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Posts Tagged ‘a natural history of dragons’

last chance for the Ides of March Book Giveaway

Just a reminder that this is your last chance to enter the Ides of March Book Giveaway, with seventeen books from seventeen fantastic authors, including people like Kate Elliott and Mary Robinette Kowal (I know I have fans of both among my readership). And, y’know, a copy of A Natural History of Dragons, too. Go forth and enter! You have until midnight EST, which is seven hours from this posting.

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Ides of March Book Giveaway

It’s better than a dagger in the back . . . .

I’ll have the usual book tour update for you all tomorrow, but I wanted to put this one out on its own: the Ides of March Book Giveaway, in which I join forces with sixteen other authors to reward the winners with a whole stack of books. To quote the official description:

Do you love books that take you somewhere you’ve never been before? Books with a unique sense of history or a fantastical premise, dark thrills or the sparkle of your favorite fairy tale–or perhaps all of these rolled up in one? Seventeen of your favorite, award-winning and best-selling authors have teamed up to offer this giveaway:

  • THE LANTERN by Deborah Lawrenson – NY Times bestseller modern gothic novel of love, secrets, and murder—set against the lush backdrop of Provence
  • THE FIREBIRD (ARC) by Susanna Kearsley – A twin-stranded story that blends modern romance with 18th-century Jacobite intrigue, traveling from Scotland to Russia
  • THE TWELFTH ENCHANTMENT by David Liss – In Regency England, at the dawn of the industrial era, magic and technology clash and the fate of the nation rests in the hands of a penniless young woman
  • COLD MAGIC by Kate Elliott – An epic adventure fantasy with a decidedly steampunk edge where magic – and the power of the Cold Mages – hold sway
  • THE MAPMAKER’S WAR by Ronlyn Domingue – Set in an ancient time in a faraway land, The Mapmaker’s War accounts the life of an exiled mapmaker who must come to terms with the home and children she was forced to leave behind.
  • DRACULA IN LOVE by Karen Essex – “If you read only one more vampire novel, let it be this one!” -C.W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen & The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
  • RED, WHITE AND BLOOD by Chris Farnsworth – High-octane supernatural thriller, a sequel to The President’s Vampire
  • THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS by Katherine Howe – The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist in a breathtaking novel that will thrill readers
  • THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL (ARC) by Carolyn Turgeon – An inventive, magical fairy-tale mash-up about Rapunzel growing up to be Snow White’s stepmother
  • THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES by M.J. Rose – A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra–and lost for 2,000 years
  • THIEFTAKER by DB Jackson – Combining elements of traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery and historical fiction, Thieftaker will appeal to readers who enjoy intelligent fantasy and history with an attitude
  • GLAMOUR IN GLASS by Mary Robinette Kowal – Follows the lives of the main characters from Shades of Milk and Honey, a loving tribute to the works of Jane Austen in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence
  • DEVIL’S GATE by FJ Lennon – Exhilarating urban fantasy, with first class writing and characters that are unforgettable beyond the last page
  • THE MISSING MANUSCRIPT OF JANE AUSTEN by Syrie James – “A novel within a novel honoring what we love most about Austen: her engaging stories, rapier wit, and swoon worthy romance. Pitch perfect, brilliantly crafted.” —Austenprose
  • THE CROOKED BRANCH by Jeanine Cummins – “Wonderfully written, with strong, compelling characters, it is a deeply satisfying combination of sweeping historical saga and modern family drama, a gentle reminder of the ever-reaching influence of family”–Booklist
  • A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS by Marie Brennan – The story of Isabella, Lady Trent, the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist, and her thrilling expedition to Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever
  • THE RECKONING by Alma Katsu – In the tradition of early Anne Rice, a gorgeously written sequel to The Taker that takes readers on a harrowing, passion-fueled chase that transcends the boundaries of time

    • We’re giving away one set of books per 500 entries, so how many winners there will be depends on the number of entrants! To enter, fill in the form below — you have until March 15th. Please note that this contest is open to residents of the US, Canada and the UK only and by entering, you agree to be added to the authors’ mailing lists (don’t worry; you can always unsubscribe from any mailing list at any time).

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

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time for more dragons!

But first, a reminder: only a few days left to get a letter from Lady Trent. (If you’ve already written to her, the reply will be on its way shortly — I delayed a little bit in order to get something cool to include with the note.)

***

New interview at The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia, another interview at Short and Sweet Book Reviews, and a guest post at Head Stuck in a Book. There were supposed to be a couple of others, too, but the scheduling of those appears to have gone astray.

***

I do, however, have my usual biweekly post up at BVC: “It happened to my cousin’s best friend’s roommate,” wherein I discuss legends. Comment over there!

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last few days for Con or Bust

Just as a reminder, the “Con or Bust” auctions close this Sunday. Bidding on the double-signed copy of A Natural History of Dragons (autographed by both me and Todd Lockwood, with a bonus sketch from him) is up to $48, while A Star Shall Fall is at $15 and With Fate Conspire is at $20. Proceeds go to a good cause, and the books don’t suck either, if I do say so myself. 😉

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Dragons had a nice long weekend; how about you?

Two new giveaways popped up over the weekend: one at Short and Sweet, and one at WORD for Teens.

New interview over at Literary Escapism, where I’m asked about writing historical fantasy vs. secondary-world fantasy, and writing British-style stuff when I myself am American.

I also have a post up at Sci-Fi Songs wherein I talk about the soundtrack of the book. (Don’t tell anybody, but I always wish somebody would ask me about the soundtrack. I put so much work into it, and then I’m usually the only person who ever hears it — my music choices are too obscure for me to be able to put it together in a way that can be shared online.)

And, unrelated to dragons, it’s time for my usual post at SF Novelists. This time it’s An Open Letter to the Creators of Sexist Fantasy and Comic Book Art. (Comment over there; no login required.)

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Dragon roundup

Before I get to the new links, remember that you, too, can receive a handwritten letter from Lady Trent! That runs through the end of the month.

***

(You thought I was exaggerating when I said I would be EVERYWHERE ON THE INTERNET this month. It ain’t even done yet, folks.)

The Books and Things post, by the way, includes another giveaway. That’s the only new one I’ve found in the last few days, though.

***

Was it really only a week ago that I was in . . . where was I on Friday? San Diego. Wow. And barely more than a week since the book came out! But so far, it seems to be going pretty well.

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Giveaways, as far as the eye can see!

Update on the Con or Bust auction: bidding is up to $35 dollars, having just opened on Saturday. Remember that this copy of A Natural History of Dragons is signed by me and by Todd Lockwood, and furthermore that he drew another dragon on the first page! It’s shiiiinyyyyyy . . . .

(I should mention that I’m also auctioning off signed copies of A Star Shall Fall and With Fate Conspire. We now return you to your regularly scheduled ANHoD update.)

Other giveaways: good lord, you can’t throw a rock right now without hitting one. I’m probably missing a few, but so far I know of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight underway.

Three new bits of content as well. At Bookish, I talk about how I came up with the different dragon types, and at My Bookish Ways I answer various interview questions. Also, over at No More Grumpy Bookseller, I discuss why Victorian-ish fantasy is so popular right now (or at least, why I like it).

Finally, don’t forget that Letters from Lady Trent is underway! I may delay my responses just slightly, to see if I can obtain something Extra Awesome to include in my replies . . . I need to go look into that.

Anyway, there’s a few things to entertain you all, and I promise I’ll be back soon with non-ANHoD-related blogging!

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End of the (tour) line

Just as a reminder, I have one final stop on my tour, this one local to me. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ll be reading and signing at Borderlands Books starting at 3 p.m. I hope to see some of you there!

Tour updates of various sorts

Where am I? What day is it? Friday? I guess I must be in San Diego, then. Wait, no, haven’t gotten on a plane yet today — I’m still in Portland.

(No really, when I woke up it took me an appallingly long time to figure that out, and also which direction to look in for the door.)

Updates! Giveaways first, since those are shiny: in addition to Jim Hines’ (which is still ongoing), you can try to win a copy from The Bookish Babes (which has an excerpt and a brief Q&A with me as well) or Book Chick City (also with a guest post and an excerpt).

Or, if you’d rather rely on a charitable donation rather than luck of the draw, I have a DOUBLE-SIGNED COPY up as an auction item for Con or Bust, the travel fund for fans and writers of color to attend conventions. What do I mean by “double-signed”? I mean it has my autograph, and it has Todd Lockwood’s — along with a sketch of a dragon Todd drew inside. So that one’s extra-shiny, and the money goes to a good cause.

Guest posts etc not mentioned above:

And finally, not directly related to ANHoD but live right now anyway, another SF Signal Mind Meld, wherein I discuss print and ebooks (luddite that I am) with a bunch of other people.

. . . I think that’s it, at least for now. And if you’ll pardon me, I have to go catch a plane!

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A Natural History of Dragons!

Grrrrrrrrrreetings and salutations, O Internets. Today is a frabjous day for me, as it is the day that A Natural History of Dragons goes on sale in reputable bookshops everywhere!

(The ones who started selling it early are also probably reputable. They just jumped the gun a bit, is all.)

Don’t forget that I will be participating in the Month of Letters Challenge; check that link for details on how to get your own hand-written letter from Lady Trent. You have all month!

