Susan Spann's Blog, page 86

Training … On the Sun

About a week ago, I mentioned my new Hawaiian sun coral and the fact that I was training it to open diurnally rather than at night.

In the wild, sun corals lead a mostly nocturnal existence, in part because of the tides and in part because it’s safer to extend their tendriled polyps when the fish are mostly sleeping.

A friend asked how I go about training corals, so I thought I’d share that process here today.

Sun corals eat by opening their mouths to catch and absorb plankton and other tiny dissolved particles from the water and by extending their tentacles to grasp larger pieces of food, which the corals then shove into their waiting mouths.

Most sun corals spend the daylight hours closed up tightly.

At night, they open to feed.

However, suns can sense high levels of food in the water. They “taste” high levels of plankton and other foods, and (once they know the water isn’t teeming with predators eager to nip the coral’s tentacles off) instinctively open to receive them.

I feed my tank at roughly the same times every day: 4:30pm and 9:30pm. That’s accurate to within about half an hour in either direction. The lights go on around 4pm and go off at 11 (timers are wonderful things). The 4:30 feeding consists of defrosted frozen mysis shrimp and a small amount of liquid food – usually a combination of “oyster feast” and live phytoplankton. (A piece of advice: don’t assume everything in my refrigerator is meant for human consumption.)

The later feeding consists of mysis and frozen enriched brine shrimp only.

When I buy a new sun coral, I swap the feedings until the training is over – the liquid food goes in with the later feeding instead of the earlier one, to ensure some microscopic food remains in the water after the lights go out. This prevents the coral from starving while it learns to open with the light.

The “training” itself involves placing little pieces of mysis onto the coral’s polyps at feeding time even though the coral is closed. Within a couple of days, the coral senses the food on top of the polyp and opens its mouths to suck in the mysis. Gradually, the coral comes to expect food at regular times, and slowly starts to open its mouths at feeding time. That’s when the liquid food goes back to the early feeding.

Within a few more weeks (or, in the case of smarter corals, just a couple of days) the coral not only opens its mouths to feed but extends its polyps also. The smartest ones eventually learn that “feeding time” comes shortly after the lights turn on, and open as soon as the tank lights go on overhead.

Some corals learn faster than others, and not all of  them eat “meaty foods” in a way that permits me to train them, but sun corals learn pretty quickly, and their lovely display is well worth the extra effort it takes to teach them to open in daylight.

 

 

 

In Honor of “Uncle John”

June is official “bathroom reading” month. In honor of the occasion, and to properly (ahem) enthrone the glory which is bathroom reading, I’m responding to the question offered at Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Blog:

If you could trade places with any character from a children’s story, whom would you pick and why?

My answer?

Lucy from C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I have to admit, the choice surprised me a little, myself. At first I thought I’d go for something historical – Laura from LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE – or something fantastic, like one of the characters from the OLD MRS. WEST WIND series I loved as a child.

But when I had to make a choice, the name that popped into my head was “Lucy.”

I admire Lucy for many reasons. She ended up a hero, though she didn’t start out as one. She squabbled with her siblings and she spent quite a few pages terrified out of her mind. She had to watch Aslan suffer, and she had to face betrayal and loss before she and her siblings succeeded in their quest to become the prophesied kings and queens at Cair Paravel.

Lucy discovered the door to Narnia in the wardrobe, and became the first to explore that fantastical world. She met and made a friend of Mr. Tumnus, the quirky faun. But when she returned to the world of people, her siblings called her adventure “imaginary.” They didn’t believe in her fantasy. Until, of course, the rest of them stumbled through the door and recognized little Lucy was telling the truth.

In a way, of course, the last two years have made me feel a lot like Lucy. I tumbled down a rabbit hole into samurai Japan, and made a friend of a ninja that no one else could see. A month from now, the rest of you can join me in Hiro’s Kyoto … there’s no white witch, and no noble lion, but it’s a realm I discovered by myself, and now I have the privilege of inviting you to travel there with me.

It’s not quite as good as trading places with Lucy for real – I don’t get to meet Aslan, or see the wonders of Narnia face to face – but it’s pretty close, and after all, I can always return to Narnia through Lucy’s eyes any time I want to, just by picking up my well-worn copy of C.S. Lewis’s book.

What character from a children’s book would you trade places with if you could?

Shinobi News: June 8, 2013

The most recent issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine gave Claws of the Cat 4 stars (out of a possible 4.5) and called it “fun, historically entertaining and a very good book.” I’m thrilled!

In equally good news, Goodreads has a second Claws of the Cat giveaway in progress – click here for a chance to win one of 20 ARCs of the novel – you could get it before release!

I’m also running a #PubLaw Comment contest through the month of June – leave a comment on any of my posts tagged #PubLaw for a chance to win an ARC of Claws – I’ll draw a winner for that one on July 1.

Many chances to win! Good luck!

 

A Review of FIRELANDS

Eighty years in the future, America has devolved into a totalitarian theocracy. The ruling Josephites clone the only seeds that grow in the post-apocalyptic climate, allowing their Prophet to control who eats, who starves, and who burns in the ritual fires that atone for society.

Subsisting on the fringes, Archer risks violation and death each day as she scours the forest for game to feed her people. When a Josephite refugee seeks sanctuary in her home, Archer is driven to chance a desperate gamble—a gamble that will bring down the Prophet and deliver seeds and freedom, or end in a fiery death for herself and for everyone she loves.

Seeds are life . . . Seeds are power . . . Seeds are the only hope of a despairing people. What will Archer do for the seeds of freedom, and what will she justify in their name?

I read a pre-release copy of FIRELANDS, and I’ve been waiting for months to post this.

The heroine, Archer, is strong and multi-dimensional. She has the chip on her shoulder one expects in post-apocalyptic protagonists, but she also has the ability (when forced by circumstances) to examine and overcome her personal prejudices. Archer’s personal journey isn’t easy on any level, and like most real people she drags her feet against the change from independent loner to (mostly) selfless hero. She is a complex character I could identify with and root for. I found her story–and FIRELANDS as a whole–believable and compelling from start to finish.

Bayard gets special props for the ending, which managed to simultaneously satisfy and surprise – a rare thing, indeed, especially in this genre.

Some readers may draw comparisons between FIRELANDS and THE HUNGER GAMES, and Katniss’s fans will surely like Archer too. But Archer isn’t a Katniss-clone, and though I’m a fan of both novels I found FIRELANDS a more rewarding read than THE HUNGER GAMES, primarily because I found Archer a more mature and layered heroine. In addition, I think FIRELANDS is a more approachable book for male readers because the romantic elements, though present, are handled maturely and don’t overwhelm the action-driven plot.

FIRELANDS is a fast-paced, highly visual read. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and if you’re a reader of thrillers, action, or dystopian reads, I think you’ll enjoy it too.

OVERALL REVIEW: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 

Firelands is available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as for Kobo and iPad.

*Disclaimer: I know the author, Piper Bayard, personally, but that fact did not influence this review. All book reviews on this blog are written at my personal choice and discretion, and I am not compensated for reviews.

Negoro – Japanese red lacquerware

Lacquer has a long history in Japanese arts.

The earliest uses date to approximately 7,000 B.C., during the Jomon period (which takes its name from the era’s distinctive “cord marked” pottery and ceramics).

Japanese decorative lacquer is produced from the sap of the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), which is toxic when wet but forms a hard coating when dry. For centuries, Japanese artisans have applied lacquer to a variety of products, from lamellar armor to serving dishes and even paintings, and to surfaces ranging from wood and paper to leather. Since lacquer serves a preservative function as well as a decorative one, many ancient lacquered objects survive to this day.

During the Muromachi period (the era in which I set my Shinobi novels), artisans often coated objects with black lacquer and then covered the darker undercoat with two or three layers of red lacquer finish. As the object aged, the red lacquer slowly cracked or wore away, revealing the darker color underneath.

Image credit: Sean Pathasema/Birmingham Museum of Art

Today, these red-over-black lacquered objects are known as negoro-nuri or negoro-ware. Historians believe the name derives from Negoro-ji, a temple in Japan’s Kii province.

During the Kamakura period (1192 – 1333), priests at Negoro-ji produced lacquered utensils for the temple using the red-over-black lacquer technique. As time passed, people began to call such objects negoro-nuri. The name spread, and gained popularity, until it became a general term for lacquered objects made with this technique.

When you eat at a Japanese restaurant and receive a red-lacquered bowl (usually with a red or black interior) it’s a variation on this medieval style, which has become iconic in Japanese pottery and dishware.

Do you own, or have you eaten off of, dishware with this red and black lacquered pattern? What do you think of negoro-ware?

Elevator Pitches – Knock ‘Em Out of the Park!

With the summer season upon us, many authors have started polishing “elevator pitches” for conference use.

For those not in the know, the term “elevator pitch” refers to a thirty-second(-ish) hook-and-logline for a novel (or other creative project) which a writer presents to an editor, agent, or other third party who ends up trapped in an elevator with said author. (That’s a joke, people. I hope you laughed.)

More seriously, it’s the author’s pitch for the novel – and an author needs one whether the novel is published, unpublished, or still a work in progress. It’s the author’s response to “What are you writing/what do you write/why are you licking the icing off my dessert?” (OK, maybe not that last one. Truth is, I just wanted the icing…)

Your pitch should be short, distinctive, and make the listener want to know more.

Websites, seminars, books and workshops exist help authors prepare these pitches. You can even find one-on-one coaching at some conferences (as it happens, I’m teaching one-on-one “confidence pitching” sessions at RMFW’s Colorado Gold conference in September 2013 – attendees can sign up as part of the registration process, and I’m looking forward to helping authors tailor their pitches before their editor-agent appointments!). The next three weeks of #PubLaw will take a look at the various aspects of building a viable elevator pitch.

Today’s topic? CONQUERING FEAR.

Most authors find pitching scary, and some find it nearly paralyzing. The kind of fear that keeps a writer silent until the elevator doors glide shut behind the departing agent–after an awkward ten-story ride in silence during which the author barely managed not to faint. Only after the agent departs do the writer’s fear-iced lips thaw out enough to pitch that novel – to anyone except for the people whose ears most need to hear it.

For many authors, editors, agents, and even readers might as well be drooling Cerberian hell-hounds out to devour an author’s soul and gnaw the shattered bones of her dearest dreams. Or something like that.

Not so. Most people want to hear your pitch, as long as it’s short and sweet.

Over the years, I’ve found an image that worked for me, and from what I can tell it works well for others too. Before you get into that elevator or walk in the door for the conference one-on-one, remind yourself that the [insert appropriate noun, be it editor, agent, or readers' group] put on her pants the same way you did this morning, except that hopefully she used her own pants, because if you walk in there and discover she’s wearing yours this will be rather creepy, as meetings go.

Don’t imagine the agent without any pants (as some people advise). Imagine her wearing YOUR PANTS…and ask yourself how she might have obtained them. The absurdity of an agent going SPY VS SPY on your trousers will lessen your stress and probably make you smile.

Especially if the agent or editor’s gender is different from yours.

For the record, the old cliche about “putting on pants one leg at a time” does little to calm the butterfly carnival in your stomach. The creepiness of a total stranger hiring someone to sneak into your room and steal your pants, however, tends to prompt a smile.

Walk into that room. Give your pitch. And remember…that editor or agent did get dressed the same way you did (mileage may vary slightly) – except that, in truth, she used her own pants.

Because after all … using yours would be creepy.

Now, get out there and nail that pitch.

And remember: if you leave a comment on this post, or any #PubLaw Wednesday post in the month of June (meaning any post tagged as #PubLaw and dated from now until June 30) I will enter you in a drawing to win a signed ARC of my upcoming shinobi mystery novel, Claws of the Cat!

And, of course, the legalese: To be eligible to win, you must be at least 18 years old, leave a valid name and email address in the comments and and live or have a mailing address in the US or Canada. No purchase necessary to win. Odds of winning vary with entries received. One entry per household. One winner will be drawn at random from eligible comments.

Cygnus – A retrospective

Given Cyg’s recent departure for “the place good seahorses go” (and his more temporal departure to the rose bed) it makes sense that this week’s tank post is a retrospective on Cygnus the Seahorse.

Cyg was not always the 9″ monster he became as an adult. In fact, when I first got him from the breeder (via overnight mail to the reef store) he was only a 2″ pipsqueak…

and a skinny one at that:

In fact, Cyg was the seahorse who taught me to put nylon mesh between the rocks on the reef, because seahorses have a way of getting stuck in odd places at inconvenient times. (Late for a meeting? Yep. Seahorse is stuck in the reef….)

He also had a thing for watching the corals. I’d heard about seahorses being “grabby” with coral specimens, but Cyg preferred artificial hitches to natural ones. He did like to “smell the flowers” though:

As an adult, he welcomed little Ceti and Ghillie to the tank, and had patience with them until his massive size no longer scared them silly:

As seahorses go, he was a good teacher, for Ceti and Ghillie but also for me. He was the first, but he definitely won’t be the last!

 

An Interview with Laura Drake

Please welcome Laura Drake, author of the new bull-riding romance THE SWEET SPOT (Grand Central, May 2013).

Laura Drake is a city girl, who never grew out of her tomboy ways, or a serious cowboy crush. She writes both Women’s Fiction and Romance. Laura resides in Southern California, though she aspires to retirement in Texas. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write, full time. She’s a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.

The grief counselor told the group to be grateful for what they had left. After lots of considering, Charla Rae decided she was thankful for the bull semen.
 
Charla Rae Denny’s role as a traditional ranch wife and mother fits her like custom-tailored Wranglers. When her only son is killed in a tragic accident, Char retreats to a world of grief and Valium. Her reeling husband takes up with a blonde buckle bunny half his age. Their ranch, which supplies bucking bulls to the Pro Bull Riding circuit, is split up in the divorce. Jimmy gets the bulls, Charla, their valuable semen.

All her county fair ribbons won’t help Charla now. She’s alone, addicted, ill-equipped, and has no one to blame but herself. In spite of her fear of horses and smelly cows, she stands up, takes off her apron, and learns to run a ranch. She and Jimmy have lost their way. But through months of hard work, tears, and some hard knocks, they both learn to forgive — themselves and each other.Together, they find their way back, to life, to love, to the Sweet Spot.

I met Laura through Writers in the Storm, and also through Facebook and Twitter. She’s a fun person and a talented writer, and I’m delighted that she agreed to join me for an interview today!

Where did you grow up? Will you share a favorite story from your childhood?

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. One of our favorite places to go in the summer was Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio (a Six Flags-type amusement park). I was probably ten the first time we went. They had a ‘Jungle Cruise’ ride, where you sat in a boat and wild animals roared at you from the jungle, natives got restless, etc. At one point, the captain of our boat took out a pistol to return fire on pirates. I was sitting in the front row, and he shot me instead (don’t want to go hunting with that guy!) Thank God, he was firing blanks – I got a trip to the hospital to have gunpowder dug out of my arm, and we got a free day at the park. I thought it was a good trade!

What inspired you to start writing?

I rode a hundred thousand miles on the back of my husband’s motorcycle, propping a book on his back and reading on the boring stretches. But you can’t read all day and after awhile, my brain would empty of the day-to-day thoughts and cast about for something new to think about.

Then one day, riding into the small town of Kernville, California, a dog ran in front of the bike. After a gut clenching scare, it trotted back the way it came and we rode on. A kernel of a plot was formed, and wouldn’t go away until I finally wrote it down!

If you could go back in time and share one writing lesson with “new writer you” before starting your first manuscript … what would that be?

Enjoy the process. Don’t be in such a hurry to get to the next step that you don’t fully appreciate this time. It’ll never be quite like this again.

Your upcoming novel, THE SWEET SPOT, involves an unusual romance between an independent rancher and her ex-husband, a champion bull rider. What inspired you to set a romance against the backdrop of professional bull riding, and also, to use a divorced couple as the medium to tell the tale?

I am a bull riding fanatic. No, really, I’m a member of the fan club, for cripes sake, and the last fan club I was in had Mickey Mouse at the helm! It’s embarrassing. But there’s just something about the drama of the sport that pulls me in. How can a guy have the courage to strap himself to a one ton animal that wants to stomp him? The ride is almost like ballet – moves and counter-moves, strategy by both the rider and the bull. Honestly, it’s captivating!

I wish I could tell you where the divorced couple came from – I’m a total pantser – and half the time I feel like I’m just typing stuff that’s piped in from somewhere!  Unfortunately, the other half, I’m trying to figure out how to make that happen . . .

Do you have a favorite author or book? If so, who (or what) is it, and why?

Oh, no fair! You know an author can’t keep it to ONE! I like so many different genres – but what my favorites all have in common are their amazing voices; Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Pat Conroy . . . I could go on and on.

What did you find most challenging about writing THE SWEET SPOT? How did you push yourself to get past difficult moments in writing and editing?

I try to learn something new with each book I write. The Sweet Spot was my lesson in getting the emotion on the page. Only readers can tell me if I succeeded!

Editing was tough for this book, because I wrote it as Women’s Fiction, and it sold as a Romance. There are more differences between the two genres than I realized. I’d have jumped out my window if it weren’t for my brilliant agent, and my wonderful crit group!

What is the last book you read, and why did you choose it?

I just finished The Good Daughter, by Jane Porter. I’ve known her online for years, but met her for the first time at a local writer’s conference recently. I bought the book, and she autographed it (hey, authors are fans too, right, Susan?) It turned out to be my favorite kind of book; a mix between WF and romance. It was wonderful.

Do you have a favorite scene in THE SWEET SPOT? If so, what makes it stand out for you?

Oh yes. Charla is a ranch wife, but considered her domain inside the house and everything outside, her husband’s. She knows almost nothing about ranching, and is afraid of cows. But when she throws him off the property, she has to run the ranch by herself.

She ends up in the mud, in a driving rainstorm, up to her armpit in the back end of a cow, trying to deliver a breech calf. It’s a major turning point for Char. It’s funny, sad, and dramatic all at the same time. I love it.

Do you have any upcoming signings or readings? 

I’m going to be signing my book at the PBR World Finals (bull riding) in Las Vegas in October. A dream come true for me! And yes, I know how odd that sounds…

And now, the speed round:

Plotter or pantser?

Pantser, with serious plot-envy.

Coffee, tea, or bourbon?

Coffee. I drink 10-15 cups a day. In a pinch, I’ve been known to chew the grounds.

Socks or no socks?

Socks! The inside of shoes just feels nasty — how did we get on this subject?

Cats, dogs, or reptiles?

I can’t live without a cat. Although I was married to a reptile once (I don’t recommend it.)

For dinner: Italian, Mexican, Burgers or Thai?

Mexican! Growing up in Detroit, I’d never tasted it until I moved to California. One taste of refried beans, and I was hooked.

Thanks so much for having me, Susan, this was fun!

Thank you, Laura, for joining us today! I’m looking forward to reading THE SWEET SPOT, and I think a signing at the PBR World Finals sounds really cool (I’m actually a bull riding fan myself).

THE SWEET SPOT is available now in paperback and e-book formats – and don’t miss Laura’s upcoming August release, HER ROAD HOME (Harlequin Superromance, August 2013).

Laura will be back in August to talk about HER ROAD HOME, but for those who just can’t wait: You can’t outrun nightmares on a motorcycle. Samantha Crozier knows, because she’s tried. Following the death of her father, Sam, an itinerant building contractor,  sold everything and hit the road on her motorcycle, ‘flipping’ houses on her way across the country. One rainy day on the coast of California, she runs out of road – and luck. When an accident leaves her afoot in Widow’s Grove, the nightmares catch up. But can a derelict Victorian house, a stray dog, and a small town mechanic convince her to stay long enough to face them?

For more information about Laura and her books, you can visit her at her website or find her on Twitter (@PBRWriter). Laura also blogs at Writers in the Storm, a fantastic group blog about writing, publishing, and the writing life!

Shinobi News: June 1, 2013

I’m thrilled to announce that Claws of the Cat has received a starred review from Library Journal, which also named Claws the “Mystery Debut of the Month” for June 1, 2013!

Library Journal’s verdict in Hiro’s case?

“While Spann demonstrates admirable attention to detail in her ninja detective debut, it’s the contemporary tone of her prose that makes this intriguing 16th-century historical so accessible. Laura Joh Rowland fans will like this book for the time period, but the “buddy tone” is reminiscent of Ian Morson’s “Nick Zuliani” series and Gary Corby’s “Athenian Mysteries” series.” - Library Journal, starred review

I’m delighted and honored that Library Journal’s reviewers enjoyed the book, and looking forward to sharing it with everyone very soon!

In honor of the great review, I’m running a special contest through the weekend! Leave a comment on this post between now and midnight Pacific Time on Monday June 3, and on Monday I’ll draw a winner at random from among the eligible entries and give away an ARC of Claws of the Cat!

The legalese: This contest is separate from the #PubLaw giveaway currently running, and entry into one will not impact the other. Odds of winning will vary based on number of entrants. Maximum one entry per household. Only residents of the United States and Canada are eligible to win (sorry – that’s the publisher’s requirement!). Prize is one (1) paperback ARC of CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur, July 2013) – signed by the author. No purchase necessary to win. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck to all!

Monthly Observances – Let’s party! (June 2013)

For those not already in the know, June 2013 is official:

Adopt a shelter cat month (just don’t do what I did and adopt a sheltered cat. Apparently that’s different…)

Lane Courtesy Month. (Hello, Lane, it’s nice to meet you! Allow me to hold the door…)

Corn and Cucumber month (please, not together.)

National Ice Tea Month (You can make tea from ice? I didn’t know.)

International Men’s Month (No clue why they picked June. I guess that makes it International Men – of Mystery! – Month as well)

Accordion Awareness Month (though, really, is it possible to be unaware of accordions?)

Fireworks Safety Month (we’ll give you the matches in July)

and

Smile month (If this post didn’t give you one, I hope you’ll find one somewhere.)

Enjoy the day!