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.
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!
Epic ConFusion is just around the corner. It’s being held Jan 20-22 at the Detroit Mariott Troy in Troy, Michigan. If you’re an epic fantasy fan, this is the con to be at this year. Then again, if you’re an epic fantasy fan, you’re probably already going. It’s got a number of heavyweights going, like Pat Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Peter V. Brett, Brent Week, Scott Lynch, Robin Hobbs, and a whole host of other authors, including little old me.
Here’s where I’ll be:
2pm, Saturday — Salon E — Trilogy: The Base Unit of Fantasy — Joe Abercrombie, Bradley Beaulieu, Saladin Ahmed, Michelle Sagara West, Jay Lake
3pm, Saturday — Athens — Reading — Bradley Beaulieu & Jason Sanford
5pm, Saturday — Salon E — Mass Autograph Session — EVERYONE
11am, Sunday — Salon E — Small Stories in Epic Fantasy — Bradley Beaulieu, Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, Jason Sanford, Brent Weeks
1pm, Sunday — Salon G — Horses and Swords and Castles, Oh My! — Myke Cole, Patrick Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Peter V. Brett, Bradley Beaulieu
2pm, Sunday — Salon G — Genre-Blending Fantasy — Myke Cole, Cindy Spencer Pape, Scott Lynch, Bradley Beaulieu, Saladin Ahmed
And check it: my name being first on the Small Stories in Epic Fantasy means I’m the moderator. I’m moderating a panel with Robin Hobb, Pat Rothfuss, Jason Sanford, and Brent Weeks. That is going to be a BLAST.
I’m really looking forward to this con. Hope to see you there!
Mihir Wanchoo from Fantasy Book Critic has just posted his top titles of 2011. He lists his favorite novels and his favorite debuts, and The Winds of Khalakovo made the Top 10 Debut List! Here’s what Mihir had to say about Winds:
10) The Winds of Khalakovo by Bradley P. Beaulieu – This debut was again by Nightshade books and another intriguing one in the long list of exciting books. The world setting and magic system are what differentiate this epic fantasy debut amongst the trappings of the genre. The author’s prose and characterization is not at the optimum level but there is definite potential here and it will be worthwhile to see where the author takes the story in the sequels.
Here’s Fantasy Book Critic’s full review of The Winds of Khalakovo.
Again, I’m very pleased to be counted among such great titles and authors. Check out the list. It’s a good read if you’re hankering to figure out what to read next.
There’s a lot brewing behind the scenes for the second book in my series. Lots of production stuff. Copy edits. Cover design. Packaging. And so on. But interest has been starting to brew from various reviewers. Justin over at Staffer’s Musings, however, is the first one to list The Straits of Galahesh on a “books I’m looking forward to” type of list. Here’s what he had to say:
#7: The Straits of Galahesh by Bradley P. Beaulieu (Night Shade)
Pat over at the Hotlist put Beaulieu’s debut, Winds of Khalakovo, in really rarefied air, calling it one of the 10 best novels he read this year. I didn’t go that far, but it was a tremendously ambitious novel. Despite some flaws in execution, comparable to those in Steven Erikson’s Garden’s of the Moon,Winds was a brilliantly conceived package. If Beaulieu can smooth out some of the storytelling hiccups in his second novel, he could be in for a Malazan Book of the Fallen like rise in popularity.
I’m excited about the vote of confidence, and the comparison to Steven Erikson, but it’s starting the nerves to bubbling, just like last year when Winds was gearing up to hit the shelves.
On the other hand, I’m eager to get Straits out there. I had grown as a writer by the time it was written. I also knew the world and the characters better, which presented its own sorts of problems as I tried to push myself and them to grow and change. Hopefully the readers that liked Winds will also like Straits. I have a good feeling about it, but of course, in a few months it will no longer be up to me. It’ll be up to all of you, the readers.
I hope you enjoy it.
Today, I have some cool news and a humble request. First, The Winds of Khalakovo has been nominated for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award! The nominations aren’t complete, but I’m already in great company.
Second, award season is upon us. This is the point where readers can nominate works of fiction for the Hugos and Nebulas. This year, The Winds of Khalakovo is eligible, and I humbly ask for your consideration.
For the Hugos, any person who was or is a member of the 2011, 2012, or 2013 Worldcons as of January 31, 2012, is eligible to nominate for the 2012 Hugo Awards. (Even if you’re a member of more than one of those three Worldcons, you may only cast one nominating ballot.) If you are not a member of any of those conventions, you may join Chicon 7 or LoneStarCon 3, the 2013 Worldcon, before January 31, 2012 to become eligible. See the 2012 Hugo Site for more information on nominating works.
For the Nebulas, Active and Associate SFWA members may nominate works, until February 15th, for the awards to be presented at the May 19th Nebula Awards Weekend Banquet. See the SFWA Nebula Site for more information on nominating works.
Thanks so much.
So, way back early last year, I mentioned that Winds had been sold to Proszynski Media in Poland. It came out this past September, but I never did receive my author copies. It turned out to be a snafu, and the publisher made sure I got my copies straight away. I finally had a chance to take some pictures so I could share just how cool this edition is.
The cover is similar to the US version, but there are some very cool notable differences. The most obvious is that there’s more embellishment of the cover art. It has a cool decking and rope theme that I think is really neat and enhances the ship-based flavor of the book.
(Click to embiggen any of these pics.)
Also, check this out. There’s a really cool, gloss overlay on the book that gives the feel of wind flowing over the scene. You can’t even notice if it you look at the book head-on, but you can tell it’s there if it catches any light. It’s a subtle but very cool effect, one that I’ve not seen done in the US.
The inside flap is well done, too. It isn’t just a single piece of cardstock for the cover. It’s folded over so that the interior has more of a hardback feel to it. Also, check out the super-cool cut-out of that great Adam Paquette windship.
They also didn’t skimp on the chapter headings. They used the same windshop cut-out for those as well. The interior has a very non-cramped feel, which I love. That choice added to the final page count, but I think it was the right choice, as it has a very nice look to it as you hold the book. It’s aesthetically pleasing and has a professional feel to it.
Lastly, here’s the rear cover and spine, which has more of the planking feel and the rope & knot embellishments.
All in all, this is a very impressive package. Proszynski really went all out, and I’m proud that they gave so much attention to Wichry Archipelagu. It’s certainly a vote of confidence when a publisher does that for you.
In short, Poland rocks!
Friend and fellow author, Benjamin Tate (Joshua Palmatier), has just released the second book in the Well of Sorrows Trilogy. I’ve not yet read the book, but I greatly admire his writing. If you’re a fan of the Skewed Throne, or if you’ve read the Well of Sorrows, give Leaves of Flame a look.
You can read more about Benjamin’s writing at www.benjamintate.com.
The Winds of Khalakovo picked up a couple more nice mentions. First, it made Sneaky Burrito’s Best Books Read in 2011.
Adventure Fantastic also made nice mention of Winds in its Four Publisher’s You Should Be Reading list. This is also notable since Night Shade Books takes second place for its excellent lineup of debut authors this year, with more great books to come in 2012.
Woo hoo!
The wonderful folks over at The Ranting Dragon have announced their Top 10 Debuts of 2011, and The Winds of Khalakovo made the cut!
Again, I’m honored to be included in such a list. I’m starting to see a lot of the same usual suspects on these, like Douglas Hulick, Mark Lawrence, and Mazarkis Williams. And there are plenty more great debuts that I’m sharing the list with. It’s a wonderful feeling, let me tell you.
Head on over to the Dragon to view the full list.
So, knock me over with a feather… Pat over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist has released his year-end awards, the Hotties, and The Winds of Khalakovo has earned one, The Rookie of the Year: Best Debut. And I’ve won another, The Most Promising New Voice award.
I’m really honored and blown away by this. I was gratified that Pat liked Winds enough to include Winds in his Top 10 for the year, and this is doubly gratifying. (As a small aside, I did have a moment of horror when I saw the cover for Winds sitting just below the Most Disappointing Novel award.)
The list of awards itself is an interesting read. Head on over to Pat’s site to see the full list.
A while back I had an idea for a story. It was going to be about pilots racing solar skimmers over the surface of the sun. That’s about all I had when I started, and I kept it loose on purpose because I wanted my collaborator to be able to provide a lot of input into the story. When I had the kernel of the story in mind, the first person I thought of to collaborate with was Steve Gaskell, a Clarion classmate of mine. I write about pretty much only fantasy when it comes to novels, but I do like to stretch my science-fictional muscles in short stories. Steve, however, is a great writer who writes mostly science fiction. His style reminds me a lot of Robert Charles Wilson and Robert J. Sawyer.
I was really glad when Steve agreed. We started brainstorming and writing without putting any restrictions on the characters, the setting, the length of the story. We just wrote, sending the text back and forth, each of us adding, editing, deleting as we saw fit. There were times when we disagreed, but those few times were vastly outweighed by the number of times we agreed. The story gelled nicely, I’d say, and I feel fortunate to have had this experience, because I think the story that came out of it turned out wonderfully. I’m very proud of it.
Here’s the description of the story:
Strata is a stand-alone novella written by two Writers of the Future Award winners: Bradley P. Beaulieu and Stephen Gaskell.
It’s the middle of the twenty-second century. Earth’s oil and gas reserves have been spent, but humankind’s thirst for energy remains unquenched. Vast solar mining platforms circle the upper atmosphere of the sun, drawing power lines up from the stellar interior and tight-beaming the energy back to Earth. For most of the platforms’ teeming masses, life is hard, cramped—and hot. Most dream of a return Earthside, but a two-way ticket wasn’t part of the benefits package, and a Sun-Earth trip doesn’t come cheap.
Kawe Ndechi is luckier than most. He’s a gifted rider—a skimmer pilot who races the surface of the sun’s convection zone—and he needs only two more wins before he lands a ticket home. The only trouble is, Kawe’s spent most of his life on the platforms. He’s seen the misery, and he’s not sure he’s the only one who deserves a chance at returning home.
That makes Smith Pouslon nervous. Smith once raced the tunnels of fire himself, but now he’s a handler, and his rider, Kawe, is proving anything but easy to handle. Kawe’s slipping deeper and deeper into the Movement, but Smith knows that’s a fool’s game. His own foray into the Movement cost him his racing career—and nearly his life—and he doesn’t want Kawe to throw everything away for a revolt that will never succeed.
One sun. Two men. The fate of a million souls.
You can sample the opening chapter of the story by downloading the files here:
Or you can purchase the full story for your Kindle or Nook:
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Thanks, everyone. We hope you enjoy the story.
So my Dad pinged me today. He said he’d stopped by an antique shop in Sturtevant, WI (about 15 minutes from where he lives in Kenosha) and came across a booklet from American Motors, the company he worked for almost his whole working career (you know, back in the days when that still happened). In his own words:
I was at the Antique shop this morning and in one of the cabinets I saw this booklet from American Motors, On The Job.
I knew I was pictured in one of those in 1962 or so and I wondered if this was the one. So I had it taken out of the cabinet and looked through it and sure enough there I was walking out of the gate with a guy I hung around with, Tim Johnson.
What a great find! I thought about that book from time to time and here it is in a shop in Sturtevant, WI.
Here are the scans he took of the booklet. First, the cover:
(Click to embiggen.)
And now the one with my Dad in it:
(Click to embiggen.)
My Dad’s the one in the dark, short-sleeved shirt to the right (our POV) of the white-shirted fellow in the foreground. I’m assuming the guy on the far right is the aforementioned Tim Johnson.
How cool is that? To stumble across a booklet from your old company almost FIFTY YEARS LATER! American Motors was headquartered in Kenosha, WI—very close to Sturtevant—but still, this is a fun bit of serendipity.
Over at Speculate, Greg and I interview mountain climber, figure skater and (of course) fantasy author Courtney Schafer, who somehow finds time between climbing sheer rock faces, landing triple jumps, working a day job in electrical engineering and raising a son to write epic fantasy—including her debut from Night Shade Books, The Whitefire Crossing. We even talk a bit about The Night Bazaar, the group blog conceived of and directed by Courtney, and which I’ve been an active member of over the last year.
Courtney is a really genuine person with an inexhaustible well of energy I’ve rarely seen in another human being. She also gives us some great insight into her writing and her various hobbies.
Thanks for stopping by our little podcast, Courtney!
I was excited to see that The Winds of Khalakovo made The Mad Hatter’s Best of 2011 list! Now this is the long list, and I might be jinxing myself by talking about it, but I’m really honored to be considered among those other novels. You know, novels such as:
Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick
Seed by Rob Ziegler
The Emperor’s Knife by Mazarkis Williams
God’s War by Kameron Hurley
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
And plenty of others…
Check out the full list over at the Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf & Review.
LEC Reviews just posted a nice retrospective and collects his “Best of” list for 2011. Winds gets a Notable Mention, which is wonderful considering the very worthy stories that are on the list. Exciting!
Yesterday I got wind of a new anthology from Dark Quest Books called River, edited by Alma Alexander. It’s notable not only for its contributors, but also for its theme, which is, if you hadn’t guessed, river-themed stories. Here’s the description:
“When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.”
—Leonardo daVinci
It begins. Somewhere. An insignificant trickle of water. And it changes. And it grows up, and gathers a history, and finds its way into atlases and maps, until it finally reaches the sea, and vanishes into its vastness. You might think it is of no importance. That it does not matter. But you follow where it leads… Rivers have always been very important to humankind. They’ve been explored. They’ve been navigated. They’ve been called gods. They’ve been blessed and cursed and venerated and used and enjoyed and exploited and polluted since the beginning of recorded history. They’ve been sung about and dreamed about and followed on epic journeys of discovery. The capitals of empires have risen on banks of rivers—and so have a thousand fishing villages, and river landings, and water mills.
There is only one River. Really. And it’s all of them. Every river is different—and yet they’re all the same, vast and full of life and death and mystery and history and adventure and quiet dreams. Full of life. Full of mystery.
Full of stories.
What really surprised me, though, was the Table of Contents. It’s really more of a Map of Contents. It’s, a map of… Well, easier if I just show you.
How cool is that? I really love the idea of a Map of Contents. I’ve never seen anything like this before, have you? This alone makes me want to pick up the antho, but if that wasn’t enough, the contributor list certainly would be. I’ve not read it yet, but give it a look-see. I think it may well be worth your time.
I interviewed Michael Swanwick a while back for his 2011 release of Dancing with Bears. The interview was done for the Night Shade newsletter, but they’ve kindly shared it with SFSignal. Michael was a wonderful interviewee, and he opened up on his thoughts about Russia, his post-utopian novel, and the type of writer he is. Here’s a short excerpt from the interview:
Bradley P. Beaulieu: Dancing with Bears tells the story of Darger and Surplus as they head from their adventures in London to a post-Utopian Moscow. I have a strong attraction to Russia, and my debut novel with Night Shade was based loosely off of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. I haven’t, however, had the pleasure of visiting the country. What is it about Russia that attracted you to it?
Michael Swanwick: Russia captures the imagination. Pretty much everyone who visits it falls in love with it, and I was no exception. It’s a beautiful country with a tragic history and a brooding aura of mystery about it. There are no facts in Russia, only conflicting conspiracy theories, which makes it a natural setting for fiction. Then, too, the Russians are serious people in a way that Americans are not. They possess the gravitas that good writing requires. There’s always a sense that they’re leaving things unsaid.
Moscow is one of the great cities of the world but filled with contradictions. They’re currently finishing the summer palace that Catherine the Great, midway through its construction, decided she couldn’t afford, but the tap water isn’t safe to drink. The hotels are flashier and more expensive than those in Manhattan, but the air pollution is appalling. There are racks of leopard-skin coats for sale in GUM and people with besoms sweeping the sidewalks. It’s an old city and as hard-charging as anywhere I’ve ever been, and yet there’s a feeling of impermanence about it, as if everybody might pack up the buildings tomorrow and disappear into the steppes. Charles Dickens could spend a lifetime there without beginning to use up its possibilities.
Head on over to SFSignal and give the full interview a read.
The Winds of Khalakovo recently hit Pat’s Fantasy Hotlists’s Top 10 Specfic Books for 2011. Pat wasn’t quite finished up with the review at the time, but it has now been posted to his site. The verdict? Highly recommended.
Here’s a brief excerpt from the review:
Truth be told, Bradley P. Beaulieu’s debut wasn’t on my reading schedule. And then, either Scott Lynch or Saladin Ahmed (can’t remember whom) got in touch with me, saying that Beaulieu had roomed with them at the World Fantasy Con or Worldcon and that perhaps I’d like to take a look at The Winds of Khalakovo. After that, Beaulieu’s emails somehow always ended up in my spam folder and it took forever for us to set something up. It didn’t look as though I would have time to read the book before the end of the year, but I agreed to post an extract.
