'If ye ha' been wa' I ha' been, ye wouldna be sae swankie-o' (The braes o' Killiekrankie) No, this is not about bondage or even zip-ties (It could be either, but they're just aspects. It's actually about common ground, shared experience, and how that works to bind us to people we have never met, and... Continue Reading →
Money flows toward the writer
A comment from an Indy writer on Twitter caught my attention. She had just got a quote for editing her book. $6500. Was this reasonable? I asked the question: did she have any real idea how much she was likely to earn from her book? (I was not being nasty and all of this was... Continue Reading →
A worn O-ring
I remember some jackass positing that I was a spoiled rich frat boy, because I thought sf publishing should make an effort to appeal to... well, everybody. Look, I think all nice boys and girls should read sf. I think all middle-of the road boys and girls should read sf. I think all nasty boys... Continue Reading →
Taking on hell with a fire-bucket
There are times when it is probably relatively sensible to back away. When the 'good idea' fairy is being their most helpful... Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), humans are not very good at that. Monkeys like myself, less so. This explains a great deal about the situations I frequently find myself in, as well as a... Continue Reading →
Never look back
Becoming a pillar of salt may be a pleasant fate. Seriously, one of the problems that many good authors suffer from is that of looking back -- because they want to know how they're doing. This is a little like stopping running to see if the leopard is closer or not. Of course, for the... Continue Reading →
Gah
I forgot it was Monday as well as Boxing day. I am down with something of a cold (I hope) and went to bed instead of writing a post. And now it is late. I am sorry. I try to be reliable. It's something I value in others, so I try to be it myself.... Continue Reading →
Georgina
My run up to Christmas (which, as Barbs and I are on Ambo call, is going to be a low-profile day.) has been a quiet one. I am way behind on mince-pies. My kids are elsewhere for Christmas, and I'd rather the day was enjoyed to the full by those who are surrounded by family... Continue Reading →
Re-release me, let me go
I really always thought that was regrease me, let me glow... Today's prompt from wordpress was 'Who do you envy?' My thought at the moment would be people who don't have to play the waiting game for, it seems, everything going. I've never been much good at waiting, and it was always the trad author's... Continue Reading →