science fiction and fantasy author

Month: April 2012

A writer’s gift is courage

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This is called: Taking over Mummy's computer.

 

This has been an odd week, hence the general lack of blogging.  I’ve been hit hard by fatigue and medication side effects, both of which have rendered me somewhat useless.  I did, however, manage to write every day on the novel in progress, which is something.  I did also manage a fair bit of reading, which is also something.

Links from the week:

6 ways to hack into your emotions and become more creative.

The truth about launching a writing career.

How to make moss graffiti.

What happens when you throw privacy out the window?

The three core elements of storytelling (and why you need to write stories right away).

How long does it take you to finish a draft?

Feminist speculative fiction anthology kickstarter.

How to fail at habits.

Infographic: everything you need to know about the Hugo Award.

The impact on how having children affects how housework is shared between a couple.

Is this the banana your grandchildren will eat?

Five points about collaboration.

Kate Elliott talks about gender roles.

 

Caitlin R Kiernan’s The Drowning Girl

Caitlin R Kiernan’s The Drowning Girl  is officially my favourite book of 2012.  One of my favourite books of the last decade, too, I think.

I own a paperback and the kindle version.  I’m really hoping that someone like Subterranean brings out a beautiful hardcover edition of it, too.

You should read it.  Now.

The past does not equal the future

Writing space

My writing space, as it appeared this week.

 

This has been an odd week.  I have accomplished my writing quota every day, but I am trialling a new medication, and its main effect (apart from decreasing my pain levels, which is awesome) is to make me very tired.  Sleeping at night has been more broken than solid, as well, which is making it a little difficult to do any more than the minimum of work.  Still, this will pass.

Links for the week:

Authenticity: letting the world make its mark on you.

Gala Darling talks at TEDxCMU about Radical Self-Love.

Blue Milk shares a great quote about motherhood: Like driving at night.

The do-what-you-love guide.

 Experimenting with your sleep and dreams.

34 ways to begin your self-care practice.

Domythic Bliss showcases ornate door hinges.

The life-or-death pursuit of creative badass joy.

Plants are smarter than you think.

Finding place for outliers in virtual communities.

Change a habit in three steps.

Figuring out your writing style.

Stop taking this picture!

Take your writing to the next level.

Fat people can live as long as thin ones.

Try this: be innocent, faint and effortless.

How to screw everything and just write.

Women in science fiction and fantasy month.

AWW2012 #2: The Shattered City, by Tansy Rayner Roberts

She could hear that laughter again, and for a moment Velody was confused, not sure which dead man was mocking her. Velody now holds the leadership of the Creature Court. The unsteady alliances within the Court are beginning to fracture, as a series of murders and disappearances throw suspicion on one of their own. A shiol finds Aufleur’s many festivals frivolous, until a major one is cancelled. Unease grows. It seems nothing can save the city from a massacre … nothing but the ultimate sacrifice from one of the Creature Kings.

 

 

 

 

The Shattered City is book two of Tansy Rayner Roberts’ Creature Court trilogy, following on from book one, Power and Majesty. I know that there are some mixed opinions on the covers of the books, but I still think that they’re gorgeous.  Possibly they don’t do a good job of indicating just how blood- and sex-soaked the books can get, but I still think they’re lovely.  These books could easily have been illustrated with scantily-clad women or men (which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, given how gorgeous the characters are) but I’m glad that we get something classier.  Doubly glad that we get Velody dressed, and that the artist chose not to portray her as some stick-thin waif. Returning to Aufleur in this book feels like returning to a home, in a way.  There is less of a sense of Aufleur as a living, breathing entity in this book than in the first, but the city itself is still vivid and real.  Personally, I like the fact that we get to delve deeper into some of the characters and their lives. Despite the fabulous men who populate the Creature Court, the plot of this book, and of the trilogy to date, is shaped very firmly by Velody, our protagonist, and her friends Delphine and Rhian.  Both Delphine and Rhian are more fully formed in this book than the first, as both find their places in the world.  Delphine, in particular, shines, finding strength even as she is tortured by her own shortcomings. I am absolutely and completely in love with all three of the main female characters – Velody, Delphine and Rhian.  Each of them is real and three-dimensional, and even in the depth of pain, they are very, very human.  I think that the humanity that Roberts gives her characters acts very much to ground the more fantastical elements of the world, and make it feel very much like a real place. Roberts has a particular talent for making even the most minor characters live and breathe, which in turn makes the reader empathise with even the most minor of characters.  Her dialogue, as always, remains incredible, with each character given their own unique voice. My only complaint is that things end on somewhat of a cliffhanger, which was slightly irritating the first time I read this book, because the third book was still to be released.  On a reread, it’s much better, since I had the third book ready to go! The Shattered City is now available internationally for Kindle.     Things become clearer, as we delve more into the mythology of Aufleur and the Creature Court, but there’s still much to be learned.

Jump, and then you get your wings

365:1 Jilly snoozing

An old photo of Jilly sleeping. I haven't had the camera out much this week again, so you get an old photo.

I need to get the camera out more again.  I may actually start up a photo a day project again, because I’ve been neglecting photos so much.

This has been a rough week.  My pain and fatigue levels have been high post-Swancon, to the point where I actually took a full sick day yesterday and did nothing.  I feel better for it, too, and hopefully after the weekend, I shalll be recovered enough to get stuck into work again properly.

Links, which are for the last two weeks, since I neglected them last week (since I was at Swancon!):

Tansy Rayner Roberts rounds up a lot of links in Friday is an imperfect feminist but tries hard.

Theodora Goss talks about the real problem of finding energy to write.

Sarah Wilson: Jump, and then you get your wings.

A season in hell. (trigger warning for talk of cancer and surgery and illness).

An invocation for beginnings.

When I feel stuck or stumped, I got for a stroll.

Duck hunting, and why we should care about our awards.

Ten commandments for editing someone else’s work.

The narrative of women in fear and pain.

Depression and faulty core beliefs.

Why are mums so hesitant to view their male partners as full, competent parents?

A look at the Aurealis Awards gender stats.

Are you afraid of aging?

5 books that could change your creative game.

Amanda Palmer talks about first world problems.

Time management for the self-employed.

4 relationship mistakes you don’t know you’re making.

The top 10 books every mama should read.

Justine Musk on creativity and finding your inner freak.

How to create characters who fascinate.

Something has to happen.

Final edits – what do you look for?

3 questions you must ask your characters.

 

 

 

 

 

Tin Duck Awards winners 2012

A full list of award winners:

Best WA Fan Production: Villaincon produced by John Parker.

Best WA Fan Written Work : Reviews at ASif! by Stephanie Gunn.

Best WA Professional Production : Nightsiders produced by Alisa Krasnostein; Twelfth Planet Press.

Best WA Professional Art Work: Part of Something Bigger by Christina Lorenz.

Best WA Professional Short Written Work : The Last Gig of Jimmy Rucker by Martin Livings (cowritten with Talie Helene); published in More Scary Kisses from Ticonderoga Publications.

Best WA Professional Long Written Work:– Nightsiders by Sue Isle; published by Twelfth Planet Press.

 

 

AWW2012 #2: Power and Majesty by Tansy Rayner Roberts

She almost missed the sight of a naked youth falling out of the sky. He was long and lean and muscled … He was also completely off his face.

A war is being fought in the skies over the city of Aufleur. No one sees the battles. No one knows how close they come to destruction every time the sun sets.

During daylight, all is well, but when nox falls and the sky turns bright, someone has to step up and lead the Creature Court into battle.

Twelve years ago, Garnet kissed Velody and stole her magic. Five years ago, he betrayed Ashiol, and took his powers by force. But now the Creature Court is at a crossroads … they need a Power and Majesty who won′t give up or lose themselves in madness …

 

 

I am a huge fan of Tansy Rayner Roberts, both in respects to her fiction and the work she does outside of fiction (reviewing, podcasting as a member of the Hugo-nominated Galactic Suburbia.)  When she announced that she was going to writing her own version of an urban fantasy series, I was pretty excited.  And when I saw the beautiful cover for the first book, Power and Majesty, I was even more so.  Seriously, check out that gorgeous cover!  It reminds me very much of the original covers of Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books (which may have been deliberate on the part of the publisher, since I believe that fans of the Black Jewels books would very much enjoy Roberts’ Creature Court trilogy).

I pre-ordered this book before it was released, and have picked up copies of both books two and three (The Shattered City and Reign of Beasts respectively; reviews of both will be forthcoming).  I have read books one and two previously, and have embarked upon a reread before I read the recently released third book.

Upon rereading, I’ve found myself even more in love with the world of the Creature Court than before.  Roberts’ worldbuilding is subtle but extremely powerful.  There are no rambling, florid descriptions of the city of Aufleur, and yet the city lives and breathes and completely real.  It is almost a character itself, as the daylight people celebrate a seemingly never-ending cycle of festivals (one gets the impression that all the work done by the people in the city is undertaken only to sustain these festivals) and during the nox (night), a different kind of people come out – the Creature Court themselves, shapeshifters who fight a war unseen by the people of the day.

