My SL Comic Con 2016 Schedule: Stephen King’s “On Writing” and “A Celebration of Steampunk”

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SL Comic Con 2016 is right around the corner, and I’m excited to be presenting on some really incredible panels. Here’s what I’m promoting and where I’ll be.

First of all, I’ve had my Peacock Lavine covers redesigned, and I love how they’ve turned out:

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 Also check out my short story based on a side story in the Peacock Lavine series: “The Resurrectionist’s Kiss” in Psychopomps: Shepherds of the Dead.

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For more detail on these stories, please click here:

Cindy Grigg – Books

– OR –

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SL Comic Con Panel Schedule

This year, my panel schedule is a bit lighter, but I’m on two NOTEWORTHY panels, as follows.

For this first one, I’m so excited to join a group of fun, dynamic authors as we discuss one of the best books out there on writing craft. I’m definitely only into “Horror Lite”, but I love King’s advice.

Stephen King’s “On Writing”

Friday September 2, 2016 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Multi-Bestseller Author Stephen King wrote “On Writing” in 2000. This memoir/instructional guide details King’s method by which you can improve the craft of writing. In this panel, we’ll discuss King’s philosophy to help your writing whether you’re a full-time or part-time writer. Panelist will also let the audience know what has worked for them and how King got it right (or wrong).

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Guests

Richard Paul Evans
Cindy Grigg
JP Roth
Jonathan Ryan
J. Scott Savage
Callie Stoker
Scott Taylor (Moderator)

On to panel number two: a tour through steampunk fantasticness!! My Peacock Lavine series is Norse steampunk featuring a disenfranchised Valkyrie making her way in Regency Era London. Mayhem ensues. So yes, steampunk gets weird and wonderful, fast. These panels are always so much fun. And oooh, look! I’m moderating! So come check out the techno-whimsy!!

Check out this main Panel Programming Page for more details, and have a wonderful week!

 

Fellow writers and authors may also be interested in my book on how to write faster, or check out other resources on my site www.TheProductiveAuthor.com.

In addition, my book The Productive Author’s Guide to Dictation is FREE to anyone during SL ComicCon (September 1-3, 2016). Switch up your process and get more done while  reducing repetitve stress from other approaches to writing! Note that when you go to Amazon, you click to buy and the download should begin immediately (this confused me at first because I didn’t see a button for “Get this Free” or anything, so just a heads-up on that!).

Get this title on Amazon or learn more about this resource here.

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High Fives Taken to the Level of Art at Liberty Park

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Do high fives make a difference if they come from complete strangers?

You won’t need to wonder about this if you ever have the pleasure of circumnavigating Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park when master high fiver Brent Walton is putting in his laps.

Walton’s running regime includes high fiving every person he passes, putting smiles on just about everyone’s faces. In fact, he runs out of his way to high five each person, crossing between the inside and outside paths, and letting out his infectious woop, “Yeah!”

I defy the most curmudgeonly among us to not respond when Walton approaches. In fact, it’s pretty fun to watch people melt under his spell.

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It’s amazing! And we all need it. I get happy just thinking about it now as I write this. He’s taken the whole high five thing to the level of art!

Brent manages to carry it all off in a way that’s not annoying or invasive, just wonderfully unusual.

He’s like a breath of fresh air breaking us out of our playlists, thoughts, and conversations for a brief moment–one that feels like equal parts motivational trainer and whimsical, random musical–and I mean that in the best way! His high five campaign is like the best parts of those two things.

My walking partner and I are slow enough that he usually laps us, meaning we get a double dose. I try not to grin the whole time he approaches, because we can hear him well before he reaches us.

More than once, I’ve marveled at how powerful this has been for my day. The best way I can describe it is: encouragement at the most primal level. He doesn’t know anything about me, and he doesn’t need to. We don’t have to talk about anything. He’s just transferring energy without reservation!

That’s pretty cool. In a way, high fives might be most powerful coming from a stranger. There’s something about the wordless yet core understanding exchanged that bears unique momentum.

Eventually, I decided I wanted to know more.

