Rapture by Kameron Hurley

Every time Nyx thought she’d gotten out of the business of killing boys, she shot another one.

I’ve not read Hurley’s work (yet), but she’s got a lot of fans around these parts, including Justin Landon, who was kind enough to host the first chapter of Hurley’s next novel, Rapture, on his blog, along with a great guest post from Hurley about writing her second novel and a giveaway (located below the Rapture excerpt). Not bad, huh?

From Hurley’s guest post:

I wrote God’s War while I was dying. I wrote Infidel while I was deeply depressed. I wrote Rapture while under extreme deadline pressure, writing sometimes 14-16 hours a day, and I was very aware that I needed the final book to show that I’d gotten better at some of the things I was really weak at in prior books. And though those external pressure and situations do, I think, sometimes lead to more interesting work, I’m kind of looking forward to writing a book that’s not under contract that can be as unsaleable as I like.

So after a year of some worry and frantic writing, I’m finally starting to feel some of the same freedom I did when I first wrote Infidel. I’ve already turned in the final book in my trilogy, Rapture, and my new book, a standalone space opera called Legion, isn’t currently under contract.

Much as I hate to say it, not being under contract is kind of a fun place to be. I actually sat in bed last night and came up with a scene to open the second chapter that kind of freaked me out and I thought, “Oh, crap, I’m never going to be able to sell this book with a scene like that.” But you know? There’s something freeing about that. It’s how I wrote God’s War and Infidel. A part of me wishes I had written more of Rapture like that, though I think it’s by far the best plotted of the series. My first readers all came back after that one with big thumbs’ ups.

Hurley’s guest post at Staffer’s Book Review works as a terrific companion piece to the guest post she wrote here, just a couple of weeks ago, “Publishing isn’t a Meritocracy, it’s a Casino”, which tackles the ups-and-downs of the road her first novel, God’s War took before it found its eventual success. Good stuff, all around.

Discussion
  • Kazz July 17, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    I’m reading God’s war right now, kickass book. I’d love to meet Kameron Hurley, she’s too cool

  • Jay July 19, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Same. Recently started God’s War and enjoying the story. Very different.

  • Kazz July 19, 2012 at 11:12 pm

    you know her email?