Recent Posts
ConvoScience: A Glimpse into the Future Technologies
With the release of Putting the Science in Fiction, Jessie and I are having lots of fun talking to different scientists about their various fields.
On our latest episode of Conversations in Science, we spoke with Effie Seiberg about what technologies are just around the corner.
Effie is a consultant who works with the startup companies responsible for many of the latest technologies that are hitting the market. She in the perfect spot to tell us what is already out there (that we know nothing about) and what we can look forward to. Take a listen, just try not to laugh as hard as I did.
Geophysics is About More than Earthquakes
As we are getting closer and closer to the release of Putting the Science in Fiction, Jessie and I are having lots of fun talking to different scientists about their various fields.
On our latest episode of Conversations in Science, we spoke with K E Lanning about geophysics.
K E Lanning received a bachelor’s degree in Physics in 1979 from Stephen F. Austin St. University in Nacogdoches, TX and a MBA in 1986 from the University of Houston. In her geophysics career, science met art—imaging landscapes beneath the surface of the earth. K E Lanning is a writer of science fiction too, so of course we had to talk about that too. Take a listen.
The Thriller Writer at the Romance Conference
It seems odd that someone who actively writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction would attend a romance writers conference. However, for those of us who live in New Zealand, our options for writers conferences are extremely limited. I’m a member of ALL of the national writers organisations (all three of them), and Romance Writers New Zealand (RWNZ) is the only one who is actively doing anything to help its members learn their craft and advance their careers. It’s a sad truth, but a truth none the less.
However, I made the decision to attend the 2018 RWNZ conference back in August 2017 when the lineup for keynote speakers was announced. Shall we say that it was amazing? My mind is still reeling.
I attended the 2017 conference as a presenter, presenting on Scrivener (a word-processing program designed for writers) and on the Hidden Traps of social media and writers’ platforms. At the end of that conference, they announced that among the line up for 2018 speakers was Geoff Symon, a real-life forensics investigator. I really didn’t care who else was on that list. The moment I heard forensics… “I’m going!” How often do you get the opportunity to pick the brain of a forensics investigator with over 20 years of experience?
I will admit that I was dubious about what I would pick up at the conference in the other sessions, wondering if the forensics session would be it. But I went with an open mind, and now that mind is overflowing with information that its struggling to take it all in. The forensics session was awesome, but the sessions on intimacy, character and dialogue… Wow! Just wow!
ConvoScience: To Mars and Beyond
So, Mars is currently at its closest to Earth, certainly closer than it has been for 15 years. What better way to celebrate such an occasion than to talk about what it would take to get to Mars and even further out into space?
Well, that’s exactly what Jessie and I did in your recent episode of Conversations in Science.
Police, Death, and Writing
On December 27, 2017, I started penning my crime thriller where a writer encounters a sinister website that leads to a game of cat-and-mouse with a serial killer. The idea was bouncing around in my head for two full years before I eventually started writing anything. All I had was the opening scene and the closing scene. Now, for obvious reasons, I have so much more. However, as part of writing this novel, I’ve had to do extensive research into how Atlanta PD does things, how they’re structured, as well as getting my head around some interesting aspects of US law and criminal investigations. It’s been a testimonial to my […]
Is the New Zealand national anthem really that hard?
I’m not a rugby fan. I’ll be the first to admit that. However, I do take pride in my country, and when a singer totally botches my country’s national anthem, I don’t know if I want to laugh my head off, or run and hide.
Crystal Collins, American singer, was invited to sing the New Zealand national anthem at a rugby game between New Zealand and England in Denver. The results… Where does one even begin?
She butchered the Maori language, which is horrible within itself, but the English verse… What the…? It was so out of time, and didn’t even follow the melody. I have no idea what she was singing, but it wasn’t God Save New Zealand.
I decided that in response to this horrible rendition, I needed to actually sing for you what the New Zealand national anthem really sounds like. I might not be the best singer in the world, but trust me, that song really isn’t that hard. Take a listen.