Dragons! Lip gloss! Death!

thank you, and passing along the Interfictions auction!

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:29:38 GMT

So first I have to say a huge and belated thank-you for all the lovely birthday wishes ♥, and also to reassure: you have not missed the first chapter of Victory of Eagles! I am impatiently waiting for a pretty and nicely typeset PDF file from my editor, which I am assured is on its way any day now. (This will be going out on the Temeraire mailing list, which you can join/leave whenever you like at www.temeraire.org, and I will announce and post here afterwards as well.)

I would also like to point you all to the extremely shiny jewelry auction currently underway to benefit the Interstitial Arts Foundation, the publishers of Interfictions. Fabulous stuff for a fabulous cause! (You can also subscribe to iafauctions to follow the auction as new pieces are added one by one.)

Life has been a little mad lately mostly for very fun reasons, particularly because I ended up with three separate theater dates in six days -- the one I had planned, and the two unexpected sets of birthday presents. My verdicts: Macbeth: director Rupert Goold & Patrick Stewart both brilliant, see this if you possibly can. Rent: great dancing and fun energy, but badly over-amplified. Dangerous Liaisons: fabulous costumes and a Valmont I actually believed in as a seducer, some v. clunky dialogue in bits, rape scene extra-creepy because Cécile didn't feel like a period character.

Then there was the Cinco de Mayo get-together and the lunch with family and the planning for the Victory of Eagles launch and tour and somewhere in there there's been some OTW meetings, and recruiting another twenty coders and another forty revisions committed to the archive code, and finishing a short story (set in the past of the Temeraire universe, for Gardner Dozois's upcoming DRAGONS anthology), and hours watching david cook performances on youtube, don't mock me, and at the end of it all there is a slightly enervated me. *forms puddle and quivers*

And on that note, I will now go to bed before it hits 4am, oh dear.

wherein I fail at both self promotion and grammar

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:22:11 GMT

So hey, I should have mentioned this before -- I'm at New York Comic-Con this weekend! I was on a fun panel today, which was lovely for me although I am afraid it does not help any readers here who might have wanted to come, sorry! and then tomorrow (Saturday, that is) I will be signing from 12-1pm at the Del Rey booth (#1920). I have heard conflicting reports on what I will be signing; there are definitely copies of His Majesty's Dragon to give away, but there may or may not be copies of the Victory of Eagles ARC too. :D

From beta session from the story I'm currently working on, set in ancient Rome, spurred by the mistake "we has received":

Francesca: it was so nuts it might be intentional
Naomi: lolcats rome
Naomi: heeeee
Francesca: but I don't think so!
Francesca: ahahah
Francesca: yes
Francesca: you really ought to!
* Naomi rewrites all my work in lolcats
Francesca: we has received testimony!
Francesca: wow, yes
Naomi: Temeraire: I can has cow?
Francesca: hee
Naomi: Laurence: No you can't has. Not yours.
Naomi: Temeraire: :(
Francesca: Napoleon: DO NOT WANT!

And now back to wrestling with both Mark Antony and Ruby on Rails, and also back to my carrot cake from Dean & Deluca, which surprised me (I have been Disappointed in carrot cakes on many occasions) by being really excellent and not over-full of raisins, with icing that is just a nice thin soft not-too-sweet smear instead of a layer of mortar. (I am not by any means eating this before eating actual dinner. No, no.)

Back from Norwescon with much joy

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:50:13 GMT

I am freshly back from Norwescon, but the first joyful thing I have to share is not about the con, but that the Organization for Transformative Works is now open for membership! \o/ And you can read all about it (in English, Čeština, Deutsch, Español, Français, and Italiano) at the otw_news community -- where, by the way, we are eagerly looking for more translators. You can also see our very cool (if I do say so myself, cough) roadmap for the design of our archive software.

I got to meet a whole bunch of really smashing fellow fans, including Rob Carlos, who started sketching in my Q&A at 11am on Friday, and less than 24 hours later handed me this piece, which he's put in the wiki: Temeraire, Lily, Maximus. Oh, and then as an afterthought he whipped out this one the very next day: Napoleon & Lien.

I also happily scored a copy of Pat Rothfuss's first book, another one by the very dapper Bruce Taylor, and two spectacular art books by Ciruelo, the artist guest of honor -- I've loved his work for years so it was an especial treat to meet him, and also to hopefully not-too-embarrassingly fangirl all over Dan Simmons. *g* I also picked up a truly fabulous feather headdress in the dealer's room and a couple of pieces by Mai Nguyen, but sadly wasn't able to stay for the art auction to try and grab the larger one. But it is just as well! Cons are dangerous places for the wallet.

Of course for now the books have joined my sad unread pile, while lies behind the terrifying stack of the copyedited MS that I am supposed to be working on right now. My current excuse is the copyeditor switched to blue pencil from red, and all my copyediting pencils were carefully chosen blue exactly for contrast! argh. But I have dug out a few hot-pinkish ones from my old box of colored pencils and hand-sharpened them with a penknife since they are too crumbly for the pencil sharpener (uphill in the snow! both ways!) and must go back to the grind.

Last bit of glee: while I was at the con, Bill of Subterranean Press sent me the hot-off-the-presses limited edition! I don't know if I mentioned what they're doing with the covers -- after some back and forth with Dominic Harman (who did the gorgeous original UK covers), the decision was that for the first three, we'd do modified versions of the three UK covers, and then starting with book 4, Dominic will be creating new art in the UK-cover style, for a complete matching set. \o/

Plot Synopsis Project

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:18:23 GMT

ETA: edited to add direct permanent links to the other participants' posts!

jpsorrow put together this idea, which I thought was fun, of posting a successful synopsis: the kind of short summary you might send along with a query letter to get an agent or editor interested in seeing the full manuscript. The idea is to give any of you out there who are aspiring writers (or just curious!) a bunch of examples that were used to help sell a book.

My examples here are a little atypical: Betsy got interested in His Majesty's Dragon just from the manuscript itself, but they were interested in additional books; so she then asked me for synopses of the next two books before we agreed on the first three-book deal.

NOTE: Spoilers galore within! This is actually an important tip: do not worry about spoiling your prospective agent/editor. Give them all you've got. You will also note that there are many, many differences between these synopses and the eventual books, not least the titles.

Original Synopsis for Throne of Jade

Luck and Palaces
The Chronicle of Temeraire, Book II

The Chinese have learned that Temeraire, one of their prized Celestial dragons, has been assigned to Laurence, who in their eyes is nothing more than a common British officer. Insulted, they demand his return, a request that cannot be refused: China is the greatest air power of the time, and Britain cannot afford to have them come into the war on France's side.

Captain Riley of the Reliant and the rest of Laurence's former naval crew take command of the Allegiance, the transport that will take Laurence and Temeraire to China, a long and dangerous journey halfway around the world. On the way they will face danger from French warships, storms, and even a sea serpent.

Arriving in China, they find themselves caught in the middle of a complicated court intrigue. The prospective heir to the throne is paired with Temeraire's twin, and a powerful faction wants to see Temeraire matched to their own candidate to undermine the heir's position. The heir's supporters, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to get Temeraire out of the way -- permanently. And to make matters worse, Napoleonic agents at the court are ready to help either side, so long as it keeps Temeraire out of British hands.

Laurence and Temeraire must find a way to preserve the peace between Britain and China, while Temeraire struggles with his ties to his kindred, and his loyalty to his British friends.

Chronology: Dec 1805 - Sep 1806

Original Synopsis for Empire of Ivory

Empire of Ivory eventually became an amalgam of my synopses for book III and book IV -- and Black Powder War was inserted, um, largely because while I was busy writing book II, Todd McCaffrey published Dragonsblood, all about, you guessed it, a dragon plague. *g* So Betsy suggested I needed to postpone my own for a bit.

Something Rich and Strange
The Chronicle of Temeraire, Book III

Having obtained a treaty with China, Laurence and Temeraire are finally on their way home to Britain to rejoin the war effort against Napoleon. The journey is interrupted when their transport, the Allegiance, runs into a fleet of French warships sent into the Indian Ocean to prey on Britian's trade. The Allegiance escapes, but is badly damaged, and they are shipwrecked on the eastern coast of Africa. The French are patrolling the coast, looking for them, and their only hope of escape is to make an overland passage south to the Cape of Good Hope.

But sub-saharan Africa is wholly uncharted: no explorer has ever returned from the deep jungles. Wild dragons frequently come out of them to raid the human settlements along the coasts and in the north, taking cattle and treasure. In their journey, Laurence and Temeraire will discover the startling power behind the raids: a great dragon city in the heart of the jungle.

After many adventures, they manage to reach the Cape of Good Hope, just in time to meet Lily and the rest of the formation and join them in a daring attack on the French fleet.

Chronology: Feb 1807 - Aug 1807

The Chronicle of Temeraire, Book IV

At the height of the Napoleonic wars, a deadly plague is sweeping through the dragons of Britain, casting the Aerial Corps into disarray. Back at Cape Town after their triumph over the French in the waters of the Indian Ocean, Laurence and Temeraire and the rest of their formation learn that they cannot go home: their dragons must be kept away and safe from the disease, until it has fully run its course.

You don't get to see the rest of the original synopsis for Book IV because it is spoilery for future books. :D

I would ramble on a lot more about the changes but I am running around like mad getting ready to leave for Norwescon -- hope to see some of you there! Here's my schedule for the con.

And here for you to check out are links to more Plot Synopsis Project participants:
Plot Synopsis Project participant links:

Patricia Bray (pbray): http://pbray.livejournal.com/169118.html

Chaz Brenchley (desperance): http://desperance.livejournal.com/254192.html

Mike Brotherton: http://www.mikebrotherton.com/?p=427

Tobias Buckell: http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2008/02/01/ask-me-a-question-was-crystal-rain-sold-as-part-of-a-series/

S.C. Butler (scbutler): http://scbutler.livejournal.com/23177.html

Barbara Campbell: www.barbara-campbell.com/inside.htm

David B. Coe (davidbcoe): http://davidbcoe.livejournal.com/29443.html

Jennifer Dunne (jennifer_dunne): http://jennifer_dunne.livejournal.com/244403.html

S.L. Farrell (sleigh): http://sleigh.livejournal.com/187253.html

Diana Francis (difrancis): http://difrancis.livejournal.com/160512.html

Gregory Frost frostokovich): http://frostokovich.livejournal.com/19384.html

Felix Gilman: http://www.felixgilman.com/wordpress/

Jim C. Hines (jimhines): http://jimhines.livejournal.com/355241.html

Jackie Kessler (jackiekessler): http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-plot-synopsis-project/#more-178

Mindy Klasky (mindyklasky): http://mindyklasky.livejournal.com/135970.html

Misty Massey (madkestrel): http://madkestrel.livejournal.com/64716.html

C.E. Murphy (mizkit): http://mizkit.livejournal.com/339428.html

Joshua Palmatier (jpsorrow): http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com/143076.html

Maria V. Snyder: http://blog.myspace.com/mariavsnyder

Jennifer Stevenson (smokingpigeon): http://smokingpigeon.livejournal.com/15208.html

Michelle West (msagara): http://msagara.livejournal.com/37498.html

Sean Williams (ladnews): http://ladnews.livejournal.com/78590.html

Kelly McCullough: http://wyrdsmiths.blogspot.com/2008/03/webmage-synopsis.html

pirate ships, deadlines, conventions

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:12:18 GMT

Going straight from one much-extended deadline to another, I have managed (with much indulgence from the editors) to get my story in for Fast Ships, Black Sails, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer's pirate anthology from Night Shade books, full of fabulous piratey goodness from many amazing writers, including fellow lj'ers matociquala and truepenny!

My own story is "Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake" (cough, please ignore the multiple signs of title indecision you might find littered across various mentions of the anthology -- either I have a title when I start or I wrestle with it for ages afterwards). I had really a ridiculous amount of fun writing this; in my own head it was a mix of Georgette Heyer, those old Sinbad movies with the stop-motion monsters, and Orlando. (Whether any of this got onto the page you'll have to tell me if you read it. *g*)

I am currently doing the last real edits on Victory of Eagles (well, okay, what I have mostly been doing is re-reading all Heyer's regency romances in a fit of post-book laziness, but edits are also getting done), and then I have a whole seventeen months before my deadline for book 6. \o/ I have been working on a Temeraire book nonstop since I started His Majesty's Dragon in January 2004, so now it feels like glorious vistas of playtime stretch out before me! Thanks to various spurts of procrastination over the last few years, I have the beginnings of a couple short stories, a screenplay, and three novels -- the hard part is going to be choosing what to work on. *dances*

Meanwhile, I am going to be at Norwescon in Seattle from March 19-23, New York Comic-Con April 18, and Balticon May 23-25, and then, gulp, apparently there is a book tour up ahead. *quivers in fear* I don't have details yet but it will probably involve hitting San Diego Comic-Con. More news to come!

The first chapter of Victory of Eagles will go out over the Temeraire mailing list (signup on the website) and be posted here soon as copyedits are done, so look for it probably the week after I get back from Norwescon.

whee!

Victory is mine! \o/

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:55:09 GMT

Victory of Eagles final draft^* is in.

110,000 words. Comes out in July.

*falls over*

^*but there's always the copyedit stage!

more about the OTW

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:22:19 GMT

Lots of exciting OTW-related posts and discussions taking place -- just linking to a few! There's merryish's post about the merits of fanfic, sockkpuppett's about transformative work, and posts more specifically about OTW on otw_news itself, boingboing, Ethan Zuckerman's blog, Kristina Busse's blog, Tobias Buckell's blog, and a rousing thread on John Scalzi's Whatever -- and for anyone else who may be wondering, yes, please do feel free to link us and pass it along!

We're reading all of these and already planning to mine them to expand our FAQ, but I thought I'd share this bit I posted in the discussion on the Whatever -- many of the concerns I'm seeing raised are about the commercialization of fanfic, and we really do want to clarify that this isn't what the OTW is about.

The mission of the OTW is first and foremost to protect the fan creators who work purely for love and share their works for free within the fannish gift economy, who are looking to be part of a community and connect to other fans and to celebrate and to respond to the media works that they enjoy. These fans create vibrant and active communities around the work they are celebrating, tend to spend heaps of money on the original work and associated merchandise, and encourage others to buy also. They are not competing with the original creator's work and if anything help to promote it.

If you want to sell your derivative Harry Potter novel, on the other hand, you are going to have to make a strong case for allowing you to do so without authorization from J.K. Rowling. The courts are going to be justly skeptical that you are borrowing her property for any reason other than to make yourself some cash off her characters.

It’s still not automatically infringing -- there are already plenty of cases where transformative works legitimately circulate in the for-profit marketplace as well: parodies such as The Wind Done Gone (the retelling of Gone With The Wind from the perspective of a slave), critical analyses that quote extensively from an original, "unauthorized guides," and other types of transformative works have long traditionally been sold.

But that really isn't what fanfic writers and fan creators in general are doing, or looking to do. We just want to enjoy our hobby and our communities, and to share our creative work, without the constant threat hanging overhead that an overzealous lawyer at some corporation will start sending out cease-and-desist notices, relying not on legal merit, but on the disproportionate weight of money on their side.

The OTW does not at all oppose the derivative works right that allows copyright owners to authorize a mass-market film adaptation, for instance, or allows Anne McCaffrey to authorize Todd and not somebody else to commercially publish Pern sequels. We do however support a broad understanding of fair use to protect fanworks; we're saying that this is legitimate creative work, and that fans have the right to respond to the works that capture their imagination.

And now, I must go watch Supernatural like a good fan, and then go write more of book 5, like a good pro. *g*

Organization for Transformative Works

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:34:12 GMT

Yes, so, this is one reason among others ("others" including struggling on towards the end of book 5 -- not quite there yet, but getting close) why I have been scarce and quiet of late:

The Organization for Transformative Works

Our shiny new website, written and revised and designed and built by the work of a great many incredibly talented fans, says it all better and in more detail than I can, but here's the basics: the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) is a nonprofit organization established by fans to serve the interests of fans by providing access to and preserving the history of fanworks and fanculture in its myriad forms. I myself have been and am a fan long before I am a pro, and the community of fan creators in particular is really in many ways my home. I believe deeply that transformative work enriches both those who do it and those who inspire it, and I am so very excited about this project.

If you like what you see, and you're interested in following along on future updates, we have a whole slew of places you can watch: mailing list, del.icio.us account, Twitter channel, and the otw_news community, which is mirrored on LJ, on GreatestJournal, InsaneJournal, and JournalFen. The website announcement and our first newsletter are both up now in all those places, with details on our various projects and what's going on right now.

Hopefully some of you here may be interested in fanwork and fanfic yourselves, and find common ground with the org and want to get involved -- please do join us!

(also, yay, boingboinged! \o/)

Good Week

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:56:48 GMT

wrote 14,000 words

made nytimes bestseller list

killed some monsters in GuildWars

*flail*

Empire of Ivory non-spoiler questions and thread

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:05:12 GMT

I've added a warning to the last post -- there are a few spoilers in the comments now. Apologies; I entirely encouraged people to post comments on the book and should have thought to make a separate "spoilery" thread, so it's my fault not theirs.

Since there are now spoilers over there already, I'll do the reverse now -- if you would like to post spoilery reviews/questions, let me ask you to do so over there, and keep this thread spoiler-free!

And in that vein, answering some non-spoilery questions:

Empire of Ivory will be released throughout the UK on November 5 of this year -- not a very long wait! The US and UK publishers are planning to keep future releases more close together, as I understand.

Book 5, Victory of Eagles, will be out in the US in Summer 2008, in hardcover, and further books in the series will probably come out about that same time.

On the UK cover art change: I love both the original and new cover styles to bits, personally. I am sad about there being a change, because it spoils my fabulous matching set, but it's not my decision -- cover art is a choice marketing makes.

I *am* very happy that Dominic is doing the covers for all of the Subterranean Press limited editions, which will include Empire of Ivory and I very much hope future volumes also), so there will be at least one complete set with his art, and I hope he'll make those covers available as prints via his website too, as the limited eds are pricey.

(Incidentally, the Subterranean website now has thumbnails up of the really beautiful interior layout.)

Okay -- so again, any non-spoilery stuff, welcome here; spoilers, over there please! I'll do a roundup of spoilery questions in a couple of weeks and answer them in a batch then.

And now back to work. *g*

Book birthday!

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:51:07 GMT

I am away from home pounding away at Victory of Eagles, but I poke in briefly to say that Empire of Ivory is out today in the US! I confess I am hideously nervous; this really feels more like a second book than Throne of Jade or Black Powder War did, because they came out so close to the first. Let me know if you see it out there! (And there is also the neat box set of the first three books out now too, but there weren't that many sets made, so I don't know how likely it is to spot that.)

As always I would love to hear what you all think of the book, positive and negative and anything in between, either here in comments or as reviews on Amazon or your own favorite online bookstore. And I am a firm believer in not jumping in to discussions about my own work, so if you are kind enough to link me to comments in your own LJs or blogs, have no fear that I will come barging in when you're having a discussion meant for the reader and not for yours truly, even if I love to eavesdrop. *g*

(And if you do have questions for me, please do keep dropping them here -- I, uh, have been lectured on the need to get my act together and so I will hopefully soon be getting some help in making sure they don't languish on here unanswered forever.)

ETA: NOTE - SPOILERS IN COMMENTS!

I has tiara!

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:57:14 GMT

Summer Palace, Beijing

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:10:36 GMT

(I got the visa! *g*)

Taken at the Summer Palace:

The cicadas were deafening, and the water lilies were enormous and in full bloom.

Subterranean Press edition

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:11:54 GMT

I still do not have my visa for the China part of the upcoming trip, as (my having given my profession as "writer) the consulate demanded a letter explaining exactly what it is I write! I resorted to copying off the back cover of HMD, and it seems to have satisfied them, but I still do not get it back until Monday, which is cutting rather more fine than I had wanted, as we leave Thursday. But I am making the sanguine assumption that all will be well and I will not end up in a cell at Immigration somewhere.

Also, having prepared for the Hugos -- I love excuses for formal wear -- by obtaining spiffy dress, shoes, fancy scarf-thing to protect against over-air-conditioning, etc, and making Charles get his tails altered to fit again, we are apparently not going to be wearing any of it, because! There is going to be a kimono sales/rental place called Maimu at the con, which is offering rentals with dressing service! I am so excited.

Meanwhile I have more things to do than seem to want to go into the space of the next few days, so I am keeping this short, but I did want to post that the Subterranean Press limited edition of His Majesty's Dragon has gone on sale. The wonderful Dominic Harman (the artist for the first-edition US and UK covers) is doing the covers for these also, and Anke Eisemann is doing five color illustrations for the interiors! I am gleeful about Anke because she was discovered via the Temeraire wiki, where she's contributed several fantastic illustrations. :D Her website has some really lovely Tolkien illustrations also -- I love the Faramir portrait on this page.

I have a bouquet of fresh zinnia on my desk and an hour to write for fun before work calls. Off I go.

run-up to Worldcon

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 05:57:08 GMT

Having waited to very nearly the last hour, I finally sat myself down yesterday and devoured the entire Hugo short-fiction slate, all of which is online, before voting, and oh! The novelette category! I mean, everything nominated was good, but this category, I don't know what, but it was just fully wonderful, and had the winner of the year for me, too, which was Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (PDF) by Geoff Ryman. Which you should all go read, even if you don't read a lot of short fiction. It made me cry and left me with a taste like fresh fruit.

I have also got my Worldcon schedule:

Fri 12pm How Healthy is the Short Story
Participants: Ellen DATLOW, Gavin J GRANT, Joe HALDEMAN, Larry NIVEN, Naomi NOVIK

Fri 4pm Interview with Naomi NOVIK :o

Sat 12pm Meet the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer Finalists
Participants: Jay LAKE, John A DAVIS, Lawrence M SCHOEN, Naomi NOVIK

Sun 12pm Defending Public Domain from Corporate Copyright Maximalism
Participants: Cory DOCTOROW, Inge HEYER, Naomi NOVIK, Patrick NIELSEN HAYDEN

There will probably be things like a reading or a signing added, but they haven't told me about those yet. Also, I am entertained by the EMPHASIS of the last names.

And I mentioned this to a few people offline, but more of you may be interested -- this is the site I've primarily been using for studying japanese: japanesepod101.com. All their podcasts, which are kind of hilarious and full of colloquial modern japanese, are available for free (you can subscribe via itunes if you just search for 'japanesepod101.com'), and I am finding their premium site actually worth the price -- 4-way transcripts, lots of really useful reference tools, flash cards, etc.

This Java-based kanji flashcard site is also nice, because it will draw the strokes for each character with animation if you click the character image on the right side of each flashcard.

Finally, I have gotten the section for Empire of Ivory up on the website, including the first-chapter excerpt, and also put up the two deleted scenes that I've previously posted on here.

So, that's my weekly dose of procrastination done; now back to Victory of Eagles.

Catching up

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 05:20:34 GMT

こんばんは! (konbanwa/good evening) I have just about gotten down all the kana. Only 2000 kanji to go before I can read Japanese!

