Lawrence M. Schoen

If you’re reading this on Monday morning (and let’s assume you are), I hope you remembered to cast your ballot for the Nebula Awards (assuming you’re a card-carrying member of SFWA) — and not just because I also hope you voted for my novella (which I do!), but because it’s important to point out what we liked, what entertained or inspired us.

Another thing about this particular Monday also pertains to voting. The deadline for this year’s Hugo nominations closes tonight. And yes, while again I’d be happy to see my work on the ballot, the larger point here is that this is an opportunity for both writers and readers to express what really spoke to them in the previous year, both professionally and fannishly, in print and audio and film. And don’t even get me started about the Campbell Award. Bottom line: if you’re eligible to nominate (i.e., have/had supporting membership for either LoneStarCon 3, LonCon 3, or Sasquan), please take the time to do so, if you haven’t already.

Okay, with that bit of public service (and wee bit of shameless self-promotion) out of the way, let’s turn to today’s EATING AUTHOR guest. Many of you probably already know Amelia Beamer from her endless years of service as both editor and reviewer over at Locus, but she’s also writing fiction, and her first novel, The Loving Dead, is a wild spin on the traditional undead tale. Forget having a shambling horror biting you, and instead consider what happens when the zombie plague requires sexual transmission. Oh, and did I mention the zeppelin? Right, you’ll be clicking that link to order a copy real soon. But first, keep reading to learn about Amelia’s most memorable meal.

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Today is St. Patrick’s Day, which for me is loaded with meaning far beyond automotive snakes and green beer. Today would have been my paternal grandfather’s hundredth-something birthday, as well as my parents’ wedding anniversary. It’s also the anniversary of the passing of Ghang, my dog of eighteen years (and the unconscious inspiration for a quarter million words of fiction). I’m typically awash in bittersweet memories on this day, and I suspect today will be little different, though at times I’ll be quite busy as I’m away in New York for some hypnosis training.

But never mind all that, you’re not here to read about me; let’s get on to the main feature. My guest this week is a writer of Fantasy novels, and she’s quite good at them. Carol Berg has won the Mythopoeic Award (for her The Lighthouse Duet, Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone), several Colorado Book Awards (for Song of the Beast, The Soul Mirror, as well as the afore-mentioned Breath and Bone), and the Geffen Award for Best Translated Fantasy (for Transformation, the first book of her Rai-Kirah series). Other works include her Bridge of D’Arnath and Novels of the Collegia Magica series.

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Forget what you know about March being the month of lions and lambs. Over the last several years, for me, March has been the month of a torrent of mail as hundreds of SFWA members send in their ballots to determine the composition of the organization’s Board. It’s my own fault, mind you, as the volunteer head of the Election Committee. Later today I’ll walk down the driveway to check my mailbox and collect the day’s dozens of sealed ballots. None of them will be opened for weeks yet, but for now talk of SFWA Elections provides an introduction of sorts for today’s EATING AUTHOR guest, E. C. Myers, the exiting Eastern Regional Director of SFWA. I mention this because it tells you a bit about the king of guy Eugene is. When the previous Director had to step down, he stepped up and offered to complete the term of office. So, speaking as a card-carrying SFWA member living in the greater Philadelphia area, thanks, Eugene!

Meanwhile, back to the more traditional matters of this blog feature’s introductions. If you’re not already acquainted with Eugene’s work, you should know that his debut novel, Fair Coin took home last year’s Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy (which puts him in a very select club alongside such names as Terry Pratchett and J. K. Rowling). I was present at the banquet when his win was announced, and it was only then that I learned that this author, E. C. Myers, lived in Philadelphia, that he knew all the same local area writers that I knew, and yet I’d never heard of him or met him at any of the local gatherings, readings, or conventions. Doh, did I ever feel stupid!

I’m happy to say that this oversight has since been corrected, and in the year since I’ve had the opportunity to hang out and even dine with Eugene on multiple occasions. And as part of my making up for it, it’s a great pleasure to have him here on the blog.

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I need to confess to a bit of apprehension as I type this week’s EATING AUTHOR post. The latest round of the season’s snowpocalypse is about to hit, and it makes me a bit uneasy as to whether this entry will post as planned. I suspect so, though I might not be able to access it myself if the power goes out again.

But let me put aside all such doom and gloom and tell you a bit about this week’s guest, Marie Brennan. She’s a self-described “former academic,” having left graduate school prior to completing her doctorate in folklore and anthropology to focus her energies on her writing instead. And with admirable results!

Marie writes fantasy. You might know her from her Doppelganger duology (Warrior and Witch), or from her Onyx Court series (beginning with Midnight Never Come. And it’s the kind of fantasy you’d expect from someone who’s put time in studying anthropology and folklore. There’s a verisimilitude to her work that other authors would kill for.

And that trait especially shows up in her latest work, the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, which began with A Natural History of Dragons. The second book, The Tropic of Serpents, hits the stands tomorrow. Trust me, if you like dragons and natural history, you are going to love these books.

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