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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016
I had a lot of fun writing it. I’ll be sending it off to other markets in hope of placement. Keep your fingers crossed! Friday, January 29th, 2016
There was the usual accumulation of junk newspapers and circulars, but there were also two padded envelopes and a larger box. “What’s in the box?” asked the Husband of Awesome™. And I couldn’t remember what I might have ordered. That’s what happens when a blizzard comes along and all you do is dig out for a week. Brain white-out. Snow blind. You forget about the things you ordered. Or the stuff you didn’t order, but you knew was coming. Or that you’re awesome enough that someone sent you a surprise. (It could happen.) đ Here’s Your Prompt:
Good luck! (Oh, and in the box? The Christmas-gift yarn I’d ordered to knit a cardigan–my first try at sweater making. Wish me luck!) Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015
My schedule is filling up for the end of the year! Here’s where I’ll be, in case you’re interested. Baltimore Book Festival Hallowread Carroll County Authors Day ChessieCon Bel Air Authors and Artists Wednesday, June 24th, 2015
Granny Weatherwax, Minerva McGonagall, Polgara,  Gail Z. Martin Now go to any suburban grocery store or shopping mall. Wow, where did all the women come from? Who knew there were women older than 39? Hollywood–and to an extent, big publishing–buys into the Madison Avenue-fueled belief that women have an expiration date stamped on them, just like yogurt. A freshness date, after which they’re no longer saleable. For some reason, they’ve concluded that although women buy the majority of books and manage most household spending, we only want to see stories about women the same age as our daughters. Well? Are they right? It’s said that the only genre that can successfully pull off a female character over 40 is mystery/crime. Yet I see the line between mystery and urban fantasy blurring with every paranormal crime detecting novel that hits the shelves. Does the willingness to read about a main character over age 30 end when a reader changes aisles in the bookstore? I suspect there are several biases at work here. The first is our culture’s obsession with youth. We’ve been told that unless we’re Botoxed and face-lifted to within an inch of our lives we lack value, because young is good and old is bad. However, this obsession primarily applies to women, since Sean Connery was still getting accolades for being sexy into his seventies, when his wrinkles were considered to be ‘craggy’ and his gray hair to be ‘distinguished.’ Secondly, there’s consumers’ presumed vanity and insecurity. Madison Avenue presents us with models for everything from Cadillacs to retirement cruises who look twenty years too young because the ad-makers believe that’s what we want to see. It’s assumed that we don’t want to see women (again, never men) who actually look old enough to be someone’s parent or grandparent in a leading role except perhaps in a secondary, minor role or in something on the Hallmark Channel. And maybe consumers share some of the blame. It’s one thing to claim we want to see a full age spectrum of women characters. But it’s another thing to put our money where our mouths are and actually purchase products that live up to what we said we wanted.
As authors, we can easily make an effort to create and develop secondary and leading characters that are not in the ‘action hero’ stage of life and make them interesting, active, insightful, complex and realistic. Populate your fantasy worlds with female shopkeepers, sorceresses, fighters, seamstresses, queens, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, mothers, neighbors, healers and others who show the same range of ages you’d see at the supermarket. Show them as decision-makers, business owners, farmers, mages, social leaders, members of educated and influential religious orders, teachers, scholars, scientists and adventurers, because women have filled all those roles and more at a variety of ages all throughout history. (This is where it helps to read real history, not just watch what’s on TV.) Not only does developing characters like these make fantasy more faceted and realistic, it presents a much more believable world, one where more readers can see characters like themselves. It’s a pleasant departure from all the lusty wenches and brawny heroes. And before someone chimes in that older characters can’t tackle action scenes, I’d suggest you look at cultures where people are physically active in their everyday life instead of working at desk jobs, and you’ll see men and women who remain spry well into their ‘golden’ years. In my Chronicles of