CANR
WORK TITLE:
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.japitts.net/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: CA 309
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/04/26/the-big-idea-j-a-pitts/ http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/04/black-blade-blues-the-man-behind-the-woman http://twitter.com/japittswriter http://www.seattlepi.com/books/421431_136801-blogcritics.org.html http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2010/08/paul_hoffman_ja_pitts_and_ian.html
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1965; died October 3, 2019, in Bellevue, WA; married; wife’s name Kathy; children: yes.
EDUCATION:University of Kentucky, B.A., M.L.S.; graduate of Oregon Coast Writers Workshop.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Worked in the high tech industry.
AVOCATIONS:Tae Kwon Do, Girl Scouts.
WRITINGS
Contributor to anthologies, including Swordplay, edited by Denise Little, DAW (New York, NY), 2009; Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies, DAW (New York, NY), 2009; and The Trouble with Heroes, DAW (New York, NY), 2009.
SIDELIGHTS
J.A. Pitts is a short story writer and novelist working in the fantasy genre. A practitioner of Tae Kwon Do and a leader in his daughter’s Girl Scout troop, Pitts is an active fitness and outdoors enthusiast. “I’m a creature of habits, and habitats. I spend most of my life indoors. Learning to enjoy the great outdoors has given me back significantly more energy and time than it takes. Really helping me have a richer, fuller life,” he told Jen West in an interview on the Tor Web log. Formerly a librarian, Pitts works in the high tech industry. He earned B.S. and M.L.S. degrees from the University of Kentucky.
Pitts’s debut novel, Black Blade Blues, is the first book of a proposed urban fantasy trilogy. Main character Sarah Beauhall is perpetually busy but perennially short of cash. She’s a skilled and rugged blacksmith; a medieval reenactor; and a manager of weapons and props for a low-budget movie. When the lead actor breaks Sarah’s favorite sword, and stylish black blade, she agrees to repair the sword so that the director can avoid the expense of reshooting scenes. Rolph, one of the members of the cast, comes forward with an interesting offer and curious claim: he says he can help her reforge the sword because he is, in actuality, a Norse dwarf with supernatural skill as a blacksmith. Even more astonishing, he claims that Sarah’s black blade is actually the legendary sword Gram, once used by Odin, patriarch of the Norse gods, to slay the dragon Fafnir. While Sarah struggles to decide if Rolph is crazy or not, or if there might actually be some truth to his wild claims, she must deal with unexpected developments in her relationship with longtime girlfriend Katie. Soon, shape-shifting dragons, ancient figures of Norse evil, and gods once thought legendary appear to lay claim to the powerful sword and challenge Sarah’s determination to keep it.
In an essay on the blog Whatever, Pitts mused on his motivations for his novel and his intentions for the first book and for the series as a whole. “We are a society that bases our self-worth and self-esteem on what we think the world wants us to be, living up to some artificial standard we glean from the media and peer pressure,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, few ever learn to look beyond that and live comfortably in their own skin. It is those who defy the common norms and accept themselves for who they are who find true happiness.” The idea behind Black Blade Blues is, he remarked, “learning to accept the world for what it is, not for what you wish it to be. And with that: learning to accept yourself.”
Library Journal reviewer Devon Thomas called the book a “fast-moving blend of sword and sorcery, Norse mythology, low- budget movie making, and contemporary identity seeking.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “fairly standard dark urban fantasy, with some clever touches” and a work of fiction that would “appeal to some urban-fantasy fans.” A Publishers Weekly writer named the novel an “amusing debut” with “enough entertainment and romantic tension to keep readers interested” in the story and in upcoming sequels.
In 2011 Pitts published Honeyed Words, the sequel to 2010’s Black Blade Blues. Beauhall uncovers that siblings Skella and Gletts are spying on her while her smithing mentor, Anzeka, is involved in magic and a troublesome ex-boyfriend. Beauhall must ally with those who should otherwise be her enemies to help an unsuspecting population from the dangers they face. A contributor to Publishers Weekly claimed that “fans of the first novel will find this one equally enjoyable.”
Pitts published the short story collection Bravado’s House of Blues in 2013. The collection combines fourteen works of science fiction and fantasy across varied settings and worlds. Romance and art anchor most of the stories on a human basis. A contributor to Publishers Weekly suggested that “readers will be frustrated by flat prose” and “characters who are never fully realized.” However, the same reviewer praised the “diversity” of the collection.
In 2016 Pitts published Night Terrors. Beauhall’s bard-magician lover, Katie, is wounded from events in the previous book and must now physically cope with having wielded magic. When she falls into a magical coma, Beauhall goes in search of her soul in a dangerous otherworld. Writing in Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews, Jane Cothron lamented: “I found myself distracted by multiple instances of homophone errors and uncorrected grammatical mistakes.” Nevertheless, Cothron admitted that “finding those rare fantasy fiction titles with strong lesbian protagonists is a cause for celebration.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 10, 2010, John R. Alden, “Paul Hoffman, J.A. Pitts, and Ian Tregillis Deliver Top-Shelf Science Fiction,” review of Black Blade Blues.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2010, review of Black Blade Blues.
Library Journal, April 1, 2010, Devon Thomas, review of Black Blade Blues, p. 68.
Publishers Weekly, February 15, 2010, review of Black Blade Blues, p. 119; May 23, 2011, review of Honeyed Words, p. 33; September 23, 2013, review of Bravado’s House of Blues, p. 62.
ONLINE
Blogcritics, http://blogcritics.org/ (June 8, 2010), review of Black Blade Blues.
Dirty Sexy Books, http://dirtysexybooks.com/ (August 20, 2010), review of Black Blade Blues.
Fantasy Book Critic blog, http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/ (May 4, 2010), Mihir Wanchoo, review of Black Blade Blues.
J.A. Pitts, https://www.japitts.net (November 20, 2019).
Only the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy blog, http://onlythebestscifi.blogspot.com/ (May 20, 2010), review of Black Blade Blues.
Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews, https://www.glbtrt.ala.org/ (November 20, 2019), Jane Cothron, review of Night Terrors.
Reading on the Dark Side blog, http://readingonthedarkside.blogspot.com/ (December 7, 2010), interview with J.A. Pitts.
Tor blog, http://www.tor.com/blogs/ (April 28, 2010), Jen West, “An Interview with the Man behind the Woman.”
Whatever blog, http://whatever.scalzi.com/ (December 7, 2010), “The Big Idea: J.A. Pitts,” author profile.
I learned to love science fiction at the knee of my grandmother, listening to her read authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard during my childhood in rural Kentucky. My life has always been heavily influenced by strong women. My mother first among them: raising three boys after the death of my father, with grace and wit. There were always women coming and going in our house, friends, family, folks who needed a hand, and folks who had one to lend. All of my life has been steeped in the stories of average people doing extraordinary things -- and most of them were women. That is why I was drawn to the character Sarah in my new novel. She embodies all the strength of the women who have influenced me over the years.
I can't remember a time I wasn't absorbing and creating story. I read early, and became a regular at my local library. There for a while, I thought the coolest thing in the world would be to grow up and be a librarian. I even got the degree. Once I hit the workforce, I discovered how poorly most librarians are paid, and I ended up in high tech instead.
But I live my life surrounded by books and story. Selling my own tales still comes as a surprise to me. The characters and worlds I build have been given loving care by some pretty spectacular editors. I've been very lucky. I continue to launch my words into the world, for all to read if they have the mind. I just hope you are entertained in the process. The opportunities for you to read my work has just gotten even better.
Tor Publishing has agreed to purchase the first three books in my Black Blade series. The first -- BLACK BLADE BLUES -- comes out in trade paperback and hardback April 27th, 2010.
Of course, if you want a sneak peak on the novel, you can read the short story which launched it all in the DAW anthology Swordplay, edited by Denise Little. It was released June 2, 2009.
My other short fiction can be found in such fine magazines as Fortean Bureau, Talebones magazine (issue 36 and forthcoming in issue 39) as well as two additional DAW anthologies Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies (Oct 2009), and The Trouble with Heroes (Nov 2009).
I have a BA in English and a Masters of Library Science from University of Kentucky. In addition, I am a graduate of the Oregon Coast Writers Workshops with Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. When I'm not writing, you can find me practicing martial arts with my children or spending time with my lovely wife.
I am a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
I learned to love science fiction at the knee of my grandmother, listening to her read authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard during my childhood in rural Kentucky. My life has always been heavily influenced by strong women. My mother first among them: raising three boys after the death of my father, with grace and wit. There were always women coming and going in our house, friends, family, folks who needed a hand, and folks who had one to lend. All of my life has been steeped in the stories of average people doing extraordinary things — and most of them were women. That is why I was drawn to the character Sarah in my new novel. She embodies all the strength of the women who have influenced me over the years.
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t absorbing and creating story. I read early, and became a regular at my local library. There for a while, I thought the coolest thing in the world would be to grow up and be a librarian. I even got the degree. Once I hit the workforce, I discovered how poorly most librarians are paid, and I ended up in high tech instead.
But I live my life surrounded by books and story. Selling my own tales still comes as a surprise to me. The characters and worlds I build have been given loving care by some pretty spectacular editors. I’ve been very lucky. I continue to launch my words into the world, for all to read if they have the mind. I just hope you are entertained in the process. The opportunities for you to read my work has just gotten even better.
My Sarah Beauhall series is out from Tor Publishing. So far the series consists of BLACK BLADE BLUES (2010), HONEYED WORDS (2011) and FORGED IN FIRE ( June 19th).
Sarah Beauhall and the Bivalve Beatdown appeared in Urban Fantasy Magazine in 2015.
Wordfire Press released NIGHT TERRORS, book 4 in the Sarah Beauhall series was released in 2016.
Book 5, Rainbow Brigade is in final drafting stage.
The Cleric Journal
From August 4th, 2015 though November 8th, 2016 I published a daily swords & sorcery serial about a young cleric going out into the mad world on a dream quest. The Cleric Journal was posted every day with no more than a read through edit. During this marathon exercise, I wrote in excess of 500k words. Yep, more than half a million words, straight from my keyboard to your desktop. And the good news is, you can still find it on my blog here. It has a few rough spots, I’m sure, but the response has been very positive. The work has been divided into six books, the first of which is in heavy edits before sending it to my agent to shop around.
A departure from Urban Fantasy, my hard science fiction story Aokigahara was published late in 2016, and can be found in the amazing anthology, Unfettered II from Grim Oak Press.
My other short fiction can be found in such fine magazines as Fortean Bureau, Talebones magazine (issues 36 and 39) as well as four DAW anthologies Swordplay (2008), Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies (Oct 2009), The Trouble with Heroes (Nov 2009), and Courts of the Fey (Nov 2011).
I have a BA in English and a Masters of Library Science from University of Kentucky. In addition, I am a graduate of the Oregon Coast Writers Workshops with Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. When I’m not writing, you can find me practicing martial arts with my children or spending time with my lovely wife.
I am a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
J. A. PITTS is a graduate of the Oregon Coast Writers Workshops, holds degrees in English and Library Science and is the author of Black Blade Blues, Honeyed Words and Forged in Fire.
Bravado's House of Blues
J.A. Pitts. Fairwood (www.fairwoodpress.com), $15.99 trade paper (222p) ISBN 978-1933846-41-5
Pitts's first collection of stories reveals a reach that exceeds his grasp. The 14 short works of science fiction and fantasy show that Pitts is comfortable with a wide range of settings; as ordinary as the soundstage of "Black Blade Blues" (linked to Pitts's Sarah Beauhall books) and exotic as the alien world of "Towfish Blues," as fantastic as the fairy kingdom of "Mushroom Clouds and Fairy Rings" and as familiar as the university campus of "Three Chords and the Truth." Even the most mundane of them has some element of the strange or wondrous. Pitts often turns to art and romance, those most human of activities, to anchor the stories. Readers will be frustrated by flat prose, characters who are never fully realized, and conventional plots and approaches, but these shortcomings can be improved with practice, and the collection's diversity and ambition hint at better works to come. (Nov.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Bravado's House of Blues." Publishers Weekly, 23 Sept. 2013, p. 62. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A344154203/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cbced9db. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A344154203
Honeyed Words
J.A. Pitts. Tor, $25.99 (400p) ISBN 978-07653-2468-9; $14.99 trade paper ISBN 9780-7653-2907-3
The straightforward sequel to 2010's Black Blade Blues finds blacksmith Sarah Beauhall still processing the revelation that the world is filled with magic and dominated by secretive and powerful dragons. Sarah soon discovers she is being spied on by mysterious siblings Skella and Gletts, while her new smithing mentor, Anzeka, turns out to be deeply and destructively entangled with magic and plagued by a particularly malevolent ex-boyfriend. Skella and Gletts prove to be the sympathetic pawns of ambitious but foolishly greedy dwarves, and once again Sarah finds herself compelled to protect an unsuspecting world while allied with those who should by all rights be her enemies. Fans of the first novel will find this one equally enjoyable, as Pirts mixes familiar urban fantasy tropes with some new twists. Plenty of plot threads are left unresolved for future installments. (July)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Honeyed Words." Publishers Weekly, 23 May 2011, p. 33. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A257434156/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f92e3e6a. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A257434156
Book review: Night Terrors, by J.A. Pitts
Pitts, J.A. Night Terrors. (Sarah Beauhall series, book 4.) Monument, Colorado : WordFire Press, 2016. 358 p. Paperback. $15.99. ISBN: 9781614754107
Take a strong woman—a lesbian apprentice blacksmith moonlighting with an indie film production company to make ends meet. Add a lover who is just as strong in her own way. Then, stir in a feel for urban and rural life in the Pacific Northwest. Fold in occasional visits from Odin and various Valkyries. Finally, beat in sadistic—though well hidden—dragon overlords, trolls, orcs, elves, and the occasional witch. It’s a great formula for an urban fantasy series and J.A. Pitts brings enviable writing skills to the task.
Night Terrors, the fourth entry into the world of Sarah Beauhall, shows her lover, bard-magician Katie, in distress. Not only is Katie still recovering from injuries sustained in previous books, but she is also paying a physical price for wielding magic. When she tries to open her mother’s diary—a magical artifact—her spirit is thrown into a dangerous otherworld, leaving her body in a coma. Sarah is devastated. With the support of her community of friends and acquaintances, Sarah searches for Katie’s soul in an otherworld of crystalline soul-eating spiders and an army led by a long-dead serial killer.
The strength of a well-developed fantasy series is that character development can happen over the course of several novels, each building upon the previous books. Unfortunately, in Night Terrors, author J.A. Pitts depends heavily on characters introduced in the previous three books, making it difficult for new readers to begin in the middle of the series. A scene with Sarah’s sister feels pasted in as an attempt to pull in unresolved family issues, but feels like a digression from the main plot. I often found myself distracted by what felt like gaps in the story sequence as well as dragging plot devices. This review is based on an uncorrected proof/advance reader copy. Even keeping this in mind, I found myself distracted by multiple instances of homophone errors and uncorrected grammatical mistakes. It is possible that these mistakes were corrected in the published version. The first books in the series were from Tor, but the fourth book was published by WordFire.
Finding those rare fantasy fiction titles with strong lesbian protagonists is a cause for celebration. As a reader, I hope that J.A. Pitts hires a good copyeditor before publishing future books in this series.
For libraries already holding Black Blade Blues, Honeyed Words, and Forged in Fire, I recommend purchase of Night Terrors.
Jane Cothron
South Beach, Oregon