C.E. Murphy's Blog, page 108

Recent Reads: Enchanted

Now, Alethea Kontis is this person I met at WFC in Austin several years back. She and Ed Schubert and some others for some reason took pity on me as I was sitting there, pathetic and alone, on the bus to the convention hotel, or maybe at breakfast, or something. I don’t really remember the details, mostly because later that weekend I had just for the first time in real life met my friend Tammy Jones, and moments after I met her another friend of mine, Randomness, bellowed, “KIT!!!!” from across the hotel lobby, which was an arboretum and carried sound *remarkably* well, and once Ness and I had connected someone else came up to say hi, which caused Tammy to exclaim, “EVERYBODY knows Catie!” I was protesting that indeed, I knew almost no one at the convention and this was all just some kind of funny fluke, when Ed Schubert threw himself through a shrubbery* to greet me, then hauled me back through the shrubbery to be welcomed into the arms of Ed, Alethea and the others.

It sort of obliterated any hope I had of convincing Tammy that I was not on intimate terms with everybody at the convention. And it kind of cemented my affections for Ed and Alethea particularly, and we’ve been friends ever since. In fact, Alethea sent me the manuscript for ENCHANTED several years ago, because we’d been talking about the film “Ever After” and she’d said she’d liked it but her own version of a retold Cinderella was so much better. And I said “Ooh I’d love to read it someday!” and she emailed it and then because I did not yet have an e-reader I didn’t read it.

Having just finished the book, man, I wish I’d read it years ago when Alethea sent it to me. :)

It’s really splendid. She takes ALL the fairy tales and remixes them in an absolutely wonderful way. There are moments in the book where I, because I know Alethea, could see her life and influences very clearly, and because I know her and because one of the joys of knowing writers is recognizing those moments, they made me smile.

Mostly, though, the wonderful charming skill with which she deconstructed everything and put them back together again in a way that makes you go “Oh OF COURSE that’s how it all works!” made me smile. Really an absolutely enjoyable book, and I highly recommend it.

*This is not a euphanism. Ed literally threw himself through a shrubbery.

YEAR OF MIRACLES release day!

Revisit the world of the Old Races and discover the pieces that set the Negotiator Trilogy into play…

Four hundred years ago, master vampire Eliseo Daisani and dragonlord Janx both fell in love with Sarah Hopkins, an extraordinary beauty born in London’s slaughterfields. Caught in their ancient and complex bond, Sarah glimpses the world as it might be…

…and her choices will ravage a city. This is the story of London burning in 1666–the Year of Miracles.

Buy the novella:

at Amazon

at Barnes & Noble

at Smashwords

Or here at CE Murphy.Net (PDF only):

PLEASE NOTE: you will be given a link that brings you back to cemurphy.net for a download once you’ve completed payment. PLEASE click that link, or you won’t be brought to the download page and then you’ll be terribly sad and without stories and will have to email me and be embarrassed about not following directions and ask me to send you a copy of the stories.

Please use the button below to buy your PDF copy of OLD RACES: YEAR OF MIRACLES!


 

Why PDF only at cemurphy.net, you ask? After all, don’t I get basically ALL the money if you buy it direct? Well, yes, I do. But if you buy it through any of the other retailers, it raises the collection’s profile, making it more likely for *other* people to find it and buy it. I think probably in the long run that’s worth more than the extra dollar I get through a direct sale.

YEAR OF MIRACLE patrons: this is a GREAT TIME for you to go write a review and star it heavily! You’ve already read this story! Go make it look good! *big hopeful eyes* :)

World Records!

I knew there was something I was forgetting!

I’m participating in a world record attempt with the Irish Writers Centre TODAY! They’ve got 111 authors lined up to read consecutively from their own works, starting at 10am Irish time and going until 2pm tomorrow!

So at 5pm Irish time (noon Eastern, 9am Pacific) I’ll be reading a short excerpt (part of chapter 4) from URBAN SHAMAN! You can watch it LIVE at the IWC website!

Give-Aways & Recent Reads!

ORIGINS give-away: My friend Mikaela is doing an Old Races: ORIGINS give-away over on her blog! Go check it out!

