Carole Ann Moleti

My Super Cool, Cool, and Not So Cool Experiences of 2011

2012-01-01T12:27:00.004-05:00

Life is a journey, so they say. But this year has been an *&^(ing roller coaster ride, with more chills, thrills, and spills than the Brooklyn Cyclone experience of 2009.

Super Cool

Attending Taos Toolbox for two utterly idyllic, fantastic weeks from July 10-23, 2011.

There I met very fine writers who I am privileged to be able to call on (and I have) to help out with emergency revisions and to keep me up do date on the all the best brands of beer and whiskey (in the greatest Western saloon tradition).

In addition, I can boast that I had several early morning chats with Nancy Kress over English muffins and coffee, and a discussion on my career goals with Walter Jon Williams in the hot tub.

Thanks to the advice I got and connections I made there, I recently published an article in Lightspeed about smart houses, robots and artificial intelligence and no longer have tachycardia when I see a message from John Joseph Adams. And Boulevard of Bad Spells of Broken Dreams is done and a partial submission is now being considered by a major West Coast agent.

Nope, doesn't get much better than that.

Cool (in no particular order):

One son graduated from high school and went away to college.

The other son is doing well in his music studies and I got to hear one of his "new music" compositions at a end of the year performance.

Published a "playbill" type article for the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association's 360 project entitled Making the Music Dance: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Suite.

I'm still dancing despite the arm injury (details in the not so cool list).

I was cast as Hannah Townsend Lawrence, a Victorian socialite, for the Bayside Historical Society's annual "ghost tour" of the Lawrence Cemetery. After my reading, upon touching Hannah's gravestone, the Paranormal States EMF meter recorded exceptionally high levels of activity. I perceived no restless spirits, so I guess she was pleased by my performance.

Just published "Breakwater Beach," a short story set in the same time and place as my Cape Cod paranormal romance series. I would LOVE some feedback from readers if they would like to read more about Mike and Liz (and Edward and Elisabeth) so I can let the agents know there is a ready-made audience.

Check Out Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts, edited by Rayne Hall.

I completed Astrology for Writers I and II with Mary O'Gara and can now read and interpret charts (at least for fictional characters). This spring I'll be starting Tarot for Writers.

I've long been interested in natural healing, herbal, and homeopathic remedies. As a way to make lemonade out of lemons, I've consulted both a santera and two Chinese medicine specialists.

Santeria is a fascinating, mysterious practice that appears to have somewhat alleviated the root causes of my arm pain: stress and overwork. I've also experienced two acupuncture an energy healing/meditation sessions and am looking forward to more.

Not So Cool

My Dad died in June after a long illness. I miss him so much.

College tuition payments, which require me to do tons of overtime, leading to aforementioned stress and overwork.

Two teenagers, who tax my brain, my heart, my soul, my pocketbook, and my patience to the breaking point.

Being a health care professional in the United States--and the triple whammy of being woman, in a women's profession, taking care of women.

Hurricanes, tornados, assorted floods and other manmade and natural disasters.

The combination of all of the above, which resulted in calcified tendonitis of my right shoulder which has morphed into fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Typing doesn't help, but voice recognition software doesn't like my pitch or Bronx accent.

Yes, life is a journey. But I will keep Going On Pointe for as long as I can.

Happy 2012.

Slim Down Your Manuscript This Holiday Season

2011-12-17T19:57:00.000-05:00

I'm always happy to have Rayne Hall stop by. Her posts are always informative and, based on the response from my friends and followers, you all agree.

When I finished The Widow's Walk last year, it was way too long for a paranormal romance: a whopping 110,000 words. I knew there was some fat to be trimmed, and suspected that there was an entire chapter that I could delete. But that wouldn't have made a dent in the job. I had to get the novel down well below 100,000, in the 80-90,000 range if possible.

Having worked with Rayne as a critique partner for several years, I've learned how to cut and tighten my writing. And now she's offering a class, with her usual copious amount of information and feedback. Using her suggestions when I revised, The Widow's Walk topped of at just under 97,000 words

Rayne, can you summarize how to get started?

In thirty years as an editor, I've found the same fatty words bloat the style of many authors.

Here are two notorious phrases: 'begin to' and 'start to'. They contain empty calories without real nutrition. If you cut them from your diet your writing style will be come sharper and tighter.

Beginner writers are prone to overusing these two phrases. Editors need only glance at the first page of a manuscript. If it contains 'begin to' or 'start to' (or both, perhaps even more than once), they know a beginner wrote this.

'Begin to' and 'start to' are almost always unnecessary. If something happens, you don't need to tell the reader that it starts to happen. Just let it happen.

EXAMPLES:

Fat version

She began to run.

Slim version

She ran.

Fat version

Rain began to fall.

Slim version

Rain fell.

Fat version

She started to shiver.

Slim version

She shivered.

Fat version

His lips started to quiver.

Slim version

His lips quivered.

Fat version

The dog started to growl.

Slim version

The dog growled.

Use your word processor's Find&Replace tool to count how many times you've used 'begin to' (begins to, beginning to, began to, begun to) and 'start to' (starts to, started to, starting to).

You don't need to cut every single 'begin to' and 'start to'. Sometimes, when an action starts and is abandoned immediately, they help clarify what's going on:

She began to walk home, but changed her mind after a few steps.

He started to paint the fence, but Jane halted his arm.

About four 'begin' or 'start' per novel are fine - but forty are a sign of fat-wobbling writing, and four hundred are definitely too much.

I'd love to hear from you. When you've checked your WiP for 'begin to' and 'start to', post a comment to tell me how many you've found, and whether you're going to cut some of them.

What other 'wordy words' do you think writers can cut from from their word diet?

If you have questions about writing style, or need advice on how to tighten your writing, please ask. I'll be around for a week, and I enjoy answering questions.

If your writing style tends towards wordy waffling, if your critique partners urge you to tighten, and if editorial rejections point out dragging pace, this class may be the answer. It's perfect for toning your manuscript before submitting to editors and agents, or for whipping it into shape before indie publishing.

JANUARY ONLINE CLASS: THE WORD-LOSS DIET

This is an interactive class with twelve lessons and twelve assignments, for writers who have a full or partial manuscript in need of professional polish. At the end of the class, you may submit a scene for individual critiques.

Dr Rayne's Word-Loss Diet is much more fun than depriving yourself of food, and you'll see real results fast.

The Word-Loss Diet, presented by Rayne Hall

1-31 January 2012

Registration deadline: December 29, 2011

http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN

Rayne's recent release, Storm Dancer, features Merida, a magician who dances for rain in the parched desert world in which she finds herself imprisoned. The novel is epic in scope and explores the concept of a djinn that possesses Dahoud, a former warrior, compelling him to commit terrible crimes against women.

He and Merida find themselves thrown together by circumstances beyond their control. Will he able to defeat his djinn, and will she be able to forgive his transgressions to accomplish the impossible and save the town entrusted to their care?

Mysterious, dark, full of political intrigue and meticulously researched, Rayne brings this Bronze Age world to life right before the reader's eyes with unique, fascinating characters, vivid detail, and a complex, compelling plot. She puts her expertise on writing fantasy, magical systems, and fight scenes to the test, leaving readers unable to resist turning the page.

Read an Excerpt

Amazon Buy Link

Chat on Urban Fantasy and a Reading, November 21

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Fellow Urban Fantasy author April Gray and I will be chatting with readers about the genre at the Columbus Library in New York City on November 21 from 5:45-6:45 pm. I plan to read from my novel in progress Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams.

If you are in the area, please try and stop by. If not, feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested.

Get Your Power Up: Part Two of Magical Rituals with Rayne Hall

2011-11-17T00:00:00.003-05:00

The previous thread is still open for review and comments, but today Rayne moves on to discuss how magicians concentrate and raise the power needed to fuel their rituals.

To recap: I am thrilled to welcome Rayne Hall to my blog this week for a two part magic lesson on Magical Rituals. She has has more than twenty books published under several pen names, in several genres. She holds a degree in publishing management, and a masters in creative writing.

Currently, she lives on the south coast of England where she writes horror and fantasy fiction, as well as puts three decades of editorial experience to the test by publishing themed anthologies.

Rayne's teaches online classes on a variety of subjects, which include copious feedback and support. Her simple, easy to understand primers on the nuances of magic are a fascinating look at various aspects of the art across a variety of magical systems. Whether you a writer, a reader, or a dabbler you'll this two part series on Magical Rituals fascinating.

All magicians raise power to fuel their spells. If the term 'power-raising' sounds too much 'New Age' for your historical novel, you can invent a different phrase.

The magician (who can be male or female, although I use the female pronoun throughout) can raise power in many different ways, and she may use more than one source.

* She may draw the energy from within herself, by taking actions which create energy (dancing, drumming and sex are especially effective).

* Her own intense emotions (jealousy, fury, desire) can add extra fuel.

* She may tap into the existing magical energies of the environment, for example stone circles, leylines, ancient monuments, sacred sites, running water, sunlight or fire.

* She may use the magical energy contained in objects, for example crystals (especially in Wiccan witchcraft) or relics (especially in religious magic).

* She can ask gods or spirits to lend power to her magic, especially if she practices religious magic.

* She may draw on energy from other people. For example, if the whole village gathers to help a magician call rain, then those people's enthusiasm can be harnessed. An evil magician may draw her energy from her victims' pain and fear.

A magician may use more than one source of power. For example, a Wiccan may pray to the Lady and the Lord, invoke the spirits of the winds, perform the ritual on the intersection of two leylines, use a charged amethyst crystal, and dance herself into a trance.

The magician feels the power inside her body as well as around her. Some magicians perceive it as a surge of energy pulsing through the blood, others as a heat storm around them. Some say it feels like the whole body being stung with nettles inside and out, while others liken it to waltzing while tipsy on champagne. Wiccan Witches describe the power as rising out of their head and spiralling upwards in a cone shape. You can use your imagination, as long as your magician feels something.

PLOT IDEAS

* What if a magician is not able to create enough energy for an important spell?

* What if a magician accidentally summons too much energy, and the spell is far more powerful than she intended (instead of one day sunshine, she creates ten years of drought).

* What if a magician needs other people to help her with the power raising, and they refuse for religious or moral reasons?

* What if some sources of magical powers are considered taboo or forbidden? What if a desperate magician taps into one of those forbidden sources?

* What if the magician considers certain sources to be sinful or evil, but drastic circumstances force her to use them anyway?

* What if the only way to raise enough power for a much-needed spell is through sexual arousal with a partner of the opposite sex - and the only available partner is someone she hates?

In 'Storm Dancer', the magician Merida specialises in weather magic. She can call wind and rain through dancing. Additional power comes from earth energies, astronomical constellations, and the presence of fire and water. In her training, she learnt that it's forbidden to other people as a source of magicial energy - but when the other sources fail, she must ignore convention.

FOR DISCUSSION

Have you read any works of fiction which show how a magician raises power?

How does the magician in your story raise power? What does it feel like for her?

If you have questions about magic rituals and power-raising, or about any aspect of writing about magic, ask. I will be around for a week, and enjoy answering questions.

Read An Excerpt

Amazon Buy Link

Rayne Hall teaches an online workshop 'Writing about Magic and Magicians'. Create believable magicians (good and evil), fictional spells which work, and plot complications when the magic goes wrong. Learn about high and low magic, witches and wizards, circle-casting and power-raising, initiation and training, tools and costumes, conflicts and secrecy, love spells and sex magic, and apply them to your novel. This is a 4-week class with 12 lessons and practical assignments. If you wish, you may submit a scene for critique at the end of the workshop.

The next dates for this workshop:

March 12, 2012: Low Country Chapter of RWA

April 2013: Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA

Rayne's other workshops include 'Writing Fight Scenes', 'Writing Scary Scenes' and 'The Low Word Diet'. Click here for an updated listed of upcoming workshops.

Artwork by Kuoke and LadyArmageddon. Copyright Rayne Hall

Magical Rituals In a Variety of Magical Systems With Rayne Hall

2011-11-14T00:00:00.012-05:00

I am thrilled to welcome Rayne Hall to my blog this week for a two part lesson on Magical Rituals. She has has more than twenty books published under several pen names, in several genres. She holds a degree in publishing management, and a masters in creative writing.

Currently, she lives on the south coast of England where she writes horror and fantasy fiction, as well as puts three decades of editorial experience to the test by publishing themed anthologies.

Rayne's teaches online classes on a variety of subjects, which include copious feedback and support. Her simple, easy to understand primers on the nuances of magic are a fascinating look at various aspects of the art across a variety of magical systems. Whether you a writer, a reader, or a dabbler you'll find this two part series on Magical Rituals and Power Raising (coming 11/17) fascinating.

All magicians use a ritual for casting spells. Although the details vary, most follow this structure. Everything I write in this article applies to males as well as females, but in this article I'll use 'she' throughout.

1. Preparation

The magician reads the instructions, locks the door, dons her robe, gets her tools ready, assembles the ingredients and so on.

2. Casting the Circle

The magician creates a circle, either physically (e.g. by drawing it with chalk on the ground) or mentally (e.g. by visualising a circle of white light around her). The circle serves to contain the power she raises, and also to protect her from harm. Dangerous spirits may be drawn by magic ritual, and the magician may be vulnerable to attack. The circle keeps her safe.

3. Invocation

The magician calls on assistance from the spirit world. This may be a prayer to her god or goddess with a request that they lend a helping hand, an invitation to ancestral spirits to join her, or a summoning of a demon. In religious magic, this may be a prayer, or a long and complex rite. In other systems, it may be short or even left out. In high magic, the spirits are usually 'summoned'; in Wiccan witchcraft, they are 'invoked' and 'invited'. Sometimes, this phase also includes an offering to the gods or spirits, for example, a libation of wine or milk poured at the base of a tree, or - in the case of darker magic - a bowl of blood to welcome the demon.

You can deal with the invocation part in just a few words, for example, >After a brief prayer to Hekate, she...< or >She cast the circle, invoked the spirit of Saint Whatshisname, and...<

4. Altering the State of Consciousness

The magician changes how her brain functions, to make it receptive to magic. Often, this involves going into a trance. Chanting, dancing or drumming work well for this. Some magicians use deep meditation, others take mind-altering drugs as a short-cut.

5. Raising Power

Magic needs energy, and the magician taps into an energy source or creates energy. This is an important phase of the ritual; without it, magic will not work. More about this in the next blog post this Thursday, November 17.

6. Speaking the Spell

The magician speaks or chants the words of the spell. In some magic systems (such as ancient Egyptian magic), it's essential to get the words, pronunciations and intonations exactly right. In others (such as Wiccan witchcraft) the words are merely a vehicle by which the spell travels, and what matters is the intent, i.e. the magician needs to concentrate fully on the purpose of the spell.

The spells are usually short and rhythmical, repeating important words. Readers love it if you include a line or two from the spell. Just resist the temptation to insert a three-hundred-line poem.

In Shamanism, this is the stage during which the shaman travels to the spirit world, and in Necromancy, this is when the necromancer asks questions of the deceased person.

7. Dismissing the Spirits

Once the spell is cast, the magician thanks the spirits for their assistance (if she invited them) or dismisses them (if she summoned them), or says another prayer to her goddess or god.

8. Closing the circle

The magician dismantles the physical circle or visualises the imaginary circle as fading.

9. Grounding

The magician needs to come back to reality, especially if the ritual involved journeying to the spirit world. The quickest and easiest is to drink some water and eat a little bread.

10. Keeping Records

Like a scientist conducting experiments, the magician records what exactly she did during the ritual, with which ingredients, what the purpose was, how it felt, and so on. This allows her to keep track of the efficacy of the magic, and learn for future rituals. An alchemist's record-keeping is probably factual and analytical, while a Wiccan witch's entry into her 'Book of Shadows' is more about emotions and perceptions.

11. Resting

Magic is mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. After working major magic, your character needs a rest. If the plot permits, allow her a nap. If you're a devious writer, you can make things difficult for her, and let her worst enemy attack just at this moment when she's weak and vulnerable.

DIFFERENCES

The details of the ritual vary, depending on the system of magic, the magician's skill level, on her personal preference, and on how much time she has available. You need not follow this model exactly, but can tweak it so it suits your novel's plot.

Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 are sometimes carried out in a different order or combined. For example, by drumming and dancing, the shaman can change her consciousness and raise power at the same time.

The ritual can take as little as two seconds or as long as a two days. A public ritual is likely to take longer than a private one, because the magician wants to please the audience.

An experienced magician may use a shorter ritual than an inexperienced one. Ritual helps the magic, and a novice needs all the help she can get. An inexperienced magician gets best results if she adheres to the ritual precisely and takes a lot of time. A veteran mage can do something in minutes or seconds because she has the experience. That's as with other things: knitting your first pair of socks is going to take a long time, but by the time you've completed your hundredth pair, you can produce them really fast.

PLOT IDEAS

* What if a magician normally uses an elaborate ritual, but an emergency happens and she does not have enough time?

* What if a magician needs certain ingredients to cast her spell, but she can't obtain them?

* What if a magician goes into trance for a magic ritual, and something terrible happens which would recquire her full alert consciousness?

* What if a magician desperately needs to work magic, but she can't concentrate enough to make it work because of scary distractions?

* What if the magician is physically and mentally exhausted after a ritual, and the evil enemy chooses this time to attack her?

In 'Storm Dancer', the magician Merida is a stickler for correct procedure. She doesn't believe it's possible to work magic in any other way. But then she has to do just that - in increasingly difficult circumstances. I've had fun making things difficult for her.

Several times in the story, she exhausts herself working magic - and the villain takes advantage of her weak state when she cannot defend herself.

For Discussion

Have you read any works of fiction which showed some or all of the ritual?

Are you currently working on a story about magic? Will you include a magic ritual? What is your magician aiming to achieve with the spell?

If you have questions about magic rituals, or about any aspect of writing about magic, ask. I will be around for a week, and enjoy answering questions.

On Thursday, we'll move on to to how a magician raises power to fuel a magical spell.

Read An Excerpt

Amazon Buy Link

The next dates for this workshop:

March 12, 2012: Low Country Chapter of RWA

April 2013: Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA

Rayne's other workshops include 'Writing Fight Scenes', 'Writing Scary Scenes' and 'The Low Word Diet'. Click here for an updated listed of upcoming workshops.

Welcoming John Blackport Discussing His Military Fantasy Release: Raingun

2011-11-07T00:00:00.017-05:00

This week John Blackport is here to tell us about his recent release Raingun, a mix of military fiction with fantasy The book has a haunting cover, and an even more haunting excerpt.

Rick Rivoire is flush with money, women, and prospects. He protects his country as one of the Rainguns, an elite regiment of spellcasting cavalry.

But national policy drifts ominously into slavery and religious persecution, sparking rebellion. Joining the rebels could land Rick on a prison ship, in slave-irons --- or atop the same gallows where he watched his father hang.

The alternative looks no brighter. The status quo imperils Rick’s hard-won self-respect. Supporting tyranny would doom his dream to emulate the valiant swordswoman who braved a den of monsters to rescue the lonely, terrified nine-year-old boy he once was.

Rick can’t stay above the fray forever. He must either defend a government whose actions disgust him --- or risk everything he has.

This story unfolds in a world of bloodthirsty pirates, brave musketeers, and vile monsters. Its target audience is anyone who has ever wrestled with questions of whether, and how, to risk opposing the actions of their country.

Can you tell us a little about why you wrote Raingun?

Raingun’s protagonist is a dragoon in the light cavalry, sharing battlefield with lancers, pikemen, musketeers --- and wizards. Most magic in this world is economical: after an initial investment, it’s cheap and renewable. Wizards can give enemy units a bad time all by themselves, but they’re one in a million. Most magic is cast by “mages”, who hold their own but are often overshadowed by sabers, muskets, cannon, and even arrows.

Rick Rivoire is born poor. He is offered a commission --- and money to buy it --- by a combination of luck and courage when his hometown is attacked by pirates. He takes pride in protecting his country. But as his country’s policies become cruel, he risks his new-found rank and privilege, by considering rebellion.

Raingun doesn’t focus on what it’s like to be a soldier. Instead, it focuses on the struggles ordinary people face when they doubt the honesty and sincerity of their government. What freedoms do you trade for security? When you disapprove of your government’s actions, when do you speak out? When do you draw lines in the sand? And when do you rebel? What do you do if those close to you choose to stand apart?

Where did you develop your expertise on military fiction?

I guess my expertise, if you can call it that, comes from reading a lot of history and historical fiction. My favorites are Bernard Cornwell and George Macdonald Fraser.

I've enjoyed O'Brian and Forester... I especially like the way they call attention to the challenges their heroes face outside of battle. They can't assume today will be easy just because they don't smell powder smoke.

And are these stories loosely based on any historical events, time, or place?

I've gone out of my way to avoid getting too allegorical. If I wanted to write about slavery in, say,New Orleans or the Barbary Coast at specific points in time, I'd have done that. That's a worthy pursuit, but it is not a necessary part of making entertaining stories with entertaining characters.

Yes, that is what it feels like to me. I recognize a lot of parallels to history and to certain places, but just can't place them. David Anthony Durham did that with Acacia.

John, can you tell us why you're donating half of this e-book's royalties will go to the Scleroderma Research Foundation? My cousin had scleroderma.

My brother-in-law Perry suffered from scleroderma, and died tragically at a young age. I want this book to help fight the disease that killed him.

The Scleroderma Research Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure.

Where can readers get a copy of Raingun?

It's available in most electronic formats and on

Amazon Kindle

They can read a sample here

_{Smashwords link}

_{Barnes & Noble link}

The website, with contact information is www.raingun.com

Stop back soon, John, and let us know when the rest of the series is published.

Yes, I will. Resolution will be next.

John Blackport is a New England attorney who prefers to keep his writing and professional identities separate.

Hannah Townsend Lawrence Liked My Performance

2011-11-06T09:38:00.001-05:00

The ghost tour of the historic Lawrence Cemetery was fantastic yesterday. We had a great crowd and a very nice, albeit chilly day.

It took me nearly two hours to get dressed, and had to enlist the help of my friend (and seamstress) Janet to create a bustle from the extra folds of fabric meant to accomodate a hoop (which the historical society doesn't have). The pantalettes gave me some additional insulation, but the shoes were KILLERS, standing on squishy, cold, uneven ground.

There are hooks and eyes over hooks and eyes on the jacket and the BACK of the skirt, then the lace gets in the way while you're trying to do them up. I made the mistake of getting a haircut last week, and there was nothing to anchor the hat to. So I had to rig up a hairpiece so the hat would stay on my head at just the right angle.

Those ladies really needed their maids, and how the hell did they walk and dance without tripping?

Anyway, it was great and everyone murmured how beautiful I looked as I swept into the cemetery. Well, limped and tried not to show it.

The most cool thing was, after the performance, I used the Paranormal States application. There was no electromagnetic activity detected in any other spot, including all the grave sites of the other ghosts, until I walked, still in costume, to Hannah's. The meter hummed like an F-16 and almost went off the dial. I didn't get any foreboding vibes, so I guess she was pleased.

Check out my pictures on Facebook. The video is too long to upload here so I will have to post it on YouTube.

Got Karma? Kerri Nelson and Her New Release: Courting Demons

2011-10-19T00:00:00.002-04:00

It's my pleasure to welcome Kerri Nelson today. She's in the middle of a book release tour for her latest Courting Demons--in addition to all the other things she does such as running The Book Boost and serving as president of Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Chapter of RWA.

Paisley Barton was already having a bad day before she turned her husband into a rat.

First, she was fired by her boss and then came home to find hubby in the shower with a naked blonde chick. They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but this break-up may just unleash hell on Earth when Paisley casts a spell of vengeance against her philandering husband.
After her spell casting inadvertently opens a portal between dimensions, Paisley finds her family home transformed into a nightly courtroom for settling disputes between demons of the underworld and she’s the judge! If that’s not enough, she’s got to deal with a charming, ancient demon named Camden who wants to be her personal bodyguard while trying to explain her husband’s sudden, mysterious disappearance to sexy police Detective Dalton Briggs.
But Paisley will show them all that an everyday working mom is better equipped than most to deal with the mystical mayhem…and with a tempting demon hottie and a flirtatious young detective vying for her affection, she soon learns that being single again isn’t so bad after all.

Read an excerpt of Courting Demons.

Wow, Kerri! This sounds like quite an interesting story. I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there who wish they had Paisley's talents. But that brings up the whole dilemma about the ethics of magic and the kickbacks which, as I understand, that's what you'd like to talk about today.

Got Karma?

I’m a big fan of the movie and concept behind the movie “Pay It Forward”. Have you seen it? If not, go now and rent a copy or pick up a copy to watch as soon as you can.

The basic idea is that we could change the world by doing three random acts of kindness and then if each of those people who were affected by your kindness did three random acts of kindness for others and so on and so forth it would be an endless cycle of good karma.

If you do research on karma you’ll see that it originated with the Indian culture and is a theory used in Buddhism and Hinduism. And while I don’t practice those religions or live by those societal rules, I do believe that the actions you take whether good or bad will eventually come back to you.

In other words, if you put out negative energy, it will circle back around to bite you. I don’t know about you but if there is even a possibility of this being true, why wouldn’t you want to put out as much positive energy as humanly possible?

My heroine, Paisley Barton has had some negative experiences build up on her and instead of reacting in a positive light, she turns toward darkness. This holds many negative consequences for her not the least of which is that it will ultimately affect her destiny to work on the side of good.

Of course, I’ve created this character from my imagination and I throw a lot of bad stuff at her throughout the book but no matter what happens to her, she keeps pushing forward. She tries to fix things, set things straight, be the kind of mother she knows she should be.

No matter how many obstacles, how much darkness comes her way…she keeps running for the light…the good…she wants that good karma and she doesn’t give up.

What do you do when life throws a dark cape around your shoulders and tries to pull you down? Do you pull away and run for the light even if the journey there is hard? Or, do you let it fence you into a bad place where you seek revenge, give in to your desire to get even, or sends you off into the corner to pout or mope?

We’ve all had our share of hard times. Maybe not the exact same situations as my character Paisley does (at least I hope not), but hard times nonetheless. I’ve recently been diagnosed with a new medical condition that is really throwing me for a loop. I know you all have most likely have something in your life that challenges you mercilessly as well.

So, today, one of the prizes I’m giving away is a donation to the charity of your choice. If there’s a special organization that holds a place in your heart, I’d like to throw some much needed good karma their way. Maybe it will come back to help me and maybe it won’t. But I’ll feel all the better for having done it and helping other is one of my fave things to do. What do you like to do to spread good karma? © Kerri Nelson 2011

Thanks for hosting, Carole. Let’s all remember to pay it forward.

Speaking of which, Kerri has a couple of giveaway's going, so don't leave yet. Where can we get copies of Courting Demons?

Print and e-book versions are available wherever books are sold but here’s the publisher link—free gift available with purchase of print copy—while supplies last) or at Amazon.com.

To enter the giveaway for today:

Leave a question or comment to be entered to win today’s prize: A Custom Made Bread Bag Clip & a donation to the charity of your choice!

Then, enter to win my book tour Grand Prize Kindle by following me on tour and e-mailing me the answers to each question of the day at the end of tour. The more questions you answer, the more entries you gain.

Question of the Day:

To what charity do the author’s royalties go to from the sales of my book Making the Ghost of It?

Details on how to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE Kindle at the end of my “Dark Days of Demons Tour” located here:

Author Bio:

Kerri Nelson discovered her love of writing at an early age and soon became a columnist for her local newspaper winning the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

After a fifteen year career in the legal field, Kerri fulfilled her lifelong dream of publication and is now an award winning multi-published author of nearly every genre under the sun (and moon) and also writes young adult fiction under the penname K.G. Summers.

A true southern belle, she comes complete with a dashing southern gentleman and three adorable children for whom she often bakes many homemade treats.

Kerri is an active member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America as well as numerous chapters including Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal Writers and her Presidency of Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

Read more about Kerri’s books at her website: www.kerrinelson.com

Follow her on Twitter here: www.twitter.com/kerribookwriter
Visit her industry blog here: www.thebookboost.blogspot.com

Is There Life After Novels?

2011-10-14T22:19:00.002-04:00

(Shells on the Beach, Southhampton, New York)

There are a lot of drains on my time and energy right now, including a painful shoulder injury and attendant doctor/physical therapy visits and medication related side effects, which, threatened to sideline my writing for a while.

The overuse injury is due in part to exercise and, since it's my right arm and the pain extends from shoulder to wrist, typing surely has something to contribute. I am a fitness and outdoor enthusiast, and a novel writing fanatic.

For the last two years, I've been focused on revising or writing novels and a novella and have a lot to show for it--besides the stupor, brain drain, and arm pain. I'm typing again, a bit slower and mousing with my left hand.

My Cape Cod paranormal romance series consists of two completed novels, Unfinished Business and The Widow's Walk, with the third (working title: Hurricane Watch) partially outlined.

Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams: Void of Course, is the first of two, maybe three, urban fantasies. The plot of the second book, likely with the same title and a subtitle involving tarot (as opposed to astrology), is beginning to gel in my mind, my dreams, and my ruminations even before the finishing touches have been put on book one.

That's a total of 330,000 words written, plus the 20,000 I cut out of The Widow's Walk, and the 2500 for the first chapter of Hurricane Watch. In order to keep momentum going, I've had to work on all three over the last twenty-four months, sometimes two at a time, and when the worlds and characters are so different, that becomes a real struggle.

I strive for 1000 words a day, either new material or revisions, and sometimes succeed, though more often I will nod off over the keyboard after a measly 100 or a chapter of revision. Sometimes, I get no novel work done, and I've neglected my short stories, my nonfiction, my reviews, my blogs, and my reading with the result of a to do pile threatening to collapse my nightstand.

I have a new nonfiction gig but have to wait until the ink is dry on the contract before going public. And I'm still reviewing anthologies and collections for Tangent Online and The Portal, with a review of After the Apocalypse by Maureen McHugh due out in the next week or so.

What else have I been reading? Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, which is somewhat comparable to the setting of Boulevard, except for the fairies, vampires, and werewolves. And a book Nancy Kress recommended I take a look at: The French Lietenant's Woman by John Fowles, mainly to absorb the Victorian flavor. The interesting omni/intrusive narration and footnotes are a curious mix. Both good stories, though.

At this point, with summer done and fall weather here, the Cape characters and scenes are quiescent, with the manuscripts out with three agents.

But I'm so deep into research for Boulevard, having just completed a basic and advanced astrology course, reading backround material on Santeria and Voudoun, and field trips to botanicas and the Bronx County Courthouse that I dream in scenes and drive with a pencil and pad in hand, taking notes at red lights, recording ideas and inspirations, and trying to focus on reality.

It's been a great, productive summer--and the momentum after Taos Toolbox has been exponential--but the problem with intensive workshops is that when one returns to real life, which for many of us involves a full time job (with teenagers), that does not include fiction writing, not to mention a family (with teenagers) there is bound to be some shock and denial, which is probably why I'm in the physical condition I'm in now.

Is there life after novels? Was there life before them? What will I do when they're done, or will I ever be done?

Ten Years Later: Tread Lightly On Our Memories, The Pain is Still Very Great

2011-09-11T12:39:00.000-04:00

Lower Manhattan-Then And Now-My Scrapbook

9/11/01 struck like an alligator lurking just below the water. It grabbed every single person in New York City and the tri-state area, chewed us up, and spit us out--some dead, some mangled physically or psychologically, all changed--most for the worse but there are always glimmers of hope that get through the darkness.

It takes a lot to get a New Yorker's attention since we're always on sensory overload, scanning ahead, to the side and behind for the ever present threat of something unexpected. And since that day, there's even more to watch out for than the occasional nut waving something that looks like a gun or knife. We're used to that.

And it takes a lot to bring this City to its knees, though since 9/11/01 the schools close much more regularly for storms, the mass transit system was stopped and even Brooklyn was evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. We're not taking any chances, especially in September when the lure of a sky, so clear so brilliant, so cloudless, a cross between periwinkle and Wedgewood, low humidity and bright sunshine brings back memories of suddenly being inundated by flames, ash, smoke, of incessant sirens and alarms, of screams, tears, and the world standing still.

A routine morning turned into one that everyone, including pre-school children, would never forget, since their parents couldn't get home to pick them up, take them home, hug them, and try to explain. Some of us were mandated to remain at our jobs in anticipation of mass casualties. Other couldn't get past roadblocks, over closed bridges, through closed tunnels and streets crowded with throngs running, walking, limping out of lower Manhattan, covered in thick white dust while fire trucks, police vans, ambulances rushed toward the burning Twin Towers.

And some never got home because they were dead or dying in the attacks, including neighbors, friends, and family members of co-workers.I remember a kinder, gentler New York City in the days after the attacks. Bosses not worrying if you got in late due to roadblocks, and really wanting to hear the truth when they asked how you were doing. Petty politics on the job suspended, silly grievances forgotten.Flags everywhere, including the rear windows of every car. Less road rage, more patience on long lines. Spontaneous parades and candlelight vigils. I myself stopped to listen, hold hands and say a prayer with an evangelical something on Chambers Street when I made the pilgrimage to Ground Zero for the first time.

There were not a lot of smiles as we donned masks and gloves and emptied our mailboxes over the recycling pail--outdoors and away from the kids-- during a surprisingly mild, dry fall. It made it easier as recovery efforts went on, we watched for Anthrax, sent socks, lip balm, water, work gloves and other supplies to Shea Stadium for distribution to the heroes downtown--many of them now terribly ill from toxic exposures (including the police officer who gave me copies of images he took at Ground Zero). One police officer I know, a thirty-five year old singlemother, has died.

In addition to nuts, impaired drivers, rats and petty thieves snatching I-pods and gold chains, we did as told: "If you see something, say something." The campaign didn't bear fruit until years later when a multitude of terrorist plots and activities were uncovered, but we also learned to expect, and welcome, police and the National Guard, with weapons drawn, patrolling bus terminals, train stations and at times of high alert, the subways, bridges, and tunnels.I drive over the East River bridges almost every day, and there is never a time when I look at the hole in the skyline and don't remember. And in my own post traumatic stress disordered world, the sounds of sirens still shock my heart into a rapid rhythm, make me nauseous, and weaken my knees.

There are plenty of things to do this Sunday to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/1/01. Concerts, multimedia retrospectives, church services, ceremonies, dedications. I'm not sure what I'll do. My sons, 10 and 8 at the time of the attacks, are away at college. My daughter, who we adopted in 2003, was born nearly a year after and I'm trying to explain it before show her the pictures. Anguish spurned me into initiating the proceedings in November 2001, because there were just no more good excuses to put off all the things I'd always wanted to do.

I could also just do my routine Sunday things like take ballet class, or putter in my garden, or clean up the house, but I am feeling an even bigger sense of loss this year since my father's recent death. His construction company was a major contractor for the building of the WTC, and it was one of his proudest accomplishments and greatest heartbreaks.Even my favorite peaceful activities- kayaking or walking along the shorelines, seeing my childhood haunts, remembering how it was to be a kid is too painful these days, with the hole in my life left by Dad's absence, the hole in my heart left by the hole in the New York City skyline.

I can still remember the fear, the confusion, the desperation, the camaraderie, the anger, the sounds, the smells--oh yes, that smell of smoke, burning rubber and plastic, and death diffusing over the world churning my stomach into a knot, keeping me on the verge of puking every time wind blew a certain way.On September 1, I took these images of the Freedom Tower rising above the space left for the 9/11 Memorial Pools over the footprints of the towers--a crypt for the unidentified remains and for those whose remains were never found. The DJ on The Circle Line was playing Usher's D.J.'s Got Us Falling in Love Again and it seemed like an appropriately upbeat way to sail past the new skyline toward the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

But as today approached, melancholy washed over me like the rains flooding the tri-state area. Natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornados aren't intentionally planned to spawn death, destruction and despair--unless your gods or God is more capricious than mine. I'm physically sick today, puked once already, and my right arm feels like it's been wrenched out of place. I don't want to hear any speeches, listen to any music. I don't want to read any "ten years later" stories. I don't want to do things I love: to dance, or to write. I don't want to do anything except hug my husband and my kids, crawl into bed, and wake up tomorrow morning.

Read part of the 9/11/01 chapter from Someday I'm Going to Write a Book

Read last year's retrospective The Twin Towers and the Lowly Parking Meter--A 9/11 Remembrance

Crossing Genres-Marlene Dotterer and Her New Release: Shipbuilder

2011-09-06T00:00:00.010-04:00

I am delighted welcome Marlene Dotterer, a long time member of Online Writer's Workshop. We met a few years back during an online workshop and I had the opportunity to read some of her novel, Shipbuilder, which has now been published.

Imagine being there before the Titanic set sail.

Now imagine being there before she’s even built.

Sam Altair is a physicist living in Belfast, Ireland. He has spent his career researching time travel and now, in early 2006, he’s finally reached the point where he can send objects backwards through time. The only problem is, he doesn’t know where the objects go. They don’t show up in the past, and no one notices any changes to the present. Are they creating alternate time lines?

To collect more data, Sam tries a clandestine experiment in a public park, late at night. But the experiment goes horribly wrong when Casey Wilson, a student at the university, stumbles into his isolation field. Sam tries to rescue her, but instead, he and Casey are transported back to the year 1906. Stuck in the past, cut off from everyone and everything they know, Sam and Casey work together to help each other survive. Then Casey meets Thomas Andrews, the man who will shortly begin to build the most famous ship since Noah’s Ark. Should they warn him, changing the past and creating unknown consequences for the future?

Or should they let him die?

Welcome, Marlene. Crossing genres is a subject near and dear to me. Many times I am asked, what is this? And often I answer with a combination of three, sometimes four subgenres. This can make it hard to sell in traditional markets who want to know where the book goes on the shelf. My answer is put it on three or four shelves! Especially now that most of them are virtual ones. Give us your insights.

Thank you having me, Carole. I’m excited to chat with your readers about my book. Let me start with a question:

Is it Science Fiction if the story takes place in the past?

My answer:

Probably not. Not exactly, anyway.

There. Wasn't that easy?

Science fiction, as I understand it, involves technology. Usually, the story takes place in the future, with space ships, planets, and weapons easily capable of exterminating humanity. However, there are also present-day plots. These are usually Michael Crichton-type doomsday scenarios with superbugs breaking loose and exterminating humanity. Or they can be aliens-visiting-earth, who either

a)befriend some kids and eventually go away, or

b)exterminate humanity.

Other stories take place in some variant of current or near-future earth, with just enough difference to show it's not our own present day. Computer related stories are a popular type of this sub-genre, with people lost in the circuits, or some role-playing game starts to take over the world. And exterminates humanity.

What about steampunk? Ah, now that takes place in the past, and is most definitely a type of science fiction. SF as H.G. Wells would write it, but with more martial arts. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is an example of this, and I believe there was some danger of humanity being exterminated. At least, the kid part of it.

I wonder about this question because my book takes place in 1906 - 1912, and it's not steampunk. Yes, there's a scientist in it, and there's time travel. But the time travel is quickly done and never really explained, although it is clearly science-based. There's nothing supernatural going on.

Is this science fiction?

I feel safe calling it alternate history, but is alternate history a branch of SF? I've always thought of it so, but I could be wrong.

TTJ: Shipbuilder is also historical fiction, assuming you don't mind time travelers talking about space shuttles in your historical fiction.

It's also romance. So here is where I tie it all together by calling it... get ready... Time Travel Romance.

To me, this says science fiction because of the time travel. It also says romance (obviously), and it probably means historical fiction, since (most) time travel stories involve going to the past. I consider this a neat package in which to tie up my book. Perhaps with a bow.

Feel free to search for it under any of these genres. I’ve tried to include them all in the keywords because the book could easily be on any of these shelves in a bookstore. But if I had to pick just one shelf, which would it be?

Science fiction.

Thanks, Marlene. As I said, I've read some of this book and it's on my TBR pile in my TBR file. Take a look, folks. You won't be disappointed.
Anything else, Marlene?

YES! Must Have Give-Aways!

Ships are launched with a bottle of champagne. My book is about a ship, so...

Actually, perhaps it’s best if I don’t try to mail anyone a bottle of champagne. But how about a free book?

Throughout the blog tour, I’ll keep track of everyone who leaves a comment on any of the blogs and enter them into a drawing. At the end of the tour, I’ll pick three winners, each to receive an autographed copy of The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder.

So, read on! Comment!

And those stops are:

Sept 2 - Patty Jansen

Sept 3 - Amy Raby

Sept 4 - Anna Kashina

Sept 5 - Darke Conteur

Sept 6 - Carole Ann Moleti

Sept 7 - Meredith Morgenstern

Sept 8 - Sue Ann Bowling

Visit her website for a links to her other interesting articles. Here are buy links for all formats, including print for us dinosaur types.

Smashwords

Amazon Kindle

Amazon estore for the paperback version

Marlene Dotterer grew up as a desert rat in Tucson, Arizona. In 1990, she loaded her five children into the family station wagon, and drove north-west to the foggy San Francisco Bay Area. To stay warm, she tackled many enterprises, earning a degree in geology, working for a national laboratory, and running her own business as a personal chef. She’s a frustrated gardener, loves to cook, and teaches natural childbirth classes. She says she writes, “to silence the voices,” obsessed with the possibilities of other worlds and other times.

She is married to The Best Husband in the World, and lives in Pleasant Hill, California.

My Hurricane Irene Journal

2011-08-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

The worst of the storm seems to have passed but the wind is still whipping the sodden tree limbs. Most major roadways and all subways and commuter lines are closed due to flooding and downed trees and power lines.

We had minor seepage in the basement, which is all cleaned up. The yard is a mess. I hear wind, lots of sirens, but the sun is trying to come out.

I've been keeping a journal on Twitter, if you'r e interested. And I've been writing--a lot. Details are on Livejournal.

I'm writing a post about my thoughts about hurricanes past for my professional blog. Should be up sometime today.

Introducing Debbie Christiana And Her New Release-Twin Flames

2011-08-26T07:15:00.000-04:00

I had the distinct pleasure of spending time at the Romance Writers of America convention this year with Debbie, whose first book,Twin Flames, just came out with Black Opal Books. Her energy and enthusiasm for writing is infectious, and I truly enjoyed the luncheons and the RITA/Golden Heart Award Ceremony more while sitting with her and fellow members of the Connecticut and Lower New York Chapter of RWA.

Kindred spirits often find each other. Debbie grew up in a big Italian family, like me. We were both avid readers as children, and we both typed on a manual typewriter. Her mother gave her a book on reincarnation, mine borrowed from some of the old Italian legends of La Strega.

Fast forward a few years. You all know I write about witches, ghosts, and reincarnation. Debbie, tell us a little about your writing and about Twin Flames.

My stories were about unexplained events, ghosts and skeletons and my newfound favorite subject, past lives. Not much has changed. Although, I’m happy to say my stories now have sinfully sexy men and hopefully, are much more interesting.

Twin Flames is a reincarnation story about two soul mates, which have been together for thousands of years and hundreds of lifetimes. This incarnation doesn’t go too smoothly and helping them conquer an obstacle or two is a playful ghost from their past.

The last thing forty-year old Natalia Santagario expected was to be sitting on a Manhattan barstool ogling a man she’s never met, but swears she knows.

The mysterious dark-haired woman at the end of the bar stops twenty-eight year old Marc Tremonti in his tracks. His head assures him she’s a stranger, but his heart tells him otherwise.

Their attraction instant and enigmatic, they undergo past life regression and discover that, not only have they spent hundreds of lives together as lovers, Natalia holds the secret to Marc’s puzzling birthmark.

But what should have been a joyful reunion is complicated by a kind, albeit confused, almost ex-wife, a bout of temporary amnesia and a mischievous ghost from their past.

What else could possibly go wrong?

Sounds like a great story. What else are you working on now? Do you have an excerpt posted, and where can readers find the format they're most interested in?

All the links are on my website, and it's available in ebook and print. My Facebook page is also a good way to keep in touch.

What are you working on now, Debbie?

My WIP Solstice, is about Armend, an Albanian witch with a two hundred and fifty year old curse on his head. Is Sofia, the powerful Sicilian Strega, the one who can save him? Time is running out and they have to break the curse by Armend’s thirtieth birthday, the winter solstice. Their quest takes them from New York, to Sicily, to Albania, all the while pursued by a vengeful witch who wants them dead.

Debbie, you and I share something else: we both work in human and social services.

Yes, when I’m not reading or writing, I run a medium size food pantry in Connecticut. We serve between about 600-800 families per month. I have a wonderful group of volunteers, forty-two to be exact. They are people I work with, but more importantly, they are my friends and I couldn’t do it without them.

Good luck with all your projects, Debbie. Can you share a little excerpt of Twin Flames with us?

Sure. Here goes:

With a hot cup of coffee and a donut in hand, Natalia and her two friends boarded a train for the hour ride to New York City. Grand Central Terminal was jammed with people, most of whom were watching a holiday light show flashing onto the ceiling. Having seen it plenty of times, the three women worked their way through the massive crowd on to Forty-Second Street. After taking in the obligatory holiday sights, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and a quick stroll down Fifth Avenue, they were ready to move on. They hopped on the subway to Christopher Street in the Village to their favorite out of the way stores for a day of shopping.

“Nat, are you almost ready?” Ellie asked.

“Yeah, and I’m hungry.”

“Should we take Nat to that Italian restaurant we found last time?” Christine asked.

“Sure,” Ellie said. “Want to try it, Nat?”

“Do you both think with a name like Natalia Santagario I don’t get enough Italian food? I was hoping for a big juicy steak and bottle of red wine.”

“I guess we could have steak, but this place is really good. Plus all the waiters are cute.”

“You’re both married,” said Natalia.

“But you’re not,” Christine said, pointing a finger at her.

“Whatever. I don’t care. I’m starving. Let’s go.”

A crowded subway ride later, they arrived at Tremonti’s restaurant on West Fifty-Fourth Street.

Before they went inside, Natalia stopped her two friends. “Thank you,” she said. “I really needed this. I’m glad you kept harassing me about coming with you.”

“We told you so,” said Ellie with a smile.

As they entered the restaurant, they were swallowed by a crowd of shoppers, tourists, and people reveling in the holiday season. Sandwiched between her friends and the other hungry inhabitants of the restaurant, Natalia couldn’t help but notice the wonderful aromas swirling around the room. For a moment, she was a little girl in her grandmother’s Brooklyn apartment, having Sunday dinner.

As she inhaled once more, a strange sensation took hold of her. Her body temperature seemed to shoot to a hundred degrees. Sweat formed on her brow. Light headed, she could feel the color drain from her face.

“Nat, what’s wrong?” Christine asked, resting her hand on Natalia’s shoulder. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

No, I’m used to seeing ghosts. “I’m fine. It’s hot in here, that’s all. Let’s try to work our way to the bar so I can get some water.”

They started to push their way through the crowd when Natalia felt Ellie take her hand. “Hurry, those people are getting up."

No sooner had they hopped up on their barstools than a young waiter appeared.

“What can I get you ladies this evening?”

“Hi,” said Natalia. “I would love a glass of wa—” She sat completely still, staring past the waiter.

“We’ll have three glasses of Merlot, please,” Christine chimed in. “Could you bring my friend some water? She isn’t feeling well.”

“Sure,” the young man said and left.

“Nat, what are you looking at?” Christine asked.

“The man over there making drinks,” she said, pointing to the side of the bar.

“Looking? Ogling is more like it,” scoffed Ellie. “She’s practically drooling.”

“I know him from somewhere,” Natalia said.

“His back is to us. You can’t see his face.”

“I don’t need to see his face.”

Having no logical answers to give them, Natalia ignored the rest of her friend’s questions and continued to watch the fascinating man behind the bar. He was tall with broad shoulders and dark curly hair. His sleeves were rolled up, his strong arms and hands visible. He was good at his job. Quickly dipping his hand in the ice and dropping the cubes into the glasses, he had three drinks made in a just few moments.

Then something changed.

Wow! Too bad nothing like that happened when we were battling the crowds on 42nd Street to get some lunch last June. Thanks for sharing, Debbie!

I'm One Of The Fifty Authors From FIfty States-New York, Of Course

2011-08-09T12:52:00.001-04:00

It's quite an honor to have been chosen to write about New York for Annette Snyder's innovative project Fifty Authors From Fifty States. I've chosen to talk about my experiences in the downstate areas, the five boroughs of New York City, as well as my favorite upstate haunts near Cazenovia.

You all know I was born and raised in Da Bronx, and that the City is my real time playground-source of inspiration-entertainment, and the place I know and love best. But I also enjoy getting away from the City That Never Sleeps to places where the sidewalks are rolled up and tucked away after nine p.m.

Here are some images of the Ledyard Linklaen estate known as Lorenzo, which has provided me with many story inspirations, especially the downright Gothic Dark Aisle in the formal gardens and the carriage house, complete with the carriages. Add horses (this is a an equestrian center) during one of the many re-enactments and yearly activities including the Lorenzo Driving Competition, fox hunt, and Winter Festival featuring horse-drawn sleigh rides, and you''re transported back to an earlier time and place.

Click over to Facebook for more pictures from New York State.

My daughter and I harvest corn, watermelon, and pumpkins every year, and then we go apple picking.

Back at Sea Level But My Head is Still In The Clouds

2011-07-26T10:19:00.003-04:00

TAOS TOOLBOX

Class of 2011

The Diesel Bears

After nearly 24 hours of travel, I am finally back on the East Coast, but managed to bypass The Big Baked Apple. Give me a couple of days to get my thoughts together and my photos on Facebook, but I wrote though the flight delays and exhaustion, and am still going.

My goal is to finish Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams by September, and I'm already more than half way there with about 54K done. Today I am researching banishing and cleansing rituals.

You had to be there to appreciate many of the memorable quotes Nancy Kress has on her blog, but Christy's pictures capture the intensity of the work as well as the partying most nights with wine, whiskey, and song in the best Western tradition.

There are bears at Taos, as Scott's early morning picture documents, and somewhere between early morning reading and writing and late night camaraderie the Diesel Bear brand was burned onto the Class of 2011.

There were thunder claps echoing through Ski Valley most days, but more than one rainbow sighting.

And this is sunset in Camel Rock State Park, Teseque Pueblo, just outside of Albuquerque, on my last night in New Mexico. I felt like this magical moment was engineered just for my benefit.

Taos Toolbox Days 7, 8, 9-Read, Critique, Write, Repeat

2011-07-20T21:34:00.000-04:00

Read, critique, write, repeat. With a lot of comfort food, good cheer, some sleep, and an occasional excursion to the real world in between. Punctuated by a violent thunderstorm and blackout, which made it hard to read, critique and write, but the comfort food, good cheer, and sleep went on and on.

Minstrel Jeff continues to entertain us nightly, joined by A cappella Alan and Fiona, and whatever other tone deaf participants care to join in. Jeff played by the light of the laptop-running on battery power-until his elbow gave out and the lights came back on.

Here are photos, courtesy of Christie. Nancy Kress is posting a daily list of memorable quotes from the critique sessions, which have been inspirational, instructional, and fun.

One of the more surreal moments was discussing my second submission (Unfinished Business) with Walter Jon Williams in the hot tub.

In order to keep perspective I did the rest of the sightseeing on my docket. After class, Fiona, Sean and I went to Taos Pueblo. Dusty, depressing, hot—reminiscent of Pompeii except people still live there. Lit a candle to St. Jerome, since I missed doing it in the Cathedral of St. Francis in Santa Fe (wedding in progress).

Visiting Kit Carson's house was a real kick, except I remembered I couldn't tell my Dad all about it and got all teary eyed. We used to watch all the classic Westerns together. Then I realized I could tell him about it, and I did.

Taos itself is beautiful, with some real old buildings mixed in with the new. The desert landscape is stark and beautiful, Taos Gorge is quite impressive, and the bridge very bouncy, even though the drought has distilled the Rio Grande to a trickle.

The rock formations in the mountains are awesome, and I'm hoping the recent rainstorms will enable them to re-open the Kit Carson National Forest to hikers before I leave on Friday night.

Taos Toolbox Days 5 and 6: Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here?

2011-07-17T11:15:00.002-04:00

Day 5 began early and ended late. Somewhere around midnight, I finished some work on another chapter of Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams. That's two for this week, much less than I expected to write and they're sketchy since I don't have my reference books and Google isn't giving me the detail I want. I looked in the mirror while brushing my teeth and had one of those out of body experiences wondering who the hell was looking back brushing her teeth. She didn't look anything like Kira, a Newyorican witch whose already been attacked by a gang of werewolves and nearly seduced by a vampire. And she's been in The Bronx for less than a month

Right then I decided I needed to first, get some sleep, and second, get back to the real world. I've been in several magical worlds, and in outer space, and in a steampunk town in the old West, and just finished reading a creepy horror/urban fantasy.

Day 6 began as usual, with the 6 am wake up call from my daughter at home. She's waiting to go to camp, lonesome, and we can chat while I make coffee, make the bed, make the plan for the day. Then I remembered that it was MY TURN for critiques!

Sleep had restored some measure of reality left. Just like knew that I really wasn’t Kira and that my story wasn't that bad, I did know I needed to get out in the real world. I really wasn't nervous, but did have a moment of paranoia when I walked into the common room that the silence was because my story was so bad no one wanted to talk to me until the critique round began.

The critique session went fine, as they all have, and I came away with some great ideas and suggestions. I have to blow up the opening and start again, but I knew that anyway.

My classmates and I had a delightful night seeing Taos Plaza, buying some souvenirs for the family, and exploring one of the most cool antique shops/museums that has, among other things, a huge collection of medical equipment from the 1700s to early 1900s including a set of glass diseased eyeballs, autopsy and amputation kits, surgical sets that look like something out of a horror movie, and a male chastity belt. Use your imagination.

The New Mexican food is delicious (tasted my first posole-a type of soft corn kernel) and we arrived back to a gathering in the common room enlivened by wine, whiskey, and beer in the best Western saloon tradition, though we were at one point discussing existentialism. I didn't drink since I was already obtunded enough, but it was again, surreal, near midnight, to be sitting in a room with Nancy Kress, Walter Jon Williams, Jack Skillingshead, a bunch of up and coming writers, most of whom are already published, and some of whom I think will be winning awards in the near future. The names were dropping (in routine conversation) like marbles: Harlan Ellison, Kelly Link, George RR Martin…. I felt like a Bloosmbury—and no I wasn't drunk but as high as the moon.

When Christie handed me her phone to show me a picture, a text message from John Joseph Adams popped into her inbox. Almost dropped the phone. Who am I and what the hell am I doing here? Time for bed.

Tomorrow, I'm taking the day "off" to see the local sights, relax, regain some perspective.

Here are some photos, courtesy of Christie.

Report from Taos Toolbox, Day 4

2011-07-14T09:17:00.003-04:00

So far, other than a daily nosebleed and some breathlessness the altitude isn't bothering me. Of course I'm not doing anything but eating, sleeping, reading, and writing. The air may be rarefied up here, with both Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress as instructors, but they have both feet on the ground and are totally involved and committed to helping all of us work the kinks out of our writing.

Something like this is every writer's dream: two weeks to do nothing but write, and I know that the other twelve great authors with here with me are as thrilled to be here as I am.

I stay up late critting and still have tweaks to do in the morning. I've gotten no writing on Boulevard done and will do it NOW, before breakfast (I have a big cup of coffee in hand), now that I've cleaned out my email inbox and confirmed that I did, indeed, get paid.

Things seem to be going okay at home. Maya is whiny, but I talk to her twice a day. Her brothers are fussing over her so that helps. Rumor has it even the boys miss me. John is trying to be brave but I know how difficult it is to do everything and be everything and am feeling a bit guilty and disconnected. He assures me all the prep work ensured adequate food to keep the teenagers happy, as well as be sure all the bills were taken care of and the house was organized (yes, really) is much appreciated. The woman who cleans my house is coming today, which should help keep things under some semblance of control until I get back home.

There is a lot of necessary solitary time here or else we won't get our work done. But all my classmates are trying to find time to chat and bond and network, which is so important in a setting like this. Hopefully, we'll get more social time this weekend when there are no crits and no big assignments, other than our own writing.

The mountains are peaceful and the view from the window of my room breathtaking, as long as I don't focus on those big boulders perched up there. In winter, it's avalanche concerns but there is a terrible drought here (hiking trails are closed, damn) and though we've had some rain and a huge thunderstorm (followed by a rainbow so close it felt like I could touch it), too much might cause a landslide.

I will try to get some pictures posted and check in this weekend.

Moving Along and Getting Back in Business

2011-06-30T21:14:00.001-04:00

I have months of blog entries written, but haven't had the time or energy to post any of them. I'm numb and in a fog after being up, up, up for so long. I lapse into these moments where I see or remember some moment with Daddy and either burst into tears (very unlike me) or stare into space for an hour lost in thought. Here is one reminiscence, if you're interested.

Going back to work helped me focus on something and my co-workers fed me tea, cookies, and strategically distributed hugs. OMG, Madeleines are just what you need for sinful, buttery comfort.

While I've been silent, I have been working on keeping promises I made as well as getting ready for Taos Toolbox, which begins on July 10.

Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams is half way there. Thanks to the writing odyssey on the DSDB group I've got 50K words so far, and my early readers have been very encouraging. I am thrilled with the way it's turning out. Two agents I pitched at Fiction Fest have already asked to see it, but I will wait until the pros at TT weigh in.

Today was day three of the Romance Writers of America National Convention in New York City. I have already met up with several friends for the luncheons and am looking forward to some drinks with Deborah Blake and other members of Creativity Cauldron tomorrow.

I pitched Someday I'm Going to Write a Book: Diary of an Urban Missionary (I know its a romance writers convention but the agent with whom I was scheduled represents nonfiction and my paranormal romances are already under consideration with three agents from Connecticut Fiction Fest). Today's agent was very enthusiastic about it and I'll be sending out the proposal and first two chapters to her before I disappear into the mountains of New Mexico.

Best of luck to OWW buddy Amy Raby who is a Golden Heart Finalist. I've read the opening of Assassin's Gambit, and it's wonderful. I'll be at the awards ceremony, Amy

Check out my latest reviews:

For Tangent Online:

Tales From the Ur-Bar, edited by Benjamin Tate and Patricia Bray, which contains two stories on my Tangent Reviewer Recommended List (by Tregellis and Kessler).

For The Portal:

Strange Horizons, April and May, 2011, which is, as always, chock full of the odd and experimental tempered with a reprint by the incomparable, unclassifiable Carol Emshwiller.

I promise to check in when I can.

The Most DIfficult Deadline I've Ever Met

2011-06-22T22:07:00.001-04:00

Father's Day, Sunday June 19, 2011 was the first day of the rest of my life without Dad.

He died two months and two days after entering hospice care, six years after his diagnosis of lymphoma. He never complained, and did so well through repeated rounds of chemotherapy it was easy to forget how sick he really was. We had him in our lives for six years longer than we expected, and he made the most of it: traveling, spending time with friends and his beloved grandchildren, including the celebration of his fiftieth wedding anniversary on a cruise with the entire clan.

Many happy moments, and many special memories, which is probably why it took so long for him to give up the fight: one very long month of urgent phone calls, late night jaunts on the Long Island Expressway, with the occasional reward of finding him lucid enough to tell me to turn off the Met game because "I didn't watch them when they were winning," to smack his lips as he gulped down a chocolate milk shake and ice cream cake for his 78th birthday, or to flicker his eyelids when he heard our voices--just to reassure us that he knew we were there.

My father died June 18 at 8:30 pm, with a nurse by his side. She assured me it was so quick, so peaceful, she had to check several times to be sure. We had left only a couple hours before and by the time I made the last drive in the dark of night to see him, Emelyn had made him comfortable and was waiting to greet and console us.

It took me three days to write this piece for the local newspaper. How could I possibly capture the nuances of his personality and distill all the moments, all the memories, into a few paragraphs? The same way we struggled to write the inscription for his headstone at Calverton National Cemetery, by focusing on the most important things in his life: his family, his work, his community.

Francis A. Moleti, a longtime Bronx resident and community leader, died on June 18, 2011 from complications of lymphoma. He was 78.

Frank’s proudest accomplishments included his 1952-56 tour of duty with the United States Navy, serving as a machinist on the Battleship New Jersey during the Korean War. After returning stateside, he joined the Sheet Metal Workers International Association and was a foreman for Brook Sheet Metal, which handled many major New York City construction projects including the building of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center .

He grew up in Castle Hill, lived for a while in Parkchester, then moved to Throggs Neck. He served several terms as president of the Locust Point Civic Association until retiring to Southampton in 1995. An entire generation of local kids will remember Frank for his tireless efforts to bring PAL activities to Throggs Neck, as well as the weekend marathon of Labor Day events sponsored by the LPCA including the costume parade, foot and swimming races, as well as popular adult activities such as dancing under stars, the married vs. single men’s softball game, and the pie eating/throwing contest.

An avid fisherman and sailor, Frank worked tirelessly to improve the water quality of Long Island Sound, as well as the quality of life for Northeast Bronx residents, by serving on Community Planning Board #10 under then District Manager James Vacca. His efforts were instrumental in the closing and remediation of toxic waste leaching from the Pelham Bay Landfill as well as dealing with traffic congestion, noise, and environmental pollution near the Throggs Neck Bridge.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carole, three daughters, Carole Ann, Christine and Allison, and seven grandchildren. Donations in his memory can be made to The Connecticut Fund for the Environment-Save the Sound Project.

Deadline met. Not that I had any choice.

Demure and Dangerous: Writing Female Self-Defence Scenes with Rayne Hall

2011-05-22T18:05:00.000-04:00

When Rayne asked to do another post about writing fight scenes, I jumped at the chance to hostess. And it couldn't have come at a better time since I'm at the point with Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams where Kira needs to kick some ass--and she still has no idea how dangerous she can be. The villains are counting on her not realizing her potential, but things are about to change.

Rayne's last post on Writing Fight Scenes engendered lots of lively discussion, and I suspect this one will as well. For those of you who don't know, Rayne's classes (and I've taken many of them) on fight scenes, magic, and magical weapons are a must for any fantasy writer. Her bio and links to register for her upcoming class is at the end of the post.

Without further ado, I give you Rayne Hall who, if you haven't noticed the Queen's English, hails from England.

Today's readers expect the heroine to fight her own way out of trouble. Screaming, swooning, and waiting for the hero to come to the rescue is no longer enough.

If your heroine is trained in martial arts, she has a whole range of techniques at her disposal. Half a year of martial arts training can be sufficient for a spirited defence.

For inspiration, watch self-defence demonstrations on YouTube until you find a maneuvre you can adapt for your scene. Here are some links to get you started:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGW7eVzulg0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO2FEdtRi44&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzkhvydILYY&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH-vgvUEFbI

For further YouTube clips, use the keyword 'self-defence' (or 'self-defense').

But not every woman is a skilled martial artist, or trained to wield a weapon, or drilled in self-defence. A novice can't disable a thug with a roundhouse kick, and a Victorian damsel won't fell her attacker with an uppercut. Fear may lend strength and courage, but it doesn't grant implausible skills.

Here's the solution: the heroine performs a self-defence move which doesn't require prior training. Although it won't defeat the villain, it will buy her precious seconds during which she can escape from his clutches.

Choose one of these six techniques:

1. She uses her feet. Attackers expect their victims to defend themselves with their hands, so they hold the victim in a way which prevents her from moving her arms. However, your heroine is clever: she stomps her heel down on his foot. This works especially well if she's wearing high heels. The pain makes him relax his grip, though only for a moment, so she may follow this with #2.

2. She kicks him in the leg. This makes him stagger and loosen his grip for a moment. Depending on how he holds her, she can kick forwards, backwards or sidewards. She can kick his shin, his calf, his knee, his thigh, or his crotch, as long as she kicks hard. Her kick has more power if she first bends her leg and pulls her knee towards her torso and kicks from this position. (In martial arts lingo: she chambers her leg.) This allows her to kick stronger and higher, but it needs to be done quickly.

3. If she's shorter than her attacker, she sags against him as if in defeat, then suddenly straightens, ramming her head under his chin. This hurts her head, but it hurts his jaw a lot more. As he loosens his grip in pain and surprise, she breaks free.

4. If she has a hand free, she spreads the first and middle fingers and stabs them into his eyes. This blinds him temporarily, giving her time to escape. It doesn't work if he wears glasses. The violence of this method makes it unsuitable for gentle forms of fiction, and the heroine should use it only against a bad guy, not against an honourable enemy or innocent prison guard.

5. She can go for his balls. Every woman knows that a man's privates are vulnerable, and if she can punch or squeeze him there, he'll probably be out of action long enough for her to make her escape. However, men are aware of their vulnerability. Only a very stupid attacker would allow a female victim to grab his bits. Besides, this method is so over-used in fiction that it has become a predictable cliche. You could make it less predictable by letting the heroine use her elbow or her knee.

6. She can use a skill from a different context, for example, from her hobby or her job, and adapt it as a self-defence maneuvre. If her hobby is yoga, she can use her flexibility to slip out of her attacker's grasp. If she's a ballet dancer, she can fell him with a fouette. She can also use a tool of her trade as a weapon: the archaeologist may do something nifty with a trowel, the hair stylist with the curling iron, the gardener with the spade. In real life, these would probably not work - but they feel realistic, because the heroine's special skill has been established.

Since the aim of self-defense is to escape the danger, rather than to defeat an opponent, self-defence scenes tend to be very short. Often, they are just a paragraph within a larger scene.

Readers love self-defence scenes, especially if it's a woman defending herself against a man. You may want to insert a self-defence scene - or even a single self-defence paragraph - in your novel. Perhaps the heroine puts up a spirited fight before the kidnappers overpower her. Perhaps she has to fight the prison guard who tries to stop her escape. Maybe she wards off a lecher's forceful advances. In romance novels, the heroine may even fight off the hero - of course only at the beginning of the novel, before they've become allies. Near the end of the book, she's more likely to fight at the hero's side against the forces of evil.

If you have questions about writing fight scenes, feel free to ask. I'll be around for a week and will respond.

Rayne Hall writes dark fantasy and horror. She has published more than twenty books under different pen names in different genres, and her stories have earned Honorable Mentions in 'The Years' Best Fantasy and Horror'. She holds a college degree in publishing management and a masters degree in creative writing, and teaches online classes.

Even if you've never wielded a weapon, you can write an exciting fight scene. Rayne will show you how in her workshop on 'Writing Fight Scenes', which starts on 1 June 2011:

The Doe and The Dragon by Andrew Richardson

2011-04-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Andrew Richardson and I have been longstanding critique partners, which should be no surprise to those of you reading my blogs. Despite our very different styles, and what were initially very different genres, our authorial personalities seem to mesh, probably because we both are willing to do some heavy lifting with our writing muscles and try something different while the other serves as a spotter to be sure we don't drop a fifty pound barbell on our chest.

We don't love everything each other writes (his horror stories give me nightmares, and my childbirth scenes make him queasy and uneasy), but objectivity and tough love prevail. The Shoot has long been one of my favorite of his erotic shorts (see why here) and his upcoming release The Doe and The Dragon threatens to unseat it.

I've seen this novel from the first draft to the final one, and loved it. If, like me, you have always been intrigued by Arthurian legend and lore, there is no better place to begin—before it all began—with Andrew's rendition of how Uther Pendragon, the man who would father King Arthur, met his mate.

A shade less bloodcurdling than most of Andrew's supernatural horror novels Andraste’s Blade and The Wood, this more traditional fantasy has it all—sword and sorcery, witchcraft, prophecy, gallantry, vengeance, and epic battles all presented with as much historical accuracy as possible for a time, place, and people swathed in the cloak of mythology.

Andrew describes The Doe and The Dragon as a novel which “follows the north Welsh version of sixth century legends. These stories place national events in a local setting and so give a distinctive Welsh flavour. […] Other ‘non-Arthurian’ characters appearing only in the local legends and have been incorporated into this work. As with any story set in the ‘Arthurian’ period, no matter which sources are used as an inspiration, part of the writer’s job has been to uncover characters about whom little is known, and to flesh them out in the way that makes them real.”

The Doe and The Dragon will be published May 1 by Rogue Phoenix Press. Connect with Andrew on Facebook or on his blog

Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclaimers: I have received no compensation, monetary or otherwise, for this review. This review has not been submitted, nor will it be, to any established review organizations of which I am a staff member.

Sometimes There Are No Rainchecks

2011-04-19T09:44:00.001-04:00

There are just some things you can't put off and death is one of them. No, not mine. My father, who has been very ill with lymphoma for six years, is now terminally ill. I am spending as much time as I can with him, given my full time job and family responsibilities, knowing each time might be the last.

It's a two hour round trip commute, and though I am used to being around and caring for dying patients, it takes on a whole different perspective when it's your own family member. Not to mention the emotional upheaval for my mother, my sisters, my kids, and my nieces and nephews.

Dad and I have always been very close and talked about these things a lot, so my time spent with him is quite peaceful. We go outside when he's able, but most of the time I just sit with him, help him to eat and drink, and do a lot of reading and thinking while he's asleep.

I am meeting hard deadlines, but doing very little else. If I owe you something, please be assured I am working on it when I can and will get it out as soon as possible.

Thanks for all the prayers, support and words of encouragement being sent my way. They mean a lot to me and my family.

Luna Con and Taos Toolbox

2011-03-12T15:43:00.000-05:00

I am alive. The submission deadline for the DelRay Contest is 3/18. I've been working nonstop on revisions of The Widow's Walk I'm now more than half way through final edits and formatting. Big kisses to all those who've critiqued any of my chapters on OWW, and to Brent and Andrew, my RFDR's on critters.org, who have read the whole thing in record time.

It will be done, so help me God. But I haven't been doing anything else, except recovering from some nasty virus which knocked me out a couple weeks ago, then made a back handed swipe this week. I'm still coughing.

For those who don't follow my Facebook or LiveJournal (please do), I've been accepted to Taos Toolbox this summer. Am I excited at a chance to work with Walter Jon Williams, Nancy Kress, and Jack Skillingshead? You bet? My project will be my new urban fantasy: Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams. Stay tuned for chapters on OWW and critters, as soon as I get The Widow's Walk launched

Time to celebrate, and relax. I hope to see some of you next weekend at LunaCon. Please let me know if you're going so we can meet up. Am I missing something? I can't find a program anywhere. My emails to volunteer went unanswered, and the program committed has yet to respond. Makes it a little hard to plan. Not that I've had any time for that.

Writing Fight Scenes with Rayne Hall: Kick Some Arse With Improvised Weapons

2011-02-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

Rayne Hall writes dark fantasy and horror. She has published more than twenty books under different pen names in different genres, and her stories have earned Honorable Mentions in The Years' Best Fantasy and Horror. She holds a college degree in publishing management, a masters degree in creative writing, and teaches online classes on many writing topics.

I've had the pleasure of working with Rayne for many years on critters.org, Online Writer's Workshop, and on a much more personal level in the Professional Author's Group and the brand new Fantasy Fiction Forum where we review and discuss fantasy and dark fiction.

Her classes are well-researched, meticulously crafted, and her attention to students is impeccable. I have already put what what I've learned to use in my own stories.

Even if you've never wielded a weapon, you can write an exciting fight scene. Rayne will show you how, in her workshops on Writing Fight Scenes. Here's a sample, and I urge you take advantage of the generous offer to answer reader's questions.

Readers love heroines who are spunky and resourceful and who can kick male a***e (British spelling). You can combine all three in a creative fight scene in which your heroine defends herself with an improvised weapon.

This reflects psychological reality: When women feel threatened, they instinctively grab something to use as a weapon: a brick, milk bottle, toilet brush, flower pot, or frying pan. For the writer, this is a wondeful opportunity to create an unusual fight scene.

Improvised weapons can be highly effective. I've fought off one attacker with the oar from a rowing boat, and another with my garden spade. In both instances, I didn't need to do much fighting. The attackers were so surprised when their defenceless victim was suddenly armed, that they ran off. A friend's violent ex-husband repeatedly broke into her home, threatening her and the children. One day, she was cooking supper when he attacked her. She hit him on the head with the the cast iron frying pan: that was the last time he bothered her.

Admittedly, improvised weapons don't work as well against gun-armed thugs and professional assassins. However, your readers will be willing to suspend their disbelief as long as you create an illusion of reality.

The trick is to choose an object the heroine has used in other contexts. If the readers observe her ability wield the item skillfully in a non-combat situation, they will believe she can adapt this skill for self-defence.

What objects does your heroine handle in her everyday life? What are the tools of her trade, her professional instruments, her hobby equipment?

Here are some ideas to stimulate your imagination:

The passionate knitter stabs her attacker with her knitting needles. The amateur gardener trips her assailant with the hose pipe and hits him with the spade. The cook slams the cast iron frying pan on the attacker's head. The chambermaid fights back with the mop and the toilet brush. The archaeologist applies her sharp pointed trowel. The hair stylist uses the hairbrush, the scissors, the hairspray or the hot curling iron. The baker throws a handful of flour in his face to blind the thug for a moment, then whacks him with the rolling pin.

If she has martial arts training, she can supplement these actions with genuine punches, throws and kicks.

Readers will love your heroine for her spunk and her resourcefulness, and enjoy every moment of this original fight.

If you'd to discuss ideas for improvised weapons your heroine may use, or if you have questions about fight scene writing, leave a comment and I'll reply. I look forward to hearing from you.

Rayne's next workshops are being offered in March 2011 at: www.celtichearts.org/workshops.html and June 2011at http://www.blogger.com/goog_2090201035

Please Give A Warm Welcome to Ginger Simpson

2011-01-14T00:00:00.003-05:00

I’m thrilled to welcome Ginger Simpson. She’s had busy year and signed multiple contracts including her new releases “Hurricane Warning” with Muse it Up Publishing and White Heart, Lakota Spirit with Eternal Press.

A hurricane! Just what Linda Morrison needs to welcome her to her new home in Florida. Fearing her recent purchase may end up a bundle of sticks, she’s relieved when a hero swoops in wearing a yellow slicker and offering help. Carlos Mejia is eye candy for sure, but she needs those muscles to help board up the window. Together they ride out the storm raging outside, but inside there’s more than a little electricity in the air.

A face materialized from beneath the slicker. Masculine eyes, as dark as onyx peered at her. “I was wondering the same."
He swept back his hood, allowing his ebony hair to dance in the blustery current. His square jaw and tanned face softened with a smile. “I’m your neighbor from down the street. I thought perhaps you might need some assistance. My sister, Marcie, tells me you live alone. If this storm notches itself up a bit, we’re in for a turbulent night.”
Against warning bells about strangers, she sought escape from the elements. She knew his sister…maybe, the name rang vaguely familiar. “Please, come in.” Linda gestured, but kept a tight grip on the door to keep it from slamming into the wall. Her heart thudded. Would her murder top the evening news? She could just see the headline now, “Stupid woman opens door to stranger during storm.”

A normal morning turns to disaster when a small war party attacks Grace Cummings’ family and slaughters everyone but her. She returns to the Lakota camp filled with hatred, anger and fear, but through the help of another white woman in camp, learns the Lakota way. Broken treaties, dead buffalo, and the white man's foray of gold in the sacred hills give the people reason to defend themselves. When white soldiers invade the camp and presume to rescue Grace, she must decide where her heart lies.

Dakota Plains, 1874

Papa scraped the last speck of egg from his plate and set it aside. "I s’pect Kev and me’ll find gold any day now. People are discoverin’ it all around us. When we make our strike, we can find some land and build a real house. It’s sure to happen soon… afore summer is past and the weather turns cold. In fact, Sassy, you and yer ma might want to start gatherin’ fair-sized stones and rocks for our fireplace." He pointed to the lean-to, still in progress. "In the meantime, Kev and I will finish our temporary shelter, so we can spread out a bit."
No more climbing in and out of a wagon to sleep. Grace clapped. "Oh, Papa, that souds so good." She sobered and flashed the look that always won him over…the half-pout, wistful gaze. "When we finally settle in our real house, it will be near a town, won’t it? Otherwise, how do you expect me to be courted out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I’m not so sure I want you to be cour..."
He jerked around and looked over his shoulder. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Kevin asked.
"I hear it, Papa," Grace chimed in. "Sounds like yelling."Her father stood and scanned the horizon. He pointed. "Look. There!"
A group of riders emerged from a dust cloud in the distance. The yelling grew louder as they came closer. The furrows in her father’s brow frightened Grace. "What is it, Papa?"
He darted for the wagon. "It’s Injuns! Hurry! You two women get inside and keep low. Kevin, get yer rifle!"
Grace’s heartbeat quickened and fear clutched her chest, making it hard to breathe. She’d heard about savages, but never saw one up close. She didn’t want to. Her mother stood frozen in place. Grace grabbed her hand and pulled. "C’mon, Mama, we’d better do as Papa says."
They ran around to the back of the wagon, and her mother boosted her up and over the closed tailgate. Grace dove inside, her mind filled with horrible thoughts. Would she get scalped or worse…were they all going to die.
All the while, piercing yells sliced the air while thundering hooves pounded the ground. Realizing her mother hadn’t followed, Grace rose up on her knees and peeked outside. A pack of whooping Indians rode round and round the wagon, their voices creating a din of eerie screams while bullets exploded. The hair on Grace’s arms stood on end. She covered her ears, crouched against the sidewall and prayed the savages would go away. Shots rang out from beneath the wagon when Papa and Kevin returned fire.

Whoa! That got my heart racing! Ginger, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I was born and lived most of my life in California. I started in Southern, ended up in Northern, and lived there for over twenty years. California is filled with type-A personalities and is where road rage was born. I moved to Tennessee in 2004, after I retired, and it was like taking a step into the Twilight Zone. The southern hospitality you’ve heard of is true, but so is the laid-back attitude. Customer service is friendly, but slower than molasses, and people don’t think it’s rude if they don’t return your phone calls. There’s always “Fixin’ to” or “Aimin’ to.” I love it here, though and I wouldn’t go back to California on a bet.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing as long as I can recall, whether it be Christmas newsletters to family to share the year’s events or creating silly poems or skits for office celebrations. My first novel experience seemed almost like someone telling me a story, and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. That’s when I discovered I’m a pantser, not a plotter. I’ve never plotted a story. My tales are character driven and unless they talk to me, I can’t write. Luckily, I seem to have a revolving door in my brain, because I’ve yet to run out of people with stories to share. Once I have the story down, then it’s my job as the author to go back and turn it into a novel by adding all the emotions, smells, and conflict. I turn the “telling” into “showing.”

Wow! I’m a panster, too! There aren’t too many of us out there. And like me, you write a lot of different things, including nonfiction. What is your favorite genre?

I started my first novel in 2001 and it was published in 2003. I was honoured to have my first attempt result in a contract.

Given the myriad of westerns I was exposed to while growing up, it isn’t surprising that Western Historical is my favorite. A steady diet of good ol’ TV shoot ‘em ups and reading everything written by Laura Ingalls Wilder probably defined my destiny.

I’ve tried my hand at many genres because the characters that pop into my mind aren’t always toting a six gun or riding a horse. Linda Morrison, my heroine in "Hurricane Warning" showed up one day and wanted me to share the start of her new life in Florida. Divorced and happy to be in a new home, she’s faced with her first threat of a hurricane.

Which have been the hardest genres to write?

Anyone who writes historical novels will tell you that they are much more time consuming because of the research involved. You’d best get your historical details right or you’ll lose credibility as an author in that genre. Historical comes easy to me because I have such a passion for the era and the people who lived back then. What is hard for me is the manuscript I’m trying to complete now. This is the first one story concept that came without a hero or heroine. Instead, like the title, The Locket, the main character is a necklace. Try talking to an inanimate object.

You once shared an experience that you had which led you to believe you were a male in a former life? Can you tell us more, and how that has affected your writing?

I attended a meeting of Astro Soul many years ago with a friend. She was a firm believer in the afterlife, and I guess you could call me a skeptic. After having a “healing” which released adhering spirits from this life and allowed them to “follow the light,” I came away convinced that had indeed been a brick layer and died from a fall from a castle turret. I had suffered severe neck aches for years, and when the spirit shared what had happened and then left me, the mysterious neck aches ceased. Spirits adhere to those familiar to them from another life. They are a drain on your energy and can cause pain relative to your relationship with them. So, next time you’re driving around in your car and think you’re alone…you just may not be. *smile*

That makes me shiver. You said you weren't fearful, but it sounds scary. Anyway, “Hurricane Warning” is your first story with Muse It Up Publishing, but most of your book have been published by Eternal Press. What made you decide to sign with Muse It Up? People are generally leery of new houses.

Lea Schizas is a respected member of the writing community. I dealt with her as an editor and as a friend and peer. She’s been the driving force behind the Muse On-Line conference which draws hundreds of authors, publishers and readers each year. She’s accomplished so much, and she’s detail oriented with I appreciate. I love her team approach, and I can truly say that I feel instrumental in the success I know we’re all going to achieve with her at the helm.

Yeah, Lea is great. No matter how busy she is (and she is BUSY), I always get a quick response. She's always helpful and especially supportive of new writers.

When I was new and naïve. I thought I had landed an agent who was going to do great things for me. She loved my work, gave me all the right assurances, then secured a contract with an Internet publisher that I could have gotten on my own. She insisted the owner swore her house was not a POD press, but as it turns out, it was, and one of the worst I’ve ever signed with. Luckily, I got my rights back and moved on, but without an agent.

I’ve found my niche with e-publishing companies. I can’t write to word requirements. My characters tell me a story and when it ends, it ends. I can’t see going back and adding more verbiage just to meet someone’s idea of what is considered suitable for a novel. Besides, e-publishing is becoming more and more popular with the ever-growing number of hand-held readers available and I’m happy to be a pioneer with ten years invested in the new revolution of reading.

Six contracts!?

Muse it Up Publishing will release my young adult, Shortcomings, along with my five shorter works. How about some of your Eternal Press releases?

Besides White Heart, Lakota Spirit, most of my backlist can be found at Eternal Press. I guess you could say I’m comfortable there, and they tend to like my writing style. I’m a fan of historical so if you share my passion, then check out Prairie Peace, Sparta Rose, and Sarah’s Journey. My time-travel, Sisters in Time, also has an historical element. I have two more releases coming in 2011: The Locket (a mystery) and Odessa – another historical western.

I've been very happy with Eternal Press as well, and that's where I met you. What has been your most positive writing experience?

Finding out that one of books was named as a finalist in the EPIC Book Contest. Anytime you’re nominated from a field of talent such as those entering the EPIC contest each year, that’s a feeling you can’t duplicate.Which book made the finals for the EPIC? And didn’t you win a “Best of” Award on Love Romances Café last year?

Embezzled Love was my EPIC finalist. The story is based on my sister’s true life experience when she met a man on Match.com and fell in love. I had to struggle hard to find an HEA because the real story didn’t have one, but in fiction, I created what I hoped would happen for her. If you read the book, you’ll see my note at the end and it will all make sense. *Teasing a little here*

In 2009, I was also honored to have Sparta Rose voted the most popular Historical read. To say I was shocked is an understatement.By now readers are going to be beating down your virtual door. How can readers keep in touch?

My author pages at Muse it Up and Eternal Press have all the buy links.

Plus my blog and website: http://www.gingersimpson.com/ and http://mizging.blogspot.com/ Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. The multi talented and very humble, Ms. Ginger.Can you tell us about some of your forthcoming books and what you’re writing about now?

I signed six contracts with Muse It Up Publishing for releases scattered throughout 2011. I’m stoked to have so many new stories being released and I need to get on the promotion bandwagon and get busy. You can find them all listed on my author’s page at Muse it Up.

My Christmas Medley

2010-12-25T22:02:00.014-05:00

Maya's Gingerbread Tree

My "Charlie Brown" Tree

It's been a whirlwind holiday season for me, as usual. My current job does not allow me the luxury of a flextime schedule, which in the past allowed me to take the entire week before Christmas off to finish shopping, wrapping, decorating, and attending a myriad of holiday events.

Alas, I am frazzled, and missed all the parties, and didn't get to bake cookies. But I did get to my son's holiday concert (he plays first trombone), and my daughter's karaoke dance show. Plus an awesome concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Nassau Coliseum, complete with both musical and actual. pyrotechnics. Their frenetic blend of classical and rock music, dulcet and discordant, matches my personality in general, and my mood this holiday season.

Anyone who has read my essay "Tis the Season," published last year, might remember details of a particularly awesome effort by the shopping goddess to snag a Wii when there were simply none to be had. This year, there were no armed guards in Toys R Us in the Bronx when I went in to get a Zoobles Razoo's Tree House (use your imagination) for my daughter, and a wireless headset and controller for my son's new X box. In fact, there were not even that many sales associates. Those that were tended to labyrinthine queues of frantic shoppers. I dared approach two who seemed to be available

"Where can I find Zoobles?" I asked.

"Zoobles? What are they?" a dazed young man answered.

"Never mind." I headed for electronics.

"Do you have wireless controllers and headsets for Xbox?" I was hopeful to snag at least something on my list.

After that guy, old enough to know better, stopped laughing, he pointed to the a ravaged display on a back wall with a few tattered packages dangling from crooked hooks.. "You can check that wall." He laughed some more, holding onto his sides and I didn't even kick him.

I headed for Target where a sales associate actually knew what I was talking about. He directed me to an aisle for the Zoobles. On my way there, a woman passed by carrying Razoo's Treehouse! Counting on the empathic bond between frantic mothers, I ran to her.

"Where did you get that?" I was sure she had gotten the last one.

"Right over here." She led me there, and you go, goddess, there was one left, which I clutched close for safekeeping.

Divide and conquer when desperate. Hubby scored the headset in Target as well, and good old Amazon mopped up the operation.

I'll spare the mundane details of the Old Navy and Marshalls experience, but suffice it to say everyone behaved very well on the very long lines. And the cashiers were were efficient and wished me happy holidays.

At work, we play music in exam rooms to offer a bit more privacy to patients, who are often upset and let's just say a bit loud as they share details of their latest travails and heartbreaks. 106.7 FM plays Christmas music from before Thanksgiving, so I know their playlists by heart.

Here are a few snippets of popular Christmas lyrics that have resonated with me over the last month.

I can't buy peace and contentment for all the kids I care for who need comfort as they struggle with poverty, deprivation, neglect, violence, loss and grief that not even many adults I know can fathom. But I do the best I can, one child at time.

From Kenny Chesney's Mama's Shoes

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so great

I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about

This one is for the Republicans, particularly those who opposed the 9/11 Health Care Act, strong armed our not so strong armed President into big tax breaks for the rich, corrupted the Affordable Care Act beyond any measure of reason, turning it into a virtually tasteless, fatty piece of pork, and only voted to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell because they needed to send the lame ducks home with some dry bread to gnaw on for Christmas.

You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel,
Mr. Grinch!
You're a bad banana,
With a greasy black peel!

And this stanza goes out to the Catholic Bishops who excommunicated a nun and stripped a hospital of its right to keep the Blessed Sacrament on the premises because they terminated a woman's 11 week pregnancy to save her life. So no one can go to Mass and in that hospital anymore. Hmm. That's an interesting contradiction. More about it here.

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch!
Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders.
You've got garlic in your soul,
Mr. Grinch!

I go to work in the dark, come home in the dark, and am feeling rather dark these days. My Dad is sick, Mom is failing, and there always seems to be something lurking in the shadows waiting to jump out and waylay me.

Here's one for my ex, if he's reading anything I write these days. Dan Fogelberg's Auld Lang Syne always reduces me to tears, conjuring memories of the wonderful Christmases we spent together as high school and college sweethearts, in the days when things were simple, and life was filled with endless possibilities.

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired, running out of things to say. She gave a kiss to me as I got out, and I watched her drive away. For a moment I was back in school and felt that same familiar pain. As I turned to make my way back home again, the snow turned into rain.

All the shopping got done, the tree is up. Christmas Eve was a great celebration for two birthdays--Jesus' and my husband's--beginning with Family Mass and continuing to after midnight with my Jewish friends.

Christmas Day was spent at my sister's. Talk about awesome, she and my brother-in-law still hosted, though their house was hit by a huge tree in a windstorm two weeks ago and there is hole in the roof. It's all about my mom and dad, and we all need to be with them, even if it's under a tarp instead of mistletoe.

It's snowing today, the ground is already covered, and it promises to be a big storm. Mother Nature has concealed the dead leaves I never got a chance to rake up and brightened my world and black mood. I'm defying the dire warnings and headed to dance class to work off those cookies for breakfast extra pounds. Then I'll hole up for the rest of the week to clean up, catch up, finish that novel, and get ready for the new year and all the good, bad, and ugly it might bring.

I wish you all the greetings of the season, no matter what you celebrate.

What I'm Thankful For Today

2010-11-25T10:17:00.010-05:00

Turkey in A Nest by Maya Virzi, class 3-204.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating. And for those who aren't, this traditional American holiday provides us Yanks an opportunity to focus on what we're thankful for rather than complain about what we don't have.

I'm really lucky. First off, I have my health and my family, without which nothing else matters. I have a job, a house, a wonderful husband, three happy, healthy kids, a big sloppy hound, and a sassy cat who sleeps on my feet every night. If you're interested there is more on the personal things, and an excerpt of Someday I'm Going to Write a Book: Diary of an Urban Missionary here.

Writing wise, I also have a lot to be thankful for. Progress along the path to publication, wonderful literary friends and partners on several groups and loops, and a bunch of editors who've been generous with advice, support, and venues for me to prove myself. Writers Eugie Foster, Michaela Roessner, Marta Randall, Mary Buckham, Margie Lawson, and Ana Maria Spagna who truly taught me everything I know about how to write and give me encouragement to keep going.

So to all my friends and followers, crit partners, group mates, soul mates I am thankful for YOU today. There are too many names to list here, but you know who you are.

If you've noticed my absence, well this month has been quite busy--and trying.

Please visit and "like"my writing and professional Facebook Fan Pages.

The Widow's Walk (paranormal romance novel/sequel) is almost done! Look for it on the newly expanded Critters and OWW soon. Anticiworkshoppers, no snitching about the first draft.

Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams (first book in my urban fantasy series) is fully plotted, outlined, and research is completed.

My alter ego has completed final edits and marketing of the novella. Now it's time to enjoy the release party. Email me for an invite.

Reviews have been posted on Tangent Online and The Portal.

Submissions:

To Wordrunner E-chapbooks: Six excerpts of Someday I'm Going to Write a Book
To Alimentum: "Artichokes," a tribute to Grandma Clo, who died 11/18/99 leaving a big hole in my life--and my heart.

To agents:

Requested proposal for Someday I'm Going to Write a Book
Requested partial of Unfinished Business

And I'm very thankful that only one (so far) was a lovely, personalized rejection.

Welcoming Karina Fabian, Co-editor of Infinite Space Infinite God II

2010-11-21T00:00:00.005-05:00

My guest today is Karina Fabian, most notably an author and editor of Catholic science fiction and fantasy. She and her husband, Rob, are co-editors of the new anthology Infinite Space, Infinite God II, a companion to ISIG I, which I reviewed for Noneuclidean Café in 2008. Page down to read my entry.

Infinite Space Infinite God II has twelve science fiction stories that span the gamut of the genre, from time travel to alien abduction, space opera and near-future space exploration stories. The stories all have one twist in common: each features a Catholic hero or theme. Just like with Infinite Space Infinite God I (known as ISIG), the Fabians had a three-fold requirement: great sci-fi, great story, and great display of the Catholic faith. The combination garnered ISIG literary and popular acclaim; it won the EPPIE for best science fiction and was a top ten finalist for best science fiction in the Predator and Editor polls. Read the full press release

I have "known" Karina for about three years through our association with the Muse Conference Board and the Muse Online Conference. We've connected many times, and in many different forums. I believe that's because we share the joys, challenges and frustrations of being writers at the same time as we juggle family, home, and other work responsibilities.

This year, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a live chat at MuseCon with Karina and Rob, the topic being one near and dear to my heart: "Care of the Writer's Spouse, " the title of which they both quickly amended to "Care of the Writing Couple." It was great to participate, along with my husband and a lot of other couples, in a very dynamic discussion about how to manage family writing lives.

Being Catholic (stop laughing, I go to church regularly and they haven't thrown me out yet), I was very interested in what the Catholic science fiction and fantasy genre would be like and enjoyed Infinite Space Infinite God I. I haven't had the time to read Infinite Space Infinite God II yet, so I'll have to let Karina tell us how they differ-or how they are similar.

Welcome, Karina! Congratulations on the release of Infinite Space, Infinite God II. Can you tell us about the series in general, and this book in particular?

The Infinite Space Infinite God series (or ISIGs) are science fiction stories with Catholic characters, themes and situations. They span the gamut of science fiction subgenres--from time travel to space opera--and all have a very positive look at the Catholic faith as well as faith and science coexisting or working together.

ISIG II has a more hero-based focus than it's predecessor, which means more adventure and more fun, and a little less introspection. It's a great companion to ISIG.

You've been a professional writer for a long time, and your husband is a colonel in the Air Force. I know he is very supportive of your career, and you of his. Can you tell us a little about how you decided to collaborate on the Infinite Space, Infinite God series?

It was a date night activity, really. I was starting to write as a career and Rob's always enjoyed writing, so we decided to work on projects together. We've written some short stories as a team and ISIG II is the third book we've edited. (Leaps of Faith is our anthology of Christian science fiction.)

How do you define the genre of Catholic science fiction/fantasy, and are there any subjects or story lines that are taboo? How does it differ from Christian or inspirational fiction?

A good rule of thumb is "If you take an element out and the story falls apart, that's the genre." So for Catholic science fiction, if you take out the science or the Catholicism, and the story fails, then you're writing Catholic science fiction. However, in my opinion, if you're not writing a story that is supportive or at least positive toward Catholicism, then you fail the test, too. I would not consider Dan Brown's book Catholic fiction, for example, even if his version of Catholicism is necessary for the story.

Christian fiction is a larger set and covers more ground. Catholic science fiction can be a part of that (and is where publishers allow it, but many Christian publishers do not want Catholic elements in their Christian fiction for a variety of reasons.) Inspirational fiction has a purpose: to inspire, usually spiritually. Catholic science fiction does not have to have that goal. It can merely entertain or make someone think.

What was your search for a publisher like, and what are some of the marketing venues/writer's groups available for those interested in Catholic science fiction and fantasy?

For ISIG II, the publisher came to us, which is always a nice deal! However, to find Twilight Times for ISIG took a year or so of searching for publishers, submitting, waiting, and searching again.

What are some of the other projects you're working on now? What is Vern up to these days?

I'm "between projects" right now, meaning I have several ideas partly started and am not sure what I'm going to do next. I've been spoiled the past few years with publishers who wanted something from me; this year, I have no requests pulling at me. So I may finish my Catholic sci-fi novel, or work on one of the fantasy novels, or start a new children's series about some animals in a church learning about Catholicism.

Vern is grumbling about my not finding a publisher for the next DragonEye novel. I am waiting on a few more replies, then I'm going to look at smaller press in January. In the meantime, I have several DragonEye, PI stories coming out, plus a few without Vern but in that universe. "Christmas Spirits" is about Vern and Sister Grace's first Christmas, where they have to stop an enchanted theater from using the ghosts of Christmas past, Present and Future to a land developer, is out in FlagShip this month. You can purchase it here.

Wow, a date night to write! My husband has an idea for a historical novel. He'll research it, but he wants me to write it. That's hard, especially because it's not my idea so I have no inspiration. Then I thought of making it Steampunk, which made his head spin. After reading about making it a date, I might resurrect the idea and start work on a plot outline.

See, Karina is very inspiring—on many levels. Where can people get Infinite Space Infinite God II?

They can purchase it from Twilight Times or from Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com

Where are your next few stops on the tour?

For a complete list of all my upcoming appearances, please visit my blog.

Thanks for making this one of the stops on your tour, Karina. Best of luck with all your endeavors. ISIG II is on my "to read" list.

The Portal has Opened!

2010-10-30T10:32:00.004-04:00

The Portal has made its debut at the World Fantasy Convention, and my review of Strange Horizons is in the starting lineup. I’m really excited about being involved with this new venture, since it will eventually include the often overlooked semi pro zines, as well as a wide range of fiction published in languages other than English.

Here’s the official announcement from Editor-in Chief, Val Grimm:

The inaugural issue of The Portal, an international online review of
short-form science fiction, fantasy, and horror, is now live at
http://sffportal.net/.

It includes contributions from Elizabeth Allen, Alex Donald, Miguel
Esquirol, Fábio Fernandes , David Hebblethwaite, Annaïg Houesnard, Stig W. Jørgensen, Leonid Korogodski, Knud Larn, Marlin May, Carole Moleti,
and Alison Sinclair, and coverage of Sybil's Garage, Shimmer, Strange
Horizons, Bull Spec, F&SF, and Ideomancer, as well as a magazine from
Russia, collections from Brazil and Denmark, and overviews of the
French, Bolivian, and Danish SF/F scenes.

If you happen to be at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio
this weekend, there'll be a launch party at 10PM/22H Saturday night
hosted by our Editor-in-Chief, Val Grimm. Look for signs around the
convention.

If you are interested in contributing, please contact us at
the sffportal@gmail.com.

Check it out!

Apocolypse: Fact or Fiction?

2010-10-02T18:06:00.005-04:00

Where have I been and what have I been doing for the last month? It's a blur. September began with the unrealized advance of Hurricane Earl and culminated with a very impressive and mix-it-up of wind and rain by the tail end of Hurricane Nicole. Mother Nature is tired of the insults and pretty pissed off right now.

In between, three tornadoes laid waste to three thousand trees in Queens and Brooklyn, many in my neighborhood. They knocked power out for almost five full days, and seriously tested my ability to keep up my daily word count goal, what with the clean up, dealing with two refrigerators and freezers not refrigerating and freezing, and typing on an AlphaSmart Neo by flashlight.

I netted 8500 words on my latest novel in progress. The Widow's Walk (the sequel to Unfinished Business) and should be done by the end of October.

The odd weather (well, hurricanes aren't odd but we've had three episodes of tornadic activity in New York City in the last few years) has me in a decided apocalyptic mood. In addition to stockpiling batteries, matches, ice cubes, non fat dry milk and drip coffee filters (I can live without power, but not coffee), I've begun work in earnest on an urban fantasy, Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams, set in the near-future Bronx engaged in a epic battle between dark and light magic, which has been waged since the late 1960s. Thanks to a fantastic two day plotting intensive with Mary Buckham last weekend, I'm ready to get going by January and expect to complete the first draft sometime in the spring/early summer of 2011. Yep, writing nonfiction is too scary right now.

All that, and the back to work, back to school crazies has made for a very tight schedule, and the only way I can keep to it by staying off social networking. Of course, the frustration of trying to do all online correspondence on a tiny mobile device until the lights came back on made that much easier.

I'm back to work at the day job, and quite busy. Which brings up my equally grim mood over health care and politics which you can find on my health related blog at http://cmoleticnm.blogspot.com

Good stuff I’ve been doing on the literary end of life:

I did get to Fantastic Fiction in New York City the night before the lights went out, and to see Margaret Atwood at the 92nd Street YMCA the day after they came back on. The fact that the UN General Assembly shut midtown east down was daunting, but I couldn't miss that.

Ms. Atwood signed my first edition hardcover copy of The Handmaid's Tale, which has joined the signed first edition copies of Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin and World's Fair by E.L. Doctorow. And to think I missed Frank McCourt signing my copy of Teacher Man when his appearance at Symphony Space was cancelled due to the illness, which claimed his life a short while after. Being that close to some of my favorite authors of all time is such a thrill.

Reviews in progress:

Bad Ass Faeries, Volume III, for Tangent
Strange Horizons, for The Portal, a new review venue making its debut at the World Fantasy Convention in October. (I can't go, grr)

Upcoming:

I'll be taking in a full day workshop with Margie Lawson on November 20, sponsored by the Connecticut Romance Writers Chapter of RWA in North Haven.

Fantastic Fiction October 20: doubtful, but I always give it a try.

LunaCon, Westchester, NY in March, 2011: A good bet.

Renovation (WorldCon), in August, 2011: In the planning stages, just scouting out the logistics, costs, and timing of another trip to the West Coast.

My 9/11 Remembrance

2010-09-11T14:20:00.003-04:00

This is a reprint of a post from last year. I don't have it in me to write something new. There really isn't much more to say. The hole in the skyline is still there. And so is the one in our hearts.

My 9/11 Remembrance

You had to be there to understand. 9/12/01. The stench of burning jet fuel, plastic, paper, and human beings wafted over the City. Every rear car window and front door sported an American flag poster, as did fences around schools, churches, security grates on storefronts.

Everyone waited patiently in security checkpoint lines at the bridges and tunnels. No bosses said a word if you were late for work. No horns, no reckless driving-there wasn't anyplace that seemed important enough to hurry to anymore.

The sounds of commercial jets had been replaced by F-16's flying over the City at regular intervals. The wail of sirens sent people into fits of tears, and there was always someone, often a stranger, there to comfort them, help them.

Candles started appearing at dusk. In windows, on front porches. In my Queens neighborhood, people were spontaneously drawn, carrying anything they could find with a light source, to an impromptu march down the main drag, Bell Boulevard, led by a fire truck, a parish priest from Sacred Heart Parish about to be recalled to active duty, and exhausted police officers and firefighters. We lined the sidewalks, waving flags, burning our fingers, holding hands, singing God Bless America.

I didn't think to take a camera to record it. I was too busy comforting a bereft friend and my kids, barely restraining my own emotions after the horror of the previous day.

A whole block of parking meters was adorned with votives, flames dancing in the warm breeze. While the fires raged downtown and frantic rescue efforts were underway, candle wax dripped over glass and metal onto the concrete sidewalks while viewfinders flashed "time expired."

I could never re-create that moment, and the feeling of comfort those flickering points of light in the darkness inspired in me, and no doubt many others.

Before the old-fashioned parking meters disappeared, to be replaced by muni-meter boxes that issue tickets for your car window, I immortalized a few as a reminder of that moment in time.

There is still a big empty pit at Ground Zero. The smell is long gone, but every time I look into that hole filled with construction activity, surrounded by a chain link fence, the memory of the stench returns, I gag. My heart still races when I hear a siren in the night, a low flying jet screams over my house, or a helicopter hovers with beacons flashing, looking for someone or something.

I will never forget the routine morning that turned into one of the most horrible I ever experienced, making me wonder how people in Israel, Gaza, and other war-ravaged nations survive.

I will never forget The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the lowly parking meter, forever linked in my memory.

My Kayaking Cape Cod Article Series

2010-08-16T08:08:00.003-04:00

Here's what I've done on my summer vacation:

The third installment of my Kayaking Cape Cod Series has been posted, and there are three more to come.

Plus, I've now got a Facebook Fan Page where I've posted more pictures, plus all my book covers and writing related news.

The links to the articles are on my Facebook wall, but here are they are in case you want to go there direct.

The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

Kayaking the Salt Marshes in Cape Cod

Beach to Beach Kayaking in Brewster Massachusetts

I'd love it if you'd leave a comment (so would the editor)

Coming up:

Kayaking the Kettle Ponds, Brewster Massachusetts
Kayaking the Bass River, Dennis Massachusetts
Kayaking Salt Pond to Nauset Marsh, Eastham, Massachusetts

Big bonus: I just got back from a trip up the California Coast from LA to San Francisco. Wait until you see read the account of my kayak tour on Monterey Bay and see the pictures of the sea lions and otters up close! Stay tuned for more details.

A Review of Miss Foster's Folly by Alice Gaines

2010-07-06T22:36:00.001-04:00

Manhattan, July 2010

Carole Ann Moleti is baking in the Big Apple, where the temperature today reached 101ºF in Central Park. The thermostat in her car read 105ºF. Rumor has it that it could be as high as 120º on a subway platform, but she was not about to go down there to check it out.

Sure it gets hotter in places like Las Vegas and Death Valley, but its dry heat—right? Here the humidity closes in around you like a shroud, making it hard to breath, to think, to do much of anything.

Carole's suggestions to beat the heat: Sit in a pool, or in your bathtub, or in your air conditioned apartment and read Alice Gaines' latest novel, Miss Foster's Folly, a recent release from Carina Press.

Warning, it's as hot as New York City on July 6 2010, but Alice's silky smooth prose will soothe the burn.

Manhattan, 1886

Juliet Foster has just become the wealthiest spinster in town. Her domineering and thoroughly unpleasant father has died and left her millions. She's free to be her own woman and seek a life of adventure.

David Winslow, Marquess of Derrington, is in search of a wife who can break the Winslow Curse. Every second-generation heir inherits a restless, defiant nature that can only be tamed by a mate as independent and rebellious as himself.

Miss Juliet Foster is perfect and eager for seduction. But when he wants more than a few nights of passion, Juliet runs like the devil's on her heels. Can the marquess convince her that marriage isn't a trap, but the greatest freedom of all?

And so begins Miss Foster's Folly: a rollicking trip across the Atlantic through the English countryside. Along the way, the reader meets a gaggle of quirky noblemen and women, including David's grandmother, Lady Harriet Winslow, the Dowager Marchioness of Derrington who redefines the meaning of a little old lady.

"I understand perfectly well. I was the same as you. I resisted with all my might until I finally didn’t want to fight any longer,” Lady Derrington said. “You wouldn’t believe how my Hugh finally convinced me.”

“I don’t think I want to know.”

“Let’s just say that feathers can be instruments of torture, and silk ties leave no marks.” Lady Derrington circled her wrist with the fingers of her other hand. “After that, we were inseparable for the rest of our lives.”

Juliet did her best to keep her expression bland, but from the smile of victory in the other woman’s eyes, she hadn’t managed completely. Feathers and silk bonds, oh dear.

And Juliet herself is no romantic, determined to get her way and spoil the Marquis' fun. Here's one of the PG-13 scenes, when Juliet decides to show off her knowledge of orchids while on a tour of a conservatory:

“You see, orchids like this one grow on trees. People think they’re parasites, but they actually only use the branches for support.

Derrington relaxed a bit, his shoulders lowering slowly to their normal position.

“Instead of fibrous roots, like most plants have, orchids have thick, fleshy ones,” she went on. “With tips that extend past their absorbent coating.”

Millie pried her way through the group until she’d reached Juliet’s side. “I don’t think our hosts really want a lecture in botany.”

“I do,” Blandings said. This time, Derrington glared at him.

"What?” Blandings sputtered. “What did I say?”

She pointed toward the beginning of a root appearing from the base of the plant in Derrington’s hand. “This little protuberance, for example.”

Anger flashed in Derrington’s eyes as he dared her with his expression to continue. Fine. She liked dares.

“It’s small now,” she said. “But soon, it’ll elongate and thicken.”

Lady Mitford laughed in earnest this time. Lord Mitford covered his mouth and coughed, but he couldn’t cover his mirth completely.

Juliet glanced toward the bench. “Oh, look. This plant’s root has grown so far it’s plunged deep into its neighbor’s pot.”

Millie stood close enough to touch her without the others seeing, and she reached out and pinched Juliet in the ribs. Hard.

Juliet smiled back at her for a moment and then turned to Derrington. She took the plant from his hand and held it up nearly under his nose. “But the most remarkable thing about this flower is this structure.” She trailed a fingertip along the blossom’s column in a slow caress. “It holds the reproductive organs, both male and female.”

For just a moment, she could have sworn she could hear Derrington’s teeth grinding. “And behind this cap on the head. Ah, yes, here.” She ran her fingernail along the underside of the column up to the anther cap. When she removed it, the pollinia came away stuck to her skin. “See, two little nubbins of pollen.”

Derrington’s face turned three shades of red, but he kept his features even. He took the plant back and held it out toward Lady Mitford. “Would you hold this, please?”

She took it from him. “Certainly.”

He grasped Juliet’s elbow, using as much or more force as he had the night of the ball. “Excuse us for a moment.”

Miss Foster's Folly is totally Victorian, and a hilarious, sexy read that will have you laughing your butt off and reaching for your marquis or marchioness.

Play Together, Stay Together in the Great Outdoors

2010-06-23T10:19:00.002-04:00

I was away for my yearly vacation on the Cape, doing, ahem, research for my Kayaking on Cape Cod blog article series. If all work could be this fun...

The first installment Play Together, Stay Together in the Great Outdoors is posted and there are five more to come. I've been practicing what I preach.

The heat has threatened to melt my brain but since I got back there has been significant progress on my new novel. Look for a full update in the next week, once I get all links together.
Finally, my website is down for maintenance this week, so if you're looking for me rest assured I have not disappeared. You can always reach me here.

I'm Back!

2010-06-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

I can't remember exactly when I fell into the black hole, but seem to recall it was sometime late last summer.

A victim of my own success, covering Worldcon and being away for eleven days last August, really set me back on writing activities. I had four nonfiction pieces come out between September and November, and a piece of fiction in January so my focus was on promotion and meeting deadlines for reviews and freelance assignments, not doing what I wanted to which was write some new fiction.

My job responsibilities and family demands and some bad stuff like dealing with my parents' health problems, have been a steady drain on my time and energy since last September.

It's taken me nearly a year to revise a paranormal novella and my novel Unfinished Business, and get the jump start the stalled process of selling them. I recently sent the full manuscripts for both to publishers that requested them (bites nails) and frankly, I'm very glad that I don't have to look at them for a while. The stories are solid, and I'm proud of them, but I need a change.

I've begun work on The Widow's Walk, a sequel to Unfinished Business, and since I know the characters so well, they're spilling their guts. I'm also doing some research to flesh out the plot of my urban fantasy Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams, which I'm really excited about since it's so different than the paranormal romances.

I'm celebrating the five-year anniversary of my entrée into creative writing, and the four year anniversary of Specfictionfledglings, a Yahoo group formed by myself and several other workshop buddies. It's been such a delight to see folks who, like me, started at the beginning are now writing (and publishing) such diverse works as novels, short stories, graphic novels, and screenplays. Where else could I find people debating how and when bananas were cultivated in the Caribbean? How's that for fact checking?

And I can't be more thankful for groups like Professional Authors and its many spin-offs, all moderated by Rayne Hall, and the Anticiworkshop (born after Worldcon) where I've gotten super-solid help with all my works in progress. Special shout outs to Rayne and Barbara G. whose detailed critiques and background knowledge on a vast number of subjects helped immeasurably with both works. Oliver helped me sink the boat, and when Alice, who's a pro romance writer, says she likes something--wow, what a boost.

Right now, I'm shell shocked, wandering around the house looking for this big monkey that's been hanging on my back. It's going to take me some time to get back into the writing mode--but I'm really looking forward to it.

No reviews this month and my report on the Fantastic Fiction readings for June are at:

http://www.caroleannmoleti.com/forum.html#bn-forum-1-1-4113162193/6990

Coming soon:
A review of Alice Gaines newest novel Miss Foster's Folly--just released by Carina Press. I give it a five star rating for delicious, Victorian humor. Five flame warning for the less adventurous reader.

I've Been Abducted by Aliens

2010-05-16T08:12:00.000-04:00

I decided to post a quick post explanation for my absence from crit circles and social networking. Actually, my absence from anything but my office, car, or kitchen.

Alien being, in the form of teenagers, have sucked me into their world and are holding me hostage. My own two teenagers (and all their associated drama including mischief, college selection/auditions, sports, birthdays, school events, concerts…) plus the 1000 or so entrusted to me in the school based health center I staff in a New York City public high school (lots of mischief and mayhem, asthma and viruses, but thankfully no swine flu this year).

Any spare time, and it isn't much, has been spent on another revision of Unfinished Business, based up comments I got from an editor at Anticipation last year, as well as some superb crit partners helping me re-work the opening. I'm up to Chapter 36 of 42 and on target for another round of submissions by June 1. But if I don't stay focused and off the Internet, that rather unpalatable task will never get done.

Except for some contracted assignments and reviews already promised, I will not be doing new writing, marketing, critting, or subbing until the end of the school year on June 30. Haven't made it to Fantastic Fiction since February, and May doesn't look good with a 6 p.m. ball game scheduled.

Here's what has been published over the last month or so:

Reviews:

Tails of Wonder and Imagination, edited by Ellen Datlow

http://www.tangentonline.com/print--other-reviewsmenu-263/anthologies-reviewsmenu-107/1335-tails-of-wonder-and-imagination

Articles: "What Not to Drink When Kayaking"

http://www.inflatablekayakblog.com/general-subjects/811-what-not-to-drink-when-kayaking/

Fiction:

An excerpt of Unfinished Business that really did have a kayak in it before this gig (not an inflatable with the buy link embedded) but this is ad copy after all.

http://www.inflatablekayakblog.com/adventures/842-paines-creek-a-fictional-kayak-story/

Time to make my captors breakfast and get going on today's activities.

Women's Fiction, Romance and Erotica

2010-04-14T18:02:00.001-04:00

I've just done a guest spot on Rachel Brimble's blog, and there is quite a discusion going. I thought some of my friends on LJ might be interested.

I'm talking about the derision romance and erotica writers experience, and pose an interesting question: Why do we call it "women's fiction" when the majority of readers are women.

Join us as I list some of my all time favorite chicklit/romance/erotica stories, some relevant nonfiction, and reviews I've done for The Fix and Tangent Online, including that of Best Fantastic Erotica edited by Cecilia Tan. Included in that list are three male authors, two of whom were Hugo nominated for their stories, one of whom won the award in 2007. One is chick lit, the other paranormal romance. Hop on over to Rachel's blog and join the discussion.
Carole Ann Moleti probes a little deeper into "Women's Fiction"

Of Back Rooms, Back Alleys, Clowns, Roulette, Magic Mirrors and Viagra

2010-03-27T09:02:00.000-04:00

The passage of Health Care Deform, as I call it, isn't really writing related, but since my memoir Someday I'm Going To Write a Book just gained another chapter, I decided to post a teaser on my writing blog.

Here's just one of the recent up to the minute reports on the political roulette wheel:

By 57-42, Democrats rejected an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., barring federal purchases of Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders. Coburn said it would save millions, while Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., called it "a crass political stunt."

Hold that thought.

I don't think I'm the only one baffled, bamboozled, and disgusted with the carnival known as health care reform. Back room deals, under the table nudges, and whispered expletives have exposed the true reflection of our President and Vice-President, Senators, and Representatives. Magic mirrors fill the Fun House of Representatives and they’ve relied on dizzying spins to gain political advantage.

Read More:

http://cmoleticnm.blogspot.com/2010/03/of-back-rooms-back-alleys-clowns.html

Frances Pauli on Electronic Publishing-And Her New Release

2010-03-19T03:30:00.000-04:00

Science fiction romance. It's not just space opera. Author Frances Pauli stopped by to visit me today with news of her new release Roarke, just published by Divine Destinies.

They have to be lying when they tell her she was dead. With no memory of her past, and no idea who she actually is, Nora has few options. Alone, and at the mercy of the Mercenary Defense Conglomerate, she searches for clues into her past, and the truth about her supposed demise.

If she is a prisoner, robbed of memory and held against her will, then she must trust no one. If she has, in fact, returned from the dead, then who could possibly help her? Armed with only her wits and her inexplicably sharpened senses, she is forced to play along, to search for the holes in their story, and to piece together the flashes of memory that serve only to taunt her.

But the visions seem to confirm the impossible. The man who is supposed to be her fiancé seems bent on confusing her, and the one person she is desperate to be near may very well be responsible for her death. If the silent Roarke is her enemy, why do her visions draw her closer to him? And why, when nothing else seems remotely familiar, does Nora find herself remembering, or wanting to remember only him?

Roarke is an e-book. Frances, do you have any thoughts about electronic publishing? I've had both electronic and print publications. While it's nice to hold a book in your hand, I think the electronic versions enable readers to get their hands on stories quickly and easily.

I am an author of electronic books. I also happen to be a reader of, and big believer in e-books. I’ve sold my stories to two different royalty-paying electronic houses, (three imprints) one of which solely deals with electronic formats, and the other which produces both print and electronic books. None of this was easy. Neither was it without risk, though I’m happy to say that the houses my books are contracted with are fantastic, professional and legitimate, and I am thrilled and proud to be involved with both of them.

If you’ve decided to try for electronic publication, or if you’re just considering it as a possibility, you may soon discover that the world of electronic publishing can be complicated, confusing and sometimes misleading. Aside from the wealth of solid, upstanding publishing houses, sharks and scams abound. Unfortunately their prey of choice is the aspiring author.

Anyone looking into electronic print would do well to learn as much as possible about the industry. Learning from other authors and industry professionals isn’t difficult, but it takes time. E-book author groups and guilds, author and publisher blogs and web pages and online articles can not only save you time, but they can save you from making a costly mistake.

While I’m not anywhere near being an expert in the field, I can start you out with a few pointers and some warnings about what to watch out for along the way.

#1 Don’t deal with anyone you haven’t Googled. A simple search of a company’s name saved me from signing with a very shady organization early on. If you get any kind of interest or offer from anyone, just punch them into a search engine of your choice. In my case, the first forty or so entries contained words like: scam, hoax, lawsuit…you get the idea.

#2 The money flows to the author, NOT from the author. If a company, publisher, or agent is asking you to pay for anything, be wary. Most likely this is not a legitimat e-publishing situation. The only time I think industry standard approves of the author paying for anything is in the case of self-publishing. As we’ll see, in that arena, the author pretty much pays for everything.

#3 Learn the difference between POD and Vanity Publishing. The first is a legitimate printing model. The second is usually a way to steal your money. (see number two)
#4 Self published is not a dirty word, but it won’t likely make you rich and famous either. For some books--small run, niche markets, specialty interests—self publishing may be a good idea. However, deciding to self-publish should be an educated and well-understood choice. Self-published doesn’t mean inferior, but it does mean a long, hard and expensive road for the author. While self-publishing an e-book can be done for a lot less money upfront, thanks to a host of online services, there is still an uphill battle to follow. All the marketing, sales, and promotion will be the author’s responsibility. Unfortunately, there is an abiding stigma against self-published books, and the author who chooses this route should be aware of this at the start and willing to face down and deal with a lot of prejudice.
#5 Use the resources available. The Internet is a universe of helpful information. Find Preditors and Editors, Writer’s Beware, and other scam warning sites and monitor them. Find author’s you like and follow their blogs. Do the same thing with publishers. The advice they give may just get your foot in the right door. Look for books with covers you like, with designs and exposure that you’d like to have and then check out who publishes them. Join a lot of groups, forums and boards and listen. Ask questions. Make friends. Perhaps most importantly of all…

#6 Relax and take your time. Don’t rush this process. The author in a hurry is more likely to sign with the first fly-by-night Vanity Publisher that finds them. Don’t think you have to be published any time soon. Enjoy your journey, have fun and take things slow. While you’re waiting—and there will be waiting—write your next book.

In either the electronic or print publishing industry, there is always waiting. Practice patience and persistence (I’m awful at both) and have as much fun as you can along the way. I wish you the best of luck!

About Frances Pauli:

Though she always held aspirations to be a writer, Frances originally chose to pursue a career in visual arts. Her stories, however, had other plans for her. By the time she entered her thirties, they were no longer content existing solely in her head. Compelled to free them, she set aside her easel and began to write in earnest

She currently resides smack in the center of Washington State with her husband and two children. When not writing she dabbles in insane things like puppetry, belly dance and playing the ukulele. She collects rocks, and is a firm believer in good wine, fine chocolate and dangerous men.

Her short fiction has appeared in Alternative Coordinates magazine.

More about Frances and her writing can be found at http://www.blogger.com/her

She offers a free online serial at http://www.blogger.com/free

Respect for the Lion

2010-03-14T13:45:00.001-04:00

We’ve had a real winter here in the Northeast—temperatures appropriate for the time of year and a reasonable amount of snow. Now don’t go all “see, there is no such thing as global warming” on me. We used to get A LOT more snow. I remember the winter of 1993-94 (I had an infant and a toddler and it snowed every Wednesday and the daycare center was closed and it was a real pain since I had to find child care so I could go to work).

And that same year, a huge Noreaster ushered in the winter season on December 10 with one of the worst coastal flooding events in my memory. My childhood home in the Northeast Bronx took a direct hit. The flooding was legendary and the property damage monumental. My parents moved two years later, not willing to take that risk again. If I'm not mistaken, that was also the year we had a major snowfall at Easter, sometime in early April.

Over the weekend, the tristate area was hit with a storm that reached hurricane status, but not one weather forecaster I heard predicted more than heavy rains and gusts. Four inches of wind driven rain and winds as high as 75 mph left trees and tangled umbrellas scattered in the streets like skeletons. Seven people died. Houses are underwater. Thousands have no power. And no one was prepared.

It was much worse that the two most recent super-hyped snowstorms. Even if they had gotten the forecast correct, I am so inured to predictions of disaster and doom I still would have gone to my ballet class. (The studio canceled classes for the almost two feet of snow a couple weeks back but was running full schedule Saturday).

The subways were flooded, rain poured down in buckets onto the platforms and tracks making things uncomfortable, slippery, dangerous, and vulnerable to loss of power. I have never seen such miserable, soaking wet passengers wrapped in garbage bags and slickers, dripping all over the floors, seats and each other. Good thing I could change clothes and leave them hanging to dry out while in class, but I was just as wet by the time I got home. At one point my umbrella wrapped around my head as I struggled against a gust that pushed me backwards. RIP to that one.

The drive home over the Throggs Neck Bridge was simultaneously frightening and gorgeous. Winds pushed cars out of their lanes, rain blew sideways like fine snowflakes, a dense fog swirled around the towers and decorative lacing. Whitecaps frothed near the tops of seawalls along the shore, battering the homes and the ramparts at Fort Schuyler and the Maritime College. I wonder if it was even high tide.
No doubt, if it was a weekday school would have been in session, even though the risk to kids from falling trees and power lines was much greater than during the eight inch snowstorm a month ago for which they canceled flights and schools a day in advance. That storm never reached its full potential, and the next day was even more dangerous due to icing, falling trees and slippery roads but schools were open.

Schools weren’t closed until the last minute on the day of our two foot snowfall on February 25-26, even though the winds were howling all night and drifts piled up against everyone’s doorways. King Bloomberg felt the kids needed to be in school and could take vacations when they got older. (Read: the kids need to be in school because the City of New York only gets money from the State for days when school is in session, even if no one, including the teachers, show up).

Only reason convinced him otherwise. Any sane person just had to look out the window and know not to send kids on school buses. I peeked out at the 5 a.m. alarm and decided no matter what, it was a snow day for us. And I should have stayed home yesterday, for both my own comfort and safety. I'm still chilled and achy after being drenched and marinated twice in ice cold water.

Family obligations compelled us to drive to Ithaca as the monster storm wound down on February 26, so we braved it. The roads were clear and the worst was over by afternoon, but it snowed all weekend in upstate New York. Belleayre Mountain in the Catskills got five feet.

As you can see from his picture, the summit lodge is covered. Outdoor picnic tables are invisible on the back deck overlooking Cathedral Brook Glades. But was the skiing awesome when we got there on March 7? Hell yeah, the most glorious snow I've skied in a long time complete with 40 degree temperatures and outdoor barbecues.

Unfortunately I can only describe the picture around town right now as streets filled with huge puddles, killer potholes, scattered tree limbs and soggy garbage, all dressed by a light drizzle.

I love the outdoors, but I have both reverence and respect for Mother Nature. We would all do well to set our priorities and respect the power and danger of weather, while at the same time not exploiting or becoming enslaved by it. And the media should stop making storms into news items with roving reporters and hyperbole, and give people the information they need to stay out of harm's way.

Movie Review-Alice In Wonderland

2010-03-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

I saw Alice in Wonderland last night and was blown away. If it wasn’t for my daughter pleading to go, I would have begged off. Tim Burton isn’t my favorite director-his stuff is too creepy and weird for me.

The screenplay was flawless-even to me who has only minimal knowledge of how screenplays are written. By engineering Alice as young adult, drawn back to Wonderland to complete a predestined quest, and linking that metaphorically to her life as a young woman in eighteenth century England, Burton put in a lovely twist which took this out of the fairytale realm and made a heroine worthy of Joan of Arc status.

I am continually amazed by the range of Burton’s wife, Helena Bonham Carter. Though I prefer to immortalize her as Lucy Honeychurch in the sumptuous Merchant-Ivory production of E M Forester’s Room With A View (one of my all-time favorite movies), Ms. Carter does bad sooooo good. The Red Queen was both dastardly and amusing in her absurdity, nothing like her role as the elegantly evil Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter flicks-but she deserves credit for allowing them to make her up to look like such a caricature as well as for her skill. All the acting was great, and the special effects classic Burton creepy (my daughter’s words, not mine) but stunning.

Let It Snow!

2010-02-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

Yet another winter storm is bearing down on the Northeast. I went skiing last weekend and hope to get more in next Sunday. The Olympics have me psyched for the challenge, though it won’t be along the lines of downhill racing. I just have to survive getting the kids there and up and down the mountain, and back home.

I think a weekly snowstorm is just grand-it is supposed to be cold in the winter-and my whole family has enjoyed snow days. We’ve sledded, cross country skied down the city streets, built a snow fort and a snowman, and savored the beauty of snow laden pine trees on a stormy morning.

I’ve got two new novel projects in progress, one further along than the other, but it’s been fun starting something fresh.

Marketing my other novel, memoir, and a few shorts is a time consuming black hole which I fell into about two years ago and have just emerged from. There were a breaths of fresh air along the way with lots of nonfiction publications and one piece of fiction released in January with reviewers asking to "see more from this author."

Two other pieces of fiction are under serious consideration with independent publishers.While I’m not giving up the agent search, it seems ridiculous to not query those who will accept unagented submissions. I'd love an agent, but not at the expense of never seeing my work in print because it "doesn't fit my list."

I’m doing anthology and collection reviews now for Tangent and the reading has been challenging but worthwhile. Check out my latest two reviews: Ars Memoraie by Beth Bernobich (alternate history/steampunk)and Slightly Behind and to the Left by Claire Light (hardcore feminist sci fi, for those willing to work a bit). I’m now working on Tails of Wonder edited by Ellen Datlow. Sneak preview: missed a subway stopped while engrossed in story # 3.

http://www.tangentonline.com/index.php/print--other-reviewsmenu-263/novellas-chapbooks-misc-reviewsmenu-338

To discuss or quibble about reviews or to find out more about my literary adventures, including the Fantastic Fiction reading series in New York City hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matt Kressel, please stop by my website forums:

http://www.caroleannmoleti.com/forum.html#bn-forum-1-1-4113162193/6990

Keep up with postings, new projects, publications, where I’ve been and where I’m going:

http://twitter.com/Cmoleti

For my take on health care reform/politics/women’s and children’s health:

http://cmoleticnm.blogspot.com/

I'm also on Facebook (more pictures!)

http://facebook.com/Cmoleti

Almost Caught Up

2010-01-31T16:49:00.000-05:00

This week, the NYC High Schools were giving Regents exams so I was "off." On Monday, I reviewed 70 charts for quality assurance. Rather tedious. Tuesday I had a training in Manhattan all day.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday, my "vacation" days getting proposals out for the memoir. Exhausting since it's a 60 page document and they all want different formats. Three agents only take hard copy, one wanted clips and a photo as well. Not very green-including two trips to the post office.

Friday I did a Basic Life Support refresher (not related to the aggravating submissions but rather a job requirement). I am SORE from all that CPR! In the afternoon, I finally finished the required online Electronic Fetal Monitoring Course. Got six hours of continuing education credit but it took me nearly ten including studying. Then I went to Maya's school for the Blood Drive and rolled up my sleeve.

The best part of the week was a date with my husband Friday night. We saw "It's Complicated." ROTFLMAO! I really needed that.

Saturday I cleaned the house (which after months of re-organization is on the cusp of being under control), unstopped two toilets, did five loads of laundry and went grocery shopping. I wonder why I didn't feel like doing novel revisions.

But I made myself sit down and made very good progress. The revised opening held up, getting only a few characterization tweaks. The EDITS system markup on chapters 4-7 and the changes I'd put in were surprisingly good.

Today I finished up some crits I owed, made a dent in my marketing tasks, and prepped two things for workshop submissions later in the week. Tonight I hope to polish off the EDITS on Chapters 8-17 of the novel. A big chunk, but if yesterday's experience is repeated, I can do it. That will get me almost half way through this pass (and the latter half is in much better shape). Once I finish this I can focus on new writing.

I didn't get to dance classes this weekend, and I've given up on two long languishing features now that my major market IROSF has dried up. It's hard for me to admit defeat, but I just can't do it all.

2010-01-18T11:13:00.000-05:00

During the holiday season, deep in edits and marketing my recent publications, I was also struggling to keep up with fast breaking news and political action as the health care reform bill went to the Senate.

I had to drastically cut back all social networking to stay on top of what needed to be done and expected things would calm down, but they haven't. In order to tick off the many things on my "to do" list, I am staying on task and off-line as much as I can.

But, I have been working. Several submissions, queries, pitches have gone out. I'm now back at Tangent Online (since The Fix went on hiatus) and working on reviews of a novella and three collections. The saddening news that The Internet Review of Science Fiction is ceasing publication after the February issue is another indicator of how difficult things are in the publishing business, and I am scrambling to find new markets who pay me at least something for the incredible amounts of time I invest in preparing reviews, criticism, and features of interest to readers in the speculative genres.

Aside from a few short nonfiction pieces, most of my new writing has been empassioned letters to my Senators and Representatives pleading for them to do the right thing regarding the poor excuse for health care reform limping toward the finish line. These quotes, from a January 11 article in The New York Times, pretty much sum up the way a lot of us feel:

Ron Vaughn who provides health insurance to his 60 employees at Argonaut Wine and Liquor in Denver.

"I’m a middle-of-the-road kind of guy. I want the Democrats out of my pocket and Republicans out of my bedroom. The one word I would use for what’s going on in Washington is embarrassing."

James W. Noon, who runs a packaging supply business here, said he was irked to see Senate leaders secure votes by promising extra Medicaid money to Nebraska and Louisiana. “Don’t they realize how dumb that looks?” said Mr. Noon, a Republican.

Michael R. Stone, a private investigator who describes himself as a political independent, was bothered by those deals, too. “President Obama campaigned on a promise to change the way things are done in Washington,” Mr. Stone said. “But it seems like business as usual to me."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/health/policy/11health.html?th&emc=th

Anyone interested in more, check out my professional blogs:

http://cmoleticnm.blogspot.com

http://cmoleti-cnm.livejournal.com/

Having pretty much given up on health care reform efforts out of sheer disgust, I've been making good progress. Then yesterday morning, while answering email, a virus invaded my computer. This porn site took over Internet Explorer and I started getting multiple messages, disguised as Microsoft Word, telling me to click here to allow a virus removal program to run. I played a game of "whack a mole," turning off the rapid succession of pop-ups, which got more rapid as time went on.

Thanks to the fact I was sitting there when it happened, and to my quick thinking husband who responded to my distress call, turned off the wireless router and then got Malware to run before it was hijacked, the four offending files were sequestered and deleted. I've been using another computer since 11 am, since we then had to run full scans on three different anti-virus/ anti-malware programs. Now, I can't connect to the Internet on that computer. But all my files are safe (I back them up every night on Mozy anyway) and I have almost everything on a flash drive as well. So, if I owe you a crit or something else, please be patient.

Things have been very crazy for me since late summer. Since then I've only been able to read about one-third through Neal Stephenson's Anathem and feel like I will never finish it. Like a metaphor for my life, I'm trapped in a world I don't quite get. I've read Acacia (Durham), Thunderer, (Gilman) and A Short History of Women (Walbert) in the interim, so it isn't the page count, but rather the dense plot and ponderous pace.

I am a fast reader, and uber organized, and so this inertia and chaos is very unsettling. But I've succeeded at doing what I do for a long time, so I have hope that, by the beginning of February to have the backlog of revision and marketing work done and get back to writing NEW material. And reading something else.

I'm trying out a new Bravenet Forum on my webpage. Join me to discuss any of those works of fiction under the tab Fantastic Fiction. David Anthony Durham and Lev Grossman will be there on January 20.

http://www.caroleannmoleti.com/forum.html#bn-forum-1-1-4113162193/6990

Finally, all this aggravation is nothing compared to what the Haitian people are going through right now. if you haven't already given a donation to help the earthquake victims, might I suggest Doctors Without Borders? I have an acquaintance who works for them, and I'm sure she's on her way if not already there. They have an established hospital in Port Au Prince, which I've heard was destroyed, but they are working under makeshift conditions. I'm sure there are a lot of places to donate, but here's an easy link.

https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197&hbc=1&source=AZE1001D1001

"Everything Must Go," Oasis Journal 2009 Contest Winner-Best Nonfiction

2009-12-10T18:01:00.000-05:00

I wrote this essay never intending it to be a part of Someday I'm Going to Write a Book.

It's a very personal story about the divorce from my childhood sweetheart and the aftermath-which is a big deal in an Italian Catholic family whose elders stayed married,some for more than fifty years until death they did part.

So how did it wind up in Someday, subtitled Diary of an Urban Missionary? Well, during the writing process my readers kept telling me to include more about myself to give a better context to the patient related stories I was telling. Otherwise it made my prose feel like a case study rather than a heartfelt examination with a connection to universal experience.

In more simple words, I was above it all looking down instead of immersed and invested emotionally in my experiences. Professional distance is critical in clinical practice, but this memoir isn't a lecture.

When I looked back at the "Everything Must Go," I realized the inciting incident did not only end my marriage. It killed my innocence, my invincibility, my youthful bravado, the illusion that I was above all the misery I had borne witness to. It also coincided with very significant events in my career and propelled me in a new direction. But most of all, the depression and the process of recovery gave me critical insight into what it's like for people being tossed about in a storm they just happened into-and how to better help them pull out of it.

So, in "Everything Must Go" I acknowlege the enduring effect of families on everyone's life, pay tribute to the very special people who had a major impact on my life and career--my ex-husband, whose love, support and generosity made it possible for me to achieve what I have today, his mom and dad, his sisters and their husbands. Even though I am no longer a part of the family, they remain a part of me.

And special thanks to my current husband, who accepted me with all that baggage and continues to this day to be by my side as I struggle to carry it all.

Winning Oasis Journal's prize for best nonfiction for this excerpt has affirmed that it speaks to the universal experience and does indeed belong in Someday I'm Going to Write a Book: The Diary of an Urban Missionary.

Enjoy!

I’d driven by the house on my way to work, almost everyday, for the last eighteen years. Until I saw the sign, it was easy to deny how much time had passed since the gate creaked open and I meandered past the immaculate garden, up the long driveway, through the back door, and into the cozy kitchen with pots simmering on the stove. I can still smell garlic in the meatballs, and the bittersweet tang of stuffed cabbage and sauerkraut balls. The cat would brush against my ankles while the dog's tail beat a welcome across my legs.

The dining room hosted Thanksgiving feasts of turkey, bread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes and peas—but only after the lasagna. On Christmas mornings, we crowded into the living room and plunked onto bulky chestnut colonial furniture upholstered in trendy orange and brown. A fire flickered, stockings hung from the mantelpiece. Pale winter sunlight filtered through ivory lace curtains, glinting off the dark wood paneling and polished hardwood floors.

The tree was surrounded by more presents than one could ever imagine for three teenage children and their assorted boyfriends and girlfriends. The cat and dog ran rampant through discarded wrapping paper. There was always My-T-Fine chocolate pudding for dessert, with Saran wrap on the top to prevent the skin from forming.

More love to go around than the average family, and you could feel it the minute you walked in the door to hugs, cries of welcome, and fights. Was it really over?

* * *

I married into the family in 1979, but was welcomed in many years before that. We met when Michael was a seventeen-year-old star shortstop, and I was a fourteen-year-old Little League groupie.

Like most love struck teenagers, we vowed to stay together forever and went steady for eight years before finally getting married. He encouraged me as I pursued the career I so desperately wanted, and had faith that I was going to be the best nurse ever. I knew he would succeed in business and finance. We stayed married long enough to graduate college, land good jobs and buy not just one house, but also a vacation getaway in Vermont.

©Carole Ann Moleti, 2009. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Oasis Journal 2009:

An Interview with Andrew Richardson, Author of "The Shoot"

2009-12-01T18:07:00.000-05:00

I’ve invited Andrew Richardson back again to talk about his latest release—"The Shoot"-- coming out on December 7 from Eternal Press.

About a year ago, I reviewed Best Fantastic Erotica (Circlet Press), edited by Cecilia Tan, for The Fix. Not all the stories were to my liking, but I was impressed by the number of feminist stories therein.

"The Shoot" holds its own amongst them, and I mean that in a very positive way: stories that celebrate the things that make being female special, not the least of which is the friendship and the solidarity with and understanding of other women.

A naïve woman learns some lessons in love.

Kath Mahoney only attends her friend’s first glamour photo shoot because Pippa needs someone to drive her there. Kath expects to find the day boring, but her interest is stirred when the photographer, Rob, turns out to be a sexy, blonde, former model called Robyn.

Andrew, this story is a big departure from the supernatural horror you normally write. Not only is it mainstream, it's erotic women's fiction. You've always impressed me with your ability to write from the female point of view, but this story tested that to the highest degree since it involves a F/F love scene. Do you find it difficult to write from the female viewpoint?

I’ve never found using a female viewpoint difficult – or, at least, I find it less difficult than using a male viewpoint. I’m not a great fan of strong lead characters, who are often also loud, arrogant and generally obnoxious (am I the only one who watched Alien and was begging the monster to get Ripley?). It’s probably a highly sexist thing to say, but readers will probably let you get away with your hero being a bit more quiet and thoughtful if she’s a she. That’s nearer my personality too, so I find it easier to write, which is probably why I’m happy to use the female viewpoint.

And I didn’t find the female-female love scene more difficult than a male-female encounter from the physical or emotional side of things. The main challenge was the practical one of having to use words like ‘she’ or ‘hers’ sparingly so people don’t get confused about which character is being referred to – which is obviously not a problem in male-female scenes.

Hmm, sounds like that getting in touch with your animus/animae thing a al Karl Jung. No matter, it works. You've often said you dislike writing sex scenes but you're so good at it. Do the characters tell you where the story is supposed to go or does it spring from the plot?

Yes, I do dislike writing sex scenes, and if you think I’m good at it, then that’s a complement and a relief. Sex scenes need a different technique than the horror genre I’m used to dealing with, and I do find writing erotic pieces hard work. In general, my stories are very much plot driven. I usually start with a plot outline, and mould the characters around the story’s needs. I do think that characters are one of the joys of writing, though, and the way they act and interact is very much down to them. I particularly enjoy taking characters aside and giving them sub-plots that rely on their personalities.

I know, because I read them both, that the characters in "The Shoot" are the same as those in The Wood, your novel released last spring by Eternal Press. What nudged you in the direction of writing this latest story which is a prequel of sorts?

"The Shoot" started off as a flashback scene within The Wood – it was one of the asides I enjoy that I mentioned just now. It didn’t really work as part of The Wood, though, but I did think it had possibilities. I gave it the tweaks it needed to make it a stand-alone piece, and I’m delighted that Eternal Press liked it.

Do you plan to write more stories like this--mainstream or F/F erotic fiction? Have you considered other subgenres of erotica, or does it all depend upon what inspiration strikes you at any given moment?

I’m not seriously planning any more erotica –"The Shoot" became a stand-alone almost by accident! I don’t read much erotica (actually, make that zero!) so I don’t know very much about the genre. I’ve got a few story ideas but they’re not likely to get written as I’ve no way of judging whether even the basic plot outlines are viable. I got quite a bit of help with "The Shoot" – many thanks to fellow Eternal press author Gianna Bruno who gave loads of advice on writing erotica (Gianna’s "Hot Chocolate Kiss" is due out in January).

I know you have a special love of Celtic legend and most of your novels rely heavily on it. What other interests inform your writing? Who are some other writers whose work influences yours?

I loved having books and films push me to the boundaries of comfort as a child, and that gently led me down the route toward horror. History is another passion, so I suppose it’s not surprising that most of my work is historical horror. I studied the Celts at university, so I’m writing what I know.

My main influence is Richard Laymon, who I think is (or, sadly, was – R.I.P.) truly a genius. He has a sparse style, but you still feel you know his characters after only a couple of sentences. He took a lot of risks, and reading him gave me the confidence to try to push boundaries myself. One of my proudest moments as a writer was visiting the forum at "Horror Writers UK" http://horrorwriters.net/ and seeing The Wood discussed in a thread on the same page as Laymon’s work.

Can you tell us about your current works in progress?

I’ve got irons in a few fires at the moment. My favourite is a novel I’ve just finished, set in post-Roman North Wales. It was hard work as it is primarily fantasy, which was challenging but fun because like "The Shoot" it’s taken me
away from my comfort zone. I’m also working on a slasher set in a medieval Scottish castle – anyone who saw the film Highlander will recognise the keep I’m using for a basis. But I am missing ‘doing’ Celtic myth and I keep being tempted away from my works in progress to revisit legend-based Fomorians, who seem to have made an impression with The Wood’s readers!

Writing out of your comfort zone is good. You taught me that. And, yes those Fomorians. They wreak quite a bit of havoc in The Wood. Where can readers connect with you, and how can they order a copy of "The Shoot" and/or The Wood?

"The Shoot" and The Wood are both available from Eternal Press - http://www.eternalpress.ca/Richardson.html - and from Amazon.

My web site and blog are at:

http://ajrichardson.tripod.com/
http://andrewjrichardson.blogspot.com/

Before signing off I’d like to thank you for having me, and also acknowledge those people who’ve helped me get two novels published. My name may be the one on the covers, but I have had so much help from a lot of people.

I’m very grateful to the people at Eternal Press, and to Dark Realm Press who published my first novel. In addition, a lot of people have looked at drafts and helped with technique, or with encouragement when writer’s block has struck. This includes you, Carole, of course, and Phil, who is an established author with Black Horse Westerns.

You’re quite welcome, Andrew. I really love this story and think a lot of readers will too. It’s always a pleasure to trade critiques with you, and I’ve also learned a lot from your insights.

Welcome to my newest blog!

2009-11-27T21:41:00.000-05:00

Some of you might already know me from the old Yahoo 360 or Livejournal. Since Yahoo 360 went away, I've been looking for a site that is more user friendly with a broader audience and eventually will reserve the Livejournal blog for purely writing related activities. Trouble is, I write about health care, politics, and current events as well as fiction, so it gets mixed up far too often.

Anyway, here I am. I'll be working on setting up all the links on this page but for now the best place to find out all the dirt about me is my website.

http://caroleannmoleti.com/

You can also read my blog devoted to professional issues at
http://cmoleti-cnm.livejournal.com/ or my so-called writing related blog at http://caroleannmoleti.livejournal.com/

I'm on Twitter and Facebook as well and do not flood either with details about what I eat for lunch everyday or all the terrible things my kids are up to. I save that for the blogs.

http://twitter.com/CMoleti
http://www.facebook.com/cmoleti

Now that you have far too much information already, here's my first post on Blogger.

"When you're up to your ass in alligators it's hard to remember your mission was to drain the swamp." Not sure who said that originally, but I clearly remember the cartoon hanging over a co-worker's desk a number of years back.

Life has been snapping at my rear, but I've beeb biting back. For the last three weeks I've been preoccupied with health care reform to the exclusion of almost everything else. Unfortunately, no I'm no longer wholeheartedly in favor of it due to the unfortunate decision made by House Democrats to allow the Stupak amendment to pass, effectively making being female a pre-existing condition. It just got worse, and more confusing, as the US Preventative Services Task Force issued their flawed report on mammograms, then ACOG issued new guidelines about changes in screening for cervical cancer.

In addition to answering questions from patients and debate about the new proposals and guidelines with my colleagues, I've summarized my thoughts on the subject on my Livejournal professional blog.

This week I wrote to my Senators and Congressman, sent an op-ed for The New York Times (they didn’t want it) and then a letter to the editor sounding the alarm about the ridiculous conclusions made by Dr. Phillip Levine in his New York Times Op-Ed on 11/25.

Honestly, this is not sour grapes but wasn't there anyone else who submitted an Op-Ed piece on the subject of women's reproductive health care with more knowledge and expertise than an economist? They could have printed mine instead of subjecting us to Levine's misogynist platitudes.

Never mind, but this kind of writing isn't fun for me and takes huge amounts of time to refine and edit. And I can't post any of it here since I'm submitting to other publications. But rest assured, I am not being quiet and well-behaved.

I haven't had time to post an excerpt of "The Dance Class" as promised. I'd also hoped to post an excerpt of "'Tis the Season" to kick off the shopping season but it will be done in time for Christmas.

Today I had a day off (yeah!) and began with a piece of lemon meringue pie and coffee while catching up on email and correspondence. Disgusted with myself, I raked leaves till I broke a sweat, then had a turkey sandwich with stuffing and mayo before I went to a much needed yoga class.

It got really cold this afternoon, and I had a blister on my finger already so the rest of the leaves had to wait. I popped a turkey in the oven and had coffee and a piece of pecan pie while working on two interviews for next week, plus writing recommendations for a friend applying to an MFA program. By the time the turkey was done, so was I.

After this, I'll spend some time editing and reading another chapter of Thunderer by Felix Gilman. Tomorrow and Sunday will be devoted to editing and some critiques I owe, plus getting moving on the Jules Verne criticism piece and the Campbell nominee piece left over from my to do list after Worldcon. I want both done by the end of the year and have finally finished reading all the materials.

Sad news about The Fix: it seems as with Tangent before it the temporary hiatus for website upgrade has become permanent. I really enjoyed working with the other reviewers and editor Eugie Foster and now have no where to send my upcoming publications for a good, objective review.

Stay tuned next week for an interview with a writing friend of mine, Andrew Richarson, who has a superb short story coming out with Eternal Press on December 7th.