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Tag: Bone of Contention

“Brook, you don’t sound like yourself.” My reply came out of my mouth before I could choose it. “I am not the person I was three weeks ago and I will never be that person again.” Surprised by my own response, I relayed it to my therapist who was helping me work through issues surrounding my brother’s death. “Of course you’re not,” she said. “and one of the best things you can do for yourself is to know that you are a different person now.” Author Brook Noel.
Dealing With Death in Reality and Art

Dealing With Death in Reality and Art

By Jan S. Gephardt A whole cluster of holidays happen during what is for the Northern Hemisphere a season of harvest and winter’s onset. The common thread that weaves through them all is dealing with death. I’ve written about Halloween/Samhain, Día de los Muertos, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day on my “Artdog Adventures” blog in the past. Indeed, my “Virtual Ofrenda” is one of my most enduringly popular posts. Through them all, I’ve kept coming back around to…

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Jan S. Gephardt at Archon 44, with signs advertising Weird Sisters Publishing titles.
Authors of Archon 44

Authors of Archon 44

By Jan S. Gephardt Last week I wrote about the artists. Now it’s time to write about the authors of Archon 44. Followers of this blog know that I recently attended Archon 44. As the “44” at the end indicates, this is a science fiction convention with a long history in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Their most recent venue is the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, IL. My focus at conventions is mostly split between artists and authors. I…

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BFFs Lynette M. Burrows and Jan S. Gephardt.
A Pair of BFFs Talk about Writing

A Pair of BFFs Talk about Writing

By Jan S. Gephardt and Lynette M. Burrows A note from Jan to her readers: My longtime friend Lynette M. Burrows and I belong to some of the same writers’ groups, and first met through the Kansas City Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (KaCSFFS). We bonded over (among other things) our interest in writing, and we’ve been friends literally for decades. We regularly check in with each other to “talk shop” or be each others’ cheerleaders. Earlier this summer, I…

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Candy, streamers, gift bows, and other party objects surround the word “Celebrate!!!”
The Road to Release Day

The Road to Release Day

By Jan S. Gephardt I feel as if I’ve been on the road to Release Day for most of this summer, but at last it’s here! We made it! A Bone to Pick should now be available in print and ebook formats through a wide variety of outlets! What’s it about? In case you’re new to this blog, here’s the book description. for A Bone to Pick: XK9 Rex is a dog who knows too much. Now his past is…

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If a story is in you it has to come out. – William Faulkner
Call me Irresponsible

Call me Irresponsible

By Jan S. Gephardt Call me irresponsible if you will, but I spent the day writing. Writing fiction, that is, not a blog post. Even though it was “Blog-or-Die Day.” Even though I had scheduled and set aside time to work on a blog post. Yes, even though I hate, hate, hate missing deadlines. The journalist/commercial graphic designer in me detests missing deadlines. But instead of blogging like I was supposed to, I spent this week’s designated blogging day writing…

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A Bone to Pick by Jan S. Gephardt
Almost There

Almost There

By Jan S. Gephardt To quote Red Leader Garven Dreis, we’re almost there! In this case, I mean we’re almost to the point where A Bone to Pick is available and ready to read. Almost. We’re close enough that I can at last announce a presale offer on Amazon, in both the US and the UK. I’m also almost to the point where Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) are ready to go out as review copies. I’ll send them to my…

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The covers of “What’s Bred in the Bone” and “A Bone to Pick,” by Jan S. Gephardt.
Writing “A Bone to Pick”

Writing “A Bone to Pick”

By Jan S. Gephardt After I finished What’s Bred in the Bone and published it in 2019, I thought writing A Bone to Pick would be lots easier than writing the first book in the Trilogy. After all, I had an outline. I had scenes, cut from the first novel, all ready to go into the second one. It was partly written already! I should easily have it ready to go by 2020. A year, maybe 18 months, tops, because…

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