L.R. Lam's Blog, page 2
February 5, 2021
Upcoming Events with K.B. Wagers & Becky Chambers!
Ahoy! Life in lockdown continues.
On the 19th, I’m in conversation with K.B. Wagers as we talk space over on Orbit’s Crowdcast! Can’t wait–K.B has become a buddy on Twitter so it’ll be nice to speak with actual voices. Grab a ticket!
On the 24th, I’m interviewing the one and only Becky Chambers (!) for Waterstones. I’m so excited, as she’s one of my favourite authors ever. Will I end up blubbering at her? Tune in to find out.
Lastly, if you’d like to see more updates from me, a reminder that I have a Patreon! It’s basically pay-what-you-can during the pandemic, so access loads of info, writing prompts, WIP snippets, and more from $1 a month.
December 31, 2020
Looking Back, Looking Forward: 2020 to 2021
Well, that year’s over. And what a weird one.
We all, globally, had a weird one. In late January, I emailed my Wildfire editor, Ella, a news article about this thing called coronavirus, going ‘haha, how strange, it’s like in Goldilocks.’ I didn’t think much of it the next few days, thinking it would be better contained like swine or bird flu. Like everyone, I saw it spread like the opening sequence of the film Contagion, and we all side-stepped into a strange not-quite-post-apocalyptic novel. I watched the Charlie Brooker 2020 satire the other day, and realised 1. his job was very easy to satirize this year; he barely had to do anything and 2. time has gone strange. Trump was impeached this year? This year? There are also a few hopeful things: Trump didn’t get re-elected, and we’re at least not careering into No Deal Brexit tomorrow. A vaccine gives us a glimmer of hope that 2021 will see a dip in cases and deaths.
I was in many ways insulated from the worst of it–my job lecturing at Napier simply moved online (‘simply’ L says, hollowly), and obviously I can write at home even if I would prefer to write in coffee shops (and I did risk writing in a few when the cases were lower).
This was very much a ‘it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,’ writing-career wise, for me. I had two books come out in lockdown, and I’m sure that affected things, and there’s no way to know how much. At one point, I was going to have a mini book tour, but that all fell apart. But there are still many positives to take away from it–Goldilocks was critically acclaimed and got two starred reviews, and ended up on a few Best of 2020 Lists, including Kirkus and School Library Journal, who were the same ones who gave the stars. Seven Devils (with Elizabeth May) also had good reviews and was a freaking Sunday Times Bestseller for a week (!), which was definitely a plot twist, and also got on the Waterstones best SFF list of the year and a starred School Library Journal. Seven Devils was in an Illumicrate box and Goldilocks was the first GSSF box for Goldsboro. A few neat things happened behind the scenes, along with some setbacks. Overall, I think my career is in a better place than it was a couple of years ago and people seem to be enjoying my work. I’m very grateful for that. After a rocky couple of mental and physical health years, I was actually pretty sound this year, despite everything burning around us, so I’ll take that, too.
Writing-wise, here’s what I worked on this year:
Seven Devils: We did a smaller line edit, then copy edits, then proofing. And then launched!
Seven Devils 2: We did a proto terrible zero draft of around 50k, condensed that into a 26k outline that would actually make sense to other people, and sent that to our editors to make sure the overall shape of the book was on the right track. We then wrote a 140k draft that didn’t entirely embarrass us in about 2.5 months, and turned that in a few days ago. Good gravy, we’re tired.
I did two drafts of a fantasy partial, but had written the original draft of that at the end of 2019. More news on that. . . at some point!
After a nearly two year hiatus, I decided that when the world was burning was a great time to pick up the most emotionally harrowing book I will ever write, which is the semi-autobiographical novel based on my family history (Family Book). I edited the first 35k I had written in 2018 and got to the end of a first draft (95k), and then re-edited the first 20k or so to a place I’m happy with. I did a lot of research for it, including a deep dive into my genealogy, with some interesting results. I also took Part 1 of an Experimental Memoir class with Tawnya Renelle while thinking about this project–I really recommend her classes! They’re affordable and I learned loads, and she has a wonderful warm and informal teaching style. I also hired her for some mentoring on the opening of Family Book.
I edited a short story or two, and thought up a few ideas for more. I did a mini partial at the very start of the year that didn’t go anywhere, but I started turning it into a screenplay for a TV show pilot. I lost steam/other deadlines became more pressing, but I would like to get back to it at some point, as I found the process interesting.
I kept up with my Patreon pretty well, though I was a bit inconsistent with the writing prompts.
Hobbies:
I read about 80 books (you can see them here). I don’t do ‘best of’ lists as it just hits me in the anxiety. I also watched a lot of TV. Like a lot. I fell deep into a Lucifer hole, and Halt and Catch Fire was another favourite discovered this year. I’m currently re-watching Bones. I’m sure I watched a decent amount of films, but can’t really recall any of them in the blur of the year.
I inconsistently did art. I also did a fair amount of French on Duolingo, set Netflix to have subtitles in French, and also did a little bit of Spanish and Italian.
2021:
It feels like tempting fate to make too many plans for 2021, as who knows what’s going to happen. COVID is still raging, the UK is the epicenter of the more infectious strain. While we avoided No Deal, Brexit is still gonna Brexit. But here’s what I’m hoping to do:
Writing:
Edit Seven Devils 2: We’ll have to do a structural (hopefully nothing too major) edit, a line edit, copyedits, and proofing. I think it’s still coming out in August. We have a cover and a title, which we will hopefully reveal soon!
Edit Family Book. I plan to take part 2 of Tawnya’s experimental memoir course. I also, very happily, got funding from Creative Scotland to get more mentoring on it from a former colleague, Sam Boyce. I’m really not rushing this book. I’m taking my time and working on it in between other things.
Write the fantasy book. There are a few worldbuilding/character/plot things I’m re-imagining, so I’m sort of starting over at the beginning again as of tomorrow, but with a good plan of where I’m going. I’m really excited for this one. While I love SF, I’ve missed fantasy, and this has so much of what I love in fantasy. If you want more details and behind the scenes, I give regular updates and sometimes WIP snippets on this and Family Book on my Patreon.
Brainstorm a co-written fantasy, probably later in the year.
Maybe screenplay stuff? Maybe a novella? Who knows. The above is probably more than enough. Writing faster isn’t necessarily writing better, which I need to remember.
Teaching:
I’m delivering Authorship as a weekly instead of bi-weekly class, so I’ll be beefing that up significantly at Napier. We’ll still be online until September, at least. Very strange that I won’t meet any of my students in person this year, probably!
Hobbies & Miscellaneous:
My main one is to take a day off every week, ON PURPOSE, no matter how busy I am. It’ll usually be Sundays, but I have some flexibility here.
Launch CYOTOPIA!
Do art more regularly.
Limit time on social media, the perennial goal.
Read 75 books.
Keep up exercise, which is a pretty ingrained habit by this point. No set goals though, just whatever feels good. It’s usually buddy PT once a week, a lot of walking, and some yoga. Drink more water, slightly cool it on the constant sugar.
Stop pressing snooze every 10 minutes for an hour and just get up.
December 3, 2020
Awards Eligibility 2020: Goldilocks & Seven Devils
It’s that time of year, and I haven’t been able to write one of these in a while. But these are the books I published this year that would be eligible for SFF awards like the Hugo or Nebula, etc. As 2020 has been such a weird year to launch a book, getting visibility next year through any award long or shortlists would be amazing. So if you enjoyed either of these and you’re someone who nominates, I’d love for you to consider the following.
Goldilocks (US: Orbit; UK: Wildfire)
This is The Martian by way of The Handmaid’s Tale – a bold and thought-provoking new high-concept thriller
Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation.
