Quarrygate Gambit!

 I've been quiet of late, a lot of things going on that I hope to tell you about soon.  Including: THE QUARRYGATE GAMBIT is coming out in just two weeks!  I've been juggling so many balls it feels like it just snuck up on me.  

Mixing urban and high fantasy, the fourth Streets of Maradaine novel follows the crew of outlaws led by the Rynax brothers as they struggle to protect the city they love.

After having thwarted some of the forces responsible for ruining their lives, reformed thieves Asti and Verci Rynax and the rest of the Holver Alley Crew had mostly settled back into sedate lives as upright citizens of Maradaine.  But when they are suddenly arrested in mysterious circumstances, they find themselves in Quarrygate Prison, which tests the limits of their cunning and skill.  While Verci struggles to keep their friends alive and safe in the prison, Asti gets pulled into a mysterious scheme in the underbelly of the prison, teaming him up with some of the most dangerous people in Maradaine.  The cracks in Asti’s tenuous sanity get torn open as he is thrown into a cat-and-mouse game with one of the city’s most infamous killers.
 
Meanwhile back in their neighborhood, Verci’s wife Raych is desperate to help him and Asti and get them home. When her attempts to go through proper channels fail, she accepts a ludicrous deal from the local crime boss: Verci and Asti’s freedom in exchange for her pulling off a daring, nigh-impossible heist that would challenge even seasoned thieves. Raych doesn’t know how a simple baker like her could hope to succeed at such a task, but she will use every trick and wild idea she has to help her family.  None of the Rynaxes will rest until they are free from Quarrygate and together at home again, no matter the risk, no matter the cost.

Please pre-order at your favorite place:  AMAZON | B&N | BOOKSHOP | INDIEBOUND

And, yes, like Assassins of Consequence, this one is e-book only.  Will there be a paperback version?  As with Assassins, I'm working on that, and you'll all be he first to know, just as with other news.

So what else is happening?  Well, there will be a BIG Maradaine Phase Two announcement very soon, as well as announcing other things in the future.  I know I've been saying that for a while, but this one really is coming in just a couple weeks.  But in the meantime, keep your eye out for the next Maradaine Saga short, Hultichia.  This one is a novelette!

Also, as I've noted below, I will not be appearing at World Fantasy like I previously planned.  With the A Lot Of Things, if I also traveled next weekend, I'd fall over.  None of us want that.

Talk to you all very soon.

ArmadilloCon & Mystical Murders of Yin Mara Release!

 

It's just about time for ArmadilloCon!  I'm very excited about this year's Con, as I got very hands on with programming this time around, which gave me the excuse to bring together some of my favorite people in SFF.  Including putting myself, Cass Morris and Rowenna Miller in a room together for the first time!  That's extremely exciting, and we're doing a Worldbuilding for Masochists live panel to celebrate.  I'm thrilled.

(And just as a reminder, Worldbuilding for Masochists is nominated for a Hugo, and you can still vote for the Hugos up until August 11th (https://chicon.org/).)

But if you want to know my ENTIRE schedule, here goes:

Book Release Party! Fri 9:00 PM
Texas authors Sim Kern and Marshall Ryan Maresca release their latest books! Come for celebrate with them and their new books, REAL SUGAR IS HARD TO FIND (Kern) and THE MYSTICAL MURDERS OF YIN MARA (Maresca).
Britta Jensen, Sim Kern, Marshall Ryan Maresca 

Tiffany and Steve's Fantastical Adventure: The Fallacy of Authenticity Sat 11:00 AM
Too often in historical and secondary world fantasy, we are challenged with the idea of “authenticity”, but what actually IS authentic? What happens when authentic feels wrong? What happens when "wrong" feels authentic? And what even IS "wrong" when you're creating it from scratch?
Cass Morris, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Skyler Gray, Natania Barron, Rowenna Miller, Steven Brust

Kaffeeklatch - Marshall Ryan Maresca Sat 12:00 PM
Kaffeeklatch with Marshall Ryan Maresca

