2008 September at SF Novelists

Archive for September, 2008

spiziks September 28th 2008

My Own ePublishing Rant

Electronic publishing is the future! Embrace e-publishing! Paper is dead! You publishers are idiots, ignoring this new market!
Please.
I love watching the techno-geeks howl and cry about this. I even agree with them. Read here and here for some excellent examples.
But . . .
The problem with epublishing, one that neither of these people has addressed, is […]

Stephanie Burgis September 26th 2008

Different kinds of limbo

Writing is such an odd career. I’ve known I wanted to be a professional writer since I was seven years old (the year I made my first sale - a poem to a kids’ magazine - and learned my first Big Publishing Lesson, when the magazine folded and I never got any pay or publication […]

Mindy Klasky September 25th 2008

First, Be Professional

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it takes to succeed in this crazy business, as a writer. The thing I keep coming back to is, “Be Professional.”
Professionalism can take on all sorts of guises.
It can mean negotiating, accepting, and meeting deadlines. (This does *not* mean accepting the first deadline thrust in front of you, […]

Jim C. Hines September 24th 2008

Welcome to the Nuthouse

I’ve said before that writers are nuts. Recent events in my writing career have done nothing to change that opinion.
I’ve written about the neuroses before, back when I was struggling to break in … the compulsive mailbox/e-mail checking, the obsessiveness over underlining vs. italics or whether there should be one space or two after the period, […]

David B. Coe September 23rd 2008

Character Development, part II

Yesterday, at http://magicalwords.net, where I blog with fantasy authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, and fellow SFNovelists member C.E. Murphy, I began a discussion on creating and developing characters. I started with my belief that creating believable, compelling characters is the most important element in effective storytelling, regardless of the genre in which you happen to […]

Kelly McCullough September 19th 2008

Plot Synopsis Project II

SFNovelists’ Joshua Palmatier has put together a great project for writers interested in learning more about how a plot synopsis looks by getting a bunch of folks to post synopses that have sold books. This is his second version of the project: Plot Synopsis Project II.
Paticipants include:
Joshua Palmatier
Alma Alexander (Will post on the 20th […]

Kate Elliott September 19th 2008

Ways to Avoid Distraction While On Deadline

1. Turn off the internet connection and/or send router or box to work with partner or friend.
Caveat: Neighbor may have non-passworded wireless.
2. Go to park.
Caveat: Need clement weather and a blanket or place to sit.
Caveat: If blanket only, need young body that will not get immediately sore and aching.
Bonus: If […]

Diana Pharaoh Francis September 17th 2008

A publishing secret

This may be a secret, or just one of those things you don’t think about much, but I’ve never heard it talked about much, so I’m going to now. The secret? Turn-around time–the amount of time you have to return a manuscript to your editor. After you finish your book and send it to your […]

Simon Haynes September 16th 2008

NaNoWriMo

November approaches at speed, and with it comes the annual National Novel Writing Month. The title is a misnomer if ever there was one, since National actually encompasses the globe and 50,000 words (the target) does not an adult novel make. However, it’s the idea which is important, not the chosen name.
This will be my […]

Marie Brennan September 16th 2008

Apprentice, journeyman, master

I like the notion of ranks. Some people seem to find them uncomfortable, as if admitting that these people over here are more skilled than those people over there is somehow unfair or elitist. Me, I look at a ranking system and see achievements waiting to happen.
It’s been a good nine or ten […]

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Author Information

spiziks

Steven Harper Piziks was born in Saginaw, Michigan, but he moved around a lot. Currently he lives with his wife and three sons near Ann Arbor, Michigan. His novels include In the Company of Mind and Corporate Mentality, both science fiction published by Baen Books. Writing as Steven Harper for Roc Books, he has produced The Silent Empire series. He's also written movie novelizations and books based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and The Ghost Whisperer. Steven currently teaches English in southeast Michigan. When not writing, he plays the folk harp, dabbles in oral storytelling, and spends more time on-line than is probably good for him. Visit his web page at http://www.sff.net/people/spiziks or find his LiveJournal at http:spiziks.livejournal.com/ Visit site.

Stephanie Burgis

Stephanie Burgis is an American writer who lives in Yorkshire, England, with her husband, fellow writer Patrick Samphire, their son "Mr Darcy", and their crazy-sweet border collie mix, Maya. Her YA Regency fantasy trilogy, starting with Kat by Moonlight, will be published by Hyperion Books in 2010, 2011, and 2012. She has also published short stories in a variety of magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, including Strange Horizons, Aeon, and Escape Pod. You can find out more, or read/listen to her published stories online, at her website. Visit site.

Mindy Klasky

Mindy Klasky is the author of eight novels, including the popular paranormal romances GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT and SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL. Mindy also wrote the award-winning, best-selling Glasswrights series and the stand-alone fantasy novel, SEASON OF SACRIFICE. Visit site.

Jim C. Hines

Jim C. Hines is the author of THE STEPSISTER SCHEME, the first book in a new series that blends the old fairy tales and Charlie's Angels. He also wrote the humorous goblin trilogy, from DAW Books. He made his first professional fiction sale in 1998 with "Blade of the Bunny," an award-winning story that appeared in Writers of the Future XV. His short fiction has since appeared in over 30 magazines and anthologies, including Realms of Fantasy, Turn the Other Chick, and Sword & Sorceress XXI. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and two children. He's currently hard at work on RED HOOD'S REVENGE, the third book in his princess series. Visit site.

David B. Coe

David B. Coe is the author of nine fantasy novels, including the books of the LonTobyn Chronicle, Winds of the Forelands, and Blood of the Southlands. In 1999 he received the Crawford Fantasy Award, given annually by the IAFA to the best new author in fantasy. He has a Ph.D. in United States environmental history and lives on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with his wife and daughters. Visit site.

Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough's first novel in the WebMage series, WebMage, was released by Ace in 2006 to considerable critical praise. Cybermancy, and CodeSpell followed in '07 and '08. His 4th, MythOS, is slated for late May '09. His short fiction has appeared in numerous venues including Weird Tales, Writers of the Future, and Tales of the Unanticipated. His illustrated collection, The Chronicles of the Wandering Star, is part of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school science curriculum, Interactions in Physical Science. Visit site.

Kate Elliott

Kate Elliott is the author of multiple fantasy and science fiction novels, including the Crown of Stars series and the Novels of the Jaran. She's currently working on Crossroads; the first novel, Spirit Gate, is already out, and Shadow Gate will be published in Spring 2008. Visit site.

Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis has written the fantasy novel trilogy that includes Path of Fate, Path of Honor and Path of Blood. Path of Fate was nominated for the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award. Recently released was The Cipher, first of The Crosspointe Chronicles, which will be followed by The Black Ship in November 2008. Diana teaches in the English Department at the University of Montana Western, and is an avid lover of all things chocolate. Visit site.

Simon Haynes

Simon is the author of the Hal Spacejock series, featuring intergalactic loser Hal and his junky sidekick, Clunk. His website contains a number of articles on writing and publishing, and he's also the programmer of several freeware apps including yBook, BookDB and yWriter. In his spare time(!) he helps to run Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. Visit site.

Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan is the author of several fantasy novels and short stories, including the Elizabethan faerie spy fantasy Midnight Never Come. Visit site.

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