Phoenix Comicon 2016 - by Vijaya Schartz

If you like Sci-fi, you are probably a geek, and you are not alone. On June 2-5, over 90,000 people braved the 115-degree heat to attend the 2016 Phoenix Comicon, and discover their inner geek. And it was worth it. The city had to close some roads for the block parties, and the heavy construction on 7th Street made traffic a nightmare, but that did not stop the fans.

I attended as an exhibitor, signing my novels at a small table with my author friend in geekdom, Linda Andrews. This was our third Phoenix Comicon together, and it has been the best so far. We were ensconced between two booths with tall displays of graphic art, with the artist selling on one side, and another drawing your caricatures as your favorite character. For four days, we watched the crowd, many in full costumes, cruise by our modest display. Many of the vendors sold costumes, wigs, light sabers, and all the geeky paraphernalia you can only find in specialized shops and at Comicon. And among all these convention goers, there were readers. Some only stopped to admire the covers, but others actually liked to read good sci-fi or fantasy books.

Many other Arizona authors exhibited and signed their books at this popular convention, and if you were there, you probably met them, as it's a favorite spot for writers of science fiction, comic books, and fantasy.

You meet some interesting characters, some funny, and some scary. I particularly liked these two:

Fans could take selfies with their favorite DC character in authentic costume, there were contests for the largest group of the same character Cosplay. Fans attended panels with their favorite sci-fi movie stars. Everyone had a blast. This is heaven for gamers, artists, writers, and fans.

I was honored to be singled out by a famous Cosplay character, the best in his trade, a local celebrity in full costume, impersonating "Ex Excessive." I love the concept as well as the costume. Who wouldn't fall for these gorgeous black wings. He is local, his name is Trevor Gahona, and he gave me one of his roses. You can see it as a red dot of color on my table. Here is one of his official pictures in costume taken at the convention. What did I tell you?

In other words, I had a fantastic Phoenix Comicon, and I'll be back next year for sure. This event is a highlight of the year. I loved it. Hope to see you there next year.

Vijaya Schartz, author

Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick

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Recap for January, March, April and May

A massive recap to catch y’all on the comings and goings of the KDP Facebook page. Go there, like it and be in the loop. I’ll post photos of dogs to please you, it’s what I do.

Happy New Year!
January 1st and happy Adopt-a-versary to the Supreme Being of Goodness and Light, Waffles

2016 Resolution: Play more fetch.

A festive butt, for the rest of us.

Down to Earth.

Reach for your dreams…
or something.
Honestly, I would be a sucky ass inspirational speaker. But man is Sox so cool. And you are too!

Reach for your dreams like Bixby would reach for belly rubs

Breakway.

Smile.
What are you waiting for?

Spotted a bear in the neighborhood…

Hip hop and the fun don’t stop.

Walking on sunshine .

Fire.

His name is Job and he is loved.
(I can’t wait to show you more of this little cloud!)

Dogs are Magic.
And you can’t convince me otherwise.

Treats are serious business.

Kill ’em with kindness and kisses.
That’s Waffle’s motto.

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The Inevitable Author—No Time to Write! by Kathleen Cook

The deadline for my column crept up on me before I realized it, and I’m ashamed to say that I was shocked when our newsletter editor, Cherie, emailed with, “Are you writing a column this time?” I usually have it prepared a couple of weeks in advance, or at least the first draft of it. This time, life got in the way and I thought, “I have no time to write!” Does that ever happen to you?

It seems that lately, people tend to concentrate on things that provide instant gratification. You go to the store so that you can prepare tonight’s meal. You work to earn this week’s paycheck. When you don’t see an instant benefit from your writing, you tend to get discouraged, put it off, and say, “There are just too many other things to do.”

Writing is never an instant gratification process unless, of course, you’re in school and you receive an “A+” for your efforts. Writing, rather, is like constructing a quilt. Each story that you write, each newsletter column, article, or book, makes up the kind of writer you are, the body of work that personifies your talent. When you stare at an unfinished quilt in the corner of your sewing room for too long, you tend to lose interest in it or grow discouraged. If you work on it faithfully, however, a scrap here, a square there, a pattern here, you begin to see what your readers see … an evolution of beauty, clarity and “wholeness.”

There’s an old Buddhist saying that struck a chord with me. It read, “Everyone should meditate for 10 minutes a day unless they are busy. If they are busy, then they should meditate for an hour a day.” If you think about it, this is so true. The busier you are, the more you need to sit back, relax, and concentrate on the things that make up the big picture of you, your talents, your achievements, your soul.

For many Arizona Authors’ Association members, our writing craft makes up a significant portion of our legacy to the future. Each writing effort adds richness to the whole of that future we leave behind for our readers, even if our readers consist only of our family and friends. (When should family and friends ever be thought of as, “only?” They’re our most precious champions!)

We are what we write, and we improve ourselves by continuing to be what we are … writers. But how do we find the time when life gets in the way? Perhaps we should separate our tasks into two baskets, the first holding things that affect our future selves, the second containing the things we do merely for instant gratification, here today and discarded tomorrow. Practicing our writing craft falls into the first category. Those efforts shape our future.

Look through the second basket. What do you see? When I look there, I see moments wasted, things I could have done more efficiently, tasks that produced no genuine good. I see a minor spat with my daughter where I should have shown more patience. I see a ½ hour, futile political discussion on Facebook with someone who didn’t like my candidate. What was the point of that foray? I didn’t change his mind; he didn’t change mine. I could have churned out the rough draft of my column during that time, if I had thought about it. Instead, I got sidetracked. In effect, I threw my beautiful, partially finished quilt into the corner of my sewing room.

How many of those moments can you find? If you could take that time back and put it into the first basket, would you discover extra hours with which to construct your author’s portfolio, your legacy to time? All of us could, if we thought about it.

While none of us will ever truly finish our writing quilt, we can create one that keeps us warm in the knowledge that we have done our best, evolved, grown, gained stature as an author and increased our audience, even if it’s only by one reader. If I could fast forward to the end of my life, I know beyond doubt that I would much prefer to look back on a bounty of inspirational books, stories and folktales, rather than forgotten Facebook political arguments.

Some people tell me, “I’ll have more time when I retire,” or, “After the kids are in school, then I’ll write.” I’m a retired mother of four grown children and trust me, there is never more time than there is right now. If being retired or rearing the kids instantly produced more hours in the day, I would not have been caught with egg on my face when our dear editor contacted me about my column.

Do it now; make today count. Check that second basket, and you’ll find the time you need no matter how short that time is. If it’s only 10 minutes, think of a short quote you can write in that amount of time. No need for a manuscript. A short quote will do.

I’ve probably been where you are and done at least some of what you’ve done. I know how hard it is for young moms and dads with kids in diapers to set aside moments of quiet time. I know how impossible it is for parents to focus when their teens are out past curfew and they sit there wondering if there’s been a wreck. I promise you, however, that each decade brings a different set of challenges to eat up your time, energy and focus. Instead of putting off your literary efforts, write them now. You’ll find that as you get into the habit of writing when there’s no time, minutes magically appear.

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Job the Joyous Pomeranian| Love Session

Job was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer so his mom set up a Love session for him to document the wonderful bond these two have had for the last seven years. Understandably our session was bittersweet but we didn’t want to dwell on the heartbreaking diagnosis and instead we made sure that Job had an amazing day filled with laughter, playing and eating treats. And holy crap did that dog love my treats! It’s hard to be serious when a normally inactive dog books it as fast as a cheetah for the prospect of getting some Stella and Chewy Freeze Dried Beef (basically dog crack). Job has a joyful aura and everywhere we went, people fawned over him while he pranced around and honestly, I can’t blame them. Job is an amazing special creature.

The post Job the Joyous Pomeranian| Love Session appeared first on Kira DeDecker Photography Blog.

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ARIZONA AUTHOR TONY TAYLOR WINS 2016 ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARDS

Sedona author and 2015 Arizona Book of the Year recipient Tony Taylor has been awarded two distinctions by the prestigious international 2016 Eric Hoffer Book Awards. Taylor’s novels, The Darkest Side of Saturn (2015) and Counters (2014), have won First Place for Commercial Fiction, and Honorable mention in the Legacy Fiction categories, respectively.

