Category Archives: Gail Z. Martin

by | June 12, 2013 · 9:44 am

Breaking In A New Pair of Boots—Or a New Fictional World, As The Case May Be

by Gail Z. Martin

Ever buy a pair of boots—or shoes or jeans—and while they fit, they don’t really “fit.” Not yet. They haven’t molded to your contours. You haven’t broken them in.

As a writer, there’s a “breaking in” period when you leave one fictional world that you’ve painstakingly developed and nurtured to begin a new fictional world. And I know that, as a reader, there’s a little bit of adjustment that also goes along with following a favorite author from one series into another, new set of books. It takes some getting used to.

I spent many years and six books developing my Chronicles Of The Necromancer/Fallen Kings Cycle world of the Winter Kingdoms, and writing in that world was as comfortable as slipping into a favorite pair of jeans or a well-worn pair of boots. I knew the neighborhood. I understood the culture like a native. I knew the characters well enough that I would sometimes dream in their voices. It was home.

Then those stories came to a natural resting point and I decided to create a new series in a totally new world with very different characters, which begins with Ice Forged. And the process of breaking in the new boots began again.

This time around, however, I knew what to expect. I knew it would take a while to hit my stride, to feel at home. I gave myself time to get to know the characters and their world. I sat with the story, explored the culture, and questioned the characters in my mind, and they became real to me. It’s a gradual process, like learning to feel at home in a new city. For a while after you move, everything seems strange. Then one day, like magic, you know where you’re going without thinking about it. And you realize that you’re home.

Just as I went through an adjustment moving from one series to another, I know readers of my first six books will also feel a little displaced. The worlds, characters, and cultures are very different, but I believe they are each intriguing in their own way. Yes, there’s a pang when you miss a favorite character, but my hope is that the concept of Ice Forged and the new series will intrigue readers enough to get past the “new kid on the block blues” and that they will move into the new neighborhood with me and share the adventure.

There are lots of stories I still hope to tell in my world of the Winter Kingdoms, but the plot line takes a natural break for a while, and as readers of my books can attest, I’ve put my characters through an awful lot—they deserve a chance to put their feet up and have a few beers. Duty will call them back to action soon enough.

In the meantime, c’mon over to my other world and explore the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, beginning with Ice Forged. It’s full of new favorite characters you haven’t met yet, a whole new world to explore, and an impossible quest (or two). Their story begins with the end of the world. Come join the adventure!

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013. Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books). For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

 

 

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by | June 5, 2013 · 9:36 am

It’s the End of the World as We Know It (Again)

by Gail Z. Martin

What is it about an impending apocalypse that captures the imagination?

Having just survived the “Mayan Calendar” apocalypse, the idea is pretty fresh in everyone’s mind. Thanks to the Internet, warnings of immanent doom seem to crop up fairly often, so much so that most of us roll our eyes, mutter “another one” and go about our daily business.

Until the time it turns out to be true.

In my new book, Ice Forged, I look at an end of the world scenario in a medieval setting, through the eyes of the survivors. The magic on which they have come to depend—in much the way we are dependent on our power grid—has vanished. With it goes the monarchies it upheld, the conveniences and necessities it had provided, and the control over the natural world it imposed. Amid the chaos and anarchy, the survivors are faced with the challenge to survive long enough to see if there is truth to ancient legends about a way to restore the magic.

I set my apocalyptic story in a medieval setting for several reasons. First off, most modern-day end of the world stories don’t capture my attention. I’m jaded, and they sound too much like overhyped headlines. That wasn’t the setting in which I wanted to immerse my imagination for the better part of a year.

Secondly, I wanted to explore the magic-instead-of-technology angle, as well as the idea that when we have a simple shortcut to do vital tasks, we are at risk of forgetting how to do things the old way. If the technology (or magic) fails, how do individuals or communities survive if the low-tech ways have been lost?

And the third element that intrigued me was the idea of who a society values and who it throws away. In Ice Forged, the man who may be able to restore the magic is a disgraced lord who has been exiled to a prison colony in the arctic. When social norms and civilized culture collapse, the skills and characteristics that made a person an exile—or even a criminal—just might be what it takes to survive.

