Andrew Q. Gordon

Author: Andrew

  • Nineteen And Counting

    Last week Mike and I celebrated 19 years together. I didn’t announce or post it before now, because we went away for a few days to celebrate. We rented a beach house – couldn’t beat the 60+ degree sunny weather for a ‘winter’ weekend at the beach – and all of us – Mike, me, ‘lil q and Emma (the dog) – had a weekend away.

    I said 19 years together because now that we’re married, we’re not exactly sure how to talk about it. We’ve not been married five months yet, so do we tell people we’re newlyweds? I mean really? Newlyweds? Not sure that works. But on the other hand 19 years since our first dates isn’t quite the same as 19 years married. For the first two plus years we lived in different cities and spent a fortune taking the train between Philadelphia and Washington. Were we together, yes, were we married? Not so much.

    I’m good saying we’ve been together 19 years, but I’d say if we were picking the point where we’d have gotten ‘married’ if they allowed it, I’d go with May of 1997. That’s when I quit my job and moved down to DC so we could be together. At that point we sold both our cars, bought a new one together, opened joint everything accounts, savings, checking, brokerage. We were as married as we could be at the time.

    Since there are several dates we could use, we just say it’s been 19 years this month and leave it at that. Besides, you can’t beat February at the beach.

     

  • Swimming and Snow Day(s) (And some V-day pics too)

    In an effort to give ‘lil q some exposure to things, we’ve been taking her to swimming lesson – which sadly means I have to get in the pool too.  Sunday started the new classes and when we were getting her dressed in his sweat suit we realized just how much she’s grown – I mean we see her every day so sometimes it takes something to remind us how much she’s changed.  When I looked at her, I was shocked at how much like a little girl she looked. Here take a look:

    When we got home we sent grandma a message: (more…)

  • Guest Author Jana Denardo

    Today’s guest is Jana Denardo – who’s newest book – Kept Tears – is in a genre I don’t get to read much – Urban Fantasy.  I was particularly interested in her answers so I could learn more about her, her book and the genre.

    Guest Author – Jana Denardo:

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    Welcome why don’t you start by telling everyone a bit about yourself.

    Hi all, thanks for stopping by to spend a little time with me. Since I was asked, I will say I’ve lived all over America and traveled even further. I love learning about new places, and a lot of those experiences works its way into my stories. I have a deeper connection to this novel than other stories I’ve told, as I was a VA doctor during my medical residency, and, like Aaron, I had my career plans shattered. After an accident left my hand nerve-damaged, I moved into teaching.  I have a huge fondness for comic books, anime, SF/fantasy and all things geeky, which is also reflected in Kept Tears. (more…)

  • Guest Author: Anne Barwell – Time To Write

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    Time to Write

    Thanks, Andrew, for hosting me here today

    I’m often asked how I find time to write, considering I work full time, play in an orchestra, and still manage to read, and watch movies and TV shows.  Every time I have a new book coming out, it’s a question that is asked again along with ‘and how many books is this now?’

    Shades of Sepia is my sixth title with Dreamspinner Press.  To answer the easy part of that first.

    The other not quite so easy question has a two-fold answer. Firstly I make time, and secondly if I don’t write I get twitchy and not nice to live with which leads back to making time. (more…)

  • Upcoming Blog Schedule & Brief Update

    My goal has always been to publish a schedule of upcoming posts, but that hasn’t always gone off so well. But just because it doesn’t always happen, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it – so here goes:

    AQGLogo Full Size (more…)

  • New Visuals

    As I grow as an author, I feel I’m learning more about how to be ‘marketer’ (not that I’m not learning more every day about how to be a better author, but my ‘marketing skills’ were/are so woeful that I have sooo much to learn).  But thanks to the web and some very smart – and generous -people, I’ve learned a few important things.

    Perhaps one of the most important is that visuals are really helpful. It’s easier to catch someone’s eye with a picture, video, drawing, graphic, etc, than it is with just text. I’d kinda known that – hence the pictures everywhere, –  but then someone took it a step further and said, I – not me per se, but people in general – needed an avatar that I could/would use on all platforms that would be recognizable as mine.  I think I found such an image.

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    Lily Velden helped me come up with it and the graphic artist is Laird Geoffrey Mead.  Pretty cool, no?

    In addition, since I started a new Wednesday Brief Story, I asked my friend Alicia Nordwell to create a cover and banner for the posts.  Here’s what she came up with:

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    Again, I rather like it and it does fit the story.  So thank you to Cia – who by the way, does freelance covers and banners. If you’re in the market for some, her prices are reasonable and she is super easy to work with.

  • 4.5 out of 5 stars to (Un)Masked by Andrew Q. Gordon

    Nice reviews are great, but they’re even better when someone discovers one of your earlier books and ends up really enjoying it. This made both Anyta and I smile. 🙂

  • First Snow – 1-21-14

    I have to eat a bit of crow, I was complaining earlier that they closed the schools, daycare, government before we even got a flake of snow.  It did start snowing about 10:30 am.  But really? Even the squirrel didn’t care.

    Don't try this at home - I'm a highly trained squirrel
    Don’t try this at home – I’m a highly trained squirrel

    Of course the snow picked up some and by 4:00 pm there was enough to go outside.  ‘lil q was born in Sept ’11 – the winter of ’11-’12 was so mild, we never got to use the winter coat we bought her. [Fortunately a co-worker of mine’s daughter fit in it last winter and this winter it made its way to Boston to the co-worker’s cousin’s daughter.] Last winter was colder, but there wasn’t a snow fall that would allow us to go out and play.  So this is her first real snow.

    And since pictures are nice, but video is nicer – here are some videos:

    We didn’t stay out too long, it was cold, the snow was a wet snow and we don’t have a proper snow suit for ‘lil q.  So we came inside and had hot chocolate. Here’s what it looked like about 5:00 pm.

    Seven hours later, the squirrel was gone, but we finally had snow.
    Seven hours later, the squirrel was gone, but we finally had snow.

    After we thawed out a bit, ‘lil q and I set out to make dinner.  One advantage to a snow day, we had time to make a proper meal.

    And lest you all think I'd let 'lil starve. She and I made four cheese Manicotti for dinner.
    Four cheese Manicotti for dinner.

  • I’m Officially A Grumpy Old Man

    Once, when I too was a little q, I used to love my snow days; longed for them, prayed for them, maybe even did a few snow dances in hope some pagan deity might have pity on me and induce a foot or more of snow that would shut down the world for a day or two.

    Even as I got older, it was nice to get those snow days. Who wouldn’t want a day off? Hell I lived in an apartment, I didn’t have to shovel the snow.

    But now, well let’s just say I’m fed up with the ‘snow’ days around here.  So far they opened late of less than an inch.  Closed before Christmas for a big storm that turned out to me nothing more than rain.

    Work was open when it looked like this:

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    And during an ice storm. This is the view from my back door today:

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    Today, given the severe condition you see above, they closed the government – and daycare. In theory we’re supposed to get snow today – maybe 5 inches – maybe. It’s just amazing that they close the government on the presumption it will snow, but keep it open when there is ice and snow.

    So why am I being such curmudgeon? I had the day off anyway so while the office gets a free day – those of us who had scheduled leave still have to use their day off.  :-/

    Ah well, at least me and ‘lil q can hang out some more.