Hey, have you heard the one about the Ancient Egyptian statue that moves by itself? This, courtesy of an alert from a friend of mine and an io9 article. Basically, the 10-inch-tall statue of Neb-Sanu is slowly spinning around on its glass shelf over many hours – but only in daylight, and in a perfect…
Read More Creepy Science Is Still ScienceVery soon, the United States Supreme Court will hand down at least two decisions on marriage equality and gay rights in this nation. I’m not even going to try to second-guess SCOTUS. Gay rights do not directly affect my life. I’m straight, and happily so. But since I have gay friends and I write gay fiction…
Read More Rainbow Nation…on Goodreads, of Moro’s Price, this time from LisaT of the Attention is Arbitrary blog. We’d first touched bases during a blog hop for our mutual friend Anna Zabo. Lisa had this to open with: “This is one wild and very deep ride. I love a good sci-fi and this delivered, but I have to…
Read More Another great review…Form Rejections: Back in the pre-internet days, when I was a callow newbie, I assigned monumental significance to every form rejection letter I received. At one level I was right: I’d had the courage to query in the first place. But then I mistook that action as requiring an equal gesture from the universe. At…
Read More Rejection letters, or Anything but ‘Yes’ is still ‘No’We knew this was coming, when he announced in April that his gall bladder cancer was terminal. We had chances to say farewell via his blog and other online outlets. But I am no less subdued for expecting this, and no less thankful that I discovered Banks’ writing many years ago while he was alive.…
Read More RIP, Iain BanksOkay, that’s not a truly fair title. Being an asshole is no more a function of being old or young, of any social or economic class, or of any gender you care to list. We all have regrettable moments. But in the case of Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg, a recent editorial (and its…
Read More Girl Cooties, or Old Men Behaving BadlyI create artifacts. I don’t believe any of them have mystical properties. To me, they are interesting assemblages of fun materials, as make-believe as the fantasy worlds I create in my writing. I love special-effect props. I judge movies and shows not only by plot and action, but by the quality of the props. (Warehouse 13…
Read More Prop magic wandsFinish what you start, Crane. This will mean absolutely nothing to most readers, since it’s meant more as a reminder to me. I have so many writing and art projects that when I scribbled them down on the studio whiteboard, the list made me a little queasy. But if I acknowledge them in public, I’ll…
Read More Projects happenNobody is a perfect, right-out-of-the-gate writer. We get into this vocation/avocation to tell stories, and that means learning the tools of the trade: spelling, grammar, structure, character, plot, worldbuilding. Notice how I put worldbuilding, a great love of mine, dead last? That’s because in the long run, it’s the least important of our tools. It…
Read More Why we all need beta readers and editorsThis time of year, I live in a blast furnace. I never know what kinds of art or media gatherings I’m going to end up at, but the need for a folding fan is a constant for at least the three months bracketing Summer Solstice. I have plenty of folding fans, from lovely old carved…
Read More more steampunk goodnessI’ll get to the story about emerald, trust me. Well-meaning folks ask: ‘What’s your favorite color?’ I have the same dilemma, from the other direction, as a completely colorblind friend. My friend stalls, or says the question has no meaning – it’s all shades of grey according to my friend’s perception. I’m a visual artist.…
Read More Hello, Emerald!This post is about publishing, art, and the smallest bit of whining that I can include without feeling like a total self-pitying jerk. It’s about our best intentions – and how that’s not enough to carry the day. We exist within walls of preconception and self-doubt. Sometimes there are outside stresses in our lives that…
Read More A matter of timingWARNING: Adult Content ahead. Why? Really? Did you not read the header on this blog? I write smut that is only sometimes uplifted by things like angsty plot development and good characterization. I associate with other authors who do the same. Sometimes, we even share our writing, smutty or not. So if graphic M/M sex…
Read More Jess Buffett interview, NSFWOkay, so some part of my brain got this hop mixed with another, and earnestly thought it ran through the end of the month. (Scratches head.) This stuff happens. We’re ending things on a great note, over at Azalea Moone’s blog. She’s interviewing our one-and-only L.A. Witt, an incredibly talented and prolific erotic romance writer…
Read More The 16th and Final Day of the Absolutely Erotic blog hopOne, I’m not that great at it, which bugs my sense of vanity something fierce. Two, to my immense chagrin, I’m not doing art for anything that will make me money or satisfy a contract obligation. Which sucks, but sometimes you just have to let the creativity monster off its leash for a while. This…
Read More I should not be doing art (that Loki pic people keep asking for)Okay, okay, I’m a little late. I was writing today, and we all know how that can make someone lose track of time. (Wags eyebrows for vaudeville effect.) It was a good writing day. Today’s hop takes us to Erin Lark’s blog, and an interview with Azalea Moone. Moone’s new M/M vampire novel A Rogue’s…
Read More Day 15 of the Absolutely Erotic blog hopSome extra goodies today, dear readers. S.A. Meade promises to have an interview with multi-talented author and cover artist Erin Lark today. The blog hop’s main site lurks here, courtesy of L.A. Witt. Honestly, how many times do I have to say it: comment on any of the blogs in our blog chain this month,…
Read More Day 14 of the Absolutely Erotic blog hopWander on over to Scarlet Day’s site for an interview with M/M erotic romance author S.A. Meade, whose historical romance Lord of Endersley is making waves in the genre. Our AE blog main page is here, under the tender care of L.A. Witt. Go on, go see the prize package that some lucky comment participant…
Read More Day 13 of the Absolutely Erotic blog hopSo, it’s after noon where I am, and I slept in a little. There’s still an update! Today, Anna Zabo is hosting Scarlet Day, who discusses her new menage erotic romance novel Immortally Theirs. Just consider: the historic district of St. Augustine FL, the Fountain of Youth, two hot brothers, and the fascinating woman they…
Read More Day 12 of the Absolutely Erotic blog hopToday’s tidbit comes to us from Tara Quan’s site, where she interviews Anna Zabo. Anna discusses her M/M paranormal erotic romance Close Quarter, her follow-up novella Slow Waltz, and what’s next for her heroes Rhys and Silas. The AE blog hop main site is located here, under the watchful care of L.A. Witt, who has…
Read More Day 11 of the Absolutely Erotic blog hop