Science of the Week, 11/11/16

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

Unlocking the secrets of T-Rex's tiny arms

Life took hold on land 300 million years earlier than thought

Semiconductor-free microelectronics are now possible, thanks to metamaterials

Genetically engineering disease-fighting cells

Climate change: more than heat waves and hurricanes

Immunization could prevent gastrointestinal disease like Salmonella

Human trials begin for Army-developed Zika vaccine

The fate of Neanderthal genes

Animal science professor identifies gut microbiota signatures of healthy aging

A new study concludes warm climate is more sensitive to changes in CO2

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

Guest Post--Crystal Collier and the Funny Side of Armor

Welcome Crystal Collier here today to share her new book and some medieval funnies!

In 1771, Alexia had everything: the man of her dreams, reconciliation with her father, even a child on the way. But she was never meant to stay. It broke her heart, but Alexia heeded destiny and traveled five hundred years back to stop the Soulless from becoming.

In the thirteenth century, the Holy Roman Church has ordered the Knights Templar to exterminate the Passionate, her bloodline. As Alexia fights this new threat—along with an unfathomable evil and her own heart—the Soulless genesis nears. But none of her hard-won battles may matter if she dies in childbirth before completing her mission.

Can Alexia escape her own clock?

BUY: Amazon | B&N

GUEST POST

Thank you Sandra for having me here today!

Recently, I completed TIMELESS, the third book in my Maiden of Time trilogy. A little time travel. A few good battles. Some scary monsters... But while writing this series I had to study dual time periods: 1768-72 AD, and good old medieval times (mid 1200's). Can you imagine living in a time where warfare was a seasonal and routine thing? Okay boys, it's fighting season!

Every woman dreams of her knight in shining armor, but in reality, armor used to be...

That's right! The business suit. Out to negotiate business? Take the armor. And the shield. And beware flaming arrows.

And don't forget your trusty sidekick.

Since only the rich could afford the fancy armor, they had to put up with the
discomfort of high fashion.

The average weight of chainmail was between 27 and 55 pounds. (12 to 25 kg)

Personally, I'd rather take today's fashions. How about you?

While it's not the most amazing time to have lived, it makes for one dynamic backdrop for an epic story. Don't you agree? Now go buy my books. (What? It had to be said.)

Crystal Collier is an eclectic author who pens clean fantasy/sci-fi, historical, and romance stories with the occasional touch of humor, horror, or inspiration. She practices her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog.

Do you love stories set in medieval times? What is your favorite medieval movie/story?

(Email address is required for awarding prizes.)

Famous Curses in History

If you're anywhere near the Midwest, you probably heard a lot of Cubs fans shrieking and setting off fireworks last week when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series after a 108-year-drought. (I can personally attest to the fireworks going off when I was trying to sleep.) I'm not interested in sports, but the curse aspect intrigues me. The curse supposedly began when a fan and his goat were ejected from Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series. The goat actually had a ticket, but it was deemed to be too smelly. The goat's owner then proclaimed, "The Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." Since then, numerous attempts were made to break the curse, including both goat sacrifices and bringing goats into Wrigley Field. I don't know if anything is being proclaimed as the curse-breaker other than the players themselves.

I don't believe curses are real; I think people are so good at finding patterns that they discover them even when they're not there. There are always going to be unusual streaks of incidents, but people remember what supports their belief and reject what doesn't (confirmation bias). Still, curses are interesting and can inspire story ideas, so here are a few other famous historical curses:

Curse of Tippecanoe: From 1840 to 1960, every president elected in a year ending in zero (which happens every twenty years) died in office. Four were assassinated, and three died of natural causes. This curse was supposedly cast by Tecumseh's brother  after the Battle of Tippecanoe. Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, was shot during his term but survived, as did George W. Bush, elected in 2000.

The Hope Diamond is claimed to bring death to its owners, though it seems some of the stories told about the gem were invented to give it an aura of mystery and for publicity. So far, the Smithsonian doesn't seem to suffer from owning it.

Tutankhamun's Tomb: Anyone who disturbs the tomb of a mummy, particularly a pharaoh, is doomed to have bad luck. The opening of King Tut's tomb, which was found in 1922, is considered a prime example of the curse. Lord Carnarvon, who funded the discovery, died about four months after the tomb was opened. He had an infected mosquito bite that gave him blood poisoning. His death fueled rumors of the curse, and even Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, believed in tomb guardians that had caused Lord Carnarvon's death. However, 58 people were present when King Tut's tomb was opened, and only eight of them died within a dozen years. Even Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb, lived until 1939.

I was aware of the above curses before researching this blog post, but I hadn't heard of the Curse of Turan before. This is a curse on the entire country of Hungary in 1000 A.D. for converting to Christianity. The curse was supposed to last for 1,000 years, so it should be over by now. However, Hungarians still have short life expectancies compared to other European countries, and they have a high rate of suicide (ranked 9th worldwide).

Do you find curses interesting? Have you read any interesting stories about curses? If so, feel free to describe them in the comments.

Science of the Week--11/4/16

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

Natural compound reduces signs of aging in healthy mice

The real horror of "Frankenstein:" human extinction

Could a pill treat concussions?

Tiny ocean crustaceans wear invisibility cloak of living bacteria

Skin patch to treat peanut allergy shows benefit in children

133 million-year-old dinosaur brain fossil found in England

Nanobionic spinach plant can detect explosives

Brain regulates social behavior differently in males and females

Physicists induce superconductivity in non-superconducting materials

Muon telescope indicates a crack in Earth's magnetic shield

Engineers design a new weapon against bacteria

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

IWSG: Five Things I Like about Writing

Best of luck to everyone participating in National Novel Writing Month! I'm sitting out this year. I still have to finish editing Fifth Season and upload the final draft to the various distributors and complete the rough draft of Summon the Seasons. Once those tasks are done, I have to plan some publicity for Fifth Season's release, return to (and hopefully finish) some short stories, and pre-plan my next series (urban fantasy, tentatively a trilogy at this point). Add on work, family, and three Star Wars troop this month, and I already have plenty on my plate without adding on NaNoWriMo.

Anyway, it's time for another post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. The co-hosts for this month are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaar,  Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains. This month, we've been asked to answer the following question: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

Rather than sticking with just one, I thought I'd see how many I can come up with. Here's my list:

1. Flow--It may sound odd, but some of my earliest experiences of "flow" (a state of mind in which you're fully immersed in your task) during writing came during history essay exams in high school. However, flow occurs when a high skill level meets a high challenge, so I guess those tests were challenging! Flow is a very rewarding and fulfilling state of mind, though it seems harder to reach these days with constant environmental and social distractions.

2. When plotting works out--When inspiration strikes and I can suddenly see how to connect two different ideas into a single story or when something spontaneously I wrote earlier connects with another part of the plot, it's quite satisifying.

3. Reaching "The End" of a rough draft--Even if I know the story still needs a lot of work, I still feel like I accomplished something.

4. Seeing the Cover/Getting the Proof--These are always exciting moments that bring a story closer to publication.

5. Hearing from Readers--Writing is a form of communication. One of the main reasons I write is to connect with somebody else out there who truly "gets" what I'm trying to say. If a story moves you, let the author know!

What do you like most about writing or being a writer? Feel free to share in the comments below.

A Halloween Tale--Tea Leaves

A couple of weeks ago, I got an idea for a Halloween-themed short story. I finally finished it yesterday. I don't write short stories very often, particularly flash fiction, so this was a good way to stretch my writing muscles. Here's your treat for Halloween; I hope you enjoy it!

Tea Leaves

Matilda sighed as she turned off the porch light. Now that the trick-or-treaters were gone, the house seemed even quieter than it had three weeks ago, after the funeral when the remnants of their family and a couple of neighbors had left. John would have said good riddance to all of them. Toward the end, his dementia had made him suspicious of everyone and everything, including her. She’d plastered a smile over her hurt every time he’d lashed out at her. She was still struggling to adjust to his absence, but even in her grief she was beginning to realize she now had the freedom to pamper herself. That meant brewing a proper cup of tea, settling her aching bones into the comfortable chair, and reading something that made her feel forty years younger.

She puttered around the kitchen, filling the kettle, polishing her mug, and carefully scooping level teaspoons of tea leaves into the strainer. The scent of jasmine wafted into the air. John had sneered at her “fancy tea leaves,” saying they were too expensive and complicated to use when bagged tea, dipped in water heated in a microwave, worked just as well. Even when their daughter, Susan, gave her loose-leaf tea at Christmas, Matilda hid it in the back of the cupboard so John wouldn’t find it.

