Safe

Yesterday afternoon, I was laying on the bed thinking I should either nap, meditate (which is really, for me, just guided napping,) or start writing. Since I could barely keep my eyes open I went for meditation/napping. I settled in on the bed, plugged in to my mp3 player, but I paused because I heard the sound of a train rattling in the far, far distance. I thought: "Huh, a train," because, a train passes quite close to our house and we can often heard it rumbling through the neighborhood. Two seconds later the tornado sirens went off. Mason and I scurried off to the basement, but as it was only just pitter-pattering rain, I still didn't make the connection. And, honestly, because it's Wednesday, if I didn't have a weather radio that automatically tells me if this is a drill or a real advisory, I probably wouldn't even have hurried us off to the basement. (Even though it wasn't the first Wednesday of the month, my little radio goes off weekly on Wednesdays.)

I'm glad I did.

The tornado that touched down was quite a distance from us. Across the river and in the Portland Avenue and Downtown areas of Minneapolis. But, you know, that's much closer than I really ever needed to be. My sympathies go out to everyone directly affected.

Killing the Muse*

Jim Butcher recently joined Twitter. Encouraged by many of the people I already "follow," I checked out his tweets. His very first one was strangely profound. He wrote something to the effect of "Author kills Muse. Film at 11." Subsequent posts made it clear that his reason for "killing" his Muse is that he's behind on his deadline and he can no longer afford to wait for inspiration to strike. He's just got to knuckle down and write.

Like I said, I found that surprisingly insightful.

I always thought that someone in the stratosphere like Jim Butcher had the luxury of waiting on his Muse, you know? I know that the rest of us down here scrabbling in the dirt have to write whenever we can squeeze in time at the computer. But, I guess I thought that once you kind of "made it" you could just sip martinis poolside and wait for that shining Goddess in white to appear and smack you upside the head and say, "Time to write! I've got a great idea for you, pal!"

It's kind of nice to know that's not true. I guess I remember reading in Stephen King's book about writing that he thinks it's a good idea, if possible, to sit down at the computer at the same time every day so the Muse knows where and when to show up -- even if She doesn't deign to come every time, his point is that if you make it a regular habit, eventually She'll get the invitation and appear. But I also sort of thought that "Stevie" (as he calls himself throughout the book) was kind of just saying that for us lowly not-yet-as-great-as-he sorts.

Maybe not. Maybe everyone struggles with writing when they don't want to.

Huh.

Cool.

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*X-posted from the Wyrdsmiths blog.

Summer in Full Swing

I've been lax about posting here because summer at Chez Hallaway is in full swing. In fact, I think my family is still recovering from an exhausting (yet relaxing) weekend up at our friends' cabin in Siren, Wisconsin. It was exhausting because the weather cooperated and so we spent oodles of time in the water -- swimming, floating, playing beach tag, building sand castles, kayaking, and generally exhausting the grown-ups.

Yesterday, we were all so cranky at being back in the real world. It sucked.

Today is better. In fact, I got started a bit on the third re-boot of the young adult novel. My editor said, having read the new and improved bit I sent her, that I probably should just writing the thing in first person. Right now I can hear my partner and Naomi, the Wyrdsmith that complained the loudest that the whole thing should be in first person, laughing at me. I resisted first person because... well, because I really wanted the challenge of writing in third. Something new to me. Something to stretch me a bit. Alas, a highly commercial venture is not really the place one should attempt to stretch one's self. :-) Maybe I'll work in third person in some short stories.

But the good news is that I finally wore Mason out up at the lake. He's been very inwardly focused for the last couple days since we've come back, and I think that he finally got enough excercise and sunshine for a little while. I was actually able, like I said, to get some writing done. During the DAY. Awesome, no?

Writing Biorhythms

Do you have a time when your brain is better suited for writing?

I know I do. As a professional writer, I've trained myself to write any time, any where. However, the fact remains: I write better during daylight hours, preferably between 9:00 AM and noon.

Yesterday, I took Mason to the beach for three hours. We played and played and I thought for certain he'd be tired by the end of the day after all that healthy sunshine and exercise. He did get to bed at a reasonable hour, but then guess what? I was tired too! I did get a bit of writing done after hours, but I have to tell you, writing at night, for me, is just plain HARD. I can do it, but it's not "natural" for me, you know?

Strangely, I think I got in the habit of writing during the day when I had a regular job. I was the world's worst employee. I tell my friends in business: "Never hire me." Because I'm the consummate slacker. I get only enough done not to get fired, and I spend the rest of the time stealing your office supplies and writing my novel on company time. I wrote five novels while "working" full-time that way. Bad. And, like I said, the 9 to 5 mentality still infuses my writing brain. My brain thinks: office hours = writing hours. After hours = play and sleep. Now, with child at home, that's reversed.

It's hard to retrain the brain, though it can be done. I've now written nearly as many novels at home with small child as I did with a regular job. Many a midnight oil has been burned. But... I still don't like it. Even after years of writing this way (although now, only during summer,) it's still a bit like pulling teeth.

So how about you? All things being equal, when do you write best?

Tuesday Plans. Yours?

This morning started out with the whole family at the eye doctor. Mason has been adjusting his glasses a lot, and at his yearly physical had some trouble reading the eye chart with his glasses on.... so, no surprise, his perscription has changed. Alas, he and mama had some disagreements about which glasses looked best on him. Mason is a lot like me. If he had his druthers, he'd wear glasses festooned with a lot of BLING. And they'd be hot pink.

Mama is a bit more conservative to say the least.

We all ended up a bit bent out of shape after that, however. Now Mason is in the other room playing some video games while I catch up on my interneting. Our big plan for the day is to go to the beach. I'm really hoping that today I can wear him out a bit better. Yesterday, I'd hoped to coax him out on a big adventure so that I could get some writing done after bed time. But, ultimately, I'm learning that it seems to be nearly impossible to actually exhuast that child. Me? I'm out after two hours of hard core sprinting. Him? He's just getting revved up. So, needless to say, while I opened up my computer last night I did not get a lot done. However, I did reveiew my new beginning and I'm very proud of it. I think it captures the tone I want much better. I'm kind of tempted to send it on to my editor, Anne... sort of to reassure her. I don't know. Maybe.

Anyway, how are you on this fine Tuesday morn?

YA Back Cover Copy!

Last week I approved the back cover copy for the young adult novel I'm currently working on called ALMOST TO DIE FOR. It's a new series for me. It's not in the exact same universe as Garnet and Sebastian as you can see from the bits below, but it still has plenty of witches and vampires. According to Penguin USA, it will be out in August 2010.

Here's the back cover copy:

On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker’s present winds up being the shock of a lifetime. When her mom referred to her absentee dad as a deadbeat it was actually half true—he’s a vampire. And a king, no less. A king who wants his daughter to assume her rightful position at his side. But, thanks to Ana’s mother, the blood of a witch also runs through her veins…

Too bad vampires and witches are mortal enemies.

With her parents gearing up for an all out brawl over her destiny, Ana’s about ready to scream. But things get even crazier when a male witch and a brooding bad boy vampire start vying for her affection. Then the barely leashed tension between the vampires and the witches starts to boil over, and Ana has to figure out once and for all if she wants to become heir to her dad’s throne. And deciding your eternal destiny is a pretty big deal for a girl who just wants to get through high school.

"Murphy's Law" for Writers

The last couple of days since Mason has been off school for the summer, I've been pressed for time to write. Most of that is a problem of my own making, because, since he only has a month off in his year-round school schedule, we've been making the most of what we have by going on "adventures" to the local wildlife parks, etc. It's been great fun. Tiring, but great fun.

I haven't written much of note, however.

So what happens? The last few days my brain has bombarded me with ideas for short stories! My friend Sean M. Murphy came over a couple nights ago and we thought up an awesome first contact story. Yesterday, my brain went off on a tangent about the crazy things we're willing to do to stay thin and beautiful and I crafted a whole story arc around that... and this morning I woke up with the thought that's over in my Twitter feed.

Gah! Why does this always happen when I have NO time to write the projects under deadline, much less the ones that are bubbling to the surface!!!???

Hello, Monday

It's Monday, do you know where your motivation is?

I don't.

Once again, I find myself sitting at home waiting for a repair person to show up. This time the drier croaked. It no longer heats. We've been hanging our laundry on the line outside, which has been kind of cool, but a bit tedious, honestly. How did those Colonial women do it??

Also, my son is now officially on summer vacation. For those of you who have tuned in late, he has a year-round schedule. He still gets three months off, just not all at once. It's a schedule that's perfect for ME, because it means that my writing goes fairly well uninterrupted for months at a time. But now we're both rattling around at home. I should be writing now since he's occupied watching TV, but... you know, the internet is so SHINY!

It's suppose to get warm today -- in the upper 80s (F), so maybe after the repair person goes, we can hit the beach.

Need to find that motivation. Where did I put it? Is it here in this coffee cup, I wonder?

An Interview with Moi

LoveVampires did an interview with me, which you can check out here: http://lovevampires.com/thallaway.html Probably my favorite question to answer was the last one: "If the Garnetverse were real and you had to be one of your characters, who would you be and why? My answer might just SURPRISE you....

General Grumpiness

I have to shake this grumpy mood that's settled over me. I'm not sure what's going on, because today is absolutely beautiful. It's sunny, in the seventies (which, in my world, is damn near ideal) with a cool breeze, and I have good food waiting for me for lunch, including homemade French bread that I made yesterday.

I think it may just be a let down after the awesome that was yesterday. I had two wonderful friends to hang out with in my backyard yesterday, and a lot of good conversation, laughter, etc. Now I need to put nose to the grindstone and that's always difficult after such a fun day.

Plus, my editor was only lukewarm about the beginning of my YA novel, and that's definately cast a pall over everything.

*sigh* I just want to be recognized for my genius. I don't want to have to actually WORK for it.

Ugh... Is the Weekend Over Yet?

Strangely, I'm HAPPY the weekend is finally over.

My son turned six this Friday, and somehow his birthday managed continued non-stop until five o'clock on Sunday. Friday it was presents and swimming at grandma and grandpa's hotel until late (for a six year old, anyway;) much of Saturday at ComoTown, which is an amusement park attached to our local zoo; and then Sunday a backyard party involving ten three to six year old boys (well, one was a girl, who held her own nicely,) who tore up the yard and generally had an awesome time splashing in the pool, squirting each other, and getting hopped up on birthday cake and Popsicles.

Whee.

Actually, given that there were only a few head injuries on Sunday, I think things went pretty well. I know that the kids had fun. And, despite our specifically asking for NO PRESENTS, Mason got overloaded with gifts of all kinds. At least the grandparents stuck to the rule, because they chipped in to help buy the LEGO Star Wars, Millennium Falcon. Which, btw, is awesome to behold... even in it's current state of a zillion pieces and ginormous box.

I'd been hoping for a respite from the chaos this morning, but the first thing that happened was that Mason forgot his glasses, and I spent nearly an hour searching for them at home before returning to his school to give them to his teacher. (Yes, he's still in school. It's a year round program. He'll have August off, as well as two other months, just not all in the summer.) Then I got an e-mail from my agent for me to send copies of my novels to the German publisher who wants to publish them... and a number of students in the last I guest teachered in last Wednesday would love for me to review their work -- oh, and a local author is looking for a blurb... and... and...

I just want to nap.

How about you? How's your Monday shaping up?

Life, with Interruptions

Today I'm stuck in the house while an electrician messes about with, well, electricity, I suppose. We're removing a few wires that are kind of frayed and dangerous over our backyard, as well as having a few outlets installed.

I've also put my young adult project on the back burner momentarily, as I'm kind of waiting to see what my editor, Anne, thinks of the first sixty pages that I sent her. I won't hear back until sometime next week, as she's currently off whooping it up at ComicCon in San Deigo. (I'm deeply, deeply jealous.)

Instead, I've returned to my alter ego's small press project, which is finally, FINALLY picking up steam (or so it seems THIS TIME, at least.) I think my new infusion of excitment has to do with a great conversation I (uh, she?) had at a reading club that was discussing Messiah Node and J. Michael Straczinski's SPIDER-MAN.

Well, since I don't know what might happen with the electrical power, I'm going to sign off for now and actually get back to said project.

See ya on the flip side!

Getting My Geek ON

Sorry I haven't been posting here, but I've been getting my geek on elsewhere. I've been slowly catching up with the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN titles from several years ago, and now a whole flood gate of life-changing stuff has been poured into my brain. And honestly? I'm still trying to cope.

Meanwhile, I hope have some official teasers for the new books up in the next couple of days.

The Pressure is ON

My editor and I were chatting on-line this morning over the back cover copy for my two up-coming releases, and she casually mentioned that she tweeted that my new young adult book, ALMOST TO DIE FOR, could be described as Twilight meets The Princess Diaries.

*gulp*

No pressure or anything.

Ironically, I had been planning on working on my alter ego's small press project today (it is Friday after all) and now I'm looking at my young adult, thinking: "Is it funny enough?" Aaaaargh!

Fixed!

The plumber arrived yesterday only an hour later than promised and did the work in about two; everything was fixed by three o'clock. The bill was not astronomical, either. Love my handyman service. I kiss them.

In other news, you might notice on the sidebar that I am now Twittering. I tweet. I hear all you kids are into it. Please feel free to follow me or friend me or whatever.

Today is promising to be very busy. After I pick Mason up in a couple of hours, I'll be headed off to Barnes & Noble to pick up a book of weird hauntings that I put on reserve on Tuesday. Mason also wants to check out the Star Wars section, since we didn't get to it during our last visit. (He got stuck in the humor section, reading GARFIELD.) Then, it's off to pick up our CSA (community supported agriculture) box from Driftless Organics, and then a little cat herding as we try to get Ms. Deliah (the cat Barney is largely based on) into her carrier and off to the vet for shots and "animal wellness" check-up.

I think Mason gets another fast-food dinner, which is only ironic given all the farm-fresh, organic produce we'll have in the car.

Wednesday Suckage

I recently read an article in the Star Tribune that Monday is no longer the number one day of the week to commit suicide. Now, it's hump day: Wednesday

Today has been one of THOSE days, and if I wasn't a naturally cheerful and zen-like in my approach to certain areas of my life, today's events might, at the very least, cause a serious ulcer.

My partner is off to Seattle today for a conference for work. Consequentially the household was awake by 5:30 am, which is a time of day I consider quite despicable for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is that most of the time the sun isn't even awake yet. So why should I be, I ask you! That was, it turns out, only a minor inconvenience.

After doing her usual getting-ready morning bits, Shawn came upstairs and sat down on our bed. Her face looked ashen. She said in a solemn tone: "Bad news. Really, really bad news. We have a leak."

I don't talk much about them on this blog, but I own several fish in large tanks, and my first thought was, "Oh no! Not the fish tanks." So I was actually strangely relieved when she explained it was the kitchen ceiling. Oh, I thought, just the kitchen ceiling.

Wait. The kitchen ceiling? That's not good.

We live in a house that is approaching its hundredth birthday. There are any number of things we look at and think, "We're going to have to replace that one of these days." Most of those things obligingly chug along and we never have to worry. We've always KNOWN that these pipes are a problem. They're probably some of the last remaining lead pipes in our house *and* we had our handy-person gerry-rig a connection to the upstairs faucet because they were rotted. We were just doing that homeowner finger-crossing dance this whole time, waiting for... I dunno, a lottery win or something.

Alas, I'm now awaiting a plumber, and probably a huge bill. But, as we like to say in Minnesota, it could be worse. We have a working downstairs toilet (thanks to the same people who are coming today, and, really, someone could come TODAY. That's huge.)

I haven't gotten a lot of writing done yet today, as I spent this morning moving breakables and furniture out of the kitchen, since, watching the spreading water stain, I suspect much of the ceiling will have to come down for the repair.

Wish me luck... or maybe don't. Maybe break a leg or pipe or something.

W.I.P. and Reading

I finally handed out the first fifty pages of my newest work-in-progress (the young adult vampire/witch series) to Wyrdsmiths last week. I'm now trying to untangle their comments, my thoughts on them, and do some revision. Interestingly, some of the issues people had were with "world-building" (something I pretended to be an expert on yesterday), and, thus, I spent a good deal of last night talking to my partner about the world of these novels and my vision for them.

And now there's a psychic cat... or maybe it's a ferret.

That part is still undetermined.

Also, sometime last week I got my latest (and last) issue of TALEBONES (issue #38, Summer 2009). I started reading it right away, and, because I'm kind of pedestrian, I started at the beginning with Mary Robinette Kowal's "Ginger Stuyvesant and the Case of the Haunted Nursery." (Nothing about her story was pedestrian, I only say that I'm kind of pedestrian because I think it might actually be wiser to skip and jump through any collection of short stories.) The story takes place in that time of the "Spiritualists" in 1920s in a British manor. Our heroine is an American medium who can see and communicate with ghosts, and has a strange sort of desire/affinity with the otherside (in that without the anchor of the seance circle, her spirit wants to just leave and follow the spirits.) The ending wasn't incredibly "ah-ha!," but it was an engaging, well-told story none-the-less. I was particularly enchanted with how the medium interacted with the ghosts (and the ghosts with their obsessions), as well as the sub-plot that involved a non-believer husband. A good, well-told story. I'd recommend it, particularly if you like ghost stories.

Me, Elsewhere

Today, I'm guest blogging at Victoria Janssen's blog and talking about World-building. Come by and check it out if you get a chance.

A Tradition of Reading

In the years B.C. (before child), my partner and I had this wonderful habit of reading to each other during the performance of arduous chores, particularly she would read to me while I was doing the dishes. We recently resurrected this tradition. Now, not only is the kitchen cleaner on a more regular basis, but I also get the pleasure of hearing various horror short stories in collection (the book we chose for this time.)

A couple of days ago, she read me “Sredni Vashtar” by Saki (H. H. Munro.) If you are a fan of horror, you may know the author from her/his more famous “The Open Window” (not to be confused with the movie classic “Rear Window.”)

“Sredni Vashtar” is the name of a weasel that a young, sickly British boy discovers caged in the back corner of a mostly-forgotten garden shed. There is also a hen living there, upon which the boy lavishes attention (because, in the way of British boys in novels and short stories, he doesn’t get much love from his nanny or completely absent parents.) But, it’s the ferret/weasel that he *worships.* Literally. On “holy” days or days to celebrate certain personal victories, the boy brings Sredni Vashtar delicacies which he places lovingly and with much ceremony in front of the weasel.

Creepy right?

What’s kind of interesting about this story? It kind of plays with your horror story assumptions. You know something bad is going to happen involving the weasel, but I, at least, was totally routing for the boy to get his way over the awful nanny, especially when she decides he spends too much time in the shed and is determined to sell off the beloved hen and… kill? (it’s implied, but not really stated) Sredni Vashtar.

I don’t want to give away the ending, in case you decide to look it up for yourself, but let’s just say I was deeply satisfied by the ending even though part of me knew it was morally wrong to feel that way.

A very worth while short. And it sort of makes you ask yourself: do people make their own gods? Did this boy invest Shredni Vashtar with magic powers simply because he BELIEVED, or… is everything that happened just coincidence???

Cool premise, don’t you think?

More Comic Book Talk

Over the CONvergence weekend, I house sat the kitties of a fellow Wyrdsmith, Bill Henry. He's also a comic book fan, and on his living room table was a set of steampunk graphic novels: Freak Angels by Warren Ellis.

I have to say, I haven't read much steampunk but I rather enjoyed this, though I only got through the first volume and a half before Bill returned from his trip, and I had to leave them behind. The world isn't your typical (from what I understand, anyway,) steampunk, in that it's a fantasy future in which London -- much of the rest of the world as well? -- has been flooded and some other incident (which our heroes may be at least partly responsible for) ended civilization as we know it. There are eleven odd young adults, the Freak Angels, who are psychic and who are running White Chapel or one of those other neighborhoods in London. There's a mystery involving a rogue member who is misusing his powers and some people from over yonder who come in by boat and get their a$$es handed to them by the Freak Angels.

I'm actually uncertain where it's going or what it's about, but it's very compelling writing despite all that, and I'm going to have to lean on Bill to fork over the next issues. Or heaven forbid, go out an buy my own dang copies.

Is that a recommendation? I don't know. I haven't had enough coffee yet to be be more coherent.

666th Post

I feel like I should probably say something vaguely EVIL since this is my 666th post, but really I just wanted to say: "Whoot!" because I wrote 2,000 words today. Yay! Go me! Hip, hip-horray!

I'm particularly pleased since I decided to skip working out today to try to get a jump on my writing, since I'm going out tonight. There's a reading group that's going to be discussing one of my alter ego's books tonight at 7:00 pm at Turtle Bread, 4762 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, and I'm going to listen in. Hopefully they'll have some nice things to say.

Also, I just wanted to share an image from this morning: A bunch of kids all decided to walk down the hall holding hands with one of Mason's best girl friends, Ava. Most of them were all kindergarten girls, and I noticed one young lady had a Hannah Montana backpack and in one corner? A NASA sticker! How awesome is that?! Talk about girly girl-power!

Speaking of school, I'm off to go pick up the little darling!

Yesterday the mail carrier delivered Mason's Marvel Adventures All-Ages SPIDER-MAN #52, "No Substitutes" (Mark Sumerak).

As usual, I brought it to school and Mason devoured it in the back seat. The nice thing about this routine? On the days I bring comics, Shawn and I can have a mostly-interruption free conversation about her day. Mostly because Mason will still sometimes blurt out with, "Shhhh, I'm trying to read!"

I ended up reading the issue myself, and I want to make one comment about it. First of all, I love the all-ages titles, and I'm only bummed that they stopped producing Fantastic Four All-Ages, because those were Mason's favorites. My theory? FF is too science fiction, even for comic books. I mean, they go into space on a regular basis. I'm not sure a lot of kids these days find that plausible... I mean, unlike, say radioactive spiders giving you super powers.

Anyway, in Spider-Man All Ages, Peter is still a high school teen at Mid-town High or wherever. In this issue, he's leaving the public library and, thanks to his Spidey-senses, stumbles across a secret cabal of villains (psuedo-"Hydra" types). Anyway, he accidentally leaves his biology report on at the scene of the crime after beating up the baddies, and picks up their top secret plans (conveniently in a similar manila file folder) instead. The next day, Peter is mortified to discover he doesn't have his homework. But thinks it's going to be okay when there's a substitute teacher, Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman to those in the know.) No, she comes down hard on him and puts him in detention, which Spidey is kind of grateful for because he's realized that maybe the bad guys might now know his secret identity thanks to his mix-up.

Little does he know that Spider-Woman has his biology report which she found at the scene, and she thinks he's an agent of not-Hydra. At any rate, adventures ensue and, of course, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman end up defeating the evil not-Hydra's plans to blow up Times Square.

The best part of this issue, however, is that the author, Sumerak, finally punches through one of those superhero tropes I hate. The trope (or maybe it's better defined as a crutch) is that people can spend all day with the alter ego of the superhero, talking to him/her, and somehow not recognize their mannerisms and/or voice behind the mask ten minutes later when the hero comes to their rescue. I roll with that because it's so common that I tell myself that the Marvel Universe is populated with people who either chose to ignore the obvious (in the case of Aunt May and MJ "denial isn't just a river in Egypt") or are merely, in the words of my favorite Lois & Clark episode, "galatically stupid."

In this issue, however, at the end when Spidey says he has to leave before the not-S.H.I.E.L.D agents arrive to debrief the heroes to protect his secret identity, Spider-Woman lets him ago with a "you've helped tremendously--" (then, after he's swung a good distance away she says in smaller letters, thus quieter,) "Mr. Parker."

And he never notices. I think it would have been even more awesome if she had just said "Thanks, Mr. Parker," and for him to go, "You're welcome" and zip away, and never notice that he'd answered to his real name, because don't you always figure that might happen some day? (And actually Bendis plays with that in the New Avengers when Daredevil accidentally calls Spider-Man "Peter" in front of Captain America and then stops and says, "Uh, you know Spider-Man is Peter Parker, right?")

I love stuff like that.

It's very Joss Whedon-esque. By that I mean, for a moment, it steps out of your "comfort zone" if you will and says, "why do we roll with that crutch/trope, anyway?" It makes you realize how much wider the world can be if you play with the established "rules."

It's a good lesson in writing, actually.

The Con and Stuff

I had a great time at CONvergence. If you didn't see me, it was because I was in disguise as my alter ego. If you're so inclined, I wrote a bit about my experiences (and other stuff) over at her LJ.

I forgot to mention that on Sunday, Lynne Thomas and her husband Michael came over to our place to finally pick up a box of my papers for her manuscript collection at the Northern Illinois University. I sent a long a box of unpublished writing, including some dorky stuff I wrote in high school that I'd saved... well, probably just for this moment. And after she and Michael left, of course, I found a whole other box of stuff up in the attic, which includes a bunch of really awesomely dorky children's stories I wrote while board at my job at Pillsbury.

But the thing I realized going through that "extra" box last night is that I have really quite consciously lived my life as though I hoped to be famous one day. I saved every bit of writing, no matter how bad. I organized it (loosely) and put it somewhere for THE FUTURE.

I can't decide if that makes me forward-thinking or totally narcissistic.

Conventions 101

I'm off to CONvergence this weekend, and that got me thinking...

When I occasionally talk about self-promotion there's usually a very quick, off-hand, "Oh, and go to conventions."

Most of the time, that's excellent advice. But not all science fiction conventions are created equal, and what you get out of a convention is really dependent on what you're looking for and, potentially, what you're willing to put into it.

You have to ask yourself: what am I looking for?

If you're looking to connect to other fans of a particular genre, TV show or movie, you can attend nearly any science fiction convention and not be disappointed. If you're not sure your particular "fandom" (area of obsessive interest to the layperson) is represented at the con you're considering attending, most cons post a sample, thumbnail, or even complete programming schedule on-line several weeks before the start date. If you feel you have something new to contribute to the discussion of your fandom, most con coms (the guys and gals in charge to the layperson) are more than happy to consider you as a panelist, but to do that you often have to get in on the programming process a lot earlier, like in the idea generating stage, or be in the know with someone on the programming committee.

Why do this if you're a as-yet-unpublished author? Won't showing off your inner geek bust the whole professional image you've been so carefully cultivating?? Well, depends on your area of fandom, but one of the best panels I was ever on was my very first where I got into a heated discussion about the movies of Ripley Scott. I didn't even have a story published, but I ended up making really great connections with the other panelists, one of whom later brought me into her circle of friends that included some movers and shakers in the publishing industry.

You never know who knows who, and even if nothing comes of it having fun is always good, you know? (People can tell if you've come to a convention just to "work," too.)

And that's the other thing. It's never too early to cultivate a fan base. If you are well known and well liked in the science fiction community (or even just someone that triggers a "I think I remember liking her/him on a panel...") it's more likely that people will want to buy your book when it comes out. People like to support friends. They like to be able to say, "I knew her/him then!" (I know *I* do at any rate.)

If you're going to connect with other writers or to learn about the interests of various agents/editor/etc., find a convention with a strong literary track (using the above methods.) These kinds of panels are sometimes more difficult for a beginning author to get on because the competition at this level is more fierce. But you can still attend as an audience member and take mental (or real) notes. But whatever you do, don't rush the editor/agent after the panel to try to press your business card into their palm. I was once at a WorldCon panel where it was a mob scene after the "Meet the Agents" panel. I'd hoped to say hello to someone, but it was pretty useless... and you can always see if you can find yourself in a conversation with someone later on at a party. (Although I try to never mention that I'm a writer or hand off business cards at parties either, unless asked. Thing is? Editors and agents often come to parties to relax, not do business. It's good to respect that.)

Even if you never press palms with the person you've been hoping to meet, you can always start that query letter with "I saw you on the [fill in the blank] panel at [fill in the convention]..." they might not be impressed, but they will recognize that you're an active member of the community and have at least potentially learned a thing or two about how the business works.

It's always a question about how much that sort of thing works, because, of course, in the end it's the story that sells itself. You can sell without ever attending a convention. I know plenty of people who avoid conventions like the plague and still sell quite successfully. However, I also know from personal experience that there are times when meeting someone gives you that two extra seconds to help sell your story.

And when you're published, of course, whatever panels you are on help introduce you to your colleagues and potential readers... just make sure, ehm, that dealers' room actually sells books....not to mention YOUR books. (Not that THAT's every happened to me, no sir!) Similarly it's always good to stop by the dealers' room and say "hi" to those hardworking booksellers and offer to sign stock.

At any rate, you never know. Whatever else, conventions can be a great deal of fun. For me, that always makes them worth attending.

See you at CONvergence.

Scottish History On-Line (For Writers)

WORKSHOP: Highland Clans from Medieval Times through the Clearances

Date: July 13-Aug 31, 2009
Workshop Title: Highland Clans from Medieval Times through the Clearances
Instructor: Cindy Vallar, author of The Scottish Thistle and an associate editor for Solander magazine (http://www.cindyvallar.com/)

Workshop Dates: Tuesday, 7 July through Friday, 28 August
REGISTER: www.celtichearts.org

Description: We often assume the Highland clans of Scotland have always been. In reality, they evolved. This workshop explores the origins of the clans in general, then examines the history and development of clans from four perspectives: Western clans, Central and Eastern clans, the Lords of the Isles, and clan wars. Other lessons will cover Highland land and settlements, the Highlanders' year and the customs that influenced their lives, the structure of clans (surnames, law, fosterage, traditions, succession, etc.), occupations, and clothing.

About the instructor: A retired librarian, Cindy Vallar is the Associate Editor of Industry for Solander, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, and writes the "Red Pencil" column where she profiles authors and compares a selection from their published historical novels with an early draft of that work. She also reviews for their journal, Historical Novels Review. She is the Editor of Pirates and Privateers, a freelance editor, a content editor for Pyrates Way magazine, and a workshop presenter. She belongs to the Historical Novel Society, the Red River Branch of Clan Cameron, the Scottish Clans of North Texas, the Laffite Society, the Louisiana Historical Society, and the National Maritime Historical Society. In 2005 at the Clan Cameron North American Rally, Cindy received the first Friend of Clan Cameron Award. She is the author of The Scottish Thistle, her debut historical novel about Scotland's Rising of 1745, and Odin's Stone, a romantic short story of how the Lord of the Isles settled the medieval feud between the MacKinnons and MacLeans on the Isle of Skye. She invites you to visit her award-winning web site, Thistles & Pirates (http://www.cindyvallar.com/), to learn more.Workshop Duration: 6 weeks Eliza KnightCHRW PresidentAuthor of sizzling historical romance. Bringing passion to life, one love story at a time...www.elizaknight.com / www.historyundressed.blogspot.com / www.mamawriters.com

Buffy vs. Edward

This is a must see (sent to me by my friend and fellow writer, Naomi Kritzer):

More Good Advice

I actually cribbed this from Kelly's post over at Wyrdsmiths today. It's from Lilith Saintcrow's blog and I found this article in particular very... illuminating, and a little bit nerve-wracking.

It's not that I've ever (to my knowledge) been "Z" (in her second example of hard sell: fail), but I can totally understand the desire. When you first sell, there's a huge shift in your mind that goes something like this -- I am now legitimate. Which is to say, it's hard not to fall into the trap of being perhaps more than a little bit self-important, because, you know, suddenly you feel like all those opinions you kept to yourself about how brilliant you were... well, someone else finally agreed, and when that someone else might even be a New York book publisher, frankly, that's pretty f**king cool.

And it's really, REALLY hard not to say: hey, look at me!!

*blushes*

Ehm, moving on....

I do have to say, however, Lilith's advice at the end of the post is worth its weight in gold. The weirdest, most true bit? Thank-you notes. I wrote a ton of them in the beginning of my career, and can say unequivocally that they helped me get gigs. People appreciate being thanked. And it's super-easy to do. Your mom was right. Just sit down and do it.

Her whole blog is pretty awesome actually. Go check her out: http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/about/

On-Line Promotion and other Pitfalls

From time to time, fellow Wyrdsmith Kelly McCullough and I get into a heated (or at least intense) discussion about the efficacy of author promotion. Though, really, at the bottom line, I think Kelly and I both agree that an author really can't do all that much to bump sales figures significantly (other than write a good book or just happen to "hit" the right moment), I tend to maintain that I need to do a bit of self-promotion or I feel guilty/responsible/insane.

This article sent to me by fellow SF/F author David Levine via one of the various author lists we're on, totally depressed me.

Apparently, I should be providing a whole lot more "insider" information... things like "sneak peeks" on works-in-progress, contests, etc., and not, well, talking about the weather... and my fish.

Did I mention it's hot here? Although it was raining a bit ago, and I suspect it's going to get muggy.

Hmph.

On-Line Murder Investigaton Class

********************Permission to Forward****************************

RWA's Mystery/Suspense Chapter is pleased to announce our COFFIN College of Felony and Intrigue MURDER ONE online Workshop for the month of July 2009.

WORKSHOP: Crime Scene Investigations and Fingerprints: The Two Part Class

PART ONE: Crime Scene Investigations: Okay, you got the call -- Now, what? What to expect at a crime scene. This will be an interactive workshop giving scenarios of crimes and how you would/should/could handle it. I plan to make this fun and answer plenty of questions along the way to help your story read like the real thing. From the cop's point of view to the writers, be sure to join in.

PART TWO: Fingerprints: Fact or Fiction. I will explain the correct terms and preferred procedure information on fingerprint evidence from crime scene to lab. I will then guide us on how to take the facts we've been given and work them into your fictional masterpieces. You won't want to miss this workshop!

Instructor: Phyllis Middleton: While employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the tender age of nineteen, Phyllis Middleton was trained in the Science of Fingerprints. This training included the classification, comparison and search methods used by FBI and known throughout the USA. Returning to her home in Colorado, she became a Deputy Sheriff for the Pueblo County Sheriff's Department and specialized in crime scene investigation and evidence processing. Certified in Pueblo District and County Courts, Phyllis testified in a number of cases as an expert in the field of fingerprints. While with the Sheriff's Department, she branched out in Patrol and Investigations as well as becoming a member of the Search and Rescue Squad and the State Disaster Team. She added becoming an Emergency Medical Technician and Certified Police Instructor to her service.

MURDER ONE workshops encompass the technical aspects of murder and mayhem.

PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 27TH day of the month PRIOR to the start of the COFFIN class. Cost of each workshop is (Currently) $15.00 US for KOD Members, $30.00 US for non-KOD Members (RWA membership NOT required to take the course).

For more information check out our website at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org

********************Permission to Forward***************************

New Moon Monday

As those of you who are astrologically savvy already know, today is the New Moon, which is a good time for beginning new projects and genearally starting something new. So are up to anything fun? Creative?

Me, I'm trying not to sweat too much. It's hot and muggy here in Minnesota. We're supposed to get temperatures in the 90s F (32 C). Over the weekend one of my fish tank filters decided to gum up and spot working, so this morning there was much sweating and "ewwwww"ing as I got that thing going again. Then I took out the garbage and played around in the garden just long enough to get something gross smelling on my foot. And sweat some more. This is all made much worse by the fact that this weekend I managed to get super-dooper sun burned on my back and shoulders. Yes, I used sunscreen, but not, apparently, dillegently enough. All I can say is: ouch.

Now I think I may retreat to my one air-conditioned room in the house to do a bit of writing. I'm on the second chapter of the new young-adult vampire/witch book, and it's a lot of fun so far, I have to say. I've been making good progress, which is important since it's due at the publisher on October 15.

Anyway, hope you're well, and up to starting something good today!

Excuse and an On-Line Class

Sorry for the long absence, my son contracted something that very well might have been Swine Flu (he had all the symptoms, but we have no official confirmation), and so I've had to keep him out of school for the required seven days. What, in June, you ask? Shouldn't he be on summer vacation anyway? Mason goes to a year-round school, so no. He's at school until August, which is actually nice for me and my writing schedule... usually. The ironic part of all this is that he's been fully recovered since Sunday (he had a very mild case), and so I have a very squirrely, happy kid that can't go to school until he's not contageous any more.

Anyway, I hope to be back to my writing posts soon, but in the meantime here's an on-line class forwarded to me by my local RWA group:

**Permission to forward granted and encouraged**

Yosemite Romance Writers is proud to present their online workshop for July.

