It has been quite awhile since I wrote a craft post, and the last post I popped up was just so full of sadz, so I thought I would turn to something that makes a small smile creep up on my face: revision. Yes, that’s right, I Like Revision. A bit of an understatement. Let me try again. I Live For Rewrites. There. That felt better. Here is the first page of a novel I started when I was eight. There are clear signs of what kind of writer I would eventually become. Um, that would be the cross outs in case you were wondering. From a very early age, I really enjoyed going back over my stories, my letters to grandparents, my journal entries–anything I’d written, really. Earlier this week, I clicked on a link that brought me to Read more…

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be writers Don’t let ’em hold pencils and write all that slush Let ’em be actors and singers and such I just got back from a month in California where I got to visit a farmer’s market twice each week. Those markets always included a musician or two, which got me to pondering something I’ve been brushing up against a lot, lately. Let’s see if I can put it all down in words. (After I show you this fantastic fruit!) Just before my California sojourn, I attended my second writing conference in as many months. I love hanging with my tribe a couple of times a year. It is good to be in the company of like minds, people who salivate over sentences the way I do. But I walked away from Read more…

Here’s the thing. If you’ve followed me in any way, shape, or form in the last five or so years, you’ve probably noticed a certain vagueness as to my age. A certain je ne sais quoi about being une femme d’un certain age. (Okay, I totally abused the sense of the phrase “je ne sais quoi,” but it is such an adorable phrase that I couldn’t resist.) Well, I think it is time, in the words of Puumba, to “Put your behind in your past.” Today I turned fifty. That’s right. Half a freaking century. Born in 1963 when landing on the Moon was still an idea and not ancient history. When it came to my authorly career, I’ve been embarrassed and worried about my age. I mean, who writes about teenagers when they haven’t been one in decades? (Decades! Read more…

What do you call an author who forgot to hit “post” on her new book launch announcement? Um…Busy? Blush-y-faced? Buried in promo? Heh. Yeah. So, all of the above. Which necessitated a bit of a re-write of said blog post. Losing Mars, Book Three in the Saving Mars Series has, indeed, launched. I’ll tease you with the description: Some Goodbyes Are More Final Than Others… Jessamyn has survived a terrifying crash but lost her ship, joining Pavel, Ethan, and others in the dissenter settlement of Yucca. Now, Chancellor Lucca Brezhnaya believes Jess is out to destroy the Terran government, and Lucca will stop at nothing to find Jess. The trail of tellurium left in the Mars Raiders’ wake makes them vulnerable to discovery, and when Lucca places a spy in their midst, secrets are spilled that could mean the loss Read more…

  Ideas are funny. One morning you’re setting out to make crepes so you won’t have to later, and it occurs to you that instead of making crepes, you could make sourdough crepes! (Yes, this might have happened to me personally.) And OMG do those crepes turn out good! (Note: I am a woman with a camera who doesn’t really know how to use it-apologies for poorly lit photo.) I am still trying to figure out why I never thought of doing this before. I’ve had a sourdough starter for years. Cooked with the stuff for decades. But it had never occurred to me to sour up that water/flour/egg batter before today. The whole experience reminded me of the very best part about my experience as a writer. (Apart from people telling me they enjoyed my books :D) My fave moments Read more…

I rented The Words Friday night, looking to completely veg out for a nice way to ease into a relaxing weekend. I’d done my 2000 words for the day, answered all my emails, tweets, and FB notices. I deserved a nice evening with DH. Which I did not get. There are some things The Words got right—Jeremy Irons’ portrayal of a curmudgeon is nothing short of brilliant. Ben Barnes does a decent young Jeremy. (I know whereof I speak—I used to watch young Jeremy onstage in merry olde England when he and I were both . . . younger.) The cinematography is really luscious if you dig Paris now and in the late 40’s. And what’s not to like about Bradley Cooper’s brilliantly blue eyes and Zoe Saldana’s lovely brown ones? But. Here’s the thing. This is a movie that Read more…

I am a very happy camper right now! This is the proof from Ingram and it is so pretty! If you are a librarian, you can order copies from Brodart Company. If you are a reader wanting your own copy, it is available right now through Amazon ,and if you are willing to wait, it should show up at Barnes & Noble within the month. (Sorry, I have no control over when!) The book’s having a nice reception in the e-world, meantime, which is how I assume someone found it and added it to their list of Hot New Sci-Fi titles! (Thanks, guys!) So, I guess I should do another giveaway? Signed copy for US residents, e-copy for international. (And BTW, you can get it e-signed–see the linkie to the right for Authorgraph? Coolio!) ‘Kay, that’s all I got for Read more…

I’m going to be a cheating McCheater pants on this post. I know that it looks like I am going to blog about a favorite work of fiction that I read in the calendar year 2012. And I do actually have a few of these.If you are looking for some great reads, you can see what I loved in 2012. But I’m not going to talk about those books today. Instead, I’m going to say a few things about the most influential-on-me book I read in calendar year 2012. Basically, this blog post will probably be very boring if you are not a writer. Readers, my apologies! Just skip this stuff and look for the giveaway at the bottom of the post. (I love my non-writer readers!) Full disclosure: I read this book in 2011 before I read it in Read more…

Did you not love these as a kid? I know I did. Well, apparently adults can get them, too. A couple of months ago I was all excited when Kirkus (who have a TM on this: The World’s Toughest Book Critics) (I am not making that up) gave my book a Starred Review. I’m even more excited to report that they added my title to their annual list of 100 Indie titles to be named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012. As far as I can tell, twelve of those are children’s titles. And mine’s easy to find! So skedaddle on over there and read the review if you haven’t already. (I’ll wait.) And if you would like to read the book itself but you’re afraid you might not like it because it is Science Fiction (you know who you Read more…

I’ve been mulling over what to talk about at my upcoming Book Launch Party for my second book in The Saving Mars Series—DEFYING MARS. Now, I happen to know there will be a sizeable number of people there of whom it could be said, “Fans of Sci/Fi, they are not.” (Nor, I suspect, do their desks look like this.) So that got me to thinking about how, when I wrote the first book, I told myself, “I’ve got to work extra hard to make sure the characters are front and center—and unforgettable.” Okay, that might have been something my sister said to me (in the imperative form) now that I think about it… But in either case, I wrote with the idea firmly in my mind. I knew the book would have a title that SCREAMED Sci/Fi and was pretty Read more…