Ryan Field's Blog, page 519

Alleged Sandusky Victim Quit School Because of Bullies

This, indeed, is outrageous. One of the abuse victims of the alleged Jerry Sandusky scandal had to leave school due to bullying inflicted upon him by classmates who were outraged that good old "JoePa" was forced out. Allegedly, the bullies were blaming Joe Paterno's firing on the victim.

I've written about bullying before. This isn't LGBT bullying. But it's a good example of how bullies can be found anywhere.

I'll admit I don't live nearby the Penn State Campus and I've never been affiliated with anything west of Philadelphia. I live in Bucks County, PA, and PA is a large state. In this area we have more of a New York/New Jersey influence. But I can tell you this much. No one where I live in this part of PA is supporting anyone connected with the alleged child abuse. And I find it hard to believe that anyone, anywhere, would care more about an old man's football career than they care about victms of child abuse.

There's something seriously wrong if even a small group of people out there in State College feel this way.

How Can a Box and a Basket Screw Up the Entire Book?

I wish there were a way to scream "thank you" to my editor at Loveyoudivine.com, Dalia. Because that's what I'm doing right now.

Last night, while going over the final draft of THE COMPUTER TUTOR, I discovered a mistake. It was just one word, and it could have been ignored, but I figured that if it bothered me it's going to bother other readers. And, this is what editing is all about.

The word was "basket." It needed to be changed to "box." If you look at the book cover above, you'll see there is a "box" of puppies, not a "basket" of puppies. "Basket" was in the book, not "box." Both words would have worked within the context of the story. But it bothered me that the cover didn't go with the story. And I like the word "box" more than "basket," even though I originally wrote it as "basket." I think a guy would use a box faster than a basket.

So I e-mailed Dalia late last night and waited to hear if it could be fixed. I've seen this happen before with all publishers, even NY publishers, where the book cover doesn't always coincide with the story. It's not the biggest thing in the world, I wouldn't classify it as coverfail, but those little details can really freak me out.

Thankfully, Dalia was able to change "basket" to "box" and all is well. The reason I didn't catch it sooner is because when you're in the editing process you're busy working on tightening sentences, revising paragraphs, and a multitude of things most people wouldn't even consider while they are reading a book. Most readers only care about the story and whether or not it appeals to them. But there is a lot of work that goes into the writing aspects.

I'm going to write another post about this soon. There is a very loud, critical book reviewer out there who just "edited" an anthology of short erotic stories and all I'm hearing about are how "emotional" the stories are in the pre-promotions. But when I read the few published excerpts released, I'm seeing some bad writing that should have been fixed before this book went to print. We're talking about passive voice all over the place...and amateur mistakes that should be taken care of during edits. That is, if the editor in question is professional and experienced enough to know better. Clearly, this is not the case. And this time the authors can't be blamed. It's an anthology and it all falls on the editor. I know this because I've worked with some of the best editors in lgbt fiction...Neil Plakcy and Lawrence Schimmel to name two...and I've watched and learned while they edited me.

Editing a book or anthology isn't just about picking "emotional" stories you love. That's what readers and reviewers do, not editors. Going for "emotion" is only part of the editorial deal. Real editing is about making the story tighter, going line by line to make sure the author didn't make any mistakes, and creating a finished work that is as close to perfect as it can get, from dialogue tags to semi-colons. In other words, let the readers and reviewers worry about the storyline. It's the editor's job to fix the writing problems so that everything is neat and clean.

As I just proved, two words like "basket and box" can change the look and feel of an entire book. And unless an editor knows what h/she is doing, and what his/her job is, indeed, as an editor, it can be a painful experience for readers and they aren't even sure why.

Thankfully, I've been charmed enough in my life to have worked with the best, like Dalia.

84 Distinct Works

A reader e-mailed me and asked how many books/stories I've had published.

I went blank. I honestly had no idea. I stopped counting a long time ago. I'm like that. If you ask me the name of a character in a book I wrote a year ago I have to go look it up. I think this is because I believe in looking forward, not backward.

But I wanted to answer the reader, so I checked out goodreads.com and sure enough, they have a round about figure. According the them, I have "84 distinct works." I think there are more published works, but those works would go back to pre-computer days when I first started out. There are also tons of magazine pieces I've done, both in the US and in Europe. (I love working with magazines: they pay great flat fees, the editors are really cool, and you don't have to put up with any bullshit.)

But here's the link to goodreads.com if you're curious. I hope the info there is correct. But then I didn't do it so you can blame goodreads if it's not correct (smile).

Blurb Preview: The Arrangement

I've been hinting at a project I've been working on with another m/m author. I can't give out his name yet, but I can say that we're both writing separate novellas that will be one book. The theme of the book is "bosses." And each novella is around twenty-five thousand words.

The title of mine is THE ARRANGEMENT, and I've been working on a blurb all weekend so I can submit it to the publisher before Thanksgiving. This one is rough, and is subject to change, but seeing it in print on the blog gives me a different perspective. And this time the basic idea is to keep it as short and sweet and neat as possible.

The Arrangement:

It's 1962 and handsome young Toby MacFarlane has just moved to New York and started a new job in advertising. He's hoping to find a social life, too, with other hot men who love men just like himself. But Toby wasn't expecting his married boss to take advantage of his good nature, or for the over-sexed boss to use his apartment as a love nest so the boss can sneak around with young men behind his wife's back.

With all the secrets Toby's boss is keeping from everyone, including a nice young man Toby winds up falling in love with, will Toby be able to live with all these lies for long? Or will Toby find the strength to stand up to his boss and do the right thing for the man he loves?

Discover what it was like for homosexuals living in 1962 to figure it all out, in The Arrangement!

Christmas Release Excerpt: The Computer Tutor

Here's an excerpt from my new Christmas release, THE COMPUTER TUTOR.
I don't have an exact release date yet, but I'll post when I find out.

This excerpt is from the final draft, in PDF format, which I've been going over for mistakes all weekend.

The Computer Tutor
When I phoned my mom a week before
Christmas Eve and told her I was looking forward
to spending the holidays with the family, I
honestly meant it this year. For the first time
since I could remember, I was smiling at the
thought of going back to Asshat, USA for a few
days. Though I was still waiting for my real adult
life to begin, I knew my young adult life in
Asshat was over for good.
After years of hard work, I'd finally graduated
and landed my first authentic-paying position as
a veterinarian in an emergency clinic the previous
August, and I hadn't been back home since
The Computer Tutor
2
Easter. I'd grown up in a small town about four
hours northwest of Philadelphia. In high school,
a group of us had nicknamed the little town,
Asshat, USA and it stuck with me all these years.
In Philadelphia, I'd shared a dingy college
apartment near University City with various guys
for almost seven years, including a full-time lover.
I wasn't one of those students who went home
every weekend. I only went when it was absolutely
necessary.
Ever since I left home for college, going back
to Asshat for the Christmas holidays always filled
me with anxiety and made me feel trapped. It was
as if that little town was a magnet, and it was
sucking me back with a force too hard to resist. I
experienced nightmares two days before I left
Philadelphia. My heart raced at the thought of
being locked in Asshat forever, working alongside
my dad in his small veterinary practice, waiting
to die a long, slow death.
Landing my new job at the twenty-four hour
emergency clinic had helped dissipate my fears.
Now, I had my own studio apartment in
Philadelphia, a few bucks in my pocket for the
Ryan Field
3
first time in my life, and I was going back home
as an adult, not a needy student.
This realization made a huge difference,
knowing that you're completely self-sufficient and
no one can tell you what to do anymore. Though
you're not a complete adult yet, you're on your
way. When you know you're going home for just
a visit and nothing more, your childhood bedroom
starts to take on an endearing, nostalgic appeal
instead of a depressing, confined look that
tightens your chest and makes you want to heave
chunks.
Mom and Dad can't even suggest what you
should do with your life in a nice way anymore…
because they love you so much. Your life becomes
none of their business. I knew my dad would have
loved to have me come home and take over his
small practice. My mom would have loved me to
marry a local girl, settle down, and provide her
with a litter of grandchildren.
The trouble is that wasn't me. In high school,
when I was supposed to be dating a cheerleader,
I was usually parked on a dark country road with
another guy on the football team. I won't even

Mr. Belvedere (theme song)

Yes, Virginia, There Is A Christmas Release...

I was reading one of the publishing blogs I follow earlier today during a coffee break from my next book in The Virgin Billionaire series and I came across something that made me wonder. It doesn't matter who said it. What matters is there is still some inaccurate publishing advice going around.

The theme of the blog post was about making mistakes while querying editors or agents (groan,) and one of the examples of what not to do referred to a comment the querier made that suggested the book in question would be ready as a "Christmas release..." in publishing.

The blogger jumped on this. The blogger said there was no such thing as a "Christmas release" in publishing because all Christmas related books are released in October and November. And this is what made me stop and think.

I know this is how it used to be in print publishing, back in those good old days. It also used to take a year or two for a book to actually be published once it was submitted to a publisher. There were slow times of the year in publishing, and people actually took Fridays off in the summer instead of working to get books released faster. Until recently, publishing has been widely known as the slowest industry in the universe.

But all that has changed in the past five years. In the past three years alone I've personally had several "Christmas releases" in December that have sold many copies...some in mid-December. I would never, indeed, release a Christmas story or book in October now because it would be tired by the time Christmas comes around.

Millions of e-readers, iPads, and tablets are sold as Christmas gifts each year. This year I'm sure the numbers will go up as more people switch to e-reading. And the first thing people want to do after they open their new electronic reading device on Christmas morning is download a few books.

In fact, right now I'm working hard on edits with loveyoudivine.com to get a "Christmas release," The Computer Tutor, out by Thanksgiving and I'm worried that might be too soon. We're actually debating about whether or not to hold back and release in mid-December. But more than that, my publishers refer to these books as "Christmas releases." I don't think the advice the blogger gave was bad advice on purpose. I just think it was inaccurate advice and not keeping up with all aspects of publishing.

So yes, Virginia, there is a Christmas release.

Reopening the Natalie Wood Case...

Evidently, the case surrounding Natalie Wood's untimely death has been reopened by LA Police.

You can read more about it here.

I always remember one thing about this case that left me wondering. Ms. Wood allegedly had a huge fear of water. I'm not fond of water myself, so that fact stuck with me. And when people have fears like these, there is no way they spend more time on or near the water then necessary. There isn't enough vodka on the planet to get me to spend time near water for any length of time.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Like I said, certain things about this case didn't make sense to me. And if something doesn't make sense, nine times out of ten it's not true.

Sebastian Marshall Writes Open Letter to Simon & Shuester CEO

Below I've quoted, verbatim, the first few paragraphs from Sebastian Marshall's web site. It's a bold letter to the CEO of Simon & Shuester. And very long. I've added a link at the end of the quote so you can continue reading over at Mr. Marshall's web site.

If you're an author, it's worth taking a hop over there to check it out.

Hi Carolyn,

Sit down before you read this.

We've got to talk.

Look. This is going to piss you off. This is going to look like I'm causing problems." Read more...

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore Call it Quits...

I read about it here , where you can follow another link to the AP and read the details.

Demi Moore is quoted saying this:

"As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life," she told the news service."

And I couldn't agree with her more...and I'm not even a woman a mother and wife.

Ashton Kuctcher tweeted this (Oh yes, the idiot tweeted it, in all his tweetified glory):

"I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK."

Love and Light? Who, seriously, speaks this way?