Kyrre's Friends

swan_tower

The fire alarm went off today in the Guildhall Library.

While I was there.

Reading about the Great Fire.

Other than that, my day was not the sort that makes for an exciting story. It was a satisfying day -- don't get me wrong. But a quiet one.

Anyway, last night was not enough sleep, so I think I'll call it quits with this brief report. Tomorrow will be museum adventures, and maybe some more hunting of obscure bits of architecture, energy willing.

swan_tower

Coming out of Blackfriars Station, I turn north and head for Ludgate Hill.

Of course I do. I have to say hello to St. Paul's Cathedral.

jenstclair

From my horrorscope:

Something or someone may be making a mental assault on you today, Jennifer. Try not to assume things about the situation before you are aware of all the facts. If there is a piece of the puzzle that is still in question, confront the issue right away. Your sensitivity is quite precious whether you realize it or not. Small things may slowly eat away at your psyche until they are addressed and dealt with.

Heh.

swan_tower

I early-voted this morning, because tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane and not coming back until I've seen England, Italy, Greece, and Turkey -- or at least small samples thereof.

I'm nervous. It's been a while since I've taken a trip this long, and I've never done a multi-stage thing like this, not that I recall. I had to make a second stack of Things To Be Packed, for kniedzw to luggage up and bring to Rome next week.

No doubt I've forgotten something. (You always do.) But my father will be smug; for possibly the first time since I got out from under his thumb enough to avoid it, I made an honest-to-god written list of everything I needed to bring. Yes, Dad, you win.

London trip-blogging to follow. Cruise-blogging will be dependent on how obscenely flagellant the Internet prices are on board the ship. Worst-case scenario: I'll see y'all again in June.

shtick_figure

fm_writers

fm_writers

Hello FMers!

This community seems to have quieted down a bit after NaNo. But is anyone here participating in the Story-A-Day Challenge? Has anyone participated before?

Does anyone have random story generators that they've enjoyed using?

swan_tower

So, turns out I've had it wrong all along: for my UK readers, May Day is the debut of Midnight Never Come! (Apparently I am, in fact, distracted enough to miss this fact. For U.S. readers, it's still June 9th.) If you're a Brit, then hie thee to a bookstore bookshop and get yourself a copy!

You can read the first of several upcoming interviews, this one with The Book Swede, who asked me some very thought-provoking questions about the background and content of this novel.

swan_tower

With forty days to go until Midnight Never Come hits the shelves, I've posted the last portion of the excerpt. It's a long one, so keep clicking through. (Alternatively, you can start back at the beginning.)

(Confidential to sora_blue: You can finally get the answer to your question from a month ago!)

That will actually be the last of the MNC promotional stuff for a while. I leave next week for London, where I will have many adventures researching the next book, and then I will be in the Mediterranean, trying to do no work at all. There will, however, be one last nifty thing, just before the book comes out. And in the interim, you will be getting the return of the trip-blogging, which I know many people enjoyed last year. So enjoy!

jenstclair

artfulruin, I thought you would probably appreciate this. :)

I am going to take a piece of my garden out front and make a tea garden. Only herbs that can be made into tea will go into this section of my garden, so I've been experimenting with what I have growing in my flowerbeds already. Sunday I made Lemon Balm tea, which is really tasty cold, and vaguely reminds me of chamomile, which I don't care for, but the Lemon Balm tea is just refreshing.

Today, I made Bee Balm tea from the leaves of a few of my 50 or so Bee Balm plants that are in the process of coming up. The herb book I have (the one that gave me this idea) said it has a spicy citrusy taste with a hint of lemon. The book didn't say that the citrusy taste hits you after you swallow. It is fabulous!

If I am going to grow at least 85% of the food that I eat, including tea that I drink, since I drink tea almost exclusively, then I thought I needed to do this. I can't grow the tea variety of camellia in Ohio without growing it in pots, and I've had no luck growing it in pots so far. So I decided to go the non-caffeine route, and grow my own.

I haven't quite made a vow not to buy any more tea at all, but I think I can pretty much make enough with what I have growing to last me for a long, long while, especially if the Bee Balm keeps spreading like it is.

Next up--apple mint tea, and candy mint tea.

Oh, and Dandelion Coffee. I just have to try it, you realize. But I might have to call it Dandelion Tea. :)

swan_tower

All you Kit Marlowe fanboys and fangirls out there may be interested to know that Issue #12 of Paradox Magazine is now available to order, and within its pages you may find my story "The Deaths of Christopher Marlowe". No relation to Midnight Never Come, despite that title coming from Marlowe, but I welcome speculation as to how the two might be made to connect. (I suppose the answer might be Ink and Steel.)

Also, C.E. Murphy's book The Queen's Bastard debuts today. I mention this because it will always hold a special place in my heart as the first book I blurbed. Yes, ladies and gents, somebody at her publisher decided that Marie Brennan was a name worth putting on the cover! Oddly enough, the letter I got with the review copy connected it to Warrior and Witch, but it's far more like Midnight Never Come, so that's the vein I will use to pitch it to you all here.

The Queen's Bastard, much like Michael Moorcock's Gloriana, takes place in a setting that is sixteenth-century Europe in almost everything but name. (Unlike Gloriana, at no point did I want to throw it across the room and light it on fire with the power of my rage.) It has espionage and magic and is way sexier than MNC, and it's the first book of a new series called The Inheritors' Cycle. Short-form synopsis is, Belinda Primrose is the unacknowledged bastard daughter of Elizabeth Lorraine, queen of England Aulun, and she's been trained by her father Robert Dudley Robert Drake in the art of international spying and assassination.

Belinda isn't an entirely likeable character; she takes several actions in the story that had my skin crawling. But that's clearly deliberate, and tied in with the growth of Belinda's powers; I suspect that when it's viewed in the larger context of the series, that will become an interesting facet of her character development. I'm certainly very curious to see the next book. This is clearly based on Reformation-era Europe, but taking it one step aside means Murphy can play with some elements of her own creation, and I'm looking forward to seeing where those go.

Finally, I'm hard at work on creating content for the dedicated Midnight Never Come website. (That's just the holding page, until the thing goes live.) The plans, they are glorious. I have no idea what this stuff will look like in execution, but the ideas have me hugely pleased.

swan_tower

superversive has a lengthy and thought-provoking post up, asking why we hanker for magic. It's many things in passing, including a deconstruction of ceremonial magic and a literary analysis of several founding fathers of fantasy, but for me, the two most interesting bits are further in.

First is the summary of Steven D. Greydanus' "seven hedges" which "serve to divide the magic of fantasy from the magic of curses and occult powers." I find these fascinating, honestly, because they seem to arise out of a set of concerns that, well, don't concern me. Greydanus (and superversive) are writing in the context of Catholic theology, and more broadly Christian theology; it's the same context Tolkien was writing in, and he, too, had to address those concerns. What does it mean to write about magic when you believe magic is either real and bad (because then you are circumventing God) or fake and bad (because then you are wasting your time on a delusion)?

And I find that I'm not concerned with that question. Maybe I should be, and it's a failure on my part to ponder the deeper implications of fantasy. I read the summary of the seven hedges, and found myself irritated by them. Why should I limit magic to non-human, already-trained wizardly supporting characters in another world where magic is entirely known, and lard the tale with cautionary road signs? I don't think superversive thinks I should, but it might be that Greydanus does. (I didn't have the enthusiasm to read his piece myself.) But those restrictions are predicated on a certain assumption of the connection between magic-in-fiction and magic-in-life, and while I haven't thought through all my feelings on that matter, off the cuff, I'm fairly sure my feelings are not his.

Anyway, that's one thing I'm chewing on. The other is the excellent Old English proverb superversive quotes: Man deþ swa he byþ þonne he mot swa he wile. "A man does what he is when he can do what he wants." Magic as a means of dipping human will in myth . . . that's a mode of thought I can get behind. Looking at my own writing, I can see how some of the magic-facilitated turning points in my stories are expressive of the characters' inner selves, more directly than mundane action could show. (In fact, I'm tempted to write an essay explicating some examples of that, but it would be spoilery as hell -- especially since one is drawn from Midnight Never Come.)

