Once in a Blue Muse: Boskone

Showing posts with label Boskone. Show all posts

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Dealing with Vulnerability

The author in her preferred state

Which means I've been talking and writing and otherwise interacting with a whole lot of people in support of the release. And it's exhausting. Not just because I am -- like so many of my fellow authors -- an introvert, but because being noticed means I make myself vulnerable.

I had been prepared for the energy cost of the intense social interactions of back to back appearances: Arisia, a group reading in Brooklyn, Boskone. I had not counted on the deep fear that has come along for the ride.

Those that know me would never describe me as fearful. I've spent my life advocating and speaking out for what I believe in. If I were to pick a single word to represent my personality, it would probably be determined. (A more polite way to say stubborn, ornery, unyielding...just ask my spouse and my children.)

But fearful?

Yeah.

Give me a cause to rally around, and I am all in. Put a bully in front of me? I'm all "you shall not pass". But have me stand up and promote myself? My work? I'd rather face that Balrog.

Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Boskone in Boston and celebrating the release of LITANY FOR A BROKEN WORLD with my science fiction/fantasy community. I will need to cosplay a confident, functional adult author. All the while, my insides will be squirming and I will have to work to keep my hands from flailing around in distress. (One of the reasons I'm usually knitting at cons.)

If I didn't care so passionately about this story, it would be easy. And while I know I am not my book and my book is not me, it is still the deepest expression of my innermost self. So, in a way, it represents me. It's important to me and as an artist, I believe the work can't reach its true potential until it's experienced by the reader.

Truly, most creators I know are -- like me -- balls of anxiety wrapped in a human suit. So if you encounter me at Boskone, please be gentle. Approach as if you were nearing a feral kitten because I will be torn between wanting to flee to hide under a table and needing to be (metaphorically) petted.

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Monday, January 27, 2025

Where to Find Me: Book release edition


Photo of me with one of my fellow readers, Donald Maass at Brooklyn Booze and Books	.

Two weeks from today, LITANY FOR A BROKEN WORLD will be released. (!!!!!) It's been a long road from original idea to finished novel and it doesn't quite feel real to me yet.

The work of being an author isn't only in writing the book. It also includes doing what you can to help it find its readership. But authors are notoriously shy creatures (many of us, anyway) and self-promotion is a terrifying process.

So we do what we can, hoping that the readings, the interviews, the cover art reveal, the convention panel appearances all conspire to pique a reader's curiosity.

To that end, I was a guest participant at Arisia in Boston last weekend, then took a train to NYC Tuesday morning to participate in a group reading at Barrow's Intense tasting room in Industry City in Brooklyn. The reading was to celebrate an anthology series (Of Gods and Globes) that the readers had contributed to. I had the opportunity to show off the ARC of Litany (yay!) and read a short story from volume 1 of the anthology series that I hadn't ever read aloud to an audience before. ("Perpetual Silence").

It's a story I wrote B-C (Before Covid) and one that I haven't really looked at in quite some time. I was happy to see that it held up and for 20 minutes, I was able to capture the attention of everyone in the room. (It's a powerful story. I'm so glad Past-LJ wrote it.)

I was recently a guest on Max Bowen's CityWide Bytes YouTube interviews. You can watch the short video here, where we talk about Litany and its influences.

An early review of Litany is up here, as well.

If you're going to be at Boskone this February, I'll be reading from Litany during the Broad Universe Rapid-fire Reading and participating in the Boskone Book Release party, where you can snag a copy/get your copy signed.

As a reminder, ebook pre-orders are live and print orders will be open on release day (Feb 10). If you are considering buying the book, pre-orders are really helpful for a book's visibility. If buying the book isn't in your budget, spreading the word about it and marking it as 'want to read' on Goodreads can be the boost a book needs to get noticed.

Many thanks!

Subscribe to BlueMusings and receive my short story collection, STRANGER WORLDS THAN THESE, as my gift.

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

You Must Read This: Madcap Superhero Edition

I don't write official reviews. That's a choice I made after I published my first novel as it feels like a kind of conflict of interest, especially when reading books in the spec fic world where I hang my own writing hat. (Other authors feel differently, and I respect that.)

What I will do is evangelize about books I've read and loved. Today I want to talk about The Brothers Jetstream and its author, Zig Zag Claybourne.

I met Clarence Young (Claybourne's cover identity) at Boskone 2019. What caught my eye was this incredible purple greatcoat he was wearing.

Readers, I coveted it. Hard.

But I didn't have the over 6' tall frame or the gravitas to have pulled it off. So I struck up a conversation with the man instead and ended up buying his book, The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan.

