The upcoming release of Elemental

One of my good friends Emily White will be releasing her debut novel, Elemental, on May 1, published by Spencer Hill Press. I'm very excited to see how her story has evolved, since I've only read some of the early drafts back when her MC had a different name. ;D If I can actually come up with any intelligent sounding questions, I hope to have her visit for an interview sometime before the release date. (Talking to her is easy, but interviewing in general is not. For me anyway.)

But this week, the trailer for her book is out, and I am proud to share it with all of you.

From the press release:

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should. 
But she wants to.

For ten years--ever since she was a small child--Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? Is Ella the prophesied Destructor... or will she be the one who's destroyed?

Stubble It! And other vulgar phrases of 1811

If you wish your writing to be in fine trim when using language of the 1800's and not sound like a puzzle-text, check out The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence. I am not tweaking your nose when I say this book can help you add some flavor to your riff raff. Just be careful that your writing cronies don't nip the book from your possession. Make them get their own copy. If necessary, you can find it on Project Guttenberg.

So roll the bones and take a chance to have some fun with vulgar language. Put your characters in a pickle with some rogues. You'll discover naming jokes authors have used such as Fflewddur Fflam's name in the Prydain Chronicles. (Flam is a lie or sham story.) And some words may surprise you with their familiarity. I used a few in this post, can you find them all?

(Puzzle-text - an ignorant blundering parson)

Trailer for The Guild's new comicbook

I found out about Felicia Day from Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. That's what pointed me toward her web series called The Guild, a funny look at MMORPGers. I've been hooked ever since, though I'm behind on the latest season (#3). Whether you've played an online game before or not, you might have fun watching the series. And now this week, their new comic book comes out. I plan to pick it up sometime this summer.

Check out the new trailer for the comic book. Then go watch some of the webseries. :D

Adding flavor with slang

Making dialogue distinct between characters is sometimes tricky. You want your primary and secondary characters to have their own way of talking. Sometimes you want a whole group to have a way of talking that is different from those outside the group, such as a street gang or a culture new to one of the characters.

Slang is one of the ways to enhance dialogue without resorting to a great deal of dialect phonetics. Now some dialect words have become common enough that they are easily translated like "Whatcha gonna do?" But sometimes it can be confusing. To suggest dialect without writing as much out, make use of a few easy-to-understand phonetical words and a scattering of slang words and phrases.

When choosing slang, don't dump everything in that you know. It can be too much, and you may not understand the terms as well as you think you do. Be selective. Some terms might be common to a group, while others can be specific to a character.

If you want to add flavor with slang or just understand popular terms better, check out this great resource: The Slang Dictionary. You can search through general slang or go to one of the specific categories like the Lexicon of Thieves' Cant. They also have links to some other specialized dictionary sites such as the Urban Dictionary and 60's Slang.

Words

Drat! I had a fantastic self realization this morning after reading Jai's post about BookTV, and while trying to write out why it was such a lightbulb moment and what it had to do with what triggered it, my train of thought derailed.

Now instead of feeling invigorated, I'm depressed, because it really meant something to me, and I wanted to share it while it was still relevant. Stupid words flashed by too fast for me to catch them, and now I can't explain it without taking so long that the entire point is lost. A messed up sort of genius. I read something, and my thoughts pull up a bunch of things it reminds me of and connections it makes for me. But I have inadequate outflow of my thought process.

I'm sure there's the roots to an interesting alien encounter story I could pull out of how my brain works. Humans meet some race that doesn't have a strong verbal language but one of flashes of insight, references, memories. Maybe transmitted partly by telepathy. Sort of a combination of Juliette Wade's alien stories and that ST episode with that main phrase, "Darmok and [something] at Tinagra." Or something like that. I've even played around with the idea of a code based on song, movie, and book references, information wouldn't be exact, but it's a similar concept to the alien process.

Words just don't keep up. A real communication flaw when trying to deal with people who can think verbally at faster speed. Without telepathy or shared experience, it's tedious to get those thoughts across. And by the time I do, the meaning is lost. I don't even remember names well. Most people I remember their faces and references like "so-and-so from [place], met them at [event]."

Too bad I'll never write that story, because I'm still trying to hack out these other ones, and words don't like me. Not much of artist either. Too bad I can't paint with my mind instead of my hands. Look at that. Another potential idea that I'll probably never be able to utilize.

And in case you're worried about me, this is all just the frustrated flip side of the insight I made this morning about having connections to people. I have lots of connections and friends. And largely because I chose to become a writer. The physical act of writing/typing has kept me close to people I've met in person, through online mediums like chat programs and social sites, and the creative act of writing introduced me to people I now want to meet in person, though the online mediums of forums and blogs.

Yea. Me and words have a real love-hate relationship. I can't live without them, but they make me mad when they won't cooperate. Maybe later I'll try again to get across what I thought was so amazing and feel-good about what I'd realized almost 3 hours ago.

Filk Friday: I Had a Shoggoth

Here's another Tom Smith gem. I Had a Shoggoth might be one way to introduce kids to various monstrous creatures such as werewolves, zombies, and vampires. Oh yes, and of course, the Shoggoth of HP Lovecraft.

Copied from the video description:

A kids' song, written for The Funny Music Project, and performed live at MarCon 2008. ASL signing by the amazing Judi Miller, who had no idea what was coming.

Song and video © 2008 Tom Smith. Released under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike license.

Downloadable audio available at http://www.thefump.com

http://www.tomsmithonline.com

Judi's signing makes the song extra funny. Even Tom was entertained. "That was worth diamonds, man." Then again, he gave her a great song to start with. Enjoy!

Anniversary Contest and Announcements

Friday was the one-year anniversary of the dragon's library being opened to guests. No big explosions or rampaging trolls to mark the occasion, though Azuranna would like to thank the dedicated pawful of visitors who have walked among her shelves and said hello to the fairies. She had hoped for at least a small village to take up residence nearby, but even the few of you have brightened her century.

In honor of the occasion, the library is getting some renovation over the next couple weeks. Watch for changes made and let us know what you think. I've set the pixies to work on determining colors, while the ogres ready their pickaxes to create a catalog room. There might be some other things I'll do around here to make it more inviting. Maybe a dining room?

As part of the celebrations, I am holding my first contest. (It seems the thing to do, isn't it?) As an ode to my favorite mythical creature, write a short poem about dragons in general or specifically about Azuranna, the great blue dragon librarian who is our host. Submissions are open between now and October 8. Post them in the comments here. I'll announce the winner on October 11. Since so many people are giving away books lately, the winner will receive a crocheted bookmark in their favorite color, a useful accompaniment for booklovers.

Since a party is more fun when more people show up, I'm passing out party favors. Everyone who participates in the contest will receive a 5x7 print of my first dragon drawing as seen on one of my early posts. Being a follower is not required. (Though new people will be gleefully welcomed.)

(I hadn't realized how much I missed the whimsy I started the blog with until I wrote this post. I hope you will all participate to help keep it going.)

In addition the contest and renovations, I've already picked up a couple guest visits to the dragon's library. What a great way to begin my second year of blogging. On October 20th, Janice Hardy will be passing through on her blog tour in celebration of her October 5th release of Blue Fire: book 2 of the Healing Wars trilogy. (My copy is already pre-ordered; I'm so excited!) Then in early November, Juliette Wade will be here. Her third Analog story comes out November 7, with cover art no less. These two lovely ladies are fantastic authors and bloggers. I hope you will give them a warm welcome.

Coming soon: Eight Against Reality

On Monday, I mentioned reading my first ARC. I was given the opportunity to read and review Eight Against Reality by one of the authors, Juliette Wade, who sent me it to me as a pdf file. She'd stopped by my blog and enjoyed her visit. Because she liked how I've been writing my reviews, calling them "thoughtful," she wanted to know if I'd be interested in sharing my opinion of the book with all of you.

Since TalkToYoUniverse is one of my reading staples, I was thrilled to be asked. Her blog is full of informative articles utilizing her expertise with language and culture to help writers enliven their fictional worlds, and she is responsive to her readers with charm, grace, and a sincere desire to help. (I'm sure she's blushing now, but it's all true.) She is an inspiration.

Even though I was very excited to be doing this, I was also nervous. What if I didn't like the stories? She was risking my opinion to help promote her writing group's work. Well, I can now say, that while I didn't personally enjoy every story, this is a book worth buying when it's released on July 15th.

Her story, The Eminence's Match, illustrates many of the topics she's written about on TTYU, from hiding information in plain sight to considering how another culture may do things differently. Throughout the story, I had the sense of, "So this is what she's been talking about."

Eminence Nekantor is obsessed with perfection. Every flaw he perceives must be corrected, even the tiniest things such as which of the two buttons on his jacket is to be buttoned first. Xinta is a senior Service Academy student who can't maintain the required calm of the Imbati, personal body-servants to the noble caste. Calm is crucial for keeping their master's secrets and being alert to their slightest whim. Play sessions are fraught with torment from noble youths intent on making him cry, and therefore, fail. Will these two destroy each other, or can they find the peace they both desperately crave?

Kip, Running by Genevieve Williams is another story with a fascinating world. Kip's sub-culture takes cross-country running to a whole new level: on maglev trains, across moving sidewalks, and over smart buildings, despite that the way runners do so is illegal in normal society. The rules are simple: you run or freeride--no driving or paying fares. No interference of other runners. The first to reach the finish point wins. I had fun following Kip's path to the finish line and how she'd been drawn into this thrill-seeking sport.

The Lonely Heart by Aliette de Bodard was one of the ones I couldn't get into but only because of the subject matter. It was very well written. I'm just not into horror type stories, especially ones involving sexual exploitation. (I have trouble sitting through most episodes of Law and Order: SVU. Just to give you an idea.) This one takes us to China's Three Gorges Dam region. Chen sells trinkets to tourists while her husband works in another part of the city to scrape together the money for a proper flat. But a chance encounter with a sinister man and his girl-toy threatens more than just the plan to move to legal housing.

The Flying Squids of Zondor: The Movie Script by Doug Sharp wasn't to my taste either but for different reasons. It's more of my husband's kind of story, the sort of thing he laughs at before waving me over to read when he finds them online, and I just pat his shoulder and go, "That's nice, dear," before going back to what I prefer. I'd rate this story as "R" for raunchy--comic book style, minus the pictures. There's several guys I know who'd get a kick out of this space romp.

Commandrix Den Dron loathes aliens and crashes the BattleRocket Trigon into the planet Zondor, home to a race of flying squid, while her libido battles her gag reflex. I can just imagine hordes of guys chortling, "Need...power...steering," and "Look out! Pink gas attack!" (Ok, so I laughed, too. But it's not my kind of story. Really.)

Spoiling Veena by Keyan Bowes grabbed my interest from the first line with an unlikely simile that propelled me into this story of genetic manipulation set in India. Shalini and her husband spent a fortune and hours in front of genetic spreadsheets to design the perfect daughter. Now on her twelfth birthday, Veena tells her parents that she'd rather be a boy named Vikrum.

Man's Best Enemy is written by Janice Hardy, another great blogger. This story of survival in a devastated world was just as good as I expected from the author of The Shifter. (Blue Fire is due out in October; I can hardly wait.) Shawna, apprentice medic, longs to be one of the hunters. It's a dangerous occupation. With such a small population, only one person per family is permitted to join their ranks, and Shawna's brother is already one of them. But when Deeke's teammate is killed by an attack from a wild dog and he gets quarantined after becoming ill from a potential new strain of the Bug, Shawna is grudgingly allowed to take his place.

Love, Blood, and Octli by T. L. Morganfield plays on South American legends. The gods have many gifts for mankind, but not all of them are beneficial. Ayomichi becomes the priestess of Ehecatl, the Wind God bearing the form of a feathered serpent. She passes his gifts to her people, but the ones from his sinister form cause grief, even heartbreak. Can her belief in the goodness of the original Ehecatl be enough to save her people?

Dancing By the Numbers by Dario Ciriello confused me at first. There are multiple Lyra's, all written in first person, but once I got the hang of the shifts, helped along by headers indicating which Lyra was speaking, I followed along just fine. A fascinating story of reaching across parallel dimensions and what might happen if you connect with your other-selves.

I am grateful to Juliette for considering me to be part of this book's promotion. If you think any of these stories sound intriguing, I highly recommend you head to your nearest favorite book seller to get your own copy on July 15th. Even though I have one on pdf, I may have to buy a paper version, just to have something to pass around to my friends and co-workers. (And for collecting signatures if/when I get the chance to meet any of the authors in person.)

Panverse is going to be a publisher to watch when they can offer this level of quality to their readers despite their fledgling status in the business world. I look forward to what they will release next.