the archives

Category: writing

  • VIWF is here and it’s as awesome as I thought it would be

    I have spent the past 2 days volunteering in the food service part of the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival (which I’ve blogged about previously). It has been awesome. Food service for events — doing prep work in the kitchen and working concession stands during intermission — is something I excel at, and as I never…

  • SFFSat: a glance at the life of an Aradian Priestess

    (Crossposted here.) In this chapter, High Priestess Sarai has just given her younger brother Jules a reading from the Deck of Aradia — the Aradian Order’s main divination tool. She is discussing the results of the reading, which trouble her deeply, with her spouse Kara. The cards were hardly ever wrong. But my interpretation could…

  • A character sheet!

    So, here we have a screenshot of the character sheet for Yarrow, my main character. You’ll note the picture inspiration in the top right hand corner (by the way, have I ever mentioned how much I love Scrivener? Because I seriously, seriously do). This is not the full character sheet, of course. No spoilers. 😉…

  • SFFSat: the Magi awakes

    The beginning to Rosa’s first chapter, in which she awakes after three hundred years of sleep. The awakening from her dream-state had been brutal. In 3721 of the Third Age, Atherian Calendar, when she had secluded herself in her tower and banished herself to a half-life – an unconscious state her kind could reach, in…

  • Writer Wednesday: The Writer’s Diet

    First, please note that when I say “diet” I do not mean “calorie counting fascism designed to make you feel terrible about yourself and trigger all your eating disorders”. I mean, quite specifically, all the food that one ingests — one’s diet. Next, I do not speak for all writers here. I am only talking…

  • SFFSat: most of my characters live within serious danger of cirrhosis

    Yarrow makes fun of Jules for getting buzzed off noge** instead of ale, and some good-natured competition ensues… “Sure. That, or you have nearly no tolerance.”He raised his eyebrows at her, leaning back in his chair and looking as superior as Jules could. “I’ll have you know I could outdrink you with any beverage, Bellica,”…

  • Writer Wednesday: Vancouver International Writer’s Festival (in which insanity descends upon Granville Island for a week in October)

    Well, I’ve now been on hiatus for two weeks, instead of one, and I figure it’s about time I get back to this blog. So for today’s Writer Wednesday I’m going to be talking about the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival, happening October 18th-23rd. VIWF is something that my mother has been volunteering for for the…

  • Wherein your author goes insane during late-night revision sessions

    Another screenshot from chapter notes during Bellica revisions. The strain may or may not be getting to me; either way it’s worth it. Why be normal?

  • SFFSat: Cross-dressing in Athering!

    After bumping into her in the hallway, Chief Medical Officer Jules asks Healer Ghia what her plans are for Midwinter Eve. “I’m working at the Cauldron.” He sucked in his breath sharply, making a sympathetic face. “I do not envy you.” She gave a bark of laughter. “Please, Jules–we all know you secretly wish you…

  • Notes from the revision pile

    And by “revision pile” I mean picture me under a PILE OF REVISIONS. Anyway. Here’s a picture encompassing what’s happening in Katje-land today. Yes, this means I’m working on a chapter with some boy-love in it. Because sometimes bros are just bros who have sex with each other. I love slash so much I just…