It’s humanity’s last hope for survival, and Naomi, Valerie’s surrogate daughter and the ship’s botanist, has been waiting her whole life for an opportunity like this – to step out of Valerie’s shadow and really make a difference.
But when things start going wrong on the ship, Naomi starts to suspect that someone on board is concealing a terrible secret – and realises time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they feared . . .
Genre: near future science fiction
Some Accolades:
Starred Kirkus & School Library Journal reviews (and was also on both of their Best Books of 2020 lists)
Waterstones called me a “bold and visionary talent,” which is pretty neat.
Chuck Wendig: “The end of our world is well-trod territory for science fiction but Goldilocks tackles it with startling relevance, fusing together our social and political anxieties in a tense, taut adventure with rich characterisation and care. It’s Interstellar’s brain with Handmaid’s Tale’s heart.”
Book Riot: “If The Martian and The Handmaid’s Tale had a book baby, this feminist environmental sci-fi thriller would be the incredible result.”
The best worst review: The Times: “Earth is dying, men are awful [ . . . ] the sort of reading-group title that finds most favour among people who get angry on Facebook and once read a Margaret Atwood novel.”
Bummers:
US/UK hardback and UK paperback came out during lockdown (the UK paperback came out one week before the recent 4 week lockdown in England)
Seven Devils (US: DAW; UK: Gollancz), co-written with Elizabeth May
This first book in a feminist space opera duology follows seven resistance fighters who will free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire–or die trying.
When Eris faked her death, she thought she had left her old life as the heir to the galaxy’s most ruthless empire behind. But her recruitment by the Novantaen Resistance, an organization opposed to the empire’s voracious expansion, throws her right back into the fray.
Eris has been assigned a new mission: to infiltrate a spaceship ferrying deadly cargo and return the intelligence gathered to the Resistance. But her partner for the mission, mechanic and hotshot pilot Cloelia, bears an old grudge against Eris, making an already difficult infiltration even more complicated.
When they find the ship, they discover more than they bargained for: three fugitives with firsthand knowledge of the corrupt empire’s inner workings.
Together, these women possess the knowledge and capabilities to bring the empire to its knees. But the clock is ticking: the new heir to the empire plans to disrupt a peace summit with the only remaining alien empire, ensuring the empire’s continued expansion. If they can find a way to stop him, they will save the galaxy. If they can’t, millions may die.
Genre: space opera
Some Accolades:
It was a Sunday Times Bestseller (#5!)
The Guardian: “Star Wars recast for the modern age.”
A July Illumicrate pick!
Included in the Waterstones SFF Fiction 2020 Roundup
The best-worst review: SFX: “It’s just a space opera with occasional lesbian snogging. [ . . . ] It’s also a good, old-fashioned space romp where the girls get to have some fun.”
Bummer:
Also a pandemic release, obviously, but hey, the bookstores were open in August!
–
Thanks very much. And of course, a last mention that these would make excellent gifts for friends and family! *hopeful smile*
I have a few titles I’m thinking of nominating myself, but I need to catch up on 2020 releases over the holidays! I really fell behind as my reading mojo has taken a hit in the second half of the year. Hoping to read The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, The City We Became by N.K. Jemsin, and more. Feel free to rec some of your favourite adult SFF releases.
November 11, 2020
#SignForOurBookshops – How to get personalised signed bookplates or copies of my work for the holidays!
A few days ago on social media I announced I’m part of the #signforourbookshops initiative, started by Holly Bourne. You can read more about it here.
TLDR version: Order any of my books from The Portobello Bookshop, Transreal Fiction, or any Edinburgh-based indie bookshop, really, and you can received a personalised signed copy. For shops that I can’t walk to, you can get a signed bookplate from places like Portal Bookshop. I’m also happy to send signed bookplates to any indie bookstore that would like some–simply get in touch with me via the contact form. My books would make lovely holiday presents, obviously. *eyelash flutter*
My books:
Seven Devils (note: probably just signed by me, not Elizabeth, though I might see her at the end of November depending on travel restrictions and therefore could potentially get her to sign some if so): Mad Max Fury Road in Space. Murdery female-centered Star Wars. Found family. It was a Sunday Times Bestseller for one whole week and I’ll never shut up about it. Got a School Library Journal starred review.
