News from the Book World! And Don't Pirate books!

       Apparently writing a blog is not something you can easily fake. It requires, you know, actual writing. Planning and editing and all that stuff. So while I'm mired between family birthdays, random school holidays for my child, and the occasional spontaneous illness, I'm just going to pass along more exciting news from other authors in case you missed it.
       
       First up is a BIG announcement I'm REALLY excited about. The fantastic Seanan McGuire has a NEW book coming out in 2014. This is in addition to the Toby and the InCryptid books. Seanan writes awesome urban fantasy with strong female protagonists who are completely real and still utterly bad-ass. This new book she's announced follows that theme, and it's my absolute favorite: Sparrow Hill Road.
       I read the first 'version' of this novel when it was published online, Seanan says it's been edited and improved with new content and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. It's the story of a hitchhiking ghost who lures truckers to their death... At least, that's one story they tell about her. The real story of Rose Marshall is much more complex, and tragic than those poor truckers could imagine.
      It's a fantastic tale of the open highways and of the ghosts who ride the roads. It has a haunting feel of a classic fifties ghost story. Even as Rose travels the roads of the modern day, the strains of the jukebox and the smell of the malt shop seem to cling to her. It's ethereal and real all at the same time. I love it, and I cannot wait to buy my copy.
For more details get the facts straight from Seanan at her blog here. Rose Owls and Pumpkin Girls

      Keeping with the 'books coming sometime down the line' my buddy Chuck Wendig has announced that his previously indie-published (And Kick Starter-ed) books in the Atlanta Burns series, "Shotgun Gravy" and   "Bait Dog". I confess I've not (yet) read them, but I'm always excited to see good authors come to print. Atlanta Burns is a teenager, and these books are going into the Young Adult market, so if you've read Blackbirds and are expecting more of the same here... No, they aren't the same. Chuck's also been contracted to write a third Atlanta novel to add to the set, loosely titled 'Frack You', and I can't wait to see what he comes up with. More details are readily available on Chuck's blog, Terrible Minds.

   Now, February 6th, is the new Official "Don't Pirate My Book" day for authors.

    I periodically rant about the writing/publishing business. It's my dream to someday be shouting out "Hey! Buy MY book!" but it's a dream I approach realistically. I had my eyes opened some years ago to the not so glamorous truth about writing. Writing, even writing successfully, does not make you rich. Yes, there are always exceptions to this rule, but it's a fools errand to believe "I'm going to be the next JK Rowling!".
      No, you probably won't be. Not that you should give up on writing, because daddy always said you should go to business school and get a real job. It just means that realistically, especially in genre fiction, you are going to have to work much harder and longer to become lucrative.
     So don't look at writing as a 'gold mine', or an 'easy job'. Writing has a lot more in common with running your own business. You become your own boss, which can be great, but means you are personally liable for your success or failure. No one else will make you work. No one else can make you improve. If you don't work, and work hard, and work often, your writers cart will sit mired in the mud of obscurity and no one will notice you.
      Yes, I'm probably being very dour about the whole thing, and it may sound like I'm just trying to rain on your dreams. That's not it. I'm trying to dispel a myth. The myth that writers are worshiped as gods, gold flows from their fingers and once you get published all the money will rain down on you. No. Not happening.
     The reason I wish I could stand on my soapbox and shout this to the world, is because so few people grasp the reality of a writers living wage and a writers lifestyle, so they think it's fine to pirate ebooks. IF they even give a thought to the author it's along the lines of "they're so rich, who cares?" This lie makes starving writers cry.
    Now internet file-sharing, copyright infringement, DRM licensing  and the notion of copying and sharing all sorts of 'files' for free is a muddy water. I can understand the frustrations and desires that fuel piracy, really I CAN. I don't even have CABLE. Do you know how LONG it takes to see the next season in a current series on Netflix? But that's a different rant. Basically, I'm not going to wade in and make a bunch of dogmatic statements... I'll just link you to everyone ELSE's authors blog and let you read what THEY have to say on the matter.
     Suffice to say, my choice, for me, is ALWAYS acquiring books legally. I enter giveaways (and I've won a few), I go to the library, I wait until books are in paperback and then buy them, and I use coupons. But I always get them legally. For me, it's not about me getting something, it's about me funding the author. If I steal a book, it's like I'm stealing from a guy I admire. That's my logic. I wouldn't break into an authors house and copy a manuscript off his computer, likewise, I'm not going to copy someone's file of an e-book. They need the sales, the need the sales NUMBERS, and thwarting the tracking system of book sales with shady deals makes kittens sad.

That bizarre rant concluded, I now direct you to some of our friendly neighborhood authors (they might not be that friendly, in fact, some may bite.) and what THEY have to say about internet piracy.

Chuck Wendig kicked the movement off, so we'll start with his post here at Terrible Minds. http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/02/06/why-i-hope-you-dont-pirate-my-book/ 

Seanan Mcguire wrote her take, so we should go back to her Blog too. http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/493792.html

Dan O'Shea wrote a profanity flecked piece on his anti-piracy stance here. http://danielboshea.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/you-arent-a-pirate-youre-a-thief-asshole/

Those are the links I have now, I'll edit to add if I'm lucky to find more.

Finally, our moment of zen for the end of post. John Scalzi did something that I find in parts equally hilarious and inspiring, and if I had his means I'd totally do it too. In response to an internet troll using his name, he's now going to donate money, on behalf of the troll, to charities the homophobic, misogynistic, racist troll finds unappealing. Namely, Civil Rights, Gay Rights, and women's rights.
But don't take my word for it, read the whole awesome recap here at Scalzi's blog Whatever.
Tons of people offered to contribute as well, and it's now up to 60,000 dollars. Pretty cool right?

That's the news from my corner of the internet! Hope you enjoyed it.

Book Review! Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Cover by Joey Hi-Fi
Buy the Book!

There is no one out there like Miriam Black, and not just because she knows from the moment she shakes your hand exactly how you’re going to die. It has more to do with the fact that she’s an unbreakable survivor, a cynical, slightly twisted woman dredging her way through the roughest people to try and survive in a world where all she sees of people is their deaths.

Blackbirds is like the ‘Breaking Bad’ of literature, it’s gritty, intense, and in your face abrasive, but it draws you in with a weird seduction you just can’t ignore. Diving into the mind of Miriam Black is like jumping down the rabbit hole, but Alice cackles like a banshee and wields a knife. It’s the intensity of the book that grabs you, draws you in, and holds you down for every gut wrenching turn of the page.

This is not a story for people who want nice characters. This is not a story for people who despise vulgarity, or dislike profanity. It’s a violent, dirty, foulmouthed adventure.

Honestly, I was afraid I’d hate it, but there’s something inside Miriam, a real person hiding behind that waving middle finger. Someone who wants deeply to have a real connection to the world, but is endlessly battered by the stream of death visions she can’t escape.

Blackbirds is a story of a woman trying to survive her own curse, while at the same time desperate to find a way to beat it somehow. It’s hard to make friends when you already know, in intimate detail, how their last moments will feel. It’s even harder to gain a person’s trust when they don’t want to believe what you’ve seen.

Miriam’s been doing her best to keep people out of her heart and out of her life since death started to play its moving picture show inside her head. Unluckily for her, she knows something’s going to change when a stranger she meets dies saying her name.

All it takes is one vision and Miriam’s stuck on a path carved by fate, and no matter what direction she runs, and what sort of people she runs into, she can’t shake her feet from that road.

Ultimately, there is only one question Miriam wants to answer. Is there any way to cheat death? If Miriam isn’t careful, the death she’s getting closer to is her own. 

Blackbirds is a fantastic read. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read, and as I delved carefully into the first gritty chapter I felt, for a moment, afraid to go on. Like Alice, I glanced back before sliding down the rabbit hole, but once I got into the tale I was hooked. Miriam has a grit I can respect, she might flip you off, and curse you out fluently and vehemently, but once she finds that you don’t scare off that quickly, you just might see there’s more to her than even she wants to look closely at.

Beyond the heroine, Chuck Wendig weaves an intricate plot about the questions of death and destiny, choice and predetermination. Miriam’s no sweetheart, but the specter of Death that haunts her dreams is an even bigger dick. Even as Miriam fights to rip her feet from the trail laid out for her, Death walks beside her, appearing in visions and dreams, taunting her every choice.

The images in the writing are powerful, and some of the visuals linger long after. I have a very different perception of ravens now than I ever did before.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and more than just being deeply affected by this book, I have to praise the writing. The imagery and craft is phenomenal, especially for the first book in a set. Chuck Wendig has honed his skills and delivers Blackbirds in a way that is powerful, flawless, and damned impressive writing.

For this Blackbirds earns the coveted 10/10. A+ Rating.

There’s only one thing I can say to top that off. The second book, Mockingbird? It’s just as good.