(I can't ever decide whether to blog here or on Facebook exclusively. Thoughts/input are re: blogging platforms are welcome from anyone reading this at either place, although yes I'm going to be switching to a "real" blog some time soonish.)

That out of the way - I'm having a struggle with the story I'm working on right now. I had envisioned it as a "steampunk" universe because I needed something at a roughly Industrial age level of technology - no plastics - and I love the clothes. (Also I needed an airship.)

But my story is set in the future, which means I can pretty much do whatever I want, right? But I LOVE Victorian/Edwardian clothes. And music of the Belle Epoch. And the trappings of steampunk. The formality. The rules. The servants. Tea.

Yet, if I'm making it all up as I go along, why confine myself to clothing/etc. styles of what will be 200 years in the past? Won't that be weird? I mean, in my almost-forty years, we've gone through a lot of flashback clothing styles, but never anything from the early 1800s (then again, a lot of that clothing is simply impractical in today's world).

If you were in a society forced to "go back" to a lower level of tech, poor communication, and slow travel, would the decorating/clothing/vocabulary choices also revert to something 200 years in the past? Or would it be all new?

What d I use for my inspiration, "Firefly" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" or "Wilde" and "Downton Abbey"? Or just make it up and see what happens? I've never written anything except contemporary settings and this giving me a serious case of the wibbles.

Thoughts, anyone?

1) Today is the last day of the Book Wenches contest for a free ebook of WITS: You can enter here! (There are only 4 entries so far, so the chance of winning is pretty good! Also, I talk about the Oklo reactor and physicsy stuff.)

2) I posted a bunch of stuff at the Dreamspinner facebook last weekend - recipes, excerpts, music. I forgot to mention the contest here, oops - sorry. I'll eventually be reposting the informational thingies, so it's all in one place. (FB is just too ephemeral.)

3) The LL's Word wrote a review of WITS that made me almost cry with joy, and also invited me to answer a few questions.

4) Fabulous writer Sue Brown let me come and talk in her blog about the weird paths research can take you. Trust me, seriously weird for this one... :)

The fantastic women at Book Wenches have let me come over and babble in their blog today. They had me write an elementary-school style report on "What I Learned Along The Way" - the most surprising thing I found myself interested in as I did research for WITS. :)

Also - enter the drawing to win an ebook!

Stumbling Over Chaos is hosting a contest with WITS as the prize! Leave a comment there for a chance to win a free ebook!

http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/archives/18447

(FYI - there will be 3 more contests in the next week or so)

Forgot to cross-post - bad Alix, no cookie.

Hamburgers of Decadence won the recipe poll - recipe/instructions can be found here.

(I am so totally making those this weekend, food plan [diet] or no food plan...)

There's also an excerpt here.

I have a few guest blogging spots lined up - complete with contests to win a free copy of the book, and I'll be announcing those as well so no one misses them!

Whoo! "Written in the Stars" is out today! I'm going to be taking over the Dreamspinner Press blog to share some of Bailey's - the main character's - first (and very sarcastic) astrological horoscopes, complete with his editor's corrections.

Come by and request the one for your sign! :)



More info at the Dreamspinner website (click on the cover image above), but here's the blurb:

Bailey McMillan’s life is a mess. The general public blames him for his former employer’s nuclear pollution, resulting in professional disgrace. Humiliated, he takes a job as an editor at a science magazine run by his best friend, John. That part isn’t so bad; Bailey is fond of John, who seems to find Bailey’s abrasive nature amusing.

Unfortunately, working for John also leads to writing an astrology column in exchange for getting free rein in some op-ed articles—and then being sued over one. The (totally coincidental) accuracy of the column offers opportunity for further professional disgrace if anyone discovers its author—and then Bailey digs himself a little deeper.

In an attempt to prove astrology is bogus, he agrees to an experiment to date someone from each star sign. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Bailey’s got a stupid crush on John, who stubbornly insists on a detailed breakdown of every date—bad and otherwise. Bailey’s luck has to improve sometime… right?

Evidently I either really love food (yes) or I'm hungry and subconsciously thinking about food while I write (also yes). That means my characters seem to eat a lot, and lovingly describe their meals.

I thought it would be fun to include a recipe like I did for Relationships 201, but I'm having a hard time deciding which one!

Help me out and vote, please?



Poll #1830244 recipes
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16

Which recipe should I share?

So it turns out that even if you ignore your blog, it doesn't go away. (I suspect any readers probably have, though, and with good reason.) But for anyone still out there, I wrote another book! I hinted that I'd started it back when Relationships 201 was released - this the one where "Two scientists make a bet about how astrology doesn't work in matters of the heart. Hilarity ensues."

I hope it was hilarious, anyway. I know I laughed a lot while writing it.

Here's the gorgeous cover by Anne Caine:



And the draft blurb:

Bailey McMillan’s life is a mess. The general public blames him for his former employer’s nuclear pollution, resulting in professional disgrace. Humiliated, he takes a job as an editor at a science magazine run by his best friend, John. That part isn’t so bad; Bailey is fond of John, who seems to find Bailey’s abrasive nature amusing.

Unfortunately, working for John also leads to writing an astrology column in exchange for getting free rein in some op-ed articles—and then being sued over one. The (totally coincidental) accuracy of the column offers opportunity for further professional disgrace if anyone discovers its author—and then Bailey digs himself a little deeper.

In an attempt to prove astrology is bogus, he agrees to an experiment to date someone from each star sign. As if that weren’t bad enough, Bailey’s got a stupid crush on John, who stubbornly insists on a detailed breakdown of every date—bad and otherwise. Bailey’s luck has to improve sometime… right?

Coming out April 2nd, I think. Unless that's a delayed April Fool's joke... Hmm...

I know, I know - you thought I'd forgotten about you! I didn't, it was just a busy year. I actually finished a new story, "Written in the Stars" and it will be coming out with Dreamspinner Press early this year.

I'm also working on a new piece, which combines a favorite theme of mine - kink - with a new setting - steampunk.

The very generous clarelondon let me babble a little bit about kink and stuff as a guest-blogger for her birthday-month celebration, and even included some gorgeous pictures. Go check it out here and leave me a comment!

:)

To celebrate Halloween, Dreamspinner is inviting people to come trick-or-treating at our web site throughout the month of October. Thirty-one of our fantastic authors have donated free short stories. Search through the different pages on the web site for Gary the Gargoyle door knocker. Each time you find him, click on him for a free download by the author whose page he’s hiding on! And make sure to check out the end of each story for a discount code.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/

**Guess who has a story hidden in there? Me! And 30 other fabulous writers! **