A Post About a Tough Sell

June 23, 2008

Today’s post can be found at both www.sfnovelists.com and http://magicalwords.net.  Check out either site.  Or both!  And enjoy.

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Interview with Kelly McCullough

May 20, 2008

Today’s interviewee is Kelly McCullough, another of my friends at sfnovelists.com.  Kelly’s first novel in the WebMage series, WebMage, was released by Ace in 2006 to considerable critical praise. A second, Cybermancy, followed in 2007. His newest release, CodeSpell, will be out May 27th. And a fourth book, MythOS, is slated for late May ‘09. His short fiction has appeared in numerous venues including Weird Tales, Writers of the Future, and Tales of the Unanticipated. His illustrated collection, The Chronicles of the Wandering Star, is part of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school science curriculum, Interactions in Physical Science.  Enjoy!

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A Post About Jacket Art

May 14, 2008

Today’s post, “What Kind of Jacket Art Do You Want on Your Book?”, can be found at www.sfnovelists.com.  Come visit the site.  Check out the post.  Enjoy!

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Interview with Jeri Smith-Ready

May 13, 2008

Today I post another interview with one of my buddies from sfnovelists.com.  I met Jeri Smith-Ready at RavenCon less than a month ago and we hit it off immediately.  She has an evil sense of humor and is lots of fun at “Koffee-less” kaffeeklatches.  She also has lots of interesting things to say about writing, as this interview reveals.  Her newest book, Wicked Game, is out as of today (Congratulations, Jeri!) from Pocket Books.  So read the interview and then check out her book!

 

1) What was your inspiration for writing WICKED GAME?
A song, of course. Not the song “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak—that came much later. Almost three years ago to the day, I was driving down the road flipping the dial and came to a classic rock station playing “Bad Company” by the band of the same name. I thought, Hmm, “Bad Company” would be a perfect title for a paranormal book with a shady main character.

By the time I reached my destination, I had a fully formed idea for vampire DJs who were psychologically and culturally ‘stuck’ in the era in which they were turned. I also knew the heroine would be “bad” in some way. (The punch line is that even though it all began with “Bad Company,” the publisher ultimately asked me to change the title.)

2) Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?

I tend to read widely rather than deeply and rarely follow series for more than a book or two, regardless of how much I enjoy them. I’m the opposite of an addictive personality. I’m pretty sure I’d be the world’s first casual crack smoker.
I was completely different as a kid, of course. I read EVERYTHING, especially books by Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley, and Jim Kjelgaard, who each wrote continuing series about animals (and not talking animals, either—usually just plain old horses and dogs). I also loved the Trixie Belden mysteries. Trixie was like Nancy Drew, but with an actual personality. 
My all-time favorite book was DOGSBODY by Diana Wynne Jones. It combined my love of animals with my passions for astronomy and mythology. Because of that book, Sirius became my favorite star (not to mention my eventual choice in satellite radio).
My current favorite authors tend to write stand-alone novels or loosely connected series: Neil Gaiman, PC Cast, Charles de Lint, Christopher Moore, James Morrow, Caprice Crane, and John Irving, to name a few. They also tend to be funny.

3) What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you?

To me, speculative fiction at its core is about what it means to be human. Often it does this by juxtaposing humans with other races or species (like elves or vampires or aliens), or by putting ordinary people in extraordinary settings. I also like the genre’s tendency to push the boundaries of humanity itself.

4) Why did you decide to make Ciara a con artist?

From the beginning I knew that the main character would have a shady past. Her current job is in sales and marketing (S&M, as she calls it), which is really just a legal form of con artistry. It sounds like a cheap joke, but the two pursuits both require an understanding of human nature and how to manipulate people’s emotions to make them cheerfully act against their own best interests. 
Ciara tries to save the radio station from corporate takeover by branding it as “WVMP: The Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” essentially hiding the vampires’ nature in plain sight. She disguises the truth as a marketing gimmick. I loved playing with notions of truth and lies, and I loved watching Ciara’s moral acrobatics in justifying her actions. Con artists are sociopaths with little notion of right and wrong; however, Ciara’s parents gave her a religious upbringing, which she’s rejected, but only on the intellectual level. She still feels guilt.
5) What (besides writing) do you do for fun?
I’m an avid pro football fan. It’s the only thing in my life that has nothing whatsoever to do with writing, and I guard my time with it like a starving dog with a bone. I also follow politics, but that’s not fun—more like a form of sado-masochistic torture.
6) What sort of research did you do to write WICKED GAME?
For the musical aspects, the research came by osmosis over the course of months and years. I’d think of a band and then run to Allmusic.com (and more recently Pandora.com) to learn all about them. Then I’d surf the links to understand the connections among that band and its forerunners and followers. 
And of course I read books. One of my favorites was THE ROCK SNOB’S DICTIONARY by David Kamp and Steven Daly. Entertaining, informative, and an incisive look inside the mind of the cooler-than-thou rock snob. 
To learn about radio stations, I interviewed DJs and had them ‘vet’ the manuscript when it was in near-final form, to make sure I didn’t have any major mistakes. A highlight of my life was getting a cover quote from Weasel, who used to DJ at the legendary Washington, DC, alternative station WHFS. He said that, disturbingly, he could relate very well to my characters. 
7) Shane McAllister (the 90s grunge DJ vamp) loves Nirvana. Is that your favorite band, too?
Yep, though I was only a casual fan during the band’s actual existence. I was sad but not devastated when Kurt Cobain died in 1995. However, as the years go by and I’ve learned to appreciate the band’s incredible talent, I grieve his loss more intensely. 

I suppose the creation of Shane is my small way of honoring Cobain’s life and work and the impact it’s had (and continues to have) on my psyche. I feel a spiritual kinship with them both and wonder if but for the grace of good fortune I’d be in as bad a shape as they were in their lives.

8)  What are you writing now?
I’m working on the second draft of WICKED GAME’s sequel, BAD TO THE BONE (May 2009). That’s due to my editor in a few days, which explains the bags under my eyes. And probably the hallucinations.
9) What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing? 
After three years of writing full-time, I’ve ceased to feel guilty for not writing first thing in the morning. My brain just isn’t wit-enabled before 10 or 11 am. 

10) What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?

Dialogue is by far the easiest. Maybe it’s my theatre background, but my first drafts tend to consist of characters arguing in living rooms and coffee shops. I keep forgetting that novels have infinite budgets for location shoots.
First drafts are the hardest by far. It feels like sculpting air. Once I have a rough draft down, no matter how crap-adelic, I can work to make it better. But that initial creation of the story is torment.
11) This isn’t your first book; tell us a little bit about what else is out there?
I also have an epic fantasy series, the Aspect of Crow trilogy, which takes place in a world where everyone has magic bestowed by their Guardian Spirit animal. The first one, EYES OF CROW (Luna Books, 2006), won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Best Fantasy Novel. The second, VOICE OF CROW, came out last October (a favorite of mine because it was the Book That Almost Killed Me), and the trilogy will conclude this November with THE REAWAKENED.
I also have an older urban fantasy (REQUIEM FOR THE DEVIL, Grand Central Publishing, 2001). It takes place in modern day Washington, DC, and Lucifer masquerades as a political consultant. For the first time in his ten-billion-year existence, he falls in love. It changes everything.
12) What is the purpose of fantasy/science fiction, if any?
See answer to #3. I can’t be that earnest twice in one interview.
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Interview with Jenna Black

April 30, 2008

Jenna Black, another of my friends from www.sfnovelists.com has just released her latest book, HUNGERS OF THE HEART, a paranormal romance from Tor Books.  Jenna is a terrific writer and has lots of interesting stuff to say about the writing process and her approach to her craft.  Enjoy!

1)What was your inspiration for writing HUNGERS OF THE HEART?

Since the first book of the Guardians of the Night series, I’ve always known I would eventually write Drake’s book. Many of my readers have also impatiently been awaiting his book since they first “met” him in WATCHERS IN THE NIGHT. As excited as I was to write his story, though, it turned out to be very hard to do. One of the most attractive things about Drake in WATCHERS was his self-confidence, the sense that he was comfortable in his own skin. Confident, comfortable characters, however, don’t make for interesting protagonists, so I had to shake him up. I found myself strangely reluctant to do so. That was the first time I had to struggle to make myself be mean to one of my characters. Usually authorial cruelty comes easily to me, as my readers no doubt know!

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Interview with Tate Hallaway

April 29, 2008

Tate Hallaway is the best selling alias of award-winning fantasy/science fiction author Lyda Morehouse.  I met Lyda at a WorldCon several years back — she moderated a panel I was on and did a wonderful job.  She’s got a great sense of humor and is an insightful and articulate student of the genre.  Our paths haven’t crossed since then, but she’s one of my sfnovelists buddies, and she has a new book coming out under Tate’s name.  Her new book, ROMANCING THE DEAD, will be released on May 6, 2008.
 
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A Post About Teaching

April 23, 2008

Today’s post on the great high school teachers who inspired me to write, can be found at http://www.sfnovelists.com

Check it out and enjoy!

Posted by davidbcoe
Filed in General life issues, SFNovelists, Writing, friendship, social/political issues
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Plot Synopsis Project

March 18, 2008

Today’s post, which is coordinated with several of my fellow writers at sfnovelists.com, was the brainchild of my friend, author Joshua Palmatier. Josh had been getting lots of questions from beginning writers about how to put together book synopses for the purpose of interesting agents and editors in their work. Josh’s idea was to have several professional authors post links to one or more of their own synopses so that these younger writers could see how we do it. I thought it was a great idea. I hope some of you find this stuff interesting and helpful.

So…. Here is the link to the synopsis I wrote for my most recent book, THE SORCERERS’ PLAGUE, book I of Blood of the Southlands. http://www.sff.net/people/davidbcoe/synopsis.htm

And here are links to synopses posted by my fellow authors:

Plot Synopsis Project participant links:

Patricia Bray: http://www.sff.net/people/patriciabray/synopsis.html

Chaz Brenchley: http://desperance.livejournal.com

Mike Brotherton: http://www.mikebrotherton.com

Tobias Buckell: http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2008/02/01/ask-me-a-question-was-crystal-rain-sold-as-part-of-a-series/

S.C. Butler: http://scbutler.livejournal.com

Barbara Campbell: www.barbara-campbell.com/inside.htm

David B. Coe: http://davidbcoe.livejournal.com

Jennifer Dunne: http://jennifer_dunne.livejournal.com

S.L. Farrell: http://sleigh.livejournal.com

Diana Francis: http://difrancis.livejournal.com

Gregory Frost: http://frostokovich.livejournal.com

Felix Gilman: http://www.felixgilman.com/wordpress/

Jim C. Hines: http://jimhines.livejournal.com

Jackie Kessler: http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog

Mindy Klasky: http://mindyklasky.livejournal.com

Misty Massey: http://madkestrel.livejournal.com

C.E. Murphy: http://mizkit.livejournal.com

Naomi Novik: http://naominovik.livejournal.com

Joshua Palmatier: http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com

Maria V. Snyder: http://blog.myspace.com/mariavsnyder

Jennifer Stevenson: http://smokingpigeon.livejournal.com

Michelle West: http://msagara.livejournal.com

Sean Williams: http://ladnews.livejournal.com

There’s also a book available that has other samples of plot synopses in it. It’s called I Have This Nifty Idea: Now What Do I Do With It? [Amazon; Mysterious Galaxy], edited by Mike Resnick. Check it out for more samples!

Posted by davidbcoe
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A Post About Revisions

March 13, 2008

Today’s post can be found at either http://www.sfnovelists.com or http://magicalwords.net.  Come to one or the other — or both — and check it out!

Posted by davidbcoe
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Interview With Alma Alexander

March 10, 2008

One more in the series of author interviews I’ve been posting on my blogs:  Alma Alexander, another of my cyberbuddies from www.sfnovelists.com, is the international bestselling author of both adult and young adult fantasy and science fiction.  She has a new book coming out tomorrow, March 11th.  It’s called Spellspam and it promises to be another huge success for her.
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