Oh no. It’s That Time of the Year again, the time when… (looks around nervously) … things happen.
Thing #1.
I formatted a book! Wyrdverse: Tales of the Wyrd is an anthology of short stories from the, well. Wyrdverse. These aren’t new—you may have previously read them on my website—they’re just now… collated better.
Wyrdverse is currently available super-cheap from Amazon, although if you’d like to snag yourself a free copy you can do so from the princely sum of your email address, by signing up to my book news mailing list.
Oh, and because the whole purpose of this exercise was to practice using Indesign, a print version of the book (in all its extensive, 80-page glory) should be available sometime in the next few weeks. So… keep an eye out for that.
Thing #2.
Speaking of awesome books you should buy (or, rather, back) right now, Crossed Genres’ Resist Fascism speculative fiction anthology is in the final days of its Kickstarter. From the official description:
RESIST. ANY WAY YOU CAN.
The world is in turmoil. The world is always in turmoil, but in recent years, people have seen violence and hatred become proud instead of ashamed. What meager rights we’ve fought for are being deliberately eroded. And the vulnerable have any help stripped away. All of this is happening openly and without fear of reprisal. And the worst perpetrators are some of the largest governments of the world.
Resisting the spread of fascism is as important now as it was 75 years ago. And there are many effective ways to resist.
For full disclosure, friend-and-all-round-awesome-person Rivqa has a story in this anthology, and I have read it and it is boss. So if you, too, would like to read a boss story about found family and Jewish jujitsu IN SPACE, then you should go smash that pledge button, as the kids on teh YouTubes say.
Thing #4.
Oh, and while you’re in the spending money mood,1 Mother of Invention is on sale! From the blurb:
Knit robots, build spaceships, and shape the future.
Extraordinary short stories about gender, artificial intelligence and the art of building something new. Mother of Invention features the work of Seanan McGuire, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Nisi Shawl, John Chu, Justina Robson and more.
Awesome? Yes. So what are you waiting for? Buy like a hundred copies and you’re set for presents to give out to all your friends, enemies, and loved ones at every birthday, anniversary, and culturally appropriate religious celebration for the indefinite future. Let’s all knit a softer, warmer robotic future together.
Finally… Thing #5.
Conflux! It’s coming, and I will be there. You can even come hear me blather on about narrative in the panel Play to write: what tabletop and video games can teach writers of fiction. And by “me” I mean “Rivqa and Elizabeth“, and by “blather” I mean “make interesting and intelligent points while trying to ignore their drooling co-panellist (i.e. me).”
Sound great? Of course it does! See you there.
- … I know, I know. [↩]
RT @lokabrenna: “Wyrdverse, Conflux, and Kickstarters (oh my)!”: https://t.co/UiYnNqx8XD
RT @lokabrenna: “Wyrdverse, Conflux, and Kickstarters (oh my)!”: https://t.co/UiYnNqx8XD
So far I only read a few stories out of Mother of Invention, because I started out with my friend E H Mann’s story, and I was so enraptured with it that I had to stop and let myself digest it properly. Also because I was only borrowing the book for an hour or so. But my copy is on the way and I will submerge myself in it.
I wish I could go to Conflux, but money doesn’t permit.
The way I read it’ll probably take me a year to get to MoI on my reading pile, but I am so, so looking forward to it. 💜
Conflux tends to be a bit more low-key than, say, Continuum. I like it mostly because it’s a chance to catch up with people, and also because I don’t have to travel far to get to it (hah!). u_u