Brent’s Story

So this morning, as I sat in my car thinking through something, there he was! He came trotting up to his car parked nearby, and I reached out about blogging this.

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And he didn’t run away! So he’s brave. It was great to make a new friend and he let me know there is indeed a story behind his doing this. He started doing this one day while waiting for his car to be fixed. He tried it out a few times and got hooked on the positive energy, which he describes as a “buzz”.

It’s also interesting that he sees himself as the biggest recipient, as evidenced by this quote from a description he linked me to on Facebook:

“I purposely chose to run ‘opposite’ the normal flow of foot traffic to increase the number of high fives I would receive. Maximum high fives! Woo!”

I love that. He’s giving so much to people, by putting himself out there and sharing his positive energy.

And yes, I think it’s best to assume that all germs disintegrate in the abundance of that energy. So go ahead, get to Liberty Park one of these mornings and take the high five!

If you haven’t had the pleasure and don’t expect to, I’m sure he’d approve of us considering this your inclusive high five. Way to just be there, dealing with what you’re dealing with, and doing your thing. “Yeah!”

Fangirling About Jeffrey R. Holland’s Message from April 2016 LDS General Conference

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I’ve always loved LDS General Conference! Here are my thoughts about one of my favorite messages from the April 2016 session.

Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You by Jeffrey R. Holland

What?! So cool! I’m definitely getting up early tomorrow!!!

Just kidding, it’s figurative.

My summary of this talk (or click the link above): It actually is enough to know that everything comes our way eventually, and maybe even in the next life.

As a reluctantly single woman in her 30s, I know how to balk at this idea with the best of them.

I mean, come on, I could use a partner now when I’m facing the vicissitudes of life, with its many flavors of opposition.

Sometimes when I’ve heard that nothing will be denied anyone in the next world, I’ve been like, Um, thanks?! That will be so useful when everything is perfect!

Don’t get me wrong, I’d gladly embrace finding my man today if my ongoing efforts lead to that. But the reality is, for many of us, there are either not enough viable options to go around or significant personal situations that render the whole thing pretty tricky, no matter how much positive thinking and making-over goes on, or how much God loves us.

Finding someone is not a gift granted to the most faithful. If anything, it’s economics  (supply and demand) or demographics, and I’m not going to riff on the Hunger Games line here, but I want to.

It’s understandable how single people sometimes try to will love to happen. Go proactivity! Go optimism! But to me, it’s incomplete. That kind of one-sided approach to hope can be deeply problematic when one joins the dreaded statistic despite one’s honest efforts at all those things for years.

So, while I’m never going to stop looking and being up for new adventures, here’s how I handle this.

I know it’s a different idea, but I believe we can pray for those compensatory emotions, as single people. Daily, or whenever the “I’m going to die alone” nonsense sets in. I believe doing so calls on the power of the Atonement, making up for what just isn’t right in life, and what we may not get to insist on. I’ve done this myself. On one particularly dark day, I decided, Hey, there’s no reason I’m expected to live without the emotional advantages of a relationship. I’m not some second-class citizen in God’s kingdom or something–I don’t care how bad I might be at flirting!

Actually, I’m pretty good at it like every third day or so.

Anyway, what I love about this talk is how it reminds me to also develop the flipside of faith: that tomorrow is enough of a promise; it has enough buoyancy that life can be full and happy even for those of us who never find someone, because Christ makes up the difference.

If it doesn’t feel that way, I know that feeling, too. I didn’t skip over that feeling on my way to feeling pretty okay about it. I know God can help us get to a point where we’re okay with it, because God has helped me be strong in ways that I’m not. I grew up in a divorced household. I’ve wanted to find someone and have a “normal” family life since I was about 7! The fact that I have found healing even as the punches keep coming is a testament to what God can do, even when the landscape shouldn’t be navigatable for me.

In fact, in my experience, God often goes one better when we let that comfort and guidance in, “leading us in the more fertile part of our wilderness”, like it says in the Nephi stories (this is in the Book of Mormon). In this case, God continues to lead me emotionally. Being single has been nothing less than a minefield for me without that help.

