Lisa Mason's Blog, page 168

Character vs. Plot

I really believe that Character is the whole point of fiction, whatever the genre. That’s why I’m not a fan of thrillers, in which a snappy plot dominates and the characters simply play out their roles without a lot of depth or development. I only read The Da Vinci Code, for instance, because of all the hype. I liked that book well enough, though I must say, the ending was disappointing after such a huge build-up, lives lost, and the hero running here and there at breakneck speed. I couldn’t even finish Angels and Demons.

Abby Teller, our heroine at the Garden of Abracadabra, is key. She starts out as a pacifist, frightened of guns, hoping mastery of her magic power will be enough to defend her life against the Horde. As she confronts more and more dangers, she must get tough, learn to use a gun and be willing to use it.

This lesson comes out of real life. I had a friend of a friend in Berkeley. She was stalked and eventually her apartment was broken into and she was raped. The police didn’t catch the man and soon she saw him around again. She bought a gun. My friend stayed over at her place one night, and the man broke in again! The friend of a friend couldn’t bring herself to use the gun, even when faced with real danger, so my friend took it from her and shot the man.

Not a nice story, huh?

So, too, Abby hesitates to use her weapon to defend herself in the face of real danger. I can’t tell you more. I don’t want to spoil the plot!

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. A print edition is planned for late 2013.

New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation improving upon my early cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Other Unusual Suspects

But Scorpio Rising, the undead disco superstar vampires in Apartment Twenty-seven at the Garden of Abracadabra, aren’t the only suspects. When Abby Teller first drives into Berkeley with Brand, the supernatural hitchhiker she picked up, she confronts Barb O’Shannessy, Brand’s ex-girlfriend, a pathologically jealous woman who threatens Brand’s life.

Is Barb capable of the Tilden Park murders?

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. A print edition is planned for late 2013.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation improving upon my early cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Terri’s Intro

Terri Windling received the World Fantasy Award for her tremendous contributions to the fantasy field and her editing of anthologies, including Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, the Fifth Annual Collection (St. Martin’s Press). Here’s her introduction to Hummers

“Ursula Le Guin has described fantasy as ‘a different approach to reality, an alternate technique for apprehending and coping with existence.’

Fantasy, like myth and legend, provides a means of storytelling that at its best goes beyond entertainment to travel the inner roads of the human soul. The following story does this beautifully, using the form of fantasy fiction and the symbols of Egyptian mythology to enter one of the most mysterious lands of all: the one that lies at the threshold of death. Readers who have experienced the loss of loved ones to cancer or AIDS will find this story cuts particularly close to the bone, but the fear of death is universal, and Mason’s exploration of this fear is both unsentimental and compassionate.”

Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

In the meantime, at the Garden of Abracadabra, during her first night on the job as the building’s superintendent, Abby Teller confronts what will become the prime suspects in the Tilden Park murders—Jake, Flame, and Cuddles, a.k.a. Scorpio Rising, the undead disco superstar vampires in Apartment Twenty-seven who throw wild parties so that they can feed on young men and women. Abby witnesses two of them feeding on minors. Not feeding to kill, mind you, but feeding on a minor is statutory feeding, a felony.

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. A print edition is planned for late 2013.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation improving upon my early cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Big Yellow Taxi

The Garden of Allah fell into disrepair and was leveled in the 1960s. A strip mall and parking lot was built over the grave of the beautiful Mediterranean apartment complex.

Joni Mitchell’s delightful ditty, Big Yellow Taxi, is partly about the demise of the Garden of Allah. The song goes, Don’t it always seem to go; you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. They paved Paradise, put up a parking lot.

I never knew that, did you? I read it recently in The Hollywood Reporter.

The Garden of Abracadabra was built in Berkeley in 1850 during the California Gold Rush. This beautiful Mediterranean building won’t be demolished any time soon!

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. A print edition is planned for late 2013.

New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Party Time!

As you would expect with a crowd of professional exhibitionists living in close quarters, the Hollywood denizens at the Garden of Allah were infamous for their shenanigans. Several scenes from Marx brothers’ movies were based on incidents that took place there: people hiding in closets, charging through doors into someone’s bedroom. I think that scene is in “A Day At the Races” or “Horse Feathers.”

So too the Garden of Abracadabra is “the biggest, coolest party place in Berkeley.” Imagine the parties supernatural entities throw!

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. A print edition is planned for late 2013.

New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

The Garden of Allah

This was a Mediterranean apartment complex with bungalows and a pool in Hollywood. Sheilah Graham wrote a memoir of the same title about the place, which was inhabited by many famous actors of the 1940s, like Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, and Greta Garbo,usually before they attained their fame, and the New Yorker crowd of writers, like Dorothy Parker, John O’Hara, and Robert Benchley, who came to Hollywood to write screenplays.

I loved the idea of an apartment building inhabited not by actors and writers, but by all sorts of supernatural people and entities!

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. This is the advance ebook of the print publication scheduled for late 2013. THE LABYRINTH OF ILLUSIONS, Book 2 of the Abracadabra Series is in research and development. I’ll post more on the website.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Fifty Shades Thread on LinkedIn

There’s a fascinating discussion of Fifty Shades of Grey, initiated by Maryam, on LinkedIn. Here’s the link: http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?trk=view_disc&gid=1697027&commentID=82794408&ut=1AVshHLbC9pRg1&viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=119280485. People are talking about fantasy in fiction, eroticism in fiction, feminism, the First Amendment, good versus bad writing, dangerous fiction, how fiction taps into some deep need in the reader, and feminism. Check it out!

Meanwhile, at the mysterious, magical Garden of Abracadabra, Abby Teller has her hands full as the superintendent. Nikki Tesla, an electronics wizard, has a hopeless crush on the storm witch, Esmeralda Tormenta, who in turn is under some weird curse with Senor, her shapeshifting lover. The witches in Eleven are hexing the witches in Twelve. The undead disco superstar vampires in Twenty-seven throw wild parties to lure in the teenagers of Berkeley so that Jake, Flame, and Cuddles can feed on them. And feeding on a minor is a felony with supernatural circumstances.

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. This is the advance ebook of the print publication scheduled for late 2013. THE LABYRINTH OF ILLUSIONS, Book 2 of the Abracadabra Series is in research and development. I’ll post more on the website.

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Hummers

Laurel, an artist in the terminal stages of cancer, is obsessed with the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Jerry, her homecare nurse whose lover is dying of AIDS, gives her a surprising gift. A hummingbird feeder. As Laurel comes to grips with her impending death, she learns powerful lessons about Egyptian Magic from the hummingbirds that visit her.

This is a tough, angry novelette, I admit, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award by the great fantasy author Roger Zelazny (I didn’t know it at the time, but he was battling cancer) among others.

I wrote this when a close dear friend was dying of cancer.

Hummers is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.

Meanwhile, at the Berkeley College of Magical Arts and Crafts, Abby Teller learns the Second Fundamental of Real Magic, “Mind gleams in every atom of the Universe.”

What does that mean?

That the Universe is Intelligent and Alive, not mindless and dead, and communicating with that Intelligence is a powerful way to work Real Magic. Abby learns to materialize and dematerialize objects and forces. A useful skill at the mysterious, magical Garden of Abracadabra.

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. This is the advance ebook of the print publication scheduled for late 2013. THE LABYRINTH OF ILLUSIONS, Book 2 of the Abracadabra Series is in research and development. I’ll post developments on the website. Stay tuned!

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

New Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Alan Dale’s June Inner Artists Tour

Alan Deelightful Dale, the well-respected journalist, has organized a tour of interviews with authors, publishers, and cover artists through June and July! I’ll be on with Alan July 16. Can’t wait!

Alan is truly a delightful writer. Please subscribe to his blog at http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/alandale%E2%80%99s-weblog. He’s also at http://alandale.wordpress.com/, and on Facebook. Visit him there!

Meanwhile, in Berkeley, Abby Teller applies the First Fundamental of Real Magic, “Know Thyself,” to come to grips with her feelings about her mother’s wasting illness and recent death. Her grief and guilt seriously compromise her ability to master her power.

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. This is the advance ebook of the print publication scheduled for late 2013. THE LABYRINTH OF ILLUSIONS, Book 2 of the Abracadabra Series is in research and development. I’ll post developments on the website. Stay tuned!

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

New Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!

Know Thyself

The First Fundamental of Real Magic that Abby Teller learns at the Berkeley College of Magical Arts and Crafts is “Knowledge is Power.” And the First Fundamental of that principle is “Know Thyself.” The great philosopher and teacher Pythagoras coined that adage 2500 years ago, but it still rings true today, especially in this age of media up to your eyeballs.

“Know Thyself.” Think for yourself. Investigate and research issues, then exercise your own judgment and will. Only then may you practice Real Magic in the real world.

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Yet how many people allow themselves to be whipsawed around by the media? Not to mention other people?

THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. This is the advance ebook of the print publication scheduled for late 2013. THE LABYRINTH OF ILLUSIONS, Book 2 of the Abracadabra Series is in research and development. I’ll post developments on the website. Stay tuned!

For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.

There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.

My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.

Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.

New Novelettes republished for the first time include:

Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.

The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.

Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.

And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.

For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.

For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something erotic to read after “50 Shades,” check it out!

Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation of my cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.

Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!