BBAW Day 2: Interview with Darren of Bart’s Bookshelf

Yesterday was the start of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, of which my favorite part is the blogger interviews. I  really enjoy getting the opportunity to learn more about my fellow bloggers and discover new blogs that I'd never visited before. I also enjoy being interviewed because, as you know, I love talking about myself ;)

So this year, my interview partner is Darren from Bart's Bookshelf. 

Hi Darren, welcome to SFF Chat!

Can you start off by telling me about your blog and the kind of books that you review?

Bart’s Bookshelf, developed out of my original but then just about defunct, personal blog. After a few years of really not reading as much as I would have liked, I decided it was time to do something about it and force myself to get back in to the habit of reading, and I was going to do this by setting myself some targets and reviewing what I read.

My reading is fairly eclectic, but is probably skewed to the fantasy side of things, and about 2/3 of the books I read could be classified as YA.

How long have you been blogging for?

January 20th next year will be the fifth ‘birthday’ of that Bart’s Bookshelf!

Wow, that's almost a decade in the book blogging world. That's pretty impressive!

So you must have seen a lot of changes take place in the book blogging community over the years.

Grown. Oh has it grown!

What has been your favourite blogging moment?

#TKONLG on Twitter AKA The Knife of Never Letting Go (by Patrick Ness) there was a group of us that started reading Patrick Ness’ trilogy over a period of a few months. Being convinced by, and then watching each everybody's enthusiasm for the book (and series) as they fell in love with it was pretty amazing. and knowing exactly then they hit a certain event in the book, by their tweets. ;)

What are some of the challenges of being a book blogger?

Remembering that it is meant to be fun. People often get caught up in posting/reading/reviewing schedules. Then struggling under the pressure to maintain it. I know conventional wisdom is that you should keep to a routine, once a week, twice a week of 12 times a week, it doesn’t matter, but keep to it. That’s probably important if you are running the blog as a business, but for most, book-blogging is a hobby, so if you need to take a break then do so, and definitely don’t feel guilty about it!

That is a sentiment that I very much agree with!

So what upcoming release would you recommend that we look out for?

The Book of Doom by Barry Hutchison. Barry writes books for the younger-end of the YA market, but that doesn’t mean all ages can’t enjoy his books. The Book of the Doom is the second book in his Afterworlds series of standalone books.
The first book in the series, The 13th Horseman, was released earlier this year and was packed with wonderful humour and likeable characters.

If you could step into any book which book would you choose and why?

Oh, I’m going to be pretty boring and say Harry Potter (post Voldy of course!) A lot of my favourite worlds in recent years, aren’t necessarily conducive to safe and easy life ;) So, I think a nice house and a quiet life in Hogsmeade, could be just the thing!


What do you think is more important in a book, a good beginning or a good ending?

A good beginning. If it doesn’t catch your attention early on, you’re less likely to still be there to be disappointed by a poor ending.

What has been the most surprising book that you've read during your time as a book blogger?

That’s a somewhat difficult question as a lot of the books I’ve really liked, while I’ve been blogging, have been because of other blogger’s reviews, so to be truly surprised doesn’t happen very often. But, even though I’d read a glowing review if it, by Chris (of Stuff Dreams are Made on) Green Angel by Alice Hoffman surprised me by just how much I enjoyed it. 

Here’s how I ended my review:

An incredible little book that’ll drop you in the midst to the deepest pain, and draw you right back out again, filling you with hope. Definitely one that’ll stay with you long after you’ve finished it.

Hm, well I'm definitely intrigued now. I'll have to add Green Angel to my TBR list.

Has being a book blogger affected how and what you read?

Oh my, yes. One of the reasons I started blogging about books was to get myself back into the reading habit, and that has most definitely happened. :)
I have certainly read more YA books in recent years that I would have without book blogging, and many, many new authors!

And now for the question that I can never resist asking any reader... what's your favourite book quote?

Going to cheat and pick two! ;) 

“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“This must be Thursday,' said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer. 'I never could get the hang of Thursdays.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Great choices! I firmly believe that you can never go wrong with a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quote. And I just started The Fault in Our Stars, so I'll have to look out for this passage.

Thanks Darren for joining us today. It's been great getting to know you!

You can check out Darren's blog, Bart's Bookshelf, here. And while you are there you can read the interview that Darren did with me.

Interview with Gili Bar-Hillel

Whenever I visit a bookstore, after checking out the small selection of English books available,  I like to peruse the Hebrew SciFi & Fantasy section to see which books have been translated into Hebrew. I'm always curious as to how these particular books were chosen for translation, what the process involved, and perhaps, why other books that I've enjoyed are not on the bookshelf ( I am baffled by the fact that I have not seen any Brandon Sanderson in Hebrew). When I recently came across Gili Bar-Hillel on Twitter, and found out that she works as book translator for Israeli publishers, I jumped at the chance to have some of my questions about the subject answered.

Luckily for me Gili graciously agreed to an interview, and I preceded to inundate her with questions, all of which she patiently answered (including the second batch, that came after I discovered that Gili now works in the YA acquisition department for an Israeli publisher. What a job!)



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Thanks so much Gili for taking the time to do this interview.


Can you start of by telling me about your job as a translator?


GB: I'm less of a translator than I used to be: nowadays I'm more on the publishing end of things. That is, I read and evaluate books in English, decide which books are appropriate for my imprint (the Young Readers series for Graff Publishing), negotiate rights, select the translators, push the translation through the different stages, have final say in editing decisions, cover design, marketing... I don't translate for my own imprint because I believe there needs to be a system of checks and balances and I can't edit myself. I've been turning down new translation projects because I simply don't have the time, unless I'm offered something particularly delicious.



How do you begin the process of translating a book from English to Hebrew?



GB: Usually translators are approached by publishers and offered a project: a translator who is in demand can afford to be choosy. I've been fortunate enough that in some instances I was able to suggest projects to publishers and have them take me up on my offer: that's how The Annotated Peter Pan came about. With a book I haven't read before, I usually ask to read the book before deciding if it's something I want to translate. I've been very fortunate and to date all the books I've translated have been books that I liked, and several were books I absolutely adored. Reading a book once just for the experience is important in several ways: it helps to understand the emotional impact of different parts of the book, to establish a roadmap of the plot, to mark out potential challenges in advance... then I translate, then reread what I translated and edit as necessary, then it's off to the publisher for outside editing. My preferred way to work is to be in touch with the editor, and to see and approve all the changes. This is important both because I don't always agree with the editors and I can sometimes catch their mistakes, and because reviewing good changes is the only way to learn and improve.


How closely do you work with the authors whose work you translate?

GB: It really depends on the author. I mean, obviously, some authors are already dead... but living authors run the gamut from those who want absolutely nothing to do with their translators, like J.K.Rowling, to those who are thrilled to be in touch with their translators and will share all sorts of insights. I've even heard of an author who added a few paragraphs especially for the Hebrew translation. Obviously it's most fun when the author does answer questions, and I believe authors benefit from this as well, because few readers develop a relationship with the text that is as close and detailed as a translator's.


Do you just work with genre books or non-genre as well?

GB: My first steps in translation were not even in literature: I once translated a manual for contractors working at Intel. Boring as all hell, but pays about three times as much as literature. I translated "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely which is non-fiction. And several of the children's books I've translated are not genre books, but I do prefer children's and/or YA books to adult literature, simply because it's my forte and my favorite reading material.


How many books have you translated so far?


When last I counted it was about 40...



How did you get started as a book translator?

GB: I wanted to be a theater director but theater did not love me. Children's books did, and they stalked me down and MADE me translate them.


What are books are you currently working on?

GB:  Again, I'm not translating that much any more. If I do take a new translation project, it has to be something short and particularly attractive like a classic or a beloved childhood book. I just translated The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, which was the first proper book I read when I first started reading at age 5; next in line which I couldn't turn down: The 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith.

What is the most challenging aspect of translating a book?


GB:  Dealing with cultural gaps and differences in idiom. Sometimes there are things that are deceptively simple in one language, but completely alien to another. Verbs like "frown", "gasp", "scuttle"... the meaning is very clear but Hebrew just doesn't do that.


Do you only translate from English to Hebrew?

GB:I translate from English to Hebrew and more rarely from Hebrew to English, which is a completely different way of translating... It's like the difference between pouring from a washtub into a jug, and pouring from a jug into a washtub.



What has been your most interesting experience as a book translator?

GB: Translating the Harry Potter books was a life altering experience, mostly because it brought me celebrity (and sometimes notoriety) on a scale very seldom experienced by translators. I was not merely a translator, I was an ambassador of Potter, with all the implied diplomatic complications.


Fantasy books are often full of imaginary words created by the author and I am curious how you go about translating such words. Do you rewrite them in Hebrew, make up your own words to replace them, or use some other method?


GB:  I play it by ear, depending on my understanding of the original. When an author is as playful and inventive as Rowling, I feel the translation should be playful and inventive as well, and I enjoy making up my own words. But sometimes invented words are just a brand name or something pseudo-scientific, and the Hebrew should follow that as well. I give many detailed examples in my lectures, and do have an FAQ set up on my website in Hebrew where I discuss many examples, though I haven't updated it in a while.



Have there been any Hebrew scifi or fantasy books translated into English? Is there any particular Israeli speculative fiction book that you would like to see translated into English?

GB:  I'm not a good person to ask this question of, I don't read a lot of Israeli fiction. Some would argue that Meir Shalev writes magical realism, and all his books are translated. Shimon Adaf's book Sunburned Faces is being translated and it's highly worthwhile, it's not clearly fantasy but dabbles in fantasy... his book The Buried Heart is a much more classic there-and-back-again children's book, I'm sorry it has not been translated. And Assaf Ashery has written an urban fantasy, Waiting in the Wings, that could easily be translated. (I should mention that both these authors are personal friends of mine.)


Do you ever get to meet the authors whose books you translate? If so, which author were you most excited to meet, or, which author would you want to meet the most?


GB:  I met Diana Wynne Jones, an author I absolutely idolized, and I had translated her Howl's Moving Castle. Dan Ariely who wrote Predictably Irrational is a colleague of my mother's and specifically asked for me to translate his book. Some authors I've translated have been so friendly online that I feel I've met them, for example Wendy Orr who wrote Nim's Island. It's always nicer when the authors are forthcoming, but you translate the book to the best of your ability either way.


And since you mentioned that you work in acquiring books for translation, I'd love to ask you some questions about this as well.


Can you tell me how you decide which books would be suitable for Israeli teens and kids?


GB:  I go by my gut. Israeli kids are not that different from kids in other countries, and the differences seem to be diminishing with global culture and the internet.


How do Israeli YA readers' taste in books compare to American readers?

GB: Again, not that different.


For what reasons would you choose to not translate a book into Hebrew?

GB:  Sometimes there are technical difficulties: Scott Westerfeld has a series, "The Midnighters", in which 13-letter words play an important part, and I couldn't think of any way around that. It's nearly impossible to generate 13-letter words in Hebrew. Or I might turn down a book set, say, in a Catholic school if I think the cultural differences are too numerous to explain - though if the book has true depth and quality, that shouldn't really matter. I might turn down a book that is too rooted in local culture and dialect for being too difficult to translate. I've given these examples as books that I would turn down even if they are good, but of course I turn down 99% of books simply because I don't like them or think they are not good enough.


What is currently the most popular YA book, translated from English?


Fads come and go. The Hunger Games is doing well now, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a big hit in Israel. I don't get too excited about bestsellers. I'm more interested in books that have staying power, classic qualities that you can imagine future generations still appreciating. At the same time, bestsellers are our bread and butter, and they allow us to continue working. The Percy Jackson books that we publish are such bestsellers: I enjoy them and believe in them, but I can't say I'm confident they will still be loved 20 years from now; however they do allow us to publish books like The Homeward Bounders or Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones, which don't sell nearly as well but which I feel are classics for the ages.



What books are you currently reading?


GB:  I'm reading Tantony by Australian author Ananda Braxton-Smith, set on the same island as her stunning book Merrow. So much of the appeal of these books is in the language, I can't decide if they would even translate into Hebrew without losing too much of their soul.

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Thanks again Gili for a fantastic interview!

For more information about Gili Bar-Hillel you can visit her blog (though it's mostly in Hebrew) or follow her on Twitter.

Interview with Jenny from Jenny's Books

I'm delighted to be able to start off the new week with another fantastic interview with one of my favorite book bloggers, Jenny from Jenny's Books.

This picture is not really of Jenny...

If you wrote a book what would the blurb on the inside back cover (right beside your picture) say about you?


This picture is not really of Jenny, because Jenny does not photograph well and does her level best to steer clear of photographers. She gripes a lot about missing Louisiana while taking advantage of all the awesome things New York offers, including her wonderful job in publishing. She has three sisters and a lot of books.


How long have you been blogging for?


Three yearsish? Three and a half? I started in December 2007, which is a long time ago, though it seems like I’ve only been blogging for about twenty seconds.



How did you come to start a book blog?


I had reached a parlous state where I had read everything my mother recommended to me, and my reading tastes had diverged from the tastes of my reading friends. One day it occurred to me to google “book blog”, and a whole new world of recommendations opened up to me. I started my own book blog because I thought it would be useful to have a record of what I thought of the books I had read in the past, and in order to be able to tell people why I wasn’t going to read anything else ever by Ian McEwan.


Have you always been an avid reader?


Apparently there was a time in my life at which I could not yet read. But I do not remember it. I was at that time also allergic to dairy products. I suppose those were very dark years, and I appreciate my subconscious’s kindness in repressing them.


Was there a particular book that turned you on to reading?


YES AND IT WAS THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE BEST BOOK EVER IN THE WORLD EVER OMG EVER. 


…Yes. My mother started reading the Chronicles of Narnia to me when I was three. I actually don’t remember what I thought of the books upon first listen (apart from that The Silver Chair scared the hell out of me), but the Chronicles of Narnia have always sort of lived in my mind as a sort of Platonic ideal of how books ought to be.


Has being a book reviewer changed the way that you approach reading?


I think being a book blogger has changed the way I approach reading, in that I’m a little more reluctant to start reading great big fat books, lest I fall behind on my posting schedule (behinder than I usually am, which is very very behind indeed). Apart from that, I don’t think I’ve changed my reading strategies much. I read a bigger variety of books, maybe.


You claim to read the end of books first, is that true? And if so, why?


Oh it is so true. I do it because I like having a general outline of the book in my mind when I’m reading it: it gives me somewhere to put the middle bits as they occur. I don’t like the sort of punched-in-the-gut surprise some books enjoy dishing out (*hem*SarahWatersFingersmith*hem*). I did an experiment last September where I didn’t read the end of any of the books I was reading at all; and what I found was that reading the “normal” way was exactly like reading my way, except less fun and awesome.


Book bloggers often find that reviewing books encourages them to read books outside of their regular reading comfort zone. Is there a particular book that you would never have otherwise tried if you weren’t a book reviewer, but you ended up loving?


I think it’s not so much reviewing that makes me read books I wouldn’t normally read, but other bloggers. Being a book blogger sort of puts you in a different conversation stream than ordinary life, so there are times when I will read a book – such as The Hunger Games – just because I want to be able to participate in a conversation that all the other book bloggers are having.


Are there any particular topics or causes that you have discovered a passion for since becoming a book blogger which you might have never thought much about before? (ex. cover whitewashing, banned books)


Hm. Not really. I have thought about topics and causes I never thought about before, including cover whitewashing, but I wouldn’t say that anything’s made me want to get up in arms and go storm the castle gates.


What’s the last book that you read that blew you away?


Persian Fire. Rocked my world. On the fiction side, I’m reading George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series (finally), and although it’s not necessarily blowing me away, it’s one of those really, really absorbing and enjoyable reading experiences that makes me remember why I love reading so much.


If you met someone who was only going to read one book this year which book would you recommend to them?


After about two hours of explaining why they should read way more books than just one a year, I might recommend The Book Thief. It’s just so good.


What’s the most interesting thing has has every happened to you?


Oo, hard! I’ve had a boring life! My mind immediately goes to tales of woe, although even those are pretty tame. The problem is that things that are interesting while they’re happening (like seeing a play at the Globe Theatre, say) are not that interesting to talk about. I don’t know!


Favorite snack while reading?


Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. Or cheese fries. Or cheese fries and then Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. Heart health, obviously, is my watchword.


Favorite word?


No idea. I’m very fond of “shabby” but I wouldn’t call it my favorite. I like words with Ts and hard Cs. “Indefatigable” is very good because it feels like running down a hill – once you’ve started saying the word, you can’t stop! That word is coming out.


Favorite quote?


“What emotional storms and oh, what a tiny teacup!” from Tom Stoppard’s The Invention of Love. I want to start naming second and third favorites, but that’s a slippery slope.


Favorite childhood memory


When I was a kid, my family used to spend two weeks at a little cottage on the beach in southern Maine. One of my favorite childhood memories is definitely when we would go out to Nubble Light and climb around the rocks, and then sit down and have a pizza picnic on the rocks, and watch the seagulls and tourists and scuba divers.


Favorite comfort read


Hilary McKay’s Casson family books. They are sweet without being saccharine, and funny, and charming. Also L. M. Montgomery, A Tangled Web and Jane of Lantern Hill. I could read those over and over and over. I don't mind that the storylines are predictable. That is just L. M. Montgomery's way.


If you could spend the day with any book character who would you choose and why?


I would probably answer this differently on any given day, depending on what I’d read lately. Right now I feel like I’d like to spend the day with Septimus Hodge from Arcadia. He could make wry jokes and teach me math, and then I wouldn’t be so stupid about math. Oh, he’s a character in a play, not a book book. Is that still okay?

Thank you Jenny!

Recent Scott Lynch Interview

There is an interesting audio interview up at the Orion website (which I discovered via Fantasy Book Review) with the somewhat-reclusive fantasy author, Scott Lynch. I'm really excited about Lynch's upcoming release of The Republic of Thieves, the third book in his Gentleman Bastard series, and I listened to this interview in the hope of finding out more about this much-anticipated book.

Lynch does talk a bit about what we can expect to find in The Republic of Thieves; most importantly, he confirms that Sabitha will finally make an appearance and there will be flashbacks back to her and Locke's teenage days so that we can learn more about their relationship with each other. Lynch also speaks a bit about the depression that he has been battling and how it has effected him, a situation that many of his fans are probably aware of since he has been pretty candid about addressing it on his personal blog.

To listen to the interview visit the Orion Website

Chanukah Day 6 : Guest Post by Kate Elliott and Giveaway of Cold Magic

A few days ago I had published a guest post by Ari Marmell in which he ruminates about some of the reasons that his writing never seems to include any Jewish characters or themes. In contrast, in today's post by Kate Elliott, Elliott discusses some of the ways that Jewish elements that have been incorporated into her stories, sometimes even unintentionally.

I've been an avid reader of Kate Elliott's books for many years and am really excited to have her here today.

So take it away Kate....

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One of my editors once noted that I always have Jews in my fantasy novels. At first this comment puzzled me.

I write what is commonly called “secondary world fantasy.” By that I mean stories set not on our Earth. Now, a reader could argue that as a writer I tend to write analog-Earths or a “different Earth with magic” or (in the case of the Crossroads Trilogy) a fantasy trilogy set in my science fiction Jaran universe which is a universe based on a version of our future history, and I won’t disagree. I love to examine and re-vision our own cultures and history, partly as a way to examine issues of our own time that trouble, confuse, or interest me, and partly because our own past is such a fascinating and intriguing place that it never fails to horrify and delight and provide a springboard for good stories.

But because I am not writing our historical Earth, my fantasy worlds [Crown of Stars; Crossroads; Spiritwalker (Cold Magic)] do not contain quite the same religions as our Earth does. I always try to write about a diverse world with multiple cultures, which are then usually involved in conflict or change (thus: the plot). I tend to spend most of my time in one “dominant” culture, which has a specific set of customs and an accepted religion, and make forays into other parts of a larger world to get a look into other societies.

However, both in the Crown of Stars universe (the Hessi) and in the Crossroads Trilogy (the Ri Amarah), the dominant culture includes within it an “outsider culture” that is tolerated (or not tolerated) within a larger societal landscape. This outsider culture is made up of a small group of kinship related people who originally came from somewhere else. Their religion and customs and background are different from and seem strange and mysterious to the people who live in the dominant culture. They are often treated with suspicion or conditional trust, and they are best known to the dominant culture as merchants, because that is the way they most commonly interact with the dominant culture. So even though they have a more complex internal culture that is not at all based on money, when others look at them, they see people who are involved in trade.

Oh. All right then. My editor's comment makes sense if one is writing from a non-Israeli point of view (as I am). In both cases I do not write from the point of view of any of the Hessi or Ri Amarah characters (although I have stories I could and hope someday to write from those view points).

That’s not the only way Judaism emerges in my writing.

The world of Cold Magic is a “different Earth with magic,” one in which an extended ice age locked up Northern Europe to the degree that the Germanic and Scandinavian cultures never developed at all. In this world, among other things, the Romans and Carthaginians fought to a standstill back in the day (the story opens in the Augustan Year 1837), and a influx of very rich and powerful immigrants from the Mali Empire of West Africa remade the map of Europa.

There are also no Jews, no Christianity, no Islam.

But the Phoenicians (and descendants of the Carthaginians) are still around. When it came to writing my fantastical variation on history, I drew heavily on the Bible and on ancient inscriptions, because the Phoenicians, of course, were also a Semitic peoples. Ancient Hebrew and Phoenician are closely related languages within the Canaanite group. So they call themselves Kena’ani (straight from Torah). Two of the servants in the household of the main character have names (Evved and Shiffa) based on transliterations of Hebrew words. And when my heroine glimpses, though an open gate, a sacrificial ceremony in which an anonymous woman has made an offering (of a turtledove in this case) in the hopes of gaining the gods’ favor of getting pregnant, I borrowed from Leviticus and the archaeology of ancient Israel. This was a pretty easy jump for me to make because I read Biblical Hebrew (not well) and have a decent familiarity (not scholarly) with Torah and the history of ancient Israel and thus the Eastern Mediterranean of that time.

There is one odd thing I can’t explain, though.

Early on, I gave my heroine Cat and her cousin Beatrice (Bee) the last name of Barahal. The truth is, I saw this name in the paper in the Honolulu Advertiser; one of the administrators of the Honolulu Marathon has the last name of Barahal. For some reason the name stuck in my head, and I used it, even though there was no other reason to except that I felt it was the right name. Her family clan was part of a diaspora that left Qart Hadast (Carthage) when it was conquered by Turanians (Persians). As a clan, it has made its living for the past two centuries as mercenaries, spies, and couriers. In the course of the novel, Cat discovers things about herself that include an ability to travel places others can’t in magical ways which I won’t explain here.

Some months before Cold Magic was published, when the first listings had started to appear online, I received an email out of the blue with a woman whose last name is Barahal. It turns out that the name is Jewish and has an exceedingly unusual history involving a founding ancestor who was a disciple of the Ba’al Shem Tov (Ba’al being another word shared between Hebrew and Phoenicio-Punic). Barahal is an anagram for the name of this man, Reb Leib Soros (Barahal is the Americanized version). Among other things, he was said to be able to travel astrally (on different planes) across great distances.

Go figure.

I don’t think any of us can truly get away from who we are in the sense of ways of thinking, being, and processing those influences in how we look at the world and what kinds of things flag our attention. That is all that is needed for there to be “Jewish fantasy.” It is the fantasy (and science fiction) written by Jews.
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You can find out more about Kate Elliott and her books by visiting her website or LiveJournal page.

Interview with SciFi Songwriter John Anealio

I'm pleased to welcome here today the talented musician and songwriter, John Anealio, who creates unique and catchy songs based on scifi and fantasy books and movies.


Hi John, thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview.

According to your blog, Scifi Songs, you write science fiction and fantasy songs, and while I’m familiar with sf&f books and movies I didn’t realize that the genre extends to music as well. Can you please explain to me about the kind of music that you write?

Well, there isn't really a Sci-Fi/Fantasy musical genre like rock or pop, although Filk can certainly be considered Sci-Fi music. Musically, I'd categorize what I do as a combination of pop, folk, and rock with a shot of electronic music and a sprinkling of progressive rock. Lyrically, I'm inspired by a wide variety of Science Fiction and Fantasy novels and films as well as other "nerdy" things.
Over the course of the past year, I've embraced the humorous side of nerd culture and many of my songs have come out funnier than I ever thought they would.

Have you always been interested in writing this kind of music or is this an idea that just hit you over the head one day?

In terms of focusing my lyrics on Sci-Fi/Nerd culture, that did just hit me one day. For years, I was a fairly straight-ahead folk singer/songwriter. A little over two years ago, I was contemplating my musical path. I had already written a few songs inspired by some Science Fiction novels. I was also considering getting into blogging or podcasting. At that moment it hit me to focus my songwriting on Science Fiction and Nerd Culture and start a blog and podcast where I release those songs for free.

What was the first song that you wrote?

At the start of my musical education, I was an obsessive guitarist, so my first songs were guitar instrumentals. I couldn't even tell you the first vocal song that I wrote, because the first 100 songs that I wrote were surely dreadful. I think the first "Sci-Fi" song that I wrote was "Sarene" which is based on Brandon Sanderson's Elantris.

Really? Why did you specifically choose Sarene for the subject of your song? (personally, I found her kind of annoying)

I liked the fact that Sarene was a strong female character and I just liked the idea of writing a love song that was set in a fantasy world.

What kind of reaction do your songs usually elicit from listeners? Do you think there is a large interest in music based on scifi and fantasy?

These days, it seems to be mostly laughter, which is good. Most people respond pretty positively. I think a lot of folks are just stunned that someone took the time to write and record a song based on something so niche or ridiculous. I think that there is an interest in music based on Sci-Fi and nerdy topics. For the longest time, song lyrics were only considered successful if they had universal themes or were aimed at the lowest common denominator. I think that people want to hear songs about topics that they are interested in. The more niche the better, it seems. My most successful song is "George R.R. Martin is Not Your Bitch". It doesn't get much more niche than that.

So I've actually been hearing quite a lot lately about this song, "George R.R. Martin is Not Your Bitch" which has garnered attention from both Neil Gaiman and Martin himself. Can you tell me the story behind it?

I'm a big George R.R. Martin fan. Neil Gaiman wrote a now famous blog post that advised a reader that "George R.R. Martin is Not Your Bitch". I just thought that it would make a perfect song. I had the great fortune of both Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin discovering the song and liking it enough to blog and tweet about it.

Have any of your other songs gained the attention of the book’s author?

Fortunately yes. Brandon Sanderson, Gregory Frost, and Kay Kenyon all discovered the songs that I wrote about their books. Not only were all of them really nice folks, they were all quite enthusiastic about the songs and were nice enough to link to them. I even had the chance to chat a bit with Gregory Frost at Philcon last year. He's a great author and a super nice guy.

Wow, that's awesome!

Where do you see yourself heading with your sff song writing?

I'd like to get more into live performing. Prior to Sci-Fi Songs, I gigged all of the time, but I've done very little performing since the start of Sci-Fi Songs. I had the opportunity to perform at Balticon this year as a part of Mur Lafferty's "I Should Be Writing" live podcast. It was the first time that I performed in front of an audience of people who were into the things that I was singing about and it was a truly wonderful experience. I'd like to perform at more Sci-Fi conventions and I'd really love to perform at events like w00tstock and Nerdapalooza. I'd love to model the career path of some artists that I really admire like Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, and Marian Call.

Are you involved in any other aspects of the sff community?

The sheet music and lyrics to my song "The Ballad of Wilson Cole" appear in the appendix of Mike Resnick's "Starship:Flagship" novel. It was really quite a thrill to see my song and my name published in an actual Science Fiction novel. It was something that I never imagined would happen. I'd love to do that again. I also co-host a weekly podcast with author Patrick Hester called
The Functional Nerds. We chat about Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels and TV shows, technology, music, comics, and other nerdy things. We've been fortunate enough to have a bunch of great guests, including: Blake Charlton, Lou Anders, and Mur Lafferty.

I saw that you recently attended Balticon where you dazzled Gail Carriger with your tunes. So how about a bit of gossip? Is Gail as awesome in real life as she seems?

Really? I wasn't aware that she was dazzled. I did have the opportunity to chat with her for a while after the show and she is every bit of awesome in real life as she seems. She's crazy smart and super nice. We also discovered that we share an interest in swing dancing.

Well, Gail mentioned your performance on her blog and she sounded pretty dazzled (I believe the words "lovely" and "talented" were bandied about). Though I don't remember her ever mentioning anything about swing dancing...

Are there any other authors that you have become acquainted with through your music?

Peter V. Brett attended the ISBW live podcast at Balticon. He and I got along together quite well. He's going to be on our podcast in July. Although not a Sci-Fi author, Ken Denmead, who is the editor of Wired Magazine's GeekDad Blog and the author of the GeekDad book, and I have gotten to be pretty good online friends as well. He's played my music on the GeekDad Hip Trax podcast a bunch of times.

I'm a pretty big Peter Brett fan so I will have to make sure to listen to that podcast.

Are you ever approached by authors who are interested in having a song written for their books?

Lou Anders, Editorial Director of Pyr Books, commissioned the song for the Mike Resnick book. I have had some independent authors request songs. Each song takes a really long time to record (up to a month), so unfortunately I can't meet every request.

Which of your songs is your favorite and how did you come to write it?

Hard to say, I usually enjoy my most recent song the best.

In that case I guess the Unicorn Pegasus Kitten song is your current favorite since that is the latest song to appear on your blog, along with the picture that inspired it.

Are there any projects or songs that you are currently working on?

I'm getting pretty close to having enough good songs to put out another CD. This one will be a little different than my Sci-Fi Songs album. Most of the new songs have a humorous slant to them, which wasn't my intention at the start of all of this, but that is how things have naturally developed, so I'm running with it.

Can you tell me a bit about the CD you currently have out as well as where it is available for purchase?

When I started the Sci-Fi Songs blog, the idea was to write and record a new song every few weeks and give it away for free on the blog. People started asking about buying a CD/album. The Sci-Fi Songs Album is what I feel the 11 best songs that I wrote and recorded during the first year or so of the blog. You can buy the physical CD through CDBaby and the digital downloads from many different outlets including iTunes and Amazon MP3.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working on your music?

Reading, Podcasting, and obsessively cataloging my iTunes library.

What books are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett, which so far is excellent. I'm also diving into a few of John Joseph Adams' short story anthologies.

It sounds like you have some great reading going on there. And a Warded Man inspired song would be really awesome...

Thanks again John for joining us here today and I can't wait to see what song you come up with next.
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For more information about John Anealio visit his blog, Sci Fi Songs, and follow this link for a list of all his songs.

Interview with C.L Wilson

To my delight, one of my favorite fantasy authors, C.L Wilson, agreed to take some time from her busy writing schedule for an interview.

C.L Wilson is the best selling author of the romantic fantasy series Tairen Soul. The fourth novel in the Tairen Souls series, Queen of Song and Souls, was just released in October.

Hi Cheryl. Can you start off by telling us a little bit about your latest book, Queen of Song and Souls?

Queen of Song and Souls picks up a couple of weeks after King of Sword and Sky ends. The new Mage Wars have begun. Rain and Ellysetta discover information about a cataclysmic forthcoming attack, and they race to Celieria City to warn the king and to gather the ancient allies.

Originally, wasn't Queen of Song and Souls supposed to be the concluding book in the series? Why did you extend the series to a fifth book?

Yes, QUEEN was supposed to be the conclusion, but my idea of an epic fantasy novel and my publisher’s idea of an epic fantasy novel differ by about 300 pages per book. Two major subplots that were supposed to happen in KING actually got pushed back to QUEEN due to page considerations, which meant QUEEN was even bigger than I’d planned. After deciding that we absolutely could not cut any of the events from the story, and we absolutely could not extend the page count due to publishing considerations, my editor and I concluded that splitting the book in two was really the only viable option.

It wasn’t an easy decision, nor one I made lightly. In fact, I fought against it until I knew there was no other choice. I don’t’ like splitting books. I like my character arcs and story arcs to go as I planned. But in this case, my choices were (a) rush the ending, shortchange the readers and discard half of everything I’ve been building towards for four years…OR, (b) cut the book in two. I chose option B. That makes QUEEN more of a “bridging book” than a standalone episode of the series, but I hope most readers will enjoy it nonetheless.

Do you find yourself reluctant to finish the series, and part with the characters, after working on the books for so many years?

Actually, I’m looking forward to moving on. I’ve spent the better part of the last 10 years with these characters and this story, and I’m ready for a change. I’ve got several projects waiting in the wings that I’m chomping at the bit to get started on.

Can you tell me more about these projects?

My next projects are WINTER KING, then Bel and Gaelen’s stories. Other projects except those are still “secrets” as I haven’t contracted for them yet.

That's great! I'd love to read more about Bel and Gaelen and I'm really glad that you will be returning to the world of Ellysetta and Rain even after the Tairen Soul series is over.

When you start writing a series, do you have the whole story planned out or does the story unfold for you as you are writing it?

I know basic character and story arcs. I know the GMC (goals, motivations, and conflicts) of all my main characters. I know the 4 major turning points of the external plot. Then I dive in and set out on the same journey of discovery as my characters. It’s the only way I can write. If I know everything, I’m bored and disinterested long before I reach the end of the book. I need the surprises to keep me going, to keep me excited about a book.

Does creating a unique world of fantasy and magic require a lot of planning and research or is just a matter of using your imagination and writing down whatever you come up with?

A certain level of believability is required for any world. I created time lines, historical events, magic systems, etc.. I drew upon my own imagination combined with a broad background in history, myths and fairy tales, cultural anthropology, and other interests. (I’ve always loved “world building” since I was a child, and my interests reflect that) Vadim Maur’s “Army of Darkness” for instance, is loosely based on historical acts of Xerxes’ great army.

I do have to document everything I reference in the book, and I keep that “encyclopedia of the Fading Lands” current with every book. Things I’ve committed in print get annotated with book and page references to help keep me from contradicting myself in later books.

Some elements of the world required fairly extensive research – such as travel times by horse, carriage, foot, over various terrains. Tairen back travel times I calculated using documented bird flight speeds. Fey running speeds, I calculated based on actual human sprinting speeds, which I then enhancing using a formula similar to what you find when comparing real life jogging vs. sprinting. I keep a very careful account of all locations and distances in my world. I’ve also made an effort to keep geographical detail realistic.

Skillfully developing a romance between two characters in a book seems like it can be tricky. How do you go about doing this so successfully?

Though I possess a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing (which provided me a basis for “literary” fiction writing), the bulk of my training in has been in the field of genre fiction. Apart from basic craft, which I’ve absorbed from every available source (Writer’s Digest, books on writing books, etc.), most of my genre fiction training came via RWA (Romance Writers of America – www.rwanational.org). So developing the romantic relationship is their primary focus, and the topic of countless workshops I’ve attended over the years.

I don’t believe writing a good romance is easy—no easier than building a good marriage. The ups and downs, the give and take, the conflicts and compromises—those conflicts between two people falling in love and building a life together can be intense. They are always emotional and personal and challenging to the people involved. For me, the conflicts are usually about making choices driven by love, or choices driven by fear (or self-interest, which usually boils down to a type of fear).

What aspects of writing a book do you find the most challenging and which are the most satisfying?

For me, filling a blank page is always the most challenging part of writing a book—and also the most satisfying. I live by the mantra of the Little Engine That Could – I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. And as I near the end of a book, when I can see the end is near, then I tell myself I know I can! I know I can! I know I can!

It doesn’t get any easier. Every blank page is a daunting mountain to climb, and I always have to start at the bottom and work my way to the top. But I keep trying different things, trying to improve my process and make the miracle of creation easier.

Do you find that the media you are exposed to, such as books, movies and TV, during the period that you are working on a book influences the book that you are writing?

I think to some extent they must. All artists are sponges. We absorb the world around us, and every input affects our vision, our understanding of the world, what we have to say. I tend to find music that has the same “feel” as whatever book or scene I’m working on and use that as a creativity booster/mood enhancer. (for instance, I totally cannot write a battle scene to a lighthearted ditty). If I’m stuck, I might also go watch movies that have similar conflicts or situations as what I’m writing on, analyze the conflicts and how they were handled and use that as a brainstorming vehicle to jump start my own creativity.

I’m a very visual writer--part of my art background, I suppose. I see the scenes of my books play out like movies and I write what I see. I do try to be careful about gorging on visual inputs (movies, tv, etc) that are too similar to what I’m writing because I don’t want those images to have an exaggerated influence on my own. Having said that, I like design, costuming, calligraphy, etc., so I will often turn to my love of art for influence—I might examine, for instance, dozens of books about historical armor and weaponry, and try to find elements from historical sources that I can incorporate into my own designs. I also look to nature, and world cultures for design ideas.

History and current events are rich sources for conflicts, military strategy, etc.

So was there anything specific that influenced you while you were writing Queen of Song and Souls?

The complete recordings from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was and remains a mainstay of my writing this series. The music is so evocative. In the beginning of the year, I also began listening to a variety of “Brain Synch” CD’s to improve focus while writing and to facilitate meditation before writing.

What books are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Dark Legacy, by Anna DeStephano, and Darkness Rising by Elissa Wilds. I’m also reading Fire, by Kristin Cashore, and can’t wait to get started on Anne Bishop’s new The Shadow Queen.

Which is your favorite literary romantic couple?

Well, I adore Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy (who doesn’t?). But I also love Sebastian and Jess from Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels, Shea and Jacques from Christine Feehan’s Dark Desire, Derek and Sarah from Lisa Kleypas’s Dreaming of You.

This month is National Novel Writing Month and thousands of aspiring novelists are attempting to write a novel within thirty days. What advice would you give to these writers?

Don’t try to write perfect scenes. Just write what you know – what interests you most. You can flesh out scenes and revise later! Make notes to yourself – either in the manuscript or on a note pad of things you want to be sure to add.

Try “Write or Die” software from Dr. Wicked’s Writing Labs. I’m loving it!

Thanks so much Cheryl for taking the time to do this interview with us.

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For more information about C.L Wilson stop off at her website and take a look at some of her other interviews:

Interview by Tampa Books Examiner

Interview by Scifi Fan Letter

Interview by AAR After Hours

You can also read my review of Lord of the Fading Lands, the first book in the Tairen Soul series, here

Blog Interview with Fantasy Literature Frankly

"Life's Too Short to Read Bad Books," declares the heading of Fantasy Literature Frankly, and I wholeheartedly agree. If you are looking for a good fantasy book to read, then make sure to stop by this wonderful book blog where you will find great book reviews, author interviews and lots of fun book giveaways.

This month we have an interview with Stephen B. Frank, who runs the Fantasy Literature Frankly blog

Hi Stephen, thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview.

Can you please tell me about your blog and what makes it unique?

Fantasy Literature Frankly is the blog of Fantasy Literature.com, a review site that has nineteen reviewers and aspiring authors. We usually post two reviews per day and have a database of over 900 fantasy authors with reviews and cover art and audio interviews and so much content… It’s really much more than a typical blog. Kat’s done an amazing job of recruiting top notch reviewers, too. Some of whom are short fiction authors who I predict are going to be famous fantasy novelists someday.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not reading?

I have three lovely children. And I am the director of a non-profit business as part of which I write on education reform. I also like to take long walks, but, um, I usually read as I walk. So I don’t know if that counts. I used to have other hobbies. But now, I work on fiction writing.

When and why did you start this blog?

Well, I only started blogging a few months ago. I am waiting for editorial feedback on my first novel before I submit it for an agent and eventual publication. And I thought I’d try my hand at blogging. I started the Urban Fantasy Fan Page and then Kat Hooper asked me to take over the blog at Fantasy Literature.com. I love the site and the other reviewers and am learning a lot. I really love it.

How did you first get interested in reading fantasy?

I came to fantasy as a child. Or, as I prefer to say, I was a fantastic child. My mother might remember this differently. I started with Baum’s Oz books and Tolkien and then graduated to Piers Anthony, from whom I learned the joys of serial punning. Some things you never recover from. And after that, I read just about everything I could get my hands on.

I read on your website that your favorite sub-genre is urban/ contemporary fantasy. What is it about this genre that you particularly enjoy?

I’m not really sure why I’m so addicted. It’s sort of an odd choice for me. I’m pretty much a snob about a lot of things and most people would consider this lowbrow even for genre fiction. I suppose I grew up reading epic fantasy about orphan boys who turn out to be powerful wizard princes. I think I first read Terry Brooks’ urban fantasy series and then Anita Blake. And it was sooo different than my childhood fare that I had to have more. Then I discovered Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. And since I am writing an urban fantasy novel, I started reading it as research. And from there it just snuck up and took over my life.

What do you enjoy the most about having a book blog?

Making connections with new people. I also like being able to write short, funny essays.

Have you found your attitude towards books or reading has changed since you have begun reviewing books?

I’ve been reflecting on that recently. Really, I am more of a fan than a critic by nature. And I’m willing to forgive a lot of flaws in a book if there’s something redeeming about it or the author. I do hate it when I get a review copy of a book and then find it’s not quite up to what I’d hoped and I feel compelled to write something about it. Or, I realize that not everybody is going to love a book as much as I do. So, I feel compelled to pay more attention to the flaws instead of forgiving and forgetting.

Have you ever had an author get upset with you for a negative review? If so, how did you deal with it?

No, but I’m new to this, and I trust most authors to be professional. That said, my job is to invite authors to interview at the site. And with eighteen reviewers, there’s always the chance that I’ll invite someone who has been negatively reviewed. I try to avoid that. But I basically live in a state of perpetual fear.

It sounds like you get to interact with a lot of different authors. Do you find that personal interaction with an author affects the way that you might review that author's books?

I suppose it's possible that I would like a book better for knowing the author, but admitting that in the review (fair advertising) seems like it's enough for people who read the view to understand and adjust accordingly. Personally, I would not avoid interaction with authors to preserve my objectivity because, frankly, I think building relationships (even virtual ones) is far more important than any review I'd ever write or book I'd ever read.

John Steinbeck once said. "Unless a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise, I say ignore the bastard." To me this means that authors first and foremost need to have thick skins because few books, if any, will ever appeal to everyone. On the flip side, I think it is also important for reviewers to always remember that what they write, being in the public domain, is almost always going to get back to the author whether or not there is an interview or not. So, I'd hope I write any review, positive or negative, as if I'm giving direct feedback to the author while keeping the author's receptivity and feelings in mind. Even if I didn't like a book I'd hope the things I said would be said so as not to hurt the author's feelings. And if I can't do that, then maybe I shouldn't write a review of the book regardless.

And for your final question- If you decided to join the forces of darkness (hypothetically, of course) which book villain would you choose to join forces with, and why?

Hm. I’d have to say Georgina Kincaid, from Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues series. Yeah, I know technically she’s the protagonist. But she works for Hell; so that’s a force for darkness right? We could probably get Freudian about me wanting to be tied to a demon lover who’d use me for sex. But in addition to that awesome benefit, she’s a very lovely person, for, you know, a hell-bound demon. Off to see my therapist now. Thanks for the interview!

And thank you Stephen for taking the time to speak (email?) with me. It was great getting to know you and learning more about Fantasy Literature Frankly

Blog Interview: Bitten by Books

If you are a fan of Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy then Bitten by Books is the blog for you. The provocatively sexy banner will be sure to draw you in while the large variety of book reviews, interviews and contests will have you coming back again and again.

Rachel Smith, the founder of Bitten by Books, has taken some time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions for us about herself and her blog.

Hi Rachel. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with us.

Can you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself?

I have been an avid reader since the early 1970’s, and after my family, I'd have to say reading is my next big love. I mostly read paranormal fiction, although I also enjoy non-fiction, chic lit and books on esoteric subjects. In addition to running the Bitten by Books website, I create custom perfume blends for Fragrant Soul and blog about my favorite products at weirdstuffinmydesk.com. I have also worked as a spiritual counselor and teacher for many years.

Please tell me about your blog and what it is that makes it unique?

The focus of the Bitten by Books website is to provide book reviews for all types of paranormal fiction, urban fantasy and horror. Our reviewers share an avid love of all things paranormal, especially books! There's also the occasional fantasy or science fiction review, as sometimes authors overlap genres, or the genres incorporate one another. We take pride in offering our readers honest book reviews, author interviews, interesting guest blog spots and fun contests. I think the one thing that really makes the site unique is our large selection of author based events . Sure, the book reviews are great, but there is nothing quite like getting to "meet" an author and learning about the things that make their minds tick and drives them to create the literary selections we all love.

When and why did you start this blog?

I started Bitten by Books back in the spring of 2008, primarily so I could review books of my choice, in my own time frame. Of course, I am completely hooked on paranormal fiction, so that became the main focus of the site. I had no idea that the site would explode into the community it is today. There are lots of great review sites that focus on all kinds of genres, but there are not many that are specific to paranormal fiction and urban fantasy.

Is there a specific book that first got you interested in reading paranormal fiction?

There are several, but some of the very first were Kim Harrison's Hallows series and Keri Arthur's Riley Jensen series. I was very sick at the end of 2006, and basically couldn't leave my bed for almost a month. My husband, bless his heart, brought home the first two books in Keri Arthur's series and I was hooked. I can honestly say without remorse that he is the creator of the book-reading monster that I have become! My wishlist on bookmooch.com still has over 450 titles that I want to read!

From your blog, I can see that you have a very wide and diverse group of reviewers. How do you find the reviewers for your site?

We have people inquire all the time to be reviewers, and we have a standard procedure. Recently we put out a call to our readers for a limited amount of spots that have opened up. The response was overwhelming, and we are adding 12 new reviewers to our team this week! Our reviewers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, which really makes our site stand out because you won't see the same cookie-cutter reviews over and over. With over 50 reviewers, there's just about any style of review you can imagine. You can read more about our review team at http://bittenbybooks.com

From where do you get the books that you review?

The books come from publishers and authors. We do sometimes read and review our personal books, but that is much less common these days. At any given time we have over 1000 (yep that's right) reviews in process to be published on the site. We sometimes have a longer turn around time for reviews, but we feel that the end result is a better quality and well thought out review.

Have you ever had an author get upset with you for a negative review? If so, how did you deal with it?

This situation is bound to happen on any review site, and has only happened a few times with us. We have very clear Terms of Review that the authors agree to prior to us even accepting their work for review. That really helps keep things on an even keel. If an author is upset with a review, I simply remind them that we are each entitled to our own opinions and perceptions of body of work, and that there is no guarantee that every person who picks it up is going to like it. We don't remove reviews because an author doesn't agree with the reviewer, nor do we suppress freedom of speech. We do however make a concerted effort to provide constructive feedback and not bash an author to bits. We recognize that writing is an art form, and that much time and effort goes into creating a story. In the end, we feel that the readers of the site respect us more for being honest than for sugar-coating and potentially risking them spending money on something they may not like.

That being said, I have seen comments from readers on not-so-positive reviews that stated they would give the author the benefit of the doubt and try the book for themselves. This clearly shows that people are going to make up their minds to read what they want and are able to do so with or without our help. I don't necessarily believe one or two negative reviews to be the death knell of a novel. I have picked up hundreds of books that had bad reviews, only to find I really liked the books. In my opinion, review sites are really meant to be more of a tool to measure the merit of a book, versus a "you must or must not read this novel" kind of scenario.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not reading?

When I'm not reading or reviewing books, or generally hanging out online, I enjoy spending time with my husband, playing with my gaggle of doxons, and listening to music. I'm a Pacific Northwest native living in Kentucky, so I also spend a good amount of time pining for drive through coffee and Greek food!

If you could go out for coffee with any book character, who would you choose and why?

This week, I would say the vampire Merit from Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series. Merit and I have the same kind of snarky sense of humor, and I relate to her on many levels. I think we would have a good time, deliver some well deserved verbal smackdown, and paint the town red. (no pun intended)

Thank you so much for inviting me to your site and for your interest in BittenbyBooks.com!

And thank you Rachel for speaking with us. It was wonderful getting to know you and learning more about about your blog, Bitten by Books.

If you have any questions for Rachel, or would like to solicit her professional opinion on some good books to read, feel free to ask them here.