Training … On the Sun

About a week ago, I mentioned my new Hawaiian sun coral and the fact that I was training it to open diurnally rather than at night. In the wild, sun corals lead a mostly nocturnal existence, in part because of the tides and in part because it’s safer to extend their tendriled polyps when the fish are mostly sleeping. A friend asked how I go about training corals, so I thought I’d share that process here today. Sun corals eat by opening their mouths to catch and absorb plankton and other tiny dissolved particles from the water and by extending

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In Honor of “Uncle John”

June is official “bathroom reading” month. In honor of the occasion, and to properly (ahem) enthrone the glory which is bathroom reading, I’m responding to the question offered at Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Blog: If you could trade places with any character from a children’s story, whom would you pick and why? My answer? Lucy from C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I have to admit, the choice surprised me a little, myself. At first I thought I’d go for something historical – Laura from LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE – or something fantastic, like one of

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Shinobi News: June 8, 2013

The most recent issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine gave Claws of the Cat 4 stars (out of a possible 4.5) and called it “fun, historically entertaining and a very good book.” I’m thrilled! In equally good news, Goodreads has a second Claws of the Cat giveaway in progress – click here for a chance to win one of 20 ARCs of the novel – you could get it before release! I’m also running a Comment contest through the month of June – leave a comment on any of my posts tagged #Publishing Law for a chance to win an

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A Review of FIRELANDS

Eighty years in the future, America has devolved into a totalitarian theocracy. The ruling Josephites clone the only seeds that grow in the post-apocalyptic climate, allowing their Prophet to control who eats, who starves, and who burns in the ritual fires that atone for society. Subsisting on the fringes, Archer risks violation and death each day as she scours the forest for game to feed her people. When a Josephite refugee seeks sanctuary in her home, Archer is driven to chance a desperate gamble—a gamble that will bring down the Prophet and deliver seeds and freedom, or end in a

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Negoro – Japanese red lacquerware

Lacquer has a long history in Japanese arts. The earliest uses date to approximately 7,000 B.C., during the Jomon period (which takes its name from the era’s distinctive “cord marked” pottery and ceramics). Japanese decorative lacquer is produced from the sap of the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), which is toxic when wet but forms a hard coating when dry. For centuries, Japanese artisans have applied lacquer to a variety of products, from lamellar armor to serving dishes and even paintings, and to surfaces ranging from wood and paper to leather. Since lacquer serves a preservative function as well as a decorative

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Elevator Pitches – Knock ‘Em Out of the Park!

With the summer season upon us, many authors have started polishing “elevator pitches” for conference use. For those not in the know, the term “elevator pitch” refers to a thirty-second(-ish) hook-and-logline for a novel (or other creative project) which a writer presents to an editor, agent, or other third party who ends up trapped in an elevator with said author. (That’s a joke, people. I hope you laughed.) More seriously, it’s the author’s pitch for the novel – and an author needs one whether the novel is published, unpublished, or still a work in progress. It’s the author’s response to “What

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Cygnus – A retrospective

Given Cyg’s recent departure for “the place good seahorses go” (and his more temporal departure to the rose bed) it makes sense that this week’s tank post is a retrospective on Cygnus the Seahorse. Cyg was not always the 9″ monster he became as an adult. In fact, when I first got him from the breeder (via overnight mail to the reef store) he was only a 2″ pipsqueak… and a skinny one at that: In fact, Cyg was the seahorse who taught me to put nylon mesh between the rocks on the reef, because seahorses have a way of

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An Interview with Laura Drake

Please welcome Laura Drake, author of the new bull-riding romance THE SWEET SPOT (Grand Central, May 2013). Laura Drake is a city girl, who never grew out of her tomboy ways, or a serious cowboy crush. She writes both Women’s Fiction and Romance. Laura resides in Southern California, though she aspires to retirement in Texas. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write, full time. She’s a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours. The grief counselor told the group to be grateful for what they had left. After lots of considering, Charla Rae decided she was

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Shinobi News: June 1, 2013

I’m thrilled to announce that Claws of the Cat has received a starred review from Library Journal, which also named Claws the “Mystery Debut of the Month” for June 1, 2013! Library Journal’s verdict in Hiro’s case? “While Spann demonstrates admirable attention to detail in her ninja detective debut, it’s the contemporary tone of her prose that makes this intriguing 16th-century historical so accessible. Laura Joh Rowland fans will like this book for the time period, but the “buddy tone” is reminiscent of Ian Morson’s “Nick Zuliani” series and Gary Corby’s “Athenian Mysteries” series.” – Library Journal, starred review I’m

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