We are introduced to both worlds through Velody, a girl who has come to Aufleur with the ambition of becoming a dressmaker.  She secures her apprenticeship and is well on track to the career she desires when, abruptly, the Creature Court intervenes in her life.

Velody is an amazing protagonist – she grows and discovers her strengths, but never loses her essential humanity and practicality.  She manages to balance two lives, but never loses sight of the fact that she needs and wants to work.  She also never evolves/devolves (depending on your point of view) into the typical heroine seen in a lot of urban fantasy – we see her developing some harsher edges, but there’s no hard talking or butt-kicking in a physical sense.

Velody’s friends Delphine and Rhian are also fascinating characters – they are both well-defined, and one gets the impression that this book has only just barely begun to explore them.  They are both strong in their own ways – and both highlight the many different kinds of strength that can be had.  Nurturing is strength, as is the ability to conquer one’s fears when needed.

The Creature Court itself is made up from an array of characters, all of them at turns witty, frightening and fragile.  One of the fascinating thing Roberts has done with her shapeshifters is considering pure mass – a human body can transform into a flock of birds, several cats or dozens of mice.  Their magic is unique – they have abilities other than the simple ability to shapeshift (including, for those powerful enough, the seriously disturbing chimera form).  As with some of the exploration of character, there is a definite impression that the magic system is just barely explored here, and there is much to be learned still about the Creature Court and the city of Aufleur.

Roberts has an exceptionally deft hand when it comes to dialogue, and her characters really live when they are speaking.  Some will also appreciate the detailed descriptions of dresses (which makes sense, since Velody is a dressmaker).   There is a good balance of quieter, more introspective moments with scenes that are pure, hectic action, with the pacing guaranteed to keep you turning pages once you’re hooked into the story.  There is also a decent amount of sex and violence, should these be issues you wish to stay away from.

One other thing I have to note is the thought that’s gone into a lot of the plotting.  There’s the aforementioned mass of shapeshifters, but there are also other nice little details – like a character actually noting that his arm would get tired holding a sword to someone’s throat for a long period of time, and adjusting accordingly.  Velody also takes into account what she will be doing when she dresses, so we don’t get to see her running around on rooftops in high heels.  It’s all very refreshing, and gives the book a feeling of realness.

I set down this book and immediately picked up the second to read.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this series to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy or dark fantasy like Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel books.

The Creature Court books are available in Australian bookstores and have recently been released on the Kindle.  You can purchase the Kindle version of Power and Majesty at Amazon.

 

In which the squee continues (ZOMG I won a Tin Duck)

Eee I won a Tin Duck (the WA SF awards) for my work reviewing for ASiF!

Congrats to all the other winners, and thank you to everyone who nominated and voted!

(I will update with a full list of award winners when I find one).

Music for a Monday

Just listen and hear and be.

In which I am a bundle of squee

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Loot! Everything but the bottom three books from the con bag.

This morning I woke up to see the Hugo nominations have been announced.  I am full of fangirl squee to see so many awesome people and books and publications on there.  So happy to see awesome podcasts like Galactic Suburbia and SF Squeecast, and Cat Valente and Among Others and Mur Lafferty and and and!

And I have promptly gone and bought myself a supporting membership so I can vote 🙂

And in even more squee, I went to Swancon yesterday!  And for once didn’t come away with a ridiculous amount of books.  I did splurge a little and buy the limited hardcover of Kim Wilkins’ The Infernal from Ticonderoga, as well as Damnation and Dames, which was the one book I’d gone intending to buy.  I also indulged in buying some books for other people, including completing a friend’s set of Tansy Rayner Roberts’ Creature Court trilogy and buying another friend Joanne Anderton’s Debris.  I so love buying books for other people, especially when I know they’re in situations where they can’t indulge.

(And in an interlude of cute, the husband just opened his collection of Dr Who minifigs for the two-year old to see, and the kidlet is now playing with the ninth doctor and eleventh doctor.  We start them young here.)

Swancon was awesome, mostly because the wonderful Ju introduced me around a lot.  I got to have an awesome chat with Marianne de Pierres, who is just amazing and wonderful.  And I managed to attend only one panel, and only because I was on it 😉  And it was tremendous fun, and I kind of want to do more panels now.

I will likely try to make some more coherent blog posts this week, but I am proud of myself for going, since social anxiety has kept me away from things like this for so long.  And though I am tired and sore and need some serious introvert recharging time, I am very, very glad that I went.

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