Sharon Joss's Blog, page 8

Writer’s High

Sharon Joss Writes

After the upheaval of moving, I’m finally back in the groove of my daily writing schedule and and gratified to see steady progress on the new novel. CHAOS KARMA is the third novel in my Hand of Fate urban fantasy series. It’s been almost a year since I was writing a first draft of a novel. I’d forgotten how satisfying it is to torment my characters, discover new plot twists, and write new words in this ever-expanding story world. Right now, I’m totally immersed in the quirky town of Shore Haven.

My new novel, STEAM DOGS, launched last week, which gives me an incredible sense of accomplishment. While I love writing, I love having written more.

I’m also in the process of updating the covers for the first two books in the series and reformatting them to reduce the price on the paperback versions. As a former art major, I confess that I love designing covers. Just for kicks, here’s all three covers (including the sneak peek at Chaos Karma):

And as if this wasn’t enough fun, this year I was invited to participate as panelist at OryCon, one of those milestones I’ve always associated with being a’real’ writer. I confess, I was a bit nervous on Friday, but I needn’t have been. I knew half the people on both of the panels that day, and the audience was friendly and and (hopefully) as interested in the session topics as I was. I got to participate in some lively discussions on writing and craft (always my favorite topics), meet some terrific people, and see some friends I’ve only met online or rarely see in person. At the end of the day, I drove home feeling energized and glad to be part of the experience. Today was even more fun, and I can hardly wait until tomorrow.

All good days here.

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Release Day – Steam Dogs

Sharon Joss Writes

Wootie-woot, it’s release day for my new novel, STEAM DOGS.

In this alternate history thriller, 19th-century technology and the supernatural collide outside London, when airships and aerialists from across Europe converge on the Isle of Dogs for an air show. Among the crowd, a master thief with his eye on the Queen’s jewels, a Metropolitan Police inspector, and a former royal wizard dead set on kidnapping the commander of the most powerful army in the world—Queen Victoria of Britain.

Here’s the links:

Paperback edition here

Kindle edition here

Kobo edition here

Nook edition here

Or wherever you buy books!

 

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OryCon is Coming: Here’s Where I’ll Be…

Sharon Joss Writes

I’m pretty excited to be a panelist this year at OryCon 37 at the Waterfront Portland Marriot. Guests of Honor are Tanya Huff, artist Alan M. Clark, Ryan Wells, and Jason V. Brock. A little star-struck too, several of my co-panelists are people who I’ve met at other workshops, classes, or Cons; or through Cascade Writers or Writers of the Future. Here’s my schedule:

Friday, November 20

4-5pm      I’ll Be Watching You: From vampire assassins to wizard private eyes to undead thugs, crime has been mixing it up with fantasy for years. What is it about crime, noir, and the paranormal that’s so appealing? Also – what are some really good titles? I’ll be moderating this one with Annie Bellet, Ken Lizzi, Alex C Renwick, and Kristi Charish
5-6pm      Writers of the Future Reading: Past winners read their work. With Lori Ann White, K.C. Ball, Stoney Compton, Peter Wacks, Grá Linnaea

Saturday, November 21

12-1pm  The internet: How Do You Keep Anything Private?   In this day and age, can you recognize when your information is secure? Do you know at what points your data may be available to either innocently casual or fiendishly intent scrutiny? With Mark Niemann-Ross, Sean Robinson, Edward Stiner
4-5pm  Finance for Creatives  How do professional writers and artists handle accounting, paperwork, taxes and the IRS. Who gets paid what? Who deducts what? Can I really write off that trip to Belize and do I have to keep every receipt? When can I start treating some of my hobbies and start-ups as real businesses? With  Leah Cutter, John Hedtke, William Hertling
5-6pm  Piracy: Fight It or Embrace It?   Piracy is everywhere, and creators hate it. Except when they don’t. HBO, for instance, says pirating of “Game of Thrones” is the best free advertising ever. Should creators learn to embrace the Jolly Roger, or fight it? With Erik Wecks, Shawna Reppert, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, Grá Linnaea

Sunday, November 22

11-12pm   Spaceships, Colonists, & Castaways  How small communities function in isolated conditions with minimal resources. With Susan R. Matthews, Lori Ann White, Alex C Renwick, Bart Kemper
12-1pm   The Gender Talk   Is it really that hard to write someone of a different gender?  I’ll be moderating this one with J. A. Pitts, Rhiannon Held, Esther Jones, Dale Ivan Smith

Should be loads of fun!  Hope to see you there.

 

 

 

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Cover Reveal: STEAM DOGS

Sharon Joss Writes

Wootie-woot! I’ve been waiting a long time to show you this, but here it is, the reveal of my upcoming thriller novel, STEAM DOGS.

I’m a huge fan of action and adventure in both my reading and movie preferences. I’ve been wanting to write a paranormal thriller for a very long time. Inspired by the likes of Dean Koontz, Dan Simmons, Scott Lynch and others, I finally decided to take a crack at the genre myself. Of course, being me, I can’t seem to color within the lines of one genre. I think of it as a supernatural-heist-crime-detective-magic-action-adventure-with-horror-elements. That’s probably confusing to most people,  so here’s the blurb:

In this alternate history thriller, airships and aerialists from across Europe converge outside London on the Isle of Dogs for an air show.   Among the crowd, a master thief with his eye on the Queen’s jewels, a Metropolitan Police inspector, and a former royal wizard dead set on kidnapping the commander of the most powerful army in the world—Queen Victoria of Britain

Some might call it steampunk. I like to think of it as Mission: Impossible with magic. Coming to a bookseller near you in November.  Sign up for my mailing list (on the right-hand side of this page) and you’ll be the first to know (and get a free short story, too).

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Mystery Sculptures & Story Prompts

Sharon Joss Writes

One of the really surprising things I’ve discovered about my new setting in Lake Oswego, is that there are statues and sculpture around just about every corner. Big and little. I live about a block from the town’s central plaza / park and there is a stone wall I pass on the way which is largely covered in vines and vegetation. But there are little clefts in the wall with small bronze basins for water. They’re weathered and some are a little worse for wear.  It was only today that I really started thinking about the details…

 

They’re odd little sculptures.  But neat. In a creepy sort of way. Like this one, which I call turtle boy.  It’s kind of hard to see, but there’s a turtle hanging over the head of a little boy, who is leaning over the basin.

 

 

 

 

The conjoined twins.  There’s a girl leaning back with her mouth open, and her watery hair is joined to a another girl’s face.  This one is only a few inches off the ground, so as I pass by, I’m looking down into the long-haired girl’s upside down face. I can’t tell if she’s asleep and dreaming of the other girl, or if she’s moaning…

 

 

 

 

 

The angry man. The water stains coming from his mouth make me think he’s screaming or vomiting his wrath.

 

 

 

 

The bearded man. He kind of looks like a fellow from 18th century England, to me. Sort of staid and disapproving.

These heads are smaller than my fist, and the basins are about the size of a bread basket. Charming. Interesting.  They draw me in with their character and expressions and their intriguing setting. There is no plaque or anything which tells me who or why they are there. I find myself daydreaming about them quite a bit, which I suppose is their purpose. Thought-provoking.

Story prompts.

 

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The Glitter of Falling Leaves

Sharon Joss Writes

These are the very best days of fall in Oregon. The temperature hit 79 degrees today, and the aspen trees in my neighborhood have started dropping their lemon yellow leaves like confetti.There’s a light breeze out, and the deep, resonant chimes (Chimes of Apollo) I’ve hung on the from porch are bonging softly–a restful and melodious sound. I’m sitting on the front porch, reading a book, with the dog, Rowan, snoozing at my feet.

This morning as we walked by the lake, a little kingfisher followed the dog and I, alternately scolding at us from the top of a tree as we passed beneath or diving into the mirrored surface for tiny silver fish. There’s a big blue heron I see most days, stalking prey from the shore–still as a statue until he strikes.  When we walk past, he glares at us with his golden eyes in distinct disapproval, as if to say, keep moving, this is MY spot.

The weekend promises to bring wetter, chillier, and more typical seasonal temps, but I don’t mind.  The writer’s life gives me the freedom to grab the days of glorious sunshine whenever they come.

Spending time outside when the weather is this perfect is more than just enjoyable, it’s research!

 

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Phobia Season: What Are You Afraid Of?

Sharon Joss Writes

‘Tis the season of the witch…also the ghost, the goblin, and all things that go bump in the night. You probably know quite a few people with phobias–or perhaps you even have a few of your own. There’s the common fears: flying (aerophobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), heights (acrophobia), spiders (arachnophobia).

But this time of year is ripe for other fears to emerge. I started thinking about it, and decided to have a bit of fun with identifying some not-so-well-known-but seasonal fears.

Alliumphobia – Fear of Garlic. Vampires are often afflicted with this. Yes, this is a real thing.

Astrapophobia – Fear of Lightning

Ballistophobia – Fear of Bullets

Batrachophobia – Fear of Reptiles, Amphibians, Newts, & Salamanders

Blennophobia – Fear of Slime

Bogyphobia – Fear of Demons and Goblins

Chilopodophobia – Fear of Centipedes

Coulrophobia – Fear of Evil Clowns

Emetophobia – Fear of Vomiting

Entomophobia – Fear of Insects

Haemophobia – Fear of Blood

Helminthophobia – Fear of Worms

Kenophobia – Fear of Voids

Kinemortophobia – Fear of Zombies

Lupophobia – Fear of Wolves & Werewolves

Necrophobia – Fear of Corpses

Odontophobia – Fear of Teeth

Parasitophobia – Fear of Parasites

Phasmophobia – Fear of Ghosts

Rhabdophobia – Fear of Magic

Samhainophobia – Fear of Halloween

Sanguivoriphobia – Fear of Vampires

Scotophobia – Fear of the Dark

Somniphobia – Fear of Falling Asleep

Stygiophobia – Fear of Hell

Taphephobia – Fear of Being Buried Alive

Teratophobia – Fear of Giving Birth to

Monsters

Triskaidekaphobia – Fear of the Number 13

Wiccaphobia – Fear of Witches & Witchcraft

Are you feeling it yet?

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Canopus Award Finalist

Sharon Joss Writes

Maybe you can’t feel the sense of delight I got last week when I was notified that my novella, STARS THAT MAKE DARK HEAVEN LIGHT has been named a finalist in the very first 100 Year Starship Canopus Awards for “Previously Published Short-Form Fiction”.

According to the 100 Year Starship website, “the Canopus Awards are given to authors for outstanding inspirational and education contributions in order to promote the dream and goal of interstellar exploration. Our purpose is to encourage the artistic expression of the interstellar exploration via literature and graphic arts, including fiction, non-fiction, and ultimately, visual storytelling, and interactive storytelling…The works are also encouraged to focus on the pillars of 100 Year Starship’s mission: Audacious, Resilience, Inclusion, Enhancing Quality of Life, Discipline, Energy, and Knowledge.”

Maybe you think it’s not that big a deal to be named as a finalist for anything. Winning is more important, right?  Not to me.

Yes, I’m proud of the story I wrote, which won the Writers of the Future Golden Pen Award this year.  But look at some of the other names on the press release. Yes, they listed my legal name instead of my author name, Sharon Joss, but it’s me.  Right up there with Alastair Reynolds. Kim Stanley Robinson. Catherynne M. Valente. and 
To be mentioned on the same page is an honor indeed.

 

The outpouring of congratulations from my friends and colleagues has been astonishing and heartwarming. Maybe you can’t see the bubbles in the bottom of that glass of champagne, but I’m celebrating.

 

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Blue Skies & Writing Weather

Sharon Joss Writes

The autumn equinox arrives this week (Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on where you live), marking some of the most spectacular weather of the year.

To my mind, the bluest skies of the year come with the first days of fall, and nowhere are they any bluer or clearer than here in Oregon. This year especially, after a summer of record-breaking heat, the soft breezes and cooler temps are a balm to my soul. I’ve done more than just change my address this week– I’ve changed my perspective. I’m in a new new head space–inspired by my new surroundings, re-energized, and determined to persevere and succeed.

The last few months have been both exhilarating (with more good news waiting in the wings pending formal announcement) and stressful–at times, I’ve felt as if I was fighting to get the words onto the page. My productivity has fallen far short of my expectations at the beginning of the year. The move to new digs has been yet another distraction, but now that I’m settling in, I can feel the ideas percolating again. The good writing weather has finally arrived, and it’s all blue skies ahead.

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Leaving La Vida ‘Loha – Last Days

Sharon Joss Writes

These last days of summer have been unusually busy. After back-to-back garage sales on Saturday and Sunday, it’s starting to feel like this move is really going to happen. I couldn’t have had the garage sale any sooner because I had to wait for the Habitat For Humanity folks to schedule the truck to come and pick up the furniture donation (moving from a three-bedroom to a one-bedroom hurts a lot less knowing that someone else can use what you no longer need). That was on Monday, and I had less than five days to empty out my closets / cupboards and fill up the garage with sale items.

It’s been a while (1996) since I had a garage sale. I’d forgotten what a magnet garage sales are for a neighborhood. Here in Aloha, most of the parents work long hours, and are rarely seen. Yet this weekend, nearly every one of them stopped by for a chat, which was lovely. One woman, who lives across the street and has never once spoken to me in three years, explained to me how to make the special tribal bread of her ancestors and of her family’s upcoming celebration for Ramadan. The jogger I nod to as I’m out walking the dog in the morning bought some books and we talked of favorite writers and movies.  One of my other neighbors (who I have only ever seen twice) stopped by and chatted with me for half an hour about art. Folks from other blocks dropped by to tell me how they enjoy seeing me and Rowan walking by every day.

I’m not sorry to be leaving Aloha’s heavy commercial district with it’s strip clubs and neighborhood half-way houses behind. My new neighborhood is quieter, safer, and has more walking trails and parks for Rowan and I to explore. But that said, there are a lot of hardworking, decent people here, too.  With the garage sale behind me, I’m ready to begin the next part of my life with a lighter heart and a renewed sense of appreciation for the community I’m leaving. Aloha has been my home for the past three years.  It’s the place where my writing craft really started to gain traction. It’s the place where I consider my new life as a writer really began.   I can’t wait to see what the next move will  bring.

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