Why, you ask?

The purple coat may have reeled me in, but when Young described his novel as his homage to one of my hands-down favorite movies ever -- Buckaroo Banzai -- it was a no brainer.

This delightful, chaotic, romp of a novel engaged me from start to finish. I normally race through books, but I forced myself to savor this one slowly and was rewarded by my patience because I got to spend more time with Milo and Ramses Jetstream and their brilliant rag tag crew.

Telling you what this book is about is almost besides the point. Yes, there are the eponymous superhero brothers. There are also sentient whales, vampires, Alanteans, mysterious cabals, an arch enemy (The False Prophet Buford), the leviathan who was there at the start of the universe, mystics, psychics, angels, clones, Djinn and so much more.

The ten-thousand foot view of the plot is simple: the world is in peril. The brothers and their crew need to save it "one last damned time." The execution of this wondrous novel is anything but simple. Don't expect a paint-by-numbers plot: the cast of characters is large (and all delightfully named!), the pace is fast and furious. Young, AKA Claybourne, drops us into his fertile imagination and leaves us there to sink or swim. But if you're up for an adventure, dive in. You won't be disappointed.

I could absolutely see Buckaroo Banzai wanting to hang out with the Brothers Jetstream. I know I do.

Subscribe to BlueMusings and receive my short story collection, STRANGER WORLDS THAN THESE, as my gift.

Friday, December 29, 2017

2017: A Year in this Writer's Life

I suspect most of you will understand when I say I won't be sorry to see the last of 2017. With a few notable exceptions, it was a difficult year, personally, professionally, and in the world at large.

Still, I have been fortunate. I have good health care and our family has financial stability. Those two things alone make me an outlier.

And, while I haven't written as much in 2017 as I had wanted or planned to, it was still a full year of writing news and personal news.

Writing Life

Chris Howard knocks it out of the park again with this cover image.

Publications

2017 saw the publication of PARALLAX, the 4th book of my space opera science fiction series Halcyone Space.

I also contributed a new original short story to the anthology ORPHANS IN THE BLACK called "In the Clutch", unrelated to the universe of the Halcyone Space books. It's a bit of an homage to Earnest Shackleton and the Endurance mission. With reptilian aliens.

Writing in Progress

The drafting of book 5 (A STAR IN THE VOID) has been going more slowly than I had anticipated, but I'm still working within my original publication time frame of Summer 2018.

After several false starts, I finished another short story for an upcoming themed anthology and am awaiting editorial notes. It's a bit more on the literary side than my novels and I'll be interested in seeing what readers make of it.

In other new writing, the Vito Nonce project that I'm co-writing with Rick Wayne has taken a brief hiatus as both of us are working on finishing current series, but will be a focus in the new year.

So between novels, short stories, blog posts, and poetry, I've probably eked out 50,000 new words in 2017. Considerably less output than I've managed in prior years, but I'll take it as a victory.

Events and Honors

I addition to attending ARISIA (and garnering an invitation to participate in 2018) and participating in programs at BOSKONE and READERCON, this year marked a convention first:

One of these days I'll learn to to take goofy photos.
But not this day.

I was invited to be a Guest of Honor at G.A.M.E. in Springfield, MO. They folks at G.A.M.E. were gracious and welcoming and I had a great time meeting old and new fans and talking about SF&F tropes that needed to die.

This year also found me in Denver to attend MILE HIGH CON. The highlight was getting to meet Nathan Lowell in person for the first time since meeting him virtually 4 years ago.

DERELICT picked up a new honor in 2017: It was chosen as the inaugural title for a new Feminist Book of the Month Club, featuring speculative fiction titles. It also had another run on Amazon as a best seller during a sale in the fall, introducing the series to a new group of readers. (Welcome!)

This fall, I was able to spend a productive and wonderful week in the company of writing community friends from Writer Unboxed when we gathered for a retreat in the wilds of Vermont.

And finally, in December I was interviewed by my fellow Broad Universe member Rona Gofstein along with Kevin Ross Emory on their show: Dragons & Unicorns & other creative creatures.

So if you've ever been curious about my creative process, my stories, my ceramics work, or just what to hear my squeaky voice and watch me talk with my hands, have a look.

Personal Life

Star Field Farm rises

In January of 2017, my husband and I closed on a home in Central Massachusetts on a 54 acre piece of property that is part farmland, part Rivendell. Ultimately, it will be where we retire to. In the meanwhile, it will be a personal and writing retreat space.

In March of 2017, my gallbladder and I decided to part ways. It was less an amicable divorce than a forced separation. I don't know how it is faring, but I'm a lot healthier without it in my life.

My birth mother, circa 1962

The year ended with an incredible discovery: my birth family. After decades of searching, and after believing that door had closed permanently, I have made contact with aunts, uncles, and cousins related to my (late) birth mother. It has been quite a journey finding new family in my 50s and discovering that, yes, poetry and geek are carried in the genes.

I suspect that I'll be continuing to process what this all means for me over the coming year both in my journaling, my poetry, and my stories.

In looking forward to 2018, I wish you all a year of creative energy, of personal growth and breakthroughs, and most importantly, of peace and joy.

#SWFApro

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Social Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome, and Conventions


Looking thoughtful at the Doctor Who panel with John Chu and Don Pizarro photo by David Marshall

Imposter Syndrome.

Yeah. It's something that all of the writers I know have struggled with at different times in their careers. For me, it seems to be the strongest at venues like cons, where I am thrown in with other writers. It's hard not to fall prey to the inevitable comparisons game: I'm an indie; Writer X is published by Tor. My books haven't won awards; Writer Y is a Hugo winner. I've published 6 novels; Writer Z just published their 30th. And has a new 3 book contract. And their panels are SRO. And. And. And.

I typically both look forward to and dread cons. I know I will exhaust myself being 'on' so I can make sure to present my best self during the event. And I will walk around feeling insecure and anxious, certain that I don't belong in the myriad of conversations happening all around me. Still, I force myself to interact, all the while believing the people I'm talking to just want me to shut up and leave.

That's my anxiety brain talking. My rational brain knows that's bunk: I'm not intrusive. I do respect boundaries and personal space. I don't monopolize conversations.

The biggest problem I have at cons is that anxiety brain doesn't typically listen to rational brain.

This past weekend, I was a guest at Boskone.

For the first time since I started attending cons, and certainly since I started to be invited to participate, I didn't feel limited by my anxiety brain.

I was scheduled for 4 panels (moderator for 2 of them), a reading, and a signing. For all of the events, I felt comfortable and prepared, without the sense of manic pressure that usually carries me through a con.

I moved in and out of conversations with a fluidity that was new to me. I met old friends, long time acquaintances, and made new friends.

I've been trying to figure out what changed for me this year. Many folks remarked, both during Boskone and afterwards, that this was the best Boskone they remember. It felt more inclusive, more welcoming, more relaxed. I'm sure some of that external energy helped me, but my ease was bigger than that.

After a number of years attending, I think I've finally reached critical mass where I recognize enough people and enough people recognize me that I don't feel like the eternal wallflower. And it's more than that, even.

I've finally reached a place where I'm comfortable with both who I am and where I am in my writing career. The dreaded Imposter Syndrome is intimately tied up with the unhealthy comparison issue. Those things have less power over you as soon as you understand and accept that there will always be writers with more success than you, more prestigious publishers, more awards, more reviews, more income, more fame. And NONE of that has anything to do with you. (By which I mean *me*.)

NONE of that has much bearing on you (me) as a person, your (my) writing, and your (my) publishing career.

Where I am in my writing and publishing has nothing to do with where someone else is.

This is not a Reality TV show. No one gets voted off the island or disqualified in the lightning round.

I think this was really hammered home for me in a conversation I took part in at 'bar con' (a random assortment of folks who happened to be at the same table after the formal part of the con was over. Some of us had drinks). There was a gentleman at the table with a "my first Boskone" ribbon on his badge and we asked him what had brought him to the con.

He was very reticent to tell us, but after some good-natured teasing, he admitted that a friend convinced him to come after reading some of his writing.

"Aha!" I said. "You're a writer."

He spent a good part of the evening denying it, even as we discovered (all hail the power of a smart phone!) he'd written multiple novels and teaching guides to those novels, published, and had his work used in teen gang violence prevention programs.

Even through his full-on Imposter Syndrome, any of us at the table could see the truth: he had lit up when he talked about his writing. It was clear where his passion lay. And we all called him on it. (In a supportive way.) I hope he came away with a new appreciation for his creativity and an acceptance of himself as a writer.

Even as I was calling on him to accept himself without apology or caveat, I was simultaneously reminding myself of the same lessons.

#SFWApro

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Where to find me: Boskone edition

I'll be reading from Dreadnought and Shuttle, and maybe a bit from the forthcoming Parallax!

