Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog, page 74
March 25, 2011
Interview: Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller
Jason and I were interviewed by Rosie Ugliuzza for her Take Five series on the Pennwriters Website . The interviews focus on teaching creative writing, our current projects , and the upcoming online writing course Writing with Authority .
It's interesting to note that we answered the same questions separately. I didn't read Jason's responses until she posted them!
March 24, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Phoebe Wray
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
Phoebe Wray
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That would be Jemma, the heroine of JEMMA7729, my sci fi novel from EDGE. I like her because she’s smart, careful, and fearless—all the while standing up to a deadly and overwhelming foe: her own government. Jemma is a loving person, but she’s willing to put herself at risk for the “greater good,” which in her case is to fight the despots who have taken over North America a couple of centuries hence. It’s not a romance, but Jemma is in love with a great guy and that’s part of her character. She has a cat named Fred. She refuses to give up her dreams, no matter what happens. I’d like to BE her.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I’ve been all over the USA, and appreciate the wonder and beauty of this country. I love Eastern woodlands with water—the diversity and the birdsong and the loveliness of a slow-moving stream. I like to fish.
Favorite other places: India! I was there for five weeks and spent the whole time in a glorious state of appreciation and euphoria—of the colors, the culture, the people, the smells (not all good), the resilience and the beauty of this vast place. Special wonders: the Taj Mahal, which must be the most subtle building in the world; the Delhi Zoo and a private (unauthorized) visit to a remote building housing the mating tigers. The male started a low but fierce growling the minute my friend and I entered and every hair on our bodies stood up. An experience of utter and uncontrollable terror. And a moment of great beauty.
I also have enjoyed the UK on five different occasions. It’s always fun to rub elbows with the Brits—they are such amusing and spiky companions. But all the places I’ve been were exciting: Scotland (especially crazy Glasgow), Norway, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Monaco, and not least—Rome, which is so deeply moving. I spent hours in the Forum dreaming of another time.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
I drink all three, but most heavily: COFFEE!! I’ve just finished a new novel, a thriller, and when I did my last read-through I couldn’t count how many cups of coffee my characters were drinking. I guess I feel that Americans meet and talk over coffee, for certainly I have most of my life.
I like Irish breakfast tea and green tea. I’m a life-long milk drinker.
4. What else can you do besides write?
I teach History of the Theatre and Cultural History at The Boston Conservatory. I was a professional actress in NYC a long time ago, and I still work in theatre. It’s a passion one never gives up. Besides that, I’m an avid bird watcher, an enthusiastic but not particularly successful gardener, and I’m the President of Broad Universe, the non-profit organization supporting and encouraging women writers of genre fiction.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
The opening paragraph of JEMMA7729! I had the idea for the story and over months tried to write it. I would get two sentences and give it up. Weeks later, maybe a paragraph or two would come. They sucked. This went on for a long time until one morning Jemma walked into the room and started talking. What she said is still the first sentence in the novel. That was when I learned I need the characters first, and I’ve used that technique ever since.
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
No outline, but always a story line of some sort. It IS a ride, however. I don’t always know when I start where I’m going to end. The characters come first. I feel them, see them, hear them. They start talking and I start writing.
The story I just wrote for the anthology NO MAN’S LAND has a heroine who’s essentially a garbage collector—a specialist in gathering up space junk for the Targus Navy. That one came out of my intense interest in all those bits and pieces of stuff orbiting us, including the glove that floated away from the Gemini 4 crew. What if—good grief—at the speed they’re going, a paint speck could bring down a satellite.
And thanks for listening!
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Phoebe Wray has been writing since she could write, and was telling stories before then, much encouraged by her family. Her early dream was to be a newspaper reporter, especially a foreign correspondent. She started to pursue that but instead ran away with the circus, so to speak, and became a stand-up comic. From there she went into the theatre, studying and working, eventually also writing plays and songs and directing. But she didn’t stop writing. She had poems published, did theatre reviews, and still keeps a journal.
Phoebe currently lives in Ayers, Massachusetts. Her novel JEMMA7729 is available from EDGE .
Phoebe Wray
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That would be Jemma, the heroine of JEMMA7729, my sci fi novel from EDGE. I like her because she’s smart, careful, and fearless—all the while standing up to a deadly and overwhelming foe: her own government. Jemma is a loving person, but she’s willing to put herself at risk for the “greater good,” which in her case is to fight the despots who have taken over North America a couple of centuries hence. It’s not a romance, but Jemma is in love with a great guy and that’s part of her character. She has a cat named Fred. She refuses to give up her dreams, no matter what happens. I’d like to BE her.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I’ve been all over the USA, and appreciate the wonder and beauty of this country. I love Eastern woodlands with water—the diversity and the birdsong and the loveliness of a slow-moving stream. I like to fish.
Favorite other places: India! I was there for five weeks and spent the whole time in a glorious state of appreciation and euphoria—of the colors, the culture, the people, the smells (not all good), the resilience and the beauty of this vast place. Special wonders: the Taj Mahal, which must be the most subtle building in the world; the Delhi Zoo and a private (unauthorized) visit to a remote building housing the mating tigers. The male started a low but fierce growling the minute my friend and I entered and every hair on our bodies stood up. An experience of utter and uncontrollable terror. And a moment of great beauty.
I also have enjoyed the UK on five different occasions. It’s always fun to rub elbows with the Brits—they are such amusing and spiky companions. But all the places I’ve been were exciting: Scotland (especially crazy Glasgow), Norway, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Monaco, and not least—Rome, which is so deeply moving. I spent hours in the Forum dreaming of another time.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
I drink all three, but most heavily: COFFEE!! I’ve just finished a new novel, a thriller, and when I did my last read-through I couldn’t count how many cups of coffee my characters were drinking. I guess I feel that Americans meet and talk over coffee, for certainly I have most of my life.
