So, this past weekend I was at Boskone, and it was a wonderful time, as I was reminded what an amazing community we have in SF/Fantasy Literature. There are some amazing people in this business, who are filled with wisdom and warmth and kindness. I had the great fortune of sharing the signing table with Mary Robinette Kowal, who all of these attributes in abundance. We, as a community, are blessed to have her in it.
Sadly, this past week, I've also been reminded that we have a way to go, and there are some people who thrive in being terrible, and making things unpleasant for those around them. And that behavior, sadly, gets them notoriety. They get talked about, which serves their ends. I won't give them the time of day.
Because the people who are wonderful, who do great work and are good people-- they're the ones who deserve notoriety. They're the ones who should get notice and have their names mentioned over and over. So here is a large list of great people who deserve your attention.
First off, some of the people who I have been personally connected to, who have been a wonderful part of my local community: Stina Leicht, who wrote Cold Iron and Black Thorne and the upcoming Persephone Station, and gave back to the community for years by running the ArmadilloCon Writers Workshop before passing it to me. Rebecca Schwarz, who is running it now. Amanda Downum, author of The Necromancer Chronicles. Patrice Sarath, author of Gordath Wood and the upcoming The Sisters Mederos. Ari Marmell, who writes the Mick Oberon and Widdershin books. Nicky Drayden, who had her fantastic debut last year, The Prey of the Gods. Chris Brown, who wrote Tropic of Kansas and is one of the nicest guys you'll meet. Alex C. Wrenick, who writes shorts and poems, also as Camille Alexa. BookTuber Extraordinaire Thomas Wagner.
Also, my fabulous compatriots on SFFSeven: Jeffe Kennedy, James A. Moore (who wrapped me in a great big bear hug this weekend), K.A. Krantz, Marcella Burnard, Veronica Scott and our newest member, Vivian Jackson! Vivian was a student of the aforementioned ArmadilloCon Workshop, making her another great success story from that program!
Friends, I'm not even scratching the surface. There are so many more: Caroline Yoachim. Fonda Lee. Annie Bellet. Elizabeth Bear-- someone who treated me like a peer well before I earned it. Courtney Schafer. T. Frohock. ML Brennan. Spencer Ellsworth. Jaym Gates. Laura M. Hughes. Sarah Chorn. Foz Meadows. Melanie R. Meadors. Mike Underwood. PAUL WEIMER, possibly one of the nicest people in this business.
I could go on and on, because we have so many amazing people in this business. Who else do you think deserves some praise?
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
A distractible mind thinks all the things and also, Hello!
I wake up very morning and read the news. So, um, there are
a gazillion things on my mind this week, and I want to talk about approximately
none of them. (Am fuming about some stuff, especially the stuff that also makes
me sad.)
However, the one very satisfying thing about having a distractible
brain is that I can switch topics with whiplash-inducing speed. Here goes:
1. I’m here. On this excellent
and admirable blog. Writing my words alongside some truly talented folks who
have kindly let me come in here and play. For a gal who grew up binge-reading
SFF and later decided, hey, maybe some other readers wondered about all those
kissing scenes that we knew were going on but never quite made it to the
page, and who then decided to squash
the SFF and the kissing into one giant moshdoodle of steamy smooching cyborgs on space
stations, well… this is a dream come true. I can’t wait to meet everybody.
2. Last weekend, I met aliens. Well, I went to Marfa, Texas,
and saw the legendary mystery lights in the sky there. Does that count as a
close encounter? I know, I know, I read about the UT Dallas undergrads who “proved” it
was all atmospherics reflecting car headlights or somesuchcrud, but I Want ToBelieve. (Yes, even now, Fox Mulder. I know you got kind of old and
uninteresting, but hey, I did, too. Don’t sulk. Have a sunflower seed.) At any
rate, there is magic out in the mountains and in the desert. You can feel it.
Also, the lights look exactly like the running lights on an alien mothership.
And they change colors, so...disco aliens?
3. I’m reading more than writing at the moment. For folks
who don’t know, the first two books in my Tether science fiction romance series
– Wanted and Wired and Perfect Gravity – released in 2017. I love them like paper
wubbies. The third one is in “what in the world do you put on the cover a book
featuring a body-hopping AI who thinks she might be a girl, and yikes we have
to title this beastie too” limbo. I’ve started on a new project, but it’s so new
it mewls and I probably shouldn’t say more than that. However, the judging deadline
for the Romance Writers of America RITA awards is coming up way too soon, so I’m
spending most of my time reading books and wondering how I ever managed to
write one (or three) of these things and whether that miracle is repeatable.
