Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 17

Witch Hat

I’m at MisCon science fiction convention this weekend, but I thought I’d share a picture of the witch hat I’ll be wearing around the con. I’m nobody famous, but it never hurts to raise visibility. I trust this hat will make me a bit memorable, even among all the other fantastic costumes people will be going around in.

If you’re of a certain age, you will remember how national parks used to be a vacation obsession here in the U. S. A. Travel trailers were a new cool thing then. You’d put decals all over your trailer to brag about how many national parks you had been to.

This hat is sort of my personal “brag trailer” with each button or pin representing my past fan activities.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

MisCon 2024 Schedule

This weekend I’m going over to Missoula, MT, to take part in their science fiction convention. Conventions feature a ton of activities, but these are my official appearances:

Friday, 3 pm, Author Meet and Greet (in the Dragon Pavilion). I look forward to connecting with a number of old friends who will be at MisCon.

Saturday, noon, Elements of Urban Fantasy panel (in the Monster Tent). Being right in the middle of prepping Queen Titania’s Court, I have some insights into what separates the sub-genres of fantasy.

Saturday, 2 pm, Author Reading (in the Yellowstone Room). I’ll be reading from my latest release, Aunt Anne’s Archive, and something from the Minstrels of Skaythe series.

Saturday, 6 pm, Spotlight Table (in the Dealers Room). I’m not having a book table at MisCon, but I do have an hour to display my books and chat up passers-by.

Sunday, 10 am, Don’t Kill the Dog panel (in the Monster Tent). This one is focused on how authors use animals in our fiction and which methods are successful vs. ones that infuriate readers.

Hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Forthcoming

That’s right, I have yet another forthcoming title! This time I wasn’t in charge of the timing, though. Wolfsinger is bringing out their next anthology, The Dragon’s Hoard 2, on June 18th, 2024. I don’t have any purchase links yet, but rest assured, I’ll noise them about once I get them.

This publication falls in the middle of my June book event, Queen Titania’s Court. Unfortunately, participation has been a bit thin this year. A lot of the authors who regularly participate seem to be at a lull between books just now. I planned to fill the gaps with a couple of my own books or anthologies I have a story in. Heck, why not? It’s a no-brainer to fit The Dragon’s Hoard 2 into the mix.

With this in mind, I’d better get back to writing and formatting my blogs for Queen Titania’s Court!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

It’s Here!

Yes, this is the official release date for Aunt Anne’s Archive. I’m excited to bring out my second short story collection, spanning most of my career.

What’s in it? Twelve short stories, from the brooding “Bonewood Forest” and “Hag” to the humorous “Buried Treasure” and “Rosewood’s Challenge.” Some of them are previously published, while others are coming to the public for the first time. And all for just $9.95!

Get it from Amazon or Books2Read and prepare for a great read.

Aunt Anne’s Archive

Behind the velvet curtain, beyond the secret door, lies a lost archive of literary enchantments. From the creepy to the cozy, the mysterious and the magical, the witty and the wondrous, each tale casts its own rare spell. Welcome to Aunt Anne’s Archive.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Word Question 5

It’s been a while since I did one of these posts, where I focus on specific words that sometimes are confused with each other. Today it’s “hardy” and “hearty.”

Hardy means a person or thing that is able to endure difficult conditions. Someone tough and brave or daring. Plants that don’t die of frost are hardy; in spring, we “harden them off” before planting outdoors. Soldiers are hardy; we often speak of veterans being “hardened” by combat.

Hearty refers to expressing a strong emotion, usually a positive one. Someone might have a hearty laugh or give a cause their hearty support. Their actions come from the heart.

Don’t forget! My short story collection, Aunt Anne’s Archive, releases next Wednesday on Amazon and Books2Read. I hope I can count on your hearty support.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

New Stuff

A couple of major new SF/Fantasy shows have come out on streaming lately. Having seen just a couple of episodes of each, I have some reactions.

Fallout, on Amazon Prime, is based on a video game series that my husband and I both played extensively in the past. As such it features settings and factions from the game that are familiar to us. I was very impressed by the attention to detail. The costumes and sets are re-created very accurately from the games.

It’s set in a post-apocalyptic America, with ruins and relics scattered all over. The plot events are correspondingly harsher. I do recall that in the game, you continually encounter locations with micro-stories embedded that are almost always tragic and/or horrific. Watching the first few episodes, I found it almost too dark to enjoy. Again, this is faithful the source material. In general, I’m just not a horror fan. Others may not be bothered.

Dead Boy Detectives is the other show. It’s based on an off-and-on comic series from DC in the ’90s, which spun off the more famous Sandman. Unlike Fallout, I knew almost nothing about Dead Boy Detectives when I started watching. I can’t attest to its faithfulness to the source material.

Despite being sometimes dark (I mean, two of the main characters are ghosts) the tone is lighter and more humorous. For instance, Crystal, the psychic character, carries on conversations with them, but only she can see them. You constantly see people in the background looking around for who she’s talking to. Where Fallout follows two or three plot threads, Dead Boy Detectives has just one, so it came across more focused to me.

On the other hand, fan reaction indicates there’s a gay romance, either hinted or explicit. Bear that in mind if such content would bother you.

Anyway, I’m interested to know if any of you have watched these shows, and what you thought of them.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

An Opportunity

If you’re interested in being more active with the publishing side, I’ve heard of an opportunity. Hexagon Magazine is a semi-pro outfit looking for first readers. It’s a volunteer position. Details are here.

Other than that, I’m working away on The Spirit Binder. Other tasks include spring cleaning (washing the drapes and windows) and getting my garden up to speed (making sure my hoses all work). Fun! Don’t forget, Aunt Anne’s Archive is releasing in two weeks! The paperback will be up for orders later today, so I hope you’ll take a look at it.

Happy weekend, all!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Woman at Work, May 2024

What’s Happening? Wow it’s 7:30 pm and still light outside. I had put out my geraniums and a few other flowers, and then we were supposed to have frost overnight. Everything made it through okay, though. My peas and potatoes are coming up. I do love this time of year!

What I’m Working On. Still working on The Spirit Binder. Cleodora is investigating the reasons for the drought and hitting dead ends. She’s made a key ally, though.

What’s Next? My short story collection, Aunt Anne’s Archive, is up for pre-orders on e-books only. There’s one more check I want to do before finalizing the paperback. Its official release will be on May 15th. You can get if from Amazon or Books2Read. It’s also time to do my final planning for Queen Titania’s Court, coming in June.

Where I’ll be. MisCon Science Fiction Convention is held in Missoula, MT, on Memorial Day weekend. I’ll be on panels and have a chance to sit at the Spotlight table with my books.

Fun and Games. I’ve been enjoying Stray, where I play as a lost cat having to find my way through a post-collapse sealed city populated by friendly, humanlike robots. And I’m also playing Animal Crossing for the cute, chill vibe.

I hope the longer days are shining some light on your life, too!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Queen Titania’s Court

Yep, I’m still hustling for a few more authors to take part in Queen Titania’s Court. I have the basic spots filled, but it feels thin compared to previous years.

Anyway, if you have a fantasy book to publicize or know someone who does, I’d love it if you shared the details!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Progress

I’ve been working away on The Spirit Binder. The going has been slow as I’ve reached another part that I didn’t plan extensively, and now I have to put some pieces together. What did this place look like before the seven years of drought? What does it look like now? What happened to the previous leaders, and how did the bad folks push them out of the way?

I’m reminding myself this is meant to be a juvenile novel, and I shouldn’t make things too complicated. Besides which, the word count is up to 57,000 now, and I originally planned for 30,000. Either I’ve accidentally written two novels back to back, or I’m going to have to cut a whole lot of material!

The good news is, Cleodora arrived at the place she was traveling to. She’s keen to take action, and the adults keep telling her to slow down and be careful. Not an easy course for a thirteen-year-old with a mission. It also brings me to the ideas that originally inspired this story, which is that Cleodora can send minor spirits around the place to spy for her.

After taking some time to develop ideas, I’m getting back some energy for the tale. My hope is to finish the first draft before summer break. That would allow me to do revisions before fall. However, Queen Titania’s Court will require some of my attention, too. We shall see.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.