M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
Ah, writers. We are a tortured lot, are we not? We love to twist our brains and emotions into knots of self-doubt and fear. Nowhere is this more obvious as when we are comparing ourselves to other writers. Most of what follows is aimed at independently published writers. Traditional has its bugs, too, but I … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: And What About Those Other Guys?
A Shadow in Summer by Daniel AbrahamMy rating: 3 of 5 starsThis is not your typical fantasy. There is no dark evil to be fought and defeated. There is only one mythical element. The good guys are competent and complex for the most part. You won't find the poor commoner who suddenly finds out he … Continue reading Friday Review: A Shadow in Summer (Long Price Quartet #1) by Daniel Abraham
Worldbuilding is a big topic in science fiction and fantasy. Not that it isn't important in other genres, because of course it is, but in sf/f, it is one of the bigger components of many stories. After all, we are often conceiving either worlds that never existed or haven't yet come to be. We are … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: Worldbuilding- Plan It All or Let It Grow On Its Own
Nothing really exciting going on, to be honest. We had a cook off to run the judging for on Saturday in Loudon, NH. It's a bit of a drive but a good event. A bit of a rain shower in the afternoon, but it blew over really fast and didn't really dampen the crowd too … Continue reading Monday Musings: Bits and Pieces
99% True: Almost a National Bestseller by Paul McGowan My rating: 2 of 5 stars Paul McGowan is the CEO of PS Audio, designers of high end audio equipment. He also has a podcast, newsletter, and YouTube channel. It was the latter that introduced me to McGowan. He posts a video everyday where he answers … Continue reading Friday Review: 99% True by Paul McGowan
I have been using these Wednesday posts to talk about some aspects of writing. Sometimes craft, sometimes publishing, sometimes other things. Always just my opinion and/or experience. I thought I would do something a little bit different today and give you a quick update on what has been on my writing schedule lately. Main Work in Progress: … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: So, What Am I Doing Lately?
Late posting this today. Apologies. Busy day with some catching up needed. Anyway, Saturday was the first of our New England area chili cook offs. It was the Massachusetts State Cook Off, aka The Beast of the East. As usual, the BaldMan was chief judge and I was scorekeeper. We had a good turnout of … Continue reading Monday Musings: The Rain In Winchendon- Wait, What?
Here's another question that gets discussed in writing groups a lot. There are those who think that a writer doesn't need to know or care about grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other mechanics of writing. After all, isn't that what editors are for? Yes and no. From my point of view, mostly no. Yes, one of … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: Do I Really Need to Know Grammar and Spelling?
Summer Sale!! During the month of July, all my books and stories will be on sale at Smashwords. Three, including the first two stories in my urban fantasy series, The Yo-Yo Files, are free. My short fantasy collection is half off, as is my latest sci-fi novel, Two's Company. My first novel, Circle Unbroken, is at even more of a discount. Ebooks are … Continue reading Monday Musings: Are Big Publishing Companies Anti-Library?
Summer Sale!! During the month of July, all my books and stories will be on sale at Smashwords. Three, including the first two stories in my urban fantasy series, The Yo-Yo Files, are free. My short fantasy collection is half off, as is my latest sci-fi novel, Two's Company. My first novel, Circle Unbroken, is at even more of a discount. Ebooks are … Continue reading Friday Review: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
And So On... 