If you want, not just a signed copy of A Star Shall Fall, but a whole stack of other books, go wish Laura Anne Gilman a happy birthday. That’s right, she’s celebrating by giving other people presents, in proper hobbit style.
Plus you can comment on the Sirens LJ for a book giveaway, as I mentioned yesterday, and there will be a third opportunity cropping up before long. It’s books, books, everywhere you look!
If you’ve looked at the Onyx Court charity auction, you’ve seen my note about how I may end up writing a short story from the historical prompt the winner chooses. That was, in fact, the outcome of the original auction, for the Haitian earthquake relief; in writing a summary for the winner, I thought of a way to frame it as a short story. So I wrote it, and I sent it out, and now Beneath Ceaseless Skies has bought it! The story is “Two Pretenders,” and I count it as Onyx Court continuity, though it’s a bit different in period and tone from the rest of the series. The winner got to read it a while ago, long before the rest of you, so if you want a backstage pass like that (and the pleasure of knowing you were a part of the process), head over there and put your bid in.
Along with that, the last round of book discussion is up over on , asking about urban fantasy in a historical context. Previous questions about mortal and faerie love, pov and non-linear time, and the interrelationship of the Onyx Hall with London are still open.
And y’know, yesterday I got this big honkin’ box of author copies of A Star Shall Fall, which need to go to good homes. So I’m thinking I might select a random commenter from the discussion posts to receive a copy. Add your two cents’ worth on one of those four posts (or more, if you feel so inspired), and you might be the lucky winner!
The third question in the Onyx Court dicussion series has been posted; this time, it’s about mortal and faerie love.
Previous questions (time and pov and the role of London) are still open on the LJ.
You have until 11:59 EST to send in your drink recipe for the A Star Shall Fall launch party, and possibly win a signed copy of Deeds of Men.
I’m looking forward to tasting these . . . .
There is now a proper schedule for Sirens, with times and rooms and everything; look at the bottom of that page for details.
Fortunately, the setup of the schedule — which has blocks for panel etc. programming that are separate from the blocks for other kinds of stuff — means my GoH obligations won’t cause me to miss anything I wanted to do. But sadly, the workshop I volunteered to run is directly opposite a panel about YA that I really wanted to go to. Woe is me!
Oh well; I’ll just have to corner the panelists at other times during the weekend.
Launch party drink contest ends on Sunday. Get your recipes in while the getting is good!
Twenty days and counting; the last piece of the excerpt has gone up. (Beginning is here.)
Over on the LJ, the discussion of Midnight and Ashes continues with a new question, regarding time and point of view in the novels. The first question, about the connection between the mortal and faerie worlds, is still open; you don’t need to be a con attendee or even an LJ user to jump in.
And speaking of things you don’t have to be a con attendee to do, there are four days left to submit a recipe for the drink contest. There’s been some by e-mail already, and I’m looking forward to trying these things out!
You have until tomorrow to put your name in for one of three advance copies of A Star Shall Fall up for grabs on GoodReads, and until the 15th to submit a non-alcoholic drink recipe for the launch party (with a signed copy of Deeds of Men as the prize). Time’s running out!
Edited to add: Remember, you don’t have to be coming to Sirens to enter the drink contest; it’s open to everybody. (The costume contest, for obvious reasons, requires that you be there.)
Today has not started off terribly well, but it’s at least partially ameliorated by the fact that I got author copies for A Star Shall Fall! They are so very shiny. (Okay, they’re actually not shiny at all; the cover is matte, not glossy. But you know what I mean.)
In celebration of this, and of the A Star Shall Fall contest, and of the discussion for Midnight Never Come and In Ashes Lie, I’m giving away some more copies on GoodReads — three this time, actually. Plus you still have one day to put your name in for a copy of In Ashes Lie. So it’s Yay Book Day here at Swan Tower, and you’re all invited!
Over on the community, they’re doing GoH book discussions leading up to the conference in October. In an excellent bit of timing, this is month my books are up to bat: Midnight Never Come and In Ashes Lie are on the table, and the first questions have been asked.
I don’t think you need an LJ account to comment over there (though it would probably be helpful to put some name on your posts). And I doubt they’d object to input from non-Sirens attendees — not everybody can make it to the conference that wants to. So if you want to jump in, feel free!
Booklist‘s opinion on A Star Shall Fall:
Brennan’s historical research is as impeccable as ever, and the twining of the two worlds is the best yet. Fans of the Onyx court novels, and anyone who enjoys historical fantasy, should like A Star Shall Fall.
And also bookblather:
A Star Shall Fall starts fast and goes faster, despite its apparent length. The climax is brilliant. I honestly did not want to put the book down or close it for any reason, and I was sniffly for a good while afterwards. This is one spectacular book; Brennan is firing on all authorial cylinders. I finished it and wanted to start it all over again, just to have some more time with the characters.
Forty days until the book comes out, and that means it’s time for another excerpt! You’ve already met Irrith and Galen St. Clair; now it’s time for them to meet each other. Or, if you missed the earlier excerpts, you can start at the beginning.
Also, don’t forget the contests for the launch party. Even if you aren’t attending Sirens, you can still enter a drink recipe and win a bound copy of Deeds of Men. You have until August 15th!
On August 31st, A Star Shall Fall comes out.
On October 7-10, I will be at the Sirens Conference in Vail.
I have therefore decided to have my first (slightly belated) proper launch party for a book, at the conference. It will take place on Saturday the ninth, in the hour leading up to the costume ball. There will probably be giveaways of the book at that party, but there are also two chances to win special prizes.
WHETHER YOU ARE ATTENDING THE CON OR NOT — we’re holding a contest to design a faerie-themed (non-alcoholic) drink to serve at the party, with the winner to be announced that night. If you aren’t present, I will ship your prize to you when I get home, which is a signed copy of Deeds of Men, the Onyx Court novella.
IF YOU ARE ATTENDING THE CON — since the party will take place before the costume ball, I’ll also be awarding a prize for whoever shows up at the party in the best Onyx Court faerie costume. You don’t have to present as a specific character; something in the general style is fine. The winner gets signed hardcover copies of Midnight Never Come and In Ashes Lie.
Full details for both contests are here. If you have any questions, just let me know. (And yes, I will be showing up in costume to my own launch party. Assuming everything works out the way I’m currently trying to arrange for it to do.)
So I’ve mentioned before that I’ll be one of the GoHs at Sirens. But I’m allowed to submit my own programming proposal, apart from the stuff I’m already slated for, and I kind of think I would like to do something.
The question is, what?
I have a few ideas floating around my head, but none of them have really leapt up and convinced me that’s what I should go with. I therefore turn to you, The Internets, and ask: if you were coming to hear me do something at a con other than give a keynote address and present on my own writing (which are part of my GoH duties), what would you want it to be?
They have a good outline of different programming models here. The first two are out (paper and pre-empaneled paper set; I’ve had enough of those for now), and I’m unlikely to assemble a panel discussion in the remaining time. But that leaves everything from workshops on down as a possibility. And while this year’s theme is faeries and the conference is generally focused on women in fantasy, neither of those is a straitjacket. Practically any interest of mine could fit into this — though I don’t think I inkle-weave well enough to teach anybody else, and I suspect there would be liability issues with a “Stage Combat 101” class.
So help me brainstorm. If you could have me host a discussion on any topic, or teach a workshop on some skill (writing-related or otherwise), or anything else random, what would it be? I’m not sure if I want to riff off some of my website essays, or talk about the role of violence in fiction, or how to write politics, or fight scenes, or whatever. Too many ideas, not enough decision. Halp?
March for Babies — The link is to the fundraising page for the family of a friend, but I link to it because of a different friend, who has endured one of the most difficult pregnancies I’ve ever heard of, and will soon be giving birth to a pair of preemies. So supporting maternal and infant health is something I’m a bit keen on right now.
On a lighter note: Why the Library of Congress is Archiving Tweets — I find this deeply nifty, because they’re right: the value of an individual tweet is fairly low. But taken in the aggregate, they form a corpus of high historical value, for certain kinds of research. And Twitter and the LoC seem to be taking a reasonably sane approach to what they’re archiving and how, and how access to it will be managed.
On a note of high hilarity: Marella Sands on the language of sex in vampire fiction — specifically, comparing old-school Polidori and Stoker approaches to the Anita Blake series today.
Another Sirens update — Registration costs go up after April 30th, so if you’re on the fence about going, try to decide quickly!
That’s four links, and everybody says five things make a post, so my fifth thing shall be, uh, me apologizing for only having four. (I actually do have a fifth, but it deserves actual discussion, so I’m saving it for later.)
Recap for newcomers and those who have forgotten: this fall I’ll be one of three Guests of Honor at Sirens, along with Holly Black and Terri Windling. It’s a conference/convention on women in fantasy, and reports of last year’s event make it sound incredibly awesome; I’m looking forward to it more than I can say.
Which I bring up because the deadline for programming proposals is May 7th. You can read the latest newsletter here, which includes links to the forum where you can brainstorm ideas, arrange group events with other people, etc. Previous posts on that LJ comm give more info on what kinds of programming they’re looking for. This is very much a participant-driven thing, so if you’re at all interested in Sirens, dive in and share your ideas. The more, the merrier!
I was going to post some lengthy ruminations about travel problems and how people respond to them, but y’know, I’ve lost steam on it. I’m currently parked in the lobby of my hotel, since they have free wireless, comfortable furniture, peace and quiet, and nobody tripping over my suitcase, none of which the Atlanta airport can supply. So now seems like a nice time to talk about ICFA.
First things first: the Super-Sekrit Awesome Jacket was a resounding success. I bought this thing last summer and test-drove it at the Dickens Fair in November, but the real idea was that I was going to debut it publicly at the ICFA banquet. There will be pictures eventually, I’m sure — even if I look like a radioactive ghost in most of them; ye gods have I gotten pale — but in the meantime, I can say that it is a black brocade jacket of Victorian appearance, wide-necked with satin lapels, a narrow double-breasted closure just below the bustline, and then tails in front and back. I wore it with an underbust corset (since the front is cut high enough that it needs some kind of waistcoaty thing to look right), a semi-vintage shirt, and a long skirt, and got many admiring reactions. Unfortunately, as it came from Black Peace Now, which is the goth end of a Japanese fashion boutique that has an outpost in San Francisco, nobody is likely to be able to buy one for themselves.
Other than that, I read “The Last Wendy” and got fewer laughs than usual, but I think we just had a non-laughing audience; Eileen Gunn said the same thing about her story, which was quite funny. Then I socialized a bunch and hung out by the pool (when it wasn’t raining) and went swimming, which I kept thinking of as My Ankle’s Last Hurrah, seeing as how it’s about to spend four weeks in a plastic boot. The socializing was also key, as I won’t be going to karate for a couple of months (thus removing two social events per week) and may not be able to drive while I’m in the boot (thus removing my ability to get to where other people are).
It was a good ICFA, too. The topic this year being “Race and the Fantastic,” it provoked a lot of good papers and discussions, and Nalo Hopkinson’s luncheon speech was amazing. Sunshine and seeing friends aside, this is what I really love about ICFA: the chance not only to geek about SF/F, but to do so in a critically thoughtful way, among people who won’t look at you funny if you bust out the theoretical jargon. (My jargon is on the rusty side, of course, but still. I like to flex it occasionally.)
That’s pretty much it for con-reportage, I suppose. (Confidential to people who saw me obsessively checking e-mail while I was there: alas, no dice. Got my reply this afternoon, and will be sending the story elsewhere once I get home.) Now I continue to entertain myself for another four hours or so, until Airtran’s one daily flight to San Francisco rolls around.
at icfa stop not really reading lj stop if something interesting happens or you post exciting news please leave comment here stop
Little-known fact: March 8th is celebrated in some countries (like the country of my office) as The Feast of Cleaning Up Your Browser Bar.
Con or Bust auction — this closes on the 13th. Bidding for a signed set of Onyx Court books is up to $25 $30, and the money goes toward helping fans of color get to cons they might not otherwise make.
Sirens conference update — I failed to post this in time for the chat on Saturday, but more info on getting involved in programming. Remember, despite the word “conference,” you don’t have to be an academic to participate.
Reproductive Justice linkspam — I hadn’t heard of this organization before, but basically they’re a group that looks past the abortion debate (which has a tendency to dominate the conversation in the U.S.) to broader issues of pregnancy, sexual violence, disability, transsexualism, immigration, economics, and pretty much anything else that affects the ability of women to decide what to do with themselves and their bodies. There are some really heartbreaking stories in there (like the one about confiscating an immigrant woman’s child on the grounds that her lack of English made her unfit to be a mother in the U.S.), and lots of opportunities to take action.
Ignoring people you don’t trust — an interesting look at how the sources of statistical information and analysis can, or should, affect the way you receive that information. On the one hand, the studies claiming smoking reduces risk of Alzheimer’s were mostly written by people affiliated with the tobacco industry; on the other hand, the earliest work documenting a connection between smoking and lung cancer was published by Nazis. So it isn’t a simple question.
A flowchart of where the Google Books Settlement could go from here — a simplified flowchart. Boggle at its complexity.
Johari Window — more than a meme, less than a psych study; click through to choose how you would describe me.
1) If you’re interested in Sirens (where I’ll be a Guest of Honor this fall), they’ve put up a post about programming, to give you a sense of how it works. The approach is along the lines of an academic conference, but you don’t have to be an academic; they actively want a good mix of people — readers, writers, critics, librarians, etc.
2) Should have put this one up before, but better late than never: Help the Project. Charity auction for the Virginia Avenue Project, “a free afterschool arts and academics program” that mentors kids in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Like many such programs, they’re hurting for funding right now, and in danger of closing down. Auction ends March 1st; details here.
Apropos of the Sirens Conference I’ll be at this fall — they’re having an online chat this Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern. Details here. The book for discussion, inasmuch as there’s a topic for the chat, is Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks, but it should also be a good time to talk about the conference (especially ideas for programming).
If you tried to access the Sirens Conference website before and couldn’t get through, it’s back up now.
