A lot of people curse the internet.
I actually love it (most of the time). I distinctly remember how it used to take DAYS to hunt down some obscure item the old-fashioned way: Looking in newspaper classifieds, calling dozens of shops via the telephone company’s Yellow Pages… Or asking around in hopes that a friend or two might know where to steer you. It was all so time-consuming. Now I can find a plastic part for my Mom’s 1973 food chopper (the one she REFUSES to get rid of) on eBay in about 3 minutes.
Still, with all my love for the eBays, Amazons and other ways to hook up straight with the manufacturers or sellers of obscure treasures… I totally DISLIKED the idea of Twitter– even though I freely admitted when I was slamming it that I’d never used it. Maybe it was my unnatural hatred for all things that Paris Hilton seemed to fancy (I recently crossed wanting a FERRARI off my list because she bought one)… Either way, I never gave Twitter a fair chance.
Then Inveterate Media Junkies happened and Twitter was a necessity to get the word out. Still is. On most days, when Jose and I tweet heavily– the site can get an extra couple thousand hits just from Twitter– mainly because the members of the IMJ Nation so steadfastly and kindly retweet our messages. (Special Thanks to ALL TIME GREATEST IMJ Nation “Retweeter” PhilBetaGamma.)
It’s helped that Twitter evolved too. People who insisted on detailing every centimeter of their movements have been replaced by lots of fun people who genuinely try to be entertaining and smart. And Twitter is how I discovered the fantastic talent and wit of IMJ’s latest columnist— the super smart, funny, extremely engaging author HEIDI RUBY MILLER. Then I told Jose about her. And we started retweeting lots of Heidi’s great tweets… And that led us to her fabulous blog.
I finally got a chance to email Heidi and tell her all about Jose and I, about Inveterate Media Junkies… About the greatly support we get from the IMJ Nation™… And I asked her to write a monthly column for us.
And she accepted!
How lucky are we, huh?
Not only did she accept but she came back with TONS of wonderful ideas… NONE of which I am going to share here because they are just too good to let out of the bag prematurely. I’d rather every one of you just see them come to fruition. Inveterate Media Junkies is moving into exciting times– and Heidi’s a big part of all that. Jose and I would really appreciate it if every member of the IMJ Nation would extend a warm welcome to Heidi too! Look for her the first article for her new monthly column– Heidi Ruby Miller’s Geek Girl Underground– next week!
Heidi’s Particulars:
Heidi Ruby Miller has been putting too much sex in her Science Fiction since 2005 because she believes the relationship is as important as the adventure. She loves high-heeled shoes, action movies, Chanel, loud music, and video games. Heidi also teaches creative writing at Seton Hill University, where she graduated from their renowned Writing Popular Fiction Graduate Program the same month she appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The writing guide Many Genres, One Craft, which she co-edited with Michael A. Arnzen, is based on the Seton Hill program and her novel Ambasadora was her thesis there.
She has had various fiction and non-fiction publications, as well as various jobs, including contract archaeologist, foreign currency exchanger at Walt Disney World, foreign language teacher, and educational marketing director for a Frank Lloyd Wright house.
Heidi is a member of The Authors Guild, Pennwriters, Broad Universe, SFR Brigade, and Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA).
You can read her author interview series at http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com.
She lives near Pittsburgh with her writer husband, Jason Jack Miller.
And for those adverse to clicking on story links, here’s Heidi winning some major bucks on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Meredith Viera:
Welcome aboard Heidi,
I was intrigued to see you are a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, I never knew such an organization existed. So you take something I have no interest in(poetry) and mix it with something I am very passionate about(anything science fiction) and I might just start reading some poetry. 🙂
Anyway, enough of my silliness…
I’m looking forward to reading your column in the future here on the IMJ website, I think you will find everyone here a pretty fun bunch of people.
Oops, one more question, is Ambasadora available for download on the Nook?
Hey there, VictimPrime!
Why, yes, you can get Ambasadora for the NOOK and any other e-reader…and it’s a lot cheaper. 🙂
AMAZON – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZR9WOY
SMASHWORDS – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55171
B n N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ambasadora-heidi-ruby-miller/1102622906?ean=2940011299995&format=nook-book
By the way, here’s a poem just for you:
Misplaced my keys
in another universe
Don’t recall which one
Hopped along the strings
vibrating infinitely
Without any luck
Searched through the branes of
higher dimensional space
Found my purple pen
Circled around Mars
but sprung a gravity leak
Took me right back home
Now I will have to
walk to the store for milk
The entire two blocks
Nice to meet you!
🙂 Heidi
If only my trips to the store could be that eventful!
I was going to post a scifaiku for you, but couldn’t find any at that moment.
Welcome to IMJ, I’m looking forward to reading your column!
Thanks, Ryan!
I’m already loving it here–everyone’s so nice and welcoming.
🙂 Heidi
Welcome Heidi! I’m looking forward to reading your column.
Foreign currency converter at Disney World? That sounds like a blast 😛 I’ve heard working for the mouse isn’t the most pleasant experience.
Stamps, I was young and it was fun…and it took me two hours each day just to bank out because this was before the Euro. Lots of pretty paper in all colors and sizes.
We still visit on a family trip every year. It’s like pure fantasy immersion and great fodder for a writer’s imagination.
😉 Heidi
Thanks, Ian and Jose for bringing me into this awesome little pop culture family!! You guys rock!
🙂 Heidi
Welcome to the website Heidi can’t wait to read your columns.
Thanks, bello1234! I’m happy to be here–it’s so colorful. 😉
Welcome Heidi! Looking forward to your articles and what you will be bringing to the Nation month after month!
Hi NicktheStick!
I feel like my name is so boring compared to everyone else’s. I need a nickname…
🙂 Heidi
Do what I did, pick up a cd and look through the songtitles and pick one to be your nickname.
Welcome to IMJ btw!
A song title as a nickname…that could be fun!
Welcome, Heidi! Looking forward to the new column..uh oh, my supervisor’s saying something…I’ll talk to you soon!(smiley face)
Those pesky supervisors–don’t they know there’s important stuff on the net?!
Nice to meet you, too. 🙂
Oh neat! I think I’ll give your book a try Heidi. I love Sci-fi, and hearing others refer to it on the same level of Leguin is enough to sell me 😀
M. Fewko, I love sci-fi, too! *she says stating the obvious*
Enjoy spending some time in the Ambasadora-verse. 😉
Any chance you read Philip K Dick Heidi? He’s by far my favorite Sci-fi writer. William Gibson is a close 2nd, and of course Ray Bradbury and Ursula K Leguin sharing 3rd.
Asimov is good too, I’ve read many by him, but I never went all out for hard-sci-fi novels. I’m more into the social sci-fi area…
I have read and enjoyed them all, and they and many others have influenced my writing. I believe reading is the most important tool for a writer. It has been invaluable for me. And it’s fun!
Hey Heidi! After reading this post I am now REALLY looking forward to your column! Hope you enjoy your time at IMJ!
Hey, ComicBookDude, I’m really looking forward to it, too! I’m really excited to be part of the IMJ Nation. 🙂
I said this on Twitter already, but I’ll say it again welcome aboard.
You can say it as many times as you want…it makes me feel good!! 😉
Oh no Beaten by a cartoon character(Yertle the Turtle)!..I had no idea and I wonder how many of us would know the answer to that question…If karma exists then cartoons will bring you good fortune from now on 😉 I hope you have a great time here and I am very exited to have you here..nice to meet you Ruby
I was waiting for the Yertle reference from someone!! I hate that turtle. 🙂
Actually, I bought a copy of the book for Toby (my phone a friend) and put a note in there saying, “Thanks for losing me $25,000.” Luckily, he can take a joke.
Welcome to the site, Heidi. I think you’ll like it here.
Thanks, I’m already loving the vibe here! It’s a great community.
Welcome, Heidi! I don’t tend to comment very much but I am a faithful IM Junkie and am really looking forward to reading your columns. Your enthusiasm is contagious!
Silent, but faithful–there’s something very romantic about that. 🙂