SF Women A-Z: The Awesome Asaro

Welcome to the 2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge! Whether you're a veteran A-Z blogger or a newbie, this is one of the biggest blogging events of the year.

Lack of visibility continues to be a problem for SF/fantasy women authors. This month, I'll be introducing you to over 60 women SF/Fantasy authors. Many are well-known and have earned lots of accolades; others are up-and-coming. They're traditionally published, indie published, and hybrid. They come from all walks of life, and they write everything from hard science fiction to urban fantasy. I've read at least one book by most of these women, but some of them are new to me too. Hopefully by the time this month is over, you'll have discovered at least one new-to-you author. So, let's get started.

Name: Catherine Asaro

Asaro is an award-winning author of everything from hard science fiction to romantic fantasy. She's a dancer with a doctorate in chemical physics (so she writes scientific papers too), not to mention a past SFWA president and editor. How much more awesome can one woman get? Learn more about her and her works on Wikipedia.

Social Links: Website

Find her books on Amazon.

My personal thoughts:I'm most familiar with Asaro's romantic fantasy Lost Continent series. Above is a picture of the books of hers that I own. (I will be using mostly pictures of my own paper books or eBook covers during this challenge. If I personally know the author or have interviewed them in the past, I'll use pictures I have from them as well.) I'm particular about romance (which is part of the reason I prefer it as a side plot and not the main focus of a book), but I did enjoy the relationships in this series. I haven't tackled the Skolian Empire series yet, but the reader's guide on Wikipedia will be a big help whenever I have a chance to start that series.

Do you know of any more "A" SF/Fantasy women authors? If so, please tell us about them in the comments.

IWSG: Inspiration or Perspiration?

Agatha Christie said about her career, "There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you're writing, and aren't writing particularly well."

One of the things that first attracted me to writing was reaching the flow state, where you know the material so well, where high demand meets high skill, that your words flow effortlessly. Most of my writing sessions, however, are not like that. I get distracted, I have to figure out what come next in the scene and if the scene is leading me toward the climax, and I tend to edit as I write. But eventually, if I keep writing, I move closer to the flow state.

Don't be afraid of the perspiration. It might lead you to the inspiration.

Scattered Seasons Thunderclap Campaign

The Thunderclap campaign for Scattered Seasons I mentioned yesterday has been approved. If you're not familiar with Thunderclap, it's a type of promotion in which you ask a specified number of supporters to donate a tweet or Facebook status to help you spread the word about your event. It's similar to Kickstarter in that you must reach your goal (or number of supporters) for the campaign to launch. Anyway, here's the beautiful banner Maria Zannini at Book Cover Diva designed for Scattered Seasons:

And here's the link to the Thunderclap itself: http://thndr.it/1F9wXxO

I'd appreciate your support. If you have a Thunderclap campaign of your own, please share the link in the comments so I can return the favor. 

Reading and Writing Updates

The A-Z Blogging Challenge starts on Wednesday! I'll have to sneak in a few posts about Scattered Seasons during April, but for now I can report that I'm just waiting for the paper cover before I order the proof. You can pre-order the eBook on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. I have most of the promo ads lined up and am also going to start a Thunderclap campaign to announce the release. More details will be coming out when that's launched.

In the meantime, I'm continuing to work on the first draft of Chaos Season, Book Three in the Season Avatars series. I'm also planning to prepare a mini story collection featuring the four Season Avatars before the events in Scattered Seasons. This would be a permafreebie to introduce the series to readers (in addition to Seasons' Beginnings, of course.) Two stories are already written, so I'm working on the other two. After I get one of these projects finished, I'll have more time to work on the next story in the Catalyst Chronicles series, which will feature a minor character from Twinned Universes and be a bridge between that book and Book Three, Catalyst in the Crucible. Short stories are harder for me in some ways than novels, but I would like to get more written so I can put them in a collection and prepare a print edition.

Do you remember the reading challenge issued back in February to stop reading books by a certain type of author for (straight white males) a year? I've been mulling it over and decided I would find that challenge frustrating, even if I shortened it to a month. (I could read twelve books in a month, which would be equivalent to reading one book a month for a year.) I read for entertainment and education, and I generally don't research an author before deciding to read a book. I also don't like being forced to read only a certain type of author, as that would give me reason to resent their work. I already read a lot of women authors, though I don't exclude men either. What I think is more sustainable in the long run is to be more open to reading authors whose background differs from mine in some significant way, such as racial, ethnic, nationality, or class. I could try to read at least one book a month from an author that fits that description while continuing my normal reading. I've already done one for March; now I have to pick one for April.

So, how are your projects going? Feel free to share in the comments.

Science of the Week, 3/27/15

This will be the last Science of the Week post until May, as the A-Z Blogging Challenge starts next week and I need to spend extra time visiting other blogs. I have to admit that when I don't prepare this feature, I miss reading the articles. Hopefully you enjoy reading them too.

Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Brain tumor cells decimated by mitochondrial "smart bomb"

Quantum experiment verifies Einstein's "spooky action at a distance"

Our solar system may have once harbored super-Earths

Landmark study proves that magnets can control heat and sound

Real "skinny water"? Special microbes make anti-obesity molecule in the gut

Large Hadron Collider scientists hope to make contact with parallel universe

Scientists recover T. rex soft tissue
(This is an older article, but it's still pretty incredible.)

Thousands of atoms entangled with a single photon

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday.

Scattered Seasons Cover Reveal and Pre-Order Available!

Yesterday, I received the final front cover of Scattered Seasons from Maria Zannini of Book Cover Diva. Ready to feast your eyes on it?

 Here's the description:

Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil is an Ava Spring, born to heal others and lead the Season Avatars of her generation. Season Avatars with divine magic must work in groups of four to save the country of Challen from Chaos Season, times when all of the seasons appear at once. When the current Ava Spring dies in a riding accident, Gwen must find the other three Season Avatars she will link with.  But two of them are missing, and with Gwen's own magic crippled by a cursed pottery shard, she will have to use all of her skills to find the Avatars scattered across the country of Challen. During her journey, she meets a stranger who claims to know the shard's origin. Is he truly an ally of the Season Avatars, or is he trying to stop them from uniting?

I have officially made this available as a pre-order on Amazon and on other channels through Draft2Digital. (Links will be posted here and on my website as soon as they are available.) Scattered Seasons will go live on April 28, 2015. (I figure it will be my birthday gift to the world.) From now through May 6, 2015, you can buy it for $0.99. After that, the price goes up to $2.99.

eBook Prices

Last week, a book from one of the authors I follow on Goodreads came out. The announcement said the eBook was available for a “special introductory price,” so I checked it out on Amazon. Do you think the price was 99 cents? $4.99? No, it was $9.99. I closed the tab without even downloading the sample and headed over to my library’s website to put the book on hold.

Everyone has different price ranges they’re comfortable with. For me, I have no problem with prices of $4.99 and below for fiction and nonfiction, though I generally read the sample first before deciding to buy. (I may buy the book outright if it’s a nonfiction book on sale or if I’m familiar with the author’s work.) If I’d read the author before and consider myself a fan, I’m willing to go a little higher, maybe up to $7.99. 

Any price that’s higher than a paperback for a novel, however, is more than I’m willing to pay. At the speed I read (more than 200 books a year), I can’t afford to read $9.99 eBooks. They’re not a good value for me, especially if I’m going to read the book once and remove it from my Kindle to conserve space. Even $7.99 may be daunting if the book is part of a long series and I would have to pay over $100 to read the entire series. At that point, I will borrow the book from the library if possible, look for cheap secondhand paperbacks if the book has been out for a while, or simply skip the book and quietly rejoice at being able to shrink my immense TBR list.

I’m willing to spend over $10 on non-fiction eBooks, particularly if I think it will be useful for writing. Since non-fiction is only about 20-25% of my reading, and not all my non-fiction costs that much, I can manage the occasional splurge. 

If you read eBooks, what price ranges are you comfortable with? Does the subject matter or familiarity matter?

Science of the Week, 3/20/15

Happy Spring Equinox! In the world of my fantasy Season Avatars series, each Season Avatar is born on the equinox or solstice of his/her season. Today, therefore, would be the birthday of my character Gwendolyn lo Havil, the Spring Avatar and protagonist of my forthcoming Scattered Seasons. I wish I could time each book to come out in the appropriate season, but that might mean holding them back for longer.

Anyway, here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Almost 150 of our genes may come from microbes
(bacteria, viruses, and other organisms can transfer genes directly to humans--and the process is still ongoing)

Oncologists reveal reasons for high cost of cancer drugs in the US

Scientists discover gecko's cleanliness secret (They have special small, hair-like spines that cause water drops to collect and roll off the gecko's body. This technique could be applied by humans to protect electronics.)

Nearly 70 percent of evangelicals do not view religion, science as being in conflict

Cyborg beetle research allows free-flight study of insects

Moral decisions can be manipulated by tracking eye gaze

Scientists discover how to change cancer cells into harmless immune cells

Iron rain fell on early Earth

Have a good weekend, everyone, and see you on Monday!

Facts for Fiction: The Copernicus Complex

Yesterday I finished reading The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities. Long ago, people used to think the Earth was the center of the universe until Copernicus showed the Earth revolved around the sun. These days, it seems obvious that we're just a Johnny-come-lately species stuck on an infinitesimal rock going around an average star in an average solar system...or are we?

This book attempts to help humanity figure out its place in the universe by looking at everything from the formation of solar systems to the beginning of life.  Among other things I learned from this book is that our solar system is unusual compared to others that have been found around other stars, the inner planets of our solar system may not have stable orbits (Mercury could crash into the sun, or Venus into us), and megaviruses may have devolved from other life forms. Altogether, the evidence suggests that we do occupy a special niche in the universe, but our ultimate significance to the universe depends on how much we explore the universe, even if we have to do it by machine instead of in person.

Although this was an interesting book to read, it's not a research book full of information I can use in my own stories. It is useful to step back every now and then to look at the big picture--and you can't get a much bigger picture than this.

Do we dare disturb the universe? Feel free to comment below.

Project Updates

I'm back from my much-needed blogging break. I did miss blogging, especially reading science articles for my Science of the Week posts, but I did need the time to catch up on various things. Here's a quick update:

A-Z: My posts are done, and I've created tinyURLs for all of them. Now I just have to prepare the daily tweets and brace myself for visiting a lot of blogs in April.

Scattered Seasons: I've heard back from four of my beta readers and revised according to three of their comments. The final one hasn't gotten back to me yet, so I should follow up with her soon. In the meantime, the cover is in progress, and I'll reveal it when it's ready. In the meantime, you can add it on Goodreads if you so choose.

Chaos Season: I've written about 26,000 words so far and estimate I'm about a third of the way through. Hopefully I haven't just jinxed myself to bog down in the middle. I'd like to get the first draft done by June, though April and May will be busy for me.

How are your projects going? Feel free to share in the comments.

Science of the Week: 2/27/15

And here we are at the end of another month already.

Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Reducing energy efficiency boosts calorie burning in muscle

Vision loss reversed in people with diabetic eye disease

Climate change driving brutal winter?

Higgs boson could explain matter's dominance over antimatter
(From what I understand, if the Higgs field was much stronger in the early universe and decreased over time, then it could have made the masses of matter and antimatter unequal [since today they are equal] and made the production of matter more likely)

Just like modern cities, ancient settlements became more productive as they grew

Can "three hots and a cot" stave off mental illness?
(Our inner clocks that govern when we eat and sleep are governed by neurotransmitters that also play a role in mental illness. A structured life may keep the neurotransmitters in balance.)

Ocean acidification threatens coastal communities across the U.S.

Long-acting HIV medicine in the works
(It can act as both a preventative and a treatment)

Two-father babies could soon be possible with no egg donor
(Gene manipulation could transform a man's germ cells into oocytes, which could then be fertilized by his partner's sperm. However, what's not discussed in the article is epigenetics, the different tagging of the genes in men and women. Scientists might have to alter the molecular tagging of the genes so they're regulated properly.)

U.S. Defense Dept: Come get wierd with us

Worldwide, the nitrogen cycle is off (and it's affecting the ability of legumes to fix nitrogen in the soil)


Antifreeze protein from ticks fights frostbite in mice (Warm-blooded animals don't make antifreeze proteins, but the proteins still do their job when introduced to mammalian tissue. I think we're all going to need antifreeze protein to make it through the rest of this winter!)


That's all for now. I'm going to take a blogging break for the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of things to catch up on for Broad Universe (I'm the Readings/Events Coordinator for BU), I need to preschedule more A-Z posts, I need to finish editing Scattered Seasons and get it ready for publication, and I'm still trying to draft the next book in the series, Chaos Season. Something's got to give before I do. Don't worry; I'll be back before A-Z kicks off. Take care, and talk to you later!

Broad Universe Facebook Party Tonight!

Tonight, Broad Universe is hosting its first Facebook party! It runs 6-10 EST, and a different author will be featured every half hour. Here's the complete schedule:

6 - 6:30 pm EST: Terri Bruce
6:30-7 pm EST: Carole Ann Moleti
7 - 7:30 pm EST: Lisa Hawridge
7:30 - 8 pm EST: Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
8 - 8:30 pm EST: Vonnie Winslow Crist
8:30 - 9 pm EST: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
9 - 9:30 pm EST: Chrysoula Tzavelas
9:30 - 10 pm EST: LJ Cohen

Yes, that list includes me. This will be my first Facebook party, so I'd appreciate it if you could attend. If you can't make my time, please stop in at any time during the event to support the authors. It should be fun, and there will be giveaways. I plan to give away at least one eBook and may make it the winner's choice of Twinned Universes, Seasons' Beginnings, or even an ARC of Scattered Seasons. You can join the party at this link.

Blog Ring of Power--Rebecca P. McCray

Believe it or not, we have another Blog Ring of Power interview. I'm hosting the final part (Words of Wisdom); please see Teresa's and Emily's blogs for the other sections.

Tell us about your route to success – how/when did you decide to self-publish? Did you query an agent first? How did you handle the editing, proofreading, cover design, etc.

I decided to self-publish without querying an agent for a variety of reasons. However, I wanted to create a well-crafted, well-presented novel. So, I hired two editors: one more developmental (focusing on structure, point of view) and one that focused on word usage, flow, proofreading, etc. I also had several strong beta readers focusing on consistency and overall grammar. The cover I discussed above, but needless to say that I hired support there, as well.

What are the most important elements of good writing?

There are the obvious points like good grammar and word usage as these can derail a reader’s experience. The less obvious, but equally important, elements are structure, timing, character development, etc. But in the end, I think what’s most important is that the characters have to be “real.” Readers need to be able to connect with the characters and experience the story through them.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I’ve been an avid reader for a long time. But, I’ve found reading other Indie authors books and providing them with informal feedback has been really helpful for my writing. It’s encouraged me to think differently when I read and is making me a stronger writer.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you for your interest in my story. Please feel free to connect with me through various social media channels. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts about the story, which characters you love or hate and why — oddly, I’ve yet to find anyone who favors one of my favorite characters. As well, if you’re an artist and happen to draw any of characters, I’d love to see it.

What are your current / future project(s)?

As noted above, I’m currently working on book two, The List. Depending on how things progress with the series, I may also write earlier stories about the various species and what drove them from their planets.


Rebecca P. McCray's debut novel, The Journey of the Marked, tells the beginning of the epic Miyran Heir story. Currently, she resides in the western US, but has lived in various locations across the US and UK. Her interest in cultural anthropology contributed to the myriad of species and backgrounds incorporated into her new world.


Blog: http://www.rebeccamccray.com/blog/
Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/MiyranHeir
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7363251.Rebecca_P_McCray
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/rebpai
Amazon Author Page: http://www


On a distant planet, Eros thrives in the Human settlement he calls home. Raised to follow his grandfather’s noble footsteps, he studies the details of each species that co-exists here.

But when his sixteenth birthday arrives and he’s called to fight, his life changes forever. Forced to abandon his home and relentlessly pursued by savage hunters, he joins forces with others, including a scrappy, street fighter named Kenrya, who loathes the planet’s self-appointed rulers.

As Eros faces perils that test his training and push the limits of his resolve, he and Kenrya must put aside their differences and learn to work together to survive. Discover this epic, dystopian adventure where an individual’s unique abilities can change the course of the future.

Buy/Book Links:

Amazon
BarnesandNoble 



.amazon.com/Rebecca-P.-McCray/e/B00FYH227I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Science of the Week: 2/20/15

Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

NASA says "Megadrought" likely for western U.S. by end of century

Review article provides evidence on the biological nature of gender identity 
(There does seem to be a biological basis for which gender one identifies with, but scientist are still unsure of the exact mechanism)

More infectious diseases emerging because of climate change
 (Parasites can jump from one host to another more quickly than expected. We probably will experience localized outbreaks of diseases instead of a global pandemic.)

Mothers can pass traits to offspring through bacteria's DNA
(The bacteria in your system can affect your weight and behavior.)

Can a virus from Jerusalem sewage prevent root canal infections?
 (using viruses to target bacterial infections)

Climate change driving brutal weather?

Quantum equations suggest Big Bang never happened

Map of second genetic code, the "epigenome," is unveiled

Schrodinger's cat gets a reality check
(quantum mechanics is still weird)

Fearless birds and shrinking salmon: Is urbanization pushing Earth's evolution to a tipping point?


Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

Line Edits: Eight Ways to Reduce Your "Buts"

I had Monday off, so even though my son was home too, I managed to finish the first set of revisions of Scattered Seasons. (It's with beta readers at the moment. I already heard back from two of them, and I should get the rest of the comments by next month.) Most of the revisions were minor, but I had to remove a lot of "buts," not just from the middle of sentences, but also when I used it as the first word. The reason I wound up removing "buts" is because there were places where I used three or four of them close together, and it distracted my beta reader. All before and after comparisons listed below are from Scattered Seasons.

Most of the time, "but" is used to join two independent clauses into one compound sentence. In those instances, there are three obvious ways to eliminate the "but":

1. Split the compound sentence into two simple sentences.


(Before) “The Hall of Records in Wistica sends us information about future Avatars when they're born, but we’ll have to search through her office for the records.”   


(After) “The Hall of Records in Wistica sends us information about future Avatars when they're born. We’ll have to search through her office for the records.” 

2. Replace the "but" with a semicolon. (This may change the relationship of the sentences. Some people feel that semicolons don't belong in fiction; I say they can work if handled properly.)

(Before) She must have done it in other lives, but would she be able to do it in this one?

(After) She must have done it in other lives; would she be able to do it in this one?

 3. Replace the "but" with a semicolon and a "however," with a comma after "however." (This approach keeps the meaning intact but still bothers the semicolonphobes. I'm sure I had an example of this; however, it would take too long to find it again.)

If you're willing to rewrite your sentences, you can come up with some other ways to remove the "but."

4. Rewrite one of the independent clauses. (In the example below, I moved a phrase from the second sentence to the first. I had some other examples where I made the second clause dependent on the first.)


(Before) Aunt Gabri joined them as well. Her color was too pale, but she watched Kron as if she shared Gwen’s suspicions.


(After) Aunt Gabri joined them despite her pale complexion. She watched Kron as if she shared Gwen’s suspicions.

5. Change the "but" to an em dash. This may require a rewrite.


(Before) She wished she could study the pot close-up, but she wasn’t sure if it was safe to do so. 

(After) She wished she could study the pot close-up—if it was safe to do so.

Finally, you can remove the word (6) (if it's at the beginning of the sentence), one of the independent clauses (7), or the entire sentence (8). Here's an example of number 7:

(before) I understand, dear, but you keep driving and driving yourself without a break. 

(After) You keep driving and driving yourself without a break.  

I wound up removing between a third and a half of the marked "buts." Of course, I'm still sensitive to the word and keep finding more instances that no longer feel appropriate in context.

Are there any particular words that bother you when they're used too much?