It's Out! Book 2 of the Backworlds series, Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge

Backworlds Book 2

Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Smashwords /

 

AmazonDE / AmazonFR / AmazonES / AmazonIT

 

The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

 

  Thanks to these great folks for joining the party! You're all awesome.


 Please Note: This blog is now at http://mpaxauthor.com/blog/  and will be moving only there August 20th. Please join us there.

Real and Virtual Festing

*
Happy Friday everybody!

Chocolate Makes the Galaxy Go Round. The topic of my guest post on Becca Campbell's Inspiration for Creation.

The official launch of book 2 of the Backworlds series, Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge is this coming Monday. It's not to late to join the party. Sign up HERE. Or send me an email at mpaxauthor [at] gmail [dot] com and say you'd like to help announce Stopover.

Congratulations to Leigh T. Moore on her three book contract with Simon and Schuster's Pocket Star imprint. Really, really awesome. 

Tara Tyler thank you for the Magic Eight Ball tag. I decided to answer you for IWSG on August 1st.

Karen Elizabeth Brown is looking for assistance in putting together her launch party for Medieval Muse, August 1-6.

Christine Rains is having a blogfest to celebrate her release of Fearless. August 7th-9th, post your childhood monster. I <3 Tawa, do you?


Husband and I fested at Summerfest here in town last Sunday. This weekend we're festing at a Renaissance Fair. I checked the year five hundred times. 2012. Monday we fest for book 2 in the Backworlds series. Yay.

 

Some crazy Barbie art at one vendor's booth.

Have a great weekend!


Reminder: This blog is moving to http://mpaxauthor.com/blog/ on August 20th. You can read it there now, same posts on the same days. Hope to see you there soon.

Only little more than a week until Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge? Wow. Time flies. I'll be uploading it to Amazon and B&N shortly. I'm having a launch party on Monday, July 23rd. I would love your help in getting the word out. If you're so inclined, you can sign up HERE.

 I'm four chapters away [maybe six] from finishing The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Then I immediately go into creating the polished draft to send to my very talented editor, Leigh T. Moore. We made a great team on The Backworlds, so I'm thrilled to have her talents. I had intended it to be free, as it's the first in a new series, but my critique partners are adamant that I have to charge for it. So, I'm scratching my head, mulling price over for that one. It's very different from The Backworlds, more like Plantgirl if you've read that.

I've also started on book three of The Backworlds, Boomtown Craze. Since my focus is on Hetty, it doesn't get worked on every day yet. Soon.

 

Quaint downtown Bend. Hardly this crowded on a weekend. This was a food festival a few years ago. Guess I need to go downtown with my camera sometime. 

Last Sunday, I met with my writer gal pals for tea downtown. Ten in the morning was a little early for me after a weekend working as a star guide. I think I managed some intelligible sentences though. We talk about publishing and writing. We span the spectrum from published through the big six with an agent, publishing through small presses, indie publishing, and unpublished. We talk about TV and movies and books. Had lunch at an Indian buffet, visited downtown shops, then mosied over to the library to hear Paty Jager read from her latest release, Spirit of the Sky. She did a fantastic job.

At the library, I found a book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a nonfiction on cells and medical science. The name and premise are so similar to my Hetty Locklear, that I had to check it out to read. Also bumped into CassaStar by Alex J. Cavanaugh. It looked very well-read. I was going to take a photo for him, but my phone was dead. Next time, Alex.

Finally got hot here. We shot from the pleasant 70's straight into the 90's. Will be hot all weekend. Supposed to have clear skies, too, but there may be some thunderstorms. Moon is out of the way this weekend, too. So, I hope for some great stargazing.

That was my writing week. How was yours? 

Reminder: This blog is moving to http://mpaxauthor.com/blog/ on August 20th. You can read it there now, same posts on the same days.

Library 010101 6.22.12

Note: Wistful Nebulae is moving to http://mpaxauthor.com/blog/ on August 20th. Starting today, the website and this blog are the same, publishing the same articles on the same days, MWF.

