Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 46

Holiday Hiatus

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The blog is going to be (mostly) on hiatus for the winter holidays, while I travel and spend time with my family. I might even go ice skating…but not in the illustrated dress. I did schedule a few posts, so you won't be too lonely without me – look for a recipe on December 23rd.

I'll be back in the New Year!

Writing and Holidays

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I had a new post up Friday at Heroes and Heartbreakers, a preview of Death and Resurrection, the new novel by R.A. MacAvoy.

This post originally appeared at Novelists, Inc..

Writers take holidays? Is that possible?
Some writers write every day, no matter what; some, like me, take time off now and again. The winter holidays (for me Christmas and the New Year) are, for me, a time of genuine vacation, when I visit family who live far away. Except on rare occasions, I do not write during...

"The Battlefield," Sydney Oswald

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The Battlefield

Around no fire the soldiers sleep to-night,

But lie a-wearied on the ice-bound field,

With cloaks wrapt round their sleeping forms, to shield

Them from the northern winds. Ere comes the light

Of morn brave men must arm, stern foes to fight.

The sentry stands, his limbs with cold congealed;

His head a-nod with sleep; he cannot yield,

Though sleep and snow in deadly force unite.

Amongst the sleepers lies the Boy awake,
And wide-eyed plans brave glories that...

2011 in Sales and Publications

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I have a guest post up at the Novelists, Inc. blog today: Writing and Holidays.



And now, the time has come for me to sum up the year, in terms of sales and publications. This year was a hard one because of a death in my family, so my writing was sidelined. But here goes.

First, I did a new thing: I became a paid blogger for Heroes & Heartbreakers (romance) and The Criminal Element (mystery). As of this writing, I have not counted exactly how many posts I submitted to those two...

Holiday Gifts Query

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Do you purchase gifts for the various winter holidays? In particular, do you purchase items online and have them shipped?

I'm asking because I don't live near most of my family. I was once very adept at choosing things that I could fit into a suitcase, even carrying along my own wrapping paper. But I've given that up since most airlines now charge a fee for checked baggage. Now I stick to small things that can fit in my carry-on luggage; I've also wrapped and shipped things myself....

Brainstorming Panel Ideas

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I'm attending a couple of my favorite science fiction/fantasy conventions next year, WisCon and Readercon. One of the reasons I love them is that they solicit ideas for the programming that will be offered. Here are some of the panel ideas I've come up with so far.

They're rough ideas; it's seemed to work well in the past if I didn't narrow the topic down too much, because eventually other people will be tweaking the ideas and voting on them and figuring out what will work best with...

"To Belgium in Exile," Owen Seaman

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To Belgium in Exile

[Lines dedicated to one of her priests, by whose words they were prompted.]

Land of the desolate, Mother of tears,

Weeping your beauty marred and torn,

Your children tossed upon the spears,

Your altars rent, your hearths forlorn,

Where Spring has no renewing spell,

And Love no language save a long Farewell!

Ah, precious tears, and each a pearl,
Whose price–for so in God we trust
Who saw them fall in that blind swirl
Of ravening flame and reeking dust–
The...

Office Hijinks – Vintage Erotica Covers

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An Annual Tradition

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My chief hobby is choral singing, which for me goes along with listening to music. Lots of music. Frequently.



Most Decembers, I get the urge to listen to Christmas music (generally sacred, not secular). It's usually something completely different from whatever my choir happens to be singing for the holidays.

My favorite genres are early music, such as that from the Medieval and Renaissance periods, Baroque, and Folk, with some old-school American hymns mixed in. To give you an idea o...

Writing (Erotic) Short Fiction – FAQ

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In the depths of my website are some useful articles I wrote. I thought I would reproduce this one here, out front.

Short Fiction FAQ

Establishing yourself as a writer of short fiction can pay a little money and, more importantly, establish a "track record" which can help in making valuable contacts among your fellow writers, editors, and agents. Short fiction also provides experience with writing to spec (answering calls for submissions), dealing with editors, reading contracts...