More Book Giveaways!

I'm taking a break from recipes for a while. My favorite recipe right now is the speed dial for Chinese delivery. So enjoy some free books instead!

I'm really enjoying being on Instafreebie. If you haven't heard of them and you love reading, go check it out. They have book bundles and book giveaways happening all the time. You download the book directly from the site, so no coupons or other codes to worry about.

This one ends pretty fast - December 3 is the last day to claim your free books, so zip over and snag some great science fiction.

And another great line-up of books that are free through December 31.

Go over to the site, download your choice of some great science fiction, and enter the giveaway for prizes like a Nook or Kindle fire and other great stuff!

Basket of Book Reviews

I feel like I keep stalling out on my writing, but at least I'm reading again. I've got a pile of books waiting on my nightstand and a whole lot more on my Kindle, if I can ever pry it away from my daughter. Here are the ones I've read recently:

Hammer of Thor
S. Evan Townsend

I admit I know the author and that's why I bought his books. They also intrigued me. This is the first in an alternate history/reality series. The world is pretty much the way it is now, except some people are adepts who use magical talismans to cast spells. They have their own government and hidden histories that intersect with the normal world and shadow a lot of happenings. Some of history's heroes were actually adepts. Other figures, like Thor, are actual demigods. Overall, the adepts keep pretty much to themselves, fighting each other and trying to stay under the radar of the normal world.

This book takes place from the 1930s through the 1950s. It reads in many ways more like a memoir than a work of fiction. The plot meanders, takes unexpected detours, and doesn't mesh together tightly. Some plot threads are introduced, become very important for a chapter or two, then just disappear and never get resolved. Just like real life. But I liked the main character, Kader, enough to care what happened to him. It kept me reading.

Don't let the cover fool you, Hammer of Thor was a fun read even if the memoir style plotting and storytelling bothered me somewhat. The historical details were a fun touch. Having Hitler hunting for talismans and powerful artifacts smacked of Indiana Jones, but in a good way.

I give it a solid three and a half stars and a PG for mild violence.

Agent of Artifice
S. Evan Townsend

The sequel to Thor's Hammer was a lot of fun to read. Same universe, different characters, years later, 1950s through 1970s. This time, it's an adept who's been burned by his Guild and turned into a pariah. Everyone wants a piece of him. He just wants to get back to his gambling playboy lifestyle in Cuba. And find the girl of his dreams. The government wants to enlist him in the CIA, to get an adept in their ranks so they can figure out how to control the Guilds.

I liked this one better than Thor's Hammer, although I didn't like the main character as much. He was a little too self-centered for my taste. But he gets what he deserves and grows into a much more likable man by the end. Plus the story has giant fire-breathing pterodactyls attacking the Space Needle in Seattle.

This one gets four stars and a PG for violence.

Shrouded
Frances Pauli

If you read this blog much, you know I love Frances Pauli's stories. She's done it again with a science fiction setting that still manages to be about magic and finding true love. She creates a very believable universe with alien cultures and races that feel real enough that I almost expect to run into them at the grocery store.

Dolfan is one of the Shrouded (from a world named Shroud for the thick atmosphere it has, a world which I found very intriguing to the point I want to write fanfic about it now). They are isolationist to the extreme, except every child born on the planet is male. So they import brides. A ceremony at their Heartstone, a giant crystal, helps them find their heartmate. It's like a giant matchmaker and speed dating all rolled together, except that description made it seem tawdry and stupid and it's anything but that in the story. I'm not doing it justice here. Anyway, Dolfan wants his bride, but he's also a Prince along with eleven other Shrouded men. The first to find his bride will also become King, so it gets complicated.

Vashia wants to escape her father's plans for her future. He's the ruling despot of a planet that deals in slaves, brothels, drugs, and every other vice and nasty thing ever invented. Vashia's dad wants to marry her off to his second in command, Jarn, to cement his loyalty. Jarn is a slime ball. Vashia jumps at the only escape she can find—becoming a bride on Shroud. It's a one-way ticket and she's not sure she's made the right choice.

And then things get complicated.

I give Shrouded a full five-stars with a PG for mild swearing and a few fistfights.

Seen
Frances Pauli

The sequel to Shrouded picks up pretty much where Shrouded left off with more of the Princes and their stories. And adds in even more wonderful aliens and sigh-worthy romances and forbidden loves.

Another full five-stars and PG for less swearing but more fistfights.

It's here! Priestess of the Eggstone officially launches today!

Party time! Throw confetti! Toot the horns! Celebrate with mounds of chocolate!

I'm so excited that Priestess of the Eggstone is officially in print. It's up on Goodreads, Amazon, the publisher's site, and all sorts of other fun places.

Today from 3-8 pm MST (2 pm PST, 5 pm EST) I'm running a party right here on this blog. Watch for posts. Anyone who comments will be entered to win fun prizes like their own personal Eggstone, or a skystone (real aventurine!), or some guava candy, or copies of my books, or crocheted Cthulhu TP cozies, or crocheted Cthulhu cat toys complete with jingle bells inside, or a bunch of other stuff. Some will be post specific, gotta comment on that post to win that prize, some will be for the whole party, and the grand prize will run until Sunday night at midnight my time. Post before that, and you are entered to win the grand prize - print copies of both books (Nexus Point and Priestess of the Eggstone), plus an Eggstone and a skystone. I may chuck in some crocheted doohickies, too.

Either way, it's going to be a fun party. To give you a headstart, I'm going to be asking for links to interviews about Priestess of the Eggstone, links to sites where the book is for sale, or links where reviews about it are posted. Think you can find some? It's a scavenger hunt and you have your first item. Ready, set, go!

Nervous Butterflies

Today is the day we start ripping our kitchen apart. WOOT! I'm excited. I hate those stupid cabinets that bash me in the head every time I cook.

And in two weeks, Priestess of the Eggstone will start shipping! To tease you, here's a blurb and excerpt:

Pursued by the Targon Crime Syndicate bent on revenge, the Patrol intent on recruitment, and the Sessimoniss who want their god back, the last thing Captain Dace needs is a handsome copilot with romance on his mind.

But that’s exactly what she’s got.

She didn’t realize she was smuggling when she accepted the courier job. Now Targon wants her for stealing the shipment and the Patrol wants to arrest her. The Sessimoniss want their god back. And Jerimon’s aunt is planning their wedding.

She doesn’t know which scares her most.

Priestess of the Eggstone: The Fall of the Altairan Empire Book 2 by Jaleta Clegg
http://journal-store.com/bookstore/priestess-of-the-eggstone/
http://www.jaletac.com

Excerpt:

We rounded the last big moon into clear space. I checked the nav program one last time, to make sure we were headed the right direction before we jumped. The chatter of local pilots was steady as a background noise that dissolved into static as we passed into the moon's shadow. The ship lurched, then slowed, the engines whining.
I flipped switches, trying to find the problem. Jerimon pushed the thrusters all the way to the stops. The engine whine rose in pitch. The ship shuddered. The emergency lights flashed. Warnings hooted through the ship.
"Shut it down!" I yelled over the noise.
Jerimon stubbornly tried to pull more power from the engines. His face was pale and his chin set as he goosed the throttles. I reached across the controls to slam the switches off. Jerimon slumped in his chair, hands over his face. The engines spun down. The alarms shut up, all except one. It was a quiet, insistent beeping with a single, flashing red light.
I checked the screen, then muttered a bad word at the unknown vessel showing on the scans. "Who'd be using a tractor beam out here?"
The ship was bigger, but that didn't mean much. Anything was bigger than my ship. The scanners didn't show any ID traces from the other ship.
"Does it look like pirates to you?" Pirates weren't uncommon in this sector but Rucal had a major Patrol station out beyond the moons. What pirate would be stupid enough to operate under the Patrol's nose?
I knew of at least one, but he was in prison. I scowled at the screen. In a few moments, I wouldn't need the scanner. I could just look outside.
Jerimon dropped his hands to his lap, staring bleakly at the monitor. If he didn't know who was on that ship, I'd eat my socks—the ones I'd been wearing for three days without washing because I hadn't found the time.
"Who are they and why are they dragging us in?"
Jerimon shook his head, eyes locked on the approaching ship. He gripped the chair so hard his knuckles went white.

Gearing Up

August is almost here. Life is going to get very interesting. And very, very busy. The rest of July is booked solid. I'm going on a pioneer trek. Yep, dress up like a pioneer and pull handcarts and learn what those pioneers went through to emigrate to Utah. It's a Mormon thing. I don't have to walk the 36 miles, though. My husband and I are responsible for driving the water truck for them. No, this isn't authentic pioneer re-enactment. We don't want kids dying on the trek. I'll be out of touch for several days. I'll have to post a report when I return.

As soon as I'm back from that, I get to do food for the last camp of the summer season for the space center. Wow, that went by quick. That's eleven summers in the school kitchen, feeding Starfleet officers.

As soon as I'm home from that camp, we pack up our kitchen. Next Monday, we start dismantling cabinets. YES!!! I'm getting a new kitchen. I'm so thrilled about it. Not about losing my kitchen for a month. That will get fun with 8-10 people living here, depending on the day and week. We're cooking in a microwave, toaster, and crockpots when we cook. Dishes get done in the bathtub or on the deck in buckets. We're going to contribute to the landfill with paper dishes as much as possible. But when it's done, I will have a wonderful kitchen that works better for our family. I'll make sure I do before, during, and after photos for you.

I'm not done yet. I'm signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo for August. I've got to get writing longer works again. It's great therapy and with my kitchen torn apart, I'm going to need something besides cooking for therapy.

School starts in August, too. I've got two high-schoolers and two elementary school students to get prepped.

And finally (at least I hope that's the end of my scary list), Priestess of the Eggstone officially releases August 10. WOOT!!! Preorders are open now. 

Things I decided might push me over the edge if I kept them on my list?

SpoCon. I just can't make a trip to Spokane for a convention, not this year. I'm sad. SpoCon is a lot of fun. Anyone want to buy two memberships from me? Just drop me a line and include your email.

Cooking. No kitchen. 'Nuff said.

Sewing. Well, maybe not. Depends on whether my daughter cleans her laundry out of the room so I can get inside. It's nice to do when I get stuck in my book. Keeps my hands busy while my brain figures out how to get out of the corner I just wrote myself into.

I'd love to add cleaning the house, but if I ignore it for a month, I will be even worse. Have to keep some semblance of order.

What are you planning to do in August?

Thursday Recipe - A Guest Post!

Bryan Thomas Schmidt is the author of the space opera novels The Worker Prince, a Barnes & Noble Book Clubs Year’s Best SF Releases of 2011 Honorable Mention, and The Returning, the collection The North Star Serial, Part 1, and several short stories featured  in anthologies and magazines.  He edited the anthology Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 for Flying Pen Press, headlined by Mike Resnick. As a freelance editor, he’s edited a novels and nonfiction.  He’s also the host of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Chat every Wednesday at 9 pm EST on Twitter under the hashtag #sffwrtcht. A frequent contributor to Adventures In SF Publishing, Grasping For The Wind and SFSignal, he can be found online as @BryanThomasS on Twitter or via his website. Bryan is an affiliate member of the SFWA.

Today, he's telling us about food in his space opera saga: The Saga Of Davi Rhii

First, a little background to the stories. The Borali Alliance governs a system of thirteen planets and twin suns, Boralis and Charlis. The planets revolve around the larger sun, Boralis, but because of gravitational effects, when they reach their rotation cycle that brings them closest to Charlis, they have a second summer, briefer than the main summer, but fraught with earthquakes, tidal waves and many other nasty side effects. That’s mostly the habitable planets, mind you. There are a few so far off that everything’s frozen. That’s right. So the effects there have less impact on population and take a different form. There are two Earth-like planets in the system, a couple of rocky planets just beyond, two ice planets, one of which has been terraformed into a domed resort planet that everyone loves—imagine what developers might do with Pluto or Uranus if they had the tech, for example—and a water planet closer to the sun. Naturally, there are many different races and cultures which inhabit these planets, despite the Borali Alliance being dominated by humans. As a result, the environments and biologies of these various groups come into play with diets. Nonetheless, there are some mainstays there, so let’s take a look at those.

Now it’s important to note that the dominant species, humans, colonized the system decades before as refugees fleeing persecution on Earth, so they did bring some things with them and they do have some tastes inspired by that ancestry. Still, what you can find often determines what you can eat so there are some unique staples  in the Borali peoples diets. Let’s break them into three classes: meat, fruits and vegetables and beverages.

Meats:
Most of the animals in the Borali system are native and thus have replaced the staples from the historical diet on Earth. These are the most common.
Daken – large, blue, predatory birds, coveted for their beautiful feathers. These are as abundant on some of the system’s planets as chickens on Earth. Although not easily domesticated, they can be farmed and raised for their meat, which is quite tender and juicy and a mix of white and dark. The broth from their meat is often used in soups and other recipes. And since they are both available in abundance and quite sizable, somewhere between ostriches and large turkeys, a single bird can feed a family for several days, if not a week.
Gungors - six-legged brown animals with yellow manes raised for their tasty meat. Gungors are stupid and spend most of their time fleeing from one predator or another. Even the Daken often gang up to feed on them. Gungors live in herds and are a mainstay in agricultural plantations or compounds. They have to be fenced for their own protection to avoid them wandering off and protect them from getting into other issues that may cause them harm from their own sheer stupidity. They are, however, tasty to eat and the meat from them can be divided into many types of cuts and put to many uses. When ground, it can be cooked with various sauces or condiments for quite a tasty selection of options.
Krikees (Krikatrus) - The grunts and whines of these Eleni bovines are call and response patterns almost resembling echoes as the animals talked to each other. These are the cows of the moon Eleni, Legallis’ principal moon, and they are raised by farmers specifically, although a few herds do still exist in the wild. Their scientific name is Krikatrus but they are more commonly referred to as Krikees as much for the annoying habits they have of getting in the way of citizens than anything else. Only slightly more intelligent than Gungors, these bovines are also large enough that many different cuts can be taken from their bodies and used in a variety of ways. Sauces, condiments, almost any vegetable, they go with anything.
Qiwi – Antlered creatures found solely on Plutonis, with dark brown fur and white spots lining either side of their spines. Waist high on most humans, Qiwi have four long legs ending in black hooves. Their antlers can grow up to forty centimeters out from their skulls. Their meat is considered a delicacy and quite in demand, despite their limited numbers. They are not easily raised off Plutonis, an ice planet, and their thick fur is almost like bark and a challenge to remove from their carcasses for preparation. Still, they are often a prize sought by hunters and some limited number have been taken to other places and raised for food.

Fruits & Vegetables:
Tomatoes, potatoes, various beans, rice, these are all staples of the Boralian diet much as they are on Earth. But the Boralians also have some more exotic choices:
Feruca – a black fruit with a thin skin and soft pulp. Resembles eggplant, only smaller, and is often used to make pastes, sauces, jams and gelatins. Ferucas are quite abundant and have a mildly sweet taste when taken naturally, so many different spices and ingredients are used to add flavor when preparing them.
Gixi - a round, purple fruit grown in orchards on Vertullis and Italis with a delicious, tender pulp and sweet juice.  Gixi are most often just sliced or peeled and eaten on the spot, but can be used in fruit salads, desserts, sauces, jams, gelatins, etc. Quite flavorful, they are the most commonly replicated fruit flavor for seasoning drinks, desserts, etc. Gixi flavoring is big business on most planets.
Jax - A blue and oblong fruit with crispy pulp and a bitter taste, almost as popular as the Gixi, Jax are most preferred boiled and used often to add flavor since they become tart and sweeter when boiled. often used as an ingredient in salads, they also are combined with other fruits in soft drinks, fruit drinks, alcoholic beverages, jams and sauces.
Tertullian turnips - very large, conical vegetables with the pointed brown taproot converging into a round, greenish, tomato-like top. More common than other root vegetables, these are the mainstay for mashing, boiling, etc. Very good with gravy, most Boralians prefer them to less exotic Earth imports such as potatoes, a distant cousin of sorts, but the Tertullian turnips are larger and less tender until boiled, allowing for slicing and cutting into various patterns with greater ease. They originated on Tertullis, eighth planet from the sun, but proved so adaptable they were easily exported for growth throughout the system, even in greenhouses on the less habitable planets.

Beverages:
Besides soft drinks made from the fruits and other mixtures, the biggest item important from their Earthen past are tea leaves, which are grown in abundance. Beyond that, and some alcoholic drinks and smoothies, the most common beverage in the system is:
Talis - A warm beverage brewed from beans grown on Vertullis—somewhat like the old Earth beverage, coffee. This is a mainstay of any meal throughout the system and often served in mid-afternoon or mid-morning social hours. A stimulant when consumed in larger quantities, Talis has effects similar to coffee on humans despite having no caffeine, but some of the alien species find it particularly bland and undesirable.

