DC Area Storytellers

Just got home from DC's Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Street Festival).  The weather was grim, but the performances were great.  (I'm listening to the new Aun CD I bought after their show and will post pictures...soon.  Soon.  Really.  ;-))  But all the fun meant I'm slow posting the link to my new Beyond the Veil blog, "Foxfire".  Appropriately, considering the occasion, it deals with foxes, among the most iconic creatures of Asian folklore--and among the West's most reviled.  Enjoy!
Jean Marie Read More......

Foxy Folklore

As you probably guessed from my silence on the blog-waves, I’m lost in the writing cave again. But I’ll emerge for two days this weekend to participate in the seminars and wonderfulness that is SynDCon, the Washington DC area’s premier gaming convention.
My schedule comprises three panels in the auditorium of the con hotel, the Hilton Conference Center in Rockville, MD. (It really is only steps away from the Twinbrook Metro!)

Saturday, April 2
Noon – 2 p.m.
Getting Published in Fiction
Four crazy writers tell you how they convinced people to pay them for doing what they’d do for free. I suspect there will be some funny rejection stories, too. After all, misery does love company.
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail (moderator), Vonnie Winslow Crist, Jean Marie Ward & Diane Whiteside

6 – 8 p.m.
The Literary Handyman Mini-Writer’s Workshop
This is where Dani puts on her editor’s hat and gets to the guts of what makes a good, saleable story, with Vonnie and I sharing our scars--er, learning experiences.
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail (moderator), Vonnie Winslow Crist & Jean Marie Ward

Sunday, April 3
Noon – 2 p.m.
Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading
Join the women writers of Broad Universe for a selection of small yet tasty bites of fiction. The current plan calls for each of us to read twice. I’m planning a selection from “Personal Demons” (my contribution to Hellebore & Rue) and the first unveiling of a Sooper Sekrit ProjeK, which will not be mentioned in paper or pixies--er, pixels until the anthology table of contents is announced…by somebody else. But I can tell you this: There will be cats. And of course, chocolate. Can’t have an RFR without chocolate!
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Kelly A. Harmon, Jean Marie Ward (moderator) & Diane Whiteside.

Looking forward to seeing you there! Read More......

Jean Marie's SynDCon Schedule

The Outer Alliance Podcast featuring HELLEBORE & RUE is now live. Host Julia Rios did a great job of interviewing editor Catherine Lundoff, contributor Lisa Nohealani and me last Sunday. Particularly fascinating are Catherine's insights into the story selection process and Lisa's discussion of her wonderful story, "And out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness". And oh yeah, I talk about and read from "Personal Demons", too. Read More......

Outer Alliance Podcast Featuring Hellebore & Rue

Okay, so technically the blog's at Beyond the Veil, but that won't stop you from visiting, right? After all, today everybody's Irish, not just crazy redheads like me. Read More......

St. Patrick's Day Thursday 13

No sooner did I finish the story that kept me hunkered down in the writing cave all January, when another New! Shiny! request landed in my email box. So I'm going to play prairie dog and head back to the burrow until sometime this spring. But before I do, I wanted to catch everyone up on all the good stuff.

First, if you want to get a taste of the story that occupied my January, head over to Beyond the Veil, the Samhain Publishing paranormal writers blog, for a discussion of how I developed one of the names for that story, aka "Fixed". Yes, there is a cat involved, and a shelter, and the cat winces a lot.

The next two items are personal appearances that might be of special interest to folks in the Washington DC area. On March 5, from 10 a.m. to about noon, I'll be moderating a panel of comprising noted science fiction and fantasy authors Catherine Asaro, Mindy Klasky, Pamela Palmer, Diana Peterfreund, Rebecca York and special guest Colleen Gleason. The panel is part of an all-day seminar hosted by Washington Romance Writers at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center, Bethesda, MD. It will continue after lunch with Colleen's workshops on the hero's journey and world-building. Click here for more information (including links to driving directions). This event is free and open to the public, and I know from personal experience, WRW always offers prizes, including books signed by the participating authors.




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News, News, News, News

Read an excerpt BUY NOW

Harley on the Rocks by Zenobia Renquist  Cover art: Bryan Keller ISBN: 978-1-60521-593-8 Genre(s): Guilty Pleasures (Contemporary) Theme(s): Interracial, Ménage, Bisexual and More Length: Novella

Book Summary Harley's got the hots for her best friends -- two gorgeous hunks who're in love with one another. Helping them spice up their sex life can't be such a bad idea -- can it? Friends with benefits, nothing more. Harley's heart has complicated the issue. She wants to be more to Koijirou and Davis than a temporary fling, but she doesn't want to ruin their friendship. If it comes down to a choice between sex and friendship, can she handle the consequences of the choice she makes? Read An Excerpt BUY NOW

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Harley on the Rocks by Zenobia Renquist

Guess what I'm doing in February?

Looking for that little something to get your creative juices flowing? What about a fun way to use your imagination? Once a month we have a new way to expand your imagination and use your writing skills or improve your writing skills. We will provide a beginning of a story, the genre to use, and you provide your version of the story should go. Authors...would you like be our host for a month? Contact us to check on the schedule today! coffeewrite@coffeetimeromance.com

So come join me as I start a tale and you help me finish it! I'll be there from February 4th to the 23rd! Read More......

I'm Hosting Coffee Write in February!