Title: Velveteen vs. The Melancholy of Autumn.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( Velveteen opened her eyes to find herself staring up into the rafters of a house that should probably have been condemned five minutes after it was built...Collapse )

The fourth episode of Indexing: Reflections is available now! This is your talkpost and discussion zone. There will be spoilers in the comments here. As always on talkposts, I have partial comment amnesty, and will not be responding to everything.

"Split Ends" is where we really start rolling into the central plot of this season, and when we start to get a better look at the workings of the whiteout wood. Always Henry's favorite thing.

Once upon a time...

...sorry that you feel so bad; I think you'll be all right.

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the never-ending parade of ongoing projects, keeping me from losing track of what I'm doing and dissolving into a weeping pile of insecurities and confusion. Hooray!

Publications

Indexing: Reflections, episode four, September 22, 2015 (47North).
"Something Lost, Something Gained," October 6, 2015 (Seize the Night).
"Each to Each" (reprint), October 6, 2015 (The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy).
Indexing: Reflections, episode five, October 6, 2015 (47North).
"The Way Home," October 13, 2015 (website).
Indexing: Reflections, episode six, October 20, 2015 (47North).
"Into the Green," October 27, 2015 (Bloodlines).
Indexing: Reflections, episode seven, November 3, 2015 (47North).
"Hello Hello," November 16, 2015 (Future Visions: Stories Inspired By Science).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eight, November 17, 2015 (47North).
"Snake in the Glass," November 18, 2015 (website).
Chimera, November 24, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode nine, December 1, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode ten, December 15, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eleven, December 29, 2015 (47North).
"Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves," December 2015 (The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft).

Indexing: Reflections, episode twelve, January 5, 2016 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections collected edition, January 5, 2016 (47North).
"Heaps of Pearl," January 12, 2016 (website).
Chaos Choreography, March 1, 2016.
Every Heart a Doorway, April 5, 2016.
Rise, June 21, 2016.
"Forbidden Texts," August 26, 2016 (What the #@&% Is That?).
Once Broken Faith, September 6, 2016.

"Long Way Down," unknown (Genius Loci).
"Opening Band," unknown (The Paul and Storminomicon).

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

Contraflow V, October 2-5 2015, New Orleans LA.
Tuscon, October 30-November 1 2015, Tuscon AZ.
Press Start to Play at WORD, November 11, Jersey City NJ.
Chimera at WORD, November 24, Brooklyn NY.
Chessiecon, November 27-29 2015, Baltimore MD.

ConDFW, February 12-14 2016, Dallas TX.
Minicon, March 25-27 2016, Minneapolis MN.
Emerald City Comic-Con, April 7-10 2016, Seattle WA.
Marcon, May 6-8 2016, Columbus OH.
ConQuest 47, May 27-29 2016, Kansas City MO.
CrossingsCon, June 24-26 2016, New York NY.
San Diego International Comic-Con, July 21-24 2016, San Diego CA.

Worldcon, August 8-13 2017, Helsinki Finland.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

The Best Thing
"Carry Me Home"
"Pixie Season"
"These Antique Fables"
"vs. Complacency"
"Winter Sunshine"
"Dragonflies"
"Inch by Inch and Row by Row"
"School Colors"
Magic For Nothing
The Nativity of Chance
Echo

Again, to clarify some recent confusion: some things, especially novel-length things, may appear more than once, on both the "publication date" and "being written" lists. This is because the "being written" list is an aggregate, which also includes "no fixed deadline" (IE, being written on spec or for the website) and "unsold" (IE, being written because I can). So new books will appear there for a long time before they vanish, since books take a long time to write, but may also have pub dates listed higher up.

Look at that list. It's so shiny!

Every month I make a post to tell folks what I'm working on, a) because it seems polite, b) because it keeps me accountable, if only to myself, and c) so you will understand why I do not have a social life. This is the September 2015 post. Hooray! It is still very hot, and my state is constantly on fire.

To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the bizarre urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Chimera, Chaos Choreography). Once Broken Faith, Rewind, and The Nativity of Chance are off the list because they're finished and in revisions with the Machete Squad. The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

Not everything on this list has been sold. I will not discuss the sale status of anything which has not been publicly announced. If you can't remember whether I've announced something, check the relevant tag, or go to my website, at www.seananmcguire.com. Please do not ask why project X is no longer on the list. I will not answer you.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

Who likes to party?

Tomorrow I will be at Borderlands Books in San Francisco, California, appearing as part of the Tacos and Tecate Tor event alongside Greg van Eekout and Fran Wilde! Both cool people with cool books!

Since my Tor.com book, Every Heart a Doorway, will not be available until April of next year, I will be representing the fabulous The Doll Collection. To properly honor this, I'm bringing a bunch of my creepy dolls for people to admire. The fun starts at 6pm, so bring yourself, your book budget, and your willingness to get into a staring contest with a bunch of scary resin and vinyl people.

It's a party!

I have poster tubes! It's time to get rid of poster tubes! So:

Behold the poster thumbnail!



You can't really read the text at this size, but it's the full lyrics of "Wicked Girls Saving Ourselves." You can tell that the posters are absolutely gorgeous, thanks to the ever-wonderful graphic skills of my lovely lady Tara. They're 10" by 26", and I couldn't be happier with them.

The posters have a limited run of 500, which sounds like a lot, and yet is shrinking at a truly impressive rate. They aren't programmed into the ordering system on my website, and that's a good thing, since it gives me flow control and allows me to refuse orders when I'm not up for mailing. If you wanted to order a poster, here's what to do:

1) Send me an email via my website contact form, telling me how many posters you want. Posters are $20, plus $6 for shipping and handling within the United States ($15 shipping and handling internationally, for which I apologize, but the costs are obscene).

2) I can fit up to three posters in a tube, going to the same place. So three to one location is cost of posters + $6/$15, while three going to three locations would be cost of posters + $18/$45.

3) I will email you to confirm the request, and to provide my PayPal information. We can discuss payment by check.

The posters are printed on sturdy, acid-free, recycled paper, and again, gorgeous. They also frame really, really nicely, as my living room wall can attest. I'm not currently planning to reprint this design; when they're gone, they're gone, and will be replaced by something else (probably a poster based on either "Follow Me Down" or "Stars Fall Home").

Yay for pretty things!

(Note: The following post discusses depression and suicide, quite frankly. If you want to skip it, I will understand. Also, I am calling a preemptive comment amnesty, because I don't know that I can get through whatever comments may be left. Thank you.)

***

Today is National Suicide Prevention Day. Today is the day where we turn to ourselves and to others, and say "I'll see you tomorrow," because we're trying to promise to stay, and we're trying to ask them to do the same. Because we're still here. Because some people aren't. Because depression lies. Because the path gets narrow.

I'm still here. I'm still here because Disneyland exists, and I can go there, even if it's not as often as I'd like. I'm still here because my cats don't understand why I ever leave the house at all, even when it's to buy them food and treats, and they would never stop waiting for me to come home. I'm still here because there are so many dogs I have yet to meet.

I'm still here because I still ache for some of the people who have gone, and I don't want to do that to anyone who loves me. I'm still here because some days I'm too much of a coward to pick up the razor, and other days I'm brave enough not to pick up the razor, and as long as it stays out of my hand, I'm okay. I'm still here because I know that depression lies, and when it gets too loud, I can ask other people to talk me through the silence.

I'm still here because the Counting Crows are on tour again, because there are movies I still need to see and books I still need to read and favorite songs I still need to hear for the very first time. I'm still here because the thought of strangers going through my things distresses me (and is the reason that sometimes very bad depressive patches will come with a lot of acquisitions). I'm still here because I haven't had the chance to write the X-Men yet, and when I do, I am going to change the world. I'm still here because I want to be, because I need to be, and because the fight is still worth fighting.

I'm still here because the world contains tomatoes. Because Lush has started making a blackcurrant frosting-scented shower gel. Because I really like television. Because the stories I tell matter to people, sometimes more than I could ever have dreamed. Because I want to see a lot of Broadway shows. Because I've never been to Japan, or New Zealand, or Wyoming. Because there are so many corn fields for me to run through, laughing, in the autumn sun. Because the Great Pumpkin loves me.

I'm still here.

Your reasons for still being here may not be the same as mine. They probably aren't. Everyone's reasons are different. But I hope you'll stay. I hope you'll find your reasons.

I'll see you tomorrow.

The third episode of Indexing: Reflections is available now! This is your talkpost and discussion zone. There will be spoilers in the comments here. As always on talkposts, I have partial comment amnesty, and will not be responding to everything.

"Brotherly Love" marks the return of a fan favorite from season one who is, alas, not easy to integrate with the rest of the cast on a regular basis. Hopefully this is enough of a glimpse to satisfy.

Game on!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

Tomorrow's Party Schedule!

The Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show is returning to our home of homes at Borderlands Books, and we couldn't be happier about it. SEE! The Amazing Amy, imported all the way from Wisconsin to enchant you with her wicked ways! HEAR! The Incredible Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, masters of the rocking arts! GAZE IN AWE! At Paul and Beckett, guitar and harmonica, as they ensnare your senses! And I'll be there, of course.

Our evening...

4:00 PM: Setup, sound check, and final details. You can show up, but we may ignore you if you do. Sorry about that.
5:00 PM: Welcome to our party. We're done ignoring you now. Would you like to say hello?
5:15 PM: How about some music?
5:45 PM: Perhaps you would like to win things.
6:00 PM: Now there will be cupcakes and autographing.
6:30 PM: More music?
7:00 PM: More prizes?
7:10 PM: Q&A and book discussion.
7:40 PM: Let's raffle some more stuff off.
7:50 PM: Thanks and final questions before we close the evening.

This iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be in the cafe; the bookstore will be open throughout the evening. The cafe will also be open, and they've promised to have plenty of bread and delicious pastry this time. Raffle tickets will be available through the two standard methods: show up, or buy something from the bookstore.

All performing musicians will have CDs for sale, because we're predictable like that. There may also be T-shirts. There will be cupcakes provided in the bookstore as part of the party, and a whole cafe full of delicious things to purchase and enjoy. If you can't come, remember that the store does phone and email orders, and will be happy to provide you with a signed book.

It's gonna be a good night. Hope to see you there.

To celebrate the release of A Red-Rose Chain, here. Have an open thread to discuss the book. Judging by the comments I'm seeing, some of you have had time, and I'd really, really rather book discussion (sometimes including spoilers) didn't crop up on other posts.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

Seriously. If anyone comments here at all, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. So please don't read and then yell at me because you encountered spoilers. You were warned. (I will not reply to every comment; I call partial comment amnesty. But I may well join some of the discussion, or answer questions or whatnot.) I will be DELETING all comments containing spoilers which have been left on other posts. No one gets to spoil people here without a label.

You can also start a discussion at my website forums, with less need to be concerned that I will see everything you say! In case you wanted, you know, discussion free of authorial influence, since I always wind up getting involved in these things.

Have fun, and try not to bleed on the carpet.

So tomorrow is my happy bookday, as A Red-Rose Chain drops and everything is awesome. I'll open a talkpost for y'all as early as I can, but I have a morning dentist appointment, so it may not be as early as I'd like. Please do not leave spoilers on other threads; wait for the talkpost to open, for the sake of people who may not be able to read right away, okay? Thank you so much.

I am super nervous. Pocket Apocalypse didn't make the NYT list, and I really, really hope A Red-Rose Chain does. So please forgive a little twitchiness as we go into the final countdown.

You're all amazing. Thank you for being here, and letting me tell you stories.

It means the world to me.

This coming Tuesday is my bookday! Happy bookday to me! Very soon, A Red-Rose Chain will be available from bookstores all over North America, and from import stores all over the world. It has yet to be spotted in the wild from California to New York, but I know it's coming. Hooray!

Since it's release week, I figured it was time to once again answer the wonderful people asking how they can help. So here are a few dos and don'ts for making this book launch awesome.

DO buy the book as soon as you can. Sales during the first week are very important—think of it as "opening weekend" for a movie—but they're not the end-all be-all. If you can get the book tomorrow, get the book; if you can get it at my book release party later this month, get it at my book release party. Whatever works for you. Brick-and-mortar store purchases are best, as they encourage reordering. If you've already bought the book, consider buying the book again during release week, as a single copy might get lonely. They make great gifts!

DON'T yell at other people who haven't bought the book yet. I know, that's sort of a "why are you saying this?" statement, but I got a very sad email from a teenager who'd been yelled at for not buying A Local Habitation the week that it came out, and I have never forgotten it. So just be chill. Unless you want to buy books for people who don't have them, in which case, don't yell, just buy.

DO ask your local bookstore if they have it on order. If your local store is part of a large chain, such as Barnes and Noble, the odds are good that the answer will be "yes," and that they'll be more than happy to hold one for you. If your local store is small, and does not focus specifically on science fiction/fantasy, they may have been waiting to see signs of interest before placing an order. Get interested! Interest is awesome!

DON'T berate your local bookseller if they say "no." Telling people they're overlooking something awesome doesn't make them go "gosh, I see the error of my ways." It makes them go "well, I guess it can be awesome without me." Suggest. Ask if you can special-order a copy. But don't be nasty to people just because their shelves can't hold every book ever written.

DO post reviews on your blog or on Amazon.com. Reviews are fantastic! Reviews make everything better! Please, write and post a review, even if it's just "I liked it." Honestly, even if it's just "this wasn't really my thing." As long as you're being fair and reasoned in your commentary, I'm thrilled. (I like to believe you won't all race right out to post one-star reviews, but if that's what you really think, I promise that I won't be mad.)

DON'T get nasty at people who post negative reviews. You are all people. You all have a right to the ball. That includes people who don't like my work. Please don't argue with negative reviewers on my behalf. It just makes everybody sad. If you really think someone's being unfair, why don't you post your own review, to present an alternate perspective? (Also, please don't email me my Amazon reviews. I don't read them, I don't want to read them, and I definitely don't want to be surprised with them. Please have mercy.)

DO feel free to get multiple copies. No, you probably don't need eight copies for your permanent collection, but remember that libraries, school libraries, and shelters are always in need of books. I'm donating a few of my author's copies to a local women's shelter, because they get a lot of women there who really need the escape. There are also people who just can't afford their own copies, and would be delighted. I wouldn't have had half the library I did as a teenager if it weren't for the kindness of the people around me.

DON'T feel obligated to get multiple copies, or pressure other people to do so. Seriously, we're all on budgets, and too much aggressive press can actually turn people off on a good thing. Let people make their own choices. Have faith.

DO check with your local library to be sure they have a copy of on order. If they don't, you can fill out a library request form. Spread the paperback love!

DON'T forget that libraries need books. Many libraries, especially on the high school level, are really strapped for cash right now, and book donations are frequently tax deductible. If you have a few bucks to spare, you can improve the world on multiple levels by donating books to your local public and high school libraries.

DO suggest the book to bookstore employees who like urban fantasy and talking mice. Nothing boosts sales like having people in the stores who really like a project. If your Cousin Danny (or Dani) works at a bookstore, say "Hey, why don't you give this a try?" It just might help.

DON'T rearrange bookstore displays. If the staff of my local bookstore is constantly being forced to deal with fixing the shelves after someone "helpfully" rearranged things to give their chosen favorites a better position, they're unlikely to feel well inclined toward that book—or author. It's not a good thing to piss off the bookstores. Let's just not.

So those are some things. I'm sure there are lots of other things to consider; this is, at least, a start. Finally, a few things that don't help the book, but do help the me:

Please don't expect immediate email response from me for anything short of "you promised us this interview, it runs tomorrow, where are your answers?" I normally make an effort to be a semi-competent correspondent, but with a new book on shelves and final edits due on Rewind, a lot of things are falling by the wayside. Like sleep.

If you're in the Bay Area, I hope to see you next Saturday night at Borderlands Books, where I will be reading, signing, and running a raffle for your enjoyment!

Whee!

Lo and behold, on September 1st, we will be returning to Borderlands Books to get our Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show on! As always, this means cupcakes during the break, and that's when you come in. Specifically...

If you are planning to attend the book event, and have a dietary restriction (vegan, gluten-free, specific allergies), please let me know before Monday, August 31st. Not all dietary restrictions can be accounted for (for example, if you're gluten-sensitive to parts-per-million, the cross-contamination risk is too high for me to tell you that the cupcakes are safe; there's wheat flour in the bakery), but I can at least try. Comment here to notify me of a dietary issue.

Because there is an increased charge for vegan, dairy-free, etc., I only order cupcakes to account for dietary restrictions I have been informed of. Please do not assume that because you came to the last event, and there were vegan cupcakes, that I will automatically have vegan cupcakes. You need to tell me if it's to happen.

See you in September!

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am no longer taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our tenth and final question comes from heavensgardener, who asked...

"I'm curious about Faerie and trans* people: are there any trans* and genderqueer fae, and if there are, how would this be handled legally/socially/etc? "

This is a great question. This is an important question. And this is a question where I am going to begin my answer with a disclaimer. Namely:

The fae are not human. The reason we have a changeling (Toby) as our primary entrance into the world, with a Cait Sidhe as her main love interest, is because in many ways, the older purebloods of the Divided Courts are so inhuman that they are difficult to explain. Some of them, like the Luidaeg, have spent so much time around humans that they've started thinking like humans do, but for the most part, they are intelligent creatures who are not us. Because of this, when I answer questions about the fae, a) I sometimes need to answer for purebloods and changelings separately, and b) an answer that is about purebloods is not a statement of how I necessarily think things work for real humans, in the real world. Okay? Okay.

So:

There are absolutely genderqueer fae. There are fae, such as the Undine, for whom a human form is a choice, and so they go with whatever they feel. Lily identified as female, so she was almost always female when she talked to Toby; there may have been others for whom she took on a male form, or a completely androgynous one. There are other fae who just don't think it's any of your damn business, and conduct themselves accordingly. The only time anyone will ask them to "commit" to a gender is when it's time to have an heir, which means that if they're not in the direct line of descent, they don't have to worry about it. There have been a few surprises when "Daav you know, Daav, doesn't like pronouns, always sort of assumed they had a penis? Yeah, well, Daav's pregnant," but on the whole, it's no big deal.

