Carlos has a new game out with 9th Level Games’ LEVEL 1 anthology for FREE RPG DAY!
His game is called “NEW GOD”!
Here’s the description: “You’re a brand new god. Grow your worshippers and help them flourish. Or just smite them. Either way.”
It’s on page 39! Find your copy at Origins Game Fair at Booth 719!!!
And just because I had so much fun dressing up, here’s my costume today!
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Here we are in the AUTHORS’ ALCOVE, in the 1900-1800 aisles, right in the middle, a nice big zócalo of books and creators!
We have a double table—one for NEGOCIOS INFERNALES demos, and one for OUR BOOKS!
Also, I dressed up today, because… CON!
Here’s hoping we can spread the good news about NEGOCIOS INFERNALES, and direct eager gamers to our preorder page at Outland Entertainment!
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I’m excited to be on these Origins Game Fair panels! The rest of the time, we’ll be selling and signing books in the Authors’ Alcove.
Carlos will have copies of his Marvel omnibus THE STRANGE ACADEMY: A DEADLY FIELD TRIP, as well as his SAL AND GABI books from Disney Books.
And me? I’ll have copies of SAINT DEATH’S DAUGHTER (Solaris Books), THE TWICE-DROWNED SAINT (Mythic Delirium), DESDEMONA AND THE DEEP (Tordotcom), DARK BREAKERS, BONE SWANS, and even HOW THE STATUE LEARNED TO DREAM.
We will also have the prototype of NEGOCIOS INFERNALES to show off, and perhaps a secret sign-up sheet to play a game or two! (Logistics pending!)
So, swing by, say hi, pick up some books, and don’t forget that all the authors at Origins—including us—have brand new stories in the exclusive Origins anthology: LEGACIES. (Mine is based on a character I came up with during a game of Negocios Infernales: a poet in a bird cage.)
2pm: Research for Now and Later
SF and Fantasy can require an enormous amount of research. How do we organize the facts we find, whether for works in progress or as a vague, “That’s cool, maybe I’ll use it someday” tidbit?
A212
Jeri “Red” Shepherd, J. Rosenberg, C. S. E. Cooney, Beth Cato
2pm: Writing Habits
Are you an outliner or an improviser? Feast-or-famine or steady-as-she-goes? Do you have a dedicated writing space, or do you prefer the couch? There’s no one “correct” way to write, and finding out what works for you is a matter of settling into your groove. Authors with various habits will share what works for them, and discuss how they arrived there.
A212
Mary Fan, Kelli Fitzpatrick, K. DeCandido, C. S. E. Cooney
4pm: The Rewards and Challenges of Writing Series
What makes some authors decide to start series? What makes a series worthwhile? What are some of the unique challenges that come with writing multiple books in a single universe? How do you start, how do you keep it going, and how do you wrap things up? Let’s discuss!
A212
Mary Fan, C. S. E. Cooney, Carlos Hernandez, Addie J. King
1pm: Just Enough Worldbuilding
When writing a novel–or a story–when does worldbuilding interfere with the work of getting a novel done? When does too much detail alienate rather than invite the reader in? Panelists will talk about the ways in which they build their worlds.
A213
Carlos Hernandez, Beth Cato, Storm Humbert, C. S. E. Cooney, Jason Sanford
11am: Readings
Some authors love doing readings. Others hate them. Find out how to make the most of a reading, and how to give it your best.
A213
Jennifer Brozek, J. Rosenberg, K. DeCandido, C. S. E. Cooney
1pm: Fiction and Food
Authors dish on writing about food in genre fiction, from fantasy feast scenes to hot Earl Grey tea. How onerous is the research? How can familiar food themes be made fresh and innovative?
A213
K. DeCandido, Daniel Myers, C. S. E. Cooney
5pm: The Line Between Novelty and Gimmicks
Stories centered on novel or original things often draw readers in, but gimmicky writing often turns them off. Where is the line, and how do we learn to feel when we’ve crossed it?
A213
Storm Humbert, Carlos Hernandez, Addie J. King
4pm: The Rewards and Challenges of Writing Series
What makes some authors decide to start series? What makes a series worthwhile? What are some of the unique challenges that come with writing multiple books in a single universe? How do you start, how do you keep it going, and how do you wrap things up? Let’s discuss!
A212
Mary Fan, C. S. E. Cooney, Carlos Hernandez, Addie J. King
10am: From Game to Story
What is the difference between running a campaign and writing a novel? Where is there crossover? Panelists will discuss the pitfalls of not realizing the discrepancies between the two, and the felicities that come from jumping formats!
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Jeri “Red” Shepherd, Matt Forbeck, Kelli Fitzpatrick, K. DeCandido, Carlos Hernandez
1pm: Just Enough Worldbuilding
When writing a novel–or a story–when does worldbuilding interfere with the work of getting a novel done? When does too much detail alienate rather than invite the reader in? Panelists will talk about the ways in which they build their worlds.
A213
Carlos Hernandez, Beth Cato, Storm Humbert, C. S. E. Cooney, Jason Sanford
5pm: Breaking the Rules!
Like a t-shirt, writing advice isn’t one size fits all. Our panelists will go through their favorite writing rules to break, the writing rules they use as their old reliables, and why. Come hear why advice isn’t for everyone!
A213
Jennifer Brozek, Storm Humbert, Carlos Hernandez
12pm: The Intersection of Games and Books
How gaming prepares you for authoring books and how books can move into the world of games. Join panelists who find that their work thrives at the cross-section of these two creative areas.
A212
Jeri “Red” Shepherd, Matt Forbeck, Carlos Hernandez, James Lowder
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Okay, I’ve had enough of a rest. I turned in my novel and my three short stories, and I narrated a few audiobooks, and then I just PLAYED AND PLAYED. Now it’s time to get back to writing until my edits come in.
So… back to FIDDLE, anyone? Been a minute.
…Like, I wrote the first draft in 2019, and the first half of the second draft in 2020, and then Saint Death’s Daughter, Dark Breakers, The Twice-Drowned Saint, and Negocios Infernales happened. And also Saint Death’s Herald, still currently happening.
But still. Can’t play Slay the Spire INFINITELY, can I? Well… I CAN, but… THAT DOESN’T GET FIDDLE WRITTEN. Or re-written, as it were.
Do you know about Fiddle?
It’s kinda rom-com romp set in the Dark Breakers/Desdemona and the Deep world, but instead of, like, the “Gilded Age” of most of the Dark Breakers stories, not to mention Desdemona, it’s… like… in the 1980’s-equivalent of that world. LOL.
P.S. The walls between the Three Worlds fell down sometime in the 60’s-equivalent (called the “Ymbeglidegold”), so now the goblins, gentry, and humans are all mingled together, in with the occasional demonspawn.
So. That’s nice.
I’ve just reorganized my Table of Contents. It’s kind of like an outline. It gives me a structure, anyway.
Scene 1 Best of All Sisters
Scene 2 Goblin Favors
Scene 3 Okay, So He’s Pretty Okay
Scene 4 Thorn in the Dark
Scene 5 The Way of the White Widow
Scene 1 Demonspawn
Scene 2 Fexting
Scene 3 Lenscraft
Scene 4 Hen Night
Scene 5 Orca Goons
Scene 1 Deep Lords and Clade Queens
Scene 2 The Lost Basilica: Wedding One (Gentry Tripartite renewal of vows)
Scene 3 Oracles for the Unwary: Wedding Two (Dida and Istat)
Scene 4 Third Times’s the Boom: Wedding Three (Ghilbrenna and Squiddy)
Scene 5 SS Vespel Nest
Why did I use this “Susurra” image to illustrate my FIDDLE blog, you ask? Why, because the gentry of the Valwode, second world down on the three-petal World Flower, live a LONG-ASS TIME.
And some characters you might have met and loved in DARK BREAKERS and DESDEMONA are alive and well in FIDDLE.
Because… you know. Immortals.
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Dear friends,
This post is a collaboration between yours truly C. S. E. Cooney, Amal El-Mohtar, Carlos Hernandez, and Julia Rios, on the behalf of our beloved friend, Jessica P. Wick, who recently lost her mother.
Jess is an author, editor, reviewer, artist, and bookseller. She adds light and beauty and nuance to the world. Her brother, Jeremy, has been caretaking for their mother, Karen, this past half year. Karen herself, a gentle soul and a devoted reader, was a teacher all her life, with a profound love for cats, her children, and literature.
Right now, Jess and her brother are under an incredible financial strain in the wake of their mother’s death. Some of the expenses are:
Some of these expenses are already coming due or are past due. This list does not include the thousands of dollars of moving and storage, or any funds for Jeremy after he moves across the country and starts over.
Please check out the GoFund Me page we have created for them.
Jess and her brother need both time and space to grieve their loss. Instead, they are beset with financial stress and a series of tough decisions that are taking their toll.
We are hoping that, together, we can help ease the burden a little, and give them some breathing room to rest and to grieve in peace.
Jess’s work in the speculative fiction field has inspired and delighted so many of us. As a heartfelt thank you, we are offering an anthology to all who donate to this fundraiser. This ebook full of mythic wonder includes stories, poems, and art by some of Jess’s friends, including:
We are also including a poem by Karen Wick, whom we honor.
Thank you kindly,
Amal El-Mohtar, Carlos Hernandez, Julia Rios, and C. S. E. Cooney
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When I find myself writing really long Facebook or Instagram posts, I know it’s time to sort of scoot them over into a bloggish setting, because things are happening.
I’ve been listening to Stephen King’s YOU LIKE IT DARKER in between listening to Andy Serkis read me LOTR like I’ve never imagined it before. I generally like King, especially later-King, and particularly his short form work, and PARTICULARLY his novellas.
I was drawn to this collection because A.) my father is listening and recommended it, and the narrator, and B.) the title recalls Leonard Cohen’s final album, YOU WANT IT DARKER, which gives me a strange feeling like King is trying to tell us something. Or at least honor Cohen. Either way. I’m attracted.
The collection starts with a novella: “Two Clever Bastards,” which I adored. I woke up too early this morning, and was using it to lull myself to sleep, but it finished before I drifted off again, and it went into the second story, which totally Shirley Jacksoned me there at the end (I’m thinking “The Witch” short story in particular), and I was treated with a heart-pounded jolt of adrenalin and the certainty I was up for the day.
So, thanks for that, Mr. King. LOL. SO MANY MORE GAMES OF SLAY THE SPIRE before my writing day begins.
So far, of the 3.5 stories I’ve heard so far, the first is the most stunning and philosophical and immersive and perfect. The others are really damn great horror. I’m finding the fourth story harder to get into; I’m going to start it again and give it more than sleepy attention. Also thinking about getting the ebook from the library and reading that one. It made need more on-page attention.
Ann Leckie She’s just full of news and insights. Today’s link is to her latest newsletter. I love especially the part about reading conventions and emotional response, as well as the part about reading Moby Dick like an SFF novel. And I love, love, love TRANSLATION STATE, so I’m super glad it’s in paperback. I HAVE THE HARDCOVER HOWEVER TEE HEE!
Louise Penny I may not be the ULTIMATE Inspector Gamache fan, but I’m a BIG Inspector Gamache fan. Not the sort who remembers all the details, and can tell you the name of every character, but the sort who read at least the first 11 books (and I think more) of the series, and who went to see her speak in DC, and who reads and enjoys her newsletters. This link is to her June newsletter, full of beautiful puppers and book and charity news. She always has great quotes.
Ilona Andrews I’m a huge Ilona Andrews fan, both for the physical books and the audiobooks. But their blogs are endlessly insightful, entertaining, productive, and inspiring. The blog/newsletter I’m linking to is their take on the Romance Writers of America bankruptcy, which I found a fascinating read.
MV Media “Afrofuturism, Sword and Soul, Steamfunk and more!” This is a link to their blog, but you can scroll to the bottom and sign up for their newsletter if you like.
Penny Reid In usual Penny Reid fashion, she claims hers as the world’s greatest newsletter. That makes me laugh, but then, so does she! I’m SUCH a Penny Reid fan-girl, Carlos made me a shirt with an armadillo on it that says “Cletus Ex Machina” on the front, and “Team Winston” on the back. Those reference my favorite of her series, “The Winston Brothers.” But my favorite brother is Cletus. He and Jen even have their own spin-off mystery series. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve read those books and listened to the audiobooks. The narrators are out of this world, and I love the newsletter in generally.
The STORYTELLER Tanith Lee tribute anthology funded fully on Kickstarter, thanks to the tireless and charming efforts of editor and publisher Julie Day, of Essential Dreams Press. They reached their SECOND STRETCH GOAL. YAY! That means all the writers get paid, not only pro-rates, but 10 cents a word. And the anthology will also open up to two additional submissions next month.
That link up there links you to a page where you can sign up to be notified for PRE-ORDERS!
After turning in SAINT DEATH’S HERALD, I had three short stories due, right after another. I just finished the third of these three stories–for the STORYTELLER anthology–and submitted it to Julie yesterday. It’s in homage to Tanith’s demon story-fairytales from the Flat Earth series, though it isn’t one of those. I’m calling it “Moons Over Sea,” which is a joke you won’t get till the end. You’ll even forget I gave you this little hint.
I’m a little breathless at having finishing three things in two months, after not finishing a novel for a year and a half. But now I’ve finished a novel AND THREE THINGS.
Or… well, I’ve finished the novel till I get the edits back…
*panicky heartbeat*
In the meantime, a lot of potential projects to work on, but nothing with an immediate deadline. I have a sort of “second chance” romance novel I’d like to set in Gloriana, the world of NEGOCIOS INFERNALES.
Carlos and I have written a few short stories set there already, namely: “Catharsis,” “A Minnow or Perhaps a Colossal Squid,” and most recently “On Wings of Crystal,” which is set in Espada itself, the same country that the game takes place in.
I might start that novel out long-hand. With a fountain pen. For my pleasure.
My friend Caitlyn Paxson… *begin interlude* I’ve mentioned Caitlyn’s newsletter a MILLION TIMES, but seriously, friends. SERIOUSLY. She lives on PEI, she interprets for historical houses, she runs AND debunks seances, she makes clothes out of old sheets and tablecloths, and she writes absolutely always the best books I want and need to read, and she grows HERITAGE FLOWERS… *pants* AND MORE!!!… *end interlude* has requested and required my “Espadan romance,” and I can’t bear to disappoint her, though I have A THOUSAND OTHER THINGS TO WRITE.
The idea stems from characters born in “On Wings of Crystal.” They were the parents of the main character–a professor and a balladeer, long-divorced from each other, but devoted to their poet daughter–and they kept wanting it to be THEIR story. Most of their AWESOME PARTS I had to cut, because it was, in fact, their DAUGHTER THE POET’S story.
“On Wings of Crystal” was the first of my three stories that came in the last few months, and it will soon appear in this year’s Origins Game Fair anthology. That’s limited to people who attend Origins, but I think I get the rights back soon, or I already have them as it’s non-exclusive. I’ll check my contract and get back to you.
“Catharsis,” also set in Gloriana, can be found in the “Rogue Artists” anthology, and “A Minnow, or Perhaps a Colossal Squid,” which Carlos I wrote together, is free to read online, from Mermaids Monthly.
Zig Zag Claybourne has released the first of his Khumalo Trilogy: BREATH, WARMTH & DREAM. Get thee hence! BASK IN THIS RADIANT TENDERNESS.
The world continues, in otherwise, awful. In addition to voting, and agitating for change with one’s representatives, here are just some of the hard-working organizations straining to stem “the blood-dimm’d tide” that’s been loosed.
Women for Women International: This particular link goes directly to Gaza relief. The organization also invests in women across the world.
International Rescue Committee This link goes directly to Gaza relief. The organization “works in over 40 countries to help people impacted by crises survive, recover and rebuild their lives.”
World Central Kitchen They feed people who need to be fed. This link leads to a donation responding to “response to “the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is providing crucial aid to affected communities. Partnering with local organizations in Gaza and working on the ground in Egypt, Cyprus, and Lebanon, WCK is committed to offering support to Palestinians and anyone else in need.”
The world has lost a light in MaryAnn Harris, mythic, musician, and wife of Charles de Lint.
The world has a lost a light in Karen Wick, mother to my friend Jessica P. Wick, one of the founders of Goblin Fruit Magazine.
Everywhere, our friends and strangers are hurting. Nothing I do is enough. It’s not ever enough. So. I just do some things, as I can. And it’s not enough. I’m full of a restlessness. I want to walk only at night. I want to listen to Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (that’s the YouTube link, here’s the Spotify link, with the version I grew up with, and an excellent Guardian article on the work), and write poetry that means something. Anything.
How many food chains can I get on? How much can I donate? Where do I put my mind and body to work where it may best be used? Where do I start?
Anyway. As my mother once wrote, in the years following her divorce, “I am 10 women.” There is so much joy in my life, too. Joy and sorrow and utter weirdness all mixed in. Like all lives.
I got to see my dad and stepmom last week, as well as the youngest of my brothers. We were in Chicago for five days, and they passed like a butterfly. We also saw butterflies in the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Anyway, I write this with love, dear reader, whoever you are. Thank you for reading, and taking the time all the way to the end.
– C. S. E. Cooney
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Carlos and I ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE THE GALLEY PROOFS OF OUR TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAME NEGOCIOS INFERNALES!!!! UNBOXING VIDEO FTW!
Thank you, Jeremy Mohler, Alana Joli Abbott, Shannon Potratz, Anton Kromoff, Bek Huston, Will Sobel, and the whole Outland Entertainment team for making this possible!
We will be going through the proofs with a magnifying glass and a deal of enthusiasm and getting feedback back to our publishers so we can get this game to you STAT!!!
We are so happy!!!
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It’s Sitzfleisch Poetry Night tonight, and I wasn’t feeling it. But since I only dedicate one hour a month to poetry on purpose (it ends up being slightly more, which I’m really very grateful for), I thought I’d give it a go.
Since I wasn’t feeling any free-form verse coming on, I thought I’d take a look at a form I’ve never attempted before: the ghazal. (Or, if I DID ever attempt it, I have justly forgotten!)
Last week I dreamed for five nights in a row that someone I knew and loved died, sometimes on a grand scale, sometimes on a very close and personal scale. The repetition of the ghazal, and the loop back to the same word the ends the first two lines of the first couplet, and then all subsequent even lines, indicated to me a kind of haunting.
A wonderful write-up for the ghazal is here, with the example being the incredible “Hip-Hop Ghazal” by Patricia Smith, and further gorgeous examples linked below the explanation. I love learning about the radeef and the kaafiya, and what a long history this form has.
Oof. Just the beauty and the provenance hit my chest just so.
Here’s my attempt, first draft, such as it is.
Ghazal for Dreaming Death
by C. S. E. Cooney
at night I dream unbroken lonely death
sleep long, awake and yawn, “phony death.”
joy is local, daylight dimming doubt
each good day I say, “disown me, Death.”
what sacrifice make to stay alive?
take of my flesh and clone me, Death.
I read Earth’s woeful daily news
staring from the headlines, stony death
in all wrinkles, age spots, gray-gilt hair
I behold my kindly crony, Death
breathing slow at night, self-soothe to sleep
down dreams, begone ye: it’s only death
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We went out for dim sum yesterday with new friends Beto O’Byrne and Meropi Peponides of Radical Evolution Theatre, and the discussion flew between theatre, games, writing, activism, and more.
Radical Evolution Theatre, founded in 2011, “is a producing collective committed to creating artistic events that seek to understand the complexities of our multicultural existence in the 21st Century…: that uses “an ensemble-based approach to create aesthetically and formally rigorous events that bring together people from disparate backgrounds, to break down barriers between cultures and creative practices.”
Their “About page” goes on to say that they “collaborate with people from many different identities with whom we build capacity to relate to each other across difference, with a focus on people of color, to seed the field of performance with practitioners that celebrate the intersectionality of perspectives and aesthetics of the city around us. Through this approach, we work to assert a vision for cultural and social equity in our field, city, and nation.”
One of the theatres that Radical Evolution has been collaborating with for an upcoming podcast project, now in its research stages, is called “The Freedom Theatre,” based in the West Bank. Their website says:
“The Theatre programme contains activities that introduce particularly the young generation to theatre and drama, providing them with important tools for dealing with the hardships of daily life under occupation.” They stage “original theatre productions that reflect, comment upon and challenge the realities of contemporary Palestinian society.”
I’m writing this partly to tell YOU all about this, because I love that the Freedom Theatre exists–it’s important work, and dangerous work (past directors have been assassinated or imprisoned)–and I want to support it in any way I can. Their mission statement is fierce. Their donation page is here.
I also want to support Radical Evolution Theatre in all its upcoming projects. One that I know about, because Carlos and I attended the launch party for it, is called “Little Known Legends.”
It’s available for free on Spotify and Apple: “a limited series podcast adapted from Beto O’Byrne’s play, “The Corrido of the San Patricios”. It tells the story of the St. Patrick’s Battalion (Los San Patricios)–a group of mostly Irish immigrants who defect from the US Army to fight for Mexico during the Mexican American War. An epic tale taking us across oceans, deserts and into the heart of one of the most unjust wars in US History, Little Known Legends uses this epic story to ask pressing questions around immigration, citizenship, and what happens when people follow their conscience to actively disrupt political systems.”
Because we went to the launch, we know that the actors are exquisite, the soundscape awe-inspiring, the international collaboration that went into the piece dazzling, and this quiet piece of history profoundly moving. So… I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A LISTENING PARTY FOR IT!
Apparently there are whole folksongs written about these events, mostly Irish and Mexican, though the U. S. history books consider the defection an act of treachery. What a piece of theatre!
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I am about to go through my Discography for a fun a cappella song list to bring with me to HELIOsphere for our little 30-minute concert.
Songs should be:
All my songs are short-ish, but with patter between, the minutes add up quickly. Let’s see. I was thinking something like:
If Faye Ringel or Mary Crowell or my brother Jeremy (he sings with me on the album) were with me, I’d sing Black Widow’s Waltz and Headless Bride from Headless Bride, or Little Man Jamie from Ballads from a Distant Star. They’re far better as duets! (Or, in the case of “Jamie” as a triplet!)
You know, I love all of these songs. Now that I’m taking voice lessons with the wonderful Kiara Duran, wouldn’t I love, in another three years, to re-record ALL OF THEM with my new, stronger, more trained voice.
Speaking of Kiara, she does voice lessons OVER ZOOM. I’ll write more about her (and the lessons) sometime, but I couldn’t recommend her more highly, for those of you who live in different states or time zones, or don’t have time/spoons for lessons out in the world.
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C.S.E. Cooney 