Predictive tools colloquially called “AI” have been the main watercooler topic for fiction writers for a while now. I have friends I love and respect who have found interesting ways to incorporate these tools into their creative processes, but most writers I […]
I’ve been thinking lately about conceptualizing a book as a machine, partly because I was pondering the choice of that word in the message on Woody Guthrie’s guitar, and partly because “machine” is a broad category which is useful for considering the […]
My latest novel, The Valkryie, is out in the world! It’s available in ebook and audiobook everywhere — and let me just say something about the audiobook, because I’m listening to it now, and oh my goodness, when I got to Chapter […]
I’m alarmed and disgusted by the increasing attacks on trans people, including laws aimed at denying them health care and freedom of expression. These laws endanger my friends, and make it increasingly difficult for my trans author colleagues to simply do their […]
Music is a big part of my writing life, and I make a playlist for every novel, to help me keep a sense of the novel’s themes and tones in my mind. I may play it while I’m working, but more often, […]
She could not remember a time when she had not known the story; she had grown up knowing it. That’s the opening line of The Hero and the Crown, the 1984 fantasy novel by Robin McKinley. Funnily enough, I can’t remember the […]
My next novel, The Valkyrie, features Attila the Hun as a fairly major character, and it takes place in the context of the changes to the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE. In other words, it takes place in what textbooks […]
Every year, Locus magazine asks for input from reviewers, columnists and others and compiles a recommended reading list. I’m pleased to say that The Embroidered Book is on the list in the best fantasy novel category. And what a list in general! […]
My 2022 had so much in it, and most of it was good, but a lot of it was draining and challenging. All told, it was a year of changes and new challenges and new opportunities. A year of firsts. I turned […]
I’m really pleased to be able to share the news of my next books coming from HarperVoyager UK (and HarperCollins elsewhere). They did such an amazing job with The Embroidered Book, and I can’t wait for the next phase! First, the summary, […]