R.S.A. Garcia's Blog, page 9
September 11, 2015
SciFi From Around The World
Scifi from all corners of the globe has always been around, but recently some of those works have been hitting the mainstream, culminating in this year’s Hugo Awards, where the Chinese novel, The Three-Body Problem, walked away with Best Novel. There are so many stunning, unique, fascinating and entertaining stories out there now, coming from completely new and original points of view.
There are also writers, like myself, who take the old myths and legends, stir them up with beloved scifi troupes and try to find a story that’s fresh and unexpected in it.
The same thing is happening in Fantasy, and across spec fic. It’s been a long time coming, but we have spec fic in the Western world that’s beginning to show a little of the huge market that’s out there.
I think that’s cause for celebration, don’t you?
Okay, maybe not quite like that…
Best part of this article for me is that a former OWW member, Aliette de Bodard, is mentioned. Hurrah for my writing workshop! For those of us who have been there forever, hurrah for the Zoo and the good old OWW! It’s amazing how many truly great writers have left the OWW and gone on to great things: CC Finlay, Elizabeth Bear, Aliette de Bodard, Jim Butcher, Rae Carson, Fran Wilde, N.K. Jemisin…the list goes on and on.
The great thing about these writers is they’re all doing their part to push against the boundaries and turn spec fic on it’s head in the best way possible. By giving a voice in the mainstream to those who had no place there before.
Congratulations to all you guys for being part of a revolution! This is only the beginning, because we have a lot more stories left to share and new writers all around the world popping up and joining the club every day. Welcome everyone, and congrats. Keep it coming!
Have a great weekend and stay thirsty, my friends.
Tagged: #amwriting, African scifi, Aliette de Bodard, authors, books, Chinese scifi, editing, fantasy, OWW, publishing, science fiction, scifi, spec fic, Three-Body Problem, writing
September 9, 2015
Excerpt: The Nightward – A Battle Approaches
I’m a bit busy today, so I thought I’d post a tiny excerpt from The Nightward wherein the Lady Gretchen and her Amazores prepare to do battle with an ancient weapon called the Dark.
The Amazores waited in the cold. Even the walls above were empty of their presence. Behind Lady Gretchen, the sounds of banging doors and dragging furniture drifted out from within the Court. She didn’t look back.
“Your swords.”
Metal shrieked as over seventy swords, all engraved with the same script as the Lady’s, were drawn and piled neatly on the colorful tile. Lady Gretchen added her sword last, then stepped back from the heap. Palms forward, she chanted a short spell, the words taut as the expressions on the Amazores’ faces.
The Lady’s sword began to burn a fierce yellow. Then golden wraithlight with a heart of green slid along the edge of the blade, limning it with a cold, magical glow. The wraithlight kept going, jumping from blade to blade, circling each one until the entire heap shone with its light.
Lady Gretchen lowered her arms and gestured at the Amazores to take their swords. They did so in silence, the wraithlight throwing multicolored shadows on the gold armor. Around them, the wind howled and tiny veins of frost began to spread in the cracks in the tile beneath their feet.
She motioned the archers forward, directing them to pile their quivers on the ground. Another spell and yet another heap glowed with the unearthly light. The archers collected their property, dropping the straps over their heads and settling the quivers against their backs.
“Be warned,” the Lady shouted above the wind. “Each time you plunge your sword into the Dark, it will take away some of your wraithlight. The sword is useless without the magic. If it fades, retreat. Do not attempt to engage the Dark without it or you will die. Now, to your positions.”
See you later, alligators!
Tagged: #amwriting, books, editing, excerpt, fantasy, Hand of Gaia, novels, publishing, spec fic, The Nightward, Viyella, writing, writing tips
September 4, 2015
Fun With Scammers
Mashable has a hilarious exchange between a scammer and an Englishman called James Veitch. Seems James has been spending two years replying to all those spam emails that come to your inbox asking you to hide the wealth of a Nigerian prince, or purchase their cheap Viagra.
I used to have a boss who liked replying to the money scammers. Nigerian princes, lottery ticket officials, stranded tourists, you name it, they would all reply and stretch out the con game as long as he let them. He would string them along for a time, asking questions and insisting on various types of proof until they lost their temper or stopped replying. Sometimes he would send them several emails asking why they had cut him off, as if a new friendship had been severed. He wasn’t very good at speed typing though, so sometimes I would type his emails for him. I never got over how stupid scammers think you are.
Imagine how many people have lowered the bar they have for stupid to the point where they will blissfully say the crap they said to my boss and James without blinking an eye.
Moral of the story? If you didn’t buy a ticket, you didn’t win. And if someone who doesn’t know you wants to give you millions of dollars–don’t try to take it, okay? Just…don’t.
It’s Election Day on Monday, and I’ll be headed out to vote, so stay thirsty, my friends, and have one on me as the bars are–sadly–officially closed on Election Day here until after 6pm.
