Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog

NEWSLETTER: Small Space Big Life Vol. 13 Taking Time to Heal Wounds

The long-expected thirteenth volume of our Small Space Big Life newsletter is available now. Here's an excerpt:
Greetings to our Small Space Big Life community.

It has been more than a year and a half since we last said hello due to some circumstances beyond our control...like a storm taking out part of our roof and a flood taking out part of our basement.But mostly, it has been health issues, especially Heidi's migraines. She's had them for decades, but they became utterly debilitating and depressing beginning last year. She's since started treatment with a second neurologist and is easing back into "normal life."

We took a hiatus from writing and the newsletter because screens don't play well with migraines, so we reserved all that computer time for our classes. Those of you who have seen us in person know that Heidi now almost always wears sunglasses or her migraine glasses, even inside. There have been some other major adjustments as well...like ending our 19-year relationship with Seton Hill.

It was unexpected, sad, and difficult to say good-bye, but we like to subscribe to a sentiment that Heidi had engraved on her high school ring way back in 1991: Walk toward the sun; shadows will fall behind.

So, we're moving through those shadows by writing, playing lots of D&D, and spending time with family and friends. As we head out on this new journey, we're hoping you'll raise a glass and walk toward the sun with us. 

Cheers,
Heidi and Jason  
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READING: Books Read in 2022

Fun reading year!

All the Birds in the Sky (Anders)
Amongst Our Weapons (Aaronovitch)
And Then There Were None (Christie)
Android Paradox: Android X Book 1 (La Ronn)
Android Deception: Android X Book 2 (La Ronn)
Android Winter: Android X Book 3 (La Ronn)
Architectures of Possibility (Olsen / Dodge)
Bridgerton: The Duke and I (Quinn)
Brown Girl in the Ring (Hopkinson)
Death on the Nile (Christie)
Frankenslime (Keller / Belote)
Good Night Grand Canyon (Gamble / Jasper / Kelly)
Grosjean (Toppin)
Jane, Unlimited (Cashore)
Kat's Cradle: Webolution Book 1 (Karuna Das)
Moon of the Crusted Snow (Rice)
Mr. Hotshot CEO: Kwan SIsters Book 2 (Lau)
Project Hail Mary (Weir)
Tempest Rising: Jane True Book 1 (Peeler)
The Business of Being a Writer (Friedman)
The Me Tree (Belote)
The Nineties (Klosterman)
The Rivers of Consciousness (Sacks)
This is How You Lose the Time War (el-Mohtar / Gladstone)
Twenty-First Century Popular Fiction (Murphy / Matterson)
Valenslime (Joy Keller / Askley Belote)
Vox Machina: Kith and Kin (Nijkamp / Critical Role)
WOOL: Book 1 of the Silo Series (Howey)

NEWSLETTER: Small Space Big Life Vol. 12 A Peek Inside our Small Space

Volume twelve of the Small Space Big Life newsletter is available now. Here's an exceprt:

Hello Small Space Big Life friends!

We've been hard at work revising HANK book 2, drafting META book 2, outlining SUMMER book 1, and developing an exciting, new nonfiction proposal. In the meantime, we have recaps and photos from Walt Disney World, Broadkill Writers Retreat, and the SHUWPF Summer Residency. There's also another giveaway, books we've been reading, and a new feature where we detail part of our 980-square-foot urban cottage. It's over 80 years old now, and we've spent a quarter of that time taking care of every little nook and cranny, decorating it with art from our travels and gifts from family and friends, and making it as hygge as possible. Grab a cup of something nice and come take a look.

Cheers,
Heidi and Jason
Disney's Boardwalk Inn and Resort

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EVENT: Broadkill Writers Resort Spring Retreat

As writers, we crave inspiration and a new perspective for our creativity. Joining friends and other creators at Broadkill Writers Resort is one of the best ways for Jason and me to pause and reimagine. This retreat is run by one of our publishers, Raw Dog Screaming Press , and the owners, Jennifer Barnes and John Edward Lawson who are pictured with us above.
Ten minutes from the town of Milton and along the Delaware Bay, this large, but quaint, resort home is just past Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge , 10,000 acres of marshes, ponds, swamps, grasslands, and forest that provide protection for threatened and endangered species. The beach is never crowded, giving it an almost solitary feel and perfect for reflection and rejuvenation. We've been there a dozen times and have some great traditions now, like crab boils, puzzle builds, and beach campfires. I'm sure we'll be heading back a couple more times this year, too.

NEWSLETTER: Small Space Big Life Vol. 11 - Photos and Updates from AWP, Sedona, Pennwriters

Volume eleven of the Small Space Big Life newsletter is available now. Here's an exceprt:

Small Space Big Life community, we're deep into what we call Little Summer, that magical couple of months between our birthdays when we're the same age. In this quarter's newsletter, we have lots to share from places other than our house, including Jason's latest honor. Find out where we went, who we saw, and what we did. Maybe we just might be seeing you in-person someplace soon. Also, check out our latest giveaway, books we've been reading, and what's next in our writing journey. There might even be a few subscriber-only surprises inside.

