We're one month out on the drop date for THE MASK OF MIRRORS, so I decided it would be a good time to do a giveaway of my last few ARCs. The protagonist of our book is Ren, aka Arenza Lenskaya, aka Alta Renata Viraudax, a half-Vraszenian con artist who uses her wits and her… Continue reading Fabr-ARC Giveaway for The Mask of Mirrors
Arting Progress Report
I've been doing a bit of writing -- finishing my Moshang Week story, dragging out Chiaroscuro and dusting it off so I can finally get it out the door, things like that. But the main thing that has been helping me keep calm and carry on is the daily drawing practice. Lots of funnels, ellipses,… Continue reading Arting Progress Report
MoShang Week Recap
Last week was rough for a lot of reasons, but Moshang saved me from the worst of it. Moshang, for those who haven't fallen into the Endless Abyss of MXTX fandom, is the ship name for two secondary characters from Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's Scum Villain Self Saving System. SVSSS is a story about a… Continue reading MoShang Week Recap
Old Dog; New Tricks
Because I can only write for so many hours of the day (and because my mobility is still in the 'can only stand/walk for about ten minutes before it starts to hurt' range of things), I decided about a month ago that darn it, I was going to learn to draw! Other than a semester… Continue reading Old Dog; New Tricks
The Origins of a Scar
Yesterday I finally had the surgery for my hyperparathyroidism, which was diagnosed back in October, but then an ankle injury derailed me for the entire winter (and then, y'know... there was this pandemic thing that cropped up). One of the nice things about this particular surgery is that you know almost immediately if it was… Continue reading The Origins of a Scar
The Bread and Butter of Writing
Recently (as in, like, this morning while I was making toast), I’ve been thinking about descriptions at the sentence level, especially as it relates to character, character voice, PoV, and worldbuilding. The opening chapter of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is a masterclass in this (and, not incidentally, my favorite book opening of all time).… Continue reading The Bread and Butter of Writing
May Updates and Cover Girls
Two years ago in May, Marie and I said 'let's do this' and launched a whirlwind four months of writing. Most weeks, we put down 10k words or more, and by the time October rolled around, we had a 225k word book draft for what would eventually become The Mask of Mirrors. Last year in… Continue reading May Updates and Cover Girls
Not Another Writing Advice Post, UGH! – Passive Voice
Yes, another writing advice post. In fact, my first such post! Seems like an oxymoron, I know. The ‘not another – Ugh’ energy has more to do with how much writing advice there is out there, and my own hesitation over adding something useless or repetitive to the noise. My editor for the Mr. Mystic… Continue reading Not Another Writing Advice Post, UGH! – Passive Voice
Got Masks?
A few weeks ago, I knocked out some masks for myself and my brother using t-shirts -- because I have waaaay too many t-shirts. Copyedits for The Mask of Mirrors are turned it, and since I'm in the ranks of the Covid-19 unemployed, I have some free time to make more. I don't really need… Continue reading Got Masks?
Level Unlock – Big Damn Trilogy Sale!!
Last summer, I started working on a collaborative project with Marie Brennan that ended up being more or less NaNoWriMo for four months straight. We finished the 220k word behemoth in October, tossed it back and forth between beta readers, our agents, and each other, and sent it out to editors this past spring. This… Continue reading Level Unlock – Big Damn Trilogy Sale!!