Category: Books

Urban Fantasy

Hey, kids–

I’m always encouraging people to read outside their comfort zones and to read across genres. That’s something I do all the time. I have some genres that I enjoy more than others, but for the most part, I’m all over the map. Reading widely and reading often makes us better readers and, for those of us who write, better writers. Why? Because reading widely exposes us to new ways of expressing ourselves, and different stylistic elements that we can analyze and think about and perhaps incorporate into our own writing infrastructures. As readers, we get a feeling for the different formulas for different genres, and we can become better gauges of what works in a genre and what doesn’t.

Along those lines, I suggested over at Women and Words a couple weeks ago that readers try out some steampunk. So here, I’m going to suggest you try out what’s called “urban fantasy.”

You’re already aware of that genre, though you may not know that it’s sometimes referred to in that terminology. Basically, “urban fantasy” is set in a contemporary “real world” setting, usually “urban” (hence the name) with a main character who has some kind of paranormal or supernatural power and has to deal with those elements within the story. I found this over at Genteel Black Hole (cheers!), and I think she nails it:

To me, to class a book as being of this Fantasy subgenre, it needs to contain the following ingredients: contemporary setting, set in the real-world and with a real sense of place, city-based, with a male or female lead who has supernatural powers and uses them to kick ass and help people, detective/crime plot, humour, and set in a slightly alternative ‘now’ as humans are usually aware or becoming aware of the existence of certain supernatural beings. These beings include, but are not limited to: vampires (new and old mythology), were-creatures (from wolves to coyotes), wizards/witches, and the fae.

This definition is subject to change, but authors whose series/titles currently fall in this category include: Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files), Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson), Chloe Neill (Chicagoland Vampires), Kim Harrison (The Hollows/ Rachel Morgan), Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld etc), Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels), Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere), Karen Chance (Cassandra Palmer) and Rachel Caine (Weather Warden). Here’s a great place for more information.
source: Genteel Black Hole

GBH also sends us over to this, at Goodreads, which provides a list of urban fantasy titles from which to choose. GBH notes that there is some crossover between urban fantasy and paranormal romance (which is, yes, romance that involves characters with paranormal inclinations/supernatural powers), but there’s crossover in virtually every genre. And generally, if you prefer a paranormal romance to urban fantasy, the synopsis will probably let you know whether the drive behind the book is romance or, say, mystery or thriller or something along those lines.

Here, let me help if you’re still confused. Stephanie Meyer‘s stuff (Twilight) is considered urban fantasy in some circles. So, too, is Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse. And Jim Butcher‘s paranormal mystery series is also considered urban fantasy.

And not all urban fantasy deals with vampires and werewolves (though those are popular characters in the genre). Jim Butcher’s work, for example, includes witches, ghosts, and demons. Gail Cerriger, I’d argue, melds elements of at least two genres to write paranormal steampunk.

So go on and check out those authors’ websites. If you’ve never read urban fantasy, give it a try. You might just like it.

Happy reading!

by Categories: Books, Inspiration, Paranormal, Spec fic, Urban FantasyTags: , , , , ,

“A Matter of Blood” wins a Rainbow Award

Hi, kids!

I’m pleased and honored to announce that the second book in my space opera series, the Far Seek Chronicles, won a Rainbow Award.

That would be A Matter of Blood.

source: andimarquette.com and Bedazzled Ink

Here’s the link with the complete list of winners in every category.

Here on my site, you can read an excerpt from A Matter of Blood here.

And you can go here to see where you can purchase it, if you’re so inclined.

Wow. Feels good. Congrats as well to my fellow authors who also won Rainbow Awards, and to my fellow authors who received honorable mentions. Write on!

by Categories: Awards, Books, Coolness, Spec fic, The AwesomeTags: , 3 Comments

Friday Reads: Benjamin Buchholz

Hi, friends–

When I come across provocative things to read, I like to pass them along.

In this case, I came across this article in HuffPo, by a man named Benjamin Buchholz, who served with the Wisconsin National Guard in Iraq. He’s got a book out called One Hundred and One Nights, told from the perspective of an Iraqi.

source: Paperback Swap

Here’s a quote from the piece Buchholz wrote for HuffPo:

The window of opportunity for me to make a difference in Safwan had passed while I was still learning to navigate the culture. This failure made me realize that our armed forces in general, and myself in particular, must develop greater cultural acuity and must be willing to commit to more than a single year of service in order to truly make a difference. As such, I resolved to obtain this sort of further preparation through the Army’s Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO) program.
Source

Intrigued, I went to check out Buchholz’s blog, “Not Quite Right,” in which he chronicles his experiences with immersion in the Middle East. It’s a travelogue, history, analysis, and examination not only of the Middle East, but also of his own views and ruminations about where he fits in the world.

Happy reading!

by Categories: Books, Cool blogs, Things that might make you thinkTags: ,

National Book Award screw-up

Hey, kids–

I caught this story today (I’m a little late to the party) and all I could think was “FUBAR.” For those not in the know about what the means, here.

