Science Fiction

What Does Reader Sarah Want?

Lynette M Burrows

Reader Interview: What Does Reader Sarah Want? (With a tip of the hat to the Inside the Actor’s Studio) First Name: Sarah Gender: F Age Range: 21-40 Occupation: peer tutor at the JCCC Writing Center What occupation (other than yours) would you like to try? Fiction and poetry writer What sound or noise do you love? Purring cat What sound or noise do you hate? Insistent meowing of cat wanting to go outside What is your favorite word? Bizarre Fiction or Nonfiction? Fiction Genre? Speculative fiction, but paranormal urban fantasy is a particular favorite. Ebook, audio book, or physical book? Physical book unless I can’t get it that way. What makes you choose a book to read? Author? Cover? Blurb? It has to look and sound entertaining. Being an author I’ve already read helps, but if the concept is intriguing that’ll do. Recommendation(s)? Laurell K Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Writing the Other by Nisi Shawl, Fast Girl by Suzy Favor Hamilton, Impossible Things by Connie Willis, Troublemaker by Leah Remini. What makes you put down a book? Boredom or slogging through a book like it’s a chore. What are you reading now? Just finished Dancing and Wounded by Laurell K. Hamilton, […]

What Does Reader Rob Want?

Lynette M Burrows

  Reader Questionnaire: What Does Reader Rob Want? (With a tip of the hat to the Inside the Actor’s Studio)   First Name:  Rob Gender:  Male Age Range:61+ Occupation:  Retired (very tiring) What occupation (other than yours) would you like to try? Never gave anything but writing a thought, past the age of say 7 What sound or noise do you love? Many-many.  Rain after drought.  The onset of a thunderstorm in hot summer weather.  The laughter of children. What sound or noise do you hate? Whining, especially of children, but even of cats What is your favorite word? Too many to list, I love words.  Easier to list least favorite, but I can’t think what would be worst. Fiction or Nonfiction? That I read?  Both. Genre? Usually SF/fantasy in fiction, sometimes a mystery; history, bio, autobio, and recent events in nonfiction Ebook, audio book, or physical book? I still prefer a physical book, partly because my Kindle’s index is messed up.  It only lists half a dozen books, though if I remember title or author I can pull up the others.  But who can remember them all?  Also, the physical book will still be readable, whereas magnetic memories are very frail. What makes you choose a book […]

Nearing The End

Lynette M Burrows

I am nearing THE END of this eternal re-write. This novel was first attempted years ago, that’s many, many years ago. Earlier drafts got me two different agents and almost sold twice. Yet, it didn’t sell. And it’s a heart novel, meaning it’s near and dear to my heart. Someone once called it my therapy novel. Truth? Some of it has been therapy. Not in the way implied by my critic, but it has had therapeutic moments. It’s been a slow, difficult re-write with lots of angst, tons of learning, and more than a few tears shed. But, The End is in sight. And yet— The words come slowly to me on a good day. On bad days—words come slower than a slow snail’s slowest slog. Whew! Which situation do you think I’m in now? Yup. S-L-O-W. You’d think the words would be coming faster, wouldn’t you? And yet— I sit at the computer and type a few words then come to a section that must be a blend of the old draft and the new one. The words drip out of my fingers and nearly dry up then, something comes along to spur me forward. This blog post, for one. […]