A Quote on Failure & Success

I wrote a blog post on the Author Allsorts blog about failure & success.

AUTHOR ALLSORTS

“L’échec est le fondement de la réussite.”

I bought a bag from a charity shop with those words on them when I was fifteen. I knew enough french to know what “est le fondement de la réussite” meant, but not the first word. I showed my French teacher on the Monday.

“Failure,” she said. “It means failure.”

At fifteen, I didn’t really get it. I was such a Type A personality as a teen. I mean, I still am, but back then an A- would make me cry for an hour. I’m not joking. Perfectionism had caused problems for me–overworking myself in school, acute anxiety, an eating disorder, and a constant, internal refrain that I wasn’t good enough. How was failing even an option, much less a foundation for success?

The original quote is a paradox by Lao-Tzu, and the full saying is: “Failure is the…

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2014 Awards Eligibility

As many authors put up entries on award eligibility, I figured I’d do it, too, just in case anyone wishes to nominate my work:

Novel:

Shadowplay, January 2014, Strange Chemistry Books

Short Story:

“They Swim Through Sunset Seas” in Solaris Rising 3, August 2014, Solaris Books

If self-published work is eligible for anything:

Vestigial Tales:

“The Snake Charm,” June 2014, Penglass Publishing (novelette)

“The Fisherman’s Net,” July 2014, Penglass Publishing (short story)

“The Tarot Reader,” August 2014, Penglass Publishing (novella)

“The Card Sharp,” September 2014, Penglass Publishing (novelette)

(Note: the Vestigial Tales are on sale for 99 cents each on Amazon and pay-what-you-want on Smashwords. Feel free to download them for free if you’re short on funds, or if you can, buy them for the price of a cup of coffee. Purchase links here.)

Quite nice to see a wee list of all I published last year. A few things to come in 2015, too! 🙂

Books Read in January

Not too many books this month, between my holiday, having a lot of admin work (thanks, taxes), and being in the middle of two longer books. Mainly I was looking for my comfort genre, fun YA fantasy.

1. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. Read it in one sitting on the plane to Hong Kong. SO much fun and I can’t wait for the sequel!

2. The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan. I was lucky enough to be sent an ARC of this and it was so lovely. Literary fiction set in a circus that plays with gender and sexuality, in a Waterworld type of setting. Definitely recommended.

3. Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd. I really enjoyed The Madman’s Daughter when I read it a few years ago, so it was nice to come back for the sequel. Really well plotted and good fun.

4. Blythewood by Carol Goodman. This is set in a boarding school, with fae, bell magic, a mysterious shadow man, and family histories. I did enjoy it but it felt like there was a lot to put in one book, and perhaps some things could have been pared down, but I’ll probably read the sequels.

I also read about a book’s worth of essays, articles, and short stories for my Masters, as well as some judging for the Bisexual Book Award.