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Posts Tagged ‘the tropic of serpents’

Various posts in alternate locations

“Keep Calm and Carry On” — my SF Novelists post for the month; a brief reflection on some of the recent trouble regarding gender and such.

Interview at SF Signal — in which they ask me about a variety of things, including photography.

“What Happens When Fantasy Novels Get Scientific?” — Me at io9, talking about the impulse to treat dragons scientifically.

Finally, not something you can read just yet, but: I’ve sold another story to Tor.com! “Daughter of Necessity,” which I read at FogCon after revising it half an hour before the reading. 😛 It will be out some time in the fall, most likely.

Open Book Thread: The Tropic of Serpents

On the heels of my Reddit AMA, it occurs to me that I should put up the discussion thread for The Tropic of Serpents. This is the place to ask any questions about that book or the series going forward; it is therefore also a spoiler zone, so consider yourself duly warned.

Happy Book Day to Me

However long y’all have been waiting for this book, I think it was even longer for me. 😛 But at last all our impatience is rewarded, for The Tropic of Serpents is out today!

It’s ended up on several “anticipated books coming out soon” lists, which I have to admit makes me exceedingly pleased: Ranting Dragon, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, and at least one other I’ve misplaced. If you are looking to obtain your very own copy, I’ve got a list of places you may buy it without leaving your chair (though this note about buying from a store does still apply).

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go treat myself to a nice lunch . . . and maybe also a visit to the local B&N, to make sure it’s on the shelf/pester them to put it there if it’s not. 😉

Posting makes the Internet go ’round

I’m not doing a giant blog tour like last year, but I have contrived to be in a few places around the Internet recently:

1) On the Tor/Forge blog, These Are a Few of My Favorite Dragons. Can you guess which ones I picked? (Before you click on the link to see, of course.)

2) On Tor.com — not to be confused with the Tor/Forge blog — I participated in a series called “That Was Awesome! Writers on Writing.” The point of the series is to talk about awesome moments in other people’s books, perfect little twists or amazing scenes that just blew you away. Head on over to see what I chose. (Many of you, I think, will not be surprised in the slightest . . . .)

3) On Lawrence M. Schoen’s site, another post series, this one with the ominous title of “Eating Authors,” and the much less ominous theme of “writers talk about the fabulous meals they’ve had.” I chose to discuss the kaiseki meal Starlady took us to in Kyoto. Eight tiny courses of phenomenally good Japanese food, enough to make a gourmand weep for joy. 🙂

4) Okay, this one’s old, but I realized I’d forgotten to link to it when it first went up: Timing is the bane of existence” at SFNovelists. On the unexpected pitfalls of figuring out, not what will happen in your book, but when it will happen.

5) Not a link, but a reminder: I’ll be at FOGcon this weekend, and at Borderlands Books on Sunday at 7 p.m. I hope to see one or more of you there!

Five Things Make a Post That Is Not About Supernatural

1) The funny thing about having a release date early in the month is that it sneaks up on you. After all, we’re still in February. That means The Tropic of Serpents won’t be out for a while yet, right? Wrong — it’s out next Tuesday, i.e. March 4th. (For those of you in the U.S. and Canada, at least. UK folks, your street date is the 20th of June. After that, Tor and Titan should be publishing more or less simultaneously, so you won’t have the added wait.)

Kirkus, by the way, not only gave Tropic a starred review; they listed it as one of their Best Bets for March. They even used the cover art as the top image for the post, which is yet another sign that Todd Lockwood and Irene Gallo are awesome.

2) If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ll have a chance to hear me read from The Tropic of Serpents at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 9th, at Borderlands Books. It’s my intent to also publicly announce the title for the third book there, as an added treat for my hometown peeps. 😉

3) Also for Bay Area types, I’m going to be at FOGcon weekend after next. I unfortunately had to back out of one of my panels because of a karate belt test on Friday night, but I’ll still be doing several things that weekend:

  • Friday, 3-4:15 p.m. Narnia, Hogwarts, and Oz, Oh My!
    What are our favorite secret worlds? What do we love about them? Why is a secret world so useful for storytelling? What can we learn from the ways used to access these places? What about worlds which exclude some people from accessing them, such as adults or non-magical people–are these worlds problematic or necessary? Or somewhere between the two?
    M: Tim Susman. Marie Brennan, Valerie Estelle Frankel, Naamen Gobert Tilahun
  • Saturday, 10:30-11:45 Secret History and Alternate History; their similarities, differences, and how to write them
    Tim Powers, in books like Declare and The Drawing of the Dark, has brought us into the realm of secret history — the events that really took place around known historical facts. Harry Turtledove, Philip K. Dick, and many others have brought us into the realm of alternate history — the what-if-things-had-been-different. (Indeed, one could argue that Mary Gentle’s Ash is secret alternate history!) What about these works fascinates us, and how do we put them together?
    M: Bradford Lyau. Marie Brennan, Tim Powers, Tim Susman
  • Saturday, 4:30-5:45 Reading
    Marie Brennan, Alyc Helms, Michael R. Underwood

4) In non-Tropic-related news, I participated in the Book of Apex blog tour over at Books Without Any Pictures. There’s a review of my story “Waiting for Beauty,” a brief interview, and a guest post wherein I talk about how writing historical fiction helped me become better at worldbuilding in general.

5) And Now For Something Completely Different: I really love both of these art sets, one of Disney princess in historically accurate costumes (the last image is the best!), and one of celebrities cosplaying as Disney characters.

Month of Letters; Con or Bust

Just a reminder that the Month of Letters is ongoing. If you want to get a letter from Lady Trent, now’s your chance!

Also, my Con or Bust auction is now live. On offer: a signed pair of ARCs for A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents. Bidding currently stands at $45. Remember that this is a charity effort organized under the auspices of the Carl Brandon Society, “a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the production of and audience for speculative fiction.” Con or Bust helps fans of color attend cons they might not otherwise be able to afford.

If you need me for anything, I’ll be buried under this rock, revising the next book. 😛

The news, it comes fast and thick

The Kirkus review is online now. I expect some portion of this is going to end up on a book cover eventually:

This, the second of Isabella’s retrospective memoirs, is as uncompromisingly honest and forthright as the first, narrated in Brennan’s usual crisp, vivid style, with a heroine at once admirable, formidable and captivating. Reader, lose no time in making Isabella’s acquaintance.

(Though my actual favorite part of it is the bit where they say “And during her adventures in the Green Hell—the book’s finest section—Isabella will find sociology as important as natural history…” Because yes: the anthropological side of things is indeed just as important as the biological side. Dragons cannot be separated from the way human beings view and interact with them.)

Two shiny bits of news regarding A Natural History of Dragons, to go along with the run-up to Serpents: it’s made both Booklist‘s Notable Books Reading List, and the American Library Association’s 2014 Reading List (via their Reference and User Services Association arm). I’m in company with V.E. Schwab’s Vicious in both those places, which makes me think I really ought to check that one out.

Also, this slipped out during the holiday season, and I only just noticed it now: the audiobook of Deeds of Men is on sale. (I’ve gone from no audiobooks to three of ’em in the space of a few months. Heh.)

I think that’s it for now . . . .

In which the memoirist’s amanuensis goes everywhere (with bonus Mary Robinette Kowal)

Ladies and gentlebeings, I will be doing a reprise of last year’s promotional book tour. Like all sequels, this one is Bigger! Better! with More Explosions Costumes!

I will be touring in company with the inestimable Mary Robinette Kowal, to support the release of The Tropic of Serpents (on my part) and Valour and Vanity (on her part). There will be readings and Q&As. There will be period-appropriate clothing. There may be a dragon puppet. There will certainly be me desperately wishing I was as good of a performer as Mary is. 🙂

Here’s the schedule, as it stands right now:

  • May 1, Thursday, Chicago, IL, DePaul University
  • May 2, Friday, Seattle, WA, University Book Store
  • May 3, Saturday, 2pm, Portland, OR, Powell’s
  • May 4, Sunday, 3pm, Salem, OR, Book Bin
  • May 6, Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Houston, TX, Murder by the Book
  • May 8, Thursday, 6pm, Salt Lake City, UT, Weller Book Works
  • May 10, Saturday, San Diego, CA, Mysterious Galaxy
  • May 11, Sunday, 3pm, San Francisco, CA, Borderlands

I’m told that the San Diego event will be part of a larger birthday celebration for Mysterious Galaxy, where we’ll be joined by other authors. Other than that, I don’t know anything more than what you’ve got right there, but I’ll definitely keep you all posted as details firm up.

Bay Area locals take note: I will also be doing a separate event at Borderlands on March 8th, to mark the release of The Tropic of Serpents earlier that week. Again, more details as I have them.

Now if you’ll pardon me, I need to go arrange for a suitable costume . . . .

Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes / For to save her shoes from gravel

“Mad Maudlin” is live on Tor.com! And the artwork for it is as beautiful as it was the first time I saw it. 🙂

You know what else is live? This audio excerpt from The Tropic of Serpents. There is also a sweepstakes, if you want to win a copy of the book.

Also live: a Con or Bust auction with a pair of ARCs up for grabs. It’s your chance to get signed copies of both A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents, while benefiting a good cause!

Not live yet: the Kirkus review. I think that goes up tomorrow.

Live and ongoing: Letters from Lady Trent. Write! Receive! Don’t make me walk aaaaaaaaall the way to the post office for nothing! (It’s a whole ten minutes away. I could die of exhaustion, y’all. But finding letters gives me the strength to soldier on.)

Countdown to Dragons

It’s four weeks and counting until the street date for The Tropic of Serpents. The talk is starting . . . .

1) Excerpt from the book on Tor.com

2) Liz Bourke’s review on Tor.com (which I believe wins the prize for being first out of the gate)

3) Publishers Weekly liked it

4) So did Kirkus, but I don’t think that one will go live for a few days. (Holy crap, that’s three books in a row of mine that they’ve liked. I think it may be a miracle.)

5) Brief interview with the UK site Female First, on A Natural History of Dragons

6) I’ve sent pronunciations to the narrator for the audiobook of TToS. I’m delighted to say that Kate Reading is continuing with the series, and this one will be out a lot closer to the print date than the last one was.

7) Speaking of the UK, it occurs to me that ANHoD will be out there very soon! I actually don’t know the precise street date, but I think it’s in the next two weeks. (Again, #2 should follow in quicker succession, I think.)

I think that’s all for now. But as we get closer to the street date, things will be picking up rather rapidly, I imagine!

Letters from Lady Trent

It’s now February, so you know what that means: it’s time to send letters!

As I mentioned before, you can get a letter from Lady Trent, written with an actual dip pen and my best effort at good cursive handwriting, sealed with wax, and sent directly to your mailbox. Here are the necessary steps:

1) Write a letter! You may choose to write to Isabella in her youth (when she’s running around studying dragons) or in her old age (when she’s writing the memoirs). If it isn’t clear which version of her you are writing to, I’ll respond as the memoir-writing version. You may adopt a persona within her world if you wish, but it isn’t required. Just don’t ask her about me; she has no idea who I am. 😛

2) Put it in the mail! Letters should be sent to:

Marie Brennan
P.O. Box 991
San Mateo, CA 94403

Remember to address the outside envelope to me, not Isabella. (And if you’re writing from outside the U.S. you’ll need to add the country to the address, of course.)

3) Profit! Which is to say, receive a letter in reply.

You have from now until the end of February to send your letter; I’ll reply as quickly as I can. Depending on how much mail I receive and where you live, it may take a while — it is snail-mail, after all. 🙂 I look forward to hearing from you!

Write a letter to Lady Trent!

As some of you may recall, for the past two years I’ve participated in Mary Robinett Kowal’s Month of Letters project. But since I’m terrible at writing letters just because (I know, I know; the whole point of the project is to get better at that), I followed her lead in another respect and invited you to send mail to my characters instead.

I’m doing it again this year, of course — and not just because it’s the only thing keeping my ability to write in cursive alive. You are all invited to send mail to Isabella during the month of February, and I will write back in character, using an actual dip pen and sealing the letter with actual wax. Just follow these steps:

1) Write a letter! You may choose to write to Isabella in her youth (when she’s running around studying dragons) or in her old age (when she’s writing the memoirs). If it isn’t clear which version of her you are writing to, I’ll respond as the memoir-writing version. You may adopt a persona within her world if you wish, but it isn’t required. Just don’t ask her about me; she has no idea who I am. 😛

2) Put it in the mail! Like, the actual physical mail, not some electronic device. Letters should be sent to:

Marie Brennan
P.O. Box 991
San Mateo, CA 94403

It is very important that you address the letter to me, not Isabella. The post office wouldn’t let me put her name on the box unless I brought in two forms of photo identification for her. Which, um. Yeah.

3) Profit! Which is to say, receive a letter in reply.

She will be available for correspondence during February, so you have a few days to plan what you want to say. I may even smuggle hints about upcoming books into her replies — you never know . . . .

Giveaway winner chosen

‘Twas @AdrianTurtle on Twitter, with Puff the Magic Dragon.

(That sounds like a solution from Clue.)

Thank you to all who responded! It was nifty, seeing the spread of answers.

Because why not

I’ve decided to give away an ARC of The Tropic of Serpents to one lucky respondent. To enter, all you have to do is name your favorite dragon, either in the comments or @swan_tower on Twitter. You have until I wake up tomorrow, so say roughly 11 a.m. PST.

FandomAid fundraiser for the Philippines

The death toll and destruction in the Philippines have been nothing short of horrific. The LJ community FandomAid has put together a fundraiser — not an auction but just a “Buy It Now” sale. Since my time is limited, I’m offering stuff that already exists, to whit, books.

Offer #1: signed ARCs of A Natural History of Dragons

Offer #2: signed ARCs of The Tropic of Serpents

There are five copies of each on offer (because that’s all I have left of ANHoD, and about all I can spare of TToS). The ARCs have full-color covers and all the interior illustrations, but not the maps; inscriptions can be personalized on request. The price is $10 in the US, $15 overseas, and the books will go on a first come, first served basis. You just make a donation to one of the approved charities — there’s a list here.

If you want to donate more, please do. They need it.

And if those offers don’t float your boat, browse the post for more. There’s eleven pages of comments already, and more to come, I’m sure.

This entry was also posted at http://swan-tower.dreamwidth.org/602156.html. Comment here or there.

ARCs are here!

Look what showed up on my doorstep today!

As you can see, this ARC is decidedly more ARC-y looking, which is to say, more like a promotional thing than a copy of the book that just happens to be more cheaply printed. That wall o’ text on the cover is pull-quotes from a bunch of reviews for the first book, with the actual cover art squeezed into the corner there. But the text is the real deal (minus a few tweaks made during page proofs), and the interior art is in place, though the maps aren’t. So: on its way to being a Real Book!

I realized, dreadfully late, that I never did announce the results from the icon contest I did ages ago. [personal profile] obaona, as you may have seen from the icon on this post: you’re the winner! You can have a signed copy of either A Natural History of Dragons, or one of these pretty, pretty ARCs. Just e-mail me (marie {dot} brennan {at} gmail {dot} com) and let me know where to send it.

I will, of course, be looking for excuses to send more of these things to good homes. That will have to wait until after my trip, though. In the meanwhile, you’ll have to content yourself with the picture. ^_^

This entry was also posted at http://swan-tower.dreamwidth.org/599311.html. Comment here or there.

forgot to mention my birthday present

I meant to include this with my birthday post, since I have a long-standing tradition that I’m allowed to be unreservedly egotistical on my birthday. 🙂 The day before, Annalee Newitz posted this faboo review of A Natural History of Dragons on io9 — which, given the magnitude of that site’s readership, is quite a shiny thing to receive.

It will motivate me to crawl through the salt mines of page-proofing The Tropic of Serpents. 🙂

This entry was also posted at http://swan-tower.dreamwidth.org/596889.html. Comment here or there.

research question and icon contest followup

Icons first, because that’s the shorter bit: I had someone ask how large the icon should be for The Tropic of Serpents. Answer is, 100×100 pixels; that’s LJ’s size limit. And the door is still open for people to submit their efforts — not because the ones I’ve received are in any way unsatisfactory, but because I didn’t answer this question sooner, and I want to give everybody who’s interested a chance to try! Remember, winner gets either a hardcover of A Natural History of Dragons or an ARC of Tropic when those become available.

Now, the research question. First of all, my deep gratitude to everybody who has responded; keep ’em coming. Secondly, some clarification.

I almost feel like I shouldn’t have mentioned Hawai’i, because so many people have fixated on that. It doesn’t have to be Hawai’i specifically, so if you have recommendations for sources on other Polynesian societies, please share them — New Zealand, Samoa, wherever. Reason being, what I’m after right now is stuff that will give me a broad sense of what traits are shared across the Polynesian cultural sphere, such that we’re able to talk about there being such a sphere. I won’t attempt to drill down more specifically until I have that broad sense, because without it, I don’t really know where I want to drill.

This means that if, say, there are better writings about New Zealand than there are about Hawai’i, then I’ll happily go read about New Zealand instead. I don’t need the specific history of any one place, because I’m not writing about that place; I’m trying to invent a society with broadly similar social/political/religious/economic structures. Mind you, I know enough about the history of anthropological writing to know I’m going to be dodging bullets wherever I go (hi, Margaret Mead; how are you?) — but if there’s an area with fewer bullets flying, please do point me at it. 🙂 As long as it’s part of the Polynesian sphere, it’s good for my purposes at this stage.

As for history in my own setting, I need to invent the nearest continent before I’ll know what I’m doing with that. 😛

(Speaking of which, I should inflate my globe-beachball again and start doing some more worldbuilding.)

This entry was also posted at http://swan-tower.dreamwidth.org/593439.html. Comment here or there.

The Tropic of Serpents, revealed!

I can’t decide whether the people at Tor are mean, or love you very, very much. (Can they be both at once?) You see, The Tropic of Serpents won’t be coming out for another eight months . . . but we have cover art now, and they’ve decided to make it public.

Can I just take a moment to say how pleased I am with myself? Also with Todd Lockwood, of course, who once again has turned in an absolutely gorgeous piece of work, and let’s not forget Irene Gallo (the art director at Tor) and everybody else involved in making this happen. But myself, too, because a few months back I was sitting here chewing on concepts and trying to figure out how we could repeat the general look of A Natural History of Dragons without pulling the same anatomical cut-away trick every single time. Then I hit upon the idea of a motion study, and lo: it worked!

You all know what this means, of course. I need an icon! Post your best efforts in the comment thread, and if I pick yours, you can have your choice of either a signed copy of A Natural History of Dragons, or an ARC of the sequel when those become available.

This entry was also posted at http://swan-tower.dreamwidth.org/591069.html. Comment here or there.