Blair MacGregor's Blog, page 17

My SFWA Dilemma

I’ve a decision to make—multiple decisions, in truth—about where and when I want to devote my non-writing energies as a professional writer. It might seem easy, choosing to join or not join SFWA. It would indeed be so if I’d opted against self-publishing, if I didn’t tend to plow into organizational upheavals, if I didn’t have strong opinions, and if I didn’t think it questionable to join an organization that presently excludes self-published writers who are far more successful and prolific t...

I’m Making Progress AND Sense

Yes! I’ve been at Wiscon — hanging out with folks I know, getting to know those folks better, and meeting new people I hope to see more of in the future.

My panels went well! I had fun answering questions and comments from the audience, and learned quite a bit from my fellow panelists, and managed to speak my ideas without (as far as I can tell) being obnoxious or too chatty.*

Later I attended a panel on SFWA and decided to share my opinions. Things seemed to be decently received by some and mo...

Writer’s Blog Tour In Four Questions

I was tagged bt the smart, talented, and generous writer Janice Smith to answer questions about my projects and process. If you haven’t already, go read her answers first!

What am I working on?

Right this moment, I’m finishing revisions for Sand of Bone. It’s the first in a desert fantasy series centered around a woman seeking to escape her wasteland prison, destroy her brother’s conspiracies, and reclaim the elemental mastery the gods took from her bloodkin three generations ago. It’s also abo...

Pictures Because I Have Little Brain To Spare For Words

I’m revising. And teaching karate and overseeing Dev’s school and scheduling another visit from my folks and coordinating meetings and getting the rest of the garden in and battling ants that seem immune to anything and everything I’ve used to be rid of them before. And it’s less than ten days to Wiscon!

Hence, pictures!

Gambit and Ty in front of my lovely lilac bush.

Gambit wondering why Ty ran away when Mommy was saying, “Staaaaaaaaaay!” (Hint: rhymes with “funny.”)

And the view from my front y...

StoryBundle Submissions

So I’m curating a fantasy bundle for StoryBundle. I’ve begun reviewing submissions and would love to see more.

What I’m looking for: Epic, sword & sorcery, traditional, diverse, and/or dark fantasy. Clean writing and sharp pacing. Well-developed characters, comprehensive worldbuilding, and coherent magical/supernatural elements. Fully edited and proofread, properly formatted, cover art in place.

Things I’m not looking for: Paranormal, urban, YA, or grimdark fantasy.

If you’re not familiar with S...

Review, Revisions, and StoryBundle

First: A very nice review of Sword and Chant from Marissa Lingen. After our conversation about this post on the visibility of women writers and reviews of self-published works, I queried her about reviewing Chant. I’m beyond delighted she had nice things to say about it. Really, there’s always that voice in the back of my head telling me I should be grateful if I get feedback more enthusiastic than, “Well, it doesn’t completely suck.” And that voice natters at me even when I love a story and...

My Wiscon Schedule!

Just a little less than three weeks to Wiscon! I’m so excited to see folks I know and meet folks I don’t.

I’m on a couple panels this year.

Taking Care of the Writer’s Body

Saturday 1:00pm – 2:15pm

Writing is usually not considered to be a physically demanding occupation, but it does take its toll. Eye strain, aching backs, and repetitive motion disorders are common complaints. What can we do to keep our bodies healthy while we write? How can we adapt our workspaces to accommodate injuries or dis...

Festivals of SheyKhala

Now that Serpent Heart is up, my attention turns back to final revisions for Sand of Bone.

Celebrations—when, how, and why—are fantastic worldbuilding tools that can give depth to a culture, move the plot, and reveal character. The longevity of the celebrations, and how the celebrations have evolved over the years, inform us of the culture’s values. Whether characters partake in, shun, or are indifferent to the festivals tells us how well characters are integrated into the larger culture.

In th...

Serpent Heart Goes Live

Woohoo! Serpent Heart is now available at these booksellers:

Kindle

iTunes

Smashwords

As soon as Kobo and Nook go live, I’ll provide those links as well.

Publishing this one came with the extra thrill of discovery, since I spent years believing it lost forever in a computer crash. Not only did I enjoy getting to know the characters again, I can clearly see where the story will go in the next installment. Somehow I gained another series.

Tagged: links, self-publishing, serpent heart, writing ...

Serpent Heart

Less than a month ago, I discovered a novella I’d written — and thought lost forever — many years past.

By this weekend, I’ll start rolling it out through distributors. It’ll show up at Smashwords first (since it takes a couple days for them to get it out to other sites), then Amazon and Nook. As soon as it goes live, I’ll post the opening scene, too.

In the meantime…

Shiny cover! And a blurb!

Azim, son of the deposed warrior-prince of Tirhaj, dreams of winged serpents commanding him to retake th...