I like Irish breakfast tea and green tea. I’m a life-long milk drinker.
4. What else can you do besides write?
I teach History of the Theatre and Cultural History at The Boston Conservatory. I was a professional actress in NYC a long time ago, and I still work in theatre. It’s a passion one never gives up. Besides that, I’m an avid bird watcher, an enthusiastic but not particularly successful gardener, and I’m the President of Broad Universe, the non-profit organization supporting and encouraging women writers of genre fiction.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
The opening paragraph of JEMMA7729! I had the idea for the story and over months tried to write it. I would get two sentences and give it up. Weeks later, maybe a paragraph or two would come. They sucked. This went on for a long time until one morning Jemma walked into the room and started talking. What she said is still the first sentence in the novel. That was when I learned I need the characters first, and I’ve used that technique ever since.
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
No outline, but always a story line of some sort. It IS a ride, however. I don’t always know when I start where I’m going to end. The characters come first. I feel them, see them, hear them. They start talking and I start writing.
The story I just wrote for the anthology NO MAN’S LAND has a heroine who’s essentially a garbage collector—a specialist in gathering up space junk for the Targus Navy. That one came out of my intense interest in all those bits and pieces of stuff orbiting us, including the glove that floated away from the Gemini 4 crew. What if—good grief—at the speed they’re going, a paint speck could bring down a satellite.
And thanks for listening!
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Phoebe Wray has been writing since she could write, and was telling stories before then, much encouraged by her family. Her early dream was to be a newspaper reporter, especially a foreign correspondent. She started to pursue that but instead ran away with the circus, so to speak, and became a stand-up comic. From there she went into the theatre, studying and working, eventually also writing plays and songs and directing. But she didn’t stop writing. She had poems published, did theatre reviews, and still keeps a journal.
Phoebe currently lives in Ayers, Massachusetts. Her novel JEMMA7729 is available from EDGE .
March 23, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with S. A. Bolich
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
S. A. Bolich
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Sometimes the secondary characters are as much or more fun than the protaganist, and sometimes they teach you more about writing. I have a novel upcoming, "The Mask of God," with a bodyguard named Grays who taught me a great deal about characterization. He is dangerous, utterly loyal, suspicious, funny, with a devil's grin and an in-your-face attitude toward death. Nobody budges him off his chosen mark, and when he loses the one person he has sworn to protect, he goes nearly mad, and what he does then is even more interesting. His interaction with one of the other main characters is complex, and between the two of them they add many layers of depth to the relationships swirling around the central figure.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I won a first-class cruise from Los Angeles through the Panama Canal to Puerto Rico once, stopping at a dozen points along the way. That was fun. I've been all over the US and western Canada. I lived in Germany for six years in the military and we spent every weekend exploring castles and driving out every back road we could find. Spent two weeks driving around Spain once, and a lot of time in France. Mostly we would point at someplace on the map, point the truck down the road, and enjoy whatever we found on the way.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
Well, lessee, I did calligraphy professionally way back when. Had my own shop and everything. I have had horses literally for as long as I can remember, and I've done everything from riding some truly execrable trails in the high-up wilderness of my native state (Washington) to 3-day eventing. I even taught one to joust, and I've been a riding instructor and involved with the United States Pony Clubs. Mostly I ride dressage these days. I used to draw and paint and do a lot of handwork like cross-stitch and embroidery but I don't have time for that now. Between the horses and the writing I'm pretty busy.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Classical, Celtic, soundtracks, very old folk songs. . . I like music you can sing to and music you can listen to. I wrote a lot of stuff accompanied by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, and just as much with Babylon 5 or Absaroka Farewell (from Ken Burns' Civil War series) or Gettysburg playing in my office. I have a pretty extensive soundtrack collection, and a CD of toe-tapping colonial music I just love. I also adore the soundtrack to Wicked, which I saw in London and would love to see again.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
My muse would scream and throw things if I chained her to an outline. I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. I love going along for the ride with my characters. I think it is the challenge of the intellectual exercise as much as it is the creativity, for my fingers type something completely weird that my subconscious then has to spin into the plot. It works, just don't ask me how.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
I read a LOT when I was a kid, mostly historical fiction, military fiction, and fantasy/SF. I loved Rosemary Sutcliff's young adult novels, because they were beautiful and never, ever juvenile. I really like Patricia McKillip's lyrical writing style, and CJ Cherryh's ability to carry you breathlessly through a tale while building a complex and completely believable world. If I could write like them, I would be happy. I like good writing and good stories. With too many books you get one or the other but not both. I try...
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
S. A Bolich is a fulltime freelancer with a number of published fantasy stories as well as many nonfiction articles in print and on the web, covering a wide variety of subjects from horsemanship to travel (usually with an historical slant) to the state of Flash web design. A native of Washington state, she resides there again after serving six years in Germany as a regular army military intelligence officer. She graduated summa cum laude from college with a degree in history, which she confesses was greatly aided by devouring historical fiction of every era and kind through her formative years. Since then she has taught web design, trained horses, spent a few hectic and thoroughly enjoyable years volunteering with the United States Pony Clubs (kids and horses, oh, my!), worked in global marketing and project management, and finally managed a long-overdue escape from the corporate world to write.
Her first published short story earned an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror; other stories have earned honorable mentions from Writers of the Future and 5th place in the Preditors and Editors online poll for best fantasy short (2009). She is currently eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in science fiction or fantasy.
