Rabia Gale's Blog, page 16

Brave: not your average coming-of-age story

I sat down to watch Brave with few expectations. All I knew about the storyline was that there was a red-headed girl… and archery… and Scotland… mysterious standing stones… and a bear?

Ten minutes into the movie, I thought I had its number. It was obviously going to be a girl runs off to have adventures denied to her because she’s female, and saves the day movie. Maybe with a dose of …then she meets a handsome dude who’ll love her for who she is thrown in for good measure.

I was wrong (oh, you tricksy, tricksy movie!).

Merida does have adventures–and you can say she saves the day–but only after she messes up. The emotional core of the story is not a romance, but the relationship between mother and daughter. Merida’s growth as a character is not becoming the Warrior Woman Who Saves the Clans, but about recognizing her own part in her conflict with her mother.

I was delighted by this movie, which came at just the right time to dissipate some of my YA fiction fatigue. I’d gotten to the point where I’d drop a book like a hot potato when the dreaded words “but the hot new guy knows more than he’s telling” (and their variations) appeared in the blurb. I was tired of books with female protagonists surrounded by guys, with nary a meaningful relationship with another woman in sight. I didn’t like how parents disappeared off the face of the earth in most young adult fiction. And I was so over seeing martial prowess as the only type of strength worth aspiring to.

Brave tackles all of these in the best way possible. I almost cheered at the lack of hot dudes (really, most people do not meet Mr. Right in high school, or at the equivalent age). I was moved by the relationship between Merida and her mother–the clash of their strong wills, their inability to reach one other, the strength of their love underneath the hurt and guilt. I love how Merida’s mother shows her strength as queen, not with a sword in her hands, but with her words. I love how she can stop a brawl in her hall just by walking down the length of it. She shows Merida another kind of weapon to add to her arsenal (along with her archery prowess), just as Merida shows her mother that it’s okay to be a different kind of princess.

This was a refreshing addition to the coming-of-age genre. If you watched Brave, what did you think of it?

 

mourning cloak: cover reveal and giveaway

Ta-da!

(Isn’t she stunning?)

Kato Vorsok is a man deserted by his god. A failed hero living in exile, he wants nothing to do with his old life.

Until the night he encounters a wounded mourning cloak—a demon that can walk through walls, dissolve into mist, and spear a man’s heart with a fingernail.

She calls him by name. She knows his past. She needs his help.

 And she is his key to redemption.

Mourning Cloak is a science fantasy novella.

Expected Publication: January 21st, 2013

Formats: ebook

Mourning Cloak on Goodreads

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And, wait, there’s more! You can enter to win a grand prize of ALL 5 of my e-books, or one of 10 eARCS of Mourning Cloak.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Many thanks go out to Ravven, who created this awesome cover, to Kellie Sheridan for setting up the cover reveal on multiple blogs and organizing the giveaway, to my husband David for doing the e-book formatting, and to Jo Anderton and Robin Cornett for beta-reading.

saturday notes

At Linda Adams’ blog, I’m talking about  The Lone Woman: gender imbalance in the action/adventure genre.

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Kris Rusch’s post on writing like it’s 2009 talks about what it takes to build a writing career today. My takeaway: focus on production and quality, get my stories in front of readers, and be in it for the long haul.

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My books are now on Kobo!

Rainbird | Shattered | Unseen | Wired

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Rainbird is now on sale for $1.99–up till the end of January! And look, I even made a graphic:

Yes, I’m ludicrously excited about making this all by my lonesome. I have a tendency to go all deer-in-the-headlights when confronted by any sort of graphics program ever since a horrendous experience with Photoshop in college. Photoshop Elements is a LOT easier to deal with.

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Do you have any sales or new/upcoming releases? Tell us about them in the comments!

Friday Fun: Pacific Rim Trailer

Guys, guys! Have you seen this?

Alien invaders! Giant robots! *swoooon*

Now, story-wise this might be a pretty pathetic movie (*cough*Transformers*cough*), but I’d go just for the special effects. And the robots. Must not forget the robots.

via SF Signal

the christmas blues

Sometimes holidays are just hard.

You might be wound up so tight from stress that the smallest setback will snap you. Or you’re so overwhelmed with the the stuff you have to do that the days go by in a blur. Or you feel sad and lonely. Perhaps, this year, Christmas leaves you cold. In spite of the festive air, the cheery music, those perfect, smiling T.V. commercial families, it’s not a merry, calm, or joyful season for you at all.

Maybe you’re worried about money: your job hours have been cut or you just can’t make the dollars stretch as far as they used to. Maybe family conflict is stressing you out.

Or perhaps it’s because it’s so dark so early in the day. Or it’s too cold, or not cold enough. All you see outside the window is brown dreariness with no hope of magical, wonderful snow. Perhaps you moved after spending more than a decade in one place, and you’ve lost the rituals you’d built around where you lived.

