Tomorrow night, I should be meeting my writing group at an amazing local coffeehouse in Historic Ellicott City. But I can't, because it is functionally gone. As a military brat, I'm only a transplant to Howard County, Maryland. I've been here since I finished undergrad, because it was where my parents happened to be stationed … Continue reading Bean Hollow
July Wrap-Up & August Goals
What a whirlwind of a month, filled with emotional highs and lows! July Wrap-Up: The Steel Magic book launch went really well, and I think the book had a great reception where I talked about it online and in person. Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word and promote my second novel. Book … Continue reading July Wrap-Up & August Goals
Speculative Chic is LIVE
I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new blog focused on all aspects of speculative fiction: books, film, television, games, and more! Speculative Chic Please join us for our soft launch today, and consider subscribing to continue receiving great content from a bunch of awesome people (like yours truly). We'll have everything from in-depth reviews to … Continue reading Speculative Chic is LIVE
Author Interview: Jennifer Loring
To celebrate the release of, What's Left of Me, the second book in the Firebird Trilogy, author Jennifer Loring has stopped by give us a peek into her life as a writer! Don't forget to also check out book 1, Firebird. 1. What's the hardest thing about balancing writing with the rest of your life? I would write, … Continue reading Author Interview: Jennifer Loring
Book Giveaway!
To conclude my interview series, Calico in Conversation is hosting a scavenger hunt through each of my interview segments. If you've been reading carefully, you have a chance to win ebooks of BOTH Steel Victory and Steel Magic in the format of your choice! Go here to see the questions and find the entry form.
Reader’s Choice Award Finalists
Thank you so much to everyone who voted for Steel Victory in the 2015 RDSP Reader's Choice Award poll! As you can see, this super snazzy belt and bragging rights for the next year are on the line! Congratulations to my fellow finalists: All the Darkness in the World by Andy Deane (horror novel) An … Continue reading Reader’s Choice Award Finalists
20 Questions: Author Edition
Fellow urban fantasy author Romarin Demetri tagged me to answer some questions about author-type stuff, so I thought I would play along. 1. What is your author name? I write under my initials, J.L. Gribble, because my first name is not pronounced the way it's spelled and I decided to make it easier on everybody … Continue reading 20 Questions: Author Edition
STEEL MAGIC Launch Party Recap
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to East City Bookshop in Washington DC last night for the official launch party for my second novel, Steel Magic! This independent bookstore was a great space for an event, and the staff was very welcoming. I'm really glad that I had such a great experience … Continue reading STEEL MAGIC Launch Party Recap
Guest Post: Andi Adams’ Suggested 5 Most Helpful Books on Writing
Today, author Andi Adams has stopped by to share her thoughts on some great craft books on writing. I've read a few of these, and I absolutely swear by the second book on her list! Don't forget to check out Adams' new fantasy novel, The Girl in the Glass Box, to see how she puts her … Continue reading Guest Post: Andi Adams’ Suggested 5 Most Helpful Books on Writing
Free Short Story: “The Cannibalism Hypothesis”
Sorry I've been AWOL for the past few days. I crashed pretty hard after the excitement of the Steel Magic launch and needed some time to recharge. (And by recharge I mean build a new Lego set.) But I'm back with some great news! One of my favorite beta readers/critique partners had a short story published … Continue reading Free Short Story: “The Cannibalism Hypothesis”
STEEL MAGIC Launch Party
I hope that all of you who are local to the Maryland/Virginia/Washington DC area will consider joining me for the launch party for Steel Magic! Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 Time: 6:30-8:30 PM Address: East City Bookshop 645 Pennsylvania Ave, Ste 100 Washington, DC 20003 This is the link to RSVP for the event. … Continue reading STEEL MAGIC Launch Party
“Writing Group”
Every Wednesday night, or at least as many as I can manage, I meet with three friends for what we call "Writing Group." Most of the time, we meet at an independent coffee shop in Historic Ellicott City, Maryland. The funniest part about it is that sometimes we don't get much writing done (we went … Continue reading “Writing Group”
Steel Empires Fan Art!
My best friend Julia (the Kane to my Toria, as it were) regularly makes goofy comics of our friend group using ridiculous stick figures of us. Today, in honor of the release of Steel Magic, she made fan art for me! I'm sure it is the beginning of much more to come, and I will … Continue reading Steel Empires Fan Art!
STEEL VICTORY deleted scene!
In honor of the final days of the Steel Victory 99 cent sale, I wanted to post one of the deleted scenes I have from this book. This is a Toria and Syri scene from the middle section of the novel that shows a lot of fun interaction between the two girls. It was ultimately … Continue reading STEEL VICTORY deleted scene!
June Wrap-Up & July Goals
June has definitely been one of my rougher months in recent memory. The bad news is that I don't feel like I got as far on a lot of my projects as I wish I could be. The good news is that I'm spending the long holiday weekend with my husband! Mississippi is hot and … Continue reading June Wrap-Up & July Goals
STEEL MAGIC Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of Steel Magic next week (July 6!), I'm participating in a blog tour! Don't forget to pre-order your copy so that you can start reading about the continuing adventures of Toria, Kane, and Syri as soon as possible. Or, take advantage of the 99 cent sale for Steel Victory! This will only … Continue reading STEEL MAGIC Blog Tour!
Guest Post: Why (Camp) NaNo? by Cara McKinnon
Today I'm hosting author Cara McKinnon as she goes walkabout on the Internet in honor of her new release, Essential Magic. As a veteran of both NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo, I'm eager to hear her thoughts on the subject! NaNoWriMo has become quite a monolithic movement in online writing circles. Not everyone loves it, and … Continue reading Guest Post: Why (Camp) NaNo? by Cara McKinnon
Author Interview: A.J. Culey
Today I'm hosting YA/fantasy author A.J. Culey as part of her blog tour to celebrate the release of The Trouble With Antlers (a.k.a. Melvin's Rampant Rack). Since I've spent the past year exploring the werecreatures in my own urban fantasy world, I was excited to see that other people are also writing about nontraditional shapeshifters! Culey was … Continue reading Author Interview: A.J. Culey
Review: “The Visitor” by J.L. Pattison
Some short stories take a lot of information and parse it down into a quick, streamlined adventure. Some take a lot of information and pack it in to the point of leaving the reader to wonder why the author didn't just go ahead and write a novel. Unfortunately, J.L. Pattison's "The Visitor" was the latter … Continue reading Review: “The Visitor” by J.L. Pattison
Review: MAGIC STARS by Ilona Andrews
I know that I have about a million favorite things about this series, but two of them are definitely Julie and Derek, the foster kids/proteges of the two main characters. Watching them "grow up" and come into their own skills and powers over the course of the books has been a treat, and it was … Continue reading Review: MAGIC STARS by Ilona Andrews