Happy Little Summer,
Heidi and Jason
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EVENT: 35th Annual Pennwriters Conference

We really needed the inspiration, energy, and comraderie from the 2022 Pennwriters Conference in Lancaster, PA. It was our second in-person event since the pandemic, but this one felt like old times.
Keynote speakers were Jonathan Maberry ...
...and Jon Sprunk .
We each taught two classes. Jason revived his Folk Yeah! and Rural Noir workshops.
And I brought back Space Opera Is Still Queen and Pick Your Punk.
There was a Saturday evening luau to celebrate Jonathan's love of Hawaiian shirts. First photo is , Larry Ivkovich , and Jon Sprunk.
Here I am with Maria V. Snyder.
And with Heather Desuta and Abigail Drake.
We caught up with old friends like Carol Silvis and Annette Dashofy...
One of my former mentees from Seton Hill WPF Sheri Queen...
And the publishers of Many Genres, One Craft from Headline Books the mother daughter team of Cathy Teets and Ashley Belote.

INTERVIEW : PulpFest Profile of Heidi Ruby Miller

Sara Light-Waller interviewed me for the PulpFest 50th anniversary celebration. We spoke about my influences from within the pulp world, teaching at Seton Hill , creating and managing Dog Star Books , my writing, and what's in the future for my and Jason's collaborative efforts.

Here is an excerpt:
Sara Light-Waller (SLW) Hello Heidi, thank you for joining us! Let’s start with your background. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Heidi Ruby Miller (HRM) I wrote my first story — The Copper Kitty Mystery — in second grade and listed “romance novelist” as one of my high school ambitions. But I didn’t become serious about it until my late twenties, right before I found Seton Hill’s graduate program in Writing Popular Fiction. I haven’t stopped writing since.

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EVENT: AWP 2022 in Philadelphia

AWP was our first in-person conference in two years, and it felt good to be back among writers. Here I am with Mike Arnzen representing our genres.

Our Seton Hill table had several recognizable faces, even under the masks, including MFA director Nicole Peeler (pictured with Jason above, above) and Natalie and Matt Duvall.
We also ran into other academic friends: Gerry LaFemina (pictured with Mike and Jason), William Hamilton, Tod Goldberg , and Anthony Kapolka.
And Jason got to meet Taylor Mali in person to tell him he borrowed his "What Teachers Make" TedTalk for the Pennwriters Keynote in 2019, "What Writers Make."
As an added bonus, we got to stay at The Notary Hotel , an ultra-cool spot just down the block from the Pennsylvania Convention Center .

NEWSLETTER: Small Space Big Life Vol. 10 - New Year, New Agent

Our tenth volume of the Small Space Big Life newsletter is available now. Here's an exceprt:

"After several emails and phone conversations over the past couple of months, we are happy to announce that Cherry Weiner is officially our new agent. That's us signing our agency and co-writer agreements below. It's the first time since our travel writing days that we've shared an agent.
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READING: Books Read in 2021

I didn't dig into quite as many books as I did last year, but still had some great reads, many by authors I know personally and a couple which feature me. Action at a Distance (Aaronovitch / Cartmel)
The Big Book of Science Fiction (Vandermeer / Vandermeer)
Boyfriend Material (Hall)
Childhood's End (Clarke)
Christmas on the Coast (McClain)
Clash of Flesh and Metal (Ellis)
Daddy's World (Williams)
Dead Man's Party (Jayne)
Death and Doubloons: A Cumberpatch Cove Mystery Book 1 (Robertson)
Dragons of a Different Tail: 17 Unusual Dragon Tales (Pyle / Scott / Lynch / Mastro)
Dreams of Flesh and Metal (Ellis)
Effacement (Hawkes)
Eureka: Substitution Method (Ramsay)
Facing Fear (Williams / Palacios)
A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year's (Lau)
The Fey and the Furious (Aaronovitch / Cartmel)
The Firflake: A Christmas Story (Cardno)
Firekeeper's Daughter (Boulley)
Flashes of Horror (Mehalek)
Girl of Flesh and Metal (Ellis)
Grotesque (Murray)
Halloween at Pumpkin Hill (Cambert)
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (Gates)
Hudson and Tallulah Take Sides (Kang / Weyant)
Humankind (Bregman)
Journey to the Hopewell Star (State)
Like Sunshine After Rain (Miller)
Little Muir's Night (Muir / Ghahremani)
Little Muir's Song (Muir / Ghahremani)
Lovely War (Berrie)
Obsidian Monsters (Pyle)
The October Man (Aaronovitch)
Raised in Captivity (Klosterman)
Red Gear 9 (Betts)
Revelation: Poppet Cycle Book 1 (Munro)
Spirit of the Cheetah: A Somali Tale (Williams / Mohammed / Cairns)
The Stars My Destination (Bester)
Tales from the Folly (Aaronovitch)
This Isn't Happening (Hyden)
A Thousand White Butterflies (Betancourt-Perez / Williams / Maldonado)
The Ultimate Pi Day Party (Lau)
What Abigail Did That Summer (Aaronovitch)
Wild Muir (Muir)
Writing in the Dark (Waggoner)
The Year Halloween Ruined Thanksgiving (Hyman)