More Naked Answers and Stardate Christmas

Part two of your questions - remember, you asked!

Voting is now closed - I was nominated for the Best Sci-Fi Blog Award at The Movie 411! Never thought I’d be so excited about an award, but the winners will be announced this Thursday. I'll keep you posted...

From Arlee Bird - About the prepublication process-- I was impressed by how well written CassaStaR is--how many beta readers did you have before sending your book to an editor and where did you get those readers? How much rewriting did you have to do?

I had three test readers, all of which are friends, and each made unique and helpful suggestions. I rewrote many scenes and dialogue after receiving their input.

From N R Williams - Do you ever feel like your brain is inside out?

Only at work.

From Shannon Whitney Messenger - What's your most embarrassing story (that you're willing to share)?

I’ll share the fiasco that was my twenty-first birthday. Several friends took me out that night and got me drunk. (Understand, I don’t drink often and have only been drunk about four times in my life.) A girl was flirting with me, so I went to her table to give her my best moves. In my drunken state, I leaned too hard on the table and tipped it over – and down I went! Needless to say, I did not get her number.

From Stephen Tremp - Do you write sober or do you enjoy a few glasses of wine or beer from time to time when writing?

After reading my previous answer, what do you think? I can handle one beer, but after that, my brain shuts down.

From Carol Kilgore - How do you tune out distractions? And when it's a distraction from something that breathes, how do you do it and not feel guilty?

Men tend to focus well on just one thing. I can write with both music playing and the TV on at the same time and not be distracted. However, ignoring distractions that breathe is only possible for about ten seconds. Any longer and I’m in big trouble!

From Dominic de Mattos - So, were you tempted by self-publication through the eReader route?

No, because I’d have no idea how to do it!

From Holly Ruggiero - Did you always know you wanted to write a sequel? Do you start out with a word count goal or just write until your done and see what you’ve got?

No, I’d never planned a sequel! I had other adventures for Byron and Bassa, but not a continuation of the main story. However, I did have one adventure that took place afterwards, and I expanded upon that idea. A lot! For CassaStar, I just wrote until the story ended. Now I’m aiming for a similar word count for the second book.

And now, last week’s Stardate Christmas Twitter updates:

Stardate Christmas 4.6 'Tis the season to beam Geordi! Fa la la la la la, la la la la! Come on, everybody sing!

Stardate Christmas 5.6 Scotty discovered that irradiated Tribbles glow in the dark - and they make great Christmas ornaments as well!

Stardate Xmas 6.9 T'Pol refuses to sing, Trip CAN'T, & our reindeer (Archer's beagle) peed on the Vulcans. Caroling is weird with this group

Stardate Christmas 7.9 We convinced Seven of Nine that the super-short, red velvet, fur-lined dress and hat are standard Starfleet issue.

Stardate Christmas 8.8 Who taught Data "Jingle Bells?!" I'm about to ring HIS bell. Someone make him stop!!

Stardate Christmas 10.5 We discovered that despite the pointy ears, Spock does not make a very jolly old elf!

Answering the Naked Question...

First, a big shout-out to my buddy Jamie! His blog, Mithril Wisdom, just turned one. Jamie’s a cool young man who reviews books on his site (and for two other sites) and talks about fantasy and science fiction. So if you don’t follow Mithril Wisdom, head on over!

A few weeks ago, I offered everyone a chance to ask the blogging Captain Ninja some questions. Wow, did you guys ever ask questions! So many, this is going to be a three part series. So, if you don’t see your question today, check back the next two Mondays.

From Anne Gallagher - Somewhere I read you were in the Carolina’s. So, am I north or south? I'm north, near Winston. And how old are you? You seem young with an old person's mentality.

I live in central NC, And thanks, I’m trying not to act my mid-forties age!

From Christine Danek - Do you do any sort of ritual before or as you write? Specific food or drink, special chair, etc.

I prefer to relax with my guitar before writing. After that, give me some music and I’m set to go. Oh, and a box of Hot Tamales helps as well.

From Ellie - There’s a certain part of CassaStar that is very emotional. Did it move you to tears after you wrote it?

At the risk of losing man-points – yes. I almost didn’t write it!

From Aspiring X – Any Pets?

Not at the moment.

From Old Kitty - Why aren't you naked?

Let’s just say certain parts of my anatomy don’t enjoy a drafty, cold breeze!

From Falen - what's the worst movie you've seen in theaters?

Toys with Robin Williams. Halfway through, the projector caught on fire. We were never so happy to leave the theater!

From Solvang Sherrie - how many trunk books before CassaStar got published?

Just the original version of CassaStar. And it’s awful!

From Kelly - Who is your favorite Star Wars character? What is your favorite current song?

Favorite character is Han Solo – he’s a rogue, a scoundrel, and a ladies man! Current favorite song is James Labrie’s “Euphoric.”

Tune in next week for round two!

And, because Helen Ginger said it was all right to do so, I am posting my book trailer again for those who missed it. (And so I can watch it and wish it were a real movie!)