Martha Wells's Blog, page 188
March 29, 2011
AggieCon report:We had some friends staying with us for t...
AggieCon report:
We had some friends staying with us for the con, and for Saturday morning we drove out to Lexington to go to Snow's Barbeque. They're only open one day a week, everybody who works there has a another day job, and they start selling bbq at 8:00am and close when they run out, usually around 11:00am. It was very tasty.
There was some initial confusion with the programming, but the three panels I was on went really well, and had good audiences. (The room was full for the steampunk panel, and about half full for the other two panels, including the one on Sunday.)
Part of the crew of the Airship Isabella was on the steampunk panel, and we had a really good time. We talked about steampunk as unbridled creativity, as a reaction to narrow categories, multiculturalism in steampunk, fantasy steampunk, SF steampunk, post-apocalyptic steampunk, and how people came to steampunk through music, art, books.
On the How to Get Published panel, we warned people about scams aimed at aspiring writers (which are legion), then answered specific questions for a while. Also talked about how publishing is hard, and often not rewarding, and because you decide not to try to get published is no reason why you should stop writing.
The creativity panel was on Sunday, and we basically talked about sources of inspiration. One person in the audience had a couple of good questions about how to keep fostering your creativity when you have a day job, many other responsibilities, etc. And we talked about people who have written entire novels in fifteen minute increments snatched whenever their kids were asleep, on breaks at work, etc.
***
On the Night Bazaar it's the release week for Bradley P. Beaulieu's new fantasy novel The Winds of Khalakovo, and you can enter to win a free copy!
We had some friends staying with us for the con, and for Saturday morning we drove out to Lexington to go to Snow's Barbeque. They're only open one day a week, everybody who works there has a another day job, and they start selling bbq at 8:00am and close when they run out, usually around 11:00am. It was very tasty.
There was some initial confusion with the programming, but the three panels I was on went really well, and had good audiences. (The room was full for the steampunk panel, and about half full for the other two panels, including the one on Sunday.)
Part of the crew of the Airship Isabella was on the steampunk panel, and we had a really good time. We talked about steampunk as unbridled creativity, as a reaction to narrow categories, multiculturalism in steampunk, fantasy steampunk, SF steampunk, post-apocalyptic steampunk, and how people came to steampunk through music, art, books.
On the How to Get Published panel, we warned people about scams aimed at aspiring writers (which are legion), then answered specific questions for a while. Also talked about how publishing is hard, and often not rewarding, and because you decide not to try to get published is no reason why you should stop writing.
The creativity panel was on Sunday, and we basically talked about sources of inspiration. One person in the audience had a couple of good questions about how to keep fostering your creativity when you have a day job, many other responsibilities, etc. And we talked about people who have written entire novels in fifteen minute increments snatched whenever their kids were asleep, on breaks at work, etc.
***
On the Night Bazaar it's the release week for Bradley P. Beaulieu's new fantasy novel The Winds of Khalakovo, and you can enter to win a free copy!
March 28, 2011
Genre for Japan Auction in the UK
I had a great time at AggieCon, and I'll try to do a report later today or tomorrow. The weekend was great, except for the sad news that author Diana Wynne Jones passed away.
News:
The Genre for Japan auction is open for bidding! The auction is in the UK so all prices are in pounds. (If you're in Europe or the UK and couldn't afford shipping for the US-based auctions, this is a great one to check out.) Lots of incredible stuff is available. The autographed copy of The Cloud Roads is here. Please pass this on to anyone you think would be interested!
There is a GoodReads Giveaway of five signed copies of The Cloud Roads starting today and running from March 28 through April 28. If you have a GoodReads account (it's free to get one) you can sign up and at the end of the month GoodReads will randomly choose the winners.
News:
The Genre for Japan auction is open for bidding! The auction is in the UK so all prices are in pounds. (If you're in Europe or the UK and couldn't afford shipping for the US-based auctions, this is a great one to check out.) Lots of incredible stuff is available. The autographed copy of The Cloud Roads is here. Please pass this on to anyone you think would be interested!
There is a GoodReads Giveaway of five signed copies of The Cloud Roads starting today and running from March 28 through April 28. If you have a GoodReads account (it's free to get one) you can sign up and at the end of the month GoodReads will randomly choose the winners.
March 25, 2011
Three cat things:I mentioned a while back that after Bell...
