Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 71

Philadelphia Fantastic – Victoria Janssen

The Philadelphia Fantastic Authors and Editors Series invite you to join us to meet author Victoria Janssen reading from her latest erotic novel, The Duke & the Pirate Queen, published by Harlequin

Spice.

Friday, January 28, 2011

7:30 PM

The Moonstone Arts Center

110 A South 13th Street (13th and Sansom Streets)

Philadelphia, PA

Signing of the work will immediately follow the event.

Come escape the winter doldrums and join us as one of the most exciting authors in the field of romantic fantasy ...

How to be a Good Panelist

I recently wrote a couple of posts about moderating panels at conventions and conferences, one on preparing and one on procedures. I realized I should say something about being a panelist, as well.



1. Prepare.

At the very least, read over the panel description and decide how you would answer the questions it poses. If the description asks for things, such as a list of recommendations, it helps me to write them down. I can't always remember book titles and the like once a discussion...

5 Ways to Start Your Writing Day Right

1. Start writing first thing.

Okay, I eat first, and brush my teeth, things like that. But I don't give myself a chance to see that the laundry needs to be done, or remember that I was going to buy groceries. If necessary, I leave the house so I won't be distracted by those things. They can wait. Writing can't.



2. Prepare to start writing first thing.

For this, you need a time machine. Or, failing that, every time you stop writing, give a little thought to where you will begin the next ...

"Mama Tried" and Story Structure

One of my favorite songs as a kid was Merle Haggard's Mama Tried, which was released in 1968. Recently, I listened to it again. And again. And realized how the complex structure of the song helped to tell a story with a lot of depth.



Since I'm always looking for new ways to think about plot, I thought I'd share my analysis.

First, the narrator sets the scene: the way he does it tells us this story is about memory, and the memories are going to be poignant.

"The first thing I remember...

Current Writing Playlists

I tend to have a lot of different playlists. This is the one that, right now, says "writing" to me.

1. "This is the Life," Amy Macdonald
2. "Heroes & Thieves," Vanessa Carlton
3. "The Garden's End," Sarah Blasko
4. "There Is No Light," Wildbirds & Peacedrums
5. "Have You Got It in You?" Imogen Heap
6. "Window," Fiona Apple
7. "Seamstress," Dessa
8. "So-Called Chaos," Alanis Morissette
9. "Choking the Cherry," Poe
10. "So What," Pink
11. "Consider This," Anna Nalick
12. "Hard," Rihanna
13. "Dance or...

Siegfried Sassoon, "At Daybreak"

At Daybreak

I listen for him through the rain,

And in the dusk of starless hours

I know that he will come again;

Loth was he ever to forsake me:

He comes with glimmering of flowers

And stir of music to awake me.

Spirit of purity, he stands

As once he lived in charm and grace:

I may not hold him with my hands,

Nor bid him stay to heal my sorrow;

Only his fair, unshadowed face

Abides with me until to-morrow.

–Siegfried Sassoon, The Old Huntsman and Other Poems, 1918

Siegfried Sassoon, "To-Day"

To-day

This is To-day, a child in white and blue

Running to meet me out of Night who stilled

The ghost of Yester-eve; this is fair Morn

The mother of To-morrow. And these clouds

That chase the sunshine over gleaming hills

Are thoughts, delighting in the golden change

And the ceremony of their drifting state.

This is To-day. To-morrow might bring death,—
And Life, the gleeful madrigal of birds,
Be drowned in glimmer of sleep. To-day I know
How sweet it is to spend these eyes, and boast
This...

Carl Brandon Society Awards, Arisia 2011

The event I most enjoyed at Arisia this year was the awards ceremony for The Carl Brandon Society, mostly because of the awesome readings from the awesome winning books. You can check out their blog here.

Arisia convention chair Crystal Huff arranged for an official certificate from the city of Boston to be presented to the Society, here represented by Nisi Shawl and Victor Raymond.

Winner of the 2008 Parallax Aware, Vandana Singh. You can buy her novella Distances from Aqueduct Press.

Winner ...

Arisia 2011 Costume Photos!

There were so many amazing costumes at Arisia! I could have spent all my free hours there photographing. But since I was often hurrying from one panel to another, I only managed to stop and ask a few of my absolute favorites to pose.

For instance, this one. I love her pose! To me, it's a goth-dieselpunk version of The Thinker.

I'm a huge fan of Dr. Who, so these Dalek dresses made me literally squeal with delight. If I ever get married, these would be the perfect bridesmaid dresses.

I have ...

Arisia 2011 Social Business Report

I'll post some photos a little later on, but first, my report! Sort of. It's more a rambling sort of commentary on the experience.

For me, the business is social and, I guess, the social is business. This conference, however social it might be, is for me much more about business, at least in the long run. I make contacts, connections, re-connections; I speak on panels not only for the fun of it but so I introduce myself to more people, some of whom might be interested in my books, or have ...