A surprise from AV Club -- scroll down to Jason Heller's picks.
Otherwise, things are quiet. End of the year is a good time to take quiet stock and watch tons of TV.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 08, 2008
Has it been this long?
In any case, here's an interesting feature on BN.com about New Weird, and The Alchemy of Stone is mentioned: look!
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Updates
This one is rather in depth discussion of The Secret History of Moscow. Thanks, Bill!
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Datlow, Link, and Grant is out. I received Honorable mentions for:
Torsion (Nemo)
Clockmaker's Daughter (Horrors Beyond 2)
Seas of the World (Sybil's Garage)
Zombie Lenin (Fantasy Anthology, reprinted in Fantasy Magazine)
From the front matter: "Ekaterina Sedia's short fiction has popped up in magazines such as Analog and Baen's Universe and she is, as well, the editor of several anthologies, including Paper Cities (Sense Five Press).
Her recommended second novel, The Secret History of Moscow (Prime) is set in a murky mythic Russian underworld (as opposed to the criminal underworld more familiar from pop culture) in which myths and legends are juxtaposed with hard-nosed denizens of modern-day Moscow."
So, awesome. I'm especially happy about Moscow rec.
My story, "A Short Encyclopedia of Lunar Seas", is now live at Endicot's Journal of Mythic Arts farewell issue, along with many other deserving folks. Genevieve's "The Red Shoes" is great, you all should read it. And then watch the ballet weird-ass movie by the same name. Go on, it's on Youtube. It will scar you.
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Datlow, Link, and Grant is out. I received Honorable mentions for:
Torsion (Nemo)
Clockmaker's Daughter (Horrors Beyond 2)
Seas of the World (Sybil's Garage)
Zombie Lenin (Fantasy Anthology, reprinted in Fantasy Magazine)
From the front matter: "Ekaterina Sedia's short fiction has popped up in magazines such as Analog and Baen's Universe and she is, as well, the editor of several anthologies, including Paper Cities (Sense Five Press).
Her recommended second novel, The Secret History of Moscow (Prime) is set in a murky mythic Russian underworld (as opposed to the criminal underworld more familiar from pop culture) in which myths and legends are juxtaposed with hard-nosed denizens of modern-day Moscow."
So, awesome. I'm especially happy about Moscow rec.
My story, "A Short Encyclopedia of Lunar Seas", is now live at Endicot's Journal of Mythic Arts farewell issue, along with many other deserving folks. Genevieve's "The Red Shoes" is great, you all should read it. And then watch the ballet weird-ass movie by the same name. Go on, it's on Youtube. It will scar you.
Monday, August 04, 2008
German Rights
The super-awesome agent Jennifer Jackson sold the German rights for The Secret History of Moscow to Klett-Cotta. Fun fact: Cotta was the original publisher of Goethe and Schiller, and has been operating since 1659. Yeah, I'm happy.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Updatery with BPAL
Shared Worlds experience was great -- there will be a more detailed report when I guest-blog for Ecstatic Days. For now, let me just say that I have two dragon pictures on my refrigerator, and Jeff VanderMeer is very fun to hang out with. Also, any town that has a sushi restaurant and a beer place with 50+ beers on tap is a pretty good town in my book.
In regards to the ongoing discussion of people being happy/unhappy with Prime, I think it would be helpful to see who had a POD book vs offset, as well as when those dealings had happened. Prime is my publisher and I have been quite happy with them -- I got a strong impression that Sean is working on getting to the next level, from mostly POD to offset books, distributed in bookstores and libraries, with advances and other things writers enjoy seeing. That of course does not negate the experiences of others, but I would be curious to see how the switch to bookstore distribution and offset printing affected writer happiness. Also, in my experience, Prime/Sean was very willing to negotiate with me regarding the contract -- there were several clauses I modified and they approved, including specifying a minimum print run and a time limit on some subsidiary rights.
I have a short story at Voyages Extraordinaires. It involves amber.
Finally, BPAL. As Amal correctly pointed out, I have not been reviewing recent scents, which is really an unforgivable lapse. So, without further ado:
Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream, Forum Only
( An irrelevant, disturbing, and surreal scent: red currant, green tea, red musk, Hawaiian ginger, benzoin, vanilla, coriander, squash blossom, and blueberry. )
This is a very fruity scent in the bottle. Red currant is not as prominent on me as I would normally expect; instead, green tea and musk take the front stage when wet and on the initial drydown. About after ten minutes, the drydown settles into a sweeter smell, with benzoin, coriander, and blueberry blending into something very sweet yet spicy. Then tea comes back, reinforced by ginger, and the last two stages never settle -- every time I smell it, there is a different note in the foreground. Very complex and interesting scent.
Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos (CXLII)
(Random scent, one of a kind)
In the bottle: tea! Not just any tea, but orange pekoe. Very tsrong, sharp, almost astringent. Wet: same, with addition of woods. On dry down, it goes through a very short (mercifully) stage where the astringency of the smell is very unpleasant, but then it settles into a very mellow and warm concoction of tea and ho wood (same wood as in Habu, for those keeping score). Orange pekoe mellows into something much lighter -- the final tea note is almost green. It is not the kind of smell that I would choose based on description, but it makes me shockingly happy and it works.
Mead Moon
(Golden mead, fermented with gruit, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger root, sweet-briar, rosemary, and lemon.)
Ah, perfect lazy scent. Mostly honey with some fine spiciness from clove and nutmeg. Sweet-briar is very prominent on drydown, and lemon thankfully never shows up. Just lovely.
L'Estate
(Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle.)
This is very different from what I expected -- lily is rather more noticeable in the beginning, and as a result the whole thing is a lot more floral than I expected. Thankfully, lily is one of the few florals I like, and amber and musk gave it added depth and sweetness. Soon after, the floral notes retreated, leaving mostly amber and vanilla -- it's such a perfect scent, so sweet and very deep. Sandalwood grounds the lot with just a hint of resinous spice. I will be wearing this a lot this summer. (Note: I did also get the bath oil and the room spray, and both are just as lovely.)
In regards to the ongoing discussion of people being happy/unhappy with Prime, I think it would be helpful to see who had a POD book vs offset, as well as when those dealings had happened. Prime is my publisher and I have been quite happy with them -- I got a strong impression that Sean is working on getting to the next level, from mostly POD to offset books, distributed in bookstores and libraries, with advances and other things writers enjoy seeing. That of course does not negate the experiences of others, but I would be curious to see how the switch to bookstore distribution and offset printing affected writer happiness. Also, in my experience, Prime/Sean was very willing to negotiate with me regarding the contract -- there were several clauses I modified and they approved, including specifying a minimum print run and a time limit on some subsidiary rights.
I have a short story at Voyages Extraordinaires. It involves amber.
Finally, BPAL. As Amal correctly pointed out, I have not been reviewing recent scents, which is really an unforgivable lapse. So, without further ado:
Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream, Forum Only
( An irrelevant, disturbing, and surreal scent: red currant, green tea, red musk, Hawaiian ginger, benzoin, vanilla, coriander, squash blossom, and blueberry. )
This is a very fruity scent in the bottle. Red currant is not as prominent on me as I would normally expect; instead, green tea and musk take the front stage when wet and on the initial drydown. About after ten minutes, the drydown settles into a sweeter smell, with benzoin, coriander, and blueberry blending into something very sweet yet spicy. Then tea comes back, reinforced by ginger, and the last two stages never settle -- every time I smell it, there is a different note in the foreground. Very complex and interesting scent.
Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos (CXLII)
(Random scent, one of a kind)
In the bottle: tea! Not just any tea, but orange pekoe. Very tsrong, sharp, almost astringent. Wet: same, with addition of woods. On dry down, it goes through a very short (mercifully) stage where the astringency of the smell is very unpleasant, but then it settles into a very mellow and warm concoction of tea and ho wood (same wood as in Habu, for those keeping score). Orange pekoe mellows into something much lighter -- the final tea note is almost green. It is not the kind of smell that I would choose based on description, but it makes me shockingly happy and it works.
Mead Moon
(Golden mead, fermented with gruit, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger root, sweet-briar, rosemary, and lemon.)
Ah, perfect lazy scent. Mostly honey with some fine spiciness from clove and nutmeg. Sweet-briar is very prominent on drydown, and lemon thankfully never shows up. Just lovely.
L'Estate
(Nepalese amber, vanilla infused amber, golden musk, sandalwood, golden lily, sunflower, and honey myrtle.)
This is very different from what I expected -- lily is rather more noticeable in the beginning, and as a result the whole thing is a lot more floral than I expected. Thankfully, lily is one of the few florals I like, and amber and musk gave it added depth and sweetness. Soon after, the floral notes retreated, leaving mostly amber and vanilla -- it's such a perfect scent, so sweet and very deep. Sandalwood grounds the lot with just a hint of resinous spice. I will be wearing this a lot this summer. (Note: I did also get the bath oil and the room spray, and both are just as lovely.)
Monday, July 14, 2008
You know how some of you were complaining that TPB of The Secret History of Moscow was too affordable? Fear no more! There will be a hardcover limited edition (750 copies) extra-fancy, numbered and signed; I am considering including a free rat with each copy.
Now, who will be releasing this expensive marvel? Find out soonish!
Also, fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com reviewed The Alchemy of Stone. I think he liked it.
Now, who will be releasing this expensive marvel? Find out soonish!
Also, fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com reviewed The Alchemy of Stone. I think he liked it.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
I am a meme
Clockwork Phoenix is out! Buy a copy, it's really good.
Also, I am a meme. No, really. It was all Matt Staggs' idea.
Also, I am a meme. No, really. It was all Matt Staggs' idea.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, May 09, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Appearances
1) To those who will be at Wiscon AND likes BPAL: to promote The Alchemy of Stone, I will be handing out imps from the Steamworks series. Yes, I have all 11. I'll even have a tester set in case you want to try several. I'll be mostly in the dealers' room at Prime table and the hotel bar. Find me!
2) I will be at KGB bar on May 21st, 7 pm. I'll be arriving earlier, so if you want to meet and hang out beforehand, drop me an e-mail.
2) I will be at KGB bar on May 21st, 7 pm. I'll be arriving earlier, so if you want to meet and hang out beforehand, drop me an e-mail.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Linkage
There is an interview with me about Paper Cities at SCI FI Wire
Then there is VanderMeer's feature on books and beer at Omnivoracious, which is a good thing too -- how would you know otherwise which beer to choose with your books?
Then there is VanderMeer's feature on books and beer at Omnivoracious, which is a good thing too -- how would you know otherwise which beer to choose with your books?
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Paper Cities
Today is the official release date of Paper Cities, an anthology I edited -- and it includes a bunch of wonderful and supertalented folks, like Forrest Aguirre, Barth Anderson, Steve Berman, Darin Bradley, Stephanie Campisi, Hal Duncan, Mike Jasper, Vylar Kaftan, Jay Lake, Paul Meloy, Richard Parks, Ben Peek, Cat Rambo, Jenn Reese, David Schwartz, Cat Sparks, Anna Tambour, Mark Teppo, Catherynne M. Valente, Greg van Eekhout, and Kaaron Warren.
So go snag a copy!
So go snag a copy!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
LA Times
Holy smokes! Look at this. Yes, I am chuffed.
Meanwhile, reading of occult books and researching Victorian railroads FTW! I doubt I would ever use most of this stuff, but it is very fun to read about. I think it was John Barth who compared research for books with a reverse iceberg -- 90% of what the writer knows about any given topic will end up in the book, with almost nothing hidden. If that is true, then I'm doing entirely too much research.
Meanwhile, reading of occult books and researching Victorian railroads FTW! I doubt I would ever use most of this stuff, but it is very fun to read about. I think it was John Barth who compared research for books with a reverse iceberg -- 90% of what the writer knows about any given topic will end up in the book, with almost nothing hidden. If that is true, then I'm doing entirely too much research.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
UK coverage
The Secret History of Moscow is mentioned here: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/02/new_womens_worlds_in_fantasy.html
Thursday, February 07, 2008
International
Just got a word from the very amazing Jennifer Jackson that Polish translation rights for The Secret History of Moscow sold to MAG JACEK RODEK. Yippee!!!
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Sundry Web Things
A fun (well, it was fun for us) conversation between the very fabulous Justine Larbalestier and my humble self, facilitated by Fantasy Magazine's own Tempest Bradford is posted here. We talk about being foreign people (and writers) in the US, and other exciting things.
A story of mine, "The Disemboweler", is now available at Lone Star Stories. Yet another descriptive story title.
Finally, The Secret History of Moscow made the Locus Recommended Reading List. Yay!
A story of mine, "The Disemboweler", is now available at Lone Star Stories. Yet another descriptive story title.
Finally, The Secret History of Moscow made the Locus Recommended Reading List. Yay!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Paper Cities rule!
Publishers Weekly posted a review of Paper Cities here (scroll all the way down). And it's a signature review, no less, by Jeff VanderMeer who says interesting things about the antho.
As an editor, I just want to say that I love all the stories in this book. Many thanks to all the contributors -- I think this book has much to offer, regardless of one's reading tastes.
As an editor, I just want to say that I love all the stories in this book. Many thanks to all the contributors -- I think this book has much to offer, regardless of one's reading tastes.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Agented!
You know why I love Internet? Because it allows me to appear dignified and composed, graceful even, when I'm really really not.
So: Jennifer Jackson of DMLA is now my agent. I am thrilled beyond words -- her track record is beyond impressive, she represents so many wonderful people, and she likes to cook as much as I do! Many thanks go to Jay Lake who introduced us at WFC, because he's just that cool and nice.
I go lie down now.
So: Jennifer Jackson of DMLA is now my agent. I am thrilled beyond words -- her track record is beyond impressive, she represents so many wonderful people, and she likes to cook as much as I do! Many thanks go to Jay Lake who introduced us at WFC, because he's just that cool and nice.
I go lie down now.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Zombie Lenin
Fantasy Magazine online just posted Zombie Lenin, a story I'm rather proud of. It was published in Prime's Fantasy Anthology, among a number of other wonderful tales. Hope you like it.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Amazon!
The Secret History doesn't seem to have any Amazon reviews. So, if you read the book, please consider posting your thoughts at Amazon. Thanks!
The latest Locus had not one but two very positive reviews of this book. I am very pleased.
The latest Locus had not one but two very positive reviews of this book. I am very pleased.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year
For a number of reasons, not the least of which are cultural, New Year is the most significant holiday for me, to be spent with one's family and tons of food. So I cooked lamb vindaloo and naan, and we drank sparkly wine and watched Twilight Zone marathon with cats in our laps and at our feet. Not so much for resolutions and year end's summaries though.
I hope that everyone greeted the New Year in the manner most agreeable to them, and wishing you all the best in 2008.
I hope that everyone greeted the New Year in the manner most agreeable to them, and wishing you all the best in 2008.
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