This week sees the book getting officially launched on Wednesday. This week I’ll be doing a series of five posts about the interior art. Comment on a post to be entered to win one of three pieces of Near + Far jewelry; comment on all five posts and you’ll be entered five times.
So left to right above are five of the interior illustrations from the book. One of the things Mom said to me last night was how much she was enjoying the afternotes, so I’m trying not to repeat those too much, but to add a touch more to them.
Leftmost is a star like pattern, which accompanies far future story “Timesnip,” in which 18th century Victoria Woodhull copes with life in the future as a traveling saleswoman dealing in time travel. It’s actually a version of one of the other illustrations, arranged in a star cluster, which mark didn’t point out to me till later. That seems very fitting, given the circularity of the story.
The second pattern is one that accompanies the story “Amid the Words of War.” Its cramped interior echoed the desperation on Six’s part that I wanted to convey over the course of the story. The story is about war and conflict and the distrust they force on each other. The pieces in the book are black and white and here Mark’s chosen to create a white “eye” for a number of the illustrations which (to me) just adds to the coolness and makes each one become a creature presenting itself sideways to the camera.
The third design accompanies the story “Kallakak’s Cousins”. Again, there’s that eye looking out, and sometimes it’s a creature and sometimes a face, sometimes a helmet built of butterflies and submarines.
The fourth accompanies a flash piece, “Futures.” It resembles a submarine, or perhaps a rocket ship, although once more there’s an eye, set dead center in this case.
The fifth is used with the slipstream afterlife story, “Bus Ride to Mars.” It’s one of Mark’s older pieces, a sideways slash of a piece that appears differently in here than in the book itself.
Near + Far jewelry, based on interior art by Mark W. Tripp.
Wow, this is great Cat. I can’t wait to both see and read the book! I like the way the designs evoke the essence of Hindu and/or native indigenous art. Very well done!
Love these, and wish I had all five. I like the blue to green background gradient, which sets off the ink drawings so well. I think my favorites are the rocket ship fourth one, and then the eight point star first one. Congrats on Wed book send off!
I really like the visual cacophony of #3…guess I’m not all about the fives today after all, although #5 is a close second for me. It looks like an idealized, mechanized beetle.
Each piece is this series is highly evocative. Wonderful work by Mr. Tripp, and I’m sure the stories they’ve been paired with are equally delightful.
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"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."
~K. Richardson
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Advice on Writing Mentors
Colette's husband used to lock her in an attic to force her to write. Don't assume a mentor is going to go that far. You're the only one who determines how productive (or not) you are.One of the things that sometimes comes up when talking to new writers is the question, “How do I acquire a mentor?” There’s a glazed and desperate look in the eyes of each querier, and sometimes a bit of professional jealousy, because occasionally we see people in positions where we’re not convinced they really should be, and an easy explanation is that a mentor’s personal pull helped get them there.
Well, maybe. But I don’t know that the kind of mentor people are envisioning really happens that often. They’re thinking of a wise, kindly figure who will guide their career through writing advice, secure them spots in anthologies and magazines, and make sure they appear on award ballots.
That’s pretty goddamn rare, and sometimes what one is attributing to the influence of a mentor is actually the writer’s hard work and talent for networking. And networking helps a lot — but it can’t substitute for enough skill to write at the professional level, at least in my opinion.
I do have people who have helped me along, and they’ve been great. I don’t think of any of them in this light, though. They’re people I can go to for the occasional sanity check or word of encouragement, sure. But are they out there sedulously working away on my behalf? No. They have their own careers to build, their own projects to promote, their own words to write.
You can’t just wait for a mentor to arrive. Or even just mail someone and say, “I want you to be my mentor.” You need to a) be writing and b) be getting yourself out there through publications, participation in social networks and message boards, and working with other people. One of the most valuable things I did for myself was agreeing to help edit Fantasy Magazine. Beside teaching me a ton, it brought me in contact with a number of people. I even got to hold a manuscript from Tanith Lee in my hands and email her how excited I was to be publishing something from her.
And take classes, for Pete’s sake. That’s one of the best ways to not just improve your craft, but do a little networking on the side. I tell my students to let me know when they publish something so I can spread it on social networks, although that’s a somewhat self-serving act – it helps me publicize my classes when I’m able to point to people getting published and take some smidgen of unwonted credit for it. 😉
Let’s say you do find a writer who’s further along in their career path than you are, and who seems to be amenable to providing you some guidance. What then? Well, be a good mentee and help them help you. Here are my suggestions for doing so.
Be proactive. Don’t limply wait for a mentor to lift you up. A mentor is not an excuse to stop working on your own behalf. Do shit. Look for opportunities to get your name out there, just as you would without a mentor.
Be responsive. Answer e-mails. Let them know what you’re up to. Don’t be one of those flakey writers who vanish for months and then reappear with daisies in their hair, acting as though they had never been gone. Don’t let suggestions slide by without acknowledgement.
Be appreciative. Say thank you or acknowledge their efforts in other ways. They don’t have a quota of people they need to help each month. Every minute spent helping you is being taken from their own store of work time, and for all of us, that’s a valuable commodity.
Listen. If your mentor suggests something, either do it or tell them why you’re not (and have a good rationale for that). (See also: Be responsive.)
Be pleasant to work with. Save the cynical or curmudgeonly attitude for elsewhere, and don’t be a sad sack bemoaning your own lack of talent just so you can evoke reassurances. Positivity, cheerfulness, and good humor make for someone who’s pleasant to help – negativity, gloom, and humorlessness make it a discouraging, uphill battle.
Be a good sport. A mentor has their own life. And they may have other people they’re helping. In fact, if they’re helping you, they probably do. Don’t act like a jealous sibling if they’re paying attention to someone else.
Be a good citizen. It’s never too early to start paying it forward, to helping other new writers publicize their work. Volunteer to read slush or help staff tables at a convention. One of the best ways to promote yourself is by promoting other people, even though that may seem paradoxical.
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1) Checking all the tech stuff ahead of time really pays off. 2) The nigh-paralyzing sensation of being on video wears off and is gone by the second time. 3) The chat window is super useful. 4) Remember to unmute microphone when speaking. 5) Feed the cat before starting or he will come climb on your back in the middle of talking.
12 Responses
I was looking at these today and the details are so rich and gorgeous, yet simple at the same time, much like your writing.
Wow, this is great Cat. I can’t wait to both see and read the book! I like the way the designs evoke the essence of Hindu and/or native indigenous art. Very well done!
Love these, and wish I had all five. I like the blue to green background gradient, which sets off the ink drawings so well. I think my favorites are the rocket ship fourth one, and then the eight point star first one. Congrats on Wed book send off!
Those are lovely pendants. I like the feel of them. I’d be happy to wear one.
I love sci-fi and so do my daughters, so we can’t wait to read your Near + Far! The jewelry is sooo cool! I am very excited for you, Cat!
You’ve inspired me to try working with epoxy resins in my jewelry making. I love the look of these.
Mark and I have really been having fun with the resin. I’ve been making some pieces with bottle caps as well.
Love them! What a fantastic idea. If you want to do a giveaway, I’m game. although I’d want to give away to myself. hahaha.
I meant if you want to do one on my blog. doh. And now I’m at least entered once myself.
Totally happy to provide one for a giveaway on the blog! Mail me what you would need – jpgs of the covers?
Beautiful pieces, and what a fun idea!
I really like the visual cacophony of #3…guess I’m not all about the fives today after all, although #5 is a close second for me. It looks like an idealized, mechanized beetle.
Each piece is this series is highly evocative. Wonderful work by Mr. Tripp, and I’m sure the stories they’ve been paired with are equally delightful.