She is working on an alternate series using an unexplored explanation of what really happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, while readying a high-fantasy trilogy for publication with Auriga Press . She has stories upcoming in Defending the Future IV: No Man’s Land (May 2011), the Wolfsongs II anthology (Spring 2011), Tales of Moreauvia (2011), and Witches and Pagans (2012). You can find some of her previous work in:
Beneath Ceaseless Skies (December 2009)
On Spec (Summer 2002)
Science Fiction Trails (March 2009)
Damnation Books (September 2009, a short published as an e-book)
S. A. Bolich
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Sometimes the secondary characters are as much or more fun than the protaganist, and sometimes they teach you more about writing. I have a novel upcoming, "The Mask of God," with a bodyguard named Grays who taught me a great deal about characterization. He is dangerous, utterly loyal, suspicious, funny, with a devil's grin and an in-your-face attitude toward death. Nobody budges him off his chosen mark, and when he loses the one person he has sworn to protect, he goes nearly mad, and what he does then is even more interesting. His interaction with one of the other main characters is complex, and between the two of them they add many layers of depth to the relationships swirling around the central figure.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I won a first-class cruise from Los Angeles through the Panama Canal to Puerto Rico once, stopping at a dozen points along the way. That was fun. I've been all over the US and western Canada. I lived in Germany for six years in the military and we spent every weekend exploring castles and driving out every back road we could find. Spent two weeks driving around Spain once, and a lot of time in France. Mostly we would point at someplace on the map, point the truck down the road, and enjoy whatever we found on the way.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
Well, lessee, I did calligraphy professionally way back when. Had my own shop and everything. I have had horses literally for as long as I can remember, and I've done everything from riding some truly execrable trails in the high-up wilderness of my native state (Washington) to 3-day eventing. I even taught one to joust, and I've been a riding instructor and involved with the United States Pony Clubs. Mostly I ride dressage these days. I used to draw and paint and do a lot of handwork like cross-stitch and embroidery but I don't have time for that now. Between the horses and the writing I'm pretty busy.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Classical, Celtic, soundtracks, very old folk songs. . . I like music you can sing to and music you can listen to. I wrote a lot of stuff accompanied by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, and just as much with Babylon 5 or Absaroka Farewell (from Ken Burns' Civil War series) or Gettysburg playing in my office. I have a pretty extensive soundtrack collection, and a CD of toe-tapping colonial music I just love. I also adore the soundtrack to Wicked, which I saw in London and would love to see again.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
My muse would scream and throw things if I chained her to an outline. I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. I love going along for the ride with my characters. I think it is the challenge of the intellectual exercise as much as it is the creativity, for my fingers type something completely weird that my subconscious then has to spin into the plot. It works, just don't ask me how.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
I read a LOT when I was a kid, mostly historical fiction, military fiction, and fantasy/SF. I loved Rosemary Sutcliff's young adult novels, because they were beautiful and never, ever juvenile. I really like Patricia McKillip's lyrical writing style, and CJ Cherryh's ability to carry you breathlessly through a tale while building a complex and completely believable world. If I could write like them, I would be happy. I like good writing and good stories. With too many books you get one or the other but not both. I try...
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
S. A Bolich is a fulltime freelancer with a number of published fantasy stories as well as many nonfiction articles in print and on the web, covering a wide variety of subjects from horsemanship to travel (usually with an historical slant) to the state of Flash web design. A native of Washington state, she resides there again after serving six years in Germany as a regular army military intelligence officer. She graduated summa cum laude from college with a degree in history, which she confesses was greatly aided by devouring historical fiction of every era and kind through her formative years. Since then she has taught web design, trained horses, spent a few hectic and thoroughly enjoyable years volunteering with the United States Pony Clubs (kids and horses, oh, my!), worked in global marketing and project management, and finally managed a long-overdue escape from the corporate world to write.
Her first published short story earned an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror; other stories have earned honorable mentions from Writers of the Future and 5th place in the Preditors and Editors online poll for best fantasy short (2009). She is currently eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in science fiction or fantasy.
She is working on an alternate series using an unexplored explanation of what really happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, while readying a high-fantasy trilogy for publication with Auriga Press . She has stories upcoming in Defending the Future IV: No Man’s Land (May 2011), the Wolfsongs II anthology (Spring 2011), Tales of Moreauvia (2011), and Witches and Pagans (2012). You can find some of her previous work in:
Beneath Ceaseless Skies (December 2009)
On Spec (Summer 2002)
Science Fiction Trails (March 2009)
Damnation Books (September 2009, a short published as an e-book)
March 22, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Kelly A. Harmon
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
Kelly A. Harmon
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee in the morning while it’s still dark outside – perhaps until the sun creeps over the horizon – maybe a little longer in the winter when it’s cold.
Anytime after that: a tall, sweating glass of iced tea, light on the sugar, double lemon.
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
I always read more than one book at a time. The current fiction lineup
is:
Jeri Smith-Ready’s Bad to the Bone, the 2nd in a series about vampire
Djs. I couldn’t put down Wicked Game, the first in the series. Bad
to the Bone is just as good.
Jane Langton’s The Deserter, a murder mystery that takes place in Gettysburg. I enjoy reading anything about the Civil War: fiction and non-fiction.
Ayn Rand’s classic Atlas Shrugged. I’m reading this hefty tome for my "Fill in the Blanks - Project 100" challenge.
(The challenge started as a 100-classics read-off, for those that feltwe missed a lot of the classics, but also includes great literature, or genre classics, too. Anyone can join. The Web site is here: http://fillinthegaps100.blogspot.com
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
I’m editing it now: a scene where the leader of a magical, religious order is teaching an unwilling pupil that she has the divine power to wield magic.
I’ve re-written it several times already, switching the point of view from teacher to pupil and back again.