When the kettle whistled, she let the water cool. In the meantime, she hunted for the sugar. Where had she left it? John had always accused her of losing things or mixing them up. She knew she’d gotten his last dose of medicine right. Why had everyone questioned her so much about it? All their doubts had made her wonder about it herself. What if it had been the right dose but the wrong medicine, or she’d given it to him at the wrong time? Matilda shook her head. She would never have her rest if she let questions worry her to death.

She poured the tea, brought it to the chair, and read for a while, sipping her tea every few pages. When the words began to blur, she picked up her cup to rinse it out. But a glance inside it made her shriek and drop the cup. Seconds later, she fell too.

* * *

“Mother?” Susan called a few days later as she entered the living room. “Where are you? Why aren’t you answering your phone….Oh no!” She hurried to Matilda, but it was obviously too late to do anything.

At the instructions of the emergency responders, Susan left the room exactly as she found it, even the pottery shards on the floor. But the autopsy never found the true cause of Matilda’s death. No one else would ever see “Your fault” written in the scattered tea leaves.

Science of the Week, 10/28/16

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

Researchers create new special-purpose computer that may someday save us billions

Vitamin A orange maize improves night vision

The tale of the bats, dark matter, and the plastic surgeon

Psychological science explores the minds of dogs

Scientists accidentally turned CO2 into ethanol

Yale scientists edit gene mutations in inherited form of anemia

Cause of phantom limb pain in amputees, and potential treatment, identified

Penn astronomers discover new potential dwarf planet

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

Guest Post: Writing Real People into Your Fiction by Gail Z. Martin

Gail Z. Martin joins us today as part of her Days of the Dead blog tour. Please see the end of her post for more details and links to her work. Since some of my stories are inspired by real people, and since I plan to use a real city (Madison, WI) in a future series, I asked her to write about using real people and places in fiction. Take it away, Gail!

If you're going to use real people in your fiction, make it easy on yourself and be sure they're dead.

Dead people don't have as many rights as living people (or corporations). Public figures have fewer privacy restrictions than private individuals. If you're going to make a character be something really terrible, pick someone who is long dead, long enough that close relatives won't feel inclined to sue. I'm not a lawyer, but if you think you're going to use a real person in a book in a way that might make someone related to that person annoyed enough to make your life miserable, you might want to create a fictional character instead. Remember that the laws differ from country to country, so err on the side of caution if you don't want to fork over legal fees.

That said, using real public figures who have been dead for a hundred years ago are fair game. They won't have spouses, children or grandchildren around who might fear a tarnished reputation if you make great grand-daddy a serial killer. Hence, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

What about using people you know? This is dangerous territory. If the person paid to be written in (called a 'Tuckerization'), it's still good to get a signed release form, in case memory lapses years down the road. While we all learn about people by watching the folks who are around us on a daily basis, resist the urge to write in the kid who bullied you in fifth grade or the roommate from college who stole your best sweater. Fiction should be more than cheap revenge, and there's more to building good characters than wholesale copying. It's one thing to assemble a mixture of traits from a variety of real people and another thing to make a real person easily identifiable as the model for your character. Unless you like settling legal disputes, avoid causing harm.

In general, I will use real people and places in my urban fantasy and our steampunk to create a sense of time and place, often as walk-on or secondary characters. I treat long-dead public figures with less care than modern celebrities and politicians, and generally avoid using the latter unless it's a cultural reference (and even then, such things can date your book).

It's the same courtesy I use for real places. Historic, public and government buildings, sites and organizations are safe to use as locations. On the other hand, I don't like to use a real, existing business in my fiction because they might not be in business by the time the book is printed, and they might not be happy about being used as a crime scene or alleged to be run by a supernatural monster that eats children.  I figure my life is chaotic enough without dodging legal problems that can be easily avoided. In writing, as in medicine, it's good to follow the concept, "first, do no harm."

My Days of the Dead blog tour runs through October 31 with brand new excerpts from upcoming books and recent short stories, interviews, guest blog posts, giveaways and more! Plus, I’ll be including extra excerpt links for my stories and for books by author friends of mine. You’ve got to visit the participating sites to get the goodies, just like Trick or Treat!  Get all the details about my Days of the Dead blog tour here: http://bit.ly/2eC2pxP

Let me give a shout-out for #HoldOnToTheLight--100+ Sci-Fi/Fantasy authors blogging about their personal struggles with depression, PTSD, anxiety, suicide and self-harm, candid posts by some of your favorite authors on how mental health issues have impacted their lives and books. Read the stories, share the stories, change a life. Find out more at www.HoldOnToTheLight.com

Book swag is the new Trick-or-Treat! All of my guest blog posts have links to free excerpts—grab them all!

Use your free Audible trial to get my Deadly Curiosities! https://amzn.com/B01IITFPZE

TrickOrTreat excerpt from my novel The Summoner http://bit.ly/1D81sBa

Enjoy this free excerpt from Bounty Hunter, one of my Jonmarc Vahanian Adventure short stories http://bit.ly/10rPQ07

Try an excerpt from Wicked Dreams, a Deadly Curiosities short story http://bit.ly/1obkBAb

Trick Or Treat with an excerpt from the Realms Of Imagination anthology http://www.darkoakpress.com/realms.html

Free sample of John Hartness’ Black Knight Chronicles excerpt from Hard Day’s Knight Chp1  http://bit.ly/1LFKD57

About the Author

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Vendetta: A Deadly Curiosities Novel in her urban fantasy series set in Charleston, SC (Solaris Books); Shadow and Flame the fourth and final book in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books); The Shadowed Path (Solaris Books) and Iron and Blood a new Steampunk series (Solaris Books) co-authored with Larry N. Martin. A brand new epic fantasy series debuts from Solaris Books in 2017.

She is also author of Ice Forged, Reign of Ash and War of Shadows in The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven, Dark Lady’s Chosen); The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn, The Dread) and the urban fantasy novel Deadly Curiosities.  Gail writes three ebook series: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures, The Deadly Curiosities Adventures and The Blaine McFadden Adventures. The Storm and Fury Adventures, steampunk stories set in the Iron & Blood world, are co-authored with Larry N. Martin.

Find her at www.GailZMartin.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com, on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin and  free excerpts on Wattpad http://wattpad.com/GailZMartin.

How Long Does It Take to Write/Publish a Book?

It occurred to me recently that it might be helpful--at least for readers who aren't authors or involved with publishing--to outline my process for going from a story idea to a finished book. This process is most certainly different for authors working with publishers, since they're not involved with the actual publishing.

1. Preplanning--Once I get the initial idea for a story, I typically let it incubate for a while to develop it. I may need to come up with several different ideas to develop the plot or characters. I may even write notes on how I expect the plot to proceed or my initial character concepts. There may be research involved at this stage too. Time for this stage varies.

2. Writing--When I feel ready, I start the rough draft. Although I try to write a thousand words a day, I often don't reach that goal due to other demands (both writing-related and non-writing related) on my time. Sometimes I have to split my time between two writing projects, or sometimes I need to catch up on my blog or do other things. The rough draft for a novel can take several months; for example, I'm on the climax of Summon the Seasons. I started that back in April, so it will take about 6-7 months for the rough draft (currently about 80,000 words and expected to go for another 10,000-20,000).

3. Resting--In order to revise the rough draft with fresh eyes, I set it aside for a month or so while I work on other projects.

4. 1st Read-Through--I upload the file to my Kindle and read it through, taking notes. This usually takes a couple of days.

5. Outline--Sometimes at this stage I create a rough outline of the scenes to see how the story develops overall. This helps me determine if I need to add or move scenes. Again, this only take a few days.

6. Revise--There's no fixed length of time for revising the story; it depends on how extensive the changes are.

7. Review--Once I finish the second draft, I might feel ready to get feedback on it. Depending how how busy my beta readers are, it could take four to six weeks.

8. Formatting--If necessary, I prepare the document for CreateSpace while I'm waiting for comments. This may only take a few days, depending on if I used a template or not.

9. Cover Design--At this stage, I also contact my cover artist. Time for cover creation can vary, but it's usually only a couple of weeks.

10. Upload--By this point, even if I don't have final edits done yet, I can prepare the book for preorder on Amazon and Draft2Digital. All I need is the rough draft, the e-book cover, the blurb, and the rest of the metadata. I can accomplish this step in a single night. I make sure to pick a publication date that at least two months away so I have time to make the final edits.

11. Paper Proof--Once I'm sure of the final page length and get the full cover, I can upload the paper version to Createspace. (Some preliminary information can be filled out before this step.) Even though I've created several books by this point and am familiar with the process, it usually takes me several tries to get the document tweaked enough to make it approvable by CreateSpace. This may take a few evenings before I'm able to order the proof, which typically takes another ten days or so to arrive.

12. Proof Review--This is where I'm currently at for Fifth Season. It will take me about a week or so to go through it and mark everything I want to change. I catch a lot of typos and layout issues, but in addition, I may also do some last-minute sentence revisions. By this stage, most of the changes will be minor. However, I'm still glad I can make as many changes as I do without upsetting another publisher!

13. Final upload and approval--Amazon requires a final version of the book ten days before the official publication date. Sometimes after I order the initial paper proof, I get a second one to check layout and formatting. If not, then I scrutinize the electronic proof before approving it. Once that's done, Createspace starts distributing it.

14. Promotion--I have to decide if I'll run ads, offer giveaways, go on a blog tour, or perform other promotion. If possible, I set this up before publication or for shortly after the eBook goes live.


So, that's what I do--beside work, chores, and raise my son, of course. The whole process can take at least a year, so books I draft this year won't be ready until next year. I think I can manage that with Summon the Seasons, but the next series is still in the preplanning stage and may take longer. We'll see how it goes and adapt accordingly.

If you're a writer, how long does it take you to get your manuscript ready? If you're not, does this process surprise you? Let me know in the comments.

Science of the Week--10/21/16

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

Researchers capture Central Asia's "degreening"over millions of years into a modern-day desert

How scientists are taking on the global food crisis

Gene editing marks key step toward sickle cell cure

Impact of an aging population on caregivers

Diamonds aren't forever: team creates first quantum computer bridge

Was the secret spice in primal gene soup a thickener?

Plant discovered that neither photosynthesizes or blooms

Research finds that ultrasound slows brain ageing

Fish go nuts over new feed ingredient (I hope they don't end up with more allergens because of that!)

Stretchy optical fibers for implanting in the body

A promising step toward controlling Zika virus and dengue fever

Behind on Books?

So far, I've read 148 books this year, or at least books as Goodreads counts them. (Items on Goodreads can be anything from a short story to a box set.) That may sound like a lot, but my goal is 200 books in 2016. According to Goodreads, I'm actually 11 books behind schedule.

There are a couple of reasons for this deficit. I started the year strong, but when my plantar fasciitis returned in the spring, I gave up the treadmill (and reading while exercising on the treadmill) for a while. When Pokemon Go came out in July, I started playing it, even though walking to Pokestops and hatching eggs doesn't help my feet. While it's nice to get out in the fresh air and enjoy nature, the game is taking away from my reading time. When the weather really turns bad, I'll probably spend more time inside.

I have also read a couple of trilogies that were combined into a single volume. I would be a little closer to my goal if I tracked each book individually, but since the combined volumes are listed on Goodreads, I decided it would be more accurate to count them the way they were published. A few books I read this summer were long or a chore to get through, so that set me behind as well.

This is hardly a major problem. I still have a little more than two months to reach my goal, and this may be possible if I pick shorter books and increase my reading time. Even if I fall short this year, I've still read a lot more books than the average person. I would like to get to 200 just because it's a nice round number. I guess I should keep this post short if I want to read tonight. I got my proof copy of Fifth Season today, so as I read it and mark it up, I'll count it towards my reading goal as well.

Do you set reading goals for yourself? If so, do you focus more on the type of book or the number read?

Indie Author Survey

I belong to a self-publishing mailing list. Although the self-publishing group has a lot of romance writers, they still post tips and information useful to writers in other genres as well. One of the moderators of this group recently developed a survey for indie authors, and she requests that members encourage other indie authors to participate, even if they're not part of the group. Over 1,300 authors have already taken the survey (I filled it out last night.) If you're willing to take it, follow this link. It look me less than ten minutes. You have until November 8th, but it's better to take care of it now so you don't forget later. I'll have to post a link to the report when it becomes available.

Science of the Week, 10/14/16

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

Modular space telescope could be assembled by robot

Magnetic bacteria show promise as efficient vehicle for delivering tumor-fighting drugs

Maximum human lifespan has already been reached, Einstein scientists conclude

Apes understand that some things are all in your head

Turning brewery wastewater into battery power

Exotic property confirmed in natural material could lead to fundamental studies

Scientists rev up speed of bionic enzyme reactions

Designing for 3-D printing

Amoeba absorbs bacteria genes to photosynthesize

Mars-bound astronauts face chronic dementia risk from galactic cosmic ray exposure

Virus carrying DNA of black widow spider toxin discovered

Small impacts mean Moon houses would need better protection

Dinosaurs couldn't sing

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

Time Travel, Book Style

I'm currently listening to one book about time travel to the Middle Ages and reading another book set in 1930s Wisconsin. Both books remind me how different the past is from our present. Although daily life would be more comfortable in the 1930s than in the Middle Ages, I prefer to remain in my own time, not just for the creature comforts, but for my own freedom. If I had to travel back in time, I would probably want to go to the 1960s and see the Beatles perform. I might stand out among the crowds of teenage girls, but I'd be as excited as any of them!

If you had the opportunity to travel in time, where would you go and why?

What's on Your Author Table?

On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be part of an Indie Author fair at a local library. Although it was sparsely attended, it was a good opportunity to network with other authors, give advice to less experienced writers, and add a few subscribers to my newsletter. The event made me think about author tables. A picture of my table is off to the side. Below is a list of items that I think are helpful to have at your table:

Book Racks/Supports for Books: IMO, books are more attention-getting when they're displayed upright as opposed to stacks of them on the table.

Giveaways: Business cards, bookmarks, postcards and other swag with your name, contact info, and books help people remember you after the event.

Signup Sheet for Your Newsletter: Author events are a great way to add more people to your newsletter. I offer a free eBook with signup, so I made sure to send it to each new subscriber later that day.

Pens--For signing books or making sure people can sign up for the newsletter.

Receipt Book--For sales.

Not pictured are my Square reader for taking credit cards, extra cash for making change, and my tea mug, not to mention the netbook I use for writing on the go. I also don't have a picture of my boxes of books or the handcart and bungee cords I used to haul my goods around.

I'm debating on whether I should replace the banner with a tablecloth. This is the second time I've used it, and it's so wide it brushes the ground. Other authors brought tablecloths with patterns or pictures of their book covers; a couple of them had a sign on an easel next to their table. It is nice to have something that draws attention to your table and lets people know who you are.

A few authors brought candy to pass out; almost all of them brought Hershey's Kisses. I thought about that, but I was worried I'd eat all the candy myself.

What items would you add or change on this list? If you have multiple books publsihed, do you bring them all, or do you leave some behind? I currently have seven books in print, and that number is just going to keep increasing.

Science of the Week--10/7/16

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

Today's parents spend more time with their kids than moms and dads did 50 years ago

Research breakthrough could help diagnose, treat biofilm infections

Exercise releases hormone that helps shed, prevent fat

Biologists identify evolving new bird species in southern Idaho using genomics

When prions don't cause Mad Cow Disease they can pass on beneficial traits

New online game invites public to help fight Alzheimer's

Beaver-inspired wetsuits in the works

Monitoring Parkinson's symptoms at home

Undoing the harm of childhood trauma and adversity

Study: Protein linked to high risk of Alzheimer's can be removed from brain without hindering learning, memory


Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

IWSG--When Do You Know Your Story Is Ready?

If it's the first Wednesday of the month, it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. This month's co-hosts are  Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Angela Wooldridge, and
Susan Gourley. 

For October, we've been posed the following question: When do you know your story is ready?

I think every writer is going to have a different response to this question. I'm a pantser, so my stories are definitely not ready after the rough draft. When I finish that, I set it aside for a while before uploading it to my Kindle for a read-through. I note wording changes on this draft, but I will also outline what I've written so I can see how well the plot works. This will help me figure out if there's material I need to add or change. Then I go back through and revise my story into a second--or possibly third draft. This is the point where I will send the manuscript out to my beta readers for their feedback so I can incorporate it into the story. Along the way, I'll lay the story out for eBook and paper (for longer works) formats. By the time I review the proof copy, I've been over the story several times and am sick of looking at it, even though I still catch mistakes at this stage. But after this step, I'm usually ready to be done with the story and move on to something else. I may still think of things I'd like to revise after publication, but I try not to make major changes by this point.

In other words, I know my story is ready when I've done the best I can with it at this stage of my career and can't find any more things, either major or minor, that I want to change. No story is ever perfect or will please everyone, but sometimes you have to release it to move on and improve.

How about you? For the writers out there, when do you know your story is ready? Feel free to reply in the comments.

P.S. From now through Sunday, Twinned Universes, Scattered Seasons, and Chaos Season are only $0.99 each!