State of the Schafer, Vol 6

Yikes, what a week. My son came down with the flu and was absolutely miserable for five very long days. (And nights. The high fever gave him screaming nightmares. Good times for all.) His head and eyes hurt so much he couldn't read or even watch TV for very long, which left me as his main source of distraction from pain and fever. It's always heartbreaking as a parent to see your child in pain yet be helpless to make that pain vanish; I'm just glad my son is still young enough to find some comfort in my presence. But needless to say, I did not get much writing or anything else done. I have never been so glad that I'm not facing any deadlines.

Happily, the kiddo has at last recovered, and my own immune system seems to have held out against the virus, with the help of lots of hastily snarfed vitamin C. I was terrified I'd get sick and have to cancel my planned trip to GeyserCon. But hooray, I am healthy and typing this in Auckland airport while waiting for my puddlejumper flight to Rotorua.

Writing progress:

I've only managed about 2K more words on The White Serpent since my last update, but I'm hoping to carve out a decent chunk of writing time each day in Rotorua. I always need a little down time anyway at cons, especially when it's my first time at the con and I don't know many people. I love meeting and making new friends, but the extra social effort required is always a bit of a challenge for an introvert like me, so it's nice to schedule myself some quiet time each day when I can write and recharge.

Skating update:

I did manage to squeeze in a skating session before flying out of Queenstown, which was a huge mood lifter after a very long time stuck inside the house with my sick kiddo. I was so delighted to be on the ice again that I even summoned the guts to try my axel.

The forward "leap of faith" take-off for the axel makes it the most intimidating of all the skating jumps. If you don't fully commit to the jump, it's likely to end badly. (How badly? There's a reason for the old stress fractures lurking in my lumbar spine.) You need to kick your free leg through and then instantly shift your weight from take-off to landing side, while simultaneously yanking arms and legs in to generate the required rotation.

All that can go wrong in a whole lot of ways. The axel is the only jump I've ever learned where sometimes, long after you think you finally have it down, you jump and your body suddenly says, "NOT TODAY, SATAN!" and bails mid-air. (This is so common a failure it's got a name: the "waxel", seen on occasion even in Olympic programs.)

So, yeah. Trying the axel again for the first time after 4 years off the ice was a nerve-wracking experience. I kept worrying that my body had completely forgotten how to do the jump and disaster would result. (I do wear gel pads over tailbone, hips, and knees when practicing, but still. No such thing as gel pads that can protect the spine.)

I comforted myself that I'd taken at least one hard fall already on footwork the other week, and my back survived. After some deep breaths, I went out for some axel attempts...and LANDED THEM, HALLELUJAH! Or rather, landed most of them. But even on the axels I didn't cleanly land, I didn't fall. And those I did land nice and solid on one foot...the elation was immense. I still grin wide just thinking about it. Even my coach was delighted, doubtless thinking of how much time it'll save if she doesn't have to re-teach me the jump.

It's only a single axel, sure, not a double or anything really impressive, but still. I came off the ice feeling like a superhero. That seems weirdly appropriate as the start to a science fiction/fantasy convention weekend.

Reading Corner:

I finished Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire, which was just as good as everyone said. The story reminded me of C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner, with an ambassador struggling to navigate complex and deadly politics in a culture they can never understand as a native does. I liked Martine's protagonist Mahit more than Cherryh's Bren, which helped make the reading experience much more engaging. If you're looking for science fiction with a lot to say about issues of culture and colonization, or if you just enjoy SF with interesting worldbuilding and character interaction, this one's for you. I'm eagerly looking forward to the sequel.

I then devoured Rachel Neumeier's Door Into Light, the long-awaited (at least by me!) sequel to her 2012 novel House of Shadows. I adored House of Shadows for its lyrical, atmospheric prose, mythic magic, and interesting characters, particularly the bardic sorceror Taudde, who struggles to navigate questions of morality and honor while living in an enemy country. The story in House of Shadows stands well alone, but leaves plenty of room for futher intriguing developments--and ever since reading the opening snippet of the sequel on Neumeier's blog, I have been absolutely panting for more. I'm happy to say Door Into Light did not disappoint me. I thoroughly enjoyed being back with Taudde and Leilis and all the other characters. I think I'll be re-reading both books again soon, just to savor the experience once more. I particularly recommend the duology to anyone who loves Patricia McKillip; it reminds me of her work in all the best ways.

Right now I'm partway through Sangu Mandanna's A Spark of White Fire, which is YA space opera inspired by Indian mythology, with meddling gods and magic and sentient spaceships. I'm really liking it so far. Hooray for great reading streaks!

Pic of the Week:

Sunrise on the way to GeyserCon

March 2016 Reading Roundup

Yes, I know it is mid-April and yet here I am posting about March, but hey. Better late than never, right? After experimenting for a while with posting monthly reading round-ups over on my tumblr, I decided to start posting them directly here instead. I hate tumblr's search function and I want to be able to look back more easily at what I've read. 

Anyway! I read a bunch of good books last month:

The Second Death (Teresa Frohock)--dark fantasy

This third and final installment of the Los Nefilim novellas provides an excellent climax and satisfying conclusion to the story arc, but oh goodness, I hate to say farewell to Frohock’s world of angels and daimons locked in complex intrigues!  Not only is the setting rich with possibility, but I adore her characters. Half-angel, half-daimon Diago, struggling to overcome a painful past and accept friendship and trust; his lover Miquel, gentle yet fiercely competent; Rafael, the young son Diago wants so desperately to protect…Frohock does such a wonderful job portraying their deepening bonds, and each character’s individual growth and change as they face new threats and agonizingly difficult decisions, that I could happily read many more novellas (or novels!) following their story. Also, for those wanting to read more stories featuring positive portrayals of LGBT relationships that do not end in tragedy or death, take note: this series is for you! Los Nefilim may be dark fantasy, but that darkness is complemented by a glorious blaze of tenderness and hope.  Honestly, I cannot recommend these novellas highly enough. Tightly plotted, beautifully crafted, deeply affecting—this is fantasy at its best.

Fugitive Prince (Janny Wurts)--Epic fantasy with a capital E

Fourth book in Wurts's epic Wars of Light and Shadow, and the start of a new story arc. One of my favorite things about this series continues to be the incremental, accumulating reveals of the world’s backstory and the motives of the various magical players. The character work in Fugitive Prince is excellent just as in previous books; I was particularly impressed by Jieret and Mearn, who are my new favorite characters. (Oh, how I am praying that neither of them die horribly. The series isn't grimdark, but Wurts also does not pull her punches. I've already mourned a few characters I really liked.) The machinations of the Koriathain Order and the Fellowship Sorcerers are getting quite interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing where all the plotlines set up so carefully in this book will lead in future installments. Anyway, an excellent if dense and challenging read. (These aren't the sorts of books that are good to relax with when you’re braindead after a long day at work. Wurts requires a reader’s full attention.) Onward to Grand Conspiracy (#5) I go.

The Keeper of the Mist (Rachel Neumeier)--YA fantasy

Ever since I read and loved House of Shadows, Rachel Neumeier has been on my “insta-buy” list. I snapped this up the moment it released, and devoured it nearly as quickly! Neumeier writes both adult and YA novels; this is one of her YA offerings, a standalone. (Or at least, it can be read as one; I don’t know if Neumeier intends any sequels). Keri, the illegitimate daughter of the Lord of Nimmira, is shocked when the country’s ancient magic decrees that she will take his place as the protector/ruler of the country, instead of his three legitimate sons. Keri, a baker, has no training or knowledge of how to run a country—her predicament reminds me of Maia’s in Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, and anyone who loved that book should definitely try this one. Like Maia, Keri remains resolutely goodhearted in the face of treachery and political maneuvering, and it’s her practicality and her ability to see the best in people that are her greatest assets. As always with Neumeier’s novels, I loved the magic, which is wonderfully unique and lyrically described, particularly in some of the climactic scenes. While I don’t think this one has beaten out my favorites of Neumeier’s work, I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy full of hope and likable characters.

Demon Drums (Carol Severance)--sword and sorcery

It always makes me a little sad when I think about how many talented fantasy authors (especially female authors) from past decades have vanished off the radar, their works seemingly forgotten by all but a few. I had thought I was fairly well-read in 90s fantasy, but somehow I never heard of Carol Severance, who won a Compton Crook Award for her first SFF novel Reefsong (1991), and followed that up with her Island Warrior series, of which Demon Drums is the first installment. It was only when I did a search on fantasy novels with Pacific Islander/Polynesian settings that her name came up. Severance drew on her experiences living in Micronesia and Hawaii to inform the environments and cultures of her novels—a nice change from the more common pseudo-European settings common to so many fantasies. Not only does Demon Drums feature coral atolls and island jungles instead of forests and castles, it has a not-so-usual protagonist: a middle-aged, jaded female warrior suffering from a type of PTSD after she abandons fighting in a neverending war. The portrayal of Iuti’s reluctance to make connnections is skillfully handled, as is her slow-developing bond with a young woman she’s trying to protect. The main plot, a struggle against an evil sorceress, is solidly written as well, and the magic both interesting and entertaining. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and I hope more people discover it.

Spirit Caller (Krista D. Ball)--rural contemporary fantasy

Short, sweet contemporary fantasy set in Newfoundland. This edition is a compilation of the first three novellas in the series. I’m glad I read it as a compilation, because otherwise I think the individual entries would have felt too slight and the endings too abrupt. (But perhaps that is my bias showing as a lover of epic fantasy, which is usually anything but short!) Reading all three novellas together provides a decent arc of plot and characters.  My favorite part was protagonist Rachel’s neighbor, the smart-mouthed, elderly Ms. Saunders—every time she was on the page and part of the action, I was smiling wide. I also enjoyed the various supernatural shenanigans, which start off relatively tame but soon get more threatening. I wasn’t quite as fond of the romantic arc—Rachel is in love with her best friend, Jeremy, whom she believes doesn’t love her back, and she spends a LOT of page time agonizing (and crying) over this.  Just not my particular cup of tea, even if it's realistic. (Dithering drives me crazy, both in books and real life.) But the rest of it was a fun read—if you enjoy lighthearted rural fantasy, I’d recommend giving it a try.

The Chomolungma Diaries (Mark Horrell)--mountaineering

Interesting account of a successful guided Everest expedition from the point of view of a client. It’s fashionable among the climbing community to sneer at the “yak routes” on Everest and bemoan the commercialization of the peak, especially after Krakauer’s Into Thin Air provided such a harsh critique of the inexperience of some clients on guided trips. “If you haven’t the skill to climb the mountain on your own, you shouldn’t be there,” is a sentiment I’ve heard many times at a crag. Talk got even more heated after the 2014 avalanche in the icefall that killed so many Sherpas. I read many a rant about uncaring westerners exploiting and endangering their hired Sherpas, all so a bunch of rich wanna-bes can brag about ticking off an item on their bucket list. 

Horrell provides a view from the other side. He’s not some rich surgeon or CEO, he’s just a regular guy who started off trekking and hiking and grew to love climbing big mountains. He’s oriented his life around going on expeditions; working to save up money (not too hard with good computer skills and no family to care for), then heading out on his next trip. He didn’t just leap onto Everest, he climbed a bunch of lesser peaks first (all on guided expeditions), gaining skill and confidence until he felt ready to tackle Everest. The Chomolungma Diaries is his account of his climb from the north (Tibetan) side of the peak. It’s a good read; Horrell has a dry, self-deprecating humor that makes him quite likable as a narrator. He details quite thoroughly his thoughts and fears, without succumbing to the temptation to overdramatize or glorify his experiences. Looking at the book as a travel narrative, the one flaw is that he’s not quite as good at conveying the character of his fellow climbers. They feel like thumbnail sketches rather than real people, perhaps because Horrell didn’t want to offend anyone by being too vivid in his portrayals.

Looking at the book as a defense of guided Everest climbing...I am not sure it quite succeeds, though Horrell spends a fair bit of time discussing the issue in a thoughtful manner. But what it succeeds excellently at is providing a “regular guy’s” view of what a commercial expedition is really like. I enjoyed the read enough that I went on to buy and read Horrell’s more extensive account of his experience with trekking and climbing, Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest. Besides, as of this writing, The Chomolungma Diaries is certainly a good value: it’s free on Amazon. I’d recommend it for anyone with an interest in mountaineering.

Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest (Mark Horrell)--mountaineering

I read this after enjoying Horrell’s The Chomolungma Diaries—the latter covers only his guided ascent of Everest, and I was curious to read about his experiences on other guided ascents leading up to the Everest climb. The book certainly delivers on that score, and I continued to enjoy Horrell’s self-deprecating humor and “regular guy” narration. (The flaws of the narration also remain the same: Horrell does well at portraying his own character and thoughts, not so well at memorable portraits of his fellow climbers.) Like The Chomolungma Diaries, I’d recommend the read to anyone with an interest in trekking and mountaineering.

The Last Step: The American Ascent of K2 (Rick Ridgway)--mountaineering

A brutally honest account of the 1978 American expedition to K2. Ah, mountaineering! Lots of egos, lots of drama, lots of interpersonal conflict in which hardly anyone comes off in a good light. (It’s particularly interesting to read this one after Jennifer Jordan’s Savage Summit, which looks at the first five women to climb K2, and discusses the misogyny and difficulties they faced from fellow mountaineers. I’d be quite curious to hear expedition member Cherie Bech’s side of the story Ridgway tells.) The struggle to reach the summit makes for a gripping read, and it’s a fascinating window into a lost era of mountaineering, when siege-style rather than alpine-style climbing was the norm, and climbers had to carry loads and fix ropes without help from trained locals. (For a look at modern climbing on K2—in which the egos and drama remain, just with a different focus—try Freddie Wilkinson’s One Mountain Thousand Summits, or Zuckerman and Padoan’s Buried in the Sky.)

The Duchess War (Courtney Milan)--romance

A lot of discussion has been happening recently about biases that many SFF readers have against romance, which has challenged me to examine my own attitude toward the romance genre.  I’ll admit upfront: I’ve never been much of a romance reader. A lot of the common tropes either do nothing for me or actively bother me. That said, I would never write off the entire genre as somehow lesser than SFF; rather, it’s a genre aimed at readers with different tastes than mine. But I don’t like to keep making that assumption, either. I know how broad and diverse the fantasy genre is, and how frustrating it is when people make assumptions based on a limited selection of the big-name popular novels (which often tend to a same-ness). I’m sure romance is no different, and I’m always willing to try new things. So when I saw Courtney Milan’s novels recommended in the online discussions as examples of romances that don’t have “alphahole” male characters (a character type that I personally detest), I decided to give her work a go. And, well…once again, we come back to taste. The Duchess War is well written. It indeed has a mostly-likable (not alphahole) male lead. Its female lead is both likable and clever. It does have one of my un-favorite romance tropes (insta-lust), but there’s also an exploration of worker’s rights and women’s rights and a plot that has to do with the same. I can certainly see why so many readers enjoy Milan’s work…yet I never got beyond mildly interested. But! That just means Milan isn’t an author I love, not that she somehow represents the entire genre. I will keep trying romance novels I think might work better for me.

Podcast fun: discussing worldbuilding, characters and craft with Kate Elliott, Helen Lowe, and Paul Weimer

So you might remember me mentioning a while back that I'd recorded a podcast with fellow fantasy authors Kate Elliott and Helen Lowe, hosted by the always-awesome Paul Weimer for the Skiffy and Fanty show. The podcast is now live, and you can listen to the four of us discuss all manner of things relating to our books and the craft of fantasy writing, from characters to magic systems to geography to plot. (Kate, a veteran of the genre, has many fascinating things to say--as does Helen, who has the added bonus of a lovely New Zealand accent!)

This was the most fun I've ever had with a podcast, I think because of the group discussion setting. As with panels and signings, I find sharing the limelight (so to speak) always significantly lessens my nerves and helps me relax and enjoy myself. Recording this felt to me more like sharing in the sort of interesting dinner conversation you might have with friends at a convention (my favorite part of cons!), as opposed to a live interview where I'm always worried I'm about to say something stupid (I tend to babble when I'm nervous).

In other news, in case you missed it, I put up my February reading round-up over on tumblr...though arrgh, I got the name of Catherine Fisher's book wrong (it was The Speed of Darkness, not Obsidian Mirror--the latter is the 1st in the series instead of the last). If it's possible to edit tumblr posts, I haven't yet figured out how. Maybe next time I'll just post the roundup here and link to it there, instead of the other way around. (The one thing I do like about Tumblr is it feels more casual, somehow...I don't feel pressure to make a post all beautiful with pics of the books I'm talking about. Instead I can just whip out a quick "here are my reactions" post, which takes far less time and therefore is more likely to happen.)

And because this blog has been sadly lacking in wilderness pictures lately--my main computer with all my photos on it died, and we're still working to recover them off the hard drive--I'll end with a couple pics I found on my laptop of our last trip to Utah. Because Utah pictures make every Monday better.

Klondike Bluffs in Arches National Park

Slickrock bowl and Delicate Arch

Classic Utah: red rock, blue sky

Goblin Valley

Utah has the best sunsets

Reading round-up, and a note for German Shattered Sigil fans

Upon hearing that a snowstorm was bearing down on Colorado, I made a cunning plan: I'd clear my schedule of all appointments/meetings/etc, beg my husband to do both drop-off and pick-up of 6yo from school, and take Tuesday as a powder day.

It was going to be EPIC. I was sure of it when I woke. Just look at all the snow that accumulated overnight! The ski slopes would have even more.

Then I realized I'd forgotten one very important fact: schools close when it snows this much. But in Colorado, workplaces do not, which means my husband must wallow his way to his office in the 4wd, and I'm on kid duty. Other skiers will understand the agony: there is epic powder, but I cannot ski it! (I considered taking the 6yo up for a ski day...but he can't ski more than blue runs yet. It'd be EXTRA torture to be on the slopes yet unable to ski the steep & deep.)

The agony won't last long. 6yo and I will have a blast sledding and snowball-fighting and building igloos. But in the meantime, while he and my husband shovel our walk (not our driveway; in Colorado nobody bothers with that--that's what a 4wd car is for), I'm catching up on my neglected little blog to post a few tidbits of news:

1) Reading Round-up: January was a crazy busy/stressful month (thanks mostly to day job), but I got some good reading in while on a business trip. On tumblr I posted a summary of my thoughts on my reads; my favorites were books from Janny Wurts and Ilana C. Myer. 

2) Note for German readers: a lot of folks have been asking via email when a German translation of The Labyrinth of Flame will be available. Sadly, a German translation is not yet in the works, but if you'd like to see Labyrinth of Flame auf Deutsch, the best way to get the wheels turning is for German readers to tell all their friends about the series and encourage them to buy Die Chroniken von Ninavel. Nothing gets a publisher's attention like sales!

3) Update on Labyrinth of Flame's print edition: good news! I've worked out a distribution agreement with the company that printed Labyrinth of Flame for the Kickstarter, so a general-relase print edition is coming soon! I will announce the release once it's ready to buy.

4) Note for Kickstarter backers: as I said in my recent update, if your reward included trade paperbacks and you have NOT received them, please contact me at courtney (at) courtneyschafer (dot) com. For those waiting on art prints, I'm hoping to start shipping them this week.

5) Podcast incoming: I had a great time on Saturday recording a podcast with fellow authors Kate Elliott, Helen Lowe, and our excellent host Paul Weimer of the Skiffy & Fanty show. We talked about worldbuilding and characters and the craft of writing series and it was so much fun. Not sure yet when the podcast will air, but I'll announce it here when it does. (By the way, the latest book in Helen Lowe's Wall of Night series, Daughter of Blood, just released--if you are not reading this series, you really really should be! It's epic fantasy with a terrific female lead (and some wonderful secondary characters), plus plenty of magic and wonder and action. Basically, everything I like best in fantasy!)

Night Bazaar Monday, and a Reading Round-Up

Today at the Night Bazaar I talk about what hooks me into a book - an appropriate topic, since I've been reading a heck of a lot of good books lately.  How'd I find these books?  Mostly by word of mouth on blogger review sites, or continuation of series whose first book I liked, or even by meeting the author (in person or on twitter) and deciding to check their books out.

Sadly, while I read with a speed my friends consider inhuman, I write at the pace of a sedated snail...so there's no way I can write individual book rec posts for them all.  (Especially when I've got an idea itching at my brain for a short story set in the Shattered Sigil world!)  So instead of Monday book rec posts, I'm thinking I'll do "Reading Round-up" posts for the near future, in which I list books I've read recently that I've liked and give short descriptions of why. Even then, I've read too many good books in recent weeks to fit them all in one post, so today I'm gonna focus on awesome sequels:

King of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence: sequel to his impressive debut Prince of Thorns (I reviewed that one on Goodreads here.) Just finished King of Thorns last night, and damn, it was good. It's got a more complex structure and is more introspective in nature than its predecessor, which only made me like it more.  Jorg remains a compelling character, and Lawrence sidesteps the challenge of secret-keeping in 1st person POV by quite the neat little authorial trick that worked beautifully in the context of the character and story.  But heck with that, y'all...the book has mountain climbing!  Turns out Jorg is quite the free soloist (and believably so). Plus there are volcanoes. And clever use of high alpine terrain in battle, and all sorts of things to please my little climber heart.  Also, there's a new female character who I liked very, very much (even while suspicious of her motives, which made her scenes all the more fun).  Win all around!

Girl of Nightmares, by Kendare Blake: sequel to last year's YA horror/dark fantasy Anna Dressed In Blood.  I thought Anna Dressed in Blood was pretty darn awesome - I adored the ghost-hunting protagonist, Cas - and the sequel did not disappoint.  Much like King of Thorns, it's a quieter, more gently paced novel than its predecessor, but that worked perfectly well for me, and the ending was lovely in its bittersweet closure. (Heh, but gently paced doesn't mean some scenes weren't intense.  One was so intense in fact it froze my Kindle.  Seriously.  There I was, reading along while Cas & friends face quite the nasty situation, and right in the middle of the scene, bam!  Kindle screen freezes & refuses to respond, or even turn off.  Thank goodness, a hasty internet search produced the solution: hold slider button on for a full 30 seconds to reset/reboot the device. And then don't get freaked out when at first all your books appear to be gone - they'll show up again in a few moments.)

The Coldest War, by Ian Tregillis: sequel to his 2010 debut Bitter Seeds, an alternate-history World War II novel featuring Nazi X-men vs. British magicians.  That would be cool enough, but Tregillis really hits it out of the park with the character of Gretel, a deliciously creepy precognitive who's manipulating pretty much everything and everyone for a goal that we don't discover until late in The Coldest War.  I'd recommend reading both books back to back - that way you can truly appreciate how beautifully Tregilis's plot comes together.  (Also, after you read the books, go check out the original cover art for The Coldest War, at Ian's blog. He's had kind of a wacky ride on the publishing rollercoaster, and the tale of the "cover art that never was" only goes to prove it!)