[Spotlight Post] Katy Stauber and Spin the Sky
This week’s spotlight is on Katy Stauber, a fellow redheaded author who’s based in Austin. I initially met Katy on a panel at ArmadilloCon in 2011 and immediately hit it off with her. She’s so much fun. Fellow writers, if you have the opportunity to work with her at a convention, DO IT.
Night Shade Books released her second book, Spin the Sky, in January. She ended up with a box more than she really needed, so she sent me one a few months ago. I was finishing up Tanya Huff’s Confederation series when it arrived, and kinda planned my book-reading schedule to be reading Katy’s book when ArmadilloCon rolled around this year.
[asa]1597803405[/asa]
It worked. I was able to start Katy’s book as my “turn off my brain” before bed reading the Friday of ArmadilloCon. I meant to take it into the convention to get her to personalize it. Wouldn’t you know that because I wanted to see her, I was scheduled at cross-purposes with her all weekend. I only saw her once after hours (without book). But I was able to tell her publisher, Jeremy Lassen, that I was currently reading her book. So she did get some good book karma points at AramadilloCon.
Spin the Sky takes place in a future where humans have moved into orbitals in space. There have been wars, but we’ve survived them. And, some of the most valuable commodities are cows raised on these orbital platforms, specifically the one herd of cows in space.
It’s also a family reunification story. Cesar Vaquero has done crazy things to help end the war, and he doesn’t think his family would want him back. He comes back incognito and works to help save the orbitals, his family, and humanity.
It’s a great adventure and a good story. And Katy uses storytelling elements that I typically find off-putting and makes them work. The story is told in Third Person Present Tense, which is extremely difficult to do well, but Katy does. It’s a hard format for me to get into the rhythm of, but I did. And despite some sinus meds (because it’s that time of the year), Katy owes me a few hours of sleep that I didn’t get because I will just finish this one chapter….
If you haven’t experienced Katy Stauber or Night Shade Books yet, what are you waiting for? Katy Stauber is delightful, both in person and in her storytelling. Check her out.
1 Comment
[…] Spin the Sky takes place in a future where humans have moved into orbitals in space. There have been wars, but we’ve survived them. And, some of the most valuable commodities are cows raised on these orbital platforms, specifically the one herd of cows in space.” Read more. […]