Christmas in Philly

Take a quick trip with this video and see how they celebrate the holidays in Philadelphia (with background music, for those of you at work):

A Very Philly Christmas from Cory J Popp on Vimeo.

Gift Pass Ten

Ten Things I Don't Want for Christmas

Chicken Soup for [Anything] Books: Personally I find reading inspirational story-themed anthologies a bit like being gently and repeatedly hammered over the head with a pillow in which someone has inserted a brick. Also, I'm not currently suffering from anything that requires literary chicken soup. If that should change my eyes are probably going to be too swollen to read, so how about you instead bring me a box of tissues and a nice cup of tea?

Chocolate-Flavored Body Paint: Interesting, but it probably contains sugar, so no.

Gourmet Popcorn: While I do like popcorn, I don't like it so much that I can eat a barrel of it before it goes stale.

Jarred Food Gift-to-Make: As pretty as those ingredients are layered in those mason jars, what you're actually doing is giving me more work to do during the holidays, which I don't actually need, thanks. If you want me to have cookies, make the cookies for me.

Jewelry Holder: I can't wear rings or bracelets or necklaces anymore due to arthritis-related issues, so I gave all of my jewelry to the daughter. I own exactly one pair of earrings, which I wear all the time, so I am my own jewelry holder.

Quilting Gadget: I own them all already. Seriously. Even that handy magnetic wrist pin holder/picker-upper.

Personalized Pillowcases: My guy and I remember which side of the bed is ours (I'm left, he's right.) The cat will also probably either puke on them or sharpen his claws on them, at which point they will become personalized cleaning rags.

Sausage and Cheese Food Gifts: Not healthy or very tasty, and we're watching our cholesterol and chemical preservative intake. If you must food gift us send organic fruit, please.

Smart Technology of Any Variety: I'm not interested in ignoring people so I can fiddle with some device while they fiddle with theirs or stare at the top of my head.

Writers Do It [insert risque phrase] T-shirt: Cute but not something I'd wear. Also, no one wants to think about how I do it at my age, sweetie.

What don't you want for Christmas? Let us know in comments.

Sub Op

Riptide Publishing has an open call for lesbian novel-length fiction: "Have you written a novel-length female/female romance? We want it! Any genre, any setting, any focus. Historical ladies, contemporary ladies, ladies in suspense, romantic comedy ladies, paranormal ladies, futuristic ladies. Any and all female/female romance, send it our way. We're also accepting stories about aromantic ladies in any genre, though for this particular call, such stories should focus on a deep, exceptional friendship between two or more women.

This is an open-ended call; you may submit at any time. Earliest potential closing date for this call is March 1, 2016, though we may elect to run it longer.

Length: 50,000 to 110,000 words

Genres: Any

Heat Levels: Moderately to very explicit, but not erotica. That is, focus of narrative and relationship should not solely be sexual exploration, though at least two scenes with at least moderately explicit sex is preferred unless your character(s) are asexual.

Ending: HEA or strong HFN

Orientation: Lesbian, bisexual (as long as they are currently in an all-female relationship), poly (again, all ladies please!), homo- or biromantic asexual, homo- or bisexual aromantic. Trans, nonbinary, and intersex women are welcome.

Submissions Due: Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Acceptance Letters Sent By: 12 to 16 weeks after submission

Anticipated Release Date: Nine months to a year after acceptance."

No specific info on payment, but looks like they pay at least 40% of net on regular submissions (terms are explained on the author FAQ page here.) I'd definitely query them on payment. For more information on the call, see Riptide's submission guidelines page here.

PBW's Book of the Month

My pick for November's book of the month is The Taint of Midas by Anne Zouroudi, one of the books I found at my local dollar store back in October. This is the second novel in a mystery series featuring Hermes Diaktoros, a Greek detective who investigates the death of an old beekeeper on the island of Arcadia. The series also follows the theme of the seven deadly sins, which if not exactly original provides a decent sense of continuity among what are likely standalone books.

If you're not immediately enchanted by the lovely writing and the realism invested in the characters, this tale may seem a bit melancholy at first (and those of you who are avid tourists of Greece might want to fasten your seatbelts -- it definitely doesn't cater to you.) I stuck through the sadness to follow the puzzle, which is as clever and convoluted as anyone could ask, but I think the secondary characters are what really grabbed my heart. This novel is populated with so many absorbing characters to fall for you'll have a hard time deciding which is your favorite (mine is Sostis, the fishing barber.)

The Taint of Midas also whisked me back in time to the old days of reading mysteries at the libraries I haunted as a teenager. I couldn't get enough of Evelyn Anthony and Virginia Coffman and P.D. James in those days; they were my Agatha Christies. I especially loved stories that took place outside America because they gave me a window to the rest of the world and cultures that were very different from mine. There's so much respect for the craft and the characters and the conflict in those old mysteries; they weren't just thrown together but built carefully, and with a lot of thought and affection and investment by the writers.

Author Anne Zouroudi carries on that tradition beautifully. Now that I've discovered this writer I will definitely be investing in the rest of her series, which should offset the fact that I got this book so cheap.

Final NaNoNag

Today is the last day of National Novel Writing Month, and hopefully everyone has or will make it to the 50k finish line. If you have already, congratulations -- I am there, too, partying with you in spirit. Although I couldn't officially participate in NaNoWriMo this year I managed to knock out 56,123 words in November while working on two clients' projects, and finishing Ghost Writer, and beginning Twenty-One.

There's still plenty of work to be done. I need to finish one client's project this week; I have another new project due in three weeks. Somewhere in there I'd like to edit Ghost Writer and get it in shape, and continue with Twenty-One while keeping that one on a tight leash so it doesn't become my latest writing obsession (which it wants to. Badly.) And because I obviously don't have enough to do, I'm also working on Her Majesty's Deathmage. In December I'll probably be spending eight to twelve hours a day writing and editing. It sounds like a lot, but we don't call it the writing life because we spent all our time watching television.

This time last year I had just ended an eight-month hiatus from writing to deal with my eye issues, and I'd started my first job as a freelance writer. I remember only too well how nervous I felt; my brain was barraged by the usual what-if doubts: What if I'd picked the wrong client? What if I messed it up and ruined my chance to get another job? What if my mojo had evaporated? What if by striking out on my own I'd made a horrible mistake? I might have talked myself out of the whole deal if not for the work.

As always writing saved the day. It told me to forget about the what-ifs and get on with it. I'd done my research, and I'd chosen a reliable client with a great project. I'd outlined a terrific story. More than anything, I wanted to do this and make it work so I could get my career going again. I couldn't ignore everything -- doubt is like having a gigantic wasp nest dangling by a thread over your head; no one can honestly pretend it's not there -- but I could choose to focus on the thing over which I had the most control. The thing I loved and I was pretty good at doing, too. Which I did, and here I am.

Here we are. Now what are you going to focus on?

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Twenty-One (click on the title to go to the .pdf), with new material beginning on page 6.

For more details on Just Write, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: My kid. :)

LT Secret Santa

Library Thing is holding their annual SantaThing, a secret Santa book-giving event for LT members, and here are some of the details:

"HOW IT WORKS

You pay into the SantaThing system (choose from $15–$50). You play Santa to a LibraryThing member we pick for you, by selecting books for them. Another Santa does the same for you, in secret. LibraryThing does the ordering, and you get the joy of giving AND receiving books!

Sign up once or thrice, for yourself or someone else. If you sign up for someone without a LibraryThing account, make sure to mention what kinds of books they like, so their Santa can choose wisely.

Even if you don’t want to be a Santa, you can help by suggesting books for others.

IMPORTANT DATES

Sign-ups close MONDAY, December 7th at 5pm Eastern. By Tuesday morning, we’ll notify you via profile comment who your Santee is, and you can start picking books.

Picking closes FRIDAY, December 11th at 5pm Eastern. As soon as the picking ends, the ordering begins, and we’ll get all the books out to you as soon as we can."

It's wonderful fun, and I'm participating again this year, so who knows - if you join in maybe I'll be your Secret Santa. For more information on what to do and how it works, check out the LT blog post here.

Glorious

While you're recovering from turkey day, here's a lovely short video on the beauty of Autumn (with background music, for those of you like my guy who have to work today):

Autumn Glory from Paul Frederick on Vimeo.

Wishing You

Bliss

Dear Starbucks:

I'm on a strict, sugar-free diet, but every year I allow myself a couple of treats, like a hot fudge sundae on my birthday in the summer, and one of your cranberry bliss bars while I'm out shopping for the holidays. For the bliss, I always go to the Starbucks counter at my local Target store. The kids who work there are cheerful, they never mess up my order, and they usually have one or two bliss bars left in the treats case (they're very popular with tired shoppers.)

I look forward to my cranberry bliss bar because it's one of my just-for-me holiday traditions. Also, it's delicious. I bring it home and sit on my porch while I nibble away and enjoy every bite. I also have a vanilla latte with it, as that's my favorite Starbucks drink, and the two go great together. Having this treat always gets me in the spirit of things. I don't know why; maybe it's the cranberries. I don't feel guilty for this one little indulgence every winter, either (if you don't understand why, give up sugar for seven years.)

I've always liked Starbucks. Your employees are great; I've never seen someone grumpy behind your counters. You offer delicious products, and you do it with style. There's always interesting music playing in your cafes. Every other customer I see there is working on a laptop, and I'm pretty sure at least half of them are writers. After work even my twenty-something daughter and her friends regularly hang out at one of your cafes near our house, which gives them a chance to talk and relax in a safe place. I don't understand their love of iced coffee -- not something my generation drank much of -- but hey, it's coffee (as opposed to liquor, weed, or something worse.)

I wish you'd been around when I was their age. I probably would have lived at a Starbucks.

Since this is the season to be grateful for our blessings big and small, thank you for all that you do to make the holidays brighter for your customers. Especially my cranberry bliss bar. I had it yesterday and it was wonderful, as always.

Cheers,

PBW

P.S. Love the cup design this year. Makes your logo look very festive.

Before I Get 500 E-mails

I get a pile of requests for this recipe every year around the holidays, so I'm going to save some time and post it now. It's for those of us who want to make fudge but can't be trusted with a candy thermometer (I have broken like a thousand):

PBW's Famous No-Brainer Fudge

3 cups Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 can 14 oz. sweet condensed milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
dash of salt
[optional add-ins: chopped nuts, mini marshmallows, raisins, M&Ms etc.]

Put morsels, milk, extract and salt in a sauce pan and melt over low heat. Stir frequently to blend. When it looks like fudge -- after about 5 to 10 minutes -- remove from heat, stir in your favorite chopped nuts, marshmallows, M&Ms or whatever. Pour into pan (I use an 8" pie pan), spread out, cover with foil or plastic wrap and put in refrigerator. Chill for two hours, take out, cut into squares, enjoy.

Note on fancy toppings: Before you put in the fridge, you can also top the fudge with coconut, maraschino cherries, pecan halves etc.

SF Sub Op

Here's an open call from World Weaver Press for SF stories for their upcoming Last Outpost antho:

"Last Outpost
Submission Period: September 15 - December 15, 2015
Anthologist: Bascomb James

Third volume in the Far Orbit anthology series edited by Bascomb James. Series includes Far Orbit (volume one) and Far Orbit Apogee (volume two); Far Orbit Perigee (volume four, accepting submissions starting January 1, 2016.)

To protect from all enemies… World Weaver Press is expanding the Far Orbit anthology series with a new a new military science fiction anthology, Last Outpost. Last Outpost will be published in 2016. As the name implies, we’re looking for military adventure stories, page-turners that keep us on the edge of our seats. We’re not looking for mindless mayhem; we want compelling science fiction stories with a military theme.

Send us stories about grunts, space fleets, espionage, alien invasion (even if we are the aliens), hostage recovery, battle bots, drones and droids, cyber wars, special ops, inciting rebellions, or quelling them. Anything in the military action adventure genera is fair game. We’ll entertain biopunk, cyberpunk, solarpunk, and other punkish motifs but the story has to be a rip-roaring adventure. Please stay away from fantasy elements (wizards, magic, gods, etc.). Fan fiction is a definite no-no. Fantasy-like adventures (John Carter of Mars) have to be really special to be included in the anthology. Gore is OK but it has to advance the plot.

Please remember that this is a science fiction anthology. The action can take place on far off worlds or on Earth, in the far future or the day after tomorrow; so long as it’s a military themed science fiction adventure. If you can write a military space opera in under 10,000 words, go for it. We’ll be happy to read it.

Here are some submission tips from Bascomb James, the series anthologist.

I’m not a fan of the “everyone dies horribly” ending unless you can really move me.
I’m looking for subject diversity in the anthology. If you’ve written something different in this genera, I want to read it.
I love escapist adventures, mind candy, and thoughtful integration of technologies and aliens.
Read Far Orbit or Apogee to see my definitions of these concepts in action.

Previously published stories are acceptable but we will not publish stories that have been previously anthologized.

Rights and compensation: Payment: $0.01/word. All contributors will receive a paperback copy of the anthology. For previously unpublished works: Seeking first world rights in English and exclusive rights to publish in print and electronic format for twelve months after publication date after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for a term. For reprints: Seeking non-exclusive right to publish in print and electronic formats for a term. Previously unpublished stories preferred; reprints will be considered. No previously anthologized stories.

Open submission period: September 15 – December 15, 2015.

Length: Under 10,000 words

Submission method: Paste the story into the body of the e-mail message. Include the approximate word count. Subject line: Outpost – [Story Title]. Send submission to: farorbit[at]worldweaverpress[dot]com.

Simultaneous submissions = okay. Sending us many submissions at once = no.

Most submissions receive an initial reply (decline or shortlist) within a week. Final decisions in 2016. Anthology publication planned for summer 2016."

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: As promised, the beginning of Twenty-One (click on the title to go to the .pdf)

For more details on Just Write, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: My kid. :)

NaNoNag #3

My college kid is working on a story this semester for her writing class. I haven't seen it yet and I get the feeling I'm not going to until after she's turned it in. We've talked about the plot, and at the time I made some suggestions, but she probably ignored them and did exactly she wanted. Creatively speaking she is very determined, focused, and not at all interested in my approval or input. Since she was a baby she's always wanted to do things on her own, in her own way. She might be a female copy of her dad on the outside, but that ornery creative independence definitely comes from my DNA.

She's also struggling with the amount of work involved, but she's not a writer. Don't get me wrong, the kid can write, and she could be a writer if she chose to be, but she has no passion for it. She pours all of hers into her art, which she will do happily for hours and hours without ever noticing how much effort she puts into it. Here's one of the little chibi she did last year (and she's even better now):



I don't think I'm being an overly-proud mom by saying she's got talent; the work says it all. But art wasn't always like this for her. When she first got serious about her drawing she had to work at it. She struggled, too; I think she erased as much as she drew. That is part of the creative process.

For most people National Novel Writing Month is a huge thing that they only do once a year because it's too much and takes up all their time and by this point they're exhausted, etc. You may feel that way now, and it's okay. It's like that for all of us when we first start. But when writing becomes your passion none of that matters. Your life is going to be National Novel Writing Month.

Should it be? That's a question you have to answer, and one way to find out is to write your November novel, and keep writing after NaNoWriMo ends.

Snow Birds

Watching this rather breathtaking video confirms my secret suspicion that all snow boarders are a little crazy; in the good, wish-I-was way (with background music and sound effects, for those of you at work):

NORTHERN EXPOSURE from Nitro Snowboards on Vimeo.

Off to Finish

I'm taking off today to finish a project for a client. See you tomorrow.

Image credit: Me!

Resurrecting SL

Back in June I mentioned that I had a SF story idea set (sorta) in the StarDoc universe that I've let percolate in my head for the last couple of years. While I still have ten million excellent reasons to never revisit StarDoc in any way shape or form, I want to write this story. No, honestly, I just want to stop thinking about it, and the only way to do that is to get it on the page.

So now that I've finished Ghost Writer the next Just Write story will be:



I haven't written any science fiction since I finished Dream Called Time in October of 2009, so this should be interesting, if not outright entertaining.

Image Credit: Molodec

Flashy

The other day I spotted a new idea-ology product from Tim Holtz, a mini deck of flash cards:



I bought them because I love all things idea-ology, and I thought they might be useful as story prompts, too. The deck contains 72 1.5" X 2.5" cards with thematic words on both sides:



Each word could be a prompt on its own, but with 104 words to play with you can come up with an infinite number of combinations, too. Here are four I drew at random:



And here are the words that were on the back of those four:



I got them for $4.99, which makes them a very affordable mini deck of inspiration. I think they'd make an excellent stocking stuffer for a writer pal, too.

Year of the Ghost

It's been one year since I decided to start ghost writing full-time on my own. Over the last twelve months I've learned a lot about freelancing, how to find work, and the best ways to avoid some of the problems that come along with writing for hire. Since I still write for the very first client I acquired on my own, I think I've done a decent job of it. It helps that I've been very fortunate in landing jobs with clients who are excellent to work with, and who respect and value me as a freelancer.

Naturally there have been some downsides to leaving traditional publishing to strike out on my own. I had to rebuild my income from scratch, and freelancing does not pay as well, so at first it was definitely a financial struggle. Only a few of my pro writer friends have bothered to stay in touch with me, but I expected that (and I never had a lot of them to begin with anyway.) I should also take some of the blame for losing the connections, as I can't talk about my work anymore due to NDAs, and I've never been particularly social. PBW initially suffered about a 50% loss of traffic in my first months of ghosting, which actually did surprise me -- but I think a big chunk may have dropped off because I stopped doing giveaways. I decided to end a seventeen-year-old contract with my agent, which was terribly difficult for me, but she understood and was gracious about it.

There are so many positives, however, I hardly know where to start. I'm so happy. I wish I could describe how it feels. Finally, finally, I'm able to simply write for a living. I don't have to deal with how it's published. I don't have to promote it. I never have to objectify myself in any way, shape or form for it. I just write, all day long, and I turn it in, and I'm done. After seventeen years of dealing with all the non-writing responsibilities involved in traditional publishing, it's been like a year-long vacation. I decide who I want to work with, and since I only take on projects that interest me, I'm never bored. I think the biggest shocker was when I tallied up all that I've written since last November. I've produced more work in these past twelve months than I have during any other year since I embarked on this career.

The greatest gift of all has been the chance to see what I could do. Last year I was in a bad place, with serious doubts about my ability to forge ahead. I think it was the two eye surgeries combined with the Toriana series being dropped; I wrestled with serious depression for months. My cure for the blues has always been writing, and striking out on my own as a freelancer at least gave me some work to do. It's now become what I think will be my second writing career. If you'd asked me a year ago if I'd still be a professional writer now, I probably would have said no. That I am instead writing for hire every day, and I'm happier than I've ever been since turning pro, says it all.

Just Write Sunday Edition

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: The conclusion to Ghost Writer (click on the title to go to the .pdf), with new material starting on page 156.

For more details on Just Write, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: My kid. :)