Sean Williams's Blog, page 3
January 25, 2011
troubletwister teaser trailer #1
This is the first of several trailers for Troublestwisters, the the series Garth Nix and I have been working on for a while now. More to come!
Here's the blurb:
When their home mysteriously explodes around their ears, twins Jack and Jaide are sent to live in a place they have never heard of, to stay with a grandmother they have never met. Portland might seem like a quiet coastal town, but it soon becomes apparent that Grandma X is more than a little eccentric, and the strange things going on in the town are anything but ordinary.
Talking cats, swarms of cockroaches, a miniature tornado trashing their room—life is about to get a lot more interesting!
Here's the blurb:
When their home mysteriously explodes around their ears, twins Jack and Jaide are sent to live in a place they have never heard of, to stay with a grandmother they have never met. Portland might seem like a quiet coastal town, but it soon becomes apparent that Grandma X is more than a little eccentric, and the strange things going on in the town are anything but ordinary.
Talking cats, swarms of cockroaches, a miniature tornado trashing their room—life is about to get a lot more interesting!
January 22, 2011
cash for karma
There are lots of initiatives around to help save our beloved Queenslanders from the mud of La Nina. If you know all this, please skip the hard sell and just go to the links in order to improve your chances in the next life.
One sterling effort is Writers on Rafts, where you buy chances to win cool stuff in several different categories. I've volunteered some signed books, some face time, and a Tuckerization.
There's also Authors for Queensland, for those who like to bid directly rather than take your chances. I have some signed series and rare hardbacks on offer.
All the money goes to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal to help victims of the Queensland floods. And that's a good thing, yessir. (I'm hoping to come back as a meerkat. Or a fez. Either one.)
One sterling effort is Writers on Rafts, where you buy chances to win cool stuff in several different categories. I've volunteered some signed books, some face time, and a Tuckerization.
There's also Authors for Queensland, for those who like to bid directly rather than take your chances. I have some signed series and rare hardbacks on offer.
All the money goes to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal to help victims of the Queensland floods. And that's a good thing, yessir. (I'm hoping to come back as a meerkat. Or a fez. Either one.)
January 10, 2011
hugoboo
It’s Hugo time again, and I have a couple of eligible novellas.
The first is “A Glimpse of the Magnificent Structure (and the Threat it Entails)” from Godlike Machines, edited by Jonathan Strahan and published by SF Book Club. It’s a little hard to find outside the US, but has been received very well and is, I think, one of the best things I’ve ever written. That would be my pick if you wanted to nominate me for anything.
But if you were to go completely crazy and want to nominate two things, the other novella is “The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts): A Tale of the Change” from Legends of Australian Fantasy, edited by Jack Dann and the mighty Jonathan Strahan again, published by HarperCollins Australia.
It’s very hard to compare the two--since one’s mind/space-bending SF and the other is a fantastical story about a creature that eats love, and I’m equally proud of both--but I figure “Structure” has the best shot, for what that’s worth.
Remember, everyone who had a membership to AussieCon IV can nominate. The window closes late March, so you have plenty of time to think about it (and for the cheques to clear). If you’re outside the distribution reach of either anthology, let me know and I’ll see if I can get you an electronic copy.
The first is “A Glimpse of the Magnificent Structure (and the Threat it Entails)” from Godlike Machines, edited by Jonathan Strahan and published by SF Book Club. It’s a little hard to find outside the US, but has been received very well and is, I think, one of the best things I’ve ever written. That would be my pick if you wanted to nominate me for anything.
But if you were to go completely crazy and want to nominate two things, the other novella is “The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts): A Tale of the Change” from Legends of Australian Fantasy, edited by Jack Dann and the mighty Jonathan Strahan again, published by HarperCollins Australia.
It’s very hard to compare the two--since one’s mind/space-bending SF and the other is a fantastical story about a creature that eats love, and I’m equally proud of both--but I figure “Structure” has the best shot, for what that’s worth.
Remember, everyone who had a membership to AussieCon IV can nominate. The window closes late March, so you have plenty of time to think about it (and for the cheques to clear). If you’re outside the distribution reach of either anthology, let me know and I’ll see if I can get you an electronic copy.
January 6, 2011
great unexpectations
If there’s one thing reading two decades of New Scientist has taught me --
"The gradients of world-class surfing reefs are a lot steeper than we expected," says Shaw Mead of the University of Waikato. "The flow of water across a reef is more complex than you can mimic in a lab with a small-scale wave machine..." (06 September 1997)
"We found lots of new transcripts that have never been seen before, and there are many more binding sites for transcription factors than we expected," says Gingeras. (21 February 2004)
"It's pretty clear that the early impact rate was quite a lot higher than we expected," Frey told the meeting. "Buried basins are found everywhere in the highlands, which means the cratering rate was significantly higher than previously estimated." (18 March 2006)
This deposit of uranium ore, formed more than 2000 million years ago, turned out to have an extremely unusual composition. In some of the richest ore bodies in the open cast mine, researchers found far less of the fissile isotope uranium-235 than they expected, relative to the amount of the more common uranium-238. In other natural uranium, this ratio is constant; such depletions could be explained only by nuclear fission in a natural chain reaction, accelerating the disappearance of the lighter isotope. (05 May 1990)
"Before, the only thing that showed the connection was models," says Harries. "This is a real observation." Surprisingly, the change caused by methane was 30 per cent greater than they expected. (17 March 2001)
The brain turned out to be much smaller than they expected - in fact, no larger in proportion to the body than the brain of lower primates such as lemurs. (14 May 2007)
But in 1998, astronomers scouring distant galaxies for stellar explosions called type 1a supernovae found that light from these stars was dimmer than they expected, suggesting that the expansion is actually speeding up. (18 October 2003)
...and many, many more, covering the surface of the sun, the interior of Mars, the Galilean moons, transuranic elements, dark matter, dark energy, etc etc etc...
--it’s that the universe is always more interesting than we expected.
And that is completely brilliant.
"The gradients of world-class surfing reefs are a lot steeper than we expected," says Shaw Mead of the University of Waikato. "The flow of water across a reef is more complex than you can mimic in a lab with a small-scale wave machine..." (06 September 1997)
"We found lots of new transcripts that have never been seen before, and there are many more binding sites for transcription factors than we expected," says Gingeras. (21 February 2004)
"It's pretty clear that the early impact rate was quite a lot higher than we expected," Frey told the meeting. "Buried basins are found everywhere in the highlands, which means the cratering rate was significantly higher than previously estimated." (18 March 2006)
This deposit of uranium ore, formed more than 2000 million years ago, turned out to have an extremely unusual composition. In some of the richest ore bodies in the open cast mine, researchers found far less of the fissile isotope uranium-235 than they expected, relative to the amount of the more common uranium-238. In other natural uranium, this ratio is constant; such depletions could be explained only by nuclear fission in a natural chain reaction, accelerating the disappearance of the lighter isotope. (05 May 1990)
"Before, the only thing that showed the connection was models," says Harries. "This is a real observation." Surprisingly, the change caused by methane was 30 per cent greater than they expected. (17 March 2001)
The brain turned out to be much smaller than they expected - in fact, no larger in proportion to the body than the brain of lower primates such as lemurs. (14 May 2007)
But in 1998, astronomers scouring distant galaxies for stellar explosions called type 1a supernovae found that light from these stars was dimmer than they expected, suggesting that the expansion is actually speeding up. (18 October 2003)
...and many, many more, covering the surface of the sun, the interior of Mars, the Galilean moons, transuranic elements, dark matter, dark energy, etc etc etc...
--it’s that the universe is always more interesting than we expected.
And that is completely brilliant.
