The Literary Fatale

The Vampire Diaries

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:37:00 -0800

Okay, so I’ll admit I’m not a fan of the show or the books. It’s not that I dislike them, but that they’ve never really blipped on my radar for whatever reason. However, I do realize that they’re extremely popular as an intellectual property.

As an author myself, I was both shocked and horrified to stumble across this blog post earlier today. You can find the full text of the letter the post references here.

The unfortunate fact that this maneuver is completely legal (however morally reprehensible) underscores the desperate need for creators of all types to educate themselves as to their rights and responsibilities to their creations. Despite the fact that I feel horrible that this has happened to a fellow writer, Ms Smith’s plight underscores the fact that we need to be careful that we educate ourselves.

Companies like Alloy Entertainment are not going to look out for you. They’re going to look out for themselves. Although it may sound cynical, the best approach may be to look at it this way: ultimately, no one is going to have our best interests at heart but us. To think otherwise is to leave yourself open to being put in an untenable situation, so please, please, please educate yourself.

The Pulling Report

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:54:35 -0800

As a gamer, I’ve heard about The Pulling Report for several years. For those who don’t know, the Pulling Report was drafted by Michael Stackpole to refute the efforts of Patricia Pulling and her Bothered by Dungeons & Dragons (BADD) organization.

For the first time, I actually sat down and read the full text of the report, thanks to a link that Michael provided in a recent blog posting of his. It’s a fascinating and horrifying read, to be honest. I believe that this should be required reading for anyone who’s a gamer or into sci-fi and fantasy. Whatever good intentions Pat Pulling started out with clearly devolved into what almost appears to be a complete break with reality.

In reading the document and some of Mrs Pulling’s misguided attempts to ‘educate’ authorities about the danger signs of troubled youths, it occurred to me that I might’ve been a victim of her well-intentioned but hideously misinformed tactics. When I was in eighth grade, I was a generally quiet, shy kid who did well on tests and in-class assignments that didn’t require me to talk. I was also a big reader who had been reading at college levels since about fifth grade. I always had at least one book on my person and it was frequently science fiction, fantasy, or horror.

One day, I was called out of class and told that I was going to be spending my study periods twice a week meeting with a group of kids and teachers. I was never explicitly told why this was to be, or what the meetings were supposed to be about. As the meetings went on, however, I came to realize that these were kids who were considered ‘troubled’ in some way; abused or neglected at home, fighters, druggies… In short, everything I wasn’t.

I was flabbergasted at being thrust into these meetings. I didn’t understand why I was there. I had a good home life. My parents were loving and supportive. I fought with my brother occasionally, but what sibling doesn’t? My tactic for dealing with these sessions was to simply remain quiet unless I was forced to speak, and even then I was honest about having nothing to share.

Reading the Pulling Report, I realized that someone must have shared the ‘trouble signs’ that Mrs Pulling put forth in her materials and I was tagged as a potentially endangered kid. The heavy-handed effort to protect me from an imaginary threat resulted in an already reserved kid withdrawing further into herself and caused no small amount of fear and humiliation for me.

I understand that people want to protect their kids, but common sense has to kick in at some point.

Quests & Answers

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:34:50 -0800

Quests & Answers:

I’m extremely proud to share with you the new anthology of short stories. I helped create this volume along with my husband Garth, and our friends Ren Cummins and Quiana Kirkland, aka, my partners in Talaria Press.

The seven stories include new, original tales of our established worlds; Sekhmet’s Light, the Children of Divinity, and the Chronicles of Aesirium. There are also several featuring brand new, never before seen original stories.

We’re all incredibly pleased with the stories and hope that you’ll check them out and enjoy them as much as we did creating them.

Author Interview - Steve Sims

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:24:30 -0800

Two interviews in as many days? Yes, indeed! I love getting the chance to meet other authors and talk writing with them. I’m very pleased and excited to introduce another new friend from the Superhero Hype! Forums, Steve Sims.

Steve has published his first novel, Marlsbeth, an epic fantasy chock full of adventure and magic.

H – Hello, Steve. Thank you for talking with me today! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

S – I’m a 37 year-old IT professional, and proud father of two girls (4 and 8).

H – What inspired you to write your first book?

S – My inspiration came from a lifelong passion for the arts; concept art is a passion; I’ve always loved comic books (The Avengers/HULK/Batman), and superheroes. I remember watching the Hobbit cartoon back when I was a kid, and I’m a movie buff, so many movies inspired me as well… Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Legend, Dragon’s Lair, Star Wars. My dad was a good storyteller as well.

H – That’s a pretty heady brew. How did you come up with the title?

S – Originally it just came to me… I went deeper as I wanted everything to have substance. Breaking down the root words I would define Marl and Beth and determine it to loosely mean ‘God’s house of fresh soil’.

H – That definitely seems an appropriate name for a land inspired by the likes of Tolkien! What prompted you to write epic-style fantasy over other genres?

S – I would say that my love of poetic words and fantastic stories converged. I just started writing it with no real plan, and it grew from there. I know, really not the way it is done, but I studied and everything blossomed quite organically!

H – That’s one of the beautiful things about writing, it’s very individual and there’s really no “right” way to go about it, in my experience. Tell us about Marlsbeth. What makes it different from all the other fantasy novels out there?

S – To me what really makes Marlsbeth stand out is that it wasn’t written with preconceived notions of what fantasy was or is. I had a movie playing in my head, and it wasn’t based off of one or two writers, as I just let all of my influences converge. I also think it has a classic feel to it! Even though I did my research, I tried to write the story passionately, with a poetic overtone, rather than being overly cerebral.

H – Oh, yes, passion is definitely a must when it comes to writing. Putting your passion on the page is what makes simple words resonate with people. Which of your characters is your favorite?

S – It has to be the main character Banion. Virtuous, passionate, devoted, honorable. The traits of a real hero!

H – Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

S – That would most likely have to go to General Geldik of the Dark Armies, a.k.a. Bloodhunter… nuff said!

H – With a nickname like that, I can’t blame you! What motivates you to write?

S – My brain can only hold so much before stuff starts spilling out!

H – Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

S – I love the parables of Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin, and the figurative lines of Scott Stapp of Creed. King David wrote some beautiful Psalms.

H – I also love the imagery in many of Creed’s songs. Where do you get your ideas?

S – Most of my ideas are spawned from images, and music is very inspirational. I put the ingredients in my brain, and cook them up! For Marlsbeth I have a whole Excel workbook FULL of the characters (some aren’t even in the book), places, etc.

H – Best to hold on to those characters, you never know when you might decide you want to write about them. What are your current projects?

S – Just the Marlsbeth website http://www.marlsbeth.com content is enough right now! Appendices, and downloads… the facebook page as well. Check it out! I had an amazing professional concept artist out of Norway do the artwork on the website, which is some of the main characters.

H – So, in terms of technical aspects of your work, do you work with an outline, or just write?

S – I just wrote Marlsbeth, but I have started an outline of part 2.

H – What was the hardest part of writing your book?

S – Keeping transitions seamless. Following along on the map… The map is a free download on the website to accompany the book!

H – Transitions do seem to be the bane of many an author. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

S – No, not really. Perhaps shrinking down what I see in my head, but no writers block yet!

H – Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

S – I’ve just written the one book for now, but yes indeed! It is a little difficult though — the notion of putting a piece of your soul out there for people to examine… but it’s worth the risk! I would let it influence my writing a little I guess, but to change solely to make others happy wouldn’t make any sense.

H – How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

S – That is certainly a work in progress, but just talking to people and handing out cards is a good start. You have to have a web presence! Get out in the community too.

H – So, for my final question: Do you have any advice for other writers?

S – See it through! Push yourself toward finishing… It won’t finish itself, so do what you need to do to see it through to the end!

Steve, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today, and I wish you the best of luck in your writing!

Author Interview - Kevin Rau

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:24:06 -0800

As my regular readers will know, I’m a huge fan of comics and superheroes. I find the concept of super-powered heroes and villains to be intriguing, particularly with regard to the struggles of morality that such beings would inevitably encounter. I also tend to prefer seriously flawed characters. It’s probably why I consider the X-Men to be my favorite team (seriously, if you look at their personalities, they’re all messed up in the head!).

So, knowing my predilection for loving heroes, combined with the distinctly super-heroic undertone of my own Sekhmet’s Light series, I joined the Superhero Hype forum and found several other writers there!

And so, it was my very great pleasure to sit down with one of my new friends from SHH, Kevin Rau!

H – Hi, Kevin. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

K – By day I’m a giant squid under a small corporation’s ship. E.g. The InformSation Technology manager, who does everything from software programming, to web development, to server administration, network administration, and database programming. I’ve been in the computer industry my entire career, only branching out into writing in the last few years.

My history as to more interesting things lies more with comic books, role-playing games, MMORPGs and reading a great quantity of science fiction and fantasy novels. I’ve been into (non-computer) tabletop gaming and reading for over 30 years. Comics and computer games were a little later. I collected comics very heavily for about 15 years.

I’m overweight, but weight lift/workout 5-7 days a week. (Love the oh-so-tasty, but unhealthy food.)

I like cats, but primarily because they are a tiny bit like the large predator cats, such as tigers. I’m very independent and driven - this is part of what drives me to do my own cover art.

H – Well, I know I’ll never be able to deal with an IT department without having that image in my head! *chuckles* What inspired you to write your first book?

K – I completely quit online gaming for a while, and read about 30 books in December 2008. I remember getting irate about so many stories ending. I wanted to know what the characters would get into next. I wanted MORE. I realized the only way that would occur is if I wrote my own series, and in January 2009 I began writing H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis.

H – I’m sure you’re far from the only writer who’s ever felt that way. How did you come up with the title?

K – I knew I wanted to call the primary organization in my series “H.E.R.O.” and had to come up with an acronym that would work for it. (Thus was born the Homeland Extraordinary Response Organization.) I like being able to tell in an instant that numerous books are part of a series, and thus chose to use that at the beginning of every novel’s title. The second part has to do with the story in that one novel - for that first book, Metamorphosis has to do with the three main characters changing into supers and dealing with those changes.

H – What prompted you to write about superheroes?

K – My history with comic books. I also love superhero movies. I’m not restricting myself to this genre long-term, however. At some point, I’ll start a fantasy series, and will likely go back and forth creating a novel for each. I’m not sure how many H.E.R.O. novels I’ll get out before I hit that point - probably 7-10.

H – That’s a pretty ambitious long-term plan. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

K – Both. I come up with a batch of core plot points that will interweave through the story, as well as a “to-do” list of things that need to come about in various characters’ lives. Then I’ll write out from one sentence to a paragraph for the first 10-15 chapters of a novel. Often, strange things will occur while writing, and the plot takes a wild turn on me, changing everything. I generally work out a rough idea of the forthcoming chapters to work on and use that as a guide after that point.

H – What motivates you to write?

K – As I mentioned above, I want to see what else happens to my characters. A character’s story doesn’t just *end* (unless they die - and even then, things can occur….). I’m interested in finding out what happens as much as everyone else might be.

H – Where do you get your ideas?

K – Wild binges at the local tavern? Just kidding! Some have come about because of a single keyword/phrase (H.E.R.O. - Dark Research was an example, as was H.E.R.O. - Horde). Others I’ll look around and pick out words and phrases off random things as I drive around (the slave market idea in H.E.R.O. - New Markets happened this way). A few others I knew I wanted to do something to a character, picked one, and forced them through it (such as what happens with Chrome in H.E.R.O. - Rise and Fall).

Smaller ideas, such as a few random events that occur in Metrocity I’ve used some software I created quite a while back for use in a superhero gaming campaign to do the very same thing. I’ll randomly generate a bunch and pick out an idea that ought to be interesting to work with in the story.

H – That software sounds like it might be a pretty handy thing to try to market as a sideline! What are your current projects?

K – I’m going through my edit phase of H.E.R.O. - Paragon (Book 6). Once I complete my own edits, I’ll hand that off to my editors and begin the 3D work on a few new characters that came up in H.E.R.O. - Paragon. Then I’ll create the cover for it. After that will be the initial idea phase of Book 7 until my editors come back to me with their revisions and suggestions.

H – Writing is rarely easy. With that in mind, what was the hardest part of writing your books?

K – Choosing to write in third or first person. (I prefer first person to give the reader the opportunity to experience things along with the heroes.) Getting past the occasional mental block can be rough. Not that the ideas don’t come to me, rather I’ll come to a crossroads where a decision can make significant changes to both the story and the characters, and having to select one can be a challenge.

H – Which of your characters is your favorite?

K – Oh, wow, that’s a tough one. Diva’s got to be one of my top choices. She’s dumb, but has common sense. (The boneheadedness can be fun to write.) She wants to be liked so much, yet believes she’s never good enough. She’s quick to react and to help people - a hallmark of a good hero. Oh, and she’s flirty.

H – Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

K – I’d love to meet and chat with many of my heroes. It’d be a fun party, barring the potential broken furniture from the bricks. Rayna might be one of the neatest, assuming one could get her to make some lifeforms to give away.

Least … hmm. If you include villains, then I’d not want to invite any of them. Either they are jerks, greedy, wouldn’t mind killing you or making you a mind slave, etc. Of the heroes, probably Watermane - she’s way too serious. She hasn’t had a lot of time in the novels, so that might not have come out yet. Of the heroes who’ve had a little face time, I’d say Psycom. He’s stuck up, and only does things when they benefit him. (He’s good at what he does, and he knows it.) Of the heroes who’ve had a lot of face time, I’d go with Black Tiger. I like the character, but I’m not sure I’d enjoy sitting around talking with him.

H – Sounds like it really would be a heck of a party! Do you ever experience writer’s block?

K – Yes. Normally, only in terms of choosing one of several paths to take with the storyline. There have been a few times where I’ll argue for days or up to a week with myself over the ramifications.

H – I once had a character who refused to work with me to the point I had to stop trying to tell her story entirely, so I can definitely sympathize. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

K – Laurel K. Hamilton is probably my favorite. The thing that probably sticks out to me is the ongoing storyline of her Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series.

H – Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

K – I haven’t had a great number to compare against, but I do read them. At times I’ll try to pick out issues people are bringing up to work on. Some people become fixated on the way they believe a story ought to occur, and hold it against you if it doesn’t. So these need to be read while expecting a skewed viewpoint.

H – How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

K – My website (http://www.kevinrau.com) is one way. The Facebook page I created for my characters is another (http://www.facebook.com/pages/HERO-Superhero-Novels/312142538816826?sk=app_4949752878). Otherwise I put notices of each new book on a few forums. I’m certainly no marketing expert - quite the opposite, I’m fairly bad at that side of writing. I’ve tried advertising via Google and Facebook - both were horrible, expensive failures. I’ve given out promotional copies of my novels, although that has had minimal (if any) success as well.

H – So, before I send you back to tormenting your heroes, do you have any advice for other writers?

K – Find something you enjoy writing about, because for most writers the success is minimal. Study grammar. Get multiple editors to review your work. Use a thesaurus.

And there you have it! Kevin’s books are available for Kindle via Amazon.com and in paperback both through most major online retailers.

H.E.R.O. – Metamorphosis

H.E.R.O. – New Markets

H.E.R.O. – Rise and Fall

H.E.R.O. – Dark Research

H.E.R.O. – Horde

I, myself, just picked up Metamorphosis, and am looking forward to delving into the world of H.E.R.O.!

Akhet for Free?!

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:45:05 -0800

Akhet for Free?!:

Yes, it’s true. As a KDP enrolled title, all Amazon Prime members have the option of ‘borrowing’ the book and reading it for free… However, that’s not what this post is actually about!

If, as a Kindle user, you’ve been pondering reading the first book of Sekhmet’s Light, or if you know someone who has, on February 1st, I’m offering Akhet for free! Yes, you can download it for yourself, or gift it to a friend for absolutely no money.

But why would you do this, Heather? Don’t you want to make money?! Well, yes, of course I do… believe me this is not something I’m doing purely out of the goodness of my heart. It’s my hope that when you’ve read the first novel, you’ll be willing to shell out the cash for Peret (book two) and Shomu (book three which will be available in the next couple of months!). So, please, if you’ve been on the fence or you know someone who’d like it, feel free to download it!

Thanks for reading! :D

Score: Four out of Five Stars This is a well-researched book and...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:45:00 -0800

Score: Four out of Five Stars

This is a well-researched book and you will learn some Egyptian words while reading it. I found this very interesting.

The main character doesn’t look like me at all so I wasn’t able to imagine myself as her, but the author did a great job of in description. All I can say is I’m not tall and lean with an angular face and dark hair long enough to brush the waistband of my pants when pulled back in a ponytail. The research done shows in the work and was very thorough, while the descriptions are clear enough that this should be a graphic novel. Even though the characters are adults, the way subject matter is handled well and this is safe for early teens. This story might help inspire a new generation of Indiana Jones wannabes.

The Scorpion's Lair: New Years Update

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:07:53 -0800

The Scorpion's Lair: New Years Update:

thermalscorpion:

Hello and Happy Apocalypse Year!

Sorry for the silence lately but with the holidays and working on my second book my time has been scarce. I wanted to drop everyone an update though so here it is!

Book 1 Awaken:

Sales have been pretty good considering I don’t have some advertising…

KDP Select

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:08:00 -0800

I’ve been closely following the events surrounding the creation of Amazon’s KDP Select program. Because of my intense curiosity and my desire to embrace new tools and technologies to get my work noticed, I’ve decided to register my first novel, Akhet, for the program.

What does this mean for you, the reader? Well, it means that in accordance with Amazon’s terms for the program, I’m pulling Akhet down from BN.com and Smashwords, at least until April 10, 2012 (the end of the three month period that Amazon wants).

Peret and Shomu (when it’s published in the next couple months) will still be available through these distributors.

The hope of this experiment is, of course, that the ability to borrow the book for a month and read it will cause a nice spike in my sales and lead to more success. We shall see.

In the meantime, I appreciate your understanding and hope that you don’t hate me too much! :)

Talaria Press & Emerald City ComiCon

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:03:15 -0800

Talaria Press & Emerald City ComiCon :

Posting on the Talaria Press page regarding our upcoming ECCC appearance.

Why you should never drunk text a Whovian.

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:51:25 -0800

This is absolutely brilliant!

**Although I'm not really into Dr. Who (sorry to everyone else), this is still bloody hilarious and I hope this text convo really took place. If I was getting texts like this while drunk, I'd be all like "dude, you're screwed, I can't even stand up much less find your spaceship".**

A friend of mine randomly got a drunk text from a stranger. She then did something that has earned my respect and awe. A transcript of her conversation follows. Some of this may be familiar to you.
Warning: VERY LONG. Also, words that I don't like have been bleeped out. Use your imagination.
[Transcript] Drunk Person: "tortyly drunk riht now. straight men everwhere."
Erykah: "Oh, thank God! I finally made contact! Listen, I need your help, but you're in great danger."
DP: "ni**a say wat?"
E: "Listen, my name's the Doctor. I'm a time traveler, or I was. I'm stuck in 1969 with my friend and I need your help to get my spaceship back."
DP: "u hav a spceshit?"
E: "Yes. It's a big blue box that says 'Police Call Box' on it."
DP: "dat doesnt sound liek a spceshp. gay."
E: "Hey! Don't diss the TARDIS!"
DP: "tarsiddd???"
E: "No. TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. You see, I'm a Time Lord from ANOTHER planet called Gallifrey."
DP: "y u not there now?"
E: "Well...A long time ago, there was a war and all my people died except for me. I'm the last Time Lord. So I travel through time and space lending a hand wherever I can."
DP: "woahhhh. thats relly sad."
E: "Yes, it is. But now is no time to cry. You're in a lot of danger and you need to help me."
DP: "waot. how r u in 1996?"
E: "I'm in 1969. And it's really complicated."
DP: "oh."
E: "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."
DP: "im cofussed."
E: "Well, try and keep up! Never mind the wibbly stuff. All that matters is that they've taken it! The angels have the phone box."
DP: "wut angels?"
E: "Have you ever seen like a statue of an angel? At a church or a cemetary or something?"
DP: "ya."
E: "Well, they're not angels. They're creatures from another worlds. Aliens like me, except they're very, very bad."
DP: "dat maeks sense. they alwys creepeed me out. i thought theyre jus statues tho."
E: "Good eye, you've got. But they're not. They're only statues when you're looking directly at them. Once you look away, they become deadly."
DP: "whaaa?"
E: "Listen, Lonely assassins, they were called. No-one knows where they came from. They're as old as the universe, or very nearly. They've survived this long as they have the most perfect defence system ever evolved. They are quantum-locked. They don't exist when being observed. The moment they're seen by any other living creature they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. And you can't kill a stone. Course, a stone can't kill you either. But then you turn your head away, then you blink, and oh, yes it can! Notice how they always look like they're crying in the cemetaries? They're always covering their eyes?"
DP: "dats nuts! ya, ive seen dat."
E: "There's a reason for that. They're not weeping, they can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen. The loneliest creatures in the universe. And I'm sorry, I am very, very sorry, it's up to you now.
DP: "but wut can i do? tis was all thrustted uopn me!"
E: "The blue box, it's my time machine. There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever. The damage they can do can switch off the sun. You have got to send it back to me!"
DP: "ahhhhhh!!! im scrrd! idk wut 2 do! im srsly gon hav a pnic attck."
E: I'm afraid I can't help you any further. I'm stuck in 1969, but I think you're clever enough to think of something. FIND THE BLUE BOX AND GET IT BACK TO ME! The angels have it and you NEED to find it or it's all going to be over."
DP: "dont go doctr! help me!11211!!"
E: "They're coming. The angels are coming for you. But listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink! Good luck!"
DP: "ik! angels hng out in gravyards rite? ill check thar 1st."
E: "Wherever you feel the need to look. I have no idea because I'm trapped 42 years in the past. Wherever you do go, just remember DON'T BLINK."
DP: "omfg. holy shit. i'll find teh box and teh angels and ill text u wen i find it. goodbi doctr. uve liked changgged me life."
[/Transcript]

Things to come – 2012

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:01:00 -0800

2012. Is it just me or does it seem like time is speeding up? It seems like just yesterday, I was 18 years old and looking to take on the world.

A lot has changed for me in the almost 20 years between then and now. My mother passed away, I met my husband, and relocated from the deserts of Arizona to the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it’s strange, but by and large, I have very few regrets about my life, and maybe that’s because I’m naïve, but I prefer to think it’s because I accept that even the bad things that happened have made me into the person that I am today… and, for the most part, I’m pretty happy with myself as a person.

2011 was a pretty big year, both good and bad. I was laid off from my day job, which sucked… but I took it as an opportunity and ran with it. Between looking for jobs and the occasional interview, I wrote and published my second novel and banged out the third which is now in the thick of the rewrite process. I also helped edit my husband’s first novel, formatted said novel for both ebook and print formats, and helped him set up his blog and other social media promotional outlets. I also participated in breaking ground, so to speak, on a new small press with Garth, another fantastic author we know, Ren Cummins, and editor extraordinaire, Quiana Kirkland.

So how does one follow up a year like 2011? You continue to turn the volume up to 11, that’s how!

