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08 November 2009 @ 11:33 am
08 November 2009 @ 10:58 am
My camera was flashing low battery at me yesterday, so I didn't get nearly as many pics as I'd like, but here are the ones I did manage!
1- Maria Geraci, Dara Edmondson and Louise M. Gouge
2- me and Maria, a Knight Agency author (BUNCO BABES GONE WILD! etc.)
3- Linnea Sinclair
4- Pamela LaBud and Gennita Low
As a bonus, I got to reconnect with a friend of mine I haven't seen since college, who now lives about an hour and a half away from me (and far less than that from the signing)! It was as though no time had passed at all. I look forward to getting out here way again so we can chat more under less chaotic circumstances.
07 November 2009 @ 10:33 pm
The following FFF titles released in October and were submitted by FFF members for showcasing on the blog sidebar. They're still out there, so it's not too late to pick up copies for yourself or someone else.
To see the November releases (as submitted by the authors), check out the updated FFF sidebar.
Happy Reading!
S. J. Day
( See the pretty covers... )
To see the November releases (as submitted by the authors), check out the updated FFF sidebar.
Happy Reading!
S. J. Day
( See the pretty covers... )
06 November 2009 @ 10:38 pm
This is an amazing - and thoughtful - review:
TOTAL OBLIVION, MORE OR LESS by Alan DeNiro:Seriously, if you haven't preordered this book yet, well...why the hell not?
For 16-year-old Macy, the whole world has gone crazy, quite literally. Barbarians from antiquity have invaded America, while bizarre plagues and impossibly shifting landscapes ravage her Minnesota homeland. Together with her parents, sister, brother, and a possibly evil dog, Macy sets out down the Mississippi on an adventure that takes her into the smoldering ruins of St. Louis, aboard a wooden submarine that’s bigger on the inside than outside, and finally into the stone-skyscraper capital of Nueva Roma. All the while she dodges oil-men turned slavers, plague-instigating wasps, an albino bounty hunter, and, perhaps most dangerous of all, her scheming younger brother. DeNiro (who flaunted a knack for offhand SF oddness in Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead, 2006) makes sure never to do anything as dull as explaining what the heck is going on—we simply accept that the world has become a surreal, historical landscape come to life and move on. He drops in so many tantalizingly inspired touches—the new (old?) empire considers Post-it notes a precious natural resource—that leaving his inside-out America at the end is almost painful. There aren’t many writers who take weirdness as seriously as DeNiro does, and fewer still who can extract so much grounded emotion, gut-dropping humor, and rousing adventure from it. A dizzying display of often brilliant, always strange, and definitely unique storytelling. — Ian Chipman
06 November 2009 @ 05:24 pm
I always like behind-the-scenes documentaries, so with the permission of artist Niki Smith, my collaborator on In Maps & Legends, I'm going to do a short how-to of the creation of the first four panels of our online comic.
Frankly, I'm amazed at how fast and how efficiently the comic came together. And the art is simply awesome. I take no credit -- I just put down the words and some ideas for the pages. Starting with...
Step 1: The Script
I've never written a comic script before, so the format was pretty loose and non-standard. I'd had the idea for the comic for a while, and it actually started life as a novel that I'd never finished. So I did some tweaking, studied some comics scripts (thank you, Neil Gaiman, for Sandman!), and used an alternate version of my novel's opening.
Here's what I sent to Niki:
( Read more... )
Frankly, I'm amazed at how fast and how efficiently the comic came together. And the art is simply awesome. I take no credit -- I just put down the words and some ideas for the pages. Starting with...
Step 1: The Script
I've never written a comic script before, so the format was pretty loose and non-standard. I'd had the idea for the comic for a while, and it actually started life as a novel that I'd never finished. So I did some tweaking, studied some comics scripts (thank you, Neil Gaiman, for Sandman!), and used an alternate version of my novel's opening.
Here's what I sent to Niki:
( Read more... )
06 November 2009 @ 04:41 pm
At the end of week one, our comic In Maps & Legends is in the lead! Thanks to everyone for reading and voting!
