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It’s Shapeshifter Time!

December 6, 2010 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , ,

By Linda O. Johnston

As people who know me are aware, I love to write about animals–both the real and fictional sort. This month, my focus is on shapeshifters. Werewolves. They’re characters in my new Harlequin Nocturne, ALASKAN WOLF, which is a December release!

Would you like to be one? If so… what would you change into?  

ALASKAN WOLF, another in the Alpha Force series from Harlequin Nocturne, is a December 2010 release.

Be sure to watch for the new Lauren Vancouver, Pet Rescuer series! The first book BEAGLE MANIA will be out in March 2011. It’s a spin-off from the Kendra series, and Lauren is introduced in HOWL DEADLY.

Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

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Heck Yeah! Meeting Men on the Internet

December 2, 2010 by in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster tagged as , , , ,
I have been meeting a lot of men online lately and they all want one thing – to talk about books.

 

Not what you were expecting? Well, I gotta tell you this is a new experience for me, too. Not meeting men, of course. I’ve known a couple in my life, I just don’t remember them very well since I’ve been married like forever (think Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion and if you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and get thee right now to Netflix).

Since marrying I’ve also met some neat guys. They repair my car, my plumbing and take care of my yard.

What makes these new guys so amazing is that they are (get ready) readers of fiction. Before the internet, I didn’t believe they existed. I assumed all men were like my husband and read history (tons and tons of history) or magazines and newspapers and owner’s manuals. Of course, there were always the aberrations like the men who read Tom Clancy or David Morrell. But I’m a little suspect of those readers. I have it on good authority that the publisher lays down a thin layer of testosterone on each page during the printing process. That’s tantamount to carrying a ham hock in your pocket to make a dog love you.

The men I’m talking about read MY fiction – and I’m a woman author. I think my books are pretty thrilling considering I write legal thrillers. There’s always a good murder (and I’m talking really good). There are fight or flight scenes. There are sex scenes (okay, maybe not real sex scenes. My mom reads my books, after all. She loves a creative murder but sex? Not so much). There are bare-knuckled-intellectual smack downs in my fictional courtrooms that men would love. I could see how some of this would attract male readers but my books also feature women leads and emotional entanglements. I figured that took me and a whole lot of other authors off their radar.

The cool thing about all this is that these guys not only love to read fiction, they are like book mechanics now that I’m E-publishing. Not only do they point out a problem with a file, they happily help me fix it. I’m assuming they are happy to help since the dialogue between us continues over weeks and months and, in some cases, years. I know about their children and grandchildren, we swap travel stories and suggestions for good reads. I get a little jealous when they don’t add ‘but your work is so much better’ to their recommendations but I get over it.

So, here’s a big heck yeah! to all the guys who read fiction – my books and yours. Knowing they’re out there on the internet has sort of changed the way I write. Now I swipe a little more testosterone on those pages just to say thanks.

Rebecca Forster

As an advertising executive I marketed a world-class spa when it was still called a gym, did business in China before there were western toilettes and mucked around with sheep to find out how my client’s fine wool was made. Then I wrote my first book. . .visit me at http://www.rebeccaforster.com/



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OCCRWA January 2011 Online Class — “Going the Distance: Goal Setting and Time Management for the Writer” with Kitty Bucholtz

November 26, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as

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It’s Black Friday…and the Best Bargain You Can Buy for Yourself is Writing Time!
Add to your Shopping List the following from the Orange County Chapter of RWA!

“Going the Distance: Goal Setting and Time Management for the Writer”with Kitty Bucholtz
January 10 to February 5, 2011

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJan11.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com

ABOUT THE CLASS:

Wherever you are in your career, time management is often one of the biggest challenges. Every New Year’s Eve, as the fireworks explode, we try to figure out how to make our goals into our reality. But what will work for you?

In this class, you will be presented with a variety of ways to look at goal setting and time management specifically designed for the writer. Whether you are a plotter or a pantster, this interactive course will help you design a game plan that will work for you.

You will be encouraged to share your personal time management frustrations as well as your tips and tricks for achieving your writing goals. Everyone will take away a printed personalized plan for the year, and you will know how and when to make adjustments. Though class interaction will be most helpful, this is a class that can be taken and saved for later as long as you take the time to download the many forms provided on the group website.

Start the New Year right! Forget the mistakes of the past and focus on what you can do to change your future!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Kitty Bucholtz is a writer and speaker, and a member of Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of Australia. She co-founded Routines for Writers (http://www.routinesforwriters.com\ a web site dedicated to helping writers write more. In 2011, Kitty will receive her Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing from University of Technology, Sydney.

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJan11.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

Coming in February 2011–

“OMG I &#9829 it: Writing the YA teens want to read “
with Suzanne Lazear
Find out what Teens expect out of a YA novel and how to write the YA story you want to tell in a way that appeals to today’s teens.

Check out our full list of workshop at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html

Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sureyou’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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How thankful are you? Thoughts on talking turkey from Isabel Swift

November 25, 2010 by in category From Isabel Swift tagged as ,
Thank you notes—the lack of them—was one of the key complaints about children in a recent conversation with a remarkably varied series of mothers I’d been speaking to.
Mommie Dearest aside, you don’t have to be an abusive parent to expect a child (or anyone) to respond to a gift with appreciation.  I wasn’t allowed to go out and play if I hadn’t finished my thank you notes for Christmas presents by the first week in January. While it was tedious, I really didn’t see it as an inappropriate expectation of my parents.  Now I send my thank you notes as Valentine cards—a little late, but decorative!
And when I got old enough to actually send presents, it became very clear how nice getting a note was—if only to reassure you that your gift was actually received!  With no response, one can spend months vacillating between resentment toward the recipient, concern that the package had been lost, and angst about whether one should contact the person & ask the embarrassing question:  
“Did you get the present I sent months ago?” 
“Oh, yeah.  Sorry!  I guess I should have said something…”  
Yeah.  That would have been nice.
Even as one mother was complaining of the effort she made to find her nephews and nieces things she thought they’d like and how ungrateful they were and unthanked she was, I was thinking of the presents I’d given her children for which I’d never gotten any thanks or acknowledgment. Funny how easy it is to notice failures in others and not in yourself, isn’t it? 
I asked her if she’d written thank you notes herself as a child.  She’d written some, but mentioned that her godmother used to give her beautiful treasures that she still cherished, but had never thanked her for.

Suddenly, after complaining about others, she realized she’d been just as guilty. She wondered if the statute of limitations had expired, but in my opinion thanks have no expiration date. You can send a thank you years later, and it will still be fresh—and possibly even more appreciated. Go for it. And she did.

In these days of endless communication options, there’s no excuse, but remarkably little activity.  And really, not much is required:  “Just got your lovely gift—thank you so much for thinking of me!” is really all that is needed.  Yes, it would be nice to reference the actual object & mention why it will be enjoyed (if indeed it is).  But details are not required, and neither are falsehoods.  
I believe in telling the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth.  So if you hate the gift for whatever reason, all you need to do is thank the giver for the kind thought.  Note, postcard, email, voice mail (hey, you can even call when you know they won’t be there!). 
It was interesting to note that this issue of lack of acknowledgement has been the subject of articles with business interviews as well.  
So just as we may wish for Christmas cheer to last beyond the holidays, it is worth asking…can you be thankful all year long?
Did you have to write thank you notes? Do you write them now? Did you raise your children to write thank you notes?
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e-maginings: Steampunk: The Next Big Thing?

November 16, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as ,

I know some of you are wondering, what in the heck is steampunk? Simply put, it’s Victorian-era science fiction, often inspired by the novels of Jules Verne. The graphic novel & movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is probably the most obvious example.

Wikipedia defines Steampunk as:

…a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc.

Not all Steampunk technology runs on steam power, there are also ray guns, dirigibles, clockwork mechanisms and mechanical computers based on Charles Babbage’s designs.

I’ve been hearing about steampunk for a couple of years now, so I jumped at the chance to take Suzanne Lazear’s online class through the LARA Chapter and I’m learning a lot. Suzanne wrote a great steampunk post at Castles & Guns that will explain it better than I can.

Like steam itself, steampunk is impossible to contain. Authors are using their imaginations to add fantasy and paranormal elements, to re-write history, and to heat up the Victorian era with erotic tales. There is steampunk romance, steamypunk (erotica) and gaslamp romance (Victorian-era romance with steampunk or fantasy elements, but without elaborate worldbuilding). And it’s not just books and short stories, movies & videogames. There are steampunk RPG’s (role playing games), steampunk conventions, steampunk fashion, and steampunk sex toys. Some people have even steampunked their homes!

But why steampunk and why now? Some think it’s a reaction to our economic recession. In the foreword to Steampunk Tales Free, publisher John H. Sondericker III writes: “With many of us feeling the stresses and strains of a world economy in decline, the time is right for the resurgence of escapism into the magnificent and fantastic worlds of classic pulp.”

There’s a nostalgia about steampunk, a longing for an era when technology wasn’t just useful, but often elegantly designed and built to last. I grew up around antique cars since that was my dad’s hobby. Those old cars were beautiful, with tufted leather seats and brass headlamps. And who can resist the charm of a steam locomotive like the one used for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies?

Personally, I’m looking forward to exploring this fascinating genre a little more. What about you?

Linda McLaughlin
w/a Lyndi Lamont

Steampunk Resources:

Steamed! Writing steampunk fiction blog

Steampunk Writers Guild

Steampunk Links

Free The Princess: A practical literary guide to Steampunk and the Victorian Era

Article on Worldbuilding in Steampunk by author G. D. Falksen


Steampunk Emporium: Authentic Period Clothing for a Better Tomorrow

article in Boston Globe on Steampunk, Nov. 4, 2010

And last but not least, Lady Clankington’s Cabinet of Carnal Curiosities (This is a hoot, but may not be safe for work)

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