Tagged: authors, books, con artists, cons, Dot Con, email scams, internet scams, James Veitch, Mashable, novels, publishing, scammers, writing
September 2, 2015
Stephen King On Stephen King
Sorry I was off for a while. Wasn’t feeling too well. Better now and hoping to get back on schedule with everything.
The New York Times ran a great piece by Stephen King on prolific writers, which you might have already read. Like him, I think every writer has their own process and their own speed. I’ve found that I’ve gotten better at the craft as I go along, but I’ve also slowed down a lot because of that, both in reading and writing speed.
With reading, I have less patience for bad now and no burning desire to finish no matter what. Life’s too short now and I will put a book down if it isn’t working for me. I can find others that will, I reason. With writing, I think it’s mostly doubt about if it’s working. I get paralyzed all the time from doubt and from not knowing how to get from point A to B. I know where I’m going, but sometimes the path is shrouded in mist. And sometimes I’m just tired and lazy. Writing can become an exercise in pulling teeth that way, but I feel like a heel if I don’t write, which leads to paralysis, and thence begins a vicious cycle.
Thankfully, I can usually find my way back out.
King also had a Q & A session yesterday though, and it was really interesting. He’s the writer that inspired me most as a young person, and he some great wisdom and quirky answers here. His response to Jake from Wisconsin wasn’t what I expected, but he’s right. If someone’s made up their mind, why bother playing their game?
I have to try that pillow behind my back thing while I’m writing though. I can feel the relaxation now…
Stay thirsty, my friends!
Tagged: #amwriting, authors, books, editing, fantasy, Horror, interviews, novels, publishing, Q&A, scifi, Stephen King, The New York Times, writing, writing exercise
August 26, 2015
14 Writers Who Rock
And who happen to be women.
Huffington Post has an article about women who write scifi and fantasy and stand head and shoulders above all others. It’s not an exhaustive list, by any means, but it is a good place to start if you want to add to your list of great women writers.
I’m extremely pleased to see Nalo Hopkinson on the list. Her ‘Midnight Robber’ blew my mind when I first read it in school and I couldn’t understand, then or now, why it wasn’t required reading in our English classes. I haven’t been in a school in ages, so I’m hoping that has changed, but even if it hasn’t, here’s hoping it does eventually.
I have heard of Sophia Samatar, but my reading list is so far behind, it pains me to even look at it. At the moment, I’m reading Nnedi’s Who Fears Death and enjoying it, so at least there’s that.
Let me know who on the list is your favourite and why in the comment section.
Catch you on the flip-side!
Tagged: #amwriting, author, authors, books, fantasy, great scifi writers, Nalo Hopkinson, novels, science fiction, science fiction writers, scifi, women who write, writers
August 24, 2015
We’re In The Army Now…
So last week, two women made history.
They graduated from the US Army’s Ranger School. Something that few men have ever accomplished.
These women did it. On their first try.
I’m excited about this mostly because of how they did it. They graduated with the top of their class, having endured every single thing the men around them did, and with glowing tributes from those who trained with them.
My favourite part of the article is when one of their fellow Rangers said ‘no more skepticism’. Sure, the men went in wondering how a woman would stand up to such brutal demands. But those ladies showed their true colours and all the heart in the world, and now they’re a proud part of a very big team. I mean, just look at this badassness:
And she’s not even sweating!
The world needs more of this. Men and women standing together, trusting in each other, respecting each other, without an unspoken ‘but’. We are the only species we know that we can relate to fully. Isn’t it time we came together and just let each other do what we want to do, without those boxes we came up with so long ago? Because it’s 2015, you know, and it’s about time the human race lived up to its full potential–for everyone.
Still, there’s a small part of me that selfishly enjoys this win as a woman who’s been told ‘you can’t’ an awful lot of times. So to 1st Lt. Haver and Capt. Griest (the badass in the photo), I just want to give you a high five and sing along…
Now, let’s hope the army catches up to their astounding men and women and open up jobs and opportunities to women like these.
Up next…Navy Seals!
Go ahead. Doubt me. We love it when you say ‘can’t’.
Stay thirsty, my friends!
Tagged: army, Army Ranger, badass women, female empowerment, Kristen Griest, news, Shaye Haver, training, woman power
August 21, 2015
201 And Counting…
I have discovered I now have 200 WordPress followers on my blog!
Thank you, thank you. I appreciate the coloured paper.
I want to welcome the newbies–and those of you who have been here from the beginning–to the fun house and thank you all for including me in your day. I know I don’t usually address my followers, but you guys mean a lot to me. You keep me from talking to myself, after all.
I don’t want this to end up being too serious between us, but you should know…
Oh, Benedict, so do I…
Have a good weekend, see you Monday and remember to stay thirsty for life and good beer, my friends!
