I Was Racist (And Did Not Know)
I prided myself that I was not Like That – and I was very wrong.
NaNoWriMo Snippet: Strange Meetings
More snippets! More Notte! I hadn’t really planned for him to be in this scene, but here it is, anyway!
The City of Az’Kabek
It sounds like exaggeration, does it not? I was there, and it is still difficult to credit.
The Pratchett Principle
Sir Pratchette wrote 400 words a day to create Discworld. Imagine what you can do with yours.
FOR DAWS TO PECK AT is Out!
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to my latest tale, FOR DAWS TO PECK AT. Get it free via the newsletter, or pick it up at Amazon!
How to Be Happy as a Writer
This week, let’s make ourselves a pact. I’ll stop comparing myself to other writers – and so will you.
Playing The “Too Many Drafts” Game (in which Everyone is a Winner)
Do you know this game? If you’re a writer, you do: It’s where you write a draft, but it’s not right, so you put it aside and try again. And again.
If this describes you, congratulations! You’re a writer. And there’s hope for your draft.
WIP: Boy, Is She Persistent
She guided me – taught me, which by design should not have been possible – to never kill children, to avoid the unwisdom of well-armed cities. She
taught me, friend, to stop before my prey would die.
WIP: Notte Finds Peace
I had discovered a state of existence other than hunger, and I wanted more. Tranquility spins a siren-song of its own.
Notte Snippet: where the Dream have Gone
Tiny yearning tugged at me. What would I find, if I could find my way there?
WIP: For Daws to Peck At
They did not grow old. They never knew illness. They could be injured, but they healed, and they never simply lingered. All this was why Jonathan made no sense.
WIP: For Daws to Peck At
Just a sample from a new story I’m working on. (Context? What’s that?)
This was amazing food.
» Read more about: WIP: For Daws to Peck At »
Regaining Momentum
Writing after a dry period is really hard, but there’s no secret to getting back into it. There are only a few simple steps.
The Two Most Important Things I Know About Writing
These two things seem contradictory. Spoiler alert: they’re not.
Learning From Those Who Came Before
We write our stories, and we do the best we can. For many of us, that means we write from perspective born of backgrounds we didn’t control, educations we weren’t aware were cheap, and information we didn’t know was dated.
Why Neil Gaiman?
I’m going to tell you precisely why I love Neil Gaiman’s work, and I’ll do it by breaking down one of my favorite short stories.
» Read more about: Why Neil Gaiman? »
Stop Thinking About Marketing
The reason we feel the need to hold baby creations up to some 30-year pro’s for comparison is because our culture teaches us to judge all art according to salability – but salability is not the point of art.
Just Keep Writing (even when it hurts)
So I wrote today for the first time since my dad died. It was not, shall we say, a *good* experience.
Is Your Fear Of Not Enough Holding You Back?
Proin gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet. Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auctor, nisi elit consequat ipsum, nec sagittis sem nibh id elit.
» Read more about: Is Your Fear Of Not Enough Holding You Back? »
Unnamed Story With Gray: Snippet
That power. Lips could lie but power could not.
I was in a van with Robin Goodfellow
and some Shadow’s Breath rando, and I had no idea where we were headed.
Notte Snippet: The Word of a Friend
We carried stories from town to town, transmitting parables like pathogens, connecting people via the thin threads of empathy and imagination who would otherwise never meet.
The Sundered: Audio Sample!
Behold: a four-minute sample of this excellent, excellent audiobook. Enjoy!
THE SUNDERED is Now an Audiobook!
The voice actor, Kain Foster, is an unbelievably talented artist, and embodies Harry in a way that gives me chills.
NaNoWriMo: The Salted Road
So many things seem eternal, seem, in the moment, to be without end and culturally permanent scars. The great flood; the memory of dragons; the knowledge that there are demons in the dark.
NaNoWriMo Snippet: Heroes
I now present an unedited snippet from Notte, the dramatic hero of my WIP. SO dramatic. Oh my.
Writing Fatigue (and what to do about it)
This month is not about producing something publishable. It’s about teaching yourself to just keep writing, to ignore the inner editor, and to let yourself just spill words onto the page.
Harry’s Secret Place
SPOILER WARNING
(If you’ve read The Sundered, you’re good to go. Otherwise, head back to the short stories for safer fare.)
