Introduction: Zellie Blake

[zellie-bean.livejournal.com]

My friend Alex brought me here (vote for him as a patron in the Rose and Bay Awards!!).

I love the idea of directly supporting creators! My favorite author J.C. Hutchins started out by podcasting his technothriller for free. It drove me crazy that there was no way to support him. He didn't even take commission from shirts based on his work! I hope to discover some awesome projects to support (:

What I do: Write
I'm testing the waters of traditional publishing with my first novel, Lightning Spliced. I'm well aware that most authors don't get published until their third, fourth, or even sixth book. I'm hoping for the best but it's comforting to know that there's a community interested in supporting quality content whether it's published by Tor or Lulu.

Whatever happens, I'm publishing at least the first three chapters in audio form. Right now the first chapter is up in audio, the second in text. If you like urban science fiction along the lines of Heroes, especially if you've been pining for a female protagonist, you might like Lightning Spliced. I appreciate feedback of all kinds and if you do enjoy it, there's a Paypal tip jar. My ridiculously high power bill thanks you for your generosity (:

What I do: Critique
I'm also a staff member at Chimera Critiques. If you're looking to improve your writing, submit a chapter or query to us! We choose two per month to be critiqued by the majority of our staff. The group is leary about tax issues involving accepting money but if you want to put a tip in my Paypal with a note that it's for the group, I can put it towards business costs. We also keep a blog of writing tips, interviews, etc. I just interviewed J.C. Hutchins and the group is heading to Atlanta to interview bestseller Lisa McMann ^_^

What I'm interested in
Podcasts!!!!!!! I keep so busy I have to sleep on borrowed time but I can listen while I walk to work. I like urban fantasy/sci-fi and I'm trying to dig more into YA lit. I really adore novels. Any recommendations?

Rose and Bay Awards Voting

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

There are about two weeks left in the February voting period for the Rose and Bay Awards, which honor excellence in cyberfunded creativity/crowdfunding.  Remember that anyone who can't access the polls can still cast a vote by leaving an anonymous comment with their name and their vote.  If you have not already voted, you can find the voting posts here:

Art -- 88+ people have voted 
Fiction -- 150+ people have voted (wow!)
Poetry -- 53+ people have voted
Other Project -- 167+ people have voted (WOW!)
Patron -- 23+ people have voted

Voting participation is quite good.  Thank you all for your enthusiasm.  For more details about the Rose and Bay Awards, please see the landing page.