…and can its marketing staff. Like many people, I don’t go to movie theaters anymore. I’m selfish. With access to a friend’s good satellite service and decent home theater, the only things I’m missing out on are screaming kids in movies too adult for them, people talking over the movie, overpriced tickets, even more overpriced…
Read More The flop that wasn’t, or why Disney needs to trust itself…Andrew Piper says that e-readers will doom the act of reading. He even has a new book out about it, from the University of Chicago Press, which I am fairly certain will also be available in digital form. Edited to add: yep, it’s on Kindle. He wrote a Slate article about it, too. I call…
Read More The death of reading?Last May, author Neil Gaiman gave a commencement speech portraying the artist’s life. “Walk toward the mountain,” he said, meaning do those things that will add to your chosen career. Give weight to choices that will help you become a better artist, not merely those which pay bills and siphon time and love. Really, I…
Read More Neil Gaiman explains why we are hereToday, the Supreme Court is hearing a case that almost no one in America has heard about, and everyone who buys and sells online SHOULD know! Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist, and even the old-fashioned garage sale are under threat from big business…who wants to make sure that consumers do not have the right to re-sell things…
Read More Kirtsaeng vs John Wiley & Sons, and why you should careCompiling plot change notes on COLD COMFORT. 18K that I’m happy with on MORO’S SHIELD, with another 11K to be condensed from notes. BLOODSHADOW in revision. I’m holding off on MASK and LEOPARD until I finish SHIELD. I kicked all short stories out of the way for now, since I don’t need any more plotbunnies underfoot. The…
Read More October 26 updates…so, I’m just going to post the link to Toni McGee Causey’s blog post about why we need ‘escapist’ fiction. http://www.murderati.com/blog/2008/11/23/comfort-reading.html Many times in my life, books have carried me through some rough real-life situations. Maybe they were not all brilliant literary examples. But they told me stories that transcended the world, for just long…
Read More I could not say this so wellThe Gods of Random (or at least the generators of Random.org) have declared two winners in this weekend’s comment contest: The necklace goes to Emily W. The ebook goes to Judi P. In Emily’s case, I’ll need a deliverable mailing address (no P.O. Box please). For Judi, I just need your preferred ebook format, since…
Read More ‘No Pouting’ Party contest winners!A quick break from the ‘No Pouting’ Party. Like every blog, this one gets spammed. Often. Most of the time the spam filters lock it up, but I go through occasionally to see if there are useful nuggets. If I get several dozen great ones, they might become further chopped up and turned into art.…
Read More The ongoing spam collectionI am not a brilliant artist. I’m a 20 year veteran of commercial art and decor, so I know some insider tips and tricks that make my attempts look better than they should. But like many writers, I want to know what my characters look like, even if it’s just for my own sanity. Sometimes…
Read More ‘No Pouting’ Party, day 1, artworkThe 2012 ‘No Pouting’ Party begins tonight at 12:00 am, Pacific Standard Time in the U.S. Most of the action will be centered around Selena Illyria’s Offerings Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/cal There will be over 100 authors participating, with dozens of amazing prizes and exclusives. To celebrate with other authors who could not get to GayRomLit in…
Read More Revving up for the ‘No Pouting’ PartyCourtesy of Missy Welsh and Selena Illyria, an online party for writers of LGBT fiction. I’ll be posting excerpts from the editing room floor, links to artwork, and a chance to win a free e-book copy of MORO’S PRICE as well as a beaded necklace made by yours truly. I’ve pasted in the original message…
Read More “No Pouting Party” @ Selena Illyria’s Offerings Yahoo GroupCertain movies, TV shows, books, and bands are deeply-held secrets between true fans. Sure, these secrets might be largely mocked and/or misunderstood outside of geekdom, but we don’t care. We have our own fan groups, our own hidden languages, our own shared recognition of something amazing. For the longest time, J.R.R.Tolkien was one of those…
Read More geek culture touchstones(Stands up, taps microphone, and says “Hi, I’m Crane Hana, and I’m addicted to world building.” Nine or ten other frazzled patients respond, “Hi, Crane.”) Now that I’ve got that out of the way, here’s why I am addicted. First off, maps. Maps are wicked cool. They’ve had a bad rap in fantasy publishing recently,…
Read More Maps and world buildingOnce upon a time, music was a crutch I needed before I could write at all. Like good chocolate and tea, or the perfect writing environment, the right music was part of many little rituals to activate my reluctant muses. I don’t write to music very much these days. The muses and I have reached…
Read More soundtracksA knock-off clothing shill just gave me a wonderful piece of random-generated text. I can’t release it, due to my listed guidelines for this blog. Though I fully intend to adapt it, typeset it, print it out on lovely paper or fabric, and turn it into a piece of art. Which I will then sell.…
Read More aw, you shouldn’t haveTHRONES OF DESIRE is loosely inspired by George R. R. Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones’ novels, but consisting of 14 original stories by various erotica authors. The e-book version went live on the 11th, and the trade paperback will be available on the 18th. I have a story in this one: ‘Saints and Heroes’, about a…
Read More Anthology contributor’s copiesSay not that I have stolen them. No more honor has a jeweler for a gem, Than I for these lovely gentlemen. Yet like gems prized from battered crown Or corroded ring and set again, more – Or less – tinselly glittering, They beg new voices to frame or refine Such traits their true authors…
Read More Why I wrote fanfic, an explanation in verseIn my other life I am an artist working in a relatively unknown medium, but I’ve still managed to gain a following among collectors. In that other life, I get to use my writing skills in another way, by creating text-based art from original prose, poetry, out-of-copyright material, and ‘found’ material. One of my greatest…
Read More Fun with spamDoes our entertainment culture value sampled products over original works? Is this creative sloth, or a calculated shot at maximizing profit via audience familiarity with tried-and-true stories? When done by professional writers via publisher license, the trend gives us dozens of ‘Star Wars’ novels, John Scalzi’s affectionate and awesome H. Beam Piper reboot FUZZY NATION,…
Read More Sampled Fiction, Serial Numbers, and how I might have just mortgaged what was left of my soul.I’m a writer and artist living in the American Southwest. I’m lucky enough to work in creative industries as diverse as commercial analog and digital art, art instruction, bookbinding, jewelry-making, and film cell retouching for a major theme park company. My artwork is collected by numerous private clients and university special collections, and has been…
Read More Crane Hana Books begins.