Monthly Archives: November 2014

Unknown's avatar

A Simple Guide to Deep PoV

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And, Nicholas Rossis expounds on his writing style and choices more in our conversation on *CHANGES*, Episode 7. Tune in any time on Youtube to that and others: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPbfKicwk4dFdeVSAY1tfhtjaEY_clmfq
Learn more about and get yourself or recommend someone to be scheduled as a guest: *CHANGES* G+ HOA  https://sallyember.com/changes-videocasts-by-sally-ember-ed-d/

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksPoint of View (PoV) is a fascinating thing. It allows us to play god in the little universe we have created for ourselves (and, hopefully, our readers). And, like a zoom-in function, allows us to zoom in and out of our characters. We can either watch them from afar or listen in to their most intimate thoughts.

First, third, omniscient…

You are probably aware of the three main PoV used in most fiction: first-person, third-person and third-person omniscient, but here is a quick recap:

First-person uses, well, the first person: “I stared lovingly into her almond eyes. I love you, I wanted to tell her. She seemed unnerved.”

Third-person, imaginatively enough, uses the third person: “He stared lovingly into her almond eyes. I love you, he wanted to tell her. She seemed unnerved.”

Third-person omniscient resembles closely the former, but allows us to jump from one character to another…

View original post 1,069 more words

Unknown's avatar

Today, in #SPAM

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Congratulations!!! You have been selected to travel through time with American’s most beloved historian with your FREE quality spy equipment! Bring along your bankbook, since the Direct Deposits of $1532.12 (twice) and $4986.21, the 100DayLoan of $2500 and the Boseley Gift Card (FREE) of $250 will accompany you!

Spam mail

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Unknown's avatar

BILL MCGOLDRICK of the SyFy Channel Previews 5 new shows for EW

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BILL MCGOLDRICK of the SyFy Channel Previews 5 new shows for EW

SyFy logo

Link to full article, trailers and interview, below. 5 shows summarized here:

Ascension “Mini-series; possible series. Six hours. Stars Brian Van Holt, Tricia Helfer. The show sets up an alternate version of reality in which, in 1963, President Kennedy and the U.S. government, fearing the Cold War will become hot and lead to the destruction of the Earth, decided to launch a covert space mission. They sent 600 men, women and children into space on a century-long voyage aboard the Ascension, a massive, self-sustaining generation ship. Their mission is to populate a new world, known as Proxima, assuring the survival of the human race. Nearly 50 years into the journey (i.e. in the present), as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman—the first homicide since their departure—causes the ship’s crew to question the true nature of their mission. Premieres Dec. 15, 2014.”

12 Monkeys “Series, 13 episodes. Stars Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull and Kirk Acevedo. A complete re-imagning of the Terry Gilliam film. A time-traveler from a decimated future journeys back to present day in a bid to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will pretty much annihilate the human race. Premieres Jan. 16, 2015.”

Childhood’s End “Mini-series, 6 hours. Stars Charles Dance. Based on Arthur C. Clarke’s sci-fi classic, follows a breed of aliens called the ‘Overlords,’ who manage to peacefully invade and rule Earth, and create a pseudo-utopia that comes at the price of human identity and culture. Premieres 2015.”

The Expanse “Series, 10 episodes. Stars Thomas Jane, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Steven Strait. Based on the series of books by James S.A. Corey, a thriller set two hundred years in the future, The Expanse follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history. No date.”

Hunters “Series, 13 episodes. Based on Whitley Strieber’s novel Alien Hunter, a Philadelphia cop searches for his missing wife leads and discovers a secret government unit that assembled to hunt a group of ruthless terrorists who may not be from this world. Premieres 2016.”

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/28/syfy/

Unknown's avatar

NOVEMBER: No Fee #Sci-Fi Short Story #Contest and Virtual #Film Festival

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The following is all from AUTHONOMY, a site of Harper Collins, which includes HarperVoyager. I just didn’t bother with quotation marks.

BFIVoyagerlogo

Enter Short Story Virtual Sci-Fi Festival by 5pm on Friday 21st November: http://goo.gl/CpY1GF enter by EM: BFIVoyager@harpercollins.co.uk

HarperCollins teamed up with the BFI (British Film Institute) to launch a Virtual Sci-Fi Festival on the 15th and 16th of November.

The festival will explore the intersection of film and literature.

It doesn’t cost a thing, you simply need to register to get the programme of events.

Sign up here: http://goo.gl/CpY1GF = http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bfivoyager-virtual-sci-fi-festival-tickets-13672690385

Enter your Sci-Fi short story

As part of the festival, HC have launched a Sci-Fi short story writing competition. They are looking for stories of up to 5,000 words, that reflect one or several of the themes:

Tomorrow’s World – from post-apocalyptic wastelands to megacities to far-flung dystopia – best described by Ray Bradbury as ‘sociological studies of the future’.

Altered States – the science fiction of ‘inner space’ mad scientists, mutants, man-machines and mind-bending trips – what points us towards the fragile and untrustworthy thing that is consciousness.

Contact! – time to explore life from all corners of the universe and across multiple dimensions.

You do not need a literary agent to enter.

Terms & Conditions do apply and you can find them here: http://goo.gl/8Pzcp2

Your short story will be judged by HarperVoyager’s editorial director, Natasha Bardon.

The winner will be announced at an event at the beginning of December at the BFI Southbank and the prize will be your short story being published by HarperVoyager as a free ebook and widely available through HarperVoyager and BFI’s marketing channels.

You will also receive 2 pairs of tickets to the BFI film season (subject to availability) and a special goody bag of HarperVoyager books.

Don’t forget to sign up for the virtual festival here http://goo.gl/CpY1GF = http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bfivoyager-virtual-sci-fi-festival-tickets-13672690385
and

Follow along on Twitter #BFIVoyager

Best of luck to everyone who enters!

Unknown's avatar

I am LIVE on the #radio TODAY! 3 – 4:20 PM CHANGE IN TIME CST USA

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Share! Mark your calendar! I am LIVE on the #radio TODAY, 11/5, Wed., 3 – 4:20 PM CST CHANGE IN TIME!

Listen! 1380 AM in St. Louis, MO, or go online from anywhere (link below)

with Charlotte and Jim, #Gayborhood

Banner_TheGayborhood

Listen LIVE! http://1380thex.com/thegayborhood

Unknown's avatar

Want to Make A Difference? RUN!

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North Bay, CA Peeps: inspired by today’s elections (frustrated or elated)? DO SOMETHING!

Women’s Global Leadership Initiative (WGLI) and local partners have come together to support and inspire the development of new leaders in the North Bay, CA, area (Sonoma County)!

The Rise Up Now (RUN) Forum is about becoming informed, knowing what you have to offer and taking the next steps!

Come and enjoy a day of inspiring speakers, lunch and being in the company of those who have passion to make things happen.

The RUN Forum provides attendees with the opportunity to learn what it takes to make a difference in their communities by joining committees, commissions, and boards.

Open to all in the North Bay, CA, area and close by who want to make a difference!

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER

Please share this important info.

RUN Flyer Nov 8, 2014 real

Go to http://www.wgli.org to register today!

Cost: $25.00, Student $15.00 lunch included.

For more info or to request for scholarship, call or email Wanda Tapia at 707-935-8532, wtapia@latinoserviceproviders.org

Unknown's avatar

5 Ways to Deal with Writer’s Block Guest Post by Samantha LaFantasie

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Whether you’re deep into NaNoWriMo or your regular writing schedule, this post promises to help you KEEP GOING! Thanks, Samantha, for visiting my blog and offering these great tips! Best to you all with your writing!

5 Ways to Deal with Writer’s Block

Guest Post by Samantha LaFantasie

Yes, I’m a sufferer. I know there are some writers out there who claim they don’t experience this phenomenon, calling it something different or saying they never had it, but I’m here to bet they have. They’ve just come up with some killer ways to overcome it. So, in their mind, writer’s block isn’t an issue.

I suffer from it on an occasion (typically at about the 30K mark during NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month] and at least once for each WIP [Work-in-Progress]) and never could find that magic wand method that some writers seem to have.

I do have some pretty interesting and sometimes fun ways to combat writer’s block, though. Here are 5 ways to deal with writer’s block.

  • 1. Prompts.
    Seems like a no-brainer now, but wait until you are wading through sludge-thick block up to your belly button. Remembering this gem will be difficult. But an easy way to combat this is to keep a stack of notecards handy with your favorite Prompts on them. Having them in view helps to call on them when you need.

    Sites like: http://writingexercises.co.uk/firstlinegenerator.php,
    http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=writechallenge,
    and even http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts
    could help get through the block.

    And don’t worry if it doesn’t fit the story at the time. The idea is to work past that block and get the creativity going again.

    I’ve heard of some authors who write these on Popsicle sticks, color coding for theme, concept, action, etc. The possibilities are endless and completely up to you.

  • 2. Books.
    I don’t just mean reading, though that has helped me out of the funk at times. I mean books that are written specifically for writer’s block.

    Some good ones are: http://www.amazon.com/The-Writers-Block-Jump-Start-Imagination/dp/0762409487
    The Writer’s Block, by Jason Rekulak

    The Writer's Block book

    and http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-prompts
    Writing Prompt Boot Camp, which is a free download from Writers Digest magazine.

    writing-prompts-bootcamp-250

    There are many good books like these.

  • 3. Apps.
    If you use the Android market, hit up the Google Play Store (for Apple, use iTunes) and do a quick search on Prompts or writers block. You’ll be surprised at how many Apps there are to help you through this wicked time. But be warned! Some of these Apps are cheap [shoddy, not just inexpensive] and not worth the time.

    If you can, go for free first, research the App, play around with it, then decide if it’s something that will help you out. Reading through some of the reviews couldn’t hurt, either.

  • 4. Story Cubes.
    I discovered these by chance during a shopping trip to Target. You can search there or go here: https://www.storycubes.com/. I use these specifically for the purpose of getting out of writer’s block. I have made easily accessible notecards with Prompts based on some of my rolls with these die.

    Story Cubes

    They are fun and creative and really do help!

  • 5. Writing Sprints.
    I belong to a group on Facebook called Word Sprinters. It’s a private group I was invited to by an author friend and use it as often as I can. Does this work? You bet! How? By forcing you to write as much as you can, as fast as you can, in stints of 20-30 minutes each. It’s not a competition so much as it is the practice of just getting the words to paper (or screen).

    Much like any other method of getting out of the block, it doesn’t matter if what you are writing actually fits into the story. You can edit that out later. The idea is to get the writing going. Eventually, you’ll discover where you need to go and the block will be cured.

    You don’t have to belong to a group to do this. You can invite a friend or challenge yourself.

I’m sure there are a dozen other ways to get through writer’s block. These are the 5 methods that I have tried and work best for me.

The important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to get out of writer’s block. Find a method that works for you and use it.

Good luck and may the dreaded writer’s block never bring you down again!

ABOUT SAMANTHA

samantha lafantasie

Kansas native Samantha LaFantasie spends her free time with her spouse and three kids. Writing has always been a passion of hers, forgoing all other desires to devote to this one obsession even though she often finds herself arguing with her characters through much of the process. She’s primarily a fantasy writer but often feels pulled to genres such as sci-fi, romance, and others.

Echoes of Memories v2

Samantha became a bestselling author with the Pandora Boxed Set (which includes Made to Forget: Nepherium Novella series–Part One) on both Amazon and USA Today.

Made to Forget

Samantha loves to take time to enjoy other activities such as photography and playing her favorite game of all time, Guild Wars 2.

heartsongebookusatoday

Want more from Samantha? Keep up with her at any of her digital hangouts:

Site: http://samanthalafantasie.com
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1a3Rer3
FaceBook: http://on.fb.me/1bC27MJ

Unknown's avatar

I Won’t Back Down

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“I Won’t Back Down” is an NRA ad campaign that contains an unspeakably disrespectful, horrifying mash-up that attempts to link its pathetic attempts to continue to arm Americans, so more people can kill more people with guns, with the selfish work of firefighters, police, medical workers and good Samaritans. PLEASE uncover this travesty and stop following those who support the NRA.

I UNFOLLOWED the blog that posted this: DO IT! The NRA must be dismantled. We are ALL imperiled by their lobbying.

FIGHT the NRA with and #VOTE. #GETGUNSOFFTHESTREETS

cjlandis's avatarUnbounded Domesticity

Will You?

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Unknown's avatar

5 Ways for #Giving 1% to Offset the Splurging Inspired by the Holidays

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Immediately after Halloween (and in some cases, even before it came), commercials in both print and video outlets began the holiday onslaught. Many people do begin shopping this early for their gifts, requesting/making lists for what they want and having/attending parties at which enormous amounts of alcohol and food are consumed.

To counterbalance the ridiculous indulging that occurs in many households in the West over the next two months, I offer 5 Ways for #Giving 1% to Offset the Splurging Inspired by the Holidays.

Post this on your refrigerator or visor in your vehicle and DO THESE THINGS. Please.

  • 1. Donate 1% of what you spend in money For every gift you purchase online, from a vendor or in a store, make a point to put aside 1% of that amount paid for charity. 1%, for the math-challenged, is the amount you see when you move the decimal point over two places to the left: e.g., if it costs $100.00, you put aside $1.00; if it costs $5.00, you put aside 5 cents.
    At the end of your holiday season, add that all up and use the 1% you set aside to benefit the charity of your choice. Remember: libraries, pet shelters, homeless and other social service organizations, youth centers, food banks, clothing drives.

    piggy bank

    image from http://getbookedin.com

  • 2. Volunteer 1% of what you spend in time Keep a journal or online calendar/diary of all the time you spend (notating it in a minimum of fifteen-minute intervals, like a lawyer) celebrating, preparing for, decorating, creating or buying gifts, attending, preparing or cleaning up family meals for these holidays. The amount of time you devote to this “season” will probably amaze you, if you are honest and meticulous in your records. At the end of your holidays, add up all those quarter-hours and multiply by four: this equals how many hours, total, you gave to the holidays. Any time during or after your holiday season, schedule yourself to volunteer 1% (see above for math help) of those hours to benefit the charity, cause, family or event of your choice.

    Volunteering

    image from http://www.care2.com

  • 3. Pass on 1% of what you received in gifts Keep a list of what you received from others. Include holiday cards, presents, food, nights out, alcohol, vacation time, clothing, and other gifts for these holidays. If you have/know any, get kids/teens to do this, also. Consider estimating what each of these costs the giver or is worth in actual dollars. The amount of stuff you acquired may add up to many pages for some of you. At the end of your holidays, add up all those estimated amounts to show the dollar value of what you received from this season’s holidays.
    Find a way to pass on actual gifts (“re-gifting”) or gift cards in the amount of 1% (see No. 1 for math help) of that total value to benefit the charity, cause, family or individual of your choice.

    Toy box

    image from http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com

  • 4. Give up 1% of what you want Make or add to your growing list of what you want from others for the holidays. Include holiday cards, presents, food, nights out, alcohol, vacation time, clothing, and other gifts. Consider estimating what each of these would cost or is worth in actual dollars. The amount of stuff you want may add up to many pages for some of you. At the end of your holidays, add up all those estimated amounts to show the dollar value of what you wished to receive from this season’s holidays.
    Whether or not you received all that you wanted, find a way to pass on actual gifts (“re-gifting”) or gift cards in the amount of 1% (see No. 1 for math help) of that total value to benefit the charity, cause, family or individual of your choice.

    wish list

    image from http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com

  • 5. Demonstrate gratitude for at least 1% of what you have Count your blessings. Literally. Consider how to estimate what each of your privileges, benefits, friends, family, housing, employment, art, music, intelligence, abilities, skills, talents, knowledge, education, property and other possessions and all good fortune, including whatever health you enjoy, is worth in actual dollars. The number of ways you can be grateful should keep expanding. Be creative. Some blessings have no monetary value, but you can assign one, anyway. Make a list. Keep adding to it and placing dollar amounts next to each one that you can. At the end of your holidays, total all those estimated amounts to show the dollar value of what you already have this holiday season.
    Find creative ways to demonstrate your gratitude for 1% of the total value of what you already have (see No. 1 for math help) to benefit the charity, cause, family or individual of your choice.

    Giving heart

    image from http://www.empowher.com

    If you engage in these 5 offsetting actions, you will more thoroughly enjoy every part of the holiday season. I promise.

    Happy Holidays, Everyone!

    Happy Holidays

    image from http://www.smashingmagazine.com

Unknown's avatar

5 Ways for #Giving 1% to Offset the Splurging Inspired by the Holidays

by

Immediately after Halloween (and in some cases, even before it came), commercials in both print and video outlets began the holiday onslaught. Many people do begin shopping this early for their gifts, requesting/making lists for what they want and having/attending parties at which enormous amounts of alcohol and food are consumed.

To counterbalance the ridiculous indulging that occurs in many households in the West over the next two months, I offer 5 Ways for #Giving 1% to Offset the Splurging Inspired by the Holidays.

Post this on your refrigerator or visor in your vehicle and DO THESE THINGS. Please.

  • 1. Donate 1% of what you spend in money For every gift you purchase online, from a vendor or in a store, make a point to put aside 1% of that amount paid for charity. 1%, for the math-challenged, is the amount you see when you move the decimal point over two places to the left: e.g., if it costs $100.00, you put aside $1.00; if it costs $5.00, you put aside 5 cents.
    At the end of your holiday season, add that all up and use the 1% you set aside to benefit the charity of your choice. Remember: libraries, pet shelters, homeless and other social service organizations, youth centers, food banks, clothing drives.

    piggy bank

    image from http://getbookedin.com

  • 2. Volunteer 1% of what you spend in time Keep a journal or online calendar/diary of all the time you spend (notating it in a minimum of fifteen-minute intervals, like a lawyer) celebrating, preparing for, decorating, creating or buying gifts, attending, preparing or cleaning up family meals for these holidays. The amount of time you devote to this “season” will probably amaze you, if you are honest and meticulous in your records. At the end of your holidays, add up all those quarter-hours and multiply by four: this equals how many hours, total, you gave to the holidays. Any time during or after your holiday season, schedule yourself to volunteer 1% (see above for math help) of those hours to benefit the charity, cause, family or event of your choice.

    Volunteering

    image from http://www.care2.com

  • 3. Pass on 1% of what you received in gifts Keep a list of what you received from others. Include holiday cards, presents, food, nights out, alcohol, vacation time, clothing, and other gifts for these holidays. If you have/know any, get kids/teens to do this, also. Consider estimating what each of these costs the giver or is worth in actual dollars. The amount of stuff you acquired may add up to many pages for some of you. At the end of your holidays, add up all those estimated amounts to show the dollar value of what you received from this season’s holidays.
    Find a way to pass on actual gifts (“re-gifting”) or gift cards in the amount of 1% (see No. 1 for math help) of that total value to benefit the charity, cause, family or individual of your choice.

    Toy box

    image from http://blog.turbotax.intuit.com

  • 4. Give up 1% of what you want Make or add to your growing list of what you want from others for the holidays. Include holiday cards, presents, food, nights out, alcohol, vacation time, clothing, and other gifts. Consider estimating what each of these would cost or is worth in actual dollars. The amount of stuff you want may add up to many pages for some of you. At the end of your holidays, add up all those estimated amounts to show the dollar value of what you wished to receive from this season’s holidays.
    Whether or not you received all that you wanted, find a way to pass on actual gifts (“re-gifting”) or gift cards in the amount of 1% (see No. 1 for math help) of that total value to benefit the charity, cause, family or individual of your choice.

    wish list

    image from http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com

  • 5. Demonstrate gratitude for at least 1% of what you have Count your blessings. Literally. Consider how to estimate what each of your privileges, benefits, friends, family, housing, employment, art, music, intelligence, abilities, skills, talents, knowledge, education, property and other possessions and all good fortune, including whatever health you enjoy, is worth in actual dollars. The number of ways you can be grateful should keep expanding. Be creative. Some blessings have no monetary value, but you can assign one, anyway. Make a list. Keep adding to it and placing dollar amounts next to each one that you can. At the end of your holidays, total all those estimated amounts to show the dollar value of what you already have this holiday season.
    Find creative ways to demonstrate your gratitude for 1% of the total value of what you already have (see No. 1 for math help) to benefit the charity, cause, family or individual of your choice.

    Giving heart

    image from http://www.empowher.com

    If you engage in these 5 offsetting actions, you will more thoroughly enjoy every part of the holiday season. I promise.

    Happy Holidays, Everyone!

    Happy Holidays

    image from http://www.smashingmagazine.com

Unknown's avatar

Do Amazon and Createspace rip off Indie publishers with failure to correctly report sales?

by

It makes my heart sink. How on earth are indie (or any) authors supposed to be able to earn and receive the money we deserve from book sales when the publishers, distributors and other middle-vendors are dishonest, incompetent, untrustworthy, inaccurate and unwilling to make corrections? I despair. I am outraged. What to do?

Dr. Jeanette Vaughan's avatarjeanettevaughan

Guest post by John. R. Clark, Managing Editor at AgeView Press

When AgeView Press Indie pubbed the book FLYING SOLO in May of 2012, the author, Jeanette Vaughan  immediately began tracking sales.   She heard from excited friends and family who immediately emailed when ordering their copies.  The first sales were off of Createspace’s e-store with the title ID number given to the author.   Then, through Amazon, a week later, when the book went live on the site.  Finally on Kindle, when the ebook format was completed.

ostrich head in the sand “Where, oh where are my royalties?”

Initially, things appeared kosher.    People exclaiming that they had ordered the book, were showing up within a day or two on the electronic royalty reports with a reasaonable accuracy.    But by June and July, sales descrepencies were noted by the author from customers claiming that they had purchased the book directly through Amazon, not an Amazon affiliate.    Many of these sales…

View original post 737 more words

Unknown's avatar

More Love Somewhere: The unedited hymn

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This is excellent. Thanks for your thoughts and for posting. I completely agree, and this is a beautiful, yearning song AS IT IS.

Peter Boullata's avatarHeld In The Light

I have long been uneasy with a recent practice among Unitarian Universalists of singing changed words to a particular song in Singing the Living Tradition, the hymnal published by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Granted, we are always changing words to make them more palatable and therefore singable in our congregations. We free original hymns of their sexism and God-talk, for example, in an effort for our worship to be more inclusive.

The changed lyrics I am thinking of are to the old African American song, “There Is More Love Somewhere.” I have heard it sung by UUs as “There is more love right here.”

And as much explaining as I have done from the pulpit about understanding and respecting the history and context of the song, I field questions from congregation members who protest the song’s words when we sing it as is.

There is much to be troubled…

View original post 1,096 more words