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I have said before, I rarely talk about dreams: but every now and then...
I dreamed of a Welsh woman who figured out evolution and the nature of the earth's crust and planetary formation too, how the whole thing happened from little fireball to us; and she did this in the early years of Victoria, decades before Darwin. And she had a brother, a tiny brother, physically minute; and I was learning about her from an encyclopaedia [this is how I knew I was close to waking up now, because that's what happens, dreams turn from live-action to my reading them in books], and it was her entry so the brother only got the barest of mentions in the text, but it was an illustrated encyclopaedia and she had lived this quiet life in Wales figuring things out while he had gone for a soldier all over the world: so there was her life in the text and there was his in pictures, page after page of plates because he was famous being so small and soldierly and his portrait had been painted again and again with all the important people. And that was my dream.
And this is my nightmare, that my agent has asked me to cut the new book before she even finishes reading it. I have managed to bore my agent to the point of revulsion, she cannot bear to read any more. Ah, me.
Also, when I turned out yesterday's loaf onto the tray to bake it, it stuck entirely to the tea-towel so that I had to scrape the dough off with my fingers. The bread recovered magnificently in the oven - sourdough is amazingly resilient - and it may be the best loaf I've made so far, but even so. I am betrayed by my own linens. (Perhaps what I need is a proper linen-lined baker's proving basket? Ay, mi...)
Gosh, it's nearly noon already. What I say is, if those good people on Radio 4 are going to talk about the Silk Road, which falls very much into the ambit of Chaz-wants-to-write-a-book-about-it, then my listening to the radio is absolutely work; and if my work is listening to the radio, then I might as well do it in bed as anywhere else. That's what I say. *nods*
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Seriously, this is what a client wrote in his bionotes: I want to work as a stockbroker in New York. My dad always said:” If I can make it New York, then I can make it anywhere else in the world.” So his dad liked to quote Frank Sinatra songs. His dad sounds more useless than my dad.
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#84: The Corpse in the Waxworks - John Dickson Carr:
A manservant led us into a dim hall, very spacious, panelled in black walnut. It was not shabby, but it needed an airing; it smelled of old wood, of dusty hangings, of brass-polish and waxed floors. Again I caught that scent of clothes and hair, as at the waxworks; but these, I could not help feeling, were the clothes and hair of dead people; and the walls, dark red satin above their panels, exhailed an indefinite reek of decay. We were ushered into a library at the back of the house.
At a mahogany table, on which burnt a shaded lamp, sat Colonel de Martel. At the rear of the room, above tall bookcases, there were diamond-paned windows of blue and white glass. You could see the silver rain thickening, and pale flickers of light were on the face of the woman who sat motionless, her hands clasped, in the shadow of the bookshelves. About them both was an atmosphere of stiff waiting, of tears that would never be shed, and of doom. ( Yes, doom. Squeaky, squeaky doom. )
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Originally published at N.R. Brown - Feast at Famine's Table. You can comment here or there. Well, we knew it was coming.
Hopeless wins out.
I wish I could say I’m taking it in stride, but I’m not. In all honesty, I don’t think anyone takes rejection well. No one. It doesn’t feel good.
I don’t feel good.
BUT I’m not letting this stop me. I’m only acknowledging that it exists, because I want other strugglers out there to know that it is NOT unacceptable to feel this way…to say a private little f you to the entity that rejected you.
Tell yourself they don’t know what they turned down…tell yourself they are going to be crying in their beer when you are famous…and then go out there and submit that story again. And if they reject it, just keep going.
This isn’t a race the hare can win…you’ve got to be a turtle, slow and steady and don’t let anything get you down!!!
Chin up, hopeless optimistic (just like me)…we can do this!
Peace and pee on them they don’t know what they passed up,
Renee
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Everything in this book--the length of the scenes, the quick jumps from character to character, the way the scenes are structured--is designed to make the book MOVE! And that's the sense you get from the very first page. The pace is fast, with multiple plot threads to follow through multiple characters, all woven together and meshing by the end. In fact, the entire first two-thirds of the book is really one long scene, with every twist and turn you could think of (and some you didn't) coming into play.
The Burning Skies is the sequel to The Mirrored Heavens and pretty much picks up four days after the events in the first book. I'd suggest you read the first book before diving into this one, or the action won't make a whole lot of sense. The terrorist group Autumn Rain continues to harass the world, this time on the Europa Platform, a neutral territory that contains New Zurich and New London . . . along with a safe house for the U.S. President. And that's the target: the President. And who is loyal and who isn't as the fighting escalates is what drives most of the tension throughout the novel. And this is also the book's major drawback: the question as to who is doing what for what reason and why makes it nearly impossible to know who's "good" and who's "bad." I didn't know who to root for, and the twists and turns became so convoluted that I ended up simply sitting back and not trying to figure out who was doing what to whom. Part of the problem was that the twists and turns were so numerous, but another part of the problem was how David J. Williams kept the motivations, etc, hidden by having oblique references to what was really going on at the end of a scene before jumping to another POV character. This has the effect of increasing the tension . . . but also the confusion because there is never a straightforward answer to all of the many questions. And when it's used too much, it can get annoying. So, in the end, it was an enjoyable ride, but it would have been MORE enjoyable if I'd known who to root for and had been able to follow all of the twists and turns. Will I buy the third book (titled The Machinery of Light I believe, coming in May 2010)? Yes. I'm definitely intrigued by the story, the world that David has created, and the outcome of all of the twists and turns. There's some spectacular worldbuilding here, and some interesting characters.
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My good friend ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) dancinghorse is having all sorts of sales. The first one, of more interest to writerly folks, is a mentoring sale. Details here. Basically, this means for $150 she'll give you four hours of reading and critiquing your manuscript, story, query letter, whatever. And, having benefited from this service myself, I can highly recommend it. Pro author here, with lots of experience. Well worth the price!
The other sale is more for the horse folks. Namely, these two lipizzan ladies and lipizzan/arab gelding are looking for a good home. All of them are wonderful, lovely horses with awesome personalities. Please re-link or forward to anyone you know who's into horses.
More info here
Tia:
Khepera, the gelding:
Ephiny:
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I stumbled on this photo montage last night (don't ask how or why). Reference photographs taken by Thomas Eakins, the sitter is believed to be Eakins' close friend Walt Whitman. I spent all of today trying to think up a good reason to post nekkid pictures of Walt Whitman. Then I realized, Why the hell do I need a reason to post nekkid pictures of Walt Whitman? Enjoy.
 The expression of the face balks account,
But the expression of a well-made man appears not only in his face,
It is in his limbs and joints also, it is curiously in the joints of
his hips and wrists,
It is in his walk, the carriage of his neck, the flex of his waist
and knees, dress does not hide him,
The strong sweet quality he has strikes through the cotton and broadcloth,
To see him pass conveys as much as the best poem, perhaps more,
You linger to see his back, and the back of his neck and shoulder-side.
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Some extra research I've been doing thanks to a few recommended books by the fellow who runs our Blue Ridge Institute has gotten me scrambling back a bit to chapter 2, filling in a few details and even extra scenes. That's primarily what I did today, plus adding a bit to the most recent scene in chapter 3--adding a bit of executive detail, as it were.
PROGRESS REPORT FOR 12/2/09New Words: About 1000 on chapters 2 and 3 of The Great Valley. Total Words: 124450, including some trimming last night. Reason For Stopping: Needed to decide what to write next, plus workout. Book Years: I worked in 1924 and 1931. Mammalian Assistance: Nate came into the Writing Room, investigated it thoroughly, then got up on her hind legs and put her paws on my leg to tell me the place all checked out. Exercise: A mile on the elliptical--in 8:45, the fastest I've managed since the Mysterious Ailment--with a .25 mile cooldown, then two arm resistance machines (three ten sets each) and three double- and one single-ten set on Ze Ab Kruncher. Stimulants: A nip of Dr. Pepper. Submissions Sent Out In November: 2. Total Submissions Out Right Now: 6. Today's Opening Passage, from 1924: The first thing Zirkle noticed when he found Jimmy and Lorna in their favorite restaurant, where he'd kept an eye out for them for days, was that they were holding hands. The second thing was they went quiet when they saw him. He wondered if they figured out he'd been at the Schenk woman's cross-burning. But if they did that made this conversation all the more important.Darling Du Jour, from 1931: “We’ll have places they can stop every mile or so, on both sides,” the fellow assured. “The especially pretty places. It’s planned to be named the Skyline Drive. Highlighting the greatest scenery in the world.”
