Liz Williams's Blog, page 26

REPOST - SPRING SALE!

Many thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Spring Sale. We are not out of the woods yet, so if there is anything in which you are interested, your continued support would be very welcome. But because I'm also conscious of what's been going on elsewhere in the world and want to pay something, at least, forward, I will be making a donation from the sale fund to a local Help Japan appeal, too.

I've sold out of some items, but do let me know if you're interested in anything service-based and I'll see what I can do. Quite a lot of orders have gone out already and I am working my way through the rest - not sure how long postage takes to N America, as it seems to vary, but keep an eye out!


5 x signed copies of my forthcoming short story collection, A GLASS OF SHADOW, out this summer with Newcon Press (there will be a wait for this one, but I will reserve 5 copies).

£15/$25

Darkland, Bloodmind and Winterstrike are also available - email me for details.

1 year of Tarot readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 year of Green Man readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 x illustration (by me) of Detective Inspector Chen

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the Badger Teakettle

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Zhu Irzh

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Inari

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the flying city in IRON KHAN

£20/$32

(Limited edition of 20 illustrations of each character, which will be mailed to you)

3 x Tuckerizations in my next novel, WORLDSOUL, published by Prime Books

£21/$35

5 x personalised short stories – these will be individual, i.e a short story with you as the main character, in a setting of your choice. They will be unique, and therefore yours alone (if you want to appear in Singapore 3 now is your chance!). I will liaise with you at the end of the auction to discuss what you'd like (these would make a good gift, as well, if you supply me with the details of a friend who might like to see him/herself in one of my stories!)

This has proved very popular, mainly for people who want to order short stories as gifts, featuring relatives or friends, and I am thinking of running it as a permanent service. So let me know if you are interested and we'll take it from there.

£25/$40

20 x limited edition of a new Chen short story, with added badger, plus illustrations (this will be a print copy, not an e-edition), and a demon-repelling spell on parchment (OK, if you want a demon summoning spell, I can do one of those instead, but cannot guarantee which demon you'll get….)

£18/$30

3 x editorial critique of your first 3 chapters and a synopsis, plus advice on covering letters etc (this is less than my usual rates as a one-off).

£43/$70

5 x critique on a piece of short fiction which you have written.

£20/$32

15 x magical talisman bags, made by me, containing hand-blended incense, hand blended oil, hand made candle, and protection spell, plus a rowan berry charm.

£8/$13

For items that can't be delivered over the net (books rather than Tarot reading, for instance), for the US, postage will be about $4-$6 per item. For the UK, postage will be about £2.50 - £3 unless it's a very large package, e.g. several books, in which case I'll contact you first.
There are too many items here to do a Paypal button, but if you email me - mevennen@hotmail.com - we can take it from there.

Life is not a safe space

I took a look at this thread via suricattus but I gather it has now gone viral, and deservedly so:

http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html

From the nature of my own f-list - and probably most of your f-lists, too - I don't think anything much needs to be said except: wow.

But for anyone who is new to the business of writing, and who comes across the kind of response that Howett makes, just to reiterate: this is unprofessional in the extreme.

I have had some appalling reviews for my books. Someone on Amazon, about a decade ago, said that Ghost Sister was so slowly written that it made watching paint dry seem like a dynamic experience. Since then, I have had an enormous amount of positive feedback, and not a little negative feedback, as well: in email, on review sites, and in person in crit groups. You don't need a thick skin to be a professional writer. You do need, however, to be objective. There are billions of people on this planet and some of them - gasp! - are not going to like what you write. Some of them will (double gasp!) even hate it. This is entirely to be expected. Some of them will, by the law of averages, despise you as a person, because you're a liberal/pinko/fascist/gay/pagan/Christian/heretosexual/man/woman whatever. The latter is regrettable, but also to be expected. Life is not a safe space. People won't, in the main, be endlessly nurturing of your sensibilities. If you want to write professionally, you have got to learn to deal with criticism, otherwise you really should get out of the literary kitchen right now and stick to something that is safe, controllable, comforting and nice (I can't think what, off the top of my head, but possibly non-professional rose growing or something).

You don't have to become all macho and behave like Ernest Hemingway or, God forbid, Norman Mailer, but you do really need to shape up and take a step back. Criticism of your work is not criticism of you. Criticism of your ability to write - which in the above case, is clearly lamentable* - is not criticism of you. And even if it is, so what?

Positive feedback needs to be taken the same way. If it's mainlining straight into your ego, it's going to be a problem.

Basically, if you're a special snowflake and you want to be a pro writer, you're in the wrong trade.

*it's and its. They're not interchangeable.

Weekend

We have been in Cambridge, at the now two-yearly college alumni dinner. Good to see Magdalene again - I am now reminded that it has been a part of my life now for exactly half my life - and great to see La Marquise and her incomporable cats. Ish refrained from weeing on Trevor to express his affection, for which we are all grateful. We spent Sunday strolling around the Backs, which are glorious at this time of year - full of daffodils, narcissi and hyacinths, with the ducks nesting between them. And then caught up with the Cambridge Blue and the Kingston - the Blue, in particular, was my local for a time over 20 years ago.

Pity about the Boat Race, but we've become resigned to that.

We came back via Buckinghamshire and then Avebury, where we stopped to see a huge, hazy crimson sun going down behind the stones. Returned to find that the dog sitters have done an admirable job and the dogs have created no havoc whatsoever. At least, none that I have found.

This morning, Glastonbury is basking in the spring sunshine and adjusting to the clocks going forward. Customers are strolling about, the people at the market cross are arguing, but gently, and a gentleman whom I shall call A is having a long and involved conversation outside the local cafe with Andy McNab about a SAS operation. It might, somewhat worringly, be better if Andy McNab was actually there, but A obviously feels that he is: if you shut your eyes, it is a very convincing dialogue.

Spring out there

Last week was busy, and this week will be, too. We have a house guest at the moment, so she and I headed out onto the Levels this morning and took separate walks (purely because she wanted to go to a particular place, and you're not allowed to walk dogs there because of otters). So I took them down a very silent track past an old farmhouse and into the woods, which is all part of the reserve. There are celandines in the hedgerows, and out in the orchard, and the hawthorn is starting to come out into leaf. It's been rather a chilly official equinox, but spring has now sprung.

We saw the 'supermoon' on Saturday night - enormous, and hanging over the Tor.

Short story subscriptions

This is just a thank-you to everyone who signed up for the short story subscriptions last summer. We've had a few emails go astray, so please do let me know if you haven't received your short story. The list is now as follows:

Chen: Hellbaby, The Foxmother, Reliquary

Cygne: Leucrotta, Gravehunger Moss, Pondlife

Garnet Park: A Prince of the Air, Garnet Park, Cold War.

We've got one quarter (3 more stories) to go. There wasn't a time limit on this, although the numbers were limited. There are a few subs for Chen left, and rather more than that for the other two story sets.

Because this direct model has been a success, I am intending to run it again this summer, and I will probably also be doing a novel on subscription, too (i.e. an instalment a month, rather in the manner of a Victorian periodical). I'll let everyone know in good time, so that they can sign up if they want to. DIARY OF A WITCHCRAFT SHOP II is on its way, and we are also still doing the Herotica project with Lynn Bastian - (if you are waiting for this, as I am aware that some of you are, it's on its way, but has been severely delayed due to the collapse of Lynn's website and computing system. This is all now fixed, but has set her back by a couple of months).

These days, making a living out of writing is a difficult business - in fact, it's never been easy except for a relatively small number of people. We're also, I think, in a transitional time with regard to e-publishing. There are huge questions around different technologies, distribution, and so forth. It's a challenge for all of us to do what we can in terms of direct marketing, different kinds of media, using our various talents in different ways. Although these varying approaches arose, for myself, out of necessity, they have been a very interesting challenge (and could not, of course, have succeeded without the loyalty of my readers - which is very greatly appreciated).

REPOST - SPRING SALE!

Many thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Spring Sale. We've now paid Sid's vet bill, and are on the way to knocking some of the other bills on the head. We are not out of the woods yet, so if there is anything in which you are interested, your continued support would be very welcome. But because I'm also conscious of what's been going on elsewhere in the world and want to pay something, at least, forward, I will be making a donation from the sale fund to a local Help Japan appeal, too.

I have stories, prints etc ready to go out this week. I've sold out of some items, but do let me know if you're interested in anything service-based and I'll see what I can do.



£12/$20

3 x hardback of DEMON AND THE CITY (signed and illustrated)

£12/$20

5 x signed copies of my forthcoming short story collection, A GLASS OF SHADOW, out this summer with Newcon Press (there will be a wait for this one, but I will reserve 5 copies).

£15/$25

1 year of Tarot readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 year of Green Man readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 x illustration (by me) of Detective Inspector Chen

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the Badger Teakettle

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Zhu Irzh

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Inari

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the flying city in IRON KHAN

£20/$32

(Limited edition of 20 illustrations of each character, which will be mailed to you)

3 x Tuckerizations in my next novel, WORLDSOUL, published by Prime Books

£21/$35

5 x personalised short stories – these will be individual, i.e a short story with you as the main character, in a setting of your choice. They will be unique, and therefore yours alone (if you want to appear in Singapore 3 now is your chance!). I will liaise with you at the end of the auction to discuss what you'd like (these would make a good gift, as well, if you supply me with the details of a friend who might like to see him/herself in one of my stories!)

This has proved very popular, mainly for people who want to order short stories as gifts, featuring relatives or friends, and I am thinking of running it as a permanent service. So let me know if you are interested and we'll take it from there.

£25/$40

20 x limited edition of a new Chen short story, with added badger, plus illustrations (this will be a print copy, not an e-edition), and a demon-repelling spell on parchment (OK, if you want a demon summoning spell, I can do one of those instead, but cannot guarantee which demon you'll get….)

£18/$30

3 x editorial critique of your first 3 chapters and a synopsis, plus advice on covering letters etc (this is less than my usual rates as a one-off).

£43/$70

5 x critique on a piece of short fiction which you have written.

£20/$32

15 x magical talisman bags, made by me, containing hand-blended incense, hand blended oil, hand made candle, and protection spell, plus a rowan berry charm.

£8/$13

For items that can't be delivered over the net (books rather than Tarot reading, for instance), for the US, postage will be about $4-$6 per item. For the UK, postage will be about £2.50 - £3 unless it's a very large package, e.g. several books, in which case I'll contact you first.
There are too many items here to do a Paypal button, but if you email me - mevennen@hotmail.com - we can take it from there.

Weekend

A busy one, so far. We've been hosting the second annual Occult Conference, which took place last year in January. About 60 people came, which just about fitted the centre, but only just. Some great small presses (Hadean and Scarlet Imprint) and artwork, as well. And the local pub does takeaway pints in a thing like a noodle carton.

In the evening, T and I were invited to the Faery Ball, which is a regular event here. Lots of people dressed up, quite spectacularly. On hearing that I was going to attend this, my own mother, on the phone, remarked - "What are you - the Evil Fairy?"

All this frivolity is somewhat put into perspective by events in Japan. A friend posted on FB this morning that she and her family are moving into Osaka - they're 100km from the nuclear plant, but do not feel safe.

We have apparently had a tsunami here, about 400 years ago in 1607. It surged up the Severn Estuary, devastating Somerset, Gloucestershire and Monmouth, and was caused by a quake off the Irish coast. It killed around 2000 people. Seeing the photos of the Japanese tsunami has been sobering, imagining that wall of water racing over the low-lying farmlands here. We're about 7 miles from the nearest nuclear reactor, as well.

REPOST - SPRING SALE!

Many thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Spring Sale! I have prints etc ready to go out in the next 10 days or so. I've sold out of some items, but do let me know if you're interested in anything service-based and I'll see what I can do. I am very grateful for all your support - we have a way to go yet, but it is already making a huge difference. Thank you.

This is what's happening at the moment. We've survived one of the worst economic winters this country has known. Witchcraft Ltd is determined to keep going - we have vision, faith and commitment, and a lot of ideas as to where we are going to take the company. Similarly, I have new writing contracts, with Prime and Morrigan, and some strong ideas as to what I'm going to be doing in the future. Trevor's health is holding up - he is nearly at the 5 year stage of remission, and already getting the documentation from the hospital as part of the 5 year follow-up.


I am thus having a sale - of books, services and some magical things, too. If I can raise £3K by the end of this month, we will be in reasonably good shape for the future. Thus, I am appealing to everyone, especially Chen fans, to see if there is anything in the list below that they might like - either as gifts for other people, or as collector's items. And if you could boost the signal on this, I'd be very grateful.



10 x copies of BANQUET OF THE LORDS OF NIGHT (signed and illustrated)

£10/$16

10 x copies of paperback BANNER OF SOULS (signed and illustrated)

£5/$8 - A FEW LEFT

1 x trade paperback of SNAKE AGENT (signed and illustrated)

£12/$20

3 x hardback of DEMON AND THE CITY (signed and illustrated)

£12/$20

5 x EMPIRE OF BONES ARCs (signed)

£9/$15 - A FEW LEFT

5 x signed copies of my forthcoming short story collection, A GLASS OF SHADOW, out this summer with Newcon Press (there will be a wait for this one, but I will reserve 5 copies).

£15/$25

1 year of Tarot readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 year of Green Man readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 x illustration (by me) of Detective Inspector Chen

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the Badger Teakettle

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Zhu Irzh

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Inari

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the flying city in IRON KHAN

£20/$32

(Limited edition of 20 illustrations of each character, which will be mailed to you)

3 x Tuckerisations in the final Chen novel, MORNINGSTAR. You'll also get a sneak peek at the story, which so far, no one but me has seen, and I'll send you an e-edition of the novel when it comes out. SOLD OUT! But let me know if you really would like this, and I will see what we can do with a short story.

£21/$35

3 x Tuckerizations in my next novel, WORLDSOUL, published by Prime Books

£21/$35

5 x personalised short stories – these will be individual, i.e a short story with you as the main character, in a setting of your choice. They will be unique, and therefore yours alone (if you want to appear in Singapore 3 now is your chance!). I will liaise with you at the end of the auction to discuss what you'd like (these would make a good gift, as well, if you supply me with the details of a friend who might like to see him/herself in one of my stories!)

£25/$40

20 x limited edition of a new Chen short story, with added badger, plus illustrations (this will be a print copy, not an e-edition), and a demon-repelling spell on parchment (OK, if you want a demon summoning spell, I can do one of those instead, but cannot guarantee which demon you'll get….)

£18/$30

3 x editorial critique of your first 3 chapters and a synopsis, plus advice on covering letters etc (this is less than my usual rates as a one-off).

£43/$70

5 x critique on a piece of short fiction which you have written.

£20/$32

15 x magical talisman bags, made by me, containing hand-blended incense, hand blended oil, hand made candle, and protection spell, plus a rowan berry charm.

£8/$13

For items that can't be delivered over the net (books rather than Tarot reading, for instance), for the US, postage will be about $4-$6 per item. For the UK, postage will be about £2.50 - £3 unless it's a very large package, e.g. several books, in which case I'll contact you first.
There are too many items here to do a Paypal button, but if you email me - mevennen@hotmail.com - we can take it from there.

SPRING SALE!

This is what's happening at the moment. We've survived one of the worst economic winters this country has known. Witchcraft Ltd is determined to keep going - we have vision, faith and commitment, and a lot of ideas as to where we are going to take the company. Similarly, I have new writing contracts, with Prime and Morrigan, and some strong ideas as to what I'm going to be doing in the future. Trevor's health is holding up - he is nearly at the 5 year stage of remission, and already getting the documentation from the hospital as part of the 5 year follow-up.

You - all of you - have helped us reach where we are now. We could not have done it without you - without your support, both in emotional terms, and in terms, too, of the short story subscription. I am incredibly grateful. Trevor and I are strong people, and we are lucky to be in reasonable health, in a country which does have a safety net. But (there is a 'but') we have come through the winter with some big bills, which we need to settle. Sid is one of them (emergency call-out), as the NHS regrettably does not cover cats. (He's fine, but he isn't cheap, and I need to keep him in catfood). The electricity is another (we hav a big bill as a result of the coldest winter for years). As we come out of the recession, we are a bit battered and bruised, but we have survived and I am determined that we will continue to do so. I'm taking all the paid work I can, and I'll work all the hours God sends, if necessary.

I am thus having a sale - of books, services and some magical things, too. If I can raise £3K by the end of this month, we will be in reasonably good shape for the future. Thus, I am appealing to everyone, especially Chen fans, to see if there is anything in the list below that they might like - either as gifts for other people, or as collector's items. And if you could boost the signal on this, I'd be very grateful.


10 x copies of BANQUET OF THE LORDS OF NIGHT (signed and illustrated)

£10/$16

10 x copies of paperback BANNER OF SOULS (signed and illustrated)

£5/$8

1 x trade paperback of SNAKE AGENT (signed and illustrated)

£12/$20

3 x hardback of DEMON AND THE CITY (signed and illustrated)

£12/$20

5 x EMPIRE OF BONES ARCs (signed)

£9/$15

5 x signed copies of my forthcoming short story collection, A GLASS OF SHADOW, out this summer with Newcon Press (there will be a wait for this one, but I will reserve 5 copies).

£15/$25

1 year of Tarot readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 year of Green Man readings (one per quarter)

£30/$50

1 x illustration (by me) of Detective Inspector Chen

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the Badger Teakettle

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Zhu Irzh

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of Inari

£20/$32

1 x illustration (by me) of the flying city in IRON KHAN

£20/$32

(Limited edition of 20 illustrations of each character, which will be mailed to you)

3 x Tuckerisations in the final Chen novel, MORNINGSTAR. You'll also get a sneak peek at the story, which so far, no one but me has seen, and I'll send you an e-edition of the novel when it comes out.

£21/$35

3 x Tuckerizations in my next novel, WORLDSOUL, published by Prime Books

£21/$35

5 x personalised short stories – these will be individual, i.e a short story with you as the main character, in a setting of your choice. They will be unique, and therefore yours alone (if you want to appear in Singapore 3 now is your chance!). I will liaise with you at the end of the auction to discuss what you'd like (these would make a good gift, as well, if you supply me with the details of a friend who might like to see him/herself in one of my stories!)

£25/$40

20 x limited edition of a new Chen short story, with added badger, plus illustrations (this will be a print copy, not an e-edition), and a demon-repelling spell on parchment (OK, if you want a demon summoning spell, I can do one of those instead, but cannot guarantee which demon you'll get….)

£18/$30

3 x editorial critique of your first 3 chapters and a synopsis, plus advice on covering letters etc (this is less than my usual rates as a one-off).

£43/$70

5 x critique on a piece of short fiction which you have written.

£20/$32

15 x magical talisman bags, made by me, containing hand-blended incense, hand blended oil, hand made candle, and protection spell, plus a rowan berry charm.

£8/$13

For items that can't be delivered over the net (books rather than Tarot reading, for instance), for the US, postage will be about $4-$6 per item. For the UK, postage will be about £2.50 - £3 unless it's a very large package, e.g. several books, in which case I'll contact you first.
There are too many items here to do a Paypal button, but if you email me - mevennen@hotmail.com - we can take it from there.

Short story subs - repost

We've just had the third quarter for these short stories, and everyone who has subscribed should have had them by now - do let me know if not, as I know cyberspace has devoured some copies! If you signed up for the whole thing, you should have had 9 stories by now, or 3 stories per series if you signed up for one.


We are very close now to the limit for Chen - but there are a few subs still available. And do please pass word on - a number of people have bought the year's set, or some of the stories, as presents for others.

You will find a PayPal button at the end of this post. I would like to thank those of you who have already signed up for your support - it is greatly appreciated, and it's also been great to hear from you.

I'm directly marketing a small quantity of limited edition short fiction online. I'll be writing a series of 4 short stories (one per quarter) set in one of 3 worlds. So that's 3 new short stories per quarter:


What will I be getting?: Country houses, airships, opium and a dodgy Imperial Russian love interest.

She did not think that Zhukov was trying to kill her, but would she be expected to keel over immediately, or take faint? Given their location, she thought it might be the second option: the first seemed too obvious by far. But a woman who had drunk a little too much, being escorted to her cabin by an attentive gentleman…far more likely.
Her next move wasn't subtle at all. She stared past the Russian's epauletted shoulder, with widened eyes and parted lips, and gave a little gasp. He only turned for a second, but it was enough for Mary to decant the bulk of her drink into the nearest pot plant. When he turned back, she was unsteadily replacing the glass on the table top.


Cygne: another alt universe, this time Elizabethan. Except that the power on the British throne is a faery queen and the ruling classes, including Lord Cygne, are magicians.

What will I be getting?: demons, shape-shifting governesses, the more unusual elements of the ancient bestiaries, and a singularly vain protagonist.

After a month and a half of peasants squatting in my Great Hall, drinking ale for hours at a time and chatting about the weather or the local totty when they should have been mending the roof, I rebelled, stormed into the hall with the shambling black shape of a conjure-shuck at my heels and threatened woeful things if the roof was not repaired forthwith.
I should have done this before, but one never likes to affront the locals; you never know whether they might appear at your gates one winter midnight, all pitchforks and low muttering and flaming brands.
I suppose they have to make their own fun.

Inspector Chen: Well, you are hopefully familiar with this one by now!

*

I'm doing a limited run of 100, for each story.

Cost: £5/$8 per story. If you sign up for 4 (one series) over the course of a year, I'll call it £18/$30.

3 stories (one of each) per quarter: £15/$24.

The whole deal (12 short stories): £50/ - depending on the USD rate, this is from $78 to $90.

You can do it through Paypal (NB - this is still setting up repeat payments for 2011 but as soon as I hear back from Paypal I will fix this. I obviously won't be expecting everyone to pay twice!)

Stories will be sent as a Word attachment or a PDF.
Interested?: email me on: mevennen(at)hotmail.com.





Short Stories
Chen £18.00
Cygne £18.00
GP £18.00
All 3 series £50.00