Okay, there’s more. I’ve also been thinking way too much about
risk-taking (in the context of Girl Scouts, corporate fail-fast culture, and
Adam Rippon); girl-power rock ‘n’ roll, esp. The Runaways and The Dollyrots;
what a Regency duke actually did all day, other than hanging out in his club with his mates and drinking boozy things and sometimes going to balls; and Elon Musk’s hot little interplanetary car.
I’m happy to talk about any of the above. And thanks for the warm welcome, y'all.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
On My Mind This Week: Dogs
Huzzah! It's the Year of the Dog! Huzzah!
For a dog-lover like me, it's a good sign. Except...well, last year I had to say goodbye to my beloved husky. He was 15, a rescue who'd put up with me and my weird for 14 of those years. He'd started life as the hot-potato dog, bouncing through four homes before landing in mine. He settled in rather quickly, leaving us birds in our slippers. In the inimical opinion of my Samoyed who'd joined the family first, the husky was...tolerable. He enjoyed long walks but was afraid of sewer covers, puddles, and thunderstorms. He routinely dug up moles then tried to convince the poor traumatized things to be his playmates (they declined as politely possible). Whenever I was on the phone, he would include himself in the conversations. He would never steal food off the table (not even the coffee table), but he would sneak it out of your hand if you happened to be distracted. He loved people. A guard dog, he was not.
Eventually, time does what it inevitably must. Not since grad school have I been without a four-footed companion. (I assure you, that's longer ago than I want to consider.) I've completed the painful parts of grieving and progressed to happy memories. For some months now, I've auditioned this strange freedom from responsibility for another life and have come to the conclusion that being dogless is no fun.
There are millions of dogs in need of homes. Their great big eyes and pleading expressions pulling at all the heartstrings. Oh aye, adoption is an option. Especially when you're looking for a dog who's aged out of his puppy years.
I came close to bringing home a big floof who'd been abandoned at the start of the winter holidays, but, darn it, I showed up at the shelter mere minutes too late. However, when a pup lands in a happy furever home, I'm happy...even if the home isn't with me.
My second attempt was a huge adoption event put on by area shelters and rescues. We're talking hundreds of dogs. Thousands of people showed up. Over 800 animals joined new families. Alas, mine was not one of them. Seeing the joy on faces young and old as they received kisses of gratitude from their new pets? Priceless.
Oh, but then, but then I found a breed-specific rescue one state over that has multiple blue-eyed shedders in need. Yes, yes, I promptly submitted my application. Yes, yes, it takes time for volunteers to vet applicants. Yes, rescue leagues are far more particular than shelters.
Now I wait...
Dear reader, I finally discovered the one thing that'll make me refresh my inbox more often than queries and submissions--rescue application approval.
So that is why dogs are on my mind this week.
Labels:
Dogs,
KAK,
On My Mind,
Rescue Me
Fantasy Author.
The Immortal Spy Series & LARCOUT now available in eBook and Paperback.
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The Immortal Spy Series & LARCOUT now available in eBook and Paperback.
Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified when I release a new book.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Can we PLEASE seriously consider a few sensible gun restrictions?
I do not ask that guns be outlawed. I ask that they be regulated properly to better insure that those who are mentally ill, those with a history of domestic violence, and those who are untrained do not have access to weapons capable of slaughtering 17 students and teachers in a matter of minutes.
I understand that the right to bear arms for a well regulated militia exists, but if we can modify the right to freedom of speech (as has been done repeatedly on the FIRST AMENDMENT) then we can do so for the SECOND AMENDMENT as well. No one walking the streets in the United States needs bump stocks. No one living in an urban area or any suburban or rural area needs the capacity to fire 30 rounds or more per minute.
Requiring that people with firearms be insured is not an infringement of anyone's rights, any more than automobile insurance is an infringement. requiring that anyone who wants to have a firearm have proper training is not an infringement. Requiring that people buy their weapons (or transfer the ownership through proper channels) is not an infringement. THESE ARE SIMPLE, COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS.
