Mariposa's Musings

TMCC Writers’ Conference Highlights This is third year I’ve attended the Truckee Meadows Community College Writers’ Conference( http://wdce.tmcc.edu . In its 20th year, the TMCC Writers’ Conference once again delivered the right blend of market perspective, writing tools and inspiration. The 1-day conference featured 8 speakers including 3 literary agents and 1 E-publisher and had a turnout of about 150 participants. Smashwords founder, Mark Coker noted 3.6 million people have downloaded Stanza, a free e-book app for the iTouch. He declared “Mobile phones are the unsung heroes of the e-book revolution. http://www.smashwords.com . I was fortunate to chat with TWRP author, Leigh Bale, www.LeighBale.com during one of the breaks. A gracious lady in person and on stage, Leigh delivered an intriguing presentation on the use of an intangible villain such as a character’s inner conflict or external forces such as natural disasters, war or time. Mystery novelist and POD specialist,...

Today I'm talking about the original monster leading men (Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr.) at Rachel Brimble's blog http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com . Stop by and find out how their performances shaped an emerging genre.

Today I'm visiting Rachel Gattuso's blog http://gattusovarietal.blogspot.com/ chatting about writing role models. Check it out.

Today I'm at Rachel Gattuso's blog http://gattusovarietal.blogspot.com/ talking about writing role models and what's on my nightstand. Check it out.

Today I'm visiting Cate Masters' blog chatting about Howl and some of my favorite reads. http://catemasters.blogspot.com . Hope to see you there!

Today I'm chatting with Karen Michelle Nutt on her blog about Howl's shapeshifters. Stop by and say hello. http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com/

"As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back-- For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" I read Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book , while doing research for Howl . I loved the eloquence of the jungle citizens and decided my wolves would live by Kipling's The Law of the Jungle. Imagine my surprise when I heard the above lines revently recited by the entire audience prior to a UNR Men's basketball game. http://www.nevadawolfpack.com Go Wolf Pack! I'm thrilled to announce Howl is now available from The Wild Rose Press. http://http://www.thewildrosepress.com/howl-p-3921.html