Upcoming Event - Storycrafting Sessions: Exploring Story Structure

Upcoming Event – Storycrafting Sessions: Exploring Story Structure

Posted on by Jasmine

Hello everyone! I will be once again joining Weeknight Writers for one of their Storycrafting Sessions mini-conferences. On Saturday July 3rd, you can join myself and a number of other excellent authors for this virtual and free conference on the craft of plot structure.

The full schedule is available here, and remember to sign up before the conference in order to get access to the links you’ll need to view the panels. You can catch me specifically on the Beyond the Hero’s Journey panel at 11:00 am PDT.

I’m so excited to be participating in another Storycrafting Session! If you missed the last one, you can catch recordings of some of the panels on the Weeknight Writers YouTube channel, including the panel I was on last time about creating magic systems:

Upcoming Event: Infinite Horizons Storycrafting Sessions: Worldbuilding Deep Dive Virtual Conference

Upcoming Event: Infinite Horizons Storycrafting Sessions: Worldbuilding Deep Dive Virtual Conference

Posted on by Jasmine

Whew, that’s a mouthful. But it is also where you can find me on February 20th, talking about fantasy and sci-fi worldbuilding topics like magic systems and fictional economies.

Join myself and other writers as we discuss the various aspects of worldbuilding in speculative fiction. The conference is virtual and free but requires registration to attend panels. You can find the full schedule here with links to register for each panel, and you can check my upcoming events page for the details on the specific panels I will be participating in. Or you can continue reading here, because I’m going to post it all below, too:

Infinite Horizons Storycrafting Sessions: Worldbuilding Deep Dive Conference – Virtual

Panel: Hard vs Soft vs Hybrid: Creating Interesting and Effective Magic Systems
February 20th, 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST/10:00 – 11:00 AM PST
Register here (registration is free)

Panel: We Don’t Take Imperial Credits: Developing Economics, Currency, and Trade in Speculative Fiction
February 20th, 4:00 – 5:00 PM EST/1:00 – 2:00 PM
Register here (registration is free)

UPDATE: Registration for the conference has switched from EventBrite to Zoom Webinar Registration. I’ve updated the links accordingly, but if you already registered through EventBrite, you will need to register again through Zoom Webinar Registration. Sorry for the hassle.

Hope to see folks there!

I Am Running for SFWA Secretary

Posted on by Jasmine

I have some exciting news today, particularly for my fellow Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America members. I am running for the office of SFWA Secretary. The SFWA Board’s Secretary is responsible for record-keeping for the Board, communicating with  potential qualifying market publishers, and compiling issues of The Forum Binary.

Here is my official candidate platform:

Hello! I am Jasmine Gower, and I am running for the role of SFWA Secretary.

I have been an Active Member with SFWA since 2018, following the sale of my debut novel Moonshine, published by Angry Robot. Beyond SFWA, I am involved in local SFF writer communities in the Portland, OR metro area, as well as queer and disabled writer communities online and locally. I also have a Master of Arts in Book Publishing from Portland State University, where I did over two years of publisher-side work at the university’s graduate press, Ooligan Press.

Beyond my publishing experience, I have a robust work history in documentation and record-keeping within various fields ranging from health insurance to academia. From taking meeting notes to accounting monthly expenses to fully rewriting department-wide workflows, I’ve done just about every type of record-keeping an organization could need.

I hope to serve as Secretary in order to give back to the SFWA community that has supported me in my early writing career. As SFWA Secretary, my goal is to ensure that SFWA documentation is kept running smoothly and accurately so that SFWA members can continue to get the most out of their experience with the organization. Additionally, I aim to work within the role to ensure that SFWA record-keeping is maintained as efficiently and accessibly as possible.

For all of the Secretary candidate platforms, see this thread on the SFWA forums (only accessible to SFWA members). Voting will take place beginning in March, and you can check the SFWA Elections page for more details. I’m so excited for the opportunity to run for a position that will allow me to become more involved in and give back to the SFWA community!

New Year, New Site

Posted on by Jasmine

Happy 2021, folks! My website upgrade is complete. Along with a fresh new look, I’ve also made my Content Warnings page easier to access in the site menu and finally added some SSL (whatever that is) to my site to make it secure for your browsing safety. I may still be tweaking some things to add and alter some functions on the admin end, which, in my past experience with WordPress, may very well result in some site downtime, but everything on the user end is all new and shiny for everyone to enjoy otherwise.

I’m also setting for myself a goal to get more engaged in this space for both your edification and for SEO reasons. I know I say that every time my site needs an update, but we’re still locked in the pandemic and I currently have an abundance of time and a restless energy to do something. I’m thinking along the lines of essays, because I’ve been playing a lot of video games and have THOUGHTS about them. If that sounds interesting to you, of course, I already do my video game podcast Grumble Pak with my friend and roommate Eli Wennstrom, and we’ve got a number of episodes available already for your listening enjoyment. Another thing that resulted from Pandemic Gotta Do Something Syndrome.

Regardless of how well I stick to this New Year’s Resolution, of course, this will continue to be the landing page for news and information regarding my writing career, including book links, publication news, upcoming events, and whatever else is relevant to my published works. My freelance editor site is still up, as well, with all the details and rates for the editorial services I provide: consultation, developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, and now also sensitivity reading for portrayals of genderfluid, aromantic, and asexual characters.

Anyway, that’s all I have now for the sexy new Jasmine Gower Dot Com. As usual, keep eyes on this space (or my Twitter, which is really the only social media site I use with any amount of regularity anymore) for more updates and content in this new year.

