11/25/09 - Writing Words of Wisdom - Connecting with Fans
I once saw a squirrel purposely do back flips in an effort to part me from a portion of my lunch. He would flip, stop expectantly, then flip again, gradually getting a little closer. It worked (though I have to admit, he was not much pleased with what I had to offer. He frankly looked a little disgusted that he had gone through such effort.) I often feel like that squirrel (the flipping part, not the disgust ;). As authors, our words seem only to mean half as much until they are read and appreciated by others. Achieving that can require more effort than the writing itself. It really can. But you know what, if you want more than just a book on the shelf, you have to p

11/23/09 - Weekend Recap
Back from Philcon. A enjoyable time of great panels...all on editing, seeing friends, making friends and embracing opportunities. Came away from the weekend with a bunch of new fans and some great promotions. The dealer's room seemed really slow, but when all was said and done, we did respectably, considering. This was the weekend of the pre-launch for The Halfling's Court (kind of a test run for Arisia), the Evil Gazebo by Bernie Mojzes, and Dead Souls, a anthology by European publisher Morrigan Books, which made its North American debut with Bernie and fellow contributor Jim R. Stratton. For once I was able to take a little time and enjoy not only my party, but the

11/19/09 - Mach2 - Guest Blogger MG Ellington, Reviewer, Writer, and Critiquer
To crit or not to crit… That was my question earlier this year. I got to know my lovely hostess in a small writing group on LiveJournal. We are a critique group, ten members strong. I joined mainly because I knew several of the members that were interested in forming the group. I wasn’t involved in a group and was starting to produce fresh fiction. My editing skills are among my weakest. I thought I might learn a thing or two about how it is done. When I joined, I was still working on a specific piece and didn’t have time to contribute to the editing end and instead focused on the administrative duties that accompany moderating such a group. Once I

11/19/09 - Back From The Great Void
Sorry, I know I disappeared for a while. I've been hit by a mini-wave of events, followed up by a trip to the emergency room that lasted all day Monday. Don't panic, I was just holding Mike's hand. He's fine, just has a bug. Anyway, the chaos goes on, but I wanted to get a post up to tell you about a few cool things. (Stay tuned afterward for my guest blogger, MG Ellington!1) Saturday's Launch of The Stories In Between at Between Books in Claymont, Delaware was a resounding success! For three, going on four hours straight we did nothing but sign books for actual customers! The place was packed. The book did very well and colateral sales were nice as well :) The book looks wonder

11/13/09 - Where We're At - The Early Edition ;)
I know...I'm early, but I wanted to get this done instead of scrambling tomorrowSaturday....ParTY! Join us at Between Books in Claymont, Delaware for the launch of the 30th Anniversary Anthology, The Stories In Between, which contains Mike's story, Beyond Imagine, and my story, The Devil You Don't.Date: Saturday, November 14thTime: 2pm to 5pmPlace: 2703 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont, Delaware, 19703 phone: 302-798-3378 There will be over fifteen contributors, artists, and editors in attendance, including store owner Greg Schauer, the editors, John Passarella, Mike McPhail, an