Date: 2012-07-19 11:28 Subject: It's so funny when authors throw tantrums. Except for how it fucks things up. Security: Public

Author wank!

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Date: 2012-05-09 14:10 Subject: It's finally happening. Security: Public

My mind is going to be occupied for the next few weeks. It'll be focused on keeping up with the attention that my sweet boy* is getting all of a sudden.

*He's in his early 20s and outstanding in bed. "Sweet" and "boy" can mean a lot of things.

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Date: 2011-10-22 20:06 Subject: There's no business like SRS BSNS. Security: Public

My debut novel is now available to the public.

Here are a few snapshots of the sorts of places my protagonist goes:

And if the video doesn't load here, try this one.

Here is the ebook cover. Yes, I am that shameless. We have mudblood428 to thank for the artwork. The textured black background with gold ALL CAPS is strictly my doing.

At Charlinder's website, there is an overview of the setting, info about the characters, a few excerpts and other fun things, and a list of links for where to buy the book.

Oh, yeah, there may also be a few words about me, though if anyone wants to think the book was written by an automated program, there's no way to prove them wrong.

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Date: 2011-07-18 14:48 Subject: Am I crazy, or...? Security: Public Mood: Brash

Am I the only one who thinks Matthew Lewis totally looks like a young Nicholas Cage?

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Date: 2011-05-26 20:58 Subject: Suckitude must be embraced. Security: Public

The older cousins are visiting and working on the house this week. We're getting into the end stretch; they've just given me notice that they have a real estate agent who promises to put the house on the market in the coming month, which means I now have a timeline for moving the heck out of here. With that in mind, they have cleaning folks coming in tomorrow, which means we had to pick some things up tonight so as to make the floors accessible.

So, basically, I'll just have to accept that when the cousins are here, I will have a hard time getting work done.

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Date: 2011-04-20 12:48 Subject: Eep! Security: Public

I wasn't expecting to hear from her for...probably another week and a half?, but Christina, my editor, just emailed me earlier today to say she's finished reading my "terrific" manuscript (!!!) and will send the edit letter later today. Then we will set up a time for our half-hour phone session.

Which means I have some major work to do, starting TONIGHT.

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Date: 2010-07-24 17:01 Subject: *rawr* Security: Public

I'm busy murdering my babies with Book 1. It's actually quite satisfying to hunt down and remove extraneous phrasing. Does that make me weird?

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Date: 2010-04-12 17:34 Subject: Look at me, look at me! I'm a writer! Security: Public

Also posted at LJ and DW: There is an excerpt from my first novel at my blog now! This is the big, sprawling one I wrote during my Peace Corps assignment, not the shorter, simpler one I wrote after coming home.

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Date: 2010-01-11 19:19 Subject: O HAI, I HAZ NEW BLOG. Security: Public

It's been a while since I updated this journal, I see.

Well. Because three journaling accounts are not enough to satisfy my authorly ego, I have created a new blog, this one for public viewing: The Monster's Ink. Today I show my curmudgeonly and science-groupie colors.

Also, WP keeps tripping me up. I uploaded a blog pic days ago and it didn't show up anywhere; what's the point of uploading a blog pic if the Gravatar is the only one anybody sees?

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Date: 2009-10-30 15:49 Subject: From the annals of "Smart Products with Stupid Names" Security: Public Mood: Fixin' for a fight

I'm surely not the only one here who's seen news of the Nook E-Reader. (Now say that out loud. Say it faster.)

I must admit, if I didn't already have a Kindle, the Nookie would be looking really, really nice for me.

In fact, if the next generation of Nookie can handle Kindle-format files, I just might keep using my Kindle until the book savings make up the cost, and then upgrade to a Nookie.

The real genius of the Nookie, IMO, is that it takes the cool parts of the Sony device AND the Kindle and apes them both. The major difference over the Kindle is, IMO, that B&N will let its users lend their ebooks out to friends, as opposed to Amazon's "gated city" approach to bookselling. Seriously, if Amazon doesn't want to get its digital-format ass handed to it by B&N, they need to build a lending feature into the next Kindle version. If they refuse to change, they might survive for a while on the backs of users who've already invested in a bunch of Kindle-format books that can't be switched over to a different device, but even there, the other booksellers can kick Amazon's behind simply by aping another one of the Kindle's features: file conversion. I probably have more books on my Kindle by now that I poached for free off the web as DOC and TXT files than that I bought from Amazon. And you know why that's possible? Because Amazon happily lets its users convert files to Kindle format online. It won't take a lot more innovation on B&N's or Sony's part to facilitate Amazon-purchased migration.

(In case you're wondering, I prefer purchasing ebooks from Amazon to converting them from free downloads. I like writers to get paid for their work. But I was unemployed for several months and it's a lot easier to justify downloading bootleg novels when you don't have a steady income.)

Other differences between the Kindle and Nook don't really make a difference to me, but other users might feel differently. Some of these differences are: a) color display of book covers--I can frankly do without the pretty colors, but you might like them, b) touchscreen display--again, useful but not really germane to the reading of books, c) WiFi access to full text of any book within a B&N store--more useful to B&N than to the user, IMO, d) choice of rubberized backing in different colors--cute, but not really relevant to me, e) personalized screensaver--utterly irrelevant to me, but you might like it, f) removable battery--actually, the Kindle 1.0 has it, and g) memory card slot--again, I have this in my current device, though Amazon discarded it for the new edition.

What I think the bookselling industry in general really needs to do--and this is another area in which Amazon will probably have to follow B&N's lead or lose its shirt--is choose/develop an standardized ebook format, design their reader devices to accept it, and sell all their ebooks in that format. The Nook accepts files in ePub format, which also works for the Sony Reader, and I don't know if ePub files can be converted to Kindle format. (Supposedly, just about anything could be sent to the Kindle, but I once tried a PDF that didn't show up at all.) If they want to have a really free market, they'll let you buy any device and then use it for ebooks purchased from any company. You could buy ebooks from Amazon and read them on your Nook, or buy the materials from B&N and read them on a Kindle. Other manufacturers will probably come out with equivalent e-reader devices in the future, and other businesses will probably want to sell ebooks. Both Amazon and B&N seem to think the greatest money is to be made selling as many reader devices as possible, and they're willing to sell e-books at a loss (which really ought to be cheaper than print books starting from the publisher) in order to grab market share for their devices. I think they'll both do much better business if they blow the device-file relationship wide open and then compete to see who can sell the most ebooks, whether readers view them on a Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, laptop, iPhone, or whatever. And that competition will probably be a matter of marketing, more than anything else, but there should be more to marketing than just being the first one to sell a reader device to a given customer. And when they create a big enough market for ebooks, then they will be able to convince publishers that ebooks do NOT, in fact, cost as much per copy to produce and sell as do print books, and there will be greater variation in ebooks' price upon release. No paper, no ink, no binding, no warehousing, no transport--there's no reason why an ebook should cost as much.

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Date: 2009-09-27 21:16 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

This is the passage I read today at The Writers' Center. Actually, this is the passage I would have read, given a 10-minute time limit. As I had a 7-minute time limit, I just read about the last 2/3 of it. This is from my second novel, User Assembly is Required, which I wrote in August and September of last year.

( So give me his name, Jezebel! )

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Date: 2009-07-11 11:31 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

I have a Dreamwidth code for distribution. Would anyone like to use it?

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Date: 2009-07-01 15:05 Subject: Random Ejaculation of the Day Security: Public

I love puppies with little warm tongues. Especially dachsund puppies.

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Date: 2009-05-22 16:59 Subject: I can has job nao! Security: Public Mood: Fan-Tabulous

I start two weeks from Monday. I'll be working at the Peace Corps, but in their DC headquarters, which means I get to work in an air-conditioned office and do my job in English and get paid a living wage! *dances* I can keep up with the rent! I do not have to debase myself!

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Date: 2009-05-05 16:41 Subject: Baaaaaa! Security: Public

I has joined Dreamwidth. My new identity over there is alyson_m. I'll be journaling mainly about my pro writing endeavors.

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Date: 2009-04-07 13:18 Subject: Yayz! Security: Public Mood: impressed

Vermont is now the first state to grant civil marriage equality by a legislative vote, over a governor's veto!

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Date: 2009-04-03 14:50 Subject: *opens champagne* Security: Public Mood: Fan-Fucking-tastic

State Supreme Court of Iowa: Making homophobes' heads explode since 2009!

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Date: 2009-04-01 13:06 Subject: Bring it, bitches. Security: Public

I'm waiting for someone to show me a good April Fool's prank. It doesn't even need to be convincing, just creative.

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Date: 2009-03-18 21:53 Subject: Emo aspiring writer is emo Security: Public Mood: embarrassed

ZOMG YOU GUYS.

I HAVE JUST WRITTEN THE LONGEST SYNOPSIS FOR A FIRST NOVEL IN THE HISTORY OF WRITING, EVER. NO I AM NOT PLEASED WITH MYSELF. SHIT.

I'M GOING TO GO ANAESTHETIZE MYSELF WITH LAW & ORDER NOW. BYE.

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Date: 2009-02-20 15:29 Subject: Well, I was TRYING to work on my synopsis, BUT... Security: Public Mood: GRRRRRR

...THERE IS NO QUIET AREA IN THE LIBRARY. NONE, I TELL YOU.

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