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Monday, September 30, 2013

Birthday, and Hild morsels

Today is my birthday. I intend to loaf about eating croissants, drinking coffee, and people watching, followed by Champagne and whatever other delights Kelley has conjured.

Meanwhile here are a few Hildish morsels to keep you amused:

  • I wrote a piece about Hild's literary ancestors for Book Keeping. 
  • The Hugo House reading is now scheduled for Wednesday, November 13. See updated appearances.
  • Bookdwarf likes Hild. A lot.
  • Robin Sloan does too. You can see an updated page of rave (and not-so-rave) reviews here.
  • I've been invited to speak at King's College, London, on Saturday Oct 26. We're trying to get a flight, but if you're going to be in London, bookmark the Medieval Science Fiction Roundtable because IT WILL BE AWESOME.
  • Sadly, Kelley and I will not be at World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. So if you want to buy our memberships drop a comment ASAP.
Hild will be published six weeks tomorrow. Maybe I should get one of those countdown widgets...
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Help a fellow reader, help me

If you want to give me and Kelley a wedding present, and/or you want to support MS research in Australia, here's something you can do: support one of our readers in his sponsored bike ride.

Kelley described it all yesterday and so, with her permission, I've just swiped her post.

Nicola and I think all our readers are splendid people. We’ve had the chance to connect with so many good-hearted folks through our work — it’s one of the gifts that writing brings us. 
Now one of our splendid readers is bringing another gift. On October 20, Kevin Scarr will ride his bike 50 kilometers to raise money for MS research in Western Australia. Kevin is dedicating his ride, and the money he raises, to Nicola and me. See that smeary place right here on this post? That’s me getting misty. 
Will you please consider sponsoring Kevin’s ride? We’d be honored and grateful for your support of him and of MS research. 
And if you’re in Western Australia, please consider joining the team for the ride. Kevin is a great person who promises to do handstands on the bike and sing songs and wear a funny hat…. okay, no, he actually didn’t promise that at all. But it will be fun, nonetheless, to hang out with splendid people and talk about books and life and how much it matters when we help each other. 
Kevin, thank you. Anything that helps people with MS somewhere in the world ultimately helps all people with MS and people who love them.
We do love our readers. We want MS wiped from the face of the earth. So, please, sponsor Kevin.

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Saturday, September 21, 2013

S.H.I.E.L.D.

I know what I'll be doing on Tuesday night...


A Joss Whedon show with superheroes and guns? I'm there.

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Save the date: Hild appearances

Hild is published on 12 November. That is, 11.12.13 (currently my favourite numbers). Most of my appearance stuff is still TBD. But here are a seven dates already written in stone:

October 6 - 7, PORTLAND:
PNBA trade show: Author breakfast (Mon. 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.) with Elizabeth George, Brandon Sanderson, Cynthia Voigt and 150 booksellers; probably also attending the big party the night before. 
October 23, SEATTLE:
Elliott Bay Book Company: 7 pm. Not Hild-related. Interviewing John Freeman about his How to Read a Novelist, a collection of 55 profiles of icons like Toni Morrison, Haruki Murakami, Doris Lessing...
November 13, SEATTLE:
Seattle Mystery Books, noon. Signing Hild. I'll probably have a hangover because, well, see above, but I'll be beaming with happiness. I'll chat to you. I'll sign your book. 
November 13, SEATTLE:
Hugo House, 7 pm. Sponsored by the Elliott Bay Book Company. Reading, drinks, audience Q and A, long happy chats, more drinks, signing, even more drinks... Party!! 
November 23 -24, MIAMI:
Miami Book Fair International. All details TBD 
December 10, SEATTLE:
Seattle Central Library, 7 pm. A big bash in the Auditorium, sponsored by University Book Store. I'll read from Hild. I'll answer questions and tell stories. It'll be amazing. And free.
December 14, SAN FRANCISCO:
Writers With Drinks, 7:00 for 7:30 pm. Me and Kelley doing readings and whatnot, along with a specular mix of other writers--we just, er, don't know who, or any other details. Yet.
February 26 - March 1, SEATTLE:
AWP Conference and Bookfair. A reading with Dorothy Allison, Ellery Washington, and Ellen Bass, introduced by Tony Valenzuela. All other details TBD.
As I say, lots more to come. Possibilities so far in order of likelihood:
  • Chicago
  • Atlanta
  • St. Louis
  • Madison 
And of course lots more regional dates.) I'll try keep the appearances part of my Hild page current, so check back.

If you want me to come to your city, I'll need the trip to be paid for. This means one of two things:
1. For you to guarantee and event with 200+ attendees, in which case it's possible my publisher would consider it a reasonable investment for me and Kelley to fly there and stay in a hotel. 
- or -
2. For you to crowdsource the funding via something like Togather.com and/or donations and/or grants.
If you think you can guarantee either, and the dates aren't already taken, either drop a comment or email me and we'll figure it out.
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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

New Hild blurb from Neal Stephenson: and author comparisons now at stand nine

I just got this grin-wide-enough-to-split-the-world blurb for Hild:

You will never think of them as the Dark Ages again. Griffith's command of the era is worn lightly and delivered as a deeply engaging plot. Her insight into human nature and eye for telling detail is as keen as that of the extraordinary Hild herself. The novel resonates to many of the same chords as Beowulf, the legends of King Arthur, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones—to the extent that Hild begins to feel like the classic on which those books are based.
Neal Stephenson
Which means that we now have new data to input into our wee competition regarding the number and gender of authors' work compared to Hild. (See all reviews so far here.) In addition to Hilary Mantel, Sigrid Undset, T.H. White, George R.R. Martin, Ellis Peters, and Rosemary Sutcliff we now have J.R.R. Tolkien, whoever wrote Beowulf, and the person to whom we attribute the Arthur legends.

That makes at least nine. (How can you possibly count how many people are responsible for Arthur? So let's ignore that hairball of a distraction and, for simplicity's sake, say one.)

As for the gender count, ooof, well, this is me hanging my head in shame. Hild is a book steeped in history and I didn't take into account good old Anonymous! And I reverted to thinking in terms of the gender binary. Tuh.

Anyway, now we have to put two authors in the undeclared category. Which means, hey, we were all wrong.

Fortunately, I'm a big fan of cheating. So let's declare the race back on and we'll all have another bash. [Edited to add: do this in the comments on the original post, please, to keep things clear.]

My guess is:
18 total: 3 undeclared, 8 women, 7 men
What's yours? Remember, the winner will get a signed--and personalised anyway you like, within reason--copy of the finished Hild. I will mail it anywhere in the world.
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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Two wedding rings

Kelley and I got married on Wednesday, 4th September, the 20th anniversary of our first wedding.

This wedding was very simple, very small, very private. Very right.

Kelley is my wife. I am Kelley's wife.

And I am smiling...

photo by Jennifer Durham
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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Your mystery for today

What do this picture, a detail from Terry Windling's Deer Maiden (which hangs on our wall; we bought it at a Tiptree auction a few years ago)...


this piece of music, Hedningarna's "Viima," which is part of my Hild playlist...


and Riva Lehrer's portait of me, which she finished at the end of last year...


have in common?
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