“As seen in the New York Times” … and a lot of airports
This whole publication thing is crazy, man. I had to go into it realistic about the amount of media exposure my book would get. It’s necessary for sanity’s sake. I was gobsmacked that The Clockwork Dagger was featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR.com, and USA Today.
Now here’s a whole new level of mind-boggling: a review in the New York Times. It’s in the print edition published this past Sunday, too. Just… whoa.
Another cool thing has been brought to my attention by friends all over the country: The Clockwork Dagger is being sold in airport bookstores. It’s prominently featured on a small kiosk toward the top, and often as part of a “Buy 2 Get 3rd Book Free” deal. Don’t take my word on that–look for a deal sticker on the books!
So far, I know of it in these cities (I hope I haven’t forgotten one):
La Guardia
JFK
Charlotte
Raleigh-Durham
Houston
Seattle
Pittsburgh
Baltimore Washington
Chicago
Dallas-Fort Worth
If you see the book in an airport, please let me know! I love to see pics on Twitter or Facebook, or email me. I have yet to see it myself but I’ll certainly be on the look-out when I head to World Fantasy next week.
Read MoreEarthquake Day
I will always think of October 17th as earthquake day.
1989. I was nine, at home in Hanford. I was watching the 5 o’clock news on KSEE 24 out of Fresno with my mom and brother. We felt the earth move. We all looked at the hanging lamps; their sway confirmed that an earthquake had indeed occurred. When the news resumed after commercials, Bob Long and the other broadcaster mentioned they had felt something, too. The breaking news quickly shifted to San Francisco.
Today the news is all on Ebola and war and lots of other scary things. A new year, a new fear.
Moving on to more pleasant things…
J. Kathleen Cheney did a great interview with Jeremy Brett on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Archive at Texas A&M. This is of particular interest to me because I now have two earlier editorial drafts of The Clockwork Dagger at the Texas A&M archive. You can actually go into the Cushing Library and view my materials. As a library geek, this pleases me to no end.
My story “Hatchlings” can be read at Daily Science Fiction. It’s about the cruelty of children and the benefits of pet monsters. This one was inspired by Pokemon.
I also have two old favorites newly published as podcasts:
“Red Dust and Dancing Horses” at Escape Pod
“Reading Time” at Cast of Wonders, a podcast for teens
Also, I have a guest blog and excerpt from The Clockwork Dagger up at Coffee Time Romance.
Read MoreLinks of the Week
I’m still wandering about the internet, though not in the frantic style I was a few weeks ago (thank goodness!). I’ve actually been working on FICTION again. It feels good! These past few days, I tore apart a story I wrote back in August, one I mentally worked on for months because the subject matter intimidated me. That makes me feel even more accomplished now that it’s coming together.
I wrote another new story at the end of September, too. That one is being critiqued right now. I hope to start work on those edits soon. I love this later stage of revisions… once I figure out what I’m doing.
New poetry publications:
– “Grandfather and Granddaughter (Age 5),” Devilfish Review
– “Nisei” and “Seeds” (reprinted), Mythic Delirium Anthology; available in all formats
Socializing in happily geeky ways:
– SF Signal: Words We Learned From Genre Fiction
FOOOOOOOD:
– Over at the Holy Taco Church, I amp up the pumpkin spice goodness with Pumpkin Cheesecake Sopapillas, which use fast ingredients from the store.
Guest blogging about the book:
– “Romance in the Clockwork Dagger” at Reading Between the Wines
Really nice mentions of the book:
– Tor.com: Sleeps With Monsters: Books, Redux by Liz Bourke with a lovely mini review
A Clockwork Dagger and Crown Playlist
I’ve been asked about what music I listen to when I write, or what songs I associate with The Clockwork Dagger. I figure it’s only right to answer those questions with the actual songs.
When it comes to my healer characters like Octavia Leander, there’s one song that sums them up: “Hands” by Jewel.
My brain is a weird place (I can picture my husband laughing at this and saying, “That’s an understatement”). I can listen to music when I do rough drafts but not when I edit. When I wrote The Clockwork Crown in January, I relied heavily on a Pandora channel that mixed up songs related to Mumford and Sons, Bruce Hornsby, and Foo Fighters. This in turn introduced me to some great songs by Wailin’ Jennies and Avicii.
The Foo Fighters connection came about, oddly enough, because of the Phoenix Coyotes. We’re season ticket holders. Through the first part of the hockey season last year, they started every game with a great pumped-up video that spliced in team footage with the Foo Fighter’s song “The Pretender.” I was starting work on Crown then and this song really connected with me as Octavia’s mantra. It evokes her growing maturity and rage as she fights against soldiers and terrorists in her pursuit, as well as her own self as her powers grow in frightening ways.
I can’t ignore the inspiration for the Lady’s Tree, either: the Super Nintendo game Secret of Mana. The music from it stands out so well 20 years later. Here’s a gorgeous version of the title screen music as performed by my dear friend, Lauren the Flute.
Read MoreFinishing Off September
Over at Tor.com, I answer The Pop Quiz at the End of the Universe.
Looking a few months ahead, I am happy to announce that I’ll have a booksigning on December 6th from 1-3pm at the Metro Center Barnes & Noble in Phoenix. This is a more casual thing–no reading–but I’ll sit at a table and lure in people with cookies. If you’re in the area, please pencil in the date and drop by to say hi!
Meet My Character Blog Tour
I was tagged by my agent-sister Alyssa Goodnight to take part in the Meet My Character Blog Tour. Since I still have The Clockwork Dagger on my brain (gee, I wonder why?), I thought I’d talk about my heroine.
1.) What is the name of your character?
Octavia Leander.
2.) Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
She’s completely fictional, though inspired by medics, nurses, and corpsmen who have served in recent wars.
3.) When and where is the story set?
It’s set on a secondary world (based on Earth, but not Earth). The geography is based on the area around Seattle, Washington, and the time period is inspired by post-World War I Europe. The primary action is in a kingdom named Caskentia.
4.) What should we know about him/her?
Octavia was orphaned at age 12 when an enemy airship crashed atop her village. For the past ten years, she’s been mentored by Miss Percival at an academy for medicians in training. Much of that time has been spent in field hospitals at the front line of an endless war between Caskentia and the Waste. She has unusually powerful healing skills drawn from a world tree called the Lady.
5.) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Armistice has been declared–yet again–and Octavia is setting out to establish her own medical practice in a village. When her airship journey is plagued by murder and poison, it becomes clear that Octavia is the intended target.
6.) What is the personal goal of the character?
She wants a true home, a place to belong. Instead, her trip becomes a scramble to stay alive at all.
7.) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
The book is out as of the 16th! The Clockwork Dagger was published by Harper Voyager and it’s available everywhere. Here you can read the back cover copy and find links to many booksellers.
8.) When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published?
It’s out! It’s real! Wheeeee!
Writers, feel free to copy/paste the meme and continue it!