And yes, I get to speak in dramatic terms like “punches”and “minefields” because it’s Sunday, and Sundays can be pretty hard. I think every person who doesn’t want to be single experiences the obligatory freak-out moments here and there. It comes with the territory, heavenly inspiration notwithstanding.

The lame moments make me grateful that most of the time I enjoy an assurance that someday is enough of a promise, if I allow it to be.

If I let it douse me like rain! Here’s a fun Mormon Message that made me cry, I liked it so much.

 

🙂

 

I’m Mixing Up How I Blog and Stuff

/ Cindy Grigg / 4 Comments

As I expand the scope of my writing, I’m changing and refining this blog.

Initially, I pretty much just blogged about writing advice, adding in my own beliefs and life experiences as relating to that. I’m actually reversing that now, because why not?!

Actually, there is a bit of method behind the madness, as I’m amping up my authenticity on this blog. So that those readers with no interest in my authenticity  :)  can still find my thoughts on the craft of writing, I’ll be moving those pieces to my other site: TheProductiveAuthor.com.

On this blog, I’ll be posting my personal insights on anything I feel like writing about. I am passionate, so opinionated pieces are to be expected. I am single, so that whole topic is to be expected. I am LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), so Mormon topics are to be expected. I’m also deeply flawed, so please know that all insights are entirely my own and intended to be taken as such. What does that mean? I’m a pretty independent thinker, but it is not my goal to detract from anything official. My intent is to share my sincere thoughts, observations, and questions, some of which might ruffle the feathers of a mainstream Mormon person, and some of which might ruffle anyone but a mainstream Mormon person. Hopefully, a fair amount will be interesting without ruffling anyone, anywhere!

If you like my books but want to avoid that whole peek into my personal world, please find the appropriate book or series mini-site here for goings-on (I’m still working on these!).

I’m sure this switch is not life-altering to anyone, but I thought I’d at least explain myself. Thanks for being part of my community!

My Panels at SL Comic Con FanX 2016: Gaining Writer Resilience, Writing Tough Topics for YA, and Going Beyond Steampunk Goggles

/ Cindy Grigg / 2 Comments

Cindy Grigg Profile Comic Con 2016

SL Comic Con FanX 2016 is upon us! Here’s what I’m promoting and where I’ll be.

First of all, this is my first time having a booth, so look for my boutique press Misch Masch Publishing in Artist’s Alley, with CrankLeft. Our address is Teal 3. Come say hi!

I’m promoting three books:

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That’s right, no back cover blurb on this baby! I’ve opted against that for this book. For that, please click here: Cindy Grigg – Books (or this will be featured as the first page of the printed book).

This is the first novel in my series Peacock Lavine and the Fates of Nott, about an immortal Valkyrie who creates a new identity as a social enigma influencing change in Regency era London, when she’s forced to live among mortals.

“A Norse Steampunk and Urban Fantasy Rollick and Tussle Through an Alternative Regency Iceland, England, and the Afterlife”, Piccadilly Valkyrie (Book 1 in the series) includes notes of Jane Austen’s middle and high society but also encompasses airships, societal hermits, Luddites, and of course, Norse supernaturals.

This has been incredibly fun to write, and it definitely covers a lot of ground, so it may need to be your next adventure novel.

Please note that this series is YA or older, or at least preview it as a parent before sharing it with your mature MG’s. It’s pretty tame but does reference violence, sex, and garden variety swears.

I have updated the book cover and several other aspects of this story, so the eBook is available for pre-order from Amazon with automatic delivery by early April. Or, consider the print version, which should be available the last week of March.

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Here’s Contestant #2!

Psychopomps or “guides of souls” are those entities who escort the nearly or newly dead to an afterlife realm.Psychopomps Cover 20

A TEENAGE GIRL’S FIGHT TO SAVE HER NEWBORN BROTHER FROM THE PHANTOM OF DEATH WHO SEEKS TO STEAL HIS SOUL

Little Bundle of Death by BEN LANE HODSON  

A PIRATE’S REDEMPTION FROM INFERNUM TO AETERNUS WITH THE GUIDANCE OF A SEA REAPER MERMAID

The Sea of Ghosts by RAYCHEL ROSE

A CORPSE DUSTER’S INITIATIVE TO OUTPROGRAM DEATH

Mobile Dusters by E.W. FARNSWORTH

A BRITISH SOLIDER’S ESCAPE FROM LIMBO AFTER HIS VALKYRIE GUIDE GOES ROGUE

 The Resurrectionist’s Kiss by CINDY GRIGG

… AND MORE!

 

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The third book is for writers, detailing how I speak my drafts rather than typing them, which has helped me be active by going on Writer Walkabouts, increase my daily word count, and more. A total lifestyle-changer, whether you write fiction or non-fiction!

I include a system of drills that are hopefully fun, as they incorporate works of classic literature.

Once you master this skill, you will feel like you’re working with eight arms and an octopod’s evil genius mind!!

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Note: This is a new cover for the print version. The eBook features a previous cover until early April. Same content either way.

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Panels!

Not for the Faint of Heart: Being a Resilient Writer

Thursday March 24, 2016 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Writing is not for the faint of heart–but most artists are, regularly! How do we overcome the tricky interchange between storytelling and our inner forces that work against us, like worry, doubt, and fear? This team of panelists explores practical tricks and tools to help you use these forces to your advantage.

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Guests

Courtney Alameda
Shannen Camp
Cindy Grigg – Moderator
Craig Nybo
Scott Taylor
James R. Tuck

Friday March 25, 2016 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

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Guests

Dave Butler Moderator
Steve Diamond
David Farland
Cindy Grigg
Aneeka Richins
Scott Taylor
Dan Willis

Saturday March 26, 2016 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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Guests

Cindy Grigg
Jennifer Jenkins Moderator
Michael Jensen
Kevin L. Nielsen
Ilima Todd
Julie Wright

 

Check out this main Panel Programming Page for more details, and have a wonderful week!

Did You Know Students Get In LTUE Free?! Where I’ll Be at Life, the Universe, and Everything 2016

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LTUE 2016

It’s upon us! Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) 2016 begins next week, and I’m so excited to be part of this fiction writing conference.

I’ve been attending and presenting at LTUE for a couple years now, but I’m only this year realizing that students get in for free!

This conference is a great opportunity to meet with authors, filmmakers, artists, gaming professionals, and other speculative fiction creatives.

Plus, Provo. Exotic!!

Here’s where I’ll be during Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium (LTUE) 2016.

I am looking forward to speaking on the Genre Innovators of Note panel at 12 p.m. on Thursday, February 11, 2015 (Arches room). I’ll be on this panel along with David Yurth, Michael R Collings, J. D. Raisor, and Callie Stoker. Here’s the description:

Sometimes a tale comes along that’s so startlingly different from previous works that it starts a new movement or subgenre. Jules Verne and Lord Dunsany kicked off the science fiction and fantasy era over a century ago. In the 1960’s Harlan Ellison rocked the science fiction world to its core as writer, editor and provocateur. In the 1980s William Gibson invented cyberpunk. Come learn about the Pandora’s that went before, and maybe speculate on who the next one might be.

It should be really fun, so come check us out in the Arches room.

This conference is where I’ve met many writer contacts in the past. It’s an awesome way to refocus on what matters and streamline best practices for this overwhelming thing called writing fiction!

And I mean, check out the lineup: LTUE Guests.

The Productive Authors Guide to Dictation 45For those who haven’t been to this conference, LTUE is less about dressing up than Comic Con or Fantasy Con, but if I see any awesomeness, it will be photographed and reported, as I did last year.

If you’re a writer who can’t make it, here’s my single best writing tip: Learn to Dictate! Check out my book about how I learned this skill.

Yes, dictation presents a learning curve. But it also has so many benefits, that any time invested pays off. It’s a drafting tool that can be a serious game changer for fiction or non-fiction writers, though I use it mostly for fiction.