Summer is Over...

... or at least, very nearly. It's been an amazing summer, I don't mind telling you. Great weather, plenty of rain (the Ozarks are a rainforest right now, compared to this time last year), exciting events - no complaints!
I won't bore you with the details of my entire summer, but I will take a few moments to talk about Realm Makers, which was definitely the highlighting event!
If you didn't hear about it beforehand, Realm Makers was the first-ever writers conference specifically designed for Christian writers of speculative fiction. And it. Was. Awesome. I met some amazing people, had the privilege of shaking the hands of people I'd previously only met online, and had a great time enjoying the company of a whole troop of people just as crazy and creative and nerdy as me!

We were able to get all three of the Lost Scribes together, which is a rare treat these days. Elyn (far right) rode up to St. Louis with me (second from left) and my friend Michaela (second from right), and Heather (far left) came all the way down from Michigan. In this picture we're hanging out at the Friday night costume dinner with Becky Minor, the reason we even had such a thing as a Realm Makers conference. So a huge thank-you to her for an awesome weekend!

You may have noticed in the first picture a bit of a steampunk theme - at least on the part of Michaela, Elyn, and myself. That wasn't entirely intentional, but it ended up being pretty cool. Pictured here is the pile of weaponry and other steampunk accoutrements we brought along. Michaela made the ray gun herself - yeah, she's cool that way. And for the record: you should have seen the looks she got when she waltzed through Steak & Shake on Saturday still wearing the sabre, ray gun, and bowie knives - with Elyn and me tagging along, acting like this is perfectly normal. We laughed about it for most of the trip home.

Oh, the people we met! In this picture with me is none other than Kathy Tyers! I was so excited to meet her Friday night at the costume dinner/awards banquet (yes, I was there when they announced this year's winner of the Parable Award and the Clive Staples Award, which was awesome), but the coolest part was on Saturday, when I walked down to the lobby to find the Kathy Tyers sitting at a table talking to my mother. Seriously - can it get any cooler than that? (Mom was our chauffeur for the weekend, in case you're wondering why she was there. She said she wasn't going to turn us loose in St. Louis, so apparently she either doesn't trust us, was worried we would be so overloaded with excitement that we couldn't find our way home, or suspected we might just choose not to come back.) So Saturday I got to enjoy a long lunch break with my mom, two of my best friends, and one of my favorite authors.
Among other personages with whom I made acquaintance over the weekend were L.B. Graham, author of The Binding of the Blade series; Brian Davis, author of the Dragons of Starlight series (and with whom I sat down and had a lovely chat about my novel The Sword Masters of St. George's Academy); Jeff Gerke, commander-in-chief of Marcher Lord Press; and of course Becky Minor, author of the Windrider Saga.
Best of all, I got to see Grace Bridges, leading lady of Splashdown Books, again - this time officially as "my publisher"! Yep, she made the trek all the way from New Zealand to be at Realm Makers. I also got to meet a lot of the other Splashdown and Avenir Eclectia authors too - Deborah Cullins-Smith, Kat Heckenbach, Travis Perry, and Robbyn Tolbert. I'll admit, I was a little intimidated about meeting Robbyn. She's the one currently working on Song of the Wren-Falcon, helping me get it ready for publication, and for some reason that just really, really freaked me out. But with the help of my friend Heather ("Help" in this instance indicating Heather dragging Robbyn over to me by the hand, shoving me towards her, and saying "Now talk to each other!"), we broke the ice and started getting to know one another.
Let me just say that, having met and talked to Robbyn, I feel totally at peace entrusting her and all the rest of the Splashdown crew with my manuscript. Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't have submitted my novel to Splashdown at all if I was worried they might mess it up - but still, it's my baby, you know?
Now though, I have every confidence in the world that by the time it's done, Song of the Wren-Falcon is going to be absolutely the best novel that it can possibly be. And it's going to be good for me as a writer, as well as for the novel itself. I'm not going to be allowed to get away with any cheap tricks or short cuts (which, I confess, I did use here and there in SotS - yes, I know it's not SotS anymore but that's way simpler an abbreviation than SotW-F).
But more on that in another post. For now, back to Realm Makers.

So, we three Lost Scribes (say - someone should write a song about that!) were milling around at the costume banquet, and all of a sudden who should we spot but a man with a cybernetic left arm?! Naturally, we had to tell him about our character Skylar, and get a picture with him.

Here we are, being epic - because it's Realm Makers and we can do that. ; ) Later, as the three of us were geeking out about the fact that we'd found Skylar, we realized that Ben Wolf (the cyborg gentleman who graced us with his presence in these pictures) doesn't look at all like Skylar in the face... but he does look a lot like our character Hezekiah in the face. And, were Hez a decent human being in any basic capacity, we decided that we could easily imagine his personality being similar to Mr. Wolf's. So we got to met two of the characters from our shared novel, rolled into one master of writing conference ceremonies/magazine editor.
Which brings me to another highlight of the weekend! On Friday, Ben Wolf and Andrew Winch, the executive and senior editors of Splickety Magazine, respectively, gave a talk on what flash fiction is, and how to write it. (Flash fiction is what Splickety Magazine publishes.)
At the end of the talk, they announced a contest: write a story of 500 or fewer words and turn it in to them by noon on Saturday. The winner would get published in the first edition of Havok, a new imprint of Splickety coming in January.
So, instead of sleeping like we should have done Friday night, Elyn, Michaela, and I all stayed up most of the night, woke up abominably early Saturday morning, and spent most of the time during the morning lectures scribbling stories instead of taking notes. We all got them turned in, and settled down to wait eagerly for the announcement of the winner, set to take place at 5:00 pm.
It finally rolled around, and they started announcing the runners-up. Elyn made the finals, with her story Wolf Myth!
I didn't make the finals, but I was just glad that I would be able to say I entered the flash fiction contest at the first-ever Realm Makers conference.
But then they announced the winner... and it was me!!! I literally almost fell over. I had no expectation whatsoever of winning, so hearing my name blindsided me completely. Which turned out to be a problem, since they then asked me to read my story aloud to the entire assembly of conference attendees. Elyn says I read it a little too fast. I imagine that to mean something along the lines of Twitchy from Hoodwinked. But oh well.
So, that means that if you subscribe to Havok, you can expect to see my story, The Mermaid's Pocketwatch, in the inaugural issue!
It was a great way to wrap up an utterly fantastic weekend. I'm so glad I got to enjoy it with so many of my closest friends, authors I've loved for years, my publisher and new colleagues, and new friends made.
Come to think of it, it made a pretty nice finale to the summer. Here's to next time!

If you've actually made it to this point in the post, you're amazing. I know, it was insanely long. I should have done a three-part series or something.
I still don't have internet at home (another one of those ridiculous details about my summer that I won't bore you with), but I've got things arranged so that I should be able to get to wi-fi at least a couple of time a week now. Most of the posts this fall will probably be scheduled as a result, but I'll try to still reply to comments and post at least every week or so.

I hope everyone's summer was wonderful, and I'm looking forward to this fall. God's doing some cool things, and I'm excited to watch them unfold.

How was your summer?

Realm Makers - the moment we've all been waiting for!

Christian writers, get ready for a history-making event:

The first-ever Christian Speculative Fiction Conference!

On August 2-3, 2013, writers, editors, and publishers from around the world will be gathered at the University of Missouri, St Louis, for the first-ever Realm Makers conference - a writers conference for lovers of the question "what if?", whose faith is the top priority.

Click Here to visit their homepage and get all the information you need.

~*~

I am so excited about this, I don't know how I'm going to keep it together until August. Grace Bridges, leading lady of Splashdown Books, is going to be there, as are spec-fic pioneer Jeff Gerke of Marcher Lord Press; Chila Woychick, editor of Port Yonder Press; L.B. Graham, author of the Binding of the Blade series; Kathy Tyers, author of the Firebird trilogy; and more! (And of course, for those who may care, you can meet me too! ; )

There's also going to be a costume ball on the first night of the conference, which promises to be absolutely fabulous!

If you register before June 1st, you can take advantage of an early bird discount. Registration costs go up after that, so no dilly-dallying!

Meteorite Hits Russia

If you're like me and don't watch the news, you might not have heard yet about the meteorite that struck Russia yesterday.

I only heard about it because my dad saw it on the news at work last night. So far it looks like about 1,100 people have sustained injuries due to the massive sonic boom that shattered windows and caused several explosions, so we need to be sure to keep those people in our prayers.

Just watching Youtube videos of the fireball flying through the sky and the explosions shaking the ground gave me chills, so I can't begin to imagine how scary it must have been for the people who were actually there, witnessing it first hand. (I think my first thought probably would have been "Missile!") Several years ago my brothers and I did witness a huge meteor that, we later learned, was seen over five states in the mid-west. Seeing a huge, burning chunk of rock literally tumbling end-over-end across the sky totally freaked us out, but there was no sonic boom or explosion to go with it so I'm sure the fear we felt then was nothing next to what people were feeling in Russia yesterday.
There really are some amazing videos of this on Youtube, so you should go check them out - especially you science fiction writers out there. This is the kind of stuff you normally only get to see in books and movies. It's not often you get to see the real thing!

It's amazing to me to see things like this. It's a sobering reminder of just how small we really are. I doubt many of us have ever thought to thank God for keeping us from being hit by meteors... but maybe it's time that changed. I know I'm thankful that I haven't had to live through that kind of an ordeal (yet, anyway). I'm thankful that my missionary friends in Russia are safe and sound. I'm thankful the meteor didn't hit in the middle of a city, which it very easily could have. God is good, my friends.


Any thoughts on this event, anyone?

Merry Christmas, Writers!

In the residual wake of NaNoWriMo, we writers could all use a little TLC, right? Well, TLC is just exactly what the gals over at Charlie and Me are giving away.

Hop on over to their blog now and enter to win the Writers' Care Package giveaway. I've been following their blog for some time now, and I can tell you they're a great source of entertainment, encouragement, and good old-fashioned writing fun. So writers, don't miss this giveaway!

Happy Dictionary Day!

We've been having a lot of fun the last few days, playing with words, learning new words, and sharing our favorite words. And now the big day itself has finally arrived - Dictionary Day!

Which of course, brings us to the moment you've all been waiting so eagerly for: revealing the winner of the Writer's Lair Dictionary Day Giveaway!

You all shared some fabulous new words in your entries - definitely some new ones to me - and I appreciate the posts you all put on your own blogs. Y'all did great! And now, without further delay, the winner! *passes hat full of slips to Mom, who fumbles around blindly among all the little papers and pulls one out*

And the winner is...

Kay J. Fields!

Congratulations, Kay J! Send me an email in the next day or two, and we'll get your Flip Dictionary to you as soon as we can!

Well, that about wraps up our Dictionary Day celebration. Hope you all enjoy your day greatly! I'm going to be off the air for the next day or two, for a very special reason: Grace Bridges, the owner of Splashdown Books and author of Legendary Space Pilgrims, is traveling around the U.S., all the way from New Zealand - and I'm going to get to meet her! I'm also going to get to meet two of the other authors who've contributed to the Avenir Eclectia anthology, so I'm super excited about that as well. Promise, I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

So once again, congratulations to Kay J, a hearty thank you to those who participated, and a Happy Dictionary Day to all!

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway! (and other news)

That's right, today is the last day to enter the Writer's Lair Dictionary Day Giveaway. (I should have come up with something shorter to call it.) You have until Midnight tonight to get your entry in for a chance to win the Flip Dictionary. If you haven't already read the rules for entering, Click Here. The lucky winner will be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned!

In other news, Elizabeth Kaiser, author of The Jeweler's Apprentice, has done me the great honor of interviewing me on her blog, E. Kaiser Writes. We had a ton of fun putting the interview together over the weekend, and she's asked some great writing-related questions that were both fun and challenging to answer. So if you've ever wondered what kind of character I most enjoy writing, or what I consider my biggest writing fault to be, hop over to E. Kaiser Writes and read the interview!

And lastly, for those of you who have been diligently following The Lost Scribes and reading Falls the Shadow, chances are you've read the final chapter already. (My fellow Lost Scribes and I have received multiple threats of grievous bodily harm, and have been informed by several friends that they are no longer speaking to us as a result of that chapter.)
Now it's time, and the Epilogue of Falls the Shadow is here. The same voice that gave you your first glimpse of Shandor Rei in the Prologue is ready to close the tale... and you won't want to miss it. Click Here to read the final words of Falls the Shadow.

And of course, tomorrow is Dictionary Day, so be sure to pop in for the announcement of the winner of the Dictionary Day drawing! That's something else you won't want to miss! ; )

The First-Ever Writer's Lair Book Giveaway!

October is my favorite month all around, but after just coming through the hottest, driest summer of my lifetime so far, I'm especially excited to welcome it this year! Time to start filling the house with the smell of baking pumpkins, take the last cuttings from the herb garden, clean the chimneys, build up the woodpile, and plow up the garden. And for the more leisurely side of things, too - long, long walks through the autumn woods, listening to the leaves fall, watching thousands of geese pass overhead, looking like pencil sketches of mountain ranges as they fly in their mismatched Vs, making tea in the old camp pot over fires in the woods, laying on a hillside soaking up the last of the year's sunshine, getting ready for trapping season... I love life in the country.

And, this October, I'm very excited to be hosting the first-ever book giveaway here at the Writer's Lair! Here's how it's going to work:
October 16 is Dictionary Day - a fun holiday, I thought, for writers and readers and word-lovers-all-'round to observe. We're going to be having a lot of fun with words in general here at the Lair over the next couple of weeks, but October 16th is the day the winner of the contest will be announced.
And, since I know you're all dying to know, the book I will be giving away is (*drumroll*) a brand-new copy of the Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer.

I can say without hesitation that this book is the single most valuable monetary investment I have ever made in my writing career. I have used it almost every single day for four years. As the cover says, the Flip Dictionary is 'For when you know what you want to say but can't think of the word'. And it really works! By looking up a key word or phrase, you can find just about anything you're looking for in this dictionary.
Can't remember the word for a person who says something hilarious with a completely sober expression? The word is 'deadpan'. It's in the Flip Dictionary under 'Serious face when telling a joke'.
Need to know what those rib-like beams in the hull of a ship are called? It's a 'futtock', and you can find it in the Flip Dictionary under 'Ship and Shipping Terms'.
The lists in this book are great, too. Look up the word 'Purple', for instance, and you come up with a list of fifty-two different words for colors of purple.
It also works great as a thesaurus. Say one of your characters is laughing, but you want a word that's a little more specifically descriptive than 'laugh'. Well, look up 'laugh' in the Flip Dictionary, and you find a list of synonyms... though I'm not sure I would recommend using the word 'cachinnate' in something you plan on submitting for publication. 'Howl' or 'giggle' might be better. ; )
Excited yet? Me too!

With my novel, Son of the Shield, currently out in the wilds searching for a home with a publishing house, I'm trying to add as many followers as I can to this blog, so SotS will have as big a welcoming committee as possible once it finds its way into the world of published books.
So, Rule #1 of the Dictionary Day contest is that you must be following the Writer's Lair. If you're not currently doing that, you can do it by clicking the 'Join This Site' button on the right-hand sidebar, just over the 'Followers' list.
If you're already a follower of the Writer's Lair, all you'll be required to do is follow the instructions that will be announced the Saturday before Dictionary Day. (Don't worry - they won't be hard.)
However, if you would like to increase your chances of winning, you can announce the contest on your own blog and refer your readers to the Lair. If you do this, leave me a comment letting me know you've done it, and include a link to your post. Doing this will give you an extra slip in the hat when it comes time for the drawing!
Word-of-mouth referrals are greatly appreciated too, though for obvious reasons I can't give extra credit for those. If you have friends who love Christian fantasy, send them this way!
Beyond that, the only thing you have to do to enter this contest is follow the instructions I will give you closer to Dictionary Day itself. Remember, the winner of the Flip Dictionary will be announced on that day, the 16th.

I'm so excited that God has given me the opportunity to do something like this, and I'm looking forward to the 16th!

Autumn Plans and Happenings

Hello again! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, a delightful Hobbit Day, and a glorious beginning to the autumn season!
Personally, I am very excited to be moving on into fall. It's my favorite season anyway, but this fall in particular there's a lot going on that I'm excited about and looking forward to. There's going to be a lot happening here at the Lair too, so here's a quick update of what's going on and what's coming up:

- Many of you have been lifting up my friend Andrew in prayer, since he lost a finger in a farming accident a week and a half ago. His finger is healing well, but he could still use our prayers. He spent this past Thursday and Friday in the hospital having his appendix out. Yeah, it kinda stinks to be him right now. So continued prayers would be appreciated.

- The book trailer for Son of the Shield is in the works! God has provided me with a group of very willing and capable friends, and with their help and His blessing the trailer is going to be awesome! Right now I'm in the process of casting people in roles as my characters - a surprisingly difficult undertaking. There is no shortage of willing volunteers, the trouble is just finding people whose appearances are appropriate for the characters they'll be portraying. They're slowly coming into place, though, so all is well.
On that same note, thank you to all those who shared their opinions and advice in the poll I held recently regarding the teaser for the trailer. It looks like we'll just be making versions of the trailer instead of just picking one (since the votes never really singled out one teaser), but that's perfectly alright with me.

- Work is continuing on Empathia's Hope, my current WIP. It's been a bit draggy for a while, but things are finally starting to fall into place and pick up speed. The characters are opening up and starting to cooperate with me (and each other), which is a tremendous help. I'm not going to set a goal date for completion yet, but I'm hoping to have a very sizable chunk of it finished by Christmas.

- Falls the Shadow, the futuristic/steampunk novel I've been posting with friends H.A. Titus and Elynn W. Marshe over at The Lost Scribes is wrapping up. The final segment will post October 15, and we'll be pulling the story from the website shortly after that to begin editing, start thinking about publishing, and start working on future Lost Scribes projects. Don't worry, there will still be plenty going on at The Lost Scribes. Those of you who've been following it can still expect something on the 1st and 15th of each month, as usual. More details on that to follow at a later date!

- October is going to be a very exciting and busy month. Most of the plans are still classified so I can't give out details just yet. But I will give you two clues. One is: a first-time meeting including myself and a very special person whose name I won't disclose... yet. The second is: The Writer's Lair is going to have its first-ever book giveaway contest, and friends, it's gonna be good. You will not want to miss it.

- It dawned on me today that NaNoWriMo begins in 37 days. Which is so not what I wanted to think about today. I've competed the last two years and would love to do it again... but I have absolutely no idea at all what story I'll write if I decide to compete this year. So, as if I didn't have enough to do, I have to start thinking about that now. *Note to Self: Start now, stocking up on chocolate-covered pomegranates.*

Those are my plans for this fall - at least, as we say here in the Ozarks, 'Lord willin' and the creek don't rise'.

What are your plans or hopes or goals for this fall?

News and Announcements

Time for a general update.

First off, thanks so much to all of you who prayed for my friend Andrew this past week. Your prayers were heard and answered. Andrew is up and around and, most importantly, in great spirits. The first night after the accident was really tough for him emotionally, but God has given him abundant peace and a great attitude about the loss of his finger. He even says he'll be playing his viola again by Christmas, using his little finger in place of his ring finger. His optimism says a lot about the power of prayer!

Second: I'm now on Pinterest! At the insistence of several friends, I took a long hard look at it and discovered that it is an amazing source of inspiration, ideas, and a great place to collect and organize my favorite photos and art with ease. So, I'm now a member! Click Here to visit my page or follow me!

Third: Saturday, September 22, is Hobbit Day. Of course the day will be observed here at the Lair, but I thought I'd mention it in advance too, in case some of you weren't aware it was coming up. Some friends and I are planning a Hobbit-themed picnic in observance of the day. I'll try to make sure some pictures get taken and shared!

Fourth: Thanks so much to everyone who chimed in with their opinions and preferences regarding the choice of a teaser for the upcoming Son of the Shield book trailer. If you haven't voted yet, it's not too late, so please Click Here to see the options being considered and share your thoughts! So far, the opinions already offered in your comments along with those offered personally by friends and family have added up to nothing conclusive, unfortunately. The camps are pretty evenly divided. Hmm... perhaps there should just be multiple/alternate trailers? (Feel free to share any thoughts on the matter in the comments.)

And lastly, I thought I'd leave you with something that just made me smile:

Just too good not to share. : )
Get your week off to a great start, everybody!

Working Title Chosen for My New Novel Project!

As you're probably aware, my new project since finishing Son of the Shield is a science fiction novel set in the world of Avenir Eclectia and based off of the short story series I've been publishing there.
While obviously each individual short story had a title, the novel project as a whole has just been referred to as 'my Avenir Eclectia novel'... until now! The project is now named:

Empathia's Hope

As the post title says, this is just a working title and subject to potential change in the future, but for now I think it's a perfect fit for the events and character arcs that form the theme of the story. And I'm starting to really get into this project, finally. It's been a bit of a struggle shifting gears after finishing SotS, but I think I've managed to do it and I'm excited to see where this new project goes.
Be watching for updates to that effect! : )

What Now?

I found myself asking that question Friday night as I lay in bed staring up at the dark ceiling and listening to my Yorkie terrier 'woof' in her sleep. What do I do during the waiting period between Son of the Shield being finished and the next step, getting it published?
It's a bit of a silly question, considering the number of other projects I have waiting for my attention. But for five-and-a-half years now, Son of the Shield has been my focus, my Priority 1 writing project, and now suddenly it's done. I don't have to worry about tweaking this bit of internal monologue or revving up that fight scene or intensifying those emotions... it's done.
Weird feeling, let me tell you.
But, being born and raised a hillbilly, I don't know how to sit still for more than a few seconds, and it didn't take me long to push that 'what now?' feeling aside. So today, after enjoying my first Son of the Shield-free weekend in five-and-a-half years (Attending the Answers in Genesis conference made a great weekend vacation!) I'm turning my focus onto my next project!
Have I got you curious?
Some of you may have been following my short story series on Avenir Eclectia (you can Click Here to read it). For those of you who don't know, Avenir Eclectia is a multi-author micro-fiction project from Splashdown Books. I started writing stories for the project last year, mostly just for fun. But when the AE project's artist and composer, Michael L. Rogers, offered a creative idea for a plot twist, the story thread I had started began growing quite a bit.
The Avenir Eclectia Anthology, Volume 1, is slated to release later this summer or fall. Here's a look at the awesome cover art:

Notice the fifth name from the bottom? : D My first time in print - as in, on actual paper, not just online! I'm so excited!
Only one of the several stories I've published with AE is going into the anthology, though. Reason being:
Grace Bridges, the Avenir's commander-in-chief, has given me the go-ahead to turn the rest of my short stories, the ones that follow the same characters and plot, into a novel!
That's my next big fiction project: an Avenir Eclectia novel. So I'm shifting gears from fantasy to sci-fi for a while - and it ought to be quite a ride!

Do you find it difficult to 'shift gears' from one project to another? What do you do to make the transition easier?

Deadline: June 16th!

Son of the Shield is getting close, my friends. I'm very close to completing the final edit/rewrite/overhaul before it's ready to start showing to publishers. Progress is even starting to speed up, the more I get done, sort of like putting a puzzle together - the more pieces you get put in place, the easier it is to find where the remaining pieces belong.
Still, as just another way of keeping myself focused and motivated, I've decided to set a deadline for having it done. I'm the kind of person who thrives on a good challenge (part of why I love NaNoWriMo), and deadlines have helped me stay focused on projects in the past, so it ought to work now too.

I've chosen June 16th as the deadline for having Son of the Shield finished.

Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. One, June 16th is my birthday so it's an easy date for me to remember. Two, June 16th is close enough to be a challenging deadline to meet. Three, June 16th is far enough out to be realistic and allow time for unforeseen disasters such as tornadoes (always a possibility where I live), farming troubles, work or family crises, nuclear war, civil unrest, outbreaks of the bubonic plague, etc.

So, all you noble, faithful followers who have been hearing of and waiting for Son of the Shield for so long, take heart! The time is drawing near!
But wait, there's a task for all of you as well. (You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, now, did you?)
I set a deadline for myself because I wanted to have a goal to work towards. But now that I've shared it with all of you, it's official. And I expect you to hold me to it. I am officially granting permission to each and every one of you to nag, harass, and pester me about it. I'll be posting some kind of progress update on it at least once a week... but if I don't, you may torment me about that too.
And when it's finally finished, I plan on having some fun here at the Lair to celebrate my biggest writing accomplishment so far. I don't know what it will include yet... Some behind-the-scenes looks at the writing of Son of the Shield, perhaps, or maybe even some sneak peeks?... but I guarantee it will be a lot of fun. Your dedication and nagging will not go unrewarded.  : D

And with that, I'm off to work on Son of the Shield. June 16th is only thirty-nine days away!

The Avenir Eclectia Soundtrack!

If:

you've read and enjoyed the stories of Avenir Eclectia...

you've found yourself intrigued by the planet the universe forgot...

you love the cool, sleek, pristine sound of space music...

... it's here!
The Avenir Eclectia soundtrack, by composer Michael L. Rogers, is now available to order on CD and, coming soon, MP3! Watch for it on Amazon in the next few days, or Click Here to order it now from Createspace!

If you're not familiar with the awesome music of Avenir Eclectia, Click Here listen to a few of the songs from the soundtrack on YouTube. There's nothing like good music to bring a story to life, and this is one soundtrack no sci-fi fan will want to miss!

New Short Story Published!

Hey, all! For anyone who's interested, I have a new short story, "Communiqué," just published on Avenir Eclectia. Click Here to read the newest installment of Celeste's and Celia's story.

If you haven't read my other stories on Avenir Eclectia but you'd like to check them out, Click Here. Be sure to give me your feedback--I love hearing from my readers! And while you're there, browse around and check out all the stories on the site. There are a lot of very talented writers there, offering a lot of really great stories.

The next post in my "Arming Your Hero" series will be here soon, so be sure to stick around. Meanwhile, carry on and write well!

Summer's End

For students and teachers, it's 'back to school'. For allergy sufferers, the Ragweed Wars have begun. For those who believe in planning ahead, it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. For knitters, seamstresses, and other fashionistas, it's time to start on those gorgeous fall projects and outfits. For writers, it's time to start thinking about NaNoWriMo (cue ominous music).
For me, being self-employed and not enrolled in any school, the end of summer doesn't mean a big change in schedule or activities (aside from the beginning of the orchestra season). But I do like to use it as a time to regroup, rethink, clear the clutter out of my schedule and to-do lists, basically just step back and breathe for a moment.
For that very reason, my blog has been somewhat neglected for the last couple of weeks, as I'm sure you've noticed. I've been busy finishing up miscellaneous projects I've procrastinated over long enough, reorganizing my music teaching schedule, fighting off a nasty summer cold/allergies, outlining my plan of attack for writing projects this fall and winter, and yes, making plans for blogging over the next several months.

I'm still going to be taking a break from blogging for the next week--as chaotic as my life tends to be, I need all the organizing and planning time I can get. : ) But don't worry; I haven't forgotten about all my loyal readers and followers, and on September 1 things here at the Lair will be back up and running full speed as we move into a busy new season. I'll still be focusing a lot of my blog posts on issues unique to speculative fiction and those who write it, of course, but I also have some exciting things in the works for taking a look at other fun aspects of fiction, as well as chats with writers about 'The Writing Life'.
So don't worry--the blogging sabbatical I've been on is only temporary, and I'll be back soon. So enjoy the end of your summer, everyone, and be sure to stick around for when things here at the Lair get lively on September 1!

~ Mary Ruth

Announcing Spearhead Books

I am not an e-book fan. I don't have a problem with them as a thing in themselves, and I guess being able to store a kabillion books in a half-inch-thick device is good (until said device crashes... don't get me started). It's just that personally, I would much rather stretch out in a hammock or curl up in an armchair with a book--a real book, made out of things like paper and ink and leather--than with a paper-thin electronic device. That's just a little too Trekkie, even for me.
However, no one can deny the enormous growth in the e-book market. E-books have actually started out-selling hard copy in some places. And with anyone able to self-publish their book on Amazon and new books becoming available daily, the choices for readers are literally endless.
So how does a Christian reader who wants a well-written story and godly content standards ever choose which book to read? Well, that's why I'm pleased to announce the inception of Spearhead Books:

A professional writers' guild (led by the Miller brothers, Christopher Hoppers, and Wayne Thomas Batson), dedicated to providing fiction that meets high standards in all aspects, from the skill of the writing itself to the content.
A starting point for anyone seeking quality Christian fiction amid the endless sea of e-books floating around in cyberspace.
Click Here to check out their "About Us" page and learn more about this exciting new project. Personally, I'm thrilled. I think it's a fantastic idea, and I hope God blesses this effort richly as it gets its start.

What do you think about this idea?