Award-winning Author of fantasy, science fiction, and steampunk
It feels a little strange to say this… but I have a fan page. On Facebook. Someone sent me a message asking, I tweeted how weird and cool it was that someone asked, and next thing you know the lovely Scott Roche had created one.
Anyway it has photos, discussion boards and I will post news and generally keep in touch with people over there. So if you love FaceBook then go check it out. If not, well we will still have this blog won’t we.
Well its been a while since I have been blogging so, let’s get into it.
First off Whispers at the Edge is on hiatus. I find I have just too many podcasting and writing projects that need to get done, and something had to give. I imagine it will be 3 months until I get back to it.
America was amazing fun. I got to spend some quality time with my favourite people who just happen to be my favourite podcasters. Chris Lester, Kitty Niciaian and Dan Sawyer, oh yeah and that guy Tee Morris. It was the first time I had met in person the San Francisco podcasting community, and it was an instant click. They are just fabulously talented, warm, wonderful people. I also got to see Scott Sigler and be there for his first book signing on the tour for Contagious. We got to hang out at a pub and I got made to feel bad. Two people approached me and said ‘if I’d know you were going to be here I would have bought my books for you to sign.’ If that was you, let me know – I have book plates to make up for it.
I got to have a very interesting conversation with my agent Laurie McLean, and came away feeling bouyed by the possibilities that the topsy turvey nature of the world may provide this year.
The Social Media Jungle in Vegas was a great chance to learn, and meet people in the sphere. And well with attending.
I got to see a lot more of Vegas than I had last time- including free tickets to O, the mesmerising Circe de Soleil show. Tee and I were able to take it in thanks to my fan Rachel Doughtery, who is one of the technicians behind the scenes at this amazing shows. It is an experience I will never forgot. It was also fun to to hang with her after. Vegas is somewhere that I will definitely be going back to. I never expected to like the town, but as crazy and weird as it is, I love it!
Books and Brawn, the steampunk CSI I am working on with Tee Morris is coming on at an amazing pace. It is a long time since I have collaborated with anyone, and I have forgotten how much fun it can be. We are on track for a late May release of this project.
And finally, Weather Child will be available from next week. This never before released novel, is set in New Zealand, and thus a first for the podcasting world. It can be found here
After a conversation with my agent and various other wonderful creative types in San Francisco a few days ago, I have realised that things are changing in a major way in the publishing business. The negative gear change in the economy is scary, but it is also bringing possibilities. When the old order falls, new ones have a chance to breathe- like a tree falling in the crowded forest give seedlings below light for the first time.
The internet and its possibilities has been nibbling on the edges of the big publishers for years, and while some have tried to make changes and adapt, many have not. Houghton Mifflin’s recent stop on acquiring books is a pretty big indicator that there is a lot of struggle going on behind the scenes in the publishing business.
So the arrival of Scott Sigler on the New York Times Bestseller Lists is I feel a marker in the timeline of change. Scott is, if you don’t know it a great guy, the first person ever to pick me up at San Francisco airport without knowing me. Now I am very used to meeting people from the internet, but back then- I admit I was a little nervous. Scott however was just happy and kind and pleased to meet me. He set the tone for all these other trips.
So now he’s made it. The guy who first podcast a never before published novel is on the most prestigious list in publishing. It is a great beginning for 2009 for him- and heck for all podcast novelists.
To Scott I say- congratulations. You’ve been working so hard in a bumpy year to get here- bask in it for a spell mate. (As a nice side effect I’ll be able to dine out on that whole rubbing-vodka-into-your-head thing now)
Things are changing for us all, so let’s get ready to ride that wave!