The 2018 Sunburst longlist is up, and I’m on it again–this time for my short story “Yellowcat”, a sort of literary horror story that found a home with Grain Magazine. It’s actually not available to read online: Grain is a print-only magazine, and a lovely one, which you should definitely consider buying. Other people on this year’s longlist include so many wonderful fellow travelers, including Kari Maaren, Rati Mehrotra, Sandra Kasturi, Kate Heartfield, Kate Story, Fonda Lee, Lesley Livingston and Terri Favro: all fantastic writers with whom I’m so grateful to share a community and the occasional drink. It’s been ten years since I began writing (!) and every time something goes well for me, a nice review, an award or nomination, I feel humbled by the quality of the work I see around me, joyful to be considered in the same breath, and delighted by the many organizations and individuals dedicated to raising the profile of the work we do. To all of you who read, review, share, post, and talk about stories: thank you! […]
Wiscon!
I’ve never been to Wiscon before and I just found out there’s a time-travel-themed queer dance party! My rainbow leg warmers just got added to the packing list. Will you be there? Come to one of the panels or readings I’m in! FRIDAY:10:30 PM – 11:45 PM Assembly: Let’s Judge a Book By Its Cover Science fiction and fantasy can have some knock-your-socks-off cover art. Art that draws you to the book and sticks with you later. (Sometimes even being reprinted on posters, t-shirts, etc.) At the same time, sf/f covers can be egregiously sexist or racist. They can be whitewashed and/or designed by committee to be as cookie-cutter as possible. Often, the author has zero control. We will look at classic examples of the good and the bad, and discuss current trends in book covers. SATURDAY:9:00 PM – 10:15 PM University C: Introverts Rock! (Quietly … Alone in Their Rooms.) The hidden power of introversion! Let’s talk about what’s awesome about being an introvert and some of the challenges we face. (I’m moderating this one!) SUNDAY:10:00 AM – 11:15 AM Conference 2: Dispatches from the GlitterShip! GlitterShip is a podcast and magazine of LGBTQIA+ short fiction. Come listen to […]
Remembering Maureen Frost
Maureen Frost passed away yesterday. Maureen was a writer: a new writer, with a few stories under her belt, as well as a history of the Mafia which will be in stores later this year. Maureen and I worked together. Sometimes we took breaks and walked out to get tea. Maureen introduced me to genmaicha–green tea with roasted rice–and dragon pearls. As we walked, we talked about writing. Maureen showed me some of her stories. At that time she had never sent them out, because she was sensitive, and feared rejections would crush her. She asked me how I could bear it. I don’t remember what I answered, because it is a light thing to me; but it was a heavy thing to Maureen. Watching her work up the courage to share her writing was so impressive. Even showing a piece to just me–her colleague and friend–made her extremely nervous. She took that first step bravely. Then she began sending her work to magazines. I remember her being so anxious that her voice was breaking when she told me. And still she did it. What Maureen faced, only she knew. I feel like I saw the shadow of it now […]
Non-Fiction for Fiction Writers: Irritable Hearts
Character and world-building: two essential skills for writers. I’d submit that our invented characters and worlds are inevitably reflections of our real worlds and our understanding of ourselves and others. Some of that understanding comes hard-won and first-hand. I learn through falling down. I also learn through shifting perspectives. I need a sense of the wider context in which my own life sits, and I need it to believably write people who aren’t me. I also have trouble reading fiction when I’m working a lot on my own writing. Something about the process, especially in the last couple of years, has made it very hard for me to get swept up in a novel the way I used to. I get hung up on the craft of it, like having x-ray vision, seeing the skeleton too prominently beneath the skin. Non-fiction also has its tropes and conventions, but since it isn’t what I am writing, it’s easier for me to read it wholeheartedly. And I’ve read a lot more of it in the past couple of years. So: this is going to be the first of a series of posts about amazing non-fiction that has expanded my understanding of people […]
Just in time for Readercon…
Long Hidden continues to garner attention, this time nominated for a World Fantasy Award! This anthology punches way above its weight in so many ways. Every story made me proud to be in that company, and the community of contributors has been such a pleasure to meet. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the #LongHiddenFam at Readercon! What else am I doing at Readercon? Reading: Friday, 7pm, Inspire Room: Outer Alliance ReadingFeaturing: Nicola Griffith, Kelley Eskridge, Sarah Pinsker, Malinda Lo, Claire Humphrey, Brad Parks, Susan Jane Bigelow, CD Covington, and Jill ShultzHosted by Julia Rios I’m planning to read the opening scene of SPELLS OF BLOOD AND KIN. I’m so excited to introduce my book to you all! This will be its first outing! I’ll also go to panels and readings, of course, and hang out in the bar, and in the lobby, and on the party floor. (And in the back yard of the hotel, where there’s an open green space that is perfect for sparring. I don’t really box any more, but I make an exception for Marko Kloos.) […]
Readercon and all things Long Hidden!