***

There are going to be a lot of sightings of me around the Internet for the next month and more, as I undertake a blog tour for this book. Rather than spamming you with links every time an interview or guest post goes live, I’m going to collate them into round-ups. As of today, we have the following:

A giveaway at Jim Hines’ blog. He provided an excellent blurb for A Natural History of Dragons, so Tor sent him four finished copies of the book, of which he is giving away three. But wait, there’s more! He has signed the back of the book, under his blurb, and I am sending him stickers so they can be autographed by me, too. In fact, it’s possible that Daniel Fox (the blurber beneath him in that photo) will also be contributing. If you can snag one of these, and then track down Melanie Rawn and Todd Lockwood, you’ll have the most thoroughly signed copy of this novel in existence! To get a copy, head on over to Jim’s blog and write your own blurb for the fake book Mary’s Angels (previously featured in his Aicardi Foundation fundraiser).

“Why Do Dragons Look Like That?” A PW Tip Sheet, wherein you can see some of the interior sketches from the book, and read my thoughts on why I chose those parts of the story to be illustrated.

“An Interview with Lady Trent, Dragon Naturalist” From the Tor/Forge newsletter, an in-character interview of Lady Trent, by a muckraking journalist of her own world. 🙂

“The Pop Quiz at the End of the Universe” An entirely silly interview with me, featuring seventeenth-century profanity!

Blog Critics interview — and finally, a more serious and thorough interview, where I talk about academia and female protagonists.

***

Finally, a quick reminder that tomorrow I embark on my book tour. If you’re in Seattle, Portland, San Diego, or San Francisco, please do stop by and say hi!

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The Month of Letters returns!

As you may recall, last year I particpated in Mary Robinette Kowal’s Month of Letters challenge, inviting people to write letters to the characters from the Onyx Court series. I sent replies on old-fashioned paper, handwritten with a dip pen, sealed with wax, and generally had a blast.

This year, your correspondent will be Isabella, protagonist of A Natural History of Dragons. The book isn’t out quite yet, of course — next Tuesday!!! — but you’ll still have most of February in which to meet Isabella via fiction and then write to her via post.

Send your letters to:

Marie Brennan
P.O. Box 6802
San Mateo, CA 94403

IMPORTANT: Address the outside envelope to me, not to Isabella. Otherwise your letter may get bounced by the post office as being for a recipient not at that address. ALSO IMPORTANT: Include your return address! Otherwise I can’t write back.

Now if you’ll pardon me, I have to go practice my cursive again. It’s gotten rusty since last year . . . .

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Tour schedule for next week

I also posted this to my site, but here it is for more noticeable access:

Wednesday, February 6, Seattle, WA

Thursday, February 7, Portland, OR

  • 7 PM — reading and signing at Beaverton Powell’s

Friday, February 8, San Diego, CA

Sunday, February 10, San Francisco, CA

And then April 20-21, I’ll be at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. As for my convention plans for the rest of the year, I need to sort those out . . . .

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Worldbuilders

As in previous years, Patrick Rothfuss is running Worldbuilders, a charity auction/lottery to raise money for Heifer International.

He’s been adding prizes in batches, and mine just went live. By donating, your name will go into the lottery, with a chance to win not only copies of Warrior and Witch, but a signed ARC of A Natural History of Dragons. Plus there’s, like, a bazillion other awesome prizes — you can check out the site for more.

Go forth! Donate!

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Current and upcoming ANHoD stuff

First off, SF Signal is currently doing a Book Cover Smackdown!, Dragon Edition. Head over there to see the four covers A Natural History of Dragons is competing against, and vote for your favorite. (Hint, hint . . . not that I’m biased or anything.)

This and the reviews that have started popping up are the leading edge of the flood. ANHoD comes out February 5th, and starting then, I am going to be ALL OVER THE INTERNET. I’m not kidding; this blog tour we’ve got planned is srs bsns. I’ve done what I can to make sure I’m not horribly repeating myself, though, so at least you won’t be seeing the same guest post in seventeen places.

But wait! There’s more!

I am going to be traveling the weekend after the book’s release, doing signings in Seattle (2/6), Portland (2/7), San Diego (2/8), and San Francisco (2/10). I’ll post pretty soon with the details of those events, i.e. times and locations. If you’re local to any of the four, please do stop by!

And, last but not least, I will be repeating the Month of Letters experiment from last year, this time with Isabella as your correpondant. So in February, you can write to her and receive a handwritten, wax-sealed letter in return. (I’d better start practicing my cursive again . . .)

Oh yeah, and I’m finishing the second book right now and will be revising it some time in the middle of all that stuff. Because I am not a sensible person. Whee!

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to whet your appetite some more

It’s probably mean of me to tease you guys with tidbits from the second book when the first one isn’t even out yet . . . but I have to share. Tonight’s writing featured a location based on this:

Yeah.

(I saw that image back in November, I think, and instantaneously chucked out something I had half-planned for the novel, because CLEARLY I needed to use this instead. And writing these scenes? Is awesome.)

