I will grant that this is not likely to be something a debut author hits, but at some point in your career, you will receive your first invitation to be a Guest of Honor at a convention. My first was MidSouthCon, which was fun, but I felt like I was flying a little blind. Thank
Debut Author Lesson: Your first Guest of Honor gig Read More »
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.” —Emma, Jane Austen One of the things I love about the Regency era is the amount of entertaining people did at home. Balls, music, and parlour readings. This fall, I want to give that a try and go tour to parlours or living rooms, or back
Home is where the art is: A parlour reading at your house. Read More »
I recently had a conversation with someone who said that he thought that reports of racism were exaggerated in America. Sure, he said, it happens, but not as often as the media is leading us to believe. He also opined that Obama had missed an opportunity to bring the country together by furthering the idea
A marker that even if you’re not racist, you are still a product of a society that is. Read More »
How do you help your readers relate to the non-human characters in your fiction? The first question to answer is why you’re putting non-human characters in the piece to begin with. What are your goals for that race, culture, or whatever? Once you know that, you can begin addressing the challenge of helping the reader
Writing Excuses 8.33: Making Non-Human Characters Relatable Read More »
While I was at the National Puppetry Festival, I took a class on Urban Busking. For those who aren’t familair with the term, it’s basically street performance for money. I was curious about how it worked and what the show structure was like. The class covered things like how to get a permit and the
My first attempt at busking Read More »
If you’re looking for me at GenCon, here’s a quick rundown of where I’ll be. Fri Aug 16, 2013 1pm – 2pm Room 1: Networking, Not Name-Dropping 2pm – 3pm Dealer’s Hall: Signing Tables 3pm – 4pm Room 1: Signings, Podcasts and More 5pm – 6pm Room 1: Short Fiction Mastery 6pm – 7pm Room 2:
My GenCon Schedule Read More »
David Celsi is a dear friend of mine and an amazing artist. His work appears in the New York Times, Dark Horse Comics, and a ton of other publications. But he also does this thing — the 24 hour comic — in which he creates a comic from start to finish in 24 hours. Lots
There are times when peer pressure can be a creative force. For instance… if you happen to attend a dinner with editors Michael D. Thomas and Shira Lipkin, you might discover that you are suddenly writing superhero poetry on the back of a placemat. For an anthology. So if you are interested in reading my
Flying Higher: An Anthology of Superhero Poetry Is Available! Read More »
Mindy Klasky is joining us today with her novel, Single Witch’s Survival Guide. Here’s the publisher’s description. Jane Madison’s life is perfect: She’s left her unsatisfying librarian job, moved to the country with her boyfriend David (who is also her hunky astral warder), and opened a school for witches. Alas, Jane never thought her students would
My Favorite Bit: Mindy Klasky talks about SINGLE WITCH’S SURVIVAL GUIDE Read More »
Perhaps simply because I am currently recording an audio book, but I currently find this trailer hilarious and a little painful. There’s also an interview in the Washington Post with Lake Bell, the writer/director about the politics of dialect and women’s voices in particular. It’s well worth reading.
Video: Amusing trailer for “In a World,” a comedy about voice over actors. Read More »
I’m at the National Puppetry Festival and having an amazing time seeing shows and taking workshops. I thought I’d slip away for a moment to show you the puppet I made in the Needle-felting class. I’ve never tried this technique before and was stunned by how fast it is.
Process photos of the puppet I made in a needle-felting workshop Read More »
Michael J. Martinez is joining us today with his novel The Daedalus Incident. Here’s the publisher’s description. Mars is supposed to be dead…a fact Lt. Shaila Jain of the Joint Space Command is beginning to doubt in a bad way. Freak quakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its lucrative
My Favorite Bit: Michael J. Martinez talks about THE DAEDALUS INCIDENT Read More »
Look! Jim C. Hines has a new Libriomancer book! I adored the first in this series and was delighted to read Codex Born. Jim’s main character, Isaac Vainio is a reference librarian but more than that, he’s a type of magician who can pull magic out of books. Not just magic, actually. He can pull
My Favorite Bit: Jim C. Hines talks about CODEX BORN Read More »
My brother got married this weekend. The ceremony was absolutely lovely and at a farm that belongs to friends of the bride’s family. Being an outdoor summer wedding, Rob and I wore hats and apparently stepped back in time. (And yes, this wedding was for the same brother who defended his dissertation two weeks ago. Next week,
A picture of Rob and me in which we are apparently cast members in the Great Gatsby Read More »