Finished:
Sandman Slim and Kill the Dead, Richard Kadrey. I picked up the first one of these at a friend's house and borrowed it because Holly Black had blurbed it. Then I bought the second ebook. Good choices, self! Fast-reading, tough-talking, no-time-for-emoting-I-gotta-kill-people-a
Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick, Courtney Sina Meredith. Holy shit. Incredible volume of poetry, I can't even, so many feels. Read it, preferably out loud.
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar. Nnnngh, pretty words about words. I love books about the pleasure of reading, particularly ones that also have fascinating magic and spooky spirits and awesome mysticism and politics and omg it's also a travelogue? And a bibliography for works that don't exist? Anyway, recommended reading for people who love reading.
Reading:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente. September! I missed you! You're a delight! Valente's adult prose, while lush and gorgeous, is occasionally so ornate it throws me out of the story. This isn't a problem with her more accessible fables, which are incredibly charming.
Acquired:
Oh, Auckland Writers' and Readers' Festival. Thanks for hosting me! Damn you for having so many books there. I managed to limit myself to three:
Ancestry, Albert Wendt. (I accidentally walked into the wrong green room and found myself face to face with a total legend. I made noises with my mouth! Some of them were sentences!)
When Water Burns, Lani Wendt Young.
Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick, Courtney Sina Meredith.
From Auckland bookstores:
Auto Da Fay, Fay Weldon's autobio.
Extra-curricular, a magazine thingy about creative types in New Zealand that I bought at random from a shop that was so cute I couldn't walk out without something. It's a sickness.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente.
From Book Depository:
The Chaos, Nalo Hopkinson.
I start my next teaching placement tomorrow. I have determined that Sundays are going to be devoted to a) laundry b) reading all the things.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67308.h
"Lili! Gotta read Lili. Oh, and the Steampunk anthology! Dylan's in that, he sent me his story, I haven't read it yet, I suck, what else is in it? Oh, this looks fun. Holly, and Libba, and ooh, comics! Look, Matt, look! Comics! Yeah, I'm getting this. Lili's Love-Shy, and Dylan's steampunk."
"Oh, Among Others! This book is about how reading makes life bearable even when it's not. It's about a girl who - her twin died, and she's in a boarding school and becoming a sexual being and she reads a lot of science fiction and fantasy I think it's the sixties? Also, fairies. Different fairies, it's good."
*stabs viciously at author's name on spine* "This guy… this guy, okay, no, I was at a thing with him once, no, no way, no."
"Hello! I would like to buy these books, and also I wrote this one, would it be all right with you if I signed it? Thank you! I like your nail polish."
*points to Villette* "Matt, this book is amazing. You read it, and at the end you're like, why is everything? That's my review. Don't read it, though."
* Turns out I had to hit up the Book Depository. I still love you, Book Depository.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66693.h
... and now I have a week of full-on assessment. But before that begins, I get a glorious weekend, during which I shall BLOG. Like the WIND. If the wind liked to BLOG.
In the meantime, here is a question I answered on my tumblr, and am pleased enough with to submit to wider dissemination in a more permanent form.
"Out of curiosity, if you were creating a Captain New Zealand for the Marvel Universe, who would they be?" by franzferdinand2
OOOOH.
Okay, so I am a traditionalist - I think the Captain characters should have military backgrounds, and be patriots, though not tools for patriotism. They should in some way encapsulate (insofar as possible!) the public perception of the “ideal” of their country, and they should be widely adored by the public.
So, I’d go with someone fictional, but inspired by Corporal Bill Henry Apiata, VC, the most trusted man in New Zealand. Willie Apiata is the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, the highest military commentation we have. It was awarded when he carried a severely wounded comrade over broken ground, while exposed to heavy enemy fire.
He was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which means his bravery has been recognised by two nations - not a bad start for a Captain figure. And having left the military, he now teaches adventure skills to young people. I think we all know I have a lot of respect for teachers!
So that’s what I’d do - someone with a fairly normal background (I’m just a kid from Brooklyn/Te Kaha) who pursues a career in the army and exhibits extraordinary valour and care for his colleagues.
I’d leap into fiction with the return - perhaps he pursues a teaching role in a school, and while the school goes on a field trip to a science laboratory, he surprises some saboteurs who are trying to steal some work NZ chemo-geneticists have been doing on the super serum. They fail to obtain the secrets, but in the process, my character is accidentally exposed to the serum and OH MY GOD now he has superpowers.
So yeah. That’s what I’d do.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66423.h
Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, calling it: "a fast-moving and carefully built science-fiction story… accessible, thoughtful and compelling".
Publisher's Weekly says that I managed a: "very persuasive future world… The diversity of the cast is authentic and natural"
Liz Bourke at Tor.com says that When We Wake is: "an excellent YA novel. It’s also really excellent science fiction. … Healey really nails voice."
Sarah Frost at Strange Horizons says the book is: "exciting and powerful. … [Tegan] is both a believable teenager and an admirable person."
So that's all pretty excellent, huzzah!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66184.h
It's a great feature. Directly responsible for me spending a lot of money on very good books.
Anyway, the point is, I wrote my Big Idea for When We Wake, talking about (naturally) Sleeping Beauties, and why I wanted an action hero with verve to be my leading lady. Go! Read!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65914.h
Guess who has two thumbs and won't be teaching tomorrow and feels super sorry for herself?
THIS GIRL.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65595.h
No, wait, time to talk about MY NEW BOOK.
Internets, When We Wake has been released in North America. I was lucky enough to do a blog tour on five awesome young adult fiction blogs to coincide with this release.