Goldilocks: The Martian by way of Handmaid’s tale. Introspective character-led thriller that asks what it means to save a planet. Lots of science and pretty descriptions of the cosmos. Got Kirkus and School Library Journal starred reviews and people said nice things about it.
False Hearts & Shattered Minds: Near future thrillers. FH = Inception meets Orphan Black. SM = female Dexter with a drug problem. Set in a future where climate chance has been solved but utopia is not-so-secretly a surveillance state.
Pantomime, Shadowplay, Masquerade: Queer magic circus fantasy with an intersex protagonist. More found family. Stage magic. Real magic. Coming of age.
As Laura Ambrose: the Romancing the Page print collection. F/F romance set in the world of publishing, with a lot of in-jokes. Sweet, sexy, and fun. My most light-hearted work.
I can also send you a bookplate direct if you send proof of purchase to lauralamauthor@gmail.com, but I may ask for 65p via Paypal to help cover postage because otherwise the stamp pretty much negates all of the royalty, because that’s publishing, and my writing income has gone down quite a lot this year because of COVID and other factors. If I send to a store it means I can mail several at once, etc.
This is valid for any UK bookstore aside from that Online Website Named After a Large River. I’ll also send abroad if you wish, but will again ask for shipping assistance!
I wanted to do what little I could to help support bookstores at the tail end of a very weird year. Thank you 
October 29, 2020
Goldilocks UK Paperback & Two Upcoming Online Events
Hello! Long time no post. For more regular updates, craft posts, and WIP snippets, check out my Patreon!
Anyway, today is the UK paperback launch of Goldilocks. It came out in spring in the first lockdown, and now it’s autumn and the cusp of the second lockdown. As ever, it’s you, the readers, who can do so much to help spread the word. Tell a buddy who you think might enjoy introspective space thrillers about how to save a dying planet. Post a short review on Amazon/GR/other retailer if you’ve read it. It’s a grim, too-prescient novel in some ways, that has only grown more so, but I try to inject it with hope and the promise of a better future as well. I worked so hard on this book and I’m quite proud of it, really, so I’d love for it to find some new readers and I hope they connect with the universe I created within the pages.
Cover copy if you haven’t come across it before:
The Earth is in environmental collapse. The future of humanity hangs in the balance. But a team of women are preparing to save it. Even if they’ll need to steal a spaceship to do it.
Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation.
The team is humanity’s last hope for survival, and Valerie has gathered the best women for the mission: an ace pilot who is one of the only astronauts ever to have gone to Mars; a brilliant engineer tasked with keeping the ship fully operational; and an experienced doctor to keep the crew alive. And then there’s Naomi Lovelace, Valerie’s surrogate daughter and the ship’s botanist, who has been waiting her whole life for an opportunity to step out of Valerie’s shadow and make a difference.
The problem is that they’re not the authorized crew, even if Valerie was the one to fully plan the voyage. When their mission is stolen from them, they steal the ship bound for the new planet.
But when things start going wrong on board, Naomi begins to suspect that someone is concealing a terrible secret — and realizes time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they feared . . .
The Martian by way of Handmaid’s Tale. For fans of The Power, Station Eleven & Vox.
It received starred Kirkus and School Library Reviews and got some nice reviews and author blurbs. Here’s one:
“The end of our world is well-trod territory for science fiction but Goldilocks tackles it with startling relevance, fusing together our social and political anxieties in a tense, taut adventure with rich characterisation and care. It’s Interstellar’s brain with Handmaid’s Tale’s heart.”
— Chuck Wendig, author of Wanderers
You can get signed copies from pretty much every Edinburgh-based bookstore, as I’m going around to them all on Saturday. If you’re quick, I can probably personalise them for you. I’m going to:
Waterstones Princes St / West End
It’s almost like a mini book tour–in one city! #lockdownlife
I have two upcoming online events:
SFX Magazine and Topping Bath present stellar names in science fiction, who will be discussing their visions for the future on Wednesday 4th November, marking the publication of multi-million-copies bestseller Peter F Hamilton’s new book The Saints of Salvation.
Chaired by Jonathan Wright, Peter is joined on this free panel by Stephen Baxter (World Engines: Creator) and Laura Lam (Seven Devils).
Sign up now for a discussion about their new books; why we need science fiction more than ever in the current climate; what could a “better” future look like and how do we get there; predictions for the world 100+ years from now; and the panellists’ views on Utopian fiction.
Join Laura Lam on YouTube, in conversation with Sister Carmen Eileen from The Order of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of queer activist drag nuns who contribute to community events, protests, and charities worldwide, and fight for a better future for all LGBTQ+ people. We’ll discuss the inspiration for Seven Devils, the continuing popularity of LGBTQ+ literature, why marginalised representation matters, and whether the future really is queer.
Described as “Mad Max: Fury Road in space” and “a space opera with occasional lesbian snogging”, Seven Devils follows seven resistance fighters who will free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire or die trying. It’s a thrilling, fast-paced feminist adventure with a diverse cast of queer characters, in a messy but hopeful future; definitely relatable in 2020!
Hope to see you there!
August 28, 2020
Upcoming Seven Devils Events
Hello! Elizabeth May and I have a few events coming up for Seven Devils (which also hit the Sunday Times bestseller list, by the way! I yelled about it on social media, Patreon, and my newsletter but hadn’t gotten around to mentioning it on here).
Instagram live with Illumicrate, hosted by Daphne!
When: September 1st, 9 pm BST (UK) / 4 pm EST (US)
Where: https://www.instagram.com/illumicrate/
Fountain Bookstore event!
When: September 5th, 2 pm EST / 7 pm BST
Where: Crowdcast
Tickets & more–you can either buy the book, or it’s $5 if you’re not buying the book. Help support an independent bookstore in Virginia!
Looking forward to the events & hope to see you there.
L x
August 5, 2020
Seven Devils US Release Day!
So proof that US launch day was overwhelming: I drafted this and forgot to press publish! So pretend this went live yesterday.
Aaaaand, it’s finally heeeeere! It’s been a long and winding road since Elizabeth and I started daydreaming up this story in 2015, after Elizabeth had an actual dream that we wrote a book together.
Like Goldilocks and so many other books this year, Seven Devils is being released in the middle of the pandemic. Bookstores are open, in the UK at least, and the supply chain is hopefully a little less disrupted than it was back in late April/early May. But it’s still really hard to launch a book, especially now that we’re competing with big titles that were pushed back a few months due to said pandemic.
So your help via early sales, reviews, telling someone about it, and generally spreading the word is very, very appreciated. There’s so much pressure on first week sales and so ordering now really does help. And it’s my actual birthday too–I turn 32 today. The best present would be you buying a copy and hopefully falling for our devils.
A reminder that on August 6th at 7 pm BST, we will be having a virtual launch party for Seven Devils! It’ll be Elizabeth’s first ever virtual event, whoohoo! It’ll be chaired by Eris Young.
Cover copy:
This first book in a feminist space opera duology follows seven resistance fighters who will free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire–or die trying.
When Eris faked her death, she thought she had left her old life as the heir to the galaxy’s most ruthless empire behind. But her recruitment by the Novantaen Resistance, an organization opposed to the empire’s voracious expansion, throws her right back into the fray.
Eris has been assigned a new mission: to infiltrate a spaceship ferrying deadly cargo and return the intelligence gathered to the Resistance. But her partner for the mission, mechanic and hotshot pilot Cloelia, bears an old grudge against Eris, making an already difficult infiltration even more complicated.
When they find the ship, they discover more than they bargained for: three fugitives with firsthand knowledge of the corrupt empire’s inner workings.
Together, these women possess the knowledge and capabilities to bring the empire to its knees. But the clock is ticking: the new heir to the empire plans to disrupt a peace summit with the only remaining alien empire, ensuring the empire’s continued expansion. If they can find a way to stop him, they will save the galaxy. If they can’t, millions may die.
Listen to the Seven Devils playlist!
Purchase (US):
Apple Books / Indiebound / Hive / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository / Bookshop
Purchase (UK):
Transreal Books (signed copy) / Waterstones / Foyles / Amazon / Blackwells
It’s available on Audble UK & US
There are also lots of amazing queers in space books releasing today: Check out:
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
July 29, 2020
Seven Devils Virtual Launch via Cymera Festival!
In 8 days, we will be having a virtual launch party for Seven Devils! It’ll be Elizabeth’s first ever virtual event, whoohoo! It’ll be chaired by Eris Young.
August 6th, 7 pm BST.
‘Mad Max meets Firefly in this glorious space opera … rarely have we been more excited for a book, and it did not disappoint!’ – Cymera Festival
Registration is free and available here. Below it you can also catch my science panel with the scientists who helped me with Goldilocks!
Check out this thread on Twitter, where Elizabeth is introducing everyone to our Seven Devils, day by day!
GOOD MORNING! We’re a week from SEVEN DEVILS hitting shelves, and @LR_Lam and I will be spending seven days introducing you to our seven lead characters! They’re all pictured on the US cover below!
(Art by Dan Dos Santos, design by Katie Anderson) pic.twitter.com/KLz3dOj4cb
— Elizabeth May (@_ElizabethMay) July 28, 2020
And another slightly desperate plea to please consider pre-ordering if it’s within your financial means to do so. Launching during a pandemic continues to not be the easiest.
Here are some assorted purchase links:
Purchase (US):
Apple Books / Indiebound / Hive / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository / Bookshop
Purchase (UK):
Transreal Books (signed copy) / Waterstones / Foyles / Amazon / Blackwells
Goldsboro signed first edition
July 27, 2020
Worldcon NZ Schedule
I’ll be at virtual Worldcon over the next few days! Here’s my schedule:
July 29th, 2020
Representing the Other
Programming – Programme Room 1 (Webinar)
19:00 NZST – 19:50 NZST (8 am BST) | 50 minutes
Fellow panelists: Dr. Bradford Lyau (M), Brandon O’Brien (FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction), Cliona Shakespeare, Prema Arasu (University of Western Australia), Laura Lam (me!)
July 31st, 2020
Magic Systems in Fantasy
Programming – Programme Room 4 (Webinar)
16:00 NZST – 16:50 NZST (5 am BST)| 50 minutes
Panelists: Laura Lam (M), Jennifer Mace, Sarah Beth Durst, Garth Nix, Maiya Ibrahim
Is Cyberpunk Mainstream Now?
Programming – Programme Room 2 (Webinar)
18:00 NZST – 18:50 NZST (7 am BST)| 50 minutes
Panelists: PR K (M), Professor Edward James, Laura Lam, Takayuki Tatsumi (Keio University), Eli K. P. William
July 14, 2020
3 Weeks until Seven Devils: Read the First 3 Chapters!
Not long at all until Seven Devils is out…seems like it’s snuck up on us fast!
Gollancz has made it so the first 3 chapters are free to read. You can download them via this tweet.
This is also a reminder to please consider pre-ordering if this book seems like your cup of tea. Elizabeth and I worked so hard on it. It’s out in THREE WEEKS!
Perhaps reading about a group of women trying to take down an evil tyrannical empire will be cathartic for you. Dunno why.
And a reminder if you’d like more women in space before then and haven’t gotten around the Goldilocks yet, then it is of course still available.
Thanks and hope everyone is well.
