Gwenda

Life Imitating Art Imitating

4 Comments / Blackwood, Books / By /

Thanks to everyone who's sending me the Roanoke story (hat tip to Tiffany, who saw it first yesterday before the NYT picked it up) about a potential clue embedded in one of John White's maps: 

Theories abound about what happened to the so-called Lost Colony, ranging from sober scholarship to science fiction. Some historians believe that the colonists might have been absorbed into American Indian tribes. Other explanations point to darker fates, like disease, an attack by Spaniards or violence at the hands of Indians. The wild-eyed fringe hints at cannibalism and even alien abduction.

…

The analysis suggests that the symbol marking the fort was deliberately hidden, perhaps to shield it from espionage in the spy-riddled English court. An even more tantalizing hint of dark arts tints the map: the possibility that invisible ink may have marked the site all along.

The funny thing is (MINOR SPOILER) White's art and letters actually are a source of coded clues in Blackwood. Next thing you know, alchemists are going to be up in this business!

Dark arts, indeed.

p.s. You better hope my books aren't coming true, because the one I'm writing now… Let's just say, it wouldn't be good.

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Wednesday Hangovers

Hangovers / By /
  • Not enough time at the moment for an Actual Post, so links! Turns out that taking off a week to confab with amazing writers is seriously inspirational, and I'm deep into the fictional swamp at this point…and playing catch-up on other work that piled up while off in the bat cave. But, wow, wow, I will attempt to make a little post at some point, if for no other reason than as an excuse to point you to the work of said writers. It was truly an honor to workshop and talk craft and biz (and indulge in silliness of the highest and lowest orders, of course) with each and every one of them. And thanks again to everyone who came out to the utterly fabulous Malaprop's, despite a drizzly evening.
  • My delightful publisher has been doing more cover reveals. You can check out all the first four on this pinterest board. I heart them all, not least for the fact that each one is sooo very distinctive. Also, this morning Editor Amanda tweeted a picture of real-life, printed Blackwood and Shift ARCs–I'll bet my release month sister Kim heard my morning yelp all the way across the ocean. I'm pretty sure I heard hers. (Unrelated: Should I be on this pinterest business? Probably not, but am weak and tempted.)
  • Locus Award finalists! Congratzies to everyone!
  • Tayari Jones offers a procrastination-avoidance tip that I think is truly smart–preparing your space the night before.
  • Laura Miller on the new book Hit Lit, bringing her usual insightful take to this analysis of the components common to blockbuster bestsellers. I think this is my favorite snippet: "While “Hit Lit” may seem, to many readers, like the literary equivalent of instructions on how to boil water, the sad truth is that plenty of those who speak contemptuously of Dan Brown’s prose are writers who could not get a child interested in a fairy tale."
  • Malinda Lo on writing about kissing. I have to admit, I used to find such scenes painfully hard, but now I kind of love writing them (despite the fact they're still really hard to get right–but, you know, what isn't?).
  • Love this visual summer resolution from Ralph Waldo Emerson via Lauren Cerand's pinterest board, via Stephany Aulenback:
    Emerson
  • Finally, go listen to my dearie dearest Christopher Rowe's wonderful, World Fantasy-nominated short story "Another Word For Map Is Faith" on podcastle.

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Dept. of Yay

Blackwood / By /

The superfabulous io9 just posted a summer beach reading list with many fine and fabulous novels…annnnd there's Blackwood(!) at summer's end:

Bond's debut YA novel explores the mystery of Roanoke, the lost colony, in a whole new way — as a pair of 17-year-olds in the present day discover that they may hold the key to bringing the missing colonists back. It's got a teen romance, a supernatural mystery, and some insane surprises that will no doubt keep you flipping pages.

*dances dance of happiness*

This week at the bat cave has been thoroughly fantastic, by the way. A reminder we're trekking into Asheville from the mountain tomorrow night for a panel at Malaprop's. Come out if you can.

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Absentia

Books, Children's Lit Fabulosity, Excuses, Excuses / By /

I'm off to a secret bat cave for a week with a bunch of fabulous writers to talk about our work and eat cookies and have possibly zany times. I doubt there'll be too much updating here in the meantime. I *might* try to post a photo each day, but that'll probably be the most and I don't promise that.

Just in case I don't get back here until I'm home, I'll be participating in an event at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Malaprop's in Asheville, one of the world's finest indie bookstores. They made this handy page all about it, complete with pretty cover graphic:

Southern_Kidlit_Button

Come and see your favorite authors and meet new favorites you haven't read yet as they answer your burning questions about writing, editing, publishing, and the zombie apocalypse: Alan Gratz, Gwenda Bond, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, Megan Shepherd, Megan Miranda, Tiffany Trent, Laurel Snyder, and Kristin Tubb!

So if you're in the area, come out and say hi.

p.s. Unrelated: The Guys Lit Wire book fair for the Ballou High School Library is still on, and could use your support. There are lots of books left to choose from, and it only takes a few minutes and a few dollars to help out (promise!).

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Monday Hangovers

2 Comments / Blackwood, Hangovers / By /

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ARCs of the Covenant (Okay, Not Really)

Blackwood / By /

At least, I hope that no eye singeing and unfortunate melting will occur from looking directly at…Blackwood ARCs. Or, more precisely in this case, eARCs.

Which are now available at NetGalley! As are eARCs of the other Strange Chemistry September launch title, Kim Curran's Shift. So, reviewers/bloggers/combinations thereof who use NetGalley, request away; you can search or they're listed under Angry Robot. I hear that hard copy ARCs are going out this week as well.

(Oh, and if your pleasure is pre-ordering–well, then I love you. But seriously the purchasing links have been updated AND I believe the correct cover image is now up everywhere or nearly everywhere.)

Thus ends today's nauseous- and nervous-making self promotion. And back to writing the next book.

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Friday Hangovers

Hangovers / By /

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Tuesday Hangovers

Hangovers / By /

I'm beginning to hit the point in the new book where I usually disappear from the blog, but will attempt not to go poof entirely.

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April…Fools

2 Comments / Books, Children's Lit Fabulosity, Scientifiction, Silly Games / By /

The one and only Liz Burns has a great post about swearing off YA because all the past year's articles waxing on its darkness or inappropriateness are just too convincing not to. (Hilarious; go read it.)

*waits*

While I was writing up my April Fool's contribution in this vein, I kept getting mad! And so it was not funny, but ranty. Because those articles are crazy-making. Instead I just bring you two examples of foolish opening statements, which are remarkably similar and incredibly dumb, both from NYT articles in the last year:

"A literary novelist writing a genre novel is like an intellectual dating a porn star." – from Glen Duncan's ill-considered review of Colson Whitehead's Zone One (really, no one said it better than Charlie Jane).

And from this past week:

"The only thing more embarrassing than catching a guy on the plane looking at pornography on his computer is seeing a guy on the plane reading “The Hunger Games.” Or a Twilight book. Or Harry Potter." – from Joel Stein's screed–which I admit I didn't read past the headline and first paragraph of–about how adults shouldn't read YA.

So, no fooling…can we have a moratorium on opening your piece about some part of the literary world you think is downmarket* with a pornography reference to make it clear you really aren't being serious, but just baiting everyone? Also, NYT editors**, perhaps suggest a rethink when the next one of these comes in? It's getting a little obvious.

*In a perfect world, the people who write about these things would, I dunno, respect them at a minimum, but our world shall never be perfect.

**Kudos to Pamela Paul, by the way, for majorly improving kidlit coverage in the Times since she took over. Even the Stein piece was surrounded by far more sensible ones, which is progress.

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