Holiday Giveaway

mma arcs

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.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Round-up

inkirongglass_blogtour-banner

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

Pre-order Challenge!

IIG cover largeWe’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:

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Arisia schedule

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.

 

Arisia logo

Baltimore Book Fest schedule

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

baltimore book fest

SFWA Nebula Conference schedule

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!

 

Andre Norton Award recommendations for 2016

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.

star-touched queen and i darken labyrinth lost

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.

Ink, Iron, and Glass

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.

awards recommendations

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)