Isa K.'s Blog, page 4

An Official Perv on Olympic Athletes Post

Okay, first a little business! Guttersnipe is finally available on Amazon! :D And will be available on B&N etc shortly. I wanted this to happen weeks ago, but I wanted to do it through the startup Libboo and it looks like that was a bad idea.

There are essentially two types of publishing related startups: those that understand the book industry but don't understand tech, and those that understand tech but not the book industry. When the founder of Libboo stood up at their Demo Day pitch and announced there was no discovery platform for books it should have set off HUGE red flags. (I mean I have my issues and complaints about Goodreads but to pretend it doesn't have a massive impact on book discovery is ridiculous ... It meant these people are either delusionally arrogant or they simply know fuck-all about the industry they are attempting to "revolutionize" Frankly, not uncommon in tech)

Which is sad because I think their product (which allows you create publishing teams and split revenue between editors, cover artists, etc) would be revolutionary. It would lower the costs of producing a high quality self published book and allow more genre-blurring works of fiction to enter the market. The best romances I have read this year (Shattered Glass, The Epic Love Story of Doug and Stephen, The Raw and the Cooked,Dirty Fighters) have all been self published. So making higher quality easier and cheaper just means more interesting stuff to read for everyone!

Still hoping they eventually get their act together, but as of right now I have zero confidence in their ability to provide worthwhile services to writers. They're focusing their resources on the wrong things (Oh great another startup pretending to be "Pandora for Books" ... why doesn't anyone point out to these people that Pandora isn't actually a success story?)

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In other news: The Olympics have started which means prominent TV coverage of the world of mens gymnastics and more Isa-angst when the TV commentators mention the age of the athletes she has been shamelessly drooling over.

Fucking hell Nineteen year old boys have no right looking that well developed and delicious >.>

Submitted as evidence:

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How old would you say that guy is? Twenty-three? Twenty-two? Nope ... he's nineteen years old, will turn twenty in October >.< ... There's a pic of him at sixteen somewhere that made me realize I'm going to hell *ugh*

His name is Sam Mikulak and he's made the finals for Vault as an individual athlete in addition to his competition as part of Team USA. His hobbies include sunbathing half naked and making little pancakes shaped like Olympic rings.

Seriously ... mens gymnastics is like being in a candy store *____* There is an athlete for every taste. Big muscly guys? (Check) Long and nimble? (Check) Young, old (there's a Bulgarian athlete competing who's thirty-nine! Which is not OLD but is a rather advanced age to be stretched out in midair on a set of rings @_@) ... Black, white, hispanic, short, tall.... A flavor for everyone.

My mother has developed a thing for John Orozco *lol*

Then there's this cutie:



That's Irish gymnast Kieran Behan whose Olympic story is just sick:

Nerve damage from a botched leg operation left his foot numb and causes excruciating pain even if his leg is touched ever so gently. Brain damage caused by his head hitting the high bar in training left him struggling to do simple tasks such as moving his head or eating.

He then ruptured his ACL TWICE. Jesus fucking Christ, hand this guy a stick and teach him to play hockey already @_@ That's hardcore.

Well, his nerves got the best of him yesterday and he won't be moving on to finals ... but he's only twenty-three years old and his story has gotten so much press that he now has sponsors. Looking forward to seeing him come back in Rio :D :D :D

Make me feel less alone in my dirty-old-womanness. Who are your favorite Olympic athletes this year?

What The Fuck Was I Thinking: a spoiler-licious deconstruction of Guttersnipe

This blog post is for two groups of people: those who read Guttersnipe and thought WTF? and those who DNFed Guttersnipe or would never even considering reading it because they've read slave fic before and they already know how these things go.

First of all, thank you everyone for participating in The Challenge. I have never received so many in-depth, thoughtful and fascinating reviews. I wanted to like every single one of the them … but then I decided that was probably creepy *lol* Those of you who chose to go there pulled no punches, let me get away with nothing, and it was very flattering to see people give up time and energy to really critique something.

