Mary Robinette Kowal

My UK-based publisher  is having a Start a Series Sale today through January 18.

The Calculating Stars ebook is only £0.99 this week ahead of the publication of The Martian Contingency.

Enjoy! 

Here is the link to the sale: https://rebellionpublishing.com/sale/

Want to attend a Writing Excuses Retreat in 2025?

Sign up by January 12 to be invited to an early bird virtual meet and greet with the hosts and other attendees later this month.

Learn more at https://www.writingexcuses.com/retreats

I'm pleased to be teaching my "Barriers to Writing" class virtually at the upcoming Willamette Writers (Vancouver Chapter) meeting on January 13 at 6:30 PM PT.

You may attend in-person or virtually.

Learn more here: https://willamettewriters.org/event/hybrid-vancouver-barriers-to-writing-class-with-mary-robinette-kowal/

Welcome to the Lady Astronaut Book Club!

This week, we're discussing chapters 1-9 of The Calculating Stars.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

If you'd like to participate with other readers in Discord, sign up for email instructions at https://maryrobinettekowal.com/book-club

Without further ado, here are the questions for this week.

SPOILERS AHEAD.











QUESTION 1
Chapter 1: If you were in Elma & Nathaniel’s shoes, what would you have done upon seeing the bright light from the explosion? To that effect, do you have a plan in case of a disaster?

QUESTION 2
Chapters 1-2: Have you ever been in shock? Do you know how to spot the symptoms of shock?

QUESTION 3
Chapter 7: Throughout the chapters we can see when Elma gets overwhelmed and has anxiety, she uses math to help calm her down. What helps calm you down when you get anxious over things outside your control?

QUESTION 4
Chapter 8: Have you ever used an illness as an excuse to get out of something even if you aren’t sick?

QUESTION 5
Chapter 8: As shown throughout the novel, a go to drink for Elma & Nathaniel is a martini. What is your go to drink?

I'm at Space Camp with a small group that is a mix of Kickstarter backers and friends and family. Including my dad!

We are having the best time.

Every Sunday, a special guest or I lead a two-hour guided writing session for Patreon members at the "Make Me Write" tier.

If you benefit from body doubling, accountability, and writing prompts, I invite you to join us.

I offer a free 7-day trial for new Patreon members. 

Learn more at patreon.com/maryrobinette

Today (December 31) is the final day to apply for my upcoming Short Story Cohort.

In three months, you'll have written and polished new stories to submit for publication.

Learn more here: maryrobinettekowal.com/short-story-cohort/

I read so many wonderful titles in 2024, and I wanted to feature some of the most memorable ones in a roundup blog post.

Reading is truly one of life's greatest pleasures. I am grateful to all these writers for sharing their stories with us.

https://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/what-mrk-read-and-loved-in-2024/

In STRANGE BEASTS by Susan J. Morris, imagine the daughter of Mina Harker, the daughter of Dr. Moriarty, teaming up to solve supernatural crime, murder mystery in Paris, beautiful fashions, le***an romance, and again, a super-smart murder mystery.

Oh, I love one where I can't tell what is going to go down. It's so good.

Both of the characters are playing to their strengths and then also shoved into situations where their strength is not the right strength.

ICYMI: "In the Moon's House" is in great company with Some of the Best from Reactor: 2024 Edition.

Read all the stories here: https://reactormag.com/download-some-of-the-best-from-reactor-2024-edition/

Want to start the New Year writing short stories with more confidence, efficiency, and ease?

There are still two seats left for my January 17-19 Short Story Workshop.

Learn more and sign up here: https://tickettailor.com/events/maryrobinettekowal/1498455

Have you joined the Lady Astronaut Book Club yet?

In January, join my friends and community in reading THE CALCULATING STARS, the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning Book 1 in The Lady Astronaut Universe. We will wrap up the month with an AMA (ask me anything) call.

In February, we will dive into the sequel, THE FATED SKY.

We will wrap up with another AMA, a Zoom party to commemorate the Meteor Anniversary, and excitement to dig into THE MARTIAN CONTINGENCY, which is currently available for pre-order and on shelves March 18.

Join for free at https://maryrobinettekowal.com/book-club

I fully expected Humphrey Bogart to rise from his grave and volunteer to narrate Storm Waters. Kat Richardson has managed to capture that gritty noir feel of post-prohibition Hollywood. Marty Storm is tortured -- physically and also just really messed up emotionally -- and the mystery takes twists I wasn't expecting. It's a noir and stormy ride.

Pick up a copy at https://bookshop.org/a/3560/9781958880227

If you're looking for an audiobook for your holiday travels, may I suggest The Original, coauthored by Brandon Sanderson and myself?

I want to share an interview about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsiXx7AsUH4

In The Original, you'll enter a world of augmented reality and existential questions.

And because the interview is with Cosmere.es, we talk about all the Spanish translations of my work and how you can dive in.

------

Hace unas meses se publicó, al fin, la primera historia escrita en conjunto por Brandon Sanderson y Mary Robinette Kowal como formato original de audiolibro. Una obra de ciencia ficción enmarcada en un mundo de realidad aumentada donde la realidad es lo que uno quiere ver y que deja entrever preguntas como ¿quién soy yo? y, ¿qué es real? mientras la protagonista intenta descubrir por qué ha mu**to y recuperar su vida.

Mary Robinette es la autora de obras como el universo de La Astronauta, una realidad alternativa donde la humanidad se ve forzada a alcanzar las estrellas para sobrevivir al desastre, traducida al español y publicada por la editorial Oz. Ha creado la saga The Glamourist Histories que mezcla la época de la regencia con magia, Ghost Talkers con mediums durante la primera Guerra Mundial, y The Spare Man donde un crimen tiene lugar en un crucero espacial y... cada capítulo empieza con la receta de un cocktail (testeado por ella misma!).

¡No dejéis de leerla, y esperamos que disfrutéis de la charla junto a su gata Elsie (que habla)!

Y como la entrevista de La Original es con Cosmere.es, hablamos de todas las traducciones al español de su trabajo.



Audible

I'm grateful to Publishers Weekly for their thoughtful review of THE MARTIAN CONTINGENCY. 

"The tense fourth alternate history in Kowal’s Hugo Award–winning Lady Astronaut series (after The Relentless Moon) traces the dicey late 1960s Second Expedition to establish a human settlement on Mars.

"After 26 million people were killed by a 1952 meteor strike that set off catastrophic global warming, scientists recruited from across the world constructed the Martian Bradbury Base in 1963.

"It was piloted to the red planet by Elma York, aka 'Lady Astronaut,' a Jewish aviator and mathematician who became the public face of the space program during WWII.

"Deeply in love with her husband Nathaniel, a space engineer, Elma at 48 is now second in command for the Second Mars Expedition, this time with the intent of settling the red planet for good.

"Soon after setting foot on Mars’s sulfurous surface, however, Elma’s lifelong conviction that something always goes wrong is confirmed by unsettling discoveries about the fate of the first expedition.

"Now Elma must overcome hot flashes, sexism, racial tensions, and political machinations to find out what happened. Though Elma occasionally comes off as preachy, it’s a pleasure to watch this hypercompetent woman succeed. Kowal’s fans will not be disappointed." 

See the review here: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250237057 

And don't forget, this March title is now available for pre-order.

I'm delighted to be a panelist at COSine 2025 in Colorado Springs from January 24-26. I'm really looking forward to it.

On the 24th, find me on the:
🔸️"Being Cruel to Your Characters" panel at 5 PM (mwahaha)

On the 25th, I have several events, including:
🔸️"Making Yourself Write" panel moderator to motivate yourself to keep producing, at 10 AM
🔸️ "Balancing Story and Message" panel moderator to get a message out without being preachy, at 3 PM
🔸️ Signing session at 5:30 PM

On the 26th, I wrap up with:
🔸️ "Genre Bending" panel discussion about subverting genres at 1 PM

Pick up your tickets to attend here: https://www.firstfridayfandom.org/cosine/

Writers, are you running into a tricky issue with your WIP?

Get unstuck at my Unlocking Session on Monday, December 30 at 8 PM ET. I'll pick four random volunteers with questions to help out.

Plus, I offer a free 7-day trial to my Patreon for new members. 

Learn more here: https://maryrobinettekowal.com/events/patreon-class-unlocking-session-4/

Reading for the Hugo and Nebula Awards?

Try my short story "Marginalia" published in this year.

Read it at https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/marginalia/