Martha Wells's Blog, page 90
March 18, 2016
Friday
I've been helping a friend unpack after a move here from out of town, so it's been a busy week and I haven't been online a lot. It's about 80% done and there's not that much left to do but little things and some final furniture moving.
It looks like The Edge of Worlds will be shipping early, maybe by next week.
I'm also about 80% done with The Harbors of the Sun, the sequel to The Edge of Worlds. I'm hoping to be done by April 5, and then spend the next couple of months slapping the draft into shape. I need to write the climax for a secondary storyline, not nearly as involved a process as the climax for the first storyline, then the wrap-up and ending and the part I call "and they all went out to lunch and felt better."
(There's a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode where Mike is singing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the robots get upset, so he rewrites it so that the boat gets back to port and everybody lives, and it ends "and they all went out to lunch and felt better." I use that for the after-the-climax part when the story's done but the reader needs a little more closure. The trick is not to let it get too far into that territory.)
I also fixed up my pond with a solar pump:
I've also been really enjoying the TV show Lucifer. It's got D.B. Woodside with Angel wings, and it's sexy in a female gaze kind of way, and apparently upsetting to fundamentalists because Lucifer is sexy and kind of weirdly adorable.
***
Note: if you want a complete-so-far signed Raksura set, I have a signing for The Edge of Worlds at Murder by the Book in Houston, TX, on Saturday April 9 at 4:30, where I'll be co-signing with J. Kathleen Cheney whose new fantasy is Dreaming Death. You can preorder our books (including all the previous Raksura books and Kathleen's Shores of Spain trilogy) at that link and get them signed and personalized, and then shipped to you.
***
It looks like The Edge of Worlds will be shipping early, maybe by next week.
I'm also about 80% done with The Harbors of the Sun, the sequel to The Edge of Worlds. I'm hoping to be done by April 5, and then spend the next couple of months slapping the draft into shape. I need to write the climax for a secondary storyline, not nearly as involved a process as the climax for the first storyline, then the wrap-up and ending and the part I call "and they all went out to lunch and felt better."
(There's a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode where Mike is singing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the robots get upset, so he rewrites it so that the boat gets back to port and everybody lives, and it ends "and they all went out to lunch and felt better." I use that for the after-the-climax part when the story's done but the reader needs a little more closure. The trick is not to let it get too far into that territory.)
I also fixed up my pond with a solar pump:
I've also been really enjoying the TV show Lucifer. It's got D.B. Woodside with Angel wings, and it's sexy in a female gaze kind of way, and apparently upsetting to fundamentalists because Lucifer is sexy and kind of weirdly adorable.
***
Note: if you want a complete-so-far signed Raksura set, I have a signing for The Edge of Worlds at Murder by the Book in Houston, TX, on Saturday April 9 at 4:30, where I'll be co-signing with J. Kathleen Cheney whose new fantasy is Dreaming Death. You can preorder our books (including all the previous Raksura books and Kathleen's Shores of Spain trilogy) at that link and get them signed and personalized, and then shipped to you.
***
March 17, 2016
Review
There's a great non-spoilery review of the next Raksura book, The Edge of Worlds, at Skiffy and Fanty: http://skiffyandfanty.com/2016/03/16/book-review-the-edge-of-worlds-by-martha-wells/
For those of you who are new to Wells’ fiction, or her Three Worlds novels, let me open up this treasure of wonders for you. Imagine a fantasy world filled to the brim with more sentient species than a Talislanta corebook, and more diverse than the various types of hominids on Niven’s Ringworld. A fantasy world whose roots run deep, where ancient ruins of cities from civilizations long dead hold treasures, wonders and dangers. Where the foul Fell, an all-consuming race who view all other races as prey, seek to spread and devour the world.
The Three Worlds is a place where the shapeshifting Raksura, dwellers inside of mighty tropical trees, seek to survive in a world that often sees them as dangerous as the Fell even if the Raksura are arguably their greatest enemy. The Raksura are composed of an interlocking set of castes and types, from the matriarchal ruling Queens, through their breeding consorts, through the warriors to the flightless and more tool-oriented Arbora types. Personal conflicts, political machinations both within and without of the colony, strong characters, interesting problems and evolving and shifting ground underneath them means that life in a Raksura colony is rarely boring for long, not given the world they inhabit.
