Sense of Adventure » steampunk

My Bubonicon schedule!

Victor — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:41:15 +0000

Come see me at Bubonicon and I won’t do this*:

Could happen!

Or maybe I totally will. Depends on what’ll get me the biggest audience reaction. Because that’s just how I roll.

To find out which I do, click this handy link to check out my con schedule.

Of course having done so (does anybody else hate screwing with pdf files as much as I do?) you’ll notice right you’re not seeing just my schedule. Because you’re smarter than other people, which is why you read this blog.

And I know, right? You’re wondering why they’d clutter up the beautiful simplicity and symmetry of my schedule with all that extraneous stuff, like panels and auctions and Guest of Honor presentations. Because I’m a big guy, though, I am able to admit: there’s a lot of cool people attending and stuff going on that isn’t me.

But this is still about me. Because it’s my blog. And because you’re reading it, you’ll be gratified to know that if you search the pdf for “victor” you will find me! At least, when my location can be determined by science. Which, thank Heisenberg, isn’t that frequently.

Just a quick rundown, for the pdf-impatient (or challenged):

Friday, August 26th at 5:00 PM in the Main Room – Chaco – which everything will be unless otherwise specified – I’ll be moderating a panel called NAME THAT BABY: Fantasy, SF, Mainstream? Or None of the Above? Panelists will be Suzy M. Charnas, Betsy James, Stephen Leigh, and David Lee Summers.

Then at 9:30 PM (because sleep is for the weak, baby!) I’m doing FOR THE LOVE OF CHEESE with those kill-crazy kids from Cheese Magnet, a blog celebrating all things B-movie and pulp culture. Which they omit to have me write for, so I’m taking my participation here as a signal honor. And also a sign that they don’t have enough actual contributors available to flesh out a panel. But they do have Scott Denning, John Jos. Miller, moderated by the Cheese Monster himself, Scott Phillips! This isn’t in the Main Room, as it happens, but in Bandelier. No, I have no more idea where it is than you do. But I’ll find it! So what’s your excuse?

Next up, Saturday, August 27th, 1:00 PM: RE-INVENTING YOURSELF: The Use of Pseudonyms with Ty Franck, Stephen Leigh, and Carrie Vaughn. Moderator: Daniel Abraham.

Then, huh, I lied – turns out if you search for “victor” you also get STEAMPUNK DEFINITIONS: More than Victorian Clothing at 3:00 PM. Which, given that you’re attending a con whose theme is Steampunk, probably ought not surprise you. Then again, given you’re attending a Steampunk-themed con, it might also be of interest to you.

But back to me … and, well, everybody: MASS AUTOGRAPHING SESSION, 4:00 PM. Yes, including that guy. (As I said yesterday … what could possibly go wrong?)

7:00 PM it’s the Big Showpiece: the BUBONICON COSTUME CONTEST, Emceed by me! Got some great costumes and fun presentations here, people! You really oughta come. You might even get to see me vamped by hot babes! (Which should at least make you happy on my account, yes?)

Onto Sunday, August 28th (already?): 1:30 PM, back in Bandelier (nope, still no idea): it’s 25 MINUTES WITH VICTOR MILÁN. Wait! That’s me! As the name suggests, it’s 25 minutes in which you, the audience, subject yourselves to whatever happens to come out of my face. Which, I dunno – you think – may possibly concern … dinosaurs? Indeed it might even entail a reading from the first volume of my epic fantasy trilogy, The Dinosaur Lords, due out from Tor at the beginning of 2013!

After that it’s pretty much over for the shouting. Thanks for coming out, hope you enjoyed yourselves, be sure to tip your ~~authors~~ bartenders and servers, drive safely, and see you all next year!

And naturally – thanks for reading!

*Full disclosure: Craig Calcaterra linked to this image today over on HardballTalk, and I get such a colossal hoot out of it I had to ~~inflict it upon~~ share it with my beloved fans and friends!

Airships: Over or Not?

Victor — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:59:23 +0000

So, way back in the (gulp) 1970s my very first legitimate sale was a hardcover Western to Doubleday: The Night Riders, under the pseudonym Keith Jarrod.

The saga begins....

I also did a sequel – The War Party – under my own name, paperback only from Dell. While I’m far from faithful to the genre – haven’t read one in years – I certainly grew up on the TV shows. And, as I’ve mentioned before, a favored Western novel taught me what writing a whole book felt like.

Also I’m partial to the Southwest – the people, the culture, the landscape, and the history. (It’s not a huge secret that I’m a mad history buff.)

So my thoughts often incline toward getting back into studying the history of the place where I live – under the pretext of research, of course. And because my first love as a writer is science fiction and fantasy, I’m naturally inclined to indulge that desire by writing a steampunk yarn. Or, to be candid, many.

Moreover I have two entirely distinct steamyverses I want to play in. The story that’s simmering closest to the surface of my brain right now is a Cowboys-and-Indians yarn … where the cowboys are Indians. Because the Euros never managed to colonize and conquer the New World.

The other is a tad more conventional. And that brings me to the question I pose in the title of this post.

See, I’ve been drawn to steampunk for years by two things: my love, seriously, of brass (even before I got trained as a machinist, and discovered how easy it is to work); and a lifelong fascination with (finally!) airships.

Well, and my whole history obsession, o’course.

I also admit I haven’t read much steampunk. I don’t really keep current in SF&F: I read for research, and I read for pleasure; and the latter just doesn’t incline me to pursue the latest and greatest. I’m not saying the new hotness isn’t good; I’m saying I spend my time reading other stuff and just don’t know.

Naturally I don’t want to do what everybody else has done. (Or if I do, do it up with my characteristic skewed take.)

So I pose the question unto thee, my dear and faithful friends and readers: are airships overused? Or not?

Please give me your thoughts and feelings. Because I do have to admit … the tales of the Fabulous Flying Fabricatorium of Professor Mondragón seem to be just yearning to breathe free.

To give you another hint as to whereaway my thoughts incline: how about Billy the Kid as a protagonist? Overdone or not?

(If you care to infer from this that I am considering making Billy the sidekick and chronicler of the good Professor M … as my boon pal Larry says, “You’re not wrong!”)

Feel free, by the way, to recommend favorite steampunk novels to my attention, if you feel so moved.

Also: don’t forget to come out to Page One tomorrow at 2:30 PM and get your Freak on!

And as always – thanks for reading!

Done … and done.

Victor — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:17:05 +0000

So last night I finished the manuscript for the Seekrit Projekt!

Huzzah!

Now the less-awesome news: it’s still Seekrit. I know not why. At least, on the publisher’s end. On my end, the reason is, “because I signed an NDA, that’s why.”

Eventually – say, by the time they publish it – they’re going to have to announce the damned book. I mean it just stands to reason, right? Right?

Also, it’s … light. About 90% of contracted length. The ripe irony here, of course, is that I left some stuff out and compressed some for fear I was going to run seriously the Hell over word count.

So, the better news is, shouldn’t be that hard to, you know, put some of that stuff back in.

But not today. Sunday I did just a hair under 9,000 words. Last night I did almost 14,000. Tired now.

Also better news is that this is a preliminary draft I’m contracted to provide (and get paid for!) , with the final to follow in a couple months. So if I’m a little light … well, the editor can tell me which parts need expanded, yes?

Although the editor won’t be back in the office until June 1th, the contract calls for delivery on May 30th, for some reason. So I’ll send it Monday. Still gives me a while to tinker with it.

Then – onto other stuff!

While I have continuing contracts – yay!, by the way – as mentioned last time, I’m getting into such delightfully solid writing habits that I can do my usual allotment easily, leaving time and energy aplenty for writing on nearer, dearer projects. Plus other frivolities like, you know. Living a life.

For those personal projects, next up: a short story set in the Dinosaur Lords universe, featuring the origins of not one but two of my first readers’ fave characters; writing the next book in the Dinosaur Lords trilogy (working title: The Dinosaur Princes); and fulfilling a long-ago promise (or threat) by writing a short in one of my two Steampunk universes, long back-burnered.

(You seeing this, Saraphina dear?)

