THE SUNDAY SHORT STORY REPORT

54.  “Woman Leaves Room” by Robert Reed (Lightspeed)

Good story.  A bit melancholy, I thought…but that’s typical in stories about the erosion of time.

55.  “Spider the Artist” by Nnedi Okorafor (Lightspeed)

Friggin’ awesome.  The world-building is awesome, awesome, awesome…and I loved the main character.  Really had me on my seat.  Recommend.

56.  “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2011)

My favorite of this week’s round-up.  At first I shied away from it because I have an origami story that I’ve been developing for some time now…but this is a different story…maybe a better story.  And I loved it, every line of it.  Maybe it’s because I have a Chinese mother…I don’t know.  But everything about it resonated true with me.  Very well done.  Love the little paper tiger.  And yes, I did cry.

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AN INVITATION TO MY NEW DIGS

I have tried long and hard to figure out how to transfer my blog subscribers from my original home here on WordPress.com to my new place out in the country. After much searching and conferring, I am here to report that…well, it can’t be done.

So I am double-posting this invitation on my old blog address and at www.angelamcconnell.com in the hopes that it will go out to my much-appreciated, never-forgotten, and very-much-missed original subscribers. The 404 redirect should send you down the street to the new place.

I’ve got lots of new stuff coming up for your entertainment and amusement…interviews, reviews, and dinosaurs, oh, my! And stories…lots of stories.

In any event, I am sorry it took so long. I hope that you all have been well, and that life has been gracious to you. And I hope you will stop by and check out what I’ve done with the joint, find out what you’ve missed. If anything, stop by and say hi…and drop me a link in the comments or at angela@angelamcconnell.com so I can catch up with you. 🙂

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TUESDAY WORK DAY

First of all…a thousand apologies for being lost in space…twice in just a few weeks.  Not to bore you all with details, but besides all the Neighborhood Watch drama, the Toddler developed a massive case of snot.  (I have witnesses if my veracity is called into question.)  That, plus her being genetically programmed not to sleep, has made these last few weeks difficult.  And yes, I shamelessly blame the Toddler.  But I do love her…yes, I do!  Yes, I do!

But enough of that.  I’m ready to get down to business.  Got lots and lots of stuff to tell you guys…not least of which my chupacabra sighting.  Also have a published author interview coming your way.  And if the stars align, my office may be presentable enough for tomorrow’s Workspace Wednesday feature.

And before I forget, let me address the Dinosaur Party.  I must tell you, I was approached by a miserable bunch of stuffed reptiles on April 1st, extremely disappointed that there was no party to be had.  Just so you know, I take responsibility for this month’s word count not being up to par.  And I did tell the Head Chieftan of the Household Dinosaurs.  Of course, he, being a wise and old dinosaur, understands the pressures of everyday life, and expressed understanding.  And he, also being an avid fan of circus performances, was extremely excited by my suggestion that we not call it a failure, but perhaps a two-month word count goal.  So with the wave of my magic wand, March Madness becomes March and April Madness.  So, if you would, support my desire to play with dry ice and lots of props and send in your word counts!  100k all the way!

What else is going on?  Oh, I’m in the midst of a top secret project, one that I’ll be talking about in days to come.  I’m also making progress with certain things that must be done for Ye Olde Platform, so hopefully, by tomorrow sometime, you will find this blog up at my very own domain www.angelamcconnell.com.

In other news, I will finally crack free of my dusty, antiquated ways and sign up for a Facebook and maybe a Twitter account.  Gawd.  (Somewhere I can hear Marian going, “Sign up already!” 🙂 )

Dang, it’s so nice outside!  Look!

View from my office window.

But you know what?  Mom has the baby today, and I am at home…alone…a very rare circumstance…during the day…in front of my computer.  I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be holed up in my office looking at this:

It's shiny, isn't it?

To be honest, I actually converted to Mac a month ago and just haven’t had a chance to discuss it.  But after a month of owning it, I can honestly say it was worth every penny.  I love it.  I love this computer.  Yes, I want to marry it.  That’s how much I love it.

So finally, I’ve got Scrivener, which is just a dream software for me.  It’s described on their website as “a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents.”  No kidding.  I’ve got three or four different projects I’m working on in it, and it’s been absolutely terrific.  It seems especially useful for series stories.

And I managed to learn iMovie fairly easily and turned out a little vidlit story that I’m proud of…and had such fun putting together.  I can’t believe the learning curve on Mac software.  I’m constantly floored by how damn easy things are on this operating system.

And don’t get me started on the magical trackpad….

I’ll try to blog a little more about various softwares and conversion issues as I get into them.  Sometime this week, I need to see about installing Windows XP on it so that I can run my court reporting software…

…which reminds me…I better get to working if I want to pay for this thing.

Hope you all are doing great!

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WORKSPACE WEDNESDAY

This week I bring to you the workspace of my lovely friend and fellow writer Third Ninja Omniscient Laura.  She has recently finished putting together her workspace, moving it from the dining area to her bedroom, which has a door that can be closed (‘nuf said), and she was kind enough to send pictures.  Thank you, Laura!

It looks so clean and spacious!  My favorite bit is at the bottom though.  Please to enjoy!

Here, Laura has found a better use for windows than just letting in a little ol’ sunlight…plotting with dry erase markers. So smart! I love it!

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WHAT REALLY INSPIRES ME


A couple of scoops of Martha’s famous (and expensive) mac ‘n cheese, rouged with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (yeah, baby!), and microwaved into a molten mini-lake of cheesy nirvana.  This is what keeps me going…cheese.

That and having a copy of a good friend’s first book in my hot little hands.  Howard Andrew Jones’ “The Desert of Souls” goes damn well with pricey mac ‘n cheese.

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SOMETIMES HISTORICAL REVISION IS A GOOD THING

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Okay.  So I wrote a very lengthy blog post about the “incident” that took the air out of my tires for a good week…and then I sat on it.  Although I think it makes for an interesting and dramatic read, … Continue reading

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WORKSPACE WEDNESDAY

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Hey, there!  Please, please, please forgive me for silence on my part.  Suffice it to say, I am not dead…merely extremely sleep-deprived.  I will explain later. But for now…I present to you the awesome, stupendous workspace of my good friend … Continue reading

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THE SUNDAY SHORT STORY REPORT

Catching up…catching up… 50.  “Botanical Exercises for Curious Girls” by Kali Wallace (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2011) This was a good story.  It was beautifully written, the setting and characters unique and interesting, and I was … Continue reading

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A WEE STORY FOR THE LASSIES AND LADDIES

I’m wearing green for all the Chinese-Irish in the house!  Me and that one other dude.  (Hey, bro.) Today is not only St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s the fabulous, awesome, rocking-good-time St. Patrick’s Day blogfest hosted by the lovely Alexia … Continue reading

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MONDAY WORK DAY

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Three straight hours hunched over the laptop.  When the nice Starbucks man-child came around and offered me a free cupcake, I said, “Yes, please!”  I marauded the peanut butter cup chapeau before it occurred to me to take a picture, … Continue reading

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