Three cat things:
I mentioned a while back that after Bella came back from having one of her front fangs removed (due to infection), that Tasha treated her like a completely strange cat, with hissing, growling, etc. This has been going on for weeks. Anyway, the other day I saw Tasha sniffing Bella very hard right at the spot on her mouth where the fang was. Since then there's been the occasional hiss and growl, but Tasha seems to be getting over it and maybe willing to acknowledge this is actually the same cat she's been living with all this time.
Tasha keeps trying to play with me like I'm another cat, but can't quite figure out how to do it. She'll dart at me just as I come down the stairs, then stop at the last instant and look puzzled. She wants to jump on me and knock me down, but can't quite figure out how she's going to do it. I'm lucky Harry never wanted to play like this, because at twenty pounds, he probably would have been able to knock me down. And then eat me.
The new "Most Interesting Man in the World" commercial has a bit where the typical thing happens where you're cooking in the kitchen and the cat jumps up on the counter. Except his cat is a cougar. I love those commercials.
I mentioned a while back that after Bella came back from having one of her front fangs removed (due to infection), that Tasha treated her like a completely strange cat, with hissing, growling, etc. This has been going on for weeks. Anyway, the other day I saw Tasha sniffing Bella very hard right at the spot on her mouth where the fang was. Since then there's been the occasional hiss and growl, but Tasha seems to be getting over it and maybe willing to acknowledge this is actually the same cat she's been living with all this time.
Tasha keeps trying to play with me like I'm another cat, but can't quite figure out how to do it. She'll dart at me just as I come down the stairs, then stop at the last instant and look puzzled. She wants to jump on me and knock me down, but can't quite figure out how she's going to do it. I'm lucky Harry never wanted to play like this, because at twenty pounds, he probably would have been able to knock me down. And then eat me.
The new "Most Interesting Man in the World" commercial has a bit where the typical thing happens where you're cooking in the kitchen and the cat jumps up on the counter. Except his cat is a cougar. I love those commercials.
March 24, 2011
Here's my schedule for AggieCon 42 this weekend:SaturdayW...
Here's my schedule for AggieCon 42 this weekend:
Saturday
What is steampunk 12:00-1:00
How to get Published 1:00-2:00
Sunday
Brain the size of a planet 11:00-12:00 -- this is on inspiration and ideas, etc.
As far as I know, there isn't a formal sit-down autographing, so if you want any books signed (and The Cloud Roads should be available in the dealer's room, and the last I checked it was in stock at the local Barnes and Noble) feel free to catch me after a panel, or if you see me wandering vaguely around. Also, I'll try to sign the books for the dealers.
Saturday
What is steampunk 12:00-1:00
How to get Published 1:00-2:00
Sunday
Brain the size of a planet 11:00-12:00 -- this is on inspiration and ideas, etc.
As far as I know, there isn't a formal sit-down autographing, so if you want any books signed (and The Cloud Roads should be available in the dealer's room, and the last I checked it was in stock at the local Barnes and Noble) feel free to catch me after a panel, or if you see me wandering vaguely around. Also, I'll try to sign the books for the dealers.
March 23, 2011
Having kind of a crappy day, here. I think I'll give up ...
Having kind of a crappy day, here. I think I'll give up on it and just clean the house a lot.
Kate Elliot: She Just Makes Everyone Better about relationships in a community with a common goal, and the image you carry of yourself.
I hadn't thought about this is in these exact terms, but it's very true for me, too. In my head I'm still in my twenties and just starting out as a writer; nobody's read my books, nobody knows me, and nobody particularly wants to. I've been doing this for twenty years now, and part of me will always be back in that place.
Jessica Verday explains why she isn't going to have a story in the Wicked Pretty Things YA anthology The simple reason? I was told that the story I'd wrote, which features Wesley (a boy) and Cameron (a boy), who were both in love with each other, would have to be published as a male/female story because a male/male story would not be acceptable to the publishers.
I'll try to keep the "not-so-simple" reason from becoming a rant and just sum it up by saying that that was SO Not Okay with me. Read to the end of the article, where it turns out the original story would have been fine with the publishers, only the editor didn't actually bother to ask the publishers until it was too late.
Kate Elliot: She Just Makes Everyone Better about relationships in a community with a common goal, and the image you carry of yourself.