Tagged: Benedict Cumberbatch, followers, funnies, jeapordy, memes, Sherlock, thank you, thanks, wordpress
August 19, 2015
The Tree Of 40 Fruits
This is amazing. An artist developed a tree that grows 40 different fruits.
The article talks about how he manages to do all this with a technique called chip grafting. And that’s not all. He plans to do it to many trees. He’s using resources that farmers think people don’t want to build something beautiful that provides food as well. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to try a yellow plum.
Here’s one of the many trees he’s planted:
And this is what he hopes they will look like when they’re all done growing:
Beautiful!
I hope Van Aken succeeds. We need new ways of thinking about nature, food and resources and this is a very clever way to address some very serious issues, using art.
Bravo, Van Aken! Bravo!
Tagged: agriculture, chip grafting, climate change, conservation, food, fruits, gardening, nature, resources, Science, Syracuse University, Tree of 40 Fruits, Van Aken
August 18, 2015
What Kind of Introvert Are You?
There’s a new paper out that discusses the possibility that there are really four types of introversion. Not only that, but people can have more than one kind of introversion. Not only is it an interesting take for understanding people, it might be relevant when it comes to building out characters past the cliches.
It’s something worth thinking about. And I took the quiz at the end and found that I’m almost evenly split among the various types, with a slight majority in ‘Thinking’.
I know there are people in my life who will be amazed it didn’t just spit out ‘Extrovert! Get thee gone!’
Go ahead. Take the quiz. Let me know how it turned out in the comments.
Tagged: #amwriting, extroversion, extrovert, introversion, Introvert, psychology, Science, Science of US, writing, writing tips
August 17, 2015
The Best Human Being I Have Ever Known
Eight years ago this month, my grandmother passed away. She was the backbone of my family and an amazing, unapologetic, loving, straight-forward, maddeningly sharp-tongued, soft-hearted, funny, perceptive, hard-working, smart, self-assured, no-nonsense, contradiction of a woman. She was the strongest person I’ve ever known.
Lots of people think their grandmother was the best, but mine really was. I never called Lyris Aban Baptiste granny because I considered that too disrespectful for her stature. To me, she was always grandmother.
I miss the way she used to sing and hum to every new baby born to the family. The way she would blow raspberries on their stomach until they laughed. I miss the way she would ask for a beer, drink it quickly, and then pretend it had leaked away and ask for another. I miss how she always had food ready when her family visited, and if not, she would get up and make some. The way she would entrap her grandchildren to do household chores and then pay us with cake batter or soft drinks.
I miss how she would mock threaten any kids who were being sly or sassy by waving her cane at them. How she would blink owlishly sometimes until you announced yourself because she didn’t see so well in her last years. The stories she told about growing up in Grenada, raising kids in Trinidad and working as a domestic for a rich Chinese lady who taught her how to cook Chinese food.
Barely out of her teens, she got on a boat all alone to go be with the man that would become her husband. She grew up poor in a one bedroom shack with 10 younger brothers and sisters she had to help care for, and she had to leave school before she learned to read and write to do it. She was told there was no point to educating a girl that would only get pregnant anyway, and her eldest brother took her place in school. But by the time she left this world, she had taught herself to read and write, was the secretary of the national chapter of the Mother’s Union of the Anglican Church, the secretary of her Village Council and had helped build her house with her own two hands while pregnant.
Her children and grandchildren included teachers, nurses, public servants, artists, lawyers, writers, musicians and two generations of port workers, male and female. She educated her children in a time when you paid for that education yourself and she never tired of preaching the importance of God and ‘studying your book’. She saved more people from the sad twists and turns of life by offering them shelter and a chance to get on their own two feet than any charitable organisation. She stood by her word, no matter what. And she loved, loved, loved, her family.
But my best memories are the times we spent together. The time she pretended her cane was stuck in ‘reverse’ while standing in front of the television and blocking her children and grandchildren from watching a movie. The squeals of ‘Granny! Move!’ while she shook her cane and muttered in pretend frustration, ‘But how this thing wouldn’t go into drive at all?’ The laughter when she got it into drive and backed up against the screen even more.
The time we were playing cricket in the yard, and she came outside and we talked her into batting and then regretted it because no matter who bowled to her, she hit it for six every time and nobody could get her out.
Or the time she came out while I was watching ‘The Matrix’ on television and sat down and watched the entire thing with me. This woman born before electricity came to the poor of Grenada. This woman who rationed throughout World War II and never forgot the lessons of keeping enough food in the house in case of political upheaval. This woman who lived through the arrival of telephones in Trinidad, all the way to the installing of a computer in her house that she frequently called a ‘small TV’. She watched Neo gain his powers in a strange world created by ‘camera tricks’ as she called it and asked very few questions, so engrossed was she.
At the end of The Matrix, she said, ‘I like that. That was good.’ And then we went to bed, she to hers and I to mine.
Sleep well, grandmother. It really was good.
Tagged: family, grandmother, jokes, Lyris, Neo, The Matrix, writing
