Category Archives: Books

Updates from Nebula Awards Weekend

Hello from San Jose! I’m here for the Nebula Awards Weekend, and it’s already been a lot of fun. I’m continually impressed by how welcoming folks have been to the new kid on the block.

Since I’m helping out a bit with the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America’s publicity efforts this weekend, I was invited to join a small group of folks for dinner last night with SFWA Grand Masters Connie Willis and Gene Wolfe. Both are amazing writers, but perhaps more importantly, they’re just lovely people to be around. It was an honor to meet them both. They then went on to do great readings and an interesting discussion at SF in SF here.

As it turns out, The Daedalus Incident is a known quantity around here, and people seem quite interested in it, which is really gratifying to see. I mean, one person said, “Oh, you’re the guy with the book in limbo.” Yes, yes I am. But you HAVE heard of it. So that’s something, right?

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Library Journal names Daedalus SF/F debut of the month!

I admit, this floored me.

The Daedalus Incident has been named the science fiction/fantasy debut of the month by the folks at Library Journal, complete with a starred review. Their verdict:

Martinez’s debut is a triumph of genre-blending, as steampunk adventure merges with modern space opera. With a cast of superbly drawn characters, Martinez’s title is a mesmerizing tale of two universes that briefly cross paths, leaving both worlds forever changed.

I have no words for this one, other than thank you, Library Journal. Just…wow.

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This week’s guest posts: Names and movies

Still no news on the publishing front, but rest assured, I’ll let everyone know where things stand as soon as I find out. These things take time, and all I can say right now is that I remain cautiously optimistic.

In the meantime, I’ve been invited into other folks’ digital space again. Over on Abhinav Jain’s blog, Angels of Retribution, I’m participating in his unique series of guest posts, “Names: A New Perspective.” In my post, I discuss naming conventions in The Daedalus Incident and also let rip with a few minor spoilers. Check it out!

And the good people over at SFSignal allowed me to contribute to a new mind meld on this year’s genre movie slate. Read about my boycott of apocalypses and dystopias, and my questions about Man of Steel.

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The Daedalus Incident reviewed on Fantasy Faction

I don’t think waking up to good reviews will ever get old. This one, though, is pretty special.

Dan Hanks took on The Daedalus Incident over on Fantasy Faction this morning, and really liked it: he gave it nine out of 10 stars. Here’s a snippet of what he had to say.

The HMS Daedalus sails a ballsy, brilliant and at times breathtaking universe and you get to tag along for the ride. I can’t speak highly enough of what the author has created here. Don’t hesitate in signing up.

What makes this review special is that Dan really nailed the strengths and, yes, the weaknesses of the book, to the point where I have to wonder exactly how long Mr. Hanks has been in residence inside my writer-brain. Also, Dan lives in England and yet did not see fit to dock me for mucking about in his nation’s long and glorious history.

Fantasy Faction is an excellent genre fan community, and if you’ve not checked it out…why haven’t you? Thanks to Dan and Fantasy Faction for a thoughtful, awesome review!

Now if we can just get a release date nailed down, we’d be all set!

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Daedalus delayed due to ongoing Night Shade acquisiton deal

While not strictly official, I figured it was obvious at this point, so I’ll put it out there. It’s all but certain The Daedalus Incident will not be released on May 7 as scheduled. While not ideal, it’s also not necessarily a bad thing. If all goes well, it actually could work out nicely.

As I posted a few weeks ago, Skyhorse Publishing is in the midst of acquiring the assets of my publisher, Night Shade Books. The contract for Daedalus is one such asset. While the deal has yet to close, and may still fall through, I’m cautiously optimistic that it’ll happen…just not in time to meet our original release date.

The Daedalus Incident was slated for release last fall, before the financial troubles that have plagued Night Shade for years finally came to a head. (For a really interesting take on Night Shade’s woes, I’d point you to Justin Landon’s excellent piece over on Staffer’s Book Review.) Skyhorse and Start Media came in to buy the assets so Night Shade’s owners could avoid bankruptcy.

Naturally, this occurred a month before Daedalus was due to be released.

The deal requires Night Shade authors to agree to the transfer of assets. I can’t and won’t speak for other authors, but I agreed to it, as it seemed the most likely way for Daedalus to hit shelves in the most timely manner possible. Timely, however, isn’t the same as on time, and that’s to be expected.

Here’s what I can say about a new release date as of right now. Continue reading

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Me and my agent: the Writer’s Digest writeup

If you’ve followed this blog at all, you know full well that I consider my literary agent, Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency, to be truly awesome. I’m really lucky to have her in my corner, especially with all the stuff surrounding Night Shade Books of late.

The story of how she became my agent is a pretty good one, and it’s featured in the May/June issue of Writer’s Digest, in the magazine’s regular “Breaking In” feature. It’s both exciting and a little humbling be in a magazine devoted to writers and writing, especially as a newbie. And Sara deserves all the kudos she gets for her hard work and good humor.

Of course, I would suggest that you run out and get a copy of the magazine, especially if you’re an aspiring writer, because it has lots of good stuff on writing and publishing besides my little bit. But I’ve also scanned the article in here because, well, I’m pretty stoked about it, and the cover of The Daedalus Incident just looks so nice in print.

Also, if you’re interested in how literary agents do their jobs and what goes into their decision making, you should follow Sara on Twitter. She does a lot of insightful, useful things there. Because, again, she’s awesome.

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First review of The Daedalus Incident!

A Tokyo street scene. For real.

Nothing beats jet lag like a great review.

We’re back from Japan after nine days in the land of the rising sun. It was definitely an amazing experience, and it came with the added bonus of catching up with one of my oldest friends, Andrew Logan Montgomery, who teaches English in Yokohama. If you’ve not read his writings, you should.

I was halfway into my second cup of coffee this morning to find the first major review of The Daedalus Incident had hit the Internet over on The Founding Fields, courtesy of Starhawk (a.k.a. Abhinav Jain). I won’t give it all away, but I will pull this snippet to whet your appetite.

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Last day for the Daedalus giveaway

What, you haven’t entered to win a preview copy of The Daedalus Incident over on Goodreads? Get clicking! Already, 450 of your closest friends have done it. You have less than 19 hours to enter!

Meantime, I’m guest blogging over at the Night Bazaar today, talking about realism in SF/F and ensuring that such works remain accessible and believable for readers. In writing Daedalus, I found that no matter how fantastical a work gets, it needs to be well-researched, authoritative and grounded. Check it out!

Some of you have asked about whether Daedalus will be available for pre-order in ebook form. Short answer: I don’t know. I’m sure it will be available as an ebook on May 7, but otherwise…well, I’m working on it. Meantime, if you’re on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and see those links requesting the Kindle/Nook version, click on ’em. Can’t hurt!

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The great Goodreads Daedalus giveaway

I’ve been sitting on two copies of The Daedalus Incident for a little while now, and I figured it was time to spread the wealth a bit. Thus, it’s time for a giveaway!

For folks who don’t know, Goodreads is a great social media site for folks who like books. Daedalus has a page there, and I have an author profile as well. Now, if you’re a member — and if you aren’t you can totally join up quite easily — you can enter the giveaway and possibly win a galley copy of the novel more than a month before it hits stores.

Just log in and click on this link, which will take you to the giveaway page. (You can also enter directly from the book’s page.)

The giveaway ends March 28, so you best get cracking!

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Advance praise for The Daedalus Incident

Not many folks have read The Daedalus Incident yet, but those that have, including a couple of extraordinarily talented authors, have liked it — so much so, they’ve even said nice things about it. To wit:

“A clever blend of genres that builds up to a fantastic, adventure filled ending.” — Jason M. Hough, author of The Darwin Elevator

And:

The Daedalus Incident is Master & Commander by way of Spelljammer smashed into an effortlessly believable 22nd century Martian mining project. Tremendous fun.” — Michael R. Underwood, author of Geekomancy and Celebromancy

Naturally, I find this amazingly cool and quite humbling. Thank you both, gentlemen, for the kind words and encouragement!

In other news, I’m back on The Night Bazaar today, and since we didn’t get a preassigned topic, I took on an article discussing the difficulties men have writing compelling female characters. Check out the post here.

Also, my SupaFi64 interview is now up on iTunes, and I expect the podcast archive online to be updated soon.

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