Website Update for 2021

Website Update for 2021

Posted on by Jasmine

Hi all. To celebrate the sending off of 2020, I’m going to be updating this site for the new year. More or less, all of the same information should still be here, but there will be a fresh new look.

Also, apologies to anyone who might have tried to contact me via the site contact form here lately. Managing spam bots through that has been a pain and half, so I’ve more of less abandoned it to the wolves. With the updated layout, I’m hoping to adjust my contact methods to ensure that only non-robots are able to reach out to me.

Anyway, things may be a little up-and-down here as I do some virtual construction. Thanks in advance for the patience, and I can still be contacted readily over on Twitter in the meantime.

Happy New Year!

Upcoming Event: Weeknight Writers Virtual Conference (Updated 9/23)

Posted on by Jasmine
a cup of tea sitting on a book in the foreground of autumn leaves
Photo: Autumn background with a book, a Cup of tea and leaves on the background of blurred autumn trees (Flip 2019) by Marco Verch under Creative Commons 2.0

UPDATE: the Exploring Romance through SFF panel has been canceled, but I’ll still be on the panels for Writing with Anxiety and Writing with Depression. Please be sure to register (for free!) on the Weeknight Writers Virtual Conference site ahead of time if you plan on attending.

 

Another virtual event is on the horizon! While I’m staying safe inside during this very smoky time in Oregon, I’m preparing to join the Weeknight Writers Virtual Conference as a panelist. The conference is free to participate in and will take place on Saturday September 26th and Sunday September 27th. If you are interested in joining, please be sure to register for the virtual calls on the Weeknight Writers Virtual Conference website.

I’ll be on the panels Writing with Anxiety, Exploring Romance through SFF, and Writing with Depression. Exact dates and times are listed on the conference website, as well as my Upcoming Events page. Be sure to keep an eye on timezone differences, as the conference site lists panels in Eastern Time.

I hope you can join to chat with me and other authors about romance in sci-fi/fantasy and navigating mental health while writing. Until then, if you’re physically on the Pacific coast like me, stay safe among all the fires and smoke.

2020 Nebula Conference Online Reading Series

Posted on by Jasmine

Jasmine Gower speaking at the University Bookstore in Seattle

My SFWA reading that was originally scheduled for April is back on! Sort of!

For those who have 2020 Nebula Conference membership, on Wednesday, August 26th at 5:00 PM PDT, Corry L. Lee and I will be digitally joining the Reading Series for the 2020 Nebula Conference Online, where we will be reading from our works and doing a Q&A afterward. I’m planning on reading a few scenes from Moonshine, as well as a scene from my new (not yet sold) dark fantasy project.

Details about the reading can be found on the Nebula Conference site.

Now Available: Episode 1 of Grumble Pak

Posted on by Jasmine

Grumble Pak logo; red text over bright 1990's style geometric patterns

UPDATE: the Grumble Pak page has been updated with the links to all of the podcast distributors that host us.

Hello! Thanks to these quarantined times, I’ve gotten into podcasting! Join my friend/roommate Elijah Wennstrom and I for Grumble Pak, a podcast where we talk about various video game topics and old/weird games that we’ve both played. Our first episode launches today on the topic of, wouldn’t you know it, the Rumble Pak (and other weird video game peripherals). New episodes will post every other Tuesday.

You can listen to Episode 1 – Peripherals on Spotify now.

You can follow our Twitter @GrumblePakPod.

[UPDATED] Upcoming Event: SFWA NW Reader Series

[UPDATED] Upcoming Event: SFWA NW Reader Series

Posted on by Jasmine

UPDATE – MARCH 12, 2020

Both of these readings have been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. While disappointing, I’m glad that SFWA is considering public health and safety in this decision, and there is a possibility that it will be rescheduled for later in the year when things are less pandemic-y.

As always, I will update here on my site if and when I have any new information about upcoming events. In the meantime, please be sure to wash your hands with soap regularly and channel your inner vampire when coughing and sneezing.

Exciting news for those in the Pacific Northwest: I’ll be joining the SFWA Northwest Reader Series in April, along with Corey L. Lee and Carolyn O’Doherty! The three of us will be reading in Seattle and Portland on April 28th and April 30th, respectively. These events are free to the public and in addition to the readings from each of us will also include a Q&A, signings, and a chance to purchase our books.

If you’re interested in attending, it would be a big help to SFWA (for headcount reasons) if you register for the events on Eventbrite. Here is the Seattle page, and here is the Portland one.

A big thanks to the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America for inviting me to be a part of this event! I can’t wait to see everyone there!

SLIGHT UPDATE: I completely forgot to add the details to my Upcoming Events page when I posted this originally, but all that information is now collected there for quick and easy reference.

Now Open for Business: Freelance Editorial Services

Now Open for Business: Freelance Editorial Services

Posted on by Jasmine

I’m happy to announce this post-NaNoWriMo season that I’ve just opened up freelance editorial services!

These services include pre-developmental consultation, developmental editing (currently limited to adult and young adult SFFH projects), copyediting, and proofreading. Details, including my rates and estimated timelines for projects, are available on my new editorial site. The link can now be found in the top menu of this site, as well.

I’m excited to get more involved in editing other people’s work again (I’ve been focused more on my own these past few months, and I could use some space away from my own words), so if you’re on the search for an editor for your novel/short story/article/website/what-have-you, please take a look at my services and contact me if you’re interested or want to know more.