DANA- Saturday

To find out more about everything from NaBloPoMo to worldchanging to London crack squirrels, check out the blog of my ever-cool brother-in-law Rik Abel. Also find out about Ost & Kjex, and what it means to be an RSS Bandit.
Rik and my very talented and lovely sister, Adrienne, live in Cambridge, UK, while I and most of my family live here in British Columbia, Canada. The Steam Magnate was written in a basement suite in Vanocuver's trendy Kitsilano area (though I can assure you the basement was not a trendy locale, and I'm happy to report, I no longer live there) I now live in a small character room in a reonvated Victorian mansion, a great writing location. My friends include a group of engineer/environmental scientists, a cool lady who is researching human interactions with robots, with the help of her pet Aibo, and an extensive network of people I know through the local yoga centre.

My other connections in the virutal world include Broad Universe, an on-line forum for women writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Fellow Broad Universe member Catherynne M. Valente has just released her first large press title The Orphan's Tales. Other members are releasing books, and stories all the time, so it's an exciting group to keep tabs on.