Author: Richard Parry

Libby

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There are three things I make sure I have: A fitness plan (e.g. gym membership); Health insurance; and A library card. This last seems surprising, right? But when you think about libraries as a great societal equalizer, providing free knowledge to everyone, it makes sense to pack this in your life’s arsenal. Many people don’t know libraries have gone digital, or that you can get newspaper, audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, and online training courses without paying a cent. This is important: people write to me, claiming they can’t afford books (despite paying significant coin for a digital reader to read ’em). They only want free books, or use Kindle Unlimited. I’m here to tell you you’re missing out. Let’s meet Libby. Libby In a recent conversation with a friend, we talked about the differences between traditional and independent publishing. On the Read More …

We’re Alive, but Far from Cool

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You might have heard what happened in Christchurch yesterday. If you’re unaware, here’s our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, speaking for us. I popped a brief note on Twitter yesterday: Racism needs to be stamped out. Terrorism has no place in my home. @TaikaWaititi called NZ racist as fuck, and he wasn't wrong. If you share the video and give these motherfuckers a platform, it's not free speech. You're a nazi and should die in hellfire. https://t.co/omHPDKrQkx — Richard Parry 👾 (@ParryForte) March 15, 2019 I wanted to pen a longer note here as quite a few of you dropped me a line about this. Thank you for your thoughts, and your empathy for what we’re going through. Yes, we’re alive. No, we’re not “good.” Rae and I live in Wellington, which is only an hour from Christchurch by plane (…pretty Read More …

Honest Work (and an excerpt)

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I’m moonlighting with a great team at one of NZ’s premier government departments. They’re good people, doing excellent work, and made me feel right at home (despite my transitory nature and hobo stubble). I’ve kept the writing up a couple days this week too. Can I keep up the target of 5,000 words/day on the days I’m not at a Real Job™? I’m there three days a week, leaving two for lying writing. It turns out, yes. Yesterday, I minted over 5,600 words, and Today’s allotment was just under 4,900. I’d like to try writing during the Real Work™ days too, but things are too busy right now. Let’s see if that’s achievable once things settle down some. Since you’re here, how about a small excerpt? Here’s Chad and Saveria, at a megaplex in San Francisco. No idea if this Read More …

Cold Snap Brings In Otters

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This rain-slicked creature came in about twenty minutes ago, attacked my hand, the dog, my toes, and then fell asleep. She doesn’t object to the current writing studio, because the normal office is cold, and her basket isn’t as good at drying her off as, say, me.

Dragon’s Bargain Is Out!

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ICYMI, Dragon’s Bargain is out, and you can get it for 0.99 (US/UK) for a limited time. Actually, quite limited because I forgot to mention this until today, and the special window is collapsing like a badly-made wormhole. This is the best way to get more Grace Gushiken in your life. [GET DRAGON’S BARGAIN]

Rewriting The Fall of Reason

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I sometimes re-write chunks of work, because it sucks. Most of the time I do this once the first draft is finished, but on starting the finale in the Tyche’s Fallen trilogy (Tyche’s Crusade), I figured it was not what it needed to be. Because I like self-flagellation, I present you with both takes on The Fall of Reason. Neither of these are edited. This is horrible, horrible first-draft stuff (so bad, I threw one version out). But no writing is wasted! You get to join in the suffering with me. The Hard Fail Version “Ash is a nice shade of gray.” Nate pressed his face to the air car’s window, staring down at the streets of San Francisco as they scudded by. The city was still on life support. While buildings no longer burned, shipping new ash into the Read More …

Things Will Be Quieter Around Here

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This week, I’m heading out for some honest labor. I’m working with a great bunch of people at one of NZ’s cooler government agencies (I’m not sure at what level I can talk about it yet, hence the vaguebooking approach). It’ll be hectic for the first four weeks; after that it’ll calm down some. Expect a lower level of frenzy from this site and other comm channels in the short term. This may fill you with elation or dread, or perhaps both; I have the number of a good therapist, if you need one. If it makes you feel better you can still email me, but I’ll probably delete it by accident while I’m remembering how corporate systems work.

Reversing Awkward 😕 to Groovy 😎

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This is one of my world-famous emails, originally sent Sunday, 24 February, 2019. You can get on the list here. It’s New Release Time Remember that time at bandcamp when I asked you* to not buy my books? This is not one of those emails. This week: The Empire’s Rogues, with a launch special; A couple book reviews you may have missed; and Some interviews. * ICYMI: here. The Empire’s Rogues They’re out! Well, some of them, anyway. This is my foray into writing YA fiction, which naturally I know everything about having been a YA in my earlier laps around Sol. The first three stories are live, and … I’m actually nervous. It took a while to build the thin veneer of confidence I show around space opera and cyberpunk. How will the masses take my young Nate & Read More …