Broad Universe

FogCon and Marry Shelley

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:00:31 GMT

Hi there,
I'm doing publications for FogCon 2, a literary science fiction convention with aspirations to be similar to WisCon and Readercon for the San Francisco Bay Area. Along with the usual Guest of Honor, we like to include a "Ghost" of Honor. This year we are honoring Mary Shelley. I need to find someone to write a short biography of Mary Shelley for our program book. I've been having trouble finding someone and the deadline to get the program book to the publisher is looming. Is there anyone here or does anyone know anyone that might be interested in writing such a biography? The theme for this year's convention is The Body, so it would be great to relate the biography to our theme. If anyone is interested or if anyone can recommend someone, could you please contact me? My e-mail is xangoexu@gmail.com. Thanks for your help.

Broad Universe First Virtual Annual Meeting

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:57:44 GMT

Broad Universe will have an open annual meeting on August 14, 2011, at 7pm Eastern Time (US/Canada). This will be different from previous annual meetings in that it will be virtual -- that is, a large-scale conference call and web presentation.

New president Trisha Wooldridge will chair the meeting, which starts with a message from our outgoing president, Phoebe Wray. Other members of the Motherboard will describe what we've been doing this past year, and all will talk about our plans for the future. At the end, we'll answer questions that have been submitted.

If you're interested in attending, visit our Annual Meeting FAQ page. The meeting is open to both paid Broad Universe members (www.broaduniverse.org) and non-members.

The meeting will be recorded so that those who can't attend will be able to listen later.

Broad Universe is a nonprofit organization under US Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3).

Morven,
Member of the Motherboard and technical maven for the meeting

edited to fix broken link

March Broad Pod is now available

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:12:03 GMT

The March Broad Pod is now available by visiting: http://broadpod.posterous.com

Jean Marie Ward (http://JeanMarieWard.com) is the hostess for this month's, "March's Woman Power," a collection of short readings from women writing speculative fiction.

In honor of Women’s History Month the spotlight is on aspects of Woman Power—and powerful women:
Charged with treason, Gail Z. Martin’s,(http://www.ascendantkingdoms.com/)pregnant queen Kiera must wage a war of words to save herself, her friends, and her unborn child.

Larissa N. Niec’s (http://larissaniec.com/) selection, the goddess Rhianna’s high priestess embarks on a dangerous spirit quest to seek help for her dying land.

Theresa Crater (http://theresacrater.com/) introduces her heroine—and us—to the legendary Morgan le Fey in the land beneath the hallowed hill.

Diane Whiteside (http://dianewhiteside.com/) takes us to present-day
Virginia, where a psychically gifted homicide detective learns just how powerful a woman working for the FBI can be.

Danielle Ackley-McPhail (http://sidhenadaire.com/) takes us to the future and a squadron of hell-raising women fighter pilots led by the infamous Scarlet Jay.

Check it out! http://broadpod.posterous.com

Interview: Gail Martin

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:17:41 GMT

Today we're visiting with Broad Universe member Gail Z. Martin. She is the author of the "Chronicles of the Necromancer series", and the new "Fallen Kings Cycle." Her latest book, "The Sworn," is available in bookstores. For more information on Gail, check out: http://www.ascendantkingdoms.com/

**When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve known that I wanted to write stories since I was 14 years old.

**What is your writing process? When do you write?
I write two days a week for the whole day. That helps me to mentally move into the world I’m writing about and keeps distractions at a minimum.

**Do you have any writing rituals? What do you keep around your writing area to inspire you?
I like to have instrumental music (no words) playing when I write—anything with lyrics is too distracting. And I keep a cup of tea or coffee close by, along with my dog. I take a break and hug my dog if I need to think through a scene.

**What is your most current project?
I’ve turned in the manuscript for "The Dread" (Book Two in "The Fallen Kings Cycle"), so now I’m working on the first book in a whole new series for Orbit Books.

**What was the inspiration for the book?
I started with “what if” and ran with it, thinking about a historical occurrence and asking “what if” it had gone in the opposite direction.

**Who is your favorite character, and why?
My two favorite characters in my books to date are Tris and Jonmarc. I like Tris because he refuses to be boxed in by fate, and Jonmarc because he has been knocked down so many times and keeps getting back up.

**Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
I love to take my kids to the amusement park and ride the roller coasters.

**Words of wisdom to new writers?
Don’t ever give up! Ever! Find a supportive circle of friends who will give you true yet encouraging feedback, and learn to write for their amusement, then broaden that circle.

**How has Broad Universe “broadened” your writing life? Any fun stories, experiences, etc.?
I love the supportive atmosphere in BU and have made a lot of friends who are also BU members. I don’t get the chance to participate in the conversations as much as I should but it’s fun to watch them scroll by.

**What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
Assuming that copies of my own books and manuscripts are safely duplicated elsewhere, I’d have to say that it would be whatever book I’m reading at the moment—I couldn’t stand waiting around without a good book!

**Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
Right now I’m reading Carole Nelson Douglas’s "Irene Adler" series and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s "Saint-Germain" series and I’m very impressed with the details of their descriptions and their world building.

**If you could talk to any writer (living or dead) what one question would you ask, or what one thing would you say?
“Thank you.”

**Favorite bookstore/library?
All of them! Seriously. We spend a lot of time (and cash) in bookstores, and I go to the library every week with my daughter to augment the book supply.

**Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
Somewhere that the temperature stays between 70 – 90 degrees with low humidity and calories don’t count!

**Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?
Most published writers became “overnight successes” after putting in years of hard work and preparation. If what you want isn’t coming easily for you and you look around and wonder why it’s so easy for others, realize that you’re only seeing the end result, not the struggle.

Interview: Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:25:41 GMT

Today we're visiting with Broad Universe member, and award-winning author, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, who has worked both sides of the publishing industry for over fifteen years. Her works include the urban fantasies, "Yesterday's Dreams," "Tomorrow's Memories," and "The Halfling’s Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale." She has edited the "Bad-Ass Faeries" anthology series, and "Dragon’s Lure," and has contributed to numerous other anthologies and collections. To learn more about her work, visit www.sidhenadaire.com and www.badassfaeries.com.

**When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I don’t think it was ever a conscious choice, it just happened. I was a reader before I was a writer and then when school was introduced into the picture with English and Composition assignments, that just put paid to it as they say. I’ve always had more creativity than was likely good for me and writing was a natural outlet.

**What is your writing process? When do you write? I write whenever I can grab the time. When I wake up in the morning before work, on the train using my PDA, at my lunch hour at work, once I get home from work…3am in the morning when I can’t sleep.

**Do you have any writing rituals? What do you keep around your writing area to inspire you? If I have any ritual at all it is turning on the computer, turning out the lights, and turning on the music…instrumentals only, please ☺ If I’m really caught up in things it is best to have no distractions. As for my inspiration…I’m supposed to be writing "The Redcaps’ Queen," sequel to my biker faerie novel, "The Halfling’s Court," so I have two things I received from my co-editor Jeffrey Lyman on my desk: a biker bear in black “leather” and tulle, and a resin figuring of a biker faerie chick literally burning rubber on a cycle with a dragon prow, for lack of a better description ☺ I do have photographs

**What is your most current project? Oh my…you’d think I was writing a book if I told you all I was working on…my two immediate projects are two steampunk anthologies I’m co-editing. One is called "Clockwork Chaos" and the other is In "An Iron Cage: The Magic of Steampunk," both are co-edited with Neal Levin. I’m also working on the fourth "Bad-Ass Faeries" anthology, (It’s Elemental), and the second "Legends of a New Age" anthology (Eternal Flame). On the novel front, I am working on two at the moment: "Today’s Promise" (the last book in the Eternal Cycle series), and "The Redcaps’ Queen" (the sequel to The Halfling’s Court). And finally, I’m working on a nonfiction writing guide. It’s a new series by Dragon Moon Press called, "The Elements of Fantasy." Volume one is all about magic.

