Archives for August 2010

Closing of the Veil

This may come as a shock to some of you, but I hope no one will freak out with this news.

You will no longer be able to buy a print edition of Chasing the Bard or Digital Magic from DragonMoon Press.

OK… wow that was like ripping off a band-aid. Hopefully you are all still with me.

So let me explain. I signed with DMP back in 2003, and I still recall the excitement when I got my offer from Gwen. It was my first print deal, and a validation for me as a writer. They picked up Digital Magic and through them I got to know and work with Tee Morris. They also let me podcast my novels in their entirety- something unusual in the publishing world.

They gave me me a lot, but things do change. Writing for a living is hard, and unfortunately it has been my experience that being with an indie press does not bring in enough dollars to keep body and soul together.

That may sound harsh, but this year has meant making some hard choices. That’s the difference between having writing as a hobby and having it be your business.

I wish Gwen and Grabrielle at DragonMoon all the best, and thank them for the time and effort they put into teaching me about writing and the industry.

If you want to snag a papercopy of either of these books then I suggest getting in now… they could become collector’s editions. 🙂

So it isn’t all dark clouds and grim news. Times they are a changing, but there will not be a shortage of paper books from me. In the next year I will have three books coming out with both Ace and Eos. So I hope you hang in there with me, and together we’ll see how the ride pans out.

WorldCon

With just over a week to go until WorldCon I thought I’d make a quick post about where you might run into me there- should you be so inclined.

HarperCollins talk about ebooks – Thursday 2 September (invite only, so if you’re in or nearby you might be able to catch me)

Voyager Party- Friday night (invite only, so if you’re in or nearby you might be able to catch me)\
Reading of Geist- Room 215, Mebourne Convention center, Saturday, 04 September 2010 5pm

You will also be able to catch me at;

Anachronistic fiction: successors to steampunk- Room 219, Melbourne Convention center, Sunday, 05 September 2010 11am

Also sharing a Kaffeeklatsch with Tee Morris – Room 201, Melbourne Convention center, Saturday, 04 September 2010 1pm

Hope to see you somewhere in Melbourne. Come up and say hi.

Needing the Order

I’ve been working hard of the site Books of the Order which is where I am putting all Geist related content

You can subscribe right here so you don’t miss out- especially for the release of Chronicles of the Order. This short story podcast is turning out to be such fun, with writers such as Tee Morris, Sandra Wickam, Nobilis, Laurie McLean and more!

Shortly there will be a couple of contests, where you can win a signed galley of Geist, and a box of New Zealand goodies. So.. another reason to subscribe.

Another feature of Books of the Order is a feature called ‘Need the Order’. I have been asking people to send in their experiences with the supernatural. As a storyteller I find these tales fascinating, and have a couple from within my own family. I also find it interesting that most people have asked for anonymity–apparently talking about these things can draw derision. As a storyteller I find it sad. If we cannot share our stories, then what is the point of being a community of human beings. We all have our own beliefs and experiences and that is what I find fascinating.

So if you want to share your experience then email motherabbey@booksoftheorder.com and let me know if you want to reveal your name or not.

Stories told around the campfire matter, and I hope you will share yours with me and the world.

Beginning a world tour, mostly from home. For now.

Just over two months out until the release of Geist, and I am beginning to gear up.

First off, you will find me at WorldCon in Melbourne. This is my first experience at a big literary con, and I am really excited to get into it. I know that Gail Carriger, Mur Lafferty, Dr. John Cmar and rocket scientist Laura Burns will also be venturing south to Australia.

Tee Morris and I will both be there too and we will have give aways. There will be Geist buttons and postcards, as well as Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences buttons too. So look for those on the freebie tables.

We’ll be attending the Voyager party on Friday night (our editor Diana Gill from Eos will be there!), but apart from that I cannot tell you where else we might be. We’re still waiting on confirmation from the organisers. But even if I am not on any panels I’ll be there to hang out, enjoy the atmosphere before the big dive into the year.

I just have this feeling once Geist is launched its going to get a little crazy….

Also if you pop over to my Appearances page you will see two things.

1) The Geist blog tour. It’s shaping up, but my plan is to have two guest blog or podcast spots each week for September, Ocotober and November. Hopefully you won’t get sick of seeing me pop up, because I will be talking and writing about different things in each one. From steampunk suffragettes, to were-creatures, to plot vs character, to interviews.

2) After WorldCon you will find a tentative schedule for what I want to get to between now and October 2011. This is all very contingent on a business visa from the American government. But hopefully supporting three books in one year with a con a month will be enough of a reason. If that fails, I still plan to get to some events, but they will be fewer. So *fingers crossed*

A call to arms

The characteristics of the New Zealander are not naturally attuned to marketing. We are more bent towards egalitarianism, which is nice, but it also means ‘tooting your own horn’ is not generally looked upon as a good thing.

However in all my years podcasting, and with the example of those that have gone before me into print, I have learned that not to talk about projects is to have them wither on the vine. That’s something I don’t want to happen to Geist.

I am proud of this book. My editor Danielle at Ace said it combines romance, epic and supernatural fantasy, but written with a modern sensibility. Who am I to argue.

Sorcha Faris is a Deacon of the Order, and has vowed to stand between the citizens of the Empire and the geists, evil spirits from the Otherside that terrorize and possess the living. When her partner is critically injured, itâ€™s up to Sorcha to investigate a surge of geist activity, with the help of a seafaring prince who bears a terrible curse- an ancient geist that resides within him.

So here is my call to arms to those who enjoy my writing, friends, fans, and heck even family.

Geist is coming out at the end of October, but now is the time to act to secure the future of more books in the Geist universe. I have a contract for Spectyr, but the whole scope of the story will take two more books to reach fruition.

Now is the time when Ace will decide about the third book. Now?? I can hear you say- but it does actually make sense. Before the book is even published is the time when Ace will begin to have an idea of the demand for Geist, and decide if they want to support the story with more novels. Booksellers are picking which books they will stock right at this very moment.

So what I need is for them to have Geist top of their mind. I need them to order the Books of the Order.

So dearest Americans, here’s something you can do to help me, and my books. It’s pretty simple really- just email, phone or visit your local bookstore (indie or chain store doesn’t matter) and ask if they are going to stock Geist by Philippa Ballantine- coming out at the end of October. (Others can help by ordering via Amazon or Barnes and Noble)

It’s a simple, yet effective way for you to let them know there is a market for the book, and that people are excited enough to ask before it is even out.

Now, if you’ve read my work you probably have a good idea what to expect, but right here is a sample chapter of Geist- the very first. So dive right in, meet Deacon Sorcha Faris and then contact your local bookseller (or for the really keen booksellers)

Phew! I managed to get through that. Thanks so much for your support through the years- it means a lot and constantly amazes me.