Jenn Lyons - Tor/Forge Blog - Page 5
Close
post-featured-image

Q&A: What is Your Most Chaotic Piece of Writing Advice?

Q&A: What is Your Most Chaotic Piece of Writing Advice?

Another day, another chaotic question for our Chaos and Cosmos authors! This time, we are asking them about their favorite craft—writing! To all you aspiring authors, check out their most fiercely chaotic answers below. Do you FEEL THE INSPIRATION YET!?!?!?


What is your most chaotic piece of writing advice?

 

book-9781250197245Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun

Don’t write toward the market hoping to catch the trend of the moment. Trends come and go. It’s difficult if not impossible to hit a trend’s surging wave rather than its collapsing fall. Write the story you’re passionate about. Some of my novels were published at a time when they ran counter to the market and suffered for it while others hit at a surge and did well. The main thing is: I don’t regret writing a single one because they were all projects written from the heart. 

book-9781250236968Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Relentless Moon

Delete every third line of dialogue and then rewrite the interstitial text so that it still makes sense.

book-9781250306463S. A. Hunt, author of I Come With Knives

Throw out your outline. Have characters make decisions that they as real people would naturally make and follow them down a rabbit hole. Write yourself into a corner and then bust a hole in the wall to get out. You’d be surprised what kind of life-changing twists you can come up with when you’re not coloring by numbers.

troublethesaintAlaya Dawn Johnson, author of Trouble the Saints

Let everyone get precisely what they want.

 

book-9781250222589Ryan Van Loan, author of The Sin in the Steel

Listen and strictly adhere to everything you’re told about how to write! That’s good, right?

 

deal-with-devilKit Rocha, author of Deal with the Devil

Fear is the mind-killer. (No, really. It’ll mess you up. Jump off that keyboard and believe you can fly.)

memoryofsoulsJenn Lyons, author of The Memory of Souls

There are no rules, only guidelines. Everyone’s prepared to hand out a thousand rules for how to write. For every single one of them, there’s a great work which takes that rule and vigorously snaps it in half. Break the rules! Just make sure you do so with skill and panache.

masterofpoisonsAndrea Hairston, author of Master of Poisons

Everything I write is fine, good, because tomorrow I can rewrite. Every draft is a rehearsal.

sleep-in-seaChristopher Paolini, author of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Don’t be afraid to throw out any or all of your story if it’s not working. When it comes to writing, you have to be ruthless in your creative decisions. Don’t fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy.

burninggrosesS. L. Huang, author of Burning Roses

Burn the rules. There are no rules.

Also, always write while wearing a hat shaped like a pineapple.

 

attacksurfaceCory Doctorow, author of Attack Surface

Write when you feel miserable and all the words are terrible, because you won’t know until after the fact and how you feel about the words is far more related to your blood sugar, stress levels, anxiety than the quality of your words. And then the corollary of that is that days when you feel like you’re writing really well, you’re probably also writing just more or less okay stuff, because that’s also related to your anxiety, stress levels, and blood sugar, so it makes writing very aniconic but it does make your writing very regular, a bit like fiber.

addie-1V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

My most chaotic piece of writing advice is it’s going to be bad. You’re going to write something and it’s going to be bad, it has to be bad because you have to write something before you can make it better. So, understanding that whatever you write has to be bad before it can be good, and you almost have to embrace that chaos a little bit.

Stay tuned for more #ChaosandCosmos all year long!

Image Place holder  of - 58

post-featured-image

Meet Our Books Cosmos: Water Signs

Meet Our Books Cosmos: Water Signs

Ready to meet more of the shining stars of our Chaos and Cosmos campaign?! We’re showing off our wonderful Water signs today: Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha, The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons, and Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston!

Why are they Water signs? We don’t know, ask publicity team members and astrology wizards Laura Eztkorn, Giselle Gonzalez, and Anna Merz.


Scorpio

“[Deal with the Devil] has a very Scorpio vibe: brave, loyal, ambitious, passionate, and most fitting, sensitive but FIGHTY.”