Woo hoo!
And if you haven't voted or marked us as a Favorite, there's no time like the present... :)
06 November 2009 @ 01:53 pm
I just read a review that panned an upcoming movie but reluctantly admitted "it had a couple good jump-cut scares." Because I'm currently working on a monster fight scene, that comment made me wonder about creating -- and experiencing -- terrifying moments in words.
I consider Dean Koontz one of the best at creating on-the-page terror. Whenenver I sit down with one of his books, I block out an entire afternoon so that I can 1.) finish in one sitting, and 2.) finish before the sun goes down. His stories are wonderful examples, I think, of breakneck pacing and high-ratcheted tension.
A Koontz story can amp up my blood pressure and make me dread, but even he has never made me jump out of my blue Snuggie.
On the other hand, fuzzy puppies leaping unexpectedly across a YouTube video will make me shriek.
I'm inclined to think a jump-cut experience can't be created on the page because you can't force the timing on the experience. A reader's eye will move onto the next sentence when she's good and ready, and the mental processes required for reading will undermine the emotional response. Maybe the human imagination -- no matter how rich and varied -- can never quite give us the visceral thrill of even the cheapest visual stimulus which bypasses the frontal lobe of the neocortex and goes straight to the freaked-out monkey limbic system.
Have you ever read a passage that literally made you jump? Please share. If not, what's the next best thing you've read for wordly scares?
I consider Dean Koontz one of the best at creating on-the-page terror. Whenenver I sit down with one of his books, I block out an entire afternoon so that I can 1.) finish in one sitting, and 2.) finish before the sun goes down. His stories are wonderful examples, I think, of breakneck pacing and high-ratcheted tension.
A Koontz story can amp up my blood pressure and make me dread, but even he has never made me jump out of my blue Snuggie.
On the other hand, fuzzy puppies leaping unexpectedly across a YouTube video will make me shriek.
I'm inclined to think a jump-cut experience can't be created on the page because you can't force the timing on the experience. A reader's eye will move onto the next sentence when she's good and ready, and the mental processes required for reading will undermine the emotional response. Maybe the human imagination -- no matter how rich and varied -- can never quite give us the visceral thrill of even the cheapest visual stimulus which bypasses the frontal lobe of the neocortex and goes straight to the freaked-out monkey limbic system.
Have you ever read a passage that literally made you jump? Please share. If not, what's the next best thing you've read for wordly scares?
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Marie Darling, Aliens
06 November 2009 @ 03:21 pm
I always like behind-the-scenes documentaries, so with the permission of artist Niki Smith, my collaborator on In Maps & Legends, I’m going to do a short how-to of the creation of the first four panels of our online comic.
Frankly, I’m amazed at how fast and how efficiently the comic came together. And the art is simply awesome. I take no credit — I just put down the words and some ideas for the pages. Starting with…
Step 1: The Script
I’ve never written a comic script before, so the format was pretty loose and non-standard. I’d had the idea for the comic for a while, and it actually started life as a novel that I’d never finished. So I did some tweaking, studied some comics scripts (thank you, Neil Gaiman, for Sandman!), and used an alternate version of my novel’s opening.
Here’s what I sent to Niki:
Panel 1: Close-up of X-Acto knife pointed at wall (can’t see details of wall yet, just vague smudges), light glinting off tip, though the room is full of shadows from the little lamp on the floor next to Kait. Show Kait’s dust-coated hand holding the knife, with a cool ring on one finger?
Caption (top): FIND THE HIDDEN PLACES FIRST.
Caption (bottom) THAT’S WHAT GRANDPA ALWAYS SAID.
Panel 2: Pull back more to show Kait’s finger delicately brushing away dust from the two-foot-long gouge she’s just cut into the wall, giving more hints of the rocks embedded into the wall around it, so it’s clear this isn’t the first time she’s hacked stuff into the wall of her spare room.
Sound Effect: BOM-BIDDY-BOOM. [Add sound effect for the cutting sound, too?]
Panel 3: Zoom out a bit from the first panel (or maybe vice versa?) as the knife cuts a long gouge into the off-gray sheetrock of her wall, with the cut section dangling in mid-air like the skin of a snake off the end of Kait’s knife. The gouge is a valley surrounded by what appear to be rocks representing mountains
Caption: AND HE’S BEEN LOST FOR ALMOST A DECADE. GUESS GRANDPA FOUND HIS OWN HIDDEN PLACE.
Panel 4: Kait’s face and the knife in front of her, her face full of shadows from the lone lamp sitting on the bare floor next to her (no overhead light in this room, or the light’s switched off). She’s totally into the flow of her work, concentrating. Show a hint of her breath steaming out in the cold room? She’s wearing a sweatshirt and fingerless gloves, flannel pajama pants, thick socks.
Caption/special effect: BOM-BIDDY-BOOM, BOOM BOOM
Kait’s dialog: WOW. GRANDPA? HAVEN’T THOUGHT ABOUT HIM IN A WHILE.
I had a lot of suggestions and questions, and also sent her some photos of the setting. I didn’t want to insult her by over-explaining. I think we hit a good balance.
I emailed that off to Niki (we’ve never actually met in person — we actually got in touch via Twitter!), and she took the script and ran with it, starting with…
Step 2: The Thumbnails
As soon as I saw these, I knew I was in good hands… I tried doing some thumbnails myself, but gave up after panel two.
(Click any of the images to view a larger version)
Niki did thumbnails for all eight pages in a day or two, and emailed ‘em back to me. I was blown away. She nailed it. But that did nothing to prepare me for…
Step 3: The Pencils
Now it was getting fun. Niki’s art matched my imagined characters and settings, and then some. Let’s let Niki take over from here…
Niki: “I put together the panel layouts for all the screens in Photoshop first, with word balloons and caption boxes already dropped in, so I’d have an idea of how much space I had to work with. They were printed out in really light blue, and I did the sketch with a non-photo blue pencil.”
Step 4: The Inks
The inks. Holy cow. The inks…!
Niki: “The sketches were inked, and scanned back in. I drop out the blue channel in Photoshop to get rid of the sketch without having to erase. The panel borders were done digitally, along with the word balloons. At this point, we re-thought where our title should go, and ended up dropping out some inner monologue as a result.”
Step 5: The Colors (and the finished product!)
All I can say is this: the comic leaps off the screen now with color. How’d she do it?
Niki: “Colors and text! Everything is done in Photoshop from here on in. I layered photo textures and flats to get the look I wanted. The first page of a project is always a matter of experimentation for me, as I figure out what works best. The map layers were the last step of the process, so I could make sure that it was all coherent together.”
And that’s the process, in a nutshell. All told, I think it took us maybe five weeks this past summer to get the comic in shape, from script to finished version. We submitted it for the competition on August 25th, and got the news that we’d made it into the competition on October 26th.
We really hope to continue the story, soon (so don’t forget to read, vote, favorite, etc.). Can’t wait to show you what’s through that door on page 8…
06 November 2009 @ 09:34 am
In a world where, “I follow you on Twitter,” does not indicate a stalker, where agents and editors can be “friended” on Facebook and MySpace and where everyone in the world can be “Googled,” it may seem as though there are no boundaries. We’re all just one big happy family, and you can dash an e-mail off to the pros just like you can your BFF. Not so! There is still an etiquette, there are still boundaries and procedures, and while doing your research means you’ll be targeting the right people with your work, it should not get to the point where you feel you know them so well you can bypass those procedures. Remember, they don’t necessarily know you. Just as you wouldn’t send a resume to a potential employer’s personal e-mail address or home, you shouldn’t send a query to an agent or editor’s non-business account or even their direct business account if their guidelines say there’s a separate address that should be used for queries. It’s very possible that contact made in the wrong way is deleted unread or even automatically by the pro’s spam filter.
You wouldn’t say to a potential employer, “You dude, I’m a hard worker. Pick me!” Likewise, your query letter shouldn’t be so informal. (No, I’m not suggesting that agents or editors are employers, but you are trying to establish a business relationship and should be professional in your approach.) I’ve posted dos and don’ts on my blog before (here), but here are a few more:
-don’t call the agent or editor by his or her first name unless you’re truly on a first name basis
-spend at least as much time on your query letter as you would on a cover letter to go along with your resume
-spell check and proof read
-make sure you’re following guidelines and do not direct the pros to a separate website to view your work; everything we need to make a decision should be included with your query
-be sure the pro can respond to the e-mail address you’ve used if sending an electronic query (Note: this seems obvious, but I’ve had responses bounce because the address is no reply or because there’s an anti-spam process I’m not going to take the time to complete.)
There’s been a lot of good advice given this week (discovered via Twitter). Here are some of the links:
Lauren Dane – how authors should respond to rejection
Jennifer Jackson (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
arcaedia ) – on queries
Richelle Gardner – how not to get an agent
05 November 2009 @ 09:06 pm
I just spent the day critiquing query letters at the sold out Backspace Agent-Author Seminar in Manhattan, and had a great time! Hopefully it was equally fun and productive for the authors in attendance. This was my first event with Backspace, but based on my experience today I would definitely recommend their 2010 Backspace Writers Conference, which takes place May 27th-29th in NYC.
The other exciting thing which happened today is that Realm Lovejoy posted an interview with me here on her blog. She's doing an ongoing series of interviews with agents, editors, and authors, with original art to accompany each one! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate, because Realm is an amazing artist (plus she didn't kill me for asking her to go back and tweak her drawing of me multiple times, which I really appreciated).
Finally, here's my schedule of appearances for the first half of 2010:
2010 RWA New England Chapter Conference
March 26-27, 2010, Framingham, MA.
DFW Writers Conference
April 10-11, 2010, Dallas, Texas
Las Vegas Writers Conference
April 15-17, 2010, Las Vegas, Nevada
Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling 2010
April 23-24, 2010, Deerfield, IL
BEA
May 25-27, 2010, New York, NY
My current plan is to spend the first week of May sleeping.
On that note, I now go to collapse into bed and sleep the sleep of the exhausted. There may be some watching of Supernatural first.
The other exciting thing which happened today is that Realm Lovejoy posted an interview with me here on her blog. She's doing an ongoing series of interviews with agents, editors, and authors, with original art to accompany each one! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate, because Realm is an amazing artist (plus she didn't kill me for asking her to go back and tweak her drawing of me multiple times, which I really appreciated).
Finally, here's my schedule of appearances for the first half of 2010:
2010 RWA New England Chapter Conference
March 26-27, 2010, Framingham, MA.
DFW Writers Conference
April 10-11, 2010, Dallas, Texas
Las Vegas Writers Conference
April 15-17, 2010, Las Vegas, Nevada
Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling 2010
April 23-24, 2010, Deerfield, IL
BEA
May 25-27, 2010, New York, NY
My current plan is to spend the first week of May sleeping.
On that note, I now go to collapse into bed and sleep the sleep of the exhausted. There may be some watching of Supernatural first.
05 November 2009 @ 10:12 pm
At the end of week one, our comic In Maps & Legends is in the lead! Thanks to everyone for reading and voting!
Woo hoo!
05 November 2009 @ 09:59 pm
Now that the dust has settled a bit for me with the launch of the first eight pages of our comic over at Zuda, and we’re doing pretty well in the competition, if I say so myself, it’s time to start working on some new projects.
I think I’ve finally finished up all the “marketing” work of submitting stories (got an even dozen stories out there right now, which is the most I’ve had in years!) and then polishing up proposals and cover letters so I can submit a novel or two to publishers. Got those done and out of the way as well.
I also created and updated and edited the heck out of my new Publishers Marketplace page. And I even added some “covers” to some stories available on the Kindle on my Amazon.com page. All good stuff to have done, but time-consuming!
I also went through all my notes from the Master Class, at last, and have a list of tasks yet to do. There’s always more books to read and related work to finish up.
