The trick, for me, is coming up with something short enough to be memorable, but not so commonplace as to be forgettable. Sometimes it works. “Loss for Words” in Apex’s Dark Faith anthology is a double play on the meaning of the phrase, describing both the main character’s affliction and, ultimately, his cure. Other times, I’m less thrilled with the title – “Code Duello,” the rules of dueling, is a reasonable title for the story, but I often wish I would have gone with something that caught the spirit of intrigue and entrapment a little better.

So there it is – with rare exceptions, the title is the last thing I write.  When I talk about my works in progress with my first-readers, I refer to them by thematic elements. “The one with the shifters” or “The space opera one” or even “The new one.” I’d love to hear that I’m not the only one with this terrible affliction, but until I check for comments, I’ll have to spend my time working on “that Steampunk one.”

jch

My big news for April is of course the impending release of Dark Faith. There are a lot of names on the Table of Contents that I am proud to be alongside, and I couldn’t be happier with the work Apex has put into it. If you want to get your copy signed, a large chunk of the authors involved will be celebrating the release at Mo*Con V, in just two short weeks. It’s not too late to sign up and see us all there.

Hearts and Minds is still out there, if you haven’t bought your copy yet. It’s had some killer reviews that have made me pleased as punch, including an 88/100 at Mrs. Giggles, a 4.5 / 5 at TwoLips Reviews, and a solid 5/5 recommendation from flutterlings. So now you don’t have to take my word that it’s awesome, you can theirs. Now go buy it.

Keeping up with Appearances:
Apart from the above-mentioned Mo*Con V, I’ll be at RWA and GenCon this summer. And since it’s in my favorite town in Ohio, it’s a safe bet you’ll see me at World Fantasy as well.

February means one thing in 2010 – Impulse Power, the trio of Romantic SF novellas from Samhain Publishing, finally comes out. That includes my own Hearts and Minds, which will be out in pretty much every electronic format on the 23^rd.

On the topic of Impulse Power, those of you not with the SF Revolution who plan on waiting for a dead tree edition have a long wait – December, in fact. But, if you wait that long, you’ll find Impulse Power everywhere, with this snazzy new cover:

I’ve also received a bit of good news. My essay on the Music of Steampunk – Doctor Tsoundpounders Euterpean Soliloquizer – will be appearing in the March issue of Crossed Genres magazine. It’s a fun little piece in which I poke a few sacred cows, and I think it will be well received. Or there’ll be a mob outside the door. We’ll see.

Keeping up with Appearances:
The year is starting with a bang, or at least a couple of electronic appearances – on 16 Feb, you’ll be able to find me answering questions about Hearts and Minds in the Love Romances café , from 7 to 9pm. Stop by, ask questions, and have some fun.

I’ll also be a guest blogger on Samhain’s Author site, the Samhellion, on February 23^rd. Not sure what clever and witty thing I’ll say yet, but I trust inspiration will strike before then.

As for the rest of the year – It’s a safe bet that in August, interested folks will be able to find me once again at GenCon. April will see me in Indianapolis for Mo*Con and the release party for Apex’s Dark Faith (Featuring my story “A Loss for Words”). And it’s looking increasingly likely that I will show up at either RWA’s national conference, or World Fantasy, or both. Watch this space for detail, there’s sure to be some soon.