It's a bigger deal for genderqueer changelings, who exist at about the same percentage that they do in a human population (maybe slightly higher, as they are more likely to encounter positive genderqueer representation if they're growing up in the Summerlands). Changelings living in the mortal world have to deal with mortal shit. Changelings living in the Summerlands are often being raised by their fae parents, and fae parents can be weirdly gender essentialist about kids. IE, "I have wanted a daughter for three thousand years, you are going to wear that dress if it kills you." Sometimes fae parents do this with no concern for their kid's gender identity, because pureblood parents can be absolute assholes.

Trans fae are somewhat less common than genderqueer fae, and most of them, because they live in a magical world, will just go "well, I want transformation magic now," and have done. The only way to get a permanent transformation spell is to get it from one of the Firstborn, but re-casting once every hundred years can seem like a small price to pay.

Some alchemists have figured out how to make what are essentially the magical version of hormone replacements. This is because alchemists tend to prefer slow, steady, permanent solutions to "wave a wand and it's done."

Fae are very respectful of pronouns and gender declarations. The question of succession is usually handled by either naming a brother or sister's child as heir, or training an heir from a completely different bloodline, or marrying someone with whom a child is possible. (For someone using transformation spells, which would provide a complete biological reweaving, at least in the short term, this is easy. For someone using alchemy, this is harder. For someone who has made a deal with the Luidaeg, this ranges from easy to impossible.)

Trans changelings face many of the issues trans humans do, with the added options of using transformation magic or alchemy (and thus tying themselves more permanently to Faerie).

Selkie skins are interesting, because they transform the wearer from human to seal and back based on what their wearer knows themselves to be. So a Selkie who receives their skin will transform for the first time, and then return to an ideal version of themselves. This can mean a change of visible gender, and a great relief to the young Selkie.

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am no longer taking questions in the comments on the original post; with just one question left to go, I think we're full up.

Our ninth question comes from marabett, who asked...

"So, this may not be enough of a question to justify a post, but...We've seen a lot of discussion about how low fertility is for non-Firstborn fae, to the point where they'll even take human lovers just to obtain a baby who may later present significant issues of his/her own (the Choice, mortality, etc. etc.). Does this really take precedent over everything else? By which I mean, if you're a Daoine Sidhe having a fling with a rascally Cait Sidhe that you'd rather not have your spouse know about, would you, erm, take steps to ensure that you wouldn't give birth to a baby with a tail? Are there magical ways to block fertility -- after all, there don't seem to be any magical ways to *increase* fertility, or I assume the fae would make use of them...? Or is it as simple as a fae thinking in passing, "A child would be inconvenient," and voila, no offspring? Or...would the spouse in question be delighted at the birth of a child even if he weren't the progenitor, because hey, fae baby!

Are there rules and traditions around the conception of full-fae children totally out of marriage? If two single fae types who are dallying together for fun conceive, do they just start talking marriage without another thought, because it's just a given that proven fertility together is as good a basis for marriage as any other? Or is that so rare that it's just handled on a case-by-case basis? I noticed that we had gotten a lot of interesting information on how full-fae children are viewed in the context of a marriage, and how changelings are viewed, but not a lot of discussion about what would happen if, say, Helen and Raj found out that they were expecting.

Again, sorry if this is too picayune -- as a subfertile member of a species in which fertility is assumed as the default, I end up wondering about a lot of esoteric elements of fertility stuff even in fictional races.

Also, one more question, since we're on the topic of fae fertility...For a fae couple, is there something about managing to conceive one child that triggers increased fertility for a period afterwards? I ask because I've noticed several examples of fae couples who have no children for quite some time, but then have two or more in (relatively) rapid succession. Apologies if this is veering into spoiler territory."

Um, wow. Okay, points for a really detailed question. Also, wow are y'all collectively fascinated by babies. Is this a hint?

Anyway, we're going to break this down. First part:

"Is having a baby, period, more important than what that baby is? Is there birth control?"

Every fae marriage has its own rules. Some include fidelity; others do not. How likely they are to include fidelity is somewhat determined by the rank of the people involved. Two married Daoine Sidhe, for example, hoping for a Daoine Sidhe heir, are likely to practice very strict fidelity until they actually get a kid, because they don't want there to be any question of whether someone else can make a claim to their lands or titles. (Ex: Duchess has an affair, has a child with her seneschal. Child is made heir. Child dies in the absence of any other heir. Seneschal can now claim that their other child, as the sibling of the heir, has a legit claim to the title. Depending on how the local monarch rules, this might actually work. This is the problem with a system of governance wherein the person who wears the crown just does what they want.) Also remember that fae divorce requires the consent of any children; adding a third parent who is not part of the marriage vows only complicates things. Since many fae marry solely for procreation, this doesn't come up very often.

There is birth control, for those times when you really don't want to risk pregnancy. It's usually used right before and during long diplomatic missions. These are thankfully uncommon. (Some fae will also use birth control when they have plans for the next nine months/year that they'd really rather not change, viewing it as not tempting fate.)

Second part:

"What happens with full-fae children totally out of marriage?"

Instant divorce!

No, seriously.

Helen is not a pureblood, so I'm going to shift your example to Raj and Chelsea, as they're purebloods of approximately the same age. (Not that they're sleeping together, as Etienne would straight-up murder anyone getting his sixteen-year-old daughter pregnant, Oberon's Law be damned.) If the two of them had a baby, they would not be considered married, but would be considered divorced. This is the one time that the child does not get to choose which side of the family it will belong to. Raj and Chelsea would both be expected to make the case to their respective lieges for why they should (or shouldn't) have custody, and at the end, the baby would belong to one family or the other. There is no child support. There is no taking it back.

Third part:

"Is there a fertility boost following the birth of a child?"

Yes! No one is quite sure why, but having one baby seems to make it easier/more likely that you will have another, leading to clusters of two to four children born within a decade of each other. Most fae think this is very unfair. They are not wrong.

Okay, folks:

I am not Amazon.

I do not control what Amazon does, or when they do it.

Please do not tell me when Amazon fails to push an episode of Indexing: Reflections: tell Amazon. They are in a position to help you. I am not.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but...I had literally thirty people tell me when the episode pushed late today, and there was nothing I could do. I have no power here. You, as customers, honestly have more. So please, tell the people who can fix things, and let me live in my candy wonderland where nothing goes wrong.

The second episode of Indexing: Reflections is available now! This is your talkpost and discussion zone. There will be spoilers in the comments here. As always on talkposts, I have partial comment amnesty, and will not be responding to everything.

"Broken Glass" was originally blocked as the first episode of the season, before I realized that things would flow better if it came after the episode with internal affairs. It also sets up one of the big themes for this season: the idea that when the stories can't get you in their "pure" forms, there's always a chance that they'll take a step back and try another, equally deadly, way.

Fairy tales are flexible.

Game on!

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our eighth question comes from clodia_risa, who asked...

"How are the bloodlines from the Firsts of the fae passed to their descendents? Did the three have many Firsts (multiple Daoine Sidhe) who bred and created the entire bloodline? Or did the "Firsts" of the different kinds have kids with each other, and each of their kids just happened to be much more like one parent than another? 'Rosey' and 'Pumpkin' definitely have some bloodmixing because of their parentage, despite their mothers being Firsts. Was it a different time? Were the Hope Chests involved? Did The Three have something to do with it?"

Well, first off, "Rosey" (names changed to protect the innocent) is not a Firstborn: she is the daughter of the daughter of a Firstborn. Which is not the same thing at all. "Pumpkin" is the daughter of a Firstborn. Both of them are members of their respective fae races; they don't have the genetic flexibility of Firstborn. Anyone they have children with will be members of their race, and will share the traits of their parents.

"Rosey" is an interesting case, because she's not just a mixed-blood, she's a mix of two types of fae who should never, under normal circumstances, have been able to reproduce. She's probably infertile, at least until something changes. "Pumpkin," on the other hand, is just a changeling. Note that Firstborn + human still = changeling. It's only one of the big Three whose blood is powerful enough to overwhelm any trace of humanity. Their children are always purely fae. There are no changelings among the Firstborn.

That being said, each Firstborn will tend to have children who are of similar, if not identical, races, as long as they stay with a partner who is the same, or at least similar. So a female Firstborn, such as the Luidaeg, would need to stay with the same man/find other men of the same derivation. Six kids with the same second First = six kids of the same fae type. Six kids with different Firsts = six different types of fae. Six kids with random Daoine Sidhe = six kids who are so similar that if their children intermarry, they will become one fae type.

(Yes, there is a lot of generational incest in Faerie. I try not to focus on it, but when you can literally say "100% of us are descended from the same three people," it's inevitable. Most of the time, a few centuries without living as family makes it more palatable.)

The Three have something to do with the Hope Chests, and the Hope Chests were once much more common; remember that Toby thought they were a myth.

Times have changed.

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our seventh question comes from greenhafling, who asked...

"How does one inherit a title or fiefdom in the October-verse? Does blood count more than power?"

This question highlights probably the biggest difference between the Divided Courts (Seelie, Unseelie, and Oberon's) and the Court of Cats. Among the Divided Courts, blood counts. Among the Court of Cats, power counts.

Functionally, this means that changelings can never inherit lands or titles from their parents, regardless of Court. The Court of Cats would absolutely respect a changeling Prince or Princess who challenged for the throne, but the chances of a) such an individual existing (there is no record of such) and b) winning are vanishingly small. Really, a changeling could challenge, but would lose, because they wouldn't have the power for it. The power levels necessary to be called "Prince" or "Princess" are not directly inherited; they can appear at random in a bloodline that has never shown that kind of strength. Most Kings and Queens are not related to their heirs.

But oh, the Divided Courts. There, only blood matters. Not power, not fitness to rule, nothing but blood. And changelings can never, never inherit. In the case of multiple potential heirs, such as September, Sylvester, and Simon, the inheritance can be split up. This is why Simon got a title with no land, September got nothing, and Sylvester got his father's sword and a letter of introduction to King Gilad's parents, so that he could prove himself a hero and get the land that he believed he deserved.

Now, hope chests can make this interesting. Let's pretend, for a moment, that a King--call him King Bob--had a changeling daughter and no other heir. In time, the girl has a child. If King Bob uses a hope chest on his grandson, does his grandson (now a pureblood) inherit?

Yes.

There are a lot of reasons that some people dislike changelings, and like merlins even less.

Hey, players, get your quarters and slap 'em down, because Press Start to Play is available today! This awesome video-game themed anthology includes a lot of awesome stories, including "Survival Horror," which features Antimony Price and Arthur Harrington versus a 7th Guest-style puzzle adventure with sinister goals in mind.

You can find more information here.

Available now at a retailer near you!

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our sixth question comes from ceitfianna, who asked...

"I know children are important to the Fae and there have been moments of seeing how children are raised differently among the various races. Does this create problems or arguments when Fae are fostered or for those who aren't noble when they interact together or are there certain things that every child learns? I hope that makes sense, basically I'm really curious about childhood among the Fae and how varied it can be. Thank you."

Fae childhood! Fun times!

Okay, so first, we're going to look at pureblood childhoods here, not changeling childhoods. Why? Because for the most part, changelings will have a human childhood until their Choice, and then a really fucked-up childhood after, unless they are being raised in the Summerlands by a pureblood parent who was so desperate for children that they got themselves a changeling, functionally as a pet. Those changeling children will again have a pureblood childhood, right up until they get too old and are discarded. It's depressing and not fun, and I don't want to focus on it. So I don't have to.

The first thing to remember about fae parents is that there is literally no such thing as an unwanted child. Between the low fertility rates and the existence of magic which can be used for fun purposes like "let's not tempt fate, you know I will get pregnant while my husband is on a seven-year quest, contraceptives for all," if there's a baby, it is because someone very much wanted a baby.

Which is not to say child abuse doesn't exist. It does, sadly, in part because a lot of purebloods haven't been around a baby for decades, even centuries. They get confused. Human nursemaids are common, especially in noble houses. Most of these women will never be seen by their mortal families again. It's gotten better since the invention of the printing press, and What To Expect When You're Expecting is surprisingly popular among fae parents.

From infancy to toddlerhood, there's really very little difference between a fae child and a human child. They want the same things, absorb knowledge at a similar rate, and grow like weeds. As Toby has noted, most fae grow at a roughly human rate until puberty, getting through those pesky "small enough to eat" years as fast as they can. These are the nursery years.

Once the kid is old enough to run around, it becomes important to remember that the Summerlands are essentially pastoral, and don't have many monsters. Fae kids run wild. There are few to no schools, because the birth rate is so low: children are tutored at home, and good teachers are in high demand. There may be small "classes," if enough kids are local. This is most common among noble households, once they start bringing in the etiquette and comportment teachers.

Fosterage either begins at birth, and involves sending one child to the location of another, or begins around the age of ten/eleven (most common for trade and blind fosterages). Once they reach the location of their fosterage, they will be assessed (usually by the seneschal) to find out what the holes in their education are.

There's no "everybody gets this" skill set. A lot depends on how traditionalist the parents are. But fae kids get by.

Every month I make a post to tell folks what I'm working on, a) because it seems polite, b) because it keeps me accountable, if only to myself, and c) so you will understand why I do not have a social life. This is the August 2015 post. Hooray! It is still very hot, and my state is constantly on fire.

To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the bizarre urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Chimera, A Red-Rose Chain, Chaos Choreography). Once Broken Faith, Rewind, and The Nativity of Chance are off the list because they're finished and in revisions with the Machete Squad. The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

Not everything on this list has been sold. I will not discuss the sale status of anything which has not been publicly announced. If you can't remember whether I've announced something, check the relevant tag, or go to my website, at www.seananmcguire.com. Please do not ask why project X is no longer on the list. I will not answer you.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our third question comes from seraangel, who asked...

"Do the air and fire kingdoms have their own royalty like the sea kingdom or are they beholden to whatever high king/queen rules in that section of the world?"

Yes. They have their own royalty.

Y'all, I really want to keep answering questions, but I'd say more than half the questions I have remaining are either a) spoilery ("Whatever happened to Bob?") or b) yes/no ("Is there a door?"). I really, really need more questions that will encourage elaborate answers. So please! Go! Ask!

(Note that this is not a slap at the remaining questions. But I need things I want to answer, can answer, and have the existing framework to answer. Please ask me questions on the original post.)

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our third question comes from acelightning, who asked...

"How much Fae ancestry (by percentage) does a person need in order to have magic of their own?"

It's the merlins question! So:

If two fae of the same type have a child, the child is a pureblood. They are fully fae, and will inherit the magic inherent in their type of fae. Quentin is a pureblood, as is Tybalt.

If two fae of a different type have a child, the child is a mixed-blood. They are fully fae, and how well they will be treated is somewhat determined by how noble they are. Their magic will be a mixture of their parents'. January was a mixed-blood. Dean is a mixed-blood.

If one fae parent and one human parent have a child, the child is a changeling. They will inherit magic only through their fae parent. Most will be weaker than their fae parent. October is a changeling, as was Chelsea.

If a changeling parent and a human parent have a child, the child is a thin-blooded changeling. They may or may not inherit any clear magical talents from their fae parent. Some will look sufficiently human as to not need illusions, or be offered the Changeling's Choice. Gillian was a thin-blooded changeling. The polite term for them is "quarter-bloods," but "weak-bloods" is more common.

A thin-blooded changeling who does show signs of magic will still be showing it within the "tree" of their fae ancestor. So if Gillian had any magical talents, they would have been things like minor illusions and detecting medical conditions through the taste of blood (not that she had any reason to go around drinking people's blood).

It's in the next generation where things get interesting.

A person with one-eighth fae blood or less is not considered a changeling: they will not face the Choice, they will die of old age (although it may take a long time), their flesh will decay when they do die. The night-haunts will not come for them. Most will have no magical talents at all. One in ten, however, will be the equivalent of Chelsea: they will have stronger magic than anyone expects. And they will have no innate restrictions. Iron doesn't burn them; oaths don't bind them; and most of all, their magic is formless. They get no starting talents or weaknesses.

All their magic will be of the sort Toby calls "hedge magic," using ingredients and rituals to get the desired effect. They are, essentially, wizards, using their natural talents and the rituals of trial and error to bend the world to their will. Or, as they are called by the fae, merlins.

Merlins usually manifest between one-eighth and one-sixteenth fae descent, but once it's in the line, it's there forever. Someone with a fae parent twenty generations back could, potentially, turn up as a merlin. There aren't many of them left these days, and those that exist rarely learn what they can do. They were one of the costs of the fae/human conflicts, since it left them without teachers.

Merlins are wild cards. Most consider them not to be trusted.

The first episode of Indexing: Reflections is available now! This is your talkpost and discussion zone. There will be spoilers in the comments here. As always on talkposts, I have partial comment amnesty, and will not be responding to everything.

"Forbidden Doors" was a fun episode to write. It's sort of our season premiere, and I framed it like an episode of Law & Order: SVU involving internal affairs. Ciara Bloomfield is manifest story adjacent; in her original tale, she would never even have gotten a name. I appreciate that. With all these princesses running around, it can be easy to forget just how big the fairy tale world is.

It never forgets.

Game on!

Tomorrow.

Indexing was almost a whim. 47 North, Amazon's publishing arm, contacted me and asked if I had anything that I felt would work well as part of the new Amazon Serials Program. I had a short story called "Indexing," set in a world I very much wanted to explore further. I sent them that, along with a pitch for a full season. They took it, and for twelve episodes--six glorious months--I lived in a vision of twisted fairy tales and dangerous ever afters. We met Henry, and Sloane, and Jeff, and Andy. We faced down a power-hungry Mother Goose, and more princesses than you can shake a stick at. And when it was done, it was done, and I walked away content.

Until people said they wanted to know more. Until 47 North said they wanted to know more. (I write plenty for free, but the Velveteen and InCryptid short fiction universes pretty much fill the "unpaid work" slot, so I did need a publisher to show interest.)

Until I started really thinking about the princesses.

