Fabianspace

SQUEE! New Banner

2012-01-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about a new banner for my website for a long time now. Ann Lewis, my dear friend made my other one with my logo and I love it, but like any style, it needed updating.

I knew I wanted something that reflected the idea of Fabianspace as well as the different genres I've written in, and I wanted something that was fun but also steadfast. (I'm a miser. I really don't want to buy a new banner when I put out another book!)

I asked several folks to give me some ideas and designs and Donelle Lacy (http://www.dversecreations.com/) came up with this beauty. I had such a squeefest when I saw it. It'll be going on my website soon, but I need my webmaster's help with that, so I put it on the blog for now, and changed the look of the blog to better match.

So what do you think? Especially, is the blog readable and are the colors OK?

Video Trailer for Live and Let Fly adn Excerpt Picked!

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

by Karina Fabian

I was goofing around with my new video maker and created this trailer for Live and Let Fly. Don't forget; it comes out in April!

I've taken all the comments on the mini blurbs into consideration and am going with #3:

Festival was Friday. We had two days to stop a Nordic demigod evil overlord—overlady, overbeing, whatever—from blowing up a nuclear power plant, possibly destroying half an island full of revelers in the process, and creating an Interdimensional Gap through which she can bring the rest of her giant relatives to set up housekeeping where the Faerie Catholic Church didn't have the power to control them. In other words, two days until Hel broke loose.
I've had worse deadlines. I could afford a long bath in our whirlpool tub and a good meal first.

Notes From Homilies: Listening and Acting on the Word of God

2012-01-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Today's take-away from the homily today: You don't get to ignore God's prophets just because you don't like what they have to say.

As Catholics (and that's who I'm speaking to today), we have a wonderful and sometimes demanding set of beliefs based not only on the Bible, but the Traditions of the Church and the Magesterium (those given authority to teach the beliefs of the Church; i.e., the clergy, in particular the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops and Priests, as long as they are not speaking falsely themselves).

That often puts us at odds with what society calls compassion and tolerance, which in America, especially is highly valued. So we get beat up, put down, etc. online and elsewhere for standing up for things like abortion is wrong, marriage is between a man and a woman, contraception is wrong, etc. It's hardly a surprise that so many Catholics shy away from these topics, or choose to side with the supposed majority around them, or to adopt a "Well, it's not for me, but if that's what others believe..." attitude.

I know exactly how they feel. For years, I've hesitated to put anything "controversial" on my
social pages. After all, I'm there to sell books; why should I alienate a reader? I also hate controversy, and don't want to spent my precious online time researching to refute others. Unfortunately, silence can imply consent.

This week, Father brought up one issue that is important not only as a Catholic, but also as an American. Most of you know President Obama wants to mandate that ALL insurances, even those by religious institutions, cover sterilization and contraception in health care. The Catholic teaching on contraception and sterilization is that it is wrong. (The only exception being use of birth control pills to treat certain medical conditions.) Some people, even some Catholics think this is no big deal: after all, the Church has non-Catholic employees and some folks use birth control for treating medical problems. But this is an issue for a few reasons:

1. The Church, as an institution, is being asked to violate its own beliefs.
2. It violates the separation of Church and State. Just as the government should not force anyone to follow a particular religion or face penalties, they should not force a particular religion to act against its stated beliefs--or penalize them if they do.
3. It sets an ugly precedent. If the government can force a religious institution to support contraception in violation of its beliefs, what's to stop it from mandating that religious organizations pay for abortions, or church-founded hospitals perform abortions and euthanasia...or religion-sponsored nursing homes allow (or even fund) euthanasia?
4. It sets the government above God.

I found this petition against the Contraceptive Mandate. If you agree (and if you are Catholic, you should), please sign it. I also encourage you to write your senator and representative to put pressure on the White House to stop this travesty. http://stopthebirthcontrolmandate.org/sign-the-petition/

My Novel's Journey: Old Man in the Void

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

This week was filler week for me. Since I had that month-long break before jumping into the manuscript again, I thought I should go back and reread, and since it was a yucky week, it seemed a good assignment. I discovered a couple of consistency errors, like I was calling the alien ship "she," or "it," and I found a couple of spots where I decided to strengthen the descriptions, add some dream sequences, and such.

I have a lot of dream and memory sequences. Dex is old, getting into his eighties, but even more, he's been working on the edges of a black hole for a long time, and time moves at different rates depending on how close you are to the singularity itself. This had been fun to try to figure out as far as navigation, but even more interesting for how it affects the human body. I postulated that this can affect both the body and the mind, separately or together. His wife, Scarlet, died from the physical effects; her body aged at different rates. Dex will suffer neurological symptoms, where memories become very real. There is medication to help allay the effects, but even as they are battling the other ship and the black hole, he and his ship's AI are battling the ailments of his own mind.

