Laura Anne Gilman's Blog, page 9

Today! (well, okay, TONIGHT!)

Today on Facebook: our Autumn Reading Party!

Wait, a what?

An Autumn Reading Party!

Join authors from Tor, ChiZine, Hex, Falstaff, Saga, Resurrection House, and more to what we're reading, what you should maybe be reading, over a cup of your favorite autumnal beverage (and possibly some discussion of what we're all drinking and eating, because reading is hungry - and thirsty - work).

And yes, this is an informal AMA.  Go for it.

Feel free to swing by at any time from 6-8pm Pacific (9-11pm Eastern), although my 'thread' will start around 7:40pm Pacific. And just to make things interesting, I'll have a few copies of the trade paperback edition of SILVER ON THE ROAD, and advance reading copies of THE COLD EYE, for giving away!

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Internet...

I am guest-posting at J. Kathleen Cheny's site, about Research Rabbit Holes I have Known...

Back on the horse and under the bus...

WRITING. Again. Finally. I was starting to worry I'd gone full-on into editorial mode and would never get out. (I kid, I kid, I always know my way out)

Currently playing in the Patreon-only world of Duchess, PI. $1/month gets you entree into the mind of the Alley's best snoop-for-hire....

"For someone in my line of work, people-watching was both a professional skill and a hobby, and this crowd was a masterclass in expensive boredom mixed with a smear of middle-class pretension."

That was the Saturday That Wasn't

So, the "worst storm in years" that was supposed to hit us this weekend kind of... wasn't. There was damage from high winds and flooding, yeah, but not the catastrophe they'd originally predicted. We had a few power flickers here, and there's an outage a block away (about 800 households affected, as per the map), but that's it for this area. And hey, I get it, forecasts change, and particularly storms coming n from the sea can change on a dime... but yeah - part of me is deeply disappointed (the adult part of me is thinking "no, no, this is good, hush").

But one plus to having a quiet day at home: project that's been dogging my heels (and behind schedule) for a week is now done and back to its owner. The only thing on my agenda for the next two weeks is WRITING.

(ok, and working at the winery, and prepping for the release of THE COLD EYE, and reading submissions for THE DEATH OF ALL THINGS and where is your submission already hmmm? and stuff like that. But mostly WRITING.)

quietly, quietly.

I cried more today during the yizkor service than I did at my father's funeral. This is...not surprising. At the funeral we were still feeling shock that he was gone, and relief that he was no longer in pain.

Today, I was allowed solely to miss him, and mourn the space where he had been.

May all those who sorrow find peace.

Silver in Paper!

It's Silver on the Road's Paperback Release Day!  And I really really want to make some brilliant pun on the silver standard and paper currency, but  I'm sure one of you folk will pick up the slack... meanwhile, I'm just going to kvell.

A year ago, I was stressing over the release of a new, ambitious, very different project.  I had no idea how people would like it (although the early reviews had been positive), I had no idea if it would fall down in the opening strides and never be heard from again, or be the book that Made My Name.

Well, neither of those things happened.  I'm not a NYT bestseller, Hollywood didn't come knocking (yet), I wasn't a Hugo Loser or a Nebula winner.  On the other hand, the book didn't stumble and fall, either.  People liked it.  Some people liked it a lot.  And it got talked about.  A lot.  It got an award nomination (the Endeavor Award for Speculative Fiction). And it kept selling.

And now I'm thrilled to see it come out in trade paperback,  so that people who just can't justify $20+ for a book (I hear you, my people, I hear that pain), and don't like ebooks, can see what I - and many others - love this book so much.

How much?

This much:

NPR said: “Silver on the Road take(s) on the sheen and weight of forgotten history….and it’s that echo in the brain that makes the thing hard to put down, because reading Silver on the Road is not like falling into some new and unfamiliar world.  It’s more like a true American myth being found.”

Publishers Weekly said: “In this delightful start to The Devil’s West series… 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. ”

BarnesAndNoble.com said: “Her cocktail of Western folklore, Native American mythos, and known history are seamless, and will be a particular treat to fans of the other master of that kind of mashup, Neil Gaiman.”

Asimov's Magazine said:  "[Gilman] has created a fascinating world for her characters (and her readers) to explore. A lot of the fun comes from her twists on what look at first like familiar tropes from the mythos of the American West—saloons, mining towns, Native Americans, Spanish missionaries—all taking on a new meaning in the Devil’s West. Recommended."

RT Reviews said:  “…Takes an underused setting for fantasy—the American West—and uses it to explore coming of age, the limits of power and responsibility, and the importance of mingling compassion and justice. It’s fresh and original and the language is both stark and lovely. The descriptions of the natural landscape of the West fit beautifully with descriptions of talking animals, travelling magicians and terrifying supernatural forces. 4.5 stars”

And more.  More enough that I start to blush with pride on behalf of the entire series.

And now it's available in paperback.  :-D

Amazon US / B&N / Simon & Schuster / Indiebound's Local Bookstore Finder  / Other Retailers

One Last Flashback for SILVER ON THE ROAD...

One day before SILVER ON THE ROAD lands in paperback (it may already be on the shelves in your local bookstore!) and even NPR thinks you should have a copy of your own...

"Lost in the middle of the story, you'll feel somehow that you've always known the Devil wore a suit and ran a gambling house back in six-gun times, that he once sent a sixteen year old girl out into the world to fight monsters for him — and it's that echo in the brain that makes the thing hard to put down, because reading Silver on the Road is not like falling into some new and unfamiliar world.

It's more like a true American myth being found."

Weekend Productivity!

Website Updated! Newsletter Going Out! Copies of the Trade Paperback Edition of SILVER ON THE ROAD (with a sample chapter of THE COLD EYE in back) in my Grubby Writer Paws!



I'm feeling all writer-y 'n shit right now. Almost like a book's about to hit the shelves....

Countdown to Silver in Paper...

Four (4!) days before SILVER ON THE ROAD is out in trade paperback, a flashback to when I dreamcast the series. See if - having read the book - any of you agree/disagree....

(note: having now written two more books in the series, I've changed my mind about Marie. I want Kim Rhodes to play her)

Bookplate Vault Update

If you requested a bookplate, they're going in the mail today.  :-)

Still some available!

Originally posted by suricattus at Bookplate Vault UpdatePSA: with the trade paperback of SILVER ON THE ROAD landing in eleven (11!) days – which means stores will probably have it out next week – I’m re-opening the bookplate vault. If you’d like a personalized bookplate for SILVER, drop me an email at lag-at-lauraannegilman.-dot-net with your preferred use-name, and a mailing address.

I have a limited number of bookplates left, so first come first sent, and otherwise you’ll have to a) send me the actual book for signing, b) hit up one of my local bookstores (U Bookstore or Third Place), or wait until I hit the road in January for THE COLD EYE….