Requiring that ammunition be sold in stores rather than online is not an infringement. TAXING AMMUNITION THE SAME WE WE TAX CIGARETTES (any tobacco related products) OR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IS NOT AN INFRINGEMENT AND COULD BE USED TO BETETR SECURE OUR SCHOOLS AGAINST WOULD BE MURDERERS.
LASTLY, THE NRA CAN GO SUCK ITSELF FOR DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN TO BLOCK ANY COMMON SENSE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE ALWS AND REGULATIONS THAT SHOULD EXIST IN THIS COUNTRY.
Part of this has been posted before. I'm posting HERE for the first time.
Dear Joe The Plumber: F___ Your
Rights.
And, up on the soap box again.
I have said before and I will likely say many more times that
I absolutely believe in the Second Amendment. I also believe in the First
Amendment, which allows for free speech and permits you to be a narcissistic
ass by making your statement about your rights to the grieving parents of youths
murdered by a mentally unstable and deluded brat before he killed himself with
the same firearm he used in a shooting spree.
I firmly believe in the Second Amendment and I believe, as I
have already said, in the First Amendment. But you know what? I believe the
interpretation might be a bit generous. There are occasions where the First
Amendment has exceptions:
Incitement: Want to start a riot with your words? That's a no-no.
False Statement of
Fact: That means the vast
majority of politicians and most of the reporters for Fox News should all get
their mouths washed out with soap.
Obscenity: That means I censored a certain four letter word in my
header. It's considered "obscene" by a lot of people.
Child Pornography: Means some people are sick and should be locked away
from children for all eternity (And just possibly used as targets at the local
gun range, but some people might think that last bit is a wee bit extreme.).
Fighting Words and
Offensive Speech: Remember
"Incitement" up above? This is just another way of reminding us that
picking fights with your words, even on a personal scale, is not legally
protected.
Threats: With the exception of situations that are obviously
hyperbole like "Imma punch you so hard you go into orbit." Threats
are not taken lightly and are not protected by the Bill of Rights. In fact in
Georgia, if you threaten to kick someone's posterior, it's technically a
"terroristic threat" and a felony. I don't know how that breaks down
in the rest of the country. See, I'm a writer, not a lawyer or a plumber, so I
might not understand all the shades of gray out there.
Speech Owned By
Others: Note how I'm not even
quoting you here. Your words are yours. They might be disgusting,
self-indulgent fecal matter that express how deeply important it is for you to
own penis substitutes to newly grieving parents, but they are still
yours.
Commercial Speech: Truth in advertising. Lie enough and you could get in
trouble again, especially if you are doing it to sell product.
Governmental Control
Issues:
Government as Employer, Government as Regulator of the
Airwaves, Government as Educator, Government as
Subsidizer/Speaker, Government as Regulator of the Bar, Government as
Controller of the Military, Government as Prison Warden, Government as
regulator of Immigration.
Those are all exceptions to the First Amendment, an Amendment
that I hold near and dear to my heart.
Now, let's look at The Second Amendment, shall we?
Here it is:
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the
security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall
not be infringed."
Know what that means? Of course you do.
Here's one for you, Joe: What about MY Right not to get
shot?
That would fall under the Ninth Amendment:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall
not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Your right to bear arms does not override my right to not get
shot by a lunatic who had easy access to a weapon.
Additionally the United States Declaration of Independence
says we have three unalienable rights including "life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness."
All of which is to say that I DO respect the Second
Amendment. I also believe that if changes and justifications can be
made to the First Amendment, they can and should be made to the Second
Amendment as well and that those qualifiers and changes in no way, shape
or form prevent you from defending your home.
I firmly believe that proper screening, proper safety
regulations and proper educations should all be required before anyone in this
country is allowed to carry a loaded weapon outside of their own home or,
frankly, inside of their home. (Just yesterday another toddler killed a younger
sibling because the parent or parents were too careless or stupid to know not
to leave loaded weapons where a toddler could get to it. I feel for the
parents. I do. I also believe the owner of that weapon should be stripped of
the privilege of owning a weapon and very possibly prosecuted for
manslaughter.
I also tend to think that since we have a very powerful
military (possibly the greatest in the world, though I expect that's
up to debate with some other countries) we could maybe acknowledge that we've
got that militia part covered, but that's just me.
And so on a side note, because I can and I have the right, I
think you’re a moron and a loser and while I respect your rights, your lack of
common decency regarding the grief that several families are enduring lowers my
respect for you, low as it might have been.
And, off the soap box again.
Don't agree? Fire away. Please feel free to use logical reasons why these are not good ideas.
I write fiction, a little of everything and a lot of horror. I've written novels, comic books, roleplaying game supplements, short stories, novellas and oodles of essays on whatever strikes my fancy. That might change depending on my mood and the publishing industry. Things are getting stranger and stranger in the wonderful world of publishing and that means I get to have fun sorting through the chaos (with all the other writer-types). I have a website. This isn't it. This is where you can likely expect me to talk about upcoming projects and occasionally expect a rant or two. Not too many rants. Those take a lot of energy. In addition to writing I work as a barista, because I still haven't decided to quit my day job. Opinions are always welcome.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
#MeToo
The ever-efficient KAK already grabbed this cover for the sidebar, but I thought I'd officially share here. THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN, originally in the holiday anthology AMID THE WINTER SNOW, will be out March 12! If you didn't grab the anthology - or if you did, but want the standalone, too - you can preorder now. It's the same story, either way - the continuation of Amy and Ash's rocky romance in THE TEARS OF THE ROSE, and fitting in the timeline between THE EDGE OF THE BLADE and THE SHIFT OF THE TIDE.
This week at the SFF Seven is a topic of our choice - whatever is on our minds. So, I've decided to tell a story I haven't publicly told before. There's been a lot of conversation in publishing this last month about sexual harassment in the industry, largely springing from this article in the School Library Journal and the followup survey by Anne Ursu.
I spent some time yesterday catching up on the source materials - though I'd been reading lots of the ensuing conversations and fallout. Which included reading the comments, something I normally protect myself from but felt I should survey this time.
In talking with a friend about it, I said something about a parallel of when it happened to me. She immediately replied that she had no idea it happened to me.
Of course she didn't, because I never went public. There were good reasons for that, which I'll share.
It happened to me at a convention, only a few years ago. I was already an established author, with awards and a good record, bright future. My agent parked me with a male editor we hoped to dazzle. We were in the bar, with a bunch of people, drinking. And he started touching me. Knee, thigh, arm. And he wanted to talk about my writing! Oh, but he *really* wanted to know about the erotic stuff. By the third time he asked about my erotic writing, while touching my bare knee yet again, I became profoundly uncomfortable.
And I didn't know what to do.
For those of you who know me, that's pretty unusual. I'm not a shy person. In fact, "confident" is a word people often pick first to describe me. I have good boundaries and I'm firm and decisive in guarding them. I am not shy or at all hesitant to speak my mind.
But, sitting there in that bar, surrounded by people I knew - none of whom noticed anything - I felt suddenly powerless. Because this guy could influence my career. My agent wanted me to please this editor, not piss him off - though my agent had disappeared and was nowhere in sight.
For the first time in my entire life - at a fairly ripe middle age - I understood how this kind of thing happens.
I got up to go to the Ladies Room. On my way back I whispered in the ear of a female agent friend. I simply told her I needed to be extracted. Thirty seconds after I sat down, she got up, swept over and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt your meeting, Jeffe, but I just found out [important person] is unexpectedly free - can you come meet her?"
And that was that.
I wanted to leave it at that, but my agent argued with me to report it, at least to the editor's boss. My agent offered to handle it and I accepted. The boss was livid, spoke to the editor. Days later the editor offered an apology via my agent, along with the news that he was on performance improvement and would no longer be drinking at conferences.
That satisfied me. I was ultimately glad we handled it that way, because - as my agent argued and convinced me - other female writers in that position would not necessarily have an agent friend nearby to rescue her. Or might not have the same confidence in her writing and career. It was important that I take action, not for myself, but so it wouldn't happen to someone else.
Because that's something I see a lot. Many guys who get pointed at are shocked that anyone saw them that way. Myke Cole was pointed to in the comments of that SLJ article and took a long, hard look at his behavior. I respect him for posting about it and taking decisive action to correct himself. I like to think that editor did, too.
This is why #metoo is important - because we have to bring these behaviors into the open, or they won't change. In reading those comments, I see a lot of people casting accusations of lying or attention-grabbing. I didn't go public with what happened to me because I didn't want to be that year's scandal at the conference. The conference organizers never knew, because we handled another way.
