Emma Newman's Blog, page 13

Janus Syndrome

I wasn’t going to write a post at the turn of the year. I don’t like writing about myself at the best of times, I’m deep in edits and juggling work with my child being on holiday and anyway, I hate looking back.

But 2013 has been one hell of a year. And I’m feeling all sorts of stuff about the coming year and the only thing to do when I feel this way is to sit down and write it all out.

A glance back

This was the biggest year of my writing career to date. Hell, the fact I’m able to write “writing career” without deleting that immediately says something. I’m doing something that I’ve been investing in for many years now and it’s something I want to do for the rest of my life. I bounced from job to job before, always dissatisfied, and now I know what I want to do. I am unspeakably lucky to know what I need to do to keep myself happy, fulfilled and less mad than usual. For the longest time I was terrified I would never know.

So this was the year of the Split Worlds and I think that’s why I didn’t want to just gloss over the turn of the year without at least a moment to turn, doff my hat respectfully and thank it for being… very. Yes, very. That’s the only way to describe it. I could say terrifying, exhilarating, exhausting, wondrous, maddening etc, but ‘very’ encompasses all of it neatly.

All these months later I’m amazed that I’m still proud of those books. The last week has been amazing; so many people have included either Between Two Thorns or the whole series in their “best of the year” posts that I’ve been flabbergasted.

It was a strange year. I was editing the second Split Worlds book whilst writing the third whilst launching the first. There was only 3 months between the releases of books 1 and 2, then only 4 months between books 2 and 3. I had my first proper fan mail (and it’s still arriving, which is lovely). I received my first troll emails and they didn’t break me. I wrote a whole new book – a standalone sci-fi that could not be more different to the Split Worlds if I tried – which is very nearly ready to leave the nest. I wrote a few stories too, narrated 3 audio books and launched Tea and Jeopardy.

Oh, and we moved house. So yeah, 2013 was a bit tiring too.

I went to so many conventions it was a bit silly. I even got to the point where flying to America didn’t freak me out and result in constant shivering for 12 hours straight. I can now go onto most panels without extreme nausea or sweating. Also nice. I still get nervous, mind you, but I’m happy to report that a lot of it has got easier.

Not all of it though.

Reviews still freak me out. I haven’t been to Goodreads once this year. I worry about everything it is possible to worry about – like all authors, I imagine. But I’ve survived and those three books with their beautiful covers are out there now, on many, many bookshelves and damn, that feels good.

A few random thoughts about 2013

Never underestimate how important it is to have friends who are also writers.

Being able to share fears and frustrations with people who ‘get it’ is so valuable, in any profession. I have been so lucky to meet so many amazing people over the last two years, some of whom are becoming my favourite people in the world. I’m thinking of Gareth and Becky Powell, Adrian and Annie Tchaikovsky, Adam Christopher, Lee Harris, Jennifer Udden, Ian Whates, Paul Cornell, Philip Reeve and Melinda Snodgrass. I had the pleasure and privilege to get rather drunk with Myke Cole, Steve Drew, Justin Landon, Lou Morgan, Tom Lloyd, Chuck Wendig, Sarah Pinborough, Marcus Gipps, Jennifer Williams and so many others. (I fully reserve the right to forget people here because I am rubbish at this sort of thing). I have laughed so much. I have had long, long conversations that have grounded and reassured me. I thank you all.

All of the demons that were there before you got published will still be there afterwards.

All those insecurities are still here. Hell, I’m editing the 7th book I’ve written and it was the hardest one yet. Each one feels like I’ve learned nothing from the ones before. Of course, that’s not true in that I’ve refined a process (though saying that, my process got thrown out of the window for the latest one) and I have figured out how to write despite anxiety issues, but yeah, all that doubt and imposter syndrome stuff is still here. It probably always will be.

The race is long, and ultimately, only with yourself

Something like that is said in that brilliant Sunscreen song and my goodness, have I had to remind myself of that this year! There’s always someone achieving more, doing more, just being more than you. The only way to handle it, in my opinion, is to just work hard on your own stuff. And by stuff I mean the next book and also all the psychological knots life has tied into us over the years. So many things come from the dark places inside ourselves, and so few of them actually help us.

