Guest on B Cube's Sunday Morning

I was a guest along with Lambda award-winner, Deborah J. Ross, on this very special Pride Month episodes. I had great fun--although my microphone decided to play hooky near the end of the broadcast, alas.  We did, at least, have a great conversation up until that moment.

Kickstarter is LIVE

 The Kickstarter for the Dragon Shelter Anthology is now live!!

This is the Kickstarter that I mentioned in an earlier post. The story I wrote for this is a lot of fun and very personal. I wrote it based on my time as a library circulation staff and the ending makes me cry happy tears (and hopefully will for you, too.) Teaser: there is an emotional support DRAGON involved!

At any rate, if you are so inclined, please consider tossing a bit of funding in its direction. Every little bit will help! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wolfinmybeard/a-day-at-the-dragon-shelter

Kickstarter News Coming...

 In the next week, expect some news about a Kickstarter for a shared-world anthology that I will be part of edited by Steven Brust and Chris ‘Fox’ Wallace.  Among the contributors are not only myself, but also Jane Yolen, Adam Stemple, and Emma Bull.

Just to whet your whet your appetite, here's a hint as to what it will all be about..

---

You probably remember where you were when you heard the dragons had returned. No doubt, unless you were one of the first to see one, you thought it was a hoax, and I'm sure it took you a while to be convinced. And you have certainly seen how it has changed things--destroying some businesses, creating others, but in one way or another, having an effect on almost everyone.

For us, here at the shelter, it's seasonal. Every Christmas, parents see a cute little hatchling and think what a wonderful present it would be. And, in many cases, they're right. But too many don't even bother looking up even the most basic information about whatever breed they've settled on, and there are too many unscrupulous breeders who don't bother telling them to. Many of these well-intentioned dragon owners somehow miss the two most important facts about a dragonling – It will grow, sometimes very large, and it may not choose you.

That's why, every spring, things start to really pick up here at the City of Lakes Dragon Shelter.

---

I really had a great time writing the story for this anthology. I got inspired, in part, by my work at the Ramsey County public library... and, of course, drag queen story hour.  

If you get a chance to support it when I have more details, please do!

Minicon 2023

My schedule for this year's Minicon (in Saint Louis Park, MN): http://mnstf.org/minicon56/

FRIDAY

8:30 PM

Gender & AI (Park 2)

Androids and AI in science fiction disrupt the idea of a gender binary: what purpose is there for an Android and/or AI to have gender? Could an Android/AI be trans, gender-fluid, and/or non-binary? How will that affect how we as a society see gender as a construct?

Justin Grays, Naomi Kritzer, Lyda Morehouse, Ian Young

SATURDAY

1:00 PM

Humor in genre fiction (Orchard)

A serious discussion of funny F/SF and horror.

Eleanor Arnason, Mike Aurelius, F. J. Bergman, Lyda Morehouse, Douglas Van Dyke Jr

2:30 PM

LGBTQ+ Representation in SF/F (Orchard)

Queer characters are showing up in both YA and adult F/SF. Where can you find queer characters? Are their authors getting it right? Which books/shows are the best? And, maybe, assuming that such representation merely a good start, what is the next step?

Justin Grays, David Lenander, Catherine Lundoff, Lyda Morehouse, David Paschal-Zimbel

SUNDAY

10:00 AM

The Power of Play (Park 1)

The concept of play includes many ideas such as stress relief, a path to creativity, connection with others (and our younger selves), and more. Science fiction and fantasy fans enjoy playing around mentally, after all. Silly hats, clothes, footwear, and toys are encouraged for panel members and attendees.

Jeanne Mealy, Lyda Morehouse, Laramie Sasseville, Crystal Therese

Fun New Patreon Perks

 So, you may not know that I have a Patreon. I do, but it is under my given name, Lyda Morehouse, under which I write science fiction. 

https://www.patreon.com/lydamorehouse

I've recently revamped (PARDON THE PUN) it hoping to lure in a few more fans of my paranormal work. 

If you subscribe at the $1/mo level, you can can stay caught up on all the lovely things I have been up to, including (but limited to!) the fact that I am in the midst of writing a short story for a dragon anthology. (If  you sign up at the $5/mo level, I will be sharing a bit of that once it's finished, just as a teaser.)

But, in specific, of interest to people here, I am adding some new things to my higher tiers. At the $5/mo level, I'm going to be starting a  weekly, Monday morning Tarot journal blog. This is 100% exclusive and in it, I'll be sharing pictures of my spread and my thoughts on what the card(s) mean generally, but also personally. If you're at all interested in the witchy aspects of my life, this is where you can find that kind of stuff. 

If you're willing to pay a bit more, I'm hoping to make my $10/mo tier attractive to people who tuned in to this blog in the old days when I wrote a lot about writing and how writing works. At this level, I'll be posting a blog about my writing advice, how-tos--basically stuff I've distilled from years of teaching at the Loft--once a month. This might also come with videos or podcasts, I'm not sure yet. I'm trying to make this new stuff all relatively easy for me to add into my life so that you'll be sure to get what you're paying for.

Also, you know, it's okay if this is not of interest to you. I put it out here just in case you are! I know you love and support my work, whether or not you can contribute to my Patreon.

Thanks!

Video of the Podcast

 If you would much rather see my smiling face while I record the Podcast that I posted a few days ago, here is the YouTube link:

Guest Appearance on Written Well Podcast

 

I was a guest on my friend Adam's podcast, Written Well.  Feel free to check it out: https://open.spotify.com/episode/53Er1jeTXgXaVEN3bNzQK3  

Chicon8 VIRTUAL schedule

I had been slated to attend WorldCON in-person, but a month or so ago, when COVID numbers began to spike, I requested to be shifted to fully virtual. I must have gotten my request in in early enough because I am still on a fair amount of programming. Whoot! So, if you are attending WorldCON/Chicon8 this weekend and have virtual access, here's where I will be:

Thursday, September 1, 2022

5:30 PM  Virtual Table Talk - Lyda Morehouse / Tate Hallaway (Airmeet Tables,) Duration: 60 mins

7:30 PM Reading - Lyda Morehouse / Tate Hallaway (Airmeet Readings,) Duration: 20 mins

Saturday, September 3, 2022

10:00 AM The Legacy and Influence of Satoshi Kon (Airmeet 5,) Duration: 60 mins

Alina Sidorova (moderator), Osawa Hirotaka, Lyda Morehouse / Tate Hallaway, Nick Mamatas

Come explore this retrospective on the maker of films like Paprika, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers, Satoshi Kon. Often exploring themes of performance, social stigma, and the human psyche, Satoshi's stories have left an indelible mark upon media though focus on the synergy between dreams and reality.

 

7:00 PM Noir and SFF (Airmeet 2,)Duration: 60 mins

Lyda Morehouse / Tate Hallaway, Marissa James, Nick Mamatas, T. C. Weber (moderator)

 Noir fiction and SFF have similar roots in the pulps, and speculative fiction often uses noir themes—or at least its surface appearance. Our panelists will consider noir's influence on cyberpunk and novels like Miéville's The City and the City or Khaw's Hammers on Bone, and ponder the best uses of the fedora. . . in space! Let's talk about our favorite SFF hardboiled detectives, existential dread, and French cinema.

Minicon Schedule -- April 15-17, 2022

 

I will be *gasp* IN-PERSON at Minicon 55 (April 15-17, 2022).  Below is my schedule for the weekend. I hope to see some of you there!

Lyda at Minicon : https://programming.minicon.org/programming/

SATURDAY


11:30
The Whole Entire Everything of MCU Movies
Park 2
Category: Media
Participants: Bill Higgins, Beth Kinderman, Katie Clapham, Lyda Morehouse
What are some thoughts on the entirety of this very ambitious project? Marvel has released movies, short series, and regular TV series, all within the same (well maybe) universe. What is this about? Is this the modern equivalent of Saturday serials? What were some important themes? What worked well and what didn't? How well or poorly did they deal with ethical issues?


13:00
Utopias aren't what they used to be!
Orchard Room
Category: Literary
Participants: Magenta Griffith, Bill Thomasson, Eric Heideman, Lyda Morehouse
Utopias used to be authors' dreams of an ideal or perfect, or at least, better society. Sometime in the last 20 years, DYStopia took over. Can we get back those rose-colored dreams of a better life or is it too late? What are the important utopian novelsby SF authors? How have utopian visions changed over time? Utopia vs metopia! What are some past and present examples of utopia?


17:30
Lyda Morehouse Reading
Park 2
Category: Literary
Participants: Lyda Morehouse


20:30
Page 117
Orchard Room
Category: Literary
Participants: Danith McPherson, Lyda Morehouse, Emily Stewart, Martin Summerton, Scott K. Jamison, Jacqueline Stoner
Can you judge a book by a random page? Let's find out! Our panelists will take turns reading the 117th page of books that are surprises to them and the audience, followed by a discussion about what kind of book we think it is, and whether we'd want to read the rest. Then... the reveal!



SUNDAY

11:30
Mentioning Unmentionables in SF/Fantasy
Park 2
Category: Literary
Participants: Lyda Morehouse, Adam Stemple, Katie Clapham, Naomi Kritzer
What are the things people don't talk about in SF/F? How do people use the toilet on a space station? How do women deal with their periods? What do you do with a dead body in space?


14:30
Anime and Manga for Speculative Fiction Fans
Park 2
Category:
Participants: Lyda Morehouse, Scott Mattson, Scott K. Jamison, Jason Otting
What's new/good in Japanese science fiction, horror, and fantasy Anime and Manga? What are good starting points, and what are some good options for people who want to dig deeper?

Interview~The Reinvented Heart

 

Cat Rambo interviewed my alternate self, Lyda Morehouse, in regards to a short story that I have in the current Reinvented anthology, The Reinvented Heart: Tales of Futuristic Relationships, which is currently available in Kindle (and other e-reader formats): https://www.amazon.com/Reinvented-Heart-Jane-Yolen-ebook/dp/B092JNGX85/ with a print version coming in May of 2022

Cymera21

 I'm reading today (Saturday. June 5) at Cymera21. 

Enjoy!

A bit of a newsletter

I sent off a recorded five minute reading for a digital conference in the UK, specifically Scotland called Cymera: https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/2021-digital-events  With luck, I will be part of their next Open Mic event. Watch Facebook for updates when that goes live--I think it will be sometime in early June.

I'll also be in attendance at this year's low-key WisCON event: https://wiscon.net/2021/05/08/announcing-visioning-wiscon/  and SFWA's Nebula Conference: https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nebula-conference/  These are happening the same weekend, but the bonus of the Zoom era is that I can literally attend both of them at the same time. 

The anthology I talked about last month that will contain my short story "Sincerely Yours" is now available for pre-order on Amazon (and a few other places,) even though it is not coming out until February of 2023. https://www.amazon.com/Reinvented-Heart-Jane-Yolen-ebook/dp/B092JNGX85/

Otherwise, I am continuing to work on what I've been calling my lesbian space opera novella, as well as finally getting a start on Alex Connor #3, which also still needs a name. The lesbian space opera will be published by Kalikoi Books (https://www.kalikoi.com/) and the third Alex Connor book will go to Wizard's Tower Press (https://wizardstowerpress.com/).  I'm hoping to have the space opera done before August, and the Alex book is due at the end of this year.

It's been slow-going, however. I'm really hopeful that when my family goes on vacation in the middle of June for two weeks to the Minnesota Boundary Waters Area, where there is NO INTERNET to distract me, I will actually be able to put in some solid work on both projects. 

Pre-Ordering Starts Today

Whoo hoo! I am excited to announce that, as you may have heard from my previous posts about this, my short story "Sincerely Yours" will be appearing in an anthology coming out in February of 2022, and you, you lucky devils, can pre-order it today! 

Here are some of the options for you to buy!

Hardcover:

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-reinvented-heart-caezik/1139312391

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781647100421

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Reinvented-Heart-Jane-Yolen-ebook/dp/B092JNGX85/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-reinvented-heart-jane-yolen/1139229735

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-reinvented-heart

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1562923075

Synopsis

What happens when emotions like love and friendship span vast distances — in space, in time, and in the heart?

Science fiction often focuses on future technology and science without considering the ways social structures will change as tech changes — or not. What will relationships look like in a complicated future of clones, uploaded intelligences, artificial brains, or body augmentation? What stories emerge when we acknowledge possibilities of new genders and ways of thinking about them?

The Reinvented Heart presents stories that complicate sex and gender by showing how shifting technology may affect social attitudes and practices, stories that include relationships with communities and social groups, stories that reinvent traditional romance tropes and recast them for the 21st century, and above all, stories that experiment, astonish, and entertain.

Space Lesbians!

You know that lesbian space opera I keep talking about? It's going to be part of a new publishing house run by Rachel Manija Brown. 

Here is what she says about it:

Kalikoi, a new F/F publishing house, will launch on May 3.

Kalikoi brings you the best fiction about women in love with women. Our diverse authors know how to stir your imagination, speed up your heart, and make you laugh or cry. But by the end of a book, your only tears will be happy ones: Kalikoi books guarantee happily-ever-after or happy-for-now endings!

Our heroines all identify as women, but beyond that, the sky’s the limit. They may be trans or cis; they may be lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual; they may call themselves queer or Sapphic or prefer no labels at all. Kalikoi celebrates ALL women who love women.

Whether you’re looking for an action-packed paranormal romance, a fantasy to transport you to a magical world, a historical full of sensual detail, a moody noir, a lighthearted comedy, or a space adventure, Kalikoi has the book for you!

Kalikoi is a project I've been working on for a while, and I'm delighted that it's about to become a reality.

 

The site is still somewhat under construction. For instance, I notice that I haven't sent along my author photo. But, if you go there you can sign up for the newsletter and all that jazz. And, since I'm already shamelessly promoting, let me remind you that if you join my Patreon, you can hear me read from the very same lesbian space opera that I will be publishing with them at the $1 level.  (That video will drop the day after tomorrow around 4 pm CT. So, don't worry if you don't see it yet. I just scheduled it.)

A Bit of Life, A Bit of News

 

It's been very cold here in Minnesota for the past several weeks. I guess, it's all very normal, but all this "April showers bring May flowers" stuff is getting rather dreary. I swear I have not seen the sun in weeks.

Even my cat, Willow, has returned to her winter perch on the radiator.

It's hard to believe it's almost May, honestly. I have a few flowers poking up bravely in my garden, though I was happy to see that some of the trillium that I planted last year have made an appearance. 

The garden this is in still has its leaf cover because it's intended to be a "woodland" garden, aka I was lazy and haven't bagged them up yet. 

Speaking of lazy, I need to decide what to do for my next writing class at the Loft. I've got until the end of May to get in a proposal, but I'm considering proposing another asynchronous class as well as a hybrid one (hybrid, at the Loft, appears to mean: via Zoom unless things change.) I had an extremely successful master class this last semester and I'm taking the summer off to pack my only child off to university in Connecticut.  So these potential classes have a chance at being in-person, since they begin in the fall.

Either way, I need to figure out what aspect of writing. They do themes for their catalog every semester, and this upcoming on is: Outside My Window.  

Many of us felt our worlds shrink a bit during the last year as vacations were cancelled, offices closed, and events postponed. But we also found that some of the most powerful stories are the ones right in our backyards. Writing from where we are can tell us a lot about ourselves, our neighbors, and the world around us.

When we look through a window, we see the world from a unique perspective. What story can only we tell? How might someone looking through another window see it? What are we missing when we can only see a bit of the world through a pane of glass? And in a time when many of us are isolated from each other, how do we bring all of these perspectives together?

I don't HAVE to propose a class that fits this description/vibe, but you do get listed on the special splash pages, if you do.  I mean, an obvious connection I can make is to a spaceship's viewport, but I will have to ponder this a bit.

In other news, I signed the contract for my short story "Sincerely Yours" which will be coming out in The Reinvented Heart Anthology edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo coming February 2022 from Arc Manor Press.  So, that continues to be exciting. If you haven't checked out the cover reveal I did of that anthology, you really should. https://www.patreon.com/posts/reinvented-heart-49701907  (This takes you to my Patreon, but this post is open and free to the public.) 

Meanwhile, I continue to work on both my lesbians in space novella and, of course, Alex Connor #3.  Although with the later, I really need to move out of the plotting stage and into the WORDS ON PAGE part or I won't make my deadline! (Which is the end of the year.)

Anyway.

Here's hoping for sunnier days soon. 

Do People Like Newsletters?

 If you do like getting newsletters, you can absolutely sign up for mine: https://tinyletter.com/lydamorehouse (there is a new widget on this page now, too, that you can use to sign up.)  I will probably be posting once a month, so it's not like you'll be flooded with information.

This is separate from my patreon, which you are also always welcome to join. https://www.patreon.com/edit/about

The newsletter, however, is free. 

I will also continue to post here, of course.  The biggest news lately, of course, is that I signed a contract with Wizard Tower press to put out a third book in the Alex Connor series. My deadline is the end of the year, and so we are hoping to have out early 2022 sometime. So there will be continued adventures of everyone's favorite half-dragon Hughes County coroner who can speak to the dead!

Whooo!

