Sable Aradia's Blog, page 27
February 4, 2019
William Shakespeare’s Dune by G. Scott Huggins
G. Scott Huggins, one of the contributing authors to the upcoming Gunsmoke & Dragonfire anthology, has been working on a blog project that I can’t help but love! Check out William Shakespeare’s Dune, which, as Scott puts it, is”an effort to meld two of my great loves from my youth: the Bard of Avon and the Bard of Arrakis.” Scott updates this amazing project one scene at a time on Mondays.
Act I, Scene i. The Castle Caladan
Paul Atreides’ Bedroom
Paul Atreides lies on his bed, asleep.
Enter Lady Jessica and Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
REV: Is not he weak and paltry for his age?
JES: Your Reverence, it is no cause for concern.
Th’ Atreides often stunt their early growth.
REV: Yet he hath grown already fifteen years?
JES: Aye.
REV: He’s awake and listens to us now,
The slyness of a spider shall he need
If thou hast borne the Kwisatz Haderach…
Sleep well, thou spiderling, and have a care:
Tomorrow thou shalt meet my gom jabbar.
Exit Lady Jessica and Reverend Mother Mohiam
PAUL: I dream a dream of time to come and space
A thousand-folded futures, dreaming true.
What is this cavern cold, perfumed with spice?
Arrakis, Dune, the Desert Planet looms
In my mind’s eye, remembered, yet unseen
In any past that should lodge in my brain.
Harkonnen fief that was, and now is ours:
Such wealth should make my father laugh for joy
Of vict’ry o’er the cruel Baron’s pride.
And yet his mood is somber. Is’t indeed
As Mentat Thufir says, and out of fear
That Emperor Shaddam has granted us
Arrakis: spiced and honeyed as a trap?
But still! Yon crone did call me spiderling
And I lie fretting as th’ensnared fly.
My mother’s disciplines I shall recall
And choosing consciousness shall master all.
Enter Lady Jessica
JES: Didst thou sleep well?
PAUL: Aye, mother, what’s the matter?
JES: Dress and come. The Reverend Mother waits.
PAUL: I dreamed of her. Who is she then to thee?
JES: My teacher once. A Bene Gesserit sage.
And now the Emperor’s Truthsayer is become.
Thou must discover for her all thy dreams.
PAUL: I will. But what’s a gom jabbar, withal?
JES: In time the gom jabbar thou shalt well know.
The Reverend Mother waits upon thee. Haste!
Exeunt
Find links to every act thus far at G. Scott Huggins’ website.
[image error] Support the Kickstarter!
February 2, 2019
Video Premiere: Interview with Sara Codair
Premiering tomorrow at 9 am PST / 12 pm EST.
Gunsmoke & Dragonfire is an anthology of fantasy western stories. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Codair, author of “Red Tide Rising,” one of the stories in the anthology!
Sara is an emerging enby writer whose work has appeared in Broadswords & Blasters, Unnerving Magazine, Vulture Bones, and many other places. They write speculative #ownvoices works on non-binary life, queerness, and mental health, and their debut novel Power Surge was published by NineStar Press in 2018.
Support the Kickstarter here!
Or pre-order the ebook on Kindle for a special February pre-order price!
Sara Codair’s Website: http://www.saracodair.com
Originally aired on Kickstarter Live January 31, 2019
February 1, 2019
Gunsmoke & Dragonfire: Third Book Trailer Drop!
Happy Friday! Here’s the third book trailer for Gunsmoke & Dragonfire!
SUPPORT THE KICKSTARTER HERE: 25 stories from bestselling, award-winning, established & new international authors! This trailer highlights stories about spellcasters in the anthology.
The Case of the Vanishing Unicorns by Jake Blakey
Rick and the Green Gunslinger by Zach Chapman
Lonesome by Carrie Gessner
Weird western, sci-fi & space western, fantasy western, alternate history, time travel & steampunk!
Coming March 15, 2019
Get it here! Special pre-order price February only!
See all the book trailers so far here.
See all the Kickstarter videos so far here.
Release Day: Cities of Dust, Planes of Light
In all the excitement, I just about missed Release Day for Cities of Dust, Planes of Light! Published in a limited-edition of only 125 copies, with 25 being available with commemorative postcards for the stories, this science fantasy anthology from Air & Nothingness Press features stories by Samantha L. Barrett, Sarah Daly, Jamie Lackey, Cat Rambo, and me.
January 29, 2019
Video Premiere: Interview with R. Daniel Lester
I had the pleasure of interviewing Gunsmoke & Dragonfire author R. Daniel Lester on Kickstarter Live! I’ll be premiering that video on YouTube tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Pacific / 12 p.m. Eastern if you want to chat with me about the video or the project.
[image error] Support the Kickstarter!
January 28, 2019
Book Review: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read for the 12 in 12 Reading Challenge and the Read the Sequel Reading Challenge.
This novel won the 1999 Locus and was nominated for the 1999 Nebula.