For those of you who are new to Wells’ fiction, or her Three Worlds novels, let me open up this treasure of wonders for you. Imagine a fantasy world filled to the brim with more sentient species than a Talislanta corebook, and more diverse than the various types of hominids on Niven’s Ringworld. A fantasy world whose roots run deep, where ancient ruins of cities from civilizations long dead hold treasures, wonders and dangers. Where the foul Fell, an all-consuming race who view all other races as prey, seek to spread and devour the world.
The Three Worlds is a place where the shapeshifting Raksura, dwellers inside of mighty tropical trees, seek to survive in a world that often sees them as dangerous as the Fell even if the Raksura are arguably their greatest enemy. The Raksura are composed of an interlocking set of castes and types, from the matriarchal ruling Queens, through their breeding consorts, through the warriors to the flightless and more tool-oriented Arbora types. Personal conflicts, political machinations both within and without of the colony, strong characters, interesting problems and evolving and shifting ground underneath them means that life in a Raksura colony is rarely boring for long, not given the world they inhabit.
March 14, 2016
Question Answer
lukamender from Tumblr asked:
I love your books, especially the Raksura series. If you're still taking writing/publishing questions, I wanted to ask you about any advice you might have on writing non-human/animal-ish-people, with more unique social structures, as the central characters in the story. Are there any special tricks that really make this work? Are there challenges in pitching material like this (they're not human, they have different than normal genders, etc.) to publishers?
Thank you!
Are there any special tricks that really make this work?
Point of view is incredibly important anyway, but I think when writing from the perspective of non-human characters it's super-duper incredibly important. You have to think about how the physical attributes you've given them will affect their culture, social structure, interactions with each other, interactions with other groups. The culture and social structure is going to inform the choices they make, the way they feel about the things that happen. You need to try to be as consistent as you can, and try to get into the characters' heads and see your world through their eyes.
Sympathizing with a non-human character is usually not a problem. (For most readers, anyway. Some people just won't do it but they aren't your audience so forget them.) You can sympathize with an amorphous blob as long as it has issues that engage you. When I'm talking about this, as an example, I bring up the first Pixar trailer with the desk lamp. It turns to look at you, and suddenly it's a person. It's easier to do that with text, since we have the option of showing the audience the living desk lamp from its own perspective.
Are there challenges in pitching material like this (they're not human, they have different than normal genders, etc.) to publishers?
For a novel, usually it's an agent who you'll be pitching to. The right agent for you will be the one who will get what you're trying to do and like it, and she'll be the one pitching to a publisher on your behalf. Whether the agent likes it or not is going to depend more on your writing ability, your story-telling, how compelling the story was. (If it's your first book it should be complete before you start querying agents. Lots of people have great ideas and can write first chapters, but the only way you can prove you're one of the people who can finish a book is by finishing a book.)
You don't usually pitch short stories, so you'd just be submitting the complete story to the magazine and hoping they like it.
I hope that helps!
I'm still taking questions, general question about publishing (how it works, agents, etc), or a writing advice question, or a question about my writing, or my books, or cats, or anything else I've been doing, ask in this post and I'll try to answer it.
I love your books, especially the Raksura series. If you're still taking writing/publishing questions, I wanted to ask you about any advice you might have on writing non-human/animal-ish-people, with more unique social structures, as the central characters in the story. Are there any special tricks that really make this work? Are there challenges in pitching material like this (they're not human, they have different than normal genders, etc.) to publishers?
Thank you!
Are there any special tricks that really make this work?
Point of view is incredibly important anyway, but I think when writing from the perspective of non-human characters it's super-duper incredibly important. You have to think about how the physical attributes you've given them will affect their culture, social structure, interactions with each other, interactions with other groups. The culture and social structure is going to inform the choices they make, the way they feel about the things that happen. You need to try to be as consistent as you can, and try to get into the characters' heads and see your world through their eyes.
Sympathizing with a non-human character is usually not a problem. (For most readers, anyway. Some people just won't do it but they aren't your audience so forget them.) You can sympathize with an amorphous blob as long as it has issues that engage you. When I'm talking about this, as an example, I bring up the first Pixar trailer with the desk lamp. It turns to look at you, and suddenly it's a person. It's easier to do that with text, since we have the option of showing the audience the living desk lamp from its own perspective.
