More Good News!

Hello, all!

I was very happy to hear today that Judgment on Tartarus is now available for pre-order on my publisher's website: http://www.wheatmark.com/bookstore/

You can search for my book by a word in its title, by my name, or by the ISBN #:  9781604945225

In the next few weeks, Judgment should also be listed on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, and other online booksellers ( probably at a discount! ) I'm overjoyed at reaching yet another milestone in the publication process! This is all new to me, and I've experienced a fair share of trepidation about this whole thing. Can't wait to get the first copy in hand.

I hope to give you a bit of a sneak peek in my next blog.

MRTighe

Male Domination

Hi, all!

More thoughts on the world of science fiction writing. For many years in the last century, male writers overwhelmingly dominated the science fiction and fantasy field. And you can understand why most women weren't exactly thrilled with some of their work. A few female writers resorted to taking male pseudonyms in order for their writing to be published and accepted in their field. ( Andre Norton, for instance. )

Fortunately, these days there are many more female writers of science fiction and fantasy. Some obviously do write for a mainly female audience. And some write for a more inclusive audience; Barbara Hambly comes to mind. Her work appeals to both men and women equally, I believe. ( I especially enjoyed her vampire novel Those Who Hunt the Night. )

I belong to an organization called Broad Universe which encourages women to write in the SFF and horror genres and promotes their work. If you are interested, look up their website www,broaduniverse.org. Although I attempt to appeal to both male and female readers, I must admit that the majority of my characters are male. And the women in my books have to learn to deal with that issue: they are still "outsiders" in male-dominated worlds! My female characters are strong--or learn to be strong!--in order to survive.

How successful my attempts are remains to be seen, but I am hopeful that I've succeeded!

All for now,

MRTighe

Good News!

The good news is that I just got an e-mail from Wheatmark, my publisher, that my book is at the printers. Three to four weeks from today I should have the first copies of Judgment on Tartarus in hand. Very exciting! It should be on Amazon.com in about four weeks. Ooops! I think I told some people it would be months! Sorry about that. It may take a bit longer for them to get up the cover image ( which is beautiful by the way! ) and the Look Inside feature. Those will be up eventually; my publisher advises patience with Amazon.

I would be very grateful if you would refer friends, or anyone else you think would be interested, to my blog site. I'll provide more information here as it comes to me.

It's very cold and windy here in New England on the day before Thanksgiving. We will be traveling to NH tomorrow. Be safe everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!

Peace,

MRTighe

Do I Write Short Stories?

To answer that question honestly-- yes, I've written a few. And there are a couple I'm rather fond of. But all in all, I'm just too dang long-winded to be an accomplished short story writer, which is why I write novels. First of all, it takes me a really long time to come up with an idea that's worth investing months, even years, of my life sweating over. And it takes an even longer time to develop that idea into a story I'm happy with.

It takes me many pages to flesh out a plot and develop characters; I like to take my time to get to know them in depth--their back-history, their flaws, their speech patterns, etc. Then as I go on I develop the settings as background for the action, though I usually have at least a vague sense of the background to start with.. I just can't seem to do all this in a few short pages! More power to those writers who can--I rather envy them!

All for now. Take care,

MRTighe

My Favorite Books and Authors

Hello again,

I just wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. It's possible you may also enjoy some of them, and it will give you some idea of what I write. First of all, I love Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I try to read this classic, high-fantasy once a year. I find it very inspirational and unbeatable.

I also love all the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. She is a fantastic writer, and,no, her books are not just for kids (especially the later ones!)  I also enjoy the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Myer. Notice so far these are all fantasies of one sort or another.

As far as science fiction is concerned, probably my all-time favorite author is Zenna Henderson. I'm a big fan of her People stories/books. If you've never read them, run to the library and look them up. NESFA has published a collection of her stories in a book titled Ingathering. Her "People" are aliens from a destroyed world who are very much like us--only with a few extra "talents". Her work is the best example of "soft" science fiction I know of, beautifully written and very moving.

I also love the early Dragonrider books by Anne McCaffrey, especially the first three in the series. When I first read them, I considered them fantasy, but as the series progressed and she explained the back history of the planet Pern, it became clear that she was indeed writing SF. Sometimes the boundaries between genres are unclear, and as long as things don't get too muddled, I'm fine with that. Please note that by no means do I put myself in the same category as any of these fine writers, but I hope if you enjoy their work, you'll also enjoy reading mine.

Thanks for reading,

MRTighe

The Joys of Laptopping

Hey again!

After getting my first laptop not so long ago, I was soon ready to toss the dang thing out the window! It was so much different from working on the electric typewriter or word processor that I was used to. Took me some time to get the hang of it, and there are still things that are mysteries to me. Fortunately, I have a lot of help from my family, especially my computer-savvy kids! Without their help I probably would've given up --or quietly gone insane. Well, maybe not so quietly.

I still have trouble with some aspects of "laptopping"--like when the bloody machine insists I didn't really mean to use a certain word and changes it on me!!! ( I find my own vocabulary tends to de-volve rapidly whenever that happens! ) However, I've been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and it looks like I'm here to stay. Well, back to the laptop! I'm in the process of editing Book Two: True Son of Tatrtarus, which is next up on the schedule.

All for now,

MRTighe

The Final Steps

Having overcome a few technical difficulties, I completed the final steps before publication: signing and returning my acceptance of my cover and proofs and signing my W9 for royalties. I took them to the Post Office myself as we are on a rural route and outgoing mail is not always secure. When you are a struggling writer, you come to know the Post Office well! I've sent out manuscripts often and usually receive nothing but rejections (a few accompanied by some very polite and encouraging letters, thankfully!)

I'll have a very hard time waiting the three weeks until I have my first novel in my hot little hands. I'm sure you understand why this is so exciting for me. I love to write. I scribble on every scrap of paper that comes my way. This can be very messy! Ask my poor husband who has to put up with my disorganization!

And, of course, I'm anticipating some negative criticism---I'm used to it. I used to belong to a writer's group. A few people there truly appreciated my work, but there was one in particular who refused to read anything that was science fiction. I was shocked by such a close-minded attitude. I believe in giving a book a chance. I may not love everything I read, but at least I'm willing to give it a try. Hopefully, since you're reading this blog, you are open-minded enough to give Judgment on Tartarus a try when it becomes available.

More later. Thanks,

MRTighe