Archive for December, 2009

Jane Yellowrock-Joanne Walker Crossover Fanfic

Faith Hunter has given me permission to go ahead and post the story snippet I wrote up a couple days ago. She and I are now discussing the possibility of sometime in 2010 actually collaborating on a novella which would be set outside both characters’ timelines/real worlds–in other words, pure fanfic, except written by the authors themselves–to put up either as a commission like I did with “Hot Time”, or simply sell as a direct market piece. People should respond to this post and let us know if you’d be interested in buying a crossover story.

In the meantime, a teaser:

There was something weird about crossing the city lines into New Orleans. Not just that the Big Easy was by anybody’s standards–in fiction, anyway–the center of all things supernatural in the States. It was bigger than that, a nasty jolt that wrenched everything a couple steps to the left. Even the city’s aura looked different from inside than it had from a few miles out, and I had absolutely no clue why.

The exciting thing about my life was that I’d probably find out.

For all my traveling around as a kid, I’d never gone through New Orleans. N’awlins, the way the natives said it. I loved that sound, like it was a word to be rolled around in and licked off the skin. So I did what any tourist would do upon arriving in the heartland of American Weird.

I hit the French Quarter.

Read the rest of this entry »

Faith Hunter: the Jane Yellowrock books

I have, over the past couple days, read Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock books, SKINWALKER and BLOOD CROSS.

They’re the most enjoyable urban fantasy I’ve read since I started writing it myself, so basically they’re the best urban fantasy I’ve read in ten years. This is not *only* because Joanne Walker and Jane Yellowrock would get on like a house on fire, although that doesn’t hurt. It’s not just that they’re wonderfully well-researched–which, given that Jane is a skinwalker (ie, shapeshifter) of Cherokee descent, was exceedingly likely to run up against my own research and my own ideas on how I’d do things and clash, but didn’t. It’s not only that the world is well-developed with hints of interesting things around the corners. It’s not just that the writing style, which is invariably one of my problems with urban fantasy, didn’t once catch me out. It’s not just that Hunter’s knack for description makes me want to weep in despair. It’s all of those things put together to make a couple of really great stories, and this is how much I liked them:

They made me want to write Joanne Walker-Jane Yellowrock crossover fan fiction.

In fact, I may have even started a lil’ story that I sent to Faith, which I will perhaps post if she says it’s okay. :)

Anyway, the point really is that if you like the Walker Papers at all, I cannot imagine that you would not thoroughly enjoy the Jane Yellowrock books. SKINWALKER is out, and BLOOD CROSS is out on January 5th (which surprised me, I had no idea I’d gotten an early copy!), so basically you have exactly enough time to dash out, buy SKINWALKER, read it, and make sure your local bookstore will be ordering BLOOD CROSS for release day when you can buy it and make Faith’s numbers look good so there will be more Jane Yellowrock books. :)

A Christmas Contest!

Over on Magical Words, the group writing blog I’m a part of, we’re running a book give-away contest this week. Head on over to participate in my contest–for which the prize is a signed copy of one of my books, or a copy of “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”, the Old Races novella I wrote this summer which has only been available to subscribers. While the novella will be available again to buy in February, this is your one and only chance to possibly win it for free. (And I’ll also send the winner one of the Ireland 2010 calendars that I did, if you take the “Hot Time” option.)

The contest ends Wednesday, December 30th, and the winner will be announced New Year’s Eve.

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody!

Writing How-To: Revisions

A reader emailed me a writing question a few days ago, and gave me the all-clear to use its answer as a blog post, so I’m going to give it a shot. The question (and its surrounding commentary, which I thought was relevant) follows:

I know that some authors find rewriting easier (in some ways) than the initial creative process. Me, I can whip something out of nothing without breaking a sweat. But whenever I try to approach the highly necessary rewrite of my recent novella, I get almost immediately overwhelmed by the minutiae of things that need tending to. I am pulled this way and that, trying to keep track of the myriad of details that need to hover simultaneously in my forebrain–and I end up just fiddling with the niggling little grammar nits, polishing word choice, questioning whether that adverb is really necessary, and reassuring myself that all the independent clauses are safely sequestered within their parenthetical commas.

Consequently, the real work–that is, deleting scenes and rewriting the whole cloth of large sections–goes undone because of these distractions of questionable value. Sometimes, I think I might be better off deleting the damned thing and starting over from scratch.

So, my question: In your subsequent drafts, how do you keep the story from getting in the way of your rewriting?

Answer behind the cut.

Read the rest of this entry »

DEMON HUNTS cover preview!

My email box this morning contained two things: a notification from Romance Junkies that THE QUEEN’S BASTARD had received their blue ribbon award for one of the best books reviewers had read recently (the review, which is very nice, is here), and a positively glowing fanmail from someone who picked up WINTER MOON and had enjoyed “Banshee Cries” enormously.

That’s certainly a nice way to start the day. :) In celebration, I shall give you a sneak peak at the cover for DEMON HUNTS, book five of the Walker Papers, coming in June 2010, and currently my Favorite Cover EVAR. :)

Read the rest of this entry »