Trope Tuesday: Lawful Evil

If the term “villain” applies to anyone, it applies to the Lawful Evil.  Whether the evil overlord, his trusted right-hand man, or one of his devoted minions, these characters are dedicated wholeheartedly to their cause, whether they believe it will lead to a better world or not.  Taking over the world is often a major obsession,… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Lawful Evil

Teaching English and other future plans

I got my flight plans today from the TLG people in Georgia!  I’ll be flying out next week from JFK, connecting in Kiev and arriving at Tbilisi Wednesday afternoon.  On Monday, I’ll take the train down to my aunt and uncle’s place in New York city and spend a couple of days with them before… Continue reading Teaching English and other future plans

What I’ve been up to recently

I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick post explaining what I’ve been up to the past month or so, since a lot of things have changed and I’m sure they will be changing a lot more in the future.  So, here’s what’s up: As you may or may not know,… Continue reading What I’ve been up to recently

Desert Stars is now published!

Desert Stars, my third novel (and second in the Gaia Nova series), is now available as an independently published ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.  Within the next couple of weeks, it’ll be available through Kobo, iTunes, Diesel, Sony, and Xinxii as well. It’s been a long journey, and I’m thrilled to finally… Continue reading Desert Stars is now published!

Desert Stars cover art is in!

I just got the final version of the cover art for Desert Stars, and it looks great!  Here’s a preview: Many thanks to Hideyoshi, who also did the art for Genesis Earth. I’ll finish the cover and upload the ebook over the weekend.  By Monday or Tuesday, it should be up for sale across all… Continue reading Desert Stars cover art is in!

Climbing the 10k mountain

I recently read an amazing blog post by Rachel Aaron, in which she explains how she went from writing about 2k words per day (about what I’m doing) to routinely breaking 10k. This is something I really want to do with my own writing.  As I noted a couple of weeks ago, I need to… Continue reading Climbing the 10k mountain

On the eve of publication

First, some housekeeping: I recently did an interview over on Slava Heretz’s blog, which you can find here.  I talk a little bit about Desert Stars, as well as how traveling has influenced my writing and how I overcome writer’s block. In other news, I got smacked upside the head with the flu yesterday and… Continue reading On the eve of publication

Am I swamped, or am I lazy?

This post might get a little emo, so I apologize in advance. I feel like I have so much on my plate right now, and yet when I look back at what I’ve accomplished each day, I wonder if I couldn’t have been more productive.  I’m moving out of my apartment on the 21st, so… Continue reading Am I swamped, or am I lazy?

Why I’m not submitting to the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest

Last year, I submitted Genesis Earth to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest and made it to the quarter-finals.  I’m pretty sure I could do at least that well this year, but after reading the contest rules, I’ve decided not to participate. Why? Because of this: 5. GRANT OF RIGHTS. By submitting an Entry and… Continue reading Why I’m not submitting to the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest

Trope Tuesday: The Bechdel Test

The Bechdel Test is a way to measure how prominently women figure in a story.  It mostly comes up in discussions of TV and film, but can also be applied to works of literature.  To pass the test, the story must have at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: The Bechdel Test