I read two excellent blog posts recently. China Mieville’s one on Tolkien, and James Van Pelt’s one on George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones.

And, as good posts always do, they got me thinking. And that usually means a long post here, so be warned…

(It also means I will probably end up stating the obvious, or things that everyone else thought of ages ago, so bear with me, smile and nod etc. You can talk about me behind my back later on, ‘k?)
What I ended up thinking about is tragedy.

And whether we shy away from tragedy in our stories. We like our happily ever afters. Our neatly wrapped up Hollywood endings. Our final kiss.

And yet…

So many of the “bigger” stories, for want of a better word, don’t end up that way. Not better stories, I’ll hasten to add. But the sweeping tales, the ones which resonate with us and last. Many of them don’t have that pat ending, that neat wrap up where, as Miss Prism said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” Or if they do, they get there by means of great tragedy and personal sacrifice.

Is it the case that we’re not as geared up for those sort of endings anymore? I don’t think that’s the case, as the end of Game of Thrones and its phenomenal popularity attests.

I’m in a bit of a weird situation in that I write both fantasy and romance. A happy ending is kind of a pre-requisite for a romance. But that to me doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be trials and tribulations in order to get there. On the contrary, the happy ending is all the more sweet if it has taken effort to reach it, if there has been a real sense of “there is no way this can be resolved” before somehow, it is.

Perhaps its coming from Ireland. Tragedy is a major player in Celtic legends, no matter what the source or derivation. Cuchullain, Diarmuid and Grainne, Deirdre and the sons of Usna, Bran and Branwen, Blodeuwedd and Tristan and Isolde. Even Arthur himself. Not a hint of a happy every after among the lot of them.

I like a story that brings me to tears. I like a story that brings me to tears and then makes me feel good again, so that even if the loss is very great indeed there is a small comfort in that it has been for a purpose.

What do you think?

In the midst of all the fun of Excerpt Monday, I found out that The Scroll Thief is available for pre-order on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Nearly deafened half the population of the western hemisphere alone.

Well, okay, Twitter anyway.

Here are the links:

The Scroll Thief (Amazon.com)

The Scroll Thief (Amazon.co.uk)

eta: AND The Book Depository!

It all looks very sparse right now, but OMG (here I go again!) SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*a few deep breaths later*

You can pre-order. How exciting is that????

I’m testing cross posting right now.

Let’s see if this works…

Very very exciting news today. I got the print date for my novel The Scroll Thief: a Tale of Ithian. It’s going to be available from 1st December 2009. Actually in print. On paper! YAY!

Of course, its already available as an ebook if you are so inclined. 🙂

I’ve just signed the contract for The Wolf’s Mate, the sequel to The Wolf’s Sister.

We’re talking about releasing 1 & 2 as a single print volume after epub, and then my writing the third part as a short novel! More details as and when I have them.

Just got word that Soul Fire will be released from Samhain on the 7th July this year as an ebook. The print version should follow about 10 months later, all being well. So here’s the blurb:

Iron born and iron bred. Trust not iron, it will see you dead.

Rowan Blake could really use a magic wand to keep her struggling art gallery afloat. But the faerie key she stumbles across is far from a lucky charm. It’s a magnet for danger, and by touching it she’s unwittingly put herself in the middle of a war between the forces of light and dark. And in the arms of its rightful owner, Prince Daire.

While searching for his brother, Daire finds himself trapped in the Iron World with a mere mortal woman who ignites his passion like no other. Each stolen kiss deepens their attraction and sends him spiraling closer and closer to the edge of his inherent dark desires. Desires that act as a homing beacon for the Dark Sidhe, who are intent on forcing him to fight on their side.

The longer he lingers in her arms—and in her bed—the closer his enemies get to her door. And the greater the risk that the gateway to the Faerie Realm will shift, destroying not only his power to protect her, but his very life.

From Ireadromance.com

4 glasses of wine (sounds good to me and I will emulate this evening!) out of 5.

“If you’re looking for an imaginative read then I recommend fantasy author R.F. Long! … Arcane magic and shapeshifters keep the story a page-turner and twists are around every corner. Goddesses tend to do that, though.”

Woo-hoo! Many thanks Natalie.

The lovely Grace Draven interviewed me about all sorts of things on her livejournal. Come and have a chat.