picks and pans--In Midnight's Silence

I spent this weekend writing and editing. I'm still working through the opening of Dolorosa and attempting to achieve the overall mood of the piece. Meanwhile, I polished an opening scene in the Garden's sequel, In Midnight's Silence. Just a snippet for today:

Diago

The voices of the Nephilim who died in the Garden murmur songs of sorrow in my dreams. I try to sing with them, but I can no longer recall the lyrics. I have forgotten my own song, and a Nephil without a song is but a ghost.

Or so said Ashmedai the Daimon King.

I do not remember my first-born life as Asaph; although Guillermo insists that my power was once almost as great as his. He swears that we both possessed the ability to prophecy through our dreams. He says that in the days of our first-born lives, we would compare our dreams to better understand the meanings.

I don’t doubt him; perhaps in my first-born life I dreamed and prophesied with him. I also trusted him as my friend and my king. In my first-born life, I swore my undying fealty to him. I did as he commanded, even when it meant my death.

Those oaths died with Asaph.

Now I am Diago.

I have no song, only whispers that follow me in the rain.

it's a cop-out, but ...

I was away this past weekend and did not have time to compose a lengthy blog post. Instead, I have (after about twenty false starts) achieved the opening of Dolorosa. This is the keeper version, and rather than break the rhythm, I thought I'd roll with the novel in lieu of a blog post. Then I was overcome by intense guilt for having no blog post--okay, that's a lie, I just like the attention.

As a compromise, I thought I'd share a little news in the making and give you a list of non-fiction books that I'm reading for research purposes.

Look ... it was this, or a picture of my cat.

Okay, the news first:

I've been hanging out with a group of real shady characters who have enticed me to join them for a new collective blog called BookSworn. So far, Mark Lawrence, Mazarkis Williams, Courtney Schafer, Anne Lyle, Helen Lowe, Elspeth Cooper, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Doug Hulick, Stina Leicht, Jeff Salyards, Zachary Jernigan, Kameron Hurley, and Betsy Dornbusch have signed the pact in blood and ink and bytes. We are hammering out the details and the secret handshake now. Of course, as soon as everything goes live, I'll send you an update along with a link. Meanwhile, follow @BookSworn on Twitter so you don't get left out.

I'm working on two guest posts and doing a bit of research, so that means non-fiction books. During my research for In Midnight's Silence, I found two items of interest:

Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources (2nd ed.) edited by Olivia Remie Constable (Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012).

An interesting tidbit from "Administration of an Urban Militia" taken from Fuero de Cuenca (ca 1190) and translated from the Latin by James F. Powers. From section XXX.I. The government of the military expedition and the guarding of the city:

Before taking a military expedition against a foe, the council is required to appoint watchmen to keep an eye on the city. The watchmen's responsibilities were clearly stated:

"After sunset, if the guards find anyone walking in the streets without carrying a light, they should seize all his belongings and put him in confinement until the following morning. In the morning, he should be brought before the [acting] council, and if he was a citizen or a son of a citizen, he should be absolved; but if he was a stranger, let him be hurled from the city cliffs."

Rough town.

Next up is Queer Iberia: Sexualities, Cultures, and Crossings from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, edited by Josiah Blackmore and Gregory S. Hutcheson (Durham : Duke University Press, 1999).

I had to get this one from a used bookstore, but it was well worth the price. I'm about a quarter of the way through it and enjoying it immensely.

Favorite quote thus far is from "Queer Representation in the Arcipreste de Talavera, or The Maldezir de mugeres Is a Drag" by Catherine Brown:

"He [the Archpriest] presents them [the Beghards], that is to say, as figures of the Hypocrite, whom Gregory the Great defined thus: 'Hypocrita, qui latina lingua dicitur simulator, iustus esse non appetit, sed uideri' (Moralia in Iob 18.7) [The hypocrite, who in Latin is called a simulator, does not want to be just, but rather to appear so]."

That has to be the best definition of a hypocrite that I've ever read.

I'm also doing research for Dolorosa with Codes, Ciphers, and Other Cryptic and Clandestine Communication: Making and Breaking Secret Messages from Hieroglyphs to the Internet, by Fred B. Wrixon (New York : Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers : Distributed by Workman Pub., 1998).

Thus far, my favorite code is ... well, that would be telling, now wouldn't it?

Check them out if you have a minute, and don't forget to follow @BookSworn for more updates of our dastardly doings as we soar through the interwebz seeking redemption, glory, words, and chocolate ... something ... something ... something ... until next week ... write on ...

ebook only formats?

I've hesitated writing about this subject, primarily because I don't have hard numbers on how many people in my area own computers. However, I cringe when I hear some authors advocate ebooks to the exclusion of print (the fabled "death of print"), and a few publishers who are toying with the idea of moving toward an ebook only format for some of their titles.

Personally, I think this is a short-sighted approach that panders to a niche market. In the long run, an entire demographic of potential readers are shut away from books.

For the record: I work in a community college library. I also live in a very rural area. Our population is roughly 93,643 for the entire county (this number comes from the 2010 census). Compare this with neighboring Guilford County which has a population of roughly 488,406 people.

Out of this population, Rockingham County has approximately 14,396 people living below the poverty level. These 14,396 people, in all probability, are not going to own an ereader or a computer. So if you choose to publish exclusively in ebooks, you are going to miss approximately 14,396 potential readers.

Let's look at neighboring Guilford County with its much higher population of 488,406, and of that number, 73,375 people are living under the poverty level. Are we excluding these 73,375 people from the opportunity to read for pleasure?

Should we gravitate toward exclusively using the ebook format for certain titles, we can add 14,396 to 73,375 and get a total of 87,771 people who will have missed an opportunity to read those titles.

When publishers and authors talk about ebooks, I don't think about cool gadgets and the wonderous cabilities of ebooks. I think about people who live under the poverty level. Having been there myself, I can attest as to where my money went: food, rent, insurance, etc. I didn't have extra money to spend on ereaders and computers. I didn't subscribe to cable because of the cost, and though cell phones weren't prevalent at that time, I can tell you now that those, as well, would have been a superfluous cost that would have been eliminated. I used the library to borrow books and when the library had a booksale, I purchased books from them. Second-hand bookstores were my favorite places to shop.

I look at studies that show how reading-comprehension can lead people out of poverty and I wonder what are we doing to ourselves when we limit certain titles exclusively to ebooks? Are we saying that the only people who get the opportunity to read are those wealthy enough to own ereaders and computers? Has the online community become so disconnected from reality that we believe that everyone, everywhere has electricty and computers?

Really?

Ebooks are wonderful for those who can afford both the equipment and the means by which to keep that equipment up-to-date; however, I think we also need to remember the people who rely on print as their only connection with reading. Otherwise, we limit them to a cycle of poverty, not just of money, but of the mind.

But!--some wit will surely propose--the people living under the poverty level are buying used books.

Yes, but those readers often remain loyal to the genres and authors they discover through second-hand books. When their circumstances change--and sometimes they do--they don't forget what it was like to have the opportunity to read books that other people discarded.

I never have.

Linkage: Interview with GDT, 2 movies, and a book

This week, all I have is a quick list of links and recommendations for you:

In a scene of passion, some DNA is left behind. --Guillermo del Toro

Over the weekend, I stumbled upon and read an epic five part interview with Guillermo del Toro. The interview was an act of passion and del Toro left his DNA all over the screen. He talked about movies and creativity and just about everything. Anything I write would be redundant, so just go read the interview.

I watched two movies: Timecrimes [Spanish title: Los Cronocrímenes] and Let the Right One In [Swedish title: Låt den rätte komma in]. I talk very briefly about Timecrimes here, because it is a hard movie to discuss without giving away some of the best parts.

Let the Right One In is one of the best vampire movies that I've seen since Near Dark, which is one of my all-time favorite vampire movies.

I put off watching Let the Right One In for a long time, because I thought it might be too young adultish for my tastes, but the movie surprised and pleased me. Let the Right One In is that magic combination of plot, characterization, and mood that makes the perfect horror movie. What you don't see is far more frightening than what you do see.

So if you're looking to get away from the latest Hollywood remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 58 in 3-D with real blood ... something ... something ... something ... watch Let the Right One In.

I have a nonfiction book recommendation for you, in case you're looking for a brand new take on the Crusades, check out The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf. It reads like a novel and gives you an entirely different perspective on the Crusades.

From the blurb:

European and Arab versions of the Crusades have little in common. What the West remembers as an epic effort to reconquer the Holy Land is portrayed here as a brutal, destructive, unprovoked invasion by barbarian hordes.

When, under Saladin, a powerful Muslim army--inspired by prophets and poets--defeated the Crusaders, it was the greatest victory ever won by a non-European society against the West. The Arab version of the Crusades is a heroic story of how the Muslims overcame their rivalries and united long enough to win a holy war.

And I know all this makes it look like I'm slacking, but the good news is that I'm almost 9,000 words into In Midnight's Silence and the story is trotting along nicely.

So there.

What are you up to?

Timecrimes [Los Cronocrímenes]

Um ... if you're like me and really enjoy a book or movie that gives you a nice little mind-fuck, watch Timecrimes [Spanish title: Los Cronocrímenes].

The plot and characterizations reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series. You know, the really good ones that left you staring at the screen in a mild state of wonder as the end credits rolled?

Yeah that.

Timecrimes was just ... yum.

A talk at the Rockingham County Book Club

The Rockingham County Book Club graciously chose Miserere as their Book of the Month and invited me to speak at their book club on January 9. I had a wonderful time. They presented me with an engaging list of questions and we discussed reading, writing, and publication. It was the most fun that I've had on a lunch hour in a long time.

I just wanted to share a picture of the soothing candle they gave me as a token of their appreciation. They somehow picked my favorite shades of blue and green. I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet with them.

SpecFic 2012--Cover Reveal

I'm excited to give this project a pump, mainly because Justin Landon of Staffer's Book Review (and Occasional Musings) puts on one hell of a great blog. I enjoy his reviews, and I especially enjoy his thought-provoking takes on SFF in general.

Justin and Jared Shurin have gotten together to preserve some of the finest SFF reviews and essays across the web. Justin tells you all about it and gives you a first peek at the cover right here.

Go on ... take a look ... you know you want to ...

a book exchange with Helen Lowe

After all that talk about gender over the last few posts, I thought I might introduce you to some authors that I know.

This past year, I met Helen Lowe on Twitter, and I have come to enjoy trading conversational tweets with her. Helen is the author The Heir of Night, which won the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer in 2012.

Just before the holidays, Helen invited me to exchange novels with her as she did with Courtney Schafer and Elspeth Cooper. She sent me a copy of The Heir of Night, and I sent her a copy of Miserere so that we could get to know one another's works.

Thus far, I think I got the better end of this deal.

The best introduction to The Heir of Night comes from Helen herself. She talks about her exploration of the themes of good vs. evil in her post on John Scalzi's The Big Idea: Helen Lowe.

The blurb:

If Night falls, all fall . . .

In the far north of the world of Haarth lies the bitter mountain range known as the Wall of Night. Garrisoned by the Nine Houses of the Derai, the Wall is the final bastion between the peoples of Haarth and the Swarm of Dark—which the Derai have been fighting across worlds and time.

Malian, Heir to the House of Night, knows the history of her people: the unending war with the Darkswarm; the legendary heroes, blazing with long-lost power; the internal strife that has fractured the Derai's former strength. But now the Darkswarm is rising again, and Malian's destiny as Heir of Night is bound inextricably to both ancient legend and any future the Derai—or Haarth—may have.

The Heir of Night is the first book of the Wall of Night series, which is epic fantasy, a sub-genre that I don't normally gravitate toward; however, I want to challenge my reading habits in 2013 and try new novels and new authors. I never know when a novel will introduce to a new way of thinking or bring me back to a sub-genre that I drifted away from such as epic fantasy.

I've only had the opportunity to begin the novel, but Helen's prose is rich and dark and reminds me very much of a cross between Tad Williams and Gene Wolf.

Helen also graciously included a copy of The Gathering of the Lost, the second book in the Wall of Night series. Here is the blurb from The Gathering of the Lost:

Garrisoned by the Nine Houses of the Derai, the towering mountain range called the Wall of Night is all that separates the people of Haarth from the terrible Darkswarm.

Five years have passed since the Wall was breached and the Keep of Winds nearly overrun. Five years since the Heir of Night, Malian, and her friend and ally Kalan went missing in the wild lands of Jaransor.

Now, in Haarth's diverse southern realms, events are moving. From the wealthy River city of Ij to the isolated Emerian outpost of Normarch, rumors of dark forces and darker magics are growing. As the great Midsummer tournament at Caer Argent approaches, Haarth will have one opportunity to band together against an enemy in which few believe . . . or be lost forever.

When I've finished reading The Heir of Night, I'm going to ask Helen to join us for a talk about the Wall of Night series.

Meanwhile, stop by in the comments and tell me: how are you challenging your reading habits in 2013?

Gender Bending--The Big Reveal

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you who took a moment to be my lab rat. You guys were simply awesome and gave us a great deal of material to work through. I'm not sure who had more fun with this--the readers or the authors.

So while I'm up here saying thanks, I also want to say thank you to all the authors who participated in this exercise and generously offered their books for the grand prize winner. A special thanks to Myke Cole, who went the extra mile in recruiting authors for the experiment, and to Mark Lawrence for all the wonderful pie charts that he worked up for us.

There were a total of 1,045 guesses. Of that number 535 people correctly guessed the gender of the authors.

Our scientist in residence, Mark Lawrence, kindly analyzed the data and reached the following conclusion:

"Given the 1,045 guesses and 535 correct guesses we can say that no statistically significant power to determine gender from writing has been demonstrated (under the assumption both genders were equally represented - they weren't but it doesn't introduce a large effect).

"With selection of authors drawn with equal likelihood of either gender then a random guessing machine making 1,045 guesses would expect to get an average of 522 correct answers and if it repeated the experiment many times we would expect 95% of the results to lie between 490 and 554 correct answers. So our result is well within the bounds of expected statistical variation for a random set of guesses."

In other words, people can't tell the difference between male or female writing styles based on the prose alone. Without the hint given within a name, people were guessing. Many of you, and thank you for your honesty, point-blank admitted that nothing in the prose gave you a clue. Others suspected we were deliberately trying to outsmart you, so you guessed the opposite gender in order to be right. However, that kind of thinking pushed the experiment off the rails a bit, primarily because some of you lost the prime objective of trying to determine gender through stories or excerpts. [A side note here: regardless of the rationales for answers, if someone guessed correctly, then he or she was entered into the contest.]

For some reason, you didn't seem to trust us tricksy authors, and that made me smile. Alex Bledsoe told me in advance that he was shooting for a Raymond Carver vibe with his piece, "White Spaces." Most of you guessed that "White Spaces" was written by a female. Mary Robinette Kowal submitted a piece that she had been toying with before this experiment came into fruition. She submitted Entry #4, which was a short piece that she had written for herself in an exercise to mimic John Scalzi. She deliberately picked a male pseudonym in order to fool you. When so many of you guessed that the author of Entry #4 was male, Mary chose to submit "Meghan's Bike" in contrast. The majority of you still thought she was a man.

A few of you over-analyzed the excerpts, which was okay too, with the rationales moving in all sorts of directions. A couple of consistent ideas did come up repeatedly in both the comments here and in a few of the forums where the experiment was discussed (yes, I've been-a-lurking about your forums and such). People tend to associate emotive stories with women and "big idea" or action based stories with men. There might be some basis to that argument; however, when statements like that are made, then storytellers like Patrick Rothfuss and Stephen King, who tell very emotive stories, are shot out of the picture. Likewise, people who expect anything less than "big idea" stories from women are missing out on authors like Ursula K. Le Guin or Margaret Atwood. The list of male and female authors who don't fit neatly into these two categories can go on, but the idea here is simply this: not everyone fits a niche or a certain style.

None of you can say for certain whether K.J. Parker is male or female. You can guess. You can suspect. Ten thousand different rationales can lead down ten thousand roads. I used to work for attorneys where I mastered the art of reasoning both sides of an argument with supporting documentation, so I take it all with grain of salt. As Mark pointed out in one of our emails, it's very easy--not to mention human nature--to skew the evidence to support an individual's point of view. We like to think we know the answers and that the facts support our reasoning, but in the end, it's all conjecture.

My opinion here is simply this: No matter how much we analyze story, prose, or word usage, none of us can say with any certainty whether a specific piece is written by a man or woman unless the author stands up and accepts responsibility for the story.

Perhaps the publishers are right to ask women to submit their stories under pseudonyms. If a female name automatically conjures young adult/romantic/emotive story-lines in someone's mind, and a good part of the audience suffers from contempt prior to investigation before the first line of prose is read, then the novel or story may never make it out of the gates sales-wise.

So the publishers succumb to subterfuge, the authors (tricksy, tricksy, tricksy authors) also participate in the game, and you, the reader, are left to guess. None of this is new, by the way. Female authors have been hiding their gender behind pseudonyms for over a century. Likewise, male authors who write romance or other genres with a predominately female readership are asked to disguise their gender. It may be another century before we can all come out of the closet and be judged by our prose, not our gender.

Those are my thoughts on the matter and do not reflect the thoughts or opinions of the other authors who so graciously offered up their stories and their time for this endeavor. I invite you to post your thoughts on the subject either in the comments here or on your own blogs. I will leave the discussion to you.

If you do decide to comment here, remember this is my online home. I will not tolerate abusive posts or trolls. All comments will be moderated, my judgment is final and is not up for debate. Be respectful of one another, both in your words and your conduct, here and everywhere.

Now for the big reveal. We will begin with Entry #10 and work backwards toward Entry #1. Since so many of you indicated a desire to read more works by the various contributors, I am including links and author bios, all of which were shamelessly plagiarized from the authors' websites.

 Entry #10 -- Meghan's Bike by Marian Westwood and

Entry #4 -- Untitled by Jackson Harris were written by the same author:

Untitled by Jackson Harris and Meghan's Bike were both written by Mary Robinette Kowal.

Mary's debut novel Shades of Milk and Honey (Tor 2010) was nominated for the 2010 Nebula Award for Best Novel. In 2008 she won the Campbell Award for Best New Writer, while three of her short fiction works have been nominated for the Hugo Award: “Evil Robot Monkey” in 2009 and “For Want of a Nail” in 2011, which won the Hugo for short story that year. Her stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Asimov’s, and several Year’s Best anthologies, as well as in her collection Scenting the Dark and Other Stories from Subterranean Press.

Entry #9 -- The Sea-Folk’s Price by Z. Riddle

 The Sea-Folk's Price was written by Courtney Schafer, who is the author of The Whitefire Crossing and Tainted City, books one and two of The Shattered Sigil series.

A voracious reader, Courtney always wished new fantasy novels were published faster - until she realized she could write her own stories to satisfy her craving for new worlds full of magic and wonder. Now she writes every spare moment she's not working or adventuring with her family. In her day life, Courtney is an engineer, an avid rock climber, and a figure skater.

Courtney is currently hard at work on the third novel of The Shattered Sigil series, The Labyrinth of Flame.

Entry #8 -- White Space by T.J. Breckenridge

White Space by T.J. Breckenridge was written by Alex Bledsoe.

Alex is the author of The Hum and the Shiver, which was named as one of the best fiction books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and the popular Eddie LaCrosse series, which includes The Sword-Edged Blonde, Burn Me Deadly, Dark Jenny, and Wake of the Bloody Angel. In addition, he has created Memphis vampires with Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood. Watch for his newest novel of the Tufa, Wisp of a Thing, which is coming in June of 2013.

Entry #7 -- The Hated by A.K. Reid

The Hated was written by Damien Walters Grintalis.

Damien lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescued pit bulls. She is an Associate Editor of the Hugo Award-winning magazine, Electric Velocipede, and a staff writer with BooklifeNow. Her short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, and others. Her debut novel, Ink, was released in December 2012 by Samhain Horror.

Entry #6 -- Untitled by Kyle Schuler

Image by Ayrica BishopUntitled by Kyle Schuler was written by Shiloh Walker.

Shiloh is the author of the following series: The Ash Trilogy, FBI Psychics, Grimm's Circle, The Hunters, in addition to the novels Fragile, Broken, Voyeur, and more. Her latest release is entitled Beautiful Scars and will be released January 2013. Shiloh has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more ... ah ... serious works of fiction. She loves reading and writing just about every kind of romance. Once upon a time she worked as a nurse, but now she writes full time and lives with her family in the Midwest. She writes urban fantasy, romantic suspense and paranormal romance, among other things. Shiloh also writes urban fantasy and erotica as J.C. Daniels.

Entry #5 -- Untitled by S.A. Daniels

Untitled by S.A. Daniels was written by Diana Rowland.

Diana is the author of The Kara Gillian series and The White Trash Zombie series. Diana has lived her entire life below the Mason-Dixon line, uses "y'all" for second-person-plural, and otherwise has no southern accent (in her opinion). She attended college at Georgia Tech where she earned a BS in Applied Mathematics, and after graduation forgot everything about higher math as quickly as possible.

She has worked as a bartender, a blackjack dealer, a pit boss, a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, and a morgue assistant, which means that she's seen more than her share of what humans can do to each other and to themselves. She won the marksmanship award in her Police Academy class, has a black belt in Hapkido, has handled numerous dead bodies in various states of decomposition, and can't rollerblade to save her life.

She presently lives in south Louisiana with her husband and her daughter where she is deeply grateful for the existence of air conditioning.

Entry #3 -- The Education of Rebecca Cavendish by Alice Leakey

The Education of Rebecca Cavendish was written by Myke Cole.

Myke is the author of the Shadow Ops series which includes Control Point and its sequel Fortress Frontier, in addition to several short stories. As a secu­rity con­tractor, gov­ern­ment civilian and mil­i­tary officer, Myke’s career has run the gamut from Coun­tert­er­rorism to Cyber War­fare to Fed­eral Law Enforce­ment. He’s done three tours in Iraq and was recalled to serve during the Deep­water Horizon oil spill.

All that con­flict can wear a guy out. Thank good­ness for fan­tasy novels, comic books, late night games of Dun­geons and Dragons and lots of angst fueled writing.

Entry #2 -- The Ballad of Sophie Nu by Dirigible Elephant

The Ballad of Sophie Nu was written by Mark Lawrence.

Mark is the author of Prince of Thorns, which is his first published novel. It is the beginning of a projected trilogy following the fortunes of Honorous Jorg Ancrath. The second book in the series King of Thorns was published last year and will be followed by Emperor of Thorns in August 2013.

Mark is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.

Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.

Entry #1 -- Bearna by Jamie Sears

The story Bearna, which was submitted by Mazarkis Williams, was written by a woman. Mazarkis is the (tricksy, tricksy, tricksy) author of the Tower and Knife fantasy series, which includes The Emperor's Knife and its sequel, Knife Sworn. The Tower Broken, book three of the series will be available in late 2013.

Oh!

I almost forgot!

THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER ...

The great and mighty Random Number Generator chose MC from a comment on Entry #10. MC's comment was "Female, I think."

Based on that comment: can you tell me if MC is a man, or a woman?

Autumn Tales and Gardens in Umber

2012 is done and over, and frankly, this author is happy to see that dreadful year go. It wasn't completely terrible though. Many good things did happen and here are a few:

During 2012, I met a lot of online book bloggers and fans, and I have to say that all of you really made my year special. I can't single one of you out without missing someone else. You know you are, we talk on Twitter and Facebook almost everyday, and my world would be a little less brighter without you in my life.

The highlight of the year was when NYT Bestselling author Ilona Andrews read Miserere and bestowed such a lovely review on her blog. I was awed when she said that "Miserere reads like Ladyhawke had a baby in purgatory and Meljean Brook delivered it."

Just recently, a second surprise hit when Felicia Day posted her gracious review for Miserere on Goodreads that just blew me away.

Two major shout-outs for that book in one year really helped my morale as I struggled through writing Garden in Umber.

Even with the blessing of those two dynamic ladies, the best part was all the lovely emails and Facebook posts that people sent me to tell me how much they enjoyed Miserere. Just that you took a moment out of your busy schedule to send me an email to say that you enjoyed the story made my whole day, sometimes my whole month.

I got to attend my first major con in Chicago at WorldCon. I met a lot of the authors that I've come to know on Twitter and had great fun at the panels. It was a joy to meet these people and find out they are all as kind and fun in real life as they are online. I look forward to seeing them all again in the future.

The end of the year saw my first agent leave publishing, but as that door closed, I acquired a second shot at querying another agent who I greatly admire. Fortunately, Garden in Umber was complete and will be represented by Marlene Stringer as it goes on submission this year.

The blog post I had the most fun writing was when Alex Bledsoe tagged me for The Next Big Thing. I had initially turned down an offer to participate in that meme, but in the end, I had a blast with The Next Big Thing--Garden in Umber.

My absolute favorite tagline for Garden in Umber came from my friend Leah Raeder when she called Garden in Umber "a delightful mind-fuck with werewolves, gay love, and male relationships in the Middle Ages." She also called me lovely and corrupt in the same sentence. I <3 Leah Raeder, because she makes me laugh out loud on my darkest days.

At the very end of the year, I was seized with some strange madness to run a Gender-Bending experiment, and the results of that will be posted on Monday, January 7, 2013.

And now that experiment is done, I am moving forward. I've almost finished the first few chapters to the sequel to Garden in Umber, which will be Diago's story. In Midnight's Silence has 5,000 words and is growing daily. Miserere's sequel, Dolorosa, is burning in the background as I begin the first chapters of it too.

I want to make an effort to post more consistently on the old blog here, but if I disappear, know that I'm writing stories for that is where my true love lies. I'll keep you up-to-date and post some snippets from time to time and never fear, I will try and drop by at least once a week to tell you what I think.

More often than not, you'll find me walking through gardens dressed in umber and spinning autumn tales. Stay with me. There is more to come ...

A [belated] but most sincere Happy New Year to you all.