Here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect to see:

Shomu: Sekhmet’s Light, Book Three
The Sekhmet’s Light Trilogy Omnibus edition
The Days Upon the Year (a collection of 5 short stories/novellas set in the Sekhmet’s Light universe to fill in some backstories that were alluded to but not explored in the series)
The Talaria Press Founder’s Anthology which collects stories from me, Garth, Ren, and even Quiana in a single volume!
Emerald City ComiCon appearances by me, Garth, and Ren
And finally, I’m hoping to have time to break ground on a whole NEW series of supernatural thriller novels!

Cripes, seeing it all spelled out like that, 2012 is going to be even busier than I expected, especially considering that I’m still looking for a new day job. Well, I guess all we can do is rip that volume knob right off and rock on!

Writing Friends and Family

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:16:02 -0800

A lot of people like to look at books that people they know have written and try to figure out ‘who’s me in this book?’ I also know that a lot of people like to write friends and family into books… I’m not one of those people.

To me, the decision to base a character on a real person can be fraught with incredible peril. The chances that you’re going to have someone upset with you over the way they’re portrayed in your book are just too high. To date, there are only two direct character-to-loved-one correlations in my novels.

Garth-Kemsefet: Kemsefet is very much based on my husband’s personality. He’s very supportive and loving, but he’s also more than willing to look at me and tell me ‘no’ if I’m getting out of control… which is something I do need from time to time. He does a great job of balancing out my weaknesses with his strengths.
Jeannie Sue (the nurse who cares for Nicole when she’s injured in Peret)-My mom: Naming a caring, nurturing minor character after my mother was my way of honoring her. She was a major force in my life, always my biggest fan. Even though she didn’t really like or understand the genres I preferred to write, she always wanted to read my stuff and always expressed her utmost confidence that I would be writing books one day.

I have no plans to put other friends or family into my books for the reasons stated above. Maybe that will change one day, but I don’t really see it happening.

Vanity

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:25:40 -0800

So, I think it’s safe to say that if you ask most people to describe me, vain is not going to be the first word that comes up. I tend to live in sweats and t-shirts as much as possible, go barefoot whenever possible, and wear steel-toe workboots instead of stilettos.

However, most women have at least one thing that they take particular pride in and that they are at least a bit ‘vain’ about. For me, it’s my hair. I really do love my hair. It’s very long, super-thick, and when I pull it back, it more resembles a lush fox’s brush than a ponytail.

I’ve also had grey hair for the last ten years or so and dye my hair auburn to conceal it. The thing is, I wouldn’t even mind the grey (as my husband pointed out yesterday, it’s more silver than true grey), except for one thing: It’s all in, more or less, one spot at the front of my head. Seriously… I have a real life Rogue streak in my hair!

For those who aren’t comically inclined and don’t get the reference, here’s what I mean:

Not exactly a look that works, in my opinion, in the real world, however cool it can be in comics. And, of course, it’s right on the natural part in my hair so unless I force it to part somewhere else, it’s right there, front and center!

My husband, God love him, is very tolerant of my one vanity. Since I lost my day job in February, I’ve neglected coloring my hair because with the sheer volume of hair that I have, I have to use two packages of color for each time I color… bearing in mind that each package can run between 7-9 dollars each, it can be costly. Mind you, not as costly as going to a salon, but when you’ve lost a decent chunk of income, it’s substantial.

So yesterday when we went to the store, my husband, bless him, looked at me and suggested we pick up some color for me because, he knows that although I haven’t complained about it, he knows I’m not happy with the amount of grey I’m sporting. Now, a lot of guys would probably find themselves in the proverbial dog house for daring suggest such a thing, but he wouldn’t bring it up if he didn’t know it did bother me so I certainly can’t be upset with him.

I’m very lucky to have such a fantastic husband and I’m really looking forward to throwing the dye in my hair tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even post a before and after pic!

The Scorpion's Lair: FIRST Lego League--Robots!

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:13:28 -0800

The Scorpion's Lair: FIRST Lego League--Robots!:

thermalscorpion:

This weekend my wife and I were judges in the Washington State First Lego League robotics competition. It is a team oriented event that has kids within a similar age range (3rd to 8th grade seemed to be the range for this event) grouped together to build a Lego robot that performs missions…

wilwheaton: Hideous Cosby Sweater? Check. Untied high top...

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:24:22 -0800

wilwheaton:

Hideous Cosby Sweater? Check.

Untied high top tennis shoes? Check.

Z Cavaricci pants? Check.

Leather fucking trenchcoat for some reason? Check.

Why. Why why why why why didn’t a single person with access to a mirror get between me and the car as I was leaving the house? Because it was the late 80s, bitches, and this horrible shit was hot.

A friendly promotional post!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:32:26 -0800

I’d like to take a moment to promote the work of some wonderful people who also happen to be incredibly talented. If you’re stuck for what to get that book-reader in your life for Christmas, this is a great post for you!

Do you have a James Bond or superhero fan in your life? Then Garth Reasby’s Children of Divinity series is a great choice. The first book is now available, with book two coming soon!

Awaken
Evolve (coming 2012)

For the steampunk or anime fan in your life, check out Ren Cummins’ Chronicles of Aesirium Series. It’s a fantastic read and suitable for all ages from about 10 on up!

Reaper’s Return
The Morrow Stone
The City of the Dead
Reaper’s Flight
Into the Blink
The Crook and the Blade (coming later this month!)

Finally, don’t forget about my own Sekhmet’s Light series as well. The first two books are out with book three slated for release in early 2012!

Akhet
Peret
Shomu (coming 2012)

Oh, and one last thing… If you want to give a wonderful gift that costs nothing more than a moment or two of your time, please leave a review for a book you read this year. It doesn’t have to long, just a sentence or two to let the author and other readers know whether you enjoyed it or not is fabulous!

Thanks for reading!

Cool experience

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:46:34 -0800

I’ve recently shared the fact that I’m an author with my guild in Rift (it came up when I had to log early for a meeting with my editor and people asked about it). One of my friends commented that it sounded like my books would be right up his oldest daughter’s alley so he would suggest them to her.

I spoke to him again day before yesterday and he told me that his daughter already owns my first book and that he was planning on picking up the second one for her for christmas! Of course, this had me utterly tickled pink, particularly when he asked how much I’d charge to sign them for her.

I told him I don’t charge for signatures and that if he wants to send me the cover price via paypal I’ll be happy to sign a copy of Peret and send it to her since I still have one on-hand from the last shipment I received.

Having the opportunity to interact with people who’ve read my book is a huge thrill to me and if it means getting a dad some extra kudos in the process, I’m totally down with that!

I just saw this promo and I have to admit, I’m absolutely...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:49:27 -0700

I just saw this promo and I have to admit, I’m absolutely JAZZED to see this when it airs!

A Love Letter to my Editor

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:32:26 -0700

I’ve been seeing a lot of blog posts lately, asking about/touting the importance of an editor. I cannot stress enough how invaluable a great editor can be.

With that in mind, I’d just like to take a moment to brag on my chief editor, the brilliant and beautiful Quiana Kirkland. Although I have no doubt that I was a good writer before she started working with me, once I got her help, I now believe that I’m a very good writer, with the potential to become great one day.

Quiana manages to strike the perfect balance between kicking my ass to keep me honest, and cheerleading to keep me motivated. Her humor and encouragement helped make the revision/rewrite process relatively painless and surprisingly enjoyable.

So, why am I stressing this? Because the best thing you, as a writer, can ever do for yourself is to find yourself a great editor to help do these things for you. You need someone to push you to be the best that you can be. Someone who will look at your work, point out the strengths and give you suggestions on where to shore up the weaknesses… but more importantly, you have to listen. You have to keep an open mind and be willing to at least consider their suggestions.

It’s not easy and you’ll need to figure out how to leave your ego at the door, but if you figure out how to do that, you’ll only get better as a writer.