Steampunk in Sepia

Last week was the first annual Steampunk World’s Fair, held in Piscataway, New Jersey. I so, so, so wish I could have gone. Luckily, my Best Beloved peeps Leanna Renee Hieber and Stephen Segal were there to represent. Leanna posted the link to a gorgeous convention album by photographer Tony Romeo called “Steampunk in Sepia.” Because, really, what else…

READ MORE

10 Tips for Marketing Your Book Online

My dear friend, bestselling thriller author J.T. Ellison, recently posted “10 Tips for Marketing Your Book Online.” In a world where banks have started holding payroll checks because so many of them are bouncing, online marketing’s a particularly savvy tool that all writers should investigate. Most importantly, J.T. includes the most important piece of advice that should be on…

READ MORE

From the Garage

Facebook is a funny thing. Greg Hall (yes, that Funky Werepig we all know and love) posted this morning that he has 500 friends, and intended to celebrate by buying them all breakfast. Kelli and I were sitting on the green couch in the garage at the time, dutifully hammering away at our keyboards. We know Greg, and we…

READ MORE

Driving Gloves & Limousines

My friend, author Nathan Long, recently commented on one of my Facebook status updates. Something he said reminded me of the gloves he wears while driving. Like an amnesiac with an epiphany, like a dream shattered upon waking, an entire week of my life came back to me. A few years ago, I spent a week in Los Angeles….

READ MORE

There Is No Shopping Cart

Having a favorite song is like having a favorite movie or a favorite book. There are just so many that reflect different aspects of our nature…it’s almost silly to have just ONE. Once upon a time I made a list of some of popular bands, and which were my favorite songs of those bands. Some of the ones I…

READ MORE

Muddy Waters

For us optimists, it takes a little longer for these things to sink in. When I heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, my mind saw a little private single-engine Cessna, owned by someone with too much money and too little sense, clipping the side with its wing. When we checked the weather…

READ MORE

Mo*Con V: Kelli Strikes Back

(long story, but here’s the edited version): Bob and Kelli and I drove down to Virginia, woke Joe up from his nap, threw our suitcases (and four boxes of the LAST RITES chapbook) into Joe’s car, and started on our 10-hour drive to Maurice’s house. On the way we drove through Flushing, Negro Mountain, a Pony Pull, and October….

READ MORE