So far on the blog tour I've talked about rebelling from the rape-as-love-story model, I've talked about writing in the gray areas beyond romance, and I've talked about rape as a valid (and awesome) sexual fantasy. Originally I had planned this final stop on the blog tour to be about comparing what publishers thought reader reaction would be to what your reactions actually were. But after looking at your reviews and seeing the same questions come up over and over again, I've changed my mind about that. (Instead I blogged a little about it earlier in the week. Cliff Notes: The pubs were right, I still don't care *lol*)

For those of you that are interested, I'm going try to explain what I wanted for Guttersnipe and why everything just had to be just so to accomplish that. This isn't meant to change anyone's mind, but I think a few of you that found elements of the story just didn't work for you might find it interesting to know that a lot of the problems you saw weren't accidents.

To begin with I like leaving things up to interpretation…
This is not the first time I've written something and romance readers have criticized me for not specifying every detail clearly. I'm still undecided about whether I want to adjust my style to accommodate the genre, and if so how much. Coming from fanfiction I like ambiguity, because I like to develop my own interpretations of the characters and I don't want any author telling me that my ideas are wrong. So on a personal level I prefer stories that leave things up to interpretation. Apparently many in romance do not.

As a result the motives of some characters in Guttersnipe are unclear in the sense that there is enough evidence to support multiple interpretations and you're never really told which one is the "right answer".

For example…

Is Marco a nice guy?
On one hand he is kind, protective and at times downright affectionate with Derek. He gives Derek many opportunities to make a good life for himself within the boundaries of the rules. He keeps Derek from falling apart when it looks like Derek is about to. He doesn't demand much from him and seems willing to let Derek dictate the terms of his enslavement (up to a point).

On the other hand there are a couple of scenes that call to question how much of this niceness is really sincere and how much of it is Marco manipulating Derek for his own benefit.

For example, why does Marco bring them to Louis's home? Sure, Marco is a bit of a pyorrhea, doesn't have many friends among the elite. But he's on good terms with Cornelius Fawn who's only interested in female slaves and could have been trusted alone with Derek. Why Louis?

You could argue that Marco knows Louis won't be able to resist the temptation Derek presents and that once Louis succumbs to that temptation Marco will have the leverage he needs to finalized his business deal.

But more importantly, you could argue that Marco knows the experience is likely to knock Derek off-kilter. He improves the odds of this happening by making sure that Derek knows as little as possible about slave protocol and what awaits him. Zach does his best, but Zach was only a slave for a relatively short period of time. It's Marco who should be briefing Derek on how to behave and he doesn't … why?

An off-kilter Derek is completely dependent on Marco. Completely. In order to win the game between himself and Evelyn, Marco needs to make sure Derek sees him as the lesser of two evils. Evelyn has a major head start: he's been feeding Derek's ego for years. If Marco's going to turn the tables he needs to foster some kind of connection with Derek. Reframing their relationship so that Marco becomes a source of security and protection from a hostile and cruel world is (at the time) the best way to do that.

You could easily read that part of the book as Marco offering Derek up on a silver platter to be raped because it helps advance his plans.

And what about Nick's gang rape? Marco knows exactly where Derek is and certainly knows the layout of his own house. He knows Derek is likely to overhear. So was it all Evelyn as Marco claims? Who benefits from encouraging Derek's infatuation with Nick more than Marco? What better way to keep the spark going than to hand Derek exactly what he wants: a broken, heavily abused subject with which to save and prove his own righteousness.

When it comes to Marco, I don't want to tell people how to think of his character. You can read his actions in Guttersnipe as genuine kindness or you can read Marco as someone who manipulates, rapes and abuses when it serves his agenda.

So why go out of his way to save Derek in the end?
His great master plan could be proof that he really did feel something for Derek, or you can read it as part of his self-righteousness (a characteristic he shares with Derek). Personally, I don't think Marco gives a damn whether Derek lives or dies (after all he's not there in the end to see which one it is) but Marco does see Nick as an innocent and deserving to be saved.

