It's a Jumble

Here it is. . . The cover reveal for my fantasy novelette, The Lilies of Dawn, forthcoming from Annorlunda Books ! What? you say. Is this, like, a real book? Why, yes it is. It's not a full-length novel, but it's being published as a short ebook. And also in paperback! So you'll be able to hold in your hand that gorgeous, gorgeous cover, illustrated and designed by the talented artist and poet, Likhain. What is this story about? you may be asking. Well, it's about magical lilies (modeled after lotus flowers, as you can see).  And it's about a flock of demon cranes. And it's also about love and duty and one young woman's coming-of-age. All set in an imaginary secondary world that doesn't correspond exactly to any place in our real world, but that does draw geographically and culturally from Southeast Asia. It's due for release on July 27, and pre-orders will be available in mid-July. You can view the official publisher announcement he...

I have a new publication out today! In Dew and Frost and Flame is now up at the lovely Metaphorosis Magazine. It's a tale about love, marriage, and magical paints. Much thanks to editor B. Morris Allen who worked so patiently and carefully with me on this one. And thank you also to illustrator Luke Spoon for the gorgeous illustration!

Three years ago, I opened a book which was a revelation to me, which not only showed me a new world but which changed my own approach to writing in a way that few books have. This book was Sofia Samatar’s debut novel, A Stranger in Olondria . It’s a strange, rich, beautiful book which gathered a heap of fantasy genre awards—the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award and the Crawford Award—even as it blurred and rewrote standard fantasy tropes. It’s a fantasy novel that is unabashedly literary, in love with language itself—just like its narrator, the young Jevick of Tyom, who discovers reading for the first time as a teenager. It’s a story about stories: characters are constantly telling stories to one another, narratives nested within narrative--legends, histories, soaring and heart-breaking love stories. It’s a book about reading itself: what reading means, how the written word can both empower and oppress. And in a fantasy genre that has been dominated by books based upon m...

I keep meaning to blog about the stories I like, and while I put it off the list grows ever longer. So before the list gets away from me entirely, here’s a round-up of some recent things I’ve read . . . From Various Magazines Jeanette Ng, Three hundred Years   in Mythic Delirium, Winter 2016 issue.  One of the things that I really admire about Mythic Delirium magazine has been the way that monthly selections are built around certain themes, story and poems echoing one another. The March 2016 offerings were gifts from the sea. “Three Hundred Years” by new writer Jeannette Ng is an aching, yearning take on The Little Mermaid tale which I’ve never seen before. And sea-poems by Alexandra Seidel and Jennifer Crow complement this story, and each other, beautifully. Rati Mehrotra The Family Ghost in The Sockdolager.  The Pillar of Shiva in Triptych Tales  I read “The Pillar of Shiva” a year ago when it first came out, but I wanted to pair...

In which I indulge in writing advice without any real authority. . . Every writer has That One Story. The story that scared you to write. The story that contains a part of your soul. The story that you swear is the best thing you’ve ever written, that will make you a star, that is your breakout work. If this does not sell, you think, there is no hope and you might as well give up. Because this story is the best thing you are capable of. I wrote That One Story in December of last year. My trusted critique partners loved it. Unknown readers in my Critters group loved it. Multiple people told me that it made them cry. I sent the story off in high hopes to the venue of my dreams, a submissions call that seemed encouraging . . .  and received a form rejection in reply. I’ve received three more form rejections for that story since. And I was hurt. Am hurt. I’ve actually been surprised by the hurt—I thought, after more than two years of regularly submitting storie...

Spring has been flirting with us—snow falls in thick inches, melts, then falls again. But I think that this time Spring is here to say. All the birds arrived at once this week. I stepped outside to see my Littlest One off at the bus stop, and I stepped into a cacophony of birdsong. Robin, blue jay, red-winged blackbird—I saw them all during my walk. Snowmelt rushes along the edges of streets into the gutters. The neighbor kids are running around in short sleeves.  And with the change of seasons there’s an odd, unsettled, restless energy. For me, there’s a feeling of, What's next? I wrote what I thought was the best story I’ve ever written this past December. Since then, I’ve written nothing that I’ve really liked. I started and failed two stories. Wrote one that I think is only okay. I feel in transition myself. I want to write something new, but what? I read a novel last week. Binged on short fiction. I keep hoping that reading enough good work will spark something in me,...

Snowfall outside, but hot tea and a snug blanket within. Quiet, and the space and time to write and read and think. And also to cook. Some lists for the month so far: New recipes Tried Traditional Vietnamese Pho , as presented by the infallible J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats. There is a good pho place about 20 minutes from my house, but being able to eat this soup without ever leaving the house (on a frigid January Michigan winter night) is the absolute best. All the steps are worth it. Yes. Char those onions and ginger! Parboil the meat! I used a combo of oxtails and beef shanks. Heaven. The next day my kids' schools were canceled due to snow, and they were thrilled to have pho again for their lunch (yes, the soup is better the next day). Oyakodon .  Recipe from the website Two Red Bowls. So very very simple to make. Chicken and custardy eggs simmered in a sweet, salty sauce and served over rice. It's warm and comforting and perfect for winter. Onion tart...