L.R. Lam's Blog, page 12

Pantomime & Shadowplay are Kindle Daily Deals

I’ve put this all over other social media but not here.

For today only, Pantomime & Shadowplay are 99p (or comparable prices) on Kindle! That means 200k of fiction for less than a latte. Plus if you manage to get Masquerade on Netgalley, that’s 300k for still £1.98. Nae bad.

You can read most of the first 6 chapters here if you want a flavour of what it’s like. It’s basically an intersex, genderfluid, bisexual teen joining a magic queer circus and getting into adventure & trouble.

Help spreading the word greatly appreciated, since it’s just for today!

Masquerade is on Netgalley!

So I knew this was coming, but now it’s here I’m still like o_O.

Masquerade is now up on NetGalley so librarians, booksellers, and reviewers can download it to their e-reading device of choice.

Anyone who’s followed the Micah Grey series knows it’s had a weird journey. Some book reviewers have been waiting for the next one since late 2013, but I thank readers for their patience.

I hope it lives up to your expectations.

The book can be added on Goodreads. I made a picture review. It’s also up for pre-order and in the next week I’ll be running a pre-order incentive, so save that receipt if you buy one!

Cover copy:

The gifted hide their talents, but dare they step into the light?

Micah’s Chimaera powers are growing, until his dark visions overwhelm him. Drystan is forced to take him to Dr Pozzi, to save his life. But can they really trust the doctor, especially when a close friend is revealed to be his spy?

Meanwhile, violent unrest is sweeping the country, as anti-royalist factions fight to be heard. Then three chimaera are attacked, after revealing their existence with the monarchy’s blessing – and the struggle becomes personal. A small sect decimated the chimaera in ancient times and nearly destroyed the world. Now they’ve re-emerged to spread terror once more. Micah will discover a royal secret, which draws him into the heart of the conflict. And he and his friends must risk everything to finally bring peace to their land.

 

OK, going to go stress eat some biscuits now…

Belated 2016 Writing Update

My monthly roundups are getting later and later…

Writing:

In December I wrote 7,613 words of fiction and 7,479 of nonfiction for a total of 14,052 words. I had the end of the trimester and then family visiting over the holidays, so that affected word counts. I ended up taking 2 solid weeks off over Christmas. I’m not sure the last time I actually took that amount of time away from writing (where I wasn’t also moving, like in October). It was needed, as I was worn down, but not writing also makes me cranky. That month I worked on Memory Book and Space Book, and half of the nonfiction was my essay for Nasty Women, which is up to almost £16k (with an initial goal of £6k) on Kickstarter!

Yearly total:

Between fiction and nonfiction, I wrote a total of 261,589 words. Of that, 196,559 was fiction. Almost all of that was prose, though some was brainstorming and planning, which I consider just as important. Despite that word count, I technically didn’t finish a new novel-length project, though, which I’m a little sad about, as I was working across so many different things.

Projects worked on:

Tiny bit of planning of time travel book (might write it in 2017 now)

Memory Book (about 40k, in off and on spurts)

Significantly editing Masquerade (I tended to 1/2 or 1/3 the word count of edits, depending on severity of changes)

Significantly editing Shattered Minds (ditto)

Space Book (40kish between the two of us, but we had to take a break over spring/summer)

Short story: “Creatures of Celebrity” (tie-in Shattered Minds story)

Short story: “Wolf Teeth” (alien wolves in Norway after the apocalypse, currently on sub)

Proofing Pantomime

Proofing Shadowplay

So it’s an interesting year in that I worked on pretty much all my books except for False Hearts (though I launched that!).

Plans for 2017:

I had a few off months and a lot of instability in 2016, so I’m hoping that 2017 leads to a more regular routine. With luck, I won’t be moving, or at least not moving between cities, and my husband as a job as of yesterday, so that takes away some financial stress.

2016 was a year of edits, and 2017 is going to be a year of first drafts (and then more edits). I plan to finish a draft of Memory Book by February, and a draft of Space Book with Elizabeth over the next few weeks (ideally), and then it’ll be re-outlining and editing. I have some other book ideas as well that I might make a start on, but I doubt I’ll finish in 2017.

Travel & Life:

I didn’t go anywhere in December except up to Aberdeen for Christmas. With my mother, brother, and brother’s girlfriend here, though, I was an Edinburgh tourist and ended up doing things I’ve been meaning to do since moving!

This year I was able to travel a fair amount: Mauritius, Copenhagen, and Skye were the biggest trips, plus some travel to London and Glasgow for book events.

This year I’ll be going to France for a writing retreat in May and Helsinki in August for Worldcon. I’ll also probably be going back to California at some point late in the summer. Plus as I was writing this, I had an invite to go to an international con! More details soon.

Other than that, I’ll be launching Masquerade & Shattered Minds, teaching at Napier still and doing some freelance visits and settling into life in Edinburgh more. Despite the looming fear of the apocalypse, I’m looking forward to 2017.

I’ll leave you with this cool opening title sequence a reader, Callum, made for False Hearts as directed by David Lynch.

 

The Inevitable Awards Eligibility Post

It is that time again!

This year I published:

False Hearts, in June 2016. It’s a sci fi thriller, and eligible for things like:

The Hugo Award

The Locus Award

The Nebula Award

Maybe the Tiptree? It looks at bodily autonomy through the conjoined twins aspects, but it’s up to readers if they think it’s challenging traditional gender/sexuality roles enough to be considered.

Plenty of other awards are listed here! 

Like pretty much every author ever, it feels a bit awkward to jump up and say “yes, hello, I wrote this thing, please nominate for awards?” but a lot of us push through. Don’t ask; don’t get. Getting on awards longlists or shortlists is so good for visibility, and can result in renewed bookstore presence and more reads and sales, which is always a good thing.

So if you read and enjoyed False Hearts, I’d really appreciate a nomination if you’re active in those circles. So many great books have been released in 2016, so of course, consider nominating those as well!

I haven’t kept up with 2016 releases as much as I wanted to, but I’ll be spending the next few months trying to catch up before I cast my vote in March for the Hugos before going off to Helsinki in August!

2017: Year of the Nasty Women

I meant to post this a few days ago, but better later than never!

Last month, I had my first nonfiction piece commissioned by a new, independent publisher in Edinburgh, 404 Ink. They’re launching a nonfiction anthology called Nasty Women (best name or best name?) about being a woman in the 21st century.

My piece is about keeping family history alive, and how my mom and I are researching the previous two generations of “nasty women” we’re descended from. I wrote most of the essay but my mom closely edited and added input. We’re planning to write a book about them some day (my first non-spec-fic!), so this is a good way to take a peek at what’s to come!

Since 404 ink is a small publisher just starting out, they Kickstarted the anthology, aiming for a goal of £6k. It funded in less than 3 days, and now they’re almost at £9k! It’s been backed by the likes of Margaret Atwood (!), Nikesh Shukla (of The Good Immigrant fame), Louise O’Neill (author of Only Ever Yours and Asking for it), and more!

Also, it’s beautifully designed!

Here’s more about the book:

404 Ink are Kickstarting Nasty Women: a non-fiction book collection on being a woman in the 21st century. People, politics, pressure, punk – we publish 8th March, International Women’s Day, 2017.

With intolerance and inequality increasingly normalised by the day, it’s more important than ever for women to share their experiences. We must hold the truth to account in the midst of sensationalism and international political turmoil. Nasty Women is a collection of essays, interviews and accounts on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century.

Who are Nasty Women?

We are. You might be too. We were flooded with submissions for this book on this theme and we are in awe of the real stories we’ll be publishing in these pages for you from a host of incredible women.

From working class experience to sexual assault, being an immigrant, divides in Trump’s America, Brexit, pregnancy, contraception, Repeal the 8th, identity, family, finding a voice, punk, role models, fetishisation, power – this timely book covers a range of experiences that is sure to strike a chord in readers.

The contributors are:

Alice Tarbuck, Anna Cosgrave, Becca Inglis, Chitra Ramaswamy, Christina Neuwirth, Claire Heuchan, Elise Hines, Jen McGregor, Joelle Owusu, Jona Kottler, Kaite Welsh, Katie Muriel, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! (in conversation with Sasha de Buyl-Pisco), Laura Lam, Laura Waddell, Mel Reeve, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Ren Aldridge of Petrol Girls, Rowan C. Clarke, Sim Bajwa, and Zeba Talkhani.

The link to the Kickstarter is here!

 

Books Read in December and a 2016 Reading Roundup

During the last month of the year I read:

1. The Secret History – Donna Tartt

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last – inexorably – into evil.

2. Wintersong – S Jae Jones (I blurbed it!)

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

3. Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction – Jeff Vandermeer

This all-new definitive guide to writing imaginative fiction takes a completely novel approach and fully exploits the visual nature of fantasy through original drawings, maps, renderings, and exercises to create a spectacularly beautiful and inspiring object. Employing an accessible, example-rich approach, Wonderbook energizes and motivates while also providing practical, nuts-and-bolts information needed to improve as a writer. Aimed at aspiring and intermediate-level writers, Wonderbook includes helpful sidebars and essays from some of the biggest names in fantasy today, such as George R. R. Martin, Lev Grossman, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Catherynne M. Valente, and Karen Joy Fowler, to name a few.

4. Still Midnight (Alex Morrow #1) – Denise Mina

Armed men invade a family home, shouting for a man nobody’s heard of. As DS Morrow tries to uncover one family’s secrets, she must protect her own.

5. Ancillary Justice – Ann Leckie

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren – a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Total: 5

Yearly Total: 100!

That was my goal, and I was bang on target.

My goal this year was to diversify my reading. I specifically tried to read more authors of colour, and I think nearly a third of the books I read were. Could have been better, but it’s a vast improvement on previous years. I also read more queer authors and female writers. Many of the books I read had cats of different backgrounds, abilities, and sexualities. Near the end of the year I decided to try and work in some more books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, because why not. I read widely across genres and ticked off some books I’ve been meaning to read for years!

I’m setting my goal for 100 books again next year, but teaching and increasing my writing goals means I might not make it. I’ll keep working to read diversely as it’s become a habit now, and I feel my reading experience has only become the richer for it.

Selected recommended reads:

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

Kindred – Octavia Butler

One – Sarah Crossan

Before I Go to Sleep – SJ Watson

The Winner’s Kiss – Marie Rutowski

Masks and Shadows – Stephanie Burgis

Cam Girl – Elliot Wake

Borderline – Mishell Baker

The Long Way to a Small Angry Plant & A Closed And Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Courtney Milan’s work – she was my go-to comfort read this year. The Countess Conspiracy was my favourite.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertalli

Blame – Simon Mayo

Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo

Fingersmith – Sarah Waters

Saga – Brian K. Vaughan

The Seafarer’s Kiss – Julia Ember

An Accident of Stars – Foz Meadows

The Fallen Kingdom – Elizabeth May

Wintersong – S Jae Jones

Ancillary Justice – Ann Leckie

What are your reading goals this year?

 

From The Circus Tent to the Magician’s Stage

Since Shadowplay is back out, I’m reposting some of the older articles I did in the original blog tour. This is a post from Feeling Fictional, who also recently reviewed False Hearts!

In retrospect, it was risky to change settings between one book and the next, but that’s what happened with this series. In Pantomime, most of the book is set in R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic, the most magical circus in Ellada – or so it claims to be. Rising from seedy beginnings, it’s become one of the biggest traveling circuses in the country. My main character, Micah Grey, joins the circus after eavesdropping on the performers and works his way up from the lowest rung of the ladder—basically cleaning up after the elephants and nearly having his hand chewed off by the big cats—to one of the circus’s rising stars. But, for reasons I won’t go into for then we go into spoiler territory, Micah Grey leaves the circus. The second book, Shadowplay, is set in the Kymri Theatre, a grand, dilapidated building which is home to one shamed magician unable to practice his craft: Jasper Maske.

Read the rest of the article and look at the photos on Feeling Fictional.

Ten Questions about Shadowplay

Since Shadowplay is back out, I’m reposting some of the older posts I did in the original blog tour. This is a snippet from a guest post on Chuck Wendig’s blog, Terrible Minds.

–

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

I’m Laura. I’m 25 [note: I’m now 28]. I write books and stuff. I used to live in California then for some stupid reason (love) I moved to the cold, frozen land of Scotland.

GIVE US THE 140-CHARACTER STORY PITCH:

Sequel to PANTOMIME. Contains: mystery glass domes, creepy doctors, a clockwork hand, an AI ghost, romance, séances & an illusionist duel.

Read the rest at Terrible Minds!

Also check out the rest of his blog if you haven’t already–it’s an excellent collection of writing advice, general thoughts on publishing/politics/parenting, and contains many creative swear words. Check out his books, too! I really enjoyed Zer0es and have many others on that teetering TBR list.

A Brief History of Ellada and its Colonies by Professor Caed Cedar

Shadowplay is back out, so I’m re-sharing some older posts from the blog tour in 2014.

A Brief History of Ellada and its Colonies

By Professor Caed Cedar, Royal Snakewood University

(Author’s note: Professor Caed Cedar was a renowned historian of Ellada and its Colonies. Extracts of his many works appear occasionally in the quotes at the beginning of each chapter of the books)

Ellada was not always the great empire of the Archipelago. It used to be weak, lacking little in natural resources. Then, they discovered vast caches of Vestige in caves and caverns peppered through the land. Vestige, or these remnants of technology or magic from the long-vanished Alder, were thought to be mythical. Ellada used this Vestige to rise and lead the other countries of the Archipelago, who, though they had more natural resources, had far less Vestige.

Read the rest at The YA Sisterhood Blog, where the post first appeared.

A Few Things

You can order signed, personalised copies of my books worldwide through Transreal Books in Edinburgh. Shipping costs vary by country.
I’m part of a fundraiser for Booknest where me and 99 other fantasy authors are offering up signed books for Doctors without Borders. I’m donating a copy of Pantomime. £1 = 1 entry. Here’s more info!