Disneyland for Deon: Years ago Ted and I said to our friend Emily, “Get a teaching job and move to Alaska!” What we really meant was “Get a teaching job and move to Anchorage!” except Emily took it more broadly and got a teaching job in Kotlik, which is on the west coast of Alaska and is approximately 500 miles from Anchorage. We told ourselves to be more careful about our phrasing in the future, and then we left Alaska for Ireland, leaving Emily behind.

She’s still there, and is at the moment running a crowdfunding project for her adopted Yup’ik brother, Deon. Deon was born with glass bones, and this October will have outlived his doctors’ estimations of his life expectation by ten years. He very much wants to go to Disneyland to celebrate his birthday. It’s an expensive proposition, so the only way to make it happen is, essentially, through the kindness of strangers. And Emily doesn’t know this, but I will eventually be writing a story for the people who help send Deon to Disneyland, so g’wan, donate a bit, make a kid happy, get a story! And boost the signal, please!

Recent reads: 2013: I’ve finished Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312, which in some ways I liked a lot and in others found a little frustrating. Mostly I didn’t feel Swan’s voice was much differentiated from previous KSR protagonists, though the other two major POV characters were reasonably different. I liked the development of the romance and the world, I liked many of the choices the characters made, I just sort of felt like I could switch Frank out for Swan and it wouldn’t be significantly different.

The other problem I had with it is sort of…philosophical. It’s sort of “he didn’t write the book I wanted him to!”, though that’s not exactly accurate either, because I like what and how KSR does. But like the Science in the Capitol trilogy, which is some of my favorite writing ever, 2312 isn’t an enormously accessible book. I mean, I’m okay with that because I like hard SF and I’m willing to put the time in, but … I think the climate change theme that’s so central to these books is hugely, hugely important, and I think he realizes it brilliantly, and I want everyone to read it and understand what he’s seeing in our world that develops into his fiction, but…this is SF for SF lovers, not for casual readers. I still desperately want that gap bridged, and KSR writes so beautifully I want him to be able to do it, but he doesn’t. And I don’t think it’s even his goal, so I recognize that my frustrations are ill placed here, but…damn. I do so want that accessible, world-changing climate change SF story to be *out there*.

YEAR OF MIRACLES cover reveal!

My head is going to explode of squee. :)

Revisit the world of the Negotiator Trilogy and learn how it all began…

Four hundred years ago, the master vampire Eliseo Daisani and the dragonlord Janx fell in love with a human woman during the Year of Miracles–the year London burned.

This is her story.

Available in fine e-stores everywhere on July 1!

*mutter* I love that cover copy, but it needs more to it. *mutter*

Tara O’Shea has done herself (and me and my collections!) proud with these covers, I think. I’m completely thrilled with all of them and really feel like I’ve gotten a beautiful, cohesive set for my collections. If you need ebook covers, holy beans do I ever recommend working with Tara. O.O

The whole trifecta is behind the cut as one image so you can see them together. I am so happy with how they look, *dances squeefully*!

Seriously, this year is really great for Old Races stuff! Between BABA YAGA’S DAUGHTER and the three short story/novella collections, that’s 21 new Old Races stories (at least 9 of which are new even if you’ve been a patron for all my Old Races crowdfunding projects!). And this from a writer who thought she’d never write in that world again. :)

I just gotta figure out how to boost the signal on ORIGINS so it rises in visibility on Amazon (particularly amazon, who are we kidding)’s ranks. It’s not doing badly, but it’s not getting nearly the traction EASY PICKINGS managed in its first week of release. (OTOH, EASY PICKINGS’s sales have picked up visibly this month, very nearly matching the ORIGINS sales, and I don’t think that’s coincidence.) I mean, EP has a lot of things going for it–novella length, two authors, two popular series–that ORIGINS doesn’t (though the wordcount on ORIGINS is at least as long as EP’s), but I’d still like to figure out how to boost that…

Anyway! Happy days. :)

Old Races: Origins release day!

