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Tag: Lucy A. Synk

This square depiction is a detail of a photographically detailed illustration of a young woman with dark brown hair sitting at a white laptop computer in a white, artificially-lit room, surrounded by white humanoid robots. The robots also have white laptop computers, but they are not looking them. They are looking at the woman, as if awaiting prompts. Image courtesy of “My Office Apps.” See the Image Credits for a link to the article it was originally used to illustrate.
A Proper Balance of Politics and Business

A Proper Balance of Politics and Business

What’s the proper balance between political opinion, professional life, and writing? Every writer, every publisher, and indeed every individual person must decide how to delineate their own personal “proper balance.” Here at Weird Sisters Publishing, the eponymous sisters – G. S. Norwood and I – see many things the same way. But not all things. Recently I’ve come to realize that the expression of political views in the public-facing, professional sphere is one of those things. G. is more reticent…

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This square image shows the covers of the three books featured in the blog post “Three Nonfiction Book Reviews,” by Jan S. Gephardt, published on “The Weird Blog,” 1/17/2024. The covers, L-R are those of: Ryan J. Reilly’s book “Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System,” “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA, and Catherine Davidson’s book “Why does my CAT do that? Answers to 50 Questions Cat Lovers Ask,” on a background that is a blend of the covers’ colors. Montage design by Jan S. Gephardt.
Three Nonfiction Book Reviews

Three Nonfiction Book Reviews

For a change of pace on this blog, how about some nonfiction book reviews? Yes, we have occasionally written about nonfiction books before. But there’s no denying most of the books we discuss on this blog – and all of the books we publish – are fiction. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t care about nonfiction. It’s a vital part of a balanced reading diet. In my last post, I talked about book reviews that I have (and more importantly…

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This square montage shows photos from Facebook, plus several taken by Tyrell or Jan Gephardt at 2023 conventions. They show displays, clockwise from upper left, from Top Tier Figures, Space Cadets Candies & More LLC, a panorama of booths at the Archon 46 Dealers Room, the Ziggy’s West display at SoonerCon 31 and Tom Ulrick making a face at the photographer, and two views of parts of the Kreative Menagerie’s displays at SoonerCon 31.
Dealers Room Denizens for the Holidays

Dealers Room Denizens for the Holidays

We got to know some of our fellow Dealers Room Denizens at the sf conventions we attended in 2023. They are an eclectic, creative lot. Ever since our season ended I’ve been meaning to write a post that mentions some of our favorites, but it just never came right. However, now I realize that the start of December is the perfect time for such a post. All of the small creative businesses I list here have websites, sell online, and…

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This square image shows two views of the dealers room from the Weird Sisters Publishing table, notably Space Cadets Candy, Author Robert Whitmore, Horizon Music, and Snarky Sayings. It also includes puzzle box lid photos for Lucy A. Synk’s two jigsaw puzzles, “Halloween” and “Checking it Twice,” as well as a social media promotional image from Weird Sisters Publishing that shows the book covers for all Weird Sisters and Kansas City Author Friends that were offered during 2023 from their dealers table.
An Archon Overview

An Archon Overview

It’s time for an Archon Overview. Time to look back from a bit more than a week’s distance and share my thoughts about this year’s event. This was the penultimate convention for my four-con “season,” but for today’s post I want to focus just on Archon 46. This concom (convention committee) gets a lot of things right. They have a long, solid history of good art shows, now ably helmed by Anna Mulch, and a dynamic programming team. This year…

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This image is an Anime-style cartoon image of a young white woman with purple hair wearing sort of a white spacesuit-looking outfit with a jetpack, as well as bunny ears and a headset, against a circular background with several diagonals and a honeycomb texture. Above and behind her in a science-fictional-looking green and white font is the name “Archon 46.” Across the middle, it reads, “The Midwest’s Premier Science Fiction and Fantasy Event.” At the very bottom it says “© Timothy Chiasson,” and “September 29-October 1, 2023.”
The Road to Archon 46

The Road to Archon 46

The road to Archon 46  has almost come to an end. As you read this, we’ll be packing up final things or literally be ON the road, driving toward Collinsville, IL. But anytime we come to a science fiction convention we bring artwork, books, free promotional items, plus carefully chosen clothing and accessories and all the other needed “support items” to make the trip a success. When I think about all of those elements, and all the time it took…

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This is a photo of the complete painting, “Oak Park Halloween.” It shows several dozen children trick-or-treating in Halloween costumes.
Rejoicing in Our Differences:

Rejoicing in Our Differences:

Lucy A. Synk’s Oak Park Halloween By Jan S. Gephardt “Rejoicing in our Differences” is a new series of larger-scale paintings by my friend (and frequent XK9-painter) Lucy A. Synk. The theme also could be an unofficial motto for Weird Sisters Publishing. Yes, Lucy, G., and I are all white women of a certain age. You might not look at us and instantly think “diversity!” But all three of us are creative types who both value, and seek to nurture…

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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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“A Bone to Pick” by Jan S. Gephardt, envisioned as an ebook on the left and as a trade paperback on the right.
The story of A Bone to Pick’s Cover

The story of A Bone to Pick’s Cover

By Jan S. Gephardt It’s way too late for this to be a “reveal,” but the story of A Bone to Pick’s Cover deserves telling. Because it was not an easy—or short—journey! The Artistry of Jody A. Lee For most of my adult life it has been my secret fantasy that someday my books would have Jody A. Lee covers. She and I have a rather long history, and through it all, I’ve cherished an abiding love and admiration for…

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The cover of the Advance Reader Copy edition of “A Bone to Pick,” by Jan S. Gephardt, shown as an ebook.
Making ARCs

Making ARCs

By Jan S. Gephardt I’ve been making ARCs recently. What does that mean? It means I’ve been assembling an assortment of documents into an early version of my latest book, to create Advance Reader Copies. It’s not exactly parallel to a dress rehearsal for a stage play, but for me it’s a necessary step in the publicity rollout for my science fiction mystery novel A Bone to Pick. I’ve been blogging a lot in this space recently, about A Bone…

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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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