Kate Ristau's Blog, page 2

Mythwakers: The Minotaur Releases Today!

Today is a day of magic, myth and wonder, as I proudly announce the official release of Mythwakers: The Minotaur! Travel back in time with me to Ancient Greece. This first book in the Mythwakers series will tell you the Minotaur’s story — from his own perspective!

Mythwakers Unveiled

Imagine a world where myths are not just tales of heroes, but narratives told by mythological creatures, like the Minotaur! Those stories would look a lot different, wouldn’t they?

Read Mythwakers: The Minotaur to find out!

If you’re 4 or 104, you’re going to love this book! It blends story and learning (don’t tell your parents). It not only introduces you to the Minotaur, but you will also find out all about Asterion’s life and culture, and why it really matters.

The Untold Story

While his tale was told to the Greeks, we will uncover a hidden truth—the myth is actually rooted in the Minoan Culture.

Theseus was a Greek hero, but the Minotaur was Crete’s monster; you’ll find out all about how these two cultures are connected.

The table of contentsThe Minotaur: Uncover the secrets of one of mythology’s most enigmatic monsters.The Setting: Explore the mysterious world where his ancient story unfolds.The Culture: Learn about the cultures that gave birth to this legendary tales.The Religion: Explore the religions that brought this myth to life.The Characters: Meet the iconic figures of Asterion’s myth.The Story: Experience the myth from TWO different perspectives. The Meaning: Find out what the myth really means and why it matters.Find Out More: Take the next step and research more of the ancient world.Sources: Check out the articles and images used in the book.Glossary: Look up all those words that confused you or delighted you!Who You’ll Meet

In the pages of Mythwakers: The Minotaur, you’ll encounter unforgettable characters like Asterion, the “A-maze-ing” Minotaur, and Icarus, who dared to fly too close to the sun. There’s Daedalus, the mastermind behind the labyrinth, and Asterion’s sister, Ariadne, who aided the adventurous Theseus (ugh, that guy).

As you read, you’ll be captivated by two versions of the Minotaur story—one by Theseus and the other by Asterion, the Minotaur!

Thanks for your support!

This book was made possible through a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the unbelievable support of the Mythwakers Kickstarter. This is just the first book in the series. Find out more here. I can’t wait to share what coming next.

But first: The Minotaur!

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Pep Talk. Writing. You can do it!

Hey, you look like you need a pep talk. You know I’m here for you.

I’ve been thinking lately how you’re pretty awesome.

You know why? You’re a writer! You create something out of nothing. You’re like a Greek god, creating your own universes, without all the boring labors.

I love it when you write.

When you write your own story, you let your imagination run wild. You create your own characters, your own worlds, your own rules.

It’s so cool.

You express yourself and share your experiences with others.

Keep doing it, and you’ll end up like me: with a pile of worlds and sparks for stories and a severe caffeine addiction. Otherwise known as: happy.

Seriously. Listen. Your voice and your perspective matter. Your story is valuable, and the world needs it.

Go out and make some magic.

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How are you doing?

I’ve been getting that question a lot lately — how are you doing? I had surgery in October and it takes about six weeks to heal. I’m on week four. I was on the way to better, but then I did this:

That’s me onstage with Renée Watson and Jenn Reese at the Portland Book Festival in a photo By Shawnte Sims. We had the best time! But OY! I was TIRED after a weekend of talking about books and writing and books (and books!). But, I got to talk about the best books:

Jenn Reese’s new book, Every Bird a Prince, is fabulous. Like her last book, she melds fantasy and reality and possibility and magic. She challenges you to find your own truth. It a wonderful read for 5-8th graders struggling to find their place (and adults searching for belonging too!).

I flew through Renée Watson’s Ryan Hart stories, like Ways to Share Joy. They follow Ryan through Portland (she’s like a modern day Ramona Quimby). They are sweet, sensitive, realistic, and ultimately, uplifting. Great books for young readers — 2nd grade and up.

Talking with these two amazing authors reminded me of the power of a book. The kids in the audience looked up in wonder, hung on their every word, and even responded to our questions. They talked about birds and asked about books and listed their favorite desserts. It was a wonderful day, and wonderful to see so many writers I know and love. 

Except Curtis Chen. I didn’t get to see his panel. Or Fonda Lee. Sigh.

I actually didn’t get out to see many panels — I mostly spent my time at the Willamette Writers table, connecting with other writers. My friend, Remy Nakamura, in the picture above, helped staff the table too. He’s on the board of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and is great (for writers – check out the SFWA section below). 

For now, I’m back to my easy chair, wrapped up in an electric blanket, sharing the joy with you. Here’s the view from my face: 

Plus there’s this other thing!

The Mythwakers Kickstarter has 8 more days to go! We are almost 1/3 of the way there (eek!), so please share the love. This is my first foray (foray apparently only has one R) into nonfiction, and has been a fantastic way to share my love for mythology, folklore, and stories (in a kid-friendly way!). 

We also added a way for you to donate a book to a library or school instead, if reading awesome books is not your thing. I’m so excited to share this new series with you! Check it out!

For Writers

I am helping produce the Nebula Awards again this year, and just recently joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association as a full member. I wasn’t a full member yet because my recent books have been too short to qualify! However, they recently changed their membership requirements, opening up to more indie, kid, and small press writers. I think this is a very good thing. SFWA is a professional organization for speculative fiction writers that gives help on so many things, from contracts to community. You can find out more about membership here: https://www.sfwa.org/about/join-us/why-join-sfwa/.

If you’re not writing speculative fiction, there are other professional organizations you can check out too! Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, Authors Guild, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators — that’s just to name a few. 

Here’s a long list to get you started. These organizations are a great way to find out what’s happening in your community. Go out and make new friends!

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Chicon Wrap-Up

I am on my way back from Chicon, the World Science Fiction Convention. I made a last-second decision to go, and then my son got the chance to be one of Tamora Pierce’s Legends. We went back and forth and back and finally went forth. Here’s my Chicon Wrap-up.

In this weird Covid world, I wonder if I’ll ever be comfortable in a hotel or airport again. 

Add to that the need to network, connect, and do so much in one freaking weekend (when the main connections I have had in the last two months have been with my chickens, who don’t require that much besides food and water and reinforcement to continue their egg-laying lives, which I’m pretty sure they don’t even need the positivity, but come on, they are wonderful ladies who are clearly doing an eggs-celent job), and well, it was a recipe for disaster (hard-boiled). 

Photo by Daniel Reche on Pexels.com

Ya’ll know I was awkward before the pandemic. I am aging like a Cadbury Egg. I’m taking awkward to the logical extreme. If you push it far enough, you end up with cool, right?

Right?

I’m going to fool myself into believing that (and fingers crossed, I’ll fool you too). 

So, here’s my Chicon Wrap-up. I kept my expectations low. Made a few dinner plans. Stayed open to possibilities. Said yes to mocktails with new friends and a shared cab with an editor. I even went to a panel about running conventions.

Me bringing my particular joy to the Hugos.Chicon Wrap-up: What did I learn?

I’m pretty sure we are all in the same boat. We’re all reaching out, looking for connections, searching for something. We’re all walking into a room hoping something wonderful is going to happen — that we’ll make a new friend, or learn something cool, or find out an event has been cancelled and replaced by tacos. 

Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels.com

One can dream. 

The day those tacos come, I’ll know the world is going to be all right. But until then, like you, I’ll keep reaching. Keep searching. And keep staying open to the possibilities. 

If you ever see me at a convention or conference, say hi. If you ever find a room full of tacos, message me. Things are hard enough on our own. We’ve got to work together. 

What’s next?

I’ve got a few business cards. I’ll followup. Add new friends to social media.

In the official tradition, I also have a few more books to add to my TBR pile. Kelly Robson was a wonderful gem, and her wife A.M. Dellamonica was a light. I look forward to reading new books by them both. Scott H. Andrews from Beneath Ceaseless Skies was a joy to talk to at 6AM. Who knew that was possible? And my Nebula friends like L.D. Lewis, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Steven H. Silver, along with Portland friends Erik, Luke, Cylia and Fonda brought smiles along with them. It was a great weekend. I also met a very cool new friend at the SFWA mixer – more about him later. 

Of course, I can’t forget the sheer amount of cheese I ate with Jeffe Kennedy (I regret nothing!!).

Once I’ve connected, I’ll continue on. It doesn’t end after the con, and it shouldn’t. We want to be part of something, so let’s keep doing it. Let’s connect. Let’s reach out. Let’s make our own room full of tacos. 

P.S.

LEE MOYER WON TWO HUGOS HOLY WOW!!!!

Lee designed my Clockbreakers and Shadow Girl covers and is an incredibly talented professional. I’m happy to see him getting the recognition for his wildly good work with Seannan McGuire. Congraulations, Lee!

And that’s the end of my Chicon Wrap-up. Be good to each other.

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Mistakes I’ve Made

I’m writing you this the night before Wylde Wings launches into the world thinking about all my mistakes.

At the end of a software project, you usually have a post-mortem to talk about what worked and what didn’t. The interesting thing about writing and publishing a book is that the end is not always a fixed point. You write the book, and then you revise the book, and then you edit the book, and then you revise it again. For indie authors, you’re revising up until the moment you order your print books…and often afterwards. You have to decide when the book is good enough.

There will always be more work to do.

So, as Wylde Wings takes flight, I thought I’d share with you a few mistakes I’ve made.

Like how, for example, Publisher’s Weekly does not, in fact, have an apostrophe (Publishers Weekly).

Furthermore, if you have a paperback and a hardcover, they will be different sizes. If the book is illustrated, that means you will…have two different page sizes. This will take a lot of your time formatting and editing.

Bad solution: Add extra words. Real solution? Add extra words.

It’s like one of those “Spot the Differences” games in the newspaper. My mom says you should buy both the hardback AND the paperback and do a comparison study of the two.

Clearly, helping a book take flight is a whole thing. You need good people to help you make it happen. I got to work with one of the best, Brian W. Parker.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is finding friends to make the journey joyful. Brian brought his joy and wonder, and we felt it from you too. Thank you for being part of our community and helping bring this book into the world. You gave it wings.

Always Learning from Mistakes

Lots of mistakes, but don’t worry – I’m happy. So happy to share this book with you and to get this story out into the world. The journey goes on, ever forward, and I’m always learning. I hope you are too.

Shine on,

Kate

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Watching Netflix, Doing Research

Working Really Hard

My husband and son are out of town this week, and I’ve been doing a lot of writing, and even more research…er…Netflix. I’ve been watching Netflix.

I’ve been binging Lucifer, which has to do with gods and stuff, and since I write about gods and stuff, I can call it research.

I’ll stop trying to convince you…and myself. 

I think sometimes we need a break — time to refill and refresh. Sometimes I think of my brain as a browser with 40 open tabs. It’s good to just shutdown Chrome every once in a while, you know?

Those of you who have been my friends for a while know that this wave-of-well-water-filling up comes in drips and cycles. Bonus points if you remember the last time I was binge-watching Lucifer. 

For Writers

I have had a lot of open tabs while I’ve been digging into research for my next book series, MYTHWAKERS. The first book is all about the Minotaur, and it is so much fun. The only problem is that maybe, just maybe, I got an idea for another book. 

Spark. Spark. Fire!

You probably have this problem too. Whenever you’re really down deep in a project, something sparks. You get a whiff of another story. And as you open your mind to your current project, the other one starts to unfurl. That tiny gem. That little pearl. 

Now, I’m the irresponsible one that follows where that story leads. I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner. 

If I was giving you actually good advice, I would say something like…write that idea down on a notecard. Put it in your drawer and tuck it away. 

But I’m not always good at advice. That new story spark is rolling around in my head, digging in its threads and its claws and its metaphors.

It’s an exciting time, isn’t it? I’m not going to give you advice on how to fix it. I’m just going to say that sometimes, it’s worth reveling in all the delicious possibility. 

What I’m up to This newsletter was brought to you by chickens.What I’m not up to I’m still looking for the perfect chicken suit.

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Wylde Wings Sample

Come on baby unlight my fire!

Ya’ll! I miss you. I miss having you over for coffee, or seeing you at a reading. I’ve spent waaaaaaaay to much time with my chickens, my kid, and Facebook. It’s not healthy. 

But I think we’re all surviving, you know? Finding our way back into the world? I ended that sentence with a question mark because the world still seems a little:

I mean, that dude is cool, but he should watch out that his newspaper doesn’t burn up. Save print journalism.

Anyways, we are all still figuring things out, reaching out, and wondering how this whole life on the other side is eventually going to work.

I’m hoping people assume that my incoherent babbling is the Irish I have been practicing, and not that my brain melted during the pandemic (Plot spoiler: it did a little bit). 

First pages of Wylde Wings!

But there’s good, you know, somewhere in all of it. I’ve had my time without you to work on things for you, like the new middle grade welsh mythology and magic Portland-based awesome pile from me and Brian W. Parker: Wylde Wings.

I’ve got the first few pages for you below. I hope you like them. If you do, write me back and let me know!

If you don’t, your brain might be melting too. Probably should have a tele-health visit and get that checked out. 

Or, you can back the kickstarter and make me less stressed out. You do you.

Support Wylde Wings

Wylde Wings moves back and forth between the adventure story and Gwyn Wylde’s Journal. I hope you enjoy the first few pages!

What I’m Up To What Ripley is Up To

Find more out about Wylde Wings here.

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Signed Copies of My Books

Looking for signed copies of my books? The best place to order signed copies is from two of my favorite indie bookstores below. Make sure you write down that you would like your book signed (and who you’d like it signed to) in the notes section. Happy reading, my friends!

Annie Bloom’s Books

Another Read Through Bookstore

Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com

You can find out more about the Shadow Girl Saga here and the Clockbreakers series here.

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Publishing Primer

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at my Publishing Primer! Click the link below to find my notes from the Publishing Primer at the Compose Conference at Clackamas Community College. You’ll find the description of the workshop below too. Remember, you can always find more writing tips from me here. Happy writing, my friends!

Compose-Publishing-PrimerDownload

Agents? Small press? Royalties? Publishing is so complicated! Join author Kate Ristau for a short presentation and Q&A about publishing at the Compose Writing Conference. We’ll talk about how to get your work published, and the routes to finding your way to the printed page. Bring your questions, and we will find your answers!

Get writing!
Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

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Jessie Kwak explores worlds you can taste

Article by Jessie Kwak

Recently, my husband sat me down for an intervention.

“Look,” he said, a marked-up copy of my most recent manuscript sitting in his lap. “We need to talk about how your characters are always eating.”

“People eat,” I pointed out. “Multiple times a day, even.”

“Sure. But this is a tense scene — and they’re eating soup dumplings, which are inherently ridiculous to eat.”

“They just finished an intense motorcycle chase,” I said. “They’re hungry.”

“Jessie,” he said seriously. “The soup dumplings have got to go.”

I blame a childhood spent reading Brian Jacques’ Redwall books for my desire to shoehorn delicious meals into every book.

(Either that, or my Grandma Kwak, who made an art form out of feeding anyone who walked into her farmhouse kitchen. Feeding people is in my Dutch farmer genes.)

I love exploring fictional worlds, and food is one of those things that makes a world unique.

Maybe that’s a real-world place — in my very first novel, republished as From Earth and Bone, the Ramos sisters sit down in the very first scene for bowls of pho from one of my favorite pho restaurants in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood.

Maybe it’s completely made up — in the Bulari Saga, the eclectic food available in the city speaks to the varied and diverse roots of humanity that populated the system, and the local heavily-spiced korris is a source of pride.

I love exploring fictional worlds, and food is one of those things that makes a world unique.

Jessie Kwak

From Redwall’s abby feasts to Klingon blood wine, I’ve always been a fan of fictional foods as a part of worldbuilding.

That’s why I love this article from Atlas Obscura, where readers talk about their favorite fictional foods and imagine what it might taste like.

My favorite is quote is this description of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: 

“A cataclysm of citrus with an effervescent apocalypse.”

Personally, if I could try any fictional food, I would love to taste elven lembas bread from the Lord of the Rings. When I was younger, I would wrap biscuits in a handkerchief to take as a snack on my adventures, pretending it was lembas bread.

How about you? 

What fictional food would you love to taste?

When I was younger, I would wrap biscuits in a handkerchief to take as a snack on my adventures, pretending it was lembas bread.

Jessie Kwak

Oh, and if you’re wondering how my husband’s intervention worked out, I did eventually remove the soup dumplings from that scene.

But that didn’t stop me from writing in some of my other favorite meals into the series.

Happy eating — er, I mean reading!

Thank you to Jessie Kwak for sharing a spoonful with us this morning!

I originally met Jessie years ago at the Willamette Writers Conference. She is wicked smart and super-talented. I love her book: Chaos to Creativity. It will give you lots of ideas on how to put your passion into a project and bring it to life.

Here’s a little more about Jessie Kwak:

Jessie Kwak has always lived in imaginary lands, from Arrakis and Ankh-Morpork to Earthsea, Tatooine, and now Portland, Oregon. As a writer, she sends readers on their own journeys to immersive worlds filled with fascinating characters, gunfights, explosions, and dinner parties. When she’s not raving about her latest favorite sci-fi series to her friends, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, or out exploring new worlds both at home and abroad.

You can find her online at JessieKwak.com, on Twitter @jkwak and on Instagram kwakjessie.

So, how do you write those delicious worlds? Here’s a few articles to get you thinking and writing!

Worldbuilding

The Fantastical Food of Fantasy Fiction at Tor.com gives a good overview.
Foodbuilding as Worldbuilding on Mythic Scribes provides practical templates.
Worldbuilding: Food for the People has great considerations about time periods.
Selina Jeckert connects food with character status, conditions and relationships.

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