Barbara G. Tarn's Blog, page 135
March 21, 2014
Random Friday
Yesterday I noticed the WP emoticons looked different – and yes, they’ve changed them. Oookay… whatever… I wonder if there’s the secret emoticon for rolling eyes… 8-)
It’s good to have two Muses, but this year they’re both driving me crazy! ;) I don’t mean to intrude on their privacy, but I’m worried about Hirthik’s health (since he dropped out from a project and seems to have fallen off the face of Earth at the time I started really following him, meh!), so I wouldn’t mind him posting on Facebook from time to time to show he’s still alive.
Okay, he’s back to work, and in Delhi no less. Fine. Still have a movie coming out in October, so OK. But lack of news is not always good news. And I would have loved some English subtitles on the extra DVD of Krrish3 as well – some things didn’t need them, but the discussion about the screenplay was all in Hindi. Grr. Okay, I forgive you even if you don’t kiss me, Hrithik (that’s Keanu in Something’s Gotta Give, in case you’re wondering)! ;)
As for Keanu, I had my Sunday-bad-news, since my Google alert lands in my inbox every Sunday at 8am. And most of last week’s alerts were about Passengers being dropped in development hell again. My (private profile) Facebook status Sunday morning:
WTF?! Why am I not an actress?! I’ve read the screenplay in 2008 and been looking forward to it since then…. AAAARGH!!!
Yes, I read the script when it was blacklisted in 2007. I was told “It’s at K.R.’s company, it will be made soon”… Six years later I’m still waiting. I loved it, it’s a great sci-fi story, why can’t they make it?! :(
My Actresses friends either don’t speak English or are not interested. I’m a very good virtual actress (in my head, haha), but in reality I’d rather watch a movie than be in it. So my suggestions for a female lead – from Keanu’s co-stars (who hopefully are still friends with him):
– c’mon, Sandra, this is very different from Gravity, more like The Lake House. You can get mushy with Keanu again. And it would be your third movie with him! :)
– c’mon, Charlize, it’s not Aeon Flux, more like Sweet November. And it would be your third movie with Keanu as well! ;)
– if you did sci-fi, Cams, it escaped me. So you should try it. It would be only your secon time with Keanu, but well… why not?
And no Angelina Jolie, thank you! :(
47 Ronin came out in Italy last week, but not in any cinema showing the original version. Since I hate to hear him dubbed, I’m going to pass… Now I’m going to spend the weekend drawing both Da Muses and trying to forget they drive me nuts! :) Have a great weekend!
March 19, 2014
Writer Wednesday
First of all, I’m guest at Rita Lee Chapman’s so go and read the interview ASAP, since it’s only for a week! 
And since I’m not shy when it comes to written interviews, I’m going to add the 4 questions of #mywritingprocess even if I’m not on Twitter (that’s why I’m not really tagging anyone, but I got it from Viv’s blog – go check her answers!)!
What am I working on?
Okay, I’m done with translating Star Minds, so I’m back on Silvery Earth. A few short stories to translate and rewrite about the Amazons (the first volume of stories of the Queendom of Maadre will come out in April, these will go in the second) and a few more that are “new” (from old notes and summaries) and then I’ll probably write a few more tales of the Southern Kingdoms, so I can have another anthology set before TSK1, BoI – Air and TSK2 later in the year. Then I’ll do the last bit of translation (Male Lovers of Silvery Earth needs to be in Italian, since the cover artist is Italian, although can speak English, LOL) and then I hope to get back to the Assassins’ Guild of Southern Varia (Saif’s Legacy). Busy busy – those popcorn kittens never leave! 
How does my work differ form others of its genre?
Well, it’s labeled “adult unconventional fantasy” for a reason… no quests, no heroes’ journeys… And a lot of characters who are or feel different from the rest of the world, and either try to fit in or not. No Good vs Evil or Go And Save The World stories, but I think there’s a lot of conflict anyway (or there wouldn’t be a story, right?)
Why do I write what I do?
Because it’s fun, I like to make up stuff and I write what I’d like to read but don’t seem to be able to find it! Yeah, I’m my #1 fan! 
How does my writing process work?
Idea – can be a sentence, an image, a thought, anything. Either notes and brainstorming with myself, or I tell myself the story before going to sleep (but then lose something when I transcribe it, so I try not to use it too often). Draft zero is mostly improvised (and written longhand). Draft 1 revises and adjusts, and then goes out to betas. When I get all the comments back (from 1 for a short story to as many as I can get for longer works), I rewrite and send off to Editor. Final pass and formatting or submitting…
And in reminding you the sale of Technological Angel – at 99cents only on Amazon, Kobo and DriveThruFiction and only until Saturday – I will now move to the writerly links!
