Advanced reader copies of Mist, Metal, and Ash have arrived, so it’s time for a giveaway!
To enter, buy a copy of Ink, Iron, and Glass to give as a gift this holiday season, and then fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Share the mad science fun with a friend or loved one, and get a chance to read the sequel early!
Giveaway is open internationally; winners outside the USA will receive an e-ARC instead of a paper copy.
Ink, Iron, and Glass is now officially out in the world! I’ve been touring around the blogosphere, so here’s where you can find out more:
| Literary Rambles | Interview: writing process and career |
| Novel Knight Book Reviews | Inspiration behind INK, IRON, AND GLASS |
| YA Wednesdays | Author fancast |
| What Book Hooked You? | Podcast interview: literary influences |
| Ex Libris Kate | Interview |
| Eating Authors | Guest post: most memorable meal |
| My Favorite Bit | Guest post: breaking history |
We’re only days away from the release date for Ink, Iron, and Glass, so to celebrate I’m giving away a unique steampunk necklace with matching earrings, handmade by me!
Read the book, win the author’s jewelry!
To enter, all you have to do is pre-order Ink, Iron, and Glass from the bookseller of your choice. Hang on to your receipt or confirmation email — I’ll ask the winner for a photo or screencap as proof of purchase. Open internationally (if you can buy the book in your region, you can enter the contest).
Extra entries for reviewers and book bloggers!
So without further ado, here’s the prize:
Very excited to attend Arisia (Jan 12-15) for the first time this year. I’ll be around Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and I’m always happy to chat with new writers and fans. Here’s where you can find me:
Friday, January 12th
5:30pm The Weird, Weird West
*Westworld* and *Wynonna Earp* are a couple of recent examples of a longtime trend in media towards mixing the classic cowboy setup with science fiction, horror, or fantasy elements. With *The Dark Tower*, *Jonah Hex*, *Firefly*, and countless more, we’ll piece together what it is about the Old West that lends itself so well to adding SF/F elements, as well as covering some of our favorites!
8:30pm Dragons!!!
Why do we love dragons so much? What things about dragons are consistent across different mythos, and what specific quirks of the dragons of different traditions most appeal to you? And we will hear from each of our panelists about what sort of dragon would they be and why!
Saturday, January 13th
11:30am Young Adult Fiction Reading
Authors will be reading from their own original works of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and even a few bedtime tales
Sunday, January 14th
11:30am You Got Your Science in My Magic
We often talk about science fiction, realism, and fantasy as separate things, but the genre borders are awfully fuzzy. In stories, what does magic look like in a modern setting? We’ll explore what happens when science collides with magic, especially when that magic isn’t rule-based, and books or movies where magic and non-handwavy science work together.
5:30pm In Praise of Villainesses and Antiheroines
We love villains. We love compelling, break-out, has a point villains and badass antiheroes who look cool and say cool one liners. The problem is, the list of those compelling bad (and sort of bad) guys are all… guys. Those femme-of-center villains and antiheroes that do appear often find themselves in the love-to-hate, rather than the hate-to-love. Our panelists will be exploring compelling villainesses and why they deserve more appreciation than they often receive.
Baltimore Book Festival is coming up soon, and I’ll be hanging around Saturday and Sunday (Sept 23rd and 24th) at the SFWA tent. If you’re in Baltimore, come say hello! We have an awesome program lined up for this year.
Here’s my schedule for the festival:
Saturday, September 23rd
12pm Dinosaurs, Diseases, & Dwarf Stars: Actual Science in Science Fiction
From eclipses to eoraptors, we’ll talk about great science in fiction. May the facts be with you! Authors: Gwendolyn Clare, Jack Clemons, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Vivian Shaw, Rosemary Claire Smith. Moderator: Scott H. Andrews
1pm Zombies Ate My Homework: Young Adult SF/F Issues and the SF/F Books to Go With Them
The teens of YA SF/F books face the same stuff as our world’s teens, PLUS problems with magic, monsters, and science run amok. Authors: Gwendolyn Clare, Carrie DiRisio, Kosoko Jackson, Daniel Jose Older, Sam J Miller, Moderator: Fran Wilde
2pm Signing
Gwendolyn Clare, Fran Wilde
Sunday, September 24th
3pm Hey, you punks! Steampunk, solarpunk, spypunk, dieselpunk
What does sticking __punk onto a genre mean, anyway: an aesthetic or a political stance? Our authors talk about a whole bunch of genres that will change the way you think (and maybe the way you dress). Authors: Gwendolyn Clare, Lara Elena Donnelly, Day al-Mohamed Moderator: Jon Skovron
I’ll be in Pittsburgh May 18-21st for the Nebula Conference run by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. It’s not just a fancy awards ceremony, but also a wonderful Con for pro writers and aspiring pro writers — probably the best in the genre. If you’re looking for ways to get serious about writing as a profession, come join us!
This year I’m on the programming, so you can definitely find me here:
Friday, May 19th
10am-10:30am (Marquis B) Global Climatology for Worldbuilders
The major patterns of climate here on Earth — including atmospheric and ocean currents — can be directly derived from basic physics principles. These patterns, along with the location and shape of continents, let us predict the types of ecosystems found anywhere on the globe. Sorry, Star Wars, no more single-ecosystem planets!
11:30am-12:30pm (Marquis C) Beyond Western Names
Writing diverse characters for Western markets can be a challenge when attempting to use traditional names for your characters. Authors may be asked to come up with shorter, easier to pronounce names for English speaking readers or give their characters English nicknames. In some cases, authors may be asked to give up on a traditional name altogether. Panelists can discuss ways to express diversity in their character names while still engaging an English speaking audience.
3:30pm-4:30pm (Marquis A) Balancing Mental Health and Deadlines
Starting with the understanding that the trope of the tortured artist is annoying, at best, and harmful at worst, the solitary life of a writer can exacerbate symptoms of mental illness. The stress of deadlines can interfere with productivity. What are some techniques or tools available to writers? What warning signs might a writer pay attention to as a sign of when it is time to get help?
You can also view the program in its entirety. By coincidence, all my programming items are on Friday, but I’ll be around for the whole Con, Thursday to Sunday. Hope to see you there!
Hey, SFWAns! As the award nominations deadline draws near, do you still have blank spaces on your Andre Norton ballot? Here are some last-minute recommendations for YA books you should check out.
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Probably the YA book with the most hype in adult fandom this year. In a fantasy world drawing from ancient India, Mayavati is cursed with an ill-starred horoscope. Magic, monsters, romance, and plenty of gorgeous prose! A good pick for fans of Novik’s Uprooted.
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
Cartography magic! Time travel twistiness! Family, identity, colonialism! Nix is a girl whose father wants to go back to 1868 Honolulu to prevent her mother’s death. Will she help him, even if doing so jeopardizes her own timeline?
On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis
When an asteroid impact devastates Europe, who is worth saving? Denise, an autistic teen, struggles to find her sister in the aftermath, and to earn places for herself and her family aboard the last generation ship leaving Earth.
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
A ruthless human girl and a gentle-hearted monster boy are thrown together in a gritty, magical, near-future metropolis. Schwab combines a fast-paced plot with masterful worldbuilding and deep characters.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
An alternate history re-imagining of Vlad Dracul as a girl. If you’re a fan of Griffith’s Hild, this is a must-read! Some might argue it’s more historical than speculative, but it’s awesome either way and worthy of consideration.
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Fans of Older’s Shadowshaper should check out this new take on brujas in Brooklyn. Alejandra’s family expects her to embrace her heritage as a powerful bruja–instead she casts a canto to get rid of her powers. But the spell backfires, and she must travel to the underworld to save her family.
The Reader by Traci Chee
In an illiterate fantasy world, Sefia sets out on a dangerous journey to rescue her aunt, guided by a book she’s only beginning to understand. Thieves, pirates, assassins! But also the power of the written word, making this a delightful read for fellow writers.
Timekeeper by Tara Sim
Another timey-wimey book, this one set against the backdrop of a steampunkish 1870’s London. Danny is a mechanical prodigy who repairs not just clock towers but time itself. His loyalties are tested when he falls for the mysterious boy who claims to be his new apprentice.
I’m so thrilled to share the news that my debut young-adult novel — Ink, Iron, and Glass — has sold to Macmillan/Imprint. Publishers Weekly has the official announcement here and here.
In a steampunk version of 19th-century Italy, seventeen-year-old Elsa has the ability to write new worlds into existence. She must enlist the help of a secret order and a handsome mechanist to rescue her mother and protect a dangerous object–a book with the power to edit the real world. Ink, Iron, and Glass is currently scheduled for a winter 2018 release.
Can’t wait until 2018? Don’t worry, you can get your fix over at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, where my short story “Nothing but the Sky” recently appeared.
So much awesome… 2015 was a great year for fiction, especially novels. This is by no means an exhaustive list of stuff I loved; I’m focusing here on works that seem a bit overlooked and deserving of more buzz than they’ve gotten. So without further ado, here are a few recommendations for awards consideration:
Short Stories
“Android Whores Can’t Cry” by Natalia Theodoridou
“Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” by Caroline M. Yoachim
“Language of Knives” by Haralambi Markov
Novelettes
“Fabulous Beasts” by Priya Sharma
“Grandmother-Nai-Leylit’s Cloth of Winds” by Rose Lemberg
Novels
Dark Orbit by Carolyn Ives Gilman
Planetfall by Emma Newman
The Just City by Jo Walton
YA (Norton Award)
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Court of Fives by Kate Elliott
No novellas to recommend at the moment because I am SO BEHIND on reading them. And to make matters worse, I’m already super-stoked to read these upcoming novels in 2016:
Steal the Sky by Megan O’Keefe (out now!)
Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (out now!)
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar (May)
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (May)
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (June)
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal (July)
