Remember the 8-Hour Book Challenge I described a few days ago? Today Konrath posted the achievers, and you can find them here. (Check them out; you might find something fun!)
Even before Konrath’s post went live, however, Smoke and Fears somehow started climbing the chart, and it’s reached #13 on Amazon’s Free Historical Fantasy list. Which is pretty cool, even if temporary. Continue reading
Geekery, fiction, and ninja — that’s a pretty typical day in my life, actually….
Continue readingOh gosh. Hold on a sec and let me catch my breath.
Okay, author J.A. Konrath wrote a post on (among other things) maintaining the joy of creating without fussing over commercialism or perfectionism, and he ended with a challenge to create an entire book in just 8 hours.
That’s the entire book project. Writing, revising, formatting, creating a cover, and publishing. Complete.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Continue readingHave you heard of the bowing deer of Nara?
Sika deer (probably from shika, Japanese for “deer”) are spotted into maturity and still have a strong population in Japan. They were once sacred, considered divine messengers, and now they are protected. In Nara Prefecture, they roam freely and harass visitors for treats.
Continue readingI found this quote while flipping through an older book, in a section on electronic publishing:
“…Will [electronic publishing] ever be more than an intriguing fringe for a literary avant garde and those who just can’t make it in traditional publishing?”
Continue reading
Samson, alpha male gorilla in Givskud Zoo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I had an interesting Twitter conversation a while back when World Weaver Press tweeted a link to an article about hot alpha males (“dangerous,” “possessive,” “dominating,” etc.) in paranormal romance. Being a total behavior nerd, I replied that most of these “alpha males” were actually displaying lower-ranking behavior – real alphas don’t posture, act aggressive or defensive, etc. — and we chatted briefly about the implications for fiction and PNR in particular.
Don’t confuse the “alpha male” and the “bad boy.” They’re different things. It’s a common myth, the posturing alpha male, but it’s a myth. Simply put, if you’ve got it, you don’t have to flaunt it. Only those worried about their position waste time, energy, and other resources in reminding others of their position. Continue reading