Actually I more or less have three Steamverses a-bubbling. But as of this moment I see no reason not to fold a couple together. The other – well, it is very different, both from those other lines, and other Steampunk settings I’m aware of. And that’s the one I’m up for writing after the DinoLords yarn.

(Hint: think Steampunk Western. Your typical Cowboys and Indians. Except the Cowboys are Indians. Also: everybody else.)

And speaking of The Dinosaur Lords – if you’ve not yet done so, now might be a fine old time to check out my free online preview of the senses-shattering epic fantasy novel. And if you have done so, wouldn’t it be a swell thing to share with your friends? There’s plenty to go around, kids!

So … whoa. Enough. More soon. Thanks for bearing with me through sparse bloggage.

And as always – thanks for reading!

PS – may have Serious Good News soon. Cross fingers, please!

Wild Cards in Lit and Life

Victor — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:04:26 +0000

I need to be better about updating my blog. So here’re some quick and semi-random notes.

First, I’m hustling to polish off my story for the new standalone Wild Cards anthology, Fort Freak. It’s kind of a Sidney Lumet yarn: lots of conversation and conspiracy, then somebody gets shot. But light-hearted.

No, really. Mostly. It does get a little heavy toward the end. I admit it.

It’s called ” … And All the Sinners Saints.” At least until GRRM or Melinda make me change it. George asked me not to use a rock lyric, since Steve Leigh had prior claim. Sorry, George. First, I have no power over late-Sixties/early-Seventies rock. This is known. Second: it is so totally the perfect title. Seriously. (Think, what’s the line before it?)

There’s lots of rock lyrics to go around. I’m sure I won’t be depriving Steve of any.

Anyway, it introduces two new characters: Flipper, my joker Legal Aid attorney emo kid; and NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau Detective-Investigator Second-Grade Vincent Marinelli, a.k.a. Ratboy, dreamed up by Craig Chrissinger and fleshed out by me. The good news is, while Ratboy initially got all the attention (he’s a seriously cool character, which is why I chose to buff him up and use him) Flipper, who’s also known as Charlie Herriman, is turning out to be pretty interesting in his own right.

By the way, shouldn’t we be gearing up for the smashing premier of Suicide Kings, the senses-shattering conclusion to the current American Heroes trilogy? (Since I don’t remember another collective name for the trilogy, I just decided to dub it that.) It’s coming out December 22 from Tor. Allegedly.

You might also give a look at Boneshaker, the smash-hit steampunk novel by new Wild Cards Mafiosa Cherie Priest, who’s doing the interstitial tale for Fort Freak. It’s an Amazon SF Essential Book! (Full disclosure: I haven’t read it yet, but I’m really eager to! Also check out Cherie’s Clockwork Century site, devoted to her steampunk milieu, including this excellent essay on the whys, hows and wherefores of steampunk.

In other, more personal news: I’ve been dealt some health distresses. None personal (fingers crossed.) But pain to loved ones is in ways worse. As you probably know.

A very close friend of mine may have jaw cancer, and also may be in danger of losing his job. That’s dire, although still fairly speculative. Good thoughts wouldn’t hurt.

TJ Cat quit eating again. It’s a bit hard to tell since he’s never been ravenous, and consequently has always been skinny. I’m pretty sure I was able to catch it before it went into liver failure, as happened to him and his sister Squeak a couple-three years ago. Apparently if cats can’t smell their food they won’t eat it; I’m guessing that’s what caused the problem in both cases. This time around allergies reportedly are affecting a lot of animals in Burque. Anyway, I’ve got him eating again, though I’m not sure he’s back at the Kitty Crunchies yet. And thanks to my friends for a number of good suggestions (lamb baby food, stinky canned tuna ) to get an afflicted cat to eat.

Also Emma Dog started limping badly off her left rear foot yesterday. That really concerned me, since it persisted until late at night, and indeed still does. But she’s willing to put weight on it some now, so I’m hoping it’s getting better. Poor baby.

Also, though they’re on the back burner now until the Wild Card yarn goes in: writing my current Deathlands novel Blood Oasis (think: everything’s better with what?) Also the rewrite continues on Dinosaur Lords. Not as rapidly as I’d like, but it’s well along now.

Stay warm, well,and dry, people. Thanks for reading!