the Necromancer series, my main character, Tris Drayke, gets valuable guidance from his grandmother, a mage who helped to defeat the greatest threat of her time. In the Ascendant Kingdoms series, Blaine McFadden’s mother and a number of recurring secondary characters show resilience, ingenuity and strength as they help lead a shattered kingdom back from the ashes. Mrs. Morrissey and Mrs. Teller are just two of the characters in my Deadly Curiosities books on whom main character Cassidy Kincaide relies for advice and, in the case of Mrs. Teller, magical protection. And in the Iron and Blood steampunk books, Jake Desmet’s mother, Catherine, is a force to be reckoned with. Bottom line: If consumers vote with their pocketbooks, viewership and readership for books that showcase characters–male and female–in a wide variety of ages and stages, then publishers, producers and ad agencies will finally get the hint. Check out my new Steampunk novel Iron and Blood, co-written with Larry N. Martin, set in an alternative history Pittsburgh in 1898. In stores July 7! The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 28 awesome partner sites around the globe. For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Gail Z. Martin writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy and steampunk for Solaris Books and Orbit Books. In addition to Iron and Blood, she is the author of Deadly Curiosities and the upcoming Vendetta in her urban fantasy series; The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven, Dark Ladyâs Chosen) from Solaris Books and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn, The Dread) as well as Ice Forged, Reign of Ash, and War of Shadows in The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga from Orbit Books. Gail writes two series of ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Adventures and her work has appeared in over 20 US/UK anthologies.
Find them at www.JakeDesmet.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin or @LNMartinauthor, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com, on Goodreads goodreads.com/GailZMartin free excerpts, Wattpad http://wattpad.com/GailZMartin. Friday, June 5th, 2015
Here’s the back copy text: Dragons are well known for their hoardsâbut not all hoards are created equal. A young dragon starts his hoard with some very precious gifts. In addition to the normal gold, silver and jewels here you will find dragons who collect many different treasures. 28 storytellers invite you to enter The Dragonâs Hoard and share the treasures within. If you’re interested in purchasing, here are the links: CreateSpace Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/5542170 Friday, June 5th, 2015
Some people waited for over an hour to gain entrance: and these are people that pre-paid — or like myself — were a registered guest! Balticon was debuting a new system. (They probably should have tested it better prior to the first day of the con.) Scheduling Errors, Ditto: Worse, the schedules weren’t finalized even up to the opening day of the con–and emails to schedulers weren’t returned. Some of my emails even bounced from the mailbox. Sigh. I know the staff works very hard to coordinate the con. Still, much fun was had. Best Moment: Reading! For those of you who’ve read it, it’s the scene where Father Hughes is in the basement of Holy Rosary Church and, after calling on four archangels to protect him, manages to conjure up something else. I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t read the scene yet, but when I got to the end, there was an audible gasp from the audience. Oh, how my heart started beating! There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve written something that sparks a response in someone else. Totally made my con! Thank you, dear listener.
Steve Southard’s Book Launch: If you enjoy Jack the Ripper stories, The Ripper’s Ring is for you. It’s an interesting take on what might have happened. And Friends, Of Course! Thursday, May 21st, 2015
I’m looking forward to a really special Balticon this year. Many friends are in town just for the event and I’m attending quite a few book launches and parties. Here’s my schedule: Saturday, May 23 2:00 PM – Autograph Session – At the Autograph Table Sunday, May 24 11:00 AM – How to Start Writing – Derby (Tentative) AnnouncementI’m pleased to announced that A Favor for a Fiend is now out! This is the second book in the Charm City Darkness series. Yay! I’ll be reading from Favor and there will be copies in the dealer’s room for purchase. ::: So excited! :::
Purchase at: Wednesday, May 13th, 2015
The first survey concluded in June 2013, with about 2,950 participants. Here are the results: http://e-bookformattingfairies.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-readers-sound-off-how-they-read.html Most of the participants were mainly romance readers–which is to be expected, since that’s Ms. Force’s fan base–but readers are readers (I think), so there should be some common stuff across the grid. For instance, according to the survey:
(Where do you buy your books?) See full results here – including a complete list of questions and how people answered them. I encourage you to take the survey (only open for the remainder of May): Happy Reading! Friday, February 13th, 2015
Back Cover Copy Some things are destined to end in death. After the first attempt on her life Maurin wasnât scared. Hell, she was almost flattered. But someone put a price on her head and things are getting complicated. Trouble is brewing in the fae courts and itâs spilling over into Salem. The UnSeelie Dark Guard have answered the call for her head on a platter and people closest to her are disappearing. Can Maurin master court politics and find her missing men before someone claims the bounty on her head?  Rachel Rawlings Excerpt from Ill Fated by Rachel Rawlings “You’re awake?” He sounded more than a little surprised. “I’m not really sure the state I’m in qualifies as awake.” “Here I was, terrified to poke the dragon, and you’re already drinking coffee and talking in complete sentences.” I snorted and took a sip of the aforementioned liquid gold. “Are you always like this in the morning?” “If you’d let me sleep over you’d already know the answer to that question. Why aren’t you asleep?” In general or just tonight, I silently wondered. “Bad dream. I’ve been tossing and turning all night. I finally gave in and got out of bed.” Papers rustled in the background and when he spoke again, his voice was lower, intimate.”You want to talk about it?” “Something tells me my nightmares are the least of our problems.” “You have no idea. I need you to come down to my office.” I sighed. “Can it at least wait until after sunrise?” “Would I be breaking the no phone calls before noon policy if it could wait?” âThere really is no rest for the wicked, is there?â He laughed and the sound warmed me more than a hundred cups of coffee. “Apparently not, in your case. Now, there’s a dirty chai latte and a croissant for you if you’re here before Amalie. I can’t promise real coffee and pastries will survive beyond five minutes of her arrival.” “It’s four-thirty in the morning, Mas. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll make sure at least one dirty chai and croissant remain unmolested.” “I’ll see you soon.” He was laughing as he hung up the phone. Three hours ago Iâd practically crawled through the doorway, exhausted from cleaning up after a newbie vamp whoâd broken the Jus Sanguinis Intergentes when she killed her donor. The blood pact between people and vampires had a clear no killing, no exceptions clause. It was up to the maker to ensure their child was ready to feed unsupervised. If something went wrong and the Council found out about it, we cleaned up the mess and the sire was subject to heavy fines and possible revocation of their rights to expand their blood lines. Sheâd been quite literally a bitch to track and take down.
I wasted little time getting dressed, opting for a slip on black jersey dress, eighteen hole Docs and a leather jacket. Jewelry was a hindrance in my line of work. My meeting with Mason could easily turn into a run. Choked with my own chain? No, thank you. Unclasping the necklace, I set it in a glass dish on my bathroom counter. I ran a brush through my hair, a toothbrush over my teeth and slipped into the between. I stepped out of the alley two buildings down from the station and walked the last block and a half. Amalie was swarmed by detectives trying to get at the goodies she brought over from the Daily Grind. She greeted me with a warm smile, shaking her head when I offered to pull her out of the fray. She had managed to endear herself to the entire department in record time. All it took was real coffee and fresh pastries. I pointed to Mason’s office. She’d make her way over once the starving masses had their fill. Mason was so engrossed in the file on his desk he didn’t hear me come in. He looked as tired as I felt – too many double shifts. Despite an uptick in activity, SPTF was short staffed due to budget cuts. Without enough man power to staff the shifts properly overtime was mandatory. “Is that for me?” I pointed at the to-go cup and white paper bag on his desk. He finally looked up and gave me a smile which lit up his whole face. “As promised.” I stole a quick kiss, grabbed the coffee and croissant, and settled in the chair across from him. I took a long sip of my latte, savoring the delicious mix of tea and espresso. “Man, I needed this. Is that the case you’re working on?” “Yeah, we’ve got a real problem on our hands.” “Don’t we always.” I tried to peak at the file. Mason closed the manila folder. “I’d rather wait until everyone is here.” “Who else is coming besides Amalie?” My curiosity was definitely peaked now. I reached across his desk, hoping to grab the file. “You look exhausted. Tell me about your dream while we wait.” I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. “I see this for the obvious distraction it is but you’re right.â Sighing, I rubbed my temple.âHowever, I’m exhausted, too exhausted to argue. So I’ll tell you. Prepare to be confounded.” He listened intently as I filled him in on the nightly visits from the weathered old woman who washed my clothes and hauntingly called my name. I expected him to laugh and tell me it was just a dream, that I had nothing to worry about. I didn’t expect him to look so stricken. “Bean Nighe.” He all but whispered the name. “You’ve heard of her?” “Of course I’ve heard of her. How long has she been coming to you?” I stared at him curiously. “A few weeks. Why?” “A few weeks and this is the first I’m hearing of it?â He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obviously struggling to control his temper.âWe talked about this. No holding things back, remember?” “I thought it was just a dream.â I shrugged.âHonestly, I didn’t think it was a big deal.” “It was a big enough deal for you to research it.” Agitation rolled off him in waves. When I agreed to give this thing with Mason a chance I also agreed to some conditions. No more flying solo, no more rash decisions or rushing off to play the hero. We were a team, in everything. This was just one of many set-backs. “I got curious, did a little digging. Until tonight, everything I found pointed to deep seated family issues, particularly with a mother figure. I’ve told you about my childhood, does that dream analysis surprise you?” His growl told me he wasnât in the mood for reasonableâat least to meâexplanations. “When did you discover the true meaning of the dream? How long have you known about the Bean Nighe?” “Tonight. This morning. Before you called me.” I held up a hand to stop the tongue lashing I knew he wanted to give me. “I would have told you. I got the impression on the phone there were more pressing matters than my insomnia.” “Is this why you won’t let me stay at your place?â His gaze roamed over my face, searching.âWhy you never stay at mine?” “Is that the real reason why you’re so upset?” I arched my brows. âBecause weâre not having sleepovers?â “I stayed at your lovely apartment the first night we met.” Mason’s jaw twitched but he didn’t take the bait. “Aidan.” “It’s almost sunrise. Shouldn’t you be hunkered down for the day?” I sighed, wondering what he was doing here. I was too tired to deal with Aidan and Mason and their combined testoserone. Putting the three of us in a room together was like throwing lit matches at sticks of dynamite – eventually one of them will explode. Buy Now! This link takes you to all of Rachel’s Books! Learn more about Rachel Rawlings, an author of Dark Paranormal/Urban Fantasy and Horror at: http://www.rachelrawlings.com/ Sunday, November 23rd, 2014  Chessiecon I’m pleased to say that I’ll be at the first Chessiecon next weekend. I’ll be doing a few readings, teaching a workshop on novel writing, and sitting in on some interesting panels. When I’m not doing that, I’ll be hanging out in the dealer’s room. Here’s my schedule: Friday, November 28, 2014 4PM-5PM Reading: Broad Universe, Timonium Room 6PM-7PM Workshop: Write a Novel in a Year in Just 15 Minutes a Day, Boardroom Saturday, November 29, 2014 11AM-Noon Beyond Christianity: Rituals and Religions in Speculative Fiction – GS3-5 Noon-1PM Where are Your Gods? – GS3-5 10PM-11PM Sex and the Believable Alien – GS1 Sunday, November 30, 2014 11AM-Noon Reading: Vonnie Winslow Crist and Kelly A. Harmon Send me a note or comment below if you’re going to be there. I’d love to catch up with you over coffee! |
Writers - Maryland Writer's Assn. |
I posted this on Facebook last week, but forgot to mention it here: I just received my certificate from Writers of the Future for my story, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. It’s a wonderful little tale about witches who create the best steel cauldrons in the world–but their entire operation is put in jeopardy when the dragons fail to produce fire hot enough to make the steel.
The blizzard dropped a lot of snow on us, and we were digging out for days. As a consequence we hadn’t had mail delivery for nearly a week. But I finally got something in my mailbox yesterday. 
It had been a long night and it was shaping up to be an even longer day.