Laurel Anne Hill

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April 3, 2015 By Laurel Anne Hill

Press Release: “Horror Addicts Guide to Life” Now Available

HorrorAddicts.net has just released the Horror Addicts Guide to Life. My contribution to this must-read for horror lovers is “Practicing Safe Satisfaction.” Horror Addicts Guide to Life is available at http://www.horroraddicts.net/.

The press release is as follows, in jpg, so the links within the file won’t work.

Happy Horror Reading,

Laurel Anne Hill

Horror Addicts Guide to Life Press Release_001

March 26, 2015 By Laurel Anne Hill

World of Fortannis: A Bard Day’s Knight. Interview with contributing author Jon Cory.

Award-winning author Jon Cory
Award-winning author Jon Cory

 

A Bard Day's Knight, Edited by Michael Ventrella
A Bard Day’s Knight, Edited by Michael Ventrella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to award-winning author Jon Cory. Both Jon and I have stories in Michael Ventrella’s new anthology: Tales of Fortannis: A Bard Day’s Knight  (Double Dragon Publishing, 2015). “Take Care on the Farfin” is Jon’s third short story in the Tales of Fortannis series.

I first met Jon while attending Charlotte Cook’s writing group. Through the years we’ve become good friends who trust each other’s suggestions about writing stories.

Jon Cory has two fantasy novels published so far: Award-winning A Plague of Scoundrels and Roly’s Relic. 

A Plague of Scoundrels
A Plague of Scoundrels

 

Roly's Relic
Roly’s Relic

 INTERVIEW WITH JON CORY:

Jon, how long have you been writing fantasy and what compels you to write in the genre?

I’ve always had a vivid imagination. As a kid, my mother said it did no good to punish me by making me sit in the corner. I would just turn the chair around and ride off on my imaginary horse into the Wild West, chasing the bad guys.

During my business career I did a lot of systems design where the ability to ask “What if” was a valuable mental process. The same concept applies to writing. The author starts with a plot, character, or situation — then thinks, “what if’,” twisting and turning, adding and subtracting elements to find a compelling story. Fantasy gives me the freedom to expand the definition of “normal.”

I write humorous adventures. My debut novel featured a stand up comedian from San Francisco time traveling back to the time of Seventeenth Century England’s King Charles II.

Why did you decide to write short stories for the World of Fortannis anthologies?

Fortannis in my mind is like a village wherein the various authors have their own houses to create their stories. There is variety and freedom of individual expression within an overall organizational structure. And one that encourages the authors to write their own unique plots and characters. Fortannis is rich in possibilities.

Your World-of-Fortannis characters–particularly Sarlon, Minnow and Mumblepeg–are colorful and engaging. What inspiration led to their creation?

Remember the story of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah the Hittite? King David wanted him out of the way. He told his army commander to put Uriah in the front of the battle so he would most likely be killed. I always wanted to write a story from the viewpoint of Uriah. “You got to be kidding. Me lead the charge?”

Sarlon is the nephew of King Bellabond. The king wants to get rid of anyone with a claim to the throne so he keeps sending the young knight on impossible missions. I visualized Sarlon as a bad boy sellsword knight who keeps surviving on his wits and charm.

Mumblepeg, the spotted dwarf, is Sarlon’s cantankerous sidekick, and a lot smarter than people think. He is the foil for the young knight’s bold ideas and impulsive actions. The dwarf considers himself as Minnow’s protective uncle.

Minnow is the orphaned wild child of the forest. Her mother was an elf, her father a human. Minnow taught herself magic from an ancient illustrated book. The problem is that she can’t read so her magic is prone to go awry. Minnow’s free spirit and struggles as a teenager appeal to readers.

When you created your World-of-Fortannis pirate characters, how did you avoid creating stereotypes?

By making Le Forge, the red-headed pirate captain, a complex character — a mixture of good and bad. He is a businessman engaged in a dangerous but highly profitable trade. As Sarlon observed, “Things with Le Forge are never as they seem.”

What other works have you written and what are your plans for future stories?

My second novel, Roly’s Relic, was a humorous adventure rather than YA Fantasy. The positive feedback from readers regarding Sarlon, Mumblepeg and Minnow are encouraging me to expand the trio’s adventures into a novel.

Thank you, Jon for being a guest on my blog. I’m looking forward to reading more about Sarlon, Mumblepeg and Minnow, and any other characters you create.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill (Award-winning author of “Heroes Arise” and over twenty-five published short stories.)

March 16, 2015 By Laurel Anne Hill

2015 San Mateo County Fair Literary Contests: April 1 Deadline Approaches

Are you interested in writing inspiration, fun, contest cash prizes, and publication (even if you don’t win a prize)? Then check out what the San Mateo County Fair has to offer.

The deadline for literary contest entries is April 1, 2015. Minimum age is 16 years old for those entering literary contests in the adult divisions.  For full details, go to https://sanmateocountyfair.com/contests/departments/literary-arts. REGISTRATION IS ONLINE AND OPEN.

Entries are being accepted from writers inside AND outside of California, $10 per entry.

The literary stage schedule will be posted before June, and will include writing workshops, panels, and writing consultations with professional writers, editors and publishers. All FREE when you purchase your admission ticket to the fair.

Note: The following announcement was posted as a jpg file and the links are not operative:

Single page contest flyer my update_001

January 21, 2015 By Laurel Anne Hill

Laurel Anne Hill Looks Forward to RadCon 2015

I’m so looking forward to the RadCon Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention February 13-15 in Pasco, Washington.  Check out the video/slide show I created at RadCon 2014:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXfH3akQQ8A

Here’s my schedule at RadCon 2015: 

Fri Feb 13 5:30:pm

Fri Feb 13 6:30:pm

Student Writers: Tips for Growing as a Writer

2207

Our visiting writers and editors give out tips and tricks to our aspiring young writers!If you are a student writer, interested in improving your writing, this is a “must attend” panel!

Alexander, Alma Hill, Laurel Anne Pauli, Frances Slater, Rob

 

Fri Feb 13 8:00:pm

Fri Feb 13 9:00:pm

Cultural Appropriation

2207

How can you write something you *don’t* know? Come talk with our panelists about writing varied cultures without insulting the members of those cultures.

Bonham, Maggie Hill, Laurel Anne Shawl, Nisi Stern, Renee

 

Sat Feb 14 5:30:pm

Sat Feb 14 7:30:pm

Writer Workshop and Critique

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Join RadCons writers as they share the rules of writing and give constructive feedback on your current work.

Anske, Ksenia Frishberg, Manny Hill, Laurel Anne Kehrli, Keffy Stern, Renee

 

Sun Feb 15 11:00

:am

Sun Feb 15 12:30:pm

Help! I need an editor!

2205

When is the best time for a starting writer to seek an editor? Are there other acceptable substitutes? Our experts discuss this and other cost saving editing tips.

Bolich, Sue Ellis, John Hill, Laurel Anne McDermott, Will

 Hope to see some of you there.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of “Heroes Arise”)

December 21, 2014 By Laurel Anne Hill

Rolling to Steamtown (The Zany Adventures of Author Laurel Anne Hill in Scranton, PA)

The Hill Steampunks
The Hill Steampunks

I faced the downhill grade in front of me and tightened my grip on the back of David’s wheelchair. The clerk at the Lackawanna Station Hotel had recommended THIS STREET for pedestrians headed to Steamtown? Could I even maneuver my husband down this hill without duplicating a comedy cliché?

“Do you think we can make it?” David said. He sounded unsure we’d survive to attend his grand-nephew’s wedding in the Poconos this weekend.

“I’ll lean backwards,” I replied. “That should help.” I’d only need to hoof it one way. Once we finished touring Steamtown, we’d catch a taxi back to the hotel.

If you can get there.
If you can get there.

I played counterweight and inched down the hill, heart thumping and palms sweating. The uneven sidewalks in this part of Scranton sure left a lot to be desired. David and I had always loved to take walks together when we traveled. We couldn’t dance together anymore. Just because a poltergeist now inhabited his knee replacement was no reason to stop all our strolls, too. We reached the base of the incline without me tripping or wetting my pants. Then I steeled myself for the next exercise: crossing the railroad tracks.

Yesteryear's train station is today's hotel.
Yesteryear’s train station is today’s hotel.

 Now, I’ve crossed many a railroad track in my day. The trick is being sure there’s no train coming and, of course, not getting stuck. The “Wheelchair Management 101” data base program in my brain performed a quick computation. I’d pull David and the chair over the tracks instead of pushing.

“Ready, set, go!” I said.

Except we didn’t go far. We stalled on the tracks. David couldn’t walk and I couldn’t push or pull him. And I heard the horn of a diesel locomotive.

New Jersey Central RR Freight Station
New Jersey Central RR Freight Station

Okay, we were close to Steamtown. They ran tourist excursion trains there. Diesel trains, usually. Not far up these tracks, a closed barrier sat across the rails. The train we heard probably wasn’t headed in our direction. However, the police car rolling by screeched to a halt.

“You can’t go this way,” the policeman shouted.

Tell me about it.

“We’re trying to visit Steamtown.” I put on my best little-old-lady-stuck-in-a-stupid-situation expression. “The hotel people told us to take this route.”

Another diesel horn sounded. The concerned policeman freed David and the wheelchair from the tracks. 

“You’ll have to go back up that hill,” he said. “Go over to the shopping mall. There’s an entrance there.”

“THAT hill?” How the heck would I manage?

“I can’t help you,” he said. “I have to get back to my car.”

I thanked him. I pushed. I pulled. I prayed. A small audience gathered, some people asking to help, others staring like they’d now seen it all. I would have handed out business cards directing them to my author’s website, but I didn’t dare relinquish my grip on David’s chair. I didn’t even dare change drivers, despite offers of assistance. By the time I reached the top of the hill, I sweated like a marathon runner in the Mojave Desert.

The next blocks were flat, if not entirely wheelchair friendly. Passers-by rendered aid at street corners, assuring us we could reach Steamtown through the mall. I checked my little map. The passage from the mall to the historic museum appeared short and straight. Why had the staff at the Lackawanna Station Hotel not directed us this way in the first place?

I found out why when we reached the door to Steamtown in the mall’s food court. The elevated pathway looked like a combination of a roller coaster track and a third-world foot bridge. Plus the Scranton Police Department had recently closed the route for safety purposes.

So much for local police intra-agency communication.

Maybe if I pushed David a few blocks past the mall, we’d find a real entrance to Steamtown. More nice people helped us to navigate more defiant street corners.

“I’m afraid there’s no safe access to Steamtown for a wheelchair,” a kind woman informed me. “Right now you have to drive there.”

Plenty of pork was spent to build the place and no ADA access? By the time we went back to the hotel it would be too late to call a taxi and return here before closing time.

“We made this side trip to Scranton for nothing.” David sighed. He sounded as disappointed as I was.

“Not for nothing,” I replied. “Scranton has a lot of great people and we got to meet some of them.”

The Chattanooga Choo-Choo  Dandy & Bandy Gandy Dancers
The Chattanooga Choo-Choo
Dandy & Bandy Gandy Dancers

I rested my hand on David’s shoulder. As one, we listened to the horn blasts of locomotives from Steamtown. We watched a train pass in the distance. We took photos of some historic buildings. A warm breeze carried the aromas of diesel and days gone by.

“How about we dance at the wedding reception this weekend?” I said. My brain already calculated a way.

 

 

 

May you encounter wonderful people this holiday season.

Laurel Anne Hill (Award-Winning Author of “Heroes Arise.”)

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