Guest Post: I Still Believe in Small Press by Barbara Friend Ish
Sep
23
2013

Today I am pleased to have a guest post by Barbara Friend Ish! She is the founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Mercury Retrograde Press and the author of The Shadow of the Sun. Recently, she had to make the choice to either continue with her work as a publisher and editor at Mercury Retrograde or continue writing, and the press will no longer be publishing books by other authors starting the beginning of next year. However, she still believes that small presses are valuable, and today she is discussing the reasons small presses are important to her as both a reader and an author.

The Shadow of the Sun by Barbara Friend Ish

I Still Believe in Small Press

Long before I understood how publishing works, I was frustrated by the choices available to me in bookstores. Most stores, independents in particular, have painfully small amounts of shelf space allocated to SF and Fantasy. Even when I found large-footprint bookstores with big sections for genre fiction, they never seemed to have just what I was looking for.

Part of the problem, of course, was that I was craving the books I needed to write. No bookstore could have helped me with that. But the bigger problem was that bookstores, particularly big chain bookstores, must serve the popular taste or die.

My tastes have never run towards the popular. When all the book bloggers in the SF blogosphere are reviewing the same six books in any given month, I find myself seeking out the bloggers who delve into the off-the-beaten path stuff. Many of these rare gems are published by small press publishers; and once you understand a bit about how publishing works, it’s easy to understand the reasons why.

Publishing, like running a bookstore, is a business. Big publishers have big staffs: people who depend on them for paychecks. They can’t afford to run businesses that don’t make money. They’re not there for the love, even though individual members of the staff may be. They must choose works and authors that they know will sell many, many books: those books that all the book bloggers will review at once, that all the bookstores will carry, because many, many people can be counted on to buy them. They can’t choose the books that make them swoon; not unless they can bet that the rest of the genre book buying public will swoon, too.

This problem doesn’t just affect bookstores and readers: it is the central problem of many writers’ lives. If a writer has arranged her professional life in such a way that she must depend on her books to pay her bills, then she must write what she can sell. She must write what the publishers are willing to buy, which in turn means she must choose to write for the popular audience. With very few lottery-winning, golden-ticket-holding exceptions, all writers who want to be published by big houses must choose this route.

As a reader, I know my tastes are unusual. As a writer, I know my work is not mainstream. My bookish needs, as reader and writer both, can’t be met without the help of small press publishers.

Small press publishing is a labor of love. Except for the lucky few, it’s not a day job: it’s something done around the edges of the work that pays the bills. But because the people who work in small press aren’t relying on the books they publish to pay their bills, something magical happens: they can choose books that move them, rather than always asking whether a book will make enough money to sustain their staffs and pay their electric bills. They can champion writers who don’t want to work mainstream, at least on this particular novel; they can create opportunities for writers who still need guidance in their craft, the way publishers used to do a hundred years ago. They can bring to press works of limited appeal, and nurture them in the marketplace to give them the best chance available.

I’ve spent the past six years doing that work. As publisher and editor-in-chief of Mercury Retrograde Press, I spent my days finding, developing, publishing and nurturing works and writers that were either too early in their careers to go it alone at bigger houses or whose visions were too audacious for the safe, comfortable tastes of the popular market. As a publisher, I have taken great pleasure and a bit of pride in making spaces for these writers and works to succeed, and it makes me happy to see their stars rising into the heavens. As an editor, I revel in the opportunity to take the time to work with a writer to develop craft, to hone story, to stop and do it again, and sometimes yet again, when the work isn’t yet one that will stand the test of time. And as a writer, I treasure working in a place that is safe for creative people: knowing that I need not limit my work in order to ensure it’s sufficiently safe for the mainstream; knowing that I will be supported by an editor who won’t send me out into the world unprepared, to wait for the inevitable embarrassment when my mistakes are revealed; knowing that I can take the time to bring my work to its best potential.  One of the greatest rewards of this phase of my creative life has been the feedback from readers who appreciate all of this as much as I do, who revel in fresh and frequently audacious visions, who would rather wait while a writer does her best work than storm poor George R. R. Martin’s house when a book is late. All of these things are precious to me; none of them would be possible without the freedom that comes from small press.

After years of trying to be both a publisher and an author, I have realized I must choose between them: that even if small press publishing is a thing that can be fit in around the edges of another job where necessary, it requires intense and sustained creative energy—and that it isn’t possible, for me at least, to devote myself utterly to two different creative enterprises. Having found it necessary to choose, I choose the thing that is the core of my creative life: writing fiction. But this doesn’t mean I’ve concluded small-press enterprises aren’t important, in fact necessary: quite the opposite. I think it’s too important to do halfheartedly; that if as a publisher I can’t give the writers and other creative people I work with, not to mention the readers, the full potential of what small press has to offer, then I will make way for someone who can.

