Whatever-ing and Other Things

So, the exciting news of the day, for me, is that I am the featured Big Idea author over John Scalzi's "Whatever" blog. (Makes me feel almost a teeny bit famous, you know?)

It was one of those pieces where I knew precisely what I wanted to write about the moment I sat down to compose the pitch, but then hit a wall when it came time to actually writing the thing. An essay focusing on a chance encounter with a dictionary? Okay, that can be kinda cool if you're a word geek (guilty), but how to make it interesting for the reader? And then how to use it to flog (albeit subtly, of course) my book? I went narrative, and I think it turned out alright. Take a gander for yourselves.

(Of course, I have to note that on the day I show up on Whatever, one of my sons is home sick, which will greatly curtain my interaction time with teh webz. Ah, Mr. Murphy (not you Sean) -- you strike again!)

In related shameless self-promotional news, I have a short essay up over on Penguin U.S.A.'s SF/F page about Western Martial Arts and how they impacted the writing of my book. Linkiness here.

And, finally, I have April signing dates for the Twin Cites up on my web site. (Please note the special information about being able to order an autographed copy of Among Thieves from Uncle Hugo's prior to April 16. This is pretty cool if you want a signed/personalized copy and can't make it to either signing.)

Wow, There *Is* Such a Thing as Bad PR After All...

Via Michele Hauf on Facebook. Here's an excellent example of what NOT to do when you get a bad review.

Now for a Brief Commerical Interruption...

If you can, PLEASE stop by Uncle Hugo's tomorrow from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. I will be signing copies of RESURRECTION CODE. You can find Uncle's at 2864 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis MN 55407. If you would like directions or any other information about the signing or the store, you can call (612) 824-6347. Also, if you are out of town and would like to still get a signed copy, Uncles will fill mail orders. For information contact Don Byly at UncleHugo@aol.com or check out:
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/

Plus, this is a *New and Improved Signing* -- Now with 100% more author! I will be sharing my signing with Neve Maslakovic. I already want to love her book REGARDING DUCKS AND UNIVERSES, for this line in the product description: "On a foggy Monday in 1986, the universe suddenly, without warning, bifurcated."

Think of Neve if not me! This is her first book. Let's all pitch in to give her an awesome signing, shall we??

Then again, maybe it would be better, ultimately, to let poor Neve sit there with the crickets. I mean, that is the typical book signing experience us non-super-star-Steven-King-/-J.K.-Rowlings-/-Neil-Gaiman types have. Some how I doubt there will be such clamouring for either of our books that Uncles will need to pass out numbers or anything.

*Longing sigh*

I tell you that's still a dream of mine. I'd love to come into a crowded bookstore to the flash of a thousand cameras and get that whole author as rock star experience.

You could fulfill a live long dream of mine. Come to Uncles! Bring your posse and the paparazzi.

Friday Cat Blogging

What's taters, Precious?



No one underztands me, Doc…



Come up and see me some time ;-0



Help I'z trapped in a nap & can't get up!

Like, Whatever, Man

Even though I'm ridiculously nervous about this -- ironically, to the point where I kind of hope no one reads it -- I'm the featured "Big Idea" over on John Scalzi's enormously popular Whatever blog.

Check it out. Comment. Make me throw up with nerves.

Signings and Sightings to Come

I seem to be all over the web this week. (Okay, not as much as some/many, but a lot for me). Or, rather, I should say  me and my book.


Stefan Fergus over at Civilian Reader was good enough to not only interview me, but also provide a nice review of Among Thieves over on his site. Likewise, the people at Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' News & Reviews seemed rather taken with the book; enough so to have also been inspired to write an essay about what they look for in "Good Fantasy" as well (color me extremely humbled and flattered to be associated with such a notion).


And, as long as I'm rattling on about me, I will also mention that sharp-eyed readers will be able to spot me doing writerly things (a reading and signings) at two different locales in the Twin Cities in April.*


On Tuesday, April 5 (my book's release date!), I will be at the Har Mar Barnes & Noble in Roseville, MN, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, doing a reading followed by a signing. Directions & info here.


