OUT NOW: Stormlord Rising, book two of Watergivers, already available in Australia, will be released in the US on 1 August 2010, and in the UK on 4 November 2010.
The following news items are drawn from Glenda's blog. To see other entries about Glenda's life, visit her blog here.
Day OneThursday, 2 September 2010, 12:50 pm GMT Fabulous time continues...  |
My programme for Worldcon/Aussicon4, Melbourne Sept 2010Sunday, 22 August 2010, 7:30 am GMT . And if you aren't going to be there, I'm sorry. Really I am. And for those who are coming: Remember that this timetable could change, so you are advised to check your programmes closer to the date. _____________________________________________________ THURSDAY
Destroying the future to save the planet: the environmental politics of SF/F. SF/F has long dealt with environmental concerns, imagining the future impacts of overpopulation, climate change, peak oil, and water shortages. Contemporary writers talk about the importance of ecological themes in their work. Tom Moylan, Kim Stanley Robinson, John Clute, Glenda Larke, Jonathan Cowie ______________________________________________________ FRIDAY
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Thinking in trilogies The trilogy seems synonymous with the fantasy story. Why is fantasy so closely tied in with the idea of the three-book story? Is it simply a marketing requirement, or are their structural advantages to the form that are not provided by the single novel. A look at the arguments for and against the trilogy, and whether it’s a tradition that’s here for good or due to be retired.Glenda Larke, Trudi Canavan, Fiona McIntosh, Russell Kirkpatrick, Kim Falconer
Fantastic females: reworking feminism in women’s fantasy Is fantasy the new vanguard of feminist politics in specfic? Fantasy authors discuss the role of gender issues in their workDelia Sherman (mod), Catherynne M Valente, Gail Carriger, Alaya Johnson, Glenda Larke, Tansy Rayner Roberts _____________________________________________________ SUNDAY
*says she hopefully.
*Lit coffee-gossip. And it doesn't have an 'e' on the end in the singular
Crowns and swords: The intertwined worlds of fantasy and monarchy With so many fantasy novels based in a setting drawn from medieval Europe, it’s no surprise to see so many stories based around monarchies - kings and queens, princes and princesses, tyrannical emperors and long-lost heirs to the throne. How much of fantasy’s appeal is grounded in a monarchic setting, and how can this long-standing tradition of genre be updated or refreshed - or abandoned entirely?Glenda Larke, Fiona McIntosh, Duncan Lay, Kate Forsyth, Mary Victoria ___________________________________________________ MONDAY
Where do you get your ideas? It’s the age-old and widely derided question, and one more often than not dismissed or dodged by authors around the world. Despite this, the question actually deserves answering: where do authors get their ideas? A look at the hunt for inspiration, tricks and tools for stimulating creativity, and - perhaps - the ultimate answer to fiction’s oldest question.Ellen Kushner, Robert Silverberg, Glenda Larke, Jack Dann . |
Where to find me todaySaturday, 21 August 2010, 9:52 am GMT . My blog post for the day is elsewhere. Try here. You can even win a book if you are an Australian resident... .  |
I'm over at the Galaxy...Thursday, 19 August 2010, 2:28 pm GMT . ...Sydney's specialist bookstore. Well, online with them anyway. .  |
Another ReviewThursday, 12 August 2010, 12:07 pm GMT      Read the whole thing here at the Rob Will Review blog."...Then the storm hits. "It hits in a blaze of war and blood, steel and sand. Big events happen, and, more interestingly and more importantly, big changes take place in the minds and souls of the main characters. One finds he has started becoming a leader, and events only hasten that particular forging. Several characters find themselves compromising their morals and beliefs, for a number of reasons–one woman to save her unborn child, another to help the man she loves..." ... "...I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling the book’s events, but I do want to make mention of how impressed I am at the evolution of events and relationships within the books. It’s not always a simple question of defeating the Big Bad who was there from the beginning. There are victories and losses and new enemies grow out of past events. The picture changes. "It’s exciting. It’s excellent. "It’s Stormlord Rising."  Oh, sands. My intermittent medical condition - a swelled head - has returned. Maybe I should pop over to Good Reads for a cure, and re-read the reviewer who said (of The Last Stormlord): "600+ pages of boring world-building without a plot with a resolution." I love reviews. You never know what you'll get! Buy The Last Stormlord .  |
About Book 3, Stormlord's ExileMonday, 9 August 2010, 1:30 am GMT . So, no sooner do I hand in Stormlord's Exile on Sunday - updated with editorial input changes - than one of my beta readers (Phill Berrie, bless him) points out a large plot hole towards the end that no one else spotted. Including myself. Sigh. Thank the magic for someone like Phill. Fortunately, although the plot hole is major in terms of the impossibility of what happens next, the fix will only necessitate a relatively small change: two waterpaintings have to be done where there was only one...My delivery of the book was majorly late. It is book number 10, and it's the first time I have overrun the schedule to the extent that the publication dates have to be changed, for which I apologise to all you readers out there. (And of course, to my wonderful publishers, neither of whom decided to hang, draw and quarter me, but reacted with remarkable restraint and unqualified support; and then -- probably with much teeth gnashing -- rescheduled and rearranged their publishing list.) So what went wrong? Who knows? Sometimes creativity to a schedule doesn't work, it's as simple as that. It's not the time put in, it's the quality of what is achieved. Once the book was finished in its initial show-someone-this-draft form, I knew something was not right, but couldn't put my finger on what exactly. The two initial readers - Karen Miller and my editor friend and neighbour Alena -- took a look and applied tough love. Basically: Glenda, the beginning is ALL WRONG. They were so right. I had to do more than the usual spruce up: I had to rewrite the entire beginning, 30,000 words, and start in a different place with different characters. And then dovetail that to the rest of the book, which is harder than it sounds. Sort of writing something backwards. The way I had written in initially simply didn't push the story forward, but kept looking backwards. Anyway, it is re-written now, and my editors are happy. Publication dates will be next year sometime. When they are definite, I will tell you. Oh, and I have seen the cover art for the Voyager Oz edition. And no, I am not showing you, yet. :) .  |
A different kind of fantasy heroine: the pregnant, short-sighted scholar…Thursday, 5 August 2010, 3:35 pm GMT
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Another squeeeeeeeeeeeee for Stormlord Rising...Thursday, 29 July 2010, 4:25 am GMT  My daughter walked into her local Barnes & Noble bookshop in Virginia last night and was confronted with this on the display - a mix of mainstream and genre...her mum right among them... You know what I will NEVER get used to this. This is book number nine, but still I get this enormous thrill... If you want to buy from B&N, the link is here. Buy here through Amazon here: Stormlord Rising And here is my second squee for the day - getting my author copies from Orbit US!! I am one grinning author today.  |
It's available!! If you live in the USA!Tuesday, 27 July 2010, 12:56 pm GMT  One reviewer called it the best middle-book-of-a-trilogy ever! See reviews here. And here. And here. Buy from Amazon by clicking on the button above. Buy from Barnes & Noble here. They say you can reserve and pick up from your local store in 60 mins. Buy from Borders here. Cover of the US/UK edition is from Steve Stone (artist) and Peter Cotton (designer). Thanks, guys, I love it! Do click on the link to Steve...there are pix there to die for.  |
En français, pour votre considération...Friday, 16 July 2010, 4:55 am GMT Vive la France! The French publisher, Pygmalion, has just bought the French translation rights for the Stormlord trilogy. Which means they have bought two trilogies of mine in a year, and published a third...   Je vous remercie, Pygmalion!  |
For older news entries, follow this link to my blog.