  For you Wendy Lu               

 May good fortune fall on you in plenty
throughout the year as you turn twenty

Happy Birthday, Wendy Lu

Part of Wendy's Roaring 20's Blogfest. There's still time to sign up at The Red Angel.

  What to Read                    

Congrats to Christine Rains on her acceptance of Red for publication by Pill Hill Press. It's her sci-fi flash piece.

Anna Marie Smith released Alphabet Wishes: A Collection of Poems. Congratulations to Anna.

Laura Eno releases Wraith, June 27th. Congratulations Laura!

 Awesome                         

Went to see Prometheus in 3D last week with one of my writing pals. What made it worth the price of admission was feeling as if I stood on an alien world. It's something I've always dreamed of doing. Just awesome. It was an enjoyable movie, but I thought they could have upped it a notch on the suspense and scary factors.

 Writers Desk                    

I set a release date for Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge. July 23rd. I'll be doing another launch party and will be putting up the linky link shortly.

Polishing the chapter ones of Earth Hereafter and Boomtown Craze, the next two stories in the Backworlds series. Madly writing to complete The Renaissaince of Hetty Locklear, anticipated release end of October 2012.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Why a Newsletter, Interview & Don't Surrender

Lorna Suzuki interviewed me yesterday. Met her talented self on the twitter. Flattering that she thinks I'm doing everything right. Nice thing for us insecure types to hear now and then.

I'm at Libby Heily's today. Also a great talent. I'm looking forward to her new collection of short stories and the release of her novel, Tough Girl. I'm talking about how to get books FREE on Amazon if you're not doing KDP Select, and if you're publishing, why you should create a newsletter and have a mailing list service.

Never Surrender Blogfest                                  

I signed up to take part in Elana Johnson's Never Surrender blogfest. Her new book Surrender came out June 5th. Congrats to Elana.

In the early 90's my battle with bilateral carpal tunnel began with a case of severe tendonitis. It quickly progressed to tenosynovitis then CT. It affects my wrists, my hands, and both arms all the way up to where the shoulder connects to the spine. It was so bad, my husband had to help me dress for work. I shouldn't have been driving. I couldn't really steer my car. Despite the constant pain, my hands were numb, and I'd often burn myself when cooking and not know it. I couldn't hold onto things. I still have problems with that and writing with a skinny pen. One of the reasons I don't write by hand very often.

I refused to believe I couldn't get better. Just flat out refused. But the doctor told me one day that if I didn't stop what I was doing, I'd lose the use of both hands permanently. A war at work raged. I won't even go into all of that. That's a novel unto itself.

I fought for myself. I fought for my health. Let me tell you, that's a very unpopular stance to take in the corporate world. I made plans to go to grad school and left my job. It was the wrong decision. Not leaving or going to school, but what I decided to major in. It's something I regret, but I keep telling myself it got me out of the hell I was in and to here. Here is a damn OK place.

When I didn't know what else to do, darkness does not begin to describe the place I was in, my mother said, "Write me something. You were always good at writing."

And so me, version 9.0, began. My hands are a lot better, but I still have to be very careful. Sometimes I have to take several days off from the computer. (yes, I have ergonomic everything -- why I remain on a PC) Thank goodness I discovered licorice root can help when it starts acting up. When it does, I wonder how I survived all those years in all that pain that never stopped. Never.

It may have taken me awhile to figure out what to do, but I never gave up. My mother's words offered me a lifeline inside a dark pit and I followed it out. Writing did that for me. A wonderful husband who gave me the space and time I needed to figure it all out, did that for me.

What obstacles have you overcome because you wouldn't give up?


Now come visit me at Lorna's and Libby's. Libby is the last official stop on The Backworlds blog tour.

Umm, I had some major technical issues today that have had me pulling my hair out since this morning. Grrr. Will catch up with you all tomorrow. Need to figure out how to get my new printer to work. Grrr. New printer works. Yay. Somehow I don't think having to buy a new one is a victory for me though ...

Ode to Ray Bradbury

Four science fiction authors influenced me more than any others: Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

The last of my quartet of idols passed away earlier this week. Ray Bradbury died at the age of 91 on June 5th after a long illness.

I devoured his books after being introduced to his short stories in literature class in college. He was a true inspiration to me and a factor as to which genre lured me to writing. Some friends have said they think I write like him, which is very flattering. To have an ounce of his talent, I'd never claim. Any similarity is unconsciously done.

He leaves behind a tremendous legacy and volume of literary work. Fantastic stories that took me to the future and into the stars. A legacy I treasure. I'm glad I named my telescope after him.

Will miss you Ray and your incredible talent. You definitely created something memorable.

This news made me very sad this week. I don't think any of my writing heroes are alive now. Ray was the last one. Sniff.

Passion                                        

Passion fueled Ray and it fuels me. I'm at Greta van der Rol's today talking about one of the biggest passions that inspires me and my writing.

Sunday, I'm being interviewed by Lorna Suzuki. Who told me on the Twitter she believed I did everything right. That's nice to hear now and then. Yes?

Will be up at PMO this weekend. What are your plans for the weekend? Hope you have a good one.

Spotlight on Venus, Space Opera, and IWSG

JL Campbell is kind enough to host me on her blog today, The Character Depot. I'm discussing the space opera and my favorite TV shows that inspired my love for the genre.

Very briefly, I was able to see the transit of Venus yesterday. Some of my astronomy buddies set up telescopes with sun filters (an accessory I do not yet have) on Pilot Butte, which is just a few blocks from my backyard. So, I hiked the mile up. There was a still a reasonable amount of blue among the clouds, although not warm. I had on a sweater, a fleece, my down vest, and was kind of sorry I didn't bring gloves and a hat. Seriously. It was barely 50 degrees here yesterday.

I got up there, said hello, and got a quick peek through both of the telescopes when the clouds broke. It was really neat. Venus was much bigger than I expected it to be. That peek was all I was going to get. The clouds swarmed in, it started raining, and then ... snow. It snowed on us. I swear this year the observatory season is just cursed.

Anyway, photo taken and provided by Bill Logan, a devoted observer of the sun. He's often at the High Desert Museum or on Pilot Butte, sharing his hobby and his passion. And he sends us all emails on what the sun is up to.

Photo taken by Bill Logan

Here's some photos from my hike ...

Moody skies over Bend, OR, from the top of Pilot Butte.

Juniper berries. Juniper, cedar, and sage, that's what this area grows very well. I must report that it smells just fantastic. Instant air freshener any time I open a window.

A sign of spring braving our crazy weather.



Last, but not least, it's IWSG day. Insecure Writers Support Group is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, writer and ninja extraordinaire. The first Wednesday of every month writers gather to share their insecurities or encouragement and support. It's not to late to sign up if you'd like to join us.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the launch of The Backworlds in early May, but am humbled and deeply grateful for all the support from all of you. The blogging community, you, helped me create a buzz, get Amazon to price match, provided reviews that made me warm and fuzzy, provided me time and space for touring, and also put me in touch with a great editor, who I look forward to working with again.

You helped my work get noticed. 2,000 downloads and growing. Thank you.

You know what else makes me happy? Seeing how many of you are publishing and getting published lately. It's fantastic. It really is. So, congrats to all of you for being fantastic, awesome people. The sky's the limit for all of us if we continue to support each other the way we do.

OK, that got a bit sappy and gooey. But that's OK. You're all worth it.

Now come visit me at Joy's.

No Opening, Opening Weekend

I hear the rest of you sweltered in the US over the weekend. Not us. Friday's weather was so miserable, I had to have the lights on all day, wore two sweaters and socks. It only rained in town, but up at the summit of Pine Mountain there was a raging blizzard.

Because of all the ice and snow, we weren't open to the public. I hope this weekend will be better.

Laura from the Daily Dodo has a book out, 100 Blog Prompts. Available on Amazon and Amazon UK.

