Brenda Cooper's Blog, page 18
August 19, 2012
Upcoming Travel
I leave Friday (the 24th) for a week of workshopping novels in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I’ll be in the fabulous company of old friends and get to meet a few new writers, and to be just and only writerly for a week. I get to wear the writer hat all by itself maybe four or five weekends a year, and two long weeks a year. This is one of the two long weeks: I’m very much looking forward to it.
From the workshop, I run off to Chicago for the World Science Fiction Convention. The Chicago crowd tends to throw a really good convention; I am very much looking forward to it. I have two world-building panels, two readings (one with Broad Universe and one on my own), a signing, a coffeeklatch (y’all come now!) and a “writer under glass” session – which means writing while being watched, I think. Never tried that before! I will post the full schedule a few days before the convention. I also get to see Gisele Peterson at Worldcon, who I’ve known since I was 18. That’s was – ahem – more than thirty years ago! We used to live on the same sand-flea ridden street in south Florida. Now we live kittycorner to each other all the way across the country. For years, we stayed in touch be periodically meeting in the middle to take our kids on vacation. They’ve gone and grown up on us, so now we meet wherever Worldcon is.
I will post the whole convention schedule soon. In the meantime, here’s a picture from last year’s Wellspring writer’s workshop: 
August 12, 2012
Where the Wild Things are Not: An essay of mine appears in The Futurist
I was really quite pleased to be asked to participate in group project at The Futurist Magazine. They kindly allowed me to post a PDF of the whole project (well worth reading! David Brin is also in here. And more). It’s a good organization and a good magazine.
WFS: The Twenty-second Century at First Light
[image error]
August 11, 2012
Thoughts on Rome
I’ve just been traveling, and so I have a few observations from the trip. It was hard to post from there – I got pictures up by leaving the computer on for long periods of time and then ignoring it. But anyway, here’s the short form:
Italians are wonderful. Noisy, brisk, friendly, a bit defiant.
Shopping is different. At least inside the Aurelian walls (the historic part of the city), the economy seems to run on small businesses. Small enough retail shops that a hundred of them would fit in our rather small Macy’s. We saw no Starbucks, and two McDonald’s that we wouldn’t recognize (with nice decor and largely different menus and not full of people). No Target. No Safeway. No Walmart. It’s a one-on-one experience. Shopping is done with cash, I suspect a rather big underground economy and lots of tax evasion. The variety of goods – from ultra-high-ened (where we actually couldn’t even get INTO the stores) to absolute junk is huge.
The food (if you get off the beaten tourist paths) is fabulous. It’s as good as you hope it might be.
It’s damned photogenic. I think Paris is the only other city I’ve ever been in that is so photogenic. Sydney was close.
The history is absolutely amazing. I saw the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael paintings in the Vatican and visited Caravaggio’s hanging freely available on church walls. I stood and stared at David and I saw the Pieta. It was like a holy grail of western history. It was like looking at your actual ancestors and seeing what has changed (we no longer murder tigers or people in great public displays) and what is the same (our political challenges are eerily similar).
August 6, 2012
Happy Mass Market Release Week for Wings of Creation
Book three in my “Silver Ship and the Sea” series is now out in mass market paperback. I’m quite pleased; it’s been a few years since the hardcover came out. I really love these books, and they have had great reviews. It’s nice to see the third one now available more affordably. I’d post a link, but I’m in Rome right now and all of the links to everything come up with the Italian versions. I’ll be home this weekend and I’ll re-post and re-Facebook this.
All three of the books that are out so far in this series are available in audiobook, too.
And yes, Rome is lovely. I’ll do up a post or two on it when I get time!
July 31, 2012
Clarion West Write-a-Thon Ends for 2012
I always love “Clarion Season” here in the Seattle area. Great writers and earnest, brilliant students all converge on our area, parties and readings ensue, and the write-a-thon happens. This is the second year I’ve done the write-a-thon. It’s kind of a “please sponsor me and I’ll write to some specific goal” event, and this year there were 228 writers. Collectively, we raised over $20,000 to help support the workshop.
I did make my goal (write 1,000 words a day except for the two ays of the Seattle-to-Portland Bike Ride and on recovery day), and now I’ve had two days of no writing and I’m itchy. So the write-a-thon always drives me just a little bit harder.
And now that Clarion Season is over, I’ll be on to other adventures. I’m already looking forward to next year.
July 22, 2012
July 20, 2012
July 4, 2012
Lou Anders and John Picacio bring The Creative Fire to life
The Creative Fire, the first “Ruby’s Song” book, is available for pre-order (link below). It actually has been for a little bit, but I wanted to hold off until I had permission to show off the absolutely amazing art by John Picacio. I have been blessed over and over by the cover fairy. This time, I am triple blessed:
John did a beautiful piece of art (central image now the header on my website). I can’t use words to describe the art; it’s better than words.
He communicated really well with me. The first time he called I almost fell off the sidewalk. I remember it very specifically. Nancy Kress and I were waiting to get into a set of short animated films on the Ave in Seattle and there was a ton of background noise; my finger was stuck in my free ear so I could hear John. I have never had an artist call me. Clearly, he had read the book.
He brought my heroine to life. For my Clarion West writeathon run, I’m finishing the first draft of the second book. I am now using a copy of the art as a muse when I get stuck. I can look at her and think, “Now, Ruby, really. What would you do if….?”‘
I realize there is no cover in this post or on the sidebar to the right. I’m still waiting for the final complete cover design. So that will come. But in the meantime, I do now have permission to talk about the art. If you follow one of the links below you can see the draft cover, and the whole piece of art.
Ever since I first saw John’s art, I wanted to have him do a cover for me some day. As soon as I met Lou Anders, I wanted him for an editor. I’m really happy.
Links:
John Picacio’s 2011 body of work, which includes the fabulous job he did with Game of Thrones calendar art, can be found on his website.
The Creative Fire can be admired for its artwork (and pre-ordered if you would like your very own copy!) at my Clarion West write-a-thon sponsor page, and sponsors can follow along in my adventures.
More on the Creative Fire to come.
