Don’t forget the small-in-the-moment stuff
Oh, man. That was a trip down memory lane. I was searching through our external drive of pictures, trying to find one of Watson our basset hound that seemed appropriate and was starting to get nostalgic (and dare I say a little weepy?*), when I stumbled across this gem.
Armadillcon 36
I spent last weekend at Armadillocon down in south Austin and had a blast. There were some great panels; I went to a really fun reading of Barbara Ann Wright (who is hilarious); and met and hung out with fellow writers.
A Hodgepodge of Progress
These past two few weeks have seen a potpourri bag of small progress steps for me. Probably the most visible would be that I now have all my titles up on Google Play and iTunes. iTunes took some work—they remind me of that finicky person we all know that (everyone seems to know one) that has to have everything * just so.* Well, it’s done now and their customer service was very helpful too, so enjoy!
The Kerephrine Reaction Published!
It’s been a busy week in publishing for me. I put up The Kerephrine Reaction a novelette I’m pretty excited about. This one started with a question of “How do I build a story around the sense of smell?” The Kerephrine Reaction was the result. It also earned an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest!
Forced from her lab. Watched by the authorities. Nira must race to find the answers to clear both her and her lab’s name. Answers she soon learns with much higher stakes: her brother’s life.
He’s still very puppy-ish, but not as white. He also snores now, which he’s doing right this moment as I write this, his cold muzzle resting on my feet while his hot breath ebbs back and forth over top.
He’s a solid dog. And The Kerephrine Reaction is a solid read! Eh, well that fell flat. But you get the idea–one of these days I’ll figure out this promotion bit. See you back in two weeks!
Almost done! I can smell it!
I had hoped to finish the zero draft yesterday on the novella I’ve been working on. My target was to write 10,000 words in eleven days. I thought that would be enough to finish the draft. Turns out I was wrong. I hit the target, but am still short of the end, although I am very close. All that is left is the finishing the final climax and the denouement. Then the real work begins.
The Dreaded Middle
You have to imagine a room full of people screaming and running in random directions, hitting walls, all while trying to claw their brains out to appreciate the phrase “dreaded middle.”
The Creative Process 1. This is awesome 2. This is tricky 3. This is shit 4. I am shit 5. This might be ok 6. This is awesome
— Marcus Romer (@MarcusRomer) October 23, 2013
Thrill–er!
You have to imagine the blog title said in my best Michael Jackson impression for the full effect.
One-third of the Year Course Correction
I stated in an earlier post that 2014 will be the year of Indie publishing for me, and so far I’m track for that. I put up my first title Voices in the Deepin April after some delay. But I’m back on schedule and just released The Highlight of a Life. The Highlight of a Life represented my first professional level sale (first published in Fiction River), and was featured in the 2014 Campbell Anthology (still available!).
A Week of Firsts
The past two weeks saw a series of firsts for me. First, as you can see from the photo, I received my first proof in the mail. I cannot tell you how very cool it is to hold in my hand. The sense of accomplishment runs deeper than I thought it would. All aspects of this was due to my labor, from writing the story, writing the ad-copy, the cover design (not the art, though), designing the interior. It’s super awesome. I’ve been wavering on what to do with my first copy; I’ve been leaning toward lugging it to the next con I go to and trying to a get famous author to sign it (heh).