Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Tez Miller's LiveJournal:

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Friday, July 4th, 2008
1:54 pm	Dream for Interpretation Julie Kenner blurbs A. J. Menden's Phenomenal Girl 5, Jenna Black shares the Before and After cover art for The Devil's Due, and see the cover art for John Levitt's New Tricks. Find out about all of these here. (Non-book people, I've decided to have mercy on you and save the book stuff for my WordPress. My personal faff may be posted both there, and here at LiveJournal.) The other night I dreamt that Richelle Mead was a literary agent, not an author, and was in Australia to meet me, and possibly sign me up as a client. Originally she wasn't thrilled enough with the manuscript, but her assistant Minnie convinced Richelle to give me another go. Wasn't sure if R had come to Australia just to meet me, though, and the dream ended before a decision had been made whether to sign me or not. If you're into dream interpretation, see what you can make of all this. Current Music: Flight of the Conshords - Mutha'uckas (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
12:34 pm	Thursday Thirteen & Outlining Thursday Thirteen TBR Pile as of Thursday 3rd July 2008 (Edition #3) 1. Tanya Huff's Blood Trail 2. Tanya Huff's Blood Lines 3. Yasmine Galenorn's Darkling 4. Jeanne C. Stein's The Becoming 5. Jackie Kessler's The Road to Hell 6. Jeanne C. Stein's Blood Drive 7. Jeanne C. Stein's The Watcher 8. Mark Del Franco's Unshapely Things 9. Mark Del Franco's Unquiet Dreams 10. Charlaine Harris's Dead As a Doornail 11. Eve Kenin's Driven 12. M. J. Rose's Lying in Bed 13. Liz Maverick's Wired Outlining was a bit troublesome yesterday: had trouble thinking of a "reversal", so my high point was the "call to adventure". So that's my paragraph for Act 1 finished. Now for Act 2, and a lot of sitting and starting and waiting for ideas to come. Anyway, good thing I outlined in the afternoon, because the evening was a total failure. Cue the whiny LJ F-locked post I did. Thanks for all your support by the way, everyone - I can has adoration for you. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
12:43 pm	Happy Birthday, Anya Bast; Outlining & the Genetic Jackpot It's July 2nd, and Anya Bast's birthday. Give the gift of royalties, by purchasing (or pre-ordering) her novels: Witch Fire Witch Blood The Chosen Sin Witch Heart Outlining My adventures with Holly Lisle's Create a Plot Clinic (the free version) didn't really go well. That said, I'll recommend it because the more types of outlining you try, you'll figure out which works best for you. So I dug out Kelley Armstrong's Outlining 101. I've used it before, though I haven't finished writing a novel with it (but that's my problem; not the tutorial). Shift was outlined by planning a chapter, then writing the chapter, then planning the next chapter, and so on. Bloodroot started off with a list of characters, then I did dot points of scene ideas, worked the characters in, and adjusted the dots as I wrote (deleting, adding). I got as far as the "candy bar scenes" with CAP before I stopped. The exercises I'd done with the clinic thus far were making my story seem more socio-political, when I really want it to be bioethical. But when I started O101, my exercises are making my story more of what I want it to be. And thanks for your voting on my male character's surname. I've picked a winner (and it was leading by one vote the last time I checked), and I'm happy with it. You Suggest My Big Baddie Female needs a name. She has a placeholder name for now, but would you like me to immortalise someone you don't like? ;-) Just email me (TezMillerOz at gmail dot com) with a list of suggested female first names and suggested surnames. No questions asked - I won't try to guess who these people are, nor will I ask, and you are under no obligation to tell me. These will be confidential, of course. My Shoddy Genetics A third-born child, I was dumped in the shoddy end of the genetic pool. I have physiological problems from my maternal side, and psychological problems from my paternal side. I hit the freaking genetic jackpot. The red lumpy bumps on my fingers (which I've had since I was 13, but they come and go with the weather) are particularly bad right now. Back in the old days, I thought they were because I was handwriting too much, because mostly they're only on my right fingers, my writing hand. It's uncomfortable when I curl my fingers, and even kind of hurts with my middle finger. Blood tests and biopsies haven't led to the professionals giving me a diagnosis; just that "it might be this", "a bit of that". I assume whatever it is will worsen as I age, and I'm only 21! (22 on July 14th - make your calendar ;-)) Current Music: Coldplay - Chinese Sleep Chant (in my head) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
10:43 pm	Dude, Where's My Plot? Almost went without blogging today. So instead you're left with the scattered remains of my brain post-10:30PM. However, I've spent my time away semi-wisely: firing off some interview questions, and even starting to plan a futuristic novel which may never be completed or even written. The important thing is I'm having a go. Admittedly, that's a thing that people-who-don't-win say. I won't deny it. (I also washed my hair, which is more trouble than it seems. Involves two lots of shampooing, one lot of conditioned, soaping, and continuously finger-combing my hair, and picking loose strands off wherever they stick. It's time-consuming, which is why I only wash my hair every three days, if even that. But it's air-dried nicely, but it'll look worse for wear tomorrow after I sleep on it tonight. [I did warn you about my scattered brain, note why I'm rambling.]) Anyway, instead of using Kelley Armstrong's Outlining 101, I'm trying out for the first-time Holly Lisle's Create a Plot Clinic. We'll see how it goes. But from the brain-dumping, the story will be much more serious and political than I initially thought, due to the plot ideas that suddenly sprung. This is a good thing, because I love [reading] social commentary in fiction. But it's a bad thing, because one of my best traits in writing is my sense of humour. It may not be clever - it may not even be worth chuckling at - but it's something. When I lose my wackiness, I lose my personality, and when I lose my personality, I can is made of suckitude. So, back to the clinic now (p12 of 14)... Current Music: Flight of the Conchords - Foux du Fafa (in my head) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, June 30th, 2008
11:39 pm	June Reads June Reads. Posting early because I can't start and finish a book in the 20 minutes before July 1st. I can haz bedtime nao. (Comment on this)
11:12 pm	It's Okay to Give Up I don't like giving up on books, but when I have so many unread ones, I feel justified to be ruthless. Either that, or I'm having delusions of grandeur again. But just in case you need reasons, here's why I've decided to give up on a book that almost took me as far as p50: -Incest alert! In the first chapter, the narrator mentions having uncousinly thoughts toward her cousin. Ew. -Not only that, but that cousin wasn't even mentioned as one of the two blokes she's trying to choose between. So that makes three men she wants, including her cousin. Desperate much? -Small town. Generally, in small town fiction, the townsfolk don't take kindly to out-of-towners. Xenophobes don't earn my sympathy. -Narrator's family look down on one of their own because he was "defective" enough to be born human, without any paranormal abilities. That family really needs to get over themselves. Or it's because I've almost read 50 trade paperback pages (bigger than mass market, you know), so I've given it a fair chance, but I just can't muster up the enthusiasm to read more. But if the author writes a new series or standalone, I might try those. Now I have an inkling of what it may feel like to be an agent. If you've read a 50-page partial and you're still not interested, then move on to something that does capture you. Current Music: The Darkness - Giving Up (in my head) (12 Comments |Comment on this)
1:35 pm	Help Name My Character Whilst awaiting sleep a couple of nights ago, I finally came up with a name for a male character in the novel I'm thinking of outlining. Only because I didn't write it down, I can't remember it. I thought the surname might've been Hungarian, so I looked up Behind the Surname, but nothing rung a bell. I tried other ethnicities, but still nothing made me remember. So I'll have to pick something new since stupid brain can't remember. I've shortlisted three options for you to choose from, or you can come up with one yourself. Please vote for what you would most like the character's surname to be. You don't have to name your reasons, and you may remain anonymous (just in case it's your surname, or that of someone you know). Thanks for voting, and have a lovely day! :-) What surname should my male character have? Bartosz Dvorak Horvat [other - please specify] View Results Current Music: Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl (in my head) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
12:26 pm	I Lied to My Destist Never met her before, and though she had an anywhere name (Martha), she had a lovely, lilting accent. Might've been Polish. Anyway, you may know of my dental history - the enamel on my two front teeth is week at the back, thus dentists prior have asked the Matriarch if I have an eating disorder. Which I find offensive and discriminatory. Had I been a chunkier lass, I doubt that question would've been asked. But if you just happen to be a skinny bitch, people assume there's something wrong with you. Ah...no. It's called a working metabolism and regular walking. That may not work for everyone, but it does for me. For the time being. I binge, but I do not purge. Yay me. So when Martha asked if I was aware that one of my front teeth is chipped (from the weak enamel), I said no. Yep, I lied. I know that was wrong, but I still don't regret it. (Comment on this)
10:48 am	Australian Publishing Industry Those of you who get News Ltd's newspaper (Herald Sun in Melbourne) on Sundays...did you see that article on the Australian publishing industry in the Sunday Magazine? Basically encouraged self-publishing because it's near impossible to land an agent or publisher in Oz, as they're already "too busy with established clients". I like being Australian, and as a whole we tend to buy a lot of books. But if you're a writer? You're much better off living in America. There are a lot of things I don't like about America, but writers actually have more opportunity, because there are more agents, maybe more publishers. But if you're an Oz? If you don't have an already-published/agented writer buddy who may be able to get you a look-in, you're pretty much stuffed. And if I remember correctly, the biggest agency won't let you submit via email. Australia has a lot to learn from America. On another note, people have been typing my name into Google, leading them to my WordPress, according to WP's stats. Of course, they may have been looking for the only other Tez Miller I've heard of (a character from one of the BlackJack telemovies, apparently), but it does make me wonder why they're looking for me. So if you've never commented here before, please speak up and let me know who you are, and why you were looking for me. Many thanks. NOTE: I usually try not to be so self-obsessed as to ask my readers to speak up, but I had a little stalker scare recently, so I'd like to know people's motives for finding me. Thank you. Current Music: Flight of the Conchords - Foux du Fafa (in my head) (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 29th, 2008
12:25 pm	[REVIEW] Blacklisted - Gena Showalter Blacklisted - Gena Showalter "For fabulous world-building, how power corrupts, and thoughtful issues, look no further than Blacklisted for a novel with surprising depth." Buy Current Music: Goldfrapp - Some People (in my head) (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 28th, 2008
3:56 pm	[REVIEW] Red Handed - Gena Showalter Red Handed - Gena Showalter "...focuses on what's dearly missing in teen fiction...and showcases fabulous world-building that I can't wait to read more about." Buy Current Music: Natasha Bedingfield - Happy (in my head) (Comment on this)
Friday, June 27th, 2008
10:54 pm	[COVER ART] Hunter's Prayer - Lilith Saintcrow; The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance & Pre-Orders (Image from here) Lilith Saintcrow Hunter's Prayer (Jill Kismet, Book 2) Hachette Orbit (26th August 2008) Pre-order (Image from here) Trisha Telep (ed.) The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance Perseus Running Press (28th July 2008) Pre-order Mario Acevedo Jailbait Zombie (Felix Gomez, Book 4) HarperCollins Eos (24th February 2009) Pre-order Ann Aguirre Blue Diablo (Corine Solomon, Book 1) Penguin Roc (7th April 2009) Pre-order Sharon Ashwood Ravenous (The Dark Forgotten, Book 1) Penguin Signet (3rd February 2009) Pre-order Jennifer Lynn Barnes Fate (Bailey Morgan, Book 2) Random House Delacorte (10th March 2009) Pre-order Cassandra Clare City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, Book 3) Simon & Schuster Margaret K. McElderry (24th March 2009) Pre-order Rosemary Clement-Moore Highway to Hell (Maggie Quinn vs. Evil, Book 3) Random House Delacorte (10th March 2009) Pre-order Mark Del Franco Unfallen Dead (Connor Grey, Book 3) Penguin Ace (27th January 2009) Pre-order Carrie Ryan The Forest of Hands and Teeth Random House Delacorte (April 2009) Pre-order Anton Strout Deader Still (Simon Canderous, Book 2) Penguin Ace (24th February 2009) Pre-order Rob Thurman Deathwish (Cal & Niko Leandros, Book 4) Penguin Roc (3rd March 2009) Pre-order (Comment on this)
8:01 pm	Film Clips of the Week Usually I'm lucky if there's even one song I enjoy on New Stock an hour of new film clips every Friday. Today there were three: Goldfrapp: "Caravan Girl" The first two singles from Seventh Tree had very English film clips. (Nothing more English than the cup of tea at the end of "A&E".) However, this one seems very American - 1960s California, I think. Flight of the Conchords: "Ladies of the World" Rollerdisco, Kiwi-style. There's even a shout-out to "lady-man-ladies". 1970s California look. Sneaky Sound System: "Kansas City" The Wizard of Oz meets Team America. Current Music: Sneaky Sound System - Kansas City (in my head) (Comment on this)
2:31 pm	[COVER ART] Lord of Misrule - Rachel Caine; Kim Harrison's WHITE WITCH BLACK CURSE & eBay (Image from here) Rachel Caine Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, Book 5) Penguin Signet (6th January 2009) Pre-order The cover says Book 3, but that should be corrected to Book 5 before release. And while I was hunting down a pre-order link, I stumbled upon this: Kim Harrison White Witch, Black Curse (Rachel Morgan, Book 7) HarperCollins Eos (24th February 2009) Pre-order eBay Australia lets you list for free this weekend, if your starting price is under $10. I've listed 101 items, and am worn out. Current Music: Sam Sparro - Black & Gold (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 26th, 2008
5:51 pm	Don't Let Your Cat Near Your Laptop Original photo of Melanie Nilles's Harlee here. Too good a photo for me not to mess with it ;-) (7 Comments |Comment on this)
11:16 am	Sourtoe Cocktail, Mini-Con & Thursday Thirteen igougo.com Top 10 Weird Activities Came across this tidbit in the mX yesterday. I tried to find the list on the site it referenced, but couldn't find it. Nonetheless: 4. Sourtoe Cocktail (Dawson City, Yukon, Canada) Anyone with a strong stomach can gain entry into Dawson City's Downtown Hotel Sourtoe Cocktail Club by sipping a drink containing one of the hotel's preserved human toes. Make it a big sip; rules say your lips must touch the toe. Fangs, Fur & Fey Mini-Con at Conestoga Full schedule here. Thanks to PR dude Mark Henry. TBR Pile as of Thursday 26th June 2008 (Edition #2)1. Gena Showalter's Red Handed 2. Gena Showalter's Blacklisted 3. Maria Lima's Matters of the Blood 4. Yasmine Galenorn's Darkling 5. Jackie Kessler's The Road to Hell 6. Jeanne C. Stein's The Becoming 7. Jeanne C. Stein's Blood Drive 8. Jeanne C. Stein's The Watcher 9. Mark Del Franco's Unshapely Things 10. Mark Del Franco's Unquiet Dreams 11. Charlaine Harris's Dead As a Doornail 12. Eve Kenin's Driven 13. M. J. Rose's Lying in Bed Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants Current Music: Gabriella Cilmi - Save the Lies (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
2:53 pm	The Shame... Blood Price - Tanya Huff "Originally published in 1991, Blood Price holds up well 17 years later...the novel has an important role in the history of urban fantasy in fiction." Buy Oh My Goth - Gena Showalter "...interesting enough to read it in basically one sitting." Buy Was lying on the couch yesterday evening, when I noticed something not quite right about the middle seam of my trackpants. The stitching seemed a bit...spread in one area. Meaning that if there wasn't already a hole, one was forming. I've been wearing those pants in public. Not just around the house, but down to the post office and supermarket... They're currently in my rubbish bin awaiting next week's collection. The shame... However, I got enthused about reading again last night. So that's a good thing. Since I have to finish my deliveries before Monday, I planned to do a section this morning (as there's due to be gale forces this afternoon - 'tis a cold wind anyway now). Only I couldn't find my iRiver. You may remember that I received it for my 21st last July, and within three months I'd screwed it up irreversibly so it's never played mp3s since. But I've been using the radio on it, which has kept me company on many a walk. I last used it yesterday, walking to the post office and back. But now I can't find it. Lost or misplaced, I'm not sure. But I'm really feeling dim right now. This is probably a sign that gadgets and I aren't meant to be. The shame... Instead I did an hour's worth of deliveries with only my brain for company. Not good, people; not good. Current Music: Natasha Bedingfield - Silent Movie (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
1:37 pm	Tips for the Would-Be Reviewer The other week, someone who wanted to break into book reviewing contacted me. So here are my tips for the would-be reviewer. (Disclaimer: These may not necessarily be my experiences, but they're stuff I've learned from reading other people's blogs as well.) Golden Rule #1: Blogging should not feel like work if you're not getting paid for it. If it does feel like work, it's not right for you. Golden Rule #2: Give people something they can't get anywhere else. If you're really into book blogging, this is the most important thing to put into practice. And what people can't get anywhere else is your original content. By that I simply mean your opinions, and interviews you've conducted. Because if people want a daily sum-up of the ins and outs of book stuff on the Internet, they should only require one blog to read, and thus there's no need for you to start up a similar blog. (Vampire Wire is my choice for daily sum-ups.) Chances are people have already read the news at their original sources, anyway, thus there's no gap for you to fill. But you can use other people's content to generate your own. If someone's written an article to which you strongly reacted ("right on" or "feck no"), link to the article and share your views: what you agreed with, what you didn't, what you learned. And in the tradition of Oh No They Didn't, always credit your sources by linking to where you got the info. To Group Blog or Not to Group Blog This could turn into a very long entry, but here're some basics: *If joining a group, make sure it's with people you really get along with: whom you trust, like and respect them and their opinions (even if you don't agree with them). And vice versa. These should be the kind of people you'd talk with every day, even if you weren't sharing a blog. *If you only review a couple of times a month, a group blog is ideal because there'll be other contributors to fill in your silence. *If you find yourself doing most of the work when you only signed on contribute, this may not be the right place for you. *When group-blogging you may have to sugarcoat your opinions or conform in some sort of way. Just because you all read the same genre, that doesn't mean you share the same opinions: you each have your own and you're entitled to have them. But your leader may not think you're entitled to share them at the group blog. Perhaps put your opinion pieces on your own blog, and the group blog can have only your reviews. Any questions about the blog blogging biz? Fire away. Current Music: Kanye West & Chris Martin - Homecoming (in my head) (Comment on this)
11:23 am	[COVER ART] Need - Carrie Jones (Image from here) Carrie Jones Need Bloomsbury (23rd December 2008) Pre-order Am trying to read as much as I can in a short period of time, but I can't do it for too long or else I need to nap. Bad sleep last night/this morning: Had been reading in front of the tennis, and was getting sleepy. Went to bed at 11PM, an hour before I usually do. Then kept waking up and going back to sleep. At one stage I even took my hair tie out. I remember doing that, but I'm not sure why I felt the need to. I sense further sleeping problems ahead. Feckdiddly. Am very unmotivated as of late; am having trouble mustering up enthusiasm for stuff. Anything, really. Think this might be the beginning of a slump; the signs are here. (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
12:29 pm	Call for Submissions Cobblestone Press - Octoberfest 2008 Word Count: 10k-40k Genre: Paranormal Romance Must be submitted by July 10, 2008 Shifters, vampires, ghosts, and everything in between. Octoberfest is about celebrating all things paranormal. Titles featuring All Hallow's Eve will be featured in our line "Hallowed". Get the details here, and check the rest of the site for anything else you need to know. Current Music: The Hives - T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S. (in my head) (Comment on this)