Martha Wells's Blog, page 49

Monday and Some Things

Voting for the Hugo Awards closes July 31! If you're eligible to vote, please vote!

Also, membership sales close on July 31 also, and there will be no memberships or day passes sold at the convention. I don't know why they're doing it that way, unless it's a local regulation or something.

https://dublin2019.com/memberships/

It looks like there are about 5400 attending members as of a week or so ago. You can see the membership stats here: https://dublin2019.com/whos-coming/membership-list/membership-statistics/

My schedule is here: https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/481039.html

and there is the Raksura Colony Tree Project in the exhibit hall, which I am looking forward to so much: https://raksuracolonytree.home.blog/


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You can purchase at the door memberships at ArmadilloCon in Austin, Texas, which is coming up this weekend: http://armadillocon.org/d41/ It's also much cheaper than WorldCon!

My schedule is here: https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/480987.html


I have a reading slot at both WorldCon and ArmadilloCon, and I'll be reading from Network Effect, the Murderbot novel.

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Yay Fan Art

Very cool, Faith Erin Hicks did Murderbot fan art! https://twitter.com/FaithErinHicks/status/1154885496796880897

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WorldCon Schedule

I have my WorldCon Schedule! Hopefully it won't change.

Dublin, Ireland, August 15-19 https://dublin2019.com/



Thursday Aug 15


Writing Robot & Non-Human Intelligence
Format: Panel
12:00 - 12:50, Wicklow Hall-1 (CCD)
Robots talk in a metallic voice, speak in a staccato rhythm, and walk in awkward movements. Right? That may have been true in the 1950s, but robots have evolved. What does it mean today to be a robot? How do we write one in a convincing way? How have they changed over the years and how might they change still? Can we apply these same ideas to writing other non-human intelligences?
Charles Stross, Christopher Husberg, Martha Wells (M), Mika Koverola


AI and the myth of singularity
Format: Panel
2:30 - 3:20, Odeon 1 (Point Square Dublin)
In his 2017 keynote at the 34th CCC (‘Dude, You Broke The Future’) author Charles Stross argues that AIs have lived amongst us for centuries, and that to predict our post-Singularity future we must look to the old, slow ancestral AIs: corporations. To what extent is the ‘artificial intelligence’ of H.A.L. and GLaDOS the wrong thing to be afraid of? Where can modern science fiction turn when it envisions AI in today’s world of machine-learning and neural networks?
Klaus Æ. Mogensen(M), Lettie Prell, Hadas Sloin, Martha Wells


Kaffeeklatsch: Martha Wells

4:00 - 4:50, Level 3 Foyer (KK/LB) (CCD)



Friday Aug 16


Space opera: boldly going where no genre has gone before!
Format: Panel
Friday 10:00 - 10:50, Liffey Room-2 (CCD)
Space opera, science fiction’s beloved sub-genre, has changed a lot since the Golden Age. Some predicted it wouldn’t survive long into the 21st century, but space opera has not only survived: it’s thriving, with a new generation of writers boldly taking it in new directions. The panel will discuss current trends in space opera and how they see it evolving in the future.
Rivers Solomon, Martha Wells, Bo Balder, Mr Adam Whitehead(M)


Autographs: Friday at 12:00
Format: Autographing
12:00 - 12:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)
Seanan McGuire, Martha Wells, Fran Wilde, Manny Frishberg, Jonathan Strahan, Anne Lyle


Expanding the storyverse with tie-in novels
Format: Panel
16:00 - 16:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)
Media tie-in novels have long been a staple of the wider genre, as eager readers consume books within the Star Wars, Buffy, and superhero universes, and more! Why are these media franchise books so popular? What does it take to write one? Are they just regurgitations of video content, or something more? What should authors looking to write a tie-in novel and readers looking to read one know about this sub-genre?
Diane Duane, Martha Wells (M), Pat Cadigan, D.B. Jackson



Saturday Aug 17


Reading: Martha Wells
Saturday 11:30 - 11:50, Liffey Room-3 (Readings) (CCD)



Sunday Aug 18


8:00 Hugo Award Ceremony CCD Auditorium

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ArmadilloCon Schedule

This is my schedule for ArmadilloCon (http://armadillocon.org/d41/), which is next weekend (August 2-4) in Austin, TX.

