R.S.A. Garcia's Blog, page 21

The “I Pinch Myself Every Day Now” Roundup

So I was so excited yesterday, I forgot to point out that if you want to read part of Chapter 1 of my debut novel, LEX TALIONIS, you can head on over to Tara Maya’s blog at bestfantasynovel.com. Just scroll past all the interviewy stuff and you’ll find the excerpt waiting to sit you down, put your feet up and give you a bucket of popcorn so you can settle in for the short haul ;-)

Hopefully, you’ll like it and want to throw money at it.

LEX TALIONIS is now also available at Barnes and Noble.

And if you have something against them, just head on over to Kobo.

It should be up on Amazon really soon, so I’ll drop a note when that happens.

And as if that wasn’t surreal enough, one of my sister’s co-workers got her copy today, so my sister got to touch it and flip through it and realise the bedtime story of her youth was really out there in the big, bad world as a novel. It was a head-spinning moment for both of us (she sent me pics). One that I think made it worthwhile.

I’m always worrying if I did the right thing. If it was worth all the sacrifice to just keep pursuing this crazy goal. If it was smart to put myself and such a dark, difficult story out there like that. When you start to get your first ‘meh’ reviews and reactions your heart kind of plummets and you start wondering why you ever signed up for this.

But then you see an interview go up, or you read a reader’s reaction where they basically freak out over how much they love your story, or you just hold that dream in your hand as a real physical copy of all the thoughts and words you had. And it’s totally, totally worth everything it took to get there.

Even if you never sell another copy. Even if the books sinks into the massive trove of new books out there without another peep. Even if every critic that reads it hates it. I realise now I don’t care. I have shared my story, and part of me, with other people. No one can take that away from me.

I have been luckier than many to have this opportunity. And I treasure it.

So no matter what, stay thirsty, my friends. Take it from me; you’ll get there as long as you don’t quit.

Tagged: Amazon, author, author interview, Barnes and Noble, books, debut novels, editing, excerpt, interviews, Kobo, Lex Talionis, novels, publishing, scifi, spec fic, Tara Maya, Writer, writing

LEX TALIONIS News – I Have a New Interview Up!

Tara Maya interviewed me for her blog over at bestfantasynovel.com!

If you want to know more about wild and crazy me, you can head on over there.

I also had a new review go up on another blog. This one was a surprise, as the reviewer received the book as part of our early reviewer push and then posted the review on her very nice blog. You can read that here.

She notes I could have trimmed some side characters. It’s every author’s dream to be able to sit down with someone who has those kinds of concerns and tell them all the ways those ‘side characters’ are going to be important later.

But what the hey. You’d only be giving away the story ahead of book 2, right?

Stay thirsty, my friends!

Tagged: blogs, book reviews, books, editing, interview, Lex Talionis, mystery, novels, publishing, scifi, space opera, spec fic, Tara Maya, writing

LEX TALIONIS by R. S. A. Garcia: Nebula weekend, giveaway, and media round-up

RSAGARCIA:

My publisher is doing a giveaway of LEX TALIONIS as part of our Nebula awards promotion. Please feel free to click on the cover and enter. It costs nothing and you get one of five free copies if you win!

There’s also some nice reviews to help you decide if you want to read it.

Have a great weekend and stay thirsty, my friends!

Originally posted on Dragonwell Publishing Blog:

Click on the cover to enter a Goodreads giveaway for 5 print copies of this stunning debut novel by a Caribbean science fiction author. The giveaway will be open until the release day on May 30, 2014.

R. S. A. Garcia’s science fiction thriller is receiving a great response from readers and early reviewers, in the wake of the starred review from Publishers Weekly that came out earlier this month. Here is what the reviewers say about the book:

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“The setting is handled in an effortless way that makes aliens and advanced technology feel commonplace. Artificial breeding, interplanetary settlement, and political rebellion are just a few of the concepts that Garcia infuses with ethical tensions and deep personal emotion in this intense and intriguing work.” – Publishers Weekly

“A tense, morally complex science fiction thriller that tackles hard questions of loyalty, exploitation, and human decency without compromising on…

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Vampire Academy or Who The Hell Knew That Would Be So Much Fun?

I didn’t plan on seeing this. Basically, my sister went to the DVD store by herself and I wasn’t able to prevent her from buying it. I had made my opposition clear from the moment I saw the uninspiring trailer.

However, I have been wrong twice this year about movies I didn’t want to see that turned out to be movies I’m glad I saw. Vampire Academy was the second one I was wrong about. (For the curious, Lone Survivor was the first, but this post is not about that.)

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not Lone Survivor level of badassness. It’s got its flaws. Chief among them being the lightening fast dialogue and story pacing. Egads, the speed! And the villain. Terrible levels of obviousness were at work there, but then again, it’s not a book meant for testing your Nancy Drew skills or anything. Still, if someone had told me the Weinstein brothers and Mark Waters were involved, I would have given it a chance.

Luckily, the movie was full of enough spunk, sly troupe-tossing and decent acting to get by on its own. No, I haven’t read the books, and don’t plan to, but I enjoyed the idea of three different vampire species; the intriguing glimpses of religion I saw; a heroine who was both intelligent, spirited and devoted to her best friend of the same sex and a night-operating Hogwarts that combined bits of ‘Heathers’ in its hallowed halls. Frankly, if I was still a teenager, I would have loved this, not the least because it’s a movie that doesn’t tell young people the most important relationship in their lives is the romantic one.

Oh, and the guy who played Dimitri? Far too hot for a young girl like Rose. Send him to me, I need some heat in my old age ;-)

If you didn’t want to see this, I’d at least recommend you take a look at the opening and see if you want to keep watching. Frankly, it reminded me of Buffy and that sort of snarky paranormal adventure plays well in my house. If you barf at the very idea of continuing to watch, no judgement. I am, after all, the woman who had no problem watching Kevin Sorbo in ‘Kull the Conqueror’.

And if you tell that to anyone else, I WILL hunt you down and feed you to the Strigoi.

 

On a side note, I can’t believe IMDB has Mortal Instruments rated higher than this. I fell asleep on that one. And I LIKE Lilly Collins. That guy she was smooching on though…yeeesh. Not my type at all. Needs to eat and get out in the sun more.

Stay thirsty, my friends!

 

Tagged: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kevin Sorbo, Kull the Conqueror, Lone Survivor, movies, Vampire Academy

The Best Writing Advice Ellen Datlow Ever Gave Me

It was the only advice she ever gave me, and it was really freaking simple.

She said, join a critique group.

That’s it. Nothing else. Join a critique group.

It’s not like she knew me or anything. I was a random newbie who had been writing for years in private and sent her a story in the hopes of seeing it appear on the website she was editing for at the time. The story was rejected, but I decided to use the personal email provided on the website and send her a note asking why.

Totally the wrong protocol. That’s how new I was, by the way. Note to new writers–never, ever write to an editor that has rejected you asking him or her to explain why. It’s rude. And most people are not as nice as Ellen Datlow and will not remember you kindly for it.

So anyway, she told me the truth, which was that it hadn’t been good enough to make it to her desk to read, so she had no idea why it was rejected. But she told me that her foolproof advice for a new writer was to join a critique group and learn from others. She even recommended one. The Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. It was the best one out there, as far as she was concerned.

That was 14 years ago. Joining the OWW was the best decision I ever made. Everything I learned about how to write, every contact I made, every thing I learned about agents and the publishing industry and how to navigate both, I learned there.

It wasn’t easy. It was a lot of work. I took some hard hits. And joining a workshop doesn’t work for everyone, as Stephen King will tell you. As good as the experience was for me, there were people who left all the time because they felt like they weren’t getting much out of it. Back in those days, Del Ray was the sponsor, so it was free. Now you pay a nominal fee, but if you are willing to review for others–which is frankly the BEST way to learn–you will get way more out of it than it will ever cost you.

There are other groups, of course. Critters is another good one. And everyone knows about Wattpad and Book Country. You can even start your own face-to-face group. I can’t guarantee you it will be a successful venture. Hell, you may end up hating everyone you meet and leave in  a huff.

But I can tell you it’s worth the risk to be a better writer. To get feedback from someone who knows what you’re going through. Someone who feels the same way you do about telling stories. Someone who won’t pull any punches, and someone who will encourage you all the way. Every writing friend I have, I found in my critique group.

And if nothing else, you will know if you’ve got the stomach for this.

Because I’m telling you now, if you’re in this as a hobby, that’s fine. But if you want to tell your stories to others; if you burn inside with the desire to show the world the dreams that come to you in the dead of night; if envy eats you up inside every time you see a new publishing deal announced; if you’re willing to risk sanity, pride and bad habits right down to the bitter end, then it’s a writer’s life for you.

And a group of friends who will tell you the truth and love you and your story babies the entire time is a great place to start.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

Tagged: books, critique groups, Critters, editing, editor, Ellen Datlow, novels, OWW, publishing, writers, writing

Trailer Bonanza!

It’s trailer day! So here are some fun trailers to get you ready for the rest of the week.

First, the one everyone’s talking about. NBC’s trailer for the new show, Constantine. I did not grow up with the comics, so I rather enjoyed the much maligned movie. But this looks loads better.

