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.

Me? Go to Science Fiction Conferences? How'd I end up here?

If you'd told me fifteen years ago I'd be attending Science Fiction Conferences, I'd probably have given you the 'what are you sniffing' look. The thought never crossed my mind. I loved Science Fiction, but didn't dress up in costumes unless it was Halloween, and was definitely not one of 'those people', a science nerd/geek. Little did I know... 

There was a reason for my 'state of denial'. You know those experiments rumors where some soc/psych whack-job got the bright idea to tell a bunch of kids they could or couldn't do something, just to see if their lies came true? Well, I think I was one of those lab kids.

About the same time I got hooked on Science Fiction, a high school algebra teacher told my class that 'girls can't learn the math and sciences'. SHE then proceeded to prove her point. By the end of the semester I hated that teacher, had a math aversion and was scared of science.

So, imagine my confusion when m U.S. Air Force aptitude tests didn't push me into a secretarial job. Nope, I rated in the top 2% of electronic scores. Go figure! Still freaked out by the all math and science involved, I went for it and became a radar specialist. A fluke? Well, when I got out of the USAF the weirdness continued. On the GI bill college aptitude tests, computer programming was my highest score. Sure! I'll give that a try too.

While I did well there, fates changed my course, throwing me into the deep end of the business pool. After being lured to LA to manage a business, the owner dropped huge black books in front of me and walked out the door, retiring. With no idea what I was doing, I gave myself a crash course in accounting, before the next payroll was due.

After a few more years of the world conspiring to tell me something. I got my degree in Accounting. Liking the deep end of the pool, I specialized in walking into a company cold, not knowing the software involved, figuring out what wasn't working, fixing the problems and teaching the employees how to do it better. The girl who hated math.

That horrible teacher left a scar and left me wondering 'what if'. Though I never became a rocket scientist, I ultimately proved her wrong. Her lies couldn't kill my curiosity. I was fascinated with so many aspects of the sciences, and dreamed of what was beyond our world. My love of Science Fiction only grew stronger, so when the fates shifted again, I turned to what I loved and started writing.

Sure, that first stuff was rough amateur material, I didn't major in English or literature, but there was a story under all the crap. And another story after that, and more ideas sparking to life. I wrote like crazy and knew it was time to learn how to do it better.

It was time to seek out writers groups and conferences, and since I wrote Science Fiction, I went to my first LepreCon, then CopperCon, followed by Desert Rose RWA Conference and DFW Writer's Con. I learned a lot and edited, re-edited and then edited that. I submitted to contests, magazines, agents and publishers, and kept learning. In 2012 my first story, The Thing Down the Road, was published by Musa Publishing. Then I signed with an agent to represent my novels to the publishers. Then I took the next leap and attended my first Comicon, here in Phoenix.

This year I'm lined up for six conferences.  Last week I participated in LepreCon 39, serving as a panelist and moderator on everything from Editing in the E-world to Military/Hard Science Fiction.  And it was a blast! I worked author panels with Astronomer David Lee Summers from Kitts Peak in Tucson AZ, Trauma Surgeon Dr. Bruce Davis from Mesa AZ, Author/scientist Rick Novy from Scottsdale AZ... Just to name a few of the awesome author/scientist/engineer personalities in attendance. And Yup, there are people in costumes and they're a pretty darn fun bunch.

This week I'm hanging out at the Phoenix Comicon with more authors, scientists, costumers and fans. And Capt. Jack will be there! Yeah, I love Capt. Jack! In July I'll be heading to San Diego with Gini Koch for the International Comicon. Unfortunately I'm not going to either Comicon as a panelist (this year), but I'M SO EXCITED!

I'll be attending Arizona Dreamin at the end of May, for fun, then back to serving on panels in both CopperCon in August and TusCon in November.

So, it's been a long weird road, full of detours and potholes, but I'm finally learning to appreciate and embrace my own inner geek. Girls can learn math and science. I'm a Science Fiction writer and I attend SF Conferences. No doubt about it, I'm one of 'those people' and proud of it!

HEROES AND VILLAIN


Welcome to my blog. Read my thoughts on this great topic, then leave a comment and be entered to win swag! (Within the U.S. only. Entrants outside the U.S. eligible to win e-books only)

Recently I was putting together a Character Development mini-session for upcoming conferences. When breaking down the steps of developing characters, the first task was to decide who your character was. Was he the hero or the villain, or the villain you can't help but love. Once you decide what he's going to be, you have to know why he's the way he is. Maybe that villain is not so bad. Maybe he was driven to his evil acts.

Looking for the perfect character example, my imagination went to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Just saying his name you can see and hear him in your head. When asked to name a ‘bad guy’, many of us jump to Darth Vader’s iconic image, but consider the path of his development into such a character.

Anakin started out as a cute kid, but a slave who rebuilt droids and raced flyers. Over the series of three movies he became a hero, fell in love, then faced personal conflicts and loss. His path to the Dark Side wasn't born of evil, but of fear and pain. Evil simply found his weakness and exploited it. His journey turned him into a man driven by desperation, convinced that even those he loved had turned against him. The leap to Darth Vader, a demon, a tool for pure hatred, was easy for Evil to achieve, but deep in his core lived the true soul of Anakin. Deep down was the little boy who fell in love with Padmé Amidala.

Confronted by the final battle and the terrible choice of killing his own son, that tiny burning ember of who he once was, a Jedi… a husband… a father… returned. He fought to save his son and as he lay dying, he asked for the mask to be removed. Anakin, not Vader, wanted to look upon his son just once with his own eyes. Anakin wanted to die as a man, not as a monster.

What a perfect example for character development, spanning the full ever-evolving life of Anakin Skywalker. The same thing should happen to your characters. They need to start out innocent enough, have their beliefs challenged, maybe corrupted, but come out the other end a different, a better person… or dead. Nothing’s wrong with killing off the totally unredeemable character. Just do it in a way that leaves the reader turning the page.

Characters morph. That's another rule. We see them in our head or at least have an idea of them when we start a story, but often by the time we're done, they've grown into someone we weren't expecting.

I found myself in that position when I wrote "The Thing Down the Road". I still ask myself who the story was about, the narrator, the subject of observation, or ultimately all of us beneath our civilized skin. The subject terrifies everyone he came in contact with, even himself, but he lets his one friend see beneath the horror. He lets his friend see the anguish left when everything else was taken away.

This story makes you ask if you could do the unthinkable at the price of your soul, if it was the only thing left to do, if it was the right thing to do? Read "The Thing Down the Road", by T.L. Smith and see if you can answer that question.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Leave a comment and be entered to win a free copy of The Thing Down the Road and other swag.

To see what else I'm working on and what is making the publishing rounds as we speak, visit my website at www.tlsmithbooks.com

To find out what other fabulous authors have to say about their HEROES AND VILLAINS, visit their blogs, leave comments or follow them for a chance to win swag they're offering:


Nyki Blatchley blog nyki-blatchley.blogspot.co.uk
Martin Bolton blog boltonthewriter.wordpress.com
Mike Cooley blog mikecooleyfiction.com
Karin Cox blog karincox.wordpress.com
Ron Fritsch blog promisedvalley.com
Joanne Hall blog hierath.wordpress.com
Jolea M Harrison blog jm-harrison.com
Tinney Heath blog historicalfictionresearch.blogspot.co.uk
Eleni Konstantine blog eleni-konstantine.blogspot.co.uk
Kyle Lewis blog www.innerworldsfiction.com
Paula Lofting blog paulalofting-sonsofthewolf.blogspot.com
Liz Long blog lizclong.com
Peter Lukes blog: peterlukes.blogspot.com
Mark McClellan blog: www.uploadthenovel.com
Edward M. McNally blog: sablecity.wordpress.com
Sue Millard blog: suemillard.blogspot.co.uk
Leilani Miller blog: www.rhiannondouglas.com
Ginger Myrick blog: www.gingermyrick.com
David Pilling blog: pillingswritingcorner.blogspot.co.uk
E M Powell blog: www.empowell.blogspot.co.uk
Kim Rendfeld blog: kimrendfeld.wordpress.com
Tari West blog: tarawestauthor.wordpress.com
Keith Yatsuhashi facebook: kmyatsuashiwordpress.com