Jim C. Hines's Blog, page 135

Pose-off with John Scalzi

When I started the Aicardi Syndrome Fundraiser, I recruited bestselling author and ukelele prodigy John Scalzi to be a bonus goal when we hit the $1000 mark.

We raised that much on the first day. Which meant it was time to see once and for all (at least until the next round) who was the true cover-posing master!

I issued the challenge, offering him the choice of three book covers to imitate. With the help of his readers, he selected The Taste of Night [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy], by Vicki Pettersson.

This was the big one. After warming up, I took a break to walk off the pains of the previous poses, and to mentally prepare myself. I meditated for three days and six nights. I purified my body with a diet of crushed ice, unbuttered toast, and green Skittles. I studied one of our cat to learn the true secret of flexibility. Unfortunately, all I learned was the secret of well-timed cat farts.

But my training period was over. I put the Rocky soundtrack on the stereo, changed clothes, and began Operation Sexy Leg.

My wife took eight photos, helping me to adjust my stance each time, then giving me a chance to fall down between takes. But I think it was worth it!

Dear Internet: I present to you my version of The Taste of Night!

I’d like to thank my daughter for letting me borrow her bracelet, and my wife for the shoes and for letting me sacrifice one of her disposable razors.

But John Scalzi wanted to win this thing as much as I did. I don’t know what master he trained with, but whoever that wise and sadistic sensei might be, they turned Mister Scalzi into a posing opponent to be feared. John went all out in his own, special way.

[image error]

Over on Twitter, John offered his thoughts on the process, saying, “AAAARRRGH MY HIP!”

For anyone who might need a chaser to clear their visual or mental palate after these pics, might I recommend Cute Overload?

I’d like to thank everyone for their donations and generosity so far, and John in particular for his willingness to play along. Please remember that the fundraiser runs through the end of the month, and the money raised supports both research into Aicardi Syndrome and the biannual conference which helps to unite these families, connecting them to a much-needed network of support.

And remember, there are more goals to come, including the $5000 group pose with me, Scalzi, Stross, Rothfuss, and Kowal! You know you want to see this, and we’re getting so close!

Go. Donate. Make the world better, and force more authors to injure themselves in humorous ways for a great cause.

But first, it’s time to make your voice heard! (I’m crossing my fingers that the poll widget works!)

survey tools

Poses: Round One

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DAY: If we make it to the $5000 fundraising goal, then the reward will be a group cover photo with myself, John Scalzi, Pat Rothfuss, Charles Stross, and Mary Robinette Kowal. I’m already starting to make arrangements for this to happen at ConFusion in January.

Thus far, we’ve raised more than $3700 for the Aicardi Syndrome Foundation. More information about the fundraiser and Aicardi Syndrome is available on the original post, here.

I spent much of this weekend gathering props and trying to figure out how to turn our office/library into a makeshift photo studio. I’m pretty happy with the results. Thanks as always to my wife Amy, the eternally patient and helpful photographer, who kept limping over to adjust the angle of my knee or move my hand.

If part of a pic gets cut off on your screen, clicking the picture should open up the full image for you.

I began with Summoning [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy], by Carol Wolf, which is probably the least flattering shot of me I’ve seen in a long time.

Next, I went to At Grave’s End [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy], by Jeaniene Frost. I figured this one could be a warm-up to my pose-off with John Scalzi.

I probably could have gone out and bought stiletto heels, thigh-high stockings, and so on. But I think some of the humor and fun, at least for me, comes from trying to mimic the poses and wardrobe with what I can find around the house. (Or in this case, what I can borrow from my mother.)

Then it was time for the first pose-off challenge with Scalzi. Tune in tomorrow to see the awesome and/or nightmare-inducing results!

In the meantime, I’m continuing to work on the rest of the poses. And if you want more, including the EPIC $5000 cover shoot, there’s still plenty of time to donate!

A Challenge to the One Known as Scalzi

Dear Mister Scalzi,

You knew this day would come. Ever since Chicago, when we faced one another on the stage, hips out-thrust, chests bulging in the instinctive challenge pose, a pose written into our very DNA, the product of millions of years of geeky evolution. From the days when the very first cave-nerd dislocated his spine in order to imitate the ridiculously disproportionate and improbably attired cavewoman on the classic fantasy cave painting Saber-Tooth Vixens of Mars, the true alpha beta upsilon males of our herd have established their dominance through the time-honored tradition of the pose-off.1

As a proud upsilon male, I cannot allow your actions to go unanswered a moment longer. The time has come for you to pose-up or shut up. I challenge you, sir, to a pose off!

Tradition allows you to choose from one of three covers, which I present to you here.

As is the custom of our people, once you post your pose and whatever commentary or extras you wish to include, you shall be judged on accuracy, wardrobe, props, humor, and all-around ridiculousness.

In return, I shall attempt to duplicate the cover of your choosing.2

I look forward to your answer, sir.3

Yours,

Jim

—



And also through annoyingly wordy run-on sentences. ↩
Feel free to choose one of these, or even the same one, or something completely different. DO YOUR WORST, SCALZI! JIM C. HINES DOES NOT FEAR YOU! ↩
The challenger is not responsible for any injuries suffered in the process of attempting to duplicate these poses. Possible side effects of cover posing include muscle cramps, popped joints, pulled groins, mockery, and increased awareness of sexism. Please consult your doctor if you experience a cover pose lasting longer than four hours. Attempting these poses will void manufacturer’s warranty. Do not pose while using Happy Fun Ball. ↩

Cover Posing for a Good Cause

TOTAL RAISED AS OF 12/3/12: $1617

Long ago (in internet terms), I posted a series of pictures in which I attempted to duplicate the cover poses of various fantasy heroines. This quickly became my most-viewed blog post ever. Later, in response to various calls of, “But men are objectified too!” I did a follow-up, posing like the men in order to illustrate the difference in how men and women are portrayed.

Since then, I regularly get emails and Tweets pointing me to genderswapped Avengers, men posing like car wash cheerleaders, and more. (I now have a better understanding of how John Scalzi must feel as the internet’s unofficial Emperor of All Things Bacon.)

The other thing I get are requests to pose like various covers, whether it’s the Catwoman comic or the latest spinally-challenged urban fantasy heroine. At one point, a friend on Twitter said they’d pay $5 to see me try a particular pose. And that gave me an idea…

Welcome to the first annual Cover Pose Fundraiser

I spent a while trying to decide what cause I wanted to support. And then something happened. One of my high school classmates Jen posted on Facebook that she needed a ride to the hospital. Her eleven-year-old daughter Madison was in the hospital as a result of complications from a rare condition known as Aicardi Syndrome. It was the first time I had seen Jen in ages.

Madison died a few days later.

I had learned about Aicardi several years earlier, from my friends Michael and Lynne Thomas, both of whom are active in the SF/F community. Michael is an author as well as Managing Editor at Apex Magazine, and has been an Associate Editor for Mad Norwegian Press. Lynne is a curator, editor, podcaster, and two-time Hugo winner.

Their daughter Caitlin has Aicardi Syndrome. I felt fortunate to be able to introduce Jen to Michael when Madison was first diagnosed, trying to connect her to a source of information and support.

This is a condition which affects 1 in 105,000 girls born in the U.S. It causes brain malformation, visual problems, seizures, developmental delays, and other medical complications. Most research puts the life expectancy for people with Aicardi between 8 and 16 years.

I can’t imagine what these families go through trying to care for their children. It’s one thing to have a child with a known condition, like diabetes. (I swear, I can’t throw a cupcake without hitting another diabetic.) It’s hard, but diabetes is treatable. It’s better known. There are others who can ease your fears and help you through.

Aicardi Syndrome is incurable. It’s hard to diagnose. It’s scary and overwhelming, and most people have never heard of it.

The Aicardi Syndrome Foundation is pretty much the only source in the United States for funding into research on this condition. The foundation also funds a family conference every two years, paying for hotel rooms, flying in researchers, and even covering many of the meals. It unites families fighting this disease, connecting them to a network of support they might otherwise never find.

I’m asking people to donate to the Aicardi Syndrome Foundation. In exchange, I will give you what the internet has deemed my most important contribution to society: ridiculous cover poses. All you have to do is email me at ASF@jimchines.com letting me know how much you donated. If you give more than $25, please include a copy of your receipt from the foundation.

I’ll pick donors at random to suggest covers for me to try to duplicate. My only rule is that it has to be PG-13 or less.

As an added bonus, if we hit $1000, I’ll challenge award-winning and bestselling author John Scalzi to a competitive pose-off.

Targets at which you get new cover poses are:

$100 - Goal reached! Pose coming soon.
$250 - Goal reached! Pose coming soon: Freehold, by Michael Z. Williamson.
$500 - Goal reached! Pose coming soon.
$750 - Goal reached! Pose coming soon: Catwoman Vol. 1: The Game (The New 52)
$1000 – Pose-off with John Scalzi! - Goal reached! THERE SHALL BE A POSING THROW-DOWN!!!
$1500 - Goal reached! Pose coming soon.
$2000
$2500 – Pose-off with Scalzi, Round Two! This time, it’s personal!
$3000
$3500
$4000
$5000 – I have no idea, but it will be something special.
$6000
$7000
$8000
$9000
$10,000 – This one will be twice as special as the $5000 goal!

So there you have it. I’ll keep the fundraiser open through the end of the year, and will update regularly with the total raised and with links to the cover poses as we hit our goals.

Thank you.

Ada Hoffmann on Autistic Characters and the “Neurotypical Gaze”

Rose Lemberg pointed me to this post by Ada Hoffmann: Note to people thinking of writing autistic characters.

“If you write a story where your character has no character traits except for impairments and behavioural issues, and where they take no actions not related to these issues (or to someone’s desire to “cure” them), you are presenting a distorted and objectified picture of autism. This goes double if you are writing from the autistic character’s point of view.”

Personally, I think it’s worth reading even if you’re not a writer and have no intention of ever writing an autistic character.

There’s a part of me that wants to write a much longer blog post here, talking about my son, about the character of Nicola Pallas in Libriomancer, about the need to listen when people tell you you’re portraying people like them in a one-dimensional way. But I worry that doing so would pull attention from Hoffmann’s piece, when my goal was to divert attention to that piece.

I’ll probably write that post one of these days. But for now, go. Read. Think. And write better.*

—

*”Write better” is advice I’d give to everyone, myself included, and wasn’t meant to suggest that you’re a bad writer.**

**Disclaimer written to try to avoid hurt feelings, and because footnotes are cool.

Discount Armageddon, by Seanan McGuire

Twice in a row now I’ve found myself reading a Seanan McGuire book while my wife has surgery. This time it was Discount Armageddon [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy]. Here’s the official synopsis:

Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night… The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she’d rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren’t for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family’s old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone’s spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city…

This book is McGuire combining her fascination with weird and wacky biology with her never-resting imagination to produce an urban fantasy that isn’t too serious, but is a great deal of fun. There’s plenty of good banter, lots of action, and a long list of interesting creatures to meet and talk to and/or beat to a pulp.

I had started reading this a while back, and it hadn’t sucked me in. I’m not sure if that was the book or my life getting in the way. But this time, as soon as we reached rumors of the dragon, I was hooked.

The romantic subplot was pretty true-to-form. Sexy sworn enemy is sexy, protagonist goes back and forth between attraction and wanting to put a bullet in SSE, SSE slowly comes around, and ends up more or less on the side of the angels. Except not, because in McGuire’s world, angels are probably some sort of dinosaur/bird hybrid that evolved to feed on the sound waves generated by hymnal music. That said, it was a fun subplot, and they do have some good chemistry going.

What really makes the book work though are the cryptids, the various species McGuire fits into the urban setting, from Sarah the shy/geeky/telepathic cuckoo to the dragon princesses to the gorgon to the Aeslin mice. Oh God, the mice. I won’t even try to explain them, except to say they’re one of those delightfully fun ideas I wish I’d come up with. While the sheer number of cryptids living undetected in the city strained my belief a bit, in a lighter book like this, I think it works.

Keep in mind, “light” doesn’t mean “mindless” or “thoughtless.” While the Covenant are pretty straightforward bad guys, the Price family brings a more interesting perspective as cryptobiologists, studying the biological role of cryptids and how they fit into the larger ecology. (Want to know what caused the Black Plague? Hint: It has something to do with the loss of unicorns.) Traditional monsters aren’t treated as monsters; nor are they simply misunderstood uglies with hearts of gold. They’re true to their nature. Like any other species, they can be dangerous, but that doesn’t make them evil. It’s an examination you don’t run into that often.

Which leads to a point I’ve seen made in some of the negative reviews for the book. In the first chapter, Verity chases down a ghoul who has murdered a number of girls in the city. But instead of killing it, she lets it off with a warning, with the understanding that if it happens again, she’ll personally end him. Which means she essentially let a murderer go free, and some readers have a problem with that.

Me, I’m torn. I can’t imagine the ghoul was under the mistaken impression that killing and eating random girls was okay, so it’s not like this was a cultural misunderstanding. On the other hand, if it was deliberate–and knowing McGuire, I’d lay odds that it was–it shows that Verity is in some ways just as bound to the rules and teachings of her family as the Covenant is to theirs. She lets the ghoul go because that’s what the Price family does, in part I suspect to distinguish themselves from the Covenant. It didn’t ruin the book or anything, but it was a bit troubling, and I wonder if that decision will come back in future books.

Overall, a lot of fun. If you like McGuire’s work, this one’s worth checking out. If you haven’t tried her stuff, this might be a good place to start.

Inclusion Linkfest

My thanks to everyone who contributed links and suggestions for posts about inclusion in fandom and SF/F. There were a lot of suggestions, far more than I could squeeze into a single blog post. Which means 1) I’ll have to try to come back and do a Part II to this, and 2) I found myself in the position of having to pick and choose.

I’m not happy about #2. As a member of the most included groups in SF/F, it’s uncomfortable to feel like I’m filtering what people should read about diversity and inclusiveness in our community. But I’ve done my best. For anyone who wants more, all of the suggested links are in the comments of the original post on my site and LiveJournal.

It’s Amazing the Things We Know, that are Actually Wrong, by Kate Elliot. “How unrealistic a more “diverse” story will seem to a reader or writer whose views of the past are mired in these sorts of errors. How flawed, even though it actually isn’t. Attempts to add “diversity” into such a scenario then remain trapped in the same box, regardless of the axis of diversity: The “diversity” becomes an ornamental or utilitarian element being forced onto the “real” underpinnings of the world (which remain in such a case as the default male, white, Western, straight, whatever), rather than being an intrinsic part of the creation.”

Octavia Butler’s Descendants: Diversity in Science Fiction (Video), by Nalo Hopkinson. Ironically, the introduction text opens by talking about how science fiction and fantasy is “about as inclusive as it comes,” before transitioning into Hopkinson’s argument about racial and gender diversity.

Oh, Fandom and Your “Inclusiveness,” by SL Huang. On geek cred, geek girls, and why all of the anger and vitriol about “fake” geeks seems to be directed at women…

Inclusivity and Exclusivity in Fiction: Aliette de Bodard on Crossing Over. “It’s all but inevitable that someone within a group will perceive it in different terms than someone outside a group: it’s what I call ‘insider’ writing vs ‘outsider’ writer. There are two different problems: who is writing this, and for whom it is intended.”

Read These Before Engaging. A collection of links about race and privilege and diversity and unexamined assumptions.

The Hotel Rant, by Mari Ness. Some commenters asked or talked about what conventions should be looking at in terms of choosing accessible hotels for disabled attendees. Read this post. Also, you might want to follow http://access-fandom.dreamwidth.org/

What About When Something is Offensive AND Amusing? by Renee Martin. “It is commonplace to argue that “that’s not funny” because it’s offensive (now, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it’s just plain vile, or sometimes we’re just so outraged and sickened by it that the very idea of it being funny is boggling to us). And it’s awkward because sometimes we use it even when we don’t believe it – even when we are tempted to crack a smile. Because we have an idea that somehow, if it is funny, it is not offensive…”

Radical Inclusiveness: or, Why Hufflepuff is the Best House, by Nightsky. Talking about inclusiveness in Harry Potter and Doctor Who both. And this is one of the reasons I love fandom. (The entire Doctor Her site was also recommended on general principles.)

The “Fannish Enough” Question, by Cheryl Morgan. “Why can’t it be the case that people who are ‘not fannish enough’ are not those who fail to adhere to any particular narrow definition of what fans should be, but rather people who fail to accept that fandom is a diverse and wonderful community, in which we all have a place?”

Women Are Geeks, Too, by Sylvia Sybil. Examining many of the ways women are made to feel excluded from fandom, as well as providing links to examples of inclusiveness as well.

Things People Need to Understand, issue 223.2, by N. K. Jemisin. “We have to shed this idea that SFF is somehow special. That it is perfect. That it is in any way better than the mainstream society from which it derives. It isn’t. And in fact, SFF’s manifest unwillingness to examine itself is one of the things that makes it worse than the mainstream.  I and people I care about keep getting accused of having some kind of agenda, whenever we express a demand for some kind of positive change. So OK. You know what it is? Lean close. Here’s the secret. Here’s the goal of the big shadow conspiracy…”

My Soon-to-be-Bionic Wife

Today I’ll be driving my wife to the hospital for knee replacement surgery. This should be fairly straightforward, and will hopefully alleviate at least one piece of the pain she’s been dealing with. (Eventually I suspect we’ll be going back to do the other knee. You’ve got have symmetry, right?)

Also, it’s one step closer to her becoming a cyborg, which is pretty cool.

So please don’t expect much online activity from my little corner of the Internet for a few days.

In Which Others Worry About the State of my Career

For the writer folks, are you reading Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog? She has a great deal of experience in the industry, and her posts are worth reading and thinking about, even if I occasionally disagree. Case in point: last week she wrote about auditing your agent, and shared her personal experience with Unnamed Agent who … well, let’s just say they weren’t terribly diligent about getting her all the money she deserved.

She makes a lot of good points. And while I haven’t seen anything to suggest similar problems with my own agent, it’s good to keep these things in mind, and preferably to be aware of them before rushing into a relationship that will affect your career.

A friend pinged me to let me know my name had come up in the comments, where someone was suggesting I should read the post, because it could help me. Another person referenced something I wrote last year about why I was keeping my agent, thanks.

From there, discussion moved to me working for “slave wages,” and how I was being “screwed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.” Another person said it was sad that I was “so against changing anything about his work relationships.”

Let me start by saying I genuinely appreciate people’s concern for my career and financial well-being.

With that said, there seems to be an assumption in some of the comments that I’m blindly sticking with a system that’s screwing me over, that I haven’t seriously considered or researched other publishing options, and so on. I would like to reassure people that this is not the case. I read my contracts, both U.S. and foreign. I review my royalty checks and statements, and I ask my agent about anything that looks odd. (Often he beats me too it, sending me royalty spreadsheets with a note that he thinks some numbers look off, and he’s following up with the publisher.)

I’ve spoken to a lot of self-published authors, both those who went indie from day one and those who started with commercial publishing and switched over to self-publishing. I’ve self-published three collections and one novel, partly for the additional income, and partly for the experience. As my books revert back to me, I fully intend to self-publish those as well to keep them available.

After looking at the different options and talking to people who have gone down those different paths, I’ve chosen to keep my agent and publisher. I choose to stay with DAW and JABberwocky because I’ve determined that this is what’s best for me and my career at this time. That doesn’t necessarily mean it would be best for you. Everyone’s career is different, and there’s no one right way to do this.

The person who mentioned the hundreds of thousands of dollars I should be making also said they saw my books in kids’ hands as often as Twilight and Hunger Games. Which is awesome anecdotal data, but I’ve seen my sales numbers on Bookscan. I’ve been pretty successful so far, but I’m nowhere near Meyer/Collins levels of success.

At least not yet

My situation is my own. I choose to write part time, and to keep a full time day job. I have several chronic health conditions, a partially disabled wife, and a special needs child. And I live in a country that doesn’t have universal health coverage. I could find an insurance plan on my own, but it would be pricy. Health Care Reform will hopefully create more options, and I’ll revisit my situation as things change. But for now, I do choose to be a bit conservative when it comes to the health and care of myself and my family.

So thank you again for the concern, but I’m doing okay. My latest book hit the Locus Bestseller List, is in its fourth printing, and looks like it will have earned out a five-figure advance in three months. It’s been picked up in Germany and the UK so far, as well as by the Science Fiction Book Club (deals arranged by my agent and my publisher, respectively). My earlier work is still in print, and is being re-released in omnibus (Goblins) and audio (Goblins and Princesses) editions, as well as ongoing foreign deals (Stepsister Scheme just came out in Turkey).

I agree with Rusch that it’s important to go into a business relationship with your eyes open. I know I didn’t always do that when I was starting out, and in some ways, I got very, very lucky. I also agree that not everyone needs an agent, and that there are a lot of scams and pitfalls out there.

But I have done research, and I continue to pay attention to different options and opportunities. I talk to different authors, some more successful, some less. Some commercially published, some self-pubbed. Some with representation, some without. This is my career. I watch what’s happening in the industry, and I take it very seriously.

And I am indeed quite happy with where I’m at right now. Thanks!

Inclusion in Fandom: Call for Links

A week or so back, I talked about inclusiveness in fandom and the SF/F community, trying to separate perception from reality.

In the comments, author Ekaterina Sedia pointed out that many people who feel excluded in one way or another have been blogging and talking about this issue for a while, but that the response tends to be pretty minimal. (Whereas when the straight white male geek blogs about it, he ends up with close to 100 comments.

Running with a suggestion from netmouse, I’d like to collect and share some of those less-trafficked blog posts. If you’ve written or read about the issue of inclusiveness in our community, please share the link in the comments. My plan, depending on how many links we get, is to summarize and organize the list in a future post. (LJ Note: LiveJournal has been sending more comments with links into the spam folder. If this happens to you, don’t worry about it. I’ll unspam that as soon as I catch it.)

Short version: If we’re going to have this conversation, let’s try to get more attention to a broader range of voices.

Thanks!