Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 132
September 24, 2018
The Levin-Gad: Tales of the Five # 1, by Diane Duane
For the small but soon to be very happy number of people reading this who are fans of this series and don’t already know, you will probably be hugely excited to hear that Diane Duane is 1) writing five novelettes that take place between The Door Into Sunset and The Door Into Starlight, 2) she has released the first of them, 3) it’s really good. Often when an author returns to a series after a very long time away, they can’t recapture the tone of the earlier books. This captures the tone.
“The Levin-Gad” is a 20K word novelette in which Herewiss walks into a bar, featuring a cranky cat, a tough female bouncer, a number of “walks into a bar” jokes, a high-stakes battle, and an extremely satisfying climax. To say more would be spoilery; it’s short. If you like the series, you will like it. A lot.
The Levin-Gad: Tales of the Five # 1 . Note that ordering from their site via PayPal will cause the book to be automatically sent to your PayPal email address.
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“The Levin-Gad” is a 20K word novelette in which Herewiss walks into a bar, featuring a cranky cat, a tough female bouncer, a number of “walks into a bar” jokes, a high-stakes battle, and an extremely satisfying climax. To say more would be spoilery; it’s short. If you like the series, you will like it. A lot.
The Levin-Gad: Tales of the Five # 1 . Note that ordering from their site via PayPal will cause the book to be automatically sent to your PayPal email address.
comments
September 18, 2018
My exciting day yesterday
Yesterday, due to late waking up and dawdling, I had not eaten anything till past 3:00 and had just left my apartment to go to the grocery store so I could have lunch.
When I turned the corner to go to my garage, I saw that it was blocked by a police car and a crowd of cops yelled, "Go back, go back!"
I scrambled back and ran into another cop in body armor, who said, "Do you live here?"
"Er... yes," I said.
"We're evacuating this building," he said. "You need to go at least a few blocks away, and stay away for at least a few more hours."
"Is it a gas leak?" I asked. "Because if it's anything like that, I'm taking my cats with me."
"No, it's a man with a lot of guns," he replied succinctly.
"Do you think it would be safe for me to leave my cats in the apartment?" I asked.
"Which one is yours?" he asked. I pointed it out. "Yeah, I think they'd be fine."
Based on that and the position of the police I'd seen, I crammed the cats into the bathroom with food and water, as that seemed well away from the center of action (as did my entire apartment, actually), and took an uber to my favorite burger place, Plan Check.
"Hello!" said the waitress. "Happy Hour just started!" (Literally; it was exactly 4:00.) "We have $6 Old Fashioneds."
"I'll take one," I said.
It showed up about 15 minutes before my burger did. You will recall I'd had nothing to eat all day. Plan Check makes notoriously strong cocktails, a fact I knew but did not recall till after I was well into mine. This explains why I only woke up just now.
I had my burger and drink, wandered around Sawtelle, had a hazelnut cream puff at Beard Papa, then called the police, who said they'd just arrested the gunman, there was no structural damage to the area, and I could go back home in an hour or so. I decided to walk to a friend's house, lift some weights in her apartment gym, then go back home.
While walking to her apartment, two cars crashed right in front of me. No injuries, but both appeared totaled.
I lifted my weights, then called an uber back, figuring that was likely my share of weirdness for the day. The uber driver on way back interrogated me over my failure to fast on Yom Kippur (I would have said I was except that I had forgotten about Yom Kippur), then over the disease I made up to excuse that.
"I have diabetes and I'm fasting!" he declared.
When I returned I found that the cats had pulled down the towels and stuffed them in the water bowl, shredded the toilet paper roll, opened the cupboard, and shredded all the stored toilet paper as well. I guess I'm still due for that grocery run.
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When I turned the corner to go to my garage, I saw that it was blocked by a police car and a crowd of cops yelled, "Go back, go back!"
I scrambled back and ran into another cop in body armor, who said, "Do you live here?"
