Tag: Writing

Monday Musings: Is Escapism Wrong? Or, Does Everything Need to Have a Message?

~ M.A. Kropp

I've seen some discussion lately on "message fiction." That is, stories that have a defined theme, a point, a message, if you will. And the strong advocates of these will say that all stories must have a message embedded within them. The argument is particularly strong in the speculative fiction arenas, where there seems to … Continue reading Monday Musings: Is Escapism Wrong? Or, Does Everything Need to Have a Message?

Tuesday Thoughts: Summer Wind-Down, Garden Fail, Weekend Food, Writing Updates, and There’s Nothing Good On TV Now

~ M.A. Kropp

It is Labor Day Weekend, so I took yesterday off from blogging. I hope those of you who got to enjoy the long weekend had a good one. To those who had to work, my thanks for being there so the rest of us can relax and enjoy. This weekend is the traditional end-of-summer weekend. … Continue reading Tuesday Thoughts: Summer Wind-Down, Garden Fail, Weekend Food, Writing Updates, and There’s Nothing Good On TV Now

Monday Musings: Wildlife, Writing Life, and My Chili Dog

~ M.A. Kropp

We live in what is definitely a suburban area. It has grown a lot since we moved up here. More houses, more traffic, more airplanes to and from the airport. With all of that, I sometimes forget that we also have a lot of wildlife around us, as well. Yes, we have birds, both the … Continue reading Monday Musings: Wildlife, Writing Life, and My Chili Dog

Monday Musings: Why I Write

~ M.A. Kropp

(I originally wrote this in response to Chuck Wendig's Flash challenge, which was to write an essay of 1,000 words or less on the topic of "Why I Write." I thought it would make a good blog post, here, too.) It would be easy to say the I write because “I have to” or “I … Continue reading Monday Musings: Why I Write

Tumble into Tuesday: Excerpt from “Circle Unbroken”

~ M.A. Kropp

I didn't really have anything to say yesterday, so I didn't. I don't have much to say today, either. I will just leave you with a small excerpt from my upcoming Science Fiction novel, "Circle Unbroken." It will be available (I hope) on pre-sale from August 2-17, and will be released on August 18. I'll … Continue reading Tumble into Tuesday: Excerpt from “Circle Unbroken”

Excerpt from Circle Unbroken (Coming in August)

~ M.A. Kropp

(From Chapter Four) “Good morning, Mr. Conner,” she said, smiling. “Good morning, Sheila,” Philip answered. “We have guests today. This is Laira’s sister, Kaili, and her partner, Jeff MacKenzie. Sheila is one of our geologists. Why don’t you tell them what you are doing, Sheila?” “I’m very sorry about your grandmother,” Sheila said to Kaili. … Continue reading Excerpt from Circle Unbroken (Coming in August)

Wednesday Wanderings: Fascinating Crystal Behavior, Writing on a Train, Sit-Down Meals v. Fast Food, and Creatively Pretty Class Notes

~ M.A. Kropp

This is pretty interesting, even if it did get a bit technical (for me, anyway). And may help explain more about black holes: SmB6 Crystal We all know about writer's retreats, but how about one on a train? Writer's on Trains This article is kind of interesting, despite the flaws in the collection of the … Continue reading Wednesday Wanderings: Fascinating Crystal Behavior, Writing on a Train, Sit-Down Meals v. Fast Food, and Creatively Pretty Class Notes

Monday Musings: On Deciding to Author Publish My Stories

~ M.A. Kropp

If you are a writer these days, you can't help but realize that the landscape is changing. In the Old Days, you wrote a story, you submitted it to publishers, you got rejected a bunch of times, and eventually, (assuming the story was any good) someone accepted it, and you got published. There wasn't much … Continue reading Monday Musings: On Deciding to Author Publish My Stories

Monday Promo: Circle Unbroken Teaser Number Two

~ M.A. Kropp

Here's another little excerpt from the upcoming novel: “Kaili, we are ready to begin. Sylvia, will you be our Water tonight, please?” The girl’s eyes lit up and she nodded solemnly to Laira. “Very good.” They walked to one side of the gazebo where a small wooden table stood. A double ring of gold was … Continue reading Monday Promo: Circle Unbroken Teaser Number Two

Monday Musings: Garden Woes, Doggy Road Trip, and Progress Report

~ M.A. Kropp

I am having the worst problem with birds in the garden this year. I always have a lot of birds around. I have feeders and a birdbath. I like them. But for the first time, this year they have been gobbling the seeds I plant as fast as I can get them in the ground. … Continue reading Monday Musings: Garden Woes, Doggy Road Trip, and Progress Report