ASSASSINS’ DAWN, from Stephen Leigh

Tomorrow, May 7, my good friend Stephen Leigh is coming out with a new book.  All right, actually he is coming out with an old book, but chances are it’s new to you.  Stephen has been writing professionally since 1975 — I think he sold his first story when he was, like eight years old.  And he has been producing thoughtful, elegant fiction ever since.

In 1981, he published the first book of his ‘Neweden’ Trilogy, SLOW FALL TO DAWN. It was followed by DANCE OF THE HAG (1983) and A QUIET OF STONE (1984).  These three books are now being reissued by DAW in an omnibus called ASSASSINS’ DAWN.  Briefly, the series is about a guild of “ethical assassins” on a world called Neweden, where assassinations and violence are tolerated. One of the assassins wishes to expand the guild’s reach to other worlds where its peculiar practices might not be so welcome.  For more, please check out Steve’s site.

I should add that Steve is not only a marvelous writer, but is also one of the finest people I have ever met.  I hope that you’ll check out his “new” old books. And while you’re at it, you might want to check out some of his more recent work as well.  Thanks.

Turning Critiques into Revisions, at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain, under the name David B. Coe, with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “Your Critique of My Work Revisited.” In it, I return to a passage I posted a couple of months ago for comment and critique by Magical Words readers. Today I discuss the process of turning those criticisms into revision. I hope you enjoy the post.

A Writer’s Manifesto, Today at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “A Writer’s Manifesto: The Doubts and Resolve of a Midlister.” It’s a statement of why I love to write and continue to pursue a career in writing, despite the frustrations of the publishing business. I hope you enjoy it.

Short Fiction and Worldbuilding at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, Kalayna Price, and James Tuck, among others. The post is called “On Writing: Short Fiction and Worldbuilding.” It’s about the differences between setting a short story in a world that you’ve already established for novels, and setting it in a new universe created just for that story. I hope you enjoy it.

The Plight of a Fellow Author

Stephanie Burgis is a fellow fantasy author and also a member of SFNovelists, an online group of over one hundred published speculative fiction writers, of which I am also a part.  Stephanie writes middle grade novels for Simon & Schuster, and right now her publisher is locked in an unpleasant and highly destructive battle with Barnes and Noble over pricing and marketing issues.  And like any war, there is a good deal of collateral damage.  Stephanie writes about the situation here, far more eloquently than I could.  Please read her post and then, if you’re interested in her books, find a way to buy them.

Mostly, though, please remember the next time you’re angry about the relative lack of availability of a book you’re looking for, or about the pricing of an ebook, or about a series that is only partially in print, or any of the hundreds of other things that readers find annoying, that we authors — at least most of us — have precious little power in this business.  We are artists.  We write our books, we revise and polish them.  When we can, we try to promote them.  And yes, a few of us publish them ourselves.  But most of us are subject to the vagaries of the marketplace, and are powerless when the huge corporations for whom we work, in effect, decide to fight their battles publicly.

Again, here is that URL:  http://www.stephanieburgis.com/blog/caught-in-the-middle-hard-publishing-news.php

Two Posts up Today, at Magical Words and SFNovelists

I have two posts going up today.  The first, my usual Monday Magical Words post, can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Kalayna Price, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, and James Tuck, among others.  The post is called “On Writing: Little Things that Yield Big Results,” and about little things we can do to have a big impact on our writing and our productivity.  The second can be found at http://www.sfnovelists.com, the group blog on speculative fiction that I maintain along with a group of over one hundred published authors of fantasy and science fiction.  It is called “The Loss of Another Bookstore,” and it is about the changing face of the book business.  I hope you enjoy both posts.

“Creative Intersections” Series Continues at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, and Kalayna Price, among others. The post is called “Creative Intersections: Plot and Character Development,” and it continues my series of posts combining discussions of different aspects of writing. I hope you enjoy it.

A New Writing Series Begins at Magical Words

Today’s post can be found at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, Mindy Klasky, John Hartness, and Kalayna Price, among others. The post is called “Creative Intersections: Point of View and Worldbuilding,” and it’s the first post in a new on-and-off series I’ll be working on this year. I hope you enjoy it.

Good News For Thieftaker

I don’t like to boast.  Really, I don’t.  And because of that, I feel a little funny about this post I’m about to write.  But in the past few days some people at online book reviewing sites have been saying nice things about Thieftaker (written under the name D.B. Jackson), and, well, I thought it couldn’t hurt to draw your attention to them.

Early this week, the WordNerds blog announced the first of their Best of 2012 Awards.  They began with “Best First Book in a Series,” and chose Thieftaker as one of the two winners in the category!  I was pretty excited.

And then today, SciFiChick.com posted their listing of the best SF/Fantasy Novels of 2012, and Thieftaker made the list!

These are not big awards.  I know that.  But it is always nice to be recognized by knowledgeable, well-read people.  I am deeply thankful to both sites for the kind words.  And I am also grateful to all of you for indulging this moment of braggadocio.

I’m done now.

The Worldbuilding Discussion Continues at Magical Words

Today, I continue my series of posts on worldbuilding with the third (and perhaps final) installment at http://magicalwords.net, the group blog on the business and craft of writing fantasy that I maintain with fellow authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, A.J. Hartley, and Kalayna Price, among others.  The post is called “On Writing and Creativity: Worldbuilding Revisited, part III — Writing Worldbuilding Into Our Books” and it offers a discussion of how I blend the details of my worldbuilding into my prose, character work, and storytelling.  I hope you enjoy it.