Word On The Street - Toronto

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the yearly Word On The Street outdoor literary fair in downtown Toronto. I attended several sessions and looked over many of the booths. One discussion panel had Kelley Armstrong, Robert Charles Wilson and Linwood Barclay on it. Here are two video clips of Robert Wilson responding to questions.

I missed recording the first few words so imagine him saying, "When I first started reading Science Fiction" as a preface as he talks about the state of science fiction in Canada.


This time he's explaining the difference between speculative fiction and science fiction.


I also had the privilege of having the opening of one of my writing pieces read and critiqued. It showed me the value of 1) having someone who is not me read my work and point out simple things that I miss, in order to improve my writing and 2) the value of hearing my work read out loud, to find spots where the writing is awkward or description, etc., unnecessary.

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Another teen read, though pure fantasy this time, Graceling is a solid debut novel. Interesting characters, a land split into 7 kingdoms which, while not at war are also not all friends, politically speaking, and a kidnapping case that propels the protagonist, a young woman 'graced' with the ability to kill easily, on the road to solve the mystery of why an old man, of no political worth, would be kidnapped and by whom.

Cashore's use of people with different coloured eyes as signs of special powers (some powers more useful than others) was very well done. And Katsa, the King's strongman, occasional torturer and executioner, was a compelling character.

The book begins with Katsa helping to free the father of Lienid's king from King Murgon's prison. Intelligence suggests that while Murgon was holding Grandfather Tealiff, he wasn't the one who ordered the kidnapping. While fleeing, Katsa encounters Tealiff's grandson, Prince Po, who later becomes her sparring partner back home.

The novel as a whole deals with power. The power to order others to act, the power to choose your own actions - and whether you will obey the orders you disagree with, and the power to protect yourself from others. This is demonstrated by three levels of people. 1) The kings, 2) those like Katsa who are at the mercy of rulers but have the ability to physically defend themselves and 3) those who are untrained and ultimately at the mercy of others.

I found the first part of the book interesting and fast paced. The second part dragged a bit as the story focused less on the plot and more on the growth of Katsa as a person. It then picked up as Katsa and Po discover who ordered the kidnapping and the danger this person poses to all 7 kingdoms if they can't stop him.

All in all a great read. I'm already into my ARC of the prequel, Fire, out in hardcover October 6th.

Country Renaissance Festival

I went to the local Renaissance festival every year in University and was quite disappointed when it closed down. So I was very happy to discover that Milton, Ontario was hosting a new fest and dragged my husband out.

I always found that seeing costumes, weapons and armour in use gave my writing more verisimilitude, as I'd better understand the problems and nuances of their use. And the fairs were a lot of fun to attend.


Those in the Royal Court and the Village of Wittingham are members of Faires in Time, the jousters from the Ontario International Jousting Association and the bird demonstrations by Birds in Flight Peregrine International. (In the photos directly above, two knights break lances in the joust and a knight cuts a cabbage in half with a sword from horseback.)

Fantasy on the High Seas Reading List

Like my other reading lists, this one is not comprehensive. I have not read all of these, so in some cases I'm basing the fact that they take place on water due to the cover art and synopsis. If I've got one wrong, please tell me in comments and I'll remove it. Similarly, if you'd like to add a title feel free. Also, I wasn't originally looking for SF or submarine books, so I know those catagories could be fleshed out. Again, feel free to suggest books. And I was trying for books on boats, so books like S.L. Viehl's Afterburn and Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's Changeling aren't included.

Books are listed in no particular order.

Fantasy books
The Edge of the World - Kevin J. Anderson
Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb
Storm Witch - Violette Malan
Mermaid's Madness - Jim Hines
Mad Kestrel - Misty Massey
Red Wolf Conspiracy - Robert VS Redick
Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch
Princess at Sea - Dawn Cook
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe, Dragonfrigatewizard Halcyon Blithe - James Ward
The Cipher, The Black Ship, The Turning Tide - Diana Francis
Mark of Ran, Forsaken Earth - Paul Kearney
Tomes of the Dead: Death Hulk - Matther Sprange

Alternate History
Land of Mist & Snow - Debra Doyle & James MacDonald
Set the Seas on Fire - Chris Roberson
His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
Into the Storm, Crusade, Maelstrom - Taylor Anderson

Sci-Fi books
The Skinner - Neal Asher
Glory Season - David Brin

Submarines
20 000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
The Dragon in the Sea - Frank Herbert
Pax Britannia: Leviathan Rising - Jonathan Green

Storm Witch - Violette Malan

The third in the adventures of Dhulyn and Parno, Storm Witch does some interesting things. The pair is trying to clear their names with the Brotherhood after their maligning in Soldier King when their help is requested at sword point by the Nomads, sea traders from the Long Ocean. It seems the ancient trading partners of the Nomads, the Mortaxa, have begun building their own ships and only members of the Brotherhood will be considered as negotiators for future trade considerations.

The problem? Dhulyn has had prophetic visions of Parno's death. At sea. And she wants to prevent that at any cost. Well, any cost but telling him of the vision, something she promised she would never do.

The story deals heavily with Dhulyn's internal conflict, which really makes her character come alive. We get to learn more about what being partnered means, and why Dhulyn doesn't have any children.

The characters also travel to a part of the world we haven't seen yet, where two peoples are coming close to war. One side still practices slavery, the other has a psychic connection to a race called Crayx, sea creatures who help guide their ships.

Newcomers to the series will find the first chapter confusing, as it refers heavily to the previous book, but after that the action is entirely self-contained. There are one or two references elsewhere in the book to their first adventure, The Sleeping God, but understanding them isn't essential to the book. The series is otherwise designed so that you can jump in anywhere, but, as with any series, those who read all the books will definitely get more out of them.

Violette Malan's writing keeps getting better. I found this a fun, quick read.

Soulless - Victorian Dress-up Doll

When I saw this announced on the Orbit page I assumed it was a book cut out doll. It's not. It's a computer game where you can put different undergarments, dresses and accessories on the main character of the book Soulless, Alexia Tarabotti.

Check it out here.

And remember, the book hits stores October 1st!

John Ringo - Author Interview

Novels: Waaaaaaaaay too many to list. Don't believe me? Check out his website book link. And then click the series links to see the individual books.

Website: http://www.johnringo.com/

> Pitch your latest novel or the first novel of your series.

(Insert name of whatever the hell is coming out next I can't keep up) is the GREATEST NOVEL OF ALL TIME! It will ASTOUND AND DELIGHT children of all ages with SEX AND VIOLENCE AND GORE GALORE!

Huh. What IS coming out? Thirty Two novels. First one came out in 2000. I really do have a hard time keeping up...

Oooo! Live Free or Die in February. Got an Ontario aspect to it. A must read for every Canadian who cherishes their national symbol! SAVE THE MAPLE TREES FROM ALIEN DOMINATION!


> What are your favourite three books?

Time Enough for Love, at least the first half. After that he rather jumped the shark.
The Two Towers
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett


> What made you want to be a writer?

I write because I enjoy affecting others. The staying home and getting checks is nice but even without it I'd be trying to get people to read my stuff. When I write a line and go 'Heh, that's going to get somebody chuckling/crying/thinking' and then later it turns out I'm right? Way more important than royalty statements.


> In the books you’ve written, who is you favourite character and why?

My favorite is Katya, the psychotic, sexually-absued former-hooker-turned-assassin in the Ghost series. Because she reminds me of half my ex girlfriends and if I didn't like them I wouldn't have dated them in the first place.

> What character is most like you?

Reynolds, the hapless jeep driver in the very beginning of Hymn.


> If you could, would you change places with any of your characters?

Not in a heartbeat. Maybe, MAYBE, Tyler Vernon from the Troy universe.


> If you could live in your fantasy/sf world, would you?

I'd take the world BEFORE the Fall in the Dragon's universe.

> Would you live in somebody else’s?

Not most. Most are WAY too ugly and dangerous. I mean, really, Conan spent most of his time scratching flea bites and digging lice out of his hair not rescuing maidens.


> What was the first novel that you wrote and how long did it take to write it?

The Voyages of King Arthur. Unpublished. About a month.


> What was the hardest scene for you to write?

I don't recall a bit of the book. And I don't recall the answer to this question for my first published novel either.

>What is the strangest question you have ever been asked by a fan?

'How do you kill a vampire?' (As in, 'Given that everyone knows that vampires are real and a real threat to me, personally, and to society, how do I go about killing the REALLY REAL vampires that are in my mother's basement?')
The answer being: 'Go with the traditional stake of ash wood and you've got about a ninety percent chance of getting it right. Good luck. Next question.'


> What was the most fun book signing, convention, etc. you’ve attended and why?

DragonCon. Any year. Because it's like being on a space station most of the time.


> If you still have one, what’s your day job?

Don't have one.

> What is your university degree in?

Also don't have one. But if you want to be a writer, I'd suggest accounting.


> Do you think it is easier to write fantasy or science fiction?

Fantasy. I don't care how much people talk about world building, you can make it up as you go along and fill in the details in the appendix.


> When and where do you write?

In the winter, outside. I wish I lived in Canada. I could write year round. As it is, I have to wait for winter when it gets cold enough. (I have a silicon brain.)


> What’s the best/worst thing about writing?

Best: WORK FROM HOME IN YOUR SPARE TIME!!!! ads make you laugh and laugh...
Worst: You look forward to kids getting home from school so you can actually talk to someone for three seconds...

> What is something you didn’t know about the publishing industry before you had your fist book published?

The truly gigantic and gargantuan and titanic and all the other synonyms for big size of the average 'slush' pile. (Unsolicited manuscripts.) Then, later, when I wanted to do a Posleen anthology I found out that it truly is 'Shoveling to a mountain of crap to find a nugget.' The reason that the 'traditional' publishing model is unlikely to ever go away entirely is that somebody is always going to have to sort through the fecal matter looking for the nuggets.


> Do you have any advice for hopeful authors?

Edit the hell out of it, edit it again, read it aloud to yourself (every damned word and you'd better not get bored or the reader will) edit it again, print it out or format it EXACTLY the way the publisher asked for it and submit it. Then get ready to wait about five years for it to see the light of day.
Oh, and one thing before that. Finish it.

> Any tips against writers block?

I'm idiosyncratic. My tip is 'Find somewhere cold.'


> How do you discipline yourself to write?

I don't. When it is time, it is time.


> How many rejection letters did you get for your first novel or story?

One. For A Hymn Before Battle. Jim Baen fired the First Reader.