Jennifer Allis Provost's Blog, page 21
June 17, 2012
What To Do Next Weekend
This weekend was jam-packed with events, holiday and otherwise: we had Flag Day, Fathers Day, along with a plethora of barbecues, and, for good or ill, visiting relatives.
So, how is next weekend gonna top that?
For starters, head on over to Annie's Book Stop in Worcester, MA, on Friday, June 22 to hear members of Broad Universe (including me!) read from their work. Here's the event description I stole copied from the Facebook event page:
"Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester welcomes woman authors from the New England Chapter of Broad Universe from 5pm to 8pm on Friday, June 22nd. Members Phoebe Wray, Jennifer Allis Provost, Elaine Isaak, Justine Graykin, Jennifer Pelland, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Morven Westfield, and Rachel Kenley will all be reading from their works, signing books, and discussing their adventures in writing and publishing. Light refreshments will be provided.
Broad Universe is an international non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and promoting women who write science fiction, fantasy, horror—and everything in between!
For more information on Broad Universe visit their website at www.broaduniverse.org."
Free entertainment, refreshments, and discussion of adventures. Sounds like a no brainer!
Learn more about Annie's Book Stop, Worcester's finest independent bookstore, here, and like their Facebook page here
June 9, 2012
Three B's
Yes, that's right, by the end of the month I will have retired my old website in order to start fresh.
Exciting, huh?
Now, on to the titular three b's. in no particular order, they are:
Why, this new Blog, for one
The book club event at Bay Path College, which tok place this past Sunday. It featured authors Jennifer Haigh, Jeff Folz, Durham Caldwell, and myself, as we read from our various works and mingled with local book clubs. No one puts on an event like Bay Path - you should have seen the snack table!
Big Things are happening... soon. These upcoming events are related to my old series, The Chronicles of Parthalan, my new series (ooo, I betcha want to know what that's called, but I can't tell you... yet) and a few other tidbits.
Stay tuned!
May 21, 2012
Summer Is Just About Here - Finally
June 3 will see me at Bay Path College's 5th annual "Are You A Bookie?" book club event. As you may or may not know, I graduated from Bay Path in 2010, and I am honored that they asked me to be involved in this event. Jennifer Haigh will be the keynote speaker. Read more about it here: http://www.baypath.edu/NewsandEvents/EventsCalendar/June2012/BookClubEvent.aspx
On June 22, I will journey to Annie's Book Stop in Worcester, MA for a Broad Universe reading and signing. If you're into spec fic, you need to be at this event. Info here: http://www.facebook.com/anniesbookstopworcester#!/notes/annies-book-stop-in-worcester-massachusetts/summer-events-at-annies-book-stop-of-worcester/456624384352291
Readercon, one of my favorite conventions, will be happening July 12-15. I will be there, possible only on the day of the BU reading, posibly longer. More to come.
August 22, I will be in super-awesome Portsmouth, NH, for another BU event. Again, more to come.
And, last but certainly not least, I will be a panelist at Pi-Con August 17-19. i'll posy my schedule once it's finalized.
No rest for the wicked, as they say.
May 9, 2012
Field Trip! And, Vampires.
Fellow http://broaduniverse.org/ members Trisha Wooldridge, Vikki Ciaffone and I recently got together for a workday. Being that I'm pretty much allergic to organized activity, I immediately suggested a distraction. Since we were already in Rhode Island, I suggested we hop on over to Exeter and visit the grave of Mercy Brown, Vampire.
Okay, she probably wasn't really a vampire. Back in 1892 the Brown family underwent some tragic circumstances. First, the matriarch of the Brown clan succumbed to consumption (tuberculosis in modern-speak), then Mercy's sister died before she herself was taken by the dread disease.
When the son, Edwin, began showing signs of sickness the townspeople decided that one of the dead family members must be a vampire. (Oh, science, how i love you) They exhumed all three bodies, decided that Mercy was the undead in question, chopped out her heart, burnt it, and mixed the ashes with water which was given to poor Edwin to drink.
He died anyway, two months later. And, ick.
This is all true. I mean, it's on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_Brown
Burnt hearts notwithstanding, the cemetary is a calm place, as you can see by the pictures below. Interestingly, Mercy's grave was the only one (I saw) with any offerings. Coincidence?
Chestnut Hill Baptist Church, where the Brown family plot is located
Mercy's grave
March 13, 2012
What Should I Read Next?
I've never done an "in my mailbox" post before. While I will occasionally
post reviews, I'm certainly not what one would call a reviewer. Not to
mention, my blogging schedule is way too erratic to promise timely reviews.
However, this past weekend I got five new books in the mail, and I can't
decide which to read first. Well, next; currently I'm reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell as a part of a group read on GoodReads. It's a pretty
good story, though it took me about 200 pages to get into it. Luckily,
there are 1006 pages in all. No snark intended.
Now, on to the new reading material, in no particular order:
The Silver Bough by F Marian MacNeill - As soon as I clean up a few loose
ends, I will begin a project with major scenes in Scotland. In order to
prepare, I've started reading up on Scottish traditions, and I'm even
learning a few words in Scots Gaelic. The Silver Bough is the first in a four volume set about Scottish traditions.
Fair Game by Patricia Briggs - Love love love Patricia Briggs! This is the
latest installment in her Alpha and Omega series. I have every confidence that this will be awesome.
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr - another of my favorite authors.
This is a collection of short stories, some of which are set in and around
her Wicked Lovely universe. And check out the awesome cover!
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany - this is touted as one of
the classics of modern fantasy, right up there with George Macdonald. I've
been wanting to read this for a while.
The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkein - these are the tales which formed the
basis of The Lord of the Rings. I do anticipate greatness.
So, out of the options listed above what do you think I should read next?
March 4, 2012
Read an Ebook Week
In this installment of the life and times of a fantasy author, we have links, links and more links. It was a veritable Jennapalooza across the interweb last week, involving two interviews, an author highlight and a chance for cheap reading material.
First, the interviews. I stopped by Jaleta Clegg's blog and talked about writing, painting and making jewelry. Jaleta asks some thought-provoking questions, and posts awesome recipies each Thursday. Check out her blog here.
Then I stopped by Tracy Morris' blog and talked about time management. Specifically, what lunatic would attempt a five-book fantasy series with young twins? You're looking at her. (well, her blog at any rate) Learn more about the crazy things I do here.
Beyond Worlds also highlighted Heir to the Sun! The post includes a pretty long exerpt concerning Asherah and Lormac sharing a meal. Asherah freaks out, then tries to distract Lormac with fruit. It doesn't work. Beyond Worlds is an excellent website, and I encourage all of you to make it a regular stop. Just follow this link.
Lastly, it's Read an Ebook Week! Stop by Smashwords before March 10 and use code REW75 at checkout for 75%. It's a sitewide promotion, so now's a great time to fill up your ereader, or read your very first ebook. Here's the link.
What a week it's been! Now, I think I might just have a nap.
February 23, 2012
Ebooks are like digital photographs. No, really.
Now that Heir to the Sun has made its ebook debut, I've been fielding all
sorts of new & exciting questions. Most of them seem to be about the
process of converting a "regular" book to an ebook - no, I won't bore you
with the drudgery of formatting (and there are others far more qualified to
speak on the subject).
The other heavy subject is one that's hotly debated of late: are ebooks
going to replace printed books? The situation does seem dire, what with
small indies falling prey to those digital pages, and even giants like
Borders going out of business. Will ebooks eventually replace printed books
all together?
In a word, no. Not within my lifetime, and probably not ever.
Consider digital photography. In the old days (read: ten years ago) we had
to ration our 35mm film OMG - remember film???) while we were on vacation, lug around lead-lined camera
bags so the airport scanning devices wouldn't wreck our negatives, and
spend a small fortune developing it. Now, we click with abandon,
chronicling life's moments down to the second.
As awesome as digital photographs are, they have not totally supplanted
real, printed pictures. The ones you hold in your hand, hang on your wall,
tuck inside your wallet. We still want real, tangible memories, not just a
few pixels flitting by on a screen. Are we selective about what we print?
Yes. But then again, now we have the power to only print selected images,
and we can reprint at will, whether in the privacy of our home office or
local drugstore's photo kiosk. Or, umm, at work on the really nice commercial-grade color copier. Flexibility is good.
Yes, some companies went out of business as a result of widespread digital
photography, but they refused to change with the times. You can't
stubbornly adhere to an outdated practice, or product. The consumer always
wants something new and shiny.
And as for print books, they aren't going anywhere. I don't care if I can
get it faster/cheaper/with exclusive content on my ereader, there are some
books that I want - need - to have in a tangible format. I love to turn
the page, run my fingertips across the type, and reconnect with characters.
Ebooks are like digital photographs: new and shiny. Ereaders are fun, and
we as consumers love gadgets. Are ebooks here to stay? Yes. Will some
publishers suffer? Most likely, but I wonder if any suffering will be due
their stubborn adhereance to an outdated, geriatric business model that should have been
polished up decades ago.
Maybe they just need to shake the cobwebs out of their
corners, and maybe ebooks are just the excuse to do it.
February 9, 2012
February happenings!
Today was a morning like most others; I made coffee (love the Keurig!), watered the animals and checked my email. Imagine my surprise when I saw this review. Thank you Abby, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, all of you head on over to her blog and show her some love.
Since January's promotion for Heir to the Sun was so successful, I decided
to up the ante for February. Follow this link and use coupon code
XZ55H to get the ebook version of Heir to the Sun for just $2!
What's that? You don't like ebooks? Ah, a purist. Well, between now and
February 29th I'm offering the print version of Heir to the Sun for a mere
$10. Oh, that includes shipping.
What do you need to do? Just email me at jenniferaprovost@gmail.com with
your name and address, and I'll respond with PayPal instructions. When the
payment clears the book ships, and in a few days you'll be embroiled in
Asherah and Caol'nir's quest to save Parthalan. Beware of demons; some have teeth.
January 28, 2012
How to Write a First Draft in Three Somewhat Easy Steps
Last night, I finished my first draft of Copper Girl and sent it over to my dear friend Vikki, editor extrordinaire. Originally, I'd wanted this draft completed for December 1, 2011, but we lost power for an entire week in November. Yes, it has taken me over two months to recover from this lost week.
Anywho, lets focus on writing the first draft. It can't be all that hard, right? It's later on, during the third and fourth and twentieth go round, that your forehead bleeds, isn't it?
Umm, no.
Now, my methods are not approved. This is what works for me, and it may work for you. Well, perhaps the aforementioned Vikki should weigh in on whether or not it works.
I'm going on the assumption that you have your basic idea, and a plot worked out. Personally, I spend a lot of time thinking about plot before I ever commit words to paper. If a scene doesn't make sense in my head, then there's no way I can transcribe it.
And that's what I start with: scenes. I don't write them in order, just as they come to me. In fact, the first scene I wrote for Heir to the Sun was the epilogue, then something in the middle. Once my scenes are down, I might move them around, then I fill in between them. Just like grouting tile. Is this post turning into a "remodel your bathroom" metaphore?
Then the truly terrible part comes in: I hit print, and go through the whole kit & kaboodle with a red pen. Is this time consuming? Yes. It it more difficult this way? Probably. But, the manuscript looks different on paper than on a screen. On screen, I can't seem to tell "if" from "of". When I print it out, I wonder how I ever passed grammer.
Once the hand edits are done, I go back to the electronic file and input them, which is what I finished last night. And now I can breath, at least until the file comes back to me.
While I (and you, dear reader) are eagerly awaiting Vikki's comments, I have a gift for you. In honor of the first month of the year, you can get the ebook version of Heir to the Sun for $1. Follow this link, and input coupon code KE76C. Don't forget to tell me what you thought of Asherah and Caol'nir's adventures, either in a comment below or at jenniferaprovost@gmail.com.
And now, on to the next scene.
January 20, 2012
Not Another Con Recap Post
Yes, fun was had by all.
But alas, we knew it would not last. Even though we stayed until Monday, even though we stayed awake until the wee hours willing away the inevitable, it came.
We went back to our normal lives.
It wasn't fair! I mean, I was a famous author last weekend! At least three people (in a room on 10) knew who I was. And asked for my autograph. Once Tuesday rolled around I was expected to just sit at my desk and act un-famous. Regular even. As if.
Now, it wasn't all bad. I'd missed my husband and the Wonder Twins, not to mention the dog, parrot and cats. Also, I greatly prefer sleeping in my own bed, and the con suite, while well stocked, may have contributed to some form of malnutrition. My husband always says that a writer cannot live on bananas, pretzels and coffee alone. At least the mounds of clementines helped fend off scurvy, that rascally knave.
*sigh* Even Superman worked a day job.
