amy s wrote:

You don't have to do it thinking that you're ready to publish. I just think that marketing and getting published is a lot about making contacts and getting familiar with the publishers who make the decisions. I'm going to take it (kind of a little xmas present to myself.)  If you don't, then don't worry. I'll just bring up other classes that I find and see if we can hang out online in another date and time.

Who knows, may even IRL! It will happen, one day. *puts rain check in pocket*

Does this mean you're getting closer to D-day, or is that Q-day (for query?!)? That would be super exciting!!!!

amy s wrote:

Why not? This publishing house also takes submissions for romance. Wanna take a class with me? Please, please, please? The class critiques each other on a forum as people revise their letters. What better thing than to have someone else on the forum who knows the book almost as well as you do?

#fingerlessgloves=guilt

I'm working on the twitter thing. How am I doing?

OK, that's funny!

#stakethroughmy<3 smile
The boys wear the beanies all the time too!
*stacks more guilt on the already big pile of guilt*

That looks amazingly good Amy! Only concern I have is that I'm nowhere near ready to publish or query. I would get value from the class, but I would much rather get involved with these things closer to the time, because if, just in case, I meet someone that wants to take it further, I'm still three years away, and it'd eat me alive if I missed an opportunity (I know, I know, I'm really unpresuming LOL). What say/think you? Silly of me? Because OTOH, it would be good to have someone there that I know.

#toughone

sad Yours is funniest sad

amy s wrote:

Just to spite you all, I'm going to listen and take the advice. (As opposed to others who will remain nameless.) What's another 10 thousand words? Piffle.

Oh, I started researching publishers. I found one who is willing to read submissions about high fantasy and she is teaching a class on how to write a query letter. What better way to get your foot in the door? It is only $99. Anybody interested? It starts December 1.

Romance is probably more fantasy than high-fantasy, yes? smile

RIP beautiful tiara sad

605

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:

Whew.  Still working on the Erevain/Nikkano bit.  I've had another Bright Idea.  Bright Ideas take time.  I took time out to make some edits to Chapter 54, Merran and Jamen Take to the Road.  The changes are to the clothing-trade scene.  I've been meaning to do them for a while.  They might be a little hamfisted.  If anyone asks, I'll repub so you can get points.

I have to do some reviewing today too.

I remembered K especially giving you a hard time on the clothing-trade scene. I'll find time this week to pop in and check it out (not in a perverted way, more a reviewer check it out way!) smile

606

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

amy s wrote:

Stitches can be out in 7-10 days. The medievals won't know this. They will gently try to separate the wound and make sure the edges have sealed.

A

Now I have another question - why wouldn't they know this? Wouldn't they have figured it out by the end of the 16th century how long wounds take to heal? They could amputate limbs with success by that time, thanks to all the wars they fought.

But having said that, I can still have them do the "check" before ripping it out. I quite like the idea to make it at least seem "crude" as it surely was compared to today.

Thanks for this!

ps - njc, I didn't have much time this weekend for anything, but the moment I have a bit of time, I'm going to read all this!

607

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

KHippolite wrote:

(continued)

mmk. So we have Matthew who's the leader of his pack. The Pack leader has everything going fo him, right? Who likes a flawless hero?  That's probably the appeal of a bad boy in romance - that he has rough edges the heroine gets to fix (let's not get started about the feasibility of that, shall we?).

Ah, but how to come up with flaws for the MC? This is where the brooding comes in. It's a terrible shortcut, but highly effective, and one I'm so used to seeing, that it's kinda of reflex. Hey, Meyers didn't start that. Jason was using it in Gatchaman years before Meyers was even born.

That's the crux of my post. My commentary was more related to Matthew's perfection than trying to link him to substandard fare.

(PS he doesn't suddenly need to have a giant flaw... the story only just started. There's plenty of time for him to show us he can overcome)

Nobody likes a perfect hero, that's the sure way of getting killed by pissed off reader reviews.

Matthew "seems" perfect, for now ... because I'm sorting Catherine out, but he has his own demons. With Catherine sort of sorted, there will be a little bit of history/back-story to set-up Matthew's "flaw", so before you know it, BOOM! and M will be facing his own demons. And then, they need to face their problems too, which has been mentioned all the way through - they will fall in love (of course), but they can't marry, and then they're apart (of course), and then they're together again - and happy.

All text book Romance or what does your Amazon research say? smile

What I'm trying to do though, is not having Catherine "fix" him per say - I hate that trope where the hero must be brought to his knees or taught a lesson, for that to work, the heroine needs to well written, very well written. I want Catherine to support him and give him another perspective, compliment/complete him (and he her). He can fix himself, he's a big boy. Brooding he can do, I have nothing against that per say. He's probably going to do some brooding.

The big difference with NS is I'm also using Matthew's POV - so that's why I'm not even trying to address both their issues at the same time.

TLDR version: We agree. I understand. All is good. smile

608

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

AAAAMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
*you're down in the catacombs so I have to yell* smile

Anyways, help please! When can I take out Catherine's stitches? It's been a week since the arrow nicked her arm, and as far as I can tell from an internet search, I should give it another 2-3 days? What do you say?

This is an easy one for the tiara! big_smile Thanks!!!!

609

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc, I'd read that! It's good storytelling. When did you write that and did you actually finish those stories?

Just out of curiosity, is the Old Man referring to Romance novels?! Because it sounds just alike another person I shall not name who is adamantly insisting he does not read Romance! smile

610

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:
janet reid wrote:

No luck with the google groups. Youtube co-operated. smile

Shucks.  And I have a good line or two in there.  "... looked down at me like I was there to repossess his shoes."

Judging by "sicilian sirens seduction" and "janie-minkminder old-man balder" alone, I believe you! smile

611

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

No luck with the google groups. Youtube co-operated. smile

Not sure I'm following you, but the chapter titles are only for TNBW. They will be dropped and only chapter numbers used when I publish (hopefully, fingers crossed) one day.

612

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

Best for now solution I have is, both have a need to think and be alone, I just need to establish that. Matthew has his spot. Check. Catherine, absent-mindedly, is looking for a spot, and by chance of luck, ends up where M is. Which is, when you think about it, a good spot for that time of day. So the plan is to go with this and see what the reviews say. For all of the trouble I had with the latest chapter, the reviews coming in haven't picked out massive issues, so I'm hoping this chapter goes down the same path!

hubba-hubba-bang-bang - Amy, this is the title of the next chapter where they hubba-hubba-bang-bang again. My 'rolling in the hay' sounds lame with a capital L all of a sudden. sad

613

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:

I was thinking of vocalists, and this seemed appropriate for the thread.  Man, she had a set of pipes. There's the same feeling of longing in there that Satchmo could do.  Actually, she still has them--there was a 50th anniversary ceremony in Fort Lauterdale.  Not all the power, but she still showed off the pipes.

I'll have to do this from home, my work firewall is giving my all kinds of trouble with google groups and youtube.

614

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

I NEED HELP, PLEASE!!!!!!

I need to get Matthew & Catherine alone to talk so I have to get them together some way or another that seems meant to be/natural.

For those that haven't seen the latest chapter yet, they got it on the first time the night before (and then again early that morning before everyone else woke up - what can I say, they're bunnies and this is a Romance novel!). The easy way would be to just have them cuddle and talk after Session #2, but they have already been talking a lot before Session #1 and in between too, so I'd prefer a change in scenery (this has been going on for a couple of chapters). AND!, this way, I can also get readers back into the 16th century and Northern England too.

So I was thinking to have Matthew retreat to his 'I need to get away and think while alone' spot which is the outer staircase of the tower that is used to keep the beacon (typically a bale of hay or similar) to warn neighbours of impeding danger. It's got a nice view too, so bonus. No problems here. The man has a lot of things on his plate to think about.

My problem is to get Catherine there so that they can talk ...

One option is, she can go look for him as they grew up together and she could know about his hiding place, but there is no reason for her to be looking for him, so this doesn't work all that well.

The other option is for her to decide that it's a cold but nice morning with clear skies and a good opportunity to watch the sunrise - guess where is the spot with the best view? And then have her stumble over Matthew (not literally though). This way she also doesn't need to have knowledge of hide-out. But this feel so contrived/almost lame. Or is it just me?

So I need help and or opinions/feedback/suggestions, and would appreciate any help or advice with this one.

Thank you!!!!

ps - I've tried to make this medieval group friendly using the post from the Romance group - not sure I succeeded, but I tried at least! smile

615

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

janet reid wrote:
njc wrote:

Yes, well, I'm reading for the mystery.  My money is on Peter.

The mystery will extend over three books, each with a logical conclusion of a "third" of the overall mystery. Anthony better train, and train good, he's 'it' in the last book, and it's going to be a big one.

As for Peter, *covers ears with hands* tra-la-la-la-laaaaa

njc, I also forgot too add - the mystery/action will be coming through again, soon and in heaps!

Elisheva Free wrote:

In my opinion, the apocalypse is a trend just like anything else these days. It's become so popular that people are throwing out random facts to get their 15-minutes of fame when in all reality, we know very little about our own world, let alone how it's going to end.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my little creative corner with my cat and hide from the general populace. smile

-Elisheva

How brilliant! No one would ever suspect an aspiring writer with a cat to be planning the downfall of the human race and earth as we know it! wink

Just hide from the internet, for all the good it has, it has also given people I was able to avoid/ignore IRL a platform to yell from loudly and consistently.

617

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

Rebecca Vaughn wrote:

Janet, I added more comments to that last chapter. Sorry!

I think your build up is perfect. I just need more clarity on the want vs need. I was treating them as one when they are two different things. More stress on the need will help make it clear that that is something else.

Oh! I see! I'm remembering the first draft! Ok. That's fine. Leave as is.
* Actually, to about three chapters before in this draft too, so it's a pretty late change! You're good!

Matthew wasn't looking for love, and what he really needed, she could not hope to give.
* This will work for sure! It implies perfectly that she wants it too, but has no hope. Brilliant suggestion, thank you!!!!!!

618

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:

Yes, well, I'm reading for the mystery.  My money is on Peter.

The mystery will extend over three books, each with a logical conclusion of a "third" of the overall mystery. Anthony better train, and train good, he's 'it' in the last book, and it's going to be a big one.

As for Peter, *covers ears with hands* tra-la-la-la-laaaaa

njc wrote:

Are they using the numbers that the Climate Institute in London made up?  (Their computer programs have comments explaining that computations were arbitrary, made to produce the results required.)  Or do they come from numbers supposedly adjusted for the heat island effects of cities, that somehow are more extreme than the raw data rather than less?  Do they account for or ignore the long-observed correlations of global weather with solar activity?   Were any of the authors scientists who lost their jobs for disagreeing, on scientific grounds, with the AGW orthodoxy?

You do realize that the earth is still cooler than it was during the Medieval Warm Period?  When the Vikings had colonies in Greenland--when Greenland really was green?

Then also:

Do these scientists drive cars? Heaven forbid, driving cars on bitumen roads, but I'll give them some slack today. Do they use air transportation to attend seminars and give speeches all over the world?  Do they use electricity? Do they own/use any items that's made from crude oil refining? Pretty much, if they have a house and got up this morning and brushed their teeth, the answer is yes. And they haven't gotten into their cars yet. Those bad, bad, evil cars, but don't get me started on electrical cars with zero (apparent) emissions (because I want to start smacking people over their heads when they talk crap like that - repeat after me, electrical cars are not zero emissions because until the total power grid is supplied by so-called green sources, they use coal fired electricity to charge those babies, not mentioning all the coal burned to MAKE the car - total life cycle, apparently a difficult concept to grasp for some, so no, it's not #%*%# zero emissions). And don't get me started on the total life cycle impact of 'green' technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels and battery packs (inefficiency is the biggest problem, ignoring cost) yet do not f#cking dare mention the elephant in the room - uranium.

When they start to lead by example because this shit is going down, I might change my behaviour (and job) instead of thinking this is just another way to re-dististribute wealth - do. not. mention. uranium.. If not for this suspicion, I actually might have been on board with a united, global effort to reduce CO2 emmissions. Because, you know, this is a global problem, if someone gets modeling of the global climate right by the way - i.e. when the model within acceptable accuracy predicts what's coming that is. But this is me.

On the other hand, I am all for using natural resources responsibly, don't get me wrong. I just have issues with hypocrites in general, like Al Gore especially. He has lots to answer for, but man did his PR team do overtime to keep the hard questions away from him on his video and some of the shit he sprouted. Which is a shame, because it wasn't a bad idea, it was just really badly done. But then, we're not supposed to ask questions. Or think. The government will do that for us. How nice of them.

I also have no (dis)illusions of the impact of lifting the living standards of billions of people to that of the developed world which, by the way, had (only) millions of people when they started to industrialise their countries. It takes a special kind of hypocrite to sit in his/her living room in the UK, US or Aus and now cry foul. Because, trust me, we can not raise the living standards of billions of people and not leave an environmental footprint. But yeah, do not get me started on how the whole world economy is based on consumption and population growth. The question is, who gets and who doesn't and who is making that decision?

Just to mention a few of the issues I have with global warming (oh, sorry, the globe isn't warming? We changed it? Sorry, my bad) climate change scientists.

Funny thing is, climate is variable. Talk to the really old people and they will tell you, oh these record hot days, had them 60 years ago too, they come and go all the time. Oh these floods, happened all the time, that's why we didn't build a #%*%# thousand houses over there, but over here on the f#cking hill in my days. Look at the records being broken, they're old records, so why is it only a problem now? And then look at when record keeping started. We don't know shit, not really.

Oh, these oldies will also tell you how their fridge/washing machine/whatever lasted for 25 years. But yeah, do not mention the C words, consumption, China.

I can go on, but we have bad bad crude oil to refine. Don't get me started on this either.

*end of rant*

Nothing personal Dirk, this is just my thoughts on a highly emotional and controversial subject. Also one of the reasons I avoid social media. It's a good thing, otherwise NS will never get written. But it's also part of the problem, because things being sprouted as gospel need to be challenged, questioned, tested. Which brings me to another issue, the unwillingness of these scientists to be open and making raw data available. If this is really this serious, their behavior isn't exactly helping either. So sorry, I'm not on-board yet.

(Sniff) They grow up so quick!

I'm much harder to please these days LOL wink

621

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:

Currently chapter 66.  Kirsey, Pengrit, Strumpet, with Harriat, Vamp, Parkol, Forsa, and Midlich.

Everain and Nikkano done. Looked at 66, but I don't know if I should wait until it will make more sense or not - I know none of the names above.

njc wrote:
Norm d'Plume wrote:

... If you fly from one end of Canada to the other, you're practically 1/4 of the way around the world. Apologies to NJC for the rounding error.

Molson's Beer Commercial: Canada is the world's second largest land mass, the first nation in hockey, and the BEST part of North America! ... Thank you.

My patriotic spirit has been rekindled! En garde!

Also the world's longest coastline.

Only because someone dropped it and broke it into a million pieces ... tongue

623

(520 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic &amp; Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:

For you: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20151026 (this page and the next).  The green-haired warrior princess hails from a place dedicated to the active worship of Ashtara, who sounds like a rather reckless Aphrodite.  And they have ''holidays''  ...

What the heck, I'll throw this page in, too: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20050523 .  Ho yeah, Ashtara.

Go four pages back and you'll find one of the most brilliant uses of page layout to lead the eye I've seen.

LOL, but yes, you just need the right shoes! smile

624

(5 replies, posted in Romance Inc.)

Yeap, me to.

Norm d'Plume wrote:

Bottom line, can I eat my hotdog salad tonight or not?

Bottom line is we're all going to die. Some people prefer to live while alive. If you're one of them and like hot dog salad, I say, eat two and to be safe, throw some bacon on it too.

2 years, 4 months, 23 days, 54 hours and 2 seconds from now, a study will conclude that eating two hot dogs and 5 slices of bacon a day, decreases the risk of *insert any disease or condition that results in death here*

You can't win. *end of cynicism for today*