Hey, all! I know I haven’t posted here in a while. Lots of things going on. We had a lovely holiday season, and I sent my short story “Amber Moon” out not once, but twice. The first time it was rejected…yay, me?…and then after a gloss-over, I sent it right back out. I haven’t heard back yet from the second publication, but I expect to by the end of February at the latest.

So, what else? I still have several current WIPs which I am working on in fits and starts.

Still homeschooling the boys.

We had unexpected company, and the youngest of said family ended up giving AJ and JT some kind of tummy bug. Not fun. Both of them were pretty ill. The reason for the unplanned visit was bad enough, and then to end up sick (everyone in their family was sick at some level, including the little one who we lovingly referred to as Patient Zero) and cause two of your hosts to become ill. Yeah, not a good trip.

I changed my hair. I now have short, blond hair instead of long, red hair. Think something like Samantha Carter from Stargate.

Our planned for guest arrives tomorrow. Visits from my brother-in-law are always a good time.

Ummm…my car froze up. I pulled over to make a phone call, and once I was finished, couldn’t get the car out of park. Not fun. Turned out to be a broken wiring harness and NOT (thank goodness) the transmission. Whew.

AJ is doing very well after the heart attack in August, and although people still ask how he is, I don’t actually think about it that much any more. That might be crazy, but he made it through with so little damage, and he’s behaving himself so well now (and he has a new cardiologist who is a better personality match) that I don’t worry or dwell on a daily basis. Thanks to everyone who emailed me their kind words and concerns.

In other news: Welcome to 2009! Did you make up a list of goals and resolutions and the like? I didn’t - not really, but I do have to admit that I have decided to make a few changes in my life. Some minor, some pretty significant, but if all goes well….2009 will be the year that altered the course of my life. No, I’m not going to go bald, or get any piercings, or a get a tattoo, or divorce AJ, or run away from home. Nothing like that. As the changes take place or draw near at least, I’ll post something it here.

We’re working on a new server, so I’m waiting to implement one of those changes until it’s in place. Would be a waste of time really to do it before hand. Soooo - if anyone is still reading this: thank you and stay tuned!

Now, how are *you*?

~PJ~

Write Pam Write was off the air for a bit - hardware issue.  All better now.  So the “new” is still on it’s way, though slightly delayed.  And now an update:

Still writing.  I have a short story that I am revising one last time - and then out it goes!

Still podcasting - though I’m behind on my schedule at the moment.

Andrew is doing very well, and so are my boys.  And hey, the green will be coming back to the Bay Area now that the rains are coming back.    I love the view out our window when the hills are green.

How is everyone else doing?

Hey, everyone!

If you’re like me, you’ve been busy, busy, busy lately.  I know I should post more…maybe once the boring rainy days of winter hit.     Actually, I’ve been working on a new short story, trying to rework some scenes for Namori, scribbling down bits and pieces about a new idea I have [something that might be a project for this website, not a regular WIP], researching things for my next Tech For Writers, not to mention all those day-to-day things that seems to pile up faster than I can complete them. 

But there’s another change in the wings….

So how have all of you been doing?

I have been absent from here for a while.  Between travel and illness, I have been a bit busy in my own right; however, on this past Tuesday, my husband had a heart attack.  He’s going to be fine, but needless to say, I’ve had a lot to do here at home.  I’ve been working on a WorldCon report, and some other things - and I’ll post them as soon as I can.

In the meantime, how are all of you?

You can find the link at Playing for Keeps. I play Julie.
:-) Go and give all of them a listen, and be sure to check out TaleChasing by Kimi Alexandre and Mur Lafferty’s links, Playing for Keeps and I Should Be Writing.

I’m still working on my con report, but I caught ConCrud from Denvention, and so everything has been slow going, even Tech for Writers. I have been unable to record anything so far. I think it’s letting up - so hopefully there will be more writing and a new episode up soon.

I was wondering why my voice was still so gravely and my throat dry.

Someone at WorldCon was kind enough to share a cold with me.  Whee.  And it’s the throat-nose-no energy kind of cold, too.  Yay.

