Math Under Pressure

Take this online quiz to find out how well you can perform simple maths under pressure. My results:



I don't know that I'd call the math involved especially simple as the time calculations nearly did me in a few times. Post your results in comments and let us know how you did.

Not a Dime Ten

Ten Things You Can Have for Free

Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

Anki is a "program which makes remembering things easy. Because it's a lot more efficient than traditional study methods, you can either greatly decrease your time spent studying, or greatly increase the amount you learn. Anyone who needs to remember things in their daily life can benefit from Anki. Since it is content-agnostic and supports images, audio, videos and scientific markup (via LaTeX), the possibilities are endless" (OS: Win 98/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7/8)

Bandizip is a "lightweight, fast and 100% free All-In-One Zip Archiver. Bandizip has a very fast Zip algorithm for compression & extraction with Fast Drag and Drop, High Speed Archiving, and Multi-core compression. It handles the most popular compression formats, including Zip, 7z, Rar, and so on" (OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/7/8 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

Buddi is a "personal finance and budgeting program, aimed at those who have little or no financial background. In making this software, I have attempted to make things as simple as possible, while still retaining enough functions to satisfy most home users" (OS: Designer notes: "If you have a modern operating system with a copy of Sun's Java Virtual Machine [version 1.5 or higher], it should work fine. This includes most recent versions of Windows, Macintosh OS X 10.4, most Linux distributions, Solaris, and possibly more. Please consult the help files for your given operating system if you are unsure whether it supports Java 1.5 or not.")

GanttProject is a "project management tool" that is "very usable for small to medium size projects, with a surprisingly good depth of features and accessories for a free product. As its name suggest, it's excellent for making Gantt charts, great for making logical and easy-to-understand development plans" (OS: Windows, Linux and Mac OS X)

Pencil is a "free drawing program that helps users to create mockups on their PCs. Its friendly graphic user interface provides ready access to a collection of built-in shapes that can be used to create interfaces for both mobile and desktop platforms" (OS: "The prototyping tool is available for all platforms")

Scribus is an "open Source program that brings professional page layout to Linux, BSD UNIX, Solaris, OpenIndiana, GNU/Hurd, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4, eComStation, and Windows desktops with a combination of press-ready output and new approaches to page design. Underneath a modern and user-friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as color separations, CMYK and spot colors, ICC color management, and versatile PDF creation." (OS: Complete download list and links here)

SSuite My Money Portable is a "simple to use personal finance manager that is also portable. SSuite Office - My Money – Portable is a cross-platform utility that allows users to keep an eye on their accounts, income and expenses, and to generate financial reports. New accounts can be added by specifying the type and balance, and you can give details about transactions, such as description, date and amount. Thanks to its built-in search engine, you can quickly find the accounts in the list; they can be edited or deleted. Furthermore, it is possible to specify the income description, date and amount, as well as provide information about the inter-account transfers and expenses. SSuite Office - My Money – Portable allows users to create financial reports by selecting a report type and fields that are included (account number, type and balance), specifying the report title, number of columns on each page and page orientation (portrait or landscape), and picking the font style" (OS:Windows All [32-Bit/64-Bit])

The free trial of TaxSlayer Books is a "complete, online accounting software for your small business needs. Includes payroll, and bookkeeping software." It also "allows you to import bookkeeping information from Quickbooks, making setup a snap" (OS: Windows XP, Vista)

Tomboy is a "desktop note-taking application" that is "simple and easy to use, but with potential to help you organize the ideas and information you deal with every day" (OS: Linux, Unix, Windows, and Mac OS X)

Tonido "allows you to set up and run your own personal cloud storage" (OS: Linux, Mac OS X 10.5 or later, Windows 2000, Windows 7 [32 bit], Windows 7 [64 bit], Windows 8, Windows Vista [32 bit], Windows Vista [64 bit)], Windows XP)

Sub Op

Weird Bard Press has an open call for their upcoming Torn Pages antho: "Given the title, Torn Pages, the ideal submission will deal in issues such as religion in the science classroom, censorship, historical revisionism, chilling effect, book (media) burning, net neutrality, or Orwellian concepts like Newspeak and Thoughtcrime. Watching the recent Nye/Ham debate we were reminded of Burrough's assertion that language is a virus. Think books. Think classroom. Think logical fallacies, partisan politics, and education standards in the balance. Acceptable as well are stories related to a real-life wrong so great or insidious that the issue must be told, though it may not relate directly to books or the classroom, such as abuses of political or social power. Pussy Riot, Occupy, or Anonymous may be good starting points, but refrain from propaganda for or against any one of these. Inherent in this project is an interest in stories from under-represented points of view, be they ethnic, gender, cultural, sexual orientation, or others we have not considered. The person who comes from what they perceive as a mundane background may have an equally important story to tell." Length: 1-5K; Payment: 2¢/word. No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Reading period opens March 1st, 2013; do not submit before that date. Deadline: March 31st, 2014 or when filled.

Unlikely Inspiration

I like to reward myself for finishing difficult projects, and most often I gravitate toward something that I love but don't indulge in too often. Some examples would be art supplies, fabric, or other such materials with which I can experiment but that I have no particular purpose in mind. It might seem strange that I celebrate completing work with more work, but it's really more like play. It also helps refill the well to do these things, so that when I do tackle the next project for work I feel creatively rested, if that makes sense.

Kathy Uhrig, the proprietor of Strange Notions on Etsy.com, is one of my favorite sources for this type of thing; she puts together wonderful little tin kits and packs of trims that always provide me with hours of creative fun. In one of the kits I recently purchased from her I found this very interesting textile:



The image is a Picasso -- you can still see a fragment of the artist's signature down at the bottom right corner -- and the piece probably started out as a scarf. While it's thin the colors are still quite bright, and there are no major snags or stains on the piece, which make it perfect for repurposing into a quilted project.

I can honestly say that I've never worked with a Picasso; I've always thought of his art as pretty bizarre and somewhat alien. Still, something about this particular piece is very compelling. I like the colors and the strong lines, and the lady's face is both tranquil and mysterious. Making this into something else presents an interesting challenge for me.

It's not my usual thing, but sometimes it's good to get completely away from that. Creatively speaking, every time you step outside your comfort zone you open yourself up to new opportunities. You explore unknown territory, discover unfamiliar ranges within yourself and regularly encounter other, unexpected surprises. Sometimes this also means making mistakes and finding out something really new is not for you. I might work on this piece for weeks and hate it by the time I finish. The thing about this kind of creative playing is that it doesn't matter -- success is not the objective.

I'll post updates on the Picasso project as it progresses; I think it'll be a lot of fun to see what I can do with it. I'll also include any screw-ups that happen along the way and what I learn from them.

How do you challenge yourself creatively? Let us know in comments.

Elsewhere for Valday

First, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone -- I'm hoping that those of you in the storm zone are staying safe and warm at home.

As for me, I'm spending the day over at Under the Covers book blog to talk about some alternative gifts for your Valentines who (like me!) can't have sweets. Stop in if you have a chance and enter to win this nifty tote packed with goodies and signed print copies of Disenchanted & Co. and The Clockwork Wolf ARC.

Steaming Along Elsewhere

Today I'm over at XOXO After Dark, my publisher's blog, to talk about some of our technology that might be improved by adding steam power. Stop by if you have a chance and enter to win a print copy of my latest release, Disenchanted & Co.

New Hunter Kiss Novel

I have an FYI for all the other Maxine fans out there: Labyrinth of Stars, Marjorie M. Liu's new Hunter Kiss novel, is being released on February 25th. Here's the gorgeous cover art:



I've pre-ordered my copy, but if you haven't you can get your order in at these online retailers:

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

Amazon

Writer by Word Choice

Take this short online quiz at Oxford Dictionaries blog and they'll decide what kind of writer you are based on your word choices.