The pupil is the main character of the book, but the leader of the order is most affected by what’s happening in the scene. (She learns that the pupil’s divine-given power is much stronger than her own, and feels threatened by this information.)
I’m torn because I want the main character to stay in the limelight, but keep falling back on Sol Stein’s advice about writing the scene in the most-affected character’s POV.
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Everywhere: driving down the road, seemingly mundane conversations with folks, headlines in the newspaper. It’s amazing how much there is to write about in the here-and-now that can fit into any time period and genre. It’s all a matter of thinking about it in the right way.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I like to outline, but I don’t do so much that it sucks the joy out of writing. I like to know the broad strokes of the story and a few key scenes before I sit down to write. This ensures that I can stay on track and don’t go wandering off on an unusable tangent. It also saves me the trouble of facing a blank page every day: if I know what I want to say, the page doesn’t stay blank for long.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Yes! I like classic Looney Tunes, Steven Spielburg’s Animaniacs and ReBoot, a Canadian CGI-animated series that aired probably a decade ago. ReBoot tickles my GeekGirl side, and like any good story, there’s a lot more going on in each episode than what’s on the surface.
Kelly A. Harmon used to write truthful, honest stories about authors and thespians, senators and statesmen, movie stars and murderers. Now she writes lies, which is infinitely more satisfying, but lacks the convenience of doorstep delivery, especially on rainy days.
She has published short fiction in several anthologies including Black Dragon, White Dragon ; Triangulation: Dark Glass ; Bad Ass Fairies 3: In All Their Glory ; Hellbore and Rue ; and the forthcoming, Magicking in Traffic. Her story “Lies” was short-listed for 2008 Aeon Award .
Her award-winning novella, Blood Soup , is available from Eternal Press and Amazon.
Ms. Harmon is a former magazine and newspaper reporter and editor. She has published articles at SciFi Weekly, eArticles, and magazines and newspapers up and down the East Coast and abroad.
Read more about Ms. Harmon at her Web site: http://kellyaharmon.com .
Kelly A. Harmon
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee in the morning while it’s still dark outside – perhaps until the sun creeps over the horizon – maybe a little longer in the winter when it’s cold.
Anytime after that: a tall, sweating glass of iced tea, light on the sugar, double lemon.
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
I always read more than one book at a time. The current fiction lineup
is:
Jeri Smith-Ready’s Bad to the Bone, the 2nd in a series about vampire
Djs. I couldn’t put down Wicked Game, the first in the series. Bad
to the Bone is just as good.
Jane Langton’s The Deserter, a murder mystery that takes place in Gettysburg. I enjoy reading anything about the Civil War: fiction and non-fiction.
Ayn Rand’s classic Atlas Shrugged. I’m reading this hefty tome for my "Fill in the Blanks - Project 100" challenge.
(The challenge started as a 100-classics read-off, for those that feltwe missed a lot of the classics, but also includes great literature, or genre classics, too. Anyone can join. The Web site is here: http://fillinthegaps100.blogspot.com
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
I’m editing it now: a scene where the leader of a magical, religious order is teaching an unwilling pupil that she has the divine power to wield magic.
I’ve re-written it several times already, switching the point of view from teacher to pupil and back again.
The pupil is the main character of the book, but the leader of the order is most affected by what’s happening in the scene. (She learns that the pupil’s divine-given power is much stronger than her own, and feels threatened by this information.)
I’m torn because I want the main character to stay in the limelight, but keep falling back on Sol Stein’s advice about writing the scene in the most-affected character’s POV.
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Everywhere: driving down the road, seemingly mundane conversations with folks, headlines in the newspaper. It’s amazing how much there is to write about in the here-and-now that can fit into any time period and genre. It’s all a matter of thinking about it in the right way.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I like to outline, but I don’t do so much that it sucks the joy out of writing. I like to know the broad strokes of the story and a few key scenes before I sit down to write. This ensures that I can stay on track and don’t go wandering off on an unusable tangent. It also saves me the trouble of facing a blank page every day: if I know what I want to say, the page doesn’t stay blank for long.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Yes! I like classic Looney Tunes, Steven Spielburg’s Animaniacs and ReBoot, a Canadian CGI-animated series that aired probably a decade ago. ReBoot tickles my GeekGirl side, and like any good story, there’s a lot more going on in each episode than what’s on the surface.
Kelly A. Harmon used to write truthful, honest stories about authors and thespians, senators and statesmen, movie stars and murderers. Now she writes lies, which is infinitely more satisfying, but lacks the convenience of doorstep delivery, especially on rainy days.
She has published short fiction in several anthologies including Black Dragon, White Dragon ; Triangulation: Dark Glass ; Bad Ass Fairies 3: In All Their Glory ; Hellbore and Rue ; and the forthcoming, Magicking in Traffic. Her story “Lies” was short-listed for 2008 Aeon Award .
Her award-winning novella, Blood Soup , is available from Eternal Press and Amazon.
Ms. Harmon is a former magazine and newspaper reporter and editor. She has published articles at SciFi Weekly, eArticles, and magazines and newspapers up and down the East Coast and abroad.
Read more about Ms. Harmon at her Web site: http://kellyaharmon.com .
March 21, 2011
Scott A. Johnson Extra Essay on MGOC Site
Many Genres, One Craft contributor Scott A. Johnson provided us with an extra essay on the MGOC site - The Art of the Rewrite .
Scott A. Johnson is the author Vermin: Book 1 of the Stanley Cooper Chronicles .
