Memorial Day is to Remember

Yes, all fun aside, I'm going for the serious here. Monday is Memorial Day and the papers are full of grocery sales, furniture bargains and a whole lot of out-of-school celebrations, but in some places the purpose of Memorial Day will be taken serious.

Arlington National Cemetery

These, and just as many other brave souls across our country, gave up their lives so we can gnaw on BBQ ribs, slosh down waterslides, and consume vast amounts of alcohol over this 3-day weekend.

I'm not trying to harsh your buzz. I'm a veteran and I feel compelled to recognize my brothers and sisters. The ones we lost, the ones still fighting and the ones who will one day serve.

I just want you to take one small minute of your weekend and give thought to that someone you probably knew who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Your grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, son or daughter, your best friend or even that kid in high school that you don't even remember, but last week their face showed up in your newspaper or Facebook page, because they lost their lives, in uniform.

Any uniform, not just military. Police, Firefighter, and every first responder who stepped into danger to protect and serve. Every one of them still serving as they step out their front doors today.

Remember them.

My Writing Process - Blog Tour

Welcome to my Blog Tour. A good friend tagged me to talk about my writing process. Easy-Peasy, sure, we're authors, so we should be able to talk about ourselves. Yeah, not necessarily. We're usually better at making things up than we are at baring our souls, or defining something that just kind of happens to us. We're all a bit mental.

So, who is this good friend who lured me into this blog tour? It's Gini Koch.

If you don't know - Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh, and funny Alien/Katherine "Kitty" Katt series, as well as lots of others. She's made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of pen names, including G.J. Koch, Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch. Buy her books -- her meds don't come free, you know.

Believe me, we're all a bit crazy, but out of our little group, she probably needs them most! But enough of that, let's get on with the interview on "My Writing Process"...


What am I working on?

Nothing can stop the writing process. Not even ComiCon!

My laptop goes with me everywhere and I almost never stop thinking of what happens next in my stories. I just finished agent edits and sent the first novel in a series back to her, so fingers crossed.

With the New Year I released two novellas, Defending Hippotigris and Scent of Treachery.

Both are from a new universe I pulled together from the cosmos. Right now I'm kind of in love with my new worlds, so I'm going to be traveling there to envision another new novella and novel in 2014. I'm also working on other Science Fiction ideas, pulling characters from various mythologies and religions. I love delving into these ancient stories. I can't help but wonder what they were smoking back then.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Characters come from our experiences and, be they saints, sinners or demons, they claw their way out from our souls. Our joys give them life and their pain mirrors our sorrows.

What makes my work different is my military background. The military is predominately a male environment, always has been, always will be. No matter how they promote political correctness, military women have to adjust their expectations or they get minimalized, or worse!

At 18 years old this was an important life lesson and it's reflected in my characters. They are strong women, sometimes a little damaged by life. They can be bit irreverent, often trouble makers, but also problem solvers. They might be a bit disillusioned, but when push comes to shove, they're not about to let anyone walk all over them. They're willing to fight for what they want, and they get it.

Why do I write what I do?
Because I'm a writer, that automatically makes me crazy, or... I was dropped on my head as an infant. Oh, wait, that baby thing actually isn't too far from the truth. Ends up I was born a 'blue-baby', so I often blame oxygen deprivation on my not becoming a rocket scientist.

Since I had to get to the stars a different way, I turned to Science Fiction. When I decided to write, I tried other genres, but my characters got bored and sat down, refusing to go any further. After a number of attempts I finally asked them why they wouldn't play nicely.

Low and behold, they wanted to be Capt. Kirk, or rather female versions. Well, geez, so did I! When I stopped trying to force the stories out, they came naturally and now I get to go where no man has gone before. Maybe because these places are in my head, but hey, I'm trying my best to share with everyone.

How does your writing process work?
I generally have to go out of the house to write, which can be a problem at times. The business of writing is rather schizophrenic.

Do I go traditional or self-publish?
Is this a stand-alone novel or a series?
"Darn, where am I going with this?" Time to plot out the next couple chapters and get back on track.
"Oh no, I have to kill one of my favorite characters. No... there's no saving him, He has to die."
God, I hope the people at the next table don't notice I'm crying. Sniff, sniff, type, type. Whew, it's done. Send it off to beta readers, crit-group, agent...
"What, I have to bring him back to life? Seriously, you can't see that he has to die?"
Oh, wait, did I say that out loud? The people at the next table ARE looking at me. Smile and hope they don't call the cops. Oh, wait, is that a badge on his belt. They are cops. Quick, turn the computer around and show them you're a writer.
"Do you like Science Fiction? Here's my card!"  

Yup, it can be a crazy process!

Next week: I have three more fabulously crazy friends and fellow authors to share with you. Please click on their names below and check out their websites and/or blogs. Then stay tuned for their "My Writing Process" blog tour on March 17th.

David Lee Summers is an author, editor and astronomer. He is the author of seven novels: The Pirates of Sufiro, Children of the Old Stars, Heirs of the New Earth, Vampires of the Scarlet Order, The Solar Sea, Owl Dance and Dragon’s Fall. David is also co-author, with Lee Clark Zumpe, of the book, Blood Sampler, from Sam’s Dot Publishing. His short fiction has appeared in such magazines as Realms of Fantasy, Cemetery Dance, The Vampire’s Crypt, Aoife’s Kiss, The Fifth Di…, The Martian Wave, and Science Fiction Trails. He also edits the science fiction and fantasy magazine, Tales of the Talisman.

Leslie Jones has been an IT geek, a graphics designer, and an Army intelligence officer. She is a wife, mother, and full-time writer. Leslie writes military romantic suspense. She loves alpha heroes and strong heroines, and is truly grateful to the men and women of our Armed Forces for their dedication and sacrifice. It is because of them that we sleep well at night. She recently signed a 3-book deal and the debut release of her military romance, Night Hush, comes out January 2015.

V.S. Nelson 's work has been defined as innovative and fresh. Being a Native American woman, she came from a long line of oral storytellers. She has a fondness for history, mythology, and the occult, so it's no wonder she found herself writing the paranormal series, Sekhmet's Guardians, as well as her current releases, Eternal Lovers, Eternal Nights, Eternal Blades, Cupid and Penelope... Coming this spring she will be releasing Eternal Tuat - this Summer Eternal Life.

Winner-Winner... Best Asian Mafia Movie

Hi Everyone,

So, I had a lot of entries, through FB, my website and here. I narrowed it down to one movie, but had two winners. The movie selection was Black Rain.

Colette Chmiel and Keith Yatsuhashi will both get a copy of my new release and goodies from the Glendale Chocolate Affair. Yes, assume chocolate will be involved.

Stay tuned for the next contest and your chance to win prizes.

In the meantime, here's where you'll find me next:

Glendale Chocolate Festival  Feb 7-9^th  Glendale, AZ    Author tent Saturday night
Tucson Festival of Books   Mar 14-16^th   Tucson, AZ  
LepreCon   May 9-11   Mesa, AZ  -  panelist
Phoenix ComiCon   Jun 5-8    Phoenix, AZ  -  attending. Hoping to get a spot.
San Diego ComiCon July 24-27   San Diego, CA - attending and dreaming of the day...
CopperCon    Aug    Mesa, AZ    -  panelist
Tucson ComiCon  Nov 8-9   Tucson, AZ  -  pending
TusCon 41  Oct 31 – Nov 2   Tucson, AZ  -  panelist

Love Ya!

HAPPY 2014!

Yes, it's a new year with a busy schedule already.  But first, let's start this off with a contest.

BEST ASIAN MAFIA MOVIE

I'll pick three movies from the entries and watch them. The one that wins will get a box of goodies.

The movies can be any genre or style, but have to still be available, in English or have subtitles. Would prefer nothing worse than Kill Bill, as I'm not looking for gore, but good action. No slashers.

So, contest out of the way, let's talk 2013.