This weekend, I'll be participating in Boskone, the Boston area's longest running SF convention. It's a place for readers and authors to connect and have great conversations about all things geeky. There are some great panels every year and I'm on some fun ones, including:

Katniss, Furiosa, Elsa, and Rey: The New Woman in SF/F Film

They each made big impressions in big recent genre movies. What do these characters say about the current state of heroic female figures in our cinematic imaginings? What traditions do they uphold or subvert? What promise do they hold for our futures?

So You Wanna Be a Time Lord

The time for a new Time Lord is fast approaching. Peter Capaldi is on his third season, which means his stint as The Doctor is likely nearing an end. We've seen speculation about casting the next Doctor, but maybe Capaldi isn't ready to go, especially since his character is starting to gel. What are our hopes for the future? Do we want to keep Capaldi? Whom would we like next? Maybe we can even ask our panelists why they might make a good Time Lord....

From Maladies to Medicine

Panelists share tips and tricks on how to realistically injure and heal your characters. Learn what questions to ask when it comes to the effects of specific injuries. Hear how certain modern and ancient medical practices and medicines can help with healing. Find out how authors make their characters’ pain and recovery feel real and relatable.

When Is It a Gimmick?

Story gimmicks often seem like good ideas at the time — but instead of applause, they get eye-rolls. What is a gimmick, exactly? Are they all created equal? We'll discuss common gimmicks, identifying traits, and ways to transform them into truly fresh ideas.

I also have a solo reading and a signing scheduled. My books will be for sale in the dealers room at the Broad Universe table.

So if you're going to be in town this weekend, please come find me!

#SFWApro

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Where I've been; Where I'm headed

Could this be Rivendell?

It's been 3 weeks since I've posted something to this blog. That may be the longest stretch I've gone between entries in the more than 10 years I've been blogging here. It's been a difficult time in my personal life as well as the public and political life of the nation and I'm sure I'm not the only one struggling to keep up.

Part of my personal difficulty, these past weeks (and months, to be honest) has been a series of upper respiratory infections that flared up my asthma to a point where I could barely function. Because the personal is political, I will say that because I have good health insurance and access to excellent medical care, I was able to get the diagnostic tests and medications I required to get well.

And I'm at a point where I'm breathing better than it's been in more than 5 years. The swelling in my ankles that had become a chronic thing is gone. My pulmonary function is up and I can walk up a flight of stairs or laugh at a joke without wheezing, coughing, and getting short of breath.

It means I'm walking more and doing more. I've lost 5 pounds in the past 2 months of my recovery, doing nothing more than just being normally active.

Coming to terms with having a chronic disease is as much finding the appropriate management as it is accepting that this is one's reality and baseline. A lot of the past few months has been making that mental adjustment.

_____

It's also been a time of change and opportunity.

About 6 months ago, I found this house, nestled in 54 acres of woods and meadows in Central Massachusetts. We worked on moving the financial equivalent of heaven and earth to make an offer. It took 6 months and there were several points along the way where the deal looked like it had fallen through. Last Friday was our closing. We are now the owners of this incredible house and property.

For now, and the foreseeable future, it will be a weekend/vacation home. I the next 5 - 7 years, it will be where we retire to.

I'm planning to run writing retreats there, as well. Stay tuned!

_____

On the writing front, PARALLAX is out with beta readers and I've already gotten some feedback. Nothing fatal, though I do have some work ahead of me. Which is as it always is. This is why I use beta readers. I'm still on track for a Summer release.

I received a lovely and well-balanced review of DREADNOUGHT AND SHUTTLE from Publishers Weekly a few days ago. Of course, I'll use the good stuff for my pull quote!

"Cohen continues to display her talents for engaging characters and a believable universe in her teen-friendly third Halcyone Space adventure. . . The admirably brave and übercompetent Dev shines as a stellar addition to the genre. . ."

It feels odd to be between writing projects, as it always does, though I'll be digging into edits soon enough and it gives me time to be at the ceramics studio more.

Oh, and if you'll be at Boskone in February, come find me! I have some great panels and it's always a lovely and thought-provoking con. Here's my schedule:

Katniss, Furiosa, Elsa, and Rey: The New Woman in SF/F Film

Friday 17:00 - 18:00, Harbor III (Westin)
They each made big impressions in big recent genre movies. What do these characters say about the current state of heroic female figures in our cinematic imaginings? What traditions do they uphold or subvert? What promise do they hold for our futures?

So You Wanna Be a Time Lord

Friday 19:00 - 20:00, Marina 4 (Westin)
The time for a new Time Lord is fast approaching. Peter Capaldi is on his third season, which means his stint as The Doctor is likely nearing an end. We've seen speculation about casting the next Doctor, but maybe Capaldi isn't ready to go, especially since his character is starting to gel. What are our hopes for the future? Do we want to keep Capaldi? Whom would we like next? Maybe we can even ask our panelists why they might make a good Time Lord....

Reading by L.J. Cohen

Saturday 12:30 - 13:00, Independence (Westin)

From Maladies to Medicine

Saturday 14:00 - 15:00, Harbor III (Westin)
Panelists share tips and tricks on how to realistically injure and heal your characters. Learn what questions to ask when it comes to the effects of specific injuries. Hear how certain modern and ancient medical practices and medicines can help with healing. Find out how authors make their characters’ pain and recovery feel real and relatable.

Boskone Book Party

Saturday 18:30 - 19:30, Galleria - Stage (Westin)
Join us for Boskone's Book Party! See what's just out from authors you love, and discover new favorites.

When Is It a Gimmick?

Sunday 10:00 - 11:00, Marina 3 (Westin)
Story gimmicks often seem like good ideas at the time — but instead of applause, they get eye-rolls. What is a gimmick, exactly? Are they all created equal? We'll discuss common gimmicks, identifying traits, and ways to transform them into truly fresh ideas.

Autographing: L.J. Cohen, Tamora Pierce, Tui Sutherland, Christine Taylor-Butler

Sunday 11:00 - 12:00, Galleria - Autographing (Westin)

#SWFApro

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

When everything happens at once

There is a feast or famine aspect of life as a writer. In drafting a new novel, an important part of the process is letting the story 'marinate' in the subconscious. To the non-writer, this can look a lot like daydreaming or being lazy. I can assure you, when a writer is in her native habitat, looking to all outside appearances as if she is not writing, there is story happening.

Tigger and Dustin only look like they're completely at rest.
If I said the word 'w.a.l.k.' or picked up a tennis ball, they'd
be up in a flash.

And when you are a writer/artist/musician/etc, it feels as if your life consists of long stretches of nothing happening, punctuated by intense times where everything seems to crash down on you at the same time.

This is where I am now.

I am not complaining; this is the life I chose after my very predictable career as a physical therapist. I love what I do and feel inordinately grateful that I have the ability to pursue a creative life.

This past weekend, I was immersed in geek/fan/writing culture at Arisia. I have been to other SF&F cons before, but this was my first Arisia. It was a riot of color and sound, of incredible cosplay, and wonderful conversations and connections with both creators and fans.

It was incredible to spend time with my fellow members of Broad Universe, an organization dedicated to promoting women writing in speculative fiction. And I participated in the art show, displaying my ceramics for the first time.

One of the struggles of so many creative folk - myself included - is that we can tend to be introverts. I am what I call a 'social introvert', in that I am very outgoing and not at all shy. However, I need my quiet/alone time to recharge, especially after the immersion of interactions that is a con.

If I had my 'druthers, I'd spend the next week in deep silence. Unfortunately, I am running up against some hard deadlines, that are adding to my overall stress level. Again, they are for really great and exciting things; they are just happening all at once.

TIME AND TITHE, the sequel to THE BETWEEN, will be released the second Monday in February. And between now and then, there are an overwhelming number of details to be managed. Publishing one novel is work enough; I am rebranding THE BETWEEN with a new cover to match the art for TIME AND TITHE, so some of the work has doubled.

Jules Valera's new cover art for THE BETWEEN

And the cover for TIME AND TITHE is not quite done yet. I know it will be soon, and it will be fabulous when it's finished. I'm just feeling the crunch of time.

Because all of this work has to be completed by January 31st. When I travel to Iceland.

Again - not complaining! This is a trip that was an unexpected and unplanned adventure, and one that I am extremely excited about.

And when I return from the trip, the book releases and Boskone begins 5 days later.

:takes big, deep breath:

I can do this.

I know I can.

Friday, January 09, 2015

Trying to find center

Centering the clay, photo by BLW photography, used with permission, CC by 2.0

We are only nine days into the new year, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. Although I'm not sure why I continue to believe that my life starts on a blank slate every January 1st. I am starting to realize there are not really endings and beginnings, only continuations, as one day blends into the next, one year into the next. It puts the concept of New Year's resolutions into a different kind of perspective for me.

What it means is that at any moment, we can choose to take a new course; that paradoxically, every moment is a chance for something to begin or something to end.

Anyway, enough philosophizing.

Even centering - the title of today's blogpost and the photo used above - is not entirely a metaphor. In ceramics, if the clay is not centered, you cannot throw. That's what happened to me last Friday. I wedged up a half-dozen balls of clay, planning to throw medium and large serving bowls.

What I accomplished instead was an afternoon of mud pies.

Nothing would center. Frustrated, I tried to open the clay and pull up the walls anyway. For my pains, I got what potters affectionately term 'the death wobble.' That's where the opening is not centered (natch - because the clay on the wheel is not centered) and one side of the wall is thick, the other thin. When the wheel spins, the clay wobbles and torques or collapses.

In movement, too, we need to be grounded in our physical center - the center of gravity - in order to function. Otherwise, we fall.

So yes, centering is a very real, physical phenomena.

And it's also a metaphor.

Right now, I'm feeling out of center. There's a lot going on in the next several weeks - much of it wonderful - but still, I'm having trouble staying in balance.

Between now and the middle of February, I will be attending Arisia and participating in the art show, readying TIME AND TITHE for publication, traveling to Iceland for a week (Yikes! But cool!), launching TIME AND TITHE, and attending Boskone, where I'm both in the art show and on panels.

:Takes big, deep breath:

My job in the next few weeks is to look for centering. That means not rushing the process on the wheel at the ceramics studio. That means not rushing about mindlessly (which I was doing yesterday and which meant that I started the day dropping and smashing a wrapped ceramic cup meant for a friend because I didn't take the time to be present.) That means taking the time to breathe, to do yoga, to shut down distractions when it's time to write.

May you be centered in your day and find the balance you need.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

2014: Looking back, looking ahead

Switchbacks; photo by Don Graham, CC BY-SA 2.0

It's funny. Every year ( 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) I do one of these round-up posts, and every year it amuses me how my plans tend to take a sideways turn. I suspect this is inevitable, as life continually throws curve-balls. And being flexible to what comes is a strength.

When I was looking forward toward 2014, I was optimistic that DERELICT would sell and be published by one of the 'big guys'. I had planned to publish FUTURE TENSE under my own imprint, and focus on completing TIME AND TITHE, the sequel to THE BETWEEN, also planned for my imprint, figuring that any path to traditional publication would take a year or more. (One of my mottoes is always keep moving, or as Dory says in Finding Nemo "Keep swimming! Just keep swimming!")

However, When 2014 actually showed up, it had a very different shape to it.

I did end up publishing FUTURE TENSE in February of 2014, and that was just the start of what would prove to be a chaotic and exciting time for me.

My agent and I parted ways in late spring after it became clear to both of us that we were not a good match for one another. That left me feeling someone at loose ends and more than a little nervous. But it also left me free to publish DERELICT under Interrobang Books, the imprint I founded in 2012.

I had no expectations on June 1 when I hit the publish buttons on all the retail platforms. I knew I had written a solid book, but that didn't guarantee anything. My experience in publishing my first 2 novels was that I could sell a few hundred copies, reach some enthusiastic readers, and get some honest and thoughtful reviews. I believed that having more work for sale would improve my chances of discoverability, and I made sure the release would be in time with Readercon (where I was on the program) and joined Broad Universe (an organization of women writing in SF&F) so I could have copies of my books for sale in the dealer's room. Beyond that? I reached out to my newsletter subscribers the week the book came out and kept my fingers crossed.

After several days of modest and steady sales, something happened. Something magical and wonderful. DERELICT started selling. And selling. And selling. In the past 6 months, I have seen nearly 8,500 copies of my books sell. That is a significant number for an indie author. My earnings from DERELICT alone are higher than I would likely have made had my former agent sold the novel. (A good ballpark figure for the advance on a debut SF novel in today's market is $7,500. Most published books never earn more than their advances.)

And so, my writing life took a series of hairpin turns and now I'm traveling in a direction I had never anticipated.

I will continue to publish my novels under Interrobang Books. TIME AND TITHE is slated for a mid-January 2015 release, two years from the publication of THE BETWEEN. I am thrilled that I was able to return to the world of the Fae and continue Lydia's story.

DERELICT will become book 1 of a new series. Book 2 is well into its draft phase. My plan is to have it ready for release in June of 2015, and then a new book in the series yearly.

I will continue to blog here and pen the occasional short story. (Which you will have early access to if you subscribe to my very occasional newsletter.) Which reminds me of another of 2014's accomplishments: I put together a collection of my short fiction, STRANGER WORLDS THAN THESE. It's for sale as an eBook for .99, but subscribers receive it free.

In January, I will be at Arisia, reading with Broad Universe and I'll be exhibiting my pottery at the art show! (This is a new venture for me in 2015. While I have been doing ceramics for quite some time, I'm now confident enough to show my work.) In February, I'll be on program at Boskone, as well as in the art show. If you're at either con, please find me! There will be paperback copies of each of my books for sale.

'it's full of stars'

My goal for 2015 is also to stay open to new possibilities and new opportunities as they arise. I have joined The Scriptors, an indie author collective, and am talking with another author friend about a project he has in the works.

The world of publishing changes in an eye-blink. Indie publishing has changed significantly in just the 2 years since I published my debut title. I have no doubt that it will continue to evolve and shift. What doesn't change is my commitment to write books that delight and surprise readers. I have always believed that creation is a journey and a partnership between the creator and the audience.

I hope you will continue to travel this road with me.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

2013 - The Year that Was

So it's that time, again. Time to take stock of what I accomplished in the past twelve months in relation to what I had hoped to accomplish. Time to look ahead to the New Year and anticipate what it will bring.

I have made these year end round-up posts every year since 2007. ( 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. God-willing and the river don't rise, I will continue to make them, moving forward into the future.

When I look back at my yearly reviews, I am humbled by my ambitions. I very rarely accomplish everything I set out to do, but I don't consider that a failure. Instead, I also look at what I have accomplished and find cause for celebration.

These were my plans for 2013:

Revise/edit the ghost story (which really, really needs a title) and DERELICT
Brainstorm with Nephele regarding what to write next/continue to align goals with the aim of publication
Complete and publish the Ultimate SF&F Workshop Anthology
Write 4-6 new short stories

So, dear readers, how did I do?

Revised and edited DERELICT, and it is currently now on submission through Nephele Tempest, my agent.
Along with my co-editor, Talib Hussain, I released PEN-ULTIMATE: A SPECULATIVE FICTION ANTHOLOGY at Readercon 2013. As this was conceived as a charity project, we are thrilled to have already made our first donation to the SFWA emergency medical fund.
One of my short stories was included in the THEME-THOLOGY: INVASION anthology.
Wrote 1 new short story and revised three others. (Short stories are hard!)
Working with a developmental editor, finished a complete 'renovation' of a trunked novel, now named OATHBREAKER'S PRICE, an alternate-world fantasy. It is now being read by an acquiring editor of a small press.
First draft: I am approximately 2/3 to 3/4 through the first draft of the as-yet unnamed sequel to THE BETWEEN.
Close to 80 blog posts between Once in a Blue Muse Blog and guest posts for other writing sites.
Poetry: a dozen or so poems
Enjoyed being part of the programs for both Boskone and Readercon in 2013 and am looking forward to my participation in 2014.

So, all in all, this was a very productive year. I have a lot planned for 2014 and it has the possibility of being a very exciting year!

Forging ahead in a hybrid path to publication, while my agent is actively submitting DERELICT, I will be independently publishing several novels, including a YA fantasy, FUTURE TENSE in early 2014 and readying THE BETWEEN's sequel by the end of 2014.
I look forward to the chance to experience working with a small press on OATHBREAKER'S PRICE. If the manuscript is not picked up by the press, I will publish it under Interrobang Books sometime mid-year.
I will be joining a group writing blog with several amazing and talented ladies, but I can't tell you about it yet. :) But don't worry, Once in a Blue Muse Blog will still be my main blogging home.
I am dipping my toes into a collaborative middle grade project with a writer I've worked with from Google+. Again, I can't divulge the details yet, but I'm excited about working on something so different from my usual writing fare.
With the skills I have developed in full-contact revision, I will be assessing one of my early high fantasy novels for its resurrection potential while the next novel finds me.

Have a great 2014, one and all.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Boskone, part II

Time does funny things at meetings and conventions. I had this experience at the Dodge poetry Festival as well. There is so much to see/hear/experience, that instead of the time flying by, it seems as if every minute is packed ten times as full. Between yesterday and today, I got to have extended talks with Jane Yolen, Tamora Pierce, and Bruce Coville. Each of these talented authors was responsive and gracious as well as personable. While the larger conference sessions were interesting, I found the opportunity for quiet interactions with the authors to be the best part of Boskone.

It was interesting for me to hear that each of these writers has a different writing process. I was pleased that they cautioned the writers in the audience to find their own best process, and to try out many before deciding what works. Good advice.

My son got to hear Tamora Pierce read the first 2 chapters of her in-progress sequel to "Terrier" and is only frustrated that he has to wait a year to read it.

My work here is done. . .

While my older son was busy torturing peeps at Boskone, my younger son was flying across the country to spend vacation week with his dearest friend in Oregon.

He called me at 9 am his time to tell me he has just stepped foot in the hallowed halls of Powell's Bookstore in Portland, OR.

A 4 story bookstore an entire city block in size--it is his version of heaven.

My work here is done.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Death to Peeps! and Boskone 2008 part 1

My teen aged son and I are attending Boskone 08, the New England Science Fiction Association annual conference in downtown Boston. It's a three day celebration of SF and Fantasy writers and writing, including panels, readings, and conversations along with some mayhem and general silliness.

Tonight's highlight for my son was the 'death to peeps' fun fest, in honor of David Weber's Honor Harrington books. The idea was to find inventive ways to torture marshmallow peeps. My son did a "Peeptanamo Bay" diorama where hapless peeps were guillotined with an M&M dispenser and water boarded. (Peeps dissolve, by the way.)

For that, he earned the prize of a signed hardcover Weber book. Go him!

I attended two excellent sessions--one on "selling what you write" and the other on "hidden biases in SF".

In the huckster's suite, I found a reprint of the classic EE Doc Smith Lensman series. In a lovely conversation with the publisher, (Michael J. Walsh of Old Earth Books) I found out that the series actually starts with book 3. I bought a copy to share with my boys. It will be interesting to re-read something I haven't read since I was 11 or 12, lo these many years ago.

Looking forward to tomorrow. The only problem is that there are too many simultaneous sessions. You'd think that a SF/Fantasy con would figure out how to implement cloning or a time shifter so the attendees could go to everything at once. Grrr.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Not Right for Me

I've experienced an epiphany in my quest for a literary agent. Okay, maybe epiphany is too strong a word. Perhaps a re-frame is more like it. When an agent sends back your query letter with a note or form letter saying your project 'is not right for me', well, that's exactly what it means.

(Pause for readers to reflect and exclaim upon my wisdom. . .)

Well, sarcasm aside, I had an interesting experience yesterday. I attended Boskone with my family--a scifi/fantasy literary convention in Boston. Several of the panels discussed the business end of writing and since I'm an aspiring author, I attended them all. Later in the evening, I had a lovely conversation with one of the agents from a panel. He was interested in the genres I write, open to new projects, and gave me his website address to look at his submission guidelines.

I spent some time looking at his website and blog, checking him out in the usual places (P&E, agentquery, etc) and determined that he was not right for me. My reasons for choosing not to query him have nothing to do with his skills or talents as an agent. (He's a legitimate agent with verifiable sales.) I just didn't come away from my research feeling that we would be a good match for one another.

I am not being sarcastic or snide when I say this and it casts my many 'not right for me' letters in a very different light.

The past three years have taught me a lot about how the business of publishing works and I am absolutely convinced that the match between agent and author has to be the right fit for both. When I finished writing "The Wings of Winter" 2 years ago, I queried every reputable agent I could find who took fantasy. I had this dream that if just one agent took me on, the book would sell and I'd be published. Just one agent. Any agent. As if they were interchangeable and I just had to find one who would say yes. I received many rejections for that project. I understand now that it was not ready for prime time and that I had pitched it incorrectly. The two books I've written since then are both stronger books and I understand far better what the query process is and isn't.

In a way, I've now made my own job harder. It's not just an agent. It's *the* agent. The right agent. Yet, what this means for me is that rejections are just not personal. It's about the relationship between my work and the reading agent. If that relationship is not right, I really don't want that agent representing my work. And if I respect my work, than it's worth finding the right agent for it.

There are things I'm just not going to obsess about anymore. One of these is type fonts for query letters and submissions. I've watched writers go into tailspins over minutiae like this. My plan is to follow the directions on a particular agent's listing. If he or she does not have specific guidelines, I'll go with basic manuscript formatting. Currier vs currier new vs times roman? Not going to give it a second thought. If an agent is going to reject me out of hand for choosing the wrong type font if I've followed specific or standard directions, then so be it.

I'm not going to agonize over my query letter. I will write a one page letter that has all the standard elements. But panic? Not going to do it anymore. My watchwords for query letters are now professional, direct, concise. Trying for dramatic or unusual isn't me. I'm a straightforward person. My query letters need to reflect that.

What I will do is move forward in my writing with confidence and joy. My expectations are realistic. I know this is a difficult business where art and the dictates of the marketplace collide. I know that most books never earn their advances and most authors cannot make a complete living through their art. It stinks, but that's the way it is.

I'm not discouraged. Writing is what I do. I think about stories all the time and in the quiet minutes I create between work and family obligations, I write them down.

No, I'm not discouraged. Somewhere out there is the right agent for my work.

I'll keep you posted.