Elizabeth Fitzgerald's Blog: Earl Grey Editing, page 43

Brewing Community with Melissa Hartfiel

Photo by Chris Fitzgerald. Used with permission.

Brewing Community is a series of guest posts in which readers, writers, artists and fans are invited to share their experiences of community. Whether online or in person, these groups bring a great deal of support and sometimes stress to their members. The aim of this series is to share the joy and find ways to brew stronger communities. If you have some experiences you’d like to share, please let me know.

Earl Grey Editing would not be here today without the talent of web designer Melissa Hartfiel. However, web design is just one of the many hats she wears. She is also an incredible creator of community. Today she shares a bit about the communities through which we met, and what led her to create Food Bloggers of Canada.

 

When Elizabeth reached out to me and asked me if I would like to share my experience with community I knew I had to say yes.

You see, if it weren’t for community, I would never have “met” Elizabeth.  I use quotation marks because, as of yet, we still haven’t met in person.  I live in Canada and she’s in Australia. But we’ve known each other for nearly 12 years and it all started back in 2003 with a small, online community of booklovers known as Bookcrossing.com.

We met through the forums and a small group of us discovered we had not only the common love of reading, but also of writing, and, for many of us, photography as well.  Most of our little group wound up starting private blogs on the LiveJournal platform that we shared with one another, and when I look back on it, it was our way to keep in touch.  We shared so many details of our lives in those LJ posts that I would never even think of blogging publicly about now!

We exchanged books, care packages and Christmas cards with one another, started photography projects together and cheered each other on through NaNoWriMo slogs.  And all this while we were located in all corners of the globe: Canada, Switzerland, Australia, the USA, and the UK.  As social media started to emerge and LiveJournal and Bookcrossing started to decline, we found other ways to stay connected, like Facebook, Twitter, our own websites and now, Instagram.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few of these ladies in real life and, as the years have gone by, I’ve even had some of them become clients as well as friends.

The story doesn’t end there but fast forward to 2011 and a much more sophisticated internet!

While I had been blogging through my business site for a while, I was craving a more personal outlet and so I started Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach – my personal blog. It was a way to share my food photography, my travels, and my other creative endeavors that weren’t client related.

That’s when I started looking for a community of food bloggers to join – something that would give me resources and other bloggers to talk to and share experiences  with and learn from.   I found a few but they were all based out of the United States. The resources were great but always referenced US law, which is quite different from Canadian law. Many of the opportunities to work with food-related companies were only for American bloggers.  I looked for similar organizations in Canada that focused on Canadian bloggers and there really wasn’t one… sooo…

I asked two friends if we should start one.

And so we did.

In September of 2011, the three of us  (my current partner Ethan Adeland and Mardi Michels, who has since left the executive team) launched Food Bloggers of Canada (FBC), a membership-based organization for Canadian food bloggers to network, get access to resources to help them with their blogging, and find paid opportunities.

In the last four years we have grown by leaps and bounds – we are just shy of 2000 members – and now manage a thriving community of Canadian food writers, food photographers, food stylists, cookbook authors, recipe developers, restaurant reviewers, and dietitians & nutritionists.

What do they all have in common? They’re all Canadian, they all love food and they all blog about it!

Belonging to a community can be extremely fulfilling – especially when you take advantage of all of the opportunities to connect with your fellow members – either online through forums or Facebook groups or by meeting face to face.  It provides you with a built-in support network when you’re starting out, need advice, are learning something new, or just struggling in a rut.  It’s a way to make new friends, find people to collaborate with and even make professional contacts.

Starting and running a community brings you all of that but there’s so much more.  For us, the biggest responsibility, and hands down the most difficult, is making everyone feel welcome, supported and equal – as well as keeping the peace.

As with any large group, there will always be a small handful of people who are always negative.  Minimizing their impact on the community is always a priority but can be really hard when the internet can encourage drama.

There will always be people who will challenge the community’s rules and sometimes you can feel like a police officer, always on patrol, always having to make hard decisions.

And cliques will form.  We have a very strong internal policy that we are inclusive, not exclusive because we both know how painful it can be to feel that you’re not included or one of the “cool kids”.  So while we work very hard to encourage friendships we also work hard to ensure anyone who joins us is made to feel welcome and valued.

FBC now provides me and Ethan with a full-time income (albeit a very small full-time income that’s supplement with freelance work!).   We do that by helping brands who want to create blogger outreach campaigns and work with our members.  Now that our living revolves around FBC we’ve also realized that it’s more important than ever for us to ensure we have a happy, active and engaged membership.  For us, that means constantly evolving, staying on top of the digital publishing world and constantly engaging with our members to see what they need, what they’re looking for,.  It also means supporting our members publicly – we maintain multiple programs designed to promote their work across Canada.

But the rewards have been huge.  We have made so many new friends, we have watched other friendships grow, we have found so many great projects to collaborate on professionally with our members, and we get to bring them incredible opportunities to help them grow and be successful.   And that is truly rewarding.

Melissa Hartfiel is the co-founder and Managing Director of Editorial for Food Bloggers of Canada.  She is also a graphic designer, illustrator and food photographer and owns her own boutique design company, Fine Lime Designs.  You can follow her creative exploits and her love for food and food photography on her personal blog, Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach.  When she’s not travelling around the rest of Canada for work, Melissa lives just outside of Vancouver, BC, and in her spare time you can find her mucking about by the Pacific Ocean with her goofy yellow lab, SamTheDog.  She drinks a lot of tea, eats a moderate amount of chocolate and watches too many British murder mystery shows on Netflix.  She is also on the eternal quest for the The. Best. Mac and Cheese.  You can connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Dewey’s read-a-thon report: October 2015

Dewey’s 24-hour Read-a-thon took place on Sunday, Australian time. For those who have somehow managed to miss my incessant posting about it, the event is basically a chance for book geeks across the world to get together and read as much as possible. It is also held in honour of its founder, a book blogger who went by the name Dewey, who passed away several years ago. I participated in my very first read-a-thon in April 2011 and haven’t looked back since.

I posted last week about my reading plans. As expected, they were a bit ambitious, but I was pleased with how it went.

Twitter served as my digital home for the event, and the read-a-thon team maintained a strong presence over there.

Go go go!! It’s start time! Dive in! #readathon

— Dewey’s Read-a-thon (@readathon) October 17, 2015

The starting time for much of the east coast of Australia was 11pm, by which time I was already in bed. I’m just not a night owl. Instead, I was up bright and early.

Good morning! Dawn hasn’t quite arrived yet, but Dewey’s #readathon has. I’m just grabbing some breakfast first & then I’ll get started. — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

If I can figure out which book I want to start with…

— Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

I’ve decided to have dessert for breakfast: kicking off with A TRIFLE DEAD by Livia Day. #readathon — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

The first few hours passed quickly.

9% done with A Trifle Dead, by Livia Day: #readathon Hour 9 begins. https://t.co/Urq130bJYC — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

FACT: It is Hour 10! Check out the Hour 10 post for some #fakereadathonfacts http://t.co/7KURWEtKq7 and tell me your favorite! #readathon — Dewey’s Read-a-thon (@readathon) October 17, 2015

I rather liked this one, probably because it’s not far from the truth:

In 2012, approximately 5,000 gallons of coffee and 5,500 gallons of tea were consumed for the #readathon. #fakereadathonfacts @readathon — Rachael Torres (@R_Torr) October 17, 2015

41% done with A Trifle Dead, by Livia Day: #readathon Hour 11 begins. https://t.co/KoFvYFoEHj — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

My reading buddies have left for the day, so it’s time for a morning tea break. #readathon — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

Toast, tea & A TRIFLE DEAD by Livia Day. Morning tea for today’s #readathon A photo posted by Earl Grey Editing (@earlgreyediting) on Oct 17, 2015 at 3:46pm PDT

Alright, we’re moving into hour 12! How’s everyone doing? What are you reading? #readathon — Dewey’s Read-a-thon (@readathon) October 17, 2015

53% done with A Trifle Dead, by Livia Day: #readathon Hour 12 begins. https://t.co/aoAcuCw8Rf — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 17, 2015

HALFWAY POINT. We’ve been at it for 12 hours! How’s everyone feeling!?! #readathon — Dewey’s Read-a-thon (@readathon) October 18, 2015

72% done with A Trifle Dead, by Livia Day: #readathon Hour 13 begins. https://t.co/kICh0YPoRN — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

We’re into Hour 14 of Dewey’s #readathon & I’ve just finished my first book. Taking a break for lunch while deciding what to read next. — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

Following up lunch with my favourite Earl Grey blend & Nicole Murphy’s LOVING THE PRINCE. A photo posted by Earl Grey Editing (@earlgreyediting) on Oct 17, 2015 at 7:06pm PDT

At some point the hours started to get away from me.

