I have some wonderful news. After years of not being able to participate, I’m finally going to do Nanowrimo this year!

You might be wondering why I didn’t participate the last few years. I sure talked enough about it and support it to everyone and anyone.

The reasons were pretty simple. I always seem to find myself editing when November comes around, so I normally participate in NanoEdmo. If you’re editing this November, I can’t suggest it enough.

The second reason was that in the past I was under the impression that I would need to tye up my rough draft in order to participate. Keep in mind, I have to write my rough drafts long hand. Typing rough drafts just doesn’t work for me.

So every year I wish I could participate, then decide I can’t.

This year, I decided that I wanted to do Nano, so I’m going to do it. I checked out the Nanowrimo website to see what they say about writing your rough draft long hand. Turns out they have a very specific way to deal with that sort of thing. Don’t know why I never did this before.

So, I’ll be participating in Nanowrimo this year, and I hope you are too. If so,I’ve made a rough timeline that you might like to follow, from preperation right now to December first. This is mostly what I’ll be following, with one exception. The husband and I are going on a mini vacation the weekend before Thanksgiving.

This week (What’s left of it) Take a look at your commitments for November and see what you need to do to participate.

October 15-21- Finish up any outstanding projects to clear your plate.

October 22-28- Take this week to finish up anything you couldn’t last week. Then, start outlining and brainstorming your novel.

October 29- November 4- Finish up any planning you need to do before you start your novel. Then, write 6,668 words.

November 5-11- Write 11,669 words. I’ll be doing some writing sprints on Monday and Tuseday on Facebook if you want to join me. I’ll list the times on Sunday.

November 12-18- Write 11,669 words. Again.

November 19-25- Write11,669 words. Don’t feel discouraged, you can do this!

November 26- December 2- Finish strong with the last  8,335 words. Then, reintroduce yourself to your family. They probably miss you.

So that’s it! Let me know if you’ll be joining me in Nanowrimo this year.

I’ve been learning a lot about the business side of writing recently, thanks to my sudden fascination with podcasts. I’m learning about AMS ads, how to use Instagram better, and how to write faster, tighter pieces.

The best thing I’ve learned, by far, is that I’m not a special snowflake as a hybrid writer.

If you’ve never heard me use that phrase before, or if you’re just not familiar with it, it means that I am traditionally published and self-published.

Surprise, I’m no special. But, this is so much better. First off, it means that this is a viable career path. Even better it means that I’m on the path of writers that I admire. Great writers, like Kevin J. Anderson. You know, one of the best Star War authors ever.

I love that other hybrid authors do it for the same reason I always have.

I publish traditionally because it’s a way to gain notoriety. Publishing companies also do a lot of the work for you and take on almost all of the financial risks. But they also get to make major decisions. They can dictate a lot of what you do with your work. They can get rights of first refusal for other books and even partially own your characters. Please read your contract carefully before you sign it.

I actually haven’t experienced any of this personally. My publisher, Solstice, has always done right by me. They work hard to advertise, their editors are wonderful, and they are quick to get back with me on any question. They’ve also never asked me to change a thing about my books, which was the big thing for me.

Self-publishing is a little more wild, a little more dangerous. It involves investing money, sometimes a good amount of money. It involves a lot of time doing writing work that has nothing to do with writing. It involves a lot of long days and not a lot of sleeping. For me, it involves roping a spouse in to do a ton of tech stuff.

It means that I am completely in control, though. The editing, the cover, the advertising, the distribution. It’s all on me, and whatever team I put together. Because, of course, writing requires a team. (More on that in a future blog post.)

Doing both though, it’s the best of both worlds. I can put out Station 86 books as quick as I can create them, while Woven books go through a traditional publisher.

The only problem is, this only works if you’re not writing just one continuing series. For someone like me, who gets bored, this works really well. At least it has so far.

If you have the sort of temperament to do that sort of thing, or if you don’t write series, being a hybrid author is a smart way to stay flexible. And, in a field that keeps changing day after day, flexibility is crucial for survival. (Sorry for the drama. I’m watching American Horror Story.)

So what do you think? Are you a hybrid author, or do you have a preference for one camp or the other? Let us know in the comments below.

