Joyful Jubilant Learning

Unlearn Who Your Children Were

I read this terrific post over on a friend's blog this evening, and I had to pop over and blog about it here on JJL. She writes, in part, about text chatting with her daughter for the very first time:

I've known my daughter for all her 15 years of life. At least I thought I did. Our pattern of conversation and communication has been set in that time and we have become used to our method of relating together as mother and daughter.

Text chat exposed me to her wit and intelligence like no other form of communication has thus far. For the first time I felt like I was communicating not with my "child" but with a new "friend"...a person of maturity and wisdom. If we had met online as strangers I would have assumed this girl was much older than I know she actually is.

She goes on to assure us that she does not intend to replace her face-to-face relationship with her daughter in some uber-modern craze of text-based chatting, but it brings up an interesting point. And not just about our children, but about all the people whom we love the most. Sometimes knowing someone longer can actually get in the way of knowing them more fully today.

Of course, there's no substitute for the long years spent together that form those most permanent human bonds. Husband, wife, child, parent. But it's worth taking a step back sometimes and consciously trying to see those people in a whole new light. You know who they were, who they have been. But are you absolutely sure you are seeing the full depths and richness of who they are today?

It's especially true for children because they are changing so fast, growing from children into adults right before our eyes. No one wants to forget the young, beautiful children these people once were. I'm not suggesting we should. I doubt we could even if we wanted to.

But at some point, like it or not, those children must become memories—not forgotten, but at least unlearned, disconnected from this present moment—in order to allow the young, beautiful teenagers or adults they are today to love us... and to be loved by us for themselves.

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EM Sky is an author of fantasy and science fiction. She blogs about books and interviews other authors on Straight from the Barrel..., and she posts monthly book reviews in her newsletter, Wet Ink... .

Literature Lessons: How To Survive in Onweald

What I Learned from Sandy Lender's Choices Meant for Gods:

1. Not all gods are all powerful, even if they do strut around like they're "all that."


2. Interesting birthmarks are always a sign of trouble.


3. If you're going to keep a wizard around for protection, you should really try to hang on to him.


4. If you can't hang on to your wizard, it's a good idea to keep a god or two around for back-up.


5. Just in case you end up completely on your own now and then, you should probably learn a thing or two about magic yourself.


6. But you can't always depend on magic, so having a sword on hand—or at least a dagger—wouldn't hurt either.


7. In fact, if you live in a world full of gods and magic and such, it might be best never to leave the house.


8. Never attend to an errand yourself when you can send a servant to do it. Servants hardly ever get attacked by demons.


9. If you do have to go out yourself, be sure to bring a really fast horse.


10. And the most important thing I learned from Choices Meant for Gods: despite all the demons, warlords, and evil goddesses in the world, sometimes it's worth it to go out anyway. You'll never save the world (or meet anyone worth dating) if you don't take a risk once in a while.

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EM Sky is an author of fantasy and science fiction. She regularly interviews other authors and blogs about books on Straight from the Barrel..., and she posts monthly book reviews in her newsletter, Wet Ink... .

Communication That Matters

I've had an interesting learning experience over on Straight from the Barrel... these past few days. I've been interviewing Quill Award nominee Patrick Rothfuss, author of the magnificent novel The Name of the Wind. In a few of his answers, he used a word or two that might be considered "uncouth" in certain circles, albeit less and less in this day and age. He was in no way derogatory; he used the terms merely to express strong emotion.

I don't use "bad" language in my own posts. It's not something I'm comfortable with. Normally, I would ask an interviewee or contributing author to shy away from doing so, but in this case, Mr. Rothfuss was clearly expressing genuine feeling.

It made me ask myself, "What's so bad about 'bad' language?"

I'm not sure I have a good answer to that. I don't think there's anything "bad" about it except our own definitions. Yes, there are certain terms that have a derogatory meaning toward certain groups of people, but that's not the kind of "bad" language I'm talking about. I'm just talking about good old-fashioned cussing. Why should I shy away from "cussing" on my site? Why should anyone?

My own preference derives mostly from my upbringing. My parents didn't use that kind of language, so I never became inured to it. There are also several half-remembered remonstrations from various English professors. (Things like, "A good writer can convey strong emotion without resorting to vulgarity.") As though cussing were a failure of creativity.

Well, maybe it is. But then again, maybe it isn't.

In the end, I decided that getting caught up in particular words is a great way to lose sight of the bigger picture--failing to see the forest for the trees, if you will. Or failing to see the dialog for the vocabulary. The point, I think, is not the author's words, but the intention behind them.

Is the writer trying to offend, or trying to convey a feeling? Is the intent merely to antagonize? Or is it to grab one's attention, to stress a certain depth of emotion?

I don't think it's as important to ask what words we choose, as it is to ask why. If the choice is in any way furthering the dialog, if it is allowing us to express our deepest feelings, to communicate more honestly with each other, then surely it's justifiable.

I still don't prefer to use "vulgarity" on the site, but I've become more open to the possibility. In fact, I'll be posting a cuss or two on the blog for the very first time this coming Monday. I can't say I'll always agree to publish this kind of language, but from now on I will certainly consider it, as long as it's communicating something that matters.

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EM Sky is an author of science fiction and fantasy. She regularly interviews other speculative fiction authors and posts book reviews on her website, Mind Unbound.

Live from New York, It's JJLN

Live on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 114 from 8 AM until 9 AM (Eastern time) on Monday July 16th Benjamin Bach, Greg Balanko-Dickson, Phil Gerbyshak, EM Sky and Steve Sherlock will join host Karen Salmansohn on the the Be Happy, Dammit! show for what is sure to be a fast and furious 60 minutes of conversation.

Can't catch it live? Don't worry, check out the Be Happy Dammit archives, especially this great show with Keith Ferrazzi, and soon, you'll see the JJLN show there too!

We'll be talking about all things learning, and no doubt learn a thing or two from Karen! Hope you can hear us soon!

Learning Through Fiction

Sometimes new ideas are best presented in unobtrusive packages. In order to minimize the impact (or perhaps to maximize it, depending on how you look at it) I like to include ideas worth contemplating within the framework of stories.

I know plenty of authors who do this. Every good "self-help" or "change-activating" book includes personal stories and tales of success. But I'm a fiction gal, and tongue-in-cheek fiction at that. I'd rather read a fantasy story over a parable any day. So that's what I write. Fantasy, tongue-in-cheek fiction.

If it  happens to challenge an idea or two, well, so what? It's only fiction... right?

Fiction Fridays: An Interview with Azrael, the Angel of Death

An Interview with Tymalous Shadowstar

EM: Welcome to the new Monday Morning Edition of The Cobblestone Cafe here at the world of EM Sky. It's one heaven of a kick-off, I have to say, because I have the incredible fortune of sitting here in the EM Sky studios with none other than Tymalous Shadowstar Himself, God of the Goblins. Welcome, Tymalous!

TYMALOUS: Thanks, EM. And please, call me Tymalous. Or 'God of the Autumn Star,' if you want to be formal.

EM: 'God of the Autumn Star'... Why, that certainly has a nice ring to it. Some unfortunate initials though, hmm? So, Tymalous, why goblins? You are a god, aren't you? Why not stick with the more traditional races: humans, elves, dwarves...?

TYMALOUS: You should have seen my temple back in the old days. The blood paintings of the Xantock warrior elves, the long-winded stone carvings of the Undermountain dwarf clans . . . I was quite the deity back then. But eventually, well, let's just say even gods sometimes bite off more than they can chew. A bit like goblins, really. And remember, my purpose is to help and protect my followers. Who needs protecting more than those vicious, squabbling little fellows?

EM: Well there's a refreshing attitude. Sounds like you're taking your change of circumstances pretty well. You really don't mind having been forgotten?

TYMALOUS: I had a good run, and who knows what the future holds. Everything happens for a reason, right? Sure, sometimes the reason is that you did something stupid, but there's always a reason. Perhaps it's for the best. This path brought me to Jig and his fellow goblins.  I've been able to help some of them, easing their wounds, comforting their fears . . . not to mention more practical improvements. Goblin hygiene is nothing to boast about, but you should have seen them before I came along. The toe fungus alone was enough to make a god weep.

