Martha Wells's Blog, page 110
September 10, 2014
September 8, 2014
Weekend
* We went to see Chef on Saturday night, and really loved it. There's a lot in there that will apply to any creative artistic fields, and it shows food as an art form, a hard demanding job, and a way to make people happy. It's a bit slow at the beginning, as he's working up to his fall and his realization that he is really unhappy and needs a drastic change. But once they get to Miami it's a huge amount of fun. And I really wanted Cuban sandwiches afterward and I think the closest non-home-cooked ones are in Houston. Scarlett Johansson is in it, and Robert Downey Jr had a hilarious cameo. (We watched to the end of the credits, hoping there would be a scene with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, eating a Cuban sandwich.)
* Today is Literacy Day, a good day to do some reading, or read to someone.
* I dreamed last night that my dog hadn't died but was just living with friends for some reason. They brought him to visit and I decided to keep him. One of those dreams where you wake up happy and then remember it was a dream and is not actually going to happen. I have recurring dreams like this off and on, but I think this one was sparked by friends online who lost animals this weekend. Very depressing.
* If you missed it, Stories of the Raksura came out in ebook and audiobook on September 2, and the trade paperback should be out next week on September 16.
* Today is Literacy Day, a good day to do some reading, or read to someone.
* I dreamed last night that my dog hadn't died but was just living with friends for some reason. They brought him to visit and I decided to keep him. One of those dreams where you wake up happy and then remember it was a dream and is not actually going to happen. I have recurring dreams like this off and on, but I think this one was sparked by friends online who lost animals this weekend. Very depressing.
* If you missed it, Stories of the Raksura came out in ebook and audiobook on September 2, and the trade paperback should be out next week on September 16.
September 6, 2014
Review of Stories of the Raksura I
Here's a review of Stories of the Raksura I on the Finnish SF/F blog Rising Shadow:
Ever since I read The Cloud Roads, I've been fascinated by the Raksura and also by the biology of the Raksura, because they're totally different from other species and races found in modern fantasy novels. Their different forms still continue to amaze and thrill me, because it's genuinely interesting to read about them, their lives and their fates. Although they're shapeshifting beings, there's something humane about them that makes it easy for the reader to care about them.
...
The characters in these stories are just as complex, diverse and sympathetic as in the novels. Their gender roles are explored believably, their actions are also believable and they have realistic problems. In my opinion the character interaction in these stories works perfectly. The author has managed to write about the characters in a realistic way that gives depth to them and fleshes out their different traits and feelings. The relationships and tensions between the characters are handled admirably.
Ever since I read The Cloud Roads, I've been fascinated by the Raksura and also by the biology of the Raksura, because they're totally different from other species and races found in modern fantasy novels. Their different forms still continue to amaze and thrill me, because it's genuinely interesting to read about them, their lives and their fates. Although they're shapeshifting beings, there's something humane about them that makes it easy for the reader to care about them.
...
The characters in these stories are just as complex, diverse and sympathetic as in the novels. Their gender roles are explored believably, their actions are also believable and they have realistic problems. In my opinion the character interaction in these stories works perfectly. The author has managed to write about the characters in a realistic way that gives depth to them and fleshes out their different traits and feelings. The relationships and tensions between the characters are handled admirably.
September 4, 2014
Raksura Notes
Thanks to everybody who has already left reviews on Stories of the Raksura vol. I - I really appreciate this.
Notes:
* As far as I know at this moment, the paperback release is still supposed to be on Sept 16.
* As people have noticed, something is catastrophically wrong with the Stories of the Raksura listing on iBooks. It was up for preorder there, and fine on Monday, but on Tuesday it disappeared. Looking at the listing for the audiobook on iTunes, I'm starting to wonder if the two listings were combined or one overwrote the other, or something. I'll post when it hopefully gets straightened out.
There are still listings for the individual novellas on iBooks -- those are incorrect, and should have been removed months ago.
I'm going to have one of those days that involved errands and running around and waiting and then more running around. (I hope -- if I can't do this first errand, I can't do any of the others.) So this is not going to be a fun day.
Notes:
* As far as I know at this moment, the paperback release is still supposed to be on Sept 16.
