Martha Wells's Blog, page 185
May 12, 2011
Fictional Cities: the List
After months of fiery death weather, it's finally raining here, with thunder and drops big enough to see and puddles. This is a huge relief. It probably won't save the dying crops, but it'll help a little.
My previous post on fictional cities that felt real got a lot of great responses, so I thought I'd list them here:
Ben Aaronovitch's London
Barbara Hamilton/Barbara Hambly's Boston
Borderlands
Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork
Leiber's Lankhmar
Daniel Abraham's Saraykeht
The town of Solace from the Dragonlance books.
Scott Lynch's Camorra
Athkatla from the Baldur's Gate video game series
Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back
the New York City of Marvel comics
Newford, from Charles de Lint
China Mieville's New Crobuzon
Tai-Tastigon from P.C. Hodgell
Vienne, Charisat, and Cineth from Martha Wells
Fritz Leiber's San Francisco from Our Lady of Darkness, "Midnight on the Morphy Watch", etc.
Phil Dick's San Francisco from The Man in the High Castle.
Riddley Scott's Los Angeles from Blade Runner.
Emma Bull's Minneapolis from War for the Oaks.
Michael Moorcock's London from the Jerry Cornelius Chronicles.
Armada from The Scar by China Mieville
Riverside from Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
Mandelion from Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
The town where Sunshine by Robin McKinley is set (can't remember its name, or even if it is named).
The New Orleans of the Benjamin January books by Barbara Hambly.
Catherynne Valente's Palimpsest, and the city in The Orphan's Tales
Minas Tirith Lord of the Rings
Fort Weyr in Anne McCafferey's Dragonsflight etc
Vorbar Sultana, and that little mountain town in the District, from Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan novels
Terri Windling's Bordertown
Seanan McGuire's San Francisco
John Levitt's San Francisco
Cherie Priest's Seattle
Ilona Andrews' Atlanta
Stargate: Atlantis' Atlantis
Liavek
Elizabeth Peters' Cairo
Heyers' London
Diagon Alley Harry Potter
Martin's King's Landing
The city from Cherryh's Angel With A Sword (Merovin)
***
The Guy's Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou Senior High School is still going on, with plenty of books left on the wish list for under $10.00, including books by Terry Pratchett, Naomi Novik, Walter Mosley, and other authors. The school needs books that the kids want to read.
My previous post on fictional cities that felt real got a lot of great responses, so I thought I'd list them here:
Ben Aaronovitch's London
Barbara Hamilton/Barbara Hambly's Boston
Borderlands
Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork
Leiber's Lankhmar
Daniel Abraham's Saraykeht
The town of Solace from the Dragonlance books.
Scott Lynch's Camorra
Athkatla from the Baldur's Gate video game series
Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back
the New York City of Marvel comics
Newford, from Charles de Lint
China Mieville's New Crobuzon
Tai-Tastigon from P.C. Hodgell
Vienne, Charisat, and Cineth from Martha Wells
Fritz Leiber's San Francisco from Our Lady of Darkness, "Midnight on the Morphy Watch", etc.
Phil Dick's San Francisco from The Man in the High Castle.
Riddley Scott's Los Angeles from Blade Runner.
Emma Bull's Minneapolis from War for the Oaks.
Michael Moorcock's London from the Jerry Cornelius Chronicles.
Armada from The Scar by China Mieville
Riverside from Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
Mandelion from Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
The town where Sunshine by Robin McKinley is set (can't remember its name, or even if it is named).
The New Orleans of the Benjamin January books by Barbara Hambly.
Catherynne Valente's Palimpsest, and the city in The Orphan's Tales
Minas Tirith Lord of the Rings
Fort Weyr in Anne McCafferey's Dragonsflight etc
Vorbar Sultana, and that little mountain town in the District, from Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan novels
Terri Windling's Bordertown
Seanan McGuire's San Francisco
John Levitt's San Francisco
Cherie Priest's Seattle
Ilona Andrews' Atlanta
Stargate: Atlantis' Atlantis
Liavek
Elizabeth Peters' Cairo
Heyers' London
Diagon Alley Harry Potter
Martin's King's Landing
The city from Cherryh's Angel With A Sword (Merovin)
***
The Guy's Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou Senior High School is still going on, with plenty of books left on the wish list for under $10.00, including books by Terry Pratchett, Naomi Novik, Walter Mosley, and other authors. The school needs books that the kids want to read.
May 11, 2011
Fictional Cities
Bill Crider: linked to a list of 10 Literary Cities We Wish Were Real and this is a nice list, but most of them are lands, not cities.
So what are some fictional cities that feel real? Not necessarily ones you'd want to live in or wish were real, but places that from the descriptions in the books seemed to take on a reality of their own?
They don't have to be completely fictional cities. For instance, in recent reads, the London of Ben Aaronovitch's Midnight Riot (Rivers of London) and the revolutionary-era Boston of Barbara Hambly/Barbara Hamilton's The Ninth Daughter felt very real and vital.
So what are some fictional cities that feel real? Not necessarily ones you'd want to live in or wish were real, but places that from the descriptions in the books seemed to take on a reality of their own?
They don't have to be completely fictional cities. For instance, in recent reads, the London of Ben Aaronovitch's Midnight Riot (Rivers of London) and the revolutionary-era Boston of Barbara Hambly/Barbara Hamilton's The Ninth Daughter felt very real and vital.
May 10, 2011
It's gray and overcast today, but will not rain, because ...
It's gray and overcast today, but will not rain, because it will never, ever rain again here. I also have a dead tree in the backyard that really needs to be removed, before hurricane season and we end up with it in the living room.
From Liz Hand: Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou Senior High School in Washington, DC
At the time the video was made early this year there were just over 1,150 books on the shelves at Ballou; there are over 1,200 students in the school. So there was barely one book for each student (the ALA standard is 11:1). The WaPo ran an article about Ballou in January and I have seen a few follow-ups here and there (National Geographic sent over a bunch of books) but what struck me in all the efforts to help is what always hits me - people send books they have (publishers do the same) which is lovely, but not necessarily the books that the school needs or, most importantly of all, the students want. That's where we come in and why we keep doing this, and loving it, every single year.
The article has a link to the school's wish list on Powell's online bookstore, plus the school librarian's address. You can purchase a book they need/want and send it directly to the school's library.
From Jody Hedlund: 10 Simple Ways to Support Authors You Love These all add up to basically one thing: tell people about the book you liked if you think they might like it too.
Speaking of which: the third book in David Anthony Durham's fantasy trilogy is coming out in a few months. If you loved Game of Thrones, the books or the show, you'll probably enjoy it, and it's all finished. The first book is Acacia.
From Liz Hand: Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou Senior High School in Washington, DC
At the time the video was made early this year there were just over 1,150 books on the shelves at Ballou; there are over 1,200 students in the school. So there was barely one book for each student (the ALA standard is 11:1). The WaPo ran an article about Ballou in January and I have seen a few follow-ups here and there (National Geographic sent over a bunch of books) but what struck me in all the efforts to help is what always hits me - people send books they have (publishers do the same) which is lovely, but not necessarily the books that the school needs or, most importantly of all, the students want. That's where we come in and why we keep doing this, and loving it, every single year.
The article has a link to the school's wish list on Powell's online bookstore, plus the school librarian's address. You can purchase a book they need/want and send it directly to the school's library.
From Jody Hedlund: 10 Simple Ways to Support Authors You Love These all add up to basically one thing: tell people about the book you liked if you think they might like it too.
Speaking of which: the third book in David Anthony Durham's fantasy trilogy is coming out in a few months. If you loved Game of Thrones, the books or the show, you'll probably enjoy it, and it's all finished. The first book is Acacia.
May 9, 2011
Monday again! Despite not feeling well on Friday, I had ...
Monday again! Despite not feeling well on Friday, I had a pretty good weekend. I got some good news, which I don't know if I can post about yet. And I got some more good news, in that The Serpent Sea, the sequel to The Cloud Roads, will be starting the editorial process later this month. I don't know when it'll be out yet, and I'll post that as soon as I know.
I also finally got some new material done on the third untitled Cloud Roads book. (This series really needs a name, since it actually looks like it's really going to be a series now, though the third book isn't sold or even spoken for yet. I'm trying not to be too optimistic.) I've got between 60,000 and 70,000 words completed, but I've been taking parts out, putting them back in, moving things around, and being generally stalled on it for most of the last few months. I think I've finally got it figured out, though I've thought that before.
Tonight is Doctor Who watching night! Which I'm really looking forward to.
Couple of links:
The Night Bazaar: C.J. Cherryh's Advice for Writers You don't get fame and fortune. The ones that hunt it tend to be obnoxious, and not people I like to hang out with. But being able to tell your friends is a good thing, and if your friends aren't glad for you, you need new friends.
That last sentence is very true, and I've learned it the hard way, over and over again.
Inkpunks: The Dos and Don'ts of Your Online Presence What you should have on your pro website
I also finally got some new material done on the third untitled Cloud Roads book. (This series really needs a name, since it actually looks like it's really going to be a series now, though the third book isn't sold or even spoken for yet. I'm trying not to be too optimistic.) I've got between 60,000 and 70,000 words completed, but I've been taking parts out, putting them back in, moving things around, and being generally stalled on it for most of the last few months. I think I've finally got it figured out, though I've thought that before.
Tonight is Doctor Who watching night! Which I'm really looking forward to.
Couple of links:
The Night Bazaar: C.J. Cherryh's Advice for Writers You don't get fame and fortune. The ones that hunt it tend to be obnoxious, and not people I like to hang out with. But being able to tell your friends is a good thing, and if your friends aren't glad for you, you need new friends.
That last sentence is very true, and I've learned it the hard way, over and over again.
Inkpunks: The Dos and Don'ts of Your Online Presence What you should have on your pro website
May 6, 2011
Taking Writing Questions
Not feeling so good today. I hope this is allergy-related, and I'm not getting sick.
For example, it took me way too long to spell "allergy" up there.
I had a long post in my mind about modern noir movies, and why Mulholland Falls is sucky and why Devil in a Blue Dress is very good, but typing and thinking simultaneously is kind of an issue. Anyway, that was pretty much the gist of the post.
So instead, you could ask me questions, about writing in general, about publishing in general, about The Cloud Roads, about whatever, and I'll try to make some coherent answers, either here or in a later post.
Links:
You could read the story about how some jerk in MN called Neil Gaiman a "pencil-neck weasel" and then how Gaiman laughed and verbally kicked the guy in the face: here
Free Online Book Rec for Vampire fans: Fright Court by Mindy Klasky Sarah Anderson has found her dream job: Clerk of Court for the District of Columbia Night Court. Dream job, that is, until she's attacked in the open courtroom by a vampire defendant. And until she's forced to take self-defense lessons from her boss, the enigmatic vampire James Morton. And until she learns that she can't share the truth about any of that with her best friend, Allison Ward – even over delectable cupcakes from the Cake Walk bakery.
This is a serialized novel, free to read, supported by donations only.
For example, it took me way too long to spell "allergy" up there.
I had a long post in my mind about modern noir movies, and why Mulholland Falls is sucky and why Devil in a Blue Dress is very good, but typing and thinking simultaneously is kind of an issue. Anyway, that was pretty much the gist of the post.
So instead, you could ask me questions, about writing in general, about publishing in general, about The Cloud Roads, about whatever, and I'll try to make some coherent answers, either here or in a later post.
Links:
You could read the story about how some jerk in MN called Neil Gaiman a "pencil-neck weasel" and then how Gaiman laughed and verbally kicked the guy in the face: here
Free Online Book Rec for Vampire fans: Fright Court by Mindy Klasky Sarah Anderson has found her dream job: Clerk of Court for the District of Columbia Night Court. Dream job, that is, until she's attacked in the open courtroom by a vampire defendant. And until she's forced to take self-defense lessons from her boss, the enigmatic vampire James Morton. And until she learns that she can't share the truth about any of that with her best friend, Allison Ward – even over delectable cupcakes from the Cake Walk bakery.
This is a serialized novel, free to read, supported by donations only.
May 5, 2011
Some links below about women and writing. Regarding Laur...
Some links below about women and writing. Regarding Laura's link, I never thought about taking a male or gender neutral pseudonym when I was first starting out, mainly because some of my favorite fantasy writers were women. Also, when I was growing up on SF/F, I never paid much attention to the gender of the authors I was reading. But I've thought lately that I probably wouldn't have had nearly as many problems in my career if I had used a gender neutral name.
From Catherine Lundoff: Beyond Her Book Last week the earth shattering news hit that high school teacher Judy Buranich writes erotica as Judy Mays. Horrors!! An English teacher who writes.
Book Rec: Up Against It by M. J. Locke It's a hard SF adventure, with great characters in a tense situation, fighting for the survival of their asteroid city.
M.J. Locke is pseudonym for writer Laura J. Mixon, and she talks about her decision to write her new book under a gender-neutral name here: But here's what my conscience is saying. By abandoning my previous byline, I've left some of my readers feeling abandoned, as if their loyalty didn't matter. And by choosing a gender-neutral byline, I prioritized my own success over my commitment to my fellow women in SFF and science.
And a review of me:
Adventures Fantastic: Long Looks at Short Fiction: The Forest Boy by Martha Wells I got a very nice review of my short story "The Forest Boy," which is a prequel to The Cloud Roads and is available free on my web site.
From Catherine Lundoff: Beyond Her Book Last week the earth shattering news hit that high school teacher Judy Buranich writes erotica as Judy Mays. Horrors!! An English teacher who writes.
Book Rec: Up Against It by M. J. Locke It's a hard SF adventure, with great characters in a tense situation, fighting for the survival of their asteroid city.
M.J. Locke is pseudonym for writer Laura J. Mixon, and she talks about her decision to write her new book under a gender-neutral name here: But here's what my conscience is saying. By abandoning my previous byline, I've left some of my readers feeling abandoned, as if their loyalty didn't matter. And by choosing a gender-neutral byline, I prioritized my own success over my commitment to my fellow women in SFF and science.
And a review of me:
Adventures Fantastic: Long Looks at Short Fiction: The Forest Boy by Martha Wells I got a very nice review of my short story "The Forest Boy," which is a prequel to The Cloud Roads and is available free on my web site.
May 3, 2011
It finally rained here yesterday. It hasn't rained since...
It finally rained here yesterday. It hasn't rained since February, and this is our Spring rainy season, so this summer is going to be murder. It was a light rain, but went on for a while, so hopefully it did a little good.
List of places to donate for the Tuscaloosa tornado damage: Tuscaloosa Donations
Help Write Now A Writing Community Auction to Benefit Southern Storm Relief
Black Gate has an article by Sarah Avery on Teaching Fantasy Part 1: Rewards, Backfires, Escapes
"And what do you read when nobody's making you read anything?"
Most of my students, boys and girls both, answer, "Fantasy." They say that with embarrassment, too, because English teachers are famous for their aversion to fantasy.
I also like the J.R.R. Tolkien quote she uses:
Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!
Malinda Lo on the School Library Journal Blog: A Healthy Dose of Diversity
List of places to donate for the Tuscaloosa tornado damage: Tuscaloosa Donations
Help Write Now A Writing Community Auction to Benefit Southern Storm Relief
Black Gate has an article by Sarah Avery on Teaching Fantasy Part 1: Rewards, Backfires, Escapes
"And what do you read when nobody's making you read anything?"
Most of my students, boys and girls both, answer, "Fantasy." They say that with embarrassment, too, because English teachers are famous for their aversion to fantasy.
I also like the J.R.R. Tolkien quote she uses:
Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!
Malinda Lo on the School Library Journal Blog: A Healthy Dose of Diversity
May 2, 2011
I stayed up late to watch the announcement about Bin Lade...
I stayed up late to watch the announcement about Bin Laden, and am still processing. It's been a long ten years.
Brenda Novak's online auction for diabetes research started yesterday. The SF/F section is here. My books are: an autographed hardcover of The Wizard Hunters, an autographed hardcover of Wheel of the Infinite, and an autographed trade paperback of The Cloud Roads.
Some links from the Atlas Obscura: Ta Prohm and the Dinosaur of Ta Prohm.
