My full Norwescon 36 schedule, where I will be appearing this week!
Thursday: “Steampunk: What Is It and Why Is It So Popular?” 5-6 pm.
Friday: “Big Press, Small Press, or Self-Publishing?” Noon-1 pm.
Saturday: “Autograph Session 1″ 2-3 pm, “Practice Your Pitch” 3-4 pm, and “How to Write Vivid Scenes” 5-6 pm.
Sunday: “What’s Unique about Writing for Young Adults?” Noon-1 pm.
EDITED: We made it! With 93 backers and 113% of goal. Stay tuned for more info on Shadows of Asphodel, which is slated for a September release.
One week to go for the Shadows of Asphodel Kickstarter! Things are looking good:
I have been asked if there’s a sample of my writing online, for interested backers who haven’t read my other books, and so without further ado… here is the first page of Shadows of Asphodel.
1913
Transylvania
ONE
Ardis trudged across the blood-churned earth, blinking against spindrift snow and her windblown hair in her eyes. Her arm ached, but she kept a good grip on Chun Yi, her sword. Above her, the drone of aircraft heralded the advance of the medics who would decide the fate of the men and women lying broken on the ground. Ardis tugged her scarf over her nose, trying not to gag at the stench of diesel and blood.
She should hurry. She couldn’t see the height of the sun behind the clouds.
The battle was over, but a storm was coming.
Ardis trod softly among the wounded, giving distance to rebels in their ragtag uniforms. Her enemies looked helpless, but she could hear their groans and prayers. Her fingers tightened around the sharkskin hilt of Chun Yi, and she hoped—
Movement.
Ardis spun with her sword ready, and saw a man stagger to his feet. His mane of black hair flew in his face, hiding it, and his ragged breath fogged the air. He didn’t look like a soldier or a rebel, dressed in a fine coat of gray wool and wolverine fur, matted flat with blood. His hands hung empty at his sides.
What was a gentleman like him doing on the battlefield?
The man cleared his throat, clenched and unclenched his hands. “I’m unarmed.”
His words were at once smooth and rough, a honey-gravel voice, and he spoke German without any trace of an accent.
“Hands on your head,” she commanded.
The man did as she said, and the wind blew his hair from his face. Ardis had to stare.
He was starkly handsome, with an arrogant elegance only gentlemen have. Dark slivers of eyebrows, cheekbones so sharp you could cut yourself on them, and eyes exactly like those of a snow leopard, a stunning pale gray-green.
A thin smile tugged at the man’s lips. “How are you going to kill me?”
She kept her face blank. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“I would prefer your dagger,” he said. “It looks sharp.”
“Sword,” she said.
“Ah. My apologies.”
Dying to know more about the necromancer? Read the first chapter of Shadows of Asphodel here. And don’t forget to check out the Kickstarter!
Want to keep track of the Shadows of Asphodel Kickstarter?
Check it out on Kicktraq!
Every little bit helps, and thanks so much to those who have already backed the book!
I’m uber-excited to announce my fourth novel! It’s Shadows of Asphodel, a dieselpunk set in an alternate 1913 where… well, I’ll let the blurb speak for itself:
1913. The death of the Belle Époque and the brink of the Great War. The simmering hostilities in Europe have been halted in their tracks by the Hex, a powerful curse placed on the land by the archmages of Vienna, which renders gunpowder powerless and forces a return to swords, archery, and sorcery. But a greater and more terrible threat looms…
Ardis, an American swordswoman with a dark past, lives only to fight as a mercenary. She never expected to meet Wendel, or to fall for him. Bleeding out on a battlefield in Transylvania, he intrigues Ardis with his suave arrogance and his once-in-a-lifetime talent. Wendel is a Prussian nobleman fallen from grace and a necromancer with the power to raise the dead. If you kill a necromancer, he will only come back ten times stronger—or so Ardis has heard. Afraid to find out, she saves his life.
Together, mercenary and necromancer forge an uneasy alliance underscored with sexual tension. When Ardis fails her next mission, they discover the military secret of Austria-Hungary: robotically-enhanced soldiers constructed by the inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel himself. Only Ardis and Wendel know the truth about the Emperor of Austria’s machinations—but can they stop the Great War from reaching an even bloodier end?
You can already add Shadows of Asphodel on Goodreads and pre-order it through Kickstarter (along with other even more fabulous rewards).
This book will be my first foray into indie publishing, and I’m using Kickstarter to help with the costs of editing, design, and promotion. If you want to be a part of this book’s journey to publication, check out the Kickstarter. There’s also a video of me on Kickstarter, explaining the awesomeness that is Shadows of Asphodel. I may have gotten a wee bit carried away while explaining Wendel, the necromancer character who I may (cough) have an authorial crush on. (He’s hot. What can I say?)
I’ll bet you will like Shadows of Asphodel if you like dieselpunk, badass mercenary women, charming bastard necromancers, fight scenes with mechas and swords and zombies, alternate histories, or anything written by me. (Although I will warn you that Shadows is a lot steamier than my Other series.) And please spread the word!
Going to the American Library Association’s Midwinter conference in Seattle this year? I will be there! Stop by the Flux booth (#2644) on Saturday, January 26 at 3:00 PM to say hello and snag a signed copy of Foxfire. I always have a fantastic time at these conferences, and hope to meet a lot of readers and online friends.