Science of the Week, 6/21/13

Happy summer solstice, everyone!

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

Herbal extract boost fruit fly lifespan by nearly 25 percent (and does so by a novel mechanism)

Which qubit my dear? New method to distinguish between neighboring quantum bits

Aspirin may fight cancer by slowing DNA damage

People attribute minds to robots, corpses that are targets of harm (interesting considering that otherwise the robots and corpses might fall into the Uncanny Valley)

Printing artificial bone

Artificial sweetener a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease

Blocking overactive receptor in Alzheimer's recovers memory loss and more

A robot that runs like a cat

Researchers develop easy and effective therapy to restore sight

Promising test for spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis

Cheap, color, holographic video

Global food production won't meet 2050 needs

Future traffic challenges of flying cars (at last!)

Scientists find new tool to measure sugar consumption

Making memories: practical quantum computing moves closer to reality

Since I already have so many articles, I think I'll hold off on discussing the July issue of Scientific American. However, have you ever wanted to see an atom? Here's the world's smallest movie, featuring atoms:



Enjoy your weekend, and I'll see you Monday!

Back on the Blog Chain--So, You're an Artist

Amparo has a challenging question for us this round:

Confession: I can't draw to save my life. *sigh* If you had some seriously epic drawing skills (or if you already have them) which published book would you have loved to illustrate? Why does that book--and its characters/premise--strike you as something you'd love to work on as an artist? 

Like Amparo, my drawing skills are pretty poor. But if I could draw and illustrate books, I might choose to illustrate Brood of Bones by A. E. Marling. The heroine of the book is an narcoleptic enchantress named Hiresha. She wears twenty dresses--each one an award for an achievement--all at the same time. In this book, the first of a series, she investigates why all the women in her home city are pregnant, no matter how old they are. I'm drawn (no pun intended) to the image of Hiresha in all of her dresses. I think it would be a challenge to show her moving around in them, and it would be fun to create each dress in a different color in style. If you're looking for a fun fantasy read in an unusual setting, I recommend this book.

To see what books other writers-turned-artists would illustrate, start with Kate's post before mine and Christine's post tomorrow.

Blog Ring of Power: Rhys Jones/DC Farmer

Today on the Blog Ring of Power I have Rhys Jones/DC Farmer, one of the members of the Scene 13 group blog. We're currently discussing his writing life. For other parts of his interview, please check the links below:

Part One (About You)--Emily
Part Three (The Creative Process) 6/18/13--Dean
Part Four (About Your Current Work) 6/19/13--Terri
Part Five (Words of Wisdom) 6/20/13--Theresa

--

What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Do you use pen and paper or computer? Work at home or at the library/Starbucks, etc.

I work in a hospital every day, so my writing is done at home. I’m lucky enough to have a home office (a shed) where I can escape  and crawl inside my own head. A place where no one else is allowed or would want to go to--my head, not the shed.  I write first drafts as a vomited scribble with old fashioned pen and paper. The transfer onto the computer is often done by voice recogntiion software. Once there the actual fun begins.

How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?  

My kids are all grown up and I have a very understanding wife.

When do you write?

Mainly in the mornings. I’m an early bird, generally up by 5.30 or six. This means I can do an hour or more before going to work.

How much time per day do you spend on your writing?

 As many as I can. two to three on normal (doctoring) days. eight to ten on weekends.

What is the strongest criticism you’ve ever received as an author?

 Stick to the day job.

Other than your family, what has been your greatest source of support?

My editors.

How do you deal with rejection and/or negative reviews?

I still face rejection now and again. (I’m sort of still looking for an agent).  But I know it’s purely professional. A business decision. Nothing personal ( who am I kidding, I have all their names in a little black book). One day— mwahahaha. Negative reviews I try not to read. Too energy sapping. Walk away, do not respond.


Website www.dcfarmer.com
Email  hipposyncenterprises@gmail.com
Twitter  @hipposync.

Science of the Week, 6/14/13

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

How do you feed 9 billion people?

Study shows how young genes become essential for life

Big multiple sclerosis breakthrough?

How similar are the gestures of apes and humans? More than you might suspect.

Spintronics approach enables new quantum technologies

 Whispering light hears liquids talk

Weapons testing data determines brain makes new neurons into adulthood

"Lizard King" fossil shows giant reptiles coexisted with mammals during globally warm past (and yes, they named the fossil for Jim Morrison)

Surgeons implant bioengineered vein

Self-cleaning pollution-control technology could do more harm than good

NAP: A peptide to protect brain function (I bet a real nap would help my brain function too)

Research shows male guppies reproduce even after death

Discovery of new material state counterintuitive to the laws of physics

Questions rise about seeding for ocean CO2 sequestration


And from Scientific American, an article that suggests we might be living in a multiverse after all.


Enjoy your weekend, and Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there. I have a post going up tomorrow at Scene 13 about transitions. If you're online, I hope you take a look at it. Otherwise, I'll see you on Monday.

The Indie Life: Stuck in Kobo Limbo

I self-published Twinned Universes in March of this year. Since I want to make my work available in as many formats as possible, I prepared a paper version as well as an eBook (and an audio version will be available very soon; I'm currently in the final review stage). I also distribute the eBook to all the major sellers, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords for the other retailers. Unfortunately, Twinned Universes isn't available on Kobo, which is a shame, since this is the first book I've tried to directly publish through them instead of through Smashwords.

I'm not sure why Twinned Universes is stuck in the publishing process at Kobo. I didn't encounter any issues when I went through the various publishing steps on Kobo Writing Life in March. (I reviewed everything last night, and everything is checked off.) It's possible there may have been some conflict between Kobo and Smashwords. (I may have had Smashwords at one point set to distribute the book to Kobo at the same time as it was supposed to be published on Kobo's website. I think I even played with the settings a couple of times to see if it made a difference. However, currently I am opted out of using Smashwords to distribute to Kobo.)

I've been so busy with many other things that I haven't had the chance to seek support from Kobo until last month. Their response (sent on 5/22) was essentially to make sure Smashwords wasn't distributing the book to Kobo and then publish the book through Kobo. This didn't fix the problem, but they sent me an e-mail on 6/2 telling me since they hadn't heard back from me, they changed the status of my troubleshooting ticket to "pending solved." I wrote back to them telling them I'd gone through the procedure they'd suggested, but it didn't work. From what I can tell, there's no way for me to remove the book from their system. I therefore asked Kobo to delete my account so I could push the book through Smashwords. They then told me they could forward the book to their publishing team so they could take care of the problem; otherwise if I confirmed my e-mail address, they could delete my account.

I thought about it for a while, then decided to give them one more chance and asked them to publish my book. I sent my response on 6/4 but got no response. I had to double-check my account settings before realizing it could be due to me sending the e-mail from a different address than the one they had on file for me. Accordingly, I updated my e-mail address and contacted them again. I even told them I was going to blog about this problem on Wednesday and hoped we could report it resolved. This time I received an apology and a reassurance that the Kobo team was working on the problem and my book would be available soon. As of Tuesday evening, Twinned Universes is still stuck in Kobo Limbo.

I think if there's no change by next Monday, it'll be time to pull the account with Kobo. Honestly, even if Kobo does get my book published before then, I'll be very reluctant to publish directly through them in the future. I hate to do it, but it may be simplest to just use Kobo as a retailer, not a publisher. If the problem really is due to a conflict with Smashwords (remember, this is just a hypothesis; it's not proven yet), then the systems need a way to identify this issue for the authors and to check when the conflict has been removed. In the meantime, I apologize to any Kobo users who would like to read my book; I'll have to refer you to Smashwords to sideload the correct format.

Have any of you Indies had similar experiences with Kobo or other publishers? If so, were you able to have the problem resolved? What has your experience been with Kobo?

Blog Ring of Power--Heidi Vlach

Today as part of the Blog Ring of Power I have Heidi Vlach. This is Part 4, About Your Current Work. You can find the other parts here:

Part 1: Terri
Part 2: Theresa
Part 3: Emily

Part 5 will appear on Dean's blog tomorrow (6/11/13)

Tell us about your new book and when it is out? Where can people purchase it?


Render, the latest Story of Aligare, just came out May 7th. It's the story of Rue, a young woman of the insect-like aemet race. She's coming of age in an isolated mountain community, trying to find a practical use for her family trade, tinctoring (using dye to pH test the soil). Life is already meagre in her village — and then fellow aemets start turning up dead, attacked by wolves that don't seem to have any regard for the natural order. Keeping quiet so she doesn't alarm her superstitious fellow aemets, Rue promises herself that she'll solve this village's problems. But she'll need help from the two other peoplekind species. Especially Felixi, a game hunter of the dragon-like korvi race — and a fellow who knows more about the wolf attacks than he's willing to share. 

Is there anything new, unusual, or interesting about your book? How is it different from other books on the same subject?

Non-human/anthropomorphic characters aren't rare in fantasy, but I haven't found any other authors who treat them quite the way I do. I try for a perspective similar to science fiction. We don't question why aliens are aliens. They just exist and they're different from us, and hey, maybe we can learn from that. I take the social attitudes of optimistic, utopian sci-fi, and I blend that with the rustic villages and elemental magics that are familiar to fantasy.


What was the hardest part of writing this book?

I fiddled with the chronology a lot. Which meant that I kept having to rejigger the characters' reactions each time events came in a different order.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

I enjoyed writing scenes with Denelend, one of the ferrin people (intelligent weasels). Denelend started out as a throwaway character in one scene. He barely had a name and he only existed to demonstrate a particular use for magic. But I found more and more places to use the mild-mannered little guy, and he became a solid plot character, and he even got to take heroic action. Every time he worked his way into another scene, I was kind of rooting for him!

Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?

I learned that publishing deadlines are awful and I should never give myself a deadline again! There was some panic in late April. I always say that editing a novel is like renovating a house: everything that seems like a quick two-day fix ends up being an extensive tear-out-and-rebuild.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this book?

I think I'd just have more faith in it. All the rearranging and characterization-tweaking made me feel like this project was a hopeless mess. But I like how it all worked out, so on some level, I apparently knew what I was doing.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Render is about characters defining themselves, questioning their society, pushing their own abilities and surviving challenges. I'm not sure I want to push one overall message. I just hope that readers see something positive that they find personally meaningful.

Tell us about your book’s cover – where did the design come from and what was the design process like?

The artwork is by Melanie Herring (a.k.a. PurpleKecleon). She also drew up the cover for Remedy and Render, and the subject matter is stuff she likes to draw anyway, so she doesn't need a lot of direction from me. I describe the scene I want and its colour scheme, and she basically comes back to me with gorgeous art!
As for the designs I have in mind? It took some thought to come up with a cover for my first book, Remedy. Literal artwork of the characters wouldn't work for my Stories of Aligare — because marketing has us trained to associate "animal people" with cute little children's stories. So the Stories of Aligare have more symbolic covers. The new book Render has a magical gemstone — a piece of golden beryl charged with firecasting magic  — that looks like it's been dropped and forgotten in some isolated forest area. I wanted a sense of the strength and wonder we can find in unexpected places.

Heidi is a Canadian chef graduate who didn't care much for the high-stress kitchen life. Her knowledge of food and culture is now used for home cooking, being an overqualified waitress and fantasy world-building. Heidi currently shares an apartment with her (male) best friend, two cats and far too many video games.

Please let us know where your readers can stalk you:
Website/blog: www.heidicvlach.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHeidiCVlach
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4687089.Heidi_C_Vlach
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hcvlach
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heidi-C.-Vlach/e/B004QJ8KS0
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/heidicvlach
Tumblr: http://heidicvlach.tumblr.com/
What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?
My books are available in ebook and print-on-demand paperback. All the buying options are listed on the Books section of my blog: http://heidicvlach.wordpress.com/books/

Science of the Week: 6/7/13

Here are some of the most interesting articles I read on Science Blog this week:

IU researchers focus on a brain protein and an antibiotic to block cocaine craving

Lightest exoplanet imaged so far?

Molecular switch for cheaper biofuel (since I work with enzymes, it's always interesting to find more applications for them)

New technology modifies music hall acoustics on demand

New way fish camouflage themselves in the ocean

Life on Earth shockingly comes from out of this world

Researchers control flying robot only with the mind

Firefighting robot paints 3D thermal imaging picture for rescuers

Behold the 9-day fresh strawberry: new approach to slowing rot doubles shelf life

 Synthetic compound effective in anti-obesity study

Team solves one of the moon's mysteries

Super-dense star is first ever found suddenly slowing its spin

That's it for the week. Tonight my husband and I get to go to a Sting concert. Do any of you have plans for the weekend? Whether or not you do, enjoy it, and I'll see you Monday.

Thief by Sarah-Jane Lehoux--Excerpt and eBook Giveaway!

Recently, Sarah-Jane Lehoux stopped by for a Blog Ring of Power interview. She's back with us today to share an excerpt from the first book in The Sevy Series, Thief:

Did they notice the change in him? He doubted it. For people always lamenting their fate to muck through life as the dregs of society, they never made much effort to improve their situation. And they never looked kindly on those who did. They probably couldn’t even begin to fathom why he would want to leave this type of existence. Here it was, another pointless night of fighting and drinking followed by the familiar malaise of a hangover then back to business robbing honest people of their hard earned coins. They sickened him. He sickened himself for ever being a part of it.
“Jarro! Here, have a glass,” someone cheered as they shoved a mug of ale into his hand.
Alcohol wouldn’t improve his mood. He had been in a funk for weeks now and a little drink wasn’t going to change that. Time was ticking by far too slowly. He just wished that… No, he couldn’t wish that. Turlan was worth the aggravation. Jarro went to him now, to his chair by the front door where he was snoozing.
“Hey, Turlan. How are you feeling tonight?”
“I’d be feeling a might bit better if you’d pass me that ale.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
Turlan chortled. “At my age, nothing’s wise.”
Jarro conceded and handed him the mug. Absorbed in his drink, Turlan didn’t provide much in the way of conversation so Jarro had to settle for watching the others dance and play. A crowd had gathered around Bolozi, egging him on as he attempted to down an entire keg. He passed out half way through and flopped onto the middle of the table with a phlegm-filled snort. Jarro sneered and contemplated having a bit of sport with a razor and Bolozi’s fat head. Sevy’s influence, no doubt.
The thought of her coaxed a smile from him. She could probably think of dozens of wicked tricks they could play on Bolozi. Jarro looked around for her before spotting her with Revik. They were dancing. Well, in a manner of speaking. Revik was spinning her and she stumbled to stay upright, winded by laughter. Jarro frowned at the twinge of possessiveness that crept up his spine. He shook it off and turned back to Turlan.
“How about a game of cards?”
“Sure! I’d never pass up a chance to get yer money.”
Jarro moved over to the table and shoved Bolozi to the floor. He hit the ground with a thump and kept on snoring. Jarro could barely resist the urge to give him a good, swift kick. Turlan sat down and pulled out a deck of cards. A few men joined in, and a lively game was soon underway. For a while, it was almost like old times.
An hour later, Jarro was down eighteen silver pieces, having lost the last three hands in a row. “Guess it’s not my lucky night, eh Turlan?”
There was no answer. Turlan, though he was still clinging to his cards, had fallen asleep. Gently, Jarro picked him up and carried him to his room. It wasn’t the least bit difficult. Turlan weighed next to nothing. Jarro cringed at the crunching he felt in Turlan’s joints as he tucked him into bed. There was so little left of him now. “Goodnight, old friend,” he whispered.
On his way back to the game, he happened to glance over to a corner where Revik and Sevy sat, chatting with one another. The muscles in Jarro’s neck tensed. He rubbed them to relax again and resumed the game.
Minutes passed. He couldn’t resist looking over his shoulder to sneak a peek at them. Sevy was playing with Revik’s hair, making tiny braids in the long white strands while she whispered into his ear. Revik looked up and caught Jarro’s eye before saying something that made Sevy laugh.
“Hey, Jarro? You in or what?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m in.”
He tried to focus on the game, but was completely distracted. What were they talking about? He turned to look at them again. Sevy leaned into Revik, her hand on his chest in a very intimate manner. Then Revik draped an arm around her and she rested her head against him. His lips brushed against her temple, which made her laugh again.
Jarro tossed his cards aside. Ignoring everyone he passed, he stormed out into the courtyard, pushing over some wooden crates as he went. His blood pounded. His chest puffed out with each breath.
He drew his sword. The practice dummy, innocently swaying back and forth in the breeze, became his unsuspecting opponent. He slashed it, splitting it open so that its straw entrails spilled over the ground, but Jarro found that wasn’t good enough so he set about hacking it to shreds. Once it was completely obliterated, he took a few swipes at the pole it had been attached to. It was immature, but it did make him feel better. The rage was gone. Now he was left with a subtle, seething resentment that sat like a rock in his gut. Kicking through the remains of his inanimate foe, he puzzled over his anger.
He looked suspiciously at the open door as though it was the source of his bad temper, and debated whether or not to go back in. The music and voices inside were creating quite the racket. Smoke drifted lazily out into the sky. Everyone else was having a good time, why shouldn’t he? It was his gang, his home. Why should he feel unwelcome there? It wasn’t right. He should march in there, take back the money he lost, throw Bolozi out on his drunken ass, and pry Sevy free from Revik’s clutches. And if anyone didn’t like it, well, they could suffer the same fate that the dummy had.
This wasn’t at all like him, he reflected as he circled the courtyard. It was just the result of everything that had been happening lately. He had to be content with the knowledge that things would improve with time. It was silly to get so worked up. Sevy would make fun of him if she had witnessed this juvenile temper tantrum.
Sevy…
The mental picture of her in Revik’s arms made his blood boil once more. Logically, he knew that it shouldn’t upset him. Why should he care what she did? It was her life and if she wanted to waste her time with the likes of Revik then so be it. No, that wasn’t fair of him. Revik was a good man, one of his closest friends.
He wondered what they were doing. Was Revik sweet talking her? Maybe by now they had gone upstairs for some privacy. Maybe he was using that elvish charm of his. Sevy always did have a weakness for bad boys. Jarro paced the length of the courtyard so furiously it made him light-headed. Is Revik kissing her now? Sevy wouldn’t fall for that, would she? Of course not, she’s a smart girl. She knows what men are like. Then again, she and Revik had been friends for a long time and they had a lot in common.
Jarro pulled at his hair, hoping the pain would purify him. It didn’t matter what they were doing. It was none of his business. If he just repeated that enough maybe he’d believe it.
He decided that he didn’t want to go back in. He kicked at the ground while he contemplated what to do instead. The attack on the dummy had dulled the edge of his sword. The blade needed sharpening. He stomped over to the whetstone that was in the corner, doused it with water, and worked the pedal with his foot until the wheel reached proper speed. Then he pressed his blade against it.
A soft light grabbed his attention. Though the arms of the courtyard tree partially blocked the window, he could tell that a candle had been lit up in Sevy’s room. What did that mean? Was she alone? Was Revik with her? His concentration distracted, Jarro’s finger slipped and rubbed against the whetstone. He pulled his hand away, but not before the skin had been scraped raw. “Dammit!”
He was startled by a low laugh. “You shouldn’t play with your sword while you’re drunk,” Revik said from the doorway.
“I’m not drunk,” he muttered, though he suddenly felt a curious jolt of relief.
“The great playboy Jarro leaving a party before he’s stewed? Why, that’s unheard of!”
“Not in much of a party mood, I guess.”
“And why is that?”
“I have to have a reason? Why are you out here anyway? I thought you were…”
“Thought I was what?” Revik moved closer, amusement dancing in his carmine eyes. “Otherwise engaged?”
“Your business, not mine.” Jarro ran his finger along the edge of his blade. It was nice and sharp now. He returned it to its sheath and looked around for something else to occupy his time. But there was nothing except for the bothersome dark elf who would not stop grinning.
“You humans. For having such a short life span, you sure do waste a lot of time. You never just say what’s on your mind, do you?”
“Well, why don’t you tell me what’s on my mind then, hmm? I didn’t realize you were clairvoyant.”
“It’s deadly obvious. You’re upset that Sevy was paying attention to someone other than you. But instead of acknowledging that, you’d rather sulk out here. And apparently,” he eyed the dummy, “break things.”
Jarro tried to laugh, but it came out sounding like an unnatural cough. “You think I care what she does? Why should I?”
“Because you’re in love with her.”
“What? You’re insane!”
“You mean you’re not? Really? That’s wonderful news because I was thinking of trying my luck with her. I just wanted to make sure it was all right with you first. It is all right with you, isn’t it?”
Jarro was helpless to do anything other than stutter random noises.
“Oh, so it’s not?” Revik asked once he had stopped chuckling. “Hmm. I can’t imagine why.”
“It wouldn’t work,” Jarro insisted. “It would be a bad idea. A very, very bad idea.”
“Think so? And why’s that?”
“You and Sevy, um, the thing is she…”
“I see. So you don’t want her, but I can’t have her either. Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“That’s not it at all. It’s just, I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you’re an ass?”
“Ouch! Well, aren’t we testy tonight? You know what would make you feel better?” Jarro didn’t bother to ask what, as he knew Revik was enjoying himself far too much to stop there. “A bottle of wine, some candlelight, and a certain brunette.”
“Don’t be a pig.”
“You know you want to. Don’t pretend you don’t. Look at you. You’re practically panting for it.”
“You know something? I used to think you were clever, but you are clearly just a babbling half-wit with too much time on his hands. Yes, I love Sevy. She’s my friend. But that’s all she is. So can you please just shut up?”
“Good gods, man! Quit lying to yourself. Do you have any idea how many bets I’ve lost over the years waiting for you two to finally get together? What’s taking you so long? She’s a great girl.”
“I know that.”
“Don’t meet girls like her too often.”
“I know!”
“And she’s got a nice little body too. Kind of small up top, but I sure wouldn’t mind having a go with her.”
“You watch your damned mouth!”
Revik laughed so hard he doubled over. Disgusted, Jarro moved to charge past him, but Revik caught his arm. “Hold on, I’m not finished. If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I wouldn’t do that to you even if I was interested in her. But how much longer do you expect Sevy to wait around for you? Sooner or later, she’s going to find a man who won’t take her for granted.”
“What do you mean?”
Revik brought his shoulders up to almost his ears with his exaggerated shrug. Still chuckling, he headed for the door.
“Wait a minute!” Jarro called after him. “Do you really think that?”
“Hard to say. I’m just a babbling half-wit, remember?”
Jarro stood gazing up at Sevy’s window. “Revik doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I don’t take her for granted, she knows that,” he mumbled under his breath. “She knows I’d do anything for her.”
“Because you’re in love with her,” Revik’s words floated back to him.
He felt like breaking things again. He was anxious and edgy and wasn’t sure what was causing it. He wanted to go inside, yell at Revik, set him straight.
Damn smug elf!
What did he know anyway? If Revik couldn’t understand that platonic relationships between men and women happened all the time, then it was his loss. After minutes more pacing and brooding, Jarro decided to talk with Sevy. They’d have a laugh about it and that way he’d know that Revik was simply spouting rubbish as usual. He walked inside and up the stairs, ignoring the obnoxious wink Revik gave him. There was no answer when he knocked on the door to Sevy’s room.
“Sevy?” He heard her giggle, so he cracked the door open and peeked in. “Sevy?” he repeated.
She was in her nightgown, crouching barefoot with her hands clasped in front of her.
“What are you doing?”
“Look what I got!” She held her hands up. A faint green light slipped through the cracks of her fingers, accompanied by a buzzing sound. “See?” she said, moving a thumb to reveal an angry pixie bouncing off her palms. “I caught it trying to steal my stuff.”
“It’s too small to steal your stuff,” he said, baffled.
“I’m going to keep it. What should I name it?”
“It’s a pixie, sweetheart. They don’t need names. Now you’d better let it go before it—”
“Ow!”
“—bites you.”
“Stupid little… I’m gonna smush it!”
“No, you don’t.” He pried her fingers apart and let the poor sprite loose. It fluttered about as if in a daze before zipping through the open window, off to re-join its swarm and tell them about the evil giant it had battled. Sevy giggled again and swayed backwards. Jarro caught her elbow to steady her. “How much did you have to drink?”
“A lot!” Before he could say anything else, she threw her arms around him and nuzzled her face into his hair. “Aw, Jarro, you’re not angry, are you? You left the party. Where’d you go?”
The warmth of her breath against his neck made him flush, and it really didn’t help that there was only a thin slip of fabric between his hands and her skin. “I, uh, the noise was getting to me.”
“You wanna go back down? Let’s go fight with somebody.”
He laughed. “No, you should go to sleep. It’s late.”
She mumbled something incoherent as he helped her to bed. He pulled the blanket up for her and she gave him a bleary-eyed smile before falling asleep. For a moment, he watched her, fondly smoothing some hair from her face before he caught himself.
He was stunned as the truth revealed itself. Suddenly everything became very clear. The jealousy he had watching her with Revik, the lust that had given him so much guilt, the emptiness he had felt when she was away. The reason he always pictured her with him when he imagined what life would be like after Eloria. It all made perfect sense now.
He loved her. He had always loved her. Leaning down, he kissed her lips, happily thinking that they were just as sweet and soft as he had dreamed them to be, before blowing out the candle and leaving her room.
Now I’ve just got to find a way to show her.
 

 Sarah-Jane is offering an eBook of Thief to one lucky commenter on this blog. You can also purchase Thief and the rest of the Sevy series via the links below:

Thief 

Shades of War 

Masquerade 

 

Click here to follow the rest of Sarah-Jane's blog tour for a chance to win other prizes.

Back on the Blog Chain--Summer Loving

With the summer solstice coming later this month, Katrina wants to hear about our characters' summer romances:

Have you ever written a summer fling? Or are all your fictional relationships the deep, forever kind? If you did write one, how would it begin (the meet cute)? Where would it be set? Give us a few paragraphs sample. 
 
I prefer writing about long-term relationships over summer flings; however, there is one character of mine who is the exception to this rule. Her name is Jenna, and appropriately enough, she's the Sola Sum in my Season Lords (which I may rename Season Avatars) fantasy series. Jenna serves the God of Summer and has plant magic.  She is the most sensual of the Season Lords/Season Avatars. The first time I wrote about her, she was a farmer's daughter who'd grown up near the small town of Bull Rock and had had an affair with a youth named Ridley, the son of a local nobleman. The affair ended when Jenna became pregnant and Ridley refused to marry her because she wasn't of his class. (Technically, as a Season Lord or Season Avatar, Jenna is eligible to be ennobled in her own right and would actually outrank Ridley, but that hadn't happened at that point in the story. Ridley's rejection of her was based on snobbery for her low birth and Jenna's lack of social graces.) I've changed Jenna's background for Scattered Seasons, which will be the first book in the Season Lords/Season Avatars series, but since this affair is the closest thing I have to a summer fling, we'll use it for this blog post.

"Meeting cute" sounds too contemporary for a fantasy world loosely based on Victorian England. Ridley and Jenna would have been aware of each other as they were growing up, but Ridley would have noticed Jenna more as she matured. Jenna is tall and shapely, with red hair, green eyes, and an alluring smile. Ridley came back from a winter in Challen's capital city of Vistichia to his family's estate in Bull Rock to find Jenna working with her family in the field. Her plant magic would have brought her to his attention, and then her attractive appearance and flirtatious ways would have done the rest. Ridley couldn't bring her back to his family's house without creating gossip fodder for the servants, so they'd go for walks in the evening and find hidden places in the fields and valleys for their trysts.


Ridley and Jenna's love affair had ended by the time the story started, so all I have for a sample is a bit of the aftermath:

Her heart twisted as she looked at him, and his pleasant expression faded as she stared. All through the winter, she’d sat at her window with her melon-like belly and dreamed of him missing her in Vistichia. Now she knew why he hadn’t even bothered to write her. He’d been with other women, and she was just his summer lightskirt. Maybe she wasn’t even the one he loved best.
“Get out,” she said, her voice surprisingly hoarse.
 “What?” he asked.   
“You heard me, get out.”
“Don’t you even want to hear what I’ve planned for our son?”
“He’s not your son, he’s mine! You’ll never have him.”
He backed away, arms outstretched. “What did I do?”
“You can’t figure that out, you’re more stupid than a carrot growin’ upside down. You and your father always take and never give. Go find some other pretty face to lift her skirts for you for nothin’, I won’t do it again.”

Ridley's character didn't make it into the most recent draft of Scattered Seasons, but I'd always planned to say "good riddance" to him anyway. Unfortunately for Jenna, her luck with men hasn't improved.

For happier summer flings, check out Kate's post from yesterday and visit Christine's blog tomorrow. Please let me know if you prefer "Season Lords" or "Season Avatars" for the series title. Thanks!

BRoP Interview--Aaron Dennis

Today I have Aaron Dennis with me as part of the Blog Ring of Power. Specifically, he's here to talk about his current work. You can find the other parts of his interview below:

Part 1--Terri
Part 2--Theresa
Part 3--Emily
Part 5--Dean (to appear tomorrow, 6/4/13)

Tell us about your new book—what is it about—and when it is out? Where can people purchase it?

My newest release, Lokians: Book3 For War and Glory is the most action packed novel ever. Schneriously, there’s so much action I was getting headaches while reviewing its contents. The great thing is that it is a natural stopping point for the Lokian series, not that the series is over. It is not, but this novel brings many things to a head. It’s available on my site, just click Lokians 3 on the home page and it will take you to Eternal Press, or you can purchase it on Amazon. Hopefully print copies are out by now.

Is there anything new, unusual, or interesting about your book? How is it different from other books on the same subject?

The Lokians series is hard sci fi. I explain the tech, the biological intricacies of the aliens, etc, but mostly its unique in that it reads like a movie. Think Starship Troopers meets Bad Boyz2 meets M.I.B. It really has something for everyone, and people who are not sci fi fans will be after they get into the series. There are also some Lokians short stories on smashwords.com. They, too, are available through my website.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

The hardest part of writing LB3 was keeping the flow of action. Naturally, there are times when the crew is out traveling in space, but I had to create a sense of impending doom, since things are not progressing well, planetside. To portray a deteriorating situation on Earth, I wrote a small one or two paragraph intro into the non action laden chapters. It was tough work, but it paid off.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

My favorite chapters involve the Jersey Gold. He’s a character, and it’s a ship…you’ll see. Anyway, I had a chance to put my protagonist, O’Hara, in a different environment than what he’s accosted to, and it just felt really good. It was like being able to aggravate my own character. Loads of fun.

Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?

I add some knowledge regarding dark matter, and dark energy. Unfortunately, there still isn’t much concrete evidence regarding either therum, but it seems evident that both must exist. Luckily, since not much is known about either, I got to play with the concepts as much as I liked.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this book?

Not a thing. It may be the best thing I’ve written to date.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Aliens will come to Earth. No…well…..maybe they will.


I’m Aaron Dennis, creator of the Lokians science fiction series. I’ll let you guess how old I am. I’ve only been writing since early 2011, and published since August 2012, but I came out like a bat from hell. Not out like out, but like out of nowhere…At any rate, everything you need to know about me is available on my website www.dennisauthor.com  Like Lokians on facebook or baby leopards will loose their spots. * * Disclaimer, Aaron is literally nuts *
Please let us know where your readers can stalk you:
Website: www.dennisauthor.com
Blog: www.authaarondennis.wordpress.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lokians
Goodreads author page: I don’t know but it’s there somewhere….just look for Lokians
Twitter: @authaarondennis
Amazon: again…just type in Lokians
Smashwords: this is available on my site. 
Other:
What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?
I think Epub and PDF, but I convert it to Mobi and whatever else
One final note I want to add…I was drinking when I answered these questions shhhhh

Science of the Week, 5/31/13

Here are some of the most interesting articles from ScienceBlog this week:

Paper could be used for cheap biomedical, diagnostic devices

Scientists develop high-effiiciency zinc-air batteries

CO2 sequestration technique produces "supergreen" hydrogen fuel

Water-rock reaction may provide enough hydrogen "food" to sustain life in ocean's crust or on Mars

The formula for turning cement into metal

Bacterium from Canadian High Arctic offers clues to life on Mars

Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

Get Healthy Bloghop--Making Weight Watchers Work for You

Today I'm participating in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Get Healthy Bloghop to share my story.

I've been overweight (or is it just undertall?) for most of my adult life. My weight fluctuated up and down, but for the most part I looked like this (I'm the one in front in red, second from the right):

However, I'm middle-aged, and the warranty on my body is long expired with no chance at renewal. After watching some of my friends deal with health issues, I became more motivated to lose weight. So last year, my husband and I joined Weight Watchers (WW). I'm proud to say I've lost over 30 pounds. See below for a photo taken earlier this month. Despite the trench coat, I think you can see a difference.



Even more importantly, after going past my goal weight last summer, I reached a healthy weight that's fairly stable. I'm not quite at my lowest weight, but I'm within five pounds of it and well within the recommended weight range for my height. My clothing size is lower than what I wore in high school--and I'm still amazed by that. Physically, I feel great--except for the utter exhaustion at times from having to do too much on too little sleep.
I followed the Weight Watchers Maintenance program for a few months before letting my membership lapse. I don't track my intake anymore (which could explain the few pounds I've regained), but I keep what I've learned in mind.

So, what made Weight Watchers so successful for me, and how can you make it work? Here are a few principles that I think were key for me:

1. Having your significant other as a partner--My husband and I made the joint decision not just to lose weight, but to follow the same program. That made it easier to plan our meals, encourage each other, and track our intake/activity. Granted, at times it was frustrating because my husband started off with nearly twice as many points as I did. (Instead of counting calories with WW, you count points. Fresh fruits and veggies are 0 points, while other foods have points calculated based on their nutritional information.) However, we weren't sabotaging each other by choosing unhealthy food either.

2. Cooking at home--Cooking may seem like a hassle when you're pressed for time, but it's so much easier to make nutritious food at home than finding low-point value food at a restaurant. At home, you can control how you cook your food, so it's not fried or loaded with salt and fat. The WW website has lots of great recipes to try. I have a board on Pinterest with over 150 recipes; it's my most popular board.

3. Eating more fruits and veggies--They have 0 points raw, so you can fill yourself up without cutting into your points. Even when cooked, they're a healthy use of your points. I try to make at least one vegetarian meal a week. The strange thing is that after a while of eating more produce and less pastries, I find myself craving quinoa/rice carrot fritters or vegetarian shepherd's pie.

4. Portion Control--Weight Watchers allows you to eat whatever you want as long as you account for it. So I could still work fudge into my food allowance, but at a much smaller size than before. Even today, I still measure out my cereal and milk, chips, and rice/pasta to make sure I'm eating the correct amount.

5. Exercising--Exercising allows you to earn more points. In fact, all kinds of activities (even housework) count. The key is finding something you can stick with and a time you can manage. Since I'm cursed to wake up early no matter how tired I am or when I go to bed, I get up and exercise on the treadmill for a half hour or so every day. What makes this enjoyable for me is reading, so I go at a pace where I can still do that. Of course, running upstairs and downstairs doing chores and taking care of my family helps too.

6. Cutting yourself some slack--If you're on a diet and slip up, you may feel it's hopeless to continue and let yourself stop the program. However, Weight Watchers recognizes people aren't perfect. In addition to your daily points, you're given extra points you can use if you eat too much one day or want to have an extra-special meal. Also, as I said before, you don't have to give up your favorite foods completely, but you may have to reduce how much you eat. I allow myself a mid-afternoon snack at work (sometimes fruit, sometimes a serving of trail mix or a small treat) and a low-cal dessert after dinner. This way, I don't feel deprived and am less likely to go overboard on the chocolate.

Do you have questions about Weight Watchers, or do you want to share your own success story? Please share them in the comments.

WisCon Part Two

Instead of attending panels Sunday morning, I helped out at the Broad Universe table for a couple of hours and chatted with other members. My family and I had lunch with friends. I decided to skip the first afternoon panel to visit my favorite store on State Street, The Soap Opera. I had time afterwards to briefly walk through the art show before the next panel, about Fear and Masculinity. Unfortunately, my laptop's battery ran low during the panel, and I lost my notes. After that panel, I attended one on caregivers and how they're affected by their sex and race. We had dinner with a friend from college. By the time we put our son to bed, the guest of honor speeches were finishing up. I did make it to a late-night panel on Choice Feminism, about choices women make that aren't always feminist. It was an interesting panel, but even after checking out the parties I was in the room by midnight.

I didn't attend any panels Monday morning, but I was part of the SignOut. By the time that was done, we needed to leave Madison. Our drive back was much more leisurely. My husband and I agreed we need to visit Madison again this summer when it's not WisCon so we have more time to go around the city and see friends. Still, when the weather is nice, it's hard to beat Memorial Day in Madison.

WisCon Part One

Although we arrived in Madison Friday evening, I didn't do much at WisCon that day. I picked up my badge and talked with a few people we knew, but then I went out for dinner and dessert with my family.

Saturday morning, my family and I went to the Farmer's Market before the first panel. I chose to attend Being Female While Aging, which looked at portrayals, both good and bad, of older women in literature. There were three panels after lunch. I went to Editing for Writers, which probably wasn't my best fit. It was stuff I already knew and geared toward traditional publishing. (Several people asked about self-publishing at the end; not surprisingly, the panelists weren't encouraging.) Next, I went to Is Every Kickass Female Character a Mary Sue? The premise there is that Mary Sue is used as a pejorative (though the panelists thought Mary Sues aren't necessarily bad) and that it's come out of fandom to be used as a way to insult all female characters and women authors. This was an interesting panel, especially since one of the panelists was interested in the Beatles.

The final panel before dinner was Food In Spaaace! I was one of the panelists. We had a crowd of about 20-30 people, and we had a lot of interaction with the audience. I think it went well.

After dinner and a soak in the whirlpool, I was part of the Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading. The original moderator couldn't make it to WisCon, and since I volunteered to be the next Reading and Event Co-ordinator for Broad Universe, I was asked to take over. (The original moderator is named Sandra, so I introduced myself as the Emergency Backup Sandra. We're not easy to find!) It was my job to introduce and time the readers; so I had to do it with my laptop and cell phone. The reading went well, and we managed to fit everyone in. Then I went to a couple of parties and talked to a few people before calling it a night.

Tune in tomorrow for more details about Sunday and Monday.

Science of the Week--5/24/13

It's the first day of WisCon today, and I can hardly wait to get up there. Since I don't think we have a BRoP interview scheduled for the 24th, I should be able to report on the con then. In the meantime, here's my weekly science news roundup:

Team successfully converts human skin cells into embryonic stem cells (Technically, this one should have been posted last week.)

Carbon storage in Arctic tundra shows ecosystem resiliency

New method proposed for detecting gravitational waves from the ends of the universe

"Brainstorm" device could wirelessly detect brain bleeding

Robots learn to take a proper handoff by following digitized human examples

Do salamanders hold the solution to regeneration?

U.S. equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel

Engineered microbes glow in the dark

Bacteria use hydrogen, CO2 to produce electricity

And from CNN:

3-D printer helps save dying baby

Enjoy the holiday weekend, everyone! I may tweet about WisCon when I have a chance; my user name is @ulbrichalmazan if you want to follow me. Otherwise, I'll try to have a summary of the con up either Monday or Tuesday.

Cover Reveal: Ruby's Fire

As promised, today I get to share with you the cover for Ruby's Fire, written by BroadUniverse member Catherine Stine.

BOOK AND AUTHOR INFO:

Ruby's Fire

Catherine Stine
Series: Fireseed, #2 (however, can be read as a stand-alone)

Publication date:  June 26, 2013
Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Synopsis:

If everything about you changes, what remains?
Seventeen year-old Ruby, long-pledged to the much older Stiles from the Fireseed desert cult, escapes with only a change of clothes, a pouch of Oblivion Powder and her mute little brother, Thorn. Arriving at The Greening, a boarding school for orphaned teens, she can finally stop running. Or can she? The Greening is not what it seems. Students are rampaging out of control and as she cares for the secret Fireseed crop, she experiences frightening physical changes. She’s ashamed of her attraction to burly, hard-talking Blane, the resident bodyguard, and wonders why she can’t be happy with the gentler Armonk. She’s long considered her great beauty a liability, a thing she’s misused in order to survive. And how is she to stop her dependence on Oblivion to find a real beauty within, using her talent as a maker of salves, when she has nightmares of Stiles without it?

When George Axiom, wealthy mogul of Vegas-by-the-Sea offers a huge cash prize for the winner of a student contest, Ruby is hopeful she might collect the prize to rescue her family and friends from what she now knows is a dangerous cult. But when Stiles comes to reclaim her, and Thorn sickens after creating the most astonishing contest project of all, the world Ruby knows is changed forever. This romantic fantasy set in 2099 on earth has a crafty heroine in Ruby, and a swoonworthy cast, which will surely appeal to the YA and new adult audience.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17970591-ruby-s-fire

 

If you'd like to sign up for the book blog tour in late July/August, you can do so here.

----

AUTHOR BIO

Catherine Stine writes YA, New Adult and middle grade fiction. Her YA futuristic thriller, Fireseed One, illustrated by the author was granted a Bronze Wishing Shelf Book Award and an Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Her YA Refugees, earned a New York Public Library Best Book. Middle grade novels include A Girl’s Best Friend. More and more, she’s enjoying writing speculative tales. She teaches literature at the School of Visual Arts and creative writing at the Philadelphia Writing Conference and in her own ongoing NYC writing workshop. Catherine earned a double focus MFA in Creative Writing at the New School.
Visit her at www.catherinestine.blogspot.com and at www.catherinestine.com.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Back on the Blog Chain: What is Success?

Cole has a philosophical question for us this round:

How do you define success? Is it getting published, making the New York Times list, or just finishing a novel?

These are all possible ways to define success, but the meaning of success is going to differ from writer to writer, depending on their goals and motivation for writing.

For me, I originally started writing as a way to connect with others and share the things that matter most to me, like my love of science and my enjoyment of stories with ensemble casts. But I've been conditioned to reach for the top honors during my years in school, so at the same time I also daydreamed of winning the highest awards in my genre, like a Nebula or a Hugo. It took me a long time to hone my craft, and there's always something new to learn. In the meantime, I learned more about writing and publishing, and the world of publishing changed. With it changed my definition of success.

While I still celebrate finishing a first draft or indie-publishing a story, I consider it more satisfying than successful, like knocking something off your to-do list at work but knowing you have more projects to work on. It feels more like success to me to make a sale or to get a good review from a reader.

Success also depends on what goals you've set for yourself. I have a daily quota for new words, a publishing goal for this year, and a long-term goal (making a living from my writing) several years away. It's a challenge meeting all of those goals on top of everything else I do, but being successful at each small goal gets me closer to my long-term one.

As for the Hugo, I'm not holding my breath, but I have a feeling we'll eventually see indie-published work being nominated for major awards.

To follow the chain, visit Kate for the first post. Christine normally posts after me, but according to her blog, she may be on a short hiatus. Katrina would then be the next up.

I'm taking the day off from blogging on Wednesday (I have a lot of preparation to do for WisCon and my son's upcoming birthday party, plus I have to finish reviewing the audio version of Twinned Universes), but I'm participating in a cover reveal Thursday and will have the usual science links on Friday.

Blog Ring of Power Interview--Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Today Sarah-Jane Lehoux starts her interview with the Blog Ring of Power.  Let's learn a little more about her:

When and why did you begin writing?

As a natural introvert, I’ve always had difficulty relating to other people, difficulty expressing my wants and needs. Writing gave me an outlet for exploring the world. And as I am a survivor of childhood abuse, this grew more important as time went on. Writing was a safe way to vent frustration and work through difficult experiences. It’s been the best therapy and my closest confidante. I doubt I would have made it through childhood if not for my love of reading and writing.

Tell us about your early works—what was the first thing you ever wrote?

I think the first story I wrote was a story about tiny little people called “No Gos.” I must have been only 4 or 5. I still have it; two full scape sheets of yellowed paper taped together. The story follows the youngest No Go, who gets lost, meets a lady bug, and then returns home. I remember bringing the story in to my Brownie leader, so proud of myself. She had the nerve to correct my spelling mistakes. After that, I would only ever read my stories aloud; no one was allowed to touch them.

When did you first consider yourself a professional writer?

I first considered myself a professional writer when I was paid for a story. A whole five dollars for a piece of flash fiction when I was in my mid-twenties.

What genre do you write?

My genre of choice is fantasy. I love to use extreme worlds, characters and situations to bring home whatever point I’m trying to make. Hyperbole is the best way to elicit emotion, and emotions are what linger with a reader long after they’ve put down the book.

What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
No matter what genre I’m writing in, I always try to examine the human condition, and usually the dark side of humanity. I’m really interested in the idea of duality—that everyone has both good and bad sides to themselves—and I’m interesting in exploring situations that draw out one side or the other. In my stories, the protagonists and antagonists are not quite so clear cut.




Sarah-Jane's Social Links:

Blog: http://sarah-janelehoux.blogspot.ca/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LehouxSarahJane

Goodreadsauthor page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4038179.Sarah_Jane_Lehoux

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahJaneLehoux

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Jane-Lehoux/e/B003VH11VG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Other: http://silverc.deviantart.com/

Is your book in print, ebook or both? The Sevy Series (Thief, Shades of War and Masquerade) will be available in both print and ebook starting May 20^th.

I'll be posting an excerpt from Thief on June 5. (I have the eBook but haven't had a chance to read it yet.) In the meantime, Sarah-Jane's interview continues at the following blogs:

Part 2 @ Dean - May 21st
Part 3 @ Terri - May 22nd
Part 4 @ Teresa - May 23rd
Part 5 @ Emily - May 24th

Science of the Week, 5/17/13

Here are some of the most interesting posts on Science Blog this week:

Black hole powered jets plow into galaxy

New insight into nesting behavior of dinosaurs

First pharmaceutical treatment for PTSD

New method of finding planets scores its first discovery

Physicists observe quantum phenomenon without destroying it

Solar panels as inexpensive as paint?

Reversing paralysis with a restorative gel

Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein

Flawed diamonds promise sensory perfection


Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

Food in Spaaaaaaace!

First, since it's the 15th, I have a post up at the Scene 13 group blog. Our theme this month is "Mayday! Mayday! Overcoming challenges and obstacles." I chose to focus on the first part of the theme: Mayday, a call for help. What motivates protagonists to ask for help? To find out more, click here.

It's hard to believe WisCon is next week. I'll be participating in a panel on food in space, reading from Twinned Universes, and participating in the Sign-Out on Monday. I'll also help out at the Broad Universe table at some point, though I don't know when yet.  Trying to prepare for WisCon and my son's upcoming birthday party while keeping up with writing and work is always a challenge. I have a couple of books I'd like to use for examples of food on a spaceship, but I could always use more. Does anyone have any that they'd like to recommend? If so, please add them to the comment section. Thanks!

What I'm Working On

We were supposed to interview author Michelle Hauck today, but she asked us to postpone her interview until her book is out. The Blog Ring of Power will return next week with a different author; Michelle's interview will probably run next month. In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know what I'm working on and what I have planned.

My current and most important project is drafting the next main stories in the SF Catalyst Chronicles series, Catalyst in the Crucible and A Challenge of Catalysts. Whereas there's a break between Books One and Two and then Two and Three, the events in these two books occur right after the other, so I'm going to write them all at once. I have an idea where I want to break the story, but I need to make sure each installment has a complete story arc. I also need to go back and work some more on Julia's (minor character from Twinned Universes) story, which takes place between Twinned Universes and Catalyst in the Crucible. This will be a shorter story, probably a novella. My original title was "Brave New Girl," a play on "Brave New World." However, since Julia is one-quarter Navajo, I'm not sure if this title is still appropriate. Thoughts, anyone?

In addition to my SF series, I want to start getting my fantasy series going. The original title for the series was The Season Lords, a group of magicians who are reincarnated over and over to serve the Four Gods and Goddesses of their country, Challen. Since the current group is all female, I'm not sure if I still want to call them Lords. (Being automatically ennobled, no matter what class they're born into, is a privilege of being one of these magicians.) I plan to start this series with a short story collection that will show the origins of the Chaos Season and the Season Lords. I plan to call this collection Six from the Season Lords, though I may change this title. Next will be Scattered Seasons, the first book in the Season Lords Quartet. This is written but needs to be revised before being sent to my editor. I have some material written for the next books in the series (tentatively titled Chaos Season, Fifth Season, and Summon the Season Lords). However, what I've previously written will have to be revised and edited, and it's going to take a couple of years at my present rate to get that done.

I originally planned to publish six works this year, one novel and five shorter works. Three are already available, while three aren't quite ready yet. I want to publish "Brave New Girl," Six from the Season Lords, and a fantasy novelette called "The Fighting Roses of Sharon." In addition, I've started another fantasy short story with the working title of "Plant Manager." Plus, I have another project in process, but it's not SF or fantasy. I sure keep myself busy, don't I?

Anyway, I hope some of the works I've mentioned above sound appealing to you, though I'm not ready to announce more publication dates yet. In the meantime, any thoughts on the titles would be appreciated.

Science of the Week, 5/10/13

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

Researchers discover world's most extreme hearing animal

"Bacteria-eaters" can prevent infections on medical implants

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice

Geologists study mystery of "eternal flames"

How to harvest electricity directly from plants

Serendipitous scientific discovery holds potential in destroying drug-resistant bacteria

Device can extract human DNA with full genetic data in minutes

Do-it-yourself invisibility with  3-D printing

Microwave oven cooks up solar cell material

Mouse epilepsy cure holds hope for humans


Hope you enjoy the articles? Are there any here that you particularly like? Maybe I could start highlighting audience favorites.

Although I originally had a BRoP interview scheduled for Monday, it's been postponed at the author's request. We'll return on May 20th with another author. In the meantime, any suggestions for a Monday topic? I do have some ideas, but I'd like to know what readers want.

Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

The Indie Life: Postcards and Cover Keepers

Once again, it's time for another round of Indie Life. This month, I'd like to share with you an idea for possible book promotion. We could all use more help with that, right?

Sherry Ficklin, one of the members of the Scene 13 group blog, has started a program that will benefit both readers and writers. It's called Cover Keepers, and it's a way for readers and writers to connect. Basically, writers send in signed postcards of their book covers and blurbs, and readers sign up to receive them. You can learn more about this program here. The first batch of covers is scheduled to go out in June. If that's too soon for you to get cover postcards made, don't worry; covers will be sent out every month. Be sure to read the requirements here first.

In case you were wondering, yes, I'm part of this program. You can get covers for Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes through Cover Keepers. Here's a picture of what they look like:

I decided to put QR codes on the back, along with the blurb. The QR code brings up the book on Amazon. If you search, you can find several sites out there that will create a QR code from any link for free. (I think I used QuickQR). Then you can save a copy of the QR code and take it to any site to have your postcards made.

In addition to sending these postcards to the Cover Keepers program, I plan to bring some with me to WisCon and display them on the BroadUniverse table. Maybe I can send these promotional materials to other conventions as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the Cover Keepers program or the postcards. If you have any marketing tips you'd like to share with your fellow indies, please do so in the comments.

For more Indie Life, check out the links below: