Welcome to My Annual Christmas Reading!

This year for may annual reading, I've decided to do an excerpt from High Maga. 

The manuscript for High Maga was finished in the fall of 2012, and is now undergoing final edits in preparation for publication. I don't have a release date yet. It's possible High Maga will be released toward the end of 2013; more likely that you will see it in print early in 2014. In either case, stay tuned to this site for updates, previews, and giveaways. 

For the Christmas reading, I always try to find cozy scenes.  That was something of a challenge this year, as High Maga has relatively few scenes that could be called "cozy".  After some thought, I settled on this excerpt from Chapter 8, a scene between Eolyn and her youngest student, Ghemena.  It takes place at Eolyn's Aekelahr, the humble home of her new coven in the highlands of Moehn.  In this passage, Ghemena has just woken up from a nightmare, and Eolyn comforts her with a story and a very special gift.

If you're looking for more fun things to do between now and New Year's, stop by Heroines of Fantasy and help us build a story with the Brothers Grimm.  While you're at it, you can register to win a holiday ebook bundle, including four novels by HoF authors.  The winners of the holiday giveaway will be announced January 31st. 

I hope you enjoy this reading, and the rest of the holiday season. I will be taking a break from my blog and other on line activities until the New Year, but will be back in action starting January. I look forward to seeing you then.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, and all the best in the New Year.

If you would like to know more about the novel High Maga, you can preview it here. 

Stock Up on Your Holiday Reading!

The holiday season is here, and with it multiple chances to win FREE books for your winter bookshelf! 

Heroines of Fantasy is sponsoring a holiday giveaway this month. Enter to win an ebook bundle with four novels by HoF authors, including

Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich,

The Poets of Pevana by Mark Nelson,

Your choice of Finder or A Time Never Lived by Terri-Lynne DeFino, and

Your choice of The Song and the Sorceress or The Northern Queen by Kim Vandervort.

It's easy to enter; just comment on one of our weekly posts, or choose from other entry options, such as liking the Facebook page for Hadley Rille Books.  The giveaway will run until the end of the month; winners will be announced on January 31st.  Visit Heroines of Fantasy to find out more, and enter to win!

If ebooks are not your thing -- or if you're looking to enter multiple raffles this December -- check back on this blog later this week for the Winter Book Blast.  Enjoy an nine-day virtual tour of great titles across many genres, including romance, mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, and young adult. 

The Winter Book Blast is being organized by author DelSheree Gladden.  It will include a Grandprize Giveaway of 18 novels, as well as individual giveaways sponsored by participating authors.  Visitors to the blog for Eolyn will have the opportunity to win one signed copy of the beautiful hardcover edition.  Enter away -- you never know when you might get lucky!

Last but not least, as my personal gift to you, this month I have at last posted a preview to High Maga, the companion novel to Eolyn.  My annual Christmas reading, which will be posted on December 24th, will be an excerpt from the new book.  Come January, you can look forward to more previews, updates, and giveaways for this story of war, courage, endurance, and triumph.

That is the news for this week.  Again, please check back December 15th thru 23rd to register for your chance to win free novels as part of the Winter Book Blast. 

Happy holiday reading!

Enter to win a signed copy of the beautiful hardcover edition of Eolyn:

Visit Heroines of Fantasy and enter to win an ebook bundle of four fantasy novels by HoF authors.

Visit DelSheree Gladden's Winter Book Blast to browse multiple giveaways, including a grand prize giveaway of 18 novels.

Back to the South Woods

Me in Las Cruces, a few years back.
Some things never change, and my love
for those trees is one of them.

The days are going by fast in this short respite between when spring semester ends and my field season in Costa Rica begins.  This summer I will be participating once again in the Native American and Pacific Islander Research Experience (NAPIRE) Program.  As a research mentor, I'll be supervising the work of three students at Las Cruces Biological Station, a small piece of paradise located in southern Costa Rica, near the border with Panama.

It's been only two years since I participated in NAPIRE, yet it seems like so much longer.  The last time I went to Las Cruces, I had just begun this blog, and signed my first contract with Hadley Rille Books.  Since then, Eolyn has been published, and that one seemingly small event has changed so much in my life, internally and externally, in the way I organize my time and my priorities, in what I want for the future, and how I see myself.  I don't know if any of this will impact my experience at Las Cruces, but it's certainly a moment that has allowed me to see my life is still changing, and I along with it.

I'm invariably inspired to write fun stuff whenever I'm in the woods, so please return to this blog in the coming weeks, so I can share my adventure in the tropics with you.  

In other news, this Saturday I will be at the 6th Annual Author Extravaganza in Emporia, KS.  This event is hosted by the Town Crier Bookstore, and is a celebration of Kansas authors of all genres, and from all walks of life.  If you are in the area, please stop by to visit and meet the authors.  Books will be available for purchase and signing.

This week, I joined the Magic Appreciation Tour and Book Sale.  This is an on-line event, so you can enjoy it wherever you are.  Stop by to meet authors of magical fantasy and find some great summer reading to boot.  The Tour and Book Sale will last until June 30.

I'm getting very excited about WorldCon in Chicago at the end of August.  A couple days ago, I received the list of panels, and they all look great.  I've thrown my hat in the ring to participate in more than a few; as soon as my panels and schedule are confirmed, I'll be sure to post it on this site.

Terri-Lynne DeFino is up this week over at Heroines of Fantasy, and she wants to know what you are doing for yourself.  Stop by to tell her about your plans.  (And if you don't have any plans for yourself, then now is the time to make them!)

I've put together a fun post for next week on Heroines of Fantasy, about some of the non-fantasy books that have most inspired my work, and especially my work with Eolyn.  That post will go live on Monday, June 18.  I hope you will take a moment to visit me there and tell me a little about the books that have most inspired you.

I thought this was going to be a short post, but I guess I did have a lot to talk about!  Next time you see me here, I'll be writing from Costa Rica.  Pura Vida!

Let the Festivities Begin

We had a great day Friday at Down to Earth, Hadley Rille Books' meet-the-author event and Earth Day Celebration.  Authors in attendance included James Gunn, Christopher McKitterick, M.C. Chambers, and me, as well as Eric T. Reynolds, founder and editor of Hadley Rille Books.  

The event featured readings from Hadley Rille's new anthology, Aftermaths, as well as from the novels Shaper's Veil and Eolyn.   Afterwards, we had a lively discussion with the audience regarding the environment and environmental issues in the context of science fiction and fantasy,  followed by a brief book signing session.  If you'd like to see more photos, you can view them in the Down to Earth 2012 album on my Facebook page for Eolyn.  

Delicious Eolyn cake at the pre-launch party,
April 2011 at the Hooley-Bundschu Library
at Avila University.

A season of celebration is upon us.  In just a few short weeks Eolyn will be one year old.  As part of the birthday festivities, Hadley Rille Books is sponsoring a Goodreads Giveaway for Eolyn.  Two free signed copies will be raffled off on May 7, 2012.  Any member of Goodreads can sign up; if you aren't yet a member, it's easy to join -- and free. 

Other events you may want to put on your radar:

ConQuest, Kansas City's own science fiction and fantasy convention, will be on Memorial Day Weekend.  About a dozen science fiction and fantasy authors from Hadley Rille Books will be in attendance. 

On the eve of ConQuest, Hadley Rille will host a meet-the-author event at Prospero's Books.  This event will be open to the public, and will include readings, a discussion panel, and the opportunity to purchase books and have them signed.

During ConQuest, Hadley Rille Books will have its own author panel, participate in the mass signing on Saturday, host a room party, and launch the novel A Time Never Lived  by Terri-Lynne DeFino.  Rumor has it there will also be a few Hadley Rille pre-launches that weekend.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on all the details. 

Author Kim Vandervort is up this week on Heroines of Fantasy.  As of this moment, her post hasn't yet gone live, but it should sometime today or tomorrow.  (In the meantime, if you haven't read last week's post Eternal Forests, now is your chance!)  Please stop by to share your thoughts and comments. 

Now that you're finished reading this week's post for Eolyn, go sign up for the Goodreads Giveaway!  And good luck.  :)

Sequels and Secrets

Here's the most difficult part about writing the companion novel to Eolyn: 

Every so often -- actually, more often than not -- I get very excited about something that just happened in the story, and I want to tell the world about it. 

I can't, of course.  Because these are the plot reveals and little details that will make the story rich and surprising for the reader, and as the author I have a moral (and commercial) obligation not to spoil that experience.  So I must bite my tongue, and sit patiently on all the delicious secrets of High Maga until the day you discover them for yourself and can let me know what you think. 

This is one of the reasons why I think I will always be a writer who needs to run in a pack; to have companion authors with whom to share the thrill of discovery involved in story telling.  People who can also help chart the course of the story, and tell me whether that 'brilliant' idea I just had really is brilliant, or whether it's a dud that would best be deleted before the larger public discovers just how bad a draft can be.  I'm very grateful to have companions in writing at the moment.  So thank you, Companions -- you know who you are -- for sharing the adventure.

I've been spending an inordinate number of weeks trying to figure out what Sir Drostan would do next, as part of a battle scene I'm crafting for the new novel.  Yesterday I had a chance to sit down with it again, and I think I am very very close to at last pulling all the threads together and making the scene work the way I want it to.  When I finish with Drostan, we'll be at about 105K for the current novel.  I'm estimating High Maga will wrap up at about 130K, though it may extend a shade longer than that.  If everything works out as planned, we will know by this summer.

Last week was a good week for Eolyn  on Amazon, as customers posted three more five-star reviews.  Here's what one of them had to say:

"It amazes me when I read a book that can transport me into a new world.  I loved this book...it was wonderful...delightful...exciting...I couldn't put it down and was surprised with the unpredictable ending.  I can only hope that there is continuation of the Eolyn saga!  PLEASE GIVE US MORE!"

What can I say?  It gives me a great feeling to read such positive feedback, and a lot of motivation to keep writing.

On Heroines of Fantasy this week, guest author Sandra McDonald picks up the topic started by Kim Vandervort last week, with her post Sensible Clothing for Heroines.  Please stop by to read and comment.

Also, remember Down to Earth 2012 is just around the corner, and Eolyn's birthday bash will follow soon after that. Stay tuned for more details.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you are in for a great week.

A Most Treasured Read

It's been a good week for reviews on Eolyn's Amazon page.  Three new reviews have been posted, all of them lengthy and detailed with respect to what worked and what did not work for them.  Coincidentally, each of the reviews posted this week also have some significant spoilers; so you may want to think twice before reading them through if you have not yet sat down with the novel.  In the meantime, here are some highlights:

Gastreich was able to weave recognizable bits of fairy tale, folklore and legend into the stories that surrounded Eolyn's childhood and education of her mystical inheritance. There's also a very strong thread of Feminism that runs through this book; and I mean that in an awesomely good way....The characters were so rich and intriguing, I absolutely loved them. 

-Trish Heinrich (3 stars)

The threads woven throughout "Eolyn" are not, as with most other books in this genre, neatly tied off and snipped, and they do not form a perfect tapestry depicting "Happily Ever After". Some of the most important characters in the story are portrayed as complex personae with ambiguous morality and hidden motivations that are never revealed. It is this aspect of the book that readers will find at once disturbing and disturbingly realistic...

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and it has already earned a place on my "Most Treasured" shelf. It is in a class of its own, and I hope to read more soon from Karin Rita Gastreich.

-Yin Haan (5 stars)

As a reader, there are certain topics or themes I really like in a book, certain tropes I particularly love no matter how many times I encounter them. Eolyn has a great many of my favorite fantasy tropes....The thing that made this book a joy to read and not just another familiar, commonplace fantasy novel is that each of these tropes were thoughtfully and deftly handled by Gastreich, often tweaked in satisfying and unexpected ways, and not just invoked as trite clichés that don't offer anything new or interesting to a reader...

I especially appreciated the feminist themes and questions of this book, which echo real life themes and questions in our world. (And isn't that precisely what good speculative fiction should do?) In the context of this particular fantasy world, Gastreich comments on sexism, sexuality, autonomy and personal choices, work vs. relationships, our relationship to our bodies and the natural world, and more. Her romance between Eolyn and the Mage-King feels true in its messiness and difficulties, and not just like a stereotypical fairytale. 

-Julia Dvorin (5 stars)

Thank you Trish, Yin-Haan and Julia.  I am delighted that you enjoyed the read, and really appreciate you taking the time to write such thoughtful and detailed reviews.


In other news this week:

Author Terri Guiliano Long is hosting the celebration For the Love of Love on her blog.  Over forty authors are posting short vignettes about the experience of love.  The event started on February 14 and will continue through February 22; I will be posting on February 22.  Please stop by to read the different contributions.  You can vote for your favorite every day, and by doing so will be entered in a raffle to win some fun prizes.  More information is available at Terri Guiliano's blog.

On Heroines of Fantasy this week, we've been talking about heroes, and especially heroes in love.  Please stop by to read everyone's thoughts and to share yours.  As always, it's been a fun discussion.  I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

A Season for Love

Last night I purchased my tickets for the Kansas City Ballet production of Romeo and Juliet, opening at the Kauffmann Center for Performing Arts next week.  I haven't seen the ballet in years, and I don't believe I've ever had the opportunity to see it live.  I am very much looking forward to the performance.

Romeo and Juliet has me thinking, once again, about Epic Love, a topic I wrote about on this blog some time ago.  Epic Love continues to be one of the most visited posts on this site.  I may return to the topic of Epic Love next week on Heroines of Fantasy.  I would definitely like to write something about love; we'll see what the muse inspires.

In the mean time, this week on Heroines of Fantasy Terri-Lynne DeFino has invited us to rewrite the story of Valentine and his true love Adalaide.  I have to admit, we're off to a kind of rocky start.  Last time we did a group story, it worked out really well.  But this week everyone seems to have a different story in mind; and it's not always clear that any given set of phrases is following from what was written previously.  I'm going to blame this on a syndrome Costa Ricans would call malenamorado -- We must all be distracted, in a bad way, by love.  Please stop by and help us straighten out our love story.

Speaking of love-related events, I've been invited to participate in a celebration of love on the blog of Terri Giuliano.  From February 14th through the 22nd, more than forty authors will post on her site about various topics related to love.  Guests will share their thoughts on love and family, friends and animals; on passionate and contented love; on love of food, music, language and writing. I will be up with my own post on February 22.


Visit Terri Giuliano's “For the Love of Love” event to vote on your favorite posts and have a chance of winning a unique prize: one voter will be chosen to have a character named after them in Terri’s next book! Two runners up will also win signed copies of Terri Giuliano Long’s bestselling novel, In Leah’s Wake.

That's the news for the moment.  I hope you are all having a lovely week.  

Hugo Award Nominations

We've entered the season of nominations for this year's Hugo and Nebula Awards.  In order to nominate, you must be registered as a supporting or attending member of WorldCon by no later than January 31, 2012.  The deadline for award nominations is March 11, 2012.  Please visit the WorldCon webpage for more information about registration and the nomination process.

Several Hadley Rille Books titles and artists, including EOLYN, are eligible this year for nominations. If you are a member of WorldCon and would like to consider Hadley Rille titles for nomination, you can contact editor Eric T. Reynolds for a free pdf copy of the title(s) that interest you.  More information, including a complete list of eligible titles and artists, can be found at Eric T. Reynolds livejournal blog.

In other news, author DelSheree Gladden has finished reading EOLYN and posted her review this past weekend.  "Eolyn was a beautiful story," she writes, "one I highly recommend." To read the full review, please visit Gladden's blog The Edible Bookshelf. 

Last but not least, anyone up for a fun discussion should visit Heroines of Fantasy this week, where we are talking about the rules of magic, the foundations of magic, and magic as the "essential face of fantasy".  Please stop by to read everyone's thoughts and share your own.  Looking forward to seeing you there.  

Have a great week!

Christmas Treats

Looking for a break from the holiday madness? Join us this week on Heroines of Fantasy, where author Kim Vandervort invites everyone to Pause, breathe and read.




Speaking of holiday madness. . .

Just when I thought EOLYN updates might be slowing down as we approach Christmas, I actually have a lot of exciting news to share this week.

New customer reviews have gone up on Amazon, including this assessment from SavoirNoir:

Eolyn...is quite a change in pace in the epic fantasy. For one thing, it's quite iconoclastic in its treatment of sexuality, especially women's. For another, it has a well-thought-out and different magical system that though reminiscent of Raymond E. Feist, but has made it all her own. The journey of the eponymous heroine is at times harrowing, amusing, sensual but always human. Add to that a spash of Spanish realism that at times feels like Marquez and you have a quite different first novel that satisfies, in its own way, the many various tropes of an epic fantasy; Babe in the woods (literally!), revenge, sweeping war, and coming of age, even as it plucks with a more modern tone at the concepts of love and sex.

To read more customer reviews, please visit Eolyn's page on Amazon. And remember, Kindle and Nook editions of Eolyn are available for just $2.99 through the holidays!

One week from today, on December 19, I'll be participating in Adopt-an-Indie's blogtalk radio show, starting at 8:00pm EST. There is a great line-up of authors for this event, including our recent guests on Heroines of Fantasy, Carlyle Clark and Suki Michelle. Clark's and Michelle's spot will be at 8:20 EST; my slot (really, EOLYN's slot) will be at 9:00pm EST. Please mark your calendars with the date and time, and share the news with friends.

Now for the really great news: I was delighted to learn this past weekend that a pitch I wrote for the sequel to EOLYN, entitled HIGH MAGA, won first place in the Best Pitch Contest at thenextbigwriter.com In drafting the pitch, I had a lot of great feedback from authors and reviewers at tNBW, so a big thank you to everyone for all your help and support.

To celebrate, I'm posting the winning pitch for HIGH MAGA this week.  I'd thought to put this off a little longer, but what the hey -- It's Christmas.  This marks the first official preview of the sequel to appear on this blog.  (Drumroll, please!)

HIGH MAGA follows the story of Eolyn, a courageous and fiercely independent woman whose struggle to restore magic is set against a complex background of political intrigue, impossible love and pending war.

Eolyn, the last of the High Magas, founds a new coven in the isolated province of Moehn. The young girls she trains will, she hopes, revive a millennial tradition of women's magic.

Akmael, the new Mage King of Moisehén, must defend his land against invasion by the Syrnte, whose witch-queen has summoned long-banished creatures of the netherworld to aid her conquest.

When the Syrnte army descends upon Moehn, Eolyn's school is burned and her students killed, captured or scattered. Aided by Borten, a loyal knight of the king to whom she is increasingly drawn, and the devious and untrustworthy Mage Corey, Eolyn must escape the occupied province and deliver to Akmael the weapon that might secure his victory.

Their collective journey will test the limits of love and endurance, until Eolyn comes to understand -- perhaps too late -- that she also carries the shadow that could unleash Akmael’s doom.


. . .If you are among the growing number of readers anxiously awaiting the sequel to EOLYN, you'll be pleased to know that HIGH MAGA topped 90,000 words last week, and is scheduled for release in 2013. 

Thank you very much for stopping by.  I hope everyone has a great week.

EOLYN Past, Present and Future

This week on Heroines of Fantasy, I revisit one of my favorite holiday topics, ETA Hoffman's The Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King.  Please stop by to read the post, and join authors Kim Vandervort, Terri-Lynne DeFino and I as we celebrate Stories of Christmas Past. 

Also, Hadley Rille Books is offering the Kindle edition and Nook edition of EOLYN for just $2.99 through the holidays.  Magical reading at a fantastic price.  Take advantage of this great offer while it lasts. 

December has only just begun, and already I am reflecting on 2011 and thinking forward to 2012. 

2011 has been a great year for EOLYN.  Since we celebrated her birthday with Hadley Rille Books on May 7, the novel has sold to an international audience in hardcover, paperback, Kindle and Nook format, including readers from North America, Europe, Central America, Australia and Asia. (And if there are other regions of the world where she is being read that I haven't mentioned, please by all means, let me know!)

Some particularly memorable highlights from EOLYN's debut:

In April of this year, Publisher's Weekly gave the novel the following review:  Though Eolyn becomes the hope of a rebellion, she never has to carry the whole weight of the story; Akmael, the "witch" Ghemena, and other characters develop many intriguing facets. Gastreich allows her heroes to have flaws--including moments of cowardice--and some victories bring new sorrows. Vigorously told deceptions and and battle scenes will satisfy fans of traditional epic fantasy with a romantic thread.   

At the end of that same month, students at Avila University received a special preview of the novel at our Pre-Launch Party. The Launch Party on May 7 was held at the Writers Place in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended by an enthusiastic crowd, including guests from Chicago, Washington DC, the United Kingdom and Germany. 

Since then, EOLYN has made appearances at several booksignings and conferences, including Powell's Books in Portland OR, Prospero's Books in Kansas City, Who Else! Books in Denver CO, the KU Bookstore in Lawrence KS, ConQuest, Bubonicon, the Campbell Conference, and the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego CA.  The novel has also been favorably reviewed by book bloggers and authors such as Eliabeth Hawthorne, Carlyle Clark and Dane Grannon, as well as by customers on Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Goodreads. (By the way, if you have read EOLYN but have not yet posted a customer review, please take a moment to do so.  Help other readers decide if this is magical medieval fantasy is the right story for them.) 

EOLYN has also been added to the collections of public libraries across the United States. (If it's not yet available in your library, please take a moment to request it.  Help make this epic fantasy, with its strong female protagonist, available for everyone's enjoyment.)

So, what do we have planned for 2012?

Well, I'm just beginning to answer that question.  I would like to visit some new cons next year, and have put LunaCon, ConQuest, WorldCon and MileHiCon on my calendar for the moment.  In the next few days, I intend to meet with my editor regarding book signing venues, and will keep you posted about that.  Also, watch for more editorial reviews of EOLYN in coming months.  And there will be some special events and surprises. . .that I have to keep under wraps for the moment. 

2012 is also the year in which I plan to finish the sequel to EOLYN, scheduled for release in Fall of 2013.  Interested in a sneak preview of book two?  Keep your eyes on this site. . .

The Magic of Flight

In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Serafina Pakkala, like the other witches in her world, achieves the power of flight with branches of Cloud Pine.  I really liked this idea when I read the trilogy, and so adapted it for Eolyn's world. 

Flying is not nearly as easy for the Magas as it is for Serafina Pakkala.  (Nor, for that matter, is it as easy for them as it is for Harry Potter and his friends.)  It requires integrating the power of the staff of High Magic with the magic of flight found in a particular kind of fir tree.  The fir's capacity for flight, in turn, is released by brewing together special herbs and a mushroom that appears only in spring, called white magenta.  The process is described in detail in Chapter 15 of Eolyn, when the young maga prepares to return to the land of her birth, after many years of growing up in exile and isolation. 

I'd love to be able to simply snatch a branch off a tree and lift up into the air, but me, I need a jet plane to fly.  Which isn't a bad way to do it, really.  This weekend I'll be getting on a jet plane and travelling to Europe to visit friends and family, and to pay my last respects to my maternal grandmother and all the wonderful memories she gave me during her long and fruitful life.  I'm not sure how consistent my internet access will be during my travels, so you may not see a post here for a couple weeks; say, between now and December 1. 

However, there will be a lot of exciting things happening over Thanksgiving -- some, in fact, happening right now -- that I want you to be aware of.

This week on Heroines of Fantasy, Terri-Lynne DeFino has us writing a collective story about Maia and the magic/horror of light.  Come join the fun; read the crazy twisting tale we've crafted so far, and add your own five lines as the muse inspires. 

Speaking of Terri-Lynne DeFino, the Kindle edition of her wonderful novel FINDER is being offered for a special price of $2.99.  This is a limited time offer, so take advantage of it while it lasts.  The sequel to this book, A TIME NEVER LIVED, will be available next summer, which makes now a great time to read the first book, if you haven't already.

During the week leading up to November 29, Hadley Rille Books will be celebrating its birthday with special offers on all its titles, and even giveaways -- yes, you understood correctly, FREE books -- for selected novels.  For regular updates on this great event, you can friend Eolyn on Facebook, or check in on the Hadley Rille Books website.  You may want to start browsing some of Hadley Rille's titles now. 

Next Monday on Heroines of Fantasy, author Kim Vandervort will be up with her regular monthly post.  Then, on Monday November 28, we have some very special guests:  Carlyle Clark and Suki Michelle, co-authors of the awesome sci fi and fantasy adventure, THE APOCALYPSE GENE. 

That should be enough to keep you all busy and entertained while I'm out of town.  I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving week next week, and I look forward to seeing you back on this blog in December.

A Season of Loss

Anni Kircher with her daughters Uschi and Helga

Well, it’s been a rather difficult semester this fall. About a month ago, my childhood home burned down. Last week, my maternal grandmother passed away. The first event was quite unexpected; the second, while expected, brought on a much deeper sadness.

When we went to visit the remains of my childhood home, it was eerie in many ways, seeing what had once been the ‘safe place’ of my youth charred and gutted by flames. I couldn’t help but remember Chapter One of EOLYN, where my protagonist's village and home are consumed by fire. I thought that a curious coincidence.

Now, the death of my grandmother has me thinking about Eolyn on deeper levels. Last week on my livejournal blog I wrote a brief reflection about Oma Anni’s life, the courage and determination that helped her survive two great wars, and the stories from that time that have most resonated with me over the years. The trials faced by my grandmother in World War II – as a mother of two young girls, alone amid chaos – had a strong influence on me growing up, and colored my view of war and warfare in ways that I think are irrevocable.

I’d like to write a longer post on this at some point, but for the moment I’m too emotionally tired to think through it all coherently. Suffice it to say that I suspect Ghemena’s intense loathing of war, an attitude inherited by her ward Eolyn, somehow has its roots in these stories told by my family.

There’s another element here: Growing up among a family that knew the reality of war -- not so much as soldiers, but as civilians, as women and children – can have a tremendous impact on one’s world view. This was a situation that set me apart, I think, from many of the children I grew up with in the United States; and having had that experience, I now believe, helped me understand Eolyn in ways I might not have otherwise when the time came to write her story.

Well, that almost suffices for a full post right there. Unfinished thoughts, I suppose, are better than no thoughts at all.

Just a few announcements for this week:

On Heroines of Fantasy, we are discussing Villainesses and Anti-Heroines. Also, I have a special treat there: an audio-recording of scenes from my short story ‘Creatures of Light’. Please stop by to have a listen and join in our discussion.

Author Eliabeth Hawthorne has posted a new review of EOLYN for Adopt-an-Indie Month. You can read and comment on her review of EOLYN either on her blog Ermilia, or at the Adopt-an-Indie website.  Also on the Adopt-an-Indie website, Eliabeth has posted an author interview with me, in which I talk about the challenges and rewards of writing EOLYN, and the advantages of publishing with a small press.

Signed copies of EOLYN, both hardcover and paperback, are now available at the Avila University Bookstore, 11901 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO. 
If you're curious to learn more about my grandmother’s life, you can read my dedication to her at my livejournal blog.

Wishing everyone a good week.

Happy Halloween

I had a special Halloween treat this week, with two more customer reviews appearing on Amazon. 

From W. Anderreg:  "The world was intricate, believable, both sinister and wonderful, and with a rich history."

And from Johnny F:  "Personally i would read the next 10 books from KRG, on the chance that i enjoyed just one of them as much as i enjoyed this."


To read the full reviews from both these Amazon customers, as well as other reviews that have been posted, please visit the Amazon Customer Review Page for EOLYN.

We just got back from a great weekend at the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego, CA.  I met many talented authors, participated in a panel on Exploration in Fantasy, listened to interesting discussions, and brought home a new stack of novels for my book shelf.  Also, we spent quality time with some good friends from college, explored tide pools along the sunny coast, and visited the San Diego Zoo.  All in all, it was a wonderful trip.

November is Adopt-an-Indie Month, and EOLYN will be featured along with other titles from independent presses and authors. New reviews will be made available every day, along with blog posts from authors and publishers about the "indie" experience.  I will let you know when the review for EOLYN is up, but keep an eye on the web site, as it is bound to be a source of a lot of interesting information during the month of November. 

This week we have a new guest on Heroines of Fantasy.  Terra Whiteman, author of The Antithesis, is sharing her thoughts on duality in fantasy.  Please stop by to read Terra's post, and share your comments and insights on the topic.

Those are the updates for today.  Again, Happy Halloween to everyone and have a great week!

World Fantasy Convention is this week!

Lots of exciting activities with the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego this week.

I will be at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore this Wednesday, October 26, for an informal Meet and Greet the Authors of World Fantasy event.  It should be a very fun evening; lots of great titles will be available for purchase and signing, including EOLYN.  If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by for a visit.  The fun starts at 6:30pm. 

Another event open to the public is the mass autograph session at the World Fantasy Convention (Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North).  The evening will feature all the authors at World Fantasy; so bring your favorite books to sign, and be prepared to take more great titles home with you.  I will be participating, of course, along with several other Hadley Rille Books authors. 

For those of you attending World Fantasy, please join us on Friday at 10am for the panel discussion "Bring Me That Horizon:  The Exploration of Untrod Lands as a Fantasy Theme".  I will be a panelist along with authors Grania Davis, Michael Stackpole and Sean Llewellyn Williams.  Joshua Palmatier will be moderating. 

In other news, Heroines of Fantasy this week is featuring M.C. Chambers, author of SHAPERS' VEIL.  Please stop by to read M.C. Chambers' post on matriarchs, and participate in the discussion.

Have a magical week!

October Cons and Festivals

This has been a busy month for EOLYN. 

Last weekend, we were at the Longview Literary Festival in Lee's Summit, Missouri.  It was a great afternoon.  Talked with old friends, met new ones, learned about some of the other writers groups in Kansas City, read and listened to stories, participated in a panel discussion, and all in all had a lot of fun.  Many thanks to the organizer Susan Satterfield for making it all happen.

On Oct 21-23, signed copies of EOLYN will be available at Mile High Con in Denver, CO.  Look for Who Else! Books among the vendors. 

Next week -- yes, next week already! -- is World Fantasy in San Diego.  I am so looking forward to this conference!  Events will kick off the evening of Wednesday, October 26, with a Meet and Greet the Authors Event at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego.  I'm also doing a panel or reading or something like that at the con itself, but the program hasn't been posted yet, so I can't give you the details.  I guess I'll just show up and take it as it comes.  When in doubt, look for me at the bar.  I will also be at the book signing party, along with several other Hadley Rille Books authors.

Speaking of Hadley Rille Books authors, this week on Heroines of Fantasy, Terri-Lynne DeFino has put up a fun post about the use of horses in fantasy fiction.  Stop by Heroines of Fantasy to read Terri's post and join in on the discussion.

That's the news for the moment.  I'm toying with the idea of doing a holiday raffle for EOLYN; stay tuned for more news about that.  And congratulations, once again, to Jared Lemons for winning a free signed copy of EOLYN as part of the Heroines of Fantasy Grand Opening Raffle.

Wishing everyone a great week.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

New Reviews and Good News

EOLYN has two new customer reviews on Amazon.

From JElizabeth:  "Young readers will love the brave heroine and the thread of adventure that runs through the novel; adults will appreciate the social, political, and romance elements."

From kenaparsons:  "Gastreich's careful crafting of the friendship of Achim and Eolyn makes their bonds of devotion a power not eclipsed by political ambition, cruel sadism and thirsts for revenge. This is artisan storytelling at its finest - evokes yet transcends a tradition and confronts themes relevant to the reader within an alternate universe."

To read more from these as well as other customer reviews, please visit EOLYN's web page on Amazon.

In other news, this weekend I'll be at the Longview Literary Festival.  This two-day event will feature panel discussions, book signings, workshops and more.  I'll be participating in the following activities on Saturday, October 15:  Meet and Greet the Authors, Hadley Rille Reading, and the Panel Discussion "Self-Promotion 101".  Believe it or not, exact times are still up in the air, but the day will run from 10am to 6pm, and I'll be hanging out doing stuff the whole time.  Also, Hadley Rille Books will have a table, so please stop by to talk to Hadley Rille editors and authors, and to browse a great collection of Hadley Rille titles.  Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Last but certainly not least, discussion is fast and furious once again this week on Heroines of Fantasy.  Please stop by to read Kim Vandervort's post How Much Reality is Too Much in Epic Fantasy, and share your thoughts with us while you are at it.

Love and Sex in a Heroine's World

What are our expectations when it comes to the love lives of our heroines?  Read my take on this question as it relates to Eolyn, and share your thoughts with us and other visitors this week on Heroines of Fantasy. 

Here's a preview:

Women with multiple lovers are often called “fickle”, “inconstant” and “weak”, or any number of much more uncomplimentary words, but does calling them all these things make it so?


Is a female protagonist with multiple lovers by definition weak?

When I began crafting the world of Eolyn, I had it very clear in my head how sex, and especially women’s sexuality, would be seen by the subculture of the Magas (the particular tradition of witchcraft that Eolyn inherits). . .  READ MORE

Interview with 1889 Labs and Other News

1889 Labs interviewed me last week.  If you'd like to learn a little about what inspired Eolyn, the challenges of writing a novel, and other fun facts about my life as a writer, please visit the 1889 Labs Blog.

This week is your last chance to register to win a FREE signed copy of Eolyn from Heroines of Fantasy.  Visit their Grand Opening Raffle Web Page to find out more, or just send your name and email address to women.writing.fantasy(at)gmail.com.  The drawing is on October 1.

Also this week on Heroines of Fantasy, Hadley Rille Books editor Eric T. Reynolds writes a guest post about how HRB began publishing fantasy.  Visit Heroines of Fantasy to read more, and while you're at it, feel free to ask Eric questions about small press, editing and publishing in general. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great week! 

Heroines in Epic Fantasy

Kim Vandervort, author of THE SONG AND THE SORCERESS and THE NORTHERN QUEEN, has posted a wonderful essay on defining the heroine in epic fantasy on our new blog Heroines of Fantasy. 

Here's a sneak preview:

"The problem with 'traditional' female characters in epic fantasy, as I see it, is that they fall into one of only a few roles: the goodly matron, the healer, the love interest, the witch, the prostitute, and the victim. Sometimes they fulfill more than one of these roles at a time. She’s a witch AND a goodly matron! She’s the prostitute AND the victim AND the love interest! 5x bonus for a character who manages to meet all of the stereotypes at the same time! Unfortunately, she doesn’t play much of a role beyond that prescribed for her by the genre. Our “heroine,” even when she wields a sword like a badass, still swoons over our hero and falls apart like bad toilet paper whenever the going gets tough.


Heads-up, people: these are not real women. In order to write a proper heroine, the author has to respect the characteristics that make women strong and use those to advantage instead of trying to force the heroine to occupy a stale stereotype or squish into the role traditionally occupied by the hero..."

To read more and share your own comments and insights, stop by Heroines of Fantasy. 

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Heroines of Fantasy launches this week

Our first post for the new blog Heroines of Fantasy is up.  Here's a preview, written in response to this month's theme "Why Fantasy?": 

"...For colleagues who know me through my day job as a biology professor, the revelation that I am also a fantasy author seems all the more puzzling. Why would a scientist write fantasy? I think the perception that this is somehow contradictory stems from our cultural tendency to assume it is the career that defines the person, and not the person who defines her career.

But also, I think we tend to forget that fantasy and science, although very different endeavors, nonetheless respond to very similar needs..."

To read and comment on the full post, visit Heroines of Fantasy. 

Also on Heroines of Fantasy, register this month to win a free signed copy of Eolyn with our Grand Opening Raffle. The raffle will be held on October 1, 2011.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope to see you at the new site!