Dean Wesley Smith has started the Killing the top ten sacred cows of indie publishing, so don’t miss them! I’m indie, even if I haven’t set up Unicorn Productions as a business – but then I live in Italy, not in the US. Most complicated country to start a business in. Sigh. But I still consider myself indie and not self-published! But I’m also available at Powell’s Books – even if 2 covers are missing! Whoot for CreateSpace’s extended distribution (the paperbacks are also at B&N)! And I live in Italy, so you see, it’s not impossible to get into US bookstores!
And then go check the latest post on discoverability by Kris Rusch. And don’t forget to read what Joe Konrath knows and print it out and pin it in front of your desk! In short, welcome to the new world of publishing. You’ve written a book? Good. Don’t look for an agent. Don’t look for a publishers. Check those three pros blogs and just publish it! Have a great week!
March 16, 2014
Happiness is…
whahahaha! And now I want to buy the brunet! Poor Barbie (who will be 40 this year) will faint, in spite of the help of 4 Collection Barbie in Medieval Clothes! Besides, two Millennium Ken could handle 5 20th Century Barbies? Who knows…
the whole bunch
Sunday Surprise
To celebrate the brand new cover by Cristina Fabris, Technological Angel will be at 99cents ONLY on Amazon, Kobo and DriveThruFiction and ONLY from today and until March 23! See the neat little email KWL sent me when I experimented with their brand new button “Set Promo Price”?
Sorry for all those other currencies, the 99cents is valid only for US$ and euro on Kobo (link to Kobo US). As for Amazon, I set the price to match the US$ amount, sorry (link to Amazon.com). It should be lower on the other Amazon shops as well, but not as neat as Kobo.
DriveThruFiction is only in US$, so… You can still choose between PDF, e-pub and mobi. Grab the first book of Star Minds at a discounted price for a limited time!
Check also their Sales Guide for more special offers – DriveThru specializes in SFF, comics and Games, so if that’s your cup of tea, go and check them!
I also have bundles with them, like the five Books of the Immortals or the Chronicles of the Varian Empire – PDF or e-pub or mobi bundled for a discounted price. I have a banner running at the bottom and even managed to squeeze Star Minds in the Featured Product Window, see?
Have a great Sunday!
March 14, 2014
Random Friday
Since one of my Mighty Editors (yes, I have more than one because I’m too prolific, LOL!) is fighting cancer, I’ve helped by going to her wishlist. See if you can find something you’d like to give her – not only in this particular wishlist, but all of them!
Which made me muse about my own use of Amazon, although I never really made a wishlist there, but today’s rant is about my history of Amazon purchases.
Being Italian, I was definitely an early adopter, since I started buying from Amazon in 2004.
My first order was Oct.20, 2004 (two books and one VHS). The latest was in January when I got me Da Muses latest movies on DVD…
In almost ten years, Mighty Zon provided me with:
5 VHS
6 CDs
49 DVDs (half Bollywood, one quarter Keanu’s and the rest various)
19 comics and graphic novels
26 non-fiction books (mostly Osprey for my historical research)
6 fiction paperbacks
1 Barbie collectors edition (even had to send it to Jen’s, since they didn’t ship to Italy!)
1 Kindle Keyboard
12 Kindle books (+ 13 on Amazon UK and 15 on Amazon.it – I moved my Kindle every time a new Kindle shop opened, LOL) – that’s 40 in total, not counting the ones I don’t get from Amazon… yes, my Kindle is full of books to read, sigh!
And that’s not counting the shopping on Amazon.UK, Amazon.FR and Amazon.IT. I guess it’s time they start paying back in the form of royalties from KDP, right?
I haven’t reviewed everything, since I’m not a reviewer and it’s too time-consuming. Besides, I review only what I loved. Sometimes I get those emails saying “Your review has helped a customer”, but this doesn’t push me to do more!
Now back to writing… Don’t forget to help Katy by getting something on her wishlist… Especially if you’re an author and you see your books on her list! Have a great weekend!
March 12, 2014
Writer Wednesday
I’ve come to the conclusion that there must be at least two kinds of writers: the wordsmith and the storyteller. Of course there are more than these two and all the in-between, but let’s have a look at these two sort of extremes.
The Wordsmith agonizes over a word, a sentence, even a comma and keeps rewriting to death. One short story might take months, one novel takes years. Some of them never finish anything because it doesn’t “sound” perfect. They love words and language, and probably write literary fiction or a lot of purple prose.
The Storyteller only wants to tell a story. Characters talk in her head and she needs to capture their deeds as fast as possible. The storyteller is probably more prolific, because she has so many stories to tell, she can’t linger on any for long – the next shiny new idea knocks at her door and she lets go of the “old” ones. The storyteller probably writes genre (like SFF) fiction, because she loves to make up stuff.
Which kind of writer are you? You probably guessed that I’m the latter by now. Now that I’m finished with translations for at least this month (yay!), I have popcorn kittens bouncing in my head trying to get my attention. I’ll translate Male Lovers in May, but then that’s all for this year. I might have a few more translated/rewritten stories, since my Amazons stories are all quite old, but then I’m totally free to write new stuff.
So this week I’m mulling over a couple of “prequels” to Saif’s Legacy, whether I’ll submit them to Fantasy Magazine or not, that’s another story. The call for submissions set my mind in motion and I already have two ideas to develop. Never mind that what I wrote on Monday will be stuck in a drawer as I came up with another better idea for that story. Today I’m writing it and probably also the other that sprang to mind, and then I’ll decide if and which to submit.
I’ve also given The Hooded Man to an editor so I can check it one last time before submitting it to Writers of the Future. Yes, I’m obviously in submission mode this year! I submitted two Snippets last year as well, and was rejected, but as you can see, it didn’t deter me from trying. Especially knowing that even if I am rejected by those editors, I can still publish the stories and find readers.
Oh, and there will be Wyrd Worlds 2! Look for it sometimes in September, like last year… I don’t know yet what I will submit this time, but I will submit something again. We have new authors onboard, and hopefully whoever makes it to Loncon (ahem) might do a panel about it in August, even if the new volume is not out yet! Submission for that aren’t open yet, but you can always join the Goodreads group and wait for them in the Wyrd Worlds thread…
Now I’m going to grab that other story bundle, hoping at some point my TBR pile/list will go down… sigh! How can one pass such great authors (some I’ve never read but heard a lot about)? Besides, I’m using mostly the royalties from Draft2Digital to pay for this… and maybe one day I’ll submit one of mine to be bundled with others – whenever I can chose one, LOL! Have a great week!
March 9, 2014
Happiness is…
(been asked to smile when I didn’t feel like doing it way too often! Grumpy Barb)
Sunday Surprise
And it’s a guest! And Author of the Month at Smashwords Authors Group on Goodreads, so if you have a question not answered here, go ask it in the thread (or you can leave a comment, I’m sure Rita will drop by to answer!)! I’m honored to have her… ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rita Lee Chapman!
Where do you live and write from?
I live in Australia, in Queensland, in a beautiful spot close to beaches, rivers and lakes.
When did you start writing?
I didn’t finish my first book until I retired to Queensland. I wrote long stories in primary school and started a couple of books over the years but never found time to finish them. I think Amazon was the catalyst –now that you can self-publish you know that you can see your work in print.
What genre(s) do you write?
Missing in Egypt is a romantic travel mystery and Winston – A Horse’s Tale is for horse lovers from teenagers upwards.
Missing in Egypt is about an Australian working for a Member of Parliament who falls in love with a constituent. She travels to Egypt with him to look for his brother, who has disappeared whilst on holiday. It contains vivid descriptions of Egyptian sites and temples.
Winston – A Horse’s Tale is told by Winston himself and tells of his life in Australia and the different people and horses he meets along the way.
Where do you find your inspiration? Do you put yourself in your stories?
Interesting question. I guess there is often some part of yourself in your story somewhere, even if it is only a tiny part.
Do you have a specific writing routine?
No. I fit it in where I can – even though I’m retired, I always seem to be busy. I tend to do better when it’s raining.
Outliner or improviser? Fast or slow writer?
I’d love to have a clear outline when I start to write but I’d have to say the story develops as I go along. I’m a fast writer when I know where I’m going.
Tell us about your latest book
Winston is a good-looking palomino horse whose life involves several different owners and many adventures. As you read his story, told by Winston himself, you will appreciate horse ownership from the horse’s point of view. Born on a country property in Australia, Winston tells of his breaking-in and education and the different people he encounters – good, bad and ignorant. As well as his own story, Winston includes the experiences of other horses he meets along life’s way.
Whether it’s jumping, eventing, hunting or just hacking, Winston tries hard to please his rider. Follow his successes and his failures from his breaking-in to his show jumping win. It is an eventful life – the story of one Australian horse out of thousands, but one that you will remember!
Indie publishing or traditional publishing – and why?
I’m an Indie publisher, mainly because I had rejections from traditional publishers. However, I find I do like having control over all aspects of my writing.
Any other projects in the pipeline?
Yes, I’ve started on my third book, a crime mystery and I’d like to do a second book on the Missing in Egypt theme.
What is your goal as a writer and what are you doing to achieve it?
Just finishing my first book was my main goal and to see it in print was a huge buzz. I’d like my books to be better known and I work hard to promote them but there are so many books out there! I guess my current goal is to write a better book!
I have a Guest Author page on my website where I host a different author each week. If any of your readers would like to be featured they can contact me through the site at www.ritaleechapman.com
Links for Missing in Egypt:
Website: www.ritaleechapman.com
March 7, 2014
Random Friday
You probably know that this year the “best foreign movie” Oscar went to an Italian, La grande bellezza, which I haven’t seen because I wasn’t interested in the first place (but I know it came out in cinemas, while my friends were like “Did it ever come out in theaters or what?” “YES, last year, the Oscars are for movies that came out the previous year, doh!”).
Anyhow, I gathered comments. The newsagent lady saw only a bit and then gave up because it was boring. The hairdresser had a discussion with a client who loved it, but she switched channel and watched Fantastic Four instead! My colleague said he recorded it, but hasn’t watched it yet. They tell me it’s very Fellinian – which is why it won the Oscar, IMHO. Americans love Fellini.
I don’t care. Never watched his movies and won’t watch this one either. But I’m happy it won because it does feature Rome. 21st century Rome. My dear Yankees, you are stuck with an idea of Rome that is very 1950s. Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita… we don’t live like this anymore, sorry. So I hope this movie shows you the real Rome – although nobody will ever bother to show you the suburbs and anything newer than the center of the town, but that’s another story.
Yesterday I also visited the non-catholic cemetery, where I had never been before. It’s behind the pyramid, and it’s a nice place to spend a nice sunny-but-cold afternoon. I got myself 90+ photos (mostly of angels, but also of gorgeous young men – sometimes with wings, LOL) and these souvenirs…
I already mentioned Keats is my favorite poet because of his sonnet “When I have fears” – although I have long outlived him, sometimes that fear of not managing to write down all the stories comes back… (no, 2million published words and a few million more still unpublished are not enough, LOL)
Smashwords Read an E-book Week ends tomorrow, so hurry! Have a great weekend!
March 5, 2014
Writer Wednesday
Blog visits had dropped in December and January, but February they were back at 2012 stats. 2013 has been the best, but somehow things changed when I hit the box for turning off comments on posts more than 30 days old. Still don’t know if those visitors were spambots or what.
Anyway, February was also good for sales, in spite of being a short month: 15 books on Amazon.it (yep, the Star Minds series in Italian), 2 on Amazon.com, 4 on Kobo, 5 on Apple and 1 on DriveThruFiction. Now that the e-book week is in full swing, there might be a few more sales, albeit at discounted rates (still $$ that go on the Smashwords account, so maybe in April I’ll get paid again, since I’ve reached the minimum treshold, LOL).
By the way, I’ve already recommended the Amaranthine series by Joleene Naylor, and she’s doing a sale during e-book week. Check her books, vampire stories with the right amount of sex and gore – i.e. not for teenagers or younger readers, LOL! Go grab yours – Shades of Gray was out long before the more famous 50 shades came out… And I’m looking forward to book 6 – although I admit even for book 5 I haven’t read the final version yet. Maybe I should go and grab it now… but I’m actually procrastinating for when I’ll have time to do an Amaranthine-marathon and read all the books in one shot!
Now I will have to work on my Kobo Writing Life dashboard as soon as I can. Please check this article on how to maximize your sales at Kobo. I’m thinking of trying the pre-order thingy either for the Italian editon of Star Minds Snippets or Amazon Spring, for which I already have a placeholder file. I’m keeping the article for future reference anyway!
I have submitted my rejections story to Cairn Press. If you’d like to share your rejections stories, here’s the call for submission. If they reject me, I’ll use that short rant into the void in October, when I’ll be off for a couple of weeks and will have to schedule the posts well in advance!
Kris Rusch’s discoverability series continues… I do only Facebook and Goodreads because it’s the only places where I have fun. I was on Facebook as a person before indie publishing (it’s a good way of keeping track of friends scattered all around the world) and I opened the author page when Facebook was still something else. In fact it was still called a “fan page”. I mostly send this blog posts there through networked blogs and sometimes share other writerly links.
On Goodreads I joined a few groups, but I’m active mostly in the smaller ones. Like the Smashwords Authors group. Soon I’ll feature this month’s author, since we have the “Author of the month” feature. As soon as she replies to my writerly questions, she’ll be on this blog! Otherwise I’m mostly quiet (or totally absent for the bigger groups, but I had to join for one reason or another)…
My beta-reader for Saif’s Legacy requested a sequel, so I’m thinking about it. Might become a trilogy of novellas – Assassins Guild of Silvery Earth – but even if I love those characters, I don’t know what else can happen to them. I’m starting to gather ideas for story #2 but #3 is still unfocused in the future, LOL!
I’ll change the cover of Technological Angel (as soon as Cristina delivers), but in the meantime I’m asking you: should I change also the Shooting Star cover and put the Italian edition version? I kinda like mine, since it’s one of the first drawings of Kol-ian I did way back in 2002, but if you think Silvano’s art is better, I’ll change it… Please vote in the comments – original or Italian version?
This weekend I’m back to writing in English, so stay tuned for more writerly news! Have a great week!
