SciFi Q of the Day: Forwards or Backwards

Posted on October 8, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

SciFi Question of the Day: What reasons are there to argue that it is more feasible to travel backwards in time than to travel forwards, or vice versa?

Facebook Answers:

  Elsie LiftPort Ask a baby, they have to ride backwards in the carseat all the time!

  Eylat Poliner Thanks AmyBeth, I’m stealing this. 🙂

  Geri Bressler It’s a look before you leap question. In moving backward there are known events/landmarks to guide you. In moving forward, you are leaping blind–not typically recommended as the landing can be catastrophic.

  Perry Willis In leaping forward, you gain future knowledge, which if acted upon in the present, can change the future.

  Peet McCain One of the science parts of time travel that scifi forgets is that the earth itself is moving. For example, if you went back (or forward) one day, you would be 1/365th off of the Earths path around the sun, and end up in space. Since the Solar system is also moving, as is the Milky Way, any time travel would have a very large amount of actual travel, and would almost have to be in a space ship. So I say going back is just about our only option.

  Dan Bressler There are some theoretical methods of time travel that would allow you to move either forward or backward in time. The catch is that it’s a quantum kind of event. You don’t know which way you’re going to go until you get there.

Google Plus Answers:

  Anna L. Walls  Traveling backwards – there is something back there to go to. Traveling forwards – there’s nothing there yet. The future is too liquid to fix a location on.

  Thomas Wilson  Possibly because if every second the time lines are splitting caused the the multitude of different choices people made all over the planet and through out the universe that the past has already happened and the future has not.  Just an thought.

  David Amerland  It’s a question of energy expenditure (and the 2nd law of Thermodynamics comes into play here). Travelling towards the future, however fluid that may be, is a low-cost process in terms of energy. We could sit all day on our butts and we’ll still get there. Going back into the past is a much higher-energy expenditure proposition. Hence the difficulties we face in making it happen (not to mention the potential Time Paradox it may throw up).

  Joanna Staebler-Kimmel  it’s easier to go to the past because the past has already happened and there was a time traveler there. You already did it, therefore you can do it.

It’s easier to go to the future because it hasn’t happened yet, so you can do whatever you like without the universe trying to constrain you to previously observed events.
I also like Anna’s idea that the future is too undefined to get a fix on, and David’s idea that traveling to the future is like swimming with the current.

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.

The previous SciFi Q of the Day is Leaving the Solar System

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-VG

The next SciFi Q of the Day is ISS or TV

Posted in SciFi Q of the Day | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Belated Goals

Posted on October 8, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Hubby is very supportive of all my odd habits.

On October 2, I posted about what was keeping me from writing that day.

The idea, though, is not to justify the lack of writing, but to identify the issues and figure out how to avoid them. I grew up with a father who constantly stalled out whenever the tiniest thing got in his way; as an adult, I try my best to get past the bumps in the road and finish what I start.

My 4yo is the biggest distraction. Or rather, the most important. My job as Mom is to take care of her. Although I’m able to write when she’s playing, when she needs something, I have to be there for her. My best writing time comes when she’s in Pre-School a few hours each week. If I want to treat writing as a full time job, I need child care. Now, it’s hard to justify that when I’m not yet making money off my writing. But hubby is willing to take over when he gets home, so I could use more of those hours for writing. It does take time away from family though, in particular from the after-dinner hours I spend with my hubby.

The phone is the next most important. I would love to ignore it, if I can just justify to myself that it is OK. If I was out of touch for 3-4 hours at a stretch, I wouldn’t ignore the phone, but I should be able to do it if, for example, I’m in the middle of doing a #1k1hr.

Then there’s the little things. Yes, I can take a moment for the cats or dog without getting derailed. I can change a load of laundry (although I hate the fact that the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor and the laundry is in the basement.) Dishes… that takes longer, and they have to be done, but it doesn’t have to interrupt writing time.

I meant to write a goals post for A Round of Words in 80 Days last Wednesday. Technically, since it’s just after midnight, I’ve already missed the Sunday link-up for #ROW80.

~sigh~

I’m not going to let it derail me.

Here’s the goals, pretty much the same as last round:

  • Continue with the regular blog commitments. This is so easy, I won’t bother going into detail. The “regular” stuff I do on my blog is all routine now and fairly easy to manage.
  • ♥
  • Write every day. OK, I’ll allow myself one day a week where no #AmWriting happens, but it can’t turn into falling off the wagon. Although adding to the WIP is, of course, most desirable, writing counts as blog posts (both real and fictional ones) responding to prompts with short little things I share with other writers, or jotting down something in a notebook because I’m away from the computer. Here’s what constitutes writing every day:
        • 500 words: not great, but acceptable.
        • 1,000 words: an average day. Good, but not great.
        • 2,000 words: the goal… the high mark, the number I strive for, even knowing that most days I won’t be able to reach it.
  • ♥
  • I still have one elusive goal I’m chasing… I can usually do #1k1hr as long as I’m warmed up and in writing mode. But I have yet to break the #2k1hr barrier. I’ll keep working at that!
  • ♥
  • I’m not going to add in exercise goals or anything like that this time. Just writing. I need to make writing a priority, not something I let myself do when everything else is finished.
  • ♥
  • This round contains NaNoWriMo. I need to finish the first Pangalactic Sojourners book so that I can spend November writing the second one.

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-VB

Posted in Commentary & Musing, ROW80, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Interview With Geri Bressler

Posted on October 4, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Geri Bressler has heard me cry over boyfriends, done my hair for my wedding, commiserated over childrearing and children with special needs, critiqued and beta-read my words, and sent me her own novels and stories to be critiqued. Her first novel, Legacy, is available from Smashwords now.

1.    Your professional career arc has been…eclectic. What are some of the most unusual jobs you’ve had? 

I was a sign language interpreter for the University of Wyoming.  The student I interpreted for was majoring in range management…which meant we had to make up signs for all the different kinds of grass.  Turns out there are a LOT of different kinds of grass!  Organic chemistry was also a challenge – lots of different alcohols, lots of “original” signs!

2.    What is the most misunderstood thing about parents of kids with special needs?  

Being the parent of a special-needs kid makes you a cross between Wonder Woman and Mother Theresa. I’ve talked to parents (and normal people, too), who think we never lose our patience, our temper, or our sense of humor, and we are capable of managing all the intricacies of life with therapy appointments and meetings with schools, doctors, and specialists without ever dropping a ball.  I can promise that this isn’t true.  I have put myself on timeout in the bathroom.  I have had to apologize for losing my temper.  I have missed enough appointments that the penalty fee is part of my budget.  One particularly tough year, I skipped so many parent/teacher conferences  that one teacher complimented my husband on his single-parenting skills.

3.    Do you think you’ll ever take your parental experiences and re-interpret them as fiction? 

Only after the statue of limitations has expired!  Kidding!  I think as my kids grow into their adult lives, I’ll be more likely to see our lives as literary fodder. I’m too close to it right now, so I see it as my life instead of as something other people might enjoy reading about.

4.    What exactly is the “manic chipmunk” and when does it come out? 

Oh, the manic chipmunk!  The manic chipmunk is the name given to the expression I get on my face in certain situations.  It’s a very tight, very wide, and (I’m told) VERY creepy smile that does not include my eyes…which are usually open pretty wide and (I’ve also been told), ice cold.  The manic chipmunk shows up when someone does something that seriously  ticks me off, but I’m trying really hard to be nice about it.

5.    Have you always considered yourself to be a writer, or was there a time in your life when you decided that is what you were?  

I’ve always had stories in my head.  As a child I had horrible insomnia and an excellent imagination, so I’d lay in bed at night and tell myself stories.  Since I only slept a couple of hours a night, my stories were pretty involved!  I didn’t realize anyone else would like my stories until eighth grade, when a teacher asked us to write a story.  She asked me to stop and speak with her the day after we turned them in.  I assumed I was in trouble (trust me, it was a natural assumption), but instead she told me that my story was the best thing she’d read in a long time.  When I left that classroom, my feet were about two feet off the ground!

6.    What changes have you made in your writing life in the last year? 

I’ve been a lot more intentional about my writing.  Instead of waiting to see if something comes to me, I’ve tried to spend some time writing every day.  Not all of it is good—in fact, quite a lot is very bad, but it’s made me work at improving what I write and how I write it.

7.    What is it about the characters in Legacy that they are so meaningful to you? 

I love the relationship that Betsy, the main character, has with her grandmother and her best friend, Moira.  Moira is the kind of fun, endlessly loyal best friend that I think a lot of us either have and treasure, or wish we had.  And of course, Ryan is a sweet and sexy guy who knows how to appreciate someone as sweet and loving as Betsy.

8.    Would you classify Legacy as a Romance novel?  

That’s a hard one!  It has romance in it, but that relationship isn’t the main focus.  The story really centers around Betsy’s struggle to live her own life, and create some healthy boundaries with her family, which is something I think a lot of us can relate to.

9.    During the editing process, were any changes suggested that you were reluctant to make? 

One of the first suggestions I received (one that was repeated by several people), was that Betsy’s mother was just a litte TOO unsympathetic.  And of course, I was thinking…well of COURSE she is!  But after letting it sit for a few weeks and coming back to it, I realized she really did come across as just plain evil–like, kitten kicking evil!  I needed her to be self-absorbed and manipulative, but I didn’t want her to be a caricature either.  I went back and added more background to help explain her a little better, and I definitely liked the result.

10.  Why did you decide to self-publish instead of taking the traditional route? 

Mostly because of that question about ROMANCE.  I knew I wouldn’t fit neatly into the romance category (no sex), and it didn’t fit particularly well into the “chick lit” category either.  The more I thought about it the more I started to think that finding an agent (nevermind a publisher), when I didn’t even have a clearly defined category was going to be very hard.  When I received an e-reader for my birthday, I discovered a whole world of books (some good, some…well, not so good), that had been published by the authors without the guidance of an agent or a publisher.  I started looking at self-publishing, and realized that it’s no longer the domain of weird little rough paper publications with a noticable lack of proofreading or formatting.  With the advent of e-readers, and the availability of sites like Smashwords, self-publishing has become a reasonable alternative to traditional hardcopy publishing.

11.  How scary was it to hit “publish” that first time?  

Almost as terrifying as bringing home our son for the first time!  That’s my work; I spent a year agonizing over every single word, comma, and period.  What if no one likes it?  What if no one READS it?

12.  What changes will you make in your writing life now that you’re published? 

It’s pushing me to write more!  Now that it’s done I want to do it again, which means even more writing.  I’m looking forward to getting some feedback on Legacy now that it’s available on e-readers to help me with the next novel.

13.  What’s next on the writing front?  

Nanowrimo is coming up in just a few weeks.  30 days to write 50,000 words!  The novel I’m planning to write is Mary Poppins as a zombie killer.  I’m really looking forward to writing the zombie chimney sweep scene!

14.  What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?  

Scrivener, hands down.  I love the flexibility when I’m planning, and I’m pretty sure it saved my sanity more than once when I was working on Legacy.

15.  What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?  

I prefer a nice smooth ball-point pen.  When I use a pencil, I end up erasing holes in my paper!

16.  What is the most persistent distraction from writing?  

The internet!  It sucks me in.  I can venture onto the information superhighway looking for info on a story I’m working on, and before I know it I’m watching Lady Gaga’s new video.  It’s insidious!

17.  Do you have any of the proverbial “Books in the back of the drawer that will never see the light of day?” 

 I came up with a concept I started to write a while back – a big city cop who relocates to a small Wyoming town.  It started out great!  Unfortunately, that start was the best part, and it wasn’t long before I started toying with shooting my main character.  I kind of figured that if I was ready to shoot my main character, a reader would probably be ready to shoot me.  I tell myself I’ll get back to it someday and fix whatever went wrong, but I probably won’t!

18.  What was that quote you put on my facebook wall… something about if I called in the middle of the night and asked you to meet me with… something weird…  

Oh no!  I remember that conversation…but I’m drawing a blank on what I said!  LOL

OK… all I could find on the fly (This was before pics were digital) is a pic of me in Geri’s dorm room. Geri did the hair, makeup, and photography, and I played supermodel lol!

19.  Do I have to go dig up old pics of us from the 90’s, or are you going to let me share something more recent?  

I may have a more recent picture…although a pic from the 90’s might be interesting!

20.  Who shot first, Han or Greedo?  

Han shot first, because letting a loser like Greedo get the drop on him would have been embarrassing!

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Vt

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Writing Time

Posted on October 2, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Last night our  houseguest (College student living with us for the semester) announced that she could entertain the 4yo this morning and afternoon.

Huzzah! Writing Time!

Right?

Well… this is what it’s looked like so far.

Both the 4yo and I slept in a little. That was nice. Then I dressed her and sent her downstairs to play with Ichy, our houseguest.

I got in the shower, only interrupted a couple of times by a 4yo bouncing between Mommy and Ichy.

I looked at the computer in the workroom… all set up and ready for me. I’ve moved my WIP to Dropbox, so that I can log in anywhere and work. I don’t have to be on my laptop. I considered sitting down and diving in, before even getting dressed, but I realized that besides the simple fact that I was hungry, I have medicine I’m supposed to take in the morning, and I need to take it with food.

I did have the foresight to hide some puffcorn upstairs last night. And our tap water is quite good. But I wanted more…

Dare I risk going downstairs?

I decided to risk it. OK, yes, the cats demanded breakfast. Fine. That takes about three minutes. No big deal. I found some leftovers that were easy to reheat… a simple brunch.

Then the dog needed to go out. Only a few seconds of time, but the back door is by Ichy’s room, so my 4yo needed to show me the game they’re playing. Oh… and she wanted chicken nuggets.

Well, since she’s supposedly hanging with Ichy, I asked whether I should heat up some nuggets or if Ichy would. Her answer? She didn’t think the 4yo was hungry…

All right. I’ll fix something. The 4yo may not be saying “I’m hungry,” but she hasn’t eaten since last night. (Ichy’s not exactly a childcare expert… she’s great fun to hang out with, and generally very responsible, but some nuances are beyond her.) We’re out of chicken nuggets, so I fix a peanut butter sandwich for the 4yo. I also fix myself some toast to take with my medicine, since the leftovers from the microwave are still too hot to eat, and I really want to get upstairs before something else comes up.

Too late.

Ichy and my 4yo appear in the kitchen (It’s a large space, and connects the front rooms to the back rooms.) Ichy needs to do laundry, and she’s not sure what to do with the clothes that are currently in the washer or dryer. Fine; I’ll go downstairs and take care of it.

What awaits me in the laundry room reeks of teenage laziness, sprinkled with the cluelessness of a 13yo with special needs. The white clothes from the dryer are piled on top of the washing machine. Apparently Ichy did that since my 13yo left one or two little things in every basket in the room. I spend some time figuring out just what these items (all dirty) are, and put them where they should go, waiting their turn to be washed. I put the dry whites in a basket. I move the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer, taking care to remove my husband’s shirts, since they are not allowed to go in the dryer.

I carry the whites up to the kitchen, with the two wet shirts, leaving Ichy in the laundry room. I manage to take a few bites of my now cold toast, and I take my medicine. My 4yo decides she wants to eat what I’m eating, so I get out a small bowl and scoop some into it for her, to go with her peanut butter sandwich. Ichy comes back upstairs, and I manage to see them both settled in her room.

I take the basket of laundry upstairs, and take a few minutes to hang up my husband’s shirts. It’s a pain, but if they accidentally get in the dryer, they’ll shrink so they won’t cover his stomach.

Back downstairs again, I eat some more cold toast, and decide it’s not worth re-re-heating the leftovers. They’re still lukewarm. Good enough. I take the food and a large glass of water up to the workroom, where I’m less likely to be interrupted than if I attempt to sit in the living room with my laptop.

Finally, I sit down. I actually eat something, and begin writing. OK, it’s just a blog post, but at least it’s words on vaper. (Yes. “Vaper.” I’m officially coining the word now, to mean “virtual paper.”)

The phone rings. It’s my 13yo’s school, so I can’t ignore it. The joys of parenting a child with special needs. “Your daughter said ____ is happening tomorrow. Is it?”

Huh? “No… where the hell did that come from?” Yes. I said “hell” to my daughter’s school.

We discuss where she might have got this latest wild idea. About half the time, we can find some grain of truth that got twisted and stretched beyond recognition. The other half of the time we remain clueless, even after thoroughly discussing and investigating with the entire team, or “village” as I like to call them.

OK, so now not only have precious minutes been taken away from my writing time, but my brain has been derailed. As I set down the phone, I realize that there is voicemail. Of course, I am the only one in the house who ever checks it or erases it, no matter how many times I ask my husband to do so. What’s a few more minutes out of my writing time? Fortunately, the two messages are deletable, and I turn back to my blog post.

Almost a thousand words? Well then, that’s something. It’s not #1k1hr, it’s not progress in my WIP, but it’s real, and it’s there. And it’s… only about two and half hours since I got out of the shower.

It’s not much, but it’s progress.

I’ll take it.

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Vo

Stay tuned for my updated #ROW80 goals

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SciFi Q of the Day: Leaving the Solar System

Posted on October 1, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

SciFi Question of the Day: If you accept the principle that a spaceship must leave the solar system before jumping to FTL speed, how much time is plausible between leaving orbit and jumpting to FTL?

Facebook Answers:

  Christopher Dorda 8 years, at 0.5c. 😉

  Christopher Dorda 6 years, at 0.75c.

  AmyBeth Fredricksen Would it help if I got out and pushed?

  Christopher Dorda Ooops… Sorry, wrong math!

  Christopher Dorda 50AU before you could jump. 1 AU is the distance between the earth and the sun. About 8 light minutes. 50×8=400. Answer, 400 minutes at the speed of light, 800 minutes at 0.5C.

  Gwendolyn Wilkins Remember, one can always go “up” or “down” (perpendicular to the orbital plane); you don’t necessarily how to go “out” (following the orbital plane)

  John DeChancie The solar system is mostly empty space. There’s no compelling reason you can’t make the jump while still within its confines. Otherwise you’d have to go through the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud to really get outside the system. And then there’s the heliopause…you don’t wanna mess with all that.

  Christopher Dorda Assuming you could go from 0 to 0.5c instantly, and assuming the end of the solar system is at the Kulper belt and not the distance to the heliopause. Gwen, if I’m not mistaken, you can’t really go up or down if you want to reach other planets in other solar system in our own Galaxy (We’re on the edge of one of those spiral arms, there’s nothing up or down), remember how our galaxy looks like, it’s kinda flat? You mostly travel on a plane. 🙂 Ah, science!

  Daniel Beard well, the question is not so much time, but how far of a distance would you need to go? and then it would bring about the question of how fast you are moving at sublight.

  Gwendolyn Wilkins So you’re say something along the lines of: Fast than light, no left or right? 😉  (Meaning making a turn to double back and head towards one’s destination would be out)

  Daniel Beard Never mind, I actually need to fully read the initial question.

  AmyBeth Fredricksen My head hurts.

  Daniel Beard Then you must define where the solar system end. If we go with one of the two debated definitions, at the heliosheath, we are talking between 80-200 AU from the sun, depending on which direction you are going. In the direction of the bow shock (the direction the sun is moving in relation to the galactic core) you would be looking at about 80-100 AU, which to put in perspective, is approximately where the two Voyager spacecraft are now. and they are getting interesting data about this area. more to come in the next few decades.

  Branli Caidryn love this!

Google Plus Answers:

  Gregory Lynn  Far enough to make the effect of gravity negligible.

  Jason Fisk  +Gregory Lynn The Suns gravitational influence is about 2 light-years out, that’s about 1 light-year beyond what we might call the edge of our solar system, the Heliosphere.

So that would be, more then a year at the Heliosphere, and more than 2 years to escape the Sun’s gravity totally. If you were travelling at a speed just under the speed of light (300,000 kps or 187,411 mps).

Seems kinda pointless doesn’t it (If i’m right). But surely you’d point“North” or “South” to avoid the planets, stop at the Oort cloud, pass through that, then kick in the FTL again.

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.

The previous SciFi Q of the Day is The Mayans Were Right

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Vf

The next SciFi Q of the Day will be up next Tuesday.

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Interview With Shelton Keys Dunning

Posted on September 27, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Shelton Keys Dunning was created to coax a shy, aspiring author into the public arena. Her first introduction to the world was during 2010 Nanowrimo, taking small, timid steps towards a public platform. Since those awkward first 50k words, Shelton has moved forward with other projects, including a polished third draft of a WIP entitled “The Trouble With Henry” and the start of its sequel “His Girl Freitag”. Her editor and good friend has dragged her kicking and screaming into the 21st century, introducing her to the bright and shiny new world of blogging and tweeting and the giant black hole fondly referred to as Google. Now the shy author has name envy as her child Shelton moves through the World Wide Web, making friends and collecting followers with shameless excitement. The ultimate goal of both is to be successfully published, but the journey to get there has proved to be a thrilling adventure so far.

1)  Why did you decide to use a pseudonym, and why did you choose Shelton Keys Dunning?

My real name is fairly common, at least for children born in the early seventies according to the United States Social Security records. Don’t get me wrong, I love my name, but it doesn’t sound as “writerly” as my pseudonym.

I chose Shelton Keys Dunning as homage to the three most important influences that have shaped my life. And before you ask, yes, they know who they are, and they give me great advice when I ask and, even better, chocolate when I need it.

2)  How much writing did you do before NaNoWriMo 2010?

I think I was born with a pencil in my hand. In my preteen years, I wrote corny poetry and pop lyrics. In high school and college, I wrote stage plays. Now, stories mostly, both long and short occupy my computer memory.

3)  Why are you choosing to self-publish instead of looking at traditional publishing?

This is a very complicated question to answer, because it was a very difficult decision to make. I want to start off by saying self-publishing isn’t for everyone. There are pros and cons to either path. I won’t get involved in the current debate; that’s a discussion best had among professionals. What most appeals to me about self-publishing is the idea of control: control over my image, my brand, my product…or at least the brand and product I want to have. Is it risky? Sure, but that’s half the fun.

4)  What kinds of promotion do you plan to do?

I don’t really know, to be honest. I haven’t worked that part out yet. Baby steps.

5)  How do you and your editor work together?

Extremely well! She volunteered to read my book before she really knew me, and after she read it she still wanted to be my friend. She points out of my rookie mistakes, tells me when I can do better, and marks every page with a thousand little red notations. I occasionally get to correct her spelling. And then we play video games or search for the perfect dessert. I literally would not be here, speaking to you and your readers, if it hadn’t been for her faith in me.

6)  How long have you been involved with Write On Edge?

Since Thursday, October 6, 2011. I was lurking over a Twitter feed when I saw a challenge from Angela to write a setting in 200 words. I’ve been addicted to WOE writing prompts ever since.

7)  When Write On Edge first announced they were seeking submissions for Precipice, the anthology, did you immediately have a story idea in mind?

I immediately had a million stories in mind. I only had two ready to go by the deadline, however. You’ll see both in the publication. I’m still in shock.

8)  What did it mean to you to find out you were one of only seventeen writers to be included in this year’s edition of Precipice?

First reaction? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Professional reaction? Composed reaction? Honestly, I will always see it as a crowning achievement. I respect the community and the editors of WOE and value their opinion, so being selected from a blind? It’s something I will treasure, no matter how far I get in this industry. And that’s the truth.

9)  How did you come up with the title Expressions of Talking Leaves for your blog?

The short answer? My parents and I were throwing ideas back and forth one night after dinner. I suppose it may be a bit abstract in comparison with other blogs of the same nature, I don’t know. I wanted something that spoke to my Cherokee heritage: “Talking Leaves”. My dad came up with “Expressions”.

The in-depth answer is on my blog under “Leaves Talk?” tab.

10)  What kind of bird do you use for your Twitter avatar?

A tiercel peregrine. His name is Bandit. I’m a sucker for birds of prey.

11)  How important was it to you, personally, to establish a web presence as a pre-published writer?

My previously mentioned editor claimed I needed a platform. I told her I didn’t know Twitter from texting. So it wasn’t my idea a year ago. I’m still not sure I’m doing it right, but I’m having fun. Despite all my kicking and screaming, she was right. I have learned and I have grown as a writer. I don’t think I would have progressed like that without the web-presence.

Besides, if my web-presence is already in place, then readers can find me, and I won’t be scrambling to catch up. Ever the Girl Scout, I’d rather be prepared than not.

12)  What social media do you use? Do you combine your personal and professional or keep them separate?

I keep my personal separate from my professional. I don’t use social networking sites in my personal life. I’m too shy and not very technically savvy. That having been said, my lives do bleed together with GoodReads, a site I’m still exploring, but I don’t have the energy to keep two accounts going. Shelton likes tweeting and is rapidly becoming addicted to Pinterest. She doesn’t find Facebook to be too user friendly or the point behind Farmville. Google Plus is equally as confusing, but we’ll get there, probably when everyone else has already moved on to bigger, better things.

13)  What is the current state of The Trouble With Henry and its sequel His Girl Freitag?

Groans, I don’t Trouble is mostly done, just waiting for final review from my very busy editor. His Girl Freitag is plotted out and four chapters of the first draft are complete on it. I’d be further along, but I’ve got two other projects I’m working on simultaneously, both untitled epic fantasy adventures. Oh, and there’s another paranormal mystery brewing, and two historical fictions that are about two-thirds done. Did I mention that I’m ADD?

14)  Many writers go through a stage when they hate what they’re writing.  Do you ever feel this way?

I have too many irons in the fire for that statement to be true for me. If I get frustrated with something, I move on to a different idea or I walk away from it and do the dishes that pile up in the sink. Life’s too short to hate what I love doing.

15)  What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?

My laptop.

16)  What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?

Any black or blue gel-ink pen.

17)  What is the most persistent distraction from writing?

It’s the husband, hands down. He can’t watch T.V. without me. I can take it or leave it, but mostly I’d leave it if it weren’t for him.

18)  What is your ideal writing environment? Have you ever been able to create it?

Ooh, really good question. Once I was sans-husband: I had the stereo going and a large bottle of port. There was rain that night. I wrote near 20k words that time. I’d have to say that must be the ideal for me.

19)  What manner of Ren Geek are you?

Hmm, on a Renaissance Fair scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is novice and 10 is hard core, I’d say I’m probably Ren Geek level 6. I’m really fascinated by the history, but I don’t obsess over the accuracy of the costumes or the correct pronunciation for head and bread in Elizabethan English. Basically I run amok and pester people. I never outgrew the “dress-up” stage of my childhood I guess. After 15 years of participation, I still have fun, and I think that’s the important thing. And, sometimes, inspiration strikes, and I pull out my 200 year old retracting quill and inkwell and turn a current WIP into a historical reenactment.

Okay so maybe I’m geek level 7.

By the way, I’ve also been known to show up at Cowboy shoots just so I have an excuse to wear a corset and carry a parasol. And I was once recruited to play campfollower for a British Redcoat Regiment at a Revolutionary War reenactment.

Okay maybe I’m geek level 8.

20) Who shot first, Han or Greedo?

Han Solo. I don’t mind revision, but flat-out character betrayal? Han, an infamous smuggler with a bounty on his head, shot first. It makes his decision to show up again at the Death Star destruction more of an obvious sacrifice. The tide change for the rebellion is visible, symbolic in the character growth of Han Solo. The revision I think weakens the both the character and the overall plot. And it weakens Greedo as well. Greedo up ‘til that point was a successful bounty hunter. He misses his first shot? Really George?  I never watched Chapters 1-3 because of this revision. 

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-UO

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And in the In Between Time…

Posted on September 27, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

The end of this Round of Words in 80 Days took me by surprise. What started and ended in early August as a bad cold turned into a month of coughing, medications, and four trips to the doctor for me as well as several for the kids. I accepted the fact that I was sick, and I didn’t do as much writing as I’d hoped. I kept up with most blog posts, and added several thousand words to The Sojourner’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Many things fell apart. I had been keeping a fictional blog in the name of the characters in The Sojourner’s Guide to the Galaxy, but I all but abandoned this while I was sick. Fortunately, I can go back and put blog entries in, and I think WordPress will let me change the date on the posts to whatever I want. So, basically, I can fake the fictional blog lol!

My darling hubby helped out so much while I was sick, but still there were still a million household chores that piled up. I’m still playing catch-up.

The beginning of September brought a wonderful opportunity… Preschool! For a few hours, three days a week, I use the precious uninterrupted time to write. Even when I was sick, I wrote during those hours, even though I was much slower and the words weren’t exactly flowing. Hopefully those won’t be my only writing hours… I need to do more. I desperately want to do more.

I still have the goal in sight of finishing The Sojourner’s Guide to the Galaxy before NaNoWriMo. But I did get a little sidetracked… EBookMall is sponsoring a contest called America’s Next Author. I’m planning to enter, either with one of the Kingdom Come stories that’s sitting on the shelf, or with something else that’s brand new and unrelated to anything.

Round Four begins on October 1. I’ll probably use the same goals as I outlined for this round. As long as I don’t get sick…

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-V8

 

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SciFi Question of the Day: The Mayans Were Right

Posted on September 24, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

SciFi Question of the Day: The Mayans were right. The world is ending this December. You and a small group with minimal supplies (no, you don’t get to choose them, but they include scientists and engineers and other pros) have the opportunity to jump back in time to any place on Earth, with the goal of pushing human advancement to the point where, when December 2012 comes around again, humanity can be saved. Where and when do you take refuge?

Facebook Answers:

  Marc Blake That would depend entirely on what hypothetical improbability does us in.

  Debbie Chong Monroe start a new calendar lol

  Christopher Dorda 300 Special Forces, 1000 Engineers, 10k tons of stuff, 200 scientists, 300 teachers (K-6), 60,000 B.C. Boom!

  Anthony Falvo Id go back and save Edith Keeler…

  Henry Anona Sorry, but these days K-6 teachers would ensure extinction

  Gwendolyn Wilkins Back in time to save Atlantis

  Dennis Hotston I’d go back to the 80s- Wrath of Khan was released- TNG came on- the economy was rocking- Seriously, it really was the advent of computers, cellular technology, etc. I’d nudge all that technology to help prevent disaster, not get more channels or have bigger woofers. All that stuff was cool, though

  AmyBeth Fredricksen Ummm… Anthony … bad things happened historically when Bones saved Edith Keeler…

  Anthony Falvo Yes but it no longer matters! and she was hot!

  Dennis Hotston Wouldn’t that have been a great scene between the three of them? Arguing over what to do?

  AmyBeth Fredricksen I’d want to be close enough to an established civilization that the everyday things like food and clothing could be bought or bartered, but far enough away that our group could rule and protect itself.

I’d want to be far enough back in time that our scientists have plenty of time to give the next generations a good head start on advancing technology.

Like in Stargate Universe (old spoiler alert) when they discover that instead of the crew going off through the gate into oblivion before some weird time-thing reset it, the crew went off through the gate far back in time. They started a civilization that thrived.

  Dennis Hotston And you’d want that geodesic dome thing too, right?

  AmyBeth Fredricksen I love domes! I prefer monolithic concrete, but the machinery required to build them might be more than the refugees can take when they escape.

  Melissa Conway 1863. Right at the start of modern technology and before the WW’s so that we could alter the use of nuclear technology and warfare for a more positive outcome, to include space travel at a much earlier time. Possible colonization of other worlds would be a more attainable goal (hypothetically speaking…)

  Robert B. Fredricksen I have had two thoughts about this.

First was to go back to 1941 where the US was producing war machines and technology was gobbled up and used with out corporate profit seekers. To save the human kind you need to get around their greed.
Secondly if you were able to end the dark ages (which served no purpose to human kind) and bring some of today’s medicines like penicillin and the cure for bubonic plague (black death).

  Daniel Beard Chicago 1891

  Angela Leopold 1470ish, Italy. I would convince a young Leonardo Da Vinci that solar collection and windmills are, in fact, a good idea. Then I would build a boat and get to the Americas to warn the natives of the impending invasion. Oh crap, I just negated my own existence…

Google Plus Answers:

  David Grigg    Go back and exterminate the Mayans.

  Brooke Johnson  early middle ages. keep Catholicism from spreading through Europe, and nurture the advancement of scientific thought, bringing on the Age of Enlightenment centuries earlier. seriously, the Catholics pretty much ruined human advancement.

  Mince Walsh  You may want to go back to before banking and greed began to get their foothold in America. Force a change to the monetary system that would prevent any one person gaining control of too much. Not sure of how it would be done, but it would be necessary to make financial or economic crimes affecting more than a thousand people a capitol offense with automatic death penalty. Prevent the patent system from being subjugated to being a corporate tool for lawyers by making any patent lawsuit by a company that does not manufacture anything automaticly invalid as well as any copyrighted items no longer distributed null and void. No more free money without effort. More cooperation amongst companies instead of lawsuits preventing said cooperation.

  Samuel Falvo II  It’s not the Mayans’ fault.  I was going to write most of what +Brooke Johnson wrote, but she beat me to it.

  Samuel Falvo II  +Mince Walsh That’s already happened twice in this country’s history, and in both cases, the reserve bankers have won.  If not through market superiority, then through … more explicit means.

  Brooke Johnson  i asked my husband and he said that he would go back to about 5th century BC in Mesoamerica, unite all the indigenous peoples, and conquer Europe…

  AmyBeth Inverness  If we could prevent the Dark Ages, and/or the black plague  humanity would be MUCH further along.

  Samuel Falvo II  However, as a counter-point to that, the history of computing has its roots in the black plague.  Had it not happened when it did, we wouldn’t have computers today (at least as we know them now).  I’d encourage the interested reader to watch the TV series “Connections”, hosted by James Burke, to find out more.

  AmyBeth Inverness  Good point. Sometimes the greatest advances come out of the greatest adversity.

  Ashley Wade  But why is the world ending? Global warming? Technology gone awry? I assume it’s not just the earth’s time and there’s nothing to be done about it (black whole, sudden exploding sun, etc).

  Gloria Eagle  Corruption,dear. The world of corruption has got to fall down.

Perhaps,the Mayans were predicting the downfall of western civilization.After all,consumer society has got to be stopped,before it consumes the entire world.Need I say more?

  AmyBeth Inverness  +Ashley Wade  when I composed the question, certain details had to be left vague or the question grew too gnarly. For the sake of argument, the world is ending because of something that can be fixed/prevented/escaped if we have sufficient advances in technology.

  Gloria Eagle  Technology is not going to save anyone. And,the Mayans did not predict the end of the world.Their calender ends every 5125 years.They then begin a new calender,representing a new cosmic cycle.

  Samuel Falvo II  Au contrare; look throughout history, and it’s always been the judicial use of technology which has been the only thing that saved us.  Repeatedly, going back to the caveman era.

  Gloria Eagle  (edited)  You see, what you want to see. You believe, what you chose to believe.You argue,because you like to argue.It is all a waste of time.

  Samuel Falvo II  If it’s a waste of time, why post anything at all?  You just invite a response when you do.  That is what “conversation” is.

  Gloria Eagle  It is clear, when one just wants to argue,and does not listen to what you say.

  AmyBeth Inverness  Play nicely, please.

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.

The previous SciFi Q of the Day is Convicts or Corporations

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-UR

The next SciFi Q of the Day is Leaving the Solar System.

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Interview With Elsie LiftPort

Posted on September 21, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Elsie the Giraffe is the mascot for the LiftPort Group. We are dedicated to unshackling humanity from the tyranny of gravity by building Elevators in Space.

We do some BIG science, but also have fun. We have comedy clips, music videos, and educational film at http://vimeo.com/channels/LiftPortal that we’ve gotten from lots of fans. We have fan art at http://facebook.com/LiftPortal. We do contests and LEGO robotics and educational programs with kids. We also have our regular http://youtube.com/ElevatorToSpace live feeds from experiments and will be developing a channel this fall or spring.

Elsie likes long walks looking at the stars, fuzzy kittens, and bubble baths.

1.    How did you get the name “Elsie?”

LSEI Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure is the Space Elevator that lives in the Lagrange point where it stays in orbit around the moon.

Our other mascot friends also have been named for systems with long and complicated names. Camilla the rubber chicken with the Solar Dynamics Observatory takes cool pictures of the sun. Spooner Etdpo is the monkey mascot from the former NASA Exploration Technology Development Program Office (ETDP). Thanks Alexandra Rubin and @AudreyDesigns for the nice pictures!  While most people think about Elsie the Borden’s Milk Cow, we’re no relation. Elsie is not the name of the Mrs. O’Leary’s cow that started the Chicago fire. (Smokey the Bear taught us good fire safety!)

2.    How would you explain what a space elevator is to my daughter’s 7th grade science class?

Hi Reva! and siblings! and friends! A future Earth’s Space Elevator would go from the earth to space. It’s purpose is to carry cargo as you need to bring many things with you when you go or find materials to make them there.

Maybe you’ve heard of carbon nanotubes. A Space Elevator might be made out of these because they are very strong. Scientists are working on this and will be able to create an elevator from it someday.

What we can do is put an Elevator on the Moon. It would be cheaper to get things on and off the moon without all the blast-off required by rockets. It would use a similar strong ribbon material that’s about the width of dental floss. Then we take a robot ‘Lifter’ that climbs up and down carrying things.

3.    Why is a space elevator better than shooting rockets into orbit?

Rocket fuel is expensive.  But it’s not fuel costs, that’s only about 10% (or less) of the expense.  It’s operations, and the ‘bigness’ of the kind of organization that can launch a rocket.  It’s loss of management oversight, lots and lots of layers of staffing, and safety make the price add up.  Also, 30% is JUST insuring the launch.  It’s also about the size, a rocket can’t hold very much but a Space Elevator can carry a lot of cargo. By building something that stays up in orbit they can keep moving cargo back and forth instead of the round trip of a rocket.

4.    Why switch from working on a space elevator for Earth to working on a space elevator on the moon?

Well, mostly because the technology is not there yet for the Earth’s Space Elevator. Working on the Lunar Space Elevator will help us learn so that we will know how to create one.

5.    If we could get to Mars, could we build a space elevator there?

Yes, that would be great! We’re thinking up one called MarSE or Mars Space Elevator. One of the purposes of a space elevator is to make other Space Elevators. We could have a few of them that would help build a space station. From there, building any kind of base on the surface, where people could go, is easier.

6.    How can we get kids excited about science?

We love experiential learning with DIY do it yourself/ maker/ hacker communities and Science Fairs where folks get together to tinker on stuff. Anything that makes learning fun and something that they can participate in is a good idea in our book.

Gaming is a great place to start. Kids already like playing online games with their friends. The goal is to make the games more learning based. It’s kind of like mom putting extra vegetables in the lasagna so they didn’t even know they were getting it. We would love to build a game that teaches real science and also gives us information about ways to build things in space.

The robotic climber competition that the ISEC International Space Elevator Consortium does is great too. We also are working on getting good prizes together for experiments. Sure fame and glory are great, but fabulous prizes and money are even better!

7.    What is LiftPortal?

LiftPortal is the ‘Portal’ to LiftPort, trying to make it even more accessible. We work more closely with our nonprofit partners under their 501c3 status. We are good friends with http://LeewardSpaceFoundation.org and http://ISEC.org International Space Elevator Consortium and do education for kids, students, the public, and industry professionals.

8.    What are the major differences between the space elevator in Arthur C. Clarke’s Fountains of Paradise and the very real Space Elevator LiftPort hopes to build someday?

That’s definitely one of the classics! Clarke’s Space Elevator was 23600 miles tall and 30 feet across. It was made of a material Diamonoid that doesn’t exist. It was tethered by an asteroid that actually might be dangerous if it fell.

The Space Elevator that LiftPort might envision would be made out of carbon nanotubes, that also is made from carbon. A real Space Elevator might be much smaller in size that the one Clarke thought up.

Clarke’s maglev trains went daily, whereas LiftPort’s might only go weekly. His base station was anchored on land, but LiftPort’s might be at sea on a ship.

9.    Is it possible to have a good science fiction story if the science behind it is not plausible?

Yes, of course it’s better when it’s true. If the character development is good, I think you can still have a good story. I *love* those 50s campy sci-fi movies that did a lot of pretty impossible things. While the folks at Mystery Science Theater might laugh at them from the theater seats (even though there is *supposed* to be no talking in the theater), we still love those cheesy movies.

10.   What is your favorite example of Science Fiction leading science?

There are lots of good examples. The 1920s Metropolis from Fritz Lang, with the big silver robot Maria, had helicopters long before they were invented. Your basic smartphone can do most things like a Star Trek communicator or scanner. What’s hot right now is the buzz about Star Trek’s warp drive being plausible. http://t.co/GyJDxSin

11.   How and when was LiftPort founded, and for what purpose? Has that purpose changed?

LiftPort was founded in 2003 and did a lot of Space Elevator research and advanced technologies. It was focused on the Earth’s Space Elevator, but we’re now focusing on the shorter term goal of Tethered Tower balloon and robotics experiment that will lead to scientific discovery that will help the Lunar Space Elevator. We only use technology that we can use in space. Even if it would be easier to cheat with systems that work in our gravity and temperatures, instead of the low gravity and very cold temperatures.

12.   What is LiftPort’s relationship to NASA?

LiftPort developed after the 2001-3 NASA study. We don’t have any formal relationship, but we have friends that work there. Maybe someday we’ll be back on base drinking Tang and eating dehydrated strawberry ice cream again with our Astronaut friends.

13.   I’ve spoken to Michael Laine on the phone several times. Is he as brilliant in person as he seems?

YES! Michael is a delight to work with. He  has a great sense of humor. Don’t let the word get out but he really is a NICE guy! You might have seen him on the video channel and but he’s even more fun in person.

What does he do at LiftPort?

He talks a lot. To everyone. He pulls together all the pieces together and lets his staff shine.

He directs the Shoemaker’s elves (because the name of robot’s designers is David Shoemaker) who work on the robot. They are from all over the world. When it’s night here, it’s daytime for them. When the rest of the team wakes up, there’s new surprises with work they got done.

14.   According to LiftPort’s biography page, Michelle Cadieux is a technical writer and trainer, and an instructor in chemical,  structural engineering and nanotechnology. What does she do on the LiftPort team?

She writes alot. If Michael never stops talking, she never stops writing. She helps document all the plans into action items that can be shared with the team and the world.

15.   Who else is on the Team?

We wanted to thank all the top notch scientists who make this all possible. It’s been put together with the help of a cast of thousands over the years.

I’m all thumbs, or actually no thumbs and all hooves, at drawing so we really appreciate having the great artists around.

And we wanted to thank the Academy, oh wait, wrong award. We were just practicing as we were nominated in the upcoming StayClassy.org nonprofit awards in San Diego.

16. Don’t you have plans to be a Movie Star?

This is our very first interview! With never before seen exclusive pictures. It wasn’t even scary at all, even with all the people watching.

SpaceRaceKids is working on their show now. It will have a space elevator on it and we really hope that we get to come on. I told them to talk to my agent. 😉

17. What Do You Eat for Breakfast?

Giraffes in general eat leaves from acacia, mimosa, and wild apricot trees. They don’t let me eat sugar cereal as it’s bad for your teeth, but I do like the Giraffe on the box. Maybe someday I can be on a cereal box of my own!

18.   Do you and/or any of your colleagues identify with any of the characters on “The Big Bang Theory?”

Michael Laine is very much like Sheldon. Smart and serious with a side of Bazinga! Don’t tell Sheldon that he has a mad crush on Amy Farrah Fowler.

Michelle is a lot like Penny and likes hanging around geeks. Michelle is smarter, like Penny would be after hanging around with Leonard for awhile. She also makes references to Star Trek too.

Michael and Michelle share the same office so like it’s a bit like Penny with Sheldon. They are constantly irritated by each other’s nerdy and obstinate personalities, but they are ultimately good friends.

They don’t let me watch much tv, it rots your brain. We do have a lot of loveable geeks on the team though, like that show.

19.   How did LiftPort end up on “16 Kickstarter projects that could destroy civilization?”

It was a dark and stormy night. We were sitting home, petting the white cat, plotting world domination with our sharks with lasers…..

Hey, wait a minute! That was a trick question! We’re not evil overlords and actually very well mannered.

We don’t know how we got on the list and at number one! They are expecting a big metal sculpture that is going to fall on the earth, but that wouldn’t happen as it would burn up. The project we’re working on for the Lunar Elevator uses a ribbon the size of dental floss. Doesn’t sound too dangerous does it?

Our friends ArduSat with the programmable satellite also made the list. They work with TeamPrometheus.org, a model rocket and education group.

20.   Who shot first? Han or Greedo?

Ooooh, we like Star Wars! Well, we try not to meddle in interplanetary trade wars and hearsay about who started bar fights. We leave that to the Zeno Ambassadors. That shooting business is so messy and we wish they would all just behave and play nice with other with Marshmallow shooting guns instead.

Micheal says that Han Shot first!, but you’ll have to wait until he has time to finish answering his questions to hear about that.

Thanks! See you on http://LiftPort.com/Forums and http://facebook.com/Elsie.LiftPort

-Elsie

I also wrote a short story called Jack’s Beanstalk inspired by the Space Elevator. It’s just under 3,000 words and would probably be rated PG13. No sexual content, just a little violence.

The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Uy

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Precipice

Posted on September 19, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Life is getting better. At least, my being sick is. I said last week (or was it two weeks ago?) that I was planning to post “I’m not sick anymore” but the truth is, I am. Fortunately though, I’m not as wiped out as I was in August. But I’ve overdone it a few times and ended up paying for it later.

My update for #ROW80? Acceptable progress. I’m using Pre-School time to write, and although it isn’t enough, it is an improvement overall. On non-Pre-School days this past week I didn’t do much writing, but I did convalesce, which is also important.

This is the end of this round, but I’m keeping my goals the same. They worked well for me. I’ll post Wednesday updates anyway, even though the next round doesn’t start until October.

The other news is that I have more details on the anthology in which I have a story. It’s coming out on October 30.The first volume of Precipice will showcase twelve essays and nine works of short fiction by seventeen authors. The print version will be $9.99 and the e-version will be $3.99. I’m so excited to finally be a published author! And then in December, I have another story coming out in the Felt Tips  anthology.

The shortlink to this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Us

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