Hello friends!
Once again, it’s been too long since I’ve done a proper update, and there is so much going on!
First of all, I will be attending Worldcon in Glasgow, where Worldbuilding for Masochists is up for another Hugo. (And if you’ve got the inclination to vote and haven’t yet, there’s still time! And if you are inclined to vote for Worldbuilding for Masochists for Best Fancast, we would greatly appreciate it!) If you are also at Glasgow, please say hello!
Also, I’ll be at ArmadilloCon in September. More on that as we get closer to it.
Now the big question is, what about writing? Well, I’ve got a little news on that front. For one, Worldbuidling for Masocists has put together an anthology with some brilliant authors set in the world of the magical gates that we have been building on air. Traveling Light: Tales of the Magical Gates comes out August 13th and you can pre-order it now!
The other side of the world could be just a step away…
Whether loved, despised, or just a fact of life, the Gates connect all parts of the globe to each other in an interwoven web linking disparate cultures and forming strange relationships. And whether you’re a seasoned Traveler or a neophyte, when you step through a Gate, you won’t be the same on the other side.
For one thing, you’ll be naked.
The Gates only admit living beings – but living beings always bring with them their knowledge, their faith, their languages, their skills, and their beliefs. Some nations embrace the Gates. Others fear them. For some nations, they are the beating hearts of trade, centers for the exchange of language and philosophy, hubs of adventure and discovery. For others, they are useless dead-ends, objects of terror, or outright threats.
In this anthology, twelve authors explore the adventures, intrigues, and discoveries, large and small, global and personal, that occur because of the interconnections of these incredible magical Gates.
I’ve got one story in there, plus there are stories from Marie Brennan, Mike Chen, J.C. Pillard, Victor Manibo, Kate Elliott, Rowenna Miller, Lindsey Carmichal, Natania Barron, Cass Morris, Valerie Valdes and Michael Underwood. I am reall proud of this anthology, and I encourage you to check it out!
ALSO, I have a new Maradaine novella coming in September, The Royal First Irregulars!
Lt. Fredelle Pence and the other women of the Royal First Irregulars are elite soldiers, skilled in their weapons of choice to the level of art. But the Royal First Irregulars aren’t treated like elite soldiers, but as a traveling sideshow. Sent on a “morale tour”, they’re ordered to travel from base to base across the kingdom, using their skills only in staged performance, usually only to jeers and catcalls.
Life on tour brings opportunity, as Fredelle and the other Irregulars learn of a band of marauders attacking a village. They defy orders and go after the raiders, to prove once and for all just what they are capable of. But proving that becomes more of a test then they ever suspected, and the cost to all of them will be higher than they bargained for.
But you are asking, rightfully, what about further Maradaine novels? A valid question. I’ve been working on An Unkindness of Uncircled Mages, but it’s been slower going than I would like. But it is still going! I hope to have news for you on that soon. Plus I am working on a new non-Maradaine project, which I don’t want to talk too much about, other than to say I am writing it with someone else (it’s my wife!), and it’s been an incredible process so far.
That’s all for now!