I do a post like this occasionally, but it’s the sort of thing that needs to be updated occasionally. Blogs come and go. Sadly, some of my favorites have gone, but some great new ones have come. And, the last time I did a post like this, it didn’t include podcasts. I listen to more podcasts than anything these days, because I can do it when I’m doing other things. Like editing blog posts, for example. I’ve also been reading a few newsletters regularly for a good time now. So I’ll share those as well.

Some of these are directly related to writing and book marketing. Some are educational or inspiring. Some are just fun.

One way or another, here are the blogs and newsletters I’m reading, and the podcasts I’m listening to right now.

Blogs

Thrive is actually the most recent blog I’ve started following, after hearing about it on a podcast I’ll be telling you about later. It’s from a company called Thrive Global, founded by Arianna Huffington. Thrive is all about getting a good night’s sleep, and having a balanced, exceptional life. I love that theory, taking care of ourselves so we can be great.

Three recent posts from Thrive are I’m a divorced parent, can I raise happy kids? Why we need to talk about lawyer’s mental health now and Your environment affects this aspect of your health more than you realize.

Little Coffee Fox is a blog about bullet journals, calligraphy, and other paper arts. It’s my chill down blog, that I read pretty much only for pleasure. Bullet journals are a great way to keep your life in order, but they’re also a really fun hobby. This site has reviews, hand drawing examples, meditation advice, and bullet journal how to’s.

Three recent posts from Little Coffee Fox are A comprehensive Lamy Safari Fountain pen review, High-end highlighters, a Zebra Mildliner review, and Free October 2018 Calendar Printable for your bullet journal. I downloaded it, it’s very pretty.

I’ve been following Boho Berry for a good long time now. It’s a great resource for inspiration, business advice, journaling, calendars, and organization. I really love her stuff. She runs all sorts of challenges every month, has a book club, and posts some of the best Youtube videos about planning, fountain pens, virtual and physical planners.

Three recent posts from Boho Berry are September Book Club, Year of Yes, Boho Berry Challenge, September, and August Book Club, You are a badass.

I’m of two minds about adding Marketing Creativity to this list. On the one hand, I love this blog and have read it for years. I buy her planner every year, which means I’m looking at this woman’s work literally every single day. At the same time, she hasn’t posted anything since July. Now, she’s got kids, so maybe she’s just really freaking busy. But her work is solid, and if you’re trying to run an online business, this is one you want to follow. I just hope she’s okay.

Three recent-ish blog posts from Marketing Creativity are How The 30-90 Rule Affects Your Business, Where Do You Want To Be in One Year, and Make An Average

Finally, I’m sure you’ve seen me share The Middle Finger Project blog posts on social media all the time. I hardly know where to start with this one. Ash Ambridge is irreverent, vulgar, fearless, amazing! She lives exactly how she wants to live, isn’t afraid of literally anything, and inspires me to be the same.

Three recent blog posts from The Middle Finger Project are Sometimes Wonderful Can Still be Heavy, Know Who Your Haters Are, and One Big Sexy Question for Instant Clarification On: What the Hell Do I Want To Do With My Life?

Podcasts

I’m trying to include more science in my science fiction. 60-second science is helping. It’s a quick listen, put out by Scientific American. It’s a great, quick listen, and it helps me learn something new every weekday.

Listening to Sci-fi & Fantasy podcast is great, but it does have one serious drawback. I keep stopping whatever I’m doing to write down new marketing ideas. Hosted by three successful indie writers, this podcast has become rather an obsession of mine. Most weeks they’ll have on a guest, like Brian Meeks who talked about AMS ads!

If you’re all about the hustle, like me, you’ve got to be listening to Skimm’d From The Couch. (I’m a writer, but I want to be a well-fed writer, damn it.) The hosts have on a different businesswoman every week, talking about what it’s really like to reach the top today. I’m always learning new things from this podcast, and constantly getting new inspiration. This is the podcast that I’m constantly stopping so I can share something I’ve learned with the first person I see.

I purely listen to Lore for entertainment purposes. Aaron Mahnke tells spooky, real-life stories that are the basis of some of our favorite horror tales. And he’s everywhere now! Not only do I look forward to every new episode of the Lore Podcast, but I also watched the whole first season of Lore on Amazon Prime in the span of a week. Season two is coming out on the 19^th of this month. But you can listen to over 95 episodes of the podcast right now.

If you’re not listening to Bad With Money, you might feel a little better about the money world than I do. But I am more realistic about money, how I handle it, and why I’m so bad about it! Listening to Bad With Money is like having a cranberry and vodka with a friend and bitching about how freaking hard it is to make money, use it well, and not spend our whole lives screwing up with it.

Finally, if you’ve been reading Paper Beats World for any amount of time, you know I love Writing Excuses. Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor teach writing so well, I would easily compare it to actually sitting in at a writing class. Each of these authors is established, traditionally published, and honored by their peers. If you want to be a writer, or if you want to be a better writer, then listen to this podcast. It’s only 15 minutes long because we’re in a hurry.

Newsletters

I already mentioned Skimm’d From The Couch. The Skimm is the daily newsletter that is the actual focus of that company. I read this newsletter every morning on the way to work, and I love it. I get a quick overview of the news of the day in an entertaining way. While I do read and watch a lot of news and political sources through the day, this is my first step into it in the morning. Kind of my version of the paper over my cup of coffee.

Finally, you might remember me talking about By Regina as a blog before. But she’s grown away from the blog and has started moving toward sending out advice packed newsletters for people who want to be professionals online. Let me rephrase that. This newsletter is for people who want to be wild, spontaneous, work all the time because you love it, be a crazy bohemian but at the same time get your job done and have money for dinner. I love everything Regina does, and have taken a ton of her classes. She’s hilarious, by the way. When you’re marketing your book, and you don’t want to feel like a boring business person or suck all the soul out of your writing, read this newsletter.

I hope this helps you find content that helps you, inspires you, or entertains you. There are so much good out there, and so many amazing voices. I’m happy that you come here twice a week to hear mine. I’m excited to share my favorite with you.

Want to be  better writer? Want to get ready for NaNoWrimo? Click here to sign up for the 10 Days Of Lists event. Starting on October 20th, we’ll learn about making creative lists, start world building, and give you writing inspiration for years to come.

Click here to sign up today.

I talk a lot about writing on this site. Duh, that’s fifty percent of why I started it. PBW is about stories, writing and reading them if you’re new.

So, today, I want to talk to you about lists.

Lists are a great tool for writers. They help you get your head in order, which can sometimes be difficult. Lists drive you past the initial thoughts, which can often be echoes of others words.

When you make a list, you are stretching your writing mind in new ways, like practicing yoga.

That’s why I’m hosting a ten-day challenge to help you learn to write lists. This will take place in the last ten days of October. So, if you’re planning to participate in NaNoWriMo, this can be a great way to get started.

Click here to sign up now.

For ten days, I’ll send you an email that gives you a prompt to create a list to 100. I’ll also be hosting the PBW Facebook page, where we can discuss our lists and grow together as writers.

I hope you’ll join me in the 10 Days of Lists writing challenge, starting on October 20th.

Animaniacs is coming back next year, did you know that? I’m so freaking excited, I might just explode! Yes, I am one of those Millennials that cling to the cartoons of their childhood. And you know what? I’m totally okay with that.

Animaniacs taught me so many life lessons that are as applicable to my life as a thirty-two-year-old woman as they were when I was a skinny kid watching the show.

So let’s spin the wheel of morality and talk about the eight lessons Animaniacs taught me.

Don’t be afraid to be who you are

Do you remember Dot’s Poetry Corner? The show would sometimes open with a visit. Dot would get up on stage, tell a satirical poem, and then everyone would clap. I want to have the courage of Dot, to get up on stage and read something I’ve written. It’s so much more direct than what I do. Sure, I post my work twice a week and publish books. That doesn’t mean that I can handle reading it in front of other people. Hell, I don’t even like watching other people read something I wrote.

Dot does not give a damn. She jumps right up there and starts reading. She and her brothers have no stage fright, no fear of anything, and no concept of personal boundaries. While I don’t really want to jump into a stranger’s arms, I would love to not feel like everyone is judging me. I see you, lady standing behind me at the farmers market. Yes, I am buying all these cheese stuffed olives. What do you have to say to me about it?

Famous people should not be intimidating

The number of people who the Animaniacs got to meet is amazing. We saw Julius Ceaser, Abraham Lincoln, Madonna. And they just didn’t treat them any differently than anyone else. They usually hit on them and made their lives miserable. But there was sure no sense of awe.

To compare this, I got giggly and nervous when I met the actors from The Scare House.

Good music is amazing

I can trace my love of music directly to Animaniacs. Let me explain why, by introducing you to a woman named Bernadette Peters. She’s a Tony award-winning Broadway singer. She also happens to play Rita, from the Rita and Runt skits. They were always my favorite. I would say Les Miseranimals was my all time favorite Animaniacs skits.

This early introduction to not only music but quality music made a difference in my life that I still feel today. It’s given me an expectation of excellence that pretty much guaranteed that I was always going to value good musical artists. It probably also led to my love of musicals. So we can blame this for my Hamilton obsession. Sorry about that.

Education doesn’t have to be boring

Public school seems designed to kill any fun learning can have. I swear the only reason my generation learned anything was Bill Nye and Animaniacs. (I have the highest respect for teachers, they’re just constrained by stupid syllabuses that they don’t get to write and shackled by shitty budgets. School boards suck, teachers are superheroes. Don’t ever forget it.)

But I learned so much History from Animaniacs! I learned about Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, Einstein figuring out E=MC2. I learned the states capitals and the countries of the world. And I had fun doing it! Why can’t we have a few songs about doing your taxes and setting up a realistic budget?

Women are horny, too

Yako and Wacko Warner were right little skirt chasers. You’d never see a character on a modern cartoon yell “Helloooo Nurse!” jump into a curvy woman’s arms, and kiss her on the cheek.

Here’s the thing, though, Dot was just as bad. She would hoot, cover an attractive male in kisses, and even made some rather raunchy jokes about fingerprints. (Finger Prince)

How often do we see that? How many times are girls taught, “Hey, sometimes you’re going to have a horny reaction to an attractive guy. And that doesn’t mean you’re wrong, bad or a slut. It just means you’re a non-asexual, straight person.”

No, we don’t teach girls that. We teach boys that and teach girls to be little ladies. Ladies, we all know, don’t want to have sex. Yay, double standards!

People in authority should be mocked, it’s good for them

Right in the opening credits, the Animaniacs made fun of Bill Clinton playing his saxophone. It’s hilarious. No one’s safe, no one. They even had the Holy Family in one Christmas episode. Though, they were nicer to Mary and Joseph than they were to Einstein.

We need to remember that mocking politicians is a long, time-honored American tradition that should never, ever be allowed to die. This goes for politicians we like and the ones we hate. We should teach all kids to mock so that they feel comfortable questioning. We should always question those who rule over us.

Hanging onto old grudges is a terrible idea.

Spoiler alert! Not really, everyone saw this coming. There was one episode that was sort of a Lifetime Achievement Awards Ceremony for the Warners. In it, we meet their old co-star, who wants to drop an anvil on them and kill them. But it turns out that they love him, and are so excited to see him again! They charmingly invite him on stage, saying he has to share this award with them because they never could have gotten where they were without him. He accepts their invitation, only to stand under the anvil himself, becoming its actual victim.

Don’t hold onto grudges, it just gets you an anvil in the head.

Being an asshole will always get you punished

This was a lesson that Slappy Squirrel taught us over and over. She takes on old villains from her cartoons, people who disturb her sleep, hippies who play music near her tree (Who is on stage! That’s what I’m asking ya’!) and anyone who threatens her nephew, Skippy. She is not cruel, or mean-spirited. She simply makes sure that people who are evil to her get what’s coming to them.

I hope I’ve given you some great reminders about a show that was canceled before its time. I can’t wait to see the new show.

Since I shared my favorite skit with you, I’d love to hear yours! Let us know in the comments what Animaniacs skit is still with you today.

Want to be  better writer? Want to get ready for NaNoWrimo? Click here to sign up for the 10 Days Of Lists event. Starting on October 20th, we’ll learn about making creative lists, start world building, and give you writing inspiration for years to come.

Click here to sign up today.

Welcome to the sixth and final installment of the Science Fiction Sub-Genre overview. This has been such a fun project, let me tell you. I don’t remember the last time I wrote a series that spanned over two months like this.

Why are there so many science fiction sub-genres? Because they’re pretty different from each other, and everyone’s taste is different. It’s hard to say that a story about virtual reality belongs in the same category as a story about First Contact. While many of these sub-genres can be found blended together, it’s safe to say that any one of them is strong enough alone to tell a good story.

This information came largely from a site called Worlds Without End. Please check them out, they are awesome.

If you’re just joining us, here are the links to the other posts in this series.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

Terra Forming

This is a pretty popular subgenre, and it’s one I certainly enjoy. These stories are about creating a habitable landscape on another planet. I love these stories because they lend themselves so well to a cross-genre horror story. Imagine the terrors that might come along with creating a new world on a cold planet. (Insert maniacal laughter.)

Some examples of terraforming are Farmer in The Sky by Robert Heinlein, and Building Harlequin’s Moon, by Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper. (I would love to say that Godfrey from Station 86 was inspired by Farmer in The Sky. He’s not, I literally just heard of this book right before writing this very paragraph. But you can bet that book is on my to-read list now.)

Theological

With how heavily faith-based my Woven series is, you’d think my science fiction would be right in this Science Fiction Sub-Genre’s wheelhouse.

It’s not, and I guess I don’t really know why it hasn’t come up.

Anyway, you might have guessed that this sub-genre is about religion in science fiction. This is kind of a touchy subject (religion always is). But science and religion have a complicated relationship.

I haven’t really read anything personally that I would classify as theological. One that was given as an example by Goodreads (Insert link) was Flowers for Algernon. I personally haven’t read this, but I did see the play. Don’t know how much this had to do with Theology, but Goodreads probably knows better than me.

Time Travel

I guess I probably don’t need to explain this one too much. It’s time travel, we’re all pretty familiar. It’s traveling through time.

Of course, Dr. Who falls into this category. And so does my favorite fantasy series, Dragonriders of Pern. (Crazy, right?)

Uplift

This sounds like such a cute, Sub-Genre, right? Uplift. It sounds, well, uplifting.

Be prepared to be surprised.

An uplift story is one about taking a semi-intelligent species that is transformed into an intelligent or super intelligent species.

You know, like Animal Farm. Or Planet of the Apes. Or the Island of Doctor Moreau.

I kind of love how deceptively nice this sub-genre is, for one that’s given us so many scary tales.

Utopia

An Utopia story is the opposite of a dystopian story. It’s a perfect future, an ideal world. There aren’t a lot of these stories. I guess we writers don’t have that much imagination right now.

When I searched for examples of Utopian books, I got a bunch that I’d consider Dystopian, like The Giver and Brave New World. A few that I haven’t heard of are Men Like Gods by HG Wells, and Childhoods End, by Arthur C. Clark. I don’t think they seem particularly optimistic, but I haven’t read them yet.

Virtual reality

Finally, we come to the last of the Science Fiction Sub-Genres, Virtual Reality. This has been getting a lot of attention recently.

Pretty straightforward, these are stories about the wonderful world of VR, which I think we all wish really existed. I would love a holodeck to go play on.

Some examples of Virtual Reality books are Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, which has been pretty popular recently. Another example is Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson.

I really hope you’ve learned something from this tour through the different Science Fiction Sub-genres. I know I have. I’ve certainly gotten a few good short story ideas out of it and added some books to my reading list.

Did I miss your favorite sub-genre? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Station 86 is shocked when a Khloe assassin begins killing members of the all powerful council. Officer Sennett Montgomery and Councilman Godfrey Anders swear to find the assassin after Godfrey’s wife is falsely accused. But the killer, and the council itself, are not what they seem. Neither, as it turns out, is Sennett’s daughter.

Get it free now, and enter the world of Station 86!

 

It’s Banned Books Week, 2018! I love this holiday probably more than any other literary holiday of the year.

More and more, censorship is an enemy that we must fight on and offline. I’m pleased to bring you a list of the top ten banned books of 2017, as collected by the ALA. Here is a link to their site, please give it a look

10. I am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel, for Gender Identity

You know, gender identity is kind of a confusing topic. I kind of want there to be a book that might help some confused teenager figure themselves out. Just saying.

9. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, for LGBT content

There’s a lot of books on this list that were banned for LGBT content. So, I’m just going to address it once, on book number three.

8. The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas, for drug use and profanity

I swear, we need to stop banning books because of bad language. And drug use, really? Look, I’m not for glorifying drug use, but we have got to stop shielding people from everything bad. Let me assure you that if you go ask a druggie on the street what got them started, they’re not going to answer, “Well, I picked up The Hate You Give, and it just made drugs seem so appealing. It all kind of spiraled from there.”

Drug use is a symptom. We need to stop treating the symptom and fix the actual issues.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, for violence and racial slurs

How, in the hell, are we still banning this book in 2017? It is a classic, I was required to read it in high school. The violence and racial slurs are kind of part of the point. If you don’t understand that, maybe you shouldn’t be making decisions about what other people are reading.

6. Sex is a Funny Word, by Cory Silverberg for sex education

Sex education and safety need to be taught. We need to know how to protect ourselves and watch over our reproductive health. There’s just no reason why we shouldn’t know these things, why we shouldn’t teach our children to be safe.

5. George, by Alex Gino, for LGBT content

See number three.

4. The Kite Runner, by Khlad Hosseini, for sexual violence, and religious themes. May lead to terrorism

I haven’t read this book, but I know that if a book incites you to be sexually violent or commit acts of terrorism, you were just looking for an excuse to start with. I play a bunch of violent video games, read horror books and watch American Horror Story. I have never even hit someone. You cannot blame the media for the actions of the sick.

3. Drama, by Raina Telgemeir, for LGBT content

Let me tell you a little story. It’s one that I’ve told before, and one that I will almost surely tell again. It’s one about the importance of representation, and it’s really short.

It damn well matters!

It matters that we see people who we can relate to portrayed well in media. It mattered to me that I saw strong women like Dana Scully and Lieutenant Uhura on tv when I was a young nerd. It matters to little kids who aren’t white to see people who look like them in the media as good guys. And it matters to LGBT kids to see their demographic portrayed as well.

Representation matters. And if your argument is that being LGBT is in some way wrong, then you’re just on the wrong side of history. The same should be said for anyone who tries to remove LGBT books from a school library.

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, for profanity and being sexually explicit

While I don’t know that I would give this book to a small child, we need to stop demonizing sex and making it taboo. At best it makes it more appealing, at worse it demonizes what should be a loving and intimate act between two people who care for each other.

1. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher for suicide

Okay, for the first time ever, I have kind of a problem with this book. I might be reacting to this wrong, and anyone who has actually read this book please set me straight if I’m wrong. But I do have sort of a problem with anything that glorifies suicide. I don’t like anything that might make suicide seem like an appealing option to a confused and scared kid.

But, if I’m honest, I can say the same thing about this that I can about books dealing with drugs and violence. If reading this book made them do it, they were already going to. What we need is a secure safety net for kids in danger in our school systems, so that no kid feels hopeless or helpless. I feel like I should insert some links to some Dear Evan Hansen songs here.

So that’s it. What do you think about these books? Let us know in the comments below!

Hey, guys,  I have some great news. Seeming, as the first book of it’s ever growing series, is now free! Here is a link to get your copy right now and enter the world of Station 86.

Station 86 is shocked when a Khloe assassin begins killing members of the all powerful council. Officer Sennett Montgomery and Councilman Godfrey Anders swear to find the assassin after Godfrey’s wife is falsely accused. But the killer, and the council itself, are not what they seem. Neither, as it turns out, is Sennett’s daughter.

I try to be on top of things. Most of the time, I am. I work hard, and I hope that I put out content and stories that you all enjoy.

Sometimes, though, I can’t be on top of everything. Sometimes I just screw up.

Most of the time I catch issues before you, my wonderful readers, find out. This time, though, a book got into the world with a pretty big issue.

Virus, the third novella in the Station 86 series, was accidentally published without episode eighteen.

This is the bad side of being an indie author, there’s no one there to catch this shit if I miss it.

Here’s the good side, however. I have updated Virus on Amazon, to now have the proper episode eighteen. And, as an apology to all of my awesome readers, I’m making Virus free from now until September 26th.

Here is your link

Again, I’m sorry. I hope that you all love the Station 86 series as much as I love writing it. Station Central, book four will be out soon.

Oh, and I might as well take this time to tell you that I’ve made Seeming, book one in Station 86, free forevor. Here’s your link for that. Please feel free to share it far and wide.

Thank you as always for reading. Hope you’re having a great weekend.

Welcome to part five of our six-part series on the many different Science Fiction Sub-Genres. If you’ve missed the other parts, here are links to Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.

Why are there so many science fiction sub-genres? Because they’re pretty different from each other, and everyone’s taste is different. It’s hard to say that a story about virtual reality belongs in the same category as a story about First Contact. While many of these sub-genres can be found blended together, it’s safe to say that any one of them is strong enough alone to tell a good story.

Singularity

I’m a pretty smart person, and I had to read the explanation of this genre four times before it started really sinking in. Honestly, I thought this was going to be a hive mind sort of thing like The Borg. But no, it’s actually totally different. Rather than try to explain it myself, and probably being totally confusing, let me borrow from The Encycopedia of Science Fiction. They explained it really well.

The Singularity, or technological Singularity, is a hypothetical point in time at which human Technology – in particular Computers, AI super-Intelligence and human intelligence amplification via computer interfacing (see Upload) or perhaps Drugs – similarly accelerates “off the map” into unpredictable regions.

After I gave my brain some time to wrap around that concept, it fascinated me. What sort of things might happen at the end of the universe? I just finished watching this video about the heat death of the end of the universe -Insert that video we just watched-. It’s dark and scary, but also amazing. What sort of creatures might exist in that far, far distant future? How do we even have theories about time so far in advance? I have no idea, but I think it has limitless creative possibilities.

Some examples of the Singularity Science Fiction Sub-Genre are Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross and Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge. By the way, if you watch that video about the heat death of the universe, just the title Iron Sunrise should make you shudder.

Slip Stream

This Science Fiction Sub-Genre is pretty awesome. It’s a blend of Fantasy, Science Fiction and Literary Fiction. Honestly, I need to get my hands on an example of this to really grasp how they blend Literary Fiction with Genre Fiction at all. It’s often defined as the fiction of strangeness, which seems to make perfect sense.

Some examples of Slipstream, which I need to find, are The Aleph and Other Stories, by Jorge Luis Borges and Crash, by JG Ballard. I’ll let you know how they are.

Soft SF

I’m not going to spend too much time on Soft Science Fiction, because it’s honestly such a blank description. Any of the genres we’ve described so far could be written as Soft SF or Hard SF, depending on how much science you want to include in your Science Fiction. I would say that much of what I’ve written thus far is probably Soft SF. Though that might be changing, I’ve been learning a lot about science.

Space Exploration

Unlike some of the other Sub-Genres we’ve talked about today, Space Exploration is pretty straightforward. It’s what people think of when they think Science Fiction. It’s going where no one has gone before!

Yes, Star Trek is the most popular example. Some other examples are The Colonists, by Jason Gurley and Corsair, by James Camrias

Space Opera

Okay, this might be the best known, most popular and softest Science Fiction Subgenre there is. Space Operas are big on battles, romance, adventure and all of the things that make stories great, but in space!

I’m not sure you need examples of a Space Opera, but I’ll give you some anyway. Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card, is probably the most well-known one. Then, of course, there’s Station 86, by me.

Steam Punk

I’m questioning whether I even consider Steam Punk a Science Fiction Sub-Genre. I think it’s more of a Fantasy Sub-Genre, but apparently, I don’t get consulted on these things.

Steampunk is defined by its use of technology and aesthetics used during the 19^th century with steam-powered machinery. Picture those thick welding goggles and steam-powered space stations. There also tends to be a lot of brown shades on the covers of these books. I love the look, myself.

Some great examples of Steam Punk are Pretty Waiter Girls by Greg Alldredge, and Warehouse 13. Man, I miss that show.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series so far. Stay tuned for the final part next Friday.

 

Today we have an interview with the author of Aeon Rises,

1. Tell us about your book.

Aeon Rises is my first attempt at a Young Adult science fiction novel. I have written scifi before, but not for this age group. This is the story of a teenager, Justin Madrid. He has always believed himself to be an average, nerdy outcast kid, living in Aurora, Colorado. The only problem is his extreme migraines ever time he tries to look at any sort of electronic video screen. That is until the day the aliens tried to kill him. That was the day everything changed everything. Now, the fate of all humanity rests in his hands.

2. When did you realize that you were a writer?

Being a writer came as a complete shock to me. After I retired from 35 years as a science teacher, I started helping my brother with a book he was writing. To pass the time, we started brainstorming ideas for a book I could write. After many false starts and re-writes, The Brin Archives trilogy became a thing.

3. Do you have any books coming out this year?

Just this week, September 10, my newest book, Aeon Rises is being released on Amazon. If I can get my act together I may have another short story ready for publication in a couple of months. Time will tell.

4. If readers are looking to connect with you, what’s the best way to do it?

Any of the following social media links will work just fine to connect with me. I would love to hear from some of my readers.

My Webpage: http://jimcroninscienceedutainer.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimCroninScienceEdutainer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjimcronin

 

5. What are you working on right now?

My current project is a series of short stories. In this collection, I hope to use science fiction and fantasy stories to teach actual science concepts. I believe this would be a much more interesting approach to introducing science to kids than to have them read a textbook, at least at first.

6. Tell us about submitting your book. What was that like for you?

Submitting my books is always a bit of mixed emotions. I am happy and proud of completing another novel and looking forward to seeing how it is received out in the world, but it is also a bit sad. I do miss talking with all the characters in my head when I have to move on to a new story. It actually was difficult to start something completely new after ending The Brin Archives trilogy. Those characters did not want to leave my head to make room for the new folks coming in.

7. What author would you say inspires you the most? 

Any of the old science fiction classic authors were my inspiration. I love Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, etc… Maybe someday I will develop some small fraction of their ability to weave a great tale. Don’t get me wrong, I think my work is good… those geniuses are simply several magnitudes above most everyone else.

8. Who is your current favorite author?

I currently don’t have anyone I would consider a real favorite. I read so many different genres and authors it is hard to say. I enjoy Jeff Shaara’s work tremendously, but I am mostly trying out a number of new authors, and finding some gems out there.

9. What was your first favorite book as a child?

As a very young child, anything Dr. Seuss were great, and there ws Mr. Pine’s Purple House. Then I found The Hardy Boys. During college, though, I fell in love with The Hobbit, and LOTR books. I have read each of tehm at least five times over the years.

10. What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to when you first started writing?

Get a good editor ASAP. Don’t wait until you get several dozen rejections before deciding to have a professional look over your work. My editors have been invaluable for making my good stories great.

11. What would you consider the best thing you’ve ever done for your writing career.

I am not sure there is any one thing. I am still writing only part-time since I work three days a week at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and spend a lot of time with my grandkids. If anything, I would say I have always kept it fun. I don’t try to force the writing, I simply let it come when the muses strike.

12. What would you consider the most fulfilling moment you’ve experienced as a writer?

I guess that would be the first time I saw a review from someone I did not know. It suddenly hit me that there were others out there, complete strangers, who liked my work enough to let the world know how much they enjoyed it. That was special.

13. What book would you suggest to anyone who wants to write?

I don’t have books that work for me. Instead, I would recommend joining local author groups, or attend conferences and find authors willing to talk with you. There are many. Picking the brains of established writers helped me understand my own process better and gave me tons of new ideas.

I am a retired middle school science teacher, working part-time as an educator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I have been married for forty years to the love of my life. We raised two incredible sons, and now have four amazing grandchildren to spoil rotten.

I was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in Arlington, Virginia before moving to Denver where I attended High School and eventually college at Colorado State University, graduating with a degree in Zoology and a teacher certification. My wife and I currently live near Denver in the small town of Parker.

After writing The Brin Archives trilogy, I wanted to try my hand at reaching a new audience. The idea of a nerdy teenager with few friends suddenly learning the fate of all earth depends on him struck me as a fun scifi adventure.

Social Media Links:

My Webpage: http://jimcroninscienceedutainer.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimCroninScienceEdutainer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjimcronin