by Joseph Malik | Feb 16, 2021 | Dragon's Trail, General, Worldbuilding
Part One: What It Is and What It Ain’t Disclaimer: There is no “correct” way to write a novel. I keep getting asked, “How did you sell so many books?” The Short and Scrappy Guide to Novel Writing reflects what has worked for me. I’ve been asked...
by Joseph Malik | Nov 9, 2020 | Dragon's Trail, General, In The Press, The New Magic
Well, it’s been nine months. I’d say that a lot has happened, but that’s kind of an understatement. COVID hit Washington State early, in late February, right after RadCon. The Army wasted no time in designating me “Essential Personnel”...
by Joseph Malik | Aug 21, 2019 | Dragon's Trail, General, The New Magic, Worldbuilding, Writing Craft
“. . . within four hours of announcing that I’d engineered sexual violence out of my worldbuilding—that I’d used it in Dragon’s Trail to show the difference in societies but I’ll never use it again—Dragon’s Trail sold every paperback copy that we’d brought.”
by Joseph Malik | Aug 9, 2019 | Dragon's Trail, General, In The Press, The New Magic
So, here we are. I’ve been a little busy; apologies for the lack of updates. Lots of huge things going on, and the biggest one right now is that I’m going to be appearing on three panels at WorldCon in Dublin on the 15-16 of August. I’ll also be...
by Joseph Malik | Mar 22, 2019 | Dragon's Trail, General, The New Magic, Worldbuilding, Writing Craft
This is an extension of a post I made over at Mythic Scribes in which authors were asked to explain their magic systems in five bullet points. This was fun, in no small part because with the increased role of magic in, well, The New Magic, some readers have been...
by Joseph Malik | Nov 15, 2018 | Dragon's Trail, Eligibility, In The Press
Greetings, and thank you. This is my second year of eligibility for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in science fiction or fantasy. My second novel, The New Magic, is also eligible for both the Hugo and the Nebula in 2019. The New Magic launched into...