Hey everyone!
I’m working like a madwoman on River Rebellion. I need to let stories sit a bit before editing, so Hoopskirt goes on the shelf while I tackle River Rebellion and the Badlands Job. This past week I’ve been working on River Rebellion and testing out Scrivener–which is a writing tool much more nimble and complex than Word, for those of you unfamiliar. I think it’ll be really useful. It’s already been useful, helping me portion out chapters better.
River Rebellion was published entirely in 1000+ episodes, so I didn’t have it remotely grouped in chapters. (Badlands was in 500+ word chunks, so I’m growing bit by bit! Hoopskirt was published in 1000+ chunks, but written with Chapters in mind.)
Aaaaanyway.
While you’re waiting for me to turn out something new, you should go to Amazon or Kindle and check out T. Kingfisher.
T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon, an author from North Carolina. In another life, she writes children’s books and weird comics. She has been nominated for the World Fantasy and the Eisner, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, Nebula, Alfie, WSFA, Coyotl and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections. This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups. Her work includes multiple fairy-tale retellings and odd little stories about elves and goblins. When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.
Amazon Author page
I have read four of her books now, and I love them. Deeply.
I started with Paladin’s Grace. Because the blurb just really got me.
A murder mystery. A perfumer. A paladin whose god has died.
It’s funny. It’s heart warming. It’s twisty and exciting.
It has people with middle-aged bodies. It has complex relationships, strong women (some with weapons, some without), a sweet romance, light exploration of grief and purpose. It has consent and people being kind to one another. It has strong men (some with weapons, some without). It has the wit and compassion that is Zale, the priest advocate. It has a holy order devoted to fixing things–which includes an army of priest lawyers instead of sword wielders.
I have also read Paladin’s Strength, Swordheart, and the Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, and they are all excellent. Full of people that feel real, and lines that make me laugh out loud, mystery, peril, and lots of charm.
I read them all on Kindle, and have been strictly pacing myself so I don’t read everything all at once. Gotta spread out my T. Kingfisher fixes.
I hope to collect them all in physical form eventually, because I want those books on my shelf so I can look at them and smile, and page through to laugh at Brindle’s opinions and Zale’s humor, and the incessant knitting of a certain paladin.
The Legend of Zare Caspian 