Nicole R. Murphy's Blog, page 6
July 3, 2011
All about my launch
It was fabulous. I wish I could offer you photographic evidence of it's fabulousness, but none of my regular photographers were there. So you'll just have to trust me when I say – it was fabulous.
Books were sold. Food was eaten. Drinks were consumed. I had many a pot of Kilkenny, and I was happy [image error]
It took place in PJ O'Reilly's Irish Pub, in Civic. I wanted a party atmosphere, because this is something momentous to celebrate and let's be honest – there's no guarantee I'll ever have a trilogy to launch again. And since the gadda are Irish, of COURSE it had to be at an Irish pub.
The atmosphere was very convivial – lots of chatter, lots of laughter. I had all my family there, which is always wonderful – I didn't know my brother Christopher was coming but he drove FOURTEEN hours from Brisbane to get there – that's love.
Kaaron Warren gave the launch speech, and I was quite blown away by it, particularly when Kaaron complimented my wordcraft. I don't see myself as that skilled in that area, so to have someone as magnificent at it as Kaaron to compliment it made me a very happy girlie.
I read a portion of the book – it was really hard to choose what to read. In the past two books, finding a dramatic scene that didn't give away too much of the plot was easy. But in Rogue Gadda, it's HARD! Finally, I chose a scene where we get to spend time again with Jack Gorton – not that dramatic, but fun.
I signed books and then we sat, and ate, and drank, and chatted, and it was exactly the experience I wanted.
If you're in Canberra and you want a signed copy of Rogue Gadda (or indeed Secret Ones or Power Unbound), Dymocks Canberra Centre have some right now. They sold books on the night for me and were quite fabulous.
So, there it is. Rogue Gadda is all baptised, launched and now its out in the world and I just have to wait and see if it finds its place and gets some love, or not.
June 30, 2011
Rogue Gadda is released!
Today is the day – the official release day for Rogue Gadda. It's been on sale in several bookstores for a couple of days now – I myself saw it on the shelves at Dymocks Canberra on Wednesday. And I know someone purchased a copy on Wednesday from Dymocks Melbourne, cause she told me so.
So, there. It's done. My trilogy is out in the world, complete and ready to be loved. I talk a little bit about it on the Voyager blog: http://voyagerblog.com.au/2011/07/01/and-so-the-story-ends%E2%80%A6/
What an awesome time it's been. Fun. Scary. Stressful. Overwhelming.
I've done this in the acknowledgements in the book, but I want to take a moment again today to thank a few people. Most importantly, my husband Tim for his support and encouragement. The fabulous team at Voyager, led by the totally amazing and inspirational Stephanie Smith, who helped make me a better writer. To my family and friends, who shared the laughter and the tears. I couldn't have done this without any of you.
Here's hoping the next trilogy gets picked up so I can do it all again [image error]
So what are my plans for today? Well, I've just sent out the July newsletter, and after breakfast and a shower, I'm going to spend the morning infusing fabulousness in my brain by overdosing on TED lectures. I've kinda been a bit housebound and rutted lately, and I'm not going to keep putting out great stories if I don't fill my head with fabulousness.
This afternoon is (unfortunately) about housework, but even us totally awesome writers can't get away without that. Tonight, champagne and one of my favourite dishes, chicken and prawn paella.
Then I'm planning on trying something out – I'm going to see if I can record myself doing a reading from Rogue Gadda to put up on YouTube. Cross fingers that it will work so I can share some of the happiness of the day with you all.
June 28, 2011
Some friends are coming to help me celebrate
The next few weeks are shaping up to be massive on my blog http://nicolermurphy.com. Of course, there's the fabulous BookBabes party for myself, Karina Cooper, Merrie Destefano and Jocelynn Drake (I'll be posting Karina's excerpt in a few hours).
And then there are my guest bloggers. A whole lot of writing friends have agreed to write a post for me on the theme "Dreams and Fulfillment". There's been some stories that have brought tears to my eyes and others that have inspired me with the persistence and hope within them.
So starting July 3, you'll get to read blog posts from Kevin J Anderson, Kerrelyn Sparks, Alan Baxter, Mary Victoria, Kim Falconer, Helen Lowe, Joanne Anderton, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Kirstyn McDermott and Trent Jamieson (and hopefully the fabulous Justina Robson will be part of the fun too).
And I'll be blogging around the internet as well and with each of my blogs comes the opportunity to win a copy of Rogue Gadda. Right now, there's one at the ROR blog here: http://ripping-ozzie-reads.com/2011/06/25/nicole-murphy-what-ive-learnt-since-my-trilogy-sale/
And if you sign up to my newsletter before July 1, you can go into the draw to win the entire trilogy!
Yes, there's lots of partying to celebrate the launch of Rogue Gadda, the last book of the Dream of Asarlai.
June 26, 2011
Party with the BookBabes!
This week four HarperCollins urban fantasy authors are having book releases and so we've got together to celebrate and help each other spread the word!
On Tuesday, Lure of the Wicked; Feast: Harvest of Dreams and Burn the Night hit the shelves in the US. On Friday, Rogue Gadda is out, on the shelves in Australia and electronic for the rest of the world.
We're giving you an opportunity to get to know these four fabulous books better. Every day from tomorrow, one of us will be featured across all four blogs, with four different excerpts from our books. You can start here, if you like, then follow the links around Karina's, Merrie's and Jocelynn's blogs.
So Tuesday is Karina's day, Wednesday is Merrie's, Thursday is Jocelynn's and I'm on Friday. I'll be posting later in the day my time (to hit the right time in the US). So make sure you bookmark this blog to come back and get some fabulous free reading [image error]
June 23, 2011
Why we need to talk openly about menstruation…
So I'd seen the name Alasdair Thompson come up on Twitter a couple of times and wondered what it was about. Then I read this article, in which said Mr Thompson states that women should be paid less than men because (among other things) we need sick days each month.
Well, fuck you, Alasdair Thompson.
But this plays into something I've been thinking, with my openness about my issues with menopause and depression. We women have been trained not to talk about "that time of the month" or be open about what's going on. It's a secret. Something to be ashamed off. Something that makes us feel dirty.
It's not a pleasant thing but you know what? It's life. It happens to half the population around the world. It's as natural as eating, breathing or peeing.
It is, however, one of the bodily functions that men can't share in, and because we don't talk about it, it becomes even more taboo. So they don't understand. So they can set up the world to their biorhythms and then say stupid things like 'oh, you get sick every month so of course you're worth less than I am'…
But if we were open, if men knew all about menstruation and it's impact, if it became an accepted part of the human experience (be you male or female), then maybe this would change. Maybe, for example, the workplace could be adjusted so you take advantage of the times of the month when women are at full bore and then ease up the times when she's not.
Take advantage of it. When she's ovulating, all the hormones primed to attract and seduce men, send her in to negotiate the big deals. When she's ready to bite someone's head off for looking at her the wrong way – maybe that's the time to have her sack a few folks. Or get stuck into the filing that didn't get done when she was flying around the place doing the hard yards.
Imagine if this was an accepted way of working. That we organised the workplace to take advantage of the hormonal ups and downs of a woman's fertility cycle, rather than punishing her for something she can't control.
I know, crazy dream. But the openness can't hurt us – can it?
June 20, 2011
Some Supernova thoughts
I'm going to blog about this and share more pics at Supernatural Underground in a couple of days, so I hope you're following!
So, getting to Supernova ended up being a full-on thing, thanks to some family issues last week that only resolved themselves in a good way on Friday afternoon. I'm not going to talk about that, as it's someone else's business, but suffice it to say it was a hard few days.
Drove up Friday evening with Tracey O'Hara and met Erica Hayes up there. We stayed at a service apartment block in Parramatta, which was really nice.[image error]
We spent Friday night catching up and gossiping. I went to bed at midnight – they stayed up until well into the ams.
Saturday morning we headed into Supernova to set up. I've NEVER seen anything like it – imagine the dealers room at Worldcon last year, but about ten times the size. Maybe twenty times! It was incredible.
And the line outside to get in – it went for hundreds of metres. We were astounded.
We set up and the stall looked fantastic – thanks to all the other urban fantasy/paranormal romance folks who sent us stuff. And thanks to to HarperVoyager for getting some posters done for Tracey and I.
Saturday was so busy I was overwhelmed – tens of thousands of people. I made a couple of excursions out to check things out and catch up with friends, like Kevin Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, but mostly I was happy to sit at the desk.
We all ended up headachey and exhausted and so left a little early to head back to the hotel. Dinner at the pub revived us, but still I was in bed by 9.30.
Sunday was a little quieter, not as overwhelming and (I don't know if that's why) better for us. We connected with more people, had some great conversations and sold more books.
We learnt a lot from the process and there is talk of doing it again next year – it was fun, and I think valuable to get the gospel of Australian urban fantasy out and about.
Finally, the other thing about Supernova – the cosplay. Sensational! Sitting and watching everyone come past was great. Here's a few (more on Supernatural Underground).
And some video footage – some of the remote controlled stuff was great!
[image error] Tracey O'Hara hugs a Dalek and the Dalek shows it's disgust. [image error] K9 meets a Star Wars droid–unfortunately this K9 doesn't talk yet but imagine the conversation!June 15, 2011
Thoughts about my current project
Yesterday, I passed the 30,000 word mark in my contemporary category romance. That's 20,000 to go. Here's what I'm thinking so far:
a) Boy, it's a REALLY different style. I mean, my writing in the Dream of Asarlai trilogy is really action packed. Even when they're sitting around talking, it's about big stuff. But here, I'm having to spend more time in the quiet moments – the reflections, the deep and meaningful conversations that are such an important part of falling in love with someone. That quality of how time slows down and everything else disappears when you're with your new lover – that's the feeling you're trying to get across in a romance. So I'm feeling really uncertain as to whether I'm actually achieving it or not.
b) Plot wise it's really different. Actually, it's kinda the way I used to write – I'd get great characters, a great scenario, then just write reams and reams about their life and dealing with the trials and tribulations. Then I got seriously into PLOT and into building and relieving suspense, in not letting things get too quiet for too long, in throwing more and more shit on my characters and making it all about achieving something. But in romance, what the characters want to achieve isn't the point of the book. The point of the book is them falling in love. It's not something they are even thinking about at the beginning, but by the end it's ALL they can think about. So again, I find myself wondering – am I doing enough here? Not doing enough there? I need to test my characters, but they need to be together by the end and I've only got 50,000 words so I can't go overboard.
c) That said, I'm really enjoying it. Writing the gadda books has become, to a certain extent, automatic. I know the style. I know the characters. I know the world. I write entire scenes, chapters without a lot of thought, just carried away in the story. But with this, I'm often thinking about the words as I write them. I can't waste words. But I can't rush people through either. Every scene is a decision, every paragraph a consideration. It's very intriguing to be feeling so different about it.
I think that at this point in my career, I'm a good enough writer with a good enough sense of the genre to write a respectable contemporary romance. Whether it's good enough to be publishable is something that I'll have to let others judge. But certainly, I'm having fun and learning lots and that's what's important.
June 13, 2011
Come to Supernova!!!!
On Saturday and Sunday, Tracey O'Hara, Erica Hayes and I will be spreading the word about urban fantasy and paranormal romance in Australia at Supernova Sydney!
What is Supernova? It's a convention with panels about aspects of science fiction, fantasy and horror in various genres (television, movies, anime, manga and fiction). There's a MASSIVE exhibition space to check out some of the latest from around the world, and an artist's alley where you can see folks at work (that's where we'll be). Here's the website: http://www.supanova.com.au/
Then there's the superstars. Attending Supernova in Sydney are the cast of I Dream of Jeannie (Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman and Bill Daily); Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy; James Masters; Gareth David-Lloyd from Torchwood; Sean Maher from Firefly.
On the literary side, there's Kevin J Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Marianne de Pierres, Jennifer Fallon, Alison Goodman, Kate Forsyth and Rowena Cory Daniells.
People that I don't know but you might include Amy Acker, Julie White, Richard Norton, Danielle Harris, Corin Nemic, David Nykl, Dan Green, Tiffany Grant, Yuko Miyamura, Neil Kaplan, Matt Greenfield, David Finch, Dave Johnson, Billy Tan, Paul Jenkins, Ben Templesmith, Justin Randall, Tom Taylor, Douglas Holgate, Christopher Sequeira, Nicola Scott, Stuart McKenny, Jon Sommariva and Jeffrey 'Chamba' Cruz.
It's all happening at The Dome, Sydney Olympic Park (in the showground).
Cost is an interesting question – you can pre-purchase a pass to Saturday and Sunday (and the preview Friday night) for $39.50 or buy at the door for $50. For a day pass (Saturday or Sunday only) it's $23.80 pre-paid or $25 at the door. These tickets get you entry to the exhibition space and seats at non-exclusive panel sessions.
Then there's special events that you can buy tickets for eg James Masters' concert on Saturday night. Details here: http://www.supanova.com.au/tickets/
But note – I'm not sure that the day tickets guarantee that you'll meet the superstars. Some will wander the floor and are happy to be photographed and asked for autographs (particularly the literary guys) but for others, in order to have face to face time, you're going to have to pay extra. Unfortunately, I can't find the information on the website for how much that's going to cost.
I'm really excited – I've been wanting to go to Supernova for AGES. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing everyone dressed up in costumes – there's not enough of that at regular sci fi conventions [image error]
Tracey, Erica and I hope we can spread the word about the awesome urban fantasy and paranormal romance authors we have here in Australia and hopefully drive some booksales for everyone [image error]
Hope to see you there!
June 8, 2011
The secret project–Canberra Natcon 2013
Well, the news is out. Donna Hanson and I are co-charing a bid for Canberra to host the 2013 Natcon.
We'd been toying with the idea for a while, but didn't get organised in time for Swancon, when the decision would be made. We thought we'd blown it, only no one put in, there wasn't a decision made and suddenly there was hope again.
We're quite decided on 2013 for a couple of reasons – a) it fits in with both our plans for the next couple of years (putting it back would not) and b) 2013 is the centenary of Canberra and thus a perfect time to bring the Natcon back.
Donna's going to Continuum this weekend to spruik it, and we've started telling folks about it and letting them know. We're not sure when the new vote will take place (it could be done electronically within the next couple of months or may wait until the Natcon in Melbourne next year) but when it does, we hope everyone who's eligible (members of this year's Natcon) will vote to support the con coming to Canberra.
Both Donna and I love conventions. We've both had experience chairing conventions. We've been talking about our plans and are really excited to bring you all a fun and interesting convention. So please, if you can, vote for us!
June 5, 2011
Year of the handbag–April (catch-up)–the knitted bag
Yeah, I know I ran a little behind. I had it all planned that I could put this bag together pretty quickly in between trips in April, but then I kept getting sick. May was a wash out because of the depression. But here I am in June, starting to feel quite perky (God bless anti-depressants) and so I'm managed to find the time, and the inclination, to get back to my yearly aim of making a handbag a month.
I'll take June and July to catch up – two handbags each month. And here's the first for June.
I am sooooo thrilled with how this one worked out – it looks great. The knitting at the front is a little creased because the measurements ended up not quite right when I connected it to the inside, but still it's great.
So, it all started with the knitting. I devised the pattern myself, based on a lace pattern that I've got in a how-to book (my knitting ain't all that). The wool is one my M-I-L gave me for Christmas one year (my request – I wanted some different wools because I was planning on getting into knitting). The numbering in the pattern ended a little off and one of the laces is further from the edge than the other, but all in all not too bad, right? I knitted it in March and it's one long bit that folds on itself. I sewed the sides together while inside-out, then turned right way.
I ironed it flat, then traced it around an iron-on quilting insert which is about half a centimetre thick and reasonably stiff. I cut that out, then used it to trace and cut out two pieces of purple satin. I sewed the satin to make a pocket, slid the insert in and then sewed the end shut. Then I ironed the insert in, and ironed two bends in it to fit the bends in the knitting. I sewed the two sides together, then slid it into the knitting.
I connected the inside to the knitting by sewing it to the two ends of the knitting – one triangular to be the flap the folds over.
Then it was time to put on the accessories. The gold rings were sewn onto two satin tabs which were then sewn onto the inside of the bag. The gold chain was then wound onto the rings. Then I put the press studs on and it was done.
It looks great. It's a little longer than it should be for the height, but otherwise I think it's come out really well.
I'm not a hundred percent sure what I'm going to do next. I've got lots of material to choose from, but I'm unsure of the style to go with. While I decide, I'm going to work on stitching a great bit sheet of patchwork, so when I've got a style I want to use it for I'm ready.
One thing I have't done yet is a bag with a gusset – I should probably challenge myself with that next. And I've been thinking about weaving too…
