Darlene's Digest

Image via Wikipedia I was at the Farmers Market yesterday and the air was winey with the scent of scuppernong and muscadine grapes. I bought a few pints, the deep purple and rich green of the two varieties blending together in my berry bowl for a classic summer treat. I keep the grapes on the counter and grab a few as I walk by (they're each the size of small apricots), remembering I need to dispose of the seeds along the way. There's a great deal to be said for eating local produce. I knew the grapes were coming into season in North Florida, and it was something to anticipate. Late summer brings the grapes, along with lots of squashes, tomatoes, eggplant and melons. Soon the season will turn again and we'll get the new crop of pecans, persimmons, and when it's nice and cool, salad greens. Getting into the rhythm of your local seasons puts an entirely new twist on how you cook, and how you eat. I'm just glad our Farmers Market (Downtown on the Plaza, Wednesday...

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr Tropical Storm Fay, the aftermath All things considered, we got off easy. Lots and lots and lots of rain, but I was really glad the roofers were able to come out a couple weeks ago to do their repairs. If there was ever a test of the new skylight's seal, this was it. And it seemed to do just fine. We lost power for about an hour Friday afternoon, then again for 30 minutes later in the day, but it wasn't bad at all. I put my houseplants out for a good soaking and it seemed to cheer them up. The dog was unhappy 'cause there were no "walkies", but I see the sun poking through this morning. So all is well in North Central Florida once again.

Image by sandrino via Flickr Tropical Storm Fay I've done my hurricane prep, like a good li'l Floridian, so at this point I'm just keeping an eye on the storm. Landfall could be around Cedar Key, north of Tampa Bay, which would put the storm 60 miles west of me. That means we could still get high winds, heavy rain and the possibility of tornadoes. I'm feeling pretty calm though, 'cause I just had my roof and skylight repaired, so barring a tree crashing into it (which happened during the hurricanes in '04), we should be in good shape. And I have my blue tarp, just in case. The water, batteries, spare meds, gas grill, camp stove, land-line telephone, etc. are on hand. I have bread, canned goods and peanut butter. The upright freezer is packed with ice bags, so if we lose power everything should stay frozen for at least 48 hours. I have empty bleach bottles I can fill with tap water for washing. The one thing I didn't have last time which I swore I wouldn...

Squee! I just got my first fan email from Estonia! I was wondering who was reading my Estonian editions, now I know at least one reader. Thanks, Kristin, for taking the time to write!

Image via Wikipedia Tips for New Writers Tara asked me to share some of what we discussed at Worldcon . I wish I'd taken notes, but when I'm on the panel and interacting I'm so caught up with what's going on it's hard to keep track. Here though are some of the things we discussed. Much of it you've heard before, but it bears repeating: Keep writing. Keep your butt in the chair. Develop disciplined habits. Study the work of successful authors in your field. Keep telling yourself "I did this once, I can do it again." Don't take rejection personally--editors are critiquing your work, not you. Be nice to everyone you meet--they're all potential readers. Do self promotion, but don't get so caught up in it it keeps you from writing. Develop regular writing times. I learned other authors also suffer from the "2/3 curse" where you're 2/3 of the way through your work in progress and you don't want to do it anymore and yo...

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION Worldcon (Denvention3) was fantastic. I arrived Wednesday in plenty of time for my 4:00 panel, Survival Tips for New Writers. The other panelists were David Coe and this year's Campbell Award winner, Mary Robinette Kowal, and along with the audience I picked up tips from them on how to improve my work habits. On Thursday I had a full day of panels. How do Ebooks Change Writing--an Ebook Writing Primer was intriguing, and moderator Dave Howell worked hard to keep us focused on the topic and not wandering off into weird ebook stories. We talked about interactive ebooks with hyperlinks, but also about how many readers seem content with ebooks simply being an exact copy of a print book delivered through different media. Aaaargh! The Pirate Panel was just what you might expect from the title, an exploration of why we like pirates so much, and where pirate history and mythology collide. The other panelists--David Riley, MistyMassey and Linda Donoh...

It's Worldcon Time! See you there!

Image via Wikipedia Why I love my job I spent the day sailing, all in the name of research. Work, work, work! Does this grind never end? Seriously, it was delightful. I joined Captain Vic and First Mate Ellen aboard their 33 ft. boat Liberty in St. Augustine. I was well prepared with enough sunscreen to shield a vampire, my guaranteed-not-to-fly-off hat and my notepad. Oh, and ginger candy just in case. But everything was perfect. We had to cut our outing a bit short because of the typical Florida afternoon thunderstorms. We wouldn't have minded the rain, but the lightning's another story. I was given a tour of the boat, an explanation of the lines and rigging, a crash course on how to use the radio for emergency calls, and we were underway. Captain Vic really is a licensed captain and a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, so I knew I was in good hands. Modern sailboats come equipped with small motors, which made it easier to get in and out of the marina, but once we ...

I've been Kindled! Two of my three books are now available as Kindle editions from Amazon, here. Of course, they were (and still are) available in a variety of ebook formats from my publisher via my website, from Fictionwise, and from other ebook vendors. But I'm glad to be part of the Kindle universe.

Image via Wikipedia My Worldcon Schedule I'll be at Denvention3, the World Science Fiction Convention, in Denver from August 6-10. Here's my list of panels: Survival Tips for the Beginning Writer--Wed., 4:00 p.m. How do eBooks change writing - an eBook writing primer--Thur., 11:30 a.m. Arrrrrrgh! The Pirate Panel--Thur., 2:30 p.m. Swashbucklers in Space -- Thur., 5:30 p.m. SF fans who write in other genres--Fri., 10:00 a.m. And I'll be working at the Hugos Saturday night. Whew! Looks like a full schedule, but I hope I'll see some of you there. Leave me a note on the "voodoo board" (If you don't know what that is, you will when you get there) and say "Hi!"

Image via Wikipedia I did a talk today on Florida pirates titled "Pirates Prefer Prowling the Peninsula--Florida's Pirate History" for the Institute for Learning in Retirement. The ILR works with the University of Florida and their retirement community, Oak Hammock, arranging for presentations to the seniors who live in the Oak Hammock facility. It was great having such an interested and lively audience, and I told them how much I enjoyed speaking to a "seasoned" group, where I didn't have to explain who Errol Flynn and Rafael Sabatini are. Some of the audience bought signed copies of my books afterwards. I picked up a request to to a speaking engagement next winter and they treated me to lunch, so it was a morning well spent.

Image via Wikipedia I was on the road yesterday and stopped for lunch at an Asian/Fusion restaurant I like. They brought me a fortune cookie for dessert, and while I'm not always in the mood for a fortune cookie, I always read the fortune. Yesterday's fortune read, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." A rather pedestrian sentiment, but I kept the fortune because it fit in so well with what I'd been writing that morning. The heroine of my WIP is not attractive in a conventional sense. Even the hero realizes this. He knows the heroine is far less "pretty" than the girl he's supposed to marry, yet he's still attracted to her: "Maybe it was like beets, he thought. Some people loathed beets, and wouldn't have anything to do with them. He happened to like beets very much. His family, all beet-loathers, never understood it, but there it was." I don't know if that passage will make it past the first draft, and inci...

I'm off to a meeting of the Alachua County Library District Foundation this afternoon, and while I'm there I'm going to donate two copies of Rache & Rosen to the German novel collection. A lot of folks don't know the ACLD has a German novel collection. That's because they didn't before I donated Samt & Sabel to them last year. I'm enjoying doing my part to expand the local public library's foreign novel collections.

Image via Wikipedia I'm back from the Bar (yes, it was a really good bar) and at work. I got a boost today when my son called from Jerusalem (yes, that Jerusalem) to say he saw a copy of Pirate's Price in a used bookstore, right up there with English language NYT bestsellers. He said he took pictures, and I'm looking forward to seeing that!

It's time for the Bar Convention! Lawyers! Litigation! Liquor! The best part about being a lawyer spouse rather than a practicing attorney: I get to do all the fun stuff without sitting through the CE sessions! More on this story as it develops...

I'm blogging with BAM! C'mon over and check out my musings on that Romance imperative, the Happily Ever After Ending.

Yo! German fans of Darlene Marshall! Pick up the June issue of LoveLetter Magazine and read all about bad girls at sea. It coincides with the release of Rache & Rosen from Heyne, on sale now from Amazon.de and fine German booksellers.

Image via Wikipedia The Blurb I Want on My Next Book... ...would be from John Adams. Yes, that John Adams. I'm reading Cokie Roberts' Ladies of Liberty (highly recommended) and ran across a line today that made me grin real hard: "But they didn't lead a retired life...John Adams, so accustomed to having Abigail run everything, took to reading romance novels, much to his wife's amazement, and continued to rely on her to manage their finances." I'd love to know what he was reading! Dang, I knew I liked the Federalists, and this is just another reason why.

I'll be blogging this Thursday, June 5, at The Deadly Vixens. Drop by and join our chat on the joys of researching historicals!

Image by TopTechWriter.US via Flickr Once upon a time, the words "The Eagle has landed" sent a shiver up my spine and made my heart race faster. Now I can add the phrase "The Phoenix has landed" to my memories. We've sent a machine to Mars to peacefully explore our neighboring planet. It's the 21st century and we're exploring Mars! I don't have my flying car yet, but that's pretty cool. We humans are still capable of doing great things and advancing knowledge of the worlds beyond our doorstep. Kudos to all the scientists who worked to make this happen! Nerds rock!