So. Thinky thoughts on magic. Go forth and think!

lazette

"Exciting, complex and richly textured, with a world you'll believe
and a protagonist you have to cheer for -- Silky is wonderful." Holly Lisle
(Quote from original 1998 Embiid Publishing release.)

This is an edited and slightly updated version of Silky, released in preparation for the never-before-released second and third books in the series.  I've been editing and writing, and enjoying the work. The third Silky book brought an unexpected surprise in the story line, and one that I'm having a great deal of fun exploring.  The notes are starting to get a bit messy and I may have to sort them out before I go much farther in the story.  I love the surprises like this one.  

And that reminds me of something.  I often see people say that outlines kill their creativity.  For me, it's just the opposite, especially with a 'light' outline (a line or two per chapter or scene).  Once I have the basics of the story down and I no longer have to worry about how the big pieces fit together, I find that my mind opens for all the extra things that make a story so interesting.

In the world of real life -- whatever that might be -- the weather has gotten better (as long as we ignore that mention of snowflakes possible next Friday). I'm waiting for it to hit 60 again before I go out and mow the lawn, though. It's just too cold still, and I've been fighting miserable colds all winter, so I'm not going to take a chance at getting another one.  Two of my cats have colds.  It's been that kind of spring.

swan_tower

I've been meaning to do this for a long time; why I chose yesterday afternoon to start it, God only knows. But, as a part of my ongoing project to include business advice on my website, I have finally thrown together the beginnings of a glossary of terms.

Now I need your help.

See, there are undoubtedly many important words I have forgotten. There are definitely important words I have defined inadequately. Heck, some of them don't have definitions at all, yet. I'm pretty sure pitch and point are two different things, but I have no idea what. Reserves and out of print, I know what they are, but not well enough to provide a coherent definition of when and how those things happen. And then there are the definitions that are just kind of weak, like offset printing. I may even have some things entirely wrong.

So please, if you know the publishing industry, poke around in that glossary and provide me with expansions and corrections. This is going to be a work in progress for a while, I'm sure, like my two lists.

jenstclair

I have donated a custom mermaid doll (like Violet) to eilonwy's raffle to help trap, neuter, and release feral cats who live around her apartment complex. I thought my kitties would approve. shadesong has written up a nice post about the raffle here.

jenstclair

Okay, so this concoction doesn't want to be named. I've tried to think of a decent name for it and it just isn't cooperating.

I wanted something hot for lunch today, and when I start thinking of sandwiches, I tend to think 'tuna melt.' Only, I had no bread (it was rising) so I had to come up with something else. I did have a bag of bagel chips in my cupboard, but I didn't really want to just make tuna salad. So I decided to make something else.

Ingredients:

1 can tuna in water, drained (or the pouches would work too, I'm sure)
1/2 cup chopped spinach, sorrel, swiss chard, or whatever greens you have handy (I used Bloody Dock)
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped almonds
shredded cheese to top, approximately 1/2 cup. (I used a mixture of farmer's cheese and lacey swiss cheese.)

Combine first four ingredients in a small casserole (it makes about 2 cups, enough for two people really, or one person if you're really hungry. I used my smallest CorningWare casserole.) Top with shredded cheese.

Either bake in the oven (I'd say 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted) or pop into the microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes. It makes a great dip-type meal. You could easily make a big batch for a party. The almonds retain their crunchiness, the cheese gives it a good flavor, and you're eating all that good nutrition in one nice package.

It really tasted great. I'm definitely going to make it again. It would be a great summer supper, even.

I imagine if you did have bread, you could do open-faced sort of sandwiches and bake them in the oven.

swan_tower

It is apparently Feminism Day in the internets. (I know why, actually -- it's a particular stage of ripples from an earlier much-discussed incident -- but I'm not going to try to trace the lineage; I'm just here to provide the links.)

First up, something most of my personal friends understand, but worth spreading as a public service: "A Straight Geek Male's Guide to Interaction with Females." It's the basics, nothing more, but it never hurts to remind people of them.

Second: the L.A. Times on, well, one of the fastest ways to piss me off royally, aka Men Who Explain Things. You know, the patronizing jackasses who presume they know more about Topic X than you do, even when they don't. Bonus rage points for the fact that, while some of them sometimes do it to other men, it is frequently directed at women. (Includes a fabulous anecdote of the best shut-down possible. Alas, it is not often possible -- but it must have been satisfying when it happened.)

Third: a lengthy post from synecdochic on "Don't Be That Guy." Very long, but useful not just in identifying the male behaviors that put women off, but offering suggestions for how "allies" (other guys who notice the problem) can help out. I'm sure somewhere in the three pages and counting of comments, multiple somebodies have pointed out that the suggestions do often involve a man speaking on a woman's behalf because she won't be listened to, but -- as I believe the poster acknowledges -- sometimes that's regrettably necessary. Ultimately no woman should ever need a man to step in and speak for her, but if him doing so gets us a step closer to that day, I won't discourage it.

. . . but you know, it's odd. Many of the experiences that last post talks about, I just, well, haven't experienced. Not often, anyway. And I can't help but ponder the confluence of factors that makes that so.

Partly, no doubt, it's causal factors. I'm not curvy and I don't tend to dress in anything remotely resembling a revealing fashion (LARPS notwithstanding), ergo I'm not as likely to have the "my eyes are up HERE" problem. I associate mostly with guys who are legitimately Good Guys, and therefore unlikely to patronize or dismiss me. (Half of them are better feminists than I am.) Etc.

Some of it, though, has to be perceptual. In other words, I do encounter such things, but I don't notice them. I've said before that I must have run into more than two or three sexist teachers in my educational career, but I guess I just steamrollered over the others without noticing. Because on the one hand I can't think of more, but on the other, I can't find much evidence in my life of sexist assumptions and behavior holding me back. I'm having a hard time articulating what I mean by that; I don't mean I'm immune. Situations where I was hampered externally, sure, those no doubt have happened. But I have rarely felt inferior, inadequate, what have you, as a result of my gender. I actually believe it's true when I say that I went from Great At Math to Sucking At Math, not because I felt like I couldn't do it, but because I didn't feel like doing it. And sure, my loss of interest partially coincided with one of the identifiably sexist teachers -- but only partially. I never felt incapable. (Nor was I, if I managed to pass AP Calculus by doing all the homework the night before the test.)

At cons? I suppose many of the writers I hang out with there are women. If I tally up a mental list of the people I anticipate seeing when I go, it's definitely skewed female. Then again, this is more likely to be a problem of interaction with strangers or new acquaintances than with established friends. But if there have been room parties/dinners/whatever where a guy was checking me out or behaving like he had a right to something from me or dismissing my words, I just . . . haven't noticed. And have not, so far as I can tell, let it affect me.

And you know, I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, yay me! I can haz self-esteem. On the other, maybe I'm missing out on opportunities to push for change, to make a difference, to call people on their bullshit instead of ignoring it. (Or maybe it is undermining me after all. You can be oppressed without noticing your oppression.) How much can I trust my own perception? How much good do I do in a broader sense by shrugging this stuff off?

I don't particularly know. But at the very least, chewing on these questions is good for me.

jenstclair

My neighbors mowed their grass twice last week. On Monday and Friday. Give me a break! Now my grass looks really long. ARGH.

swan_tower

I don't suppose any of the Brits reading this journal are in Oxfordshire? Or are at least familiar with that area?

I'm trying to sort out something for research purposes.


Edited to add: Okay, it looks like what I really need is a bus schedule to get myself from Swindon to either Woolstone or Compton Beauchamp and back. (And, y'know, advice on whether I should be worried about hiking a few miles alone in the Oxfordshire countryside.)

swan_tower

Sometimes the answer to your plot problem is staring you right in the face.

If one of Charles' problems in 1640 was that he had three kingdoms to juggle, then clearly the way to set up problems on the fae side is to drag Ireland and Scotland into the mess, too.

International faerie politics for the win!

jenstclair

Anyone interested in a sourdough starter? I have extras.