HEIDI RUBY MILLER

Challenges 2011 Reading Challenge Heidi has completed her goal of reading 25 books in 2011! hide 30 of 25 (120%) view books This was a good reading year!! I set the goal of 25 books back in January not knowing if I could make it, and I surprised myself with 30. Why is less than one book a week such a big deal? Because after grad school, I had a difficult time balancing reading and writing...and being overly critical. Every book I picked up would be like an assignment to me, rather than a pleasure. I used to go into critiquer and editor mode immediately upon starting a book, and quite honestly, it never allowed me to see the story for all of the criticisms I had. But this year was a break-through for me. I let head-hopping slide--for the most part. I skipped over grammatical errors and forgave copy editors. I smiled at what I considered silly language and kept my focus on the plot and characters. I reminded myself that, even if I would have ...

SFFS Snippet TALES FROM THE AMBASADORA-VERSE: GREENSHIFT Greenshift is a novel set in the Ambasadora-verse one month before Ambasadora begins. DESCRIPTION: David Anlow, a fleet captain forced into early retirement and jaded by an ex-lover, now spends his lonely days shuttling around a group of scientists for hire. Boston Maribu, Mari to her friends, is one of his passengers, a young botanist who is as beautiful as she is naïve and innocent. When Mari asks David to teach her about more than just piloting the Bard , nights on their ship heat up and their feelings for each other mature into a relationship neither expects. But a suspicious new client shows up with wicked plans for Mari, and the soldier inside David comes alive, ready to fight for the young woman who stole his heart. Click on this link for SNIPPET #1. -- SNIPPET #2: Killian and David's brother Ben had had a run-in last year at a bar here at the Hub. What was the name of that overpriced dive? The ...

AMBASADORA BOOK 1: Marked by Light DESCRIPTION: If everyone told you love wasn't real, would you still be willing to die for it? Sara Mendoza is captured, tortured, and falsely accused of treason by the Embassy, but she is given a chance to win back her freedom. She only needs to charm information from one of the fragger leaders, then kill him. But by the time she figures out the Embassy's intel is flawed and that Sean Cryer is her true mark, she's already in love with him. Sean knows why Sara is on his ship from the start, but as a lonely, anti-social doser, he doesn't value his life, only his ideology within the fragger organization. Against his better judgment, he becomes her protector, each day caring more about a future he was always afraid to hope for. SNIPPET #1 -- SNIPPET #2: This little scene begins one of my favorite parts from my SF Romance novel Ambasadora because we'll see how much Sean cares for Sara, even though he knows she was sent to ...

AMBASADORA BOOK 1: Marked by Light DESCRIPTION: If everyone told you love wasn't real, would you still be willing to die for it? Sara Mendoza is captured, tortured, and falsely accused of treason by the Embassy, but she is given a chance to win back her freedom. She only needs to charm information from one of the fragger leaders, then kill him. But by the time she figures out the Embassy's intel is flawed and that Sean Cryer is her true mark, she's already in love with him. Sean knows why Sara is on his ship from the start, but as a lonely, anti-social doser, he doesn't value his life, only his ideology within the fragger organization. Against his better judgment, he becomes her protector, each day caring more about a future he was always afraid to hope for. -- SNIPPET: This is the beginning of my SF Romance novel Ambasadora. "They're watching us again," Sara whispered against the smoothness of Chen's cheek. His soft bergamot scent mixed w...

Columns Heidi Ruby Miller's Geek Girl Underground I just joined the team at Inveterate Media Junkies (IMJ) as a columnist! Many thanks to Jose Melendez and Ian MacMillan for this wonderful opportunity. They discovered me on Twitter , you know. ;) My column Heidi Ruby Miller's Geek Girl Underground debuts next week with some special guests from the SFR community. Until then, check out IMJ's other awesome columns and contributors , including NYT Bestselling author and fellow Pennwriter Jonathan Maberry and International Bestselling author Jon F. Merz .

Auctions Bid on a Signed Hardcover of MANY GENRES ONE CRAFT We are offering a signed hardcover copy of MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT in the huge fundraising auction to benefit writer and artist Terri Windling . There are so many awesome prizes to bid on from great writers in the industry like Cory Doctrow, Cherie Priest, Elizabeth Bear, Catherynne Valente, Holly Black, Tamora Pierce ...and many, many more! You can bid on items and find out more about Terri and the support she has been receiving from her fellow writers and artists at the Magick 4 Terri LiveJournal page. Just follow this link: http://magick4terri.livejournal.com/32552.html

SFFS Snippet TALES FROM THE AMBASADORA-VERSE: GREENSHIFT Greenshift is a novel set in the Ambasadora-verse one month before Ambasadora begins. DESCRIPTION: David Anlow, a fleet captain forced into early retirement and jaded by an ex-lover, now spends his lonely days shuttling around a group of scientists for hire. Boston Maribu, Mari to her friends, is one of his passengers, a young botanist who is as beautiful as she is naïve and innocent. When Mari asks David to teach her about more than just piloting the Bard , nights on their ship heat up and their feelings for each other mature into a relationship neither expects. But a suspicious new client shows up with wicked plans for Mari, and the soldier inside David comes alive, ready to fight for the young woman who stole his heart. -- SNIPPET #1: "David's a better pilot than that last guy," Mari said, gripping the handle of a knife from the galley. She'd been nervously trying to engage Sean in conve...

I'm so happy to announce that Many Genres, One Craft:Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction ( Headline Books, Inc. ) was named #5 in "10 of This Year's Terrific Writing Books" by The Writer Magazine in their December 2011 issue! Congratulations to my co-editor Michael A. Arznen and all the contributors for making this truly the only writing guide you'll ever need.

I am very happy to announce that the writing guide I co-edited with Michael A. Arnzen , Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction , was an Award-Winning Finalist in the Business: Writing and Publishing category of The USA Best Books 2011 Awards , sponsored by USA Book News . Many Genres, One Craft ( Headline Books, Inc. ) gathers the voices of today's top genre writers and writing instructors affiliated with Seton Hill University's acclaimed MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction . -- "Speaking from experience, I can tell you there isn't a muse and if there is, she's already dating someone else." If there isn't a muse, as you'll read in this invaluable book for writers, MANY GENRES ONE CRAFT is surely the next best thing. No matter what you want to learn--from choosing the point of view for a scene, from getting the most out of a critique group to fine-tuning your final draft, from approaching a literary agent to promoting your...

Events Here are some wonderful photos from the 2011 Western Maryland Small and Regional Press Festival , sponsored by Frostburg State University . Photos were taken by Michael A. Arznen . Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller Heidi Ruby Miller , Jason Jack Miller , and Cynthia McCloud of Headline Books, Inc. Jason Jack Miller with The Devil and Preston Black Gerry LaFemina and John Edward Lawson Courtney Ruffner Cynthia McCloud of Headline Books, Inc. Heidi Ruby Miller John Lawson and Jennifer Barnes of Raw Dog Screaming Press Jason Jack Miller Heidi Ruby Miller , Michael A. Arnzen , and Courtney Ruffner John Lawson and Jennifer Barnes of Raw Dog Screaming Press Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller Eric Beebe and Andy Duncan

Events This Saturday, October 15, 2011, contributors to Many Genres, One Craft ( Michael A. Arnzen , Heidi Ruby Miller , and Jason Jack Miller ) will be guests at the Western Maryland Small Press Festival , sponsored by Frostburg University . Here are our schedules: Publishing Basics - 11:30 AM Michael A. Arnzen, Donna Long, and Heidi Ruby Miller Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror - 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM Michael A. Arnzen, Eric Beebe, Jessica McHugh, and Jason Jack Miller Self Promotion 101 - 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM Heidi Ruby Miller and John Edward Lawson DIY & Self Publishing - 2:00 PM to 2:45 PM Heidi Ruby Miller, Bill Olver, and Alan C Reese Writing Local - 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM Jeff Grieneisen and Jason Jack Miller

PUBLICATIONS Twisted Tales in 66 Words My flash fiction story "Page Thirty Three" (originally titled "Page Three Thirty") is part of a new collection by editor Kimberly Raiser. You can buy the e-book for $.99 at Amazon or a paperback for $5.95 at Lulu . To read another flash piece of mine "The Surrender" which was picked for the collection The Best of Every Day Fiction 2008 , visit Every Day Fiction . If you like it, please don't forget to rate it!

This is a Wordle depiction of my SF Romance novel Ambasadora . Make one of your own at Wordle!

Events From the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction MFA Graduation :