My results:



Eh. I wouldn't mind winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, but I don't hate women or gay people, and I can metabolize iron. Just not on Tuesdays.

If you take the test, post your results in comments. Added: Test link now works!

Shiloh's Ten

Ten Things That Happened When I Went to See Shiloh Walker

With zero prior warning I crashed the Coastal Magic Conference and they did not kick me out. On the contrary; Jennifer and her ladies were very welcoming, and helped me sneak up on Shiloh, and let me sit with her for their charity booksigning with no fuss whatsoever.

Before I shanghaied Shi I met up with wonderful steampunk jewelry-maker Leslie from Aunt Matilda's Jewelry Box to do some personal shopping. While I was depriving her of inventory I bought another of Kit's pendants to give away to one of my readers (this week ~ stayed tuned to the blog for details.)

I met and chatted with the lovely and charming USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan, who can be described by many other words; the next that comes to my mind should be awesome as she gave me this gorgeous tote to hold all the books I bought. Her assistant Charity was so sweet and helpful, too, and I think somehow moved at the speed of light.

Author Gini Koch may have as many pseudonyms as me and was giving away e-book freebies, which was way cool (she is a rather amazing powerhouse when it comes to presentation, too; she should be teaching classes in how to promote your books in person.)

Author Sarah M. Ross was a delight to talk to and quite gorgeous in person; among other things she has that perfect hair I will never attain (sigh.)

Author James R. Tuck is a handsome devil with a wonderful voice and a neat sense of humor, too; I think every gal at the conference was falling in love with him.

I did not get around to all the tables, but I bought books from every one I visited, so it was probably good for the bank account that I didn't make it around the room.

Some people asked me and Shiloh to pose for pics and we did for two, I think; Tori from Smexy Books has one of them. Please note if you happen to see it that I am not dead, a man, or Stephen Leigh.

After the booksigning I dragged Shiloh out to dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, where I made a complete pig of myself over the delicious spicy fish and rice dish I ordered. We also talked shop, families, ordnance, explosives and plotted the overthrow of the online writing community. Kidding. We really didn't talk shop that much.

After many, many years of being cyber colleagues and blog pals I finally met Shiloh Walker, who is just as wonderful in person as she is online. Of all the people I've wanted to meet in the biz, she was the one I drove 500 miles (much of that in the pouring rain) to see, which should give you some idea of how much I care for her.

Strangely Funny Sub Op

Mystery and Horror LLC has an open call for their upcoming Strangely Funny II antho, and describe the project as: "An anthology of humorous paranormal/supernatural stories. All stories must contain paranormal or supernatural elements (ghosts, witchcraft, vampires, etc.) and be funny. Think Addams Family, Zombieland, or Love at First Bite. These stories should not contain gratuitous violence, gratuitous sex, or excessive foul language." Length: 2-6K; Payment: Ralan says "shared 25% net royalty ($5 advance) +print copy." Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Reading period opens February 10th, 2014; do not submit before that date. Deadline: May 1st, 2014 or when filled.

Out of Here

I'm off on a business trip this weekend, so new comments will not post until I return. So your stop here was not entirely wasted, here's an interesting freeware that may come in handy with tax season upon us:

The designer of Ace Money Lite touts it as an easy and free alternative to Microsoft Money or Quicken: "It makes managing multiple accounts a breeze. You can manage your budgets, track multi-currency finances, analyze your spending habits, make transfers between accounts, and do on-line banking. You can start instantly without any prior accounting experience. Features: Track your spending habits and see where the money goes; create and manage budgets; track performance of investments; do your financial math in multiple currencies; enjoy the convenience of on-line banking Download and import information from on-line banks in QIF and OFX formats. If you run a small business, export to HTML, Text, or CSV; Don´t miss the next deadline for bills; Double check - Enjoy the security of password protection of every file, scheduled backups and many other features; Plan debts and mortgage payments" (OS: Win 9x/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7/8)

Remember the usual PBW freeware caution, too: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

Light Show

Sometimes we forget we have an immense theater that perpetually plays light shows for us each night. Randy Halverson's Huelux gives us a long and lovely reason to remember this -- and look up (contains background music, for those of you at work):

Huelux from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

Under Pressure

Can you write proper English under pressure? Take the online test here.

My results:

Library Thing Heads Up

The good folks over at Library Thing sent out this notice yesterday:

During a security review, we found that LibraryThing suffered a data breach in June 2011. While no book data or financial information was taken, lost or changed, the hackers did take email addresses and encrypted password hashes for some accounts created prior to that date.

People like me who were members at the time of the breach were advised to change our passwords, which I did (and if this affects you, you should receive an e-mail with the password reset link. If you haven't received it, you might check your account.) LT is also doing something quite classy in response to the breach:

The entire LibraryThing team and I deeply regret and apologize that this happened on our watch. Since 2011, we have significantly improved our security measures, which have been further tightened across the board since we discovered this breach. As a further apology, we are upgrading you and all LibraryThing members who joined prior to June 19th, 2011 to full lifetime accounts.

To read more details about the breach, see this post on the Library Thing blog.

Split Seconds

One of my favorite art and video sites, Kuriositas, has an amazing collection of photos here taken of events that happened in a split second. If you have a chance to go visit it's definitely worth it (my favorite is the one with the pigeons, naturally.)

I also admire the quick skill of every shooter behind these pics; as an amateur photographer I know how hard it is to capture an exciting moment that only lasts for a blink or two. Only by pure dumb luck do I ever get a split-second shot, and oddly enough it always seems to happen for me at RenFaires:





My technique? I don't have one; I simply point, shoot and pray. My favorite of all my split second lucky shots is this one, with cropped enlargements following to show why:









(Link swiped from Gerard over at The Presurfer)

Argh Ten

Ten Things That Always Seem to Happen The Week Your Book is Released

Appliance Fail: a major or integral appliance in your home that has never once given you a second of trouble will stop working, start leaking or emit a stream of dark oily smoke when you turn it on.

Comrade in Harm: In the process of congratulating you a colleague will artfully mention that they're not buying your new release because they're too busy to read it, they prefer another author in that genre, or the whole idea really wasn't their cup of tea.

E-mail Gainer: Your incoming e-mail will quadruple, and about a third of it will be from people who have never before contacted you but bought your book the second it hit the shelf, hated it, and now want to tell you in excruciating detail why.

Gaming Glom: To stop from thinking about your release on Monday you'll find an online version of Candy Crush and decide to try playing it for the first time. By Wednesday you'll be competing in tournaments. By Friday you will be the highest-ranked Candy Crush player on that site.

Gone Data Gone: Your editor, publicist or video producer will need a vital bit of information from you asap, which is part of a file you discover you can't open, you can't remember what you named, or that you deleted last month while cleaning up your hard drive.

Honey Huh: About halfway through the week your honey will call home to see if you performed some time-sensitively and extremely vital task s/he needed you to do, which you haven't. Worse, you will have zero recollection of agreeing to do it.

Match Game: You won't understand why all the book store managers keep giving you such odd looks until you get home from a long day of making the rounds and realize as you undress that your shoes don't match, you're wearing your shirt inside-out, and/or the bright red lipstick that still gleams on your mouth is all over your front teeth, too.

Pet Pouting: The well-behaved, healthy, house-trained furry friends who are always content to slumber away most of the day suddenly become crazed demons of destruction with severe tummy troubles who sit at your hip and whine to go outside. Every. Five. Minutes.

Takeout Tonight: While worrying about your release's debut, how it will be received, if it will sell, how many copies are hitting the stores and why in God's name you every thought this was a wonderful job, you will finally remember you have to make dinner. This will happen no earlier than thirty seconds before dinner time.

