HEIDI RUBY MILLER

As writers, we crave inspiration and a new perspective for our creativity. Joining friends and other creators at Broadkill Writers Resort is one of the best ways for Jason and me to pause and reimagine. This retreat is run by one of our publishers, Raw Dog Screaming Press , and the owners, Jennifer Barnes and John Edward Lawson who are pictured with us above. Ten minutes from the town of Milton and along the Delaware Bay, this large, but quaint, resort home is just past Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge , 10,000 acres of marshes, ponds, swamps, grasslands, and forest that provide protection for threatened and endangered species. The beach is never crowded, giving it an almost solitary feel and perfect for reflection and rejuvenation. We've been there a dozen times and have some great traditions now, like crab boils, puzzle builds, and beach campfires. I'm sure we'll be heading back a couple more times this year, too.

We really needed the inspiration, energy, and camaraderie from the 2022 Pennwriters Conference in Lancaster, PA. It was our second in-person event since the pandemic, but this one felt like old times. Keynote speakers were Jonathan Maberry ... ...and Jon Sprunk . We each taught two classes. Jason revived his Folk Yeah! and Rural Noir workshops. And I brought back Space Opera Is Still Queen and Pick Your Punk . There was a Saturday evening luau to celebrate Jonathan's love of Hawaiian shirts. First photo is Jason Jack Miller , Larry Ivkovich , and Jon Sprunk. Here I am with Maria V. Snyder . And with Heather Desuta and Abigail Drake . We caught up with old friends like Carol Silvis and Annette Dashofy ... One of my former mentees from Seton Hill WPF Sheri Queen ... And the publishers of Many Genres, One Craft from Headline Books the mother daughter team of Cathy Teets and Ashley Belote .

Sara Light-Waller interviewed me for the PulpFest 50th anniversary celebration. We spoke about my influences from within the pulp world, teaching at Seton Hill , creating and managing Dog Star Books , my writing, and what's in the future for my and Jason's collaborative efforts. Here is an excerpt: Sara Light-Waller (SLW) Hello Heidi, thank you for joining us! Let’s start with your background. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? Heidi Ruby Miller (HRM) I wrote my first story — The Copper Kitty Mystery — in second grade and listed “romance novelist” as one of my high school ambitions. But I didn’t become serious about it until my late twenties, right before I found Seton Hill’s graduate program in Writing Popular Fiction. I haven’t stopped writing since. READ THE REST ON THE PULPFEST SITE

AWP was our first in-person conference in two years, and it felt good to be back among writers. Here I am with Mike Arnzen representing our genres. Our Seton Hill table had several recognizable faces, even under the masks, including MFA director Nicole Peeler (pictured with Jason above, above) and Natalie and Matt Duvall. We also ran into other academic friends: Gerry LaFemina (pictured with Mike and Jason), William Hamilton, Tod Goldberg , and Anthony Kapolka. And Jason got to meet Taylor Mali in person to tell him he borrowed his "What Teachers Make" TedTalk for the Pennwriters Keynote in 2019, "What Writers Make." As an added bonus, we got to stay at The Notary Hotel , an ultra-cool spot just down the block from the Pennsylvania Convention Center .

Jason and I had the honor of being interviewed by Marx Pyle and Julie Seaton at GenreTainment . Here's the information and link: "On this episode we’re chatting with two very special guests, authors and professors Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller. It’s an edutainment packed episode as we talk about the value of an MFA, what a Popular Fiction MFA program is like compared to the more common creative writing graduate programs, Heidi’s Ambasadora books, Jason’s Hellbender book and his possible “Snot Otter” book, Appalachian culture, writing about other cultures, writing in someone else’s fictional setting, the charity anthology and online event, tips on co-writing, staying productive, and more! GenreTainment is where Marx and Julie talk about what is happening in the world of film, TV and web series. We give you interviews with writers, directors, producers and actors in both independent and not-so-independent creations." LINK: https://www.scifipulse.net/genreta...

I moderated a panel of contributors from Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction for Zoom Into Books . MGOC (Headline Books, Inc.) is the writing guide I co-edited with Michael A. Arnzen and is based on Seton Hill University's MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program , where I teach. Aside from Mike and me, there was Jason Jack Miller , Timons Esaias , Lee Tobin McClain , Albert Wendland , and Tim Waggoner . We discuss the craft, genres, and business of writing.

Virtual residencies for the Seton Hill MFA in Wiritng Popular Fiction program aren’t quite the same, but this one was loaded with lots of guest speakers who otherwise might not have been able to join us like Michelle Addo, Shana Asaro, Shelley Bates, Danielle Choitti, John Edward Lawson, Jayne Ann Krentz (Jayne Castle), Jonathan Maberry, Lauren Panepinto, Jason Ridler, Kristen Simmons, and Susan Swinwood. Congratulations, as always, are in order for the graduates this summer. Happy writing to you all! And happy retiremen to Dr. Albert Wendland, who gave a tear-jerking speech. At least he'll still be around for some light duty in the program.

So many wonderful presentations and panels at the 34th Annual Pennwriters Conference , which was held virtually this year. There are a sampling in the photo above: Stacey Rubin taught “Medicine in Your Manuscript." Hilary Hauck taught “All is Lost." Jason Jack Miller taught “Magical Realism: I Know It When I See It” and “Dan Harmon’s Story Circle.” I taught “Write the Book They Can’t Put Down” and “The In-Betweeners.”

Celebrate the craft and industry of series books across all genres with RDSP authors Matt Betts, Lee Murray, Dan Rabarts, J.L. Gribble, Heidi Ruby Miller, Jason Jack Miller, and others. Join AllAccessCon for a day of workshops, interviews, and more in this virtual event for writers, readers, and anyone interested in storytelling that goes beyond a single installment. CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION

The January 2021 Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction residency was once again virtual, but Jason and I had a wonderful time in critique workshops, thesis defenses, genre dinners, craft modules, and book discussions. Thank you to the WPF Director, Dr. Nicole Peeler , for making this remote residency run so smoothly. Having SHUWPF alum V.M. Burns as our visiting professor was inspiring to all as she spoke of her success after Seton Hill as a mystery writer. We can't wait to see what these new graduates will accomplish. Congratulations to them all, including my mentees Marx Pyle and Victoria Scott .

EVENTS Jason and I are going to help you get into flow during the breakout sessions for the Staying Home, Staying Creative Workshop at All AccessCon on Thursday, April 23, 2020 (4:00 - 7:00 PM ET) . Are you feeling "stuck" at home in more ways than one? Many of us always said that if only we could stay home we'd finally write that novel, learn a new writing skill, or revise that story or article and get it into the submission process. Now that we aren't being given a choice about staying home the situation isn't optimal and might even cause us to lose whatever creative momentum we had to begin with. Join our panel of experts for a frank discussion about staying focused, creative, and successful in our new home environment, followed by a series of breakout sessions. This virtual workshop is presented by AllAccessCon at a reduced price to accommodate those economically impacted by COVID-19. ABOUT THE PRESENTERS Matt Betts Ohio native Matt Betts is a ...

NEWSLETTERS The third edition of our combined newsletter Small Space Big Life , the same name as our YouTube channel , is in in-boxes now. In case you missed the other editions, you can find them here: WINTER 2019 SUMMER 2019 We had a busy but happy summer that has brought us lots of good news going into autumn and all the way through next year. Find out about Heidi's big book deal announcement and Jason's readings from PulpFest 2019, as well as our new publications and travels. We'll also announce the winner of our last giveaway and tell you about another one. Plus we still have some events coming up. We would love to see you there! READ THE REST HERE. AND SUBSCRIBE HERE.

NEWSLETTER The second edition of our combined newsletter Small Space Big Life, the same name as our YouTube channel , is in in-boxes now. In case you missed the first edition, you can find it here: https://mailchi.mp/a94cd3a7b991/small-space-big-life-winter-2019 We were so busy this spring that we had to skip over that edition so here's everything from over the past few months all at once. Find out how Jason's keynote went at the Pennwriter's Conference, about Heidi's interview on a PBS documentary and her new contracts, as well as where our most recent travels took us. And, as always, check out what we've been reading, a giveaway, and our upcoming events. We'd love to see you at some! There is also a poem from me and a flash piece from Jason. Enjoy. READ THE REST HERE. AND SUBSCRIBE HERE.

EVENTS Registration for the 32nd Annual Pennwriters Conference in Pittsburgh is now open: http://bit.ly/pennwriters2019 . KEYNOTE SPEAKERS JESSICA STRAWSER AND JASON JACK MILLER Thursday Pre-Conference Intensive Faculty Timons Esaias - The Crafts of Fiction: The Nuts, the Bolts, and Hoisting the Girders into Place Deborah Riley-Magnus - Author Marketing Master Class Coroner Lyell P. Cook - Coroners: Their history, What they do, What they see Friday Networking Luncheon Speaker JD Dunbar - Listen for the Lyrics Friday Published Penns Luncheon Speaker Siobhan Vivian - Your Next Big Idea: Developing and Heightening the Plot of Your WIP Agents, Editors, Publisher Kaitlyn Johnson, agent, Corvisiero Literacy Agency Amy Bishop, Agent – Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC Bibi Lewis, Agent – Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency Danielle Dieterich, Editor – G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Random House Rhonda Penders – The Wild Rose Press 32nd Annual Pennwriters Confe...

NEWSLETTER Jason and I recently sent out the Winter 2019 edition of our new newsletter because it was time that two became one under Small Space Big Life , the same name as our YouTube channel . Why? Because who needs double the email to read and because we're co-authoring two new series. It's best we get used to sharing the byline. We can't say much about those series right now, except that we're excited and busy. In the meantime, find out about Jason's big honor this May, Heidi's new vlog series, and what we've been reading when we're not writing. And check out our events. We'd love to see you some time! READ THE REST HERE. AND SUBSCRIBE HERE.

VIDEOS Jason put together our Year in Review for 2018. It was a weird one, but we still had lots to celebrate.

EVENTS If you're in the Lake Jackson area of Texas on April 1, come and visit us at the Brazosport College Library . We'll be discussing what it's like to collaborate as authors and also reading from our work. Note: This is not an April Fool's Day joke! :D

VIDEOS This vlog features our climb up Gros Morne Mountain in western Newfoundland, Canada. The descent is in the next video because it turns out going up wasn't necessarily the hard part.

EVENTS Join us for some National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Activities! Thanks to publisher and author Carrie Gessner for inviting us to participate.

VIDEOS When Jason and his publisher Raw Dog Screaming Press provided fans with a sneak peek of his new novel ALL SAINTS during the Uniontown Public Library 2017 Author Series , I was honored to introduce him.