Worlds within worlds
While updating the site recently, I appear to have crossed a wire somewhere. Now some of the links go nowhere and a few of the images are failing to load – but at least the links at the top of the page still work, so that’s a win. Fortunately, my books remain available on Kindle, Apple, Nook, Kobo, and Amazon. Thanks for your patience while we sort out these technical difficulties! – Leigh
One of my writing mentors often says that the way to get past writer’s block, is just to write the next line, even if you don’t know where it will take you. I often think of it as just taking the next step while staring out across the trackless desert sands from atop a camel’s back, but that’s just the image I’ve created for myself. When I wrote Memoirs of a Synth: Gold Record, the Read More …
So I saw this delightful article about a photographer who takes creative pictures of the moon, and was reminded that so much in our experience of life, the world, or even a story is all about our perception of it. A fairytale I read as a child illustrates the point: Once upon a time there was a spoiled princess (at least, that’s how I remember her). The one thing she wanted most in all the Read More …
It seems like I just *blinked* and the fall was over and the snow was falling, leaving me wondering what on Earth happened to the last three months. Of course, like any good science fiction writer, I suppose I should just accept the fact that those days slipped into an alternate universe (or maybe I did), got swallowed up by a wormhole, or eaten by a Targ. As I attempt to make my living in Read More …
You have to visit this NASA Science News page – and watch the videos. They’re awesome, just awesome. Trust me on this. Have I ever led you astray? This is going into a story… not sure when or how, but wow, how could I not use it?
Watched a fascinating video recently – In the Path of a Killer Volcano, a NOVA special about the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, in the Philippines. Not only was it simply spectacular to watch (safely, from a distance of many years and many thousands of miles), but it also put me in mind of the scenario I’d envisioned when writing Memory at Lascaux, and the world-altering events in that story. We live on an amazing planet, with Read More …
The last space shuttle blasted off today. I’m sad about that, and not just because I’m a science fiction writer. I know there are those who complain about the cost of sending people out into space, and who will argue about the overall ROI until the sun goes nova, but I see our reach for the stars as something more than just a scientific/economic/military/political venture. In ancient days, we looked up at the night sky Read More …
Sometimes, no matter how carefully you plan, how thoroughly you examine your strategy, things just don’t turn out as you expect. Writing is that way – at least for me. Of course, I don’t generally strategize all that much before I sit down to write. I usually start with a general idea in mind, something like “I think I’ll travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific,” but I don’t plan out the route in much Read More …
In 1972, Rod Serling sat down with a small group of students and talked with them, on-camera, about writing for television. Portions of these conversations are currently up on YouTube. Much of what he was saying then is just as true today for those of us writing fiction – whether that’s for television, the stage, or print. It’s worth taking the time to watch the entire series. “It’s story that counts…it’s heart, it’s feeling, it’s reality, Read More …
I was very happy a few days ago when I read the NASA report that the Voyager spacecraft are at the edge of the solar system, and about to enter interstellar space. Why? Because I remember when they took off – I was in high school, and wrote a report for my English class. My report would have been much better if I’d had access to resources like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Voyager mission page; Read More …