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Posts by Blake Smith

Feb 6

29 Comments

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Planning a wedding is a bit tricky, I’m discovering. This one is actually tiny, as far as weddings go, but because most of the tasks are little nit-picky administrative things, it’s nearly as complicated as a large one. I’ve heard the bride’s mother is supposed to make a lot of the arrangements, and I’m sure my mom is looking out from the afterlife and cheering me on, but she can’t exactly make phone calls and answer all the silly questions I have.

But perhaps as a consequence of all this tradition, and deciding what I should include and need to leave out, I’ve been thinking about the role of cultural signaling in books. Read more

Jan 30

10 Comments

The Hartington Inheritance

Our very own Sarah A. Hoyt inadvertently nudged me toward this series. Last year, we were having a wonderfully rambling conversation in her kitchen and she mentioned that ‘lords and ladies in space is a thing’, or words to that effect. She was most likely referring to the sci-fi equivalent of a political thriller, but because we had been previously talking about Georgette Heyer and other regency romance authors, I took the idea down a completely different path. Read more

Jan 23

6 Comments

Boredom, and What to Do About It

A few weeks ago, when I was outlining my goals for the year, I noted that my production had decreased dramatically in November and had yet to pick up again. I’ve spent a little time thinking about why that’s happening, and finally decided that I’ve been afflicted by that slightly less obnoxious cousin to burnout: boredom.

*gasps of horror from the audience* Read more

Jan 9

20 Comments

Writing Goals for 2019

Yeah, I know. We’re over a week into the new year; who starts making their goals now? But these are ideas I’ve had in mind for a while.

Read more

Dec 26

17 Comments

In the Beginning…

A lot of my writerly acquaintances/friends/family have their own ‘origin story’ that is fascinating to me. They say things like, “I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was a little kid,” or, “I’ve always told stories and made up my own worlds.”

My origin story resembles these only if you turn your head and squint. I liked to make up stories- my stuffed animals went on all kinds of improbable adventures- and I wrote a certain amount of fanfiction- mostly in my head. I have one world in particular that drifted away from the source material so much that I need to get it down on paper and publish; it’s a crime that it’s sitting there, doing nothing. Read more

Dec 19

3 Comments

Launch Day! Sort of…

So, remember that book that wasn’t out as of last week? It’s here! Actually, it’s been up on Amazon for a couple of days, but I’ve been putting down wood flooring and traveling across the country to spend some time with family for Christmas. So this post is a tad overdue. Read more

Dec 12

17 Comments

A Post. Really. It Even Has Links

For the last couple months, I’ve been pretty good about having something ready to post every other Wednesday afternoon. This week, not so much. I thought I’d have a book ready to go and could do a promo post, but things happen and it’ll probably be ready by the end of the week. Read more

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