SECRET PROJECT #1

A long while back, I tweeted this photo of a secret non-writing project in progress:

Guesses started to pour in; the most common was “seahorse.”

In actuality, it was one of these:

It was a secret because I was making it as a gift for Ed Greenwood, to celebrate the release of our anthology. :)

It came out like this:

And it made this dear friend very happy:

SECRET PROJECT #2

 Around the time that I started spending my free evenings cross-stitching, J.M. Frey, one of our fabulous authors from WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME, offered to take the lead in the production of a book trailer for the anthology.

J.M.’s “secret project” was, I’ll be the first to admit, epic in scale compared to mine. It soon had the help of filmmaker Nadine Bell (@makegowork) and filmmaker Jason Leaver (@HeyBishop), a beautiful re-scored original soundtrack by composer Adrian Ellis (@Adrian_Ellis), and the acting talents of HERO contributor Erik Buchanan, with props on generous loan from Chris Warrilow, a Toronto-area film industry propsmaker.

HERO is a hard book to promote, because it spans the full range of the F/SF genre. But J.M.’s vision translated beautifully, and we owe a serious debt of thanks to all the industry professionals who volunteered their time and resources to create a truly top-notch video. I would not have been able to do half the job of putting this project together, and I’m awed by the finished result.

Or, visit it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M60GduVCrE.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks!

• I went to Ad Astra and had a wonderful time! I staffed a Dragon Moon Press table with Erik Buchanan and Chris Jackson – a couple of really great people. I spoke on four panels, we had a very successful launch (click for pictures) for Erik’s new book Cold Magics, I met even more great people, snuck in some quality time, shook hands on a couple of exciting upcoming projects, and even remembered to sleep now and then.
• I’m now on the editorial staff of Lambda Literary, and proud to have my name in very distinguished company on their masthead.
• Ace Books has set a release date of October 26, 2010 for Geist by Philippa Ballantine.
• Parsec Award nominations are now open. The Parsecs recognize excellence in speculative fiction podcasting. Go and nominate your favorite podcasts.
• I got to spend time with the fantastic Phil Rossi and his family. We put in good work on a couple of strong projects, and had a great time at it. Phil has some sort of aura that increases the alcohol tolerance of the people around him. I’m not sure about this; I think I have to do more research. You should definitely give it a try for yourself if you get a chance.
• On a personal note, I got to attend my grandmother’s 100th birthday party yesterday. It was, without a doubt, the best 100th birthday party I’ve ever been to! My grandmother is an incredible lady, sharp and bright and funny, always happy and positive. She’s already reserved the date for the party for her 105th, and it’s on my calendar now, too.
• I’m anticipating the release of Dragon Moon’s podcast anthology (you can join the Facebook fan page in the meantime!) and putting the finishing touches on P.G. Holyfield’s Murder at Avedon Hill for its May release (click for a peek at yet another great cover by Alex White).
• J. Daniel Sawyer’s podcast Down From Ten wrapped up this week. You can catch my voice in the “story so far” segment for episode 24. Dan’s full-cast productions are first rate, and the voice actors are all extremely talented and perfectly cast. This is a gripping character-driven mystery that’s definitely worth a listen. It’s available on itunes, or at downfromten.jdsawyer.net.
• JM Frey has adapted Adrienne Kress’s book Alex and the Ironic Gentleman for the stage, and Adrienne blogs about her visit to Quaker Road School’s production.
• I’ll be appearing live on Blog Talk Radio on April 29th at 6pm Pacific time, talking to the podioracket folks about Dragon Moon Press, how to get published, and whatever else you ask me!

Busy times! It’s been a month of great developments, with lots more good things in the works.

Ad Astra is going to keep my on my toes this year!

I’m especially thrilled to see other people interested in speaking on the verbal/written dichotomy. Working with the novels of so many podcasters, it’s become a strong interest of mine.

I note that Dragon Moon Press dominates the “working with a small press” panel this year, and that Erik Buchanan and I will get a chance to heckle each other publicly about the editing of his books on the “editing your own work” panel. Should be a great time!

The schedule is subject to change, but for now here’s where to find me (and some of the other usual suspects!):

Fri 8:00 PM Salon 443 — Podcast vs. Print
Gabrielle Harbowy, Justine Lewkowicz, Herb Kauderer
We respond differently to the spoken word than we do to the printed page. What are the differences that authors need to keep in mind between writing for podcasts and writing for print?

Fri 9:00 PM Ballr. East — Working with Smaller Presses
Gabrielle Harbowy, Chris A. Jackson, Brett Alexander Savory, Derwin Mak, Erik Buchanan
Is a smaller press the right choice for you? How does a small press work? How can you find them? Panelists will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of working with a smaller press.

Sat 11:00 AM Ballr. East — Editing Your Own Work
Gabrielle Harbowy, Rick Wilber, Jana Paniccia, Erik Buchanan
Authors and editors share tips on how to spot the problems that are so easy to miss in your own work, how to add a bit more polish to your writing, and how to prepare your draft so that editing goes as smoothly as possible.

Sat 3:00 PM Salon 443 — Beyond Wikipedia
Gabrielle Harbowy, Douglas Smith, Karin Lowachee, Bob Boyczuk, Justine Lewkowicz
Research techniques and pitfalls for writers. How do you know whether the information on the internet is accurate? What are your best reference sources, when are books better than the internet, and when (and how!) do you talk to an expert?

Sat 10:00 PM ConSuite — Cold Magics Launch (to 1am)

Sun 1:00 PM Ballr. East — An Editor’s Dream
Gabrielle Harbowy, Brett Alexander Savory, Jana Paniccia, Eric Choi, Robert Pincombe
Learn the characteristics that editors appreciate in an author.

SOLOMON’S GRAVE by Dan Keohane (Dragon Moon Press) is a finalist for the 2009 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. It was a pleasure to work with Dan on the book, and Dragon Moon and I wish him the best of luck.

Congrats, Dan!

A couple other notes:

Erik Buchanan shares his experience and insight with Michell Plested in a great interview on the latest “Get Published”, in advance of the release of COLD MAGICS, Erik’s second book with Dragon Moon Press.

Reminder: The Boom Effect auction for Tee Morris and his daughter is in just five days. Visit the site to see the lots up for auction and to get details about how to drop in and participate next Saturday!