Eye of the Beholder, the second book in the Zara Mitchell series, is officially with the publisher as of about 10:00 pm tonight!!!! Celebrate with me! : )
Hope to have a cover to share soon as well as more excerpts!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Down Home Zombie Blues
Just a short little fan squee here....I was lucky enough to read a copy of Linnea's upcoming book, Down Home Zombie Blues, and oh, my gosh, I loved it!
This, of course, is no big shock since I love her stuff (Finders Keepers, I'm looking at you most especially!), but I particularly enjoyed this one because it was right up my "earth-based science fiction" alley. I'm not going to give away plot details here as the book is not up for sale until November, but the basic premise is a female (alien) zombie hunter comes to Earth, searching for missing technology and a fellow tracker who has disappeared. She discovers that zombies (which are not, in fact, zombies as we traditionally think of them but machines that have taken on a life of their own, of sorts) are on Earth and threatening the planet. Because the zombies were her people's creation, Jorie feels responsible for hunting them down. Of course, her exploits take her straight into the path of a human policeman, Theo.
I don't want to say much more for fear of giving away pieces of the story that you will delight in discovering for yourselves. However, my favorite parts involved Jorie's observations about human culture and her understanding of certain cultural imperatives (such as stopping for red lights). Linnea excels at something (lots of things, actually *grin*) that I have trouble with as a writer--removing her human and earthly perspective from her characters. How do you think like an alien without making it so alien like as to be be completely foreign to readers who need to understand and relate what you're saying?
When I was contemplating writing a short story (kind of a prequel for TSS) in Asha's perspective, I had the worst time thinking like an alien. Particularly one with no context for the world around her. Asha kept thinking about beating people up--of course--but I would hear about it human terms. Bones breaking like fragile chalk, for example. Well, does a recently awakened alien on earth know about chalk? Maybe, given the downloads they probably received in preparation for missions, but it probably wouldn't be her first choice of wording. And she had no memory of her homeworld so...*throws hands up in the air*
But Linnea is very good at this, and the story is a blast (ha, pun intended!) from beginning to end. As I told her, Theo is my new favorite among her heroes. So mark it down on your calendars, November 27, 2007, Down Home Zombie Blues.
This, of course, is no big shock since I love her stuff (Finders Keepers, I'm looking at you most especially!), but I particularly enjoyed this one because it was right up my "earth-based science fiction" alley. I'm not going to give away plot details here as the book is not up for sale until November, but the basic premise is a female (alien) zombie hunter comes to Earth, searching for missing technology and a fellow tracker who has disappeared. She discovers that zombies (which are not, in fact, zombies as we traditionally think of them but machines that have taken on a life of their own, of sorts) are on Earth and threatening the planet. Because the zombies were her people's creation, Jorie feels responsible for hunting them down. Of course, her exploits take her straight into the path of a human policeman, Theo.
I don't want to say much more for fear of giving away pieces of the story that you will delight in discovering for yourselves. However, my favorite parts involved Jorie's observations about human culture and her understanding of certain cultural imperatives (such as stopping for red lights). Linnea excels at something (lots of things, actually *grin*) that I have trouble with as a writer--removing her human and earthly perspective from her characters. How do you think like an alien without making it so alien like as to be be completely foreign to readers who need to understand and relate what you're saying?
When I was contemplating writing a short story (kind of a prequel for TSS) in Asha's perspective, I had the worst time thinking like an alien. Particularly one with no context for the world around her. Asha kept thinking about beating people up--of course--but I would hear about it human terms. Bones breaking like fragile chalk, for example. Well, does a recently awakened alien on earth know about chalk? Maybe, given the downloads they probably received in preparation for missions, but it probably wouldn't be her first choice of wording. And she had no memory of her homeworld so...*throws hands up in the air*
But Linnea is very good at this, and the story is a blast (ha, pun intended!) from beginning to end. As I told her, Theo is my new favorite among her heroes. So mark it down on your calendars, November 27, 2007, Down Home Zombie Blues.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
More pictures from ARCHON...BSG Panel
My thanks to Jim Yelton for these photos of our BSG Panel...
Me in the middle there, for once listening quietly instead of yammering away. : )
The panel--from L to R: Mike Brotheron, Doug Ferguson, Jim Yelton, Stacey Klemstein, Jack Snyder
Me in the middle there, for once listening quietly instead of yammering away. : )
The panel--from L to R: Mike Brotheron, Doug Ferguson, Jim Yelton, Stacey Klemstein, Jack SnyderNot pictured here is Heather Urbanski, who was on the earlier BSG panel, and kept me company as the only other female. She's written this really cool book about science fiction and what it means in the larger scheme of things. And I loved listening to what she had to say--it was just like being back in a discussion in one of my college English classes. Awesome!
Lessons learned from ARCHON 31
Just a bit of silliness in the form of a numbered list...
1. SF cons are the place to get your geek on. (Hmm, that sounds vaguely dirty. Not intended that way, but oh, well). I loved it. You can talk Trek or BSG with just about anyone and they all know exactly what you're talking about and can contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way instead ofgetting that vague, glazed over look or fleeing in panic. Science fiction has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and it was so cool to be around a whole bunch of others who are just like me in that respect. Two of my favorite non-writing panels were the two BSG panels I got to participate in. So much fun I could hardly stand it! I got to explain what a "sitrep" was.
2. When driving a PT Cruiser, you must refer to it as "the PT Cruiser" or just "the cruiser." There is no car or rental car in the sentence at all. As in, "I left my sunglasses in the cruiser." Sounds way cooler. : )
3. On a related note, when obtaining a rental car for a long journey, always confirm the existence of cruise control before leaving the rental car place! Five hours is a very long time to hold your foot at a 45 degree angle.
4. There is no substitute for drinking cheap wine coolers (purchased at the Moto Mart around the corner) while hanging out with good friends and enjoying the hell out of each other's company and an episode of Star Trek, the original series. (And my memory was right--the tombstone does say "James R. Kirk." Haven't seen that episode in probably twenty years ormore, but darn if that little production goof didn't stick in my brain. Don't ask me which episode, I can't remember the name but it's got to be one of the first or second ones as Spock is not even in his blue shirt yet. It's the one where the crew member's eyes turn silver and the doctor--not McCoy but a very pretty blonde woman--falls for him.)
5. Brushing your teeth is part of foreplay, evidently. But recycling, while important, is not.
(Links to YouTube, keep volume low but this is a MUST SEE). : )
6. Leave plenty of room in your suitcase for new t-shirts. I LOVE t-shirts, particularly those with funny sayings. Among my favorite purchases this time around? A "Legolas is my house elf" shirt. : ) Perhaps I will wear it and post a picture for you all. Mmmm, Legolas...
7. Don't be afraid. I was very worried that people would not like me or my writing because I blend science fiction with romance. But there were plenty of other genre-crossing authors there (among them, Rachel Caine, Linnea Sinclair, Laurell K. Hamilton, Isabo Kelly, and more!), and not a single person--writer or not--scoffed at my choices. At least not to my face and that, quite frankly, was all I was worried about!
8. You can always learn something new. My very favorite session was the one Linnea and I did together on plot. Not just because it was fun to get up there and talk about these things, but because she and I do things so very differently, I learned some new ways of thinking that will help me in my journey. My new mantra is, "Don't panic! You've just fallen off the conflict line, that's all."
9. Rooming with a buddy is a lot more fun than rooming alone! Isabo Kelly and I had so much fun...just not very much sleep. : ) At least, I had fun.She had to put up with my tendency to spread my possessions over every available flat surface. Next year if we do this, we're going to get room(s) next to Linnea. It'll be just like college. : ) Only with more drinking...
10. I can't wait until next year!
1. SF cons are the place to get your geek on. (Hmm, that sounds vaguely dirty. Not intended that way, but oh, well). I loved it. You can talk Trek or BSG with just about anyone and they all know exactly what you're talking about and can contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way instead ofgetting that vague, glazed over look or fleeing in panic. Science fiction has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and it was so cool to be around a whole bunch of others who are just like me in that respect. Two of my favorite non-writing panels were the two BSG panels I got to participate in. So much fun I could hardly stand it! I got to explain what a "sitrep" was.
2. When driving a PT Cruiser, you must refer to it as "the PT Cruiser" or just "the cruiser." There is no car or rental car in the sentence at all. As in, "I left my sunglasses in the cruiser." Sounds way cooler. : )
3. On a related note, when obtaining a rental car for a long journey, always confirm the existence of cruise control before leaving the rental car place! Five hours is a very long time to hold your foot at a 45 degree angle.
4. There is no substitute for drinking cheap wine coolers (purchased at the Moto Mart around the corner) while hanging out with good friends and enjoying the hell out of each other's company and an episode of Star Trek, the original series. (And my memory was right--the tombstone does say "James R. Kirk." Haven't seen that episode in probably twenty years ormore, but darn if that little production goof didn't stick in my brain. Don't ask me which episode, I can't remember the name but it's got to be one of the first or second ones as Spock is not even in his blue shirt yet. It's the one where the crew member's eyes turn silver and the doctor--not McCoy but a very pretty blonde woman--falls for him.)
5. Brushing your teeth is part of foreplay, evidently. But recycling, while important, is not.
(Links to YouTube, keep volume low but this is a MUST SEE). : )
6. Leave plenty of room in your suitcase for new t-shirts. I LOVE t-shirts, particularly those with funny sayings. Among my favorite purchases this time around? A "Legolas is my house elf" shirt. : ) Perhaps I will wear it and post a picture for you all. Mmmm, Legolas...
7. Don't be afraid. I was very worried that people would not like me or my writing because I blend science fiction with romance. But there were plenty of other genre-crossing authors there (among them, Rachel Caine, Linnea Sinclair, Laurell K. Hamilton, Isabo Kelly, and more!), and not a single person--writer or not--scoffed at my choices. At least not to my face and that, quite frankly, was all I was worried about!
8. You can always learn something new. My very favorite session was the one Linnea and I did together on plot. Not just because it was fun to get up there and talk about these things, but because she and I do things so very differently, I learned some new ways of thinking that will help me in my journey. My new mantra is, "Don't panic! You've just fallen off the conflict line, that's all."
9. Rooming with a buddy is a lot more fun than rooming alone! Isabo Kelly and I had so much fun...just not very much sleep. : ) At least, I had fun.She had to put up with my tendency to spread my possessions over every available flat surface. Next year if we do this, we're going to get room(s) next to Linnea. It'll be just like college. : ) Only with more drinking...
10. I can't wait until next year!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Photos from Archon 31/NASFIC
Me on "The Other SF/F" panel with Rae Morgan (on the right) 
Me, with my mouth open (big surprise!) on the "Other SF/F" panel 
My favorite picture...Leeloo (The Fifth Element) and me!Thank you, Linnea, for the photos. I will add more when I have a chance to swipe from her site. : ) Yours truly walked off, leaving her camera at home! Also, I'm also working on a short summary of the con and a lessons learned blog. But it will be a couple of days...unconsciousness is calling! I am so tired...
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Update from St. Louis
Just hanging out here with Isabo, taking a bit of rest before we head out for the final night of Archon. It has been sooo much fun! I was very nervous before coming here because I wasn't sure how my books and writing would viewed. Some people don't like romance in their science fiction, just as some people don't like science fiction in their romance. You know, the whole peanut butter in my chocolate thing.
But everyone has been so amazingly warm and welcoming. And you guys, I saw Richard Hatch yesterday! The Richard Hatch, the original Apollo from the original BSG and Tom Zarek from the new version. Seriously. I walked by close enough to pinch him...not that I would have. : ) He looks exactly like he does on television.
Other than that, I've been attending panels, talking to people, learning new things and, of course, chatting and drinking! Hopefully, I will have pictures to share next week. I forgot my camera, believe it or not, and Linnea has been kind enough to take pictures of me so I have some to share. : )
The costumes here are spectacular, by the way. I've seen an entire Stargate team, Leeloo (from The 5th Element), Wesley from the Princess Bride, multiple Harry Potter types, and a couple of superheros I couldn't identify, not because their costumes weren't accurate but because my superhero knowledge is a bit lacking.
Must go now to get ready for dinner. More to come soon...
: )
But everyone has been so amazingly warm and welcoming. And you guys, I saw Richard Hatch yesterday! The Richard Hatch, the original Apollo from the original BSG and Tom Zarek from the new version. Seriously. I walked by close enough to pinch him...not that I would have. : ) He looks exactly like he does on television.
Other than that, I've been attending panels, talking to people, learning new things and, of course, chatting and drinking! Hopefully, I will have pictures to share next week. I forgot my camera, believe it or not, and Linnea has been kind enough to take pictures of me so I have some to share. : )
The costumes here are spectacular, by the way. I've seen an entire Stargate team, Leeloo (from The 5th Element), Wesley from the Princess Bride, multiple Harry Potter types, and a couple of superheros I couldn't identify, not because their costumes weren't accurate but because my superhero knowledge is a bit lacking.
Must go now to get ready for dinner. More to come soon...
: )
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