Ann Wilkes's Blog

I had an interview planned for yesterday that had to get bumped to later, so here I am on Saturday struggling to wrestle more words out of my brain. I just finished a guest blog post for my friend and fellow writer, Sue Bolich on word economy. I'm not sure when it will post, but here's the link to her blog, Words from Thin Air. I'll edit it to a permalink when the post goes up. It was a very timely topic for me since I had just whacked 1100 words off a story last weekend.

I'm also chasing my ...

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Getting over a cold. Yes just a cold. And I didn't even get a flu shot. A friend of mine sent me a series of videos of this Dr. Baylock on the flu vaccine. Look at his surroundings. Yeah. If I were him I would invest in a projector screen or folding room screen for conducting interviews at my computer. Notice the duct tape around the door and the stacks of newspapers. He does drape a cloth over some of them.

I just joined Library Thing. They have my book listed, so I figured I ought to join. ...

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I have a couple of new reviews of Awesome Lavratt. They're both on Library Thing. I love it when people take Awesome Lavratt for what it is rather than expecting it to be deep or serious. It's just plain fun. It was certainly fun writing it. The second review is repeated on Goodreads. In answer to a comment there, the reviewer adds that Awesome Lavratt is quirky. I consider that a victory. It takes talent to pull off quirky. Right?

I've talked about a sequel, but I think, at this point more s...

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There's nothing like the buddy system. I just joined a critique group again after almost 2 years away. It's helping me to prioritize my time better with regard to my writing. That's a very good thing. I'm actually finding time to write spec-fic again. Woo hoo! I'm currently cutting a 5100 word story down to 4K for my next target market. Only 350 words left to chop. ;)

I also joined a local MeetUp for Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fans. As the Mystery Science Fictionator, how could I resist?

I f...

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I first met Brenda at OryCon last year where she received the Endeavor Award for her novel, The Silver Ship and the Sea, the first volume in a series. She just launched the third in the series on November 10th entitled Wings of Creation. The second volume is Reading the Wind. Brenda has also published numerous short stories which have appeared in major science fiction magazines and a number of anthologies. In addition to her own series, she co-wrote Building Harlequin's Moon with Larry Niven,...

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Calling all Jericho fans! Jericho, the comic is now available. If you're local, go to the Comic Book Box to get yours. Tell Kathy I sent you. :)

I just joined the SF Browncoats. If you don't know what a Browncoat is you're seriously Firefly deprived. Better fix that pronto!

Had a great time at the last Redwood Writers' Odd Month Reading right here in Rohnert Park. Here I am reading from Awesome Lavratt. I also emceed the event and managed to actually introduce myself this time. I keep forgett...

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M.H. Bonham's new book, Howling Dead just came out on Halloween. It's in my TBR pile and will be reviewed eventually. Maggie's had 30 books published and seven of those are speculative fiction novels or anthologies. She's been everything from rocket scientist to animal behaviorist. When she's not sitting at her computer writing, editing or promoting, she's racing sled dogs or hiking in the Montana wilderness where she lives. And she's a ninja!

I met Maggie at a convention this year and we wer...

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We've all walked in on a conversation at an inopportune moment, catching a bizarre phrase or sentence out of context. Or maybe we've misheard something that made us laugh.

For instance, at the writing conference I attended in October, I was walking in a group of people all headed for the door to go to the next session and I heard, "She's a cow," said in the most matter of fact tone. I figured out that what she really said was, "She's at Cal." My version was funnier because it was so out of co...

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I met Gerald and Candy at local SF conventions. I've enjoyed their writing in the pages of Asimov's Science Fiction. As I'm about to embark on a collaborative effort of my own, I was anxious to hear what they had to say on the subject. I sent them interview questions separately, but asked them some of the same questions. They even collaborated on this interview at the pub over beers. Gerald is pictured here on a trip to Antarctica. You can read more about his travels on his website.



AW: How m...

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Okay, so he's not playing chess. Know why he's on the TV? Why he's covering his mouth?

It's been a while since I've done a writer's resources post. Perhaps you'll find something helpful herein.

Here's a blog post from literary agent, Rachelle Gardner on How Book Royalties Work.

I may have given this one before, but this is chock full of helpful tips: Writer's Advice.

And a write-up on Jeff Vandermeer's, Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer - A different kind of ...

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