Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Posts since 3-26-2011

I fell a bit behind in the crossposting, so here's what you might have missed out on.

5 Interesting Links for 4-15-2011


Life

A sideways look at education that reflects the students’ skills and needs rather than a rubber stamp plan: Read the rest of this entry »

Shotgun Bride by B.J. Daniels


Shotgun Bride by B.J. Daniels

I received this romance through the Tell Harlequin program where Harlequin sends out examples of their different lines to get feedback from readers. If I’d had my choice, I wouldn’t have taken this one because it is an Intrigue, the one line of Harlequins I tend not to appreciate because relationships formed under extreme pressure don’t feel like they have a chance of surviving past the last page. I am delighted that Tell Harlequin made me re-examine my thoughts about this line while introducing me to an extremely talented author.

Is Shotgun Bride an Intrigue? Absolutely. There’s a link to the criminal underground, there are secrets held that threaten to break families apart, there’s even a kidnapping and big rescue. All of these elements are standard thriller fare and need to be there for the novel to qualify in this line. However, they also connect into the story, layer upon layer woven together with the skills of a master despite the short number of pages, only 212. Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 4-8-2011


Publishing

A tongue in cheek but completely accurate flowchart for getting published with a work of fiction:
http://www.katehart.net/2011/03/how-to-get-published-flowchart.html

Research

Juliette Wade pointed me to a YouTube channel of snippets of vanishing languages, something sure to offer those building a society around language some good ideas: Read the rest of this entry »

More Fun with Art


I had a spare moment the other day and sketched a simple picture on my phone.
Berry Picking sketch
Then I used a different program on my computer to play with coloring it in.
Berry Picking Colo


Interesting Links for 4-1-2011


Online Reads

Another fun story from Daily Science Fiction. L is for Luminous by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, and Greg van Eekhout is part of a series of alphabet stories. It’s short, funny, and poignant at the same time.
http://dailysciencefiction.com/story/tim-pratt-jenn-reese-heather-shaw-greg-van-eekhout/l-is-for-luminous

Publishing

A look at the current big events in the traditional vs. self-publishing debate that offers a decent analysis of the variety of things happening: Read the rest of this entry »

The Shadow Conspiracy II edited by Phyllis Irene Radford and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff


The Shadow Conspiracy IIThe Shadow Conspiracy II edited by Phyllis Irene Radford and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff caught my eye in the LibraryThing Early Reader program because I’d met both the editors at BayCon (and had, in fact, heard both of them read). Between that and the steampunk theme, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity, and I am glad I didn’t.

This is a wonderful collection of eleven steampunk short stories by the following authors: Amy Sterling Casil, Judith Tarr, Irene Radford, Brenda Clough, Sue Lange, C.L. Anderson, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel, Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, Nancy Jane Moore, Pati Nagle, and Chris Dolley. It contains both stories set in the more traditional arena of Europe, and ones occurring in the New World and even Africa. The characters range from society darlings, to pirates, and even on to missionaries and newspaper men. The main characters are just as likely to be male as female as well (despite the inclusion of only one male author), offering rather different perspectives on the stories and environments. The stories themselves range from psychological/philosophical pieces to adventures and mysteries.
Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, November 26, 2010

Interesting Links for 11-26-2010

Posting these a little late ’cause I’m moving slow after a fun Thanksgiving celebration. I hope each of you, whether in the US so with Turkey Day or not, had a grand Thursday.

Research

Before there was the Swiss Army Knife, there was the Roman Gourmet Utensil:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247230/The-Roman-Army-Knife-Or-ingenuity-Swiss-beaten-1-800-years.html

Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, November 19, 2010

Interesting Links for 11-19-2010 and 11-12-2010

Sorry for the missing week. The flu has caught me in its grip, but now you get two weeks for one.

Interesting Links for 11-19-2010

History
Renaissance Rome comes to life in the video game Assassin’s Creed through the assistance of historical scholars. Intriguing enough to make me consider whether I want to try the game.

http://www.livescience.com/culture/assassins-creed-virtual-rome-renaissance-scholar-101112.html

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 11-12-2010

This week has been a little crazy what with our first snow, throwing my back out, and becoming a walking, talking advertisement for Nyquil, not to mention the ups and downs of this year’s NaNo, but like the Post Office, the interesting links must go out :) . I found a nice range of things for you this week. Enjoy.

Anthropology
While not all Eastern or Western cultures fall into these categories, this visual representation of how the same concept can be completely different between cultures is wonderful:

http://mountainrunner.us/2008/01/differences_between_eastern_an.html

Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, September 10, 2010

Interesting Links for 9-10-2010

Note: I’m moving the mini reviews to Wednesdays in a grand effort to focus my blog posts. I’ll post full reviews there too as they come available.

Writing

I couldn’t have asked for a better follow up to my posting of Karen McGrath’s stages of editing on Monday if I’d contracted one. A view from the other side of the revision letter:

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/09/more-on-revision-letters.html

Read the rest of this entry »

Friday, September 03, 2010

Interesting Links for 9-3-2010

What I Am Reading

I finished Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann. She manages to bring everything together in the thriller plot, paranormal plot, and romance plot for a satisfying and fun read.

I’m reading On the Edge by Ilona Andrews, another wonderful urban fantasy offering from this writing husband and wife team. This one focuses a little more on the romantic aspects than the early ones in the Magic series, but at the same time, it’s not the sum total of the book. There are many levels to the story, all of which I’m enjoying.

Grammar

A good list of many (but not all) the times it is appropriate to use commas, with a focus on the problem of comma overuse:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm

Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Interesting Links for 07-09-2010

My mind is still over in Canada, and I haven’t gotten back into the swing of things, so the pickings are a bit sparse. That said, here’s some solid links for you, plus some compelling reading choices to try.

What I’m Reading:

An aftermath of my wonderful trip to Canada has been that I’m walking in the mornings again. However, unlike there, I lack a furry companion to keep me interested. I had put a number of audio short stories on my phone for a road trip where I wasn’t driving, but I didn’t have time to listen to most of them. Finally, I had the equivalent of a commute, and a short story is the perfect length. I’ve been enjoying a run of stories from Beneath Ceaseless Skies, though I’ve noticed other ezines are starting to offer audio versions as well.

The Manufactory by Dru Pagliassotti is one I didn’t expect to find in this magazine, and yet the feel of it denies its modern/futuristic elements. This is not a comfort story. It explores the choices that status brings and takes away in a creepy and powerful tale:

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/story.php?s=64

Read the rest of this entry »