2009 April at SF Novelists

Archive for April, 2009

Stephanie Burgis April 26th 2009

The frivolous side of publishing

I first knew I wanted to be a professional writer when I was seven years old. (I remember announcing it to my mom, actually. It was an Event. Luckily, being a very supportive parent, she didn’t laugh at me when I said it.) I’m going to be 32 next month, around the same time that […]

Jim C. Hines April 24th 2009

The Writer as Martial Artist

White Belt: Symbolizes the blank page, which the student will fill over the course of his/her training. Beginning rank. Student begins to study the basic techniques of the writing arts. Student learns proper manuscript format, basic writer etiquette, and simple story structure.
Yellow Belt: Symbolizes the manila envelope, indicating that the student is now ready to […]

David B. Coe April 23rd 2009

More on Revising and Editing

I’m in the midst of rewrites. I received a revision letter from my editor the other day and have been wading through his comments, trying to bring fresh thinking to a novel that I finished six months ago, the last book in a series that I was glad to finish. Don’t get me wrong; I […]

Kate Elliott April 18th 2009

Useful & non-useful criticism

Beta readers. Writing workshops. Relatives and generous friends. You may have the opportunity at all stages of the writing process to get feedback on your work.
Learning to tell the difference between useful and non-useful criticism is crucial to being able to incorporate criticism into your writing process.
Sometimes you will receive comments that pierce right to […]

Marie Brennan April 16th 2009

How I write female characters

But Marie — aren’t you a woman?
Yes, I am.
Do you really mean to imply that you write female characters in some different, specific way?
No, I don’t. Thank you, Imaginary Questioner, for leading me to the exact point I want to make.
Some years ago, a writer-friend asked me what I thought of his female characters. […]

S.C. Butler April 15th 2009

Don’t Buy My Book

It used to be so easy. All I wanted was to sell something. A novel, a short story. Flash. More than that I didn’t care. Every day I sat down at the computer and pounded out another couple of thousand words. Some were good. Most were bad. Either way, they were rewritten.
Years passed, and […]

Kelly McCullough April 11th 2009

Conception to Completion

This is a pure writing process post.* There are one thousand ways and one to write a novel, every one of them right. This is how I do it…most of the time. The novel in this example is The Black School, which hasn’t yet found a home.
Conception of idea: What do you want to write […]

Alma Alexander April 5th 2009

The First Time

When you start out on any road of endeavour and achievement, there are milestones on your way.
Holding your first book in your hand when the box of author’s copies is deposited at your front door - it’s a BOOK, it’s a real book, it smells like one, it has a satisfying weight to it and […]

Diana Pharaoh Francis April 3rd 2009

The Insanity of a Writer (one of them anyway)

I’m in the middle of revising a book that will be out in October, drafting one due in July, and trying to sort out an outline for another book that is due in May. Oh, and yeah, there’s figuring out the day job and sorting out family life and all that. Pretty much my mind […]

Author Information

Stephanie Burgis

Stephanie Burgis is an American writer who lives in Yorkshire, England, with her husband, fellow writer Patrick Samphire, their son "Mr Darcy", and their crazy-sweet border collie mix, Maya. Her Regency fantasy trilogy for kids, The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson, will be published by Atheneum Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, beginning with Book One: A Most Improper Magick. She has also published short stories in a variety of magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, including Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Escape Pod. You can find out more, or read/listen to her published stories online, at her website. Visit site.

Jim C. Hines

Jim C. Hines' latest book is THE MERMAID'S MADNESS, the second of his fantasy adventures that retell the old fairy tales with a Charlie's Angels twist. He's also the author of the humorous Goblin Quest trilogy. Jim's short fiction has appeared in more than 40 magazines and anthologies, including Realms of Fantasy, Turn the Other Chick, and Sword & Sorceress XXI. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and two children. He's currently hard at work on the fourth book in his fairy tale series. Visit site.

David B. Coe

David B. Coe is the author of eleven fantasy novels, including the books of the LonTobyn Chronicle, Winds of the Forelands, and Blood of the Southlands. He has also written the novelization for the Ridley Scott production of ROBIN HOOD, starring Russell Crowe, that is due out in May 2010. In 1999 he received the Crawford Fantasy Award, given annually by the IAFA to the best new author in fantasy. He has a Ph.D. in United States environmental history and lives on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with his wife and daughters. Visit site.

Kate Elliott

Kate Elliott is the author of multiple fantasy and science fiction novels, including the Crown of Stars series and the Novels of the Jaran. She's currently working on Crossroads; the first novel, Spirit Gate, is already out, and Shadow Gate will be published in Spring 2008. Visit site.

Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan is the author of several fantasy novels and short stories, including the Elizabethan faerie spy fantasy Midnight Never Come. Visit site.

S.C. Butler

Butler is the author of The Stoneways Trilogy from Tor Books: Reiffen's Choice, Queen Ferris, and The Magician's Daughter. Find out what Reiffen does with magic, and what magic does with him... Visit site.

Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough's first novel in the WebMage series, WebMage, was released by Ace in 2006 to considerable critical praise. Cybermancy, and CodeSpell followed in '07 and '08. His 4th, MythOS, is slated for late May '09 with SpellCrash to follow in '10. His short fiction has appeared in numerous venues including Weird Tales, Writers of the Future, and Tales of the Unanticipated. His illustrated collection, The Chronicles of the Wandering Star, is part of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school science curriculum, Interactions in Physical Science. Visit site.

Alma Alexander

Alma Alexander is a Pacific Northwest novelist whose new YA trilogy, "Worldweavers", debuted with "Gift of the Unmage" in March 2007 ("Spellspam" follows in 2008, and "Cybermage" in 2009). Her other books include the internationally acclaimed "The Secrets of Jin Shei". Visit site.

Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis has written the fantasy novel trilogy that includes Path of Fate, Path of Honor and Path of Blood. Path of Fate was nominated for the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award. Recently released was The Turning Tide, third in her Crosspointe Chronicles series (look also for The Cipher and The Black Ship). In October 2009, look for Bitter Night, a contemporary fantasy. Diana teaches in the English Department at the University of Montana Western, and is an avid lover of all things chocolate. Visit site.

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