Freewoman – Brian Fence

NEWS! And Red-Pens

Hello, everyone! It’s been ages since my last post. Lots of stuff going on. Battling with stress, printers, publishers, etc. BUT! Things are looking up.

First off, I have this wonderful project to do:

That’s right, Freewoman is getting the hardcore editing treatment starting today. I still have to write a chapter or two, but the core is there! Wahoo!

In further news, after battling long and hard with my publisher and printer, my chapbook has finally gone live. You can find it at Amazon, B&N, etc. It’s a collection of poetry about lost love and a queering of traditional ideas. I hope you guys pick up a copy — it’s very raw, and probably NSFW — but it’s my first burst at releasing some poems. I’m particularly in love with my pantoum.

I’ve also been obsessed with LEGO and, much to the chagrin of Chris, the house is quickly becoming a hoarder situation of LEGO towns and castles. Whoops. Just wait till Rivendell launches in March! My precious!

Feel free to check out the book, and if so inclined, purchase it. That’s a hard sale, but if your book store doesn’t carry it, tell them to! It’s fully-illustrated and if you want, you can always contact me to get a signed copy.

That seems like a staunch update. Now to take back that red pen and get scratching…

36 Hours of Puking & 217 Nopon

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written here, not since the release of the great cover art for Freewoman.
Freewoman Teaser Isn’t it lovely? We can thank the truly wonderful Marissa Morris for her creativity and consistency across all three novels. Speaking of Freewoman, I’m chopping away and editing it together bit by bit. Winter is coming.

I’ve been away from the blog because I’ve been away from my computer, mostly. I got seriously ill a few weeks ago and didn’t eat for two weeks or sleep for a week, and I vomited (sorry, I know that’s yucky) for almost 36 hours straight. Not fun at all. The upside of that was that it gave me time to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which is a Very Very Good Game indeed. And of course, it features nopon:

Nopon!! I just can’t get enough of these cute little buggers.

In further news (and it will be updated on my media page), Librarian is book of the month for August at PrideParade.net, down in DC! Yay! I’m glad to represent the LGBTQA+ community in my capacity as a novelist.

Never let anypon tell you can’t reach your dreams, team! Pon! Pon!

Surprise!

The altogether too-talented Marissa (my twin star) has once again delivered beautiful artwork for my upcoming novel, Freewoman. Here’s a teaser for you:

Freewoman Teaser

If you pay close attention to this site, you may see a sample of chapter one coming through…

Back From Ol’ Blighty

Well, hello there! I know it’s been awhile, but after a Tremendous Trip in Orlando (never fly a certain airway company…), Chris and I scurried off to England. It was his first time across the pond, and he only suffered mild trauma from driving in London and then in Cornwall.

Cornwall Coastline

That pic was from Tintagel Castle, where supposedly King Arthur was born! Needless to say, the landscape alone provided plenty of inspiration. We had a lovely time, especially meeting up with my fellow Oxonian, Laura, and figuring out how not to die in a motor vehicle accident.

We also saw Les Mis on the West End; I ugly-cried only four times.

On the writing front, I honestly didn’t get much done as we wandered the countryside. I re-read some Orson Scott Card, whom I can’t decide if he is a misogynist or not; the jury is still out, but his writing is very good for sci-fi and anthropology-likers. I just wish every other sentence wasn’t in a foreign language. I speak enough as it is! Still, his concept of the Speaker for the Dead is very appealing to me; something I hope someone would have the balls to do at my funeral.

Tomorrow, though, I’m heading to our local dive to crank out some more Freewoman. Got that deadline to meet, y’know? And I tend to work better when (1) there are libations and (2) when I’m not covered in cats.

Also, please check out the updated Media page; I’ve included several interviews and even a YouTube interview about my works, style, and writing process. I touch on some issues likes gender fluidity and what it means to be marginalized, so I hope everything checks the links out!

LEVEL UP!

Cue the Final Fantasy battle victory music; I’ve leveled up! It’s been a couple of weeks since my great time at the Winter Getaway with Murphy Writing, a sort of retreat where Chris and I met great people, enjoyed a beautiful hotel, and unwound from life. Much needed, trust me. OH! And I also wrote. A lot.

As you know 2021 was more or less a pile of steaming, hot rubbish for me, but I’m determined to kick that year in the teeth and start things fresh. With a good dosage of Xanax and a shot of vodka, I kicked aside my menial day job and am now focusing solely on Freewoman. Lenna is returning, kids, and this time, it’s Big Business.

Today was a writing session with my friend Sean, and in an hour and a half I tackled my goal of one thousand words — no, I overcame it! My Writing Mage is now level 3.

LEVEL UP!

Tomorrow is another session for me, with another dear friend. Do you think I can hit two thousand? Only Lenna and the Godjewels know… (if you don’t get the reference, read my books!)

That was a shameless self-endorsement, I know. But what can you do? Write on, Bao-Bao, write on.

She’s coming.

Freewoman Teaser

Imaginative TV and the State of Bao

First of all, I must reach out to my beloved Marissa for bringing me an image of the day; her Netflix queue lined up the most perfect mashing to create the best TV show for me in all of existence. Baking is Futile.

Now, onto deeper topics: the state of me, and how I haven’t posted in ages.

Most importantly: the personal, as it’s distracted me from everything else since January. My father became quite ill and was on hospice for many months, and my mother’s illness finally and rapidly progressed into heart failure. My mother passed in May; my father hung on until August. Both my husband and I were temporary caregivers, and the loss has been felt very deeply. I’m thankful for the friends and family who offered succor during what has been a terrible year for me.

Onward to happier things. “The Eighth Bible of New Egypt” is currently up for serialized purchase via Kindle Vella! Please take a moment to check it out if you haven’t already read it before in anthology form; it’s just in time for Halloween. 🙂 PS — give it a thumbs up! It needs some love on the new platform.

Now, the bigger questions. WHERE’S LENNA? WHERE’S MORE JACOB? WHERE’S THE JANET PROJECT?

Well, those are all really, really great questions and I can answer them all!

Freewoman (scheduled for 2021) is being pushed back to 2022 just because of the sheer insanity of my life these days, but over the next few weeks I should have TEASER ART from my beloved cover artist to tide you all over with.

“Jacob Orange” short stories. I actually have three more coming! One is complete, and two more on the way. There are hijinks with Napa cabbage, Eyeballs (yes, they must be capitalized here), and the divine wrath of Victoria’s high heels. Keep your eyes peeled for a release of the next story, “The Progenitor Machine.”

The Janet Project… I haven’t abandoned you, my beloved retelling of the Scottish ballad “Tam Lin.” I have good news: it’s pretty much done its first round. Then it goes through an edit (or two) from me and some peer review, and fingers crossed, you’ll see it at Barnes & Noble in a couple years. I’m hoping to ship it off to some agents/agencies by year-end, so maybe even earlier than 2023. Ambitious, huh?

I’m going to try to keep the blog up-to-date as time permits. The day job that’s paying the bills is a little intense at the moment, but believe me… there’s more to come!

As a special treat after the break, there’s a writing sample from me for a creative fiction publication. If you’ve stuck around this far, go ahead and read it!

Continue reading Imaginative TV and the State of Bao

I’m Still Here, Only Barely Undead

2021 has started out as a cracker of a year for many personal reasons upon which I won’t lament, but I would like the world to give us all a break.

In real news, I have two (2!!) new short stories in the works about Jacob Orange, and work on Freewoman is going ahead a little more slowly than I’d like. But I wanted to assure the world amidst all the chaos that I’m still writing. There’s an Amazon promotion for my first novel going on right now, so check it out with your Kindle or other smart devices. Especially my MFA crew!! Here’s a link: Librarian at Amazon.com.

IN OTHER NEWS, I went hatchet-throwing and landed a bullseye. Pim would be proud (those who get the reference, get it; get the book!). Chris and I have been baking LOTS of bread and making kimchi for days.

Classic Italian Loaf — Class Italian Loaf

Monday night will be my first role as dungeon master in about 6 years. I hope I don’t kill all my players (you know who you are…)! There will be lots of kobolds and other nasties to get ’em.

Anyway. It’s just a brief update for now but expect more to come!!

xoxo

Zombified Flash

It crept upon me, its icy-cold touch a vice on my soul. Light, it said. Give me light, it craved.

The creature’s desire was too strong, and its psychic hold tightening around my heart compelled me. I shall give it light, I thought.

But then I fought back. I cast Fireball. I was a goddamned wizard, after all. Even if the Fireball was more of a potion than a spell.

That evocation only spurred on the creature’s anger, so I brought forward the power of light, whispering the arcane words that summoned it from the ether as I twisted my fingers in sublimation.

And I fell, slipping from cool granite and into oblivion.

Okay, okay… 🙂

Cliché experiment done!

I attempted to change a lightbulb the other day by climbing atop the bathroom sink, slipped, and nearly killed myself, which would be extremely inconvenient for anyone waiting to see Freewoman’s completion.

A few shots of Fireball may have helped this. At least there wasn’t a concussion, just… ZOMBIE FOOT!

Kittens, Life, and Love

I am terribly sorry that I haven’t blogged lately; between dealing with buying a house, getting married (!), losing two cats and gaining two more… it’s been intense! Tack on a brother who physically assaults you at the workplace and you can imagine the fun. Oh well. That’s Big Brother Fence for you (he’ll appreciate the shout out and has been waiting for this validation, so I give it thus). You know, I always wanted to be mocked and poked and threatened to be thrown in the dumpster.

I am pleased to say we’re nice and settled and I’m starting to focus on writing again! The third and final (or is it?) chapter of Lenna’s arc should be completed within the next few months, along with an Audible audiobook edition of Apprentice, narrated by the wonderful Anisha Dadia! Huzzah!

If you haven’t noticed, my short story, “The Eighth Bible of New Egypt,” was picked up by Spark: A Creative Anthology. It’s one of many entries I intend to explore with that character, so def check it out. Besides my work, there are great authors and poets in the anthology so it’s a gem.

Find it here:

Spark: A Creative Anthology, Vol. VIII
Spark: A Creative Anthology, Vol. VIII

Also, we’re doing a limited sale on my remaining signed hardcovers of Librarian and Apprentice… only 100 each from the first press, so take a look at our Facebook page for details!