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Pilgrim of the Sky: Live – The Whole Playlist
In case you’ve missed my incessant trumpeting online, I’ve been reading my novel, Pilgrim of the Sky, since the beginning of February. We’re about halfway through, but it’s not too late if you haven’t had a chance to catch up. You see, there’s a handy playlist here. I’ll be providing audio only files in a little, but for now (if you don’t want to see my mug) you can always just hit play and minimize the window. And if you’re listening along and can’t wait for the next chapter, remember you can always get a copy here, over at Candlemark & Gleam (starting at $5.00!).
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Behold! The Book Trailer for Pilgrim of the Sky (and Audio Coming Soon!)
I’d wanted to do a book trailer for Pilgrim for quite some time, but when the book came out I was pregnant and a total mess. Personal life aside, it may be a few years after the fact but hey! It’s still my book. I’m still totally proud of it. And I have this live reading I’m doing, so it’s still good timing. I had a blast putting it together, and the fact that I was able to incorporate Brigid’s amazing artwork and my sister’s phenomenal music… even better. And don’t forget, you can catch the whole playlist, too. That’s five chapters! Keep an eye out for the audio files, too! For…
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How Pinterest and Process Saved My Novel (And Can Save Yours, Too)
Writing a book, as the old adage goes, isn’t the hard part. I mean, yeah, it’s hard. It’s a butt-ton of work. For me, writing books isn’t the hard part. It’s something I do, more or less, whether or not I want to. But while the writing part isn’t exactly a mystery to me, there have been some real challenges over the past few years that have challenged everything I thought about writing. First thing? In 2008/2009, I was learning to write novels. Like, write them and finish them. I wrote a lot between 08-10, until my hands gave out. Yup, literally my hands stopped allowing me to write, and…
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Pilgrim of the Sky — Live! Chapters 1-3 on YouTube
Just a quick note to say that chapters 1-3 of Pilgrim of the Sky are now up at my YouTube page. Expect the audio only files a little later this week. I’m having a blast doing the reading, and it’s been a great opportunity to revisit the book. Stay tuned for the whole story!
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Watch Pilgrim of the Sky Unfold Live and in Person in the Month of February!
Having just finished Watcher of the Skies, and considering that its predecessor (I won’t say prequel–because technically the second book is a prequel… and a follow up, but not a sequel…) is a little more than two years old, I thought I’d be a little daring. I was supposed to record an audiobook of Pilgrim of the Sky. But then I got pregnant. And recording an audiobook with a baby just doesn’t work. I felt awful, and have been thinking of ways to make it up ever since. Then it occurred to me. Why not do it LIVE? So. I am. I’ve recorded the first chapter as a bit of a teaser, and starting next…
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Being as Good as My Word: On Getting Distance from Writing
Writers. We’re a funny bunch. I fully believe that in order to cope with the general stress and chaos of having many worlds and stories and people in our heads, we impose odd deadlines and limitations on ourselves. We don’t always share these with the masses, and some of them are downright personal. But it helps us make sense of all the fractal patterns spinning around us on a daily basis. Because otherwise I’m pretty sure we’d never get anything done. I do this quite frequently. And after the nine months of writing drought that came during pregnancy, I wrote a little book called Rock Revival about a fictional rock band.…
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Watcher of the Skies: Drafted!
It’s been a while since I was able to make such an announcement–but lo! I have completed another novel. This time, it’s the follow-up (I won’t say sequel, because it’s part prequel/part standalone) to Pilgrim of the Sky. While it took much longer than anticipated, mostly due to the ungodly amount of research that was involved, I’m happy to report that I’m quite pleased with the product. It’s a more solid draft than I usually write (see: time to write) and plot-wise it’s a lot more dense. (Even Michael, who’s a surprisingly insightful and critical reader felt the same way.) How am I going to pitch this to you? It’s sort of……
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A note of appreciation to Mssr. Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
The first time I met Sam Montgomery-Blinn in person, it was 2009, and he got me very, very drunk on Fat Tire beer. Not my usual fare, but he was buying. I was nervous as hell after my first public reading, so not really arguing. I’m still not sure how I got invited to the reading that night (it included actual writers like Mur Lafferty and Jeff VanderMeer) being in such an nascent state in my writing career, but I’m pretty sure it had to do with Sam. They wanted someone else local, I suppose, so I packed up my favorite shoes and read from the novel I had been…
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Running Away Toward Myself
Running has become my escape of choice lately. I’ve mentioned before that, well, running has never been A Thing for me. I’m not exactly built to the ideal running form. Between my Eastern European, First Nation, and French-Canadian roots (the Swedish part is just entirely overwritten), tall and lithe I ain’t. I’m built closer to the earth: compact, strong, and bendy (I like to think I might be good at using a bow–haven’t tried that yet…). Until now, I’ve used that as an excuse not to run. In spite of recurring dreams where I’m running, I’d resisted. “I will never be a runner,” I said, on many occasions. “Never ever.”…
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A portal between worlds… in the bottom of a wine glass
I’ve spent the last weekend at Dragon Con in Atlanta, with beloved friends of all stripes–some of whom I get to see here in NC, others who I hardly ever get to see (or I only see virtually). It was fantastic, a welcome diversion from general life as mommy, etc., and while I missed my family I should point out that it was way more fun than I thought it would be. My brain is so tired it’s practically wobbling, but I laughed so hard the last days and nights (staying up far, far too late) that my soul feels revived. Friends, wine, and words. It just doesn’t get much better…
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Running on the beach and making peace with the water gods
Making peace with the waves, and finding deeper meaning through personal achievements.
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Over and under and round about; thoughts on villains
Well, the book is almost done. It’s nearing the end. The body count is high. There was a scene with monsters made of quicksilver, and then ignited mercury vapor and lightning and flayed people hanging from the ceiling of a decrepit Roman bath. But while that’s all very interesting, I’m thinking about villains. I’ve never liked simple villains. Being evil for evil’s sake just doesn’t do much for me. And especially in this book, I had a deep and abiding desire to make villains that aren’t always villains. Friends who turn. People who go mad. Deals done wrong. Because while harm is a choice, circumstance is a great catalyst. No…
