Mission Success: Crossroads

Laurie's Journal

Writing Process Blog Hop
Thanks to my Donna and Pippa for participating in the Writing Process Blog Hop last week. It was a fun exercise and I learned things about my co-bloggers that I never knew. If readers missed our blogs, you can catch up here:

Pippa's Writing Process
Donna's Writing Process
Laurie's Writing Process

Reassignment in the Works?
A factor in every writer's career is what goes on in other areas of their life. Well, after 19 years of managing our military agency's budget at my day job, I'm in the process of requesting reassignment to another position that I think will be good for both my agency and for my stress level and creative energy. If we can reach an agreement, this promises to be a great thing all around. Please cross your fingers with me for a good outcome.

Sharon's Next Novel Releases Tomorrow!
Co-blogger and RITA finalist Sharon Lynn Fisher's second novel -- The Ophelia Prophecy -- releases on Tuesday, April 1st. No April Foolin'! Be sure to stop back here at Spacefreighters Lounge tomorrow to learn more about this very exciting new Science Fiction Romance title from Tor! I don't want to steal Sharon's thunder, but I will say this is a fabulous, imaginative story you won't want to miss!

I think Pippa Jay mentioned she also has a release coming out tomorrow! And with Donna now being an expectant author (with her first book due next February) it's a very exciting time for the Spacefreighters crew!

A December Deadline
All of this moving and shaking by my co-bloggers had me doing some mental sorting and reassessing of my own career. I had a chat with my agent to get her thoughts on possibly pursuing the agent-as-publisher option that Donna is following. (Read her big announcement here.) After kicking it around a bit, we decided that with my first novel still out to two big publishers and a dynamic smaller one, that we're content, at least for now, to await the outcome. But it's time to start formulating other strategies, so I've set December as the point-in-the-future where I'll start pursuing other publishing options if we haven't yet had a sale. Either way, come December I'll have good news...or good news! This is an exciting time to be a pre-publshed author!

Meet Echo 8
I have a fun announcement to make. In addition to my day job and writing career, I have yet a third endeavor. My husband and I raise Thoroughbred horses.

A fun and sometimes boggling part of that pursuit is finding an unique name for each of our babies that no other living, registered Thoroughbred of the same sex in North America has already claimed. With somewhere between 19,000 and 30,000 Thoroughbreds born every year on this continent, that can be a very tall order.

Ideally, we like to choose a name that says something about the foal's parents or prominent bloodlines. On February 2nd, we welcomed our first foal of the year, a fiesty little chestnut colt with a tiny white star and one white sock. That little star is more of a streak than a spot. Kind of reminds me of a shooting star, really. Like a comet. Or an asteroid.

His parents are Diabolical (sire) and Soulful (dam). His famous grandsire is the fabulous Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

Having just finished a beta read of Sharon's third novel, Golden Heart finalist ECHO 8, things clicked into place. How so?

Here's the advance blurb of Echo 8:

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance as three lives entangle: Jake, a man shifted to an alternate Earth, where he must drain energy from others to survive. Tess, the parapsychologist trying to save him. Ross, the FBI agent torn between duty and his love for Tess.

I absolutely loved this story the first time I read it in a much earlier draft, but this latest pre-published version of ECHO 8 is one fantastic, Soulful, Diabolical SFR story, that's set in Seattle. (See where I'm going with this?)

Add the unique "falling asteroid" marking on our colt's forehead and the fact that Jake's world was destroyed by an asteroid, and *dingdingding* I think we have a winner! After getting Sharon's okay, we'll be submitting Echo 8 as the first name choice for our colt.

So world...meet the other Echo 8. And here's to a very successful future for both of them!

~~~~ * ~~~~

Leaving

One year, ten months, one week.

That's the countdown to my official retirement from what will be a 21-year-plus career in military support. I joke with my coworkers that I gave them my two-year notice, but truth be told I've been counting down the days since early 2010. On a spreadsheet. With formulas. 'Cause that's how I roll.

My workbook tells me as I reach each major milestone--4 years, 3 years, 1000 days, 2 years to go. My next biggie is 700 days remaining.

T-minus 700 and counting. Freedom looms.

I've been thinking of it as my own personal Independence Day. No more clawing my way out of bed at Oh Dark Thirty. No more chugging coffee and spooning breakfast on the run. No more 42 mile commutes dealing with snow, ice, rain, fog, windstorms and maddeningly slow tourists. No more frantic juggling of deadlines and due-outs. Yahoo! Free, free, freeeeeee!

And then I had this dream...

My retirement had finally arrived and I was--not ecstatic, not happy-dancing on my desk, not beaming like a fool--but sad. Filled with a deep, aching sadness. I walked out the glass doors of the lobby for the final time and looked out at the vista of mountains and thought, "I'll never do that again as Laurie Green, employee." As a visitor, maybe, but turning in my credentials and passcards and exiting the building will be a point of no return in my life. My career and professional persona with the government will morph into history. Poof! Gone. No more. The end.

And in my dream, that made me cry.

I think my subconscious was giving me a little wake-up call: "Hellooo. Leaving is not going to be as emancipating as you've been thinking. Leaving is hard on the soul!"

Oh sure, it does have its highlights. It will mean tons more time to pursue my second career as a writer, to work on my online presence, attend trainings and workshops and conferences, and generally grow and (hopefully) blossom in those new endeavors. But for the first time I felt that punch-in-the-gut sense of what it will be like to "close one door and open another."

There's a segment of the Lonesome Dove miniseries entitled Leaving. If you're not familiar with it, it deals with the characters setting out from the tiny town in southern Texas that they have called home for many years. They embark on a great cattle drive to establish one of the first cattle ranches in Montana...2,500 miles to the north. Big dreams.

The chapter explores the characters' roots in the town of Lonesome Dove, the role it's played in their lives, the people and places they're leaving behind, and what has lured them away from the comfort--but stagnancy--of these familiar surroundings. The phrase "You can never go back" is in the subtext of every scene and in the minds of the characters. They sense in their bones that should they ever return to Lonesome Dove, it will not be the same place they are setting out from. (And for at least one character, that premonition rings true.)

While I was still deep in the mulling phase all of this, I saw an interview with one of the potential candidates for the one-way Mars mission. He's now in his 20s and will be in his 40s when it comes time for Leaving. He talked about how he'll never be able to take a walk in the fresh air again, and how he's taken a long time to consider the impact of things he'll never be able to do again once he leaves Earth. He may have the hardest job of Leaving in the history of mankind. But does he still want to go? Yes.

So this overload of Leaving topics got me brainstorming about my work. All characters must face a form of Leaving or there is no story. They may be Leaving a place, another person/s, or even an identity. It may be a deliberate, planned act by the character, an action imposed on them by someone else, or one that happens because of a sudden change or emergency that requires they "Drop what you're doing and leave now!" (to quote Jurassic Park). But at some point--maybe as they are watching their former home (or lover or planet or belief system) fade into memory, they really should be experiencing that gut punch of Leaving.

Have I really dealt with the emotions of Leaving in my stories? Hmmm. I realized it's something I need to take a closer look at during each editing phase. Real people do not pass from one chapter of life to another without carrying some degree of mental baggage along with them. I want my characters to think and act like real people. I want to be sure their emotions are fully explored.

Do you have anything you'd like to add? For writers, have you ever made a special effort to capture a character's feelings about Leaving? As a reader, do you have any favorite stories where you think a character's reaction to Leaving was especially well done? Anyone care to name any titles that delve into the deep subject of Leaving?

LAURIE'S JOURNAL

It's been quite awhile since I've done any real updates on my writer's journey, so this seemed like an opportune time to log a new entry.

PUBLISH OR BUST
Our tax expert tells me that 2014 would be *ahem* a very good time to debut as a published author, so I now have a firm goal to get at least one short story indie-pubbed by the end of the year. I know it's going to be one huge learning curve, but I'm very enthusiastic about taking it on. My recent decision to become a hybrid author plays nicely into the plan.

NEWS!
My agent just let me know we've had a bit of a nibble on my first novel from a big publisher. It's always encouraging to find out there's another iron in the fire that's started to glow. Now to keep blowing on those coals and not holding my breath. :) 

SAN ANTONE, HERE I COME!
This weekend I [finally!] registered for the RWA National Conference in San Antonio and booked my room (and for those of you who haven't yet marked this off your To Do list, suggest you get to it ASAP! Rooms for Tuesday were already SOLD OUT! Yikes!) And the stampede will begin for reelz next week, after the...

GOLDEN HEART/RITA ANNOUNCEMENTS
No horse in the GH race for me again this year--though I was initially planning to enter, life had other ideas--but I can't wait to hear what peers will make the cut. The big day is coming on March 26th, and also marks the fourth SFR Brigade anniversary. It was founded on GHAD (Golden Heart Announcement Day) 2010.

PING PONG
Pippa: So glad to see how 2014 is turning around for you and excited to see the many positive things in the works for your writerly life.

Donna: Fabulous recap on the SF/R shows, and I'm especially jazzed about Cosmos. Seeing more and more SF/R on the event horizon has to be a very good thing, right?

Sharon: So excited about the upcoming release of your second novel--The Ophelia Prophecy--and getting a peek at the revised version of #3--Echo 8. I've been getting goosebumps about both!

No More Jurassic Park

My co-bloggers and fellow writers have already given their eloquent and well-stated opinions on the whole SFWA debacle, and though this may already be fading news, I do have a couple of thoughts to add to the debate.

The bottom line is, no one has the right to tell a writer what we can write.

SF authors from bygone eras need to grapple with the reality that their books and their style of storytelling are not the be-all and do-all for the ages. New writers, new voices, and new ideas are emerging as SF continues to evolve on the crest of forward-thinking writers and SFR gains greater popularity by including human sexuality in the equation.

As a character in Jurassic Park once said, "The dinosaurs have had their day."

I understand there was a "golden age" of SF and the old-timers want desperately to cling to their (so-called) glory days by acting as if the social norms of that era were alive and well in the twenty-teens. Just like the failed attempt to bring back the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park--by cloning them and introducing them into a modern environment--was a disaster, so too has been the attempt to clone the SF Golden Age.

For one thing, we know better now. (Or at least most of us do.)

We've evolved as a species and SF/SFR have evolved as genres. Diversity is alive and well, and we understand future worlds or alternate universes would be greatly influenced by human relations, not devoid of them. And to further counter the claims we upstart writers don't understand the genre, most of us who are writing modern SF/SFR have read the classics. So it's not that we don't understand what "real" SF is, it's that we saw what the classics lacked.

I hope that's become painfully apparent by the enormous backlash from the combined communities to the sexist and dismissive articles, bellowing rebuttals, and the failed attempts by others of their ilk to justify or sympathize with their colleagues' ill-conceived diatribes.

To summarize one such awkward defense blog in paraphrase: "It's just their opinion so they are allowed to make it and it's okay."

Spare me. Everyone is allowed a personal opinion, yes. But force-feeding that opinion and accompanying misogynistic remarks and graphics in an organizational bulletin published for ALL members of the SWFA--a good percentage of which are the targeted group--is not okay. It's rude, offensive and belligerent.

And who in the end gets the blunt of the blame? Why, the female bulletin editor who "allowed" the dinosaurs to run amok, of course. She has resigned.

So let me speak to these prominent SFWA members in language from the decades they understand. It's time to straighten up and fly right. The times, they are a-changin'.

IF YOU MISSED THE WHOLE DRAMA...

You can find links to the many, many, many to the nth responses including my co-bloggers' former articles:

Of Square Pegs and Round Holes - Donna S. Frelick

I'm a Girl. I Write SF and SFR. And I'm Not Going Away - Pippa Jay

Dear Romance Readers - Sharon Lynn Fisher

Or this summary of blogs and responses by name to thwart the claim of "anonymous attackers" by the Good Ol' Dinosaurs, here:

Round Up of "Anonymous" SFWA Protesters - Jim Hines

Or takes by a few review blogs and authors (in their "so-UnBarbie-like" ways):

This Week in SF - Ann Aguirre (includes uncensored follow-up hate mail received by the author)

Genre Wars: Why is SFR the Outcast? - C. E. Kilgore

SFF Old Guard - Dear Author

Out With the Old (Boys Club), In With the New (Generation of Progressive Genre Fans) - The Galaxy Express/Heather Massey

And if you really want to get a take-on-a-travesty-in-a-nutshell (with a LOL or two) from one new SFWA member, you simply have to read this:

>>>>     SFWA - Housebreaking a Puppy or Abusive Behavior?    <<<<

LET THEM EAT TITLES

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan motion picture, the title character responds to the Enterprise's request for communications by saying: "Let them eat static."


This may be our most effective rebuttal of all. Refusal to engage 'the enemy' in verbal debate (because we aren't going to change their misguided minds, Lord knows) while we quietly action our next strategic move.

Publish. More. Books.

There are hints that the outcome of this controversy may well be an upsurge in sales for SFR and SF with romantic elements. Maybe there is justice in the universe after all.

Readers who might not have been aware of SFR as a genre before may have stumbled happily on its existence through this web-wide outcry, especially with articles heralding--or decrying--SFR as "The Next Big Thing." (And it's pretty cool when even SFR detractors admit it's on the rise in popularity.)

So, my fellow writers, there's no time like the present. It's show, don't tell time. Get your work out there.

Let them eat (SFR) titles!

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Jacqueline Lichtenberg recently posted a comment in a discussion about SFR that really got me thinking. In effect, she said SFR is not a "sub" anything, it's its own genre.

I realized she was absolutely right. By tagging SFR as a "subgenre" we've been effectively diminishing its importance.

SFR is its own genre. It's a hybrid of Science Fiction and Romance. It's both. And it's neither. It doesn't clearly fall within the category definition of any one established genre. Therefore, it is its own -- the Science Fiction Romance genre. There is no sub.

Unlike some of the other blogs and sites weighing in on this debate, this blog is OPEN for comments, and we'd love to hear yours.

Mysteries and Legends

MISSION: SUCCESS
Laurie's Journal

I hope you're enjoying your Memorial Day weekend and the launch into summer. The long weekend has given me a little time to work on my manuscripts, as well as get some work done around the house. Both give me a great sense of accomplishment.

I also want to acknowledge the reason for the holiday--the memory of veteran heroes, both living and fallen. We owe so much to their sacrifice. I can never offer enough thanks for their service.

We Have a WHAT in the Neighborhood?

For over twenty years, I've lived on a ranch in the desert southwest--a little patch of high plains and pinon-dotted foothills "where the llano estacado rolls up to the Southern Rockies." This is the ol' stomping grounds of the likes of Billy the Kid, Kit Carson and Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.

So I was a little shocked, to say the least, when I recently learned that we may be sharing our space with some very unexpected neighbors. Bigfoot!

This recent local news story caused quite a stir (although the news anchors obviously aren't convinced)! I can understand the surprise. Most people have thought this elusive creature lived in dense pine forests and impenetrable swamps. The truth is that Bigfoot-like creatures are prevalent in Navajo lore and are often spotted on barren ridges and rocky foothills in my state.

Two of the mountain ranges mentioned in the above story are the Ortiz and the Sandias. Just for the record, the Ortiz are just to our north--I commute through this range every day--and the Sandias are just to our west.

In other words, our little rancho is located in Bigfoot Central.

I snapped a few photos of the Ortiz during my commute to and from work:

A smokey view of the Ortiz Range (heading north)

One of the Ortiz passes (headed south)

We made a drive up to Sandia Crest after dinner Friday night so I could post a few pics of this supposed Bigfoot habitat:

 Mid-way up the Sandia Crest

Sandia Crest habitat at twilight

Bigfoot Crossing???  Nahhhh.

And these are the mountains in our "backyard"--the San Pedros--which are connected to the Ortiz and lay just to the east of the Sandias.

The San Pedro Range

Sandia Range as seen from the San Pedro pass

After someone caught compelling footage of what is believed to be a Sasquatch on a thermal imagery camera in the Jemez forest, the production crew of the Finding Bigfoot television series made a visit to conduct research in the area.

Here's part of the episode that was filmed in New Mexico:


Do I believe Bigfoot exists?

I'm not sure. There has certainly been a lot of circumstantial evidence and "sightings" over the years of some sort of massive creature. But I have to wonder--like the skeptic in the footage above--if they're out there, why haven't we ever recovered something physical that could verify their existence--a body, a bone, even a tooth?

If such evidence ever turns up, then something truly profound will occur. Bigfoot will move from the arena of the "paranormal cryptozoology" into "scientific find." And that really gives me goosebumps!

Paranormal vs. Science Fiction

All of this Bigfoot hullabaloo has me pondering my fourth novel, with the working title of Chimera. This tale isn't about a Bigfoot, but it does involve something the characters believe might have been unleashed in the forests of northern Michigan. It's an entity that was created by scientific research--though it's not some escapee from a secret lab. (That's been done to death).

While working on my story about a year ago, I made a very chilling discovery. The premise of my wholly fictional story is documented to have actually happened! In fact, it's a phenomenon that's recognized by one major religion where it holds the same level of credibility that demonic possession has to the Catholic faith.

So this has created a bit of a dilemma for me. Will my story be classified as Science Fiction Romance or is it Paranormal Romance?

The Argument for Science Fiction (Romance): The title subject exists as a result of scientific research and becomes an unknown entity when the scientist loses control of the experiment. The existence of such a phenomenon has been documented, though not by the mainstream scientific community.

The Argument for Paranormal (Romance): The title subject's existence can't be proven except by questionable circumstantial evidence (footprints and sightings, much like Bigfoot). It might exist only in the character's minds. It's real to them, but there's no proof the subject is actually tangible.

Tell me what you think. Would Chimera be better described as Science Fiction Romance, or Paranormal Romance, or a crossover mash up of the two? Have you ever heard of Paranormal SF Romance?

Oklahoma Tornados

My heart goes out to all the tornado victims and survivors in Oklahoma. Seeing videos of the devastation and hearing stories of those who lived through the disaster illustrates what a horrific act of nature this superstorm was.

Oklahoma RWA or OKRWA, probably best known for their Finally A Bride (FAB) contest, is based in the general area, so here's hoping none of their members were severely impacted by the storm.

Ping Pong

@Donna  I enjoyed reading your take on the new Star Trek installment. One thing can be said for the new generation films--nothing can be assumed or predicted.

@Sharon After just having read Ghost Planet (for the nth time), I enjoyed it just as much as my previous trips to Ardagh I. The RITAS are coming up fast. Best wishes for the awards!

@Pippa  Loved your article on what a muse is...or isn't. Mine is temperamental, persnickety and, at times, elusive. Oh wait. She's me! LOL  Here's to always having more stories in your head than you ever have time to write.

MISSION: SUCCESS
Laurie's Journal

I have good news and bad news to share about my writer's journey from this past week. The good news is I finished my short story The Shell and the Star. The bad news is that when I re-opened the manuscript, the resolution I thought I'd already written--with its cool twist and brilliant wrap--uh...wasn't there!

Gasp! Wait. What?

Cue compulsory hard drive scour for a more recent version. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

I know I wrote the grand finale. I remember writing it. I know it's somewhere...but I can't seem to find the coordinates of the point it occupies on this plane of existence. Doubt ensues. Did I write it and not save the file? Did I pen it in a notebook that has since been misplaced? Did I only dream I finished the story?

My FNF (For Now Fix) was to rewrite a new ending. Unfortunately, I know it's not THE ending that originally came out of my head. It's a bit flat and uninspired and so not ready for prime time. Some writers probably would have set it aside to work on it another time, but I felt a need to wrap the story. I guess it's like training a dog or a horse and always wanting to end the lesson on a positive note instead concluding with a negative experience. My muse had to have that cookie. My head required a sense of accomplishment so I didn't succumb to frustration.

Now I can press reset and mull over other options for a more fitting finale. Maybe even try re-conjuring the original wrap from my subconscious since the details are eluding me. In the meantime, it is a setback. The Shell and the Star will remain in sort of a Limbo of the Lost until I can create a satisfying fix.

Thought for the day: It's too bad our brains don't come with an automatic backup system.

So I'm curious. Has this ever happened to you? I'm sure this is more of a pantser's malady than a plotter's. A plotter would have every detail down on paper, most likely color-coded and cross-referenced. Pantsers...not so much. This scenario is when the head-to-page style of creative writing can really backfire on ya. *wipes soot from face*

ABOUT THE SHELL AND THE STAR

Here's a little about the story in question.

A female resident of a high-tech spacestation and an ocean-dwelling male discover they have more in common than being the children of high-ranking officials. An arranged courtship by their parents leads to unexpected consequences that could save--or destroy--both races.

The title The Shell and The Star represent the standards of the two species. The Star is the emblem of the Talstar Space Station in geosynchronous orbit over planet Veros. The Shell is the icon of the aquatic Perling species who live more primitive lives beneath the surface of the shallow seas.

Excerpt:

“You have a suitor.”

Jinn peered up into her father’s eyes as he floated into place before her. Is he joking? Since she’d come of age, five long years had passed without a bid for her hand. She’d given up hope of ever having a mate.

“Who…who makes this request?”

“The Fourth Dominant of the Perling.”

Jinn gasped, reeling like the oxygen had just been sucked out the airlock. A Perling Dominant? An alien? “Father, no! I can’t—“

“You will answer his bid,” her father insisted, grabbing a handhold to anchor himself in Talstar’s zero gravity.

“But why? Why would a Perling Dominant want my hand?”

“Not the Dom himself, girl. He asks on behalf of his second son.”

Jinn dropped her gaze to her small fists clenched around the frame of her sleeprack, her shoulder drifting to bump the bulkhead. “Why would even a second son want me?”

Jinn sets out on a reluctant mission of discovery, where she learns not only about the Perling race and her intended mate, but secrets from the past that she never could have imagined and promises for a future that she never dared to dream.

The Shell and the Star is currently about 12,500 words and takes place in a distance future of the Draxian Universe on (or above and in the waters of) planet Veros. When it's completed, my plans are to scout a home for it in an upcoming SFR anthology or offer it as a free standalone story.

SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH INSPIRING FOR SFR

A new medical breakthrough might just be the stuff of SFR writers' dreams.

A team of scientists at Boston's Childrens Hospital have developed an exciting new treatment, an oxygen particle that can be put into the bloodstream to oxygenate the blood. Result? You don't have to breathe to live! At least for about 30 minutes.

How does it work?

By creating particles containing oxygen gas pockets inside lipids fats, the resulting globules can hold four times the oxygen of a red blood cell and are flexible enough not to get log-jammed in blood vessels, causing dangerous gas embolisms. The particles are simply injected directly into the bloodstream. The new therapy can be used to treat a number of maladies that deprive the body of oxygen--such as pneumonia, collapsed lung, or hemorrhaging of the respiratory system--long enough to treat the patient before the brain is damaged or destroyed due to lack of oxygen. This helps ensure survival for the precious minutes while surgeons are working to treat the damage.

Future potential?

This is where things really get exciting. As the therapy is developed to allow for longer periods of oxygenation, if you can imagine it, it can probably be applied. Think about Navy Seals who would no longer need underwater breathing gear for missions. How about undersea researchers, ocean rescue efforts, submarine accidents and other situations where the particles could be injected into the blood to allow first responders to deploy without gear--or someone trapped underwater to survive long enough to be recovered. (Remember the intentional drowning and resuscitation scene from The Abyss? Problem solved.)

Now apply a little imagination and think about the implications for outer space exploration and future colonies.

You can read more about the breakthrough here: TechWench

Or watch a short YouTube video:




A MESSAGE TO OUR FOLLOWERS

Sometime in the next week or two, this humble blog is going to achieve a major milestone--125,000 hits over it's lifetime. We appreciate all our followers, old and new, who have helped to steadily raise our stats with each new year, and even each successive month. With so much content available on the internet, and a plethora of blogs on every conceivable topic, we're glad you're willing to spend a little of your time with us here at Spacefreighters Lounge.

Bartender, fetch another round of Billins--on the house!

PING PONG

I really enjoyed the discussion inspired by Sharon's blog about authors behaving badly. Food for thought to all aspiring writers, for sure.

Donna, I'm looking forward to this week's more in depth review of the new Star Trek Into Darkness movie. Your blog last week didn't give away any of the Trekker goodies that came out in the story, but definitely clued me in on what to watch for. I saw the 3D version.

Pippa, good luck with organizing/arranging the next SFR blog hop in June. It's a big job, but a worthy undertaking in how it benefits and raises awareness of the SFR subgenre as a whole.