Date: 07/06 - 07/31
Workshop title: Developing Plot and Tension in the Novel

Description: You may have wonderful ideas for your novel, fascinating characters, and beautiful writing, but those attributes alone won't tie a novel together. Plot and the ensuing tension that a carefully constructed story engenders are what keeps your readers tied to your words. In this workshop, we take your material and create a storyline, working on creating successful beginnings, middles, and ends. We also see how your characters and your writing style work in conjunction with your plot. Working from a complete draft of a novel, a partial draft, or an outline of an idea, we explore your stories. Through lecture, discussion, in-class writing, and workshopping, we follow the arc of your story, discussing how all the components work together. Among the topics considered are structuring an effective "hook," watching for the middle "sag," and tying up loose plot ends. We also work on creating effective, round characters and focus on the theme of your work.

About the instructor: Jessica Barksdale Inclán's debut novel Her Daughter's Eyes, published in 2001, was the premier novel published under New American Library's new imprint Accent. Her Daughter's Eyes was a final nominee for the YALSA Award for the best books of 2001 and best paperbacks for 2001 and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her next novel The Matter of Grace was published in May 2002 and was re-released in a mass market version in May 2004. Her third, When You Go Away, came out April 1, 2003. Her fourth, One Small Thing, was published April 2004, and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her fifth, Walking With Her Daughter, was published in April 2005. The Instant When Everything is Perfect was published in February 2006. In June 2006, she published the first in a trilogy from Kensington Books. When You Believe was followed by Reason to Believe and Believe in Me. Being with Him--the first in a second trilogy, was published February 2008 and the second, Intimate Beings, is due out October 2008.. She is a 2002 recipient of the CAC Artist's Fellowship in Literature. Inclán teaches composition, creative writing, mythology, and women's literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and on-line creative writing courses for UCLA extension. She has studied with Sharon Olds, Anne Lamott, Kate Braverman, Grace Paley, Marjorie Sandor, and Cristina Garcia. Her short stories and poems have appeared in Rockhurst Review, Hotwired, The Salt Hill Journal, Free Lunch, The West Wind Review, The Prairie Star, Gargoyle and many other journals and newspapers. Her short story Open Eyes was given first prize by Sandra Cisneros for El Andar magazine's 2000 writing contest. She co-edited a women's literature/studies textbook Diverse Voices of Women (Mayfield Publishing, 1995). Ms. Inclán has degrees in sociology and English literature from CSU Stanislaus and a Master's degree in English literature from SFSU. Ms. Inclán lives in Oakland, California and is currently at work on her next novel.

Deadline to register: 07/05/09
Fee: $20 YWR members; $25 non-members.
RWA Membership isn't required; Anyone can take our courses.
Where to sign up: You may register online at our website,www.yosemiteromancewriters.com. Please click the Pay Now button and follow the instructions for Paypal. You will receive a confirmation from us once your payment is received. You may also contact YRW at YosemiteRomanceWriters@YosemiteRomanceWriters.com if you have any other questions.

Thank you for considering our workshops!!

Dawna Richard
President, YRW

Skill Versus Talent

One thing you're going to hear me say a lot during this discussion about writing is that there is more than one way to do to [fill in the blank.] My way is only what works for me, and might turn out to be total anathema to how you write best. Use my methods, etc., only if you wish. Also, writing is, for me, one of life's Great Mysteries. No matter how often I teach in-person classes, take them, or read books about writing, a lot of how it actually WORKS remains opaque to me. I think this is one of the reasons most people tend to think that you can't actually TEACH writing, but that writing is a talent you have to be born with.

I believe you can teach anyone to write better. Not everyone will write at the same skill level by the time they die, but, I believe everyone gets better with practice. I know this for a fact. Not only have I seen students improve exponentially, but I've also noticed growth in my own work over time (and I can always see room for improvements).

Practice really does make perfect.

And, IMHO, writing really is a skill, like any other, that can be learned. I think, in the end, what REALLY separates the writers from the non-writers isn't "talent" so much as persistence and determination and discipline. If you have those three things they will carry you much farther than if all you have is so-called talent (which to me is better labeled "proficiency" or "skill.")

I'm not saying, however, that people all start out in the same place. But when I noticed one of my students at the Loft who seemed very polished and professional right out of the gate, I asked her a simple question: "Do you read a lot?" Are you surprised that the answer she gave was a resounding: "Yes, of course!"? And it wasn't just that she read, but that she read a lot in the genre and type she was trying to emulate, ie fantasy novels.

I think that people who get labeled as talented writers are often people who have developed a strong ear for storytelling through reading. Even though they may have never put paper to pencil (or pencil to paper as the case may be), they are folks who have been practicing their art unintentionally by absorbing the ideas of structure, plot, dialogue, etc. Of course, there are still plenty of avid readers who struggle when they write their first story... or second or third.... But I think the more you read what you want to write, the more you might (perhaps at first, perhaps eventually) have the jump on your colleagues.

Or maybe not. The important thing to remember is that you can learn to write professional quality stories. I believe anyone who wants to be published, can be given enough time, energy, and luck. And if I could only have one of those three, I'd go with energy. Energy to keep at it. Energy not to quit when the going... goes. Energy to look at a malformed piece of writing and willingly tear it apart and recreate it. Energy to dump parts that aren't working, and milk the ones that are. Energy to say: I will try again tomorrow, when all you want to do is sob in frustration or escape into hours of "Bejeweled" (guilty!)

That's the real talent, if you ask me. The talent to keep pushing, like Sisyphus, even when it all just seems to crumble at the summit, as it were. And you have to start over. And over.

But you know what? The hope here, IMHO, is that you can do it, if you work at it. I believe in you.

Ways to Critique, More on Writers' Groups

One of the other things you need to decide once you have a writers group, is how often to meet and how you're going to do the critiques.

The group I'm currently in meets every other week (or, at least twice a month.) I've been in workshops that meet monthly, but one thing we discovered is that if, for some reason you have to cancel, it's a LONG time until the next meeting. This can be especially bad if you have novelists in your group. The memory can be quite strained by trying to remember who, what, and where with such long gaps between sessions.

In fact, I once had an argument about whether or not you could effectively critique longer works, like a novel, in a group. Wyrdsmiths is mostly novelists, and we do very well. I think, though, that one key component is how often we meet. We started out of a weekly class and almost decided to meet weekly, but thought that might be impossible for those of us with full-time jobs (which was all of us at the beginning.) Twice a month works really well for us, and when we have to cancel or when people have to miss, it's not so terribly overwhelming to try to catch up.

But monthly can work, and may be the only option for people with supremely busy lives.

There are many ways to run a workshop/critique session. I attended one where you showed up with something to read, read it out loud, and people gave you instant, verbal feedback. I found this to be somewhat problematic, because, IMHO, it tended to favor good readers. Thanks to a background in theatre, I can read out loud pretty well. And the listeners noticed that, rather than the flaws in my text. However, you can get a good sense of first impressions this way. Also, if the group membership fluctuates wildly (this was billed as an open house style group), it can work just fine. There are also genres, I think, where this could be the preferred method, like poetry, for instance.

The way we do critique in Wyrdsmiths is that we come with a copy of a hand-out for every member. They take it home to review it next session. With paper in hand, critiquers tend to give a more detailed response. They correct typos, grammar, etc., (though my group doesn't dwell on that, unless the typo is particularly funny, as in the one I once wrote about "quacking aspens.") Since our group came out of a fiction writing class, everyone is very skilled at the art of critique and many of us still follow a structure set up by the instructor wherein we write our first impressions, strengths, weaknesses and then final impressions. (Note: starting with strengths is a good way to keep the author listening, and feeling good about what's to come.)

If people in your group are unfamiliar with how to critique, I offer this great site: How to Critique Fiction by Victory Crayne.

Groups often have other rules, like: "no cross talk" or "the gag rule." The first means that each critiquer gets the floor, no interruptions. The second means the author is not allowed to defend her work (or ask questions, except for clarification,) until everyone is finished critiquing her piece. At Wyrdsmiths we've been together so long that we no longer strictly enforce either of these, but they can be helpful when you're first starting out.

A New Review of DIID

I'm sorry I keep interrupting myself, but, honestly, it's so much easier to post about the nice things people have said about me than... uh, think. Here's a great review of Dead If I DO by the kind folks over at Enchanting Reviews. "Dead If I Do: 5 Enchantments!"

Top o' The List to Ya!

Google Alerts found this for me this morning, and I have to smile. At least I make a best seller's list somewhere! Top 10 Metaphysical Books at Eye of Horus

Tomorrow I hope to continue the writers group/new-to-writing blogs, but I have to confess the cold, gray rainy day is calling me to sit inside with a warm cat on my lap, have some tea, and write like a demon from hell. :-)

More Good Writerly Advice

This from Kim Richards on "Charge of the Write Brigade," who answered the question: What is the number one mistake writers make when submitting to you?

Advice From Somewhere Else

This came through a list that I'm on. It's from Toni Andrews' blog "Something Different This Way Comes":

Permission for forward granted and encouraged!

I do a workshop on finding and fixing the common issues that get manuscripts rejected. It's been suggested that the information would make a good article to submit to writing magazines, but I never could get around to writing it. As a first step, I committed to publishing the workshop information in a series of blog posts.

I've gotten terrific feedback, especially from unpublished and "underpublished" writers who want to break in with the bigger houses.

Part 1: http://tinyurl.com/de2bxr
Part 2: http://tinyurl.com/csunv7
Part 3: http://tinyurl.com/d6sqj7
Part 4: http://tinyurl.com/d52ho6
Part 5: http://tinyurl.com/dmjkpw
Part 6: http://tinyurl.com/d4udfo
Part 7: http://tinyurl.com/r7qa7b

Happy writing!

--Toni

What Are We Doing Here: Writers' Critique Group (II)

In my experience (and I've had a lot with writers' groups), one of the hardest things about writers' critique groups is not so much finding writers, but getting together with ones that share your goals... or maybe a better term is: values.

Why is this important? Maybe it isn't for you. Maybe you're self-motivated enough that it won't matter to you that you might end up being the only one in your group who is interested in something beyond writing as a hobby (which there isn't anything wrong with, mind you. I fully support people who want to write just for the fun of it, and might only ever want to post the occasional bit of fanfic or political blog or just write privately in their own journals or whatever.) Perhaps you live in a town so small that getting two writers together -- even if one writes erotica and the other is a food journalist -- is the best you can hope for, so, well, then that's what you have and that can work for you. Support is support. As someone who was a member of the National Writers' Union before I broke in to fiction, I hung out with a lot of non-fiction writers and journalists. They taught me a lot about my craft, but even more about the value (economic and otherwise) of writing.

But, if you have the luxury and the inclination, it is nice to have a group that's all committed to the same sort of thing. I don't mean by this that everyone needs to be writing in the same genre (though that can help, particularly since both genres that I've published in get dissed and misunderstood by some,) or at the same level (I've learned a lot about writing by teaching others to write better.) But the biggest, most deeply fought fights I've had in writers' group have boiled down to two issues: Are we writing to be published? And, are we writing commercial or artistic work?

The two questions are kind of part of one whole, but you can be writing to be published and still consider your work art for art's sake with a goal of finding the perfect small press to put out your chapbook. There's room for all of that sort of stuff, but in my opinion, you get very different critiques from people who are "artists" and from those who want to sell.

My advice: decide what kind of writer you want to be, and try to find writers with similar goals (if possible, of course.) Maybe at your first meeting you can ask people that classic interview question about where they see themselves in ten years. The answers might be very illuminating about not only what they want, but who they are (and if you can get along with them professionally.)

Then you have to decide if you're tough enough to tell someone they're not right for your group... admittedly, I've found that difficult, myself. :-)

Reviews of DIID

My publicist forwarded a new review of Dead if I Do from ParaNormalRomance.org: "Another Fun Read from Another Talented Writer."

Books by Jen also reviewed DIID and liked it, although she admits to being a bigger fan of Parrish (who she didn't see enough of in this book.)

Also, Google Alerts found some others of older books. Urban Bachelorette Review picked up Tall, Dark & Dead, and loved it. Which is always nice.

And, in other news, my alter ego just signed a contract for a short story of hers to appear in a Biblical Horror anthology called: She Nailed a Stake Through His Head. Her short story is a modern retelling of the Samson story from the point of view of his wife (before Delilah) called "Jawbone of an A$$."

Some Days are Hard

I should be writing, or at the very least blogging the next installment in beginning writing for you, but I'm just sad. I buried a baby rabbit about an hour ago, and it was much harder than it should have been. Ever since Ostara, I've been very aware of the bunny activity in our yard. We had a family visit a lot early spring and I invited them (out loud, during one of our many "I see you, but you're pretending to be stone so I won't make any sudden moves" stare downs) to raise their family in my yard.

Well, they did. I even witnessed the birth. One day when we were grilling out, mama rabbit hopped into the bushes and stayed there a long time. I wouldn't have noticed her, except the nervous papa kept chasing another boy rabbit away... literally running under our feet to keep him from bothering his mate. I told Shawn I thought I saw tiny rabbit ears, and I thought it was a birthing moment, but then I thought: no way. Maybe she was just in heat or something, given how the papa rabbit was acting.

I believed that until I checked the nest a few days later. I knew better than to move the grass aside or otherwise disturb them, but I stuck my finger into the grass covered hole and felt warm, soft, breaths. There were babies there all right.

Today, after gardening in the front -- trying to make order from chaos and plant some day lilies my mother brought, I came around the side of the house to put away my tools and I saw little ears in the grass. This time, I knew it wasn't a happy moment. A little guy lay there, a gaping hole in his side. Otherwise he was perfect... so tiny, so soft. No bugs had gotten to him. His brown eyes glistened almost lifelike. But he was gone.

I suspect a hawk got him, though I'm surprised he wasn't more eaten. Hawks don't usually waste much. You barely find a few feathers when they go after pigeons. After getting my gloves, of course, I picked him up and cradled him in my arms. I usually toss various dead animals into the garbage bin, but I just couldn't do it this time. I dug a deep hole in our back garden and buried the little fellow. Crying the entire time.

Some days are just hard.

Writers' Critique Groups, Part 1: Finding Others

I realize how fortunate I am to live in a town with so many writers. The Twin Cities is jam packed with published mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and romance writers. There's an active (and large) local chapter of Romance Writers of America, a mystery writers' group called Sisters in Crime, and even a local chapter of the Natonal Writers' Union. This is an absolutely wonderful town to be a writer in, regardless of where you are in the process: just beginning or professionally published.

There are also a number of specality bookstores including Uncle Hugo's/Uncle Edgars for science fiction, fantasy, and mystery; Dreamhaven for SF/F and graphic novels; and Once Upon a Crime for mystery. There are enough writers and beginning writers in this town that we can even support two organizations devoted solely to nuturing and teaching writers their craft: The Loft and SASE/Intermedia Arts, both of which provide writers with classes (ranging from how-to write to taxes for the working writer), grants, rental office spaces, and on-going readings for specialized groups like GLBT writers, science fiction writers, writers of color, etc.

The ginormous number science fiction/fantasy READERS in this town support writers by hosting a half dozen conventions in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and invite editors, agents, etc. to come to us....

Let's just say it was not hard for me to find a way to connect with other writers in this town. I suspect, however, that's not going to be the case for most people reading this blog.

So you dream of sitting around a coffee shop table with other writers discussing each others' work, but you live in a small town. How do you find people? What can you do if you don't live in a town like I do that has so many resources waiting to be tapped?

First, you should take advantage of whatever you _do_ have. Are you sure there isn't a RWA chapter nearby? Check this list to make sure. The Romance Writers of America is an expensive organization to join, but they provide a lot of services and support to brand-new/just starting out writers. If you're at all serious about writing (even if it isn't a romance novel you're considering) I can't recommend it too highly. Even if your local chapter isn't super organized or large, you get access to the national folks who put on conferences, have a newsletter that lists contests, courses, and on-line classes. And other members can be the first folks you can tap to start your writers' group.

How about bookstores? Do you have any? Even if all you have is one of the box chain stores, they often have reading groups for your genre (romance, science fiction, and maybe even specfic ones like vampire urban fantasy) and you can join those and scope out whether or not anyone else in the group wants to write.

If you're lucky enough to have an independently-owned book store, you can make up a poster asking for others interest in starting a writers group and ask if you can post it in the window or on a board or whatever.

NOTE: even after being together with basically the same people for twelve years, we all still meet in a public place (a coffee shop in our case), and I would especially recommend that once you gather a few names you consider finding a public space (if not a coffee shop, perhaps a library, the bookstore?) for at least your first meeting. You may also wish to distribute e-mail and phone numbers, but perhaps withhold address, etc., until you're comfortable with your group.

In all the writers' groups I've run or been part of, I only ever had one problem person, but it's always a good idea to be careful about your personal safety.

Next up: Writers' group structure.

Feeding the Inner Writer

I was going to write about developing characters next, but another FB chat with Debbie, has sent me in a different direction. (Those of you who have taken real-time classes with me know that this often happens to my very organic and non-linear brain.)

Anyway, she mentioned that she's just starting a novel and is asking people what they think of what she has and the ideas, etc., and wanted to know if I thought that was a good idea at this stage.

My answer is this: everybody is different. Some people won't talk about their book or short story idea until it's done because they need to stay focused and not be distracted by anyone else's opinion of it. I know published authors who don't get feedback about their writing until they submit their novel to their editor. For myself, I'm somewhere in-between. I tend not to talk about pre-formed ideas, unless I'm starting a proposal. Then I'll talk out my plot/theme/etc. thoughts with someone I trust, namely my partner. Once I'm writing, however, I'll take feedback/critique on page one and throughout my writing process... in fact, I thrive on it.

I told Debbie that if she can, she should consider sparing her friends and family the constant "harassment" and start a writers' group. I have found it enormously helpful to have the feedback and support of other people engaged in the same work I'm in. It's not that friends can't be supportive, but other writers will often listen endlessly to the woes very specific to writing -- first rejection pain, etc. In fact, if you're in a writers' group where everyone is submitting and writing, you can actually learn a lot about what to expect once you start sending your stuff out, and you can use your fellow writers a sources of information about which editors they've tried, the responses they've gotten, and all that. It helps soften the blow of that first rejection when you can share the misery, trust me.

So how do you start a writers' group. Well, there are several types of writers' groups you can start, and I'll try to cover them all over the next couple of posts. (I don't want these to get so long they're unreadable.)

Review of Dead If I Do

Another interruption, but here's a really awesome review of Dead if I Do from Fang-tastic Books: Review.

I'm so glad that many reviewers are finding my books for the first time (I think I probably need to thank my hardworking publicist.)

On-Line Class About MEN

I'm going to interrupt my own "class" on getting started to forward this lovely tid-bit... an on-line class about men. (My favorite part? It's taught by a woman!)

**Permission to forward granted and encouraged**

Yosemite Romance Writers is proud to present their online workshop for June.

Date: 6/1 - 6/26/09

Workshop title: Understanding Men

Do you wish you had a better understanding of men? Now is your chance to improve your real-life relationships with men and enhance your male characters all through taking the same course. In the month-long online class, you will learn how the male brain and hormones makes a man think, feel, and behave, especially in relationships. We will also discuss how men are portrayed in romance novels versus how men are in real life.

About the instructor: Dr. Debra Holland

Debra Holland, Ph.D., is a popular psycho therapist, consultant, and speaker on the topics of communication skills, relationships, stress and trauma, and dealing with difficult people. In this class, Dr. Debra will considerably expand on the workshop she has given at the 2001 National RWA Conference and around the country to various RWA chapters and conferences. Although this class is geared to writers, non-writers will also find the class helpful in improving their relationships with men.

Deadline to register: 5/30/09

Fee: $20 YWR members; $25 non-members. RWA Membership isn't required; Anyone can take our courses.

Where to sign up: You may register online at our website, YosemiteRomanceWriters.com.

Please click the Pay Now button and follow the instructions for Paypal. You will receive a confirmation from us once your payment is received.

You may also contact YRW at YosemiteRomanceWriters@YosemiteRomanceWriters.com if you have any other questions.

Thank you for considering our workshops!!

Sandra Marlow
Vice President, YRW
Yosemite Romance Writers
http://WWW.yosemiteromancewriters.com

Getting Started the Tate Hallaway Way

I logged into Facebook this morning and discovered a couple of letters from readers in my in-box. One really nice one came from Debbie D. who asked me if I had any advice for an aspiring writer about the process of writing and getting published. I told her it was probably more complicated an a quickie email reply and promised to do a series of blogs about it here... so, here's the first.

I don't know how far along Debbie is in her process. Maybe she's got a book written and doesn't know where to go with it, or perhaps she's just thinking it'd be cool to be a writer someday. My plan is to start at the very beginning and build from there.

So let's say, you're just thinking maybe you'd like to start writing a book and you're not even sure how to begin. First of all, there's no right or wrong way to write a book. Lots of people have different processes and all of them are valid. I'm going to detail my own, since it's what I know. But, if you find yourself doing something differently, don't worry. Probably someone somewhere has done it the same way as you, and really, all that matters when you're getting started is that you get to THE END.

For me (and you might not believe this,) the hardest part is often coming up with an idea. Of course, now that I've established Garnet, Sebastian, William and the rest of the gang, coming up with scenarios wherein their lives get complicated is relatively easy, but when you're first staring at a blank page, it's hard.

Maybe you've got a cool character or two or three, but you find yourself still not getting anywhere because when you write about them nothing really seems to happen.

I have the same tendency. When I first started writing all I did was write really boring soap operas. People would get together and talk. Okay, the talk might be interesting (to me, at least,) but there wasn't a lot going on.

After taking a class in writing (which, btw, is one thing I recommend to every starting writer,) I realized my problem.

I didn't want to hurt anybody.

A writer has to be willing to send their characters to hell and back. That, my friends, is our job. We have to be ruthless. We have to ask ourselves: "What's the worst thing that could happen to my character?" Then we have to do it to her. To have an engaging plot, we have to be willing to yank the rug out, mess up her life, ask her to do the one thing she really, really doesn't want to do.

That's how you get the plot going. The place you start is that moment that everything changes for your character, the moment when everything goes to hell (and, as a bonus in writing urban fantasy, you can do that literally if you want.)

Of course, I'm assuming you have characters to do this to... but, again, I'm going with my own process. Usually I have some idea of WHO I want to play with, just not how to play. I'll cover inventing characters from scratch tomorrow. Today, your assignment is: If you have a character or two in your head, ask yourself this question: What is the worst thing that could happen to them?

Get out a notebook and write down two or three answers. Think about the answers for a while. Are you being honest? Too nice? Think about it again: what would make my characters desperate? What would ask them to CHANGE? How far would they go to make things right again?

You don't have to do anything with it yet, but just start imagining worst case scenarios.

An On-Line Reading...

I know it's not possible for a lot of you folks out there to attend a live reading of my work, especially since I'm not...ehm,... one of those authors that Penguin sends off on book tour. So here's something just for you! As part of the podcast I did with Vampires, Witches and Geeks, I "taped" a reading of the first chapter of DEAD IF I DO. Check it out!! Tate Hallaway reads from Dead If I Do

Proposals, Done!*

I finally finished the proposals for the next three Garnet Lacey books last night. And after my partner checks the last one over to make sure it's not full of stupid and/or tons of typos, I'll sent them off.

A lot of writers like to complain about getting stuck in the "never-ending series." But, as I said in a recent podcast, I'd be happy to be writing DEAD & RETIRED fifty years from now. As I was fiddling around with the potential plot skeletons of these next few books, I was struck by the fact that what I like about series writing is getting to bring up little tiny details, half-forgotten in previous titles, and exploit and mine the bejeezus out of them. But I also love TV shows that have continuing story arcs (as opposed to "monster of the week") and comic book cross-overs and never-ending story lines.

When I was a kid (and, uhm, even now when I'm falling asleep at night,) these are the kinds of stories I tell myself. The ones that continue ad infinitum with reoccurring characters and complex interwoven plot threads that span decades. In fact, when I was first starting out writing, the hardest part of writing for me was figuring out how to get to THE END and not leaving all those loose threads hanging.

Though you still have to complete whatever "problem statement" you proposed in your beginning sentence/paragraph, series writing allows for a few hanging bits. Your wrapping has to be tight, but there can be hints of things unresolved.

For me, that's what makes it fun. Though I realized that by chance I've kind of written a "this could be a series ender" kind of finale into Garnet Lacey #8, and I'll have to be clear with my agent that's it's not my intention to be done with that one.

I want to keep writing these. The deeper I probe Garnet's life, the more wacky it is. Kinda like real life. And that's cool.

* x-posted from Wyrdsmiths

Another New Interivew (with Moi!)

As Ms. Piggy might say, an interview with "moi" is up at My First Sale / Dear Author...

Chick Lit Contest

***Permission to forward granted***

Get Your Stiletto In The Door -- Chick Lit Writers of the World

$10 Chick Lit Members; $20 RWA Members; $30 Non-Member

Deadline: June 15

Has your manuscript been shredded in other RWA contests because it's not quite romance? Do you write fun, sassy, contemporary fiction centering around the journey of the heroine? (Maybe you don't even have a hero at all?) Do your manuscripts not play by the romance rules? Then this contest is just for you. Contest is open to unpublished writers and published authors who are not eligible for PAN status. Contest is ALL electronic and we have TWO final round judges, an editor and an agent.

Final judges: Classic Chick Lit/Lady Lit, Editor: Claire Baldwin, Little Black Dress/Headline Publishing, Ltd.; Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, KT

Literary Chick Thrill, Editor: Jessica Sebor, Random House; Agent: Holly Root, The Waxman Agency

Paranormal Chick Lit, Editor: Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing; Agent: Michelle Wolfson, Wolfson Literary Agency

Inspirational Chick Lit, Editor: Beth Adams, Guideposts; Agent: Kelly Mortimer, Mortimer Literary Agency

Young Adult Chick Lit, Editor: Regina Griffin, Egmont USA; Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Laura Dail Literary Agency

"Best of the Best", 1st place winners in each category will be judged by author and agent Lois Winston of Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. Plus, 1st place winners in each category will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

For rules and entry form go to http://www.chicklitwriters.com/contest.htm Kristin Wallace, President, Chick Lit Writers

So... Anyone Seen Trek Yet??

So??? What's the verdict out there? I blew my movie-out coupon on "Wolverine," so I'll probably have to wait to see the new Star Trek movie, but I'm dying to know... is it cool? The personification of suckitude? Somewhere in the "eh," range? What? Tell me! Tell me!!

Hugh Jackman *IS* Wolverine!

My friend Sean M. Murphy and I went to go see "Wolverine" last night. I'm a huge Marvel fan (as might be obvious from my Marvel tarot drawings,) and I wasn't disappointed.... entirely. Entertainment Weekly had me expecting never ending battles with no meaning, and I have to say I must have seen a completely different movie. Or maybe there's something visceral for a long-time fan like me to actually see the stills of comic panels turned into live-action.

Despite my initial hesitance regarding the casting, I ended up being really impressed with Gambit/Remy LeBeau -- mostly *because* the cinematographer totally NAILED Gambit's look in motion.

The story of Wolverine also had its moments of "Oh! I've seen that!" too, and he wore my favorite Wolverine "costume" of cowboy boots, big brass belt buckle on dusty jeans, and muscle shirt.

And Jackman was naked a lot, which always works for me.

But later, on the drive home, I started ruminating. I started wondering where all the cool Marvel chicks were. There were some characters on "Weapon X" team I didn't remember, including "Agent Zero" who bore a stricking resemblance (in terms of powers) to "Domino." And I asked myself, why would a director/writer say to himself (and I'm sure it was a *him*): "I know, teenage boys, my core audience, would probably prefer a dude instead of a hot Asian chick with super-marksmanship and probability altering powers!" Seriously?

Then I remembered what they did to Storm. No offense to Halle Berry, but Storm was the biggest disappointment for me in the first X-Men movie. Storm is the original a$$-kicking heroine in the books, but she was completely wimpy as portrayed in the movie. As was Rogue. As was Jean Grey/Phoenix. Hmmm, pretty much all the women sucked. And the trend sadly continues.

They need to hire up Chris Claremont.

He knew how to write hot, strong, complicated heroines.

Bitten By Books Interview and Contest

Tomorrow, Friday, May 8th, I'll be giving and interview over at "Bitten By Books"... if you're on Facebook, you can sign up here: Facebook Events Page.

Hope to see you there! I'll be checking into the comments periodically during the day, so feel free to stop by and ask questions or whatever. There's a chance to win a free, autographed copy of DEAD IF I DO!!

Podcast, Reviews, and More

Hopefully this week will be full of fun stuff involving the new release DEAD IF I DO. Don't forget that the newest Garnet Lacey adventure officially went on sale yesterday, May 5, 2009. If you'd like to hear me chat about the book, my life, Witchcraft, and various other sundry things, check out the podcast I did over at "Vampires, Witches and Geeks," Interview with Tate Hallaway. Or read the latest review of the book at Monsters & Critics.

One More Day...

Until DEAD IF I DO officially comes out!!

Today I'm sitting in a nice little coffeeshop in downtown Valparasio, Indiana sipping a latte and taking full advantage of their free wifi. I'm here visiting my "in-laws," Mason's grandma. We're leaving tomorrow morning, and hope to be back to the Cities by Wednesday.

It's kind of strange to be out of town so close to the release date, though really I suppose it hardly matters where I am in the world. It's not like the book ONLY comes out in my hometown or that I need to sit by the computer to watch the Amazon.com sales rank fluctuate.

Hope you all are well and had an excellent Beltane.

Busy, Busy

I've been absent from the blogosphere because I've been finishing up my novel for deadline... and I'm happy to report I finished on time! So hopefully this means there will be another Garnet Lacey story for you to enjoy some time in 2010.

After finishing all that, I've been flooded with publicity work for the up-coming release, DEAD IF I DO. As events and contests and whatnot get confirmed, I'll try to make sure I post links and other pertinent information here.

The next couple projects on my plate are:

1) getting the proposals finished for the next three books in the Garnet Lacey series. I had one finished, but it involved the Greek god Eros, and I noticed there's now a TV show with Cupid... so I'm thinking maybe I should scrap that one. I'd be bummed, except as I was finishing the last of the revisions for HONEYMOON (which I'm hoping will be re-titled DEAD & MARRIED,) I wrote in a scene that I think will lead very nicely to a whole new book.

2) Start on my new YA book which is due in mid-October.

3) finish up my alter ego's science fiction book for the small press.

No rest for the Wiccan, I guess!

Marvel (tm) Tarot: THE LOVERS

On Saturday, while my partner finished reading the manuscript for final editing, revision, proofing before it goes to my editor on Friday, I had some time on my hands. If I don't busy myself while she's reading my work, I tend to stand over her and say very unhelpful things like, "So? Do you like it? What's happening now?"

I happened to feel like drawing, so I decided to work on the tarot card set I've been slowly making for myself of Marvel superheros. I'm up to #6 of the Major Arcana, the LOVERS. I had originally intended to have this card be the quintessential X-Men lovers: Jean Gray/Phoenix and Scott Summers/Cyclops, but my brain just didn't go there for some reason and I ended up with Susan Richards/Invisible Woman and Prince Namor/Sub-Mariner.

I usually can't stand the Sub-Mariner. He's not a terribly likable character, but his love affair with Richards (Susan, that is, not "stretchy-man,") is rather legendary and... I don't know, "illicit"?

Which is so not what this card is supposed to be about. The Lovers, out side of the two figures being naked, is not a terribly sexy card. It's usually kind of dull. Two figures (one female, one male) are standing naked, open palmed, and being looked over by an angel. It's clearly all about the "higher" aspects of love, not the base down and dirty bits... which is what I drew.

As I said in my alter ego's LJ, this might just be Marvel fan art masquerading as a tarot card, but when I finished it I was really very pleased with the results none-the-less. The pose is original (meaning I didn't copy it from a comic book, which I did with my Iron Man/Emperor card,) and it just makes me happy. As Shawn commented, it's that scene we never really see but always imagine between these two.

I don't know... what do you think?

Rocking Socks

I'm kind of like Garnet in that I can be a total technological dweeb, but I was just on Facebook and discovered that in 2008 someone started a Facebook group called: Tate Hallaway Rocks My Socks! And I just invited *all* my Facebook friends.

Next I'll be sending you all "Good Karma"...

Dead If I Do Review

Sorry I've been so absent from this blog, but I've been caught up in my alter ego's fish woes, and, of course, racing to finish HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD in time for my DEADline of April 30.

Google Alerts found this new review by Darque Reviews for DEAD IF I DO: http://darquereviews.com/12612/117112.html

The reviewer doesn't call me god's gift to literature or anything like that, but she did seem to enjoy the book which is really all that matters. :-)

A Gift to Literature!

Okay, people, I'm going to get a big head if you keep this up! Here's a new review for ROMANCING THE DEAD that says I'm a gift to paranormal literature: Bitten By Books.

And you do know I'm Minnesotan, right? I mean, we get nervous when people heap too much praise on us!

Dracula LOL Cat

A friend sent me a link to an LOL Cat that's vampire related, and I thought you guys might appreciate it as well:

http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=3276638

Of General Interest (and a Shameless Plug)

Tonight I'm going to be interviewed by Morven Westfield for the Vampires, Witches and Geeks' podcast. The interview won't air until close to or on DEAD IF I DO's release date (May 5th, for those of you counting down the days). But, I thought y'all might like to check out the cool stuff you can listen to there in the meantime.

And, yes, I hope to also make an audio recording of the first chapter of DEAD IF I DO... so you can listen to me stumble through that, if you like.

My Newst Favorite Reviewer EVER!!

This is the kind of review a grrl dreams of:

The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog: Nobody's Perfect

Goddess Poetry Monday

This is another one from Patricia Monaghan, which I cribbed from the WitchSchool's Daily Spell:

She is the goddess of power:
earth’s mothering power,
soil’s nurturing power,
grain’s sustaining power.
We see her in the stars,
taming dragons and riding
them, bits between their teeth.
We see her on earth too:
giving seeds to strong farmers
and princes, commanding them
to sow not only the fertile soil,
but raw earth too, which bears
exactly as she tells it to.
--Ovid, Metamorphoses

My Alter Ego Rules

So not only do I need to buy the Wyrdsmiths a round of coffee for my German deal, but now my alter ego came home last night to an e-mail informing me that "SHE NAILED THE STAKE THROUGH HIS HEAD: TALES OF BIBLICAL HORROR," which is being published by Dybbuk Press (editor Tim Lieder) seems to have accepted my short story "Jawbone of an Ass."

I'm only not entirely sure because when Lieder sent the acceptance e-mail, heasked if the story was a reprint or not. I gave him my same information I had when I sent it in (which is "kind of," since it appears in our self-produced, limited edition chapbook New Wyrd), and it's not clear if that's cool or not. I'll keep you posted.

I'm kind of excited because I really, really like this short story of mine (unusual for me. Ask any Wyrdsmith, the short form is usually not my best.) This is not a AngeLINK story, but it does (perhaps obviously) have a religious overtones. Here's a blurb if the story had one: What would it be like to know that God is absolutely *not* on your side? “Jawbone of an Ass” is a modern day retelling of the story of Sampson’s first wife (known only as the woman of Timor), who slowly comes to realize the horror of knowing she, through no fault of her own, is on the wrong side of the wrath of angels.

Go me!

Happy Full Moon

If I didn't have a book to write, you would find me tonight over at the Eye of Horus doing their full moon ritual with them. But, alas, I have ten thousand words to write in the next few days (not actually humanly possible for me, but I have to give it the old college try.) I'm trying to finish up the second draft of HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD so that it will be ready to hand off to any Wyrdsmith who might be willing to look at it. (I'm really hoping Naomi Kritzer will volunteer, as she has the awesome ability to see the themes of my books and help me draw them out better.)

But, hey any of you pagan-types out there who might be saluting the Goddess tonight, lift a libation for me, will ya?

German Sale!

For all of you German speaking folks out there, I bear good tidings! My agent just informed me that the German publisher VGS publishers want my first four books (Tall, Dark & Dead, Dead Sexy, Romancing the Dead and Dead if I Do for a paperback original publication under their imprint LYX.

Cool, huh?