Of Lions and Violins

I mailed off copies of Ars Memoriae on Saturday and Monday. Today the first review and photo appeared. As you can see, her copy was snatched up right away, so if you want a chance to read ARS MEMORIAE, keep a close eye on doc_lemming's, bogwitch64's, and pauljessup's blogs.

(See here for a description of the tour.)

So, when I got back from travel one of the first things I did was sit down to review the V pilot for Tor.com.

It was sort of lucky I waited until I got back, though, because my flight experience came in super-handy!

Last week, when the V pilot aired, I was far from home in a place without decent TV (the horror, the horror!).

Which reminds me: you know how you get a meal on an airplane, and it comes on a little tray just the size you expected, and all the food is wrapped tidily in little containers clearly labeled, and you eat it because it’s there, but by the time you land you can hardly remember what you ate, because there was nothing wrong with it, but it just didn’t taste like anything?

In totally unrelated news, I caught up with the V pilot.

Check out the rest over at Tor.com!

And further, slightly more political thoughts under the cut.

( Oh, SHOW. )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

http://autumnrain2110.com/blog/2009/11/12/brazil-the-blackouts-and-russian-nukes/

http://autumnrain2110.com/blog/?p=1618

It takes an event like the Brazilian blackouts to bring home the banality of Twitter, where the event barely registered amidst the maelstrom of posts on New Moon and Captain Zeep. But the incidents can be seen as good evidence of just how rickety a lot of the developing world’s infrastructure is getting under the pressure of growth.  With its regional power status—and hosting of both the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016—Brazil will be more in the limelight than most, at least until the developed world starts sharing a similar problem.  At which point we’ll be too deep in our own energy/infrastructure mess to worry about those of others, especially since it turns out that peak oil is coming even faster than we thought, with reports that world oil estimates have been drastically inflated.  In the meantime, we’re grabbing all the kilowattage we can lay our hands on. . . .for example, did you realize that 10% of the U.S. power supply right now comes from dismantled Russian nukes?  The spoils of empire indeed.

It's only been 6 months....

The White List

This is a very small update that ended up being mostly deletions. I'll try to get another update next month that includes a number of authors feeds that I've created over the last few months.

If you have any updates you want added to the list, please post at the entry above NOT HERE.

Thanks.

A few years ago I used to get skin treatments at this day spa across town.

They sold some special line of make-up which I managed to avoid for awhile. I thought make-up was cool when I was young but I don't really have the kind of face that's improved by intense applications of spackle.

I needed some new foundation and I never know how to pick a color so I asked for some help. I specifically didn't want a powder-based product and I really meant it which is why I left with a powder-based product. But you see, this wasn't your ordinary powder-based product. This could be used together with a yummy smelling water-mist spray that you gently applied after you powdered your face and this would "set" your foundation.

Even now it's hard to believe I went for it. I make fun of other people who buy stupid things because some retail genius convinced them they needed it. Yet there I was, paying an absurd amount of money for scented water in a spray.

The thing is, I became addicted to it. I love that refreshing spray. I quit going to the spa for many reasons but mostly because I got tired of organizing an entire day around driving across town so I could sit in a chair and "relax" for two hours. I found a company with a similar product and I quit buying stuff from them. A couple weeks ago I used the last of my magical mist.

Last time I was in Target I went through the beauty supplies because I figured every company must now sell lightly scented water in a spray bottle for your face. That's free money. Why wouldn't you? Couldn't find any.

So there's a marketing idea for someone who has the initiative to make products.

Meanwhile, the point of this post that I've been leading up to is that I want my job to be naming skin products. There was an entire wall of products and they all have names like: "anti-aging replumpifier with toning beads," "rejuvenating line eraser with relaxing agents. And aloe" and "super oxidizing radon scrub with cinnamon enhanced century diminishing injectors."

I don't know what half that stuff means but it sounded really good. I wanted to try them all.

One, I'm reading at the IAF Interfictions 2 reading tomorrow, 7:30 pm at The Lily Pad in Cambridge, MA. You all are coming, right? Because there's musical accompaniment and possibly an accordion. And Brian Francis Slattery (ZOMG.) Also my last trip to Boston for awhile as I burrow, sick of travel and with a novel due at the end of January (I don't even want to talk about it.)

Two, I'm working on a trailer for Under in the Mere, and searching for music. I want something appropriate to Arthuriana without going full McKennitt, melancholic, probably, but not necessarily un-modern. Any musicians out there want to get some exposure by letting me use one of their tracks? The Palimpsest trailer got over 20,000 views...

Any suggestions of other musicians must be people who are contactable and at all likely to give me permission. Bands I have to contact through MySpace and are on tour, probably not.

Lastly, I am NOT getting sick. I swear.

It takes an event like the Brazilian blackouts to bring home the banality of Twitter, where the event barely registered amidst the maelstrom of posts on New Moon and Captain Zeep. But the incidents can be seen as good evidence of just how rickety a lot of the developing world’s infrastructure is getting under the pressure of growth.  With its regional power status—and hosting of both the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016—Brazil will be more in the limelight than most, at least until the developed world starts sharing a similar problem.  At which point we’ll be too deep in our own energy/infrastructure mess to worry about those of others, especially since it turns out that peak oil is coming even faster than we thought, with reports that world oil estimates have been drastically inflated.  In the meantime, we’re grabbing all the kilowattage we can lay our hands on. . . .for example, did you realize that 10% of the U.S. power supply right now comes from dismantled Russian nukes?  The spoils of empire indeed.

Originally published at autumnrain2110.com . You can comment here or there.

Check out my new poll here.

Poll #1484453 Hot Romance!!!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 25

Oracne needs to write a "hot romance" story. Which of these settings appeals?

This is my first choice of sub-genre.

You should do another poll for characters!

My random comment is

GOP censures Lindsay Graham for insufficient party line loyalty

( Read more... )

Like a stupid smiling thing, every time I watch it. Enjoy, if it does the same for you:

Mirrored from Bum Scoop.

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Not really, but I want to.

The workers are painting the pantry downstairs. The steroid-filled dog (not opiate-filled today, so he barked at the workers) is now lying next to me on the carpet and emitting sulphurous smells.

Willow is at the most-excellent Volvo shop getting a routine maintenance check, and I went to my doctor yesterday for my routine maintenance check (apparently, everything is still functioning). Tooth-filling next week. Yay. Woo.

I'm futzing with the last few pages of the WIP. I want to wrap up the ending quickly, which means glossing over many things. Endings are always hard for me, not because I have trouble knowing what's going on, but because I always want to write a forty-page epilogue. For some reason, editors don't seem to like that.

The WIP (The Devil in the Details) is also demanding a name change. I am now quibbling between The Impure and plain-old Impure. (This is a reference to bloodlines, BTW, not promiscuous behavior--the whole book is about bloodlines, so...)

Which one's better?

...but never say never.

Happy birthday to badger!

• First off, a quote from author C. C. Finlay: “The third law of writing: For every fiction there is an equal and opposite re-fiction. For example, if there is The Hobbit, eventually someone will inevitably write Goblin Quest.”  I am much amused.

• The SF/F Humor Roundup is up to 22 short stories and 12 novels.  So far, so good!  I’m working on guidelines to try to cut down on blatant self-promotion.  I don’t mind authors recommending their own work, but I don’t want a list of 30 stories from every online nook and cranny.  I’m thinking of limiting self-promotional recommendations to one short story and/or one novel.  What do you think?

• I’ll be heading to Windycon tomorrow.  I’ve got the Manly Baen vs. Womanly DAW panel Saturday at 10, an autographing session Saturday at 2, What are Kids Reading on Sunday at 10, and I’ll be reading my muppet werewolf tale on Sunday at Noon.  Hope to see some of you there!

#

I realized I haven’t done an actual writing update in a while.  After finishing the revisions for Red Hood’s Revenge, I started back in on Snow Queen.  I struggled through the current chapter, but it was painful.  The whole thing felt like it was stuck, and I had no idea where to go from here.

Some of the more experienced writers probably know exactly where I’m at in this manuscript.  That’s right, it’s the dreaded 30,000 word slog.  Every book I’ve done for the past five years has hit this same point, where my outline falls apart and the story crashes and burns.

Fortunately, I’ve done this enough times to recognize it.  The solution for me?  Step back and rewrite the outline.  When I’m first planning a book, my brain can’t hold the whole thing.  So I outline and do the best I can, but by the time I’ve typed 25K-30K words, I’ve changed enough that the outline no longer works.

I’ve spent the past week outlining, and I’m just about ready to dive back in.  I’m not going to start over from the beginning, because I’ve found that just wastes time for me.  But I’ve made notes about what to change in the rewrite, and more importantly, I’m excited about some of the new ideas and directions I’m taking in the rest of the story.  I’m also surprised to realize I don’t know how this book is going to end.  I honestly don’t know whether or not certain characters will survive.  That’s kind of fun

So there’s where I’m at with the writing.  Book three is done, book four is underway, and the back of my brain is quietly percolating ideas for the next series.

Mirrored from Jim C. Hines.

I'm feeling very autumn today. I'm not sure what that means, exactly, except I want to listen to a bunch of poignant songs and wander the city while the rain gathers on my trench coat and leaves swirl in the wind.

Watched two episodes of Leverage last night while I put away laundry and packed up a box of books. I have one disc left of the first season. Will probably move on to either the tv adaptations of Nero Wolfe or Sarah Jane Adventures next. My Thanksgiving trip to New York City usually results in watching more television than I watch the whole rest of the year. It's fun, but I'm always a little goggle-eyed afterwards.

Still haven't written this week. I don't feel ready to move on with the next section yet. If nothing shakes loose by Saturday, I will write anyway, of course.

Thanks to the CD Forum I will be reading at Seattle's orignal Elliott Bay Books at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 13. And when I say "reading" I mean singing and acting and stirring your soul. If you haven't come to one of my readings before you know you want to come to this one.

It is free.

I only had the flu for one week. But I was also at WFC before now. Other people blogged there. I didn't. I was busy getting a permanent seashell tiara from criada and not winning two WFAs.

Also I have been told I kicked major booty on the “Why Steampunk Now?” panel, talking about the reactionary trend in this subgenre and challenging participants to create more what Doselle calls “cottonginpunk.” Apparently I also committed to writing something along these lines myself, set in the Belgian Congo and featuring Colette and E. Nesbit. Okay.

And then there was that magic moment when Ellen Klages, Nalo Hopkinson, Madeleine Robins, marykaykare, and Jim Frenkel serenaded me in the hotel bar while waving blue drinks in front of their faces. I reclined joyfully on a bar table in my bathing suit and fluffy bathrobe, making swimming motions with my arms. This is A True and Accurate Account of Events. I was completely and utterly sober.

What next? To quote John Lennon, “You might well arsk.”

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