Resolutions

It's that time of year when we all resolve to be better people or do more things in the new year. So here's my list of things I'd like to accomplish in the new year. The first is fairly standard:

I want to lose 15 lbs: I noticed over the past year that I gained a little weight. Not tons, and what I have gained I think comes from passing that magical 35 year mark. Part of it though is that I think I started eating a little more than usual during the spring/summer months and I haven't cut back. Or rather, I just cut back in the last few days. And let me tell you, I'm HUNGRY! *grin* Or at least, I'm hungry an hour or so before lunch and an hour or so before dinner. I'm not cutting anything out, like eliminating chocolate or carbs or anything. I'm just not eating as much of the stuff as I normally eat. We'll see how it goes.

I want to sign 3 new contracts: I'd like to sign three new book contracts this coming year, not necessarily all part of the same project. I have the two sequels to Well of Sorrows that I just handed in that I'm hoping DAW is interested in. I also have the current proposal I'm working on. I figure there are 2 ways to end up with 3 contracts: sell the sequels to Well and the book I've just started OR sell the book I've just started along with 2 sequels to it.

Find an agent: The other thing I'm hoping to do with the new project is to snag an agent. I've already contacts a few and at least one is waiting to make a decision based on how the new project looks. Which is why I should be writing right now and finishing the proposal off. *grin* But I wrote 1100 words on chapter 4 yesterday, and have already got some words this morning, so I should be good. I know I'm nearing the end of chapter 4 already. Only one more scene to go, which I hope to get to this afternoon, then the plot synopsis to write up.

Become an international bestseller: I mean, this is in the bag, right? I've got that German deal, so by August, when it's released there, I know I can quit the day job and live in luxury for the rest of my life.

Win the lottery: Nothing big, just, you know, ten million or so. Think of the release parties I could throw at cons! Oh, the boytoys! The single malt! The chocolate! (Which will be eaten in moderation.)

So that's my list. What's yours? Anyone have any cool New Year's Eve plans? I think we're keeping it simple: hit the bar, then hit home. It's kind of cold and snowy out. Not condusive to much else.

And I leave you with a link to THE GUINEA PIG OLYMPICS!!! Enjoy. (My favorite is the archery one.)

Queen Ferris: Buy this Book!

OK, folks, I need to bring your attention to a series of books written by S.C. Butler (scbutler), who is not only a good friend, but a great writer. The Stoneways Trilogy is a set of YA books that follow the lives of three main characters--Reiffen, Avender, and Ferris. The first book is called Reiffen's Choice and the second Queen Ferris, both of which are now out in hardcover and paperback. The third books (which I've had the privilege of reading and ARC of) is called The Magicians' Daughter and will be out in hardcover later this year, in April, I believe. All three of them are excellent books and you should not let the YA description deter you from reading them. As everyone knows, YA can be enjoyed just as well by the adult readers out there, as Harry Potter proved.

What I have here is an interview of S.C. Butler, giving him the opportunity to talk about his books and his writing and world. Read it, then go buy his books. Each one is its own story, so you don't have to wait until the third book is out to get the complete story.

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S.C. Butler is a former Wall Street bond trader who always preferred Middle-earth to the Chicago Board of Trade. Currently he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and a whippet. His website is www.valingstoneways.com.





1) What was your inspiration for writing Queen Ferris? Queen Ferris is the second book in my Stoneways trilogy, which includes Reiffen's Choice, and the third book, The Magicians' Daughter, due out in April. The trilogy’s name says it all. I always liked Dwarves more than Elves, so I decided to write a book that way. With caves.

2) Who are your favorite authors now and when you were growing up? My favorite authors are Heinlein, Trollope, Tolkien, Lewis, Austen, Flaubert, Van Vogt, Vonnegut, Niven. . . .

3) What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you? Fantasy and science fiction interest me for different reasons. I read fantasy for the story and the characters – it’s not that much different from why I read any sort of book. Science fiction is different, however. Science fiction I read for cool ideas and a sense of Wow!.

4) Why did you decide to make Reiffen a Mage? Because the Stoneways trilogy is a story about power, and what’s more powerful, in any tradition and at any time, than a magician?

5) What sort of research did you do to write this book? Since it’s a fantasy, I did very little research. I checked out a few technologies to see if they were appropriate to the level of some of the cultures – in Queen Ferris, different cultures have different technological levels. The Dwarves, for example, have gas filled airships for traveling beneath the bottom of the world. The humans don’t.

6) Reiffen and his friends love maple candy. Is that your favorite too? Nope. Just syrup on waffles.





7) What are you writing now? A story in which one of the main characters from Queen Ferris comes to our world. The working title is Avender in America.

8) Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? I always wanted to write. My earliest juvenilia dates back to when I was about ten years old. (Boy, is that stuff awful.) But it took me a long time to sell anything. 28 years from my first submission to my first sale. Of course, that will happen when you only write novels and get busy with a job and family. The job and my family were always my first priority.

9) What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing? My typical writing day depends on what part of the wip I’m working on. If it’s rough draft time, I try to write a minimum of 1200 words a day, which can take anything from two to ten hours, depending on my mood, how well I’ve imagined the scene, or whether I’ve burned myself out writing too much the day before. Rewrites, however, tend to be more predictably productive, running about four to six hours of work. I find writing to be exhausting.

10) Where do you write? At home at my desk, on my laptop, with anything from punk to classical on my boom box. However I get many of my ideas while taking long walks, and often write a book’s songs and poetry while walking as well.

11) What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer? It’s all hard. The only easy part is being done.

12) What is the purpose of fantasy/science fiction, if any? In my opinion, it’s the same as any other fiction: for readers to enjoy. Readers can enjoy books in many ways, from the cerebral and intellectual to the escapist and just plain fun. The point is in the enjoyment.





Both Reiffen's Choice and Queen Ferris are available in hardcover and mass market paperback from Tor books. You can find them at most bookstores specializing in spec fic, or at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.