Box O’ Munchkins Why Men? Could it be Green Alien Women like in the pilot of Star Trek?
AmyBeth Fredricksen They’re actually androgynous, but the English language does not have a proper non-gender-specific term.
John DeChancie It takes two, one to put in the bulb, the other to deny the existence of UFOs.
Daniel Beard They are green because they are phosphorescent. therefore they have no need of light bulbs. therefore they would not even recognize there was a problem, and no little green people would change the light bulb.
Santi Fabrellas It takes four. One is holding the ladder, the second one has the lightbulb while the third one is climbing the ladder. Then, when the third one is up there, gets the old bulb and gives it to a fourth one while the second one gives the new bulb to the third one. Of course, this is the minumum number of green men, it depends on how little they are, and how big is the ladder, we might need more than four then…
Google Plus Answers:
Ashley Wade I don’t think any green man would be changing light bulbs. They’d be too busy hanging over the toilet bowl.
AmyBeth Inverness I think I’d be called racist if I asked a question about little brown men…
I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.
This week, I have a couple of important extras! Today, my first story was published in an anthology called Precipice. It’s available from Amazon now, and will available through other outlets such as Barnes & Noble in a few weeks. Also, I have a short story entered in the America’s Next Author contest. You can read and download that story for free on the website. I’d appreciate your vote (just takes a click on the site, no log in) and if you’re feeling very generous, please leave a review! (requires a log-in with basic info)
In the eighth grade, Cameron wrote her first romance novel on an antique typewriter, using a stack of pink paper. Detours between that draft and her publishing goals have included a BA in Music, a professional culinary education, and twelve years in the child-wrangling industry.
1. Do you have anything you consider to be a primary occupation these days, or do you wear many hats?
Strictly speaking, I’m a stay at home mom while I’m looking for a day job to support my writing habit.
2. How have you used your Professional Chef Certification?
I worked as a Baskin-Robbins cake decorator for a year, and as a hotel pastry cook for another year. These days I do custom cakes. Birthdays, weddings, special occasions, but only by word of mouth.
3. Is music a big part of your life?
There’s a great quote from Harry Chapin’s song Mr. Tanner, “Music was his life, it was not his livelihood, and it made him feel so happy, and it made him feel so good.” That’s what it’s like for me. I sing all day, I listen to music all day. There’s always music in my writing. I studied voice and composition in college, thinking I would grow up to be a music teacher. I ended up in a totally difference place, but the passion for music is still very much a part of me.
4. Do you still wrangle kids?
I do. I have a little guy who’s almost five, I babysit for another little guy who’s almost three, and I’m currently nannying part time for a family while their childcare situation is in flux.
I’ve been linking up with them since the very early days of The Red Dress Club. I joined looking for feedback when I returned to writing fiction after a nearly ten year hiatus. I stayed, becoming increasingly more involved, until they brought me on as an editor last year, just after the move to Write on Edge.
6. What is your current involvement with Write on Edge?
Currently, I am one of two managing editors. Angela Amman and I share the daily running of the site, curating content, soliciting guest posts, overseeing link ups. I am also the editor-in-chief of Precipice, our new literary anthology.
7. What is your greatest hope for the Write on Edge community?
That we can stay the intimate and supportive community we are while expanding to suit the needs of our writers as they grow and still welcome new writers to join us.
8. What prompted the idea of creating an anthology?
I wanted to create a real, tangible opportunity for our community to showcase its talent. So much of publishing is getting yourself out there. Every author whose work appears in Precipice will have a publishing credit to their name. They get to experience the thrill of seeing their words on the page. For me, as a community leader, there’s nothing better to offer. The anthology idea was one of the first things I brought to the table when I was asked to join the Write on Edge team.
9. Is there something symbolic about the title Precipice?
For me, absolutely. We played with titles that relate to edges (plays on words are fun!), and I think the moment of publication is absolutely a precipice. You’re poised to fly, but you have to take a leap off the cliff to do it.
10. Precipice will contain my first published story, Abandon. What can you tell potential readers to expect from this collection?
This collection has a broad range. The nonfiction section features many intensely personal and emotional essays. The fiction section has a little bit of the paranormal, coming of age, commercial fiction, mystery, and fantasy. It’s a truly diverse collection.
11. How much writing did you do before you were published?
I’ve been writing stories since I can remember. And I really did write a salacious romance on pink paper in middle school. I shared it in typed prose form and also in graphic novel format. It featured a cast of characters drawn from my friends and acquaintances, written in a Sweet Valley High-meets-All My Children style. The heroine was a beautiful, ruthless woman named… I shudder to share: Heaven Leigh. Don’t judge. I was thirteen.
I didn’t write much in my twenties. I was busy being twenty-something, but I still thought about story lines and plots and characters. I did read during those years, voraciously. Romance, historical fiction, mysteries, fantasy, classics. I’ve always read a ton, but that was a decade of devouring books at a tremendous rate. A few years after my son was born, I found myself a stay at home mom, and it seemed the moment to try to write the romance novel I always said I’d write.
12. What was your path to publication?
It’s sort of a series of leaps, rather than a path. I entered a short story in a contest. It wasn’t chosen, but I was proud of it. Lacking the money to keep entering it in contests, I taught myself the basics of formatting an ebook for Smashwords, which seemed like a good way to put it out there. I followed it with a second short story a couple of months later. When I wrote Parallel Jump, it was as a gift for a special kid in my life, so I learned CreateSpace’s formatting in order to be able to give him a paperback copy. From there, I’ve just continued to learn the skills I need to put my work out there, if I choose. I’m still hoping to market a book traditionally, to chase the Big Six dream, but I don’t think they own the publishing world anymore.
13. Your published works span several genres. How does that affect your marketing strategy?
You assume I have one. I’m very much still learning. Buck’s Landing has a strategy of sorts, and I plan to focus more on romance going forward, so that should enable to me to develop a proper strategy. Maybe.
14. Your latest novel, Buck’s Landing, still says “Coming Soon!” Do we know how soon?
It came out on Tuesday the 23rd!
15. Do you have any rituals for celebrating new releases?
Sleeping. I get anxiety insomnia right before I publish, so once it’s out there, I sort of collapse.
16. You commented on one of my posts that you’re half Vermonter… which half?
My Dad’s family goes back about nine generations on my Grandma’s side. He grew up in Bellows Falls. Vermont holds a huge piece of my heart. My parents met at UVM, I attended Middlebury College, and my brother studied at Johnson State College. I still have a crazy dream of packing my family up and moving to Addison County, but I have to sell a LOT of books.
17. What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?
Scrivener. Loaded onto my trusty old MacBook (2009, pre-unibody – it’s almost a dinosaur).
18. What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?
Purple gel tip pens. I use them for editing (and also signing books!).
A teaser for a novel I started on my blog. The working title for the competition is “Left of Paradise.” It’s a contemporary romance, set dually in southern Vermont and the Montana Rockies. The short story covers the period the protagonists spend in Montana together.
Han. No question. The man is impulsive, mercenary, haunted, and ruthless. When you add lethal charm to the mix? He’s perfect. There’s a reason we fall for a character like Han. He’s got every chance to do the right thing, but he never does, not until the moment it really matters. His redemption is one of the best parts of the whole franchise. If he didn’t shoot first, that changes his entire character arc. Also? revisionist history is bulls**t (can I say that here?). Own your bad boy, Lucas. He’s brilliant that way.
Cameron and I both have stories in the America’s Next Author contest! You can vote for as many authors as you want, but can only vote once per author during the entire contest. (I thought it was once per round, but apparently not!) Below you’ll see links directly to Cameron’s page and another to mine.
And on a related note… Precipice comes out this Tuesday, the 30th, and will be initially available from Amazon and then from other retailers as well, in both electronic and print formats!
Well, it’s my own damn fault. I haven’t used my time as well as I should. For ROW80, this week has been disappointing. Only a few days did I do an “acceptable” amount of writing. I did take time off from my WIP to polish up a short for the America’s Next Author contest, and I started another short for a local anthology.
The problem with that is I wanted to finish my WIP before NaNoWriMo, because I want a fresh start without an unfinished project hanging over my head. I have a week to make that push and get it done. It’s possible. But even if I don’t finish it, November 1 I’m putting all else aside and writing The Chapel at the End of the Universe.
How about you? Do you NaNo?
The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-X7
SciFi Question of the Day: Would it be possible to design a government for your planet’s new colony whose politicians all have “regular” jobs that are NOT career politicians, or would career politicians always develop no matter what the design and intent was?
Facebook Answers:
Shane Fahrnow Maybe make it so that political positions are nominated and work performed within is on a volunteer basis? Everyone brings you food and gives you a place to sleep while you serve, not much else, and you be the best Socrates you can be for the length of your term?
AmyBeth FredricksenShane you can’t be voted in as emperor, but I’ll appoint you after they vote me in as Great Googly-Moogly.
Dave Mac Somebody said vote Shane so I did…. whom ever he is
Shane Fahrnow Looks like a groundswell from here. Are you sure I can’t be elected Emperor?
AmyBeth Fredricksen First Dave would have to form a committee to study the possibility of holding a special election. Unfortunately, holding that special election threatens a certain endangered species of owl, so it will never happen.
Shane Fahrnow Committee!? Bah! No progress has ever been made in meetings!
Dave Mac A couple good phaser blasts will get these people to do the right thing
AmyBeth Fredricksen Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I’m being repressed!
Mary-Anne McDermott Would sort of be like a board of directors for a condo or being a school trustee. Someone manages the day-to-day business, and then the people who have been elected, meet once a month or however often, to deal with the larger issues and go over what is going on with the day to day.
Dave Mac Good corruption is the best kind afterall
Daniel Beard I believe that the chief executive should have their entire wealth liquidated and added to the treasury at the beginning of their term. With a tax rate that is set and cannot change. and any profit that is made over their term is returned to them, while any loss is theirs and theirs alone. although the guard force is provided free of charge, and will make sure that the chief executive will not flee.
Google Plus Answers:
Jennifer R. Povey The obvious, easy method is not to pay the politicians. But would that be enough?
Ashley Wade There’d always be career politicians. Whether we like it or not it’s a time consuming job (whether it’s being done properly or not).
Vivian Spartacus Mmmm, I think if you had major election reform, instantaneous and free communication, a high level of education across the board, and strong protections for transparency of government, you could probably do it.
Valkyrie Page The population would have to be small enough to have close relationships with the politicians, keeping the politicians in check. Also, a new colony takes a lot of work, so no hands could be spared for full-time politics.
AmyBeth Inverness “Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I’m being repressed!”
Our forefathers planned to have the wealthy landowners take time away from their farms to take care of the business of the country.
Eric W. Johnson There will always be career politicians as long as there is a population of people for them to leech on.
I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.
Well, I think I’ve entered a contest… I sent in my story a week ago and I have confirmation that they’ve received it, but I haven’t received confirmation that they’ve accepted it. I’m pretty sure I’m in, since my understanding is that they accept any and all takers unless there’s something very wrong, such as being way too steamy (no erotica) and I’m sure they’ll turn away something that has so many errors it’s an embarrassment. Then again, the romance in the story is polyamorous, so there’s a chance they might decide that’s too kinky…
Anywho…
I was attracted to this contest because the voting structure is unabashedly a popularity contest. We are being judged not just on our story, but on how well we market ourselves, and we can see day by day what our ranking is, as well as seeing great (and devastating) reviews from readers across the web. Even if I don’t win a spot in the finals, the exposure and feedback is well worth it.
That said, I am carefully planning my strategy. There are eight week-long rounds, the second of which just closed today. Hopefully my story will be up and voteable for round three.
I’m not terribly concerned about getting tons of votes this week. I think that’s too much to expect. Also, if I bug my friends week after week to vote for me, that gets really annoying and tends to alienate people. I could lose friends and followers. The way voting works, anybody can peruse the website, read the stories (5k word limit) and click VOTE on as many authors as they like. But they can only vote for each author once per round.
I need to find a way to reach a broad audience, a large number of people, and get them all to click VOTE on my story during the same round.
I think I will plan a specific week to make a big push. 11-11-2012 will work. I’m guest-hosting for a friend one day that week already, and I can arrange to do some guest posts for other friends throughout the week. Even if I’m doing two the same day… the exposure is good! 11-11-2012 is actually a Sunday. The round starts on Tuesday, the 13th, and voting will end on Monday the 19th.
For my blogging friends
Would you be willing to have me do a guest post on any day between November 13-19? Or interview me, or just mention me for the heck of it? I would also be willing to provide silly pictures of myself, such as me wearing an aluminum foil hat, or me handcuffed to a sock monkey. Great for Pinterest!
Ideas I have for blog posts (But I’m open for suggestions)
The hopefulness/hopelessness of combining genres
Why Stormtroopers are sexy
How to make an aluminum foil hat (Without it ripping)
How to enjoy your vanilla with a little hot fudge
Why we blame Canada
The best and worst ideas for padding your novel’s word count
How to make it through the last half of NaNoWriMo
When Polyamory isn’t kinky
The best answers I’ve seen to certain interview questions
Having a child with special needs, but not letting it define either of you
Here is what I’d like to include with each post:
AmyBeth wants to be America’s Next Author! Her short story The Peanut Gallery Rebellion is in the running, but she needs your vote. The site does not require you to log in (unless you want to leave a review, which would be utterly fantastic!) and it’s just one simple click to reach the site then a second click on the VOTE button. You can read AmyBeth’s story and others on the website, and you can vote for as many different authors as you like. You can only vote for each author once per round during the entire contest. The author who gets the most votes each round (ending on Tuesdays) moves on to the finals.
The Peanut Gallery Rebellion is the story of Louisa, a young newlywed coming to terms with the onset of disability and how it places a burden on her family.
Or alternately, simply this image with a link to the site…
Both of these samples go to Cameron Garriepy instead of me, since her story is up and mine is not lol! Of course, when I’m ready to promote myself, it will be a link and images of MY story instead of Cameron’s. Meanwhile, please go vote for Cameron! She’s awesome, and she’s also this week’s interview.
Addendum: I got my confirmation! Now I have an entry page with my story (They took out all italics… that’s a problem because it denoted when the words were thought as opposed to spoken) but now I can add a picture and start promoting myself. Huzzah!
Second addendum: I thought that the phrase “Authors get a fresh start each round” meant that voting was reset to zero, but when I asked they replied that people can only vote once per author during the entire contest. They say that we’re not losing the votes from previous rounds, but I’m unsure how the previous votes count.
The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-WN
Amber Lin writes erotic romance with damaged souls and deep emotion. Her debut novel Giving It Up (Loose Id, 9781611188431) received The Romance Review’s Top Pick, Night Owl Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars, calling it “truly extraordinary.” The sequel is slated for release in early 2013, and she is working on a small town erotic romance novella as well. She is represented by Jewelann Cone of the Cascade Literary Agency.
Amber married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good. Come say hi back on twitter, through goodreads, or by email.
1) What is your opinion on the self-publishing vs. traditional publishing debate?
It helps ALL authors that we have different options available in our careers or even book-to-book. I’ve never really understood why one side would try to tear down the other when it is clear to me that talented writers are finding success through both paths. Between the road to publication and the critics waiting at the finish line, there are enough hurdles for any author without also facing shame from our peers. More and more, we’re seeing authors do both. Choice is good!
2) How did you find your agent?
When I was looking for an agent, a book came out in what I considered the same genre as mine, erotic romantic suspense (Stripped, Tori St. Claire). I looked up the name of her agent on her website and sent her a query. Yay slushpile 🙂
3) What was the path to publication for your debut novel Giving It Up?
Back when I first thought of getting published, one of the first publishers I checked out was Loose Id, because they published one of my favorite series at the time, the Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair. Much time passed between then and when my book was finally submitted and accepted by them, but it seemed like the right fit. It’s a risky book and they’re willing to take those risks.
4) What kudos has it received?
RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars (it’s that extra half a star that made me squee) and called it “truly extraordinary.” It was also was a The Romance Reviews Top Pick, a Night Owl Top Pick, and got 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. And I was so honored to receive blurbs from some amazing, talented authors, like so: “Amber Lin shows us that romance isn’t just for the rich and shiny. Love can find its way even into the dark corners of the most damaged hearts.”—Tiffany Reisz, author of The Siren “Giving It Up is original, affecting, emotionally draining, but well worth reading if you are brave enough to go along for the ride.”—Annabel Joseph, author of Comfort Object “This is a book you MUST read if you like gritty, edgier romance that makes you think as well as turns you on.”—Cari Quinn, USA Today Bestselling Author “Sharp, intense writing, sexy as hell…”—Charlotte Stein, author of Sheltered “Every page is chock full of sexy, angsty must-read-moreness.”—Karla Doyle, author of Game Plan “At once gritty and tender, stark and hopeful.”—Cara McKenna, author of Willing Victim “Lin masterfully created a plot with conflicts that carry through right up until the end.”—Gina L. Maxwell, New York Times Bestselling Author “Giving It Up is a gritty, real romance that deals in an honest way with what happens to sexuality in the aftermath of rape.”—Ruthie Knox, author of About Last Night
5) When do we get to read the sequel?
Shelly is the best friend of the heroine from Giving It Up and a prostitute. Her story is tentatively titled Selling Out and is slated for release in early 2013.
6) Can anything “small town” be erotic? Aren’t all small town people very vanilla and tame?
Ain’t nobody kinky like a cowboy! All those ropes and branding and the fascination with belt buckles. Actually, Giving It Up has a dark urban backdrop, very fast-paced city with suspense elements. However, I’m also working on a different series set in a small town. I love both settings.
7) How much writing did you do before getting published?
Giving It Up was my first novel. The first draft was pretty much puke-on-a-page with some moments of brilliance. After that I got a ton of fantastic advice, which resulted in me rewriting it from the ground up.
8) How do your friends and family react to the idea that you write erotic romance?
My family knows what I write. They were surprised at first, but pretty much got over it. Honestly “the talk” my dad gave me when I was a teenager was far more awkward than disclosing I wrote a “sex” book.
9) Why did you decide to use a pseudonym?
Oh, there was never a doubt. What fun! To be able to make up your own name, and not only that, your personality, the facets of yourself that you unveil as this person, or brand, if you use marketing-speak. I love the whole idea of pseudonyms. In what other profession can you reinvent yourself however you want, as many times as you want? Not saying you should have a bunch, but you can. Remember, choice is good 🙂
10) Is there a story behind the name “Amber Lin?”
That’s my actual name! Kind of. The spelling’s a bit different, but that’s my first and middle name. It’s handy for the very, very few times when I’m around writing folks, like conferences and meetings, because I’ll respond if someone calls my pen name.
11) Do you have rules for how steamy you write your sex scenes?
As steamy as possible.
12) How did you end up in a cookbook?
I saw the Call for Submissions from All Romance Ebooks. I was writing my small town romance at the time, and I have this great recipe for Ratatouille that she could make in the story. So I submitted it and voila! If you’re interested in a hearty vegetarian dish, check it out! It’s free: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-passionatecooks-944744-174.html
13) When you first heard about Felt Tips, did you immediately have a story idea?
I knew I’d write a janitor hero. A really typical janitor too, not a Super Hunk™ dressed in janitor clothing. He has a gold tooth! And a questionable grasp of the English language! Although writing the story itself came as something of a surprise to me. It ended up being weirder and sweeter than I had expected.
14) What is the most memorable (or disturbing) thing Tiffany Reisz has ever tweeted?
I love how she makes things happen, like I remember watching her first joke about “felt tips” and see the idea for the anthology hatch. I remember her making a few sock monkey jokes, and I think she must have a small army.
15) What’s the best thing about being a part of an anthology?
Getting to meet new people 🙂
16) What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?
A blank Word document. I use Scrivener to keep everything organized, but nothing gets the creative juices flowing like a blank page.
17) What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?
I have been known to scribble words and phrases… everywhere. It’s usually incoherent and unreadable. I try to stick anything worth keeping at least into my phone’s notes, otherwise there’s no way I’d find it later.
18) Did you watch Star Trek Voyager because Chakotay was hot, or do you really love Star Trek?
As an adult I can see the appeal of Chakotay, but as a teenager I had the biggest crush on Tom Paris. Then he started having rough biting Klingon sex with B’elana and unhhhh, I was sold.
19) Why is it that so many people love Star Trek but have never seen Star Wars?
I am a huge, huge fan of Star Trek Voyager, and also the original Star Trek with Captain Kirk and Spock, etc. Damn it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a writer! I’ve also watched most of The Next Generation and Deep Space 9. So I think each person only has a certain amount of fanatical devotion to give.
I had to look this one up! I have a love-hate relationship with my book. I mean, I love and adore the characters. I love some of the writing. But any book is going to have flaws, especially a debut. I hope that I become a better writer over the next book and the next 20 books. I seriously doubt I’d ever re-write that first book, but if I did, I know I’d be tempted to change not only the way I told the story but the actual story. So maybe that’s a good reason not to.
The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-WG
I knew there was something I was supposed to do yesterday… Oh Yeah! My Wednesday ROW80 check in!
Summary: Acceptable levels of daily writing. If not for one Saturday of handing kids to hubby and squirreling myself away, it would have been a disappointing week. (OK…for future reference… disappointing has one “s”, two “p”, and one “t”. Why I can never type it correctly in the first place, I may never know.)
What I did accomplish was to start catching up on my fictional blog. When I was sick, I did manage to do most of my regular blog posts here, but I totally let go of the fictional blog. (Not to be confused with my fiction blog, where I post excerpts and shorts.) The fictional blog (The Sojourners Guide to the Galaxy) belongs to the characters in my WIP, the Pangalactic Sojourners series. Now, if a single blogger gets sick and misses posting for a few weeks, in the long run that doesn’t look too bad. But the fictional blog is written by five fictional characters, and it would not be logical to pretend they all got sick at the same time when they live in very different areas of the country. Fortunately, WordPress allows me to fake the dates on my posts, so I can type something today and make it look like I posted it weeks ago. I plan to fill in some blog posts so it doesn’t look like there’s a weird gap in the blog.
What I screwed up, but is not irredeemable is my entry into the America’s Next Author contest. I didn’t feel too badly about missing round one, because the story I picked had to be cut back from 6,500 words down to only 5,000 and it really needed to be polished. But I thought I had until Tuesday afternoon to upload it for round two, and it turns out that the deadline was Monday night. So, I missed rounds one and two out of eight. I hope I can make a big push and get lots of votes… actually winning would be spectacular! Hmm… time to plan some guest blog posts to promote it…
The other thing I need to do is prepare for NaNoWriMo. Not just finish the WIP, but cook and freeze meals ahead of time. I think a Costco trip is in order…
Ooooh! Shiny! Another group I belong to is planning an anthology. More on that later…
The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-WC
SciFi Question of the Day: Which would you choose… 3 weeks living and working on the ISS, or 3 years working (on-screen if that’s what you want) on your favorite SciFi television show? (Assume you’re being paid but not getting rich)
Geri Bressler Television show, definitely. If I won’t get on a plane, the chances of me getting on a bomb with questionable directional control are nil.
Charles Root Jr ISS, by a country mile! The novelty of working on a TV show would wear off in about a day. Being one of only 122 other people out of 7 Billion that have worked on the ISS, puts you in the History Books.
Google Plus Answers:
Brooke Johnson 3 weeks on the ISS. most SciFi shows are all done in CG, so the only cool part would be working with the actors. but being in space, now that’s something awesome.
Melissa Walsh Working on my favorite scifi show. I wouldn’t want to work at the international space station if given the choice because I value daily showers, nature walks, and good food too much. Also, with the scifi show, I get to meet some really cool people.
Jim Hanson Favorite show. 3 weeks on the ISS gets me to schools talking to school children. 3 years on a tv show gets me on the convention / dvd commentary / audio book circuit forevar.
Ashley Wade Space Station please. The memories I’d have and perspective it would give me far outweigh the possibilities and meaning I’d get from a TV show.
Clarissa Ryan The ISS! Nothing could replace being in space. I mean, yeah, I’d love to work on Doctor Who, but let’s face it — half (or more) of the people working on Doctor Who would love to be able to visit the ISS!
I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.
After coming together to create Star Trek Phase II: Illustrated and discovering how well they worked together in creating digital comics, Glenn E. Smith and Bill Lutz formed Omniverse Productions LLC. Omniverse Productions is IMAGINATION UNLEASHED. Its mission, in addition to continuing the adventures of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek Phase II: Illustrated, is to bring you original stories set in brand new realities that will always entertain, sometimes inform, and perhaps on occasion even provoke.
Bill: Actually, it has grown but it is still in its fledgling state. We recently released issue #1 of Star Trek Phase II: Illustrated, [available] for free download on the web, and are working on issue #2 right now. We have a full website now, in part designed by Rob Mauro of AI Built PC, and have begun to advertise our upcoming titles. We expect it to grow even further as we are trying to gather the necessary talent together to create more stories and artwork digitally.
Glenn: To pick up where Bill left off, the website still needs work, but it is online and functional. Two of those “more stories” that he mentioned are Pathways, a series of vignette-sized prequel stories to The Return of the Frontiersmen, both created and written by Bill, and The Realm, a fantasy series that I created and am writing. People who visit our website right now will see a logo for a series titled Legend of the Khi-Mara as well. That is a fantasy series that I created and have been working on for quite some time, but as I developed The Realm I came to realize that it would make a great prequel to Khi-Mara, so I decided to shift my focus to The Realm and present that first. There are several other projects in development as well, including one based on a very, very popular property that I cannot identify at this time because negotiations with the owners of the rights to that property are ongoing, and two others being written by writers outside our company whom I’m also not prepared to identify yet. So, yes, Omniverse Productions LLC is growing, but we still have a long way to go.
2. Glenn, in last year’s interview you were working on a Bachelor’s degree. How did that turn out?
Glenn: I finished the program in February, 2012, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and induction into Delta Mu Delta, the Business Honor Society. It was a very intensive program taught by numerous experienced industry professionals—the best kind of instructors in my opinion—and I learned a lot.
3. Bill, why do you use “The Brain” as an avatar?
Bill: Why not?
🙂 Actually I’m a BIG fan of Warner Bros. Pinky and the Brain and I can surely relate to the Brain at times. Other times, I can seriously channel Pinky.
4. How did the two of you meet?
Bill: We met through the Star Trek Phase II blog. After chatting for some time, we discovered that we lived quite near each other and decided to meet.
Glenn: When Bill says “quite near”, he means it. At the time he lived in Phoenixville and I lived in West Chester—both western suburbs of Philadelphia. I’d like to give a shout out to the place where we met face-to-face for the first time. The Blarney Stone on West Chester Pike in West Goshen has fantastic food and makes awesome Black and Tans…and no, I don’t have any financial interest in the establishment. I just miss it.
5. When did you start working together artistically?
Bill: Probably a few months further down after we met, we were always talking about collaborating on stuff.
Glenn: It started with Star Trek Phase-II: Illustrated. At the time, Jeff Hayes, an incredible artist in his own right, was publishing a periodic e-Magazine that took fans behind the scenes of the web series production. As I recall, he had worked out a deal with Ron Boyd—another great artist and the man who plays DeSalle in the series—to create short comics for the publication, but after the first installment Ron became too busy to continue. Jeff contacted Bill and asked him if he would like to draw the comic, and they in-turn contacted me and asked me if I’d be interested in writing it. The rest is history…and future.
6. How do the two of you collaborate when you live in different states?
Bill: Phone, email, smoke signals, telepathic inversion… Actually, we talk quite a bit in regard to the various projects we are working on. Today’s tech makes the distance apart basically irrelevant.
7. In what ways have each of you been involved in Star Trek, Phase II’s episode shoots?
Bill: I have been the Digital Ingest department head since we filmed Enemy: Starfleet and have worked as the on-site editor since Kitumba. I’ve also been a set photographer, boom man, camera operator, worked in G&E, transportation, and a whole lot of other stuff. I do prefer DI and being a camera operator and the set photographer.
Glenn: I started as a production assistant and bit player in Blood and Fire, during which I wrangled wires, held a boom mike, moved G&E equipment, helped turn sickbay into a corridor… whatever had to be done that I could help to do. I also sat around in Starfleet uniform a lot, waiting to be needed on set to play my bit role as a red-shirt…which my character survived, by the way. The following year I worked as second assistant director and unit production manager on Enemy: Starfleet, though to be honest I barely did enough in either role to earn the titles, at least in my opinion. I missed the next few years’ shoots due to my school schedule, but last June I returned and worked as first assistant director for Bread and Savagery, in which I also briefly portrayed a pretty useless Invicta guard, and the vignette Boldly Going, in which I once more donned one of Starfleet’s red shirts. As I write this, I am working as pre-production first assistant director for the upcoming fall shoot. I recently started a new job, so I will not be able to attend, unfortunately.
Going Boldly: Glenn, Bill, and AmyBeth all worked on this one. Those are Glenn’s hands and head you see with the flag in the beginning.
8. What is the most difficult aspect of getting through a shoot?
Bill: Getting up there, getting the necessary funds, the days off, etc. A shoot is costly. The hardest thing about being at the shoot is trying to stay ahead of the game. As DI, I get all the shot film after the takes are done. I do leave later sometimes than the rest of the crew. I have to make sure that film is processed into our hard drives.
Glenn: As Bill mentioned, it is costly. We all pay for our own transportation, lodging, and meals, and we are not paid for the work we do on set, but the most difficult aspect of getting through a shoot? I don’t think that I can point to any one thing and identify it as “the most difficult aspect.” The long hours can become difficult, the last-minute schedule changes can become difficult, uncooperative weather conditions can become difficult… But despite all of that and all the other little things that can pop up unexpectedly, such as exploding water pipes in the studio, I have to say that in the end, when we wrap an episode’s principle photography, it’s all worth it.
9. What is the most rewarding aspect of participating in a Phase II shoot?
Bill: We MADE a Star Trek episode. Indeed, I am part of a team that is doing PROFESSIONAL level television / internet webisodes. It’s really cool to see your name on the credits and it’s also fun to be making these webisodes.
Glenn: Agreed. I guess the only thing I can add is that it’s also very rewarding to be able to come together with the whole Phase-II family each time and renew the friendships that I’ve formed with so many of them. It is because of them that working so hard at a shoot feels more like a fun adventure with friends than it does like work.
Bill: Omniverse came together after the Star Trek Phase II Internet magazine closed up shop. Glenn Smith and I were tasked to create an online comic book for the magazine. Our first story, Friends and Foes, written by Glenn, was supposed to be a 12-part series in the magazine. The magazine closed and we decided that we wanted to finish the story. We also decided that we wanted to do digital comics and graphic novels. It was a perfect fit. Glenn is an excellent writer and I like to draw sequential art. And we wanted to finish Friends and Foes. It’s a great story. So, in creating Omniverse, we decided to use Star Trek Phase II: Illustrated as the launching point. Issue #1 was released a month and half ago.
Glenn: We continue to produce Star Trek Phase II: Illustrated and will for the foreseeable future. Our other titles are all our own original work or that of the writers I mentioned earlier.
11. Do the occasional casting changes in Phase II affect the way you draw the characters?
Bill: Yes, but I love to draw and the changes keep me on my toes.
12. What is the flavor of The Frontiersmen?
Bill: The Return of the Frontiersmen is both a superhero comic and a science-fiction/fantasy comic. I’m combining many different elements to try to create a solid storyline. As I am writing and drawing The Return of the Frontiersmen, Glenn is helping me by using his talents to serve as editor and sounding board.
13. On the Omniverse website there are two icons for The Frontiersmen. Are Pathways and The Return going to come out simultaneously even though they are set in different times?
Bill: No. Pathways is coming first. It’s a sort of Primer for RoTF. They are mini-comics ranging from six to ten pages that introduce the main characters and storylines. Pathways is a limited series whereas RoTF will be an ongoing title.
14. The third project highlighted on the Omniverse site is The Legend of Khi-Mara, which Glenn talked about in last year’s interview. How is this project different from the others?
Glenn: Well, let’s see. Fans of Star Trek pretty much know what to expect from a Star Trek project, and Bill has already described Pathways and Frontiersmen as essentially a superhero property. Legend of the Khi-Mara is a fantasy story that, as I mentioned earlier, will now follow The Realm as a direct sequel to that series. I don’t want to say too much about it yet because I might inadvertently provide spoilers regarding The Realm.
15. What can you tell me about The Realm?
Glenn: The Realm is a character-driven fantasy story about brothers who, as the story begins, are leading very different lives in different parts of a kingdom that has not known war in 500 years, at a time when an ancient evil is on the verge of arising once more. Like virtually everything else I write, it will not be intended for children. Even in the comic world, I write for adults and my work sometimes includes what the motion picture industry would consider to be adult content, violence, profanity, nudity, and sexual content.
16. What can you tell me about Mars Vs Earth?
Bill: Mars Vs Earth is another upcoming Sci-fi adventure title written by someone who we are not yet ready to identify that will be penciled by Rob Barnes. It’s in production now and starting to look great.
17. Who else besides the two of you contributes to Omniverse’s many productions?
Bill: Our colorist is Rob Barnes. He is from New Zealand and has been onboard with us since we started Star Trek Phase 2: Illustrated and Omniverse. Rob and I collaborate on designs for the pages and he will be doing some of his own pencil work for us soon. Rob is very talented and it’s fun working with him on our current projects. Rob Mauro—the G&E guru and line producer of Star Trek Phase II—is our webmaster. He is extraordinary in his help in designing our website and he and Glenn are in constant communication for updates. Charles Root is a contributing writer to our company having provided a one-off Star Trek Phase II: Illustrated story idea for us. We are also working with other people on some of the upcoming projects.
18. Do you have expected release dates for all of these great projects?
Bill: Pathways is due out in November and will be our first for purchase title.
Glenn: November, if all goes well.
19. Where do you see Omniverse headed in the future?
Bill: With many digital comics and other multimedia projects that will be headed by Glenn and myself.
Beta readers are one of a writer’s greatest resources. This is usually an unpaid endeavor, done by friends or colleagues. The favor is often returned, the service reciprocal.
It takes guts to be a good beta reader. Simply praising the writer and patting them on the back is sweet, but not productive. I once read a story someone sent me, made a few not-too-in-depth comments, and didn’t think much of it. Then he mentioned that he was about to submit it to a publisher or contest, and a voice in the back of my mind went uh oh…
I went through the story again, and ripped it apart.
He was very grateful.
He revised it, and it was accepted. I don’t think it would have been in its original form.
Beta readers have eyes that are separate from the writer. This is important. If I want a second look at something after I’ve done the beta-reader edits, I try to find someone who hasn’t seen it yet. It’s not that I don’t like or trust my beta readers, it’s that they’ve already read the story, and no longer have “fresh eyes.” This is why I spent a year volunteering as a proofreader for a small publishing house… I was “fresh eyes” for them. Sometimes the errors I found were quite obviously the result of something that had already been fixed, but for some reason a word didn’t match in tense or something after everything around it had been revised.
One of the awkward things about beta comments is the huh? question that often comes in the beginning. Like seeing the words “her wife” and extrapolating “Oh, they must be a same-sex couple.” It’s hard to tell whether the huh? is taking the reader out of the moment, or whether it’s leading them forward to find the answer. Of course a beta reader should point out the huh? moments. But that doesn’t mean the author should fix them. They do serve a purpose.
Most of the time when I’m reading beta comments, I’m nodding my head and saying “OK, good… you’re right… that can go…” However sometimes I find that everything I love about a scene is marked for cutting. When that happens, I have to decide. I could go with my beta reader’s instinct, and cut all those great parts. Or, I might realize that what I was trying to evoke in the scene was just not coming across. Instead of cutting it out, I might need to add something instead.
There is an understanding between writers and those who beta read, proofread, or critique. It is up to the reader to point out anything and everything that might possibly be holding back the story from being the best it can be. It is up to the writer to look at all the cumulative comments and decide which to cut, which to keep, and which to just tweak into place.
The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-W7
SciFi Question of the Day: How many little green men does it take to change a lightbulb?
Geri Bressler Lightbulb? What…oh…many apologies! It was quite tasty, though…
Al Hartman Change it to what?
AmyBeth Fredricksen Dessert, apparently…
Gwendolyn Wilkins I would assume a minimum of two as using the hover beam on something that small will need at least two to handle the controls.
Bernard Hildebrand None. There’s no such thing as lightbulbs.
Box O’ Munchkins Why Men? Could it be Green Alien Women like in the pilot of Star Trek?
John DeChancie It takes two, one to put in the bulb, the other to deny the existence of UFOs.
Daniel Beard They are green because they are phosphorescent. therefore they have no need of light bulbs. therefore they would not even recognize there was a problem, and no little green people would change the light bulb.
Santi Fabrellas It takes four. One is holding the ladder, the second one has the lightbulb while the third one is climbing the ladder. Then, when the third one is up there, gets the old bulb and gives it to a fourth one while the second one gives the new bulb to the third one. Of course, this is the minumum number of green men, it depends on how little they are, and how big is the ladder, we might need more than four then…
Ashley Wade I don’t think any green man would be changing light bulbs. They’d be too busy hanging over the toilet bowl.
AmyBeth Inverness ~rimshot~
Randy Hilarski No idea?
Valkyrie Page Little green men have advanced technology. They don’t use light bulbs.
Charles Barouch Green men conserve energy. The bulb stays off!
Stephen Gilbert Most of my knowledge of little green men comes from E.T., so I’d say their fingers are the lightbulbs.
Samuel Falvo II Technically, E.T. was a little brown man.
I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.
3. Bill, why do you use “The Brain” as an avatar?
AmyBeth Inverness 
Careful Planning
Well, I think I’ve entered a contest… I sent in my story a week ago and I have confirmation that they’ve received it, but I haven’t received confirmation that they’ve accepted it. I’m pretty sure I’m in, since my understanding is that they accept any and all takers unless there’s something very wrong, such as being way too steamy (no erotica) and I’m sure they’ll turn away something that has so many errors it’s an embarrassment. Then again, the romance in the story is polyamorous, so there’s a chance they might decide that’s too kinky…
Anywho…
I was attracted to this contest because the voting structure is unabashedly a popularity contest. We are being judged not just on our story, but on how well we market ourselves, and we can see day by day what our ranking is, as well as seeing great (and devastating) reviews from readers across the web. Even if I don’t win a spot in the finals, the exposure and feedback is well worth it.
That said, I am carefully planning my strategy. There are eight week-long rounds, the second of which just closed today. Hopefully my story will be up and voteable for round three.
I’m not terribly concerned about getting tons of votes this week. I think that’s too much to expect. Also, if I bug my friends week after week to vote for me, that gets really annoying and tends to alienate people. I could lose friends and followers. The way voting works, anybody can peruse the website, read the stories (5k word limit) and click VOTE on as many authors as they like. But they can only vote for each author once per round.
I need to find a way to reach a broad audience, a large number of people, and get them all to click VOTE on my story during the same round.
I think I will plan a specific week to make a big push. 11-11-2012 will work. I’m guest-hosting for a friend one day that week already, and I can arrange to do some guest posts for other friends throughout the week. Even if I’m doing two the same day… the exposure is good! 11-11-2012 is actually a Sunday. The round starts on Tuesday, the 13th, and voting will end on Monday the 19th.
For my blogging friends
Would you be willing to have me do a guest post on any day between November 13-19? Or interview me, or just mention me for the heck of it? I would also be willing to provide silly pictures of myself, such as me wearing an aluminum foil hat, or me handcuffed to a sock monkey. Great for Pinterest!
Ideas I have for blog posts (But I’m open for suggestions)
Here is what I’d like to include with each post:
per roundduring the entire contest. The author who gets the most votes each round (ending on Tuesdays) moves on to the finals.The Peanut Gallery Rebellion is the story of Louisa, a young newlywed coming to terms with the onset of disability and how it places a burden on her family.
Or alternately, simply this image with a link to the site…
Both of these samples go to Cameron Garriepy instead of me, since her story is up and mine is not lol! Of course, when I’m ready to promote myself, it will be a link and images of MY story instead of Cameron’s. Meanwhile, please go vote for Cameron! She’s awesome, and she’s also this week’s interview.
The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-WN