"Er... yes," I said.
"We're evacuating this building," he said. "You need to go at least a few blocks away, and stay away for at least a few more hours."
"Is it a gas leak?" I asked. "Because if it's anything like that, I'm taking my cats with me."
"No, it's a man with a lot of guns," he replied succinctly.
"Do you think it would be safe for me to leave my cats in the apartment?" I asked.
"Which one is yours?" he asked. I pointed it out. "Yeah, I think they'd be fine."
Based on that and the position of the police I'd seen, I crammed the cats into the bathroom with food and water, as that seemed well away from the center of action (as did my entire apartment, actually), and took an uber to my favorite burger place, Plan Check.
"Hello!" said the waitress. "Happy Hour just started!" (Literally; it was exactly 4:00.) "We have $6 Old Fashioneds."
"I'll take one," I said.
It showed up about 15 minutes before my burger did. You will recall I'd had nothing to eat all day. Plan Check makes notoriously strong cocktails, a fact I knew but did not recall till after I was well into mine. This explains why I only woke up just now.
I had my burger and drink, wandered around Sawtelle, had a hazelnut cream puff at Beard Papa, then called the police, who said they'd just arrested the gunman, there was no structural damage to the area, and I could go back home in an hour or so. I decided to walk to a friend's house, lift some weights in her apartment gym, then go back home.
While walking to her apartment, two cars crashed right in front of me. No injuries, but both appeared totaled.
I lifted my weights, then called an uber back, figuring that was likely my share of weirdness for the day. The uber driver on way back interrogated me over my failure to fast on Yom Kippur (I would have said I was except that I had forgotten about Yom Kippur), then over the disease I made up to excuse that.
"I have diabetes and I'm fasting!" he declared.
When I returned I found that the cats had pulled down the towels and stuffed them in the water bowl, shredded the toilet paper roll, opened the cupboard, and shredded all the stored toilet paper as well. I guess I'm still due for that grocery run.
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September 17, 2018
I just wanted to show you all my used bookshop finds...
I set up all my books to be be photographed. But before I could do so...
I dumped Alex off the sofa and tried again:
I dumped Alex more forcefully off the sofa and tried again:
Multiple blurry cats-on-books-pics later, I finally achieved this. Enjoy it, because it only lasted for as long as it took me to hit the button:
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I dumped Alex off the sofa and tried again:
I dumped Alex more forcefully off the sofa and tried again:
Multiple blurry cats-on-books-pics later, I finally achieved this. Enjoy it, because it only lasted for as long as it took me to hit the button:
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A Nun in the Closet, by Dorothy Gilman
A standalone novel by the author of the charming Mrs. Pollifax series, about a retired grandma who becomes a spy, which seems to be taking my f-list by storm.
When the small and impoverished Abbey of St. Tabitha gets a surprise bequest of a house, two of the cloistered nuns, the enthusiastic Sister John and the herb-wise Sister Hyacinthe, are sent to inspect it – a process which involves borrowing a delicatessen delivery van and teaching Sister Hyacinthe to drive (terrifyingly).
Upon arrival, they discover a wounded man in a closet, a suitcase full of money down the well, a kitchen empty except for fifty jars of sugar, and a local population of hippies, political agitators, migrant workers, corrupt sheriffs, and a contingent of dangerous men intent on getting back into the house they were clearly using for something.
This is an absolutely delightful book, and one with depth underneath its breezy surface. It’s set in the early 70s, but if you look past some of the language it feels more like a period snapshot than dated, and the themes are just as relevant now as they were when it was written. While the nuns’ innocence is often very funny, their philosophy and knowledge set is serious and taken seriously, as is that of the hippies. There’s hilarious hijinks, a cast of distinct and mostly very likable characters, clashes of world views and also surprising commonalities in world views, a lot of herb lore, and a tiny but real community that springs up in and around the house. And all this is contained in a quite short novel that one could easily read in one sitting, and is compelling enough that you probably will.
A Nun in the Closet[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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When the small and impoverished Abbey of St. Tabitha gets a surprise bequest of a house, two of the cloistered nuns, the enthusiastic Sister John and the herb-wise Sister Hyacinthe, are sent to inspect it – a process which involves borrowing a delicatessen delivery van and teaching Sister Hyacinthe to drive (terrifyingly).
Upon arrival, they discover a wounded man in a closet, a suitcase full of money down the well, a kitchen empty except for fifty jars of sugar, and a local population of hippies, political agitators, migrant workers, corrupt sheriffs, and a contingent of dangerous men intent on getting back into the house they were clearly using for something.
This is an absolutely delightful book, and one with depth underneath its breezy surface. It’s set in the early 70s, but if you look past some of the language it feels more like a period snapshot than dated, and the themes are just as relevant now as they were when it was written. While the nuns’ innocence is often very funny, their philosophy and knowledge set is serious and taken seriously, as is that of the hippies. There’s hilarious hijinks, a cast of distinct and mostly very likable characters, clashes of world views and also surprising commonalities in world views, a lot of herb lore, and a tiny but real community that springs up in and around the house. And all this is contained in a quite short novel that one could easily read in one sitting, and is compelling enough that you probably will.
A Nun in the Closet[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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September 16, 2018
My AU Exchange Stories (plus a Fic Corner pinch hit)
I had a great time doing this exchange and will definitely do it again.
By the nature of the exchange, these stories are all very dependent on canon knowledge and will not make sense if you don't know the canons they're based on.
My assignment was Professor Xavier's Haunted Mansion, for Rosencrantz. X-Men and New Mutants comics. The ghosts of dead (or temporarily dead, or dead in another timeline) X-Men and villains haunt the halls of Professor X's mansion.
This was a particularly good prompt in an exchange filled with good prompts, and it was really fun to do canon review, mostly via a large cardboard box of comics I bought when I was in high school. I always seem to be saddling myself with canons which have complex and/or contradictory canon, and X-Men takes the cake for that. It was especially complicated in this case as it involved two separate comic series. I finally ended up having to add another AU to the mix because canon timelines didn't work in terms of getting all the characters I wanted to have in the same place at the same time, because as it turned out at the time I wanted them all in the mansion, canonically half of them had died, then been resurrected, and were presumed dead by the other half but really in Australia.
Some days are like that. Even in Australia.
I also wrote two treats.
The Home of the Wolf, for Sholio. The Punisher TV series. She had the delightful prompt of "What if David Lieberman was a werewolf and Frank Castle was a werewolf hunter?"
Between the fandom, the specific rare pair for the fandom, the hurt-comfort, the secret military experiments to create werewolf super-soldiers, and the fact that I picked the werewolf prompt, this was about the most transparent "anonymous" story I've ever written. I'm just surprised there isn't any food in it. So it was a bit less-than-mysterious. Buoyed by Sholio's note in her letter, "If you're thinking, 'this is too tropey,' no it is not," I proceeded to write the most id-tastic thing ever. No regrets.
How I Love To Love Nadine, for Scioscribe. The ghost of Nadine Cross visits her pre-plague self to set her on a better path.
I had intended to write a treat for her anyway, but when I'd still failed to have done so by the day before opening, I'd thought I might not have time. Then she appeared on the post-deadline pinch hit list. Uncertain whether I'd actually have time to finish anything by the deadline, I didn't take the pinch hit, but just started writing. I ended up writing 8600 words in slightly over one day, which is something I have never come close to before and probably never will again. ( Read more... )
Finally, I did a last-minute pinch hit for Exchange at Fic Corner, The Cliffs of Brighton Rock, for Ysavvryl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl.
The prompt was to see more of the chocolate factory. A quick re-read of the book and a lengthy consult of The Oldest Sweet Shop In England, and I was off and running.
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By the nature of the exchange, these stories are all very dependent on canon knowledge and will not make sense if you don't know the canons they're based on.
My assignment was Professor Xavier's Haunted Mansion, for Rosencrantz. X-Men and New Mutants comics. The ghosts of dead (or temporarily dead, or dead in another timeline) X-Men and villains haunt the halls of Professor X's mansion.
This was a particularly good prompt in an exchange filled with good prompts, and it was really fun to do canon review, mostly via a large cardboard box of comics I bought when I was in high school. I always seem to be saddling myself with canons which have complex and/or contradictory canon, and X-Men takes the cake for that. It was especially complicated in this case as it involved two separate comic series. I finally ended up having to add another AU to the mix because canon timelines didn't work in terms of getting all the characters I wanted to have in the same place at the same time, because as it turned out at the time I wanted them all in the mansion, canonically half of them had died, then been resurrected, and were presumed dead by the other half but really in Australia.
Some days are like that. Even in Australia.
I also wrote two treats.
The Home of the Wolf, for Sholio. The Punisher TV series. She had the delightful prompt of "What if David Lieberman was a werewolf and Frank Castle was a werewolf hunter?"
Between the fandom, the specific rare pair for the fandom, the hurt-comfort, the secret military experiments to create werewolf super-soldiers, and the fact that I picked the werewolf prompt, this was about the most transparent "anonymous" story I've ever written. I'm just surprised there isn't any food in it. So it was a bit less-than-mysterious. Buoyed by Sholio's note in her letter, "If you're thinking, 'this is too tropey,' no it is not," I proceeded to write the most id-tastic thing ever. No regrets.
How I Love To Love Nadine, for Scioscribe. The ghost of Nadine Cross visits her pre-plague self to set her on a better path.
I had intended to write a treat for her anyway, but when I'd still failed to have done so by the day before opening, I'd thought I might not have time. Then she appeared on the post-deadline pinch hit list. Uncertain whether I'd actually have time to finish anything by the deadline, I didn't take the pinch hit, but just started writing. I ended up writing 8600 words in slightly over one day, which is something I have never come close to before and probably never will again. ( Read more... )
Finally, I did a last-minute pinch hit for Exchange at Fic Corner, The Cliffs of Brighton Rock, for Ysavvryl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl.
The prompt was to see more of the chocolate factory. A quick re-read of the book and a lengthy consult of The Oldest Sweet Shop In England, and I was off and running.
comments
September 15, 2018
Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon
I am browsing a book on accidents in the Grand Canyon, blurbed by Tony Hillerman. It combines apparently solid reporting with extraordinarily melodramatic asides. I just now hit the section on incidents involving venomous creatures (very rare) which says people's fears of them are overblown and they shouldn't think of them as "death-slaves of the Grim Reaper."
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September 14, 2018
“And Then There Were (N-One),” by Sarah Pinsker
When Seattle insurance investigator Sarah Pinsker is invited to SarahCon, an interdimensional convention for Sarah Pinskers from various timelines, she gets involved in a murder mystery when one of the Sarahs is murdered. Did I mention that SarahCon is held on a tiny island off Canada, and due to a storm no one can get on or off?
On the far side of the room, four folding tables covered with velveteen tablecloths. A printed sign hung on the wall behind them: Sarah Pinsker Hall of Fame.
If the list of occupations had made me feel like an underachiever, this display reinforced it. A Grammy for Best Folk Album 2013, a framed photo of a Sarah in the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle, a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, a stack of novels, a Nebula Award for science fiction writing, an issue of Quantology Today containing an article with a seventy word title that I guessed amounted to “Other Realities! I Found Them!”
Even apart from the cleverest title in the multiverse, this is a great story. A lot of times a story has a good concept but fails to live up to it, or goes off on some tangent that has nothing to do with the concept. “And Then There Were (N-One)” did everything I wanted with the premise and more, exploring variations on choice and identity, delving into the bittersweetness of chances taken and lost, and wrapping it all up in a very solid murder mystery that is completely relevant to the concept. I also really loved the ending, which in retrospect was the only possible one.
I don’t want to give too much away, but since I’m putting this in FF Friday I will note that many of the Sarahs are married to or dating a woman named Mabel, and their relationship, or rather many iterations of relationships or lack thereof, are relevant to the story.
(I wonder what it says about you depending on whether you think attending a convention for iterations of yourself would be fascinating or horrifying, and whether you'd go. I'd go in a shot. Guaranteed, the food would be great.)
“And Then There Were (N-One)” was nominated for a Nebula for Best Novella (also for a Hugo, same category) but lost to Martha Wells’ All Systems Red. That was a very solid ballot, with Ellen Klages’ Passing Strange also a contender.
Read for free at Uncanny Magazine.
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On the far side of the room, four folding tables covered with velveteen tablecloths. A printed sign hung on the wall behind them: Sarah Pinsker Hall of Fame.
If the list of occupations had made me feel like an underachiever, this display reinforced it. A Grammy for Best Folk Album 2013, a framed photo of a Sarah in the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle, a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, a stack of novels, a Nebula Award for science fiction writing, an issue of Quantology Today containing an article with a seventy word title that I guessed amounted to “Other Realities! I Found Them!”
Even apart from the cleverest title in the multiverse, this is a great story. A lot of times a story has a good concept but fails to live up to it, or goes off on some tangent that has nothing to do with the concept. “And Then There Were (N-One)” did everything I wanted with the premise and more, exploring variations on choice and identity, delving into the bittersweetness of chances taken and lost, and wrapping it all up in a very solid murder mystery that is completely relevant to the concept. I also really loved the ending, which in retrospect was the only possible one.
I don’t want to give too much away, but since I’m putting this in FF Friday I will note that many of the Sarahs are married to or dating a woman named Mabel, and their relationship, or rather many iterations of relationships or lack thereof, are relevant to the story.
(I wonder what it says about you depending on whether you think attending a convention for iterations of yourself would be fascinating or horrifying, and whether you'd go. I'd go in a shot. Guaranteed, the food would be great.)
“And Then There Were (N-One)” was nominated for a Nebula for Best Novella (also for a Hugo, same category) but lost to Martha Wells’ All Systems Red. That was a very solid ballot, with Ellen Klages’ Passing Strange also a contender.
Read for free at Uncanny Magazine.
comments
Two Mates for the Dragon: an OutRight benefit anthology.
I have put together another anthology to benefit OutRight Action International, which works to protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people across the world. All profits will be donated to them in perpetuity.
He's a dragon. She's his mate. And so is he...
Six sizzling tales of dragons who will do anything to possess the ultimate treasure: their two destined mates. This MMF bisexual romance collection guarantees fiery passion and happily ever afters!
Authors include Zoe Chant (me, in this case) and Lauren Esker (Sholio).
Two Mates for the Dragon: MMF Bisexual Menage Romance[image error]
[image error] [image error]
Please promote this anthology on social media, if you feel so moved. The three previous OutRight benefit anthologies are still on sale and their profits are also still being donated. They are Her Private Passion: More Tales of Pleasure and Domination[image error] (F/F BDSM), His Prize Possession: Tales of Pleasure and Domination[image error] (M/M BDSM), and His Animal Instinct: More Tales of Wild Pleasure[image error] (M/M shifters).
If you cannot afford to buy it but would be willing to review it, I can send you a complimentary copy.
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He's a dragon. She's his mate. And so is he...
Six sizzling tales of dragons who will do anything to possess the ultimate treasure: their two destined mates. This MMF bisexual romance collection guarantees fiery passion and happily ever afters!
Authors include Zoe Chant (me, in this case) and Lauren Esker (Sholio).
Two Mates for the Dragon: MMF Bisexual Menage Romance[image error]
[image error] [image error]
Please promote this anthology on social media, if you feel so moved. The three previous OutRight benefit anthologies are still on sale and their profits are also still being donated. They are Her Private Passion: More Tales of Pleasure and Domination[image error] (F/F BDSM), His Prize Possession: Tales of Pleasure and Domination[image error] (M/M BDSM), and His Animal Instinct: More Tales of Wild Pleasure[image error] (M/M shifters).
If you cannot afford to buy it but would be willing to review it, I can send you a complimentary copy.
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September 11, 2018
More AU Exchange Recs
Two short Doctor Who stories starring Martha Jones:
You'll know who I am by the songs that I sing. A poignant, thoughtful Groundhog Day time loop.
When She's Ten Feet Tall. A clever Alice in Wonderland fusion.
Two funny and sweet Stranger Things stories in which Steve turns into, respectively, a merman and a werewolf: just another Hawkins Monday.
Fish out of Water. Steve & Dustin interaction is always gold but it's especially gold when Steve just want to swim around his pool in peace and Dustin wants to know exactly what fish his tail came from and also how the conservation of mass fits in.
Full Moon Nights.
"Steve's a werewolf?!"
Nancy craned at the window. "Apparently."
"Dude," Will said. "Dustin is gonna be so jealous."
Garden View. A Guardians of the Galaxy story in which some of the characters have different backstories, from Rocket's pitch-perfect POV. Funny on top, sad underneath, with great team interactions; it's got a lot going on for a story barely over 1000 words.
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You'll know who I am by the songs that I sing. A poignant, thoughtful Groundhog Day time loop.
When She's Ten Feet Tall. A clever Alice in Wonderland fusion.
Two funny and sweet Stranger Things stories in which Steve turns into, respectively, a merman and a werewolf: just another Hawkins Monday.
Fish out of Water. Steve & Dustin interaction is always gold but it's especially gold when Steve just want to swim around his pool in peace and Dustin wants to know exactly what fish his tail came from and also how the conservation of mass fits in.
Full Moon Nights.
"Steve's a werewolf?!"
Nancy craned at the window. "Apparently."
"Dude," Will said. "Dustin is gonna be so jealous."
Garden View. A Guardians of the Galaxy story in which some of the characters have different backstories, from Rocket's pitch-perfect POV. Funny on top, sad underneath, with great team interactions; it's got a lot going on for a story barely over 1000 words.
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Dear Trick or Treat Writer
Thank you so much for writing for me! This is such a fun exchange and I really look forward to whatever you create for me. I would be happy with tricks, treats, or something in-between for all of these.
I have requested fic only due to my total inability to come up with art prompts. However, if anyone would like to do an art treat, I would love that. Worksafe only please.
If you're not my writer and are reading this only because you happened to see it, please don't comment to say that you hate my canons or have not tried them because you know you'd hate them or find them problematic.
( General Loves )
( General DNWs )
( Annihilation (2018 Garland) )
( Carrie - Stephen King )
( Chinatown (1974) )
( Dark Tower - Stephen King )
( Marvel 616 (X-Men, New Mutants, and Excalibur comics) )
( The Punisher (TV 2017 )
( Rose Madder - Stephen King )
( True Detective )
( Watership Down - Richard Adams )
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I have requested fic only due to my total inability to come up with art prompts. However, if anyone would like to do an art treat, I would love that. Worksafe only please.
If you're not my writer and are reading this only because you happened to see it, please don't comment to say that you hate my canons or have not tried them because you know you'd hate them or find them problematic.
( General Loves )
( General DNWs )
( Annihilation (2018 Garland) )
( Carrie - Stephen King )
( Chinatown (1974) )
( Dark Tower - Stephen King )
( Marvel 616 (X-Men, New Mutants, and Excalibur comics) )
( The Punisher (TV 2017 )
( Rose Madder - Stephen King )
( True Detective )
( Watership Down - Richard Adams )
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