March 20, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Hildy Silverman
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
Hildy Silverman
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
I'm pretty fond of Anthony DeLuca, the put-upon mall cop in my story "The Vampire Escalator of the Passaic Promenade" (New Blood, Padwolf Press, 2011). He's just a regular guy who isn't thrown when the supernatural rears its head in a mundane setting; just steps up and does what's necessary. I like characters who take charge, even if they don't have any formal power or prestige.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Tea. Specifically tall, soy, no-water Chai tea lattes from Starbucks. I call them my crack, I'm so hooked on them!
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
An advanced copy of C.J. Henderson's Central Park Knight. It's good to be a magazine publisher; you get to see the "goodies" early!
6. Pop culture or academia?
Mostly pop culture, but a little academia thrown in. I like to say I'm a master of useless information -- I've won more than a few trivia contests!
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
They pretty much take me along for the ride, at least during the first draft. I usually try to jot down some sort of outline after that, so I can keep track of characters and their traits, key plot occurrences, timelines, etc. But there's nothing like typing scene after scene as fast as I can, because I want to find out what happens next and how my characters will "decide" to handle things.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
I'm a huge South Park fan. I also watch Family Guy and The Simpsons. When my daughter was younger, I had an excuse to enjoy things like Spongebob Squarepants, but now I'm a little too embarrassed to watch it on my own!
Hildy Silverman
is the publisher of
Space and Time
, a 4-decade-old magazine featuring fantasy, horror, and science fiction. She is also the author of several works of short fiction, including "Damned Inspiration" (2009,
Bad-Ass Fairies
,
Mundania Press
), "Uddereek" (2010,
In All Their Glory
, Mundania Press), "Off-the-Wagon Dragon" (2010,
Dragon's Lure
, DarkQuest Books). "The Vampire Escalator of the Passaic Promenade" (2010,
New Blood
,
Padwolf Press
),"The Darren" (2009,
Witch Way to the Mall?
,
Baen Books
), and "Sappy Meals" (2010,
Fangs for the Mammaries
,
Baen Books
). She is the Vice President of the
Garden State Horror Writers
and member of the literary programming committee for
Philcon
. In the "real" world, she is a freelance consultant who develops corporate training and marketing communications materials.
Hildy Silverman
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
I'm pretty fond of Anthony DeLuca, the put-upon mall cop in my story "The Vampire Escalator of the Passaic Promenade" (New Blood, Padwolf Press, 2011). He's just a regular guy who isn't thrown when the supernatural rears its head in a mundane setting; just steps up and does what's necessary. I like characters who take charge, even if they don't have any formal power or prestige.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Tea. Specifically tall, soy, no-water Chai tea lattes from Starbucks. I call them my crack, I'm so hooked on them!
4. What else can you do besides write?
5. Who are you reading right now?
An advanced copy of C.J. Henderson's Central Park Knight. It's good to be a magazine publisher; you get to see the "goodies" early!
6. Pop culture or academia?
Mostly pop culture, but a little academia thrown in. I like to say I'm a master of useless information -- I've won more than a few trivia contests!
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
They pretty much take me along for the ride, at least during the first draft. I usually try to jot down some sort of outline after that, so I can keep track of characters and their traits, key plot occurrences, timelines, etc. But there's nothing like typing scene after scene as fast as I can, because I want to find out what happens next and how my characters will "decide" to handle things.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
I'm a huge South Park fan. I also watch Family Guy and The Simpsons. When my daughter was younger, I had an excuse to enjoy things like Spongebob Squarepants, but now I'm a little too embarrassed to watch it on my own!
Hildy Silverman
is the publisher of
Space and Time
, a 4-decade-old magazine featuring fantasy, horror, and science fiction. She is also the author of several works of short fiction, including "Damned Inspiration" (2009,
Bad-Ass Fairies
,
Mundania Press
), "Uddereek" (2010,
In All Their Glory
, Mundania Press), "Off-the-Wagon Dragon" (2010,
Dragon's Lure
, DarkQuest Books). "The Vampire Escalator of the Passaic Promenade" (2010,
New Blood
,
Padwolf Press
),"The Darren" (2009,
Witch Way to the Mall?
,
Baen Books
), and "Sappy Meals" (2010,
Fangs for the Mammaries
,
Baen Books
). She is the Vice President of the
Garden State Horror Writers
and member of the literary programming committee for
Philcon
. In the "real" world, she is a freelance consultant who develops corporate training and marketing communications materials.
March 17, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with CJ Henderson
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
CJ Henderson
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Insanely difficult question. My problem is, I love them all when I'm working on them. I have to get caught up within their minds and souls, or I can't write them very well. Jack Hagee (hardboiled P.I., my first series character) is the character nearest to my soul. He is my voice. We believe all things equally. But, Teddy London, Piers Knight, Rocky and Noodles, the Monkey King, Lai Wan, the Domino Lady, Kolchak the Nightstalker, Batman ... there are so many I love to write. I had to tally all the characters, mine or those owned by others, that I have worked with, and the figure topped 100. Many, like the Spider, Wezleski, Inspector Legrasse, the Punisher, et cetera, that I dearly loved working with, I can still shove out of the top slot. But, those named above ... they all hold a special place in my heart because, I suppose, they all represent a different facet of my soul, mind, personality, whatever, which I wish to capture on paper. I 'm honestly not copping out here. It's just the best I can do.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I have seen every state in the continental union. I have viewed the Grand Canyon and the Corn Palace, the arch in LA and Fallingwater in PA. I have gone to Yellowstone and Yosemite. I have walked across hardened lava flows and ancient fossil beds. I have been to Crater Lake, and the 1000 Lakes, to the Statue of the Jolly Green Giant and the Statue of Liberty. Disneyworld and Disneyland and Silver Springs and the Bok Tower. The Painted Desert and the Bad Lands. Mt. Rushmore and plenty more.
Outside of the states I have climbed on the top of the Eiffel Tower and on the pyramids of Mexico. I have played the slots in Macho and with children in the gardens of Versailles. I have eaten dumplings at the World's Greatest Dumpling House in Xian and Peiking Duck in Peiking. I have driven in the desert at night so I could admire the stars and have visited James T. Kirk's hometown. And, since that one brought me back to the states, I guess that's as much blather as I should throw your way on this one.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee and tea, but coffee with milk and tea with lemon.
4. What else can you do besides write?
I'm a great cook. I'm not a chef, there's a difference. Let 10 people drop in, and I can whip something up. I'm terrific with basic, solid foods--garlic bread and pasta, beef stew, fried rice, pork chops and mashed potatoes, scallops wrapped in bacon ... that kind of stuff.
I'm one of the world's great packers. I have something strange in my head that sees everything geometrically. I can find space where no one else can. I can rearrange items in an area and make more space without throwing anything away. It's just a weird gift.
I'm also a pretty good gardener. I hate grass, but love gardens. I miss having one with which to play.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
Outlines are for those who like to do double the work. I have always hated them, and when forced to use one, I know the work suffers. Just not for me.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Good God, yes. Anime of all kinds, King of the Hill, Justice League and Batman ... yikes ... this list could get really long. Yes ... I "still" love cartoons.
CJ Henderson is the creator of the Piers Knight supernatural investigator series, the Teddy London occult detective series, and more than a dozen others. He has written some 70 books and/or novels, hundreds of short stories and comics, and thousands of non-fiction pieces.
His work has been published in some 13 languages. If you actually want more information on this complex, and rather odd fellow, a trip to www.cjhenderson.com will give you facts and news about him, a sampling of short stories to read, and a store in which you can waste what little money the government has allowed you to keep.
CJ Henderson
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Insanely difficult question. My problem is, I love them all when I'm working on them. I have to get caught up within their minds and souls, or I can't write them very well. Jack Hagee (hardboiled P.I., my first series character) is the character nearest to my soul. He is my voice. We believe all things equally. But, Teddy London, Piers Knight, Rocky and Noodles, the Monkey King, Lai Wan, the Domino Lady, Kolchak the Nightstalker, Batman ... there are so many I love to write. I had to tally all the characters, mine or those owned by others, that I have worked with, and the figure topped 100. Many, like the Spider, Wezleski, Inspector Legrasse, the Punisher, et cetera, that I dearly loved working with, I can still shove out of the top slot. But, those named above ... they all hold a special place in my heart because, I suppose, they all represent a different facet of my soul, mind, personality, whatever, which I wish to capture on paper. I 'm honestly not copping out here. It's just the best I can do.
2. Tell me about your travels.
I have seen every state in the continental union. I have viewed the Grand Canyon and the Corn Palace, the arch in LA and Fallingwater in PA. I have gone to Yellowstone and Yosemite. I have walked across hardened lava flows and ancient fossil beds. I have been to Crater Lake, and the 1000 Lakes, to the Statue of the Jolly Green Giant and the Statue of Liberty. Disneyworld and Disneyland and Silver Springs and the Bok Tower. The Painted Desert and the Bad Lands. Mt. Rushmore and plenty more.
Outside of the states I have climbed on the top of the Eiffel Tower and on the pyramids of Mexico. I have played the slots in Macho and with children in the gardens of Versailles. I have eaten dumplings at the World's Greatest Dumpling House in Xian and Peiking Duck in Peiking. I have driven in the desert at night so I could admire the stars and have visited James T. Kirk's hometown. And, since that one brought me back to the states, I guess that's as much blather as I should throw your way on this one.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee and tea, but coffee with milk and tea with lemon.
4. What else can you do besides write?
I'm a great cook. I'm not a chef, there's a difference. Let 10 people drop in, and I can whip something up. I'm terrific with basic, solid foods--garlic bread and pasta, beef stew, fried rice, pork chops and mashed potatoes, scallops wrapped in bacon ... that kind of stuff.
I'm one of the world's great packers. I have something strange in my head that sees everything geometrically. I can find space where no one else can. I can rearrange items in an area and make more space without throwing anything away. It's just a weird gift.
I'm also a pretty good gardener. I hate grass, but love gardens. I miss having one with which to play.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
Outlines are for those who like to do double the work. I have always hated them, and when forced to use one, I know the work suffers. Just not for me.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Good God, yes. Anime of all kinds, King of the Hill, Justice League and Batman ... yikes ... this list could get really long. Yes ... I "still" love cartoons.
CJ Henderson is the creator of the Piers Knight supernatural investigator series, the Teddy London occult detective series, and more than a dozen others. He has written some 70 books and/or novels, hundreds of short stories and comics, and thousands of non-fiction pieces.
His work has been published in some 13 languages. If you actually want more information on this complex, and rather odd fellow, a trip to www.cjhenderson.com will give you facts and news about him, a sampling of short stories to read, and a store in which you can waste what little money the government has allowed you to keep.
March 16, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Jason Franks
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
Jason Franks
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
2. Tell me about your travels.
I have lived in Africa, Australia and North America, I 'commuted' to Europe for about 15 months for work, and I've visited Asia several times. I have nightmares about airports now.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee. Black. No sugar if it's good.
4. What else can you do besides write?
Ju jutsu. Also, computer programming and map folding. I'm a semi-competent illustrator and a terribly bad guitarist.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Everywhere. At work, on the road, in the newspaper, in scientific journals, guitar magazines and other people's books. Sometimes my stories come directly out of dreams. I wake up with a story in my head--not quite fully formed but probably 80%. Inspiration has never been a problem for me.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Guitar rock, baby. Not every little subgenre of it, but a fairly wide variety of them. Having said that, the older I get the more of a metalhead I have become--I think because metal is one of the few areas of popular music where musicianship is valued over marketing dollars. Those bands can play, and they play hard. I'm also becoming more and more interested in the Blues, for similar reasons.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
Depends on the story. If it's a comic pitch you more or less have to outline the story if you're going to sell it, but I try not to nail down every beat before I start writing--that ruins the fun of it. Usually I know where a story is going without a formal outline, although sometimes I just start on page one and see where it takes me. Sometimes I write out of sequence and then go back over it, filling in
the gaps. Every story is different.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Jason Franks grew up in South Africa and Australia. He writes source code, prose and comics for a living. He is the author of the graphic novels The Sixsmiths and McBlack , as well as numerous shorter pieces in prose and comics.
Franks' work has appeared in Deathlings, Assassin's Canon, Bad-Ass Faeries , Tango, and other places. He is once again based in Melbourne, Australia.
Jason Franks
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
2. Tell me about your travels.
I have lived in Africa, Australia and North America, I 'commuted' to Europe for about 15 months for work, and I've visited Asia several times. I have nightmares about airports now.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee. Black. No sugar if it's good.
4. What else can you do besides write?
Ju jutsu. Also, computer programming and map folding. I'm a semi-competent illustrator and a terribly bad guitarist.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Everywhere. At work, on the road, in the newspaper, in scientific journals, guitar magazines and other people's books. Sometimes my stories come directly out of dreams. I wake up with a story in my head--not quite fully formed but probably 80%. Inspiration has never been a problem for me.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
Guitar rock, baby. Not every little subgenre of it, but a fairly wide variety of them. Having said that, the older I get the more of a metalhead I have become--I think because metal is one of the few areas of popular music where musicianship is valued over marketing dollars. Those bands can play, and they play hard. I'm also becoming more and more interested in the Blues, for similar reasons.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
Depends on the story. If it's a comic pitch you more or less have to outline the story if you're going to sell it, but I try not to nail down every beat before I start writing--that ruins the fun of it. Usually I know where a story is going without a formal outline, although sometimes I just start on page one and see where it takes me. Sometimes I write out of sequence and then go back over it, filling in
the gaps. Every story is different.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Jason Franks grew up in South Africa and Australia. He writes source code, prose and comics for a living. He is the author of the graphic novels The Sixsmiths and McBlack , as well as numerous shorter pieces in prose and comics.
Franks' work has appeared in Deathlings, Assassin's Canon, Bad-Ass Faeries , Tango, and other places. He is once again based in Melbourne, Australia.
March 15, 2011
Heidi's Pick Six Interview with Allen Schatz
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
Allen Schatz
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
'Marshall Connors' is my favorite. He is the "other" me I never was. That's probably why I decided to portray his scenes from a first person perspective (as opposed to the rest of the story which is in the eyes of the omniscient narrator). Marshall became a professional umpire, making it to the majors. That was something I once had on a list of possible career choices. Through him I get to be "in" the story. I find that fun.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
I've been an accountant/financial professional for 25 years or so. What that means is I'm good at numbers and details. A few have noticed that latter item in my writing, as I try to put little bits and pieces into scenes. I can also umpire. I've been doing that on and off, more on, for 30 years or so. I love baseball, but like Marshall, couldn't hit a lick so did the next best thing. Some would say I'm a fairly decent coach/teacher type. I wouldn't argue.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
I love baseball (as one might deduce from the book). It is the greatest game ever invented in my opinion. I've played, coached, and officiated. And I watch. A lot. I'm an avid follower of all teams Philadelphia. That's always going to be my 'home' no matter what address I might have. Modern technology lets me remain a close fan of the teams of my youth. As for other physical activity, I try to exercise regularly, "try" being the key some days. The baseball season keeps me busy physically as well.
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I do some of each. I did Game 7: Dead Ball more from a sketch than a formal outline. That is probably why I had close to 200k words at one point. I often allow the story to simply take me along. There were more than a few times I had no idea where it was going and found myself surprised when it got there. The follow up story was done from an outline. The third was a bit of both.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
I read most of Grisham's books when he first came on the scene. That might be why a couple people have said my style is "Grisham-like" - I take that as a big compliment. I have a long way to go to be remotely like him. Harlan Coben's stories were an influence. Carl Hiaasen is another. Witty suspense has always been a favorite.
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Absolutely, although of a more "adult" nature. South Park, Archer, Simpsons are current favorites.
After 20-some years of day-to-day grind in the business world as a CPA, Accounting, Finance guru, Allen Schatz stepped off the edge and finally did something about all the "Hey, you should be a writer" comments he'd heard over the years.
He grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and will always consider himself a "Philly Guy". Say what you will about the city, but those were his formative years and he'd never change a thing about it. After college -- Widener University -- he got married and settled first in Springfield (Delaware County). Two kids were added and a new job eventually took the family west to the Pittsburgh suburb of Washington, PA where they've been since '95.
The kids are grown now (one in Hollywood, California, the other at college -- Temple University), but their absence from the house is more than compensated for by Rocky and Penny. If Allen had more room, he'd have a few more dogs no doubt.
When he's not writing, Allen's other day job is self-employed financial consultant, specializing in TM1 and Essbase system administration.
You can also find him on the ballfield. He's been an amateur umpire for the better part of 30 years. Currently, he's registerd and working games for PONY (international youth program) and PIAA (high school).
Game 7: Dead Ball , his first of hopefully many novels is available to everyone as an eBook. You can read an interview with Allen at Fire Eric Bruntlett and hear one at Tandem with the Random . Visit Allen's site at http://www.allenschatz.com .
Allen Schatz
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
'Marshall Connors' is my favorite. He is the "other" me I never was. That's probably why I decided to portray his scenes from a first person perspective (as opposed to the rest of the story which is in the eyes of the omniscient narrator). Marshall became a professional umpire, making it to the majors. That was something I once had on a list of possible career choices. Through him I get to be "in" the story. I find that fun.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
I've been an accountant/financial professional for 25 years or so. What that means is I'm good at numbers and details. A few have noticed that latter item in my writing, as I try to put little bits and pieces into scenes. I can also umpire. I've been doing that on and off, more on, for 30 years or so. I love baseball, but like Marshall, couldn't hit a lick so did the next best thing. Some would say I'm a fairly decent coach/teacher type. I wouldn't argue.
5. Who are you reading right now?
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
I love baseball (as one might deduce from the book). It is the greatest game ever invented in my opinion. I've played, coached, and officiated. And I watch. A lot. I'm an avid follower of all teams Philadelphia. That's always going to be my 'home' no matter what address I might have. Modern technology lets me remain a close fan of the teams of my youth. As for other physical activity, I try to exercise regularly, "try" being the key some days. The baseball season keeps me busy physically as well.
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
I do some of each. I did Game 7: Dead Ball more from a sketch than a formal outline. That is probably why I had close to 200k words at one point. I often allow the story to simply take me along. There were more than a few times I had no idea where it was going and found myself surprised when it got there. The follow up story was done from an outline. The third was a bit of both.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
I read most of Grisham's books when he first came on the scene. That might be why a couple people have said my style is "Grisham-like" - I take that as a big compliment. I have a long way to go to be remotely like him. Harlan Coben's stories were an influence. Carl Hiaasen is another. Witty suspense has always been a favorite.
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Absolutely, although of a more "adult" nature. South Park, Archer, Simpsons are current favorites.
After 20-some years of day-to-day grind in the business world as a CPA, Accounting, Finance guru, Allen Schatz stepped off the edge and finally did something about all the "Hey, you should be a writer" comments he'd heard over the years.
He grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and will always consider himself a "Philly Guy". Say what you will about the city, but those were his formative years and he'd never change a thing about it. After college -- Widener University -- he got married and settled first in Springfield (Delaware County). Two kids were added and a new job eventually took the family west to the Pittsburgh suburb of Washington, PA where they've been since '95.
The kids are grown now (one in Hollywood, California, the other at college -- Temple University), but their absence from the house is more than compensated for by Rocky and Penny. If Allen had more room, he'd have a few more dogs no doubt.
When he's not writing, Allen's other day job is self-employed financial consultant, specializing in TM1 and Essbase system administration.
You can also find him on the ballfield. He's been an amateur umpire for the better part of 30 years. Currently, he's registerd and working games for PONY (international youth program) and PIAA (high school).
Game 7: Dead Ball , his first of hopefully many novels is available to everyone as an eBook. You can read an interview with Allen at Fire Eric Bruntlett and hear one at Tandem with the Random . Visit Allen's site at http://www.allenschatz.com .
March 14, 2011
Chat: Heidi Ruby Miller at Pennwriters Presents
I'm the guest writer at Pennwriters Presents today, so I'll be answering questions and participating in discussions at the Pennwriters Yahoo! Group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pennwriters ) - anyone is welcome, not just members of Pennwriters. Stop by and say Hi!
Here's the press release:
Our Guest Star will be Heidi Ruby Miller . She likes to read all types of stories, so it makes sense that she would be a mulit-genre author and co-edit a writing guide titled MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: LESSONS IN WRITING POPULAR FICTION (http://manygenres.blogspot.com). Her novels AMBASADORA and ATOMIC ZION are due out in 2011.
She is a Published Pennwriter and member of The Authors Guild and Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA). Some of her short stories can be found in Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy , Best of Every Day Fiction , and Eye Contact. She also co-authored a travel guide with her husband Jason Jack Miller .
Heidi will appear at the Pennwriters Conference in Pittsburgh, PA on May 12 -
15, 2011. She will be a contributor along with Michael A. Arnzen, Natalie Duvall, Matt Duvall, Timons Esaias, Jason Jack Miller, and Victoria Thompson will provide an
all-day, intensive workshop. Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller will teach
a workshop which shows how fixing your first page can improve your entire
manuscript. Her other future appearances include:
* Book Expo America, New York City, May 26, 2011 (book signing)
* WPF In Your Write Mind Conference and Retreat, Greensburg, PA, June 23 - 26,
2011 (official launch of MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT, workshops)
* Context 24, Columbus, OH, August 26 - 28, 2011 (day-long workshop)
* West Virginia Book Festival, Charleston, WV, October 22 - 23, 2011
Heidi Ruby Miller's month-long online course, WRITING WITH AUTHORITY , starts
April 1, 2011. Along with Jason Jack Miller , she will present the writing course
like those they've taught at Seton Hill University. To learn how to analyze your
writing and use easy techniques that will increase the authority of your voice,
enroll now at http://tinyurl.com/PennwritersCourse2....
You can reach Heidi by email heidirubymiller@gmail.com and on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/heidirubymiller. Her websites are
http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com and http://manygenres.blogspot.com.
Topics to discuss with Heidi Ruby Miller are:
* WRITING WITH AUTHORITY Online Course
* Pennwriters Conference 2011 One-Day Intensive Workshop
* MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: LESSONS IN WRITING POPULAR FICTION book
* Working in multiple genres
* Working with contributors on a project
Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog
- Heidi Ruby Miller's profile
- 280 followers
Heidi Ruby Miller isn't a Goodreads Author
(yet),
but they
do have a blog,
so here are some recent posts imported from
their feed.
