Today, I Was A Parent

Which is my big excuse for not getting any writing done so far today. Instead of writing, I visited my son's kindergarten class. Mason has been having a little trouble adjusting to the new teacher/new routines. In art they did a project about their favorite part of the day, and Mason drew a picture of going home. After that, I thought, "Hmmm, maybe I should check things out," and since the teacher made an open invitation for us to stop by any time....

It was fun, and honestly, I'm glad I did it because it assaged many of my fears.

I still have concerns, but now I have more concrete information to base them on, which will help when it comes time again for parent/teacher conferences.

Then Shawn and I went home for lunch, and I'm only now getting around to "starting" my usual day as a writer.

So, I Guess I'm Teaching...

By chance, I happened to log-in to LJ last night around 6:30 pm and one of the readers of my blog casually wrote, "Hey, see you tonight! I'm taking your class at the Loft."

As A. A. Milnes might write: "!... !!... !!!"

The last thing I had heard from the Loft was two weeks ago, when they very kindly informed me that my class VERY LIKELY would be cancelled because they only had four people signed up at that time. My assumption (and you know what you get when you ASSume) was that they would give me a call or an email telling me if it WAS a go. Guess not. I'm just really, REALLY grateful for LJ right now and the chance that someone made an off-hand comment, or, as I told my students last night, I'd have been sitting home in my pajamas watching "The Closer."

Feeling Old...

... because I just discovered that Mason's kindergarten teacher is on Facebook.

You Say TV Like That's a Bad Thing

Over at the Wyrdsmiths blog, Kelly McCullough is talking about how he has been without a TV since 1983 and how this confuses people.

He doesn't actually say that thing you often hear from English and creative writing instructors say, which is "Turn off your TV" with the corresponding implication that people who watch TV waste their brains and all their creativity pools on the floor at their feet, but this implication lingers in between the text.

And I want to refute that.

If it weren't for TV, I wouldn't be a writer.

Let me say that again so that I'm perfectly clear: if it weren't for TV, I wouldn't be a writer.

I was inspired to write Archangel Protocol (under my other name) after watching an "X-Files" episode and watching the entire run of "American Gothic."

If the TV eats your brain, you should turn it off. But it's not all the evil-to-creativity that people imply that it is.

That's all I'm saying.

Foiled by Faeries!

So I wrote my usual Monday morning blog over at "Something Wicked," but let me tell you, girl, it's hardly worth the re-direct. I'm very uninspired today, and I blame that on my inability to drive through Minneapolis without getting lost.

A little background to explain the above: I'm currently a Saint Paulie, and have been for over a decade now. I lived for six years on the OTHER side of the river in Minneapolis (think Oakland vs. San Francisco. St. Paul = Oakland), but apparently the faeries of the place no longer recognize me as one of their own.

St. Paul and Minneapolis have a long and sordid rivalry. At one point, I'd hoped to write a novel that "explained" the profound differences between the two cities via magic and/or faeries. (Turned out the research overwhelmed my ability to make forward motion.) The thing is, Minneapolitans always complain about St. Paul -- they think it's impossible to find things in our town. Our former governor/former pro-Wrestler Jesse Ventura once infamously snarked that he thought the streets of St. Paul must have been planned by "drunken Irishmen." St. Paulies often feel the same way about Minneapolis (only I supposed we'd have to insert "drunken Norwegians"). After all, it's not a joke that in Minneapolis you can stand on the corner of Hennepin and Hennepin (it turns a ninety degree angle under the highway) and parallel streets will sometimes cross and flip sides.

After moving to St. Paul, I've become a rabid supporter of my town, and I think that the Minneapolis faeries are on to me. Because, I SWEAR, every time I have a reading gig in Minneapolis I get lost. (With the notable exception of gigs at either Uncle Hugo's or Dreamhaven, but both are located on the evil lay line of Lake Street, which may negate the faeries' ability to excert their magick on me.)

To this end, I spent much of my usual writing time this morning driving aimlessly through the southern suburbs of Minneapolis trying to find a Home Depot I've been to a thousand and six times.

It's definitely a Monday. Damn faeries!*

--------------------------------- * Note: before you alert my doctor that I'm apparently off my meds, this whole St. Paul/Minneapolis faerie thing is the product of my well-documented overactive imagination.

My First Day as a Writer

I think this whole writing thing is going to work out for me. I got up and got my family off without too many hitches, and then I hauled my a$$ to the gym and worked out. I cleaned the house a bit (I mopped the kitchen!) and did the usual maintenance things like sweeping and dishes, and then...

I wrote.

I didn't get a huge word count in yesterday, but it was well over a thousand words and, more impressive to me, I managed to work on two DIFFERENT projects. And most importantly to readers of this blog (if there are any) I started BETTER WED THAN DEAD/HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD, the fifth Garnet Lacey book. I'm really pleased how quickly I picked up Garnet's voice after having spent most of the day's writing energy working on my science ficiton novel.

Garnet is so fun.

Whoot!

So in about three minutes, I'm going to take Mason off to all-day kindergarten. Then I will be a full time writer. I'm sure I'm going to squander some of my time, plus there are things I need to get done, like grocery shopping and housecleaning... but even so, I suspect I'm finally going to have a whole lot of time to just WRITE. I'm so excited I could barf. I've go so many projects that have been waiting for today. I'll probably run around trying to do everything at once, but it's going to be great to finally have the time.

New Review: Writers Are Reads. com

If you want to know what I've been reading lately check out my review of Tobias S. Buckell's SLY MONGOOSE on WritersareReaders.com.

So... what are YOU reading these days?

It's Monday...

...so I'm blogging over at Something Wicked about how I did absolutely nothing of value this weekend (except read.)

Cover Copy for DEAD IF I DO

I got the back cover copy from my editor, and while, in my previous life in science fiction, I've been known to roll my eyes at some of the copy I've been given, I have to say this not only accurately describes the book, but it's cute and funny too!

I’ve finally found Mr. Right. Sure, he might not have a pulse, but coming from a girl who’s sharing a body with a short tempered goddess, I’m not one to judge. Sebastian is the vampire of my dreams and I’m dying to walk down the aisle. Everything couldn’t be more perfect.

Well, except for the fact that the awesome band I hired for the reception has been replaced by some guy with an accordion and lederhosen. And the bridesmaids’ dresses somehow got switched to salmon pink taffeta with butt-bows. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that Sebastian’s ex-lover, the zombie-slash-vampire-slash-witch who just happens to be the mother of his undead son, wants the both of us six feet under. Now I know why some girls turn into Bridezilla…

Plus, I absolutely LOVE the little tag line they gave me: "Something borrowed, something blue; something dead, and witchy too!"

What do all y'all think?

It's Monday...

...so I'm over at Something Wicked blogging about Swear Words and Writing.

Come On Over...

My pal Rick, aka "the Ninja Writer," is featuring my short story "Irish Blood" as part of his short story club. It's short! It's free! It's on-line! Come join the discussion on his blog: http://www.cvrick.com/

Sex Scene Class On-Line

***OKAY TO FORWARD***

September 2-29, 2008
"Sex Between The Pages: Understanding & Writing Sexual Tension"
by Mary Buckham
Registration $30 at www.WriterUniv.com/

How do you write great sexual tension? That’s the question Mary Buckham posed to Linda Howard, Stella Cameron, Susan Andersen, Nancy Warren and more romance writers who write great sexual tension from sweet to spicy hot. In her workshop, Mary combines these lessons from real-writers with practical understanding of the 12 Stages of Intimacy (based on Desmond Morris' works) and more recent findings by scientists on the amazing role biology plays in mate attraction and selection -- findings that can be directly incorporated in our creation of powerful sexual tension.

So if you want to learn how to increase the sexual tension in your work, don’t miss this opportunity. Topics include:

* Sex versus Intimacy
* Using conflict to increase sexual tension
* The importance of details
* How to portray body language
* Maximizing biological differences between the sexes
* Analyzing those who write sexual tension well
* Exercises for your work in progress

Mary Buckham’s debut Romantic Suspense novel, THE MAKEOVER MISSION, was a Silhouette Intimate Moments release. Her second novel, INVISIBLE RECRUIT, was a May 2006 Silhouette Bombshell. A former magazine editor, she has written hundreds of free-lance articles and a non-fiction book. Currently she is a national writing workshop presenter, both online and at conferences. Visit www.MaryBuckham.com or www.BreakIntoFiction.com for more information about the release of her Break Into Fiction™ book coming June 2009.

One Life Goal Down...*

I finally wrote the perfect book.

Okay, that's perhaps a SMALL exaggeration, so let me explain. Despite the changes in the publishing industry, I've always been edited. Normally, a couple of months after I turn in a book, I get an editorial letter of some sort requesting revisions. These letters are e-mails, actually, and can be anywhere from twelve to three pages (single spaced). I get two months to revise the book and then it goes to the copy-editing stage, etc., etc., until finally the book hits the shelves.

For every book I've ever written, I've always gotten a revision letter. Even though sometimes the changes are "small," they usually involve changing plot or character or other rather substantive things.

I got an email from my editor yesterday, and I thought, "Okay, here we go. Let's see what needs doing this time." Turns out nothing! Well, okay, I actually forgot to fill in a couple of "fill in later" spots, but we decided we could do that during the copy-editing stage.

Whoot!

I can't really explain why this makes me feel so elated. I mean, it's not really like I've written a *perfect* book. But, I really loved writing DEAD IF I DO and I'm really proud that my "first" pass (really, of course, the result of several drafts) was accepted.

Maybe I'm just excited to get to skip one of the usual steps, because it means less work for this self-indulgent, lazy writer.

Whee! Video games here I come.

-------------------------------------- *Cross-posted from Wyrdsmiths.

SF Market for Women

A market from BroadUniverse:

http://www.expandedhorizons.net/submission.html

Hello, everyone. My name is Dash and I'm the creator and editor of the new speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc.) webzine Expanded Horizons. Our mission is to create a venue for diverse voices in speculative fiction, and to publish stories which challenge stereotypes of all sorts. We seek to challenge SF as a white male genre, and transform it into something broader, something that reflects the actual diversity here on Planet Earth. I try to read each submission both for the quality of the writing and for how well it fits the mission of our magazine - I think about whether the story engages in cultural appropriation, how my own biases are affecting my selection of stories, etc. I know that because I am one person (who has benefited from both earned and unearned privileges), and because I am not, and cannot, be deeply familiar with all cultures and subcultures, there will be points and nuances I will miss. I know that this process of self-reflection is constant and ever-changing. I want to create a vessel for the creative energies of others, but because I am human and my contributors are human also, missteps will be made. I also know that by creating a venue for the authentic expression of views which challenge deeply held, "established" social truths, there will be controversy. But there is real, tangible racism and sexism in the SF community- and many of us know something needs to be done.

**Please note** Editor is trying very hard to have a reasonable gender balance for authors, but to date has received far more submissions from men than from women.

Note from Tate: I checked the website and they do pay, though not much. ($30 per story regardless of length.)

Backyard Bummin'

This summer has been damn near perfect, weather-wise. It's been a bit dry, but the temperatures have been ideal for someone like me who doesn't really like that whole sweaty humidity thing that's been Minnesota summers of late. We've been spending a lot of time in our own backyard and bumming around to our friends' backyards. This is a picture of Mason (and Tika, dog,) in the backyard of our friends Steve, Shari, Berren, and brand new girl addition (whose name I don't know how to spell.)

We spent much of yesterday either splashing around at our friends' house or just laying under a tree watching clouds roll by. It was a very Calvin & Hobbes kind of day where we spent a lot of quality time doing absolutely nothing.

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Dear Mr. Obama,

I am writing to you on behalf of my five year old son, Mason. Yesterday, at the dinner table I read him the article about how you've decided lift bans on off-shore drilling. He started to cry. My son loves the ocean so much. It's his favorite thing. We watch the BBC Blue Planet series: Ocean World, Frozen Seas, Open Ocean, The Deep, Tidal Seas, Coasts and the rest over and over and over again. Mason has said that he wants to be a marine biologist since he could talk.

Many months ago, during the nomination process, when we started hearing your name on the radio, Mason asked me why we vote Democratic and why we wanted you for president. I told him you were from Hawaii (one of his favorite states), and I told him that Democrats are more likily to support the environment rather than big business interests. He liked that. After that he started repeating that he wanted Barack Obama to be our next president. Not now. He would really like you to change your position "by next Saturday" please.

Thank you very much.

Yours truly,

Mason Rounds and Mason's parents

It's Monday...

...so I'm over at Something Wicked, talking about how I stopped worrying and learned to love the... outline.

Paranoia and Writers

I'm not usually a paranoid person, but I am when it comes to my writing career.

Last night, while sitting in the bathroom, I started reading an article in the recent Romance Report (the official magazine of RWA) called, "When Bad Things Happen to Good Writers." It's all about the rather inevitable decline in one's career, when your sales numbers drop, the editor stops returning your calls, and you suddenly find yourself without a renewed contract.

It's the sort of thing that professional writers don't like to think about. After all, we've all worked hard to get where we are (were?!) And, more than that, the mystical "call" came -- the one from our agents where, suddenly, we became published novelists. All our worries should be over. We've "made it." But... as the article warns, these things happen. It's the nature of the business.

And I should know. It's already happened to me. I used to write as my alternate personality; now I write as me because of this little thing called "the law of diminishing returns."

I only read about two paragraphs of the article and I can already feel the storm clouds gathering. (Yes, I KNOW I'm being paranoid. But have you ever heard the phrase, "Once bitten, twice shy"? That's me all over.) Now, I've been staring at my email inbox, and started muttering, "She hasn't sent the revision letter yet," (speaking of my editor). "She hates me. It's all over. I'll never work in this town again."

I told my partner about my ominous feelings last night, and she did what any sane person would do: she laughed. "Of course your editor hasn't written yet. It's only been two months. That's well within her usual return time on these things. Be patient."

Patient? I'm sure she said, "Paranoid".....

It's Monday...

...So I'm over at Something Wicked reminding myself to "Write! It's Good for You!"

Tortoise vs. Cat

Check out the Boing-Boing video of a cranky-yet-determined tortoise that chases cats out of its territory. Amusing.

Periphery Review

My alter ego would like to direct your attention to a review of her short story (as well as all the others) in Periphery, here: http://www.ourchart.com/

It's Tuesday...

... so I'm over at SF Novelists complaining about writing the dreaded synopsis.

It's Monday, so...

...I'm over at the Something Wicked blog trying not to complain about my current embarrassment of riches.

Interview: David Louis Edelman

David Louis Edelman's debut novel Infoquake was released by Pyr in 2006. Barnes & Noble Explorations called the story of cut-throat software entrepreneurs in the far future "the love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge" and later named it their SF Book of the Year. The book was also nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel, and Edelman was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer on the strength of that novel. Infoquake has just been re-released in mass market paperback by Solaris Books with a fancy new cover by Stephan Martiniere.

This week, Pyr is releasing book 2 of David's Jump 225 trilogy, MultiReal. The book continues where Infoquake left off, and has already been called "a thoroughly-successful hybrid of Neuromancer and Wall Street" by Hugo nominee Peter Watts.

In addition to writing novels, Dave has also programmed websites for the U.S. Army, the FBI, ExxonMobil, and Rolls-Royce; taught software to the U.S. Congress and the World Bank; written articles for the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun; and directed the marketing departments of biometric and e-commerce companies. Dave is well-versed in PHP, Ruby on Rails, WordPress, ColdFusion, HTML, Javascript, XML, and CSS, and is an expert in web usability, web design, search engine optimization, and writing for the web.

What was your inspiration for writing Infoquake and MultiReal?

Infoquake and MultiReal are two parts of a story I started writing in late 2000 about my dot-com experiences in the '90s. I'm a marketing guy and web programmer by trade, and I saw a number of crazy things during the dot-com bubble. Mostly I was interested in the personal dynamics -- how charismatic schemers like my protagonist Natch convinced so many people to invest in so many worthless companies.

So in 2000 and 2001, I wrote a novel titled Jump 225.7, which you might call a far-future satire of the dot-com era. I literally finished the first draft of it on September 10, 2001. Then suddenly the next day, satire seemed the wrong way to approach the story I was trying to tell. So when I started rewriting it, the story became much darker and more serious in tone. I tried to ask all the big questions about capitalism, about Western society, about human nature and greed and what the long-term prospects of the species were. The end result was the Jump 225 trilogy, starting with Infoquake and continuing with MultiReal.

Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?

Growing up, my favorite author had to be J.R.R. Tolkien (unless Stan Lee counts).

Interjection: Of course Stan Lee counts!!!

I'm sure I read the whole Lord of the Rings saga (including The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) half a dozen times. Then in adolescence I fell in love with Kurt Vonnegut, with a special reverence for Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. College brought John Barth to my attention, and I've been running the biggest fan website for his books since about 1996 or so. If I had to name my favorite author since college, I'd have to pick either William Gibson or Thomas Pynchon.

What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you?

I think for me it's the ability to rethink absolutely everything about the world, down to the smallest nanoparticle. I'm a worldbuilding addict, so I like being able to examine and reconfigure the politics, the history, and the sociology of my world to suit the story I'm trying to tell. For the Jump 225 trilogy, I considered all of those things and more -- I even got down to the level of thinking up new building materials and trying to invent ways that people would move goods from place to place in the absence of trucks and an interstate system. I can't really think of any other genre you can do that in.

Why did you decide to make Natch a software entrepreneur?

When I started writing the Jump 225 trilogy, I followed the axiom of writing what you know. I'd worked for several high-tech start-ups run by young, charismatic, slightly unhinged software entrepreneurs. And so that's who I started with.

The supporting characters are also based on character types I'd met in dot-coms. Horvil is the heavy-set, brilliant engineering guy who prefers to run things behind the scenes and leave the politics to the boss. And Jara is the serious, no-nonsense marketing woman who has something of a love/hate relationship with the company.

What (besides writing) do you do for fun?

I'm incredibly boring. I read. I putter around on the computer and tinker with my websites. I watch a lot of movies, and I keep up with the news. I'm looking forward to having children so I can have the excuse that I'm "spending quality time with my family."

What sort of research did you do to write these books?

Infoquake is heavily concerned with biologic software (or "wetware," as it's sometimes called). I know something about software, but I know very little about biology or physiology. So I certainly had to do some basic research into how the human body works. The main technology behind MultiReal also involves quantum physics, so I had to beef up on that a bit too. I admit that I don't tend to delve very deeply into the subjects that I research; mostly it's just your basic Wikipedia and Google searches, combined with long involved discussions with subject matter experts I know.

Natch is a compulsive workaholic. Are you that way too?

Absolutely not. I'm actually not very much at all like Natch or Jara, the two main protagonists of the novels. Although I suppose I do share certain characteristics with them. If I had to name a character who was closest to me in temperament, I'd have to say Horvil, the fat cheerful engineer who's always putting up with Natch's crap.

The political factions in the Jump 225 trilogy are divided between governmentalists and libertarians. If you were a character in the books, which would you be?

A lot of people who've read Infoquake assumed that my sympathies lie with the libertarians, because that's where Natch's sympathy lies. But I'm definitely more conflicted in my politics. I like to pick and choose among the different parties and philosophies. I have some definite liberal tendencies but a number of conservative ones as well.

You'll discover in MultiReal that the political situation is much more nuanced than Natch makes it out to be in Infoquake. The central government, which really seems like the epitome of evil in Infoquake, is a conflicted organization itself with some do-gooders working in the fringes. And the libertarians are full of self-interested schemers who'll stab you in the back.

What are you writing now?

I'm currently about 80,000 words into Geosynchron, the third and final book of the Jump 225 trilogy. I'm a very slow writer and I write a million drafts, but I'm hoping to finish the whole thing by the end of the year.

Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? How did you get where you are now?

Yes, I always wanted to write, ever since I was a little kid. I wrote my first "novel" when I was about 6 years old, and I spent much of my childhood building up a pantheon of superheroes with my brother. I studied creative writing in college at Johns Hopkins, and tried to write a novel in my early 20s. It wasn't until I had given up on the writing and spent half a dozen years in the trenches of high tech that I came up with an idea that I could follow through on. And that was the Jump 225 trilogy.

What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing?

I've never been very good about setting a concrete writing schedule. Maybe that's why it takes me so long to finish anything. I typically work about three days a week at my part-time web programming job, and then write whenever I have the free time and the inclination.

Where do you write?

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I'm one of the guys you see sitting there at Starbuck's with his laptop for hours on end. For some reason, I find it easy to write with background chatter. But when I'm not writing there, I'm sitting on my couch at home with one dog on the back of the couch behind my head and one dog nestled between me and the armrest.

What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?

The hardest thing for me as a writer is discipline. I have an easy time coming up with great ideas, and I find it very easy to sit down and start pecking on those first few paragraphs. But then I quickly burn out. If you're ever going to finish anything, you need to be able to batter your way through those burnout times, and I have a difficult time with that. And then I'm so rarely satisfied with what I write, it always takes me to forever to finish.

Thanks for the interview, David. If you want to know more about David Louis Edelman, check out his website at: http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/

New Vampire Drink?

I had a very weird dream last night. I only remember snippets of it, of course, but one detail stuck with me. I was a vampire, and I was drinking blood bottled with garlic and stinging nettle. Weird, huh?

I think my brain was figuring that the garlic, being posion to a vampire, would act like acohol, and the stinging nettle would numb the vamp a bit so s/he could drink more...? Not sure about that last part.

Now I'm only bummed that I'm not sure I can find a way to use it in my writing. I almost NEVER get ideas from dreams, so this is pretty unusual.

It's Monday...

... so, per usual, I'm over at "Something Wicked." However, this week all the authors are doing a re-release party for our various books, and I'm kicking it off with a contest for a signed copy of Romancing the Dead. If you want to participate, head on over here.

On-Line Synopsis Class

***OKAY TO FORWARD***

Online class: August 6-31, 2008
"Tips From Madison Avenue: The Selling Synopsis"
by Laurie Schnebly Campbell
Registration $30 at www.WriterUniv.com/

No wonder so many great novelists have a tough time writing a synopsis -- the two jobs require completely different skills! Advertising copywriters have discovered a variety of techniques that make people want to buy a specific product, whether it's a bike or a burger or a book. So this hands-on workshop teaches those same techniques, including:

* Finding your unique selling points
* Headlines (or openings) that grab a buyer
* Identifying your target market
* When details matter, and when they don't
* Brainstorming a creative plot strategy
* Highlights that sell your product
* Changing format, emphasis or both

An advertising copywriter for 25 years, Laurie Schnebly Campbell was amazed when she realized her day job made it easier to "sell" editors on her books. So far she's sold six to Silhouette, including one that beat out Nora Roberts for Best Special Edition of the Year, and loves sharing marketing techniques with people who DON'T work on Madison Avenue.

***OKAY TO FORWAD***

Booksigning Woes

Mason, at least, had a good time at the signing last night. I bought him two new Calvin & Hobbes and a new three-pack Garfield. The other ladies were fairly impressed at how quietly he sat absorbed in his books. He got a little squirrely at the end, and, of course, we had to take a break to eat, but I think it was fairly successful given I had my four year old in tow.

I, of course, sold no books.

Before you cry for me, Argentina, I have long ago come to the realization that book signings are really for booksellers and for authors. The booksellers get a stock of signed books, which, according to at least one bookseller I talked to actually sell pretty well off the shelf -- and better than their unsigned cousins, at any rate.

The author benefits the most, I think. The author gets a chance to meet-and-greet the booksellers, who, as we know, are the ones who do any and all "hand-selling," which can be key to a book's success. The author also usually leaves with a sense that many of the books won't end up as stripped returns. (Note: I worded that very carefully, because I'm well aware of the fact that in many cases signing a book does NOT save it from being returned. Plus, sometimes the booksellers will crassly admit to returning as many as possible. It's only crass because all the authors I know tend to take that stuff personally. We know it happens; we just don't want to necessarily hear about it.)

But, back to the positive. Personally, I also really like to do "multi-author" signings, because then the authors also have a chance to catch up on industry gossip and whatnot. Plus, the time goes a lot faster when there's someone else to talk with.

