Sorry, you must be a member of this group to do that.
Martha Wells's Blog, page 154
June 28, 2012
Worldbuilding Tips
This a few things that I try to bring up when we're discussing basic worldbuilding:
If you're writing a culture with a lower level of technology, or with a different emphasis on technology, you have to re-think your automatic assumptions.
Time:
If your people don't have clocks, or anything else that measures minutes or seconds, or if time-keeping devices aren't commonly available, they are not going to say things like "I'll meet you in fifteen minutes." Even if there's a water clock somewhere, they still aren't going to worry about how many minutes and seconds things take to do.
Light:
If there is no light source, no moon, no stars, and your characters aren't nocturnal, then they can't see in the dark. In modern cities and suburban areas, we're used to a lot of ambient light from street lights, cars, building lights, etc. If your city doesn't have those, or your people are out in the country or inside an enclosed space, it's going to be difficult to impossible see. Your characters (unless your people have physically different eyes) are not going to be able to make out a lot of detail or color at night without a light source.
When you make mistakes like this, like having someone who's never seen a clock say "I'll meet you in fifteen minutes," it's like your world is slipping out of character.
It can also show that you're not paying enough attention to thinking from your character's perspective, and what their specific experience would be as a person raised in the culture you created. It can also be a sign of a mistake that newer writers will make, especially if they're pushing themselves to write quickly: you aren't thinking of what the character would do or say in that situation, you're thinking of what you would do or say in that situation.
Thinking is pretty much the key. If you have a plot or character point that feels awkward or forced, or a situation that can only work if your world slips of out character for the duration, then focus on that and think about what you could do differently. The chances are really good that your solution will be more interesting than the boring thing you thought you had to do.
Stereotypes:
All stereotypes are bad. Not just the obvious demeaning racist and sexist etc. stereotypes, but all stereotypes, any stereotypes. "Funny" stereotypes and "positive" stereotypes are not funny or positive, they are offensive, personally offensive. If you use them, there is someone who will read it and think you are an asshat and that they will never read your work again. They are a sign of sloppy writing and sloppy thinking.
Think about every character, even minor characters, as real people, with feelings, attitudes, a past, a future, a perspective and an agenda of their own. You don't have to tell the reader all of that, or even any of it, but you have to know it, because it should color how that character speaks and acts.
***
Someone posted this on Faceplace, I think: Are you really, truly an author? Try this little test This is not really a test, it's a list of characteristics and traits that...is sort of uncannily accurate in most respects. At least in my respects.
I'm way behind on things I want to post, including a kitten report, the Clarion West Write-a-thon, book recs, and so on, so I'll try to catch up next week.
If you're writing a culture with a lower level of technology, or with a different emphasis on technology, you have to re-think your automatic assumptions.
Time:
If your people don't have clocks, or anything else that measures minutes or seconds, or if time-keeping devices aren't commonly available, they are not going to say things like "I'll meet you in fifteen minutes." Even if there's a water clock somewhere, they still aren't going to worry about how many minutes and seconds things take to do.
Light:
If there is no light source, no moon, no stars, and your characters aren't nocturnal, then they can't see in the dark. In modern cities and suburban areas, we're used to a lot of ambient light from street lights, cars, building lights, etc. If your city doesn't have those, or your people are out in the country or inside an enclosed space, it's going to be difficult to impossible see. Your characters (unless your people have physically different eyes) are not going to be able to make out a lot of detail or color at night without a light source.
When you make mistakes like this, like having someone who's never seen a clock say "I'll meet you in fifteen minutes," it's like your world is slipping out of character.
It can also show that you're not paying enough attention to thinking from your character's perspective, and what their specific experience would be as a person raised in the culture you created. It can also be a sign of a mistake that newer writers will make, especially if they're pushing themselves to write quickly: you aren't thinking of what the character would do or say in that situation, you're thinking of what you would do or say in that situation.
Thinking is pretty much the key. If you have a plot or character point that feels awkward or forced, or a situation that can only work if your world slips of out character for the duration, then focus on that and think about what you could do differently. The chances are really good that your solution will be more interesting than the boring thing you thought you had to do.
Stereotypes:
All stereotypes are bad. Not just the obvious demeaning racist and sexist etc. stereotypes, but all stereotypes, any stereotypes. "Funny" stereotypes and "positive" stereotypes are not funny or positive, they are offensive, personally offensive. If you use them, there is someone who will read it and think you are an asshat and that they will never read your work again. They are a sign of sloppy writing and sloppy thinking.
Think about every character, even minor characters, as real people, with feelings, attitudes, a past, a future, a perspective and an agenda of their own. You don't have to tell the reader all of that, or even any of it, but you have to know it, because it should color how that character speaks and acts.
***
Someone posted this on Faceplace, I think: Are you really, truly an author? Try this little test This is not really a test, it's a list of characteristics and traits that...is sort of uncannily accurate in most respects. At least in my respects.
I'm way behind on things I want to post, including a kitten report, the Clarion West Write-a-thon, book recs, and so on, so I'll try to catch up next week.
June 26, 2012
In the ApolloCon workshop, I talked a bit about worldbuil...
In the ApolloCon workshop, I talked a bit about worldbuilding, so I want to do a post at some point on some of the basic concepts to keep in mind. Hopefully I can do that this week.
In the meantime, here's another link to the partial list of non-European fantasy by women writers, if you missed it before.
***
Claudia Gray: "I'm not like other girls."
A good friend of mine named Jen Heddle loved Star Wars as a kid, then as an adult, so much and so deeply that she now works for Lucasfilm. Every single one of those women grew up loving Star Wars. No, it wasn’t just me.
And you know what? I loved Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy too.* Why? They were cute, damn it. And that is JUST FINE.
Because we’re all individuals – we’re all big enough to contain multiple enthusiasm, multiple ways of life. Everyone. And, as I said above, everyone includes girls.
***
Yesterday was a day for sending bullying emails to writers. (Except pretty much every day is that day. Writers get threats of death, assault, sexual assault, etc or are endlessly harassed for anything from expressing feminist opinions or political opinions to not having someone's favorite character become the main love interest in a series to the publisher not releasing the ebook on time. (The ebook thing is not an exaggeration.))
Lavie Tidhar: Fascism for Nice People
Kameron Hurley: In Which I Share My Hate Mail
In the meantime, here's another link to the partial list of non-European fantasy by women writers, if you missed it before.
***
Claudia Gray: "I'm not like other girls."
A good friend of mine named Jen Heddle loved Star Wars as a kid, then as an adult, so much and so deeply that she now works for Lucasfilm. Every single one of those women grew up loving Star Wars. No, it wasn’t just me.
And you know what? I loved Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy too.* Why? They were cute, damn it. And that is JUST FINE.
Because we’re all individuals – we’re all big enough to contain multiple enthusiasm, multiple ways of life. Everyone. And, as I said above, everyone includes girls.
***
Yesterday was a day for sending bullying emails to writers. (Except pretty much every day is that day. Writers get threats of death, assault, sexual assault, etc or are endlessly harassed for anything from expressing feminist opinions or political opinions to not having someone's favorite character become the main love interest in a series to the publisher not releasing the ebook on time. (The ebook thing is not an exaggeration.))
Lavie Tidhar: Fascism for Nice People
Kameron Hurley: In Which I Share My Hate Mail
June 25, 2012
It's Monday all over. Have a kitten picture:
It's Monday all over. Have a kitten picture:
I had a great time at ApolloCon this weekend, and the wri...
I had a great time at ApolloCon this weekend, and the writers workshop was fabulous. The quality of all the submissions was very high, so it was a lot of fun to do.
Then Saturday evening I started feeling sick. I wasn't sure if I had a stomach virus or if I just got dehydrated at some point (this happens to me a lot at conventions) and it was beginning to upset my stomach. I felt really lousy Sunday morning, so we ended up leaving early. I was afraid if it was a virus, I'd give it to half the con. But by Sunday evening I started feeling better and was able to eat and all that, so I'm not sure what it was.
***
I've posted the reorganized version of my web site. I'm still tweaking it a bit, but I'm at the point where I just have to start using it and see if it works.
Some links:
MailOnline: Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell
Woman, 36, who lost mother to brain cancer creates breathtaking fantasy land photo series in her memory
Tricia Sullivan's SF novels are now available in ebook!
An interview by artist Todd Lockwood about Tales of the Emerald Serpent, the fantasy anthology I have a story in.
Atlas Obscura: Punta Pite
A fantastical group of cliffside stairways, bridges, and twisting paths carved out of stone provide a surreal coastal hike
Then Saturday evening I started feeling sick. I wasn't sure if I had a stomach virus or if I just got dehydrated at some point (this happens to me a lot at conventions) and it was beginning to upset my stomach. I felt really lousy Sunday morning, so we ended up leaving early. I was afraid if it was a virus, I'd give it to half the con. But by Sunday evening I started feeling better and was able to eat and all that, so I'm not sure what it was.
***
I've posted the reorganized version of my web site. I'm still tweaking it a bit, but I'm at the point where I just have to start using it and see if it works.
Some links:
MailOnline: Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell
Woman, 36, who lost mother to brain cancer creates breathtaking fantasy land photo series in her memory
Tricia Sullivan's SF novels are now available in ebook!
An interview by artist Todd Lockwood about Tales of the Emerald Serpent, the fantasy anthology I have a story in.
Atlas Obscura: Punta Pite
A fantastical group of cliffside stairways, bridges, and twisting paths carved out of stone provide a surreal coastal hike
June 22, 2012
ApolloCon Schedule and the Ann Arbor Homeless Situation
Getting ready to leave for ApolloCon today. The con had to change the schedule last minute, because the Fan Guest of Honor, Candace Pulleine, passed away.
Candace Pulleine was a long-time Houston fan (and long-time cat person), who first found fandom through Doctor Who. Active for many years as a Friends of Fandom/Houston Science Fiction Association board member, Candace was also a concom member for both MysteryCon and CONTEX. She was the founder of REVELcon, Houston's long-running media/fanzine convention.
Here's my schedule:
Friday 8PM Seattle I Of Blood Spatters and Fingerprints
No one wants to guess the end of the story after the first few pages.
A satisfying mystery gives you clues that are insightful but not
overly obvious. Logical, but still fantastical enough to thrill the
reader. Our panelists discuss how to walk the fine line between
believability and predictability. Sarath (M), Wells, Crider, Ramirez
Saturday 9am Writers Workshop
Saturday 2pm Reading: Martha Wells, Mel. White
Saturday 3pm Autograph Martha Wells, Bev Hale, Jamie Hardy, Cat Osborne
Sunday 11am There and Back Again: Middle Earth Revisited
It has been nine years since the denizens of Middle Earth graced the
big screen. Our panelists will discuss the legacy of the Lord of the
Rings trilogy and upcoming films based on 'The Hobbit'. Wells (M),
Jones, Pace
***
Steven Harper Piziks: Those in Need
My son Sasha is homeless.
That’s a difficult thing to say. I worry about him all the time, and it’s a rare that an hour goes by that I don’t hope he’s okay. There are reasons he isn’t living with me. They’re complicated and difficult and terrible. The situation is the least worst of all choices.
...
For the next year, I’m donating all the royalties I get from my ebooks at Book View Cafe and from Amazon to the Delonis Shelter. Every time you buy one, you’re making a donation.
I’ve made a cash donation as well. Can you join in? Even a few dollars helps. You can donate on-line with a credit or debit card at the shelter’s web site: http://annarborshelter.org/donations
Candace Pulleine was a long-time Houston fan (and long-time cat person), who first found fandom through Doctor Who. Active for many years as a Friends of Fandom/Houston Science Fiction Association board member, Candace was also a concom member for both MysteryCon and CONTEX. She was the founder of REVELcon, Houston's long-running media/fanzine convention.
Here's my schedule:
Friday 8PM Seattle I Of Blood Spatters and Fingerprints
No one wants to guess the end of the story after the first few pages.
A satisfying mystery gives you clues that are insightful but not
overly obvious. Logical, but still fantastical enough to thrill the
reader. Our panelists discuss how to walk the fine line between
believability and predictability. Sarath (M), Wells, Crider, Ramirez
Saturday 9am Writers Workshop
Saturday 2pm Reading: Martha Wells, Mel. White
Saturday 3pm Autograph Martha Wells, Bev Hale, Jamie Hardy, Cat Osborne
Sunday 11am There and Back Again: Middle Earth Revisited
It has been nine years since the denizens of Middle Earth graced the
big screen. Our panelists will discuss the legacy of the Lord of the
Rings trilogy and upcoming films based on 'The Hobbit'. Wells (M),
Jones, Pace
***
Steven Harper Piziks: Those in Need
My son Sasha is homeless.
That’s a difficult thing to say. I worry about him all the time, and it’s a rare that an hour goes by that I don’t hope he’s okay. There are reasons he isn’t living with me. They’re complicated and difficult and terrible. The situation is the least worst of all choices.
...
For the next year, I’m donating all the royalties I get from my ebooks at Book View Cafe and from Amazon to the Delonis Shelter. Every time you buy one, you’re making a donation.
I’ve made a cash donation as well. Can you join in? Even a few dollars helps. You can donate on-line with a credit or debit card at the shelter’s web site: http://annarborshelter.org/donations
June 21, 2012
It's rained in the afternoon over the past two days, just...
It's rained in the afternoon over the past two days, just short tropical thunderstorms, but man is that a relief. This time last year it hadn't really rained since February and the fires were starting.
I'm finished with most of my web site makeover and reorganization, but I'm waiting to let it go live until I get back after this weekend. I don't want to discover hideous HTML errors while I'm out of town.
Jack the kitten is doing fine, except for waking up at 5:00 am and purring and trying to lick my face. And trying to eat everything in sight. You can really tell he was feral before the shelter got him.
Book recs:
I reread Moon Over Soho Ben Aaronovitch to get ready for Whispers Underground, the next book in the series which is coming out next month. This is a great series, about a young police constable who ends up apprenticed to London's last living wizard as part of a special Metropolitan police unit. The books are funny and fast-paced and good mysteries, with a really neat original take on magic and magical creatures. If you like the episodes of Masterpiece Mystery with "Inspector" in the title and you like fantasy, these books are perfect for you.
The Crow God's Girl by Patrice Sarath. This is the third book in the Gordath Wood series and it's out now on kindle.
***
I'll be at ApolloCon in Houston, TX this weekend. Last year, I was goh and got to go on the special VIP NASA tour with my husband and Ann VanderMeer, which is the most fun I've ever had at a con.
The posts I did about it were:
* Mission Control and Docking with the Space Station, and the Stardust Lab.
* Neutral Buoyancy Lab and the Antarctic Meteorite Collection Lab
* More Mission Control photos
* Building 9 and the Lunar Rover and the Shuttle Mock-up
* Building 9, and the Lunar Viewing Lab, and Rocket Park
And I did a post about it for SF Signal: NASA Up Close and Personal, for SF/F Writers and Editors
***
Oh, The Siren Depths has it's final cover!
I'm finished with most of my web site makeover and reorganization, but I'm waiting to let it go live until I get back after this weekend. I don't want to discover hideous HTML errors while I'm out of town.
Jack the kitten is doing fine, except for waking up at 5:00 am and purring and trying to lick my face. And trying to eat everything in sight. You can really tell he was feral before the shelter got him.
Book recs:
I reread Moon Over Soho Ben Aaronovitch to get ready for Whispers Underground, the next book in the series which is coming out next month. This is a great series, about a young police constable who ends up apprenticed to London's last living wizard as part of a special Metropolitan police unit. The books are funny and fast-paced and good mysteries, with a really neat original take on magic and magical creatures. If you like the episodes of Masterpiece Mystery with "Inspector" in the title and you like fantasy, these books are perfect for you.
The Crow God's Girl by Patrice Sarath. This is the third book in the Gordath Wood series and it's out now on kindle.
***
I'll be at ApolloCon in Houston, TX this weekend. Last year, I was goh and got to go on the special VIP NASA tour with my husband and Ann VanderMeer, which is the most fun I've ever had at a con.
The posts I did about it were:
* Mission Control and Docking with the Space Station, and the Stardust Lab.
* Neutral Buoyancy Lab and the Antarctic Meteorite Collection Lab
* More Mission Control photos
* Building 9 and the Lunar Rover and the Shuttle Mock-up
* Building 9, and the Lunar Viewing Lab, and Rocket Park
And I did a post about it for SF Signal: NASA Up Close and Personal, for SF/F Writers and Editors
***
Oh, The Siren Depths has it's final cover!
June 19, 2012
Juneteenth and Sundry
Today is Juneteenth!
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
There are some events going on in Galveston, Texas, one of my absolutely favorite places, where it was first celebrated.
***
The Chesley Award Nominees for SF/F art were announced and Matthew Stewart was nominated for the cover of The Cloud Roads! Yay! That link has the list of all nominees, plus the nominated artwork. IO9 listed their favorite pieces here.
Kitten report:
The kitten's name is now Jack. He has to go to the vet this morning to get the rest of his shots, then I have to do all the errands I didn't do this weekend.
I signed up for the Clarion West Write-a-thon to support the Clarion West Writers Workshop, and my sponsor page is here. I'll try to write up a post with my progress and post of snippet of something when I get a chance.
I also really need to do a book rec post.
***
Link:
Malinda Lo: YA Pride: Change Without Blame
Over Memorial Day weekend, I attended WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention, in Madison, Wisconsin. I did a couple of panels there, including one called "De-Gaying and Whitewashing: What Publishing Trends Mean for Writers."
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
There are some events going on in Galveston, Texas, one of my absolutely favorite places, where it was first celebrated.
***
The Chesley Award Nominees for SF/F art were announced and Matthew Stewart was nominated for the cover of The Cloud Roads! Yay! That link has the list of all nominees, plus the nominated artwork. IO9 listed their favorite pieces here.
Kitten report:
The kitten's name is now Jack. He has to go to the vet this morning to get the rest of his shots, then I have to do all the errands I didn't do this weekend.
I signed up for the Clarion West Write-a-thon to support the Clarion West Writers Workshop, and my sponsor page is here. I'll try to write up a post with my progress and post of snippet of something when I get a chance.
I also really need to do a book rec post.
***
Link:
Malinda Lo: YA Pride: Change Without Blame
Over Memorial Day weekend, I attended WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention, in Madison, Wisconsin. I did a couple of panels there, including one called "De-Gaying and Whitewashing: What Publishing Trends Mean for Writers."
June 18, 2012
New Short Story Out
I didn't do much this weekend except work, and I wasn't online a lot, so I felt very disconnected. Also, the kitten jumped on my keyboard at a strategic moment and deleted some of my email before I could see what it was or who it was from, so I felt literally disconnected. So if you sent me something I needed to answer and I didn't, that was probably it.
I've been redesigning my web site, having finally admitted that the organizational concept that worked for 3-4 books has not really been working for 6-12 books and is going to fail spectacularly at 14 books, which is what it'll be at next year. I got a bunch done this weekend, but have a lot more to go before it goes live.
***
The big news:
The shared world fantasy anthology I have a story in (that the editor did the kickstarter for) is now available!
Tales of the Emerald Serpent edited by Scott Taylor
Taux, city of cursed stone and home to a growing population of the displaced. Deep within its walls rests the old Ullamaliztli Stadium, and it’s fabled Black Gate, where life treads a fine line between law and chaos. Tales of the Emerald Serpent allows readers a glimpse into this shadow world as nine authors tell a shared world mosaic that sets this fantasy anthology apart from any on the shelves today.
Stories by: Julie Czerneda, Rob Mancebo, Lynn Flewelling, Harry Connolly, Juliet McKenna, Martha Wells, Michael Tousignant. Cover and art by Todd Lockwood and art by Jeff Laubenstein.
My story is about two nonhuman characters, Jelith and Kryranen, who are archeologists/pot hunters in the lower levels of the city. Here's the short bit from the beginning of the story I posted during the kickstarter drive:
Snippet of Revenants by Martha Wells
They made an odd pair for a number of reasons, but one was that she was tall for a Jai-ruk and he was short for a Kin. They were dissimilar on all counts, except for their interest in the past, and in strange myths, and mysteries, and how the world had looked before they set foot on it. They talked of things no one else cared about. Rather than an odd pair, everyone thought they were just odd.
"This is a job that will pay us well," Kryranen said. "Up in the Golden Jaguar District." She added unnecessarily, "Where people like the Vash live."
"You're supposed to be keeping the notes," Jelith pointed out. Most inhabitants of Taux assumed Jai-ruk were too brutish for scholarly pursuits, but Kryranen's handwriting was better than his. Her hands were large but her fingers were slender and dexterous; his notes looked like the scratchings of a child next to her elegant script.
She leaned forward to look at the book and her grimace suggested she agreed. "I'll recopy it later." Exasperated, she said, "You just don't like working for money. It's too bad we can't eat history."
"You would eat history if you could," Jelith felt he had to say. It was true.
She folded her arms and gave him the long-suffering look.
He sighed. "What is this job?"
"They want us to lay a ghost."
Jelith stared. "Are you out of your mind?"
If you signed up for the kickstarter, copies should be going out soon. But if you didn't, you can get it at these places now in ebook for about $4.99 (it should also be on B&N Nook, but the link isn't live yet.)
Trade paperback: Lulu.com, ebooks: Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Amazon.fr.
***
Other stuff I have coming out this year:
November: "Donna Noble Saves the Universe" in Chicks Unravel Time, edited by Deborah Stanish and L.M. Myles from Mad Norwegian Press.
Preorder at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com
December: The Siren Depths the third Books of the Raksura novel from Night Shade.
Preorder: Barnes and Noble, Chapters, Amazon US, Powell's, Mysterious Galaxy, The Tattered Cover, Books-a-Million, Book Depository.com (free shipping worldwide), Book Depository.uk, Amazon UK, Amazon.ca, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, or look for it it at an independent book store in the US through IndieBound. It will be available in a few more international outlets and in ebook, but those links aren't live yet.
I've been redesigning my web site, having finally admitted that the organizational concept that worked for 3-4 books has not really been working for 6-12 books and is going to fail spectacularly at 14 books, which is what it'll be at next year. I got a bunch done this weekend, but have a lot more to go before it goes live.
***
The big news:
The shared world fantasy anthology I have a story in (that the editor did the kickstarter for) is now available!
Tales of the Emerald Serpent edited by Scott TaylorTaux, city of cursed stone and home to a growing population of the displaced. Deep within its walls rests the old Ullamaliztli Stadium, and it’s fabled Black Gate, where life treads a fine line between law and chaos. Tales of the Emerald Serpent allows readers a glimpse into this shadow world as nine authors tell a shared world mosaic that sets this fantasy anthology apart from any on the shelves today.
Stories by: Julie Czerneda, Rob Mancebo, Lynn Flewelling, Harry Connolly, Juliet McKenna, Martha Wells, Michael Tousignant. Cover and art by Todd Lockwood and art by Jeff Laubenstein.
My story is about two nonhuman characters, Jelith and Kryranen, who are archeologists/pot hunters in the lower levels of the city. Here's the short bit from the beginning of the story I posted during the kickstarter drive:
Snippet of Revenants by Martha Wells
They made an odd pair for a number of reasons, but one was that she was tall for a Jai-ruk and he was short for a Kin. They were dissimilar on all counts, except for their interest in the past, and in strange myths, and mysteries, and how the world had looked before they set foot on it. They talked of things no one else cared about. Rather than an odd pair, everyone thought they were just odd.
"This is a job that will pay us well," Kryranen said. "Up in the Golden Jaguar District." She added unnecessarily, "Where people like the Vash live."