This will, as you can imagine, delay my con report (and any writing).  In the meantime, anyone have some chicken soup to spare?

Wow!  WorldCon was a blast!  It was quite an experience.  Some of the panels were not my cup of tea, and others were a little bland to be honest, but a couple were very interesting and/or informative.  I also met some wonderful people and took the time to take in a party or two.  To be honest, the best evening activities were dinner and/or drinks with friends and small, intimate, QUIET chats.

A real post-con report will be up as soon as all of my brain cells are back on line.

~PJ~

Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine (whom I interviewed for Tech for Writers Episode 2.2) are teaming up to promote their new releases. Here’s the official story:

Award-nominated author and podcaster Tee Morris (United States) had announced on his podcasts a promotion he dubbed “Billi’s Crazy Eights”, its name coming from the release date (08-08-08) of his next novel, The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery. He then discovered his Crazy Eights promotion coincided with award-nominated Fantasy author Philippa Ballantine (New Zealand) celebrating her birthday and the release of her next novel, Digital Magic. After some playful name-calling and serious brainstorming, these two authors are teaming up from their respective hemispheres for “Double Trouble” where their fans will visit Amazon.com on August 8, 2008 and send both books up the Amazon charts.

“Double Trouble is where Pip and I make 08-08-08 our day on Amazon,” says Tee. “On our respective podcasts and mailing lists, we’re asking our readers and listeners to buy The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic. Our goal is to get not one but two Dragon Moon titles into Amazon’s Top Ten lists.” Authors Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood accomplished similar feats on their own Amazon Days (Sigler on April 1, Harwood on March 16), but this promotion will be the first time two authors are working together to dominate Amazon’s charts. “Double Trouble just made sense to us,” Tee continues. “We’re currently collaborating on both our podcasts (MOREVI: Remastered and Chasing the Bard), both new titles are sequels to award-nominated books, and we work well together.” For Pip, this kind of promotion is important, considering her location. “There is strength in numbers, even if that number is two,” she jokes. “Tee and I are pooling our promotional resources together, and that will make a difference on August 8.” A good part of their promotion includes getting the date out across four podcasts, and encouraging their listeners to spread the word. “Podcasting allows authors to introduce works to a global audience and build a fan base,” Pip states. “This is particularly valuable to authors like me on the other side of the world. A promotion like this is not only innovative, but a great example to the publishing industry of podcasting’s potential.”

Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine ask their fans to visit Amazon.com on August 8, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. PST-USA to place their orders for The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery and Digital Magic. Additional information on the two authors can be found through their respective podcasts, The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy (http://www.teemorris.com/blog/) and Whispers at the Edge (http://whispers.libsyn.com). Their voices can also be heard in the podcast novels MOREVI: Remastered (http://www.morevi.net) and Chasing the Bard (http://chasingthebard.com). Tee and Pip are available for interviews and invite you to to contact them through http://www.teemorris.com or http://pjballantine.net.

So, as a bonus, Tee and Pip are providing these two book as FREE .pdfs. Yes, you read that correctly! The links are as follows:

The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery by Tee Morris

-and-

Digital Magic by Philippa Ballantine

Go ahead! Enjoy! And then be sure to order yourself a print copy on 08.08.08 at 8:00 PST!

Yep - still alive here.

Just been very busy.  Podcast, kids, projects, writing … not to mention getting ready for various trips over the next month.

I’m working on a special project now, having moved Namori to the back burner for a while.
Bookwise, my TBR shelf is overflowing.  I have finished The Final Sacrifice, Hawkspar, and The Outback Stars.  All good reads.  And now I’m starting The Fox.  I have several books yet to pick up this summer - waiting for the release dates you know - but I think I’ll have to hold off through the fall in order to catch up.  I still have 62 books in that stack.  To be fair, some of them are re-reads, and a few I may pass on to others as I can’t remember why I picked them up.  Maybe they were hand-me-overs.

How is everyone else doing?  Any good reads lately? Sales? Submissions? Rejections? Other news?

The newest Tech For Writers episode features an interview with Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine.

:-)

—| EPISODE 2.2 |—