2014

December 31, 2014 by Filigree

when a short story won’t let me toss it

I have a bad habit of starting stories that I’m not skilled enough to tell. I lose my temper at them, shelve them – and then fail to forget them, like a normal writer should. You know, those writers with hundreds of short stories in their backlist? Not me. I feel like I don’t want…

December 30, 2014 by Filigree 14 comments

New Year’s blog hop

…from the authors (and friends) of the House of Manlove M/M erotic romance critique group. Just a friendly gathering of authors musing about their goals for 2015. # What are my 2015 writing goals? Finish and sub Moro’s Shield, the sequel to my M/M space opera debut Moro’s Price. 48K out of 70K words written.…

December 29, 2014 by Filigree 2 comments

A late December gloat

Okay, I’m going to be really evil, and gloat about a story that none of you will probably ever be able to read. Neither the author nor I are daft enough to release it in the wild. Not yet. As far as I know, it is the very first piece of fanfiction set in one…

December 29, 2014 by Filigree

Paths to Publishing blog hop calendar

During the month of January 2015, I’ll be participating (as Crane Hana) on Melissa Snark’s Snarkology blog. Each author will be posting on their paths to publishing: pitfalls, triumphs, and tips to maybe ease the way for other would-be authors. It’s a celebration of where we’ve been and where we hope to be, and it…

Aside

I’ve learned that I can maybe tell something by the type of Amazon bio a self-published writer offers. If it’s short and strong, the prose is likely to be solid and interesting. If it’s one unbroken meandering paragraph with a lot of unnecessary details – look out, the book will probably be the same way.

December 22, 2014 by Filigree

All marketing is creepy lies…

…I am lying to you right now, with this cheerful snarky blog post that purports to tell you all about the magic trick I’m doing, and that you shouldn’t fall for it. This blog sells absolutely nothing but my intermediate abilities as a writer and artist. But there’s a good chance that, if I were…

December 17, 2014 by Filigree

Why your marketing shouldn’t seem like marketing

When you are in sales and marketing, you don’t want to come across like this guy, Harry Wormwood from the movie Matilda, played here by Danny DeVito. Harry is an all-out crook who turns back odometers, glues on bumpers, and puts sawdust in transmissions. You want to be like this guy, the late great Cal…

December 13, 2014 by Filigree 5 comments

Toffee Bacon

…I thought that might get your attention. To add to the holiday foodie season, here’s a recipe I stumbled upon last week. I’ve seen other variations, up to actual toffee made with bacon bits inside. My food thermometer and I have an uneasy truce: I don’t ask too much of it, and it doesn’t trick…

December 9, 2014 by Filigree

Reading and researching, for new writers

On three separate online writing forums, I’ve recently been treated to the same unfortunate spectacle: writers (often very young ones, but not always*) who know very little about classic or even current science fiction and fantasy, and who want to write in the genre. They don’t read it, or they may not read much at…

December 5, 2014 by Filigree

Moro’s Price first chapter (adult content advisory)

(Adult content warning, just in case you’ve forgotten the disclaimer on the left sidebar: the following post contains male/male erotic references. Don’t read or follow the links, if that’s not your thing.) (Note added 12-6-2014: Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you to all the readers who have tweeted and re-tweeted the link…

November 26, 2014 by Filigree

New fiber art: Tempe Festival of the Arts award ribbons

Warning: if you are not a crafty type, this will be a very boring post. I’ll forgive you if you go look at pictures of Grumpy Cat instead. Twice a year, I have the honor of making the seventeen award ribbons for the Tempe Festival of the Arts, a major regional art fair in the…

November 24, 2014 by Filigree 3 comments

opinions on the new header

Over two years in, I decided it was time to change out headers on the Blue Night blog. I’m curious: all five of you who regularly read this thing, which header art do you like? Here’s the old one. Here’s the new one. Same world, same motif, probably the very same night – just…

November 18, 2014 by Filigree

Length matters…

…or, another ranty essay about word counts. Rant Part One: A couple of weeks ago, a 54K novel of mine went out on submission. It got some kind notice from some important people, all of whom said the same thing: ‘It’s good, but too short for print. Can it be 85K?’ Oh, but I hear…

November 15, 2014 by Filigree 1 comment

Plotting and Planning, by Suz deMello

Here’s a new writing how-to book from author Suz deMello, for the rest of you poor fools trapped in NaNo-land. (I am, too, I’m just not formally keeping a wordcount on the three manuscripts I’m trying to hammer out over the next 45 days.) I have two reasons for giving blog space to this one.…

November 8, 2014 by Filigree

Sneak Peek Sunday snippet: Moro’s Shield

(Six paragraphs from my current WIP, the sequel to my debut novel Moro’s Price. I’m posting them on Saturday night because I intend to be comatose on Sunday morning. Enjoy.) *** “Dear girl, I’m sorry deprive you of fresh berries,” said the articulated, eight-foot-high steel skeleton waiting for Syene in Fortunero’s docking bay. Benny’s exo-chassis…

November 6, 2014 by Filigree 2 comments

What it feels like…

…To know a manuscript (that has earned an almost career-wrecking place in my life, that I spent a ridiculous amount of time writing, and that I wonder if anyone besides me, three beta readers, and my agent will even care about when the dust clears) – is going out on submission this week. To people…

November 3, 2014 by Filigree

The manuscript game pt 2

I love the digital era. In the great old days I’d have typed everything, made carbon or photocopies, and spent way too much in postage. I’d have waited months for news on a manuscript. Now, for the most part, I deal with Word doc format files and rapid email communication. Such as this morning, when…