Martha Wells's Blog, page 239

Back again, to mention that the Brenda Novak Auction for ...

Back again, to mention that the Brenda Novak Auction for Diabetes Research has started and there are tons of cool things up for auction for the next couple of months, from autographed books to jewelry to gift baskets to agent evaluations and critiques. I've got three autographed hardcovers up for auction here, here, and here under the Jacqui Jacoby's Signature Line category.

ETA: the covers they have up are for the paperbacks, but the three books I sent are the hardcover editions.

I've been having an LJ hiatus this weekend, and after thi...

I've been having an LJ hiatus this weekend, and after this I think I may continue it for a bit longer. My offline life is very stressful at the moment, and restricting my online presence helps (it gives me less to worry about), even though I miss all the people I keep in touch with this way.

But I've debated this for a while and I do want to mention how I feel about the discussion about race in SF/F that's been going on for the past couple of months on Live Journal. (I've followed it in other

A KXAN News article: Attorney General Warns Job Seekers ...

A KXAN News article: Attorney General Warns Job Seekers of Scams Thought I'd post this because it lists some that I had never heard of before, and which sound all too legitimate.

First, good news for me! I've sold another story to Blac...

First, good news for me! I've sold another story to Black Gate Magazine. It's called "Rites of Passage" and is another Giliead and Ilias story, set before the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy. (The other stories are in issues 10, 11, and 12.)

Couple of authors I remembered I wanted to recommend:

Steven Barnes. He has a book about to come out in paperback from Del Rey Great Sky Woman
The Booklist review: This prehistorical novel set in Africa introduces readers to the Ibandi, a peaceful tribe living in

Green Knowe by Lucy Boston

forodwaith reminded me about the Green Knowe books series. It doesn't have the "modern family moves into spooky old house" theme we were talking about with The House of Dies Drear, but it does have one of the most awesome spooky old houses in children's lit. (It's also based on a real house.)

The series is by Lucy Boston, and while each book deals with a kid who comes to the house to stay for a time and ends up meeting ghosts or something supernatural, each book has a different feel. The first

The House of Dies Drear; is it for sale?

I've been thinking about books I read as a kid, and what I liked most. One of them was The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton, which I had from the Scholastic book club thingy that let you buy books in the classroom, and which I read until it fell apart.

"A lushly written story about a contemporary black family that buys the house in Ohio which, a century earlier, Dies Drear and two slaves he had been hiding were murdered. (The house was a stop on the Underground Railroad)"
- New York Times

Yesterday, Bella had her regular vet appointment. She's ...

Yesterday, Bella had her regular vet appointment. She's much better behaved than Harry, so this normally isn't a problem - if I can get her into the carrier. I was very careful, I didn't succumb to temptation to get the carrier out ahead of time, I didn't show her too much attention. But somehow, I must have betrayed my intentions because I walked into the room to get her, and she looked at me, and SHE KNEW. And I had to chase her around the house for twenty minutes and finally take apart t

I got some good news the other day: I've been invited to...

I got some good news the other day: I've been invited to be a guest at WriterCon. It's July 31-August 2, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Above all else, Writercon is a gathering of writers, poets, editors, and fans of writers, poets, and editors. Some will come to learn how to write better fan fiction, some will come to learn about how to make the leap from fan fiction to original fiction, some will come just to gab with fellow neuroticswriters for hours on end. Yay!


Cat update: I bought Harry one

Catherynne M. Valente's new book Palimpsest comes out tod...

Catherynne M. Valente's new book Palimpsest comes out today. It's based on a free short story you can read here

Free book: Diamonds in the Sky, edited by Mike Brotherton
This is a collection of short fiction based around a range of concepts from astronomy...
The book is free and to be as widely read as possible, with the goal of doing some public outreach/education, so please be encouraged to check it out and spread the word.


Something else free, linked by rydra_wong: Bayer are giving away $20 vou

Okay, my shoulder and neck is much less spasm-y today. W...

Okay, my shoulder and neck is much less spasm-y today. Which is good, because I have a doctor's appointment today for a yearly checkup and didn't want to confuse the issue.

ConDFW was great, and it looked like their attendance was way up this year. I think it really helped having Jim Butcher and David Weber as guests -- a couple of times, the line for autographs for Jim Butcher stretched most of the way across the lobby. The new hotel seemed to work out really well, too. There was a huge amou