* As people have noticed, something is catastrophically wrong with the Stories of the Raksura listing on iBooks. It was up for preorder there, and fine on Monday, but on Tuesday it disappeared. Looking at the listing for the audiobook on iTunes, I'm starting to wonder if the two listings were combined or one overwrote the other, or something. I'll post when it hopefully gets straightened out.
There are still listings for the individual novellas on iBooks -- those are incorrect, and should have been removed months ago.
I'm going to have one of those days that involved errands and running around and waiting and then more running around. (I hope -- if I can't do this first errand, I can't do any of the others.) So this is not going to be a fun day.
September 3, 2014
Other people's books:* From Left Field Book 7 of Diamond ...
Other people's books:
* From Left Field Book 7 of Diamond Brides Series by Mindy Klasky
* The novella The Awakened Kingdom by N.K. Jemisin (set after the Inheritance trilogy) is up for preorder.
* You can now order ebooks directly from Panverse Publishing like The Bone Flower Throne by T.L. Morganfield.
My Book
If you missed it, Stories of the Raksura I came out in ebook and audiobook yesterday. The trade paperback is due out Sept 16.
* From Left Field Book 7 of Diamond Brides Series by Mindy Klasky
* The novella The Awakened Kingdom by N.K. Jemisin (set after the Inheritance trilogy) is up for preorder.
* You can now order ebooks directly from Panverse Publishing like The Bone Flower Throne by T.L. Morganfield.
My Book
If you missed it, Stories of the Raksura I came out in ebook and audiobook yesterday. The trade paperback is due out Sept 16.
September 2, 2014
Raksura Release Day
Today (Sept 2) Stories of the Raksura Vol. I: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud is available today in ebook and audiobook, yay!
The trade paperback is scheduled for September 16.
"The Falling World"
Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud Court, has traveled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she fails to return, her consort Moon, along with Stone and a party of warriors and hunters, must track them down. Finding them turns out to be the easy part; freeing them from an ancient trap hidden in the depths of the Reaches is much more difficult.
"The Tale of Indigo and Cloud"
This novella explores the history of the Indigo Cloud Court, long before Moon was born. In the distant past, Indigo stole Cloud from Emerald Twilight. But in doing so, the reigning Queen Cerise and Indigo are now poised for a conflict that could spark war throughout all the courts of the Reaches.
* Please, if you liked the book or didn't like it, leave reviews. This is especially important on Amazon where the number of reviews control how often the book shows up in searches and suggestions. Reviews on Barnes and Noble, other retailers, and GoodReads and LibraryThing, or just on your own blog, twitter, FB, tumblr, etc help too.
* You can also look for it at your local library, and if they don't have it, request that they buy it for their collection. (Remember that some libraries have ebook loaning services now too.)
* I felt like I had a long list, but that's pretty much it. I hope you enjoy the novellas!
***
I did go see Guardians of the Galaxy for my birthday yesterday and loved it. The theater was crowded (I went to the smaller 2d version because it was earlier, instead of the 3d version) but I got a good seat.
The trade paperback is scheduled for September 16.
"The Falling World"
Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud Court, has traveled with Chime and Balm to another Raksuran court. When she fails to return, her consort Moon, along with Stone and a party of warriors and hunters, must track them down. Finding them turns out to be the easy part; freeing them from an ancient trap hidden in the depths of the Reaches is much more difficult.
"The Tale of Indigo and Cloud"
This novella explores the history of the Indigo Cloud Court, long before Moon was born. In the distant past, Indigo stole Cloud from Emerald Twilight. But in doing so, the reigning Queen Cerise and Indigo are now poised for a conflict that could spark war throughout all the courts of the Reaches.
* Please, if you liked the book or didn't like it, leave reviews. This is especially important on Amazon where the number of reviews control how often the book shows up in searches and suggestions. Reviews on Barnes and Noble, other retailers, and GoodReads and LibraryThing, or just on your own blog, twitter, FB, tumblr, etc help too.
* You can also look for it at your local library, and if they don't have it, request that they buy it for their collection. (Remember that some libraries have ebook loaning services now too.)
* I felt like I had a long list, but that's pretty much it. I hope you enjoy the novellas!
***
I did go see Guardians of the Galaxy for my birthday yesterday and loved it. The theater was crowded (I went to the smaller 2d version because it was earlier, instead of the 3d version) but I got a good seat.
August 31, 2014
Various Sunday Things
I did get an early birthday surprise yesterday - my husband had arranged a birthday tea at a nice hotel in Houston with some friends, so that was a pretty awesome surprise. There were fancy little sandwiches and fancy little cakes. (The hotel was extremely nice. It had actual pool cabanas which I had seen on TV but never in real life.) So that was a lot of fun.
***
Judith Tarr is doing online writing classes in October.
***
This is the second-to-last-day to preorder the ebook (and audiobook, narrated by Christopher Kipiniak) of Stories of the Raksura vol. I, which still looks like it will be out on Tuesday. The trade paperback is delayed a couple of weeks, so you have lots of time to preorder it.
It's available on Amazon Kindle US, Barnes and Noble Nook US, Kobo, iTunes, Kindle Canada, Amazon UK, Kindle Germany, Kindle Spain, Kindle France and all the other Amazons in Mexico, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, etc. I don't know yet if there will be a DRM-free edition on Baen, I still need to find that out.
***
Judith Tarr is doing online writing classes in October.
***
This is the second-to-last-day to preorder the ebook (and audiobook, narrated by Christopher Kipiniak) of Stories of the Raksura vol. I, which still looks like it will be out on Tuesday. The trade paperback is delayed a couple of weeks, so you have lots of time to preorder it.
It's available on Amazon Kindle US, Barnes and Noble Nook US, Kobo, iTunes, Kindle Canada, Amazon UK, Kindle Germany, Kindle Spain, Kindle France and all the other Amazons in Mexico, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, etc. I don't know yet if there will be a DRM-free edition on Baen, I still need to find that out.
August 29, 2014
Friday, such as it is
This is going around on Facebook, so I thought I'd do it here. Here are the top ten books that greatly have influenced me (not in any particular order):
1: Zelde M'tana by F.M. Busby
2: Dune by Frank Herbert
3: Malevil by Robert Merle
4: Wraiths of Time by Andre Norton (A lot of Andre Norton, particularly Star Gate, The Stars are Ours, Star Man's Son)
5: Polymath by John Brunner
6: A Judgement of Dragons by Phyllis Gotlieb
7: The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee
8: The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
9: Leviathan's Deep by Jayge Carr
10: The Door into Shadow by Diane Duane
More New Books
* Nine White Horses by Judith Tarr
nine tales of horses and magic
* Being Small by Chaz Brenchley
British Fantasy Award winner Chaz Brenchley has crafted a deeply personal ghost story of dead twins and mad mothers, of Moleskine notebooks and teen friendships, of AIDS care-givers and more.
* Trace of Magic by Diana Pharaoh Francis
"Diana Pharaoh Frances has crafted a winning paranormal mystery that mixes sizzling sex, magic, and a decades old search for artifacts that could change their world."
1: Zelde M'tana by F.M. Busby
2: Dune by Frank Herbert
3: Malevil by Robert Merle
4: Wraiths of Time by Andre Norton (A lot of Andre Norton, particularly Star Gate, The Stars are Ours, Star Man's Son)
5: Polymath by John Brunner
6: A Judgement of Dragons by Phyllis Gotlieb
7: The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee
8: The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
9: Leviathan's Deep by Jayge Carr
10: The Door into Shadow by Diane Duane
More New Books
* Nine White Horses by Judith Tarr
nine tales of horses and magic
* Being Small by Chaz Brenchley
British Fantasy Award winner Chaz Brenchley has crafted a deeply personal ghost story of dead twins and mad mothers, of Moleskine notebooks and teen friendships, of AIDS care-givers and more.
* Trace of Magic by Diana Pharaoh Francis
"Diana Pharaoh Frances has crafted a winning paranormal mystery that mixes sizzling sex, magic, and a decades old search for artifacts that could change their world."
August 28, 2014
Thursday Bleagh
There's a new book wishlist for the Ferguson MO Library: http://fatgirlreading.com/books-for-ferguson/ Scroll to the bottom of that post for the updated link to the new wishlist. (The library's shipping address is earlier in the post.) (All the books on the previous wishlist were purchased.)
***
If you missed it, please check out this post for news about Stories of the Raksura Vol I.
***
I am going to be 50 on Monday. At this point I'm not doing anything for my birthday, as I really can't afford anything, and I've been having problems with depression and not feeling well this month, so didn't really feel like planning anything. (If I could afford it, I'd actually be at DragonCon this weekend.) I thought about going to see Guardians of the Galaxy, which I haven't seen yet, but that will also be labor day so the theater might be crowded. I don't know, maybe I'll do it anyway.
***
If you missed it, please check out this post for news about Stories of the Raksura Vol I.
***
I am going to be 50 on Monday. At this point I'm not doing anything for my birthday, as I really can't afford anything, and I've been having problems with depression and not feeling well this month, so didn't really feel like planning anything. (If I could afford it, I'd actually be at DragonCon this weekend.) I thought about going to see Guardians of the Galaxy, which I haven't seen yet, but that will also be labor day so the theater might be crowded. I don't know, maybe I'll do it anyway.
August 26, 2014
News and New Books
News:
The release date for Stories of the Raksura I may have been moved back to September 16, at least for the trade paperbacks. (Amazon says September 23 but maybe that's part of an extortion attempt -- you just can't tell with Amazon.) The ebook listings are still listed as releasing on September 2 and the audiobook also still lists September 2. So, I don't know. You guys may know before I do.
And the ebook is now up for preorder on Kobo. It just took Kobo a while to join the party, apparently.
And the ebook compilation of The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths is available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo and also on iBooks. The DRM free versions are on Baen.
And The Cloud Roads is available in trade paperback again.
FYI, I am incredibly grateful for preorders, putting in requests for your local library to buy any of the books for their collection (they may also be able to get them for you through interlibrary loan, adding them to GoodReads or LibraryThing lists, reccing it to your friends, or reviews even if you didn't like it.
***
New Books:
* The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past... while a world goes to war with itself. In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin. At the heart of this war lie the pacifistic Dhai people, once enslaved by the Saiduan and now courted by their former masters to provide aid against the encroaching enemy.Stretching from desolate tundra to steamy, semi-tropical climes seething with sentient plant life, this is an epic tale of blood mages and mercenaries, emperors and priestly assassins who must unite to save a world on the brink of ruin.
* Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
This love story for the ages, set in a reimagined industrial Asia, is a little dark, a bit breathless, and completely compelling.
* Kickstarter: BLACKGUARDS: Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues
I'm not in this anthology, but Carol Berg is, and I'll be in one of the anthologies they're doing a kickstarter for next year.
* Havoc by Ann Aguirre
The Conglomerate’s most dangerous convicts have made the prison ship Perdition their home. And they will defend it
The release date for Stories of the Raksura I may have been moved back to September 16, at least for the trade paperbacks. (Amazon says September 23 but maybe that's part of an extortion attempt -- you just can't tell with Amazon.) The ebook listings are still listed as releasing on September 2 and the audiobook also still lists September 2. So, I don't know. You guys may know before I do.
And the ebook is now up for preorder on Kobo. It just took Kobo a while to join the party, apparently.
And the ebook compilation of The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths is available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo and also on iBooks. The DRM free versions are on Baen.
And The Cloud Roads is available in trade paperback again.
FYI, I am incredibly grateful for preorders, putting in requests for your local library to buy any of the books for their collection (they may also be able to get them for you through interlibrary loan, adding them to GoodReads or LibraryThing lists, reccing it to your friends, or reviews even if you didn't like it.
***
New Books:
* The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past... while a world goes to war with itself. In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin. At the heart of this war lie the pacifistic Dhai people, once enslaved by the Saiduan and now courted by their former masters to provide aid against the encroaching enemy.Stretching from desolate tundra to steamy, semi-tropical climes seething with sentient plant life, this is an epic tale of blood mages and mercenaries, emperors and priestly assassins who must unite to save a world on the brink of ruin.
* Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
This love story for the ages, set in a reimagined industrial Asia, is a little dark, a bit breathless, and completely compelling.
* Kickstarter: BLACKGUARDS: Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues
I'm not in this anthology, but Carol Berg is, and I'll be in one of the anthologies they're doing a kickstarter for next year.
* Havoc by Ann Aguirre
The Conglomerate’s most dangerous convicts have made the prison ship Perdition their home. And they will defend it
