Once upon a time I told myself I would never write my pets into my books. That lasted, as you can imagine, all of five minutes. When I sat down to write Thorn, I knew Rowan needed an animal companion, and I shamelessly modeled her after my majestic beast of a doggo, Artemis. I was still … More Rowan and the Wolf
Writers never do what we want. You start reading a series, get invested, and then the author doesn’t produce the sequel for 6+ years. (Yes, George R.R. Martin, I am referring to you.) As an author, however, I have to say I’ve grown a lot more sympathetic to Martin’s plight, even as my inner reader fumes. … More Why Is Thorn NOT a Sequel to Compass Rose?
via REVIEW: Compass Rose by Anna Burke
Crazy as it feels, October is almost over, which means Thorn’s release is only a few months away, along with the bitter winds of winter (yes, still waiting on that book Mr. Martin). The book itself is long out of my hands and with the publisher, and I’ve been so lost in my current projects that … More Release the…Thorn?
Compass Rose came out ten days ago. Maybe I should have posted something sooner, but the birthday of a first book is… well… let’s just say I had too many emotions running around to pin one down long enough to write about it. So. Compass Rose is out there, doing her thing, and here I am: … More Compass Rose, Island Living, and a Metaphor
Fairytales aren’t for children. … More Why I Love Retold Fairy Tales
I’ve spent the past few years living on islands. When I talk about my life to people who don’t understand the circumstances, I often find that part hard to explain. It doesn’t quite feel real. Even now that I’ve closed that chapter and my wife and I have moved back to Massachusetts, I still can’t … More Snow Falling on Palm Trees
Is there anything more satisfying than seeing your creation come alive? Not to sound like Dr. Frankenstein, but Mary Shelley had the right idea. I look at the cover of Compass Rose, and I want to throw up my hands and shout, “it’s alive!” to the thunder. I don’t, of course. At least not in … More Compass Rose gets a cover and I might be Dr. Frankenstein
The protagonist in my upcoming novel, Compass Rose, takes a rather blasé approach to hurricanes. She would, since I equipped her with the technology to simply slip below the waves, barring technical difficulties, at the first sign of a storm. Throughout the novel, hurricanes are mentioned in passing the way most of us talk about normal … More Writing Climate Fiction Just Got (More) Personal
Lately, watching the news feels a little bit like reading a near-future dystopian fiction novel. As a writer, I find this fascinating. As a citizen, well, let’s just say that hurricanes are fascinating, too, in their destructive power, but that does not mean I want to live through one. Speculative fiction has always lurked on … More Why We Need Dystopian Fiction
