Rebecca A. Demarest's Blog, page 9
May 26, 2014
By the Skin of his Teeth…
I was given the opportunity to interview Jim Butcher
for The Speculative Craft last week, and he was kind enough to share a pre-press copy of Skin Game
with me to read before the launch date today. Which means that now I can tell you what I think, before most of you probably even pick it up.
For all the rabid fans out there, like me, I can assure you, Skin Game does not disappoint. I don’t want to let any spoilers slip, cause I’m just not that kind of girl, but there are a good handful of twists that you don’t see coming, some for the book plot, some for the arc plot, and I really can’t wait until the next book, since Butcher has set up some phenomenally fun plot points to play with down the line. But the writing is solid as ever and the story keeps you turning the page.
I hadn’t realized until I started doing my pre-interview research that Butcher had actually planned out the full character arc for each character for the full 20-odd book series before he sat down to write the first one, which makes me even more excited to see where these characters are going. They’ve already changed so much and we’re already on book fifteen. I find myself day dreaming about where they might end up. I mean, by this time, Dresden has already played with Hellfire, Soulfire, and is now the Winter Knight, how much more powerful can he get? Will he end up running the council? Cause that would be hilarious. Who knows? And now I have a year to wait until I can read the next book. But to help with the withdrawal pains, look for the interview with Butcher next week on The Speculative Craft!
May 23, 2014
Writing Prompt!
Your character is having a reunion weekend with their best friends from ages ago. What do they reminisce about and what kind of trouble do they get in?
May 19, 2014
My New Project is Up and Running!
As some of you may have heard, I’ve got a new project called The Speculative Craft, and the first round of content is finally up! Come check it out, and remember, you can always Get Involved!
An Interview with Tamora Pierce
This is my World Now: Calming the World Building Terrors by Elizabeth Mae Lewis
Chaos Theory Translated
It’s alway fun when you stumble across a local author who also happens to be extremely talented. That’s what happened when my friend said, “Oh yeah, my dad’s a sci-fi writer.” So I looked up Jeffrey A. Carver and was not disappointed.
I started with his Chaos Chronicles
, since Neptune Crossing was up for free download on Amazon at the time, and was immediately entranced. It has a unique setup in that the main character ends up with an alien consciousness residing in his head that he nicknames Charlie, who is on a mission to save the Earth, but needs his help (ie, his body and cooperation) to do so. Their interplay is hilarious at times, touching at others. For a little twist, Charlie frequently dies and returns with a new personality, kind of like Doctor Who, but a lot more frequently. You’d think that would get annoying after a while, but, no, instead it just made me look forward to seeing how Charlie had changed.
The three books are easy reads, I made it through them in two weeks, and it only took that long because I had to wait for delivery of the last two books. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but I do want to say that they are fascinating stories that explore concepts ranging from what it means to be human to how to deal with the ‘other’ phenomenon. There is a LOT of alien interaction throughout. One interesting craft note: while the first book begins solidly from the human’s perspective, the point of view morphs, with more and more of the chapters from the point of view of various other aliens that join their merry band of world-savers.
I can’t wait to read more of his books, and I definitely recommend them for anybody who is a fan of space dramas with a solid dose of basic chaos theory sprinkled throughout.
May 16, 2014
Listen to my story on NPR this weekend!
Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that To The Best of Our Knowledge, the NPR Wisconsin show that chose my story as a judge’s favorite for their competition, went ahead and dramatized my story anyway, even though it wasn’t one of the top three, they just liked it that much.
If you want to take a listen, you can tune in this weekend to their show on your local NPR affiliate (it’s going out on 221 of them), you can listen to it on their website, or on Soundcloud. I’ve also embedded it below for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
http://www.rebeccademarest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/tbk140518a3.mp3
Writing Prompt!
In the vein of Mark Twain’s The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg, Give your character an incorruptible virtue. Now figure out exactly what you need to do to make them break.
May 12, 2014
What would you do with a sack of gold?
This was the question that Mark Twain posed in his novella, The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg
. In this delightful little novella, there is a town called Hadleyburg in that prides itself on beings scrupulously honest. A man who was dealt a slight by the town decides to get his revenge by proving that they are, after all, nothing but greedy men who are willing to lie to get what they want.
I’m not going to tell you how he accomplishes this feat. Suffice it to say that he does indeed manage to corrupt the incorruptible leaders of Hadleyburg, much to everyone’s dismay and chagrin. It is a true Twain work, full of inventive language and full caricatures, and it is a delightful little discussion on just how to push humanity’s buttons and bring out the greed that is natural to our species.
If you’re looking for a quick, lighthearted, yet provocative read. I’d suggest you pick this up. You’ll work your way through it in no time, but be the richer for it.
May 9, 2014
Writing Prompt!
If you had the opportunity to bring anyone’s dreams come true, who would it be, and how would you do it? Remember, most genies are tricksters…
May 7, 2014
Committee Pick for Trade Book Design
Back in January, my ebook designer, Iris Febres, convinced me that I had to enter my novel into the Boston Book Builder’s Book Show, and I was skeptical. The entry fees were high and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand up to some of the competition, particularly my old design mentor, Rebecca Saraceno, who I is a shoe-in for whatever category she enters. But it paid off! I am officially a Committee Pick for the Trade Book Division!
Undeliverable is listed in the show catalog, will be displayed at the Book Show, and will be listed on their website, alongside some incredible book designs from all sorts of designers. If you want to see more details of the design, check it out on my Book Design page.
May 5, 2014
Win a copy of Undeliverable! (And everyone can get a free ebook!)
So, May 25th is International and National Missing Children’s Day, and in an effort to help raise funds and awareness for the National Center of Missing Children, anybody who makes any kind of donation to the Center is eligible for a free ebook of Undeliverable, and will enter you into a raffle for a free signed copy!
Here’s how it work: Go to the Center’s website, donate, mark the donation as in Honor Of the Undeliverable Novel, then copy and paste your donation confirmation number into the Rafflecopter giveaway below (along with the donation amount, if you are willing, it’d be nice to see just how much money we raise this month).
If you don’t want to, or can’t afford to make a donation (though even a dollar will net you a free ebook), you still have several ways to enter the raffle for the grand prize of a personalized copy of Undeliverable and Thea of Oz. If you already have a copy of Undeliverable, you can still enter and if you win, your copy will be donated to the organization or library of your choice.
The raffle will go on through the month of May, so share as many times as you like for additional entries!