Guest of Honor: Rebecca Roanhorse
Toastmaster: Marshall Ryan Maresca
Fan Guest: Dan Tolliver
Editor Guest: Patrice Caldwell
Science Guest: Moriba K. Jah
Special Guest: Martha Wells


Friday, August 3, 2018

7pm ArmadilloCon 2019 Opening Ceremonies


Saturday, August 4, 2018

11am
Special Guest Martha Wells: The Interview!
Jessica Reisman (moderator), Martha Wells
Join us for an interview with our Special Guest Martha Wells!

1pm
Special Guest Reading - Martha Wells
(I'll be reading from Network Effect)

2pm
Autographing - Saturday 2-3 PM
Dealers Room

4pm
The Year of the Novella
Jacob Weisman (moderator), Holly Lyn Walrath, Martha Wells, Christopher Brown, Howard Waldrop
Novellas (and novelettes) have always been around in science fiction and fantasy, but in the last couple of years have shown a new resurgence, as publishers like Tor.com and Tachyon publish more. What’s behind this new and welcome trend?

7pm
The Award Winners
John Picacio (moderator), Rebecca Roanhorse, William Ledbetter, Martha Wells
Panelists talk about the long journey to becoming overnight successes.


Sunday, August 5, 2018

11am
Science Fiction Mysteries
V. Anne Smith (moderator), Rob Rogers, Paul Benjamin, Jon Black, Martha Wells, Lauren C. Teffeau
What do we love about the combination of these genres? What are some of the best examples? Why do we love to write them?

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Book Rec Thursday

(If you've been following my book rec and new book listing posts for a while, you may have noticed this already, but while most book lists emphasize books by popular straight white men, this one emphasizes everybody else. I include books by straight white men, but in about the same percentage that other book lists include everybody else. I also try to highlight books that are less well known.)

(I only link to one retail outlet in the book's listing, but most books are available at multiple outlets, like Kobo, iBooks, international Amazons, Barnes & Noble, etc. The short stories are usually on free online magazines.)


* Desdemona and the Deep by C.S.E. Cooney
In Desdemona and the Deep, the spoiled daughter of a rich mining family must retrieve the tithe of men her father promised to the world below. On the surface, her world is rife with industrial pollution that ruins the health of poor factory workers while the idle rich indulge themselves in unheard-of luxury. Below are goblins, mysterious kingdoms, and an entirely different hierarchy.


* The Mythic Dream edited by John Chu and Navah Wolfe
Madeleine L’Engle once said, “When we lose our myths we lose our place in the universe.” The Mythic Dream gathers together eighteen stories that reclaim the myths that shaped our collective past, and use them to explore our present and future. From Hades and Persephone to Kali, from Loki to Inanna, this anthology explores retellings of myths across cultures and civilizations. Featuring award-winning and critically acclaimed writers such as Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Rebecca Roanhorse, JY Yang, Alyssa Wong, Indrapramit Das, Carlos Hernandez, Sarah Gailey, Ann Leckie, John Chu, Urusla Vernon, Carmen Maria Machado, Stephen Graham Jones, Arkady Martine, Amal El-Mohtar, Jeffrey Ford, and more, The Mythic Dream is sure to become a new classic.


* In the UK House of Sundering Flames by Aliette de Bodard
Thuan, the Dragon head of the divided House Hawthorn, is still consolidating his power when war comes to his doorstep. Aurore -exiled from and almost beaten to death by House Harrier - sees her moment to seek power in order to protect her family, even if she must venture back to her destroyed former home to get it. And Emmanuelle finds herself alone in the middle of it all, driven to protect others, trying to piece together what has happened, and hoping - eventually - to make sense of it all.


* Reprint by The Feminist Press: Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin
Set in the twenty-second century after the repeal of the Nineteenth Amendment, the novel reveals a world where women are once again property, denied civil rights, and banned from public life. In this world, Earth’s wealth relies on interplanetary commerce, for which the population depends on linguists, a small, clannish group of families whose women breed and become perfect translators of all the galaxies’ languages. The linguists wield power, but live in isolated compounds, hated by the population, and in fear of class warfare. But a group of women is destined to challenge the power of men and linguists.


* Jade War by Fonda Lee
In Jade War, the sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Jade City, the Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years. Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals.


