This week on Speculate, Greg and I discuss Mark Hodder’s The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, a wonderfully inventive stempunk novel that’s surprisingly well grounded in history.

Stay tuned for our next episode, when we speak to the man himself. Our interview with Mark Hodder should be up on Speculate within a week.

As always, thanks for listening and spreading the word.

I blogged a bit ago about the auctions I was a part of, but the Worldbuilders drive is still going. It’s coming to a close, however. Everyone who’s donated has pushed the total to an amazing $220,000 this year. Pat’s hoping to reach $250,000. A quarter million dollars. That’s just mind boggling to me. I’m very proud of everyone there, not only Pat, but Kat, Valerie, Taniya, and everyone working behind the scenes.

Take a look at the Worldbuilders page before it closes down this year and see if it’s something you’d like to donate to. It’s not only going to a cool charity, there are a ton (over 1,500) books being given away, plus other cool stuff.

Oh, and by the way, there are still a bunch of really cool auctions running, including auctions to be in a game run by Pat Rothfuss himself at StellarCon. Go check them out. There might be something you’d like!

For some reason, everyone seems to be succumbing to oneupmanship over their recollections of this particular con. It seemed a bit silly at first, but now that I’m reflecting on the con, I think I understand why.

ConFusion runs every year and from what I understand changes themes every year. This particular year was epic fantasy.

Wait… Let me take a step back.

Photo by Al Bogdan

Last year I went to WisCon. Unlike most years, I had actually booked a room at the hotel early. I was excited, you see. It was the first con after the release of my debut, The Winds of Khalakovo. I was damn sure going, and I was damn sure going to have a hotel room at the con. So a few months before the con I noticed that Saladin Ahmed (whose own debut, Throne of the Crescent Moon, is about to hit the shelves) was looking for a WisCon roomie. I said I had a room, we made plans, and then a month or so before the con he asked if I minded if Scott Lynch roomed with us. I said hells yes, Scott can room with us.

So the con arrives and I hang out a bit with Saladin and Scott, and Saladin starts talking up Epic ConFusion. It’s local to Saladin, but the reason he mentions it to me and Scott is that it’s focused on epic fantasy, which Scott and I both write (as much as any of us truly write in any of the genre buckets). A few heavy hitters were going to be there, Saladin says. Pat Rothfuss, Brent Weeks, Peter V. Brett, and Joe Abercrombie. So I was like, hells yes I’m going to go to ConFusion, the Epicest of all the Cons!

See, I’ve been to quite a few cons. But every one I’ve been to has either been a generic, welcome-one-and-all kind of con or has had themes that I might like but don’t necessarily specialize in, like, say, Steampunk. This con, though, Epic ConFusion, I was really looking forward to because I’d be with people living and working in my neck of the woods.

As the con approached, I was being lazy about getting my flight and hotel, and I saw that Doug Hulick, author of the great debut, Among Thieves, was looking for a roomie, so I said hells yes, I’ll share a room. Luckily, Doug agreed.

Photo by Patrick Wolohan

So when we get there on Friday, I basically didn’t have anything to do. Friday was a free day. All my stuff was on Saturday and Sunday. But the fun got going really quickly. I hung out and talked to folks at the bar, including Al Bogan, Amy Sundberg, Doug Hulick, Saladin, Scott, and plenty more. Then I went to the I, Suck panel, which featured Pat Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, John Scalzi, and (moderator) Jim Hines. Now listen, any panel with Pat Rothfuss is going to be interesting. As is one with John Scalzi. But with Jim moderating and Joe and Scott providing one liners and Britishisms along the way? It was damned funny. And, strangely enough, it was grounding in a way, listening to these greats in the field talk about all the ways in which they suck. I don’t want to slip into schadenfreude, but it’s strangely encouraging to realize your’re not alone in all of the little things that plague you as a writer.

Then came the opening ceremonies, a thing I had never experienced at any con. It was pretty fun. Jim Hines, the toastmaster, had prepared some nice and humorous comments about everyone, poking a bit of fun, but not in a mean way.

I hung out in the bar that night, but I was fairly tired, and called it quits kind of early. Midnight-ish.

On Saturday, my highlights included hanging out with Al Bogdan a bit, participating in a mass autograph signing, and hanging out with Saladin and some others to celebrate the debut of THRONE.

Photo by Al Bogdan

Al is a great photographer, and he took a number of photos. The scenery at the hotel wasn’t the greatest, and I didn’t have the best clothes on for formal pics, but they still turned out nice despite that. I’ve got on of his photos at the top of the post, and this one, which I call: Brad, Caught in the Wild!

The signing was a lot of fun because, as I’ll talk about in a bit, it was the start of the feeling that I was part of this crowd. A lot of people came to the signing, and Pat Rothfuss, as usual, created line envy in all the other authors. Even so, Peter V. Brett, Brent Weeks, Robin Hobb, and Scott Lynch all had respectable lines. I sold three books and signed three more. And I also signed a few programs and also someone’s tee shirt!

I also hung out with Justin Landon, of Staffer’s Musings fame, and Patrick Wolohan, from Yeti Stomper. It was cool to meet up with these guys, reviewers, who have their finger on the pulse of the industry in a way that’s different from my own.

I had only one panel on Saturday, but three on Sunday. One personal highlight, not just of the con, but of my young writing career, was the panel I moderated, a panel that was graced by the presence of Brent Weeks, Doug Hulick (standing in for Jason Sanford), Pat Rothfuss. And Robin Hobb. I’ve looked up to Robin Hobb for a long time now. To moderate a panel with her on it was, wow, just wonderful. It was a very special experience for me.

Photo by Patrick Wolohan

Beyond that, though, the con was special for me because, by the time Sunday rolled around, I felt like I’d stepped through a doorway of sorts. Robin Hobb was one thing, but meeting the rest of these epic fantasy authors was special because they were where I was not so long ago. I’m not claiming that I’m going to enjoy their level of success any time soon (though who knows?) but it did feel—not sure how best to describe this—like a brotherhood of sorts. As though I could hang with these guys. I came away optimistic in a way I haven’t from other cons I’ve attended.

I’ll also admit to feeling a bit daunted. They’ve all set the bar terribly high for those of us coming up behind. But I’m always up for a challenge. And though you may not guess it from talking to me, I’m competitive as hell, so I’m looking forward to this challenge. I want to write the best books I can and to try to break out, or at least to maximize my readership.

Here’s hoping…

The reviews for Strata, the dystopian sci-fi thriller I wrote with Steve Gaskell, have been rolling in, and they’ve been universally positive. Here’s a recap of how it’s been received:

“A twisted, fast-paced SF novella.”
— Fantasy Book Critic

“Intelligent science fiction.”
— Risingshadow.net

“The conceit of mixing solar engineering with a revolution … is an inspired mix.”
— Paul Weimer, SkySeaStone.net

“Like all good speculative fiction, Strata is as much about now as it is about the future and Beaulieu and Gaskell do a tremendous job of making that connection. ”
— A Staffer’s Musings

I’m so pleased that Strata has been received as well as it has. I always believed in the story, but it’s nice to see it being embraced where the rubber meets the road (if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphors).

The final cover design has been completed for The Straits of Galahesh. The artist is Todd Lockwood, and the cover designer, who’s done a ton of great covers for Night Shade, is Claudia Noble.

I really like how this turned out. The artwork is great and hits a number of cool touchpoints from the books, including Nikandr’s Russian-inspired garb, the Aramahn double robes, the awesome and grand windship, the pier on the floating village of Mirashadal. But the framing effect is cool, too. I like how it focuses the eye on Nikandr. I’ll admit that it loses some of that sense of perspective with a lot of the lower artwork blocked out, but that’s the nature of cover design. You lose some things will focusing on others.

I think the color palette works well, too. The coat color is pulled out against the name and title. The canvas effect on the top and title background work well against the windship sails. My favorite details are the walrus tusk cartridges hanging from Nikandr’s bandolier, the hilt of his kindjal and the butt of his pistol, and the guy holding his throat, who, unfortunately for him, had just been punched in the throat before Nikandr leapt from the windship perch.

And why is Nikandr leaping from the perch?

You’ll have to read the book to find out…

This week on Speculate, Greg and I sit down with Carol Berg, veteran author of many fantasy novels and winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and talk to her about her inspirations in writing, the development of her career and her love for (and advice about) doing public readings … and how good reading is essential for good writing.

If you like what you hear, please check back next week for our first of three shows about the work of Mark Hodder.

The Worldbuilders auctions continue apace, but they’re nearing their end. There’s still time to jump in, however. My ms critique is up to an awesome $201.50. And the Tuckerization auction is up to an amazing $302.50!! Remember to check out the other cool auctions, including a number of rare, signed books and graphic novels.

Oh, and check out Pat’s full ms critique auction. It’s up to $3,550!

