Myth, the Universe, and Everything

I've been thinking a bit about confidence lately, and how often it surprises me when people whose skills, particularly in writing, I admire admit when they don't have it. I read a lot of blogs where people who I know are amazingly skilled (and are often successful) reveal how nervous they are about the reception their work will receive, and I think, "How in the world are you nervous? You're awesome!"

But I suspect we all go through those bouts of confidence, or lack thereof, in different places and times. I rethink conversations where I feel I've misstepped to the point of beating them to death. I'm rarely nervous about submitting my writing places -- but I'm always nervous the moment before I know they're going to be shown to the public. Sometimes I appreciate those releases that I almost miss, because I don't have any time to agonize. My piece is already out there, and it's too late to worry it now!

I very much admire my family who are performers, because there's no distance from the audience reaction. They're either with you, grooving on your tunes and crying with your tears, or they're not feeling it, and you're on stage alone (metaphorically). I don't mind introducing myself to people at conventions or even singing and dancing to sell books (been there, done that), but those are just marketing -- for my passion, I'll hide behind my paper and ink, thank you very much!

What about you, bloggers? When do the nerves hit you?

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I'm entering yet another context by using my blog. This one is for Cindy Pon's new book, Silver Phoenix, which looks amazing and has been rec'ed on several blogs I read. Here's the cover:



and book trailer:


How amazing does that look? It feels like the book I really wanted the wuxia novel Sword by Da Chen to be. (I loved the story behind Sword, but wished Da Chen had told it in the voice he used for the memoir introduction to the novel.)

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Last, via gailcarriger, I would want an iPhone if it looked like this:

created by steamfashion.

If you're not reading Gail's blog and you're interested in steampunk (or just Victorian fun), I highly recommend stopping by and checking her out. She's got a lot of fun stuff going on over there.

All of you who are reading this are probably already aware of my book, out there in the ether, and how it's not on Amazon (as I know I probably grumble about that more than I ought). Due to some hacker issues on the White Silver Publishing Web site, it's not currently self-evidently available there. This means, at the moment, it is near impossible for someone to get my book (unless they're ordering it through their local game store).

Should you happen to be doing viral marketing for me, please pass on this Web site: www.whitesilverpublishing.com/fiction/. From there, it's pretty easy to find the Online Store link (which has a very strange Web address that no one will remember off the top of their heads), despite the weird looking reconstruction going on with the site.

Of course, you can also always direct folks here to the live journal as well. :)

Despite these set-backs, I'm getting excited about Departure, for which I'll be getting the edit back from my editor any time now, and Regaining Home, which I just started last week. It's going much more slowly than I'd like, which isn't surprising since I don't really seem to hit my stride until I'm about half-way into the story. I also resolved a lot of the actual issues in the second book (not all of them!), and was expecting this one to be more action oriented. But I'm not sure how it will work yet, and as much as I know it's fine for fiction writers who write in an RPG world to break the rules (see R. A. Salvatore), there's stuff I want to do that I'm just not sure I can get away with and keep the spirit of the way magic works in the game... We'll see.

Thanks to the folks who responded about Hero, by the way. I didn't have a chance to reply to comments last week (for a host of reasons, most of them dealing with how I'm behind schedule on a number of projects, which is never fun), but I was glad to stir the conversation. I think what it boils down to, which I wasn't really accepting, is that you can't separate the story from its context, and considering all the human rights violations roughly sponsored by the Chinese government, the value of the state above the individual is worrysome in Chinese film. Taken as a story out of context (my favorite way to read, watch movies, and etc., which is why I was never very good at lit analysis), it's not worrysome--but it's dangerous to treat stories in that fashion when there are real world issues involved. (That doesn't stop it from being a great freakin' movie, of course.)

Now I'm off to organize my head for another week, and listen to my husband read Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett, which I just finished an hour ago so he could have his shot at it. (I say listen because I giggled out loud through the book, and he's already laughed several times. Good fun stuff.)

Currently Reading: Not sure. I think I'll pick up Taltos, the next book in the Stephen Brust "Vlad Taltos" series, since I've really been enjoying those. I may also start either Jeff Duntemann's The Cunning Blood or Julie Kenner's California Demon, which is due back at the library next week.
Currently Playing: Living Kingdoms of Kalamar, but sort of in the editorial capacity... :)
Recently Watched: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which has some of the best DVD extras I've ever seen.

As I'm currently working on an assignment for a new sourcebook for White Silver, I've returned to an old question of mine about character design in RPGs. If you're a member of a fantasy world's City Watch, what are the odds that somewhere along the line, you've had to take a level of rogue (or similar class, dependent on the RPG)? It seems that most of the investigative skills you need in order to solve crimes come right along with the more criminal-oriented classes. Do you go ahead and take the levels but either ignore the less lawful elements of those classes (or simply not invest in those skills)? Or do you buy skills that you need at a higher rate because you're not taking the other class?

The Kenzer Crew just designed a new class that has elements of an urban-style ranger in their new Kalamar Players Guide to the Sovereign Lands: the Watchman. It certainly has some really nifty elements for a d20 class that work well for lawmen (additional damage against criminals, the ability to use gather information to track), and has a high skill point ratio that makes it a good fit. Eberron Campaign Setting has the Master Inquisitive as a prestige class, which seems to come pretty naturally from a rogue or ranger background. Wizards of the Coast's Complete Warrior has the Justicar prestige class, which seems to come the most naturally from the fighter background. So I'm looking at those and trying to determine what elements they have that make for a good private investigator/constable/city watch sort of character. Then I'll have to see what kind of special abilities I can use from the Chronicles of Ramlar A/B system to make up a good city guard.

I imagine that part of this train of thought comes from having just finished the first of the Dresden Files, Storm Front, by Jim Butcher. The wizard-as-private-eye thing is great fantasy noir. It's right up there in my mind with other successful mixed-noir novels like Kiln People by David Brin. Excellent reading.

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In other news, Amazon has yet to make Into the Reach available. Also, you can only find it by typing in my name, or typing the title into Amazon's search box in quotes ("Into the Reach"). I am still working on this, but it's getting to the point where I'm tempted to recommend that people just buy it straight from the publisher's Web site. As soon as there's more news, I'll post it.

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Speaking of Into the Reach, I want to apologize to folks who watched the movie Hero before they read my novel. I just watched Hero for the first time this week, and toward the end, the subtitles are nearly an exact match for one of the things one of my characters says a couple of times. This completely spoiled a dramatic moment for my husband and me as we watched it, as I closed my eyes and shook my head, hoping that people wouldn't think I'd deliberately stolen from the movie.

So you heard it here first. I wrote all of Into the Reach and its sequel before watching the movie Hero. Any similarities are completely unintentional, although I thought the movie was quite good, and wouldn't mind being compared to it at all. I'm a sucker for wire-fu movies, particularly when they evoke wuxia literary tradition.

Currently Reading: Queen of the Amazons by Judith Tarr
Just finished: Sorcerers and Secretaries vol 1 (again), Once upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson (again), and Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Currently Replaying: Knights of the Old Republic II, because I'm hoping to use their mechanic for a play-by-e-mail with a good friend.