I’ve finally set up a YouTube channel from which MDPWeb will be broadcasting some reviews and other pieces of interest. At the moment it’s only home to the Burn Bright book trailer and my Doom Con (Swancon 37) introduction (see below).
But that won’t be for long! Things are afoot. I’ll be joined by some of the MDPWeb staff who’ll be giving their face and thoughts to some of the great books being published.
I’ll be in Melbourne next week for more book tour, speaking at a number of schools and some radio and bookshop visits. Alison Goodman and I are also set to do our kaffee klatsch with Braiden from YA Concoction. Braiden has kindly organised the KK, and I’m looking forward to it.
In booky news, Sean the Bookanaut has given Glitter Rose a lovely review at his website. There’s an interview with me over at She Known as Jess and a giveaway of Burn Bright.
Lastly, and most importantly, please watch Tara Moss’s message from Unicef and consider giving to them for Mothers Day.
I am so thrilled to say that I will be the National Guest of Honour at Doom Con (Swan Con 37) 2012. The International Guest of Honour isBrandon Sanderson and the Fan Guest of Honour is Chris Creagh. Below is the Doom Con launch video.
I’m too tired tonight to do a full blown review but I did want to say that I enjoyed this movie immensely. It’s so good to be able to say that one of my favourite books has now become one of my favourite movies. Both Mathew Maconaughey and Ryan Phillipe do an excellent job of their parts and the screen writers have picked the essentials from the novel and presented a clean and well delivered narrative.
Some very nice secondary parts from William Macy, John Leguizamo and Trace Adkins as well. Marisa Tomei didn’t get the greatest lines – Connelly’s Maggie “McFierce” was portrayed as far more sympathetic in the movie than in the book. But that was really my only disappointment.
I’ve been thinking about it recently i.e. whether writing is hardwired into your genetics. Obviously environment plays a huge role, and a love of books and words can be nurtured or discouraged within families. I was lucky to have had it nurtured, but many of my writer friends didn’t have that experience. In spite of this, they found their way to writing.
I grew up not knowing either of my grandfathers and only heard second hand tales of them, which never included anything about books or writing. Then a few years ago my brother, a keen community and military historian, compiled our recent family history. In it were letters from my paternal grandfather to my grandmother (his wife) when he was away at war. I was fascinated and humbled by the eloquence with which he wrote and I knew at that moment, that I would never write that well. That didn’t disappoint me, he was working at a whole other level of heartfelt emotion and authenticity, and faced hardships that make me quail years later. It did, however give me a sense of validation about my writing; I was meant to be doing this.
Not only me, but others in my family as well. Which brings me to my brother Paul, and the real reason for this post. Paul is a farmer, and ex-Vietnam veteran, an ex-country footballer, a guitarist and songwriter among many other things. He has been a strong constant in my life and I’m pleased we share a love of books – albeit different kinds.
He now has a website and has just released his sixth book, entitled Under Two Flags which tells the story of a little known slice of Franco-Australian military history. In 1939 sixty-five French Nationals living in Australia were mobilized and sent to join the French Colonial Forces in Indochina. The book tells their story and is full of original photos and documents from the period. I’m very proud of the history he’s recorded in his books; important things that should not be forgotten.
Last year saw my darling twin nephews also published their first book, a engrossing collection of stories about emerging into adulthood which they edited and contributed stories to. The book is entitled Out of the Frying Pan.
So do I believe in a writing gene? Most definitely. Thank you Grandfather Guy.
It’s brilliant for a number of reasons. The first being that I’ve never thought of Cyberpunk in terms of its anti-Apocalyptic agenda (at least that’s what the theory proposes).
The second reason, is that it’s absolutely fascinating to have your fiction broken down and examined in the light of such a theory. I was staggered by the number of apocalyptic metaphors I’d use. For each example I’d chosen consciously there was another that had slipped in under my radar. Just goes to show how much writing is conducted at the subconscious level.
I won’t spoil the book by telling you her conclusions, but if you’re a true fan of texts like Mad Max and Nylon Angel – this book will of great interest to you. Dr Weaver has a direct and clear style which makes it one of the best academic texts I’ve ever read.
Now I’m over my excitement about seeing my books in there, I’m off to read it from beginning to end.
Alison Goodman of Eon/Eona fame will be joining me for a kaffee klatsch in Melbourne in early May (email Braiden if you’d like to attend: basciak (at) gmail (dot) com Places strictly limited).
One of the questions I get asked a lot is “how do you do it? How do you juggle writing books in different worlds, and the short fiction, and the freelance, and all of that?”
