Martha Wells's Blog, page 173
October 17, 2011
I was out of town all weekend, with friends who are picki...
I was out of town all weekend, with friends who are picking out stuff to remodel their kitchen, so there was a lot of looking at pretty things. We also stopped by one of those specialty cupcake places, and I had a chocolate marshmallow cupcake, and now I get the whole fascination with cupcakes. It was a very dark chocolate, not very sweet, with a smooth fudge icing and a cream center. It basically tasted like a Twinkie would taste if a Twinkie was made in a real bakery with real ingredients and was never sealed in plastic and did not make your mouth burn with chemicals.
We stopped at a large chain bookstore (I got Barbara Hamilton's Sup with the Devil) and they were moving all the books around, so the place was fairly chaotic. My friend asked a clerk where the new paperbacks were. The conversation went something like this:
Friend: Where are the new paperbacks?
Clerk: :stares, like Friend has just said something crazy:
Friend: ...the new paperbacks?
Clerk: :takes a couple of steps backward to one of the flat table displays of trade paperbacks: :pats table for emphasis: These are paperbacks.
Friend: ...
Friend: I'm looking for the new pocket paperbacks. The mass market paperbacks.
Clerk: :stares:
Friend: :pulls mass market paperback off a shelf as an example: The new ones of these!
Clerk: Oh. :wanders off:
There's a great review of The Cloud Roads on Finding Wonderland: the Writing YA Weblog!
Recommended for Fans Of...: Tightly written traditional fantasy and sci-fi with great characters and lots of attention paid to the different cultures in the world at hand, like Kage Baker's fantasy books or Tamora Pierce's Tortall novels.
Very nice to wake up to on a Monday.
We stopped at a large chain bookstore (I got Barbara Hamilton's Sup with the Devil) and they were moving all the books around, so the place was fairly chaotic. My friend asked a clerk where the new paperbacks were. The conversation went something like this:
Friend: Where are the new paperbacks?
Clerk: :stares, like Friend has just said something crazy:
Friend: ...the new paperbacks?
Clerk: :takes a couple of steps backward to one of the flat table displays of trade paperbacks: :pats table for emphasis: These are paperbacks.
Friend: ...
Friend: I'm looking for the new pocket paperbacks. The mass market paperbacks.
Clerk: :stares:
Friend: :pulls mass market paperback off a shelf as an example: The new ones of these!
Clerk: Oh. :wanders off:
There's a great review of The Cloud Roads on Finding Wonderland: the Writing YA Weblog!
Recommended for Fans Of...: Tightly written traditional fantasy and sci-fi with great characters and lots of attention paid to the different cultures in the world at hand, like Kage Baker's fantasy books or Tamora Pierce's Tortall novels.
Very nice to wake up to on a Monday.
October 14, 2011
The Weekend
Got some good news this morning: The Serpent Sea was listed on the Book Smugglers' Radar as a book they're really looking forward to! That was very nice to see this morning.
(Sample first chapters plus links for preorders for The Serpent Sea here.)
Yesterday, I noticed the viney weeds we have in the backyard were out of control (it's rained twice, most of everything else is still dead, but the viney weeds I hate have sprung back to life) so I got the big metal rake out to get rid of them. And I didn't use gloves, because I never think I need gloves until it's too late. So now I have two identical hunks of skin missing from the inside of both my thumbs. It doesn't hurt near as much today and it did yesterday.
Stephen Fry posted that it's OCD Awareness Week. I have OCD.
Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious anxiety-related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts, often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges.
...
It can be so debilitating and disabling that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has actually ranked OCD in the top ten of the most disabling illnesses of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.
I'm going to be out of town visiting friends this weekend. We're going to do our usual where we go shopping at places where we can't afford anything and hope for free samples.
(Sample first chapters plus links for preorders for The Serpent Sea here.)
Yesterday, I noticed the viney weeds we have in the backyard were out of control (it's rained twice, most of everything else is still dead, but the viney weeds I hate have sprung back to life) so I got the big metal rake out to get rid of them. And I didn't use gloves, because I never think I need gloves until it's too late. So now I have two identical hunks of skin missing from the inside of both my thumbs. It doesn't hurt near as much today and it did yesterday.
Stephen Fry posted that it's OCD Awareness Week. I have OCD.
Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious anxiety-related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts, often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges.
...
It can be so debilitating and disabling that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has actually ranked OCD in the top ten of the most disabling illnesses of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.
I'm going to be out of town visiting friends this weekend. We're going to do our usual where we go shopping at places where we can't afford anything and hope for free samples.
October 13, 2011
Book Recs and One for Halloween
It rained again last night! Very exciting if you're me. I finished some other things I've been working on and am going to dive back into the third Cloud Roads book today.
***
The Cloud Roads got a very nice mention from N.K. Jemisin: Stuff you should read while you wait and I second the recs for the other books she mentioned, too.
Link:
Got this link from Google+: Good Media: When Digital Shaming Goes Too Far: Lessons From the Seattle Tip Stiffer
Within about 72 hours from the moment Liss got stiffed, hundreds of people, united and galvanized by blogs, jumped into action and attempted to ruin a stranger's reputation because he said something mean to another stranger. There was just one problem: They got the wrong guy.
Book news:
SF Signal: 'ODD? Anthology' Contest!
Edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, ODD? is a mix of originals, new translations, and (hard-to-find) reprints that qualify as "strange fiction", some of it surreal, some horrific, some fantastical, and all of it...odd. (Unless it's just because you're too normal.) This first volume features, among others, Amos Tutuola, Nalo Hopkinson, Jeffrey Ford, Rikki Ducornet, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Hiromi Goto, Stacey Levine, and Jeffrey Thomas--with new translations by Gio Clairval, Larry Nolen, and Brian Evenson of such classic writers as Gustave Le Rouge, Leopoldo Lugones, and Karl Hans Strobl as well as a brand-new story by Finnish icon Leena Krohn!
Delia Sherman: FREEDOM MAZE ARC giveaway This is a new YA fantasy by Delia Sherman:
Stuck for the summer in the family ancestral home under the thumb of her cranky, imperious grandmother, Sophie, 13, makes a reckless wish that lands her in 1860, enslaved—by her own ancestors. from the starred review in Kirkus
Beth Bernobich: Official Release Day for Fox & Phoenix in hardcover and e-book This a new YA fantasy
The king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zu, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king's daughter are close friends. Then the majestic ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. In a court filled with intrigue, Kai and his best (female) friend Yan must work together to help the princess escape and return to Long City. A refreshing mixture of magic, wit, and action, Fox and Phoenix is an auspicious debut!
I've been reading Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps: True Tales of an Accidental Ghost Hunter by Adam Selzer
It's a good book for Halloween, about his experiences as a skeptic running the ghost tours in Chicago, the history behind some of the stories, the different theories about what ghosts are, and the idea that whether a place is haunted or not is effectively immaterial to its scariness. I also liked his chapter on the history of Hull House in Chicago, and how the demon baby story is still causing trouble for the charity organization that uses the house as its headquarters, to the point where he's reluctant to mention it on the tours.
***
The Cloud Roads got a very nice mention from N.K. Jemisin: Stuff you should read while you wait and I second the recs for the other books she mentioned, too.
Link:
Got this link from Google+: Good Media: When Digital Shaming Goes Too Far: Lessons From the Seattle Tip Stiffer
Within about 72 hours from the moment Liss got stiffed, hundreds of people, united and galvanized by blogs, jumped into action and attempted to ruin a stranger's reputation because he said something mean to another stranger. There was just one problem: They got the wrong guy.
Book news:
SF Signal: 'ODD? Anthology' Contest!
Edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, ODD? is a mix of originals, new translations, and (hard-to-find) reprints that qualify as "strange fiction", some of it surreal, some horrific, some fantastical, and all of it...odd. (Unless it's just because you're too normal.) This first volume features, among others, Amos Tutuola, Nalo Hopkinson, Jeffrey Ford, Rikki Ducornet, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Hiromi Goto, Stacey Levine, and Jeffrey Thomas--with new translations by Gio Clairval, Larry Nolen, and Brian Evenson of such classic writers as Gustave Le Rouge, Leopoldo Lugones, and Karl Hans Strobl as well as a brand-new story by Finnish icon Leena Krohn!
Delia Sherman: FREEDOM MAZE ARC giveaway This is a new YA fantasy by Delia Sherman:
Stuck for the summer in the family ancestral home under the thumb of her cranky, imperious grandmother, Sophie, 13, makes a reckless wish that lands her in 1860, enslaved—by her own ancestors. from the starred review in Kirkus
Beth Bernobich: Official Release Day for Fox & Phoenix in hardcover and e-book This a new YA fantasy
The king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zu, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king's daughter are close friends. Then the majestic ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. In a court filled with intrigue, Kai and his best (female) friend Yan must work together to help the princess escape and return to Long City. A refreshing mixture of magic, wit, and action, Fox and Phoenix is an auspicious debut!
I've been reading Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps: True Tales of an Accidental Ghost Hunter by Adam Selzer
It's a good book for Halloween, about his experiences as a skeptic running the ghost tours in Chicago, the history behind some of the stories, the different theories about what ghosts are, and the idea that whether a place is haunted or not is effectively immaterial to its scariness. I also liked his chapter on the history of Hull House in Chicago, and how the demon baby story is still causing trouble for the charity organization that uses the house as its headquarters, to the point where he's reluctant to mention it on the tours.
October 12, 2011
Lots of Links
My teeth still hurt. That's about all I've got this morning.
lots of links:
All Hallows Read give someone a scary book for Halloween!
Whatever: The Big Idea: Kate Elliott on Cold Fire The family that worldbuilds together stays together. You know how teenagers are: Always coming to their mom and saying, "MOM! We're making up a world with our FRIENDS! Want to WORLD BUILD with us?"
Amazon: The Sleeping Partner by Madeleine E. Robins is now available I got to read this early and blurb it, and I said "Madeleine Robins has written an engrossing and satisfying mystery with a richly detailed setting in an alternate Regency London, with a determined heroine who is skilled with sword and pistol and not afraid to use either. I highly recommend it."
Kristine Smith found an awesome Doctor Who trailer/vid, covering all the doctors It improved my Wednesday.
camillealexa on Twitter linked to Top 50 Coolest Looking Places on Earth
Writer Beware: Writers Against Plagiarism: A Call to Action
lots of links:
All Hallows Read give someone a scary book for Halloween!
Whatever: The Big Idea: Kate Elliott on Cold Fire The family that worldbuilds together stays together. You know how teenagers are: Always coming to their mom and saying, "MOM! We're making up a world with our FRIENDS! Want to WORLD BUILD with us?"
Amazon: The Sleeping Partner by Madeleine E. Robins is now available I got to read this early and blurb it, and I said "Madeleine Robins has written an engrossing and satisfying mystery with a richly detailed setting in an alternate Regency London, with a determined heroine who is skilled with sword and pistol and not afraid to use either. I highly recommend it."
Kristine Smith found an awesome Doctor Who trailer/vid, covering all the doctors It improved my Wednesday.
camillealexa on Twitter linked to Top 50 Coolest Looking Places on Earth
Writer Beware: Writers Against Plagiarism: A Call to Action
October 11, 2011
Anxiety and Looking for a Children's Book
I knew I'd been having increased anxiety issues lately (had a lovely classic anxiety dream this morning, too) and at my dental appointment this morning they told me I'd been grinding my teeth. (There are like, teeth imprints in my tongue, too.) So I need to stop that. Years ago I had a big case of TMJ from teeth grinding, but managed to stop and it went away. Fun! Not.
Anyway. Before I go back to work, I wanted to engage the group brain and see if anyone remembered this children's novel. It would have been out in the 70s and available in libraries. It was about a kid (I think it was a boy) who makes friends with another kid in his class who was somewhat disruptive. The disruptive kid has been having strange dreams, and the protagonist helps him interpret them, and they realize that the dreams are prophetic. They both think the disruptive kid has a special ability to do this. But then the disruptive kid starts to dream about dangerous things happening to people. Trying to prevent one of the dreams from coming true, they're both nearly killed in a building collapse in a construction site or ruined structure. They realize the dream deliberately lured them into danger, and the friendship breaks up out of fear. Later, the protagonist's grandmother tells him that any fool can dream; it's being able to interpret the dreams that is the gift. The protagonist realizes that the whatever it was that sent the dream was after him. And it ended there!
Does that sound familiar to anybody? I have no idea of the title or author.
Anyway. Before I go back to work, I wanted to engage the group brain and see if anyone remembered this children's novel. It would have been out in the 70s and available in libraries. It was about a kid (I think it was a boy) who makes friends with another kid in his class who was somewhat disruptive. The disruptive kid has been having strange dreams, and the protagonist helps him interpret them, and they realize that the dreams are prophetic. They both think the disruptive kid has a special ability to do this. But then the disruptive kid starts to dream about dangerous things happening to people. Trying to prevent one of the dreams from coming true, they're both nearly killed in a building collapse in a construction site or ruined structure. They realize the dream deliberately lured them into danger, and the friendship breaks up out of fear. Later, the protagonist's grandmother tells him that any fool can dream; it's being able to interpret the dreams that is the gift. The protagonist realizes that the whatever it was that sent the dream was after him. And it ended there!
Does that sound familiar to anybody? I have no idea of the title or author.
October 10, 2011
Monday Rain and Links
We got rain this weekend, wonderful wet rain falling from the actual sky! Not fire, rain. For more than half the day. It's too late for crops, many dead trees and animals, but at least the vegetation that's still alive looks less stressed.
I have a short story I need to finish in the next few days, so that's what I'll be working on today.
A couple of things:
My ebooks that are available on Kindle are now available through Amazon.fr. (Along with Amazon US, Amazon.de, and a few on Amazon UK, and you can also get The Cloud Roads at a discount in multiple formats through the Baen Webscription ebook site. (Oh, and it's on Nook also.) The only three ebooks I have control over are The Element of Fire, City of Bones, and Wheel of the Infinite. If the others aren't available, there's nothing I can do about it, (and I would really, really rather they be available).
Another kindle thing:
I'm now signed up on Kindlegraph, a service where you can get autographs from me (and 2000 other authors) for your Kindle books. I have no idea how it works, but apparently it does!
ETA: I just noticed the kindlegraph thing has a note that "Amazon may charge fees for delivery," so be aware of that. I don't think I (or the publisher) get any cut of the fees, it just seems to be Amazon. And I'm against charging for autographs -- I think that's something that should come as a perk with buying the book.
Links:
Rachel Randall has a contest for her new sexy ebook coming out October 17.
I think it was Jenn Reese who linked to this article on Twitter: La Bloga: Diversifying Books for Teens: YesGayYA and Beyond
The challenge here is how to drive sales when the target readership is a small part of the market. Underrepresented stories are primarily embraced by underrepresented people, who may face economic disadvantage on top of cultural oppression. For LGBT teen readers, there's a unique cog in the market-driven works. If they're not out to their parents, or their parents are homophobic, or ambivalent about LGBTs, their parents aren't going to buy them an LGBT-themed book.
The capitalist approach can lead to niche markets for "multicultural" literature, or the labeling of underrepresented stories as "issue" books. In contrast, books about straight White people have the privilege of being immediately embraced as "mainstream" and "books for everybody."
I have a short story I need to finish in the next few days, so that's what I'll be working on today.
A couple of things:
My ebooks that are available on Kindle are now available through Amazon.fr. (Along with Amazon US, Amazon.de, and a few on Amazon UK, and you can also get The Cloud Roads at a discount in multiple formats through the Baen Webscription ebook site. (Oh, and it's on Nook also.) The only three ebooks I have control over are The Element of Fire, City of Bones, and Wheel of the Infinite. If the others aren't available, there's nothing I can do about it, (and I would really, really rather they be available).
Another kindle thing:
I'm now signed up on Kindlegraph, a service where you can get autographs from me (and 2000 other authors) for your Kindle books. I have no idea how it works, but apparently it does!
ETA: I just noticed the kindlegraph thing has a note that "Amazon may charge fees for delivery," so be aware of that. I don't think I (or the publisher) get any cut of the fees, it just seems to be Amazon. And I'm against charging for autographs -- I think that's something that should come as a perk with buying the book.
Links:
Rachel Randall has a contest for her new sexy ebook coming out October 17.
I think it was Jenn Reese who linked to this article on Twitter: La Bloga: Diversifying Books for Teens: YesGayYA and Beyond
The challenge here is how to drive sales when the target readership is a small part of the market. Underrepresented stories are primarily embraced by underrepresented people, who may face economic disadvantage on top of cultural oppression. For LGBT teen readers, there's a unique cog in the market-driven works. If they're not out to their parents, or their parents are homophobic, or ambivalent about LGBTs, their parents aren't going to buy them an LGBT-themed book.
The capitalist approach can lead to niche markets for "multicultural" literature, or the labeling of underrepresented stories as "issue" books. In contrast, books about straight White people have the privilege of being immediately embraced as "mainstream" and "books for everybody."
October 7, 2011
Recs and Sundry
Our air conditioner stopped cooling night before last, and while I was running it trying to figure out if it was a repeat of the freon leak problem from earlier this summer, I noticed it was making the lights in the house fluctuate. Not generally a good sign. The repair guy found two electrical components that had gone bad, one that was failing slowly and one that had had a little explosion and was getting ready to take other things with it. So it's good it didn't happen while we were gone. It probably helped that it's been a bit cooler lately (highs in the low 90s or upper 80s) so we've been trying to keep it turned off for most of the day.
While I was waiting for the repair man to fill out the invoice, I saw a cat had trapped a squirrel on a tree stump across the cul-de-sac in our neighbor's yard. With someone else there, I was a little too self-conscious to intervene (ie, run across the cul-de-sac flailing my arms and yelling) but when he got out of his truck and slammed the door, the fight broke up.
Good news:
The Cloud Roads got a great review at Escape Pod
Books like The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells are why I love fantasy literature. In The Cloud Roads, Wells has built a world where people aren't just divided by color and language, but by species and life-cycle. In a surprisingly short time, Wells touches on the kinds problems that a world like hers would have, and populates it with compelling, believable characters who provide the driving force behind the narrative. Yay! I especially liked what she said about the female characters.
Books:
Just finished Cold Fire by Kate Elliott and absolutely loved it. It's the sequel to Cold Magic, and is set in a steampunkish world where Europe, still trapped in the ice age, was colonized by West African people led by powerful sorcerers, who were fleeing a zombie-like plague. It's a complex world and very well drawn, and I love the main character, Catherine Hassi Barahal.
A bunch of good books are coming out this month. I'm about to read Ganymede by Cherie Priest, the next Clockwork Century book, and I'm waiting for Sup with the Devil by Barbara Hamilton (Barbara Hambly) and Kingdom of the Gods by N.K. Jemisin. There's also The Sacred Band by David Anthony Durham, So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev (which came out last month but I was so busy I missed it.) and Infidel by Kameron Hurley.
While I was waiting for the repair man to fill out the invoice, I saw a cat had trapped a squirrel on a tree stump across the cul-de-sac in our neighbor's yard. With someone else there, I was a little too self-conscious to intervene (ie, run across the cul-de-sac flailing my arms and yelling) but when he got out of his truck and slammed the door, the fight broke up.
Good news:
The Cloud Roads got a great review at Escape Pod
Books like The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells are why I love fantasy literature. In The Cloud Roads, Wells has built a world where people aren't just divided by color and language, but by species and life-cycle. In a surprisingly short time, Wells touches on the kinds problems that a world like hers would have, and populates it with compelling, believable characters who provide the driving force behind the narrative. Yay! I especially liked what she said about the female characters.
Books:
Just finished Cold Fire by Kate Elliott and absolutely loved it. It's the sequel to Cold Magic, and is set in a steampunkish world where Europe, still trapped in the ice age, was colonized by West African people led by powerful sorcerers, who were fleeing a zombie-like plague. It's a complex world and very well drawn, and I love the main character, Catherine Hassi Barahal.
A bunch of good books are coming out this month. I'm about to read Ganymede by Cherie Priest, the next Clockwork Century book, and I'm waiting for Sup with the Devil by Barbara Hamilton (Barbara Hambly) and Kingdom of the Gods by N.K. Jemisin. There's also The Sacred Band by David Anthony Durham, So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev (which came out last month but I was so busy I missed it.) and Infidel by Kameron Hurley.
October 6, 2011
I think our fourteen year old cat Bella, who was not name...
I think our fourteen year old cat Bella, who was not named after the Twilight character, is a vampire. She doesn't eat, she sleeps all day, she nibbles on me. She's rejected the tuna-flavored medicine and isn't fond anymore of the catnip-flavored; they should make a mice-blood flavor.
I meant to post this a while back and forgot. This is a photo of the copy of Wheel of the Infinite I murdered to make the ebook version:
I guess I need to just save the cover jacket and throw the rest away.
links:
PW: Genreville Calls for Submissions Small presses looking for diverse characters.
Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards collecting nominations of works that qualify for the ballot.
Kidlit: Social Networking Abuse
Sometimes people do things to get noticed that they wouldn't ordinarily do, all because the Internet makes them feel bolder.
Chuck Wendig: The Publishing Cart Before the Storytelling Horse
Traditionally-published authors are not slave labor. They're not idiots or fools. They've not made "the wrong choice." You went one way. They went another. Sometimes your paths converge; other times, they do not.
I meant to post this a while back and forgot. This is a photo of the copy of Wheel of the Infinite I murdered to make the ebook version:
I guess I need to just save the cover jacket and throw the rest away.
links:
PW: Genreville Calls for Submissions Small presses looking for diverse characters.
Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Awards collecting nominations of works that qualify for the ballot.
Kidlit: Social Networking Abuse
Sometimes people do things to get noticed that they wouldn't ordinarily do, all because the Internet makes them feel bolder.
Chuck Wendig: The Publishing Cart Before the Storytelling Horse
Traditionally-published authors are not slave labor. They're not idiots or fools. They've not made "the wrong choice." You went one way. They went another. Sometimes your paths converge; other times, they do not.
October 5, 2011
Cats and Links
I wish I could stop waking up at 5:30 in the morning.
Yesterday's work was interrupted at regular intervals by Bella, the fourteen year old cat, who felt constipated and believed I could cure this (since I control the universe) if I would just try. She communicated this most of the day by sitting next to my elbow while I was typing, and purring, head-bumping my arm, and her trademark, the silent meow of "why won't you just succumb to my will?" I finally got her to take her medicine, and I think she feels better today.
Some links from Twitter:
Artists & Books for Girls: The Girl Effect Campaign Starts Today!
I have been so inspired by Tara Sophia Mohr's Girl Effect Blogging Campaign. And I'm so excited to see how my fellow bloggers are sharing their passion for this amazing organization. Today is the day! Join me in raising money for The Girl Effect. Starting today, I'll be donating $5.00 for each of the first hundred covers submitted that features a strong, hear-me-roar girl character. Read below to learn more.
The Men of the Stacks: a 2012 Calendar a calendar of hot male librarians! Click on the gallery tab to see all the photos.
Barnes and Noble: If You Give... Book Program
Barnes & Noble and Harper Collins are proud to present the If You Give... Book Program. For every book purchased in Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond's If You Give... series between October 4th and October 31st at Barnes & Noble stores or online at BN.com, two books will be given to First Book, the non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children by providing them with access to new books.
The Qwillery Interview with Kameron Hurley and Giveaway - October 3, 2011 To enter the book giveaway, leave a comment answering the following question: What woman or women inspire you?
Yesterday's work was interrupted at regular intervals by Bella, the fourteen year old cat, who felt constipated and believed I could cure this (since I control the universe) if I would just try. She communicated this most of the day by sitting next to my elbow while I was typing, and purring, head-bumping my arm, and her trademark, the silent meow of "why won't you just succumb to my will?" I finally got her to take her medicine, and I think she feels better today.
Some links from Twitter:
Artists & Books for Girls: The Girl Effect Campaign Starts Today!
I have been so inspired by Tara Sophia Mohr's Girl Effect Blogging Campaign. And I'm so excited to see how my fellow bloggers are sharing their passion for this amazing organization. Today is the day! Join me in raising money for The Girl Effect. Starting today, I'll be donating $5.00 for each of the first hundred covers submitted that features a strong, hear-me-roar girl character. Read below to learn more.
The Men of the Stacks: a 2012 Calendar a calendar of hot male librarians! Click on the gallery tab to see all the photos.
Barnes and Noble: If You Give... Book Program
Barnes & Noble and Harper Collins are proud to present the If You Give... Book Program. For every book purchased in Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond's If You Give... series between October 4th and October 31st at Barnes & Noble stores or online at BN.com, two books will be given to First Book, the non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children by providing them with access to new books.
The Qwillery Interview with Kameron Hurley and Giveaway - October 3, 2011 To enter the book giveaway, leave a comment answering the following question: What woman or women inspire you?
October 4, 2011
Book Recs and Links for Tuesday
Yesterday I finished going over the copyedit/proofs for The Serpent Sea. In some ways I'm used to being a working writer again who has deadlines and writes books that are actually published and gets paid and all that, but in other ways I'm still marveling that this is happening again. That I'm not stuck back in my career crash (2006-2010).
I started writing The Serpent Sea in 2008, after I finished The Cloud Roads, which at that time was still out making the lonely rounds of all the publishers who didn't want it. I finished it in 2009, when The Cloud Roads was still out making the lonely rounds of all the publishers who didn't want it. Both books sold around July 2010, and it still feels like a miracle.
I don't know if this is a small island in the ocean of crashing yet or not. I wrote another book during that time, Emilie and the Hollow World, a steampunkish fantasy YA which still hasn't sold, and cowrote an MG fantasy which still hasn't sold, and I have a proposal out for the third Cloud Roads book, which is 85% completed but not sold. So keep your fingers crossed for me.
Book recs:
The Sacred Band the last book in David Anthony Durham's epic fantasy Acacia trilogy comes out today. You can read the summary and reviews at the link above, and you should definitely check it out.
Kate Elliott has extras for Cold Fire, the second book in her Spiritwalker trilogy after Cold Magic. I'm reading Cold Fire now and really enjoying it.
Links:
Cynthia Leitich Smith has a report on the Austin Teen Book Festival
Writer Beware: The Agenda of "The Write Agenda"
TWA's real agenda is to harass, discredit, and intimidate just about anyone who speaks out about literary scams, or supports anti-scam activities. There are reports of boycott lists of authors who speak out about them, a fake cease and desist notice, and posting hundreds of one-star reviews on review sites like GoodReads, among other things.
I started writing The Serpent Sea in 2008, after I finished The Cloud Roads, which at that time was still out making the lonely rounds of all the publishers who didn't want it. I finished it in 2009, when The Cloud Roads was still out making the lonely rounds of all the publishers who didn't want it. Both books sold around July 2010, and it still feels like a miracle.
I don't know if this is a small island in the ocean of crashing yet or not. I wrote another book during that time, Emilie and the Hollow World, a steampunkish fantasy YA which still hasn't sold, and cowrote an MG fantasy which still hasn't sold, and I have a proposal out for the third Cloud Roads book, which is 85% completed but not sold. So keep your fingers crossed for me.
Book recs:
The Sacred Band the last book in David Anthony Durham's epic fantasy Acacia trilogy comes out today. You can read the summary and reviews at the link above, and you should definitely check it out.
Kate Elliott has extras for Cold Fire, the second book in her Spiritwalker trilogy after Cold Magic. I'm reading Cold Fire now and really enjoying it.
Links:
Cynthia Leitich Smith has a report on the Austin Teen Book Festival
Writer Beware: The Agenda of "The Write Agenda"
TWA's real agenda is to harass, discredit, and intimidate just about anyone who speaks out about literary scams, or supports anti-scam activities. There are reports of boycott lists of authors who speak out about them, a fake cease and desist notice, and posting hundreds of one-star reviews on review sites like GoodReads, among other things.
