Ten-Word Tuesday: Let the Indie Author Beware

This article will help you protect yourself and your rights.

Behold The Book of Beasts!

OK, it's not exactly the Eighth Wonder of the World (that would be the lost shrine of Zagawa, for those of you who have Curious George addicts in your home), but it is my latest short story. Here's the description:

Jonur, a biology student at the University of Selath, doesn't believe in demons or magic. He thinks there's a rational explanation why almost nothing lives in the area around Lake Forsaken. As he and his partner collect samples from the area, they become sick themselves. Then Jonur encounters a foreign girl with a stranger book. She claims the area is poisoned and that Jonur and his partner are now affected. However, she plans to use her book to create an animal that can neutralize the poison. Who is this girl? Can she and Jonur work together to fulfill her plan, or will she let him die?

This story is set in the same world as my current WIP, Scattered Seasons. "The Book of Beasts" is about 5,000 words long, and it also includes a bonus sample chapter from Lyon's Legacy. It's currently available as an e-book for $0.99, and you can find it on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with this book, particularly Meghan Derico of Derico Photography, who made the cover.

Enjoy!

Please Stand By....

I should have an exciting announcement soon.

Science Experiments

Normally I do a Science of the Week post on Fridays, but since I already posted about science a couple of times this week (and to be honest, I'm behind in reviewing my Science Blogs), I thought I'd give you a couple of science experiments from YouTube today. If you're a tea drinker like me, you can make yourself a tea bag rocket:



(Obviously, it helps if you use tea bags instead of loose-leaf tea.)

And liquid nitrogen is always fun:



I remember for one of my physics classes in undergrad, the professor dunked a rubber ball in nitrogen and shattered it against the wall.


Have a good weekend, everyone!

Shattering The Happiness

Yesterday, I was paging through my "To Read" collection on my Kindle and came across a free book I'd downloaded last month. I read a couple pages, then backed out and deleted it. No, it wasn't because the book was horribly written. The beginning featured a man and his pregnant wife, and I knew that she would die. (That's not a spoiler; it's part of the blurb. I may have subconsciously remembered that when I started the book, but I couldn't even remember the title.) I didn't want to experience her death.

We all know that happy characters make for poor fiction; they need to deal with problems to move through the story. I've certainly given my characters their share of troubles. But as a reader, when a story starts with characters in a good situation that I know won't last, I'm reluctant to break that veneer of happiness and plunge into pain. It's easier to start with them already dealing with their problems. I had the same problem with Louise Cooper's Indigo series; it started with the princess happy with her family and her betrothed. I didn't want her to ruin everything, even though there would be no story without her reckless action. I read the first couple of pages, then abandoned the book and the series.

Is this quirk unique to me, or do other people hesitate to "shatter the happiness"? Have you found books where the end justified shattering the happiness at the beginning?

Scientific American, February 2012 Issue

Here are some of the most interesting stories from the February 2012 issue of Scientific American:


Is Space Digital? (are matter, information, and space linked?)

Swept from Africa to the Amazon (how dust may explain our weather and the fertility of the Amazon--the rainforest, not the bookstore!)

All Hands on Deck (citizen volunteers are helping scientists collect data about our climate from WWI ship logbooks)

The Future of Chocolate (a very important topic!)

The Brittle Star's Apprentice (a chemist draws inspiration from nature for new materials)


I hope you enjoy it!

Ten-Word Tuesday: Science Update

Guess there wasn't arsenic in old bacterial DNA after all.

The Success of Failure

For all of us who struggle with creativity, this article on CNN reminds us that failure is a necessary part of the process. It's better to try, fail, and learn something from it than to fear failure and never do anything. I think that's especially important for all writers now in these changing times of publishing.

Has fear ever kept you back from doing something? Did you regret it later?