Electric Ink Blog
In which I win none of the things (Okay, one)
The A&P show has come and gone. I have not had the most productive or focused 2016 to date as a result I only entered a fraction of what I did last year and I think the judges could tell I was sort of half-assing it. I only got one first on show day and that was...
Release Day: And Everything Nice part of the Simmer anthology
Today is the day for And Everything Nice which is part of the Simmer anthology from Dreamspinner Press. Part Romance anthology part recipe book. Thirteen stories, with mine bringing up the rear, every story comes with its own recipe. And Everything Nice comes with an...
Guest Post: When Prince Charming is too good to be True?
Continuing our NZ spotlight today with Toni Strawn. When Prince Charming is too good to be True? Chances are, he probably is. I mean, how many times do we see it? The beautiful princess meets the man of her dreams, the handsome hero who sweeps her off her feet. In...
Guest Post: Who do you tell?
Our guest blogger for today is Carole Brungar of Levin, New Zealand. Thanks Ada for inviting me to chat on your blog. It’s lovely to be here. In November 2014, after more than eight years in the making, I self published my very first novel, A tide too high. As well as...
Mindful on the Mountaintop
On January 11, 2008 Sir Edmond Hillary, known as Sir Ed to his fellow New Zealanders, the first person to make it to the top of Everest, passed away. I went to see him as he lay in state in the Holy Trinity Cathedral the night before his funeral. My father has always...
Guest Blog: Tell Me No Lies
We are continuing our spotlight on New Zealand authors with Shirley Wine and a sneak peak of her new book Tell Me No Lies A brief bio - Shirley Wine writes supersized Rural Romances – a genre that covers very familiar territory for her. After a lifetime spent farming...
The Manic End of Manic Depressive or Why I Have a House Full of Jam
Those lacking personal experience with Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder often assume that the opposite side of the depressive bit is Happy. Manic is not happy. Manic is fast. Manic is the brain refusing to shut down, rest, or relax no matter what the...
Guest Post: Sharing the Love
This year I will be opening my blog to guest posts from my fellow New Zealand based writers. First one up is Rachel Stedman of Otago. Thanks to Ada for inviting me to post on her blog. Hi Ada, and congratulations for all those nominations, that is awesome! (If...
2016 and Beyond (plus love for Empty Nests)
2015 has been a big year for me on a career level. I got my first two novels properly published and in the process ridded myself of the Unfinished Project of the Damned that has been sitting on my hard drive since 2010. Many people said some very nice things about it...
Free Read: Ven al Norte
Ven al Norte By Ada Maria Soto It was a small stone that sent Diego tumbling onto the rocky ground, rolling beneath the thin soles of his shoes. As he fell the empty jugs made a dull thudding noise across his back. Overhead the sun beat down. He curled into a ball. He...
WoHeLo
The other day I read an article on sfgate about a group of girls in California, just north of where I grew up, who were trying to officially join the Boy Scouts despite there being Girl Scout groups available to them. They feel they are a bitter fit for the Boy Scouts...
Bowerbirds Blog Tour Compiled Interview Questions Plus WIP Preview
Give us ten tips for becoming a better writer. 1. Write. You can’t be a writer if you don’t write. I’d like to say something like write every day but I can’t manage that, so write whenever you can and when you’re not writing think about writing. 2. Read. If you’re...
Write On or Why I Got Lou Diamond Phillips to Sign a Script for a Show That Never Happened
I love television. I know that is heresy for an author to admit but I really do love it. I also love books, I've been reading obsessively since I was three, but along with that have a deep relationship with a lot of television. In fact I want to be a television writer...
Free Reads: Out Run the Storm
Here is a little story I wrote for a Lex Chase Flash Fiction Friday. OUTRUN THE STORM BY ADA MARIA SOTO It had been a year since the city had stopped watering the grass in the parks, letting it go brown and the ground hard. They had booked the park for the wedding...
In Defense of Plaid Pants and Faded T-shirts
Notice, this will contain spoilers for the last few seasons of Doctor Who, though if you haven’t been watching Doctor Who you probably don’t care about this in the slightest. In the past couple of weeks I’ve gotten the impression that I am possibly one of the only...