Wine Pairing

Jeff VanderMeer ran a book and beer pairing on his blog. Being a non-conformist, not to mention that I hate beer and love wine, I snuck in a book and wine pairing. Check it out here to see Awesome Lavratt paired with Klingon Blood Wine.

Science Fiction is for Grown-ups, too!

If I only had a nickel...well, maybe a fiver...for every time someone said to me, "Oh, I used to read science fiction when I was a kid." Or "Yeah, I used to read a lot of it [SF]." I thought it was time I came up with a stock answer for these people. I asked my new friends at Chronicles Network (a SF/F forum) for help. I posted this on a message board on Friday and the discussion is still going on. There are some great ideas. And some of them aren't sarcastic...well, maybe one or two.

How about this one: "Well, maybe you should brave it as an adult. It's been growing up while you weren't looking."

That's mine. It's by no means my favorite. You'll have to hike over to the forum to read the really good ones.

I dance at a Greek taverna whenever I can. I've been asked tons of times (almost every time I'm there, it seems) if I'm Greek. I hate to disappoint, so I came up with a stock answer for that one long ago. "I'm from the Greek Azores." I get some laughs, but also, sadly, some completely blank looks.



So, have you been wondering what to do with that SF hardcover when you're done with it? Well, I keep them forever. But maybe YOU don't. My mother's voice in my head would never let me so much as make a single underline in a book, let alone pull out its pages. But that's me. If I could quiet my mother's voice, perhaps I'd have the nerve to do this. If you click on the link below to Curbly.com, you'll find a how-to video. But what to do for matching shoes??

How to Make a Handbag from a Recycled Book

Greetings from Napa

Hubby and I are spending a few days in a timeshare in Napa. It's been great. Today's a bit on the gloomy side, but I won't be bothered by that while I'm having my massage in the "cave". I think I'll taste some wines in the wine cellar before I go to the spa. Hubby, unfortunately, had to go into work today. We'll meet up later for dinner.

Meantime, I finished the Paul Park book, A Princess of Roumania. I enjoyed it. I do have a beef, though. Not enough of the loose ends were tied up in the end for my taste. I know that there's a book that comes after it, The Tourmaline, but I would have liked more closure with this one first. But, alas, he didn't ask me. ;)

I also brought the galley with me. I think I'll work on that a bit this afternoon. Either that, or get in some Christmas shopping. Of course, both of these ideas sound too much like work to me. Maybe I'll drag out one of my short story rough drafts instead. Or write a new one.

I also read some good stories in Asimov's. I especially enjoyed "Strangers on a Bus" by Jack Skillingstead. It's his 13th story for Asimov. He must be doing something right. It's in the December 2007 issue. In the January issue, there's a good article by James Patrick Kelly about SFWA. The stories by Mike Resnick and Deborah Coates were worth a look, too. I'm trying to catch up on my reading. I decided to read one story per day in addition to reading novels. More grist for the mill.

The sun's starting to peek through the clouds. Perhaps I'll take a walk in the vineyard this afternoon. :)

Going Green and Awesome Lavratt

This year my husband and I are doing something different. We toyed with the idea of drawing names for Christmas since the family is increasing all the time. That didn't go over very well. And I LIKE finding something thoughtful for each of my five kids and their wives/girlfriends/boyfriend. It just adds up really fast. And it's very hard to go backwards on spending from the year before. It seems we end up spending more every year. I don't want it to be ABOUT the gifts this year, but don't want to appear cheap, either.

Unlike most of my gender, I HATE shopping. Most of my thoughtful purchases are done online. I was sick of the barrage of Christmas shopping ads before Thanksgiving.

So, our solution? We go green. We're making some of our gifts this year. My husband is not a bad photographer. He has a number of great shots that we're framing to send to family and friends. I just heard on the radio that we are also doing our part by using a digital rather than a 35 m camera. Some or all of the solutions used in processing the rolls are toxic. Yeah, us. I just like not having to deal with the hassle of getting the rolls developed and love the erasability factor of digital. I'm NOT a good photographer.

I'm trying to crochet some stuff. Dismal failure so far. I write. I don't do crafts. I might be able to whip out a scarf or two, but will anyone wear them when they can buy nicer ones in the store?

Maybe I'll make bourbon balls. Beats fruitcake, right? I also make a mean Irish Cream. I did give some to friends last year. Last year I gave all the kids a tastefully bound family tree I worked on for two months. Several of the kids call me asking for recipes. Maybe a recipe book? I can type better than I can crochet.

We purchased LED lights for the tree, the picture window and the outside of the house. They'll pay for themselves in reduced energy costs eventually, right?

Would have been nice to have my book in print before Christmas. Oh, well. That isn't happening. It's a case of hurry up, wait. The private release of Awesome Lavratt may not happen until February or March now. :(

Meantime, with two great critique groups, I'm zipping through the rewrites of Under the Suns of Sarshan. I'm trying to get as much done as possible before my mother-in-law arrives for the holidays from Texas.

Idea For A New Book

I couldn't get back to sleep after hubby's coughing woke me at 5:30AM. But I'm so glad I couldn't. I got a gem of an idea for a new book. I'm so excited about it, I want to start right away. It will deal with population control, symbiotic relationships, telepathy, epidemic and threat of extinction. It will take place on an alien world with non-Terran humans and giant creatures (I can't tell you what kind yet - you'll have to wait). I have a fantastic world and plot created. Now, I need the characters who will create the story line.

But first, I must finish Under the Suns of Sarshan and revise the two short stories I drafted in September. Or do I? Can I eat dessert first? Writing is way more fun than revision. Maybe just the outline and some character sketches?

Oh, well. This is my kind of busy! It sure beats TPS reports. ;)

I have to sign off and go write my book reviews--which are also not the new book. Arg! Reviews of Red Thunder by John Varley and Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks coming down the pike at Mostly Fiction.

By the way, I keep sticking my nose back into A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park. It's captivating. And so far it's "Not Another Vampire Story!" Not a vampire in site.

SF Book Reviews

I just heard back from someone willing to review my book. That set me on a surfing binge. I found all kinds of places on the internet where you can find SF reviews. I thought I'd share and save you all some surfing.

Here's the list I have so far:
MostlyFiction.com
Nanobison.com
Newmyths.com
SF Book Club (at their forum)
SF Weekly at scifi.com
Quality Book Reviews
Revish.com
Demensions
Yet Another Book Review Site (Specializing in SF/F/H)
SF Crows Nest
Fantasybookspot.com
The Bodhisattva

Feel free to add to my list. I'll update it as I receive info. Just add a comment and I'll add to the list. Thanks.

Immunity Project and Spook Country Review

My story, "Immunity Project" is up at Wayfarer's Journal. It says "Immunity" on the home page and is not listed on the stories page, but at least it's in a readable font size now (long story).

A far-future space-faring civilization experiments on the unsuspecting survivors of the wartorn planet of Kradon. Will Donard let the Krads know they're being kept in an intentionally radiated zone? Will it help them, in the end?

Let me know what you think. And if you'd like to see it "go long".

My review of Spook Country by William Gibson went up this week as well. Find it at MostlyFiction.com.

I'm working on my "Favorite Reads of 2007" list for Mostly Fiction. I was ashamed of how few books I have managed to read this year. Toward that end, I'm trying to cram a bunch in before the end of the year. It's funner than rewrites. A guilty pleasure. I'm reading my first Terry Brooks. I don't read a lot of fantasy but I'm enjoying Armageddon's Children so far. I just finished Red Thunder by John Varley. I read the one that follows it, Red Lightning first, last year. Red Thunder will be on my fave list. My TBR (To Be Read) shelf--or shelves rather--are overflowing.

And in my spare time, I have to learn all about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that I'm not writing to myself here. (@@)

Kicking it off with a new novel

Okay, so I finally gave in and started a blog. You know what they say: Never say never! I will be adding a Google calendar to list local literary events sometime in the next week or so.

The Awesome Lavratt, my first published novel, should be available in December. Here's the blurb that will appear on the back of the book. Contact me if you'd like to pre-order.

Beautiful Aranna Navna plans to conquer the galaxy one planet at a time. She steals the Awesome Lavratt, a mind control device, from a freighter in Horace Whistlestop's junkyard. She takes Horace, too. With the Lavratt, Aranna manipulates the thoughts and desires of everyone around her—until she gets to the Emperor of Calistania. Then things go from bad to worse for Aranna.

The Lavratt, however, has only just begun! Oh, the fun you can have from a small cube with mind control powers. Travel the galaxy with Tyrantz Lavratt.

Silly science fiction at its best. All puns intended.