Jane Lindskold's Blog, page 42

FF: Charleses

Persephone and a Much Read Copy of Moonheart

This week, I’m reading two books by authors with the first name of Charles.  Of course, I’ve known one of them as “Chuck” for decades, and I had to be told by the other that I didn’t need to call him “Mr. de Lint.” Ah, memory…

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Recently Completed:

Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers.  A semi-sequel to The Stress of Her Regard, focusing on the son of characters from the previous novel and his interactions with Christina, Dante Gabriel, and others of the talented Rossetti clan.  I had no idea until I read this that John Polidori was their uncle.  Truth is phenomenally weirder than fiction.  When Tim Powers gives his twist to the material, I end up believing his “secret history.”

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor.  Audiobook.  Hamlet meets The Incredible Hulk in the person of a twelve-year-old boy whose police chief father is murdered.  If you stick with it, the final chapters are probably the best part.

In Progress:

This Broken World by Charles E. Gannon.  Advanced Review Copy.  Due for November release.  Epic Fantasy.  I’ve been waiting to read this book for decades.  Literally.  I’ve known Chuck since I was an undergrad and he was a newly graduated friend-of-a-friend.

Moonheart by Charles de Lint.  Audiobook.  I’ve read this in print, but couldn’t resist the temptation to try as audio.  I’ll let you know if it works.

Also:

Catching up with Vogue.  Not only the magazine’s staff, but a number of the advertisers are really working to expand the definition of “beauty.”  Particularly great are an on-going campaign by Oil of Olay and a new one by Dick’s Sporting Goods. I am reminded of a sign I saw a few weeks ago and loved: Fashion is what you buy.  Style is how you wear it.

Official Title, Reading, Panel

Datura By Daylight

Amazing all that can happen in a week…

Star Kingdom novel four now has an official title: A New Clan.  The Star Kingdom series are collaborations between me and David Weber.  They are Honorverse prequels, set in those days of yore when the planet Sphinx was newly being colonized, and a young human named Stephanie Harrington makes first contact with the indigenous treecats.

David Weber wrote the first novel, A Beautiful Friendship, solo, although I did contribute from off-stage, as friends are wont to do.  The next two novels are Fire Season and Treecat Wars.  Unlike the mainline Honorverse novels, these are not military SF, but instead take a look at the developing Star Kingdom from the point of view of a very intelligent young woman and her treecat companion.  The shift in emphasis allows for a much more in-depth look at human/treecat relations from the point of view of the treecats.

A New Clan does not have a scheduled release date, but I’ll let you know when it does.

This coming weekend, I’ll be participating in Bubonicon, which is, once again, going to be virtual.  I have pre-recorded a reading from my forthcoming release, Library of the Sapphire Wind (February 2022) and am scheduled to be on the live panel “Draw A Card: Pump Up Your Plot with Tarot.”

Bubonicon is not charging this year, but is accepting donation to help with their expenses.  Any extra will doubtless be donated to a local charity, as is the convention’s usual custom.  The schedule is available here, so take a look and see what might amuse you! See the link here for more information.

Otherwise, we’ve had a tiny bit more rain.  The photo of the datura was taken on a cloudy morning, before the flowers had closed.  As you may know, they bloom at dusk and shut when daylight gets strong.

At least for now, we’re getting less smoke from the numerous wildfires that are plaguing the west. However, it may be swirling back around, and that won’t be fun.

Keep a good thought for us!

FF: Before Dreaming

Coco Admires Momin Physique

I haven’t quite finished Hide Me Among the Graves because not only is it quite long, I can’t read it before bedtime.  Not scary in a slasher sense, but in the fact that many of the characters are essentially addicts, and so their own worst enemies.  I need something less fraught before bed or I have nightmares!

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Recently Completed:

The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson.  Translated by David McDuff.  The first Moomin book.  You can see her feeling her way into the characters.  This edition contains an introduction by the author, talking about how she began the story in 1939 when “it felt completely pointless to try to create pictures” and how, instead, “I suddenly felt an urge to write down something that was to begin with ‘Once upon a time.’”  Her take on that trope was remains unique…

Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson.  Translated by Thomas Warburton.  Much later in the series.  Oddly enough, once again, a flood is what forces the Moomins out of their cozy lives.

In Progress:

Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers.  A semi-sequel to The Stress of Her Regard, focusing on the son of characters from the previous novel and his interactions with Christina, Dante Gabriel, and others of the talented Rossetti clan.  I had no idea until I read this that John Polidori was their uncle.  Truth is phenomenally weirder than fiction.  Then, when Tim Powers gives his twist to the material, I end up believing his “secret history.”

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor.  Audiobook.  Hamlet meets The Incredible Hulk in the person of a twelve year-old boy whose police chief father is murdered.

Also:

A few scattered magazine articles.

Cuteness! News! Answers!

Tiny Denizen

The lovely amphibian who graces today’s WW is a Chiricahua Desert Spadefoot toad.  He (courtesy pronoun; I refuse to call animals “it”) resides on the east side of our yard, beneath the desert willow, beneath the Tuscan Blue rosemary.  He is about two inches from nose to butt, if that!  This picture was taken by Jim one evening as we did our usual evening yard ramble by flashlight…

Said rambles have been sporadic of late, as smoke from area wildfires is making it unwise for me to take my breathing apparatus outside, but I hope to resume soon.

By the way, some folks clearly have the impression I live in the country and/or have a lot of land.  Neither is true.  However, cool natural things can be found, even in a relatively small area.  It’s just a matter of looking…  Even if you live in an apartment, there are possibilities. 

Oh…  Wait.  Some of you read this hoping for news relating to my writing life.  This week, I actually have a bit.  First, my new novels, Library of the Sapphire Wind and Aurora Borealis Bridge, are now officially scheduled for release: February 2022 and April 2022. 

I’m working on new e-book versions of Artemis Awakening and Artemis Invaded.  No set release date but, as always when I do a new e-book, there will be extra material related to some aspect of the books.

Star Kingdom book four, a new Stephanie Harrington adventure with David Weber, is turned in.  I’ll let you know when I have a release date and official title.  We haven’t yet started book five, but it’s under contract.  Rumor also has it that David Weber will be turning his attention to the long-awaited next Honorverse short story anthology.  This will include an all-new story featuring Stephanie and Karl on the planet Gryphon titled, “Deception on Gryphon.”

So…  We’ve had cuteness and news.  What about answers?

Last week I asked how my WW, which was largely about rain harvesting, could be also about writing.  There were many excellent answers, and I completely agree with them.  However, I was thinking about world-building.

Very many times when I read an SF/F novel the world-building is macro that doesn’t extend into the micro, unless that micro is a plot element.  However, it’s the little things that make a place “real”—or so I think…  Same applies to characters, not just settings.  Like the tiny toad, the little things count.

Just a passing fancy as I wander off to my labors!

FF: Elsewheres

Roary Refuses to Hide

This week, all my reading material is set in places far away, whether in time or in space or in imagination. 

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Recently Completed:

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers.  The “secret history’ in this novel comes from a combination of events in the lives of several of the most prominent figures in English literature, including Byron, Shelley, Keats, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.  Read this, and you’ll never read their poetry and fiction quite the same way…

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor.  Audiobook.  Uses some of the same themes as Akata Witch (the outcast who makes a virtue of her difference), but in a very different manner.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor.  Audiobook.  Again, similar themes and plot elements: outcast finds a high-tech artifact, but uses it (and other super abilities) for kind reasons, even if given ample reason for using it otherwise.

A Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson. Translated by Elizabeth Portch.  Realizing I got these out of order, I went backwards.

The Exploits of Moominpappa by Tove Jansson.  Translated by Thomas Warburton.  I don’t like Moominpapa nearly as much as Moomintroll (his son).  He has traits of ego and self-aggrandizement that make him much less appealing.

In Progress:

Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers.  A semi-sequel to The Stress of Her Regard, focusing on the son of characters from the previous novel and his interactions with Christina, Dante Gabriel, and others of the talented Rossetti clan.  I had no idea until I read this that John Polidori was their uncle.  Truth is phenomenally weirder than fiction.  Then, when Tim Powers gives his twist to the material, I end up believing his “secret history.”

The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson.  Translated by David McDuff.

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor. Audiobook. Just started.

Also:

As part of getting new e-book versions of my backlist up, I have finished re-reading Artemis Awakening and am now immersed in Artemis Invaded. 

Monsoons!

Drenched Sunfower

When the rainfall started last Saturday, Jim and I were sitting down to dinner (stir fry, made largely with zucchini, peppers, and eggplant from our garden).  We traded guarded looks, but said nothing, just in case we might scare the rain away.

Then the rainfall picked up, accompanied by thunder and lightning.  We slid the porch door closed, and went on with our meal.  As I was finishing off my second helping, I slid open the porch door long enough to confirm that the rain was easing off.  So was the electrical storm.

I pushed my plate back, got my umbrella (which dates back to when I still lived in Virginia, over twenty-five years ago; umbrellas don’t get worn out very fast here), and went out to check.  All of the thirty-gallon trash barrels under the downspouts, bone dry an hour before, were overflowing.  I got a bucket, and started transferring water from barrel under the most wildly gushing downspout (the one on the northeast side), and started shifting it to the overflow containers.

Once I adjusted to the temperature and damp, I put the umbrella aside so I could work faster.  Who cared if I got wet?  This was rain!

I was into my rhythm—scoop, turn, dump—when Jim came out and got to work lowering the level of the southeast barrel.  By then, I’d more or less caught up with the torrent from the downspout and, bucket in hand, darted around to the west side of the house.

Once I’d filled the overflow container on that side, I started running buckets of water to our younger trees.  Yes.  It was still raining, but I knew that even just a few inches below the surface our sandy soil would be dry.  Best to replenish the area.

Eventually, we’d filled every container we could spare, storing roughly 200 gallons of rainwater. Then, dripping wet and ridiculously pleased, we came inside.  Later, when the rain had stopped, Jim went out and checked the rain gauge: six-tenths of an inch of rain.

Six-tenths of an inch of rain may not sound very exciting to you, but where I live, that’s a major event.  This was by far the most we’ve had at one time this year.  The runner up was back in late June when, for four very odd days, we apparently traded climates with the Pacific Northwest.  Then our cumulative rainfall for four days was a quarter of an inch.

As I type this, it’s drizzling again.  I find myself wondering if I can find a spare bucket somewhere…  Maybe it’s time to go get rained on again.

I think I will…  And I’ll leave you with a question.  How is this also about an aspect of the craft of writing?

FF: Still Rather Mythic

Persephone’s Stressful Regard

Looking at this list, I see my reading is quite mythic still.  The Moomin books may not be anyone’s official mythology, but they have that feelings nonetheless.  They’ve been my before bedtime reading because The Stress of Her Regard (which is excellent) was giving me nightmares! 

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Recently Completed:

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.  Audiobook.  I don’t usually read two books by the same author at the same time, but someone failed to return my print copy of this one, and finding that there was an audio was tempting.  One complaint.  Accents are important in this, as if voice pitch, and, while the reader is good, he rarely gets these right.

The Valkyrie by Richard Wagner, translated and annotated by Frederick Paul Walter.  This new translation is lively and accessible.  Although I know the basic story, I found myself having trouble putting this down.  Illustrated both with modern line drawings and a host of archival material.

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson.  Translated by Elizabeth Portch.  Probably my favorite.  There’s a magical realism feeling I quite like.

In Progress:

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers.  The “secret history’ in this novel comes from a combination of events in the lives of several of the most prominent figures in English literature, including Byron, Shelley, Keats, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.  Read this, and you’ll never read their poetry and fiction quite the same way…

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor.  Audiobook.  So far, I’m liking…  Uses some of the same themes as Akata Witch (the outcast who makes a virtue of her difference), but in a very different manner.

A Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson. Translated by Elizabeth Portch.  Realizing I got these out of order, I went backwards.

Also:

I’m back to working on getting new e-book versions of my backlist up, and so re-reading Artemis Awakening. 

Mixed Impressions

“So, this is where the magic happens,” said a guest upon seeing my office for the first time.

I agreed, because I knew this was meant as a compliment about my writing.  Even then, though, I was thinking how, weirdly enough, my office is where the least magical part of my story creation is likely to happen.  My office, my desk, my computer, are just where the stories get written down.

Well, most of the time.  Actually, a lot of my stories start out handwritten because, as I’ve mentioned before, there seems to be a more direct channel between my imagination and a form of transcription when pen and paper is involved.

Where does the magic happen?

On the edge of falling asleep.  In the shower.  When weeding the garden.  Cooking.  Washing dishes.  Folding clothes.  Doing something crafty.  In the middle of a conversation, when something said sparks an idea…

I rarely have a magical creative moment when staring at the computer screen, willing myself to write.  On the other hand, I do set myself goals when working on a project.  An artistically poised dilletante is definitely not how I see myself.  I’m proud of the fact that I make deadlines, and that I work hard to make sure that I do.

Does this give you a mixed impression of what it’s like to be the writer that’s me?  If so, perfect!  I am nothing if not a suite of contradictions that come together to create stories.

I’m curious.  Where do your “magical moments” happen?  I’m definitely not restricting this to writing.  They might be related to some other art.  Or even something to do with your job or the classes you’re taking.  Inspiration belongs to all of us.

Oh!  The associated photo is of a goldfinch among the Russian Sage in our yard.  I thought the mingling of tiny bird and even more minute flowers had a definite impressionist feel.

FF: Mythic Fiction

Roary Pokes His Nose in a Good Book

My reading this week is richly indebted to myth and folklore: Arabic, Biblical, Norse, Egyptian, and more.  Although The Valkyrie has become foundation material in its own right, as with the works by Powers, Wagner used mythic as a foundation for a story unique to his own vision.   

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Recently Completed:

Declare by Tim Powers.  I’ve only read this one once, and I know a lot more now about the time period in which it is set.  The problem with secret history/alternate history as a form, is if you don’t know what’s being played with, you miss some of the fun.  This was good but had an atypically detached narrative voice that (based on a comment within the book itself) was clearly intended, but I don’t think served the material well.

In Progress:

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.  Audiobook.  I don’t usually read two books by the same author at the same time, but someone failed to return my print copy of this one, and finding that there was an audio was tempting.  One complaint.  Accents are important in this, as if voice pitch, and, while the reader is good, he rarely gets these right.

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers.  The “secret history’ in this novel comes from a combination of events in the lives of several of the most prominent figures in English literature, including Byron, Shelley, Keats, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.  Read this, and you’ll never read their poetry and fiction quite the same way…

The Valkyrie by Richard Wagner, translated and annotated by Frederick Paul Walter.  This new translation is lively and accessible.  Although I know the basic story, I found myself having trouble putting this down.  Illustrated both with modern line drawings and a host of archival material.

Also:

I’m debating whether or not to renew some magazine subscriptions…  I don’t seem to have time to catch up…

Here Come the Sunflowers

Can You Find the Bee?

I really like sunflowers.  For one, they grow two crops: first flowers and then birds (when our avian co-residents come for the seeds).  Jim and I like the flowers, and the cats like watching the birds.  Actually, we humans enjoy watching the birds, too.  Good all around.

If you look closely at this picture, you can see that the bees also enjoy the sunflowers.

This year, we discovered another reason to appreciate sunflowers.  Almost by chance, we planted some at the far western end of one of our raised beds.  Once they got started, we realized that, with their large leaves and thick stems, the sunflowers were providing a sun screen that ameliorated the temperature in what had been, to that point, one of the hottest of our beds.  As an added bonus, the stems are providing a natural trellis for the tepary beans.

I’m already making plans for expanding this natural sunbreak to another bed next year.

But for now, we’re quite happy just to enjoy what we have.

(P.S.  For the gardeners among us, the variety in the photo is called Candy Mountain Hybrid.)