Posts in the "Introductions" Category

• Mark Teppo introduction

  Introductions

  My bio for my latest book from Night Shade, Earth Thirst, says that my favorite Tarot card is The Moon. Why The Moon? Because it is, as Aleister Crowley mentions in his The Book of Thoth, the card is the threshold of life and death, doubt and wisdom. The drunkenness of sense after the mind has been abolished. This is, in fact, where the writer finds their true magic.

  I wrote two books for Night Shade a few years ago, the opening duology of The Codex of Souls, a series of urban fantasy novels that dismiss all of the usual tropes of urban fantasy for diving deep into the drunken madness of Western esoteric thought. And a not inconsequential part of the decision to go in that direction was because I couldn’t fathom how to write a book about vampires without snickering.

  Vampires (and all the modern monster tropes of UF), you see, didn’t make sense to me. The world-building fell apart very quickly. As Stoker invented them–and I’m talking the nuts and bolts part–the vampire is a series of rules and structures that were nothing more than commentary on 19th century existence and a heavy reliance on scary folklore bits. All of which fail to have the same resonance with a 21st century audience.

  And we’ve seen what 21st century audiences want with hoary old 19th century vampires. They want to be mesmerized, hypnotized, seduced, fondled, sucked, slurped, and otherwise had bad things done to them. Which, to me, doesn’t seem very frightening. It seems more indicative of us wanting to have forbidden sex.

  This has bothered me for a few years (the vampire mythology bit, not the forbidden sex bit; I got that figured out) as there has been no end of fascination with vampire culture, but I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t seem to be updating the monstrous part of the mythology. And finally, I asked myself: why not think of them as a reflection of the time? What is it about living in the 21st century that would create a monster such as that?

  That’s how Earth Thirst came about. It’s a story about vampires, truly 21st century vampires. It’s not entirely urban fantasy as there is very little magic in it; it isn’t entirely science fiction because it takes place right now and speaks to our current existence. It’s an eco-thriller, but only in the sense that what is at stake is our way of life. Earth Thirst looks at the modern world and asks: Who is the real monster?.

  It’s also a love story because, yes, we desire that which is truly dangerous. It is, after all, how we know we’re still alive.

  My name is Mark Teppo. Earth Thirst is the start of something. The CODEX narrative isn’t done yet either. And I also write historical adventure fantasy in a realm called FOREWORLD. Our initial foray into this secret history is something called The Mongoliad. Next year, there will be more stories coming. I’ve got plans, you see. Long-term plans.

  Read More...

• Idiotically Eager: Hi, I’m Zack!

  Introductions
  

  Baby is not author's baby.

  Hi! My name’s Zachary (Zack) Jernigan, and I’m ridiculously, freakishly—perhaps even disturbingly—excited to be posting on The Night Bazaar (and on Thanksgiving, no less)! I’ve followed this blog for quite a while now, and I’ve been a fan of the authors Night Shade publishes for a lot longer than that. To be communicating with you right now because I have a book coming out from them seems like the coolest of all unlikelihoods.

  Now, I understand if you’re not nearly as excited to be reading these words as I am to be writing them, but even if you’re only 0.5% as excited as me that’s still pretty excited. Which is awesome! I’m very grateful to you for taking the time out of your day to get to know me.

  But where to begin? What’s interesting? What do I like to know about authors? Basic biographical and goofy stuff, sure, but also some serious writerly junk.

  Anyway. Here goes…

  #

  I was born in Connecticut, but have no other connection to the state. I’ve lived in Northern Arizona, with occasional stints in other places, since 1990. I’m 32 years old as I write this, but I’ll be 33 on the day my novel comes out, March 5, 2013. I’ve shaved my head since 1998, when I first started fearing I’d lose my hair. Peanut Butter Puffins is the best cereal ever, though Froot Loops is a close second. I’m an absolute idiot for sitcoms from the 70s-90s. I have a BA in religious studies and an MFA in creative writing.

  Other than reading, eating, and sleeping, my favorite activity of all time is riding around in a wheelchair. I kind of wish I was kidding, but I’m so not. I realize it’s an extreme social faux pas, and I try not to do it in front of a person who needs a wheelchair for their own mobility, but goodness I think it’s fun—far more fun than a bike or a skateboard. One of the happiest nights of my life was in my early 20s, when I found the courtesy wheelchair at work and discovered how easy it was to balance on the back wheels.

  I also like riding horses, but they’re a bit more temperamental than wheelchairs.

