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Monday, April 19th, 2010 I’m guest blogging today at two different blogs! A.F. Stewart is hosting me and I’m discussing, “Letting Go of Writing Crutches.” I think that might stir up some debate. I’m also talking about Just Doing It: The Art of Un-Procrastination over at WordWranglers. Saturday, March 27th, 2010 All I can say is, “Wow!” I received this fantastic review of Blood Soup, posted by S.R. Southard at Amazon:
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 I’ll be reading at the Library of Congress in March with a bunch of writing giants! (Or, should I say Amazons, since they’re all women?) I’m very excited! There’s going to be a book signing afterward. My first “official” signing. It couldn’t happen at a cooler place. Of course I’ll be reading from Blood Soup. If there’s time, I may read some from The Dragon’s Clause. Here’s the published notice:
What IF… Science Fiction & Fantasy Forum
presents Science Fiction and Fantasy from Broad Universe Featuring Authors: • Catherine Asaro • Ellen Kushner • Sue Lange • Kelly A. Harmon Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 12:10 – 1:00 pm A book signing will follow. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 TTY or ADA@locdotgov. Contact Nate Evans at natev@loc.gov for more information. Broad Universe is an international organization of women and men dedicated to celebrating and promoting the work of women writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Yes, it is–an old Polish recipe, in fact. True: Just before I submitted the story to a publisher, I removed the recipe from the book. I’d included it at the end, just for fun, to give people an idea of what was actually being served in the book. However, I removed it on the advice of a fellow critique group member. Now, I sometimes wish I’d left it in. For your personal edification, here’s the recipe: Blood Soup Ingredients: 5-6 lb duck OR 3-5 lb spare ribs or pork loin ribs (If you’re squeamish, 32 oz prune juice with pulp may be substituted for blood.) optional: Directions: In a soup kettle, cover meat and foul trimmings with water and boil slowly 1-3 hours depending on the size and age of the duck. Skim off foam from top of soup. Place spices in cheese cloth bag and add to soup. Boil slowly until meat is tender. Remove meat and spice bag from soup. Reserve meat to be added back later. Take out 1 cup of boiling stock and set aside. Add fruit to soup. Boil until apples or pear are soft. In a separate bowl, blend the flour, sugar, salt and pepper into 1/2 c of the blood until smooth. Add cream to the flour mixture. Mixture should be a light paste. Add the 1 c of hot soup stock and mix until smooth. Add vinegar and blend. While soup is still boiling, add flour mixture and remaining blood (or prune juice if no blood was used). Stir constantly. If a thicker soup is desired, add 1 c of pureed prunes. Boil another 5-10 minutes. Meat may be returned to the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Allow to cool and place in refrigerator. Allow soup to stand overnight before serving. Because of the raisins, prunes and fruit, the soup will be sweeter the next day. Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Blood Soup went out to several reviewers in September and October and I’ve been anxiously awaiting a response. I’m thrilled to see the first is a good one. Kari at Kari’s Korner Reviews apparently enjoyed it very much. I’m doubly honored since Kari reviews mostly romance. To wit:
Friday, October 16th, 2009
Capclave is hosted by the Washington, DC Science Fiction Association and promotes short fiction. Their motto is: Where reading is not extinct! The convention tends to be small and literary, but enjoys participation from big names in the field. This year’s Guest of Honor is Harry Turtledove. I’ll be reading with other members of Broad Universe, including Jean Marie Ward, Roxanne Bland, Victoria Janssen and Diane Arrelle. We’ll be doing a “Rapid Fire Reading.” Each of us will read for ten minutes or less from out works. And, we’ll have chocolate. If you’re in the Washington Area around 1 p.m., please join us. I’d love to meet you. Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
All Romance.com has partnered with Aldiko (an eBook reading application) to make their entire 10,000+ book-catalog available to Android Smart Phone users. (Here’s the entire Press Release at PR Web.) The bottom line is: Smart Phone users can obtain stories via their phones without a computer, cables or subscription! Which means, if you’re interested, you can purchase Blood Soup from pretty much anywhere you have a cell phone connection. (Blood Soup can be purchased here. ) I also recommend these titles from Eternal Press: The Sea Wagon of Yan Tai by Steve Southard If you like to “try before you buy,” Aldiko can hook you up. Download and install Aldiko and choose from thousands of books. From the Gadgeteer Website: “Aldiko comes with Sun Tzu’s Art of War and H. G. Well’s The Invisible Man pre-loaded. However, you can browse and load any of the books available on Feedbooks right from the application. The site contains thousands of public domain and creative commons works.” Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
That’s the tagline for my novella, Blood Soup, available from Eternal Press on September 7. The “Coming Soon” announcements page has recently been posted. You can see it here. Blood Soup will also be available in print via Amazon, about three weeks after the electronic version. Do you tweet? Do you like FREE fiction? First: The 25th and 50th person to re-tweet my announcement on the 7th will win an electronic copy of Blood Soup. Second: Anyone who buys Blood Soup will also have the opportunity to win print versions of Triangulation: Dark Glass and Black Dragon, White Dragon (two anthologies that some of my other work appears in) just by tweeting specific information from Blood Soup. For instance, I’ll tweet: What’s the last word on line 4 of page 22? Give the correct answer and you may win a book. I’ll give away up to five print versions of these books. More details to come closer to the launch date. In the meantime, you may want to follow me on twitter: @kellyaharmon. Excerpt from Blood Soup: Theodicar looked down at the mewling infant in his arms, and felt the anger rise up. Even in death his wife defied him, the nurse ensuring her success. Women did not rule. He would not allow it. They had created a male child, and that child would take the throne upon his death. “You can save the boy,” he said to Salvagia. She slitted her eyes at him, her stare mutinous. Her words were loud and hard in the wake of Pia’s death. “I have the power to save one at the expense of the other, Sire. The girl is stronger. And eldest. She was born to rule.” Theodicar watched the girl curl up in his arms, her birth fluids staining a brown patch on the dyed-yellow wool of his tunic. She burrowed into the crook of his elbow, trying to achieve the comfort of the womb. “I will not hear those words again,” he said. “That absurd idea died with my wife. My son will rule.” He reached for the boy, thrusting the girl child back into the nurse’s hands. “There’s no need for a daughter. And no need for anyone to know of her.” “So be it,” Salvagia said, wrapping the weary girl in a square of wool, covering her face. She reached for her basket. “Kill her now,” said Theodicar. Salvagia looked stricken. “Sire, if we kill her now, she will be of no use to her brother. Once dead, the blood won’t flow, and we need her blood to strengthen his. “Then drain her now,” he snapped. “I will not have her crying out when we call the witnesses back to cut the boy’s cord.” She paled, but nodded, and grabbed the necessary implements from her basket. She did the job quickly, tears streaming down her face. To keep it warm, Salvagia set the flask of blood in the ashes at the edge of the hearth. Then she wrapped the tiny body in linen and shoved it deep into her basket. “Your life is forfeit if you speak a word of this to anyone,” Theodicar said. “Do you understand?” She nodded, pushing the basket out of view. He sat down in his chair. “Call the witnesses back. We’ll sever the cord in their presence to prove the succession. Wipe those tears,” he said. |
Writers - Maryland Writer's Assn. |
Several people have asked me if Blood Soup is a real recipe. 
I’ll be at