Publishing is a weird business, even to someone on the outside like myself. Over the summer, I’ve watched a newish author run afoul of some alleged very bad behavior by a junior agent who should have known better, apparently abetted or condoned by a senior agent who *certainly* should have known better. In this case,…
Read More Agents’ submission recordsOne of my Australian beta readers sent me links to several articles about Maureen Cooper, a quilt artist caught up in anti-mining protests in the state of Queensland.* On the surface, Cooper’s quilt is a lovely, well-planned, and inoffensive piece of fiber art, created to raise funds for a small nature preserve. That certain people…
Read More Is the needle mightier than the earthmover?During the month of September, I’ll be part of this shindig: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2015/08/tour-of-universe-2015-schedule.html There will be excerpts, behind-the-scenes backstories, prizes…and maybe…just maybe, a special announcement. I’ll also be giving away a digital copy of my debut M/M romance novel Moro’s Price, as well as this glass and fiber necklace: Bear with me while we finalize exactly…
Read More Bitten By Romance’s ‘Tour of the Universe’!Here’s a new setting for the ‘Amor’ silver book pendant I made back in October of 2001. I’ve been wanting to make a large, chunky chain or other hanging support. Silver filigree like the bail would have been great, especially if I studded big links with carnelian beads or cabochons. So would a scarf-necklace in…
Read More Amor NecklaceLess than a year since I got to use this image of a Space Shuttle lifting off: On sub: two words, two decades behind them. My crazy romance/quest/fantasy novel is out on agented submission now, at its full 91,000+ words. Its fate is out of my hands at the moment. It reminds me of when…
Read More On sub!I wrote this post just over a year ago, and in that time I’ve seen more and more abuses of Twitter’s generally-fun-and-useful pitch contests. It’s become bad enough that in two recent SF and Romance pitch contests I followed, over half of the ‘favorites’ were from brand new and unknown publishers, or worse: from companies…
Read More Twitter pitches in publishing #2My fiendishly talented friend and beta-reader AG Carpenter has a new story out in the self-published wilds: Legacy. Blurb: When a skin-changer looking for passage to Lake Ponchartrain collapses at her feet, Willa Arch finds herself drawn into a conflict between the iron-willed Queen Elsbett of Brittania and Queen of the Dead, Marie Laveau. But survival…
Read More Legacy, by A. G. CarpenterI know two people, both younger than me. One is running from massive credit card debt, skipping from city to city, odd job to odd job and couch to couch, while his potential as an artist is wasted in ennui and his own non-materialistic creed that ‘Hey, the only thing I own is my body,…
Read More Miranda Campbell: ‘Culture Isn’t Free’Attention, Big-Name authors who feel compelled to tout a writing-related product or service: Stop. Think. Research. At least check to make sure you are not endorsing something well-meaning but clueless, if not utterly predatory. Lesser authors look up to you. They may even believe you. Do you want to disappoint them? Now, if you know…
Read More psst! research before endorsing!When I can afford to, I collect end-blown flutes and similar wind instruments. Occasionally I manage to play them without totally embarrassing myself. This is the most recent acquisition, a lovely little Yamaha recorder in translucent aquamarine lucite. For $.99 at a local thrift store. It needs some cleaning and minor repair, but I’m looking…
Read More Aqua recorderIf you are a writer or a reader – or both! – you need to go here RIGHT NOW and look at this petition. Then please sign it. https://www.change.org/p/amazon-com-amazon-change-the-you-know-this-author-policy Lucky authors might have self-published bestsellers that seem to gain word-of-mouth acclaim instantly, or have commercial publishers bankrolling major marketing campaigns. The rest of us struggle…
Read More Amazon’s review policy (rant warning, adult language)I’ve made myself unpopular before, by suggesting that easy, cheap self-publishing is not the instant ticket to success that many writers dream it could be. The blunt, sad truth is that many self-published authors now publish too soon. In their rush to market substandard or just-good-enough work, they neglect to hone their writing craft.…
Read More Kameron Hurley, on why we are writingWell, no, not the actual Book 3 of the stunning M/M thriller-fantasy-erotic romance ‘Captive Prince’ series*. Because that’s coming out 02-26-2016. Three magic words, after all these years: pre-order is live! But my fellow fans, the writer Herself has a giveaway just for us. Go here to her livejournal page to learn more about how…
Read More Kings Rising, by C. S. PacatI finally managed to see the first episode of SyFy Channel’s ‘Killjoys’. Wow. Bounty hunters in space, check. All major characters seem to have deep backstories, check. Writers not afraid to dole out explanations in context, check. Fight scenes! Gritty realistic future with highly contrasted settings! Great props and costuming! The promise of a big,…
Read More Killjoys1. Oh, Dish Network. I love you on a big screen TV, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I have to watch you on a laptop system right now. And your mobile/tablet app? Your app sucks. Accept that and please fix it. You’ll get your five stars from me if you fix it before I…
Read More Dish Network, Killjoys, and dragons, oh mySir Christopher Lee’s title for his autobiography. One of the most skilled, competent, badass character actors to ever grace stage or set. We in the US tend to think of him as a villain in Star Wars or the recent Tolkien movies, but he was so much more. He passed a few days ago, but…
Read More Tall Dark and Gruesome…“I think the rules are crumbling and I think the barriers are breaking.” – Neil Gaiman “Good.” – me In the New Statesman, Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro share a fascinating discussion about the past, present, and possible future of speculative fiction. I find it a wistful, slightly cynical, but ultimately hopeful field trip shepherded by…
Read More Machines cannot imagineFor now, revisions are done (again) on the fantasy novel Singer in Rhunshan, at least until my agent and possibly some editors wade in. This is what the manuscript looked like last September: This is what it looks like now: gone from 54K to 91K, plus sequel and series synopses. As I was in the final…
Read More Happiness, part whateverDamn. We’ve lost another brilliant fantasy and horror writer. British legend Tanith Lee died in her sleep on May 24th, after a long illness. Sometime in 1978 in a mall bookstore in Farmington, New Mexico, I noticed the cover of a paperback in the SF&F section: The cover artist was George Barr. The book was…
Read More R. I. P. Tanith LeeI’ve mentioned before how twitchy I get while seeing the dreaded ‘Original Character’ tag in fanfiction. (While I have read killer examples, they are rare.) Too often that tag is a warning sign for Mary Sue Alerts, and all the bad writing those seem to include. Well, I’ve found a category of even scarier story…
Read More No. Just no. (A snarky fanfiction rant.)