I Am Officially A Full Member Of SFWA

For many years I’ve been working to earn a membership to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Until recently, the only way to join was to be published by specific qualifying markets. Publishing today is a vastly different animal than it was even a few years ago. Many talented and highly successful authors have self-published or have been published through small presses. In March of 2022, SFWA updated is membership qualifications to accommodate this changing environment.

I am a science fiction and fantasy author who has been published through small press. (Star Touched – Intrigue Publishing & several anthologies through other small press.) I’ve also self-published some of my short stories. (Look for Mark of the Goddess this fall) Sales have been good, but with the old SFWA membership requirements I didn’t qualify to join.

I am happy to say that now I do.

On May 30, I received a wonderful email saying that my application was accepted. Welcome to SFWA.

I read this at 1:30 AM Sunday morning at Balticon. On Saturday, I had moderated a panel on Getting the Most Out of Your Writing Organization, where we discussed SFWA’s new changes. Most of the other people on the panel were already SFWA members and I mentioned that I had applied. Needless to say, after two days of excitedly greeting people I hadn’t seen in three years, and reading that email, I didn’t fall asleep any time soon.

My first instinct was to announce to the world. First, I wanted to tell my family and a few authors at the con who I really liked and respected. All of them were excited for me as I bounced up and down while sharing the news. (They could have been laughing, which is still okay.) Several gave suggestions on how to navigate this brand-new open door to resources and networking. There was one person who made it clear that they thought SFWA had lowered their standards to let the riff-raff in. I tried not to let that bother me too much.

Now I’m sharing this wonderful news with you. Sorry it took so long.

Happy writing and reading.

STAR TOUCHED

Sometimes it’s hard to be who you are meant to be.

Especially when your powers can get you killed.

Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population.

Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble.

Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.

HUMMINGBIRD

Plagued by memories not her own, a young hummingbird struggles to decipher the visions and powers that set her apart from her fellow birds. But the road to awareness is fraught with danger that could doom her to repeat history.

One step toward understanding.

One stride toward survival.

One leap toward flying free from the past.

WOLF DAWN

A Hidden Past – A Deadly Secret

Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers.

But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.