Alien Places, Alien Times

• Otter Creations Web Services for Writers The Web aspect of Masha Holl, who creates and maintains these pages. Also editing and languages services.
• Russian Folklore Annotated translations of Russian folkltales by Masha Holl, M.A.
• Russian Historical Costume Patterns for Russian historical costumes (from the middle ages) based on costumes for the stage.
• Russian History Trivia Amusing articles on Russian history, focusing on everyday life in medieval Russia. The site is coming back! At long last, the articles are returning with a new, updated look. Everything will be there eventually.
• My shops at CafePress. Art and Russian designs.
• More of my products at Zazzle Contact me for custom items.

Sites for Writers

• Jennifer Crusie One of my favorite writers, always generous with some of the greatest writing advice. Check out her blog, too.
• RWA: Romance Writers of America A great resource for writers. Business contacts, support, networking.
• San Antonio Romance Authors My favorite RWA Chapter. We have great conferences, wonderful contests, and productive workshops. We even keep our long-distance members! Get your SARA gear here!

Research and Other Sites of Interest

• Daily Summary of News of Russia A site designed and maintained by Otter Creations. Content managed and updated by Dr. Bruce Holl, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.
• Trinity University Consistently voted Best in the West. A nice campus, wonderful teachers, an excellent library.
• The Writer Beware Blog! Don’t fall prey to scams. One of the best sources of warnings for the watchful writer.
• Common Errors in English Improve your Grammar! Or just feel good about your knowledge.
• Behind The Name Just about the only generic name site on the Internet I turn to regularly. Apart from scholarly sites and articles I come across, that is. I recommend Behind the Name to anyone struggling to find a common or even an unusual name for a character. Or just for the fun of it.
• Baby names from the Social Security administration A searchable source — by name, by year, by popularity. Very useful!
• Geographical names from the Getty Museum. A searchable database from a scholarly source.
• A web-based word counter. How often do you repeat yourself? A nifty utility for the inevitable editing rounds.