Spring Break

Posted on March 25, 2014 by SharonJoss

zeroMy beloved sister (or one of them, at any rate) came for a visit this weekend from Southern California. Fortunately, the weather was ‘Portland Perfect’ and we had a terrific time prowling the streets downtown, groovin’ on Mimosas, great coffee, and a shirtless unicyclist wearing a darth-vader mask playing a VERY respectable Vader theme on the bagpipes. I dearly wish I’d brought my camera, but it was one of those bits of eye candy which make Portlandia uniquely its own.

We also took in a delightful new movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson’s latest film. My sister and I both loved Moonrise Kingdom and thought this movie was even better. Both are films that especially appeal to me as a writer; because even though you have an idea where the plot is going, you have to pay attention to every action and word because there are so many surprises and twists. I loved trying to name all the great actors in cameo performances, too.

Fun fun fun.

Posted in 2014, family, fun with writing, Moonrise Kingdom, movies, Portland, ruby slippers, Sharon Joss, spring, The Grand Budapest Hotel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

End of an Era… My New Cup Runneth Over

Posted on March 15, 2014 by SharonJoss

Oldcupnewcup1Last week I broke my favorite coffee mug; the one featured in my very FIRST blog post, back on January 7th, 2011. I bought the mug two years earlier (March 27th, 2009), the day I made a resolution to myself to make it as a writer. That written resolution is framed and sitting on my desk where I can see it every day, so breaking that mug has a lot of symbolism associated with it.

I went back to Cafe Press and browsed through literally THOUSANDS of writer-themed mugs looking for the one I’d bought, but couldn’t find it. Okay, I didn’t paw through all 11 thousand designs, but believe me, I spent far more time looking for ‘my’ mug than I should have.
Couldn’t find it, or anything else that appealed to me. I finally found the perfect cup on Zazzle, where you can actually customize your cup! Even the font!

oldcupnewcup2Okay, yeah, there is a capacity problem. I was positive that the 12 ounce size was the same size as the one I’d broken; so obviously, I got that wrong. But that’s okay.

This new cup is REALLY me.

Posted in 2014, Livin' La Vida 'Loha, love my blog, Sharon Joss, writers write | Leave a comment

Spring Arrives

Posted on March 9, 2014 by SharonJoss

crocus

Spring is here.

No, not because the groundhog says so, and not because of the switch to Daylight Savings time.

 

springlambThis week, I spotted the first crocus and daffodils in bloom, and although the lawns here in Oregon are soggy beyond words, the grass has started greening up.  It’s growing again.  It’s not lawn-mower weather yet, but it’s on it’s way.

daffodilsOne of the things I absolutely love about Oregon is how quickly everything greens up, once mother nature waves her wand and decides it’s time for Spring.  Four days ago, I spied the first daffodils in the neighborhood.  Today, we’re awash in yellow.

And so it begins.

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The Land of Writers

Posted on March 2, 2014 by SharonJoss
Dean (far left), Kris, Kerrie, John, Rebecca, & Kevin! Photo by Brenda Carre

Dean (far left), Kris, Kerrie, John, Rebecca, & Kevin!
Photo by Brenda Carre

I’m back from the Land of Writers, better known as Lincoln City, Oregon, where I spent the last 8 days attending an Anthology Workshop with some of the most amazing writers and editors imaginable.  Hosted by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and their guest editors Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, John Helfers and Kerrie Hughes, and roughly 50 professional writers.

Before the workshop, we were challenged to write short stories for six themed anthologies for upcoming editions of FICTION RIVER.  Each day, the editor for that themed volume and the other five editors would offer brief feedback on the author’s submission, and say whether or not they would buy the story.  While only the editor of that edition had the final ‘buy’ or ‘sorry, but no buy’ decision, the ensuing discussions (and yes, sometimes arguments) between the editors gave us all priceless insight into the minds of the anthology selection process.

The process had all of us on the edge of our seats; not only in anticipation of what the editors would say, but since we had ALL read each other’s stories (about 250 in all) before the workshop we were rooting for our favorites to be included as well.  By the end of the week, we were all exhausted and bonded in friendship to our fellow writers (sort of like camp without the mosquitoes).   I am thrilled to announce that I sold my steampunk story to Kerrie Hughes, and my young adult fantasy story to Rebecca Moesta.  Both will be released in 2015 editions of Fiction River.  And as wonderful as that is, Kevin J. Anderson made a surprise announcement; saying that for the Pulse Pounders edition he’ll be editing in December 2014, there will be a previously unpublished short story by Frank Herbert (author of Dune)!  Very cool.

And it wasn’t all about selling, either.  Dean and Kris worked tirelessly to make sure every author got the opportunity to network with some of the most experienced and successful professionals in the business. We got a chance to sit down with other full-time writers and publishers and talk about business issues, how to approach audio publishing, cover design, and even writing for comics.

I made a lot of new friends and have a much better understanding of what being a part of a writer’s community means. Dean, Kris, Kevin, and Rebecca have been friends since before they sold their first novel.  Their fine example of how they support each other, echoed by John and Kerrie, make me proud to be a writer and determined to support my fellow writers any way I can.

I love writers.

 

Posted in 2014, Anthologies, authors, award-winning author, Brenda Carre, Dean Wesley Smith, editor, editors, Fiction River, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, rejection, Sharon Joss, submission, the road to publication, voice, writers, writers conference, writers workshop | Leave a comment

Research Tips – 12 Ways to Enrich Your World

Posted on February 20, 2014 by SharonJoss

images4I’ve recently finished writing several historical stories; Paris in 1927, 1850s California, and 1871 Belgium.  Although I’ve been to California gold rush ghost towns, and spent quite a bit of time in the old part of Brussels, I didn’t have enough memories to flesh out a believable setting for either story.  And I’ve never been to Paris.

Wikipedia is a good starting place (especially for general architecture, neighborhoods, and landmarks), but since settings need depth and ‘atmosphere’, I need more than that to make a setting come alive.  I need detailed sensory input for all the senses.

  • What music was played during that time?
  • What writers and artists were well-known in those days?
  • What was the fashion of the day, and what were the names of those garments?  What kind of undergarments did they wear, and what were they called?  What about hats?  Hosiery? Shoes?
  • Are the fashions based on looks or practicality? Lush fabrics and colors, or rugged and long-lasting?  Rich or coarse-textured?
  • What food and beverages were consumed at this point in history?  Coffee, tea, bathtub gin, or whiskey?  Locally supplied or imported?
  • What were the sanitation facilities like then?  Open sewers?  Did both men and women wear perfume?
  • What was considered ‘exotic’ and novel during that time?  What was ‘all the rage’ at that time?
  • What kind of transportation was used by each social class? How was that transportation supported (through roads, fuel, and protection from the elements/housing)
  • What form of currency/barter is used?  Is there only one currency?  What do strangers use for money?
  • Who were the ‘important’ heroes of those times?  Who did people look up to and admire?
  • What did people do at the end of the day in these times?  What were their leisure pursuits, or did they drudge from waking to sleep every day?
  • How did they light the night?

images5These certainly aren’t the only elements needed to build a historically believable world, but these are the basics I use to infuse my stories.  And researching theses elements of time and place is fun; before long, you start living in your story world through these sensory elements and (for me, at least) the story seems to come alive.

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New Science Fiction: Aurum

Posted on February 13, 2014 by SharonJoss

AURUM 011914smallforwebFor me, every novel is a labor of love, but AURUM is my first science fiction novel.  Also my first rip-roaring action / adventure tale.  The inspiration for this story started with one of my favorite movies, the classic Bogart film, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but that is about as far as the similarity goes.

DANGEROUS BEASTS, A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, AND GOLD

The embargoed planet of Aurum contains the richest deposits of gold in the galaxy.  Accessible only once every four years to the wealthy elite attending the Gold Festival, master engraver Renly Harkness travels deep into the forbidden zone of this plague planet to rescue his missing older brother.

Accompanied by the beautiful half-breed, K’Sati, and haunted by a debt he fears he can never repay, Renly risks his life and faces his darkest fears to rescue his beloved  brother.

Available in paperback and Kindle  from Amazon, and all your favorite e-book retailers.

Posted in 2014, AURUM, New Release, published, science fiction, Sharon Joss | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Good Writing Weather

Posted on February 7, 2014 by SharonJoss

Snow-020714It’s snowing outside, and it snowed yesterday too.  I shoveled at least four inches of snow off the driveway this morning, and we’re expecting anywhere from another 2-5 inches overnight.  When I lived in upstate New York, I would have scoffed at such paltry totals (every winter I shoveled more than 100 inches of snow off my 300-foot-long driveway), but for Portland, this is a pretty good snowstorm, and I’m enjoying it.

Rowan-020714 The dogs, however, are bouncing off the walls because we didn’t go for our regular walks yesterday (25 mph winds and 21-degree temps put the wind chills in single digits).  I feel for them.   I didn’t go to the gym yesterday, and now that it’s snowing again, I don’t think I’ll be going today, either.  Nobody in my neighborhood seems to understand you’re supposed to shovel your own sidewalk every morning, so mine is the only one that’s clear.  Walking on the sidewalks (or even in the unplowed streets) builds up ice balls between the dog’s toes in just a few minutes, so even though they both LOVE the snow, our walks aren’t much more than down to the end of the street and back.

But one of the best parts of winter (to my view) is that it’s great writing weather.  I more than met my writing goal for the month of January, completing 34K ‘new’ words (including five new short stories and 11% of my upcoming novel).

Let it snow.

Posted in 2014, good writing, snow, weather, write every day, writers write, Writing, writing quota | Leave a comment