I’m posting on the Supernatural Underground today and my guest post is:

Heroines & Villainesses—Which Do We Prefer?

To find out and/or make your preference known, head on over to the Supernatural Underground and post a comment, here.

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And there’s a giveaway, with two books up for grabs:

• Feed by Mira Grant

• Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris. (And you can read my recent interview with Pip & Tee, here.)

To enter the draw you do have to post on the Supernatural Underground—but you can gain extra points by commenting here as well. 😉

The draw will be open for comments until 12 midnight, 2 October US Eastern Standard Time.

Besides, that is, grrgh-aarrghing over Earthquake Commission and related insurance claimery as per my Thursday post …

Well, firstly, I have just updated my website. No big new look or stunning new art, but just keeping all the news and events etc up to date. I know it’s important, but sometimes it is hard to keep up with, especially when I’m “on deadline.”

But now ’tis done—and one important piece of news (having fielded several recent queries via blog & webmail!) that you should find on the “Home”,  “Books”, “The Wall of Night Series”, and “News” pages is that there is now an official publication date for The Gathering of the Lost (The Wall of Series Book Two) in both  the USA and UK/AU/NZ. It’s 27 March in the US;  7 April for UK/AU/NZ.  So there you are, something specific/definite to look forward to! 😉

Although still early days, one of the things that I’ve been doing over the past week is providing feedback on, and input into, the cover for the UK mass market edition of Heir and the UK trade cover for The Gathering of the Lost. I “always” have feedback to give (both my agent and editors would be rolling their eyes about now if they were reading this 😉 ), but I have to say that overall I am very pleased with the cover concepts I’ve currently seen—and the last time I saw the mock-ups for the USA cover, that was looking absolutely fabulous as well.

Just as with the blue and red covers though, they’re very different in style so I’ll look forward to getting your feedback once they’re finalised. I’ll be very interested to hear what “speaks” to you as readers.

I indicated last week that I’d begun work on The Wall of Night Book Three—working title, Daughter of Blood. Although I had to press ‘pause’ to do the earthquake stuff I am now getting back to it and have set myself an ambitious writing schedule for the months to come. So we’ll see how that goes …

I also indicated last week that I hoped to be able to bring you an interview with Daniel Abraham, author of  the new epic Fantasy series, The Path of Dragons. That interview has now been confirmed so I hope to bring it to you either late next week or the following. I’m quite excited about it and hope that you will be, too, once you get to read it.

I’m also thinking about new things to post about on the blog, maybe even as regular features—but before I launch into anything, what do you (yes, you!) think? Is there anything you would like to hear more of? Or simply hear about full stop? (ie That I’m not posting about right now.)  I’d love to hear your ideas!

On 1 May of this year I talked about “comfort reading” on the Supernatural Underground.

In that post, I discussed the comfort read in terms of ” … books that are like old friends. I can just pick them up, put my feet up and enjoy. I know I am going to be entertained—I have, after all, known and loved these particular friends for many years—and there is something deeply relaxing about spending quality time in company with a story like that. Sure, a new release or new-to-me book may be just as good. But then again, it may not. And when the going gets tough, I like to know I’m turning to friends I can rely on.”

But sometimes the comfort read category broadens out from particular books that you know and love, to authors themselves. These are the writers where you know, whenever you pick out one of their titles, that you are going to enjoy the ride. This particular book may not be your top read ever, or even the best story you’ve read by that particular author,  but you still know that whatever happens it won’t be bad, and far more likely you’re in for a good time.

In between the “grrgh-aarghing” of EQC forms and insurance claims (discussed yesterday) I have been sneaking in a read by one such author—Tamora Pierce.

Well, to be honest, several reads, because I was lucky enough to acquire the first three books in her “Protector of the Small” series recently: First Test, Page, and Squire.

I have been really enjoying them, for a number of reasons. First there’s a pleasant sense of homecoming, because the very first Tamora Pierce book I read was Alanna: the First Adventure, all about a girl, Alanna, who disguises herself as a boy in order to become a knight in the Fantasy kingdom of Tortall. The “Protector” series is also about a girl—Keladry—who wants to become a knight of Tortall—but Tamora Pierce is much too good a writer to just retell the same story over again. The Protector series is very much its own story and there is no sense in which Keladry is just Alanna with a change of name. For a start, Keladry is not disguised as a boy, but flying under her true colours as a girl trying to make it in a man’s world.

The rest of the story you will have to find out for yourself by reading the books, if you have not done so already. But one thing I have really appreciated in making my way through the three books, is just what very good stories they are. As the reader, I can just sit back, relax, and enjoy …

So what makes them such good stories—after all, the basic premise is ‘just-another-coming-of-age-tale’, right? Well, not quite … While to an extent the premise holds true, i.e. the “Protector” series is a coming-of-age tale, it also has the following Tamora Pierce hallmarks:

• an engaging plot;
• likeable interesting characters who “live and breathe” on the page;
• good pace, structure and continuity (so you’re never saying—“now, hold on a minute …”);
• although these are Junior/YA fiction, Ms Pierce never talks down to her readers, so her books are still enjoyable for an adult reader (I suspect this may make them more enjoyable for junior/YA readers as well);
• the books always appeal to me, because however adventurous—and I do love adventurous stories—there are always more serious issues to be traversed, which give the stories depth.

The simple truth, I believe, is that Tamora Pierce is a master storyteller, so that’s why, if I’m looking for the comfort of an assured good read, I never have any problem in picking up one of her titles. Even if I haven’t read it before, I know I’m in safe hands.

Yesterday I posted an earthquake report on the general situation in Christchurch one year on from the first major earthquake (7.1) on September 4, seven months from the devastating 6.3 on 22 February, and three months from the ‘deja vu’ 6.3 shock of June 13—assuming, for this purpose, my guise of your “’embedded’ reporter from the suburban rear lines.” 😉

But as one friend emailed me “off air” to say: “you didn’t mention anything about your personal situation.”

“Oh, that!” I replied.

“Yes,” she said. “That. Exactly.”

So, here goes with exactly that …

Overall, what I’d say is “we’re ok.” Our property has been zoned what’s called “green,” meaning that I’m not in an area that’s being “written off.” The house has taken a fair bit of damage, mostly in the area of the foundations, but is still perfectly livable—so when I talk about those twisted and broken houses that I see on my walks about the city, well I definitely count my blessings, then.

A lot of other things need fixing, too, like the sewer line, which now features an interesting crackle glaze effect courtesy of June 13—and this, like the house foundations, makes it likely that large parts of my garden, which I love, will have to be torn out to accommodate the repairs. Needless to say, even though I know that gardens can be replanted, that still hurts quite a bit.

And yes, half our life is still currently stored in boxes, and there’s likely to be a fair amount of stress and turmoil in future when the repairs eventually happen, particularly given that doing the foundations means that the house will have to be completely repainted and decorated afterward—yes, inside and out—as well as  the garden being re-planted, which will require moving out for a period. And right now I’m wrasslin’ with Earthquake Commission froms, and insurance forms—all the while emulating the “grrrgh-aarrgh” from the end of Buffy shows on a regular basis!—and cataloguing broken stuff (yes, you have to keep  all the debris until your contents claim is settled) and getting quotes, and it is stressful, but …

But, here’s the important thing, overall I have a place to live that’s weathertight and livable enough, and slowly, the threads of everyday life are starting to re-knit together—mainly in small ways, touching base with people I haven’t seen since before February 22nd, making plans for book-related activities again, seeing old businesses re-open and new ones tentatively hang out their shingle. I guess in that sense, spring really is on the move everywhere …

So although I know that saying, “Oh, I know there’s an awful ot of people who are worse off than me” can be hackneyed, I also feel that in this case, there really are—many, many more. And Pollyanna-ish though it may be—and despite not infrequent moments of grrrgh-aarrgh—I really do try and stay focused on that glass half full.

On Friday I said that: “I know I “should” do another Earthquake Report update—but quite honestly, mostly I’d rather not even talk about it. Just getting through it day-to-day can be tough enough.”

But when I looked back through the Earthquake Reports folder (under Categories in the far right hand sidebar), I realised that it really had been quite a while since I had given you all a proper update. And although the focus of the world has moved on—and quite rightly, because otherwise we would all be living in a state of vicarious trauma and nothing would ever get done—here the year of earthquakes is still very much the dominant shaper of Christchurch life.

Firstly, although the 5 distinct earthquake events were September 4, January 26, February 22, April 16 and June 13, there have now been over 8500 recorded quakes since September 4 2010—and yes, they are still going on, with earthquakes most days and the most recent “swarm” of activity occurring last Saturday 24. So we’re still being kept on our toes—and stastically, there could still be another big one. (May I say how much I hope that there isn’t?!)

As I indicated on September 14—with the photos that accompanied the “peek inside” Neil Gaiman’s Inventing Aladdin, from the Tales for Canterbury anthology—the ongoing demolition of buildings continues, so that a zigzag through the central city—significant parts of which are still cordoned off—shows large areas of cleared ground where there used to be a thriving central area. Sadder still are those buildings yet to come down, like several hotels in the central area where you can see expanses of broken windows with torn curtains flapping through them. Mournful stuff, as are the slumped and twisted homes in areas around the river, with the banks on each side either twisted up or completely collapsed into what was once the bed of the waterway.

So much completely gone: homes, businesses, churches, halls, sports centres, and of course people—with whole neighbourhoods largely abandoned in places, most obvious at night when you can drive through streets of dark, empty houses. A great many people have already left, both for other parts of New Zealand and Australia; every day you hear of others still weighing up their options.