**What was the inspiration for the book? Neal has the lead on "Clockwork Chaos," so I couldn’t tell you the inspiration there, but for In "An Iron Cage" it was a really cool piece of artwork of a dark elf in front of a steel-riveted wall. The elf echoed the color of the wall which was a bit rusted, because her hair was rust red and her skin was gunmetal grey. She looks very enigmatic in a pseudo-Nazi uniform with a riding crop propped against her folded arms. Neal sent me the art initially and just said…what would you do with this. What can I say, the picture spoke to me! As for the rest…I don’t think we have enough space to go into it all ;)

**Who is your favorite character, and why? I presume you mean in relation to the above projects. I would have to say Miss Sadie Angelina Carlisle from the story I wrote for In "An Iron Cage." She’s one of those very distinct characters that has a voice very independent of my own and to me she just jumps off the page. Her story is one of the few I have ever done completely in dialect…something I normally try and minimize, but I can say without a doubt this would not be half the story it currently is without Sadie’s “Voice” on the page and in your face the way it is now.

**Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn? I am related to both Captain Kidd (maternal line) and Grace Kelly (paternal line). So…I can really say I’m a pirate princess!

**Words of wisdom to new writers? Writing is often an enriching experience for the soul, but more rarely for the wallet. Do it because you love it, not because you want to get rich.

**How has Broad Universe “broadened” your writing life? Any fun stories, experiences, etc.? I have met so many wonderful Broads through BU, and because of them I have had writing opportunities that have made me stretch my boundaries outward, consider new things. It’s been a blast. If I could only keep one writing organization I belong to, it would be Broad Universe.

** What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why? The Bible because it’s pulled me from the fire on more than one occasion. As for fiction books…as much as I love to read, and am proud of the books of my own that have published, I’m afraid all the paper goods would lose out to the people and cats closest to me.

**Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now? No…not really. I can’t say that I’ve ever tried to mirror or emulate any particular author other than myself. My creativity doesn’t function that way. Characters influence my style more than the writing of others, and at that, only my characters. Reading is for enjoyment for me, not something to hold my own work up against.

** If you could talk to any writer (living or dead) what one question would you ask, or what one thing would you say? I would ask CS Lewis “Are there books in Heaven, or should I bring my own?”

**Favorite bookstore/library? Between Books, an independent bookstore in Claymont, DE (www.betweenbooks.com). Not only does it have the coolest selection, but the owner loves what he does and intimately knows the contents of his store. Pretty ironic considering he is located in the middle of a limping strip mall, but tell you this…he’s been in business for over thirty years, so that has to tell you something!

**Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in? The one where chocolate doesn’t make you fat, chores never need to be done, and parents don’t have to be afraid for their children the minute they walk out the door.

**Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog? All fiction is fantasy, so why not put a bit of magic in it? Look at the world crosswise and have fun playing with the twists, because anyone can write about everyday things, but those we remember are those that can put someday on the page.

Interview: Stina Leicht

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:57:05 GMT

Today we're visiting with author, Stina Leicht a Broad Universe member and fantasy writer, living in central Texas. She has a flash fiction piece appearing in Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s anthology, "Last Drink Bird Head." Her debut novel, "Of Blood and Honey" is being published by Night Shade Books and is a dark fantasy set in 1970s Northern Ireland during "The Troubles." More information can be found at: http://www.csleicht.com

**When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Like many writers, I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was very young. Of course, I also wanted to be a Pit Mechanic at a race track, an Astronaut, an Animator for Walt Disney, and a Ballerina. Strangely, Fiction Writer was the one that worked out. It’s just as well. It’s tough to cram a tutu in a space suit anyway.

**What is your writing process? When do you write?
My husband calls me a “method writer” which means I get busted for doing ridiculous things like smelling snow and standing too close to fireworks displays. Oh, and driving 90 mph on a race track.
I tend to write in the mornings or late at night.

**Do you have any writing rituals? What do you keep around your writing area to inspire you?
Music is important to my process. It helps me get my head into the setting. I also like to keep candles, incense and... toys on my desk. No, really. And my magic wand collection. I keep hoping I’ll find one that actually works. (No dice so far.)

**What is your most current project?
I’ve a two book deal with Night Shade. Soooo, that would be the next book in the series. The working title is And Blue Skies from Pain, but the jury is still out on that one. It’ll focus a bit on the Belfast Punk scene – which actually had more in common with the 60s peace movement than London punk. London punk stood for anarchy. Belfast punk was about peace and unity with the occasional slam dance thrown in for good measure, of course. I know that sounds strange, but that’s how it was. Belfast in the 1970s is a fascinating time and place, really – not to mention the music.

**What was the inspiration for the book?
Half of it is because I’m not really a short fiction writer. "Of Blood and Honey" started with a short story sold to an online anthology. Charles de Lint read it and asked me the very important question, “Where’s the rest of the story?” The other half came from a nonfiction book I found in the break room while working at BookPeople as a bookseller: "Those Are Real Bullets" by Peter Pringle and Philip Jacobson. It’s a collection of first-hand accounts of Bloody Sunday (Jan. 30, 1972) in Londonderry. Thirteen unarmed civilians were shot by British Paratroopers during a civil rights march. (A fourteenth died of his wounds at the hospital later.) I was stunned to discover that not only did the British government lie about what happened, the Paratroopers responsible were awarded medals. Most sources site Bloody Sunday as the pivotal moment at the start of the thirty year war the Irish call “The Troubles.” I felt it was too awful an event to just vanish into the past without further comment. So, my main character, Liam Kelly, was born.

**Who is your favorite character, and why?
In "OB&H?" All of them, really — yes, even the black hats. It’s important to make characters fully-rounded. They should have understandable, sometimes sympathetic, motivations for what they do, not just because they make for more interesting characters for the reader. Captivating stories contain conflict of some kind. Cognitive dissonance within a reader is a powerful form of conflict. So, a character is especially effective and memorable when they have sympathetic motivations actions that are clearly not a good thing.

**Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
I’m a shy person struggling to be more out-going.

**Words of wisdom to new writers?
Never give up. Never surrender. ☺

**How has Broad Universe “broadened” your writing life?
The Rapid-fire readings have been really helpful. They’re great for getting a information on trends, about what other women are writing. It’s also good to know I’m not the only female who enjoys action and horror.

**What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
To be honest? All of them, if I could. It’s hard to choose! But "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury definitely springs to mind. I can’t imagine why anyone would not understand why! LOL.

**Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
Well, yes. Ray Bradbury will always be a big inspiration, and Stephen King too, and Shirley Jackson. All are poetic in their prose and deeply psychological in content. Of course, with "Of Blood and Honey" I used a lot of Irish Crime writers for inspiration: Collin Bateman, Adrian McKinty, Ken Bruen, Stuart Neville, and Gerard Brennan for example. But my intent was to combine modern fantasy and ancient Irish myth with Irish Crime.

**If you could talk to any writer (living or dead) what one question would you ask, or what one thing would you say?
I’d thank Madeleine L’Engle for "A Wrinkle in Time." That book was "the" book that got to me as a kid. You know, "the" book that influenced me and made me love reading more than almost anything.

**Favorite bookstore/library?
Bookstore: BookPeople in Austin, Texas. Library: The Central Library in downtown Austin. The librarians there have cheerfully helped me with research before. We’ve had a lot of fun.

**Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
Actually, nothing beats what’s going on in my reality right now. I mean, I’ve a wonderful husband, a kick ass car and a new book hitting the shelves. Hell, I’ve wanted this since I was in the 6th grade! But if I had to pick one, I think it’d be Middle Earth. It’d be fun to be a Rohirrim shield maiden like Eowyn.

**Any last words?
Try new things. Take risks. Mix genres. Write whatever it is you feel most passionately about. Don’t write something just because there’s a trend and everyone else is doing it. Be brave and bold and above all, live life to the fullest.

Broadsheet announcements

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:33:53 GMT

1. Broadsheet Editor Needed!

Tap into our vast array of info and resources by producing our thrice-yearly Broadsheet! Editor-in-chief will coordinate with feature editors to gather articles, artwork, interviews, and book reviews for uploading to the Broad Universe website. Contact Elissa Malcohn for more information at deviations [at] earthlink [dot] net.

2. Call for submissions for the Broadsheet Blog Issue!

Do you blog about the writing process? About women in the genre? Do you have lessons to offer or a post about lessons learned? What have your writing experiences and adventures been? Submit to the Broadsheet! We offer a reprint payment of $15, so send in your favorites! E-mail the URL (permalink) of your blog entry to Elissa Malcohn at deviations [at] earthlink [dot] net.

Call for Submissions: Clamoring Spring

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:18:51 GMT

Sword & Saga Press has launched an imprint called Lost Woods Books that will specialize in genre fiction books dealing with the environment. http://www.swordandsagapress.com/index.php

Lost Woods Books
At Lost Woods Books we're dedicated to bringing together the best in environmental fiction with a twist--genre fiction. For years science fiction and fantasy writers have been writing, predicting, recreating, and exploring the environmental world, whether it be on Earth or in an imaginary landscape. Now, we're seeking to bring those voices together in one package.

New! Clamoring Spring

We are currently accepting submissions for the anthology, "Clamoring Spring," a tribute to the legacy of Rachel Carson. As you (hopefully) know, Rachel Carson influenced the modern environmental movement during the 1960s with her groundbreaking book, Silent Spring. She brought to light the dangers of living in a toxic and polluted society. Her work prompted much needed environmental regulations and the removal of DDT from the market. Without her work, our world would probably be even more dire.

Clamoring Spring, seeks to bring together fiction writers, poets, and essayists, to clamor, to share your voices about what the environment means to you. Much the same way The Last Man Anthology showed a broad range of voices on catastrophe and disaster, we're looking to pool together a collection of stories that projects a vision of how our generation regards nature, the environment and the world at large. See below for specific guidelines to submit.
For more information:
http://www.swordandsagapress.com/Lost-Woods.php/*9

Broadly Speaking podcast is now available!

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:12:21 GMT

The brand new Broadly Speaking podcast is now available for your listening
pleasure!

This very first Broadly Speaking edition brings you interviews and insights from
women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror - and all the realms in
between. Keeping with the Broad Pod's theme of Faith and Fear, Broadly Speaking
will chat with Jennifer Pelland, Morven Westfield, and Gail Z. Martin about how
they've used faith and fear in their writing, advice on how to do it well, and
even how selling and marketing can be affected. Join host Trish Wooldridge for
some true tales of women's adventures in writing!

You can download and listen to the podcast here:

http://broadlyspeaking.posterous.com/broadly-speaking-faith-and-fear

Please, please, please - leave a comment and spread news of this far and wide!

I normally don't bring up how much work these involve - but there were hours of
editing involved in this one (and it's still not as "perfect" as I want it, and
I feel bad for that), so I would really appreciate as many of you as possible
promoting this: facebook, blogs, Twitter... anywhere you can! :) Thank you so
much!

Thank you Jen, Morven, and Gail for being interviewed and handling our technical
difficulties and my stumbling with kindness and grace! Recording took longer
than I promised, too, so I appreciate you all staying until the end.

Also, special thanks to Justine Graykin for doing all the music for this
episode! I think it sounds great.

Happy reading, y'all!!

Best,

Trish Wooldridge
readings & events chick

Interview: Sylvia Kelso

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:17:10 GMT

Today we're visiting with Broad Universe member and author, Sylvia Kelso, who lives in North Queensland, Australia. She writes fantasy and SF set in analogue or alternate Australian settings. She has published six fantasy novels, two of which were finalists for Best Fantasy Novel of the year in the Australian Aurealis genre fiction awards, and some short stories in Australian and US anthologies.

Her latest book is "Source:" http://jupitergardens.com/index.php. The third of the Amberlight series, with the "Solitaire Ghost," book one of the "Blackston Gold" duo, due for release in June 2011.

***When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I don’t think I ever knew consciously: writing, or at least telling stories, is something I’ve done as long as I can remember. Poetry I did start to write at eight or ten, and my first “novel” was started at the end of my second year in high school. I didn’t think seriously about trying to get any of my fiction published, though, until late in the 1990s.

***What is your writing process? When do you write?
I’m a lark, not an owl. For novels, I tend to start in the morning; once, after breakfast and daily chores, nowadays after the e-mail check! If the story is stuck I may just tinker with a re-read, but if it’s running I may work until lunchtime or later. As a rule, around then the well will dry up. However, there are also really early morning inspirations – arrivals in the brain buffer, so to speak – and sometimes crisis sections or chapters will go to all hours of the night.

***Do you have any writing rituals? What do you keep around your writing area to inspire you?
No rituals, really, except I firmly believe you should look at your current work every day, but not try to force it. “If it comes it comes, if it won’t, it won’t,” to quote an old Bob Dylan line. This doesn’t work for people who have tight deadlines, of course!

I do like to keep related pix around. Nowadays I use a screen-saver or a desk-top pic. The last novel I finished had an archipelago loosely based on the Orkneys, off Scotland, so I had a pic of Rack Head, on the island of Hoy, as desk-top for several months.

***What is your most current project?
I’m currently at the start of a possible story for a Steampunk and Shakespeare antho, based on "The Tempest," called, “The Isle is Full of Noises.” So far I don’t have much but the title and the basic scenario.
Otherwise, I’m in the final prep for "The Solitaire Ghost," which is a contemporary fantasy/romance/mystery set in an analogue of my North Queensland home town, and going back to the days of the gold rush around here. I’ve been working with the artist on the cover over Christmas, and expect the galleys for a final check any time now. It’s coming out with Five Star books in June, and I’m very excited, because this is the first contemporary fantasy that I’ve actually managed to get published.

***What was the inspiration for the book?
LOL! For Ghost, it was standing in the shower – where so many of us must meditate! thinking about the story that you can see Roman soldiers marching knee deep in a cellar somewhere in York. And then thinking about a ghost in a skyscraper – how much of them would you see, and where? And suddenly, here was this figure in diggers’ (gold rush) clothes climbing invisible steps out of the elevator floor in a local high-rise, and putting a panning dish (for gold) down on the narrator’s head.

***Who is your favorite character, and why?
Do you mean real people, invented people, or my invented people? Goodness, so many. Real people, in history, the Carthaginian general Hannibal, my long-term fascination and inspiration because he was so smart, such a sharp-tongue, and he never gave up.

Invented characters – in SF and F, from way back, Professor Challenger from Conan Doyle’s, "The Lost World," because he seemed so outrageous when I was twelve-years-old. Closer, Eowyn and Faramir in The Lord of the Rings, she for courage and he for charisma – and because his gabbiness almost made Tolkien expunge him at birth! Barbara Hambly’s wizard, Antryg Windrose, for sheer unsurpassed dottiness.

And for myself, the time traveler in "The Solitaire Ghost," a sarky (sarcastic) Tyrone Catholic activist who proved to have a direct line to some Northern Irish ancestor of mine, and produced dialect wisecracks in a way that was near scary at times.

***Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
That I’m shy.

***Words of wisdom to new writers?
Don’t quit your day job till your advance offer tops $500,000, and never say, It can’t be done about a requested revision.

***How has Broad Universe “broadened” your writing life? Any fun stories, experiences, etc.?
The list digests are a constant source of new info and inspiring stories, just for starters – though it’s painful hearing about all the great cons and RFRs in the US when I can’t get to them. Fun experiences, being at WisCon with books of mine on the BU table, or getting to meet people off the list for real. I hope to be part of an RFR next time I get to the US, esp. WisCon, though FOGcon also now sounds really tempting. I will certainly be wearing the BU pin with a boastful air!

***What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
Owwwww, this is worse than the New Library of Alexandria teaser, which has every book in the world, and it’s burning, and you can save ten … With the New Library, there’s the condition that other people are saving books too, which lets you bypass a lot of really popular books. But the obscure ones are worse; there are so many. Well, if there was just me saving, I’d probably take "The Lord of the Rings." Second edition or later, so it has all the little additions. And I’d save it for old times’ sake, because it’s the book I’ve probably read more times than any other in my own library, and for its unsurpassed world-building. And of course, its great characters.

***Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
Patricia McKillip constantly influences me, or rather, is constantly someone whose style I aspire to. Otherwise longterm, Mary Renault, who could make dialogue mean more, and leave out more sub-text, than almost any other novelist I ever read. But of course, writers collect something from everyone they read. It’s like spores off plants and flowers on your clothes as you walk past…

***If you could talk to any writer (living or dead) what one question would you ask, or what one thing would you say?
I’d want to ask the monk who wrote down "Beowulf." What was his source?

***Favorite bookstore/library?
Cringing I admit, at the moment my favourite bookstore is Amazon Kindle. I bought one last year – with writing payments, yet – and I’m just now exploring the basements of ancient if not classic stuff I read and never owned years ago, esp. obscure Edwardian novelists like A.E.W. Mason – and, after years of neglect, lol, I’m about to start "The Count of Monte Cristo."

***Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
Well, a lot of planets and fantasy worlds are beguiling, but they also have a habit of being dangerous, you know? It’s in the nature of stories. But one I would like to live in is Caroline Stevermer’s quasi-Edwardian Europe from "A College of Magics" – provided I could be a witch myself, of course.

***Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?
The name of that latest book? Source?

http://jupitergardens.com/inde

Writing & Goals: 2011

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:05:14 GMT

As the new year takes shape it's always important to review your year of writing, what you've worked on, what you've put aside, what you were excited about, what you finished, and so forth. Seeing all the good the bad, the difficult, the happy, puts it all into perspective. Maybe you achieved your goals. Maybe you fell short. Maybe your writing career was taken to a new place or a new genre, or maybe you've met new writing friends.

Taking time to make new goals can help the writer renegotiate the way life is today. No matter what happened yesterday, you can try again, you can get excited, be brilliant, write whatever you want, free yourself, or take time for contemplation.

A few weeks ago, I was privy to a panel by expert writers, a panel that discussed "The Toxic Triangle." The panel was mediated by SUSAN SCHNUR, Senior Editor of Lilith Magazine, (http://www.lilith.org/). The toxic triangle for writers is time, money, and isolation. All writers feel one of the three at some point. One of the things writers pointed out was that they often felt they didn't give themselves permission to do anything other than writing. Reading was one of the things on the list. Ben Winters, author of "Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters," (http://www.benhwinters.com/) spoke about allowing for time to read the newspaper each day. That reading was as important to his process as writing.

The long and short of it is that as writers we need to make time for writing, we need to take time for reading, for living, for all the other things too. That's where goals help. Organizing time, sticking to it, and moving on to the next thing on the list.

We polled some of our Broad Universe members to see what they were working on, what goals they made for themselves. Feel free to add your own.

-I'm going to try to stick with writing 1000 words a day, and to send out 20-30 submissions. I've done pretty well with the submissions I've sent the last two years, but I need to get more out there, and setting a numerical goal like that gives me something concrete to shoot for.

-For 2011, I want to focus on my submissions. I have a lot of writing done, and most of it sits in the virtual space of my hard drive. In the past few years, I've only submitted 20-30 times; why can't I at least average one submission a week? Be it a novel query, short story, or poem, my goal for 2011 is to submit at least one thing per week and have 52 submissions for the year. - Trisha J. Wooldridge, Bad-Ass Faeries anthologies contributor. www.anovelfriend.com

-My goal is to finish the next novel -- and a few other things, but over the years, I've found that the fewer goals, the better. Just as a novel can lose focus if it has too many characters and too many plot threads, a plan can be too complex and its most important elements can become overwhelmed.

I don't think this should be surprising. Our lives are stories, and we even think about them that way: "How I met your father," for example. We can't control everything in our lives, but in the same way that planning makes a work of fiction more coherent and successful, planning can also make our lives more coherent and successful, and a good plot is the first step.

For me, there is one writing goal because I'm working towards a specific happy ending for 2011: finish the novel. I think I can do that.~ Sue Burke, http://www.sue.burke.name

--I plan to be finished the first draft of Unholy Science, part 10 of my ten-novel SF saga, by the end of June 2011. Part six, Avim's Oath, was released by my publisher, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy, in fall 2010. Part seven, Healer's Sword, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2011. Books eight and nine are compelte in draft. Set in a universe that forces the big questions of our era -- from sexual identity to the potential for mass destruction -- to play out through personal dramas, the saga hasbeen a part of my life since my teens. The end of 2011 will also see the release of the second book in the Okal Rel Legacies series by Krysia Anderson featuring heroine Victoria D'Ottawa and the completion of the fifth anthology of stories set in the Okal Rel
Universe. --Lynda Williams, Author Okal Rel Universe

-My goal is to be true to me and my writing, to not sensor for the sake of publication(s).

-My writing goal for 2011 is to finish at least three of the novels I have started and six of the novellas I have started. I especially want to finish the sequel to SERENITY before my readers eat me alive. :D All of the books are so close to being finished that I can see the end and can even throw a rock at it. I'm hoping to jump over that goal line in 2011 with my hands raised in the air in triumph. Then I can start the next batch.
~ D. Renee Bagby, author of ERIS (Eternal Truths Book 1), http://dreneebagby.com

--My writing goals for 2011 are to 1) (Hopefully) find a publisher for The Dark Lady's Stone (medieval fantasy, 115,000 words); 2) Find a professional-level SF/F critique group (the one I was in broke up); 3) Make significant progress on the sequel to Stone. --Christie Maurer

--My writing goal is to finally finish the third book in my Eternal Cycle series. I have let so many other projects get in the way, and yet at nearly every show that I've been to more than once someone is asking me when the third book will be out. 2011 will be the year I at least complete it! --Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Author of Yesterday's Dreams and Tomorrow's Memories, books one and two in the Eternal Cycle series, www.sidhenadaire.com/books/YD.htm

-My writing goal for 2011 is to finish two novels, write a short story or two, and learn more about how to write well.

What are your writing goals for 2011?

Call for Submissions for UnCONventional

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:32:08 GMT

Call for Submissions for UnCONventional
(a short story anthology)

We're looking for stories that take place at fantasy/sci-fi conventions or
other gatherings in which the convention/conference itself is just the cover
for something supernatural or fantastic. Imagine time travelers using a
steampunk con to cover their attempt to open a portal to return to their own
times, werewolves holding a beauty pageant at a dog show, or vampires holding a
treaty summit at Dragon*Con.

Suggested Length: 3,000-7,000 words. Up to 10,000 words is possible, but it
will be a HARD sell.

Due Date: July 1st, 2011

Editors: Kate Kaynak and Trisha Wooldridge

Submission Guidelines: Please email your submissions to us at:
editor@SpencerHillPress.com.

Put your story into the BODY of the email (no attachments, please!) and put
"UnCONventional" in your subject line along with the title of your story.

Legalese: We can only accept previously unpublished stories. Please do not used
licensed characters or any trademarked or copyright-protected material without
written permission in advance of submission (This is NOT the place for fanfic).
Contributor compensation will include a $10 advance paid upon publication, a
contributor copy of the paper version, a royalty percentage split between all
contributors, and, of course, bragging rights. Stories should be appropriate
for adult and teen readers (age 14 and up); please, no explicit sex or graphic
violence!

For more info, here's the website!
http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Submissions.html

Author Interview: Sarah Ettritch

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:42:05 GMT

Today we're visiting with Broad Universe member and author, Sarah Ettritch. Sarah Ettritch writes the Rymellan science fiction series and has released her fantasy novel, "THE SALBINE SISTERS."

*When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I didn’t know until I was in my early forties. I’m a late bloomer, and I still have days when I’m not sure how writing fits into my life. TBD.

*What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?
I wing it, rather than outline. I usually start with a couple of key scenes and fill in the blanks as I go along. I love finding out the story and learning about the characters as I write. I prefer to write in the morning. No rituals.

*What is your most current project?
My latest release is "THE SALBINE SISTERS," a fantasy novel about a religious order of female mages. You can read the first chapter and learn more about the book at: http://www.thesalbinesisters.com.

*What was the inspiration for the book?
Believe it or not, a computer game, but it was more the catalyst than the inspiration. When I was trying to come up with a backstory for a game character, my imagination took off.

*Who is your favorite character, and why?
I don’t have a favourite character. I like them all, and I don’t like them all. My view of them changes depending on what they’re saying and doing.

*Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
Something people don’t know about me that I’m willing to reveal here, in an interview that anyone with an internet connection can read? Um, I like Froot Loops?

*What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
I wouldn’t save any. I’d be too busy trying to herd cats into carriers and would probably die a horrible death as a result.

*Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
Everyone I read influences me in some way, so there are too many to list.

*Favorite bookstore/library?
Amazon.com. I like the convenience of shopping in my pajamas and having the books delivered to my door. Yes, I’m lazy, (not something people who know me would be surprised to learn!).

*Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
I like living right here on planet Earth. It’s a magical place filled with wonderful people, and at times it can feel like a fantasy world, especially when I’m watching the news.

*Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?
Be kind to one another. Oh, and check out THE SALBINE SISTERS at http://www.thesalbinesisters.com

To learn more about her writing, please visit: http://www.sarahettritch.com.

Author Interview: Elissa Malcohn

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:27:46 GMT

Today we're visiting with author and Broad Universe member, Elissa Malcohn, a finalist of the John W. Campbell Award finalist in 1985. Her "Deviation" series (Covenant, Appetite, Destiny, and Bloodlines) is available for free download through her website: http://home.earthlink.net/~emalcohn/index.html

*When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Since grade school, when I started writing poetry and short fiction. I started submitting to magazines when I was in high school and sent out queries for my first novel soon after I had turned seventeen.

*What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?
My writing time is very open-ended. I take scads of notes in my handwritten journal and carry a notebook everywhere with me. I've written in planes, trains, automobiles, boats, on hiking trails, in waiting rooms, in checkout lines, and more.

My notes consist of brainstorming sessions, trial balloons, and arguments with myself. Sometimes I draw flowcharts. "If character X does A, what happens, versus if character X does B?" I usually have an idea of where I want to go, but the final form of a story doesn't always reflect that. Or I'll get from Point A to Point B, but the way I get there turns out to be something I never expected.

*What is your most current project?
My current release is the fifth book in the "Deviations" series, "TelZodo." Fifteen years have passed since Rudder annexed Promontory. Seventeen years have passed since the Covenant's destruction. Born in-between those two events, TelZodo is coming-of-age in Crossroads. And he is in trouble.

*What was the inspiration for the book?
"TelZodo" arose naturally as part of the series. The title character had been born at the end of volume two, "Appetite," and as soon as I wrote his birth scene, I knew the direction his life would take.

"Deviations" involves two peoples, the Masari and the Yata. The Masari must consume the Yata to survive, and different communities throughout the region use different strategies to tackle this problem. At one extreme the Yata are worshiped as gods and sustained through tithes. At the other extreme they are bred and slaughtered as livestock. People on all sides break the rules, with resulting conflicts. By the time of TelZodo, multiple ways of life have been destroyed and the region is reinventing itself.

*Who is your favorite character, and why?
This would be the title character, TelZodo. This is the only book in the series that focuses specifically on his coming-of-age. TelZodo seems doomed from the start, because expectations for him had been so high and yet so many forces work against him. His Masari father had almost died as a heretic, while his Yata mother had almost died as livestock; both of them had fought to keep TelZodo alive. To save his sanity and ultimately his own life, TelZodo must undertake a journey that could kill him.

*Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn.
Despite my love of public speaking and performing, I can be shy at times. I'm the type of person who's very quiet at parties until I get into a conversation with someone. Until that happens, I tend to drift around, doing more listening than talking.

*What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
If there were a book I could not access or replace otherwise, I would grab that one. I know what it's like to have to leave a personal library behind. Objects can be replaced. I would have loved to have rescued the notes Mircea Eliade, that eventually became his "History of Religious Ideas." When I learned that Eliade had destroyed his massive collection of notes, I groaned aloud. That said, I would also like to have rescued the entire library at Alexandria.

*Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
I consider my fiction to be in the New Wave tradition. New Wave deals with social relevance, “inner” versus “outer” space and taboos. The first fiction quote I copied into a notebook, because it blew me away in high school, came from Samuel R. Delaney's Dhalgren. I love the word-smithing and human interest focus of nonfiction author John McPhee. I grew up loving the works of Ursula LeGuin, James Tiptree, Joanna Russ, and many others. I also point aspiring writers to Marge Piercy's poem “For the young who want to” (http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1610.html)

*Favorite bookstore/library?
The Citrus County Library where I live is a wonderful community resource and very supportive of local writers and authors. I'm currently preparing for the first of a three-part series in which myself and other authors teach aspects of craft and the industry to people participating in National Novel Writing Month. The library system supports many educational programs and is also a haven for groups in the county that need a place to meet.

*Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
I created a fantasy world for myself when I was a child, and embellished it into young adulthood. It includes a sanctuary based on the Duomo in Florence, Italy, a mikvah-type fountain based on the JFK fountain in Cambridge, MA, vast tracts of forest, and an entertainment complex where one can skate on an ice-covered dance floor. Beyond the forest lies a beach with a simple wood-frame house close to the water. One can take a catamaran to an island that serves as an artist retreat.

*Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog.
My personal mantra is: “Nothing is wasted.” There's a saying that goes, “Life happens while you're making other plans,” but those detours, setbacks, mistakes, and traumas can be used. In fiction, in the philosophy of living one's life, wherever. They all have value.

To learn more about the "Deviations" series, please visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~deviations/index.html

Author Interview: Donna Burgess

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:08:22 GMT

This week we're visiting with Donna Burgess, writer, editor, and Broad Universe member. Some of you may know her from Naked Snake Press, where she's published some terrific authors, like Mike Arnzen, John Skipp (as artist), Eric S. Brown, Carol Weekes, Christina Sng and a number of others. She's released a short story collection called, "Breaths in Winter," which is currently available in all ebook formats, (with the print version coming soon). She also has an urban fantasy novel slated for release in early 2011. http://www.amazon.com/Breaths-in-Winter-ebook/dp/B0045OUM4G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1286582346&sr=8-4

**When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
When I was in second grade, a poet came to my school, (I can’t remember his name now), and he encouraged everyone to write a poem using the words he had given us. Somehow, my poem ended up being the favorite and was posted on the big bulletin board in the main hallway for everyone to see. After that, I decided I writing was my “thing.”

**What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?
I’m a compulsive list maker and outliner. I’ve tried lots of writers software because I was extremely disorganized with my notes and discovered one called Writer’s Blocks. It’s helped a great deal, as far as organization. I like music in my ears when I write and the type of tunes depends on the material I’m working on. I really don’t have a set time of day to write, but I have a goal to write at least some everyday. Sometimes, that is tough, as I’m sure most of you all know.

**What is your most current project?
"Darklands" is my urban fantasy and I am extremely excited over it. It’s received great feedback. Currently, it is being shopped by my agent. One major publisher is interested, but we’ll see. I’ve decided to move forward with publishing it through Naked Snake Press, if they pass.

I am also working on a strange paranormal romance set in early 1970s South Carolina low-country. That one may be a tough sale, but I’m so devoted to the characters. At this point, I need to write it just to get it out of my system. Think Donnie Darko meets Prince of Tides. Told you it was strange :-D

**What was the inspiration for the book?
I think most of it came from a dream I had. Plus, I adore the period of the late 60s-early 70s, although I wasn’t born until 1969. The music, the political and cultural turmoil, the lack of “devices” like cell phones and internet. It was a better, less complicated world, in my opinion. I say that as I am typing on a laptop computer with Wi-Fi, my iPod playing and my Kindle recharging across the table…cell phones, however, still hate them.

**Who is your favorite character, and why?
My favorite character from my own work is Susan, the protagonist from "Darklands." She’s one tough chick. She will not be everyone’s cup of tea, because she is somewhat unsympathetic. She is a vampire, after all. She doesn’t carry a very shimmery or sparkly attitude, but she does have a heart in there. I promise.

**Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
Gosh, I can’t really think of anything interesting. I’ve done six rounds of P90X. The discipline to exercise, by the way, has really done wonders for my discipline behind the keyboard.

**What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
I’ll say one of the Harry Potter books, since a while back it was all the rage among the Bible thumpers to burn those. I’d save it because it got a lot of kids into reading who might not have picked up a book otherwise.

**Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
I think every writer I read and enjoy leaves a positive impression as far as my own writing goes. I love Caitlin Kiernan, Cat Valente, Conrad William, Joel Lane, Allison Bird, the list goes on. Of course, Stephen King. I also find a great deal of inspiration in Rhiannon Frater—she’s an excellent writer and I love her path to publication with Tor. It goes to show if you believe in your work, rejection slips will not hold you back for too long.

**Favorite bookstore or library?
I appreciate indie bookstores. Locally, we have Litchfield Books here in Pawleys Island, SC, and Harborwalk Books in Georgetown. Of course, over in Charleston is the Blue Bicycle, which is popular with the big guys like Pat Conroy. But I also love to get lost among the shelves of the chain stores like Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million. Ebooks and shopping online is convenient, but there nothing like the discovery of a great book, made of paper and ink.

**Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
I’d love to live in Hobbiton. I think my son would move there with me in a minute. Otherwise, I would choose Bon Temps, since it seems there are more hot guys per capita than any other fictional town. But the downside of Bon Temps is the possibility of dying in some hideous and gruesome way at any time.

**What's e one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?
I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the Board Universe blog. Everyone keep reading and keep writing. If you’re good, get the work out there one way or another, and you’ll eventually find your readers.

http://donnaburgess.com
http://nspbooks.com

Interview: E. F. Watkins

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:14:13 GMT

Today we're visiting with author and Broad, E. F. Watkins, who specializes in paranormal thrillers and mysteries. Her novel DANCE WITH THE DRAGON won the 2004 EPPIE in Horror, and her s-f thriller BLACK FLOWERS was a 2006 EPPIE finalist in Action/Thriller. She also has published the romantic mystery RIDE A DANCING HORSE and the paranormal thrillers PARAGON and DANU‘S CHILDREN. Her latest is ONE BLOOD, http://amberquill.com/OneBlood.html.
Her web site is www.efwatkins.com

**When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
When I was very young, I used to tell people that when I grew up I wanted to “write and illustrate my own books.” I didn’t realize, back then, that most adults’ books didn’t have illustrations! My father used to bring home typing paper from his office, and I’d fold a few sheets in half, draw a cover with a title, and print a few pages of my “novel,” though I’d quickly run out of ideas. I got serious my senior year in college, when I wrote my first novella, Dark Shadows fan-fiction, for my friends. The year after I graduated, I wrote my first full-length horror novel that I actually sent around to publishers (without success).

**What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?
I work full-time at a job that also involves writing and editing, so I work on my fiction weekday evenings and weekends. I usually spend 1-1½ hours on a weekday night. Depending on my weekend schedule, I may give myself one day completely off and then put in a few hours the other day. No real rituals, although I like to write a first draft on a yellow legal pad with black marker. There’s something about it that frees me up to experiment, make mistakes and cross things out.

**What is your most current project?
My latest published book is ONE BLOOD, a prequel to my 2003 vampire thriller DANCE WITH THE DRAGON. I am currently working on what I hope will be the second of my Quinn Matthews Haunted Mysteries, called HEX, DEATH AND ROCK’N’ROLL. My psychic sleuth helps out a rock star who’s been told he and his accident-prone band are under a curse.

4) What was the inspiration for the book?
In HDRnR, I revived a couple of characters from an MS. I wrote many years ago but never published. The band’s singer and lead guitarist, both male, are lovers but have been keeping it quiet for publicity reasons. In the first book, the plot grew out of their conflicts with the various people who weren’t happy about their relationship. In the new mystery, those folks become suspects who might be behind the various threats against the band.

5) Who is your favorite character, and why?
My favorite among my characters is probably Jon Sharpay/Armand Renascut, the vampire in DANCE WITH THE DRAGON and ONE BLOOD who gradually evolves from a bad guy into a good guy. He’s so much larger than life, having lived for five centuries, yet he’s burnt-out and self-destructive until he meets up with the heroine, Kat--a descent of his human nemesis. She softens and humanizes him, but now and then you still glimpse his potential for rage, manipulation and destruction. He’s complex and fun to write.

**Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
People who know me in other capacities are VERY surprised to find out I write paranormal mysteries and thrillers. They think I’m so-o-o sensible! And only my closest friends would suspect that I cry buckets at horse movies, even happy ones. I plan to see “Secretariat” all by myself, so as not to embarrass anybody.

**What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?
I would try to grab my latest unpublished MS., for obvious reasons—maybe just the flash drive! As for other peoples’ books, I don’t think I’d risk my life, because I’d know they could be replaced. I don’t own any priceless first editions.

**Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
One of my all-time influences was Ira Levin, because he mixed the paranormal with the everyday so seamlessly. He also was good at injecting sly humor in a way that never detracted from the chills—maybe even heightened them. In my Quinn Matthews books, I’m influenced by Barbara Michaels (a.k.a. Elizabeth Peters) and her contemporary “gothics,” which were really paranormal mysteries. My style is a bit more of a dark, first-person cozy, though.

**Favorite bookstore or library?
I live in Passaic County, NJ, and the Wayne Public Library is the biggest one around, so I go there often. The Ringwood Public Library, in the next town, is also a good source. I’m doing an evening talk there 10/18 on “Vampires—and Undying Passion,” about everything from the older legends up to “Twilight” and Charlaine Harris.

**Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?
I sometimes daydream about living at the turn of the century, which inspired my first Quinn Matthews book, DARK MUSIC. When you’re nostalgic, you only think of the best things about living in another era, not the drawbacks; Quinn buys a 100-year-old house and finds it haunted by a talented young woman who was destroyed by the social restrictions of her time. But I do miss the closer connection with nature that people had in times gone by—it’s hard to recapture it now, and I think we’re more neurotic because we’re deprived of that.

**What is one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?
ONE BLOOD is out in October as an e-book (all forms) and a trade paperback. It takes place in Princeton, NJ around this time of year, and it’s a great book to read for Halloween!

E. F. Watkins

Get Ready for National Novel Writing Month

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:06:06 GMT

Get your writing caps on, Broads! It's time to write that novel. November is national writing your novel month and to help you along, you can join NaNo!

From the website:
"NaNo in a Nutshell
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Where: You write wherever you’d like. On your computer, on your iPad, on a typewriter---anywhere is fine, just as long as you’re writing! For a more in-depth NaNoWriMo overview, visit the devilishly handsome "What is NaNoWriMo?"and "How NaNoWriMo Works" pages."

For more information, visit: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

News

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:53:54 GMT

Danielle Ackley-McPhail features a guest post by prolific author, CJ Henderson over at the Bad-Ass Faeries blog. CJ is the author of the Teddy London series, the Jack Hagee series, as well as Brooklyn Knight, which released from TOR Books in 2009. The sheer volume of books that contain his work is astounding.
http://badassfaeries.livejournal.com

Mash up contest

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:50:58 GMT

Here's something a bit fun for your members which I hope may be an
opportunity to also give some exposure to BroadUniverse in the New York
City area - a fiction mash-up contest inspired by the new book BESPELLING
JANE AUSTEN

One of Harlequin's ebooks retailers, Diesel-ebooks.com, is doing a
contest October 7-25 that encourages readers to re-write the synopsis of
Harlequin romances as if they were vampire, werewolf, or zombie novels.

The winner of the contest gets their choice of either a nook or Kobo
digital ebook reader.

Finalists will have their work read in a national podcast in New York
City, hosted by Ron Hogan, editor of Beatrice.com, on Oct. 28. There will
be book giveaways, coupons for ebook downloads, and if someone could come
down to represent BroadUniverse, there would be some space for flyers, or
other information your writers might wish to share.

They've also started a MeetUp for writers interested in Fiction mash-ups.
See Here: http://www.meetup.com/A-Harlequin-Halloween-Genre-Mash/

The mash up contest page is here:
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/category/mash

A full press release from can be found here:

http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/category/presskit

WFC

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:38:12 GMT

If any of you Broads are interested in reading in the RFR at WFC, please touch bases with me (or if you know another Broad who is interested.)

At this time we have an unfortunately difficult situation: The Programming folk there want the list of names BEFORE the schedule comes out, with the caveat that if you ask to be on the BU RFR, then you have little chance of getting an individual reading or panel slot.
(THE WFC 'ONE APPEARANCE' RULE)

As you can guess, this has had a chilling effect: members understandably don't want to sign up for the RFR. Right now I have two people firm (including me), and two 'maybe's.

However, I am still organizing. We are communicating with the con com, and will let you all know whether anything changes. If you are interested and aren't signed up for panels, let me know ;o)

Thanks, J. Kathleen Cheney

Mary Shelley T-Shirts

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:31:21 GMT

Bring a little California sunshine into your home. Order an official Broad Universe T-shirt. BU member and volunteer, Xina Marie Uhl is shipping them from her warm, sunny, southern California home.
Get info and see a picture of the design: http://www.broaduniverse.org/TShirtOrder.doc

Interview: Shelby Patrick

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:09:54 GMT

This week we're visiting with Shelby Patrick, a native of southeastern Michigan, and Broad Universe member. She writes fantasy, science fiction, and horror/thrillers. Her first published fiction book is a short story collection entitled, "The Fear Within," which can be purchased via amazon.com or through her website at http://www.shelbypatrick.com (signed copies available). She also has written two creative writing exercise books "Dark Recesses of the Mind" and "Forbidden Knowledge." Also available at the above channels.

*When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

My senior year in high school. I have always been an avid reader, but it wasn’t until that last year in school when I was thrown into my first creative writing class. It wasn’t by choice. It was the only available class left. I found it to be the most fun and enlightening place to be. I knew then what I wanted to do with my life and that was to be a writer.

*What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?

I prefer writing under the cover of night. For some reason, my creative juices flow more freely when the sun sets. I find that I can concentrate on my scenes better if I listen to music – any kind from classical to rock and roll.

*What is your most current project?

I just self-published The Fear Within and I’m working on getting my professionally edited thriller novel, When Angels Sing, published. If I can’t find a publisher, I will most likely self-publish it. There’s an excerpt from it in The Fear Within. Right now, I am writing an erotic vampire novel. Blurbs from my current works can be found at my website.

*What was the inspiration for the book?

These stories have been taking up virtual dust on my computer for about twenty years. I prefer to write novels and since I’m considering self-publishing, I thought I’d start with something smaller – a short story collection. If I can sell this one, then I should have no problems selling my novels.

*Who is your favorite character, and why?

My favorite character so far would be my hot vampire lover, Lucien. He’s sexy and charming and so demanding. He’s also strong, powerful, and very loyal. Who wouldn’t want a guy like that? Oh, he’s not perfect, of course. He has his moments. Hey, he’s a dangerous vampire, after all, with a lust for blood that sometimes can’t be controlled.

*Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?

When I lived in Montana, I joined a group of witches online. I met some cool people too – wiccans, witches, Satanists. And yes, I have a whole collection of spell books sitting next to my computer. Don’t worry, I haven’t had to take them out in some time.

*What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?

The Bible because we’ll all burn if God’s holy word goes up in flames.

*Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?

Kay Hooper, Heather Graham, and Tami Hoag.

*Favorite bookstore/library?

I shop at amazon.com frequently because it’s more convenient than going to a brick-and-mortar store. I haven’t been to a library in ages because anything I need to find can usually be found online.

*Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?

I created a fantasy world in "The Golden Horn" where magic rules, unicorns are real, and dragons can toast you for breakfast. My hero is a swordsman who wanders the realm helping people out. He travels with a mage. I think it would be cool to live in a place like this.

*Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?

I’m just an ordinary girl with a big dream. I won’t ever give up until my dream of becoming an author comes true and I hope you wouldn’t ever give up on something important to you. Also, I write for the fans because I love to share my worlds with them. It’s not about how many books I sell; it’s about making the readers happy. If you’re afraid to take a chance on me, remember that we all started somewhere. You never know what you might be missing.

Be sure to visit her at http://www.shelbypatrick.com .

Interview: K. A. Laity

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:32:57 GMT

This week we're visiting with K. A. Laity, the author of PELZMANTEL, (Immanion Press 2010), and UNIKIRJA (Aino Press 2009) as well as many short stories, essays and plays. A tenured professor of English, she also writes a weekly column for BitchBuzz.com, the global women's lifestyle network. Visit her website www.kalaity.com.
<http://www.kalaity.com> for news, book trailers and more, or join her on Facebook and Twitter.

**When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Always! As soon as I learned how to write letters, I started composing stories. I had elaborate, continuing narratives that involved all my toys in elaborate adventures in my bedroom as a child and later made up story songs on my walk to and from school.

**What is your writing process? When do you write? Any rituals?

I write all the time. Between the academic work, the column and my two other pseudonyms, I really have to focus in order to get things done and still have a life. Schedules and deadlines are very important. Also I have to work on at least of couple of things at once because if I get stuck on one, I won’t waste time but switch to another project until the solution occurs to me.

**What is you most current project?

I’m finishing edits on a novel that takes place in a slightly different history — the States did not win the Revolution, a war has been going on for fourteen years and some aliens have just landed. The main character is a kind of accidental shaman whose best friend has just awakened from a ten year coma, which she might have put him in. She’s also got to explain that his cat died. The road trip to bury the cat sets in motion a series of rather unexpected events.

**What was the inspiration for the book?

Kurt Vonnegut dying. I remember hearing the news and feeling a stab of pain that there would never be another Vonnegut novel. I decided I would have to try to write my own. Not sure if I succeeded, but I think the humour came through and a good bit of absurdity.

**Who is your favorite character, and why?

The main character Ro Parker is my favourite. Isn’t that always the case? You have to spend so much time with them, it helps to love them. She’s appealing to me because she has no idea how powerful she is and feels she has disappointed just about everyone she’s ever met. When she accidentally finds herself in the midst of a shamanic journey, she’s fascinated by the glimpse of this other green world but afraid she won’t be able to cope.

**Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?

I know Old English, Middle English, Old Irish, Old Norse, Old High German, Gothic, Middle High German, Latin, Swedish and modern German. Well, I did — some of them are getting rusty because I don’t use them a lot. But I love languages.

**What one book would you save from a burning fire, and why?

The original Beowulf manuscript. The book changed my life and opened up my head and vastly improved my writing . I cried when I got to see it for the first time in the British Library. Studying medieval literature taught me so much, especially the absurdity of obsessing about “originality”: every story has been told before, every story. But no one can tell my version of a story except me.

**Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?

I’m about to start a new novel that’s inspired by the works of Angela Carter and Kingsley Amis. I cannot possibly explain how two so unlikely people could possibly be joined. They are complete opposites. Yet it’s there in my head and almost ready to be written.

**Favorite bookstore/library?

The British Library. It’s got everything. And the ceilings in the Reading Room are so high that when you sneeze really loudly (as I tend to do) people across this huge room suddenly look up like frightened gazelles as it echoes. Wonderful!

**Favorite planet or fantasy world you'd like to live in?

I’d like to live in the Looking Glass world but I would have to insist on being a Queen and then there’d be this whole rivalry with the Red Queen, the White Queen and Alice and me. But I’d get the puddings on my side so I would at least have something to eat while strategising against them. And I’d take over the rail line. Mobility is everything.

**Give me one thing you want readers to remember after they finish this blog?

In my classes, I have to take really old and obscure materials and make students see how familiar and friendly they are at heart. I do the same thing in my stories, making the strange familiar and the familiar very, very strange.

To purchase a copy of K. A. Laity's new book, visit: http://www.immanion-press.com/info/book.asp?id=394&referer=Hp

The Broad Pod August Episode

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:58:11 GMT

The Broad Pod August Episode, From a Galaxy Far, Far Away is now available for
your listening pleasure! Available from either

http://broadpod.posterous.com
or
http://broadpod.podbean.com

Jean Marie Ward hosts this episode, which features authors Gloria Oliver, Casey
Wolf, Roxanne Bland, and Trisha Wooldridge sharing four different alien
encounters. With worlds like earth or very different from earth, explore how
broad the universe can be - and how different life forms can be - and enjoy the
endless possibilities, new friends, and new challenges that come with
interacting with alien life.

The Broad Pod is a monthly podcast sponsored by Broad Universe showcasing the
voices of members as they share snippets from their works to give listeners a
taste of what they offer. It debuts the Sunday closest to the 15th of every
month. For more information about the podcast, please contact Trish Wooldridge,
readings (at) broaduniverse (dot) org. Also, please help us spread the signal
via your blog, facebook, Twitter - or any other means. :) We're here to
support women writers in science fiction, fantasy, and horror!

Thank you, Jean Marie, for hosting, and all the readers for sharing, and all of
you for listening and spreading the word! Enjoy the latest Broad Pod!

Best,

Trish Wooldridge

Interview: M K. Hobson

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:18:53 GMT

Today we're visiting with Broad Universe's M. K. Hobson! To start, tell us a little about you, your background? How did you get started as a writer?

I became a writer for the same reason someone decides to learn to sew her own clothes—because she can't find what she wants, and what she does find doesn't fit, and even if it does fit, the color is horrible. When you make your own clothes, you can tailor them to fit you, choose the colors you like, and add beads and buttons and whatever strikes your fancy. That's what drew me to writing and what keeps me writing to this day.

2) What does a day in the life of M. K. Hobson look like?
I am self-employed as a communications consultant, so I have some flexibility in how I structure my time. Because most of my clients are on the east coast, I try to be at or near my desk (or at least my cell phone) from 6 a.m. (when the east coast opens) to 2 p.m. (when the east coast shuts down.) My second full-time job (as spouse, mom to a 12-year-old daughter and slave to 2-year-old labrador retriever) doesn't conform to any fixed hours, and neither does my third full-time job (that of working writer.) But it all works out somehow. As a dyed-in-the-wool workaholic, I'm not much for "relaxing"—unless it's with one of the many reality shows I follow, like "Top Chef" or "Project Runway."

3) What's your writing process?
For me, writing is like having a big box of jigsaw puzzle pieces and trying to put them together without a picture to go by. A novel or a story usually starts with a handful of random sparkly bits that catch my interest—a cool character, an evocative setting, or a wicked little plot twist. I stare at those sparkly bits for a while, searching for other sparkly bits that seem to go along with them. I just keep doing this until I've got enough sparkly bits and they mostly fit together. Then I smooth them out, make the words pretty, and voila—I have a story or a novel.

4) What is you most current project? Release date? Where to buy?
My debut novel, "The Native Star" is coming out August 31 from Spectra. It's a historical fantasy romance set in the United States in 1876—but it's an America where Witches and Warlocks are accepted members of society. The story follows Emily Edwards (a timber-camp witch who's business is suffering from an influx of mail-order patent magics), and Dreadnought Stanton (a pompous New York Warlock with a past) as they cross the United States from California to New York trying to unravel the mysteries of a unique artifact called The Native Star. Along the way, they have to face evil magical forces and their own growing attraction for each other. Folks can find it at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Native-Star-M-K-Hobson/dp/0553592653) or just about any other fine retailer. Or put in a request for it at your local library!

5) What was the inspiration for the book?
Careful readers will find elements in THE NATIVE STAR that pay direct homage to Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" series—they were my favorite books as a child, and I still reread them every few years.

6) Who is your favorite character, and why?
In THE NATIVE STAR there’s a character named Penelope Pendennis who is hands-down one of my favorite characters to write. Penelope's an outspoken women’s rights advocate, labor organizer, and magical adventurer. She plays a small but important role in THE NATIVE STAR, but since it's not her story, she never really gets the chance to take center stage. In the sequel to THE NATIVE STAR (which is coming out in May 2011 and is as-yet untitled) I had to write her out entirely, or she would have taken over the whole book! But there are a lot of stories to tell about Penelope Pendennis, and I look forward to telling them someday.

7) What do you love most about steampunk?
The times we currently live in are incredibly vulgar—and I blame technology, which allows you to put your emotions on display without actually having to make an emotional connection. What I love about the steampunk aesthetic is that it focuses on the sensual elements of technology—the hand-polished wood, the shine of gears, the warmth of steam. You kind of get the best of both worlds with steampunk—you get the convenience of technological advance, but it feels more real and tangible, less fraudlent.

8) Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
That I know the difference between the first and second bustle era (yes, there were two) and that I have incredibly strong opinons about both. The 1870s were the first appearance of the bustle, and by far the best. It was the age of the apotheosis of the bustle. The dresses were simply divine, with sumptious fabrics and lots and lots of luscious drapery. Contrast this to the second bustle era (in the mid- and late-1880s) which was distinctly horrible. Draping disappeared; the look became tailored and severe. Skirts became smoother and the bustles more "structured." The overall effect was about as stylish as walking around in one of those horse costumes, you know, the kind it takes two people to wear? Absolutely hideous.

9) Are there any writers (living or dead) that are influencing you right now?
I am a great admirer of Sinclair Lewis, Gore Vidal, and E.L. Doctorow. Of writers working in genre today, the ones who consistently blow my mind include James Morrow (The Last Witchfinder), A.M. Dellamonica (Indigo Springs), N.K. Jemisin (One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms), and Alaya Johnson (Moonshine.) Looking into the future, I am looking forward to books from a couple of exceptional new talents: Saladin Ahmed and Genevieve Valentine.

10) Favorite bookstore/library?
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills, hands down. The main Powell's Books store in downtown Portland is undeniably great, but the Cedar Hills branch is so incredibly supportive of the genre. Their science fiction and fantasy section head, Peter Hoenigstock, is amazing. He puts so much work into scheduling readings, signings and other events. His love of fantasy and science fiction really shines through.

11) If you could choose any planet or fictional fantasy world to live in, where would it be?
I would take any fictional universe in which time travel was allowed. Then I could indulge my fascination with New York City history by visiting it at various time periods, from the 17th century to the present day.

12) Any advice for new writers?
You've got something no one else has—your own voice and your own vision. Don't write something just because you think it will sell—you're sure to end up with a drab, soulless work. A book I recently read (which I will not name) served as a cautionary tale in this regard. It was written by an already-successful romance writer who switched genres, apparently to hop on the bandwagon of a hot new trend. The resulting book came off as smarmy and opportunistic—and it just wasn't very good. Write the stories that turn your crank, and don't try to outguess the market.

13) Give me one thing you want Broad Universe readers to remember after they finish this blog?
I'm so proud to be a member of Broad Universe because I believe that women are the best supporters of other women (contrary to the catty portrayals favored by the mainstream media.) Do something to support a woman writer today. Check out the new releases in Broad Universe's catalog. Buy a book and review it online. Find a short story and tweet about it—or better yet, nominate it for an award. When you see authors sharing news or promotions, help boost their signals on your Twitter and Facebook accounts. Spread the love, and I guarantee it'll come back to you tenfold.
Photo credit: James W. Fiscus

Biography

M.K. Hobson was born in Riverside, California, but grew up in Portland, Oregon. She attended the University of Oregon, where she ran Catalyst Films (the campus film society), helped launch The Student Insurgent (a radical progressive ‘zine that’s still being published) and drove night-shift cab in nearby Springfield, Oregon. After graduating with a degree in English and Communications, she moved to Hiroshima, Japan to teach English. Returning to the United States two years later, she purchased The Northwest Neighbor, a community newspaper founded by legendary Portland mayor Bud Clark. She ran the paper for several years before moving on to a career in the field of corporate communications, working with Fortune 500 clients in the fields of retirement and healthcare.

Currently, she is one of the co-hosts of Podcastle, the acclaimed short fiction podcast. She lives in Oregon City, Oregon with her husband and daughter.