RITA ® Award-Winning Author of Fantasy Romance
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I can’t believe that THE ORCHID THRONE releases this week! Feels like it was forever away for so long, and suddenly it’s here. Woo hoo!
Our topic at the SFF Seven is Creating representation in our stories – how do you do it, and make sure you do it well. That last bit is key, right? Because about the only thing worse than not having representation of marginalized groups in our stories is having them in there, but in awful ways. Come on over to read more.
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Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is: That one “rule” that you gloriously, ecstatically love to break. Come on over to find out mine!
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Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is “Channeling JK Rowling: Any apologies due your readers for the way you treated a character?” Come on over to find out my answer.
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Our topic this week at the SFF Seven – one entirely appropriate for science fiction and fantasy authors – is “spending time on worldbuilding vs. actual drafting – what’s your balance?” Come on over to find out more.
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When I was in Denver for the RWA National Conference, my friend and writing buddy, Darynda Jones, and I took a lunch break at Ship Tavern in the Brown Palace Hotel. While there, I spotted this guy and snapped a pic. It seemed like a good omen, because I finished THE ORCHID THRONE during our mini-writing retreat there, and now (finally!) am going back to THE ARROWS OF THE HEART. This image is highly relevant to the story, for those of you who’ve studied the cover.
Once I finish this blog post, I’m diving back into THE ARROWS OF THE HEART. It gave my own heart a little stab to see I haven’t opened the document since March 20, 2018. That’s over four months ago. A third of a year! Where has it gone??? I have no idea.
Anyway, our topic this week at the SFF Seven is: If you had to invent a sport or game for your novels (or ever have), what would it be? Come on over to find out mine.
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Yesterday I did a signing with Sage Walker whose book, THE MAN IN THE TREE, just came out last week. This is a gorgeous science fiction novel that I highly recommend. For the purists, the science is impeccable. An asteroid is equipped with propulsion and manipulated to create a living space inside that will eventually be a self-sustaining biosphere with a population of 200,000. By the time this generation ship reaches its planetary destination in 200 years, those people will be ready to colonize the new world. But when the story begins, the ship, Kybele, is nine days from leaving orbit with a population of 30,000 people. These people are the best of the best, who’ve worked and struggled to be among those granted a position on the Kybele. None of them will live to see the new planet, but they’ll live and eat like billionaires during their time aboard ship – and give their progeny an opportunity like no other.
Except a man has been found murdered. Unless they find the murderer before leaving orbit – a meticulously timed departure – they’ll be taking someone twisted with them. Someone who may have sabotaged Kybele herself. And the guy in charge of tracking down the murderer may be in danger of falling in love with the chief suspect.
So yummy!
Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is worldbuilding as its own reward. What worldbuilding we do that isn’t necessarily about the story itself. Come on over for more.
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I love this photo of me on the Iron Throne, the much-sought seat in George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and the ensuing books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. It’s a testament to GRRM’s meticulous worldbuilding (yes, I’m making it one word in this post because it should be) that people have gone to such lengths to reconstruct pieces of his imaginary world.
That’s our topic at the SFF Seven this week – Children and the Elderly: what elements tend to get left out of worldbuilding? Come on over to play the game!