  Mario Kart is far and away the video game series I enjoy best.

  #

  As for reading, I’m an sff fan of the most loyally obsessive stripe. I’ve, literally, not read a single book in the last 7 years (since the end of my undergraduate career) whose author didn’t have a close relationship with the genre. I didn’t even go out of my way to unlock this achievement, of which I am unabashedly proud. It’s not that I think good things aren’t being written about the quotidian world; I just don’t care about them.

  My favorite authors are Roger Zelazny, Alice Sheldon, Sean Stewart, Elizabeth Hand, Samuel Delany, Cordwainer Smith, Phyllis Gotlieb, David Anthony Durham, Terry Pratchett, and Joanna Russ.

  When I’m writing—an activity I’m compelled to do but which I find to be far, far less enjoyable than reading—it’s these authors I’m trying and utterly failing to imitate. Why? Because each of them writes/wrote unabashedly within the genre while still kicking ass as wordsmiths. There’s no skimping on the spectacularly speculative entertainment or the emotional and intellectual challenge.

  #

  So, this writing I manage to do when I’m not reading, eating, sleeping, spinning around in a wheelchair, or finding yet another way to avoid actual work…

  Since my first sale in 2009, I’ve had 13 short stories published in places such as Asimov’s Science Fiction, Crossed Genres, Murky Depths, and Escape Pod. I’ve been in a few anthologies, too. My second sale, an erotic story called “The Succession of Knoorikios Khnum” (which takes place in the same universe/setting as my upcoming novel), was shortlisted for a 2010 Spectrum Award and has been reprinted several times.

  I’ve only written one novel, but I had so much help during the writing that I hardly feel taking responsibility for it is appropriate. (If you look at my acknowledgments in the published book—which I hope you do, of course—you’ll see just how many people I’m indebted to, and even then I’m sure I’ve forgotten to list a few…) It was both a surprise and no surprise at all, discovering just how hard it is to make 100,000+ words fit together into a cohesive whole. As much as I love it, I’m still not sure it is a cohesive whole.

  When Night Shade bought No Return, I was stunned. I’m still stunned—stunned and thrilled and scared, but mostly humbled into near speechlessness. Jason, Jeremy, and co. publish hugely talented people.

  Like, whoa, HUGELY TALENTED PEOPLE… and… Zachary Jernigan?

  Oh, well, I guess the folks at Night Shade know what they’re doing. I hope they do. Ross Lockhart surely made my story better with his awesome editorial suggestions, but it’s not always easy to see the merits of something you’re so close to. Still, I like it. I wrote the kind of novel I wanted to read.

  #

  I realize I’m going on a little long here, so I’ll try to wrap things up by telling you at least a little bit about my novel—a little bit that hopefully counterbalances the doubt about my talent I’ve probably lodged in your brain.

  The tagline I came up for No Return is: BATTLE SUITS, MEN MADE OF METAL, AND ALCHEMICAL ASTRONAUTS. Which I think is pretty cool, because, really, who doesn’t love those three things? In my novel, I placed a heavy emphasis on cool-looking characters with cool powers doing cool things in cool settings—real epic science fantasy stuff without the epic length. Yet despite my characters’ sometimes demigodlike superpowers, I’ve tried damn hard to make my them read like actual people dealing with actual problems that have actual consequences.

  Plus, there’s a lot of sex in the book—a lot of sex and an even greater amount of violence. I think it’ll appeal to people who like the mature genre-expanding works of writers like China Mieville, Martha Wells, M. John Harrison, and Bradley P Beaulieu. I hope, at its best, it evokes classic New Wave mythologies of Samuel Delany and Roger Zelazny.

  But wait a minute. Why am I trying to sell this myself? Here are two of the blurbs I’ve gotten, from people far more trustworthy and knowledgeable than I:

  “A visionary, violent, sexually charged, mystical novel—No Return challenges classification. Clearly, Zachary Jernigan has no respect for genre confines. His tale of gods hanging in the sky and a “constructed man” with glowing blue coals for his eyes and a motley band of fighters navigating a harsh landscape peopled by savage creatures and religious zealots… Well, it’s pure genius. Here’s hoping it’s just the first of many such works from this guy.” – David Anthony Durham, Campbell Award-winning author of the Acacia Trilogy

  “Zachary Jernigan’s genre-defying epic raises the bar for literary speculative fiction. It has the sweep of Frank Herbert’s Dune and the intoxicatingly strange grandeur of Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, with a decadent, beautifully rendered vision all its own. One of the most impressive debuts of recent years.” – Elizabeth Hand, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author of Available Dark and Radiant Days

  #

  Anyway, for a full synopsis and character illustrations, some free fiction, and ways to get ahold of me, please stop by zacharyjernigan.com and take a look around.

  Thanks for reading! Maybe next week I’ll have cover art to show you.

  #

  Oh! I nearly forgot something!

  In case you miss it on my website, know that for now into the foreseeable future I promise to send you something in the mail (could be promo material for my novel, a mix-CD, a free book/magazine, or anything else I think is cool) if you pre-order/order No Return, review No Return, or do any other thing that involves No Return.

  Just send an email to jerniganzachary@gmail.com with a link (or copied text from a retailer) to show me what you’ve done, your physical address (US only), and any other words you’d like me to read. And then BAM!—a cool thing will show up in your mail around the release date of March 5th, 2013 (or later, should you do any of this after release).

  NOTE: Though I haven’t the money to mail things outside the US, please don’t feel left out! I’ll still go to some effort for you, like make you a personal mix-CD and email it to you.

  Read More...

• Greetings from Terminal Island!

  Introductions

  This is my first post here on The Night Bazaar–my first post under my real name, that is.

  I’ve actually posted here many times under my pen name, W.G. Marshall, which I used for my novel ENORMITY. My real name is Walter Greatshell, which some have told me is much less plausible than the pseudonym. As Walter Greatshell I have written a number a books, including the XOMBIES trilogy, the sci-fi thriller MAD SKILLS, and the occult novel TERMINAL ISLAND, which Night Shade is releasing next month (Dec. 4). I gotta say I really love the cover art for TERMINAL ISLAND–it perfectly captures the scenic beauty and underlying dread of the book, as well as the real-life setting for the story. I can only think the artist must have been there.

  To those of you who thought W.G. Marshall was a real person, and are either furious or heartbroken at the deception, I apologize. I never meant to hurt you. Take comfort in the knowledge that W.G. Marshall is not dead–he lives on in our hearts.

  But who is Walter Greatshell? I’m glad you asked. Walter Greatshell is a large man who lives in Rhode Island with his lovely wife and his even larger son. He has a cat with a thyroid condition, and a washing machine with a broken spin cycle so the water doesn’t completely drain out. You have to bail it…or rather I have to. Then the wash has to be squeezed out by hand before it goes in the dryer, or it’ll never get dry. There’s not much room for all this because the basement ceiling is so low that I keep bumping my head on the heating ducts. Last week I hit my forehead so hard it started bleeding, leaving me with a gash that looks exactly like a closed eye. This is sounding like the beginning of a Stephen King story.

  TERMINAL ISLAND is also sort of like a Stephen King story (is that what Hannibal Lecter called a “ham-handed segue”?). Not that I was thinking of Stephen King when I wrote it–my inspiration was more along the lines of THE WICKER MAN, or THE MAGUS, a tale of weird secret cults operating just below the surface of our everyday modern world. In this case, a man loses contact with his estranged elderly mother and tracks her to her last known address, a picturesque island off Southern California. Along for the trip are his wife and baby daughter, who have never met grandma. But there will be no joyous family reunion, for the island is not what it seems…

  Thanks for reading.  More next week!

  Read More...

• Hello Again

  Introductions

  Hello, I’m Mazarkis Williams (‘Maz’) and I claim credit for The Emperor’s Knife, now out in trade paperback. Currently I am working on revisions for its successor, Knifesworn. They are both parts of the Tower and Knife trilogy, to be finished off once and for all at the end of 2013.

  Tower and Knife borrows a great deal from history, particular from the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Cerana is a little of both and a lot of neither, with wizards, pattern-magic, and ghosts of all sorts filling in where less believable things happened in real life.

  Indeed it is my contention that true things are stranger than anything I can invent. The world is weird and frightening and extraordinary. Stories help us understand it.

  So I write fantasy. Why? Sometimes I have no idea. I suppose I’m attracted to the way ethical, psychological, and societal questions can be approached in secondary worlds. In Tower & Knife the main question is always how much evil any particular person is willing to commit in order to protect what they love, be it a child, a lover, or an empire. Or perhaps the main question is identity – what makes us who we are instead of someone else, or a collection of memories.

  I don’t have long to write – I must return to Knifesworn so that you can read it on schedule. Next week we will talk about pseudonyms! I have no experience with those, no sir . . .

  Read More...

• Greetings and Salutations

  Introductions

  Hello Readers! I’m Ross E. Lockhart, Night Shade Books’ managing editor and the editor of The Book of Cthulhu and its forthcoming follow-up, The Book of Cthulhu II. I’ll be chiming in on Thursdays to talk about whatever topics the group is discussing, and attempting to steer those conversations to one or more of my three favorite topics: dogs, books, and beer. You can find me on the web in a few places, including TheBookOfCthulhu.com (where we’ve got glow-in-the dark T-shirts) and weekly Thirsty Thursday beer reviews at Bizarro Central. And, because I know you’ve got questions, I’m also going to attempting to answer any general questions you may have in the comments section.

  

  Ross E. Lockhart

  But let me get a big question out of the way first. What does an editor do? An editor is there to make sure that nothing stands between the reader and their enjoyment of the book. Lots of different jobs come under the heading of “editor,” and any given book is handled by a number of specialists, each of whom have the title of “editor.”

  The first editor a book encounters is the acquiring editor, that’s the person who identifies the manuscript as something special that readers will want to read and enjoy, the person who buys the book from the author and their agent. Next, the manuscript needs to be edited. Sometimes the acquiring editor does this, but just as often, the manuscript is handed off to an editor who combs through it in multiple readings, looking for issues with flow and continuity, clunky language, plot holes, and the like. This editor then writes an editorial letter for the author, explaining to the author how to deal with and correct those issues. The author rewrites, corrects, and adjusts, then sends the manuscript back to the editor, who then either asks for more rewrites, or sends the book along to layout.

  Once we have a book in layout (we use Adobe InDesign for this), we then send a PDF and hardcopy along to a copyeditor. Some publishers do this a little bit differently, copyediting the manuscript before layout, but at Night Shade, we find a post-layout copyedit best for identifying errors, including glitches that may have occurred in the layout process. Copyeditors, in my opinion, are the real heroes of the publishing industry. Many a novel has been saved, and many an embarrassment averted due to the vigilant eyes of a copyeditor.

  After copyediting, we send PDF scans of the hardcopy proofs back to the author for vetting. In this step, the author becomes their own editor, as it’s their last chance to make changes before we send the book to print. The author opines on the copyeditor’s suggestions, responding to queries with adjustments or rewrites, or saying STET (“Let it stand”) if a correction or query is to be ignored. Then, another editor goes into the Adobe InDesign files and makes the author’s corrections, being very, very careful not to introduce new errors in the process. Sometimes, this is easy. A flipped quote here, a dropped word there, an en-dash that should be an em-dash. Other times, corrections can be complicated affairs, as the correcting editor scrambles to insert new sentences or move paragraphs in making the author’s final adjustments.

  And that’s just how the process works with novels. With anthologies, like The Book of Cthulhu II, it’s not just one author, but many.  And while the stories are shorter, coordinating approvals from a score of authors can require the stars to align just right. But that’s a story for another post…

  Read More...

• I’m back!

  Introductions

  Like Voldemort!  Like the Empire! Like a zombie you forgot to double tap!

  I was a regular contributor to the Night Bazaar back in ye old 2011, the year my debut science fiction novel, Revolution World, was released by Night Shade books.  This year, Night Shade released my second science fiction novel, Spin The Sky.

  I had great fun working with the Night Bazaar so I am quite happy that they asked me to do it again.  Liz Epson and company have done a bang-up job keeping it going.

  I am also looking forward to the Night Bazaar party coming up at Worldcon in Chicago on Friday, August 31st.  Last year was crazy good fun and this year I have twice the bugs.  Our schtick was and is: Eat a bug, get a book. Trust me, it’s worth it.  I have boxes of cheddar-flavored worms, barbeque crickets and scorpion taffy galore and I cannot wait to open them up.

  Read More...

• Comforting the Afflicted

  Introductions

  

  Allow me to introduce myself: I’m T. Aaron Payton. (At least, you can call me that. I’ll explain that cryptic statement at the end of this entry.)

  I write things, and the thing I wrote that currently concerns us is The Constantine Affliction, an ahistorical science fantasy novel that looks like steampunk if you squint at it just right. Though if pressed I’d probably call the book a “gonzo historical,” to use a phrase that K.W. Jeter mentions in the same famous letter where he coined the word “steampunk.”

  The novel is set in Victorian London, though I took significant liberties with history and geography (forgive me, citizens and scholars of that great city). Yes, it’s yet another streampunk-ish novel set in London in the late 1800s, but I like to think it’s a bit different, because it largely concerns a plague, “The Constantine Affliction” of the title. This plague kills some of its victims, but for those who survive, it has another effect: it changes their sex.

  Transforming men into women and women into men, especially in a culture with gender roles as sharply divided as those in Victorian England, has some intriguing effects on the fabric of society, and exploring those effects was fascinating fun. If that isn’t sufficiently gonzo for you, I’ve also stirred in the extravagant plots of not one but two mad scientists (don’t worry; there’s also a sane scientist), clockwork brothels, electrified walkingsticks, a crusading lady journalist, an alcoholic gentleman detective from a prominent family, river monsters, and at least one serial killer.

  Now for that revelation I promised. This is T. Aaron Payton’s first novel; which is to say, it’s the first novel to appear under that byline. But, I confess: T. Aaron Payton is a pseudonym, and the person behind that pseudonym has, in fact, written another book or two — though none remotely like this one. Come back next Thursday, and I will reveal my true face. (Or name, anyway.) In the meantime, feel free to speculate wildly, secure in the knowledge that I will neither confirm nor deny your suspicions.

  Read More...

• And They Say You Can’t Come Home Again

  Introductions

  Hi, everyone! I’m Courtney Schafer, author of adventure fantasy novels The Whitefire Crossing (Aug 2011) and forthcoming sequel The Tainted City (Oct 2, 2012). I was the original organizer and admin for the Night Bazaar in 2011, and wow…it’s both weird and wonderful to be back.

  Weird, because as I sit typing this on a Sunday evening with my favorite gothic/industrial Pandora station serenading me as I write – just as I did every Sunday night in 2011! – I keep flashing back to that rollercoaster of a year.  In which I veered between giddy delight at seeing my debut novel hit the shelves, and stark terror that I’d never be able to finish my second novel in time for my deadline – or that if I did, nobody would like it but me.  Jury’s still out on that second fear, but thank God, I no longer have to worry about my deadline.  As of this past week, The Tainted City is heading to press, on schedule for its Oct 2 release. (Cue more giddy delight!  I’m so excited about this book, you guys.)

  And it’s wonderful to be back in the Bazaar, because I’m so thrilled the blog’s still here and going strong (thanks to Night Shade and the inestimable Liz Upson).  I’ve loved getting to read a whole new chorus of voices over the past months, and I’m honored to be back to add mine in for a second round.

  So, who am I? (more…)

  Read More...

• Be Better or Be Done

  Introductions

  When my fourth grade teacher asked the class to write a little essay about what we wanted to be when we grew up, I included the three professions that seemed most likely: stuntman, jewel thief, and author. I haven’t completely given up on the first two—there’s still time!—but I’m finally on the cusp of realizing the third.

  My name is Jeff Salyards, and my debut novel, Scourge of the Betrayer, is being published May 1 by Night Shade Books. Scourge is a hard-boiled fantasy in the tradition of Glen Cook, David Gemmell, and Joe Abercrombie—tough, sometimes harsh (OK, there’s a lot of harsh), and full of rough and tumble characters who can turn your stomach or win your heart. Though, admittedly, only a few are especially good at the heart-winning business.  (more…)

  Read More...

• Soup, and the Making of a Novel

  Introductions

  

  Carol Wolf and Tay

  About ten years ago I moved up to a ranch in the foothills of the California Sierra Nevadas, about six miles off the paved road. One adjustment that happened, since we could no longer hop on our bikes and ride to the local pho house, as we did in San Jose, or drive a mile to have our choice of Indian food, or Japanese or Mexican, like we did in Los Angeles, is that we learned to make soup. Soup, because you can generally make it from whatever’s in the larder, without having to drive up over the pass to the store. Soup, because it lasts for several days. And every day, it gets better.

  I’m Carol Wolf. Summoning, my first published novel, is about a girl who is one of the wolf kind, who can change form at will. I’ve been asked half a dozen times this month where the novel came from, and I keep think about making soup. Because it’s not made of one thing, of course, but of many things, all cooked up together.

  Here’s one. For many years now I’ve been hanging out with a guy who, having been raised in the Southwest, has talked to Coyote. It may have been conversational self-defense that got me thinking about shape changers, especially ones for whom shape changing is not a disease, but part of their essential make-up. So, that became the basis of my soup. Wolf girl runs away from an impossible home situation, hides out in Los Angeles. (more…)

  Read More...