Tag: Rachel Wilder

  • Spring. Spring? SPRING!?

    Spring. Spring? SPRING!?

    Is Spring here?  Is it? Join me at the Torquere Press LiveJournal to discuss this Spring they speak of.  WHEREIZZIT?

  • Bound By Fire, Coming Soon From LooseId!

    Bound By Fire, Coming Soon From LooseId!

    Rachel and I are so excited!  It\’s official – our book, currently titled Bound By Fire (though that may change as we get closer to the release date) has been contracted by LooseId, the popular digital-first publisher!  We couldn\’t be more thrilled.

    Here\’s a little taste of the book, due out probably this summer (exact date TBA):

    Vanya Demidov has been studying to become a sorcerer. During a frightening ritual, he comes face-to-face with a powerful being, the stuff of dreams. He is betrayed and realizes his master is going to sacrifice him in a quest for power. When the spell goes wrong and his master flees, Vanya is left with the summoned creature and no way to banish him.

    Nash lives for the day he can mete out his revenge on the sorcerer who once tried to enslave him and who has killed those Nash strove to protect. When he sees the portal open again and King once again within his grasp, he jumps at the chance. When the ritual goes wrong and the portal is damaged, Nash is stranded in human form with the young man intended to be his sacrifice.

    Together, they find mutual attraction and a shared goal – to find the evil mage and vanquish him once and for all.

  • Happy Birthday Noon and Wilder!

    Happy Birthday Noon and Wilder!

    Rachel and I decided it was time to grow up and have a real blog, one where we can talk about real stuff – you know, the important things:  writing, coffee, cats, and chocolate.  WC3.

    Sounds like a plan.

    In all seriousness, we felt it was time to have a non-NSFW (Not Safe For Work) blog where we can chat about our favorite topics, and keep Taurus and Taurus for its original purpose – bringing you snippets, flash fiction, and excerpts of Stories That Make You Late For Work!

    I hope you\’ll stop on by, because we\’ll need your support!  I signed us up for the A to Z Blog Challenge – that\’s right, I\’m doing TWO challenges!  Why?

    Because it\’s fun!  Join us!

  • Dog Sledding!

    Dog Sledding!

    In keeping with our theme of staying warm because it’s cold outside, I thought I’d share with you a story of our dog sledding adventure with Voyageur Outward Bound in Minnesota in 2006.

    It all started because my husband complained about the weather here in Chicago. Fitting complaint, especially since it’s expected to get down below zero this weekend. I wanted to do something fun, unusual, and educational. I picked the Outward Bound class because I’ve always wanted to do one, to experience it and challenge myself. The hallmark of Outward Bound is that you spend some time, one night or more, camping by yourself in the wilds. I thought, what better way to learn how to stay warm and have fun all at the same time?

    Two weeks before we left, my husband shrugged and said, “Well, if I don’t like it, I can always hang out in the lodge and drink hot chocolate.”

    Lodge?

    On an Outward Bound Expedition?

    “Didn’t you read the stuff I sent you on the [non-refundable] class?”

    Blink. “Well, I looked at the pictures.”

    He looked at the pictures.

    “DO YOU REALIZE WE’RE GOING THIRTY-FIVE MILES ACROSS THE ICE IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS?” Panting.

    Another blink. “Oh.” Pause. “So, no lodge?”

    Gritted teeth. “No, dear. No lodge.”

    “Oh.”

    Cautiously, “So, you still want to go?”

    “I suppose.”

    Rousing endorsement, that.

    So we get there, and the first thing we learn is the Heat Triangle. Here’s how it works:

    There are three parts to keeping warm in severely cold weather:

    1. Layered clothing
    2. Food and hot drinks
    3. Movement

    You can work on any one of the legs of the triangle to warm up. One of the most effective techniques is to swing your arms back and forth like a windmill. This will bring the blood to your fingertips and warm up your hands. I use this frequently back here in Chicago when waiting for the bus or the train.

    And my husband? He survived and had an awesome time with the dogs, the cold, and yes, even the hot chocolate.

    Cheers!

  • Taking a Chance Is Coming Back!

    Taking a Chance Is Coming Back!

    I am so excited to report that \”Taking a Chance,\” our short story from last year\’s Charity Sip Blitz, is being re-released November 20th.  Stay tuned, and visit me on the Torquere Press LiveJournal for more information!

  • Junkyard Chic

    Junkyard Chic

    Join me today at the Torquere Press Blog, Romance for the Rest of Us, for a photo journey through a junkyard – Worldbuilding by Junkyard.  What inspires you?

  • Tue Cent Twosday: The Three Answers

    In publishing, (I suppose I should clarify that to be in traditional publishing and not self-publishing), there are three answers one can receive when one submits one\’s book for publication:  Yes, No, and Maybe.  Here\’s my thoughts on each of them, based on questions folks have asked me over the years.

    1.  \”Yes.\”

    Ask yourself if you really want to work with this house, though you probably should have already decided that before you submitted to them.  But if you\’ve got simultaneous submissions out, is this your preferred house?

    Read the contract!  For Heaven\’s sake, don\’t just swoon, say something equivalent to, \”They want me! They really want me!\” and sign away your project.  Chances are, this novel, novella, or other book-length manuscript took a large chunk of your life energy to write – some folks labor for a year or more on theirs, especially in the beginning.

    The contract is in legal language, since it\’s a legal contract.  While it\’s not required, it\’s recommended that you have an attorney or your agent review the contract with you.  Failing that, you should talk to others who are familiar with contracts and get their input.  Keep in mind, you\’re signing a binding legal agreement to which you will be subject for a period of time.  You want to make sure that you don\’t regret it down the line, to the best of your current ability.

    2.  \”No.\”

    Don\’t just delete the email!  The \”No\’s\” can be instructive.  If it\’s a form letter, then perhaps not, but if it\’s a letter from a real, live, human being you may be able to find out why they rejected it.  Remember:  they\’re rejecting the BOOK, not YOU.  If you\’re very lucky, their letter will say why they rejected it:  they just published something similar, or it\’s not a good fit for their house, or the plot isn\’t tight enough.  Whatever the reason, digest it and think hard about it.  Do you agree with the criticism?  Is there something you can do to improve the manuscript?

    3.  \”Maybe.\”

    In the publishing world, a \”Maybe\” is known by its letters, \”R&R,\” and doesn\’t mean \”rest and relaxation.\”  It stands for \”Revise and Resubmit.\”  This is not the end of the road, not at all, and can work out in your favor if you are careful.

    In an R&R, what the editor is telling you is, they like the project.  Pay attention to what they say they like.  It might be the voice, or the plot, or something else that caught their eye and made them want to spend their valuable time offering you the chance to fix it.

    They will also tell you what they want you to revise before they see it again.

    Stop and think for a second here.  You don\’t want to just blindly rush off and do the equivalent of \”Yes, sir, No sir.\”  Do you agree with their changes?  Will the changes make the project stronger?

    I know it\’s tough to contemplate changing your project.  You\’ve labored long and hard and it\’s how you like it.  Here\’s the thing, though:  publishers are in the business of selling books.  They know their market, and they know what their market wants.  If you agree with their changes, it will mean a book that will appeal to their market, readers whom you, presumably, want to reach.

    That said, if you don\’t like the suggestions, then you don\’t have to take them.  You can always take your project and submit somewhere else.  Maybe the changes will make it weaker, in your mind, or you just don\’t want to take the project in that direction.  Be very careful here that you\’re letting your Best Self and not your Ego drive here – with humility, you might find yourself with a fantastic editor at the house of your dreams.

    If you do like the suggestions, then by all means make the changes.  Many times, the editor will clarify things for you as you work so that you can hit the bullseye.

    Note – if you decide not to accept the R&R, by all means thank the editor for their time.  This person clearly saw something in you, enough to take time and offer suggestions to improve your project so that they could work with you.  Respect that professionally.  Editors talk to each other.  Snubbing someone because your ego got its feelings hurt is rarely a smart move for your writing career.

  • One, Two, Three, FOUR!

    I moved recently. If you\’ve read my posts recently, this will not be news.  If you\’re new here, welcome!  ~waves~  I\’ve moved recently.

    Yeah, I said that already.  Stress makes me repeat myself.

    I moved… Just kidding.  But as part of that move, I got all out of whack with myself and my promotional calendar.  I\’m in the process of climbing back on that horse and, apropos of that, have been wandering around the interwebs, looking for places to share the luv.

    Well, today I hit the jackpot and have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR posts to share with you!  (I know I sound like a late-night television ad – \”Don\’t wait, call now and get TWO widgets for the price of one.\”)  So, in an effort to spare you my move-inspired sense of humor, I shall get to the links:

    First up, my friend and mentor Tina Holland invited me to be on her blog and I jumped on that one with all four feet!  Hell, I even borrowed feet to jump on it with.  With which to jump on it…  Whatever, I\’m there.  I\’m so excited!  She wanted to know more about what it\’s like to write with a partner.  Come on by!  The Clog Blog

    Next up, we have my regular monthly post for Beyond the Veil.  I have to laugh – I started to write it and realized I\’d started writing to next month\’s theme.  Oops.  I went with it, though, and give you \’Dem Bones, \’Dem Bones…

    As rarely happens, my regular post for Torquere Press\’s LiveJournal coincided with my Beyond the Veil post, which is why I have FOUR offerings today instead of one.  Lucky you!

    My first journal post is about searching for the magic formula that makes a short story something special.  (Wow!  Look at that accidental alliteration.)  Seeking Short!

    My second journal post is about music, writing, and inspiration.  I share some of my favorite musicians that inspired the Persis Chronicles.  The Music of Persis.  Check it out!

    Thank you for visiting!

  • A New Way of Looking at the World with a Smartphone

    Join me at the Samhain Publishing blog for some thoughts on taking pictures with your smartphone.  Where have you wandered lately?

  • There\’s An Alien In My Office!

    Come join me over at Torquere Press\’s blog for the Alien In My Office!  (And see pictures of the new shelves with their newly-arranged books!)

  • There\’s An Alien In My Office!

    Come join me over at Torquere Press\’s blog for the Alien In My Office!  (And see pictures of the new shelves with their newly-arranged books!)

  • You\’ve Got the Moves!

    I\’m over at Samhain Publishing today, talking about moving and books.  You know those lovely \”A Writer In Her Library\” posts?

    Yeah, I had to PACK all those books.  ~whimper~

    Stop on by; I\’d love to hear from you!  ~link~