The Plot Bunny Farm

Okay, so here we go with a brief 2016 wrap-up.

My plans:
Finish 2nd book in SF Bodyguard of Lies trilogy & get it up for sale
Write 3rd book in trilogy & get it up for sale
Write 4th cozy mystery & get it up for sale
Plan and start a new series

Accomplishments:
Finished 2nd book of the trilogy. Period. Working on edits now, and might get it up early January.

Other cool things:
Participated in StoryBundle
Ran for SFWA Board

Volunteer stuff:
Helped out a fair bit with my daughter’s class at school
Continued to format the SFWA Forum
Started some work with the SFWA Membership Retention/Satisfaction Committee

Horrible thing:
Our dog died

Some good, some bad, and I didn’t get anywhere near what I wanted written. ‘Sokay — I still have major plans for 2017, and I’m grateful for all of you who are here, reading me and encouraging me. Let’s have a fabulous year together!

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

I didn’t post goals back in January. This doesn’t mean I didn’t have ideas of what I wanted to accomplish — mostly writing, reading, and getting more consistent work. The details don’t matter much.

So how’ve I done?
( Read the rest of this entry » )

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

It’s been one of those weeks — actually, it’s been a pretty busy month, with back-to-back proofreading deadlines followed by being sick all of this week (because October and November, I always get attacked by the multi-week cold), plus tons of family stuff to do. (October is the busiest month for my son’s school band.) So I thought I’d just catch you up on a few things today, starting with stuff about my friends. (Or, er, more than a few.)( Read the rest of this entry » )

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

FYI: Still plan to have the cozy mystery finished by the 15th. The e-book may be available by then. The print version will probably be another week or so behind.

Recent comments I’ve made on Twitter or Facebook, which is where I usually do my brief updates and one-liners:

Baking chocolate chip cookies is _almost_ like working on the short story, right?

— Erin Hartshorn (@ErinMHartshorn) August 3, 2013

Girl is announcing she plans to be sick tomorrow, watch movies, and eat Jell-O.

— Erin Hartshorn (@ErinMHartshorn) August 3, 2013

. . . I think I’ve found my writing motivation!

A client just e-mailed to ask if I can start work on a proofreading project early.

Boy just asked me who Baba Yaga is. So I gave him an abbreviated (and possibly not completely accurate, as I said “Russian” rather than “Slavic”) version, then (being me) went to YouTube and pulled up Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Oooooh. I discovered today that AQS [American Quilter's Society] takes fiction submissions. “Whether they are mysteries, romances, or humorous tales, books that show how much quilts mean in the lives of others speak to quilters everywhere, and AQS strives to produce the best of these.” (They’re not interested in quilts in science fiction or fantasy, however.)

So how’s your Wednesday treating you?

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

Otherwise known as “five random things make a post.”

1. I haven’t tried to get a picture of fireflies, but they’re back, the annual flashes of green in the trees and over the grass. However, here are some gorgeous long-exposure shots from a Japanese photographer.
2. School’s out for the summer, which means my son is home and already doing the “I’m bored” routine. For the record, we’ve been to the library twice since he got out last Wednesday. It’s going to be a long summer. This week, I took the kids to buy summer clothes (for some reason, last year’s shorts didn’t fit any longer) — one at a time to preserve my sanity. It almost makes me regret washing the old clothes this weekend.

3. I realize I haven’t drawn a number for the Sevy Series giveaway. There were two entrants, and the winner is:
   
   Widdershins, that’s you. Let me know if it’s okay to forward your e-mail address to Sarah-Jane Lehoux so you can get your prize.
4. My efforts to write a short story a day during May? Yeah, that didn’t happen. I wrote one short story and three flash, plus started another five stories and started brainstorming a novella. I have more written now than I had at the beginning of the month, though, so I’m calling it a win.

5. Back at the beginning of December, I talked about my desire to lose weight. So how’s that going, six months in? Um, not so well. The good news is I haven’t gained any weight. On the other hand, I’m only a couple of pounds lighter than I was on my birthday. I’m not giving up (My middle name could be “Persistence,” except of course, it’s not; persistence doesn’t start with an M.), but I will have to lower my expectations for what I’m going to achieve before December.

What’s new in your world?

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

I have a guest post today over at the Potomac Review blog. It’s about why I do NaNoWriMo. (I did not title the post.)

I’m currently working on the sequel to the Christmas Tree Farm Murders. It’s shaping up nicely, I think. Oh, and also another SF novella.

Whole family’s been fighting illnesses off and on for the past week. For me, it’s mostly congestion and tiredness — the usual fall crud. Hope it passes more quickly than usual.

Next week, back to copyediting and proofreading. Should be interesting to see how much writing I manage. Schedule has been mostly out the window with kids home and what-not.

Also, a couple friends of mine were at the Viable Paradise writers’ workshop last week. Each has blogged about it: A dream realized; A return to the ordinary world. I’m planning to apply for next year. We’ll see how that goes.

Hope you’re all well and healthy. What’s new and exciting in your life?

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

First, I finally filled out the application for SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and I’ve received notice that my application was approved. I am now a full-fledged pro by the standards of that body (three professional short story sales).

Second, my short story “Pretty Bauble” is scheduled to be in issue 117 of Space & Time Magazine. I’m not sure when that will be out, but I’ll let you know when I do. (For those of you who may have short stories, the magazine is open to submissions until August 5.)

Third, David Bridger is running a wonderful week-long group therapy for writers on his blog this week, helping people think about what their personal obstacles are to writing and what they can do to overcome them. (I posted on Monday, but I’m dropping out. Through no fault of the commenters, some of the things said trigger negative feelings for me, which leaves me in a place I don’t like to be. However, I recommend everyone check it out and see how it works for them.)

I’ll be back tomorrow for a Q & A that has nothing to do with my writing life.

So what’s new with you this week?

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

I’ve seen several notifications this week that Hugo nominations are open (including a PIN number being sent to me by e-mail). I’ve also seen a number of blog posts mentioning eligible works. These range from slightly humorous in tone (John Scalzi) to helpful (Mary Robinette Kowal) to matter-of-fact (John Joseph Adams) to oh-yeah-there’s-a-reason-people-make-these-posts (Tobias Buckell). Also, Scalzi has put up his annual thread inviting others to list what they have available for nomination because he’s awesome that way.

I don’t know the details on Nebula nominations — not being a SFWA member yet — but Hugo nominations are open until March 11 (11:59 p.m.). If you were a member of Renovation or are a member of Chicon 7 or LonestarCon 3 (including a supporting member — only $50), you’re eligible to nominate works from 2011. (These are the World Science Fiction Conventions for 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively.) The Hugo awards are the fan awards, the ones where people have a chance to say “This is the best thing I read last year.” (Or “watched,” in the case of TV shows, movies, and some related works or fancasts.) If you want a say in what the best is in the field of science fiction and fantasy, this is your chance. (Note that several of the works I reviewed in my women in science fiction and fantasy series may be eligible for nomination!)

Here’s the real kicker: every vote counts. You have to scroll down to get to the nomination stats, but the gist is there are slim differences between those that get on the ballot and those that don’t. Last year, Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold had 78 nominations and Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor had 74. Cryoburn was on the ballot. For best novelette, there was only a difference of 2 nominations, and for best editor short form, 1.

Also? It doesn’t necessarily take a lot of nominations to get something on the ballot. For Best Related Work, the one that made it to the ballot with the smallest number of nominations had 35; for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer (not a Hugo, but nominated, voted on, and awarded at the same time), 40. Graphic stories, editors, and novelettes got on the ballot with between 20 and 30 nominations.

You don’t have to nominate in every category, or for as many places as you can (up to 5 in each category) if you don’t feel you know enough to do so. But if you think anything you’ve experienced that first came out in 2011 is award-worthy, please consider nominating. Join Chicon if you need to. It’s worth it.

Oh, and if you need something to put on the ballot, may I suggest

• Short story: “Matchmaker” in Clarkesworld Magazine (Issue 55, April).
• Best related work: My A to Z blog series on women writers of science fiction and fantasy.
• Also I note that I’m in my second year of eligibility for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (as my first qualifying publication was in November 2010).

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