by Penny Freeman | Jan 24, 2015 | Sound-off Saturday, Writing
AUTHORING AS A NOUN BY CANDACE J. THOMAS Someone argued to me that there are no authors and that every author is a plagiarist, grabbing from history or different experiences. She said, “To AUTHOR as a verb is to create something new and there is nothing new in...
by Penny Freeman | Aug 8, 2014 | Events, Sound-off Saturday
BY PENNY FREEMAN We’ve just returned from Salt City Steamfest, where the X-team provided two panels. Our authors, Scott E. Tarbet, Alyson Grauer, Candace J. Thomas, Sarah Hunter Hyatt, and Jay Barnson, presented “Writing Steampunk: Tropes and Tips”...
by Penny Freeman | Jun 1, 2014 | Sound-off Saturday, Writing
BY J. M. SALYARDS Feedback and reviews for Shadow of the Last Men have been largely positive, but there is a common refrain from those readers who perhaps were not prepared for some of the more intense scenes in the work. “Expect a fair amount of blood and...
by Penny Freeman | Feb 7, 2014 | Sound-off Saturday
BY PETE FORD A few weeks ago, I read an article by a blogger who had a big problem with certain books. It appeared that he couldn’t decide whether these books were science fiction, or fantasy. These books didn’t—to his mind—fit neatly into one category or the other,...
by Penny Freeman | Jan 18, 2014 | Sound-off Saturday
BY F. M. LONGO (Author’s Note: I omitted names to prevent embarrassment, and deleted all expletives) One of the reasons I look forward to Halloween every year is my civic group’s annual haunted house. It’s one of our major fundraisers, and we have a four-week period...
by Penny Freeman | Oct 26, 2013 | Sound-off Saturday, Writing
BY BENJAMIN IRELAND I was inspired by a recent blog by the Xchyler co-owner, Penny Freeman, to tell my Xchyler story. Through mutual acquaintances Penny and I became Facebook friends. One day, I posted how much work it takes to write a book when you don’t know...