I hadn't thought about this is in these exact terms, but it's very true for me, too. In my head I'm still in my twenties and just starting out as a writer; nobody's read my books, nobody knows me, and nobody particularly wants to. I've been doing this for twenty years now, and part of me will always be back in that place.
Jessica Verday explains why she isn't going to have a story in the Wicked Pretty Things YA anthology The simple reason? I was told that the story I'd wrote, which features Wesley (a boy) and Cameron (a boy), who were both in love with each other, would have to be published as a male/female story because a male/male story would not be acceptable to the publishers.
I'll try to keep the "not-so-simple" reason from becoming a rant and just sum it up by saying that that was SO Not Okay with me. Read to the end of the article, where it turns out the original story would have been fine with the publishers, only the editor didn't actually bother to ask the publishers until it was too late.
March 22, 2011
Someone asked about this recipe on Twitter, so I'll post ...
Someone asked about this recipe on Twitter, so I'll post it here: spinach and egg pie with bacon, onion, garlic, and sun-dried tomato pesto.
Cook four slices of bacon until crispy, remove and add chopped onion and garlic to the pan. When onions are cooked, add the spinach and wilt it for a minute or so, and mix it with onions and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix two eggs with salt and pepper and a tablespoon or so of the pesto (you may want to use three eggs if you're making it for more than one or two people.) Add the spinach-onion-garlic mixture to the egg-pesto mixture, crumble the bacon and add it, then put the whole mixture into a pie shell and bake it. It turned out pretty well, though I think I may give it another try with polenta instead of eggs.
Genre for Japan has started listing items for their benefit auction for the British Red Cross appeal for Japan, though bidding hasn't started yet. I'm going to be contributing a signed copy of The Cloud Roads as soon as I can get to a post office again.
Cook four slices of bacon until crispy, remove and add chopped onion and garlic to the pan. When onions are cooked, add the spinach and wilt it for a minute or so, and mix it with onions and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix two eggs with salt and pepper and a tablespoon or so of the pesto (you may want to use three eggs if you're making it for more than one or two people.) Add the spinach-onion-garlic mixture to the egg-pesto mixture, crumble the bacon and add it, then put the whole mixture into a pie shell and bake it. It turned out pretty well, though I think I may give it another try with polenta instead of eggs.
Genre for Japan has started listing items for their benefit auction for the British Red Cross appeal for Japan, though bidding hasn't started yet. I'm going to be contributing a signed copy of The Cloud Roads as soon as I can get to a post office again.
March 21, 2011
The Tiptree Honor List is out, and congrats to Amanda Dow...
The Tiptree Honor List is out, and congrats to Amanda Downum (
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380449247i/1833871.gif)
stillsostrange
) and
sandramcdonald
and all the others listed!
The Tiptree Award is intended to reward those women and men who are bold enough to contemplate shifts and changes in gender roles, a fundamental aspect of any society.
I'm reading The Bone Palace right now and highly recommend it and the previous book, The Drowning City.
Another book rec: It wasn't on the Tiptree list, but I got to read The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham a while back and highly recommend it too. It's an epic fantasy with a great female character, and a lot of twists and turns in the plot you aren't expecting. It's the only epic fantasy I've read where banking is a major part part of the plot and is also a very tense and engrossing part of the story.
stillsostrange
) and
sandramcdonald
and all the others listed! The Tiptree Award is intended to reward those women and men who are bold enough to contemplate shifts and changes in gender roles, a fundamental aspect of any society.
I'm reading The Bone Palace right now and highly recommend it and the previous book, The Drowning City.
Another book rec: It wasn't on the Tiptree list, but I got to read The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham a while back and highly recommend it too. It's an epic fantasy with a great female character, and a lot of twists and turns in the plot you aren't expecting. It's the only epic fantasy I've read where banking is a major part part of the plot and is also a very tense and engrossing part of the story.
March 20, 2011
Friday was spring break, so Sherwood Forest Faire was ope...
Friday was spring break, so Sherwood Forest Faire was open and we went again with a friend. Great day, great time. David Arkenstone did a small concert out there, though I think I liked Circa Paleo better. No ent showed up this time. The food was really good, and I had steak-on-a-stick at the steak-on-a-stick place (which actually cooks the steak to order, so it smells wonderful and always has people waiting in front of it) and hummus at the Jerusalem Cafe. Yummy.
