Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 47
December 14, 2011
Holiday Gifts Query
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....
December 12, 2011
Brainstorming Panel Ideas
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...
December 11, 2011
"To Belgium in Exile," Owen Seaman
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...
December 9, 2011
December 7, 2011
An Annual Tradition
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...
December 5, 2011
Writing (Erotic) Short Fiction – FAQ
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...
December 4, 2011
"Jimmy Doane," Rowland Thirlmere
Jimmy Doane
Often I think of you, Jimmy Doane,–
You who, light-heartedly, came to my house
Three autumns, to shoot and to eat a grouse!
As I sat apart in this quiet room,
My mind was full of the horror of war
And not with the hope of a visitor.
I had dined on food that had lost its taste;
My soul was cold and I wished you were here,–
When, all in a moment, I knew you were near.
Placing that chair where you used to sit,
I looked at my book: –Three years to-day
Since you laughed in...
December 2, 2011
McDaniel Conference Linkage
I wasn't able to attend the McDaniel Conference on Popular Romance, but here are some reports on the proceedings.
Amy Burge reports on Reflections on (Re)Reading Romance: A 'Hands-On' Harlequin Workshop at the recent conference held at McDaniel College. Not only does the workshop sound fascinating and illuminating, the blog post about it is, too. Here's a bit more about the workshop and conference.
The excellent blog Read, React, Review has three posts on the McDaniel Conference:
November 30, 2011
November 29, 2011
The Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries
From the holiday weekend, I have a Criminal Element post up on The Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries by C.S. Harris.
I also have another preview up at Heroes and Heartbreakers: The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson, another take on "Beauty and the Beast."
