Gwenda, Author at Gwenda Bond

Organization Fu

2 Comments / Nattering / By Gwenda / May 7, 2012

Sometimes I need a weekend that's about putting things back into their boxes, about cleaning and prepping and, yes, organization. I think organization may be my superpower these days, or at least the only difference between feeling like things are under control and manageable or are off the rails and spinning into chaos. (Of course, my brand of organization likes to leave a little room for chaos. Things tend to get stale fast without it.)

This is a summer of writing, both for me and Christopher. I don't know about you, but whenever I'm entering a big push on a project or starting a new phase on one, I go on a cleaning jag. This weekend involved major league office tidying, as well as starting new scrivener files so I wouldn't have visual "clutter" in the ones I'm working in, and some major shelving of TBR stacks. Christopher kindly spent all day yesterday assembling two new bookshelves (the leftmost one below, and another just like it) and we managed to get almost everything off the piano in the front room, the office shelf that's supposed to be for research only, and the guest room floor. Oh, the guest room floor piles, aka my hostess shame.

But now the guest room is looking good. No more piles, see? Come, friends.

And despite all this busywork, I managed to get a good chunk of writing done on the projects I'm working on, one drafting and the other revising. I am hoping this pattern can hold for the next month or two. And I ran all the errands ever. Today started my getting back to early morning wake-up writing, at 6 a.m., which blessedly isn't pitch black at this time of year. Oh, sun, never leave.

Here's hoping you had a nice weekend, too.*

*We did not, however, manage to see The Avengers. And I still haven't seen The Hunger Games movie. Woe. WOE. Maybe next weekend.

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Life Imitating Art Imitating

4 Comments / Blackwood, Books / By Gwenda / May 4, 2012

Thanks to everyone who's sending me the Roanoke story (hat tip to Tiffany, who saw it first yesterday before the NYT picked it up) about a potential clue embedded in one of John White's maps:

Theories abound about what happened to the so-called Lost Colony, ranging from sober scholarship to science fiction. Some historians believe that the colonists might have been absorbed into American Indian tribes. Other explanations point to darker fates, like disease, an attack by Spaniards or violence at the hands of Indians. The wild-eyed fringe hints at cannibalism and even alien abduction.

…

The analysis suggests that the symbol marking the fort was deliberately hidden, perhaps to shield it from espionage in the spy-riddled English court. An even more tantalizing hint of dark arts tints the map: the possibility that invisible ink may have marked the site all along.

The funny thing is (MINOR SPOILER) White's art and letters actually are a source of coded clues in Blackwood. Next thing you know, alchemists are going to be up in this business!

Dark arts, indeed.

p.s. You better hope my books aren't coming true, because the one I'm writing now… Let's just say, it wouldn't be good.

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Wednesday Hangovers

Hangovers / By Gwenda / May 2, 2012

Not enough time at the moment for an Actual Post, so links! Turns out that taking off a week to confab with amazing writers is seriously inspirational, and I'm deep into the fictional swamp at this point…and playing catch-up on other work that piled up while off in the bat cave. But, wow, wow, I will attempt to make a little post at some point, if for no other reason than as an excuse to point you to the work of said writers. It was truly an honor to workshop and talk craft and biz (and indulge in silliness of the highest and lowest orders, of course) with each and every one of them. And thanks again to everyone who came out to the utterly fabulous Malaprop's, despite a drizzly evening.
My delightful publisher has been doing more cover reveals. You can check out all the first four on this pinterest board. I heart them all, not least for the fact that each one is sooo very distinctive. Also, this morning Editor Amanda tweeted a picture of real-life, printed Blackwood and Shift ARCs–I'll bet my release month sister Kim heard my morning yelp all the way across the ocean. I'm pretty sure I heard hers. (Unrelated: Should I be on this pinterest business? Probably not, but am weak and tempted.)
Locus Award finalists! Congratzies to everyone!
Tayari Jones offers a procrastination-avoidance tip that I think is truly smart–preparing your space the night before.
Laura Miller on the new book Hit Lit, bringing her usual insightful take to this analysis of the components common to blockbuster bestsellers. I think this is my favorite snippet: "While “Hit Lit” may seem, to many readers, like the literary equivalent of instructions on how to boil water, the sad truth is that plenty of those who speak contemptuously of Dan Brown’s prose are writers who could not get a child interested in a fairy tale."
Malinda Lo on writing about kissing. I have to admit, I used to find such scenes painfully hard, but now I kind of love writing them (despite the fact they're still really hard to get right–but, you know, what isn't?).
Love this visual summer resolution from Ralph Waldo Emerson via Lauren Cerand's pinterest board, via Stephany Aulenback:
Finally, go listen to my dearie dearest Christopher Rowe's wonderful, World Fantasy-nominated short story "Another Word For Map Is Faith" on podcastle.