The Hoffer Award honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. Since its inception, the Hoffer has become one of the largest international book awards for small academic and independent presses.

Both novels made the Short List—an honor in itself—for the Grand Prize.

Counters, a story of air combat informed by Taylor’s fighter pilot experiences in the Vietnam war, has been described as follows: “This book is destined to become a classic....It’s a searing question of survival....The author is an extraordinarily gifted writer, who claims to have navigated spacecraft to every planet in the solar system.”

The Darkest Side of Saturn, a story of two astronomers who discover a dangerous asteroid, has been described as “deftly juggling sly satire, romance, suspense, and metaphysics, the author, a former NASA navigator, offers fascinating insight into the procedures & politics of space exploration.”

Pilot, spacecraft navigator, author Tony Taylor flew fighters in the Air Force and later navigated NASA spacecraft to all eight planets of the solar system. For insurance, in order to claim all the planets in case Pluto is promoted again, he added Pluto in 2015 as a member of the New Horizons Navigation Team. Taylor lives with his wife, Jan, in Sedona, Arizona.

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RT16 in Las Vegas April 12-17 was quite the Booklovers Convention

This is not my first RT Booklovers Convention, far from it, but this event never ceases to amaze me. As an author, it's uncanny to meet so many readers who recognize you and have read your books. Since I write in mixed niche genres, medieval fantasy romance and science fiction romance, I never expect a large crowd. Yet, somehow, it seems my readers love to go to RT every year... and they were all there.

The night events especially Viva la Historical and Cirque du Punk had incredible costumes, food, and circus entertainment. There were many pictures taken, but I don't want to use them without permission.

The Intergalactic Bar & Grille reader event with NYT best-selling author Linnea Sinclair (the queen of sci-fi romance) and a dozen mid-list authors like me, rocked the convention. We played games and cheered until our throats were raw. I died my hair purple for the event. You cannot really tell from the pictures, because of the lighting, but it is purple.

Jenifer Raniery (left) Book cover designer for DBP - Vijaya Schartz, author - Gail Delaney, publisher.

I also had breakfast with one of my publishers, Desert Breeze Publishing, from California, and their attending authors. We only meet at these kinds of events, so had to take a group picture. 

 

The giant book signing was incredible, and every single one of these 700+ participating authors sold several books that day. Here is my signing table towards the end. As you can see, very few books left. I gave out hundreds of postcards and promoted my April release (the small poster of Damsel of the Hawk on the table). And yes, these are mini peanut Reeses dark chocolates on the table.

 

These events are a big  expense of money, time and energy but they are certainly worth it if you can afford them. I do not attend every year, I usually skip a year or two, so no RT for me next year (in Dallas). This time it was at a driving distance from Arizona. Maybe sometime soon they'll have it in Phoenix. That would be cool.

In the meantime, happy publishing, happy promoting, and happy writing. For me, it's back to the computer to start my next novel.

Vijaya Schartz

Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick

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A Research Hike to Phantom Ranch - by Jane Ruby

Many hikers describe Grand Canyon as majestic and spectacular. I’ve seen several stunning views from the rim, but never more than a thousand feet below it. Would’ve helped in 2010, when I’d written “The Azurite Encounter,” about a high school field trip into the Grand Canyon. In my novel, students descended the steep seven-mile South Kaibab Trail to the Bright Angel Camp-grounds. I had used books, photos and blogs to describe their trip. But I always wondered if my descriptions were accurate.

My chance to find out came this past February, when I joined an eight-women hike to the Phantom Ranch—just a pebble toss from the Bright Angel Campground. While packing for my rookie trek, curiosity overwhelmed me. Had I accurately described creek gurgles and cricket chirps in my novel? I had written about a character sitting on a tree log, sketching the river rock-constructed Phantom Ranch Cantina. I hoped these sounds and sights were accurate, and that my upcoming hike would be, as quoted by the late great Yogi Berra, “Déjà vu all over again.”

The day before the descent, our hike group spent the morning checking equipment and stuffing dufflebags for this mule-assisted hike. I chose this hike because I could pack toiletries, clothes, batteries, chargers, and extra food on the mule instead of my back. The forecast called for six to twelve inches of snow, and I wanted extra supplies in case of emergency. In my novel I describe a late winter storm flooding the canyon, and a main character getting cut off from her campsite. This is one déjà vu I don’t want for my hike!

The morning of our descent the sun had already risen, but storm clouds allowed only streaks of orange-red light to hit some canyon walls. What a spectacular visual send-off for our hike! I caught photos worthy of an Arizona Highways magazine cover!

My zipper-pull thermometer read 20°F, agreeing with the frosty feeling on my face. My windbreaker and underlying layers of clothing protected me from the cold. View of the snow-crusted switchback trail below convinced me to pull on my ice crampons. Our group descended, canyon walls echoing the crunch of snow pack. We fought against gravity and slippage. Thankfully the cliffs blocked the subfreezing breezes. I focused on the trail for fear of sliding off it!

At Cedar Ridge, a thousand feet down, red-tan ice replaced the snow-covered trail. Warm from exertion, I shed my windbreaker. Parts of Cedar Ridge jut out, exposing the trail to a harsh, but warm wind. During heavy gusts, the flapping of wind pants joined the crackling of ice. One gust blew our tour guide’s crampon bag over a cliff. She found a calm and flat area to stop for water, food and picture taking. I turned back to view the majestic cliffs dotted by junipers and snowfields, making our arduous descent worth the trouble!

My thermometer read a balmy 40°F. Dry earth replaced mud, so I removed my crampons. Feelings of awe replaced my fear of death, and I couldn’t help rubbernecking at the bright green bristle bush, agave, and yucca popping out of the deep red rock. The view reminded me of desert mountain slopes after a morning rain.

Arriving at the Bright Angel Shale level, multitudes of lush green-gray bristle bush seemed to erupt from pale green rock—like a fairy-tale desert oasis. A sun ray ran across yellow-and red-lined peaks above us like a moving picture show—better than any Weather Channel video! We passed groups of volunteers filling in mule-made divots. My footsteps felt softer and gentler than before, and I thanked every single volunteer I passed.

After five hours of descent we reached the basement rock level—about a thousand feet above the river. Dark green rock marbled with ribbons of orange-pink dominated our view. We could hear the Colorado River rushing over rocks as indicated by white caps. Two motion picture shows entertained us! Yucca plants and prickly pear cactus began to line our trail, some growing out of cracks of granite. Made me appreciate the heartiness of this desert shrubbery!

When we reached the river level, prickly pear, fishhook, and pincushion cacti carpeted the area. My thermometer read over 50°F, so I found a prickle-free area to shed my wind pants. I couldn’t believe the multitudes of blooming shrubs! Only thing I saw dormant were cottonwood trees, their bare tan bark contrasting with the dark basement rock.

After six hours we traveled through a tunnel and over the river to the North Kaibab Trail, arriving at a narrow trail where some hedgehog cactus seemed to welcome us with spouting fuchsia blossoms. Spring arrived early here!

We paralleled a gurgling Bright Angel creek, passing the mule ranch and the ranger station. At Bright Angel Campgrounds we found a few tents, probably pitched by the trail workers. Amidst several small green-roofed cabins rose a tall building, its green-vaulted roof crowning the river rock walls. That had to be the Phantom Ranch Cantina!

With a burst of energy, I circled the building, looking for logs—like one my character sat on the morning after her descent. Luckily I found several logs suitable for sitting to sketch the historical cantina.

I never heard chirping crickets, so my novel was not entirely accurate. But the high school field trip happened later in Spring—perhaps warm enough for crickets to chirp. I was also wrong about the canyon flooding. Though a snowstorm raged on the rim, we only got a few snowflakes at the bottom.

Jane Ruby at the Grand Canyon

I’m glad my first hike into the Grand Canyon wasn’t completely “déjà vu all over again.” My only regret was not taking this hike before publishing my novel—I’d have added more majestic and spectacular descriptions of the descent.

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