My story, "For Chance to Dream" is now available in issue #25 of Beyond Centauri. If you find it in a bookstore, let me know. Otherwise, it's available online at from the publisher, Sam's Dot Publishing. Beyond Centauri is for ages 9+. You can get a subscription or just buy one issue. My first print magazine sale! And my first sale to this demographic! My copy hasn't arrived yet. Can't wait to see it!
The social networking blog entry is up over at Redwood Writers as promised. I also posted the link on some of the sites contained therein and received a lot of great responses, including more suggested sites.
I'm also doing a workshop on social networking on August 4th in Petaluma, CA sponsored by Redwood Writers. More details later.
Yes I know this is Friday. There should be an author interview up. Well, last weekend was spent, instead trying to whip a new story in shape. But I have some great interviews on the way. Karina Fabian, Juliette Wade, Gregory Frost, Dani and Eytan Kollin, and David Brin. As always, interviews go up on Fridays (obviously not every Friday).
I haven't decided whether or not Warehouse 13 is going to deliver. Sometimes you have to watch more than one episode because there's so much setting up of the situation and characters in the pilot.
I have decided that I'd rather watch a bad SF series than a SF, err that's SyFy now, channel movie. They continue to disappoint. Is it that they can't afford good writers? Are they hiring their nephews and nieces to write them? They sort of like paint by numbers. Like there's a workbook with blanks for (disaster), gigantic (name the animal or insect, past or present), (profession) of estranged spouses who now have to work together. Ok, ok, I'm climbing off my soap box now.
Anyone know an expert on biometrics or DNA testing? My story is languishing for lack of information. I sooo don't have time to do proper research. I'd be happy to pay in acknowledgments. :)
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Friday, July 10, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
blogging, feeding and digging
I finally figured out how to be an author on Goodreads. Better still I have this blog feeding there. I love reciprocation! I also figured out how to feed automatically to Facebook from Networked Blogs. Outstanding!
I'm posting a blog entry at Redwood Writers in a couple of days in which I'm revealing all of the 50 or so author social networking sites I'm on.
Meanwhile, hubby is now a Facebook fiend just two weeks after joining and now he has a blog as well. His blog is End 21st Century Slavery. My husband, the activist. :)He says he's going to blog every day. Now I have to help him to feed and digg it.
I got another story rejected on Sunday. This was a reprint that was accepted to the first place I sent it. Just goes to show, that the selection process is subjective and the piece has to fit the venue.
I recorded Warehouse 13. I'm off to watch. Of course, I'm getting a little annoyed at the fact that I find shows I like and then they disappear for months on end, sometimes never to return. Some of that was due to the writers strike, so maybe it will happen less now.
If you're local there's a multi-author book celebration for this month's meeting of Redwood Writers. More info at the blog or on their website.
vote it up!
I'm posting a blog entry at Redwood Writers in a couple of days in which I'm revealing all of the 50 or so author social networking sites I'm on.
Meanwhile, hubby is now a Facebook fiend just two weeks after joining and now he has a blog as well. His blog is End 21st Century Slavery. My husband, the activist. :)He says he's going to blog every day. Now I have to help him to feed and digg it.
I got another story rejected on Sunday. This was a reprint that was accepted to the first place I sent it. Just goes to show, that the selection process is subjective and the piece has to fit the venue.
I recorded Warehouse 13. I'm off to watch. Of course, I'm getting a little annoyed at the fact that I find shows I like and then they disappear for months on end, sometimes never to return. Some of that was due to the writers strike, so maybe it will happen less now.
If you're local there's a multi-author book celebration for this month's meeting of Redwood Writers. More info at the blog or on their website.
vote it up!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Writing - the short story process
Today's goal was to finish a short story for sending You Know Where. I'm about halfway through. It's interesting because all the pitfalls seem to be coming up faster. The talking heads, the meandering plot, unimaginative characterization... you get the idea. Usually I find these things on the next pass. In this short form, they stop me cold. Or is it that I recognize them sooner and don't want to have to overwrite only to slash whole chunks out later? I'm in a time crunch here.
So what do I do when I'm stuck? It's a question I've asked several authors in interviews.
My brainstorming buddy wasn't online today, so all those questions I would have asked him, I had to ask myself. I actually opened a word document and poked and prodded at my prose with things like, "How do I tell this story without TELLING it?" I answered, "Start with a murder." I also came up with some cool SF tech to introduce during one of those talking heads scenes that will let me keep the scene.
Yes, I asked myself questions, yelled at myself and told myself to quit being dialog heavy. And answered myself. All on the same word document that I saved as Notes for IA story. Didn't you know that writers are crazy? But it worked. Then I had to work on the story arc and realized that what I really had was a detective story with SF trappings. I don't read a lot of detective stuff and I don't want it to be canned. So now I'm trying to figure out how to have the protag solve the mystery without it looking inevitable, expected and linear.
I also wasted time on FaceBook. Of course, I can't say time spent on FB is all a waste. I did build my network. Now if only some of them would buy my book. :)
I want to finish writing what will be a blog post for Redwood Writers next week, so I switched gears and worked on lists for that for a while.
But there was progress on the short story. I now have more cool tech, a full background and motivation for the bad guy (or girl, in this case) and it starts with a murder, which I've already written. Hopefully I'll finish the first draft before the weekend is out.
What else? I received more new books in the mail. The Immortality Factor by Ben Bova and a Japanese SF translated into English. So more reading. I've learned to go back to my old practice of reading books in tandem. Reading Valis and The Book from the Sky was brutal. But now I'm reading a book by Philip K. Dick's widow, Tessa and another book about Deborah in the bible at the same time. Those will be vastly different. I think it will make it go faster. Up next is The Unincorporated Man by the Kollin brothers. Then Immortality Factor.
Once I have this story out of my hair, I can get more reading done. I still have a story that needs a great deal of reworking. Maybe next weekend I'll do rewrites of both - in tandem. No, that would be REALLY crazy.
Look for another author interview next Friday. I'll let you know who on Tuesday.
vote it up!
So what do I do when I'm stuck? It's a question I've asked several authors in interviews.
My brainstorming buddy wasn't online today, so all those questions I would have asked him, I had to ask myself. I actually opened a word document and poked and prodded at my prose with things like, "How do I tell this story without TELLING it?" I answered, "Start with a murder." I also came up with some cool SF tech to introduce during one of those talking heads scenes that will let me keep the scene.
Yes, I asked myself questions, yelled at myself and told myself to quit being dialog heavy. And answered myself. All on the same word document that I saved as Notes for IA story. Didn't you know that writers are crazy? But it worked. Then I had to work on the story arc and realized that what I really had was a detective story with SF trappings. I don't read a lot of detective stuff and I don't want it to be canned. So now I'm trying to figure out how to have the protag solve the mystery without it looking inevitable, expected and linear.
I also wasted time on FaceBook. Of course, I can't say time spent on FB is all a waste. I did build my network. Now if only some of them would buy my book. :)
I want to finish writing what will be a blog post for Redwood Writers next week, so I switched gears and worked on lists for that for a while.
But there was progress on the short story. I now have more cool tech, a full background and motivation for the bad guy (or girl, in this case) and it starts with a murder, which I've already written. Hopefully I'll finish the first draft before the weekend is out.
What else? I received more new books in the mail. The Immortality Factor by Ben Bova and a Japanese SF translated into English. So more reading. I've learned to go back to my old practice of reading books in tandem. Reading Valis and The Book from the Sky was brutal. But now I'm reading a book by Philip K. Dick's widow, Tessa and another book about Deborah in the bible at the same time. Those will be vastly different. I think it will make it go faster. Up next is The Unincorporated Man by the Kollin brothers. Then Immortality Factor.
Once I have this story out of my hair, I can get more reading done. I still have a story that needs a great deal of reworking. Maybe next weekend I'll do rewrites of both - in tandem. No, that would be REALLY crazy.
Look for another author interview next Friday. I'll let you know who on Tuesday.
vote it up!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Book signing pics and SF writer news
Had a great time signing books with Alice Henderson at the Comic Book Box on Saturday. One young lady who bought a copy of Awesome Lavratt recognized it from one of her friends' shelves. Awesome! ;)
And here we are getting killer promo ideas from Kathy Bottarini, the book store owner.
Facebook friends to the rescue. I'm too tired to blog, but apparently am never too tired to hang out on Facebook. Here's news from my SF/F author friends there:
Alma Alexander posted an essay at Storytellersunplugged.
Gareth Powell has news on his upcoming book, Silversands.
Robert Sawyer's imprint of Red Deer Press is set to launch this nifty volume, Distant Early Warnings: Canada's Best Science Fiction.
I'm putting together a list of all my myriad writerly social networking sites for a post on the Redwood Writers Blog. Look for that probably next week.
vote it up!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Two gigs this week and more social networking mania
For those of you in or around Sonoma County, I'll be at the Comic Book Box in Rohnert Park on Saturday from noon to 4PM.
On June 27th, the Comic Book Box, 1451 Southwest Blvd #103, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, will be having a CREATURE FEATURES event! The Producer of WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG, a journey into Creature Features, Tom Wyrsch, will be here to show classic interviews by Bob Wilkins and John Stanley! Ann Wilkes the author of the SF book, AWESOME LAVRATT and Alice Henderson author of VORACIOUS will also be on hand! For more information call 707-792-0100!
If you're in the East Bay, I'll be in San Ramon on Thursday.
Date: 7/2/2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM
Description:
Memorable stories begin with intriguing ideas. But where do writers get these ideas? Science fiction author Ann Wilkes will take you on an odyssey of "what ifs" to generate unique scenarios on the spot which she will help you grow into viable story lines. Bring your imagination and notebooks.
Celebrate Summer Reading with us!
Library: San Ramon Libraries - San Ramon
Contact Number: 925-973-2850
Presenter: Ann Wilkes
I really am a social networking junkie. I don't stop with MySpace, Facebook and Live Journal. So, I've had to start a list of all the social networking sites I'm on. There are 15 LinkedIn writing related groups that I'm on, six Book Blogs groups (Ning), Book Place, Book Marketing Network, Goodreads and two groups Goodreads groups. Then there are Yahoo groups. I haven't visited the sf forums in months.
And still, I refuse to Tweet. ;) But, for those who do, my friends over at Oxford University Press asked if I'd share this with my readers: Set Phasers on Tweet: A Star Trek Snowclone Blizzard on Twitter
I convinced my hubby to join Facebook last night. He just returned from a trip to Mississippi to participate in the Gathering Hearts Poverty Tour. He spoke on the labor abuses that are going on in California, what he's calling part time slavery. Now he has another way to get the word out.
On the submitting front: I have already received 2 rejections from the 9 stories I sent out this month. Sent one back out already. It's all a numbers game, like job hunting. Well, talent helps, too.
vote it up!
On June 27th, the Comic Book Box, 1451 Southwest Blvd #103, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, will be having a CREATURE FEATURES event! The Producer of WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG, a journey into Creature Features, Tom Wyrsch, will be here to show classic interviews by Bob Wilkins and John Stanley! Ann Wilkes the author of the SF book, AWESOME LAVRATT and Alice Henderson author of VORACIOUS will also be on hand! For more information call 707-792-0100!
If you're in the East Bay, I'll be in San Ramon on Thursday.
Date: 7/2/2009
Start Time: 7:00 PM
Description:
Memorable stories begin with intriguing ideas. But where do writers get these ideas? Science fiction author Ann Wilkes will take you on an odyssey of "what ifs" to generate unique scenarios on the spot which she will help you grow into viable story lines. Bring your imagination and notebooks.
Celebrate Summer Reading with us!
Library: San Ramon Libraries - San Ramon
Contact Number: 925-973-2850
Presenter: Ann Wilkes
I really am a social networking junkie. I don't stop with MySpace, Facebook and Live Journal. So, I've had to start a list of all the social networking sites I'm on. There are 15 LinkedIn writing related groups that I'm on, six Book Blogs groups (Ning), Book Place, Book Marketing Network, Goodreads and two groups Goodreads groups. Then there are Yahoo groups. I haven't visited the sf forums in months.
And still, I refuse to Tweet. ;) But, for those who do, my friends over at Oxford University Press asked if I'd share this with my readers: Set Phasers on Tweet: A Star Trek Snowclone Blizzard on Twitter
I convinced my hubby to join Facebook last night. He just returned from a trip to Mississippi to participate in the Gathering Hearts Poverty Tour. He spoke on the labor abuses that are going on in California, what he's calling part time slavery. Now he has another way to get the word out.
On the submitting front: I have already received 2 rejections from the 9 stories I sent out this month. Sent one back out already. It's all a numbers game, like job hunting. Well, talent helps, too.
vote it up!
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