Excerpt is out!

Excerpt for Wolf At The Door is out!

Anyone for an UF con?

Yes, you heard right. An UF (Urban Fantasy) convention for indie publishers and small presses.

This nugget of an idea popped into my mind after ruminating on the possibility of having an UF con (sparked by a tweet by Stacia Kane). Then as I mulled over the whole concept, I thought: “Why not indie publishers and small presses?”

Why? Because indie publishers and small presses have to work extra hard when it comes to reaching out to their readers. The big boys of publishing can have the luxury of marketing (they have departments for it…).

So, yes, an UF con for the little guy and gal. At the moment, the idea is still very nebulous. We need a lot of work on this. The ideal kickoff for it is 2011.

Likewise, this convention will be online/digital, because like it or not, not all authors or con attendees can travel. Ideally, I would like to fly all the way to the US, but distance does matter.

If you are keen/interested about having an online UF con, if you are an indie publisher or small press, if you write UF for small presses, then signal boost, get the word out. We have the resources. We just need to get ourselves organized.

For me, I tweet regularly. The best place to talk about UF and cons is at #UFchat. Or if you like, do feel free to email me at sabersger at yahoo dot com.

Good news!

Book Two of the urban fantasy series has been accepted by Lyrical Press!

An excerpt.

As she grew older and bigger, so did her phoenix flame. It burned inside her like a furnace, causing her to sleep naked at times or bathe in cisterns filled with cold water. Her temper also grew, to the consternation of her mother.

“My dear princess Min Feng,” Empress Ze Tian beckoned to her adolescent daughter after a particularly bad temper tantrum, consisting of broken vases and pottery. “You need to learn how to curb your flame. A phoenix in mindless rage is an useless phoenix.”

“Your Majesty,” the Empress’s Chamberlain interjected in worriedly. “We cannot continue dousing her with cold water.”

Empress Ze Tian eyed her daughter intently. She was growing tall and slender, beautiful even. Her black hair was streaked with burnished gold, a sure sign that she was over-using her phoenix flame. She stood sullenly, ready for another reprimand.

“One day, Min Feng,” the Empress’s use of her intimate name surprised the girl and she immediately straightened, standing at attention. “You have to realize that your phoenix flame is a gift, passed down from mother to daughter. Use it not in moments of anger.” The Empress did another surprising thing: she kissed her daughter’s forehead affectionately.

***

The training continued, day by day. The food remained the same – cold and bland. She was getting very tired with the cold-water treatment. Resentment set in like a sore tooth. She bristled, restless in mood and obnoxious in attitude.

“I refuse to accept this any further!” She declared hotly, halfway through a meditation session aimed to silence the static in the mind. She stormed out of the class, leaving the rest of the acolytes gaping at her.

She stalked out of the nunnery, feeling heat rise from her skin like a shimmering wave. She craved action. She craved flying. She wanted to get out of this wretched place. With a cry of release, she spread her arms and called forth the phoenix flame –

— And she flared up, like a nebula, pulsating and glowing with immense power. She gave voice and it was a phoenix’s cry, high and undulating. The heat burned bright, relentless. She gloried in it, dancing in and with the fire. She moved her wings and they crackled like electricity. Unleashed, all her frustration and anxiety poured out, making the flames roar even louder, more violent, drowning out the voices around her.

***

From my YA novella Phoenix With A Purpose.

Semaphore Anthology 2010…

… arrived safe and sound. 🙂

And there is also a gorgeous necklace:

Many grateful thanks to Marie from Semaphore Magazine!

When Characters Become Real

Don’t you love it, as a writer, when your characters become real? At first, they existed as thoughts and images in your head, before manifesting on paper (or in a Word doc). Then as your story grew, so did they.

When they become real, they take you down roads less traveled. Not roads you will travel, but your characters would. When they become real, they decide their own conclusions or alternatives. They nudge your story into different territory and for the better, because it’s their story.

It is the same for my urban fantasy series (yes, it’s a series). It is the same for my YA novel “Rider”. The characters become people. They have personalities… and nuances. Depth. They grow.

So, my gentle reader, what happens when your characters become real?

Help Oysters, Pearls and Magic get off its feet!

The last chapter of Oysters, Pearls and Magic is up and running.

Excerpt:
Rakshya fed me nourishing soups, made with fish and herbs. How she managed to get fish remains a mystery. Occasionally, Dorje Dawa would come and massage my body with warm fragrant oils, murmuring words of healing as she did so, her fingers kneading all the knots of pain away.

… here ends Oysters, Pearls and Magic, both Books 1 and 2. Thank you for being readers and supporters of this web-based novella. Throughout January, I will post Bonus Tales. Hopefully, by the end of the year, Oysters, Pearls and Magic will emerge as a print book. Likewise, if you like the novella, do help me give it a signal boost. Perhaps, we can pitch it to publishers. Make it the first web novella to cross over to traditional print. It is pitched at the YA audience (but adults do enjoy reading the novella).

As a gift, I will offer you the whole Book. Free and web-based.

Added: If you are on Twitter, use #OPMya, #YALITCHAT and #weblit so that you can give the novella a boost. Spread the word!

EDIT: Oysters, Pearls and Magic is on available on Amazon Kindle