Martha Wells's Blog, page 73

August 26, 2017

Hurricaning

So the hurricane is making landfall and so far we're fine. We're getting a lot of hard rain but no flooding yet and no high winds. (knock on wood) We've got lots of water stashed all over the house and managed to find all our battery lamps in case we lose power.

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Published on August 26, 2017 05:47

August 23, 2017

It's been a week already

It's been a very busy week so far. Our cat Jack had to go to the vet after we noticed he wasn't eating much, acting lethargic, and he felt too warm. It turned out he had a fever of 104 and probably a UTI. He's a little better now after a few doses of antibiotics but we're still keeping a close eye on him.

And then we had a tropical storm move into the gulf that's now coming ashore and we might get as much as 10-15 inches of rain over the weekend. The first thunderstorm started about a half hour ago.

I'm working on the climax of the fourth Murderbot novella which is due in September, plus I've got most of a Raksura patreon story done.

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Published on August 23, 2017 18:03

August 16, 2017

World Fantasy 2017

The World Fantasy Convention (http://wfc2017.org/wfc2017/) is November 2-5, 2017 in San Antonio, TX this year.

Headliner guests are Tananarive Due, Karen Joy Fowler, Gregory Manchess, David Mitchell, Gordon Van Gelder and the toastmaster is Martha Wells (me!)

The con has posted the preliminary list of program topics:

Alternate Africas: The Growing List of Fantastic Alternate and Secret Narratives Set in Africa
Beards and Intrigue: Queering the Historical Fantastic
Calamity Jane Defeats Conan: The Persistence of American Folklore in Fantasy Literature
Exceptional Characters in Horrible Times
The Fiction of Mildred Clingerman
Gender Fluidity in Fantasy
History — Secret, Hidden, or Otherwise
Keeping Texas Weird
Kitsune and Dragon: Thoughtful Approaches to Alternate Eastern Asias
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: Still our Modern Prometheus
Metaphors and Metadata: Libraries in Fantasy Literature
Molly Weasley Was a Bad Ass: Aged Protagonists in Fantasy
New Twists On Traditional Myths & Archetypes : What are the Pitfalls?
The Old West: Not Entirely Wild but Always a Fantasy
Once More Around the Bloch
The Other in Fantasy when Everyone is an Other
Place Matters: Geography’s Influence on Fantasy
Pulp Era Influences: the Expiration Date
Putting Historical Persons into your Fantasy
Religions of the African Diaspora: Beyond Zombies, Ancestors, and Giant Apes
Research, Research, Recherchez: History is Easy to Get Lost In
The Role of the City in Fantasy Settings
Small Presses that Open their Doors to the Unusual: Past and Present
Urban Legends in the Age of Fake News
What’s the Difference Between Dark Fantasy and Horror

The list of Award Finalists is here: http://wfc2017.org/wfc2017/awards/2017-world-fantasy-awards%e2%a0-finalists/

The convention rules state that it can only sell 850 memberships, and right now there are only about 140 or so spots left.

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Published on August 16, 2017 10:06

August 15, 2017

Book Recs on Tuesday

(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.)


* The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
The earthshaking conclusion to Jemisin’s powerful postapocalyptic Broken Earth trilogy (after The Obelisk Gate) finds the fate of a damaged world in the hands of a mother, who wants to save it, and her daughter, who wants to destroy it. Essun believes she is the only person left alive who has the power and skill to open the magical Obelisk Gate and wield its power to save her cataclysm-rocked planet, the Stillness, which is being torn apart by an ancient experiment that got out of hand. But she is caught between that duty and her need to find Nassun, her 10-year-old daughter. Nassun’s father killed her brother and took her away because both children shared their mother’s dangerous talent; he hoped to “cure” her, but instead she has become incredibly powerful. Essun’s search grows urgent when she learns that Nassun is being guided by a dangerous mentor with plans of his own. Jemisin draws Essun and Nassun perfectly, capturing a mother’s guilt and pride and a daughter’s determination to survive on her own terms. The Stillness, where ancient science is powered by magic, is unforgettable. Vivid characters, a tautly constructed plot, and outstanding worldbuilding meld into an impressive and timely story of abused, grieving survivors fighting to fix themselves and save the remnants of their shattered home. PW review


* Biketopia edited by Elly Blue
This is the newest volume of the Bikes in Space series: A highly imaginative collection of sci-fi stories with a feminist bent.


* Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter
The journey will take eons. In order to maintain the genetic talent of the original crew, humankind’s greatest ambition—to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy— is undertaken by clones. But a clone is not a perfect copy, and each new generation has its own quirks, desires, and neuroses. As the centuries fly by, the society living aboard the nine ships (designated Convoy Seven) changes and evolves, but their mission remains the same: to reach Reggie’s mysterious star and explore its origins—and implications.


* Volatile Bonds by Jaye Wells
When the Magic Enforcement Agency is called out to the scene of a dirty magic lab explosion, a body with a bullet wound is found in the smoldering ruins. As Detective Kate Prospero and her partner, Special Agent Drew Morales, hunt down the killer, they uncover evidence that a dangerous new coven may be operating in the Cauldron.


* Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries, and Lore edited by Paula Guran


* Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Dayna Anderson doesn't set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn't the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash.


* Vanity in Dust by Cheryl Low
In the Realm there are whispers. Whispers that the city used to be a different place. That before the Queen ruled there was a sky beyond the clouds and a world beyond their streets. Vaun Dray Fen never knew that world. Born a prince without a purpose in a Realm ruled by lavish indulgence, unrelenting greed, and vicious hierarchy, he never knew a time before the Queen’s dust drugged the city. Everything is poisoned to distract and dull the senses, even the tea and pastries. And yet, after more than a century, his own magic is beginning to wake. The beautiful veneer of the Realm is cracking. Those who would defy the Queen turn their eyes to Vaun, and the dust saturating the Realm. From the carnivorous pixies in the shadows to the wolves in the streets, Vaun thought he knew all the dangers of his city. But when whispers of treason bring down the fury of the Queen, he'll have to race to save the lives and souls of those he loves.


* In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Sometimes it’s not the kid you expect who falls through to magicland, sometimes it’s . . . Elliott. He’s grumpy, nerdy, and appalled by both the dearth of technology and the levels of fitness involved in swinging swords around. He’s a little enchanted by the elves and mermaids. Despite his aversion to war, work, and most people (human or otherwise) he finds that two unlikely ideas, friendship and world peace, may actually be possible.


* A Song for Quiet by Cassandra Khaw
Deacon James is a rambling bluesman straight from Georgia, a black man with troubles that he can't escape, and music that won't let him go. On a train to Arkham, he meets trouble — visions of nightmares, gaping mouths and grasping tendrils, and a madman who calls himself John Persons. According to the stranger, Deacon is carrying a seed in his head, a thing that will destroy the world if he lets it hatch.


* Buried Heart by Kate Elliott
On the run from the murderous King Nikonos, Jessamy must find a way for her beloved Kalliarkos to take his rightful place on the throne. Only then can he end the oppression of the Commoners by their long time Patron overlords. But Kal's rise to power is fraught with manipulation and shocking decisions that make Jes question everything they promised each other. As their relationship frays and Jes's family and friends beg her for help, will she cast Kal and her Patron heritage aside? Will she finally join--even lead--the rebellion that had been burning among the Commoners for years?

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Published on August 15, 2017 08:51

August 13, 2017

Book Recs and Hugo Results

(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.)


* Hugo Award Results from WorldCon 75 in Finland.
This is the first year after the two-year rules change process which minimized the interference of the white supremacist puppy groups, and women swept most of the categories.


* Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng
Victorian missionaries travel into the heart of the newly discovered lands of the Fae, in a stunningly different fantasy that mixes Crimson Peak with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.


