Between WisCon and Alex, it's been a busy week for me. Here are a few science articles I found interesting this week:
Quantum Computers Will Be Able to Simulate Particle Collisions
Seagrasses Can Store More Carbon than Forests
BioChip-based Device for Cell Analysis
There's More Star Stuff Out There, but It's Not Dark Matter
Neuron Function Restored to Huntington's Brains
Unzipped Carbon Nanotubes Could Help Energize Fuel Cells and Batteries
Spill Your Guts: How Our Microbiome Shapes Us
Enjoy your weekend, everyone, and I'll see you on Monday!
Friday, June 01, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Five Years Ago...
I was 37 weeks pregnant, rushing around work in my European houseshoes (the only pair of shoes I had that fit my swollen feet), trying to finish up some projects before I had to leave for my weekly ultrasound. I met my husband at the doctor's office; we drove in separately. After the ultrasound, the doctor walked in and said, "You timed it just right."
They'd been monitoring me for pre-eclampsia, and I'd had to do a protein test over the weekend (which is probably the only time I've missed WisCon since 1998). Even though my C-section had already been scheduled for mid-June, it was time to move it up.
Without rehashing the details, we wound up with this:
Who, since then, has led us down many a path of joy and frustration, laughter and worry, teaching and learning. Until today....
He not only turns five, but graduates from pre-K.
Happy birthday, son.
With much love,
Mom.
They'd been monitoring me for pre-eclampsia, and I'd had to do a protein test over the weekend (which is probably the only time I've missed WisCon since 1998). Even though my C-section had already been scheduled for mid-June, it was time to move it up.
Without rehashing the details, we wound up with this:
He not only turns five, but graduates from pre-K.
Happy birthday, son.
With much love,
Mom.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
WisCon 36 Recap
Ah, another WisCon has come and gone. They always go by so quickly. Here are a few highlights from the weekend:
1. The hotel: Apparently, all the rooms now have refrigerators (this used to be the luck of the draw). This allowed us not only to buy some produce at the Farmer's Market, but to buy groceries for breakfast and lunch--a much cheaper and healthier option. However, the room we had didn't have a bathtub, just a shower. Alex is used to taking baths, but he gamely agreed to try showers. The experience wasn't too bad. I miss the orange-scented shampoo/conditioner/bodywash the hotel used to provide. However, they did provide us with a free insulated bag to bring our food home.
2. The pool--The three of us got to spend some family time in the pool. It was funny how the pool seemed cooler at night but warmer in the early morning (when I swam laps for exercise). No wonder Alex preferred the whirlpool!
3. The weather--It rained heavily enough on Saturday to delay our going to the Farmer's Market, but not so severely that we couldn't go at all. Later, it cleared enough for Eugene and Alex to walk from the hotel all the way down State Street to Memorial Union and back. No wonder Alex napped when they returned! Sunday was too hot to do much outside, so Eugene and Alex did some activities in Kids programming.
4. My purse--My purse strap broke as I was coming back to the hotel from a brief shopping excursion. For the rest of the weekend, I wound up using a stylish brown paper bag.
5. My purchases--I bought a unicorn mug in the Dealer's Room (the source of the bag mentioned above), two e-books, and a paper book. I also picked up a few items at the Soap Opera on State Street.
6. My panels--I did a reading on Saturday with some other members of BroadUniverse; that seemed to go well. Sunday I moderated a panel on critique groups. It was my first time moderating, and it was interesting because a couple of the other panelists were quite outspoken. I think it went well, however.
7. Other Panels--I attended panels on female villains, crowdfunding and self-promotion, the oppression of children, things to know before self-publishing, and "I'm Blonde, But I'm Not 20 And I Don't Physically Kick Ass." This is probably the fewest number of panels I've attended at a con, but part of that was due to helping out at the BroadUniverse table.
8. My sales--I sold five paper books during the convention. I wasn't sure what to expect, but for a relatively unknown author, that's not bad. It looks as if I had a few sample downloads from Smashwords, but I didn't see any sales of e-books during this time.
9. The Signout--It was fun participating in the SignOut on Monday. I appreciated that we were able to get some light munchables during the event. (I shared them with my son.) Alex helped me hand out chocolate Kisses during the event; he was quite the fun assistant. I also asked another author to sign my Kindle.
10. My friends--It was great being able to see some of our friends at WisCon and outside of it as well. I wish WisCon could be twice as long--but the hotel bill would be a bit much then.
P.S. I have a few paperbacks of Lyon's Legacy left over from WisCon. If you'd like to order one directly from me, it's $5.00 plus shipping. I can take payment through PayPal or via check. Please contact me if you're interested.
1. The hotel: Apparently, all the rooms now have refrigerators (this used to be the luck of the draw). This allowed us not only to buy some produce at the Farmer's Market, but to buy groceries for breakfast and lunch--a much cheaper and healthier option. However, the room we had didn't have a bathtub, just a shower. Alex is used to taking baths, but he gamely agreed to try showers. The experience wasn't too bad. I miss the orange-scented shampoo/conditioner/bodywash the hotel used to provide. However, they did provide us with a free insulated bag to bring our food home.
2. The pool--The three of us got to spend some family time in the pool. It was funny how the pool seemed cooler at night but warmer in the early morning (when I swam laps for exercise). No wonder Alex preferred the whirlpool!
3. The weather--It rained heavily enough on Saturday to delay our going to the Farmer's Market, but not so severely that we couldn't go at all. Later, it cleared enough for Eugene and Alex to walk from the hotel all the way down State Street to Memorial Union and back. No wonder Alex napped when they returned! Sunday was too hot to do much outside, so Eugene and Alex did some activities in Kids programming.
4. My purse--My purse strap broke as I was coming back to the hotel from a brief shopping excursion. For the rest of the weekend, I wound up using a stylish brown paper bag.
5. My purchases--I bought a unicorn mug in the Dealer's Room (the source of the bag mentioned above), two e-books, and a paper book. I also picked up a few items at the Soap Opera on State Street.
6. My panels--I did a reading on Saturday with some other members of BroadUniverse; that seemed to go well. Sunday I moderated a panel on critique groups. It was my first time moderating, and it was interesting because a couple of the other panelists were quite outspoken. I think it went well, however.
7. Other Panels--I attended panels on female villains, crowdfunding and self-promotion, the oppression of children, things to know before self-publishing, and "I'm Blonde, But I'm Not 20 And I Don't Physically Kick Ass." This is probably the fewest number of panels I've attended at a con, but part of that was due to helping out at the BroadUniverse table.
8. My sales--I sold five paper books during the convention. I wasn't sure what to expect, but for a relatively unknown author, that's not bad. It looks as if I had a few sample downloads from Smashwords, but I didn't see any sales of e-books during this time.
9. The Signout--It was fun participating in the SignOut on Monday. I appreciated that we were able to get some light munchables during the event. (I shared them with my son.) Alex helped me hand out chocolate Kisses during the event; he was quite the fun assistant. I also asked another author to sign my Kindle.10. My friends--It was great being able to see some of our friends at WisCon and outside of it as well. I wish WisCon could be twice as long--but the hotel bill would be a bit much then.
P.S. I have a few paperbacks of Lyon's Legacy left over from WisCon. If you'd like to order one directly from me, it's $5.00 plus shipping. I can take payment through PayPal or via check. Please contact me if you're interested.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Blog Ring of Power Interview: Sally Franklin Christie
I hope you're enjoying your long weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by today. My guest today is Sally Franklin Christie, and she's going to tell us about her current work, Milk Carton People. You can find the previous parts of her interview on Terri's, Theresa's, and Emily's blogs; Dean will host the conclusion tomorrow.Tell us about your new book and when it is out? Where can people purchase it?
Milk Carton People released in February 2012. It is available at most of your favorite e-bookstores and it is also available in paperback. I am excited because I have had it around in one form or another for probably a decade. From other authors and marketers I have heard that the best way to sell a book is to write another. I hope this book will sell my first book, If I Should Die. They are both thrillers of sorts. Both books have main characters who overcome things from within and without. Both show us a bit about the world of a protagonist and how things are not black and white on the meaningful scale of right and wrong. It is perspective and perception.
Is there anything new, unusual, or interesting about your book? How is it different from other books on the same subject?
The Main Characters in Milk Carton People have gone missing from their own lives. They are a part of the world and at the same time apart from the world. They can experience things and see each other but their interaction with the rest of humanity is cut off. It has a lot to do with a person’s reaction to being plucked out of an ordinary day and plunked down in the middle of a world that simply doesn’t make since.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I had to do a lot of world building. These folks had new rules of physics to learn. They could pass through walls but couldn’t open doors. None of their co-workers or families could see them. They could make things in one world solid in their own but again there had to be rules about how it could be done. Some things couldn’t be done at all. For example, they can access bread and a toaster if they take their time but they cannot make toast because the laws of energy do not cross over for them.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
My favorite part of the book is where the Main Character, Ruth, finally understands anger and comes to terms with it. She understood fear and longing but until the end there were parts of being human that she didn’t own up to. It was through the antagonist’s fears that she made the connection.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
I learned cause and effect. I also learned how serious world building can be. I researched the history of Milk Carton People and delved into the world of missing people.
Amanda Kelsey at Eternal Press made this cover. I explained that the book begins and ends with the Main Character sitting on a park bench. She got it. She nailed it. Most recently, I asked Kim at Blazing Trailers to make a trailer for the book. She nailed it, too. If two people can see what I saw after learning what the book is about then I feel like I nailed it as well. Amanda Kelsey also did the cover for If I Should Die and Blazing Trailers made the trailer for that one as well.
You can find Sally online through the links below:
Website:
http://sallyfranklinchristie.com
Blog: http://sallyfranklinchristie.com/wp Life is a Story – Tell it Big
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/sally.christie
Goodreads author page:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4453450.Sally_Franklin_Christie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SallyChristie
Other: Buy Links for
Milk Carton People http://sallyfranklinchristie.com/wp/milk-carton-people/
and Buy Links for If I Should Die http://sallyfranklinchristie.com/wp/if-i-should-die/
Is your book in print, ebook or both?
Both are available in e-format and print.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Science of the Week, 5/25/12
Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! Today is the start of WisCon. I plan to have an extra post up on Tuesday discussing the convention. For now, here are some of the most interesting news stories I read on ScienceBlog this week:
A robot learns to tidy up after you (I need a bunch of these to pick up after my son! I wonder how good they would be at organizing his toys.)
Rewritable storage via DNA
Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
Rare neurons discovered in monkey brains
Not much this week, but I'm sure people have other things besides science on the mind going into the long weekend. I hope you enjoy yours. If you have time on Monday, be sure to stop by for another Blog Ring of Power interview.
A robot learns to tidy up after you (I need a bunch of these to pick up after my son! I wonder how good they would be at organizing his toys.)
Rewritable storage via DNA
Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
Rare neurons discovered in monkey brains
Not much this week, but I'm sure people have other things besides science on the mind going into the long weekend. I hope you enjoy yours. If you have time on Monday, be sure to stop by for another Blog Ring of Power interview.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What I'm Wearing to WisCon...
Besides my new sundresses, that is.
This is a button that I designed online. In case you're wondering, "fungible" means "interchangeable." A recent letter from Simon Lipskar, head of Writers House, to the Department of Justice suggests that the agency model of book pricing doesn't harm consumers because although the price of best-selling books went up, other book prices went down. Joe Konrath deconstructed Lipskar's letter here (Konrath was the one to use the word "fungible", BTW), and he pointed out that Lipskar assumed that readers would be just as happy with one book as another. In effect, he was treating books like interchangeable widgets.
As a reader and a writer, I most certainly do not feel books are widgets. It doesn't matter who publishes them; what matters is the story inside and what craft the writer brings to the story. If I'm in the mood for a certain type of book or an author's voice, something else will not substitute for it. I read and write because I value these stories. I search out specific authors and series because I care for them.
No matter if you're a reader or a writer, no matter how you pursue your path to publication, I hope you will show support for authors and the unique stories they create.
As a reader and a writer, I most certainly do not feel books are widgets. It doesn't matter who publishes them; what matters is the story inside and what craft the writer brings to the story. If I'm in the mood for a certain type of book or an author's voice, something else will not substitute for it. I read and write because I value these stories. I search out specific authors and series because I care for them.
No matter if you're a reader or a writer, no matter how you pursue your path to publication, I hope you will show support for authors and the unique stories they create.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Scientific American, June 2012
I don't have an interview for you today, but there will be one on Memorial Day.
Since I finished reading the latest issue of Scientific American over the weekend, here are a few articles I thought would be interesting to science fiction writers and readers:
"The Ultimate Social Network"--Between five and seven pounds of our body weight is due to the bacteria living on our skin and inside us. These bacteria may affect our health in ways we're only beginning to understand. Unfortunately, some of the most helpful strains are becoming less common due to antibiotics.
"The Human Brain Project"--This article discusses how a project to create a digital simulation of the human brain will affect computing and medicine.
"Fusion's Missing Pieces"--Although several countries are participating in a venture to build a fusion reactor, the project is over budget and behind schedule.
In other news, I ordered something last week for WisCon. It's already shipped, so I'm crossing my fingers that it arrives by Tuesday night. If it does, I'll take a picture and blog about it on Wednesday.
Since I finished reading the latest issue of Scientific American over the weekend, here are a few articles I thought would be interesting to science fiction writers and readers:
"The Ultimate Social Network"--Between five and seven pounds of our body weight is due to the bacteria living on our skin and inside us. These bacteria may affect our health in ways we're only beginning to understand. Unfortunately, some of the most helpful strains are becoming less common due to antibiotics.
"The Human Brain Project"--This article discusses how a project to create a digital simulation of the human brain will affect computing and medicine.
"Fusion's Missing Pieces"--Although several countries are participating in a venture to build a fusion reactor, the project is over budget and behind schedule.
In other news, I ordered something last week for WisCon. It's already shipped, so I'm crossing my fingers that it arrives by Tuesday night. If it does, I'll take a picture and blog about it on Wednesday.
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