Scarborough Fair has come and gone. But here were some of the highlights:

As always Sholo the Nubian greeted the merry fair comers in his stoic way near the entrance. Once we arrived, properly dressed in our pirate get up of course,  his belt was already sporting several dollar bills from young ladies eager for a photo with the Fair fixture.

Twiggy, the adorable fairy, fluttered and played with children and adults alike; her wings glittering in the abnormally cool summer sun.

Free roasted pecans and almonds abounded and all the garb was top tier.

For anyone looking to get their medieval drink on, Scarby opened on liqueur venue this year. However it was not partaken of since the hunt for Mead took presidency. Nothing like sipping mead in garb at the Fair!

The King’s and Queen’s presence was better felt this year as they and a royal entourage Vincent Chase would envy toured the events of the day. Or maybe it was simple because he was stocking our pretty group…

The whip demonstration was a real treat. Lively acts and funny banter coupled with the rhythmic snap of whips. The show was ended with lighting a whip on fire. The first snap created a fire ball that had the kids squealing with delight.

The Tinker Gnome is always a great attraction for the young and old alike. His jokes span the age group, keeping just right of inappropriate. It always seems to successfully go over the kidos heads why mom and dad are laughing.  His Gnome contraption, with its smoky bubbles and whirling representations of the solar system is really something to behold. His shop and helper elves was a fun experience and the newly developed fairy area was quite charming.

The annual Mead Hunt was had, “Me Lord” was over used, a Dragon Wrist Companion was bought and leather armor was tried on. Coupled with playing mancala with a Pirate, a lady and a Duchess, Scarborough was marvelous medieval merriment.

Until next year ladies, gents, fairies and trolls.

Where indeed? Besides a convention and those are so few and far between in the DFW area. It’s an exciting prospect for anyone into costuming of any kind, as the Guild is certainly open to all levels of expertise and all interest. As one member told me, “As long as you enjoy dressing up and going out to have fun, you are welcome here!”
The next event the Guild hosted was the Ice Cream Social and they will be having an English Country Dance August 27th at the Sons of Hermann Hall.

The convention hosted over a 100 panels, from topics ranging from Advanced Cosplay Photography to You Laugh, You Lose- a game based on a popular internet forum. The organization for these were top notch, and if the con goer was organized enough there were no problems meeting each and every must see panel. Outside of wanting to go to panels run at the same time, for which a Time Turner was required. Unfortunately such devises were not being handed out at the Con, a major oversight this year. However, this reporter hopes to have that rectified for next year. Stay tuned for the petition.

Some of the more notable guests in attendanc included:

The Voice Actor Tiffany Grant, noted for her idolic role as Asuka in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The much coveted Japanese fashion brand SIXh and brother brand and Visuka Kei artist h.NAOTO. This reporter was fortunate enough to not only score some epic, one of a kind h.NAOTO swag, but to snag a photo with the creative minds behind the brands, h.NAOTO and MINT. A fantastic end to day one at the convention.

6% Doki Doki was also in attendance with their mounds of cute, punky and unique Japanese Street Wear. They also culminated their appearance with a fun and creative fashion show. Its very rare to see Decora brand fashions in the US and it was treat to meet the models from Japan.

It was also very exciting to see Jason Thompson at the Convention; an editor for Viz and Del Rey, who also edited the English editions of Dragon Ball, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, and many others as well as the first several issues of the American edition of Shonen Jump magazine.

Cosplay this year was a little lacking as the rainy weather chased away some of the more top tier cosplayers. However there was a Unit Zero suit from Evangelion and a very impressive winged Sephiroth.

There was also no end to raves, dances, and balls. The Washington State Convention and Trade Center is a huge venue and Sakura utilized every inch. Local as well as out of state DJs set every tone imaginable and kept the party going until well into the AM.

Gaming was also on the list of must do’s. Sakura boasted two huge convention rooms of every popular game known to existence, including DDR, Rock Band and some Japanese drum beat game this reporter had never seen before. There were also rooms for RP, CG and table top games.

Not to ignore issues close to home, Sakura set up a Charity Auction with some of the most choice original artwork. All proceeds from the auction went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non profit organization devoted to fulfilling the fondest wishes of children with life threatening illnesses. Each year Sakura-Con raises enough funds to grant numerous wishes and supports the community they are so much apart of.

In another generous act of charity, the convention joined forces with the Seattle Japan Relief fund and a percentage of sales in the dealers room went to help alleviate the destruction that Japan has suffered due to the devastating earth quakes. There were also donation stations around the convention and an official kiosk so that con goers could donate to the cause directly.

Three days of swag bagging, gaming, fashion shows, cosplay and more was exhausting, exhilarating and over the top. This is defiantly a Convention not to miss.

Only 328 days, 13 hours and 30 mins till the next party starts!

Library Assistant Allie Butler as the Easter Bunny on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 for the library’s morning Children’s Storytime.

On Thursday April 14^th, the Saginaw Beautification Committee beautified the landscaping in front of the John Ed Keeter Public Library located at 355 W. McLeroy Blvd. For the past three years library staff would visit nursery and garden centers to purchase the flowers and then volunteer their time to plant the new items in the flowerbed in front of the library.  Now vibrant shades of orange, pink, yellow, and purple perennial flowers line the sidewalk at the entrance of the library this year thanks to the Saginaw Beautification Committee who hired a landscaper to plant the flowers in the flowerbed. In spring, library patrons will see the Elfin Gold Coreopsis, Blue Hill Salvia, Arizona Sun Blanket Flower, and Firewitch Dianthus bloom. When summer arrives, the Snow Hill Salvia and Homestead Purple Verbena will begin to blossom and continue to provide color throughout the fall season. Since all of the flowers are perennials, they will return to bloom each year.

The Saginaw Beautification Committee’s past projects included the Gazebo in Willow Creek Park, a “Welcome to Saginaw” marker on South Saginaw Boulevard, landscaping in Kiwanis Park, and landscaping at the Police and Fire complex.  Current members include: Chairperson Melody Leak, who is also the Circulation Manager and Reference Librarian in Saginaw; Treasurer Karen Cromwell; Secretary Pat Friar; member Cindy Sulsar; member Patty Lattin; member Sheryl Warren; and City Liaison Dolph Johnson.

Tell us about what you have written.

Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve ever written? — Not really a single thing, although I do have a setting I’ve often come back to in some of my work, that of the “Tombs,” a vast necropolis and its environs on a far future, dying Earth.  A number of these stories have been published in various venues, including one in my Strange Mistresses collection and three in Darker Loves.  Also the Tombs may have a role in some future projects, but details at this point would be premature.

Do you have a favorite character that you write about? If so, who is it, what makes it your favorite and tell us about the character. — Again not really.  I have had characters who have appeared in more than one story, but usually my favorite character should be the one I’m writing about at the moment.  As noted above, I do have a series of stories linked by a common setting in which sometimes characters may be cross-referenced, but each individual story will still have its own unique personnel.   One exception, though, in poetry has been a jazzy vampiress named Annchuck who had her debut in a now out-of-print chapbook, Towers of Darkness, in Nocturnal Publications’ “Night Visions” series in the early 1990s, was seen again in a mini-poem cycle in Gothic.Net in 2002 (reprinted in Darker Loves), and has occasionally turned up since.

Almost every writer is inspired by someone else. Does anyone inspire you? — Let me count the ways…  Poe, Bradbury, Bertolt Brecht (including the idea of “epic theatre”), to name three major ones.  A host of others….

When did you start writing? — I didn’t really start writing until I was in college, starting with one or two pieces in a humor magazine where, at the time, I was also art editor.  Then in graduate school I also wrote and held editorial posts in an alternative newspaper and an arts weekly, from which I then went to a job as a technical writer and editor for an academic computing center and,  later, freelance writing on business, consumer, and real estate topics.  What fun!  Some time after that, though, I got a part-time lower-stress gig as assistant flunkie in an eye clinic which gave me the time to revisit the arts and stretch my wings with poetry and fiction.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever written? Why? — Real estate topics, maybe?  (Great for world building.)  I did write one story called “The Dripping Nose that Wouldn’t Wipe,” come to think of it, that might qualify.  It was published in the anthology Tooth Decay (Sonar4 Publications, 2009), edited by Tonia Brown.

Who drives the story, you or your characters? — This very much depends on the story.  I need to know where a story is going, at least more or less, and I then create characters who seem appropriate for what I think I want to do.  With luck at that point, though, I can get enough into the characters’ heads that in that sense they take the story over.  But, again, it depends on the story, some of which may be more plot oriented, some even with the greater emphasis on atmosphere or setting.

Who proofreads and critiques your work? — I do the proofing (after letting it rest a few days first), while I’m a member of a writer’s group that meets locally each month and often helps me work out larger kinks.

