L.R. Lam's Blog, page 19

Supporting #ownvoices

Corinne Duyvis is running a giveaway to help bolster #ownvoices books.

 

You can learn more about how to enter at Corinne’s site. You have a chance to win a bunch of amazing books for participating.

Essentially, it’s to encourage reviews of #ownvoices work on retailer sites. #ownvoices are books written by “a marginalized/diverse protagonist written by someone who shares that identity. It’s useful shorthand, and a great way to share or ask for such recommendations.” While of course all authors should try to write diversely, people writing about their own experiences, through the lens of fiction, is very important and should be supported. I could write a POC lead, but I could never actually know what it’s like to grow up under systemic racism, for instance, no matter how much research I do. Here’s a little more about #ownvoices.

I’ve been trying to read more diversely the last few years, but even with concentrated effort, it’s hard. So I’m going to be posting some reviews before leap year, and keep it up after that. Book reviews on vendor sites are very important–once a book has a set number of reviews, people browsing are more likely to take a chance on it and pick it up. Algorithms start picking it up and recommending it to more people. Maybe it will be chosen for promotions such as the Deal of the Day. All of it’s really important.

(I hesitate to mention this, but I identify as bisexual, so Pantomime and Shadowplay are #ownvoices, though I’m not intersex or genderfluid. Writing Pantomime–and False Hearts–helped figure out my sexuality, but that’s a post for another day. I’m always desperate for more reviews, so if you would like to leave one on a vendor site, I would appreciate it so much).

Some #ownvoices books I’ve read recently I plan to review over the next few weeks: Ariah by B.R. Sanders, Otherbound & On the Edge of Gone (when it’s released) by Corinne Duyvis, Ash, Adaption & Inheritance by Malinda Lo, More Than This by Patrick Ness, Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, and more. I might not get to all of them, but I’ll try. I’ll definitely try to review any #ownvoices I read before Leap Day, too.

My reviewing is rusty; I had a tiny book blog for a few years, but since I’ve been an author I’ve stepped away from it. I only plan to review books I enjoy. But I’m looking forward to it.

Need some recommendations and not sure where to start?

Goodreads list of trans SFF written by trans authors. (though it has Jim Hines on it, who I don’t think is trans, so it might not be super accurate)

Goodreads list of middle grade, young adult, and new adult #ownvoices books

Dahlia Adler has a list of #ownvoices books for disability and neurodiversity

Check out the twitter hashtag

Happy reading and reviewing!

Monthly Roundup: December 2015

And 2015 is gone. Here’s my progress this month:

Books Read: 

1. Faithful Place – Tana French

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin’s inner city, and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and Rosie Daly were all ready to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.

But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn’t show. Frank took it for granted that she’d dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

2. The Book of Dreams and Ghosts – Andrew Lang

A summary of dreams and ghosts and many stories of their appearances throughout the UK.

3. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of Psychopaths Among Us – Robert D. Hare

Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society’s rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centered, remorseless, and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets–and they do not always ply their trade by killing. Presenting a compelling portrait of these dangerous men and women based on 25 years of distinguished scientific research, Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition.

4. More Than This – Patrick Ness

A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies.

Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.

How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?

As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

5. Far From You – Tess Sharpe

Nine months. Two weeks. Six days.

That’s how long recovering addict Sophie’s been drug-free. Four months ago her best friend, Mina, died in what everyone believes was a drug deal gone wrong – a deal they think Sophie set up. Only Sophie knows the truth. She and Mina shared a secret, but there was no drug deal. Mina was deliberately murdered.

Forced into rehab for an addiction she’d already beaten, Sophie’s finally out and on the trail of the killer—but can she track them down before they come for her?

6. The Wolf Princess – Cathryn Constable

Alone in the world, Sophie dreams of being someone special, but she could never have imagined this.

On a school trip to Russia, Sophie and her two friends find themselves on the wrong train. They are rescued by the beautiful Princess Anna Volkonskaya, who takes them to her winter palace and mesmerises them with stories of lost diamonds and a tragic past. But as night falls and wolves prowl, Sophie discovers more than dreams in the crumbling palace of secrets.

7. My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories – Stephanie Perkins and others

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year’s there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

Total: 75 books

Writing:

I ended up falling off the calendar sticker method I was using (from Victoria Schwab’s method) because I was finding it harder to keep exact track of what I was doing. So I switched back to a boring Excel spreadsheet. I was away the first week of December in Belgium and London and I actually took a few days off for Christmas (whut?). I also had a week where I wasn’t quite ill but felt like I was almost fighting something off, and that impacted productivity too. I wrote about 17,500 words of fiction and 3,700 of nonfiction (blogging, etc), for a total of 21,200 words or 683 words per day.

This month I played around with Shiny Project, which is now nearly half done, planned and started a novella, planned and started a thriller (though I think it’s gone back on hold to percolate a bit longer), and finally started Betwixt Book after planning it off and on the last few months. I’m bouncing around a lot at the moment. Since I turned in my option book, I’m out of contract, sort of–I still have two books to edit, copyedit, and proof. But I’m not really sure what to draft next, hence the floundering.

Travel & Life:

December started with the last day in Belgium (I wrote a short post with some photos of Belgium here) and a horrific case of food poisoning, which I don’t recommend. On the 1st, I was meant to fly from Brussels back to Aberdeen, spend the night, and fly back down to London the next morning because I’d had to book the flights separately. I felt so very ill when I got to London for the layover that I went to the British Airways desk and asked if there was any way I could just get off there and still take my return to Aberdeen on the 6th. Luckily, I had a very nice guy at the desk and I was able to go to my friend Kim Curran’s instead of suffering through a 4 hour layover and way too much extra travel on far too little sleep and food.

I went to my United Talent Agency’s Christmas party on the 2nd. I still wasn’t feeling that well. I looked pretty great though–I was staying with Emma Trevayne that night, and since I hadn’t gone home to pick up my planned outfit, she let me raid her closet and wear a pair of her amazing Fluevog shoes. It was a nice evening–Juliet Mushens’ other clients are all so lovely and it’s always fun to see them. I also was able to meet the other literary agent, Diana Beaumont, and her equally nice clients. I did end up having to kneel on a chair when the shoes started hurting.

With Jen Williams & Den Patrick (photo credit: Juliet Mushens)

I was 6’4″ in these shoes. It was awesome.

I stayed in London a few more days, bouncing around with Emma & Kim and seeing a few other author and publishing people and doing touristy things. Once I got back, I had to flump for a bit to recover as travelling while not feeling the best is twice as exhausting. The rest of the month I stayed at home, working on stuff, seeing a couple of friends now and again, doing my Christmas shopping, dragging myself to the gym a couple of times, but mainly just hermiting. When the weather’s cold, under my duvet with my cats, a book and a cup of tea is the best. I always get Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and this year’s has been a bit worse than usual. I haven’t had as much energy and just want to sleep all the time. I should use my artificial sunlight lamp more (those things do actually work).

I’m glad that slowly the days will be getting longer and warmer. Onward to 2016!

A Brief Round up of 2015 & Looking Forward to 2016

First, a shoutout to Bhavya for helping me with the lovely banners on the homepage. They look wonderful!

2015 is almost gone and it’ll be time to ring in 2016.

Life:

2015 was a good year, in most respects–the first year without a day job, where I could just create. Well, and do half of a masters degree and a few school visits. Still. The first year without a 9-5 office job. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that forever, but I really appreciated having a brief break. I got to travel a lot, going to Hong Kong, the Isle of Skye, California (twice, for 7 weeks in total), Edinburgh and London a few times, Glasgow, and Belgium. I got to see my family and friends a lot. My health was great. My fitness improved. I had a much better work-life balance. I went to the gym, cooked, cleaned more. Saw friends without feeling guilty that I wasn’t writing instead. I feel very lucky for this year.

It was also sad. I lost my dad in March, and grief ended up tingeing the whole year, affecting me in unexpected ways. Most of the time, I function just fine, but I still miss him a lot and I always will. My brother Ian found a bunch of old recordings my dad had and digitised them, including a song of him singing about love. Though the song made me cry a lot, it also means that now I’ll always be able to open it up and hear my dad say “I love you.” I also had to realise that, no matter what, I’m an anxious person, even when everything is going pretty well. I could win the lottery and have the most perfect life possible, and I might still get panic attacks. It’s not situational; it’s me. I’m still searching for better ways of coping with that and being more mindful, but at the moment, it’s manageable.

Reading:

I read 75 books this year (plus beta read at least 6 more). Here’s a few book/series favourites:

Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb. I’m dying to know what happens next! I love the Fitz and the Fool, Bree, Shun–everyone. Can never talk rationally about these books.
More Than This by Patrick Ness. Just read this and it was fantastic. It’s better if you go into it knowing nothing.
Ariah by B.R. Sanders. Out through a smaller press, Sanders deserves wider recognition for her work. This was a great fantasy book about relationships and coming into your own. Lots of queer and polyamorous characters.
Far From You by Tess Sharpe. A tightly-plotted thriller with a bisexual, drug addict main character. An emotional punch to the gut.
The first three Dublin Murder crime books by Tana French. One of my favourite new authors I’ve picked up this year. I also really love her approach of writing each book as a standalone, but a secondary character in one becomes the protagonist of the next.
The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I’d read the first one when it came out but devoured all three in quick successful. Russian-inspired fantasy with lush worldbuilding and an excellent cast of characters.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. Beautifully written and just fantastic. Touches on similar themes to David Mitchell’s work.
The District Ballet Company books by Katherine Locke. Ballet romance, like Center Stage or Stage Beauty but better. One character is in recovery for an eating disorder and the other lost a leg, so it looks at both mental health and physical disability very delicately. Plus, the romance is so sweet.
On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis. This is out next year and you won’t want to miss it. Has an autistic, half-Dutch and half-Surinamese girl. The earth is dying and everyone needs to leave–but not everyone has a space.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. I read this in a fevered few days during a pretty hard time. It was the perfect escapist fantasy I needed.
In Case of Emergency by Courtney Moreno. My favourite of the books I judged for the Bisexual Book award, about a bisexual EMT and her relationships.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. The thriller that everyone has read, but I raced through it and enjoyed it thoroughly.
The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski. The sequel to The Winner’s Curse. One of my favourite ongoing fantasy series. It’s secondary but has no magic, and takes a very good look at power play in politics and slavery.
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan. A beautiful, lyrical book about a circus that travels around on a ship. The sea levels have raised so high that land is scarce. Sort of like Pantomime meets Waterworld, if you’ll excuse me using my own book as a comp title.
The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. Older fantasy about a spoiled girl who falls for an android and also finds herself and what she believes in. Really enjoyed it.

Writing:

I realised recently that 2015 was a year where I worked on basically every single one of my books in some way. This year I:

Finished drafting Shattered Minds (the option book after False Hearts) & edited it twice (about 70,000 words)
Did a big structural edit on Masquerade as a result of beta feedback (about 45,000 words)
Did a slightly smaller but still significant structural and line edit on False Hearts, plus copyedits and proofing (25,000 words, maybe)
Wrote two short stories: “Wolf Teeth” and “Through the Eyes of the Bluebird”; hoping to have news on these soon (10,000 words)
Re-proofed and did minor textual changes on both Pantomime & Shadowplay for the re-release (minimal word count changes).
I’m halfway through a collaborative book (around 25,000 words written by me)
Did a lot of research and just barely (re-)started Betwixt Book (3,000 words)
Have done some initial planning and the start of another thriller (4,000 words)
Have played around with a sample for a novella (5,000 words)

Total: 187,000 words, plus a fair amount of editing and massaging plenty of other prose. That’s definitely a bump up from previous years, where I had to juggle the day job. I also tried to be pretty good about blogging and had a fair amount of admin. So a decently busy year, but way less overwhelming than past years and busier with doing my dream job.

Next year:

I always try to make realistic resolutions rather than setting myself up for failure. I am being a bit ambitious this time, though.

Life:

Focus better on things. If I’m watching a film I should watch. the. film. Not half-watch it while puttering around on the internet and then barely remember what happened. Read without my phone within constant reach. Stop mindlessly switching between social media sites because I’m bored or anxious, but rather because I want to be there. I’m also going to try doing social media free Sundays. I feel much more grounded when I unplug for a bit.

Don’t Google myself or search my name on social media. I’ve even asked a friend to do it for me and send through nice reviews, so they’ll come my way. This ties into not caring as much what people think. I liked writing False Hearts. I’m proud of it. It’s not perfect; no book is. Negative reviews are fine, but I’ll be a lot better off not reading them.

Keep going to the gym and eating pretty well. I had plenty of gaps, such as when I was travelling, but on the whole the food I ate was healthier, I cooked more, and I ate a lot more fruits and vegetables. I went vegetarian again in April and don’t regret it, even if Quorn gets a bit tiring sometimes. Also: I plan to eat slower. I tend to gobble my food rather than slow down and enjoy it. I want to do some more weight lifting this year, too.

Try to relax more and do more mindfulness activities. I got three colouring books for Christmas, so I’ll try and meditate and let my mind go blank when I do them. I’m also taking an art class starting in January. I used to love doing art but it slipped the last few years. I’m also learning languages via Duolingo.

Overall, though, I’m really looking forward to 2016. False Hearts will be released, and Pantomime & Shadowplay will be re-released in paperback. I’ll probably cut down a bit on travel. I have some other potential plans, though I have no ideas which will actually end up happening. Much better than feeling I have no potential plans!

Reading:

I’ve been reading 75-80 books for the last few years, but this year I’m going to try and bump it up to 100 again, which I used to hit with ease. I’m going to try and read more diversely, especially PoC authors, but I’m not going to make my goals too specific. Reading is what I do to relax–if I put too much pressure on what I feel I “should” read versus what I fancy at the time, it can become something that makes me anxious rather than gives pleasure.

Writing:

I plan to finish my projects currently on the go; the collab, the novella, Betwixt Book (which is a book close to my heart I’ve been trying to get right for awhile), and at least make a start on another thriller. I’ll also have edits on Masquerade and Shattered Minds this year, plus copyediting and proofing. That’ll be more than enough to keep me going!

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their 2015 and 2016 treats you well.

Ten Snaps: Belgium

Ten snaps is a series where I choose my favourite photos from somewhere I’ve been. I recently (well, a month ago…) went on a trip to Ghent, Bruges & Brussels with my mom after she flew out for my graduation.

Bruges

Bruges

Bruges

My mom looking over a map at breakfast. We stayed in a converted monastery in Gent!

Street art in Gent. Google translate says it means “wait a little bit for me.”

Gent

Gent

St. Michael’s Bridge in Gent

Gent as seen from the Belfry

A merry go round in Brussels

The trip was lovely. We had very good luck in the two Airbnb places we stayed–our hosts were so nice and welcoming. Most of our time was spent in Gent, with one day each in Bruges (where I got to meet some online friends, Anya and Bram, for the first time!) and Brussels. Brussels didn’t treat us well–my mom and I both got food poisoning our last night, so that was less fun. There was still a fair amount of military presence, too. The lockdown had ceased, but all was still very quiet. Overall though, it was a lot of food, drinking a lot of beer, wandering around museums and old buildings, and me occasionally trying to speak French to people (I know zero Dutch).

Bonus photo: drinking some Kwak beer in Bruges

For more photos, check out my Instagram.

New Website + Recent Links

I’ve already made a post on my old site, but I have moved over to lauralam.co.uk properly now! I really like the new theme and look forward to fully settling in over the holidays. I’m glad it’s finally all in working order. Importing the blog entries was such a pain! Thanks yet again to Emma Maree for helping me out. So please have a look around. If you notice anything looks a little off, please let me know.

A few other bits and bobs:

I was on the Herald Scotland a few weeks ago with a few other authors, telling the nerdy story of how I met Craig through my books: Last Night, a Book Saved my Life.

False Hearts was highlighted on SFX as an exciting 2016 release, so that was cool. My friend Erin Brown sent me the photos. Proofs are going to arrive soon (probably after Christmas now, is my guess), so that means people will be reading it over the next few months, oh man.

I moved The Vestigial Tales over to Smashwords and other retailers again, as being exclusive on Amazon wasn’t doing anything–I didn’t have enough reads through Amazon Unlimited to merit cutting it off from so many other avenues. Prices are a bit cheaper as the royalty amount doesn’t shift as dramatically as Amazon’s does for lower prices. I do still have them set as reader sets the price on Smashwords too. So, if you’re really broke, download them for free with my blessing. If you’re not really broke, please consider paying the recommended price or thereabouts.

I was interviewed on the Chouett blog about Micah Grey’s re-release. Virginie might also be doing a Micah Grey readalong in March 2016, so stay tuned!

New Website!

I’ve been saying for the last few years that I’ll get around to moving my site from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. I kept playing around with templates on here but couldn’t get all the features I wanted.

Someone on Twitter I didn’t know with the same name as me was complaining about me not using it as a “proper domain” (in a sort of rude way but whatever–that’s what I get for searching my own name on Twitter). It did end up being the impetus I needed to finally sort out my website, at least, especially as I’m on a break between deadlines. So now–a new look! I’ll be leaving all my old entries up here for searchability, but there will no longer be any updates on this site.

Go on over to lauralam.co.uk to see the new site!

Note: In a little while, I’ll ask WordPress to move my subscribers from here to the new domain. So you can either resubscribe or wait a little while. Thanks, subscribers!

It’s not totally finished–I plan to make some more banners for the home slider (read: ask Craig very nicely to help me make some more banners–or if anyone’s bored and fancies a small project, let me know and I can repay you with some e-copies of Vestigial Tales or maybe a False Hearts proof?). I’ll add a FAQ at some point, too. Otherwise, though, it’s pretty much ready to go. Giant thanks to Emma Maree, who helped me figure things out, as I was having a really hard time getting everything to work properly. If not for her, I might have given up and abandoned the whole endeavour!

If you come across any dead links or anything, feel free to let me know. I really like the new theme and how customizable it’ll be down the line if I want to give it a bit of a different look with each release.  Going to the library and seeing all my book covers makes me happy.

So, goodbye old website. You’ve served me well for the past 3+ years. I started it right before I went to my first ever convention, and a few months before I got my first writing contract. Goodbye, old WordPress!

Monthly Roundup: November 2015

Books Read:

1. Five Go Glamping – Liz Tipping

Glamping Check list

Festival tickets

Double check best Instagram filter

Avoid thinking about work/Connor/five year plan!!

A four day break from her hectic life to relax in the countryside and hang out at a local festival (for free!) is just what Fiona Delaney needs. With her best friends, great tunes and a cool looking hat her Instagram shots are going to look A-Mazing!

Until suddenly glamping starts to feel a lot more like camping and Fiona’s in desperate search of a comfy chair, wi-fi and a chilled glass of wine. But when she finally makes it to the local pub she discovers this trip could be more than just a holiday, it might just change her life forever…

2. Lagoon – Nnedi Okorafor

When a massive object crashes into the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous and legendary city, three people wandering along Bar Beach (Adaora, the marine biologist- Anthony, the rapper famous throughout Africa- Agu, the troubled soldier) find themselves running a race against time to save the country they love and the world itself… from itself. Lagoon expertly juggles multiple points of view and crisscrossing narratives with prose that is at once propulsive and poetic, combining everything from superhero comics to Nigerian mythology to tie together a story about a city consuming itself.

At its heart a story about humanity at the crossroads between the past, present, and future, Lagoon touches on political and philosophical issues in the rich tradition of the very best science fiction, and ultimately asks us to consider the things that bind us together – and the things that make us human.

‘There was no time to flee. No time to turn. No time to shriek. And there was no pain. It was like being thrown into the stars.’

3. Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales – Gordon Jarvie

This is a collection of Scottish fairy tales, folk tales and legends, which have been passed on from generation to generation, and have been brought together in this one volume.

4. Ariah – B.R. Sanders

Ariah’s magical training has been interrupted. Forced to rely on a mentor, Dirva, who is not who he claims to be, and a teacher who is foreign and powerful, Ariah is drawn into a culture wholly different from the elven one that raised him.

As his friendship with Dirva’s brother blossoms into a surprising romance, and he slowly learns how to control the dangerous magic in his blood, life finally appears to be coming together for Ariah—but love and security are cut short by a tyrannical military empire bent on expanding its borders.

War, betrayal, passion, and confusion follow Ariah as his perilous journey leads him beyond the walls of the Empire, and into unfamiliar territory within himself. Along the way, he’ll discover just how much he’s willing to give up to find his place in the world, and he’ll learn what it means to sacrifice himself for freedom—and for love.

5. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Elizabeth Gilbert

Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magiccracks open a world of wonder and joy.

6. An Anthology of Scottish Fantasy Literature – Colin Manlove

Presenting traditional fairy tales, dream allegories, travels, other worlds and ghost stories, this collection includes the supernatural works of such writers as Robert Burns, James Macpherson, R.L. Stevenson, James Hogg, J.M. Barrie, Alasdair Gray, George Mackay Brown and Iain Banks.

7. The Vagrant – Peter Newman

The Vagrant is his name. He has no other. Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate, war-torn landscape, carrying nothing but a kit-bag, a legendary sword and a baby. His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the sword, the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war. But the Shining City is far away and the world is a very dangerous place.

Total: 66

Plus I beta read a short novel for a friend.

Writing:

This month was sort of the anti-NaNoWriMo; I did very little drafting. I integrated two rounds of beta comments and then sent Shattered Minds to my agent, Juliet. While waiting, I did some more research and plotting for Betwixt Book, and fleshed out another thriller idea (guess it still needs a nickname. Memory Book, maybe). Shiny Project progressed from around 20% of the first draft done to 30%. Juliet’s notes came back, and I integrated those comments, plus another couple of beta notes, and sent Shattered Minds off to my editor, Bella! I did it! It was a difficult book to write, but so far people seem to enjoy it, so that’s a relief.

Travel & Life:

At the beginning of the month, I took a day trip to Glasgow to see Dianna Walla, teenage friend and illustrator of the Vestigial Tales covers! She was in town seeing her family and family friends, so we wandered around the city and caught up, and it was just one of those days you wish you could bottle and go back to, it was so nice. Dianna’s currently in Norway doing a Masters in Linguistics, so one of these days I’ll have to pop over to see her.

Near the end of the month, my mom flew out for my Masters graduation! I now have an MLitt in Creative Writing. I didn’t write much about the masters on here; I enjoyed it well enough but I’m not sure if, long-term, it’ll really help my career much. Maybe I should have done an MFA instead. But, hey, another piece of paper!

After that, my mom and I flew out to Belgium. It was a weird trip because at first we were a bit nervous to go to Brussels because of the lockdown. We even tried to see if we could cancel and just stay in Scotland instead, but we sort of had to go when the airline wouldn’t change. I’m glad we went, in the end, as it was, if anything, probably safer there than anywhere else at the moment. We spent most of our time in Ghent and Brugges, with only a day in Brussels. I’ll do a travel roundup at some point.

Goals for Next Month:

I have some admin to do; catch up on my tax spreadsheet, and it’s long overdue that I rejig my website and make it a little slicker. I’ll also play around with drafting Betwixt Book, Shiny Project, and Memory Book. I’m someone who can split my attention between drafting, and I’m not really sure which one to focus on the most, so I’ll dip my toes into all of them. As I’ve turned in my last book that’s under a deadline, I’m in that strange sort of limbo when I want to work but am aware I can’t approach my publisher for another contract until my first book is out and they have sales figures. Yet I’m also not someone to rest on my laurels–next year will have a lot of promo and a few edits to tackle, so I might as well take advantage of my weeks at home in my wee flat as winter grows stronger outside.

Pantomime & Shadowplay are BACK in ebook!

Yay! After 11 months, Pantomime & Shadowplay, the first two books in the Micah Grey series, are back in ebook through their new publisher, UK Tor. Pantomime‘s £2.99 or basically the price of a latte!

If you’ve read Pantomime but not Shadowplay, here’s a roundup of the plot of book 1 if you want to refresh your memory.

Please consider spreading the word about these books–it’d mean the world to me. Strong e-book sales would really help in terms of print runs for the paperbacks (out in the UK next year in November & December), or maybe help other publishers come on board, and all that good stuff. Reviews on sites like Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, Barnes & Noble–all also worth their weight in gold. There’s only so much I can yell about my own books without feeling like a shill, so word-of-mouth from readers who liked these books is so very greatly appreciated.

About the books!

PANTOMIME

Gaslight fantasy set in the circus.

E-book re-release: December 3, 2015

Paperback re-release: Late 2016

Originally published in 2013 by Strange Chemistry Books.

In a land of lost wonders, the past is stirring once more.

Gene’s life resembles a debutante’s dream. Yet she hides a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female. Then she displays unwanted magical abilities – last seen in mysterious beings from an almost-forgotten age. Matters escalate further when her parents plan a devastating betrayal, so she flees home, dressed as a boy.

The city beyond contains glowing glass relics from a lost civilization. They call to her, but she wants freedom, not mysteries. So, reinvented as ‘Micah Grey’, Gene joins the circus. As an aerialist, she discovers the joy of flight – but the circus has a dark side. She’s also plagued by visions foretelling danger. A storm is howling in from the past, but will she heed its roar?

Purchase:

Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Booksamillion / Waterstones / Fishpond / iBooks

Praise for Pantomime:

“Pantomime by Laura Lam took me into a detailed and exotic world, peopled by characters that I’d love to be friends with . . . and some I’d never want to cross paths with.”

– Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer trilogy

“Pantomime is a fantastical, richly drawn, poignant take on a classic coming-of-age story . . . a vibrant tale told with surety and grace.”

– Leigh Bardugo, author of the Grisha trilogy & Six of Crows

“Set in a vividly imagined world with wonderful steampunk touches, Pantomime is a fable-like story as beautifully unique as its main character.”

– Malinda Lo, author of Ash, Huntress, and Adaption

 

SHADOWPLAY

Gaslight fantasy set on the magician’s stage. The sequel to Pantomime. YA Fantasy.

This book will be re-released by Tor UK December 3, 2015 in e-book, with paperbacks to follow starting late 2016!

Originally released in 2014 by Strange Chemistry.

Don’t quite remember all the plot points of Pantomime? I wrote a “Previously, on Pantomime” summary!

Old magics are waking. But will the world survive their return?

Micah Grey almost died when he fled the circus with Drystan – now he and the ex-clown seek to outrun disaster. Drystan persuades his old friend Jasper Maske, a once-renowned magician, to take them in. But when he agrees to teach them his trade, Maske is challenged to the ultimate high-stakes duel by his embittered arch-nemesis.

Micah must perfect his skills of illusion, while navigating a tender new love. An investigator is also hunting the person he once seemed to be – a noble family’s runaway daughter. As the duel draws near, Micah increasingly suffers from visions showing him real magic and future terrors. Events that broke the ancient world are being replayed. But can Micah’s latent powers influence this deadly pattern?

Purchase:

Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Booksamillion / Waterstones / Fishpond / iBooks

My Favourite Authors – Robin Hobb

Laura Lam:

All of this. Read Hobb if you haven’t already. Thank me later. ;-)

Originally posted on Panoply:

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post ever since I started this blog series. I’m not sure I can convey what Robin Hobb means to me as an author. She’s my all-time favourite writer. She’s my greatest influence. Her stories pull me in and shake me up like no others. I have a circle of wonderful friends I wouldn’t have without her books. I’ve met her twice, and have five of her books signed. Her stories are magic… beyond compare in scope, depth, and intricacy.

And nothing about that paragraph does justice to how I feel about her work. The only way I know to share that feeling is to get people to read her books. But I started this blog series knowing she was top of the list… so here goes.

I received Assassin’s Apprentice from my best friend for my 18th birthday. I’d never…

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The Grey of Gender

In the build up to the ebook re-release of Pantomime & Shadowplay on December 3rd (they are available for pre-order), I am reposting some of the articles I wrote in 2012/2013 for the initial blog tours.

Content note: genital surgery. 

Before writing Pantomime &Shadowplay, I was interested in gender, but now I’m passionate about it. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I was always surrounded by different sexualities, races, abilities, and gender presentation. But for all of that, when I decided to write about a character who fell between genders, I knew I needed to learn more. I am always consciously aware that, as a cis-gendered woman, I am very much an outsider looking in, and my goal is to tread carefully and with respect. I’m not sure I always succeed, but I do always try.

I read a few books on gender theory, and then started researching intersex especially. What I found made me cry. I had no idea that babies a few days old were operated upon to make their genitals look “more normal,” even though that can take away a lot of sensation and, of course, the doctors half a 50/50 chance of choosing the sex that the child’s gender identity won’t identify with. I didn’t realise that a lot of the time, those surgeries can later have complications, resulting in many other surgeries.

Read the read on the Uncorked Thoughts blog.