My joke answer is “carefully, and with a lot of caffeine.” And the joke is that it’s utterly true. But, on a more serious note…
Once upon a time, I was a book editor, running an imprint that published 50+ books a year. I loved my job –the chance to work on so many different projects, each with their own voice and personality, was what got me out of bed and into the office every day. But, eventually, the stress of the job, plus the growing number of hours I spent nights and weekends with my own writing, required a change. I couldn’t keep giving 100% to both careers, not without something taking the hit (and that thing would probably have been me).
So in 2003 I bid farewell to the 8-6 routine of the office, and went boldly into the 8-6 routine of…well, the office. Because, the truth is, the change in my work habits has mainly been that my commute is shorter, and I don’t have to close the door when I take that 15 minute power nap. But from the very beginning I knew that the only way this career would work, for me, was to treat it with the same mindset: this is my job, and it has structure.
Yes, I can work anywhere, and do. But the structure comes with me. There is coffee in the morning, to jumpstart my brain. There are the stretches, so I don’t cramp up from sitting too long. There’s the usual procrastination of internet-browsing and email checking, and the quick conversations with my fellow freelancers on Skype replacing the traditional water cooler. I get dressed – not as formally as officewear, but I don’t work in my pjs, either.
And then I chose a project to work on. Usually, it’s on the basis of What’s Due First, but if I’ve had a sudden thought about a project, then I’ll get to that first. If a deadline is looming, I may spend all day on it; if there are a bunch of things I need to get to, then I spend time with each. Prioritize, schedule, and begin. It’s all pretty basic… or so I thought.
“But how do you switch between them?” people ask, certain that they would not be able to stop working in one world/project and move to another. The only way I can answer that is to ask in return – how did you switch between classes, in school? How do you stop working on one project when a more urgent one hits your desk at work, and then go back to the items still waiting?
But my interrogators are certain, somehow, that it’s not the same. Oh, but that’s not creative, they reply, dismissing the effort their jobs require far too easily– and giving far too much weight to the demands of ‘creation’ versus ‘work.’
And I think that people do themselves a serious disservice, with that.
When teachers teach, they have multiple classes, filled with kids that have different needs. A reporter or a cop doesn’t investigate only one case or story at a time (far from it!). A carpenter or plumber is rarely working on only one job, and an office worker of any stripe is often juggling not just projects but multiple bosses! And meetings, let’s not forget all those meetings…
Me, I wonder how YOU do it.
Bio:
Laura Anne Gilman started her professional life as a book editor for a major NYC house, fitting her writing into the remaining available hours. In 2004 she switched that around, becoming a full-time writer and freelance editor.
Laura Anne is the author of the popular Cosa Nostradamus books for Luna (the “Retrievers” and “Paranormal Scene Investigations” urban fantasy series), and the award-nominated The Vineart War trilogy from Pocket,as well as the forthcoming story collection DRAGON VIRUS. A member of the on-line writers’ consortium BookView Cafe, she continues to write and sell short fiction in a variety of genres.
After three weeks of book tour and appearances its not surprising I’m fighting off a cold. Melbourne Supanova was wonderful though, and made better by the fact I got to spend some time with my twin, Isobelle Carmody, who I hardly ever see. Isobelle is my kind of people in every way and I hope to have her back in Australia full time one day. I’m waiting on some Supanova pics to come through, especially the one of me with Aaron, who was wearing the biggest Fro in the history of Fros!
IMT, here is a round up of stuff. Burn Bright continues to get most gratifying reviews, which I am accumulating over here. I’ve also just done an interview with YA Concoction, and She Who is Know as Jess, and Eleusinian Mysteries are doing Burn Bright And giveaways of their own volition. Many thanks guys! And Missie at The Unread Reader has included Burn Bright in her YA Aussie Book Tour.
A lovely in depth review of Glitter Rosepopped up this week too. The book is available currently for a discount, as we attend conventions. If you’d like to pick up a copy for $25 AUD, you can email me through this website’s contact form.
What else? Laura Anne Gilman is going to be guest blogging soon, so am looking forward to that. And there’ll be some more Super Creatives upcoming.
Finally, I’d like to announce the winner of the Ilona Andrews book set. Evening Green is the winner with this post on The Moment of Gratuitous Coolness:
I think a favorite moment of gratuitous coolness of mine would be in “Ronia the Robber’s Daughter” which I read as a child, when Ronia’s friend (who is the son of the rivaling band of robber’s chief) is held prisoner by her own people and she ensures his safety by jumping over an abyss to be captured by her family’s enemies who then can exchange her for him and both go free. I still remember this scene vividly and I think it will stick with me for a long time.
**Evening Green could you please send your postal details to me through the website’s contact form and I’ll pass them on to Ilona.
I’m going to blog this now before time steals the fresh memory. Having been away from home a bit the last few weeks, I was a little sad to be leaving my family again and heading to Melbourne. But tonight erased my blues altogether. My publicist and I met with a colleague (ie Persnickety Snark) on the Roof Top bar above Cookies. I walked across town to get there and spent the whole time marveling at how happy everyone looked because of the balmy evening. Friday after work and the bars and cafes were filled with smiling people. I got to Cookies and had to walk up five floors (ten gazillion steps) because the lift was broken. But it was SO worth it. We chatted about all things books as the sun melted away in favour of the merest sliver of moon. The open air bar lit with party lights and the music leaked out into the world’s perfect evening.
Then Peri and I walked a few blocks to a Japanese restaurant where we met her brothers; both delightful and full of life. We laughed and talked film and television and books and family – all the good things in life.
Now I’m back in the hotel with computer and my dessert (apple crumble and banana coconut icecream) and feeling the love for Room Service.
When I was a teenager, I inhaled the works of Alexander Dumas, one of which was MARGUERITE DE VALOIS. The story centers around King Henry of Navarre, a protestant, and his unwilling wife, Marguerite. Henry rules Navarre, a large province, and is technically a king in his own right, but he owes his allegiance to France. Unfortunately he is trapped at the French court at the time of St. Valentine’s day massacre, during which Catholics mass-murdered French protestants.
Henry’s wife, Marguerite, is a part of a large Catholic family that rules France. She is the daughter of Catherine de Medici and sister to Charles, the monarch of France. Catherine de Medici deeply hates Henry, both because he is a Protestant and because of some past business with his mother and she is continuously scheming to murder him somehow, in such a way as to not cause a war with the powerful province of Navarre. Catherine de Medici is a deeply evil character. She poisons, she schemes, she uses her children as pawns. She is this unstoppable malevolent force and she stalks the palace like a panther waiting to pounce.
In the novel, Henry and Marguerite are married against their wishes. They do not consummate the marriage, but out of sheer self-defense, they form a secret political alliance with each other. Henry is seduced by Madame de Sauve, one of Catherine’s maids of honor. He makes nightly pilgrimages to her bedroom. One night, Marguerite sends him a note asking him to come to her bedroom instead of that of his mistress. Henry arrives in her bedchamber, where they discuss strategy, but before they can get anywhere, they receive word that Catherine de Medici has left her rooms and is heading to Marguerite’s chamber. Quickly Henry strips and dives into the bed, behind the curtains. Marguerite cuts the laces of her gown, rips off her hair dress, and jumps into her bed next to her husband.
Catherine de Medici enters this bedchamber. Marguerite springs out of her bed, terribly surprised, kisses her hand and bats her eye lashes. Catherine sits down and proceeds to make her case for Henry’s demise. She is trying to blatantly manipulate Marguerite in helping her destroy Henry, arguing that he is obviously not suited to be the husband of the Princess of France. Why, everyone knows that Henry and Marguerite haven’t slept together and what’s more, Henry is clearly slapping Marguerite in the face with this terrible affair with his mistress. Catherine is simply heartsick over seeing her daughter so badly treated by that boorish ruffian. At this point Marguerite raises her hand and says, “Shh, mother, please not so loud.” Catherine de Medici asks why she should be quiet. Marguerite rises, pulls back the bed curtains and says, “Because you’ll wake my husband.”
Catherine looks inside and there is Henry, half dressed, his hair tousled, asleep on the bed.
Oh snap!
Catherine stands there, stares at Henry for a long minute, as if she’d seen Gorgon Medusa’s head with snakes instead of hair, and marches out of the chamber, seething.
It is a moment of pure gratuitous coolness. There were other scenes in the novel, heartbreaking, poignant, tragic, romantic, but years later this is the scene I remember best. It is a magic instance of complete surprise, half ingenuity, half coincidence, with the stars aligning just right so the protagonists could for a moment triumph against an overpowering foe in a battle they had no chance of winning.
I love these moments. They are my absolute favorite part of reading. Such moments give you a little thrill and you tend to remember them forever. It’s the moment of Jessica Trent shooting Sebastian Ballister in LORD OF SCOUNDRELS. It’s the moment that makes you go, “Ha!” and “Oh my God!”
I’d like to read about your favorite moment of gratuitous coolness. It can be from books or movies, from any genre. Comment on this post and one of the comment authors will get a set of signed books from our Edge Series: ON THE EDGE and BAYOU MOON.
BIO:
Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. “Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
