The Blue Night Blog

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In a little less than a month, I will be able to aim you lovely people at buy links for THE PURIST, my upcoming fantasy novel from NineStar Press. I’ve seen the final cover version. It rocks. It rocks so damn hard, in fact, that it could comfortably fit into the catalog of any of…

Read More Purist countdown!
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We have a publishing date for THE PURIST: August 6, 2018! I’ve seen the first draft of the cover art from NineStar Press and Natasha Snow, and it’s *freaking gorgeous*. Added 7-9-2018: I have seen the final version of the cover. OMG. <Author falls over in twitching heap, burbling happily> It’s so good, folks. I…

Read More The Purist
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In truth, nonbinary characters and relationships already abound in science fiction and fantasy. Even really graphic ones. It’s just that authors who wrote this stuff were largely relegated to more literary fare in the late 60s-early 70s ‘New Wave’ or 2000s-era small-press erotic romance publishers. If they wanted to publish with Tor, Daw, Del-Rey, Ace,…

Read More Male/Male SFF Grows the F**k Up
by 2 comments on "Leaving Wattpad"

At the end of June 2018, my fantasy novel Bloodshadow will be unpublished from Wattpad. The book has been visible on the display site Wattpad since late 2015, and had over 2200 distinct ‘reads’. It received some lovely comments and votes. So why am I removing it? Wattpad is a sweet, fun place, but it’s…

Read More Leaving Wattpad
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Five careers ago, back in 2003, I sketched out an idea for a gonzo beaded and embroidered piece of wall art: The Borealis Tapestry. ‘Borealis’ is slated to be approximately 36″ high and 25″ wide.  It’s a fantasy-themed fiber art wall piece consisting of applique fabric panels, heavily beaded and embroidered. The general theme is…

Read More The Borealis Tapestry
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I’ve rebuilt one of the Dia de las Muertos bone rings at last! This one now has a ‘feather’ theme. First, a digression about finding cheap craft supplies: Objects faced with bone, horn, and shell tiles have been part of the ‘neutral’ decorating trend for the past 15 years or so here in the USA.…

Read More Bone Feather Votive Ring
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I still have #1, and just dug it out of storage a few days ago. Both of these are done on 8×6″ MDF boards, with unbeaded lips for sliding under a wood frame. These were fun but bittersweet pieces to do. In the spring of 2008, I’d been playing with my micro-mosaic technique for two…

Read More Storm Study 1 & 2 Mosaics
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Now in its natural habitat! I have a dear friend who has to endure dialysis three times a week. This sucks on many levels. One injurious indignity involves a theoretically-padded chair that is just on the more-padded side of a cheapass emergency-room waiting room metal bench. No one should have to spend ten minutes in…

Read More The Supercomfy Non Skid Chair Pad
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I don’t go to costume parties and I barely go to science fiction conventions anymore, so I have no logical reason to make hall costume pieces. Call it a challenge? The ‘Hamilton’ musical brought back tailcoats to public view, though steampunk and vampire costumers have always loved them. I’m also a big fan of the…

Read More Sage & Copper Tailcoat
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Amid my busy scary schedule this week, I’m contemplating the kinds of jewelry pieces I’d need to make to effectively ‘go wholesale’. It’s a tricky calculation. Too elaborate (my normal setting) and I could never afford the time or materials to set up even a hundred-piece order with a boutique. Too simple, and I run…

Read More New jewelry ideas, new markets
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Amazon finally made a move on (one) Kindle Publishing scammer. Read the Forbes article here. Why is this important? Given the difficulty of snagging a literary agent and the slow pace of commercial publishing, many authors are choosing self publishing as a side hustle or their main living. Amazon, for better or for worse, is…

Read More Amazon, KDP, and Self-Pub Stuffers
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I love book art. I love jewelry. More and more, I’m finding ways to combine them. I also really love the wrap jewelry from designer Chan Luu, and recently learned how to do my own wrap beaded designs. Cue a shipment of mini books back from a gallery, and a match that would be eerily…

Read More Tour Necklace/Bracelet
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Writers need to be careful when they’re approached to pay for book reviews. Some of these are real opportunities for marketing, some are well-meaning junk, and some are simply heartless cash-grabs by the organizers. Paid reviews are simply where the author pays the reviewer. Kirkus has a branch dealing with this. It’s somewhat legit…but only…

Read More Paid Reviews
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I’ve been following this thing since late February, when someone I know on Twitter made ominous subtweets about a catfishing scandal (yet again) in the world of male/male romance publishing. This link from The Salt Miners gives a better overview and details. Riptide, one of the most outwardly prestigious publishers in the genre, got caught with…

Read More Diversity, Catfishing, and the Santino Hassell disaster