| Laura Anne Gilman November 13, 2010 |
Face the Fiction
Saturday November 13, 2010
7:00 p - 10:00 p
Borders Books & Music
235 Interstate Shopping Center
Ramsey, NJ 07446
201.760.1967
For those arriving early, please join us at 7pm for our open
mic-style Whispers From Beyond from 7-8pm. This group meets
on the second Saturday of each month and spotlights guest
speakers from SF and genre related fields of interest.
This group meets on the second Saturday of each month and
spotlights guest speakers from SF and genre related fields of
interest. This month we welcome Laura Anne Gilman, author of
the amazing Cosa Nostradamus and Vineart War series. Join us
for a fantastic author and what promises to be a great time!
For additional information click Borders Ramsey's website.
Saturday November 13, 2010
7:00 p - 10:00 p
Borders Books & Music
235 Interstate Shopping Center
Ramsey, NJ 07446
201.760.1967
For those arriving early, please join us at 7pm for our open
mic-style Whispers From Beyond from 7-8pm. This group meets
on the second Saturday of each month and spotlights guest
speakers from SF and genre related fields of interest.
This group meets on the second Saturday of each month and
spotlights guest speakers from SF and genre related fields of
interest. This month we welcome Laura Anne Gilman, author of
the amazing Cosa Nostradamus and Vineart War series. Join us
for a fantastic author and what promises to be a great time!
For additional information click Borders Ramsey's website.
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Face the Fiction Presents:
Laura Anne Gilman
November 13th, 2010
Dateline Borders Ramsey
It was a crazy day for everyone on Saturday as we all raced to
Borders for Face the Fiction's monthly author presentation. The
beautiful weather of the day provided concealment for Loki, who
was apparently running about and making everyone's life a bit
more hectic than normal. Car problems, back-wrenching patio block
installation, missing books, and allergies were just a few of the
issues plaguing the attendees, but in spite of the machinations of
Norse trickster gods, we managed to have a really grand night out.
Kate Landis and I arrived nice and early and were met by Gene
McGrath. We helped the kind folks at Borders set up the chairs in
what Bill Wagner referred to as a 'Bifurcated Arena' in order to
make sure that Borders' customers were able to access the
Psychology and Children Sections. Laura Anne Gilman arrived nice
and early, no thanks to her rented Kia (which led to comments
about the road-worthiness of the visor-less punchline-mobile), and
as folks filtered in we began to discuss a variety of topics from
automobiles, to evil delicatessens, to getting oriented in the City, to
finding the best places to have fun in the metro area. All the while,
apparently the Borders team was being plagued by inventory elves
who showed books on hand that never arrived in the store, much
to our collective chagrin.
As many of us settled in, I gave Laura Anne a quick introduction
(people were not there to see me after all), and the night took off
like a shot. We started by talking a bit about the Retrievers series of
Urban Fantasy novels and the concepts that went into that fun
series. Laura Anne explained her process of world-building and her
need for a rational and scientific process behind the magic in her
setting. For those who have never read the series, which is set in
Laura Anne's Cosa Nostradamus universe (as Laura Anne pointed
out, she is not averse to playing with a loaded pun), the magic of
that world is based off the idea of electricity and something called
Current. The idea is that the human body uses electricity and
processes Current, but some special people can channel and direct
that Current to perform magical actions. In the case of each of the
protagonists in the Cosa Nostradamus Universe, they have a specific
ability that they have learned to use in an interesting way.
The Retrievers, which I highly recommend as it is a great series
which I highly enjoy, features the character of Wren Valere. Wren's
main ability is in being unnoticed and unnoticeable. The way that it
was described by Laura Anne: Have you ever met folks who just
seem to appear out of nowhere or have been standing next to you
for a while but you never noticed, well that's Wren. Finding a way
to use her handicap for best effect, Wren realized that she could
make quite the career as a thief, however as she did not want to
end up on the wrong side of the law, she mainly gets hired to steal
back items that have been wrongfully taken from their owners. This
is an occupation that she is quite adept at, and with the aid of her
business partner, Sergei Didier, and her demonic friend PB (a
miniature red-eyed polar bear sporting a fedora and a wicked sense
of humor). One of the recurring themes that we discussed at length
was the concept of fitting in between human nulls (non-magical
folk), human talents, and fatae (non-humans), and of bullying
between the more powerful creatures and their less powerful
neighbors (a subject that has been in the news a lot lately). We
discussed a lot of Wren's adventures and the tie-ins to the P.U.P.I
(Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigators) or PSI series
featuring Bonnie and her pack of paranormal criminologists.
We wandered then into a long discussion of the whole PSI series.
