Writing
Biography
Laura Reeve grew up near Boulder, CO. Her parents fed her SF novels and provided her with a typewriter, but had no idea they were creating a lifelong obsession with building worlds and stories. To keep a day job, however, she got degrees in Chemistry and Operations Research. She spent nine years as an USAF Officer, getting eclectic training in nuclear and chemical warfare. After leaving the Air Force, she labored in software development sweatshops while keeping up her hobby of writing SF. Her first novel, Peacekeeper, debuted in December 2008 from Roc and began a new SF series about Major Ariane Kedros. Laura currently lives with her husband and scientific advisor in Monument, CO, where she writes, gardens, and plays role-playing games.
For an equally formal headshot to go along with the above, see Media Kit. For an informal and sappy remembrance of growing up with dogs and horses, here's an ode to the animals (non-human only) in my life.
Frequently Asked Questions
With such a dry bio, where do you get your ideas?
Hmm, well...everything in one's life is fodder for characters, stories, and fantastic worlds--how does one not get pelted with ideas? Specifically, Minoan Space and the Ariane Kedros Novels started in 1989 while I was getting a briefing from the AFOSI regarding the arriving Soviet inspectors. We were shown pictures of inspectors, and told who were KGB agents and who were scientists. After seeing Soviet inspectors pretend to not understand English (and only during working hours), the seeds for the world of Minoan Space were sown. The alternate world history grew from my interest in Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. I wondered what history might be like if they'd both lived longer. In all this, I placed a character who carries a burden of guilt, conflicting with her sense of duty.
The Chronicles of the Broken Kaskea are set in a world I started creating in college. My travels and experiences since then have developed it into a strange meld of European mythos and cultures. The Tyrrans are consummate horsemen and their society reflects, in a small part, my Finnish heritage (sort of The Kalevala merged with the horse tribes of the Huns).
How did you become published?
Since the fifth grade, I was starting novels. I was very good at starting novels, but they always fizzled out around chapter six. In the late 1990s, I decided to get serious about my fiction writing and worked from earlier notes on my fantasy world (see the Broken Kaskea, above). In a year or so, I'd finished a stand-alone fantasy which I hoped to publish. I did my research--at that time, one sent paper manuscripts and Writer's Market was the only way to find publishers--and made a list of six SF/Fantasy imprints that accepted unagented manuscripts. I sent off my manuscript, and waited nine months to receive the rejection (this was approximately 2000-2001). After that, I realized I was down to only five imprints--that's if the Canadian one accepted U.S. authors. That's when I realized I needed an agent. Luckily, that was also the time I discovered the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. I went to the conference and learned about the publishing industry. I went back the next year, and the next, ad infinitum. After pitching to agents and querying, I finally got representation for my fantasy (around 2004).
Publication didn't immediately follow. My agent decided the fantasy wasn't going to be my first published novel, although she still considered it salable. I changed horses, mid-writing-stream, and pulled out notes on some military-flavored science fiction I had started in the Air Force (see Minoan Space, above). It took another two years to write the novel... but that was the one my agent sold in late 2007 (see A Tale of Two Authors, where you can see how lucky I am to have a stubborn agent). I didn't originally intend to write a series, but I was lucky enough to be offered a three-book contract for novels about the same character, Major Ariane Kedros.
What did you do in the Air Force?
After getting a commission through R.O.T.C. at Colorado State University, I worked in several scientific specialties. First, I programmed and maintained a database at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque NM. My second assignment was Eglin AFB in Ft. Walton Beach FL. There I tested chemical agent detectors, sometimes in full protective gear (see picture) with sweat pooling in my gloves and my breath sounding in my ears like Darth Vader. After that, I career-broadened into tactical nuclear missile operations by training for Ground Launched Cruise Missile at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson AZ. Just before I left for Sicily, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was signed by Reagan and Gorbachev. This treaty gave me the opportunity to escort USSR treaty inspectors on Comiso Air Station. When the Berlin Wall came down, I felt the impact of that event all the way down in Sicily. After nine years, I decided to leave the AF and move back to Colorado.
What's your educational background, and how has it affected your writing?
I have a B.S. in Chemistry from Colorado State University, and an M.S. in Systems Analysis from the University of West Florida. I've also taken core engineering courses and I'm ABD in a Computer Science Doctoral program (ABD is "all but dissertation," meaning that I completed all the coursework, comprehensives, and dissertation-subject approvals required to advance to the dissertation, but then... things happened). Around 1998, I realized that I'd spent 14 of the 17 years after getting my B.S. taking college courses. I didn't want to add up the money I'd spent on tuition. At that point, I decided that I was finished with school and that's when I got serious about writing SF/F.
Did all these classes help me get jobs? Definitely. Did they help my writing? I think so, in the sense that I either postulate "sensible" technology in my SF, or I build interlocking "systems" of magic for my fantasy worlds.
Contacting Me
A link for emailing me (author at ancestralstars.com) is at the bottom of every page of this site. If you prefer the U.S. postal service, use P.O. Box 1063, Monument, CO 80132-1063.
Organizations and Conferences
I belong to several organizations, whose logos (click for home pages) are listed to the right. There are plenty of reasons for joining a writing organization:
- To formalize your writing, and your commitment to write. Once you step over that line to write seriously and seek publication, it helps to join a group, if only to meet like-minded writers and remind yourself of your commitment.
- To improve your craft. My local writer organizations (PPW and RMFW) offer regular workshops to their members. They also have yearly conferences (Pikes Peaks Writers Conference and the Colorado Gold), where you can work on improving your plotting, story structure, character arcs/motivation, voice, conflict, setting, point of view, etc. The SFWA also provides pages on the craft and business of writing, as well as the invaluable Writer Beware pages that identify the many con artists in the writing world.
- To learn about publishing. At these conferences and workshops, you can learn more than you ever wanted to know about publishing. Agents and editors attend these conferences and participate in panels and readings. You'll be able to hear about what genres agents represent, or what types of books an editor works on for a publisher. You can even pitch a finished project to an agent or editor at these conferences (note the important keyword "finished").
- To find a critique group. If you want feedback on your work, you might form or join a critique group. Critique groups are tricky, because the first issue is ensuring the various personalities mesh. Then there's the additional time requirement: you'll spend significant time critiquing the work of others, which should be material you want to read. Before joining a critque group, be sure that you have enough time. Additionally, research various critique methods (an internet search will give you a plethora of advice for running/creating critique groups).
- To support each other's work and projects. Let's face it; your spouse and family will never understand why you spend so many hours in front of the computer, working on something that only gives you angst and headaches. Sometimes you want to go where everyone knows you write, and they're always glad you came... (cue the theme song for Cheers).
- And, ultimately, charge yourself up and rebuild motivation. Sometimes the curriculum of a conference doesn't provide you with anything new. Maybe you've attended those workshops before and seen it all. But just because your logical brain knows that your story needs conflict, your characters must have depth and growth, and your writing should be specific and grammatically-correct, doesn't mean you magically produce it. You have to continually motivate yourself, while being vigilant against sloppy, easy writing. So, if those speakers and workshops have charged you up before—that may be enough reason to go back. Writing is a singular activity, making you responsible for ensuring the writer (you) has enough energy and motivation to keep going. Nobody else is going to care about recharging your batteries.
On the other hand, remember these points:
- You do not need to join a writing organization or go to a conference to pitch to agents. Nowadays almost all agents take queries via email (generally, a query contains a written pitch, but check each agents' posted requirements). You may feel that you've got an "in" by pitching to an agent at a conference but in reality, it will always be the writing that counts. Plenty of writers get representation without ever meeting their agent. Which leads to...
- No one knows the magic key to attracting large amounts of readers. That includes those that are, or have been, published. To some extent, this applies to agents and editors. Editors are paid for their subjective evaluation, which hopefully aligns with the readers they want to attract. Getting published is like trying to find a compatible spouse (actually, harder than that, because you need many compatible spouses: agent, editor, publishing committees, and then many readers). When an editor looks at your work, you're competing with many others of your ilk to attract the reader first, the publisher second. We accept that individual tastes vary when dating, but we easily brush that fact off when considering reading... just because your work doesn't appeal to editor A, doesn't mean that editor B might not want to throw it against the wall and see if it sticks.
- That said, you should always pay attention to similar comments that indicate a problem in your work. A lackluster introduction and a sagging middle won't appeal to many (and I'm talking about readers, not dates, but the analogy still works).
- Never use a conference/workshop as an excuse to push your manuscript on an editor, agent, or even another writer. Likewise, never ask a writer, right after meeting her, to recommend you to her agent (yes, I've had it happen).
Books and Workshops, Anyone?
What sort of books or workshops are valuable to you depends upon your personal needs and personality. But every writer has to strive, continually, to improve. Just because your logical brain knows what makes good story, characters, plots, and prose, doesn't mean you magically produce such material. You have to practice, and you have to learn to edit critically (after you've produced your first draft).
As an introvert (you can substitue "painfully shy" here), I'd generally rather sit down with a book on writing than attend a workshop. However, there are some workshops I'd cross mountains to attend, and I've learned to be circumspect when buying books about writing. While inspirational and genre-specific writing books are fun, the ones that I go back to all the time are more general and craft-specific.
Recommended References
- Dictionary--preferably a reputable one for the language in which you intend to publish. Our society uses a number of words incorrectly and you're probably writing for the five percent of the population who know the correct meaning. As Inigo Montoya, played by Mandy Patinkin, says in The Princess Bride, "You keep saying that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means." Inconceivable!
- The Chicago Manual of Style, from the University of Chicago Press, whichever edition is recent. This will be your copyeditor's bible, as well as the only solid support you can use for supporting your, ahem, more creative editorial decisions. You can subscribe to access the latest and greatest but since my internet access isn't always there for me (shocking, I know, that rural Americans have breaks in internet service and power) and I like to browse (even reference books) as much as search, I keep a hard copy around.
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King. An excellent book that provides exactly what its title says.
- The Elements of Style Illustrated, by Strunk, White, and Kalman. I lost my first copy of Strunk & Whiste, and found I like the new edition just as much, maybe more. Of course, I'm a sucker for illustrated books.
- The Career Novelist, by Donald Maass. I had this on my bookshelf before I started querying my novels. It contains practical advice, which might be necessary for clearing the cobwebs created by listening to the many writing/marketing gurus. It's still about the writing...
- Writing the Breakout Novel (Book and Workbook) and The Fire in Fiction, all three by Donald Maass. I bought the workbook first, then followed it up with the two books. Generally, I'm not interested in writing exercises, perhaps because they don't connect to my current "story" or work in progress (WIP). However, the ones in the Breakout Novel Workbook were so intriguing and relevent to my current WIP, that I had to dive right in. They turned out to be extremely helpful, and I continue to go back to that workbook.
- Between the Lines, by Jessica Page Morrell. What I like about this book is its solid advice. It doesn't make sweeping statements, like many books about novels do, without providing the details. The author isn't afraid to pick apart paragraphs, sentences, word choices, etc. The subtitle says it best: "Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing."
- The Power of Point of View, by Alicia Rasley. A good explanation of how POV ties to Voice (yes, the capitalized one) and the interaction of POV with story (when you need distance, when you don't). As with all the books in this list, I appreciate the practical details and examples that Rasley provides.
Recommended Workshops
- Any workshop given by Donald Maass. Okay, by now I sound like a deranged fan-girl, and some of you have probably noticed that my agent Jennifer Jackson works for the Donald Maass Literary Agency (DMLA). But I was a fan of Maass's books and I listened to his presentation at the PPWC before I ever pitched my fantasy to Jennifer. Honestly, if you have a chance to attend one of his talks or workshops--do it!
- At the last Colorado Gold Conference, I sat through an interesting workshop with Margie Lawson. She introduced her EDITS System, which is a way of dissecting a scene by using colored markers. I tried it with a troublesome scene I had to rewrite. Now, I don't think the EDITS system is for everybody--I actually couldn't apply it all the time, but it helped me understand my scene and figure out what to do with it. My "balance" wasn't off, but I'd strayed from the main conflict of the scene. Lawson's system helped me identify the problem.
- Subject matter presentations and workshops, meaning those that explain forensics, law enforcement, space travel (or the possibility thereof), dark matter, etc., to laypeople. These are often presented at writers conferences and for my genre, at science fiction and fantasy conferences. I find these are better at dislodging and shaking loose those insights and revelations about your WIP, than creativity workshops where they give you prompts and tell you to start writing (am I the only person who freezes up when it comes to public writing?)
Keeping Up with Speculative Fiction
If you want to write science fiction, fantasy, or horror -- make sure you read a wide variety of the genre. In addition, many say to read outside the genre as well, which is sensible. For every two books inside SF/F/H I read, I try to read one outside it (to save time, I cheat and allow non-fiction books to qualify, although I get in a few mysteries and thrillers here and there). Basically, you have to read, read, read, so you don't pull a gaffe with an agent by saying, "Nobody's done what I've done!"
But My Work is So Different...
Some writers claim they don't read SF/F/H because they'll pollute their own world. Hmm. Maybe their world isn't firmly defined? Then there's the writer who wants his or her work to be so different... please don't go down this road. Got technology mixed with magic, a big city with skyrail, railway, airships, populated by bug-people, eagle-people, and human thaumaturges? See China Miéville's Perdido Street Station. Got steam technology, with or without magic? That's a whole sub-genre (steampunk). Distopian? Trapped in the machine? Post-apocolyptic? Join the club. Apocolyptic humor? See Gaimon and Pratchett's Good Omens. Future post-humans quantum-teleporting like gods and recreating Homer's Iliad on Mars? See Dan Simmons Illium and Olympos. Got a twisted fairy tale, ancient mythology/gods impinging on the modern world, Victorian magical dectective, elf/dwarf/fairy Chandler-esque mystery, humorous SF/F/H, vampire/demon noir, fae-ish erotica, dragons/unicorns, sword-and-sorcery, gunpowder-and-alchemy, blobby spaceships hooked to human brains, zombie-creating fog...? Face it, everything has been done before. You just have to use a different twist or combination, evoke different emotions, have unique protagonists and internal struggles, etc.
I'm not saying this to discourage you, because you want your work to be comparible to someone else's published work. When you're pitching your novel to an agent or editor, it's essential that they can imagine the spine of your book on the shelves at a bookstore, next to... other SF/F (and Horror, if they publish your type). It also helps, immensely, if an editor can picture the cover and loglines and back copy--at that point, they're getting excited about your work. If you're still wondering why you need to fit within expectations, remember that editors are in the business to sell books and they know the following:
- Readers tend to buy familiar themes, genres, and authors (and before you protest that your reading habits are different, think about the books you buy, because you're being outvoted by other readers' dollars).
- This is why publishers use covers to tell the reader that they're getting their familiar sub-genre, whether it be hard SF, military SF, alternate history, space opera, traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy...
- But, the rise of urban fantasy resulted in many new novelists. You're right, but urban fantasy is an exception. I got this nearly from the editor's mouth, via one of her authors; apparently they can throw new/debut urban fantasy on the shelves and "it sells, even if an unknown author wrote it." On the other hand, readers tend to stay with their familiar authors when it comes to traditional fantasy. Introducing new authors in traditional fantasy is difficult, and takes time.
- If an editor takes on your novel, she has to convince several publishing committees that it'll be worth the work. This means the editor has to create a profit & loss statement, but how can she do that guesswork with an unknown author? (Hopefully, a light bulb has switched on in your brain.) That's right, she has to pick a published author/novel on which to base her P&L statement. In my case, I was actually told which author my books were being pattered after--meaning my editor would be trying to appeal to that author's readers.
Should I Get An Agent?
If you want to be a career novelist, or if you want to be published by a traditional SF/F imprint such as Ace, Roc, Tor, DAW, Del Rey, then yes. And, in this genre, getting an agent first will improve your chances. An agent that handles SF/F can put your work on the (virtual) desk of the right editors. For instance, junior (less time in the business) editors are more willing to work with new authors, and agents know what types of material these editors are looking for. Having an agent represent your work can help you make your first sale—if you don't believe me, take a look at Jim Hine's survey. And, when it comes to negotiating a contract, agents can protect rights you need to keep as well as increase your advance (by more than their 15% fee, proven in Tobias Buckell's surveys). Many agents don't represent SF/F, so ensure they represent the type of novel you've written and that they're members of AAR before you email your query. Blogs by agents that might help you learn to query: Kristin Nelson, Jennifer Jackson, Nathan Bransford, Jessica Faust's BookEnds Agency, The Rejector (who, technically, is an assistant to an agent), and the now-dark blog of Miss Snark, full of snarky, but valuable tips. Note that some writers have been published without agents (Jacqueline Carey) and continue to pubish prolifically without an agent (L.E. Modesitt, Jr.), but it doesn't hurt to improve your odds, does it?
There are still only a small, incestuous number of traditional publishers for SF and Fantasy (and Horror, but I'll cover that). In the 1980s, less than five U.S. SF/F imprints accepted unagented submissions. I know this, because I combed Writers Market for them. However, the environment has changed since then. Small, independent publishers have popped up, as have eBook publishers, presenting unpublished writers with more avenues. Getting in front of editors for independent and eBook publishers does not require an agent, so this is a different route to getting published.
What About Horror?
Ah, the horror of addressing this <grin>. Here lies controversy, such as whether Horror is a sub-genre of SF/F or its own genre. Whether it's on the upswing or its heydey is over. Whether Horror authors must move to mainstream (like Stephen King) or fade away. Regardless, I'm going to only adress one kind of Horror, which is supernatural horror. There is a non-fantasy kind (i.e., hack-and-slash by human villains and protagonists), but Locus Magazine doesn't count/report these novels and I'm guessing that one has to go with publishers/imprints other than SF/F. Short fiction in supernatural horror, dark fantasy, and dark SF seems to be in demand (see "If you write shorter fiction," below). For novels, there are publishers that specialize in darker fiction, such as Subterranean Press. If you're aiming for the larger traditional imprints, however, I'm guessing that the novel will have to satisfy the specific tastes of each imprint editor and that you'll benefit from having an agent. And, from all of this "guessing," you've probably realized you need more than my take on this—so research deeper.
Resources Specific to SF/F/H
Here's some resources for keeping up with what's published, what's winning awards, etc. I also recommend getting to fan conferences, because that's the best, perhaps only, chance to mingle with a large amount of readers.
- Locus Magazine follows speculative fiction, and it's probably the best reference on what's being published in the genre. Each year, around February, Locus does a review of the previous year. This is where you'll see the state of all SF/F/H publishing, evidence that Fantasy outsells SF and Horror, as well as the fact that Paranormal Romance skewed Locus's numbers until 2007, when they started separating it out. Besides magazine subscriptions, they offer Locus Online (www.locusmag.com).
- If you want to search for authors and what they've published, use the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (www.isfdb.org). I've found this useful for puncturing my "what a unique title I have" bubble.
- The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA, has useful blog entries (www.sfwa.org). Anyone can receive their news bulletin, but full membership is based upon making sales (see their web site). The membership bestows the Nebula Awards. Also, be sure to check their 'Writer Beware' section for frauds masquerading as agents and publishers. Check out Patricia Wrede's Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions, which are good for fleshing out your worlds.
- If you write shorter fiction and want to find markets, check out Ralan.com and Duotrope's Digest.
- The World Science Fiction Convention, otherwise known as "WorldCon," occurs somewhere in the world around August or September. The 2010 WorldCon is in Australia, which is too much of a monetary stretch for me. Sigh. For 2011 WorldCon, however, I'm pretty sure I can get to Reno, NV. The readers at WorldCon bestow the Hugo Awards (note the difference from the Nebula, which is given by writers).
- The World Fantasy Convention is supposed to be a lot of fun, but I've yet to justify the expense. Perhaps when I can get some fantasy published. The 2010 location is Columbus, OH, and the 2011 location is San Diego, CA.
- MileHiCon is the largest Science-Fiction Literary Convention in the Rocky Mountain Region, usually held in late October. Granted, it's a "local" conference for me, but I've been going to it for years and I like it. They'll have over 80 authors and speakers each year, with panels/workshops/presentations on Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Science, Music, Filking, Movies, Publishing, and more (sometimes astronomy, cosmology, etc).
- There are also huge multimedia conventions, such as DragonCon in Atlanta, which orients more on visual media such as film, TV, and art. SF/F/H authors participate here and there in the programming, but will be dwarfed by the movie and TV stars that attend. I am not saying this is good or bad, since I enjoy plenty of SF shows and films--but it's a fact that the U.S. publishing industry is small potatoes compared to film/TV (as is the number of U.S. readers versus U.S. filmgoers and TV watchers). There's also Comic Con (Comic-Con, ComicCon?), which covers all things superhero. I'm unsure whether the big one in San Diego is considered the Comic Con-- so here's a link to multiple conventions.