EM: Um, nothing against your new followers, but I'm sure I speak for everyone here in the studio when I say... eeewww... Still, it sounds like you might be warming up to the little guys. Good news, since my sources tell me you've signed an exclusive contract with author Jim C. Hines to appear in his goblin adventure series. How's that working out for you? Have you enjoyed working with Jim?

TYMALOUS: For the most part, I've been quite pleased. Word of mouth is everything for a god trying to reestablish his following, you know. I wouldn't mind getting a bit more page time, but when I mentioned that, Hines just got this evil look in his eyes and chuckled. And . . . well . . . the first time he described me in Goblin Quest, he implied I was losing my hair! He nearly earned himself a smiting with that paragraph. Personally, I think he's projecting his own issues. Have you seen his latest author photo? Compare that to my luxurious silver locks, and you'll see what I mean.

EM: Hey, you won't get any argument from me. I love the hair. Absolutely smashing! But just between us, Tymster, I have to ask: is this glitter gel or what? That sparkling seventies je ne sais quoi... Wow, I wish our listeners could see this... like a million tiny disco lights... It can't be natural. How do you do it?

TYMALOUS: Why thank you! It's an inherent effect of the overlap between my corporeal form sitting here with you and the archetypical manifestation of my power in the divine realm, which mortals perceive as the autumn star. In other words, the star is as much "me" as this body, and some of that tends to shine through. It's a god thing. That's why my old friend Ipsep, god of the sea, was always plucking seaweed out of his hair and . .  other places.

EM: So does that mean you sparkle... um... everywhere?

TYMALOUS: Wouldn't you like to know. Actually, a lot depends on the lighting. Something in your studio really brings out the shine. I may have to copy this setup for my temple.

EM: Well all right then. Glad to be of service. No pun intended, of course... But Tym, I have to ask, does your girlfriend get into the whole divine shimmery thing? I assume you have a girlfriend. Or at least one or two, shall we say, ardent followers? How about telling our listeners what the god dating circuit is really like, hmm? Give us the inside scoop.

TYMALOUS: The divine dating scene can be interesting.  I remember Taras used to manifest as a giant turtle to proposition mortal girls.  Or was it a tortoise?  Taras was a bit of a freak.  He threw great parties, though.  As for me, I've been on my own for about five thousand years, give or take.  My last relationship ended pretty badly.  Besides, when the only people who remember your existence are a little band of goblins, your dating prospects are rather slim, if you know what I mean?

EM: Five thousand years??? Good Lord, man! Whoops. I mean god. Good Lord,... god? Well that's... ha! Yeah... Okay, my producer tells me we're running short on time here, but I can't let you go before I ask you about your new project. What's in store for the goblin gang next? Has Jim dropped any hints around the set? Have you seen the finished script?

TYMALOUS: I've seen bits and pieces. You know how it is with trilogies, of course. Bigger stakes, bigger payoff, and all that good stuff. Not to mention a bigger special effects budget. Jim has been talking about getting the goblins out of their mountain and into the world. I'm also told we may learn something about Jig's parentage. Personally, I'm hoping Hines will take a page from Pirates of the Carribean, and Jig's father will turn out to be Keith Richards. Wouldn't that be a fun twist?

EM: Ha! You know, I do see the resemblance, now that you mention it... But do you think you're finally going to get that higher page count, Tym? I'm pulling for you, by the way. I love your work. I'm a huge fan. Really. And what about Jig? He's under an exclusive contract too, I believe. Will he be earning his keep this time around?

TYMALOUS: Jig's going to be pretty busy. I'm told Hines isn't planning any more goblin books for a while, and I think that's a good idea. If Jig doesn't get a vacation soon, I'm afraid he'll snap. He and Smudge have had a rough few years. As for me, every time I ask about getting more story time, he just chuckles and says something about being careful what you wish for.

EM: Okay! Well, sounds like some good news for Tymalous Shadowstar, the forgotten god making a giant comeback. You heard it here first, folks! And ladies, remember, he's been alone for five thousand years, so set up that home altar and say a prayer or two to this divine fellow with the disco ball shimmer. I'm sure he can make all your dating dreams come true!

