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Monday, January 14, 2008

Getting Started

Hello out there in the great echoing emptiness! I feel as if I'm hollering into one of those orange highway barrels, so that all I hear is my own voice. Editors, agents, readers, and that nagging part of me that says "you're falling behind on the minimal requirements of being a writer" have been after me for two years to put up a blog. Yet it seems quite odd to start blogging right when the most "blogworthy" events of a busy writing year have ended. In 2007 I


- published my ninth epic fantasy novel, Flesh and Spirit
- completed final revisions on my tenth novel, Breath and Bone
-
wrote my first piece of short fiction, a novella called "Unmasking," published in an anthology of romantic fantasy called Elemental Magic
- did regional speaking and signing events in Denver, Fort Collins, Telluride, Colorado Springs
- went on a signing tour from San Francisco to Vancouver BC, staying at a funky B&B in Haight Ashbury, watching The Tempest in 40 degree Ashland OR (outdoors!), and a parlor right out of Jane Austen on Vancouver Island along the way
- sweltered at Archon in St. Louis, ate seafood at Balticon, and introduced a writer friend to the folks at MileHiCon
- spoke at a regional writers' conference in Denver
- caught up with my writing network at the too-short World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs NY
- got treated like Queen for a Day as the Guest of Honor at the ICon Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Role-playing Festival in Tel Aviv, Israel, even though I wasn't Neil Gaiman or Orson Scott card or Tim Powers...

But, of course what this means is that I've had little time to sit down and fool with blog software. Just to decide which one to use takes some time. Maybe I should do MySpace or Facebook instead. Maybe I should just shift to a regular newsgroup instead of the Yahoo Forum. I'm already a contributing member of the DeepGenre blog but I don't seem to find time to post there, what makes me think I'll keep this blog current? Well, my fellow DeepGenre bloggers write long, erudite pieces, and sometimes I want something a bit more personal. My short posts tend to go to my Warrior of Two Souls group, but I like the thought of getting away from the Yahoo peculiarities.

But it's a New Year...and I'm starting a new book...and feel the need to get a handle on what I'm doing. And so much else is going on in the world. I haven't been so pumped about a national election since...maybe ever! I am so ready to see this country reclaim our lost credibility and purpose and-- Well all that is fodder for blog posts, so let's go!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the blog world! I've subscribed to your feed so you'll know you have at least one person at the bottom of the barrel. I'm sure there are many more as well!

And amen to getting away from Yahoo groups. It serves a purpose but can be annoying in the kinks.

carolwriter said...

Thanks, Carrie! I was afraid I would be hollering into the barrel for weeks!

Carol

Anonymous said...

Thanks for blogging Carol! I have been thoroughly enjoying your work - I've read the Bridge of D'Arnath series and I'm almost finished with the Rai-kirah series - don't want it to end! I look forward to reading your other existing novels as well as your future works! I've subscribed to your feed - looking forward to future posts. Happy New Year!

carolwriter said...

Happy New Year to you, too! So glad you're enjoying the books. I will be doing my best to avoid spoilers for any of the books. And I'm happy that you're here.

Carol

Unknown said...

While i don't Blog I do love reading and posting a comment now and again. I have to tell you that i loved flesh & spirit. I've read your other books as well this one was the best so far. I look foward to reading the next one and will enjoy tracking your progress on your current project.

carolwriter said...

Welcome, samantha. Gad to hear you enjoyed Flesh and Spirit.