News & Blog

Today I’ve got a guest post up on Glamourist Histories author Mary Robinette Kowal’s blog as part of her ongoing “My Favorite Bit” series. I love “My Favorite Bit” because it features so many authors I like, all talking about their favorite chapter, scene, moment, character beat, what have you from their latest publication. And now it’s my turn to share! Here’s a snippet:

Mention the words “Renaissance Faire” to any group of people, even fantasy fans, and you’re likely to be greeted with groans and eye rolls. I can’t blame them. Heck, I used to be one of them. But lately I have developed a legitimate love of the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park. In fact, it was a huge influence on my novel, Dying Is My Business.

On a side note, I’ve been friendly with Mary for years now, since the days when she and her husband lived in New York. I remember sitting with her at a Chinese restaurant after a Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar eons ago and describing to her a book I had just started writing about the last living descendant of St. George. I remember feeling iffy about the book, but Mary liked the idea and that helped me stick with it. That book, Chasing the Dragon, went on to be published by the amazing, award-winning ChiZine Publications and nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award and the International Thriller Writers Award! So, I owe a big thanks to Mary Robinette Kowal for keeping me on track – and for featuring me in “My Favorite Bit”!

Another quick bit of fun news: Dying Is My Business is featured on the Black Gate website. It actually focuses on cover artist Chris McGrath, who deserves every bit of attention he gets, but editor John O’Neill also has some nice things to say about the book. Check it out here.