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Dept. of Yay

Blackwood / By Gwenda / April 25, 2012

The superfabulous io9 just posted a summer beach reading list with many fine and fabulous novels…annnnd there's Blackwood(!) at summer's end:

Bond's debut YA novel explores the mystery of Roanoke, the lost colony, in a whole new way — as a pair of 17-year-olds in the present day discover that they may hold the key to bringing the missing colonists back. It's got a teen romance, a supernatural mystery, and some insane surprises that will no doubt keep you flipping pages.

*dances dance of happiness*

This week at the bat cave has been thoroughly fantastic, by the way. A reminder we're trekking into Asheville from the mountain tomorrow night for a panel at Malaprop's. Come out if you can.

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Absentia

Books, Children's Lit Fabulosity, Excuses, Excuses / By Gwenda / April 21, 2012

I'm off to a secret bat cave for a week with a bunch of fabulous writers to talk about our work and eat cookies and have possibly zany times. I doubt there'll be too much updating here in the meantime. I *might* try to post a photo each day, but that'll probably be the most and I don't promise that.

Just in case I don't get back here until I'm home, I'll be participating in an event at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Malaprop's in Asheville, one of the world's finest indie bookstores. They made this handy page all about it, complete with pretty cover graphic:

Come and see your favorite authors and meet new favorites you haven't read yet as they answer your burning questions about writing, editing, publishing, and the zombie apocalypse: Alan Gratz, Gwenda Bond, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, Megan Shepherd, Megan Miranda, Tiffany Trent, Laurel Snyder, and Kristin Tubb!

So if you're in the area, come out and say hi.

p.s. Unrelated: The Guys Lit Wire book fair for the Ballou High School Library is still on, and could use your support. There are lots of books left to choose from, and it only takes a few minutes and a few dollars to help out (promise!).

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In Which I Provide Goofy Teen Pictures And Anecdotes

3 Comments / Silly Games / By Gwenda / April 18, 2012

And write a letter to my teen self. Yep, I'm over at Dear Teen Me today and, trust me, I provided the absolute biggest hair pictures my mom could unearth. Bonus: Cheerleading pic. Enjoy!

(Thanks to the fabulous E. Kristin Anderson for the invite.)

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Monday Hangovers

2 Comments / Blackwood, Hangovers / By Gwenda / April 16, 2012

Sorry didn't mean to disappear there, but went on a bit of a writing binge last week. Now playing catch-up–but first links! all of them! (Well, a lot of them.) OH, and hello, visitors by way of the fabulous Gretchen Rubin and the Happiness Project. So nice to have you.
Don't miss this truly great post by Robin LaFevers at WriterUnboxed about the ways in which the writer's life is full of second chances. Snippet: "But there is a freedom that comes with failure—even if it is just perceived failure. There is a sense that we can’t get any lower, so we might as well jettison everything but the most important stuff. If my writing was going to have to go back to being a hobby rather than a full-time career, I might as well work on something that totally lit every one of my own personal tilt buttons on fire." Related: I can't wait to read Grave Mercy; it is very near the top of the TBR.
Two fun news of the weird type stories: "Vatican Accused of Cover-Up Over Teenage Girl's Mysterious Disappearance" and "New Jersey Couple Sues Claiming Rented House is Haunted."
Find the John Cleese creativity video and watcheth it.
Related: Katie Ryder's Salon interview with Tom Bissell about creating art, among other things. I remember his great Harper's article about the bizarre phenom around the movie The Room, and apparently that's now part of his new book Magic Hours. I do quibble with this, however: "Well, the thing I would say is that luck is the single most important quality – even more important than talent." Sure, luck is an undeniable factor in success and a random factor (for the most part), but it seems to me that perseverance is the other key part of the equation, more important than either talent or luck. Luck is more likely to find you, like inspiration, when you're working, right? I think so. In fairness, Bissell ultimately seems to agree with this, but is coming at it from a more roundabout direction.
It's time for the Ballou High School Book Fair — help stock up a library that badly needs it.
The requisite links on the DOJ suit: good piece in the NYT, sort of a side story about knock-off bestsellers on Amazon (this reminds me of the people who made/make a brisk trade in misspelled goods on ebay), and the inimitable Chuck Wendig bringing some sense to these matters as always.
I wrote the LGBT publishing feature for this week's issue of PW, which includes an interview with John Irving. Good times.
Strange Chemistry is running an open door period for unagented YA writers for the next two weeks.
And a couple of Blackwood things. My editor is at the London Book Fair this week and tweeted this lovely snap of the Strange Chemistry catalogue, with Steven Wood's gorgeous Blackwood cover art on the front:

Pretty cool, huh? And there's this lovely early blog review just posted by Shelley Watters. I'm going to post sometime this week about the surreal and overwhelming oddness of ARCs being out in the world–exciting and nerve-wracking all at once. But, in short, to everyone who's requested eARCs so far and to those reading and/or reviewing e- or paper galleys: Thank you a million times over for being interested enough to spend your valuable reading time on my book. (And, of course, I really hope you like it! I love hearing from you!)

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ARCs of the Covenant (Okay, Not Really)

Blackwood / By Gwenda / April 11, 2012

At least, I hope that no eye singeing and unfortunate melting will occur from looking directly at…Blackwood ARCs. Or, more precisely in this case, eARCs.

Which are now available at NetGalley! As are eARCs of the other Strange Chemistry September launch title, Kim Curran's Shift. So, reviewers/bloggers/combinations thereof who use NetGalley, request away; you can search or they're listed under Angry Robot. I hear that hard copy ARCs are going out this week as well.

(Oh, and if your pleasure is pre-ordering–well, then I love you. But seriously the purchasing links have been updated AND I believe the correct cover image is now up everywhere or nearly everywhere.)

Thus ends today's nauseous- and nervous-making self promotion. And back to writing the next book.

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Friday Hangovers

Hangovers / By Gwenda / April 6, 2012

Feeling lucky? You can still go comment at the Book Smugglers to win a shiny Blackwood ARC until tomorrow night at 11:59 p.m. Central; open to everyone, regardless of home country.
Speaking of the Smugglers, they also have a fabulous interview with Barry Lyga (and giveaway) up today. I cannot wait to read I Hunt Killers.
Ann VanderMeer just announced the TOC for the Steampunk Revolutions reprint anthology she's editing and, boy, is it awesome–and I'm not just saying that because Christopher's "Nowhere Fast" from Steampunk! is one of the stories.
At the Awl, Jim Behrle on How to Write the Great American Novel: "The desire of adults who are not YA authors to place themselves inside the lives of kids to make a more-perfect and more beautiful version of themselves in youth: Puking sound. YA authors are actually performing a vital service: Please continue doing that, YA authors! There’s nothing self-conscious and plodding about what you’re up to." The whole thing is hilarious.
The delightful Gabrielle Gantz has a great interview with Michael Ian Black at the Rumpus.
Robin Wasserman has a fancy new website design. And soon her super-fancy new book, The Book of Blood and Shadow, will be out. You really, really want to read this one. I LOVED it. And not just for the alchemical mystery at the heart of it (though obviously that is one of my favoritest favorite of things), but because of everything.
A super post from the wonderful Elizabeth Bluemle of The Flying Pig bookstore: "He Won't Read Books About Girls."
Gavin Grant, Small Beer Press magnate, interviewed!
Art installation of 28,000 potted flowers at an abandoned mental health center. Gorgeous. (Via Kat Howard.)
Have a good Friday, y'all. Get it? *wink*

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Tuesday Hangovers

Hangovers / By Gwenda / April 3, 2012

I'm beginning to hit the point in the new book where I usually disappear from the blog, but will attempt not to go poof entirely.

"Elephant rescued from 36-foot pit after three days."
Jodi Meadows on fighting The Doubts.
Best sandwich idea ever. Seriously.
"Apparently I am a failure at success" comic at Hyperbole and a Half. (Via Erin Morgenstern.)
USA Today talks to Pam Spengler-Jaffee and Nancy Berland about publicity. I don't know Berland, but Pam is one of the best publicists in the business.
Oldie but goodie: (The now NYT bestselling author! yay!) Austin Kleon's post about The Gift by Lewis Hyde. I love that book so. (And Trickster Makes This World is kind of the bible of my new project.)
Julie James on the art of research interviews.
I can't remember where I first saw these, but gorgeous long-exposure photographs.

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