What I’m Reading

I wish I could say I finished something, but things have been very chaotic and I’m loving this huge novel Holly Lisle’s making me read, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Not only is it a good, complicated story, but it’s a book I can share with my oldest son, who read it before me and wants the next couple of books.

I also started a second novel, The Rat Catcher by Kate Rothwell, because it was on my Sony eReader when I was off at an appointment. I’d requested the book when I had time to read it…then life happened, but better late than never. So far it’s a fun historical romance that edges on risque.

Science

Transforming human skin into the ultimate touchscreen:

http://www.livescience.com/technology/skinput-touchscreen-interface-body-100304.html

This is worth reading if only to learn chameleons can launch their tongues at FORTY-ONE Gs. Humans black out at 8G:

http://www.livescience.com/animals/chameleon-tongue-cold-weather-100308.html

The applications of this should it prove scalable would be incredible. Anyone could walk up walls.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/100202_sticky

Jurassic Park’s most fearsome dinosaurs? May actually have been early birds based on a new theory of bird evolution:

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/100210_bird

Publishing

Agent Lucienne Diver’s perspective on the publishing journey:

http://varkat.livejournal.com/148066.html

Down to earth take on the secret of getting published:

http://tawnafenske.blogspot.com/

Research

Popular Science archives available on the web. Excellent not just for the science, but for seeing what advertisements appeared then:

http://www.popsci.com/archives

Tips on historical research:

http://thewriteathomemom.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-do-research-for-historical.html

Promoting

What not to do in an interview:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arielle-ford/dont-tease-us-authors_b_486548.html

Writing

Sources of conflict for a story:

http://www.darcypattison.com/picture-books/revise-remember-the-4-sources-of-conflict/

Designed for gaming, this is nonetheless a nice collection of motivations for the villain:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/20897-A-Guide-To-Villainous-Motivations

A good look at beginnings:

http://www.sfwriter.com/ow01.htm

A look at foreshadowing:

http://magicdistrict.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/is-that-supposed-to-happen-or-how-i-fixed-my-first-novel/

Pithy quotes from authors that really pack a punch:

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2010/02/15-lessons-from-masters.html

Reading

For those interested in Steampunk, another list of key novels:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6720180.html

Margaret Atwood on what social need science fiction and speculative fiction fills:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/jun/17/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.margaretatwood