I am absolutely delighted to welcome Angry Robot Author,Marianne de Pierres to the blog today to share a Guest Post on her reading and writing influences.
Marianne's Adult science fiction novel, Peacemaker will be hitting the shelves on the 29th of April 2014 by Angry Robot!
So without further ado let me turn the blog over to Marianne....
My Reading and Writing Influences
I was so blessed as a child. My parents had a cosy library, complete with armchairs and an open fire. I spent hours in that room as I was growing up, getting to know a whole bunch of writers and their beloved characters. There was The Secret Garden and Charlotte’s Web and like everyone else, I cried when Charlotte died! As I grew older, I met Zane Grey and all his romantic, frontier-loving cowboys, and a lot of other boys adventure stories like the Tom Swift series. I never once thought that I couldn’t be one of those canyon-climbing, lion-taming boys.
Then I fell into a reading period where I gobbled up historical sagas, books by Anya Seton and Sigrid Undset. My immersion in their reimagined histories spurred me to read encyclopaedias on European history (just saying that sounds SO nerdy!). By my late teens/early twenties, I was swinging wildly between reading science fiction (A. C. Clarke) and more general fiction writers like Carlos Castaneda and Gabriel García Márquez. Then came the fat fantasy era … and I read tons of them. The best of all was ASH by Mary Gentle, which was a genre bending masterpiece. I LOVED that book. By the time I’d numbed my fantasy sensibilities, I was in my forties, and I succumbed to a long period of just science fiction: Ian McDonald, Stephen Baxter, Jonathon Lethem, M. John Harrison, Ken MacLeod, Peter F. Hamilton, Nancy Kress, Tricia Sullivan and Justina Robson. Now I’m fifty plus and it’s crime, crime, crime. Nordic Noir. Spartan Noir.
Peacemaker, the novel I’ve just written (and the reason for this blog tour), is a Western, future fantasy, Australian Noir (and may well be hiding some SF). I guess you can now see how that might have happened!
Meet The Author:
Marianne de Pierres is the award winning author of the acclaimed Parrish Plessis, Sentients of Orion and Peacemaker science fiction series.
Marianne is an active supporter of genre fiction and has mentored many writers. She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, three sons and three galahs. Her Night Creatures series, Burn Bright, Angel Arias and Shine Light has been very popular among young adult fiction readers.
Marianne is also the Davitt award-winning author of the Tara Sharp humourous crime series under the pseudonym Marianne Delacourt.
Peacemaker
Title: Peacemaker
Published: April 29th 2014 by Angry Robot
Pre-order the book: Amazon - Book Depository
Synopsis:
Virgin Jackson is the senior ranger in Birrimun Park - the world's last natural landscape, overshadowed though it is by a sprawling coastal megacity. She maintains public safety and order in the park, but her bosses have brought out a hotshot cowboy to help her catch some drug runners who are affecting tourism. She senses the company is holding something back from her, and she's not keen on working with an outsider like Nate Sixkiller.
Any aspiring writers or authors out there? Share your reading and writing influences with us!
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Have you read Marianne's Night Creatures series, Burn Bright, Angel Arias or Shine Light? If so what did you think of them?
I have heard about Marianne's other series, but haven't read it. I really like the cover for Peacemaker, it's so different from most covers out there! The blurb sounds interesting as well!
ReplyDeleteI really like the recent covers from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry-They've been doing a great job!
DeletePeacemaker is definitely unique-Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lola! :)
Sounds scary, thrilling, and exciting! And I love the cover, although it makes me think of Les Miserables, and a revolution. But maybe that's just me? There.
ReplyDelete