Robin Lythgoe's Blog, page 26
July 25, 2014
Win a Copy of Scrivener
Here's a deal I had to share with all the writers reading my blog...
Out:Think Group is giving away a copy of Scrivener to five lucky winners. Scrivener, in case you haven't heard of it, is the bomb-dot-com when it comes to writing. Novels, technical works, short stories, memoirs, blogging—you name it, Scrivener can handle it. Beautifully.
Written by writers for writers, available for Mac,
Out:Think Group is giving away a copy of Scrivener to five lucky winners. Scrivener, in case you haven't heard of it, is the bomb-dot-com when it comes to writing. Novels, technical works, short stories, memoirs, blogging—you name it, Scrivener can handle it. Beautifully.
Written by writers for writers, available for Mac,
July 18, 2014
Follow Me to AR Silverberry's Digs!
Author AR Silverberry is interviewing me over on his blog as part of a series to introduce the authors of the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network. Here’s an excerpt:
How do you approach crafting a novel?
I sneak up on it and tackle it when it’s not looking!
Actually, each of my novels has started with an idea—a scene, a character, a “what if.” I jot it down, let it burble around in the caverns of my
How do you approach crafting a novel?
I sneak up on it and tackle it when it’s not looking!
Actually, each of my novels has started with an idea—a scene, a character, a “what if.” I jot it down, let it burble around in the caverns of my
July 4, 2014
The Freedom Conundrum
"The Freedom Conundrum..." Sounds like it could be the title of an exciting thriller, doesn't it? (Must add it to my list of ideas!) It's the first Friday of the month—and Independence Day, to boot! What better day for A Drift of Quills to talk about what freedom means to us individually and how the topic figures (or not!) in our novels? It's not all about baseball and apple pie, though. Joining
July 2, 2014
I'm a Semi-Finalist!
As the Crow Flies is a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review’s 2014 Kindle Book Awards, Sci-Fi / Fantasy category!
How exciting! The Top-5 Finalists in each category will be announced in September 2014. Good thing I'm not in the habit of chewing my nails...
If you haven't got one yet, be sure to pick up a copy of As the Crow Flies at any of these retailers: Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes
How exciting! The Top-5 Finalists in each category will be announced in September 2014. Good thing I'm not in the habit of chewing my nails...
If you haven't got one yet, be sure to pick up a copy of As the Crow Flies at any of these retailers: Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes
June 27, 2014
Good, Clean Reading
This might come as a shock to you, but I love fantasy books (and movies!).
There was a time when I could pick any fantasy book off the shelf and not have to worry about over-the-top violence and gore, sex, and foul language. I miss those days...
All is not lost, though!
The Fantasy & Science-Fiction Network (FSF Net) is dedicated to helping fans find the very best fantasy & sci-fi books for
There was a time when I could pick any fantasy book off the shelf and not have to worry about over-the-top violence and gore, sex, and foul language. I miss those days...
All is not lost, though!
The Fantasy & Science-Fiction Network (FSF Net) is dedicated to helping fans find the very best fantasy & sci-fi books for
June 24, 2014
The Series That Snuck Up On Me, Guest Post by William Hahn
Ladies and Jellybeans, Wonderful Readers, much to my delight we have author William Hahn joining us to talk about how he tackles (tackled?) writing a series. William taught Ancient-Medieval History for years, which wonderfully supports his journey into the realm of fantasy. He has written, in fact, an entire compendium about the lands in his novels—which is amazing bonus material for his readers
June 13, 2014
Charles David Carpenter & D.W. Jones New Release!
Somehow Posting Day has snuck up on me. I'm not sure where the rest of the week went, though I do recall slaaaaaving away (Just kidding, L.A.) to update the author index and profiles over at the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network, to which I belong. Actually, it was fun reading about the other members of the group and adding their books to my collection the list. The group is growing fast, and I get to work
June 6, 2014
Authors + Readers + Pinterest = Connection and Creation
It’s time for another Panel Discussion! This month A Drift of Quills is discussing how to use Pinterest to build worlds and connect with readers. You know what this means?? You, Dear Reader, get a look behind the scenes…
YOURS TRULY
Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories
My website (You can use this link or you could use the menu at the top. Whatever floats your boat!)
