUS.
But you only have 21 days to score the bundle!
And the folk at Storybundle heard you....
Every time you turn on the news, you see a different possibility for how the world might end—and imminently! Climate change, Ebola, asteroid impact, nuclear war...zombie apocalypse. How will you prepare? How will you save your family? How will you help save the world for your children and future generations? Obviously, the best preparation is to read up on every possible disaster scenario. That's where The Disasters Bundle comes in.
One of our favorite curators, Kevin J. Anderson, has put together a new bundle of 11 epic disaster novels that cover the gamut of What Can Go Wrong. Think of it as 50 Shades of Doom. But these aren't just tales of disaster...but tales of heroism, persistence, ingenuity, and survival. These are truly the best things to read while you're huddled underground in your bomb shelter (or just in your living room, in the meantime)....
Pay what you think's fair - pay $15 or more, and get FIVE bonus books! The money goes directly to the authors (with a chunk to Storybundle, so they can continue the good work). No DRM. No tricks.
And you'll be getting one of the projects I'm most proud of - the darkly SFnal DRAGON VIRUS.
But you only have 21 days to score the bundle!
August 23, 2015
Sasquan, Friday-Through-Sunday
Yeah, I know, I shouldn't even TRY to liveblog conventions. It never ends well.
So.
The big news of Sasquan was NOT the Puppies (probably to their everlasting hurt) but the fires raging, turning the sky thick with ash and prompting Dire Warnings about air quality. For a while there, Spokane beat out Beijing for the Worst Air in the World. Then it cleared up a bit on Saturday, but many people were wearing facemaks, and using scarves to filter when they had to go outside.
The Book View Cafe party for GoH Vonda McIntyre was packed, and the cake was delish, and the wine was consumed, and we didn't get shut down by hotel security until things were starting to wind down anyway. :-)
My panels went well, my reading was decently-attended for the hour, and I got the hoped for "5 second audience hush" after reading my bit from SILVER ON THE ROAD, and the gasp of "no fair cliffhanger!" for the excerpt from THE WORK OF HUNTERS. And my kaffeklatch was full-up, including someone who said she'd been to my first 'klatch back in 2005, too, and they all seemed quite interested in SILVER/The Devil's West. So I call all that a success.
And then the Hugos happened. I observed from a safe distance (the hotel bar, via livestream and Twitter). The votes tell the story: the Puppy agenda was rejected, some awesome people deservedly won, including Laura Mixon for Best Fan Writer, for blogging about in-community abuses, and Wes Chu winning the Campbell for best new professional writer.
And now I am home, and holy shit this week's busy. *eeeks a little*
So.
The big news of Sasquan was NOT the Puppies (probably to their everlasting hurt) but the fires raging, turning the sky thick with ash and prompting Dire Warnings about air quality. For a while there, Spokane beat out Beijing for the Worst Air in the World. Then it cleared up a bit on Saturday, but many people were wearing facemaks, and using scarves to filter when they had to go outside.
The Book View Cafe party for GoH Vonda McIntyre was packed, and the cake was delish, and the wine was consumed, and we didn't get shut down by hotel security until things were starting to wind down anyway. :-)
My panels went well, my reading was decently-attended for the hour, and I got the hoped for "5 second audience hush" after reading my bit from SILVER ON THE ROAD, and the gasp of "no fair cliffhanger!" for the excerpt from THE WORK OF HUNTERS. And my kaffeklatch was full-up, including someone who said she'd been to my first 'klatch back in 2005, too, and they all seemed quite interested in SILVER/The Devil's West. So I call all that a success.
And then the Hugos happened. I observed from a safe distance (the hotel bar, via livestream and Twitter). The votes tell the story: the Puppy agenda was rejected, some awesome people deservedly won, including Laura Mixon for Best Fan Writer, for blogging about in-community abuses, and Wes Chu winning the Campbell for best new professional writer.
And now I am home, and holy shit this week's busy. *eeeks a little*
August 21, 2015
Sasquan, Thursday
Made it to Sasquan safely, and - as per usual - spent most of the afternoon trying to get from point A to point B without meeting a dozen people along the way I had to stop and say hi to.
The fires are a thing on most peoples' mind - how can it not, with the smoke clotting the sky, and turning the sun and moon both reddish? - but it's not slowing the pace of events.
The autographing went quite well - got to hang out with Fran Wilde, while signing a lovely number of books from my varied publishing past (not so many of the PSI books, but a LOT of Retrievers and a metric load of Vineart War, plus a number of anthologies). And I gave out many nifty new bookmarks, and people got to fondle the galley of SILVER ON THE ROAD.
Then it was on to the Horror/Paranormal panel, where things occasionally threatened to derail into sidebar issues, but our moderator brought things back more or less on track.
And then the usual dinner with Lawrence M. Schoen and Valerie Green Schoen, Howard Tayler, Barbara Ferrer, and Gail Carriger at a place so good we turned around and made another reservation for Saturday night.
And then bar-time until we realized that we'd been awake since 5:30 and maybe it was time to fall over...
Today has another mix of social and work and social work, and then the Book View Cafe party! If you're at Sasquan, find me for more info!
The fires are a thing on most peoples' mind - how can it not, with the smoke clotting the sky, and turning the sun and moon both reddish? - but it's not slowing the pace of events.
The autographing went quite well - got to hang out with Fran Wilde, while signing a lovely number of books from my varied publishing past (not so many of the PSI books, but a LOT of Retrievers and a metric load of Vineart War, plus a number of anthologies). And I gave out many nifty new bookmarks, and people got to fondle the galley of SILVER ON THE ROAD.
Then it was on to the Horror/Paranormal panel, where things occasionally threatened to derail into sidebar issues, but our moderator brought things back more or less on track.
And then the usual dinner with Lawrence M. Schoen and Valerie Green Schoen, Howard Tayler, Barbara Ferrer, and Gail Carriger at a place so good we turned around and made another reservation for Saturday night.
And then bar-time until we realized that we'd been awake since 5:30 and maybe it was time to fall over...
Today has another mix of social and work and social work, and then the Book View Cafe party! If you're at Sasquan, find me for more info!
