Mary Robinette Kowal

Here at the retreat, I’ve been trying to finish Valour and Vanity which is set in Venice. Last night, I was struggling with a scene that involves a gondola and finally decided to go to bed and sleep on it. I plugged my computer into the outlet on the kitchen counter, where I tend to keep

Hello hive mind, I need an expression that gives the effect of “Screw him,” but is something that an Venetian glassmaker in 1817 might say. So, an Italian idiom, translated, would be perfect, but English interjections are also fair game. Also, while I have you, do you know anyone who speaks Venetian?

It was a two chapter day today. No pithy summary of what the day was like, only letting you know that those of you reading along can read Chapter 20 if you like.

Ah… Writing retreats. Such a time of productivity. I finished a chapter before breakfast. La! For those of you reading along, Chapter 19 is up. For everyone else, have a picture of Buster, the muse dog. Good for walks and affection when the plot is stalled.

I am in Chattanooga, TN about to have a writing retreat at my parents’ house with some friends. It’s a good way to spend the last week in September.  Yesteday, I made pimento cheese and a butternut squash lasagna, and I wrote. People have been drifting in so the house is filling up. At this

My dad just described a composter as being “dalek-shaped.”

Dear Internet, I would like a writing tool that works much like Google Calendar, except that it will allow me to set up dates in 1817. Do you have one of those? I need to be able to put my timeline in so that I can look at dates by month, day, or hour, or

I’m heading down to Chattanooga for a writing retreat, so I’m currently sitting on a Megabus. It was an hour and forty-five minutes late. But, we’re underway and I can get some writing done so… here is Chapter 17, for those of you reading along.