Dear Scott Turow, Allison Kelley, John Scalzi...

Open letter to the Presidents of RWA, SFWA, and Authors' Guild concerning copyright infringement.

Dear Scott Turow, Allison Kelley, John Scalzi,

Thank you very much for everything you do to defend authors' copyrights against copyright infringement. We very much appreciate having an address to which to send our complaints, and the comfort of knowing that you compile a database of the most egregious "pirates" and pirate sites.

Despite small triumphs, ignorance persists among honest readers; lies about the legality of "sharing" go unchallenged, and the problem is getting much worse.

Please Scott Turow, Allison Kelley, John Scalzi will you talk to one another, set up one powerhouse task force, meet regularly, share resources, engage your members, give authors one central "Go To" address where we can submit complaints, report piracy sites, blogs and yahoogroups, cc our take-down notices.

One forceful industry voice could shut down an entire account and insist on a hosting site complying with their own TOS where their TOS has been repeatedly violated, instead of individual authors taking down one file at a time.

Thank you.

Rowena Cherry (IWOFA)

Permission granted to forward, share, repost, or use as a template for other open letters.

Dear Scott Turow, Allison Kelley, John Scalzi...

First Review: Eris by D. Renee Bagby

FIRST REVIEW!!!

Eris has gotten it's first review from Rites of Romance.

5 lyres and a recommended read

"I was so taken in by the characters I loved, yes loved this book... The characters came to life for me, they all had flaws and imperfections and that’s what made them real to me."
~ GJM

Read the full review

Buy Now
Read First Chapter

First Review: Eris by D. Renee Bagby

About zombies -

Saw a lot of them at Crypticon this weekend in Everett, WA. What an amazing range of costumes! Super decorations and lots of panels and activities. And zombies everywhere, as well as vampires and other scary types. Okay, I went to do research because I am working on a new urban fantasy series for a RPG publisher. The sci fi/fantasy cons are also a great way to meet people who write, edit, or read the genre and I met all of the above. Crypticon is more of a fun party type con and included games, dancing, live performers, and also people who made jewelry and costumes and even makeup to go with costumes.

From Mudflat's Claire here's today's fortune cookie: MONDAY, LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR BRINGS ANNOYING WORK CHANGES BUT GOOD EMOTIONAL VIBES. Rest of the week is posted on the Prediction page at http://phoebematthews.com.

About zombies -

SciFi, Folklore and the Future

One reason I like to write science fiction is because I see the genre as folklore of the future. Some writers see the future as apocalyptic, and I tend to agree we will probably come close to ending ourselves with or without the help of space aliens. However, I tend to think that if we learn responsibility as a species, we might become seeds to the universe. The problem is the duality of our natures. We contain both good and bad: generosity tempered with avarice and self seeking, xenophobia combined with an adventurer's desire for exploration. You can come up with more examples, I'm sure. To make matters more difficult, sometimes our good traits result in disaster, and our worst characteristics save us.

In my new novel, Crewkin, corporate leaders, though only indirectly mentioned, are just as greedy and ruthless as some few are today. To create ship crews which won't succumb to the rigors of long-distance space travel the corporations develop specialized crews.

The concept is simple. Raise children from birth who exist only within their own society. Provide nurses who care for but never develop relationships with their charges. Develop leaders and make sure everyone else submits to their leader's rule. Control the genome; make sure they have superior genes, select for disease resistance, strength, a certain look to make sure your crewkin look very similar, this will also emphasize their difference from other human beings. Educate them with information reinforcing the 'rightness' of their isolation and their ultimate superiority. Teach duty and dedication as their sole focus. Finally, use punishment to subvert any independent thought or action. However, no one should call these groups slaves, for they are crewkin, and as far as the general public and government know, choose to live together, even die if kept apart. Then, to increase that perception, brainwash your crews to suicide if the crew can no longer function, make sure the general public believes this myth, and there you have your perfect crew.

Perhaps, in the history of crewkin, there might be one who doesn't fit. What happens when she chooses not to die? What happens if she has the courage to seek life outside the confinement of crewkin indoctrination? Can she survive? And if she does, what type of danger does she pose to the corporations?

Look for Crewkin from MuseItUp Publishing in February.

SciFi, Folklore and the Future

A quick note to readers -

June free Summer Reading Trail is up at http://www.voireylinger.com/index.php?p=1_12_Trail-Head. Voirey lists books by type. It's a fun way to discover authors you haven't read before.

Phoebe Matthews
Award-winning Mudflat urban fantasy series

A quick note to readers -

Lori Foster Conference in Ohio

I plan to attend the Lori Foster reader and author get together this weekend in Manchester, Ohio. If you happen to be attending too, I can't wait to meet you, and if you are anywhere near the area feel free to stop by on Saturday for the booksigning. It's free and open to the public 2-4 PM.

For more details about the conference check out the website here:
http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php

Friday, June 4 — Sunday, June 6, 2010
Cincinnati Marriott North at Union Centre, West Chester Ohio

There will be lots of food--lots of fun and lots of great new friends to meet. Can't wait to see you there! And if you aren't nearby don't worry, I plan to take plenty of pictures!

Lots of love!
Missy Lyons
www.missylyons.com

Lori Foster Conference in Ohio