It's kind of interesting to see it played out. Sometimes, Dex is aware of his lapses; sometimes, they leave him confused; on a few occasions, he can fight the memory. Santiago, the AI, knows the warning signs and will try to draw him back to the present, but it doesn't always work. Here's an example:

He saw Scarlet sitting at the console, slouching back, her head tilted over her shoulder so she could look at him. Her hair shone like moonlight and her eyes sparkled with love and admiration. You and your mysteries. You haven’t lost your need to find something new, her memory chuckled.
“Still haven’t,” he muttered to himself, as his hands roved the swell.
He’d found the first relics, to be sure, even adapted its shield technology to protect Santiago, but he still hadn’t unlocked their secrets. The small ships that escaped the disk were too damaged, and they lacked a Rosetta stone to unlock the language of either alien race. They only guessed that there were two races or species at war based on the disparate sizes and shapes of the drones as well as the stylistic differences of the languages.
He grunted to himself. Leave the language to the linguists. Even the physics had progressed past his understanding. That wasn’t who he was, anyway. Scarlet had seen that early on, on the cliffs of Squatty Mountain “You’ll never be satisfied just thinking about someone else’s discoveries,” she’d told when he debated about applying to Keldar. “You want to be out there, hunting down the data yourself.”
Pretty Scarlet with pretty wavy hair. Where had she gone? He wanted to talk to her about Keldar, ask her to go with him—
“Dex?” A ship’s voice pulled him from his memory and he blinked, confused by the colorful miasma around him.
“Dex, are you all right?”
“I…” Dex. That was his name. And the ship?
“Dex. You’re onboard Santiago. Do you remember me?”
“Of course I remember you,” he snarled. But his hands shook and his breath came fast and shallow. He felt a tingle on his wrist and looked at the blue medical band. The digital display noted the time and date and amount of medication it had just dosed him with.

It's been a challenge to me to write a man twice my age yet probably my equal or more in strength and physical ability...but that's another blog. (Oh, and because I get asked this a lot, but seldom have an answer. For once, I know who I'd like to play Dex in a movie. Harrison Ford, hands down! Ironically, it's his voice more than his looks that I'm identifying in Dex.)

Notes from Homilies: Suffering & Sacrifice

2012-01-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Saw an interesting blog post by Roman Catholic Cop. He was challenged to record one thought from the weekly homilies at Mass.

In Matthew Kelly's talk, "The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality" he suggests taking ONE thing from father's homily on Sunday and to write it down in a journal. He says after one year of going to mass you will have an amazing guide to spirituality.

I like this idea, so I'm going to attempt to do the same here. Too often, I find something at Mass really touches me, but as soon as I get out the doors and have to deal with lunches and kids and to-do's, I forget what it was that made such an impact. Writing them will give me a chance to remember, and I thought you might like to share in them as well.

Today's homily was about sacrifice and suffering, and how our vocations in life involve each. The priest spoke of a high school boy paralyzed in a hockey accident, and in an interview he said that this was his calling, his vocation. "It is a mystery, but I embrace it."

What an amazing attitude for a teen to take. I think about the days I just want to give up on everything because I'm tired or have a headache or someone got mad at me, but this kid may never walk again, but he's not only not giving up, but embracing this mystery he's been dealt. I'm humbled.

The other thing I'm taking, which applies to the first, is the idea that suffering can mean putting yourself aside to serve others. That's one I have a hard time with because (like I said in my book, Why God Matters), I tend to have a martyrdom streak, and a loud martyrdom streak at that. Instead of putting myself aside in my suffering in order to serve others, I tend to make a noisy point of my suffering as I serve others.

What about you? What did you take from today's homily or sermon? What do you think about suffering and service?

Help me pick a excerpt!

2012-01-20T20:44:00.003-07:00

There are two things I hate about writing a book: the back-cover blurb and picking an excerpt. And with Live and Let Fly, I've been asked to pick not one, but two! Help!

I went through the manuscript and picked three likely candidates for the mini excerpts. Would you read them and vote in the comments section on your favorite? I'll sweeten the pot by putting your name in a raffle for one of my books, including Live and Let Fly!

Based on feedback, I'm removing #2 from the race. It seems to appeal most to Vern fans, and of course, we want to reach readers who don't know him yet. Thanks guys! This does help!

Tomorrow, I'll add three possibilities for the long excerpt.

Possible 1-mini

A part of me was thinking this drug was suspiciously well-tuned to dragon physiology. Another part of me was thinking, Duuuuude! What a ride.

"Go wait outside. I'll make the call."

I didn’t notice the police wagon on the curb until Santry called my name.

"Oh, look," I said. "The heat's come to help me up my street cred."

"Funny. Get in. I'm taking you to the station."

"Why should I?" The words popped out of my mouth. They seemed about right.

Santry took three steps forward, then stopped, and folded his arms. "Vern, get in the van. I've had a bad day, and I'm not interested in taking any crap from you."

Suddenly, I was the one who was tired of taking crap: crap from cowards who attacked me with drugged drinks instead of swords and lances, dukes who thought exiling creatures made a great joke, reporters who burned me in effigy and got all the sympathy, and police chiefs who thought their bad day meant they could lord it over the dragon.

I pounced.

Possible 2- mini - REMOVED FROM CONSIDERATION, but here for fun, anyway.

"Keep going. Don't break rhythm. This is an unusual spell. You have to let it get into you."

Eighth...two sixteenths, eighth, quarter, eighth, eighth, eighth. I started tapping with claws on all four limbs.

"You know, I don't really like that idea."

"You don't have to go."

"No. I'm fine. But I don't think it's—ergh!"

Suddenly, my whole body heated up and got all...gooey. Then I felt like I was being forced into a trash compactor, or maybe a mold that was too small.

"Vern?"

I got heavy, boulder heavy, and fell to the ground. I didn't understand how I could make crashing sounds when I was so much flubber. After what seemed an eternity, I started feeling a little more solid, but lighter, which panicked me, or would have if I weren't so distracted by being gelatinous.

Then it ended, and I was on human hands and knees, panting and fighting the urge to throw up on the bathroom floor.

"Vern!" Grace banged on the door.

"I'm fine!"

I rose slowly, dreading what I thought I'd see.

Possible 3- mini

Festival was Friday. We had two days to stop a Nordic demigod evil overlord—overlady, overbeing, whatever—from blowing up a nuclear power plant, possibly destroying half an island full of revelers in the process, and creating an Interdimensional Gap through which she can bring the rest of her giant relatives to set up housekeeping where the Faerie Catholic Church didn't have the power to control them. In other words, two days until Hel broke loose.

I've had worse deadlines. I could afford a long bath in our whirlpool tub and a good meal first.

On Writers and Plumbers

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I had a rotten week. Last week actually stunk, too. Both were related to writing and publishing, but I don't want to get into the details here. The result is I didn't feel like writing or marketing or talking about them. (Still don't, actually.)

So what am I doing about it? I'm writing and marketing and talking about them.

I'm in this as a career, and if you've read this blog before, you know I use the plumber analogy. Plumbers don't refuse to fix your sink because they "aren't feeling inspired." They don't sit around the house depressed that "the wrench has left them." Some, I'm sure continue on by inertia, but I'm betting others (and probably many of the working force) face times like this by remembering why they are doing what they do, whether because they need the money or because people are depending on them or the boss will be angry or because they know that they enjoyed this job before and will again.

In those dry days and weeks, when I don't wake up full of excitement to get on the computer, I approach writing and marketing the same way. I have a basic schedule to help promote inertia. I remind myself there are readers and publishers out there who like my work and want to see more. I market because I know my publishers are depending on me to promote my books. I teach classes and publish my 30-Minute Marketer newsletter because I know there are new writers who want to hone their craft and I have knowledge that will help. I do it because I am my own boss, and I will feel worse about myself if I let my mood stop me from writing because then I not only let myself sulk, but I failed to accomplish anything toward my personal goals.

Most of all, I write when I don't want to because I know I will enjoy it. Even in a bad mood, my stories turn out fine because the characters are talking, are living out the story. It's not about me. And when I do get out of my funk (and I always do), I'll have that much more story under my belt to work with or continue from. And I will love it and myself again.

So here I am, at the tail end of two lousy weeks where I've wondered, "Why bother? Does anyone even care--and why should I?" But if I look at my list, I see that just this week, I

* Met with 4 committees of the CWG and came up with game plans for 2012
* Published the 30-Minute Marketer
* Wrote 4500 words in The Old Man in the Void, plus revised several chapters.
* Started my podcaster contact list (35 names so far. Are you a podcaster who interviews authors? Contact me and I'll put you on my list.)
* Taught my Worldbuilding 101 Class through Lesson Four. (Worldbuilding 201 starts Jan 30!)
* Updated my publicity package.
* Updated a couple of social network profiles
* Updated the Zombie Death Extreme website (need the ftp info from the publisher before publishing it)
* Did the first round of line edits on Live and Let Fly.
* Wrote this blog.

I must admit that even looking at this list, I don't feel especially good about last week, but I do know I feel better than if I'd let my mood keep me from doing anything.

My Novel's Journey: Old Man in the Void - Clawing out of the Information Well

2012-01-12T07:08:00.006-07:00

I'm back to writing The Old Man in the Void, which (to refresh memories) is a science fiction novel based loosely on Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Instead of a hero's journey like most modern novels, this is a man-against-nature adventure, in which relic hunter Dex Hollister gets pulled into a black hole by a ship he captures.

I'm having a lot of fun with it, but because I put it away for a month to finish up Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco, it's been a rough week getting back into the astrophysical saddle. Not only did I have to re-familiarize myself with the plot, but I had to remember all the information about black holes that I'd immersed myself in in the Autumn. In fact, I'm still feeling shaky on it. Right now, I've not had to worry overmuch, because the scenes are taking place inside the ship, but I feel like soon I'll need to re-read all my notes, including following all the links to articles and videos about black holes. (The videos are especially helpful. I'm so glad some folks with better visualization skills than I are thinking about this stuff and taking the time to help others see it, too.)

I must admit, my favorite scene this week was the mythology scene, even though I had to go back three times to look up the names of the god and goddess. My memory has never been great, but as I move through 40 into 50, it's getting worse.

I'm making slower but steady progress. I think once I am back into the characters and the setting, I'll be moving ahead more comfortably. In the meantime, just like Dex and Santiago, I'm feeling my way as I try to claw out of the information well.

Untrue Truisms

2012-01-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." Saw this on Twitter and it annoyed me. I know shortcuts home, for making omelets, for doing things on my computer. These are unworthy?

