Predators and Editors Readers' Choice

The Predator's and Editor's Readers' Poll is up, and I sure would appreciate your vote for Pandora's Hope. Here is the link. Lust in Space, the first novel to the series, came in the top 10 last year and I would love to see Pandora's Hope follow suit. Help give me a reason to celebrate, friends.

My thanks!

RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal

This just in from Kylie Griffin, and another SFR Brigader, Jess Anastasi, is involved with the committee.  As you've probably seen on the news, parts of Australia have been devastated by massive flooding.  This is your chance to do what you can for the libraries and communities of the impacted areas.  Permission to forward this information has been granted. 

If you or your local group or club can help donate books, wonderful!  If not, please consider posting on blogs and web sites, Twitter, Facebook, and forwarding to your peers, loops and clubs.  (Feel free to link to this post.)  Let's all help in any way we can by getting the word out or contributing to the cause. 

*PERMISSION TO FORWARD*
Begin forwarded message:

As some of you may already know, a team from the RWA commitee has
started a drive for book donations...

RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal

We've all seen the devastation the recent Queensland floods have wrought
and have wondered how we can help. We know that for many affected
families, books will not be high on their priorities list for some time
to come.

But...

We also know how valuable books can be in providing time out when
reality gets tough.

So…

With the aid of some wonderful volunteers, we've put together a
Romance Writers of Australia Flooded Communities Book Appeal.

What we need?

FICTION BOOKS! Romance books, children's books, young adult books, genre
books, whatever – either new or in sparkling condition.

Please send them to:

RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal
PO Box 1717
Noosaville Post Office
Noosaville BC
Queensland 4566
Australia

When to send them?

Now! And any time over the next few months. The books will be boxed and
delivered to the appropriate libraries/schools/neighbourhood
centres/community centres in batches as soon as the communities are
ready to receive them. We'll be liaising with councils, libraries
and schools to ensure this is done appropriately. Feel free to pop a
note inside, or if you're an author, sign it.

Questions:

If you have a question about donations, email Jess Anastasi:
Jess@jessanastasi.com

If you work in a library / council / community centre / school in a
flood affected area, email Rachel Bailey: rachel@rachelbailey.com.au

And now for the extra detail...

I want to ask an extra favour of everyone on this list. If you feel
comfortable enough about it, and your publisher has some sort of
group/e-loop, please forward this on to them. In fact, forward it to
anywhere you think might be useful. Put it up on your blog or website,
talk about it on facebook and twitter. The more people who know, the
more books we're likely to get. We'll take donations from anywhere, so
long as people are willing to send those books!

If you have any questions, send me an email.

Thanks for your cooperation and support!

Jess Anastasi

RWA Flooded Communities Book Appeal Team

To read more about the Australian  Flood Disaster, see the News on the SFR Brigade web site or go to Kylie Griffin's blog.

Thursday Tag Party for 1/13/11!

Ever wonder why Thursday the 13th isn't considered unlucky? While 13 is considered an irregular or "incomplete" and, therefore, unlucky number, Friday has a long standing place in many folk traditions as an unlucky day. You're not supposed to start new projects or begin a journey on a Friday. So Thursday the 13th is only half as unlucky.

For my next trick, I'm going to walk under a ladder while holding a black cat and opening an umbrella indoors.

For our Tagging targets, I've picked one brand new and two from the backlist today, because good stories have no expiration date.

Here's the brief lab manual of how to tag for our first-timers:

• Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)

• Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header

• Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)

• Don't forget your SFR Brigade Tag!

• If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'

• If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)

For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tagging is always welcome.

And now serving up some lovely books to Tag!



The Promise of Kierna'rhoan by Isabo Kelly














New Canterbury Affair by Frances Pauli














Marshall's Guard by Isabo Kelly












As always - the Tag Party is searching the e-galaxy for your work, old or new. If you'd like your work featured in the weekly Tag Party, or if you can set up a meeting for me with Viggo Mortensen, please drop me a line at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com .

Has your creative well run dry?

Ever hit a bare, desolate patch in your life where your creativity seems to have dried up? And the longer you worry about it, the more pressure you put on yourself to spark it, the longer the effect seems to last?

I’ve been through this sort of experience more than a few times. These last couple of times though, I’ve taken closer notice of what’s helped rejuvenate me.

Reading for pleasure – it’s like a super strength bag of fertilizer. This is the biggest pick me up I know that refills my creative well. Relaxing with a good book pulls me away from the desolate desert of worry. The energy, the ideas, the emotions that come with reading another author’s work feeds me and stimulates my mind, de-stressing me while rejuvenating me.

Watching movies – just another version of reading for pleasure.

Writing something every day – even if it’s not the next WIP it keeps the working parts ticking over, the eye in, the skills from getting rusty. It temporarily satisfies the drive to be doing “something” in the writing arena.

What fills your creative well when the levels fall low?