Category Archives: Writing

September 3, 2013 · 6:00 pm

WorldCon: The Aftermath Part I

Dear Lord, where do I even begin?

To be fair, attending WorldCon, a.k.a. LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, was not a life-changing experience. Becoming an author was, for sure, and the con was more part of that than anything else. (There are other experiences, by the way, that do rank much higher than becoming an author. Like becoming a husband and a father. Priorities, people!)

That said, my first WorldCon — my very first SF/F convention, in fact — was an excellent thing. If I were in a video game, there would’ve been an authorial “achievement unlocked” icon popping up over my head every five minutes. The SF/F community is supportive, welcoming, kind, funny…and can get its collective drink on like you wouldn’t believe.

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August 30, 2013 · 9:28 pm

Random thoughts on WorldCon so far

First off, I’m kind of exhausted, but very happy. WorldCon (more formally known as LoneStarCon 3) has been a lot of fun. I’ve met a lot of great fans, some really excellent authors and geeked out on all kinds of fun SF/F stuff. Here’s some experiences and observations:

The folks who attend WorldCon love this stuff. They are both intense fans of science fiction and fantasy, as well as bookworms of the highest order. This is very much a literary conference as well as a geek-fest. And as with most things geek, the debates are fun and passionate.
This whole shindig is driven by fans, not corporate types. My past convention experiences were back when I covered the tech industry as a journalist, and man, those were slick. Things here are definitely more homespun, but you can tell it’s driven by love, not profit.
It’s been fantastic finally meeting some awesome authors and bloggers in person, given that most interactions to date have been via Twitter and e-mail. I did a podcast interview with Patrick Hester (an excellent interviewer) of SFSignal and Functional Nerds fame, and it was refreshing to sit across a table from him. Same goes for ~~Shawn~~ Shaun Duke and Jen Zink of The Skiffy and Fanty Show, whom I dropped in on during a group ‘cast discussion. I could name drop all the authors here, but it would get gratuitous. Everyone’s been gracious and welcoming.
My panels were a lot of fun. It was great talking about the business end of things in this morning’s panel, and then getting all literary and geek this afternoon. The other panelists made me look great.
On a related note, I discovered that fans of science fiction in particular can be very discerning about what they read, and they know when the science is too fuzzy. I’m gonna have to give The Enceladus Crisis a very close reading before I release it to my editors!
I think my favorite moment was when I introduced myself to the “first time publishing surprises” panel and noted that The Daedalus Incident just came out three weeks ago. I got a spontaneous round of applause. That was really, really lovely. To everyone who was attending that panel, thank you!

There’s more — the Booksworn & Friends party was probably the loudest, most alcohol-fueled fest I’ve attended since college, and was huge fun — but I’ll save it for later. I’m having a blast, and there’s still two more full days left!

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August 25, 2013 · 10:25 am

Virtual reading and Q&A this Tuesday night!

I’m back from California…and about to turn right around and head to San Antonio for the 71st annual WorldCon. (My schedule’s here, by the way.) But before I head out for five days of geekery, I’ll be doing a virtual Shindig event this Tuesday night for those who either can’t make it to San Antonio or who simply just can’t wait.

The Shindig event starts at 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. All you have to do is click here to RSVP; you’ll get an e-mail reminder just before the event itself. Then all you have to do is surf on over and say hi. (You’re gonna need a Flash-enabled device to participate…sorry, iPad users.) I’ll be talking about The Daedalus Incident and reading a never-before-read-or-excerpted part of the book just for Shindig participants. This will also be your first chance to ask about The Enceladus Crisis, the sequel to Daedalus coming out this spring.

You can also ask about the whole Night Shade Books brouhaha that delayed Daedalus from its previously scheduled May 7 launch, though I think I did a pretty good job covering that in this guest post on Stefan Raets’ blog. I’ve been wanting to do a big what-the-heck-happened piece on the Night Shade/Skyhorse thing, and when Stefan expressed interest, I figured it was as good a time as any. So check out the post, and if you still have questions after that, come ask them Tuesday night!

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August 20, 2013 · 1:18 pm

Thinking about historical fantasy

Now that I have a couple more books under contract, I’ve been thinking about my writing lately in terms of career arc. Seems silly, of course, with The Daedalus Incident finally launched last week. But the good folks at Skyhorse Publishing want The Enceladus Crisis and a follow-up for release next year, and that leads to thoughts of…well, what happens after that.

Great question. But when I think about the various things I’ve wanted to write about, it really comes back to historical fantasy of one stripe or another. That’s the subject of my guest post today at the blog of Anne Lyle, author of The Alchemist of Souls, The Merchant of Dreams and The Prince of Lies. Anne’s Elizabethan-era historical fantasy trilogy is all kinds of awesome, and I’m honored to come on her blog to talk about our shared subgenre.

The guest post also features some (admittedly tangential) thinking about the future of the Daedalus setting. While not strictly spoilery, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the questions I pose in the blog get answered in the months ahead. So check it out!

While I’m here, I wanted to thank everyone who not only picked up a copy of The Daedalus Incident in print, ebook and/or audio, but also took the time to write up a review. It’s really heartening to see the reception to the book so far. Definitely fuels the drive to keep writing the next one!

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August 18, 2013 · 7:30 am

Daedalus acknowledgements

After a very long, long wait, The Daedalus Incident is finally available in stores and across formats. It’s been such a long wait, in fact, that I signed a deal to write two sequels while I was waiting…and the acknowledgements for Daedalus I wrote nearly six months ago should probably be updated. I didn’t get a chance to do that before the book went to press — we really wanted to meet our deadlines — but hey, that’s why the Internet is awesome. That, and cat pictures.

Below is the acknowledgements that appear in the back of the book. After that, you’ll see an addendum for all the folks who helped bring this book out during some very interesting times….!

***

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August 15, 2013 · 9:59 am

The quest to find my book in a store

Well, of course, I had to make a pilgrimage to see my book in the wild, as it were. The fact that I waited a day shows, I think, a strong sense of restraint.

Yesterday, my daughter and I went to the Barnes & Noble in Glendale, Calif., (a retail Mecca if there ever was one) and made a bee-line for the Science Fiction & Fantasy section. I scoured the new releases shelves…

…nothing.

Then we looked through the rest of the section. Nothing.

Well, OK, I thought. Maybe they haven’t put it out yet.

“Or maybe it already sold out,” Anna said. That made me feel slightly better, but I had my doubts.

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August 14, 2013 · 7:00 pm

Daedalus excerpted on io9, plus outlining in Excel

I have to say, io9.com is one of my favorite websites ever, and not just because they ran an excerpt of The Daedalus Incident there today. They pretty much own geek-related news, and their cultural criticism is top notch. I’m hugely excited to have a bit of my book on there. Many thanks to Charlie Jane Anders for making it happen!

Also today, as The Daedalus Incident enters its second day of being officially released, I gave away one of my writer secrets over on Janice Hardy’s outstanding blog for writers. The secret? I use Excel for outlining.

OK, granted, not a huge secret. Probably not worth the build up. But really, I couldn’t have written Daedalus without it. And you should see the spreadsheet I have for The Enceladus Crisis! Anyway, I talk more about how I use Excel over at Janice’s blog, and she’s also running a Daedalus Incident giveaway as well. So if you’re of a mind to outline and want to win a copy of the book, check it out.

And finally…thank you, everyone, for all the congratulations and well wishes for the Daedalus launch. It’s frankly quite a relief to see it out there, and I’m really heartened to see the great reviews and such, along with actual evidence that people are, you know, buying it. Hope you’re enjoying it!

#SFWApro

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August 13, 2013 · 12:03 pm

Today, Daedalus finally sets sail

Sure, lots of folks have already gotten copies of The Daedalus Incident in bookstores and online, but since today was the last announced release date — for a book that has had many such dates come and go — I’m calling it. THIS IS THE DAY.

That means Daedalus is now available in print, e-book and Audible audiobook. The latter is new today, and I’m particularly happy with how it’s been received — it’s even been charted as a “hot future release” on the U.K. Amazon site. To all of you who ordered whichever edition, thank you so much. You’ve made this debut author very happy.

So how am I celebrating? Well, for one, I’m guest blogging today at the Big Kahuna of all guest blogs — The Big Idea on John Scalzi’s Whatever. John has been paying it forward for years, helping newbies like me get the word about about their work. Thanks for having me, John.

Also, I’m on the Skiffy and Fanty podcast, talking about Daedalus. (It was recorded before news of The Enceladus Crisis and its sequel broke, so no spoilers there, sorry!) Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer were awesome hosts, and it was a really great, really funny interview.

Tonight, my wife, kid and I are heading out to dinner here in L.A. to celebrate the final launch, as well as the announcement that I get to write two more. L.A. is a fantastic restaurant town — better than New York in some respects. Joints here are generally more creative, laid-back and less expensive. And mighty tasty, too.

And finally, I’ll be cracking open my 2006 Brooklyn Brewery Monster Ale, which I’ve been saving for something special. In fact, I brought it all the way to L.A. from Jersey for the occasion. Given that it’s a 10.1% alcohol-by-volume adult beverage, that’ll be the last thing I do, most likely, before calling it a day. A very good day, in fact.

#SFWApro

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August 11, 2013 · 7:30 pm

Announcing The Enceladus Crisis! (and another book, too)

I’ve been sitting on this for a while now, which has been hard given that most interviews I’ve done for The Daedalus Incident have included that wonderful “what’s next for you/what are you writing now” question.

I’m writing…The Enceladus Crisis. And it’s coming out spring 2014 from Skyhorse Publishing, along with a third book due out late next year.

As Publishers Weekly reported over the weekend, I’ve “re-upped” with Skyhorse for the second and third books in what is now the Daedalus series. If you’ve read The Daedalus Incident (or just skipped to the very end), you know I ended the story therein quite affirmatively, but left open the possibility of much, much more. Now I get to keep playing in the odd little sandbox I’ve created, and that brings me a lot of joy.

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August 9, 2013 · 5:30 pm

Publishers Weekly Radio and Girls in Capes!

Got a couple of really fun items that went live today. First off, Rose Fox and Mark Rotella interviewed me on the latest edition of Publishers Weekly Radio. We talked about The Daedalus Incident, heroic science fiction, and some of the stuff that went down at Night Shade Books — and why I’m grateful for how it all turned out in the end. Click on the link above to give it a listen; I come in about 11:30 into the podcast.

Also, I’m a guest over at Girls in Capes today, where I wrote about creating female characters as a male author. As I said up front in the piece, I don’t have all the answers, but I’d like to think I gave it my best shot. Girls in Capes is a really great, thoughtful site dedicated to women, men and minorities in geek culture. Be sure to check it out.

There’s only a few days until the official release date of The Daedalus Incident, and I’m really gratified at the response the book has gotten. With Amazon and B&N shipping the book already, it’s already been spotted out in the wild, but Tuesday is still the official date. That’s when the Audible audiobook becomes available, and ideally you’ll start to see it in stores. It’ll be a great end to a long road.

I also have some nifty things coming up next week to celebrate, so be sure to check back here!

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