The Epic Fantasy StoryBundle!

My novel, The Moonflower is part of the new Epic Fantasy StoryBundle that Kevin J. Anderson put together! Squee!!! There are some amazing authors in this bundle like R.A. Salvatore, Michael Stackpole, Brandon Sanderson as well as a lot of great indie authors!

You can get the bundle here: http://storybundle.com/epic

If you're not familiar with StoryBundle, it works like this:

The DRM-free e-book versions of each of these books are available for download and you get to decide what you pay for them. If you pay at least $5.00 you get:

Knight of Flame by Scott Eder
A Hero Born -- Realms of Chaos book 1 by Michael A. Stackpole
Joanna Crusader by Hilary Benford
The Fallen -- The Greatest Sin Book 1 by Lee French and Erik Kort
The Education of Brother Thaddius and Other Tales of DemonWars by R.A. Salvatore

Yeah, that's not a typo. You get a Salvatore, a Stackpole and two more great books for only $5.00! But here's the real kicker...if you pay at least $15.00 you get TEN MORE BOOKS! You get these great books in addition to the titles above:

Obstacles by Ryan English
Blood of Akhilles by R.M. Meluch
Blood Curse by Quincy J. Allen
Warrior of Light by William Heinzen
The Moonflower by Kim May (Yay!)
Shadowguard by Gama Ray Martinez
Sixth of the Dusk by Brandon Sanderson
Spearwielder's Tale -- The Woods Out Back by R.A. Salvatore
The Sword of Bedwyr -- The Crimson Shadow by R.A. Salvatore
Unwilling Souls by Gregory D. Little

As I mentioned earlier all of these ebooks are DRM-free. If you're not familiar with some of these books or some of these authors, that's okay. If you click on the book's picture on the site you can pull up a description of book as well as some reviews to help you decide. You get both the epub and mobi files so you can read them on any device. Plus, when you buy the bundle you also have the opportunity to donate a portion of the proceeds to The Challenger Center For Space Education. You can find out more about the Challenger Center here. Their work is so important so please consider donating to them.

This bundle is only available until September 20th so don't wait. Get it now!

The disapproving llama

You know those "you should be writing" memes with the scowling celebrities? As wonderful as those are, it occurred to me that they're not as effective as they're meant to be. When I first started writing I definitely needed the encouragement of others. That's why I asked Brandon Sanderson to sign my writing folder. Every time I opened it I would see this and be reminded that I really could do it.

I still need the occasional encouragement of others (one can never get enough) but since I don't use that folder anymore, I've switched to another method. The disapproving llama. You see, I know that I can finish writing a novel, I just need a reminder to actually sit down and do it. The llama's glare reminds me that I can't sell it if I don't finish it. In short, that I should be writing. This brings us back to the memes. It occurred to me that if a picture of a Hollywood celebrity can motivate people to write, why not one of their favorite authors? 

With that in mind, I took pictures of a few of my well known friends and favorites, looking disapprovingly, in the hope that others can find the motivation that they need to keep going -- especially since it's NaNoWriMo. And because I also have faith in you, I've included the disapproving llama in each shot. Feel free save these to your computer, send them to your writing group, tape a copy to your writing desk, or wherever it needs to be to remind you. I'll continue to take these pictures as I travel about and post them but this is the first set.

                                                    John A. Pitts says you should be writing.

                                                 Ken Scholes says you should be writing.

                                                    Jay Lake says you should be writing.

                                                Brent Weeks says you should be writing.

                                         Diana Pharoah Francis says you should be writing.

                                            David D. Levine says you should be writing.

                                               Devon Monk says you should be writing.

                                      Bryan Thomas Schmidt says you should be writing.

                                                Irene Radford says you should be writing.

Binging on Brandon's Books, A.K.A., the Bingerson

I binged on Brandon Sanderson this past week. I finished reading The Rithmatist, I saw Brandon at the PNBA (Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Association) trade show, went to his Powell's signing, Started reading Steelheart, and oh yeah, I had lunch with Brandon too. Good times, that.

It's always great to see Brandon and the Cedar Hills Powell's does such a wonderful job running their events. But I bet what you really want to hear about is the books.

The Rithmatist was a good read. I'm a bit surprised that it was released as a YA because the story felt more middle grade to me. It didn't diminish the story, it's just one of those weird publishing moves that I can't find a reasonable explanation for other than price point. Anyway...like I said, it's a good read. Even though it's been out for a few months I won't post any spoilers. Brandon did an excellent job, as usual, of explaining the magic system so that the reader doesn't need a geometry degree and the names of the various defenses are fun. The diagram of the Shoaff defense made me laugh out loud. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the revelation of the villain. It wasn't who I expected (even though it was foreshadowed). Normally that's a good thing because I'm well read enough that I can pick up on those clues. However, I still felt a bit cheated because it was like watching a new episode of Scooby Doo only to find out that the special guest was Harry Potter's muggle neighbour's former roommate.

What I found really interesting were the changes he made from the original. No, I haven't read the original draft, but I did read the first three chapters when he posted them on his website. I don't know if they're still there or if they were removed during the site's redesign. If they're not then check out 17th shard. If anyone has them they will. Anyhoo, the reason I bring up Scribbler (the original draft) is that it was fascinating being able to compare the two. The opening chapters were very different and I can see why he changed what he did. It made me sad that I don't have access to the full draft of Scribbler so I could compare and contrast the rest of the book. I'm really curious about what else he changed.

Steelheart is a very different book and I'm enjoying it a lot. I've only read the first half and I'm curious as to where he's going to take this series. Again, I'm not going to give out any spoilers. Since I haven't finished it that's pretty easy to do. In fact I'll hold off reviewing Steelheart until I've finished it. However, I will say that out of these two books I'd recommend Steelheart over The Rithmatist because it has some excellent violence and a Japanese supervillain. That's two happy buttons right there.

My Memories of Light

It's been long enough that I feel comfortable sharing my spoilerific thoughts on A Memory of Light. If you haven't finished reading it, feel free to bookmark the page and come back to this post.

Ready?


This is your last warning.


I took my sweet time reading it -- you don't rush the end of the world -- and I have no regrets and no complaints. I can't even complain about the 190 page chapter. This book lived up to the definition of Epic Fantasy. There were times when I had to stop reading and hug the book for a while because of how a passage or a chapter moved me. Likewise, there were parts like Rand and Matt's bickering in the garden, that made me laugh out loud. Though, I couldn't laugh too loud. I didn't want to spoil it for my mom (who still hasn't finished it) (Grr!).

I know some have criticized the series in general for being so battle heavy and so laden with tactics that it bogs the book down. I've never been one of those people. In fact, they're among my favorite scenes. The battle tactics used in the many assaults of the last battle made me squee. No, really. It did. I'm such an ancient battle nerd (it's one of the many hazards of being a fantasy writer) that I recognized strategy X as being one used at the battle of _______ by General So-and-so.

Ok, I have to take a moment to gush about the new passages from The Cycle of the Dragon and other prophesies. It was as if everything quoted before now was a warm up for these. They read like scripture. I want to frame each one and hang them on my wall. If I was any good at calligraphy, I would. 

I was upset that Egwene, Gawyn, Bela, and many others didn't live through the last battle but allowing everyone to live would have cheapened the moment and the battle. As much as I hate to say it, we needed to lose a few near and dear ones. Like all long time fans, I was as emotionally invested in the outcome of the battle as the characters. Seeing their lives come to an end in both glorious and terrible ways, made the battle more real. Their loss was my loss. When the time came for their part in the tale to end, I was ready to let them go. As for those who had near brushes with death, I'm so freaking happy that they were saved in time. Some people need to live for the happiness of all. Even Moridin.

Overall, I'm pleased with the end and the journey to it. In the end, everything made sense and everything had a purpose. No, I don't think Rand's fate was a cheat. It's only right that he get the chance to live a normal life, to be anonymous for a change. He's more than earned it. If he had died in the way the prophesies implied, the end would have been too dark. The forces of light won the battle, after all. A conclusion full of sadness and woe wouldn't have conveyed that. Not in the way that a man with a heart full of hope and an impossible spark does. Besides, there were still a couple of Min's prophesies that still needed to come to pass and we all know that her viewings are never wrong.

Oh, if any of you were wondering, I didn't need to rescue my copy from the land of lost things. I bought my mom her own copy. My copy is tucked away on the shelf with its brethren and that is where it will stay until it is time to let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

Upping the ante

Earlier this month I volunteered to lead a weekly group discussion on Brandon Sanderson's writing class lectures. The plan was to watch and discuss one lecture a week. It wasn't going to be a big time commitment and I could easily squeeze it in to my schedule. However, it occurred to me that since we were discussing the class lectures we could go one step further and really make it as authentic as possible. How? By re-creating his class.

Write About Dragons not only has video of all of Brandon's lectures, it outlines the course format. The key items that I proposed we re-create are the writing groups and the 50,000 word novel (or short story collection) over four months. Again, doing this wasn't going to be a big stretch since I needed to write that much on my WIP in order to finish it by my deadline. I also didn't expect anyone to jump for it since whenever I try to plan something I hear the Oregon symphonic cricket chorus sing their greatest hits. (It's more depressing than country western muzak. Trust me.)