Where do you get your ideas? — Anywhere and everywhere — clawing and scratching.  Ideas come hard to me which is why, perhaps, some of my work may sometimes seem a little goofy.  These are ideas that a more gifted writer than me would throw out as unworthy, but, since I’m unsure of whether or when I’ll get another, I’ll try and wrestle the idea I have into some kind of story (cf. “The Dripping Nose,” above).

Where do you write? — At home usually.  I have one room set aside as an office and use a desk computer to write on.  Should ideas come when I’m away, though, I’ll scrawl them down on whatever paper I have in my pocket, envelopes, shopping lists….

When do you write – set times or as the mood moves you? — I’ve often done most of my first drafts on weekends (see below, on “writer’s block”), then use after work time during the week for editing/rewriting plus the business tasks of marketing, submitting, record keeping, etc.

If you could take a character from someone else’s book on a date, who would it be and where would you take him/her/it? — My wise-ass answer to this is Carmilla, from Sheridan Le Fanu’s novel, and to dinner.  She seems a very charming lady and, as long as I wear a high, stiff collar (she does have a title and formal dress would be de rigueur), she won’t eat much.

If you could invite any other writer to dinner who would you ask and why? –  Maybe Le Fanu, to act as my wing man?

Do you use the Internet to check facts, or the library? – Both.  The Internet is most valuable (it seems to me) for fact checking, for quick simple answers when I’m in the midst of a project.  For starting a project that will need research in some depth, however, or serendipitously getting ideas for new projects, I find the library (my own as well as the public library) still works best for me.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do? — I play music (I’m leader and tenor in a Renaissance recorder consort); listen to jazz; play with the resident cat, Wednesday, whose tastes run to spiders; take walks and, at night, watch horror (and other) DVDs.

Do you ever have a problem with writer’s block? — Constantly, yes.  I’m a rather slow starter, I fidget, I procastinate.  But if I have a period of, say, four or more hours ahead of me so I can work until I get tired, plus some kind of idea (often notions I’ve scrawled down before on the back of an envelope or equivalent), I can usually get something going.  One example, answering these questions — I’ve just completed two other interviews in about the last week and I’m feeling a bit jaded — but, having picked one in the middle and ranging out back and forth from there I’m starting to get more into the swing of it.  Also, there’s no way I’m going to answer them all.

Who’s your favorite author (other than yourself)? Why? — Ultimately I suppose I’d have to say Edgar Allan Poe.  He covered everything, science fiction, fantasy, horror of course, even humor, not to mention poetry as well as pretty much inventing the detective story.  He was also an essayist and reviewer but, most of all, his influence on imaginative fiction has persisted even to this day.

What’s your favorite book (other than one of your own)? Why? — The Complete Greek Tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.  My set is in four volumes so I hope that isn’t cheating (they are put together in a slipcase though).  There’s so much in them that one could read and re-read for years and still come back to them — not to mention that they represent the earliest, and still among the best, literary horror.

What’s the last book, other than your own, that you read and really enjoyed? — In fiction I just completed a relatively new Ray Bradbury collection, A Pleasure to Burn, which is a sort of sourcebook of stories leading up to Fahrenheit 451, and even had some that I’d never read before.  For the very near future, I just received a copy of Allen Ginsberg’s Illuminated Poems, with art by Eric Drooker.

Some writers say that they have to write a certain amount of words every day. Do you do this? Why or why not? — No.  Because I’m an undisciplined slob.  (Exception, if I’m on a deadline, then I write the number of words the assignment requires.  That goes back more to my nonfiction writing days, though, than today.)  (Well, not literally today since, of course, this is nonfiction, but if it’s supposed to be on a deadline I’ve probably already missed it.)

Is there anything else you’d like to add? — I have a book of vampire and vampire-related poetry, Vamps (A Retrospective), that should be coming out later this spring or summer from Sam’s Dot Publications.  Illustrations will be by Marge Simon so, even if you don’t like poetry, buy it for the art.  I have a few other upcoming projects too, plus the normal submission/acceptance/rejection cycle of writing day-to-day, for which, along with general pimpage,  I invite readers to check out my site, tarry a bit, explore about, try out a lagniappe or two — free sample stories or poems that I post from time to time just for enjoyment — and comment or not as the spirit moves at

http://jamesdorrwriter.wordpress.com

Do you really have THAT much space?  I started writing when I was in my teens, and sold my first article to Fate Magazine at 18.  From there, I wrote articles on horses and horse training, and then wrote book reviews and articles for the local paper.  Of course, all that time, I was writing fantasy and mystery novels and short stories.  My first fiction publication was the story “Sword Singer” in Sword and Sorceress V edited by the late Marion Zimmer Bradley.  More recently, I have had several novels and collection, including Wandering Lark, Ard Magister and Chronicles of the Last War, all out from Yard Dog Press as well as a lot of anthologies.

