R.A. McCandless's Blog, page 14
March 15, 2019
Parent Projects - An Open Letter
I'd love for you to help. How about you watch TV?Dear Miss First Grade Teacher:Thank you so much for assigning my son an animal habitat diorama and five-minute presentation. Also, thank you for not giving him any further instruction on what the diorama should include, how he should go about building it, what his presentation should look like, or any other resources so that he can successful.
We greatly appreciate every first grade teacher who has ever sent home this kind of assignment. I...
March 12, 2019
Childhood Foods
For some reason, it seemed taller when I was little.A friend of mine asked this question: “Those of you who moved away from your home regions, what was a food item you really miss from back home?”
Faux Mexican—In the late 70s and early 80s, the Mexican restaurants in Utah generally had to bland down the food for the residents. Ketchup is often considered a bit too spicy for Utahns. I’m still shocked that my two oldest boys would rather pour salsa on their food than Heinz 57.
Casa Melinda...
March 11, 2019
Memories of Daylight Stupid Times Past
Everything is not awesome.My family used to be informed about Daylight Stupid Time when we’d show up an hour early/late for church. I’d stare at the empty parking lot and wonder if everyone had finally given up on this wacky religion!
Alas, it was only a short reprieve. Sometimes, out of frustration with our earliness/tardiness, the government insistence on this eccentric time shift, or maybe life in general, we’d go to the store, pick up Danish pastry, and go home. There would probably be a J...
March 4, 2019
SciFi Mystery Romance Cover Reveal for @JennNixon
Killjoys meets Helix in Jenn Nixon’s next SciFi series coming this April!Mari Yosoto has been keeping a dark and dangerous secret from everyone since her life-changing accident. No one would believe the truth anyway, her ex-fiancé had seen to that. Instead of wallowing in misery, she stays busy, shuttling cargo to the Moon and back, enjoying the easy work and time alone. When an old EarthCorps acquaintance asks for her help finding a missing girl on Mars, Mari can’t say no, even if it means w...
February 4, 2019
Invitation to Watch
Such a talented writer, shame about the face!Who: You!What: Writer Imperfect with Joshua Robertson, Bryan Tann, Susan Faw, and YOURS TRULY R.A. McCandlessWhen: February 11, 2019 at 8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PSTWhere: twitch.tv/robertsonwrites
A laid back atmosphere, where four writers will hold a round table to discuss writing, the publishing industry, and answer any questions from YOU the audience on Twitch.
The live broadcast link is twitch.tv/robertsonwrites. You can watch it without a Twi...
February 1, 2019
Sunshine in My Pocket
It's dangerous out there. Take one of these steampunks.The last two days have been pretty amazing.
Going back in time, Tears of Heaven released December 4, 2013—a little over five years ago. When the manuscript was accepted by Wild Child Publishing, I was flying high. I’d wasn’t quite 40, but I’d been a struggling author looking for a home for my story for years. When I received the email offering to put the book under contract for publishing, my feet didn’t touch the ground...
January 31, 2019
The Clockwork Detective - COVER REVEAL
I honestly didn’t know we were doing the cover reveal so quickly, or I would have warned you all. Instead, let’s call it s surprise.
SURPRISE!
THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE by R.A. McCandless is a page-turning steampunk novel coming soon. It will be available at all the usual online outlets. Stay tuned for more info!
Cover by M Joseph Murphy
Aubrey Hartman left the Imperial battlefields with a pocketful of medals, a fearsome reputation, and a clockwork leg.
The Imperium diverts her trip home to in...
January 30, 2019
Immigration and Other Nonsense
Actual steampunk goggles in practical use!?I haven’t posted for a while because I’m lazy, and because I’ve been editing THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE, and working out a few interesting items with HELL BECOMES HER and potentially an exciting announcement concerning TEARS OF HEAVEN.
But I haven’t been idle. I’ve been arguing as well. Shocker, I know. Speech/Debate coach argues online? What are the chances?
Anyhow, this was an interesting discussion, and it should be noted that openin...
January 25, 2019
The Return of Hell Becomes Her!
Hey, hey! Good news everyone! Look what’s available again for your urban fantasy reading pleasure:Banishing demons is only slightly more daunting than raising a pre-teen. All things considered, Del has it pretty easy these days. She takes her orders, does her job, and goes home to kiss her daughter, Jordan, goodnight. But when Jordan is kidnapped Del learns the world is even more dangerous than she believed.
Lost in the deserts of northern Nevada, confronted with myths and legends...
January 16, 2019
Morgan Hazelwood Author Spotlight
And you thought your teen's angst was hard to handle!Morgan Hazelwood put me on her Author Spotlight today:
Readers, let’s welcome to my blog, RobRoy. Born under a wandering star that eventually led him to life as a writer both professionally and creatively. He’s the author of the urban fantasy TEARS OF HEAVEN, winner of the 2014 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Preditors & Editors Readers Poll, and a 2015 EPIC eBook finalist with HELL BECOMES HER and THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE (available 201...
