Original characters in fanfiction are a responsibility, not a right. ∞
February 2015
Why hall costumes? (part 2)
Last year I finished this swing coat, in hand-embroidered linen and cotton: But the seafoam green, gray-tan, and turquoise colorways were not quite right. Too high a contrast. So a couple of hours with a fiber-reactive dye, soda ash, a big plastic vat, the right kind of salt, and much care, I got exactly the…
Read More Why hall costumes? (part 2)Musa Publishing: a case study
Once upon a time (2007ish) a new publisher came online with the usual bells and whistles, and then devolved into a sea of acrimony and accusation (circa 2011 – 2012). That publisher was Aspen Mountain Press, and out of its ashes a group of authors, editors, and support personnel banded together to create Musa Publishing. From…
Read More Musa Publishing: a case studyI honestly don’t know what to tell people who only post updates, photos, links, etc on Facebook – and then get huffy when I don’t respond. Chances are, I didn’t even see it. If you’re only interacting on FB, then I’m going to miss a lot of it. Until long after the fact, and possibly never.
I check my FB account when I remember to. Maybe once a week, sometimes once a month. I keep it as a placeholder. I’m not thrilled with the directions FB seems to be going. I’ve already abandoned a personal account. The only social media I find more annoying is Zorpia, and that’s because they don’t stop spamming once they have an email addy.
If you are *a business* and you’re only updating on Facebook – good heavens, what is wrong with you? Cross-post and link to Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and LinkedIn. Have an actual blog: WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace, and others make it easy. I’m not that social media-savvy yet, and I manage to do it.
Consumers and collaborators like me would probably like to work with you more, if we don’t have to deal with Facebook on the way.
Kushiel’s Dart re-read on Tor.com
I’m linking to this post over on Tor.com, because Jacqueline Carey’s first fantasy series (from 15 years ago, now!) still stands as one of the most breathtaking and interesting fantasy arcs I’ve read. Some very literate and lucid writers are doing a critical re-read, and it’s worth following along. Especially for erotic romance writers who have…
Read More Kushiel’s Dart re-read on Tor.comThe script test
Here’s one detail that seems to divide professional genre publishers and many self-pub authors/inexperienced small presses/vanity publishers: Cover font. Specifically, a hard-to-read script font. Font matters as much as imagery and composition. For e-books, the cover may be one of the most important investments an author or publisher will make. The ‘thumbnail’ sized or small-format cover…
Read More The script testMore of ‘Night Flight/Night View’
This is actually the first piece I started sewing for this project, back in June 2010: the backdrop, the first thing people will see when they open this fabric pop-up book. Six different fabrics are used in the applique seen here. I’m sewing the rest of the accent beads on now – about 50% done…
Read More More of ‘Night Flight/Night View’Why Hall Costumes?
…and why not competition costumes? (First, this is a costumer and convention Thing. Wander off, if this bores you. Costume geeks won’t mind.) My work quality is good enough to at least enter SFF convention costume contests. I’ve entered, and won or at least placed in mainstream fiber arts competitions. But I dislike the structure,…
Read More Why Hall Costumes?We’re baaaack!
Hi, everyone. Blue Night is back online after 1) a bit of scheduled maintenance Saturday night led to 2) a Jet-Pack update that went horribly awry. Oops. Since Sunday morning, I have learned the following: John Stewart is breaking my heart, Brian Williams is breaking my heart, the 24-hour news cycle needs to take a…
Read More We’re baaaack!Go here and laugh: https://twitter.com/levostregc
Also, weep, smile foolishly, and hold your heads up high, all you students of the humanities. We may be out of fashion, but we’re not extinct yet.
(Go here, even only to see the glory of a Rickroll or American Pie rendered in 13th C English. Things of beauty.) ∞
Option daydreams and nightmares
For authors unfamiliar with show business, few words will evoke the sheer magic of ‘They’ve optioned my book!’ That means someone has paid an author a certain amount of money to allow least the possibility (the ‘option’) of making that story into a movie, television drama, series, webcast, etc. Hold on there, pilgrim. You’re not…
Read More Option daydreams and nightmaresBoo Hiss, Hershey
I’m an unrepentant chocoholic. When everything goes downhill and we’re living in a post-apocalyptic, climate-ravaged wasteland, I might actually miss chocolate more than hot water. Just sayin’. So I’m very disappointed in the Hershey Company, for deciding to use legal threats to keep the British version of Cadbury’s chocolate out of the US. They cite…
Read More Boo Hiss, HersheyA Requiem Dawn, by J.L Forrest
Blurb: Five thousand years ago, the Atreianii transcended humankind, reducing men and women to slaves and pets. These post-human demigods reigned for centuries across their world and throughout the solar system, and for a time they created their paradise. Yet it could not last; they warred amongst themselves, reduced the globe to dust and ash,…
Read More A Requiem Dawn, by J.L ForrestResponsibility in marketing
I am thrilled to see that the moderators of Marketing For Romance Writers (MFRW), one of the biggest genre marketing support groups online, have made the following announcement: “Calls for submission may be submitted only by publishers who DO NOT charge fees for services such as editing, cover art, printing, and etc. A publisher must…
Read More Responsibility in marketing