(no subject)

Writing

Today is the last day for both Rhysling nominations and Nebula nominations. I actually got my Rhysling nominations in a few days ago and, for once, I managed to renew my SFWA membership in time to make nominations for the Nebula, so I'm in the process of getting those in, too.

During the course of my reading, I ran across a gem of a story that I wanted to recommend to you all (especially to those of you who are SFWA members and still have time to add it to your nominations). The Specific Gravity of Grief by Jay Lake is a powerful tale of a man (a writer named Jay Lake, who is not the author, at least not in this universe) struggling against cancer, both his own and that of his child, who is battling neuroblastoma. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see why the story would resonate with me, being a writer who has a child battling neuroblastoma myself. But beyond the obvious situational similarities, Lake pulled me in with his masterful use of language and his stark, honest portrayal both of a cancer parent and of someone going through cancer himself. Of course, Lake's own struggle with cancer informs much of the story, but the mark of a good writer is the ability to transcend personal experience and make it universal, to take a story from the realm of "how sad for him" to the wider, more uncomfortable and more enduring "how sad for us." Lake does that with this story, and does it well. It's definitely worth a read and, if you're a SFWA member, a vote.

Everything Else

Happy Belated 99th Birthday, Arizona! Hope it's a great one, and really looking forward to next year's party! Heh.

(no subject)

Writing

I didn't realize this was out already when I posted earlier, and I didn't want to clutter up that post with unrelated info, so I decided to make another. Two-fer!

My first interview about The Shard Axe has gone live over at Massively (thanks, Rubi)! In it, you'll learn the name of the book's protagonist, find out a little about her storyline*, and also get a heads-up about some of the places from the DDO game that will be featured in the book.

*Yes, the main character of The Shard Axe is a woman -- the Sentinel Marshal Sabira d'Deneith. And if you happen to be a fan of USA Network's "In Plain Sight," then my original elevator pitch (shorter than the one mentioned in the interview) will tell you all you really need to know: Mary Shannon in Eberron. (Well, okay, not all -- not even half, really -- but it's a good place to start, heh.)

Here's a little taste of Mary. She's not Sabira, of course, but there are some definite similarities between the two characters. They're both kick-ass, smart-ass Marshals with a penchant for saying what other people only dare to think (I could easily see Sabira making that "surprisingly small" comment from the compilation clip, for instance). Flawed, but strong. The kind of characters I most enjoy reading about -- and hopefully the kind you most enjoy reading about, too.

Everything Else

I gave in the last post. Heh.