AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE RELEASE WEEK

Folks, we're here.  An Import of Intrigue comes out tomorrow.  I'm so excited because this is a book I'm really proud of.  (Of course, I'm proud of all the books.  You don't pick amongst your children.)

Fortunately, I'm not alone in my love for this book:

An Import of Intrigue is a book worth reading, and part of a world worth exploring. It’s complex, intriguing, and spellbinding.  -- Kings River Life

One thing I can say with certainty is Maresca never disappoints and I can always expect a unique, fun and engaging fantasy adventure full of magic and mayhem! - Short and Sweet Reviews

So what can more can I say?  Great reviews, great cover, and a perfect time to jump onto the Maradaine books, since you now can get all four:

• The Thorn of Dentonhill
• A Murder of Mages
• The Alchemy of Chaos
• An Import of Intrigue

Also, this will mark the last time that "release order" and "in-world chronological order" will stay the same.  All the more reason to buy all four, if you haven't yet.

In all seriousness, I'm really overwhelmed and overjoyed.

And now... back to work.  More books to come.

Perils of the Writer: Gearing Up To Start A Novel

Some of you out there might be planning to participate in NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month.  Good on you.  It isn't something for me, in part because the pace demanded doesn't match my ideal writing pace, and in part because, for me, every month is Novel Writing Month.  My current schedule, my current system... it really doesn't allow me much breathing room between projects.  

I've compared writing a novel to running a marathon, but that's not right.  It's going on an expedition.  You're going to trek out there and do some serious Lewis and Clark level stuff to get from staring at a blank page to "Hey, I wrote a book!"  And if you were to cross to the Pacific or climb Everest or reach the south pole, you wouldn't just strap your shoes on and start walking and find out what happens.

No, you're going to do some prep work.  You're going to get yourself supplied.  What does that look like for this expedition?

Here's my checklist:

• Worldbuilding:  At this point, for all the Maradaine books, this is more or less done, but each book will probably have some additional element to investigate or deepen.  In An Import of Intrigue, that meant figuring out the street-level of The Little East in finer detail.  
• Outlines, Spreadsheets and Timetables: With three (or four) interconnected series in the same city, there's a lot of moving parts, and a lot of keeping track of what happens when, and how that has repercussions elsewhere.  My outlines have a structure that have served me well, and in addition to writing on Scrivener, I've been playing with Scapple (from the fine people who made Scrivener) and Aeon Timeline.  Both fine programs I recommend for free-form thinking and laying out timelines, respectively.
• Character Work: Every book, at the outset, has a Dramatis Personae, and this file gets updated over the course of the work, as new characters show up who weren't intended in the original outline.  Sometimes minor, and those minor characters blow up as the series progress.  Also part of my process is getting myself a visual reference for the character in my head.  So I create a facepage of the main characters, digging through actor headshots (here's a good source) to find people who look like the characters I imagine.
• Playlist: I don't do too much of this, but I do try to find some music that fits the mood of the book I'm about to write.

All this reminds me, I've got to get moving on finalizing the prep work for A Parliament of Bodies in the near future.  And you've probably got some work to do, also.  Get on that.

Blog Tour for AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE begins

So, for this book launch, I'm doing a blog tour around the internet, and it's already underway.  The first three entries are live.  One of the things we're doing are "cultural reports"-- a look at the various foreign cultures highlighted in AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE from the Druth perspective.  So, the first one, for The Kieran Empire, is up at I Smell Sheep.  Over at Enchanted Alley, there's a five-star (well, five-lantern) review of Import of Intrigue, and Booked and Loaded, there's an interview with me.

• Culture Report
• Review
• Interview

So that's a great start, and we'll be seeing plenty more all week up to the release.

But look what else is out there.  A pretty swank review of A MURDER OF MAGES at Short and Sweet Reviews.  We'll be going to Short & Sweet later in the blog tour for Import of Intrigue, so I'm glad they got to enjoy Murder before charging into Import.  Have you read A MURDER OF MAGES yet?  Now's the moment.

And have you read THE ALCHEMY OF CHAOS yet?  Well, over at Barnes & Noble's website, they're highlighting it as a Sci-fi & Fantasy Readout, so you can read a new excerpt.  And then pick that up.  

On top of all this, I'm going to have more news to announce in the near future.  I mean, right after we're done with getting Import out the door and into your hands, we need to start talking seriously to you about Holver Alley Crew and the Streets of Maradaine series.

No time to waste.  More books to write.

Perils of the Writer: Keeping Your Mind on the Work

So, I'm supposed to talk about whatever is on my mind, and of late my mind has been on the toxicity of social media, especially in the SFF community.  But at the same time, that's the last thing I want to talk about, because it is so toxic, and my brain power is better spent on other things.

So that's what's on my mind, but it is not what I want to talk about.

Because, when you come right down to it, the toxicity of social media should not matter.  What should matter is writing books, doing the work, and all of us authors can be "We've got books!" and everyone else can be "Yay books!" and that should be it.

I mean, my focus should be sitting down and writing.  Which is exactly what I do.  I've got deadlines coming up.  I've got more books coming out.  I do not have time to get into a tweet-war, nor do I have the inclination.  Why would I want to?

So: focused on the writing.  I'm deep in the process of Lady Henterman's Wardrobe, the second Streets of Maradaine novel, which is a lot of fun.  I'm looking forward to the things to come.  Heck, right now I've got three novels out, and a year from today, I'll have three more.  And I'm so excited about that.  I think you'll really enjoy meeting the Holver Alley Crew.  And you only have to wait until March for that.  

And only twelve days for An Import of Intrigue!  I'm so very excited.  We're do a full blog tour, kicking off on Saturday.  So keep your eyes open.  

Two Weeks to AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE

It feels like I've been talking about this book forever.  It has been a while since you all last saw Inspectors Rainey and Welling in A Murder of Mages, and I've heard from plenty of people how excited they are for their next adventure.  The initial buzz has been excellent, and soon we'll have a wide spanning blog tour.

You want a nice pull quote?  BOOM.

“Maresca offers something beyond the usual high fantasy fare, with a wealth of unique and well-rounded characters, a vivid setting, and complicatedly intertwined social issues that feel especially timely.”  – Publishers Weekly

Back cover text?  DONE.

The neighborhood of the Little East is a collision of cultures, languages, and traditions, hidden away in the city of Maradaine. A set of streets to be avoided or ignored. When a foreign dignitary is murdered, solving the crime falls to the most unpopular inspectors in the Maradaine Constabulary: exposed fraud Satrine Rainey, and uncircled mage Minox Welling.

With a murder scene deliberately constructed to point blame toward the Little East, Rainey is forced to confront her former life, while Welling’s ignorance of his own power threatens to consume him. And these few city blocks threaten to erupt into citywide war unless the constabulary solves the case.

You want some more?  How about an excerpt?  YOU'VE GOT IT.  EXCERPT.

You want to see that fancy cover again? OK.

You want links?  HERE YOU GO:  Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.

You haven't read A Murder of Mages yet?  GET IT: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.  

Get a move on, kids, because the Maradaine stories are still coming.  Holver Alley Crew is racing up just four months behind this one, and you are going to want to read that. Yes, yes you are.

Perils of the Writer: Your Genre Isn't Dead

Genre is wierd.

I mean, when it comes down to it, it's just a shorthand to tell your readers, "If you like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing you'd like."  It's a marketing tool.

But it should never be something  you should be afraid of.  It shouldn't be something that keeps you from writing the story you want to write.

Now, it's true, that while  you're writing, you don't always realize what genre you are writing.  To be honest, I didn't quite realize that The Thorn of Dentonhill  was a superhero story until a few drafts in, and even then I kind of resisted it.  I resisted flat out saying it was a fantasy/superhero story, but if you've read Thorn, you know that's exactly what it is.  (And if you haven't read Thorn, get on that, you hear?)  

Similarly, A Murder of Mages and An Import of Intrigue are fantasy/police procedural, and Holver Alley Crew is fantasy/heist.  There's more depth to all of these-- as there are to any novel-- but giving a sense of the genre lets your reader base know what to expect.  

But back to my main point: genre, by and large, doesn't matter.  Write a good yarn, and the rest will come.  If you hear that the genre you write is dead, do not care.  Maybe what you write will bring about the resurgence.