"You're supposed to be keeping the notes," Jelith pointed out. Most inhabitants of Taux assumed Jai-ruk were too brutish for scholarly pursuits, but Kryranen's handwriting was better than his. Her hands were large but her fingers were slender and dexterous; his notes looked like the scratchings of a child next to her elegant script.
She leaned forward to look at the book and her grimace suggested she agreed. "I'll recopy it later." Exasperated, she said, "You just don't like working for money. It's too bad we can't eat history."
"You would eat history if you could," Jelith felt he had to say. It was true.
She folded her arms and gave him the long-suffering look.
He sighed. "What is this job?"
"They want us to lay a ghost."
Jelith stared. "Are you out of your mind?"
If you signed up for the kickstarter, copies should be going out soon. But if you didn't, you can get it at these places now in ebook for about $4.99 (it should also be on B&N Nook, but the link isn't live yet.)
Trade paperback: Lulu.com, ebooks: Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Amazon.fr.
***
Other stuff I have coming out this year:
November: "Donna Noble Saves the Universe" in Chicks Unravel Time, edited by Deborah Stanish and L.M. Myles from Mad Norwegian Press.
Preorder at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com
December: The Siren Depths the third Books of the Raksura novel from Night Shade.
Preorder: Barnes and Noble, Chapters, Amazon US, Powell's, Mysterious Galaxy, The Tattered Cover, Books-a-Million, Book Depository.com (free shipping worldwide), Book Depository.uk, Amazon UK, Amazon.ca, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, or look for it it at an independent book store in the US through IndieBound. It will be available in a few more international outlets and in ebook, but those links aren't live yet.
June 15, 2012
I wanted to thank everybody for their comments on my post...
I wanted to thank everybody for their comments on my post about Bella. It really does help and I appreciate it so much.
I had a bad night last night, waking up at 3:00 am with stomach issues, etc, and the kitten biting my fingers and then trying to groom my face, I guess to get me to go back to sleep. I'm still finding bowls of cat food all over the house that we had stashed in various places, to whip out if Bella showed any sign of wanting to eat.
Today, plus writing, I need to go to Office Depot and the post office and do the recycling before it takes over the garage.
And I'm looking forward to ApolloCon in Houston next weekend.
I had a bad night last night, waking up at 3:00 am with stomach issues, etc, and the kitten biting my fingers and then trying to groom my face, I guess to get me to go back to sleep. I'm still finding bowls of cat food all over the house that we had stashed in various places, to whip out if Bella showed any sign of wanting to eat.
Today, plus writing, I need to go to Office Depot and the post office and do the recycling before it takes over the garage.
And I'm looking forward to ApolloCon in Houston next weekend.
June 14, 2012
Bella
Bella is gone. This time the vet was able to feel a mass in her abdomen. It had probably been growing slowly since her weight loss started last year, and finally got big enough to make her too sick to eat. This was really, really hard.
Cutting for some details that people may not want to read:
Her veins were blown (they had a lot of trouble getting blood from her last week, which is why we had to go to the vet twice) and even with a tranquilizer, it took him three tries to be able to get a vein for the injection. He's an incredibly good vet, we've gone to him for more than twenty years now, and his hands were shaking a bit at the end of it. I was helping with two vet assistants and I feel kind of sick. But her blood test results showed indications that her muscles were breaking down, because she couldn't get any nutrition from the food she was eating, even when she could eat. So it was the right thing to do, it was just really, really hard.
Cutting for some details that people may not want to read:
Her veins were blown (they had a lot of trouble getting blood from her last week, which is why we had to go to the vet twice) and even with a tranquilizer, it took him three tries to be able to get a vein for the injection. He's an incredibly good vet, we've gone to him for more than twenty years now, and his hands were shaking a bit at the end of it. I was helping with two vet assistants and I feel kind of sick. But her blood test results showed indications that her muscles were breaking down, because she couldn't get any nutrition from the food she was eating, even when she could eat. So it was the right thing to do, it was just really, really hard.