Cross-Genre Capers Sat 2:00 PM
A discussion of capers and heists in fantasy and SF.
Lauren C. Teffeau, Marina Lostetter, Mark Finn, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Jon Black

It Was The Best of Times, It Was The Worst of Times: Fantasy Movies of the 80s   Sat 5:00 PM
The decade gave us Conan the Barbarian, but also gave us Conan the Destroyer. Not to mention Krull, Ladyhawke, Legend, Red Sonja, Beastmaster, and a whole host of other fantasy movies that are somehow both Not Good and Deeply Beloved. Join us in a discussion of this canon of 80s Fantasy films, and how they shaped our ideas of the genre, for better or for worse.
Mark Finn, Jon Black, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Natania Barron, Stina Leicht 

Worldbuilding for Masochists Live Podcast Sun 11:00 AM
Hosts Cass Morris, Rowenna Miller & Marshall Ryan Maresca do a live episode of Worldbuilding for Masochists, where they'll dig in deep to some worldbuilding ideas, answer audience questions, and help everyone build until it hurts.

Signing Session Sun 12:00 PM

This Is The End Sun 2:00 PM
About ending a long story, wrapping up trilogies or longer series, or just the final line for a short story.
Marie Brennan, Eugene Fischer, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Fonda Lee, E.A. Williams

And, yes, we are having the official release party for The Mystical Murders of Yin Mara at ArmadilloCon. I'm thrilled to team up with Sim Kern and their new book, Real Sugar Is Hard To Find, which is a fantastic short story collection.  GET IT.  Or come to ArmadilloCon, come to our release party, and get both out books signed by us!

If you aren't able to come to ArmadilloCon and still want to get The Mystical Murders of Yin Mara, there's a few ways!  For paperback, right here.  And for ebook, you can get it here, currently with a pre-order discount price of $1.99!

Hope to see you at ArmadilloCon, or if not, hope to hear from you soon.

 

Big Announcement! The Mystical Murders of Yin Mara, and more...

 I've been sitting on this for a bit, but I'm thrilled to announce I will be doing a mini-series of Maradaine adjacent novellas and novelettes to go with the Phase Two novels (and stay tuned for some announcements with that very soon).  The first of these will be THE MYSTICAL MURDERS OF YIN MARA, which comes out on AUGUST 2nd!

So, what is THE MYSTICAL MURDERS OF YIN MARA?  I'm so glad you asked.

Phadre Golmin and Jiarna Kay are perfectly matched. Both astounding intellects, sharing a passion for academic pursuits and each other. Traveling from the University of Maradaine to Trenn College in Yin Mara, they are excited for the opportunity to study the magical and mystical theory with the famed Professor Salarmin. So when they come across a dead body that defies all logic, they should leave it alone.

But Phadre and Jiarna tasted adventure in Maradaine, so the discovery of similar victims, paired with their scientific curiosity, makes the situation far too intriguing to ignore. Knowing that they alone have the knowledge to unravel the mystery, Phadre and Jiarna are determined to resolve it, no matter the cost to their academic careers.

Yes, it is the Phadre & Jiarna adventure I have been whispering about for some time.  I'm really pleased to finally be getting it out into the world.

What's the best way for you to get it?  Well, for paperback, right here.  And for ebook, you can get it here, currently with a pre-order discount price of $1.99!

OK, so, what are the other Maradaine Saga Shorts?  Very glad you asked:

A mysterious and disturbing summons brings Aurien Pemmick, novitiate with the Church of Druthal, to Kellirac, the peculiar and suspicious country on the eastern border.He is determined to find his old mentor, no matter what threats Kellirac throws at him.But since Pemmick arrives at the eve of Hultichia, a night where the locals claim the dead will walk, Kellirac proves to be a place of dangers beyond the natural realm. Pemmick's faith is tested against Kellirac superstition, even as his mission threatens to drag him into madness, and the darkest night of his life falls.

Hultichia is a novelette length piece, in which I'm anticipating for late 2022.

