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Forward to December, 2005...
Comments: SFF Net newsgroup | Rumor Mill Topic | Night Shade Books Topic | Inspired.Us | LiveJournal | Genre Hetaera | Crazy-All-In-One!
Thursday 11-3-05
NEWSFLASH!
I was informed that the first review has come in for The Clock King and the Queen of the Hourglass, and it is wonderful!
Reviewer Steve Mazey of The Eternal Night gives it a "9" and says, among other things:
There is a beauty in the prose here, a lyrical quality. The writing is quite sublime. A good deal of the time I like a writing style which allows the story to be told - one that doesn't get in the way, and feel that flowery text (my description for what is often called literary or lyrical) just obscures the plot unnecessarily.
Here however the story is quite different. The prose is exquisite but it is not flowery, not a case of "why use one word when you can use thirty". But it is also a truly pleasant little tale - not a half idea shrouded in nice words where the author might hope the good turn of phrase might mask the lack of substance, this is a fine little tale set in a believable well portrayed far distant future.
Tuesday 11-1-05
NEWSFLASH!
It's November already, but I am still in the unresolved limbo -- psychological, financial, emotional -- of the refinance and some last-minute construction-related things. I also decided to keep myself sane in the Long Wait (TM) (ok, like, what in my life does NOT constitute a wait, criminy?) by doing a personal November novel dare on the fringes of the offical NaNoWriMo. Meaning, I will attempt to write as much of a new novel as possible, in November, and post progress in my SFF Net Newsgroup, without being affiliated with any official thingie.
Lots of things happened in October -- and I mean, LOTS -- but again, because of this refinance and precariousness of my situation I was too involved to mention the news.
So, catching up, here goes:
On 10-13-05, at the height of my pennilessness due to the remodel expenses that cleared me out completely, I received my MZB Fall 2005 Royalties check for $142.20, for the French Darkover reprints. Wow, was that a timely check!
* * *
On the very next day, 10-14-05, I got a $50 check for my initial portion of the payment for my story "Demonkiller" in the upcoming Pitch-Black Books anthology Sages and Swords.
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On 10-21-05, Amazon started listing the new ibooks, Inc. trade paperback edition of Dreams of the Compass Rose. Looks like the book is due to be released on April 9, 2006, and meanwhile I have been contacted by the ibooks marketing and promo department. They mentioned a two-page spread on the book in their upcoming catalog, asked for an author photo, and we are even talking mini book-tour appearances. Wow! :-) Apparently, this edition -- which is distributed by Simon & Schuster and would be in all the regular bookstores -- is getting great treatment!
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On 10-22-05, I was told by my editor at PS Publishing, Nick Gevers, that my novella The Clock King and the Queen of the Hourglass is finally out and available as an October release in the UK and elsewhere. Here in the US, your best bet is probably Clarkesworld Books and Shocklines and other such specialty resellers.
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On Friday 10-29-05 (I think) I got my contributor copies of the Smart Pop essay anthology Totally Charmed, edited by Jennifer Crusie.
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Did I mention that I signed up for the Amazon Shorts program? Well, yeah, despite their not-so-hot author contract, I have -- I believe that this extra esposure is worth it in the long run, and besides I am only doing one story. And, so, on 10-29-05 my previously unpublished original short story "Old Farts" went up and is available exclusively from Amazon, for purchase, for only 49 cents. *grin*
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On 10-31-05, my story "Mount Dragon" went up as a podcast with hilarious sound effects and a fabulous reading By Stephen Eley at Escape Pod.
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Finally, my story "Sun, In its Copper Season," in the premiere issue of the new Fantasy Magazine edited by Sean Wallace, got some great reviews from Tangent Online and an upcoming (Thursday) Strange Horizons.
Tangent review excerpt:
"Sun, In Its Copper Season" by Vera Nazarian is the myth of a sun goddess. Usually, in fantasy literature, a sun deity is male, so a sun goddess was a welcome change. The goddess is lonely for a companion who understands her. She doesn't know it until she catches a glimpse of someone passing through her garden.
Nazarian's myth is perfect. It never crosses the line into a modern story, and retains the mythic feel from the first word to the last. The language is dazzling and appropriately tinged in gold and copper. In the company of some very strong stories, this one stood out. The prose is polished so smooth that it felt like a popular tale that had been told over and over without ever growing stale.
Seems like people are really enjoying this particular story. I am also told that it will get a nice mention from Locus. :-)
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