In this second book of A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin continues his grand saga of power, corruption, and people somehow trying to do the right thing in the midst of it all. He continues to pose the question of how real people would react in the face of high fantasy tropes:
– What would life really be like for a noble girl disguising herself as a commoner?
– How would people actually treat a female knight in a medieval society?
– What would the consequences be for a young king who marries for love in a society in which power and politics are solidified through marriage?
Excellent work. Again, highly recommended.
January 27, 2019
Gunsmoke & Dragonfire: Kickstarter Status Report – Week 1
Howdy folks! We’re one week in to the Kickstarter campaign for Gunsmoke & Dragonfire, and this is my status report for the first week.
Status Report
We’re on target with 26% of our funding achieved, for a total of $391 CAD. Yay! I’d like to thank each and every one of our Backers so far:
Stephanie Barr
Andrew Barton
Zach Chapman
The Creative Fund
William DeGeest
Rob Easton
Spencer Estabrooks
Alexander Gudenau
Deb E. Johnston Holberton
Dawn Landry
James Lucas
Scott Maynard
McGhiever
J.I. Rogers
We really appreciate all your support! You guys are awesome!
How Else Can I Help?
You can help spread the word! If your friends and connections know you’ve supported this project, they’re more likely to support it too. Even if you’re following the project because you want to help but don’t know that you have the $ to do it, that’s okay; spreading the word, and encouraging others to support us, is a big help too!
Tell your friends and social media contacts why you have decided to support our project. Do you like weird westerns? Tell them that! Do you like supporting independent writers? Say so! Is it just that you think the cover art makes this look like a kickass book? Well, I agree with you, so let people know! People will believe in the things that you believe in, if they see you believe in them. This is my second Kickstarter project, and by far, the most support I’ve received has been from friends who see how passionate and excited I am.
(Can I just take a moment, once again, to gush about the incredible stories from such amazing writers? I’m honestly in awe of their talent! I can’t wait to share them with you.)
Resources
The incredibly talented Claire Ryan, who is also one of our authors, has taken the incredible cover art created by Aaron Siddall, and made several social media graphics to promote our campaign. Feel free to borrow them and use them on whatever social media platform you prefer to help us get the word out! If you click on the small arrows next to the Facebook, Twitter, and email icons on the main project page, you will get a short link to our campaign that you can share too, if the ones provided for Facebook and Twitter are too long. And thank you so much for every link and graphic you choose to share! We really appreciate it!
Thanks again, and we’ll continue to keep you posted!
Facebook
Instagram
Tumblr
Twitter
Kickstarter Cover Size
Book Cover
Kindle Book Teaser
January 25, 2019
Gunsmoke & Dragonfire: Second Book Trailer Drop!
SUPPORT THE KICKSTARTER HERE: http://kck.st/2ASWKje
99 CENTS PREORDER JANUARY ONLY! https://amzn.to/2W0Y38L
25 stories from bestselling, award-winning, established and new international authors! This trailer highlights tales of rogues and wanderers in the anthology:
No-Sell by Ricardo Victoria
Glorious Madness by Jude-Marie Green
The Sound of One Shoe Tapping by R. Daniel Lester
Includes a bonus Solomon Kane story by Robert E. Howard.
Catch all the book trailers and videos so far HERE.
Weird west, sci-fi and space western, western fantasy, alternate history, time travel and steampunk! Coming March 15, 2019. Get it here: https://amzn.to/2W0Y38L
[image error] Support the Kickstarter!
January 24, 2019
Book Review: The Return of “Autumn” James Gibbons by William DeGeest
The Return of “Autumn” James Gibbons by William DeGeest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This novelette happened across my path as a submission for an anthology I am putting together on fantasy westerns. I didn’t accept it to the anthology, but that’s because I lacked the space, not because I didn’t like it!
This is a well-written and enjoyable tale of vengeance and necromancy. The characters are vivid and well-realized. The author drew upon a real-life story that took place in his home town, which provides a strong grounding of realism that helps to anchor the fantastical elements. The plot feels something like holding your breath as you see a slow-motion train wreck unfold in front of you. You know something bad is happening, but feel helpless to stop it, and that sense of dread is what keeps you turning the pages.
It’s difficult to tell at first that this a speculative fiction piece because it’s a slow burn. For that reason, I think fans of fantasy, horror, or western will appreciate this tale. If you enjoy any of the three, I think you ought to give it a try!
Gunsmoke & Dragonfire Kickstarter Launch
YAY! We’re launching our Kickstarter! Check out the video on my YouTube channel at the link below. Or check out the link to the campaign HERE!
We could really use your support, and we have some absolutely amazing unique items for our Backers in addition to the book! Every level offers you the book in either ebook, paperback or hardcover, sometimes both.
And keep your eye open for special limited-availability rewards throughout the month! For the first ten days, we are offering exclusive Writers’ Services packages from our authors! You don’t want to miss out on this!