The Nan Madol ruins, which I used for inspiration for some of the places in The Wizard Hunters
One of the few places in the Atlas Obscura I've actually been: Mary King's Close
Brenda Novak's online auction for diabetes research started yesterday. The SF/F section is here. My books are: an autographed hardcover of The Wizard Hunters, an autographed hardcover of Wheel of the Infinite, and an autographed trade paperback of The Cloud Roads.
Some links from the Atlas Obscura: Ta Prohm and the Dinosaur of Ta Prohm.
The Nan Madol ruins, which I used for inspiration for some of the places in The Wizard Hunters
One of the few places in the Atlas Obscura I've actually been: Mary King's Close
May 1, 2011
Good news: My laptop is fixed! It was really good that ...
Good news: My laptop is fixed! It was really good that we were actually in a city with an Apple Store, because it would have been a pain in the ass to do this at home via mail, phone, etc. As it was, we just made an appointment at the Genius Bar in the Galleria store, then when it was our turn I set the exploded battery (see previous post) on the counter and said, "So, this happened," and they said, "Free battery for you!" and that was it.
My signing at Murder by the Book also went very well, as usual there. We had cookies, I did a brief reading from chapter one of The Cloud Roads, answered a few questions, signed books, signed stock, and the books that had been bought via email, then hung out and talked a bit with friends. My only regret was that I was kind of frazzled from worrying about the laptop and so on, and couldn't concentrate enough on the used book sale the store was having to find anything I wanted. It's a fabulous store with a giant selection of new and used mysteries, plus some new YA and SF/F, and I highly recommend it. They still have some signed copies of The Cloud Roads and you can buy one by emailing or calling the store, if you can't get there in person.
I also have a new post at The Night Bazaar this morning, called Writing Media Tie-ins. I wrote about my two Stargate: Atlantis books, and my huge love for SF/F TV and fanfic and media fiction.
My signing at Murder by the Book also went very well, as usual there. We had cookies, I did a brief reading from chapter one of The Cloud Roads, answered a few questions, signed books, signed stock, and the books that had been bought via email, then hung out and talked a bit with friends. My only regret was that I was kind of frazzled from worrying about the laptop and so on, and couldn't concentrate enough on the used book sale the store was having to find anything I wanted. It's a fabulous store with a giant selection of new and used mysteries, plus some new YA and SF/F, and I highly recommend it. They still have some signed copies of The Cloud Roads and you can buy one by emailing or calling the store, if you can't get there in person.
I also have a new post at The Night Bazaar this morning, called Writing Media Tie-ins. I wrote about my two Stargate: Atlantis books, and my huge love for SF/F TV and fanfic and media fiction.
April 30, 2011
Good news: I had a great dinner last night at Khyber. To...
Good news: I had a great dinner last night at Khyber. Tomato masala curry with chicken, saag paneer, and a mango lassi, all yummy.
Bad news: This is what the back of my laptop looks like:
It's still working. I'm typing on it right now. I don't know how, since the battery won't go back in and frankly it's a little melty in there and smells funny. I hope it lasts long enough for me to get it looked at and fixed, or to find some money to get a new one if it's terminal. I've always been lucky with Macs; I tend to use them anywhere from twelve to sixteen hours per day, and I've always ending up with ones that were willing to cheerfully die in service to my writing and internet habit. My last one had a slow hard drive failure but went down fighting, clinging to life by its virtual fingernails, lasting just long enough to copied onto this one before it turned into a brick.
(I have a book signing in Houston today (April 30), 4:30, at Murder by the Book. If you can't be there, you can call or email the store to order signed copies.)
Bad news: This is what the back of my laptop looks like:
It's still working. I'm typing on it right now. I don't know how, since the battery won't go back in and frankly it's a little melty in there and smells funny. I hope it lasts long enough for me to get it looked at and fixed, or to find some money to get a new one if it's terminal. I've always been lucky with Macs; I tend to use them anywhere from twelve to sixteen hours per day, and I've always ending up with ones that were willing to cheerfully die in service to my writing and internet habit. My last one had a slow hard drive failure but went down fighting, clinging to life by its virtual fingernails, lasting just long enough to copied onto this one before it turned into a brick.
(I have a book signing in Houston today (April 30), 4:30, at Murder by the Book. If you can't be there, you can call or email the store to order signed copies.)