But first… I’m itching to WRITE something. I’ve been doing all the business-related stuff for a couple weeks, and while that’s a necessary evil, I want to get back into regular word-wrangling.
So. I’m still fiddling with some ideas for the next 52 pages of the comic, in case we win (and even if we didn’t, I think we’d continue it and submit it elsewhere). I have a bunch of ideas mapped out, and feeling good about it.
I’m also diving into the fixes for the end of my baseball novel, The All Nations Team. I got some great ideas for the book at my workshop, but more than anything, something clicked for me there, and I know exactly what I want to do to fix up the ending.
So now I just have to get used to getting up at 4:30 a.m. again to get my two hours of uninterrupted writing time… Piece of cake, right?
05 November 2009 @ 06:46 am
Two more chances to get a signed copy of Vamped by the end of the year. Just remember, the holidays are coming up and books are one size fits all!
Saturday, November 7th from 2:00-5:00pm
Romancing the Holidays: Multi-author Charity Book Signing
Altamonte Mall - Center Court Fountain
451 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL
Tel: (407) 261-0213
Participating authors:
Saturday, November 21st from 2:00–3:00p.m.
Borders Books
12500 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa, FL 33618
Tel: ( 813) 265-8455 www.borders.com
04 November 2009 @ 07:47 am
So, if you're reading FADE OUT, you will encounter the character of Bob the spider. I like Bob. Bob is just ... cute.
Well, I now have my very own Bob the spider. Not that I keep him as a pet, no, it's more that Bob is a giiiiiinormous orb spider -- seriously, his BODY is bigger than most entire spiders I've ever seen -- who's set up shop in the bush next to my driveway. Bob ambitiously built a web that stretched halfway into the driveway, the first day; we discussed, I amended his design with a stick, and he bounced up and down in his web and was visibly upset by my edits.
But by golly, he's keeping his web in the appropriate placement now. Communication!
Every day when I leave for work, and come home from work, I say hello to Bob. Bob ignores me. It's a comfortable relationship.
Just thought I would share.
****
KISS OF DEATH rewrites are finished! Huzzah! As are page proofs for UNKNOWN. And speaking of UNKNOWN ... I'm going to have a giveaway in December for two copies of the bound galleys!
****
SO excited about the upcoming signings ... this Friday night at Legacy Books in Plano, Texas at 7 pm ... then at the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon ... then at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Sunday!
Next Friday I'll be signing at the Borders Express in Exton, Pennsylvania, then Murder by the Book in Houston. (I'll also be stopping off in New York to film a segment for Penguin.com, and for Marianne Mancusi's show on BetterTV!)
****
Okay, now I really do have to go to work. Like, the actual job. So I hope all my LJ friends have a fantastic Wednesday!
-- R.
Well, I now have my very own Bob the spider. Not that I keep him as a pet, no, it's more that Bob is a giiiiiinormous orb spider -- seriously, his BODY is bigger than most entire spiders I've ever seen -- who's set up shop in the bush next to my driveway. Bob ambitiously built a web that stretched halfway into the driveway, the first day; we discussed, I amended his design with a stick, and he bounced up and down in his web and was visibly upset by my edits.
But by golly, he's keeping his web in the appropriate placement now. Communication!
Every day when I leave for work, and come home from work, I say hello to Bob. Bob ignores me. It's a comfortable relationship.
Just thought I would share.
****
KISS OF DEATH rewrites are finished! Huzzah! As are page proofs for UNKNOWN. And speaking of UNKNOWN ... I'm going to have a giveaway in December for two copies of the bound galleys!
****
SO excited about the upcoming signings ... this Friday night at Legacy Books in Plano, Texas at 7 pm ... then at the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon ... then at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Sunday!
Next Friday I'll be signing at the Borders Express in Exton, Pennsylvania, then Murder by the Book in Houston. (I'll also be stopping off in New York to film a segment for Penguin.com, and for Marianne Mancusi's show on BetterTV!)
****
Okay, now I really do have to go to work. Like, the actual job. So I hope all my LJ friends have a fantastic Wednesday!
-- R.
04 November 2009 @ 08:03 am
More pics from World Fantasy
1- Deanna Hoak (deannahoak ), Myke Cole and Laura Anne Gilman (suricattus ). In the bar - where else? (For more Laura Anne Gilman, see last month's post here.)
2- Authors F. Paul Wilson, Meg Turville-Heitz and Scott Edelman at the signing
3- Writer and blogger J. Daniel Sawyer, SOULLESS author Gail Carriger and Orbit marketing and publicity director Alex Lencicki
4- Awesome fantasy author David B. Coe and Deanna Hoak
And some pics from Gail Carriger's fabulous steampunk tea release party for SOULLESS:
I missed a lot of names, so if you can identify any of the people I can't, please chime in. Many pics I took because I just loved the costumes.
1- Photographer for the evening, whose name I hadn't caught, but have since learned via Facebook is Brittney Hart, and Gail Carriger (gailcarriger ), our hostess
2- Pretty people in pretty costumes
3- Ellen Datlow (ellen_datlow ) and a woman whose name I missed, though she was very nice and let me try on her coat (pics 4 & 5)
4 & 5- Pics taken by Crystal Jordan. Yes, I have coat envy and am now lusting over Kristi Smart's designs.
6- More pretty people in attractive costuming (this photo also attributable to Crystal Jordan)
7- Liz Gorinsky (2muchexposition ) from Tor Books with her stet gun (loved it!)
8- Again, lovely costumes!
9- Francesca Myman from Locus and the lady of the evening (which sounds so dirty) Gail Carriger.
1- Deanna Hoak (
deannahoak ), Myke Cole and Laura Anne Gilman (suricattus ). In the bar - where else? (For more Laura Anne Gilman, see last month's post here.)2- Authors F. Paul Wilson, Meg Turville-Heitz and Scott Edelman at the signing
3- Writer and blogger J. Daniel Sawyer, SOULLESS author Gail Carriger and Orbit marketing and publicity director Alex Lencicki
4- Awesome fantasy author David B. Coe and Deanna Hoak
And some pics from Gail Carriger's fabulous steampunk tea release party for SOULLESS:
I missed a lot of names, so if you can identify any of the people I can't, please chime in. Many pics I took because I just loved the costumes.
1- Photographer for the evening, whose name I hadn't caught, but have since learned via Facebook is Brittney Hart, and Gail Carriger (
gailcarriger ), our hostess2- Pretty people in pretty costumes
3- Ellen Datlow (
ellen_datlow ) and a woman whose name I missed, though she was very nice and let me try on her coat (pics 4 & 5)4 & 5- Pics taken by Crystal Jordan. Yes, I have coat envy and am now lusting over Kristi Smart's designs.
6- More pretty people in attractive costuming (this photo also attributable to Crystal Jordan)
7- Liz Gorinsky (
2muchexposition ) from Tor Books with her stet gun (loved it!)8- Again, lovely costumes!
9- Francesca Myman from Locus and the lady of the evening (which sounds so dirty) Gail Carriger.
03 November 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Happy release day to Rachel Caine and Jasmine Haynes! Rachel (
rachelcaine ) for her trade paperback omnibus of the first two Morganville Vampires novels and for the latest in the series, FADE OUT, and Jasmine Haynes for her erotic romance YOURS FOR THE NIGHT! Rachel Caine will be at Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 7th from 4-6 p.m. and Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego this Sunday, November 8th at 2 p.m. to sign books. For other events, check out her website.
03 November 2009 @ 08:57 am
Migraine this morning (so much fun) so the trip report may be a bit abbreviated.
First, some pics from the Borders Los Gatos Romance Readers Group discussion and signing with romance authors Jami Alden, Bella Andre, Mardi Ballou, Jasmine Haynes, Paty Jager, Crystal Jordan, Kate Perry and Veronica Wolff and mystery author Diana Orgain.
1- erotic romance authors Jasmine Haynes and Crystal Jordan, me and mystery writer Diana Orgain.
2- Jasmine Haynes signing. (You can just barely see our awesome hostess, Ellen Higuchi in the background.)
