Frances Pauli's Blog, page 30
November 12, 2010
You Might Be an SFR Fan If....
I make a big deal about all the romance hiding in the science fiction section. It's probably getting old, but I'm bored, and it's a pet subject. I write SFR, sue me. Anyway, I was thinking of all the time I wasted believing I was a science fiction fan, when in fact, I was a classic science fiction ROMANCE fan and I decided to compile a list of symptoms that other folks could use to make the distinction for themselves.
I mentioned the bored thing, right?
20 Signs you might actually be a sci-fi ROMANCE fan.
1. You've ever rented your boyfriend a Star Fleet uniform.
2. You think Stormtroopers are sexy.
3. You love Barbara Cartland, but most of her books would have been better with some cybernetics or a hot, alien love interest.
4. You've ever wondered what style purse would compliment a phaser.
5. The NASA logo turns you on.
6. You think Wall E was "sooo romantic."
7. Your husband refers to you as seven of nine and you find it flattering.
8. You've ever played "Barbie" with Star Wars action figures.
9. You sort of get what Hilary Clinton saw in P-Lod.
10. Your favorite Trek episode involves either an empathic metamorph, a Klingon wedding or the phrase "fully functional."
11. You understand that Space Opera equals Soap Opera with better tech.
12. You consider both Gone with the Wind and Stranger in a Strange Land classic literature.
13. You figure most traditional sci-fi could benefit from at least one good shopping scene.
14. You'd kill for that electronic fingernail painter from The Fifth Element.
15. Your idea of the perfect date involves: Wine, Chocolate and your old VHS tapes of the Original Battlestar Gallactica
16. You've ever said, "Make it so," in the bedroom.
17. Your love bug has a "my other car is the Millennium Falcon" bumper sticker.
18. "History will call us wives" my butt. When Mua Dib proposed to Irulan, Chani should have fed him to the sandworms.
19. You nickname your car Serenitiy, your cell phone R2 and your boyfriend Dr. Who?
20. The whole "hero's journey" thing was cute, but you feel very strongly that the Han/Leia storyline was the most significant plot thread in the original trilogy.
Well, those are my favs. I bet there are a lot more to add to the list? What did I miss, and which ones made you go....uh oh.
~Frances
I mentioned the bored thing, right?
20 Signs you might actually be a sci-fi ROMANCE fan.
1. You've ever rented your boyfriend a Star Fleet uniform.
2. You think Stormtroopers are sexy.
3. You love Barbara Cartland, but most of her books would have been better with some cybernetics or a hot, alien love interest.
4. You've ever wondered what style purse would compliment a phaser.
5. The NASA logo turns you on.
6. You think Wall E was "sooo romantic."
7. Your husband refers to you as seven of nine and you find it flattering.
8. You've ever played "Barbie" with Star Wars action figures.
9. You sort of get what Hilary Clinton saw in P-Lod.
10. Your favorite Trek episode involves either an empathic metamorph, a Klingon wedding or the phrase "fully functional."
11. You understand that Space Opera equals Soap Opera with better tech.
12. You consider both Gone with the Wind and Stranger in a Strange Land classic literature.
13. You figure most traditional sci-fi could benefit from at least one good shopping scene.
14. You'd kill for that electronic fingernail painter from The Fifth Element.
15. Your idea of the perfect date involves: Wine, Chocolate and your old VHS tapes of the Original Battlestar Gallactica
16. You've ever said, "Make it so," in the bedroom.
17. Your love bug has a "my other car is the Millennium Falcon" bumper sticker.
18. "History will call us wives" my butt. When Mua Dib proposed to Irulan, Chani should have fed him to the sandworms.
19. You nickname your car Serenitiy, your cell phone R2 and your boyfriend Dr. Who?
20. The whole "hero's journey" thing was cute, but you feel very strongly that the Han/Leia storyline was the most significant plot thread in the original trilogy.
Well, those are my favs. I bet there are a lot more to add to the list? What did I miss, and which ones made you go....uh oh.
~Frances
November 8, 2010
Oh NO! It's up to my...
I'm being slowly devoured. It's not funny.
You see, there's this forum in the Nanowrimo boards called, Nanowrimo ate my soul.
I think it's happening.
Maybe I've just done the thing too many years, or maybe I made a bad choice writing a novel that needs to be written. . .okay has to be written. Whatever I've done wrong, it's sucking all the fun out of my November.
Not really. Psyche!
What I do have is the week two blues. It happens every year to just about everyone trying to hammer out a full length novel in thirty days. This year, I've got it bad.
I jumped out of the starting gate like a thing possessed. I wrote like lightning and built up a two day cushion of security. I even fell back in love with the story, characters and world that I hadn't fell like working with in some time.
Then it hit. The other shoe dropped. Week two is upon me with a vengeance.
The story sucks. I've made huge errors. My plot holes could drown a whale.
I look at this scene as Im writing it and think, I'm going to have to completely rewrite this entire section. Week Two.
To make things better my good friend has quoted back to me every motivational catchphrase, every word of encouragement and pep and inspiration that Ive ever spewed at her or any other wrimos. If I were them, Id strangle me.
I've hit Nano-rock bottom.
Thank goodness. There's no place to go from there but, well, back to the keyboard.
Up and atem Atom Ant...
Here's hoping todays contribution wont be complete rubbish.
~Frances
You see, there's this forum in the Nanowrimo boards called, Nanowrimo ate my soul.
I think it's happening.
Maybe I've just done the thing too many years, or maybe I made a bad choice writing a novel that needs to be written. . .okay has to be written. Whatever I've done wrong, it's sucking all the fun out of my November.
Not really. Psyche!
What I do have is the week two blues. It happens every year to just about everyone trying to hammer out a full length novel in thirty days. This year, I've got it bad.
I jumped out of the starting gate like a thing possessed. I wrote like lightning and built up a two day cushion of security. I even fell back in love with the story, characters and world that I hadn't fell like working with in some time.
Then it hit. The other shoe dropped. Week two is upon me with a vengeance.
The story sucks. I've made huge errors. My plot holes could drown a whale.
I look at this scene as Im writing it and think, I'm going to have to completely rewrite this entire section. Week Two.
To make things better my good friend has quoted back to me every motivational catchphrase, every word of encouragement and pep and inspiration that Ive ever spewed at her or any other wrimos. If I were them, Id strangle me.
I've hit Nano-rock bottom.
Thank goodness. There's no place to go from there but, well, back to the keyboard.
Up and atem Atom Ant...
Here's hoping todays contribution wont be complete rubbish.
~Frances
November 3, 2010
Touring the Blogosphere....
With two releases on the horizon (Nov 24 and Dec. 15) I am off on another virtual tour. Today's stop is a guest post on My Covert History with Romance.
http://romanceauthorhotspot.com/?page...
Stop by and comment for a chance to win a free copy of your choice of my releases.
More stops will be coming and I'll try to get a tour schedule up soon.
Thanks
Frances
http://romanceauthorhotspot.com/?page...
Stop by and comment for a chance to win a free copy of your choice of my releases.
More stops will be coming and I'll try to get a tour schedule up soon.
Thanks
Frances
October 29, 2010
Other Sides Review
If you read the blog last week, and saw MeiLin Miranda's post on webfiction, then you're already familiar with the Other Sides anthology. I hope you've already downloaded it...it's free after all. If not, go do it now. I'll wait.
Okay, got your copy?
So, like, did you read it yet? Well, I'm not waiting for that. Patience isn't my strong point, and what I have gets used up by edits and cover art and release dates and and and.
I'll just tell you about the anthology, and you go read it later, okay?
It rocks.
That's not my proper review, but go ahead and run with me on it.
I'll get ya the details--well, now.
OTHER SIDES anthology: Review
Twelve short speculative stories in a neat, well designed (and free) package. Let me say, I was a teeny bit dubious. Fear not, the Other Sides is a worthy read that went far, far above my expectations.
The book brings together a group of webfiction authors and their incredibly diverse spec fic stories. It manages to provide a broad cross-section of genres and styles and still maintains a choesive feel as a book/theme.
I found the writing inside to be incredibly sophisticated and entertaining. These are not hobby authors folks. The stories are professional and engaging and the voices are very polished.
Out of the twelve tales, all but two really hit a homerun for me. The two that didn't resonate were fine stories, but one just wasn't really my bag, and the other had some distracting and, I felt, clumsy point of view changes. Of the rest, however, the stories were more than just good reads, in fact, I found them impressive, fascinating and enchanting. And while I did find a few tiny typos, the whole book really had a polished, high quality overall feel.
From my viewpoint, the real shining stars were:
Dalston Junction by MeiLin Miranda: a sort of H.G. Wells meets Arsenic and Old Lace short about some really intriguing time taveling ladies.
The Little Problem by MCM
A fun frolick through the intergalactic war on drugs.
and
New Stories by M.C.A. Hogarth
A race of nomads struggle to learn a new kind of life.
Add to those a pair of Purgatory police, a woman who's clutter gets the best of her, the Peacock King and a thief playing neighborhood watch for vampires, and you'll see what I mean about great entertainment, quality stories and a lot of fun.
Pick it up. Read it. Pick your own favorites.
~Frances
Okay, got your copy?
So, like, did you read it yet? Well, I'm not waiting for that. Patience isn't my strong point, and what I have gets used up by edits and cover art and release dates and and and.
I'll just tell you about the anthology, and you go read it later, okay?
It rocks.
That's not my proper review, but go ahead and run with me on it.
I'll get ya the details--well, now.
OTHER SIDES anthology: Review
Twelve short speculative stories in a neat, well designed (and free) package. Let me say, I was a teeny bit dubious. Fear not, the Other Sides is a worthy read that went far, far above my expectations.
The book brings together a group of webfiction authors and their incredibly diverse spec fic stories. It manages to provide a broad cross-section of genres and styles and still maintains a choesive feel as a book/theme.
I found the writing inside to be incredibly sophisticated and entertaining. These are not hobby authors folks. The stories are professional and engaging and the voices are very polished.
Out of the twelve tales, all but two really hit a homerun for me. The two that didn't resonate were fine stories, but one just wasn't really my bag, and the other had some distracting and, I felt, clumsy point of view changes. Of the rest, however, the stories were more than just good reads, in fact, I found them impressive, fascinating and enchanting. And while I did find a few tiny typos, the whole book really had a polished, high quality overall feel.
From my viewpoint, the real shining stars were:
Dalston Junction by MeiLin Miranda: a sort of H.G. Wells meets Arsenic and Old Lace short about some really intriguing time taveling ladies.
The Little Problem by MCM
A fun frolick through the intergalactic war on drugs.
and
New Stories by M.C.A. Hogarth
A race of nomads struggle to learn a new kind of life.
Add to those a pair of Purgatory police, a woman who's clutter gets the best of her, the Peacock King and a thief playing neighborhood watch for vampires, and you'll see what I mean about great entertainment, quality stories and a lot of fun.
Pick it up. Read it. Pick your own favorites.
~Frances
October 25, 2010
The "Other Sides" of Web Fiction
Please join me in welcoming MeiLin Miranda, a webfiction/weblit author and contributor to the Other Sides anthology. She has agreed to give us a run down on weblit, offered us some great links and an introduction to one of my favorite brands of storytelling!
More info on the anthology will follow her post. Enjoy!
Welcome MeiLin...
What do you get when you add the ancient sociability of campfire storytelling to the serialized novels of the 19th century, and put it up the web? One of the most accessible and fun fiction reads around. Some people call it "web fiction"; some call it by the broader term "web literature," abbreviated as "weblit." Whatever you call it, it's growing in both availability and readership.
People have been publishing fiction on the web since the web began, though. What makes weblit different?