"All of it’s especially pretty if you live on it,” Rachel snapped. “Why can’t you government people just let us be?”
“We’ll provide you with good land, ma’am,” he said with real politeness, “and a nice house too.”
“I want the land and house I got. You won’t be taking it from me.”
“Ma’am,” the surveyor at the field glass said with a mix of worry and amusement, “you should know—this here fellow you’re talking to is President Herbert Hoover.”
Rachel snorted. “If that’s so, you’ve already got two houses. Your own and the one in Washington City. What need do you have for mine?” Non-Research / Review Books In Progress: A History of Rome by Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, and Yann Le Bohec.
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I did find Fooled by Randomness a little better than Black Swan but for the most part both books are rather long discourses on the fact that Shit Happens. And there is quite a bit of schadenfreude in it because smug asshole stockbrokers making a ton of money are the kind of people you want to see cry.
However, the book does say some pretty good things about how most traders are blindsided when the market finally turns against them. Especially when the market is being artificially inflated. But it seems like the people who are up to their elbows trading this stuff and making tons of money on junk bonds, real estate, subprime mortgages and Collateralized Debt Obligations (Yay! CDO fuck y'all!!) really get blindsided when their stuff crashes. The weird part about it is that anyone outside the bubble can tell you that these things are going to fail eventually. CDOs were based on credit card writeoffs and the debt collectors eventually collecting on those debts.
The one problem is that those people who are credit card writeoffs don't become credit card writeoffs overnight. They spend quite a few months before the credit card writeoff trying to pay their damn bills. Once the company writes them off, they've pretty much ruined their credit. So why bother paying it off when they can just wait 7 years for it to fall off?
And of course there were more write offs since the geniuses at the credit card companies lobbied to make bankruptcy harder.
Anyhow that's just one example of a toxic fund that is really ephemeral but people buying it and selling it as if it will ever have be solvent. Of course, the financial world is much more complicated and intricate than a layman's knowledge can grasp easily - which is why these funds keep showing up. There are some types of investments that are justifiably complicated and profitable. And then there are investments like junk bonds or CDOs which are complicated in order to play a shell game.
So yeah, Taleb's book is pretty good. And it's popular because all the experts talking about the economy being strong royally fucked us all. And this book is saying that the emporer has no clothes and that these people are just lucky.
He does have some interesting metaphors - like playing Russian Roulette where the prize is $100,000 but doing it once a year for 30 years. Or the infinite monkeys on the infinite typewriters and the one typing Iliad. In the case of the latter, he says that trusting a money making trader based on old success is like expecting that monkey to write The Odyssey.
Of course, I think he might be overstating things. Playing to the plebs.
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Cyber Monday may be over, but there are still some good deals out there on my stuff...if you don't mind e-books...
First off...
Nomadic Delirium Press has created a new bundle. For just $10, you get:The Ephemeris rulebook, The Expanded Ephemeris Equipment List, Necessity's Call-A low level adventure, The Ephemeris Book of 1st Level Characters, The Ephemeris Book of Tables, and Seedlings on the Solar Winds-A collection of short stories from Eph...emeris creator J Alan Erwine http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=68777
Secondly...
Nomadic Delirium Press has dropped the price on the NDP Fiction Bundle through DriveThru SciFi. You can now get all four of the e-books for just $7. Two short story collections from J Alan Erwine and a novels from James Baker and J Alan Erwine. Almost 700 pages of science fiction for just $7...you can't beat that.
So, order today... http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=65749
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 Boneshaker (2009)
Written by: Cherie Priest
Genre: Steampunk/Alternate History
Pages: 416 (Trade Paperback)
If you've followed this journal for any length of time, you should know I'm a serious Cherie Priest fan. I've read all of her books (save for Fathom, which I own but haven't been in the mood for yet), and I've re-read her debut, Four and Twenty Blackbirds (first review here and second review here). While all of her stories are a little bit different, I would say a defining characteristic of her fiction thus far is the element of horror. Sometimes it's straight-out horror, as found in Dreadful Skin and Those Who Went Remain There Still. Sometimes it's more of a dark fantasy/urban fantasy horror, like the Eden Moore trilogy, which starts off with Four and Twenty Blackbirds. But it looks like Priest is going to do a different kind of horror with her Clockwork Century books, of which Boneshaker is the first, and that type of horror?
Steampunk.
I'll be honest, I don't get it. Steampunk, that is, not Cherie Priest. I just don't get the appeal of steampunk, and I'll admit I was one of the few who wanted to die a little when Tor.com announced that October would be Steampunk Month, because that meant I was subjected to TONS OF STUFF about a sub-genre that 1) I didn't get and 2) didn't care about.
Do I "get" or "care" about it now that I've read Boneshaker? That is actually not a fair question, because anyone who knows anything about steampunk will tell you it's incredibly diverse. Priest tackles it through the horror/alternate history lens, and because it's Priest, I can handle it. Because it's Priest. Give me the exact same book with a different author's name on the cover? I wouldn't have looked at it twice. That's how much I love Cherie Priest.
The premise: in order to truly appreciate what Priest is doing, I'm giving you not one, but TWO premises. The first is the overall premise for the series/world-building, and the second is the actual premise of the book. I think that's fair.
The Clockwork Century: explanation plucked from Subterranean Press's website, the preface for Priest's short story, also set in the Clockwork Century universe, Tanglefoot.: Stonewall Jackson survived Chancellorsville. England broke the Union’s naval blockade, and formally recognized the Confederate States of America. Atlanta never burned.
It is 1880. The American Civil War has raged for nearly two decades, driving technology in strange and terrible directions. Combat dirigibles skulk across the sky and armored vehicles crawl along the land. Military scientists twist the laws of man and nature, and barter their souls for weapons powered by light, fire, and steam.
But life struggles forward for soldiers and ordinary citizens. The fractured nation is dotted with stricken towns and epic scenes of devastation–some manmade, and some more mysterious. In the western territories cities are swallowed by gas and walled away to rot while the frontiers are strip-mined for resources. On the borders between North and South, spies scour and scheme, and smugglers build economies more stable than their governments.
This is the Clockwork Century.
It is dark here, and different.
Boneshaker's Premise: Rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike encouraged the Russians to seek a machine that could actually drill for it. Leviticus Blue took up the challenge and built the great Boneshaker. But before the Russians could get a hold of it, it went on a test run through the city of Seattle, not only destroying several blocks of the city, but it released a blight of gas that turned anyone who breathed it into a rotter (aka the living dead). Now, years later, the son of Leviticus Blue is determined to prove his father wasn't a criminal for his actions, and he sneaks into the now-walled city of Seattle to get that proof. His mother, Briar Blue, terrified for her son's safety and what he might find, goes after him. But nothing easy within the walls of Seattle, as there's more than just the undead to outwit and outrun, and Zeke and Briar will need everything they've got to survive those who have a peculiar and deadly interest in them.
Review style: No spoilers. I'm going to talk about, and I may say some things that might lead you to figure out certain plot points, but I won't outright spoil anything. :) If you're paranoid, just jump to the "My Rating" section of the review, and you'll be just fine. :)
( BONESHAKER: no spoilers )
My Rating
Worth the Cash: it's definitely an entertaining read, and a well-written one. For anyone curious about steampunk as a sub-genre, it's a great place to start, because Priest has a sensible, practical approach to it, all the while telling a fun story. Fun might be an odd word to describe a book that reeks a bit of horror, but it's all good. I could easily see this made into a movie, and to be honest, I hope it happens. There's something wonderfully visual about this book, and the story lends itself to the big screen. While it's not my favorite Priest book (that honor goes to the Eden Moore trilogy, but that may be bias talking as the trilogy's setting is two hours from where I live), it's very good and I'm happy to have another Priest book under my belt.
For those of you still not sure if Boneshaker is right for you, you can sample the Clockwork Century universe by reading Priest's short story Tanglefoot. The only relation to Boneshaker is the world itself, as no characters overlap and nothing references the events, let alone spoils the events, of the book. It's a good little read, with shades of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and I think you'll enjoy it. You can also check out her Clockwork Century website, which features news of all the books and short stories taking place in the universe. Priest is an entertaining blogger anyway, so you shouldn't be disappointed.
As for my part, Priest remains one of my favorite authors, and I'm happy to continue with her books, steampunk or no. She hasn't kindled a great love within me for steampunk or anything, but I'll read whatever she writes provided it's well-written and entertaining. She hasn't let me down yet.
Cover Commentary: very eye-catching, and very appropriate for the book. I particularly like the design and placement of the author's name and the title of the book, as well as the fonts used (surprising, since people tend to complain about Tor's use of fonts). I also like that splash of yellow and gold in the goggles and its lens. Nicely done.
Next up: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
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Today was my beloved philipmcavery's birthday. The Beetle and I got him an iPod Nano and an iTunes gift card so he can start playing with it. And per his request, I made him a beef curry over jasmine rice, which he proclaimed 'perfect' (I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good!) Now he's curled up on the sofa watching an episode of The Wild Wild West.
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Or, a final post before heading off to work. Ah, well, at least I go with the vision of Paul Marron's gorgeous abs on my mind. :P
I'm done pimping for the day. I feel a little skeevy now.
I'd meant to have a post more about myself, but I fail at time management it seems.
I'd love to know more about y'all, though. I have to admit, I don't have any kind of internet money. None. Hubby controls the bank account and refuses to have it verified for paypal, and I have no credit cards, so, I can't even afford to buy my own stories. But Christmas is right around the corner, and in case Santa baby brings me a gift certificate or something of the sort, I'd love for y'all to comment and tell me what your favorites are, or, if you're a writer, the ones you wish more people had read or that you think is your best. Don't be shy. Self-pimping is welcome.
And while you're doing that, have some more Christmas music. These are both by Steven Curtis Chapman who is a Christian artist, but the songs are very much just about family. Of course, the families mentioned in them are traditional type families, but if there are same sex Christmas songs out there, I have yet to find them. That's something else y'all can rec me.
Anyway, these songs make me tear up about a dozen times per Holiday season. The titles are "All I Really Want for Christmas," and "Christmas is All in the Heart." Enjoy!
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In honor of the 100th anniversary of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret
Garden, Jackie C. Horne and Joe Sutliff Sanders are soliciting essays for a
proposed volume in the Children’s Literature Association’s Centennial
Studies Series. The series seeks to reexamine children’s classics from a
contemporary perspective. All critical and theoretical approaches are
welcome. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
• The novel in the context of Burnett’s writing for adults
• The novel in the context of Burnett’s other children’s novels
• The novel in the context of other children’s literature of the period
• “Sentimental” and “realistic” constructions of childhood in Burnett’s
children’s texts
• Animal studies and the (tenuous) line between human and animal in the
novel
• “Queerness” and other sexualities
• Construction of the narrator/narratee
• Approaching the novel from the perspective of disability theory and the
history of disability in Western culture
• Construction(s) of masculinity
• Gardening in the period and/or Burnett's personal history with real-world
gardens
• Re-envisioning the garden metaphor in later children’s texts
• Precursor texts: return from India narratives (Ewing’s Six to Sixteen,
etc.)
• Constructions of nationality: British, Indian, American
• Construction of motherhood/mothers and their replacements
• Mourning customs of the period reflected in/resisted by the novel
• Burnett and mysticism/religion
• Ideologies of class in the novel
• Secrets in the novel – those revealed and those kept
• The novel’s ending(s)
• Illustrations/covers for the novel
• Film adaptations
• Theatrical productions; Burnett and theatrical copyright law
Deadline for abstracts: January 10, 2010. Completed articles will be due by
June 1, 2010. Please send abstracts of 250-500 words by email, with “SECRET
GARDEN” in the submission line, to the following editor:
Joe Sutliff Sanders
California State University – San Bernardino
joess at csusb.edu
________________________________
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Proposals are invited for papers at Bloodlines: British Horror Past and Present, a major two-day conference on British screen horror at De Montfort University and Phoenix Square, Leicester (the UK's newest digital media centre) on 4 and 5 March 2010. As well as panels and keynote lectures, the conference will include screenings, film premieres, and interviews and round tables with directors.
Plenary speakers so far include Kim Newman, Pete Walker, David Pirie (TBC) and Peter Hutchings.
Papers should last no longer than 20 minutes and may cover any aspect of British horror on film and television. Please send 300 word proposals, with a biographical note including any institutional affiliation, to Ian Hunter: iqhunter@dmu.ac.uk.
The strict final deadline for proposals is 15 January 2010.
For more information please contact iqhunter at dmu.ac.uk or visit the conference's Facebook page.
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University of Westminster - School of Media, Arts and Design
Fixed Term, full-time for 8 months
£36,678 per annum (incl. L.W.A.)
Applications are invited for a post-doctoral Research Fellow, to work on the project 'Building Collaboration and Engagement for Media Professionals and Academic Researchers'.
The post holder will be required to develop a network which connects media professionals and academic researchers, and which develops ways in which academic researchers can utilise new technologies to communicate about their research. They will organise events, and produce an associated website and research report(s).
This post is full-time and for eight months starting in January 2010. Applicants should have a PhD in media and communications, sociology, social psychology, or a related area.
Closing date: Friday, 11 December 2009
Interviews will be held on Friday, 18 December 2009
Please see details at:
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AAJ250/
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Wow, my water boiled away! Haha. I had plenty more things I wanted to post before work, including more of an intro about myself, but it looks like that won't happen.
Instead, another excerpt from "Go Fish", this one is probably R-rated, but not work safe, IMHO.
( Over the Hump? )
And, in case you've been wondering about "Derelict", I have a little timestamp, of sorts, so you can find out how Shane and Aaron are getting on with their happily ever after. :P Of course, if you wanna know how they got there, you'll have to read the story!
This one's probably R-rated, too. The language and grammar I chose to use in this will likely seem pretentious to some. Meh.
( What happily ever after feels like. )
ETA: For those of you playing the contest, we do have a correct answer, so make sure you check your facts before entering, because wrong answers will not go into the drawing.
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Okay so I need to vent for a second so bear with me. This isn't my most eloquent post but as a storyteller and a minority I really want to get this off of my chest.
So yesterday I was at the bookstore perusing for more reading material (because by no means do I have a stack of books that I need to already be reading) and I felt my heart sink with disappointment. It happens every time I go into these stores, I don't know why I do it other than I hold out hope that maybe I'll be surprised.
Usually after reading the synopsis of the novel, I'm often shaking my head placing the book back on its shelf.
Each time I try to grab a new speculative fiction novel, specifically from the fantasy section, it's the same thing.
The premise is usually a Lord of the Rings or Starship Troopers knock off or a story about a vampire or a werewolf, or a white chick who is in love with a vampire or werewolf or is a vampire or a werewolf. Said white chick is supposed to be some kinda badass and certainly has the attitude but can never seem to finish her case/adventure because she's so wrapped up in the romantic drama with that mysterious bad boy or whatever. So much angsty and emo tripe, I often have to check to see if I'm in the romance section or the fantasy section.
And look I'm not hating on stories or writers who pen tales that may feature some of the aforementioned elements. Hell I own a few novels with those themes that were brilliantly executed by some talented authors. There's a certainly a place for them. My point is that it should not encapsulate the entire genre or market.
And then I look at the covers which are so lily white it's like the bookstore just had a snowfall. My God, can't a brother get one POC up in this mother fucker?
And before someone starts crying "White Woman Tears" or screaming "WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE WHITE PEOPLE!", let me be clear. Pro diversity =/= anti-white/heterosexual. There are number of white storytellers and protagonists who I personally idolize: Joss Whedon, Perry Moore, JK Rowling, Bruce Timm, Buffy, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Veronica Mars, Whistler, to name a few. So it's not about that. What it's about is that there's room everyone and we can all learn from one another.
I would love to see some young white girls vow to grow up and be just as smart, strong and beautiful as Nyota Uhura or Vixen, or young white boys promise that they're going to be mighty warrior kings and just as awesome the Black Panther, just as I used to (and still do) emulate He-Man, Superman and Batman.
I stand in those aisles gazing at those novels, crestfallen, and all I can think is, I'd like a black heroine to read about. Maybe she can be a demon huntress. Or I wouldn't mind reading about the exploits of an Asian wizard, or adventures featuring a Latino vampire. What about a badass action hero who happens to be a gay man. Why aren't there more stories with these leads out there. Leads who are well-developed and treated with the same respectability as their caucasian counterparts. Why are we as minorities always relegated to the sidekick, the sassy best friend, asexual caricature? Why can't we take center stage? Why can't I pick up a novel featuring a black heroine that I can share with my kid sisters so they can have someone to look up to?
And it can be done. There are excellent series out there that feature wonderful stories that portray POCs and LGBT leads brilliantly. Be it Jack Harkness, Thom Creed or the Eden Moore series. But they can't be the only ones?
And it's not just the issue of diversity or lack thereof in regards to demographics of characters, authors and readers. It's also the lack of ideas. I want to go on a ride and an experience when I read these novels, I want to flip through the pages because I'm aching to find out what happens next. I want to be entertained, educated, enlightened, inspired.
I want books that weave brilliant plots, intriguing characters, complex mysteries, humor, wit, adventure and action. WE NEED MORE ACTION! More testosterone and yes that includes the chicks. More walking badass motherfuckers like Cassandra Cain, Xena, Veronica Mars, Zoe Washburne. Strong sistahs who can go toe-to-toe with any man. More comic book style....anything more comic book stories in the printed word. I would love more of that. Caitlin Kittredge and Jackie Kessler proved it can be done with the very awesome Black And White. In the novelization of Wonder Woman, authors S.D. Perry & Britta Dennison made me fall in love with the titular heroine and Greek mythology all over again. The same can also be said for the Percy Jackson series.
If we can create worlds with aliens and dragons and orcs and sorcerers, why can't we create worlds where the protagonist can be something other than a heterosexual caucasian? Why can't we broaden our horizons and create something original and innovative as opposed to only regurgitating what's already been done and what's formulaic.
Last year 14-year-old Max Leone wrote a brilliant piece about what the publishing industry needs to do if they want people to be interested in reading again.
Earlier this year I spoke on why I support exceptional minority media and why women, POCs and LGBTs deserve to have their stories told too.
*Sighs*
I realize I hold this genre to high standards but I do so out of love because I see the beacon it could be for the rest of the world. How many people began reading again because of the epic tale of an innocent British teen?
Being a minority (be it a woman, a POC or an LGBT), you have to fight 24-7, 365 days a year for a your self-worth. It is frustrating, disheartening and exhausting. And when you're not battling institutional oppression or the rest of the world for defying convention and not allowing society to place you in a box, you also have to combat those internal feelings of anger, frustration and grief over the whole ordeal. It's grating for the soul to put it mildly. Like many minorities I turn to speculative fiction because I can relate to the minority metaphor themes that are often in these tales. I'm also inspired by the larger than life superheroes and heroines and that motivates me to survive one more day. I turn to fantasy for an escape. To recharge my cells and to forget about the hardships (at least for a little while) that I'll inevitably have to deal with again and again and again and again.
I don't need to be reminded in my fantasy that me and mine are regarded at best as sidekicks (and that's if we're even visible). And if I'm spending my hard-earned dollars in this industry, I don't think what I'm asking for is unreasonable, especially if I'm spending my hard-earned dollars.
So in the meantime I will continue to pen the very stories I wish to see published. And I'll continue to meander through the bookstore aisles, hoping to be surprised.
BY THE BY: If anyone reading this has any recommendations of EXCELLENT speculative fiction featuring POCs and/or LGBTs as the leads, by all means hook a brotha up and bring em on. Thanks.
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Notice how I didn't say, "I'm awake." Ugh, these overnight shifts are murder. On my days off, I have no trouble sleeping ten hours at a stretch without even meaning to, but on days when I work, I can barely swing three or four. And it's a twelve hour shift... *sigh*
So, I have my water on to boil my wholegrain pasta, and I think I managed to reply to the comments on the previous posts. Time to post the contest just in case I get sidetracked between eating, working out, showering, feeding the horses, and leaving for work. *g*
I contemplated how to do this. Just about any kind of contest is going to be exclusionary for some people, but I hope everyone can play.
I'm posting two muzicons. One, I consider to be Ian's theme song in "Go Fish," and the other, I consider to be Cal's. (Okay, Cal's is a stretch, but the one's that really fit him were too recognizable.)
Comments will be screened. Everyone who comments with the correct Title and artist of the songs will have their names entered into a drawing for a free .pdf of "Go Fish."
If you're at work and want to listen, I suggest you turn the speakers down quite a bit before clicking on them. If you don't have speakers or can't listen because the muzicons won't work for you, either leave me a comment so I can PM you with lyrics to Google or the link to the song. If you have Quicktime, the link should play for you. Or PM me directly from my profile page. If no one gets the songs right, then I'll just draw from the names of people who tried. So, you can't win if you don't try. I guess I need to allow time for overseas peeps to play, so I'll announce the winner before I go to work tomorrow. Sound good?
So, let's get this show on the road.
( Here they are behind the cut because LJ spacing makes the post huge )
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Hello! I'm doing a Secret Santa type thing and I want to give my giftee a book, because I know he likes to read. Some info:
- he's 17
- I know he likes Naomi Novik's Temeraire series (we had a ~special bonding moment~ over it once a few weeks ago) and on his Facebook it says he also likes Eragon and the Dragonlance series.
So can any of you recommend a fantasy book/series for me to get for him? Obviously he likes dragons so that would totally be a plus. Thank you so much!
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Was Doritos and Little Smokies. Yes, I’m lazy. Why do you ask? 
Mirrored from Jill Myles Dot Com.
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First, this announcement from National Braille Press about a couple of holiday specials on tactile board books for little kids
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/BB-MONKEY.html
which has me wondering why there aren't any such books for the gothling child, perhaps _10 Cranky Crows_? It could start something like "Ten cranky crows (that's sixty scratchy toes) took a walk on a cloudy day..." Already I like it better than cutesy chicks and monkeys.
Second, ScrollMotion is going to be releasing the Iceberg Reader for kids: this
Publishers Weekly article
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6708308.html?industryid=47139 .
says a lot more about the new format for the iPhone, but what I thought was notable was the ability for people to create audio recordings of readings. That and some of the other features could make this a nice format for readers with print disabilities, although the true accessibility of this format and other apps on the iPhone is still somewhat dubious.
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Context 23 will be held August 27-29, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel in Worthington, Ohio (the same hotel that hosted Context 22).
Online registration is not available as of this post, but we've got some nifty guests lined up:
Guest of Honor: Tobias Buckell
Horror Guest of Honor: Elizabeth Massie
Special Art Guest: Cortney Skinner
Publisher Guest of Honor: Tim Deal
Music Guest of Honor: Bill Roper
Reader Guest of Honor: Cathy Callaghan
Participating Authors, Artists and Editors:
Gary A. Braunbeck, S. Andrew Swann, and more to come.
For more information, visit http://www.contextsf.org/
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# 83: Wodehouse's Bestiary by PG Wodehouse:
"Ladies, ladies!" I said. "Ladies, ladies, ladies!"
It was rash. Looking back, I can see that. One of the first lessons life teaches us is that on these occasions of back-chat between the delicately-nurtured a man should retire into the offing, curl up in a ball, and imitate the prudent tactics of the opossum, which, when danger is in the air, pretends to be dead, frequently going to the length of hanging out crepe and instructing its friends to stand round and say what a pity it all is. The only result of my dash at the soothing intervention was that the Pyke turned on me like a wounded leopardess.
Synopsis: A nice collection of animal-themed stories nearly guaranteed not to freak out those usually fruck out by animal-themed stories. ( It is so a word. )
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You know all is right with the world when your oldest daughter IM's to say "I love you" and uses ALL CAPS, and the only reason they're shouting is they want to tell you how they feel.
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From DiscoverOn via Warren Ellis Ontario's Human prehistory no goes back 10,000 years:
http://www.discoveryon.info/2009/12/10000-year-old-weapon-found.html
December 01, 2009
Archaeologists find a 10,000-year-old weapon at site of new Ontario arena
Archaeologists in Windsor, Ont., have revealed a 10,000-year-old stone weapon produced by the first humans who lived in the territory.
Newmarket archaeologist Kim Slocki said she found a single “projectile point” in her pre-construction study of the site of a new arena.
“It’s at least 10,000 years old,” Slocki said.
She said the artifact comes from Paleoindian hunters often called the “first people of Ontario.”
Other archeologists familiar with the area said her find is at least 7,000 years older than anything earlier discovered there.
Archeologist Christopher Ellis, one of North America’s leading experts on Paleoindians, portrayed them as nomadic hunters and fishermen who moved into southern Ontario as the glaciers moved away. “It’s like a needle in a haystack to find one of these sites,” said Ellis, who also teaches at the University of Western Ontario.
He also said that based on U.S. excavations, it’s believed Paleoindians hunted mastodons.
“In Ontario, they may have hunted caribou and Arctic fox, based on bones found at one site”, said Ellis
A 15-metre by 10-metre site where the artifact was found has now been fenced off for a more inclusive archeological dig in the spring, Slocki said.
ANI
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sick
tired
frustrated