There’s a risk being an author. I disappear into alternate realities and distant universes quite completely. Keeping up with daily tasks is difficult when I’m on another planet, or battling baddies with magic, which is why I didn’t post on Monday. The good new is, I was in the groooooove, baby!

CanConSF Reading List

I asked for reading suggestions from attendees at the Con, as listed below in no specific order. Some of these titles and authors also came out of discussions, panels, or random shout-bys. I also included several of the authors and participants at the Con (by no means the exhaustive list!). Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments – and I may be adding as I go through my notes. Happy reading!

Specific Suggestions I Received:

Michelle West – Sun Sword Hexology
Austin Chant – Peter Darling
E.K. Weaver – The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal – Webcomic
Stjepan Šejić – Sunstone Vol. 1
Colleen Doran, Neil Gaiman – A Distant Soil, Vol. 1: The Gathering
Caro Frechette – Some Assembly Required; Blood Relations (Family By Choice #1)
Seanan McGuire – Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1
Eric Desmarais – Parasomnia
Jamieson Wolf – Lust and Lemonade
Cait Gordon – Life in the ‘Cosm
John Haas – The Reluctant Barbarian
S.M. Carrière – Daughters of Britain
Ursula K. Le Guin, Lech Jęczmyk (Translator) – The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle #6)
Nathan Burgoine – Triad Blood (Triad Blood #1), Triad Blood #2
Aurelia Osborne – The Admirer
Sleeping Giants – Sylvain Neuvel (audiobook)
Madona Skaff-Koren – A Journey of a Thousand Steps
City of Strife – Claudie Arseneault
Su J Sokol – Cycling to Asylum
B.R. Sanders – Ariah
The Laundry Files

Authors to Read:

Steven Erikson
Julie Czerneda
Tanya Huff
Fiona Patton
Charles de Lindt
James Allen Gardner
Matt Moore
David Nickle|
Claude Lalumière
Robert J. Sawyer
Mark Robinson
Ada Hoffmann
Jim Davies
Deirdre Kelly
Christian Baines
Jay Odjick
Waubgeshig Rice
Derek Newman-Stille
Kate Story
Bob D’Errico
Marie Bilodeau
Derek Künsken
Brandon Crilly
Evan May
Eric Choi
Jennifer Carole Lewis
Angela S. Stone
Jessica Ripley
Hayden Trenholm
Leah Bobet
Amal el-Mohtar
Jack Briglio
Robin Riopelle
Kelly Robson
Kate Heartfield
Tonya Liburd
Lesley Donaldson
Madeline Ashby
Chadwick Gunther
Curtis C. Chen
Yves Menard
Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Kari Sperring
Gregory A. Wilson
Violette Malan
Lynn Tarzwell
Costi Gurgu
Suzanne Church
Anatoly Belilovsky
Eric Desmarais
Raeanne Roy
Rebecca Simkin
Talia Johnson
‘Nathan Burgoine
Mark Robinson
Jim Davies
Pippa Wyson
Mike Rimar
Geoff Hart
Nduka Otiono
Trevor Quachri
Alexandra Renwick

 

Week One of NaNoWriMo Word Count Prompts

It’s November, and you know what that means – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This year, I’m not formally participating, although I recommend the event for two reasons: #1 The NaNoWriMo program promotes literacy; #2 participation in this event is a great way to motivate and test yourself as a writer. There are several support groups and tools for writers across the spectrum. I was going to list a word prompt every day, but then realized I’d probably disappear into my alternate reality again and forget.

Must remember to pay my bills!

That being said, each week I’ll provide daily word count prompts to help with motivation for participants.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Write 100 words for every child, pet and/or plant that you have (basically, anything that depends on you for survival). Digital pets count too.
            2. Write 10 words for every page in the last book you completed. Double that if it was in digital format. If the last page you read was a children’s book, then add 100 words for every character (and I hope that you weren’t reading Green Eggs and Ham!).
            3. Write 100 words for every letter of your home city.
            4. Write 300 words for every pillow on your bed, plus 100 for every throw pillow.
            5. Write 100 words for every beverage containing caffeine that you drink today; 200 words for every non-caffeinated bevvie.
            6. Use the random number generator and grab yourself an inspirational goal between 100 and the highest number you wish (1667 is the daily goal from NaNoWriMo to hit 50K in 30 days).
            7. Write 100 words for every bookmarked page or reference page (ie print) that you have for your WIP, to the daily maximum if you wish. Rudd’s response is *exactly* what I would do reading this motivator!

         via GIPHY