Weblit is usually posted on a weekly, biweekly or even daily basis, an episode at a time. It involves the audience in direct conversation with the writer, as the story is unfolding--not all weblit is written "on the fly," but a good deal of it is. Depending on the writer, an update can be posted hours or even minutes after finishing it; comments start coming in not long after. It's this direct discussion of the story in progress that really makes weblit stand out.
Readers rarely have the chance to influence a story they're reading, but in this case, readers' questions can push a storyline in directions unexpected even by the writer. For instance, I write a novel series called "An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom" that started out as serialized weblit. The questions my readers asked me about the story and its world--everything from why characters were the way they were to what kinds of cheeses they made in the various provinces of my fictional kingdom--helped me build out the world and the story in ways I would never have imagined. Readers tell me that seeing their questions become part of the story is thrilling on their end, too.
Another good part: These stories are almost always free, though I'd suggest throwing a few bucks at the writers now and again for encouragement's sake.
Finding weblit isn't hard. There are several good directories out there, including WebFictionGuide.com and Muses-Success.info, and an ezine that covers nothing but the web fiction scene: Ergofiction. If you're a lover of genre fiction, especially fantasy and science fiction, you'll find endless hours of enjoyable reading inside those guides.
For a quick introduction to weblit, Ergofiction has compiled twelve stories by fourteen weblit writers into a collection called "Other Sides" (including me, full disclosure). All are in the science fiction/fantasy/horror genres and run the gamut from a poet with sentient guns to gender-changing aliens. "Other Sides" is a free download at http://www.ergofiction.com/ebooks/ as well as in paperback at Amazon.
If you read weblit, you won't get smoke up your nose from a campfire, or ink on your fingers from a pennydreadful. But you may get a pretty darn good yarn.
MeiLin Miranda
~~~
Other Sides Anthology:
The advent of digital publishing has seen the rise of a new breed of writers: independent, experimental and unfettered by convention. This brand new anthology features a small sampling of these very writers, in a speculative fiction collection that will capture the imagination and dazzle the senses. The storytelling genius in this collection is most evidenced by its memorable characters: a young woman haunted by her ex-boyfriend's sweater, time travelers with a suspicious interest in babies, a gender-changing alien desperate to heal a loved one... In these stories, fourteen independent authors display the imagination, insight and wonderful originality that characterizes the unique world of online fiction.
Title: Other Sides
Genre: Speculative fiction
Length: 30,000 words / 12 short stories
Publisher: Ergofiction magazine http://www.ergofiction.com/ebooks/
Release Date: October 14 2010
Author Bios
Zoe E. Whitten lives in Milan with her husband. She describes writing as her hobby, but has put enough hours in over the last few years that it may safely be called an obsession instead. She is an avid fan of horror, fantasy and sci-fi, and her writing fuses elements from each genre into her weird fiction amalgams. For more of Zoe's writing see http://www.zoewhitten.com/
G.L. Drummond is a gun-toting alien with a fetish for fur and four-legged creatures who writes fiction & tweets. She also wields a mean katana and is prepared for the coming zombocalypse. For more of her writing see
http://midnightintentions.com/series/
MeiLin Miranda is the pen name of Lynn Siprelle. She writes a series of novels called "An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom," and the more comic webserial "Scryer's Gulch: Magic in the Wild, Wild West." Both are available in installments free on her website, MeiLinMiranda.com; Gulch updates Wednesdays, and History updates Mondays and Fridays. "History" book one, "Lovers and Beloveds," is also available as an ebook and a paperback, for those who don't want to wait an entire year to find out what happens. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two daughters, two cats, a snoring floppy dog, and far too much perfume and yarn.
MCM is the creator of the animated series "RollBots", and the author of "The Vector", "Typhoon", "Fission Chips" and "The New Real", which features Darvey and Kaps and their adventures in the CSA. He lives at 1889.ca, as well as physically in Ottawa and Victoria, Canada, where he is also insane.
Lyn Thorne-Alder lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York State with her husband and their flesh-eating cat. When she's not writing, or working her day job, she enjoys hiking gorges and old cemeteries, knitting, sewing, drinking wine, and watching the geekiest television she can find.
Chris Childs studied engineering, but now runs a retail store, and spends his spare time writing. Go figure. When not working on Addergoole with Lyn, he enjoys roleplaying and other creative endeavors, which is to say he spends almost no time actually in reality. When grounded, he lurks in upstate New York. http://addergoole.com/
Isa K is a webfiction author and entrepreneur. She publishes webfiction on community writing platform fluffy-seme (http://www.fluffy-seme.net/) and in the erotica letter series Coquette (http://www.cqtt.us/)
M. Jones is the creator and author of the sci-fi/horror/dramady web series 314 Crescent Manor. When she isn't busy peeking into parallel universes, she can be found digging up dead Victorians in her series Black Wreath and taking care of the hearts of zombies in the upcoming series Frankie & Formaldehyde. You can find M. Jones and all of her nefarious deeds at her main creative hub: Bloodletters ink (http://bloodlettersink.com/)
Erica Bercegeay goes by Irk in most circles, for ease of use and sometimes for sheer descriptive purposes. She's been writing and illustrating The Peacock King since 2008 — in her spare time she has a day job. When not doing any of those things, she enjoys bothering her cat. http://peacock-king.infernalshenanigans.com/
Charissa Cotrill goes by Char in most circles. Her persistence in editing, story doctoring and worldbuilding led to The Peacock King being written, finished, and polished. She is the other artist for PK and the website guru that makes sure nothing important goes boom. Char has two kids, a husband, a dog and two cats to ensure that nothing is where she remembers it. http://peacock-king.infernalshenanigans.com/
Terra Whiteman is currently working on her Bachelors in Biology, Pre-health, and Chemistry at Avila University's School of Science and Health, and also serves as Vice President of Tri-Beta National Biological Honors Society (Phi Iota Chapter). The Spaces in Between is a stand-alone piece based on her web series The Antithesis (http://the-antithesis.net/). In her free time, she enjoys writing, drawing, and reading. Some of her favorite authors are Edgar Allan Poe, Bret Easton Ellis, William Faulkner and Garth Ennis.
M.C.A. Hogarth has been many things—web database architect, product manager, technical writer, massage therapist and rather more side jobs—but is currently a parent, artist, writer and anthropologist to aliens. This excerpt concerns one of them: the Jokka, featured in Strange Horizons and Oceans of the Mind. Her writing has also appeared in the Leading Edge, and her art in RPGs and on book covers. You can keep up with her current projects at her website, http://www.stardancer.org/, or Livejournal, haikujaguar.livejournal.com
A geologist turned web programmer turned writer and graphic artist, Nancy Brauer (http://nancybrauer.com/) has yet to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. She's been writing, drawing, and cracking open rocks for as long as she can remember. Her latest works are the sci-fi/romance novel Strange Little Band (http://www.strangelittleband.com/) and the paranormal thriller Tori's Row (http://www.torisrow.com/). Nancy lives in southwestern Virginia with her partner, a dog who's allergic to nearly everything, and two allergy-free cats.
A.M. Harte is a speculative fiction enthusiast and a chocolate addict. She is the author of DarkSight and the Above Ground series, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans live underground whilst the infected roam the surface. She is excellent at missing deadlines, has long forgotten what 'free time' means, and enjoys procrastinating over at amharte.com.
Published by Ergofiction Magazine (http://www.ergofiction.com/), an ezine for readers and fans of webfiction. Established in December 2009, Ergofiction showcases the impressive depth and breadth of online fiction. The ezine is dedicated to suporting the Free Culture movement, patronage of independent authors and literacy worldwide, because a world without stories is no world at all.
October 20, 2010
Look What I Found in My Inbox!
A secret cereal suprise! No, really, it's the new cover for my Holiday story!!
Way better than cereal.
Way better than cereal.
When her interpretation of a traditional holiday scene loses Maris the annual ice sculpting competition, her favorite season takes a turn toward dismal. The rent is due, and her landlady won't accept a fourth place ribbon. So when the enigmatic, Lord Brayce, arrives with a last minute commission, Maris jumps at the chance. And as her host's icy exterior begins to melt away, Maris finds there is far more to him than meets the eye, and his attentions leave her wishing this particular job could last forever.
But when Brayce's family arrives for the holiday, Maris is plunged head over heels into a world of secrets and an age old conflict between brothers.
Can an ordinary girl survive at the center of a battle straight out of myth? And if her impossible suspicions are correct, what are the odds that Maris can win her prince?
COMING IN DECEMBER
from Devine Destinies
October 16, 2010
I'm Expecting!!
Not a baby, are you nuts?
I've got my hands full already with toddlers and I'm not getting ANY younger.
(despite chanting and tossing herbs on the fire--maybe I should rub them on my face?)
Ahem.
No, but I am expecting... a new release and a new book to bring into the world, a new cover, a new tour, a new everything. sigh.
I just love births. (Especially when I'm not directly involved) There's so much fervor, such excitement, so many things to do. . . ummmmmmmm.
Eeek. The to-dos again.
SO many things to do. So many deadlines to hit, so many things coming in and going out. Things to sign and things to approve and things to change and things to schedule, track, write and purchase and and and.
I'm having more fun than should be legal.
And of course, I'm up to my neck in Nanowrimo prep as well.
A busy soul is a happy one.
Here's hoping I come out on the other side in one piece.
~giddy
Frances
I've got my hands full already with toddlers and I'm not getting ANY younger.
(despite chanting and tossing herbs on the fire--maybe I should rub them on my face?)
Ahem.
No, but I am expecting... a new release and a new book to bring into the world, a new cover, a new tour, a new everything. sigh.
I just love births. (Especially when I'm not directly involved) There's so much fervor, such excitement, so many things to do. . . ummmmmmmm.
Eeek. The to-dos again.
SO many things to do. So many deadlines to hit, so many things coming in and going out. Things to sign and things to approve and things to change and things to schedule, track, write and purchase and and and.
I'm having more fun than should be legal.
And of course, I'm up to my neck in Nanowrimo prep as well.
A busy soul is a happy one.
Here's hoping I come out on the other side in one piece.
~giddy
Frances
October 8, 2010
Round Two!
Complicated Cargo survived round one, and is paired up again in round two of the Just One Bite! short story contest at All Romance Ebooks. Thanks to everyone who voted and helped us get this far.
Everything resets for this time round, so if you feel inclined, venture on over to:
http://allromanceebooks.com/contest.html and cast your votes for your favorites in the eight pairings.
Thanks so much!
Frances
October 7, 2010
The Most Wonderful Time..of the year.
No, I'm not rushing Christmas. I mean, I love it and all, but I prefer not to see a single bough of holly until the day after Thanksgiving. Retailers everwhere will disagree with me on that point.
No, I'm not talking Yuletide, or even Halloween, which is rapidly encroaching. I'm talking about Novel season, folks. It's time to dust off the ol notebook, do your wrist rolls, your elbow stretches and get the old noggin ready to novel.
It's almost NaNoWriMo time, or as the unitiated call it, November. Silly name, if you ask me.
Never nanoed? Well, you have three weeks to plan. That's waaaaaaaaaay too much time, trust me. Best to wait until the last week, then scratch your head twice, turn in a circle and grab the first novel idea that passes by. Grab it, go ahead.
Then head on over to: http://nanowrimo.org/ and join us for the best time of the year.
~ Frances
October 1, 2010
Complicated Finalist!
Today the voting opens for the Just One Bite! contest at All Romance Ebooks.
There are 32 finalists that will be paired up and readers (that's you all, folks) get to vote on their favs. The winners in each pair advance to the next round, etc.
My short Science Fiction Romance story, Complicated Cargo
has finaled and can be read, and judged accordingly, on the site.
:-) GO HERE
Let me know what you think!
~Frances
