An independent publishing co-op
Once upon a time, I spent an entire afternoon researching the railroad lines in Nebraska in 1894. I’d written a story that largely took place in a cave system, but I placed it in Nebraska before giving it any real thought. Nebraska is known for its flat plains, so cave systems aren’t as prevalent as…
Long ago in the Dark Ages when I was a kid, you didn’t see the writers of your favorite books. They were mysterious people who lived far away in castles on high mountains and they sent in their stories in silken packages on the backs of dragons. Okay, maybe I had a particularly vivid imagination,…
During the SAGA Writing Conference a few weeks ago, I was chatting with an attendee about his WIP. He told me the title, and I felt a familiar tingle. There are certain words in a book title that are guaranteed to attract my notice, and he’d used one of them. Those words don’t necessarily mean…
When you submit a story to a market, a publisher, an editor or an agent, there will be guidelines to follow. They won’t be the same across the board. FlipFlop Books will want documents in rich text format while Mr Fancy Agent won’t look at anything but doc.x. Stacy McEditor only wants romantasy, but Magical…
I spent the past weekend working at the SAGA Writing Conference. For those who haven’t heard, it’s a genre-based writing conference that takes place in the Carolinas every other year. We’ve hosted stellar guests of honor like Richard Kadrey, Faith Hunter, Maurice Broaddus, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and this year L Marie Wood and Jeffrey Deaver. Students…
This week I’m headed up to the SAGA writing conference in Charlotte NC. Writers of all levels of experience will gather to learn from our extraordinary faculty. We’ll have pitch opportunities and peer mingling, and even a few chances to buy books. SAGA was created in response to professionals who wanted a genre based conference…
Last week, I had a scary dream. Not even a little unusual, I know. But when I woke up, the memory of the dream had sparked an idea for a short story. Now don’t get excited – I’m not saying you should rush to your desk and write all your dreams as stories. Dreams rarely…
Sometimes cons will schedule a panel called Live Action Slush. Three publishing professionals listen to the emcee read anonymously submitted first pages. Each pro raises their hand when they would have stopped reading, and once all three hands are up, the reading stops and the pros explain what made them stop reading. Sometimes only two…
Some years ago, I was visiting the NC Renaissance Faire with a friend, and we came upon a man selling his science fiction novel. I picked up a copy to glance at the back matter. Before I could read a word, the man took the book from my hands, opened it to the introduction, and…
In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent. — Toni Morrison We’re living in a shadowy world these days. No one who’s paying attention feels safe, and the system we were taught to believe in has proved to be an illusion. Cruelty seems to be the point of almost every move our…