Well, That’s Done It

About a month or so ago, I accidentally clicked on the “Facebook Chat” icon, putting myself out there in the intarwebs available for interaction. Within about 15 seconds, I had 10 people open chats with me. Seven of them were from people I hadn’t heard from in a long time, all of whom I wanted to talk to. Three…

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Pre-SENT Squee!

Kirkus reviews AlphaOops: H is for Halloween. And it kind of rocks. Got yours yet? AlphaOops: H is for Halloween ******************************************* ALPHAOOPS: H IS FOR HALLOWEEN Author: Kontis, Alethea Illustrator: Kolar, Bob Publisher:Candlewick Pages: 40 Price ( Hardback ): $15.99 Publication Date: July 13, 2010 ISBN ( Hardback ): 978-0-7636-3966-2 Category: Picture Books Classification: Holiday Series: AlphaOops Volume: 2…

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Apex Army Recruiting

You enjoy science fiction. You’re addicted to the computer. You’ve got some time on your hands. You like free stuff. Kid, have I got the job for you. Anyone, that’s right, ANYONE can be a member of the Apex Army. There are four ways to do it. 1.) Review some Apex books or stories from the magazine on your…

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To You, From Me

Mom saw my birthday tribute to her this morning (how fitting that Concrete Blonde played “Happy Birthday” last night as part of their set for the 20th Anniversary of Bloodletting tour). Needless to say, I brought a tear to her eye — an ability I’ve become quite proud of over the years, as my mother’s tears are a mark…

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Just Joking

Stories are getting shorter and shorter these days as our schedules get more and more full–we’ve begun reading our stories on coffee sleeves and business cards and the ever-popular Twitter, in 140-characters or less. Nathan Lilly, editor of the now-infamous Twitter magazine Thaumatrope, just posted a great essay about the essence of lightning fiction: In my comings and goings,…

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For My Mother, On Her Birthday

An Ode to Motherhood To a mom who cooks and cleans And washes all my favorite jeans The last time that you left a spot Very happy I was NOT! But where a spot you did not miss Turns out another called a kiss Life ain’t that easy, you see I guess that’s why you’re stuck with me. (And…

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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…

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Like a Band-Aid in the Sun

Porcelain. Chocolate. Alabaster. Cafe au lait. Tawny. At one point or another, you’ve read all these adjectives to describe skin tone. (Go on, I know I’m missing some. Feel free to add your own in the comments.) Every time I notice these same tried-and-true descriptions, it makes me wonder what words I would use to characterize my own skin….

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X Amount of Words

Last night I was editing a story I hadn’t looked at in a while — it needed some TLC and the 10% cut (you know, the rule about trimming 10% of the words…that’s a GOOD edit). I dug it out because it was one of those rare times when a magazine was in the market for A, B, X,…

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