Cover Reveal - The Reinvented Heart Anthology

 

My short story "Sincerely Yours," will be coming out in The Reinvented Heart Anthology which is coming from Arc Manor Press in February, 2022, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo.

I am very excited to be part of this anthology and it looks like I am sharing the anthology with a lot of amazing science fiction/fantasy authors. 

Two new things... a Patreon and a NEW BOOK

 Two big announcements for Tate Hallaway fans: first and foremost, I JUST signed a contract for book 3 in the Alex Connor series. It is as yet unnamed, but I have a due date of the end of this year (2021) and thus am presuming that the book will come out in spring of 2022!!

Woot! More Alex and Valentine!

In tandem with that, I thought I might finally jump on the Patreon bandwagon (I know, I know, that's like so last decade, but I'm slow to adopt!) and let anyone who signs up follow along as I write book three (and all other works-in-projects.)  You can become a fan and get exclusive content for as little as $1 a month, so... it might be worthwhile. Check it out!

https://www.patreon.com/lydamorehouse

Marscon Appearance (Virtual)

Tonight, I am doing a Zoom panel at MarsCON (FREE!) and a recorded bonus track:

08:30pm - Friday -  Apocalypse Crafting - Panel Channel - During the pandemic, we all took up hobbies that are related to being housebound / on Zoom a lot which we'd like to talk about. https://youtu.be/b26oxuD_j3o with: Naomi Kritzer, mod.; S.N.Arly, Lyda Morehouse, Isabel Schechter, Haddayr Copley Woods


09:15PM - Friday -  Reading by Lyda Morehouse (Tate Hallaway) - Bonus Tracks-  Lyda Morehouse aka Tate Hallaway reads from Unjust Cause (Wizard Tower Press) https://youtu.be/ZHcM8bmAkGM with: Lyda Morehouse

So, what is weird about this is that if you want to watch me live, you will have to miss my recorded reading... or bail fifteen minutes before the end of the last panel? Because my reading is very short and so if you go at the end hoping to catch some, you will have missed it. I guess the downside of virtual cons is that they can LITERALLY schedule you opposite yourself.

Seems weird that they wouldn't have pushed that back even fifteen minutes? But, I guess I should have checked the schedule earlier or, I dunno, asked them not to schedule me against myself?

Anyway, that's me. Come see me or part of me?

Starting with a Bang (and Why That's Bull)

 I've start up a new writers' group that includes some writers who are newer to the craft. This has been wonderful for me, because I personally find it useful to my own process and to my own understanding to have to articulate how writing works. 

One of my colleagues was complaining that his other writers group always harps on him to have a strong hook. They keep telling him "You have to start with a BANG." The problem is the story he wants to tell isn't a high octane shoot 'em up, it a quiet, reflective piece about grief and a small, personal mystery. So, he was talking about how frustrating it is to have to artificially wrench his story into a form where it starts with some kind of huge dramatic moment.

I stopped him and said, "It's a lie. What your colleagues are telling you is a lie."

A hook can be an actual gunshot, but what a BANG is, is simply the easiest way to get a reader's attention. It is not--absolutely not--the only way to get it.

You don't actually have to start with a bang at all. What you have to start with is a "hook," and that is very, very, VERY different than a bang. What a hook is, is something that compels a reader to want to go on. It's a sense of tension, an anxiousness to know more, it is a question that the reader desperately wants answered, or a quiet sense of building dread... or something else that has the reader saying 'OOoooooOOO, I want more of THIS.' 

It doesn't have to be BIG, it just has to be compelling.

It has been drilled into to new writers that the opening has to be exciting... and it does. It's just that it doesn't have to be "exciting" in a conventional way. 

I would go so far as to say that, if you do it right, almost anything could be a hook. A really strong sense of place could be enough for a reader to settle in an say to themselves, "Yes, this place seems super interesting, I want more." A strong, quirky narrative voice might be enough for a reader to say, "WHO is this person?? I must find out!" 

My friend and fellow Wyrdsmith, Adam Stemple once told me that an opening has to leave the reader with the impression that they are "in the hands of a master." And, he's right. Part of what you are establishing with your hook is a sense that you can be trusted to tell a good story. One of the ways you can gain that trust is believing that what you have to say is enough. Don't feel like you have to artificially contort your story so that you start in some conventionally "exciting" way. Just give your readers that nugget, the one that hints to them that what is promised is totally worth it. 

It still takes work to do it right, but don't waste that work thinking you have to go big or go home. You have to be interesting and compelling. That's hard enough!