To celebrate the opening of Balticon 47 . . .

. . . there’s nothing like a cover reveal!  I am in love with what Derek Murphy of Creativindie Covers has done to capture the essence of Incorrigible.

The Next Big Thing – Work in Progress

Hello, folks.

I’ve been tagged for a “chain blog.”  It’s called THE NEXT BIG THING – WORK IN PROGRESS, and it’s an opportunity for writers to share with you a little bit about the work they’re currently doing and then tag other writers who will do the same.

I want to thank TS Gwilliam, who tagged me.

She was tagged by Kate Thompson.

I’ve linked to their blog posts, and I hope you’ll drop in and read them and get to know these authors.  At the end of my answers, I’ll tell you who I’m tagging and why.

Here we go!

1. What is the working title of your next book?

Discordant: Kin Foreign & Familiar

Wait.  I’m not done!  I’m not known for short titles, as you can see.

Discordant is Book 2 of The Staves of Warrant trilogy.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Because it’s Book 2, Discordant was a natural offshoot of developing the storyline for Book 1, Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present.

The idea for the overarching story evolved over a period of about 4-5 years as I played with writing the story as a fantasy before the speculative nature of the tale finally smacked me in the face.  As I toyed with the word “warrant” and the concept of worlds that changed (I’m a big fan of philosophies of change), I began to imagine a “universe” (for lack of a more accurate term) of Shifting Worlds.  I linked that with a character who was a shape shifter (albeit a very lousy one) and the multiple definitions of the word “warrant,” and lo and behold, all kinds of WHAT IFs started popping into my head.

The settings and themes for Discordant also evolved over time, but from some research I did on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (in Carlisle, Pennsylvania) and the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.  Again, all of the WHAT IFs started haunting me, and so I decided to address them in the second book of what I knew would be multiple books.  The story of the Staves of Warrant and the exploration of the Shifting Worlds universe just couldn’t be told in a single novel (unless it was the size of War and Peace … on steroids).

3. What genre does your book fall under?

It’s epic speculative fiction, science fantasy to be specific.  As of right now, the plan is to release the novel in episodes, like I am doing with Incorrigible.  If that plan works out, Discordant will be released in three parts.

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Gosh.  I hadn’t given that a bit of thought, but I’ll give it a shot.  For Grainne, I’d choose a tall actress, so maybe Caitlyn Larimore or Suzie Plakson, either of whom could pull off the lead role of a female character who grows into her own skin, so to speak.  For Fenn, who is even taller than Grainne, I’d choose Liam Neeson. I’d love to see him in a role that involves magic in the way it does for Fenn.  I’d drool over Johnny Depp (for whom my desktop computer is named), but Mr. Depp isn’t right for that role.  He might make an interesting Paidraigh Keenan, though.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Even pacifists have their limits.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It will be self-published in digital format as episodes and then in digital and print formats once all of the episodes have been released.  All of my works are published by my own company, Bookmite Press.

7. How long did/will it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About 30 writing days, so slightly longer than it did for Incorrigible, which was written in a month (about 25 writing days) from an apartment looking out at the spires of Lincoln Cathedral in England.  I’m an outliner, so I have a good idea of where the story’s going before I start writing.  Then, the muse takes over, and I puke out a first draft.  After that, I may spend months revising before I’m comfortable sending it to critique partners and beta readers.  Then, I revise again like a madwoman until I am sick of it but can live with it out in the world.  Drafts are the easy part for me.  Revision is sometimes fun and sometimes painful, but always the hard work of writing.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hmm.  I’m not sure there’s another book out there like Discordant, though it does have elements that other novels have.  For instance, it has women protagonists who walk between worlds, like the women in Charles Stross’ The Merchant Princes series.  It’s a cross-over novel, like those of Rosemary Kirstein’s Steerswoman series.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I mentioned earlier, this novel is part of a series, and I was initially inspired to tell the story of a woman whose life didn’t turn out quite the way she’d planned. I wanted to show how the world changed around her and how she found strength, despite adversity, to make a socially responsible difference in the lives of those whom social systems and governments treat with indifference and disregard.  But I wanted to say all of that through a story, not a lecture.

I think the world of fiction needs female characters who are strong but also flawed because that’s realistic.  Yes, bad things happen to them sometimes because that’s the state of the world, and I’m not sugar-coating those conditions with prettiness and nice.  Growing up, I had a strong, positive role model in my grandmother, who had experienced sickening social injustices, including being married off to a man more than twice her age when she was only twelve years old.  After she died, I learned she had been a bootlegger during the Depression, because that was the only way she could make money to feed her eight children.  I want readers to meet some women I believe my grandmother would have liked.  Discordant has some of those women in it.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

Hmmm.  My one hint at the plot would be that readers will find out if the person who dies near the end of Incorrigible was a real person or a ka.  Evil of me, huh?

Discordant is narrated from the point of view of multiple characters.  That’s one of the fun things about it.  Readers can get into the minds of several characters who are very different from each other.  At least one of those narrators is not what s/he appears to be, but readers will have to figure out which one that is.  Yes, I am evil to the core.

As a genre-bender, Discordant takes readers on a ride through fantasy and through science fiction.  The Shifting Worlds universe has numerous settings, ranging from medieval to dystopian and from fantasy to high-tech.  The story gives readers pieces of a puzzle that ultimately link all of those settings together.

And now it’s tag time!

I’m tagging Sabrina Vourvoulias, author of Ink, a speculative fiction novel I’ll be reviewing on World Enough and Time in the near future because it is an amazing and terrifying story that every American adult should read.  Sabrina’s blog, Following the Lede, is where you’ll find her Next Big Thing post on April 25^th, but don’t wait until then to look at her blog.  It’s full of fascinating posts and honest reviews.  Get to know Sabrina.  Her posts are worth your reading time.

I’m tagging Brian Rathbone, author of the World of Godsland fantasy series and a real-life horse guy (No, HE isn’t a horse.  He HAS horses and loves them.).  Brian is one of the friendliest, most hard-working authors I’ve “met” through social media. Be sure to visit Brian’s blog, where you’ll find all kinds of cool things, including free audiobooks and downloads.  Brian’s Next Big Thing post will appear on April 25^th.

Enjoy!!

Mo

I may be a dork, but . . .

. . . I am a happy dork!

It’s hard not to smile when my publisher, Bookmite Press (that’s the serial publishing house I founded), tells me Derek Murphy will be designing the covers for The Staves of Warrant trilogy!  I had a gut feeling about Derek, but when I found out he attends literary theory conventions, I knew Serendipity was at work yet again in my writing life.  I couldn’t be more pleased to be part of a publisher/author/designer threesome team with Derek.  I feel like I have to make all my books spectacular enough to live up to his cover designs.  Oddly enough, that’s truly inspiring.

The first two episodes of Book One – Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present – will be available in May . . . of this year! . . . with the final two episodes following in June and July.

 

Science Fantasy (Part 2): An Expedition

In Part 2 of this blog’s exploration of science fantasy, I’ve decided to send readers on an 8-stop expedition.  You’ll probably find, as I did, that discussions about science fantasy are, for lack of a better phrase, muddy water.   I encourage you to comment on the blogs you visit and become involved in the discussion.  Please do bring your impressions and opinions back here to discuss them, too.

Stop #1 on the expedition: a codified definition of science fantasy

• The online Encyclopedia of Science Fiction offers a definition of science fantasy that includes a list of famous authors in this sub-genre.

Stops #2-8 on the expedition:  Blogs

Below are links to blogs that discuss science fantasy and science fantasy books (in posted date order)

• “Science Fiction and Science Fantasy, The Difference” (Dec. 2, 2010) from The Odd Blog: Geeks – Games – Greatness by Ian Campbell
• “An Ode to Science Fantasy” (March 30, 2011) a guest post by Heather Massey from Tia Nevitt: anywhere but here, anywhen but now blog by Tia Nevitt
• “Fantasy versus Science Fiction” (May 22, 2011) from Dave Leigh’s blog, Ruminations: opinions, thoughts, and recommendations
• “Artemis Fowl: Science Fantasy” (Oct. 4, 2011) from Sarita’s Book Blog by Sarita Rucker
• “Books: Exploring Science Fantasy” (May 21, 2012) from Siri Paulson’s Blog: everyday enchantments by Siri Paulson
• “Good Example of Science Fantasy” (June 30, 2012) from Linda Frankel’s The Unmasked Personna’s Reviews
• “The Sci-Fa genre, Star Wars, and The Silver Sphere” (Dec. 5, 2012) from Michael Dadich’s Blog at Goodreads

Science Fantasy (Part 1): Trending Now?

“Please engage your safety harnesses.  We must charge into the belly of the beast.”

Cliches abounding, my quote pokes fun at science fantasy, the illicit lovechild sub-genre of science fiction and fantasy.  I can do that.  I write science fantasy.  Poking fun at science fantasy is as close to being Black and saying the “N” word as I’ll ever come.  And it’s as good a place as any to start a conversation about a sub-genre that is too-little discussed and too-much maligned.

Why science fantasy instead of science fiction or fantasy?

Opinion is divided about the value of science fantasy.  On the one hand, notables like Margaret Atwood extol the hegemony-breaking virtues of genre-b(l)ending.  Not everyone agrees with Atwood’s position, however.  Some folks like their genres distinct.  For these writers/readers, science fiction is science fiction, and fantasy is fantasy, and ne’er the ‘twain shall meet . . . nor should they.

I can understand and respect both pro-blending and pro-boundary-enforcement.  However, I would also classify both positions as extremes on a spectrum of possibilities in genre definitions.  Extremes can be fun and useful in writing, but the grey area between them is the very stuff that science fantasy (and almost all great literature of all genres) is made of, particularly when one adds dimension to the grey area.

Dimension is exactly what author Randy Henderson provides in his definition of science fantasy (which he calls “the poor bastard child of science fiction”) in a 2010 article for Fantasy Magazine (Read Randy’s Article).  Henderson defines science fantasy as the third layer of science fiction, following hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi on a scale of decreasing scientific possibility and increasing non-scientific impossibility.  According to Henderson,

” . . . if the story includes a mix of possible science fiction (i.e. scientifically possible future or alternate events or technology) and something that is impossible (no matter how plausible the author makes it sound), then it is science fantasy.”

***As a side note with delectable paranoia potential, Fantasy Magazine merged with Lightspeed in 2012.  Following the joint-genre bookstore categorization Henderson mentions in his article, the resulting online magazine (Lightspeed) includes material from and about both genres in roughly equal proportions in each issue.  One wonders which category a science fantasy story would fall under for purposes of balancing an issue’s content.

What kind of recognition does science fantasy get today?

Not much, and not much that’s been positive.  That’s not to say science fantasy hasn’t had some press recently, and it hasn’t all been the kind that sends science fantasy writers into dark places.  At the October 2012 International Festival of Authors, this sub-genre was the topic of a roundtable discussion, “From Science to Fiction.”  (Read the synopsis and panel member bios)  It’s actually quite an honor for the sub-genre to be chosen for a Roundtable Discussion at all, given the huge number of topics falling under the conference theme of “the fantastical.”

I take that as an encouraging sign for science fantasy.  I feel similarly encouraged by the film adaptations and box-office success of science-fantasy novels like Cloud Atlas and The Life of Pi.

What do you think?

Serendipitous writing!

Mo

 

1. Is publishing starting to pay more attention to science fantasy?  If so, why do you think that is?  If not, why not?

2. Is science fantasy trending now?  
3. What genre-b(l)enders stand out for you?