Character vs. Plot
I really believe that Character is the whole point of fiction, whatever the genre. That’s why I’m not a fan of thrillers, in which a snappy plot dominates and the characters simply play out their roles without a lot of depth or development. I only read The Da Vinci Code, for instance, because of all the hype. I liked that book well enough, though I must say, the ending was disappointing after such a huge build-up, lives lost, and the hero running here and there at breakneck speed. I couldn’t even finish Angels and Demons.
Abby Teller, our heroine at the Garden of Abracadabra, is key. She starts out as a pacifist, frightened of guns, hoping mastery of her magic power will be enough to defend her life against the Horde. As she confronts more and more dangers, she must get tough, learn to use a gun and be willing to use it.
This lesson comes out of real life. I had a friend of a friend in Berkeley. She was stalked and eventually her apartment was broken into and she was raped. The police didn’t catch the man and soon she saw him around again. She bought a gun. My friend stayed over at her place one night, and the man broke in again! The friend of a friend couldn’t bring herself to use the gun, even when faced with real danger, so my friend took it from her and shot the man.
Not a nice story, huh?
So, too, Abby hesitates to use her weapon to defend herself in the face of real danger. I can’t tell you more. I don’t want to spoil the plot!
THE GARDEN OF ABRACADABRA, Book 1 of the Abracadabra Series, my brand-new, big new fantasy, is up and running on Nook and Kindle. A print edition is planned for late 2013.
New! Hummers, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, chosen for Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 5 (St. Martin’s Press), and nominated for the Nebula Award is now on Nook and Kindle for 99 cents.
For all my science fiction and fantasy books, stories, screenplays, and forthcoming news about print books and ebooks, visit me at Lisa Mason’s Official Web Site.
There you’ll find the re-edited ebook adaptation of my Philip K. Dick Award finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, Summer of Love, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle; and the sequel, an ebook adaptation of my New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended book, The Gilded Age, A Time Travel on Nook and Kindle.
My science fiction thriller, SHAKEN, an ebook adaptation of Deus Ex Machina, first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, republished in the anthology Transcendental Tales from Asimov’s (Donning Press), and translated and republished in Europe and South America, is now on Nook and Kindle. A List of Sources follows this short novel.
Tesla, A Worthy of His Time, A Screenplay, which was read by the producer of “Aliens” and “The Abyss” and is currently under consideration at another L.A. producer, is on Nook and Kindle. I’ve also included a List of Sources with this title.
Other new Novelettes republished for the first time include:
Tomorrow’s Child, first published in Omni and sold to Universal Studios, together with my blog from January 30 through February 21 setting out the twists and turns the project took from a medical documentary to an Omni story, The Story Behind the Story That Sold to the Movies, is on Nook and Kindle.
The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, first published in the acclaimed anthology, Full Spectrum 5 (Bantam), which also included stories by Neal Stephenson, Karen Joy Fowler, and Jonathan Lethem, on Nook and Kindle, was inspired by my favorite Surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. In the story, a visionary artist, Nora, takes a harrowing journey into madness, which she survives. I also include Sources with this novelette.
Every Mystery Unexplained, first published in David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible (HarperPrism), an anthology that also included stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin J. Anderson, on Nook and Kindle, tells the tale of a young stage magician in 1895 who must come to grips with the accidental death of his mother and assume his rightful place, surpassing his famous magician father.
And Daughter of the Tao, first published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn anthology (HarperPrism), which also included stories by Charles de Lint, Karen Joy Fowler, Robert Sheckley, and Ellen Kushner, on Nook and Kindle, is a novelette about a young Chinese slave girl who must save herself using Tao magic.
For something fast and fun, U F uh-O, A Sci Fi Comedy, my script for a producer looking for the next Galaxy Quest or Men in Black that evolved into a novella, is on Nook and Kindle.
For a short erotic novel, I recommend Eon’s Kiss by Suzanna Moore on Nook and Kindle. This has a paranormal hero who is not a vampire or a werewolf. If you’re looking for something sweet and erotic to read, check it out!
Forthcoming is The Quester Trilogy, an ebook adaptation improving upon my early cyberpunk classics, Arachne and Cyberweb, and much more.
Visit me and feast your eyes on the lovely book covers. I thank you for your readership!
