When the Midwesterner Met the Canadian

red car hood in front of dirt road lined by trees and then grass

Take the side road, they said. It will be scenic, they said. Okay, it IS scenic, and it’s in pretty good shape for a dirt road.

I took the back road out of Calgary, Alberta (where I was for When Words Collide) by recommendation for a more scenic route, as if you’ve seen Alberta Highway 2 once, you’ve really seen all there is to see. My route took me pretty far west into distinctly rural territory. As I was driving further and further from civilization and my streaming radio failed, I mused that I’d better not flatten a tire or anything, as I didn’t know if I’d be able to reach help.

Just a moment later, I came around a turn and saw a car sitting only partly off the road, and occupied. I passed, stopped, and reversed to pull alongside, putting down my passenger window so I could call to the driver. Continue reading

Realm Makers 2018 conference wrap-up

Realm Makers program cover, dark fantasy Red Riding Hood over a slain wolf

I just arrived home from one of my favorite writing conferences, Realm Makers, and I want to do a quick recap of the weekend.

Realm Makers bills itself as “not your grandmother’s writing conference,” which is perhaps unfair to a select group of grandmothers but gets the general point across, given that Realm Makers is a speculative fiction conference for Christian writers. Note that the order of that phrase is very important; this is not necessarily a conference for writing “Christian fiction” (the quotes indicate the genre) but a conference for Christian writers. That may not seem like a big deal, but it can be.

There are friends there who are writing for the CBA book market as well, but it’s certainly not limited to the traditional “Christian fiction” fare. Realm Makers is only in its sixth year but already has about 400 attendees.

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Come Write With Me! in Ireland!

vintage travel poster style image of Skellig Michael with text Come Write In IrelandSo we’re closing on the biggest gift-giving occasion of the year, and you don’t know what to get that writer on your list? What about an investment in their writing career? Nothing says love and encouragement and “I believe in you!” like a contribution to their goals. (And reading their work. But that’s much harder to wrap.)

If you are the writer, feel free to leave this page open on a conspicuous monitor or maybe even send a helpful link. Continue reading

Con Recaps! (And some cool news.)

So July was kind of a blur, and the first part of August, but all for very good reasons.

Cong Abbey by night, Celtic crosses and gravesIreland Writer Tours

Long-time blog readers know I blogged about writing in Ireland in 2015, and I went again this year. It’s a great week, full of fabulous touring and inspiration. But I stayed a little longer this year with organizer Fiona Claire to prepare for 2017, when I’ll be co-teaching with the talented Lorie Langdon!

Stay tuned for more information on this, but trust me, it’s going to be amazing. As I said in my newsletterWant to explore a 15th century castle, walk through an impossibly green forest to an ancient waterfall, and climb in the footsteps of both 8th century monks and Luke Skywalker? All while improving your writing craft and exploring your publication options? Continue reading

WIP updates!

 

So first off, let me apologize for the state of the site over the last week and a half. We got hacked, and everything went merrily into a handbasket. Things should be all fine and safe again. I’ll catch up with the writing in Ireland posts and things shortly, I hope.

On a brighter note, I’m playing along this month with the #‎WIPjoy ‬collective sharing project, authors sharing about their work in progress. I’m trying to post most days about some part of one work in progress — in particular, The Lamp and the Lie. (That’s a working title, very subject to change — as it’s already the second working title….)

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ACPL Author Fair this weekend!

Allen County Public Library Author FairDon’t forget, I (and others!) will be at the Allen County Public Library Author Fair this Saturday.

I’ll be speaking on self-publishing, with others. I’ll have a table with books and shirts and stuff, and I’ll be happy to sign or help you pick Christmas gifts (shop early!) from my table or another author’s table, and just talk about your favorite fiction.

Details below. Please stop by! Continue reading

Meet Me at the Crawfordsville Authors Fair

English: Exterior of the Lew Wallace Library

Exterior of the Lew Wallace Library (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Late addition to my not-a-tour: I’ll be at the Crawfordsville District Public Library (Indiana) this Saturday for an authors fair! There will be lots of books and people and more books, and maybe afterward I’ll wander over to the Lew Wallace Study & Museum.

Want to join us? The fair starts at 10 am and runs until noon.

FAE pre-order and release party!

Fae

Just a note…. I’ve had a number of questions about obtaining Fae, the anthology of fairy, and now there’s a simple answer: You can pre-order it here, in paperback or ebook.

Of course it will also be on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and a gazillion other sites (and your favorite independent store can easily order it, if they don’t already have it stocked).

Have I mentioned that Fae includes one of my favorite short stories?

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