Are there challenges in pitching material like this (they're not human, they have different than normal genders, etc.) to publishers?
For a novel, usually it's an agent who you'll be pitching to. The right agent for you will be the one who will get what you're trying to do and like it, and she'll be the one pitching to a publisher on your behalf. Whether the agent likes it or not is going to depend more on your writing ability, your story-telling, how compelling the story was. (If it's your first book it should be complete before you start querying agents. Lots of people have great ideas and can write first chapters, but the only way you can prove you're one of the people who can finish a book is by finishing a book.)
You don't usually pitch short stories, so you'd just be submitting the complete story to the magazine and hoping they like it.
I hope that helps!
I'm still taking questions, general question about publishing (how it works, agents, etc), or a writing advice question, or a question about my writing, or my books, or cats, or anything else I've been doing, ask in this post and I'll try to answer it.
March 10, 2016
Taking Writing/Publishing Questions
I haven't done this in forever, but if anyone has a question, a general question about publishing (how it works, agents, etc), or a writing advice question, or a question about my writing, or my books, or cats, or anything else I've been doing, ask in this post and I'll try to answer it.
March 9, 2016
Random Raksura Fact
Random Raksura fact for the day: Raksura don't hold hands, they hold each other's wrists. Because of the claws in their shifted forms, it's more comfortable, and out of habit they do it in their groundling forms, too.
Previous random Raksura fact: This is what a Raksuran tea pot looks like http://marthawells.tumblr.com/post/139975113407/someone-asked-once-and-i-finally-remembered-to
Previous random Raksura fact: This is what a Raksuran tea pot looks like http://marthawells.tumblr.com/post/139975113407/someone-asked-once-and-i-finally-remembered-to
March 8, 2016
Books!
* Novelette: A Queer Trade by K.J. Charles
Apprentice magician Crispin Tredarloe returns to London to find his master dead, and his papers sold. Papers with secrets that could spell death. Crispin needs to get them back before anyone finds out what he's been doing, or what his magic can do. Crispin tracks his quarry down to waste paper dealer Ned Hall. He needs help, and Ned can’t resist Crispin’s pleading—and appealing—looks. But can the waste-man and the magician prevent a disaster and save Crispin’s skin?
* Tor.com short story: A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
* The Incubus Job by Diana Pharoah Francis
It's tough to have a conscience when you kill for a living. That's why six years ago, Mallory Jade gave up killing. Now she's a fixer. Got a problem with a demon? She can help. Infestation of pixies? She's got you covered. Kidnapped by an undead lich? She's on her way. Anything you need, so long as she doesn't have to kill. It's her one unbreakable rule.
* Changa's Safari: Volume Three by Milton J. Davis
Changa's epic journey continues! After returning from the east with his dhows filled with wealth, a sudden tragedy forces Changa and his crew to set out again. But this time Changa travels into Africa, experiencing fantastic adventures in the grand kingdoms of Kanem, Songhai and the Yoruba city-states. Follow Changa as he seeks to regain his fortunes and comes closer to his destiny!
* Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine
Now, in this collection, you can venture down the town’s strange streets, revisit all the tales you’ve come to love, and experience six new stories featuring your favorite Morganville residents—both human and vampire...
* The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar
Four women — a soldier, a scholar, a poet, and a socialite — are caught up on opposing sides of a violent rebellion. As war erupts and their loyalties and agendas and ideologies come into conflict, the four fear their lives may pass unrecorded. Using the sword and the pen, the body and the voice, they struggle not just to survive, but to make history.
* The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar.
Apprentice magician Crispin Tredarloe returns to London to find his master dead, and his papers sold. Papers with secrets that could spell death. Crispin needs to get them back before anyone finds out what he's been doing, or what his magic can do. Crispin tracks his quarry down to waste paper dealer Ned Hall. He needs help, and Ned can’t resist Crispin’s pleading—and appealing—looks. But can the waste-man and the magician prevent a disaster and save Crispin’s skin?
* Tor.com short story: A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
* The Incubus Job by Diana Pharoah Francis
It's tough to have a conscience when you kill for a living. That's why six years ago, Mallory Jade gave up killing. Now she's a fixer. Got a problem with a demon? She can help. Infestation of pixies? She's got you covered. Kidnapped by an undead lich? She's on her way. Anything you need, so long as she doesn't have to kill. It's her one unbreakable rule.
* Changa's Safari: Volume Three by Milton J. Davis
Changa's epic journey continues! After returning from the east with his dhows filled with wealth, a sudden tragedy forces Changa and his crew to set out again. But this time Changa travels into Africa, experiencing fantastic adventures in the grand kingdoms of Kanem, Songhai and the Yoruba city-states. Follow Changa as he seeks to regain his fortunes and comes closer to his destiny!
* Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine
Now, in this collection, you can venture down the town’s strange streets, revisit all the tales you’ve come to love, and experience six new stories featuring your favorite Morganville residents—both human and vampire...
* The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar
Four women — a soldier, a scholar, a poet, and a socialite — are caught up on opposing sides of a violent rebellion. As war erupts and their loyalties and agendas and ideologies come into conflict, the four fear their lives may pass unrecorded. Using the sword and the pen, the body and the voice, they struggle not just to survive, but to make history.
* The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar.
March 7, 2016
Quickie Monday Post
I'm trying to post more but I'm super-distracted by working on the end of the new book (The Harbors of the Sun). I won't say super-busy, because I'm writing at about the same pace, but basically it's what I'm thinking about most of the time. Also I'm trying to do some promo stuff for The Edge of Worlds. (which is coming out April 5) And writing stories for the Raksura patreon. (If you're in the patreon, I just posted the new one today https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567&ty=h.)
I did go to ConDFW and meant to write about that, I did go to Sherwood Forest Faire and meant to write about that. I had a good time at both those places. I'm watching and loving Elementary and How to Get Away With Murder and the Venture Brothers. And I loved the Deadpool movie.
I'm trying to work on my yard, and have planted some new things and cleaned up the pond and the fountain, but I still need to rake leaves so basically it looks terrible.
That's about it, it's all writing/anxiety/more writing/more anxiety.
I do have another new book post lined up, so hopefully I can post that tomorrow.
(FYI I have a signing The Edge of Worlds at Murder by the Book in Houston, TX, on Saturday April 9 at 4:30, where I'll be co-signing with J. Kathleen Cheney whose new fantasy is Dreaming Death. You can preorder our books (including all the previous Raksura books and Kathleen's Shores of Spain trilogy) at that link and get them signed and personalized, and then shipped to you.)
I did go to ConDFW and meant to write about that, I did go to Sherwood Forest Faire and meant to write about that. I had a good time at both those places. I'm watching and loving Elementary and How to Get Away With Murder and the Venture Brothers. And I loved the Deadpool movie.
I'm trying to work on my yard, and have planted some new things and cleaned up the pond and the fountain, but I still need to rake leaves so basically it looks terrible.
That's about it, it's all writing/anxiety/more writing/more anxiety.
I do have another new book post lined up, so hopefully I can post that tomorrow.
(FYI I have a signing The Edge of Worlds at Murder by the Book in Houston, TX, on Saturday April 9 at 4:30, where I'll be co-signing with J. Kathleen Cheney whose new fantasy is Dreaming Death. You can preorder our books (including all the previous Raksura books and Kathleen's Shores of Spain trilogy) at that link and get them signed and personalized, and then shipped to you.)
March 5, 2016
March 1, 2016
I'm working on the end of the new book and having some so...
I'm working on the end of the new book and having some sort of anxiety-fueled creative burst. (I hope it's not an extinction burst.) I haven't had this in a while but it's clearly anxiety about finishing the current book, and the new book coming out next month. It's like, "here is a great story no novella idea in fact here's the first 5 pages you better write it quick" No, brain, no. "That fanfic no those 3 fanfics you couldn't finish 6 years ago well here's the perfect endings" NO, brain, NO. I need to finish this flying lizard circus shitshow of a draft first.
February 29, 2016
Monday Book Recs
This weekend we saw the movie Trumbo, which was excellent. It's the story of writer Dalton Trumbo, who refused to testify to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee in congress in 1947 (during the witch hunt for communists), went to prison, and was blacklisted by Hollywood. It's a very gripping story, and very relevant right now.
* There's a great review of The Edge of Worlds at Rising Shadow.net:
"What makes The Edge of Worlds stand out among other fantasy novels is the author's passion for storytelling and and her strong worldbuilding. Martha Wells has created a strong and addictive story that adds depth and more sense of wonder to her fantasy world. She has also created three-dimensional characters that are wonderfully realistic and even have flaws that make them all the more interesting."
New Books
* Tor.com: Excerpt of Infomocracy by Malka Older (Preorder)
With power comes corruption. For Ken, this is his chance to do right by the idealistic Policy1st party and get a steady job in the big leagues. For Domaine, the election represents another staging ground in his ongoing struggle against the pax democratica. For Mishima, a dangerous Information operative, the whole situation is a puzzle: how do you keep the wheels running on the biggest political experiment of all time, when so many have so much to gain?
* Beastkeeper by C.L. Hellisen
Falling in love means becoming a monster. Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She's grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn't know that it's magic her parents are running from.
* Preorder: The Starlit Wood edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe
An all-new anthology of cross-genre fairy tale retellings, featuring an all-star lineup of award-winning and critically acclaimed writers.
* Free story: World SF Blog: The Basics of Flight by Joyce Chng
* Free story: Distant Thunder by Juliet E. McKenna
* Free Story: Nightmare Magazine: Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers by Alyssa Wong (this was also in Queers Destroy Horror)
* Preorder: Of Sand and Malice by Bradley Beaulieu
Çeda, the heroine of the novel Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, is the youngest pit fighter in the history of the great desert city of Sharakhai. In this prequel, she has already made her name in the arena as the fearsome, undefeated White Wolf; none but her closest friends and allies know her true identity.
Kickstarter: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling Anthology
Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories and poems that highlights the long-standing tradition of writers who identify tropes and cliches in science fiction, fantasy, and horror and twist them into something new and interesting.
* Preorder: The Second Death Los Nefilim Part 3 by T. Frohock
For Diago Alvarez, that’s the choice before him. For unless he wants to see his son Rafael die, he must do the unthinkable: Help the Nazis receive the plans to the ultimate weapon. And while Diago grows more comfortable not only with his heritage, but also with his place among Guillermo’s Los Nefilim, he is still unsure if he truly belongs amongst them.
* There's a great review of The Edge of Worlds at Rising Shadow.net:
"What makes The Edge of Worlds stand out among other fantasy novels is the author's passion for storytelling and and her strong worldbuilding. Martha Wells has created a strong and addictive story that adds depth and more sense of wonder to her fantasy world. She has also created three-dimensional characters that are wonderfully realistic and even have flaws that make them all the more interesting."
New Books
* Tor.com: Excerpt of Infomocracy by Malka Older (Preorder)
With power comes corruption. For Ken, this is his chance to do right by the idealistic Policy1st party and get a steady job in the big leagues. For Domaine, the election represents another staging ground in his ongoing struggle against the pax democratica. For Mishima, a dangerous Information operative, the whole situation is a puzzle: how do you keep the wheels running on the biggest political experiment of all time, when so many have so much to gain?
* Beastkeeper by C.L. Hellisen
Falling in love means becoming a monster. Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She's grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn't know that it's magic her parents are running from.
* Preorder: The Starlit Wood edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe
An all-new anthology of cross-genre fairy tale retellings, featuring an all-star lineup of award-winning and critically acclaimed writers.
* Free story: World SF Blog: The Basics of Flight by Joyce Chng
* Free story: Distant Thunder by Juliet E. McKenna
* Free Story: Nightmare Magazine: Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers by Alyssa Wong (this was also in Queers Destroy Horror)
* Preorder: Of Sand and Malice by Bradley Beaulieu
Çeda, the heroine of the novel Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, is the youngest pit fighter in the history of the great desert city of Sharakhai. In this prequel, she has already made her name in the arena as the fearsome, undefeated White Wolf; none but her closest friends and allies know her true identity.
Kickstarter: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling Anthology
Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories and poems that highlights the long-standing tradition of writers who identify tropes and cliches in science fiction, fantasy, and horror and twist them into something new and interesting.
* Preorder: The Second Death Los Nefilim Part 3 by T. Frohock
For Diago Alvarez, that’s the choice before him. For unless he wants to see his son Rafael die, he must do the unthinkable: Help the Nazis receive the plans to the ultimate weapon. And while Diago grows more comfortable not only with his heritage, but also with his place among Guillermo’s Los Nefilim, he is still unsure if he truly belongs amongst them.