* Sweet Dreams by Tricia Sullivan
Charlie is a dreamhacker, able to enter your dreams and mold their direction. Forget that recurring nightmare about being naked in an exam—Charlie will step into your dream, bring you a dressing gown and give you the answers. In London 2022 her skills are in demand, though they still only just pay the bills. Hired by a celebrity whose nights are haunted by a masked figure who stalks her through a bewildering and sinister landscape, Charlie hopes her star is on the rise. Then her client sleepwalks straight off a tall building, and Charlie starts to realize that these horrors are not all just a dream...


* Medusa in the Graveyard by Emily Devenport
Medusa in the Graveyard is the action-packed, science fiction sequel to Emily Devenport's Medusa Uploaded. Oichi Angelis, former Worm, along with her fellow insurgents on the generation starship Olympia, head deeper into the Charon System for the planet called Graveyard. Ancient, sentient, alien starships wait for them—three colossi so powerful they remain aware even in self-imposed sleep. The race that made the Three are dead, but Oichi's people were engineered with this ancient DNA. A delegation from Olympia must journey to the heart of Graveyard and be judged by the Three. Before they're done, they will discover that weapons are the least of what the ships have to offer.


* The Things She's Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since the day she died. Her dad is drowning in grief. He's also the only one who has been able to see and hear her since the accident. But now she's got a mystery to solve, a mystery that will hopefully remind her detective father that he needs to reconnect with the living. The case takes them to a remote Australian town, where there's been a suspicious fire. All that remains are an unidentifiable body and an unreliable witness found wandering nearby. This witness speaks in riddles. Isobel Catching has a story to tell, and it's a tale to haunt your dreams—but does it even connect to the case at hand? As Beth and her father unravel the mystery, they find a shocking and heartbreaking story lurking beneath the surface of a small town.


* This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right? Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

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Beyond the Trope

I was interviews on the Beyond the Trope podcast:

Direct Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/beyondthetrope/Episode_243_Interview_with_Martha_Wells.m4a

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-trope-podcast/id818998823

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5255a7JlTibENp7ENqhBPD

and Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/beyond-the-trope?refid=stpr

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Knitted Colony Tree

I can't wait to see this:

The Raksura Colony Tree Project
https://raksuracolonytree.home.blog/blog/

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Authors Auction for RAICES

Repeating this because the auction will be over on July 22!

Authors, illustrators, and other publishing professionals are banding together and saying NO MORE to the detainment camps at the US border, by donating the following biddable items and more:

- Artwork / Illustrations
- Books (ARCs and finished copies)
- Book Swag
- Consultation
- Marketing
- Page critiques
- Query critiques
- Synopsis critiques
- Sensitivity reads
- Translation services

100% of the proceeds from this charity auction will go to RAICES, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. You can read more about them here: https://www.raicestexas.org/about/


https://www.32auctions.com/AuthorsForFamilies2019

The auctions run until July 22.

My item, an autographed hardcover of all four novellas in The Murderbot Diaries is here: https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/54005/auctions/67164/auction_items/1835425

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WorldCon Dublin

The WorldCon in Dublin still has one-day memberships for sale and pay-what-you-can memberships for residents of Ireland, and a discount for young adults.

Pay What You Can for Irish residents form: https://twitter.com/Dublin2019/status/1151461546083721218

Other memberships: https://dublin2019.com/memberships/

All membership sales close on August 1 and there are no at-the-door sales.

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Web Comic Rec

I saw the link CE Murphy posted to this web comic on Twitter yesterday, and wanted to recommend it. It's by author Nancy Werlin, and is a personal memoir of her experience with a former boyfriend who was a malignant narcissist and compulsive liar.

It helps that it's written from her current point of view, looking back on what happened, but it could be really triggering for people who have been in that situation. I have been in that situation, though not with a boyfriend, and this wasn't as triggering for me as some articles have been about these kind of people. Possibly because Werlin, after therapy and dissecting the situation with friends and co-victims, has a really good handle on how all the manipulation happened. Particularly the tactics, like the Big Lie that's so big it has to be true, and the emotional manipulation, that these people use to keep you trapped.

It has a lot of humor but it's still a painful read in places, and deals with death and illness (and at one point being manipulated into abandoning a pet) but I think it's also a necessary one, as it's pretty much a primer for recognizing this kind of behavior in relationships. It's also a first draft and wanders around a bit, but it's still a quick read. It's also still ongoing, but has been updating regularly.

https://nancywerlin.tumblr.com/post/40013879074/1-cartoon-jim-and-bald-men

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