What inspired you to write those things?

Insanity.  No, but there has always been a need in me to write, and when I get my teeth into a story idea, I am not always willing to let it go.  Most of my stuff is set in one of two worlds I have created, so it’s more like stepping through a gateway and following characters around because their lives are so much more interesting to me.

Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve ever written?

That’s like asking which child you love best.  But if I have to pick a favorite, at the moment, it is the Demon-Bound Duology consisting of Dragon’s Tongue (published in 2006 by the now defunct Meisha Merlin) and Wandering Lark (from Yard Dog Press in 2010).

Do you have a favorite character that you write about? If so, who is it, what makes it your favorite and tell us about the character.

Again, I try not to play favorites.  They all stop talking to me when I do (just kidding).  Plus, it changes with the project.  I am currently loving Conor Manahan from the Ard-Taebh books.  He’s a strapping big Keltoran mecenary with a sense of humor and a bard’s soul, and a soft spot for his adopted mageborn son Rhoyd.  He’s a fun guy to write because he is a good fighter, a fierce warrior, and yet, he has this side of him that makes him easy to adore.

Almost every writer is inspired by someone else. Does anyone inspire you?

Barbara Hambly, Teresa Edgerton, Mark Twain, Edgar A. Poe…it’s a very long list.

How long have you been writing?

Well, let’s see.  As I said, I started selling stuff at 18 and I just turned 56, so you do the math.

When did you start writing?

Farther back than I can remember.  I wrote because I like remembering my “what if” moments, but also because it was a good way for a strange little girl with weird ideas to escape reality for a while.  We were rather poor, my father lost his job and the house due to illness, my parents eventually divorced and my mother tried to raise four children practically alone.  Writing was an easy way to get out the frustration and anger.  It was also a good way to keep the voices in my head from pestering me. *g*

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever written? Why

Definitely some of the Bubba stuff, though I have to admit it came rather easy.  I was big on Epic Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery, and along comes Selina Rosen asking me to write a story set in her Bubbas of the Apocalypse universe.  Of course, as it turned out, I was a closet bubba, and I had been writing weird strange stories set in my own East Tennessee, and it just sort of came together.

Some authors have said that their parents were supportive of their efforts when young, and some have said they had to sneak around and hide. What was

the case with you?

Supportive in some ways, though my mother always seemed discouraging.  But in truth, she was just trying to make sure I was doing what I wanted to do with my life and not what some fashion or my parents dictated, so she tended to sound like she didn’t care one way or another.  Truth is, she is So Proud, she wants to pop at times.  My stepfather tended to say I wasted too much time “tippy-tapping on that typewriter,” but now he tells everyone he meets that I am a published author.

Who drives the story, you or your characters?

I tend to write character driven stories, so the characters seem to be in control.  Of course, I am a practical person who knows that I am the one making the choices, and the characters are just figments of my twisted imagination.  We fight for control a lot, but I generally win–most of the time.

Who proofreads and critiques your work?

My editors.  I proof my stuff myself.  I had a lovely beta reader who alas, passed away last spring, so I go it alone.  But then, I have been doing that most of my writing career anyway.  At times, I have belonged to writer’s groups, but I tended to outgrow them.

Where do you get your ideas?

There’s this little imp that lives under my bed.  I drop chocolate, he gives me ideas.  We have a very good relationship.  Now for the serious answer, that is hard to say.  I look at stuff, I get ideas, I write them down.  Sometimes I use them, and sometimes I ignore them, and sometimes, years later, they jump up and scream “My time has come!!!!!” and let them crawl into my lap and tell me a story.

Where do you write?

I write at work during my lunch break every day, and then I sit on the bed at home and write in the evenings.  On days I don’t work, I am generally carrying one of the netbooks to some place where I can sit and not be bothered.

When do you write – set times or as the mood moves you?

Well, as I said before, my lunch breaks and my evenings are my writing time for the most part.  I have a full time job so I have to schedule everything.

If you could take a character from someone else’s book on a date, who would it be and where would you take him/her/it?

I would fall all over myself to have a date with John Aversin from Barbara Hambly”s Dragonsbane, but I also would have fun with Antryg Windrose.  I would probably take them the park for a picnic and then pick their brains about their adventures.

If you could invite any other writer to dinner who would ask and why?

Considering that I have had dinner with everyone from Elizabeth Moon to C. J. Cherryh, that is a hard one.

Do you use the Internet to check facts, or the library?

I am a librarian in my other life, so I usually use the library.  I have scores of reference books of my own that I consult.  I go on the Internet using my smartphone for quick answers, but for the most part, I just write the story, and then worry about fixing the research later.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

I make bead dragon and do art for my leisure.  I used to fence a lot (was once the Tennessee Women’s Foil champion, and place 3rd in the Southeast Sectional in Sabre years ago).  I take walks in the woods when I can.  I used to do a lot of hiking and camping.  And of course, I practice harp.  I own the original Glynnanis (the harp from my Harper Mage stories about Anwyn Baldomyre)

Do you ever have a problem with writer’s block?

Nah.  My brain never stops working, even when I do.

Who’s your favorite author (other than yourself)? Why?

I have too many to name more than one or two.  Barbara Hambly is my goddess.  When I discovered her work, I things started to click for me.  Her descriptions, her characters.  They all inspired me.  More recently, I have fallen in love with the work of James Enge and Charlton Blake.  Enge because I just adore his Morlock.  Blake because he has created a totally new magic system that I am jealous of.

What’s your favorite book (other than one of your own)? Why?

Dragonsbane will always be my favorite novel.  I reread it over and over when I can.

What’s the last book, other than your own, that you read and really enjoyed?

I just finished Swords & Dark Magic edited by Lou Anders and Jonathan Strahan.  Great stories.  I couldn’t put it down.

Some writers say that they have to write a certain amount of words every day. Do you do this? Why or why not?

Since my production is based on time rather than amount, I don’t have a limit.  I am a fast writer.  I can generally produce a short story in a couple of hours, a novel in a couple of weeks, or whatever–but of course, life interfers and so being able to write for an hour here and there is my only goal.  That and just making sure I do write every day.

If you could be any character (other than one of your own) from a book or movie who would it be? Why?

Actually, I am perfectly happy being who I am.  Though I would have fun being Edna in The Incredibles or Diana Trent in Waiting for God. I have always admired women who can be hysterically ascerbic and witty, and keep you on your toes, and I hope to become one in my old age.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

My advice to young writers.  Keep writing.  Keep reading.  Never give up, never surrender.  It really does take time to become an overnight success.  After nearly 40 years of trying to sell stuff, I am still waiting for my chance.

Both fantasy and science fiction and just plain strange.  HIGH RAGE, my first novel was a fantasy with a sort of anti-hero.  HOME IS THE HUNTER was science fiction about a truly faceless assassin.  THE TWELVE is another fantasy about a city-state governed by archetypes.
What inspired you to write those things?

I’m not really sure.  I do seem to have a theme going in my novels, though not in my short stories, about people with strange scars on their faces, masks, or no faces at all.

Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve ever written?

It’s always the next one.

Do you have a favorite character that you write about?

If so, who is it, what makes it your favorite and tell us about the character.  I like doing different characters but was very fond of Scarface, the protagonist of HIGH RAGE.  He was a character with a code but was hard enough to roller-skate on and he grows and develops.

Almost every writer is inspired by someone else. Does anyone inspire you?

The list is a long one so I’ll cut it down to three; Roger Zelazny, John Crowley, and Walter R. Brooks, who gave me my first glimpse of the power of good writing.

How long have you been writing?

Forty-eight years.

When did you start writing?

I started writing at age eighteen.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever written?

Probably a short story called “The Trailer Park Vampire Meets the Bubba Yumbie,” which appeared in INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF BUBBAS ans was reprinted in THE BEST OF THE BUBBAS OF THE APOCALYPSE.  I just wanted to have fun bending the vampire cliché into pretzels.

Some authors have said that their parents were supportive of their efforts when young, and some have said they had to sneak around and hide. What was

the case with you?

Neither.  My mother was very supportive of my becoming an artist but I became more fascinated by writing.  A painting is a very precise snapshot but a piece of writing is a movie.

Who drives the story, you or your characters?

I think the characters do.

Who proofreads and critiques your work?

My editors.  I may try out some materials on friends but generally do my own proofing and can generally tell when I’ve hit the mark I’ve aimed at.  Whether the mark was worth the ammunition is up to the editor and readers to decide.

Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas are cheap, the tough part is execution.  In some cases, just musing about some odd thing or other.

Where do you write?

Almost anyplace I can carry a pen and a notebook.  All my first drafts are written in longhand.

When do you write – set times or as the mood moves you?

Pretty much as the mood strikes and it’s also a matter of having (or not having) a computer with which I can put the work in form fit for submission.

If you could take a character from someone else’s book on a date, who would it be and where would you take him/her/it?

I’d prefer never to do that.  I think it’s a matter of respect for the integrity of the character and his or her author.

If you could invite any other writer to dinner who would ask and why?

Most of them.  Most writers I know are good company.

Do you use the Internet to check facts, or the library?

A little of each, and sometimes you need to research in more depth than the internet can really provide.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

Build models, shoot guns, and party.

Do you ever have a problem with writer’s block?

I think sometimes but I usually force my way through it.  I have a bigger problem finding something I really want to say that hasn’t already been said before.

Who’s your favorite author (other than yourself)?

If I could only choose one, it would probably be Roger Zelazny, who could toy with the language and make it work.  He sprinkled his work liberally with poetry and humor and planted insights like depth charges.  They drop below the surface, then, below, POW!

What’s your favorite book (other than one of your own)?

THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de St-Exupery, because he discusses life, death, love, friendship, and all the things that make life worth living without ever being preachy but with the air of someone who honestly wants to share and enjoy an insight with you and he did it all in less than a hundred pages.

What’s the last book, other than your own, that you read and really enjoyed?

Right now I’m reading SAINT MICHAEL AND THE DRAGON, which is non-fiction and is the remembrances of a French paratrooper of the berets rouges, the Colonial Paras.

Some writers say that they have to write a certain amount of words every day. Do you do this? Why or why not?

I don’t think so.  I think it’s like riding a bicycle – you never really forget.

If you could be any character (other than one of your own) from a book or movie who would it be?

Not really.  It’s taken me over sixty years to become comfortable with who I am.  Why start over?

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Just that I’m enjoying the questions and a little amused that someone might think that I would think my stuff would be the best I’d read.

Martin is also the author of the popular Chronicles of the Necromancer series.  She writes for both Orbit Books and Solaris Books, and courts a global readership.

“My web site and my social media sites are where I can connect with readers outside of conventions and signings,” says Martin.  “I love to get comments on the blogs, on Facebook and Twitter and Shelfari.  The new web site incorporates a blog, so that makes it even easier for readers to find me and for me to find the m.”

Martin is known for her broad online presence.  She is found at The Winter Kingdoms and Gail Martin on Facebook, @GailZMartin on Twitter, and also on Shelfari and Broad Universe.  In addition to the home page at ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com

, she is active on http://DisquietingVisions.Wordpress.com, a cross-genre fantasy and paranormal fiction group blog she started together with authors J.F. Lewis, Crymsyn Hart and ghost hunter Tina McSwain.  Martin is also the host of a long-running podcast featuring authors and publishing pros at www.GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com.

Visit her new homepage at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Tell us about what you have written.

I’ve been selling regularly to ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION for about the past decade, mostly stories that take place against a common background.

What inspired you to write those things?

I’ve always enjoyed SF series, from the original Star Trek to Asimov’s Foundation stories, to Poul Anderson’s Polesotechnic series.  My goal has been to write stories ranging from space adventure to character studies within that series.  I also write about a number of recurring characters, particularly Mike Christopher and Chanda Kasmira, both featured in my Yard Dog collection, A GLIMPSE OF SPLENDOR AND OTHER STORIES.

Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve ever written?

“Zheng He and the Dragon,” published in the January/February 2009 issue of ANALOG.  It was a challenge because I was dealing with a historical personage, the great Chinese explorer Zheng He, who made seven voyages throughout the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and even Africa in the early 1400s.  I had him encounter an alien whose spaceship crashed near his fleet and examined the relationship that developed between these very different characters.  I placed the events of the story between and among real events in Zheng He’s life.

Do you have a favorite character that you write about? If so, who is it, what makes it your favorite and tell us about the character.

The artificial Human Mike Christopher must be my favorite character to write about, because I’ve written about him the most — seven stories over the course of the past decade or so.   He was the first series character I created, and is probably the most like me — if I were younger, smarter, and more athletic.  His status as an artificial Human — created in a lab, not “of women born,” reflects my unusual childhood.  I never knew my parents and was raised by my grandparents, and having a different family situation from most people has given me an “outsider’s” look at life in many ways, an outlook Mike shares.

Who drives the story, you or your characters?

I  come up with the ideas for plots or situations, but who my characters are drive the events of the story — that is, how they react to the setup I’ve created.

Who proofreads and critiques your work?

I do.  I have no first readers.  Fortunately, my work as a TV news producer has trained me to be able to sit and craft “finished” copy pretty quickly and easily.  I consider that I’m writing directly to final draft, with only minor copy-editing afterwards.  It helps that I outline extensively and do little bios of all my characters, planets, alien races, etc. ahead of time.  Once I get going, I hate stopping to figure out a character’s attributes or what a planet should be named.  Of course, if my editor has some valid suggestions for changes, that’s when massive rewrites can happen.

Where do you get your ideas?

Sometimes from reading about real-life science, such as the discoveries being made about “exoplanets” — worlds beyond our solar system.  I want to do a story set in a star system that has several “hot Jupiters,” for instance.  Those are gas giant planets that orbit very close to their stars, something not thought possible until recently.  But I’m looking for a human story to tell in such an environment, and so far that’s escaped me.

Other times I just try to put my characters in situations that challenge them.  Lois McMaster Bujold suggests figuring out the worst thing that can happen to a character and writing about that.

Where do you write?

At a desk in the basement of my home, surrounded by many, many books.  Some are science books that let me check facts, some are SF and astronomical art that may spark an idea, and the vast majority of them are the countless SF novels I’ve read over the years.  Sometimes they come in handy, too, because they can provide lessons in writing technique — how did Arthur Clarke evoke the mystery of space so effectively, how did Poul Anderson make his scenes so vivid, how does Lois McMaster Bujold handle emotion so well?

When do you write – set times or as the mood moves you?

Again, the journalism training, along with the detailed outlining beforehand means I pretty much sit down and write.  I have an hour between the time my wife leaves for work in the morning and when I leave for my job, so that works well.  Then I usually try to find an hour or so in the evening.

If you could invite any other writer to dinner who would ask and why?

Robert A. Heinlein, because of his importance to the field and because he seldom revealed anything about his personal life.  I’d want to try to figure out what elements in his fiction were sincere political and social beliefs and which ones were him playing devil’s advocate.  Unfortunately, he’s no longer available.

Do you use the Internet to check facts, or the library?

The Internet, purely for speed.  Before then, I would sometimes have to use precious writing time to make a trip to the library for basic research or just to track down an obscure detail.  Now, as long as you can discern which sites are trustworthy and which are full of bull, you can find most information you need in a few minutes.

Who’s your favorite author (other than yourself)? Why?

My favorite author, after all these years, is still Arthur C. Clarke.  I’ve always admired how he was able to be a hard-SF writer, yet still evoke a mystery and even spirituality in his descriptions of the physical world.

Some writers say that they have to write a certain amount of words every day. Do you do this? Why or why not?

I try for 500 words a day, which is puny compared to some people.  Harry Turtledove, for instance, tells me he writes about 2500 words a day.  But then, he does this full-time.  I wouldn’t have the time to type 2500 words a day, let along have to make them up, too.

My goal is pretty arbitrary — it’s one I can manage most days, so I don’t have the frustration of failing to meet it.  At the same time, on days when I’ve managed only 350 to 400 words, it pushes me to work a few more minutes and accomplish more than I would have otherwise.

Tell us about what you have written.

I’ve written children’s fiction and as well as short stories for adults, which are typically off beat and humorous. My books include a picture book, Priscilla Holmes: Ace Detective from 4RV Publishing, my middle reader book Charlotte Cauldron and the Prince of Nevermore from Sams Dot publishing, and my collection of short stories Bobby’s Troll and Other Stories from Yard Dog Press. Last year I appeared in two anthologies for Wolfsinger Press, Wolfsongs and All About Eve. I’ve also appeared in some Yard Dog Press anthologies and various magazines.

What inspired you to write those things?

In the case of Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective and Charlotte Cauldron and the Prince of Nevermore I really was inspired by my daughters. In fact, the illustration of Priscilla Holmes looks like a composite of both of my daughters, complete with red hair, despite the fact the illustrator never met them. We all get quite a kick out of that. As for the anthologies, I have always found those fun to write for because the publisher typically picks a theme, and then I just try to sit back and try to find a humorous, cock-eyed approach to the topic. The best anthologies are the ones that really try to be unique; the Bubba anthologies from Yard Dog Press and the All About Eve come to mind.

Do you have a favorite thing that you’ve ever written?
I love them all equally   Actually, that’s not too far from the truth. Even the stories that don’t get published have something in them that I really like. I think Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective is one of my favorites. Priscilla is so smart and determined, she reminds me of my girls. Charlotte Cauldron, and the Prince of Nevermore has a nice cast. In addition to Charlotte there is the Prince and a crazy will-o-wisp and they encounter all sorts of interesting secondary characters in their adventure. And Bobby’s Troll and Other Stories collects the short stories that really got me started. From the anthologies, I have to admit to being partial to Adam, Eve, and Me which appeared in All About Eve and which is about Adam and Eve written from the serpent’s point of view. She’s got a bit of ’tude that I find amusing.

Do you have a favorite character that you write about? If so, who is it, what makes it your favorite and tell us about the character.

Priscilla Holmes is actually getting two sequels (so far). Not only do I like her as a character, I like the world in which she lives, which is populated with characters from all different fairy tales. Priscilla Holmes and the Glass Slipper is slotted for release later this year.

How long have you been writing?

I distinctly remember getting a thrill out of writing stories in 3^rd and 4^th grade, so in the respect, a looooong time. I didn’t get a story accepted for publication until 2000, however.

When did you start writing?

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, or 3^rd grade. Take your pick.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever written? Why

Whenever I try to write something romantic things invariably go off track, whether it’s the zombie Juliet eating Romeo in a bit of flash fiction I wrote for an anthology called Small Bites or the longer “girl raised by wolves falls in love with an undercover park ranger” story that appeared in Wolfsongs. Incidentally, that fact that romance is difficult for me does not come as any surprise to my long suffering wife, Deb.

Who drives the story, you or your characters?

I am one of those authors who swear that the characters do take over the story and wind up doing and saying things I never intended. It makes writing much more of an adventure.

Who proofreads and critiques your work?

My aforementioned, long suffering wife, Deb.

Where do you get your ideas?

I tend to get them when I’m driving or showering. This pushes me to take long trips down winding, dusty roads, that require an hour long shower to clean off the grime.

Where do you write?

I don’t really have a set place. Sometimes it’s a gym when the girls are at basketball practice, or a ballet class waiting room, or the couch, or wherever.

When do you write – set times or as the mood moves you?

I would like to be able to write at set times, but real life seems to intrude far too frequently. So its more catch as catch can.

Do you use the Internet to check facts, or the library?

I love Wikipedia for this. I’d never rely on it as a sole source, particularly if I was writing historical fiction where accuracy was at a premium, but for general “what were the roaring 20’s like” type information nothing beats it.

Do you ever have a problem with writer’s block?

Sometimes. The form I been encountering most recently is “the story that just won’t work.” It’s a case where I’m on my 8^th or 9^th draft of a story and it’s just not gelling. There’s something wrong, and, even worse, I can’t put my finger on what the problem is. Usually what I do is shelve the story. In some cases what happens is it gets resurrected a year or more later with a completely new take that then makes it work. Or it remains shelved.

Sometimes, however, it’s a true block. In which case you just got to ride it out and know that, at some point, the stories will come.

Who’s your favorite author (other than yourself)? Why?

I love that you qualified this question. The author I always choose is J. R. R. Tolkien. I realize that he’s probably a cliché at this point, but he’s that author that made me want to write, so there it is. The other name I would throw into the mix is Terry Pratchett, whose books invariably leave me laughing.

What’s your favorite book (other than one of your own)? Why?

I guess The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are ones I find myself going back to reread semi-regularly. I love the dragon, Smaug, from The Hobbit and the scene in the Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings are some of the most intense moments in any book.

What’s the last book, other than your own, that you read and really enjoyed?

The books I’ve read most recently that have really stuck with me are World War Z and The Time Traveler’s Wife. World War Z, aside from being about a zombie apocalypse, which is just fun unto itself, is also written in a wonderful fashion. It’s modeled on the history books that are collections of survivor stories, like World War 2. So you get little vignettes about “the home front” and what it was like in different countries at different points. It was one of those books that when I finished it I thought, “Drat, I wish I had written that.” The Time Traveler’s Wife also falls into the “Drat, I wish I had written that” category. Not only because it is very emotional but also because it really has some of the best handling of time travel I’ve ever read.

Some writers say that they have to write a certain amount of words every day. Do you do this? Why or why not?

Nope, but I would like to get to that point. It’s kind of like trying to have a set time to write. It’s a good idea on paper, just hard to actually execute on.

If you could be any character (other than one of your own) from a book or movie who would it be? Why?

Superman. The dude can fly, has super strength, and is indestructible. Yes, I know some will think it a juvenile choice, but are you really going to tell me you wouldn’t want to fly?