I love
YOURS TRULY
Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories
My website (You can use this link or you could use the menu at the top. Whatever floats your boat!)
I love
May 23, 2014
99-cent FSFNet eBook Blast!
I'm participating in a fantastic eBook Sale! It's a one-day only gig, so saddle up your dragon or strap on your jet packs and get over to the
Fantasy Sci-Fi Network
to grab your choice(s) from over a dozen fantasy and sci-fi books. All of these titles are priced under $0.99 at the time of writing this post. Prices are subject to change, so check the price before clicking “buy.”
The 99-cent sale is 24 hours only starting May 23, 2014 12:01 AM PST
The FSF Net is a growing group of over fifty authors who have gathered together to create a unique news channel dedicated to fans of fantasy and science-fiction books. Their members include some of today’s top bestselling fantasy and sci-fi authors like J.D. Hallowell, Brian Anderson, Lindsay Buroker, and Leeland Artra. All fantasy and sci-fi works by its member authors are guaranteed to not exceed the PG13 standard as described in the group’s website. While most of the books are written for adult fans of sci-fi and fantasy, the books are safe for all readers 13+ with limited violence, limited swearing, and no erotica. Since its creation in December of 2013, the network has helped launch many more bestselling authors, and its membership continues to grow weekly.
Pass it on! Be sure and share the news on your favorite social media sites!
The 99-cent sale is 24 hours only starting May 23, 2014 12:01 AM PST
The FSF Net is a growing group of over fifty authors who have gathered together to create a unique news channel dedicated to fans of fantasy and science-fiction books. Their members include some of today’s top bestselling fantasy and sci-fi authors like J.D. Hallowell, Brian Anderson, Lindsay Buroker, and Leeland Artra. All fantasy and sci-fi works by its member authors are guaranteed to not exceed the PG13 standard as described in the group’s website. While most of the books are written for adult fans of sci-fi and fantasy, the books are safe for all readers 13+ with limited violence, limited swearing, and no erotica. Since its creation in December of 2013, the network has helped launch many more bestselling authors, and its membership continues to grow weekly.
Pass it on! Be sure and share the news on your favorite social media sites!
May 16, 2014
The Robin Has Landed!
No, the post title is not the title of a new book—though it might make a really fun spoof. I have had hardly any time for even thinking about writing. You see, Hubster just woke up one day and said, "I need something sportier."
He was talking about a house.
Okay, technically, that's not what he said, but Maxwell Pig's line somehow seemed to fit the moment, because his sudden action on a desire he'd been vaguely harboring for a few years was, you know, sudden. Being the cautious one, I implored that we take things slowly. We were talking about a big commitment financially, emotionally, physically... We bought our first house over twenty years ago. It doesn't seem like that long, but I did the math, and it's true. We put a lot of work and a lot of love into updating it, and there were still projects and hopes lined up—including the addition of a garage (which one really needs in northern Utah). My youngest daughter grew up there. Having moved around quite a bit when I was young, I dreamed of buying a house and living there forever. Like Hubster's parents. Like his grandparents. And probably their parents...
We looked at several houses to get a feel for the market. Or at least that's what I thought we were doing. Then BAM! We were making an offer and putting our first house on the market. All in a matter of days. It wasn't ready. *I* wasn't ready. And yet there I was, sorting through our two decades of accumulated stuff, packing and giving away and throwing away. Not only did we not want to bring useless stuff with us, but we were downsizing a little. Bye-bye to my craft room. Bye-bye to the guest room. Bye-bye to Hubster's never-finished-photo-studio.
I'll tell you, decluttering on such a scale sure gives one a new perspective about the life they've lived and how they might be spending the future!
Faster than I could credit, we were signing the closing papers.
We didn't get the keys, and that ended up taking a little longer than we'd hoped. We made the 50 minute drive with the Forerunner packed to the gills and me making jokes about trying to keep the front tires on the pavement. Our excitement, which went up and down with each obstacle and "one more thing" we'd encountered, hit an all-time low. We'd first viewed the house through rosy glasses. Hubster was sold on the garage (ANY garage); I was enamored with the large kitchen/dining/family room area, which could actually accommodate our growing family for get-togethers and holidays. The inspection revealed far more grime than we'd previously noticed. Stepping over the threshold with our belongings to put away, we discovered the real truth of the matter: The people who had lived here before hadn't cleaned anything during the two(ish) years they'd lived here. Nothing. Not. One. Thing.
"Eww," was the word of the day. The week! I'd have been so embarrassed to leave my house in that condition! It took Hubster and me four hours to clean the top half of the kitchen, including the microwave and the kitchen sink. Then we discovered we'd missed a cabinet. Yikes. Mostly, I just wanted to cry. I'd just spent the last couple weeks packing and cleaning our old house, and now I was going to have to deep clean the new one. I'd expected to have to wipe things down and make it "my" clean, but not to this extent. Thank goodness for my sweet sister in law, who bravely and unselfishly tackled some very nasty bathrooms—and still managed to keep her sense of humor.
A neighbor loaned us his covered trailer so we could start moving the boxes and smaller things while saving most of the furniture for the weekend and the much-needed manly and muscular help. We fit a lot of stuff in that thing, which we hooked up to the little pick-up truck my father-in-law so graciously loaned us. Our only serious mishap was "two" theme: two flat tires, (nearly) two hundred bucks for new ones, and two hours of sitting on the expressway. "Could have been worse," Hubster said. "Could have been raining."
Naturally, my imagination supplied MUCH more gruesome and drastic "worse" scenarios. I'm a writer. A key developmental tool is the question, "What's the worst thing that could happen to your character?" Thankfully, we were not at the mercy of a ruthless author. Our wonderful son and the nifty new cell phone (with Google Maps on it to tell us where the nearest tire seller was located) my #2 daughter helped me get came to our rescue.
On the big day the Moving Crew arrived, along with two big trucks, another (huge!) trailer, several cars, and my darling grandson. He handled the big stuff without even breaking a sweat.
Seriously—a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped, whether it was lifting and carrying, driving, unpacking, making our bed (!), providing pizza (!), posing with the elk antlers, loading up the pantry, or loaning keys and coolers. You all RAWK!
So the bulk of the cleaning and putting the house "together" is done. Hubster may argue; half the garage is still full of boxes, but it's a work in progress! It took us 20+ years to put it together the first time, it's going to take a little while to rearrange and polish.
Here is a peek at the NEW family room and my NEW office (please pardon my abysmal photography skills—using PhotoBooth on my laptop, of all things):
Not done yet, but now you know what I've been up to since I fell into the rabbit hole. More virtual catching up to do next week. Tomorrow? I'm gonna WRITE.
Graphic Credits:House for Sale = IconShotsAngel = GraphicHiveRain = All-Free-DownloadAdorable Grandson = his daddyHouse pics = mine (where IS that photographer hubby when I need him?)
He was talking about a house.
Okay, technically, that's not what he said, but Maxwell Pig's line somehow seemed to fit the moment, because his sudden action on a desire he'd been vaguely harboring for a few years was, you know, sudden. Being the cautious one, I implored that we take things slowly. We were talking about a big commitment financially, emotionally, physically... We bought our first house over twenty years ago. It doesn't seem like that long, but I did the math, and it's true. We put a lot of work and a lot of love into updating it, and there were still projects and hopes lined up—including the addition of a garage (which one really needs in northern Utah). My youngest daughter grew up there. Having moved around quite a bit when I was young, I dreamed of buying a house and living there forever. Like Hubster's parents. Like his grandparents. And probably their parents...
