David Anthony Durham's Blog, page 50

Locus, Baby!

A few years back, when I was about to embark on a large epic fantasy project called Acacia: The War with the Mein, I decided I needed to educate myself on the current state of the SF genre. One of the ways I did this was to access my local library's (Hurrah for the Western MA system!) back issues of Locus magazine. For months I'd go in and grab ten at a time, taking them home and reading, month by month, reviews and articles and publishing announcements and advertisements and, most notably, a...

Back From Atlanta

I'm back from my Atlanta trip, and already so swimming in other commitments that I don't have time to do the whole thing justice. I will say that Kennesaw State treated me very well. I was welcomed, chatted to and dined by a great many people. I appreciated their generosity very much.

They also worked me like a dog. In addition to two readings I had several lunch/dinner gatherings, a visit to a Marietta high school, meetings with several comp classes, several writing classes, and even an audit...

Georgia Center for the Book

That's where I'll be tonight. I'm down in Georgia at the moment for a busy week of events. One of those that's open to the public is tonight's reading. Info about it HERE.

Okay, I gotta go start the day, many things to do, people to meet...

Breaking Up?

So, aspiring writers are always interested in how to get a publisher. Makes sense, but what about getting rid of a publisher? Changing houses? That can be a big part of a writing life too. Not all author-publisher relationships are good fits, and for a variety of reasons leaving may be the right thing to do. It's never an easy thing to do, though.

Reference this post by Carrie Vaughn, about leaving Grand Central because she wouldn't accept their take it or leave it offer. Folks, you'd be surpr...

The Red Wolf Conspiracy

I mentioned a little while back that I was reading Robert V. S. Redick's The Red Wolf Conspiracy. Well, I might as well mention that I enjoyed it quite a bit, enough to recommend it!

But don't just trust me, here's what Publishers Weekly thought:

Insane god-kings, miniature warriors and sentient animals fight over a powerful ancient artifact in Redick's dramatic, complex debut. The Mzithrin and Arquali Empires have been locked in a 40-year cold war over the resources and riches of the...

Fourth Annual BSCreview Book Tournament

This may be a lost cause from the start, but I won't go down without a fight!

BSCreview has just begun their annual contests for best novel of the year. The voting is entirely done by the general public, in a series of rounds that puts books against each other one on one, sort of like a joust. The winner moves on the next round, etc.
They've been kind enough to include me in their long list of contestants. But it just so happens that my first round bout is against...

Heading For Georgia Soon

I'm pleased to say I'll be heading down south in a couple of weeks. I'm being hosted by Kennesaw State University in Atlanta. They've got me booked up for four solid days worth of events, on campus, out at public schools, and with bookclubs. I'm excited. It's a great line up.

And it's a treat to be able to go wearing all my author hats - African American novelist, historical novelist, fantasy novelist! - all during the same visit. I like that quite a bit. It's the way it should be, of course, ...

In Search Of A Good Read

Thanks for Laura J. Mixon for pointing me toward this article by John Crace in The Guardian. The man makes sense. I like his analysis of what makes writing work, and of what doesn't work - regardless of the literary accolades it may receive. Please go take a look!

Of course, I may like it because he says a lot of the very same things I go around saying. A couple of examples:

"First things first: the novel is here to stay. Whether we're downloading books on to a Kindle or turning pages of a...

The SF Site on The Other Lands

I just noticed a kindly review on the SF Site. What's the use of a blog if I can't use it point you toward such a thing.

It's HERE!

What A Numrek Looks Like In Russia

Now I know. Thanks to the kind, anonymous person that posted a link to the Russian cover of Acacia: The War with the Mein, I've just had my first glimpse of how my book is marketed in Russia.

I offer it here:

That's the largest image of it I could find. What do you think?