A first review of The Gathering Storm

A first reading and review has been done for The Gathering Storm, the next-to-last title in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.

No. Not by me, but from someone close to Tor.com and Brandon Sanderson. Jason Denzel, who also blogs at times for Tor, has had the chance to read the book and gives his candid thoughts on the experience (which seems to be enthusiastic for the most part, so be encouraged).

It's a nice meaty review, with some potential spoilers. Enjoy!

I see that smile.

New articles on my Examiner page

Hey all. Just a note that I've posted a few new articles over on the Speculative Fiction Examiner page I've got going. A few book reviews, one on the podcast series, Writing Excuses, and a list of 10 literary agent who represent spec fic.

Enjoy! What you all are up to?

I see that smile.

Clarity of Night contest winners

Hie thee over to Clarity of Night and check out the Winners Announcement. Some wonderful stories in this contest round, so be sure to congratulate the winners.

It was a lot of fun to participate, though I didn't make it into the placers this time. Ah well. Although I did manage to get into the Forties Club, which includes everyone whose story scored at least 40 out of 45 possible points. Already looking forward to the next one.

Here's one of my favorites, "The Machinery of Self," by William Wood, which took 2nd place!

I see that smile.

Two great links

And these links have little to do with each other, except for having to do with writing.

First is this great comic from Pearls Before Swin:

http://www.sacbee.com/1262/image_media/1931444.html

I think it somewhat accurately depicts our feelings about the whole query/rejection process.

And second, is this compendium of writing advice put together by Nathan Bransford, literary agent and blogger:

http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/06/writing-advice-database.html

This list covers FAQ's from whether your novel is too controversial to how to figure out what genre it belongs to. Lots of great info here.

I see that smile.

Don't forget

This is the last day to enter the current Clarity of Night short fiction contest.

Rules and all entries posted so far are listed here.

Good luck to all who've entered!

I see that smile.

Writing backstories...for eBay?

Would you buy an otherwise random, possibly useless toy or gadget if it had a great backstory? That's what the bloggers over at Significant Objects are trying to find out. Taking such...umm...heirlooms as Christmas-themed nutcrackers and toy hot dogs, they have written intricate stories surrounding each object in the hopes of drawing potential bids from folks on eBay.

So...take a look and see if you would be convinced to part with your well-earned dollars in exchange for a piece of made-up history.

Here's a sample of one:

[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Jenny Davidson, here.]

I blame it on the book: a pocket-sized lined notebook with a black matte cover, bound at the left-hand margin and with a band to hold it shut. I used to tuck a pen inside, a pen whose nib was narrow enough to inscribe my tiny Brontë-like lists of calories consumed and exercise taken. It came to be the case that I could no longer eat unless I had documented it beforehand — I remember the first day I noticed that physical reluctance in my esophagus, that hand-dependent hypergraphic inability to eat without having written.

As a child, I loved Beatrix Potter’s story of the two bad mice, Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca, who broke into the doll’s house where “the dinner had been bought ready-made, in a box full of shavings. There were two red lobsters, and a ham, a fish, a pudding, and some pears and oranges. They would not come off the plates, but they were extremely beautiful.” Tom and Hunca Munca smashed dinner when they found it could not be eaten; I keep the hot dog to remind myself that food does not have to be beautiful.

The significance of this object has been invented by the author; see the project description for details. Click here to receive email updates.

I see that smile.

Clarity of Night short fiction contest

Don't forget to send in your short fiction entry to the Clarity of Night contest going on now. It is open until July 15th, 11pm (eastern US time).

They've already got 60 entries, with about half of them posted at this time. Here's the link to mine:

The Tasting Room.

And before you say anything, yes, like most of my other entries, it's got a bit of a morbid subject matter. It's weird. Everytime one of these contests runs, I think, "Hey, maybe I'll do a bright, shiny, fun story this time." Then I sit down and start thinking and typing out rough drafts, and before I know it, I've got a story about ghosts, assassins, or apocalyptic landscapes.

-sigh-

At least I tried, right?

I see that smile.

What to do when you're rich (besides pay off my student loans for me)

Just in case you're one of those people with a fleet of boats that do nothing but cart around your heaping bags of gold, here are a few examples of what you could do with that excess cash (besides the oh-so-casual hint in the title).

Sci-fi themed home movie theatres. Dig 'em.

More through this link.

I see that smile. And hear the weeps of the jealous.

Electric chess

Being a fan of chess, and having more than a handful of boards cluttering my bookshelves (plus a portable magnetic set at my work desk, just in case) this vacuum tube creation certainly caught my eye. Not sure if it's a steampunk vibe, or just the thought of being able to rig the board to shock my opponent, though I doubt it's a current feature.

Creator Paul Fryer made this set with an actual current running through the plugs so the pieces glow whenever you set them in place. Called the Chess Set for Tesla, there are seven made so far, and I'm sure the price range is a bit outside of my yearly salary. Ah well. Christmas present, anyone?

I see that smile.

Short fiction contest

Hey all, there's a new contest coming up, and quick. If you've followed this blog much, you've likely heard of the Clarity of Night blog short fiction contests. These contests are based on a photo provided by Jason Evans, and have been heavily attended for the past few years. The basic requirement is a story in 250 words, based on the photo Evans posts. Then there are numerous prizes, including Amazon.com gift certicates, Honorable mentions, and Reader's choices.

Here is the photo for this time around:

For this contest, there is also a co-host, Jaye Wells, who published the debut novel Red-Headed Stepchild, which is also a prize in this contest. \

Here are the official details:

THE CONTEST WILL OPEN ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2009.

Now, down to business. Here's how the contest works. Using the photograph above for inspiration, compose a short fiction (or poetry) piece of no more than 250 words in any genre or style. After the contest opens, send your entry to me by email at jevanswriter at yahoo dot com before 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 15th (Eastern Time, United States). I'd prefer attachments formatted in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect (please see the format request below), but if you have something more exotic, you can paste the text into the body of an email. Each entry will be posted and indexed.

Now for the goodies. The following prizes are up for grabs:

• 1st Place: $50 Amazon gift certificate and a signed copy of RED-HEADED STEPHCHILD
  
• 2nd Place: $30 Amazon gift certificate
  
• 3rd Place: $25 Amazon gift certificate
  
• 4th Place: $20 Amazon gift certificate
  
• 5th Place: $15 Amazon gift certificate
  
• Readers' Choice Award 1st Place: $30 Amazon Gift certificate and a signed copy of RED-HEADED STEPCHILD

For more rules and details, check out the official posting: http://clarityofnight.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-vino-veritas-truth-in-wine-short.html

I look forward to seeing all your entries. Post a comment here when you enter so we can check it out.

I see that smile.