Watch This Space (but not Too Critically)

If you have read any of my science fiction novels, you may get the impression that I'm on the cutting edge of technology and science. I work very hard to give that impression. But the illusion falls apart in real life. Especially when I try to work on this blog. My most recent challenge is trying to figure out how to update the little bio blurb that runs along the top right portion of this page (just below the photo of me with the Mongolian Death Worm).

I can't do it. I have hurled myself at the problem multiple times, and I am foiled. This should come as no surprise, since every year I have to jump through multiple (technical) hoops just to figure out how to pay for this space.

I hope this is not my fault. I like to imagine that these public sites struggle to be user-friendly by a wide range of yahoos (like myself) who try to do more with the sites than they were designed for (on more platforms and operating systems than most sites have to cope with). Surely an army of programmers and designers toil long hours, every day, trying to keep up with the demand. And eventually they'll fix the glitches that frustrate my attempts to update my own biography.

So anyway – here's my update. I sold two novels to Tor, and the first one, Medusa Uploaded is due out in May 2018. It will be released in quality paperback, ebook, and audio formats. The second novel is still untitled, and in progress, and is a sequel to the first.

I've also got a few short stories due out: “Wraith” will be published by Longshot Island; “Cruddy” will appear in Enter the Aftermath, and “Appetite” will be in Enter the Rebirth. 

UPDATE:  Many thanks to John Cardoso, who read about my plight and figured out how I could fix it.  From John's letter: "1. Go to your Google Profile.  2. Click ABOUT, which is next to the edit profile button in the upper right.  3. Under about Emily there should be an introduction text section; click the pencil icon to edit that.  4. Click OK once changes are complete."

There was a 24-hour delay while the whole shebang updated, and my changes were reflected on the blog.  Yay!  Bazinga!  Success!  John is da bomb.  : )

The Servant (and Co.)

If you've worked in the book biz (or the movie or music biz, for that matter) you feel cautious about announcing deals to the public. Those deals sometimes evaporate like fairy gold in the light of day. But I've signed and returned the contracts, and my editor has made an announcement about the deal to professional trade publications, so I think I can go out on a limb and announce that I've sold two books to Tor, both based on the novelette that was published in Clarkesworld, “The Servant.” The first book (titled Medusa Uploaded) is complete, and is in the editing stage now – the second one is in progress. Tentatively, the first should appear in Spring 2018 (watch this space, because that could change). As soon as I get a file of the cover art, I'll post it here.

I'm very grateful to Neil Clark for publishing that original story. Without, it would have been a lot harder to sell two novels. So it really is worthwhile to write short stories and send them out (try ralan.com for SF/F/Horror market reports).  

Ernest Hogan Illustrated this post.  He drew a picture of a nightmare I had about being chased by a spider monkey.  I'm thinking maybe that spider represents new responsibilities . . .