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.

Random Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tip

Hey, kids — Saturday, and you know what that probably means…

Your handy dandy tip that’ll hopefully help you survive in event of a zombie apocalypse or, honestly, in any other kind of catastrophic freak-out.

I’ve provided some ideas on how to get out of urban areas as well as the pros and cons of guns (see here and here).

Today’s tip is about your ZAS kit. Y’know, it’s always a good idea to keep some items at the ready for any kind of scariness, whether it’s an evacuation because of a natural event or a mass panic flee-fest in event of an unnatural event (i.e. zombies). And once you have your kit, it’s a good idea to check on it every couple of months to make sure the stuff is still good/hasn’t expired (like any meds you put in there).

YES! Prepare me!

Continue reading →

by Categories: Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tips, ZombiesTags: ,

Random Slot Canyon Slideshows

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a Southwesterner born n’ bred, and some of my absolute fave landscapes are red rock canyon lands. If you read the first book in my NM series (hint: “Land of Entrapment”), see if you notice the slot canyon reference. I derive endless hours of inspiration from visiting canyon lands and from just looking at photos of them.

And that’s why I’m sharing some slideshows I found with you. Because there’s just not enough beauty going around the world at the moment, and I think there’s always time for a zen moment.


source

From americansoutwest.net:
Slot canyons, Escalante River (UT) slideshow

Holeman Canyon, Canyonlands National Park (UT)

Static photos, Cottonwood Wash, Capitol Reef (CO)

Static photos, Buckskin Gulch, Paria River (UT)

ommmmmmmm…

by Categories: Coolness, Inspiration, Random WTF stuff, The AwesomeTags: , , 1 Comment

Doing your homework

Hey, folks–

If you’re an insane writer-type like me, then you tend to do your homework about publishers before you sign on the dotted line. A few tips:

1) Make sure it’s a house that publishes your genre. Go check out the website and look through the book catalog to make sure it’s a match. Not sure what houses might be a match? If you write romances, find out where your fave authors are published. If you write lesfic, e.g., what houses publish the authors you’re reading?

2) Check with other authors. They can’t always reveal the inner workings of the publisher they’re signed with, but they can probably give you some basic info and basic impressions without opening a giant can of worms. Of course, if an author is super happy, he or she is going to tell you that. If he or she is not, he or she might politely decline to talk about it.

3) Trusty Google! Type in the publisher’s name with “complaints” and see what comes up.

4) check sites like Predators and Editors to see if the publisher you’re interested in is recommended or not. And here you go, some handy linkies to watchdog sites!

Predators and Editors
Writer Beware (affiliated with Science Fiction Writers of America)
Absolute Write

And here’re some good tips for self-publishing authors.

Point being, the writing stuff is fun. The business end — maybe not so much, but it’s super important so you’ve got to do it.

Happy writing and happy publishing!

by Categories: Uncategorized

Quickie Writer Tip

Hi, folks–

I find short stories really difficult to write. I don’t really consider myself that good at them, and it’s an art form I’d like to get a handle on. So I came across this blog today that provides some good fuel toward that goal:

Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers

Good stuff. Like, doing catchy first paragraphs. And emergency tips, like getting your theme nailed down ASAP. Oh, and developing characters (basically, you need to know way more about your character than you’ll use in the story). Includes tips on dialogue, point-of-view, and how to use setting and context.

So there you go. Get crackin’ on your short stories! (ditto for me)

Oh, and don’t forget the “Blog the Alphabet” tour is under way at Women and Words. Today’s letter is D!

Happy writing, happy reading!

by Categories: Writing tipsTags: , 2 Comments

Sunday readin’ tip

Hi, weekenders! A friend of mine and I were talking about books we’d read that really grabbed us and both of us agreed that rocker/poet/writer/Renaissance woman Patti Smith‘s memoir Just Kids that captures her younger years with fellow Renaissance man Robert Mapplethorpe was a hell of a read. I’m so glad she wrote this, because if offered a view of not only her inner workings, but Mapplethorpe’s, as well, and I think I, at least, came away with a new understanding of his work through Smith’s eyes.


source

Smith traces her life in NYC during the 1960s and 1970s, flavored by her own dreams and evolving relationship with Mapplethorpe. This was a time in which artists and musicians moved freely through each other’s circles, performed at clubs like CBGB‘s, and built networks across genres and disciplines. How much has changed in 30-40 years. This story, my friend and I theorized, could not happen today, because of the corporatization of the music industry and the advent of the Internet. The close-knit world of art, music, literature, and poetry that colored NYC during those years, and the historical backdrop of the 60s and 70s allowed a revolution in expression and captured a moment that both echoed its surroundings and shifted the currents of artistic discourse.

Smith’s book — winner of the National Book Prize — is a poetic rendering of those years, and a deeply moving and close-to-the-bone reminiscence of life, love, and the humanity within us all. It’s an homage, an epic poem, and an exquisitely rendered memoir. If you decide to embark on this journey with Smith, I don’t think you’ll be unmoved.

Happy reading!

by Categories: Books, The AwesomeTags: , , , 1 Comment

Random Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tip

Hey, kids! Yep, it’s time for another ZAS tip. You can find last week’s here. That one’s about getting your happy butt out of urban areas. Remember, the more people in an area, the more potential zombies. So it stands to reason, right, that you want to get away from these areas.

Today’s tip: Pros and cons of guns in a zombie apocalypse.


source

Go see!

Continue reading →

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

Blogging the Alphabet…

Hi, kids!

I also blog over at Women and Words, a collective of women who write. This month, we’re doing this thing called “Blogging the Alphabet,” which means that each of us is assigned specific letters and we have to come up with a topic that starts with whatever letter we have for that day.

Today is the first of the month (DUH!), and I got the honor of starting us off with the letter A.

So head on over to see what (and who) I came up with for our inaugural “Blogging the Alphabet” postiness.

Thanks, and happy Friday!

by Categories: Announcements, Books, CoolnessTags: ,

All hail the TIKI!!!!!

I have another obsession besides zombies. Okay, it’s not as much of an obsession, but it is part of my kitschy side. At one time, I owned easily 15 different authentic Hawaiian shirts, many with tiki icons on them, a few genuine retro, and some so hideously ugly that only a furiously angry and displeased tiki god would appreciate them as much as I did.

I also try to go to tiki bars whenever I can to partake of the absolute kitsch fest that this aspect of our strange American culture hides in the backs of its lounges.

I bring this up because tiki culture just SCREAMS for some fun settings for writing.

More! CLICK IT!

Continue reading →

by Categories: Random WTF stuff, The Awesome, TikiTags: , , 1 Comment

Things writers should NOT do

Hey, folks–

You may have heard this one before, but here it is again. This link has been making the rounds through the writing/reading community as an example of how authors should NOT respond to reviews.

Yeah. Um…I’m embarrassed for this author, who ends up coming across as, unfortunately, unprofessional and unable to deal with critique, whether constructive or not. The author then made it a lot worse and responded in the comments section (more than once), with more of the same behavior. Yikes! The author even told someone to “f*** off.” Holy career enders, Batman!

Give me more! Yes, more! Click on…

Continue reading →

by Categories: Book reviews, Books, Publishing bizness, Random WTF stuff, Things you shouldn't do, Writing tipsTags: , , , , 4 Comments

Love them Smart Bitches n’ Trashy Books

I’m totally going to pimp one of the funniest freakin’ blogs I’ve come across. That’s Smart Bitches and Trashy Books, where the object of the game is to review and discuss romance novels, publishing, generalized awesome topics, snark at dickheads, and just flat out make me glad I’m not on their bad side. I was practically holding my sides at this review of a particular book that was so overburdened by metaphors and similes that the reviewer could not even finish the book.

Behold:

The opening paragraph stopped me cold. Mostly because it is two sentences long, but oh, what sentences they are. Here is where I resolve never to use another metaphor or simile again, because clearly I don’t know what the hell I am doing.

Honey would sometimes think of Dusty, and it was like she twisted a dial and opened a steel door to a safe in her heart where she kept her grandest jewels—bittersweet memories, surrounded by a poignant moat. Some were vivid as fallen red bougainvillea petals, while others drifted by aimlessly, as vague and faded as old photographs in a dark flooded cellar.

I feel like I’m watching one of those informercials about educational programs guaranteed to improve your memory. Safe! Jewels! Poignant moat! Petals! Photographs! Flooded cellar! French drains! Homeowner’s Insurance! Flood Policy!

The awesome-ness continues from there. Check it out. And FOR SURE check out their “Greatest Hits.” It will leave you achy with TEH LAUGH.

by Categories: Coolness, Random WTF stuff, Super cool blogs, The AwesomeTags: , , , 2 Comments