Latest Query Results
Got my first “form” rejection the other day. Really fast, which means the guy probably just didn’t like my query letter. I doubt he had time to read over my sample chapters. Maybe should work on the query letter more …
The Query Circuit Resumes
Sent out four new queries today … we’ll see what happens next …
Summer Festival of Writing
So I found a new (online) conference — The Jericho Writers Summer Festival of Writing. For around $40 a month, you get 3 solid months of writing webinars and mini-workshops. They’re based in the UK, so I don’t know all of the authors — but I do know Neil Gaiman! So far we’ve had some interesting…
What I’m Reading: Robert Heinlein
Robert Heinlein once wrote a book called The Number of the Beast, a fun frolic about a scientist who invents a time/space device and his family. However, unbeknownst to most of his fans, Heinlein also wrote a parallel novel called The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes. The two novels begin…
A New Era of Space Flight?
As you’ve (hopefully) seen, on April 30th, SpaceX successfully launched its first crewed ship, which delivered the two astronauts safely to the international space station. It was the first piloted space flight from US soil in nearly nine years and the first new spacecraft in nearly 40 years. Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken said the…
For You: Story Sample
Here’s a snippet from Chapter 26 (at the moment – numbers may change as I edit): Lontano wove through the crowd, heedless of toes beneath his shoes or elbows in his face. He got to the corner and spotted Tell’s ginger mop just ahead. Tell’s left arm was draped around the waist of a statuesque…
20 Years Ago Today
On this day in Space history, May 19, 2000, the new space shuttle “glass cockpit” made its debut. The old Atlantis cockpit had four cathode-ray tube displays and 32 different gauges and indicators. Replacing these were eleven new flat-panel, full-color display screens. The new technology made it far easier to pilot the shuttle (plus, it…
Water on Mars?
Science News has a great article about the latest on Mars. According to the latest data, even though pure water just doesn’t last on the surface, brine might last for up to six hours. NASA’s Curiosity and Phoenix landers have found salts known as perchlorates in the soil, which might hint at the possible existence…
Children’s Book Week
May 4-10 is Children’s Book Week. What are some favorite books from your childhood? Here are some of mine: Goodnight Moon is a lovely read-aloud book for small children. The pictures are colorful and full of interesting details. My mother would end each section by asking “Where’s the mouse?” and my sister and I had…