Nov 25

Deeds of Honor Cover Reveal

Posted: under artwork, Collections.
Tags: ,  November 25th, 2014

Looks like the powers that be have approved a cover design, and I like it.

So, here ’tis.    There might still be changes, but I suspect this is it.

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Nov 20

Triple Good News on the Writing Front

Posted: under Crown of Renewal, the writing life.
Tags: ,  November 20th, 2014

1. I was informed today there’s an offer on the new Vatta book.   Agent is  on it–details will be hammered out…er…peaceful negotiations will result in a contract most pleasing and desirable for all parties.

2. Kirkus Reviews picked Crown of Renewal as one of the best fantasy novels of the year.  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2014/section/fiction/?page=8

3.  In this fascinating graphic of 62 different stories of the future,  a lot of information is turned into one stunning timeline.   And one of my books is on it.   http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/futureevents_giorgialupi_large.jpg

 

 

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Nov 18

What HAS She Been Up To?

Posted: under Life beyond writing, the writing life.
Tags: , ,  November 18th, 2014

A  lot, actually.   Where we left off, the Mozart Requiem–it went well, even though I was beginning to feel off, and sure enough was sick the week following with a nasty sore throat.   Got better, and was able to sing one service the next Sunday.   We had a small birthday party for our son.   Everything seemed to be moving well towards Thanksgiving but this past week, we had some bad medical news.  My husband will need another cancer surgery–there’s a new tumor in his stomach.

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Jul 04

In Case You’re Wondering

Posted: under the writing life.
Tags: ,  July 4th, 2014

Where, you may be wondering, is the planned short-fiction collection in its progress towards release?  Good question, and the answer is, I haven’t done all I’m supposed to do, thanks to a series of things (rethinking a couple of stories,  A-Kon,  the first Father’s Day after my father’s death, and the eye stuff.   And now my agent’s got jury duty.  )

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Jun 09

The Wanderer Returns

Posted: under Conventions.
Tags: ,  June 9th, 2014

Just got in from A-Kon.  Slightly brain-fried–very busy weekend, a delightful convention, meeting with old friends & new, and a good train ride home at the end.  Some of the books I shipped up there actually sold (3 stuffed boxes went out.  One is to be shipped back.)  Not really in shape to check out all the comments that have come in and deal with them…and tomorrow, remember, I’ve got that appointment with the eye doctor who will be removing the worse of the two cataracts (but not tomorrow–this is the “set everything up” appointment.)   It will involve dilation, alas, which means blurry vision for hours after I get home, and thus not working on the computer much.

 

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Jun 01

Busy Week Ahead

Posted: under Conventions, Life beyond writing, the writing life.
Tags: , ,  June 1st, 2014

I now have only three days to prepare for A-Kon: I hop the train Thursday just before noon, and arrive in Dallas mid-late afternoon.   Meanwhile I have an eye doctor appointment on Tuesday,  gym on Monday and maybe also Wednesday (since my usual second day is Thursday) ,  and choir practice Wednesday.   Thanks to the computer stuff, I haven’t done the pre-convention-season shopping I was planning to do…oh, well.

I’m on several panels–if you’re going to be at A-Kon, you can find me (listed in schedule) there and in Artists Alley at table A-15, same row as Jack Campbell, Esther Friesner, Lee Martindale, Robin Wayne Bailey.  My copies of  the US Crown haven’t come, but I will have some of the UK Crown to show off, one of which will be in the charity auction: if you get it, bring it by for signing.

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May 21

Out and About

Posted: under Crown of Renewal, Interview, Life beyond writing.
Tags: , ,  May 21st, 2014

For Orbit UK, Rachel Bach and I interviewed each other; my interview of her went up a few weeks ago (I did mention that, didn’t I?   I hope?)   and her interview of me is up now at the Orbit blog.   It’s not specifically about Crown of Renewal but it’s a nice general thing.  We were asked to pose 4-5 questions for each other–and we both enjoyed the process.

Next week (Wednesday the 27th)  I’ll be Twitter-chatting with Brian Thomas Schmidt on SFF Chat for an hour (no doubt annoying my choir director, because I won’t be at rehearsal.)   Schmidt,  you may recall, is the editor of Shattered Shields, the fantasy anthology a new Paksworld story is coming out in.   Some of you may be too engrossed in Crown to join us, but any who want to (whose Crown copy didn’t arrive?) are welcome.   As you can see from the website transcripts, Mr. Schmidt has a wicked sense of humor and I will have to be quick on my mental feet to keep up with him and those who enter the conversation.   (There will be more reminders about this.  That’s how the writer ego works…) Read the rest of this entry »

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May 13

A Trickle of News & A Bit on Reviews

Posted: under Conventions, Marketing, the writing life.
Tags: , , ,  May 13th, 2014

First US printing of Crown of Renewal  in hardcover is 12,000 copies.  WOW!   Should be plenty available from most places.   (I have no idea if all 12,000 selling in the first week would get me to a spot on the NYT list, but it couldn’t hurt.    However, with the cost of hardcovers these days and the general economy,  that’s not going to happen.   Absolutely no dark looks cast at anyone who’s waiting for their library to get a copy, or who will wait for the paperback.    Not into guilt-laying my readers!)   Editor let me know that today. She also reported checking on a potential situation with Amazon that appears not to affect Crown (at least not so far) but had affected other writers’ books (heard about it on a closed list, and let her know that, as well as the Book World problem Hawkman mentioned here.   Read the rest of this entry »

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May 01

Arrival

Posted: under the writing life.
Tags: ,  May 1st, 2014

The Orbit UK edition of Crown of Renewal arrived in a box on my front porch this afternoon.    Great gloating ensued.   If I ever get over the thrill of opening a box and finding !my books! inside, I should quit writing…new books deserve that excitement.    Husband grabbed one and opened it.  I grabbed one and opened it.   I didn’t read beyond the first few pages (yes, the story is still there and has not turned into someone else’s story, perhaps about the life of a stockbroker who is dissatisfied with his teenage son and his manager) because I had Other Stuff to do.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Apr 05

The (Possible) Cover for Collection

Posted: under artwork, Collections.
Tags: ,  April 5th, 2014

First, the warning:  This is not the final, approved cover design.   We may be tweaking it in several ways before sending it off for approval (which may not be given.)   Shifting things up, down, sideways a few pixels.    Fiddling with the “shine” on the letters.   Etc.   People should not get attached to it yet.   For that reason, I’m putting it below the cut, and I’m not calling attention to this post on Twitter.    Although this is my design idea,  working with Illustrator ™ is not in my skillset, so all the actual manipulations of design elements to get to this point were done by my very talented friend Ruta, at Willowbrook Designs.   So this is not a picture to be shared widely.   I’ll post a final cover design when it’s all tweaked and has been approved.

What you’re getting is a Private  Preview Director’s Cut kind of design. Read the rest of this entry »

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