Ahem. So yesterday I mentioned that the auction for the Tuckerization to be included in the third and final book of my Lays of Anuskaya trilogy hit it’s first trigger point. That was the $100 mark. Well today it hit the second kicker. That’s $250.

O.O  <–that’s me blinking…

The auction sits at $255 right now. I have no idea how high it’s going to get. I figured it would sit pretty low until the last few days of the auction and then have a hockey stick rise in the last few hours. But wow. Where’s there to go from here?

I can only say that I’m humbled by the generosity of the spec-fic community. I don’t know who bid on it yet, but thanks to everyone who bid so far.

Just as a quick plug, there are plenty of great auctions up for Worldbuilders, including not only a ms read by Patrick Rothfuss himself, but also two agents (Adrienne Lombardo of the Trident Media Group and powerhouse agent Matt Bialer) and one editor (David Pomerico of Del Rey).

I mentioned yesterday that I had two auctions up for Patrick Rothfuss’s Worldbuilders charity drive. The first is for a ms critique of up to 7,500 pages. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I’m pleased to say that it’s already past the $50 mark.

The second auction is for a Tuckerization that will be incorporated into Book 3 of The Lays of Anuskaya. When I created the auction, I thought it would be cool to include a couple of kickers. The first triggers at the $100 mark, and that’s where I the Tuckerized character raises in profile a bit, not to the point that they’re a secondary character, but they’ll certainly be “on screen” a bit.

In one day, the auction has already reached this first trigger. It’s up to $207.50(!) as of the typing of this post!

Um. Wow!!! I’m blown away by the generosity of the Worldbuilders crowd. Thanks to everyone who’s bid, not just on my auctions, but on all of them. I’ll have to admit that I was a bit tentative about this auction, firstly because I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about having an outside influence affect the third book, and secondly because I didn’t know if it would receive much attention. But now I’m really excited about it. I think it’s going to be really cool, and I’m looking forward to working with the winner on creating a really cool character to benefit such a great cause. Here’s hoping it hits the second kicker, which triggers at $250. The trigger is described thusly in the auction:

In the event that this auction breaks $250, I will ensure that the character either dies in a spectacular way or performs some major, selfless, heroic act. I’ll try to give the option to the one who wins the auction, but I’m afraid that story must come first, and I reserve the right to control it as I see fit. But as this is the highest plateau for this auction, I will try my damndest to make it something you’ll like. As I mentioned for the $100 kicker, I’ll ask a few questions to try (if you agree) to use some personal details for the character.

I will also ask the winning bidder if they have preferences as to some of the various choices—such as whether they want the character to be an ally of the heroes or the villains, whether they would prefer Russian or Persian, and so on—and I will try my best to honor those choices, but again, the story will take precedence, and if it makes sense to add the character in a specific place with a specific role to play, I’ll do that. That said, you’re paying good money toward a great cause, and I’m going to do may absolute best to make it worthwhile for you.

Thanks, everyone, for spreading the news about Worldbuilders.

In years past, I’ve been pleased to participate in Patrick Rothfuss’s wonderful yearly charity drive called Worldbuilders. The charity itself is great. It raises money for Heifer International by giving away books and all sorts of other cool stuff to those who donate to the charity. You can find out more about it on Worldbuilders’ Our Mission page.

I’ve typically donated books to the drive, and I’ve done that again this year, but I also wanted to get more involved, so I’ve decided to hold two special auctions for Worldbuilders.

The first auction is for a story or chapter critique of up to 7,500 words. I will draft a formal review that will cover such things as how well the story opens, complicates, and closes, how well the characterization works, dialogue, tone, pacing, tension, and a host of other issues. Essentially, he’ll provide a formal review on the positives and negatives found in the story.

The second auction is for one Tuckerization for inclusion in the third and final novel of my critically acclaimed Lays of Anuskaya trilogy. For those unfamiliar, a Tuckerization is the use of a person’s name or description in an original story. Term is derived from Wilson Tucker who made a practice of using his friends’ names for minor characters in the stories.

Both of these auctions are described in detail on my Worldbuilders 2011 page. To bid on these auctions, click on the following two links, which will take you to eBay.

• Short story or Chapter Critique of up to 7,500 Words
• Tuckerization Auction

For the descriptions of my and many other auctions, including a full MS critique from Patrick Rothfuss himself, head on over to the Worldbuilders blog to check out the details.

Remember, bid early and often for this great cause. And please spread the word. There’s only a few weeks left for this year’s drive!