Indexing: Reflections begins tomorrow. Like the original Indexing, it is twelve episodes long, releasing every other week until it is complete. Because Amazon serials are available only in the US, Indexing: Reflections is only available in the US until it is complete; the finished ebook and collected print edition will both be available globally.

If you enjoyed the first volume, I think this one is going to make you really happy. Pre-order now to get episode one at midnight, and join the party already in process. (If you haven't read Indexing yet, I strongly recommend it.)

Whee!

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our third question comes from tylik, who asked...

"How does lineage through firstborns work?

I mean, it seems like it's still sexual reproduction, and sometimes both parents are firstborns, but it seems that descent of record is usually tracked only through one (so, maybe dominant descent? Or are their multiple varieties of offspring any given firstborn may have?) But in at least one case there are multiple firstborn, and while firstborns clearly have children by people who aren't firstborn themselves, logic suggests that at some point the mating population was only other firstborn, their parents, and Something Else Altogether."

And then parcae asked...

"A question that a friend at work and I are both curious about: I know you've covered the way children descend from their parents, and the way races descend from the Big Three, but past that -- how do the Firstborn themselves reproduce? If two Firstborn have children, would those children themselves be wholly a separate race, or would they be half of one parent's race and half of the other? Toby is the child of a Firstborn, but since she's also the child of a human, she's still a changeling. And it's come up that the Tuatha de Danann have two Firstborn, each of whom have their own line, and each of those lines have their own scent as far as magic goes, so they can't have reproduced with each other (as far as I can tell the whole inbreeding thing means slightly less to the fae, but if they had then I don't think there would be the two distinct lines with the distinct scents)."

Since these questions are basically the same thing, I'm answering them together. Hooray!

First up, let's do a little weird science. It's weird science because it's weird, and because it's not really scientific. At the same time, it is an absolute constant of the Toby universe, so it counts. So:

Oberon, Maeve, and Titania are considered genetically unstable, to use words that we probably all agree mean what I want. Any time any one of them has a child, that child will be biologically unique. Think komodo dragons. Female komodo can (and do) give birth to parthenogenically conceived male offspring who are distinct enough from them to breed with, without worrying about inbreeding. Because nature is weird. So when Oberon and Maeve have a kid, while that kid is definitely theirs, and while both of them would be weirded out and disgusted by the thought of reproduction with said kid (Oberon is not actually Zeus), biologically, they could immediately wait for the kid to hit adulthood and then have kids with their kid, without concern about what that would do to the genetics. Gross, but there you go. There have almost certainly been cases of "Maeve gets frisky with one of Titania's kids, after the kid is a couple of hundred years old," because that are immortal, inhuman, and easily bored.

Any time one of the Three has a child, with anyone, the child will be Firstborn. The genetic instability that the Three bring to the table will mean that the kid is effectively not related to either parent. They'll inherit a class of magic from their Three parent; they may get traits from their other parent (if it is not one of the Three). They may not. Faerie does not like rules, and gets cranky when they are applied. Blind Michael and the Luidaeg, for example, have the same parents (Maeve and Oberon), and do not share any physical or magical traits. Acacia is Titania's daughter by an unknown father, but most people figure Titania didn't bang a tree. The beat goes on.

The one exception to the "nothing from their non-Three parent" is repeated reproduction within a relatively short period of time. If Titania were to have multiple children with the same non-Oberon father during a short span, she would get a cluster of Firstborn who were physically extremely similar, and had complimentary magical gifts. Why? No one knows. One theory is that Faerie is actually guiding the creation of the Firstborn, and doesn't change directions quickly. So Faerie says "I need a type of fae that does _______," puts out the order, and doesn't cancel it fast enough to avoid getting four possibles. This is not a bad thing. Quite a few races have multiple Firsts because of this. (Multiple births can go either way. The Tuatha have two Firsts because the mother of their Firstborn had twins. They were almost, but not quite, identical, and when their children intermarried, the two lines became utterly entangled.)

Firstborn are partially genetically unstable. If Firstborn A has ten children with non-First B, they will all be representatives of the same descendant race. They will also not be biologically related. The DNA gets "scrubbed," for lack of a better term. Fae do have taboos against incest, but only among siblings who actually grew up together. If the same Firstborn goes on to have more children with someone else, whether they get members of the same descendant race, a slightly different descendant race, or a totally new descendant race will be determined partially by the non-Firstborn parent. First + First pairings will always result in consistent descendant races.

Your common scenarios are:

1. Firstborn + member of the Three. Assuming that none of the Three has willingly had children with one of their own children, this still leaves one potential mate for each Firstborn child.

2. Firstborn + Firstborn.

3. Firstborn + other fae.

4. Firstborn + mortal.

5. Firstborn + something else.

Assume the same Firstborn decided, over the course of centuries, to try all five methods. First they breed with one of the Three, and become parent to a descendant race which doesn't thrive. Next they breed with another Firstborn, and become parent to a descendant race that thrives, but in a limited form. Then they breed with another fae, and become parent to a descendant race that spreads and becomes what they are known for. They tarry with a mortal, get a changeling child, and because they cannot find a hope chest, go no further. Finally, they breed with a cloud, and become a parent to a second well-established descendant race.

Faerie is complicated, and Mother's Day cards are confusing.

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our second question comes from rymenhild, who asks...

"How did the divisions of kingdoms and territories come about?"

Hooray, land ownership!

As has been stated several times, the fae are highly territorial. It's not necessarily a choice: they become uncomfortable when over-crowded, and while they enjoy the company of their "own kind," it's oddly enough the presence of that "own kind" that will trigger the territorial urge for most fae. (I say "most" because there are virtually no universal generalizations in Faerie. Cu Sidhe don't become uncomfortable when there are more of them. In fact, Cu Sidhe would like it if there were millions of them. Cait Sidhe don't become territorial until there are multiple potential Kings or Queens in a single Court, and even then, their tolerance is higher than that of, say, the Daoine Sidhe, who view a local population of two hundred as unbearably huge.) There are biological reasons for this! Which we will not go into here. So.

Fae territory #1 has been established for a thousand years, and is getting quite full. A group of young nobles, guessing that their parents are not planning to die or step aside any time soon, decides to go off and seek their fortune. Because the Tobyverse fae inhabit a space that is unique in their world, they do not need to worry about someone else owning the land they, er, land on: the Summerlands there will be open, and the humans are a minor distraction at best. They declare themselves the Kingdom of #2.

Someone is now King. Probably either the person who gave up the highest title to come on this little errand (and thus provided most of the supplies), or the person who's best at doing poisonings. The others look around the Kingdom, carve off bits to be Duchies or Marches or whatnot, and settle down. Depending on how big a Kingdom they were able to claim, there will be a certain amount of "open" land. Because, see, the starting size of a Kingdom is determined by your ambition, but the starting size of a Duchy or March is determined by how much land you think you can hold.

(Some fae, even when present at the birth of a Kingdom, will elect for a County or Barony, taking another layer of bureaucracy in exchange for knowing that someone else's army will keep them safe, or that they won't need as much of a standing army.)

The new King/Queen can then make gifts of open parcels of land, along with the corresponding titles, to anyone who does the Kingdom a service. Gradually, this will whittle away at the open land, especially since it's best, due to that whole "territorial" thing again, to leave open space between Duchies/Marches/etc. whenever possible. Having a mile or so of unincorporated space does wonders at cutting down your intra-Kingdom wars.

The hierarchy goes High Kingdom (Ireland, North America, South America, etc.), Kingdom (The Mists, Silences, Angels), Duchy/March, County, Barony, Homestead.

As stated in this post, I am answering ten questions about Toby's world in preparation for the release of A Red-Rose Chain. Please note that these are questions about the world, not questions about individual people, things which have not yet happened in the series, or what is coming up in the books. I am still taking questions in the comments on the original post.

Our first question comes from marooux13, who asks...

"Can you explain how Oberon claims his children?"

I am going to have to expand this question somewhat, since there's no way to answer it without also addressing the Queens, Maeve and Titania. So!

Everyone in Faerie is descended, in some way, from Oberon, Maeve, Titania, or some combination thereof. The confirmed possibilities are O/M, O/T, any of them alone, and any of them with a non-fae party. Because the Big Three are so much more powerful than their descendants, any of their children, regardless of how they were conceived, will be Firstborn. For an easy comparison, think Zeus and the demigods. Zeus bangs a human, demigod. Zeus bangs a tree, demigod. Zeus bangs the air while thinking of Zeus, demigod. Any time one of the three reproduces, their offspring will be fully fae, not human, and Firstborn.

In Faerie, to prevent all power eventually being centralized in a single family or group of families with extremely careful taste in marriages, children can only inherit from one parent, no matter what the circumstances. This is part of why, when fae divorce, the children must choose which parent they "belong" to. If Patrick and Dianda were to separate, Dean and Peter would be expected to decide which parent they were going to go with. Both could choose one, or they could take one each. The child who chose Patrick would then be heir to County of Twycross. The child who chose Dianda would technically be heir to the Duchy of Saltmist (although the Undersea handles some things differently). Neither would be able, under any circumstances, to claim ownership of the other's inheritance.

What this means for the Firstborn is that, when they reach a certain age, they have to choose a parent to "belong" to. Maeve and Titania do the majority of the child-rearing. Oberon's around, and he doesn't try to be disconnected, he just has other shit to do. So a lot of the kids have chosen their mothers without hesitation. Because he has two wives and two enormous families to deal with, he is actually less likely to have extramarital offspring than either of them; there are very few races that only descend from Oberon (and thus get an automatic "child of ________" in his name). Mostly, it's a matter of picking, and he's not top of very many lists.

Also, sometimes, kids go "I want to be yours" and are quietly dissuaded, either by him or by their mothers. Antigone would have claimed his name, but her younger brothers and sisters needed her, and she couldn't have stayed with them as a Child of Oberon.

All descendants of a particular Firstborn are automatically children of the parent their Firstborn claimed. Fae who perform unusual heroics or run headlong into danger will be referred to as Oberon's, but that's not a legal title.

It's been a while since we've done this, and with A Red-Rose Chain coming up, I figure it's time to once again offer to answer your questions about the world. So...

I will make ten blog posts detailing aspects of Toby's universe. Ask me anything! I will not answer every question, but will select the questions that I think are the most interesting/fun/relevant, and will detail them to my heart's content. There's a lot to learn and know, and asking loses you nothing. Remember that nothing I answer here is full canon until it appears in a book: I will always reserve the right to change things if the series shifts between now and then.

Leave your questions on this post. I'm declaring comment-reply amnesty for any that I choose not to answer this time, since otherwise, my wee head may explode.

Game on!

...where the river flows slowly, and so does the time.

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the never-ending parade of ongoing projects, keeping me from losing track of what I'm doing and dissolving into a weeping pile of insecurities and confusion. Hooray!

Publications

Indexing: Reflections, episode one, August 11, 2015 (47North).
"Survival Horror," August 18, 2015 (Press Start to Play).
Indexing: Reflections, episode two, August 25, 2015 (47North).
"The Myth of Rain" (reprint), August 25, 2015 (Loosed Upon the World).
"Reading Lists," August 25, 2015 (Temporally Out of Order).
A Red-Rose Chain, September 1, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode three, September 8, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode four, September 22, 2015 (47North).
"Something Lost, Something Gained," October 6, 2015 (Seize the Night).
Indexing: Reflections, episode five, October 6, 2015 (47North).
"The Way Home," October 13, 2015 (website).
Indexing: Reflections, episode six, October 20, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode seven, November 3, 2015 (47North).
"Hello Hello," November 16, 2015 (Future Visions: Stories Inspired By Science).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eight, November 17, 2015 (47North).
Chimera, November 24, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode nine, December 1, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode ten, December 15, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eleven, December 29, 2015 (47North).
"Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves," December 2015 (The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft).

I will have a story in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, but the title is currently embargoed. Release date is October 6, 2015.

"Heaps of Pearl," January 5, 2016 (website).
Indexing: Reflections, episode twelve, January 12, 2016 (47North).
Chaos Choreography, March 1, 2016.
Every Heart a Doorway, April 5, 2016.
Once Broken Faith, September 6, 2016.

"Long Way Down," unknown (Genius Loci).
"Opening Band," unknown (The Paul and Storminomicon).

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

A Red-Rose Chain release party, September 5 2015, Borderlands Books, San Francisco CA.
Tacos and Tecate group event, September 15 2015, Borderlands Books, San Francisco CA.
Contraflow V, October 2-5 2015, New Orleans LA.
Tuscon, October 30-November 1 2015, Tuscon AZ.
Chessiecon, November 27-29 2015, Baltimore MD.

ConDFW, February 12-14 2016, Dallas TX.
Minicon, March 25-27 2016, Minneapolis MN.
Emerald City Comic-Con, April 7-10 2016, Seattle WA.
ConQuest 47, May 27-29 2016, Kansas City MO.
CrossingsCon, June 24-26 2016, New York NY.
San Diego International Comic-Con, July 21-24 2016, San Diego CA.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

The Best Thing
"Carry Me Home"
"Pixie Season"
"These Antique Fables"
"vs. Complacency"
"Walk With Me, Down Empty Streets, Toward Morning"
"Winter Sunshine"
Magic For Nothing
The Nativity of Chance
Echo

Again, to clarify some recent confusion: some things, especially novel-length things, may appear more than once, on both the "publication date" and "being written" lists. This is because the "being written" list is an aggregate, which also includes "no fixed deadline" (IE, being written on spec or for the website) and "unsold" (IE, being written because I can). So new books will appear there for a long time before they vanish, since books take a long time to write, but may also have pub dates listed higher up.

Look at that list. It's so shiny!

I'm putting together my giveaway schedule for August, and I have a lot of copies of The Winter Long. I also know that most of y'all have either a) bought that book, or b) not started the series. So here is my question:

Do we have enough people here who are caught up otherwise who still need a copy of The Winter Long? I don't want to send book eight to folks who've only read books one and two; that's counter-productive and really spoiler-y. At the same time, I want to make sure people with limited book budgets can still read A Red-Rose Chain when it comes out. Thus checking to see whether this would be a valid giveaway plan.

Caveat: I am still not up for international mailing. So this is really a question for my US readers.

Comment amnesty is on for this post. I just need data.

The votes (well, the random numbers) are in! Today's three winners are...

wenhaver
brennye
vulpes484

If you have won, please follow these steps:

a) Comment here, so I know you're claiming your prize.
b) Email me via my website contact form (www.seananmcguire.com).

Both these things need to happen within the next twenty-four hours for you to win. If I see a comment but receive no email, I will reply and we'll figure out another way for you to get me your address. This is a work-around for my current contact form issues. Hopefully the commenting step will be temporary.

It should be noted that the first comment selected by the RNG was ineligible to win, because it was someone commenting about the post itself, and not entering. Please do not comment on giveaway posts for any reason other than entering the giveaway. Had this comment not been left, and the exact same number come up, we would have had an actual winner. Our second winner won because of a discussion on one of the entries. Please, please, don't do this. It's not fair to the people who don't win to screw up the results by leaving unrelated comments on these posts.

Congratulations to today's winners!

We are all of us built from the materials we had close to hand when we were children. Fairy tales and songs and pop culture icons and whatever books our parents left on low shelves; comic books and liturgy and playground rhymes and media. Give twenty children access to the same cultural touchstones and they'll come away with twenty different sets of internal stories, building twenty distinct foundations. It's pretty amazing.

For me, one of those foundational texts was a novella called "Cabal," written by a man named Clive Barker, that told the story of Boone, who believed himself a monster, and Lori, who loved him anyway, and Midian, where the monsters were. I wanted Midian more than I wanted anything else, for a long time. I wanted the necropolis, the drums in the dark, and the tribes of the air with the moon inside. I wanted to go home. Everything about the story told me that if I could just find Midian, I would be home.

There was a movie: Nightbreed, which wound up equally, if not identically, foundational. And then there was a long, long time with no clear route to Midian...until I was asked if I wanted to participate in an authorized anthology of stories set in that world. Stories about going home.

Midian Unmade: Tales of Clive Barker's Nightbreed is available today from a bookstore near you. (If it isn't available in your region, remember that Borderlands Books in San Francisco will happily ship.) My story, "The Moon Inside," is the first anchor for a book filled with wonder, and sorrow, and people I am proud to call my friends and peers.

This is the first paragraph:

"Once, Midian. Once, the caves carved from the living rock, the warrens and rabbit-runs like veins through the flesh of the earth. Once, a world lived in constant descent, down, down, ever down, until it seemed that one day in their expansion they would strike the hot molten core of the world, where magma flowed like the blood of Baphomet. Once, safety. Once, home."

Home.

I am so proud, and so honored, to be a part of building something that created my own foundations.

I hope you will enjoy it.

It's time to give away a few more ARCs of A Red-Rose Chain. Because we're experiencing issues with the contact form right now, there are a few more steps involved in claiming a prize. Please read carefully.

Because I am broke from all that T-shirt mailing right now, and tired of spending over an hour on every visit to the post office—so both financial and mental health reasons—this giveaway is US only. I am sorry about that, and will try to have an international giveaway sooner than later. To enter...

1. Comment on this entry. Top-level comments only; replies to existing comments cannot win.
2. Indicate that you have a US mailing address.
3. Name your favorite Toby character.

...and that's all. Three winners will be chosen by our old friend, the random-number generator, on Tuesday, July 29th. Winners will then have twenty-four hours to get me their contact info, via my website contact form, and leave a comment on the results post, before their prize is forfeit. If I have received the comment but not the email within the twenty-four hour window, we'll assume a contact form glitch, and find another way to get me the necessary info.

Game on!

So.

Apparently, something is wrong with the contact form, in that somewhere along the line (between it and my PA and me), some email is getting eaten. We don't know how, we don't know why, and most importantly, we don't know how much. We only know this is happening at all because I was able to confirm two instances of "I tried to contact you and it didn't go through." (One was resolved by resending with a different return email address. The other, we're not sure.)

Chris is working on a way to make sure this doesn't happen anymore. For right now, giveaways are going to have to be handled in a two-step authentication process, for which I am sorry: specifically, rather than saying "email me," I'm going to be saying "comment here and then email me immediately, so I can tell you if your email is not received." Inconvenient? Yes. Annoying? Yes. The only way I can continue to do giveaways until this problem is resolved? Sadly, yes.

I am deeply sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, especially if you were someone who didn't get a prize because your email was eaten. (Please do not contact me saying "this happened to me a year ago, give me a book." I will believe you. I just don't have the books, or the postage budget, to do anything about it.)

Whee.

...the sun fade out to a dark sky.

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the never-ending parade of ongoing projects, keeping me from losing track of what I'm doing and dissolving into a weeping pile of insecurities and confusion. Hooray!

Publications

"The Moon Inside," July 28, 2015 (Midian Unmade).
Indexing: Reflections, episode one, August 11, 2015 (47North).
"Survival Horror," August 18, 2015 (Press Start to Play).
Indexing: Reflections, episode two, August 25, 2015 (47North).
"Reading Lists," August 25, 2015 (Temporally Out of Order).
A Red-Rose Chain, September 1, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode three, September 8, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode four, September 22, 2015 (47North).
"Something Lost, Something Gained," October 6, 2015 (Seize the Night).
Indexing: Reflections, episode five, October 6, 2015 (47North).
"The Way Home," October 13, 2015 (website).
Indexing: Reflections, episode six, October 20, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode seven, November 3, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eight, November 17, 2015 (47North).
Chimera, November 24, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode nine, December 1, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode ten, December 15, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eleven, December 29, 2015 (47North).
"Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves," December 2015 (The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft).

Indexing: Reflections, episode twelve, January 12, 2016 (47North).
Chaos Choreography, March 1, 2016.
Every Heart a Doorway, April 5, 2016.
Once Broken Faith, September 6, 2016.

"Long Way Down," unknown (Genius Loci).
"Opening Band," unknown (The Paul and Storminomicon).

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

A Red-Rose Chain release party, September 5 2015, Borderlands Books, San Francisco CA.
Tacos and Tecate group event, September 15 2015, Borderlands Books, San Francisco CA.
Contraflow V, October 2-5 2015, New Orleans LA.
Tuscon, October 30-November 1 2015, Tuscon AZ.
Chessiecon, November 27-29 2015, Baltimore MD.

ConDFW, February 12-14 2016, Dallas TX.
Minicon, March 25-27 2016, Minneapolis MN.
Emerald City Comic-Con, April 7-10 2016, Seattle WA.
ConQuest 47, May 27-29 2016, Kansas City MO.
CrossingsCon, June 24-26 2016, New York NY.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

The Best Thing
"Carry Me Home"
"Pixie Season"
"These Antique Fables"
"vs. A Disturbing Number of Crows"
"Build Me a Wonderland"
"vs. Complacency"
"Walk With Me, Down Empty Streets, Toward Morning"
"Winter Sunshine"
Magic For Nothing
The Nativity of Chance
Echo

Again, to clarify some recent confusion: some things, especially novel-length things, may appear more than once, on both the "publication date" and "being written" lists. This is because the "being written" list is an aggregate, which also includes "no fixed deadline" (IE, being written on spec or for the website) and "unsold" (IE, being written because I can). So new books will appear there for a long time before they vanish, since books take a long time to write, but may also have pub dates listed higher up.

Look at that list. It's so shiny!

Title: Velveteen Presents Polychrome vs. The Court of Public Opinion and Not Punching Anyone.
Summary: And now for something completely different. Velveteen is gone, and Polychrome is still putting her life back together, one heroic escapade at a time.

( Victory Anna's whoops of joy echoed over the rooftops. Someone on the ground below might have mistaken them for screams, but Polychrome was close enough to see the sheer glee in the other woman's face as pursued the giant clockwork bats across the sky...Collapse )

Three weeks ago, I was Fan Guest of Honor at Westercon in San Diego. This was a huge privilege, and I am so grateful to the convention for having me. (I am slowly ticking off the Guest of Honorships available to me at Westercon, having been Music Guest of Honor several years ago, when the con was in L.A.)

Two weeks ago, I was back in San Diego as an attending professional at the San Diego International Comic-Con. SDCC is one of the last cons I do "for me," attending because I want to as much as because it's part of my job. It's a big, sprawling, exhausting nightmare of a con, and I love it so.

This past weekend, I was Guest of Honor at Camp Necon in Portsmith, Rhode Island (the only con that involved changing time zones, for which I am deeply grateful). I got home last night, about an hour before midnight.

I.

Am.

Done.

I am not physically as tired as I have been after other adventures, but three weeks of virtually no down time doesn't do good things for my psyche. Right now, I am wiped, I am wasted, I am no longer among the living, and I don't actually get to take a break from things like "the rest of my job." Page proofs must be reviewed; word counts must be made. A book must be edited. Conventions seem like the fun part of what I do, and they are, but they're also the most draining, and I wish I could take a few days to just sleep.

Please don't take this as an invitation to tell me to take care of myself: I am taking care of myself. Part of that is that email responses and the like will be slow for the next week or so, and my social media will be 95% cats and dolls. Please try to use Google or check my FAQs before asking me questions, if you can, just to give me a little more bandwidth, and be patient with me?

I am doing the best I can.

Every month I make a post to tell folks what I'm working on, a) because it seems polite, b) because it keeps me accountable, if only to myself, and c) so you will understand why I do not have a social life. This is the July 2015 post. Hooray! It is very hot, and my state is constantly on fire.

To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the bizarre urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Chimera, A Red-Rose Chain, Chaos Choreography). Once Broken Faith and Rewind are off the list because they're finished and in revisions with the Machete Squad. The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

Not everything on this list has been sold. I will not discuss the sale status of anything which has not been publicly announced. If you can't remember whether I've announced something, check the relevant tag, or go to my website, at www.seananmcguire.com. Please do not ask why project X is no longer on the list. I will not answer you.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow will mark the release of "Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus," a new Newsflesh novella focusing on the lab, life, and times of Dr. Shannon Abbey. The novella will be available through the Orbit Short Fiction Program, as well as through a friendly e-book retailer near you.

After release, when some of you have finished the text in fifteen minutes, this will serve as your discussion post. (So basically, starting tomorrow, there will probably be spoilers here.)

Newsflesh!

Having survived 2014, which was supposed to be the Rising (curse you, zombie apocalypse, for not happening on schedule), it's time to return to San Diego, California for the annual San Diego Comic-Con, a pop culture gathering of ridiculous and sometimes painful proportions. Running into someone you're looking for by chance is hard, so here's where to find me!

Thursday.

I'm Sleeping With the Lights On: Horror and Thriller Authors Discussion. 4:00pm, Room 25ABC.

Horror and thriller novels have an amazing way of keeping readers up at night. Whether it is demons and zombies, from the historical settings to the seemingly mundane, authors find bone-chilling ways to make sure the reader keeps turning the pages. Join Del Howison, owner of Dark Delicacy Bookstore, as he chats with distinguished horror and thriller writers J.T. Ellison, Kevin P. Keating, Matthew Reilly, Mira Grant (that's me!), Diana Rowland, and Robert Brockway about what motivates them to scare you.

Signing. 5:30pm, Autographing Area AA09.

Friday.

Signing. 3:00pm, Hachette Book Group Booth 1116.

Saturday.

Monster High. 11:30am, Room 5AB.

I am not on this panel, but I am attending it, and woe betide any who trouble me while I am in my happy toy place.

Signing. 2:00pm, Penguin Book Group Booth 1520.

This is a signing to promote the upcoming anthology Press Start to Play. Several authors will be appearing, including Hugh Howey, as will the editor. We may have early copies of the book; I don't know. (My contribution is an InCryptid story, if that sweetens the pot.)

Choosing The Best Publishing Path for Your Manuscript: Traditional, Small Press, or Self-Publishing. 7:00pm, Room 25ABC.

Authors Sarah J. Maas, Seanan McGuire, Cora Carmack, and Elizabeth Briggs, along with editor Adam Wilson (Simon & Schuster) and literary agent Holly Root (Waxman Leavell Literary Agency), discuss the various options for publishing fiction and how to determine what works for different genres. Moderated by author, former literary agent, and all-around publishing guru Nathan Bransford.

Sunday.

Signing. 12:00pm, Mysterious Galaxy Books Booth 1119.

As always, I am susceptible to bribery: I'm looking for this year's Monster High and Ever After High con exclusives, and while I only need one of each, I would really like to get two MH and three EAH, for the sake of people who have asked me to get them dolls. So please feel free to show up with toys, for which I will gladly give you both money and praise, and maybe other goodies, depending on when you catch me.

San Diego!

...up to Heaven bold, at the gates a'knocking, knocking.

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the never-ending parade of ongoing projects, keeping me from losing track of what I'm doing and dissolving into a weeping pile of insecurities and confusion. Hooray!