Significant areas of the city have also now been zoned “red,” meaning that the land condition is considered incapable of remediation and so both homes and lands are being “written off,” placing large numbers of residents in the situation of having to find other places to live. (There are complications around fair recompense for the written off properties, too, of course, plus market values shooting up in the areas that have survived the earthquakes better.)

On a more positive note, as well as demolition, everywhere you look there’s also repair and rebuilding, chiefly of roads, sewer and stormwater, and other vital public infrastructure. Buildings will generally be slower to come back: many owners are still waiting on insurance money and private investors will likely be wary until there is more surety that the earthquake activity has really died down. And not surprisingly, it’s incredibly difficult to get new insurance right now!

What else is positive? Well, it’s spring: everywhere you look, amidst and around the ruin, there is blossom, bulbs flowering, and a sense of life springing up again—of continuance. It reminds me, in an indirect way, of the rooster in JRR Tolkien’s The Return of the King, at the end of the seige of Minas Tirith—how the bird senses the dawn coming above the darkness of sorcery and prolonged battle, and crows, “wreaking nothing of wizardry and war.” So, too, with the spring here—it wreaks nothing of earthquakes and destruction of the built environment, but pushes up again, and on, regardless.

I think we will do the same—are already starting to, if not quite with the same verve and elan as spring! The world will right itself, but in the meantime there is still loss—a great deal of it for some people—and a long way to go, the work of years not months and one that will also be influenced by outside forces, such as what is happening in the world economy right now. Serious thoughts indeed, but not without that touch of brightness: the clump of daffodils by the roadside; the arch of blossom across a pale spring sky.

The Begonias

Mal pushes
each seedling down,
grime lining
the cracks in her hands,
eyes narrowed
against the sun’s
low angle.  Usually
she crams her hair up
beneath an old hat—the floppy kind
that cricketers wear—
but today the hat is perched
amongst magnolia stellata
and Mal’s hair
is a fraying rope
that follows the curve
of her spine, swinging
to every movement
of bend forward, sit back,
as she pauses, wiping
dirt across her face.  “I thought
you didn’t like begonias,”
I say.  Mal shrugs.
“Mum always planted them here.
I thought I might as well …”
She seizes the hat,
pulls it low
across her eyes.

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(c) Helen Lowe

Published in moments in the whirlwind, Ed. Barbara Strang, NZ Poetry Society, 2009

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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.

On Thursday, as part of NZ Speculative Fiction Blogging Week I featured an interview with (New Zealander) Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, co-authors of Phoenix Rising, the first novel in their “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences” steampunk series.

Pip and Tee very kindly offered a signed copy of Phoenix Rising for giveaway as part of the interview, the recipient to be drawn from amongst those who commented on the interview before the close of NZ SpecFic Blogging Week on Sunday 25 September.

As indicated on Thursday, the winning name was to be drawn by Random Number Generator. This has now duly happened and the successful commenter is:

Liam

Congratulations, Liam!

And thank you to everyone who commented—I am very glad that you enjoyed the interview.

On Thursday, I featured an interview with Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, co-authors of the steampunk novel, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel.

(And by the way, the giveaway for that interview will run until midnight today, NZ time—just post a comment on the interview, here, to be in the draw.)

In the interview, I described the steampunk subgenre of SFF as “… speculative fiction … that draws on an alternate 19th century milieu, effectively imagining continuation of the mechanical age.”

Pip Ballantine, like Phoenix Rising heroine Eliza D Braun, is a New Zealander—so it may come as no surprise to learn that New Zealand has its very 19th century milieu where speculative continuation of the mechanical age is celebrated. Yes, I am talking about “steampunk Oamaru” aka “Whitestone Oamaru.”

You can find out more about Steampunk Oamaru at Steampunk HQ here and check out The League of Victorian Imagineers (don’t you just love that name?), here, including the forthcoming 2011 Tomorrow As It Used To Be exhibition, here,  and the Steampunk Short Film Festival.

And there was a steampunk Fashion Show & Gala Ball earlier in the year (and again next year, I’m sure!)

Just for a bit of background—why did I say “aka Whitestone Oamaru?” Although in fact, I could equally well have said: Victorian Oamaru, or Historic Oamaru because the small seaside city of Oamaru contains New Zealand’s most intact Victorian precinct, characterised not just by individual buildings, but a small area of intact streetscapes. And the “whitestone?” That’s because from highly decorated Victorian bank facades, through pubs, to wool and grain stores, these buildings are all constructed from the local “whitestone”—limestone that is quarried from near the town.

Over the past 25 years, The Whitestone Civic Trust, together with the Waitaki District Council,  has done tremendous work, not just to preserve the precinct but also to create a thriving Victorian “town at work” within it, a wonderful Heritage Week celebration—check out the Penny Farthing races here—and now the spinoff celebration of steampunk. What’s there to say, except that it’s all good!

Oamaru’s not just about heritage though—there’s little blue penguins to be seen in the evenings, nearby Moeraki with its famous boulders— and also Fleur’s Place for great food ambience—and the Forrester Art Gallery which always has some very good exhibitions to see.

In fact, Historic Oamaru is an all round good place to visit—even without the steampunk. I love it, but I have to admit that the steampunk adds just that extra touch of fun!

Avast thar me ‘earties—I can’t believe I’ve missed International Talk Like A Pirate Day! September 19 was “the day” and of course that was when I was reflecting on the joys of spring equinox and looking ahead—and so completely missed this Very Important Annual Event.

So I’ve decided to celebrate it to today, anyway! 😉

Last year I celebrated by listing some favourite pirate reads, including Margaret Mahy’s The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate,  Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island, and Rafael Sabatini’s Captain Blood.

Today—and in the spirit of NZ Speculative Fiction Blogging Week—I thought I’d talk specifically about pirate tales in the SFF genre.

First off the blocks is easy-peasy: it has to be William Goldman’s The Princess Bride!

And then there’s Tom Powers’ On Stranger Tides, which is being used as the basis for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie. (More Captain Jack Sparrow—not to be confused with the Captain Jack Harkness of Torchwood fame—yes, please! Actually, that would be “yes, please” to both!)

And the classic kids’ story, JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. And more recently, Kage Baker’s The Hotel Under the Sand. (Both of which I mentioned last year—how not?)

But you know, after that I kind of got to scratching my head, trying to think of SFF books that were specifically about pirates, or featured a main pirate character—not just with a background mention of pirates, as with the Blackbeard incident in Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver, but actually, specifically, about pirates.

I did think about CJ Cherryh’s Rimrunners, where former space marine Bet Yeager falls in with a “spook” ship, but that is not quite the same thing as pirates—and although the Earth fleet in Cherryh’s “Downbelow” ‘verse has effectively taken to behaving like pirates, they don’t see themselves as such …

So you might have to help me out here—what are some other great SFF novels either based specifically around pirates, or featuring a pirate as a major character?

On Monday, I was getting into the spirit of spring equinox and looking ahead to what was coming up in the next 6 months—still not fully taking in that daylight saving starts this weekend! And today I got an email asking me to confirm potential dates for a Christmas party—I mean, seriously, a Christmas party … How can it possibly be almost Christmas again, already?!

So as I hadn’t got much past October 18 with my looking ahead, I thought I had better extend myself! So here goes …

Well, in 6 months time, The Gathering of the Lost, the second novel in The Wall of Night series, is going to be published in both the USA and UK/AU/NZ. At the moment, the information I have suggests the last week in March for the US and first week in April for the UK/AU/NZ. It doesn’t feel quite real at the moment (after all, it’s a whole ‘nuther equinox away 😉 ) but I am sure it will as I get closer. I’m also sure I will have some covers to show you some time before then—and there is something about having a cover officially “out there” that makes everything seem that little bit more real.

A whole lot closer in time, in the next month or so I should be doing a couple of guest blog spots on SF Signal-–most likely around epic Fantasy, since that’s kinda my thing, but there’s a few other ideas floating around out there, too … Anyway, watch this space, because I’ll definitely let you know when they’re up and running.

In the meantime, I’ll still be doing my regular first-of-the-month post on the Supernatural Underground—and speaking of which, right now Aussie author Nicole Murphy has an interesting post running there, weighing up the pros and cons, with urban fantasy, as to whether mainstream human society “should” know about the alternate / paranormal beings existing in parallel with them—or not. Click here if you want to weigh in with your own thoughts.

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I also hope to be doing more interviews with other writers, similar to the interview with Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris that I posted yesterday, here. Authors I hope to catch up with include Mary Victoria, whose third and final novel in the Chronicles of the Tree series, Oracle’s Fire, will be out next month—and possibly Daniel Abraham, to talk about the first in his new epic Fantasy series, The Path of Dragons.

So as I always say, ‘watch this space’ … But as you can see, there’s plenty for me to keep busy with, quite aside from Christmas coming up (like a rocket!) and the ongoing post-earthquake situation here, which is pretty much ubiquitous at present. (And yes, I know, I “should” do another Earthquake Report update—but quite honestly, mostly I’d rather not even talk about it. Just getting through it day-to-day can be tough enough.)

And don’t forget—the Phoenix Rising giveaway as part of the Pip Ballantine/Tee Morris interview will run through until midnight, Sunday 25 (the official end of NZ Speculative Fiction Blogging week.) All you have to do is comment on the interview, here, to go in the draw.