21% done with Loving The Prince, by Nicole Murphy https://t.co/o7pwFXUvHa — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

This ended up being a timely reminder:

Don’t forget to check the #readathon website for hourly updates, including mini-challenges and prize winners! http://t.co/N0erg98kvM — Dewey’s Read-a-thon (@readathon) October 18, 2015

Woohoo! I won a #readathon prize! — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

It’s the first time I’ve won one of the read-a-thon Lucky Door Prizes. I managed to score a $10 Amazon gift card.

By this stage, even the Twitter co-hosts were flagging.

40% done with Loving The Prince, by Nicole Murphy: #readathon Hour 17 begins. https://t.co/S1dRGueWgy — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

57% done with Loving The Prince, by Nicole Murphy: #readathon Hour 18 begins. https://t.co/QADxxGeCvD — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

83% done with Loving The Prince, by Nicole Murphy: #readathon Hour 19 begins. https://t.co/xC4oh8ClXC — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

Finished off my second book of the #readathon. If I select carefully, perhaps I can get through a third? — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

  My #readathon buddy has rejoined me but seems to be struggling even more than I am to keep awake. #dogsofinstagram   A photo posted by Earl Grey Editing (@earlgreyediting) on Oct 18, 2015 at 12:05am PDT

#readathon participants are dropping like flies. Hang in there, everyone! Only a few more hours to go. — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

As for me, I think I’ve had my second wind. #readathon — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

On page 15 of 292 of Raging Heat, by Richard Castle https://t.co/4FO6tAQz01 — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

Time to take a break from the #readathon for #DoctorWho — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

I didn’t last much longer after that.

On page 59 of 292 of Raging Heat, by Richard Castle https://t.co/mwkVXROg2w — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

Dewey’s #readathon has been fantastic, but it’s time for me to call it a night. A big thank-you to @estellasrevenge & @capriciousreadr — Elizabeth Fitzgerald (@elizabeth_fitz) October 18, 2015

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my read-a-thon progress. I managed to finish off 2 books and made it 20% of the way through a third. However, I am amused to find that during the read-a-thon I managed to acquire around twice the number of books I read–partly thanks to the Lucky Door Prize and partly thanks to two very shiny review books from Twelfth Planet Press landing in my inbox while the read-a-thon was happening.

A big thank-you to Andi of Estella’s Revenge and Heather of Capricious Reader for all the hard work they put into organising and running the event. Truly, these ladies are amazing. Here are some quick facts from the official site about Sunday’s readathon:

2,008 readers
132 cheerleaders
28 mini-challenges
1,102 entries in the Books Read Database (so far)
8 hourly co-hosts
1,495 Goodreads group members
120+ prizes awarded

Wrangling all that is a huge task. Yet, Andi and Heather kept everything going smoothly. They even have a call for volunteers up already for the next read-a-thon.

Which has a date! It will be taking place on 23-24 April 2016. Don’t forget to mark it on your calendar. I’ve already signed up to cheer again, having had a blast chatting with everyone on Twitter during the event. Even with so many readers, it has a great sense of community. I do hope you’ll join us in April.

2015 Diversiverse wrap-up

It has been quite the weekend for reading challenges. Dewey’s read-a-thon took place on Sunday and was a blast, as always. But I will get to that in another post.

Saturday marked the end of the Diversiverse reading challenge. For those that need reminding, A More Diverse Universe is a very simple reading challenge. It asks participants to:

Read and review one book
Written by a person of color
During the first two weeks of October (October 4th-17th)

The timing this year was a little later than previous years and unfortunately coincided with a number of other commitments (including Conflux). While I still met the challenge, it was a low bar to meet and I would have liked to manage to both read and review a few more books. I think a bit more preparation on my part may help with that next year; the shift in scheduling caught me a bit off-guard.

Nevertheless, I managed to both read and review two books this year. Nalini Singh provided me some perfect brain candy with Angels’ Blood and Archangel’s Kiss. While I don’t think the latter was quite as good as the former, it was still a very entertaining series and I plan to pick up the next book. I was also delighted by Intisar Khanini’s Thorn. It actually managed to keep me up during the middle of Conflux on a night I promised myself I’d get to bed early. It was a gorgeous tale and has convinced me I need to track down more of Khanini’s work.

The purpose of A More Diverse Universe is to introduce readers to new, diverse authors. Since it has now introduced me to three fantastic authors (including Ambelin Kwaymullina last year), I consider my participation a success and will be signing up again next year–even if next year looks to be as busy as this one.

A big thank you to Aarti of BookLust for running such a rewarding challenge.

Preparation for Dewey’s Read-a-thon, October 2015

My haul from Conflux 11 might have been modest, but I could always use a boost when it comes to keeping on top of Mt TBR. Fortunately, Dewey’s read-a-thon is taking place this weekend! For those unaware, the read-a-thon runs twice a year–in April and October. It runs for 24 hours, but participation for the full length is optional. Which is a good thing, because this round will be kicking off at 11 PM on Saturday 17 October for most of the east coast of Australia (10pm for Queensland). As usual, I plan to be asleep by then, but will be up early to cram as much reading as possible into my waking hours.

I will also be cheering for the very first time. Cheerleaders help readers stay motivated by leaving comments on blogs, Twitter and Instagram. There is always an incredible shortage of cheerleaders. Last April the read-a-thon saw 1830 participants, which is a lot of people to visit and motivate! In previous read-a-thons I’ve cheered unofficially with Team Rogue, headed up by  Terri of Terri Talks Books. However, this year I thought I’d sign on officially and save the organisers some stress. I’ll be interested to see if officially cheering changes my experience of the read-a-thon at all.

Of course, a read-a-thon requires books! I’ve been having some difficulty settling on a strategy. Back in April, I thought I’d try tackling Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery but got distracted from the chunkster by the first of the Malifaux manuals from Wyrd Games. I said back then that I’d probably still be working on Vanity Fair by the time the next read-a-thon rolled around… and I don’t think I’ve read any of the book since then. I’ve been tempted to pick it up again for this read-a-thon, but I do rather like the satisfaction of managing to finish at least one book during the event. With that in mind, here’s a photo of my physical reading stack:

Included are Raging Heat by Richard Castle, Fireborn by Keri Arthur and issues 49-51 of Andromeda Spacesways Inflight Magazine.

In electronic format I have A Trifle Dead by Livia Day and Loving the Prince by Nicole Murphy on my Kindle. I may also tackle a few chapters of Game Theory by Pia Foxhall.

Of course, I don’t expect to get through all of it. But it is nice to have options.

If you need to tame your own Mt TBR or are looking to connect with a great community of book bloggers, it’s not too late to join! You can sign up, follow on Twitter, join the Goodreads group or any combination of the three. The read-a-thon website will be running warm-up posts containing great advice all the way up until the event. If you’ve already signed up, I’d love to hear about what you’ll be reading.

Conflux 11, Part 2

Conflux 11 took place from Friday 2 October until Monday 5 October. As is always the case, there was a lot of good programming to see, so I had to split my report into two parts. You can read the first part here.

Sean Williams, Abigail Nathan, Karen Simpson Nikakis, Jo Clay and I on the self-editing panel. Photo courtesy of Leife Shallcross.

I was fortunate enough to sit on a couple of panels throughout the convention. The highlight of these for me was the panel called Editing Your Own S**t, which ran on Sunday. There was a great diversity of experience on this panel. Jo Clay spoke as an emerging author and had a fantastic list of words she overuses in her own work (and now carefully edits out). At the opposite end of the spectrum was Sean Williams, who has published around 30 books, including a number for the Star Wars franchise. Sean spoke of the fatigue in doing final edits on one novel when he really wants to be diving into writing his next new one. Karen Simpson Nikakis offered an interesting perspective, having moved from a big publishing house to self-publishing. Finally, Abigail Nathan doesn’t edit her own work at all–she works as a freelance editor and owner of Bothersome Words. She named several tools and programs that had the other panel members grabbing for their notepads.

David McDonald and Maureen Flynn. Photo courtesy of Cat Sparks.

Another highlight of the Sunday program was the Paying for Our Passion panel. Based on David McDonald’s series of guest posts (which I highly recommend), the panel discussed the sacrifices they have had made in order to pursue writing or editing. David moderated the panel, speaking of how touched he had been by the response to his series and the heartfelt contributions he’d received. The panel was likewise intensely personal, with panel members opening up about some of the struggles they have faced. Tehani Wessely spoke about sacrificing time with her family in order to run FableCroft Publishing. It brought her a lot of guilt, but at the same time she hoped she was being a good role model for her kids by pursuing this passion. For Maureen Flynn, writing is a lifeline as she has struggled from a very young age to be the primary carer for two family members. Like Tehani, she feels guilty for taking the time to pursue her writing, but is also aware that it is crucial for her mental health. There was so much interesting discussion in this panel that I don’t have room to do it justice, so I’d urge you again to check out David’s series.

By Monday, I was well and truly flagging. September had been a demanding month and my energy reserves were almost out. I spent a lot of time pursuing the time-honoured convention tradition of hanging out with friends (both new and old) at the bar. However, I did manage to sit in on the alternative publishing panel. Small press was included as an alternative publishing option on the basis that in Australia small press really is tiny. Where small press in the United States might manage a print run of 20,000 copies, most Australian small press consider selling 500 copies a success. Self-publishing offers a lot of flexibility that might not otherwise be available. Marisol Dunham spoke of her 14,000-word novella that she struggled to get published. It received excellent feedback from publishers but the size made it an awkward fit for pre-existing categories among the large publishers. Tehani also pointed out that alternative publishing options (including small press) are helpful for getting an author’s back catalogues into print once again. For example, FableCroft Press published Flower and Weed, a spin-off from Margo Lanagan’s Sea Hearts.

However, the drawback of alternative publishing is finding an audience. It is difficult to distinguish oneself from the crowd, especially when the crowd just keeps getting bigger. The need for reader reviews on sites like Amazon and Goodreads was mentioned a number of times. Self-promotion is something that doesn’t come naturally to many writers–and the need to promote one’s work is becoming increasingly necessary for writers published by traditional publishers, not just those pursuing alternative avenues.

Any convention would not be complete without a trip to the dealers room. My haul this year was surprisingly modest, though Ticonderoga Publications did particularly well out of me. I picked up three of their books: a collection of Janeen Webb’s stories called Death at the Blue Elephant and the Hear Me Roar and Damnation and Dames anthologies. Conflux is also a prime time for book launches. Throughout the weekend I attended Satalyte Publishing’s launch of The Time of the Ghosts by Gillian Polack, FableCroft Publishing’s launch of Dirk Flinthart’s collection Striking Fire, the CSFG’s launch of The Never Never Land anthology and Ticonderoga’s launch of the Bloodlines anthology and The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2014.

After all that, I didn’t quite make it to the Closing Ceremony on Monday evening. However, I made sure the first thing I did when I got home was to book tickets for Conflux 12. I had such a wonderful time catching up with old friends and making new ones that I wouldn’t want to miss out on the next time.

If you weren’t able to make it along to Conflux this year, I’d recommend checking out Cat Sparks’ fantastic Flickr album of the weekend.

Thorn by Intisar Khanini

Published: Self-published, May 2012

Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)

Genres: Fantasy

Source: Amazon

Reading Challenges: Diversiverse

Available:  Amazon ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Smashwords

For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she’s never had … until she’s betrayed.

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family’s cruelty and the court’s contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.

But powerful men have powerful enemies–and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman’s, giving Alyrra the first choice she’s ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she’s never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometimes the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

Thorn is a retelling of The Goose Girl fairytale. I’m unfamiliar with the original, but I found Thorn walked an interesting line between fairytale and reality. Yes, it has a prince, a goose girl and a witch. It even has a talking horse. However, it also deals with family abuse, class divides and the devaluing of women’s voices.

For me, the setting had echoes of The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. Part of this was the presence of Falada, the talking horse. Mostly, it was the Arabic feel of the place. Like Lewis’ Calormen, the inhabitants of Kestrin’s kingdom, Menaiya, have darker colouring, the king wears curl-toed slippers instead of boots while at home, and the climate is warmer than Alyrra’s kingdom. However, while there may be superficial similarities, Khanani handles her setting in a more balanced way.  Menaiya is never portrayed with the broad strokes of savagery and exoticism that Lewis uses. Instead, we are shown the individuals–some of whom may be cruel, some of whom are kind and many of whom are a mixture. They are people, first and foremost. Complexity and nuance are at the heart of this tale, bringing forth the messiness of life.

This nuanced approach also shows up in the relationship between Alyrra and Prince Kestrin. Alyrra has been scarred by the cruelty of her family and so doesn’t immediately trust Kestrin. He may have saved her from her family, but Alyrra remains fearful, assuming he must be just as bad. Kestrin’s fondness for her bleeds through in places, but in his desperation to save himself and his family he doesn’t always treat Alyrra with respect. His privilege also blinds him to some of the realties of Alyrra’s situation. For example, he doesn’t see that the disparity in rank between a prince and a goose girl makes it hard for Alyrra to turn down his invitation to dinner. Nor does he see that accepting the invitation may invite the wrath of the imposter princess.

In addition to touching on class divides, Thorn also speaks about the experience of being a woman. Menaiya may not be portrayed as a nation of savages, but it is not a safe place. Women walking the streets alone may be abducted and abused. Reporting such abductions to the guard is useless, as the guard will simply assume the woman ran off with a lover. And women–particularly low-born women–accused of crime can expect to have their testimony disregarded because of their gender, even if their male accuser has no solid proof. This places Alyrra in a precarious position, even as she clings to the desire to lead an ordinary life.

The language in Thorn is gorgeous in places, a true delight to read. It’s evocation of the themes of belonging and betrayal about broke my heart in places.

The ending was a bit messy, leaving behind a few loose threads. I found I didn’t mind that, feeling it was in keeping with the portrayal of life as a messy and complex experience.

I have Memory of Into the Forest to thank for recommending Thorn to me. She read the story for Diversiverse last year and when she told me on it was on sale back in April, I snatched it up. I’m glad I did because I would not want to have missed out on such a poignant tale.

 

Conflux 11, Part One

Last weekend I attended Conflux, Canberra’s speculative fiction convention for writers and fans. The theme this year was Light, in line with the UN’s International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies. Special guests were Isobelle Carmody, author of the The Obernewtyn Chronicles, and Tehani Wessely of FableCroft Publishing. As is always the case, there was a lot of good programming to see, so I had to split my report into two parts. The second part will be posted next Wednesday.

Me with Little My and Alis Franklin. Photo courtesy of Gillian Polack.

The convention began on Friday, 2 October. Not everyone was able to get away from work to attend the first day, but there were still plenty of familiar faces around when the registration desk opened. I also met a few newcomers, including the representative for the 2017 Helsinki Worldcon, Little My. She really got into the spirit of the convention and ended up with an extensive album of photos.

As has been the custom for the last few years, Friday was mostly devoted to workshops. I attended Gillian Polack‘s workshop on creating magic systems. Being a historian, Gillian approached this topic by looking at the ways in which magic in the Middle Ages was less a system than a complex, messy worldview. Writers need to express this worldview through telling detail–those small things that may not look important on the surface but actually say a lot about the character or the world. Gillian used the example of Turkish Delight in C.S. Lewis’ book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, bringing along a sample of the delicacy to help inspire us.

After lunch, I attended Tara Ott’s demonstration of special effects makeup. Tara talked a bit about her experiences with the local zombie walks and the cosplaying community. She was dressed the part, complete with eerie white contact lenses and several scars drawn on her face. The demonstration included the use of both latex and wax, with Tara outlining the advantages and weaknesses of each. She did an impressive job of making up my knuckles to look bruised and she also demonstrated how to use latex to replicate burnt skin.

The Opening Ceremony took place in the evening. The Star Wars Imperial 501st Legion were in attendance, making the audience nervous. However, it turned out they may have been there for our protection, as MC Laura Goodin received several phone calls about the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse while she ran the ceremony (with great flair).

Kaaron Warren and Isobelle Carmody.

Saturday kicked off with Isobelle Carmody’s Guest of Honour interview. Interviewer Kaaron Warren made the clever move of focussing on Isobelle’s short stories rather than novels. This allowed Isobelle to talk about a broader range of topics, including time she spent in Paris while young. Isobelle said she believes that time spent a little bit hungry, tired and sad sharpens a writer. Airports are especially good for this and she expressed disappointment that modern technology doesn’t allow as much space for boredom as there used to be.

Isobelle also talked about the pressure placed on her by the big publishers to whom she has been contracted. She spoke warmly about small press, who have greater flexibility and passion for their projects. At the end of the interview, there was an impromptu launch of Evermore, a non-traditional graphic novel she collaborated on with artist Daniel Reed and published by Windy Hollow Books.

Tehani Wessely. Photo courtesy of Cat Sparks.

Later in the day I attended a discussion on editing between Guest of Honour Tehani Wessely and editor of Cosmos, Cat Sparks. The program item said that it was “not for the faint-hearted” and, indeed, it probably should have come with a language warning. However, it was hysterically funny and contained some good advice. Cat urged writers to really do their research and concentrate on making sure their fiction is authentic–this goes as much for eavesdropping on dialogue at the food court as making sure the physics used is plausible. Cat and Tehani also touched on the way in which rejection isn’t personal, but can simply be the wrong time and wrong book. It is important for writers to read work by the editor and publisher they’re submitting to. Cat also advocated following an editor on social media if you find one who does work you like and whose style suits your writing. It helps you to be aware of opportunities as they come up.

The pair reconvened on Sunday morning for Tehani’s Guest of Honour interview. Tehani mentioned that she used to write but gave it up, claiming she was no good at it, despite having won a Scarlet Stiletto Award for her unpublished crime novel. Her passion is for bringing books and people together. Juggling a full-time job and family, as well as running FableCroft Publishing and convening of the Aurealis Awards is no mean feat but she remains undaunted by obstacles. Tehani said that the key to her success has been having people around her that she can rely on and ask for help. That said, there are times when she has burnt out. Shortly after the launch of the Cranky Ladies of History anthology, she became discouraged and cancelled her next anthology, saying she was going to give up the business. She lasted a week before she found a new idea that was too enticing to let go. She said that Conflux had already given her a couple of exciting new ideas, so look out for those!

Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier

Published: October 2015 by PanMacmillan Australia

Format reviewed: E-book (mobi)

Series: Blackthorn and Grim #2

Genres: Historical fantasy

Source: NetGalley

Reading Challenges: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2015

Available: PanMacmillan Australia (print and electronic) ~ Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Book Depository ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.

Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim.

As Blackthorn and Grim begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together, it’s apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest is about to become a life and death struggle—a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.

When PanMacmillan approved my request for this book on NetGalley, my shriek of joy was probably audible in the Northern Hemisphere. I adore Juliet Marillier’s work and she didn’t let me down with Tower of Thorns.

The Blackthorn and Grim series bucks against current trend of big fat fantasy trilogies; even though Dreamer’s Pool and Tower of Thorns are part of a series, they are also discrete books. Tower of Thorns uses some of the same characters as Dreamer’s Pool and advances their relationships. However, it stands on its own quite well and you don’t need to have read Dreamer’s Pool to enjoy Tower of Thorns (though I highly recommend that you do).

Part of the reason the books stand so well on their own is because they are almost as much mystery novels as fantasy. Once Blackthorn is convinced to help Lady Geiléis, she then begins to investigate the curse by exploring the scene of the crime (so to speak), interviewing the neighbours and following clues. This is not a high adventure. Instead, the story relies on the relationships between characters and the gap between their thoughts and their actions.

Speaking of which, we do get a good look at the characters’ thoughts because the book alternates between perspectives. Blackthorn and Grim share their perspectives in first person, while we get to see more of Geiléis’ side of things in third person. The third person perspective is a bit different to Dreamer’s Pool. Prince Oran was the character asking for help in that book and we got to see his side of things in first person, just as with Blackthorn and Grim. However, Geiléis and Oran are very different characters; the third person approach suits Geiléis, as someone rather aloof and prone to keeping secrets.

It is worth noting that the protagonists in this series are older than those in many of Marillier’s other series. While she has never shied away from including dark material in her YA series (Shadowfell springs to mind), the characters in Blackthorn and Grim are adults bearing scars of many kinds. They have had and lost children, suffer from PTSD and battle against domestic violence. Their relationships are more complex. One of the things I have adored most about the series is the portrayal of a strong, yet platonic relationship between Blackthorn and Grim. This is something that is entirely too rare, and even within the novel it often gets misinterpreted by outsiders. Throughout the story, it provides a fantastic counterpoint to several less healthy relationships.

Overall, I found Tower of Thorns a nuanced and engaging read. Highly recommended for those bored with standard fantasy and for lovers of fairytales.

Review: Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh

Published: March 2009 by Gollancz

Format reviewed: Paperback, 368 pages

Series: Guild Hunters #1

Genres: Fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance

Source: Borrowed from the library

Reading Challenges: Diversiverse

Available:  Abbey’s ~ Amazon ~ Booktopia ~ Dymocks ~ Kobo

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best—but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option—even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break.

Making an active choice to read diversely may be considered a political act, but the real reason I do it is to discover awesome authors who are new to me. Last year, Diversiverse introduced me to Ambelin Kwaymullina. This year, it is Nalini Singh.

Like Kwaymullina, Singh is an author I consider as diverse who also writes about diverse characters. Elena has Moroccan ancestry, her fellow Guild Hunter Ransom has Cherokee blood and her best friend Sara has Middle Eastern heritage. Even the angels are far from uniformly white, coming from all over the globe as they do. They’re not even majority white. And best of all, this isn’t a big deal but simply ordinary for Singh’s New York.

Angels’ Blood is urban fantasy through and through. Elena is a pretty typical Strong Female Character: she is a fighter, a born Hunter who has the ability to scent vampires. She tracks down escaped vampires and returns them to their angel masters. Elena is good at her job and likes to get up close when neutralising her prey. That becomes difficult when she is hired by the archangel Raphael to track down another archangel on a murder spree–getting up close will surely kill her.

I liked Elena. Raphael teases her for being a prude, but that was one of the things I appreciated about her. She maintains strong boundaries. The one time Raphael enters her apartment–her haven–uninvited, she shoots him. Despite being no match for his power, she continues to struggle against his manipulation of her mind. I appreciated the way that in explaining why this invasion of her mind is unacceptable she makes a direct comparison with rape. She is not afraid to call things as she sees them… or, rather, sometimes she’s afraid, but she does it anyway. She is uncompromising in who she is.

Singh does an excellent job with keeping her archangels dangerous. She makes it clear that they are not human, despite their appearance. They are physically strong and have powers that humans could only dream of. And let’s not forget the wings. Each archangel rules over their own part of the globe. Some archangels look down on their human subjects as beneath them, while others simply fail to understand basic human concepts, such as privacy and consent. As the story progresses, Raphael becomes less alien and more human, but there’s also an excellent reason for this woven into the plot.

Angels’ Blood is a bit of a dark book in places. If torture, body parts and copious amounts of blood aren’t your sort of thing, you may want to steer clear.

However, overall, I found it an enjoyable read. The sexual tension between Elena and Raphael was fantastic and balanced nicely with the plot. The denouement was a little deus ex machina for my tastes, but paves the way for a sequel I’m definitely interested in reading.

Mt TBR report: September 2015

September saw me power through the books for the second month running. This is probably a good thing because there was an influx of books in the last few days of the month and October holds the temptation of the dealers’ room at Conflux.

Mt TBR status

Mt TBR @ 1 January 2015: 202

Mt TBR @ 31 August 2015: 218

Mt TBR @ 30 September 2015: 222

Books read

50. Equilibrium by C.S. Sealey. Reviewed here.

51. Ten Simple Steps to Surviving the Apocalypse by Cari Z. A short m/m romance set after the zombie apocalypse has erupted on Earth. Javi is just looking to avoid trouble and get safely to his family’s secluded cabin. However, trouble finds him in the form of Conrad, a man as deadly as he is sexy–and infected with the zombie virus. A sweet, but suspenseful read. Told from Javi’s wise-cracking but vulnerable POV, it reminded me of Alis Franklin’s work and was equally fun to read.

52. The Court of Five Thrones by Pia Foxhall. If you’ve been following my Mt TBR reports for a while now, you’ll know I’ve been reading this online. However, since it has a shiny cover and a listing on Goodreads, I feel I’m justified in including it as one of the books I’ve read this year.

53. Stormbringer by Alis Franklin. The sequel to Liesmith. Lain ducks back to Asgard for a quick visit, but of course nothing goes to plan. Fewer horror elements this time around, but digs more deeply into the themes of equality. The sense of humour remains strong and Australians will get an especial kick out of some of the jokes. Highly recommended.

54. Aurora: Eden by Amanda Bridgeman. Reviewed here.

55. Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat. Review forthcoming.

56. Deeper Into the Woods by Pia Foxhall. The first in Pia’s The Fae Tales Verse. Like The Court of Five Thrones, I read this one online but am including it among my books for the year. The story shows Gwyn and Augus’ very first encounter–a fraught beginning to a fraught relationship. I enjoyed seeing how far they have come.

57. Malifaux: Twisting Fate by Wyrd Games. This is a manual for a tabletop skirmish game. It includes some stories along with rules for new models, introducing some new twists on Malifaux’s existing characters.

58. A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan. Reviewed here.

59. Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier. I’m a huge fan of Marillier, so no surprised I loved this. It is different from her usual stuff: it is darker and has more adultish-themes. Contains a fantastic platonic relationship between the female and male characters, and also has a strong focus on violence against women. All within a historical fantasy setting. It was the winner of the 2014 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and I can see why. Highly recommended.

60. Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat. The second in the Captive Prince series. No middle-book sag here! It ratchets up the tension nicely and leaves the reader in suspense. I’m very grumpy that I have to wait until February for the next one.

61. One Hundred Great Books in Haiku by David Bader. As with most humour, some of these poems were very witty while others misfired. I think my favourite may have been The Odessey.

62. Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier. Review forthcoming.

Books acquired

Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier

Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier

Stormbringer by Alis Franklin

Speculative Fiction 2014 edited by Renee Williams and Shaun Duke

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat

Deeper Into the Woods by Pia Foxhall

One Hundred Great Books in Haiku by David Bader

Game Theory by Pia Foxhall

A Trifle Dead by Livia Day

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

Steeped by Annelies Zijderveld

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Malifaux: Storm of Shadows by Wyrd Games

Online reading

The Court of Five Thrones Ch 56- 59 by Pia Foxhall. A satisfying conclusion to the tale.

What have you read this month?