Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog, page 2

COVER REVEAL: Dragons of a Different Tail

Excited to have a new story from the Ambasadora-verse in this debut anthology from Cabbit Crossing Publishing .

Here's an excerpt from my foreword for "Mastering Aesthetics."

"I wanted to continue the feminist theme [from Marked by Light] and expand upon it in “Mastering Aesthetics,” which takes place just after the events of Marked by Light and leads into an upcoming tie-in novel Frostfall (From the World of Ambasadora). It will be my first time writing a dragon space opera. I like to shake things up a bit. Rest assured that Xin, Olivia, and the mysterious dragon-person will be making appearances in Frostfall. This is the second published short story from the Ambasadora-verse. The first was “Rainer” in Far Worlds (The Bolthole, 2014). The two stories take place concurrently."

The beautiful cover is by Shayne Leighton.

As you can see, I'm in good company:
"A Friend Called Home" by Francis Fernandez
"A Wild Beast of The West" by Marx Pyle and Julie Seaton Pyle
"Big Dreams" by Victoria L. Scott
"Catalyst" by Kevin Plybon
"Chasing the Dragon" by Sean Gibson
"Mastering Aesthetics" by Heidi Ruby Miller
"Mouth of the Dragon" by J. Thorn
"Poisoned Water" by Sen R. L. Scherb
"Resorting to Revenge" by K.W. Taylor
"Spirit of the Dragon" by J.C. Mastro
"Tamira and the Dragon" by Colten Fisher
"The George" by Timons Esaias
"The Last Hour of Night" by G.K. White
"The Racing Dragons" of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn by Katharine Dow
"Tiny Hearts" by Sophia DeSensi
"Wei Ling and the Water Dragon" by Jeff Burns
"Witherwillow" by Carrie Gessner

NEWSLETTER: Small Space Big Life Vol. 9 - Photo Recap and Publications

Our ninth volume of the Small Space Big Life newsletter is availbale now. Here's an exceprt:
"A bright, sunny hello to our Small Space Big Life community, and a warm welcome to our many new members!

Look out for photos and musings from our recent appearances and publications, as well as our exclusive newsletter content and reading recommendations...

If you haven’t immersed yourself in the Rivers of London world, what are you waiting for? Yes, we’re obsessed—for good reason.
READ THE REST HERE.
AND SUBSCRIBE HERE.
In case you missed other recent editions, you can find them here:
APRIL 2021 - CHARITY ANTHOLOGY
JANUARY 2021 - NEW HONOR
OCTOBER 2020 - NEW COVER SNEAK PEEK
JUNE 2020 - STAYING CREATIVE, STAYING PRODUCTIVE
JANUARY 2020 - 1 MILLION VIEWS CELEBRATION

PODCAST: Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller on GenreTainment

Jason and I had the honor of being interviewed by Marx Pyle and Julie Seaton at GenreTainment . Here's the information and link: "On this episode we’re chatting with two very special guests, authors and professors Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller. It’s an edutainment packed episode as we talk about the value of an MFA, what a Popular Fiction MFA program is like compared to the more common creative writing graduate programs, Heidi’s Ambasadora books, Jason’s Hellbender book and his possible “Snot Otter” book, Appalachian culture, writing about other cultures, writing in someone else’s fictional setting, the charity anthology and online event, tips on co-writing, staying productive, and more! GenreTainment is where Marx and Julie talk about what is happening in the world of film, TV and web series. We give you interviews with writers, directors, producers and actors in both independent and not-so-independent creations." LINK: https://www.scifipulse.net/genretainment-138-featuring-authors-heidi-ruby-miller-and-jason-jack-miller/

VIDEO: Zoom Into Books Many Genres One Craft Panel

I moderated a panel of contributors from Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction for Zoom Into Books. MGOC (Headline Books, Inc.) is the writing guide I co-edited with Michael A. Arnzen and is based on Seton Hill University's MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program , where I teach. Aside from Mike and me, there was Jason Jack Miller , Timons Esaias , Lee Tobin McClain , Albert Wendland , and Tim Waggoner. We discuss the craft, genres, and business of writing.

EVENT: Like Sunshine After Rain 2-Day Launch on AllAccessCon

The turnout for the Like Sunshine After Rain launch was incredible. It was two whole days of author readings and panels, raffles every half hour, and special appearances. Thanks to John Edward Lawson of AllAccessCon for months of hard work putting this event together. So far, we’ve raised $3100 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with more orders coming in.

Though the special edition lettered hardcovers sold out quickly, you can still purchase a numbered edition of the trade paperback: http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/like-sunshine-after-rain/ .

You can also donate directly to LLS: https://givenow.lls.org/give/342076/#!/donation/checkout

EVENT: Seton Hill University WPF June 2021 Residency

Virtual residencies for the Seton Hill MFA in Wiritng Popular Fiction program aren’t quite the same, but this one was loaded with lots of guest speakers who otherwise might not have been able to join us like Michelle Addo, Shana Asaro, Shelley Bates, Danielle Choitti, John Edward Lawson, Jayne Ann Krentz (Jayne Castle), Jonathan Maberry, Lauren Panepinto, Jason Ridler, Kristen Simmons, and Susan Swinwood.


Congratulations, as always, are in order for the graduates this summer. Happy writing to you all! And happy retiremen to Dr. Albert Wendland, who gave a tear-jerking speech. At least he'll still be around for some light duty in the program.

EVENT: 34th Annual Pennwriters Conference Recap

So many wonderful presentations and panels at the 34th Annual Pennwriters Conference, which was held virtually this year. There are a sampling in the photo above: Stacey Rubin taught “Medicine in Your Manuscript." Hilary Hauck taught “All is Lost." Jason Jack Miller taught “Magical Realism: I Know It When I See It” and “Dan Harmon’s Story Circle.” I taught “Write the Book They Can’t Put Down” and “The In-Betweeners.”

EVENT: 34th Annual Pennwriters Conference

FROM THE PENNWRITERS WEBSITE: The 34th Annual Pennwriters Conference is coming your way virtually. Registration is now open for the three-day conference and for two intensives held the day before the conference. Except for sitting with friends in the lounge and at meals, the conference will still have all the parts you love! Keynote Speakers are Susan Meier and Eileen Enwright Hodgetts. The conference begins at 9:00 am on Friday, May 14 and runs through Sunday, May 16. 
I will be teaching:"Write the Book They Can't Put Down"Heidi will guide you through tips based on her article "The Shifting Grail: A Quest for a Good Read" from the international award-winning writing guide Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction . Using examples from well-known movies and literature, she'll show how character motivation can dictate pacing and suspense, making your book one readers can't put down. There will be lots of opportunities to apply these tips to your WIP or to a new project.
"Middle Grade, In-Betweener, or Young Adult?"When pre-teens and early teens want to read about characters in their age group, they are sometimes out of luck so they either go for younger (MG) or older (YA) protagonists, but now there's INB. Which writers are writing for this formative demographic, and what great works have they given us? This workshop is based on Heidi's article for the January 2020 issue of The Writer magazine.
Hope to see you on the screen!

NEWSLETTER: Small Space Big Life Vol. 8 - Charity Anthology

Here is an exceprt from the eighth volume of Small Space Big Life:

"Hi there, Small Space Big Life community!

We wanted to celebrate Heidi’s charity anthology as it goes into pre-order and let our loyal newsletter subscribers know about the collectible, limited editions before they’re gone. You’ll have a chance to see who all the contributors are and a sneak peek at some of the book’s content. Also in this volume, we recap our recent events, provide more book recommendations, and announce a new giveaway."

READ THE REST HERE.
AND SUBSCRIBE HERE.
In case you missed the other editions, you can find them here:
JANUARY 2021 - NEW HONOR
OCTOBER 2020 - NEW COVER SNEAK PEEK
JUNE 2020 - STAYING CREATIVE, STAYING PRODUCTIVE
JANUARY 2020 - 1 MILLION VIEWS CELEBRATION
OCTOBER 2019 - NEW BOOK DEAL
JUNE 2019 - PBS DOCUMENTARY
JANUARY 2019 - PENNWRITERS KEYNOTE SPEAKER

BOOK: Like Sunshine After Rain edited by Heidi Ruby Miller

Raw Dog Screaming Press and international award-winning editor Heidi Ruby Miller are taking pre-orders for the charity anthology LIKE SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN . Proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society . The beautiful cover is by Brad Sharp . Interior illustrations by Sharon A. Ruby .

This limited anthology is available in lettered hardcover and numbered paperback editions. It hosts short stories, poems, and essays from 82 authors, including:
New York Times bestsellers Jonathan Maberry and Maria V. Snyder
USA Today bestseller Annette Dashofy
International bestseller Liz Coley
Amazon Charts bestsellers Cary Caffrey, Sasha Dawn, and Jennifer Foehner Wells
Drue Heinz Literature Prize winner Randall Silvis
Bram Stoker Award winners Lee Murray, Christina Sng, Lucy A. Snyder, Sara Tantlinger, and Tim Waggoner
International Horror Guild Award winners Michael A. Arnzen and Gary Braunbeck
Asimov’s Readers Award winner Timons Esaias
Arthur J. Rooney Award for Fiction winner Jason Jack Miller
Pittsburgh City Paper Best Local Writer winner Brian Butko
American Library Association Notable Book Award winner Lynn Salsi
Eugene V. Debs Foundation Literature Prize winner Eric Leif Davin
Visionary Fiction Award winner Rachael Pruitt

From the foreword by Heidi Ruby Miller:
“When someone I loved was diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia in the middle of the pandemic, I spiraled into an existential disquiet. Everything was going wrong everywhere, and I felt helpless. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was there for my family in so many ways, including guidance and emotional support. I wanted to help them and also give myself purpose. I did what I do best, I wrote…and I asked others for their writing with only two requests:

It must be upbeat.
It must be under 1500 words.

I heard the groans right through my email. That’s a pretty tight word limit. And, even those writers who weren’t part of the horror scene said they didn’t exactly go for upbeat in their projects. But they all agreed to try. And something unforeseen happened. My writing friends were experimenting with forms and genres, writing out of their comfort zones, sharing personal connections to cancer, to fear, to overcoming their sadness, and they thanked me for it.

Their willingness to search for the positive became an unexpected time capsule of perseverance and pushing onward when so many of us struggled to make it through one day at a time.”

To reserve your copy of LIKE SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN, visit http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/like-sunshine-after-rain/.

LLS MISSION
“Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.”

DONATE: https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate