Interesting Links for 10-15-2010

This week is a bit of a mishmash. I’m still up to my gills in the Muse Online Writers Conference, but poked my head up enough to catch a few things I wanted to share.

Environment

A wonderfully simple presentation on the impact of oil dependency with hope for the future:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrrVpf45w5E&feature=player_embedded

Fun

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 10-08-2010

I’m neck deep in the final preparations for the 2010 Muse Online Writers Conference, where there are writing workshops, networking opportunities, and even pitch appointments all from the comfort of your home, as well as bleeding red ink all over my latest edit, so the pickings are a little slim, but for all that I think you’ll find them fun and worth your while.

FYI, if you’re interested in coming to next year’s Muse Online Writers Conference, you can register here: http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=369

Note: You will need to create an account on the Muse forum to register, but that is also the account you’ll use for the conference when it rolls around next year.

Just for Fun

Holly Lisle names one of her set of student workgroups with animal collective nouns, and it set me searching. I found this for your amusement:

http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html

Read the rest of this entry »

dream called time by S.L. Viehl

This novel got caught up in my blog reorganization and so didn’t even get the quick comments that I’ve previously done on top of my interesting links but that in no way reflects my reaction to the story. dream called time is a bit of a torment for me because I’ve been reading Stardoc since the beginning (though I started a year or two late) and it seems like Cherijo and Reever have been part of my life forever.

My comment as I was reading was this:

I’m zooming my way through dream called time wishing somehow Viehl’s prose was a little less smooth so it would take me longer. This novel is both a culmination and a sorrow since it’s the end of the Stardoc series, one I’ve been enjoying since book one. Without giving anything away since you’ll know in the first paragraph, the old Cherijo is back and Jarn (at least so far) is gone with a few lingering residuals. There are parts that sadden me, but I understand exactly why it has to be this way, which doesn’t make it any easier to take-a clear sign that Viehl has once again sucked me in.

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 10-01-2010

Is it just me, or is the year flying by? This week is mainly focused on the writing side. Maybe it’s a sign, or more likely that I had very little time to search things out, and coincidentally, I’m knee deep in a massive edit.

Editing

Here is a nice list of four common problems manuscripts have, along with examples and resources to explore them in more depth:
http://joanyedwards.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/look-for-four-writing-errors-when-you-revise/
Read the rest of this entry »

Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy

C.E. Murphy has delighted me for years, and the Truthseeker world shows all the signs of doing the same. Certain elements are familiar enough from the Walker Papers series to make this right in Murphy’s sweet spot while in other ways, Truthseeker takes a huge leap into the unknown. Like Joanne, Lara Jansen is unaware of the true extent of her abilities. Unlike Walker Papers, though, acceptance is not an issue, and the development of those abilities is quick and strong. Lara enters the story going through her life with the knowledge that she cannot stomach lies, a knack that leads her to a cautious, isolated existence because it’s the rare friend who can understand, and enjoy, that ability.



Everything turns upside down though when she meets a man she’s attracted to but the first words out of his mouth–his introduction–are half-truths. Things go crazy from that moment on as Dafydd reveals that she’s the person he’s been searching for over the last one hundred years.

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 9-17-2010

Here is the first installment of my newly focused blog posts. Below, you’ll find links, links, and more links, each with a little explanation and/or commentary as it suits my mood. I hope you’ll see something interesting, and would love to hear back from you if you’re so inclined. Heck, you could even offer up a favorite link of your own, but be warned that I might prod you for a website review at Vision: A Resource for Writers (http://visionforwriters.com/) if it looks like it has potential.

Publishing

The steps necessary before a book gets accepted by a publishing house:

http://www.stevelaube.com/book-contract-or-rejection-who-decides/

Read the rest of this entry »

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

Note: As part of my new plan to post my thoughts about various books on Wednesdays, here is the first installment. I’m including both my brief comments at the top, and if you want to hear more, there are longer comments to follow.

Brief Comments:

I finished On the Edge by Ilona Andrews and it was everything I’d hoped it to be. The balance between paranormal adventure and romance is nicely done, plus there are a lot of surprises along the way that even when you, and Rose (the MC), think you know exactly what’s going on, prove there’s more to this story. I’m delighted to know that a sequel exists, even if one was never intended.

A more detailed reaction is waiting for you below the fold: Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

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 »

Interesting Links for 8-27-2010

What I Am Reading

I’m currently reading Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann which reminds me once again why my husband is willing to read romance novels by her. Brockmann is extremely talented and has established herself well enough to get away with the first person POV of a dead man in a romance novel. I can’t wait to get to the end, and I’m dreading it being over.

Fair Ladies by Theodora Goss (on Apex Magazine) is a melancholy, compelling story about young men and changing times. Very powerful.

http://apexbookcompany.com/apex-online/2010/08/short-story-fair-ladies-by-theodora-goss/

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 08-20-2010

This week vanished too quickly, and I’ve had little time for research or reading on line. What this means is that the links are incredibly spare, but that also gives you the opportunity to read all of them rather than having to choose based on your own limited time.

What I Am Reading

I have finished Elizabeth Bear’s All the Windwracked Stars, and not surprisingly, I’m happy to discover there’s more in the series. That’s not to say she didn’t manage to pull this one off, because she absolutely did, but there’s more to be told in this world, and this place and time. I find it amazing to end the book with the feeling of more to come when it starts at the end of the world. Her talents as a storyteller continue to delight me.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Demon in Me by Michelle Rowen

I was first introduced to Michelle Rowen through a blog contest. While not generally a fan of chick lit, when I won Bitten and Smitten, I found Rowen’s combination of chick lit, vampires, and comedy to be great fun. It’s not every day that I can read a paranormal romance aloud and have my two young boys rolling on the floor, but that’s what happened with several passages including ones about shoes…and throwing them if I remember correctly.

When I saw that she’d begun a new series, I was so determined to get it that I accidentally ended up with not one but two copies. Because of that, one of the commenters will receive my second copy based on a random draw. Now before you get the idea that getting rid of a copy says anything negative about my enjoyment, let me be clear: The Demon in Me is rather different than Rowen’s first series, but all in good ways. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: Only comments on my main blog count for the contest.

Are You Predisposed to Like What You Choose to Read?

I’ve been thinking about this on and off for a long while, but the question still bugs me. When I pick a book out of my TBR pile and open the first page, I start with the assumption that I have this book for a good reason. That could be because the premise caught my eye, because I like the author, because someone recommended it to me, or even because I won it in a contest. The reason doesn’t matter. I assume it’s not there at random, and therefore I wanted to read it. Okay, it’s a sign of the extent of my TBR pile (1.5 bookcases and growing) that I can’t always remember why a book is there. This may be part of the reason I approach things as I do, but even when I was gobbling down 20+ books a week, I approached them looking for what this one offered me as opposed to demanding entertainment.

(more…)

Interesting Links for 08-13-2010

Welcome to Friday the 13th. Hope you’re all having a magical, rather than mundane, day.

What I Am Reading

Nearing the end of Elizabeth Bear’s All the Windwracked Stars, and so far it’s holding up well. I’m interested in seeing how she’s going to pull this all together in the end.

Just finished Public Affair, Secretly Expecting by Heidi Rice (part of a Harlequin reader reaction program I’m in). This one is from one of their “hotter” lines, which clearly plays a big part in the story, but at the same time, there’s a surprising complexity in the history of both main characters, affecting how Juno and Mac interact, and driving their interpretation of circumstances. I enjoyed this story a lot.

Life

Not sure where to place this one, but I wanted to share. It has suggestions for writing, for project management, and for a focus on success. Well worth the time to read this analysis of Pixar’s process:

http://www.copyblogger.com/pixar/

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 8-6-2010

Sorry folks. Forgot to crosspost this for those of you who link to me on blogger.
What I Am ReadingElizabeth Bear’s All the Windwracked Stars is proving to be a complex and rather fascinating read.

A Stroke of Dumb Luck By Shiloh Walker, on Tor.com, is a fun urban fantasy story that does an excellent job of establishing the world all the while maintaining tension:

http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/07/a-stroke-of-dumb-luck.

Read the rest of this entry »

Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy

Plot Summary:

Demon Hunts by C. E. Murphy begins with a newly, if not confident, then grounded, Joanne Walker. She and Billy have teamed up as the official unofficial paranormal arm of the Seattle Police Force with Morrison’s blessing. They’re investigating an unusual serial murder with the characteristics of human bites and no forensic evidence, only Joanne and Billy can’t sense anything either. Joanne stretches her abilities, and curses her earlier balking, to discover new ways to use her shamanistic powers and learn about her role in this crazy life with the help of friends old and new.

If you want specifics and to discover the end…well, you’ll just have to read it yourself.

My Comments:

Through no fault of its own, it took me a while to read Demon Hunts, but once I started reading, I moved through the story quite quickly.
Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 7-30-2010

What I Am Reading

I finished Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy this week. It was everything I’ve come to expect of her writing and more. I’ll try to get my comments up next week.

I also finished the Irlen book. A lot to think about, but nothing that changed my mind about going forward with the lenses. If just having my monitor tinged green has helped my focus and online reading, how much more will having that ability all the time?

This has not been a heavy reading period for me because I’m writing a complex computer program that tends to grab what concentration I have, but I don’t last long without reading something .

Publishing

Tips on how to study the market for a manuscript:

http://chipmacgregor.typepad.com/main/2010/07/how-to-study-the-market.html

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 7-23-2010

Not as many links as I’d hoped to offer, but once again, I’m on the road (and this time not fast enough to post ahead of time. Still, there should be something of interest for pretty much everyone in the mix I’ve included. Enjoy.

What I Am Reading

While I’m still reading the Irlen book, I’ve also started Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy. Not surprisingly, I’m enjoying this continuation of the Walker Papers, but what she’s done with this one is fascinating, because it offers old readers something new while grounding new readers in the world.

I also just finished listening to Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, which I started listening to in Audio Book for all the way back in December of 2009. I don’t have much opportunity to listen to longer works because when I’m on a long drive, it is generally with someone else in the car who wouldn’t appreciate coming in on the middle of the book. On the other hand, it says a lot about the book that I was able to pick up right where I’d stopped with no loss of place or story.

Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting Links for 7-16-2010

What I’m Reading

I am still reading a non-fiction book called Reading by the Colors by Helen Irlen (ISBN: 0-399-53156-4), but I haven’t had much reading time, in part because of the focus I’ve achieved with my first steps in Irlen Syndrome correction. I’ll soon be jumping back on the reading bandwagon.

And I forgot to mention I read Winters Passage by Julie Kagawa as well, a novella set in between two of her YA books I haven’t read. It was interesting the hints at the greater picture and what has happened along with the troubles still to come. I’m not planning to pick up her full-length books at this point because I’m not really the target audience, but if these characters continue to linger in my back brain, I may change that plan.

Publishing

A look at the various avenues open to selling short fiction:

http://kristadball.com/blog/?p=125

Read the rest of this entry »

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 »