Confession: it does not actually prove anything that I was able to type that out, because the Windows Japanese input system is actually kind of astonishingly easy -- you just type the Japanese syllables of a word the way they sound in English, and it translates them automatically into kana. It will even transform the words into kanji for you, but well, you have to know what the kanji mean, because the same word syllable-wise can have ten different meanings with ten different kanji spellings, and Windows does not helpfully provide a translation for each of them, although frankly it seems like it would be easy to do, and it's annoying they didn't. I could even now be writing hilariously bad Japanese based on word-by-word translation and perhaps spawning a reverse All Your Base meme.

As you may have guessed, studying Japanese in preparation for Worldcon is one of the many things that have been distracting me from posting in this livejournal, and in fact one of the exciting updates I have to share is that my Japanese publisher, Villagebooks, has sent me a translation of the first chapter of His Majesty's Dragon, which is coming out in Japanese later this fall. If you are interested, you can get the PDF file (422 K) here or at the Temeraire website.

Meanwhile, the page proofs of Empire of Ivory went to the publisher at last on June 29, and the ARCs arrived about a week later, which gives you an idea how close to the wire I came on this one. I do feel it is incumbent on me to warn that at least one reader has described it as having a "vicious cliffhanger of an ending" and, er, I can't argue. I know, bad writer, no biscuit. I'm sorry! That's where it wanted to end.

In the plus column, book 5 has an actual title and pub date already: Victory of Eagles, coming out June 2008. The first chapter is not going into book 4, because there was just not enough time to get it done, but instead we will be sending it out via mailing list (you can sign up on www.temeraire.org) and livejournal sometime after the publication of Empire of Ivory.

In other exciting news, Subterranean Press will be doing limited edition hardcovers of all four of the Temeraire books so far, with brand-new cover art by Dominic Harman and interior b&w and color art by an artist yet to be named. *much rejoicing*

And last and perhaps most gleefully, even if it is old news by now: Temeraire won the Locus Award! joy! I was so sad I could not be there, but I understand Amelia of Locus read my speech complete with appropriate flailing gestures, so that is almost like I was there. :D

Now I will show away in a really shameless manner:

The Locus and Compton plaques are standing to either side of, from left-to-right, the German, Dutch, Korean, Catalan, Spanish, and French translations of His Majesty's Dragon, which have lately arrived! That little guy hiding off to the left-hand side is not mine, of course.

Meanwhile, people have been riffing on Temeraire in all sorts of cool ways, and I have been meaning to put together a gallery of these, but as it is taking me so long to do it, I am going to just link you to them directly.

The Artwork Category and Illustrated Dragon Breeds in the Temeraire Wiki!
Some of these are really stupendous; I love how Temeraire's rapidly increasing size in the early days is illustrated in the sequence of Anke's pictures.

naamah_darling has created a fabulous Temeraire-inspired painted box

wickedglass has been making hand-blown dragon glass (!).

cavaticat has drawn Temeraire.

The Sci-Fi Catholic addresses the important issue of dragons' rights.

And finally, I simply have no words for this. *dies*

On a side note, the wiki was attacked by spam bots, alas! But happily, whitearrow has set up an quick and easy approval form for new accounts, if you would like to participate in editing the wiki.

a week in review

Mon, 28 May 2007 14:48:22 GMT

Monday: Turned in final MS of Empire of Ivory (until they give me the copyedits, when I can sneak in a few more tweaks) to Betsy, final tally 120,000 words. Coming out September 25, according to Amazon -- (that is where I am getting my own information, however, so I disclaim responsibility if that turns out to be wrong).

Rest of week: Much lolling about Central Park.

Thursday: Managed to get from Central Park to Balticon, in the company of claudiagray and Diana Fox, with some help from Amtrak. I love trains.

Friday: Won Compton Crook! \o/ *confetti*

Many props to scott_lynch, Jana Oliver, and Joshua Palmatier (jpsorrow), who were the other contestants up for the Crook. Also to Maria Snyder, last year's winner, who wrote the very cool Poison Study.

Saturday: Got to hand awards out at the very fun Masquerade to slightly stunned-looking seniors in high school. I slunk out before the awards were announced as a pal was coming to the hotel and I did not want the humiliation of ringing-cellphone-itis, but there was a very neat Masque of the Red Death pageant and a spectacular Jareth and Sarah from Labyrinth, who were wandering the halls earlier. Afterwards, spent many hours hanging around in bar with several very fab members of fangs_fur_fey.

I have to apologize for completely bailing on the midnight panel -- Sex, Love, and Erotica in SF, a topic I felt would motivate me to hang on until the late hour. I managed to hold on in the bar until just around midnight, but then suddenly the engine sputtered and died. I went upstairs and collapsed into bed instead. Note to self: still not realistic enough about con capacity.

Sunday: Got home on the noon train, ahead of crazed Memorial Day travel rush, and wound up back in Central Park. Would like a theme to be emerging here, but book 5 is due August 1st, so sadly it had better not be.

Monday: Awake at civilized hour, victory in itself. Today, chapter 1 of book 5 must be begun and the many emails I have been neglecting must be dealt with. Unfortunately, it is beautiful out! Central Park sings its siren song.

A note from Charles, and "The Home Front"

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 02:26:32 GMT

Reposting a note Charles dropped in the comments to my last post, with an edit to the url now that we have got the story up on a shiny page of its very own:

Just stepping out of my habitual LiveJournal silence to say thank you to all of you who posted congratulations. Edgar is sitting on top of our piano, giving his sleepy-eyed benediction to our bookshelves, and it's all just beginning to sink in.

For those of you who asked what the story that won is about, the short answer is that it's about a private eye during World War II who unintentionally kills a man and finds himself just as unintentionally doing penance. The long answer is now posted at http://www.hardcasecrime.com/misc/homefront.shtml.

Again, many thanks.

--Charles

Also, his lj is at charlesardai, even if he has (so far) resisted the temptation to post anything.

And I thank you all too! Since I got Empire in so very late, my revisions are now due a week from Monday (ha ha *hollowly*), but after that I will try and go back to actually responding to the occasional comment now and then. :D

good day

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:56:08 GMT

- finished Empire of Ivory (107,509)

- husband won Edgar for best short story!!!!

