Shadowbridge reviews

My Shadowbridge reviews are now up at Mostly Fiction. Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet by Gregory Frost. I recommend them both, but heed my caveat at the end of the Shadowbridge review. ;)

My copies of The Best of Every Day Fiction 2008 just arrived, complete with a Wall Street Journal review saying it's "worth checking out".

Very impressive volume.

I'm sick in bed with bronchitis and fighting with bookmark designs. The good news is that Borders here in Santa Rosa, CA will be poppin' them in SF/F book purchases before the Awesome Lavratt launch there on the 25th.

I can also pass them out at the next Odd Month Reading in Santa Rosa on the 10th. Here's more info on that in case you're local.



Redwood Writers presents
the Odd Month Reading Series...


Jumpstart
into the new year!

January 10, 2009 2 - 4 PM

Rincon Valley Library
6959 Montecito Blvd, Santa Rosa
707) 537-0289

Redwood Writer, Ann Wilkes, will emcee this afternoon of literary delights from Sonoma County authors.


Redwood Writers is one of 17 branches of the California Writers Club, the nation’s oldest professional club for writers, founded in 1909. Its motto is "writers helping writers." 2009 is our centennial year – one hundred hears of literary history.

Favorite SF novel series? ... and randomness

This question was asked on my LinkedIn SF group. I had some ready responses I thought I'd share here:

Uplift War, David Brin
Ender's Game(first series), Orson Scott Card
Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde (okay, so it's fantasy...)
Foundation series and Robot series, Isaac Asimov
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe, Douglas Adams
Grand Tour of the Universe, Ben Bova

Anyone else want to chime in here?

Awesome Lavratt now has three Amazon reviews to add to those I've had elsewhere.

Just watched Sixth Day again. I think it's almost time to watch The Thirteenth Floor again, too. Hmmm...I detect a pattern here. Perhaps I'm gearing up for another movie that involves only a number? 2012?

The Star Trek preview looks promising, too.

I now have a speaking profile (see link on right near the top). If you need a speaker, let me know.

I spent Christmas in bed with bronchitis. :( It's amazing the amount of email that accumulates in just a couple of days!

Finally, this is too funny not to share. Brought to you from the Brunching Shuttlecocks: The Geek Heirarchy.

Victimized! and Awesome happenings

Someone, somehow got a hold of my bank information and made a purchase at an adult website in my name. As a result, I had to close my bank account today. That was the easy part. Now I have to track down all those recurring payments that won't be able to recur... Not to mention the online billing information at a dozen different sites. And then there's the surviving without the ATM cards until the new ones come. UGH!

Well, on a brighter note, the Awesome Lavratt book launch is scheduled for Janurary 25th at Borders in Santa Rosa, CA. I'm also going to be on the radio promoting it on the 7th at 7PM. The radio station is at 91 FM out of Rohnert Park, CA but is also streamed on their website.

I just joined yet another social network. This one is for speakers. And within it is a subgroup of speakers who are writers. And then, since they didn't have one yet, I started a subgroup of Toastmasters. I had a dozen new members overnight. I have mentioned that I'm a networking junkie...

I've also volunteered to speak for the American Cancer Society. Did I mention I also suffer from volunteeritis?

Of course, the problem is that what with the FT job, the book publicity and the holiday preparations, there hasn't been much actually fiction writing of late. >>takes a deep breath<< I have to get better at budgeting what little time I have. I think I may have to blow up the TV. Of course, it's going to become obsolete in less than 60 days anyway...

Awesome Lavratt available now!

Lookie, lookie! Awesome Lavratt is at Amazon

Ask for it in your local book store. If you've read it, please give it a review. :)

In bed with a cold...more in a couple days.

Grasping for the Wind's Book Reviewers Linkup Meme

My friend Linda McCabe found this gem and shared it with me. This will keep me busy forever updating my sf book reviewers site.

This was posted on Grasping for the Wind: Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Reviews.

Here's the deal:

My list of fantasy and sf book reviewers is woefully out of date. I need your help to fix that. But rather than go through the hassle of having you send me recommendations or sticking them in comments, what you can do is take the following list and stick it on your website, then add yourself to the list, preferably in alphabetical order. That way, I will be able to track it across the web from back links, and can add each new blog to my roll as it comes along. So take this list, add it to your blog, and add a link to your blog on it. If you are already on the list, repost this meme at your blog so others can see it, and find new blogs from the links others put up on their blogs. Everybody wins! Be sure to send the list around to others as well.

7 Foot Shelves
The Accidental Bard
A Boy Goes on a Journey
A Dribble Of Ink
A Hoyden's Look at Literature
Adventures in Reading
The Agony Column
Andromeda Spaceways
The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.
Ask Daphne
Australia Specfic in Focus
Author 2 Author
Barbara Martin
Bees (and Books) on the Knob
Bibliophile Stalker
Bibliosnark
BillWardWriter.com
Bitten by Books
The Black Library Blog
Blog, Jvstin Style
Blood of the Muse
The Book Bind
Bookgeeks
Bookslut
The Book Smugglers
Bookspotcentral
The Book Swede
Bookrastination
Breeni Books
Cheaper Ironies [pro columnist]
Cheryl's Musings
Critical Mass
Damien G. Walter
Danger Gal
Dark Wolf Fantasy Reviews
Darque Reviews
Dave Brendon's Fantasy and Sci-Fi Weblog
Dear Author
The Deckled Edge
Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
The Discriminating Fangirl
Dusk Before the Dawn
Enter the Octopus
Eve's Alexandria
Fantastic Reviews
Fantastic Reviews Blog
Fantasy Book Critic
Fantasy Cafe
Fantasy Debut
Fantasy Book Reviews and News
Fantasy and Sci-fi Lovin' Blog
Feminist SF - The Blog!
The Fix
The Foghorn Review
Frances Writes
From a Sci-Fi Standpoint
Fruitless Recursion
The Galaxy Express
Galleycat
The Gamer Rat
Genre Reviews
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Grasping for the Wind
The Green Man Review
Hasenpfeffer
Highlander's Book Reviews
Horrorscope
The Hub Magazine
Ink and Keys
io9
Jumpdrives and Cantrips
Lair of the Undead Rat
League of Reluctant Adults
Literary Escapism
Michele Lee's Book Love
The Mistress of Ancient Revelry
MIT Science Fiction Society
Monster Librarian
More Words, Deeper Hole
Mostly Harmless Books
My Favourite Books
Neth Space
The New Book Review
NextRead
OF Blog of the Fallen
The Old Bat's Belfry
Outside of a Dog
Paranormality
Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
Piaw's Blog
Post-Weird Thoughts
Publisher's Weekly
Reading the Leaves
Realms of Speculative Fiction
Reviewer X
Rob's Blog o' Stuff
Robots and Vamps
Sandstorm Reviews
ScifiChick
Sci Fi Wire
SciFiGuy
Sci-Fi Fan Letter
Sci-Fi Songs [Musical Reviews]
The Sequential Rat
Severian's Fantastic Worlds
SF Diplomat
SF Gospel
SF Reviews.net
SF Revu
SF Signal
SF Site
SFF World's Book Reviews
Silver Reviews
The Specusphere
Spinebreakers
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Speculative Fiction
Speculative Fiction Junkie
Speculative Horizons
Spiral Galaxy Reviews
Spontaneous Derivation
Sporadic Book Reviews
Stella Matutina
The Sudden Curve
The Sword Review
Tangent Online
Tehani Wessely
Temple Library Reviews
Tor.com [also a publisher]
The Road Not Taken
Un:Bound
Urban Fantasy Land
Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic
Variety SF
Walker of Worlds
Wands and Worlds
The Wertzone
With Intent to Commit Horror
WJ Fantasy Reviews
The World in a Satin Bag
WriteBlack
Young Adult Science Fiction
Ann Wilkes' SF Reviews List
Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys

Foreign Language (other than English)

Cititor SF [Romanian, but with English Translation]

Elbakin.net [French]

Foundation of Krantas [Chinese (traditional)]

The SF Commonwealth Office in Taiwan [Chinese (traditional) with some English essays]

Yenchin's Lair [Chinese (traditional)]

Fernando Trevisan [Brazilian, Portuguese]

Human 2.0 [Brazilian, Portuguese]

Life and Times of a Talkative Bookworm [Brazilian, Porteguese]

pós-estranho [Brazilian, Portuguese]

Fantasy Seiten [German, Deustche]

Fantasy Buch [German, Deustche]

Literaturschock [German, Deustche]

Welt der fantasy [German, Deustche]

Bibliotheka Phantastika [German, Deustche]

SF Basar [German, Deustche]

Phantastick News [German, Deustche]

X-zine [German, Deustche]

Buchwum [German, Deustche]

Phantastick Couch [German, Deustche]

Wetterspitze [German, Deustche]

Fantasy News [German, Deustche]

Fantasy Faszination [German, Deustche]

Fantasy Guide [German, Deustche]

Zwergen Reich [German, Deustche]

Fiction Fantasy [German, Deustche]

Being funny on purpose

I joined Toastmasters back in 2002 or so, to hone my public speaking skills for those book tours I knew would come. Conceit? No, determination. Which, of course, is the positive side of stubborn.

Anyhow, after taking a few years off, I'm one speech away from my ATM-B certificate. The last project I had to complete was delivering a humorous speech. It's the one I saved for last. I've delivered plenty of humorous speeches. But they didn't have to be funny. Humor wasn't the point...wasn't a mandate.

So, I finally wrote a speech on Saturday. Tossed the whole thing Saturday night and wrote a different one Sunday...for delivery tonight! I'm never at a loss for words in front of a crowd. I'm a ham, in fact. But make me tailor a speech according to rules and make me include this or that and I falter. It's just not my style.

So, I think I've finally got it. Of course, I have to deliver it at a restaurant in a noisy room our group is sharing with another group... But I can't wait.

And the book tours I knew would come are here! I'm planning my first one now. If anyone knows of a venue or an organization that would benefit from a presentation by a SF author, drop me a line. I especially love talking at schools. All contacts welcome (within the Bay Area, though, for now).

The new back cover of Awesome Lavratt is going to be great!

EDF Anthology available - just in time for Christmas...

I didn't get a contributor copy in the mail this time, but Every Day Fiction's The Best of Every Day Fiction 2008 anthology is now available. You can buy it on their site or contact me if you'd like a signed copy with free shipping. I'm only offering this between now and Christmas.

I'm so excited. So many things getting published and coming out all at the same time.

If you're local, I will be at the Center for Literacy Cafe in Healdsburg, CA next Tuesday reading Awesome Lavratt. I'll also have copies available for sale.

Here's the scoop and address:

DECEMBER CENTER LITERARY CAFÉ ANNOUNCES

An Evening of Community Spirit Performance & Holiday Cookie Exchange

December 9, 2008 7—9 pm Doors open at 6:30

Donations appreciated


Plan to join us and close out another year of Literary Café

Program: All open mic ◊ Prose, poetry, drama, musical accompaniment ◊

Sign up by telephone, email OR be spontaneous and take your chances for the free slots on the night of the performance

Bring your cheering fans

Five minute maximum…timed by a festivity bell ringer

Attention all Cookie Bakers: bring a plate of holiday cookies to share with Cookie Lovers (or other goodies)

BOOK & CD SALE TABLE FOR AUTHORS

Contact Cynthia Helen centerliterarycafe@gmail.com

Healdsburg Senior Center

133 Matheson Street (first block east of the Plaza)

Healdsburg, CA 95448

This Ain't No Rodeo

My kind of mail!! This came in yesterday's mail. My story, "Bullheaded", is in print. You can get your copy of This Ain't No Rodeo, a collection of bullriding stories, now at Amazon.