3- Diana Orgain with Paty Jager, Bella Andre and others in the background
1- SFWA President Russell Davis, N.K. Jemisin (whose fabulous debut THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS releases in February from Orbit) and John Helfers from Tekno Books
2- Jennifer Heddle from Gallery Books/Pocket, copyeditor extraordinaire Deanna Hoak, the notorious Graham Joyce, Cat Sparks and Deborah Biancotti at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
3- Jen Heddle and I hamming it up with Tut (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)
4- Jim Minz of Baen Books, author Russell Davis, James Frenkel of Tor/Forge Books.
5- Jasmine Haynes/Jennifer Skully, Crystal Jordan and their two fall friends at the Winchester Mystery House. (On a personal note, I've decided that Crys is a fashion psychic, since completely unplanned she was wearing the same color as I was when she picked me up on Thursday and the same color as Jennifer when we met for the Mystery House!)
More later as my migraine allows.
First, some pics from the Borders Los Gatos Romance Readers Group discussion and signing with romance authors Jami Alden, Bella Andre, Mardi Ballou, Jasmine Haynes, Paty Jager, Crystal Jordan, Kate Perry and Veronica Wolff and mystery author Diana Orgain.
1- erotic romance authors Jasmine Haynes and Crystal Jordan, me and mystery writer Diana Orgain.
2- Jasmine Haynes signing. (You can just barely see our awesome hostess, Ellen Higuchi in the background.)
3- Diana Orgain with Paty Jager, Bella Andre and others in the background
1- SFWA President Russell Davis, N.K. Jemisin (whose fabulous debut THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS releases in February from Orbit) and John Helfers from Tekno Books
2- Jennifer Heddle from Gallery Books/Pocket, copyeditor extraordinaire Deanna Hoak, the notorious Graham Joyce, Cat Sparks and Deborah Biancotti at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
3- Jen Heddle and I hamming it up with Tut (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)
4- Jim Minz of Baen Books, author Russell Davis, James Frenkel of Tor/Forge Books.
5- Jasmine Haynes/Jennifer Skully, Crystal Jordan and their two fall friends at the Winchester Mystery House. (On a personal note, I've decided that Crys is a fashion psychic, since completely unplanned she was wearing the same color as I was when she picked me up on Thursday and the same color as Jennifer when we met for the Mystery House!)
More later as my migraine allows.
01 November 2009 @ 09:00 am
I can hardly believe I’m making this journal entry. If I go all fanboy on you, feel free to smack me down. But…
I’m writing for DC Comics!
Okay, allow me to ’splain.
Back in July, I worked with author Niki Smith on a comic script to be entered into the monthly competition for Zuda Comics. I took an old novel idea and cranked out a rough script. Never wrote a comic script before, but it was fun. I got to think like a film director, with a limitless set and endless special effects. It was an awesome learning experience.
Niki then took my script and created first some amazing character sketches. Then thumbnails. Then pencils. Then some amazingly crisp inks. Followed by the colored versions, which knocked me out of my chair.
Then we entered them into the contest. And waited. And waited. And now, at last, here’s the big news:
Our comic, “In Maps and Legends,” is live on the Zuda Comics site!
Zuda is the online comics line from DC Comics, the same folks who brought us Batman, Superman, the Sandman, Justice League, Wonder Woman, and countless other amazing characters and stories.
And now, Niki and I are working for them!
Zuda offers an interesting twist on how comics are chosen to be published.
Sort of like “American Idol,” readers get to choose their favorite. So over the course of November, anyone can read “In Maps and Legends” and VOTE. Just log into the site after you create a user ID, read all ten comics (we have some amazing competition), and click the VOTE button for just one comic — the one you think is the best.
Here’s a quick tutorial on voting at the Zuda site (the site’s a little daunting the first few times you visit). You can also add an image for our comic to your own website, like this one:
So yeah, please check it out, read some great, free comics, and decide which one you like best for this month. The winner gets to continue writing their comic.
Because if you read to page 8 of our comic, we totally leave you with one doozy of a cliffhanger!
Enjoy!
02 November 2009 @ 12:30 pm
I can hardly believe I'm making this journal entry. If I go all fanboy on you, feel free to smack me down. But...
I'm writing for DC Comics!
Okay, allow me to 'splain.
Back in July, I worked with author Niki Smith on a comic script to be entered into the monthly competition for Zuda Comics. I took an old novel idea and cranked out a rough script. Never wrote a comic script before, but it was fun. I got to think like a film director, with a limitless set and endless special effects. It was an awesome learning experience.
Niki then took my script and created first some amazing character sketches. Then thumbnails. Then pencils. Then some amazingly crisp inks. Followed by the colored versions, which knocked me out of my chair.
Then we entered them into the contest. And waited. And waited. And now, at last, here's the big news:
Our comic, "In Maps and Legends," is live on the Zuda Comics site!
( Read more... )
I'm writing for DC Comics!
Okay, allow me to 'splain.
Back in July, I worked with author Niki Smith on a comic script to be entered into the monthly competition for Zuda Comics. I took an old novel idea and cranked out a rough script. Never wrote a comic script before, but it was fun. I got to think like a film director, with a limitless set and endless special effects. It was an awesome learning experience.
Niki then took my script and created first some amazing character sketches. Then thumbnails. Then pencils. Then some amazingly crisp inks. Followed by the colored versions, which knocked me out of my chair.
Then we entered them into the contest. And waited. And waited. And now, at last, here's the big news:
Our comic, "In Maps and Legends," is live on the Zuda Comics site!
( Read more... )
Current Mood: Woooh!!
02 November 2009 @ 11:05 am
As promised, I'm starting the pics from the San Jose/World Fantasy Convention trip. The first stop (well, okay, after Starbucks for some caffeine courage before the signing) was Kepler's Books and Magazines in Menlo Park, CA. I was terrible about taking pics once the chat and sign began, because I was too busy talking (I know, you're shocked), but here are a few taken just before things got underway. For more and for a little video of me talking about VAMPED, check out Kepler's teen blog The Book Bind. For a direct link to the write-up, click here.
1- Kepler's!
2- The very cute table they set up. You can just barely see the skull armbands, one of which I had to buy, of course.
3- From L to R: my awesome authors Crystal Jordan (UNTAMED) and Diana Orgain (BUNDLE OF TROUBLE) then me. No, Crys and I didn't arrange to be dressed nearly identically. I had to remove my black jacket so we wouldn't be mistaken for twins.
4- Me and Angela Mann from Kepler's, who set everything up and was so amazingly knowledgeable about teen fiction.
I was awed to have been signing at Kepler's, where Jeff Kinney of the Wimpy Kid books had just been the week before. In fact, there were still a few signed copies in the store, so I had to buy one of the new books for my son, who's a HUGE fan. In case anyone is interested, Kepler's has some signed copies of VAMPED as well! Michael Chabon was appearing at the store later that same day. I missed him by just hours because I had to be over in Los Gatos later that evening. Bummer.
Stay tuned for more pics as the week goes on and I find time to upload and post.
1- Kepler's!
2- The very cute table they set up. You can just barely see the skull armbands, one of which I had to buy, of course.
3- From L to R: my awesome authors Crystal Jordan (UNTAMED) and Diana Orgain (BUNDLE OF TROUBLE) then me. No, Crys and I didn't arrange to be dressed nearly identically. I had to remove my black jacket so we wouldn't be mistaken for twins.
4- Me and Angela Mann from Kepler's, who set everything up and was so amazingly knowledgeable about teen fiction.
I was awed to have been signing at Kepler's, where Jeff Kinney of the Wimpy Kid books had just been the week before. In fact, there were still a few signed copies in the store, so I had to buy one of the new books for my son, who's a HUGE fan. In case anyone is interested, Kepler's has some signed copies of VAMPED as well! Michael Chabon was appearing at the store later that same day. I missed him by just hours because I had to be over in Los Gatos later that evening. Bummer.
Stay tuned for more pics as the week goes on and I find time to upload and post.