\o/

(eta to add link!)

Wollaton Hall and Loch Laggan

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 02:00:12 GMT

Just a fun random tidbit from the trenches -- Laurence's family home from book 1, Wollaton Hall, is a real place, and today I discovered that it now has a 360-degree tour available courtesy of the BBC. (Furnishings obviously were not quite the same at the time it served as the Allendale seat. *g*) You will need to install the Java Runtime Environment to view the 360-degree photos. The house is now a museum, and just recently reopened to the public after renovations -- I haven't had a chance to visit myself yet, although I hope to the next time I'm in the UK.

(As I think I've mentioned here before, the training covert from book 1 is also a real place you can visit, the Ardverikie Estate. The castle-like manor is not itself in the book, having only been constructed in 1870, but it sits on Loch Laggan, which is the lake where Temeraire and pals swim, and the covert itself would have been located on one of the low mountains surrounding the lake.)

Gacked from ellen_kushner, the 37th annual Locus Magazine awards are currently open for all to vote online, until Sunday, April 15 -- it asks for subscriber number, but you don't have to have one to vote. Temeraire is up for Best First Novel, along with heaps of other terrific nominees in all categories.

Also, new icon, from the fabulous covers HarperCollins UK are doing for the mass-market editions over there. You can see the full glory over in the website artwork gallery.

Okay, just hang on

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:22:05 GMT

I love you, bookslut, but I refuse to be a fern! If the guys in your metaphor are going to be lions and tigers, I demand to be a baobab. *plants flag, or rather extremely large tree*

Empire of Ivory: not quite done yet, so I am not allowed to embroil myself further in all the exciting debate. Oh, how I love you, thirty-day grace period.

Thank you all so much for the congratulations and encouragement -- there really is no better fuel for writing than knowing that people want to read what I am working on, and in the end, that is what is best about the Hugos or any other award.

Speaking of which, I have just learned that M. Rickert's collection Map of Dreams has won the IAFA's Crawford Award for first fantasy novel, for which Temeraire was also nominated. Many congratulations, Mary! So if you are looking for more great sff by women, I suggest checking out her book, and also the many terrific Nebula nominees. For more sff by Japanese writers, here's the Wikipedia page on the past Seiun Award winners. Does anyone have recommendations for other resources that might have links, esp to translated works, or a list of this year's nominees (if it has been released yet)?

And, now that Norwescon 30 is over, it's public that I'm going to be the Special Guest (it gets capital letters on the website and makes me think of the Doubtful Guest) at Norwescon 31 next year, with the theme Bell, Book, and Dragon. I am all excited at the prospect, especially as I have never been to Seattle before. Hope to get to see a whole bunch of you there!

hey, that hugo thing

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 03:43:16 GMT

I've been kind of dazed since I got the news, and it still doesn't feel quite real -- but it's been posted at Making Light, so that means it must be true, right? -- I've been nominated for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Hugo for Best Novel (for His Majesty's Dragon).

I mostly want to say: \o/

Novel
Michael F. Flynn, Eifelheim (Tor)
Naomi Novik, His Majesty’s Dragon (Del Rey)
Charles Stross, Glasshouse (Ace)
Vernor Vinge, Rainbows End (Tor)
Peter Watts, Blindsight (Tor)

Novella
Robert Reed, “A Billion Eves”
Paul Melko, “The Walls of the Universe”
William Shunn, “Inclination”
Michael Swanwick, “Lord Weary’s Empire”
Robert Charles Wilson, “Julian”

Novelette
Paolo Bacigalupi, “Yellow Card Man”
Michael F. Flynn, “Dawn, and Sunset, and the Colours of the Earth”
Ian McDonald, “The Djinn’s Wife”
Mike Resnick, “All the Things You Are”
Geoff Ryman, “Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter”

Short Story
Neil Gaiman, “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”
Bruce McAllister, “Kin”
Tim Pratt, “Impossible Dreams”
Robert Reed, “Eight Episodes”
Benjamin Rosenbaum, “The House Beyond the Sky”

Related Book
Samuel R. Delany, About Writing: Seven Essays, Four Letters, and Five Interviews
Joseph T. Major, Heinlein’s Children: The Juveniles
Julie Phillips, James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice Sheldon
John Picacio, Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio
Mike Resnick & Joe Siclari, eds., Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches

Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Children of Men
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
A Scanner Darkly
V for Vendetta

Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Battlestar Galactica, “Downloaded”
Doctor Who, “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday”
Doctor Who, “Girl in the Fireplace”
Doctor Who, “School Reunion”

Editor, Short Form
Gardner Dozois
David G. Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon Van Gelder
Sheila Williams

Editor, Long Form
Lou Anders
James Patrick Baen
Ginjer Buchanan
David G. Hartwell
Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Professional Artist
Bob Eggleton
Donato Giancola
Stephan Martiniere
John Jude Palencar
John Picacio

Semiprozine
Ansible
Interzone
Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet
Locus
The New York Review of Science Fiction

Fanzine
Banana Wings
Challenger
The Drink Tank
Plokta
Science-Fiction Five-Yearly

Fan Writer
Chris Garcia
John Hertz
Dave Langford
John Scalzi
Steven H. Silver

Fan Artist
Brad W. Foster
Teddy Harvia
Sue Mason
Steve Stiles
Frank Wu

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (not a Hugo)
Scott Lynch
Sarah Monette
Naomi Novik
Brandon Sanderson
Lawrence M. Schoen

And now I go back to writing. Empire of Ivory MS goes to Betsy next week, if all goes well. You will hear about it being done before she does unless I keep working on it until five seconds before I have to run out the door.

Er, okay, you will hear about it shortly after.

Campbell Award & Hugo Cheerleading

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:52:39 GMT

Now that the eligibility rules have been straightened out, I'm passing on the word mabfan helpfully sent me -- if you're a newly published sf&f author (within the last two years), you are likely eligible for the Campbell Award, given out at Worldcon along with the Hugos (although it is Not A Hugo):

The John W. Campbell Award is given to the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy was published in a professional publication in the previous two years. For the 2007 award, which is presented at the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), the qualifying work must have been published in 2005 or 2006.

If that includes you, you should contact the nice folks over at Writertopia who maintain the list of eligible authors, so they can add you on! (scott_lynch, I am pretty sure this includes you, by the way...)

The voting information is here; if you were a member of LA Con last year or are a member of Nippon 2007 this year, you can nominate; you have to be a member of Nippon 2007 to vote. You can nominate online over here until March 3, 2007.

(Yes, this is my thinly-veiled way of standing on a box waving around a sign saying "I'm eligible!" Look at that fabulous list of people I am up against, I have to do something here. *g* Although no matter what, I am using it as an excuse to go to Yokohama and visit Beijing and Kyoto while I am there, so I feel like I have already won a prize trip.)

I also would like to do some highly partisan Hugo cheerleading for Dominic Harman, the fabulous artist who in 2006 did the covers for all the Temeraire books both in the US and the UK (except the beautiful cover for the SFBC omnibus by the also wonderful Todd Lockwood). Dominic's website features much of his terrific work, but not the two later UK covers from this past year, which in my opinion are among the best; you can see those in the cover art gallery on my website.

And obviously I am biased, but I do think that objectively, he's made really amazing work of a challenging job of sf&f illustration, capturing both the historical and fantastical elements, making fairly classical-style dragons still exciting when you might think they've been done to death, and handling two completely different sets of illustrations, one for hardcover size and one for mass-market. On top of that, which most people may not realize, some of these had to be done in part before the respective books were even finished, which doesn't make an artist's life easy. In fact, one of the most wonderful things about working with him has been the back and forth -- I took my description of the Kazilik dragons in Black Powder War from Dominic's cover design, and the spines actually became an integral part of that dragon breed's "construction" for me.

*shakes pom-poms enthusiastically*

Finally, after a knock-down drag-out fight spanning an ocean and two continents, Book Four has an official title: Empire of Ivory is due out October 2007. Off to add that info to the website...

yawp, yawp: NPR, Crawford

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 01:58:45 GMT

Rick Kleffel of The Agony Column has done a fun radio piece all about dragons for All Things Considered on NPR, Dragons Get A Modern Image Makeover, including interviews with yours truly, Anne McCaffrey, and Christopher Paolini of Eragon fame. (It is as always extremely bizarre to hear my own voice from outside.) Granted, it is not really a very modern development to have dragons be sympathetic creatures, since Anne wrote the first Pern books back in the 60s, but hey, it's for a mainstream audience. *g*

I am also v. excited to have been nominated for the Crawford Award (best first fantasy novel by a new writer) by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. From locusmag.com, the full list of finalists is: Daniel Abraham's A Shadow in Summer, Alan De Niro's Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead, Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child, Theodora Goss's In The Forest of Forgetting, scott_lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, and M. Rickert's Map of Dreams, along with my Temeraire (US title His Majesty's Dragon).

(As seems to be turning into a usual thing, I discovered this by reading about it in matociquala's lj. If it were not for lj, I would be wandering around in the world obliviously -- my mother was asking me the other day how I find out about news etc, and the most truthful answer is, in order of importance, lj and then a tie between the daily show and the nytimes website. I am waiting for my Gen X membership card to come in the mail any day now.)

DVD Extras: deleted scene from book 4

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:09:51 GMT

Happiness: finding out thanks to a misunderstanding between editor and agent that the actual secret deadlines by which they really need books 4 and 5 to get the galleys out on time are in fact more than two months later than I was previously informed. In this case, it doesn't mean I can write slower, rather that I will have time to write more of the something-completely-different in between.

And, that I have a little time to breathe, and so I dug this out to share. This scene or one like it might have taken place between Black Powder War and book four (working title A Brazen Armament). It was cut from book four because I felt this was too slow and expository a beginning, and confusing because of the distinction between the Danish feral dragons and Arkady and his lot.

Obligatory disclaimer: not a complete story, not part of canon, no actual whales were harmed in the writing of this segment.

deleted scene

Laurence looked out anxiously from the shore, as far over the ocean as the thin grey curtain of rain would permit: he could not tell if it was still freezing, further out from shore.

"That is a very handsome whale," Temeraire said: he was looking out to sea also, but his attention was fixed all upon a party of the small local dragons returning in triumph from a fishing expedition.

Two days of sleet had kept them huddled here in what little concealment they could find on the high, isolate Danish coast: dragons might fly in rain and snow, but not with ice building upon their wing-joints at every beat. Only the native feral dragons who inhabited the coast ventured it, their unusually prominent and ropy veins standing in relief all over their wings as they darted out to fish the coal-black waters. Even they returned as swiftly as they might, bringing their prizes back to shore to eat: seal, tunny, and on this occasion a smallish whale seized upon by three of them all together. It was still thrashing as they carried it back, flying so low under their burden that the wave-crests lapped at the dangling flukes. Having heaved it up onto the rocky shore just clear of the water, they fell-to at once, scarcely a quarter-mile away and in clear view: the natives had been otherwise staying warily clear of the encampment of men and foreign dragons.

"They could share," Iskierka said resentfully, watching their feast with all the intensity natural to a new-hatched dragon; she was the hungriest of their ragged little band, having added another two feet to her length overnight, and there had been only a handful of wild goats to share out among nearly two dozen dragons for dinner, one of them Temeraire, who could have gladly eaten the lot himself. She leaned over and nipped at his side. "Go and make them!"

"It is their catch, I am not going to take it away, as though I could not hunt for myself," Temeraire said with great dignity, thrusting her away with his nose and pretending he had not just been eyeing the rapidly vanishing whale with unconcealed longing himself. "Laurence, surely it is not so cold to-day? I could try and fetch us another."

"I am not certain," Laurence answered reluctantly, "and if the weather has broken, we ought to be off at once; we will have to fly through the night to reach England, in any case." He tried looking again through his glass, but the rain dimmed the morning light too far to be sure.

