HEIDI RUBY MILLER

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 .

The turnout for the Like Sunshine After Rain launch was incredible. It was two whole days of author readings and panels, raffles every half hour, and special appearances. Thanks to John Edward Lawson of AllAccessCon for months of hard work putting this event together. So far, we’ve raised $3100 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with more orders coming in. Though the special edition lettered hardcovers sold out quickly, you can still purchase a numbered edition of the trade paperback: http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/like-sunshine-after-rain/ . You can also donate directly to LLS: https://givenow.lls.org/give/342076/#!/donation/checkout

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.

Raw Dog Screaming Press and international award-winning editor Heidi Ruby Miller are taking pre-orders for the charity anthology LIKE SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN . Proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society . The beautiful cover is by Brad Sharp . Interior illustrations by Sharon A. Ruby . This limited anthology is available in lettered hardcover and numbered paperback editions. It hosts short stories, poems, and essays from 85 authors, including: New York Times bestsellers Jonathan Maberry and Maria V. Snyder USA Today bestseller Annette Dashofy International bestseller Liz Coley Amazon Charts bestsellers Cary Caffrey, Sasha Dawn, and Jennifer Foehner Wells Drue Heinz Literature Prize winner Randall Silvis Bram Stoker Award winners Lee Murray, Christina Sng, Lucy A. Snyder, Sara Tantlinger, and Tim Waggoner International Horror Guild Award winners Michael A. Arnzen and Gary Braunbeck Asimov’s Readers Award winner Timons Esaias Arthur J. Rooney Award for Fiction winn...

I wrote an article for The Pennwriter based on my and Jason's workshop "Staying Creative, Staying Productive" for AllAccessCon , the media arm of RDSP . We added the subtitle: (But Only If You Want To). Here's an excerpt: Once social distancing began in March 2020, AllAccessCon’s audience of creators needed them more than ever because most of those creators found themselves frozen by the stress and surrealness of living through a pandemic. Jason and I were chosen for the workshop because we weren’t frozen we’d actually managed to increase our productivity during this time. That’s not because we’re more professional or superhuman or harbor a particularly effusive joie de vivre attitude. We wrote (we write) to battle the fear, the sadness, the daily existential crises. We needed routine, stability, escape. If you need any of those things, maybe the following will help, but if it doesn’t and you can’t produce right now, let me be the first to tell you that it’s...

This weekend I attended my first ever SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. Even virtual it was inspiring and so much fun. From the pre-conference socials to the Golden Kite Awards ceremony, hosted by Jennifer Garner, to the tour of Simon and Schuster, and the many agent and editor panels, there was always a sense of commitment to providing young readers with quality, important, and entertaining books. I could feel the warm vibes from our various speakers right through the computer screen. Such positive energy. I've put aside time today to review some of the tapes for concurrent sessions I wasn't able to attend. I can't imagine what these conferences are like in person, but I'm excited to find out. Thanks to everyone who made this such a lovely experience.

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 .

VIDEOS I read from Man of War , my sequel to Philip José Farmer's novel Two Hawks from Earth , for Farmercon XV . It was a virtual celebration, so I missed seeing all my Meteor House family in person this year. Here's to next year, everyone! You can see the other events on the Meteor House YouTube channel .

EVENTS I'm hosting writing sprints during the third day of Tim Waggoner's Writing in the Dark Book Launch and Workshop  on Sunday, September 13 from 10 - 11 AM ET. The entire event begins on Friday, September 11 at 5 PM ET at AllAccessCon , the virtual convention arm of Raw Dog Screaming Press .

VIDEOS "Write the Book They Can't Put Down" is based on my article "The Shifting Grail" from the international award-winning writing guide Many Genres, One Craft , which I co-edited with Michael A. Arnzen . This video captured the version I presented for MGOC's publisher Headline Books and their Zoom Into Books series on April 8, 2020. Using examples of well-known movies and literature, I show how character motivation can dictate pacing and suspense, making your book one readers can't put down. I've also taught an extended version as a class for Seton Hill University's MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program.

PODCASTS I discussed cyberpunk and Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan with Carrie Gessner and K.W. Taylor on their Positively Pop Culture podcast. You can listen here:

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 ...

VIDEOS I read from Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light during an AllAccessCon event, hosted by Raw Dog Screaming Press and Dog Star Books . I always ask the audience to choose a page number for me to start then read two or three pages from there. It's fun for me, hopefully fun for them too, as we never know what will pop up.

EVENTS I'll be presenting the workshop "Write the Book They Can't Put Down" on Zoom Into Books for Headline Books, Inc. on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET. Here's the press release from Headlines : Wednesday, April 8 2:00 PM ET Write the Book They Can't Put Down with Heidi Ruby Miller (45 minutes) Heidi will guide you through tips based on her article "The Shifting Grail: A Quest for a Good Read" from the international award-winning writing guide Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, which she co-edited for Seton Hill University's MFA program. Using examples from well-known movies and literature, she'll show how character motivation can dictate pacing and suspense, making your book one readers can't put down. Heidi will also host a Q&A and booksigning for Many Genres at the end of her presentation. Register at https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEsf-2qqDouzppSHg9Bt...

ARTICLES My article "The In-Betweeners: Bridging the Gap Between Middle Grade and YA" is in the January 2020 issue of The Writer magazine. It is based on a class I taught in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA program and features quotes from Kathryn Miller Haines , Dr. Uwe Stender of TriadaUS Literary Agency , Nick Courage , and Stephanie Keyes . Here's an excerpt: Two years ago during the Writing Popular Fiction MFA winter residency at Seton Hill University, a discussion broke out amongst my students in a critique workshop geared toward young adult (YA) writers. They didn't think YA novels were really written for teens anymore, or at least early teens, yet most middle grade (MG) fiction felt as though it belonged more in the chapter book and younger reader category. Much of this concern was prompted by the idea that more adults wee now reading YA than teens were. Just look at the most recent Nielsen studies, which show that at least 80%...

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.

ARTICLES My article "New Pulp" is in the July 2019 issue of The Writer magazine. It is based on a class I taught in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA program and features quotes from Matt Betts , Maurice Broaddus , Christopher Paul Carey , Mike Chomko , John Edward Lawson , and Lee Murray about the resurgence of this popular fiction genre. Here's an excerpt: Pulp fiction is having a moment. And I don’t mean the Tarantino movie from the ‘90s – that was having a moment since Jules gave away his wallet. I’m talking about the adventure stories of old with those provocative covers and dime-store price tags that are enjoying a renaissance thanks to the subgenre “new pulp.” It’s clear that to understand new pulp, we need to know a little about “old” pulp. The term comes from the paper it was printed on – that cheap, thin stuff that began to disintegrate as soon as you cracked open the cover. Pulp was popular as magazines, novels, and novellas dur...

FROM THE PULPFEST WEBSITE BY WILLIAM PATRICK MAYNARD : PulpFest is proud that over 30 popular fiction writers will be attending our 2019 convention. “Back in the day,” the authors who labored for the rough paper industry liked to call themselves scribes, word-slingers, penny-a-worders, and, perhaps the most favored term of all, fictioneers. Join PulpFest as we celebrate today’s fictioneers — the authors writing today’s pulp fiction! On Friday, August 16, at 11 AM, join five writers from Raw Dog Screaming Press for a Rapid-Fire Read and Sweet Sixteen Celebration. It will be hosted by publisher Jennifer Barnes . Raw Dog Screaming Press has carved a niche for themselves as the specialty house for offbeat, dark, deviant, thought-provoking fiction. They were the recipient of the 2018 Horror Writers Association Specialty Press Award for outstanding horror, dark fantasy, and weird fiction. Their critically acclaimed publications are attracting mainstream attention with Ridley Scot...

DOCUMENTARIES I was honored to discuss pulp artist Gloria Stoll Karn on the documentary VISIBLE produced by Pittsburgh's PBS station WQED . Below are a few photos from the filming and video of the clip about Gloria and the entire documentary , which highlights the stories of five women artists in Pittsburgh. Thanks to Mike Chomko , Director of PulpFest and producers Anne Casper and Andrew Holman for this opportunity to contribute to such a lovely project. You'll notice my segment was filmed at Seton Hill University , of course. GLORIA STOLL KARN CLIP FULL DOCUMENTARY