And now, the future!

So, time to look ahead. And guess what: I’m terrified.

Yes, I know it’s my default state, and honestly I get bored of my own anxiety a dozen times a day but it’s strong enough for me to need to write this shit out. I’m a firm believer in voicing fears and stuff from shadow (in the Jungian sense) so that it loses its power outside of my internal echo chamber.

Things I am scared of and looking forward to maybe (in no particular order):

The sale of my next novel

Or rather, the hope it will be sold. I sort of fell into the Angry Robot deal, but now I’m without a contract to fulfil and I have a book that will soon be in the hands of my agent, looking for a home.

Insert every single worry imaginable here. The loudest ones are: What if no-one buys it? And also: what if I never have another book deal ever again?

Writing a whole new series

I wrote that standalone over the last six months and it was hellish. Life was pretty insane, what with all the Split Worlds promo, the conventions, the house move and whatnot. I didn’t write as much as I would have liked.

But now I have a new world growing in my head and my goodness, I am so ready to go and play there. And, as usual, there is a lot of fear around it. But honestly, kiss my arse anxiety demons! I’m still going to write these regardless of what you say.

And the last one is something I didn’t know whether to talk about or not.

That eligibility thing

2014 will be the first year that I’m eligible for big proper grown-up awards and that makes me feel… wretched with shallow desire and the shame of having that!

You see, I’ve never done anything in my life that would ever merit recognition from other people. The only thing that comes close is my degree, but hell, that was a different kind of thing all together. And I’m going to be truthful and confess that I would love to get an award, whether it’s for a novel or Tea and Jeopardy or whatever.

The thing is, eligibility brings the inherent likelihood of failure. And I know my chances are slimmer than a paper doll in profile, but hell, it doesn’t stop me daydreaming. There, I said it.

Urgh. I want to shower now. Forgive me.

Onwards and hopefully upwards!

I want to write 3 novels in 2014. The first drafts, that is, and I have no idea which stage each will get to after that. I also have Tea and Jeopardy to work on and a few other projects I’m tinkering away on too. But for the first few months of the year, all I am going to work on are novels (and getting Tea and Jeopardy out the door every fortnight of course). This year was packed with great stuff, but all the travel and promo exhausted me and took me away from the blank page. There are so many books in my head waiting to be written. [insert usual guff about so little time].

So, my lovelies, permit me to wish you a happy, productive and quite brilliant 2014. And remember, if you’re travelling outside of the EU, wrap up warm.*

*If you know where that comes from, you are a fine person and I salute you.

Tea and Jeopardy 14 – A Chat with Melinda Snodgrass

The fourteenth episode of Tea and Jeopardy is now live and you can find it here.

In this episode, the endlessly brilliant author and screenwriter Melinda Snodgrass is invited into the secret lair for cake and tea. We discuss writing for Hollywood, the episode “Measure of a Man” that Melinda wrote for Star Trek: The Next Generation and dressage.

If you’ve listened and got an answer for the question I asked at the end, be a bless-poppet and leave your answer in the comments below.

Credits for sound effects can be found here. There will be a blooper reel, coming soon…

Christmas and catching up and a little gift…

Well hello there! Been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve cleared away the tumbleweeds, dusted off the seat here and thought I’d explain why I haven’t been around lately. But first, there’s something I just have to tell you about because I’m too excited to wait.

A little something for Christmas

We went to Bath today to do some Christmas shopping and I had an idea that wouldn’t let me go. So I went and made it happen.

I have bought and signed a copy of Between Two Thorns at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights and one at Topping and Company Booksellers and left them behind the till in each shop, gift wrapped and waiting…

The first person who reads this and goes to either Mr B’s or Toppings and says “Emma Newman said there’s a Christmas present waiting for me” will get that signed copy as a Christmas gift to either keep for yourself or pass on to someone else – AS LONG AS you also buy any other book from that shop. In Mr B’s Ed knows about this and in Topping and Company Sam knows about this.

Why? Because they are both utterly gorgeous independent bookshops and I want you to buy a book from them. It doesn’t have to be another book in the Split Worlds series, it can be any book you like. Then you get to leave with a signed copy of Between Two Thorns as a gift, and another book bought on the high street, supporting two of the best bookshops I have the pleasure of knowing.

Of course, it may be that when you get there someone has beaten you to the gift from me, but hey, you’ll be in a fabulous bookshop in a beautiful city. And both have signed copies of Any Other Name (Split Worlds 2) and All Is Fair (Split Worlds 3) in stock too.

Both of these shops are very dear to me. I’ve gushed about Mr B’s and its wonderful Book Spa in the past (they make the perfect Christmas present by the way). Topping and Company run amazing events, such as the Neil Gaiman book launch earlier this year, and what’s more: they give you tea to enjoy whilst browsing. In gorgeous teapots. Books. And tea. I mean, what’s not to love? Both have been so supportive of the Split Worlds series and I wanted to thank them by doing this and also thank you, readers local to Bath, who have been buying the books there so enthusiastically.

And if you do get the gift at one of the shops, I would be pleased as punch if you let me know.

Right. Now that’s out of the way, on to news and whatnot. I’ve been absent thanks to a stack of events in October (Bristolcon and World FantasyCon being the main ones) and then moving house in November. Oh. My. God. How stressful? We’re settling in now but the house has needed a lot of love and attention since we moved in which has eaten time.

I have also been obsessively finishing my latest novel and the first draft is done. Such a relief. It’s not another Split Worlds novel (apologies if you were hoping it was). It’s actually about as different as possible. All I will say for now is that it’s a stand-alone sci-fi, first person POV and unlike anything I’ve written before. It was bloody hard to write too.

I’ve been doing a few podcasts lately. One is the SF Squeecast which you can listen to here. Another was an appearance on Dungeon Crawler radio which you can listen to here. And last but certainly not least is an in-depth interview on Skiffy and Fanty about the Split Worlds novels, which you can find here. Incidentally, I consider this to be one of the best interviews about the series to date and there aren’t any spoilers that would upset people who haven’t read the books yet.

Tea and Jeopardy has had to endure a prolonged pause whilst all of these upheavals have been going on, but I’ll be bringing back regular shows after Christmas. Sorry about the delay.

What else? Oh! Between Two Thorns has been nominated for a Best Novel award in the BSFA awards. It’s still a long way to the shortlist though, I think reaching that is dependent on the number of nominations so it’s in the lap of the Gods now.

Between Two Thorns has also been picked out as one of NetGalley’s top ten novels of 2013. Which is nice. I’d point you to somewhere on the web about that but it was announced in their email newsletter, so you’ll just have to trust me on that. However, a very kind soul forwarded it to me and NetGalley said this about the book:

This is the kind of book you dream of discovering over the course of a year: the beginning of a series that you know you’ll be desperate for the next volume as soon as you’ve finished the first. This slice of urban fantasy, set among the denizens of Aquae Sulis, Bath’s secret mirror city, is a wonderfully realised and utterly absorbing tale that you won’t be able to resist!

Ooh! One other bit of exciting news! I’m going to be one of the Guest of Honour at next year’s Bristolcon with Jon Courtney Grimwood. I’m tickled pink, I can tell you.

I think that’s all for now. Have you got any exciting news from the last couple of months that I probably missed whilst running round like a lunatic? If so, pop it in the comments below! And in case I don’t get back here before Christmas (and we’re hosting this year so it’s likely!), I wish you and yours and deliciously peaceful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

P.S. In case you have missed it doing the rounds, here is Captain Picard “singing” Let It Snow. It’s made of pure, unadulterated win. Also: I may be biased.

Three questions and 1000 free copies of Between Two Thorns

Tomorrow I’m getting my first smartphone after being stuck with a Blackberry for far too long. I’m quite excited. There’s a whole world of apps waiting for me, and this is one I’m particularly excited about: Boosh – it’s all about sharing books you’ve read on your phone with your friends. I’m also looking forward to trying that zombie running one too, but that’s another story.

Right now, I want to focus on Boosh, because Angry Robot Books are giving away 1000 copies of Between Two Thorns as part of the app’s launch, and one of those could be yours.

Before I go any further, here are three questions:

1: Do you use Facebook?

2: Do you have an android smartphone?

3: Do you live in the UK/Ireland?

If the answer to all three is yes, then read on! If it’s no to number 2, there will be an iPhone related announcement soon. If it’s no to all three, no problem, here’s the latest episode of Tea and Jeopardy if you missed it. I’ll keep you posted on if the app is rolled out to other territories.

If you answered yes to all three…

Boosh is a new app is being launched and the basic idea is that it lets you read a book on your phone and then share it with a friend. Angry Robot put it like this:

“Boosh – it stands for Book share, and it’s a way to spread the love of an ebook you’ve enjoyed by sharing it with your friends through social media networks. The books are shared on mobile phones. And the best bit? The first X number of people to download the app and the books get the books for free!

The pilot of this service will run in the UK and Ireland only, at first. You can download the Android app right now, but the iOS app has been delayed slightly due to the recent launch of iOS7 – expect this within 2-3 weeks or so…

Angry Robot will be the first SF/F publisher involved in the programme, and a whole host of our authors have signed up for it, already. “

I am one of those authors. And that means that there are…

1000 e-copies of Between Two Thorns to give away!

Yup. The first 1000 people to like the Split Worlds Facebook page and download the Boosh app will get a FREE copy of Between Two Thorns to read on their phone and then share with a friend so they can read it for free too!

And if you’ve already read it, and loved it, it would be utterly gorgeous of you to try out the app and share Between Two Thorns with a friend who might love it too.

In a nutshell:

If you live in the UK or Ireland, have an Android phone and use Facebook, go to the Split Worlds Facebook page and hit the LIKE button, grab the Boosh app from the Google Play store, and then read the first novel of the Split Worlds series anywhere you like. For FREE!

P.S. If you have technical questions about the app, try the Boosh FAQ or contact them directly – they will be able to help you far better than I can!

P.P.S. If you have any other android apps to recommend put them below so I can have a gander at them!

Tea and Jeopardy 13 – A Chat with Adrian Tchaikovsky

The thirteenth episode of Tea and Jeopardy is now live and you can find it here.

In this episode, the quietly brilliant author Adrian Tchaikovsky is invited into the secret lair for cake and tea. We discuss sword fighting, the transferable skills from a law career into writing (or lack thereof) and we discuss possible gaming system benefits that Adrian’s beard could offer.

If you’ve listened and got an answer for the question I asked at the end, be a bless-poppet and leave your answer in the comments below.

Credits for sound effects can be found here.

All Is Fair and other creative animals

All Is Fair – Split Worlds #3

It’s here at last! The third Split Worlds novel, All Is Fair is now officially available within the boundaries of Blighty for your reading pleasure.

You can find a list of places to buy it here and I wrote a post last week detailing where I’ll be over October so you can get a copy signed, should you wish.

Quite a few of my fellow Brits have already got hold of copies thanks to pre-orders being delivered early or the joy of immediate e-book gratification and so I’ve had a flurry of gorgeous messages about it over the past week. Apparently it’s made people shout, gasp out loud on buses, cry on trains and declare their undying love for the Fae. Okay, that last one was just a big fib, but the others are true.

I want to say thank you. Getting feedback from people really into the world you’ve created is just the best feeling. Honestly, it’s better than realising you have a great big cake that you’d forgotten about thirty seconds after you’ve developed an intense craving for one.

People have been asking if it’s the last Split Worlds novel. I and Angry Robot hope that there will be more in the series, but it all rather depends on how much readers want one. As long as enough people continue to enjoy them, I’ll continue to write them and AR will continue to publish them. So, here I am, officially clutching my hat to my chest and saying “If you’ve loved the Split Worlds series, please tell people. Please drop a little review on Amazon, Goodreads or whatever places you frequent. Even just a line or two helps. Tweet about it, thrust it with joyous abandon onto Facebook or Tumblr or whisper it conspiratorially to the next person you see.”

Whilst we’re talking about things we’ve loved…

First is an utterly brilliant novel called A Is For Angelica that I read earlier this year (I think. I have lost the ability to remember when stuff happened as ALL of it seems to be happening this year) which is currently on special offer on Amazon. It’s only 99p which is an absurd price for one of the most compelling and moving books I’ve read in a long time. What’s even more splendid is that the author, Iain Broome, is just one of the loveliest people. Fact.

An extraordinarily talented friend of mine, Dom Camus, is gearing up to release a computer game called King Machine and the first trailer has just gone live. If that voice sounds familiar, it’s because it’s mine. My favourite thing about it is the noise that the little robot’s feet make when he runs around. *dies of the cute*. Sorry Dom, I should be saying things like it being a game about building machines and how it’s guaranteed to be dead clever and stuff, but honestly, that robot is desperately cute.

If you want to lose an hour and end up weeping with laughter, then check out http://terriblerealestateagentphotos.com/ It’s brilliant.

So there you go. All Is Fair is out! People are doing wonderful, creative and funny things! Now I’m off to have a nice cup of tea and a little fret about moving house. Hold me.

P.S. I was interviewed by the very splendid Brent Bowen at Worldcon for Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing and it is now live.

Tea and Jeopardy 12 – A Chat with Mary Robinette Kowal

The twelfth episode of Tea and Jeopardy is now live and you can find it here.

In this episode, the amazingly talented author Mary Robinette Kowal is invited into the secret lair for cake and tea. We discuss the appeal of vintage typewriters, the parallels between writing novels and puppetry and the dangers of giant puppet stunts.

I mentioned Bristolcon in this episode, which Mary and I will be attending on October 26th 2013. If you’d like to find out more, here’s the Bristolcon website.

If you’ve listened and got an answer for the question I asked at the end, be a bless-poppet and leave your answer in the comments below.

Credits for sound effects can be found here.

Once upon a time…

All Is Fair – Split Worlds #3

… there was an author who was so stressed out by moving house that she got the U.S. release date wrong for the third novel in her urban fantasy series.

No prizes for guessing who that author is. What can I say? I’ve been horribly distracted by house sale and purchase shenanigans which, as fellow UK house-owners and buyers will attest to, is a hugely stressful, drawn-out and rather agonising process. But really, I should have got this right. All Is Fair is out today in the US and Canada, and in its audio and e-book forms too.

Anyway, I’ve made a shiny new page for my shiny new book and on there you can find all the places you can buy it from. The paperback is released in the UK on October 3rd (and I double checked that!) but you can buy the e-book right now from the Robot Trading Company as a DRM-free e-pub.

The audio book version is out today too, and all the places you can buy that are listed here too. I expect it will be on Audible very soon.

Would you like me to deface a copy for you?

When the paperback is released in the UK I would be delighted to scrawl something on it for you, should you wish. I’m planning to sign some copies for Topping Books in Bath, because they are lovely, and I’ll let you know when those are in stock. I’m also appearing at a few events over October, so if you’d like me to sign any of the Split Worlds novels (all three would be rather lovely!) here’s where you can find me:

October 10th 6pm-7:15pm – Birmingham Literature Festival, New Voices event.

I’ll be participating in a panel, doing a short reading and will be available afterwards for signing.

October 19th – Bristol Festival of Literature, The Kraken Rises 

I’m participating in a rather interesting event as part of the Bristol Festival of Literature. I’ll be blogging about this properly soon but suffice to say that if you’re taking part and you just happen to have one of the Split Worlds novels on you, I may just happen to have my signing pen with me

October 26th – Bristolcon A one-day SFF con

I am really looking forward to this. It’s a one-day convention and the closest one to where I live, so officially “my local” and this will be my third year of attendance – blimey! Small, perfectly formed and friendly, come if you can! I’ll be interviewing guest of honour Philip Reeve there, by the way, which I’m very excited about.

October 31st 6-7pm – Angry Robot Halloween Takeover at Forbidden Planet, London

A chance for you to get books signed by not just me, but a whole swathe of Angry Robot authors!

October 31st – November 3rd: World Fantasy Con in Brighton.

I’ll be there for the whole event (apart from the Friday evening when I’ll be in London!), more details on the panel I’m doing (and something else I have planned) to follow.