 

Dabugo should have died the day he was born, left on the beach to be taken by the waves. Instead he miraculously survived, and his village decided his life must serve some greater purpose, and raised him out of obligation instead of love.  As soon as they decided he was grown enough, he was cast out to survive on his own.  With only a fugitive as a companion, Dabugo must face the harsh elements of his island, learn how to harness the power growing inside his twisted body, and face the destiny that he survived to fulfill.

The Withered Boy is another novelette length work, which will come out early 2023.

Lt. Fredelle Pence and the other women of the Royal First Irregulars are elite soldiers, skilled in their weapons of choice to the level of art. But the Royal First Irregulars aren't treated like elite soldiers, but as a sideshow.  Sent on a "morale tour" across Druthal, they're ordered to travel from base to base, using their skills only in staged performance, to entertain “the real soldiers”.

However, life on tour brings opportunity, as Fredelle and the other Irregulars become aware of a band of marauders terrorizing the countryside. They defy orders, going after the raiders, to prove once and for all just what they are capable of. But proving that becomes more of a test then they ever suspected, and the cost to them will be high for all of them.

The Royal First Irregulars will be a novella-length work, due for mid-to-late 2023.

Everyone has heard the rumors about Lady Melania Landron. After all, she doesn't quite fit in with polite society.She always seems so bored at parties, and she takes delight in only the strangest of preoccupations. And she clearly has no interest in marriage or ceasing to be a burden on her uncle's estate.Of course, what happened to her as a child was a tragedy; she was never properly educated, never a part of society.

Lady Melania knows the rumors are true. She doesn't fit in, she is bored, and she is burdened to remember every moment of every day, including her childhood tragedy, with perfect clarity. But she does take delight in one thing: danger.So when she hears of a hunt for an escaped criminal, she jumps at the opportunity, and soon finds herself starting a most peculiar career for a young, unmarried noblewoman: bounty hunter.But little does she know how dangerous some prey can be.

A Proper Lady of Society will be a novella length work, anticipated for 2024.

I'm very excited to be doing this, and hope to have some specific Phase Two new for you very soon, but for now, it's still this:

Travelers of Maradaine and More

 So I've been saying that I have some announcements coming up, and the first one is a small one, but one I'm definitely excited about: a Patreon exclusive series of epistolary microfiction:

This is something of a worldbuilding experiment, where I use an epistolary format to show the journey of a group from Maradaine as they explore the wider world around them.  So every installment will be a letter or journal entry from one of the travelers along their trip.  I think this will be a fun way to explore the wider world around Maradaine without having to get too bogged down in things like "plot".  

I will do free previews of the first three installments, and then future installments will be at the $3 "Red Rabbits" tier and higher.  There will be additional sneak-peak content at that tier as well! 

As you can imagine, this will be appearing on my Patreon. so please check it out.

I will have more news as the summer continues, and I'm very excited to tell you all about it when I'm able to!

April is the Cruelest Month

It has been a time of transition here for me.  A lot has been going on, and I've got many balls in the air right now.  I'll be putting out some announcements in the near future, especially with Maradaine related things, once I have some more ducks in a row and I'm ready to talk more directly about what's been going on.  As challenging as it has been, I am choosing to approach with optimism and see it all as an opportunity.  But the short version of it is: I'm going to be doing a lot to make it work, but I'm excited for it.  So watch this space for all the news, both good and... challenging.

And there has been some good news!  Worldbuilding for Masochists was nominated for the Hugo for Best Fancast for a second time.  Cass, Rowenna and I are quite thrilled our work continues to be noticed, and we're excited to celebrate at Chicon in September!  If all goes according to plan, we will all be there.  But, also if all goes to plan, all three of us will be at ArmadilloCon here in Austin in August.  I am very excited for that con this year, as it is shaping up to be truly excellent.

Before that, though, this weekend I'll be doing three panels at the online conference Writerfest.  It's got a great line-up of writers talking about craft, and I highly recommend you check it out.

Also, this is a good time to reming you all that I have a Patreon!  I have been... let's say "dilettante"... about using my Patreon, but part of the upcoming changes include doing more interesting and exclusive things there.
 
What is not exclusive is my latest novel, The Assassins of Conseqeunce, even if it was only released in electronic form.  (Are the changes and challenges related to that?  Yes.  Yes they are.  But we'll get to that.)  Assassins is the fourth Thorn novel, coming back to Veranix and the rest of the Aventil crew, and it's also the proper beginning of Phase Two of the Maradaine Saga.  If you've already read it, please, leave a review or otherwise shout about it, and if not, what are you waiting for?

As I said, there's more to come, but for now, I'll just give you this hint:

The Assassins of Consequence is here!

 Today is the day for The Assassins of Consequence!

As I mentioned before, this book is being released as e-book only, which is a shame, but hopefully in the future there will be physical versions as well.  But you can get a hold of it right now to find out what happens next to Veranix and his friends.  

This was an excellent natural continuation of Veranix’s tale after the events of the first Maradaine story arc. Plenty of action, so many heartfelt moments, and the resolution to several major plot points made for a very satisfying read.  -Powder and Page

So, don't dally!  Get your hands on it!

And then get ready for the next Maradaine Phase Two installment:

And after that?  I'm still keeping a tight lid on that for now, but not for too much longer!

But, for now, I hope you all enjoy The Assassins of Consequence, and are looking for more news to come.

The autumn semester at the University of Maradaine is underway, and Veranix Calbert is doing his best to balance the new responsibilities of being a fourth-year magic student under the militant Altarn Initiatives, while still acting as The Thorn, the street vigilante deep in a personal war against the drug kingpin Willem Fenmere. With the help of his friends Kaiana, Delmin, and Mila, he’s been able to strike real blows against Fenmere’s empire.
 
But Veranix’s fight has earned him more enemies than just Fenmere, including the mad alchemist Cuse Jensett, the imposters Erno Don and Enzin Hence, and the Deadly Birds Magpie and Jackdaw. These five killers join forces to escape Quarrygate Prison and offer an alliance to Fenmere, bringing with them the perfect leverage to seal the deal: the Thorn’s identity.
 
Once Fenmere knows who Veranix is, he doesn’t just want to kill him, but to utterly shatter him. Calling on everyone in Maradaine holding a grudge against the Thorn, he unleashes a brutal hunt against Veranix.  With old and new enemies all looking to claim the bounty on his head, stripped of the security of his secret identity, Veranix faces the most brutal fight of his all too-short life.

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | PRH | Goodreads

WorldCon and the End of the Year

 Friends,

We've nearly made it through another year, and it's been a busy one.  Still one big event left for me: WorldCon in DC, and with it, this year's Hugo Awards.

Honestly, it was such an honor for Worldbuilding for Masochists just to be nominated.  I'm thrilled to be going as a nominee, that our work has been recognized by the community.  I have no further expectations, but we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, here's what I'm doing at WorldCon.  If you are also coming, please say hello.  

December 16, 2021

Public Hugo Finalists Reception 5:00 pm EST
The CW’s Contribution to Genre TV 5:30 pm EST
Writing “Gray” Markets 7:00 pm EST  - VIRTUAL PANEL

December 17, 2021

The Wizard’s Butler Did It: Fantasy Whodunits 2:30 pm EST - VIRTUAL PANEL

December 18, 2021

Kaffeeklatsch With Marshall Ryan Maresca 11:30 am EST
Signing – Marshall Ryan Maresca 2:30 pm EST
Hugo Award Ceremonies 8:00 pm EST
Hugo Awards Photo Opportunity 10:30 pm EST

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In the meantime, a reminder that I had two books come out in 2021, and I'm incredibly proud of both of them.  If you haven't picked them up yet, now's a fantastic time.  And if you have, they both make excellent gifts for the reader on your holiday gift list.  

VELOCITY: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Bookshop 
VOYAGE: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Bookshop 

I hope the end of the year is a wonderful time for you and yours, and see you in 2022.