Martha Wells's Blog, page 94
November 22, 2015
Upcoming Story
I have a story in the anthology The Gods of Lovecraft, which is coming out on December 11 in hardcover, paperback, and ebook. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) The other authors are Adam Nevill, Laird Barron, Bentley Little, Jonathan Maberry, Brett J. Talley, Christopher Golden, Joe R. Lansdale, Seanan McGuire, and Rachel Caine.
My story is a detective/mystery story, and may be heavily influenced by years of playing the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
excerpt of "The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells
Reja crept through the knee-high weeds, mud squishing under her sturdy but stylish boots. The day was so overcast it was nearly dark, even though her watch said it was midmorning. She muttered, "Next time, we send the Honorable Tamith to do this part."
Fletcher, moving near silently behind her, snorted.
She had to admit it was unlikely. Ahead, she could catch glimpses of the house through the trees. It was owned by Baron Mille, and had no resident staff, which supported the rumor that it was used for assignations. It had taken Reja a few days and a couple of judicious bribes to discover its location, and she hoped she was right about the current occupant being presently in town. If she wasn’t right, this case might be over abruptly. Nosy Lady Detective and Her Assistant Never Seen Again was not a headline Reja wished to appear in the Society pages.
She slipped through the copse of trees and crouched in the overgrown brush. "Don’t touch that," she cautioned Fletcher in a whisper. "Stinging nettle."
Fletcher avoided it with a hiss of distaste. His ancestry might lead one to expect him to be more competent in the forest than the average human, but he had grown up in the city. So had Reja, but at least she had the benefit of childhood summers in the country.
From this sheltered vantage point, she had a good view of the house. It was small by the standards of the mind-bogglingly rich, three stories of light brown stone with a rather elegant conical turret, framed prettily against the giant oaks behind it. The immense towers of the Mille family mansion were just visible over the tops of those trees. There was no sign of movement in the empty windows or on the lawns.
Reja took a deep breath, touched the pistol in the pocket of her jacket, and stepped through a gap in the brush. Walking across the wet grass of the overgrown lawn toward the house made her feel as if every unfriendly eye in the world was on her. Her only option if caught was to say they were lost; she had dressed conservatively but finely enough to pass as a guest at one of the other wealthy houses nearby, in dark gray pants and a belted jacket of a steely blue to complement the soft brown of her skin. Fletcher wore dark clothes and looked like a house-breaker. There wasn’t anything she could do about that.
They reached the service entrance at the back, tucked into a little cubby on the far side of the terrace. Reja had a set of lock picks, drills, and other devices for the opening of locked doors. As she set to work, Fletcher stopped her with a slim, too-pale hand on her sleeve. "There may be traps."
She shook her head. "He has no reason; he believes he’s covered his tracks too well."
"People do things for no reason."
My story is a detective/mystery story, and may be heavily influenced by years of playing the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
excerpt of "The Dark Gates" by Martha Wells
Reja crept through the knee-high weeds, mud squishing under her sturdy but stylish boots. The day was so overcast it was nearly dark, even though her watch said it was midmorning. She muttered, "Next time, we send the Honorable Tamith to do this part."
Fletcher, moving near silently behind her, snorted.
She had to admit it was unlikely. Ahead, she could catch glimpses of the house through the trees. It was owned by Baron Mille, and had no resident staff, which supported the rumor that it was used for assignations. It had taken Reja a few days and a couple of judicious bribes to discover its location, and she hoped she was right about the current occupant being presently in town. If she wasn’t right, this case might be over abruptly. Nosy Lady Detective and Her Assistant Never Seen Again was not a headline Reja wished to appear in the Society pages.
She slipped through the copse of trees and crouched in the overgrown brush. "Don’t touch that," she cautioned Fletcher in a whisper. "Stinging nettle."
Fletcher avoided it with a hiss of distaste. His ancestry might lead one to expect him to be more competent in the forest than the average human, but he had grown up in the city. So had Reja, but at least she had the benefit of childhood summers in the country.
From this sheltered vantage point, she had a good view of the house. It was small by the standards of the mind-bogglingly rich, three stories of light brown stone with a rather elegant conical turret, framed prettily against the giant oaks behind it. The immense towers of the Mille family mansion were just visible over the tops of those trees. There was no sign of movement in the empty windows or on the lawns.
Reja took a deep breath, touched the pistol in the pocket of her jacket, and stepped through a gap in the brush. Walking across the wet grass of the overgrown lawn toward the house made her feel as if every unfriendly eye in the world was on her. Her only option if caught was to say they were lost; she had dressed conservatively but finely enough to pass as a guest at one of the other wealthy houses nearby, in dark gray pants and a belted jacket of a steely blue to complement the soft brown of her skin. Fletcher wore dark clothes and looked like a house-breaker. There wasn’t anything she could do about that.
They reached the service entrance at the back, tucked into a little cubby on the far side of the terrace. Reja had a set of lock picks, drills, and other devices for the opening of locked doors. As she set to work, Fletcher stopped her with a slim, too-pale hand on her sleeve. "There may be traps."
She shook her head. "He has no reason; he believes he’s covered his tracks too well."
"People do things for no reason."
November 19, 2015
So much has been going on that I forgot I'd contributed t...
So much has been going on that I forgot I'd contributed to this: http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2015/11/cards-against-humanity-fantasy-pack/ The Cards Against Humanity Fantasy Pack
I need to get a copy so I can see which cards they used. I think I remember which ones I wrote but I'm not sure. (brain = stress = no memory)
I need to get a copy so I can see which cards they used. I think I remember which ones I wrote but I'm not sure. (brain = stress = no memory)
November 17, 2015
Year Partially in Review
We had tornado warnings at 4:00 am and right now it's windy and absolutely pelting down rain and thundering. Yuck.
Saturday we went to Renfair and met a dragon: http://marthawells.tumblr.com/post/133225307802/at-renfair-today-my-husband-said-its-rare-to
For Patreon people, I've posted the next snippet in the Raksura Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567&ty=h
Award nominations for this year are starting up, so for what it's worth, this is what I had come out this year:
May 2015 Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories marthawells.com, ebook only (This was part of the Six by Six Kickstarter, and I don't think it's eligible for anything.) The original story for this collection was the Nicholas and Reynard story "Night at the Opera."
June 2015 Stories of the Raksura: Volume II The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below Night Shade Books, ISBN 978-1597805360. Two original novellas, "The Dead City" and "The Dark Earth Below"
December 2015 "The Dark Gates" The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, Journalstone Press. (This isn't out yet.)
This doesn't look like much, but I sure feel like I've written a lot this year. I finished The Edge of Worlds and revised it, plus started the sequel, plus a couple of short stories. I still have a lot to do before Christmas.
Saturday we went to Renfair and met a dragon: http://marthawells.tumblr.com/post/133225307802/at-renfair-today-my-husband-said-its-rare-to
For Patreon people, I've posted the next snippet in the Raksura Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567&ty=h
Award nominations for this year are starting up, so for what it's worth, this is what I had come out this year:
May 2015 Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories marthawells.com, ebook only (This was part of the Six by Six Kickstarter, and I don't think it's eligible for anything.) The original story for this collection was the Nicholas and Reynard story "Night at the Opera."
June 2015 Stories of the Raksura: Volume II The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below Night Shade Books, ISBN 978-1597805360. Two original novellas, "The Dead City" and "The Dark Earth Below"
December 2015 "The Dark Gates" The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, Journalstone Press. (This isn't out yet.)
This doesn't look like much, but I sure feel like I've written a lot this year. I finished The Edge of Worlds and revised it, plus started the sequel, plus a couple of short stories. I still have a lot to do before Christmas.
November 11, 2015
Books
One of my cats (Tasha) is sick today, and I've got a call into the vet. I hope I can just go pick up some medicine and don't have to take her in. It will be a lot less expensive that way.
New Books
* Empress of Storms by Nicola M. Cameron
A king who must offer himself as royal consort to fulfill a treaty. A young queen and mage, unexpectedly married to the man she's loved since childhood. Two countries, divided by geography and united by a political marriage, are poised on the brink of a golden age. But will vicious magic and unexpected betrayal tear both the royal couple and their kingdoms apart?
* Uncanny Magazine: The Rainbow Flame by Shveta Thakrar
* Stacked YA: Black Girls Matter: A YA Reading List
* GoodReads: Popular SF/F And H with Queer Women Protags Books
New Books
* Empress of Storms by Nicola M. Cameron
A king who must offer himself as royal consort to fulfill a treaty. A young queen and mage, unexpectedly married to the man she's loved since childhood. Two countries, divided by geography and united by a political marriage, are poised on the brink of a golden age. But will vicious magic and unexpected betrayal tear both the royal couple and their kingdoms apart?
* Uncanny Magazine: The Rainbow Flame by Shveta Thakrar
* Stacked YA: Black Girls Matter: A YA Reading List
* GoodReads: Popular SF/F And H with Queer Women Protags Books
November 10, 2015
Various News
I had a fabulous time at the writers signing and tea at the Twig Book Shop in San Antonio this weekend, and they still have plenty of signed books there. The weather even cooperated by not raining and flooding while we were driving there.
I finished off the next snippet for the Raksura Patreon, and it'll be posted on November 17. It turned out about twice as long as the first one. I also got the ARC proofread for The Edge of Worlds, and the ARCs should be out soon (actual book is out in April 2016). And I'm working on the sequel now, which still needs a title.
I had a nostalgia moment and went back and read Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement, which came out in 2007 and that I hadn't looked at since 2006. It's one of those books that has somewhat bad associations for me, for a variety of reasons, because of what was going on in my life at the time, and how bad my depression and anxiety became in those years. I was surprised how much fun it was to read it, and remember how much I enjoyed writing those characters in that story, and how fun it was to work out the plot.
***
* N.K. Jemisin: A snippet cut from The Fifth Season
* Mary Robinette Kowal: Sometimes Writer's Block is really Depression
* The Annual Book Fair for Ballou High School has started!
Every year, Guys Lit Wire lends its platform to host a book fair for Ballou. Working with librarian Melissa Jackson and her students, we build a wish list of titles they need and then ask the internet to buy a book (or 2) (or more) and send some joy their way. It's quick and it's easy and for book lovers in particular, it's a no-brainer.
We all know that books matter to kids, and we all know why buying books for teens who do not have wide access to them is a smart investment in our world's future. For Ballou, the school fund for book purchases is not large and as a Washington Post article showed earlier this year, the dollars for books in DC often go to wealthier neighborhoods. Also, when they get money schools like Ballou are often not able to purchase the sort of fun or seemingly frivolous titles that teens would really to read. That is where the Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou comes in. We buy the books the kids ask for, plain and simple.
* Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilders 2015 has started! This is a massive fundraiser for Heifer International, and you can donate and be entered in drawings for tons of signed books and other great prizes.
I finished off the next snippet for the Raksura Patreon, and it'll be posted on November 17. It turned out about twice as long as the first one. I also got the ARC proofread for The Edge of Worlds, and the ARCs should be out soon (actual book is out in April 2016). And I'm working on the sequel now, which still needs a title.
I had a nostalgia moment and went back and read Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement, which came out in 2007 and that I hadn't looked at since 2006. It's one of those books that has somewhat bad associations for me, for a variety of reasons, because of what was going on in my life at the time, and how bad my depression and anxiety became in those years. I was surprised how much fun it was to read it, and remember how much I enjoyed writing those characters in that story, and how fun it was to work out the plot.
***
* N.K. Jemisin: A snippet cut from The Fifth Season
* Mary Robinette Kowal: Sometimes Writer's Block is really Depression
* The Annual Book Fair for Ballou High School has started!
Every year, Guys Lit Wire lends its platform to host a book fair for Ballou. Working with librarian Melissa Jackson and her students, we build a wish list of titles they need and then ask the internet to buy a book (or 2) (or more) and send some joy their way. It's quick and it's easy and for book lovers in particular, it's a no-brainer.
We all know that books matter to kids, and we all know why buying books for teens who do not have wide access to them is a smart investment in our world's future. For Ballou, the school fund for book purchases is not large and as a Washington Post article showed earlier this year, the dollars for books in DC often go to wealthier neighborhoods. Also, when they get money schools like Ballou are often not able to purchase the sort of fun or seemingly frivolous titles that teens would really to read. That is where the Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Ballou comes in. We buy the books the kids ask for, plain and simple.
* Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilders 2015 has started! This is a massive fundraiser for Heifer International, and you can donate and be entered in drawings for tons of signed books and other great prizes.
November 4, 2015
The Cloud Roads Sale
Oh, The Cloud Roads is $1.99 on US Kindle today: http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Roads-Books-Raksura-Book-ebook/dp/B006OOFD58/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
and Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cloud-roads-martha-wells/1100054055?ean=9781597803038
and Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cloud-roads-martha-wells/1100054055?ean=9781597803038
November 3, 2015
Patreon Day and New Books
For Patreon People: I've posted the first snippet to the Patreon.
Story in anthology: I have a story in the The Gods of Lovecraft anthology, and it's now up for preorder at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
My story is about a high society detective and her two partners investigating mysterious disappearances.
It will be out on December 11, 2015, and the other authors are Adam Nevill, Laird Barron, Bentley Little, Jonathan Maberry, Brett J. Talley, Christopher Golden, Joe R. Lansdale, Seanan McGuire, and Rachel Caine.
New Books:
* The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The patched-up ship has seen better days, but it offers her everything she could possibly want: a spot to call home, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and some distance from her past.
* The Acolyte by Nancy Hightower
"In The Acolyte, Hightower reimagines the lives of biblical figures, particularly women, so that they stand out in unexpected beauty and strangeness. Vivid, uncompromising, and saturated with spiritual longing, these poems offer both a critique of our old readings of the Bible, and a passionate series of new ones." -- Sofia Samatar, author of A Stranger in Olondria
* The Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
First in a new science fiction trilogy, set in the same universe as the Clan Chronicles, by the Prix Aurora Award-winning Julie E. Czerneda.
* The Nectar of Nightmares by Craig Laurance Gidney
What’s it about: A short story about a different type of monster. A kaleidoscopic story, full of dream logic.
* Weighing Shadows by Lisa Goldstein
Ann Decker fixes computers for a living, and in the evenings she passes the time sharpening her hacking skills. It's not a very interesting life, but she gets by—until one day she's contacted with a job offer for a company called Transformations Incorporated. None of her coworkers have ever heard of it before, and when Ann is finally told what the company does, she can hardly believe it: TI has invented technology to travel in time.
* Black Wolves by Kate Elliott - now available
Twenty two years have passed since Kellas, once Captain of the legendary Black Wolves, lost his King and with him his honor. With the King murdered and the Black Wolves disbanded, Kellas lives as an exile far from the palace he once guarded with his life.
* Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn - now available
As one of the four princesses of Welce, Corene always thought she might one day become queen. Only circumstances changed, leaving fiery Corene with nothing to show for a life spent playing the game of court intrigue—until a chance arises to become the ruler of a nearby country.
Story in anthology: I have a story in the The Gods of Lovecraft anthology, and it's now up for preorder at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
My story is about a high society detective and her two partners investigating mysterious disappearances.
It will be out on December 11, 2015, and the other authors are Adam Nevill, Laird Barron, Bentley Little, Jonathan Maberry, Brett J. Talley, Christopher Golden, Joe R. Lansdale, Seanan McGuire, and Rachel Caine.
New Books:
* The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The patched-up ship has seen better days, but it offers her everything she could possibly want: a spot to call home, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and some distance from her past.
* The Acolyte by Nancy Hightower
"In The Acolyte, Hightower reimagines the lives of biblical figures, particularly women, so that they stand out in unexpected beauty and strangeness. Vivid, uncompromising, and saturated with spiritual longing, these poems offer both a critique of our old readings of the Bible, and a passionate series of new ones." -- Sofia Samatar, author of A Stranger in Olondria
* The Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
First in a new science fiction trilogy, set in the same universe as the Clan Chronicles, by the Prix Aurora Award-winning Julie E. Czerneda.
* The Nectar of Nightmares by Craig Laurance Gidney
What’s it about: A short story about a different type of monster. A kaleidoscopic story, full of dream logic.
* Weighing Shadows by Lisa Goldstein
Ann Decker fixes computers for a living, and in the evenings she passes the time sharpening her hacking skills. It's not a very interesting life, but she gets by—until one day she's contacted with a job offer for a company called Transformations Incorporated. None of her coworkers have ever heard of it before, and when Ann is finally told what the company does, she can hardly believe it: TI has invented technology to travel in time.
* Black Wolves by Kate Elliott - now available
Twenty two years have passed since Kellas, once Captain of the legendary Black Wolves, lost his King and with him his honor. With the King murdered and the Black Wolves disbanded, Kellas lives as an exile far from the palace he once guarded with his life.
* Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn - now available
As one of the four princesses of Welce, Corene always thought she might one day become queen. Only circumstances changed, leaving fiery Corene with nothing to show for a life spent playing the game of court intrigue—until a chance arises to become the ruler of a nearby country.
October 29, 2015
Reading
I finished reading The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo and really enjoyed it. I think it was marketed originally as mainstream, but it's a fantastic fantasy adventure with a great female main character. It's set in Malaysia in the 1890s, about a young woman, Li Lan, who is approached by another family to become a ghost bride for their dead son. I highly recommend it.
Also really enjoyed Serpentine by Cindy Pon, a YA fantasy adventure with a great female main character, and the ARC of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Also really enjoyed Serpentine by Cindy Pon, a YA fantasy adventure with a great female main character, and the ARC of Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold.
October 28, 2015
Wednesday
The response to the Raksura Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567&u=2458567&ty=h) has been awesome and it made both its milestone goals, so I've sketched out ideas for snippet stories for the next few months. Yay! This is going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to get started! (It's also going to help a huge amount with paying to get the chimney flashing/roof leak fixed.)
In sucky news, it looks like it's going to rain on Halloween, which will pretty much ruin all our outside decorating plans.
Other News
There is a 50% off sale on Kobo Writing Life titles:
Customers will be able to redeem 50% off of any title published by KWL using the promo codes below an unlimited number of times—so please, let your readers and fans know about this incredible opportunity to stack up on eBooks while they can! Unlike last time, the sale runs in different dates by territory, and each territory has it’s own promo code. See below for the full details.
Canada
October 28th – October 31st
Promo Code: CA50SALE
United States/Australia/New Zealand
October 27th – October 30th
Promo Code: GET50SALE
United Kingdom
October 30th – November 2nd
Promo Code: UK50SALE
This should include my books: Wheel of the Infinite, Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories, The Death of the Necromancer, City of Bones, and The Element of Fire
In sucky news, it looks like it's going to rain on Halloween, which will pretty much ruin all our outside decorating plans.
Other News
There is a 50% off sale on Kobo Writing Life titles:
Customers will be able to redeem 50% off of any title published by KWL using the promo codes below an unlimited number of times—so please, let your readers and fans know about this incredible opportunity to stack up on eBooks while they can! Unlike last time, the sale runs in different dates by territory, and each territory has it’s own promo code. See below for the full details.
Canada
October 28th – October 31st
Promo Code: CA50SALE
United States/Australia/New Zealand
October 27th – October 30th
Promo Code: GET50SALE
United Kingdom
October 30th – November 2nd
Promo Code: UK50SALE
This should include my books: Wheel of the Infinite, Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories, The Death of the Necromancer, City of Bones, and The Element of Fire
October 26, 2015
Raksura Patreon
I had to schedule the repair to the chimney flashing to fix the roof leak, so I went ahead and started a Raksura Patreon. I am under "Martha Wells" on the Patreon site. So we'll try this and see how it goes. I'm kind of excited about it because this way I'll be able to maybe do some AUs and alternate bits that aren’t canon but are fun to write.
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567&u=2458567&ty=h
It's for 200-500 word fiction snippets about life in the Indigo Cloud Court.
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2458567&u=2458567&ty=h
It's for 200-500 word fiction snippets about life in the Indigo Cloud Court.