THE OLD RACES: ORIGINS

Before the Negotiator, there were the long-held covenants of the Old Races: Do not mate with humans. Never tell them of our existence. And never kill one of our own. For time immemorial, these laws were adhered to…

…except when they were not. Delve into the secret history of the Old Races and discover the truth behind Saint George and the dragons, the origins of the mysterious selkie race, and the djinn betrayals that shape the world of the Negotiator Trilogy.

These stories and more are revealed in this collection of five Old Races short stories, available now!

Buy at:

Amazon: Old Races ORIGINS

(link will be edited to be live ASAP)

Smashwords: Old Races ORIGINS

Or here at CE Murphy.Net (PDF only):

PLEASE NOTE: you will be given a link that brings you back to cemurphy.net for a download once you’ve completed payment. PLEASE click that link, or you won’t be brought to the download page and then you’ll be terribly sad and without stories and will have to email me and be embarrassed about not following directions and ask me to send you a copy of the stories.

Please use the button below to buy your PDF copy of OLD RACES: ORIGINS!

 

Why PDF only at cemurphy.net, you ask? After all, don’t I get basically ALL the money if you buy it direct? Well, yes, I do. But if you buy it through any of the other retailers, it raises the collection’s profile, making it more likely for *other* people to find it and buy it. I think probably in the long run that’s worth more than the extra dollar I get through a direct sale.

So: if you have an e-reader and really want to give me a birthday present, go ahead and go buy the collection. Write a review of it and give it four or five stars if you like it.

ORSSP patrons: this is a GREAT TIME for you to go write a review and star it heavily! You’ve already read all these stories! Go make it look good! *big hopeful eyes* :)

OLD RACES: ORIGINS cover reveal!

THE OLD RACES: ORIGINS

Before the Negotiator, there were the long-held covenants of the Old Races: Do not mate with humans. Never tell them of our existence. And never kill one of our own. For time immemorial, these laws were adhered to…

…except when they were not. Delve into the secret history of the Old Races and discover the truth behind Saint George and the dragons, the origins of the mysterious selkie race, and the djinn betrayals that shape the world of the Negotiator Trilogy.

These stories and more are revealed in this collection of five Old Races short stories, coming June 1 to an e-store near you!

(This collection contains 5 of the 6 Old Races Short Story Project stories, so if you were a patron of that crowdfunded project, you don’t need to buy this one. I mean, IF YOU WANT TO it’s fine with me, y’know? But there’s no new content. Except the cover. :))

Cover art by Tara O’Shea. My head is just going to explode of excitement when I get to see ALL THREE short story collection covers together. :)

editorial horror stories

I’ve certainly been following the Mandy De Geit Saga, though I don’t know if you have been. Short version: a sorry excuse for a publishing house rewrote the story they’d accepted for an anthology, without telling her about it, then got snitty when she objected. But that doesn’t really do the horrors of it justice, so you should go read the link.

It caused a friend to email me and ask what I thought of the substantive part of the issue, which I take to mean “what do I think of editors rewriting stories,” and my answer got so long I thought I’d make a blog post of it:

I’ve never met anybody published with a major publisher who’s claimed this has happened to them. Editors don’t do that.

Editors say “I think there’s a problem with this book in that it falls too perfectly between romance and fantasy. Would you consider removing the 30,000 words that are the hero’s point of view and revising it to keep the same story only without his POV?”, causing you to cut 30K and rewrite the other 70K and substantially improving the book by doing so. They will also say “If you don’t want to do that, I will give this book to our romance department and see if they think it would work for them instead of in our fantasy line.” (TRUTHSEEKER)

Or they say “I think X Y and Z need some looking at,” causing you to finally grimly accept that the book actually has no plot (which, frankly, you suspected all along and were hoping your editor would not notice) and that XY&Z can be fixed by ripping out 2/3rds of the book and rewriting what’s left (HOUSE OF CARDS).

Or they say “This book is wonderful except I don’t understand why the main character is doing anything. Can you add motivation?” (URBAN SHAMAN. THE CARDINAL RULE. THUNDERBIRD FALLS. HEART OF STONE. I’d started to get the hang of it by COYOTE DREAMS.)

