I just posted an auction for
Anne McCaffrey has passed away.
She gave me my first ever book blurb on my first novel The Element of Fire, in 1993. It was wonderful to get encouragement from an author I’d read for years.
IO9: R.I.P. Anne McCaffrey, Creator of Pern and The Ship Who Sang
Anne McCaffrey wasn’t just the inventor of Pern, the world where a whole society is based on dragon-riding. She was also an incredibly influential author who helped transform the way science fiction and fantasy authors wrote about…
This is the ARC (advance reading copy) of The Serpent Sea. The actual book won’t be out for another month, and the ebook versions should be out around January 1.
Hoping to get rid of a large piece of furniture that we no longer need today. Cross your fingers for us.
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Austin Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators: Book Drive for Bastrop Public Library
The book drive is to replace books that were destroyed in the wildfires that burned so much of the town and the surrounding forest, and they’re particularly in need of children’s and YA books.
From now until December 8th, the date of our Holiday Hoedown, we are asking illustrators and…
There were some really good suggestions for fun promo items in the previous post and on Facebook. There are two I’m going to try to do, and my favorite is the suggestion for a Fell and Raksura spotter’s card, like the old WWII aircraft spotting and identifying cards.
A local magazine did an article about me: Local Authors Pen A Wide Array of Titles I did this interview and photo way back in the summer, so it was a surprise when someone told me yesterday that it was out.
more links
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We were talking last night about a writer who said her characters felt so real to her that she bought them Christmas gifts.
We went to the Austin ComicCon this weekend, and had a great time. There’s an fun energy and excitement at big SF/F conventions like this one and WorldCon and DragonCon, and I think I am mildly addicted to it.
There were a ton of people in costume, including little kids and occasionally entire families. The tiny children dressed as Doctor Who (the last two versions) and Amy Pond were the best. I also spotted a Dalek, an Ood, Inspector Gadget, a few Batmen, a large party of Sith Lords with…
I was doing snippet posts of The Serpent Sea and various older books in July, for the Clarion Write-a-thon, then there was a DDoS attack and that got a bit sunk.
So I thought I’d post a couple of snippets below, in honor of the fact that I finally broke the 100,000 word mark in the third Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura) novel. I’ve got probably aroung 20,000 words to go.
And I’m getting ready to leave for the Austin ComicCon tonight. (I will be trapped at a table all day Saturday so…
I went out to run errands this morning and almost got totaled twice by a person who decided to change lanes without looking and move over on top of my car and the guy in a giant semi truck that decided he was bored sitting at the stop light and would just let the truck roll backward because it’s not like there were other cars in the world to run over. This one would have crunched me like a bug.
If you kill me in a car accident because you can’t bare to get off your phone to drive, I will be…
I got some very good news this week, but I’m not sure when I can announce it. (!!!!)
As a result, I was a lot less stressed and got a lot done yesterday. Writing on a difficult scene on third Cloud Roads book, plus three loads of laundry, plus dusting and vacuuming the main areas of the house. I had already gone to early voting last week, so I didn’t have to worry about that. Only bad part was it was supposed to pour down rain yesterday. We had an 80% chance of rain. And it did not pour. We…
I need to get going today because I didn’t get much of anything done yesterday, except having very complicated anxiety dreams.
Couple of things:
Couple of links first:
I have a new guest post on The Night Bazaar: Readings and Signings Can Suck
When you are first starting out as a writer, doing readings and signings can suck. When you have had a career as a writer for years, doing readings and signings can still suck.
Unless you’re one of the people whose first novel hits big and becomes a bestseller, your first readings and signings are not going to be well-attended. That’s okay. Everybody (whose first books were not bestsellers,…
The audiobook of The Cloud Roads, narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, is out today!
This is exciting for me, because it’s the first time one of my books has ever been recorded as an audiobook!
In honor of NaNaMoWriMoMo:
Taking writing questions again: Ask me questions about writing in general, about publishing in general, about The Cloud Roads or The Serpent Sea or my other books, about whatever, and I’ll try to make some coherent answers, either here or in a later post.
I may finish chapter sixteen on the third Books of the Raksura today, so yay. Of course, that just means I need to start on chapter seventeen.
ETA: for new friended people, I have a section on my website…
Not feeling too well today. I have knee pain, teeth and jaw pain, sinus pain, and general depression about the immediate future. It’s like being nibbled to death by ducks. Angry spiny ducks with fangs. Anyway.
Some links:
IO9: When Cute Art Turns Creepy
Sometimes the creepiest things aren’t malevolent and grotesque, but cute and sweet… and a recent art exhibit proved it.
Retronaut: World’s Oldest Map
The Babylonian World Map, the earliest surviving map of the world (c. 600 BCE), is…
This is the start of Día de los Muertos
a holiday celebrated in Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2). Traditions…
Yesterday’s Halloween Photos Post is here with the outdoor photos.