December 30, 2010
an atheist writer's prayer for 2011
Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone. I hope 2010 ends with a bang that echoes through 2011 and well into 2012. May your sales be at pro rates, your royalties high, and your work/play ratio in perfect balance. May all your words be magical, and reviewed accordingly. May we catch up at numerous cons and drink pink drinks into the wee hours. May we all offend someone at least once, apologise sincerely, and be forgiven in good grace. May we grow wiser and--in my case in particular--more patient with those who hold with crazy ideas opinions that differ to mine. May I preach less, reason more, and meet all my deadlines. Amen.
December 5, 2010
words about words about words about
I’ve been writing hard the last few weeks (two short stories, one novel, numerous treatments of the Crooked Letter TV series pitch document), so I’ve been slack when it comes to posting to reviews of
The
Force
Unleashed II
, The Fixers, my story in
Godlike Machines
, and even
The Grand Conjunction
, plus a quick plug in The Australian Literary Review (thanks, Rowena). So there are some links, if you’re interested.
There have also been a ton of interviews, articles and podcasts. Most relate to The Force Unleashed II, but not all. I try to give new answers each time, which leads me to wonder if I’ve ever contradicted myself. Hopefully I have. It’d be a shame not to leave something for future scholars to argue over...
“Romantic preconceptions of sitting in an old leather chair, at a classically carved wooden desk edged by a quill pen, writing pad and a rustic typewriter quickly dissolve as Sean talks about balancing his writing duties with literary boards, international travel, publicity interviews, phone calls to an accountant, phone calls to editors, phone calls to publicists, washing clothes and the occasional trip to the shops.” (ABC)
“I like to shake things up a bit, creatively. Doing the same thing over and over again is the quickest way to kill the excitement one should feel when working on a novel.” (Titan Books)
“[T]he character of Nitram was originally a Clantaani, but he was changed to the more familiar Bothan. In a galaxy so huge and varied, it seems a shame to me to default to the least unusual, but it doesn’t always happen, and being obscure sometimes comes with its own risks.” (Total Sci-Fi Online)
“My stepsons think I’m a total geek because I don’t like sport and love shows like Doctor Who. My study is full of remote-control Daleks, Colonial Vipers, steampunk Godzillas, and so on. I also have an Energy Dome, which probably gives me a bigger claim to geek status than anything sci-fi-related. I mean, sci-fi is so mainstream now. You have to dig deep to find something that people will really find odd.” (Geek Syndicate)
“Ultimately I’m writing an adaptation of the game–the canonical version, to boot–so getting the book right isn’t entirely a matter of aping what happens on the small screen. It’s about telling the right story.” (Blogomatic 3000)
“James talks to Sean Williams, author of The Force Unleashed II novelization.” (Rebelscum) -
“As we continue our conversation we look into what happens to a story when major villains are brought into it and the consequences following. Why sometimes it's easier to omit something than change the entire course of a story. How these figures formulate the design or even alter the story itself.” (Galactic Holofeed)
“The staff of Star Wars Action News are excited for the return of Starkiller, and so this week they ... talked to Sean about the writing process of the books, as well as Sean's other Star Wars tie-in novel, The Old Republic -- Fatal Alliance!” (Star Wars Action News)
Sorry to dump it all in one huge lump. I'll try to be good from now on!
There have also been a ton of interviews, articles and podcasts. Most relate to The Force Unleashed II, but not all. I try to give new answers each time, which leads me to wonder if I’ve ever contradicted myself. Hopefully I have. It’d be a shame not to leave something for future scholars to argue over...
“Romantic preconceptions of sitting in an old leather chair, at a classically carved wooden desk edged by a quill pen, writing pad and a rustic typewriter quickly dissolve as Sean talks about balancing his writing duties with literary boards, international travel, publicity interviews, phone calls to an accountant, phone calls to editors, phone calls to publicists, washing clothes and the occasional trip to the shops.” (ABC)
“I like to shake things up a bit, creatively. Doing the same thing over and over again is the quickest way to kill the excitement one should feel when working on a novel.” (Titan Books)
“[T]he character of Nitram was originally a Clantaani, but he was changed to the more familiar Bothan. In a galaxy so huge and varied, it seems a shame to me to default to the least unusual, but it doesn’t always happen, and being obscure sometimes comes with its own risks.” (Total Sci-Fi Online)
“My stepsons think I’m a total geek because I don’t like sport and love shows like Doctor Who. My study is full of remote-control Daleks, Colonial Vipers, steampunk Godzillas, and so on. I also have an Energy Dome, which probably gives me a bigger claim to geek status than anything sci-fi-related. I mean, sci-fi is so mainstream now. You have to dig deep to find something that people will really find odd.” (Geek Syndicate)
“Ultimately I’m writing an adaptation of the game–the canonical version, to boot–so getting the book right isn’t entirely a matter of aping what happens on the small screen. It’s about telling the right story.” (Blogomatic 3000)
“James talks to Sean Williams, author of The Force Unleashed II novelization.” (Rebelscum) -
“As we continue our conversation we look into what happens to a story when major villains are brought into it and the consequences following. Why sometimes it's easier to omit something than change the entire course of a story. How these figures formulate the design or even alter the story itself.” (Galactic Holofeed)
“The staff of Star Wars Action News are excited for the return of Starkiller, and so this week they ... talked to Sean about the writing process of the books, as well as Sean's other Star Wars tie-in novel, The Old Republic -- Fatal Alliance!” (Star Wars Action News)
Sorry to dump it all in one huge lump. I'll try to be good from now on!
November 26, 2010
five reasons to buy the fixers series
(Castle of the Zombies and Planet of the Cyborgs are out now. Curse of the Vampire and Invasion of the Freaks are due in the new year.)
The fun: Who wouldn’t to read a series containing zombies, world-eating castles, psychic typewriters, spaceships, vampires, uplifted cats, wormholes, cyborg pirates, telepathic TVs, alternate universes, wicked widgets, and doppelgangers?
The creative: This series has been a long time in the making. It combines ideas from no less than five other books that I couldn’t get to work in their original forms, and it taps into experiences of alienation and loss I experienced as a child, when uprooted from a home I loved perfectly well and plonked down somewhere else. It was also inspired by a real-life event. Honest!
The illustrations: Nial O’Connor totally gets the energy of the story, capturing everything from the most kinetic action sequence to Ollie’s moments of mournful introspection. I’ve posted a couple below the cut. More of my favourites will be on my FaceBook page later today, once they upload. (I’ll update this page when that finally finishes.)
The mercenary: It’s designed for all kinds of kids, but particularly the male, 7-10 variety, who are always looking for quick, fun books (even if they don’t always admit it). Plus, it’s Christmas, and we all need stocking-fillers. :-)
And if that’s not enough, here’s what other people have said about it:
“...a fast-paced and inventive ride. Williams keeps the story moving expertly, and Nial O’Connor’s energetic illustrations add to the fun and lighthearted feel. This is a quick and exciting read for primary school readers.” (Australian Bookseller & Publisher)
"...a thrilling, imaginative read, perfect for ages seven and up. Paired with comic-book-style illustrations from the brilliant Nial O’Connor, this first book in the Fixers series is sure to be a hit with younger readers who like their adventures with a bit of a fantastic bent." (Readings, where you’ll also find blurbs for both books)
Please consider giving them a go. I've loved writing them and would love to write more. The more they sell, the more likely that will be!
The fun: Who wouldn’t to read a series containing zombies, world-eating castles, psychic typewriters, spaceships, vampires, uplifted cats, wormholes, cyborg pirates, telepathic TVs, alternate universes, wicked widgets, and doppelgangers?
The creative: This series has been a long time in the making. It combines ideas from no less than five other books that I couldn’t get to work in their original forms, and it taps into experiences of alienation and loss I experienced as a child, when uprooted from a home I loved perfectly well and plonked down somewhere else. It was also inspired by a real-life event. Honest!
The illustrations: Nial O’Connor totally gets the energy of the story, capturing everything from the most kinetic action sequence to Ollie’s moments of mournful introspection. I’ve posted a couple below the cut. More of my favourites will be on my FaceBook page later today, once they upload. (I’ll update this page when that finally finishes.)
The mercenary: It’s designed for all kinds of kids, but particularly the male, 7-10 variety, who are always looking for quick, fun books (even if they don’t always admit it). Plus, it’s Christmas, and we all need stocking-fillers. :-)
And if that’s not enough, here’s what other people have said about it:
“...a fast-paced and inventive ride. Williams keeps the story moving expertly, and Nial O’Connor’s energetic illustrations add to the fun and lighthearted feel. This is a quick and exciting read for primary school readers.” (Australian Bookseller & Publisher)
"...a thrilling, imaginative read, perfect for ages seven and up. Paired with comic-book-style illustrations from the brilliant Nial O’Connor, this first book in the Fixers series is sure to be a hit with younger readers who like their adventures with a bit of a fantastic bent." (Readings, where you’ll also find blurbs for both books)
Please consider giving them a go. I've loved writing them and would love to write more. The more they sell, the more likely that will be!
November 17, 2010
nanowrimo post mortem
So, today I finished my new novel and by lucky chance reached the 50,000 mark of NaNoWriMo (50,100 to be exact). I've enjoyed banging away, more or less in the public eye. This is the first time I've ever posted my daily totals. If you're interested, they're below the cut.
Day 2 = 3200
Day 3 = 2300
Day 4 = 2500
Day 5 = 3400
Day 6 = 2100
Day 7 = 2850
Day 8 = 2000
Day 9 = 3000
Day 10 = 1650
Day 11 = 2600
Day 12 = 2950
Day 13 = 2450
Day 14 = 3800
Day 15 = 5200
Day 16 = 5100
Day 17 = 3400
(Average = 2947) I feel a little bad doing this because, well, I do it for a living and I've got pretty good at churning it out. (In this time, I flew to Sydney for a day, had a signing at A&R, got stuck in a plothole, and had one hangover. Bet you can't guess which days.) Also, the hard work has only just begun. While it's nice to have a new book under my belt, now I have to make it into a good book. That's where the magic really happens.
For those still on the treadmill, keep at it, and good luck!
Day 2 = 3200
Day 3 = 2300
Day 4 = 2500
Day 5 = 3400
Day 6 = 2100
Day 7 = 2850
Day 8 = 2000
Day 9 = 3000
Day 10 = 1650
Day 11 = 2600
Day 12 = 2950
Day 13 = 2450
Day 14 = 3800
Day 15 = 5200
Day 16 = 5100
Day 17 = 3400
(Average = 2947) I feel a little bad doing this because, well, I do it for a living and I've got pretty good at churning it out. (In this time, I flew to Sydney for a day, had a signing at A&R, got stuck in a plothole, and had one hangover. Bet you can't guess which days.) Also, the hard work has only just begun. While it's nice to have a new book under my belt, now I have to make it into a good book. That's where the magic really happens.
For those still on the treadmill, keep at it, and good luck!
November 7, 2010
best photo ever
From my signing session for The Fixers at Angust & Robertson Edwardstown on Saturday:
And yes, that's a copy of Castle of the Zombies he's reading. This, and Planet of the Cyborgs, are out now!
And yes, that's a copy of Castle of the Zombies he's reading. This, and Planet of the Cyborgs, are out now!
November 5, 2010
possibly the scariest cover ever
I'm very excited to be in this book, but I might have to keep it spine-out on my brag shelf.
What do you think? Is it just me or is that too freaky for words? (I mean that as a compliment.)
What do you think? Is it just me or is that too freaky for words? (I mean that as a compliment.)