Nobody’ll find me here.
» Read more about: Harry’s Secret Place »
Art Lessons
Fantastic art by the fantastic Sixelona, who’s one of my favorite readers.Â
SPOILER WARNING
(If you’ve read The Sundered, you’re good to go.
» Read more about: Art Lessons »
And Night Fell
SPOILER WARNING
(If you’ve read The Sundered, you’re good to go. Otherwise, head back to the short stories for safer fare.)
There was that moment of hitting the button, the moment of relief
that this was over and life could go on, that the Sundered were dead and
the crisis averted.
» Read more about: And Night Fell »
Notte’s Letter
The following is the letter Notte left on Grey’s dashboard in the beginning of Strings.
Grey, unfortunately, never got to read it, but we can.
» Read more about: Notte’s Letter »
The “Real Store” Winners Giveaway!
The winners have been chosen! Congratulations, all. I’ll be sending out an announcement in the newsletter and reaching out to the winners later today!
The “Real Store” Giveaway!
This is the first time a store owner has said “yes” to me, and I am absolutely over the moon. To celebrate, I’m running a giveaway. 🙂 Read the details and enter below!
Notte Snippet
The tower was filled with breaking. Breaking wills, breaking minds, breaking cries. At every turn, every landing, even every stairwell, Saqalu draped and twisted, wings out, faces stretched, and if they were aware of me at all, they told me to run.
Snippet for August (and a personal update)
Flames dance thanks to exothermic reactions, a process that releases energy to its surroundings in the form of heat and light.
So did she.
Notte Snippet for May, 2018
She sort of… skipped, boots barely touching the treacherous ground, keeping on her feet even as I slipped and staggered and relied solely on her grip to keep me on mine.
Pearl’s Bottom
Yet another snippet from Notte! Unedited, messy, etc. Enjoy!
Horse’s instructions seemed simple: I was to find the city of Mercy; to locate the inn called Pearl’s Bottom; to rent a bed, yet not use it, and instead wait in the public room below for a week and a day.
» Read more about: Pearl’s Bottom »
Keep Going
Things are dark. Very dark. It’s time to ask yourself an important question: why keep going?
Your Trajectory Is Not Fixed
Here’s a lie I’ll bet you’ve been told: “You have to figure out what you want to do before it’s too late.”
An Uncomfortable Truth (About Writing)
Fellow writer, this will not feel good to read, but it is VERY IMPORTANT.
Writing is simple when lorem quis bibendum
Proin gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet. Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auctor, nisi elit consequat ipsum, nec sagittis sem nibh id elit.
» Read more about: Writing is simple when lorem quis bibendum »
Becoming a great conversationalist
Proin gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet. Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auctor, nisi elit consequat ipsum, nec sagittis sem nibh id elit.
» Read more about: Becoming a great conversationalist »
Let me help you urna eu felis dapibus
Proin gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet. Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auctor, nisi elit consequat ipsum, nec sagittis sem nibh id elit.
» Read more about: Let me help you urna eu felis dapibus »
SALE!
It’ll be at LEAST three months before I’ll sell on other platforms again, so I decided to throw a big price-drop party for you!
Experiments in Sales: Draft2Digital
I got so many requests for books on outside Amazon that I decided to give Draft2Digital a try again. Here are the results.Â
Keep Going (Just Like Pixar)
Two of my favorite go-to videos when I’m feeling down about writing. Take a few minutes and watch. Your heart will thank you.
It’s a New Day. Welcome to 2018!
Pull up your trousers and tie your shoes. This year is going to be a fight.
Lose the Guilt: You Don’t Have to Write Every Day
For those of us who need to write, there’s good news: you can still be a writer even if you can’t write every day.
You Can Do This
Bad Crap is happening. No matter where any of us fall on the political spectrum, we can see that. It’s frightening. It hijacks imagination and energy, leaving only fear. So what’s a creator to do?
We Need Strong Women in Fiction
I didn’t grow up seeing strong women represented – and neither did the rest of my generation. There was a cost.
It’s okay if someone doesn’t like your book
Fellow writer, this is an important fact:Â It’s okay if someone doesn’t like your book.
Finding Time to Write
Bad news: you will never FIND time to write. Good news: there is still hope for you, struggling writer.
