E-Book Price Wars
By · CommentsOh man. I was up these past few nights editing REVENANT to get it back to the copy-editors on time, so I hadn’t been paying much attention to the world. Shouldn’t do that.
Yeah, I saw the iPad, and the only thought in my head is WANT. I saw the iBooks and thought, wow those are expensive, luckily the Kindle still charges a lower price
Hah! Evidently that’s where the war has now escalated. I read Scalzi’s WHATEVER blog religiously, and discovered that Scalzi discovered all of his books listed with Macmillan have been pulled from purchase both on the book site as well as when purchasing for Kindle. Huh? Serious?
So I then clicked the article link from the NYT, about the ebook wars. This is just going to get more heated. And I’m afraid it’s the consumer and writers that are going to get hit with collateral damage.
Neil Gaiman @ Agnes Scott
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Whooo…I’ve had a busy few weeks. From travel, to editing, to new work to recording intros for Audible for the Zoe books
Last night though, was a huuuuuge treat!
Neil Gaiman offered up a contest to bookstores around the country—the store that puts on the best Graveyard Halloween party—and Neil would come. Well, there were two winners. A store in Winnepeg, and none other than the most excellent Independent bookstore in Atlanta, Little Shop of Stories in Decatur!
Now the fun thing was getting the tickets—which were free. Luckily I haz most excellent friend Lyn who was able to get 2 tickets and her husband Scott and I went last night to Agnes Scott College to listen to the master himself. My goodness—I’d forgotten how amazing he is! I picked up The Graveyard Book, Sandman Vol. 1 (I have as individual classics!), Od and Frost Giants, and Neverwhere.
I’m still glowing…wow. Neil Gaiman is incredible!
And to quote what I heard last night:
“Support your local Indies—Amazon can’t put on a Halloween Party, Barnes & Noble won’t invite your pets to Story Time, and Borders never brought Neil Gaiman to Decatur! Little Shop of Stories!”
Oops…
By · CommentsWell, well, well…I got derailed again. But not for any life drama or roll—but a book. A book on a run away train. More like a stampeding herd of Mustangs, really.
Short answer—length. I was hired to write a 100K Shadowrun novel. And due to ups and downs behind the scenes, when I got back to it, I discovered it was 45,000 words OVER that. Yikes! And I’ve been battling this monstrocity ever since. I’ve managed to pare it down some—but then a beta reader read it and commented it was missing a few things.
Crap. Those things I took out. So… I’m now furtively fixing things back the way they were so I can just turn it in and be done. And NaNo? Oh… I still plan on at least getting 50k finished before the deadline. I just have to get this monster out of my house!
NaNo—a bit late
By · CommentsAfter another little bit of time away from home (how am I ever going to get anything done if I keep traveling???), I’m finally back at the big computer with a list of things to do. One of them was to get NaNoWriMo jump started.
And that I did. I managed to write some while in D.C. and Baltimore, and I’ve posted it to this site under NaNoWriMo header. I have three chapters so far, and I hope to get my next 12 pages done today. AFTER I finish these other projects I’m behind on.
I thought when I started this whole free-lance gig I’d have more hours in a day.
Yeah….right. ARGH.
New Support
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So, what does a newly born Full Time Writer do on her first week back from a two-week workshop?
She buys a new chair! Hell yeah! I’m sorry, but if I’m gonna make my living sitting on my backside I need better support. So here’s my latest and greatest acquisition, approved by the Bunny Slippers themselves,
I call her—
New Chair! Okay…so not original. My brain’s fried soba noodles.
Up next…. Preparing for NaNoWriMo!
Who out there is doing it this year?
(Oh yeah…that’s the OUT OF THE DARK manuscript splayed out on the floor to the right…shhhhh….)
Catching Up on Events
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Whooo…..it’s taken me a while. I’m still working on pearing down a book, but needed a break. Before it broke me.
I’ve uploaded—or am uploading—pictures to my flkr page which I have neglected. My first set is from GenCon 09, for any gamers out there. It was a lot of fun, and I had a blast meeting Brent Evans, Catalyst’s new Art Director. They guy is phenomenal.
I’ve added the flkr to my widgets—but if they don’t show up, here’s a link to GenCon 09
Hrm…Camera Issues
By · CommentsApparently my camera and the accompanying card isn’t showing up on dis machine, here. *taps chin* I might have to improvise if I plan on getting these pictures uploaded.
As for writing goals, yesterday’s was met—I’m pairing down a 145,000 book I sort of Over Wrote. Duh? I got it down again today by about 5,000 words. I’m cutting subplots left and right. Geez…you’d think I’d turned this thing into a fat fantasy.
Kiddies, don’t try this at home. It’s NUTZ!
Back In The Saddle — er Chair
By · CommentsSo what does a writer do after getting back from a two week workshop on the west coast?
SLEEP!
I slept most of yesterday, along with doing bills, and laundry, and a bit of house cleaning. I put my files back together, and got my projects lined for the next week.
I have pictures from the Inn we stayed at and I’ll upload those hopefully today or tomorrow.
Oh, and what am I doing today? Wednesday?
WRITING, of course!
Heading Back Home
By · CommentsSiting in the Portland airport—waiting on an 8:55 flight—and looking over all the fun I had.
In case I neglected to post up or Twitter what I’ve been doing—I’ve been in Lincoln City, Oregon helping where I could at the same Writing Workshop I attended TWICE. This class is affectionately called The Master Class, and its graduates in writing have now reached over a 100 strong. I met a lot of great people, met up with old friends, got to spend time with my editor and her adorable husband, and best of all—
I got to to spend time with Dean , Kris and the Yorks. I feel I’ve come a long way since those first days back in ‘96 when I met Dean at a Southwest Writers Workshop. And then later meeting Kris at the Nebulas in Taos. From my first Kris & Dean show—to the first MasterClass experiment in 1999.
But I’m not done. I don’t know everything. And even this time while in the class—I learned again. Wow. Fuck’n awesome!
After taking the plunge to go freelance—as a full time writer—I felt a bit rudder-less. Until Dean and Kris (bless their hearts!) asked me to come to Oregon. Surrounded by writers, talking business and craft—for two weeks—damn. There is nothing better.
Well maybe a Sara Lee coconut cake….
Nothing better for getting on the right track as well. I’ve now set goals—have ideas for new books—and intend on gearing up my short stories again (I got a copy of Kris’ DIVING INTO THE WRECK!!!!). I also plan on NannoWrimo this year—hey I have the time—and powering out a full book in 1 month. Think’n I might blog on that too…. hrm….
It also showed me my total lack of time management—like not getting Grimoire finished and uploaded for reading? Or getting OUT OF THE DARK on the Kindle? Yeah, before I could blame the stress from the day job—and working for someone else. But not anymore. REVENANT will be out in June of 2010—and I no longer intend on letting things fall out of my lap for fear of failure.
Ooh…I said that out loud.
If there is one thing I’ve taken from this—or two maybe—is that more books from me are on their way, and that publishing is changing, folks. We don’t know how it’ll settle—or to what end.
But the electronic age is here—and I don’t think it’s going away any time soon.
Not Blogging, Will Be Blogging
By · CommentsWell, as I embark on a new phase in my career (YIKES!), I plan on being more active on and in here — AFTER I get back from the writing class I’m at in Oregon at the moment, learning and teaching when I can. Scary to think anyone would learn from me—jinkies. I’ll put up some fun lessons taught once I get back—interesting things on writing.
Very interesting. And pictures. Gotta get pictures.
Oh, and I hope to post up the new cover….. *tease*
