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

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I made a thing

When I need to recharge, I do better when I have a project to work on, rather than deal with unstructured time. So when a friend posted an image of miniature books on Google Plus, I was determined to figure out how to make one.


I'll be on program at Readercon later this month and I knew these would make eye-catching 'swag' to give away.

First, I looked at sources to buy dollhouse supply mini books. They do exist, but they are expensive - with the shipping, probably $0.40 or $0.50 each. I figured there had to be a simple way to make them.

Then I cracked my knuckles and fired up my search engine. I found this tutorial:

I experimented with different sizes of paper, and ended up cutting down 8 1/2 x 11" printer paper to several 3x5 rectangles. I then 'shrunk' the full cover of DERELICT to 1.25" by .80", printed it out, cut it to size, and glued it on to the little blank book.

This was my first proof of concept version:

Then I printed the cover on photo paper and at a higher resolution. The books came out much, much better with a clearer cover image and a more substantial feel.

Cute, right?

In an effort to cut down on the work involved, I found 3x5 scratch pads at Staples with paper that was almost as thin as origami paper. 

Next step included adding some information inside the little book so someone could find and buy the book if they were interested. Luckily, I found some peel and stick labels.

And finally, I glued a bit of waxed twine to use as a loop for a pendant.

Now I have an opening to have a conversation and offer someone my card (or their own miniature book!)


My plan is to make a few dozen of each of the four book in the Halcyone Space series. It's a good project to have while I watch the Redsox play. :)

If you're at Readercon, come find me at the Broad Universe table and you can have a tiny book!

#SFWApro

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Where to find me: Readercon Edition

This coming weekend, I'll be attending Readercon, one of the Boston area's annual SF&F cons. What sets Readercon apart is its focus on the literary aspects of speculative fiction and its highly thoughtful panels.

I am pleased to be on program again this year, participating in a variety of interesting discussions. If you're in the Boston area and have a love of speculative fiction, I highly recommend it.

Here are the panels/schedule items I'll be taking part in across the weekend:

Thursday July 07  

9:00 PM   
Futurism's Blind Spot. LJ Cohen, F. Brett Cox (leader), Robert Killheffer, J.M. Sidorova, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry.
SF likes to think of itself as a predictive literature, but it frequently fixates on technological change, fitting it into an existing or familiar social structure. SF tends to miss sociological change like more women in the workplace, queerness becoming public and accepted, or the increase in single parent families. In fact, hints in these directions are often considered dystopian. Why does SF focus on tech and superficial change more than deep sociological change? Is it harder to see how people and societies change than how gadgets do?

Friday July 08  

1:00 PM   
Why Women Become Protagonists . Gwenda Bond, LJ Cohen, Rosemary Kirstein, Hillary Monahan, Navah Wolfe.
In a 2015 essay about portrayals of female protagonists in crime fiction, Sara Paretsky writes, "Detectives like V.I. came to life in a time of bravado, when my peers and I... wrote out of a kind of cockiness: we're doing a job because we want it, we like the work, no one can stop us. Today, the female hero often has been brutally assaulted... or suffered some other form of serious trauma. It's as if the only acceptable reason for a woman to embrace the investigative life is to recover from damage, or get revenge for it—not because she takes pleasure in the work, and comes to it as a free spirit." Let's explore the reasons that female protagonists decide to protag, and discuss the many ways to motivate them other than assault and trauma.

8:00 PM 
Reading: Lisa Cohen. LJ Cohen. Lisa Cohen reads an excerpt from Dreadnought and Shuttle, Halcyone Space book 3. 

Saturday July 09 

12:00 PM  
Red Planet Rover, Red Planet Rover, Will Humans Come Over?  LJ Cohen, Jeff Hecht, Jim Kelly, Sioban Krzywicki (leader), Ian Randal Strock.
With talk of private space flight and one-way trips to Mars, is any of it really likely? Is it achievable in the near future? Is there any real demand and is it possible to ensure it isn't only for the fantastically wealthy? What would it take to make Mars a round trip, even if it is a very, very long layover? We're discovering that the void of space is far more hostile to humans than we'd thought; can problems like radiation, weghtlessness, and boredom be solved for the near future?

2:00 PM   
Autographs. LJ Cohen, Matt Kressel.   

Sunday July 10  

10:00 AM   
Which Book Would You Save?. LJ Cohen, James Morrow, Kate Nepveu (leader), Tom Purdom, Eric Schaller. 
 In Ray Bradbury's introduction to the authorized adaptation graphic novel of Fahrenheit 451 he says, "Finally, may I suggest that anyone reading this introduction should take the time to name the one book that he or she would most want to memorize and protect from any censors or 'firemen.' And not only name the book, but give the reasons why they would wish to memorize it and why it would be a valuable asset to be recited and remembered in the future. I think this would make for a lively session when my readers meet and tell the books they named and memorized, and why." Our panelists will respond to this prompt and tell us what texts have been so influential/inspiring (inside and outside genre) that they would go to extensive lengths to subvert a world of censorship.


You can also often find me at the Broad Universe table in the dealer's room, where my novels will be for sale.

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The Subjectivity of Reviews, redux

image from Open Clip art, in the public domain

First: some caveats/ground rules. Please, no nasty comments directed at the reviewers. In fact, no arguing with reviewers at all. If you wish to express solidarity by sharing some of the 'best' negative reviews sent your way, you can excerpt them or link to them in a comment. Attacking a reviewer on behalf of an author you enjoy is also neither useful or appropriate.

I never, ever engage with reviewers, except on rare occasions to thank them for their time (and only when they are book bloggers/reviewers I have reached out to, rather than readers who review on Amazon, etc.) I don't think I need to explain why arguing/badmouthing a reviewer over a negative review is wrong.

But that doesn't mean we can't talk about reviews and use examples of both positive and negative ones to illustrate the incredible subjectivity of opinion.

I've talked about this before: Reviews are opinions. And as such, they aren't inherently 'right' or 'wrong'. They are a reader's reactions and experience. There may be times where the creator is bemused by the reviewer in that they see something that was not actually in the piece being assessed. That, too, is subjectivity at play.

I wanted to illustrate this with two recent reviews I received for ITHAKA RISING. One was a glowing, five-star review from a book blogger who has read and enjoyed other books of mine. One was a critical two-star review from a book reviewer who obtained the book via NetGalley.

What fascinated me was the different experiences of the two reviewers around the same issues: characters who are competent and gifted in several skill areas.

Barre lives, breathes, thinks and communicates in music. He is genuinely gifted, but unappreciated by his career military physician parents, although respected by his younger brother, Jem the resourceful coding genius. Jem exceeds Halcyone Captain Ro Maldonado’s coding talents by light years, which is saying something.

vs:

Jem is speshul. [sic] He’s a brilliant and caring kid that behaves better than his parents whom you just want to hug while ruffling his hair. . . .  The characters of Ro and Barre are also brilliant and super speshul. [sic] They can hack any system, fix any ship and find a hidden planet that the Commonwealth with all their military might, have not found in 40 years,…. in a day. Riiiiiiight.

And this, in looking at characterization:

Featuring a feisty lesbian heroine, a multicultural cast spanning three generations and a search and rescue mission involving a handicapped pre-teen, a wounded woman warrior with a prosthetic limb and a crone coding goddess, Ithaka Rising delivers diversity in spades.

vs:

The characters just fell flat. Developing all the characters that wear their emotions on their sleeves does not create depth nor does it balance the character in opposition to their brilliant genius personas.

Of course, one of these reviews was a huge ego booster, the other, not so much. But beyond that, they are both valid commentary. My only reaction to the more critical of the two reviews is my own personal aversion to snark. It's far easier for me to take in feedback when it's presented free from the emotional overtones, but even that is just a personal thing. The reviewer is not writing the review for the author, but for other readers.


I recently had a conversation at Readercon about the book turned mini-series JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL. I pretty much hated it. Couldn't read past the third chapter. I found it overwritten, pretentious, and poorly paced. My lunch companion had loved it, and was enjoying the TV adaptation. We did not try to convince the other how 'wrong' they were. We did not devolve into calling one another stupid poopy heads. We simply laughed and kept talking.

Of course, there is a difference between a critical review and a personal attack. And I have received reviews that bordered on the latter (sidebar: I don't consider this one to be in that category). I still don't believe in engaging over an ad hominum attack. Why not? Because I actually think that kind of obvious nastiness is pretty evident to readers of reviews and reflects more poorly on the reviewer than the item reviewed.

And finally, even one's favorite, most beloved, award-strewn book will garner one- and two-star reviews. I'd be wary and concerned if my work had none. What that would tell me is I hadn't reached a wide enough audience.

If you are a book blogger/reviewer, ITHAKA RISING is available to request via Net Galley through the end of August.

It is also available in all eBook formats as well as in trade paperback. Purchase venues can be found here.

#SFWApro
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Interviews, Giveaways & Readercon, Oh My

Busy as a bee. . .
Photo by atramos, used under CC license

I've been here and there on the internet for the past few weeks, including a Q&A with Lynn Viehl (where I answer the question: If you could step into a time machine and visit any SF universe (including your own), what would you choose as your destination, and why?) and a guest post on Julianne Douglas' blog on the connections between writing poetry and writing speculative fiction. Julianne is running a giveaway of an eBook and signed paperback copy of ITHAKA RISING, so head over there and leave a comment for your chance to win.

To pique your interest, here is the opening to my guest post on using poetry tools in fiction:
 

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

. . . or how is writing poetry related to writing science fiction?

According to Lewis Carroll, there actually isn't a true answer to his nonsensical riddle from Alice in Wonderland, but I do have an answer to my question.

Having been a poet for a far longer time than I have been a writer of fiction, I maintain that poetry - or at least the tools of poetry - underlies all effective writing. Not only that, but in writing speculative fiction, those tools can enhance world building and reader immersion in fundamental and crucial ways.

The poetic tools I'm going to focus on are specificity, musicality, and comparisons. All three can heighten the reading experience of your novel, especially novels of speculative fiction.

If you're active on GoodReads, DERELICT (Halcyone Space, book 1) was chosen for one of July's group read picks on the Space Opera group! I have an author interview posted there and will be participating in reader Q&A.

This Thursday is the start of Readercon, where I'm going to be taking part in panels, reading, and signing. If you're in the Boston area, it's a great con, full of thought-provoking panels and great discussions about all things SF/F/H.

Here's my Readercon schedule: (You can also find me at the Broad Universe table in the dealer's room.)

Thursday July 09

9:00 PM    EM    Reading: Lisa Cohen. LJ Cohen. Lisa Cohen reads From ITHAKA RISING

Friday July 10

3:00 PM    IN    How to Read Poetry. Kythryne Aisling, Michael Cisco, LJ Cohen, C.S.E. Cooney, Samuel Delany, Elaine Isaak. Those who have never read poetry for pleasure often aren't sure how or where to start; even a short poem can look arcane and daunting. This workshop will explain how to get the most out of poetry on the page, from humorous doggerel to more complex works.

6:00 PM    E    Autographs. LJ Cohen, A. J. Odasso.

Saturday July 11

9:00 AM    G    Zombies as a Crisis of the Ecosystem: A Holistic Perspective. John Benson, Gwendolyn Clare, LJ Cohen, Meriah Crawford, Catt Kingsgrave. Zombie plagues, like all pandemics, are ecosystem crises. What aspects of the human ecosystem make it possible for such a plague to spread? (Long distance air travel, say, or science fiction conventions.) What would its effects be on agriculture, infrastructure, labor availability, public health (aside from the plague itself), telecommunications, and other elements of human civilization? Where most disaster novels zoom in on the struggles of a few people to survive such a crisis, we will zoom out and consider large-scale, long-term questions.

 

3:00 PM    G    Beautiful and Terrible as the Morn: Celebrating Spec Fic's Older Women. Beth Bernobich, LJ Cohen, Kelley Eskridge, Eileen Gunn, Diane Weinstein. In a 2014 blog post, Kari Sperring wrote, "Most women who are now over about 40 have been told their whole lives to be good, to keep their heads down, to keep on working away quietly and to wait their turn. And now, within sff, at the point when their male contemporaries are celebrated, these same women are being told, No, it's too late for you, you don't matter enough; that space is needed. Get out of the way." Judith Tarr concurred in a post on Book View Café, saying, "Our culture makes a cult of youth.... But males as they age manage to stay visible, and even manage to keep matinee-idol status—and if they’re writers, they become literary lions. Females simply drop off the radar." Women over 40 have been shaping the genre since its beginning, as readers, writers, editors, agents, publishers, artists, critics, and more. This panel will celebrate the past, recent, and forthcoming work of older women, and help to put it back on everyone's radar.

Sunday July 12

9:00 AM    F    Wish Fulfillment for Happy Adults. John Benson, LJ Cohen, Betsy Mitchell, Sheila Williams, Ann Tonsor Zeddies. Wish fulfillment for teenagers and wish fulfillment for adults with happy stable lives are necessarily going to be different. Speculative stories are great for navigating the trickiness of coming-of-age, but there's precious little for those who are already of age and have started to prioritize comfort over adventure. Female readers in particular often turn to romance novels for stories about familes and love and kindness, and to mysteries for stories about grown women with agency and purpose. Can speculative fiction draw in those readers by fulfilling different sorts of wishes?

#SFWApro

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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. 

Odds and Ends; Things and Stuff

Old dock, Chesapeake Bay, MD

Hullo all! We are down on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland at the peaceful retreat that is my in-laws' place.

For the next week, I plan on reading and writing and staring out at the bay, watching the osprey chicks fledge.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to be on the program at Readercon and had a totally lovely time. I was on several really interesting panels, including one on the science and logistics of space colony living and one on dealing with discouragement. Great conversations ensued. I also got to meet and network with some amazing ladies from the Broad Universe group. I am really looking forward to getting more involved in the organization and promoting more women writers of SF&F.

If you follow me on Google Plus (my social network of choice), you know that I've been sharing and resharing posts about helping a fellow plusser and creative person (writer and artist) who is under imminent threat of home foreclosure. I figured I'd offer some of my ceramics as a perk for folks to donate to Tressa Green's gofundme campaign. What I never counted on was that the hashtag #KeepTressaHome would take off like wildfire on G+ and that tons of other plussers would also offer perks for donations.

I'm so proud of my community and their generosity and caring!! You can read more about the campaign and all the amazing perks being offered here: https://plus.google.com/113113447782383069533/posts/LMxQkwniUcV

So check out the link for your chance to have one of these (or something else that I make) as your very own, or one of many, many unique perks donated by others.

"dragon belly" mugs

It's cool stuff for an important cause. Please consider a donation, or at least spread the word. Thank you!

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?

1. Revised and edited DERELICT, and it is currently now on submission through Nephele Tempest, my agent.
   
2. 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.
   
3. One of my short stories was included in the THEME-THOLOGY: INVASION anthology.
   
4. Wrote 1 new short story and revised three others. (Short stories are hard!)
   
5. 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.
   
6. First draft: I am approximately 2/3 to 3/4 through the first draft of the as-yet unnamed sequel to THE BETWEEN.
   
7. Close to 80  blog posts between Once in a Blue Muse Blog and guest posts for other writing sites.
   
8. Poetry: a dozen or so poems
   
9. 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.

Readercon 2013: A Round-up

A lovely and unexpected acknowledgement

I've been to Readercon for several years now, but this year was the first time I've been on the program. It was an outstanding weekend and I am extremely grateful to the programming committee for giving me this opportunity. Over the course of the con, I participated in 3 panels, a reading, and a signing, including one where I was moderator.

I've done tons of public speaking before; in my capacity as a physical therapist, I've spoken in front of national conferences with an auditorium full of medical people without blinking an eye. While I have also done some other cons as well as bookstore readings and open mic nights, this felt different. I definitely had the pre-con jitters Friday morning as I got ready to drive to Burlington.

Predictably, my first panel was the one I needed to moderate. Nothing like diving into the deep end of the pool, right?

The Chair Became the Suit: Expressions of Disability in Speculative Fiction. Gwendolyn Clare, Lisa Janice (LJ) Cohen (leader), Shira Lipkin. Disabled characters have gradually become more common in SF/F, including entities as different as Batgirl/Oracle, Nahadoth, Toothless, and Hodor. In genres that offer the possibility of writing out or eliding disability using technology or magic, what do we see when authors choose to feature it prominently instead? How do authors and characters handle questions of access—to physical spaces, to assistive devices, to therapeutic treatment, or to participation in the community?
Suggested by Sarah Pinsker.

My panelists, Gwendolyn Clare and Shira Lipkin couldn't have been more gracious and helpful. We pulled in Sarah Pinsker and our unofficial/stealth third panelist because she had suggested the panel and had helped us brainstorm for it.  The conversation was wide ranging and thoughtful, as were the audience questions. It's an important subject and one I'm thrilled got presented at Readercon. We could have talked for at least another hour and I hope this is something we can revisit in future years.

A little later Friday, I reprised the eBook formatting panel I had done for Boskone and had a ton of folks come find me afterwards to thank me for demystifying the process.

On Saturday, I gave a 30 minute reading of about 2 chapters from DERELICT, my SF novel currently on submission. Apparently, I did not stumble or mumble excessively. :)

On the advice of my writing mentor and friend, Jeff Carver, I put out a bowl of dark chocolate as 'con-bait' for my signing Sunday morning. At 9 am. I was certain I would sit stiffly for a very lonely hour. Fortunately, I was paired with the interesting Ben Loory (we did a book trade and I'm looking forward to reading his short story collection, "Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day") and (huzzah!) folks did wander over for interesting chats and to buy my YA Fantasy title. :) I blame the chocolate.

I participated in one final panel on Sunday--writing for the YA and MG audience.

Writing for Younger Readers. Lisa Janice (LJ) Cohen, Jordan Hamessley, Alaya Dawn Johnson, E.C. Myers (leader), Phoebe North, Shveta Thakrar. How do middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) authors and editors write for children and teen readers? How do they make science fiction more accessible for kids, build complex fantasy worlds, and 

develop authentic characters with diverse backgrounds? This panel is ideal for anyone writing MG or YA or interested in finding books with plots as rich and complex as any novel targeted to adult readers.

Eugene Myers did a fabulous job of moderating, posing interesting questions to us and keeping the conversation flowing. It was an odd moment, as I looked at my fellow panelists, when I realized I was old enough to be any of their mothers! It gave me an interesting perspective on how YA/MG has changed in a generation.

So that's the 'official' Readercon stuff. The unofficial part of the con was in connecting with old friends and new, and in the book launch of an anthology of short stories, written by graduates of the Ultimate Science Fiction Writing workshop. 

One of the most proud moments of this past year was when I handed each of the contributors, my co-editor, and our writing mentors, Jeff Carver and Craig Shaw Gardner, their copies. Seeing the excitement and pride in their eyes made the last weeks of insanity completely worth it.

Thank you to Prime Books and Paula Guran and Sean Wallace for agreeing to place Pen-Ultimate on their table in the dealer's room and then to donate the full purchase price to the cause. (All proceeds are being donated to the SFWA Medical Emergency Fund)

And that bring me to the screen shot at the top of this page. The talented and gracious Chuck Wendig wrote a blog post about the anthology that he tweeted about. That tweet was then re-tweeted by THE Margaret Atwood. :swoon:  I found this out Friday--just before my first panel.

If you want to see the famous cover she admired, or want to have 11 great stories to read while supporting a great cause, purchase links and info are here.

Odds and Ends: Early Summer Edition

Cicada wing, photo by elizartyrrell, used with attribution, cc license

This morning, I heard the first of the summer cicadas. It's a sound that brings me back to childhood and the seemingly endless summers that stretched in glorious unscripted time between July and September.

As I travel through the years of my adulthood, it gets harder and harder to remember when days felt long and unhurried. My only deadline was to be home at dusk. There were no cell phones or wifi, so that meant long stretches where no one was able to find me.

There is a freedom in that.

I've recently started to take Yoga classes at a studio near my home. One of the things I love about Yoga class, is the studio has a no cell phone policy. For a glorious 90 minutes, twice a week, I escape the tyranny of outside influence and spend time in movement and reflection.

Summer is traditionally a time to slow down. Certainly the heat and humidity of the past few weeks is an external force, reminding us that we are not always in control. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it can be stressful when there are deadlines and responsibilities looming.

I am trying to remember to pause often and breathe.

On the writing front, DERELICT is currently with 4 editors of SF publishing houses. Just as I cannot control the weather, I have no influence on when they will read it and if they will love it well enough to offer to buy it. So another thing to let go.

My current serial, OATHBREAKER'S PRICE is about 2/3 through its run. If you want to read it, links are on the right hand sidebar. It's an alternate-world fantasy novel.

PEN-ULTIMATE: A SPECULATIVE FICTION ANTHOLOGY is out in the world, in trade paperback and ebook editions. Purchase links and more about the anthology can be found here. It was an honor and a privilege to edit such fine writers. If you enjoy short stories, this is your chance to read eleven original pieces, written by graduates of the Boston area Ultimate Science Fiction Writing Workshop and support a great cause at the same time. All proceeds are being donated to the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund.

Readercon 24 starts this Thursday evening. If you're attending, look for me. I'm on the program for the first time with three panels, a reading, and a signing. I'd love to see you there!

Writing Update

It's been a while since I've done a writing round-up post, so here is what I'm up to:

1--I'm in the frenzied ending phase of co-editing a short story anthology. The idea emerged from a dinner I attended last year at Readercon with a bunch of the 'graduates' of a local SF&F writers workshop called The Ultimate Science Fiction Workshop, run by Jeff Carver and Craig Shaw Gardner. When I looked around the table at all of the marvelously talented writers sitting there, I decided we needed to showcase our work. So I said something and no one told me it was a dumb idea. :) (This is how I end up involved in projects--no one around me talks me out of them!)

PEN-ULTIMATE: A SPECULATIVE FICTION ANTHOLOGY will be out in paperback and eBook mid July. And all the proceeds are being donated to the SFWA emergency medical fund.

2--I'm currently serializing an alternate-world fantasy novel called OATHBREAKER'S PRICE. It represents a deep "renovation" of a trunk novel I wrote several years ago. I've been working with developmental editor par excellence, Rebecca (RJ) Blain 

What is posted represents a pen-ultimate revision before the final edits that will be incorporated into a final draft for publication. (Any errors that remain will be due to my stubbornness, not any fault of Rebecca's) You can follow the serial--new chapters posted every Monday and Friday--in two places:

Blogger (easy to subscribe via RSS or email, send to kindle button on each chapter, TOC right sidebar)
Wattpad  (easy to follow, read on multiple devices)

3--DERELICT, The SF novel I serialized earlier in the year, has been revised and is with my agent in preparation for submission. You can read the draft version on Blogger or Wattpad. There are other stories waiting to be told in Ro Maldonado's universe and I can't wait to get to them!

4--I'm in the planning stages (at long last!) for the sequel to THE BETWEEN, my YA Fantasy debut title. I might even be persuaded to serialize it, as I'm writing it. :) Though that does feel a little like high wire walking without a net.

So, what are you working on in your corner of the universe?

2010 Writing Roundup

Because I'm sure you're tired of posts related to our housefire. . . because I know I am. . . because the end of the year is a time to take stock. . . and because it helps me see where I am in my writing life:

The Writing Roundup, 2010 Edition

Novels:

Edited "The Between"

Edited "Future Tense"

Began "Sisters of Lilith" fantasy/erotica

Began unnamed YA dystopian scifi project

Short Stories:

Written and/or substantially revised: 3 

Poetry:

New poems written: 41

Freewriting and journalling:  filled 2 notebooks with drafts to revisit in 2011 

Took part in the August Poetry Postcard Fest

Attended Dodge '10!

Took part in Robert Lee Brewer's November Poem a Day challenge

Blog Posts:

137 posts here on Once in a Blue Muse

1 guest post on Writer Unboxed

Op Ed pieces for our local newspaper: 4

In the margins of my writing, I also helped my parents move into a life care community, had an emergency appendectomy, celebrated the 5th anniversary of this blog, my husband's 50th birthday, our 22nd wedding anniversary, attended Readercon, had my car drive itself out of the driveway and into the creek, and survived a serious house fire. 

My goals for 2010 were:
  1.  Be ready with a marketing plan for when my first novel sells.  While the sale hasn't happened yet, I remain upbeat and hopeful and have a ton of ideas for when the time comes. Part of being a successful author is building connections with audience, 'platform' for want of a better word.  Writing a regular column for our local paper, besides being something I enjoy, also helps contribute to my platform.

  2. Appropriately use social networking tools to build connections with writers and readers, while not getting sucked into a black hole of time wasting on the net.  I kept pace with the blog, enjoyed my new connections through Twitter.  I'm still not as organized as I'd like to be about limited my net time, but that's a work in progress.

  3. Return to my 'roots' of writing poetry.  I returned to poetry with a vengeance, reading craft books such as "Wabi Sabi for Writers," "Writing down the bones," and "Writing the Life Poetic." (hi Sage!) I returned to my practice of daily pages, writing in small notebooks that I could carry around with me.  I filled several of them.

My goals for 2011:
1. Walk daily. Now that we're living in an apartment while our home is being repaired, I have the perfect excuse/need to walk daily.  Our dog.  I had been getting lazy, just putting her out in our fenced yard rather than taking her on walks.  Not good for either of us.

2. Plan out a sequel/series. All the novels I have written thus far have been independent of one another.  Several of them have sequels that I would love to write.  There is a difference between writing a standalone story and writing a series.  I need to explore what makes a good series.

3. Write one short story my critique group gives its blessing to.  I feel like there is a secret code to writing a complete and satisfying short story and I haven't broken it yet.  2011 is the year.

Well, there you have it.  I am happy to see 2010 in my rear view mirror.

Happy creating, to all my musician, artist, and writer friends.

Just putting it out there. . .

While I don't buy the whole 'laws of attraction' deal (mainly because I can't wrap my head around blaming negative thoughts for someone's illness--too much blaming the victim for my taste), I do believe in affirming what you want.  Letting others know can be really helpful.  For one thing, making a public affirmation can help clarify what it is you really want.  For another, it may lead to networking and connections that help you reach that goal.  For a third, it may inspire someone else to make a personal committment.

So here it is.  I want to make a full living from my writing.  All aspects of writing.  From my fiction, to running poetry workshops, to editing.  That's what it means to me to be a working writer.

Inspired by the panel on freelancing I attended at Readercon last weekend, I'm going to work on a writing resume and have it on my website for folks to find.  I'm going to network with other writers as well as medical/scientific folk and see what kind of editing gigs are out there.  And I'm going to figure out how to bring my poetry workshops to school age children.

What would you like to just put out there in the universe?  Hey, no guarantee you'll get it, but if you don't ask, the answer is already no.

Readercon Roundup

This was my first real Readercon experience.  Although I was able to attend about a half day of last years con, this year, I was there for all three days.  Readercon takes place in Burlington, MA, which is only about 35 minutes from home, so on the convenience score alone, it's a win.

It was also an excuse to put on my 'writer' hat in public for 3 days.  For most of the time, I'm toiling at my craft in solitary obscurity.  It's certainly a treat to be a writer amongst a group of writers.

I met some lovely people (waves to Natalie and Gen!) reconnected with a group of writerly folks from several workshops (waves to the Ultimate folks and our teachers, Jeff and Craig!)

Had an energetic conversation about Doctor Who in the con suite sunday afternoon revolving around 'who is your favorite Who' with surprising disagreements.

A shout out and thanks to Kimball Rudeen of Eyrie House Books who found me a hardcover copy of "Shockwave Rider" after a conversation we had before one of the panels. 

Another shout out to Nightwing Whitehead and her fabulous overshirts.  I'm not normally a 'girlie girl', but the colorful, flowing shirt made me feel graceful and elegant all weekend long.

There were a few panels at Readercon that I found most interesting and personally useful:

Writing Realistic Speech focused primarily on dialect and invented language, and the panelists emphasized the importance of listening for the 'music' in speech and to make sure use of dialect did not stereotype.  One of the panelists reminded us that writers are always going to get something wrong. We need to approach the work respectfully and try to minimize the damage.

Orphans of the Time Stream was a fascinating conversation about time travel tropes in writing.  John Crowley opened the conversation with a quote that has stayed with me all weekend.  "Grammar will prove time travel is impossible."  I know there is a story waiting for me in that concept.  Another concept from that discussion was that in a self-healing timeline, the universe will tie itself in knots to avoid paradox.  I hadn't ever really considered writing a time travel story, but that quote keeps pestering me. . .

This morning, I attended a workshop on freelance writing and realized I have a skill set that might lead to some solid freelance editing work.  With my health-care/scientific background and my skill at understanding the typical issues of non-English speakers writing in English, there may be opportunities for me in medical/scientific circles.  If anyone out there knows of leads, please do let me know.  I would be much obliged.

I would be remiss in my Readercon roundup (nice alliteration!) if I failed to mention what was the absolute highlight of my weekend.  The Kirk Poland Memorial Bad Prose Competition.  It's part performance art, part literary schadenfreude, part stand up comedy, where the audience must vote on the real continuations of really bad pieces of published and obscure prose.  I haven't laughed that hard and for that long in quite some time.

All in all, a good weekend.