BUT. I didn't really want to do a blog tour when people ask me questions and then I answer, because I already had lots of that kind of interview lined up. Even though I could happily talk about my process and inspirations forever (which reminds me, I owe you a Sleeping Beauty essay on Captain America) I didn't want to go around repeating myself.
SO. My awesome publicist was like, why don't they interview When We Wake CHARACTERS? And I said, yes! Faye, you are brilliant! They can interview characters on topics relevant to the book!
So that's what we did. Massive thanks to Faye and Little, Brown for organising everything, and even more massive thanks to the bloggers, who really put the extra effort in to come up with compelling, relevant, interesting questions! I am super happy with the WAKE UP tour, which you can read by clicking on the links below.
If you are in the US, you can also enter giveaways for the book!
The WAKE UP tour:
Bethari talks about media and communications at Novel Novice.
Abdi talks about immigration at The Book Smugglers.
Dr Marie Carmen talks about science and medicine at 365 Days of Reading.
Tegan talks about music at Forever Young Adult.
Joph talks about the environment at The Readadventurer.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65285.h
* Character, setting and theme in the Hunger Games
* Short story analysis for theme
* Love poetry, with particular focus on the sonnet
* Research methods, particularly online
* The conventions of graphic novels: connection between word and image; placement of panels; composition within the panel.
* Diary comics as genre.
* Creative writing, genre.
PLUS I get to help out with the Debating club and host (while I'm there) the Creative Writing group.
BEST JOB BEST JOB BEST JOB.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65212.h
Or nearly two weeks, much the same thing in internet time.
What have I been up to? Teacher training! Story of this year, Internets. If ever you find yourself thinking, "That Karen creature, what is she up to, why does she not post as regularly as she did of old?", you may then think, "Ah, teacher training," and nod wisely to yourself at your perspicuity. One should take advantage of every opportunity to nod wisely at oneself.
I also did some other stuff! Internets stuff!
1: Here is an interview I did with delightful Australian SF blog Spec on Spec Fic. A sample:
How did you go about creating the Australia, and Melbourne, of the future for your book? What kinds of research did you have to do?
Living in Melbourne for five years was good research! It’s such a multi-cultural place, something I tried really hard to get across – that excellent blend of style, culture and voice. I wanted to get across the way the lanes and broad roads feel, that combination of wide spaces and squished, secretive alleys. I did a lot of research on the likely effects of climate change on Melbourne and Australia, none of it particularly cheerful. And, as always, since I know nothing about trees, I spent some time on horticulture sites. Trees are hard!
Trees are so hard, Internets.
2: I went to Oamaru and launched When We Wake from the familiar comforts of the Oamaru Library, a place that has been a wonder and a sanctuary to me since I was nine years old.
IT WAS AWESOME.
Fabulous turn out, great eats (thank you, Allen and Unwin! The cheese was magnificent!) and even the tech behaved! I did a sped up and truncated presentation of the Sleeping Beauty essays I've been doing for you, Internets, and it was very well received.
3: The trailer for When We Wake was released.
Oh, Internets.
Oh, Internets, I can't even tell you how much I love this trailer. Everyone loves this trailer. ALL BLACK TAMATI ELLISON LOVES THIS TRAILER, TRUE STORY*.
Those who have read the book may have noticed that Tegan has an American accent in the trailer. Also, hair. But I cannot even bring myself to be mildly perturbed by these details, because I LOVE THIS TRAILER SO MUCH I WANT TO BAKE IT IN A PIE.
* He was at my mother's school for an assembly and she played the trailer to the assembled students and afterwards he came and told her how much he liked it.
So, omg, and also, MUM. WHAT? OKAY.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/64943.h
While I settled into my first week of teacher training, When We Wake came out in Australia and New Zealand!
People have been very kindly tweeting me (@kehealey) about how the book is making them cry. EXCELLENT. Please continue. Your tears give me strength.
My website needed revamping for this momentous occasion. The excellent Melanie Reese adapted an Elegant Themes design for KarenHealey.com, so now everything looks very clean and futuristic, which is just right for this book! I threw up some bonus content - you can find it at the When We Wake page.
In OTHER exciting news, When We Wake has garnered some great reviews from trade publications, including something I have coveted for a while now, which is a STARRED REVIEW from Kirkus Reviews.
Some extracts:
STARRED REVIEW:“Accessible, thoughtful and compelling — science fiction done right.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] taut drama set in an unnervingly realistic future world. Tegan is a compelling and believable narrator, and her story is full of moral complexities that are as suspenseful and dramatic as they are topical and relevant.” – Bookseller + Publisher
“[A] very persuasive future world … smartly extrapolated from contemporary society. The story’s injustices unfold in a way that’s stark and unvarnished.” – Publishers Weekly
Thank you, reviewers, you make me very happy. I know that's not your goal, nor should it be your purpose, but I find it an excellent byproduct.
I wrote a guest post for Behind A Million And One Pages on the cryonics of When We Wake and my most unscientific thought processes as I worked on the idea. My brand new copy of Briar Rose has arrived, so I can crack on to my next Sleeping Beauty essay, hopefully this weekend. Oh, Sunday, how you are rapidly filling up your to-do list already.
And, finally, I saw the first cut of the When We Wake US book trailer today. It is stunning; creepy and beautiful and made me want to sit down and read the book again. After writing and revising and reading and rereading my books umpteen times, this is not a reaction I usually have. I think we can safely say the trailer is effective. I will let you know where to find it as soon as I can!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/64701.h
Profile
karenhealey- chocolate in the fruit bowl
Syndicate