Maybe it’s because you picked out the perfect gift for your child, only to have your order canceled because of a ‘technical difficulty’–and then find the item is out of stock everywhere else. And then you’re angry at yourself for getting all worked up over one stupid toy, and maybe you should go spend time with said child instead of being so wrapped up (ha! pun intended) in the finding of presents.

Maybe it’s because you’re not doing enough. You feel you *should* be decorating, instead of only thinking about dusting off the Nativity Set you got as a gift eons ago. And then you go look at decorating sites for ideas, only to get depressed again because you have neither the skill nor the inclination to do any of that–but still feel you ought to, for appearance’s sake. You feel you *should* bake holiday cookies even though you hate it or buy presents for your children’s teachers and the mailman and the guy who changes the oil in your car, because it’s expected.

Or you’re determined to focus on the “meaning of Christmas” but you forgot to get/make the Advent calendar and haven’t cracked the Christmas songbook yet this year. You’re determined to be content and cheerful, to pray and reflect, but that falls by the wayside ten minutes later when you’re confronted once again with the awesome Lego set you’d love to get your child but can’t afford, or the toddler breaks yet another ornament.

We try so hard to make Christmas perfect. And often all that does is make us tired, stressed, angry and sad.

When I get the Christmas blues, I know it’s time for me to slow down and step away, and keep things simple. To reflect on the gifts and blessings I already have, instead of focusing on my To-Do list. And learn to enjoy my imperfect Christmas.

weekend this and that

1. FableCroft Publishing announced the Table of Contents for their anthology, One Small Step: an anthology of discoveries. I am very excited that “Sand and Seawater”, co-written by Jo Anderton and me, is part of the lineup. This is our first collaboration and we’re so pleased it found a home.

2. The e-ARCs of Mourning Cloak are now available! If you’re a reviewer and would like a copy, go here to request one. Many thanks to Kellie Sheridan for setting this up. (Also, keep an eye out for a cover reveal coming up soon!)

Mourning Cloak

Kato Vorsok is a man deserted by his god. A failed hero living in exile, he wants nothing to do with his old life.

Until the night he encounters a wounded mourning cloak—a demon that can walk through walls, dissolve into mist, and spear a man’s heart with a fingernail.

She calls him by name. She knows his past. She needs his help.

 And she is his key to redemption.

Mourning Cloak is a 22,000-word science fantasy novella.

3. We got a tree yesterday, and it’s filling up the entire house with the spicy scent of fir. Now it really does feel like Christmas!

newsletter, plus friday fun video

1. I recently moved my email subscriber list from Feedburner to MailChimp. Let me know if you have any problems with the way the posts are showing up in your Inbox. And, as always, it’s easy to unsubscribe if you need to–and I promise never to share your email addresses or spam you in any way. You get no more than what you signed up for.

2. If you look at the sidebar on the right, you’ll find that you can now sign up for my newsletter. This is a low-frequency newsletter that goes out only when I have a new release, along with a Smashwords coupon code. I haven’t decided if I should do any newsletter-exclusive content–maybe a free short story once in a (very great) while? What do you think? What do you like in an author newsletter?

Once again, I respect your privacy and will never share your email address with any other person or entity, or spam you.

3. Check out this fan-made parody trailer of a non-existent Magic School Bus movie. Carlos, Dorothy Ann, Arnold and the rest have grown up and moved on from their crazy adventures with Miss Frizzle.

But the Magic School Bus has one last field trip in store for them…

The Next Big Thing

Many of you have seen the Next Big Thing meme going around, in which we writers hold forth on our latest books (either works-in-progress or newly-released). Thanks to Jo Anderton, who tagged me, you can find out more about (one of) my newest project(s)!

1. What is the working title of your next book?

The working—and final—title of my novella is Mourning Cloak. 

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was on a family hike over Memorial Day weekend in 2011 when I saw dozens of gorgeous dark butterflies, with blue spots and cream edging along the wings. Being the kind of nerd I am, I pulled out my Audubon field guide to New England and identified the butterflies as mourning cloaks. My muse instantly pounced on the name and insisted that mourning cloaks would make great fantasy characters (and it was right!).

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Since there’s both magic and nanotechnology–but no steam-powered anything–I guess I’ll have to call it science fantasy.

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I have no clue. Isn’t that the director’s job, anyway?

Actually, I think this world and story would work better as a video game than a movie. It has strange races like mourning cloaks, eerie men, and wind swifts; battle-suits and mecha; prayer magic and blood-formed wards; passion and faith and betrayal and clashing armies. Definitely video game material.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A failed hero deserted by his God and living in exile encounters a wounded demon who offers him a chance to regain what he lost. 

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published, and coming out in January 2013! (Not 2012, like I’d originally said. Thanks for the catch, Alina!)

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

Um, I have no idea. I did it in bits and pieces over the course of a really busy year in which my husband got a new job, we sold our house in Vermont and moved to Virginia. 

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

I beta-read Suited by Jo Anderton around the same time I wrote the first draft of Mourning Cloak, so I know similarities abound. (Battle suits, anyone?)

But really, I think this story is more like role playing games of the Final Fantasy bent than any novel I can think of at the top of my head. Amnesiac characters? Check. Strange races? Check. Fantastical magic swords alongside science-fictional bots? Check. Transformation? Check check check!

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

You mean besides the butterflies? *wry smile*

I wanted very much to write a story about faith. My failed hero has lost his. My altered assassin clings to hers. What they have faith in. How the faith helps–or doesn’t help–in the face of adversity.

I also wanted to write about older characters weighed down by their past. As I grow older, I’m less interested in the blank-slate, youthful protagonists and more intrigued by characters who have been worn by life, who have seen darkness both inside and outside their own souls.

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

A man transformed from within to become a battle machine. A woman so altered that she can dissolve into mist and drip through the ground. A cold, mountain city of steel and electricity, warding bells and safe roads. A hot land of deserts and plains, of bronze arcana and prayer magic. Nano-tech and string theory in fantasy trappings.

 

I tag Liana Mir, Lisa Ahn, and Miquela Faure. And if anyone else would like to play along, just leave a comment below and I’ll add you to this list!

giving thanks

(American) Thanksgiving is almost upon us. I usually like this time of year, because it’s a good reminder to reflect on one’s blessings. This year, however, I’m having a hard time getting into the Thanksgiving spirit (and the season of commercialism it ushers in doesn’t help, either).

Mainly, though, my meh-ness has to do with the scraping-bottom, wringing-water-from-a-stone experience I’ve been having. It’s not that I’m not grateful, it’s more that I’ve run out of ways to express it. The words aren’t there.

Which makes this post a bit harder to write than it otherwise might have been. Actually, all my posts in the last few weeks have been hard to write.

But I’ll take a stab at it, because thankfulness is worth practicing.

I’m thankful for good health, good finances, my husband’s job, the roof over our heads, the food on our table, and the extras my family is able to enjoy (from the occasional eating out to my kids’ activities to visits to fun places). I know that these things are not a given for many many people all over the world. In fact, someone close to me is in a tough situation involving a job loss right now.

I’m thankful for the people in our lives who help, support, and pray for us–from church members to long-time friends to relatives. I’m thankful for the small kindnesses of strangers and the goodwill of neighbors–people who will run an extension cord to your house when you’re out of power or buy batteries from your nervous, fundraising Cub Scout or just hold the door open for you.

I’m thankful for my husband, who works hard, is very involved in our children’s lives, volunteers, gives me time and space to write, formats my e-books–and who just signed up for a book design class so he can do print layout for my books. (Yes, he really is that awesome!)

I’m thankful for my children. Sir I. with his quick math brain, his high energy, his zest for science, his enthusiasm for life. For Miss M., who, like me, makes up stories and stays up way too late thinking about them, who is a strong and beautiful gymnast, who puts together wildly colorful outfits. For the Baron, with his smile that chases the shadows away, for his determination to keep up, for his kid logic and sideways thinking.

I’m thankful for all the people who’ve helped me along my writing and publishing journey, from editors who bought stories or sent encouraging rejections, to betas and proofreaders, to cover designers and book reviewers. I’m thankful for my blogging friends who’ve given me space on their own sites to talk about writing, books, my genre, and my work. Thank you thank you thank you!

I’m thankful for my readers. I’m thankful for every review, every blog comment (er… except the spam, though Akismet usually takes care of those for me), every tweet or like, every time someone recommends a book of mine.

And I’m thankful to God for these blessings.

How about you? What are you thankful for today?

Side note: Today, I’m at Candace’s Book Blog, where I discuss self-publishing and cover art, and recommend some fun indie reads.

under a blanket, thinking

1. This last week, I was over at A Digital Magician, blogging about what I learned about writing from video games.

2. On the writing front…*hollow laugh*

I’ve decided to step back from NaNo-lite, because I wasn’t getting anything else done. Not blogging. Not revising. Not getting to a dozen little business-y things that need my attention.

I’m still not getting any of those done, except for the revising. Which is fine, because I need Mourning Cloak to be in good shape by the end of this month. I’ll go back to Rafe after that’s done. In the meantime, he can enjoy a little rest because there’s a world of hurt coming his way (she laughs evilly).

Part of my lack of wordage is just… I’m scraping bottom. I’m out of blog ideas. I’m stretched thin among all these different writing projects. Plus, I’ve been thinking about a lot of different things recently and reading a lot and I just need time to process it all, before it comes out in blog posts and stories.

I feel struck dumb. I have nothing to say right now–at least not anything coherent that can be shared with others.

I know. And I’m writer. *spreads hands, shakes head*

3. Speaking of malevolent space dragons, here’s the trailer for Final Fantasy XIV (via Ravven). It’s an MMO so I won’t be playing it (er, watching David play it), but… dragons!

 

4. And speaking of Ravven, I don’t know if I ever linked to the post she did on the evolution of Rainbird‘s cover. It’s long, but it shows you just how much back and forth there was between us.