"We had better fly out and see," Temeraire suggested, "and bring back something to eat before we go."

They went out only the two of them: the crew could only have hampered Temeraire in fishing and had an uncomfortable flight of it besides, with Temeraire either hovering in place, in a jouncing kind of motion, or stooping into abrupt dives which seemed to Laurence to thrust his stomach into his throat. But the rain was only cold, not frozen, and though he watched Temeraire's wing-edges carefully, Laurence saw no rime of ice building on the black hide. "It is not what anyone would call pleasant flying," Temeraire said, between bites of a tunny which he had plucked up for himself, "but it is not very bad, and so long as you have the compass to show the way, it does not much matter if we cannot see very far: Arkady and the others can follow me."

"I am only worried if the weather should turn again, once we are too far from shore to get safely back," Laurence said. "If only it would clear a little I should be easy."

As if to punish him for complaining, his wish was answered: the cover broke abruptly, two clouds parting ways, and sunlight went spilling in a glittering line from Temeraire straight on southwards, and illuminated a pair of small patrol-dragons not three miles distant. For a moment Laurence entertained the faint hope they might be British dragons, from one of the transports that were stationed in the North Sea, though Britain scarcely had beasts enough to spare for distant patrols -- but immediately they had sighted Temeraire, the two small dragons turned tail and dashed away towards the Continent. Temeraire was too easily recognizable: solid black, as no European breeds were, and sleek but for his head-ruff and horns, characteristic of the rare Celestial breed.

"A French patrol, or at best Dutch," Laurence said to Granby and Ferris, who had been waiting by the edge of the encampment for his return, "but even that will not give us much more time. We will have to get everyone back aboard at once."

"But I am hungry!" Iskierka said, sitting back on her haunches mutinously. She jetted a little steam, like an overheated kettle, from the small spikes bristling all over her length, the internal workings which produced her fire giving vent to her irritation. "I do not see why we must always be running away, and I want a whale also."

"Here, you may have this," Temeraire said to Iskierka, offering her the large seal he had snatched up on the way back; without pause for a word of thanks, she was instantly deep into its belly-meat, scattering offal and blood in a wide ring around her.

The other dragons roused from their huddled sleep at the smell, and came nosing out to see if there was any more; they were not at all satisfied to be told that there was no time for hunting, despite the improvement in the weather. Arkady and his ragged band of mountain ferals had been recruited to the British cause only with the promise of regular and ample provender, and they were growing thoroughly disillusioned after some four days of hard flying and little food.

Arkady in particular made some loud remarks, emphasized with dramatic slashing gestures of his claws. Laurence did not need to understand their native speech to perceive his displeasure; the horns on the red-patch feral's forehead were jutting out, and his fellows were nodding in agreement.

"They think I am lying," Temeraire said, in some indignation, attempting without success to convince them that the promised feasting awaited them at the end of this last leg of their journey.

Tharkay, who had recruited the ferals to their cause, unrolled himself from his cloak in the midst of this increasing clamor and rose to join Laurence at the edge of the encampment; he listened without much dismay while the squabbling dragons went on, and when their conversation briefly paused, addressed them himself at length. He had acquired the ferals' tongue originally as a curiosity, during his travels through the East, but what had once been an indifferent fluency had improved with much use.

"I have suggested to them," he told Laurence aside, "that as they will find no good hunting here, they had just as well come along with us and see: they can go home from Britain as easily as from here, if they find the conditions not to their liking."

This argument had no sooner managed to produce a grumbling quiescence in the dragons, than the men began their own complaints. Temeraire's small crew of aviators would have found nothing strange in an order to be aloft in five minutes, bag and baggage be damned, but the Prussian soldiers rescued from the siege of Danzig were disorganized and timid before the dragons, and there were nearly a thousand of them to be gotten aboard.

There had been no time, in the final pell-mell rush of their escape, to put this last group of men off onto the British ships which had evacuated the rest of the Danzig garrison, much to the poor soldiers' dismay; they had expected to be carried through the air for perhaps a quarter of an hour, not over days and oceans. In justice to their fears, the makeshift carrying harnesses, patchworked out of curtains and table linens, were by no means reliable, and more than a few men had tumbled free in the wild flight to Denmark, lost to the ocean.

It was not to be hoped that perfect discipline would hold men exhausted, cold, afraid, and hungry; and many of them had family to think of, now living under French occupation in their conquered homeland. Surrender, so lately an unthinkable misery, had gained in attraction for some, particularly when they were asked to climb aboard for another long dark flight.

(end)

...and they would then have continued on as in the previously published excerpt at the end of Black Powder War.

I was very happy to learn over the weekend from ellen_kushner's lj that Temeraire/His Majesty's Dragon has been nominated in the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice awards -- they gave all three books lovely reviews earlier this year. Congrats also to all the other nominees, in a wide variety of genres -- and on a side note, I give major kudos to Romantic Times for celebrating and encouraging the crossing of the streams by genre readers.

In science fiction: Elizabeth Bear (matociquala), Tobias S. Buckell, Karl Schroeder, Tom Piccirilli. John Scalzi (scalzifeed), Jo Walton (papersky).

In three different fantasy categories: Sam Barone, Anne Bishop, Terry Brooks, Lois McMaster Bujold, Jeri Smith-Ready, Wen Spencer (wen_spencer), Jacqueline Carey, Lynn Flewelling (otterdance), Ellen Kushner (ellen_kushner), Brandon Sanderson (mistborn), Kelley Armstrong, Charles de Lint, Kim Harrison, Karen Marie Moning, Lilith Saintcrow (lilithsaintcrow).

(With ljs/feeds where I know of them -- would love to know of any I have missed.)

In other news, I am highly amused to learn that Temeraire has been retitled for the French edition as Les Dragons de l'Empereur. (Sorry, esteven, but I know no more about the edition than is there! They have bought rights to all three books, though, so I suspect this is just book 1.)