Or this one "Karma's only a bitch if you are." Granted, I saw this after a truly awful week, in which, if there were such a thing as Karma, I'd just been declared the biggest bitch of the universe. And after reading that, I sure felt like one. I actually closed down the computer for the rest of the day so I didn't have to see any more stupid posts.

I can't be the only person who wants to slap her face over some quote someone else thinks is pithy. So what oddball quotes make you want to whack your head against the keyboard? Share them.

My Novel's Journey: Neeta Lyffe 2 Revisions

2012-01-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

There are a few rules I follow when I send out my manuscripts for critique:

1. Send it to writer friends whose work I respect and whom I trust to tell me the bad as well as the good.
2. If I send it to others with less experience writing or reading, give them some specific areas to focus on (where am I confusing, where do you lose interest, who do you hate?)
3. Really consider their opinion--after all, I trusted them enough to ask, right?

I've had a few times where I have disregarded a critiquer's advice, but often, they are right on target. This happened last month with Neeta Lyffe. One of my writing friends wrote me that, long story short, the first chapter didn't work. Neeta came off as old, whiny and weak, and neither he nor his wife or daughter wanted to read anymore.

The great thing about Walt is that he doesn't pull his punches, and he can zero right in on the problem. He was right: Neeta is whiny and indecisive, and she feels much older than her 29 years. However, she has reasons: in the first book, she had to behead someone under her instruction in order to keep him from returning a zombie. That's haunting her, as is the fear that someday, she might have to do the same thing to Ted, her partner in the extermination business whom she's in love with. Ted sometimes operates on a different frequency from the rest of the world, and can come off as flakey or even insensitive, which leaves her confused about where they stand romantically. So she's dealing with a lot of anxiety, and it's making her insecure and indecisive.

I thought I was showing that in her behaviors, and while I was, I also didn't give the reader enough clues into the reasons behind her behaviors. Like my husband likes to say, "It's not my job as a reader to understand; it's the writer's job to be understood."

Fortunately, it wasn't a difficult fix. I added some nightmares, a psychiatrist, the determination to wean herself from her pills, and she went from whiny to troubled, and Walt was able to sympathize with her rather than dismiss her.

Something else happened, too: I realized an important subtext hadn't been developed because I skipped over this important part of her situation. I went through the rest of the manuscript, adding and even changing some things. We get a little more insight into Ted's motives, too. The entire book is a little richer.

Critiques can be hard to hear, especially when the manuscript really doesn't work. However, taking the time to consider the comments and work the manuscript pays off.

I should be getting more critiques later this month. I'm looking forward to them!

Female Heroes--Strong Because They Need to Be?

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the profanity. I claim no responsibility for the captions on any but Lt. Col Carter's.

So this internet meme has been going around Facebook for awhile, but this month, someone added to it with Princess Leia, then Janeway and Sarah Jane. On Dec 14, when I'd posted the Sarah Jane, my husband contemplated it and said, "You know who really beats them all? Samantha Carter!" So I asked him to write it up.

What I like about this meme is that (Bella excepted), it shows that there are strong women in science fiction and fantasy, and they are awesome in different ways. I have a lot of strong women in my novels, too: Sister Grace (whom Vern calls his "magical tank."), Neeta Lyffe (who actually considers beheading zombies "just part of the job"), the Rescue Sisters (nuns who do search and rescue operations in outer space) and Tasmae, (charged with protecting her world.)

I never consciously try to create strong women; they just come about in my books when they're needed. (I also have strong men, and strong dragons, and sometimes all of the above--like in Live and Let Fly.) I think the key to all of these women, though is as Rob put it in Carter's post " All because it needed to be done." And I wonder, is that more common of female heroines than male?

What do you think?

Zombie Mimes!

2011-12-29T07:00:00.002-07:00

It's Christmas week, so instead of boring you with a blog, I'm posting one of my favorite scenes from my manuscript, Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco.

"Hi! Welcome to Zomblog! It's Time to Re-kill! This is Kelsey Gardenberger, and behind the camera is Ron Potter, and we are reporting to you live from Fisherman's Warf, where zombie exterminators Rii and Hi Lee of Bay Exterminations have been called in to take out a zombie."

Kelsey stepped to the side, and Ron panned the scene. Police held back spectators who had cell phones to film the event, but she noted that the actual news crews had not arrived yet. What luck that they'd been interviewing Rii and Hi when they got the call! On the ground lay a man in a black and white striped shirt and black pants with suspenders and gold make-up on his rotting skin. He pounded on the air with imaginary fists, then felt along imaginary walls with his hands. Where he should have had fingers, only mangled skin and bare bones showed. Rii and Hi, both in protective gear, watched the prone figure and spoke among themselves. The zombie continued his act unconcerned, except to pause now and again and make drinking motions, then point to the top hat waiting beside him.

Ron panned back to Kelsey.

"So as you can see, our zombie is actually quite docile. Many times, the undead come back and try to establish the routines they had when living. In this case, the undead--the 'Wasted Mime'--has been doing the same routine, literally, for twenty years in exchange for beer money. He apparently disappeared a couple of days ago, and came back to resume the routine you see now. We've been told that all morning, he's acted out his burial and clawing himself out of his coffin--and apparently making some good tips! Someone finally noticed something was amiss when he dusted off his hands and part of his palms fell off."

Ron pointed at the scene.

"Okay!" Kelsey said. "It looks like Rii Lee and Hi Lee have decided on their strategy. Despite the fact that the zombie appears so docile, it could turn violent at the slightest provocation--and if you don't believe me, check out 'Don't wave that thing at me!' on the Zomblog archives."

Rii, head to toe in a red rubber HazMat suit and motorcycle helmet with flames and their company logo, yelled for the police to push the people back further. The crowd, of course, hustled to get a better view. As the police struggled to push them away, Rii turned their back on them and took his position.

Kelsey growled in sympathy. "Hey, people watching this? When an exterminator tells you back up, for pity's sake give them room! Even if the undead don't come running at you--and anyone who watches this blog knows zombies can run!--there's always the danger of splatter. Fortunately, the Lees have a lot of experience exterminating before a crowd. Oh, and if you're wondering where we are…"

Ron angled his DoDroid so watchers could see they were perched on top of the Bay Exterminations Van.

"Ron! They're starting!"

Ron focused on the Lees.

While Rii stood by with a power blaster of anti-zombie foam, Hi ambled up to the prone zombie, sword relaxed but ready at in his left hand. He watched the undead mime struggle against the imaginary coffin, nodded appreciatively, and tossed a twenty into the hat. Immediately, the Wasted Mime started clawing with fervor, dug himself up, and brushed himself off.

Now some of the crowd in the front stepped back, but those behind them did not budge.

It picked up the hat, checked the money.

The crowd took in a breath.

It faced Hi.

Hi made a polite little bow.

The crowd gasped. Cameras flashed.

The zombie bowed back, deeply and theatrically.

Hi lashed out with his sword, its blade cutting deeply and theatrically into the zombie's neck.

The re-killed corpse folded over.

The crowd broke into wild cheers.

Kelsey smiled big for the camera. "And there you have it! Looks like a mime isn't such a terrible thing to waste after all. I'm Kelsey Gardenberger and we just had Time to Re-kill on the Zomblog."

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:00:00.007-07:00

Moonless darkness stands between.
Past, the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem star may lead me
To the sight of Him Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art Holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and always,
Now begin, on Christmas day.

(By Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1844-1889.)

Woo-hoo! Neeta 2 is done!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.003-07:00

On Tuesday, I put the finishing touches on Neeta Lyffe 2: I Left My Brains in San Francisco, and sent it off to writer friends for critique.

For the rest of the year, I intend to catch up on some stuff, figure out my schedule and tasks for at least 2 months, watch movies, enjoy my kids, read books and goof off. (And if Penny sends the copy edits ofr Live and Let Fly, I'll do that, too.) In January, I'll hit the keyboard again to finish The Old Man in the Void.

Sometimes, I must admit that I like having written even more than writing itself. I get random sparks of happy for days just thinking that I've accomplished another novel and that I enjoy the story, too. I know some writers get a kind of doldrums once the writing process is over, but for me, it a chance to rev up for the next dream.

Rapunzel: What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?
Flynn Rider: It will be.
Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?
Flynn Rider: Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

How about you? If you're a writer, how do you feel after you put the last words in the file and know it's time to send it off? If you're not a writer, how do you feel after finishing a big project?

Review: Firedancer by S. A. Bolich

2011-12-19T07:00:00.006-07:00

Government Noseys: Bought this one. Worth more than 99 cents.

Synopsis From the website: Jetta ak'Kal, once the most talented Firedancer in all the clans, is haunted by the memory of a failure that took the life of her beloved. Asked to protect a village that has never known fire, she must battle both their prejudices and her growing certainty that her enemy—the Ancient, the living, elemental fire—has learned to think. And the Dance that controls it is failing...

Review: I got to hear Sue Bolich read a portion of this book at WorldCon and loved her vivid descriptions of her dancer. In fact, Sue talked to me about it for my blog (See below if you missed it the first time.) I found the book itself lived up to the promise of the first few pages I'd heard: rich in description, with great excitement and deep feeling. The story was well thought out, and I loved the characters. One thing I really appreciated was that while the characters had amazing abilities, they weren't superhuman. They had limits, felt pain, were injured--and didn't incredibly recover the same day or perform amazing feats with the effortlessness of their pre-injured bodies. The romances were natural and believable. The worldbuilding is amazing, too. I'll be asking Sue about using bits of her book as examples in my worldbuilding classes! Overall, just a wonderful book, definitely worth getting. I'd especially recommend it for ladies in their teens and up, and for anyone who is a dancer.

Purchase on Amazon for Kindle

My Novel's Journey: Neeta Lyffe 2 First Draft Done

2011-12-15T07:00:00.002-07:00

What do you get when you combine a husband away for business, a furnace that won't work, and a story that gets a hold of you? I got the conclusion of Neeta Lyffe 2; I Left My Brains in San Francisco!

Last week, Rob had to go to St. Louis for some meetings, and my car was in the shop, and then the furnace broke, so it was the perfect time to curl up under covers with my laptop to give me heat and just write. I averaged 4000 words a day until I got to the end. Woo-hoo! I think I also have found my upper limit: 5000 words. After that, my typing speed is holding me back, as is my ability to imagine and write at the same time.

However, just because I got to the end of the story, does not mean the manuscript is ready to go. This one has had an interrupted history as I waited for information from sources in the oil refinery industry. Also, when it came down to the end, some great new tweaks (and characters) introduced themselves, so my work has been to go back and weave in elements so that the first half and last half mesh better.

to do that, I printed out the manuscript, and am outlining it, trying to get a feel again for the flow of the story and the placement of the elements, and where I can naturally add sideplots. Once I've finished, I think I may have to do this again, this time making columns for each plot to ensure that they are progressing at a proper pace. Once again, I have a story where one character carries the main storyline, but the supporting stories are handled by a multitude of others.

This has been a lot of fun, as I can introduce some of the quirky elements that I loved in Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator. We won't have forums this time, but we will have a Tweet analog, called Babble. I also added some more zombie sightings in San Francisco, which I was able to do with the suggestions of folks on Facebook.

Hopefully, by next week, I can announce that I'm sending it to critiquers and beta readers.

Review: The Twelve by James Burk

2011-12-12T07:00:00.004-07:00

Dear Government Noseys: I met James at WorldCon, and we did a book exchange, which is how I got this. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed it!

Synopsis from the website: Valtierra, a city-state, is governed by archetypes. Every two years they choose twelve men and women to wear the masks and to become the Wise Old Man, the Fool, the Mother, the Harlot, the Warrior, and the rest of the council. But now Valtierra faces hunger, decay, and an enemy on their border and, when the need for leadership is greatest, one mask is worn by a foreigner and one mask hides a traitor.

Mini-review: This book is one of a kind. Burk takes a seldom used approach to story telling, one that could easily have flopped but in this case made for fascinating reading. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the twelve council members. What you get is a wonderful tapestry of attitudes and impressions that still allow the story to progress without confusion. While the book has adventure, it's really about people--their relationships and their duties to themselves and to the masks that represent a portion of Valtierra's population. As a former military officer and wife to an officer who has been a commander, I liked Warrior Alton's command style and logical thinking. If I must give a downside, it would be that sometimes the characterization repeated itself, so that I at times skimmed paragraphs where the Old Man is again thinking about what the Fool is like, etc. However, they were not so distracting, and others might appreciate them. Overall, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys medieval style fantasy, political machinations, or a truly unique read.

Read and Excerpt or Purchase at http://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/TheTwelve.html

Purchase from Amazon: Kindle or Print

My Novel's Journey: Neeta Lyffe 2 Gets new Life

2011-12-08T07:37:00.001-07:00

This is my sister, Gina, modeling as Neeta. How cool is that?

I had a rough time in the past week trying to get back into writing Neeta Lyffe II: I Left My Brains in San Francisco. The information I got from my contact at the oil refinery helped while confusing me at the same time. I just didn't know how to get it all coordinated. I also found that I needed to have more scenes earlier to set things up. Finally, I was a little disgusted with the last couple of scenes I'd written at the end. They were good scenes, but I didn't like Neeta taking charge of coordination when she really needed to be chopping zombie heads.

Here's the thing about us authors--sometimes, we really really hate discarding something we worked hard on. But when we finally gut ourselves up to it, we can move on to write something even better.

The oil refinery analogy worked only up to a point, but they're making fuel out of manure in Neeta 2, so some stuff didn't work. Rather than trying to shoehorn my refinery to an existing model, I needed to let go of it. Then, of course, the perfect model presented itself--Digestion! it will no longer be the more accurate refinery processes I'd been aiming at and had done hours of research on, but it's going to be a lot more fun--and this is humor, after all.

As I started putting in the scenes, which is really a medly of actions with several characters rather than a straight-line progression with Neeta, I realized that the scene I was sticking on wasn't going to work. The old scene had an inexperienced zombie exterminator manager with a doctorate thesis trying to force his ideas for large scale zombie infestation on a situation that didn't fit. Neeta was having to put him down and take over in order to save lives. It was a good scene and I wanted her to have a situation where she asserted herself, but it made her coordinator instead of exterminator. And why do we read about Neeta? Because she kicks zombie butt. I finally axed the scenes--about 2000 words--but once I did, other more natural situations showed up for her to regain her confidence. As a bonus, Doctor Storm Matterston still got to be an admin weenie, only a slightly more successful one--and he even got to flirt with someone. He's a happier character, now.

I'm building steam, and think I can finish this beast by the end of the year, which is my goal. However, if I'd insisted on clinging to past work, research and ideas, I think I would have spent the week banging my head against the wall.

So, if something you're doing isn't working, instead of trying to power through it, back up and try it from a new angle, even if it means tossing out a great idea, disregarding research or killing off a character. You may find that something even better rises from the ruins.

Got an Excuse for not Writing? No More!

2011-12-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

While I was at WorldCon, I got the meet Howard Taylor, whose comic, Schlock Mercenary, was nominated for a Hugo. We got to talking and he mentioned his podcast, Writing Excuses. As a testimony to how great this podcast is, someone at his booth insisted on telling me about it. Now, I present it to you:

Book tour: Italian for Tourists by Jo Linsdell

2011-12-05T07:00:00.010-07:00

I've known Jo for many years, but I wish I'd known her when I actually lived in Italy. I think I'd have adored her book, Italian for Tourists. She's touring it this month, and sent me this great Q&A. If you know someone who might get stationed in Europe or is going as a graduation present, (Wish I could!) then this is a great gift!

