Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:
A new human ancestor has been discovered in Ethiopia
New class of baked, expanding magnets has potential to energize the world
An egg a day may keep the doctor away
Nearly indestructible virus yields tool to treat diseases
Researchers tie unexpected brain structures to creativity--and to stifling it
Natural enzyme lysozyme examined as antibiotics alternative
Spinning a new version of silk
Diagnosing cancer with help from bacteria
Do you have any plans for the weekend? My son turns eight tomorrow, so there will be a birthday party and lots of Legos in his future. Hope you have fun too!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
WisCon 39 WriteUp
It still doesn't seem like a Wednesday to me. How about you?
My first WisCon was in 1998. Since I missed 2007, I've been to seventeen WisCons. That's nearly two months of my life that I've spent going to this convention! Over the years, there have been a lot of changes to the convention, the city, and my writing career. That said, WisCon is still one of the highlights of my year.
Most of Friday was spent packing and taking care of last-minute details as I waited for school to let out. We picked Alex up and drove straight to Madison, arriving around 5:00. As I picked up badges and dropped off my books at the Broad Universe table, I saw friends of ours, then ran into another couple we knew as we headed out for dinner. We wound up having dinner and gelato with both couples and missed the opening ceremonies. I enjoyed the evening, but it was a little bittersweet in that one of the couples was moving out of state and had come to the convention to see us. I hope we get to visit either here or in New York, Dave and Judy! I did go to a panel (Overlapping Magestria--basically about science and religion) after we got back, but I was too tired for the parties.
Saturday morning we visited the farmer's market, then I attended an interesting panel on gender, sex, and science. For lunch, I joined three members of Broad Universe. The weather was gorgeous, and we spent a little more time at the farmer's market while we waited for our table. We returned to the hotel halfway through the first panel, so I skipped it and visited the dealer's room and the art show. Mid-afternoon was the Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading; I both moderated and read from Scattered Seasons.I spent an hour at the Broad Universe table before going out for Japanese with my family and "the boys."
Oscar and Little Penguin: SUSHI!
Stan: Sushi?
Rex: Who's she, and why are you suing her?
Saturday night was like Friday in that I skipped the main attraction of the evening (the Tiptree auction), attended another panel on science-compatible religion, and then went to bed. What a wild life I lead.
On Sunday, I attended a few more panels throughout the day, including ethical non-mongamy in fiction, what makes a character come alive, and illness tropes. I particularly found the last one useful.I worked a couple more hours at the Broad Universe table and helped back up all the supplies at the end of the day. (Since I'm the Readings/Events Coordinator for Broad Universe, I will be sending the supplies to other conventions.) We did actually get back from dinner in time for the Guest of Honor speeches, but instead I helped set up the Broad Universe party and stayed there until 11:40 or so. That's about as much as a sleep-deprived person like me can manage.
Monday morning we met some college friends for breakfast, then checked out of the hotel. I finished up some last-minute Broad Universe business before attending the SignOut. I did have a few familiar faces to keep me company and help with the display.
I didn't sell a lot of paper books during the convention, but I did notice a slight upswing in eBook sales. I also put on my publisher's hat and approached a couple of the indie bookstore representatives in the dealer's room about stocking my titles. (I'm setting up my books on IngramSpark in addition to CreateSpace, and IngramSpark offers better terms for booksellers.) We'll see if anything comes from that. I did actually buy three paper books from the dealers, as that seemed only fair.
This was also the first time Alex was old enough for kid's programming. He wasn't in it full-time, since he didn't want to do all of the activities. But the kid's track may make it possible for me to attend some of the local cons as well.
It was an intense weekend, but I got to see old friends and meet other people that I've only known online, visit my favorite city during the best part of the year, and immerse myself in books and SF for a while. I wish WisCon was longer, but it would be tough on my wallet.
Do you ever go to conventions? If so, which ones?
My first WisCon was in 1998. Since I missed 2007, I've been to seventeen WisCons. That's nearly two months of my life that I've spent going to this convention! Over the years, there have been a lot of changes to the convention, the city, and my writing career. That said, WisCon is still one of the highlights of my year.
Most of Friday was spent packing and taking care of last-minute details as I waited for school to let out. We picked Alex up and drove straight to Madison, arriving around 5:00. As I picked up badges and dropped off my books at the Broad Universe table, I saw friends of ours, then ran into another couple we knew as we headed out for dinner. We wound up having dinner and gelato with both couples and missed the opening ceremonies. I enjoyed the evening, but it was a little bittersweet in that one of the couples was moving out of state and had come to the convention to see us. I hope we get to visit either here or in New York, Dave and Judy! I did go to a panel (Overlapping Magestria--basically about science and religion) after we got back, but I was too tired for the parties.
Saturday morning we visited the farmer's market, then I attended an interesting panel on gender, sex, and science. For lunch, I joined three members of Broad Universe. The weather was gorgeous, and we spent a little more time at the farmer's market while we waited for our table. We returned to the hotel halfway through the first panel, so I skipped it and visited the dealer's room and the art show. Mid-afternoon was the Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading; I both moderated and read from Scattered Seasons.I spent an hour at the Broad Universe table before going out for Japanese with my family and "the boys."
Oscar and Little Penguin: SUSHI!
Stan: Sushi?
Rex: Who's she, and why are you suing her?
Saturday night was like Friday in that I skipped the main attraction of the evening (the Tiptree auction), attended another panel on science-compatible religion, and then went to bed. What a wild life I lead.
On Sunday, I attended a few more panels throughout the day, including ethical non-mongamy in fiction, what makes a character come alive, and illness tropes. I particularly found the last one useful.I worked a couple more hours at the Broad Universe table and helped back up all the supplies at the end of the day. (Since I'm the Readings/Events Coordinator for Broad Universe, I will be sending the supplies to other conventions.) We did actually get back from dinner in time for the Guest of Honor speeches, but instead I helped set up the Broad Universe party and stayed there until 11:40 or so. That's about as much as a sleep-deprived person like me can manage.
Monday morning we met some college friends for breakfast, then checked out of the hotel. I finished up some last-minute Broad Universe business before attending the SignOut. I did have a few familiar faces to keep me company and help with the display.
I didn't sell a lot of paper books during the convention, but I did notice a slight upswing in eBook sales. I also put on my publisher's hat and approached a couple of the indie bookstore representatives in the dealer's room about stocking my titles. (I'm setting up my books on IngramSpark in addition to CreateSpace, and IngramSpark offers better terms for booksellers.) We'll see if anything comes from that. I did actually buy three paper books from the dealers, as that seemed only fair.This was also the first time Alex was old enough for kid's programming. He wasn't in it full-time, since he didn't want to do all of the activities. But the kid's track may make it possible for me to attend some of the local cons as well.
It was an intense weekend, but I got to see old friends and meet other people that I've only known online, visit my favorite city during the best part of the year, and immerse myself in books and SF for a while. I wish WisCon was longer, but it would be tough on my wallet.
Do you ever go to conventions? If so, which ones?
Monday, May 25, 2015
Children's Crusade
I'll have a full report on WisCon on Wednesday, in the meantime. to remember Memorial Day, here's Sting's "Children's Crusade":
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Science of the Week, 5/22/15
(This obviously wasn't supposed to be posted until Friday. I originally had it scheduled then, but the setting must have changed during editing. Apologies for that.)
Happy Memorial Day weekend to those of you who celebrate it! I'll be at WisCon in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend. I'll be reading from Scattered Seasons Saturday afternoon along with other members of Broad Universe in a rapid-fire reading, and I'll be participating in the Sign Out Monday morning. Along the way I'll help out at the Broad Universe table and party, see friends, and attend panels. There will be a more detailed report next week.
In the meantime, here are some of the most interest science news articles I read this week:
A proven approach to helping the ultra-poor
Translating thought to print with spider silk
How microbes acquire electricity in making methane
Personal microbiomes shown to contain unique "fingerprints"
Nano memory cell can mimic the brain's long-term memory
Photonic computing at the speed of light
Happy Memorial Day weekend to those of you who celebrate it! I'll be at WisCon in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend. I'll be reading from Scattered Seasons Saturday afternoon along with other members of Broad Universe in a rapid-fire reading, and I'll be participating in the Sign Out Monday morning. Along the way I'll help out at the Broad Universe table and party, see friends, and attend panels. There will be a more detailed report next week.
In the meantime, here are some of the most interest science news articles I read this week:
A proven approach to helping the ultra-poor
Translating thought to print with spider silk
How microbes acquire electricity in making methane
Personal microbiomes shown to contain unique "fingerprints"
Nano memory cell can mimic the brain's long-term memory
Photonic computing at the speed of light
Take Off Your Pants!
The title doesn't refer to clothing, but to a writing method of working without a plan, more commonly known as "pantsing," for writing by the seat of your pants. I tend to write like this myself, but this often means it takes several drafts for me to come up with a workable plot. That said, I've tried outlining before but haven't been very effective with it. Writing projects more quickly and with fewer drafts would allow me to increase my output (which is important for indie authors who want to earn a living) and take care of all the projects I have in mind but don't have the time for. So I thought I'd read Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker. She says in the beginning of this book she was able to write a complete book in three weeks with this method. I don't think I could manage that with a day job and a school-age son, but I'd like not to take months or even years either.
In my previous attempts at outlining, I always started at the beginning of the book and listed the main events of the plot in order. Hawker takes a different approach by first focusing on the emotional journey of the main character. According to her, the point of the story is the main character's personal growth as she learns to overcome a flaw. So, with Hawker's approach, you would first develop the main character, the weakness she must face, and the external goal that will force her to grow. From there, you would develop other characters, the theme, and a couple other aspects of the story. Finally, you would come up with the events of the story, using the Hero's Journey as a template. Another key part of plotting is pacing, and Hawker describes a technique to keep readers hooked.
There are a few things about Hawker's method that I didn't agree with. Some stories and genres don't seem to focus on character growth. For example, the detective in a mystery series, like Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple, doesn't develop much, if at all, over the story. This type of story focuses in ideas, not characters. Also, Hawker states that an antagonist typically wants the same goal as the protagonist, as if they're competing for a prize. I don't think that's always the case. Nonetheless, she's more experienced at outlining than I certainly am. Even though I'm already halfway through Chaos Season, I'm going to try this method to develop the second half of the novel and plan the parts in the first section that need changing. At the same time, I'll also work on outlines for the final two books in the series, Fifth Season and Summon the Seasons. This will be tricky, as a different Avatar is the main character of each book, yet some characters will continue to develop after "their" book is over. Good thing Hawker's method can be used for books with multiple main characters too.
For the writers out there, do you plot or pants? If you plot, what do you think of Hawker's method? Readers, do you feel character growth is always more important than action? Why or why not?
In my previous attempts at outlining, I always started at the beginning of the book and listed the main events of the plot in order. Hawker takes a different approach by first focusing on the emotional journey of the main character. According to her, the point of the story is the main character's personal growth as she learns to overcome a flaw. So, with Hawker's approach, you would first develop the main character, the weakness she must face, and the external goal that will force her to grow. From there, you would develop other characters, the theme, and a couple other aspects of the story. Finally, you would come up with the events of the story, using the Hero's Journey as a template. Another key part of plotting is pacing, and Hawker describes a technique to keep readers hooked.
There are a few things about Hawker's method that I didn't agree with. Some stories and genres don't seem to focus on character growth. For example, the detective in a mystery series, like Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple, doesn't develop much, if at all, over the story. This type of story focuses in ideas, not characters. Also, Hawker states that an antagonist typically wants the same goal as the protagonist, as if they're competing for a prize. I don't think that's always the case. Nonetheless, she's more experienced at outlining than I certainly am. Even though I'm already halfway through Chaos Season, I'm going to try this method to develop the second half of the novel and plan the parts in the first section that need changing. At the same time, I'll also work on outlines for the final two books in the series, Fifth Season and Summon the Seasons. This will be tricky, as a different Avatar is the main character of each book, yet some characters will continue to develop after "their" book is over. Good thing Hawker's method can be used for books with multiple main characters too.
For the writers out there, do you plot or pants? If you plot, what do you think of Hawker's method? Readers, do you feel character growth is always more important than action? Why or why not?
Monday, May 18, 2015
Three Stuffed Animals Visit the Field Museum
If you're friends with me on Facebook, you may already be familiar with Stan, Rex, and Oscar, three stuffed animals we bring with us on trips, photograph in unusual locations, and give funny lines. Oscar, the orca, is the oldest; we got him on our honeymoon when we started this tradition. Stan (the green T-rex) and Rex (the brachiosaurus) were adopted from the Field Museum for Alex. The three stuffed animals got to come with us to Members' Night at the Field Museum, and they had a blast (or should I say we had a blast with them.) Here are a few highlights:
Stan: "I am Stan, the God of carnivores! Hear me roar."
Rex: "Should we bow?"
Oscar: "Are you kidding? He's got a big enough head as it is!"
Stan: "What? How could it go on without us?"
Rex: "It probably wasn't as fun."
Oscar: "Yes, I am a prime example!"
Stan: "NOT funny!"
Rex: "Not funny at all!"
Stan: Murderers!
Rex: Wrong meteorites, Stan.
Stan: Recognize anyone?
Rex: Nope.
Stan "Hey! This wasn't on the agenda today!"
Oscar & Rex (laughter off screen)
Rex: "Should we bow?"
Oscar: "Are you kidding? He's got a big enough head as it is!"
Stan: "What? How could it go on without us?"
Rex: "It probably wasn't as fun."
Oscar: "Yes, I am a prime example!"
Stan: "NOT funny!"Rex: "Not funny at all!"
Stan: Murderers!Rex: Wrong meteorites, Stan.
Stan: Recognize anyone?
Rex: Nope.
Oscar & Rex (laughter off screen)
Friday, May 15, 2015
Science of the Week, 5/15/15
It's hard to believe it's already mid-May, isn't it?
Here are a few science news articles that caught my attention this week:
Partnership for finding particles
Chemistry student in sun harvest breakthrough?
Measles may weaken immune system up to three years
Familarity breeds empathy
Research paper with 2,683 authors expands knowledge of bacteriophages
Tapping the potential of undergraduate researchers
An important step in artificial intelligence
Male hormones help female lemurs rule
Rats will try to save members of their own species from drowning
Real astrology: birth month really does affect personality
(I wish they had more information about this so I could see how well my Season Avatars match up to this.)
More bees dying each year
Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday!
Here are a few science news articles that caught my attention this week:
Partnership for finding particles
Chemistry student in sun harvest breakthrough?
Measles may weaken immune system up to three years
Familarity breeds empathy
Research paper with 2,683 authors expands knowledge of bacteriophages
Tapping the potential of undergraduate researchers
An important step in artificial intelligence
Male hormones help female lemurs rule
Rats will try to save members of their own species from drowning
Real astrology: birth month really does affect personality
(I wish they had more information about this so I could see how well my Season Avatars match up to this.)
More bees dying each year
Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
SF Women A-Z Now Live!
If you missed any of my posts during the A-Z Blogathon, now's your chance to catch up. I've compiled and reorganized my posts, added more authors, and formatted and re-formatted everything in triplicate. I had to do three separate versions--an eBook with a full set of links (including Amazon), an eBook without the Amazon links, and a paper copy without links. Trying to keep the text consistent among all of those versions was a big pain, and iBooks kept rejecting my book no matter how many links I removed. But all three versions are now live! Here are the links:Amazon (US)
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Scribd
Inktera
Createspace
I just published it to Google last night, so I'll update when I have the link for that too.
I had to set the eBook price to $0.99 on Amazon, but everywhere else it's free. Please feel free to report the lower price. I figure the book will gain more visibility that way. Also, please keep your fingers crossed that I get the paper copies in time for WisCon next week. They should arrive the day before I leave.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Showcase: The Stone of the Tenth Realm
The Stone of the Tenth Realm
The
Realms Trilogy, #1
Author:
Eva Gordon
Release
Date: April 15, 2015
Publisher: Eva Gordon
Link to publisher's page: http://www.ravenauthor.com
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count in Print: 523
Publisher: Eva Gordon
Link to publisher's page: http://www.ravenauthor.com
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count in Print: 523
ISBN:
9781513016856
Snippet: Epic Fantasy. The Stone of the Tenth Realm, the
story of a young woman who escapes a Nazi concentration camp and stumbles into
a parallel world.
Book Synopsis:
Sophie Katz, a Jewish chemistry
student, harrowingly escapes a Nazi concentration camp. By way of Prague and
with the help of a golem and a magic stone, she is transported into the Tenth
Realm, a magical dimension that parallels the world she left behind.
Logan MacLeod, a Scottish warrior,
hunted for a crime he did not mean to commit, flees to the Bestiary, a forest
so dangerous no man dares enter. Drawn by the haunting sound of his bagpipes,
Sophie and Logan meet.
Even as love ensues, the dark evil
of the Third Reich threatens the Tenth Realm, led by Gustaf Hissler, Adolph
Hitler’s doppelganger.
Together they must join the forces
against Hissler in the Tenth Realm and help stop Hitler from world domination
in Sophie’s realm. Will they be able to stop the Third Reich before its evil
conquers all of the realms?
Buy
Links:
About
the Author
Eva has a BS in Zoology and graduate studies in Biology. When not in her den writing, she can be found teaching animal lore at writing conventions, at work at the raptor rehabilitation center, wolf sanctuaries, or to satisfy her inner Hemingway on some global eco adventure.
Follow Eva Gordon: