Proof of Life - Disclaimer for April Posts

I thought I should provide some proof of life since it has been weeks since my last post. I promise I am still alive! I may have created more work for myself than I could possibly do successfully, but I will do it all anyways.

I have submitted a new short story to a contest for QuaranCon and made a few stops on the virtual tour for my upcoming short story in the IWSG Anthology, Dark Matter.

Most of my time (besides working and mothering) has been devoted to edits on my novel manuscript and preparing for the April AtoZ Challenge.

For the challenge, I am presenting (hopefully) 26 episodes of flash fiction. I call them flash fiction because they are mostly short and lack the multiple rounds of editing that a polished story would have. But truly, each episode will connect in a chain to form a larger story about an apprentice herbalist on board a generation ship who makes an interesting discovery about her mentor and the population as a whole.

This brings me to the disclaimer. I am currently drafting episode 11. The first episode goes live in just four days, and I still have 15 more to write. In other words, I have a lot of work and not enough time to do it beautifully. Please keep in mind this is a challenge, an experiment, and a fun exercise in creativity and not a fully polished, published work. I appreciate any and all feedback and hope you enjoy the end product. 

Have a fantastic week, everyone. I will see you on Thursday 😬

AtoZ Challenge - Theme Reveal!!

No surprise, I started a book over a year ago, no not that one, another one. But I stopped working on it to work on my novel. That other book was nonfiction and it was a guide to herbalism. But to be honest, I don't have near the knowledge I wish I had and although I have gathered notes and research for more than a decade, it is a project that will take a lot more time than I have right now.

But now I have the perfect way to take the knowledge I already have, and filter it through my Science Fiction brain. So my theme for the AtoZ Challenge 2021 is:

HERBS IN SPACE:  Which plants to take on your generation ship across the galaxy.

To be honest, most of us are aliens on our own planet. We do not know how and why to use the plants that grow all around us, and this is really useful wisdom to have. We have long forgotten the connection to our home world and are adrift in our virtual worlds. Time to learn which plants would be valuable to keep with us on our journeys.

Check out a new herb each day (except Sunday) for the month of April when I take you from AtoZ.

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ 

Book Review - The Last God

The Last God by Jean Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable read. I was surprised by the romance blended into the science fiction plot, but pleasantly surprised. It might have been a shock at first because I did not know the characters or their intentions well enough and it caught me off guard. They developed throughout the plot, but despite the dual perspectives offered, they were still a little mysterious to me. The conflicts were clear and I enjoyed the world building. (Maybe there could have been more, but I love lots of world building.)

I would definitely recommend this to people who love reading about the interaction of different "races" in space. I was able to finish it easily because it kept my attention and I was invested in their conflicts, wanting to see if they were resolved.

It was well written and I have already ordered another book by Davis and look forward to reading it.


View all my reviews

Satisfying Ending (for today)

I just happened to be reading an article about writing endings, then I checked my email one more time and found a perfect ending for my day.

The winners for the WEP February 2021 Challenge were announced! Congrats to the short list winners:

Jemi - WINNER!

Rebecca  - RUNNER UP

Anstice - ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD

Steph Wolmarans - BRILLIANT DEBUT

C Lee McKenzie 

Dixie 

Kalpana 

Carole 

Jemima 

I received a wonderful mention in the announcement:

"Because we struggled to choose winners from such amazing entries, many of you missed out which is unfortunate. A new WEPper, Steph Wolmarans, stunned us with her entry for The Kiss. We unanimously agreed to award her with a special prize which we do when we're moved to. So, Steph, Olga created this badge expressly for you."

 Thank you a thousand times to all my readers and to the team at WEP!

March - Insecure Writers Support Group

March 3 question - Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

The awesome co-hosts for the March 3 posting of the IWSG are Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose! Check out their blogs while you are here.

Easiest question ever, thanks guys! I absolutely prefer to read and write my favorite genre. This does not mean I never venture out, but I have very limited time for myself, so when I do get time, I choose to use it for something I can benefit from the most. This means visiting another world, reading excellent prose, getting lost in another being's struggles, anything to remove me from reality for just a short while. 

I do not want to read fiction about "real world" struggles because I'm already living with those! (I absolutely will read nonfiction about the real world. Reading about actual problems [vs. "first-world" problems] is something that should be mandatory for anyone who wants to participate in the human race.) Sorry, tripped over my soapbox for a moment. Just let me say one more thing about that, educate yourself about the troubles of the world. Not as a hobby, but as a human resident of planet Earth. Done.

So, which genre? Speculative fiction. I want Science Fiction and Fantasy. I do enjoy things outside of this but usually there is an element of fantasy involved. For some reason, The Count of Monte Cristo is popping into my head as not fitting in my genre of choice, but really it is fantastical. 

Currently I am reading Science Fiction with the express purpose of studying the craft. I am participating in the Goodreads reading challenge, so I post each book I finish reading and complete a review. The reviews are posted to my blog as well.

Feel free to recommend your favorite Speculative Fiction book/author or a worthy alternative in the comments so I can add it to my list!! 

I am currently reading The Last God by Jean Davis. I love her cover art (for all of her books) and I am enjoying the story just as much. (Also currently reading Words are my Matter by Ursula K. Le Guin because she is the goddess of knowledge of writing and life as a human.)

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Want to see what other writers had to say about this question? Visit the blog hop by clicking the badge below. They are all awesome, I promise!

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Before you go...

Head on over to the IWSG Anthology Blog today. It is my turn to be the featured author. I talk about the inspiration for my short story The Utten Mission, and share a blurb and excerpt.