Or they say “I’m concerned that the cruelty of this scene will lose readers for good. Can you make it more clear that it’s the magic pushing this?” (THE QUEEN’S BASTARD, and if you’ve read it you can guess the scene, and it’s the one change I’ve ever made in a book that I understood and agreed with the editor’s reasons, but don’t necessarily feel it was the right thing to do for the story.)

Once in a great, great while, they say “You know what, I think this one hits all the notes we need, no revision letter this time!”, causing you to be paranoid and suspect that really in fact time got too short and the book probably desperately does need revising but it’s going to print anyway and you’ve never been quite brave enough to reread it to see whether it stands up (THE FIREBIRD DECEPTION).

A legitimate editor/publisher would not do what was done to Mandy DeGeit. Vast numbers of people who are unpublished seem to have a hardcore belief that this kind of thing happens all the time. That sex scenes are added to books, that storylines are revised, rewritten, removed, all without the author’s permission or notification.

This does not happen. Not in real publishing. Editors don’t have time to rewrite your book for you. Indeed, if editors wanted to write your book for you, they would be writers, not editors.

The most ungodly rewrites I’ve gotten from editors have been from copyeditors who apparently dislike my style and feel they should improve it. And believe me, if I ever have that happen again I will send the manuscript back as it was originally, with a big fat note on it that says “Don’t waste my time.” (I was too new to the game to do that when it did happen, which is a goddamned shame, because there are paragraphs in HANDS OF FLAME which are nearly incomprehensible because not everything I fixed back got transferred smoothly to the print files. And yes, I’m still pissed.) That is not a CE’s job any more than it’s an editor’s job, and although almost everyone in traditional, legitimate publishing does seem to have a CE horror story, nobody I’ve ever talked to has said an editor rewrote their book.

As for Ms. DeGreit, I hope she’s a terrific writer and is able to parlay this entire fiasco into a relevant and useful career launch.

BABA YAGA’S DAUGHTER give-away!

I have just gotten four* advanced reader’s copies for BABA YAGA’S DAUGHTER to give away. They’re softcover, uncorrected proofs, and actually if the book itself looked like this I would be quite delighted, but it’s going to be even more gorgeous and splendid, so don’t forget to pre-order your copy. :)

But at $40, it’s also going to be expensive. So here’s how this give-away is going to go:

Everybody reading this post, at whatever site you’re coming from (Facebook, Goodreads, Livejournal, mizkit.com, cemurphy.net (please comment on Facebook or Livejournal if you’re reading this on cemurphy.net, as I’ve got comments turned off there), G+, Twitter) can put in their name once for a random draw. I’ll give two of the books away that way.

The other two I want to give to people who can genuinely not afford the $40 price tag on the book. Obviously this is on the honor system, but generally I find my readers to be extremely good people, so I’m going to trust you on this. Leave a comment or, if you prefer to keep the request private, send an email to cemurphyauthor@gmail.com, saying you’d like to be in for the Budget Giveaway. You don’t have to offer up details; it’s not going to be a Saddest Story Wins scenario, but rather another random draw from the second pool of names.

All I request–and this is of all four winners–is that you write a review of the book and either post it on your own blog & give me a link for it, or provide it to me so I can post it for you. I’ve never had a short story collection before, so I’d like to see it get some traction, and this is how you guys can help give it some.

So. That’s how this works. The contest ends sometime Monday, May 21st, so comment before then. Ready set go!

*technically five but I’M KEEPING ONE because i almost never ever ever get ARCs! also so i can do proofs on it. :)

Baba Yaga’s Daughter : Update!

YAY SQUEE yesterday Subterranean Press said the BABA YAGA’S DAUGHTER advanced reader copies were shipping! You’ve pre-ordered your copy, right? ’cause it’s going to be SUPER PRETTY and, er, well, I rather like the stories in it too.

This book is a hidden history of the Old Races, following the stories of Baba Yaga’s Daughter and of Vanessa Grey as they use and are used by the Old Races’ greatest rivals: dragonlord Janx and master vampire Daisani.

Trust me: if I ever write more books in the Old Races universe, you’re going to want to have read these stories. Between them and the Old Races e-collections I’m releasing this summer, everything will be set up to launch into the next Old Races series…