Behind Every Great Novelist (an illustration for the NY Times Book Review)

Saw this on Tumblr, and had to repost it over here for the wonderful honesty of it. And hooray for loyal pets!

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

Spent a sunny Saturday doing some digital illustration.

Comments and Blethering: I've been trying to work out a simplified version of Tyler's Northern Mockingbird wing design (a more detailed rough is on the art page), think I might have cracked it here. This started out with the intention to show his balled-up fists, then meandered into trying some Andrew Loomis-style anatomy skeletons because I've been reading through his reference books, before turning into basically a big picture of wings and smugface Ty. Materials used: My beat-up old Wacom tablet, Alias Sketchbook Pro with the medium ink brush.

The rough base sketch.

And of course, in my typical style, this has all been a complex way of procrastinating from editing this gentleman's story. So I suppose I should get back to that.

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

Book: Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Series: Miriam Black, Book 1

Genre: Fiction/Adult/Urban Fantasy

Miriam Black knows when you will die. She's foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.

But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.

No matter what she does she can't save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she'll have to try.

I absolutely adored this book, and here are a few reasons why:

• A likeable, vivid lady protagonist with a foul mouth and a brutally honest tongue. If anyone's a fan of Chuck Wendig's brilliant TerribleMinds blog and his 'dubious writing advice', you'll feel right at home: they're different people, but they hold a lot of common ground when it comes to creative swearing.
• Really well-done present tense and timelines. The story moves between two timelines with short, snappy scenes without getting confusing, and the present tense keeps us right there for every moment of the action.
• I haven't read adult fiction in a while, since my main reading focus is YA, and there was something refreshing about the gritty no-holds-barred violence and sex in this story. But it's not for everyone, of course: I know some of you aren't a fan of (very gratuitous) gore or profanity, so this might not be the book for you.
• Balanced, likeable characters. Everyone has a strong visual design (Louis looks like Frankenstein's monster, and Miriam describes herself as "like something blown in off a dusty highway") and glimpses of backstory that make even the cruel villain's sympathetic.
• That cover! You have to admit, that if some fiiiine, eye-catching artwork.

I've embedded the first few pages of the story below, which should give you a good feel for the story:

A review copy of the novel was provided by NetGalley/Angry Robot.

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

Idea stolen from Steph Bowe's blog, because I thought the idea was fantastic.

There are a lot of genres and ideas I'd love to work with, and my to-do-list of ideas is a mile long... but here are 7 things I'd love to write:

1. Calligraphy. My handwriting is atrocious (and my signature is even worse, urgh), but I'd really like to learn Calligraphy one day.
2. Hard Sci-Fi. There are very few women out there writing hard, technical sci-fi (and there are some good discussions about it). I'd love to change that, but a little voice at the back of my head tells me I don't know enough science and math to pull it off. I still plan or writing softer YA sci-fi, though.
3. Contemporary YA. My writing always leans towards ordinary, flawed people going through extraordinary events.I'd love to strip out the fantasy aspects and do a contemporary, like something by John Green or David Levithan.
4. A very 'British' fantasy or sci-fi. Ala Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams. Just something with a strong, British voice (or a strong Scottish voice, either would be good).
5. Cyberpunk. This one is on the to-do-list. I love cyberpunk stories, and I've got the techie bones to pull it off, so at some point I definitely expect to write some awesome cyberpunk stories.
6. Middle grade (children's) fiction. Another one on the to-do list, I've got a few ideas for children's stories that I'd love to try one day.
7. A Memoir. Maybe when I'm older, and my life is interesting enough...
8. Songs. I've been writing lyrics for years, and I'm pretty good at it, if I do so say myself. But apart from singing, my musical talent is lacking. If anyone knows an up-and-coming rock band in need of some dark and sarcastic lyrics, give me a bell and I will channel all my years of teenage angst into musical goodness.

What about you, writer-friends? I'd love to hear about what you want to write, so drop me a comment or link me to a blog post!

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

“When I look up at the night sky, and I know that, yes, we are part of this Universe, we are in this Universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up—many people feel small, because they’re small and the Universe is big, but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson [x]

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

I HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION AGAIN.

I HAVE SO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON.

GOOGLE READER (330+ blogs by you lovely writers and blog friends). PINTEREST (I am trying not to get into it, because I have too little time as it is, but I am failing). POTTERMORE (I tried to use it on my phone internet connection and was really disappointed by all these images. Then I found out they moved and decided to leave it until I got a proper connection again.) GAME OF THRONES (Season 2 Episodes 3 + 4).

OH AND THAT WRITING THING I DO.

I missed you, internet. It is good to be back.

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

Book: Smoulder by Brenna Yovanoff

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Dark Fantasy

Being the youngest daughter of the Devil has never been easy. Daphne's father has no time for her, her mother no interest, and her status in the upper echelon separates her from the working-class demons that populate Lucifer's metropolis. When her brother and only confidante goes missing, life in the restrictive city of Pandemonium becomes intolerable. Now, in an attempt to find him, Daphne sets out for Earth - and finds it larger and more chaotic than she imagined: a dazzling expanse of noise, dirt and random violence. Despite her bewilderment, she navigates the mortal world with growing fascination, gaining an ally when she saves a dying boy from her father's minions. For Truman Flynn, the last year has been one long downward spiral, but when Daphne arrives just in time to save his life, he finds himself unexpectedly glad to have another chance. Together, Daphne and Truman go in search of her brother, braving the hazards of Las Vegas and the perils of first love, even as it becomes increasingly clear that her brother might have had a secret and compelling reason for leaving. Lucifer's agents aren't the only creatures on the prowl, and Daphne soon finds herself the target of a plan to rid the world of demons for good. Now she must evade a demon-eating monster, rescue her brother from an angelic zealot, and save the boy she loves from his greatest enemy - himself.

Known in the US as ‘The Space Between’, Smoulder is The Replacement author Brenna Yovanoff’s second novel. I picked it up after reading this great review by my critique partner, and I wasn’t disappointed

In Smoulder, Hell goes up in flames every night when the furnace at the heart of the city opens. Everything is made to withstand the fire: metal gardens filed with iron flowers, museums with blast-proof vault doors to protect Earth items, and the nearly indestructible demons themselves.

The story had me hooked from the very first chapter, where we meet Lilith: bold, defiant, and unapologetically female, the Prologue shows her rejection by Adam and her exit from Eden, to the night-time beach where she first meets Lucifer. Chapter 1 cuts us to the future, where we meet Daphne: one of Lilith’s many daughters, with the metal teeth and Lucifer’s blood in her veins.

Daphne and Truman are chalk and cheese: Daphne’s detached and withdrawn, reacting very little to some of the horrific things she witnesses. Truman is a damaged, self-destructive young guy, but he's powerfully open in his reactions. I absolutely love how Yovanoff brought this suicidal, alcoholic chain-smoker to life without watering down his issues.

And there are plenty of other interesting characters hiding in Smoulder’s world: a soul-collecting demon with a red mohawk, the suave and charming Lord of the Flies Beelzebub, and the angelic servant and demon killer Dark Dreadful -- a monstrous woman built to kill the almost unkillable.

This was a unique, dark read with an expertly crafted world. If you like dark, fast-paced YA be sure to pick it up.

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

I was very kindly nominated by Kirstyes for the Versatile Blogger Award! The rules for this award are below:

1. Tell you all seven random things about myself
2. Nominate 15 bloggers for the award

I thiiiink most of the blogs I follow have done this, or similar awards at least, so I'm going to skip out on nominating -- but if you haven't done it and you'd like to, be all means do and drop a link to your version in the comments.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Me:

(Unless you know me in real life, in which case you probably already know all of this.)

1. I hate the sound/feeling of nails scraping. Someone scratching at polyester trousers, or filing their nails, urrrrgghhh. It makes me cringe. And if I have a rough nail and it gets caught is something, it’s the WORST.
2. I love the smell of coffee, but I can’t stand the taste. The worst part is, I brew a great cup of coffee and have really high standards when I’m making coffee. So I make sure the other half Dave has the best cups of coffee I’m capable of making.. and then he goes and brews himself an instant cup instead. Siiiiigh. =P
3. Washing dishes makes me angry. Really angry. For some reason, the simple act of washing up can throw me into a PMS-level fury. I can counter-act it by blasting rock music because the power of rock ‘n roll ‘n terrible kitchen dancing conquers all, though.
4. I am almost always cold. And if I’m not, then I’m probably already wearing a hoodie and a cardigan or fleecy pyjamas.
5. I have a muscle weakness in one eye which wrecks my depth perception. In football, volleyball, basketball my main strategy is always ‘hit it with my head’ because I only pick up on the ball when it’s about to hit me. On the bright side, it makes me a good goalie... but a terrible basketball player (I’m too short for the game anyway).
6. I am extremely oblivious. I daydream a lot and don’t pick up on a lot of things unless they’re pointed out. Dave has managed to get me a few presents just by walking off to buy them while I’m talking to a friend, counting on me to not realise he’s holding a giant teddy bear or carrying a plastic bag full of gifts. It always works.
7. Goldfish unnerve me. My sister kept a few of them, and their short lifespans terrified me and made me paranoid that I’d turn round and they’d be dead. So now I don’t like goldfish because THEY ALWAYS DIE.

I have more than a few ‘quirks’, but don’t we all?

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

On 16th August Hodder Books will publish the paperback edition of Laini Taylor's brilliant YA fantasy novel "Daughter of Smoke and Bone".

The book itself is wonderful, and you can find my review and the hard back cover over here. I have a bias towards the original cover, because it's the cover I own and love -- and I adore designs that use feathers. but there's plenty of interesting aspects in this new cover. It seems to be aiming at an older audience (crossover?), reminding me a lot of some women's fiction covers while still keeping the story elements obvious, and I like that the font is almost identical to the original.

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com

The house move is in progress! HELLO BLOG PEOPLE. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH.

I’m going to be  fairly quiet on the Internet until the new house gets a broadband connection, but I’m trying to keep connected in whatever ways I can using my work lunch breaks or mobile phone tethered internet.

But on the bright side – the new house is lovely! I am literally 80 seconds away from the beach, and two minutes from the river. When walking the dog in the evenings, I get to face the shiver-inducing sea breeze and the bright, sprawling stars over the ocean. It is AMAZING. I love living in a seaside town.

The beach and nearby houses. Photo by Eglos/James Logan

The houses in this part of the town have so much history! Some (rather short) fishermen and their families lived here in times gone by, so the roof and doorways are low and all the houses seem to be built as close as possible to the water.

Now, I’ve got lots of work to do until this move is done – managed to get almost all the stuff moved out, but there’s a lot of cleaning still to take care of. Hopefully I’ll be back online soon.

I hope everyone’s April is going well. Writers, I hope your WIPs are speeding along -- and if you're currently on submission, keep in mind that the Strange Chemistry Open Door Month is just around the corner.

Originally posted by Emma Maree Urquhart on EmmaMaree.com