Back on the Blog Chain: What is Success?

Cole has a philosophical question for us this round:

How do you define success? Is it getting published, making the New York Times list, or just finishing a novel?

These are all possible ways to define success, but the meaning of success is going to differ from writer to writer, depending on their goals and motivation for writing.

For me, I originally started writing as a way to connect with others and share the things that matter most to me, like my love of science and my enjoyment of stories with ensemble casts. But I've been conditioned to reach for the top honors during my years in school, so at the same time I also daydreamed of winning the highest awards in my genre, like a Nebula or a Hugo. It took me a long time to hone my craft, and there's always something new to learn. In the meantime, I learned more about writing and publishing, and the world of publishing changed. With it changed my definition of success.

While I still celebrate finishing a first draft or indie-publishing a story, I consider it more satisfying than successful, like knocking something off your to-do list at work but knowing you have more projects to work on. It feels more like success to me to make a sale or to get a good review from a reader.

Success also depends on what goals you've set for yourself. I have a daily quota for new words, a publishing goal for this year, and a long-term goal (making a living from my writing) several years away. It's a challenge meeting all of those goals on top of everything else I do, but being successful at each small goal gets me closer to my long-term one.

As for the Hugo, I'm not holding my breath, but I have a feeling we'll eventually see indie-published work being nominated for major awards.

To follow the chain, visit Kate for the first post. Christine normally posts after me, but according to her blog, she may be on a short hiatus. Katrina would then be the next up.

I'm taking the day off from blogging on Wednesday (I have a lot of preparation to do for WisCon and my son's upcoming birthday party, plus I have to finish reviewing the audio version of Twinned Universes), but I'm participating in a cover reveal Thursday and will have the usual science links on Friday.

Blog Ring of Power Interview--Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Today Sarah-Jane Lehoux starts her interview with the Blog Ring of Power.  Let's learn a little more about her:

When and why did you begin writing?

As a natural introvert, I’ve always had difficulty relating to other people, difficulty expressing my wants and needs. Writing gave me an outlet for exploring the world. And as I am a survivor of childhood abuse, this grew more important as time went on. Writing was a safe way to vent frustration and work through difficult experiences. It’s been the best therapy and my closest confidante. I doubt I would have made it through childhood if not for my love of reading and writing.

Tell us about your early works—what was the first thing you ever wrote?

I think the first story I wrote was a story about tiny little people called “No Gos.” I must have been only 4 or 5. I still have it; two full scape sheets of yellowed paper taped together. The story follows the youngest No Go, who gets lost, meets a lady bug, and then returns home. I remember bringing the story in to my Brownie leader, so proud of myself. She had the nerve to correct my spelling mistakes. After that, I would only ever read my stories aloud; no one was allowed to touch them.

When did you first consider yourself a professional writer?

I first considered myself a professional writer when I was paid for a story. A whole five dollars for a piece of flash fiction when I was in my mid-twenties.

What genre do you write?

My genre of choice is fantasy. I love to use extreme worlds, characters and situations to bring home whatever point I’m trying to make. Hyperbole is the best way to elicit emotion, and emotions are what linger with a reader long after they’ve put down the book.

What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
No matter what genre I’m writing in, I always try to examine the human condition, and usually the dark side of humanity. I’m really interested in the idea of duality—that everyone has both good and bad sides to themselves—and I’m interesting in exploring situations that draw out one side or the other. In my stories, the protagonists and antagonists are not quite so clear cut.




Sarah-Jane's Social Links:

Blog: http://sarah-janelehoux.blogspot.ca/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LehouxSarahJane

Goodreadsauthor page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4038179.Sarah_Jane_Lehoux

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahJaneLehoux

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Jane-Lehoux/e/B003VH11VG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Other: http://silverc.deviantart.com/

Is your book in print, ebook or both? The Sevy Series (Thief, Shades of War and Masquerade) will be available in both print and ebook starting May 20^th.

I'll be posting an excerpt from Thief on June 5. (I have the eBook but haven't had a chance to read it yet.) In the meantime, Sarah-Jane's interview continues at the following blogs:

Part 2 @ Dean - May 21st
Part 3 @ Terri - May 22nd
Part 4 @ Teresa - May 23rd
Part 5 @ Emily - May 24th

Science of the Week, 5/17/13

Here are some of the most interesting posts on Science Blog this week:

Black hole powered jets plow into galaxy

New insight into nesting behavior of dinosaurs

First pharmaceutical treatment for PTSD

New method of finding planets scores its first discovery

Physicists observe quantum phenomenon without destroying it

Solar panels as inexpensive as paint?

Reversing paralysis with a restorative gel

Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein

Flawed diamonds promise sensory perfection


Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

Food in Spaaaaaaace!

First, since it's the 15th, I have a post up at the Scene 13 group blog. Our theme this month is "Mayday! Mayday! Overcoming challenges and obstacles." I chose to focus on the first part of the theme: Mayday, a call for help. What motivates protagonists to ask for help? To find out more, click here.

It's hard to believe WisCon is next week. I'll be participating in a panel on food in space, reading from Twinned Universes, and participating in the Sign-Out on Monday. I'll also help out at the Broad Universe table at some point, though I don't know when yet.  Trying to prepare for WisCon and my son's upcoming birthday party while keeping up with writing and work is always a challenge. I have a couple of books I'd like to use for examples of food on a spaceship, but I could always use more. Does anyone have any that they'd like to recommend? If so, please add them to the comment section. Thanks!

What I'm Working On

We were supposed to interview author Michelle Hauck today, but she asked us to postpone her interview until her book is out. The Blog Ring of Power will return next week with a different author; Michelle's interview will probably run next month. In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone know what I'm working on and what I have planned.

My current and most important project is drafting the next main stories in the SF Catalyst Chronicles series, Catalyst in the Crucible and A Challenge of Catalysts. Whereas there's a break between Books One and Two and then Two and Three, the events in these two books occur right after the other, so I'm going to write them all at once. I have an idea where I want to break the story, but I need to make sure each installment has a complete story arc. I also need to go back and work some more on Julia's (minor character from Twinned Universes) story, which takes place between Twinned Universes and Catalyst in the Crucible. This will be a shorter story, probably a novella. My original title was "Brave New Girl," a play on "Brave New World." However, since Julia is one-quarter Navajo, I'm not sure if this title is still appropriate. Thoughts, anyone?

In addition to my SF series, I want to start getting my fantasy series going. The original title for the series was The Season Lords, a group of magicians who are reincarnated over and over to serve the Four Gods and Goddesses of their country, Challen. Since the current group is all female, I'm not sure if I still want to call them Lords. (Being automatically ennobled, no matter what class they're born into, is a privilege of being one of these magicians.) I plan to start this series with a short story collection that will show the origins of the Chaos Season and the Season Lords. I plan to call this collection Six from the Season Lords, though I may change this title. Next will be Scattered Seasons, the first book in the Season Lords Quartet. This is written but needs to be revised before being sent to my editor. I have some material written for the next books in the series (tentatively titled Chaos Season, Fifth Season, and Summon the Season Lords). However, what I've previously written will have to be revised and edited, and it's going to take a couple of years at my present rate to get that done.

I originally planned to publish six works this year, one novel and five shorter works. Three are already available, while three aren't quite ready yet. I want to publish "Brave New Girl," Six from the Season Lords, and a fantasy novelette called "The Fighting Roses of Sharon." In addition, I've started another fantasy short story with the working title of "Plant Manager." Plus, I have another project in process, but it's not SF or fantasy. I sure keep myself busy, don't I?

Anyway, I hope some of the works I've mentioned above sound appealing to you, though I'm not ready to announce more publication dates yet. In the meantime, any thoughts on the titles would be appreciated.

Science of the Week, 5/10/13

Here are some of the most interesting science articles I've read this week:

Researchers discover world's most extreme hearing animal

"Bacteria-eaters" can prevent infections on medical implants

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice

Geologists study mystery of "eternal flames"

How to harvest electricity directly from plants

Serendipitous scientific discovery holds potential in destroying drug-resistant bacteria

Device can extract human DNA with full genetic data in minutes

Do-it-yourself invisibility with  3-D printing

Microwave oven cooks up solar cell material

Mouse epilepsy cure holds hope for humans


Hope you enjoy the articles? Are there any here that you particularly like? Maybe I could start highlighting audience favorites.

Although I originally had a BRoP interview scheduled for Monday, it's been postponed at the author's request. We'll return on May 20th with another author. In the meantime, any suggestions for a Monday topic? I do have some ideas, but I'd like to know what readers want.

Have a good weekend, and see you Monday!

The Indie Life: Postcards and Cover Keepers

Once again, it's time for another round of Indie Life. This month, I'd like to share with you an idea for possible book promotion. We could all use more help with that, right?

Sherry Ficklin, one of the members of the Scene 13 group blog, has started a program that will benefit both readers and writers. It's called Cover Keepers, and it's a way for readers and writers to connect. Basically, writers send in signed postcards of their book covers and blurbs, and readers sign up to receive them. You can learn more about this program here. The first batch of covers is scheduled to go out in June. If that's too soon for you to get cover postcards made, don't worry; covers will be sent out every month. Be sure to read the requirements here first.

In case you were wondering, yes, I'm part of this program. You can get covers for Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes through Cover Keepers. Here's a picture of what they look like:

I decided to put QR codes on the back, along with the blurb. The QR code brings up the book on Amazon. If you search, you can find several sites out there that will create a QR code from any link for free. (I think I used QuickQR). Then you can save a copy of the QR code and take it to any site to have your postcards made.

In addition to sending these postcards to the Cover Keepers program, I plan to bring some with me to WisCon and display them on the BroadUniverse table. Maybe I can send these promotional materials to other conventions as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the Cover Keepers program or the postcards. If you have any marketing tips you'd like to share with your fellow indies, please do so in the comments.

For more Indie Life, check out the links below: