Monthly Archives: December 2009

Coyotes and Cougars and Bear, Oh My!

Posted on December 31, 2009 by

Living within 10 feet of protected wetland forest means a narrow boundary between my yard and the wildlife.  Visitors to my back deck see my territory as an extension of theirs.  This ranges from woodpeckers to raccoons to larger predators.  … Continue reading →


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Posted in Animals, Announcements | 6 Comments

The Way of the Warrior: ‘Magical Thinking’ Won’t Keep Us Safe

Posted on December 31, 2009 by

There was a joke that made the rounds after the shoe bomber incident, when TSA responded by having us all take off our shoes at security: “Good thing he wasn’t the underwear bomber.” Well, now we’ve got the underwear bomber. … Continue reading →


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Posted in Book View Cafe | Tagged | 3 Comments

Book Cover Design 101: Unleashing the Monster

Posted on December 30, 2009 by

Authors are capricious gods. We’re always interfering in the lives of our characters. We hate it when life’s too easy for them. We crave conflict and struggle and whenever the momentum sags, we think: what can I do to really … Continue reading →


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Posted in Book View Cafe, Books and Reading, eBooks, Humor, mystery, New Releases, Publishing, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Geek of the Week: Roller derby gear

Posted on December 30, 2009 by

Factoid: all quad skates were, until recently, designed for the male foot, which apparently is shaped like a brick. The female foot is more duck-shaped, with a narrow heel and wider at the toes. Continue reading →


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Kindle: Best Christmas Present Ever

Posted on December 29, 2009 by

I received the best birthday present of my life this March when Meredith got Marcus and Lucas to take Badger to the beach, and Lucas, a talented photographer, took pictures of pony (one of Badger’s several nicknames).  He is nicknamed … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Darkovan Characters: Yours, Mine, and Ours

Posted on December 29, 2009 by

One of the most delicate and challenging aspects of continuing Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series–or any world invented by another author, for that matter–has been the portrayal of characters not my own. Most were created by Marion herself, but some … Continue reading →


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Ways to Trash Your Writing Career: An Intermittent Series

Posted on December 28, 2009 by

One fine way to ensure that nobody will ever publish your book is to become vile.  Not criminous, mind you, but vile. Being, say, convicted scamster Bernard Madoff will not especially deter a major publisher from putting your novel into … Continue reading →


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Posted in Announcements, Publishing | 4 Comments

Winning the E-Reader Wars

Posted on December 28, 2009 by

Kindle fights Sony, and both try to wipe out the Nook. Now the Internet whispers that Apple may join the battle for dominance in the e-reader market. Except I know who’s going to win. I’m absolutely certain. You ready? Here … Continue reading →


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Posted in eBooks | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Horses in Winter

Posted on December 28, 2009 by

The horse originally evolved as a steppe and tundra animal–a creature of colder climates. He’s highly adaptable, of course; humans have taken him wherever they’ve gone, though the North and South Poles are problematical–not enough forage for those big bodies. … Continue reading →


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Posted in Blogs, horses | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The Starfarers Quartet

Posted on December 27, 2009 by

The Starfaers Quartet is back in print, at Book View Cafe. It had such an odd evolution and printing history; I’m glad to have it available again.


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