Write Club

End of the Pity Party

2013-05-15T06:39:00.001-05:00

I've been rather neglecting this blog of late. I don't really have any excuses to offer - I've been off my game but that's not an excuse.

Since the end of December I've had a lingering persistent mystery virus that's left me feeling permanently under the weather. It's been an unusually long cold winter in the UK. Generally by March we can expect temperatures to be rising into double figures. March this year we were still getting snow. In fact we were still getting snow in April. Now we're into May, and it's more like March - cold and wet.

These things have all contributed to a general feeling of malaise that has gripped me since the beginning of the year. The upshot is, I haven't done nearly enough writing. When I'm not feeling happy I don't sleep. When I don't sleep it's harder to get out of bed early, and I spend the day feeling fatigued. And this leads to not being able to concentrate.

These are all pathetic excuses. The facts are, I have two WIPs on the go (actually three, since I've decided to get back to the second Shara Summers book - but more about that at a later date) and I've not done any work on any of them for weeks.

In the meantime, my last new release was over a year ago, I have no new books out in the foreseeable future and the book-buying public has a very short memory. Sitting about feeling sorry for myself will not get any books finished. It's time to give myself a kick up the backside.

There are no more excuses. Writing is about discipline, about getting it done, about putting in the hours for word counts and the promotion. I'm leaving this pity party now. I've got books to write.

What a Weekend It Was

2013-04-16T19:34:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Morguefile.com

Earlier this month, I attended ConGlomeration, a sci-fi/fantasy convention here in Louisville. This was my second time at ConGlom, and my first time being on panels: Mysterious Ways, the Love Connection, Monsters and Folklore, and Religion and the Supernatural. I also read from my short dark suspense story, "Family Tradition."

What I love about cons is meeting new people and seeing old acquaintances again. This year, I met fellow authors, L. Andrew Cooper and Rachael Rawlings, as well as authors I've met before, including Kate Lynd/Amy McCorkle, Marian Allen, and Tony Acree. I also talked with a publisher about a short story collection project, and met another publisher I want to submit to in the future.

Cons are a great place to network. One of the things I do is collect business cards, which I keep in a booklet. That way, if I see these people again, I remember where I first met them. Who knows, they might help me on my writing/publishing journey.

Now to get ready for Fandom Fest this summer.

End of an Era

2013-04-03T07:04:00.001-05:00

Most books aren't published forever. Print publishers make room for new titles by having limited print runs, and backlisted titles that don't sell are often not reprinted. Since e-books are technically forever, e-book publishers often deal with this by offering time-limited contracts.

Sadly, this means that my three-year contract with Lyrical Press for SUFFER THE CHILDREN has now come to an end. The e-book in its current format has disappeared from all online retailers. This has been a hard thing to deal with. It's particularly depressing to discover that it's gone from the Amazon Kindle list, along with the handful of generally positive reviews it had notched up. Somehow seeing it on Amazon made me feel validated as an author.

However, the good news is that with the end of the contract, the rights have reverted back to me, to do with them as I see fit. And SUFFER THE CHILDREN will return as an e-book, although with a different cover. In fact, I've commissioned an artist I know to work on the new cover image. Watch this space for more information.

In the meantime, SUFFER THE CHILDREN is still on Goodreads - at least it is at present. With the recent news about Amazon taking over Goodreads, who knows what's going to happen. For now, at least, it's there, along with a few reviews that people have posted there. So if you enjoyed SUFFER THE CHILDREN, why not go post a review there? It might help me boost sales when the rebooted version is released.

If you didn't get around to buying it, all is not lost, as it will be back in the near future. In the meantime, you could try DEATH SCENE or SOUL SCREAMS while you wait. Both of them are still available from Amazon...

Writing 10K

2013-04-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of MorgueFile.com

Yesterday was the start of BIAM_Writathon, the BIAM standing for Book in a Month. Every April, a group of us intrepid writers embark on a month-long journey to get words on paper (or on the screen). Unlike NaNoWriMo, there's no minimum word goal. You don't even have to write a new story. Revising is perfectly fine, too.

I wanted to step up my proverbial game. One of my shortcomings as an author is I'm a slow writer. As a result, I watch my fellow writers dash past me to the finish line, contracts their trophies. Needless to say, this can be very discouraging.

So, armed with Rachel Aaron's 2K to 10K, I set myself a goal. At least once, I would write 10k words, just to see if I could do it.

I did. Yesterday, I started Serpent's Venom, the second book in my Angels of Death series. Armed with a 15-page outline and a lot of determination, I pushed aside my internal editor and wrote. It took about eight hours, but I did it.

Not so sure I'll make that word count today, although I've clocked in 2k, and I can stay up all night if I want. If I don't limit myself to having to get 10k in before midnight, when Tuesday officially ends, then it's feasible.

Maybe I don't have as many book contracts as my fellow writers, but I keep hanging in there, persevering, writing and revising. I don't know who originally said writing was a marathon, not a sprint, but he or she is right.

But if I can write 10k words a day, I'm going to give it my best.

WIP Update - March 2013

2013-03-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

Time for an update on current Works in Progress.

I've got several things going on at the moment. The most progressed WIP is the horror novel. It's been to beta readers, I've had feedback, and I have recently started work on Draft 4.

This novel, in summary, is about a group of live action roleplayers who unwittingly unleash a lich on the world during a game. Said lich wields powerful dark magic, and leaves death and destruction in its wake. And it sets about raising an army of zombies, as sort of a sub-plot. Anyway, on the whole the feedback was fairly positive. All my women beta readers love my main female character - she's a crack shot with a shot gun, she's ace with Resident Evil, she takes out many of the real-life zombies and she saves the boy.

There are some plot holes, and some characterisation issues, and these I am working to fix in the current draft. But I'm feeling pretty confident about this one. This one will be finished before the end of this year. In fact, I'm aiming to have it out on sub before 2014 dawns.

In the meantime, there's a second project - a collaboration with Hubby. Now, he's not a writer. But after more than 25 years of running D&D games, he's pretty good at plotting. And he's a musician. This new project is a crime thriller featuring a young female bass player, against the backdrop of the music scene in the late 1960s. We start her off at the Monterey Festival in 1967, and then bring her to London. This project is at an early stage. We've been doing a lot of the plotting together. And I have started doing some of the writing. But there's a long way to go yet, and since I've never collaborated with my life partner on a writing project before, it's somewhat uncharted territory.

And what of Shara 2? Well, that one's still languishing in a drawer. I got a bit discouraged after the crit session. Every time I get it out and review how much work there still is to do on it, I get depressed and put it away again. And DEATH SCENE has not exactly been flying off the cyber-shelves, so it's not as if I have a long queue of fans impatiently waiting for the further adventures of Shara Summers.

Nevertheless, she has one or two fans. And I would rather like to get this one finished. So perhaps I'll finish it for you. You know who you are.

This does make three WIPs on the go at once, however. And talking about them doesn't make them any closer to being finished. It's time to get back to the writing.

RIP James Herbert

2013-03-20T17:43:00.000-05:00

Today's post was going to be an update on current WIPs. But on the way home from work today, I learned news that rocked my world. The news came to me via my Twitter feed, which I was checking on my phone on the train home, as I usually do. Say what you like about Twitter, it's the best place to go for the real news. The important news.

And the important news today - more important than trials and political scandals, more important than the fact that it was Budget Day - is that James Herbert has died. It is not an exaggeration to say I was shocked by this news. It is not even an exaggeration to say I was devastated.

James Herbert was Master of British Horror. In the 80s, when I first got into horror in a serious way, he dominated the shelves along with Stephen King. I have read many of his books. I have an entire shelf of them in my library.

I am not the only person affected by this news. Looking at my Twitter and Facebook feeds this evening, many people I follow are all saying the same thing. James Herbert informed their adolescent reading habits. James Herbert turned them on to reading, and writing, horror. James Herbert is among the greats, and the world will not be the same without him. Most people, it seemed, started off with THE RATS. I have to say I didn't get on with this particular book, which as I understand it was his first published novel. It wasn't the first James Herbert novel I read, and by the time I got to that one I was in my early 20s. It seemed to me to be a book largely preoccupied with describing - in graphic detail - people having sex, followed by said people being eaten by rats while they were cozying in the afterglow, and not much to the novel beyond that. I've said before that I'm the sort of person who skips the sex scenes, in search of something more interesting. In this case people being horribly eaten by rats was more interesting, but after three or four scenes of this it started to feel a bit 'samey'. So, no, THE RATS was not my favourite Herbert book. There are plenty of others, though, that I would rate up there as amongst the best horror novels every written. HAUNTED. THE GHOSTS OF SLEATH. THE MAGIC COTTAGE. CREED.

And then last year I read a James Herbert book that blew the rest of them out of the water. That book was NOBODY TRUE, and if you've been reading my blog for a while you may recall I wrote a glowing review (found here in case you haven't been).

I have never met James Herbert personally, in spite of going to two Cons in recent years where he was Guest of Honour - generally someting else interesting was happening, or the queue was just too long. I'm now rather regretting that I didn't take the time to stand in that queue, to get a book signed and get the chance to tell him how he inspired me as a horror writer, and how I devoured his books when I was just discovering my calling as a horror writer.

In spite of that, I still feel that I've read so many books of his that I knew him. And news of his death feels like a personal loss - a bit like losing an old friend.

Only yesterday I was contemplating buying his newest book. ASH. I decided against it at the time, my TBR pile being already so vast I shouldn't add to it until I've managed to get through some of the books in it. Now I feel the need to re-read all the James Herbert books on my shelf, and go out and buy all the ones I haven't read yet. I might even re-read THE RATS. Maybe the passage of time will make me like it more.

Goodbye, Mr Herbert. The world will not be the same without you, and you leave behind a hole in British horror fiction that no one could ever fill.

We're Number One! Oh, Wait...

2013-03-19T20:04:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of MorgueFile.com

Last year, the Kentucky Wildcats were the number one seed in the NCAA tournament. This year? Not so good. They didn't even earn a seed in the tourney. As I type this, they're playing the first round of the NIT (National Invitation Tournament). Despite the setback, Kentucky fans are loyal. We're not called the Big Blue Nation for nothing.

But this post isn't only about basketball, it's about successes and setbacks. If you're a published author, you know the excitement of getting that contract, of seeing the final version of your book, whether in print or digital file. Images of great reviews and high-ranking Amazon sales dance in your head. (Okay, maybe not all writers feel this way, but I'm probably not too far off the mark.) :-)

In the world of basketball, a win can boost the players' confidence, make them feel like winners because they are. But what happens when the next game results in a loss? Or when a writer gets a rejection from a publisher, a bad review, or lackluster sales?

How do you bounce back?

First, realize that not every game nor every book is going to be a "winner." And you learn from mistakes. Coaches and editors advise their players and writers to be the best they can be. Take the advice of your editor and beta readers and use it to help you become a better writer.

Next, give yourself time to deal with any setbacks. After all, we're only human. We're not perfect, and we experience a myriad of emotions. What's important is not letting these emotions rule you for too long, otherwise, they can eat at your confidence, and perpetuate that vicious cycle.

Finally, most important, get back into the game. Don't let a loss or rejection set you back. Persist and keep telling yourself that just because you didn't succeed this time, doesn't mean you'll always lose. The next winning game brings a team closer to a championship. Another accepted manuscript helps a writer establish a back list.

Now, back to the game...

Chapters

2013-03-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

I am a big fan of chapter breaks. Every story I've ever written, bar those less than 10,000 words, has had chapter breaks.

When I am reading a book, I like chapters. I particularly like short chapters. I hate stopping my reading session in the middle of a chapter, because when I come back to the book I have to hunt around the page to work out where I got to last. A chapter break makes it so much easier to find your place. Most of my reading is done on the train, going to and from work. Short chapters make it much easier to work out where to stop. When my train is ten minutes away from its final London destination, I will check and see how long the next chapter is. If it's short, I can get one more in before it's time to stop reading and get off the train.

Short chapters are also good when I'm reading in bed. It's getting late, and I'm tired, but if I'm enjoying the book and the next chapter is only five pages long, I'll probably read that one before stopping. And maybe the one after that. If I'm looking at 20 more pages until the next chapter break, I'll probably stop there and turn out the light, no matter how much I'm enjoying the book.

No chapter breaks in a book really bugs me. For all the aforementioned reasons, this is one of my pet peeves. Much as I enjoy Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series, none of the books contain chapter breaks and it drives me crazy. Lindsey Davis, on the other hand, knows how to write a chapter. Her books about Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco have short, snappy chapters. In fact, she has been known to finish a chapter after one paragraph.

It was pointed out to me recently that my novels always have short chapters. I don't think this was intended as a compliment, but I saw it that way. Yes, I love short chapters, for all the reasons above, and there are even more reasons to love short chapters when I'm writing them. As I hate putting down a book in the middle of a chapter, I also hate finishing a writing session in the middle of a chapter. Sometimes it's unavoidable - like if I've started a chapter but I don't know what happens next, so I have to stop and come back to it later. But on the whole, if I come to my WIP with my chapter plan, I know what's supposed to happen in the chapter when I sit down to write it. My chapters are, on average, 1500 words long - often less. If I'm on a roll, it is possible for me to get that many words written in my hour-long early morning writing session in Starbucks.

Some writers like their 20,000+ word chapters. Some claim to hate chapters completely, preferring to let the narrative flow in unending waves. But I am much more likely to finish reading your book if it has frequent chapter breaks. If I get to page 50 and there's been no chapter break, there's a good chance I might abandon it right there. So of course I write short chapters - my writing reflects my reading preferences.

So what about you? Whether you're a writer, or a reader, what's your take on chapters?

Another Rung of the Ladder

2013-03-07T06:44:00.000-06:00

The illustrious Mike Carey, in a talk to the writing group, once told us that success in his writing career did not come from one big break - instead it was a series of fortuitous small breaks. Success comes gradually, with each new milestone worth marking off. There are a lot of significant milestones over the years that I decided were worth celebrating as I forge the road of my writing career. The first professionally published story (1989). The first novel contract (2009, for SUFFER THE CHILDREN). Seeing the first novel cover. Seeing the finished book for the first time was exciting, even though it arrived as an email file and not a print copy. Holding the first print book (2012, SOUL SCREAMS) for the first time was equally exciting. My first 'proper' signing session, at the BFS open night, for the paperback version of SOUL SCREAMS was a thrill.

All of these things have been significant milestones, to me, in the journey from Writer to Author. They mark the way to writing as a career, instead of just a hobby.

Another First Milestone has recently come my way. This year's EasterCon (officially titled EightSquaredCon) has published their list of 'Attending Authors'. And I am on it. That's very exciting - I'm normally in the regular delegates list.

I've also been asked to participate in a panel at EasterCon. This is my first panel, and a big moment. Since the schedule's not published yet I'm not going to say too much about this, but needless to say it marks another 'First'.

From being very young, the only thing I ever wanted to be was a writer. As each milestone is achieved and I check it off my List of Dreams, I move the goalposts a bit and set it ever higher. The Ultimate Dream is being able to make enough money from the writing to quit the day job. That might never happen, but setting the smaller goals in the meantime means that with every little goal I check off, every step of the ladder I take, I'm just that little bit closer.

Women in Horror #4: Sarah Connor

2013-02-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

For my fourth and final post on Women in Horror, I'm looking at the heroine of the TERMINATOR films. OK, maybe this is more science fiction than horror, but it's a series that deals with horror themes. Machines take sentience and try to destroy the human race. The second film opens with apocalyptic scenes of a nuclear blast, an empty playground, machines crushing piles of human skulls in their wake. And it's the second film I want to focus on, the film in which Sarah Connor becomes a kick-ass heroine.

Sarah Connor

When we meet Sarah in the first TERMINATOR film, she's an ordinary American young woman. She works as a waitress, she goes to college, she laments with her flat mate about not being to find Mr Right. And then her life changes when she learns a cybernetic entity from the future is hunting her down, and will not stop until she's dead. The reason she's being hunted is not for something she's done, but something that will happen in the future. When the machines rise up to destroy humanity they almost succeed, but one man leads a band of human survivors to victory. That man, John Connor, is Sarah's son - the son she hasn't conceived yet.

Aided by the man that her son sent back in time to help save her - a man who turns out to be the father of her son, conceived the one and only time she sleeps with him (yes, let's not dwell on that paradox too much lest our brains explode), Sarah manages to escape from the Arnold Schwarzenegger-shaped cyborg, though her rescuer is killed in the process. The end of the film shows her alone and pregnant, driving through Mexico, knowing the Hell of the future that is to come and burdened with the knowledge that the unborn child she carries is the last hope for humanity. That's got to change a person.

It's the second film in which Sarah becomes a lean mean fighting machine. Eleven years have passed. Her son John is a hellion, placed in foster care because Sarah has been sectioned. Caught trying to blow up an electronics factory and ranting about the machines that were going to destroy humanity, she was deemed to be mad and locked up in an institution. In her first scene in T2, she is doing arm lifts on bars in her cell room, bulging biceps clearly on show and wearing the expression of a woman who is completely sane and in control of her faculties. Linda Hamilton took her role as Sarah Connor seriously, engaging in a gruelling workout routine before the second film, to demonstrate the hardcore survivor that Sarah had become in the years since the first film. Eventually breaking out of the mental institution with the help of her son and the Arnold Schwarzenegger cyborg who's now a Good Guy - the cybernetic assassin from the future who's been sent back to kill John Connor as a child is even more devastating and unstoppable than the first one was - Sarah goes after the electronics engineer who will develop the computer chip that will directly lead to computers gaining sentience - the cataclysm that marks the beginning of the end for humanity. On the way we learn just how tough this woman has become. She has all manner of contacts around the country, stashing weapons and supplies with all of them. And her only motive is to do what it takes to survive - long enough to raise her son to adulthood and ensure he grows into the man who will save humanity. Sarah Connor is a self-taught bad ass. Once she came to terms with her fate (can't be easy finding out just when and how the world will end, and that you're going to survive to suffer the aftermath), she set out to learn the skills she would need to survive.

John Connor is presented as the most important human ever to live, because he's the leader of the human survivors and he takes them into victory. But John would not have become the man he does without Sarah - so in one sense, she's the most important human in the world. She's the one that saves humanity, because she turns John into the leader he needs to be.

As far as female role models go, you don't get much better than that.

March Madness

2013-02-26T19:25:00.000-06:00

I look forward to this time of year, that transitional season between winter and spring called "March Madness." Of course, if you're not a college basketball fan, the fascination with brackets and rankings may mean nothing.

What does basketball have to do with writing? It might seem incongruous to compare the two, but while the goals are disparate, they are geared toward accomplishing an objective: whether getting the publishing contract or making the three-point shot.

Take drills. In writing, these would be drafts, flash fiction exercises, writing warm-ups, anything to prime the imagination. The adage "Practice makes perfect" applies here, with the assumption that each exercise helps improve a person's writing.

I see critique partners and beta readers as being a writer's team players. Their goal is to help the writer improve his or her story, to make sure the writer turns in the best draft possible. The opposing team? These could be the acquisition editors or agents, those readers who read through the story with a critical eye, giving a "yea" or "nay," depending on their predilection. This is not to say acquisition editors or agents want to say no. But they're going to block poorly written stories from getting contracts. This is a case where a writer needs to make his shot count.

I've compared acquisition editors to the opposing team, but if a story is accepted, then the content editor and line editor take on another role, that of coach. Their job is to help a writer polish his or her story to be the best it can be before it's released to the public.

Basketball is not a one-person game, and neither is writing.

Here's hoping you're working well with your "team."

Women in Horror #3: Ripley

2013-02-20T06:59:00.000-06:00

It might have been over 30 years ago, but few films measure up to ALIEN. A masterful blend of suspense, science fiction and horror, this film about a group of space explorers who encounter a terrifying alien predator still measures up to the test of time and has audiences on the edge of their seat. And its main character is another inspiring female role model.

Ripley

Rumour has it that Ripley was written as a male character. In 1979, when this film came out, no one really took seriously the idea that a woman could be part of a space crew - even in science fiction. Let alone one as resourceful and enterprising as Ellen Ripley. But someone decided, early on in production, that a man would not go back to rescue the ship's cat, when all the rest of the crew were dead and Ripley, as sole survivor, is trying to get to the escape pod. This was an integral plot point, as the alien gets into the escape pod whilst Ripley is in the ship getting the cat.

Another story goes that all of the characters in ALIEN were deliberately written to be genderless, so that any of them could be equally played by a man or a woman.

Whether or not either of these stories are true, I don't know, but the fact remains that Ripley is a leading lady who does not shag anyone, doesn't cook and doesn't actually do anything different from the men. Except she keeps her head and therefore survives when the rest panic and get killed. In the decidedly misogynist world of Hollywood this is a rarity, even in the 21st century, and at the end of the 1970s it was pretty much unprecedented.

The second film ALIENS goes a step further and explores the concept of Ripley as a woman. Having been in suspended animation following the events of the first film, she awakens to discover that she has been lost in space for decades and that her daughter, left behind on Earth, has grown old and died in her absence. Thus she becomes particularly protective of the young orphan girl, Newt, the only survivor of a colony that has been attacked by the alien. Feeling guilty about not being there to protect her own daughter, Ripley takes on the responsibility of getting Newt out alive. The image attached to this post is one of the best portrayals of Ripley in this context - carrying the girl in one arm, whilst wielding a bad-ass gun in the other. And she has a cracking aim with that gun, even one-handed.

Ripley remains one of the best heroines of both horror and science fiction of all time. It's rare that actresses are offered such a wonderful role, and it is testament to Sigourney Weaver's talent that she was able to bring Ripley to life in such a human way.

Women in Horror #2: Alice

2013-02-13T05:55:00.000-06:00

My second post in my series about kick-ass horror heroines features a marvellous character from a series of films inspired by a computer game.

If you've been following my blog a while you'll know I have a fondness for 'Resident Evil 4' (and Leon). The video game franchise became a series of films. These have been met with mixed reviews. Those that don't like them say they are lacking plot, lacking character development, lacking logic. I'm not quite sure what people expect from a series based on a game, but I always enjoyed them. OK, so they are not exactly intellectually stimulating, but there are days when a girl wants to switch off her brain and just sit on the sofa with wine and chocolate and enjoy some mindless zombie dismemberment.

Alice

For the live action series of films (there are some CGI animated ones as well), a new character was created who apppears in all the films. Her name is Alice, and on screen she's played by Milla Jovovich.

Rumour has it that the character was created to be a kind of reverse version of Alice in Wonderland - an Alice in Dystopia. But she is by far the best thing about the Resident Evil films, and she's a wonderfully kick-ass character. This lady is no damsel in distress. Her weapon of choice is a gun in either hand, fired at the same time. She has incredible aim, she is fast, smart, agile and resourceful. And she pretty much leaves all the men behind.

My favourite scene with Alice comes from "Resident Evil: Afterlife", and also features Claire Redfield, who is a character from the games series. With the world being over-run by mutating zombies, a small band of survivors (led by Claire - in herself a strong character) encounter Alice, and they are trying to get out of an abandoned building over-run by zombies. They escape through the sewers. The boys have all run away, leaving Claire and Alice to it when the big guy with the giant meat tenderiser (a monster from Resident Evil 5) comes after them. But these two ladies can take care of themselves, as you can see from the attached video. If you're wondering what's with all the slow-motion, the films are mimicking the style of the games, because all the cut scenes feature slow-motion action.

Alice is a fabulous action heroine, and a prime example of a female horror icon who gives back as good as she gets. When the zombie apocalypse comes, I definitely want her on my team.

Women in Horror #1: Buffy

2013-02-06T06:39:00.000-06:00

February is Women in Horror month, where we officially pay homage to the importance that women play in the horror genre.

This year I am going to be doing a series of posts acknowledging those kick-ass heroines who redefine the role of women in horror.

Buffy

OK, so let's start at the top. I am a HUGE Buffy fan.There are so many reasons why she is such a great role model. Joss Whedon said that the inspiration for Buffy came from the fact that in the horror films he grew up with, the blonde girl was always the one to creep alone down the corridor and get eaten by the monster. He decided the blonde girl should fight back. So he created his teenage California girl who had superpowers. Who was chosen to kick vampire butt.

There are a thousand reasons why I love Buffy. It's the only show I will make a point of watching reruns of when they are on. The only show where I can start watching a random episode and know within five minutes not only which series it is, but which episode it it. It has irony. It has real, flawed characters who are affected by the world around them and change from series to series. One of the great things I loved from the beginning was the way it handled adolescence with sensitivity and wry humour. Anyone who's been a teenager knows the hell that is High School. Every kid has to fight demons in high school. For most of us, those demons are metaphorical. Buffy's demons just happen to be literal. As well as having to deal with the usual adolescent angst of not being popular, whether she'll have a date for the dance, getting into trouble with her folks for staying out late, bullies, jocks vs geeks and so on, she also has to save the world from demons, vampires and the occasional apocalypse. And she still manages to graduate from high school (well, after she saves everyone from the ancient snake demon posing as the Mayor).

People who don't understand my obsession with Buffy have said: "if you like Buffy, you must like Twilight. They're both about girls in love with a vampire". If you can't get the difference, I can't begin to explain it to you. Just watch this terrific video. Yes, I know I've posted it before, but it so proves a point.

Yes, Buffy loves Angel. But at the end of season 2, when she has to kill Angel to save the world, she does it. Even though she loves him. Because a true heroine has that kind of strength of character. And that's another reason I love Buffy.

Waiting...

2013-02-05T17:53:00.001-06:00

Waiting For Answer by Can Atacan

"The waiting is the hardest part," Tom Petty sings, and while he's not talking about the response time for submissions, I'm sure fellow authors can relate to waiting for "the call."

After two years, I finally submitted Exterminating Angel to a publisher. It's been about a week and a half since I hit SEND, and I've no idea what to expect. While I hope they'll accept it, the pragmatic part of me has also listed other publishers in case the first one doesn't work out.

So far I'm keeping with my promise to submit at least one story a month. Yesterday, I submitted four stories on spec for a possible collection. I've no idea of the response time, but am glad the publisher is willing to look at them.

And then there's the contest I entered back in December. The results won't be known until around August. (I submitted early, which is recommended with contests.) At this point, I'm debating entering another one, but this time I won't make the "Early Bird" deadline. Have to look at the screenplay and see if it's ready. If I do enter the contest, that will be March's entry, and I'll be on track.

On an unrelated note, "Family Tradition" placed #5 on the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll for Short Horror Story. I hope that helps generate some interest in my dark fiction suspense story.

Hibernation

2013-01-24T11:00:00.000-06:00

My dislike of January is well known - I do a post like this about this time every year.

I don't like the cold. I seem to have the blood of a lizard. And I really don't like snow. When you can sit at home all day by the fire, and don't have to be anyplace, it probably looks pretty, but when you have to go to work in it - particularly on public transport - it's a pain in the backside. At least in London our snow fall is generally fairly short lived. If I liked snow I'd still be living in Canada, where it covers the ground for nearly six months of the year.

I spend January bundled up in thick jumpers and thermal vests and socks, shivering on the station platform waiting for a delayed train, arguing with my office mates about how hot we can have the central heating (I want it at 'tropical' mode - they don't), and generally feeling tired and run down. I seem to go into a kind of hibernation. Getting out of bed in the morning is a supreme effort and I drag through each day feeling half asleep, not being able to focus my brain on anything. Moving becomes an effort. I don't go to the gym, I don't do much writing, and I spend as much time as possible in bed. But it doesn't really matter because no matter how much or little sleep I get, I still struggle to stay awake during the day. And I crave sugar and carbs even more than usual, because I feel I need the energy.

When I'm not at work, I spend my time playing video games, because they don't require too much mental energy and distract me from how tired I'm feeling. Now, I am aware of my weaknesses. I would be quite capable of spending all day, every day playing video games if I didn't have to go to work. And there are many weekends in January when I do pretty much do that, leaving the sofa only to use the bathroom, go to bed, or get myself more chocolate. But the price you pay for being a grown-up is having to do stuff you don't really want to do a lot of the time, like go to work every day.

So far I've not had a terribly productive January. I've eaten a lot of biscuits, and made progress in 'Dragon Age', but not done much else. Come to think of it, I was in the same situation last year.

Roll on Spring, when I can wake up and emerge from my hibernation...

What Did You Just Call Me?

2013-01-22T20:09:00.000-06:00

Courtesy: MorgueFile.com

Titles. They're the bane of my writing existence. Either they come easily to me, such as "Death Sword" did,or I struggle for years to find the right one. Sometimes, I enlist the help of friends. That's how my short screenplay "Cemetery" was named. Even today, I doubt I could come up with a better title.

Titles not only need to grab reader attention, they need to give a clue as to the tone and genre of the book. For example, I'm working on a collection of short dark fiction that I plan to call Malice and Mayhem: Tales of the Macabre. This should give a pretty good indication of the subject matter.

Which brings me to my latest WIP, formerly known as The Zaphkiel Project. For two years, I've debated what to call this angel UF. Zaphkiel and A Discordant Melody were two titles I played with, but neither were very exciting. And A Discordant Melody sounded more like sci-fi. (Although who's to say I won't write such a story?) For those curious, it relates to the disruption of the planetary harmonics in the story, something I researched for this WIP.

I'm getting ready to submit The Zaphkiel Project, so I needed a title. I brainstormed, writing down character names and anything related to the book: Venus Transit, angels, demons, pentacles, ghouls, Tarot...

Nothing.

And then I wrote the title of a song by Blutengel: "Oxidising Angel".

That brought to mind the title "Exterminating Angel". Surely there had to be several books with that title. But this didn't seem to be the case. Instead, "Exterminating Angel" is better known as a movie by Luis Bunuel.

I doubt anyone will confuse my angel paranormal/UF with Bunuel's satire.

Speed Reading

2013-01-16T15:33:00.000-06:00

I've been reading books since I first learned how to read. In fact, I've been devouring books since then. It's always been about finishing one and going straight on to the next one. I don't remember a time when there wasn't another book to read once the current one was finished.

Some people have told me I'm a fast reader. I never really thought about it in this way. I do get through a lot of books - average count is about one a week. But I spend over two hours a day on public transport, going to and from work, and most of that time is reading time.

I do prefer books that are plot driven, and the vast majority of the books I read fall in the genres of crime and horror. The nature of these genres generally demands a suspenseful plot, and when I am reading I am focused on getting to the end of the page so I can turn over and find out what happens next. So maybe I do read fast. I never thought about the fact that I might read faster than other people, until recently.

Every day I take the train into London Victoria, and then I have two stops on the underground to work. I am on the underground for precisely four minutes. I've been doing this journey a long time - trust me, I know how long it takes. Four minutes is generally not long enough to get back into my book, in my view - by the time I've jostled with the crowd to gain access to my bag, get out the book or the e-reader and find the right page, it's time to get off the train. And I'm generally standing on the underground anyway, which makes it even more awkward. So more often than not, as I'm hanging onto a pole being jostled around on the subway train, I'm standing next to someone who is sitting down, reading a book of some sort. Being a nosy sort of person, and as there's not much else to look at on the underground, I'm reading over their shoulder. I've started to notice that in those four minutes I am reading their book over their shoulder, the person doesn't turn the page. I get off at my stop and they are still on the same page they were when I got on four minutes ago. I've read that page four times over in that time.

So I'm starting to think maybe I do read faster than most people. I don't pick up every detail of plot; I'm wanting to know what happens on the next page, instead of focusing on every detail on this page. I probably don't savour a book; I devour it.

This has always been the way I read, and I never thought there was anything wrong with it. There are a lot of books in the world to read and we've only got so many years to read them, so I don't want to spend too much time on each one. Most of the books I read I don't remember much about a year or so later. The books that make a particular impact do stay with me - and they are the ones that are featuring in my 'My Life in Books' series. Books that I can still remember, because they made an impact.

I read so many books that sometimes I'll pick one up and be halfway through it before I remember I read it before - some details seem familiar. But because I don't remember every detail, I can re-read books and enjoy them again, because I don't remember much about the first time around. This is another reason why I like Goodreads. I can log all the books I read and the log will job my memory about what I've read and what I thought of it. And of course it also lets me keep a list of everything I've read, which appeals to my anal nature.

Anyway, got to run. There are still more books out there to read...

Best Books of 2012

2013-01-03T16:48:00.000-06:00

At this time of year, I like to look back at all the books I've devoured over the last 12 months and decide which ones I rate highest. As I've mentioned before, I read a lot of books. For 2012 I set myself a goal of 60 books, and I managed to achieve it. Most of my reading time is during my commute. I spend over 2 hours a day travelling to and from work on public transport, and this is mostly why I get through so many books.

My favourite crime writer Sara Paretsky recently put out a call on her blog asking for people's favourite reads of 2012, to increase her own TBR pile. I was very flattered that she included my response in her post.

I've mentioned before my love of Goodreads. Not only does it allow me to keep track of exactly what I've read and when, and list things I want to read, but I also use their guidelines for my star ratings (with one star meaning 'didn't like it' and five stars meaning 'it was amazing'). I don't throw five stars around lightly. Most books I will enjoy, but they have to be pretty special to warrant a five star rating.

However, it so happens that in 2012 I gave no less than six books five stars, which makes choosing my best picks a bit easier Many of them I've also reviewed on Goodreads, and in each case there's a link back to the review, to save me repeating myself here. They are in no particular order, apart from the order I read them in.

BODY WORK - Sara Paretsky: I don't mean to become a dribbling fan girl whenever the esteemed Ms Paretsky's name is mentioned, but I can't help it. This is the fourteenth book in her series about the tough woman detective VI Warshawski, and I have loved every single one of them. VI is older in this one, but still charging in without thought, in her desire to save the world from the bad guys. Ms Paretsky never disappoints, and neither does VI.

THE ASSASSIN'S PRAYER - Ariana Franklin: This fourth book in the series about 12th century doctor Adelia Aguilar, will sadly be the last because Ariana Franklin died in 2011. Adelia is a wonderful character. Not only is she a doctor specialising in forensics, at a time when the medical profession was viewed with suspicion, but she is a woman doctor to boot. A fact she tries to keep hidden, because in primitive England she would be burned as a witch. Instead, Adelia travels in the company of a Moor, who pretends to speak no English, so they can pretend that he is the doctor and she is his nurse and translator.

FLASH & BONES - Kathy Reichs: Another writer who, in my view, never fails to deliver. This fourteenth offering in the adventures of forensic pathologic Temperance Brennan is the best in some time, I think. Set in the exciting world of motor racing, it was tense and thrilling and had me turning the pages.

ODD APOCALYPSE - Dean Koontz: This is the fifth book in the series about a strangely named young man who can see ghosts, and I was introduced to it when I had to review this book for Shotsmag. I enjoyed it so much I immediately bought the first book in the series as soon as I finished this one.

ODD THOMAS - Dean Koontz: Hence why this, the first book in the series, I read after the fifth book in the series. Start with this one and get introduced to Odd properly.

11/22/63 - Stephen King: This time-travelling thriller from the Master of Horror seems to be the Marmite of the literary world - you either love it or hate it. I loved it.

And what of my reading target for 2013? I could have been ambitious and upped the stakes. But since my job hasn't changed I don't anticipate any more or fewer hours of reading time, so I've set myself the same goal again. I average a book a week. I aim to read 60 books in 2013, which is more than a book a week, but it does depend on the length of the book, and how much time I spend sitting on the beach (for every day I spend doing nothing but lazing around on holiday reading, I can get through one book). So, we shall see if I can reach the same target again.

What are your reading goals for this year?

Happy 2013!

2013-01-01T18:20:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year 2 by Sabine Sauermaul

How was your New Year's? Hope everyone had a good time, and didn't suffer too bad a hangover. I watched the Red Green New Year's special, while negotiating for chair space with my cat. Amazing how such a small creature can take up so much space.

I guess a lot of people are writing about their resolutions and goals for 2013. For me, the focus is on writing, of getting more of my work out there. Not that 2012 was a washout. I published five short stories, four in anthologies and one through MuseItUp Publishing. I'm currently finalizing the draft of an urban fantasy short novel that I intend to submit this month.

This year, I've decided I'm not going to listen to the naysayers, those negative people who try to convince me, rather insidiously, maybe I'm not good enough. You know the ones. They hide behind insincere compliments, but when it comes time to walk the proverbial walk, they're nowhere to be found.

Sadly, these people (and some writing groups) have played a negative role in my writing, convincing me maybe I wasn't good enough, or that I wasn't writing the right stories, etc. So many of my stories lay dormant on my hard drive, pushed aside, even though I liked them.

That's why I've decided to dust them off, finish and/or revise them, and send them out into the world. Screw what my detractors say. I don't have time for those who want to shoot down other people's dreams.

As for resolutions, I usually don't make any. Except this year, I want to submit at least one story a month. Doesn't have to be a story, either. Could be a screenplay or a poem. As long as I'm writing. :-)

2012 Writing Goals in Review

2012-12-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

It's time to revisit the writing goals I set for myself this time last year, and see how I did with them.

2012 has been a very good year, writing-wise. Not only did it seen publication of my first short story collection SOUL SCREAMS (and a launch at the BFS Open Night in June), but I also contributed to the anthology SIBLINGS, which was launched at FantasyCon. So two publications and two launches - not too shabby.

How did I do on the goals I set for myself last December? I wanted to finish DEAD COOL - the second book in the Shara Summers series - and get it out on submission. I failed dismally on this one. I had a critique session for this manuscript at the end of December 2012, and I got somewhat discouraged by the feedback. So much so, in fact, I haven't touched it since. But on reflection I'm not yet ready to abandon this manuscript. I enjoy writing about Shara, and I'd like to finish this book.

However, I have been more successful with the horror WIP, which I wanted to completed to beta reader stage. Ordinarily beta reader stage, for me, is draft 2. For this MS I've added an extra draft, but draft 3 is almost finished and I expect to have it out to beta readers early in the New Year.

My third goal was to step up promotion and increase sales of the published work. Well, I did my best to boost my internet presence, but it still feels like at this stage I'm a very small fish in a very large and crowded pond. Let's just say I'm still a long way from being able to give up the day job.

As for my goals for 2013, it may be being a tad ambitious, but I'd like to get both WIPs done. So these are my writing goals for 2013.

1. Complete DEAD COOL and have it out on submission by the end of the year.
2. Complete the horror WIP and have it out on submission by the end of the year.

I wish you a happy and successful 2013, and may you all reach your own writing goals, whatever they may be.

Trying a New (Sub)Genre

2012-12-18T18:16:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of Guilane Nachez, MorgueFile.com

Almost forgot to post.

Okay, where was I? Right. Steampunk.

What? Steampunk?

All right, put down your sword canes and stop brandishing your parasols. Oh, and do you mind watching where you pour that tea? Thanks!

Yes, folks, scary as it sounds, I've started a steampunk short story. And what I mean by started is I've run the idea through Dramatica Pro, but haven't actually started writing the story yet. I bought Beth Daniel's book on how to write steampunk, but glancing through it gave me an initial idea. Jotted down a one page synopsis and started from there.

A bit nervous, especially since steampunk has certain expectations, much like mysteries. (And I want to write a mystery. That's one of my goals for 2013.) Anyway, I digress. I like steampunk, although I'll admit I'm still learning about it. That's why I'm working on a short story. I don't have enough knowledge to try to pull off a novel-length work. Heck, I may fall flat on my face with this endeavor, but I want to try.