It’s especially interesting to me because Western Europe did experience an apocalyptic scenario in the Black Plague. The sheer magnitude of casualties, the swiftness of the disease’s spread and the fear that accompanied it changed the economic, cultural, political and religious fabric of a continent. Most of the time, we read the 30,000-foot overview and see the Plague years through the lens of time. But to those who endured it, I’m certain it felt like the end of the world was upon them.

Books and stories are interesting things. They germinate from the odd bits and pieces in a writer’s memory, shaped by the question, “what if?” I’m looking forward to further exploring my medieval post-apocalyptic world, and I hope you’ll join me!

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013. Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books). For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

 

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by | May 22, 2013 · 9:02 am

More Adventure Than Ever from Gail Z. Martin!

 

 

Lots of news and three new short stories start Spring off with a bang!

First, the stories:

In the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures:

Storm Surge—When the caravan is beset by danger and a black beast stalks the shadows, Jonmarc Vahanian fears he is being stalked by a blood mage with a dangerous vendetta.

Bounty Hunter—Three bounty hunters come prowling around the caravan.  Are they after Jonmarc, or does one of his fellow travelers hide an even darker secret?

And in the Deadly Curiosities series:

The Wild Hunt–When a strange relic shows up in town and people start dying, Sorren and Dietger battle dark forces and the hounds of Hell.

Storm Surge and Bounty Hunter are available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook.  The Wild Hunt is currently only on Kindle, but stay tuned—it will be released for Kobo and Nook later this year. At just .99, they’re a cheap thrill!  (And if you haven’t checked out the rest of my short stories on ebook, take a look—there’s a new one every month!)

Next, new books coming!

Reign of Ash, the sequel to Ice Forged, will be out in early 2014.  Blaine McFadden and his friends will be back, and the fate of magic—and the Continent—rests in their hands.

News Flash! I’ve just signed a contract with Orbit for at least two more Ascendant Kingdoms books, so you’ll be seeing more of Blaine after Reign of Ash!

Catch me if you can!

May 24-26 I’ll be at Balticon in Hunt Valley, MD, and then May 31 – June 2, catch me at ConCarolinas in Charlotte, NC.

Later this year, you can find me at DragonCon in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, Philcon in West Orange, NJ in November, and in October I’ll be in the Big Easy for ContraFlow, a new con for me in New Orleans!

June 21, I’ll be hosting the annual Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek online event, your first glimpse of excerpts from Reign of Ash, brand new blog posts, podcasts and interviews.  It’s always plenty of fun, so be sure to watch for more details!

If you’re interested in writing and you’re in the Charlotte area, I host a monthly writing Meetup group on the second Wednesday evening of the month.  Hope you can join us!  Details are here: https://www.meetup.com/Thrifty-Author-Publishing-Success-Network/

If you can’t come to the Meetup group, I host a different discussion topic every month on Goodreads.com.  Sometimes we talk about writing, sometimes we talk about things we love about the books we’ve read—come and play with us!  Details here: https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin

I hang out on Facebook and Twitter, so if you’ve got questions or just like to talk about fandom, favorite shows, books and movies, join the conversation at Facebook.com/TheWinterKingdoms and on Twitter.com/GailZMartin.

Thank you…and a small request

Thank you very much for reading.  If you didn’t read, there would be no need for me to write.  And out of all the things you can choose to read, thank you very much for reading my stories.  It’s an exciting thing to share the world that’s in your head with others and have it become real to them.  You make that possible, and I am very grateful.

And now a small request….if you’ve enjoyed the books and short stories, please help others find them by adding a review on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Indigo, Waterstones or your favorite online booksellers, or on Goodreads.  I truly appreciate it!

I hope to see you soon, online or at an event.  Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by | May 9, 2013 · 9:28 am

Well Begun is Half Done (Especially with Writing!)

by Gail Z. Martin

How do you know where your story begins?

Doesn’t it begin at, well, the beginning?

Not necessarily—at least, not that the reader needs to know.

My new book, Ice Forged, begins with a murder.  It’s important for readers to see the murder occur so that they understand my main character, who commits the murder and is sent into exile.  Chapter two picks up six years later.

Why?  Because nothing else relevant happens to the plot happens until then.

Couldn’t I have just begun the book with Chapter 2 and done a flashback?  Perhaps.  But by beginning the book where I did, the reader gains an understanding of the main character that I don’t think would have been as strong had it been recounted through a flashback or a dream or by having someone just tell about it.

I faced a similar challenge in another book, where the action in the first chapter occurs immediately after the end of the previous book.  My hero is pinned down in a battle.  On my first draft, I had them take cover in a barn.  When I re-read the draft, I realized that having the book open with my hero hiding in a barn didn’t seem very, well, heroic.  So I jumped the action ahead to a few moments later, when he actively engages in the fight.

What’s the right place to begin a story?  That depends.  It depends on the reaction you want your reader to have as they read the beginning.  It also depends on where the meat of your story arc takes place.

Here’s the most important thing: Your beginning absolutely MUST grab the reader so hard with the first sentence, first paragraph and first page and he or she cannot set the book aside.

Agents and editors reading over a manuscript will only go on to page two if your first page has grabbed them.  Readers flipping through your book in a store or on line are just as particular.  You don’t have time to take dozens of pages setting the scene.  You’ve got to score a knock-out punch on page one.

I’ve done a lot of manuscript analysis for a book shepherd in California, and one of the most frequent issues I find in not-yet-published books is a slow beginning.  One book took more than 30 pages for the main character just to get out of bed!  If you find yourself with a slow beginning, ask yourself where the real action begins and try starting the book there.

Yes, you the author need to know all the other details.  But you don’t have to share them with the reader.  Remember, you’ve only got one sentence, one paragraph, one page to turn a browser into a buyer.  Grab ‘em by the lapels and give them a good shake so that they can’t stop turning the pages!

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

 

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by | May 2, 2013 · 9:26 am

Dreaming Up the End of the World

by Gail Z. Martin

A blank page is always daunting, no matter how much opportunity it presents.

I don’t know if it ever stops being scary when you start writing a brand new book in a new world with new characters, but if it does, I haven’t gotten to that point yet.

I had gotten very comfortable in my world of the Winter Kingdoms, the setting for my previous six books in the  Chronicles of the Necromancer series and the Fallen Kings Cycle.  I knew the characters.  I had the lay of the land clearly in mind, and I had spent a lot of time creating the culture, religion and history.

But there were stories I wanted to tell that didn’t fit in that world, so for Ice Forged, I had to dream up a whole world–and bring it to its knees.

I’m not a big fan of modern apocalyptic fiction, perhaps a side effect of having grown up during the Cold War.   But the idea of an apocalypse in a medieval setting intrigued me, especially if magic was involved.  I liked the idea of having a culture that was dependent upon magic come apart at the seams when magic goes “off the grid” (so to speak) at the same time as a devastating war.  And I liked the idea that the people whom that culture had thrown away–exiled to a far-off prison colony–might be the only ones who could put the pieces back together.

So with a germ of a plot idea, I started thinking about the characters who could bring the plot to life, and the type of culture that would create the best setting for the story.  The weather in Edgeland, where the prison colony is located, plays a big role in the story, so I needed to think through what impact the weather would have on the colony and how it contrasted with what the colonists were used to.  I thought about the technology of a medieval culture that has acquired its stability and prosperity relying on magic for essential parts of its infrastructure, and what would happen when that infrastructure failed.  I asked myself questions about how magic works in this world (quite differently from how it functioned in my prior world), and how magic factored into the history of this continent.

As I pulled the pieces together, I kept circling back to the characters asking, “How would that affect a person from that culture?”  Doing that helps me to shape the customs, beliefs, holidays, cultural norms, socio-economic divisions and texture of the world, because all those elements arise from a confluence of geography, history, and technology.

So consider this an invitation to come and visit the world of Ice Forged!  I hope you’ll have as much fun exploring as I have had creating this world.

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

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by | April 25, 2013 · 9:25 am

Dark Fantasy vs. Horror—Where’s the Line?

by Gail Z. Martin

Several years ago, there was a commercial for a chocolate/peanut butter product where a man eating peanut butter out of a jar bumped into a man eating a chocolate bar. “You got peanut butter on my chocolate!” exclaimed one man.  “You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” said the other.

Every time I end up on a panel at a convention about the line between dark fantasy and horror, I think of that commercial.  “You got horror in my fantasy!  You got fantasy in my horror!”

I write dark epic fantasy.  At least, that’s what I’m told.  Everyone puts their lines in slightly different places.  “High” fantasy, so some say, has to have dwarves and elves, while “epic” just has to play out on a big scale with kings and queens and big, world war action.  “Dark” seems to apply to the size of the body count and how much of the mayhem occurs “on screen” vs. “off screen.”  If we read descriptions of blood flowing and heads rolling, as opposed to just being told “lots of people died,” that seems to be the threshold.

So with all that blood, what’s the difference between horror and dark fantasy?  I’m going to go out on a limb here (no pun intended) and give you where I draw my line, for what it’s worth.  I think it depends on whether the adventure is primary and the blood and horrific elements are secondary, or whether the focus is on suspense and fear, and no small amount of blood.

In other words, “You got blood on my adventure!” vs. “Your adventure is detracting from my sense of pervasive fear!”

There are definitely horrific elements in my books. There’s a fair amount of realistic battle violence with eviscerations, beheadings, impalements and severed limbs.  People get burned alive, trampled by horses, bled dry by vampires, ripped limb from limb, and get savaged by beasts.  Supernatural elements include nasty vampires and hungry shapeshifters, sadistic warlords and bloodthirsty necromancers, ghosts and barrow wights and ghouls that eat the dead, vengeful goddesses from the underworld with a taste for blood, animated corpses, menacing shadows and magicked monsters with rows of razor-sharp teeth.  Stolen souls and possession by spirits of the dead….I could go on, but you get the picture.  In Ice Forged, you get a look at what MWMD (Magical Weapons of Mass Destruction) can do, in a Doomsday weapon scenario played out on multi-continental level of cataclysm.

BUT, and for me, this is the issue, the adventure is always the focus.  All of the aforementioned horrific elements happen in service to the adventure.  Evoking fear and suspense are not the end goal.  There’s more at stake (again, pardon the pun) than seeing who gets out alive.

For example, in my new book Ice Forged, there is plenty of murder and mayhem, blood and death, and dark supernatural elements.  But for me, the adventure is always the primary focus.

Now doubtless others will have differing ideas on where the line is drawn, and I’d welcome comments.  But for me, as I think through my books, that’s how I see it.

Most importantly, I want readers to have a thrilling ride.  I want my books to be the roller coaster you get off, pale and shaky but grinning from ear to ear, the one that makes you say, “That was fun—let’s do it again!”

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

 

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by | April 18, 2013 · 9:24 am

The View from Outside the YA Fence

by Gail Z. Martin

At book signings, I frequently am asked, “What age reader is your book right for?”

That’s a hard one.  It depends on the reader.   So I ask, “What age is the reader you have in mind?”

Sometimes, the person is concerned that my books might be too adult for a teen or tween.  Sometimes, they’re concerned that my books might be too juvenile for an adult.

How do I answer?  It depends.

I wrote my Chronicles of the Necromancer and Fallen Kings Cycle series for adults, as I did with my new book, Ice Forged.  But frankly, although my mother lived to be 89 years old, I would never have suggested that she read them.  They’d have given her nightmares, and she would have feared for the welfare of my soul.  They were too dark for her.

On the other hand, I’ve got three teenage children.  Each of them was ready for different stuff at different ages.  My oldest daughter had a teacher who decreed, in eighth grade, that she could only read college-level books for class credit.  While that might have been great to challenge her vocabulary, the teacher seemed to have forgotten that many of those college-level books dealt with themes and world views that were over the head of even a very precocious 13 year-old.  We spent that year having a number of “teachable moments”, and still found that there is no way to fully impart understanding to someone who just hasn’t lived long enough to understand certain perspectives. (That teacher remains on my “naughty” list for sheer cluelessness.)

My middle daughter listened in on all those teachable moments, and picked different books that led to different long car discussions.  My son wasn’t interested in reading anything too edgy, although we’ve had those “teachable moment” discussions on video games.

As I head back into stores with Ice Forged, a novel where the adventure begins when the world ends, I’m sure I’ll get more people asking, “Who did you write this for?”

So here’s my personal set of questions that I ask of parents when deciding whether or not my books are right for their teen or tween:

–Has he/she read fantasy books with some detailed battles, scary elements and character deaths? (Like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter?)

–Do they like supernatural elements?

–Are they comfortable with more mature themes like death and betrayal?

–Are they OK with some cursing? (Swear words and vulgarities appropriate to the language style of particular characters.)

As I said in the beginning, I wrote my books for adults, and that’s the target market.  At the same time, I’ve picked up readers age 13 and up who had the maturity and the reading experience to enjoy the books.  I get letters from readers of all ages who loved the books and the characters. Did my youngest readers pick up on everything I put in the books?  Maybe not (but then again, there were probably some adult readers who missed things, too).  What matters is that they had a good roller coaster ride of an experience and hopefully left still hungry for more of the genre.

Likewise, well-written YA books rightfully attract large adult readers because they have depth and yet retain their sense of wonder.  I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, the Percy Jackson books and other books that I read right along with my kids and loved.   And I’ve also questioned and challenged the unrelenting darkness of some YA (and adult) books, because I don’t believe that being “real” is the same as being depressed, cynical and bitter.

So that’s my two-cents.  Personally, I think that categories like “YA” are arbitrary designations used mostly to help booksellers and libraries determine where to shelve books.  I know that when I was a teen, long before the “YA” designation, I was chomping through some books that would have turned my mom’s hair white had she but known.  At the same time, there were a few books I picked up and put back down again because I found them to be too much.  (I’ll admit that it was probably a mistake to read “Deliverance” when I was 10.)

Ultimately, we find those boundaries for ourselves.  We delight in sneaking a peek at the “forbidden” books that mom thinks are too much for us (but that we’re actually ready for), and hate some of the books our teachers think are developmental but are just plain despondent.  But that’s part of the joy of reading, as we discover uncharted territory and find what speaks to us.

So don’t get too tangled up with categories.  Read the books that speak to you, regardless of genre.  Don’t worry what other people think about what someone “your age” should be reading.  Read what you love, and don’t let people pressure you into reading books that detract from your love of reading.  At the same time, stretch yourself occasionally to read something uncomfortable, even upsetting, if the story is worthwhile.  A good book can change your life.

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

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by | April 11, 2013 · 9:23 am

Facebook Fandom: Social Media, Authors and Readers

by Gail Z. Martin

Not so very long ago, if you wanted to let an author know how much you enjoyed his/her book, you had to write a letter and mail it to the author in care of his/her publisher, hoping that the author would eventually receive it.  You didn’t really expect to hear back, but if a postcard with a few scribbled lines did come your way, it was a rare treasure worthy of framing.

Back in the day, if you were lucky enough to live near a big city, authors might come to a book signing at a local store.  You’d only know about the signing if you read about it in the newspaper, saw a sign in the store window or happened to be on the store’s mailing list, but if you did find out in time, you might have a few seconds to talk to the author while he/she signed your book.  No one expected more, unless you were a regular at genre conventions, a pastime limited to a very small sub-set of die-hard fans in major cities.

How times have changed!  Today, every author who is at all serious about the craft has a web site, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, an Amazon author page, a blog, often a podcast, and a presence on sites like Shelfari and Goodreads.  Authors also have email newsletters, video trailers on YouTube, downloadable excerpts and bonus material, even avatars in Second Life that hold virtual readings for an audience of virtual people.

As I’ve gotten ready for the launch of my new book, Ice Forged, I’ve taken nearly all of those components into consideration, making sure that I’m accessible to readers through a variety of channels, and assuring that readers can sample the book in as many places as possible.

What changed, besides technology?  The short answer is: everything.

Digital publishing, print-on-demand and ebooks made it possible the democratization of publishing.  Social media meant that anyone with a computer and an Internet connection could have a global reach greater than many cable TV networks.  Amazon and other online booksellers made books available to a world-wide audience, and ebooks eliminated the costly issues of advance printings, warehousing and distribution.

The number of new books climbed to approximately one million (counting all forms of publishing) in 2010 by one estimate.  How do readers find the next book to read amid all the titles competing for their attention?

Relationships.

Social media enables authors to create relationships with readers that last beyond a casual comment at a signing or a fan letter.  Watch a video, and you have an idea of the book that goes beyond the blurb on the back cover.  Read the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, and you can get a sense for what a cross-section of readers think.  Participate in the forums and community of sites like Goodreads, and you build relationships with other readers while also getting to have a real, ongoing conversation with the authors who are active on those sites.  Read an author’s blog, and not only do you have continuity between book releases, but you also get some insight into the person who creates the works you enjoy, along with the way to comment.  Stay tuned to the author’s Facebook page, Twitter feed and web site, and you no longer have to depend on the book store or news media to keep you informed about new books and appearances.

Social media has transformed what were once two solitary and disconnected activities: writing and reading.  Sure, you could discuss books with your friends, or with a book club, but even the old-fashioned online bulletin boards don’t compare with the quantity of discussion opportunities available through communities like Goodreads, LibraryThing and ReddIt.  Authors who couldn’t afford to do a national tour once had few options for engaging with readers outside of their local area.  Now, authors Skype into book club meetings on the other side of the world to make a personal appearance, upload readings to iTunes and add video greetings to their web sites.

All this technology has also opened up new opportunities for writer and readers.  Some authors have experimented with crowd-sourcing books, where creative collaboration is part of the fun.  Other authors “test drive” ideas and scenes with their Facebook followers.  Certainly it’s become not only possible, but desirable for authors to post short stories, deleted scenes, bonus material and out-of-print books, as well as new books on a schedule that fits the needs of the author/reader, outside of the timetable of publishers.

Comments and forum boards mean that readers can get beyond the opinions of professional reviewers and see what other readers think, add their two-cents, and commune with like-minded others.  Authors can encourage each other, support each other’s launches, share resources, and collaborate, or just stay in touch between conventions.

Personally, I think it’s great—and I hope that you’ll find me and friend me so that we can begin a conversation that becomes a relationship!

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

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by | April 4, 2013 · 9:22 am

A Method to the Madness

by Gail Z. Martin

Anne asked me to write about my process for writing.

Which made me stop and think: Do I have a process?  And if I do, can I explain it?

Here’s where I wish I could launch into a detailed explanation of my very cool, very “literary” (you have to say that word with a bit of a British accent and separate the syllables so it sounds very upper crust) process of wandering through the woods, listening to classical music and reading philosophy.

Ah, yes.  Ahem.  Except that I don’t really work that way.

Well, sometimes I listen to classical music.

The reality goes more like this.  I get an idea.  I noodle on the idea while I walk the dogs and do the dishes and drive in traffic.  The idea expands.  I write an outline, which tends to make my agent and editor very happy.

I noodle on the outline and revise it. I start writing, and visualize the scene, so when I’m typing, I’m just transcribing the “movie” I see on the inside of my eyelids.  I keep on going this way, asking, “and then what?” and typing away, often with a glazed look on my face.  Family members complain that they can walk in front of me, speak to me, wave their hands and jump up and down and I don’t notice.  (This used to freak out my college roommates.)

This is especially true when I’m working on something new, like my new book Ice Forged, the first book in a brand new series.  It took a lot of noodling to get to the point where I was clear on where I was going in a whole new world!

I start out each day reading what I wrote the day before and making minor tweaks. I ignore the outline until I get stuck.  Then I dig it out and noodle on it some more.  I print out the first hundred or so pages and read over them, which usually gets me unstuck.  Every couple hundred pages, I’ll read from start to end point, which generates ideas, identifies continuity errors and reassures me that the project is actually turning out well.

Once I reach the end of the first draft, I’ll print it, read it, and mark it up.  Then I give it to my husband, who goes over it again and marks it up some more.  Next, I’ll sit down at the computer and make all the changes, then print it out again and start the reading/mark-up process.  We’ll do this seven or eight times.

Then I’ll turn it in, my editor will read it over and mark it up, and send it back.  I’ll revise.  Then the copy editor will do the same thing.  And I’ll revise.  Finished!

Every writer I talk to has a different process.  Some write in absolute silence, while others need to be in the middle of a busy coffee shop to focus.  Some never read anything they’ve written until the end, others second-guess themselves at nearly every paragraph.  Some writers share their work-in-progress with a writing group or their beta readers.  And judging by the acknowledgements in the front of many books, some writers consult a huge team of experts, researchers and supporters in the process of birthing their book.

So how do YOU write?  There’s no right or wrong—it’s whatever works for you and produces a good outcome.  Does your writing process make you happy, or increase your stress?  Does it improve your productivity or slow you down?  The good news is, if your writing process isn’t working for you, there are lots of other processes you can try on for size until you find the combination that is perfect for you.

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

 

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by | March 28, 2013 · 9:19 am

5 Things I’ve Learned from Book Signings

by Gail Z. Martin

As you read this, I’m making appearances in a lot of book stores and conventions for the launch of my new book, Ice Forged.  I like doing signings and readings, because they’re a nice change from the very quiet, deep-in-my-own-thoughts reality of writing.

Since signings are public appearances, they’re unpredictable.  You never know what’s going to happen.  Once, my signing got cut short because the mall was closing due to a large snowstorm (this is unusual in North Carolina).  Another time, when my table was located just inside the doors of a bookstore located next to the food court of a mall, a small child threw up right next to the poster announcing my signing, which started things off on a questionable note and also blocked the entrance to the bookstore for a while. (I can attest that she hadn’t read my book, so it wasn’t a comment on my writing.)

So in no particular order of significance, here are five things I’ve learned from book signings.

1.  Unless you’ve got your own TV show, most of the people who come into the store won’t be coming just to see you.  Sad but true.  Which means you’ve got to win them over one at a time and interest them in coming to see what you’ve got to offer.  This is why I like to be at the front of the store, where I can greet people and offer them a bookmark, then introduce myself and give them a friendly pitch.  It’s not for the faint of heart—many people aren’t interested, don’t like fantasy, came looking for something else, etc. But you can’t let that get you down, and you’ve got to greet the next person with as much energy and optimism as you did the very first one.

2.  Too many people go through life in so much of a hurry that they miss out on everything around them.  I can’t count the number of people who can’t be bothered to slow down long enough to know what I’m even saying when I greet them.  I might be offering them a million dollars, but they’re in too much of a hurry to find out.  What can possibly be that urgent in a bookstore that isn’t on fire?  Some just pretend they didn’t hear me.  Others mutter, “no thank you” like I was going to spritz them with perfume.  Some even hold up a hand like I’m going to ask them for money.  This makes me sad—not because they’re not going to buy my book, but because I can guess how much of life they are missing in their hurry.  This also goes for the people so attached to their cell phones that I couldn’t have gotten their attention even if I’d waved that million dollars in their faces.

3.  Always know where the bathroom is, because a percentage of people assume you work for the store and will ask you.  I can be standing next to two huge banners with my name and book covers, next to a table covered with my books, handing out bookmarks and introducing myself as “the author who is doing the signing here today” and about 10% of people will still ask where the bathroom is, or where the children’s books are, or something.

4.  People who work in bookstores are usually really nice.  If there’s a lull in the traffic, I always try to talk to the bookstore staff.  If it’s a rainy day and the mall is quiet, I especially talk to the staff.  They usually work in bookstores because they love books.  Many of them want to be writers. They also know a lot about what readers want, and I can learn a lot from them.  Plus it’s just plain fun to talk to people who love to read.  And, never forget—many people ask booksellers for recommendations.  They’re most likely to recommend your book if you’ve been a polite guest in their store.

5.  Relax and have fun.  If you get too focused on how many books you’ve sold, you stop having fun.  I don’t count.  I just greet everyone who comes my way and try to engage them, get them to smile, and have a personal point of contact for a moment or two.  I’ve met some of the nicest people, had fun conversations, and made some long-time friends.  And I find that when I focus on just being friendly and meeting people, the time flies by, the books fly off the table, and I’m not nearly as tired when I go home because I’ve been having fun.

So the next time you’re at a signing—or you see an author who is doing a signing—smile, relax, and strike up a conversation.  A good chat about books is a wonderful part of any day!

Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013.  Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books).  For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.

Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt

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