Contrary to popular belief that steampunk is dead, and thinking that maybe you missed the recent announcement on The Shared Desk or the Ministry website, I wanted to bring the news and the official launch date for the next project from Imagine That! Studios…

10 April 2012

I will be kicking off the new season of steampunk fiction with “Sins of the Father” where, due to popular demand, we get a peek into  Wellington Books’ past. Then, every alternate Tuesday following Season 2′s premiere, original stories from the Ministry of Peculiar occurrences will premiere, featuring the writing stylings of …

• P.J. Schnyder
• J.R. Blackwell
•  J.R. Murdock
• Shaun Farrell
• Doc Coleman
• Alyson Grauer
• Thomas Wilford

…and many others. With the ideas and stories submitted, including two winners from SpecFicNZ’s writing contest, Pip and I are really excited about what we got coming in 2012. Return with us  to the Archives for untold podcast stories from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.

Enjoy the ride.

This weekend was a productive one, started with Pip building a case (pardon the pun) for dusting off a manuscript that disappeared into the sunset back in 2009. It has been, of all of my works, the most requested of my works for a sequel.

It was a pretty intense conversation between Pip and myself…

PIP: Tee, I really want to get Billi out in a digital format.
ME: Okay.
PIP: *blink-blink* Um…okay….

Yeah, pretty gripping, I know.

So now, after two years of being out of print, Imagine That! Studios as part of EXPERIMENT 2012 brings you…

I did say last year that I believed I would return to this alternative Chicago where a dwarf detective would stand toe-to-toe with Al Capone, and now it is happening. The story is still the same. We just have the book in new formats now. Kindle? Nook? Kobo? Yeah, we got you covered.

Why now? I was asked by Myke Cole in a recent roundtable discussion on John Mireau’s Serving Worlds podcast when you know it’s time to release a title on your own. Could it have anything to do with this rakish gent?

As much of a raging fan as I am of Peter Dinklage and his performance in Game of Thrones (the second season looming closer and closer with each day), the decision to bring back Billi is more in response to my novella, Aladdin and His Wonderfully Infernal Device. I’ve been watching the numbers since it’s recent release, and they have been promising. Very promising. My issue has always time. Between 2009 and 2011, my focus has been on the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Phoenix Rising, releasing the first volume of Tales From the Archives in digital formats, and the follow-up The Janus Affair. While holding a full time job, that was all the time I had to commit.

Then, things changed.

The time just felt right to give this award-winner some attention, so this weekend I did just that. When Pip mentioned what we were working on, the big question I got all weekend was “Does this mean more Billi is coming?” It’s an easy answer: It all depends on how both The Case of the Singing Sword and The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant perform. The Ministry has to come first, as you can imagine. If the Billibub Baddings Mysteries take off, though, then I have more time to make future installments happen.

And if you see J. Daniel Sawyer anytime soon, you might want to thank him for helping make Billi’s re-release happen as he solved for me a rather heavy commitment I make in this first case.

For all who have asked me about Billi’s return, you also helped make this happen. I hope he’s worth the wait.

Okay…just one more moment with the Emmy-winner. I just know he is my Billi Baddings.

With the successful run of the first season of Tales from the Archives, Pip convinced me to take that step into being a self publisher. In this trip, I’ve been taking copious notes from other writers like Mur Lafferty, James Meltzer, and Chuck Wendig.

Today, I’m releasing out into the wild my first novella.

As I mentioned on The Shared Desk, Aladdin and His Wonderfully Infernal Device is an inspiration from a steampunk fairy tale anthology Pip is affiliated with. I went back to a few of the original translations of Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (quite a few of those, it turns out…) and then brought in a bit of steampunk for fun. Here’s the summary:

Aladdin is a street-wise thief that finds himself under the tutelage of a world-renown illusionist. He is escorted deep into the deserts in search of a treasure beyond his wildest dreams, and discovers instead something far more valuable—a destiny.

My first step into fiddling with fairy tales, and my first novella. It is now live and can be yours for a mere $1.99, exclusive for the Kindle! Have a read, leave a review, and tell a friend.

It’s hard to believe, but last Friday marked a month since my last day at Intersections.

For the past four weeks, I’ve taken in a lot. Good and bad. Of course, the irony of all this is that when I was hired by Intersections, the Recession was in full swing. And at the beginning of 2012, where a variety of news outlets from around the world were all noticing an economic turnaround at the beginning of 2012, I was downsized.

In this month, from the day I was let go to now, I’ve learned a lot. Granted, each layoff is different. Some involve severance packages. Others do not. Some employers treat you with respect. Others waste no time in getting you out of the door. It’s hard to predict how bad news like this will come, but I can say — after a month of letting the dust settle — there are at least five things to keep in mind when Corporate America pulls the rug out from under you.

5. Don’t panic. It’s easy to do when the news hits; and while quoting Douglas Adams may seem kind of trite coming from a geek, it really is true. Flipping out is not going to help anyone, and it’s going to make you look like a chump. I’ll admit, I felt a twinge of panic when I was told about how long my health coverage would last. I took a deep breath, and thought, “Don’t panic. Go out with class.” When all the formalities were done, I looked the executive in the eye and said, “It’s been a good run. Thank you.”

Keep it together. Keep it classy.

4. DO. NOT. MELTDOWN. THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA. When I was packing up my office, I saw that my TweetDeck was still running. I felt an urge to tweet “So this is what it’s like to get laid off.” but with my fingers over the keyboard, I paused. I thought about it. Really thought about it.

I immediately took my hands away, and shut down my computer.

What would have sharing my real-time bad news accomplished? Making Intersections look bad? Rally my troops so I can feel better for myself? Light a fuse for a complete online rant? Social Media has a bad reputation for being all about the vitriol because of people melting down as if Twitter or Facebook is a therapist’s couch. Remember that when you go public on social networks, you are going public. Everyone and anyone can see it. How do you want to be remembered at your job and represented online?

A Social Media Meltdown is nothing more than a chump move, and it’s burning bridges that you might want to leave alone.

3. Get organized. By the time I got home (roughly thirty minutes after leaving the parking lot), Pip looked up and said to me “There is a file on your Dropbox with job leads. Good hunting.” I sat down and immediately checked over my LinkedIn page, and even made the investment into a “Premium” account in order to get a few extra bells and whistles.

Within twenty-four hours, I had applied for 16 available Social Media jobs. This week, the number is now 76.

You want to keep your cool, but that doesn’t mean you stay idle. Spend an hour a day searching for jobs, then make one day out of your week the day you go out job hunting. Keep a spreadsheet so you can track what you’ve applied for and when, and keep track of any responses — even from staffing agencies — you get from your applications.

2. Keep it classy when reaching out for references. When downsized, keep this in mind: It’s not personal. This means that you have a window of opportunity —preferably within the first week of the layoff — in getting some good references from where you work.

I reached out to the executives I dealt with directly and sent the following note:

I wanted to thank you for two-and-a-half terrific years with your company, Intersections. I’m looking back on my time with you all, and I’ve got nothing but positive experiences staring back at me. Intersections gave me a chance when no one else would, and Intersections stood by me through one of the darkest times of my life. Couple that with the opportunities and accomplishments I enjoyed while working there, all I can say is “thank you.” My only regret was that Intersections could not find a place for me.

Each version of this letter was different, personalized for each executive I approached.

Within ten minutes I had my first reply. From the C.E.O.

Two days later, I had his letter of recommendation.

A recommendation on LinkedIn. Permission for phone referrals. I got a solid list of references, and these references happened because I didn’t make this personal. This was about numbers. This was about business.

1. Enjoy some downtime for yourself. Yes, I’m suggesting you keep yourself busy, get your references and your resumes in order, and plan for the hunt ahead of you; but make time for you.

When the layoff happened, I had plans with friends that night. Pip suggested I cancel. “No,” I told her. “I don’t want to hide. I want to be around friends.” All weekend, and since then, I’ve been doing just that. Friends. Neighbors.

And, of course, family.

Since the layoff, I’ve been enjoying morning walks with Sonic Boom to school. I then come home and start writing. I’ve been writing. A lot. Two short stories. A novella. (And not all of it was steampunk…but most of it was.) Quality time with The Janus Affair and its final layout.

Whether I planned for it or not, I’ve got time. Loads of it. So I’m taking advantage of it.

Take advantage of time you find yourself having. Bank some quality memories with your family. If you’re a writer, get some ideas down on paper. Or take this opportunity to broaden your skillset. Your job hunt will be there, waiting for you once you get back from what you’ve set aside for yourself. Prepare yourself for your job hunt. Don’t obsess over it.

There will be some days that are going to be easier than others. By doing some footwork immediately afterward, though, you feel like you’re taking the right steps. As I mentioned before, every layoff is different; but if you find yourself in an unexpected, unwanted career change, maybe this blogpost will give you some things to keep your sanity.

Another option in keeping your sanity: Captioned pictures of housepets. Laughter makes everything — even getting laid off — a bit more tolerable.

Something I find absolutely fascinating in my first decade as a published author is the sheer amount of backpedalling I have seen authors make when it comes to self-publishing.

Oh. Wait. Independent publishing. Now, indie publishing includes self-publishing. Yeah. Ain’t that something?

When I took my first steps with Dragon Moon Press back in 2002, I also took hits from a few established authors online and in real time, turning to their colleagues and referring to me as a literary ambulance chaser. (No kidding. I collected some killer stories in my first year as an author.) Now, those same voices snubbing me at conventions and literary events are now swearing up and down to the masses that “Legacy Publishing is dead and the independent author shall vanquish the evil Gatekeepers! Take control of your writing career! Do it yourself!”

Yeah, taking control, doing it yourself, and “sticking it to the Gatekeepers” all sounds seductively intoxicating. Charlie Sheen did just that and referred to himself as an F-18. (That’s Comment #5 in the previous link.) Before you decide to go supersonic in your own path to being a writer, ask yourself one quick question: Have you ever sat in a cockpit of an F-18?

How about a Cessna?

My kid was invited into the cockpit of a Boing 747. Take a look…

Even if you’re flying a cropduster, your flight isn’t going to end well if you don’t know what you are doing. Across a decade of writing, editing, and book layout, I’ve collected a few considerations for any author — new or seasoned — to keep in mind when it comes to managing a career.

5. Accept the fact that no matter how good you think you are, you need an editor. In their recent Huffington Post article “The Real Reasons Indie Authors Aren’t Taken Seriously”, Melissa Forester and Amy Edelman dish out some tough love to indie authors about the long road to respect, and throughout the article continuously refer to what these ambitious artisans all need — editing. I don’t care who you are — you need an editor. The need for an editor does not mean you lack talent or that you’re a suck writer. It does mean you are human, and their changes bring about other details to mind, making writers take a harder, critical look at what a writer’s creativity hath wrought. Editing is not a curse or an unnecessary delay on your work. With the right editor, editing is a hard, critical look at your work with the goal to make a diamond from a creative rough.

4. Giving It Away for Free (or Even for 99¢) Should Have a Plan behind It. Back in 2005, I was one of the strongest advocates supporting free fiction. I saw a spike in my own book sales when Dragon Moon gave me a green light to give away in audio Morevi and The Case of The Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery. And I wasn’t alone. Other authors were following the charge alongside Cory Doctorow, myself, and Scott Sigler.

Now, six years later, I’m still a big advocate for giving it away for free…provided there is a plan behind it.

Giving it away for free works for Scott and Cory, sure. I won’t deny that. But outside of those two, has this tactic worked for anyone else? Even as Chuck Wendig points out in his “Making Sense of 99 Cents” blogpost, it’s not the best strategy to price everything the same. For my own independent publishing works, 99¢ is a sweet spot for short stories with one selected as a free download. Short story collections are priced at $2.99 (essentially, four shorts — so four for the cost of three). Free can work as part of a larger plan.

Giving stories away — be they shorts, novellas, or novels — for free? Blindly?

No, this isn’t really a good model to follow, as I discovered…

3. Some People Will Never Want to Pay for Your Work. In a recent episode of The Shared Desk, around 28:38, I made a really dumb remark: “A little bit of book piracy is okay.” I’m still trying to figure out why I made the comment. Perhaps I was thinking “People torrenting an already free story. That’s okay.” Maybe pygmies had my nuts in a vice while I was recording. Whatever the reason, I said this before receiving the Google Alert notifying me that The Case of The Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery was being torrented. Not the podcast, mind you. A PDF of the print book.

Let me say that again: A novel I am already giving away for free in an audio format was being pirated.

With so many artists (not just writers, but musicians and artists) giving their work away for free or at 99¢, some online consumers adopt a sense of entitlement. As a professional independent author, you need to accept the fact that you will get complaints from people about your work “not being long enough” for the price, even when that price is 99¢. When it’s free, are you taking a blind eye on torrenting then? The business model you set for yourself needs to include boundaries for your work and how you deal with Internet Entitlement. And in light of complaints from the entitled, is your pricing based on your strategy, or prices that others agree on?

If it’s the latter, you might want to rethink your business model.

2. Financial Success Will Not Happen Overnight. I’ve always believed that the greatest investment a writer can make in their career is time. You invest time in researching your story, time to write it, and time to edit it. (See Item #6.) Be prepared to spend time in finding out if your investment is indeed working. While it sounds like Amanda Hocking, John Locke, and J.A. Conrath became overnight successes, they didn’t.

But with time, these writers became juggernauts.

A friend and colleague of mine was tweeting once about the blues of being a struggling writer and working minimum wage jobs to pay the bills. At the end of the same year, though, he was tweeting about buying a brand new car. Completely paid for. What happened? This author, living hand and mouth for a spell, is now a working, full-time writer, doing quite well for himself with an arsenal of short stories and novellas while his novel is gearing up for a release with a mainstream publisher. The income from his numerous titles is now his sole source of income.

That brings me to a consideration you should take to heart before venturing into the world of indie publishing.

1. Become a Hybrid Author. My darling wife is insisting I use here her “Many streams make a river…” quote when talking about a writer’s income. Yeah, it may sound a bit like a line Miss Marple would whip out just before solving the murder of her hamlet’s moneylender; but (and I’m never going to hear an end to this) she’s right. In between developing your titles as an indie author, go on and develop a title specifically for a mainstream publisher. Why? Breaking into the mainstream can open doors that still remain closed to smaller independent publishers. You may hear an argument against this like “Who needs the legacy publishers?” (And if you think “legacy publisher” sounds presumptuous…yes, it is.) but there are advantages.

One huge advantage is the advance. Just a signing bonus is a step forward as that becomes your first promotional budget, covering travel, advertising, and any writing resources you might need. Another plus in pursuing and landing a mainstream publisher is working with marketing divisions. I have been published in both mainstream (Wiley, Que, HarperCollins) and independent (Dragon Moon, and my own Imagine That! Studios) channels, and I can say that much of the footwork I had to do as an indie author — getting reviews, submitting for seminars and speaking engagements, dealing with piracy, advertising, requesting interviews — was taken care of by the mainstream publisher.

Why limit yourself? Broaden your horizons and consider a career covering both mainstream and independent publishing.

Keep one more thing in mind: What I’ve got here is not some magic formula of success.  This is a decade of writing experience, of watching authors perform 180’s on opinions concerning independent publishing, and of lessons I’ve learned from both sides of this argument. I’ve never believed in a sure-fire formula to success. If you think I got it, trust me — I don’t have it.

I do have some plans in play, some experiences under my belt, and some conclusions drawn. Forge forward, and find out what works best for you.

And really, there is a bigger picture happening here. As NPR said in their own look at the Digital Vs. Traditional Book Publishing argument:

“We should worry less about how people get their books and — say it with me now! — just be glad that people are reading.”

Personally, I don’t care how my stories reach people. I just want them to reach readers, and have readers react. That is really what matters in the end.

You’ve heard me talk about him on The Shared Desk, tweet about him, and pledge my undying love to him on Google+; but now I’ve got to give this man a shout-out on my blog.

He got me writing flash fiction today.

I found author Chuck Wendig through Mur Lafferty, and have found a kindred spirit in this man. Why? Because he rants. He rants with a balletic grace. He tears through topics with the precision of a SEAL Team performing dark ops. He drops profanities easier than Eddie Murphy in his heyday. And something Chuck does on a regular basis that I’d never caught before was his Penmonkey Challenge (Chuck calls us writer-types “penmonkeys.” I admit, the term is growing on me.) of flash fiction. Today’s challenge was to pick one of the following words:

• Frog
• Powder
• Seagull
• Tower
• Scissors

…and  write up some flash fiction (something I didn’t think I could do) using only one of the offered words and tell a story in 100 words. Penmonkeys were invited to post their works into the Comments for the post.

I answered the call. Here’s the result…

“Scene”

The reflection in the mirror doesn’t lie; but when Jack applied the powder to his cheek, that rule shattered like a glass table under the heavy application of a brick. No seams, no odd blotches, nor any sign of who had taken his seat a few hours ago. He looked weathered. He looked tired.

He looked like his grandmother.

Jack worked his mouth to test how well this design held. He took another breath, catching the faint scent of lotion and latex.

His reflection always lied.

And people paid him good money to be the best of liars.

He’s giving folks until Black Friday to get in their flash fiction. I say “Why don’t you?!” I’ve been soldiering through today in a fog, but after this I am ready to break speed limits, get home to suck down a liquid dinner, and edit the shit out of The Janus Affair. I don’t know what it was about those 100 words but I am born again HARD and I either need to write or edit something or kill a small animal with a pair of twigs, whichever comes first.

If you aren’t doing so, do check out his blog, TerribleMinds. Chuck knows his shit when it comes to writing. Let me share with you just a sampling of his blogposts…

• Toxic Tempers and Fevered Egos in Publishing
• Turning Writers Into Motherfucking Rockstars
• Making Sense of 99 Cents

You can easily get lost in the amount of awesome found on his website. Buy his books. Download his free stuff. And jump in on his Writerpalooza of flash fiction. It could be the kick in the pants you are looking for.

Chuck Wendig, you magnificent bastard, thank you for breaking this Friday Phunk of mine!

Next week, at this time, I will be kicking off a few days of panel appearances at Renovation: the 69^th Annual World Science Fiction Convention in lovely Reno, Nevada. If you are out west for the extended weekend, here is where I will be appearing during the weekend:

• Social Media for Writers (moderating), Fri 11:00 – 12:00, A03 (RSCC)
• Introduction to Steampunk: What Is Steampunk and Why Is it so Popular? (moderating), Fri 13:00 – 14:00, A13 (RSCC)
• Writers Collaboration Panel, Sat 11:00 – 12:00, D05 (RSCC)
• Steampunk versus Alternate History (moderating) , Sat 13:00 – 14:00, D03 (RSCC)
• Autographing: Sat 14:00 (with Pip Ballantine) , Sat 14:00 – 15:00, Hall 2 Autographs (RSCC)
• KaffeeKlatsch: Sat 17:00 (with Pip Ballantine), Sat 17:00 – 18:00, KK1 (RSCC)

Saturday night may very well be an all-nighter for Pip and myself as we are scheduled for an early Sunday flight out of Reno (the only flight we could get out of Reno that returned us to DC at a decent time…), but grab us anytime between Thursday and Saturday as we will be there at WorldCon!

Yes, it has been a little quiet on my blog…but that doesn’t mean I’ve been standing still.

Our first steampunk exposition, The Steampunk World’s Fair in Somerset, New Jersey, is happening this week; and they are making us feel welcome! The guest list is mind-blowing, and yet we — the steampunk rookies — make their Lovecraftian promotional poster.

I think this is a sign of a FUN weekend ahead!

Both Pip and I will be there as part of “Ministry MAY-hem” and there are more details about the weekend to be found at the Ministry website. Track the weekend on Twitter by following the #SPWF hashtag.

We hope to see you this weekend as we get our steampunk funk on!

I never like seeing friends stressed out. Whether it is intensely stressed out or just out of their groove, it just kills me. It is amplified more when I feel the bumpy ride of Life’s rougher patches. Last week, snapping back from what can only be described as an “emotionally charged night” between me and the World, I read up on a writer and friend I admire and hold dear. Turns out he was also hitting a rough patch of road.

Phil Rossi, the multitalented man with the flowing hair of awesome, began a series of posts called “Paralysis.” He’s working through a writer’s dry spell; and in “Part I: Stranded,” he went “All In” like the rock-and-roll badass that he is:

“Another truth–I’ve never been in this place before. I don’t recognize the countryside.  The air here is different—heavy and overwhelming. Talk about a wrong turn. In the past, I’ve been able to work through any creative block. This is different.”

It was in this passage from the second posting in this series entitled “Part II: Patience” where I felt like I clicked with Phil on the raw fear now gnawing away at him:

“The journey easily becomes a desolate stretch of road, the destination coming no closer, when faced with daily emails wondering about when the next piece of fiction will drop and having no good answer or while watching idly as peers put out new material every other day (or so some day it seems).

When did any of that start to matter? At some point, it didn’t even exist.”

The troubadour of the tight jeans and cowboy boots is right. When did any of this — the comparisons, the results, the numbers — matter? When did all that come into play?

For me, it came into play when this story Pip and I wrote together, sold. First here. Then overseas.

Getting published isn’t the hard part. It’s living up to the hype.

There’s a lot riding on Phoenix Rising. At least, that’s what I’m seeing. The book hasn’t sold a single copy, and yet we’ve made back our advance. How? International sales. Australia and New Zealand. Germany. Russia. Everyone—even our super-agent—is floored by this; and we are thrilled. While this momentum is building, Pip and I are still working the marketing angles. We have been building up our modest Twitter account for Agents Books and Braun, running #SteamTuesday tweets, the odd steampunk article or three, and dropping teasers for both Phoenix Rising and the sequel in the works, Of Cogs and Corsets. We also have the Tales from the Archives podcast that launched last week, and a green light from the publisher to shoot a book trailer. Then starting in April, Pip and I hit blogs and podcasts, ramping up the following month with Ministry May-hem. (See what we did there?) That’s when we hit the road.

As the clock on the Ministry website continues to count down, a news story concerning a new publishing sensation reached my ears, and I found it a little hard to believe. I thought it was nothing more than eBook hype and propaganda. Being the librarian with the Black Belt of research fu, though, Pip pulled up the video…

Amanda Hocking’s story is pretty astounding when you look at it objectively. For pennies compared to what I have invested into my own writing career, Hocking has sold a staggering number of digital books. 900,000 and climbing. She has become a juggernaut of literature in less than a year, and reached that point in her press where she is debunking a few myths of her amazing ride. I admire that.

But on seeing the clip, I went on a rant in front of Pip. A rant you will never hear and never read. Safe to say, I didn’t react well to it. At all.

The odd thing about this rant was is I couldn’t pin down what I was feeling. I wasn’t angry at Pip. (Obviously.) I wasn’t angry at Amanda Hocking. (Jealous? Yeah, okay, maybe. Just a bit.) I was angry at something, I knew that. (Check…although furniture kicking never occurred. At least, on this instance.)

After spewing out this private rant, I dropped back into my chair and attempted to return to my work-in-progress, drained of any motivation and inspiration to write. Completely. I snapped, “What’s the point? Why the hell do I even bother?”

That was when Pip said it: “You can’t give up. You’re not allowed.”

Then it hit. And it’s still hitting me. I figured out why I was so angry…I’m scared.

I’m scared that Ministry won’t go the way people are telling me it will go. I’m scared the book will hit the shelves and people will hate it. I’m scared that I’ve got all these great ideas, but I’ll suddenly find myself unable to get beyond the pitch. I’m scared of losing that ability to write. I’m also scared with the international sales already set, Ministry is going to fall short of everyone’s expectations.

But what Amanda Hocking triggered was a fear that I’ve always thought has loomed over my writing career: I’m scared that I’m doing something wrong.

At least, that’s what my head is telling me.

I understand what Pip meant though. I’m not allowed to give up. Neither is Phil. We still have stories to tell. We have audio to engineer. For guys like us (and anyone driven by passions of a creative nature), the rules no longer apply. No matter how bad it may seem, we’re not allowed to give up. Onward. Always.

This fear isn’t a bad thing. It’s good. It keeps me focused and driven. I know that when I’m the most terrified, I’m sharp. My heart pounds like a jack rabbit before a speaking event, before a panel discussion, and when introducing myself at the beginning of a workshop. I know that I’m alive, and every rapid pound in my chest reminds me that I have earned the right to be here and it’s time for my “A” game. If I didn’t want to take a chance, if I didn’t believe in what I create, if I doubted my skill and talent, then I could find contentment in writing stories and keeping them to myself. I have chosen a path that agents, editors, and publisher have all told me few undertake. The fear is my acknowledgement of a challenge before me, and I am ready to face it.

Speaking of facing those demons, I understand Phil’s writing again.

“I was rewarded with the start of what could be a very tasty short piece of fiction and the knowledge that, yes, I can do this.   We are defined largely by our own perception. If I think I can’t write, then I’m not going to be able to do it.  If I consider myself capabable of telling a good tale, then that’s just what’ll happen.  Belief is a powerful thing.

And in this case, I’d say it’s magic.”

I found out this weekend it was his idea for Tales from the Archives that has got his butt back in the chair. Inspiration. Kind of like how his earlier blogposts inspired this posting.

In a perfect world, I believe that how we should be to each other: inspiring. That really is, as Queen once put it, a kind of magic.

UPDATE: When this post went live, Lou Anders of Pyr Books pointed people in his Facebook feed to Amanda’s blog. In her March 3 blogpost “Some Things that Need to Be Said,” Amanda goes even deeper into her success and some of the misconceptions and bold assumptions people are making. She also offers her own observations of being a self-published author versus a traditional press published author, and she pulls no punches:

“Self-publishing and traditional publishing really aren’t that different. One is easier to get into but harder to maintain. But neither come with guarantees. Some books will sell, some won’t.”

Before you get on the “Who Needs Traditional Publishing?” bandwagon, you will want to read this heartfelt and brutally honest posting from one of digital publishing’s success stories.

And to you, Amanda, I say “Kia Kaha! Now get your butt back in that chair and write!”

You might have seen last week on my Facebook or Twitter stream a series of check-in’s from San Francisco. If it looked like I was having fun, I was. I caught up with my best friend from high school, touched base with a friend from Intersections, and even found a really fun Tiki Bar just across from my hotel! The funny thing was I was working (seriously, I was…), although it was the last thing I expected to do so passionately. I was expecting to be miserable, frustrated, and counting the minutes until it was time to go home.

This was one of those times when I was thrilled to be wrong.

The event was the San Francisco Writers Conference, sponsored by the Larsen-Pomada Agency (the people who represent Pip and myself when it comes to fiction — watch the graphic on their homepage and we pop up!); and while I was a guest of this event and being offered the rock star treatment, my expectation level was low for this event. Low, as in rock bottom. My main beef with events like this is the general attitude towards genre writers. In particular, towards Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror writers. I’ve dealt with this in the past, and you know it’s a special kind of snobbery when self-published poets and “entrepreneurs” brush you aside because you write “that tripe.” This was what I was steeling myself against as I reluctantly packed a bag alongside an under-the-weather-stressed-out kiwi.

Yeah, Pip caught a cold the day before we left, and this wasn’t helping her relax as she was slated to speak alongside editor (and longtime pal) Gabrielle Harbowy and speculative fiction powerhouse Katherine Kerr. Regardless, Thursday afternoon, we dragged ourselves to the airport got on the plane, and touched down in a rainy, dreary San Francisco.

This was going to be a long weekend…or so I thought.

My first talk was on Friday afternoon calling “Finding Your Tweet Spot” covering (yep, you guessed it!) Twitter for writers. The conference paired me up with Rusty Shelton. Wasn’t sure what to expect with this talk until I met Rusty. We instantly hit it off, his background in public relations and marketing for writers and publishers clicking quite well with my own strategies in self-promotion.  The two of us flew through the 45 minutes allotted for our panel, and we admitted that another hour would not have hurt. It was a rapid-fire tag team talk, and nowhere did we step on each other’s toes or contradict approaches. The talk was as if we had given it before. Feedback popped up right away on Twitter, and during the weekend a few people stopped and asked me questions we hadn’t the time to address.

It was this accessibility at SFWC that really impressed me. Unlike a SciFi con where sometimes people are gun-shy in asking a question (lest you face the wrath of one or a number of SMOF’s…a blogpost on them to come…), folks at this writers’ conference — both presenters and attendees — were approachable, welcoming an exchange of ideas, resources, and strategies. Pip (her cold receding just enough that she was feeling better) and I met a variety of people, from people who had just signed with our agent to people in search of an agent to people that were self-published and wanted to know what their next step would be. We even met the Grand Master of Shaolin.

Let me say that again — we met THE Grand Master of Shaolin.

Really nice guy. I’m just saying.

People were there to learn more than just subtle nuances of the writers’ craft but also the in’s and out’s of the business. What promoted this conference’s positive atmosphere was how much the editors, agents, and writers attending wanted to share with the attendees. I was humbled and energized by it all.

Pip also found herself some well-deserved spotlight alongside Gabrielle and Katherine who insisted they call her “Kit.” This was just one of Katherine Kerr’s many endearing qualities. The photo I’ve included with this blogpost is of Pip, Kit, and Gabrielle brainstorming on their workshop, one of those magic moments where writers share their own passions as to why they write. I was working on another blogpost at the time, but sitting in on their “jam session” in the presenter’s breakroom (eighteenth floor penthouse suite) was an education in itself.

It also felt really, really good to present again. Along with my panel on Twitter and on Monday an all-day workshop (with Linda Lee) on Social Media, I was asked by Michael Larsen to talk a bit about apps for writers. It became (unintentionally) the Scrivener talk (maybe for 2012…) but I did get a chance to talk to writers about the modern mobile resources that are out there. This talk, and the event on a whole, reminded me of how much we traveling in the con circles take for granted. To many of us, social networking, WordPress, and iPad are accepted (if not expected) tools of our trade. With the SFWC audience — the majority of it — technology was unexplored (and unrelated) territory. This made for a very different audience from what I am accustomed, and an audience that were hardly shy in asking for more.

The four days by the Bay were over-and-done before I knew it; and with the exception of catching up with Scott Sigler (next time, bro, next time…) Pip and I managed quite a lot of business, networking, and career planning. My dad, on my return, asked me if San Francisco had been a productive trip. Without question I believe presenting and attending the SFWC was one of the smartest things I have done in my time as a professional author. My goal since 2009 has been to get my writing back on track, and this weekend has been another big step in doing so. Perhaps the biggest lesson I took away from the conference: Stepping out of your comfort zone keeps you sharp. As Kit recommended during the “Out of This World” panel, the cons are a real experience for the writer. She didn’t mention that after a few of them under your belt, you can easily find yourself speaking within a bubble, preaching to the converted. With conferences like the SFWC, you find yourself free of those “safe circles” and looking at what you do from different points-of-view. You might also find opportunities in these brave new worlds, as well.

Stepping out of comfort zones can also put a lot of things in perspective. Priorities. Your place among them. Where you are headed in life. All that, along with a reminder that you can have novels, podcasts, and accomplishments under your belt, and yet you discover there is still a lot to learn about your passion.

Boy howdy, was I ever reminded of that in San Francisco.

And this is it.

You’ve heard why new computer books, while bringing in a bit of the greenbacks, is no longer my thing as a writer; and you’ve finally got an idea of what I have been dealing with in a writing partnership that went so south, the relationship is in Antarctica right now. (Considering this next section, there a touch of irony for you.) You also know that Billi and the crew are taking a “big sleep” as well. It’s time for me to move forward.

Granted, when I was told this was the next step, I had no idea this was going to be such a giant leap.

This wild ride starts in May of last year…

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

2010 could be best summed up by Charles Dickins’ opening line from A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While working through the worst of times, May ushered in the best of times with a two-book deal from Harper Voyager. What had started as a podcast-for-pay with Pip Ballantine became my big break, and my top priority.

The series is called The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, and we describe the series as a steampunk take on the BBC’s espionage romp The Avengers. Our first book, Phoenix Rising, will premiere this Spring with its follow-up, under the working title Of Cogs and Corsets, planned for a 2012 release. Since the contract was signed, we have been moving at a blistering pace between quick turnarounds on edits, cover art production, and development of the sequel. Add to all this mayhem unanticipated international sales to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and (just this month) Russia, it’s no lie: Expectations are high, particularly with the book’s premiere scheduled at The Steampunk World’s Fair in New Jersey.

There is one reoccurring thought running through my mind during this whole period of time: Holy crap, this is really happening.

So after clocking in a full day at Intersections Inc. as their go-to resource for all things Social Media, and then making sure Sonic Boom gets fed and (of course) some quality time, it’s down to the studio to focus my energies (or what’s left of them, at that point) on what is needed for the Ministry series:

• Writing Of Cogs & Corsets with Pip
• Administrative and (soon) editorial work on Tales from the Archives
• Researching and reaching out to potential contacts for an intensive media tour, starting in March
• Zumba and Dance Central workouts (Yes, I want to look good when May arrives.)

I need to focus on Ministry works because this is where my future is. My next step. As much as fans of Billi and Morevi want a new installment, I will hazard a guess they also want me writing. It may not be where people want me writing, but it’s where I need to be.

It’s also a lot of fun. I’ve been enjoying Wellington, Eliza, and their steampunk England so much that I find myself missing their world, even when editing and proofing chapters. There’s a lot of potential here, as well. I don’t want to miss a step, so this means making Ministry the focus of my writing.

You might not think it is a difficult decision, but it is. Side-stepping questions about Billi and Morevi, hearing fans ask about future podcasts, and receiving praise for these properties are all welcome and heartwarming. I appreciate them all, and they make me want to write in those universes again.

But there it is again: writing. Of course my readers and listeners want me to write. Feedback from my short stories has told me as much. The truth of it was in the sales, when I would see how much I would make off my other properties, including the Twitter and podcasting books. Would I ever really be able to make a living as this? Computer books have a limited shelf life; and to make a living with an independent press, I would have to double (or perhaps, even triple) my output. To hit that goal of full-time writing, I need to produce the books that can get me there.

I believe those books are the ones I’m working on with Harper Voyager. Come this Spring, we will see.

The End…but Rafe and Billi will return…

Letting go of these two properties has been hard, but I still believe — no kidding, I believe with purest conviction — that I will return to these worlds. Perhaps Billi will find a home with another publisher. Wouldn’t that be fun? Rafe, while dashing in his doublet and rapier, would look rather smart in an aviator cap and goggles, a hyper-velocity aetherflux at his side. I’ve closed the door, sure, but it’s not locked. As we have all seen as a community, there are no sure things, no slam dunks, in the entertainment industry. I still recall the words of my friend from across the pond, Martyn, when he tweeted to me “What a difference a year makes.” He’s right. Within a year, I could be forging ahead. Within a year, I could be on a new path. A lot can happen in this year, and I’m not dismissing Billi or Morevi and their futures. I will return to those worlds. Someday.

For now, I’m giving dwarf detectives and upstart pirates a break; and my attention turns to gears, gadgetry, and goggles. In place of Mick’s Diner and the Defiant, I’m delving into a dark depository of mysterious talismans, trinkets, and tall tales that could contain a bit of truth. Bullets and baldricks are swapped out for boilers. In this new world, a plucky pepperpot of the colonies and a meticulous bookworm face intrigue, danger, and secret societies hell-bent on overthrowing the Empire.

Sounds like fun? I hope so. Maybe you’ll want to join me on this little trip.

Chevron 9 locked. See you on the other side…

Last week, you got the behind-the-scenes look at how a lot of work can go into books and how a publisher can change their minds without telling you. We also got a look at how I’ve been making some rookie flub-up’s and probably need to go back and listen to my own podcast on writing and what not to do. This week, Part II of “The Tough Choices” goes into the characters people know me for and the questions people have been asking me since 2005…

The Billibub Baddings Mysteries

“So, are you ever going to podcast Pitcher’s Pendant?”

Two of the best things a writer can ever hear about their work is:

• I read it again, and it gets better every time.
• Where’s the next book?

While my podcasting and Twitter books are the bigger financial successes, it is my print and podcast novels that people ask me about the most. In particular, when is the next one coming? I suppose that would make the novels from Dragon Moon Press artistic successes.

The Case of the Singing Sword, both in print and in podcast, stands out as my most acclaimed work, winning an Honorable Mention from ForeWord Magazine for Best Fiction of 2005 and Best Audio Drama (Long Form) from the 2008 Parsec Awards. As much hard work as the podcast was, I had a blast doing it. The podcast also made an impression on me as I heard many of the voices from Singing Sword while writing Pitcher’s Pendant. In my head, I had the novel cast by its completion and was seriously considering a podcast of it either late 2009 or early 2010.

Life, and my professional relationship with Dragon Moon Press, had other plans; and I was finding myself at odds with both.

So it went in the Spring of 2010 that Dragon Moon and I, after eight years of epic adventure, supernatural sleuthing, and columns on writing and being a writer, parted company. We agreed that for anthologies and Complete Guide to Writing installments, I would contribute when time allowed. It was time I moved forward in my career, something that I promised myself I would do during my live Survival Guide at Balticon in 2009.

This means that in April of this year, the Billibub Baddings Mysteries will no longer be available from Dragon Moon. The rights will revert back to me and, once that happens, I will work with my agent to find them a home. Once I do find a home for my wise-cracking dwarf, I will gladly forge ahead with him, Mick, Alphonse, Gertie, and the rest of the colorful characters residing in my alternative Gangland Chicago. I will probably not podcast Pitcher’s Pendant until I have a home and a bankable future for the series.

This doesn’t mean I’ll be pulling down the podcast. It will still be available on Podiobooks.com, and there it will stay unless someone makes an offer;but for now, Billi’s leaving the axe on the wall and Beatrice locked away in his top desk drawer.

The Morevi Saga

If people haven’t asked me about Billi, they have asked about the fate of Rafe, Askana, and those loyal to House Moldarin and the Defiant.

Where do I begin?

Much like with Billi, MOREVI: Remastered was a joy. I was exhausted when I was done, but quite pleased with the end result. It was an experiment, and some chapters worked better than others In the end I was very happy with the voice talent and the production quality.

But what of the series?

Legacy of Morevi, for those of you who have read it, know it ended on a killer cliffhanger. I was more than ready, on announcing MOREVI: Remastered, to return to the lands of Naruihm and podcast Legacy while working on the third title, Exodus from Morevi. Again, as with the Twitter books, I announced the next book in the series, a podcast anthology, and plans for the Legacy podcast. All of these grand plans hit the sea floor on realizing that the year was not going the way I had planned.

Poor planning, sadly, isn’t the reason why Rafe, Askana, and cast are facing futures unknown. The main reason is Morevi’s original co-author: Lisa Lee.

I have remained tight-lipped about Lisa for years, but here is the story few have heard. When we wrote Morevi together, it was incredible fun. Our story captured the attention of media. We appeared together on The Dragon Page in 2004, marking the only time Lisa and I were both present for an audio interview. We were having a great time. For the most part.

When she announced (after I had asked her not to…) we were working on Morevi’s sequel, we agreed this was our next step as a writing team. It was time to get cracking on a sequel. Lisa would start (as I had written the opening chapter last time), and this would begin new directions for our characters. It was all very exciting…

…until within two months, all communication abruptly stopped.

I never found out why Lisa shut me out, and still have no definitive answer; but I did find myself alone at the writers’ desk with a Prologue and an opening to Chapter One. I also had a deadline and a delivery date set.

So, during Legacy’s development, I had a lot of things to deal with…except for my writing partner.

After repeat email and even legal documents went ignored, I forged on ahead without Lisa. The original Prologue was scrapped. Chapter One’s opening was completely re-written. This new adventure now took twists and turns that were my own. Even with its open ending, Legacy of Morevi was received with praise from the fans of the first book, and was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Best Fantasy of 2005. Not bad for picking up the reins unexpectedly.

Fast forward to 2010…

Six years of silence finally broke when I found Lisa online. I reached out to her, asking for written permission to Morevi’s rights, seeing as she had no interest to continue writing in this universe. After all, it had been six years, right?

Here was Lisa’s reply:

“I am not sure about relinquishing all rights to Morevi – I will have to think about it. This is not so much about any monetary value but more about how I feel about something so personal.”

She also added:

“I appreciate that you’ve put a disproportional amount of work into Morevi compared to what I have contributed. All I can say is that for me, the overwhelming feeling I had when I first leafed through the printed copy was embarrassment. I guess that’s the only way I can go towards explaining why I felt I had to drop it.

But even so, it’s my first and maybe only ever published work. So before I can say here you go take it I want to know what you mean by find another home for it.”

What I find so bizarre about this exchange is how she refuses to say “yes” or “no” about relinquishing the rights to Morevi as it is “so personal” of a work, even after she had turned a blind eye when I wrote Legacy and produced both the 2005 and Remastered podcasts.

And this exchange happened at the end of August. I followed up with her in October. As it went six years ago, Lisa has apparently closed off communication. Again.

What exactly does all this mean? On a personal perspective I have formulated my own opinions; and I’ll admit—it would be real easy for me to dish.

I don’t dish. I rant. There’s a difference.

Without a definitive answer, I am left with an “Okay, what can I do?” So, once I am caught up with my Ministry commitments, I may return to Morevi’s universe and completely—to use the new, hip term in Hollywood—reboot the series.

As I discussed on my Facebook Group, I am considering a steampunk makeover for the swashbuckling series. A new era. A queen on England’s throne. A whole new attitude on some familiar friends. I believe Rafe could make the jump without a problem. It only becomes tricky as to how the reboot would change the plot, the environment, and the dynamics of the original.

I can promise you one thing: the Morevi reboot would be, without question, Elf-free.

This means Legacy would disappear into the aether. I would attempt to salvage as much as I could from it; but in giving my first novel a completely new angle with far less Fae, a lot will change.

All this would happen, though, after I meet my commitments with the Ministry.

(NEXT WEEK: Great Expectations)

click image to view full size

We’ve been sitting on this cover art for months!

When Pip Ballantine and I first saw it, we were over the moon. Imagine the heartbreak when our editor, Diana Gill, told us “You can’t post this anywhere just yet.” To watch the evolution of this cover, from the earlier drafts to the final product, has been a real trip; and while this is my fifth novel, it feels like my first.

Who is the artist? No clue. We know the artists were in-house and open to our input (something unheard of, particularly with new authors) when it came to cover ideas. We said, “Keep it simple. Have the heroes on the cover. Eliza should be armed to the teeth and up front. Wellington should be hanging in the back, enjoying a spot of tea.”

The rest came from the creative minds of Harper Voyager (formerly Eos Books).

You know that blogpost I keep promising, both here and on my Facebook group? Well, a fire has been lit under my bottom with the arrival of these cover flats. Somewhere during line edits (yes, I go on and say it — between the lines…), I’ll be going into my thoughts and feelings on this steampunk project, and how Eliza and Wellington will be affecting Rafe, Askana, and Billi. It’s not bad news, rest assured. It’s just a very different direction for myself as a writer.

I think the important bit to walk away with from this post is that in May 2011, I step back to where my heart has always been: Fiction.

Thanking Laurie McLean (my agent) and Diana Gill seems so inadequate, but I do appreciate this opportunity that they have given me. Laurie could have easily passed on this idea Pip and I hatched over Skype one night, but she saw the potential and got behind the book. Diana, with everything on her desk, not only saw the potential but really got behind the book in the negotiations; and in our discussions and her notes, she gave us her time and expertise and made the story even better. Thank you, both.

And thank you, Pip. She was pretty much set with Geist and Spectyr. She knows my cold feet when it comes to collaborations. She pressed, and she inspired me. Pip got me writing fiction again, and with our current preliminary work on Of Cogs & Corsets, it feels great. Who knew my Muse had a New Zealand accent? I really am blessed to have you in my life.

So, one step closer, here we are — a book cover for my first mass market paperback, coming to a book store near you in May. If you want to find out more about what we have planned in the ways of blog tours, appearances, and accompanying podcast, pay us a visit at The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.

May your weekend be full of that steampunk funk. Cheers!

I promised myself to work on my blogging skills. It’s a bit like getting back into shape, you know? I’m struggling to get back into a routine, and everyone around me is telling to cut myself a break considering the year I have been facing. The reality is, just like staying in shape, I have to do this. Next year, as many of you know, I will be returning to novel-length fiction with my first mass market paperback novel, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel. Me. The Kiwi. Steampunk. The cover is just beautiful, I’m telling you. Stay patient and, as soon as we get approval, we will go live with it.

2011 is a big step for me as a writer; and I’m trying to take everything I have learned since 2002 when Morevi first rolled off the presses, and apply it to the now. One of the hardest lessons I learned over this near-decade of writing professionally is just how easy it is to find yourself in the red. Not the red ink of an editor’s pen, mind you, but the financial red of your bank account telling you in so many words that you — the professional author — are flat broke.

With my bank accounts and credit scores all in the green (pardon the pun), I don’t intend to drive myself, Sonic Boom, and Pip into that dark territory. I’m also trying to make sure Pip doesn’t overreach financially, committing herself both in time and money into appearances. I still believe that face time is extremely important to the author, of course. However, it is more important to pay the bills, have a safety net in the bank, and make certain the roof you’re keeping over your head can be fixed at a moment’s notice.

Oh yeah, and writing. Writing is very important to the writer, last time I checked.

Today, I was reminded of just how tough it is to “give the people what they want” as tweets were asking us when we would bring Eliza and Wellington (our heroes from the Ministry) to local bookstores and Science Fiction conventions. These tweets were coming from the west (Oregon), from the south (the Carolinas), and from points south AND west (Texas). Flattered as I was that Pip and I are finding ourselves in demand, I hated coming to grips with the truth. Most likely, we won’t be heading to these friendly fans next year.

Before I continue, let me be clear — in no way is this blogpost meant to be a guilt trip. On the contrary, I want to give authors (and authors-to-be) that are considering the con circuit as a ways and means of promotion a realistic look at how much one Science Fiction convention could cost you. The bills may vary based on who buys you lunch, how many visits you make at the bar, and how many rounds you feel like picking up at said bar. This post is also a gentle (seriously, a very gentle) reminder to any and all of you organizing cons how much making an appearance at your event costs, and sometimes the weekend pass just isn’t enough to justify the trip. (Would you believe some cons won’t comp even that? Now that’s tacky.)

The convention I’m using as the boilerplate is Philcon, Philadelphia’s premier Science Fiction and Fantasy convention held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Why is Philly’s con held Jersey? Probably to bring the cost down which, if memory serves, did quite considerably when the convention was downtown. (Nice hotel back then, but you paid for its convenience.) Here is the breakdown of how much Philcon 2010 cost:

• Gas: $38.00
• Tolls: $18.00
• Hotel: $273.70
• Food: $283.54
• Petty Cash: $60.00
• Grand Total: $673.24

Considering that Pip was along with me, we ate in the hotel, and the hotel itself was more than reasonable ($119/night for a Crowne Plaza), this is a pretty inexpensive weekend. I’m sure we could have shaved off a few dollars here and there, but $600-700 for a con weekend within driving distance sounds about right. Factor in larger events (Balticon and Dragon*Con, for example) and you can easily tack on another $300-400 on that tab. Factor in air fare (Nova Albion, coming up for us in March) which can fluctuate from $225-450 per person, and now we’re doubling (or tripling) the amount.

Yes, I know, it’s a tax deduction…but it was that thinking that pushed me into serious financial trouble. While a book promotion is a deduction, I’m not getting all of it back. Only a piece of it.

Now, for the reality checkbook…

According to the current budget and the Philcon average, Pip and I have enough in the bank to cover four more con appearances. That’s cons within driving distance. Not counting an event in February (where we are being flown in on the host’s dime), we have currently confirmed for 2011:

• Nova Albion, March 25-27, in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• RavenCon, April 8-10, in Richmond, VA
• Balticon, May 27-30, in Hunt Valley, MD
• Renovation (The 69^th World Science Fiction Convention), August 17-21, in Reno, NV

We are still waiting to hear from The Steampunk World’s Fair (May 20-22, in Piscataway, NJ) in the hopes we can launch The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences there. If it is a go, that would make it five trips planned for next year. Two of these trips will include cross-country flights.

And we’re not quite done. Along with these trips, Pip and I need to put together a budget for other items such as:

• A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences trailer (similar to her Geist trailer)
• A Spectyr trailer (considering the success of the Geist trailer)
• RockButtons.com (arguably the BEST promotion we had at Worldcon 68: Australia)
• A MoPO coat of arms, Alex White commissioned for the work
• Costs involved in a podcast production (a MoPO anthology, another Chronicles of the Order, etc.)
• Any other promotions we have planned for either Ministry or Spectyr

Sure, we will be adding to our budget as the year progresses, but at the same time we have to make every dollar last.

This is why, if your local con (or if you yourself are a con organizer) contacts us, we will be asking for compensation beyond the weekend registration. For a con to pick up the air fare or hotel room save the author a good amount of change. Speaking from both Pip and my perspectives, it makes us work harder at a con. But what happens when a con comes back with “We can’t afford anything beyond the weekend membership…” as a response? No offense taken. We both know what goes into planning a con as well as how important it is for a con to come into the black. Unless you are a draw, a con wants to know what the Return on Investment (yes, even cons worry about that) will be when picking up a hotel, airfare, or both for a guest. Maybe Pip and I would be a valued investment. Maybe we’re not there yet. Who’s to say? (Well, the con’s Chair, Treasurer, and Programming Director, that’s who.)

When it comes to promotion, whether it is a personal appearance or a podcast, authors must be economical. I look back on my schedule of 2002-2003 and understand why people described it as “aggressive” because a con a month was a gusty, rigorous, and risky move for a new author. I also shake my head because I could have — and should have — managed my finances with more scrutiny so I would have realized sooner rather than later the dangerous gamble I was taking…and losing. It was an education for me, a school of hard knocks that I would prefer not to attend again. So, in 2011, I have to pinch pennies. I have to weigh the benefits. I have to use terms like ROI and USP. I have to stop being the artist and become a businessman. That is what this is, after all. The business of being a writer. Not full time (yet), but still a business.

That doesn’t mean Pip and I won’t be at a con near you. You never know. A convention chair may be a huge fan of podcasting, or have a slight crush on Sorcha Farris; and the numbers for Geist or Phoenix Rising might be enough for a committee to say “How about Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris? Do you think they are available?” And while we might not be able to come out to your part of the country (or the world), you could always brave the airports and come out to an event where we will be in attendance. Something I have noticed about the events we attend is an abundance of good times. So keep checking with us here, or on Facebook; and if fortune (or fandom) favors the steampunks, we might very well find ourselves announcing an update in our travel plans.

See you in the future? Anything’s possible.

At the end of 2009, I was invited by The Chef to return to the Erotica ala Carte kitchens for another round of saucy, spicy fun. My menu items on this go-round were:

• Female P.O.V.
• Time travel
• Artificial Intelligence
• Leather and Lace

The end result was “Dagger of the Mind” and my return to podcasting fiction. In light of so much talk and controversy concerning it and coupled with the way my year has been, I have been ready — so very ready — to do this.

But be warned…this story goes dark. WAY dark. Darker than I imagined I could ever go in my writing. This is not safe for work, kids, queasy dispositions, or those new to Pip’s podcast. I’d recommend working up to this one by listening to early episodes, and then having a listen to what the Chef describes as “the darkest we have ever gone…”

Something terrible is in Anna’s mind. Something alien that uses desire as a whip, but is it trying to drive her mad or is something even more nefarious going on?

This is my return to writing, and I can’t thank Pip enough for being my Muse (or Swift-Kick-in-the-Pants, whichever you prefer) in this setting. This story has been receiving a lot of traffic on Twitter, and I’ve been pretty humbled by the reactions. The inspiration behind this stems from one of my favorite movies of all time — Time After Time. (It’s on my AppleTV Wish List.) The film marked the directorial debut of Nicholas Meyer (who went on to direct Star Trek II and VI), and stars a young Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells and a young David Warner as Dr. John Leslie Stevenson whom we find out later is Jack the Ripper. I love time travel stories, but this one stands out as a favorite. I also wanted to try something different, something the EalC Kitchens had never seen before. I went into fetishes that haven remained unexplored, and then there was the Horror angle I dedicated in following. I was told in one harsh critique that “Horror and erotica simply do not mix…”

Someone didn’t tell Clive Barker that. Twisted as it is, Hellraiser is an incredibly sensual, erotic work. (And yes, terrifying.)

What has surprised me the most about this short story is that, for the first time as a writer, I’m discovering the possibilities. This world, these characters, and this situation are far from done. I’m thinking I may have my first erotic thriller in the works, and I am thrilled at where my ideas are leading me.

Oh my Muse, you are the dark, delicious, and saucy temptress…

And while people have been talking about it, I should point out that both my Erotica ala Carte dishes are eligible for the 2010 Parsec Awards. So if it hasn’t happened already please consider nominating:

• “Release Me” for Best Speculative Fiction (Short Form)
• “Dagger of the Mind” for Best Audio Drama (Short Form)
• Erotica ala Carte for Best Anthology Magazine

If you shared your thoughts (good or bad) concerning my “Erotica ala Dark” on Twitter, thank you! Feel free to leave comments here, or go to the Erotica ala Carte site and share your review with the Head Chef.

And feel free to share this twisted tale on your own blog….if you dare….

I’m starting to get my groove back (like Stella) in producing ideas, writing (seriously), podcasting, and playing with Sonic Boom. This road has been difficult (and no kidding, a blogpost is written, but I am not ready to drop it just yet. Bear with me…), but I’m taking everything one step at a time, one day at a time…

One of those positive steps is getting back into the interview circuit. Recently, Que Publishing contacted me concerning All a Twitter. The book is being featured again in Barnes & Noble Bookstores everywhere, and Que is hoping to get the first Twitter guide written from a user’s perspective (and when my byline says “written by Tee Morris” it means it!) into new readers’ hands. They asked me “Whatever you can do to get the word out…” and so I sent out a query to my Twitter networks.

Meet Michele Price. She queried me before I tweeted!

Michele is the host of Breakthrough Business, and on her BlogTalkRadio show we talk about Twitter, about my job at Intersections Inc, and about approaches that go against the grain of the marketing books. We talk about how “old school marketing” just doesn’t work with Social Media, and how businesses need to understand that Twitter (and Social Media, on a whole) is about people.

We had a blast on this interview, and there are more slated for the month. The geekier ones I’ll feature here, but if you want to hear more about the Social Media, take a trip to Imagine That! Studios for the full blogosphere-podosphere interview tour!

The day after the Great #Snowpocalypse of 2009, I felt the walls closing in a bit…and the twins inviting me to play with them really wasn’t helping. Fortunately, saving the day was Peter Cox all the way from Central London when he rearranged his schedule to sit down, open up the mics, and talk with me about podcast fiction. Seems that Litopia has opened a floodgate in talking about podcasting, Social Media, and the modern writer, and Peter wanted to sit down with the guy that started it all.

If you don’t know Litopia, you should. Lipopia is  run by writers for writers. It’s a podcast, it’s a blog, it’s a forum. It’s an inside look and a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry, and what was supposed to be a fifteen minute podcast…well, we went a little longer…

Enjoy this bit of time travel through the history of podcast fiction, and looking at the present day and possible tomorrows of Social Media in the publishing industry.

Listen. Comment (here and at Litopia). Share.

Hey, everyone! You may all think I’m suffering some sort of steampunk kick; but as you heard in my previous podcast, it is the focus of my attentions. My current work-in-progress now circulating the market is a steampunk romp entitled Books & Braun: Volume One — Phoenix Rising, co-written with Philippa Ballantine. I have always been fascinated with this sub-genre ever since hearing about it from two of the most creative people I know, J.R. Blackwell and Jared Axelrod.

And it was another creative type, the incredibly-witty, and delightfully-sultry Gail Carriger who — in a ways and means of promoting her paranormal steampunk romance, Soulless — made the offer to write guest blogpost.

Gail is my first. You always remember your first…

So I’m bumming about the internet, as you do, and Tee tweets me…

“Wanna guest blog?” says he.

“Delighted,” says I. “Got a topic?”

“What makes Steampunk so sexy?” says he.

Obviously, first and foremost, one word: corsets. There are a number of fine corsets (on the outside and underneath, worn by men and women) bumming about the steampunk scene. But as scrumptious as they are, there’s also that jodhpurs and newsboy cap look (yummy!) and never discount how truly hot a man (or cross-dressing woman) in proper fitted evening dress, or, for that matter the adorable grease monkey. Those flashes of brass, the occasional interesting adornment or mechanical arm which force one to look closer, to ask questions, these only serve to make the person wearing the outfit more intriguing and approachable, that to is super sexy too. Because what it means is that the person behind the outfit is creative and smart – frankly, it there anything more sexy than that?

So we’ve dealt with the sexy surface features of steampunk, shall we delve underneath? There’s that attitude, no don’t ghetto-neck at me, not that kind of attitude. One of the best bits of the Victorian era that steampunk has gently been reviving is the manners and the politeness. Online in forums, or out and around the maker’s circuit, running into fellows of a steamy inclination at fairs or conventions, I’ve found they are genuinely pleasant to be around. I don’t know about you, but I find ladylike and gentlemanly behavior extremely sexy.

And then, I hope you’ll forgive me for going slightly philosophical here, there’s this overtone of visible technology. We live in an age where technology has become hidden away in little silver boxes. Steampunk has taken the machine and made it a work of art, and it gorgeous. Suddenly, we get to see the gears and guts spread out before us. There’s something lascivious and yes, a little dirty about that.

Also, very very sexy…

Ms. Carriger began writing in order to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by a harem of Armenian lovers, where she insists on tea imported directly from London and cats that pee into toilets. She is fond of teeny tiny hats and tropical fruit. Soulless is her first book.

I admit that my blog (both of them) have been a bit quiet since taking on the Day Job and working through a busy October, but hopefully this sneak peek at what I’ve been up to will make my pockets of quiet worthwhile.

Recorded before a live audience at World Fantasy Convention, award-winning podcaster and award-nominated author Philippa Ballantine and I unveiled (with the blessings of our agent) our work-in-progress now working its way through submissions: Books & Braun, our Steampunk take on The Avengers. This is the first time that we have revealed to the public any selections from the work (apart from the odd quotes and teasers in our respective tweet streams), and we had a blast with this presentation. Our plan is to eventually podcast it in this fashion: Pip and I supplying the respective narration, a “few” (HA!) production elements, a musical score, and artwork featured by Carrie Seidman. We hope you enjoy this listen at what we have cooking in the creative kitchen.

BLOGGERS & PODCASTERS: We are releasing this reading under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Both Pip and I encourage you to syndicate this episode and point your subscribers to this endeavor of ours. We also would love to hear your feedback on this preview both here and at Pip’s website. Thank you for giving us a bit of space on your mp3 player of choice, and we will keep you posted on what happens with our daring duo from the clandestine organization that is The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.

With a whopping 42 comments to it (and as that is the big answer, I thought the time was right for this post…), I think it’s pretty much common knowledge by now that I got a new job. I didn’t really consider how quickly the wheels got rolling on getting me in there; but on retrospect, this place did not diddle around. I was offered the job on August 4, taught my final class on August 14, and then on August 17 I walked in, filed paperwork, went through the orientation, and was then literally thrown into the thick of it. I didn’t hit the ground running. I bitch-slapped the ground, made it call me a pretty girl, and had it beg for more when I was through with it.

And the really frightening bit? After a week, I’m still not sure how my voice mail works.

But what exactly is the job? I didn’t really go into detail on that in “Perseverance and Peter Gabriel” as that post was less about the job itself and more about the job hunt. Amidst the comments of congratulations and inspiration, a few of you have wondered “So what is this job you got?” I wanted to wait until I finished the first week before I shared details, and I’m glad I did. Last week was overwhelming, amazing, and eye-opening, on a lot of levels.

I was also beat at the end of every day. Slept a lot. Now, with some of the blur that was last week processed, here it is…

Intersections is a security firm, based out of Chantilly, VA. Since 1996, Intersections has dealt with credit history and digital identity protection. They are in the business of making electronic transactions, be they financial or personal, safer; and I have been hired as their Social Media Manager. (I’d like to point out that this job falls under Corporate Communications, not Marketing. That thrills me like you wouldn’t believe.) They were looking for someone who could not only apply Social Media, but understand the different initiatives out there and what they offer.

They were also looking for someone who could write. Yeah, I think I got that covered, too.

What I’m particularly excited about with this job is the angle Intersections takes with Social Media. Obviously, I’m being called upon to manage blogs, create podcasts, edit video (which I’m doing right now), and manage an outreach program with Twitter and (soon) Facebook; but I am also being asked to investigate and research security in Social Media, something I’ve touched on in Bird House Rules but only scratched its surface. On Friday, I was forwarded some news about Social Media from a security perspective and I was floored. The ironic bit is, that morning I was catching up with The SpyCast and listening to a fantastic interview with Dr. Terry Gudaitis who specializes in cyberintelligence gathering. (That’s the June 15, 2009 show if you’re interested.)

I feel as if I am starting all over again in Social Media, this time from a new perspective I hope Blogworld will let me speak on this year. I am officially on their schedule. I’ve confirmed “But Honey, It’s For the Studio” but am working to change topics concerning my second talk. So, if you’re at Blogworld this year, stop me and say “Hi.” It should be good fun in Vegas this October!

A cublicle in transition

So in the end, I am using my knowledge and background on Social Media for good, not for evil. While I will help in the promotion of what Intersections does, I will also be their on-call specialist in Social Media while I find out more about security matters with Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, and the like. My brain has been firing on all cylinders since Day One, and I’m soaking it up like a thirsty sponge. The first week just blinked by, and I’ve not slowed down yet.

If you were wondering, though, how the day job will affect my writing, it will only make me more productive. Now that I know my hours, I can regiment and manage my time efficiently. I’m still writing for AppAdvice; and this weekend Pip and I completed the first draft of Books & Braun: Phoenix Rising, our Steampunk CSI peppered with hints of James Bond. I’m also planning to dust off Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and start working on that. I’ll give up details with an upcoming Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy…and yes, that will be its final episode.

It’s a long story and a hard decision concerning The Guide, and I’ll save the rest for that show.

My job at Intersections is now underway, and my writing is moving forward. From here, all that I have to face now are the possibilities.