Then, on Saturday, April 16, I will be signing books at Uncle Hugo's in Minneapolis, from 1:00 -2:00 pm. More info here. (Hugo's, btw, has a great program where you can request an autographed book, even if you can't make the signing. Details on the web site.)


And, lastly, because all the cool kids (Lyda/Tate) are doing it, I will be featured as one of the Big Idea authors on John Scalzi's blog, Whatever. That happens on March 31.


A signing date and locale are still being arranged for Madison, WI, as well, but all indications are good that I'll be able to make it down there in April for a signing. More details as they develop.


*Patrick Rothfuss has pointed something out about the etiquette of book signings over on his blog that I though I'd paraphrase (and no, I'm not talking about crowd control -- I have no illusions about that being a problem at my signings :). Basically, it's this: the book stores we authors appear at put a lot of work into arranging signings and readings, from clearing space to setting up and taking down chairs, to even (in some cases) providing snacks. It's a lot of work. Part of this also involves them ordering in a lot of extra copies of a book so there are plenty on hand for people to buy to get signed. And while it's awesome that they are willing to have writers like us in there, they are also hoping to move a few books because, you know, it's what keeps the lights on and people working. 


So, it's generally good for both the author (who would like to be invited back to the store for more signings) and the store (who'd like to invite the author back) if people buy their copies of the book at the signing, rather than walking in with a stack they bought on-line, for example. That isn't to say that if you spent the last fraction of you paycheck on a copy elsewhere that I won't sign your book -- of course I will -- but if you haven't bought a copy yet, getting one at the signing would help everybody feel better. As Pat says, at base, it's just a good way to show your appreciation for the store hosting the event, as well as good manners.

Friday Cat Blogging

Have achieved terminal napocityzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



I'z sleepyz, put blanket on me?



Here I comez to save the day!



The shadow liez, am not anywhere near that fat!

Up-Coming Stuff

First of all, Happy St. Patrick's day for those of you who celebrate it!

I'm sure you're all really sick of hearing about me, but I thought I'd drop a quick note to remind all y'all of the various places you can catch me doing my publicity thing.

This weekend, Saturday, March 19 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm, I'll be teaching my "Mars Needs Writers" workshop at the Bloomington Art Fair's "Writer's Workshop."

On Tuedsay, March 22, in my guise as Lyda Morehouse, I will be the featured "Big Idea" author at John Scalzi's Whatever Blog.

Saturday, March 26 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm, again as Lyda, I'll be signing the newly released Resurrection Code at Uncle Hugo's. Uncle's is located at 2864 Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis, but, even if you're not local, it's not too late to put in a mail order with Don for a personalized, signed copy from me! Check out details about Uncles at: http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/!

Then in a bit of multiple personality shuffling, I will be both Lyda and Tate during an interview on KFAI's "Write On Radio" show on Tuesday, April 5 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm CDT. KFAI broadcasts at 90.3 FM Minneapolis/106.7 FM in St. Paul. If you want to listen in even though you are in another time zone, you can check out http://www.kfai.org/ for live, streaming options and/or their archives which are usually updated the very next day.

In case you can't make ANY of those other dates, Tate will also have a signing at Uncles of Almost Final Curtain on Saturday, May 7 from 1:00-2:00 pm. (With some convincing I may be persuaded to show up "in costume" as Tate.)

Eeeek! it's a MOUSE!

Lyda's prequel to the AngelLink series, Resurrection Code, launches today. For all of you who loved the AngelLink series, you have got to read this book! And for all of you who haven't discovered the AngelLink series yet--why haven't you? It's got seven-hundred seventy-seven awesomes inside!

-----

Lyda here: Just an addition to Sean's wonderful flogging of my book. I've posted an excerpt for those of you who prefer a taste before buying.

Friday Cat Blogging

Look into mah eyz, deep into mah eyz



Why yes, this is my good side



Am thinking about fuds, go way!



What do you mean your laptop?

Stars in My Eyes

So, this being the 21st century, and me having a book coming out, and we all being on the internet, I naturally set up Google Alerts to notify me when someone even THINKS about my book. And, this being my first book, and that clearly not being enough, I have been known to (now and then)* wander over the Goodreads, where my publisher gave away some advance copies last month, to see what people are saying. Because, you know, ego.

Up until yesterday, all the early reader reviews (there and elsewhere) have been pretty good, ranging from "ZOMG! Read this!" to "It's okay." (My favorite so far has been "...how could someone not love this? It's so good..." Oh, look--more ego. ) Then, yesterday, I came across my first pan. As in (paraphrased), "Couldn't finish it. Didn't like the characters. Ew-ew-ew. Maybe I can pawn it off on a friend." And you know what???

I was so f***ing relieved, I can't even tell you. I literally felt the weight lift off me, and I let out a Great Big Sigh.

Someone hated my book! Yaaaay!!

Wait, you say. What? You're happy about this?

To quote Phineas and Ferb (two of the West's greatest modern philosophers): Why yes, yes I am.

See, up until this point, my manic scouring of the internet has been turning up nothing but (very small) pockets of (somewhat) heated anticipation or (somewhat) heated praise. Don't get me wrong, I love that (a few) people are excited about the book, and that the ones who've read it prior to release are, overall, pleased with the final product. Trust me, as a writer, you want people to like your stuff. That's kinda the whole point (well, at least for me--I know there are some writers who would prefer a poke in the eye as opposed to praise, but that ain't me and I don't even pretend to be that tortured). But after a while, I started to wonder "Is it that good?" Even more, I started to wonder, "OMG--what if it is that good? Holy crap!"

Because, you see dear reader, I'm still working on the second book. The book I don't have ten years to polish and groom and fiddle with and take my-ever-lovin'-sweet-time writing (although I suspect my editor is starting to wonder about that....). And if I'm reading nothing but praise for my first book, it makes the second book--which, let me tell you, is hard enough to write--that much harder. Will I be able to make lighting strike twice? Will this book be a let down after the first one? Can I produce something more interesting than a grocery list under a fixed deadline? Am I the genre literary equivalent of Kajagoogoo? (ew...)

It can be...distracting.

But fortunately for me, someone thinks my book sucks. (Which, btw, does not mean they think I suck.; that's a whole different thing, and a separation you need to learn to make early on--people not liking your work doesn't mean they don't like you...usually). Even better, I found another person today who thinks the book may suck even a little more than the first person. Hurrah!

Understand, if the book was only getting slammed, this would be an entirely different story. Then I'd be typing this on booze and some funny little pills I raided from my wife's medicine cabinet (no, I don't know what kind--all I know is that MORE milligrams are BETTER!!!) But that's not the case.

And that's the point. You write the best book you can, knowing it's not going to be to everyone's taste; that, in fact, it will in all likelihood be flung across the room by some people. Great reviews are great, but if that's all you let yourself see, or all you get, it can in some ways be as troubling as getting none at all. And yes, it's easy for me to say that now; just wait until the second book is out, and the people who've been singing my praises come after me with pitchforks and torches.

But that's okay, too, because somewhere out there on the internet, someone will be giving it four or five or ten or however many stars they can. And in the end, it won't matter either way, because at that point, it's firstly about the reader, and only secondly about the book. And it definitely isn't about me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to writing (right after I go check Google Alerts one last time.....)


*= Where "now and then" equals a value of "way too freaking much"

Free Words Tuesday

New Mouse fiction on my LJ: Mouse 6!

Novelists' Blogs

How weird (wyrd?), we don't seem to be listed here.

Friday Cat Blogging Reckless Abandon Edition

This little pink piggy stayed home and slept–zzzzzzzzz



But I'm ready for my nap!



Love me!



Looks like she ate whoever was using that laptop.

MarsCON Schedule (Morehouse)

In case local folks are in attendance this weekend, here's where and when you can find me. (Note: I'm going to be late to my first panel on Saturday, but I've alerted the Marscon/Kruschenko's folks)

Saturday, March 5:

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's/Concierge (Room 1332)
Panel: Vampires: Why They Die in the Daylight and Don't Sparkle
DJ Vlad, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

Noon-12:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)
Broad Universe Rapidfire Readings
Catherine Lundoff, host; Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan, Anna Waltz

2:00-2:45 PM--Krushenko's
Panel: MARVELVERSE from the Civil War to the Heroic Age
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; Roy C. Booth, Eric M. Heideman

4:00-4:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: Writing and Getting Read: Finding an Audience
Anna Waltz, mod.; Rob Balder, Lyda Morehouse

9:00-9:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: Cops and Gumshoes in Fairyland
Rick Gellman, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

Sunday, March 6

10:0-10:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: Alternate Sherlocks
Eric M. Heideman, mod.; Cynthia Booth, Lyda Morehouse

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: The Future is Seriously Dark for 16 Year Olds
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

Marscon

I am on two panels at Marscon, both this coming Saturday: 2 pm and 6 pm. However, Patrick is down with pneumonia plus something else, maybe a really ugly cold, and I am coming down with a cold, maybe his. It's possible I won't make Marscon.

Marscon

I'm going to be at Marscon this weekend -- if you want to track me down, here's where to look:

Friday
4:00-4:45 PM--Krushenko's/Concierge (Room 1332)
Panel: Magic in Science Fiction
Stargate's ancient technology, Star Trek?s Heisenberg compensator and Doctor Who's TARDIS. What are some of the ways in which sci-fi uses magic as a surrogate for science, passing it off as either too advanced or too commonplace in-universe to spend time explaining? Why not simply write the story around accepted understandings of physics instead? Does the use of magical Doctor Who science help or hurt the story? Share your questions, ideas and preferences with a panel of creatives who work in this area.
Rob Callahan, mod.; Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Kritzer


9:00-9:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)
Panel: Magic in Children's Literature
From folk and fairy tales through Alice, Oz, Narnia, the Meg Murray adventures, Patricia C. Wrede, and beyond.
Rick Gellman, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

Saturday

6:00-6:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: The Woods are Lovely
How do we create modern fairytales and myths? How do we tap into the primal emotions of fairytales in a modern era?
Michael Merriam, mod.; PMF Johnson, Naomi Kritzer

Sunday, March 6

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: The Future is Seriously Dark for 16 Year Olds
What's up with all the science fiction YA books set in dystopias? From Scott Westerfield?s Uglies to Suzanne Collins? Hunger Games (even the final Harry Potter book, to some extent), there are a surprising amount of very dark futures that are topping the bestseller lists.
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

2:00-2:45 PM--Krushenko's
Panel: Writing in a Series: Harmonies and Discords
Writers who have done multiple novels or stories about continuing characters and/or a linked world share their experiences, positive and negative, and their advice to aspiring series writers.
Michael Merriam, mod.; Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Kritzer

I will also have my daughters in tow for much of the weekend. (Molly for most of it, Kiera for part of it.) Molly's favorite things at the con are Steam Century and gaming, so if I'm not actually scheduled for anything ... there's a good chance that's where I'll be.

The Best Thing on the Internet

I ♥ Julia Yu's Goodnight Dune.

Mouse Tuesday

I'm committing fiction over on my LJ.

As I'm one of those people who takes great comfort in working during stressful periods, I actually wrote this little section while waiting for the cardiologist to tell us what was going on with my partner's "failed" stress test.

I was thinking about this as I wrote it, because mood affects writing. I suspect this scene would have be a lot scarier, if I wasn't already overloaded on that particular emotion. I don't buy into the myth that you have to be in the right "mood" to write, but I *do* think that where you are emotionally creeps into what you write.

See if you agree.