Three... two... one... aaaaaaand... we're out. That's a wrap, you two. Great stuff.

EM: Thanks, Tym, that was terrific. Nice show today. Really nice.

TYMALOUS: Thank you, EM.  It's great to get out of the temple and chat with someone whose idea of a good time doesn't involve a game of rakachak and hot rat dumplings from Golaka's kitchen. Speaking of which, do you mind if I swipe the chips and salsa from the green room?

EM: Um... I don't know. Hang on a sec. Larry? Hey, you there? Do we have someone else coming in this afternoon? Shadowstar wants the hospitality tray.

LARRY: Nope, that's it for today, EM.

EM: Okay, thanks. Sure, Tym, take it. Knock yourself out.

TYMALOUS: Excellent!  You should taste what passes for goblin salsa.  Though I have to say, the fire-spider eggs give it quite the kick.  Anyway, best of luck with the show.  I hear you had a death god on?  I haven't talked to one of them in . . . well, it's been a long time.  Good luck with the writing, too.  If any of those editors need a good smiting, just give me a call.

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A very special thanks to author Jim C. Hines for writing the part of Tymalous Shadowstar and graciously allowing his creation to appear on Straight from the Barrel... Look for Shadowstar, Jig, and all my favorite goblin characters in the Goblin Adventure series: Goblin Quest and Goblin Hero, and stay tuned for updates on Goblin War, currently due to be released in March of 2008.

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Author EM Sky eschewed a career in law in favor of her literary habit. She writes in the speculative fiction genre, both fantasy and science fiction, and she conscientiously maintains the many fine employees of the Peachtree City Starbucks in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.

This post has been cross-posted on Straight from the Barrel...

On the Road to Publication

In honor of JJL's Rapid Fire Learning series, here are a few things I learned about the speculative short fiction market this past month:

• Most responsive market for short speculative fiction: Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. This pulpy sci-fi/fantasy magazine is published in Australia in both print and electronic forms. The pay is only semi-pro at the moment, but the response time and feedback levels are fantastic. Writers can watch their stories' progress through the slush pile on the submission tracker, updated several times each week, and the slush process is explained in significant detail. Like most other reputable markets, ASIM buys stories up to 18 months in advance, so you won't get into print any sooner than you will with anyone else, but you will get that initial "no" or "maybe" sooner than with other magazines. And you'll have the added benefit of knowing just how far your story made it in the submission process.


• Worst reality check regarding the fiction market: even if my current submission at ASIM is published, I will get paid at most $80 and might not be in print for up to a year and a half. Breaking into the writing business is a slow process, and in the beginning the rewards are few and far between. Stories are often purchased over a year in advance, which makes for a whole lot of waiting before that first thrill of seeing your name in print, and the pay for novices ranges from mediocre to lousy. Books and royalties are the only way to make a living in the long run, and these also take up to two years to start paying off. If you want to be a career author, be prepared for a long road ahead.


• The good news for prospective authors: there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and a clear path to reach it. Short stories, as little as they pay financially for a relatively unpublished writer, build a writer's reputation and publishing credits, which in turn helps pave the way for that first novel. Getting published in a reputable magazine proves several things to an agent and/or book publisher: it proves that you can write, that you can put together a coherent story, that you can present yourself in a professional manner, that you can persevere through the grueling lag times inherent to the publishing industry, and that you are serious about being a career author. Despite the low pay and the long wait times, getting those short stories published will ultimately help you sell that first book, which will launch you into a career that will ultimately pay off in a respectable salary as long as you keep producing decent work.

Long story short, don't give up. Don't be discouraged by the time it takes to get where you want to go. If you keep at it, you will get there.

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Author EM Sky eschewed a career in law in favor of her literary habit. She writes in the speculative fiction genre, both fantasy and science fiction, and she conscientiously maintains the many fine employees of the Peachtree City Starbucks in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.

