Category Archives: Announcements

Reader Poll & Winter Writing Festival

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Two updates today:

First, the AAR Annual reader poll is open. Go and vote for your favorite romance reads of 2012. (Note: You must enter at least six books/authors in order for your vote to count)

AAR Annual Reader Poll

Now, I was reading a thread on the forum that lamented that the books that win for non-UK historical are often still set in the UK and always seem to have English characters. So *cough* if you read and enjoyed My Fair Concubine *cough* I can assure you that absolutely no part of it takes place in good ol’ England. Or involves English characters. 🙂

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The second update is about the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood’s 3rd annual Winter Writing Festival. I’m joining in this year and working on my new WIP: Bandits and Lovers which is the sequel to The Sword Dancer. I think it’s a great chance to get a jumpstart on your writing goals for 2013.

Join in for chats, weekly update blogs, a fun cheering squad, and a chance to win some prizes from the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood: books, manuscript critiques and other goodies.

Sign up here!

Details: Craving some serious writing productivity this winter? Need to clean up the mess you left in the second half of your NaNo novel? Want to finally, finally fix that pesky plot hole in your WIP?
Through the bleakest part of winter—January 10, 2012 thru the last day of February—the Third Annual Ruby Slippered Sisterhood Winter Writing Festival will be here to keep your creative fires burning, with writing sprints in our chat room, fun prizes for participants, and as much virtual hot-chocolate as you please. ‘Cause nobody’s Muse can resist a party!
YOU decide on individualized goals for the festival, then work with us for 50 days. It’s open to everyone, 100% free, and totally fun!!
Pass the word! The more the merrier!

Winner: Shanghai Steam

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I’m really excited about the Shanghai Steam anthology, a collection on steampunk and wuxia mash-ups. You can tell from the cover that these will be unique and fantastic stories.

I was so excited that I bought two copies and am looking forward to reading it once the holiday crush is over. I offered a giveaway copy through my newsletter and asked what Chinese invention would make a great steampunk gadget. The answers I received were fabulous:

  • Rocket powered trains or chairs, a la Wan Hu
  • Robot dragons (There is a curious 3rd century BC account of Chinese automata. Neat, huh?)
  • Compasses
  • Chopsticks
  • Gunpowder technology
  • Iron ships
  • Weaponized lanterns
  • Mechanized wheelbarrows

I’m very curious now to see what sort of steampunk gadgetry will appear in these stories. But now for the winner of the giveaway:

Jennifer B

Thank you everyone for entering. I will contact Jennifer by e-mail to send her a copy of Shanghai Steamed. Hopefully everyone else who found these ideas intriguing will go out and buy the anthology. We can read it together. 🙂