Readercon is all about Long Hidden for me this year! Wondering where to find me, editors Rose Fox and Daniel José Older, and many of the other authors? Here are a whole bunch of places you can meet us, get books signed, ask questions and celebrate: Friday, 3pm, Embrace Room: Group ReadingRose Fox (leader), Claire Humphrey, Michael Janairo, Ken Liu, Sunny Moraine, Daniel José Older, Sarah Pinsker, Sofia Samatar, Sabrina VourvouliasCome and watch me read from “The Witch of Tarup”, which begins, “Every town has its witch, or so the Midsummer Ballad says, but I had only lived in Tarup a fortnight and I did not know who the witch might be.” Saturday, 3pm, Enliven Room: Editors Rose Fox and Daniel José Older will delve into their work editing the Long Hidden anthology. Saturday, 9pm, Envision Room: Long Hidden Party! Open to everyone, and there will be food, including vegan and gluten-free snacks. Where else you can find me: catching up with all the amazing people at this amazing con. It’s become one of the high points of my year for as many reasons as there are attendees. […]
Writer Blog Hop
Fellow writer Nicole Winters tagged me in this blog hop–the idea is to have a chain of writers all answering questions about our process and tagging other writers we know to do the same. Nicole’s post is here–thanks for tagging me, Nicole! 1) What am I working on/writing? I always have some short fiction on the go. At the moment, I’m revising two stories, which are both very dark–one is about magicians who cut the tongues out of doves, and the other is about a dishonourably discharged soldier waiting out the war and anticipating her army’s defeat. I’m also putting the finishing touches on my second novel, which has been through several drafts; it’s so close to being done that I’m now planning my third novel, which will either be the one about lesbian railway gunners, or the one about the immortal alcoholic badass Gus Hillyard. 2) How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre? I have a foot on each side of the mainstream/genre line: I almost always include an element of magic or the fantastical, but I don’t focus on it as fully as some other speculative writers, choosing instead to centre on the emotional journeys […]
Release day for Long Hidden!
Long Hidden is one of the most amazing projects I’ve had the pleasure to participate in. I’m honoured to be in the company of such great writers–and so excited that the book is finally available to purchase. I can’t be at the launch party in New York tonight, but maybe you can–it’s at Alice’s Arbor, from 4-6 pm, and a number of the other writers will be there! Check out this gorgeous Julie Dillon cover: My story is called “The Witch of Tarup”. It’s set in Denmark in 1886. I was lucky to have a fantastic primary source: a memoir written by my great-great-grandmother, and translated by one of her sons. (Disclaimer: none of my family are witches, as far as I know!) Here’s how it begins:Every town has its witch, or so the Midsummer Ballad says, but I had only lived in Tarup a fortnight and I did not know who the witch might be. […]
Story day!
“Nightfall in the Scent Garden” went up at PodCastle today! This story is having a great run–it’s also reprinted in the just-released anthology Imaginarium 2013, which was recommended by the Toronto Star as one of the summer’s Top 20 reads. PodCastle publishes all kinds of wonderful stuff. Some recent stories that have impressed me are Kenneth Schneyer’s “Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Teresa Rosenberg Latimer”, Megan Arkenberg’s “The Copperroof War”, and Cory Skerry’s “My Dignity in Scars”. I am more visual than aural and I usually choose to read from a page, but hearing a story read to me creates a fascinating nostalgia, a remembrance of childhood bedtimes and an era when the entirety of Lord of the Rings was read on radio by the BBC. A good reader–and PodCastle features many!–brings heightened emotion and a sense of extra space to the work. Listen, read, enjoy, comment, wonder. […]
Story day: “The God-Seed”
“The God-Seed” went up at Crossed Genres today. Go and read! There are also wonderful stories by Alena McNamara and N.A. Ratnayake. When I write stories, it’s because they feel essential to me. I hope I’ve done this one justice. […]