Rachel Aaron's Blog, page 36
March 2, 2011
Still alive!
Just writing, which tends to consume everything good/intelligent I have to give the world on any given day, leaving me a slobbering shell of a human being good only for drinking a beer and ignoring the dishes. It's times like this when I really admire the writers who produce epic amounts of writing AND maintain a daily blog. Tis inhuman, I tell ye. They be not writers, but word gods.
Moving on, here's some neat stuff!
- I did an interview for The Write Thing, who also posted really great reviews of my novels. There is nothing more flattering for me as an author than when other people take the time to not just read my books, but to write about them. Good or bad, all reviews are priceless. Thanks for the kind words, Pip!
- CSI Librarian has some lovely things to say as well!
- Mihir at Fantasy Book Critic put The Legend of Eli Monpress as one of his top favs for 2010, which is saying something, because 2010 was an awesome year for Fantasy!
- SciFiChick does a short and sweet review of The Spirit Eater, featuring one of my favorite lines so far: "This series is a must read for fantasy fans." I could not agree more! :D
I'm sure there's more, but for now I need to get back to Eli. You know how he can be when he's being ignored...
Moving on, here's some neat stuff!
- I did an interview for The Write Thing, who also posted really great reviews of my novels. There is nothing more flattering for me as an author than when other people take the time to not just read my books, but to write about them. Good or bad, all reviews are priceless. Thanks for the kind words, Pip!
- CSI Librarian has some lovely things to say as well!
- Mihir at Fantasy Book Critic put The Legend of Eli Monpress as one of his top favs for 2010, which is saying something, because 2010 was an awesome year for Fantasy!
- SciFiChick does a short and sweet review of The Spirit Eater, featuring one of my favorite lines so far: "This series is a must read for fantasy fans." I could not agree more! :D
I'm sure there's more, but for now I need to get back to Eli. You know how he can be when he's being ignored...
February 4, 2011
My favorite thing to do for inspiration
Step 1) Go to Deviant Art.
Step 2) Find an artist whose work shows a true talent (note, you don't actually have to be in love with the artist's work. I often choose artists whose paintings show a great sense of color and mood, even if I don't necessarily like their paintings)
Step 3) Go to the artist's favorites.
Step 4) Be amazed.
Since Deviant Art is crowdsourced, meaning the pictures with the most votes in a time period go to the front page, it can be hard to find the really creative stuff behind the wall of fanart and nudes (not that fanart/nudes are bad! But we're looking for inspiration here, not Naruto and naked hotties). However, the people who really know what's going on in DeviantArt are the artists themselves. I have had some of the best and most inspiring art moments of my life flipping through an artist's favorite art. This is where you find the really amazing stuff that may never make it to the front page.
So if you're looking for inspiration and willing to take a risk, you can do far worse than flipping through artist galleries on DA.
On my part, I've spent WAY too much time looking at this gallery. Absolutely amazing stuff.
Anyway, I hope I've helped you find some inspiration this morning. I'm off to read all those books I bought on my Kindle. Ahhh, the struggles of a writer's life! :D
Step 2) Find an artist whose work shows a true talent (note, you don't actually have to be in love with the artist's work. I often choose artists whose paintings show a great sense of color and mood, even if I don't necessarily like their paintings)
Step 3) Go to the artist's favorites.
Step 4) Be amazed.
Since Deviant Art is crowdsourced, meaning the pictures with the most votes in a time period go to the front page, it can be hard to find the really creative stuff behind the wall of fanart and nudes (not that fanart/nudes are bad! But we're looking for inspiration here, not Naruto and naked hotties). However, the people who really know what's going on in DeviantArt are the artists themselves. I have had some of the best and most inspiring art moments of my life flipping through an artist's favorite art. This is where you find the really amazing stuff that may never make it to the front page.
So if you're looking for inspiration and willing to take a risk, you can do far worse than flipping through artist galleries on DA.
On my part, I've spent WAY too much time looking at this gallery. Absolutely amazing stuff.
Anyway, I hope I've helped you find some inspiration this morning. I'm off to read all those books I bought on my Kindle. Ahhh, the struggles of a writer's life! :D
January 28, 2011
We need a new name...
Actual conversation I had with a lady this morning...
Lady, "So, what do you do for a living?"Me, "I'm a fantasy author!" (always so cool to say)Lady, "Oh wow! So like Harry Potter?!"Me, "No, Harry Potter's YA, I write adult fantasy."Lady, "............." Me, "NO! Not THAT kind of adult fantasy!"
I still don't think she believes I don't write porn. Would you believe this has happened to me more than once? I need something new to call my books. I usually go with adventure fantasy, since there's lots of fighting and action-y type mayhem, but they're also funny. Yet with YA becoming the prevalent fantasy mainstay in mainstream culture thanks to HP and the other usual suspects, I find myself having to clarify all the time that my books are for adults, or at least they don't feature kids as protagonists. (Actually, teens and kids seem to really like my books).
So, how to specify that this is a novel written for grown ups without veering into all the nuances of "Adult"? The most obvious choice would be a pairing for Young Adult, but somehow I don't think Old Adult Fantasy would be very marketable.
Maybe I'll just stick with "I wrote a book. There's a wizard in it!" And let the intrigued figure it out from there.
Lady, "So, what do you do for a living?"Me, "I'm a fantasy author!" (always so cool to say)Lady, "Oh wow! So like Harry Potter?!"Me, "No, Harry Potter's YA, I write adult fantasy."Lady, "............." Me, "NO! Not THAT kind of adult fantasy!"
I still don't think she believes I don't write porn. Would you believe this has happened to me more than once? I need something new to call my books. I usually go with adventure fantasy, since there's lots of fighting and action-y type mayhem, but they're also funny. Yet with YA becoming the prevalent fantasy mainstay in mainstream culture thanks to HP and the other usual suspects, I find myself having to clarify all the time that my books are for adults, or at least they don't feature kids as protagonists. (Actually, teens and kids seem to really like my books).
So, how to specify that this is a novel written for grown ups without veering into all the nuances of "Adult"? The most obvious choice would be a pairing for Young Adult, but somehow I don't think Old Adult Fantasy would be very marketable.
Maybe I'll just stick with "I wrote a book. There's a wizard in it!" And let the intrigued figure it out from there.
January 26, 2011
Evolution of a Wizard Thief
Been a rough opener to the year for us here on the homefront. Snow shutting down the city, sick kiddo, and all the drama that comes with those. BUT, Edits for The Spirit War, Eli book 4, are done! Even I like the book (this is a rarity, I usually HATE my books by the time I'm done). It had some REALLY fun scenes to write, though it continues the darker trend my books have been going down, which is actually what I wanted to talk about today.
If you've read my first three books, you'll notice a shift in tone from the almost goofy light heartedness of The Spirit Thief to the much darker Spirit Eater. The Spirit War continues this trend. Now, this shift towards the dark wasn't an accident, but it wasn't really planned either. This post isn't an excuse for the slide, but I thought it might be interesting to talk about how the novels ended up the way they did.
I approach writing from the bottom-up. I lay a firm foundation for my characters, give them histories, problems, priorities, and what not, and then let them sort things out. So we've got Eli, who's sly and cheerful as they come, but he's got some dark stuff in his past, and when we begin to dig in to Eli's character, all that starts coming up. Same with Josef, Nico, and, to a lesser extent, Miranda. The Eli novels have always been character driven, so it's only natural that, as the characters are forced to deal with more difficult choices and things they've been trying to run away from, you end up with darker books.
Generally speaking I've had a good response to this change, but I've also gotten some complaints. To these readers, I can only apologize. I would like to say that this is my first series and I'm still learning the ropes, but honestly I think this particular story would still have gone dark no matter what. With more experience I probably could have made the shift gentler, but in the end, Eli is who he is. He's a man who runs from his problems, and you can't do that forever. You can't be both irresponsible and moral without eventually having to pick one and take your stand. Also, there's the subject matter. The Spirit War is about a continent size war. You can't have something like that and not have it go dark in places. People die in war, it's not fun or pretty. That said, I think The Spirit War is the best book I've ever written. And it's not all doom and gloom. For all the war and hard decisions, it's still Eli. Just try to get him not to be a smart ass, I dare you.
The bottom line here is that if you've liked the books up to this point, then you're probably going to like The Spirit War too. Big secrets are revealed, questions are answered, the past is dredged up, and the stage is set for the final book. There's also some squee scenes for anyone who likes Nico/Josef :D. I had a really good time writing this book, and I think you're going to really enjoy it. The Spirit War will be out this fall. I should have some advanced copies before that, and I'll be running contests so you'll all get a chance to win the book early. Meanwhile, thanks so much for reading. Fans are the absolute best part of being a writer!
Sincerely,
Rachel
If you've read my first three books, you'll notice a shift in tone from the almost goofy light heartedness of The Spirit Thief to the much darker Spirit Eater. The Spirit War continues this trend. Now, this shift towards the dark wasn't an accident, but it wasn't really planned either. This post isn't an excuse for the slide, but I thought it might be interesting to talk about how the novels ended up the way they did.
I approach writing from the bottom-up. I lay a firm foundation for my characters, give them histories, problems, priorities, and what not, and then let them sort things out. So we've got Eli, who's sly and cheerful as they come, but he's got some dark stuff in his past, and when we begin to dig in to Eli's character, all that starts coming up. Same with Josef, Nico, and, to a lesser extent, Miranda. The Eli novels have always been character driven, so it's only natural that, as the characters are forced to deal with more difficult choices and things they've been trying to run away from, you end up with darker books.
Generally speaking I've had a good response to this change, but I've also gotten some complaints. To these readers, I can only apologize. I would like to say that this is my first series and I'm still learning the ropes, but honestly I think this particular story would still have gone dark no matter what. With more experience I probably could have made the shift gentler, but in the end, Eli is who he is. He's a man who runs from his problems, and you can't do that forever. You can't be both irresponsible and moral without eventually having to pick one and take your stand. Also, there's the subject matter. The Spirit War is about a continent size war. You can't have something like that and not have it go dark in places. People die in war, it's not fun or pretty. That said, I think The Spirit War is the best book I've ever written. And it's not all doom and gloom. For all the war and hard decisions, it's still Eli. Just try to get him not to be a smart ass, I dare you.
The bottom line here is that if you've liked the books up to this point, then you're probably going to like The Spirit War too. Big secrets are revealed, questions are answered, the past is dredged up, and the stage is set for the final book. There's also some squee scenes for anyone who likes Nico/Josef :D. I had a really good time writing this book, and I think you're going to really enjoy it. The Spirit War will be out this fall. I should have some advanced copies before that, and I'll be running contests so you'll all get a chance to win the book early. Meanwhile, thanks so much for reading. Fans are the absolute best part of being a writer!
Sincerely,
Rachel
January 3, 2011
2011 - the year of more Eli books!
2010 was a big year for me - first year as a mom, first year (really) as a published author, first book releases, first lots of stuff. That said, 2011 might be an even bigger year if you can imagine. I've got 3 books out and 2 more to go on the Legend of Eli Monpress series and lots of projects on the back burner just waiting to be poked. That said, I think the most exciting and difficult challenge ahead will be ending Eli's story. I've known the truth of Eli's world and the way his story ends for a long time, and now that I finally get to write it, I'm nervous. This was the little story that could, and I want to make sure the ending lives up to everything that came before it. Trust me, I'm going to be putting in a LOT of work making sure Eli gets the ending he (and you readers) deserve.
But enough looking forward! Let's look back a moment, for lo, we have new reviews!
Andy over at "All Things Andy Gavin" has a nice, short review of The Spirit Thief, which he sums up as "Ethereal fun." Who am I to argue? Also in Spirit Thief news, Travels Through Iest calls it "an extremely promising debut" among other nice things.
(On a side note, I am continuously surprised by the number of people who really like Marion the Librarian. She definitly wins the award for most mentioned side character. If I'd known she was going to be so popular, I would have given her a bigger role. Though the series isn't over yet, so who knows? Maybe she'll come back in book 5?)
And finally, Whatchamacallit Reviews goes above and beyond, reviewing all 3 Eli books currently available! Thanks guys! I'm so glad you liked them!
That's it for the current round up, if I missed any, please let me know!
But enough looking forward! Let's look back a moment, for lo, we have new reviews!
Andy over at "All Things Andy Gavin" has a nice, short review of The Spirit Thief, which he sums up as "Ethereal fun." Who am I to argue? Also in Spirit Thief news, Travels Through Iest calls it "an extremely promising debut" among other nice things.
(On a side note, I am continuously surprised by the number of people who really like Marion the Librarian. She definitly wins the award for most mentioned side character. If I'd known she was going to be so popular, I would have given her a bigger role. Though the series isn't over yet, so who knows? Maybe she'll come back in book 5?)
And finally, Whatchamacallit Reviews goes above and beyond, reviewing all 3 Eli books currently available! Thanks guys! I'm so glad you liked them!
That's it for the current round up, if I missed any, please let me know!
December 21, 2010
Two new reviews of The Spirit Eater in one day!
Be warned, both contain some spoilers. So if you haven't read the first two books, run and do that first and then read these! :D
"It has been a pleasure to watch these characters grow as the series progresses, and the world around them has only become more fascinating as Aaron reveals different lands, peoples, and events in each of the books; these are the sort of books that prompt late night dashes to bookstores in order to secure the next adventure, for who can bear to be left out of such a good time?" - Book Geeks
"Rachel Aaron gives the impression that she simply enjoys writing, and that enjoyment is contagious. Her prose has a fun, sly tone to it that's genuinely enjoyable to read... If you've read and enjoyed the first two books, you should have no problem with this and will probably love The Spirit Eater, as it's the best book of the bunch so far." - Fantasy Literature
Can't ask for more than that on a Tuesday, can you?
"It has been a pleasure to watch these characters grow as the series progresses, and the world around them has only become more fascinating as Aaron reveals different lands, peoples, and events in each of the books; these are the sort of books that prompt late night dashes to bookstores in order to secure the next adventure, for who can bear to be left out of such a good time?" - Book Geeks
"Rachel Aaron gives the impression that she simply enjoys writing, and that enjoyment is contagious. Her prose has a fun, sly tone to it that's genuinely enjoyable to read... If you've read and enjoyed the first two books, you should have no problem with this and will probably love The Spirit Eater, as it's the best book of the bunch so far." - Fantasy Literature
Can't ask for more than that on a Tuesday, can you?
December 14, 2010
House cleaning
The wonderful Devi has returned my edits for Book 4, so my little vacation is at a close. Le sigh. But, it's always great to get an editorial letter with the words "minor changes" on it. WOO. There is much much much to be done, but at least there's no moving mountains this time around.
I do want to take a sec here and dispell some weird mis-information about the series that's going on, for which I will use this handy bulleted list icon!
The Legend of Eli Monpress is a 5 book series, not a trilogy. I can understand the confusion! Trilogies are a standard series size, and we did have 3 books coming out all together with matching covers. But no, there are more! The Spirit Eater would be a terrible book to end a series on anyway. I don't even want to think about all the questions left hanging. But fear not! There are 2 more books where all questions shall be answered!The Spirit Thief is not urban fantasy. Unless you count the fact that the book does take place in a city, the Spirit Thief could in no way be described as urban fantasy. I know it has a photo on the cover! I know it's blue-toned! But work with me, here. Take the book, turn it over. That's right, easy. There! What you are looking at is a blurb filled with kidnapped kings, wizards, and swords. Definitely fantasy, just not urban. Now, the book has been described as having urban fantasy pacing (which I will take any day over epic fantasy pacing), but it is not, in fact, urban. Deep felt apologies to anyone who was disappointed by the lack of vampires! The Spirit Thief is not a romance. Again, I get it - photo cover of a cute, snarky guy, blue tones, but no. Though Eli does open his shirt in the climax (it makes total sense at the time! I promise!), there's no time for love, Doctor Jones. Of course, this doesn't mean characters don't fall in love over the course of the books, just that romance is not a central theme (unless you count Eli's romance with his bounty).I'm sure there are more, but those are the three I keep hearing. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with trilogies or urban fantasy or romance (I actually hope to write all three in the future), I'm just saying that's not what I've written this time around. So, gentle reader, if you hear/see anyone assuming any of the above, please do me a huge favor and gently correct them (and then send them over to my site so they can read the first chapters!).
<3 Rachel
I do want to take a sec here and dispell some weird mis-information about the series that's going on, for which I will use this handy bulleted list icon!
The Legend of Eli Monpress is a 5 book series, not a trilogy. I can understand the confusion! Trilogies are a standard series size, and we did have 3 books coming out all together with matching covers. But no, there are more! The Spirit Eater would be a terrible book to end a series on anyway. I don't even want to think about all the questions left hanging. But fear not! There are 2 more books where all questions shall be answered!The Spirit Thief is not urban fantasy. Unless you count the fact that the book does take place in a city, the Spirit Thief could in no way be described as urban fantasy. I know it has a photo on the cover! I know it's blue-toned! But work with me, here. Take the book, turn it over. That's right, easy. There! What you are looking at is a blurb filled with kidnapped kings, wizards, and swords. Definitely fantasy, just not urban. Now, the book has been described as having urban fantasy pacing (which I will take any day over epic fantasy pacing), but it is not, in fact, urban. Deep felt apologies to anyone who was disappointed by the lack of vampires! The Spirit Thief is not a romance. Again, I get it - photo cover of a cute, snarky guy, blue tones, but no. Though Eli does open his shirt in the climax (it makes total sense at the time! I promise!), there's no time for love, Doctor Jones. Of course, this doesn't mean characters don't fall in love over the course of the books, just that romance is not a central theme (unless you count Eli's romance with his bounty).I'm sure there are more, but those are the three I keep hearing. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with trilogies or urban fantasy or romance (I actually hope to write all three in the future), I'm just saying that's not what I've written this time around. So, gentle reader, if you hear/see anyone assuming any of the above, please do me a huge favor and gently correct them (and then send them over to my site so they can read the first chapters!).
<3 Rachel
December 9, 2010
The Spirit Eater eats reviews!
A mere nine days after launch and we've got some lovely reviews for the third novel in Eli's series - The Spirit Eater! I have gathered some choice samples below for your convenience...
"The latest Monpress Spirit fantasy (The Spirit Thief) is a super tale... However, even with Eli at his outrageously charming thieving best, what makes this a super tale is the internal conflict within Nico as the demon inside her battles for control with her essence in a sort of fantasy version of dissociative identity disorder." - Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round
" Whilst this is the third (and sadly for now) final offering in this series/world to date, it's definitely been one that's been a real joy to read. Her descriptiveness is crisp; the characters a barrel load of fun to hang around and perhaps most importantly the type of people that you'd like to hang around the pub with." - Falcata Times
"This series has been one of my favorite this year. I can't think of a series where I've liked every single character as much as I do in these books. My concerns in the review of first volume of Rachel Aaron overusing magic and powerful characters in the series has come to seem silly to me as she has weaved her tale with a masterful balance. I couldn't recommend this book more to anyone interested in a fun fantasy adventure series." - Jeremy Shane, The Outhousers
And though the give away is sadly over, you can still read my full interview about The Spirit Eater and other tibits about the Eli world over at Bitten By Books!
Feel free to post in the comments if you see reviews I've missed, or if you want to leave one of your own ;)
"The latest Monpress Spirit fantasy (The Spirit Thief) is a super tale... However, even with Eli at his outrageously charming thieving best, what makes this a super tale is the internal conflict within Nico as the demon inside her battles for control with her essence in a sort of fantasy version of dissociative identity disorder." - Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round
" Whilst this is the third (and sadly for now) final offering in this series/world to date, it's definitely been one that's been a real joy to read. Her descriptiveness is crisp; the characters a barrel load of fun to hang around and perhaps most importantly the type of people that you'd like to hang around the pub with." - Falcata Times
"This series has been one of my favorite this year. I can't think of a series where I've liked every single character as much as I do in these books. My concerns in the review of first volume of Rachel Aaron overusing magic and powerful characters in the series has come to seem silly to me as she has weaved her tale with a masterful balance. I couldn't recommend this book more to anyone interested in a fun fantasy adventure series." - Jeremy Shane, The Outhousers
And though the give away is sadly over, you can still read my full interview about The Spirit Eater and other tibits about the Eli world over at Bitten By Books!
Feel free to post in the comments if you see reviews I've missed, or if you want to leave one of your own ;)
December 7, 2010
Blog comment problems
I got an email today about problems posting on the blog, so I've made some changes to the permissions. Hopefully Blogger will now be less stupid. If you've had problems posting in the past this should hopefully fix them! Sorry about that.
December 1, 2010
Live Q&A today!
At Bitten By Books! Starting noon central time I'll be around all day to answer questions about the Eli books and generally gab. I'm also giving away a TON of books, so stop by, say hi, and win yourself something awesome!
See you there!
See you there!
