Date: 2008-05-14 10:59 Subject: Preliminary Balticon schedule Security: Public Tags: balticon, cons

I have my preliminary Balticon schedule. I keep forgetting how close it is, since Memorial Day weekend is early this year, but it's only 9 days away (yikes!)

Friday 8PM -- Opening Reception (assuming I don't run into too many traffic jams)

Saturday 11AM -- Autograph table (I can haz lizards! U can 2!)

Saturday 3PM -- Chat with the Crooks (ask us anything, we may even answer)

Saturday 4PM -- Real Women Warriors: Tell us about characters that look, sound and feel realistic - and real women who are warriors

Monday 11AM -- Readers: You've Read the First Novel. What determines whether you want to read more by this author?

The Monday panel is a great topic, but the time is problematic given how many people will be ready to hit the road, so we'll see how it goes. Looking forward to the usual fun time at Balticon, plus traveling companion jpsorrow can't wait to get back to his favorite Italian restaurant (Carrabba's, at the mall just down the road).

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Date: 2008-05-07 22:26 Subject: I can haz bio Security: Public

And the bio is up on Denvention's website. They're adding these in small batches to the website, which seems like a pretty neat idea.

The picture is me @ Lake Louise, from the Canadian Rockies bike trip.

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Date: 2008-05-07 08:18 Subject: The glamorous life of a writer Security: Public

Sadly, it's not all about TV interviews, booksignings in exotic locales, or sitting at the bar with literary friends trading bon mots as we sip our scotches. It's also days when my only writing accomplishment is coming up with a fresh twist on my bio for a con committee.

There's always a disconnect between how things look from the outside, and how they look from the inside. I started thinking about this over the weekend, when I received a note from one of my college friends, who called me an inspiration. The phrase made me blink for a moment. I don't feel like an inspiration, and surely Julie knows me well enough to know better. She lived with me for four years, and knows all of my bad habits. She witnessed the first sentient sock collection, as hours spent at the computer lab meant my laundry pile transformed from "needs washing" to "evolving lifeform." Strangers may see only the author, but surely a decades-old friend sees something different, right?

Or maybe not. After all, I've been published for ten years now, and have my twelfth novel coming out this summer. I haven't hit the bestseller lists, but I've managed a steady career. The doubts, insecurities and setbacks aren't on view to the casual observer--like the infamous sock pile, it's only those who are living the journey with me who see the rough spots.

Some days I take stock and think to myself "Wow, this is a great life, and it's good to be me." Other days my thoughts run along the lines of "Who knew happily ever after would be so hard?"

With a new book about to be released, I'm hoping for more of those "Good to be me" days. In the meantime, I'm glad I have writer friends with sock piles of their own to share the journey.

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Date: 2008-05-05 10:03 Subject: Weekend report Security: Public

They call me...

*sigh* Actually no one calls me Iron Man. But I did get to see the movie, twice. Sunday's audience was definitely geekier than Saturday's, and broke into spontaneous applause several times.

Didn't get as much done around the house as I wanted to, nor I did I accomplish much writing wise. But after a week away at class, it's not surprising that I'd hit brain-full overload. Hoping for a few quiet days to get back in the groove, before the craziness hits at the end of this week.

ETA: Still waiting to see the STARK CAN HAZ CHEEZEBURGER icons. I know they must be out there.

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Date: 2008-04-30 08:09 Subject: Notes from a Road Warrior Security: Public

This week it's scenic Stamford, Connecticut, home of a B&N superstore and a Borders. The hotel is conveniently located about halfway between the two, which is fortunate since I've been haunting them since my arrival Sunday evening. Last night my efforts were finally rewarded, as the Borders had a paperback copy of Bujold's LEGACY, which is the second half of the story that began in THE SHARING KNIFE: BEGUILEMENT.

Note that in typical Borders fashion, they had zero copies in the science fiction section. Zero copies in the sci-fi new releases display. However there was a tall stack on the "new paperbacks" table, which is where I snagged my copy. Oddly enough, the sci-fi section at Borders was small, but they did manage to get the new release out. The sci-fi section at the B&N superstore in the Stamford Town Center is enormous, probably the largest I've ever seen in a chain bookstore. But they still didn't have the new release out yesterday evening, and store employees were clueless as to when they might get it.

