Nicola Griffith's Blog, page 101

Immigration and same-sex couples

From: Isabelle in the EU

The reason I am getting in touch is that I have fallen in love with an American woman while I am French and live in France. Sadly she does not live in a state where same-sex marriages are allowed.

As someone who has been through all this, I was wondering whether you had any advice on how to proceed so I could eventually get a Green Card and live there with her. John Kerry's words on the topic of binational gay couples when he was in Britain last summer are encouraging but I do not know if the treatment of gay couples is now the same as non-gay ones.

I was wondering whether you had written any post on the topic or whether you could suggest an organization I might contact.

First of all: congratulations! Love is an amazing thing.

As for your question, the answer is pretty simple: if you're willing to get married, there's no problem. You can get married in any state where it's legal; it doesn't matter where you live.

According to the US Customs and Immigration Service here's how it works.
You get married in a state where same-sex marriage is legal. Go live anywhere in the US. Apply, using form I-130, to sponsor your spouse for a family-based immigration visa. You live happily ever after.It's a bureaucratic hassle--tedious rather than hard if you're legally married.

A couple of things are unclear to me, though. For example, how does engagement rather than marriage work? Would you have to travel to a state where marriage is legal to propose? But a good lawyer could help you through those hurdles. The one I always recommend is Carolyn Soloway, of Frazier, Solowy, Poorak & Kennedy, P.C. in Atlanta. She helped me. Kelley still describes her as a goddess of justice.

I hope that helps. If I'm correct--and I'm not qualified to give legal advice; do, please, talk to a lawyer--if you're willing to get married, there are no obstacles. You and your sweetie can make this work...

...and I am amazed and delighted to type that. I think of all the years, the stress, the money, Kelley and I had to spend and now it's so simple. This is fabulous. Good luck!

My excellent adventure at the PNBA

I've just got back from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association trade show in Portland where I gave a presentation about Hild. Well, presentation is what the organisers called it. I called it waving my hands about and rabbiting on about Hild the woman (why she's so intriguing, why I spent years living with her and plan to spend years more) while everyone else munched on eggs and ham, or muffins and muesli, or whatever.

I've never given a breakfast speech before. After dinner speeches, yep, when everyone's mellow with wine and rich food. It was rather odd to be faced with a sea of alert, brilliantly lit faces at the ungodly hour of 8:00 a.m.

But it was good to meet so many booksellers--people from Alaska and Montana and Idaho as well as the usual Washington State folks. And the other three authors--Elizabeth George, Cynthia Voigt, and Brandon Sanderson--were interesting. They'd all clearly done this kind of thing before. Everyone's style was pretty different. But the booksellers seemed pleased with our efforts.

I'm glad it went okay because they're a great group of people. After the breakfast, I wandered about the exhibit hall saying hello. If I had any expectations it was probably Book Expo America in miniature, but it was much more like an SF convention. People nodding as you go by, some punters with odd social skills, idiosyncratic wares on display. In the bar people were shouting, and beaming and throwing open their arms: Hey! Haven't seen you since last year! Above all, there was the same sense of community I find at a regional or speciality con: WisCon or Westercon or World Fantasy.

It was fantastic (in all senses of the word). And I got to meet people I'd only talked to through Twitter, like Colleen Mondor of Bookslut (and author of fab books about flying in Alaska). If you're an author, I can recommend it wholeheartedly. If you're a bookseller, why weren't you there?

I also really liked the fact that the mood was buoyant. The doom and gloom of other bookseller meetings was not in evidence. My sense is that independents are beginning to get a handle on the new bookselling landscape. It bodes well.

But perhaps the most amazing thing for me was seeing on Sunday evening the giant wall of Hild I was supposed to sign. (150? 200?) I tell you, seeing one is fabulous, but seeing hundreds was incredible. It is, hands down, the handsomest book I've ever clapped eyes on.
There's always one fighting to be different...I signed books single-mindedly for a while, going into author-machine mode, signing them all exactly the same. Except, er, two, which I signed N Griffith rather than Nicola Griffith. (I went into business mode rather than Author Mode.) Kelley took a picture for posterity: the very first time I signed a finished copy of Hild.
If you zoom in you can get a peek at the map in the frontAnd because I can't resist, here's a closeup of the finished book. See how luscious all that debossed gold is!
Shiny shiny shiny!

Hild comparisons now at 10

The wee competition we have going for Hild comps moves up a notch after a writer friend, Dennis Mahoney, sent me this: 

Hild is a marvelous blend of mystic wisdom and human savvy. It feels true. Hild's transformation from reluctant 'chosen one' to world-shifting chooser is potent and convincing. Griffith's prose frequently reminded me of Seamus Heaney. Her language has that clear, punchy strength that comes across as beauty instead of brutishness. It often sounds like what's being described. This is the kind of broad, character-rich book you want to live with a while. It's a saturating experience. I loved it.

So we're now at ten comparisons. In addition to Hilary Mantel, Sigrid Undset, T.H. White, George R.R. Martin, Ellis Peters, Rosemary Sutcliff, J.R.R. Tolkien, whoever wrote Beowulf, and the person to whom we attribute the Arthur legends, we have Seamus Heaney.

That makes the count:

10 total: 2 undeclared, 3 women, 5 men

If you have a guess, append it to the comments on this post so we can keep them all together.

As a reminder, my guess was:

18 total: 3 undeclared, 8 women, 7 men

And the prize is still a signed, personalised copy of the finished Hild, mailed anywhere in the world.

All Hild reviews so far here.

Birthday, and Hild morsels

Today is my birthday. I intend to loaf about eating croissants, drinking coffee, and people watching, followed by Champagne and whatever other delights Kelley has conjured.

Meanwhile here are a few Hildish morsels to keep you amused:
I wrote a piece about Hild's literary ancestors for Book Keeping. The Hugo House reading is now scheduled for Wednesday, November 13. See updates appearances.Bookdwarf likes Hild. A lot.Robin Sloan does too. You can see an updated page of rave (and not-so-rave) reviews here.I've been invited to speak at King's College, London, on Saturday Oct 26. We're trying to get a flight, but if you're going to be in London, bookmark the Medieval Science Fiction Roundtable because IT WILL BE AWESOME.Sadly, Kelley and I will not be at World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. So if you want to buy our memberships drop a comment ASAP.Hild will be published six weeks tomorrow.

Help a fellow reader, help me

If you want to give me and Kelley a wedding present, and/or you want to support MS research in Australia, here's something you can do: support one of our readers in his sponsored bike ride.

Kelley described it all yesterday and so, with her permission, I've just swiped her post.

Nicola and I think all our readers are splendid people. We’ve had the chance to connect with so many good-hearted folks through our work — it’s one of the gifts that writing brings us. 

Now one of our splendid readers is bringing another gift. On October 20, Kevin Scarr will ride his bike 50 kilometers to raise money for MS research in Western Australia. Kevin is dedicating his ride, and the money he raises, to Nicola and me. See that smeary place right here on this post? That’s me getting misty. 

Will you please consider sponsoring Kevin’s ride? We’d be honored and grateful for your support of him and of MS research. 

And if you’re in Western Australia, please consider joining the team for the ride. Kevin is a great person who promises to do handstands on the bike and sing songs and wear a funny hat…. okay, no, he actually didn’t promise that at all. But it will be fun, nonetheless, to hang out with splendid people and talk about books and life and how much it matters when we help each other. 

Kevin, thank you. Anything that helps people with MS somewhere in the world ultimately helps all people with MS and people who love them.

We do love our readers. We want MS wiped from the face of the earth. So, please, sponsor Kevin.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

I know what I'll be doing on Tuesday night...


A Joss Whedon show with superheroes and guns? I'm there.

Save the date: Hild appearances

Hild is published on 12 November. That is, 11.12.13 (currently my favourite numbers). Most of my appearance stuff is still TBD. But here are a seven dates already written in stone:

October 6 - 7, PORTLAND:
PNBA trade show: Author breakfast (Mon. 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.) with Elizabeth George, Brandon Sanderson, Cynthia Voigt and 150 booksellers; probably also attending the big party the night before. 

October 23, SEATTLE:
Elliott Bay Book Company: 7 pm. Interviewing John Freeman about his new book How to Read a Novelist, a collection of 55 profiles of icons like Toni Morrison, Haruki Murakami, Doris Lessing...

November 13, SEATTLE:
Seattle Mystery Books, noon. Signing Hild. I'll probably have a hangover because, well, see above, but I'll be beaming with happiness. I'll chat to you. I'll sign your book. 

November 14, SEATTLE:
Hugo House, 7 pm. Sponsored by the Elliott Bay Book Company. Reading, drinks, audience Q and A, long happy chats, more drinks, signing, even more drinks... 

November 23 -24, MIAMI:
Miami Book Fair International. All details TBD 

December 10, SEATTLE:
Seattle Central Library, 7 pm. A big bash in the Auditorium, sponsored by University Book Store. I'll read from Hild. I'll answer questions and tell stories. It'll be amazing. And free.

December 14, SAN FRANCISCO:
Writers With Drinks, 7:00 for 7:30 pm. Me and Kelley doing readings and whatnot, along with a specular mix of other writers--we just, er, don't know who, or any other details. Yet.

February 26 - March 1, SEATTLE:
AWP Conference and Bookfair. A reading with Dorothy Allison, Ellery Washington, and Ellen Bass, introduced by Tony Valenzuela. All other details TBD.

As I say, lots more to come. Possibilities so far in order of likelihood:

ChicagoAtlantaSt. LouisMadison 
And of course lots more regional dates.) I'll try keep the appearances part of my Hild page current, so check back.

If you want me to come to your city, I'll need the trip to be paid for. This means one of two things:

1. For you to guarantee and event with 200+ attendees, in which case it's possible my publisher would consider it a reasonable investment for me and Kelley to fly there and stay in a hotel. 

- or -

2. For you to crowdsource the funding via something like Togather.com and/or donations and/or grants.

If you think you can guarantee either, and the dates aren't already taken, either drop a comment or email me and we'll figure it out.

New Hild blurb from Neal Stephenson: and author comparisons now at stand nine

I just got this grin-wide-enough-to-split-the-world blurb for Hild:

You will never think of them as the Dark Ages again. Griffith's command of the era is worn lightly and delivered as a deeply engaging plot. Her insight into human nature and eye for telling detail is as keen as that of the extraordinary Hild herself. The novel resonates to many of the same chords as Beowulf, the legends of King Arthur, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones—to the extent that Hild begins to feel like the classic on which those books are based.

— Neal Stephenson

Which means that we now have new data to input into our wee competition regarding the number and gender of authors' work compared to Hild. (See all comps so far here.) In addition to Hilary Mantel, Sigrid Undset, T.H. White, George R.R. Martin, Ellis Peters, and Rosemary Sutcliff we now have J.R.R. Tolkien, whoever wrote Beowulf, and the person we attribute the Arthur legends to.

That makes at least nine. (How can you possibly count how many people are responsible for Arthur? So let's ignore that hairball of a distraction and, for simplicity's sake, say one.)

As for the gender count, ooof, well, this is me hanging my head in shame. Hild is a book steeped in history and I didn't take into account good old Anonymous! And I reverted to thinking in terms of the gender binary. Tuh.

Anyway, now we have to put two authors in the undeclared category. Which means, hey, we were all wrong.

Fortunately, I'm a big fan of cheating. So let's declare the race back on and we'll all have another bash.

My guess is:

18 total: 3 undeclared, 8 women, 7 men

What's yours? Remember, the winner will get a signed--and personalised anyway you like, within reason--copy of the finished Hild. I will mail it anywhere in the world.

Two wedding rings

Kelley and I got married on Wednesday, 4th September, the 20th anniversary of our first wedding.

This wedding was very simple, very small, very private. Very right.

Kelley is my wife. I am Kelley's wife.

And I am smiling...

Your mystery for today

What do this picture, a detail from Terry Windling's Deer Maiden (which hangs on our wall; we bought it at a Tiptree auction a few years ago)...

this piece of music, Hedningarna's "Viima," which is part of my Hild playlist...


and Riva Lehrer's portait of me, which she finished at the end of last year...


have in common?