Upon the Wings of Greater Things
The creative endeavours of Starla Huchton
Well, it’s certainly been a while since I last posted here. Whoops.
If you aren’t following me on social media, you could be wondering where I went and what I’m up to. Short answer: nowhere and stuff n things. I’m here today to update after months of nothing here on the blog. So let’s get down to the new stuff you can go seek out and explore!
I am absolutely honored to have a superiorly talented individual on the blog today. I’ve known KT Bryski for a few years now, and she never fails to impress me with her amazing ideas and turns of phrase. She recently contacted me for some artwork, and I really wanted to set the perfect tone for the project she proposed. That project is one I think everyone should give a listen to, first because it’s FREE, and second because KT’s writing is really just that good. No matter the subject, KT enthralls, excites, and paints marvelous imagery for her audience. She’s a true storyteller, and it’s nothing short of joy to experience her tales.
In today’s guest post, KT offers up some thoughts that are quite relevant to my interests and audience. I think you’ll find her words both educational and insightful. Definitely check out her new project, Six Stories, Told at Night!
Jazzing Up Fairy Tales [Read more…]
So, The Chronicles of ISLE, Book 1: Spark is out in the world now (did I forget to mention that here? Whoops. Author fail.) Not only is it live on Amazon, but it’s absolutely a part of the Kindle Unlimited program for those of you who subscribe to that service:
Note: if you haven’t read the Evolution series, it’s highly recommended you do so before beginning this book. You’ll be able to follow the story fine, but there is so much more to understand about this world that you can only learn in detail from the first trilogy!
Also note: this story is NOT for children. Adult situations and mature language are contained therein. (Hence the S. A. Huchton label.)
But now on to today’s news!
At the end of every year, most people take a moment to reflect on the ups and downs of the past few months. As such, I offer you this song, Count Your Blessings, as a soundtrack for your considerations. It’s a reminder that, no matter how dark the days get, there are always things to be thankful for. Special thanks to my little brother for his amazing musical talents in creating the backing track for this one. Happy holidays and many blessings to you all!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
So it’s been awhile since I gave much thought to The Dreamer’s Thread, but with the launching of the spiffy new podiobooks.com site, along with a slew of email updates on the topic, I got to thinking about my old TDT cover. In particular, how much my design work has changed since I first put it together. This thinking was prompted by an email about covers from Podiobooks Godfather Evo Terra. I sent out a reply email explaining about my design stuff, when I realized that the one cover folks probably identify most with me is my absolute oldest work and not my best. I can see those other podiobook authors reading my email, checking me out on Podiobooks, and then promptly scoffing at my hubris.
That absolutely does not fly with me.
So, I set to myself to the task, worked my Photoshop mojo, and gave my first novel a make over. Because everyone knows a badly dressed book is far worse than a naked one.
The end result? Well, I’ll let you decide for yourself.
A while back (like late spring 2011), I was approached by Alex White to see if I might be interested in writing a short story set in the world of The Gearheart. As an admirer of his work and always one up for a writing challenge, I accepted wholeheartedly, turning in the finished story in August ’11. Last winter, Alex started up a Chip-In fund to assist in paying for his son’s developmental assistance and gave this story and one other as one of the donor rewards.
The first part of that story is now live in podcast form.
An interview I gave Michell Plested for the Get Published podcast went live last night. I always love giving interviews, but I still feel very strange when I’m asked for one. It’s a funny combination of feeling confused, flattered, excited and nervous.
[Read more…]
So here was a panel PACKED with awesome. If you’re new to self-publishing (or even if you’ve done it once or twice) these are the people you need to listen to!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
So, Nobilis Reed has been trying to get me to read dirty words for years, and I have mostly avoided that up until now. I have a feeling that, after this panel, I may not be able to get out of it in the future.
This was a late night panel on Sunday night at Balticon 46. Basically, we panelists were asked to prepare a selected scene from a science fiction or fantasy novel, one of the racier kind, that is, and pull out selected words which would be filled in by the audience members. Along with myself, I participated in this panel with Doc Coleman and Patrick Scaffido, with special appearances by Nobilis Reed, Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine. Tee and Pip were especially entertaining, as you will hear from the audio*.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
So, my mom has been bugging my brother and I for years to put together some Christmas music for her. This has been her one gift request for… oh, I’ve lost track of how long she’s been asking.
And you know that I’ve put out some holiday tunes in years past, but seemed to drop the ball this year. Well, I didn’t.