The author sent me a complimentary copy of book nonetheless, one I truly wanted to read after going through the excerpt that went up on the Hotlist. I was intrigued by the flying ships and the whole Russian feel that appeared to permeate the story.
And boy am I glad I gave The Winds of Khalakovo a shot! Indeed, if not for a few shortcomings, Beaulieu’s debut had the potential to be one of the very best fantasy debuts of all time.
Here’s the kicker, though:
Since creating the Hotlist, I’ve come across some incredibly talented fantasy debut authors. One only has to think of Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, Naomi Novik, Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss, Hal Duncan, Brian Ruckley, and many more. Well, Bradley P. Beaulieu has the potential to be as good, or even better, than any of them.
Um. Wow. Head on over to Pat’s site for the full review.
UPDATE: if you buy Winds through Pat’s Amazon link before January 15th, you help raise funds for Breast Cancer Research.
Today, there is a rather large smile on my face. The Winds of Khalakovo just made Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist’s Speculative Fiction Top 10 for 2011. Winds joins books by two of my heroes: C.S. Friedman and George R.R. Martin. And I’m certainly pleased (more than pleased. Way, way pleased…) to be among such august company as Pat Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson, and the others.
Here’s the list with links to Pat’s reviews. I know he was just finishing up Winds, so I’m assuming the review will be coming shortly.
Yes, today, the smile on my face could stretch the world.
Last week, Justin Landon over at A Staffer’s Musings, reviewed The Winds of Khalakovo, and shortly after, he asked if I’d like to do an interview with him. I said sure. My blog title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the questions were definitely challenging. We talked about the themes in Winds and where they came from, especially as they relate to Russian literature. We talk about some of my fears with Winds and the reviews that have come out since the books release.
Here’s a brief excerpt from the interview:
Justin: Did you have any heartburn about the use of Russian words?
Beaulieu: Some, yes. On those words that don’t have much of a direct translation—like cherkesska for the long coats the military wear, or the names of weaponry, or kozyol (goat) for a swear word—I didn’t really think twice about it. They bring a certain amount (and the right amount, in my opinion) of foreignness to the read. I debated some time over things like privyet for “hello” and dasvidaniya for “good-bye.” They were coming close to direct translations that might be better left translated, but in the end, I kept a smattering of these to color the text.
I also thought long and hard over the use of da and nyet in the text. Some people are put off by this. Others don’t seem to be bothered by it. I think if I’d ended up with only one culture and one language, I probably wouldn’t have used those words, but I started out of the gate with two primary languages (Yrstanlanan and Mahndi) and I’ve added two more since, and I wanted some way to orient the reader through dialogue (similar to aye and nay in Scottish). I wanted them to have a cue that the characters were speaking one language or the other. And now that I’ve expanded to four languages total, I’ve continued to use that. Whether or not that works for the reader, I can’t say, but that was my intent: to provide simple cues that also added some flavor to the read.
All joking aside, this was a great interview that forced me to dig a bit deeper than normal. Head on over to A Staffer’s Musings to read the interview in full.
Over at Speculate, Greg and I talk with artist Mark Winters. Mark is a wonderful artist that I came across at GenCon this past August. I bought a few of his pieces and thought it would be nice to talk to him about his process. It was fun talking to Mark, because, well, artistic types are always fun to talk to. It’s interesting speaking about something as ephemeral as art and where it comes from with a guy who’s clearly gifted. It’s difficult to put these things into words, but Mark does so quite well.
Mark, who like our previously interviewed artist Adam Paquette has a broad range of interests in the field of speculative art and beyond, having worked in several different mediums and (in addition to his own work) for a number of prominent licensed properties like Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy Flight Games and others. Mark discusses not only his current creative process but how his vision of art has been developed and shaped over the years, and the resulting interview is an interesting look into the mind of a talented creator. If you enjoy the conversation, remember to check out Mark’s other work, and make sure you come back next week for our interview of Courtney Schafer, author of the epic fantasy The Whitefire Crossing.
Head on over and give Episode 31 a listen.
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