World Fantasy Con is officially my last event of the year. Seeing as I’ll probably be moving house somewhere between Bristolcon and WFC, that’s something I’m quite relieved about!

Right. Now I’d better go and tidy up the Split Worlds site and let a few other people know the book is out. But first: tea. Obviously.

One week to go!

As if to prove my suspicion that some scurrilous thief has been stealing weeks from my life, the third Split Worlds novel ‘All Is Fair’ will be released in the US and Canada one week today (September 27th 2013)! That’s the trade paperback, by the way. The e-version will be released world-wide on that day too, with those in the UK able to get their gentle hands on the paperback on October 3rd. You can buy it in all the places people usually buy books.

All Is Fair – Split Worlds #3

So, here’s what the gorgeous beast looks like, artwork by Sarah J. Coleman again and isn’t it beautiful?

I would put a blurb here but you probably know by now that I am a spoiler-phobe and as this series is one that MOST DEFINITELY MUST BE READ IN ORDER I can’t say a word without spoiling it for the good souls who are still reading the first two books. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue, but with all three coming out back-to-back, I’m erring on the side of caution.

So, I’m going to put it at the end of the post

Some things that are coming up

I’m currently writing a series of posts to scatter across the web like happy-book-launch confetti which will form a tourist’s guide to the Split Worlds. I’ll make sure you can find them and hope you will find it enjoyable and useful, should you wish to visit any of the locations in the book. A very special prize for another post is currently in the works too.

I also had a meeting yesterday about a SEKRIT PROJECT set in the Split Worlds which I am extraordinarily excited about. And yes, I am teasing you mercilessly, but if you want to be the first to know about it, the best thing to do is pop over here and sign up for a newsletter specifically for Split Worlds news. (It’s the box just under the picture where you put your name and email address.)

Wonderful things other people are doing

That’s quite enough of me blowing my own trumpet. Let me restore the balance by telling you about two things that have made me super happy this week that you might like too.

Sunless Sea

First is the Sunless Sea Kickstarter campaign being run by the clever people behind Fallen London. It’s for a game called Sunless Sea and they are undoubtedly going to reach their goal. At the time of writing this they have 13 days left to go and less than £600 left to fund. I’m telling you about it because it looks fantastic and if you back it you get stuff months before anyone else.

Strong Female Protagonist

The other thing I wanted to share with you is a webcomic that is full of win. It’s called Strong Female Protagonist and you can find it here: http://strongfemaleprotagonist.com

Now for the spoiler-iffic blurb – if you haven’t read the other books, look away now!

All Is Fair

In love and war nothing is safe.

William Iris struggles to keep the throne of Londinium whilst hated by his own court and beset by outsiders, while Cathy discovers the legacy of her former governess. But those who dare to speak out about Society are always silenced. Sometimes for good.

While trying to avoid further torments from the mercurial fae, Sam finds himself getting tangled in the affairs of the Elemental Court. But an unexpected offer from the powerful and enigmatic Lord Iron turns out to be far more than Sam bargained for.

Max and the gargoyle are getting closer to uncovering who is behind the murder of the Bath Chapter and the corruption in London and Max finds the gargoyle’s controversial ideas harder to ignore. Can he stay true to his sworn duty without being destroyed by his own master, whose insanity threatens to unravel them all?

Tea and Jeopardy 11 – A Chat with Joe Abercrombie

The eleventh episode of Tea and Jeopardy is now live and you can find it here.

In this episode, the rather charming author Joe Abercrombie is invited into the secret lair for cake and tea. We discuss why he reads outside of his genre, fairytales and raising children. No animals or authors were harmed in the making of this podcast. You all know that is just a silly (and hopefully) fun podcast, but I do feel that I should warn very sensitive horse-lovers that the sound effects at the end were mixed from sounds of very happy horses, with other stuff added in.

If you’ve listened and got an answer for the question I asked at the end, be a bless-poppet and leave your answer in the comments below.

I’ll pick my favourite and that will be announced in the next episode. The blooper reel will go up next week.

Credits for sound effects can be found here.