“They don’t have a reservation!” The assistant manager was flapping his hands again. Bunter sighed–not too obviously–and glanced at Carson. Carson nodded and with suitable demeanor headed for the backup command center. “They are old and valued guests,” Bunter said in his inimitable voice, silky with steel underneath. Out of the assistant manager’s sight, his Read More…
Category: the writing life
First Sighting
My UK editor sent me a “hot off the press” copy of COLD WELCOME. Remember embossed titles? This one isn’t, but my name at the top and the title at the bottom are in shinier ink. Very classy. This book-ended the week beautifully, since I had sent INTO THE FIRE to my US editor on Read More…
Audio Book & Other Stuff
This week I learned that Brittany Pressley will be narrating the audiobook of COLD WELCOME. She emailed me about characters, pronunciation of names, etc. , and I may have drowned her with information (writer of long novels. Not really good at the elevator pitch.) I also heard from Audible’s Author Care, which has suggestions about Read More…
Of Time and Orientation
If you write a novel with a linear structure and only one POV character–no skipping off for flashbacks, for alternate points of view or “meanwhile back at the ranch” segments–keeping the temporal continuity is simple. First this, then that, then the next thing, and the solid singular POV keeps even the writer perfectly oriented to Read More…
The End
Sweetest words a writer ever types. Mind you, INTO THE FIRE isn’t yet all spiffied up for travel, hooves trimmed and polished and painted with gold glitter, mane brushed and combed and braided and beribboned, tail ditto, and coat gleaming, ready to be trotted out at the Spring Show. The front half (about) of the Read More…
And a Reviewer said…
From Booklist‘s review: “Moon returns to hard sf after nearly eight years, visiting familiar characters from the Vatta’s War series. Though it is intended as an alternate entry in the series, readers need not have read the previous books to enjoy this one; Moon provides enough backstory to fill in any blanks. A gripping page-turner Read More…
When the Magic Works
Yes, I know, it’s a science fiction blog, not a fantasy blog, but sometimes when things finally go right after a struggle, it’s tempting to equate great skill with magic. Things were not working out for reasons that–it turned out–had nothing to do with my stuff, Ruta who built the sites and customized the blog Read More…
Difficulties
As of tonight, we’re stuck in testing the blogs in their new home. Something’s not working right with the WordPress files. I think I know what the problem is…or rather I hope I do…but we’re still not set up over there, and time is ticking away. I think the problem is that the WordPress theme Read More…
Reader Help Needed!
Late arriving inspiration…and I suddenly need the names of the instructors at the Slotter Key Academy that Ky mentioned in Engaging the Enemy when she was visiting the Mackensee homeworld, at the dinner with the founder of that merc company. And predictably, though it was around two or three weeks ago when I was looking Read More…
Rolling Zeros Again
Over 132,000 words now and misbehaving near the end. The plot threads that should be whipping around each other and forming a terminal shape are instead waving wildly in the breeze. A good part of that is the current political situation, which is sufficiently dire to grab my attention multiple times a day and suggest Read More…