The Plot Bunny Farm

If you’ve visited my website recently, or if you subscribe to my newsletter (and if you don’t, why not?), you’ve already seen the new cover I got for Bodyguard of Lies. Isn’t it beautiful?

Designed by The Cover Collection

So this week, among other things, I’m grateful for professional cover artists. What are you grateful for today?

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

Last year, my story “Adapt or Die” was accepted for Aphrodite Terra, a collection of stories about Venus. For various reasons, it wasn’t released last year, but it’s finally out. (Paperback won’t be out until January, I’m afraid, Mom.)

Check it out on Amazon.

In other news, I’ve created a Now page (link in header menu) that talks about what I’m focusing on now in fairly broad terms.

So I’m grateful for the first and pleased with the second. What are you grateful for today?

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

If you get my newsletter (and read it — goodness knows those aren’t always the same thing!), you’ll know that I was taken recently with Austin Kleon‘s books. I wrote up a review of them for Vision: A Resource For Writers, and it went live earlier this week.
Book Review: Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) is launching a New Release Newsletter! This newsletter will go out every two months, and will feature science fiction and fantasy new releases and backlist rereleases from SFWA members. Each newsletter will contain information on works of all lengths from the talented writers admitted to the premier professional organization for science fiction and fantasy. Anyone can sign up! This is a newsletter for readers, librarians and booksellers to help them find their next favorite story.

Sign up to receive the newsletter.
The first issue, which went out this week

Do you remember the robins that built their nest in the holly bush outside our door last year? This year, we discovered a robin who had more bravery than sense, although last I checked, it hadn’t been a problem yet. Her nest was built on the structure at our local playground, where kids play and any passing predatory bird could easily see the fledglings. Here she is, on the nest, as well as pics of the eggs before hatching and the new hatchlings last week.

The next big adventure: the kids get out of school for the summer tomorrow! Fortunately, I learned last year that I can be possibly more productive in the summer because I don’t have as short a day to work (and I don’t have to get up so early in the morning, either).

So that’s what’s new here as we head into June. Do you have any new and exciting things going on?

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

I sold a series of drabbles to SpeckLit, and the last of them has gone live, so I thought I should put links here so you can find and read them all. I hope you enjoy!

The First Horseman

The Second Horseman

The Third Horseman

The Fourth Horseman

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

I’m happy to announce that my story “Blood and Gold” has been accepted for publication in The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (table of contents). Publication date is July 14, 2015; I’ll mention it again next summer!

Also, my story “Matchmaker” (originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine) has been translated into Galician and is up at Nova Fantasia: A casamenteira. (Galician is a Romance language, one of three spoken in Spain, the other two being Spanish [obviously] and Catalan.)

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a member of Garden State Speculative Fiction Writers, a multi-genre authors’ group. Periodically, GSSW releases an anthology of stories by their authors. The latest, Speculations from New Jersey, has a short story by me included — “Glimmerings.”

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

The other day, I received my printed copy of Spells & Swashbucklers. It’s a lovely book. I handed it to my son to look at, and he got as far as “anthology” before putting it down. I pointed out my name on the back cover as one of the contributors to the anthology, and that was when he decided it was worth another look — even started reading my story!

That wasn’t the only arrival this week, however.

Today, I received copies of the Fall 2012 issue of Space & Time, which has my story “A Pretty Bauble,” a lovely mother-daughter story with sword fights and cats.

There’s something very satisfying about seeing something I’ve written in print. (Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy with electronic publication, too.) In that vein, I’d like to point out that Clarkesworld Magazine is reviving its anthologies (although it’ll be a while before 2011 — Year Five — is available) and Daily Science Fiction is also planning compilations of stories. Don’t worry — I’ll let you know when they’re ready!

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

Just wanted to post a quick note apologizing for my lack of commenting on other A to Z blog participants. I’m a procrastinator (I’d say a terrible procrastinator, but the truth is I’m quite good at it!), and I’m going through piles of receipts as I work through our taxes. I’m sorry; I’ll be back to blog-hopping by Monday.

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

My friend Alex Fayle came up with a wonderful idea for a Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour (no posts there yet). Each month, the participants will blog on the same topic, each on a different day. We’ll post on our own blogs, with links to the tour and to those posting before and after us, so people can follow the tour. I think the plan is to start for July, so I’ll let you all know what day to expect my words of wisdom — or words, anyway.

The other thing I’m planning to do is another A to Z blog series, since I had such fun with the one in April. This time, the plan is to post once a week, beginning July 2. Topic will be women science fiction and fantasy authors. Obviously, I’m not going to do every author with a given initial, so I may choose some other method to narrow it down. I’m open to suggestions.

I may also try to get back to weekly Q&A posts, too. It’s been a while since I did those.

The idea is to get some regular content going here, in addition to all these random, “Oh, hey, I ought to tell people about that” posts.

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.