Mary Robinette Kowal, author of Shades of Milk and Honey (Sept 13-26)

Please welcome Mary Robinette Kowal, author of Shades of Milk and Honey. Mary will be chatting on LibraryThing until September 26th.

Thank you, Sonya. I'm very happy to be here.

While I'm here, I'm open to any questions ranging from the novel, to short fiction, all the way through to the puppetry career.

Hi Mary,

Loved getting acquainted with you through your guest blogs on Whatever this last month and a half and consequently I have picked up Scenting The Dark as my introduction into your writing.

No questions right now, I just wanted to let you know that I am really enjoying the stories so far!

edited for touchstone weirdness

I've currently got your Shades of Milk and Honey on my wishlist ever since it was recommended on Boing Boing. Perhaps I'll have to put it next on my list so I can ask you questions about it! It sounds really interesting, though, I'm excited to read it.

Since I can't ask about the books yet, I'll ask something else. I see you live in Portland, OR (me too!), so what's your preferred route through Powell's City of Books?

Hi Mary!

I've read Scenting the Dark and Shades of Milk and Honey and enjoyed both. If I may ask, what is your next writing project?

Hi Mary, as a Janeite I am curious about the mention of similarities to Jane Austen in style, characterization and times. Was she an influence on Shades of Milk and Honey? If so, could you share your thoughts on how you used this in your novel?

how is this book

Hi Mary,

I just finished Shades of Milk and Honey, and was intrigued by the conversation two characters have about glamour - whether the illusion should "remain whole" or whether one could get more enjoyment/appreciation out of understanding how a thing was made. I'm curious where you stand on that as a writer and a reader. Do you want your readers to not worry or think about the mechanics of your stories as they read, or is analysis part of the fun?

Thanks!

FYI, I went to buy your book at the bookstore. B&N had it on their shelves, but Borders isn't carrying it in their store at all, although you could order it online.

Hi Mary,

On the Aug. 30, 2009 Writing Excuses podcast, you said that there are five principles of puppetry that you apply to your writing. You discussed four of them in the podcast (focus, rhythm, muscle, and meaningful movement). What's the fifth?

Thanks!

I always start in the SF section and browse through there, then sometimes over to etiquette or languages. I always wind up in the cafe though.

Sorry for the delay in responding to all of your questions. I'm afraid I expected an alert to pop up letting me know that there were new messages.

Beniowa: What is your next writing project?

Thank you so much. I turned in Glamour in Glass, the sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey, a while ago and am waiting for the next round of editor notes on that.

Meanwhile, there are a lot of short stories on my plate now and I'm the research phase for a new and totally unrelated novel. It's set in 1907 Nashville and has a very different magic system.

Austenprose: Jane Austen was a HUGE influence on me and has been for a while in my writing. While writing Shades of Milk and Honey I would read a chapter of Miss Austen every time I sat down to write. While I definitely updated some aspects to meet modern reader expectations I also tried very hard to make a fantasy novel that would fit into the world where she lived. Critical readers will note where I deviated, in particular at the end of the book I have some plot elements that Miss Austen would have had off stage but which I felt modern readers would want to see.

Bell7: Where do I stand on the question of if illusions should remain whole? I'm in Jane's camp, that an educated audience is more fully able to appreciate a piece. On the other hand, if you really are thinking about the mechanics of what I'm doing then the magic isn't working. It's a tricky balance.

Roincats: Yes, I'm not sure why Borders decided not to pick up the novel. Barnes and Noble has been very nice and of course, independent bookstores!

DavidBale: There are actually only four. I was sleep deprived because this was at WorldCon and mixed the five basic types of stage puppetry with the four principles. (Hand, Shadow, Rod, Body, String)

Ms Kowal -- Do you have a preference when it comes to writing short fiction and long fiction? When you begin a new work, do you have the length planned out ahead of time; or, was 'First Flight' always going to be a shorter piece and Shades of Milk and Honey always novel length?

I don't have preference short or long. I like them both.

When I start a new work I am more frequently planning for it to be a short story and then am sometimes surprised that it has the potential to be a novel. Shades of Milk and Honey started as a short story and I was not very far into it when I realized that it could be a novel. The original short story is still in the first chapter. It starts with the scene when Jane walks into the parlor to find Melody doing glamour and ends when Mr. Dunkirk leaves and Jane says "Indeed."

First Flight was always going to be a short story.

I usually have a target length in mind but sometimes the potential in a story will make me decide to go longer.

Hi Mary! (Can I call you Mary?) I don't have a question for you, but I wanted to say that I'm a big fan of the Writing Excuses podcast, so I'm happy to see you show up here on LT, as well.

Hi there! I was wondering yesterday whether Shades of Milk and Honey will be published in Britain? (I met you at WisCon and am really looking forward to getting my hands on the book.)

Katya0133: Of course!

kicking_k: My understanding is that it it is available through the British Amazon but I don't know if there will be an actual UK edition.

I was able to read your book this weekend (having ordered it from Borders.com--if they get enough requests, maybe they'll start carrying it in the physical stores) and enjoyed it. I think you really succeeded in creating an Austen-like ambiance.

Thank you so much! I'm very glad to hear that.