Happy Bookday to Carrie Patel’s THE BURIED LIFE!
I was really, really lucky to get an advanced copy of Carrie Patel’s debut novel The Buried Life. I liked it so much that I blurbed it:
“The Buried Life artfully sets a who-dunit murder mystery in a dystopian underground city filled with dark politics and foul secrets. It’s a gripping read from start to finish, with two clever female leads and a delightfully colorful cast. More, please!”
– Beth Cato, author of The Clockwork Dagger
Want to know even more about it? Okay!
The gaslight and shadows of the underground city of Recoletta hide secrets and lies. When Inspector Liesl Malone investigates the murder of a renowned historian, she finds herself stonewalled by the all-powerful Directorate of Preservation – Recoletta’s top-secret historical research facility.
When a second high-profile murder threatens the very fabric of city society, Malone and her rookie partner Rafe Sundar must tread carefully, lest they fall victim to not only the criminals they seek, but the government which purports to protect them. Knowledge is power, and power must be preserved at all costs…
The Buried Life is out today, so be sure to check it out! And go congratulate Carrie on her book’s release, too. There’s nothing like release day. It’s proof that dreams come true.
Read MoreThe Perfect Valentine’s Weekend
Some people expect a fancy dinner out and wining and dining for Valentine’s Day. I’m a lot cheaper more practical.
See, the VNSA Book Sale is going on this weekend. If you’re in the Phoenix area, it’s a must see. It’s an entire fairgrounds building filled with tables of books. Our first year, we went on opening day and waited two hours to even get inside and then it was so crowded it was hard to even look around. I learned the secret after that: go on Sunday. Almost all the books are 1/2 off, meaning they are probably a buck or two. Sure, the selection is picked over, but the crowds are sparser so you can actually get a clear view of the books.
I asked my husband for this to be my Valentine’s date. He smiled and said, “Of course.”
Yes, Sunday is the 15th, the day after Valentine’s. It’s fine by me. I get to treasure hunt for cheap books. A great charity gets extra funds. I get a nice lunch out with my family. Everyone wins.
Read MoreAn Interview with Sara Dobie Bauer, author of “Forever Dead”
I’m hosting my friend Sara Dobie Bauer on my blog today. She just released her short story “Forever Dead” on Amazon. Read on to find out more!
– What’s the summary of “Forever Dead?”
Even centuries didn’t prepare Dario for Zach Mede and a love that took his vampire heart by storm. But loving a mortal holds dangers of its own. A mortal can be murdered … and murderers are everywhere.
– What’s the story behind this story?
I’ve loved reading about vampires since Interview with the Vampire in sixth grade. BBC Sherlock fan fiction got me into gay erotica. (If you don’t know, don’t ask. It’s addicting.) I woke one morning with an image: what if a vampire attack turned into a furniture-breaking sex romp and eventually … love?
I’m also terrified of losing the man I love, my husband Jake. FOREVER DEAD forces you to deal with this question: What would you do differently if you knew the person you loved was about to die?
Read MoreAn Interview with Adam J. Whitlatch, author of WAR OF THE WORLDS: GOLIATH
I first met Adam years ago when we were both just starting out on our journeys as writers. We shared an early issue of Crossed Genres and have stayed in touch ever since. He’s had a lot of exciting things happen in the past few years–like being named an associate editor at KHP Publishers, and writing the official novelization for the animated movie War of the Worlds: Goliath.
I think the first question most folks would have about this is, how does it fit into the War of the Worlds story that we know best from the 1950s movie? (I’m going to pretend the Tom Cruise version doesn’t exist.)
Thanks for having me, Beth!
This story actually ties in directly with the original H.G. Wells novel as opposed to any established film continuity. The Gene Barry film took place in the 1950s, but War of the Worlds: Goliath takes place in 1914, fifteen years after the failed invasion of the novel. In Wells’s novel, we see the Martians defeated by the germ, but it leaves us with a big question: “What next?”
Goliath is all about answering that question. We’re shown a world broken and rebuilt using recovered and reverse-engineered alien tech, and most of the world is content to adopt these “gifts” and go about their lives, sure that the germ will protect them from any future attempts. The veterans of the War of the Worlds, however, aren’t willing to sit idly by. They know the Martians plan to return, so they take advantage of the fifteen-year respite to prepare.