It was at this time that life hit the fan and I had to drop half of my obligations so I could help with family stuff. No one died, it was just one of those things where it was all hands on deck crisis management and I just happened to have the most flexible schedule. Oh yeah, and I love my family. But since no ever comes to a party I organize I had no worries.

Well, this time I was happy to discover that I was wrong. Honestly, I shouldn't have doubted the group. We are writers and this is after all, what we do. But I was so astounded by the response...and the responsibility because oh-holy-fudge-monkeys, I have to run this thing. I tell you, I almost had kittens. For two days all I could think about was how in the world I was going to pull this off on top of everything else. That's when the most wonderful thing happened.

Someone volunteered to help.

The glorious song that filled the air at that moment killed the cricket chorus and made me the happiest non-thug on the West side. (Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration. However, no one can prove that I used a flamethrower on the crickets during my "Yay! I have help!" celebratory dance.) The joy didn't stop there. Others followed suit by answering questions for me while I was away being Super-Auntie. It was fantastic! If the tank on the flamethrower wasn't empty I would have performed another celebratory dance.

Now, any other person would say thank you and move on, but I just can't do that. You see, I'm accustomed to being the Lone Ranger. I rarely ask for help when I'm overwhelmed because when I have, that damned cricket chorus would rear their ugly heads and I'd end up doing it all myself anyway. Besides, my problems usually aren't as grave as others. I don't have Jay Lake's problems so my lot isn't really that bad and since it isn't that bad, I don't need assistance.

However, to have not just one but many people pinch hit for me last week -- without being asked -- is wondrous! It made me proud to be a writer and proud to be a member of the Superstars alumni because they're the ones who stepped up. I've written in the past about how we, as writers, need to stand together and support one another so we can whether the professional and personal storms that come our way. I never expected to be the recipient of such support so early in my career. The acts may have been small, but they were exactly what I needed in this tempest and, at least for me, proved the importance of  community. While this may be new to me, I can't wait until I can pay it forward. I'm going to have to wait because I'm still a bit overwhelmed and will be for a couple months. But when the storm has passed I will eagerly await an opportunity to pinch hit for someone else.

In the meantime, keep sharing the love and wisdom. (And the flamethrower fuel.)

The End of an Age

Last Friday I sat down with the intent of finishing my next Writers of the Future submission. I didn't. Why, you ask? Because I was distracted. I had a lot on my mind and needed to exorcise it in order to concentrate on what I really needed to do. The result of that exorcism was a very lengthy FB/G+ post that took me three hours to write. Yes, that's a lot of time for a relatively short piece but this was free written (which always takes me longer) and I had to sift through a lot of thoughts, memories, and emotions to get to the heart of the matter. I don't regret spending that time on this modern soliloquy, nor do I look on it as indulgent or wasteful. As I said before, I needed to give these thought and emotions time to run their course. A little meditation is good for the soul, and I believe it's good for art as well. It's hard to focus and create anything worthwhile when you're troubled. Even though the deadline was looming, by writing that post, I did exactly what I needed to do at that very moment. And you know what? After I'd finished it I was able to complete my submission by the deadline without any difficulty.

So, in case you missed it, here it is:


The End of an Age 

There's a hole on my bookshelf. I made that hole Tuesday night. It's the spot that A Memory of Light will occupy after I've bought it, read it, savored it, gotten it signed, loaned it to my mother, and rescued it from The Land of Misplaced Things (aka mom's reading nook). When Towers of Midnight came out it took about two months for that string of events to run its course. However, this time will be different because this will be the last time. 

This is the last anticipatory hole on the shelf, the last time the dragon banner will ride the wind, and the last time I'll be able to pester my mother to read faster so I can talk about what Mat and Rand did. For the last fifteen years, this has been the perennial cycle.

Light! I've waited fifteen years for the end of the world. 

Like many other fans, I want it to come tomorrow and I don't want it to come at all. I desperately want to know what happens but I don't want the journey to be over. The dichotomy is maddening. 

Yes, there are other series that I love in a similar fashion, that they will see me through life's dark days like the Wheel of Time did and there will be other books that I will anticipate in a similar fashion. But this ritualistic string of events is specific to the Wheel of Time. In a way, it's the turning of my wheel. 

Perhaps that's the reason why I'm so troubled by this. "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass..." isn't just a lyrical metaphor for life, it's become a way for me to define the stages of my life. And even though my wheel will continue to turn, the completion of the fictional wheel's revolution is killing a hope that I've unknowingly carried since Robert Jordan's death. That hope being that the series, having survived an untimely death, would somehow continue past it's completion. 

I've read the statements and heard Brandon comment on this at book signings and other events. I know it's not very likely that a companion series will ever see the light and I'm okay with that. Really, I am. The last thing I want is for The Wheel of Time to become a serialized fan fic. There's nothing wrong in harboring a little fan girl hope for another adventure, and likewise there's no harm in letting an Age pass at its appointed time. The series isn't going to disappear off the face of the earth. It will live on, I suspect, in the same fashion as The Lord of the Rings. Future generations will journey with Rand, Mat, Perrin, and the others and when they say "Wow! That was the coolest thing ever!" we'll smile and say "Keep reading. It gets better."

My life has been graced by these 14 tomes. They've changed the way I look at fiction, writing, and the world in general. Instead of regarding January 8th as the end of an Age, I should look on it as the beginning of a new one. A new age where I take my altered vision and use it as only a writer can to inspire others in the same fashion.

In the spirit of this epiphany, I wish to say this: 

In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, the Wheel of Time rose from the grave and found a new home in the hearts of men. There it continued to turn through the generations because after all, there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. 

Together we stand, together we fall

Ahh, December. That wonderful time of year when good (and not so good) boys and girls start flooding Santa's inbox with requests for the funds to attend all the wonderful Cons, workshops, and seminars that will take place next year. If I can put my two cents in, anyone that is serious about writing should seriously consider going to the Superstars Writing Seminar. I know I've talked about it in the past but I can't emphasize enough how much I learned and gained from this seminar. If my previous post about it (To the Stars and Back) wasn't enough to convince you than perhaps a couple videos will persuade you.

This seminar isn't just for those who have already published a work or two. This is for everyone who wants to make a living as a writer. Need to revitalize your career as a mid-list author? Go to Superstars. Want to know how to make money without being screwed by a big publisher? Go to Superstars. Want to be inspired? Go to Superstars. Want to make friends in the industry? Go to Superstars. Want to be surrounded by familiar faces at WorldCon? Go to Superstars.

This isn't one of those seminars that hammers information into your brain and leaves you scared and exhausted at the end of the day. This is a friendly seminar. Don't mistake me, they do cover a lot of topics in a short amount of time. Brandon Sanderson likened it to drinking from a fire hydrant and he was right. I'm still digesting the information in the copious amount of notes I took. My point is that no one there is judgmental. When I signed up last year I was invited to join the Facebook group so not only were the returning attendees already acquainted, but new attendees like myself were as well.

The whole point of this seminar is to strengthen the writing community by gathering together writers of all walks of life and experiences so that we can learn from each other and be better -- better writers, better businesspeople, and more well connected. Because after all, we are colleagues. If we're going to survive in this ever changing market and keep it alive, we have to band together.


                                                      So go ahead and sign up already!

Click to register

To the stars and back

Last week I promised you I would talk about the Superstars Writing Seminar and since I'm a woman of my word, I'm doing just that.

Ahem......

The seminar was freaking awesome!!!






What's that? You want details? I'm sorry, I can't do that. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  :)


Oh, alright. I'll give you more, but only because I'm a softie (and because it was freaking awesome).

If you're not already aware of what the seminar is, it's a nuts and bolts discussion of publishing presented by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Eric Flint, Dave Farland/Wolverton, Brandon Sanderson, and a few guest speakers. This year the guest speakers were James A. Owen (the A stands for awesome), Dean Wesley Smith, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (who unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute).

I want to make sure that you noticed that this seminar is chiefly about publishing and not writing. We did briefly touch on the subject of writing but the primary focus of this seminar is publishing, which is why this seminar is so essential. The industry is changing so fast and if you don't know how to navigate the changing labyrinth, you're going to become someone's lunch.

Don't become someone's lunch.

If you're writing for your own enjoyment, then this seminar isn't for you. But if you're like me and want to make money doing what you love, then you need to pay attention to what these seasoned professionals have to say -- and believe me, they have a lot to say. I have 18 pages of notes.

If you're allergic to people and learning about publishing is more than enough awesome for you, then follow the link (http://superstarswritingseminars.com/index.php/dvds-a-mp3s) and buy the discs. If you want the full freaking awesome experience then you need to pull out the credit card and attend in person because the best parts of the seminar happen between the lectures. That's when you network.

This is one of the best and easiest places to network. There's a private Facebook group so we could get acquainted before we arrived (and stay in contact after we left) so many of us didn't need to break the ice. As for the attendees we didn't know, we learned really fast that asking "what do you write?" was the perfect ice breaker. During the seminar there were many short breaks, in addition to meal times and BarCon which gave us ample opportunity to break said ice and converse.

I don't want you to think that it was just the attendees getting geeky together. The pros were there too.  And honestly, if you go and don't ask at least one of the speakers to join you for a meal, you're missing out. Some of the best discussions with the pros happened after hours.

If you've been debating about going to a seminar, I highly recommend this one. Yes, it's expensive, but it's tax deductible and worth every penny. The friends, contacts, and opportunities I gained from this experience made it more than worth the expense.

The Bacon Cat Theorem

As I wrote my first novel, I discovered that knowing the English language and its conjugation isn't enough. Our craft requires us to (at the very least) have a working knowledge of a wide set of topics. History, sociology, psychology, biology, chemistry, foreign languages, art, anatomy and physiology, technology, popular culture......the list goes on. In my opinion, this contributes to our "oddness".

To be less polite, it makes us a bit wacko.

Not the "I'm going to stalk you until I know the sound of your farts" kind of wacko, but the lovable eccentric kind of wacko. The Sheldon Cooper kind of wacko. Being wacko of course, leads us to develop unusual habits and the impulse to do unexplainable things. It makes us fall victim to the Bacon Cat Theorem.

What is the Bacon Cat Theorem?  I'm glad you asked.

The Bacon Cat Theorem of course gets its name from one of John Scalzi's more famous acts. (If you don't know what I'm talking about you can educate yourself here:http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/09/13/clearly-you-people-thought-i-was-kidding/) The theorem is thus:

Every great author has at least one habit, hobby, attribute, or something they did at band/summer camp that makes them stand out from the pack and therefore adds to their fame.


John Scalzi taping bacon to his cat clearly proves this theorem but for the sake of science I'll provide further proof. Mary Robinette Kowal composes (delightful) pornographic puppet construction tweets, Brandon Sanderson has an almost unholy love of macaroni and cheese, and Dan Wells occasionally signs books like a serial killer. (ok, maybe it was just that one time but it totally qualifies.)

Of course, you don't have to be a published author to fall prey to the Bacon Cat. My friend, and fellow writer, Sarah Parish is a hive mind and I conlag road rage. It's a reflex. (I also licked a slug at summer camp but it seems to be superfluous to have more than one Bacon Cat.) The simple fact that publication isn't a requirement of the theorem has led me to the conjecture that such a person has the potential of becoming a great author. However, until such a person achieves said greatness, this conjecture will remain unproven.

If you too are or know someone who is proof of this theorem and/or my conjecture, feel free to post it in the comments. I'd love to know.

Squeeables

First off, on Monday I attended SFWA's latest installment in the Northwest Reading Series. I was honored to hear Lilith Saintcrow, Ted Kosmatka, and Shanna Germain read from their excellent individual works. However, for me, the real event was after the reading. You see, I made a claim to a group of friends that I make the best pie. Since we were all going to be attending the reading, I offered to substantiate my claim. So after the reading I sliced my freshly baked country apple pie and shared it around. It's now official that I make the best pie.

On Tuesday night I had the opportunity to join Brandon Sanderson in his Google hangout with Google Play. (Squee!) You can watch the video here:

http://youtu.be/DsrA90wsTv8

Last night I met with some of my beta readers to collect their thoughts on my manuscript. One of them passed along the reaction of one of her sons. He read the manuscript and not only did he love it, he's also clamoring for the second book! That's the second biggest compliment my work has received. The biggest compliment was that this same young man was inspired to start writing a book of his own!

I am flabbergasted. To my knowledge, this is the first time that I've inspired anyone. It's a heady feeling. It makes me wonder who else I can inspire as I continue to write and seek publication. It's not something that I'd anticipated. I've been so focused on perfecting my work and establishing a writing career that it never occurred to me that others would see this small amount of progress as a huge accomplishment. That's because to them, it is a big accomplishment. They don't see the long road ahead of me, just how far I've come, and the opposite is true for me. I can't afford to look back because then I might sit on my laurels and not take that next step. I have to keep looking and moving forward if I'm ever going to make my goals a reality.

One of the things I love about the writing community is that we pass it forward. We share our knowledge and experiences, both good and bad, and we become stronger for it. Newer writers, like myself, can learn from the wisdom of the great masters and stand on the shoulders of giants. To this young man, I am such a giant and rather than be afraid of this new status, I'm embracing it. Why? Because just as my friends officially established me as the Queen of Pie, this young man has confirmed that I'm not a beginner anymore. I may be still standing on the shoulders of giants and gleaning wisdom from the masters, but I also have knowledge and experience that I can lend to those that follow me on the road to bestsellerdom.