* Women and Monsters by J.M. McDermott
The women and monsters of Greek mythology rarely get to speak for themselves. This collection of stories embraces the surreal and hallucinatory to tell the stories that are always absent from the official books of history. There are as many versions of the myth as there are grandmothers in Greece. There are always more myths, more variations on the song. Sing muse, for yourself.


* Winter of Ice and Iron by Rachel Neumeier
With the Mad King of Emmer in the north and the vicious King of Pohorir in the east, Kehara Raehema knows her country is in a vulnerable position. She never expected to give up everything she loves to save her people, but when the Mad King’s fury leaves her land in danger, she has no choice but to try any stratagem that might buy time for her people to prepare for war—no matter the personal cost.


* The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie’s every waking thought. But when she discovers she’s a celestial spirit who’s powerful enough to bash through the gates of heaven with her fists, her perfectionist existence is shattered. Enter Quentin, a transfer student from China whose tone-deaf assertiveness beguiles Genie to the brink of madness. Quentin nurtures Genie’s outrageous transformation—sometimes gently, sometimes aggressively—as her sleepy suburb in the Bay Area comes under siege from hell-spawn.


Short Story: Fleurs du Mal by J. Kathleen Cheney


* Vanguard by Ann Aguirre
Since the war ended, Tegan has dreamed of an epic journey, so when she has the opportunity to sign on as ship's doctor, she can't wait. It's past time to chart her course. Millie Faraday, the kindest girl in the free territories, also yearns to outrun her reputation, and warrior-poet James Morrow would follow Tegan to the ends of the earth.


* Shattered Warrior by Sharon Shinn and Molly Knox Ostertag (Illustrator)
It is eight years after Colleen Cavanaugh's home world was invaded by the Derichets, a tyrannical alien race bent on exploiting the planet's mineral resources. Most of her family died in the war, and she now lives alone in the city. Aside from her acquaintances at the factory where she toils for the Derichets, Colleen makes a single friend in Jann, a member of the violent group of rebels known as the Chromatti. One day Colleen receives shocking news: her niece Lucy is alive and in need of her help. Together, Colleen, Jann, and Lucy create their own tenuous family.


* Preorder: The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander
In the early years of the 20th century, a group of female factory workers in Newark, New Jersey slowly died of radiation poisoning. Around the same time, an Indian elephant was deliberately put to death by electricity in Coney Island. These are the facts. Now these two tragedies are intertwined in a dark alternate history of rage, radioactivity, and injustice crying out to be righted. Prepare yourself for a wrenching journey that crosses eras, chronicling histories of cruelty both grand and petty in search of meaning and justice.


* Preorder: Shadowhouse Fall By Daniel Jose Older
Sierra and her friends love their new lives as shadowshapers, making art and creating change with the spirits of Brooklyn. Then Sierra receives a strange card depicting a beast called the Hound of Light -- an image from the enigmatic, influential Deck of Worlds. The shadowshapers know their next battle has arrived.

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Published on August 13, 2017 06:28

August 10, 2017

People Having Fun Without Us

I'm still sad I couldn't go to WorldCon 75, which is in Finland this year, but it's been so popular that the fire marshals are being strict about too much crowding in program rooms and they've had to stop selling full con memberships. They're limiting day passes to 100 per day and selling out of those, too. And this started on Wednesday, when most of the attendees usually arrive on Thursday and Friday.

I'm still jealous of the people who are getting to see Daveed Diggs there.


Here's some links:

Opening Day: http://file770.com/?p=36857
Croatian Party: http://file770.com/?p=36868

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Published on August 10, 2017 06:00

August 7, 2017

Overdrive

People of the Libraries: FYI, the ebooks of my first four novels (The Element of Fire, City of Bones, Wheel of the Infinite, and The Death of the Necromancer) plus the story collection Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories should be available now on Overdrive, through Draft2Digital.

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Published on August 07, 2017 09:01

ArmadilloCon!

This weekend was ArmadilloCon 39 in Austin, which has been my favorite local convention for a long time. (It was actually the first one I went to, way back when I was in high school and I somehow talked my parents into taking me and a friend to it.)

Right before we left on Thursday afternoon, I got my copyedit for The Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition. We got to Austin, checked in at the hotel and then drove to a friend's house and while everybody else went swimming, I worked on the copyedit. (This is the last check for grammar, punctuation, missing words, making sure all sentences make sense, etc, and where I do a last read-through to hopefully catch any last mistakes.) Then when our friend got home from work, we went out to eat at an Argentine restaurant that was incredibly delicious. We got back to the hotel late and I finished the copyedit and got it sent off.

Then Friday morning I had to get up early and get breakfast and got to the writers workshop at 8:30 - 9:00. It's an all day thing and it went well, and I got to meet Nisi Shawl in person instead of just in pixels! It finished around 4:30 and we met up with more friends and went to a Japanese place called Lucky Robot that was also delicious and where I ate too many steamed pork buns. (It was happy hour and they were cheap.) We came back to the hotel and I had to struggle to stay awake and I ended up going to bed around 9:00.

Saturday I had all my programming, a reading, a signing, and three panels between 11:00 and 6:00. So that was kind of a whirlwind. In between all that, I signed a bunch of books. And for the reading I did a section of Artificial Condition and everybody laughed in all the right places. That night we went out with more friends to a Tex-Mex place and I had two mojitos and went to bed by 10:00. (This is why I don't go to parties much at cons, because I'm mostly semi-conscious by 6:00 and then dinner finishes me off.)

Sunday I just had one panel, an intro for people going to World Fantasy in November. We'd had a big breakfast with friends that morning, but still went on to have a big lunch at Hoovers, soul food place. I had ham steak, very much like my mother used to make, and it was delicious. Then we drove home and basically didn't eat anything for dinner last night except toast and cereal.

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Published on August 07, 2017 05:52

July 31, 2017

Raksura Patreon

I just posted a new Raksura short story to my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567 despite the Patreon interface's best efforts to stop me.

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Published on July 31, 2017 06:55

July 27, 2017

ArmadilloCon

Coming up on August 4-6 is ArmadilloCon in Austin: http://armadillocon.org/d39/#/

Major guests are: Guest of Honor: Nisi Shawl, Toastmaster: Don Webb, Fan Guest: A.T. Campbell, III Artist Guest: Mark A. Nelson, Editor Guest: Trevor Quachri, Special Guest: Tamora Pierce


My schedule is:


Friday: teaching at writers workshop


Saturday

Sa1100102 Reading
Sat 11:00 AM-11:30 AM Room 102
Martha Wells
(I'll probably read something from The Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition)


Sa1200DR Signing
Sat Noon-1:00 PM Dealers' Room
J. Comer, J. Wells, M. Wells
(I'll have Raksura stickers with art by Pentapoda to give away.)


Sa1400BE Pantsing vs. Outlining
Sat 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Ballroom E
C. Clevenger*, B. Crider, N. Southard, J. Reasoner, J. Wells, M. Wells


Sa1500BE Novellas (non tele)
Sat 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Ballroom E
J. Reasoner, A. Simmons*, W. Spencer, H. Waldrop, C. Ward, M. Wells
Is the Novella just a stunted novel,a spring-board for an awful fix-up novel, or the perfect length for written SF?


Sa1700SPB Fan Guest Interview
Sat 5:00 PM-6:00 PM Southpark B
A.T. Campbell, M. Wells*, T. Wilson*



Sunday:

Su1100SPB Preview of World Fantasy 2017
Sun 11:00 AM-Noon Southpark B
R. Babcock, J. Miles, M. Wells*
Co-chairs and Toastmaster of the upcoming World Fantasy Convention in San Antonio tell us what's coming

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Published on July 27, 2017 08:16