Snowbound -- With Zombies Book Release

The official book release for Snowbound — with Zombies, is this Saturday September 26 at the Whittier Birthplace in Haverhill, MA.  The book release is in conjunction with Haverhill’s 375th Anniversary and Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails and Sails.

Though Whittier is more remembered for his abolitionist views and his crusading journalism, his first book was a collection of local superstitions. According to Dave Goudsward, who edited Snowbound — with Zombies, "By the time The Supernaturalism of New England, his second book of folklore, was released in 1847, he was an accomplished folklorist, even if the word ‘folklore’ had not come into common usage.” This little-remembered side of Whittier is what prompted Goudsward to create this anthology tales of the supernatural inspired by Whittier's works.

I took my inspiration for  my short story "The Fortune Teller" from the poem Moll Pitcher, a 900-line poem Whittier wrote about a clairvoyant and fortune-teller from Lynn, Massachusetts. Born Mary Diamond around 1736, she was known for her accurate predictions, especially those concerning voyages by ship. A quote from Whittier's poem now adorns her gravestone in the West Lynn Burial Ground.


Join us Saturday, September 26, 2015, from 1-3 pm at the Whittier Birthplace, 305 Whittier Road, Haverhill, MA 01830-1738.

Other participants in the event include Judi Ann Calhoun, Tim Coco, Karen Dent, Roxanne Dent, David Goudsward, Scott Goudsward, John M. McIlveen, Gregory Norris, Faye Ringel, and Kristi Petersen Schoonover.

Reading at 9Pi-Con

Broad Universe, a nonprofit international organization of women and men dedicated to celebrating and promoting the work of women writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror, will be hosting one of their Rapid Fire Readings at the last Pi-Con at noon on Saturday, August 1, 2015.

A Rapid Fire Reading is group reading at a convention (or other venue) where a writer reads a five-minute snippet of her work as part of a group of other Level 1 Broad Universe members. You get to hear a variety of different genres and styles and have a chance to win a giveaway. It's a lot of fun.

Each reader reads for 5 minutes. I'll be reading from a short story that will be published this fall.

Other readers participating are:

Lisa Hawkridge

Kristi Petersen Schoonover

Jennifer Allis Provost

Morven Westfield

Roberta Rogow (going first so she can make it to another panel due to lack of functioning cloning mechanism)

Suzanne Reynolds Alpert

Angi Shearstone

Trisha J. Wooldridge

Author Justine Graykin won't be joining us this time because she'll have her own reading on Sunday, at 11:00 AM in Ellsworth. She'll also be having a release party for Awake Chimera at 8:00 PM on Friday night, sponsored by Broad Universe. Other Broad Universe authors will have their new releases on display. 

Look for the notices on the boards at Pi-Con. For more info on Justine, see her bio at http://pi-con.org/programming/programming-participants/

Short Story to be Published in Whittier Anthology

My short story "The Fortune Teller" will be in an upcoming anthology from Post Mortem Press. Snowbound — with Zombies, edited by Dave Goudsward, features tales of the supernatural inspired by the life and works of John Greenleaf Whittier.

I took my inspiration for "The Fortune Teller" from the poem Moll Pitcher, a 900-line poem Whittier wrote about a clairvoyant and fortune-teller from Lynn, Massachusetts. Born Mary Diamond around 1736, she was known for her accurate predictions, especially those concerning voyages by ship. A quote from Whittier's poem now adorns her gravestone in the West Lynn Burial Ground.

The book's official release will be Saturday September 26 at the Whittier Birthplace in Haverhill, MA from 1 PM to 3 PM.

Haverhill is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year, so it should be an exciting book launch. More on this as it becomes available.

Pi-Con Panel Schedule

The last Pi-Con will be held in Windsor Locks, Connecticut July 31-August 2, 2015.

Guest of Honor: Tanya Huff
Guest of Awesome: Vikki Ciaffone
Location: Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport, Windsor Locks, CT

I'll be on the following panels:

Paranormally Yours–Writing the Paranormal Tale or Novel

Friday, July 31, 2:00 PM
Debi Chowdhury, Susan Hanniford Crowley (M), Bianca D’Arc, Tanya Huff, Morven Westfield
The panelists will examine the many aspects of writing the paranormal tale from setting to character. What qualities are in every paranormal from sheer horror to paranormal romance that define the genre?

Building Strong Characters

Friday, July 31, 4:00 PM
Grant Carrington, William Freedman, Tanya Huff, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Morven Westfield (M)
The panelists will discuss how hero, heroines, and villains must be of equal strength, while secondary characters must move the story forward. You’ll learn how to make your character strong, believable, memorable and beloved by readers.

The Day Job and Your Passion - What works for you?

Friday, July 31, 8:00 PM, in McLean
Ken Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Lisa Evans, Jennifer Pelland, Morven Westfield (M)
We all have to earn a living. Do we get a day job that earns a lot of money, in the hope that we can afford to retire early, or save up to take some time off? Or do we just do our creative stuff nights and weekends? What are the best jobs for inspiration? Is it better to have a job that doesn't use up most of your brain?

Building a Better Character

Saturday, August 1, 1:00 pm, in Ellsworth
Vikki Ciaffone, Tanya Huff, Morven Westfield, Trisha J. Wooldridge (M)
Whether you are creating characters for a novel, a play, a television series, or an RPG the person you are making should have a background that makes sense, motivations beyond the plot of your story and be a balanced, even if broken, human being (or whatever). Come and discuss how this is achieved.

The Evolution of the Vampire

Saturday, August 1, 5:00 PM, in Parsons
Susan Hanniford Crowley (M), Mario DiGiacomo, Heather Dawn, Morven Westfield
How have vampires changed in the media? A fun look at the large variety of vampires, from that first Nosferatu to young adult vampires in Vampire Academy and more. Come for the laughs to discuss all in fun. Don't forget your fangs!

Interpreting the Critique

Sunday, August 2, 10:00 AM, Ellsworth
Shuvom Ghose (M), Michael McAfee, Morven Westfield, Trisha J. Wooldridge
You've finished the draft and shared it with your beta readers or writers group. It comes back with edits and criticisms. How do you judge which are valid? When should you change something and when should you stick to your guns? How about when those criticisms come from a professional editor? How about when publication hinges on a particular change which your gut says is wrong? Do you trust yourself or your critic?

Writer's Workshop at Pi-Con (July 31-Aug 2, 2015, Windsor Locks, CT)

Pi-Con is a diverse collection of geeks held annually in August, in the Springfield, MA area. Attendees are fans of books, movies, gaming, webcomics and print comics, tech and gadgetry, costuming, anime, and music. You’ll find people who are into steampunk, space opera, vampires, ren faires, superheroes, and dozens of other genres in various combinations.

Writerly subjects also abound. Starting at 9 AM on Friday, July 31st, Pi-Con will be hosting a fantastic Writer’s Workshop. Editors, agents and other industry professionals will be available to support and advise aspiring writers. This workshop is included in the regular full weekend admission for 9Pi-Con.

Professionals who will be presenting at Pi-Con include

	Bianca D’Arc is a former chemist, lawyer and librarian who has been published since 2006. She writes mostly sci fi, fantasy and paranormal romance and has won two EPPIE Awards, has twice been nominated for a prestigious RT Magazine Award, and had her first werewolf book, Lords of the Were, voted the Favourite Erotic Romance eBook of 2008 in all of Australia. A hybrid author, she has been published traditionally, by small press, and indie.
	Susan Hanniford Crowley is an Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance and writes science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance, specializing in vampires and rare supernaturals. Susan is an active (professional) member of SFWA, a PAN member of RWA, and an Associate Editor with Space and Time magazine. Susan’s fantasy work appeared in Sword & Sorceress anthologies. Her science fiction “She Came to Sing” appeared in Beyond Centauri magazine. Susan founded the Nights of Passion blog and authored the Vampires in Manhattan series including The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais. Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room is her steampunk romance. Soul Mate Publishing published Vampire King of New York.
	Gordon Linzner founded Space and Time magazine in 1966 and now functions as editor emeritus. He is the author of three published novels and over a score of short stories. He resides in his naive New York City. His freelance work includes copy-editing, tour guiding, sound engineering, and heading up the Saboteur Tiger blues band.

Pi-Con will be held July 31-August 2, 2015. The registration cost is $35 until June 20, 2015. The venue is the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport, Windsor Locks, CT. A group rate of $99 per night is available until July 1, 2015, subject to availability. For more information and the link to the hotel rate, visit the Pi-Con web site at http://pi-con.org/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PiConSF?fref=ts

Boskone 52 (February 13-15, 2015)

Boskone is a regional Science Fiction convention focusing on literature, art, music, and gaming. They're not just SF, though; there's a good amount of Fantasy and some horror representation in panels and author signings.

I won't be doing any readings, signings, or panels, but you can find me hanging out with members of Broad Universe.

Boskone 52 (February 13-15, 2015)

Boston Westin Waterfront hotel
425 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210

Guests

Steven Brust, Guest of Honor
Charles Lang and Wendy Snow-Lang, Official Artists
Maya and Jeff Bohnhoff, Featured Filkers
Robert K. Wiener, Special Guest
Dave Clements, Science Speaker
Vincent DiFate, NESFA Guest

Witches' Almanac #34: Three New Articles

The table of contents for the 2015-2016 Witches’ Almanac has been revealed. This issue won't officially be released until September 1, but you can pre-order it from Amazon.com, which lists it as being available in both Paperback and Kindle versions.

This year's edition contains an article about the late Margot Adler who died on July 28, 2014. (And lest you think that the folks at the Witches' Almanac were just jumping on the bandwagon, the Almanac was already at the printer when Adler passed.)

I have three articles in this edition:

• “Picking Things Up”  — Do you pick up a penny when you see it on the ground? This article reveals the origin of and some variations on this tradition.
• “Walpurgisnacht”  — This article describes the German legend surrounding The Brocken and a recent visit there. According to the legend, on Walpurgisnacht (May Eve), witches gathered from the four corners of the world to attend the Witches’ Sabbat. Riding brooms and goats, they flew to a mist-shrouded mountain peak called the Brocken, or Blocksberg.
• “Fireflies”  — On a hot summer night, just as dusk descends, at the edge of a wood or marsh, something magickal happens. As the sunlight fades, small twinkles of light, faint at first, pulse in the growing shadows. As night overtakes the twilight, more flashes appear, glowing brighter against the contrast of the deepening dark. This article recounts some of the legends associated with these bioluminescent cuties.

Publishing since 1971, the Almanac is famous not just for its astrological predictions by astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen, but also on the articles about all subjects mysterious and interesting.

Witches' Almanac #34 Announced

The Witches' Almanac has announced that the Spring 2015-Spring 2016 (Issue 34) edition will be released soon. The theme of this issue is Fire the Transformer.

The Almanac is famous not just for its astrological predictions by astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen, but also on the articles about all subjects mysterious and interesting. I will have at least one article in this issue, maybe two, which I'll announce when I see the final table of contents.

Amazon.com is listing this edition for pre-order, with a publication date of September 1, 2014.

Witches' Almanac #33: New Articles

"Since 1971, The Witches’ Almanac has been the source of fun, wisdom, trivia, and magical lore for hundreds of thousands of readers throughout the world. Modeled after the Old Farmers’ Almanac, it includes information related to the annual Moon Calendar (weather forecasts and horoscopes), as well as legends, rituals, herbal secrets, interviews, mystic incantations, interviews, and many a curious tale of good and evil. Although it is an annual publication, only about 15 percent of the content is specific to the date range of each issue."

So reads the description of the Witches' Almanac, Spring 2014 to Spring 2015 Issue (#33). I've been contributing articles since the 2006-2007 edition and am happy to announce that I have two articles in this one:

"The Power of Hair" ‐ A discussion on the magical properties of hair.

"Graveyard Dust" - A description of the uses and legends regarding graveyard dust (also known as "goofer dust").

You can view the Table of Contents by clicking here and you can also order this year's edition from the same page.

(P.S. The Witches' Almanac web site features extra articles. Looking for a job? Read this article on how astrology can help, from WA astrologer Dikki Jo Mullen.)