As a writer, I can’t imagine working anywhere but small press. As a reader, I know that is where many of the greatest new books will always come from. I live in gratitude for the people who are able to make small-press publishing the center of their creative lives. I can’t wait to see what risks they take, what all-but-impossible gems they uncover and share with us next.

Barbara Friend Ish is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief for Mercury Retrograde Press, a small press dedicated to writers and works that might undeservedly slip through the cracks at larger houses. She is also the author of Compton Crook Finalist novel The Shadow of the Sun and the forthcoming The Heart of Darkness. She founded Mercury Retrograde in 2007; in January 2014, the company will cease publication of other writers’ works. You can learn more about Barbara and her work at www.barbarafriendish.com

The Leaning Pile of Books
Sep
22
2013

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week – old or new, bought or received for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included.

This week brought a few books, two of which have already been discussed. Here are the links in case you are interested in reading more about them:

Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis

Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis

This stand alone novel by the author of the Milkweed Triptych (Bitter Seeds, The Coldest War, and Necessary Evil) will be released in December (hardcover, ebook).

 

Something More Than Night is a Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler-inspired murder mystery set in Thomas Aquinas’s vision of Heaven. It’s a noir detective story starring fallen angels, the heavenly choir, nightclub stigmatics, a priest with a dirty secret, a femme fatale, and the Voice of God.

Somebody has murdered the angel Gabriel. Worse, the Jericho Trumpet has gone missing, putting Heaven on the brink of a truly cosmic crisis. But the twisty plot that unfolds from the murder investigation leads to something much bigger: a con job one billion years in the making.

Because this is no mere murder. A small band of angels has decided to break out of heaven, but they need a human patsy to make their plan work.

Much of the story is told from the point of view of Bayliss, a cynical fallen angel who has modeled himself on Philip Marlowe. The yarn he spins follows the progression of a Marlowe novel — the mysterious dame who needs his help, getting grilled by the bulls, finding a stiff, getting slipped a mickey

Angels and gunsels, dames with eyes like fire, and a grand maguffin, Something More Than Night is a murder mystery for the cosmos.

Old Mars by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Old Mars edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

This anthology of science fiction stories will be released on October 8 (hardcover, ebook).

 

Fifteen all-new stories by science fiction’s top talents, collected by bestselling author George R. R. Martin and multiple-award winning editor Gardner Dozois

Burroughs’s A Princess of Mars. Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. Heinlein’s Red Planet. These and so many more inspired generations of readers with a sense that science fiction’s greatest wonders did not necessarily lie far in the future or light-years across the galaxy but were to be found right now on a nearby world tantalizingly similar to our own—a red planet that burned like an ember in our night sky . . . and in our imaginations.

This new anthology of fifteen all-original science fiction stories, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, celebrates the Golden Age of Science Fiction, an era filled with tales of interplanetary colonization and derring-do. Before the advent of powerful telescopes and space probes, our solar system could be imagined as teeming with strange life-forms and ancient civilizations—by no means always friendly to the dominant species of Earth. And of all the planets orbiting that G-class star we call the Sun, none was so steeped in an aura of romantic decadence, thrilling mystery, and gung-ho adventure as Mars.

Join such seminal contributors as Michael Moorcock, Mike Resnick, Joe R. Lansdale, S. M. Stirling, Mary Rosenblum, Ian McDonald, Liz Williams, James S. A. Corey, and others in this brilliant retro anthology that turns its back on the cold, all-but-airless Mars of the Mariner probes and instead embraces an older, more welcoming, more exotic Mars: a planet of ancient canals cutting through red deserts studded with the ruined cities of dying races.

FEATURING ALL-NEW STORIES BY

James S. A. Corey • Phyllis Eisenstein • Matthew Hughes • Joe R. Lansdale • David D. Levine • Ian McDonald • Michael Moorcock • Mike Resnick • Chris Roberson • Mary Rosenblum • Melinda Snodgrass • Allen M. Steele • S. M. Stirling • Howard Waldrop • Liz Williams

And an Introduction by George R. R. Martin!

xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths edited by Kate Bernheimer

xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths edited by Kate Bernheimer

This anthology of retold myths will be released on September 24 (trade paperback, ebook). An excerpt can be read on the publisher’s website.

 

Fifty leading writers retell myths from around the world in this dazzling follow-up to the bestselling My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me.

Icarus flies once more. Aztec jaguar gods again stalk the earth. An American soldier designs a new kind of Trojan horse—his cremains in a bullet. Here, in beguiling guise, are your favorite mythological figures alongside characters from Indian, Punjabi, Inuit, and other traditions.

Aimee Bender retells the myth of the Titans.

Madeline Miller retells the myth of Galatea.

Kevin Wilson retells the myth of Phaeton, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Emma Straub and Peter Straub retell the myth of Persephone.

Heidi Julavits retells the myth of Orpheus and Euridice.

Ron Currie, Jr. retells the myth of Dedalus.

Maile Meloy retells the myth of Demeter.

Zachary Mason retells the myth of Narcissus.

Joy Williams retells the myth of Argos, Odysseus’ dog.

If “xo” signals a goodbye, then xo Orpheus is a goodbye to an old way of mythmaking. Featuring talkative goats, a cat lady, a bird woman, a beer-drinking ogre, a squid who falls in love with the sun, and a girl who gives birth to cubs, here are extravagantly imagined, bracingly contemporary stories, heralding a new beginning for one of the world’s oldest literary traditions.

Guest Post: The Uses of Macaroni in Fantasy by Emma Jane Holloway
Sep
16
2013

Today I’m delighted to have a guest post by Emma Jane Holloway, author of The Baskerville Affair trilogy, in which she discusses incorporating plausible details and reality in fantasy fiction.

The Baskerville Affair, described on the author’s website as “one part mystery, two parts adventure and a wee pinch of romance,” begins in London in 1888 and focuses on the adventures of the niece of Sherlock Holmes, Evelina Cooper. Even though the first book will not be released until next week, there is not a long wait for a finished trilogy at all since the books will all be available by the end of this year—A Study of Silks will be released on September 24, A Study of Darkness in October, and A Study of Ashes in December.

The uses of macaroni in fantasy, at least sometimes
By Emma Jane Holloway

Baskerville Affair Macaroni Battle

I’d like to claim that Gandalf visited me in my dreams and bestowed upon me the magic gem of Zod, and henceforth I wove enchanting tales of wonder. Sadly, no. It was more like the lack of enchantment in public school drove me to read under my desk while the teacher was talking. Short of (metaphorically) chewing off my own limb in search of escape, my best option was to stealthily slip away into everything from Alan Garner to Robert E. Howard. If a book had swords I liked it, and when I ran out of stories to read I started writing them. Needless to say, I turned in some curious English essays.

And while that inspired me to dream stuff up, I probably should have paid more attention during physics and chemistry. Then at least I’d be better prepared to write about blowing things up. What I didn’t understand was that even fantasy is made up of information, and one of the pitfalls of telling lies for a living is that there is a limit to how much one can fake it. Characters are inevitably bound by what their creator tells them to do, and if the author is clueless, sooner or later it shows.

For me, this came to a head while writing my trilogy, The Baskerville Affair. The first book, A Study in Silks, was relatively easy—there is magic and derring-do, but the young protagonists are in nineteenth-century Mayfair worrying about careers and courtship because that’s what young folks do. No problem. Book 2 is darker and the physical action ramps up, but we get through it fine. Book 3—the grand finale—was different, because it truly launched into fantasy territory. Major battle scenes. Death sorcery. Crashing steampunk monsters. Airships. Multiple armies. High magic. All very groovy, if you like things that go boom.

I confess, I stalled. It was the first time I’d really tackled battle scenes on such a large scale. Furthermore, I do not have direct experience with earth-shattering cataclysms, unless you count deadlines. So there I was, all my characters staring at me with “what now?” written on their faces. The answer was beer and macaroni, and a lot of patience. The beer was for me. The macaroni was for research purposes.

Maybe I hadn’t been at an apocalyptic battle lately, but I could recreate one in miniature. I needed a tactile, visual way to work out what was happening. Sure, I did some reading about actual battles (navy battles in particular—if you think vertically as well as horizontally, they work pretty well for airships) and the 1830s in Paris is a rich source of detail about nineteenth-century urban rebellion. But the whole thing came together for me when I spread out a map of London and slowly began plotting the action move by move. I’d been to the relevant parts of the city recently, and that helped, but I needed more since I wasn’t actually there during an attack by clockwork monsters. In fact, I’d avoided most of the tourist season altogether.

Beans, pasta, lentils, and chickpeas became my forces. By moving them around the map, I got a far better sense of how my scenes should play out, and especially what would go wrong. Just try getting all those chickpeas–er, steampunk death spheres–across a bridge fast enough to cut off the rebel macaroni.

The point? Despite what I believed in school, good fantasy requires a lot more reality than one suspects. To make it good, I need plausible details. Sometimes that means research, and sometimes that means thinking a campaign through as if I was really going to fight it. I need to believe in the story, down to the smallest detail. It’s the only way my characters can figure it out. And until Gandalf shows up with some spiffy magic—or more lentils—finding the truth in my fiction will always require curiosity and a willingness to be both serious and absurd. And, occasionally, a lot of work.

So, given the importance of fact to fantasy, would I tell my younger self to get her nose out of that book and pay attention in class? Maybe some, but not completely. The other thing that any writer requires is a fierce desire that will carry a dream from page one to The End, and that doesn’t flourish without a little rebellion. So what if my memories of plane geometry are inextricably mixed with Conan the Barbarian? By Crom, it’s a consequence I’m more than willing to bear.

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

A Study in Silks
September 2013

Evelina Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes, is poised to enjoy her first Season in London’s high society, but there’s a murderer to deal with—not to mention missing automatons, a sorcerer, and a talking mouse . . .

In a Victorian era ruled by a Council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch, and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines—something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty’s secret laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she’s never found out?

But then there’s that murder. As Sherlock Holmes’s niece, Evelina should be able to find the answers, but she has a lot to learn. And the first decision she has to make is whether to trust the handsome, clever rake who makes her breath come faster, or the dashing trick rider who would dare anything for her if she would only just ask . . .

Read about the trilogy & read an excerpt from A Study in Silks

Read the prequel short story


Emma Jane Holloway

Ever since childhood, Emma Jane Holloway refused to accept that history was nothing but facts prisoned behind the closed door of time. Why waste a perfectly good playground coloring within the timelines? Accordingly, her novels are filled with whimsical impossibilities and the occasional eye-blinking impertinence—but always in the service of grand adventure.

Struggling between the practical and the artistic—a family tradition, along with ghosts and a belief in the curative powers of shortbread—Emma Jane has a degree in literature and job in finance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest in a house crammed with books, musical instruments, and half-finished sewing projects. In the meantime, she’s published articles, essays, short stories, and enough novels to build a fort for her stuffed hedgehog.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Sep
15
2013

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week – old or new, bought or received for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included.

This week brought three books, but I’ve already discussed two of them. Here are the links in case you are interested in reading more about them:

The Plague Forge by Jason M. Hough

The Plague Forge (Dire Earth Cycle #3) by Jason M. Hough

The final book in the Dire Earth Cycle will be released on September 24 (mass market paperback, ebook, audiobook). The first two books in the series are The Darwin Elevator and The Exodus Towers, respectively.

 

After discovering the first key in the wreckage of a crashed Builder ship, Skyler Luiken and his crew follow the migrating aura towers in search of the four remaining relics. But time is running out: the team learn that the next Builder event will be the last, and one of the objects has already fallen into dangerous hands…Will the survivors finally reveal the Builders’ plan?

Sci-Fi Month in November
Sep
14
2013
Sci-Fi Month

Rinn from Rinn Reads is organizing Sci-Fi Month, a community event to celebrate the science fiction genre. During the month of November, her blog and other blogs will be discussing science fiction with book/TV/film recommendations, book reviews, interviews with science fiction authors, giveaways, and more! If you are interested in participating or would like more information on the event, you can read more about Sci-Fi Month at Rinn’s blog.

I will be participating in this event, which sounds like a lot of fun (and will encourage me to read some of the science fiction books I’ve been meaning to read but haven’t yet!). Now… to figure out which science fiction books to read from the many I’m considering.

Books of 2014: Dreamwalker by C. S. Friedman
Sep
12
2013

A lot of books coming out next year are starting to make me excited about reading in 2014! This upcoming book by C.S. Friedman sounds pretty interesting, plus I really enjoyed both of her other books I’ve read (science fiction novel In Conquest Born and dark fantasy novel Feast of Souls).

Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman

Dreamwalker, the first book in a new series, is scheduled for release in February 2014.

About Dreamwalker:

All her life Jessica Drake has dreamed of other worlds, some of them similar to her own, others disturbingly alien. She never shares the details with anyone, save her younger brother Tommy, a compulsive gamer who incorporates some aspects of Jessica’s dreams into his games. But now someone is asking about those dreams…and about her. A strange woman has been watching her house. A visitor to her school attempts to take possession of her dream-inspired artwork.

Why?

As she begins to search for answers it becomes clear that whoever is watching her does not want her to learn the truth. One night her house catches on fire, and when the smoke clears she discovers that her brother has been kidnapped. She must figure out what is going on, and quickly, if she and her family are to be safe.

Following clues left behind on Tommy’s computer, determined to find her brother and bring him home safely, Jessica and two of her friends are about to embark on a journey that will test their spirits and their courage to the breaking point, as they must leave their own world behind and confront the source of Earth’s darkest legends – as well as the terrifying truth of their own secret heritage.