You’ve probably seen it already, but I can’t wait for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The first movie was a welcome surprise. I don’t think anyone really wanted a remake of such a classic. I truly didn’t think it would be any good. I was so glad to be wrong. ‘Dawn’ looks to be just as intriguing.

I can take Tom Cruise, or I can leave him. But I am in love with Emily Blunt. And I am in love with this concept. Edge of Tomorrow is a must see for me.

This looks like one of those movies that set you laughing, and lift your spirit. Besides the fact that it’s about food, it’s got the wonderful Helen Mirren in it. The Hundred-Foot Journey looks like the kind of truly heart-warming film they don’t make enough.

This one is a red-band trailer for an upcoming comedy, so get the kids out of the room.  I’m not a fan of Cameron Diaz, but I loved Bad Teacher and this looks funny as hell.

Another red-band trailer. This one is a futuristic thriller that looks like revolution on a train. Chris Evans and one of my favourites, Tilda Swinton, star.

And finally, the trailer for Wolves, which is on this post for one reason only. Jason Momoa. That is all.

Stay thirsty, my friends!

 

Tagged: Celebrities, Constantine, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Edge of Tomorrow, movies, Sex Tape, Snowpiercer, The Hundred-Foot Journey, trailers, TV shows, Wolves

GoT OMG!!!

I mean, you could have knocked me over with a feather, I so didn’t see THAT one coming.

If you haven’t been watching the new season of Game of Thrones, you really should walk away now.

I mean, this season has been chock full of shocks. From Joffrey, to the realisation that Littlefinger is behind EVERYTHING, to that damn rape. But am I the only one who felt this betrayal more than almost anything else we’ve seen so far? (The Littlefinger thing being number one, of course.)

I won’t get specific, but—DAMN! How could she play Tyrion like that?

Boy, my hats off to Peter Dinklage. That man is an actor with a capital A. I wanted to run up there and simultaneously hug him and run a sword through Cersei. I know she orchestrated this somehow.

But I just kept wondering–what the hell did they threaten her with to get that testimony?

Or is it something worse. Something unthinkable. Like, like…she was faking all along.

Nah. I can’t believe that. I WON’T believe that. Because that would be…

Damn.

On the other hand…

Dragons!!

That is all.

Stay thirsty, my friends!

Tagged: film, Game of Thrones, GOT, Supernatural, TV, TV shows

My First Interview – Geek Syndicate UK!

Red letter day over here!

My first interview as an actual official author just went live over at Geek Syndicate! I’m totally on the front page and everything!

*Fans self nervously with hands*

So if I haven’t completely scared you off with my ramblings and ridiculous love affair with gifs, you can find out more about me and my inspirations for LEX TALIONIS over at Geek Syndicate. I also say things about speculative fiction, female protagonists in science fiction, and what I’m working on now.

Feel free to like the post if you are so moved.

Have fun, and stay thirsty, my friends!

Tagged: author, author interview, books, editing, Geek Syndicate, Lex Talionis, novels, publishing, reading, writing

Artificial DNA Coming Soon To Bacteria Near You!

Scientists have created the first living organism containing artificial DNA. 

If that doesn’t both excite and terrify you, you need to put those brains down and focus, zombie man.

I mean, aside from the fact that we seriously weren’t sure this was even possible, the mind-blowing possibilities for biology and humanity’s ability to adapt and create life…well, let’s just say the sequels for Lex Talionis will have some more research coming! This is totally in my wheelhouse of genetic manipulation and it’s intended and unintended consequences. Not to mention what happens when you start messing with creation itself.

Speaking of Lex, I have two reviews up on Amazon now. Keep them coming, guys. The more the merrier! And thanks for the likes on the previous post too.

Have a great night, and stay thirsty my friends!

Tagged: artificial dna, books, editing, novels, publishing, reading, Science, writing

LEX TALIONIS Is Now on Amazon!

*Runs around in circles squeeing*

Peeps! My novel, LEX TALIONIS, is now up on Amazon.com! I even have a review already!

It’s just the paperback for now. The Kindle edition will be out on May 30th, and until then, you can get all the formats from Dragonwell Publishing’s website.

I cannot believe I have a novel on Amazon! It’s surreal! And my use of exclamation points just went through the roof!

So between you and me, if you have any friends who like science fiction or mysteries or both smashed together in one gritty whole, please whisper in their ear about my book. I’d appreciate it. And my stomach–which has no interest in being a starving artist–will appreciate it too!

Have a good one, and stay thirsty, my friends!

Tagged: Amazon, books, editing, Lex Talionis, novels, publishing, reading, writing