Oh Look! A Sparkly Thing!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s almost July 4, and for so many summers as a kid, while we waited for the big Zionsville fireworks display (a classic, with firetrucks standing by in the grassy meadow), we played at home with sparklers.

We waved them, we bent the ends and spun them, we wrote our names in the sky with them. We chased each other with them.

SO FUN!

I found a website called TOPS Malibu, (which I don't know what is), that says “It is believed that the creator of sparklers was a Greek architect by the name of Callinicos of Heliopolis, who invented them around 670 AD. He made a firework weapon called a cheirosiphon, which was first designed to fend off arriving enemy ships. It was a hand-held firework that could shoot flames towards the enemy. It was also known as Greek Fire, which you may have heard about on History Channel…”

We certainly shot flames toward the enemy. With five siblings, each one of us had at least four enemies. 

Not to mention zapping the mosquitoes, organizing firefly parades, and seeing if we could put a burning sparkler into someone's mustardy hotdog, or experimenting whether you could toast marshmallows over them.

According to Chemical Safety Facts, “A sparkler is a type of hand-held firework that burns slowly and emits colored flames, sparks and other effects. A sparkler is typically made from a metal wire coated with a mix of potassium perchlorate, titanium or aluminum, and dextrin. Aluminum or magnesium also helps create that familiar white glow.”

A site called “Compound Interest” goes on to say “When heated, these oxidiser compounds decompose, and when they do so they all, regardless of their identity, produce oxygen as one of the products of the decomposition.

The production of gasses during the decomposition reaction also forcibly ejects bits of the burning powdered metal from the sparkler. This causes the sparkler’s effect, as they continue to burn, and react with oxygen to produce metal oxides.”

Forcibly ejects bits of burning powered metal.

SO FUN!

On YouTube, Chemical Kim says they can burn at 1200 F (648.89 C.) AND that if you try to put them out in water, they still burn because of…something. I forgot. Oxides. So forget about dousing them, it won’t work.

SO FUN!

The McGill University Office for Science and Safety says: The solid-fuel boosters of the Space Shuttle were essentially giant sparklers. They were filled with a mixture of aluminum powder and ammonium perchlorate held together with a rubber binder. The intense glow emanating from the booster at lift-off was caused by the extremely exothermic reaction of aluminum with the oxygen provided by the decomposing perchlorate. By Newton’s third law, for every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. The Shuttle blasted upward as the hot combustion products emerged from the tail of the boosters.

EXACTLY. The “extremely exothermic” reaction was what made them so irresistible. Thank you, Callinicos!

Sparklers are illegal in Massachusetts, and in my super-quick survey, it looks like they may be legal everywhere else in the US.

Reds and Readers, do you have sparkler memories?

THE JOURNEY TO ROMANTASY

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Maria V. Snyder is so hilarious—she always says she’s: “the most famous person you have never heard of.”



Is she right? She’s a New York Times bestselling author of 23 fantasy and science fiction novels, and two short story collections.

You’d THINK you’d know of her right? (And knowing you brilliant Reds and Readers, I bet some of you do.)

But in book world, we always talk about timing. There’s a time for everything, and sometimes there’s a wrong time, and there’s also the perfect time.

Because about 24 years ago, Maria started writing “romantasy.”

Look at the Times Bestseller list now—FULL or romantasy. (And our amazing Jenn is right in the midst of that irresistible genre field.)

Every genre has its history and its journey—and Maria Snyder is certainly part of ramantasy’s origin story.

 

 THE JOURNEY TO ROMANTASY

by Maria V. Snyder

 

First off - thank you so much for inviting me to write a blog for you! I’m truly honored.

I started writing back in the mid 1990s when my job as an environmental meteorologist failed to satisfy my creative side. I wrote a bunch of cheesy science fiction short stories that weren’t published. (Astonishing! I know!)

Then, I started writing my first fantasy novel, Poison Study because, at the time, the fantasy genre was dominated by male authors, with male main protagonists.

Female characters were always side characters and many were in need of being rescued.

Fantasy stories were also very traditional, following the fantasy conventions set by Tolkien. I wrote Poison Study because I was so tired of reading those novels. I wrote a book I wanted to read!

I had a difficult time finding an agent, and, after 40 rejections, I sent the manuscript to publishers. The rejections rolled in. The traditional fantasy publishers at the time: TOR, DAW, BEAN, ROC, Del Ray, etc. passed on it (17 in total!). I was told there was not enough political intrigue, not enough setting details, not enough authentic language for a medieval fantasy (I never said it was set in medieval Europe), too much romance.

Running out of publishers, I almost put the story in the proverbial trunk, when I learned Harlequin started a new imprint called LUNA Books. They were actively seeking fantasy stories with strong female protagonists and romantic subplots. Poison Study fit right in and was accepted in 2003. Poison Study was released October 2005 (the same month/year as Twilight).

LUNA Books was the original publisher of what is known today as Romantasy (a portmanteau of romance and fantasy genres).

Unfortunately, they were about 15 years ahead if its time.

After two years of publishing Romantasy titles, LUNA pivoted to publishing only Urban Fantasy titles, which was the hot new trend. LUNA held on for a few more years, but eventually went to imprint heaven.

Fortunately for me, Harlequin moved my titles to their MIRA Books imprint and continued to publish my titles. Until the Dark Lord…er…HarperCollins bought Harlequin and I was dropped. Yes, lots of tears, but I’m extremely lucky that I have a group of loyal and supportive readers who have followed me on my independent publishing journey.

Fast forward to 2024 where Romantasy is the hot new trend. Goodreads has added a new Best Romantasy category to its yearly Choice Awards. Authors like Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sarah J. Maas, Travis Baldree, Scarlet St. Clair, and Rebecca Yarros are hitting the bestsellers’ list with their new Romantasy releases.

Why is it so popular? Remember when I said Poison Study came out the same time as Twilight? Well, those avid readers of Young Adult books have grown up. They still love romance with fantasy, but they are adults now and want books with more adult themes and spicier sex scenes.

The beauty of Romantasy is there’s a wide gamut of stories and fantasy characters with all levels of spice. There are no limits. No one is saying you can’t write a reverse harem because of old fashioned genre conventions.

As one of the older Romantasy titles, Poison Study (and its sequels Magic Study and Fire Study) is having a resurgence. Two book box companies, FairyLoot and The Bookish Box, have published limited special editions with pretty sprayed edges. MIRA Books has updated the cover art for my first three titles so it matches the Romantasy trend. The audiobooks were rerecorded and released for world wide distribution. Plus they are actively promoting my books. Yay!

Will Romantasy’s popularity peak? Will another hot new trend come along to dominate the market? Of course! Like everything in publishing, it’s cyclical. However, in this era of independently published authors, there will always be a wide variety of books for readers to discover!

Thanks again for inviting me! See you in another 20 years! 😉


HANK: Isn’t this fascinating? What do you think, Reds and Readers? Are you part of the romantasy wave? (or—is it more than a wave?)

Do You Do The Worst First?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Have you ever heard of precrastination? I read, with some bemusement, an article about his supposed thing the other day. The gist of it is that when there's something on your to-do list that you DON’T want to do, but have to do, that you do the hardest thing first, so you’re NOT putting it off. So, obviously, it’s the opposite of procrastination.

(And thinking about it, pro–crastination does not mean you are in favor of crastination.) (Unless crastination means doing the thing, which I refuse to look up, but I bet it doesn’t.) (Okay fine, I just looked it up, and it's not even a word, except an obsolete word that means procrastination.)

But it made me wonder: do I do the difficult thing first? Hmm. Sometimes, I might. When I get my book edits back I definitely do the easiest suggestions first, so I feel like I am accomplishing something. Then do the hard ones.

On Sundays, when I have to do the laundry, I do it first thing, even before breakfast, to get it over with and I don't have to worry about it anymore and it’s not hanging over me.

On the other hand, I was supposed to do my book tour expenses when I got back from tour in March. But I hate doing expenses so much that I have not aggregated and submitted them. (It’s JULY now, remember.)

Think about that. If I do the expenses, I will get MONEY, but it is such a pain that even so, I would rather not do them. (And hey, I am organized about receipts and things, it’s not disorganization, it’s just–boring. And fiddly. And math.)

Eating, too, can have precrastination. When my husband has a muffin, he eats it from the bottom up. And saves the delicious top, the best part, for last. I am baffled by this. I would never do that. First, since the first bite is the best, why waste that on the part that’s not the best? And once you eat the whole rest of it it, you won’t be hungry for the top any more, and that’s a waste ,too.

Do you think precrastinating is a thing? Or, if it is an easier question, what part of the muffin do you eat first and why?

HALLIE EPHRON: It’s definitely a thing! Precrastinators get to the airport hours early. They never run out of toilet paper. And they eat the pears before the maraschino cherry in fruit cocktail. They make lists and give themselves deadlines.

I’m definitely a precrastinator. But I don’t like muffins.

RHYS BOWEN: Jonathan and I are kindred spirits. I too like saving the best part of the goodie until last. When I was a child I’d eat all around the pastry edge of a jam tart before I got to the jammy part. I’m also a precrastinator. I can’t stand to have anything hanging over me that I know has to be done. I turn in manuscripts before the deadline. I get Christmas cards out early. The only exception to that is my retirement account that is managed by actuaries who send me a list of forms to be filled out for the IRS every year. It’s so complicated and frustrating that I ignore it until I get the email that says if the IRs doesn’t get this by the end of July there will be a penalty.

JENN McKINLAY: I see a common thread here. I loathe anything to do with math and will procrastinate until the very last second. That being said, I eat the bottom of the muffin first, but I split mine in half and toast them and slather them in butter so there really is no bad half. Like Rhys, I get things done early because I don’t like to have things looming over me. So, yes, in most things I’m a precrastinator, which I’ve never heard of, so thanks for that.

LUCY BURDETTE: I think I’m a mixture. I had a conversation with a sister-in-law last night about that dream where you can’t find the exam room and you haven’t studied anyway, and maybe even haven’t attended the class. Not one time. I told her I was like that in college, but definitely not high school or grad school. A short spurt of procrastination in between periods of procrastination? But I will hold off on taxes until I’m tired of John’s nagging me. After the pandemic, I will never run out of toilet paper! And I will eat the muffin in the proper order, top to bottom:).

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 *gasp*

Okay, now I have that out of the way, I will cop to what everyone already knows about me: I am famously a procrastinator. I consider it a great victory over myself that after several years of intensive coaching and practice, I am now able to get places on time, and even ahead of time, when traveling via air. Let me take my bow, folks, this is huge for me.

However… when it comes to treats, I do like to save the best for last. Bottom of the muffin and the crusts on a sandwich first.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Julia, applauding you! That's a huge achievment! 

Hank, I think I also come down on the "save the best for last" side, although my solution is the same as Jenn's--cut the muffin in half so that it's all good!

HANK:  Yes, Yay, Julia! We all have our moments.

And Lucy, that’s a classic stress dream–I used to have it all the time. Although an equally appropriate one is the dream I had where I was in a room at my office and flying clocks were crashing through my window. FLYING CLOCKS.  I woke up laughing SO hard. My subconscious is not very subtle.

So what do you think, Reddies? What do you precrastinate about—or do you leave the worst for last?

And of course, weigh in on muffins!

And two giveaways today:

One-- on our Reds and Readers facebook page! Once lucky commenter on the "clock" post will win an advance reader copy--or a published book-- I choose for you!

And one lucky commenter below on the blog will also win an arc or a book!