Take Two! Robert Appleton Talks About "The Mythmakers".

Hello again! This time we welcome Robert Appleton to answer two inquisitive questions about his new novella "The Mythmakers", available from Samhain.

Q.1. Following the adventures of Kate of Kratos, the protagonist of your new book is another woman: Captain Steffi Savannah. You write strong women well, giving them strength of character without bitchiness or lack of femininity. Did you make a conscious decision to depict your heroines in this way, or is that the way you like to “see” women?

A.1. It's a conscious decision, for sure. Somewhere between the damsel in distress and the man-killing warrior woman, neither of which interests me, exists a plausible kind of heroine for science-fiction. Strong-willed, emotional, flawed; she must be able to take care of herself but also realise when she needs help. She can do things the hero can't do, but not at the expense of her femininity. It isn't so much how I like to “see” women, it's more about how interesting, how plausible I can make them for the world(s) they're inhabiting. If I were to meet Kate of Kratos for real, I'd probably find her character too prickly and way too stubborn, but in a survival story on an alien planet, those flaws become strengths. Let's put it this way: I'd definitely want Kate watching over me if I ever got marooned on Kratos.
For Steffi Savannah in The Mythmakers, it was more about rekindling a sense of hope and wonder in a thankless and cynical universe. I made her tough because she's a starship captain and a smuggler. But by that same token she couldn't be a cast-iron bitch; to run an efficient ship, an even hand is required. So Steffi always respects her crew, even through her world-weariness. Her femininity gradually blossoms over the course of the story, as well as a vivacity she hasn't encountered in years. Speaking personally, that's one of my favourite types of story arc, and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of telling it through a woman's eyes.

Q.2. “Ship of dreams” is a very evocative description. Could you enlarge on this?

A.2. It's really about the effect the ship's cargo has on Steffi and her crew. All of a sudden, there's an element of magic and wonder in the cold backyard of space. I don't want to give too much away, but when Steffi boards the giant alien craft, it appears to be a kind of freight vessel carrying Earth's legendary creatures. Seeing as Earth was destroyed centuries before, what is the ship's purpose? Its secret? Why is Arne, a naked blond hunk who speaks English and Danish, reluctant to tell her exactly what he is? Fascinating discoveries await Steffi and her crew...
I wrote The Mythmakers for Samhain's space opera romance anthology, so I knew I had to come up with a unique story. It started out as a Firefly-type adventure, then quickly evolved into a scenario with beautiful possibilities. “Ship of dreams” is right. That's what the story became for me. But that's not to say all the dreams were hunky-dory. ::winks:: Myths are never easy on the heroes/heroines forging them.

To read more about "The Mythmakers", visit Robert's website at the link below.
http://www.robertappleton.co.uk/themythmakers.htm

Take Two! Margaret West talks about "Two Faces, One Life".

Here's the second of my short'n'snappy interviews. Margaret West is the author of a "coffee break short" named "Two Faces, One Life", published by Eternal Press.

Q.1. “Two Faces, One Life” is an interesting title. How does this relate to your story?

A. The story really revolves around Sarah, a young girl who was caught in a fire. One side of her face and body, is very badly burnt in a fire, while the to her stays perfect. A cruel irony of what she has lost. Its an inspirational story because the 'vain' Sarah believes her life is now over and wants to die. But what she comes to realise, after a chance meeting in a park with ted, is that true beauty shines from within. The 'new' Sarah is about to embark on a whole new journey. Even though she has two very different sides to her face. She only has one life and she needs to live it.

Q.2. “Two Faces, One Life” is a “coffee-break” short. Did you set out to write a short tale, or did the length just seem right?

A. The length just seemed right. I didn't want it to go on endlessly about the trials of Ted's disability, or Sarah's disfigurement. I just wanted to get across that having a disability doesn't mean your life is over. When it was published however, I received quite a few comments from readers wanting to see what happened to Sarah and Ted. So maybe there will be a short sequel, who knows lol.

Thanks, Margaret! (Margaret will be back later in this series, talking about a longer story called "Heart of a Warrior". )
To read more about this title, or to buy it, hit the link! http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781926647500

Take Two! Heather Kuehl talks about PROMISES TO KEEP

In the first of a new series of short and snappy author interviews, Heather Kuehl answers two questions on her book Promises to Keep.

Q.1. “Promises to Keep” is a lovely title. It’s a quote from Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. Could you tell us how the quote relates to your story?


A. “Promises to Keep” refers to Starlette’s quest to save her father from the Dark Lady Dreashae. Ten years ago Starlette was led to believe that her father was dead, however she quickly discovers that his death was nothing but a ruse. Starlette made the ultimate promise to herself; she was going to track down her father, save him, and bring him home. Easier said than done, since Starlette is mortal and her adversary is a very powerful sorceress. Hopefully with friends like Sivad Night and Tabitha Desdamona Drake, she can keep her promise.

Q.2. “Promises to Keep” mixes the high fantasy world of sorcery and dragons with the paranormal world of faeries and vampires. How difficult was it to bring such disparate elements, (traditionally speaking) together in a cohesive whole?


A. I’ve always loved high fantasy, and one day I thought to myself, “why can’t vampires and dragons exist in the same world?” I quickly realized there wasn’t a good enough reason why they couldn’t, and my fictional world was created. Within these worlds (both Verella and the modern paranormal one that Starlette lives in), anything can exist. Portals into both realms are abundant, so dragons from Verella could easily travel into our world just as a werewolf can travel to Verella. I’ve made it so that a character could step outside their house in Charleston, SC and see a dragon flying through the sky (something that I wish could happen).

Sounds good? I think so! Check out the links below for more information.

Promises to Keep by Heather Kuehl was published by Eternal Press. It is available as an e-book or paperback.
Read more or buy book at: www.eternalpress.biz
Heather's Blog. http://heatherkuehl.blogspot.com

Grow Your Own Sci-Fi Fantasy

I was reading that wonderful book, Painting the Roses White, by Barbara Wenzel this morning. That sent me to the internet to drool over Barbara's favourite roses... which brought me to the David Austin home page at http://www.davidaustinroses.com/australian/. Here, I discovered an orange rose named "Pegasus".
I've been watching Battlestar Gallactica, and last night chanced to be the episode when the Battlestar Pegasus crashed and burned, therefore... well, if you don't understand my thought processes from that point, you'd better find a more congenial blog:-)
I already knew about the yellow rose Dr A J Verhage, which stars in so many rose pedigrees, but I was pleased to find The Doctor, a dark pink rose from 1936. You can find it at http://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses/search.php
I couldn't find a Gallactica, but there are plenty of Gallicas, which is pretty close. There are several roses called Apollo. I couldn't find a Starbuck, or a Kobol, but there's a minature moss rose named Kara, and three roses called Kobold. There's also a Madam President and more than one Laura, and a couple of Sharons, no Caprica, but two Capricorns and a Capricornus.
Reverting to The Doctor, there are several roses named Martha, a florists' rose named Donna, no Sarah Janes (but you could grow a Sarah and a Jane next to one another!) a floribunda named Dodo, several roses named Zoe, and a Katerina. As for Roses... their name is legion. At this point, I gave up looking for Companions (because their name is also legion) and moved on.
I found two Enterprises, a Kirke, but no Kirk, a Deanna, no Vulcan, but a Vulcain.
Moving on again, I discovered a General Jack, several Samanthas, and a Carter, a Daniel and a Dr. Jackson, no Jonas, but a Young Quinn, a Janet Frazer, lots of Elizabeths, a Beckett's Single (OK, so that's stretching it rather) and two roses named Atlantis.
Time constrained me to cease my search at this point, but I was agreeably surprised at the possibilities. If you want a go yourself, try http://www.helpmefind.com/plant/index.php, which kindly allows keywords, "begins with", "contains" and "sounds like"!

The rose in the picture is Double Delight... oh, and if you'd like to doubly delight ME, you'll leave a comment and check out REPLAY, my fantasy novel, available as a PDF or paperback from http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/replay/830605

Want a free cookbook?

My cookbook, SALLYO'S KITCHEN, is available as part of the Great Cookbook Giveaway. To grab your download, visit http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com/products.htm

If you want more than one cookbook, or if you would like to add your own cooking-related gift to the Giveaway, click on the Great Cookbook Giveaway banner on my page.



You have until the 16/12/09 to pick up your download.

Power Cut

I was working away at Chapter 13 in the early hours when the power went off. The UPS began beeping, and I was bathed in the unholy glow of the various lights on the DVD player and the screen of my computer. I waited a few seconds in case it was a minor glitch, then decided to call it a night.
Control-Save. Sleep.
The computer screen light cut out and I realised I should have left it awake for another few moments. Since my computer hates being woken when it's just gone to sleep, I abandoned the idea of shaking its shoulder and instead got up (cautiously) and shuffled forward to rest it on its little platform. I unplugged it, in case the power spiked when it came back on. (I saw a power spike once. Sparks shot out of power points and those power safety thingies melted.) Next, I located the heater and felt my way along its cord to the extension, which I pulled. Then I betook myself to the bathroom.
Working by feel, I located my toothbrush and the paste. Having removed the lid, I decided the paste smelt wrong, so I put it back and took another tube from the drawer. Just as well I did, since it later devolved I'd picked up a tube of "A Little Bit of Relief" instead. Having brushed my teeth, I tried to rinse. No go. The pump was (temporarily) dead.
I gave up and went to bed. A few mionutes later, some clonks and whirrs announced the power had come back on.
All this goes to show how much we rely on electricity. But no, this is not going to be a spiel about how decadent we've all become. If we didn't have electricity, then we'd have candles and matches to hand. We'd have lanterns, ticky-clocks, and ewers of water on the wash stand. Because we do have electricity, we do not have lanterns. Because I have a computer, I do not have a typewriter. As my husband said, what would happen if I had to go back to typing? Well... I'd find running my business almost impossible because I rely on my computer. I am no longer set up with carbon papers, Tip-Ex and ring binders. I'm not even sure it's possible to buy Tip-Ex any more. Where would I buy a ewer? Or a lantern?
... and of course if I lived in the time of lanterns and ewers, I wouldn't have almost brushed my teeth with embrocation. It wouldn't have been invented yet.

Password Protected

Am I the only person who continually gets locked out of my various online accounts because I can't remember my password? Sounds easy enough - set up a username and password, log in, and Robert's your mother's brother. However...

My attempts at setting up accounts generally go something like this.

Set your username: JANNY (well... I'm not about to give you my real log in, eh? 'course not. I can't remember it!) Naturally, I write it down.
Username not available. Suggest JANNYA19, JANNYX&5 OR JANNYP79Q
I type in JANNYP, and write that down.
Username not available. Suggest JANNYPZ59, JANNYPX((5 OR PJANNY740Z
Grrrrrrrr.
Sulkily, I select JANNYA19.
Set your password: PANSY. I write it down.
Password strength: weak.
PANSYPANSY:
Password strength: weak. Password must include at least one non-letter character.
PANSYPANSY1. I write that down.
Password not available.
PANSYPANSY2
Password not available.
PANZYPANSY2
Success! Login to go to your account now.
OK, so that wasn't difficult, was it? I have only to type in JANNYA19 and then PANSYPANSY2.
Only of course that doesn't work, 'cos I forgot to change the S into a Z. I meant to write it down, but after writing down several failed attempts, I just gave up. So, next time I try to log in, I have to hit Forgot password. The site obligingly sends me a new one, and then asks me to enter my old one so I can change it to the new one. Only I can't, because I forgot the old one. And the new one is something like BEETLETRACKSANSCRITX19OOPS 56 and I can't remember it. And the verification box is full of drunken squiggles that might be 2s, zs, Zs or 7s. Maybe.
My accounts are securely password protected all right. They're password protected from ME!