Hey, peeps–
Author Eden Glenn had me over for a spot of tea and a little Q&A today. We talked about my latest novella, From the Boots Up, writing, and a couple other things. I’m giving away a .pdf of From the Boots Up, so come on down and comment if you’d like in on the drawing.
Click this link to go over to Eden’s and hang out with me. 😀
Happy Tuesday!
Oh, and it’s National Hug Your Cat Day, so if you have a kitty, give it some lovies.
Hi, kids. I blogged some resources and organizations over at Women and Words to donate to on this Memorial Day. Find that here.
Commemorate those veterans who are lost, remember their families, and let’s also help our veterans still with us, and their families, as well.
The Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia ends today. Thanks to all who participated, and thanks to all the readers who came by. I’ll be picking a winner tonight and notifying said winner within 30 minutes of the 9 PM EST drawing and I’ll post that winner’s name (the handle he or she left on the comment) on the blog I did for the hop.
Hope everyone had a safe weekend, and to those of you who serve or have served, thank you. To those families who have lost someone in service in our armed forces, our thoughts are with you and many of us are trying to help organizations that help veterans and their families if we can’t help you directly.
Thanks, all, and I’ll catch you later this week.
Happy reading, happy writing.
Hey, all–
Fellow author R.G. Emanuelle is giving away a copy of her debut vampire novel, Twice Bitten, at Women and Words today.
Go get you some! R.G. will be holding the drawing tonight, 9 PM EST.
And don’t forget the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia, still ongoing, in honor of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
I blogged, and you can get in on the prizes I’m offering by clicking RIGHT FREAKING HERE. We’ll be doing this ’til the 27th. If you go to the Hop website, you’ll see almost 200 other authors involved, and every one of ’em is offering cool words and cool prizes to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
So there you go. Some cool stuff going on.
Happy reading!
Hi, peeps!
So this Friday is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. To mark that event, I’m participating in a blog hop that’ll be going on from May 17-27 on a whole bunch of different sites. For realz, yo. It’s a veritable cornucopia o’ blogging about this important issue. Seriously. Almost 200 authors/writers signed up.
My blog goes up on the 17th, and along with my thoughts about homophobia and transphobia (beyond the “totally sucks” kind of comments), I’m also doing a little giveaway. All the blog hoppers are doing giveaways, so when we launch, make sure you go and check out some of the other blogs to get some different perspectives, get introduced to new writers, and maybe snag some swag. My blog will include a handy linkie thing at the end that will send you flinging through cyberspace to other blogs involved in the hop.
Wanna see more info about who’s doing the hop? Here’s the link to the Blog Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
There you go. And now, just cuz every time I hear the word “hop” used with “blog,” I always think of Danny and the Juniors and this song.
Hope to see you this coming week!
Skip on over to Women and Words and catch author Baxter Clare Trautman‘s interview with thriller writer Amanda Kyle Williams. FOR REALZ!
And if you haven’t read Williams’ stuff, WHY NOT? Find out more about her at her website.
Oh, and don’t forget. Ironman 3 opens today!
Other stuff:
Jimmy Kimmel doing Lie Witness News. Made-up bands that people insist they know in the line-up at Coachella 2013.
Heh. The Suburban Jungle blog.
Fun tip:
Think up some random search terms to plug into Google and see what comes up. I just tried “Yikes, monkeys” and “butt zombies.” You’re welcome.
Happy Friday!
Hey, there peeperinos!
This September, I’m going to be involved with an event outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. An author extravaganza/BBQ/reading/hanging out with readers kinda thing.
When: Saturday, September 14, 2013, 2-4 PM
Where: Pine Flats Picnic Area, Highway 14 south of Tijeras, NM (don’t worry, we’ll be helping you out on how to get there and all that good stuff–it’s about 20 miles from Albuquerque)
Who: Andi Marquette (that’s me), Lynn Ames, Karen Badger, Barrett, Bett Reece Johnson, Nat Burns
Other: yes, we’ll be selling print copies of our books and yes, we’ll have burgers n’ hotdogs n’ veggie burgers and like that.
More info: Western Women Writers (of NM) Facebook page.
And here’s a flyer (.pdf) for your viewing pleasure!
NM event flyer
We’ll be providing more info at the FB page, including some suggestions about places to stay in Albuquerque, things to do, and maps to the event. It’s not that far, but you will need a car.
source: Citydata (re-sized here)
Don’t flip out. Tijeras is 14 miles from Albuquerque. The picnic area is about 6 miles south of Tijeras.
Stay tuned! I’ll be posting info here, as well, and at Women and Words.
My gracious, peeps. I’m sort of out of hand up in here. I went on down to the Cocktail Hour for a Bar Conversation with Andy. We talked about books, writing, writing process, the upcoming GCLS conference, and a whole slew of other stuff. Hope you go and check it out. We had a hell of a good time. But then, I ALWAYS have a good time at Cocktail Hour!
I believe I’m slated to do a readings thingie on the Liz McMullen show in the next week or so. Not sure yet what I’ll be reading of mine, but it’ll probably include some unknown and unseen works-in-progress. I’ll let you know when that’s ready for your listening pleasure.
So now I’m a little lost without Walking Dead to get therapy over. Thank god(dess) Lemony Snicket took over Twitter for a bit to help us deal with our fears. Check it out. It’s darkly funny, as you would expect.
And here’s a cool post at Writer Unboxed by author Erika Robuck on how words can nourish in various ways.
And one of my fave writers/bloggers, Chuck Wendig, points out again that self-publishing versus traditional publishing isn’t some kind of epic war between Orcs and Hobbits. One might not work for you, or the other might not. Who cares? Do what works for you. I’m a hybrid between the two, and I generally tinker and explore all kinds of options and platforms. Oh, and check out his review/experience with Bioshock Infinite.
Oh, and cuz I kind of collect a few comics, here are some cool comics blogs to check out:
Comics Worth Reading (lots of great, meaty discussions here)
Comics Alliance (good info about stuff that’s out there, events, and stuff that’s on the way)
Bleeding Cool (comics news and other groovy stuff like that)
Hey, peeps!
As some of you found out last week, I’ve got some stuff in the hopper, some stuff comin’ up, and a new novella for your (hopefully) reading pleasure. Here, in case you missed that info.
I will also be attending the GCLS conference in Dallas this June. I’ll be on a panel and doing some chat stuff and all that good stuff. Oh, here’s the schedule, so you can see what’s up.
Yes, that’s me, there, teaching a master class. Not that I’m a “mas-tah” type, mind you. That’s just what these kinds of things are called. So I thought I’d provide a little bit o’ info for you, so you can see what this class is all about.
It’s called “Setting at the End of the World.” Uh-huh. One of those cryptic Andi things. Here’s the description:
Setting is part of the infrastructure of fiction narrative. Setting can determine plot arc, characterization, and subplots. The WHERE of a story is, in a sense, another character, because it can play into regional differences, the culture behind a character’s motivations and identity, and the parameters of actions that characters can take.
Authors can overlook it or don’t use its potential in their work. They take it for granted (easy to do, people. Don’t think I haven’t, either), and don’t observe the things that go on even in the every day places around them. Therefore, what I encourage authors to do — those who are just starting out and those who have been at it for a while — is to take an extreme scenario and use that as a backdrop to practice character sketches and plot outlines.
An extreme setting gets people out of their usual place, both literally and figuratively, and encourages them to pick its elements apart and apply those lessons to the settings with which they’re more comfortable.
So in this class, we’ll be working with a post-apocalyptic setting on Earth and explore how something like that can affect characters, their relationships with each other and the world around them, and the overall narrative structures and plot arcs of the fictional scenarios we come up with during the session. When we’re done, I hope to have demonstrated how important setting can be as an element in fiction, and ways to effectively integrate it into story-telling. I also hope to stimulate the powers of observation of those who participate, so that they take that with them back to their writing with which they can create deeper, richer layers for their narratives.
There you go. Sound groovy? Well, if you’re going to be at GCLS, hope you check it out.
Otherwise, happy writing, happy reading, happy Monday!
Hey, peeps–
Okay, so wow. It seems that people are digging the two main characters in From the Boots Up and I’ve gotten some luuuuv and some questions about what’s next for Meg n’ Gina. Well, don’t you worry. I’ve got a novel I’m finishing up with the “what’s next.” You didn’t really think I was through with those two, did you? Muah ha ha! Stay tuned!
Other stuff. I was interviewed recently by the awesome Liz McMullen at her show, so if you’d like to hear me blather on about books and writing and go off on some tangents with her, well, there it is. I also do a reading from the latest in my New Mexico series, which is in progress and not published yet! So if you’ve been following that series, well, here’s your chance to see what Chris is going to be up to in book 4. Plus, Liz put together a super-awesome slideshow to accompany the chatting. Hit the link up there to check it out.
Other, other stuff. I will be attending the annual GCLS conference in June. It’s in Dallas this year. I’ll be running around like a freak, as usual. I’ve been scheduled for a panel or two (not sure yet; waiting to see), and I will be TEACHING A CLASS, people. Or workshop. Whatever you want to call it. The class deals with setting and learning how it can be its own character. I’m trying to get y’all to think about your surroundings in ways that will help you bring it into your own writing. I’ll let you know the deets when the schedule is posted for GCLS.
I’ve also got something planned for mid-September. It’s kind of still percolating, and an awesome crew of fellow authors and readers are working on getting some stuff together for that, but I’ll keep you posted. It’ll be super-groovy. For reals. You’ll see.
What’s in the hopper: As you know, I just released From the Boots Up. The third in my Far Seek Chronicles is with the publisher and in editing. I’ll probably be getting the edited manuscript back next month. New Mexico 4 (I’ll release the title once I’m closer to sending it to the publisher) is nearly done; I’m planning on sending that to the publisher in June. And THEN. Well. I’ve got a couple of romance novels to deal with, including the follow-up to Meg n’ Gina (from Boots).
So there you go. That’s the scoop. Staying busy. Hoping everyone’s well and that you all have a fab Thursday.
Hi, people!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, to those of you who celebrate it.
In honor of such awesome-ness, I’m running a promo at Amazon. Today, my latest romance novella on Kindle, “From the Boots Up,” is FREE. Yes. You read that right. FREAKIN’ FREE.
Go get you some.
Hope the rest of your weekend rocks.
Andi Marquette 