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I’ve been thinking about fantasy novels, having written a lot about mirrors lately during NaNoWriMo (via Through the Looking-Glass).  What is fantasy?  A reflection, either internal or external, of something real.  But I was noticing that different types of fantasy have different, I don’t know, lengths (and complexity) of reflection. How far away is Urban Fantasy […]

All, I’m working on a cover for the next De Kenyon book, the first in a middle-grade series.  Please give me comments!  The genre is an adventure/spy story with lots of magic and animals, modern day.  (I may add a tagline later.) The last version, everybody had a problem with the font. Here’s the deal:

Now that I’ve finished NaNoWriMo2011, I’m going to switch gears: to editing. I find that my enjoyment of editing swings back and forth; usually what happens is that I hate it until I’m in the middle of it, and then I enjoy it until I get sick of it, and then I hate it again.

I would make a terrible demoness.  Here it is, nearly Christmas,* and I haven’t managed to tease out what the members of my family want other than in bare dribs and drabs. Is it being raised Midwestern that has made Lee and I this way?  “Oh, whatever”? And have we passed this horrible curse of

If you finished your National Novel Writing Month writing project–group hug! If you wrote 50K but you didn’t actually finish your novel–group hug! If you met your goals, whatever they were, even if they didn’t involve 50K–group hug! If you didn’t finish but wrote a lot–group hug! If you didn’t finish and didn’t get much

New fantasy story inspired by Tom Waits.  Not specifically by Tom Waits, just by the very existance of Tom Waits.  If I made a movie and Tom Waits had a cameo in it, this would be the short story that inspired the movie that had the Tom Waits cameo in it. The press would ask,

If you’re on track, then you’re at the point where all you have to do is keep going: which is not to belittle the stress and effort of such action, but to point out how simple it is.  If you’re on track for your word count, you’re past the point where doubts really mean anything.

Some good questions came up from Paul Hanson:  basically, why don’t I use BookBaby (or something similar, I suppose)? I’m DIY in this area.  I like formatting, editing, messing around with cover art, and general book design things. The expense would kill me (in particular). Bookbaby charges: $99 to start plus $19/year. Free basic ebook formatting

New fantasy story inspired by the Garden of the Gods and Colorado Springs’s continuous water issues, now available at Amazon.com, Smashwords, B&N, and OmniLit. The Cliff House by DeAnna Knippling Ardahl loves his land, even though he’s been crippled in its service and trapped in the Cliff House to work the magic that brings water.  But using the magic

Some people have better luck with doubt than others. Some people establish rituals to offset doubt:  rituals that become steadily more complex and harsh.  “Oh, I can’t write unless I have my favorite notebook and tea and absolute silence!” Some people freeze.  “I cannot.  I cannot.  I must not.” Some people become giddy. Some people