Laurel Anne Hill

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Are you as smart as a rat? (A panel at the 69th World Science Fiction Con)

Close to fifty science fiction/fantasy fans attended a lively and informative panel about land mine clearance (Are you as smart as a rat?) on August 17 at the 69th World Science Fiction Convention in Reno, Nevada.  I moderated. My co-panelists included Todd Brun, Howard Davidson and Dave O’Neill.

Wars end but buried land mines become the surprise gifts that keep on giving.  Angola alone has six million hidden, unexploded ordnance. Furthermore, it costs around $3 to plant a land mine and $300-$1,000 to get rid of it.  Rats have been trained to sniff out land mines but additional low-tech detection solutions are needed.

A number of audience members at this WorldCon panel expressed surprise regarding the immense scope of the land mine problem worldwide, which involves approximately 70 countries and possibly as many as 110 million unexploded land mines.  I hope other science fiction/fantasy cons will hold similar panels and encourage people to put on their current and futuristic thinking caps.  One small idea could potentially prompt one large step for mankind.

Share your ideas about land mine clearance via the Land Clearing Landmines WordPress blog (http://mindsclearinglandmines.wordpress.com) or Facebook page.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of “Heroes Arise”)

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Earth’s Cosmic “Groupies” (by Laurel Anne Hill)

EMZ and Laurel (Not in the Van Allen Belt!)

The magnetic nature of the earth, like the personality of some cosmic rock star, attracts followers: radioactive groupies in the form of energetic particles, mainly protons and electrons.  Around 4,000 miles above its surface, the earth traps an inner belt of particles (mostly high-energy protons), discovered in 1958 by James Van Allen of the University of Iowa.  Additionally, electrons and protons with moderate energies orbit in an outer radiation belt.  Some of these electrons hit the upper atmosphere and produce the “Polar lights.”

As with any collection of followers, expect some disruptive forces.  Anti-matter, in the form of anti-protons, join the party, too.

The BBC News contained an interesting article on August 7 about anti-matter in orbit.  The piece is available at
http://www.bbc. co.uk/news/ mobile/science- environment- 14405122? SThisEM.   Earlier this year, the BBC News also published an article about anti-matter streaming from thunderstorms on earth.  Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/science-environment-12158718.

Have an energetic day, or maybe just a peaceful one.

Laurel Anne Hill  (Author of “Heroes Arise”)
http://www.laurelannehill.com

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Renovation (69th World Con) Schedule for Laurel Anne Hill

Thinking about the Landmine Panel at Renovation

Hello all of you headed for Renovation.  Please note my schedule:

Wed 17:00 – 18:00, Are You as Smart as a Rat? (Panel), A09 (RSCC)
One small idea could potentially prompt one large step for mankind.   For example, wars end but buried land mines become the surprise gifts that keep on giving. Angola alone has six million hidden, unexploded ordnance. It costs $3 to plant a land mine and $300-$1,000 to get rid of it. Rats have been trained to sniff out land mines but additional  low-tech detection solutions are needed. Put on your current and futuristic thinking caps please.  Laurel Anne Hill  (M), Howard Davidson, Dave O’Neill

 Thu 11:00 – 12:00, When Faith and Science Meet (Panel), A09 (RSCC)
 Many SF tales, from Arthur C. Clarke’s “The Star” to Walter Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow, deal with the intersection of unexpected discoveries on the faith of the characters.  Cultural discourse often presents religious faith and science as polar opposites, and certainly there’s a long history of conflict between them.    But many people of many faiths have happily and successfully reconciled their beliefs with a scientific worldview, and SF/F is no stranger to spirituality, either.  Both Joanna Russ and David Hartwell have described SF/F as essentially religious.  This panel will present a civil conversation — between people who respect both faith and science — about how the two inform each other, both in SF/F and in the rest of the world.  Susan Palwick (M), Eric James Stone, Laurel Anne Hill, Moshe Feder, Norman Cates

    Thu 14:30 – 15:00, Reading: Laurel Anne Hill (Reading), A15 (RSCC) Laurel Anne Hill

   Thu 18:00 – 19:00, Who Was the Most Influential Doctor? A05 (RSCC) Laurel Anne Hill and others

   Fri 13:00 – 15:00, Writers Workshop, Section N
       All workshop sessions required advanced sign-up and are filled.  Laurel Anne Hill, Susan Forest

Sat 12:00 – 13:00, Appreciating Nature in Fiction and Non-fiction (Panel), D04 (RSCC)
       Science fiction can often treat nature, even an intriguing alien environment, in a very sterile manner.  By contrast,
       both fantasy and nature writing often celebrate nature and make the reader want to run outside and explore.  How can
       writers use the language of nature writing to help bring alien countrysides to life? What are some of the good and
       bad examples of writing about the great outdoors in science  fiction, fantasy and nature narratives?
           Kim Stanley Robinson (M), Laurel Anne Hill, Scott Slovic, Takayuki Tatsumi, Ty Franck   

 Sat 14:00 – 15:00, Autographing, Hall 2 (RSCC)

Hope to see some of you.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill  (Author of “Heroes Arise”)
http://www.laurelannehill.com

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Heroes Arise Chapters 1-5: Now available in mp3 format for free

I’m finally doing it, recording my award-winning novel, HEROES ARISE, chapter by chapter.  HEROES ARISE is a parable about breaking the cycle of vengeance, about reaching into our own personal darkness and finding the light of reason.  I’ve set HEROES ARISE in the world of Thard.  HEROES ARISE is an adventure and love story, suitable for ages 9 – 90, and also is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in hard cover, trade paper and as an ebook. 

Jean M. Auel was kind enough to provide the following endorsement for HEROES ARISE.

Heroes Arise by Laurel Anne Hill is a surprisingly exciting and moving story that gripped my attention from the first word and wouldn’t let me put it down. This author’s first work shows a strong talent and a remarkable future. — Jean M. Auel, author of The Clan of the Cave Bear

The links to my podcasted Chapters 1-5 of HEROES ARISE (on Welcome to my Bedroom Closet) are as follows:

 Heroes Arise Chapter 1

Heroes Arise Chapter 2

Heroes Arise Chapter 3

Heroes Arise Chapter 4

Heroes Arise Chapter 5

Chapters 6-10 will follow soon.  I hope you enjoy my story,

Warm wishes,
Laurel Anne Hill  (http://www.laurelannehill.com)

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The Perils of Cleaning House (by Laurel Anne Hill)

Sometimes we all need to hide in a good book.
 

Okay, my 40-year old Kenmore vacuum cleaner died last week and my husband and I made an emergency purchase of a Miele Neptune.  Oh, if I had only known the trouble we might have caused as a result.

To find out more, connect to the following link:

 
The Perils of Cleaning House
 
 
Happy Rug Sucking!
 
Laurel Anne Hill  (Author of “Heroes Arise”)
(http://www.laurelannehill.com)