Category Archives: Web Sites Worth Noting

Literary News

Posted on by
Reply

I finally got to press my sequel to my urban metaphysical novel Coffee with Thunderbolts. I wrote A Star Rose in Cerami during the 2011 NaNoWriMo. The characters from my first book are back and off to the wilds of Sicily to fix a “tiny” metaphysical problem that occurred after their experience of the Mayan Doomsday of 12/21/12. You can find all of my books on my Author Spotlight on Lulu.

I did write another novel for the 2012 NaNoWriMo. It is a young adult book, and it is a “disguised” science fiction tale. I will give updates and details as I get closer to a publication date.

Over the summer, I participated in the LitChat Salon, and I had my very short fantasy story, A Feather for the Devil, critiqued. I had so much fun doing this that I hope to take the character in that story and work up a novel at some point in time.

For those of you aspiring (and perspiring) writers out there, I recommend #litchat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 4 pm to 5 pm EST on Twitter. On Monday nights from 9 pm to 10 pm EST there is also #writersroad. For all of us who travel the indie path, on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm EST there is #indiechat. For SF in particular, check out #scifichat on Fridays from 2 pm to 4 pm EST. You will not only have fun, but you will learn a great deal on the subject of writing and publishing.

MGP


Halloween Scary Story from Neil Gaiman

Posted on by
Reply

In the spirit of Halloween, author Neil Gaiman has recorded a reading of a short story which you can download for free at audible.com.  It’s called “Click-Clack the Rattle Bag”, and you can only download it until October 31st.  For each download from the site, audible.com will make a donation to donorschoose.org or booktrust.

You can go to Neil Gaiman’s journal (journal.neilgaiman.com) for more information.  The complete link to his post about the story is http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2012/10/something-really-cool-is-about-to-happen.html.

Cover image for Click-Clack the Rattle Bag

Neil asks that you wait to listen to it until after dark…

 


Farpoint

Posted on by
1

I will be traveling this coming week to Farpoint in Timonium, Maryland. This Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Super Hero and Media convention has been around since 1993. It offers a wide variety of programming and fun. It runs from 2/17/2012 to 2/19/2012.

As I will be an author guest at this convention (Hey, I did write a 2012 book, Coffee with Thunderbolts), this will be a new experience for me. I will be on 4 panels:

1.What to Do with a Finished Novel . I keep hearing the tune What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor. Anyone who has done NaNoWriMo knows that the 50,000 word first draft of one’s novel is a drunken creature that needs to be sobered up into something “respectable”.

2. Self-Publishing. Or as I would say: How I Got This Grey Hair!

3. Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats Ho! Otherwise known as: Marianne Plays the Devil’s Advocate (I am more negative than positive toward the new series. Question is: Do I survive stoning?)

4. NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month. For myself, I would howl: Been There! Done That! Lost Mind (Again)!

Come on out for a great weekend in the wilds of Maryland. And if you see a puzzled, rookie self-published author wandering the corridors looking for her next panel, please don’t point her toward the exit.

MGP


National Novel Writing Month 2011

Posted on by
Reply

It is almost that time for National Novel Writing Month, which begins on November 1, 2011. We all have at least one novel in us, so give it a try. It is a lot of fun, and a transforming experience.

Last year for NaNoWriMo 2010, I wrote the novel Coffee with Thunderbolts, and published it. The novel is in the genre of urban metaphysical, or paranormal, depending on your point of view, and tackles the infamous Mayan calendar rollover date of December 21, 2012. It is a crazy ride. The book is available from Lulu, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine on-line booksellers. Click on the title link above, and you can read a two chapter preview to see if it is your cup of Mayan coffee.

For this year’s NaNoWriMo, I will be doing a sequel to this book. :) You can follow my daily progress on my blog The Star the Tiger Follows.

So, come and join in the November madness of NaNoWriMo 2011! Get ready to sharpen your pencils and write!!

MGP


Information About Conventions

Posted on by

Are you a science fiction fan?  Into steampunk?  Hooked on anime?  Love LARPing?  You might want to try attending a convention, if you haven’t already.  These days there are conventions dedicated to almost every facet of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, from literature to media to costuming to gaming.  If you’re having trouble finding conventions to attend in your region, try visiting the web site con-news.com.

At the con-news site, you not only get a comprehensive list of links to conventions all over the US (and some located in other countries), but also a daily blog with news and reviews from the convention world.