Laurel Anne Hill

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BayCon 2010 Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention: Schedule for Laurel Anne Hill

Hello Everyone,

Here’s my schedule for BayCon 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, California, May 28-31.

Friday, May 28, 4:00 PM, Stevens Creek (802)
A Pinch of Improbability and a Dash of Implausibility
Aether. Adamantium. Unobtanium. Do you really need a secret element to justify your plot devices? At what point do you decide to forgo reality and substitute a Maguffin?  [Ian Grey, Laurel Anne Hill (moderator) Anders Hudson, Tony Todaro]

Friday, May 28, 6:00 PM, Lafayette (822)
YA Fiction: More than blanking out the sex
Young Adult Fiction is rapidly growing.  What does it take to write YA and how is it different from either children’s or adult fiction? [Clare Bell, Valerie Fankel, Laurel Anne Hill, Wanda Kurtcu, Scott Sigler (moderator)]

Saturday, May 29, 2:00 PM, Lafayette (711)
Really Long-Haul Trucking
Fundamentally, truck driving is truck driving. But how does the job change when you’re hauling in space and your dispatcher is on another planet? [Doug Berry (moderator) Laurel Anne Hill, Paul Carlson, Walter Kleine]

Saturday, May 29, 7:00 PM, Central (801)
Reading & Autograph Session
I’ll be reading “Thar be Magic,” my pirates-and-magic short story from the new “Rum and Runestones” anthology (Dragon Moon Press, 2010).  To celebrate “Rum and Runestones,” I’m planning to arrange refreshments (wine and cheese) through the hotel catering service.  Please join me from 7 to 8 pm. 

Sunday, May 30.  I’ll be serving as a writing workshop mentor.

Hope to see you there.

Laurel Anne Hill
http://www.laurelannehill.com

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The Case of the Pillowcase Openings (by Laurel Anne Hill)

Which way do you turn your bed pillows when you make your bed?  Do the pillowcase openings face inward toward the middle of the bed?  Outward toward the room?  To the left?  Or is placement totally random? Might pillowcase placement increase inspiration to write?  To hear my light-hearted comments about such matters, listen to “The Case of the Pillowcase Openings” on my latest podcast.  Go to WELCOME TO MY BEDROOM CLOSET.   “The Case of the Pillowcase Openings” is in mp3 format, 11 minutes in length, also available on iTunes and free.  

Enjoy! 

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

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WonderCon 2010: Visit Laurel Anne Hill (Author of “Heroes Arise”) in Artists’ Alley on April 2-3

WOW! It’s almost time for WonderCon 2010, at Moscone Center South in San Francisco. I’m looking forward to spending Friday and Saturday in Artists’ Alley, official location spot AA017. I hope to meet many of you. Please drop by and say hello. Let me tell you about Gundack, my wonderful four-armed kren from the world of Thard.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill

(Author of “Heroes Arise,” an award-winning novel for adults and young adults)

http://www.laurelannehill.com

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SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR WRITING CONTESTS (HOW TO FIND CONTEST INFORMATION)

Are you having difficulty accessing contest information via the San Mateo County Fair website?  Try using the following link to reach the San Mateo County Fair writing contest guidelines:

https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2010/2010_premium/52-64 FINE ARTS 2010 NEW LAYOUT.pdf 

Use the following link to reach the entry form:https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2010/2010_premium/3-4%20Entry%20Form%20General%20Non%20Livestock%202010.pdf 

If you still are unable to connect, contact Bardi Rosman Koodrin (Literary Director) at  artika@earthlink.net.  If all else fails, leave a message on my website:  http://www.laurelannehill.com. 

The literary contest guidelines start on page 61 of the contest information.  Entry fees are $10 per entry.  THE DEADLINE FOR LITERARY CONTESTS IS APRIL 30.  THE MAY 19 DEADLINE GIVEN ON THE ENTRY FORM DOES NOT APPLY TO LITERARY CONTESTS.  LITERARY CONTEST ENTRIES MUST BE IN THE HANDS OF THE LITERARY ARTS DEPARTMENT BY APRIL 30, 2010.  MAILED ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN APRIL 25, 2010.  

 San Mateo County Fair Office, 2495 So. Delaware Street San Mateo, CA 94403,   San Mateo County Fair Phone: (650) 574-3247  Fax: (650) 574-3985   

For those entering the first chapter of their unpublished science fiction/fantasy novel, the information for the “Heroes Arise” Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Chapter award is given below.  

NEW!!! DIVISION 335 – “HEROES ARISE” SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY NOVEL CHAPTER THE FIRST EVER NOVEL CHAPTER CONTEST Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill (Author of “Heroes Arise”)

AWARDS OFFERED 1stPlace $100 Rosette 2 ndPlace $50 Rosette 3 rdPlace $25 Rosette

Special notes: These awards will be given in honor of KOMENAR Publishing, my writing group, my husband, David, and all the others who made my dream of becoming an award winning, published author come true.

Eligibility: Submit chapter one (maximum 7,500 words) of your unpublished science fiction or fantasy novel according to the entry guidelines for literary contest submissions. Please do not include a synopsis or a prologue. Use standard manuscript formatting. Short Story must NOT have been entered in a previous San Mateo County Fair Competition in any form, whether it won or not.

CLASS: 1. “Hero’s Arise” Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Chapter

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Breathing Life into your Writing (RavenCon 2010, April 11) Presented by Laurel Anne Hill

2010, 9:38 pm

Heroes Arise Cover.JPG
Heroes Arise Cover.JPG

Breathing Life into Your Writing (April 11, 10am – Noon, RavenCon)

A Workshop Presented by Laurel Anne Hill, with the assistance of Nancy Holzner, Barbara Friend Ish & Allen Wold

A. Make Characters Come Alive on the Page: Stay Close to Point-of-View Characters

1. Create authentic and believable characters.  Keep thoughts and actions consistent with who they are and the situation.

2. Back story should arise because the point of view character has a reason to recall the information.  Organize back story to reflect the way people think.

3. Create realistic dialogue.  Avoid unrealistic information dumps in dialogue.

4. Avoid “talking heads.”  Let point-of-view characters react to words and actions of others through thoughts and words.

5. Use the five senses.

6. Stay in the culture

B. The Story Structure and Forward Momentum

1. Story arc, forward momentum and breathing space.

2. The contract with the reader.

a.) Where should your story start and end?

(1) Visiting a “new world”

(2)The question

(3) Character

(4) “World” out-of-order

b.)The end informs the beginning.

3. The opening promise and editing your story line

4. Employ strong verbs but “was-zies” have their place.

5. Minimize use of adverbs,” it,” and “that.”

C. Writing Exercise and Feedback:  Participants are encouraged to bring several pages of a work in progress.

Hope to see you there,

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


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"Rum and Runestones" Cover (From Laurel Anne Hill)

I be needin’ to share the cover of “Rum and Runestones,” an anthology o’ piracy and magic (Dragon Moon Press, 2010).  The editor, a clever lass, be Valerie Griswold-Ford.  For those of ye who know not, the tales in this anthology be:

“Steer a Pale Course” by Gail Martin
“Cursed Luck” by BA Collins
“Booty Haul” by Danny Birt
“God Empress of the Sea” by James R Stratton
“Thar Be Magic” by Laurel Anne Hill
“A Treacherous Stone” by MJ Blehart
“Making History” by Tera Fulbright
“Mister Adventure in Neverland” by Davey Beauchamp
“X Spots the Mark” by Michael A Ventrella
“In the Runes” by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
“A Final Battle” by Stuart Jaffe
“At Map’s End” by Misty Massey
(Introduction by editor Valerie Griswold-Ford, and artwork by Bryan Prindiville) 

The book be launchin’ in April.

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

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