I’m still not sure if the hack was deliberate, meaning targeted at me. I’m waiting for the security firm’s report. I’m not sure if they’ll know. I’ve been the subject of several attacks this year, including a denial-of-service attack which came after a similar post to the royalty one I put up on Thursday, so I’m still not ruling out an intentional hack. But this attack did send folks to a Russian site, known for hacking websites with a lot of traffic, so it might have been simply a bot-related criminal attack. (There’s a sentence I never thought I’d type outside of science fiction.)

We’ve hired an internet security firm to prevent attacks like this in the future. In fact, we’ve hired two. So maybe we’re going to be in the clear from now on.

I’m not posting a free fiction story this morning. If you haven’t read last week’s, you can find it here. I’m leaving it up for an extra week.

I also want to thank all of the people who emailed me to let me know the site was down. That helped me discover the problem quickly. Thanks to everyone with tech skills who offered assistance. Major thanks to Ye Olde Website Guru who gave up his Thursday to try to resolve this. A big thanks to the Passive Guy at http://www.thepassivevoice.com, who used his large platform to get writers to spread the word about my royalties post. Special thanks to all the writers who mirrored my royalties post to get the information out. If this was an intentional hack trying to silence me, it failed. And thanks too to everyone who donated this weekend, and the campaigns to help me and Dean pay for the security service.

As stressful as this attack has been, you guys have all mitigated it 1000%. Your kindness and willingness to help has kept this from being a crisis, and indeed, constantly reminded me about the goodness in people. Thank you all.

I’m sorry about all of the inconvenience. I hope to return you to your regularly scheduled website later in the week.

WILLAMETTE WRITERS
 willamettewriters.com <http://willamettewriters.com>

Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Dean Wesley Smith

Dear Ms. Rusch and Mr. Smith

Willamette Writers is happy to announce that you have been selected as the recipients of its 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award.  You were chosen by a unanimous vote of the board acknowledging the contribution your writing has made and continues to make.  You are an inspiration to writers of the Pacific Northwest, demonstrating by example how to create a vibrant, successful writing career that spans decades and many beloved volumes.

This year we will also be honoring David Guterson with the Distinguished Northwest Writers Award and MaryMargaret Maitland with our Humanitarian Award.

You are invited to be our guest at our annual Willamette Writers banquet Saturday August 4th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel….

<snip>

Sincerely,
Cynthia Whitcomb
President, Willamette Writers

As I said, we are very honored, and we will be at the banquet. Hope to see some of you there.

The only problem is the price. It’s a British book, and a textbook at that, so it’s got a hefty U.S. price tag. Still, you might want to get it and share it with your writerly friends. You can order a copy here. (I checked: the price is similar on Amazon’s UK site, so you may as well get the U.S. version.) Enjoy!

Oh, I just love the puns I can make with the name of this magazine. Lightspeed is wonderful, in case you haven’t been reading it. And my story, “Craters,” is available on the site for free this week. If you want to read the entire Issue (which I would suggest), you can order it on the site itself. Or you can simply read the story for free by clicking this link. Enjoy!

Last year, I wrote a series of posts on how writers of all stripes can survive the transition from the old world of publishing to the new world of publishing. I’ve updated the posts and compiled them into an e-book called Surviving The Transition: How Writers Can Thrive In The New World Of Publishing. This book is for established writers, new writers, writers who want to stay in traditional publishing, and writers who never want to join traditional publishing.

Here’s the cover blurb:

Most writers run their careers the same way they did in the 1990s. But publishing has changed so much since then that any writer who works on the old model will no longer make a living. 

In this short book, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to think about the new world of publishing, who to trust, and who not to trust. 

She also gives you a blueprint for survival—what to learn, what to ignore, and how to find help. If you are a successful professional writer—or hope to become one—then this book is for you. 

You can order the book in all e-bookstores, including Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. If you want to read the older versions for free, click on this link and start with “Writing Like It’s 1999.”