Stella’s Vison

Stella was having a good day, sight wise, and she was grateful for that. How many more times, after all, would she be able to see Coveline rising out of the horizon over the Dragon Tears River? She didn’t know, and it seemed bad luck to try to count them.

The sailors milled around her, preparing to pull the ship into dock. Stella wanted to hide, wanted to make herself small among all these strangers. She didn’t know anyone on board, barely even knew anyone’s name.

Part of her had to admit that she might have known them if she hadn’t been sulking the whole way home. But maybe she deserved to sulk. She was going blind and being shunted home by her teacher.

The ship pulled up to the dock, and Stella saw that almost her whole family was waiting for her there. A ring of citizens stood around them at a respectful distance. The crowd cheered for her and waived. Stella waived back, the soft, gentle smile on her fact that she’d been taught from the cradle.

Her mother, Queen Shori, was a massive dragon whose bright red scales and silver ridges seemed to cast their own light. In front of her stood Stella’s older brother, Sol, and younger brother, Terrae. Terrae had their mother’s red scales, with gold ridges and a thinner form like their Vondrai ancestors. Sol could have been Stella all grown, with a wider, squatter body, bright blue scales and silver ridges. Stella supposed that the only thing that kept them from being identical was his glasses.

The irony of which was just sickening.

“Oh, look at my baby girl!” Queen Shori cried as Stella trotted off the ship and onto the dock. “Travel suits you, daughter. Come here and let me see how much you’ve changed.”

Stella embraced her mother and brothers. “I’ve missed you all so much,” she said, letting her pleasure at seeing them overwhelm her poor feelings for the moment. “I can’t wait to get home and see everyone else. Why didn’t Luna come down to see me arrive?”

This seemed to be just the wrong thing to say, however. Shori glanced at Sol, who grimaced. “Don’t worry about her right now. Tekie and Hiro are so excited to see you. They couldn’t get away from their work this morning, or they would have come as well.” They started for the palace along the wide stone path, waving goodbye to the crowd as they went.

“Luna isn’t living at home anymore,” Terrae blurted.

Shori gave her youngest son an exasperated look. “Can you not tell, my dear child, that maybe this wasn’t the sort of thing we should talk about right this very minute, with Stella just home?” she asked.

Terrae’s eyes grew wide and innocent. “But she’s going to find out anyway, Mamma.”

“How about some better and healthier conversations?” Sol asked. “Stella, wait until you meet the healers we have working on this blindness issue. They are so excited that you’re home.”

So, her education as a seer had been put on hold so she could become a science experiment. That sounded fair.

Since she couldn’t imagine saying that in front of her mother, she said instead, “I hope I have time to see all of you on this visit. I don’t intend to be here very long.”

“No, this will just be a short visit to check in on your vision and hug you exactly one million and twenty-three times,” Shori said. “Then you will have to leave us again and go back to your teacher.”

“That is a lot of hugs, Mamma,” Sol said, giving Stella a wicked look. “You’d better start now if you’re going to get them all in.”

“I think you’re right,” Shori said and scooped her daughter up into another hug.

“Mamma, stop that!” Stella cried.

But she didn’t really mean it.

The one thing that King Devon had impressed upon Stella before letting her on the ship to head home was the vast importance of meditation to her physical and emotional wellbeing.

“I know it feels hard to fit it in some days when you’re so busy,” he’d said. “But your mental health isn’t going to take that as an excuse.”

Stella knew he was right. She didn’t like to admit it to him, but she felt different on days she didn’t make the time.

Not a good different.

And so, as soon as her family left her to settle into her old room, she took out her meditation notebook. Unlike every other thing she owned, it was a mess. There were charcoal and ink stains all over the leather cover. Many pages were stained or torn. When visions came to her, they came as strongly as they wanted. They didn’t seem to care for the preservation of her book. Of course, they were visions, and certainly above such petty concerns as physical things.

Stella sat down at her desk and took out a piece of charcoal. She flipped to a relatively clean page and began drawing slow, steady loops on the page. This, she had found, was the easiest way to corral her visions during meditation. What came out wasn’t always pretty, and sometimes it was impossible to decipher. Sometimes even when she could decipher it, she wished she couldn’t.

And on top of everything else, it was taking her vision. But what could she do? The worst of the whole thing was that she had no control over this at all.

Her hand was moving the entire time she was thinking mutinous thoughts about her visions. She breathed out deeply, trying to control her mind the way Devon had taught her. She thought of nothing, trying to let whatever would come to the page come.

Sometimes she had no visions. Sometimes she came up with nothing but indecipherable scribbles. But this was not one of those times.

Her hand sketched a collection of candles, with thick black smoke pooling down from them like water.

A moment later she was sketching a set of bassinets, without any children inside of them.

Still, her hand moved. She drew an opal, with light shining around it.

Finally, she drew two people that she knew very well. Princess Lenore, her teacher’s older sister, being led to a pole with kindling stacked around it in chains. Next to that was Devon, her teacher, and dearest friend, with broken twisted legs.

“No, oh no,” Stella whispered. She moved away from the desk, nearly knocking it over. Her eyes clouded over, and she couldn’t see anything anymore. “Help, somebody, help me!”

“Stella, Stella what’s wrong?” It was Terrae, she could hear him skittering into the room. He grabbed her arm, and she reached for him.

“Get Mamma, and the Septan ambassador,” she said. “We’ve got to get a letter to the capital right away.”

“Why, what’s going on? Oh, oh I see.” He must have looked at her notebook. “I’ll get Mamma, don’t worry.”

A ship left for from Coveline to Septa at first light. Stella’s letter, hastily written, was in the satchel of a royal messenger. Stella slept peacefully, content that at least she’d been able to give a warning to Devon.

But the ship would never make it to Septa. There was a ship waiting just inside of Septa waters, with a black sail. A ship full of men who would stop at nothing to destroy Devon and his family.

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Emily’s Name, a Woven Short

The following story takes place in between the events of Broken Patterns and Starting Chains. Lenore, heavy with her twin girls, is missing her brothers. The city of Septa is preparing for the winter holiday, Darkest Night. It’s celebrated with friends and families by praying to The Creator to thank Her for the days that Her Female face shines longer. People give each other gifts and enjoy days of feasting and parties by the fireside. Lenore, however, is not feeling much of the holiday spirit. And so she’s going to visit her common friends, Maggie, Sally, and Emily.

It was just past the noon hour when Lenore reached Maggie’s pub. The dining area was empty at the early hour, save for Maggie herself and their friend, Sally. They were sitting at one of the freshly scrubbed tables, sipping tea and nibbling on biscuits that were so warm that steam was rising from them.

“Hey, there,” Maggie said, “Where’s Victor?”

“At the palace, having a meeting with Mamma,” Lenore said, as her bodyguard, Anthony, came into the bar behind her.

“I bet he’s thrilled,” Maggie snorted.

“He’s happier about it than she is, actually,” Lenore chuckled.

She sat down at the table, setting her basket down and pulling out a loaf of brown bread.

“Anthony, do you want to join us?” Sally asked.

“Thank you, no, Miss,” Anthony said, taking up a position next to the door.

“Anthony doesn’t believe he should socialize with me,” Lenore said, pouring herself some tea.

“Well, look what happened when your last bodyguard did,” Maggie chuckled, “That’s how you wound up pregnant.”

“And married,” Lenore said.

“Both situations I’d like to avoid,” Sally said, cutting herself a slice of the bread Lenore brought. “Did Ramona make this?”

Before Lenore could answer, the door opened again and Emily came in. Her eyes were red, but she had a smile on her face. “It is cold out there, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Three days before Darkest Night, it ought to be,” Sally said, but she was giving her friend a searching look.

As Emily put a plate of cold sausages on the table, likely freshly made from her butcher shop, Lenore said, “Have you got a cold?”

“No, Princess,” Emily said, “Why?”

“Because your eyes are red and you sound stuffy. I actually believe you’ve been crying, but I thought I’d rule out cold first,” Lenore said. “What happened?”

Emily sighed and sat down next to Sally. “I’d just as soon not talk about it, to be honest.”

“Your meeting with your father went poorly,” Maggie said.

Emily’s head snapped up. “When I said I didn’t want to talk about it, I didn’t mean that I wanted other people to talk about it.”

“I didn’t know you were talking to your father,” Lenore said.

“She’s not,” Sally said, “Not on the regular, anyway.”

“Are none of you going to listen to me?” Emily cried.

“No,” Maggie said, “Not when you’re acting ashamed over something your papa should be ashamed of.”

Emily turned to Lenore imploringly. “It’s nothing, really,” she said.

“Truly,” Lenore said, “it’s nothing that’s got your eyes red with crying? I won’t press you if you don’t want to talk about it. But don’t insult my intelligence by lying to me, please. It’s insulting.”

“You’d better just tell her, or I will,” Maggie said, and Sally nodded in agreement.

“Fine,” Emily said, sighing. “I wanted to ask him if Tom could have our family name. He’s about to be blessed into the church, and I didn’t want him to be a Grace.”

Grace, Lenore knew, was the last name given a bastard child not recognized by their father’s family.

“He had to give his consent, or the church can’t bless him under your family name,” Lenore said.

“Aye,” Emily said, “But he won’t allow it.”

She was tearing up again. Lenore pulled out one of her handkerchiefs, embroidered in her own glowing light thread. Emily took it and dabbed under her eyes. “It shouldn’t matter,” she said, “but d’you know what he said to me? He said that he ought to be glad he hasn’t disowned me. That Mamma’s got to go to social events with Eugene’s wife, and that’s a humiliation. That a man they were really keen on marrying Liza won’t even make an offer, because of Tom. Here I’ve been, working in that butcher shop until my fingers bled until Master Owen’s wanted to retire and sold the place to me. I made my own life, bought my own house, own my own shop. I’ve never asked Papa for a single oct, but I asked him for our name. And all he can say is how I’ve embarrassed the family.”

Maggie moved closer to put an arm around Emily. “Anyone with sense would be proud to have you as a daughter, you know,” she said, “Just shows what a fool he is.”

Lenore leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knee. “I’m so sorry, Emily,” she said, “Isn’t there anything Elder Brother John can do?”

“I don’t think so,” Emily said. “And anyway, I’d hate to ask him. Monica, she’s one of the daughters-,”

“Monica and I know each other,” Lenore said, nodding.

“Well, she and I grew up close. She said Elder Brother John brought Papa and Eugene into his office and gave them a loud talking to. Said a man who couldn’t be a good papa wasn’t a good man. I don’t know what he expected that would do, but it didn’t do anything.”

“I expect they both told him the same thing,” Sally said, “They’ve got other children to think of. They can’t darken their prospects for a whore daughter and a bastard son.”

When the other women looked at her, she shrugged. “I don’t have to like or agree with the minds of wicked men to understand how they think.”

If Lenore had hoped that her visit with the girls would brighten her spirits, she was wrong. She went back to the palace, feeling lower than she had when she left.

She found Victor and her father, King Samuel, in the games room brooding over a chess board. Both men looked up when she and Anthony came in.

“Bug,” Samuel said, smiling at her. “Did you have a good time with your friends?”

“Not really,” Lenore said, taking a seat next to Victor.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, putting an arm around her waist. “Are the girls alright?”

“No,” Lenore said, “They’re not. Emily’s son is about to have his blessing, and he’s going to be a Grace. She wanted her father to let him have their family name, and he wouldn’t.”

She looked at her father and reached across the table for his hand. “This girl, she did the same thing I did, you know. The only difference was that the man didn’t want to marry her.”

“It’s hard, to see someone treated so unfairly,” the king said, nodding.

Then, his face brightened. “But, dear, you know that she doesn’t have to give her son her father’s name. Women can inherit now. She can give her own name to him.”

“What do you mean?” Lenore asked, “She doesn’t have any other name to give him. She has her father’s name, and he’s the patriarch of their family.”

“Well,” Samuel said, “maybe there’s something we can do about that.”

The day before Darkest Night, Lenore again made her way down to Maggie’s pub. She carried a basket full of gifts for the girls and their families. Victor was with her, sitting by her side.

When they arrived at the pub, Maggie and her husband <?> were there, with his daughter, Rosie. Sally was there, with her father Otis. Emily and Tom were there as well. Tom and Rosie were running around the bar, shouting for each other. They didn’t even notice when the prince and princess walked in.

“Look at them,” Victor said, warmly. “Soon our little girls will be running around with them.”

“Yes,” Lenore said, smiling.

“Hello,” Maggie said, coming to give them both hugs. “A peaceful Darkest Night to you both.”

“And you,” Lenore said, giving her a tight hug. “Shall we start with the presents?”

“I think the children would like that, yes,” Maggie said, laughing, as both children in question stopped in their tracks at the word presents.

“You must both sit down at the table and be quiet, though,” Lenore said. They both scrambled to get into a chair.

The adults took out wrapped gifts for the children first. Both children received a rubber ball, a jump rope, and a wooden soldier. They thanked each adult politely, then fell to playing in earnest.

Lenore let Maggie, Sally, and Emily give out their gifts first.

Maggie had a bottle of sweet wine for each of them.

Emily gave them all jars of garlic stuffed olives that made Lenore’s mouth water when she opened hers.

Sally gave everyone thick leather date books that looked very much like her own.

Finally, it was Lenore’s turn.

“For Maggie,” Lenore said, reaching into her basket, “I’ve made you a shawl.” She handed her friend a soft knitted shawl that shone softly with her magical yarn.

“Oh, it’s so lovely, Lenore,” Maggie said, putting it over her shoulders.

“For Sally,” Lenore said, “A set of silver candlestick holders, to commemorate you taking over the business.”

“And they’ll look quite handsome on my desk, thank you,” Sally said, taking the holders with a smile.

“And Emily,” Lenore said, reaching into the basket. “Oh, but it’s empty.”

“Lenore, you did not even forget Emily’s gift,” Maggie gasped.

“Wait, no,” Lenore said, “I have it. It just didn’t fit in a basket.”

She stood up. “Emily, as princess heir, it is my privilege to give titles to citizens that have earned them through good or brave works. When you had your son, you could have given him up to the church and gone back to a life of comfort as a wealthy man’s daughter. But instead, you committed yourself to him and creating a life that was all your own. For that, I’d like to give you your own family name, Fleischer. This is your own, and your son’s. No one can ever take it from you.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “Wait, d’you mean it? Can you do that?”

“I can,” Lenore said, “and I should.”

“Oh,” Emily said, “this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten, Lenore, thank you!”

“That’s hardly a gift, it’s something you’ve earned,” Sally said, putting a hand on Emily’s shoulder. “Personally, I think Lenore still owes you a present.”

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The five best moms of fiction

Let’s hear it for the moms. Mother’s Day is Sunday, so I wanted to share my top five favorite fictional mothers. 

Marge Simpson

Ah, Marge. She’s exactly what we all think of when we think of a mom. She’s kind,Marge supportive, loving. She bakes cookies and makes her family warm breakfasts every day. She believes in Bart even at his worst. She supports Lisa even in her most depressed. 

My favorite moment from Marge is when Lisa is depressed. Marge thinks back to her mother, and her insistence that Marge always has a smile on her face.

Marge tells Lisa that if she’s going to be sad that she should go ahead and be sad. She, Marge, would ride it out with her. 

Lynn Sear

I know it’s really popular to shit on M. Night Shyamalan right now, and with good reason. I’ll never forgive him for what he did to Avitar the Last Airbender. But that doesn’t mean that all of his movies are bad. Sixth Sense was, in fact, really freaking good. And Lynn Sear was pretty freaking cool.

Look at Sixth Sense from her perspective. Her kid is weird, he’s depressed. He spends more time than a normal kid talking to people she can’t see. And then, at the end of the damned movie, he starts babbling on about her dead father and how proud of her he is. And she just loves him and does her best to help with a situation she can’t begin to understand. 

Sarah Connor

Sarah Connor is a badass, scary as hell character who takes no shit from anyone. She raises her son the best way she knows how given what she knows. She makes sure that he has the training to survive the coming apocalypse. She hangs out with guys who will teach her son. She doesn’t give a damn about her own life, just so long as she can make him the man he needs to be.

Joyce Byers

Played by the fantastic Winona Ryder, Joyce is exactly the sort of adult we always want to see in horror movies. She sees the crazy shit going on, she listens to the concerns of the kids, and she listens to them! She doesn’t dismiss the kids because they’re children. Weird shit starts going down, and she’s paying enough attention to see it. And when her kid goes missing, she never gives up on him.

Morticia Addams

This is the hill I will die on! Morticia Addams is the best mom in fiction and no one can Morticiatell me any different! 

Morticia’s whole life is about her kids. She loves them fiercely, but she doesn’t hover. She allows them to grow, explore, make mistakes and learn from them. But she’s always there when they need her.

Morticia doesn’t miss PTA meetings. She goes to every open house. And when her kids start making some decisions she doesn’t agree with, like wanting to go to shudder Summer Camp, she supports them. 

So that’s my list of the top five best moms in fiction. Now I want to hear from you. Who’s your favorite fictional mom? Let us know in the comments below. 

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4

Weekends at play

Cover art from MabelAmber.

Creators all over the internet are taking advantage of this quarantine to create more than normal. There are more podcasts, more blog posts, more art. Every other post online seems to be about how everyone’s stuck at home, so we might as well have good things to read, watch and listen to.

Every time I see one of those posts, I kind of want to smack the person who wrote it. Yeah, lots of people have more free time than normal. Some of the rest of us are working harder than ever because we work in essential jobs. 

Now, I work from home. Please don’t think for one second that I don’t understand what an awesome privilege that is. I am safe, my family is safe. I’m not one of the many trying to get unemployment right now. I’m thankful for that. 

I’m also stupid busy again. I’m working extra hours, trying to get a book out, writing more for some of my freelance clients and PBW. Now seems like the dumbest time to add something else to my plate.

So, I’m not. What I’m doing instead is taking every other weekend off to write short stories. I don’t work on the novel, I don’t work on promotional stuff. I just write flash and micro fiction for a whole weekend. If I were a painter, I would liken this to stepping away from my work in progress to wash the paint off my hands and sketch. 

If you’re a creator, here are five reasons why you might consider doing the same thing.

Lets stories out that are talking to me.

Any writer will tell you that getting ideas is not the problem. It’s never been the problem. The problem is what to do with all the damn ideas! I have this great novel I’m writing and I’m super excited about it. But I also have this idea for an eerie little piece. And I want to write about some dark moments from my childhood. And some bright moments. And maybe I’d like to talk about some things going on in the world right now. 

There was a time when I thought serious writers worked on one project at a time. I thought that chasing all of these different stories was childish. It went right against the Lion meditation I love so much. 

But here’s the thing. When I ignore those stories, they start digging away. They become the distraction that I can’t ignore. They make me resent the story I’m working on. I can’t have all these other stories because I’m working on this one! That’s not a good way to work.

Gives me new material to get up faster than novels.

Novels take time. Anyone who has a favorite author knows this. I have a list of authors I check on monthly to see if their new book is coming out soon. This month. This year? Please?

I hope that somewhere a reader is waiting for my new book the same way I wait for Tamora Pierce’s new book. And if that person is out there, I want to be able to put out other things that might give them something entertaining to consume while they wait.

I also like to get my name out there every so often, to make sure people don’t forget me.

Lets me play with ideas.

I am an artist. I know I don’t put it that way often, but there it is. Writing is art. And I want to explore that. I want to try new things, new points of view. I want to write about weird little shit that might never make a full novel. Who’s that old man I saw on the bus, where’s he going? Can I write a story in a weird pov? Can I write a story about the lifetime of a shoe, or a bird, or a gift card? Can I write a story about this creepy picture I just found?

I need the freedom to explore. To write things that might not work. To write things just for me. 

Gives me a break.

Frankly, I need a break sometimes. I need to take my eyes off the project at hand and do something else. 

I’m writing dark science fiction. I might want to put that down and make a ghost story. Or maybe a little smut. Maybe a nonfiction essay. A change is as good as a rest, is what I’m saying.

Sends me back to my WIP with fresh eyes.

Of course, the weekend will end and I’ll get back to my novel. Of course, the work I did when not working on my novel is still writing. So maybe I learned something I can bring to my novel. Or I learned something new. Maybe it’s even something I can write into the novel. It all feeds into the work at large.

And even if I don’t learn anything new, my writing will be better for the fresh eyes I bring to it. 

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My updated podcast list, May 2020

Now and then I like to go through my list of podcasts I listen to and share it with all of you. I’m a very fickle soul and I get tired of things quickly. I also find new and exciting things to listen to. I’m kind of like a crow with a shiny new thing. So this list is changing all the time.

Right now a lot of us are at home more than we’ve ever. Many of us need some entertainment. Preferably something that doesn’t cost anything. So here’s a recent roundup of my podcasts. Some are purely for entertainment, some talk about writing. Some talk about things we should all learn about. Enjoy.

Lore

Aaron Mahnke

I’ve been listening to Lore for quite some time now. I’m pretty sure this was in my last collection. But I still love it.

The episodes talk about different dark and creepy tales from history. And they’re all told by Aaron, who has the smoothest, sexiest voice. 

Cabinet of Curiosities

Aaron Mahnke

So smooth that I started listening to the second podcast of his. This is also a history podcast, though much shorter. The stories aren’t necessarily scary, some are funny. I can honestly say I’ve never listened to a boring episode.

Writing Excuses

Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Taylor and Mary Robinette Kowal

This podcast has been included in almost every podcast update I’ve ever written. Given my aforementioned fickle nature, that should tell you all you need to know about this podcast.

But I’ll tell you a little more. I have learned so much about writing from this podcast, I can’t start to tell you. If you’re a writer just starting, listen to this podcast every week. If you think you’re an established author, listen to this podcast every week.

Ditch Diggers

Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace

If you catch me laughing in public, I’m probably listening to this. Ditch Diggers is the most brutally honest, funny podcast about the business side of writing I’ve ever heard. I love every episode, and I’m always getting new ideas from it. 

Diy mfa

Gabriela Pereira

This is so much more than a podcast. DIY MFA is a whole online community with classes and posts all dedicated to bringing creative education within the grasp of everyone. And I am here for it! 

On the podcast, Gabriela interviews authors on a range of topics that never fail to fascinate and interest me. I learn something every time I listen.

Science Rules

Bill Nye (the science guy)

Bill, Bill, Bill! Alright, got that out of my system. 

Bill Nye has been teaching me science since I was in first grade. And he’s still doing it today with his podcast, Science Rules. It is for adults, thank you. And that’s part of the cool thing about it. Science Rules feels like I’m talking with my favorite uncle. He still remembers me as a little kid, but he recognizes that I’m an adult now, too. So, bad dad jokes but a willingness to discuss difficult topics.

One topic he’s talking a lot about right now is, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic. And if you’re looking for clear, honest information about a scary situation, this is the podcast you want to be listening to.

Bad With Money

Gaby Dunn

I think this one was also on my last list of podcasts. I hope so because it’s a great place to be if you’re, you know, bad with money. It’s simple, no-nonsense talk about money from people you don’t usually hear talking about money. Gaby doesn’t judge you about your money choices. She just lays out the facts. And some of the facts are useful. Some are inspirational. Some are just a pat on the back and the realization that you’re not alone. And maybe it’s not that you’re bad with money. Maybe it’s that our economy sucks and we’re all just doing the best we can.

So that’s my updated list of what I’m listening to. But I want to know what you think. Leave a comment below to share your favorite podcast. 

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Why Into The Spiderverse works, even though it shouldn’t

If there’s one complaint I have about comic books, it’s the sheer lack of continuity. I’m hardly the only fan to have this problem, and I’m sure I won’t be the last.

In a way, I do understand. Comic book characters like Batman, the X-Men and Avengers have been written and rewritten for decades to keep them up to date with modern times. But it can also be confusing as hell! One character has a dozen or so backstories. Nothing’s canon with each other.

But we put up with it as comic book fans, and I’ll tell you why. Because amid all the clutter and chaos we get stories that are true works of art. With so many authors and creators working with these iconic characters, we get some of the worst content (Batman and Robin). But we also get some of the best.

Into The Spiderverse is part of the latter camp. 

I know, I’m late to the game with this one, but I have a good reason. I really, really didn’t Spiderverse, groupthink I was going to like this movie. It looked like a mess, to be honest. All these different renditions of Spiderman, a character I’ve never been super fond of to start with, mashed together just seemed like a comedy of errors. Multiple art forms, varying storylines. I wasn’t down for that. Even the inclusion of my favorite actor, Liev Schriber, as the antagonist wasn’t enough to tempt me into it. I mean, he was in My Little Pony too, and I sure as hell am not sitting through that. 

It wasn’t going to work unless everyone involved gave a shit about what they were doing. And I mean, they needed to put their heart and soul into this. There could be no half-assed writing, no lazy graphics. It needed to flow because there were a lot of conflicting stories that could flow very, very wrong.

Fortunately, everyone used their whole ass. 

Let’s start with character creation. We quickly establish Miles, the main character, as a good kid. A smart kid who has a pretty good life. He’s going to a good school, has a loving family. And his hero, like everyone in his city, is SpiderMan. He’s not a perfect kid. He’s often found out with his uncle spray painting the subway walls. But it’s beautiful art, so it’s hard to be mad at him. You just really like him from the start.

And then he gets bit by a radioactive spider. 

One thing I love about Miles is that he has some common sense. He finds out he has superpowers that are just like his hero. And he goes right to said hero to teach him. None of this going it alone nonsense. He knows he needs a teacher, and he tries to find one.

It’s so refreshing to have a teenage main character that isn’t a total idiot.

Spiderverse MilesOne reason I think Into The Spiderverse works is that they were ready for people like me. People who are a little tired of all the different versions of characters. So, they decided to poke fun of it. They included characters like Peter Porker, played by the hilarious John Mulaney. They included a Noir Spiderman, who I’d never heard of before. I straight up thought they’d added Rorschach from Watchman when I was watching ads for this movie. They also included a messed up Peter who’s screwed his life to shit.

I think what worked here was that they let each of these characters be separate characters. The Spiderman-bot from Japan was a big scary robot powered by a teenage mechanic. Miles was a funny kid who just wants to do right by people. Peter Porker is, as always, hilarious. The story allowed each to be honest to their character while not overpowering the story. It was in their word usage, their actions. Their artwork and body language told a story. But they never took over from the main storyline. 

In addition to blending the different characters well, they also blended the story well. I always think the best stories are the ones that are serious, dark, gritty and funny. There’s a reason I’m such a big fan of Joss Whedon. 

This is largely done by allowing each of the varied characters to stay in their lane. They allowed the funny characters to be funny, the serious characters to be serious. They let the dark moments go dark, without pulling any punches. For instance, there’s a part where Doc Oct is revealed. And she’s like, very interested in watching Peter suffer horribly. They don’t shield us from that. They also don’t shield us from the antagonist’s sad, sadistic backstory. 

I think that’s the way to handle stories like this. As always, I like it because it’s honest. Life is dark, and sometimes there’s no softening that. But life is still funny, even in dark times. At least, I think it is. But I’m usually the one cracking jokes at the funeral. (At least I’m not the one with a couple of cases of beer in the back of the car at the funeral. At least that brave soul decided to share.)

If you want a masterclass in blending styles, watch Into The Spiderverse. Watch how they focus on one main story that ties all the characters together while balancing them so that each one shines.

Preorder Falling From Grace and be entered to win a free autographed copy of Broken Patterns. And, get an instant download of the first four chapters. Just send me a screenshot Falling From Grace eBookof your preorder recipt to nicolecluttrell86@gmail.com.

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Falling From Grace is now available for Pre-order!

Pretty exciting news today. Falling From Grace, the fourth book in the Woven series, is now available for pre-order!

Meet Grace.

A woman of the rebellion, Grace’s life has been one of hardship. Her people live in poverty, under the uncaring eyes of their mad king. So when her brother in law, Calvin, leads an army to overthrow the king, she inspires the women to become healers, witches and warriors.

But once she gets Calvin on the throne, her world only becomes darker.

Given all of the power of the crown, Calvin gives into his darker instincts. While Grace learns to be a witch and queen, Calvin slowly loses his mind. He becomes a crueler king than any the country of Calistar has ever seen. Grace finds that her greatest challenge is overthrowing the king she put on the throne.

You can preorder it right now by clicking here!

When you do preorder it, I have a special gift for you. Send me a screenshot of your preorder recipt at nicolecluttrell86@gmail.com. I’ll send you the first for chapters of Grace right away.

And, you’ll be entered to win an autographed copy of Broken Patterns, sent right to your door, for free!

Don’t forget, you have to send me a screenshot of your preorder recipt to enter for the free book and get the first four chapters of Falling From Grace.

 

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Fantasy fans in the 21st century

Today’s cover art is from Free-Photos

Speculative fiction has been seeing a lot of love over the last decade. I’ve lost count of the number of cult classic books and modern loves that I was sure I alone knew about, that are now considered mainstream works. Fantasy and science fiction, in particular, has been going strong. (Horror is always doing good, it seems. Especially in times of hardship. Stephen King has a great essay about that in his book Danse Macabre. If you haven’t read it, read it.)

As a lifelong speculative fiction fan myself, I couldn’t be happier that everyone is finally seeing what I see in my favorite stories and characters. It is amazing to see all these little teenagers going nuts over the latest Laini Taylor book. 

On the other hand, being a fantasy fan these days kind of blows. Like with everything, there are pros and cons to cult favorites hitting the mainstream. 

Why we have it so good

Let’s get this one out of the way right now, I love e-books. Yes, I still love me a good thick hardcover, but for ease of use, you just can’t beat an e-book. I can carry around my whole library with me wherever I go. How many times have you had to carry two books with you because you were just about to finish one? How many times have you had to carry a bigger bag because you’re reading the hardcover version of Dances With Dragons? No more of that!

I also love that I can get e-books on the launch day even if I’m too busy to make it to the store. Especially right now, when I can’t get to any store without fearing for my damn life. That would have saved my life if I’d had it when the last Harry Potter book came out. Instead, I was stationed in front of my local book store when they opened the door, waiting.

I also really love that so many of our favorite things are showing up on the screen, and most of them are good! I’ve talked a lot about quality adaptations on this site, so I won’t go into it again. But it’s been a while since anyone had to shush me in a movie theater because I launched into a geek tirade.

Speaking of the geek, we are for sure living in the age of the Geek. (At least in culture. I sort of wish our politics here in America still thought it was cool to be, you know, smart. But that’s another topic for another day.) We’re not seen as losers now for liking things like comic books and D&D. They’re all the rage. People know who Tolkin is now!

Of course, because there are so many people interested in fantasy and science fiction, the market is catering to us. There’s a ton of new stuff and most of it’s good! The best example I can think of right now is The Orville. It’s like Star Trek for a modern audience. And it’s not the only thing for fans to be cheering over. The new Twilight Zone, Star Trek Picard. All the good things are coming back.

Why we sort of don’t

There is nothing that is purely good or purely bad. I do love e-books but there are some books I want to have a physical copy of. There lies the problem, books are freaking expensive to buy! They’re expensive to produce, too. Listen, I write and sell this stuff as well as consume it. Trust me, no one but Amazon is getting rich off that $20 and up price tag for new releases. It’s real easy to spend over $100 on books in a month if you want to get the physical copies. And as much as I think it’s worth it, I also know I can’t afford it. 

There are other issues, of course, with things we love going public. People who don’t understand our world are invading it. I have just one too many times overheard conversations about comic book characters that are so off the mark that I’m loth to keep walking. I do because I don’t need to be that crazy person in town. Screaming at strangers for not understanding the complexity of Tony Stark and his struggle with alcoholism is not a good look. But it should be!

Hey, remember when we were talking about books and how expensive they are? That’s not the only way marketing teams are getting our cash. Our beloved worlds are being marketed to Hell. All of our beloved characters are being sold to us on water bottles, action figures, and posters.

This isn’t to say I’m not as big of a sucker as they come. I had a pair of Jack Skellington Vans that I wore until they had holes in the heel. I also had a Gryffindor hoodie that I lost somewhere. (I’m a Hufflepuff anyway.) I have a Harley Quinn poster and a Daddy’s Little Monster t-shirt. But at some point, it all becomes too much. At some point, we’re just being sold cheap crap for too much because it happens to have the Cheshire Cat on it.

Finally, with great stories come great rip-offs. Or not so great rip-offs, usually. Or just real shit trying to pass for quality storytelling. For every Orville, there’s a Star Trek Discovery. For every ‘Salem’s Lot, there’s a Twilight. There is so much science fiction and fantasy coming out because it’s popular. We can’t get enough of it when it’s good. But we can sure get a gullet full when it’s created without love or thought, only a desire for a quick sale.

I’ll never stop being a fan of science fiction and fantasy. I imagine you won’t either if you’re reading this. For good or bad, we’ll always be here to explore any new worlds available to us. 

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Things to remember when writing different classes

Today’s cover art is from Anastacia Cooper.

As an author, no one is more critical of my work than me. No one is a bigger fan than me, either. But we all know how fantasy fans are. We only truly rip apart what we love most. And when it comes to Woven, I’m always thinking of things I wish I’d done better. I’ve written other books since then, and I’m sure I’ll find a thousand faults with them over time. 

One thing I’ve struggled with in Woven is that three of the four main characters were noble from birth. While not a single character was supposed to be running things, everyone but Victor was a princess or prince.

That was fun and all, but it was also really limiting. How someone sees the world differs dramatically in different social classes. So when I was writing Grace, her point of view was far different than Lenore’s. Honestly, it was a lot closer to my point of view. 

Today I wanted to share with you the four things I had to shift my writing perspective when writing for Grace.

Dialog

The first change is almost cosmetic, but it’s important. It was how people talked. A princess is going to talk far differently than a common woman, and honestly, it’s a lot more fun writing for the latter. A lot more telling people off and swearing up a storm.

Work

Another big change was the work each character did. Grace goes through many changes in this book, as her responsibilities change. She goes from keeping a house and feeding her family to running a castle. What she even considers work changes from the start of the book to the end. Things that once were chores seem like a vacation now.

What’s important to remember is that what a character does every day is always going to seem easier and more boring than something new. Someone who is used to washing, mending, cleaning and gardening is going to consider a day of meetings, decision making and paperwork freaking exhausting! This was a real shock to me when I transitioned from retail to a desk job years ago. I didn’t think using my brain would be so tiring but man! 

Appreciation

This is something I’ve experienced in my own life. What you appreciate and what you take for granted depends largely on what you’re used to. And as much as we all try not to take things for granted, we all do it. I took for granted that I was healthy until my cholesterol got all messed up. But I’ve never taken my next paycheck for granted. I’ve never taken my home or the health of my loved ones for granted.

Grace will never take a meal for granted. She’ll never take the safety of her home or family for granted.

She does take for granted that her oldest friend and protector, Calvin, will always be there to protect her. That she can depend on him so long as he can depend on her. 

Like most of us, the things she takes for granted are often the things she losses. 

Fears

In a related note, what scares us is often tied to what we take for granted. What we’re certain we won’t ever lose. 

In Woven, Lenore fears largely for her people. She’s not often scared for herself because she’s always been physically safe. She’s never skipped a meal, never had to scape and suffer. But she fears that she’s going to fail her people. And that she cannot abide. 

Grace is afraid that she won’t have food for her family. She’s afraid that soldiers are going to kill them. She’s afraid that they will simply not survive. And it’s likely that no matter how many years of comfort she may or may not have, those fears will probably never go away. 

After writing for nobility and writing for average people, I do have a preference. And if you liked me writing about princesses, I might have some bad news for you. I think I like writing about regular people more. The reason is pretty simple and I hope you’ll agree. 

I love writing people who don’t have the overt power to make changes, but they do it anyway. I mean, isn’t that what we’re all trying to do, change our communities and worlds for the better? My real-life heroes are not usually destined for greatness. They’re everyday people who decided to make a difference.

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Comparing Victor and Calvin, or a discussion of the fine line between man and monsters

Today’s lovely cover image is by Esteban Arboleda Bermudez.

Last week I compared and contrasted Lenore and Grace. That was a lot of fun, so I thought I’d do it again. This week, I want to compare Victor and Calvin.

Unlike with Grace and Lenore, when the point was that I wanted them to not mirror each other, Victor and Calvin have more similarities than not. Of course, one’s an out and out monster, while the other is a hero. But that’s sort of the point of these two.

There’s a thin line between a man and monster. Or a woman and monster for that matter. That’s why I wanted to write this book, though. Calvin is a monster, but that’s not all that he is. Victor is a hero, but there are shadows in his past as well.

So let’s compare these two brothers and see what made one a king and one a killer.

Victor, as you may know if you’ve read the first trilogy, sees shades of gray. He walks between the legal and illegal side of Septa, visiting prostitutes and being on good terms with the kings of the underworld. But he’s a good man, good father, a good husband. And as he embraces the dark and light in himself, he accepts the good and bad in the people he interacts with.

Calvin doesn’t see shades of grey. He sees black and white, good and bad. Septa stole land from Calistar decades ago, they will always be bad. The aristocracy of Calistar is evil, all of them. The Brotherhood are good men, everyone. Their women and children are good and worth doing anything to save.

It’s a simple and clear world view and one that’s totally wrong. I suppose the duality of these two characters shows my own bias. The mentality that they are good and we are bad is the root of all evil in the world, in my opinion.

Another difference between Victor and Calvin is loyalty and their opinion of it. For Calvin, loyalty is essential, no matter the situation. Once you are loyal to someone, you had better stay loyal to them. Once you hate someone, you’d better keep right on hating them.

No matter the future actions of that person.

For Victor, loyalty is earned and can be lost. And while it might take some time to earn it, it takes only a moment to lose it. 

That aside, the two have more in common than they don’t. Neither of them has much patience for laziness. Both have a view of how women and men are supposed to be, though Victor’s opinion about that changes. And both would do anything, even horrible things, for their children.

I hope you enjoy seeing a different side of Calvin from the one we saw in the Woven trilogy. He’s a lot more than just a monster, though he is certainly that. 

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