Fandom, Obsession, and The Untamed

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Rati Mehrotra

I’ve consumed countless SFF books and numerous shows in my life. However, I have never been a fan of anything.

Until now. People who follow my Twitter feed may have noticed the preponderance of images of pretty, long-haired Chinese wizards with flowing robes and magic swords. Welcome to the world of The Untamed – a complex, beautiful story set in ancient China. The entire 50 episodes are available on Netflix and apparently on Youtube as well. I have – ahem – seen it twice. I’ve probably seen my favorite scenes ten times. Continue reading →

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MARKSWOMAN Ebook Sale

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Rati Mehrotra

Woohoo! In case you’ve been wanting to read about assassins that have telepathic relationships with their daggers, the ebook of Markswoman is on sale for just 99 cents from now until 24th February in both US and Canada. For those who just started following me recently, Markswoman is the first book of my Asiana duology. The sequel, Mahimata, was published last year. And I’m so proud of both my book babies!

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Witcher, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Rati Mehrotra

I rarely rave about a show, and I never watch the same show twice. But for The Witcher, I made an exception. It was even better the second time round, because I caught all the little things I’d missed the first time, trying to figure out the timelines. Why is it so darn good? It’s produced by a woman. Continue reading →

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Favorite Novel Reads of 2019

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

Thank goodness for fiction. It’s been a rough reality today – I just cannot believe the results of the UK election! But then, I never believe it when right-wing, racist, climate-change-denying, xenophobic fundamentalists get elected and yet here we are, with Boris in UK, Trump in USA, Bolsonaro in Brazil, Duterte in Philippines, Netanyahu in Israel, Putin in Russia, and Modi in India. Even in Canada, the Liberals lost their majority this year. The world is a garbage fire so yeah, thank goddess for books and stories we can escape into. Continue reading →

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Story Sales, Jury Summons, and More

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

Winter is coming. No, scratch that. Winter is here. It’s in the dark, gloomy skies, the icy wind, the slushy road, and in the overpowering desire to go into hibernation for the next four months. Wake me in April when the days at least start to get longer, if no less chilly.

I’m not here to write about the weather, though. I have two great short story sales to report. I sold my second story to Lightspeed Magazine, yay! The first wasn’t a fluke, heh. And I sold my first ever story to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. After five years of trying! Never give up, never surrender! Continue reading →

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CAN-CON 2019 Schedule

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

The schedule is in! This will be my second year attending Can-Con – The Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature in Ottawa. I had a great time last year and am looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones this year. While registration is now closed, I recommend putting this convention in your calendar for next time, if you can possibly make it. It is very well organized and the content is varied and interesting, for both writers and readers of science fiction and fantasy. Continue reading →

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A Spammy Poem

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

Like you, I get a ton of spam emails every day. Unlike you (probably) I did something silly with them. Here is a poem made entirely of the subject lines of spam emails. I wouldn’t dream of actually clicking them open, or this piece would be even stranger. But the subject lines alone are enough. I look at it, and it seems to be saying something about the human condition. Something monstrous. Enjoy. Continue reading →

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Finance 101 for the Aspiring Writer

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

There’s an article making the rounds on Twitter in which a writer says she got USD 350k to write 5 books, and how she blew the advances because she thought there was more money coming and no one ‘mentored’ her. But guess what, her books did not earn out, and now she is not only not rich, but still in debt. And her advances have ‘fallen’ to USD 20k. Which is still more than what most writers get for a book. But anyway.

A lot of the stuff in the article appalled me, apart from the figures touted. So much that I assume is common knowledge, or at least common sense. But apparently not. So here is some free financial advice for the aspiring writer, and if all of this sounds like it should be evident to a ten-year-old, then please forgive me. Just skip it. Continue reading →

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The 2019 Toronto Writing Workshop

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

Oh no, where did July go? The summer is flying by and I am Not Ready for autumn. Must eat more ice cream before September. Must take more walks. Must see Shakespeare in High Park. Must write more words…okay, scratch that last one. Summer is not great for productivity. Too many competing desires, mostly revolving around the weather. Continue reading →

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Dasa Mahavidya – The Ten Great Wisdoms

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Rati Mehrotra

I’m often asked about the inspiration behind my books Markswoman and Mahimata. The answer varies, because there are so many things that come to mind: the science fantasies I read as a teen; Star Trek, which aired weekly on our lone television channel and which the entire family watched, along with assorted friends and neighbors; the comics I borrowed from the local bookstore (they had a lending scheme, much more affordable than buying books.) Continue reading →

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