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Natania Barron

Natania Barron

fantasy author, fashion historian

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Queen of None

Book One in the Queens of Fate Series

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The second book in Natania Barron's Arthurian fantasy series.

Queen of Fury

Book Two in the Queens of Fate Series

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Netherford Hall

Book one in the Love in Netherford series

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  • blog,  publication

    Dear self-important new writers: STOP. You’re making us all look bad.

    September 17, 2009 / 6 Comments

    <rant> I wasn’t going to write about this, because frankly, I’m a new writer and I doubt there’s anything I really say that will be enlightening on the subject. Except I started thinking about how pissed off I am when I read excerpts of the pertinent emails and conversations. It’s not the professional writers’ responses that bother me so much, but the tone and self-importance of the new writers that makes me ill. Yeah, some of the established writers’ responses to Josh Olsen’s original piece have been a little, um, tough to read. But not every writer is going to turn n00bs away if they adhere to a code of…

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    Queen of None is Out Today!

    December 1, 2020

    The Middle Eight Manifesto or; Behold! The Secret to Writing!

    July 31, 2012

    Welcoming Winter, Gravely

    December 4, 2012
  • blog,  fantasy,  peter of windbourne,  publication,  writing

    “Be patient, keep writing” and other things I tell myself.

    September 17, 2009 / 3 Comments

    Last night I finished chapter 20 of Peter of Windbourne, and am now approaching the part in the book in which a series of Very Bad Things happen. The draft is sitting at 101,122 words at this moment, with hopefully no more than five or six chapters remaining (generally my chapters hover between 4-5K). It’s a blind rewrite, as I’ve mentioned, so I’m giving myself some extra wiggle room. I know it’ll be edited down a bit next. I’ve got until November to get it done, because I’ve promised to do NaNoWriMo again this year. This chapter has been particularly difficult, mostly due to the influx of freelance work that’s…

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    Queen of None is Out Today!

    December 1, 2020

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  • publication,  writing

    Becoming an atheist of the muse.

    September 14, 2009 / 8 Comments

    That’s it. I’m over it. I don’t believe in muses anymore. I’m sorry. Does that sound harsh? I know, we have such romantic notions about muses, how they lovingly whisper inspiration and buoy us along with creative power. But in the end, they’re just not worth the trouble. And you know what? They’re fickle, they’re never there when you want them to be, and you really can’t base a career on them. You’re silly to think that you can become a writer by relying on some magic alchemy. It’s not alchemy. It’s just work. That’s all there is. And sometimes, the work comes easy. But let’s face it: it’s you…

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    The Mother-Hero in Arthurian Fantasy

    November 19, 2020

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    December 1, 2020

    These Marvelous Beasts is Here!

    January 18, 2020
  • publication,  writing

    Gatehouse Gazette #8, with Dr. Adderson’s Lens

    August 31, 2009 / 1 Comment

    Gatehouse Gazette #8 is out and, even more exciting than usual, contains my story, “Dr. Adderson’s Lens”. This little story was originally slated for a place in The Willows Magazine, but we all know how that ended. I don’t write short stories that often, but I really liked this weird little piece. I contacted the folks at the Gazette about the tale and they liked it enough to put it in their next issue! I’ve always loved the Gazette–as well as their fabulous forum and site–and it’s definitely exciting to be a part of it. It’s always nice to have a story find a home. This is also the Halloween…

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    These Marvelous Beasts is Here!

    January 18, 2020

    The Faces of Queen of None

    June 26, 2020

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    April 27, 2020
  • fantasy,  publication,  WIP,  writing

    It’s not about the destination, it’s about the… lemurs?

    August 14, 2009 / 3 Comments

    (Warning: a late-night caffeine-infused post-word-binge rant.) I’ve had friends tell me that their favorite part about fantasy literature is the journey. The part when the characters are tromping through the forest, drinking from waterskins, gnawing on jerky, and sitting around campfires telling stories. Yes, there is a certain amount of charm in that but, well, let me tell you something. I seriously hate writing it. At the moment, ironically, it is just where my characters are. While much of the first half of the book is, technically, a journey, this point is where the marshmallow toasting and night watches come in. It’s the build-up to the big end, the culmination,…

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    Loving Lancelot or, the Force of Character

    December 9, 2009

    Announcing the 10th Anniversary Edition of PILGRIM OF THE SKY

    February 28, 2022

    Announcing Queen of Fury Coming Spring 2022 From Vernacular Books

    March 18, 2021
  • blog,  publication,  writing

    New writers and the lure of self-publishing

    July 1, 2009 / 9 Comments

    Sure, we hear a great deal about self-publishing from established writers, agents, and editors. Most tend to agree that it’s not the most brilliant idea to go bandying your first ever work about. At least if you intend to make a career out of it later. (For a good idea of when it is/isn’t a good idea, you can check out Christina Baker Kline’s “To Self-Publish or to Not Self-Publish“) But I think, however, much of this information goes unheeded because, from my experience, new writers are the most susceptible to this trend. Surely you don’t see Stephen King uploading his latest. But why is this? Here’s a few reasons…

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    from Flaxman's Iliad - 1792. Public Domain.

    Watcher of the Skies and Thoughts on NaNoWriMo

    November 14, 2012

    The Middle Eight Manifesto or; Behold! The Secret to Writing!

    July 31, 2012

    Escapism of all stripes

    September 16, 2012
  • fantasy,  publication,  writing

    What future Natania told past Natania.

    May 29, 2009 / 2 Comments

    No, I can’t really go back in time (if I could, you’d be reading this on a telegraph!). But if I could, there’s a few things I’d tell myself about writing, publication, and and the business of print. Never underestimate the kindness and generosity of other writers. Most of the progress I’ve made this last year has been because of the friendships I’ve made with other SF/F writers. First it was through WordPress, then it was through Twitter. Not only have other writers helped me learn the ropes and what to expect, but they’ve been a constant source of inspiration and support during the writing, editing, and shopping process. Never…

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    So You Have a Book to Promote During a Pandemic

    October 9, 2020

    Praise for Queen of None from Publishers Weekly

    September 28, 2020

    Welcoming Winter, Gravely

    December 4, 2012
  • blog,  publication,  writing

    Novelfail: Facing rejection with grace (or learning to)

    May 15, 2009 / 7 Comments

    I’ve had short stories rejected before, and I like to think I’m pretty good at dealing with it. At least, it’s enough to piss me off a while, but not enough to throw me into the pit and give up writing. The story selection process is extremely subjective, and I can deal with that. I just keep writing. However, yesterday, on my way to take my sister to her chemotherapy treatment, I got my first novel rejection letter. This is another bird altogether, and due to the timing of the situation–dealing with jetlag and the issues my sister is facing–I was a little bent out of shape for a few…

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    December 1, 2020

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    February 20, 2015

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    July 31, 2012
  • fantasy,  publication,  queen of none,  Uncategorized,  WIP,  writing

    Textual nightmares: or, some ways you can not suck at editing by learning from my mistakes

    May 5, 2009 / 3 Comments

    Writing novels is not my problem. My output has only improved in the last few years, and I’ve finally moved beyond the whining about not having time, or making every excuse in the world not to write stage. Those were big hurdles for me, and I’m proud of the accomplishment. I generally make my 1K goal every day, with a few exceptions, and I love telling the stories. So what’s the problem, right? Unfortunately, what’s resulted is lots of first drafts, and not completed novels. As a writer who fumbles around in the dark putting pieces together, this is truly problematic as editing, the next step in the process, just…

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    From the Arthurian Lit Readings: “Sir Palomydes’ Quest” by William Morris

    March 27, 2023

    So You Have a Book to Promote During a Pandemic

    October 9, 2020

    All About Arthur and Guinevere

    November 23, 2020
  • blog,  publication,  writing

    All the world’s your stage: the performativity of online presence

    April 20, 2009 / 5 Comments

    My freshman year of college, I discovered MUSHing, specifically Elendor, the Tolkien-based MUSH. Besides being a hole for creativity (well, who needs to write anything original when you’re in a world as detailed as that one…) it was my first real exposure to an online community. And it’s there that I discovered the vast difference between real and perceived personalities in virtual space. I called it a MUSHPersona. There were people, for instance, whom I knew in real life as relatively mild-mannered bookworms, who online became sarcastic, self-important, jerks. Shyguys turn into relentless flirts. Housewives turn into vixens. And I’ve found, especially with the birth of social media and the…

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    from Flaxman's Iliad - 1792. Public Domain.

    Watcher of the Skies and Thoughts on NaNoWriMo

    November 14, 2012

    Welcoming Winter, Gravely

    December 4, 2012

    Escapism of all stripes

    September 16, 2012
  • publication,  writing

    Old school #queryfail

    April 8, 2009 / 2 Comments

    Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good. – Samuel Johnson I mean, he only wrote the Dictionary. What did he know?

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    Why I Don’t Give Writing Advice

    January 2, 2013

    QUEEN OF FURY is Available Everywhere!

    December 9, 2024

    The Mother-Hero in Arthurian Fantasy

    November 19, 2020
  • blog,  geek,  publication,  writing

    Tweeting in the Writing World

    March 8, 2009 / No Comments

    For years I had the hardest time writing. It wasn’t that I didn’t have ideas, or inspiration, or even time. As many point out, novel writing isn’t something you have to be unemployed or financed to do. A little bit, every day, adds up very quickly. I started a blog when I finished the first draft of my novel with the assumption that if I had some method of accountability other than myself, I would produce more work. I started podcasting the drafts, asking for feedback from listeners. And it sort of helped. But not really. I was still dawdling editing my draft, still extremely undisciplined and totally erratic. I…

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    September 16, 2012
    from Flaxman's Iliad - 1792. Public Domain.

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    July 31, 2012
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