May 2011

Hi, my name is DeAnna and I read slush for Apex Magazine and have since last July, and I love it. [Hi, DeAnna, the small circle says, like it’s part of a 12-step program.] When I started reading slush I was just dropped head-first into it.  I’m not saying that’s a bad way to do […]

I’ve been reading romances lately, because I figured out I had an irrational prejudice against them. I have come away with some early truths: Romance is like sex.  It doesn’t matter what you like, but what you like, you like, and you aren’t going to like something else. Fluffy romance is just not my gig,

Now at Smashwords, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble! Coupon for FREE ebook, from Friday-Monday (Memorial Day!) only:  use coupon code WQ99R at Smashwords and send the spirits of forgotten tales to rest… Class Pet from Beyond the Grave What Darkness Lurks behind the Lesson Plans? by De Kenyon A ghost haunts the teachers’ toilet, but Fox

My thought here is that we need to stop calling it “writer’s block” and start calling it “writer’s bottleneck.” I’m working on a short story that I have to have done today, because I’m putting it up tomorrow.  It’s already up to 4K, and I have no idea how it’s going to end yet. I’m

Something new that I’m learning about being a freelancer:  Attitude is everything. I’ve been having a series of bad days lately.  I’m having to retrench on finances (again); some submissions that I let myself get worked up over have been rejected; sales for my ebooks from Wonderland Press are okay, but certainly not taking off

In the middle of everything that’s been going on lately, I managed to space a few bits of info that came in.  Here’s me, getting caught up… Dear DeAnna, I received your  Ask a Librarian  question concerning self published books and e books for the library.  Currently, only E books purchased from Overdrive can be

Yep.  THAT 3M. Via Publisher’s Marketplace and Engadget.com: “Yesterday, the company announced a new Cloud Library e-book lending service that will allow users to browse and borrow digital books directly from their iPads, Nooks and Android-based tablets.” (Press release at link.) Random House and the Independent Publisher’s Group (IPG) are both on board to provide

Now at Smashwords, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. Coupon for FREE ebook, this Friday-Sunday only:  A coupon code is worth 5000 words!  At Smashwords, use code HQ58V! A Picture is Worth 1000 Chomps Her Nightmares Don’t Care Who They Eat By De Kenyon Seth uncovers shy girl Tony’s secret talent:  she can make images come

A theory. I just finished reading Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck Cookbook, which is just amazing.  Art, science, history – a multi-disciplinary book.  Why he hasn’t been invited to TED, I’ll never know.  Maybe they’re just like, “Hey, he talks too much already.” Anyway, he talks about a few different things, some of which will take

Yes, something specific is setting me off this morning.  No, that case is not the only one, so I’m not going to name names, even privately.  It’s just that’s what’s getting me today. Dear writers, You are not selling infodumps. Infodumps are not a selling tool. Far be it from me to say I’m a)