Thank you to Tara Tyler for the Kreative and Versatile Blogger awards. An awesome blogging friend, and a poet who often tugs at my emotions. Maybe she'll publish those one day. Yes?

And thanks to Trudy Schoenborn for the Versatile Blogger award, too -- an awesome in-person crit partner, friend, and writer. I try to channel her ability to twist and turn. An amazing talent.

Thank you Allan Douglas for the One Lovely Blog award. We're on a few Triberr tribes, but I met Allan before that. Perhaps on Twitter. He's been a great supporter since I released my free reads last year. A most valued friend.

And much gratitude to Alex J. Cavanaugh for honoring me with the You Rock award. I surely wasn't expecting that. I'm indebted to Alex for showing me the ropes of this blogging business and how to make a splash when launching a book. He's a great guy, a great friend, and a great writer who made me bawl more than any 'girl' book ever did. That takes talent. Another very valued friend.

You can't go wrong networking with any of these folks. You can only go right.

Writing News ...                             

 I want to say a sincere thank you to all of you for your support in launching The Backworlds. Amazon finally price matched over the holiday weekend, so the downloads are flying. It's also now on iTunes, B&N, Kobo, and Diesel.

Reviews are coming in, all glowing so far. :D Most exciting, I've started receiving fan mail via email and Twitter. I have to say fan mail is awesome. Sales of Semper Audacia pick up. My mailing list grows. Folks following the website via email grows.  None of this would have happened without all of you and what you did to help me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Christine Rains! You're to blame for me dusting off an old short story and rewriting it. Deadline for submission is this week ... like I needed another project. But the story and call for submission were so well matched, I couldn't resist. Almost done ...

I continue editing Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge. I'm no longer hating every word, just a few here and there. Sometimes the best fix for figuring out why I'm not loving my work is critiquing someone else's. Oh yeah! That's what I need, too. Funny how that works. In a good way. Anyway, it's on schedule for release at end of July.

I also wrote a tentative first chapter for a novella series to run between releases of Backworlds novels. This subseries will be stories from the Foreworlds, to flesh out my universe more completely. I also wrote a tentative first chapter for Boomtown Craze (and did test covers for both), which will be the sequel after Stopover. I'll include both first chapters at the end of Stopover.

Writing continues on The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. I set a deadline with my editor. That will be out this fall as planned. Not sure I can get The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear out by the end of this year, but I'll give it my best shot.

This will be my only post this week. I'll be working on all the projects laid out above. I'll back next Monday.

So tell me, what are you up to these days? How are your projects coming along?

Don't Go in the Woods and Weighted

This week's blog tour schedule:

Monday: Siana Wineland's jabbering about characterization. She's a very warm and supportive person, and a wonderful writer.

Tuesday: Toby Neal's. The topic is creativity.

Wednesday: Raine Thomas's Write as Raine Thomas with an excerpt from The Backworlds.

Thursday: Lynda Young's W.I.P It for a discussion on networking.

Friday: Julie Flander's What Else is Possible? for a little essay on my lack of wilderness skills.

It's Memorial Day weekend here in the US. The official opening of PMO. Yay. And I'm taking Monday off. Yes, you heard that right. I'm taking a day off and no touring next week. So, I may take my time popping on next week. Yeah, really.


Ciara Knight reveals the cover of her latest today. Weighted.

Weighted is a young adult post-apocalyptic with paranormal elements. It is a prequel novelette to The Neumarian Chronicles, and will be released August 2012. Book I, Escapement, will be released in 2013.

The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself.  It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

Link to add Weighted to Goodreads shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13647847-weighted

Congrats to Ciara. It's a gorgeous cover, and I love the title.

Come meet me at Julie Flander's What Else is Possible? where I talk about my lack of wilderness skills. City gals should not wander about the woods. Ever! And especially not in the dark.

I've been following Julie's journey since her early days in the blogosphere. She's such a lovely person, and an excellent writer. She writes nonfiction as well as fiction, and I just know I'll be hosting her blog tour one of these days. I'm really glad I bumped into Julie.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Networking Beyond the Internet

Monday: Siana Wineland's jabbering about characterization. She's a very warm and supportive person, and a wonderful writer.

Tuesday: Toby Neal's. The topic is creativity.

Wednesday: Raine Thomas's Write as Raine Thomas with an excerpt from The Backworlds.

Thursday: Lynda Young's W.I.P It for a discussion on networking.

Friday: Julie Flander's What Else is Possible? for a little essay on my lack of wilderness skills.

More photos from the Cascades. Click on a photo to enlarge. First: Along the Rogue River after the gorge. Second: Mt. Thieson. Third: Sky-reaching trees.

Join me today at Lynda Young's W.I.P It for a discussion on networking beyond the internet. Platform happens outside cyberspace, too. Lynda was one of my earliest blogging buddies, and she just announced one of her short stories was accepted in an anthology Make Believe. I've been privileged to read several of her stories. She's an awesome writer. So I knew we'd be celebrating her publications. I'm sure there are many more to come. Congrats, Lynda. Here's the beautiful cover:

Leecher, Leecher

Monday: Siana Wineland's jabbering about characterization. She's a very warm and supportive person, and a wonderful writer.

Tuesday: Toby Neal's. The topic is creativity.

Wednesday: Raine Thomas's Write as Raine Thomas with an excerpt from The Backworlds.

Thursday: Lynda Young's W.I.P It for a discussion on networking.

Friday: Julie Flander's What Else is Possible? for a little essay on my lack of wilderness skills.


Rogue River Gorge in the Cascades offered some breathtaking sights.

 The last is a living stump. Anything weird fascinates me. Thank goodness Oregon excels at weird. Clicking on any photo will enlarge.

Join me at Raine Thomas's
Check out her books while you're there. Raine is a fantastic writer.

Magic of Moonrise

It's a full week of blog touring.

Monday: Siana Wineland's jabbering about characterization. She's a very warm and supportive person, and a wonderful writer.

Tuesday: Toby Neal's. The topic is creativity.

Wednesday: Raine Thomas's Write as Raine Thomas with an excerpt from The Backworlds.

Thursday: Lynda Young's W.I.P It for a discussion on networking.

Friday: Julie Flander's What Else is Possible? for a little essay on my lack of wilderness skills.


More photos from the Oregon Vortex. Inside the House of Mystery ... ooo. According to our lovely tour guide, the anomalies are in constant flux. I bought their booklet of scientific data to study in more detail. It was a fun place to visit. See Monday for more photos. Click on any photo for a larger view.

Meet me over at Toby Neal's. . Toby is a huge talent. Her novel Blood Orchids is a hit, and she lives in stunning Hawaii.

The Backworlds is now available on iTunes and B&N for free. Check the sidebar or The Backworlds tab for links.

Words Sparked Like Stars

It's a full week of blog touring.

Monday: Siana Wineland's jabbering about characterization. She's a very warm and supportive person, and a wonderful writer.

Tuesday: Toby Neal's. The topic is creativity.

Wednesday: Raine Thomas's Write as Raine Thomas with an excerpt from The Backworlds.

Thursday: Lynda Young's W.I.P It for a discussion on networking.

Friday: Julie Flander's What Else is Possible? for a little essay on my lack of wilderness skills.

The Renaissance Faire turned out to be a bust. We thought the website had lied, because we couldn't find any festival, but then it turned out it's next year. Thanks to the very kind waiter in Medford for helping us out. But it wasn't a complete waste of time. We went 30 miles north to visit the Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery. That was worth the trip 3 1/2 hours southwest, and the scenery was spectacular through the Cascades, as always.

The men seem to get shorter on the right and taller on the left. Click on any photo for a larger view.

Join me today at Siana Wineland's .

Search for Other Earths

Today I'm visiting Derek Flynn at Rant with Occasional Music. Topic: Kepler and the search for other worlds. Besides being a writer, Derek is also a talented musician with his first album recently released. Check out his latest music video.

Wednesday I was at Allan Douglas's blog, The Write Stuff, talking about one of my greatest inspirations for The Backworlds, and one of my all-time favorite space operas. I met Allan awhile ago, and he has been a great supporter and fan. Quite fantastic. And he'd also a great writer.

Monday I'll be over at Siana Wineland's writing on characterization. She's a very warm and supportive person, and a wonderful writer.

Stop by and see us.

Happy weekend all. I'm off to Southern Oregon this weekend for a Renaissance Festival. Research for my fall release, and some fun.

Ran into my buds, the Gangsta cows, last Saturday. It was good to see them.

You Can't Take the Sky From Me

Today I'm at Allan Douglas's blog, The Write Stuff, talking about one of my greatest inspirations for The Backworlds, and one of my all-time favorite space operas. I met Allan awhile ago, and he has been a great supporter and fan. Quite fantastic. And he'd also a great writer.

 Yesterday I discussed strategies in launching a series at Nick Daw's. Have some ideas on marketing? Pop over and let's discuss.

Friday I'll be visiting Derek Flynn at Rant with Occasional Music. Topic: Kepler. Besides being a writer, Derek is also a talented musician with his first album recently released. Check out his latest music video.

I ran across this recently in my internet travels, a LEGO Serenity/Firefly playset. Awesome. You can find out more about it HERE.

Come see me at Allan's.

Got a look at Venus on Saturday. Venus has phases like the moon. Anything between us and the Sun has phases. Anything behind us, doesn't.

The Advantages in Creating a Series and First Loves

Meet me today at Nick Daw's Writing Blog. I'm thrilled to be inside Nick's writing world. The topic is strategies for launching a series. Nick just released The Fesitval on Lyris Five. Congrats to Nick.

Friday I visited Misha Gericke's My First Book. I can tell you she writes a fabulous story, and is a great crit partner. I look forward to celebrating her future publications. She puts out a fabulous blog, too. The discussion was on character. It's something I had to work on, and I talk about what helped me.

Wednesday I'll be taking over Allan Douglas's The Write Stuff, talking about the space opera that inspired The Backworlds most.

Stop by and see us.

It's First Loves Blogfest day. Hosted by the indominable Ninja, Alex J. Cavanaugh. We're posting our first loves--movie, book, music, person.

Way back when, before time was invented ... I fell in love. :)

My grandmother used to take my sister, cousin, and I to the movies every year for our birthdays. Were all only a day a part. Now the Husband Unit joins that birthday lineup. He and I are only a day apart, too. Back to the topic at hand though ... The first film I recall sparking my full imagination was the Aristocats. I would colorform (do they still make those?) and color books dreaming up more stories for these cats. 

I was an avid reader from early on. Loved Dr. Seuss and all of those wonderful picture books. The first book that lit the writing spark, that made me want to try to create my own stories, was Anne of Green Gables. My other grandmother gave me a hardbound copy. Which I still have. One of my treasures. The photo is what the book I have looks like.

Don't cringe, Alex, but my first music love was Bobby Sherman. I used to beg my parents to let me stay up and watch his show. The grandmother who gave me Anne also gave me a Bobby album. It was second grade, for my 1st Communion. I still have that scratched up piece of vinyl somewhere. In a close second was David Cassidy.

The first person was a boy named Keven in my 1st grade class. We were separated by gender for lunch, but I did my damnedest every lineup for lunch to get as close to him as possible. Every year in grade school, I went out of my way to give him a mushy Valentine ... even if he wasn't in my class. Hmm, glad those stalker tendencies didn't continue. :)

Saturday night was a great night for astronomizing. Skies were clear, but hazy. It was warmer than usual. No snow remained on Pine Mountain, which is odd for mid May, and I didn't have to wear my thermals. Strange indeed. I managed to dig the telescope out of the garage. Orson Bradbury is now at his summer abode--the room under the 24" telescope. Both Orson and I were happy to be back out under a starry sky.

Come discuss marketing strategies over at Nick's. Divulge your first loves. Who and what were they?