Sara Jayne Townsend's Blog, page 51

Monday's Friend: Rafael Pinero

Today I would like to welcome Rafael Pinero, writer of speculative fiction (sci fi and urban fantasy) to the blog as this week's Monday's Friend.

Chopping Up Genres to Bits

By Rafael Pinero

The other day I stumbled upon a new (to me) sub-genre: science fiction romance. It left me a tad confused. Was it romance with a science fiction theme or as the author helpfully explained a sci-fi story centered on a romantic relationship with a happy ending?

But why not simply call it science fiction? I mean science fiction already has a number of sub-genres such as : military sci-fi, space opera, steampunk, cyberpunk and the like. Which got me to thinking about the plethora of sub genres just in speculative fiction alone. Do we need to tack on -punk to everything or -romance or add dark- on every back cover?

I can understand the author's need to define their work as best they can while agents/publishers look for new markets to exploit. But what about consumers? Either they already know what they like or they will ignore the branding all together. They only long term effect I see for this trend is that it will further pigeonhole new writers into narrower strips of the bookstore shelf or the most obscure corners of the internet.

So the question to you gentle reader, is this a good thing or a bad thing and why?

To find out more about Rafael and his writing, check out his blog, Neither Here Nor There.

Endless Editing

(Cross-posted from the WriteClub blog)

I'm entrenched in the editing process for my forthcoming release DEATH SCENE. Currently working on the fourth set of edits. Or is it the fifth? To be honest, I'm starting to lose count.

With this, my second published novel, at least I know what to expect. When SUFFER THE CHILDREN was going through the editing process, everything was new and exciting. Even when I got to the point that I'd read my own manuscript so often I though my eyeballs would start to bleed.

When the final finished version of SUFFER THE CHILDREN dropped into my inbox, a zipped folder containing all six formats, I was so excited to see my first published e-book I tried to open all six formats at once. Of course this was more than my old laptop could cope with, and it promptly crashed.

But apart from skimming through the first few pages to read the dedication, and the acknowledgements, and the blurb, and basking in the glory of being a published novelist, I never actually read that final version. I had read it so many times during the editing process I just couldn't bring myself to read it once more.

SUFFER THE CHILDREN is now loaded on to my e-reader, but still I haven't read that final version. Part of the reason is because of the aforementioned 'reading fatigue'. But another part is because even up to the galley stage I was still finding mistakes. In spite of the endless editing process I am sure mistakes still made it through to the final version, and I'm not sure I could bear to find them, now, when I can't do anything to correct them.

I understand the need for many rounds of edits. Each one makes the novel better, and picks up errors that have been missed in previous rounds. But the process can be exhausting – I have read this manuscript so many times now the characters are appearing in my dreams at night.

I wonder how long it will be before I can revisit SUFFER THE CHILDREN and actually read it, without the editing reflex action kicking in? Perhaps it might be a good thing to do when I'm finally done with edits for DEATH SCENE and want to take a break from it.

Report on our Bali Trip

Our trip to Bali was a while ago now – last December, in fact. But I am conscious of the fact I said I'd blog about it and never did.

Indonesia is made up of several small islands. The majority of its residents are Muslims. Bali is the only island which is mostly Hindu, and elaborate temples can be found everywhere. Each village has to have at least three. Homes tend to have at least two. The temples are elaborate and very beautiful, but there are so many of them that after a while you get used to seeing them everywhere and you no longer stare in wonder at every one you pass.

Hindu temple on the beach

The Balinese put offerings to their gods outside the temples three times a day – after every meal. The offerings consist of rice, flowers and incense sticks in little wicker baskets. It's such an ingrained part of their culture that they seem to do it without thinking about it. Even in the restaurants you see the staff crossing the room at certain times of day with the offering baskets.

It's incredibly hot and humid in Bali, and it is prone to heavy rain. The hotel we stayed in wasn't near the beach, so they had a shuttle bus that ran there twice a day, a fifteen minute trip. The first day we were there it started pouring with rain as we were getting ready to get on the shuttle bus to the beach, so we cancelled. We soon learned this was a mistake. The rain falls heavily, but it stops as abruptly as it starts, and it's so hot the puddles dry out very quickly. After a day or two we learned to get the shuttle bus to the beach anyway, regardless of whether or not it was raining. If it was raining when we got there, we would visit the cafe for a drink. The rain would have stopped by the time we were done.

Me relaxing by the rooftop pool

The hotel also ran a shuttle bus to Kuta, which we discovered is more or less the Australian equivalent of Benidorm. This is where all the bars and restaurants are, not to mention an enormous Western-style shopping mall. So many Australian tourists holiday here that half the bars in Kuta are Australian-themed, and fly Australian flags outside. It's a madly busy place. We discovered it's the best place to go for a bite to eat, and if you want to drink all night, that's the place to go – the bars are for tourists only as the natives are non-drinkers.

We arrived in Bali in the run-up to an important festival that seems to be the Balinese equivalent to Christmas. Every family erects a giant decorated bamboo pole outside their house, and during the two days of the Galungan festival everyone visits their families, eats and drinks more than usual and doesn't go to work.

Stopping for tea at a Balinese house - note the Galungan decoration we are standing beside

We went on a day trip that involved driving across the island seeing some of the crops that grow – the only industry on Bali is agriculture and tourism. There are acres of rice fields, and they also grow a variety of spices, herbs and coffee beans. We were quite taken with ginseng coffee, which is very sweet and refreshing. During our trip we stopped at a local's house for tea and rice cakes. Houses are built as a series of small buildings separated by large outdoor areas, and several generations of one family live on one plot.

One particularly striking thing about Bali is the presence of hundreds of motor cycles. Most of the population can't afford a car, so they all buy motor cycles as a means of transportation. Often you see families of four or five packed onto one motorcycle, and no one wears helmets or any kind of protective gear. The bikes ride five or six abreast along the road, weaving and ducking their way amongst the traffic. I got rather terrified watching them, and I was in the back of a taxi. I wouldn't want to drive in Bali, and I'm sure there must be a lot of accidents every year. The motorcycles are used to transport items as well as people. We saw several motorcycles with the giant bamboo poles that are used as decoration for the Galungan festival, being transported home by someone on the back of a motorcycle and sticking far out across the road.

Roadside shop selling adornments for the Galungan Festival bamboo poles - equivalent to Christmas decorations

We didn't spend all our time on Bali trekking around the island – the hotel had two swimming pools, and we spent some time chilling out there, too.

When we returned home it was a bit of a culture shock to go from Bali's humidity to the Big Freeze London was gripped in last December. But it was nice to have a bit of sun in mid-winter, and experience some South Pacific culture.

Dark Scribe Magazine Reviews "Suffer the Children"

Here is the link to the latest review of STC, from online horror mag Dark Scribe.

I'm firstly very impressed the review comes from Rick R. Reed, himself a many-times-published and well known horror writer. I'm also impressed that he's recommending it.

As far as reviews go, it's not completely glowing, as he does point out some places where he feels there is room for improvement. He feels that the story is somewhat sluggish in getting started. Well, maybe he's got a point. Others have made the same comment.

However, he does also say the book would have benefitted from a good editor, ahd I would contest that I have one!

In any case, I'm not actually complaining because balanced reviews are the best kind. I am always suspicious of any book on Amazon that lists nothing but dozens of five-star reviews without any word of criticism from anyone – makes me think the author's bribed his or her mates to post loads of reviews.

So this review's going up on the website with all the others, and I am very grateful that Mr Reed took the time to read it and offer an opinion.

E-books and Editing

(Cross-posted from the WriteClub blog)

Sometimes I feel like I'm on a one-woman crusade to champion the cause for e-books. But there's a lot of prejudice out there against them. One misconception is if you've got an e-book, you've PDF'd it yourself and stuck it up on Amazon.

It's true there are a lot of self-published e-books. There are a lot of self-published print books also, but I guess e-books are easier and cheaper to produce if you're going down the self-published route. Self publishing has always had bad press in the industry. Just because a book is self-published doesn't necessarily mean it's bad – although I have read some that have made me understand where that assumption comes from.

The fact remains, though, that more and more small publishers are specialising in e-books only. This doesn't mean they scrimp on quality. There's still a rigorous editing process. SUFFER THE CHILDREN went through no less than seven rounds of editing, not including the pre-edit. DEATH SCENE is still in the process, but there's already been three rounds with more to come.

With the nature of publishing changing the way it is, I think we're going to see more and more independent publishers setting up as e-publishers. Sadly, much of the industry still has to come to grips with the fact that just because a book is an e-book only and has no print version doesn't mean it's not a 'proper' book.

I'm on a personal crusade to disabuse people of this notion at every opportunity. In fact most people who know me are bored of me banging on about this now. The publishing industry is changing. Those of us who are e-book converts just have to wait for everyone else to catch up.

Monday's Friend: Rhonda Lee Carver

I would like to welcome romance writer Rhonda Lee Carver to the blog for today's guest post.



Chemistry

How do I give my hero and heroine chemistry?

Let's face the fact; it isn't just the love that puts the kaboom factor in a romance novel. It's something far more electric and dangerous…Chemistry.

I love the word Chemistry. It conjures up images of exploding concoctions and exploration—two things that work well in romance novels. If a reader sat down with a novel and opened page 1 to find hero meets heroine, and on page 15 they like each other, and by page 100 they love one another, and not had one argument—blah. One, reality doesn't work this way, and although a romance novel is fictional, a reader does want to relate—at least on some level. Life has ups and downs, especially in relationships. And two, readers who pick up a romance novel want lots of heat and steam and passion—hence the term romance. And where do the heat and steam and passion derive from?

I know, I know…Conflict.

By the way, I love this word, too. To a writer, it means giving the hero and heroine something to hate about each other. Come on, there must be one thing you hate about the person you love. Just sayin…

Yea, hate may be too strong a word, but seriously, conflict breeds passion. The more passionate one is, the deeper the emotion. Next time you're reading, pay special attention to the rate of your heartbeat during the hero and heroine's argument, as well the intimate moments.

There is nothing more sensual and raw than two people who are in the midst of verbally thrashing one another and the hero wrenches the heroine into his strong, muscular arms and kisses the sassiness right out of her. Breathless and mesmerized, what was the argument about anyway?

In life, couples argue. They make up…sometimes. They love and fall out of love. And sometimes it lasts forever. But when you have chemistry with another person, it sets a whole new level on intimacy and draw. Chemistry is not something that you fall out of. It's an unseen force that connects one to another, and nourishes passion. For those who have experienced chemistry with another, than you'll understand completely.

Here is an excerpt from Rhonda's latest book SECOND CHANCE COWBOY:

Carly squeezed her hands into fists. "My poor husband. How difficult it is for him to manage his inflated ego and keep his zipper closed."

"We're divorced, remember?" His voice reeked of sarcasm.

She groaned in irritation. Her pulse pounded in her ears like the beating of a drum. Her claws were showing.

Chance didn't blink an eye as he gazed at her across the room.

"Honey, I can keep my pants zipped just fine. Problem is, you can't keep your fingers off my zipper."

Carly's palm itched to slap him. "We live in a small town, Chance. How do you think it's possible we haven't run into each other more than three times in the last two years?" She cocked her chin. "Let me fill you in. I've done everything in my power to keep from bumping into you. Do you realize how difficult it is to plan my schedule weeks in advance so I don't have to see you? Is that a description of a woman who can't keep her fingers off your zipper?"

"No, more like a woman who's afraid she'll forget what screwed up our marriage in the first place, realize she's made a huge mistake and get her ass back home."

"Humph, fat chance that'll ever happen." She fumbled with the sheet in irritation and gave her hair a toss over one shoulder.

Damn, he did have a point, although she'd never admit it to him.

"Yeah, right, Carly, because you can't ever forgive and forget, can you? You think you're the only one who has lost, don't you?" His eyes became steely pools of green. His voice turned low and controlled. "I lost Devon, too. He was my son–our son. How long are you going to keep blaming me for his death?"

Carly swallowed the painful lump in her constricted throat. "I don't blame you."

"Could have fooled me."

"We both know why I left."

"We do?" His bitter laugh split the air with its razor-sharp intensity. "I know you want to hold on to the belief that I am the bad guy who drove you away, but isn't it time you took half the responsibility for the failure of our marriage?" A trace of compassion softened his expression. He tugged on his shirt and finger-combed his hair.

"It wasn't my fault you cheated." Once she said it, she wanted to yank the words back. Too late, just like their relationship.

"You're a broken record, sweetheart. It's not worth denying the accusation any longer. Maybe eventually you'll believe your words and feel justified in leaving. Devon died, Carly. He's gone and we can't change the truth. One of us needed to make the decision to let him go and I made it. I held out hope you'd eventually find a sliver of forgiveness in your cold heart. I guess I was wrong."

The old wound broke open and her lungs emptied of oxygen. She wanted to lash out at him, tell him to go to hell, but the words didn't come. Instead, she whispered, "I'm going to the bathroom. When I get back I want you gone."

"Carly, you've become an expert at sucking all the joy out of your life and pushing away anyone who reaches out to you. You're living in a self-made prison, founded on guilt and pain, and there is no key to unlock the cell door."



SECOND CHANCE COWBOY is available to buy from Lyrical Press.

Find out more about Rhonda Lee Carver from the following links:



Rhonda's Website

Facebook

Facebook Author Page

Twitter

Back In Business: WIP Progress Report

Since completing the first draft of Book 2 of the amateur sleuth series a few weeks ago, I have turned my attention to my other work in progress – the horrible mess that is meant to be my urban fantasy. Well, I've tagged it urban fantasy. But since there is no longer any mention of sexy vampires – just trolls, demons and a variety of deities – I'm more inclined to refer to it these days as supernatural crime (I maintain there is a difference).

The history of this WIP is as follows: I finished Draft 1, with much pride. I started on Draft 2. I presented the first three chapters of Draft 2 to the writing group. They tore it to shreds. I abandoned Draft 2 and shoved the sorry mess into a drawer for months. Some time last year, with some new ideas, I hauled it out again and began Draft 3. A few months after that it ground to a halt again and I aborted Draft 3 and shoved it into a drawer again.

Having pledged this year to get the damn thing into a presentable state, I've re-visited it of late and done extensive work on world building, which is where part of my troubles lay – I hadn't given enough thought to how my world works.

I've been working on this for a few weeks now, and at this morning's early-morning writing session I felt brave enough to make a start on Chapter 1 of the new draft. I am calling the new draft 3.5. Technically it's Draft 4, but since neither Draft 2 nor Draft 3 were ever finished, I don't feel they were ever 'proper' drafts.

I still have to work out my chapter-by-chapter breakdown, something I don't feel I can progress much further without. But I had some ideas about Chapter 1, so I thought I would start writing and see what happened. I was quite pleased with the results.

It remains to be seen whether I can salvage anything from the previous drafts, or whether I'm going to have to rebuild from the ground up and write the new draft completely from scratch. I suspect the latter, but that's quite a daunting prospect. I managed just under 700 words this morning. I don't want to think about how many more words there are to go.

But, my supernatural sleuth is back in business and I feel good about that. It was a good way to start a Friday.

Who'd Be a Writer?

(Cross-posted on the WriteClub blog)

Today, I'd like to share a joke with you.

A writer died and was given the option of going to heaven or hell.

She decided to check out each place first. As the writer descended into the fiery pits, she saw row upon row of writers chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they were repeatedly whipped with thorny lashes.

"Oh my," said the writer. "Let me see heaven now."

A few moments later, as she ascended into heaven, she saw rows of writers, chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they, too, were whipped with thorny lashes.

"Wait a minute," said the writer. "This is just as bad as hell!"

"Oh no, it's not," replied an unseen voice. "Here, your work gets published."

This is an old joke, but I like it because it rings true. No one sane would voluntarily choose to be a writer, and put themselves into this perpetual torment we all live in. The stress and anguish of rewriting and revisions. The depression that follows each rejection. The feelings of worthlessness that seems to hit every writer on a regular basis, making them doubt their ability to write anything that's remotely publishable.

We don't choose to be writers, we just are. The need to write is as inherent as the need to breathe. So we deal with it, somehow. We write, and we deal with the ups and the downs. Those of us with day jobs somehow find a way to fit the writing and all it entails in around the day job. Sometimes I envy my colleagues who roll into work a bit later, insisting they physically can't get out of bed before 8am. Sometimes I wish I couldn't either, but my 5:30am starts on writing mornings prove that actually, I can, even if I don't like it much.

Being a writer is not a career choice, it's just what we are. I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a writer. On the whole, in spite of aforementioned downers, I am proud to be so.

Monday's Friend: LM Preston

For my first 'Monday's Friend' guest post I'd like to welcome YA Sci Fi author LM Preston to my blog.

How I Speed Write

By LM Preston

There are ways to make speed writing more effective. The overall goal, is to produce more in a shorter period of time. If you keep this up, who knows, speed writing may become a habit.

Prepare for it

When you set out to write a novel in a short period of time, outlining is your friend. Take a week to write a detailed outline of the story. It will help to work out most of the kinks before you even sit down to write. Create character profiles of the main characters and review outline before the start of your writing marathon.

Plan it

If you are going to focus on spitting out as many words as possible a day, then plan it. Block out your writing time for the month. Figure out when you are most productive. Is it in the morning, at night or midday? Make a rule – no sleep unless you have kicked out a minimum of a certain amount of words. Make sure you schedule extra time for working out of corners or temporary writer's blocks. Make your schedule somewhat flexible so that you don't get burned out and give up.

Write it

With a printout of your outline next to you and a bullet list of your character profile – start the race. Follow your outline. If you want to go rogue, go ahead, write until the roadblock. If you reach a road block – write anything, take some time off to think on it, then re-work your outline and get back to it. Whatever you do – don't stop writing. Remember, you will always have to edit it.

Don't look back

Whatever you do, don't read over what you've written until you are finished. That is an easy way to get distracted. Remember, you'll have to edit the thing many times before your piece of art is perfected. Just write forward, don't make corrections, don't read over it, just push forward and write.

LM Preston writes stories for and about kids that overcome the impossible and is the author of 'The Pack', 'Bandits', and 'Explorer X-Alpha (MG)'. Find out more about LM at the following links:

WEBSITE: www.lmpreston.com

BLOG: http://lmpreston.blogspot.com/

PARTY BLOG: http://bookpartylmpreston.blogspot.com

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

Body Image

I've been battling with my weight all my adult life. Over the last 20 years, I've been varying from size 12 to size 18. It goes round in a cycle. I put on weight, I go on a diet, I lose the weight and feel good, but the weight always finds me again.

However, over the last couple of years I've come to terms with my body and all of its imperfections. Confidence has made a huge difference to my life recently. I believe confidence comes through maturity and wisdom, and there's no short cut to finding it.



This picture was taken by my dad on the day before my 41st birthday, and I am including it because I think it's a good contrast to the picture in my last post. There's over 35 years between this picture and the previous one. When I think about that, it makes me realise just what a long journey it's been between my being the little girl in that picture and the woman in this one.

The skirt in this picture is a recent purchase. I used to have several similar ones in my wardrobe, that my stylist made me get rid of during my wardrobe detox. So I know that she wouldn't approve, but I bought it anyway. Part of this confidence in the contemporary me is the conviction that if I like the way something looks, that's a good enough reason to wear it.

It's been over 18 months now since I had my styling session, and I'm a size larger now than I was then. So much of what the stylist picked out for me no longer fits. But I am comfortable with who I am, and I can say with confidence that right now, in my 40s, I'm at a good place in my life. I can probably count myself lucky because not everyone gets this far.

Life is short. You have to make what you can of it, and in the grand scheme of things, many of the trivialities we worry about – like putting on a few pounds – are really not important. The recent natural catastrophes in various parts of the world over the last few months have made me think about this quite a lot of late. None of us knows how many tomorrows we have left – so why waste today worrying about them?