Neil Gaiman’s Writing Rules (In Wallpaper Form)
May these encourage your creativity, whatever else you do. Enjoy!
Awesome Writing Quotes (For those days when you need a boost)
A ton of writer’s quotes to help you get through it all. Nothing fancy. Just encouragement. Enjoy!
Recipe: Rice and Beans
Note: this is a really simple recipe. You do not actually have to be precise about any of these ingredients.
» Read more about: Recipe: Rice and Beans »
“Don’t Waste Your Talent” and Other Lies
Are there times when you’re unwilling to say you’re a writer?
Happy Anniversary From Me to You!
Tomorrow is my 11th anniversary. Yay!
I’m using up my remaining “free” days as an Amazon author and giving them to you—starting tomorrow. 🙂
The Doubting Writer’s Manifesto
Bad thought-habits are hard to break.
I know I’m not the only one who struggles with them. For all of us who must deal with poisonous doubts spewing from our abused subconscious, I present the Doubting Writer’s Manifesto.
Leaving KDP Select (For Now)
Tomorrow is my 11th anniversary. Yay!
I’m using up my remaining “free” days as an Amazon author and giving them to you—starting tomorrow. 🙂
KDP Select + Giveaway Winners: This Post Has ALL The Things!
First off, congrats to the winners of the fantabulous printed books giveaway. 🙂 Second, I have some news about my books.
MASSIVE GIVEAWAY! :)
Guess what? I’m moving – and I’m giving away the older copies of my books! This is your chance to get hold of my print books for free.
Deadline Extended!
Readers and writers both keep telling me they love the bonuses and the price, so I’ve opted to keep this party going a couple more days. 🙂
The Importance of Creativity When the World Goes Dim
Write. Paint. Create. Don’t let the darkness of this world stop you. Every time you pick up the pen, you’re pushing it back by inches.
BONUS TIME!
GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT? HALF-SHELL PROPHECIES IS LIVE!!!
I’m so excited about this that I’m thrilled to offer you BONUSES. 😀
Say Farewell to the F-Bomb
Sometimes, we choose to do things not because they’re the only way, but because they’re the kinder way.
Health Update: March 2017
Well, here we are! We survived. Not all in one piece, but here, nevertheless.
Since my last update, my husband has been through a couple of surgeries, more than one miracle, and a TON of physical therapy. Â
» Read more about: Health Update: March 2017 »
Your Muse is a Liar, And This is a GOOD THING.
When your muse to you, it’s giving you the tools to become a great writer. Let me show you how.
How to Kick 2017 in the Ass: WRITE.
This year, you need to write. The power you hold as a storyteller is without measure.
Everybody Hurts: How Forgiveness Applies to Your Character
Pain changes your character. It’s important you know how that character handles it.
This Post is Political. You Have Been Warned.
The events of the last few days have been so awful, so violent, so terrible, that I find my attempt at equanimity slipping away. I cannot be silent.
Announcing Half-Shell Prophecies!
Ta-daaa! I am so happy to announce this new book. It’s all but finished, and today is the cover reveal.
When Writers Freeze
Writer’s freeze: when you know where you need to go, and maybe how to get there, but when you sit down to write it, your brain just stalls.
Book Review: Mencken and the Monsters (The Defense of Reality Book 1)
Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely love the current crop of urban fantasy out there. But once in a while, it’s really, really nice to find something else. Something that reminds me of Charles de Lint more than Faith Hunter.
I’m sorry. But that’s not enough.
Today, a black friend of mine posted a picture of himself, unsmiling, in a restaurant – the owners of which had chosen to decorate the walls with pastoral scenes of slaves picking cotton. I’m sorry. But that’s not enough.
Location As a Character
Your location affects your other characters and plot every bit as much as your protagonist, antagonist, awesome sidekicks, eponymous heroes, or sarcastic love-interests.
Making Your Villain 3D: What’s His Favorite Food?
Weird question, isn’t it? But if you don’t know the answer, your characters might not be 3D.
Personal Update: Surgery Time
Fingers crossed, knees bent, hopes raised, and prayers raised: it’s the final countdown, and my heart is firmly lodged in my throat.
A Better Way to Think About “Show, Don’t Tell”
This is a really simple, helpful way to understand “show, don’t tell.”