Author: Andi Marquette

Andi Marquette once wanted to be a seafaring pirate. But she realized that could be a problem, growing up in the Rocky Mountain West and Southwest. So she became an editor, anthropologist, and historian instead. But that, too, didn't satisfy her weird cravings for stories and strange realms. Now, she's a writer ensconced in Colorado and when she wants to go pirate-ing, she just makes something up.

Yes! Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tip!

Hi, all–

Coming at you a little late today and had all kinds of craziness going on yesterday; hope your weekend is going well!

So today’s tip is this: in event of a full-blown zombie apocalypse, let’s say you got out of the city okay and you’re on the move. Excellent! Go, you! But…

don’t travel at night.

Unless you absolutely have to, just don’t do it. Why? Well, because it’s dark, and you don’t see so well in the dark because you’re not a four-legged mammal. And if you decide to turn on your flashlight, you draw zombies and other survivors to you. You also need to conserve batteries in your portable light sources for emergencies, and it’s really hard to fight zombies with one hand when you’re holding a flashlight in the other (and no, I don’t suggest doing that).

So if you’re out in the dark and you decide to use a flashlight, you might as well paint a target on your nekkid butt.

And in later zombie apocalypse survival tips, we’ll talk about how to camp at night.

Happy surviving!

by Categories: Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tips, ZombiesTags: ,

When nature doesn’t nurture

Hi, folks–

As we saw yesterday, dozens of tornadoes hit southeastern states, killing over 200 people. Alabama alone has at least 194 deaths. Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama, has pretty much been devastated. Birmingham had terrible damage as well, as do dozens of communities in that state and others in the Southeast.

Please keep those among us who lost friends, family, homes, possessions in this devastating swath of storms.

Here’s a site with a list of resources–shelters, where you can go to find info about loved ones, things like that (scroll down)

Red Cross and Salvation Army donation info page

Red Cross, Salvation Army, Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund

Author Shiloh Walker has launched a fundraiser for Alabama communities. Here’s how it works.

Whatever you can do, it’ll be appreciated. Thanks.

by Categories: Announcements, TragedyTags: , , , ,

Awesome blog alert

Hi, folks–

I like to let people know when 1) I find awesome blogs or 2) I’ve been reading awesome blogs and should share.

This blog/site is in the latter category.

I bring you…

THE OATMEAL.

This is 28-year-old awesome Seattle dude Matthew Inman’s fine, fabulous, and frizzacious (no, I don’t know what the hell that is, but it sounds good) musings, sharings, and downright hilarious takes on everything.

Here. Just a few to get you giggly and thinkie. This one is Matthew’s take on 10 commonly misspelled and misused words. Click this. NOW.

High-lair-ee-us take on what it’s like to own an Apple product. Click. Seriously. Just do it.

And important pet tips: How to pet a kitty. Freakin’ click, already! KITTIES!

I love The Oatmeal. I hope you do, too.

Peace out and happy reading, happy writing, happy blogging!

by Categories: Cool stuff to read, Super cool blogs, The AwesomeTags: ,

Interesting new writers’ site

Hey, folks–

I came across this today while running around the interwebs. It’s a new site geared toward helping writers of genre fiction called Book Country.

Those genres: romance, mystery, fantasy, sci fi, and thriller. Those genres are further broken down into subgenres.

This New York Times article explains it. The site is affiliated with the Penguin group, and in its initial phase, writers will be able to post their work and get critiques from other users and/or comments about writing craft and various aspects of the work that was posted for free. Later on this summer — to generate revenue — Book Country will launch a self-publishing venue for a fee by ordering printed copies. The books will bear the stamp of Book Country, and not Penguin, because it’s considered a separate venue.

The site will also provide info for writers with regard to things like finding an agent, marketing and promotion, using social media as an author, and handling things like digital and subsidiary rights. It’s being spearheaded by Molly Barton, the director of business development at Penguin. Book Country hopes to attract editors and agents and even publishers scouting for new talent. Hopefully, Book Country will allow authors to create more polished work and attract attention from the industry.

Sounds intriguing. Keep yer eyes on this one, kids. It might prove an interesting hybrid model from big publishing to self-publishing.

Happy writing, happy reading!

by Categories: Books, Publishing bizness, Writing tipsTags: , , 1 Comment

Neither a borrower nor a lender be: ebook loaning

Hi, folks. I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, a writers’ association that helps women writers of mysteries, crime fiction, and suspense/thrillers meet each other, network, and help writers. I’m on their updates list, and they send out links that might be of interest to us.

Today, one such link is HERE. It’s called “The Rise of the Ebook Lending Library and the Death of Ebook Pirating.” Now, I’ve spoken about book piracy before. You can find that post here, if you’re interested.

Read the article and then check out the comments. Especially by the book pirate who has stolen 15,000 ebooks. And then brags about it. And then says he’ll never pay for anything again. He’s also stolen movies and games, if I remember correctly. And he’s proud of it.

Okay, so here’s where I am on this ebook lending thing. I don’t mind it. It’s like a library. I’m also really supportive of libraries, because of the idea of a public service that allows anybody and everybody to access reading material and then bring it back to that institution. These are legitimately sanctioned businesses, and taxes pay for their upkeep and book purchases. In other words, if you’re a taxpayer, you are purchasing books for libraries. Also, I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to accumulate things, so I use libraries a lot. I also use Netflix so I can still watch movies but send them back when I’m done (or stream them).

Here’s the difference between Netflix and piracy. I PAY for the service. I PAY to receive movies in the mail that I watch and then send back. I PAY to stream movies. And I don’t mind doing it because I want the people who made those movies and acted in them to receive monies via royalties for the work that they did/do. Even if I thought the movie sucked, I pay artists and entertainers for what they provide. With regard to libraries, I pay for that service with my taxes. I would really like it, too, if there were an ebook service like Netflix, where I could pay, say, $15/mo. to download books and read them and then, if I liked them, pay another buck or two to keep it. Why? Because I believe in supporting artists for the work they do. I believe, too, in supporting the industries in which they participate.

Having said that, with regard to piracy, I’m a realist. There are always going to be a**holes who want something for nothing at the expense of artists. That’s a reality. I don’t realistically think that it will ever stop because there is always a percentage of the population that has no problem stealing and/or that will justify stealing with all kinds of excuses. The only thing that will slow electronic piracy down at this point is if the apocalypse happens, the grid collapses, and there is no longer any electricity to run computers. That will put an end to ebook (and other digital) piracy, until someone figures out how to harness the sun more efficiently to generate electricity (in that scenario). And then it’ll just start all over again because humans are inherently flawed in that regard.

Anyway, I try to appeal to the “ethical” side of people. I try to point out that piracy is really shitty (unless it involves sailing ships and 18th-century sea battles) and it hurts a lot of artists, and by extension, the industries that legitimately support them. But that argument just isn’t going to resonate with thieves, especially the hardcore ones like that guy who commented on the article above.

So basically, back to the matter at hand. No, I don’t have problems with ebook lending. I’d rather somebody logged into a site and shared their books with other readers from a sanctioned industry site (even for free) with certain restrictions than downloaded gajillions from a torrent site. Will ebook lending stop piracy? No. Somebody will steal those books, too. See my comment about human nature, above. But maybe it’ll make major piracy sites less attractive, and more of a hassle than just doing something legitimate.

Here’s hoping, anyway.

Happy Monday!

by Categories: Book piracy, Books, Publishing bizness, Things that might make you thinkTags: , , 1 Comment

Sunday readin’ tip

Hey, kids–

I read a lot of different things, as I’ve explained in the past. That includes magazine articles. I’d like to call your attention to a fascinating piece Rolling Stone mag did in February on former president Jimmy Carter. I wasn’t quite old enough to vote yet when Carter was elected in 1976, but I do remember some of the big things that happened during his administration.

I’ve always been intrigued by Carter because he seems approachable as a man, but also aloof. Enigmatic, I think, is one of the words I’ve used to describe him. He’s a mixture of idealism and hard, cold statistics and it seems he’s been able, to a certain extent, to balance those two things, especially in the years since his presidency. Currently, he’s engaged in some big humanitarian issues, and he has said some immensely unpopular things, but what I find fascinating about Carter is that he is a man of conviction — whether I agree with him or not — and he’s also willing to consider different angles and possibilities when confronted by different facts and situations.

This piece clarified a few things for me with regard to Carter, and I find looking back on people who were representative, to a certain extent, of a particular aspect of an era I lived through (in this case, Carter as a representative of a political context) a useful exercise in comparing what I was thinking then with who I am now and how my views and perspectives have changed or not. So regardless of your political leanings, reading about political leaders and figures is always helpful to shed some light on historic context.

Anyway, here’s the link to the piece, at Rolling Stone Magazine. It’s called “The Riddle of Jimmy Carter.”

Happy Sunday, whatever you celebrate.

by Categories: Cool articles, Cool stuff to read, Things that might make you thinkTags: ,

Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tip

Hey, folks–

Okay, so I’m still kind of thinking about Resident Evil: Extinction. Last week I noted that one lesson the film gave us was KEEP MOVING.

This week, I’ll pass along another tip that the movie provided; one that I’ve hinted at in the past:

BE WARY OF OTHER SURVIVORS.

Here’s the thing — and not to get too cynical about my species, but still — in a disaster situation, whether it’s natural, human-caused, or a zombie apocalypse, other survivors are not your friends. There’s something funky that happens when all veneer of “civilization” falls away. As a species, we become just other mammals. That is, we become territorial, suspicious, and pretty much focused on ourselves because we’re trying to survive. However, where we differ from other species is our capacity for nastiness. When there are no rules, humans are even bigger rat-bastards to each other than when there ARE rules.

Here, from Resident Evil: Extinction to demonstrate just what I mean. This is the scene where Alice stops at a structure (an old radio station, it looks like) to see if there really are other survivors. She’s been getting a radio broadcast, after all, from someone who “needs help.” But these survivors…well, here. Watch:


linkage, in case embedding doesn’t work anymore.

See what I mean? As an aside, in terms of the entire move, this scene really didn’t serve much purpose except to demonstrate Alice’s ass-kicking abilities and the possible danger of survivors. So it’s useful in that regard.

So if you’re on your own or even with a group of survivors who know you, BEWARE OF OTHER SURVIVORS. They can be far more dangerous than zombies, because they have that nasty human characteristic of sheer cruelty and possible sadism. Bad times can bring out the worst in people. Zombies are predictable. Survivors aren’t.

All rightie! That’s your zombie apocalypse survival tip for today. Happy weekend!

by Categories: Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tips, ZombiesTags: , , 1 Comment

Pensive Friday: those you love

Hi, friends. Today, for some people, is “Good Friday,” which generally means they reflect on things that have meaning in their lives, and that’s always a good thing. For others, it’s “Earth Day,” and that involves reflecting on human relationships with the rock on which we live. Some people celebrate/acknowledge both. And still others try to reflect on things more often, and make changes or deal with what life throws at them.

I bring this up because this morning on NPR I heard an episode of “Story Corps” that just warmed my heart. Story Corps, for those of you who don’t know, is a series of oral interviews conducted by people like you and me with friends and family members. It’s oral history, and it’s kept on file in an archive. Every day people, talking about what’s happening in their lives.

Today’s episode featured Steven Wells, talking to his 27-year-old daughter about how he felt when he brought her home from the hospital just after she was born, and what she means to him.

And then I started thinking about a good friend of mine who is losing her father to Alzheimer’s, and how difficult and heart-rending that journey has been for her and her family and, in ways we don’t understand, for her father, who is no longer the man he was throughout my friend’s life, though there are still glimmers of that within him. My friend has been keeping a blog/journal about her family’s experience with Alzheimer’s, and how it affects not only her father, but his friends and family. It’s a moving, wrenching, transcendently human story about life and what we make of it. This is not easy or comfortable reading. Alzheimer’s is not pretty or kind. It isn’t gentle with the people it affects, or on the family and friends, or on the medical personnel who are called in to help as the disease’s grip tightens.

But it is necessary reading, because my friend reminds us that even in the midst of a terrible disease like this, there are very human, loving moments that affect us all. So no matter where you stand in these crazy times, no matter your views on anything, we are all, ultimately human, part of the human family, and we all make the trip from birth to death. Remember to tell your friends and family that you love them (no matter how crazy they sometimes make you), and remember that even people you might not like have friends and family, too.

Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate it, happy Earth Day for those of you who celebrate that, and Happy Passover to those of you who are engaged in that celebration.

Peace.

by Categories: Inspiration, Things that might make you thinkTags: 2 Comments

Fun (I hope) stuff: some interviews with my characters

Hey, folks. I’m working a few different writing projects at once, so I’m running around like a freak at the moment. For those of you who are not familiar with my work, you can check the “books” section of my site here and the “stories” section to get a taste of it. I offer excerpts from my novels and a few freebie short stories. Sort of a “try before you buy” thing.

And, at the blogsite Women and Words, where I spend a lot of time (this month, we’re blogging the alphabet and tomorrow I’ll be posting the entry for S), I talk about the publishing business and about my work and some other things. So, with that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to a couple of my characters, who I had the good fortune of sitting down and chatting with. One, K.C. Fontero, is the main character in the first and third books of my New Mexico mystery series. The first is Land of Entrapment and the third is The Ties that Bind. Sage Crandall is K.C.’s love interest, but she has a rep as being a force unto herself. In a good way. 🙂

So here are the links to those interviews, for funsies.

K.C. Fontero

Sage Crandall

I do chats with my characters because it helps me work some stuff out with regard to that aspect of writing. So, for writers, give it a try and for readers, hope you find it at least interesting.

Happy writing, happy reading!

by Categories: Books, Inspiration, Writing tipsTags: , , 2 Comments

Bummerific: A Different Light fades to black

I’m not pleased at all to report that A Different Light Bookstore in San Francisco is closing its doors.


Source: The Edge, Boston

Different Light was the oldest and probably among the most beloved LGBT bookstores — nay, institutions — in the country. It opened in 1979 and has been a beacon for thousands of people since then, an iconic Castro bookstore at which prominent members of the LGBT gay literati would gather and do readings (like Armisted Maupin, for example).

Last year, owner Bill Barker told The Bay Citizen that the store was struggling financially and that digital innovations like the Kindle had hurt in-store sales.

It’s not just a store’s closing that hurts. It’s the loss of another place where LGBT people could go and be accepted, to feel safe for a while in the company of people who also identified as LGBT, and to be surrounded by books written by and for LGBT audiences. A Different Light wasn’t just a bookstore. It was a salon, a safe zone, a focal point for community, a meeting place, and a part of the tapestry that makes up the LGBT experience in this country. I’m already mourning.

Please, support your local independent booksellers, no matter how you identify.

Happy reading.

by Categories: Books, Stuff that sucks, Stuff that totally and completely sucksTags: , ,