Jacqueline Carey's The Sundering

Before you read this review, I make you this promise: I will not in any way reveal the plot beyond the first eight pages of Volume I. So feel free to read this post all the way through; I won't spoil a thing. If you want to know more before you buy the first book, click on either book cover to visit Amazon.com and read sample chapters.

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The Sundering / Jacqueline Carey / Tor Books

Volume I: Banewreaker
431 pages; ISBN: 9780765305213 (hardcover)
512 pages; ISBN: 9780765344298 (paperback)

Volume II: Godslayer
349 pages; ISBN: 9780765312396 (hardcover)
404 pages; ISBN: 9780765350985 (paperback)

What if the battle between good and evil were not as simple as it appears?

In Jacqueline Carey's magnificent two-volume series, The Sundering, the reader is forced to wonder. There are two sides to every story, after all, and even the bad guys can have the best of intentions...

The action takes place in the fictional world of Urulat, and the first few pages of the prologue describe the creation of the world, delving immediately into the underlying themes of the series. Urulat was created by the death of the one World God, who died in giving life to the seven gods of creation. This is the original sundering--from the one sprang forth the many. But with the separate powers of creation came also the power to disagree, and thus derives the heart of the story.

The first-born creator--Haomane, God of Thought--tries to force our hero--Satoris, God of the Quickening (a.k.a. sexual reproduction)--to remove his Gift from the race of humanity. But Satoris refuses to comply with his brother's demand, and for good reason. Humanity is the only race in which Thought is coupled with Life. To remove the Quickening from humanity would be to forever separate the one from the other, with potentially dire consequences.

Angered by this show of disobedience--and failing to understand his brother's reasoning--Haomane sunders the world, both literally and figuratively, splitting the land of the gods off from the rest of the continent so that the people are left alone, separated from the divine. Only Satoris remains.

But here's the kicker: Haomane blames the sundering on Satoris. According to Haomane's appointed prophets, only when Satoris is defeated will the lands of Urulat be made whole once more, and the people finally reunited with their gods. Thus does the war--and our story--begin.

The novels are beautifully written, complete with profoundly moving characters and a two-shot-latte-addictive plot that will keep you turning page after page even when you should have gone to bed hours ago. (My boyfriend looked at the cover of Banewreaker and said it didn't look like something he would enjoy. "Not enough action," he said. I admit I pushed him--cajoled, entreated, begged--until he opened the book to a random page. Then he flipped to another... and another... "Okay," he said. "It's good." Was I right about the action? "On every page," he said. "Are you happy now?" Yes. Very.)

But even beyond this, these books are filled with meaning--raising questions that will tug at you long after you've finished the books.

These two novels are rich with the subtle yet persistent exploration of our own human sundering--the ways in which we try to separate our rationality from our animal instincts, for example, or to separate the divine from our "lowly," mundane existence. But each separation is the beginning of opposition, the beginning of good and evil. What would life be like if we understood ourselves to be whole beings, at once both rational and physical, both earthly and divine?

Modern science is discovering that our rationality is, in fact, inextricably linked to our animal urges, and that our physical bodies also seem to be linked to a higher power we have yet to understand. But where science is still unwilling to tread, these books pick up the torch, moving beyond "Is it true?" to ask the more startling, and more enlightening question: "What does this mean to our most fundamental assumptions--about the world around us, and about the very nature of humanity?"

Even if you have never before read a "fantasy" novel, these books are not to be missed. Pick up a copy of Banewreaker--Volume I of The Sundering--and read the first page or two. You won't be able to put it down. (My mother had never read a fantasy novel before I told her about this series, and from the very first page she couldn't put them down either.) This isn't mere genre fiction; this is the very height of literature, philosophy, anthropology, and pulse-pounding entertainment all combined into a gripping read you won't soon forget. It just doesn't get better than this.

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Post author:
EM Sky is an author of both fantasy and science fiction, sharing her writing journey with an international readership on her blog, Straight from the Barrel... the ink barrel, that is. She also publishes monthly book reviews in her free newsletter, Wet Ink... For an ever-growing library of excerpts, visit her website at Mind Unbound.

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Both volumes of The Sundering, by Jacqueline Carey, are available now at Amazon.com and other fine booksellers everywhere.