Poster Placeholder of - 58Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Nina is an information broker with a mission—she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he’s fighting to survive.

They’re on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process…

Or they could do the impossible: team up.

amazona bna booksamilliona ibooks2 83 indiebounda

Pisces

“Pisces are observant, creative, empathetic, overly emotional, impressionable, closed off and absorb lessons from other signs.” Contradictory? No. A rich tapestry. Like the Chorus of Dragons series by Jenn Lyons.

Placeholder of  -50The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons

Now that Relos Var’s plans have been revealed and demons are free to rampage across the empire, the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies—and the end of the world—is closer than ever.

To buy time for humanity, Kihrin needs to convince the king of the Manol vané to perform an ancient ritual which will strip the entire race of their immortality, but it’s a ritual which certain vané will do anything to prevent. Including assassinating the messengers.

Worse, Kihrin must come to terms with the horrifying possibility that his connection to the king of demons, Vol Karoth, is growing steadily in strength.

How can he hope to save anyone when he might turn out to be the greatest threat of them all?

amazonb bnb booksamillionb ibooks2 35 indieboundb

Cancer

“Cancers are empathetic, pick up on people’s social energies, selfless with actions, but also sometimes moody and #vengeance. If that sounds compelling check out these two main characters!”

Image Place holder  of - 46Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston

The world is changing. Poison desert eats good farmland. Once-sweet water turns foul. The wind blows sand and sadness across the Empire. To get caught in a storm is death. To live and do nothing is death. There is magic in the world, but good conjure is hard to find.

Djola, righthand man and spymaster of the lord of the Arkhysian Empire, is desperately trying to save his adopted homeland, even in exile.

Awa, a young woman training to be a powerful griot, tests the limits of her knowledge and comes into her own in a world of sorcery, floating cities, kindly beasts, and uncertain men.

Poster Placeholder of amazon- 58 Image Placeholder of bn- 43 Placeholder of booksamillion -34 indiebound

post-featured-image

Tor After Dark: May Edition

Tor After Dark: May Edition

Tor After Dark: May Edition

Missed Tor After Dark this month? Don’t worry, we’re recapping all the fun times with A. K. Larkwood, Jenn Lyons, and Alaya Dawn Johnson right here!


Place holder  of - 45We are so thrilled that A. K. Larkwood, author of The Unspoken Name, joined us all the way from the United Kingdom for Tor After Dark! To kick off the night, Larkwood greeted fans and dove into a reading from her book, aided by the helpful mug of whiskey lovingly brought by her wife (RELATIONSHIP GOALS).

After the reading, Larkwood took questions from fans, including questions about the next book in The Serpent Gates series, which of her characters she’d like to invite to a dinner party, and her inspiration for her writing. She also showed off some of her lovely crochet figures of her characters and now we are jealous. Does anyone want to teach us how to crochet so we can have our own Unspoken Name crafts?!

Looking for a recap of April Tor After Dark events? Look no further. Interested in joining us for our next Tor After Dark special? Check out the schedule here!

post-featured-image

On the (Digital) Road: Tor Author Events in May

On the (Digital) Road: Tor Author Events in May

We are in a time of social distancing, but your favorite Tor authors are still coming to screens near you in the month of May! Check out where you can find them here:

John Scalzi, The Last Emperox

Poster Placeholder of - 96

Tuesday, May 5

Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop, in conversation with Martha Wells
Bookstream
7:00 PM EST

Friday, May 8

Wordplay Literary Festival Writing Workshop/AMA
Webinar
3:00 PM GMT

A. K. Larkwood, The Unspoken Name

Placeholder of  -83

Tuesday, May 5
Tor After Dark
Instagram Live
7:00 PM EST

Jenn Lyons, The Memory of Souls

Image Place holder  of - 15

Tuesday, May 19
Tor After Dark
Instagram Live
7:00 PM EST

Alaya Dawn Johnson, Trouble the Saints

Place holder  of - 69

Tuesday, May 26
Tor After Dark
Instagram Live
7:00 PM EST

post-featured-image

Chaos and Cosmos: Part II Sampler

Chaos and Cosmos: Part II Sampler

Placeholder of  -59Ready for more Chaos and Cosmos?! From space pirates to undead dragons, Tor and Tor.com Publishing are proud to present excerpts of some of 2020’s most wild and wondrous new sci-fi and fantasy, includes free sample ebook chapters from authors Jenn Lyons, Andrea Hairston, Christopher Paolini, S. L. Huang, Cory Doctorow, and V. E. Schwab!

Follow the mayhem all year long with our #ChaosandCosmos campaign, and don’t forget to download the Chaos and Cosmos: Part 1 Sampler!

Download the Sampler:

kindle nook ebooks.com Poster Placeholder of google play- 55 ibooks2 52

post-featured-image

Chaos or Cosmos?

Chaos or Cosmos?

There are so many important questions about our Chaos and Cosmos campaign but the first one we have to ask our authors is…are you team CHAOS or COSMOS?!

One thing is clear: Whether they write about space, wizards, hackers, or immortals, Tor authors are pretty chaotic.

Check out the incredibly important and serious answer to the question below.


Chaos or Cosmos?

Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun

Cosmos.

Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Relentless Moon

Tough call… given my Lady Astronaut books, I’m obviously team Cosmos, but anyone who knows me also knows that I’m a Chaos muppet. (https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/06/chaos-theory.html)

S. A. Hunt, author of I Come With Knives

Cosmos. My life—our lives, all of us, really—have enough chaos, and I’d rather explore the cosmos. We seek out stories because we need to find order in the chaos . . . it’s why, almost always, the good guys win. Because the good guys don’t often win in real life, and to survive, we need to see the win when we can to know it’s still possible. Stories give us hope.

Alaya Dawn Johnson, author of Trouble the Saints

Cosmos.

Placeholder of  -85  Place holder  of - 82  Poster Placeholder of - 2

Ryan Van Loan, author of The Sin in the Steel

Chaos!

Kit Rocha, author of Deal with the Devil

Easy one—chaos, 100%

Image Place holder  of - 81  Image Placeholder of - 99. The Cosmos part comes

Jenn Lyons, author of The Memory of Souls

Chaos! (The Cosmos part comes naturally from that.)

Christopher Paolini, author of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Cosmos.

S. L. Huang, author of Burning Roses

deep evil villain voice* CHAOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSS!!!!!

Cory Doctorow, author of Attack Surface

Definitely chaos.

V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Chaos.

 

Stay tuned for more #ChaosandCosmos all year long!

post-featured-image

$2.99 eBook Sale: April 27-May 3

$2.99 eBook Sale: April 27-May 3

$2.99 eBook Sale: April 27-May 3

Happy Tuesday, everyone! This week, we have a VERY special sale of some of our most popular Tor Book titles—who’s excited?! Check out what Tor eBooks you can grab for $2.99 this week only below:

The Way of KingsPlaceholder of  -53 by Brandon Sanderson

Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before Destination. And return to men the Shards they once bore. The Knights Radiant must stand again.

 

kindlea nooka ebooksa google playa ibooks2 76 koboa

The Three-Body ProblemPoster Placeholder of - 77 by Cixin Liu

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

kindleb nookb ebooksb google playb ibooks2 75 kobob

The Eye of the WorldImage Placeholder of - 26 by Robert Jordan

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs—a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts— five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

kindlec nookc ebooksc google playc koboc

The Calculating Stars Place holder  of - 24by Mary Robinette Kowal

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too. Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

kindled nookd ebooksd google playd kobod

 Image Place holder  of - 46Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

kindlee nooke ebookse google playe koboe

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court. Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan’s unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.

kindlef nookf ebooksf google playf kobof

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

Our universe is ruled by physics. Faster than light travel is impossible—until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field available at certain points in space-time, which can take us to other planets around other stars. Riding The Flow, humanity spreads to innumerable other worlds. Earth is forgotten. A new empire arises, the Interdependency, based on the doctrine that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war—and, for the empire’s rulers, a system of control.

kindleg nookg ebooksg google playg kobog

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

When a gruesome murder is discovered at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged twin sister teaches Theoretical Magic, reluctant detective Ivy Gamble is pulled into the world of untold power and dangerous secrets. She will have to find a murderer and reclaim her sister—without losing herself.

kindleh nookh ebooksh google playh koboh

 

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

January is a dying planet—divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside. Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal. But fate has other plans—and Sophie’s ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world.

kindlei nooki ebooksi google playi koboi

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel’s son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family’s ruthless power plays and political ambitions. Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins. Then again, maybe he isn’t the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world. He’s destined to destroy it.

kindle nook ebooks Image Place holder  of google play- 32 kobo

post-featured-image

On the (Digital) Road: Tor Author Events in April

On the (Digital) Road: Tor Author Events in April

We are in a time of social distancing, but your favorite Tor authors are still coming to screens near you in the month of April! Check out where you can find them here:

John Scalzi, The Last Emperox

image-36813

Thursday, April 16
Inverse SFF Happy Hour
Instagram Live
7:00 PM EST

Friday, April 17
Commonwealth Club Virtual Event
Commonwealth Website
3:00 PM EST

Friday, April 17
Online Reading/Q and A with Scott Simon’s Open Book
Open Book
6:15 PM EST

Monday, April 20
Online Chime Interview with Amazon Book Review
Facebook
Time TK

Tuesday, April 21
Tor After Dark
Instagram Live
7:00 PM EST

Wednesday, April 22
Reddit r/Books AMA
Reddit
3:00 PM EST

Friday, April 24
Veronica Roth + BuzzFeed Book Club Present: Quarantine Reading
Zoom
1:30 PM EST

Jenn Lyons, The Memory of Souls

image-36825

Saturday, April 18
Toils of the Dreamer – Celebrity DnD
JordanCon
5:00 PM EDT

Christopher Paolini, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

image-36824

Monday, April 20
Reddit r/Books AMA
Reddit
Time TK

TJ Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

image-36834

Monday, April 20
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, in conversation with CB Lee
Instagram Live
7:00 PT

Sarah Kozloff, A Queen in Hiding

image-36826

Tuesday, April 21
Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop
Facebook
6:00 PM CT

S. L. Huang, Critical Point

image-36827

Monday, April 27
Reddit r/Books AMA
Reddit
Time TK

Wednesday, April 29
Second Life: Deep Dive Virtual Panel
Second Life
Time TK

Chris Kluwe, Otaku

image-36835

Monday, April 27
Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop
Streamyard
6:00 PM CT

S. A. Hunt (Burn the Dark), Camilla Bruce (You Let Me In), Kit Rocha (Deal with the Devil)

image-36837

Tuesday, April 28
Reddit r/Fantasy AMA
Reddit
Time TK

post-featured-image

Can You Hear the Mayhem? Introducing Our Chaos and Cosmos Playlist!

Can You Hear the Mayhem? Introducing Our Chaos and Cosmos Playlist!

We’re diving into Chaos and Cosmos the RIGHT way-with an incredibly chaotic playlist!

We asked our authors to pick theme songs for their main characters and the resulting playlist is…definitely something. We recommend putting this beauty on shuffle for maximum mayhem.

video soruce

Pick a Theme Song for Your Main Character

Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun

Born to be Wild – in the version played by the Handsome Alika on Idol Faire.

Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Relentless Moon

How High the Moon sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

S. A. Hunt, author of I Come With Knives

In the first, second, and third book I’d say Karliene’s Become The Beast. I just love the feminine aura it has, and the constant, building tension. It’s so simultaneously female and feral, and I love it. In other news, I listened to Halestorm’s cover of Slave to The Grind and Fist Up by Kidneythieves the whole time I was writing the fight scenes in The Hellion, the third book in the Malus series, so that might give you a good idea of where my head was at and what kind of action you can look forward to in that one.

If Tor signs any more Malus books with me, I’m gonna tell you that Robin’s theme song will become What Doesn’t Kill You Will Make You A Killer by Rabbit Junk. After the events of book 3, The Hellion, she’s gonna go Beast Mode.

Alaya Dawn Johnson, author of Trouble the Saints

Summon the Fire by The Comet Is Coming.

Image Place holder  of - 32  Poster Placeholder of - 87. Image Placeholder of - 73

Ryan Van Loan, author of The Sin in the Steel

Blood in the Water by Grandson.

Kit Rocha, author of Deal with the Devil

For Nina, Least Complicated by the Indigo Girls.
For Knox, Hardest of Hearts by Florence + The Machine.

Jenn Lyons, author of The Memory of Souls

Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (What? You didn’t think I’d pick a theme song that didn’t have a dragon tie-in somewhere, did you?)

Andrea Hairston, author of Master of Poisons

For Awa— A call and response song with rattles and bees.

For Djola— Whale song.

Christopher Paolini, author of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Gayane by Aram Khachaturian.

Placeholder of  -8. Place holder  of - 82.

S. L. Huang, author of Burning Roses

Murder, Murder! from Jekyll & Hyde. Someone’s killing sinners in the night… lots and lots and lots of them. (Spoiler: It’s Little Red Riding Hood.)

Cory Doctorow, author of Attack Surface

Good as Hell, one for the millennials. I have a 12-year-old, I’m down with the Lizzo! If it’s on TikTok I know it.

V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie.

Stay tuned for more #ChaosandCosmos all year long!

post-featured-image

Introducing: CHAOS AND COSMOS!

Introducing: CHAOS AND COSMOS!

Chaos-and-Cosmos-logo

The Sky Is Not the Limit

This year has gotten off to a bit of a…chaotic start, to say the very least. In 2020, Tor Books is determined to make the most of *waves hands around wildly* all this and prove that the sky is not the limit; this is a year destined for big books and even BIGGER ideas!

Chaos-and-Cosmos-SamplerGet ready to activate your sun, moon, and rising signs with stories of cosmic adventures and gleefully chaotic characters!

Featured authors include Kit Rocha (Deal with the Devil), S.A. Hunt (I Come With Knives), Alaya Dawn Johnson (Trouble the Saints), Kate Elliott (Unconquerable Sun), Mary Robinette Kowal (The Relentless Moon), Ryan Van Loan (The Sin in the Steel), Jenn Lyons (The Memory of Souls), Andrea Hairston (Master of Poisons), Christopher Paolini (To Sleep in a Sea of Stars), S.L. Huang (Burning Roses), Cory Doctorow (Attack Surface), and V.E. Schwab (The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue). This illustrious group of wordslingers includes bestsellers, award-winners, scholars, and influencerstruly a cosmic force made of stars! Get ready to hear from the dream team—head over to our Instagram @TorBooks to see your favorite authors share their own excitement for Team #ChaosandCosmos!

To kickoff our year of unbridled chaos and burning cosmos,  download Part 1 of our FREE digital sampler, featuring Trouble the Saints, I Come With Knives, Unconquerable Sun, The Sin in the Steel, The Relentless Moon, and Deal with the Devil.

Part 2 of our cosmically chaotic sampler, featuring the titles below, is coming soon!

memoryofsouls  memoryofsouls-book. burningroses. attacksurface. addie. To-Sleep-in-a-Sea-of-Stars-CP3-thin

Keep an eye on our social media and the #ChaosandCosmos tag for the release date of Part 2 and other exciting content in the coming weeks and months.  

Who’s ready for some #ChaosandCosmos?!

Image Placeholder of - 17

Download the Sampler:

nook ebooks.com Place holder  of google play- 72 ibooks2 67 kobo

The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.