Cesar Torres's Blog, page 6
October 24, 2013
Labyrinth 57 – The 13 Secret Cities #13SC
In which we reveal my new serial novel The 13 Secret Cities. Tune in to learn its secrets.
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The 13 Secret Cities and #13SC
The 13 Secret Cities
This is my biggest update I have ever contributed to the show. And for that matter, it’s the biggest update I have made to my blog, which you can find at cesartorres.net.
First, an apology for the erratic October schedule for The Labyrinth podcast. I have a brand new episode featuring Kelly Starret coming right up for you today. It will post right after this episode. So you get a double.
But first, let’s talk right now about writing, and books. If you have been listening to this podcast, you know I have been working hard, so hard, all year. The 13 Secret Cities is my most ambitious project to date, and today I’m excited to share details about it with you.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some teasers about the book, but I won’t be doing it alone. We are going to move to an open platform of collaboration on this. And this is how it will work.
Today, I am excited to announce for you a web address that is secret for now, but it won’t be later. If you go to 13secretcities dot com, you will find a brand new site that asks the question: What are the secret places in your city? I am calling out to all of you to help me fill this web site with YOUR images of the secret places you find in public parks, buildings, streets, and all parts of your city. There are no rules here, and no city is too small. All you have to do is submit your photo, poetry, video, whatever, and tag it with the #13SC hashtag.
Now, what the hell does this have to do with a fantasy novel? Let me explain.
The 13 Secret Cities will be released as a serialized book. That means that once a month, I will roll out a new installment of the story. There are 13 chapters in total. The books will be sold via Amazon’s Kindle store and through my web site. Don’t worry, each chapter will be priced competitively at 99 cents. When the full sequence is complete, I will release the print version of the book, which will feature a new cover, additional bonuses, and even a map of the world found within the book. I will post key excerpts from the book to 13secretcities.com, which will function as a single place where all of you conthribute to the book. I need your eyes, and your ears, and your words.
And now a few words about self-publishing. This project would not be possible without the amazing work of a team of people that make a book what it is. Chris Fletcher from M Brane SF will be my editor, while Richard Shealy will copy edit #13SC. The design of the series will be completed by Nick Agin, whose impeccable work can be found at Dribbly. There will be a few others added to this list as I prep some of the serialized chapters to roll out onto the Labyrinth podcast. You heard right. There will be bonus episodes on the podcast so you can listen to the story in your headphones.
And so please join me. You have been with me since the beginning, and you guys make this show, my work, and my writing possible. I want to leave you with some opening lines from the book, so that you can get a sense of what’s to come. Remember to use the hashtag #13SC, whether you are posting to the site 13secretcities.com, or you are mentioning it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Here is a short description of the book.
Cesar Torres
Available in Spring 2014
Clara Montes loves her city, the city of Chicago. She loves it so much that she needs to rescue it. Poverty is destroying the metropolis. Food riots burn through the South Side, while weekly immigration raids are disintegrating families. The liberties of the people are slowly being reduced to nothing, and Clara believes that it takes radical political action to help solve these problems.
Clara grew up in the City’s South Side. Now, at 18 years of age, she has come to understand what it is that makes her different. Clara has known that she carries the genes of a special lineage. She is both Mexican and American at the same time, but there’s something else in her blood. She and her family come from a long line of beings called the Lamat. The Lamat possess no magical powers, but their genes do let them learn magic at an early age. The Lamat have lived on Earth for centuries in secrecy, helping humans to tap into their own magical potential. The Lamat are also able to communicate with other worlds that connect to earth through the multiple dimensions of space and time. But their rituals remain invisible to the general populace.
The initiations into adulthood for the Lamat happen at the ages of 13, 26, and 39. These three rituals provide rites of passage to each Lamat child or adult. Clara has yet to reach the initiation into adulthood (which happens at 26), but her parents have warned her that it’s difficult yet rewarding.
During a rally on Chicago’s lakefront, Clara will commit an radical act that will change her life forever. Fueled by her passions for a more just society, she will commit and act of unspeakable violence against the very figure who is oppressing the city’s inhabitants. This act of violence will result in death. Clara will have to face not just the repercussions in the American legal system, but she will also have to face the punishment and rites of initiation of the Lamat people, sending her through a journey through the 13 Secret Cities of the universe.
October 1, 2013
Labyrinth 56 – Crux with Ramez Naam
Ramez Naam revisits The Labyrinth to talk about “Crux,” the sequel to his novel “Nexus,” which we discussed here in a previous episode. Ramez is being called “the next Michael Chrichton.” Join us in this episode to find out why.
Links
Ramez talks about “Nexus” in Labyrinth episode 25
Buy Crux on Amazon
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September 16, 2013
Labyrinth 55 – Glen Cordoza
Glen Cordoza has authored several sports and fitness books, including Mastering the Twister: Jiu Jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition, and most recently, Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance. Glen talked to us about his career in mixed martial arts, and how he got his first big break to become an author. Glen is best known for co-authoring with top athletes, and he shed light on his writing process and techniques. Glen is a risk-taker, and as you’ll see in this episode of The Labyrinth, it has paid off immensely for him.
Links
Glen Cordoza Books on Amazon
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August 31, 2013
Labyrinth 54 – How to produce your own audiobook
Vanessa Runs the author of the successful book about running and life lessons “The Summer Seeker” returns to the Labyrinth to talk about how her self-published book became an audio book, thanks to the help of Caity McCardell, who also joins us in the virtual studio. If you have been wondering how self publishing translates into audio book self publishing, this is your episode.
Links
The Summit Seeker audiobook
Vanessa Runs
Run Barefoot Girl podcast
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August 16, 2013
Labyrinth 53 – Beau Stanton
Beau Stanton is a New York-based painter and muralist. In this intrepid episode of The Labyrinth, I traveled to Red Hook, Brooklyn to talk to Beau in his studio. Get ready for an episode about the art world in New York, the importance of mentors in the creative process, and the power of images. Beau’s last show was Arcane Archetypes at Last Rites Gallery in New York.
Links
Beau Stanton’s Web site
Last Rites Gallery
Ron English
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August 1, 2013
Labyrinth 52 – How authors can become self-publishing samurais
What does an author today need to know if he or she wants to self publish?
Join me today as author and self-publisher Johnny B. Truant joins me in the studio to talk about what steps he took as an artist, but also as an entrepreneur, to self-publish successfully. In this show we pull back the curtain to reveal many of the steps required, so be ready to jot down some notes. You too can self publish, and depending on where you are as a writer, you can dive right in. In this show we also reveal some of the startup-culture ideas I am applying to my own e-book seriesThe 13 Secret Cities. Come learn how self publishing is done, and how you can make it part of a sustainable business model for yourself as a writer. Time to learn the ways of the self-publishing samurai.
There’s no need to fear self publishing, and in fact, embracing it may evolve your own artistic output and maybe even bring you some dollars. Either way, I think it’s worth experimenting. It never pays to live in fear.
Links
Johnny B. Truant
Self Publishing Podcast
Smashwords
Scrivener
CreateSpace
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July 16, 2013
Labyrinth 51 – Mary Robinette Kowal
Hugo-award winning author, Mary Robinette Kowal is a novelist and professional puppeteer. Her debut novel Shades of Milk and Honey (Tor 2010) was nominated for the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Kowal is also an award-winning puppeteer. Her latest book in the Glamourist Histories series isWithout a Summer. With over twenty years of experience, she has performed for LazyTown (CBS), the Center for Puppetry Arts, Jim Henson Pictures and founded Other Hand Productions.
Also, don’t forget you still have a few days to grab your FREE copy of my book The 12 Burning Wheels. In this episode, I read the story “Honey” from the book.
Links
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July 3, 2013
Labyrinth 50 – “I have just f**ked and killed a Worm Queen.”
Today you get a bonus episode! This episode is to remind you of a couple of things
I am giving away FREE copies of my book The 12 Burning Wheels from now until July 20. Get it!
Caity McCardell did an amazing reading of two stories from 12BW over at her podcast Run Barefoot Girl. Go listen. that’s where you’ll get to know why today’s show is titled “I have just f**ked and killed a Worm Queen.”
One of my listeners sent me the strangest thing that ever happened to him at Labyrinthcast at gmail dot com. He got his free copy of the book, and in this episode you can hear me share it with you.
Don’t forget that your reviews help me a lot. If you have time, please leave me a review of 12BW at Amazon, or a review of The Labyrinth on iTunes. Thank you!
July 1, 2013
Experience ancient forensic science in Antonio Garrido’s The Corpse Reader
My piece on Antonio Garrido’s book The Corpse Reader is up at Ars Technica
Experience ancient forensic science in Antonio Garrido’s The Corpse Reader
Crime novels complement summer the same way that horror novels complement autumn and Halloween. They just go well together. But there are pitfalls in the crime genre. It returns to the same settings all too often; its characters tend to adhere to clichés. As we head out to the back porch, the beach, or the mountains for summer vacation, how many times do we have to revisit the traditional noir detective setting in a metropolis like LA or Chicago? How many hard-nosed detectives do we really need? Maybe it’s time for something new.
This summer, I got my claws hooked into Antonio Garrido’s police procedural The Corpse Reader. For Arsians who prefer a more historical look at the science of forensics, this novel offers that glimpse into history while keeping our thirst for mystery and suspense satisfied. MORE