The second book of this series just came out (though it was in
stealth mode due to Borders book elves and Loki's trickster nature),
and so we were forced to imagine the cool cover art and awesome
stuff inside. Thankfully, Laura Anne was a good sport and helped
our imaginations with great descriptions of the characters, even
more about the setting and its denizens, and a whole lot about the
way in which she gets to have input in the cover art. The idea of the
PUPI is that they are a scientific band looking to investigate, analyze,
and solve mysteries of the Talented and Fatae, learning and
expanding knowledge wherever they go. An interesting
side-conversation here was about the character of Bonnie, herself,
and her hedonistic tendencies, which Harlequin did not even bat
an eye-lash in allowing, in spite of their fairly conservative leanings. I
won't give anything away, but I will say that I think that Bonnie is
one of the most intriguing characters in an Urban Fantasy series to
date, and a better role model for any teenager looking for a
responsible and logical outlook on relationships would be difficult to
find. This is based mainly on our discussion comparing Bonnie to
Bella from the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and the horrid
example that said character provides for teenagers in regards to
relationships.
One important thing that we discussed in regards to all of the series
set in the Cosa Nostradamus universe is the concept of universal
consistency. As Laura Anne said during the event, she kind of
wishes that she or one of the fans would put together a Wiki for her
universe as it would make things a lot easier. Making sure that the
laws and rules are consistent is fairly easy, but making sure that
some of the smaller bits and bobs stay on track can be worrisome. As
a game designer, I can completely sympathize with the intricacies of
keeping macro issues in scope. It becomes problematic for Laura
Anne in that she now has three series which are going on
side-by-side in the same universe. She joked that it was great fun
stealing her own dialog for book three in the PSI series as the scene
in which Bonnie and Wren are interacting was shown in one of the
Retrievers books.
Yet another cool thing that got discussed profusely during the night
was the use of the city as a character. As Thom pointed out, if you
are in New York and not using the city as a character you are
probably doing something wrong, a sentiment with which our
guest wholeheartedly agreed. Laura Anne explained the process of
researching the Brooklyn Bridge, and of a Transit Security Officer in
a booth watching her as she took pictures and made notes. When
she introduced herself to the fellow in the booth and explained her
purpose, said TSO regaled her with interesting tidbits and factoids
(bet you didn't know that the underside of the bridge is purple, did
you). As Laura Anne pointed out: it is the little things like that which
have to make it into the book as they are just too cool not to share.
Having spent the better part of an hour on the Cosa Nostradamus,
we turned our attention to the Vineart Wars series. The roots of this
series can be found in a conversation between Laura Anne and her
agent about finding ways to make a wine tasting event into
tax-deductible research. While she did not get to write-off the wine
tasting, Laura Anne did get to craft an amazing series set in a
fantastical version of 14th century Bordeaux, France, where wine
and the crafting of the vine are used for more than just something
to go with delectable viands. An interesting insight came when
Laura Anne explained the Dragon image on the cover having come
from an awesome piece of art at the Louvre. It is so cool hearing
about these little tidbits and anecdotal stories of what truly inspires
an author. At any rate, we delved deep into the subject of wine,
comparing some notes on varietals and the lamentable
over-commercialization of 'white' Zinfandel from its amazing robust
red stock.
At this point we realized that we had been laughing and having a
great time for over 2 hours without surcease, and that the store
would be closing soon (curse these new short hours at Borders).
Several of us ran up to purchase our books and get them signed,
and we slowly made our way out to chat in the parking lot until
nearly 10:30. Sadly, several of us were under the weather, and I
wound up not going to the diner, so I have no idea what
shenanigans went on outside my presence. Kate and I chatted
about music and books and art on the way back to Rutherford.
(writeup by Todd V. Ehrenfels)
Laura Anne Gilman
November 13th, 2010
Dateline Borders Ramsey
It was a crazy day for everyone on Saturday as we all raced to
Borders for Face the Fiction's monthly author presentation. The
beautiful weather of the day provided concealment for Loki, who
was apparently running about and making everyone's life a bit
more hectic than normal. Car problems, back-wrenching patio block
installation, missing books, and allergies were just a few of the
issues plaguing the attendees, but in spite of the machinations of
Norse trickster gods, we managed to have a really grand night out.
Kate Landis and I arrived nice and early and were met by Gene
McGrath. We helped the kind folks at Borders set up the chairs in
what Bill Wagner referred to as a 'Bifurcated Arena' in order to
make sure that Borders' customers were able to access the
Psychology and Children Sections. Laura Anne Gilman arrived nice
and early, no thanks to her rented Kia (which led to comments
about the road-worthiness of the visor-less punchline-mobile), and
as folks filtered in we began to discuss a variety of topics from
automobiles, to evil delicatessens, to getting oriented in the City, to
finding the best places to have fun in the metro area. All the while,
apparently the Borders team was being plagued by inventory elves
who showed books on hand that never arrived in the store, much
to our collective chagrin.
As many of us settled in, I gave Laura Anne a quick introduction
(people were not there to see me after all), and the night took off
like a shot. We started by talking a bit about the Retrievers series of
Urban Fantasy novels and the concepts that went into that fun
series. Laura Anne explained her process of world-building and her
need for a rational and scientific process behind the magic in her
setting. For those who have never read the series, which is set in
Laura Anne's Cosa Nostradamus universe (as Laura Anne pointed
out, she is not averse to playing with a loaded pun), the magic of
that world is based off the idea of electricity and something called
Current. The idea is that the human body uses electricity and
processes Current, but some special people can channel and direct
that Current to perform magical actions. In the case of each of the
protagonists in the Cosa Nostradamus Universe, they have a specific
ability that they have learned to use in an interesting way.
The Retrievers, which I highly recommend as it is a great series
which I highly enjoy, features the character of Wren Valere. Wren's
main ability is in being unnoticed and unnoticeable. The way that it
was described by Laura Anne: Have you ever met folks who just
seem to appear out of nowhere or have been standing next to you
for a while but you never noticed, well that's Wren. Finding a way
to use her handicap for best effect, Wren realized that she could
make quite the career as a thief, however as she did not want to
end up on the wrong side of the law, she mainly gets hired to steal
back items that have been wrongfully taken from their owners. This
is an occupation that she is quite adept at, and with the aid of her
business partner, Sergei Didier, and her demonic friend PB (a
miniature red-eyed polar bear sporting a fedora and a wicked sense
of humor). One of the recurring themes that we discussed at length
was the concept of fitting in between human nulls (non-magical
folk), human talents, and fatae (non-humans), and of bullying
between the more powerful creatures and their less powerful
neighbors (a subject that has been in the news a lot lately). We
discussed a lot of Wren's adventures and the tie-ins to the P.U.P.I
(Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigators) or PSI series
featuring Bonnie and her pack of paranormal criminologists.
We wandered then into a long discussion of the whole PSI series.
The second book of this series just came out (though it was in
stealth mode due to Borders book elves and Loki's trickster nature),
and so we were forced to imagine the cool cover art and awesome
stuff inside. Thankfully, Laura Anne was a good sport and helped
our imaginations with great descriptions of the characters, even
more about the setting and its denizens, and a whole lot about the
way in which she gets to have input in the cover art. The idea of the
PUPI is that they are a scientific band looking to investigate, analyze,
and solve mysteries of the Talented and Fatae, learning and
expanding knowledge wherever they go. An interesting
side-conversation here was about the character of Bonnie, herself,
and her hedonistic tendencies, which Harlequin did not even bat
an eye-lash in allowing, in spite of their fairly conservative leanings. I
won't give anything away, but I will say that I think that Bonnie is
one of the most intriguing characters in an Urban Fantasy series to
date, and a better role model for any teenager looking for a
responsible and logical outlook on relationships would be difficult to
find. This is based mainly on our discussion comparing Bonnie to
Bella from the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and the horrid
example that said character provides for teenagers in regards to
relationships.
One important thing that we discussed in regards to all of the series
set in the Cosa Nostradamus universe is the concept of universal
consistency. As Laura Anne said during the event, she kind of
wishes that she or one of the fans would put together a Wiki for her
universe as it would make things a lot easier. Making sure that the
laws and rules are consistent is fairly easy, but making sure that
some of the smaller bits and bobs stay on track can be worrisome. As
a game designer, I can completely sympathize with the intricacies of
keeping macro issues in scope. It becomes problematic for Laura
Anne in that she now has three series which are going on
side-by-side in the same universe. She joked that it was great fun
stealing her own dialog for book three in the PSI series as the scene
in which Bonnie and Wren are interacting was shown in one of the
Retrievers books.
Yet another cool thing that got discussed profusely during the night
was the use of the city as a character. As Thom pointed out, if you
are in New York and not using the city as a character you are
probably doing something wrong, a sentiment with which our
guest wholeheartedly agreed. Laura Anne explained the process of
researching the Brooklyn Bridge, and of a Transit Security Officer in
a booth watching her as she took pictures and made notes. When
she introduced herself to the fellow in the booth and explained her
purpose, said TSO regaled her with interesting tidbits and factoids
(bet you didn't know that the underside of the bridge is purple, did
you). As Laura Anne pointed out: it is the little things like that which
have to make it into the book as they are just too cool not to share.
Having spent the better part of an hour on the Cosa Nostradamus,
we turned our attention to the Vineart Wars series. The roots of this
series can be found in a conversation between Laura Anne and her
agent about finding ways to make a wine tasting event into
tax-deductible research. While she did not get to write-off the wine
tasting, Laura Anne did get to craft an amazing series set in a
fantastical version of 14th century Bordeaux, France, where wine
and the crafting of the vine are used for more than just something
to go with delectable viands. An interesting insight came when
Laura Anne explained the Dragon image on the cover having come
from an awesome piece of art at the Louvre. It is so cool hearing
about these little tidbits and anecdotal stories of what truly inspires
an author. At any rate, we delved deep into the subject of wine,
comparing some notes on varietals and the lamentable
over-commercialization of 'white' Zinfandel from its amazing robust
red stock.
At this point we realized that we had been laughing and having a
great time for over 2 hours without surcease, and that the store
would be closing soon (curse these new short hours at Borders).
Several of us ran up to purchase our books and get them signed,
and we slowly made our way out to chat in the parking lot until
nearly 10:30. Sadly, several of us were under the weather, and I
wound up not going to the diner, so I have no idea what
shenanigans went on outside my presence. Kate and I chatted
about music and books and art on the way back to Rutherford.
(writeup by Todd V. Ehrenfels)