So those are some of the common foods in the Borali System. Probably something for everyone, if you ask me. We won’t know until space travel to distant systems actually becomes possible, but it’s fun to think about. If you want actual recipes, well, you’ll have to wait for that, too.  None were necessary to the stories themselves. Sorry.

Thanks, Bryan! It's always fun to see how other authors deal with the challenge of making up complete civilizations. It's little touches like food that make the books feel solid and real.

In Bryan’s second novel, The Returning, new challenges arise as Davi Rhii’s rival Bordox and his uncle, Xalivar, seek revenge for his actions in The Worker Prince, putting his life and those of his friends and family in constant danger. Meanwhile, politics as usual has the Borali Alliance split apart over questions of citizenship and freedom for the former slaves. Someone’s even killing them off. Davi’s involvement in the investigation turns his life upside down, including his relationship with his fiancée, Tela. The answers are not easy with his whole world at stake.

Basket of Book Reviews

The Void; Brett J. Talley (release date July 2012)

 I don't usually read horror. I indulge in the occasional bad monster movie or classic Poe or A.A. Merritt tale, but not the freaky scary horror. But my new publisher, Journalstone, publishes mainly horror. (My books aren't horror, they're SF; just FYI) This is one of their new titles, coming in July. I read the blurb and thought it sounded interesting. I got an ARC (advanced reader copy) for review. Now that you've heard my whole saga of why I read this book, let's move on to the review.

The Void is a great science fiction novel, with some creepy horror bits. Or you could call it a horror novel with lots of science fiction. It's not a monster alien attack story, it's more suspense. Interstellar travel triggers dreams in those who travel. If they try to stay awake, they go insane. But the dreams are much more sinister than anyone realizes.

If you're looking for a great suspense story with plenty of drama and action, pick this one up. You won't regret it. This is Brett Talley's second novel. His first was nominated for a Stoker award. He's good.

I give this one 4.5 stars and a PG rating (no language, no steamy bedroom scenes, but plenty of creepy scariness.)

200 Crochet Blocks for blankets, throws, and afghans; Jan Eaton

I was wandering through my local library a few weeks ago, and found their crochet pattern books. I enjoy crocheting. It's something I can do when I'm tired and watching tv and too lazy to do anything else. My only problem is that I have no patience for long-term or large projects. I want something I can finish quickly. This book was perfect. Blocks don't take long to make. Get enough of them finished, and you can sew them into an afghan. Ta-da! Large project completed. I was thinking of making up a bunch of these squares using cotton yarn. Two sewn back-to-back would make a nice hot pad. One could be a nice facial scrubber. Or you could sew four together to make a pillow top. Or doilies. Or doll blankets...

The instructions were clear and easy to follow. I give this one 5 stars. Ages: anyone who wants to crochet

In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace; K. D. McCrite


I bought this book for my daughter's ninth birthday, and to support my friend and fellow author, Katie. It was a little too old for my daughter, mostly because she isn't quite ready to read at this level.

April Grace is eleven and starting summer vacation. Her family lives in the Ozarks on a farm, which is just fine with April Grace. When the new neighbors stop by for directions, April Grace finds them stuck-up and rude. They're city folk with no appreciation of the country.

This book is hilarious, especially the dinner scene. Set in the 1980s, it brought back a lot of memories for me. Not that I was ever accused of being an Ozark hillbilly or that I ever had an older sister with delusions of glamor or that I ever had a feud with impossible neighbors...

I give this book 4.5 stars, rated G, recommended for ages 10+, especially girls who wonder how they are ever going to fit in.

Monsters and Mormons; Wm Morris & Theric Jepson


Disclaimer: I'm one of the authors in this collection.

Back in the days of pulp fiction, Mormon settlers were easy villains to add to stories. Turn it upside down. Let the Mormons be the heroes and give them some great monsters to fight, then see where the authors take the stories.

This collection has a wide variety of stories, everything from monster slasher horror, to suspense, to science fiction, to sweet romance, to humor. It's a great look into Mormon culture. Don't expect doctrine, just a lot of good entertainment, 500 pages worth.

My two favorite stories are Other Duties by Nathan Shumate (a new bishop finds out about the duties in the top secret handbook) and The Other Wife by Emily Milner (a woman who can see ghosts marries and finds out about her husband's previous two wives).

I give this one 4.5 stars, rated PG mostly for violence and scary monsters.


(I've reviewed A Moth in Darkness before, but I'm including it here because it is book 1 of the trilogy)

The Fly in Paradise, Spiders from Memory; Frances Pauli

Fly and Spiders finish off the story started in Moth. Liz Larson and her friends opened the gates between our world and the Fey world. Now, a decade later, she's no longer part of it. Until people start to go missing and things unravel between the worlds.

This is urban fantasy with a great twist. No vampires or other undead, just elves and fairies and a twisted mystery with consequences greater than anyone imagined. If you're looking for suspense and intrigue and fantasy with a dose of romance, these are great books. And the kelpie? I don't want to ever meet one of those, even in broad daylight.

I give this trilogy 5 stars, PG rating.

Life Experiences

I write science fiction. I make up worlds and technology and aliens and all sorts of stuff. It can be a challenge to make them believable.

The best way to create a believable setting is to base it on reality. Use real science as your beginning point for your tech and aliens and worlds. You're on your own coming up with a great plot, that's a different topic.

So how do you go about creating a real-feeling situation and/or world? Learn, study, read, experience. Store them all in your head. Rely on your great database of information. No, do not spout it all onto the page when you're writing. Give us enough to ground your story or make your aliens feel real. Too many writers make the mistake of wanting to show off everything they've learned and created for the story. Save it for your webpage, for the die-hard fans who want to know all that. Put it in your story and you'll kill it with information dumping overload.

Some of my favorite sources to learn about bizarre things, science, technology, etc. are:

1. Television, especially PBS specials like Nature and Nova. If you watch channels like History or Discovery, just take some of their shows with a big dose of disbelief. Many of them are trying too hard to be shocking or groundbreaking. They push the show from real science into speculation. But they are highly entertaining and can lead to a lot of great what-if questions.

2. Magazines and online science websites. National Geographic is a great resource. It's got pretty pictures. The articles range from cultural to biological to astronomical to ecological to a lot of other disciplines. It's written on a high school level so it's accessible to almost anyone. I also love Space.com for their pictures and articles.

3. Personal experience. I'm talking about camping, hiking, travel, museums, etc. If you want to write about the oceans on a planet, it helps to have experienced at least a little of Earth's oceans. When you travel, take time to record the smells, textures, sights, colors, the whole deal. Don't forget to record how the air feels - dry and hot, dry and cold, humid, etc. Spend a moment just feeling, just breathing, just being. It's a great way to experience different environments.

4. Education. If you haven't gone to college yet, do your best to get there. And while you're there in whatever you're majoring in, don't be afraid to try out some of the other beginner level classes. Take an astronomy class, a geology class, a drawing or sculpture class, a music class, or whatever else tickles your fancy. Step out of your comfort zone.

If you aren't in a position to go to college, try a community class. Try a cooking seminar or an art class or a craft class. Many communities offer these classes in the evenings for a few weeks at a time. The cost is usually minimal. Many stores like Home Depot and craft stores offer seminars on a variety of topics. Learn how to lay tile, even if you never plan to lay any yourself.

Take an online seminar or join a club. Expand your horizons by trying something new.

And while you're taking those classes, indulge in people watching. Study your fellow students, study the teacher. Learn how to create believable characters for your stories.

Take whatever you have experienced in your life and use it as fodder for your stories. Synthesize them into something new.

Writing a Serial Story

For the last few years I've been playing with a serial blog story. It's just for fun, Star Trek fanfic sort of, based on a character I play at work. Read it here, if you want. It's a different exercise than writing a short story or novel. Those I plan out. I know what's going to happen and where the story is going. With a serial story, I make it up as I go along. I have no idea where the story is going to end when I start writing. Each week or so, I sit down and write another episode. I guess it's like writing a tv show, but I wouldn't know. I only watch those, I've never written one.

For those who like to write by the seat-of-their-pants, this process will sound very familiar. From what I understand, those authors make it up as they go. I respect them for that. It's a tough process when you give yourself that much freedom. I write from a loose outline, nothing too specific, except for my serial story. That is truly seat-of-my-pants.

It's a weird feeling and more than a little scary to write an episode at a time and post it before you write the next one. What if the writing isn't polished? What if I made mistakes? What if I change my mind and want to rewrite to take the story in a new direction? What if it isn't any good? What if no one reads it? Wait, that last one is a good thing. Sort of.

So why do we write stories if not to share? And what's more fun than sharing that scary but exciting first exploration draft? Serial stories can be lots of fun to write and read. You have a new chapter every week, if the author sticks to a schedule (sorry, I don't do that very well with my story. I post as I write which can be very hit and miss but the first two stories are up and story #3 is started). Writing them is usually done just for fun. There is no real plotting or planning, at least the way I'm writing. The story is free to wander wherever it wants. Scary, but exciting. The story and characters can take surprising twists. For those who believe that the author is in charge and decides everything, you've never really written stories. The characters come alive and do things different than the author may want. The story may wriggle itself in brand new directions. Ideas rise from your meta-consciousness like the kraken from the deep, mysterious and unexplained.

Do you write a serial blog? Post a link and share! For those of you who've never read one, go try one.
Adrian Stevens, Quartermaster

Genre Differences

I promised this essay two weeks ago. That was before the flu and a whole lot of hairy deadlines. I've put a lot of thought into this topic. After Nexus Point came out in 2009, I struggled with defining what genre it fit in. Science fiction, yes, obviously. Maybe not. The only spaceship happens in chapter one, where it blows up, and the last couple of chapters. The whole middle of the book takes place on a low-tech world. So what sub-genre did it fit in?

There's also romance in the book. Does that make it Romance? Science Fiction Romance? I've spent time hanging out with Science Fiction Romance authors trying to decide if I fit in their genre.

Romance, of any subgenre, is a very different kind of writing. It's hard to describe because the differences are subtle. It has to do with where the emphasis is in the story, how characters are introduced and described, word choice, and sentence structure. Read enough romance novels and you can understand what I mean. Compare them with straight science fiction, murder mystery (not romance mystery), or fantasy. The fundamental structure is different. Romance puts the relationship, whether physical or emotional, at the forefront. Nothing else takes precedence over the romance.

Nexus Point is not Romance. Romantic, yes, a little, but not Romance. The story structure is wrong for a romance. Romance readers tell me it feels off. They like it, yes, the story is good, the characters are great, but the story itself is just not right. They're expecting the book to be structured and built like a Romance. Those who like science fiction tell me my story is fluff. It's not hard science fiction, it's not about the Great Idea or Science. They like it, but it's not "serious". It's too much romance, not enough science fiction.

If you look at readers of Romance, they are overwhelmingly women of all ages. Readers of science fiction, especially the hard stuff, tend to be men who don't like romance in their books. Look at the classic SF - characters are mainly men. Women are mostly decoration or set dressing. The audiences for these two genres are very different.

Is it possible to mix Romance and Science Fiction? Sure. Lots of authors do it. But who is your audience? Not hard core Romance readers, unless you write Romance with a few rockets and aliens and even then, most Romance readers won't pick up an SF book. Not hard core SF fans. No matter how good your rocket ships and aliens are, the heart of the story is a romance.

After much soul searching, deconstruction of genre, and lurking on websites, I've come to the conclusion that I write Space Opera. It's like summer beach reads for science fiction readers. Lots of action, lots of adventure, a touch of romance. Yeah, it's fluff, but entertaining fluff. So whatever genre you read, step out of your comfort zone this summer and try some space opera.

Nexus Point can be purchased from lots of online sites in many formats, including print. Check www.nexuspoint.info for a full list.

Excerpt Monday - Introducing Adrian Stevens

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate, just a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site!

This is a serial blog story, written just for fun. The rest of the story can be found here.

“Admiral?” I cautiously stuck my head in the door. I hated having to deal with command officers, but my orders were specific.

The chair slowly swiveled, revealing a slightly balding head of dark hair.

I swallowed a nervous lump as I held out my orders. Fleet Admiral Williamson, the sign on his desk read.

He took my paper, barely glancing at it before letting it drift into his disposal unit. He leaned back in his chair, bouncing slightly as he looked me over. “Quartermaster Stevens, your reputation for trouble precedes you. You do know that you’re on the short list for dishonorable discharge? One more incident and you may even be doing prison time.”

I nodded, keeping my mouth firmly shut. This was my last chance. Another few years and I’d be able to leave Starfleet honorably. I’d spoken too freely in the past. I’d taken a few too many liberties. Admiral Williamson was the last officer willing to even consider me for a posting.

He tapped his chin as he thought, his chair bobbing back and forth. He swung one foot, the polish on his boots catching the light.

I shuffled my scuffed boots on his dark blue carpet. The window behind him showed space dock. A gleaming white ship rested gently in the cradle, shuttles swarming around her. The USS Voyager was a beautiful ship, graceful and elegant with enough firepower to intimidate just about anyone. I could only dream of a posting on such a legendary ship.

Admiral Williamson’s chair thumped forward, his boots thudding dully on the carpet. “I need volunteers for a dangerous mission. Classified, of course. I’m looking for those willing to risk everything if necessary. You have a choice, Stevens. Prison cook or Quartermaster on the Voyager.”

I stared at him, my jaw dropping. “Quartermaster on the Voyager, sir?” Had I heard wrong?

“Not glamorous. You’ll be on skeleton staff. You and two others will be responsible for all supplies, food, and the equipment to prepare it. I’m afraid the food replicators have been a bit off so you may be actually cooking for two hundred.”

“I thought the Voyager had three hundred crew, sir.”

“The support crew won’t be the only ones on short staff.” He smiled, benevolence with an edge. “You may not return, Stevens.”

“But it’s a chance to serve on the Voyager, sir. I accept. I’ve got no family, nothing to lose.”

“Except your reputation.” He stamped a paper and slid it across the desk. “Report immediately to the shuttle bay. You have less than four hours until the ship undocks.”

“Sir.” I snapped a salute then collected my new orders.

“Dismissed.” He turned his chair away. “I suggest you hurry, Quartermaster.”

I practically ran from his office, headed for the shuttle bays at a run. I couldn’t help grinning. So the mission was dangerous, that didn’t matter. I had a posting on the legendary Voyager!

The shuttle was crowded with officers headed for the ship. I hugged my duffle at the back, doing my best to avoid eye contact. I eyed their uniforms jealously. I wanted to be an officer but I couldn’t stay out of trouble at the Academy. Quartermaster was the best I could hope for. I shifted my feed, impatient to board.

The shuttle docked, landing gracefully in the shuttle bay. The hatch opened. The officers filed out. I followed, breathing deeply of the recycled air of the Voyager. Glory tainted every molecule. I stepped off the boarding ramp.

“Papers?” The security guard glared at my blue service jumpsuit.

I handed the papers Admiral Williamson had just stamped.

“Captain on deck!”

Everyone snapped to attention. I dropped my duffle, standing rigid.

Boots thumped on the metal decking. I risked a single glance, rolling my eyes to the side. My heart sank. Maybe Captain Herring wouldn’t remember me.

He stopped in front of me, breath whistling through his nose as he glared. “Adrian Stevens? You’re what they sent for my Quartermaster?” His lip curled. He leaned very close.

I swallowed hard, staring at a pulsing vein in his forehead.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten the spaghetti incident. I’m watching you.” His eyes drilled into mine.

So much for wishful thinking. Which would be more dangerous? The mission or the captain? Only time would tell.

Book Reviews - The Presence, Paul Black, and Enemies & Playmates, Darcia Helle

It's 2 am and insomnia has me in its grasp. My house makes funny noises in the night, especially when the wind is blowing and a storm is moving in. The cat paces restlessly, adding his own set of noises. I know if I don't go back to bed soon, I'll never make it to work in the morning. When it gets really bad, I read books until I can sleep again. Just a warning, neither of these books will let you sleep.

The Presence, Paul Black

I met Paul Black at FenCon last September. He was nice enough to give me an ARC copy of his book to read. We have something in common: we both published a book titled Nexus Point. He didn't have a copy of that one handy, besides his is book 3 of a trilogy, so he handed me The Presence instead. If this book gives any indication of how he writes, I may have to squeeze money to buy the other trilogy.


The Presence is near future science fiction. Sonny Chaco is an agent of the NSA, a net jockey, surfing the expanded and intricate waves of the future version of the internet. He's set on bringing down Albert Goya, big businessman with links to organized crime. He romances his information source, the beautiful Deja Moriarty, trying to walk the line between milking her for information and falling in love with her. Enter a mysterious man that has no past, no records, nothing, and a beautiful and highly illegal clone of Goya's wife, and the story spirals out of control, pushing the characters into places they never expected to go.

The book is fast-paced and well written. Paul pulls futuristic tech into a believable and seamless world. Although it was a bit confusing at first, because the characters understand the tech and feel no need to explain it, the story pulled me in, submersing me in the world Paul created. I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants a fast read with a complex world and storyline. It's not a thick book, but it's loaded with action.

One warning, the book uses the f-bomb, sometimes to excess.

Enemies and Playmates, Darcia Helle

I confess, I didn't finish this book. Not because of the writing or characters, both of which are well crafted, but because the subject is just too dark. I read for escape. I prefer my books light. Enemies and Playmates is neither. It deals with abuse very frankly.

Lauren Covington's father is a highly successful businessman who shows the world a face of compassion. But to his family, he is brutal, vicious, and unforgiving. Lauren wants to escape, to just live a normal life of a college student, but feels trapped by her mother's helplessness and the need to protect her younger brother. She meets Jesse at a bar, feeling an instant attraction to the man, without realizing that he works for her father, handling contract jobs her father wants kept off the book and out of sight.

Darcia doesn't hold anything back in this story. This story went places I just didn't want to go. I couldn't finish it. If you want a compelling story dealing with abuse, I'd recommend this book. If you want a beach read, try something different. This book will give you nightmares.

Language warning on this one, too, although not as frequent as The Presence.

Book Review - The Viper of Portello, James C. Glass

I enjoyed The Viper of Portello. It mixes political intrigue, military action, and family relationships to create a fast-paced ride. Set in the future, sometime after other planets have been colonized, the government of Nova Brazilia has become corrupt. Revolutionaries are set to overthrow the governor. The League military is poised to invade and restore order. Everything rests on the decisions and actions of one man: Eduardo Cabral, sometimes called Culebra, or the Viper of Portello.

The book isn't your typical save-the-galaxy space opera. Though full of action sequences, the main focus is on the characters. Choices affect who we become. Sometimes the choice is forced by circumstances, but how we react says more about who we are than what we've done. Jim Glass takes us inside the heads of the people of Nova Brazilia as their world begins to crumble. It's a well-written and enjoyable story with characters I won't soon forget.

And Jim Glass is a very nice person. I met him at SpoCon last August. He's still upset over what the government did to NASA and manned space travel. I'm sure if you ask, he'll be happy to share his opinions.

Buy it direct from the publisher here: http://www.fairwoodpress.com/catalog/item/7652151/8136116.htm
Or Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Viper-Portello-James-C-Glass/dp/0978907876

Tuesday Teaser

This is the beginning of a background story on some characters in my novel, Nexus Point. The story will eventually end up on the series website as a free read, so let me know if you like it. Some days I'm so close to the trees, I have no idea what the forest is like.

Paltronis paced the narrow cell. The old-fashioned bars mocked her, closing her off from her dreams. The whole fight was stupid, she could admit that, but the satisfaction of beating the smirk from the faces of Jevis and his friends almost made it worthwhile. Almost, if Commander Haywarth didn't kick her out of the Academy. She rubbed the sleeves of her cadet uniform. She'd made it three years without an incident. The fight with Jevis was her fifth in the last two months, enough to land her behind bars instead of just detention. Or maybe it was the number of broken bones she'd left behind this time.
    Jevis had it coming. She caught him extorting money from other cadets, running his own illegal gambling ring. He'd thrown the first punch, but the fight had given his friend time to hide the evidence. Jevis was in the infirmary as the injured party to the whole affair.
    Paltronis kicked the bars in frustration. The resulting pain only soured her mood further.
    The outer door clanked open. The warden stepped in, giving her a cold stare. "You have a visitor. Be civil, if you have any sense at all." He moved aside, letting the visitor pass. "Last warning," he said as he left the cell block.
    The man stopped just outside the bars of her cell, studying her with dark eyes. His face was a mask, giving nothing away.
    She planted her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn't help the belligerent set of her face. The man's black uniform and insignia scared her. An officer of the Enforcers meant her situation was fast descending into dangerous territory involving criminal charges, not just expulsion.
    He stood motionless, just watching.
    Paltronis fidgeted, waiting for him to speak. Nervous twitches crawled over her skin. The man was tall, looming over her short, stocky frame without even trying. She looked away, unable to hold his stare.
    "Did they send you to press charges or just scare me with the seriousness of the situation?" She studied his face, the one that could have been used for recruitment posters, except it was too cold, like stone. "I know the Commander won't believe me, but Jevis had it coming. He and his friends are running a gambling ring and stealing from the other cadets."
    The man's lip twitched.
    "What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? Because I'm not." She set her chin.
    His impassive expression didn't change.
    "And the other fights? They had it coming, too." She shifted her weight. "Well? Just tell me how much trouble I'm in."
    His relaxed stance didn't mesh with the seriousness of the situation. Maybe he wasn't there to punish her. And maybe space was full of happy little fishies singing happy little songs. She studied him through the bars, trying to guess his motives.
    Silence stretched in the almost empty cell block. Paltronis fidgeted with her sleeves, wishing he'd say something. He wasn't much older than she was, much too young to be an officer, which meant he either came from lots of old money or he was very, very good. She couldn't guess which. He was impossible to read.
    He extracted a mem sheet from his pocket, passing it through the bars.
    Paltronis took it, pinching the lower corner to activate it. She frowned, expecting legal documents. She stared at the page in confusion. "Floor plans?"
    "If you were to assassinate someone in that building, how would you do it?" His voice was deep, smooth and as emotionless as his face.
    "I'm not an assassin." She snapped the mem sheet closed, shoving it back through the bars.
    "You scored very high in tactics. Prove it." He didn't take the mem sheet.
    She watched his face as she opened the paper again. "You're trying to prevent the attack."
    He nodded.

Teaser Tuesday! Excerpt from "Nexus Point"

Check out #teasertuesday on Twitter for a lot of great stories!


Nexus Point - Captain Dace just wants her own ship and a trade route. She has that, until her crew blows up the ship and strands her on Dadilan, a primitive tech world restricted from all unauthorized contact. The natives think she's a demon. The researcher, Leran, rescues her from the native ruler only to threaten her with arrest by the Patrol for interfering. On the way to the Patrol base, they are attacked. During the fight, Dace gets separated and lost in the woods. And that's only the first two chapters.

    He came out of the mist like a primeval god in a really bad romance vid–dark hair, darker eyes, and a face stolen from my most secret fantasies. He wore a leather vest with no shirt, tight pants, and tall boots. He stopped on the other side of the stream, muscles flexing as he folded his bare arms across his chest.
    I swallowed hard, wondering if he was just a dream. I shifted my feet on the stream bank. "What do you want?"
    He looked me over, not answering.
    I lifted the rock, trying to appear as threatening as possible. I lost my hold on it. It fell into the stream with a loud splash.
    His lip twitched as he smothered a chuckle.
    Having a complete stranger laugh at me was the final straw. I thumped down on the stream bank, dropping my head into my hands.
    The man splashed across the stream, his touch gentle on my shoulder. "Are you hurt?"
    I shook my head. I'd felt worse and lived.
    He watched me a moment longer, then put his arm around my shoulders.
    I stiffened at the unexpected touch. No one had ever tried to comfort me. I surprised myself by bursting into tears. I'd lost control. I hated the feeling. I struggled until I finally fought the tears back. Only the occasional hiccuping sniffle escaped.
    "Feel better?" he asked, just a trace of sarcasm coloring his voice. He shifted away, leaving me cold.
    I couldn't look at him, embarrassed by my outburst. I stared down at his vest, at his muscles, at his hands, anywhere but at his face.
    "You want to explain why you're out here?" He waited, still as a statue.
    I finally looked up, at his face. It was a mask, giving nothing away. "I got lost?"
    He raised one eyebrow. "Lost from where?"
    I dug through the information Ameli had dumped into my head. I found little of any help. "My father's house."
    He shifted position slightly, enough to change from sympathy to threat. "You're no native of this planet. You want to try again?"
    I edged away. "No. How do you know I'm not native?" My curiosity got the better of me.
    "You're speaking Basic."
    I hadn't realized it. I repeated one of the more colorful expressions I'd learned from Toiba.
    The man raised his eyebrow higher.
    "You aren't native, either." I sniffled, wiping my nose on the back of my hand.
    He stood. I glimpsed a tattoo on the inside of his wrist, an intricate black diamond that only one group in the Empire had.
    I froze, not knowing if it was good or bad. "You're a Patrol Enforcer."
    "Give me one good reason I shouldn't shoot you."
    "You aren't carrying a blaster."
    He moved fast. He knotted his fist into the neck of my dress, his face barely an inch from mine. "I don't need one. Who are you and why are you here? Don't even try lying."
    "Leran . . ."
    He shoved me to the ground, on my stomach. His hand pinned me to the bank. I struggled to keep my face above the rippling surface of the stream. I planted my hands in the icy water and shoved. His hold didn't budge.
    "You work for him?"
    "Leran? No. He was taking me to the Patrol." I shut my eyes and waited for the man to drown me.
    "Why would he do that?"
    I was a lousy liar. This man would see through anything I tried. I gave him the truth. "Because I ruined his research. I crashed in Baron Molier's cow pasture. He said I was a demon. He was going to kill me. Leran decided to take me to the Patrol base and turn me in instead."
    The man's hold relaxed. I shifted back an inch from the water.
    "Keep talking," he said.
    "We stopped somewhere in the hills. The camp was attacked."
    "And?"
    "There were too many to fight so I left. I got lost."
    "You still haven't told me who you are."
    "Dace. My name is Dace."
    He rocked onto his heels, letting me go. I scrambled away from the water.
    "I don't think you heard me." He flexed his hands. "What's your name, your full name?"
    "Dace." I wasn't about to use a name I'd discarded six years previously.
    "I'll let that pass for now. How did you come here?"
    "My ship exploded. The core redlined. The escape pod landed me here."
    "In Baron Molier's cow pasture, you already said that. What ship?"
    "Star's Grace, Independent trader registered out of Eruus."
    "What was your position, ship's idiot?"
    I'd already embarrassed myself, I wasn't about to let him insult me. I sat, sticking out my chin. "I'm the pilot. And I'm telling you the truth."
    He gave me a look that said he didn't believe it.
    "I'm also the captain and owner."
    He laughed, a short bark of sound.
    "Believe it or not, it's the truth." The anger drained away, replaced by fatigue. I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing I was at the Academy where I could ignore the humiliation the other cadets dished out.
    "You aren't going to cry again, are you?" He looked afraid of the possibility.
    I shook my head and sniffled. I'd wait until later, when he wasn't looking. He watched me fight with myself. He finally sighed.
    "My camp is just across the stream. You look like you could use something to drink." He stood and offered me his hand.
    I stared stupidly at it. He confused me. He wasn't threatening me, not now. I took his hand. He lifted me without effort. I couldn't hide my wince when my feet hit the rocks.
    "This way," he said, pulling me after him.
    I limped across the stream, soaking the bottom of my skirt. He pushed me down onto a rock before stirring up a small fire. My stomach growled. I rubbed my arms, shivering in the night air.
    I studied the man surreptitiously. His hair was longer than mine, very dark with reddish highlights. It curled just slightly where it brushed the back of his neck. He stirred the pot steaming on the fire. The tattoo on his wrist caught the light and my imagination. What was a Patrol Enforcer doing here? Why try to drown me when I mentioned Leran's name? Something was rotten on Dadilan.
    Not my problem; I was leaving. I would face whatever criminal charges were levied against me. I would give them the truth. The Patrol would have to believe me. But this man was Patrol and he didn't believe me.
    The man handed me a steaming cup dipped out of the pot. I wrapped my hands around it and sipped the hot drink. It wasn't enough to counterbalance the cold night air and my wet skirt. My teeth chattered. The man fetched a blanket out of a neat pack on the ground. He dropped it over my shoulders. I clutched it tight. He loomed over me. I felt even shorter than I usually did.
    "Try again." He sat on a rock nearby. "Start at the beginning."
    "I was born . . ."
    "Not that far back." He shot me an impatient look.
    "I told you. My ship was en route to Thurwood with a load of machine parts. Something went wrong. I had to do an emergency downshift out of hyperspace. The core redlined and the ship exploded."
    "Not very professional of you." He poked at the fire with a stick. "You say your name is Dace and you own your own ship."
    "It's the truth." My ship was a cloud of radioactive debris. I sighed again.
    "No crying." He pointed the stick at me. "That isn't fair."
    I wiped my nose on his blanket.
    "What were you doing with Leran?" he asked casually, studying the end of his pointy stick. I sensed the answer I gave would determine how he used it.
    "He pulled me out of Baron Molier's dungeon and offered to have me arrested. It was better than being skewered by hot iron pokers."
    "Why are you speaking like a native now?" The man touched the pointy end of his stick.
    "They used a hypnoteacher. It doesn't work right on me." I sipped at the drink, watching him carefully. The stick was still very evident. "It usually takes me a week or two to get all the information straight again. It's easier just to learn it the old way. What's your name and why are you out here?"
    He studied me, the stick waving in the air between us. After a moment, it went into the fire, pointy end first.
    "Malcolm Tayvis," he said. "I'm looking for my partner. He was supposed to meet me here two days ago. I don't think he's going to make it."

Want more? Ordering information and the first three chapters are here for free: http://www.nexuspoint.info
Or download more at Smashwords - Nexus Point

Please welcome the Perilous Pauline Baird Jones

Last stop on my tour! Please welcome Pauline Baird Jones.

Pauline Baird Jones is the award-winning author of nine novels of science fiction romance, Steampunk, action-adventure, suspense, romantic suspense and comedy-mystery. She's written two non-fiction books, Adapting Your Novel for Film and Made-up Mayhem, and she co-wrote  Managing Your Book Writing Business with Jamie Engle. Her seventh novel, Out of Time, an action-adventure romance set in World War II, is an EPPIE 2007 winner. Her eighth novel, The Key won an Independent Book Award Bronze Medal (IPPY) for 2008 and is a 2007 Dream Realm Awards Winner. She also has short stories in several anthologies. Originally from Wyoming, she and her family moved from New Orleans to Texas before Katrina.

Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?

I started out writing contemporary romantic suspense, but have been moving persistently into action/adventure type romances for years. I committed to paranormal AA when I wrote OUT OF TIME, a WWII time travel, then headed into space with THE KEY. For now I’m solidly into science fiction romance, with a fillip of Steampunk romance for fun. I’ve also recently had some short stories published in a variety of anthologies.

I’m a “love the book I’m writing” kind of girl, though I have to say, I’m really feeling the SFR love. It’s just a heck of a lot of fun to write about space travel, to break the bounds of gravity and head for distant galaxies. I’m hugely excited about my April release: GIRL GONE NOVA, a follow-on to THE KEY (though both books can be read stand alone).

I had so much fun writing Doc, my kick-butt genius heroine. And my hero is a redeemed, semi-bad guy from THE KEY. I did NOT plan that. He wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave him a girl to love. What’s an author to do?

What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?

Well, obviously I read, but I also like TV and movies. My current favorite shows are: HUMAN TARGET, LEVERAGE, BIG BANG THEORY and NCIS. I also like to mix a bit of reality tv into my viewing. Favs are TOP CHEF and DANCING WITH THE STARS.

What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to music, and do you want to share your playlist?

I do use playlists to gin up the creative juices. I create one for each book, because my characters have different tastes. The songs tend to filter into the book, so I have to go in and remove them when I edit, because you can’t use songs without proper permissions. I did post playlists for my last two books. Back when I wrote earlier books, I had to create my own music mixes. Wow, does that date me.

"All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?

We do have a cat, though technically he belongs to my son and loves only him. Me he tolerates because I feed him (and my son is now at college). He is quirky and demanding. Only likes fresh water, but won’t drink from a pet fountain. Can tell time (DST messes him up more than it messes me up!). And can whine like nobody’s business when I don’t do what he wants, when he wants it. He is bitter and suspicious, which helps us get along when the son’s not around.

Any advice you'd like to share about writing?

The advice I always give is: reject rejection. There will always be people who will tell you that you can’t, or what you shouldn’t do or how you shouldn’t do it, but this is a business littered with people who went over and around barriers to get where they wanted to do go (legally, of course!). DO YOUR RESEARCH. KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO and you’ll like it better.

What writers inspired you to become an author?

Georgette Heyer. Mary Stewart. Elizabeth Cadell. Helen McInnes. Alastair Maclean. Each of these authors delighted me when I found them and taught me important things about what needed to be in my novels.

How can we find you? Website, Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. - please share your public links.

http://www.perilouspauline.com/
http://twitter.com/paulinejones
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pauline-Baird-Jones/
http://perilouslyyours.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/perilouspauline
http://worldsapage.blogspot.com/

Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?

I’ll be running release contests to celebrate GIRL GONE NOVA debuting in print and e. I have a contest page on my website, so check back often to see what’s going on! www.perilouspauline.com

Pauline will randomly pick a poster from one of the blogs to receive either a digital or print copy of A TEXAS BOX OF CHOCOLATES anthology.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Good luck on your release!

KS Augustin now on tour

Today, please welcome KS Augustin to our tour!

KS Augustin is a Malaysian-born writer of science-fiction, romance, and
permutations of the two. She also dabbles in fantasy and contemporary
action romances from time to time. She has been nominated for a CAPA
award and has been a Spectrum award finalist. She has visited, lived or
worked in the UK, North America, Australia, and has now settled back
in south-east Asia so she and her husband can draw breath and the kids
can manage to get some education in.
Also travelling with them, with species-appropriate passports, are
their two fur-shedding cats, Fluff and Squeak, and their irrepressible
miniature bull terrier, Sausage.

1. How can we find you? Website, Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. -  please share your public links.

My website is http://www.ksaugustin.com And I have an opinionated blog, called "Fusion Despatches", at http://blog.ksaugustin.com where, quite unfashionably, I tend to discuss politics ... but that's only because I love the topic so much! Given enough time, I'm sure my blog will end up offending pretty much everyone in the world, so you've been warned.

2. Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write?  What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your  personal favorites? Anything new coming up?

My first love was, and still is, science-fiction. I tend to read right across the genre from social sf to hard to slipstream, although my favourite is space opera, so I suppose it isn't any surprise that I tend to write space opera romance the most. While I love a good space battle as much as the next geek girl, I always thought that a bit more characterisation and interpersonal dynamics in my favourite novels would go a long way, which explains why I add romance to the mix.

I'm sure someone has already said that wherever you go, you always take yourself with you, so why would it be any different in the future or in another galaxy? You always take yourself with you--brain, heart, wishes, regrets, yearnings. Everything else is an extension of yourself, and engagement (whether positive or negative) is when an extension of one person or group meets an extension of another. Technology is merely one channel through which such engagement can play out, but it's not the only one.

And indeed, I do have something new coming out. Carina Press is the new digital-first imprint of Harlequin Enterprises and I am extremely pleased to have a novel of mine as part of their June launch. ENEMY HANDS is a hard sf romance that covers stellar mechanics, politics, a bit of pharmacology and--of course!--romance between a brilliant physicist and the savant she falls in love with. I hope there's something there for everyone, but we'll see.

3. What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite  movies or tv shows? Hobbies?

I mostly read to relax. And I also love kite-flying. To me, there's nothing quite so exhilarating as harnessing something you have no control over (the wind) to make something you do (the kite) do what you want it to do.

I also cook. I love cooking, I adore cooking, although I don't have enough time to do much of it. In our library at home, we must have at least 200 cookbooks and I sit down and read through them in much the same way as I read a novel, from start to finish. I find it exceedingly relaxing. And it helps that my husband and children are happy to act as my guinea pigs.

4. What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to music, and do you want to share your playlist?

I think I'm in the minority on this one, in that I tend to appreciate silence, but I also think that's a holdover from my martial arts days. You can't be aware of what's happening around you if there's music blaring out of several loudspeakers and writing, by itself, is distracting enough. If you're talking musical tastes, then I listen to everything, from opera to techno. However, there is one sub-genre I never, ever listen to and that's Country & Western. I just can't get into it.

5. "All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?

Ah yes, I think cats are favoured because they're lower maintenance than dogs. We have both: two cats called Fluff and Squeak and a mini bull-terrier called Sausage. Each type of animal has its own characteristics that make it quite lovable. I occasionally have updates on our pets in my blog but not often enough, or so I've been told.

6. What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?

There are lots of organisations around for aspiring writers, and they even span national boundaries. The constraining factor is that you have to have access to an Internet connection in order to fully leverage the information and resources out there. To be honest, I may not be the best person to ask about such things. I sold my first novella in almost complete isolation in 2006. It was only after we left the USA that I discovered thriving writer communities in and around San Francisco. And it was only after we left Australia that I discovered the same about speculative fiction writers in Australia. I'm sure the same thing will play out after we leave Malaysia. I always tend to be behind the curve like that!

Having said that, the best advice I can share about writing is that, if you want to make a living at it, it's not enough to be JUST a writer. You have to be able to run your own small business, and that means self-discipline, multi-tasking, organisation and planning skills, and so on. And you have to realise that there's always something out there you need to know that you haven't learnt about already.

7. What writers inspired you to become an author?

I still clearly remember reading "A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley Weinbaum as a child, and being mesmerised by it. Henry Kuttner, Isaac Asimov, Harry Harrison, Ray Bradbury, EE 'Doc' Smith, Eric Frank Russell, they were all wonderful and still are. I got made fun of at school for reading a book entitled "The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World". Female high-school students didn't read books with such titles, but it didn't worry me too much. *That* place was where I wanted to be--ravening beams of destruction, conflicts in the oceans of Venus, high-jinks across the galaxy, interstellar puns. Why would I want to be in school where people made fun of me because I wore glasses and had different-coloured skin? I think science-fiction saved my sanity then, and I'm forever grateful to it for doing so.

8. Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?

It's difficult being a writer living literally on the other side of the world to North America. I often feel that I'm missing out on lots of opportunities to connect with potential readers. But still, with the interconnectedness of most of the world today, the situation is a lot better than it used to be.

For the latest news, best to read my blog and I'm always available via email at ks [at] ksaugustin [dot] com.

Thank you so much for visiting this week. Good luck with your release!

Trisha Wooldridge Interview Part 2

We're back with Trisha, for more insight.

What brought you to Broad Universe, and what do you like best about the organization?

A friend of mine from a longstanding writer's group, the DragonWriters, said that she loved Broad Universe and had found a lot of publishing information and opportunities there, so she convinced me to join.  I thank her very much because I've met so many amazing women in the organization - many who have had a direct influence on getting my fiction and non-fiction published and forwarding my career.  Also, I have always felt that women need to help each other because, unfortunately, we are still at a disadvantage in the realms of business, publishing, rights, expectations, and opportunities.  We should honor, celebrate, and nurture each other, and I believe in taking an active role to do that.

What do you feel is the greatest challenge and the greatest asset of being a woman author?

I recently wrote a blog post entitled, The Devil Wears Post-Feminism, where I shared several stories of women who still had to hide behind male or non-gendered pseudonyms.  Yes, there are women who submit the very same work under a non-feminine name and not only get it accepted but get offered more money!  That's wrong and needs to be changed.  On the other hand, in a recent poll Broad Universe did of various magazines, women's submissions followed submissions better and overall had a higher level of writing.  I do think women are more detail-oriented than men, and in many cases we already expect to work hard to get what we want; we don't automatically assume an agent or publisher will do our work for us.  We know how to be part of a team.

What is the story behind the greatest lesson you've learned so far as an author?

The greatest lesson I've learned, not only as an author but a person, is that you never stop learning.  There will always be things we will never, ever know; our world is so HUGE we simply cannot learn everything about anything.  Never assume you know what you think you know.  Always double check yourself.  And forever search for new things to learn about.

The story behind this is that my co-author and I wrote a good 75% of a novel based on a Biblical premise that we both were sure we knew.  Well, when we got to the details of the story and opened our respective Bibles - well, let's just say we had an AWFUL LOT of rewriting and reorganizing to do.  This was about 3 weeks into NaNoWriMo for both of us, too.  Yeah.  Research = Healthy Blood Pressure.

What is your favorite comfort food or drink to help you write?  What do you save as reward treats for meeting goals and deadlines?

My number one comfort food for writing is chocolate - dark, dark, chocolate.  Potato chips are a close second.  I am also a fan of a proper California Zinfandel (deep, black red with a hint of chocolate and a huge burst of fruit - did I mention I was a food/wine writer, too?).  However, I also will drink various mixers when I need them, usually containing amaretto.  During the day, I'm a coffee and tea fiend and will eat all meals at the keyboard if not watched.  As a reward, I open an expensive dessert wine, like a Trochenberrenauslese or an Ice Wine.
 
What is your favorite organizational trick for meeting all of your goals and deadlines?

My favorite trick is to force accountability and have outside forces create deadlines for me.  I've got regular readers of my blog, so I will let them down if I miss a blog deadline.  I get friends to pester me because they are expecting a chapter/scene/whatnot, and whenever I write with a partner, I feel dedicated to that other person - so it has more priority than stuff I have no deadline for but to myself.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure (be it food, a habit, a show…)?  And how do you rationalize giving into it?

Sleeping in and dreaming is my favorite guilty pleasure, especially on weekends and when I don't have anywhere immediate to be.  I often lose hours dreaming - and I recall all of my dreams with the utmost vivid detail.  But, I can rationalize all this because many of my favorite stories have either germinated or found resolution during these times.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and time with us at the Far Edge of Normal!

Check out more about Trisha here: Trisha Wooldridge, A Novel Friend, http://www.anovelfriend.com/blog.htm

Trisha Wooldridge Interview Part 1

Welcome to Trisha Wooldridge, the first interview on my blog tour. She's got some great insights and great information to share. This is just part 1.
Trisha J. Wooldridge, a member of the Broad Universe Motherboard, is a freelance writer, editor, and educator whose experience includes Dungeons & Dragons Online, animal rescue public relations, and web-based learning.  She loves interviewing goth and metal bands, reviewing food and wine, helping other writers, and giving words a dark yet whimsical twist.  Her fiction is in Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad, the upcoming Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory ( both co-authored with Christy Tohara) and Fantasy Gazetteer. www.anovelfriend.com

1. How can we find you? Website, Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. - please share your public links.

Hi!  I'm Trish Wooldridge, and you can find me at www.anovelfriend.com, novelfriend.blogspot.com, novelfriend.livejournal.com, @novelfriend on Twitter.  (There's this theme thing…)  I'm on Facebook and LinkedIn as Trisha Wooldridge, or Trisha J. Wooldridge.

I've done my best to become Google friendly.



2. Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?


I write in non-fiction and fiction.  In non-fiction, I love writing about writing (of course), food, wine, horses, animals, art, education, music, feminism, and various spooky things.

In fiction, I tend to lean more towards action-packed contemporary and urban fantasy.  That said, I have a Blade-Runner-esque android story in the works and a mid-grade/YA science-fantasy about a deaf girl destined to hear the future from the songs of stars that I'm querying.

In May, the latest Bad-Ass Faeries anthology, In All Their Glory (Mundania Press), includes a piece by me and Christy Tohara, my co-author and good friend.  Faerie is more than a little pissed when relations between human and fae have ended in nuclear war as surviving human and fae factions battles decide whether Faerie will take over the human realm--or leave it forever.  Also, in May, I've got a poem coming out that I wrote for my parents, "To Me, You are Holy," in Eye on Life Magazine's Poetry Locksmith.


3. What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?

You mean writing for hours over a keyboard isn't relaxing?  Shoot… I must be doing it wrong. I kill stuff in writing to get over a bad day.  Mercilessly and with utmost cruelty and fervor.

But… when my wrists are in pain because I have horrific posture… I do occasionally watch TV.  My favorites include House, MD; Caprica; Burn Notice; Castle; Fringe; Bones; Doctor Who; and Eureka when it comes back.  Movies… my husband could open a branch of Netflix, so it's hard to pick a favorite when I can pick just about anything.

For non-writing hobbies, I work with horses at the Bay State Equine Rescue.  It's an amazing experience to communicate with these majestic creatures who have suffered so much by human hands… yet still want to trust us more than anything (except food.  They want food most of all.  Even if they are a pushing the limits of a healthy weight.)  I also have a few artistic endeavors: I love painting, drawing, wood-burning, and other crafts.  Hiking and playing with pets and hanging out with my Husband-of-Awesome are the rest of my favorite things.



4. What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to a music, and do you want to share your playlist?


Music.  Music, music, music!  I have very eclectic taste, but the Crüxshadows are almost always in my list, as is Nightwish, and frequent regulars (because I still use a CD player and not my mp3 player for writing) are Voltaire, Blackmore's Night, Roger Cline & the Peacemakers, Within Temptation, Loreena McKinnet, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Omnia, Emerald Rose, Brobdingnagian Bards, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Bruce Dickenson (apart from Iron Maiden), Ozzy Osborne, Unto Ashes, and some soundtrack of something or another.

Current CDs:  Crüxshadows' Birthday, Lady Gaga's Fame, Band of Skulls' baby darling doll face honey (from their being featured on an episode of Castle), Omnia's Pagan Folk, and Nightwish's Once.


5. "All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?

I have found this to be mostly true.  I have a few writing friends who are exceptions… they may be the exceptions that prove the rule.  Who knows.  I have both a cat and a rabbit.  In fact, I've had three rabbits in my life; two have since passed away.  I've noticed the rabbit trend among comics, however, and know of at least two top webcomic artists who have house rabbits… which I include as support for a project I haven't done a LOT of talking about yet, but will when more is done on it.  ;)

My sweet cat (well, sweet to me; my husband is another matter) is Nylis, a mackerel tabby.  My brother adopted her from the MSPCA, then a couple years later, got a promotion and had to move to Florida - so she moved in with me (an act which required great feats to obtain the forgiveness of my otherwise Husband-of-Awesome).  Her original name was Nile, which didn't work for any of us, so with the suggestion of a fellow writing friend of mine, she became Nylis - the name from a race of cat-people from said friend's work-in-progress.  For as fabulous as my kitty is, she is in the running for the Dumbest Cat in the World.

Loki is my appropriately named rabbit.  He is a grumpy 10-year-old, 3-lb Siberian Rex who has no problem letting people know his opinion of everything (which can be summed up "I am the most awesome being in existence, worship me now!  With food!  Or nose pets!  Better yet: Both!  Now!")  At his venerable age, it goes without saying he usually gets what he wants - including getting the cat in trouble/injured for his amusement and knowing neither the H-of-A nor I have the heart to scold him.  (So we occasionally find ourselves apologizing to the cat when we find out she was NOT, in fact, chasing the rabbit - or at least not without due cause of him teasing her first.)


6. What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?

Broad Universe!!  Some of the best contacts I've made as a writer have been through my work and membership in Broad Universe.

Besides Broad Universe, I'm also a member of the Editorial Freelancer's Association (which is on the higher end of membership dues), where I've gotten several jobs in editing and writing (such as editing the text for the MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons: Stormreach!)

I follow the blogs of Writer Beware! and QueryTracker, and have found both some of the best resources for information and advice on the business of writing.

There are two important pieces of advice I can offer.  One is to read everything you can get your hands on:  fiction to enjoy and study, blogs, books, and articles about both the craft and business of writing, and each other - with heart and mind to help one another.  That leads me to the second piece of advice: be part of the greater community.  There are some wonderful communities for writers out there, and we should seek them out and put our positive energy into them; it really does get returned exponentially.  Science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative… our niche has one of the most amazing communities of fandom.  If possible, get to know the community online - or in one of the hundreds, thousands, of conventions across the world.  Being involved in the community - and sharing my active reading within the community - have been the two most important parts of making my career happen.



7. What writers inspired you to become an author?

I wanted to be an author for as long as I remember, so you could really date things back to Dr. Seuss, Judy Blume, whoever wrote those many Classic Children's Stories that my mother read me… and Jane Yolen and Ruth Sanderson are in my childhood collection.  I have always been a voracious reader, but one of the key persons who showed me how amazing writing could be was Madeleine L'Engle, who I discovered at 11 with A Swiftly Tilting Planet (kudos to the person who decided to throw a unicorn on the cover!)  From there, I found even more SF & F lit, like The Last Unicorn, and eventually the pulp series of DragonLance and Forgotten Realms and other Dungeons & Dragons-Lord-of-the-Rings-esque stories.  (Though, I never read LOTR until college.)  Currently, I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman for the same reason I loved L'Engle: the breadth of each work.  Gaiman also works in multiple media, which I also want to do.  Besides Big Names, there are many colleagues who inspire me to no end, particularly members of Broad Universe, who write mind-blowingly amazing work and are Real People I have gotten to know on a regular basis - like the other women featured in this blog series.  I've read a lot of their work and just love it!

8. Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?

Not in April; it's my birthday month - along with about 20 of my closest friends and family.  However, in May, look out for the release of Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory at Balticon, and my poem in Eye on Life Poetry Locksmith.  I'll be at the following conventions:  Wiscon, Readercon, Pi-Con, and Dragon*Con… and I'm considering World Fantasy.  On June 12, there's a Massachusetts release party for Bad-Ass Faeries 3, at Generations Herbal Apothecary and Gift Shop. My good friend who through the successful MA release party is holding it again.

Lastly, thank you Jaleta for organizing this blogging event - and to all of the wonderful Broad Universe authors who are taking part!

And for all you readers who made it this far, don't forget to comment. One lucky commenter will get a free copy of my book Nexus Point. For the rest, use download code TF69P to order the ebook for only $2.99 at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10672