Anyway, the National Book Award is a pretty prestigious deal. So when the nominees were announced last week, the authors and publishers no doubt got way excited and danced around, threw confetti, did fist pumps, and probably called tons of people with the news. However, one of those nominees wasn’t actually a nominee. Whoever put the short lists together got the wrong book, wrong author.

Yeah. The book award people announced Lauren Myracle’s Shine as a short list nominee instead of Franny Billingsley’s Chime. Both books are geared toward young adults.

Soon after the announcement, the book awards people added Chime to the list, stating that there would be six nominees instead of five in that category this year. Okay, seems fair enough, though it was a pretty big screw-up.

Today, however, Myracle has withdrawn her title from the shortlist, citing pressure from the National Book Foundation, which oversees the award. Myracle said that she was asked to withdraw her book in order to “preserve the integrity of the award and the judges’ work.” She agreed to do so, and she graciously gave props to the other authors nominated in the category.

Guess it was just too hard to have six books instead of five in contention. Although, if I were a conspiracy-monger (and who isn’t every now and again) or deeply, heinously cynical (and again, who isn’t now and again), I might wonder a little bit about that. Myracle’s book is about discrimination against gay youth in schools. Fortunately, I’m not necessarily a conspiracy-monger, and the National Book Foundation did agree to donate $5,000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization geared toward helping LGBTQ youth.

Regardless, the Tweet-o-sphere has a “supportShine” hashtag going, and there are lots of people out there who are not happy about this decision. And yes, it was a pretty big screw-up on the part of the NBF. I’m interested to see how it plays out over the next few days.

In the meantime, happy reading, happy writing!

by Categories: Books, Random WTF stuff, Stuff that sucks, Things that make you thinkTags: ,

Fiction, nonfiction, and gender

Hi, kids!

I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, a cool-ass group for writers of crime fiction and mysteries. They send out some really groovy book- and publishing-related links to members, and I always find stuff to think about. Like this link from National Public Radio, for example, about what seems to be a fact that women read far more fiction than men. And sadly, Americans are reading far less than in the past, too. Anyway:

Surveys consistently find that women read more books than men, especially fiction. Explanations abound, from the biological differences between the male and female brains, to the way that boys and girls are introduced to reading at a young age.

One thing is certain: Americans—of either gender—are reading fewer books today than in the past. A poll released last month by The Associated Press and Ipsos, a market-research firm, found that the typical American read only four books last year, and one in four adults read no books at all.

AND

When it comes to fiction, the gender gap is at its widest. Men account for only 20 percent of the fiction market, according to surveys conducted in the U.S., Canada and Britain.

There are numerous theories as to why that is, ranging from an “empathy” gap — women tend to be more empathetic and have a wider emotional range than men, traits that might make fiction more appealing to women — to the possibility that women have more sensitive “mirror neurons” than men. Reading fiction requires lots of patience, and the ability to “feel” the characters (to put yourself into the story), and that seems to be a purview of women rather than men.

There are exceptions, however. More boys than girls have read the Harry Potter series, for example. But another worrisome trend, the article notes, is that younger people are reading less than older. Which does raise questions about what will happen to reading, to the ability to focus for long periods of time on a book, and to books in general.

I’m of the opinion that if parents get kids started early enough on reading, whatever gender/sex/identity, it’ll be a life-long habit. So perhaps parents need to encourage the habit more, regardless of medium, and make sure their kids are expanding their horizons and stimulating their imaginations through books.

And yes, I am totally biased about this topic. Books rock! 😀

Happy Tuesday!

by Categories: Books, Things that might make you thinkTags: ,

Sunday readin’ tip

Hey, folks–

Since it’s coming up on Halloween and some of you (myself included) like the dark, macabre edge of a good zombie movie or tale, I thought I’d direct you to this big-ass anthology of zombie short stories by some of the best writers in the horror/zombie biz, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Max Brooks, and Poppy Z. Brite. It’s called Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead, edited by John Skipp, and it’s got you covered, regardless of whether you want funny/twisted, scary, creepy, weird…whatever. The link above is to Amazon, and you can check out the table of contents there.

source: Elliot Bay Book Company

TIP: I particularly enjoyed Robert Bloch’s “A Case of the Stubborns,” about a grandpa who dies but refuses to admit that he did.

32 stories here, and also some cool appendix materials about the origins of zombies and how they’ve infected pop culture. So for reals. Check this one out if you’re into zombies and short stories.

Happy reading!

by Categories: Books, Cool stuff to read, ZombiesTags: ,

Tips n’ tidbits

Hi, kids–

Heads up! Tomorrow is International Talk like a Pirate Day! Every September 19th, it’s perfectly acceptable and even encourages to run around and talk like a freakin’ pirate. So go on. have some fun. And check out the official website RIGHT HERE.

In honor of that fab event, R.G. Emanuelle and I will be giving away a copy of our edited anthology, Skulls and Crossbones: Tales of Women Pirates over at Women and Words. That’s tomorrow, kids! WOOOO!

source: Bedazzled Ink

Okay. Hope you come by Women and Words tomorrow for that awesome-ness.

And now a tip. Readers, it’s awesome that you share your thoughts about a book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and other sites like that. However, keep in mind that sometimes an issue you have with a book is something that you need to work out directly with the publisher or with the retailer who sold you the book/ebook, and not something you use to diss an author or a book.

Giving a book a low-star rating because your Kindle file, for example, was screwed up isn’t really how those review sections work. Those review sections are designed to allow people to assess the plot, author’s style, and writing structure of the story, not to completely diss a book because something was wrong with the formatting in your efile.

So here’s a tip. If you get an efile of a book and the formatting is all icky and it makes your reading experience sucky, PLEASE contact the retailer and the publisher rather than dissing the book in the reviews. Especially in genres like lesfic, which are small enough that it’s way easy to go to a publisher’s website, get the email address, and let them know that you got a crappy efile. That publisher will most likely be more than happy to provide you a new efile or a gift certificate or something to make up for the crappy file, and they’ll probably check it out with the retailer. Or the retailer will give you a new file.

Don’t give a book a bad review because you got a bad efile. That’s not necessarily the author’s fault, and dissing his or her book because of a problem that has nothing to do with the plot, characters, dialogue, writing style, or writing craft disrupts what those review sections are supposed to be used for.

By all means, let the retailer know and let the publisher (sometimes the publisher IS the author) know that your efile or print book was flawed. Give them a chance to rectify the situation. Because that bad review you gave, that had nothing to do with the story the author wrote, is a little unfair. Diss a book because you thought the story sucked, the writing style was bad, the grammar was terrible, the editing was terrible, the characters were wooden, the craft was bad. That’s what those review sections are for. Not to give an author a bad review because you got a bad efile and ended up not even reading the book.

So in the future, if you get a screwy efile (or even a flawed print book), contact the retailer and the publisher to let them know, so they can check the situation, reimburse you, and correct the issue so you, in turn, can actually read the book and review it on the basis it should be reviewed: what you thought about the quality of writing and the story.

Happy reading and happy Sunday!

by Categories: Books, Free Books, Things that might make you think, Things you shouldn't doTags: , 1 Comment

Food for thought

Hi, folks!

I came across a couple of interesting links the past day or so. This one is self-explanatory: DON’T PLAGIARIZE. It’s just plain sucky to do that to someone. Here’s one author’s experience with it. And yes, it does happen in the fanfic world. In this case, the plagiarizer posted the work on a fanfic site.

Plagiarism is theft. If you’re a writer (whether aspiring or not), show the world your individual creativity. You don’t need to steal somebody else’s work. Make your own. You’ll feel better about it. For reals.

And the second link has to do with ebooks and how they can threaten the livelihoods of aspiring writers. Award-winning author Graham Smith offers his concerns:

“The e-book does seem at the moment to threaten the livelihood of writers, because the way in which writers are paid for their work in the form of e-books is very much up in the air.

“I think the tendency will be that writers will get even less than they get now for their work and sadly that could mean that some potential writers will see that they can’t make a living, they will give up and the world would be poorer for the books they might have written, so in that way it is quite a serious prospect.”
source: The Telegraph

I think he has some valid concerns, especially when it comes to the idea that things in digital format should somehow be “cheaper” than things that are not. That’s a raging debate, by the way, in book land. The pricing of ebooks. The thing is, the same amount of work goes into creating a digital file as goes into a product that becomes a print book. That is, author time/effort, the various editors’ time/effort, the cover designer’s time/effort, and the typesetter’s time/effort. All that time and effort costs money. The only difference between a print book and an ebook is that one doesn’t go to a printer for binding. And that does save a little bit of money, but it doesn’t negate all the work and time that went into the back end. Make sense?

Anyway, just some stuff to ponder. Happy reading, happy writing!

by Categories: Books, Ebooks, Plagiarism, Publishing bizness, Stuff that sucksTags: , , 2 Comments

Readin’ Tip (everything old is new again)

Hey, kids–

As some of you know, I read a ton of nonfiction in addition to fiction. I think it’s important to read widely and read often, across genres and across fiction and nonfiction. Not only if you’re a writer. Do it as a reader, as someone willing to expand boundaries.

At any rate, here’s another one of those nonfiction books that I found resonates even today. It’s called (in the spirit of those wonderfully wordy 19th-century titles) The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth, by journalist Matthew Algeo.


source: Powells

Why is this such a groovy read? Click on…

Continue reading →

by Categories: Books, Cool stuff to read, History, Things that make you thinkTags: , , ,

Ban, baby, ban

Censorship is so last century.

That’s why I’m always surprised when I come across articles like this in HuffPo. Specifically, a Missouri school district has banned two books from the high school curriculum and library over concerns that they’ll apparently cause high school students to swear a lot and even have sex. Or something.

Which books, you may ask, have that kind of power? The unmitigated power to cause someone to suddenly start swearing like a drunken sailor on shore leave and, quite possibly, to suddenly want to have oodles of sex on a beach?

Click to find out. Oh, the horrors.

Continue reading →

by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, Books, Stuff that sucks, Things that make you think, Things you shouldn't doTags: , , , , , 2 Comments