Publications

"Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus," July 14, 2015 (as Mira Grant).
"The Moon Inside," July 28, 2015 (Midian Unmade).
Indexing: Reflections, episode one, August 11, 2015 (47North).
"Survival Horror," August 18, 2015 (Press Start to Play).
Indexing: Reflections, episode two, August 25, 2015 (47North).
A Red-Rose Chain, September 1, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode three, September 8, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode four, September 22, 2015 (47North).
"Something Lost, Something Gained," October 6, 2015 (Seize the Night).
Indexing: Reflections, episode five, October 6, 2015 (47North).
"The Way Home," October 13, 2015 (website).
Indexing: Reflections, episode six, October 20, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode seven, November 3, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eight, November 17, 2015 (47North).
Chimera, November 24, 2015.
Indexing: Reflections, episode nine, December 1, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode ten, December 15, 2015 (47North).
Indexing: Reflections, episode eleven, December 29, 2015 (47North).
"Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves," December 2015 (The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft).

Indexing: Reflections, episode twelve, January 12, 2016 (47North).
Chaos Choreography, March 1, 2016.
Every Heart a Doorway, April 5, 2016.
Once Broken Faith, September 6, 2016.

"Long Way Down," unknown (Genius Loci).
"Opening Band," unknown (The Paul and Storminomicon).

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

San Diego International Comic-Con, July 9-12 2015, San Diego CA.
Necon, July 16-19 2015, Portsmouth RI.
A Red-Rose Chain release party, September 5 2015, Borderlands Books, San Francisco CA.
Contraflow V, October 2-5 2015, New Orleans LA.
Tuscon, October 30-November 1 2015, Tuscon AZ.
Chessiecon, November 27-29 2015, Baltimore MD.

ConDFW, February 12-14 2016, Dallas TX.
Minicon, March 25-27 2016, Minneapolis MN.
Emerald City Comic-Con, April 7-10 2016, Seattle WA.
ConQuest 47, May 27-29 2016, Kansas City MO.
CrossingsCon, June 24-26 2016, New York NY.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

The Best Thing
"Carry Me Home"
"Pixie Season"
"These Antique Fables"
"vs. The Melancholy of Autumn"
"vs. A Disturbing Number of Crows"
"Build Me a Wonderland"
"Winter Sunshine"
Magic For Nothing
The Nativity of Chance
Echo

Again, to clarify some recent confusion: some things, especially novel-length things, may appear more than once, on both the "publication date" and "being written" lists. This is because the "being written" list is an aggregate, which also includes "no fixed deadline" (IE, being written on spec or for the website) and "unsold" (IE, being written because I can). So new books will appear there for a long time before they vanish, since books take a long time to write, but may also have pub dates listed higher up.

Look at that list. It's so shiny!

I still have not received mailing addresses for...

desolate_noir
mage_cat

Now, normally, this would result in a "well, you can't get your prizes now," and me either drawing new winners or putting the ARCs back into the prize pool. But at least one of these winners has indicated in so many words that they have submitted their info, which my PA has not received.

So please, if either of you sees this...

1. Go to my website contact form: http://seananmcguire.com/contact.php
2. Fill it out, including an email address where I can reach you with questions.
3. Select "Seanan McGuire" as the destination.
4. Include your full mailing address and LJ name in the body.

I can't do another giveaway until I know that the contact form is not losing mail.

Thank you.

...is currently in France (la la!), and on pretty crappy wireless. All email bounces through her, thanks to The Great Profanity Storm of 2012, which means that some things may have gotten lost. Specifically, the emails from two of our ARC winners have not been received.

Jill, we have yours; if you are one of our other two winners, please re-send your mailing address via the website contact form ASAP.

Cranky blonde is cranky with the world, not with any of you (or with Kate).

Let's have some good and some bad together, shall we? First, the good. Today's winners of an ARC of A Red-Rose Chain are...

jillheather
desolate_noir
mage_cat

Congratulations! Please send me your mailing address via my website contact form (identifying which of our winners you are, since email addresses don't always give it away) to receive your prize! I must receive your information within twenty-four hours, or the prize is forfeit.

Now, the bad. Or well, the confused.

Look, y'all: rules matter. Sometimes they matter because without them you never get your stuff (see the above about sending your mailing info via my website contact form). Sometimes they matter because they're "filter rules"—IE, "are people paying attention to what I ask, or are they just here for the free stuff?" I've been featured on the "this person is giving away free stuff" blogs a couple of times, usually at Hogswatch, and you know what? It sucks. I love giving things to people who care. I hate giving stuff to people who just want it because it's free, or because they think it has good resale value (both things I have been told by folks who found me via the "free stuff here" lists).

So yeah. If the rules say "you must include the word banana," then you must include the word banana, or you cannot win. If the rules say "name your favorite book in the series," then you must name your favorite book, or you cannot win. There were several entries in this most recent giveaway that could not have won, even if the RNG had chosen them, because they did not follow the (very simple) posted rules. (To be clear, the RNG did not pick any of them, so I didn't have to choose between the rules and breaking someone's heart.)

Please, please, follow the posted rules. For everyone's sake, but especially for your own.

I have the ARCs of A Red-Rose Chain, and holy cats, this book is gorgeous. Like, so pretty. Of course, because I'm me, the distance between "look what I have look at the precious let me pet you, the precious" and "oh sweet Great Pumpkin get it out of my house" is about fifteen minutes and time to realize what I've just done to my storage space. So! Giveaway time!

Because I am broke from all that T-shirt mailing right now, and tired of spending over an hour on every visit to the post office—so both financial and mental health reasons—this first giveaway will be US only. I am sorry about that, and will try to have an international giveaway sooner than later. To enter...

1. Comment on this entry. Top-level comments only; replies to existing comments cannot win.
2. Indicate that you have a US mailing address.
3. Name your favorite Toby book.

...and that's all. Three winners will be chosen by our old friend, the random-number generator, on Tuesday, June 23rd. Winners will then have twenty-four hours to get me their contact info, via my website contact form, before their prize is forfeit.

Game on!

ETA: And we are closed.

Title: Velveteen vs. Spring Cleaning.
Summary: The trials of a formerly retired superheroine are destined never to be done, especially when the heroine in question was foolish enough to agree to serve the seasonal lands...

( Velveteen walked through the green world and the green world moved through Velveteen...Collapse )

Every month I make a post to tell folks what I'm working on, a) because it seems polite, b) because it keeps me accountable, if only to myself, and c) so you will understand why I do not have a social life. This is the June 2015 post. Hooray! It is very hot, and my state is constantly on fire.

To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the bizarre urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Chimera, A Red-Rose Chain, Chaos Choreography). Once Broken Faith and Rewind are off the list because they're finished and in revisions with the Machete Squad. The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

Not everything on this list has been sold. I will not discuss the sale status of anything which has not been publicly announced. If you can't remember whether I've announced something, check the relevant tag, or go to my website, at www.seananmcguire.com. Please do not ask why project X is no longer on the list. I will not answer you.

( What's Seanan working on now? Click to find out!Collapse )

I want to start by saying that when it comes to movies about dinosaurs eating people, I am so the target audience that they would still make a profit even if I was the only one who wanted to see it happen. It might take a little longer—one blonde does not a multi-million dollar opening make—but they'd get there, given time. My number of lifetime viewings of Jurassic Park passed the double digits before I turned twenty (and it was much harder to re-watch things when I was a teenager, on account of I am older than DVD or streaming video). My number of lifetime readings of the book and its sequel is much higher. I've seen Jurassic Park: The Lost World and Jurassic Park III about five times each, which is more than any sensible person should.

Why am I giving you my dinosaur geek cred? Because I want to be clear that when Jurassic World was announced, I was one hundred and seventy percent on-fucking-board. I was there. Literally the only thing that kept me from the first showing on Thursday night was the fact that I had dental surgery Thursday morning, and did not understand how hands worked. When I saw the first trailer, I cried. I am not ashamed of that. I have been going to Jurassic Park for my entire adult life, and yeah, if they announced the opening of the Isla Sorna location tomorrow, I'd sell a kidney if that was what it took to get me there. Bets have been taken as to whether I will one day walk down the aisle to the Jurassic Park theme.

(I probably won't. But let's face it, a dinosaur-themed wedding would be pretty fucking sweet.)

But there was one thing that made me a little...let's go with "nervous" even during trailers, when I was shushing people who tried to talk to me during my special dinosaur time. And that was the fact that you had Bryce Dallas Howard's lovely Claire—and "lovely" is a necessary qualifier for a woman who's wearing solid white and high heels and putting that much effort into straightening her hair in Costa Rica—but that was, well. About it for humans of the female persuasion. (In the JP canon, most if not all dinosaurs you encounter will be female, due to the cloning process that makes them. This does not actually count as having gender balance. Honest.)

Wasn't going to stop me from going. After all, Jurassic Park III had lousy gender balance, with only Amanda and Ellie really keeping up the side, and it's generally regarded as the worst of the original three. Surely the filmmakers would look at that and say "Yeah, little girls found their way into the franchise through Lex as a viewpoint and Ellie as an aspiration, just like little boys had the combo of Tim and Alan! Let's make sure we keep everyone at the party!" Part of my passion for this franchise comes from the fact that when I was a little girl, Jurassic Park was actually willing to invite me in. Surely the trailers were leaving something out.

They weren't.

( Because while most of these spoilers are from the trailers, it's also polite not to spoil.Collapse )