Writer's Blech: As you begin to perform a reading, chat up a reader, introduce yourself over a microphone or pitch your release to an important industry entity over the phone, your nervous digest system will surge to produce audible flatulence, a generous amount of bile going the wrong way or an involuntary burp that not only escapes but can be measured on the Richter scale.

Interesting Sub Op

To continue the spin on breaking out of bounds from yesterday, The Dreadful Cafe has an open call for their upcoming anthology Thresholds: "We cross boundaries every day--the door to a room, a crack in a sidewalk, the border of a city. "Thresholds" is not so much a theme as a sign to the reader that we want to take them somewhere fantastic: to another time, into the dark, into the arms of a lover, to another world, or to the dark recesses of the mind. All genres of fiction and all sizes/colors of art are eligible. Just show us something fantastic, something adventurous, something far out, something fun." Length: "Manuscripts must be between 1,000 and 25,000 words and not previously published by anyone but the author. Self-published works are accepted and encouraged!" [PBW notes: that's why it's so interesting] Payment: "Short Stories (1,000-7,000 words) — $125; Novelettes (7,001-13,000 words) — $250; Novellas (13,001-25,000 words) — Negotiable" Also noted: "The Dreadful Cafe is committed to socially responsible publishing. All after-cost proceeds from Thresholds and Membrane go to support St. Jude's Children's Hospital, because life is too short not to have fun and too precious not to do good." Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: Website says "TBD" which I'll assume means to be decided; Ralan.com says "Until filled." Either way if you're interested I'd get your submission in asap.

Doodle Zen

I've been a dedicated doodler practically since the first time I picked up a pencil. Throughout my childhood I would draw blocks, shapes and patterns in small spaces; usually in the margins of my notebook paper while in class at school. The process for me was soothing and curiously satisfying, but the results were always something I concealed or tucked away out of sight -- I suppose I didn't want anyone laughing at me. In fact until Zentangles became popular I had no idea there were other people who doodled as small or as obsessively as I did.

Doodling, which I think practically everyone does at one time or another in life, can be viewed as the art of the subconscious, and it was certainly that for me. I'd never once planned a doodle except for choosing the space in which to draw it. This changed when I learned of Zentangles; the popularity meant I didn't have to hide my strange doodles anymore and there was even a logic and discipline I could now apply to them.

For months I happily Zentangled away on countless squares drawn in my sketchbooks, until one day I began doodling around the square's edges, and beyond them, until I was filling the entire page around my Zentangle with more doodles. Once I crossed the boundaries I suspected I was committing some form of doodling heresy, but it felt right to grow in that direction (I've never been content to color inside the lines for long anyway.)

When I saw Zen Doodle ~ Tons of Tangles, this lovely doodling art book edited by Tonia Jenny and Amy Jones, I thought it would be more of the same squares and fill-in-the-spaces. Once I began thumbing through it I was pleasantly startled to find a collection of gorgeous works by artists who regularly step outside the square to explore the universe of doodling possibility. Some are inspired by nature, online challenges, and even mehndi (the custom of using henna to stain designs onto skin.)



There are four sections in the book that cover abstract designs, shapes & objects, animals & beasts, and friendship & love, but other than those themes each artist brings their own vision to doodling. Along with detailed instructions on how to create some of the patterns and linework, and pictured example doodles in various stages of completion, the contributors also talk about their process, what influenced a particular doodle and other aspects of their creativity. Going through this book is a bit like taking a doodling workshop with forty-two different instructors from around the world. I think it's already had a very positive impact on my Zen doodling:



I know to many doodling may seem like a complete waste of time and paper, but you're probably not aware of the benefits. The next time you're on hold with your doctor's office I bet many of you will be drawing tiny 3D boxes on your message pad, or looping a continuous line like a Slinky from one side of an old envelope to the other. You may think you're killing time, but what you're really doing is a form of meditation through the simple beauty of no-stress no-expectation creation -- something I think all of us can use on a regular basis.

Get Lost

This gorgeous video by Günther Gheeraert makes me want to run away to the Canary Islands (has background music, for those of you at work):

Frames of Life from Günther Gheeraert on Vimeo.

Technical Difficulties

When you live in the country bad weather creates chaos with the power and broadband, which is keeping me offline. Once I can get a connection for longer than two minutes I'll be back to catch up. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Kit Arrives (in Print)

Today is the release day for Disenchanted & Co., the print edition bindup of my Her Ladyship's Curse and His Lordship Possessed e-books, aka the first novel in my Disenchanted & Co. steampunk urban fantasy series for Pocket Star.

This is also when I usually natter on about how my published novels are my only source of income, and buying a copy shows your support for me, and that keeps PBW funded and ad-free etc. etc. This is still true, but let's skip all that so I can tell you a story.

This past weekend I took a box of author copies of Disenchanted & Co. to a steampunk show, where I handed them out for free to people at random. Everyone was surprised to be offered a book for nothing (a few were suspicious that by doing so I was somehow trying to dupe them) and most were quite willing to talk a bit with me.

While doing so I chatted with these folks about the series and my work, and asked them if they enjoyed the story to let other readers know about it. I didn't just talk book, either; I discussed steampunk art and Lovecraft with an older gentlemen, jewelry-making with a wonderful artist, and the glories of vintage clothing with a trio of seamstresses. One of the vendors talked about a friend who is self-publishing; another offered to vote for my book at WorldCon (I advised him of my doubts at being nominated -- with a straight face!)

I had to go back and forth to the truck four times to refill my tote and made a circuit of the entire show twice in three hours, but I handed out every single book I'd brought with me. It was a lot of fun and while I probably wasn't perfect -- I need to practice pitching faster -- I think I did okay.

Before the show, on the other hand, I was a mess. I didn't sleep a minute the night before, and then I nearly blinded myself trying to put on mascara that morning. I've decided that hair straightener irons are evil and I'm never again borrowing my daughter's; people will just have to put up with my waves. I also forgot that no matter how carefully you plan something like this you will always leave something (!my business cards!) behind on the kitchen table.

And why was I such a mess, you ask? Because handing out books at this show was the first time I've made a public appearance as an author since 2003. I'm pretty sure the people at the show didn't pick up on how nervous I was (or that while I was talking to them I could barely see out of my right eye.)

Yes, after eleven years I finally left the BatCave; that is how much I love this series.

So: I hope you'll help me keep writing it by investing today in a copy of Disenchanted & Co. or (if you've already read the e-books) buying a copy for a loved one or friend. I'll sweeten the deal, too: if sales of this book are brisk, I promise to make another public appearance -- one I'll actually announce ahead of time -- at the Disenchanted & Co. booth at MegaCon Orlando in March.

Not enough? Okay. If Disenchanted & Co. debuts on the New York Times mass market bestseller list in February, I'll make a public appearance at one of the big/national writer or reader cons in 2014 (something I haven't done in 12 years.)

Online places where you can buy my book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

As always, thanks for your support of my books, PBW and me.

Match Game Ten

For this Monday's ten things list let's play a game. See if you can match the writer to the fact:

The Facts:

1. Wrote with a goose quill pen and blue ink on blue-gray slips of paper measuring 8-3/4" by 7-1/4".

2. Never revised. If something didn't work this writer trashed the entire manuscript and started over again at the beginning.

3. Burned a first/unpublished novel after a friend said he didn't like it.

4. Died at forty but wrote fifty novels.

5. Wrote a 60K book and designed its cover art for the publisher in seventeen days.

6. Invented a glass harmonica.

7. After going blind, composed what is considered the greatest epic in the English language.

8. Once wrote in a letter that the world will end in the year 2060.

9. Had only 500 copies of the first edition of their debut novel printed because the publisher was afraid it wouldn't sell.

10. After graduating Harvard this writer didn't think the diploma fee of $5.00 was worth it, and so left without the diploma.

The Writers:

A. Jack London

B. J.K. Rowling

C. Evelyn Waugh

D. Benjamin Franklin

E. John Milton

F. Sir Isaac Newton

G. Henry David Thoreau

H. PBW

I. D.H. Lawrence

J. Charles Dickens

(The correct answers will be posted in comments at the end of the day.)

You Like Me, You Really Like Me! For £50

As always I reserve the right to make fun of anyone who SPAMs me. Especially someone trying to sell me friends:

My name is [Kindness Duct Tape] and I am the manager of [Kindness Duct Tape]. I hope it's okme sending you an email out of the blue.

Sorry, but okme is not an adjective. Or a word.

I hope 2014 is treating you well!

Right, because if I was depressed, destitute and/or semi-suicidal you would actually care, and those dreadful feelings would keep you up nights walking the floor and worrying about what harm I might do to myself. *Yawn* Can we get on with it?

We now have a database with around 750,000 people who have joined in our online lifestyle survey. These individuals are all looking for companies like yours to interact with through your Facebook or Twitter pages.

Alas, I'm not a company, and I have no Facebook or Twitter page. But hey, do you think they want something to read? I mean, other than your fascinating online lifestyle survey?

We can categorise these individuals dependant on their interests and direct them to your page once an order is placed.

Okay. So buy 750,000 copies of my book and I'll make a Facebook page (no, I won't, but this is because I know you won't buy 750,000 copies. This is me toying with you.)

Geographics plays a part in this, and will also let you specify particular locales.

Oh, cool. Okay, Antarctica. I want everyone in Antarctica to fake-like my non-existant Facebook and Twitter pages. Can you do that? It's only like, what -- three lonely scientists, a couple dozen walruses and nine million penguins, right?

We now have a countless number of prospective clients unique to your business so please get in touch if you think this may benefit you.

What? I'm not the only one you're SPAMming, am I? And here I was going to create a Facebook page for you, you heartless bastard.

Prices from :-

£50 or $82 for 2,000 Facebook Likes

£50 or $82 for 6,000 Instagram followers

£45 or $74 for 7,000 Twitter followers

£50 or $82 for 30,000 YouTube Views

And this would be why I'm not on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram (okay, I have a YouTube account, somewhere, but I'm really more of a Vimeo gal.) You do understand that paying people to fake-like you is the definition of online stupidity, yes?

If a new customer logs on to your Facebook page and can see that you have 7000 likes compared to your rivals with just 350 likes, they tend to side with you even without considering price differences.

Sure, every customer thinks "I'm going to pay more for something because more people have fake-liked you." Dude, that is so not okme.

A free trial is available for genuine buyers.

Now you're implying I could be fake? Just like all the likes and followers and views you're peddling? Does that mean I can charge you for me? That will be a thousand dollars. I take checks and Paypal.

Assuming your company is looking to target new clients we also sell emails lists of individuals interested in what you are offering. Please message back for further details.

Assuming I'm on one of those lists now. Thanks for nothing. Where's my check?

I hope you don’t mind me shooting you--

Okay, keep the thousand bucks. I'm not that destitute.

--this email and I look forward to being able to help you at some point in the future.

Got an aspirin?

Living with Elves

I took Buzzfeed.com's Which Fictional City Should You Live In? quiz, and turns out I'd be at home with the elves:



In which fictional city would you live? Post your results in comments.

(Quiz link nicked from Gerard at The Presurfer, who would be my neighbor in Rivendell.)

Elsewhere

Today I'm over at the Toriana blog with maybe the neatest girliest calendar find ever. Stop in if you get a chance, enter in comments and you might win this hatbox giveaway:

Off to Deal

I'll be offline today getting some author stuff and other things ready for a promo event this weekend. So that your stop here was not entirely wasted, here's an interesting open call for a humorous SF/F antho I spotted over at AbsoluteWrite.com:

"Unidentified Funny Objects is an annual anthology of humorous SF/F. Headliners include Piers Anthony, Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Karen Haber, Esther Friesner, Tim Pratt, Jody Lynn Nye, Jim C. Hines, Gini Koch, David Farland. Length "500-6000 words"; Payment: "$0.05 per word + contributor copy. Payment will be made upon acceptance. Our preferred method of payment is via PayPal, but you may request a check." Reading Period: March 1 – March 31, 2014. See open call post for more details.

PBW notes: The post very clearly states that all submissions sent in before March 1st will be deleted unread, so definitely hold your horses until the reading period begins on March 1st. Also, while they have some dazzling headliners listed evidently this is like a Kickstarter-funded project, so you might want to check on how that's going before you agree to or sign anything.

Perfection

I'm posting this pic because it's very likely that I will never again take a closer or more perfect photograph of a bird (actual size and distance, no zoom, no retouching):



It's also the reason I will keep taking photos of birds whenever I can. Because I could be wrong.

College Romance Writer Contest

Avon Impulse has opened a novel contest for undergraduate and graduate college student romance writers:

Avon Books and Avon Impulse, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers, recognizes the raw talent and passion for the craft that many students bring to their work, and it is for this reason that they have chosen to work with HarperCollins’ Academic Marketing division to launch an initiative seeking emerging young stars of Romance.

Prizes: "Three (3) winners will each receive individual telephone consultations with Amanda Bergeron, editor, Avon Books and Tessa Woodward, editor, Avon Books, of approximately 30 minutes to be scheduled at a mutually convenient time by no later than September 30, 2014. In addition, all entries will be reviewed and considered for publication through Avon Impulse, Avon Books’ digital-first publishing group."

What to submit: "The lesser of three chapters or 50 pages of your romance novel; a detailed synopsis of your novel not to exceed 5 pages; and a brief paragraph not to exceed 150 words describing your follow-up book." See more details in the official rules (click here to get the .pdf) Deadline: Apil 1, 2014

No Cost Ten

Ten Things You Can Have for Free

Freeware caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

Alternate Pic View is a "simple picture viewer and manipulator. Features: Slideshow, Thumbnails, Drawing operations, Serveral picture formats, Tile picutes, Combine pictures, Size pictues/extend, Batchconversation/Sizing and more" (OS: Win 98/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7)

Celtx is a "comprehensive software package designed for people who work in the Film, TV, Theatre, and New Media industries. It combines full-feature scriptwriting with media rich pre-production support and enables online collaboration. Features include: Write, import, edit and publish scripts using standard industry formatting; Manage pre-production tasks like location and talent scouting; Perform production breakdowns by adding media (sound files, video clips and digital pictures); Collaborate with team members over the Internet" (OS: Mac OS X 10.4 or later)

Clipboard Master is a "handy utility designed to keep all previous texts, pictures and files copied to the clipboard in a list, for later use. Organize your text modules and snippets and paste them in any Windows program whenever you like. Features: List with the most recent items, Can by activated in any application at any time (Win + V or left + right mouse click), Many settings and rules possible" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7 [32-Bit/64-Bit])

The Journalist ia a "lightweight, easy-to-use and well-designed note taking application that enables you to quickly and effortlessly handle and write notes" (OS: Mac OS X 10.8 or later)

Joy to Mouse allows you to "use a joystick or joypad as if it were a normal mouse by transferring the operating system movements and clicks. In the "Options" window, accessible through the icon in the system tray, you can customize the buttons on the joystick and the velocity of movement of the pointer, enable the automatic acceleration and eventual execution of the program startup" (OS: Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP)

The free trial of Katana is a "straightforward note taking application that offers everything you need to take notes and edit, share or export them to PDF files. From Katana’s minimalist interface you can easily create new notes, search through existing ones and share them with your friends, family and co-workers via Email, Messages, Facebook or twitter" (OS:Mac OS X 10.9 or later)

Listen N Write "can be used to play and transcribe ordinary audio an video recordings. Listen N Write has special features simplifying the transcription work as you can control via keys (while using its integrated word processor) and insert time markers (bookmarks). Moreover, the audio stream is automatically rewinded a few seconds when pressing the Pause key. Listen N Write can be considered the standard program for any transcription because of its simplicity of use and small size" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/2008/7)

Radi allows you to "Create drawings, web animations and videos that work everywhere. Write web pages using the easy Markdown format. Make your videos more effective with stylized looks, annotations, etc" (OS: Mac OS X)

V-Radiois a "small and easy to use application that allows you to play your favorite internet radio stations" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7; requires Windows Media Player 9 or later, Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0)

The free trial of Ulysses III "provides quick access to reliable, handy and stylish text editing tools and also includes support for processing Markdown documents" (OS: Mac OS X 10.7.3 or later)

Scrabble Board Collage

We're going to get crafty today; this is to show you how to recycle a Scrabble board game by turning it into a nifty Valentine's Day gift for the one you love.

What you'll need:

An old/unwanted Scrabble board game (if you want to keep yours check the local thrift stores)
Copies of your favorite family photos
Glue


First, lay out the tiles on the game board to form names and loving phrases (try to intersect two or more words to get the Scrabble effect.) Select photos that you want for the collage (if you like use a theme like your wedding, high school days, memories of the kids, or a special vacation as a theme.) Trim your photos to fit them into spaces between the words you've made with the tiles.

Lay out everything on the board so you'll have a preview of how it will look when it's finished. Once you're satisfied with the arrangement, glue the tiles to the board with a hot glue gun or tacky glue. Use adhesive splits or mounting corners to fix your photos in place (the game grid is an excellent placement guide for your photos, too.)

If you have any extra spaces on the board left that you want to fill, use adhesive-backed felt hearts or glue small mementos in those spots. Once all the glue has completely dried drill two small holes in the top corners of the board and tie on a piece of yarn or ribbon to serve as a hanger.

Here's what it should look like when it's done:

Cool Shelves

I spotted this old beauty here during a recent flea market junket and had to snap a shot. I love shaped book cases, and while I don't have space for it at mi casa, I thought it would likely fit perfectly in the corner of almost any room. Books are (to me, anyway) a safe harbor, so why not store them in lighthouse bookcase?













In anticipation of Spring cleaning I'm working on the home office, and now have one back wall free to do with as I please. I'd like to hang shelves (for books, of course) but I'd rather do something other than the usual thing. Which is probably why this clever shelf caught my eye:



What better way to keep track of the TBR as well as what you're reading or have just read than this?

Unfortunately that shelf would probably be a bit small for my purposes; at the moment I'm reading about twenty different books and I have another thirty piled up in the TBR queue. Maybe something like this would be more accomodating:



I don't have that much wall space, however, so I guess it's back to the drawing board -- and if I do put together anything especially cool I promise to post some pics.

Do you have an unusual or creative way to showcase your books? Let us know in comments (and share links to pics if you have them, too.)

Related PBW links: Book Places

Image credit for TBR and READ bookcases: Amazing Punch

London Then & Now

A cinematographer named Claude Friese-Greene travelled across the UK back in the 1920's with his new colour film camera. His trip ended in London, with some of his most stunning images, which were recently restored.

Filmmaker Simon Smith recreated every one of these shots by walking in Friese-Greene's footsteps around London, and cobbled them together in this split-screen video to show how much (or rather, how little) London has changed during the past 86 years. What caught my eye more than anything was the dramatic differences in clothing (video includes background music, for those of you at work):

London in 1927 & 2013 from Simon Smith on Vimeo.

(Video link nicked from Gerard at The Presurfer.)

Patronize Me

Salon.com's Laura Miller has an interesting article here on the future of authorial income, in which she spotlights Kickstarter as an excellent way for an author to raise funds for a novel project. Over the last couple of years the crowd-funding website has become a popular platform for indie authors and other publishing entities to employ when seeking the always-elusive financial support they need for books they can't/won't sell to publishers and other special projects.

What Ms. Miller doesn't mention in her piece is that Publishing has the second-lowest successfully funded rate of all the categories on Kickstarter; according to Writer's Digest only 32% of the book projects placed on the site are fully funded. I'll also take an educated guess that the majority of Kickstarter book-funding successes are enjoyed by established names who can attract a large number of donors and/or widespread interest from funder crowd. Still, Kickstarter has successfully funded 4,000+ publishing projects since it began in 2009, so if you already have a following and don't mind seeking financial aid in this manner it could help with the cost of producing an indie title.

Fine with Will

I took the How Long Would You Survive After the Apocalypse test and discovered I'll probably make it for a while after:



This also gives me an excuse to tell a true story: my daughter actually met Will Smith some years back during a school field trip to Disney World. The actor was there on vacation with his kids, and still took the time to stop and talk to my daughter and her class and answer some questions. We didn't know about any of this until she mentioned it during dinner that night, and I didn't believe her until I asked her teacher, who confirmed the whole thing. So if I'm going to be like any celebrity, I'm absolutely fine with Will Smith.

How long will you survive after the Apocalypse? Take the test and post your results in comments.

Added: Broken link for the test has been fixed -- apologies for that.

Elsewhere with Kit

Today I'm over at the Toriana blog celebrating 2014 and the print launch of my new series, which will be hitting the shelves in late January and February this Spring.

Stop in if you have a chance, enter the giveaway and you could win this lovely handmade crazy quilted tote (this is the one with the neat holographic thread stitching on the burnout silk centerpieces that I posted on the photoblog last year, and some sinfully soft silk velvet patchwork.) The giveaway winner will also receive a signed print copy of Disenchanted & Co. and a print ARC of The Clockwork Wolf.

Sub Ops Ten

Ten Things About Submission Opportunities

Belfire Press will be open to novel submissions from 2/01/14 to 5/30/14, and is looking for "mystery, adventure, fantasy, romance, historical, horror, thriller, science fiction, paranormal, urban and YA. We are particularly interested in cross-genre works. We publish almost every genre, with few exceptions. Over the years we’ve published mainly horror, and are looking to move into other areas. Horror submitted to us at this point will need to be something that really grabs us to receive a full request. All that being said, we are most interested in cross-genre fiction; urban-paranormal-fantasy-romance-YA-thriller-scifi-apocalyptic (sans zombie) sounds about right. If you’ve got a mix of any (or all) we’d take a look." Length: up to 90K; Payment according to Ralan.com: "no advance; print=25%; e-book=50% (½ if Dual Novella)" Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Circlet Press is looking for erotic microfiction submissions: ". . . 250-1000 word short-shorts of erotic sf/f and related genres (no horror, though) that make an enticing fictive snack. Microfictions should be sex-positive. literary quality, and although they may be explicit should be tastefully written. Stories without that sf/f/speculative element will not be considered." Payment: "Microfictions pay $5 via Paypal (you must have a Paypal account), or a free ebook from our extensive digital library." See guidelines for more details.

The Dark Magazine is open to fiction submissions for its bimonthly e-zine, and is looking for: "Mainstream fiction with elements of the fantastic mixed in; Dark fantasy / science fiction; Magic realism (“a literary genre or style that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction—called also magical realism”) —Merriam-Webster, www.m-w.com; Surrealism: (“the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations”) —Merriam-Webster,www.m-w.com. Don’t be afraid to experiment or to deviate from the ordinary; be stylistic—try us with fiction that falls out of “regular” categories. However, it is also important to understand that despite the name, The Dark is not a market for graphic, violent horror. The “horror” should be subtle and fall in with one or more of the themes above. It is also not a market for ordinary science fiction or fantasy." Length: "1,000 – 5,000 words (query for longer)" Payment: "We pay 3 cents/word for original fiction up to 5,000 words on publication for FNASR. Query for longer." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Fantasy Scroll Magazine has opened its virtual doors: "Fantasy Scroll Mag is a quarterly publication featuring science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal short-fiction. We are a brand new publication and our mission is to publish high-quality, entertaining, and thought-provoking speculative fiction." Length: up to 5K; Payment: 1¢/word; reprints okay, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Inscription Magazine publishes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and is looking for ". . . stories with strong writing and memorable characters. There must be a clear genre element, science fiction or fantasy, so no non-genre fiction, please. But while genre is key, we consider characters and story to be even more important. Humor is welcome, but the point of your story shouldn’t just be a punch line at the end. While we hope readers of all ages will enjoy this magazine, we do primarily publish fiction for teens. It is always difficult to draw a definite line around what makes a story young adult, but here are some rough guidelines if you’re deciding whether your story is a good fit for our magazine – you can also read some of the fiction already posted on our site." Length: "We accept stories between 500 and 9,000 words in length." Payment: 5 cents/word. Reprints okay, electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details.

Resurrection House has an open call for their upcoming XIII antho, and is looking for: ". . . science fiction, fantasy, horror, and creative non-fiction for a loosely themed anthology to be released in the winter of 2015. “Thirteen” is the first month of a new yearly cycle, wherein the old skins have been shed and the newborns are still learning to walk. “One” and “Three” make “Four,” which is the number of completion, of coming home, and of realizing the form that has been in process for some time. Nothing is true; everything is possible. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. The thirteenth Tarot card is Death, and he is the symbol of transformation and rebirth. This is the genesis and root of XIII." Length: "Stories should be between 1,000 and 7,000 words" Payment: 5 cents/word. Reprints okay, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: March 13th, 2014.

The Act Itself erotica e-zine is calling for submissions, and is looking for: ". . . fun, sexy stories and quality erotica artwork. We'll not consider anything which includes underage characters or stupidly dangerous acts. We will consider some fetish-oriented themes, but keep them light. This publication is to bring everyone together, and for everyone to have a good time. What do we like to read in our spare time? Some like Penthouse Letters, others like Literotica.com, others enjoy the Marketplace books, or anything from Blue Moon. That should give you some idea as to what we're looking for." [PBW notes they also want authors to be 21 or older.] Length: up to 8k; Payment: 3 cents per word; no reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details.

Villainous Press has an open call for their upcoming Steampunk: The Worlds Beyond antho, and requires the following story elements: "Protagonist is either a (strong, empowered) female OR an under-represented race (Black, Hispanic, Middle-Eastern, Asian, Native, etc.); The setting must be anywhere EXCEPT on Earth. Please worldbuild so we can “see” your setting; You may mix in dark, horror, mystery, romantic, fantasy, or science fiction elements, as long as it doesn’t overpower the theme of steampunk; This is a Steampunk anthology, so there must be Steampunk elements. A bit of electricity or dieselpunk is acceptable, but the majority must be steam-oriented; A solid plot involving a conflict of some sort. Make your “villain” believable and a good match for your hero." Length: "Stories must be between 2,500 words and 8,000 words, strict." Payment: "From 2,500 to 6,000 words: $15US plus a copy of the print edition. For countries other than the United States, $15US plus a copy of the digital edition; From 6,000 to 8,000 words, $25US plus a copy of the print edition. For countries other than the United States, $25US plus a copy of the digital edition." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: February 28th, 2014

There's an open call here for a dark ritual antho: "Rituals have always been a powerful part of human life, from the ancient Aztec nation’s human sacrifice to the supposed transubstantiation of the Communion elements during Catholic Mass. They impart a sense of history, comfort, community, common ground—but also power, mystery and horror. Since this isn’t Clam Chowder for the Coddled Child, I’m interested in the latter attributes. I want to see dark ritual in all the various forms you can imagine—from the ancient and ceremonial to the simple and home-grown. The rituals in your stories can be grounded in painstaking research or your own twisted creations. They can have real power or simply exist in the minds of your characters. They can produce the desired effect or something else entirely. Stories predicated upon the standard voodoo doll or zombie need to be particularly mind-blowing, as such topics are expected given the theme—the same goes for Cthulhu Mythos. If you’ve read CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY? you’ll know that I’m especially interested in the kind of stories that play with people’s preconceived notions and turn tropes on their ears. I’m anticipating a modern setting for most pieces, though I’m open to historical stories told with today’s sensibilities. Cross-genre stories will likely be a hard sell. No Science Fiction. Urban Fantasy might work. Gore and sex need to support an actual story, rather than be the end in and of themselves." Length: "Word count is 3-5,000." Payment" "will be split royalties, paid quarterly*." Query on reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: June 1st, 2014.

WritersWhoRock.com has an open call here for an upcoming Nana-themed antho: "We are looking for true life stories about specific memories, incidents and lessons learned from your grandmother. What impact did she have on the woman you have become? You can convey her essence through conversations you had and remembrances you cherish-or cringe about. Unusual, provocative, irreverent, poignant, shocking, sad, or funny are the kinds of stories we are looking for. Are you and your grandma radically different or two peas in a pod? Was she traditional nana or a forward thinking feminist? Was she kindly? Or best described as a witch?" Length and Payment: "We pay $30 for 500-2000 words upon acceptance and two contributor copies after publication." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: March 14, 2014.

Much of the above was found among the marvelous market listings at Ralan.com.

Didn't Got Build

We have a loose tradition of having take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant on or around New Year's, and while we're a bit late for 2014 we finally indulged last night. The place we go to faithfully is also the source of my favorite fortune cookies, as they always seem to offer some very quirky (and occasionally eerie) wisdom. So far 2014 has been relatively uneventful, too, so I was itching to read the first fortunes the Universe sent our way.

Our daughter's part-time job at a very busy store has turned out to be more like full-time, so I imagine she was happy to read hers:



My guy is not getting any younger, but he never uses his age as an excuse, and usually does twice the work of men half his age. He also doesn't give up even when things get really tough, so his fortune was probably not much of a surprise:



Then there was mine:



Love that comma placement. Of course it can be interpreted to be about writing -- isn't everything about writing? -- but at that moment it spoke to me about something else, too.

We always get an extra fortune cookie so that whoever doesn't like their fortune can have a do-ever. Since we were all happy with our fortunes we decided the fourth cookie would be a fortune for the year ahead for all of us. It delivered the expected wisdom along with an unexpected chuckle:

Brain Changers

According to this article by Julia Ryan, reading fiction does great things for your brain. fMRIs performed on the participants after they read some of Pompeii by Robert Harris (excellent book, btw) revealed:

. . . heightened connectivity in the left temporal cortex, the area of the brain associated with receptivity for language. Heightened connectivity in other parts of the brain suggested that readers may experience “embodied semantics,” a process in which brain connectivity during a thought-about action mirrors the connectivity that occurs during the actual action. For example, thinking about swimming can trigger the some of the same neural connections as physical swimming.

I'm interpreting this to be similar to the sensations one can have when thinking of biting into a popsicle (I feel phantom cold shivers, for example.) We storytellers often talk about engaging the reader, and this study offers interesting scientific proof of that. It also suggests why some books don't work for readers -- possibly because those connections between story and mind weren't made.

What do you think about the potential effects of fiction on the brain? Do you think reading has changed your brain? Tell us in comments.

(Article link swiped from Gerard over at The Presurfer)

Discovering by Doing

Last month I started working on this crazy quilted tote with no particular purpose in mind. Almost everything else I'd worked on in 2013 was for gifts or promo purposes, and I wanted to do something for stitching practice. Projects like these allow me to try new ideas, too.

When I make practice projects I always use scraps and leftover floss and beads so I don't waste materials. I also try to use up supplies I don't particularly like for whatever reason (this bag got stuck with a length of velvet ribbon and a swatch of faux-silk cotton, both in bright Barbie/Pepto Bismol pink.) My logic for using unwanted bits is that if I completely screw it up I can toss it in the scrap bin without any tears.

I made some poor choices with this bag from the start: the blinding white canvas handles (neutral would have been better), two Victorian novelty prints I considered interesting (actually too busy) and a butterfly I cobbled together from an organza floral accent piece and a rhinestone earring (it looked so great in my head, but after the execution? Not so much.) I'm also a little allergic to sequins, so discovering the semi-transparent type already sewn on my silk flower and my butterfly base annoyed me. I admit, I was a bit all over the place with the color palette, too.

Despite this, I worked on this bag every night for four weeks. I didn't like it, I was already mad at myself for some of the decisions I'd made, but I also suspected I could learn something from it. I've been experimenting for a couple of years now with mixing crystals, pearls, satin ribbons and lace for embellishment. Lately I have this running pink/gold/antique white/gray theme that usually works out well, and I decided to go with some variations on the bag.

I was fairly happy with some of what I did on the front of the bag, but a satin ribbon I wanted to use for the back turned out to have a bunch of pin marks and puckers in it. Beading it the way I had planned would showcase every blemish. I also had a slightly tattered ivory cotton eyelet ribbon I'd meant to pair with the mangled ribbon, but once I pinned it in place I could see that my pearls and crystals would look a little silly edging the many large flower-shaped spaces in it.

I sewed and ripped and beaded and snipped as I tried several things I've done in the past, but none of them really worked with the ribbon or the lace. Right as I was about to toss it in the scrap bin I decided to let go of what I expected and wanted and instead try something entirely new. I sewed different-colored pearls in the eyelet spaces of the lace, and then embroidered and beaded over the mangled ribbon with contrasting beads and floss. As I was working on it I was almost 100% sure it would end up looking like crap, but what the heck. Nothing ventured, right?



Of all the work I did on the bag, the make-do/try something new sections with the lace and ribbon you see here turned out to be the best-looking of my handwork. They finished so well you might think that I'd planned it all that way from the start with brand-new materials.

We can talk about our work, and study techniques, and read piles of books about it (you don't want to know how many books on quilting and embellishment that I've read.) Having discussions as well as studying how to be better at what we do are great, and we should do as much of that as we can. That said, sometimes the only way to discover what you can do is to simply do it and keep doing it until you figure it out or you work it out or it just happens. We all know that practice really doesn't make anything perfect, but it can give you the time, space and challenges you need in order to make new discoveries about your work -- and yourself.

What have you learned to do better simply by doing it? Let us know in comments.

Who Plays Me?

Answer nine questions in this online quiz and you'll find out which actor would play you in a movie. Here are my results:



A bit young and far too pretty to play me, I think, and I don't know what that dream unicorn ref means (which proves how old and unhip I am.) So who plays you? Post your results in comments.

(Online quiz link nicked from Gerard at The Presurfer)

A Charming Challenge

In February I'm joining in the 2014 edition of a month of letters, a correspondence-writing challenge created by author Mary Robinette Kowal. Here's a description of the challenge in her words:

"In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch. Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items. All you are committing to is to mail 23 items. Why 23? There are four Sundays and one US holiday. In fact, you might send more than 23 items. You might develop a correspondence that extends beyond the month."

Postal rates here in the U.S. are increasing as of January 26th, so if you want to join in figure stamps for 23 first class, one ounce letters will run you $11.27 for domestic and $26.45 for international.

While I have a fairly constant circle of correspondents to whom I write regularly, I thought it would be interesting to add a personal spin to my participation by sending half of my letters to people I don't know very well and/or with whom I've had only very limited contact. It's easy to write to close friends and family; a bit tougher to reach out to someone who is simply an acquaintance.

I'll report back at the beginning of March on how it went. Anyone else interested in taking up the challenge? Let us know in comments.

Work It Ten

Ten Web Sites with Jobs for Writers

AbsoluteWrite.com Forums: Check out the Freelance & Work for Hire section in the forums for open calls. Mostly sub ops for anthologies, e-zines and start-up book publishers.

Ed2010.com: Looking for magazine jobs, freelance article work, editorial positions, internships, etc.? Check out these classified listings.

Editor & Publisher.com: Searchable classified listings for those of you who are looking for writing, editing and other publishing employment.

Ellora's Cave: We could rename it "Romantica and Erotica Sub Ops R Us." To see where your work might fit in, read up on EC's extensive line of imprints here.

Freelance Writing Jobs: Job leads for just about every kind of publishing job. Probably the best daily-published listings of wide-spectrum writing jobs on the internet.

JournalismJobs.com: This one provides global job listings for media professionals.

Mediabistro: Lots and lots of industry job listings here.

Ralan.com: if you're writing SF, fantasy or horror fiction, this is the place where you'll find the most market listings for your novels and stories. Also especially good for timely listings for anthology and contest open calls.

Samhain Publishing: An established and respected online e-publisher; wants novels in "all genres of romance and erotica, as well as fantasy, urban fantasy and science fiction with strong romantic elements." Currently branching out into reprints and horror, too.

The Market List: Geared toward genre writers; offers resources as well as market listings.

Comments Catchup Day No More

Last year I began devoting Sundays strictly to reading and answering comments left here at PBW; something I've never been very good at doing. For a few months it worked, too. Having an entire day to review the week's posts and chat with my visitors helped me be more responsive and show my appreciation for those of you who brave the comment form to leave some remarks.

The number of comments began to decline almost immediately in the wake of this feature, however, and I think that may be due to me trying to answer all of them. Also, I'm not always able to spend even one day per week answering comments; often bad weather or the usual domestic disasters conspire to keep me offline. Seems silly to schedule a day to answer comments and then not be able to show up and do that.

So my first change to the blog for 2014 is to eliminate comments catchup day. I will try to keep responding to the comments you leave here, although I can't promise when. I'll also skip answering any comments that don't really invite or need a reply from me.

Comments will remain on moderation, primarily to prevent SPAMmers from flooding them with their dreck, as I still get hit about five or ten times a week from those pinheads. For any questions you have about comments here at the blog, see section E. on the About PBW page over there on the sidebar.

Doing Things Undone

My first work-related task of 2014 was to hang the new calendar up in my writing space. It's that stark but peaceful Zen edition I bought at B&N with my Christmas gift card, and it looks neat and calm on the wall. I think I'm going to like keeping track of my work weeks in black and white, and hopefully it reminds me to knock on the sky and listen to the sound (quoting it here.)

My second and third tasks were to finish some work leftover from 2013. For various reasons it was tough but at the same time brought some relief; unfinished things weigh on me terribly. I think every week I'm going to tackle things like this, all these little and big things I've set aside or put on the back burner or otherwise left hanging, and do whatever it takes to get them done. The good feeling of getting it done chased away my post-holiday blues, and now I feel more prepared to get back on a regular work schedule on Monday.

It's amazing how many lives we can have going at the same time, isn't it? The family life, the personal life, the professional life, the writing life, the social life, the online life -- toss in hobbies and friends and volunteer work and before you know it you're trying to live ten lives all at once. We all multi-task like postal sorters on amphetamines, and yet more and more it seems we can't get things done. Focus on any one of your lives for any length of time in order to finish something, and the others start to suffer, create problems for you and/or dwindle. You almost have to be a master juggler to integrate it all, keep everything moving and not drop anything. How can we get things done if we're too busy to realize how much we have waiting, unfinished?

That's also what I want to work on this year, and while I need to meditate a bit more on the solution I think downsizing and simplifying wherever/whenever I can will help.

So what's up with you all? Tell me in comments.

Talk Like a . . .

Answer an easy 25-question quiz about how you pronounce words, and the New York Times will show where you most fit in dialect-wise on a U.S. map.

I took the test, and here are my results:



How accurate is the test? Well, in my case, 99.9%. As a young kid I lived about three blocks south of Pembroke Pines, and later spent much of my teen years in Fort Lauderdale. I'll guess the Jacksonville crept into my speech patterns when I was a young adult and commuted there for work for several years.

(Test link filched from Gerard over at The Presurfer)

First Reads of 2014

I thought I'd kick off my 2014 reading year with books and mags I was given or bought during the holidays. Here's what I picked:



And, what I thought:

I picked up a copy of Writer's Digest Writer's Yearbook 2014 special issue because of the market listings; I needed the info for some future sub op posts. Kevin Kaiser has a decent article with some smart strategies on self-promotion for those of you who are looking more for theory, but the rest isn't all that new or interesting. I do think the market listings make it worth the cover price, though.

The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling (at first pretending to be a guy writer named Robert Galbraith until the publisher realized no one was buying the book and accidentally/artfully spilled the beans) is a private detective mystery. It's easy to sneer over a book that didn't sell until everyone knew who really wrote it, but I thought it was okay. Middle of the road, earnestly-written -- like a lot of popular hardcover crime fic, in fact (disclaimer: I'm not really a P.I. mystery fan, but I started with P.D. James's Dagliesh novels, so as a result I expect my reading bar is a bit higher than most.) There were a few size references for the protag that also made me envision that kindly giant character Hagrid from Harry Potter, but otherwise it seemed to be entirely Hogwart-free. I would not recommend it for youngsters due to the violence, language and certain themes -- J.K. does sprinkle the eff word about quite liberally -- but fans of Michael Connolly and his sort might find it mildly diverting.

Land of the Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel. How do I describe this reading experience, besides regret over the large chunks of three days of my life spent plowing through it that I'll never get back? I had wondered why so many of you had nothing good to say about the book when I mentioned it last year, and hindsight says I should have listened to you. It's true that I haven't really loved the series since the end of The Mammoth Hunters, but I was hanging on until we could get to the last novel, you know? I even waited an extra two years before I cracked this puppy so I'd be emotionally ready to let go.

Am now quite ready. Fasten your seatbelts, friends.

Probably the most annoying thing was all the repetition, repetition, rep -- I mean, how many times did we really have to hear the Mother's song in its entirety? I'm thinking not twenty-seven, how about you? Or what it was like to bring the horses into a strange camp and calm people's fears about them (fifty times), or show them how to pet Wolf and feel his neck fur (ninety times), or be introduced to Ayla and hear all her titles (two hundred times), or see the same fricking boring cave paintings of horse heads and elephant heads and what have you over and over (I'm not counting those. After the third cave, I just skipped over those scenes.) I think some of you mentioned that, too.

And what was with the kid and whipping her out of the carrying blanket so she could pee on the ground? Why, exactly, did I have read that four hundred times? Jean, honey, I've potty-trained a daughter. After the first perfectly-timed piddle it's just not that impressive. And that's in real life -- but in fiction? Even less.

I know how difficult it is to end a series, so I think I could have forgiven all the repeats and dragginess, but whoever was playing the part of Ayla in this book was not the Ayla I know from The Valley of Horses. That Ayla would have never stood around so much, or uttered all this housekeeping dialogue, or treated Jondalar like an unreliable babysitter instead of the love of her life, or perpetually kissed the First's butt for reasons I'm still not straight on (and don't get me started on that portion of the story. Your seatbelt will snap.) No, my Ayla would have packed up her sling and dragged Jondalar back to the Mamutoi and gone on thrilling hunts and invented more cool stuff and tamed some more critters and kept me from falling asleep. This Ayla was about as engaging as Zzzzzzquil.

No reunion with Durc, so that was a huge disappointment. I should have expected that, but I really wanted Ayla to see her kid again, one last time. I was led to believe it would happen. Remember the dream she had where her Clan son meets her Other son and they fight or something? I think that was in The Mammoth Hunters. What happened to that coming true?

Then, toward the end, in the last part . . . I won't get into specifics so I don't totally spoil the end, even though I want to, but Jondalar and Marona? After what that witch did to Ayla in Shelters? Okay, maybe my disbelief might have eventually stretched to accomodate that drop into fictional relationship hell -- Jondalar could have had a complete lobotomy at the Big Summer Meeting, right? -- but then to follow it up with Ayla and Laramar? Really? Laramar? No, really? Laramar? Laramar?

JM&J. I never like to caps-yell, but the next time you all tell me not to read a book, I swear, I AM GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU.

To end on a positive note, the Winter 2014 issue of Pages magazine has just hit the racks, and this one has another great assortment of ideas and projects for your handmade books, journals and art journaling. I was amused to see the "Pocket Star" journal (have to make one of those for my editor) but I thought Gina Lee Kim's Washi Tape Art Journal project and Shayna Butler's article on what to put in an idea book were especially inspiring. I also applaud the editors for continuing to provide fresh new projects, many of which use recycled materials, for those of us who love to make books.

So what have you read so far in 2014? Let us know in comments.

Wishing You

Best of PBW 2013

At the end of every year I sift through the archives to see how things went, what I accomplished and where I might improve things with PBW and my writing life. I think it helps me to reflect, plus it gives me something interesting to post on the last day of the year.

My theme for 2013 was a mystery, and pretty much remained that all year. While I did have some interesting revelations, tried some new things and reached a lovely career landmark, I also wrestled with a bunch of disappointments and challenges behind the scenes. I always tried to reach for the roses this past year, I think, even when I knew all I'd probably get was a handful of thorns.

The summer seemed particularly tough, as it rained almost every day for three months. While I love the rain I could have done without the accompanying lightning, which cut my available computer time in half. I think that was the worst the year threw at me, and for helping me through it I have to thank my friends and regular visitors here. You all kept me working on many days when I really didn't feel like getting out of bed at all. I'm hoping that 2014 delivers fairer skies for all of us.

On the plus side, I began publishing a new series in a new genre with a new publisher; the first novel was released in a new-to-me format. All of that was very exciting and inspiring, as I love to take new roads on the journey. I am exceedingly grateful to everyone who was involved in helping me launch Disenchanted & Co. -- it really was a dream come true for me.

Here's a look back at what I think were the best posts of 2013:

January: Title Logic, Writerisms, Journaling Small

February: Just So We're Clear, Booksigning No-Nos, Ten Author Collaborations We'd Like to See

March: Ten Things I'd Like to Write Before I Kick the Bucket, The Never Read Library, Lost and Found

April: The Hours, Be Happy We Work at Home, 750 Words

May: Another First, Inconveniences, Because Sometimes You Need a Prompt

June: Secret Rooms, Story Improvement, When I Can't Write

July: If Ideas Were Alligators, Ten Things Writers Say (and What They Really Mean), Golden

August: Aftermath, Recycling Books in 1892, SPAMmed Again

September: Building with Books, His Lordship Ten, Recycle X 5: Bookmark Keeper

October: Laws of Physics? Need Not Apply, Way of the Spinyback, Raised by a Barn

November: Trust Issues, Push, To Drawer or Not to Drawer

December: Sword of Unimaginable Annoyance, Gift No-Nos, BNE1

Welcome 2014. May you be as lucky for us as we all hope.

New Writing Year Ten

Ten Things for Writers to Do for the New Year

Get to know your characters better by creating a character palette or making up some character trading cards.

Try a new/free online writing service like Hiveword (see my write-up on it here.)

For your next book writing project make up a novel notebook.

Outline your next novel.

Take the paranormal romance novelist's test.

Buff and polish up your queries (and learn what you shouldn't be sending out.)

Create a submissions log book and hunt for some new markets (for a nice variety I recommend the excellent and regularly updated listings over at Ralan.com.) Before you jump on any sub op, however, be sure to read the fine print.

Reinvent something that bugs you (like I did with the BookLoop.)

Unclutter or make some changes to your writing space.

Be valiant.

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments.