L.R. Lam's Blog, page 44

New Blurb, New Reviews, Giveaway Reminder!

I have things to report!

1. I received a beautiful blurb from Malinda Lo, author of Ash, Huntress, and newly-released Adaption. She says:

“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

I am tickled pink, as I really enjoyed Ash and have Huntress and Adaption firmly on my TBR list.

2. I’ve received some equally lovely early reviews on two blogs in addition to the review I linked to in my last post. Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm says: “The atmosphere of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is everything that I have been missing in other circus reads of late . . . It’s a brave book and one that deserves to be read by a wide audience.”

Joanne of Once Upon a Bookcase says: “For both characters, Pantomime is very much about being true to yourself, and working out just exactly who that is. It’s about fighting against being pigeon-holed – especially when you, a square peg, are being forced into a round hole. These characters are brilliant, and they’re unlike any other characters I’ve read before . . . Pantomime is not only an amazing story, but an important one . . . [Micah and Gene's] is a story that needs to be told, and that everyone should read. A completely eye-opening, enthralling debut.”

Words can’t even express how beautiful I find those reviews.

3. Lastly, the Goodreads giveaway ends tomorrow. For a chance to win 1 of 3 copies of an ARC of Pantomime, please go here. As of this posting, 2,200 people have entered. And all I can say to that is WOW!

Yeah, I’m pinching myself.

A Farewell to Pantomime

Today I had my first review of my book from someone I didn’t really know. It’s another milestone—and phew, it was a very lovely review! But it made me realise that my time of more or less controlling my readers is now at an end. Not everyone is going to leave a glowing review—and that’s perfectly fine. ARCs have gone out on their merry way. I have no idea who has them, unless they’ve tweeted me a photo. I’ll be on Netgalley in a few weeks. And in less than 4 months, anyone who wants to can get a hold of my book and start reading.

It’s something I’ve dreamed of, but it’s also a little strange. Obviously, I’ll get used to it, but it’s that initial disconnect. I spent so long on those words, that if you plucked out a quote I would be able to tell you what chapter it’s in. I’ve read it 20 or more times. It’s the first book I finished and submitted and soon it’ll be out in the world.

And it’s amazing!

It also feels like a farewell. I’m letting go. The book will now stand on its own. It will mean very different things to readers than it means to me. I’m done editing that book, and though I’ve flipped through my ARC, I’ll never be reading it again with the intent to change anything, unless I proof it one more time. Now, I’m focusing on the sequel, which I should finish the first draft of shortly. I’m also planning and poking at other books, books not set in Ellada or that star the same characters. Every book I write will be special to me, but Pantomime was my first love. I wrote it having absolutely no idea if it’d ever be published, where I had that innocence and burning, fierce hope that someone would like it enough to let it see the light of day.

So, off you go into the world, little Pantomime. Fly, me lovely!

Random Research: Gangnam Style Magic

This definitely qualifies as Random Research. Within 2 minutes of researching “famous magic illusions” to give me some ideas to work with for my last scene (!) of my rough draft of the sequel to Pantomime, I came across Gangnam Style Magic, with some sleight of hand. This amused me. So here you go.

From the Vaults: Synaesthesia Sestina

I took my first poetry class when I was 19. One of our assignments was to write a sestina, which, if you’re not familiar with, is a poem with six stanzas and a mini end-stanza called an envoi that have repeating endwords in a certain pattern. It’s a puzzle! Of words!

Anyway, I spent a lot of time on this one and loved it. I’ve been really fascinated by synaesthesia since I was 15 and first read The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester. I’ve written three sestinas (the other two are about eating disorders and a science fiction one about a prisoner on the moon…only slightly dissimilar topics), but this one might still be my favourite. I entered it into my university’s poetry contest and won second place and $100. Until my book deal this year, it was the only money I’d made from my writing.

I was looking at my Facebook from my author page to see how visible it looks to strangers (answer: more visible than I thought, SHOCK AND SURPRISE, Facebook and your sneakiness), and saw the post I made about it. I thought, since rather few people have that volume of Occam’s Razor, the university magazine it was published in, that I would put it up here.

I feel a bit nervous doing so. Poetry is subjective, and it was my first sestina. But I’m still very fond of it (read: please be nice). I also cheated and varied my end words. As long as it related to the sense, I could use it–e.g. sight/see, hear/sound, touch/feel. So here it is–the first bit of writing that was published and gave me hope that I’d have more published one day.

Synaesthesia Sestina

Laura Lam

I stand looking at the sea.

The feral roar of the surf is all I hear.

The sting of the bitter salt is the taste

of solitude. I reach out and touch

the breeze, its smell

bringing the subtle scent of roses.

Senses fracture. From the shards first rise

The five shades of sight.

Each color has a distinct scent;

red is apple blossoms. I turn and hear

orange explode across the horizon. I touch

fuzzy velvet violet and flavor

the five shadows of taste.

Light marches across the rows

of my taste buds. The touch

of flavors lets me see

into myself. I love the sound

of burnt sugar, like broken promises. I love the smell

of rain. Life is the scent

of chimney smoke. Its sweet and bitter taste

is acrid on the tongue. Here,

no one can smell the new rose

of the promises I make to myself by the sea.

I miss your touch,

I miss how it made me feel,

and how you smelled

always of coffee and dawn. Yet I saw

the texture of your fear. I could taste

it in the back of my throat, a burnt rose,

the lightning in your eyes all I could hear.

Now I no longer hear

any one. Silence touches

my world with soft fingers. I watch the sun rise

in a fury of music, sight, and smell,

the icy smoothness of serenity a taste

on the air. By the sea,

I can hear the sights and see the sounds,

I can feel the taste and taste the touch,

and I can sense the scent of honey in the shadow of the rose.

Dunottar Castle

My work had an outing, where we hiked through the woods in Stonehaven, visited Dunnottar Castle, and then came back for dinner in the village. It was a gorgeous day and I took some pictures. Dunnottar Castle is one of the first castles I visited when I came to Scotland over the summer of 2005, and it’s still one of my favourites. It’s in ruins, and its starkness makes it feel more real and historic compared to some of the castles that are frozen in the Victorian era.

Yes, I realise my photography skills are not the greatest. The horizon is definitely not level in a couple of these photos.

Click to view slideshow.

The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by the loverly Kim Curran to do The Next Big thing meme that’s been making the rounds. It was a lot harder than I thought it’d be!

What is the working title of your book?

Pantomime

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I started a book with an adult Micah Grey, but was having trouble writing such a jaded, adult character and a mystery. I decided to write a short story about my character’s teenage years in a circus. I tapped into that voice right away and fell in love with the story.

What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult/Fantasy/Gaslight Fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is really hard!

For Gene, Saoirse Ronan:

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Aenea: Anna Popplewell

For Drystan: Maybe Alex Pettyfer. (Note: have not actually seen him act in anything)

Ringmaster of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic: Javier Bardem, though he needs a bushy, waxed mustache and a pudgy belly. I think he’d be great at capturing Bil’s character.

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What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A daughter of a noble family and a runaway trapeze artist in R.H. Ragona’s Circus of magic have a secret that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

15 months. :-X I didn’t write consistently and worked on other projects as well.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Oh, man. This is hard. Take one part Water for Elephants, add Alanna from Tamora Pierce’s books, and swirl together with a secondary Victoriana world with some Scott Lynchian elements. I guess that sort of works.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Smooshing together a lot of my favourite interests and settings, and celebrating diversity in YA in a hopefully non-preachy manner. (It is diverse, despite how white-centric the main cast is, unfortunately. At that time period of the world, there wasn’t as much immigration between islands of the Archipelago due to strained tensions between them.)

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

In addition to the usual thrills of a circus, I have a possible phantom, a clockwork head, some kissing, crossdressing galore, and a pantomime play interwoven throughout the circus in iambic pentameter.

And I now duly tag:

Wesley Chu, my book brother, author of The Lives of Tao (Angry Robot, May 2013)

One of the new members of Anxious Appliances, Steven Poore, currently waiting in the Open Door trenches for the verdict on Heir to the North.

Ingrid Jonach, contender for sweetest girl alive and book-with-the-coolest-title, author of When The World Was Flat (And We Were In Love), (Strange Chemistry in 2013).

Books Read in September

1. Poltergeeks – Sean Cummings (YA, fantasy, witches, strange chemistry)

2. Harpy’s Flight – Megan Lindholm (fantasy, harpies, revenge, favourite)

3. Shades of Milk and Honey – Mary Robinette Kowal (fantasy, regency, glamour, magic)

4. Art and Artifice: And Other Essays of Illusion – Jim Steinmeyer (nonfiction, magic, essays, book research)

5. Seven Wonders – Adam Christopher (science fiction, superheroes)

6. The Wingsingers – Megan Lindholm (fantasy, wizards, favourite)

Totals this year:

68 books

22,066 pages

One of the Best Feelings in the World…

Yesterday, my editor posted this photograph:

 

Today, I get to post this photo:

 

Lastly, I’m on a Waiting on Wednesday post at Breathe in Books where Krista says Pantomime sounds like a cross between The Night Circus and Daughter of Smoke and Bone!

Pantomime giveaways!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Book Smugglers are giving away two international ARCs of Pantomime right over here.

Also, we’re having a giveaway of three copies of Pantomime on Goodreads as well!

In other writing news, I’m pushing on to the ending of the sequel to Pantomime. Getting close to having my first draft completed! It’ll need a fair amount of editing, but I have stopped to step back and reassess a few times during the draft, so I’m hoping the editing won’t be too drastic.

Final Pantomime Cover Reveal & Tour!

The final cover artwork has landed and is out in the world:

I absolutely adore the typography and the ticket stub/circus poster peeking from the top to show my name (my name!) and my title (my title!). I think it works really well and is so striking.

The cover has been making the rounds today. I’ve collected the links below.

The first unveiling was at the infamous Book Smugglers. They’re one of my favourite blogs and I’ve been following them for about 6 months. They are also running a giveaway for two ARCs of Pantomime! So please go over and enter if you’re interested in winning an advance peek at my book.

Tor.com have also unveiled the cover and put up a two chapter excerpt! This was another bit of awesome–I’ve been following their blog for years.

Cuddlebuggery put up three alternate covers for Pantomime. I dunno, what do you think about them? Did I miss out by not going to them first?

A beautiful reveal at Leo Cristea’s blog, who interviewed me for Fantasy Faction. I beamed from ear to ear when I read it.

Cover reveal at Jana’s blog The Book Goddess.

The lovely Memory, who was one of my beloved beta readers, has unveiled the cover at her blog, Stella Matutina.

Cover reveal at Sharon M Johnson’s blog!

Daphne over at Winged Reviews also reveals the cover!

Catherine at CallieachsDevoir says lovely things about the cover here.

And last but not least, Kaye over at Paper Reader shows off my cover.

If anyone else puts up a cover reveal, send a mention to @LR_Lam or drop me a line on my contact page and I’ll put the link up on this entry.

People have been saying lovely things about the cover. A huge thank you to Tom Bagshaw, a truly talented artist, my editor Amanda Rutter for the spot-on art brief, and Marc Gascoigne for the gorgeous lettering.

Goodreads now has the little cover image on it, hooray! It’s also been added to the Amanda Rutter’s Pinterest for Strange Chemistry cover art, and if you’d like to repin it and help spread the word that way, I’d be very grateful.

Hokay, link salad complete. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered for this cover reveal and for all the sweet things you’ve said about the cover. I am a-okay if you decide to judge my book by this cover, as I think it’s one of the most beautiful book covers ever. (I am a little biased. But only a little).