That's fine, because I had the personal power to handle it, and the strong backing of my agency. Not everyone has that. Not everyone has agent friends who happen to be sitting nearby and who can respond without question with such grace and effectiveness.
(That, by the way, is why I argue that harassment policies should include a provision for reporting to an industry friend to intervene. Firmly telling the person to stop never felt like an option for me, because of the power imbalance. Which is why it happened in the first place.)
One thing I'm leaving out is how shaken I felt at the time. With the buffer of years, I'm no longer bothered. But at the time, I wondered at how badly I'd handled that. I really felt I should have been able to tell him to knock it off. It was very instructive for me to be more compassionate when others tell their stories about feeling powerless in a situation.
I also thinks this speaks to the power of networks, friendships, and collegiality. We can all watch out for each other. And if you ever need to be extracted, just whisper in my ear.
This week at the SFF Seven is a topic of our choice - whatever is on our minds. So, I've decided to tell a story I haven't publicly told before. There's been a lot of conversation in publishing this last month about sexual harassment in the industry, largely springing from this article in the School Library Journal and the followup survey by Anne Ursu.
I spent some time yesterday catching up on the source materials - though I'd been reading lots of the ensuing conversations and fallout. Which included reading the comments, something I normally protect myself from but felt I should survey this time.
In talking with a friend about it, I said something about a parallel of when it happened to me. She immediately replied that she had no idea it happened to me.
Of course she didn't, because I never went public. There were good reasons for that, which I'll share.
It happened to me at a convention, only a few years ago. I was already an established author, with awards and a good record, bright future. My agent parked me with a male editor we hoped to dazzle. We were in the bar, with a bunch of people, drinking. And he started touching me. Knee, thigh, arm. And he wanted to talk about my writing! Oh, but he *really* wanted to know about the erotic stuff. By the third time he asked about my erotic writing, while touching my bare knee yet again, I became profoundly uncomfortable.
And I didn't know what to do.
For those of you who know me, that's pretty unusual. I'm not a shy person. In fact, "confident" is a word people often pick first to describe me. I have good boundaries and I'm firm and decisive in guarding them. I am not shy or at all hesitant to speak my mind.
But, sitting there in that bar, surrounded by people I knew - none of whom noticed anything - I felt suddenly powerless. Because this guy could influence my career. My agent wanted me to please this editor, not piss him off - though my agent had disappeared and was nowhere in sight.
For the first time in my entire life - at a fairly ripe middle age - I understood how this kind of thing happens.
I got up to go to the Ladies Room. On my way back I whispered in the ear of a female agent friend. I simply told her I needed to be extracted. Thirty seconds after I sat down, she got up, swept over and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt your meeting, Jeffe, but I just found out [important person] is unexpectedly free - can you come meet her?"
And that was that.
I wanted to leave it at that, but my agent argued with me to report it, at least to the editor's boss. My agent offered to handle it and I accepted. The boss was livid, spoke to the editor. Days later the editor offered an apology via my agent, along with the news that he was on performance improvement and would no longer be drinking at conferences.
That satisfied me. I was ultimately glad we handled it that way, because - as my agent argued and convinced me - other female writers in that position would not necessarily have an agent friend nearby to rescue her. Or might not have the same confidence in her writing and career. It was important that I take action, not for myself, but so it wouldn't happen to someone else.
Because that's something I see a lot. Many guys who get pointed at are shocked that anyone saw them that way. Myke Cole was pointed to in the comments of that SLJ article and took a long, hard look at his behavior. I respect him for posting about it and taking decisive action to correct himself. I like to think that editor did, too.
This is why #metoo is important - because we have to bring these behaviors into the open, or they won't change. In reading those comments, I see a lot of people casting accusations of lying or attention-grabbing. I didn't go public with what happened to me because I didn't want to be that year's scandal at the conference. The conference organizers never knew, because we handled another way.
That's fine, because I had the personal power to handle it, and the strong backing of my agency. Not everyone has that. Not everyone has agent friends who happen to be sitting nearby and who can respond without question with such grace and effectiveness.
(That, by the way, is why I argue that harassment policies should include a provision for reporting to an industry friend to intervene. Firmly telling the person to stop never felt like an option for me, because of the power imbalance. Which is why it happened in the first place.)
One thing I'm leaving out is how shaken I felt at the time. With the buffer of years, I'm no longer bothered. But at the time, I wondered at how badly I'd handled that. I really felt I should have been able to tell him to knock it off. It was very instructive for me to be more compassionate when others tell their stories about feeling powerless in a situation.
I also thinks this speaks to the power of networks, friendships, and collegiality. We can all watch out for each other. And if you ever need to be extracted, just whisper in my ear.
Labels:
#MeToo,
conferences,
Jeffe Kennedy,
power,
Sexual harassment
Jeffe Kennedy is a multi-award-winning and best-selling author of romantic fantasy. She is the current President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and is a member of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). She is best known for her RITA® Award-winning novel, The Pages of the Mind, the recent trilogy, The Forgotten Empires, and the wildly popular, Dark Wizard. Jeffe lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Backlist Love For Wreck of the Nebula Dream 'Titanic in Space'
My first two books were published six years ago, in January
2012 (Priestess of the Nile from
Carina Press, a Harlequin imprint) and Wreck
of the Nebula Dream in March 2012, self-published. I decided for this post,
since we're midway between the two, to feature Wreck today, partly because
scifi romance and self-publishing have been my primary career path since that
time. Although I did meet Jeffe as a direct result of having been published by
Carina…and she introduced me to Marcella…and here I am on SFF7 (although that development happened a bit later.)!
I enjoyed writing about the Nebula Dream so much (although I destroyed her) that I’ve since
written several books set on a more fortunate interstellar spaceliner, the Nebula Zephyr.
Here's the background of Why I Wrote Wreck.
(Portions of this post first appeared on Pauline B. Jones' blog.):
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been fascinated by
stories set during a disaster – the events, how could the characters have known
or sensed what was about to happen, what do they do, what could they have done,
what would I do…Growing up in Upstate New York, the closest I personally got to
disaster as a child was probably digging unreinforced snow forts!
But, the family legend is that my maternal grandfather had a
cousin who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. (I’ve since decided after
a lot of searching around on the internet that she was probably not a relative,
despite the unusual last name.) And as a result, I was thoroughly intrigued
with that disaster in particular. I think after I’d seen the 1950’s movies
about the sinking – “A Night to Remember,” which goes pretty much straight from
the nonfiction book of the same name, and “Titanic,” a sudsy tragedy with
Barbara Stanwyck – I was thoroughly hooked. (Saw them on late night TV folks,
not in the 1950’s theaters LOL.). I devoured any account of the sinking. I read
books and sought out movies about other disasters as well, both natural and
manmade, like Pompeii and the Sepoy Rebellion and Apollo 13…
But Titanic is the
epitome of disaster. Premonitions. Too much speed on a clear night. Too much trust in the
unsinkable technology. So many people, too few lifeboats. The wireless operators staying at their
posts, talking to the world on the internet of its time, Marconi wireless, yet
no one could help. The Carpathia
driving through the Atlantic, knowing they’d arrive too late. The Californian ten miles away, able to save
everyone, yet unaware of the tragedy.
The musicians playing. The brave officers. The lovers separated. Or staying on board
together to drown. The popular captain
who’d never actually been in a sinking situation. The corporate executive who
steps off the sinking ship into the last lifeboat and spends the rest of his life
reviled. The steerage passengers, kept below too long. The rich, the famous,
the children… I mean, the dramatic elements go on and on, yet it was all very
real, and extremely sad.
Now I’m a writer obviously and I’ve done so much research
into Titanic over the years, you
might expect me to have written a novel set on that ship. Well, but for two
things. First of all, I feel Titanic
is complete. Not to say I won’t keep reading books about it and watching movies
and TV mini series set aboard the ship, but as a novelist, it feels done. My
Muse isn’t inspired to go there. Which leads me to the second point – my Muse
likes to write science fiction adventure/romance, with Special Forces operators
and smart, gutsy women, in dangerous situations. So it was probably inevitable
that all that Titanic inspiration
would turn into the catastrophe that strikes my Nebula Dream in the far future. I just had to figure out why my
military hero would be traveling on such a ship. Once I knew that answer, I was
off to write.
I looked to the events of Titanic for inspiration, not to do a literal retelling out in
interstellar space. My plot includes science fictional things that would never
happen in the cold North Atlantic. (No spoilers here!) But I also deliberately
included two children among the small party trying to survive – Paolo and
Gianna, who for me symbolized the many children who sadly perished on Titanic. There are some other subtle
nods to the events of Titanic and a
few outright similarities – the Nebula
Dream is the newest, most advanced cruise liner of her time, with new
engine technology, her captain and the company’s representative out to make a
speed record at all costs…until….well, that would be the story, now wouldn’t it?
The blurb: Traveling
unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula
Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, space marine Captain Nick
Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last
disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino,
take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the
beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.
All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew
abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and
drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off
the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly
enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking
down to self destruction.
But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him
he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces
team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?
Labels:
scifi adventure,
scifi romance,
Sectors SciFi Romance Series,
SFR,
Titanic,
Titanic in space
Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily Ever After blog, Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Backlist Love: HEY! Where'd It Go?
Should anyone attempt to search out my first two books, they'll find the books are no longer available. This is because the rights reverted to me. Yay. The books are undergoing a minor face lift while I write book three. Then books four and five.
I no longer own the awesome covers Berkley gave Enemy Within and Enemy Games. Had to go out and get my own. Which I did. Haven't shown them to anyone else, but what say we plunk the new ones down here for your perusal? The covers aren't final. So if you have suggestions, bring 'em. (besides getting the stock photo watermark out of the Enemy Games cover) The series title it going to change to The Chekydran War, since this series follows the arc of said war.
The third book is tentatively titled ENEMY STORM. No cover for that one yet. It is THIS CLOSE to going off for edits. Not that I'm anxious for that.
On the off chance anyone has forgotten what this pair of SFR books was about, here are the descriptions:
ENEMY WITHIN
ENEMY GAMES
Don't forget to let me know whether you love or hate the new covers (and why, please, if you hate them - so I can fix them.)
I no longer own the awesome covers Berkley gave Enemy Within and Enemy Games. Had to go out and get my own. Which I did. Haven't shown them to anyone else, but what say we plunk the new ones down here for your perusal? The covers aren't final. So if you have suggestions, bring 'em. (besides getting the stock photo watermark out of the Enemy Games cover) The series title it going to change to The Chekydran War, since this series follows the arc of said war.
The third book is tentatively titled ENEMY STORM. No cover for that one yet. It is THIS CLOSE to going off for edits. Not that I'm anxious for that.
On the off chance anyone has forgotten what this pair of SFR books was about, here are the descriptions:
ENEMY WITHIN
An escalating intergalactic cold war.
A starship captain clinging to
her shattered past. A pirate with an empire to protect .
An inhuman adversary.
And a threat beyond the scope of the imagination.
Enemy Within
After
a stint in an alien prison followed by a torpedoed military career, Captain Ari
Idylle has to wonder why she even bothered to survive. Stripped of command and
banished to her father’s scientific expedition to finish a PhD she doesn’t
want, Ari never planned to languish quietly behind a desk. She wasn’t built for
it, either. But when pirates commandeer her father’s ship, Ari once again
becomes a prisoner—this time of pirate leader Cullin Seaghdh, who may not be at
all who he pretends to be. As far as Cullin is concerned, the same goes for
Ari.
Ari’s
past association with aliens puts her dead center in Cullin’s sights. If she
hasn’t been brainwashed and returned as a spy, then she must be part of a
traitorous alliance endangering billions of lives. He can’t afford the desire
she fires within him. His mission comes first: that he stop at nothing,
including destroying her, to uncover the truth of her mission.
ENEMY GAMES
Besieged by an inhuman adversary.
Betrayed by their own kind.
A scientist and a spy, sworn enemies allied by danger, bound by
passion.
Enemy Games
Kidnapped while combating a devastating plague, Jayleia
Durante fights to resist Major Damen Sindrivik, an officer from a rival
government’s spy corps. With her spymaster father missing, and mercenaries hot
on her trail, Jayleia must align with the magnetic, charming, manipulative spy.
She must not lose sight of the fact that his single-minded agenda is for the protection
of the empire - not her, not her people.
Damen knows a shadowy network of traitors has allied with
the violent, insectoid Chekydran, and that Jayleia’s father holds the key to
dismantling that web. She becomes his only lead in a circuitous round of hide
and seek. Too bad his instincts tell him Jayleia is lying to him. Nearly as much
as she's lying to herself.
Unless Jayleia can decide what matters most: ending the war
or Damen’s love, they’ll become the prey of the traitors they stalk, and one
species’ civil war will consume the galaxy.
Don't forget to let me know whether you love or hate the new covers (and why, please, if you hate them - so I can fix them.)
Thursday, February 15, 2018
BACKLIST LOVE: Catch up on THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW
With the release of Lady Henterman's Wardrobe just a few weeks away, you still have time to read The Holver Alley Crew so you are up to speed when Lady Henterman comes out. And why wouldn't you want to fall in love with Asti & Verci Rynax, and the rest of the crew?
Look what people said about it:
From the Bibliosanctum:
Mixing high fantasy and urban fantasy, The Holver Alley Crew is the first novel of Maresca’s third interconnected series set in the fantasy city of Maradaine.
The Rynax brothers had gone legit after Asti Rynax’s service in Druth Intelligence had shattered his nerves, and marriage and fatherhood convinced Verci Rynax to leave his life of thievery. They settled back in their old neighborhood in West Maradaine and bought themselves a shop, eager for a simple, honest life. Then the Holver Alley Fire incinerated their plans. With no home, no shop, and no honest income—and saddled with a looming debt—they fall back on their old skills and old friends.
With a crew of other fire victims, Asti and Verci plan a simple carriage heist, but the job spirals out of control as they learn that the fire was no accident. Lives in Holver Alley were destroyed out of a sadistic scheme to buy the land. Smoldering for revenge, burdened with Asti’s crumbling sanity, the brothers lead their crew of amateurs and washouts to take down those responsible for the fire, no matter the cost.
READ AN EXCERPTGoodreads Page for THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more!
Look what people said about it:
From the Bibliosanctum:
Certainly, fans of caper stories should be making The Holver Alley Crew their number one priority. A strong start right out of the gate, this series opener is a well-written and brilliantly executed example of the fantasy heist genre, and of all the novels written by Marshall Ryan Maresca so far, this might be my favorite one yet! The Rynax brothers and their crew are so good at their jobs that they will steal your heart from the very first page, and I simply can’t wait to see what the gang will be up to next.From The Speculative Herald:
Maresca crafted a fresh and thrilling heist story that moves at a great pace. This is the type of book you just feel the need to read cover to cover, looking/wishing for the pause button on real life until you finish.From JBrondar Book Reviews:
This is my first book from Marshall Ryan Maresca and I loved it. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next books in the series. I will be on the lookout for Maresca’s other books too.From SF AND F REVIEWS:
There’s some fantastic planning scenes, as the team pieces together exactly what they’re going to do and when. Then there’s the tension of the job, and this is something which is brought out to perfection – each action is watchmaker-precise, and each failure can lead to a cascade of other failures – watching the team anticipate and deal with these (or not) is agonizing and wonderful.And from POWDER AND PAGE:
The neighborhood of North Seleth and Holver Alley are well-written and thoroughly described environments that I could visualize being in any city. The alley is a close-knit community where the neighbors help each other out and everybody knows everybody else. The reader gets to be immersed in this little segment of Maradaine- bars, churches, sewers, the chemist shop, a bakery… you name it. This whole world has depth equivalent to the most well-known and loved fantasy works on offer. The final verdict: You’ve GOT to read this book!
Mixing high fantasy and urban fantasy, The Holver Alley Crew is the first novel of Maresca’s third interconnected series set in the fantasy city of Maradaine.
The Rynax brothers had gone legit after Asti Rynax’s service in Druth Intelligence had shattered his nerves, and marriage and fatherhood convinced Verci Rynax to leave his life of thievery. They settled back in their old neighborhood in West Maradaine and bought themselves a shop, eager for a simple, honest life. Then the Holver Alley Fire incinerated their plans. With no home, no shop, and no honest income—and saddled with a looming debt—they fall back on their old skills and old friends.
With a crew of other fire victims, Asti and Verci plan a simple carriage heist, but the job spirals out of control as they learn that the fire was no accident. Lives in Holver Alley were destroyed out of a sadistic scheme to buy the land. Smoldering for revenge, burdened with Asti’s crumbling sanity, the brothers lead their crew of amateurs and washouts to take down those responsible for the fire, no matter the cost.
READ AN EXCERPTGoodreads Page for THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more!
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