I had a blast on the Con circuit, many of them with Gini Koch, author of the Alien/Kitty Kat series. It was exhausting, but I learned a lot. Like San Diego ComiCon is CRAZY, and I can't wait to go again this year. Phoenix ComiCon was huge too, making the top ten in the country with 55,000 people. This year will be even bigger.

Met a lot of people through our local Cons, LepreCon, CopperCon, DarkCon, TusCon. Really had a good time at this years WorldCon, watching the Hugo awards sitting next to my agent. Got to hold a Hugo, and hope one day to walk away with one, like every author.

Wrote a whole new book, edited it and another, both at the agent's. Wrote two new novellas and released them at the end of the year, as promised. They're available on Amazon, in paperback and Kindle versions.

http://www.amazon.com/Defending-Hippotigris-T-L-Smith-ebook/dp/B00HL7EOB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389823340&sr=8-1&keywords=Defending+Hippotigris



http://www.amazon.com/Scent-Treachery-T-L-Smith-ebook/dp/B00HLXVC6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389823380&sr=8-1&keywords=Scent+of+Treachery

So I started 2014 on the right foot, and on the Con circuit again, starting with DarkCon 2014 here in Phoenix. It was a total hoot. Lots of steampunk, corsets, costumes, parties and new people, young and old. Loved these young ladies and their energy over the weekend.

AND, there's no way I can not share getting to rub the chest of Adrian Paul, from the Highlander TV series.  No... can't let that shot go unpublished... brahahahahaha...

Yeah, a great way to start the year... (huge sigh)

So, what's next, well... I already have a string of Cons lined up, some I'll be speaking at, some there for the fun, but here's my schedule so far...

Glendale Chocolate Festival  Feb 7-9^th  Glendale, AZ    Author tent Saturday night
Tucson Festival of Books   Mar 14-16^th   Tucson, AZ  
LepreCon   May 9-11   Mesa, AZ  -  panelist
Phoenix ComiCon   Jun 5-8    Phoenix, AZ  -  attending. Hoping to get a spot.
San Diego ComiCon July 24-27   San Diego, CA - attending and dreaming of the day...
CopperCon    Aug    Mesa, AZ    -  panelist
Tucson ComiCon  Nov 8-9   Tucson, AZ  -  pending
TusCon 41  Oct 31 – Nov 2   Tucson, AZ  -  panelist

So, it's going to be a busy year already. Hope to see you out there, somewhere. Hope you enjoy my new books and keep an eye out for good news on the novels, because 2014 will be my year!

Love ya!

Coming out of my San Diego Comic Con Chaos Coma

Ohhhhh, so tired, but had so much fun!

Headed over on the Tuesday before Comic Con, with fab Science Fiction Author Gini Koch (Alien/Kitty Kat series) and favorite press guy Joseph Gaxiola. Drove from Phoenix to San Diego, rocking to tunes and jabbering the whole way. We stayed at a nice inn called Mudville Flats, way roomier and nicer than a little hotel room.

This was my first year going to the largest GeekFest in the world. I'm not saying that as an insult. I've come to embrace and wave my own inner-geek flag.

To say SDCC started out wild and got insane, is an understatement. Hearing tales from veterans, this event started out in a tiny hotel meeting room, back in 1970. It now encompasses the entire San Diego Conference Center, as well as most the available floor space in a 10+ block radius.

Walking is the biggest challenge, since it covers such a VAST area, and because you have to navigate through the 130,000 recognized participants, exhibitors, press and professionals, people who show up without passes, people hired to hand out promotional materials and street performers. Almost every street corner you turned, you found lines of people to see a show or get into a bar or restaurant.

All said, locals figure crowds up to 250,000. It's exhausting just thinking about the numbers.

For those of you who know me, I have a new knee, so it got a workout too. But I played it smart and used a taxi or pedicab, reserving my strength for the real challenge. It was also more fun watching people rather than watching my steps. Inside the Center the throngs of people moved in waves. You learned quick to flow with the crowd and to watch for the breaks to slip free, or you got stepped on. Usually you got stepped on anyway.

Wednesday was preview day. We got in and made a quick round of the exhibit hall, gathered up some free goodies and made our escape to watch from a sidewalk café. Thursday was the first official day of Comic Con and made our early arrival worth it. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday had the town rocking. Sitting in on panels, the walls vibrating with TV/movie/comic previews.

Vendors sold everything from pins to exclusive productions. There was the little guys to mega-corps. I like the little guys, like Museum of Robots. Love my new necklace. Artists sold their wares and gamers introduced the greatest and latest.

I'd love to go on and one, but basically there's just too much for one person to see in 4 days. So, guess I need to go back next year.

Count Down to Int'l Comicon in San Diego

Not posting any commentary this week.  I'm holding out for another week.  Why?  Because on July 16th I'm heading off to my first International Comic Con in San Diego.

There's so much to do and I'm not just talking about packing.  Comic Con is attended by over 130,000 people, not including people who don't have tickets, but show up to the external venues.  Yeah, it's so big it spreads outside the convention center and into the neighborhood.

I'll be heading there with Gini Koch, author of the Kitty Kat/Alien series. ROAD TRIP. Taking another friend with us, Joseph Gaxiola.  Hoping he can give me tips on putting together video podcasts, so stay tuned for Comic Con reports, interviews and a lot of fabulous costumes.

Starting first thing in the mornings we'll be cruising through 1000's of booths providing everything from autographs to sonic screwdrivers. Yeah, going to grab me at least one of those.  There will be panels galore, from writing (the reason I'm going), to sciences (which I enjoy), to fan sessions with actors and actresses of favorite TV and movies (got to find me some more starship captains). Capt. Mel shows up, I'll be on that!

At night there will be all kinds of fun going on too, but even I have to wait to find out what that will be, so... stay tuned.

Got me some snuggling with Capt. Jack!

Love getting me some Captain Jack (John Barrowman) at the Phoenix Comicon 2013. 

I didn't know the how and whats, so I didn't pre-register for a photo session. I thought "BUMMER!" but then they announced he was sticking around for more sessions, so I hopped into line. I could go on about how cute and funny he was with everyone, but that would take all day, and at least half the night. He was hilarious and one of those actors that says, 'hey, they're standing in line for hours, to see me, so I'm not leaving till they lock the doors'.  Well, on Sunday he had to leave when the fire alarm went off only a hour before the close of the Con. They evacuated the Convention Center, but he came back!

Also saw him at his spotlight, where he had the audience laughing hysterically. He wasn't the kind of actor who sat behind a table and answered questions. He jumped, danced, and ran around the stage, from one side to the other as people lined up the aisle to ask their questions. Then there was the Marine. Soooo funny!  You can go to YouTube to see that one.

Okay, I won't go on and on... back to the Conference.

I was there to learn the author-ropes with some pros, and to have some fun. Hung with Gini Koch, Jordan Summers, and Marcy Rockwell. Wanted to spend a bit more time with David Lee Summers, but this year they put him down on the other end of our aisle.  I helped out where I could with some set up and sitting in while my friends were off on their panels.

Got to attend some interesting panels as well. I mixed it up a bit. Besides panels on learning my writing craft, I attended some science panels as well. Found out about an interesting on-line ASU course exploring the Drake Equation, trying to estimate the number of extraterrestrial planet that have the potential of intelligent life. And you don't have to be some huge science geek or major. I might look into that this fall.

The costumes were fantastic, lots of great group costumes too. Lots of kids in costume, cudos to the parents for not suffocating their need to be creative. Extra cudos to the parent who dressed up too. Then there was the Zombies and the Zombie Walk were the undead flood the downtown streets of Phoenix.  Luck had it we wanted a quick drink and bite to eat before we ran back to the conference center. I grabbed some tables by the side doors of the hotel bar and we got the special treat of a perfect spot to watch the parade.

Again, could go on for hours, but it's one of those things where you just had to be there, with the other    55,313    people who attended this year.