BRIGHT FAMILIAR releases on Friday!! I’m super excited not only because I got the book done in time – whew! – and not only because I have over 1,000 preorders on Amazon for this book and still climbing – a personal record! – but because early reader-reviewers are saying such wonderful things about it. My heart and cup runneth over, for sure. You all are amazing in your love for this series. If you haven’t preordered yet and want to, you still can
Available at these Retailers
Some of you have been asking about my release schedule for both this series and Heirs of Magic. The obsessive fans alert among you have noticed that my release date for THE STORM PRINCESS AND THE RAVEN KING has drifted into 2022. And GREY MAGIC, sequel to BRIGHT FAMILIAR , is coming out at the end of December. The reason for the release date drift is that I’m wedging in a novella for another midwinter holiday fantasy romance anthology! Everyone is still figuring out if they can fit it into their writing schedules, so I won’t tell you the participants yet. But as soon as I know, you’ll be hearing about it! Worse comes to worst, we pull the plug on the anthology and all of these release dates move up.
Here is my current plan (italics indicate tentative dates):
A shout out to Minerva Spencer today on her new release OUTRAGEOUS. Also on the salient benefits of time off to refill the well, a worldbuilding master class I'll be teaching, and a worldbuilders chat today.
On the majesty of nature and her omens, a peculiar episode with my green man and woman, and how I learned from teaching Tai Chi that it's a bad idea to have family members edit your writing.
Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is politics and – no, wait! Come back!!
Politics in FICTION, okay???
We’re asking how politics and the political landscape of the world flavor the outcome of stories. This is my particular catnip as the political landscape of my books is always as important – if not more so – than other facets of the worlds I build. I even teach a workshop called “Worldbuilding: Political Systems in Conflict.” Why politics? Because they are about the conflicts that affect an entire society – and societies beyond them, too. As we’ve all learned from the political turmoil of recent years, politics affects the bedrock of our lives, our very rights as sentient beings. Come on over to learn more.
A #FaRoFriday shoutout to Jennifer Estep's CAPTURE THE CROWN. Also first experiences on receiving jewelry from people who aren't family, whether it should be GREY MAGIC or GRAY MAGIC, and other ditherings.
Today is a milestone, halfway through 2021 and I'm taking over as President of SFWA. I'm also preoccupied with my glorious fuchsia success and happy dancing that my proofreader loved BRIGHT FAMILIAR.
BRIGHT FAMILIAR is finished! Also the standalone novella THE LONG NIGHT OF THE CRYSTALLINE MOON is out! Thoughts on rain after drought, overextending, recovery, and apologies for being behind on Things.
On giving critique, the differences between alpha reading and beta reading, critting and workshopping. How to take critique and what to do with it. Also why having someone clean your house isn't a luxury.
How I predict how long a book will be and a discussion of book length, chapter length, how to play with reader expectations to amplify suspense. Also how I use 8-scene, 3-act structure to plan all of this.
Some discussion of the elephant in the room and what we don't talk about regarding whether or not our books are successful. Also why we must learn our artistic process and own it, then improve without trying to change it.