This is very much a period piece, as it’s set in 1914. Beyond the screenplay, what research was involved?
More than I’d bargained for, actually. I learned more about World War I while doing research for the book than I ever learned in school. For example, the film mentions the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as a catalyst for the war, but that’s all. I wanted to show it, to give this significant international incident its proper context. So I read numerous accounts of the assassination and the events that led up to it.
I also read up on Theodore Roosevelt, Nikola Tesla, Lord Herbert Kitchener, and the Red Baron. For the final third of the book, I stared at maps of Manhattan Island until they burned into my retinas. I will never get lost in New York City again!
At one point, I actually found myself researching cigarette lighters at 3 AM, trying to find out what was available in 1914.
There was no shortage of material from Tripod Entertainment either. Joe Pearson (the director) and Leon Tan (producer) sent me page after page of concept art, character backgrounds, and blueprints. Those guys thought of everything. They planned those tripods you see on screen down to the very last rivet. Leon sent me a lot of material on the martial art silat and the proper use of a keris to make Shah’s combat scenes as authentic as possible. I couldn’t tell you how many silat videos I watched online. It was a bit overwhelming at times, but the production team was fantastic to work with.
I love the idea of steampunk technology evolving from an alien invasion. That sounds like it’d be great fun to write–was it? Did your experience in writing post-apocalyptic settings help?
It was a blast! I’d already dabbled with steampunk elements in my debut novel, The Weller, but Goliath took it so much further. I’ve always wanted to do a giant robot/mecha story, and this book gave me the opportunity. Halfway through the manuscript, Joe Pearson and I started discussing some of the comic stories set in the Goliath universe that were published in Heavy Metal, and we decided to incorporate some of those into the story to expand on things only hinted at onscreen. It gave me the opportunity to explore some of the dangers of the salvaged alien tech, things humanity simply wasn’t (and perhaps still isn’t) ready for.
My experience with The Weller prepared me for this story more than I ever realized going in. Writing about the broken ruins of Leeds and the urban decay of post-invasion Sarajevo came to me freely. The only big difference is that I got to show the destruction as it unfolded in most cases.
We both grew up with video games and anime, so how thrilling is it to have a gorgeous, manga-style cover like that?
Isn’t it beautiful? I have the full sized poster of the original artwork in a frame on my office wall. The cover was the easiest part of the whole process. Tripod sent KHP a folder full of artwork to choose from, and as soon as we saw that art, we knew it was a winner. It didn’t take long to come to a decision, and the guys at Tripod loved it, too.
How did this project come to you?
I asked.
Well, it goes a bit deeper than that. My wife, Jessica, is a huge fan of Peter Wingfield, who voices Eric Wells in the film, and she’s a member of his fan club. I’ve been a fan of Peter’s since his days on Highlander: The Series, and I’d read about War of the Worlds: Goliath in Heavy Metal for a couple years prior to the film’s release, but Jess kept a closer eye on the movie’s progress than I did. She met Joe and Leon through the fan club on Facebook and introduced me to them.
After I got to know them, the idea of a novelization popped into my head. I didn’t have the faintest idea of how to approach it, though, so I went to my co-worker Jerrod Balzer because he’s written two novelizations for independent films. He told me to “Just ask ‘em.” So I did.
I sent Joe and Leon an email with samples of my work and chewed my nails while I waited for a response. I was sure that I’d get a polite brush off being an unknown writer with only one published novel to my name, but Joe jumped at the idea. He sent me the screenplay, and I read it in about two hours. As soon as I read it, I knew there was no turning back.
What’s the target audience?
Fans of H.G. Wells, of course, but the book also appeals to military science fiction fans. It understandably has a significant following among steampunk fans already. Alternate history buffs will dig it. It covers such a wide spectrum of SF fandom.
The film is PG-13, but the novelization incorporates some more mature elements. I try not to target specific age groups with my writing because I read pretty mature material in my early teens, but I read a lot of books aimed at younger readers today. My fourteen-year-old son read Goliath twice in one sitting.
Where can the book be purchased?
The book is currently available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBooks devices in over fifty countries. Links to each edition can be found here.
I’m working with Tripod to put together a paperback edition. No set release date for that yet. Stay tuned.
More about Adam: Adam J. Whitlatch is the author of The Weller and War of the Worlds: Goliath as well as dozens of short stories and poems spanning the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
A fantasy enthusiast from a young age, his interest in science fiction was first sparked at the age of ten when his father played the infamous 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast for him on Halloween. It’s a tradition Adam carries on to this day.
Adam lives on a small farm in southeastern Iowa with his wife and their three sons.
Read MoreC.E. Murphy’s Fantasy Fudge
Let’s be honest. I’m a C.E. Murphy fangirl. I found her books back when I was starting to write again and I really really wanted to be published. I learned how to write 1st person by reading her Walker Papers urban fantasy series. Through a conversation about fudge (yes, really!) she ended up blurbing The Clockwork Dagger. (I’ll talk more about that on Bready or Not this coming Wednesday in a post I’ve had scheduled for months.)
After the recent Kickstarter potato salad incident, she decided to do a fudge fundraiser via Indiegogo. I have eaten her maple and maple-ginger fudges–mailed all the way from Ireland to Arizona–and it is the kind of stuff that makes the heavens open up and angels sing and you don’t give a damn about the calorie content of what you’re eating, because ****FUDGE.*****
The Fantasy Fudge event is in its final hours. Go take a look at the goodies involved. For $5, you get a bunch of fudge recipes. The woman knows her stuff. I’m really hoping the funds cross the $5k mark so that she writes a story about her character Joanne trying to make fudge.
Read MoreInterview with Arianne ‘Tex’ Thompson, author of ONE NIGHT IN SIXES
Today I bring you an interview with the awesome Tex Thompson, whose debut novel One Night in Sixes comes out tomorrow from Solaris. It’s a dark fantasy western full of intrigue and mischief. You can find out all about the book over at The Tex Files.
Now, to the interview!
Beth Cato: How much of your soul did you need to sell to get such a beautiful cover?
Tex Thompson: Amazingly, less than 10%! My benevolent editorial overlord, Jonathan Oliver, picked out Tomasz Jedruszek (alias Tomek) to do the cover, but he let me come up with the scene and request multiple rounds of editorial changes along the way. I’d spent my whole life expecting to get zero cover input, so to have a phenomenal artist AND a seat at the art table was an unexpected thrill and a delight.
Beth Cato: I had set myself up for the same–that’s what we’re always warned of, with all the horror stories to go with it. Voyager was just as amazing for me. How did you react to the final cover?
Tex Thompson: I loved it! It wasn’t much of a surprise (only 5% different from the previous version, which was 10% different from THAT previous version, etc.), but I was so relieved to have the little details so perfectly in place – Elim’s rifle, the spots on his arm, etc. Those aren’t the things that someone would notice when first picking up the book, but I really wanted the folks who finished the book to be able to look back and say “oh good – they got that right.”
Beth Cato: As a nit-picky reader who does notice those kinds of things on covers, yes, that does matter.
I love the name Appaloosa Elim; it rolls off the tongue. Is there any story behind the creation of the name? Or did it just plain sound good?
Tex Thompson: Oh, I’m glad you like it! I’ve always liked Adjective-Noun names, like “Calamity Jane” and William Gibson’s “Automatic Jack”. Linguistically, I think we’re programmed to enjoy pairing long and short words too (those two examples are 4 syllables + 1 syllable). In this case, the fact that Elim’s name lends itself to a nice, slow redneck drawl is just an added bonus 🙂
Beth Cato: It really does. It sounds like a western character–there’s a mood to the name.
Your book blends western and fantasy. Is the western element based on a particular decade or parallel place in the United States?
Tex Thompson: Not specifically, no – in doing research, I targeted about an 1850s level of technology, and set it in a place like the American Southwest. In terms of climate and geography, Sixes would be about where Tucumcari, New Mexico is today – but after watching our friend JK Cheney’s titanic struggles to faithfully represent turn-of-the-century Portugal, I knew I did not want to tie myself to a specific time and place!
Beth Cato: Tucumcari. I’ve passed through there on Interstate 40 more than once. Now that you say that, yes, I can picture Sixes there. Minus the Stuckey’s and billboards for a million hotel rooms.
Tex Thompson: Haha, we have a photo with that Stuckey’s. But yes, exactly – it never seems to be anyone’s destination, but is a hot, flat, unavoidable somewhere you have to pass through to get to somewhere else.
Beth Cato: That’s a very good way to describe it!
To return to your comment about historical research. Similarly, I set my novel off Earth so I could be flexible with technology and history, but I still did a lot of research on Earth-equivalent subjects like World War I. Did you use books or web sites like that? If so, any you recommend?
Tex Thompson: Oh, absolutely! I’ve got books on indigenous plants of the Southwest and their medicinal uses, cowboy slang dictionaries, and a really terrific book called True Horsemanship Through Feel, which is just the best horse-whisperer-type manual I’ve ever seen. But one book that’s really fun is William Foster-Harris’ “The Look of the Old West”. It’s got wonderful illustrations and loads of good information, but more than that, it’s written in a back-country style that makes it absolutely delightful to read. Here’s one bit on period-accurate lamps:
“For light you had the fireplace, maybe candles which you made yourself… or you could even make yourself a pretty fair light if you just had a ‘possum, some lard oil, or even a skunk. A nice dead skunk, of course, who hadn’t had time to advertise.”
The whole thing’s like that, and it tickles me pink every time I crack it open. I know information’s cheap nowadays, but a good voice is hard to find.
Beth Cato: To advertise! I love it. That sounds like my sort of book for sure. *goes to add it to wish list*
My parents love watching westerns on a daily basis, so I have to ask what your personal favorites are, movies or series.
Tex Thompson: Oh, that’s a tough one. You know, I never really grew up with / got into the more traditional, iconic stuff – rugged heroic white guys on horseback saving the world from Indians and black-hatted desperadoes, one winsome rancher’s daughter at a time. But I tell you what: True Grit flipped my wig. I’ve got the book and both versions of the movie, and I can’t get over it. I love the dialogue, the simplicity of the story (which I realize is funny, coming from me), and the whole idea of this enormously unlikely hero, this bookkeeping 14-year-old girl, hitching up her britches and going out to get justice for her father. For me, that “accidental underdog” note struck the same chord as some of my very favorite fantasy (little hobbits venturing out of the Shire, Earth-children saving Narnia, etc.), and really got me interested in the whole Western genre.
Beth Cato: True Grit is a fantastic story, period. Since this interest is recent, when did the nickname of “Tex” come about?
Tex Thompson: Oh, that’s much older than you might think! I squandered my youth playing Everquest and online X-Men RPs. The former got me a husband, and the latter got me the nickname Tex, from my various AOL / EZboard screennames (which I will not repeat here, lest someone dig up archival evidence of my mediocrity!) When I started attending the DFW Writers Workshop, I decided that I could just about handle having my life’s work eviscerated by a roomful of strangers – but I couldn’t do it with my own name. So Bruce Wayne had to become Batman, and I had to become Tex. And you know, that heroic monosyllable is just so custom-made for hollering down a hallway that I don’t think I would change a thing!
Beth Cato: It is! And here you are with a fantasy/western, which makes it even more appropriate. Funny, how things work out.
How many books will be in your series? What’s the schedule like for their release?
Tex Thompson: Three, I think! I wrote the whole story out a few years back, and cut it into three parts to make it more marketable and less who-do-you-think-you-are rejectionable. One Night in Sixes is part 1. Part 2 is called Medicine for the Dead, and should be out in March next year. And if they do well enough, hopefully we’ll get the as-yet-unnamed part 3 out shortly after that, which will finish the story. (George RR Martin I am not – I don’t think I could handle a ten-book epic saga!)
Beth Cato: Me, either. I gotta say, I LOVE the title Medicine for the Dead. Makes me wonder about the fates of some characters who I will leave unnamed.
One final question to wrap things up… How do you plan on celebrating on book release day?
Tex Thompson: Cookies and tequila! And plenty of paper bags. (They are just dang handy, y’know – for breathing into, drinking out of, and/or wearing over your head. Highly recommended.) I should really hit you up for cookie recipes, actually. Let’s do that later!
Beth Cato: You know I’ll be happy to help!
You can order One Night in Sixes on Amazon, Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or add it on Goodreads. Congratulations to Tex on her book release! The woman deserves her cookies and tequila.
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