Neat image from CoolVibe: The Marsh Tree
Found this link on Black Gate Magazine: NetherCraft Castles and tombs for your back yard.
Living Social is matching your $5.00 Red Cross donation for Japan
On the Night Bazaar, Anton Strout has a guest post about conventions: People came to hear us, spent their time and money getting to us, so I like to be as professional as I can when I'm asked to speak or moderate. I prepare for whatever the topic at hand is and at the center of that, I try to keep in mind my own experience as an attendee myself.
I love SF/F conventions, too. I went to my first one when I was in high school (I still have no idea how I managed to talk my parents into that. Seriously, it was practically a miracle), worked on cons all through college, and still would go to them for fun if I wasn't a guest. As a guest on programming, you do have a responsibility to try to be entertaining, informative, and hopefully fun. People paid to get in there and you're part of the show, and it can be a lot of work. (If you're a teacher or have ever done public speaking you know how much energy it takes to talk to an audience for that length of time.) It's also a privilege and not a right; if someone doesn't enjoy cons and is only going to promote their books, I think the audience can usually tell.
And speaking of cons, AggieCon 42 is coming up next weekend. (This is the con I worked on in college; I was chairman of AggieCon 17.)
Neat image from CoolVibe: The Marsh Tree
Found this link on Black Gate Magazine: NetherCraft Castles and tombs for your back yard.
Living Social is matching your $5.00 Red Cross donation for Japan
On the Night Bazaar, Anton Strout has a guest post about conventions: People came to hear us, spent their time and money getting to us, so I like to be as professional as I can when I'm asked to speak or moderate. I prepare for whatever the topic at hand is and at the center of that, I try to keep in mind my own experience as an attendee myself.
I love SF/F conventions, too. I went to my first one when I was in high school (I still have no idea how I managed to talk my parents into that. Seriously, it was practically a miracle), worked on cons all through college, and still would go to them for fun if I wasn't a guest. As a guest on programming, you do have a responsibility to try to be entertaining, informative, and hopefully fun. People paid to get in there and you're part of the show, and it can be a lot of work. (If you're a teacher or have ever done public speaking you know how much energy it takes to talk to an audience for that length of time.) It's also a privilege and not a right; if someone doesn't enjoy cons and is only going to promote their books, I think the audience can usually tell.
And speaking of cons, AggieCon 42 is coming up next weekend. (This is the con I worked on in college; I was chairman of AggieCon 17.)
March 17, 2011
Yesterday I finished the first draft of the middle grade ...
Yesterday I finished the first draft of the middle grade fantasy that Aaron de Orive and I are co-writing. It's not sold yet, so cross your fingers for it.
I think today will be the day of previously neglected yard work.
***
Free ebook giveaway from Night Shade Books of Stina Leicht's fantasy novel Of Blood and Honey.
Posting this again: list of organizations to donate to for Japan.
From
jess_ka
: Paws and Effect has a list of organizations helping with animal shelters and rescues in Japan.
I think today will be the day of previously neglected yard work.
***
Free ebook giveaway from Night Shade Books of Stina Leicht's fantasy novel Of Blood and Honey.
Posting this again: list of organizations to donate to for Japan.
From
jess_ka
: Paws and Effect has a list of organizations helping with animal shelters and rescues in Japan.
March 16, 2011
It has been 1 day since our last non-fatal squirrel-relat...
It has been 1 day since our last non-fatal squirrel-related drainpipe accident.
Links:
Remembering Octavia Butler, SciFi Pioneer
Jim Hines has released a new Goblin stories ebook
Gregory Frost has a guest post on Mentoring and the Kindness of Strangers
Mostly me-related links:
My agent Jennifer Jackson is having a drawing for two free copies of The Cloud Roads on her blog here.
Bill Crider posted a great review of The Cloud Roads on his blog here.
My Big Idea Post on John Scalzi's Whatever Blog.
Links:
Remembering Octavia Butler, SciFi Pioneer
Jim Hines has released a new Goblin stories ebook
Gregory Frost has a guest post on Mentoring and the Kindness of Strangers
Mostly me-related links:
My agent Jennifer Jackson is having a drawing for two free copies of The Cloud Roads on her blog here.
Bill Crider posted a great review of The Cloud Roads on his blog here.
My Big Idea Post on John Scalzi's Whatever Blog.