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the reviews are starting to come in . . . .

As with the Kirkus review I mentioned before, I can’t quote the whole Publishers Weekly review at you, and it’s behind a paywall. But I can give you a snippet:

Brennan’s stand-alone novel […], written as Isabella’s memoir of her youthful adventures, and beautifully illustrated by Todd Lockwood, is saturated with the joy and urgency of discovery and scientific curiosity. […] Brennan’s world-building is wonderfully subtle, rendering a familiar land alien with casual details.

They pick up on several of the little things I am doing with the setting, which makes me bounce in my chair. Oh, and did I mention it’s a starred review?

Also, Nadine at Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Reviews praises the book for “Whimsical language, funny remarks by the narrator, and a love for science and dragons that touches the reader as much as the heroine,” and also loves Todd Lockwood’s art. I have to say, getting him to do the illustrations might just be one of the best things that has happened to a book of mine in, um, ever. ^_^

I suspect the trickle of reviews will start to ramp up pretty quickly in the next month. Also, I am going to be freaking everywhere on the internet in February and March; there’s a blog tour scheduled that will have my typing the tips of my fingers off (right while I’m finishing the second book — not good planning on my part). I’ll try to keep the links collected so this doesn’t turn into me spamming LJ with “pay attention to meeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!”

In the meantime, I’m off to write the bit of the novel that I have dubbed “Amateur Therapy Hour.” I think this might be meaner to my characters than any of the diseases I’ve inflicted on them . . . .

to whet your appetite

Tor.com has posted an excerpt from A Natural History of Dragon.

It consists of Isabella’s foreword and (if you click through to the second page) a bit of her early life, including the episode termed “an unfortunate incident with a dove.” Also, one of Todd Lockwood’s pieces of interior art for the book!

No, this doesn’t bring the release date any closer (it’s still February) . . . but it’ll give you something to nibble on until then. 🙂

Also — and I could have sworn I posted about this before, but I’ve looked and can’t find it — A Natural History of Dragons is available through Netgalley at this point. So if you’re a reviewer set up with them, you can get your hands on the book now. One of life’s little perks . . . .

a smattering of reviews, and also some links

I am not, unfortunately, allowed to quote the whole Kirkus review for A Natural History of Dragons yet; they paywall it until two weeks before the book’s pub date. I can, however, share this line: “Told in the style of a Victorian memoir, courageous, intelligent and determined Isabella’s account is colorful, vigorous and absorbing.” And they really liked the whole memoir-style-pov thing. (Which is good, because it’s one of my favorite things about writing this series.)

There’s also a new review of With Fate Conspire, this one by George Straatman: “As has been the case with its three predecessors, With Fate Conspire is masterful in its depiction of life in London during the era depicted…both from a cultural perspective and from a geographic perspective, Marie paints a precise portrait of what it was like to live in the city during this tumultuous era.”

And finally, a review for Lies and Prophecy, over at The Jeep Diva: “Ms. Brennan does a magnificent job of taking fantasy and weaving it throughout a story of typical college students, trying to find themselves not only in their pursuits of education, but in their personal lives as well.”

Since three things only make three-fifths of a post, I will close out the remaining two fifths with something I’ve been forgetting to link to: my latest BVC entries. I diverted briefly from my discussion of folktale-like fantasy to lay out what tale types are (a subject on which I will have more to say later), and then came back to the point to talk about the grammar of a folktale plot. (Or, to put those posts in jargon shorthand: Aarne-Thompson-Uther, and then Propp. Next up: Luthi! Which reminds me, I need to write that post.)

when in doubt

I have this tag for posts, “when in doubt.” It refers to the old writer’s axiom, “when in doubt, send in a man with a gun.” Not literally a guy with a gun, necessarily, but something to shake up the plot, jolt you out of whatever rut you’re stuck in or route you around whatever wall you’re facing, and make it possible to move on with the story (in a more interesting fashion, hopefully).

Well, right now I have a bit of plot I need to figure out and haven’t yet, plus I’m exhausted from waking up at 4 a.m. (Thanksgiving travel, how I hate thee). So I sat down and thought, “okay, I can splice in this bit, and hopefully that will get me up to my word count for the day, but a) it’s going to be hard work with my brain this dead and b) I don’t know where I’m going after that.”

Instead, I gave a character malaria.

When in doubt, send in a mosquito with P. falciparum.

more snippet

Because my life right now consists almost 100% of writing.

“They are solitary hunters, yes?” I asked, determined to make use of his knowledge.

“The females are, like that one there. Males will hunt together sometimes, in pairs or trios, occasionally quartets. Especially if they’re brothers. If you hunt males, you must be certain how many there are, or that last one will be on your head while you’re taking aim at the others.”

I’m modeling this particular kind of dragon on cheetahs, and it’s giving me all sorts of entertaining ideas.