First Book Friday: Laura Anne Gilman

Welcome to First Book Friday!

Laura Anne Gilman (suricattus on LJ) has been an editor, a writer, a writer by another name, and is also an editor again.  Basically, when she talks about the writing biz, people listen.  Her latest series is the Vineart War Trilogy, which uses a wine-based magic system.

In her free time, she fights crime as one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Meerkats.

She notes that for her First Book Friday post, she chose to wrote about the “first original solo venture that I kept the copyright to, not a media tie-in.”

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First, I wrote 100,000 words. Then it was rejected by every single major publishing house.

No, wait, let me back up a bit.

First, way back when I was still a full-time editor and mostly writing short fiction, I got involved with a real-time, net-enabled role-playing game, combining magic and spies and science and whathaveyou. And then the game fizzled out, and I was left with this character who had developed a very real voice in my head.

No, it wasn’t Wren Valere, the heroine of my book (and eventual series) but Sergei Didier. Yeah, Sergei started out as a hard-as-nails spymaster. If you look close, he still has that core…

So I figured, okay, should do something with him. He needs a foil … and so Wren appeared.

But the addition of Wren into the story changed Sergei, and by the time I had finished creating their world and adventures around them, it had become something entirely new, that I was utterly in love with. And that was Staying Dead [B&N |  Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon].

My agent and I took it, and the proposal for two more novels in the series, to the various publishing houses, except, for obvious reasons, the one I worked for.

And every single one of them rejected it. Some with a flat no, some with a “could you…” revisions request. (At one point I had rewritten the first three chapters to make it work as a YA title. No go). At the time — the early 2000’s — urban fantasy without a sexy vampire was just not getting editors’ attention.

I was still an editor myself, then, and I knew what the odds were after that, but wasn’t going to give up … okay, maybe I was a little disheartened and wailing into my booze. But in the meanwhile I had put together another more traditional fantasy proposal, and it was out on submission as well, including to a new imprint starting up, that had been looking for romantic fantasy.

The editor and I were friends, and had lunch on occasion, griping about our industry. And during that lunch I mentioned the proposal she STILL had on her desk after many many months, and mentioned the other one that was currently not making the rounds.

“Really?” she said, when I described it. “Send it to me.”

“But you were only looking for traditional, historical fantasy,” I said.

“Send it to me.”

And so we did. And Luna bought it. And two more. And then another three. And then a spin-off series. By the end of 2012, there will be twelve books in the Cosa Nostradamus, plus a short story collection.

Not bad for a first book that couldn’t find a home…

Writing Update

As folks know, I just landed a two-book deal.  On top of this, I’ve got two short stories to write, and I’ve got my revision notes from my editor on Snow Queen’s Shadow.  So how is the writing going?  Here’s a peek into Jim’s brain…

STUPID STORY!  If you don’t stop screwing around and give me an actual plot, I’m going to punch you so hard your font goes sans serif!  I’ll set your clock back to pain o’clock!  Keep it up, and I’m carving roast plotbunny for Thanksgiving dinner.  That’s right, welcome to McAsskicking — would you like to supersize your order?

Thus endeth the writing update.

Here, have a LEGO Stitch to keep you busy. This is by Sir Nadroj. Click the pic for more.

TSA and CSC

Note #1: The Reporting Sexual Harassment page has been updated with contact information for Orbit.

Note #2: Each year Pat Rothfuss runs a fundraiser for Heifer International.  He’s offering a ton of prizes to donors, including autographed copies of Goblin Quest and Stepsister Scheme.  Go forth and check it out.

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Apparently the TSA is now offering would-be travelers a choice: either go through the full-body scanner or submit to a pat-down that includes “checks of the inside of travelers’ thighs and buttocks.”  Of course, even if you do opt for the scanner, if the screeners decide you have a blurred groin, it’s groping time.

In Michigan, second degree criminal sexual conduct is defined as:

1. Sexual Contact (intentional touching of intimate parts or clothing covering intimate parts, for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification) and…

2. Any of the circumstances from First Degree CSC, including when the assailant “is aided by another person, and assailant uses force or coercion.”

Security screeners work in teams, right?  There’s your aid from another person.  Given that screeners are apparently reaching into people’s pants and feeling around, we’ve got the touching of intimate parts.  As for coercion, these are people who have the power to refuse to let you on your plane, to isolate you in a holding pen, and to use any number of other tactics.

What about the first point of the definition, where it specifies the contact must be “for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification”?

That’s a fair question.  At first, I wondered how much intention matters to the victim.  If I deliberately run you over with my car, are you less injured than if I simply didn’t see you and ran you down by mistake?

But then, there are certain medical screenings/examinations that are just as personal as these TSA “enhanced patdowns.”  It’s not assault every time my doctor checks me for a hernia, is it?

To me, the differences are:

  1. I know and trust my doctor
  2. I understand what my doctor is screening for, and believe that
    • it’s a real risk
    • this is an effective way of screening for that risk

This is where people jump on me for implying that terrorism isn’t a real risk.  Obviously, it is a real threat.  But is it a big enough threat to justify this kind of intrusive violation?  (The odds of dying in a terrorist attack are far slimmer than the odds of dying in a car crash; when do we get the War on Automobiles?)

And are the scanner and pat-down an effective way to prevent that threat?  I’m not convinced on the pat-down, and I’m not aware of the scanners having prevented any real-world threats yet.  (If there are examples of the scanners working in a real-life scenario, please let me know.)

Getting back to the sexual arousal point, I believe many, even most of the folks working airport security are good, decent people.  But does anyone really believe some individuals aren’t getting off on the chance to grope travelers day after day?  Particularly given the TSA’s apparent laxity when it comes to background checks.

Now imagine what it’s like to be a rape survivor forced through these procedures if you want to fly.

But remember, it’s for your own good, right?

My agent also has a post about this.  He said last week that he was jealous of how many comments I got on my blog, so go check it out.  As my agent, I believe he’s entitled to 15% of my blog comments.

Discussion welcome, as always.

First Book Friday: Chris Dolley

Welcome to First Book Friday!

Chris Dolley (chrisdolley on LJ) is a fascinating guy.  Just check out the “Who is Chris” section of his site.  It reads like an adventure novel, with identity theft and crimefighting and the Cornwall Revolution of 1974.  And also kittens.

But before you do, stick around and read how he made his first novel sale to Baen Books.  (A novel which is now available as a free download.)

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I sold my first book because my agent didn’t like it.

He loved my ‘A Year in Provence with Miss Marple’ book, but when I showed him Resonance [B&N |  Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] … he wasn’t interested. ‘Could you re-write it as a medical thriller?’ he asked. ‘Or maybe a political thriller?’

This threw me. If you took the SF out of Resonance, there’d be no story. But what do you do if you feel passionate about a book, and your agent hates it?

For me, Resonance was that book. The special one that writes itself. It came to me in 2000 when three ideas that I’d had kicking around in my head for years suddenly coalesced and I realised they weren’t three separate ideas, but three sides of the same story. From there, the book flowed – I outlined it in a matter of hours and the more I fleshed out the book, the more I realised how perfectly the three ideas meshed. For years I’d had a narrator without a story; a mechanism without a plot; and a plot without a purpose. Now I had a book.

But not one my agent wanted to sell.

So…

I parked the book in Baen’s electronic slushpile. I didn’t want to go through the rounds of finding another agent or dashing off letters to publishers. I just wanted somewhere to put the book so I could feel that I hadn’t given up on it, but, at the same time, didn’t involve me in extra work. In the meantime, I’d concentrate on my other books.

Two years passed. I parted ways with my agent after we discovered that the expat memoir boom had just burst and all the UK publishers were cutting back. I experimented with Mystery, writing a quirky detective novel which I entered into Warner’s First Mystery Novel contest. It became a finalist.

Then, just as I was convinced that Mystery was the way to go, I received an email from Jim Baen.

Many authors have exciting tales about the moment they received ‘The Call.’ That email or phone call that contains the magic words – ‘we want your book.’

I didn’t so much receive ‘The Call’ as eavesdrop on a conversation about it.

I woke up one morning to find a forwarded email from Jim Baen in my in-tray. It began with a mention of a previous email he’d sent and could I get in touch. Ten other emails (6 days of back and forth within Baen) were appended to the bottom, chronicling the attempts to find me, the offer of publication, and fears I may have signed elsewhere.

I had to read it several times. I was 95% sure it was legit – getting up every now and then to execute the Snoopy happy dance and hug the cat – but why the trouble finding me? I’d given them my address, email, and telephone number.

It’s worth mentioning here that when I was seventeen I received a hoax letter from Penguin saying that a writing scout had recommended me to them. I believed every word of it. If football clubs could have scouts roaming the playing fields of Britain looking for talent, why couldn’t publishers? And recently I’d had my identity stolen* and life savings appropriated, so I was a tad warier than most when it came to unexpected emails.

Then I noticed another email in my in-tray. It was from a Baen employee telling me that Baen wanted to publish my book, but couldn’t find me. I found messages on my website too. A web-wide search was on for the missing author. Where was he? Is he out there?

I was amazed. And wondering if there was time to email Baen an acceptance before I was officially declared dead.

Being in France, I then had to wait a further eight hours for daylight to reach America before Jim Baen could reply. It was worth the wait.

So, that’s my story. Resonance was the first book to make it out of Baen’s electronic slushpile. It was picked up by SFBC and has enjoyed, if I say so myself, some pretty spectacular reviews. You can even read the book for free here.

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*This became part of French Fried, my ‘A Year in Provence with Miss Marple’ memoir – recounting our first eight months in France. And how, after being abandoned by the police forces of four countries, I had to track down the identity thief myself and bring him to justice.

Two Book Deal!!

A little while back I posted on Twitter that I had preliminary good news, but couldn’t share until it became liminary.

Well today is Liminary Day, baby!

I am thrilled to announce that we’ve sold the first two books of a new series to DAW.  My tentative series title is Magic ex Libris.  This will be a current-day fantasy series, and it will be awesome.

How is this awesome?  Let me share just a few of the ways…

1. DAW is doubling my advance from my last book.  (I’ll have more to say about this later, once I’ve gotten over the initial squee.)

2. It will be fun!!!  The ideas I get to play with … I don’ t know how to talk about it without major spoilers, but I’m going to have a blast with this.

3. The protagonist of the first book will be a librarian, and everyone knows librarians are made of 110% awesomeness.

4. Smudge will be in it.

Oh, yes.  That’s right.  I’m going to be writing Smudge the fire-spider again.  (Those of you who are familiar with my short fiction might have a guess as to how I’ll be bringing Smudge into our world.  You’d be right.)

My deadline to turn in the first Magic ex Libris book is January of 2012, meaning it’s time for me to get to work writing those two short stories, revising Snow Queen, outlining the new book … oh boy.  If you need me, I’ll be at my computer.

Realms Betting Pool

Alternate Title: Two Blog Posts in One Day?  Jim Must be Cranky…

I loved Realms of Fantasy.  I sold them three stories during their first incarnation, and I was sad to see them go under.  Then Warren Lapine stepped in, and Realms was reborn once again.

It lasted a year or so, and while the magazine never felt quite the same, at least it lived on … until Lapine announced the end of Realms last month.

But Realms is back again, this time picked up by Damnation Books!  Hooray!  Long live Realms of–

Wait, what?  Well no, I haven’t actually checked out the Damnation Books web site, but … er.  I see what you mean.  Well, it’s just a web site, right?  My agent’s site was a bit behind-the-times for a while, and he’s an awesome agent.  It’s not like Damnation Books has been on the Preditors & Editors warning list, or–

Sorry, what was that?  Oh.  I see. 

Well, The P&E link doesn’t have any detailed information, so maybe that’s outdated.  Absolute Write is another good watchdog group, and if they haven’t said anything negative about–  Ah.  You don’t say.  Thanks for those links, Toby.

Okay, look, that’s all in the past.  It’s not like Damnation is taking their first steps as Realms’ new owners by getting overly defensive, running around to pick fights and play the victim with anyone who dares to criticize their–

Seriously?  You’re kidding, right?  Oh, for God’s sake.

All right, I give up.  I’ll take June, 2011 for the betting pool.  Anyone else care to jump in and guess when this new incarnation will crash and burn, or otherwise fall so far as to be unrecognizable from its former glory?

Don’t get me wrong.  I loved this magazine, and I’d love to be proven wrong about all this.  But the attitude in those comments is something I’ve seen many times, and it does not give me hope.

Wednesday Updates

The Snow Queen’s Shadow [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy] has a release date!  According to Amazon and confirmed by my editor, the fourth and final princess book comes out on July 5, 2011.

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I stumbled across the German cover art for Red Hood’s Revenge, by Paulo Toledo .  Click the thumbnail for a larger view.  This one will be out in June of 2011.

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Apparently this is the week for covers.  On that same day, I found the Czech cover art for Stepsister Scheme.  They’re recycling the art Scott Fischer did for the DAW edition, but it’s interesting to see that cover with the Czech title and a different font.

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Windycon is this weekend.  The pocket program is posted here.  My schedule looks like so:

  • Saturday, 1:00 p.m.  Walnut Room: Reading
  • Saturday, 3:00 p.m.  Autograph Table
  • Saturday, 8:00 p.m.  Lilac D: Urban Fantasy – Bringing Ancient Legends to Life
  • Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Lilac D: Down Among the Roots – The Origins of the Fae

Any suggestions for my reading?  I was thinking of trying the goblins/zombies story…

This is What Asperger’s Looks Like

During the sexual harassment discussion, one commenter said certain elements of SF/F fandom simply lack social graces, and you’re going to run into these drooling Asperger types.  It’s not their fault. All you can really do is avoid them and try to warn others.

I’m not linking to the comment, because several people have already confronted the commenter (including an excellent post by Mrissa here).  I’m certain it wasn’t intended to be hurtful.  It’s the kind of comment I’ve heard many times, and I know it’s not malicious.

But it hurts.

I’m having a hard time being my normal, “reasonable” self about this.  My son was diagnosed with Asperger’s early this year.  He’s high-functioning, but there was no question about the diagnosis.  It’s been months, and I’m still adjusting and learning.  But I know one thing — my son is Fucking Awesome.

Let me show you one example of what Asperger’s looks like:

That’s my son Jackson in his Halloween costume, vanquishing one of our neighbors.  (Everyone knows the gorilla is the natural enemy of the Italian plumber, right?)

Jackson does struggle socially.  I remember picking him up from preschool last year, asking how his day went, and fighting tears when he said, “Nobody wants to play with me.”  Most days I’d find him playing by himself in a corner. He has meltdowns when routines get broken without warning.  He can also be overly physical and affectionate sometimes, and we’ve had to work with him on that, but he’s learning where the boundaries are.

He struggles physically as well.  He’s 5 and a half, and still can’t ride a bike.  He’s in physical and occupational therapy every week.  He runs laps in the house most nights.  Lately, he’s started whipping his hands around as a form of self-stimulation.

He’s Fucking Awesome.

He’s in kindergarten now, and he’s making progress.  He’s starting to learn how to get along with other kids.  We visited some friends a few weeks ago, and he spent four hours playing with their five-year-old, with only a few minor, typical squabbles.  I don’t know how to explain how much that meant to me.

The harasser from WFC?  That was someone who knows to behave one way in public and another when he has a woman alone.  That’s someone with social awareness.  Hell, many abusers and harassers have very advanced social skills.  I remember the first time I sat in on a batterer’s group, and how terrifyingly charming these guys were.  These are not people who simply lack social skills or don’t know how to behave due to autistic spectrum disorders.

I’ve heard it before.  Cons and fandom are full of Aspies who can’t communicate save through Monty Python jokes.  Really?  Because Asperger’s Syndrome is an actual diagnosis, with fairly strict criteria that include more than simple social awkwardness.  Like sensory issues.  (Jackson sometimes asks me to squeeze him, because the physical pressure is comforting.)

I had a rough time in school.  My social skills sucked.  But I didn’t have Asperger’s.  I was just a geek.  Smart and awkward and doing my best to get through the day without having my books knocked out of my hands.

I’m not sure when or why it became “cool” for people in fandom to self-diagnose as Aspies, or to misuse that label as shorthand for the awkward, unwashed masses, but I wish it would stop.  It’s hurtful.  It reinforces attitudes and false stereotypes that make life harder for those who actually have autistic spectrum disorders.

My son has Asperger’s.  He’s not some filthy, drooling fool.  I don’t believe he’s going to grow up to become a harasser.  He’s a brilliant, energetic, loving little kid.  He remembers passages from books and movies, and can recite them word for word months later.  He loves superheroes and Mario and Transformers, and watching animated LEGO videos on YouTube.  He’s excited about coming to his first convention with his Daddy this month.

And he’s Fucking Awesome.

Reporting Sexual Harassment in SF/F

Please see http://www.jimchines.com/2013/07/reporting-sexual-harassment-2013/ for the most current version of this post.

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Last week, I described a conversation I had with several different people at World Fantasy Con about an editor known for sexually harassing women. This generated a lot of discussion. At one point I remarked that someone should put together resources and contact information for anyone who’s been harassed and wanted to report it.

A moment later it occurred to me that, “Hey … I’m someone.  I could do that.”

I want to make it as clear as I can that if you’ve been sexually harassed, it’s your choice whether or not to report that harassment.  It’s not an easy choice, and I obviously can’t guarantee the outcome.  But I can tell you that if someone has harassed you, it’s 99% certain that he (or she) has done it to others.  You’re not alone.

Reporting to Publishers:

As a general rule, if you’ve been sexually harassed by an editor or another employee of a publisher, complaints can be directed to the publisher’s H.R. department.  Please note that reporting to H.R. will usually trigger a formal, legal response.

I’ve also spoken to people at several publishers to get names and contact information for complaints, both formal and informal.  I’ve put asterisks by the publishers where I spoke with someone directly.

  • Ace: See Penguin, below.
  • Baen*: Toni Weisskopf, toni -at- baen.com. From Toni, “You would come to me with any complaint about the company.”
  • DAW*: Sheila Gilbert (sheila.gilbert -at- us.penguingroup.com) or Betsy Wolheim (betsy.wolheim -at- us.penguingroup.com).  They can be reached during normal office hours, Tuesday through Thursday.
  • Del Rey/Spectra*: HumanResources -at- randomhouse.com.
  • Harper Collins: feedback2 -at- harpercollins.com
  • Orbit: Andrea Weinzimer, VP of Human Resources.  andrea.weinzimer -at- hbgusa.com.  Inappropriate conduct can also be brought up with the publisher, Tim Holman tim.holman -at- hbgusa.com.
  • Penguin: Contact page links to an e-mail submission form.
  • Random House: Contact page has some info.
  • Roc: See Penguin, above.
  • Solaris Books: Please use the Contact Page.
  • Tor*: Report the incident directly to Macmillan Human Resources, or to Beth Meacham, at bam -at- panix.com or in person.

Publishers – I would love to expand this list with better information.  Please contact me.

Reporting to Conventions:

Often harassment doesn’t come from editors, but from authors or other fans.  If this happens at a convention, another option is to contact the convention committee.  Many (but not all) conventions are now including harassment policies in the program books.

A convention committee doesn’t have the same power as an employer.  However, if harassment is reported at a convention, the individual may be confronted or asked to leave.  In addition, reporting harassment by guests (authors, editors, etc.) is very helpful to the convention in deciding who not to invite back.

For example, to report harassment which occurred at World Fantasy Con 2010, I would start at their web site.  From the names listed, I would personally start with Lucy Snyder, simply because she’s someone I know and trust.

To convention staff, I would ask and encourage you to make sure you have a harassment policy in place, and equally importantly, that your volunteers are aware of that policy and willing to enforce it when necessary.

The Con Anti-Harassment Project includes a list of SF/F conventions and their sexual harassment policies.

 

What to Expect:

Ideally, someone who was sexually harassed could report it and expect to be treated with respect.  Her or his concerns would be taken seriously, and all possible steps would be taken to make sure the behavior did not happen again, and that the offender understood such behavior was unacceptable.  Disciplinary action would be taken when appropriate.

This is not a perfect world.  Employers are required to follow the laws and their own policies, which may mean a report results in nothing more than a warning (particularly if this is the first report of harassment).  And of course, there’s always the T.D. factor.  You might contact a member of the convention committee, only to discover that they are (in the words of George Takei) a Total Douchebag who blows you off or tells you to get over it.

That said, when I first posted about this, everyone who responded expressed that such behavior was unacceptable.  And there were a lot of responses, from fans, authors, editors, con staff, and agents.

As a rape counselor, I learned how powerful and important it can be to break the silence around assault and harassment.  However, it’s always your choice whether or not to report.  Making that report will be stressful.  It can be empowering.  It may or may not have visible results.  First and foremost, please do whatever is necessary to take care of yourself.

Other Resources:

Please contact me if you know of related resources which should be included here.

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I will be updating this page as needed, and doing my best to keep the resources and information up to date.  Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

First Book Friday: David Anthony Durham

Welcome to First Book Friday.  I missed last week on account of World Fantasy Con, and because my Journalpress plugin has been giving me grief.

But we’re back!  Today we have the ever-awesome David Anthony Durham, another genre-jumping author who didn’t start out writing fantasy.  He’s the winner of the 2009 Campbell Award, has been praised by everyone from the NY Times to the LA Times, has sold movie options for at least three of his books, and is pretty much kicking ass and taking names.

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First, the romantic part…

I wrote my first published novel, Gabriel’s Story [B&N |  Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon], while living in an attic apartment in a small city near the French Alps. I’d been married for about a year. My wife had secured work for a ski company based in France. While she went to work, I got to stay at home and work on writing my novel. Kinda cool, yeah?

Now some other details…

My wife was pregnant. She was supporting me, but only for eight to nine months. After that, I had to get a frickin job. I probably should have had one already, as her income barely paid our bills. Each day I turned off the heat when she went out to work. Through the winter, I wrote with fingerless gloves on, watching the computer screen through plumes of my own breath. I’d already written two novels that had been roundly rejected by more publishers than I care to remember. I was intent on writing a publishable novel, but it seemed a very real possibility that life was about to demand other things of me. The fact that I was writing a 19th century African-American literary Western didn’t help much either.

“A what?” you might ask. Let me explain.

In addition to always wanting to be a writer, I had always loved studying history. I was fascinated by the settlement of the American West, and surprised to discover how much a part of it black people were. Former slaves didn’t just head north after the Civil War. They went west too, for the same reasons as white settlers. As an African-American that had just come from a long season of raft guiding in the West, this stuff greatly interested me. (Yeah, back then we got around a lot.)

I combined that historical information with a story I’d been working on in a contemporary setting. One of those first two novels was a coming of age tale of a trouble African-American kid, a boy going into adolescence with major chips on his shoulders. It was literary, character-driven, heavy on family issues and unrelentingly sad. It’s no surprise I couldn’t get the thing published.

I took some aspects of the coming of age story and I blended them with my interest in the American West. I transported key characters from 1980’s Baltimore to 1870’s Kansas, and a funny thing happened. The novel took off. Suddenly, it had a plot that included murder and cattle rustling, desert chases and shootouts and a finale that tied everything together in one suspenseful moment. It was a very different book than I’d been taught to write during my MFA program. It was better.

I sent it to an editor at Doubleday that had been a fan of one of my earlier novels. She liked it, and Doubleday made an offer not long after. Good thing, too, as that job in France had concluded. We were living in Scotland, our daughter had just been born, and I was working in a music shop, selling Brit-pop. The day after I got the book offer I quit. And a few days after that I got an agent!

That’s the short story of my first novel. It wasn’t until a few more books that I turned to writing about warrior princesses and banished sorcerers, mutated monsters and warfare in a made up world. But that’s another story.

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