Quynh Ha had expected the Dust Queen to be… tall and large, filling the room with her mere presence. But the woman sitting before her was old and frail–breathing, it was clear, only with the help of the bots clinging to her throat; her skin as pale and translucent as the best jades; the skin of her hands bearing the peculiar tightness of too many rejuv treatments. A story set in the near future, dealing with the terraformation of Mars, the floodi…
…n), the little details dotted everywhere, and the rich plot, which doesn’t really too much on pyrotechnics to build an affecting ending for everyone involved. One small nit is that Kaede, who starts out as a strong character, becomes progressively more and more of a wimp (she even has to be rescued near the end), which made me want to scream and hit something. ETA (2012): looking back at this with a more jaundiced eye, I still think it’s got good…
…to write the first draft of the manuscript? A long, long time! I foolishly committed to it without any real idea of what writing a novella entailed–I expected something along the lines of a larger short story, whereas the truth is that it’s more like a short novel… I flailed for a long time because I couldn’t get the story structure right, and then I flailed some more because of one of my main character (Quyen) didn’t have a clear storyline. I thi…
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…Stay) -Mass signing afterwards -Saturday 3:15-4:45, London Room 1, Writing real and imagined cities (with Ben Aaronovitch, Suzanne McLeod, Bradley Beaulieu and Stephen Hunt) -Saturday 6:00-6:30: London Room 2, Would I lie to You (with Ben Aaronovitch, Suzanne McLeod, Bradley Beaulieu and Stephen Hunt) -Mass signing afterwards -Sunday 12:30-1:45: Introducing the class of 2015, the trials and tribulations of being a new writer (I’ll sadly have to sk…
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…w do we write about historical characters? Is historical fiction a form of Real Person Fiction if it features people who appear in the historical record? A panel of authors and fans discuss techniques of writing historical fiction and how writing about the dead differs from writing about the living. Food in Science Fiction 1.30-2.45 How do aliens eat? What do they eat? Do they eat at all? Will they want to eat us? Food is essential to human surviv…
…, aswangs and weddings–it’s the visceral and heartbreaking tale of a woman coming into her power. -And finally, J. Damask’s Heart of Fire, the third in her Myriad/Jan Xu cycle of werewolves in Singapore and how they uneasily coexist with Chinese dragons, jiangshi (reanimated corpses) and European fairies, has recently published. I love the mingling of influences in those, and the sense of real place evoked by someone who is a native of Singapore,…
…myth of the Lone Leader, the Lone Scientist, the Lone Hero–there’s so many examples of it it’s fair to say it’s become utterly pervasive in our culture (I’m looking at you, Hollywood movies). It feels to me like a dangerous narrative in a number of ways: the first and most obvious one is that it’s often played as exclusionary. If a character doesn’t have special abilities–if they’re not Chosen–then very often, they don’t get a story. Oh, sure, the…
…a Williams organises awesome table seating!) and was very happy for the winners. Now I’m back in Paris, looking with apprehension at the mass of things I’m supposed to be doing (do not overcommit do not overcommit etc.), and gearing up for the summer before book release (*gulp*). More when my head is above water (hahaha who am I kidding)….
…My Servant of the Underworld proofs have just arrived, and I have a little over a week to check them. I think I’m going to be scarce on the internet this week… But, OMG, it looks like a real book. It’s both elating and scary (as in, oh dear, I can’t hide behind other TOC-mates anymore). The BF’s only complaint so far was a lack of cover art 🙂 (which should arrive sometime in the week, I’m told. Another reason to be freaking out…)…
…. Click for larger versions. Official pictures might be a little longer in coming) Exit of the church, with our guard of honour Close-up on BF and me with our respective parents by our sides And on the beach, ‘cos it’s a holiday… And this is where we went for our pre-honeymoon. Three days of relaxing bliss. Real honeymoon in October, destination unknown. Well, to me. I sure hope the H knows 🙂 . Many many thanks to everyone who came to be with us o…