Writing is about taking chances, of pushing oneself to another level. Just because I've never written a steampunk story, doesn't mean I can't do it. Maybe my first attempt will be laughable, but that's what first drafts are for. Anyway, I have enough information to start writing. Maybe next Tuesday, I'll have a first draft or at least a partial one.

The Next Big Thing

2012-12-05T06:47:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by the uber-talented Francis Knight in the Next Big Thing blog hop. The aim is to answer ten questions about your work in progress, and then tag five more writers. I've chosen to do mine about the WIP I am currently wrestling with. And this does feel a bit like taking my clothes off in public, because not a single person other than me has seen this manuscript yet. I still feel vulnerable.

1. What is the title of your book?

It's called THE WHISPERING FEAR, and I have to give credit to Dave Gullen for suggesting the title.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Following on from SUFFER THE CHILDREN, I wanted to write another horror novel based on a mythical creature. It was my husband's idea to use a creature based on the idea of a lich.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Supernatural horror.

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

This is a bit of a fantasy wish list. My characters are all in their 20s and my knowledge of younger actors is limited.

David - the ambitious young doctor who gets possessed by the lich. Benedict Cumberpatch would probably do a fine job.

Mark - the hero, and David's geeky best friend. He's a version of my ideal man (I have a thing for geeks), only everyone on my 'most fanciable men' list is getting on a bit now. Perhaps Cary Elwys, in his 'Princess Bride' days.

Elizabeth - Mark's equally geeky girlfriend, who's a crack shot and undefeated in the world of zombie slaying video games. Maybe Kate Winslet, circa 'Titanic'.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A group of live-action role players unwittingly release an ancient evil that threatens to destroy the world.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I don't at present have a literary agent. I am hoping I can find someone to publish it, but I haven't started shopping it around yet.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About seven months, to write the first draft - I started it in October 2011. I'm now on the third draft.

8. What other books would you compare this book to within your genre?

In many ways it's similar to SUFFER THE CHILDREN, but that's one of mine as well. It bears a passing resemblance to Stephen King's IT, probably.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Stephen King remains an inspiration, and my style has been compared to his on more than one occasion.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Since I am a live action role-player the references in this story are realistic, and I think anyone who indulges in this hobby might like the LARP scenes. It's also got a kick-ass female MC.

Most of the writers I know have already been tagged for this, and I had trouble finding people who aren't already playing. Here are my five - all writers I have only met in cyberspace. Some of them may well have already been tagged, and for that I apologise. I also emphasise that there is absolutely no obligation for them to take me up on this, but you should check out their blogs anyway, because they are worth following.

Diane Dooley
Carolyn Arnold
Aheila
Ken Hoss
Jen Campbell

Family Tradition is Here!

2012-12-04T17:51:00.000-06:00

Sorry, all, but yes, another short story release. I'm stoked to announce "Family Tradition" is now available from MuseItUp Publishing and Amazon. Not only that, it's already received four positive reviews.

This means a lot to me because I almost gave up on this story. When I sent it to a beta reader, and she said she enjoyed it, I was, as Grimm (from Mother Goose and Grimm) would say, "Flabbergasted." Someone liked my weird little story about a broke artist hired to paint a model with no face?

"Family Tradition" is a short dark fiction suspense story, and my homage to such shows as Night Gallery, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, or any of the other suspense anthology television shows from the past.

But the success of "Family Tradition" has brought me more than good reviews. It's helped bolster my confidence to submit other work. I'm currently in the final round of revisions for my angel UF, "The Zaphkiel Project," and plan to submit it this month. After that, I'll get to work on rewriting The Ripper's Daughter, my vampire Victorian paranormal mystery. That, plus two short stories I'm working on. I'm inspired to get my work out there. Right now, I have full and partial manuscripts taking up space on my hard drive. That doesn't include the many ideas I have jotted down in a file folder on my PC. I'm doing my best to stop being so fearful and get those stories revised and submitted. Figured I'd start with the ones I mentioned above and work from there.

It's not going to be easy. I have a lot of psychological blocks to deal with. But if I succeed, the reward will be that much sweeter.

Reaching a Milestone

2012-11-27T18:31:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I validated my NaNoWriMo story, Serpent Fire, at 50,080 words. The novel isn't finished, but all NaNo requires is 50,000 words, and I've met that goal. I suspect many writers are in a similar position, and NaNo is the perfect catalyst to getting words on paper.

This isn't my first NaNo. Death Sword, my short novel, published by Lyrical Press, was a 2008 NaNoWriMo project. Last year, I wrote The Ripper's Daughter, a story about a former Scotland Yard DI turned vampire who's determined to stop the killer of Louisville prostitutes. Another vampire novel, initially titled Marguerite, was the first time I did NaNo (2004).

I'll admit not all of my NaNo attempts were successful. But I never threw the stories away, and plan to finish them. I've also found sometimes it's a good idea to let a story wait.

What do I plan to do with Serpent Fire? I don't know. I'm having fun writing it. At this point, it's a paranormal political thriller urban fantasy. I think it'll be somewhere between 60,000-75,000 words upon completion.

To be honest, I almost gave up on NaNo this year. In the beginning, I was so far behind, the stats predicted I'd finish December 3. I started writing 2,000 words a day, writing scenes out of sequence, just to meet and then exceed my goal. Sorry, folks, guess I'm too stubborn to give up that easily. The last day, I wrote 4,061 words to meet the 50,000 word goal. My process was write 1,000 words, take a short break, then go back and write another 1,000 words, take a break, etc. If I didn't know how a scene would work, I'd write another one, telling myself that I could "fix it in post."

I'll have to let you know how that goes...