Laurel Anne Hill

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“The Engine Woman’s Light” Now Available on Amazon/Kindle

PURCHASE THE ENGINE WOMAN’S LIGHT, KINDLE EDITION

 

A Life-Saving Mission

A mystical vision of an airship appears to fifteen-year-old Juanita in 1894. The long-dead captain commands her to prevent California’s thrown-away people—including young children—from boarding trains to an asylum. That institution’s director plots murder to reduce the inmate population.


Spirits watch over Juanita. But who is she? A mystic in love who holds life sacred?
Or a ghost-possessed railroad-saboteur?

To save innocent lives Juanita must take lives of the corrupt. How can she reconcile her assignment with her belief in the sacredness of all human life? And will she survive to marry her betrothed?

Juanita sets out despite inner trepidation to sabotage the railroad. Her ancestor Billy, the ghost of a steam locomotive engineer, guides her. Then bit by bit, she discovers the gut-wrenching truths all of her ancestors neglected to reveal.

Ghosts, Goggles, Guns and Grit

Come visit Juanita’s world—an alternate nineteenth-century California—where spirits meet steampunk, where both love and anger emanate from beyond the grave.

Sand Hill Review Press, Publisher

Cover art by Julie Dillon,
winner of Hugo & Chesley Awards.

More about Laurel Anne Hill at http://www.laurelannehill.com.

Book Release Schedule

E-book on Amazon as of October 21, 2016

Trade paper: Launch on Saturday,
February 4, 2017, 3:00 p.m.

at Borderlands Books
866 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-8203

 

 

 

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After Twenty Years in a Bathtub, “The Engine Woman’s Light” Chugs Into Port

Five years ago, Dan Kois wrote an article for the New York Times: “Why Do Writers Abandon Novels?”

“Look, writing a novel is like paddling from Boston to London in a bathtub,” Kois quoted Stephen King as saying. “Sometimes the damn tub sinks. It’s a wonder that most of them don’t.”

Right on, Stephen. And sometimes one tub repeats the sinking process.

Way back when (around 1993-4) I wrote a fantasy short story: “Like Flecks of Mica.” The piece didn’t work as a short story. By 1997, I was paddling from Boston to London in my write-a-novel bathtub. The contraption deep-sixed. I raised it and salvaged the remains of my story. The tub sank again. I repeated the process several times, changed the book’s title, and even managed to acquire an agent in 2003. When my agent died, my manuscript turned into a waterlogged zombie. Coated in seaweed, my story threatened to eat my brain. Even my writing group—led by the amazing Charlotte Cook—couldn’t advise me how best to keep the vessel afloat.

Out of self-preservation, I abandoned ship and refocused on other projects. In 2007, KOMENAR Publishing released my award-winning novel, Heroes Arise (ForeWord Magazine Bronze Award, Science Fiction).

Heroes Arise changed the writing “game of zones” for me. I moved into the world of science fiction/fantasy conventions as a fledgling professional. I also encountered more opportunities for the publication of my short stories, including “Flight of Destiny,” a steampunk horror piece that won me the Horror Addicts (HA)/Wicked Women Writers Challenge title of “Most Wicked 2011.”

“Flight of Destiny” was my first attempt at steampunk. To receive a vote of approval from HA listeners meant a lot. In fact, the win thrilled me almost as much as the ForeWord Magazine award had. Best of all, I’d had so much fun creating and recording the story. Wow!

I remember my husband and me sharing a bottle of French champagne to celebrate the occasion. I also recall the warped wheels in my brain rotating, transmuting into brassy nerve. If I could steampunk a short story and win a prize, could I steampunk a failed novel and at least get the blasted thing published?

I revisited my novel manuscript, which was then going by the alias: Mystic Light from the Mountain. The story was supposed to be about Juanita, a young woman on a life-saving mission—a Latina who could visit and communicate with the dead. That wasn’t always on the page. I was too hung up on the ghosts of her ancestors. The first half of the novel felt disjointed. Juanita begged me for more room to do what she had to do.

Goggles wouldn’t be enough. My bathtub needed marine-grade caulking. In other words, my write-a-novel tub would require strong forward momentum and consistent rowing to stay afloat.

A “Flight of Destiny” and Heroes Arise type of momentum and consistency.

I did my best to deliver. Thus, I’m happy to announce that Sand Hill Review Press has accepted my novel manuscript—now entitled The Engine Woman’s Light—for publication. The e-book ought to go live in October or November of this year, with the trade paper edition arriving by early 2017. Hugo Award-winning professional artist, Julie Dillon, has designed the cover.

Hmmm…1997 to 2017 represents twenty years. That’s one hell of a long transit time to London. I’m glad I kept striving to reach port. Juanita tells me she’s pleased, too. We’re grateful for all the people—especially freelance editor, Derek Prior, of Homunculus Editing Services—who tossed life preservers to us (or gave us a tow) along the way.

 

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Call for Submissions for “Fault Zone: Uplift” Writing Contest


 

PRIZE MONEY, WRITING CONSULTATION, PUBLICATION: Call for Short Story Submissions from Laurel Anne Hill, Editor-in-Chief, Fault Zone: Uplift Anthology

I’m looking for strong short stories from non-members of California Writers Club, San Francisco/Peninsula Branch. Our motto is “Writers Helping Writers.” And we do! Please see the writing contest information posted above and below this notice.

Submit unpublished stories or those published only through the San Mateo County Fair. More writing tips (and the link to submit your stories) are on the CWC SF/Peninsula Branch Website: http://cwc peninsula.org/fault-zone/

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Con-Volution 2016: The Age of Monsters (Schedule for Laurel Anne Hill)

Some Monsters Age Better...
Some Monsters Age Better…
...Than Others Do.
…Than Others Do.

Con-Volution 2016 is coming up fast:

September 30 – October 2, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. The program schedule’s live on their website. Go to http://www.con-volution.com/.

I’ve listed my program schedule below and look forward to seeing you.

Laurel Anne Hill

How “Scary” is Science?
Saturday 10:00 – 11:30, Parlor 2036

There was a time where things like organ cloning and replacing body parts with plastics were things that fiction writers used to fuel thrills and chills; now we’re seeing these medical marvels come true. Are they still scary, or have we moved on?

Garrett Calcaterra, J. L. (Jim) Doty, Laurel Anne Hill, Kevin Roche (M), Heidi Stauffer

Devilishly Daring- Demonic Monsters
Saturday 12:00 – 13:30, SandPebble D

We’ll discuss the devils, demons, succubi and lords of the underworld that feature in our genre fiction and media SO often- because we adore them!

Chuck Serface, Loren Rhoads, Emerian Rich, J. L. (Jim) Doty, Laurel Anne Hill (M)

How Cthulu Became Cuddly?
Saturday 17:00 – 18:30, SandPebble B

How did the most terrifying beings of our imagination become cuddly plushies, love interests, and punchlines? We’ll look at the intersection of horror and humor, and whether they enhance or deface the genre.

Deborah J. Ross, Ms. Jennifer Carson, Laurel Anne Hill, Lee Moyer (M)

Meet HorrorAddicts.net!
Sunday 10:00 – 11:30, SandPebble C

Meet and chat with the authors who comprise HorrorAddicts.net, and find out more about their monster favorites!

Emerian Rich (M), J. Malcolm Stewart, Loren Rhoads, Laurel Anne Hill, Sumiko Saulson

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WorldCon 2016: Schedule for Laurel Anne Hill, August 17-21, Kansas City, MO

Laurel Anne Hill, Author of "Heroes Arise" and plenty more.
Looking forward to meeting you!

Kaffeeklatsch: Pat Cadigan, Laurel Anne Hill, Shanna Swendson, Carrie Vaughn

Thursday 15:00 – 16:00, 2211 (KKs) (Kansas City Convention Center)

Oceans: The Wettest Frontier

Friday 10:00 – 11:00, 3501F (Kansas City Convention Center)

Although science fiction tends to focus on strange environments in space, there are also strange environments (with aliens) here on Earth. Discuss fiction set in oceans — on Earth and elsewhere.

James Cambias, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill, Patricia MacEwen, Christopher Weuve (M), Alyx Dellamonica

The Steampunk Explosion

Friday 14:00 – 15:00, 3501H (Kansas City Convention Center)

Steampunk is one of the most popular and fast growing sub genres in fandom.  From costuming to films to comics.  Is there more that spurred its the rapid growth than “it looks cool”?  Can Steampunk maintain its primacy in fandom?

Gail Carriger, Mr. Jeffrey Cook, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill (M), Nina Niskanen, Carrie Vaughn

Ethics of Tomorrow in Young Adult Fiction

Friday 15:00 – 16:00, 2204 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Do young adult authors have a role in creating the ethical attitudes of tomorrow? How can young adult authors of SF&F write characters and stories that will inspire tomorrow’s adults and leaders to be more open-minded, tolerant, and moral? Do you see that happening in today’s young adult science fiction and fantasy, or not?

Jane Ann McLachlan (M), Tamora Pierce, Kathryn Sullivan, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill

Hard Fantasy — Does it Exist?

Friday 19:00 – 20:00, 2209 (Kansas City Convention Center)

‘I’m going to write about what Tove Jansson called “the lonely and the rum,” the unschoolable and ungroupable, those strange and shaggy literary creatures that have no ilk or kin and that mathematically can be contained in no set smaller than the set of all sets contained in no other sets’.  (Michael Swanwick).

Does Hard Fantasy have a place in fantasy literature, and how should we approach it?

Michael Swanwick , Mr. Preston Grassmann (M), Sebastien de Castell, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill, Courtney Schafer

Writers Workshop 9B

Saturday 13:30 – 15:30, Lester Young B (Marriott, Writing Workshop) (Kansas City Marriott Downtown)

Susan Forest, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill

Space Technology Spinoffs

Saturday 16:00 – 17:00, 2210 (Kansas City Convention Center)

There have been some 2,000 technological products, inventions and ideas trasferred from NASA missions to commercial products and services. Of these, many have made life on Earth better in the fields of health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and environment, information technology, and industrial productivity. Panelists discuss their favorite examples of space technology spinoffs.

Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill, Les Johnson, Janet Freeman-Daily (M), Joy Ward, Brenda Cooper

Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading: Group Reading

Sunday 10:00 – 11:30, 2504B (Kansas City Convention Center)

Join members of Broad Universe — a nonprofit association dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and promoting female authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror — as they read tidbits of published works and works in progress. Hosted by Loren Rhoads.

Loren Rhoads (M), J. Tullos Hennig, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill, Roberta Rogow, Kathryn Sullivan, Paula S. Jordan, Katie Li, A C Ellas, Tamara Jones, Wendy Van Camp

Terraforming Terra: Geoengineering for Climate Change Survival

Sunday 12:00 – 13:00, 3501B (Kansas City Convention Center)

What can we do in terms of really big engineering projects to change or adapt to what looks like a pretty hot, wet, and stormy future?

Gregory Benford, Ian McDonald, Patricia MacEwen, John DeLaughter PhD, Elizabeth Moon, Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill (M)

PLUS, Laurel Anne Hill is in charge of the Broad Universe Table (Section I, Table #17) in the Dealers’ Room, and will be spending around 15 hours there during the con. Please drop by.