Auction; Realms of Fantasy

First up today, for a good cause!

That's what Jim Hines does. He advocates, and he auctions arcs. And you know you want it.

***

I had the good fortune to receive a copy of the August, 2009 Realms of Fantasy, also known as the resurrection issue. Some of you may have noted the kerfluffle in the field when Realms was canceled. Internet outcry was so loud that Warren Lapine of Tir Na Nog Press jumped in to save the day.

The August issue is solid. Inside its covers, you'll find reviews of games, movies, and books. There's an article by SatyrPhil Brucato called Folkroots, which analyzes music and rhythm in the manner of an academic. Michael Hague is featured in a gallery overview authored by Karen Huber. Some of Hague's fairy tale interpretations capture the essence of the tale while modernizing it. I find his photo of the Owl and the Pussycat one that keeps pulling me in.

A large component of Realms is devoted to fiction, and Realms continues to deliver memorable, technically brilliant stories. Tanith Lee's Our Lady of Scarlet is a lyrical story that pulls us in with rhythmic words and poetic phrases, a macabre tale of death that conjures Poe. Ian Creasey frontlines the moral dilemma in Digging for Paradise, with an obvious and charismatic Machiavellian upfront, and a less-than-certain narrator unsure of his intentions and how to deal with them. The psychology is real. Bruce Holland Rogers Well and Truly Broken paints the woods in vibrant colors.

For me, the story that stands out in the collection is Healing Benjamin by Dennis Danvers. Danvers focuses on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The narrator resurrects his cat Ben accidentally when he is a teenager. The story focuses on Ben's longevity, and the narrator's power in juxtaposition to his love for a woman. It is a personable story with pop culture references that flavor, but do not overwhelm, and the emotions between narrator, love interest, and cat are genuine. It was easy to fall into this story.

Overall, I would say that Realms of Fantasy has returned, and is as strong as ever. I look forward to future issues and excellent stories.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

The Mahabharata Generation 3 Part 1

Because Ambika was frightened of Vyasa when he visited her, and she closed her eyes, the son she gave birth to was blind. This is bad news in ancient Indian culture, because even though Dhrtarastra is the oldest of the children of Vyasa, he cannot rule because of his imperfection.

Therefore, the kingship goes to the second brother Pandu, whose name means pale, because his mother paled upon seeing Vyasa. No, really.

Pandu does something stupid in a hunting encounter, and is cursed to not lie with his wives and have children. Ergo, Pandu cannot have heirs to the throne and he is banished to the mountains with his two wives to the mountains. In spite of his imperfections Dhrtarastra becomes king. We'll come back to Pandu and his wives next entry.

Because Dhrtarastra is king, he needs to marry. He chooses Gandhari. She finds out that her husband is blind, and in a strange but mythological maneuver, she decides she can't be higher than her husband and binds her own eyes forever. Some Indian mythologists think this is the ultimate act of passive-aggression.

Pandu and his wives begin to have children (um...yes, that should be impossible, but wait for part 2), and Gandhari becomes jealous. Gandhari, you see, has been pregnant for a year, well before the first child of Pandu was born, and still her children will not come. Therefore, Gandhari does what any impatient mother would do: she has her maid hit her belly with a steel rod. She gives birth to an iron ball. Needless to say, this is disappointing.

However, Vyasa, wise old man that he is, tells the nurse made to break the ball into a hundred pieces, and put each piece in a vat of water. The pieces eventually turn into 100 brothers, know collectively as the Kauravas. Imagine the family reunions.

The most important of the 100 brothers for the story of the Mahabharata are the oldest two--Duryodhana the eldest, and Duhsasana. The Kauravas hate the Pandavas, who we will meet next time.

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

Troll Novel Reflections

And this entry is the last of three that I wanted to get done today. I'll try to be quieter tomorrow.

***

As I mentioned last night, I've been reflecting on the troll novel. Right now, I'm looking at the word count by the end of chapter 5 to be roughly 22K. At this point, the story is just getting started.

I think it would be possible for me to ramp up the action and description in what I first thought of as part 1 of the story to 60K, which is a respectable size, especially as I imagine this will be marketed as a YA book (the hero is around 16. It seems inevitable in today's market that will happen).

As such, I think my plans have shifted. My current goal is still have the book finished before January, 2010, if not sooner. I will finish part one, give it another rewrite, and send THE WHOLE BOOK out to Team Rewrite for feedback.

While that's happening, I'll write the werewolf thing I have going on, and then, after integrating reader comments and one final pass, I will start circulating this puppy. I have an agent waiting for pages, so I'll feel better when I send him some. I'm practicing patience because I want to send him good pages.

After I've polished and am circulating the werewolf thing, mama's gonna settle down for some sewing. Because that muse hates me right now.

That's where we're at. I've been pounding away on an important scene for the last two days, and have the shape of it ready, if not the ornamentation. I should have chapter five done by the end of the week if all goes well.

That was mostly for me. Still, I thought you might be interested.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

World Con Public Service Announcement

I know, I promised no more spam, but bear with.

World Con-going writing peeps, this is for you. Apparently there was a SNAFU with writing workshop registration, and people are being asked to announce the troubleshooting instructions.

This has been an Anticipation 2009 announcement, brought to you by writers who care for your revision process.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

Trollgress

It's been a few sessions since I updated the actual stats on the troll story. I butchered one of the scenes of the story from its very first incarnation, and used what I could from it that still made sense. I integrated the first of the emotional conflicts that Grant and David, the Heierdahl brothers, will have over the situation. This should lead David down a troublesome road, and give Grant some room for growth as well.

Here's the current word count:

22485 / 60000 words. 37% done!

Scenes?

23 / 54 words. 43% done!

I expect, though, that there will be many new scenes added to expand out the story.

And that's it for tonight.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.