We looked at several houses to get a feel for the market. Or at least that's what I thought we were doing. Then BAM! We were making an offer and putting our first house on the market. All in a matter of days. It wasn't ready. *I* wasn't ready. And yet there I was, sorting through our two decades of accumulated stuff, packing and giving away and throwing away. Not only did we not want to bring useless stuff with us, but we were downsizing a little. Bye-bye to my craft room. Bye-bye to the guest room. Bye-bye to Hubster's never-finished-photo-studio.
I'll tell you, decluttering on such a scale sure gives one a new perspective about the life they've lived and how they might be spending the future!
Faster than I could credit, we were signing the closing papers.
We didn't get the keys, and that ended up taking a little longer than we'd hoped. We made the 50 minute drive with the Forerunner packed to the gills and me making jokes about trying to keep the front tires on the pavement. Our excitement, which went up and down with each obstacle and "one more thing" we'd encountered, hit an all-time low. We'd first viewed the house through rosy glasses. Hubster was sold on the garage (ANY garage); I was enamored with the large kitchen/dining/family room area, which could actually accommodate our growing family for get-togethers and holidays. The inspection revealed far more grime than we'd previously noticed. Stepping over the threshold with our belongings to put away, we discovered the real truth of the matter: The people who had lived here before hadn't cleaned anything during the two(ish) years they'd lived here. Nothing. Not. One. Thing.
"Eww," was the word of the day. The week! I'd have been so embarrassed to leave my house in that condition! It took Hubster and me four hours to clean the top half of the kitchen, including the microwave and the kitchen sink. Then we discovered we'd missed a cabinet. Yikes. Mostly, I just wanted to cry. I'd just spent the last couple weeks packing and cleaning our old house, and now I was going to have to deep clean the new one. I'd expected to have to wipe things down and make it "my" clean, but not to this extent. Thank goodness for my sweet sister in law, who bravely and unselfishly tackled some very nasty bathrooms—and still managed to keep her sense of humor.
A neighbor loaned us his covered trailer so we could start moving the boxes and smaller things while saving most of the furniture for the weekend and the much-needed manly and muscular help. We fit a lot of stuff in that thing, which we hooked up to the little pick-up truck my father-in-law so graciously loaned us. Our only serious mishap was "two" theme: two flat tires, (nearly) two hundred bucks for new ones, and two hours of sitting on the expressway. "Could have been worse," Hubster said. "Could have been raining."Naturally, my imagination supplied MUCH more gruesome and drastic "worse" scenarios. I'm a writer. A key developmental tool is the question, "What's the worst thing that could happen to your character?" Thankfully, we were not at the mercy of a ruthless author. Our wonderful son and the nifty new cell phone (with Google Maps on it to tell us where the nearest tire seller was located) my #2 daughter helped me get came to our rescue.
On the big day the Moving Crew arrived, along with two big trucks, another (huge!) trailer, several cars, and my darling grandson. He handled the big stuff without even breaking a sweat.
Seriously—a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped, whether it was lifting and carrying, driving, unpacking, making our bed (!), providing pizza (!), posing with the elk antlers, loading up the pantry, or loaning keys and coolers. You all RAWK!So the bulk of the cleaning and putting the house "together" is done. Hubster may argue; half the garage is still full of boxes, but it's a work in progress! It took us 20+ years to put it together the first time, it's going to take a little while to rearrange and polish.
Here is a peek at the NEW family room and my NEW office (please pardon my abysmal photography skills—using PhotoBooth on my laptop, of all things):
Not done yet, but now you know what I've been up to since I fell into the rabbit hole. More virtual catching up to do next week. Tomorrow? I'm gonna WRITE.Graphic Credits:House for Sale = IconShotsAngel = GraphicHiveRain = All-Free-DownloadAdorable Grandson = his daddyHouse pics = mine (where IS that photographer hubby when I need him?)
