Elle Lothlorien tells writers why we should consider responding to negative reviews rather than ignoring them

Gloria Oliver discusses the aspects of writing authors must understand that can make or break a story

Robin Hobb and Helen Lowe discuss world-building

Celeste Ng on creating emotional resonance in your story

Kristine Kathryn Rusch on managing your time so that you don’t run out of time to write

When I’m not in the Dealer Hall I’ll be here:

Friday

3pm – Flash Us, Part 1

Saturday

3pm – Flash Us, Part 2

6pm – Reading with Kelly Swails

Sunday

Noon – Make it Steamy!

1pm – Dressing for (Steamy) Success

Click here to view the entire Library schedule for the whole weekend. Unfortunately there are no room numbers yet, so you should check your convention schedule after you’ve picked up your badge. And don’t forget to buy your copy of the souvenir anthology that will be available ONLY at Origins. All the authors involved will be happy to sign your copy!

But wait, Sarah! What about World Steam Expo, which is THIS weekend? Well, dear reader, I’m not doing any panels at WSE, so I have no schedule to post. I plan to go and have fun and relax and then write a review for Doctor Fantastique’s. I’m looking forward to a convention where I don’t have to lift a finger, actually. Yay!

The Cover:

The Table of Contents:

• “Replay Value” by Aaron Allston
• “Last Man on Earth” by Maxwell Alexander Drake
• “The Old Gods” by C.S. Marks
• “Among the Stars” by Sarah Hans
• “For Every Time, A Season” by Donald J. Bingle
• “Slug” by Janine K. Spendlove
• “Know Your Nemesis” by Kelly Swails
• “My Faire Lady” by Jean Rabe
• “The Tinker’s Music Box” by Jennifer Brozek
• “Under a Thin Veneer” by Daniel Myers
• “Deep Salvage” by Bryan Young
• “Adventure of the Ghost Watch” by Michael A . Stackpole
• “Impression” by Tracy Chowdhury
• “Prologue” by Gregory A. Wilson
• “Fair Game” by Dylan Birtolo
• “Market” by R. T. Kaelin
• “In the Time of Dragons” by Steven Saus
• “Parting the Clouds” by Bradley P. Beaulieu
• “Protection” by Timothy Zahn

I am super-proud to be included in this anthology. Some of the other authors involved are best-selling novelists! I feel a bit out of my league, I must confess.

Can’t wait to see you at the convention!

I can’t stress enough what a great time I had at the Symposium. I’m so excited about World Steam Expo as a result that I started packing the day after I got home from the Symposium.

We also got the largest group photo of the Airship Archon in our history to date, but since it’s not my photo I’m waiting on permission from the photog before I can reproduce it here.

So who is going to the Symposium next year? What about World Steam Expo at the end of the month?

Grand Science Fiction – May 7

Bloodstones Urban Fantasy Anthology – May 15

Whispers in Darkness – May 15

Dreams of Steam III - May 31

After Death Anthology – June 30

Wily Writers Podcast – Sci Fi Horror Theme – July 31

Wily Writers Podcast  – Fairypunk Theme – July 31

Big Bad Anthology – July 31

Cthulhurotica 2 – July 31

Once Upon An Apocalypse – July 31

Rocking Hard Serial Anthology – September 30

Futuredaze YA Anthology – open until filled

Fantastic Frontiers Magazine – ongoing

Shimmer Magazine – ongoing

Abomination Magazine – ongoing

Coffinmouth Magazine – ongoing

These deadlines are, as always, Submitter Beware, because I can’t vouch for any of these publishers. This is basically just a place for me to deposit deadlines to which I would like to submit work, so all the markets are paying (usually at least $.01 a word, or royalties) and accept electronic submissions. They’re all genre markets of some kind (horror, science fiction, steampunk, fantasy).

Please be sure to check Duotrope Digest, Ralan, and Dark Markets for more publications looking for submissions. This list is by no means exhaustive. Oh, and don’t forget to check posts from previous months (they’re all categorized under “Upcoming Deadlines”) for publications that are still open.

If you’re an editor or publisher and you’d like me to feature your deadline here, you can email me at sarah.hans at gmail dot com with the details.

Happy Submitting!

I’ll be attending and presenting at the Symposium (April 27-29 in Cincinnati) as a member of the Airship Archon. The Archon panels are below. I emboldenated the panels I will be presenting with my fellow crew members.

I will not be doing a fiction reading or selling books, unfortunately, but if you have a copy of one of my anthologies you’d like me to sign or you want to talk shop I’ll be happy to oblige. Note that the Guest of Honor, Leanna Renee Hieber, and I both have stories in Candle In The Attic Window, so you can probably get both our signatures at this one event if you bring your book!

Friday:

4pm -  Steampunk 101: Steampunk for Beginners (Windsor East)

11pm – Steampunk Vs. NeoVictorian (Windsor East)

Saturday:

11am – Steampunk 210: Intermediate Steampunk (Windsor East)

2pm – From Disaster to Dashing: Dressing for Men (Windsor East)

4pm – Lolita Punk: Steampunk Lolita (Windsor East)

Sunday:

11am – Steampunk 320: Steampunk for Fun and Profit (Stratford Theater)

You can find the rest of the schedule here (pdf). I’m really excited about the panels and games! Not to mention getting to see some of my friends I only see two or three times a year at conventions. I hope I’ll see you there!

Charlie Jane Anders with tips on writing strong supporting characters

Tim Waggoner on dreamers, crafters, and the nebulous goal of improving your work

Don Bingle on setting up your story for maximum impact

Lawrence Block on making a living as a writer

Austin Sirkin on dealing with negative feedback

I’d love to do a ladies’ edition of the link roundup, but I’m having a hard time finding many helpful posts by female authors/bloggers. Please recommend any you like and help me out!

Use code MQ68Z at checkout to order Candle in the Attic Window at Smashwords for only $1

Tales from The Crimson Pact, a sampler of stories from The Crimson Pact: Volume 1, is now available on Amazon.com for FREE!

Both of these deals last until Friday the 13th, and then they’re gone, so get ‘em now!

Enjoy!

A Terrible Lie

We often played the game of “who loves you more.” I would say I loved Taylor the most, and he would say he loved me the most. It was the kind of shmoopy crap that made people roll their eyes and tell us to get a room.

In the end, I think I win.

“How do you think he’ll react?” Dana asks, reaching for my hand and squeezing it in a show of solidarity. I can’t look at her. I want to be alone, but I have a long, lonely road ahead of me, and I’m not exactly eager to start the journey.

“To what?”

“When he comes back and realizes. He’s not stupid. He’ll know.” Sometimes I swear it’s like she can’t prevent herself from saying whatever she’s thinking, no matter how hurtful or pointless.

I shrug, my shoulders so tense the motion is barely noticeable. I know I should be angry at her for bringing up a topic I don’t want to discuss, one that hurts me to my very core, but I’m too numb. “I don’t know. He’ll probably be angry. He might not even want to see me though. Six years is a long time–he might forget all about me.”

“Nah.” Dana’s eyes watch the sky, though the rocket with its trail of smoke is long gone. “If true love exists, you guys have it. He’ll think about you every day…”

“Just shut up already, will you?” The tears I’ve been suppressing for days are finally starting to bubble to the surface. I tell her to shut up too loudly, and other people in the park turn to look at us, their brows furrowed.

“Let’s get out of here,” Dana says, her voice soft. Her lips are pursed in that way she has when she’s really upset, but trying not to show it. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

I nod, shrug again, and start toward the car. We step around picnicking families, and I can’t help but watch their children and wonder what my own child will be like. Will he play frisbee like that kid, or prefer reading, like that one? Will he have Taylor’s brown hair or my blonde? Will he have Taylor’s distinctive cleft nose, his dimpled cheeks, his gray-blue eyes? Will he be a she?

Will Taylor know the moment he sees our child that it was his, has been his all along?

As we climb into the car, Dana sliding behind the wheel and me kicking aside the Dr. Pepper cans to make room for my feet on the passenger side floor, Dana closes her door and then turns to me. “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about this but I just want to say one last thing…”

“Dana…” I shake my head, trying to discourage her.

“Billy, will you just listen?” She puts the key in the ignition. “I don’t agree with what you did. It was Taylor’s right to decide what was best for himself, and give up on his dream to be with you if that’s what he wanted. He loved you, really loved you, and I think you were kind of a fool to give up on that.”

“I didn’t give up on it…”

“Just let me finish. I think you were a fool, but I also think you did it for the right reasons. You love him. I get that. And I think he loves you, and that six years on a space mission isn’t going to change that, especially when he realizes that baby is his. So you need to buck up, live with your lie, and know that in six years, you’ll be together again. No more of this mopey shit.”

I looked up at her for the first time all day and really saw her, Dana, my friend. The only one willing to help me through all of this, and support me no matter how foolish she thought my decision. The late-afternoon sunlight made the golden starbursts around her pupils sparkle like amber jewels. I’d never noticed that her eyes were both green and gold before. Somehow, her gaze in that moment seemed mystical. Powerful, even. If I would just trust her, everything would turn out the way it should.

“Okay,” I said, and for the first time in weeks, I smiled.