David B. Coe's Blog, page 8

Thieftaker Fundraiser and Giveaway for Boston Bombing Victims

I grew up just outside of New York City.  I was a Yankees fan, a Knicks fan, a Rangers fan, a Giants fan.  And, as a loyal New Yorker, I have spent much of my life rooting against teams from Boston -- the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins (the Patriots too, but they haven't really been the Boston Patriots since I was a little kid).

On the other hand, I lived for several years in Providence and all of my siblings lived for at least some time in the Boston area.  So, while I grew up hating Boston's teams, I have always loved the city of Boston.  When it came time to set my Thieftaker books in a Colonial era city, Boston seemed the logical choice.

The terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon venue left me stunned and grieving, not only for the victims most effected by the bombings, but for the entire city.  I still recall my sense of outrage, of violation when my beloved New York was attacked in 2001.  I know what the people of Boston are feeling.

And so, it is with compassion and love and solidarity that transcends lifelong sporting rivalries that I embark on a fundraiser and giveaway to do my small part in helping Boston get back on its feet.  Through a website called First Giving, I am hosting a fundraising event the goal of which is to raise $5,000.00 by July 2 (the release date for THIEVES' QUARRY, and for the paperback reissue of THIEFTAKER) for the Boston Foundation and the One Fund of Boston.  If you will help me raise the funds, I'll make it interesting for you.  Here's how it works:

For each fundraising milestone we reach, I will be giving away prizes to lucky donors.

-- When we reach $1000 raised, I will give away one signed uncorrected manuscript of THIEFTAKER. This is a collector's item -- a copy of the manuscript that was sent out to other authors who were asked to blurb the book before its release in 2012.
-- When we reach $2000, I will give away one Boston Thieftaker's Guild t-shirt in whatever size the winner wants. The t-shirt can be signed if the winner would like it to be.
-- When we reach $3000, I will give away one signed paperback edition of THIEFTAKER. (This book comes out on July 2, so the giveaway will happen then.)
-- When we reach $4000, I will give away one signed hardcover edition of THIEVES' QUARRY. (This book will also be available on July 2 and will be given away then.)
-- When we reach $5000, I will give away a second signed paperback of THIEFTAKER and a second signed hardcover of THIEVES' QUARRY to one lucky donor. (Also to be given away on July 2.)

The donation site can be found here:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/DBJacksonThieftaker/thieftakergiveaway

I hope you will join me in reaching out to the people of Boston, and doing our part to speed the healing process.  And I hope that you're one of the luck winners.

Thank you.

Today at Magical Words, Book Identity and THE HOBBIT

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Book Identity, and Why I Didn’t Like THE HOBBIT Movie.” It is about my reaction to the movie adaptation of THE HOBBIT, and the lessons I draw from it for writing. I hope you enjoy the post.

Today at SFNovelists, Three Authors Who Influenced My Career

Today’s post can be found at http://www.sfnovelists.com, the group blog on speculative fiction that I maintain along with a group of over one hundred published authors of fantasy and science fiction.  The post is called “Three Authors Who Got Me Started” and it’s about the books I read early on that steered me toward the fantasy genre and a career as a writer.  I hope you enjoy it.

Turning Critiques into Revisions, at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “Your Critique of My Work Revisited.” In it, I return to a passage I posted a couple of months ago for comment and critique by Magical Words readers. Today I discuss the process of turning those criticisms into revision. I hope you enjoy the post.

A Writer's Manifesto, Today at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “A Writer’s Manifesto: The Doubts and Resolve of a Midlister.” It’s a statement of why I love to write and continue to pursue a career in writing, despite the frustrations of the publishing business. I hope you enjoy it.

Short Fiction and Worldbuilding at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Short Fiction and Worldbuilding.” It’s about the differences between setting a short story in a world that you’ve already established for novels, and setting it in a new universe created just for that story. I hope you enjoy it.

The Plight of a Fellow Author

Stephanie Burgis is a fellow fantasy author and also a member of SFNovelists, an online group of over one hundred published speculative fiction writers, of which I am also a part.  Stephanie writes middle grade novels for Simon & Schuster, and right now her publisher is locked in an unpleasant and highly destructive battle with Barnes and Noble over pricing and marketing issues.  And like any war, there is a good deal of collateral damage.  Stephanie writes about the situation here, far more eloquently than I could.  Please read her post and then, if you're interested in her books, find a way to buy them.

Mostly, though, please remember the next time you're angry about the relative lack of availability of a book you're looking for, or about the pricing of an ebook, or about a series that is only partially in print, or any of the hundreds of other things that readers find annoying, that we authors -- at least most of us -- have precious little power in this business.  We are artists.  We write our books, we revise and polish them.  When we can, we try to promote them.  And yes, a few of us publish them ourselves.  But most of us are subject to the vagaries of the marketplace, and are powerless when the huge corporations for whom we work, in effect, decide to fight their battles publicly.

Again, here is that URL:  http://www.stephanieburgis.com/blog/caught-in-the-middle-hard-publishing-news.php

Writing and Revising, over at SFNovelists

Today’s post can be found at http://www.sfnovelists.com, the group blog on speculative fiction that I maintain along with a group of over one hundred published authors of fantasy and science fiction.  It is called “Writing and Revising” and it’s about the unique challenges I’m going to face as I revise my current work-in-progress, and the ways in which I plan to meet those challenges.  I hope you enjoy it.

A Post About Short Fiction at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Why I Love Writing Short Fiction.” It’s about the different approaches I take to writing short stories and novels. I hope you enjoy it.

A New Post on Plotting and Pacing at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “Creative Intersections: Pacing and Plotting.” It’s about the steps I take to blend my plot points and my narrative into a story that flows at what I believe to be the correct pace. I hope you enjoy it.