You're currently on tour promoting your book Italian for Tourists. Tell us a bit about the book.

Italian For Tourists: Pocket Edition is a basic guide to the Italian language covering phrases and words most needed by tourists. It includes all the words and phrases a tourist is likely to need during their stay in Italy as well as a pronunciation guide and a map of Italy.

The phrasebook is divided into 17 chapters including; Emergency, The basics, Common expressions, Learning Italian, Greetings and introducing yourself, Transport, Hotel, Sightseeing, Asking and giving directions, Food and drink, Health, Shopping, Offices and bureaucracy and Signs and notices and more.

I came to Italy from the UK in June 2001 and now live in Rome working as a freelance writer. I wrote the book drawing on my own experience. A tourist doesn’t need to know everything about Italian grammar or the in’s and out’s of buying an apartment. They want to have an easy to use reference book of the language they will need to use and understand during their stay.

Italian for Tourists is a project that has grown over time. How so?

When I first came to Rome I worked as a receptionist in a hostel near the Vatican and would often help by giving tourist information and language tips to people staying at the hostel. So many people told me I should write a book about it that I decided I would.

It started out as a simple ebook but I got loads of requests for a print version which lead to the paper version. Response was great and so I decided to relaunch in print as a pocket edition in 2009 giving the book a much more professional look. Again feedback and sales were great.

With an increasing number of people moving over the the digital publishing world, I started getting requests to make the book available in more formats and so this year I added Kindle and Nook editions too.

Italian for Tourists is my baby. It has grown with me from the very beginning of my writing career and much to my satisfaction, on public demand. I'm very proud of the whole project.

Tell us a bit about the homeschoolers kit you made to go with it.

Everyone likes something for free. I decided to plug into this idea and create a simple exercise book that is available for free download from my website www.JoLinsdell.com. It contains questions to test your knowledge of the Italian language and all answers can be found in the book Italian for Tourists.

I called it the homeschoolers kit because it's perfect as extra lesson material for those who study at home or as a skills test for those trying to pick up some words and phrases before their holiday. Given it's simple and easy to use nature, it works well for all age groups.

Where can people purchase a copy of your book?

Italian for Tourists is now available from most online bookstores including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Waterstones. You can get a copy from my storefront at Lulu too or visit the ibookstore on itunes.

Book Blurb:

Jo Linsdell came to Italy from the UK in June 2001 and now lives in Rome working as a freelance writer. She wrote the book drawing on her own experience. She explains “A tourist doesn’t need to know everything about Italian grammar or the in’s and out’s of buying an apartment. They want to have an easy to use reference book of the language they will need to use and understand during their stay”.

Purchasing Links:

http://www.amazon.com/ITALIAN-TOURISTS-Pocket-Jo-Linsdell/dp/1409278263

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/italian-for-tourists-pocket-edition/4684563?productTrackingContext=author_spotlight_399848_

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jo-linsdell

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/jo+linsdell/italian+for+tourists3a+pocket+edition/6804517/

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/italian-for-tourists/id452170721?mt=11

Promotional Video:

Authors Website:

www.JoLinsdell.com

God Smiles on the Bonnie Isle + Christmas Spirits

2011-11-28T06:46:00.002-07:00

I'm trying something new.

I've started a serial story, Christmas Spirits, a DragonEye, PI Christmas mystery. this is Vern and Sister Grace's first Christmas together, and Grace is having a hard time of it. to make things worse, a real estate developer wants to buy out their home (and most of the neighborhoods of Territory under eminent domain and turn the whole area into a shopping district. When a hunted theater starts threatening him, Vern and Grace have to put their feelings aside and solve the mystery before the Ghosts of Christmas become the Angels of Death.

Please check it out at http://christmasspirits.karinafabian.com.

There are several issues addressed in the story, including caring for the less fortunate. That's why I'm doing this serial story as a fundraiser. I'm taking donations for Food for the Poor. This is a wonderful organization we've given to for years. During Christmas, they send a catalog of things you can buy in order to help the poor--like baby chicks, school supplies, livestock, even houses. Won't you help Vern buy a dairy cow for a poor family?

In the meantime, someone sent this to Grace and she thought this is just how the Irish believe the weather should be.

God smiles on the bonnie Isle.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:33:00.001-07:00

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Walter Rauschenbusch

O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;

For the wide sky and the blessed sun,

For the salt sea and the running water,

For the everlasting hills

And the never-resting winds,

For trees and the common grass underfoot.

We thank you for our senses

By which we hear the songs of birds,

And see the splendor of the summer fields,

And taste of the autumn fruits,

And rejoice in the feel of the snow,

And smell the breath of the spring.

Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;

And save our souls from being so blind

That we pass unseeing

When even the common thornbush

Is aflame with your glory,

O God our creator,

Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

From Living God’s Justice: Reflections and Prayers, compiled by The Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors Found on: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/thanksgiving/prayers.asp

Fen Sui Kitties

2011-11-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Saw a post on Facebook about how cats naturally gravitate to areas of energy, so we should pay attention to their habits when looking at feng sui of an area, so I thought I'd explore that a little.

Er...

Uh...

eek!

Hmmmm.

Weeellll....

oh, noes!

You know, I think maybe feline fung sui differs from humans. Thanks just the same.

My Novel's Journey: Old Man's Stuck in the Void!

2011-11-17T07:00:00.004-07:00

One of the joys of being published and prolific is that you always have something going on. One of the draw backs is that you sometimes have multiple things happen at once.


"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." Riiiight.

Things are going very well for The Old Man in the Void, but I had to take a big break from that this week in order to edit Live and Let Fly, the long-awaited DragonEye, PI novel. Once again, I have a terrific editor, but she and I went tooth and nail on some items, and are finally "bumping them up the chain," as they say in the military. I did have fun with some of the revisions, though, even though I was cranky about them. (She keeps recommending a dart board as therapeutic. Makes me wonder if she has one with my picture on it. Seriously, we are good friends and have great respect for each others' work, even when we disagree.) We did have fun with one thing, though. We'd like you and all your friends to decide on the brand name for an overly sweet, big eyed cat one of my characters likes. Go to http://dragoneyepi.blogspot.com and take the poll.

So, working on L&LF reminded me that I needed a new website, so I decided to use the blogger interface and build one. When you take the poll, let me know what you think.

Finally, in the DragonEye world, I launched my serial story, "Christmas Spirits." I'm blogging more on it later, but you can check it out at http://christmasspirits.karinafabian.com.

So...Old Man in the Void? NO. I'm also working on a marketing guide for a publisher. It's almost done now, but as long as I'm doing that...

I'm about halfway through my marketing newsletter, 30-Mintue Marketer. Some of you might remember this one from 2010. Well, I'm brushing it off and trying it in serial on my website. Starting Jan 1, you'll find it at http://30minutemarketer.karinafabian.com.

So...Old Man in the Void? NO! The PR department at the local refinery finally called me, so I'm going to interview him for details so I can finish Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator: I Left My Brains in San Francisco. I really want to submit this to Damnation Books in January.

So, the Old Man is stuck in the Void, literally and literarily, until I catch up on stuff people are expecting of me.

Some ideas for economic reform

2011-11-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

I’m seeing the debates raging on Facebook and frankly, I’m tired of the “You don’t understand!” going on on both sides. I think we can agree on a couple of key concepts:

1. 1. People who can work should work

2. 2. People who work should pay a fair share of taxes to help run this nation.

3. People who cannot work should be given some help to make it until they are able to get back on their feet.

So, if I were ruling this country (and frankly, I do not want the job with the government in its current state), I would propose the following:

1. 1. Everyone above poverty level pays a flat tax on all income. No exemptions. No incentives. No exceptions (except for 2c). No graduated rate.

--There would have to be a study to determine proper poverty rate and appropriate flat tax level, but then everyone—whether you earn $20,000/year or $2million/year—pays.

2. 2. Everyone who can work but is not employed would report to the welfare office each day for employment.

a. These people would be given a job commensurate with their skills (Unless enrolling in a federal university to learn a trade or skill –i.e., NOT women’s studies, French Literature, or art history and the like.) These jobs would be everything from road repair to clerking duties as determined by government needs.

b. These people would work under a supervisor, who would certify at the end of the day that they did an adequate job at work.

c. These people would be paid a fair day’s wages, tax free (Why? Because it’s stupid paperwork to have the government give them money and then take it away.)

d. If you don’t do adequate work, you don’t get paid.

3. 3. Those who qualify to learn a trade would enroll in a federal university for free and work part time to earn a small stipend.

4. 4. Those who are unemployed and ill would report to a hospital arm of the welfare office and receive diagnosis and treatment for free. Those too sick to go will call in for a house call.

This would take a major restructuring of the welfare and tax system. Jobs will be lost in the change. Others will be created to support the new system—including professional jobs like physicians and professors. But you know what? People would work for their money. Those who can’t work would get care. Neglected projects like road repair, etc., would get done because the money would go into labor for improvements and not handouts (deserved or not). People in need would get care.

I’ve probably oversimplified the whole issue, and I know there’s no way our current congressional system will ever agree to this, but for the record, this is how I feel and what I’d do. Violent revolution and sniping about the current system will solve nothing. We need some common sense, a congress that will agree to work together, and a president who doesn’t want to pander to the people, whatever his party, but stand up for the things that make a nation work—people producing and taking responsibility for their own lives, with help only when they truly can’t help themselves.

Thank you, Veterans!

2011-11-11T08:35:00.001-07:00

Infinite Space, Infinite God II Wins an award!

2011-11-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Just got the cool news from Jan Verhoeff that Infinite Space, Infinite God II made the ACE Best Seller of the Month! Their award is based on reader reaction to the nominations, so I'm tickled since I didn't even know about it.

For those who don't know about the book, it's an anthology of 12 science fiction stories with Catholic characters or themes. However, it's about exploring how faith helps someone become a hero rather than pushing the doctrine. It's gotten a lot of terrific reviews from Catholics and non-Catholics, and is a great book for folks who like clean science fiction with a unique angle.

Learn more at http://isigsf.com and order from Amazon.

Congratulations to all the contributors, and a big thanks to the readers of ACE Writers!