Maradaine Books of 2016: The Alchemy of Chaos and An Import of Intrigue

So, the other day on Facebook, I posted the following:

My life for the foreseeable future, at any given time I will be:
Anticipating release of Book N
Expecting/Working Proofs for Book N+1
Expecting/Working Copyedits for Book N+2
Editing/Drafting Book N+3
AND
Outlining/Prep on Book N+4

And that's pretty much an accurate look at where I'm going to be.  Right now, for example: Anticiapting release of An Import of Intrigue, Expecting proofs for Holver Alley Crew and copyedits for The Imposters of Aventil, and drafting Lady Henterman's Wardrobe while doing outline prep work for A Parliament of Bodies.  (I'm also rewriting Way of the Shield, but that's not part of this equation yet).  

But then a friend wrote, "You forgot "continuing to promote Book N -1""

And she's completely right.  I do forget about that.  

So as you're gearing up to pre-order An Import of Intrigue, don't forget that you can get the second Thorn novel, The Alchemy of Chaos, right now!  And some reminders of why you should want to get this book inside your eyeholes right away:

"The Alchemy of Chaos is another stirring story of magic and mayhem." - The Qwillery (There's also an interview with me at the same link.)

"This is a fun and exciting fantasy story that highlights the author’s imagination and dexterity at creating a compelling adventure story"  - Nightowl Reviews 

"Mr. Maresca has provided his readers with another dashing adventure in Maradaine and it was GREAT." - Powder and Page

"It takes a fun addictive book that I just outright enjoy for me to read it that fast, and this is that type of book."  - The Speculative Herald

"Fantasy adventure readers, especially fans of spell-wielding students, will enjoy these lively characters and their high-energy story." - Publishers Weekly

"A fun fantasy advneture."  - Locus Magazine

And, of course, there's what's already being said about An Import of Intrigue.

"If you’re looking for a new detective series mixed with fantasy elements, this is a great choice – and if you’ve already seen the world of the Maradaine Constabulary, then this novel will only reward your attention." - SFandF Reviews

"Maresca offers something beyond the usual high fantasy fare, with a wealth of unique and well-rounded characters, a vivid setting, and complicatedly intertwined social issues that feel especially timely."  - Publishers Weekly

So what are you waiting for?  Two fantastic books (according to these people) that you should be checking out, no?  After all, there's plenty of Maradaine still to come.

Where I Work

Here's my challenge: I don't have a singular place I work.  At any given time, I'm working at one of the tables downstairs, or on one of the couches, or at the walking desk.  But I don't have a singular permanent "THIS IS WHERE I WORK".    Partly that's because our home is also our business, and so parts of our house have to be ready for classes, and then different parts for other classes.  And while I love the walking desk, I can't use it all the time.  For one, my feet can't take it.  For another, sometimes it becomes hard to walk and concentrate on the task at hand.  But also because my wife wants to use the walking desk at times, so we share it.  

This means I've become quite adept at keeping my work mobile.  I have a rolling case for the computer, folders, pens, headphones, cables, and so forth.  So I can mobile-office pretty much anywhere.  Which is handy, because I need to. 

Though I wouldn't mind having a permanent desk and office.  I'll need to sell more books for that, though.  Until then... I keep moving.

And I need to keep moving, of course, as I need to stay down in the word mines until this draft of Lady Henterman's Wardrobe is done.  In the meantime, you can start to get excited for the first Streets of Maradaine novel, The Holver Alley Crew.  You can even pre-order it.  But we'll be talking more about that one soon.  

One Month for AN IMPORT OF INTRIGUE

We've just got four more weeks for An Import of Intrigue!  (And then four more months after that for The Holver Alley Crew, but more on that in due course.)  I know that fans of Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling have been waiting patiently since A Murder of Mages came out, and soon that patience will be rewarded.

And don't just take my word for it.  Publishers Weekly says:

Maresca offers something beyond the usual high fantasy fare, with a wealth of unique and well-rounded characters, a vivid setting, and complicatedly intertwined social issues that feel especially timely.

You can still pre-order An Import of Intrigue at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo.  AND YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.

The neighborhood of the Little East is a collision of cultures, languages, and traditions, hidden away in the city of Maradaine. A set of streets to be avoided or ignored. When a foreign dignitary is murdered, solving the crime falls to the most unpopular inspectors in the Maradaine Constabulary: exposed fraud Satrine Rainey, and uncircled mage Minox Welling.

With a murder scene deliberately constructed to point blame toward the Little East, Rainey is forced to confront her former life, while Welling’s ignorance of his own power threatens to consume him. And these few city blocks threaten to erupt into citywide war unless the constabulary solves the case.

An Import of Intrigue releases on November 1st.