Laura Anne Gilman's Blog, page 40

FYI and Time To Squee....

Go. Look.

I had a thing to say...

But really, it can all be summed up thus:

The squalling of "oh, fantasy isn't about REAL issues or proper use of metaphors" we're seeing once again from critics and writers who should know better by now ignores the fact that ALL good fiction invokes moral and psychological themes - and emotional themes, too. And fantasy, in particular, excels at that precisely because it frames it outside our daily realities.

In the immortal words of Ursula K. "National Book Fellowship Medalist for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters" Le Guin: "Fantasy is probably the oldest literary device for talking about reality."

Deal with it, litsnobs.  And deal with it, Mr. Ishiguro.

Getcher Fiction Heah!

So, a while back, the unstoppable Jaym Gates came to me and said, kid, I want you to write me a story (if you're imagining this as said in the voice of Arlo Guthrie channeling Officer Obie, you'd be dead to rights). It was for an anthology she was plotting, with the theme of genius loci, or the pervading/protective spirit of a place.

And I - having just recently returned from my 5 day sojourn across Kansas, said "yeah...I think I got something for ya."

And now that story, "Heartbeat," is part of GENIUS LOCI, which kicked off its kickstarter this morning, and it already 1/3 of the way toward goal. Because, bluntly, it has an AWESOME Table of Contents.

“Long Way Down” by Seanan McGuire
“The Snow Train” by Ken Liu
“Twilight State” by Gemma Files
"Santa Cruz" by Andy Duncan
“And the Trees Were Happy” by Scott Edelman
“Blackthorn” by B. Morris Allen
“Ouroboros in Orbit” by J. Daniel Batt
“Reef” by K.C. Norton
“Scab Land” by Wendy N. Wagner
“The Forgetting Field” by Caroline Ratajski
“The Town the Forest Ate” by Haralambi Markov
“Imperator Noster” by Sonya Taaffe
“The Other Shore” by Rebecca Campbell
“The South China Sea” by Z.M. Quynh
“Iron Feliks” by Anatoly Belilovsky
“Forest for the Trees” by Steven S. Long
“Drowning Again” by Ken Scholes and Katie Cord
“The Grudge” by Thoraiya Dyer
“Coaltown” by Heather Clitheroe
“In the Water, Underneath” by Damien Angelica Walters
“Afterparty” by Chaz Brenchley
“The Gramadevi's Lament” by Sunil Patel
“Blue & Grey and Black & Green” by Alethea Kontis
“Heartbeat” by Laura Anne Gilman
“The City” by Vivienne Pustell
“The Crooked Smile Killers” by James Lowder
“Threadbare Magician” by Cat Rambo
“Well of Tranquility” by Steven H Silver
“Beer and Pennies” by Rich Dansky
“The Sleck” by Keris McDonald
“The Transplant Specialist” by Sarah Goslee
“Cactus Flowers and Bone Flutes” by Mercedes M. Yardley

Plus illustrations, and your choice of digital or gorgeous small press book (or both!) and many other stretch goals...

You know you want it...

of possible interest to my NYC/NJ peeps...

Update:

I'm coming in Wednesday afternoon via LGA.  Thursday lunch and dinner have already been claimed.  Not sure yet when we're heading out (could be Friday evening, might be earlier).

---------------

Originally posted by suricattus at of possible interest to my NYC/NJ peeps... Looks like I'll be in NYC May 27th-28th, before heading up to Boston for the weekend. So let me know if you want to get together...

(I know it's early, but hey, looking ahead to Spring!)

Weekend Accomplishments

The Book in Progress has hit 30,000 words. I'm not sure what I should do with the thing that used to be an outline, though...

I'm almost done with the current editorial client's manuscript, though it will need another once-over before I send it back.

I caught up with 90% of the pending emails.

I arranged my trip back to NYC in May.

I've almost got a draft on a new short story.

The apartment is clean. I mean, really, seriously ready-for-company clean. I must be avoiding something...

oh, right, tax paperwork.  *sad trombone*

I am in no way shape or form ready for Monday (or March), but here it is anyway....

a tried and true, if not always sustainable, policy...

Friend: "You didn't comment on X!"
Me: "Because I didn't want to debate the stupid premise."
Friend: "You're banned from the Internet."

He did both live long and prosper, and because of him so did we all.

Goodbye, honorary grandfather.  We will remember the stories you told us.

ME and my TV

So, my Comcast *spit* subscription is as basic and bare bones as they'll let me get, but one of the channels available is MeTV. Which means I get daily doses of M*A*S*H, and also Hogan's Heroes, and Quincy, and even Emergency!, tho it makes me wince to watch that now.

I'm pretty sure a) that Jack Klugman was my first-ever tv crush, and b) that I need to dig out a copy of M*A*S*H the novel and see if it's as rudely, painfully hysterical as I remember...

(and yes, I read the sequel, too.  And liked it, as I recall.)

AND I watched Trapper John, MD and mostly loved it...

Midweek thinks I have been far too social...

I was out and about on Friday night. And Saturday night. And Sunday afternoon. And Monday night. And then again on Tuesday night. Social butterfly was me. I am therefore officially pulling the door shut behind me as I go into the work cave and may not actually interact with another human being until Friday. Trust me, it's better this way for all of us.

Books to write. Books to edit. Emails to send, coaxing people into doing what I want what's best for them.  Busy busy busy.

Meanwhile, courtesy of the lovely P, I had a small plate of mini-cupcakes on my counter this morning. So that was breakfast sorted. So I'm going to be a happily buzzing hermit, at least until the sugar crash* sets in....




*[admission: I remove about half the frosting before eating, because I know my sugar issues]

Today, I...

Wrote about 1K words on a short story that I've made a bet with another friend that I can finish by next Sunday, even with everything else that's going on.

And then I went to the Cascade Writer's Library Event in Renton, where I, Ken Scholes, and Heather Roulo dropped some hard truths (and funny stories) about life in the publishing trenches...



and I read a bit from SILVER ON THE ROAD but was too nervous to look up and see how the audience was reacting...


and afterward we repaired to Vino on the Landing, where Ken serenaded me with a stripped-down acoustic version of "Dancing in the Dark."


Those fantasy writers, they sure know how to party...

And now I am in my pjs at the extreme hour of 7:30 pm and feeling no shame, because it's gonna be a busy end-of-month week ahead...