Pay a visit to the excellent Word Joy blog, and while you're there, read the review of The Day After Yesterday.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Nerd alert: History shows again and again how trailers point out the folly of fans
GODZILLA!
The title of the post aside, this really does look promising. However, I still remember the giant iguana vs. Matthew Broderick atrocity, so I am cautious. Time will tell.
The title of the post aside, this really does look promising. However, I still remember the giant iguana vs. Matthew Broderick atrocity, so I am cautious. Time will tell.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Back to the beach
Needed inspiration and a re-set of my mental equilibrium, so the other day I headed to the beach. I'm grateful that I live in California, where a trip to the beach is possible even in the middle of February (though I didn't go into the water higher than my knees, and spent much of that time exclaiming, "Oh, that's cold!"). I built sand castles with my kid, and we found an amazing conch in the tide pools. A very good day.
Monday, February 10, 2014
In a perfect world...
Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to bits with my new covers, which turned out better than I had ever dreamed. And I can say nothing but good about James at GoOnWrite for his wonderful designs.
But even though I selected the photo myself, on occasion I look at the new cover of The Day After Yesterday, and I get a little glitch in my brain of, "But that's not what Daniel really looks like!" I know, I'm as bad as those people who complained about the casting in the Harry Potter movies.
Suffice to say, the cover would be 100% perfect instead of 99.9% if the gentleman on the cover looked like this guy:
Or this guy:
Or this guy (Ewan of course, not the guy in the fez):
I have just realized that this post unveils an aspect of my creative process that you probably didn't want to know about (and explains all that time on IMDB and Tumblr). Sorry about that!
But even though I selected the photo myself, on occasion I look at the new cover of The Day After Yesterday, and I get a little glitch in my brain of, "But that's not what Daniel really looks like!" I know, I'm as bad as those people who complained about the casting in the Harry Potter movies.
Suffice to say, the cover would be 100% perfect instead of 99.9% if the gentleman on the cover looked like this guy:
Or this guy:
Or this guy (Ewan of course, not the guy in the fez):
I have just realized that this post unveils an aspect of my creative process that you probably didn't want to know about (and explains all that time on IMDB and Tumblr). Sorry about that!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Musical inspiration: Kate Bush
I am so happy that the weather has finally turned cooler (we've even had this weird thing where water falls from the sky - I think they call it "rain"). One reason I'm happy is because it means I can change up the music on my iPod. It's weird, but some music lends itself to cool, rainy weather. I can only play k. d. lang's Drag when it's overcast; by contrast, anything by Electric Light Orchestra is reserved for a bright, sunny day (with the exception of "Can't Get it Out of My Head" and maybe "Telephone Line").
It gets complicated, and one album that exemplifies this is Kate Bush's Hounds of Love. Made back when albums had sides, the first half of the album is the "sunny" side. The songs are about love, from the sensual yearning of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" to the possibly unhealthy relationship in "Mother Stands For Comfort" to the bond between father and son in "Cloudbusting."
But it's the album's second side that calls to me when the weather turns chill, and that has been an inspiration to my writing. This side is a mini-suite called The Ninth Wave (the title comes from a Tennyson poem), and it tells a story of a person alone in the sea, fighting for life. The suite follows its protagonist from struggles with exhaustion and despair, through the terror of facing mortality, reconciliation with knowing that life will go on without them, ending on a note of hope and joy that's nicely ambiguous (it's not necessarily clear if the person is rescued or if it's a transition into a pleasant afterlife).
I listened to this album for the first time in a long while, and I was struck by how often I had been trying to capture the feelings and sensations of the songs in my own fiction. I honestly don't know if I could have written scenes like the fight on the frozen lake in Ashes or Daniel's narrow escape from drowning in The Day After Yesterday if I hadn't had the moods of Bush's music in my subconscious.
Writers are advised to read a lot and read widely if they want to learn how to write. That's absolutely true, but writers can also find inspiration in other arts. Start by listening to The Ninth Wave. If Bush's (admittedly idiosyncratic) style clicks with you, I think you'll find it captivating.
It gets complicated, and one album that exemplifies this is Kate Bush's Hounds of Love. Made back when albums had sides, the first half of the album is the "sunny" side. The songs are about love, from the sensual yearning of "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" to the possibly unhealthy relationship in "Mother Stands For Comfort" to the bond between father and son in "Cloudbusting."
But it's the album's second side that calls to me when the weather turns chill, and that has been an inspiration to my writing. This side is a mini-suite called The Ninth Wave (the title comes from a Tennyson poem), and it tells a story of a person alone in the sea, fighting for life. The suite follows its protagonist from struggles with exhaustion and despair, through the terror of facing mortality, reconciliation with knowing that life will go on without them, ending on a note of hope and joy that's nicely ambiguous (it's not necessarily clear if the person is rescued or if it's a transition into a pleasant afterlife).
I listened to this album for the first time in a long while, and I was struck by how often I had been trying to capture the feelings and sensations of the songs in my own fiction. I honestly don't know if I could have written scenes like the fight on the frozen lake in Ashes or Daniel's narrow escape from drowning in The Day After Yesterday if I hadn't had the moods of Bush's music in my subconscious.
Writers are advised to read a lot and read widely if they want to learn how to write. That's absolutely true, but writers can also find inspiration in other arts. Start by listening to The Ninth Wave. If Bush's (admittedly idiosyncratic) style clicks with you, I think you'll find it captivating.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
No apologies
Short but excellent piece over at Book Riot, urging us all to never apologize for our taste in books.
This hits home for me, as I spent the first 40 years of my life apologizing for my taste in not just books but movies and music as well. Even now, I still find myself apologizing, though it's changed a bit. In the past I apologized for liking weird, geeky things. Oftentimes now I find myself apologizing for "normal" things like romance novels or TV procedurals.
But life is too short and there's only so much time to enjoy all the arts available to us. So enjoy what you enjoy, and never apologize.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
New covers!
I've started off the new year by having new covers commissioned for all my books.
The ever-awesome James at GoOnWrite has come through with these fantastic covers.
For those of you who prefer print copies, those still need to be sorted out. In a couple weeks the print versions will be available with new covers.
Very excited about the new covers, and looking forward to seeing them on the virtual shelves.
The ever-awesome James at GoOnWrite has come through with these fantastic covers.
For those of you who prefer print copies, those still need to be sorted out. In a couple weeks the print versions will be available with new covers.
Very excited about the new covers, and looking forward to seeing them on the virtual shelves.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Book BagLady reviews Ashes and Reckoning!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
What's up my sleeve for 2014
The good news is that I've got a lot of irons in the fire for 2014.
The bad news is that most of them are not in a state where I can talk about them right now.
Let's just say that I'm going to be a busy girl this year. Considering setting up a caffeine IV drip.
But one thing I can talk about is my first nonfiction book: A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema.
Inspired by my stint as reviewer at Horrorview, I'm putting together a book of 200 movie reviews. My thinking is that you don't need me to tell you to see Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, but maybe you do want my opinions on some of the more oddball movies that might pop up when you're browsing Hulu or Netflix. There will be cult classics, interesting failures, direct-to-video oddities, and much more. There'll be a heavy dose of the horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres, but also a little bit of everything: martial arts, anime, film noir, European art-house, silent films, and so on.
I'm currently into the home stretch for writing reviews, and an illustrator is at work on the cover (I've seen the roughs, and this is going to look fantastic). I'm aiming for a release this autumn - further details as and when!
The bad news is that most of them are not in a state where I can talk about them right now.
Let's just say that I'm going to be a busy girl this year. Considering setting up a caffeine IV drip.
But one thing I can talk about is my first nonfiction book: A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema.
Inspired by my stint as reviewer at Horrorview, I'm putting together a book of 200 movie reviews. My thinking is that you don't need me to tell you to see Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, but maybe you do want my opinions on some of the more oddball movies that might pop up when you're browsing Hulu or Netflix. There will be cult classics, interesting failures, direct-to-video oddities, and much more. There'll be a heavy dose of the horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres, but also a little bit of everything: martial arts, anime, film noir, European art-house, silent films, and so on.
I'm currently into the home stretch for writing reviews, and an illustrator is at work on the cover (I've seen the roughs, and this is going to look fantastic). I'm aiming for a release this autumn - further details as and when!
Friday, January 3, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Appearances on some 2013 lists
It's the time of year when readers and reviewers start posting their year-in-review lists of books. I am pleased and honored to say that I've made a couple lists:
The Day After Yesterday is on the list of best books of the year at Mom In Love With Fiction
Ashes is the Most Surprising (In A Good Way) Book at Ciska's Book Chest
That's a nice way to end the year!
The Day After Yesterday is on the list of best books of the year at Mom In Love With Fiction
Ashes is the Most Surprising (In A Good Way) Book at Ciska's Book Chest
That's a nice way to end the year!
99-cent ebook sale til January 6!
2013 is gone but my holiday 99-cent sale of all my ebooks is still on! From now until January 6, all my novels are on sale for 99 cents. It's a great way to fill up that new Kindle or Nook you got for the holidays.
Visit my Amazon page to learn more. All three books are also available at Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.
Visit my Amazon page to learn more. All three books are also available at Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Adios to 2013, muchas gracias to all of you
The year had its ups and downs, but when it came to being an independent author, it was fantastic. I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers, and all my fans, friends, and followers. You make it all worthwhile.
Here's to a happy 2014!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Review: The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug
Can an awesome dragon save a misfired movie? Find out in my review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug over at Horrorview.
Adding another book to my favorite reads of 2013
One last entry into the list of books I've most enjoyed in 2013, and that's Stephen King's Doctor Sleep.
This was a pleasant surprise, as I was very skeptical of a sequel to one of my favorite books. But I heard good things about it from my buddies A.J. and Matt, and asked for it for Christmas (and got it - thanks, Mom!).
A full review for Horrorview is forthcoming, but it's an entertaining and creepy read. It's not pure horror like The Shining was, but along with the creepy stuff is a good exploration of how the past defines us and how we can break the chains (a favorite theme of mine).
This was a pleasant surprise, as I was very skeptical of a sequel to one of my favorite books. But I heard good things about it from my buddies A.J. and Matt, and asked for it for Christmas (and got it - thanks, Mom!).
A full review for Horrorview is forthcoming, but it's an entertaining and creepy read. It's not pure horror like The Shining was, but along with the creepy stuff is a good exploration of how the past defines us and how we can break the chains (a favorite theme of mine).
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