Harry Connolly's Blog, page 180

Take the Test!

I knew what this test was about and I still failed it.

It's only a minute long. Test your awareness.

Fill in the blank

Courtesy of my previous post, let's play fill in the blank with this quote:

"There's an unfortunate inward-looking, comfort-zone loving… aspect to some in the [genre:] community that is preventing the imaginative genres becoming the literature of now…"

The ellipse hides a descriptor that would give the game away.

What genre do you think the poster is talking about? Would you change your answer if I told you the poster was a science fiction author? Would you change your answer if I told you t...

Kabuki actors think sf/f readers must be sick of doing the same old things all the time

Thesis.

Antithesis.

… Non-sequitur?

::scratches head::

I don't want to talk about the dividing line between sf and f. I don't care about it, don't want to see the genres split apart on the book shelves and consider it a dull topic. I'm especially embarrassed by the contempt some people show for genres they don't read and by the resentment other people show when their genre is disparaged.

But to go from "We should split the genres!" to "They're complementary and will save the world!" in one...

Randomness for 7/10

1) Ever wonder why the left protests G8 and G20 meetings? It's because of this sort of thing.

2) Rick Riordan goes from adult midlist mystery writer to bestselling kids author. How sad is it that I didn't even *know* the dude wrote mysteries for adults?

3) Furniture designed for small spaces. These designs are fantastic.

4) Lady Gaga in everyday situations.

5) And you thought authors got a small cut: How much do musicians really make?

6) This randomness collection is more political than...

Child of Fire reviews, part 15

I'm only going to link to one this time: Compelling Women Who Kick Ass: Child of Fire by Harry Connolly written by Casey Lybrand.

I really enjoyed reading that review (and not just because it's positive). It hits on a number of things I tried to do in the book, and also on ways that I know the book falls short. It's also interesting in the way that a reader's completely reasonable perception of a character can be so different from what I intended. There are still a lot of lessons to...

"That's so funny it makes me sad."

I had another good day working on The Buried King. I've pretty much stopped fretting about word count and daily goals–at this point I make note of the page I'm on when I start a session and the page I'm on when I stop. What the hell, right? Keeping careful records wasn't getting the book done, so I'm not going to bother.

And with the release date for GAME OF CAGES coming up, I have a crazy load of writing to do. That means it's time for a list! Here are all of the projects I have to complete ...

More great news!

Things have been crazy busy today (what with day-jobbing and solid progress on The Buried King) but I have to share this: Child of Fire is going to get a second printing!

B&N ordered several thousand more copies so they can shelve it with Game of Cages in a freestanding pyramid fixture. Both books will be available for new readers! It sold well enough for B&N to order more! Freestanding display for both books!

Damn, it's been a good couple of days.

"You're not even making money from it!"

I'm still buzzing from yesterday's announcement that Game of Cages received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, but I know the rest of the world has quite sensibly moved on. So!

Writers of blogs and fanfic might want to watch this animated lecture. It covers a lot of recent research into motivation–is money a good motivation for people doing thinky, creative work? What are the best ways to get people invested in a project?

The answers are surprising (not only is a big pile of cash...

Break out the frothy drinks and pastries!

I just got word today that GAME OF CAGES received a starred review from Publishers Weekly!

I can not tell you what a relief that is! I've been getting some great responses from early readers and that relieves an amazing amount of stress that I didn't even know I had. Longtime readers of my LiveJournal know how much I struggled with the writing of that book–the restarts, the stalls, the plot mixups, the cast of characters, the uncertainty over whether the ending was too intense–all of it was ...

Necessary Agent

Check out this article about agents and the way they engage the publishing process after the book is sold (or not). It's also interesting the way editors are portrayed–so little power!

It was hard for me to read for two reasons: first, every time I read one of those true but anonymous stories, I was seized by a "ZOMG, that's my book!" moment. Second, the writer of the article comes across like a fawning dope. The stories he passes on are fascinating; the fact that some agent has a wonderful ...