Class this week is interesting--I know about half the stuff that's being taught, but the theory is new. Unlike most of my classmates I've actually been a DBA for this system for a while-- I know what to do, but not necessarily why things are done in a certain way, which is where the class is helping fill in the blanks.

The campus is reminiscent of the set of a horror movie--the main building was obviously fully used until recently but is now mostly empty, and you can walk long corridors without seeing a single person. A lot like the IBM Endicott campus, but rather than being in decay, these empty buildings are relatively new and well maintained. My classmates are split on whether we'll be attacked by aliens or zombies. My vote is for zombies, naturally.

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Date: 2008-04-27 10:45 Subject: Well that hasn't happened for a while Security: Public

Yesterday at breakfast I started reading THE SHARING KNIFE- BEGUILEMENT by Lois McMaster Bujold. I put the book down after the first few chapters and went about my day. Picked it up at dinner, read for a bit, then went off to do other things. Picked it up again a bit later and read straight through until I finished the book around 10:30. Thought briefly about driving over to B&N to see if they had the sequel (the store closes at 11), but decided I could restrain myself until today.

It's been a long time since I've read a book in a day. My pace for pleasure reading has been glacially slow (I stopped keeping tally this year because it was too depressing.) But in the past two weeks I've read three books--GRIMSPACE by ANN AGUIRRE (SF), CLEOPATRA's HEIR by GILLIAN BRADSHAW (Historical) and now this. And with class coming up, I may even knock off another book this week. At this pace, I should get through my TBR stack sometime in 2009.

As long as I don't buy any more books in the meantime. :-)

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Date: 2008-04-19 19:15 Subject: Important safety note Security: Public

If you give housekeys to a friend and ask them to check on your house, you should offer a firm list of do's & don'ts. Such as "Please bring in the mail, put out the trash on Wednesday, and oh yes, do not turn my house into the diplomatic outpost of Sheeplandia."

Otherwise, there's no telling what could happen.

*whistles innocently*

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Date: 2008-04-18 15:57 Subject: Classified Security: Public

WANTED
Professional Exorcist to rid body of mooching soul. Must work well with dominant personalities. Ask for Josan.

From the premiere issue of Spectra Pulse magazine, being distributed this weekend at Comic-con New York

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Date: 2008-04-16 09:10 Subject: Got feet? Security: Public

As anyone who has read my books suspects, I've had issues with my feet for years. (Go ahead, count up all the times my central characters worry about their feet. It's not something I do deliberately, but despite my vigilance it keeps creeping in there.)

( Boring foot stuff here )

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Date: 2008-04-13 09:54 Subject: What I've written (Baa! Another sheep joins the meme) Security: Public Tags: bibliography

Following along with the friendslist, here's a summary of what I've written over the years.

The Earl and Elizabeth, a Regency romance. My first novel, written in 1993-1994. It was good, but not good enough. Unsold.

Jane and the Black Sheep, also a Regency. Written in 1994-1995, it was a Golden Heart finalist in 1995. It sold in 1996, and was published by Zebra in 1997 as A LONDON SEASON.

AN UNLIKELY ALLIANCE, Zebra Regency, 1998.

Charlotte's Kitten, a novella in the BEWITCHING KITTENS anthology. Zebra Regency, 1998.

LORD FREDDIE'S FIRST LOVE, Zebra Regency, 1999.

THE IRISH EARL, Zebra Regency, 2000.

Following THE IRISH EARL, I felt the need to try something different, which was CAROLINE AND THE CAPTAIN, a proposal for a historical romance set in the Regency era. Rejected by Zebra in 1999, revised proposal rejected by both romance and historical publishers as being neither fish nor fowl (too Patrick O'Brian for the romance publishers, too Jane Austen for the historical publishers.) Proposal shelved, never finished this novel.

A MOST SUITABLE DUCHESS, Zebra Regency, 2000.

THE WRONG MR. WRIGHT, Zebra Regency, 2001.

And then for a change of pace:

DEVLIN'S LUCK, epic fantasy, Bantam Spectra, 2002.

DEVLIN'S HONOR, epic fantasy, Bantam Spectra, 2003.

DEVLIN'S JUSTICE, epic fantasy, Bantam Spectra, 2004.

THE FIRST BETRAYAL, epic fantasy, Bantam Spectra, 2006.

THE SEA CHANGE, epic fantasy, Bantam Spectra, 2007.

THE FINAL SACRIFICE, epic fantasy, Bantam Spectra, available July 2008.

( More musings under the cut )

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Date: 2008-04-12 09:34 Subject: Saturday! The sun is shining! Security: Public

And, for the first time in 12 days, I don't have to work at the day job. Yay me!

Not only is the sun shining, but the bike shop has finished the spring tune-up on my bike, so I can pick it up later this morning. I don't considerable myself particular memorable, but the mechanic at the bike shop who sees me only once a year, nonetheless recognized me, and from the speed of the service apparently jumped me to the front of his queue. Then, again, it could be the bike that he's recognizing, so I shouldn't consider myself too flattered.

Last night was the usual Friday night shenanigans. fireun brought with her David, the man of cheese, who proved to be great fun, if a vicious competitor. jpsorrow was off doing Serious Professor stuff, so it seemed like a good idea to text him "I have wood for sheep."

Ardent gamers will realize that the message meant we were playing Settlers of Catan and trying to make a trade :-)

But we are running into a bit of a conundrum, given that our gathering has expanded to 6 or more, which rules out a number of the games suitable for smaller groups, such as Ticket to Ride, Alhambra, Puerto Rico, Colosseum, etc. For Settlers last night, I wound up as the banker and unofficial advisor to Amy to make the numbers tie out. We'll either have to play more games using a team format, or find new games that can accomodate our expanded gatherings.

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Date: 2008-04-09 10:56 Subject: Updates & book review Security: Public

Not dead yet, though today is the 10th consecutive work day, which is one of the reasons I've been posting infrequently. And speaking of dead, yesterday I finished reading the first of my birthday loot: NEVER SUCK ON A DEAD MAN'S HAND: Curious Adventures of a CSI by Dana Kollmann.

Overall I liked the book, but its strengths are also its weaknesses. Reading this book feels like taking Dana out for coffee (or a few drinks) and listening as she tells tales from her days as a CSI. It's a fascinating insight into the non-glamorous parts of the job, and what doesn't get shown on TV. But there's not a lot of structure to the book--stories wander, break off at odd points, there's entirely too much detail in some spots and too little in few. Every now and then she hints at a story but then wanders off in another direction, leaving the reader unfulfilled. If I were listening to her in person, I could prompt her to go back to fill in the missing blanks, but as it is, I kept reading and only when I reached the end did I figure out that she wasn't ever going to finish that story.

And as a warning, the gross out factor is high. Very high. As in do not attempt to eat or drink during or after reading certain sections, and be prepared to gag. I'd thought the full-color photographs of decomposing bodies from my Criminal Investigations textbook would have inured me to such things, but if you have a vivid imagination, the word pictures that Dana paints are even more gag-inducing.

Overall recommended, if you're a CSI junkie, or simply enjoy reading about someone who thinks burying roadkill in the front yard is an acceptable hobby.

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Date: 2008-04-05 13:41 Subject: Writers. Crime. Security: Public Tags: writing

Ten writers walk into a B&B...

Today is the semi-annual STAR writers' retreat. We meet at the B&B for coffee, tea and pastries at 8:30, then by 9AM it's off to our corners to write. We emerged at noon for a group lunch, sharing details of what we've accomplished so far this morning. After lunch we had our theme workshop presentation of the day--by popular demand jennifer_dunne and I did our role-playing workshop on how to pitch to an editor or agent. (The rumors that Jennifer was pitching a Ben Hur/Winnie the Pooh pastiche called Ben Honey are complete falsehoods.) After the presentation we've retreated back to our corners for another couple hours of writing before we break for the day.

I'm pleased that I managed to get writing accomplished this morning, since my schedule has been thrown out of whack by the new job, with its requirements for scheduled overtime on top of the normal daily grind. Tonight, for instance, I'll have to start working at 5:30, so knowing that's ahead of me has sucked some of the enjoyment out of today.

As for the crime--last night the gamers got together and tried out the CSI game I'd received for Christmas. The rules of the game seemed overly complicated--we'd all figured out the key elements of the crime but the rules required that you had to keep visiting the evidence stations even if you already knew the killer. Plus the clue cards assumed you were a CSI junkie and already familiar with the key terms, something that left Amy at a disadvantage. Verdict was that the game was okay, but unlikely to be put into constant rotation.

Came home last night to find the final shipment of my birthday wishlist books had arrived. 9 titles to add to my TBR stack--3 research books and 6 fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, historical and YA). I think my TBR stack has doubled since January 1st, so I'd better start making inroads soon.

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Date: 2008-03-31 13:43 Subject: British Sea Power Triumphant! Security: Public

Well, the Brits may no longer rule the sea, but the missing British Sea Power CD turned up this morning while I was hunting for a plastic bag to bring stuff to work in. It was in the guest bedroom, where I'd been staging all the stuff when I was packing for the trips earlier this month.

Yesterday fireun and I hung out at the Cybercafe, which is a great place to get beers, sandwiches, coffees, or all three, as we chatted about anything and everything, including trying to come up with recent good reads that weren't urban fantasy. Sekrit message to April, the book I was thinking of was Grimspace by Ann Aguirre--haven't read it yet, but it's SF and worth a look.

Incredibly busy week at work because it's quarter close time, including having to work this weekend. And the semi-annual STAR Writers' retreat is on Saturday, which is normally a relaxing time, but now it will be sandwiched in between the day job, which is not so much fun. Still it will be great to see everyone and catch up.

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Date: 2008-03-30 11:18 Subject: Where is my personal assistant? Security: Public

Having triumphantly completed the final stage of the tax returns (reconciling every line item on the forms with a printed receipt to ensure no typos during data entry) I've now moved on to trying to organize other facets of my life.

Clutter has over run my house, so I've been spending the morning chucking magazines and catalogs into the recycling bin, moving reference books I've finished reading from the living room into the bookcase, and trying to psych myself up for dealing with the stack of good-but-no-longer-worn clothes that need to be donated to the thrift store. And as I'm wandering around the house, the thought strikes me--

"Where is my new British Sea Power cd?"

I bought the CD a couple of weeks ago. Logically it should be either in the car, or next to the PC, waiting to be transferred to iTunes. But I can't find it anywhere. So naturally, instead of organizing any of the massive piles of crap that really need to be tidied, I'm roaming through the house, looking for this one damn CD.

Ah, well, I didn't really think I'd get any real tidying accomplished, now did I?

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Date: 2008-03-28 10:10 Subject: My what an exciting life I lead Security: Public

You know your life is too busy when you take a vacation day to catch up on the stuff that's not getting done on weekends. Today is tax day. I'm in the receipt sorting stage of the game, and have found that the writing business related receipts can be grouped roughly as follows:

Bookstores: One book here, two books there, and hey, by the end of the year they really add up. Though having reviewed the titles, I know I *needed* each and every one of those reference books.

Office supply stores: Paper. Toner/ink. Repeat. Apologize to forest and repeat again.

Organization dues: Because writers ought to travel in packs. I'm in NINC, RWA (national and local) and SFWA. Dues for the Hard Lemonaders are payable in six packs of the good stuff, but alas that doesn't count for tax purposes.

Postage: a stack of receipts from DHL and the US Post Office, which now must be added up.

Travel: cons! And last year the normal hotel/travel/meals expenses were supplemented by the Zombies Need Brains party. Somewhere around here I have a receipt for an inflatable coffin/beer cooler....

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Date: 2008-03-26 16:25 Subject: To peep or not to peep Security: Public

My daytime employer has just sent out invites for the annual employee art show. It's pretty neat--they encourage employees to display their artwork, which their coworkers can then view and vote for best in category/best in show during a cocktail reception.

This year they want to expand the scope by encouraging employees to share their crafts and collections. I'm wondering if I should submit "Death of a Peep" in diorama form....

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Date: 2008-03-24 09:15 Subject: Books. Chocolate. What's not to like? Security: Public

This weekend I was up in the Albany area, so on Saturday jennifer_dunne and I stopped by Flights of Fantasy's new location in Colonie. The store looks nice--Maria mentioned that it's slightly smaller than the previous location but the space works well, and there's plenty of room for gaming. As always happens when I visit her store, I found several books that I needed to buy, making up for the previous weekend's restraint.

An abundance of chocolate was also to be had, from bags of the good stuff to an Easter Bunny whose ears were longer than the rest of his body. The bunny has been deemed too disturbing for human consumption, so I've thoughtfully left it in the break room for my coworkers to scavenge. Knowing this crew, it was gone in 10 minutes :-)

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Date: 2008-03-21 09:49 Subject: Back home Security: Public

Back home after Lunacon followed by business trip. Missed most of a week of LJ and probably won't have time to catch up, so sending a general wave out to everyone.

I believe it is officially spring and not quite sure how that happened--last time I looked up, I swear it was still February.

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Date: 2008-03-18 00:01 Subject: Plot synopsis project entry Security: Public Tags: craft, technique, the first betrayal, writing

Becoming a published author involves mastering many skills, one of which is learning how to write a synopsis for your book. If you've never seen one before, this can be a daunting task, so jpsorrow put out a call for his friends to share examples, and declared that March 18th was S-Day.

For my part, I've posted the synopsis for THE FIRST BETRAYAL, the first volume in The Chronices of Josan series. Because this was a proposal based on sample chapters rather than a completed novel, the package included detailed background information as well as summaries for all three books in the proposed series. In order to avoid spoilers for either THE SEA CHANGE or THE FINAL SACRIFICE, I've removed those sections from the synopsis posted on my website.

At the time the synopsis was written, I has only writen the opening chapters of THE FIRST BETRAYAL. Astute readers will notice differences between the synopsis and the final book. I like to think of the published book as the "Director's Cut" of the story.

You'll also notice that many of the details in the synopsis never made it into any of three books, such as Prince Lucius's family tree, or the detailed history of the Ikarian empire. This is an example of world-building--as an author I need to know the underpinnings of the world and civilizations that I've created, but it's not necessary to explicitly include these in the story.

In his livejournal announcement jpsorrow refers to synopses usually being 3-5 pages in length. This is where I beg to differ--while shorter is generally better, synopses come in a wide variety of lengths, depending on the project and the author. The synopsis for THE FIRST BETRAYAL was the longest one I've ever written, mainly because it wasn't associated with a completed novel--there had to be enough detail in there to convince the folks at Bantam that I had enough story to sustain a multi-volume arc. Luckily Bantam liked it, and as you've probably guessed, they bought all three books in the series :-)

So, without further ado, click here to read my synopsis. Then take a look at the links posted below, to find more examples.

Enjoy!

Plot Synopsis Project participant links:

For more examples, check out the links below. Note, authors are posting throughout the day, some links may not be immediately available.

Edited on 3/24 to add permanent links to the blog entries.

desperance Chaz Brenchley's entry
Mike Brotherton's entry
Tobias Buckell's entry
scbutler S.C. Butler's entry
Barbara Campbell's entry
davidbcoe David B. Coe's entry
jennifer_dunne Jennifer Dunne's entry
sleigh S.L. Farrell's entry
difrancis Diana Francis's entry
frostokovich Gregory Frost's entry
Felix Gilman's entry
jimhines Jim C. Hines's entry
jackiekessler Jackie Kessler's entry
mindyklasky Mindy Klasky's entry
madkestrel Misty Massey's entry
mizkit C.E. Murphy's entry
naominovik Naomi Novik's entry
jpsorrow Joshua Palmatier's entry
Maria V. Snyder's entry Link takes you to Myspace page, then search for 03/18/08 entry
smokingpigeon Jennifer Stevenson's entry
msagara Michelle West's entry
ladnews Sean Williams's entry

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