I sometimes wonder why we bother, since, like so many things in the publishing industry, booksignings feel like they come from another era -- one that's being overshadowed by "promotional" opportunities on the that crazy Internet thing all the kids are into these days.

I suspect that book tours -- the kind that are sponsored by publishers for gigantically best sellers (who, in my humble opinion, are the ones who need it the least, but then much of capitalism makes very little sense to me) -- still perform some important function in terms of boosting book sales and maybe even just allowing fans and opportunity to see that Big Name Star is just and average guy who puts his/her pants on one leg at a time... I'm not sure. I just know that I'll probably continue to sit in empty Mall bookstores staring at the wall for many years to come... at least until the bookstores stop asking me, that is.

Brain Dead...

Maybe that'd be a good Garnet book title, eh? BRAIN DEAD. It's actually a description of how I feel today. I'm always a bit stupid when Shawn is away (she's at a conference in Washington, D.C. until Thursday), and today is no exception. I stayed up late working on my small press project, which, I'm happy to say, finally has a little wind in its sails. I need to get one of those progress bars so many writer-bloggers have. But, today was all about sleeping in too late for a school day, getting Mason half way there and realizing we'd forgotten his backpack full of birthday party invitations. Had to turn around and were almost late for school.

I have a booksigning tonight at Northwood Mall, and because I'm minus one babysitter, I'm planning on bringing Mason along. I know that probably sounds crazy, but if I buy Mason a couple of Garfield books, he'll sit quite as a mouse on my lap and read them. And, you know, these things are always dead. Anyway, if you happen to be local and at loose ends for tonight here are the details:

On Tuesday, July 8, 2008 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm I'll be signing at the Waldenbooks in Northtown Mall with Lois Grieman and Michele Hauf. Waldenbooks is located at: 212 Northtown Drive Blaine, MN 55434. For more information call (763) 780-1264.

Also, I need to run off and go work out. I appear to have lost a pound or two, and if that's the case I should probably keep at this whole thing. (I'm only not sure because my scale is really old and not terribly accurate.)

Gender Bias in SF Conversation

My alterego was invited to participate in a conversation about gender bias in the SF/F publishing industry and what to do about it. The conversation is archived here: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/006846.html. Please check it out and join in the conversation (there are a lot more interesting and articulate people than me participating.)

Also, check out the YouTube video promoting the mega-author signing we had last night in Woodbury: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HXdiKexw7Jo. The signing, btw, was actually a great deal of fun, not because I signed a lot of books but because it's always so cool to hang out with other awesome romance authors.

It's Monday...

...So I'm over at "Something Wicked..." writing about Kids and Writing.

Sorry the post isn't very intelligent, but I'm actually a bit hungover. Not that I was out partying... no I just drank too much Mike's Hard Lemonade while eating popcorn and watching old episodes of "Lost." Duuuuude.

But all I have to say is....yum, Sawyer. Hey, and we're almost related. His last name is Holloway.

Marvel Moping

If your interested in my (or rather my alter-ego's) take on Marvel's Secret Invasion storyline, I'm blogging about it over at the Mid-Ohio ComicCon's site: Who Do You Trust?

The article is not nearly as geeky as you might think. You don't have to necessarily know comics to understand why I'm hesitant about what Bendis is up to, though I don't really explain the storyline because of the assumption most Marvel readers are up on the whole thing.

In other news, it's Friday. Hooray!

Check Out My New Gig

After WritersareReader.com's author Terry Spear reviewed my book Romancing the Dead, the folks there offered me a gig reviewing books for them. Since I absolutely adore (or ish that a-"whore"?) anything to do with FREE books, I said yes. My first reivew for them is up! I reviewed Dan Waddell's The Blood Detective. Check it out!

Have An Afflatusous Day!

I subscribe to the word of the day from YourDictonary.com, and I got this today:

Afflatus (noun)

Pronunciation: [ê-'fley-tês]

Definition: A strong creative impulse from a muse or higher power, divine or supernatural inspiration.

It's Monday, so...

You can find me blogging about my addiction to Internet research over at Something Wicked...

In other news, I've neglected to post that Mason and I, who had been playing the license plate game several months ago (we won: we saw all fifty states, even Hawaii, Alaska and Rhode Island), just saw a brand new plate. It was one we'd never seen before, and frankly, living here in Saint Paul, MN, I would never have thought we would: Puerto Rico.

New Review: Dead Sexy

I just got word of a review for Dead Sexy, here at: CK2S Kwips and Kritiques: Dead Sexy. They gave me four shamrocks! I guess they like me, they really like me!

In other news, I'm off to go buy "the thing at the place" as Shawn and I have been referring to it. It's a secret birthday present for little boy...

Mighty Marveling

My alterego, comic book geek that she is, posted a review of THE INCREDIBLE HULK over at the Mid-Ohio Comic Com's site called, "Days Without Incident: 0". Check it out.

In other breaking news, working out makes me tired.

Me, Everywhere

So, here's the latest places you can find interviews of me and other interesting bits (like a contest for the latest book!)

Interview with me at Amberkatze's Book Blog: Interview with Tate Hallaway, plus a bonus silly picture of me at the Uncle Hugo's signing for Tall, Dark & Dead,

and Jackie Kessler's character Jezabel interviews my character Garnet at "No Rest for the Witchy" with even more bonus weird pictures of me.

Too Much Coffee Makes Me Strange

I posted a "that kind of day" complaining song and a deep philosophical questioning over at Something Wicked... this morning.

People like to ask authors why they write urban fantasy/paranormal/fantasy stuff, and I realized that I don't really have a good answer to that. I mean, I can enumerate the reasons I like it, but some of it is actually deeply visceral. When we get to that part in the story when the heroine realizes the cute guy sitting next to her on the bus is actually a werewolf my heart speeds up. I get a real, honest-to-goddess adrenaline rush that I can't really explain.

I know that it's this rush that keeps me addicted to urban fantasy/science fiction. It's really a lot like a drug (luckily, the only side-affect is loss of sleep when you get wrapped up in a story and realize that you've stayed up well past your bedtime and it's a work night.)

I really notice this when watching TV shows based on my drug-of-choice. Battlestar Galatica will actually make me sit on the edge of the seat of the couch, my heart pounding. When the show is over (certainly during the first season, anyway,) I actually felt physically drained, like I'd run a marathon.

But why am I like that? Why is it that space dog-fights get my juices flowing? Why is it that once magic shows up in a novel, I'm hooked?

I don't know. Except maybe it's because that's the first hit I ever took -- the first grown-up novel I read cover-to-cover was THE HOBBIT, and I must have imprinted on it, like a baby duck. I really couldn't tell you. How about you??

New Review (RtD)

This isn't a very huge review, but an interesting perspective, none-the-less: Cerulean Siren: Another Book Down

New Review

Here's a UK blogger who has somethings to say about Romancing the Dead that are pretty interesting: This Fleeting Dream.

Me... Everywhere

I posted variations on the same theme in a number of different places this morning. If you want to read them in chronological order (to watch the progression of the idea go from rambles to a tongue-in-cheek confessional), here's how:

In-Between
In a Weird Place
Project Monogamy

In other news, I watched Appleseed Ex Machina last night and now I'm totally hot for a cyborg with rabbit ears. Help me.

More Reviews and an Event

Thank the Goddess for Google Alert or I wouldn't know that I'm supposed to be here this Saturday....

Also, I noticed a couple more reviews for my books on various blogs. One for Romancing the Dead on Amberkatze's Book Blog and one for Dead Sexy on Anna's Book Blog.

More Blah, Blah, Bloggin'

Since I love the internet so much, I've joined another group of paranormal romance/urban fantasy writes called "wicked writers" at Something Wicked... I'll be doing the Monday morning posts.

Also, there's a new review of Romancing the Dead at Coffee Times Romance. Here's some of the nicer bits:

I love Garnet. She is an amazing character. Ms. Hallaway has a unique twist to her story, with both Garnet and Sebastian. The reader is led on a merry chase to uncover who is behind the vampire napping. I read this in one sitting and kept trying to guess who the culprit was. Ms. Hallaway hides the truth until the very end and closes her book with a bang. I will be reading more of this series in the future, I am sure.

Also, Toni L. P. Kelner forwarded a picture of the cover to the German edition of Many Bloody Returns. Check it out!

Romancing the Dead Review (and an Interview)

Here's another review of Romancing the Dead, this one by The Book Girl.

Also, there's a very short, but nice interview with me in the Minnesota Women's Press, called "A Bite of Vampire Romance." A word of warning: I do mention a particular part of the male anatomy in clinical terms, and if such a thing could potentially be offensive to you, stop reading the article about three paragraphs from the end.

Save That Vampire!

I got this in my mailbox the other day and thought I should share it with all y'all:

I was just writing to ask if you happened to be a fan of Moonlight the vampire tv show?? As you may or may not know, CBS has recently cancelled this amazing series after just one season.

I'm part of a massive online group to ‘save’ the show or alternatively have it moved to a new network (www.moonlightarmy.com, www.moonlight-united.com)

The fans have worked so hard - we held a Moonlight Blood Drive for the red cross to bring attention to the show, and recently held a rally outside the Warner Brothers studio to show support for the production company - and it is truly an international movement (I'm from Australia!).

If you are willing and able, I was wondering if you could draw attention to the cause on your site? Just a word from you would encourage a rabid vampire fan base to champion the cause, and we all need a bit of Vampire love! (especially when they look like Mick!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Megan

Review of Many Bloody Returns

Google Alerts let me know about this review: http://nichtszusagen.blogspot.com/2008/05/many-bloody-returns.html, which actually reviews "Fire and Ice and Linguine for Two" from Many Bloody Returns.

Interview with Simon Haynes

Simon Haynes is the British/Australian author of the bestselling, award-winning Hal Spacejock series, featuring an over-confident but woefully under-skilled freighter pilot and his wise but obsolete robot, Clunk.

If you enjoy TV shows like the Young Ones, Blackadder, Red Dwarf and Dr Who, or books by Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt or Jasper Fforde, then the Hal Spacejock series was written for you.

If you’ve never heard of Hal Spacejock … surprise! It’s only available in Australia.

However, to coincide with the launch of Hal Spacejock 4: No Free Lunch, the full text of Hal Spacejock Book One has been made available as a free download. To grab a copy in text, rtf or html format, visit http://www.spacejock.com.au/Hal1Download.html

(Yes, it’s a free ebook. And you’re welcome to share the download link …)

Simon, what was your inspiration for writing Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch?

My publisher phoned me and said 'can we have another one?', and I find that sort of thing very motivating. Fortunately, I'd already completed two drafts. Unfortunately, the book I handed in didn't result from either of them.

My other motivators are Hal and Clunk themselves. These characters are very dear to me, and I love putting them in life threatening situations, sending them broke, taking away everything they care about and generally giving them a really hard time.

Hey, I'm a parent. It's in my nature.

Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?

When I was growing up I read all the usual suspects for a British kid in the 70’s: Enid Blyton, Arthur Ransome, Agatha Christie, Jerome K Jerome, Tolkien, Showell Styles, Frank Richards, Richmal Crompton, Michael Bond, WE Johns, Isaac Asimov, William F Temple ... and about a hundred others.

We moved to Spain in 1976 and English books were suddenly very hard to come by, so I read anything I could get my hands on. Westerns, thrillers, SF and so on. Mostly the sort of holiday books people abandon when they go home again.

Nowadays I enjoy humour, satire and SF, plus the occasional horror novel or murder mystery. I studied eng lit for my BA, which was enough to put me off the classics for many years, but I'm slowly coming round in my old(er) age.

What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you?

Every novel begins with a blank slate, and the possibilities are endless. Whether you’re reading the things or writing them, or both, it’s a journey into the unknown and the unexplored.

Also, speaking of my own stuff, I just love the idea of self-aware robots. Despite their supposed loyalty to humans, the robots in my books often have their own agendas and desires, and rather creative methods of getting what they want. If you’ve ever struggled with a wayward computer program you’ll know the feeling.

Why did you decide to make Hal a space courier?

I needed someone with a valid reason to travel the galaxy. Also, Hal's a careless type and there's a lot of humour to be found in his clumsy destruction of valuable cargo. His chosen occupation puts him in competition with customers, other pilots and all manner of officialdom, and we all know conflict drives novels.

It’s not just freight disasters giving Hal problems … there’s a spare cabin aboard his ship, which means I can throw in the occasional passenger. They’re inevitably bad news for Hal, and that’s fun to write.

A few people have asked whether I modeled Hal on Han Solo, from the Star Wars series, and the answer is no. Hal Spacejock is a terrible pilot, is law-abiding and is fearfully over-confident while being woefully under-skilled. I’m not even a big SW fan, have never read any of the books associated with the series, and am still trying to expunge Episode I from my memory. Anyway, my influences are mostly British and Australian.

As for Hal’s name … I began writing book one in 1994, and when I reached for “brash, over-confident, loud, unintentionally funny, unaware of his failings, secretly insecure”, the name ‘Hal Spacejock’ instantly popped into my head. Anyone proudly calling themselves ‘Spacejock’ has a lot of complex issues for me to uncover.

What do you do for fun?

I love DVDs, particularly watching them on my laptop with headphones. It’s more personal and involving than watching on a big screen. I rarely watch live TV, thanks to the ads, watermarks and scrolly banner things, so boxed sets are a great escape.

Apart from my DVD-watching hobby I also count golf and archery amongst my favourite activities. In truth, it's four or five years since I swung a golf club in anger, but I just rekindled my interest in archery and am looking forward to nailing a few targets.

Finally, I write a lot of software, particularly for readers and writers. I make it all available free via the Spacejock.com website.

What sort of research did you do to write this book? What kind of preparation do you do when you are writing?

I don't do any research. I just outline the thing to death, send a two-page doc to my editor and await her go-ahead. The writing always diverges from the plot outline, but I rarely force it back again. An outline is just a map, and writing the novel is the journey.

Preparation … I stock up on coffee, chocolate, biscuits and spare batteries for the exercise bike. (I built a shelf on the handlebars for my laptop, and only allow myself to watch DVDs when I’m peddling.)

Hal Spacejock loves his food, and particularly coffee. Is that your favorite too?

Yep – instant coffee by the bucket. These days I limit myself to three cups a day, but I try and get them all in before 10am. Then I switch to t-tea and t-try not to l-let the j-jitters get to m-me.

I rarely eat out, and can’t be bothered with fancy restaurants. Give me Thai or Indian and I’m happy.

I enjoy cooking, and have a page on my website with my favourite recipes. Nothing flash – I like healthy, filling food which tastes good. I’m not in bad shape for a writer – 1.92m and 90kg (6’3” and 200lb) – but I can see that balancing health, fitness and writing long-term is going to be a struggle. In case I’ve given you the impression I’m a health nut, I’ve not seen the inside of a gym since 1985. I just try to burn more calories than I consume.

You say Hal Spacejock is law-abiding, so how come he gets into so much trouble?

Because his author is a right bastard. If I wanted all-round nice guys and do-gooders in my books I’d go write picture books with an eye to the lucrative education market. As it is, my books are popping up in school libraries all over Australia, so I’ll accept some of the blame for the parlous state of modern youth.

The thing is, I’m a firm believer in actions and consequences. If Hal is forced to ‘borrow’ a truck in one chapter, you can bet your booties he’ll regret it later. There is NO easy way out for any of my characters, EVER. Just like real life.

What are you writing now?

I’ve just dashed off yet another plot outline for Hal Spacejock 5. Every time I come up with a new plot I know THIS is the one… until I come up with the next one. I like the other plots, but they can always form the basis of book 6, or 7, or 14 …

Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? How did you get where you are now?

I majored in Creative Writing at university, but despite that handicap I still maintained an interest in fiction. The problem at uni was that there were so many Serious Writers pouring their hearts and souls into passages of deep, moving prose. Handing out copies of my work for class discussion was like chucking hand grenades into a chook pen.

As for where I am now, that’s a long story. (The grotty details are on the Spacejock website, but in brief I self-published three books using my own imprint, and was literally plucked from the shelves of a local bookstore by a proper, real, honest-to-goodness publisher. The old ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’ .. and it worked!)

What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing?

I see the kids off to school, mess around with email & internet until two hours before they’re due home again, then do two thousand words in a right old hurry.

Where do you write?

Propped up in bed. I kill the wireless network and get on with my daily word count, safely tucked away in a quiet corner of the house. It’s relaxing, and I enjoy the familiar surroundings. Also, nobody can sneak up behind me and read the early first draft rubbish over my shoulder – it’s strictly backs-to-the-wall stuff.

What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?

Hardest? Hitting 3000 words with 92,000 to go. I have no idea where it’s going at that stage. How many months will it take me to finish? Will the deadlines trample my grave? Will I disappoint my fans?

Easiest? Hitting 3000 words with 92,000 to go. I have no idea where it’s going, and I love it! It’s going to be the best Hal book yet, I have months to work on it, and I gesture rudely at impudent deadlines.

This isn't your first book. Tell us a little bit about what else is out there?

This is the fourth book in the Hal Spacejock series, so there are three more of those for starters. In each title Hal finds new and exciting ways to destroy his business, his cargo and his reputation. Funny, too.

The books are available in stores across Australia and New Zealand, so those living elsewhere have to make do with (expensive) imports. My publisher and my agent are on the lookout for overseas rights deals, but are facing two problems:

One, US publishers aren’t sure how the UK-style humour will translate to their market. (To which I say, bugger the translation. Just print the books as-is and trust your audience. I’ve tested the books on US bloggers and readers, and none have dismissed the weird limey humour as incomprehensible.)

Two, UK publishers regard Australia as their home turf. When they publish a book in Britain, up to a third of the print run sells to Australia, so books which are already published here are far less attractive than home-grown ones.

On top of that, several US publishers indicated they’d be interested in the series if it did well in the UK first. To which I say Aaaaaarrggh! Sometimes I swear I’m living in a Monty Python sketch.

Anyway, I console myself with the thought that each Hal book, each positive review, each appearance in a bestseller list, and each additional printing of the books is jacking up the price these publishers are eventually going to pay. I’m in no hurry, but I’m not happy when I have to reply to emails from UK and US residents asking me why they can’t get Hal in their local store.

In light of this, my publisher recently agreed to release the first Hal Spacejock novel as a free ebook: http://www.spacejock.com.au/Hal1Download.html

The press release with the reasoning behind the choice of a drm-free, publicly available ebook is here: http://www.spacejock.com.au/EbookPR.html

Ordering links for the Hal Spacejock books

The bad news is that Hal Spacejock is only widely available in Australia and New Zealand. You can order the books from Amazon and Powell’s, but they’re imports and the cost of postage is high.

Because of this, Fremantle Press has put together a bundle of all four Hal Spacejock novels including worldwide postage for just A$79.80* (That’s the same price Australians pay in bookstores.) http://www.spacejock.com.au/BuyHal.html

* This price is subject to change – follow the link for details.

A Review of an Old One: TDD

Google Alerts let me now about Xyeido's review of Tall, Dark & Dead in which s/he mostly likes the book, but complains that I work too hard to fit the chapter theme into the keywords of the house. This complaint always makes me laugh because I picked the keywords AFTER I wrote the chapter. But, I'm glad s/he was paying attention enough to assume the opposite.

Robert Asprin will be "Mythed"

I just read that Robert Asprin passed away this weekend. I loved his Myth Adventure books as a teen. http://www.mythadventures.net/

Interview: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough's first novel in the WebMage series, WebMage, was released by Ace in 2006 to considerable critical praise. A second, Cybermancy, followed in 2007. His newest release, CodeSpell, will be out May 27th. And a fourth book, MythOS, is slated for late May '09. His short fiction has appeared in numerous venues including Weird Tales, Writers of the Future, and Tales of the Unanticipated. His illustrated collection, The Chronicles of the Wandering Star, is part of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school science curriculum, Interactions in Physical Science.

For more information and samples of some his short stories you can check out his website: http://www.kellymccullough.com/.

Why this book? What made you want to write this story?

That's a surprisingly difficult question to answer. This is the third book of a series and certainly part of my motivation for writing it is that this is a fun world to play in and I like these characters enough to want to spend more time with them. Part of it is that I had what I thought was a fast fun plot that continued the story in a way that would be entertaining to write and to read. But probably the most important part of the equation for this book is that actions have consequences. The things that Ravirn did in books one and two have ongoing repercussions and I wanted to see how they played out and how Ravirn would have to grow to respond to them.

Which authors inspire you? Has that changed over time?

Different writers teach me different things at different times. Zelazney and Tim Powers are probably at the top of the list of writers who've affected my work most visibly, though Powers is less present in the WebMage stuff than he is in some of my other, darker work. Norton and McCaffrey and Tolkien are in my bones. Martha Wells is wonderful and so are Robin McKinley and Lois McMaster Bujold.

Why genre? Is there something special about science fiction or fantasy that draws you to write in the field?

I was pretty much raised to be a fantasy and science fiction writer, though that certainly wasn't the intent of the process. I'm a third generation fan of the genre and some of my earliest memories are of having the Lord of the Rings, Asimov's Foundation trilogy, and A Midsummer Night's Dream read to me. I learned very early to love story and genre and once I found out that I could maybe make a living by telling the sorts of stories that were told to me I was pretty much lost.

What do you find most interesting about Ravirn? Why write about this protagonist?

What I love about Ravirn is his combination of idealism and cynicism. He expects the worst of a situation but won't let that stop him from working toward a solution, even when he knows the attempt is probably doomed. That and his sense of humor. I come from a family where humor, particularly black humor and sarcasm, are fundamental coping mechanisms. Sometimes life hands you a situation where you have to laugh or cry, and given any choice in the matter I'll always pick laughter. It may not solve the problem, but it sure lightens the load.

You're a writer. What else are you? What are your interests? Hobbies?

Husband and cat-wrangler are probably at the top of the list for other self-identifiers. My wife and I are coming up on twenty fantastic years together and over that time two cats became three cats, became four cats, became five. I love to read and play video-games. I've got a Gaiman, a Pierce and a Blaylock on the active books pile and I just finished playing Portal and Drake's Fortune. I also like hiking and biking, and since it's spring, I'm at the front end of the annual garden madness.

Did you have to do any special research for this book? What did you need to know in order to write it that you didn't know before? Do you have some special preparation you do for your writing?

I didn't have to do a lot of new research for this book. After finishing two novels set in the Greek gods plus computers reality of the WebMage I have a pretty good grounding in this world, and I really only needed to touch up my memory of a couple of the myths involved in this specific story. On a more general note, I read non-fiction voraciously. I just finished a great book on plants in traditional Hawaiian culture as part of a Hawaiian history and mythology kick. I read several science and technology magazines on an ongoing basis and I'm looking around for some good references on the Canadian Maritime provinces in general and on Halifax in particular.

I see a lot of computer and programming stuff in the WebMage series. Is that something that really interests you? Or is it more driven by the needs of the story?

Mostly it's the needs of the story. I love my laptop and the web and I tend to be a technology early adopter if I can afford it, but I'm not really much for programming or hacking. While I have been immersed in computer culture from a very early age since my mother became a bug-checker when I was about ten and has been working as an analyst and programmer ever since and because I've got a lot of close friends in IT, it's not something I'm much involved in outside of writing the books.

Ravirn displays a lot of physicality, constantly getting himself into life-threatening situations and back out of them in ways that involve all sorts of death defying action. I'm guessing that's not something you the writer have an enormous amount of experience with. How do you make that convincing? Do Ravirn's solutions reflect the sort of things you might do in a similar situation?

I'm much more of a thinker than Ravirn, especially as I've gotten older, but I've got to admit to a certain amount of speaking from experience when I have him do something big and physical and stupid like climbing a building and then jumping off. It's not the sort of thing I'd do now, but when I was in my late teens and early twenties I was something of an adrenaline junkie. I was into martial arts and mountain climbing and all sorts of things that are moderately safe when done responsibly and less so when done the way I did some of them. From fifteen to twenty-two I averaged two trips to the emergency room a year, and as I've gotten older that's led to things like a couple of knee surgeries and other corrective measures.

What are you writing now?

A couple of things. I just sent off book proposals for a fifth WebMage and for two books that I would like to write as a successor series to the WebMage/Ravirn books. I've also got a YA I want to work on–the second in a series that my agent is shopping around now–because I'm in love with the story and the world. That's the main front burner stuff. But I've got five complete novels and nine proposals out with various editors and any of those could get moved up the list if they sell. I'm pretty busy at the moment, and I love it that way. There's really nothing I'd rather be doing with my life than what I'm doing right now.

How did you become a writer? Is this what you saw yourself growing up to be? Or did it take you be surprise?

Short answer: I quit theater. Longer version. I set out at the age of eleven to be an actor and was well on my way when I met the woman I would eventually marry. At that point, I realized how incompatible theater was with having a long term relationship and I went looking for something else to do. On something very like a whim I wrote my first novel and fell head over heals in love with writing. Now I can't imagine myself doing anything else.

Do you have a writing routine? Talk process for a moment, how do the words get on the page?

I write between two and eight hours a day five days a week. On a typical day I get up around eight in the morning, stagger downstairs and collect a unit of caffeine–could be soda, could be tea, it doesn't really matter since it's a delivery system. Then I hop on the treadmill and websurf and read email and the like for an hour or so. At that point I'm mostly awake and I do things like respond to the email or other writing and life maintenance tasks. That can take anything between twenty minutes and two hours. Then I write. Less than a thousand words is a bad day. More than two thousand is a good one. Oh, and, I use a laptop so that I can work where the whim takes me.

Office? Closet? Corner of the living room? Do you have a set place to write? A favorite? How does the environment you write in affect your production? Your process?

In summer I write in a second floor screen porch. It has a gorgeous view over the park that abuts our backyard, and that sort of near outdoor setting is my preferred setting for writing–I'm hoping to have a more permanent solar built to replace the porch soon. Until then, my winter office is our upstairs sitting room which gets southern light and is a pretty comfortable substitute for my screen porch.

Is there anything you especially like to work on in a book? Anything you hate?

I love world-building and plot-twisting. Figuring out how a system of magic might work and then figuring out ways to game that system fascinates me. And yes, I was a rules lawyer back in my role-playing days, why do you ask? Likewise building a plot and then coming up with ways to add twists or bits of misdirection is a joy for me. I don't really have any hates. There are things that I used to find more difficult, character chief among them, but I'm getting a steadily better handle on the whole process and I just love writing. I even love rewriting, both the sentence level stuff and the bigger more complex story edits.

This isn't your first book; tell us a little bit about what else is out there.

Well, primarily it's the WebMage stuff. WebMage, Cybermancy, and now CodeSpell with MythOS finished and forthcoming and a proposal in for SpellCrash after that. On the novels front, as I mentioned above, I've got five more books and nine proposals out, so that could change at any moment. I've also had a number of short stories published, including an illustrated collection as part of a big middle school physical science curriculum that's been adopted by several states. But that doesn't make an enormous amount of sense outside the classroom setting it was written for.

Do you see fiction as having a purpose? Generally? How about your own work?

Transcendence. I think that human beings need story. We need myths and legends and tales that lift us out of ourselves and that fiction supplies that need. That's another reason I do most of my work in fantasy-if I'm going to be a mythmaker for a living I might as well write the truly mythic.

Early Reviews:

CodeSpell has been getting great reviews. Publishers Weekly called CodeSpell the "taut third book in the Ravirn series" and said, "A hint of cyberpunk, a dollop of Greek mythology and a sprinkle of techno-magic bake up into an airy genre mashup. Lots of fast-paced action and romantic angst up the ante as Ravirn faces down his formidable foes." From Romantic Times four star review: "This third book featuring hacker extraordinaire Ravirn is every bit of a fast-paced, energetic, page-turner as its predecessors. Ravirn continues to be a fascinating protagonist, and the chaotic twists of the plot carry the reader through to the end."

Sales info:

Amazon:

CodeSpell
Cybermancy
WebMage

Barnes & Noble:

CodeSpell
Cybermancy
WebMage

Dreamhaven (signed copies): http://dreamhavenbooks.com/mccullough.php

New Interview with me!

Urban Fantasyland did their Saturday interview with me! Check it out: Saturday Seven With Author Tate Hallaway.

I am Iron Fan

Because I finished my first draft of Dead if I Do last week, I treated myself to a movie… out. The last movie I saw in a theatre was the second installment of Lord of the Rings, and the there were a couple things about the movie going experience that have changed in the intervening years. First of all, the seats are WAY better. My friend Sean M. Murphy and I went to the new Rosedale theatre and I have to say, stadium seating is very nice. The prices for concessions, however, blew my mind. Four dollars for a bottle of water? Sean and I concluded it had to be angel p*ss to be worth that much. Also, there were a lot more commercials, although, secretly, that doesn’t bother me as much.

As for the movie itself, it didn’t take long for me to be happy with Iron Man. The moment we discover his computerized “butler” at Tony Stark’s Malibu mansion is named Jarvis (after, no doubt, the long-time real, live butler at the Avengers’ Mansion) I was pretty much sold. By the time the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. showed I was damn near giddy. The surprise scene at the end of the credits made me – and Sean can attest to this – actually scream out loud.

It’s clear that Marvel is the best creative team to have at the head of their movie franchise, because unlike the okay-but-vaguely-disappointing Fantastic Four films, it’s clear that the Marvel writers get that superhero stories aren’t just about the eye-candy special effects (though there were plenty to enjoy in Iron Man). Not to over do an Iron Man metaphor, but Marvel clearly gets the importance of giving their heroes heart, soul, and, frankly, personality.

Robert Downey, Jr. made a phenomenal Tony Stark. He managed to walk the line of smarmy, but likable. The humor (and brief moments of self-deprecation and vulnerability) did a lot to win me over. As I said on one of my other blogs, I was never a big fan of Iron Man before this movie. I read him in old Avengers, but never in his own title. I knew some of his origin story, but not very well. I tended to find him a rather vacuous placeholder/spear carrier in the Avengers, and, at worst, I pegged him as a military industrialist Capitalist running dog. (Funny aside: There’s a scene in one of the issues of Runaways where the young heroes are trying to find a villain to pound and they come across someone vandalizing a Stark Industries sign. They have a long discussion about Stark’s dubious role in any number of military actions and in the end make the case that vandalizing Stark Industries isn’t really much of a crime given how odious Stark’s business dealing are – funny. True.)

While reading the Civil War story line, I came to appreciate Iron Man in his pseudo-villainous role as the contractor (with Haliburton) for the Negative Zone prisons, etc. I couldn’t say I liked him, but I thought his arguments for the Superhero Registration Act had a certain kind of logic that made the Civil War have that much more resonance with today’s political climate.

With Downey, Jr. in the role, however, I started to get what all the fuss was about. If things proceed to an Iron Man 2 and Avengers movie, I could actually see myself caring about him. I might also understand how he comes to co-lead the Avengers with Captain America (which was something, as a on-again-off-again reader of the Avengers titles I could never truly grok.)

What I like, too, about Iron Man the movie is that it restored my faith in comic book to movie adaptations. I thought the writers were very good at giving readers unfamiliar to Iron Man a reason to love him, while also giving us long time fans a movie that was a ‘fans’ fan, lady’s fan, fan about town.’

It made me an Iron Fan.

The End

The Sweetest Words in the English language: THE END.

I wrote them last night on the first draft of Dead If I Do (which is due at the publisher at the end of this month.) Now it's off to my beta readers, who will no doubt give me lots of suggestions for improvement, which I will follow. Then my partner reads it last, and I make final changes and usually copy edits.

So, it a way it's not an ending, but the beginning...

Publicity Course

*****PERMISSION TO FORWARD*******

Innovative Publicity Basics for Authors (New and Hopeful) with Lauren Cerand

Sponsored by: Heart of Dixie http://www.heartofdixie.org
Dates: July 1-14, 2008
Deadline to Register: June 15

CLASS DESCRIPTION:

p>New York-based independent publicist Lauren Cerand walks you through the fundamentals of literary publicity right up to the cutting-edge. This courseconsists of six instructor-led lectures, three open "Q & A" sessions dedicated to your topics, and three small but significant homework assignments. Content will be useful to authors in any genre and at any level of expertise.

INSTRUCTOR BIO:

Lauren Cerand (www.laurencerand.com) is an independent public relations representative and consultant in New York. Her clients are a purposefully eclectic mix of creative professionals, and she specializes in generating initial buzz and building sustained attention for individuals and projects such as Barnes & Noble's "Upstairs at the Square" series www.bn.com/upstairs. She is often asked to share her innovative perspective on publicity and has spoken to audiences at the at the 20th Annual Independent and Small Press Book Fair, Book Promotion 101, Mystery Writers of America, NYU's Center for Publishing, The (Downtown) Omaha Lit Fest, Penguin UK (video clip), Virginia Festival of the Book, Word of Mouth, Women's National Book Association, and next at the Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference (June 14-15, 2008). The Village Voice included her in its "Best of New York" (2004) issue. She is the vice chair of the board of directors of Girls Write Now, "a nonprofit volunteer mentoring organization that has been matching bright, creative teenage girls from New York City's public high schools with professional women writers in the community since 1998." A Cornell University graduate, Lauren compiles "The Smart Set," a weekly round-up of cultural happenings for www.MaudNewton.com, and writes about art, politics and style at www.LuxLotus.com.

Visit www.heartofdixie.org for registration information.

Jupiter Retrograde!

This breaking news from www.astrology.com:

Saturn just sent ripples in your life by going direct, but another major wave of change is coming on May 9 when Jupiter turns retrograde. Jupiter is the planet of luck, grace, favor and fortune. Jupiter brings wealth, abundance, and optimism. Our successes, accomplishments and prosperity are all within the realm of the grace this large planet bestows upon us. However, when Jupiter turns retrograde, our forward momentum is reversed. This period is not a good time to start new ventures, make financial investments or even change jobs for that matter. Rather, it is a time to finish projects, an excellent time to pay attention to relationships, as well a time to gain a better perspective on life and our inner self. The major emphasis of a Jupiter retrograde period is on inner awareness and inner growth.

New Review: Writers Are Reads. com

Here's a review from Writers Are Readers by Terry Spear's of Romancing the Dead. Among some other lovely things, she says:

"I hadn’t read any of the earlier works of Tate Hallaway, but it was easy to follow along with the story in ROMANCING THE DEAD without having done so. I liked the mystery and had to keep reading to find out how it all turned out. And isn’t that every writer’s dream? To hook the reader so that he or she can’t put the book down? Such was the case with me."

Bloggin' about Chattin'

If you find yourself with nothing to do on (May 7) Thursday, night 9pm EST (which is 8pm for those of us in the Midwestern region), you're welcome to participate in a reader/author chat over at Jove/Berkley/Ace's Writer's Space.

I plan to stop by, but a word of warning... if anyone has had the misfortune of IMing with me, you'll know that Garnet and I have one thing in common: we're both computer dweebs. So, while I'll be there, I'll probably respond three minutes after you ask a question. Okay, it might not be that bad, but... well, you've been warned.

And the Winners Are....

Listed below are the winners of the signed, manuscript copy of the first chapter of DEAD IF I DO (the book after ROMANCING THE DEAD, which came out offically yesterday). Will the winners please send their snail mail address to me at tate.hallaway@gmail.com I'll get that out you all y'all as soon as I get your address!

And the winners are....

1. Jolene
2. Tetewa
3. Leah
4. Meljprincess
5. crystalgb
6. abigail
7. limecello
8. valerie oakley
9. lori
10. carmel

Thanks to everyone for making the blog roll contest a success!

Blog Roll Contest

Welcome to the blog roll contest!

How this works is that each author involved in the blog roll will pose a question on their blog. We will print our answers (and links to the next blog). You can participate by giving me your answer in my comments. The first ten people will receive a signed, manuscript copy of the first chapter of the book after ROMANCING THE DEAD, DEAD IF I DO (2009).

My question is:

If you could marry (or date) one character from your novels who would it be, and why?

Michele Bardsley: Patrick O'Halloran from I'M THE VAMPIRE, THAT'S WHY. He's got that Irish accent and he's really hot and he's been around for four-thousand years ... and did I mention the accent? Not to mention all that licking and sucking involved with dating a vampire. Of course, that's IF I could wrest him from Jessica because quite frankly, she could kick my ass.

Erin McCarthy: Damien from MY IMMORTAL because he owns a plantation house in Louisiana and an apartment in the French Quarter. I have a thing for quality real estate. ;-)

Anya Bast: Hmmm...just one? That's a hard question. Man... *thinks* Okay, I guess I'd pick Alejandro Martinez from The Chosen Sin (Berkley Heat, October 2008). He's a vampire with an extra special skill in pleasure giving when he takes blood (what's not to like about that?) He lives in the future and in another part of the universe, so he'd be able to show me all kinds of interesting places. We could gaze at the stars together (we'd have a great view). Plus, he's got a wicked sexy accent and would speak Spanish to me. Grrrrooowl. I seriously doubt I could get away with stealing him from Daria, though. She scares me. *whimper*

And finally.... my answer:

Tate Hallaway: I'd date Daniel Parrish. Like Garnet, however, I'd be pretty hesitant to marry anyone quite as bad boy as Parrish. If I had to pick a guy from my books to actually settle down with, I think I might pick William. Sebastian is a bit broody for me, and William seems lie he'd be a lot of fun to talk to.

What's your answer? If you could marry any fictional character in your favorite books, who would you marry and why?

Saturn Direct

Our dear friends at astrology.com have this news about today's stars:

Saturn, the slow moving planet of karma and taskmaster of the zodiac, goes direct on May 2, 2008 at 8:07pm, PDT, ushering in an incredible period of possibilities and gifts.

Saturn commands us to get to work, and to work hard. Discipline and responsibility are important to this planet. So if you have been honest, responsible and hard working, gifts and rewards are coming your way! It could be a lucky break, a well-deserved raise at work or dreams you had given up, suddenly handed to you. However, if we have been shirking our responsibility or have been deceitful, then we will be found out and dealt with accordingly.

Saturn reinforces responsibility, carrying your share of the load and being held accountable for what you say or do -- or say you are going to do. Saturn rules wisdom, however, it is wisdom gained from hard work and experience -- earned one hard step at a time. During a direct period, Saturn inspires confidence. As its role as a teacher, during a direct transit, Saturn also bestows inner strength -- a strength of spirit, a deepening sense of compassion and understanding of self, others or a particular situation.

Star/Planet News!

And now this from www.astrology.com:

May brings more than just spring flowers -- there is dynamic activity happening in the cosmos, and it has deep and lasting implications for us all. It's time for a one-two punch from the heavyweights in the solar system -- Saturn and Jupiter -- and while some will feel like the bottom has dropped out, others will get sweet rewards that they've been working so hard for.

The month starts off with a bang! Saturn, the slow moving planet of karma and dharma turns direct on May 2. This is a period of endless possibilities and sweet rewards for hard work, as well as recognition for your contributions to both work and relationships. May 5 brings a New Moon in Taurus, and with it new beginnings. Any tangible, practical investment you make in your life can really pay off this month.

Jupiter, the planet of expansion and generosity, goes retrograde May 9. The effects of this retrograde will be felt differently depending on how Jupiter is positioned in your birth chart. However, the overall effect of a Jupiter retrograde represents a tightening up of finances. Wallets will be closing, and this is a time for frugality. The Full Moon in Scorpio on May 19 also signals that this is a good time to tune into your financial life and evaluate your financial responsibilities.

The final big punch comes with Mercury and Neptune both turning retrograde on May 2. Mercury retrogrades always bring disruption in communications and the Neptune retrograde period is a time to remember and revisit your dreams, goals and ideals.

Some Announcements

First of all, my alter ego is blogging about "Committing Series" over at SF Novelists today.

Second, I got an invitation to a big book launch blog roll with several other paranormal romance authors, including: Michele Bardsley, Charlaine Harris, Erin McCarthy, and Anya Bast. How this is going to work is that each of us is going to pose a question on our blogs and post our answer, along with the answers from the other authors. Each author is going to host a contest for a free book, Amazon certificate or something like that. If you roll through all the blogs, you'll get a chance to win something from each of us. For my part, I plan to offer a signed, manuscript copy of the first chapter of the NEXT book, Dead If I Do (2009), to the first ten people to post a response in the comments.

So I'm giving all y'all the heads up. As they used to say in that annoying ad, "Watch this space!"