Ahimsa Kerp's Blog, page 18

The Long and Winding Roads (to Baldairn Motte.)

Our book has been officially released.  Happy dances have been danced (happily, natch), beers have been quaffed, and tunnels have been carpaled.  The stories we started working on in 2007 are now available at an Amazon near you.  You can go to our publisher's website (the gateway to your very own BM panties) or to Amazon/Barnes and Nobles.  (For what it's worth, B&N is a buck cheaper). And, whatever you do, don't forget the ebook.

We have our own website, and a facebook fan page.  There are going to be some exciting promotions coming up (free stuff!), so subscribe to one of those if that sounds interesting.

Okay, the amount of links I have in this post is starting to blow my mind.  If you read the book and like it, please comment here.  If you read the book and hate it, please comment here.  If you read the book and are neutral about it, then tell me about that too, you Swiss bastards.

Cover Art for Baldairn Motte

They've issued the cover art to The Roads to Baldairn Motte, and I couldn't be more pleased. They've done a great job in every aspect. The mountains represent my story, the ship represents Garrett's story, and the ruins of the Motte itself represent Craig's story.

You can visit the official site, with links (forthcoming) to buy print and ebooks. Also, right now, you can have your very own Baldairn Motte coffee mug or thong underwear. What's stopping you?

The Well-Trodden Path of Rejection

The steampunk story I had referred to in this post was recently rejected.  I did write it specifically for the competition, which is a bummer, but it wasn't a huge surprise.  The rejection simply meant it was time for the backup plan.  This plan is remarkably simple: find a succession of markets, submit to them, and collect the rejections.

Each writer has their own follow-up process; mine is still being developed and differs based on how good I feel the story is, if I want to work on it more, and how much appeal it will have outside of the initial prompt. Some writers I know always make it their first priority to send their story to Fantasy and Science Fiction.

I don't.

It's arguably the highest respected magazine in the genre, with stories from writers like Stephen King, Ursula LeGuin, Ray Bradbury and so on. They pay very well and send out rejections with atomic precision–one week exactly. But the editors of the magazine haven't quite figured out that it's not the 80′s anymore: they don't take e-subs. I do realize requiring printed submissions and snailmail probably autosorts their slush to some degree, but it's a damned old-fashioned way to do things. It's laborious, inefficient, and bad for the environment. Rumors that they pay via the below picture aren't true, but they may as well be.

With Fantasy and Science Fiction ruled out, and if I think I have a good story, I'll go straight to Fantasy Magazine. (Or, for science fiction, the sister site Lightspeed.) They always reject my stories, but usually do so within a day or two. Fantasy has the best setup of any site I've seen; they even let you check where your story is in relation to the queue. Stories in Fantasy often win major awards, including the Hugo, but many of their offerings have been criticized for not having much of a speculative bent. Indeed, some of the stories read, to me, like over-workshopped prose without a whole lot of creativity or world-building.  But the writers are clearly all masters of their craft and it is a coup to appear in Fantasy Magazine.

I've been rejected by them probably half a dozen times.  My steampunk story was rejected in under 24 hours, which is a pretty great turntime.  At this point, my story has been rejected by two markets, and a third I've rejected for their anachronistic policies.

Usually I'll turn to duotrope at this point.  I can search by genre, sub-genre, length, or even theme.   In this particular case, however, I might hold onto the story for a bit.  It was fun to research it, and I'd like to flesh it out and see where it goes.  It seems like it might be just enough story for a novella.  I'll probably submit it to another anthology or 'zine, but then I'll add it to my "to work on someday" pile.

Another blog about another blurb

The Roads to Baldarin Motte continues to receive some advance love. This one is courtesy of Misty Massey, a self-described "fantasy writer, librarian, mom, wife, pirate captain, & belly dancer." She is a great writer and garnering praise from someone of her talent is equally awesome and humbling.

Her take:

The Roads to Baldairn Motte is a grand adventure of political struggle interlaced with religious intrigue, as the most powerful men in Fairnlin fight for the throne left empty after the death of the king's only daughter. Whores become heroes, farmers become freedom fighters and healers strike down the unjust against the backdrop of a land in turmoil. The authors have created a rich world that leaps off the page, and characters whose desires and drives carry the reader along with them. Fans of George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire or Paul Hoffman's The Left Hand of God will relish the excitement of The Roads to Baldairn Motte.

Once again, it's great to hear that people enjoy our book. I'm really looking forward to seeing it actually come out.

A Blog About the Blurb

I recently alluded to some great press for The Roads to Baldairn Motte. I'm not sure what form it will take on the actual book–front cover, back cover, etc, but we have our first reader reaction. It's from none other than James Blaylock. Blaylock was a pioneer of both steampunk and urban fantasy, and he has won the World Fantasy Award and the Philip K. Dick Award as well.

It says a lot about him, as well, that he's willing to vouch for three unknown authors.

"I was drawn into the world of Baldairn Motte at once by the rich prose and the promise of high adventure, but it was the characters and the fast moving story that held me literary hostage. I hope there's a sequel!"

We have discussed a sequel, naturally. We've got a plethora of ideas about how to follow it up, involving some in the distant (steampunk?) future. That will be fun to talk about once Roads comes out and we are able to discern some reader reaction to the story.

We've also issued ARCs to a couple of other authors as well. Hopefully we'll have more good news soon.