Marco is a true believer. Unlike Evelyn, Louis and to a lesser extent Cornelius, who support the rules because they profit from them, Marco actually believes in the rules. He might want slight modifications to them here and there, but he believes in the spirit of them. I don't think Marco is very comfortable with the idea of killing Nick for real, because-- unlike Derek-- Nick has done nothing wrong.

Still there's absolutely no way Nick would agree to Marco's plan knowing that Derek would be sacrificed so cruelly (more on this in a second). There's absolutely no way Zach would agree to assist in Marco's plan if there wasn't at least the theoretical possibility that Derek might come out of it alive (although Zach is in some serious denial about other elements of the master plan).

So, alternatively, you could also read Marco's motives as just pragmatism. He cannot get Evelyn without help and the people who he needs to be involved need Derek to be spared.

Which brings me to probably the biggest issue readers had…

The point I was trying to make with this book: Love is BULLSHIT
*lol* Okay … admittedly, this is sort of a strange theme for a romance novel to have. In truth I never thought of Guttersnipe as a romance in the sense that romance means "love story". Guttersnipe speculates on the nature of healthy -vs- abusive relationships and questions the idea that socially acceptable relationships are automatically healthy just because they take a form society approves of. I was not in any way interested in writing a love story, so-- yeah-- if you read the last few chapters under the assumption that I was trying to say Nick and Derek are in love and will live happily ever after … I can imagine how that notion feels unsatisfying and weirdly insincere. Because actually the point I was trying to make is the exact opposite of that.

There are so many many many romance novels out there that sell this idea that love cancels out everything. Abuse is okay as long as you're in love. Love will change your partner into the person you want. Love can heal people of trauma. It's all such bullshit and I'm sick of reading about it. I like reading about sex, about passion, about intimacy. I am sick of reading about love. I'm especially sick of reading about love in books that involve abuse, slavery, violence and rape. I'm sick of the bizarre, offensive and frankly completely unhealthy messages about relationships these books promote. We're all old enough that we can read them, roll our eyes at most of this stuff and go about nurturing our healthy relationships without any negative effects. What attracted me to the idea of a story like this was not publishing a "good" book to battle "bad" books, but just the opportunity to do something different.

Derek only feels the way he does because he's deluding himself. Most of the things Derek thinks about Nick are completely wrong. He doesn't know him and he can't possibly love him.

Although there's a lot less to go on in Nick's case, what we do know is that Nick is bewildered and at times baffled by Derek's attention. It doesn't fit any of the cynical, selfish motives Nick is used to dealing with and he's not quite clear what Derek wants from him. Remember that Evelyn says that Nick finds the way Derek stares at him creepy, it freaks him out.

At the same time, Nick appreciates the fact that Derek is kind to him when it would benefit him much more not to be. So he doesn't want to see Derek hurt. He doesn't want to see Derek crushed or broken in all the ways he knows slaves can be broken. I think Nick sees Derek as a little strange and ridiculous, but does not really believe he deserves the abuse he will undoubtably suffer.

For me the key to Nick and Derek's relationship is that when confronted with the fact that Nick's wishes are different than what Derek wants to believe, Derek backs off and respects those wishes. He doesn't pressure Nick to have sex with him even though that's what he really wants. He doesn't force Nick to escape with him even though he thinks that's what's best for both of them. This is something different for Derek, who has spent the entire book basically imposing his wishes on other people regardless of the consequences. But Nick he consults. He tries his best to consider Nick's feelings whenever he makes a decision that will affect him and he feels dissatisfied when he's put in a situation where he must choose for Nick (i.e. the swap). Derek's love is completely illegitimate, but his respect is real.

I did not want Derek and Nick to be "in love" because the point I was trying to make with Guttersnipe is that it's respect, not love, that is the most important element of a relationship. To me, the woods -vs- the city is a metaphor: it's easy to have the relationship that society tells you is "healthy" (monogamous, clear gender roles, preferably hetero, no kink, no porn, and please women don't like the sex so much) and just trust that function will automatically follow form. In Guttersnipe the socially acceptable relationships aren't necessarily bad, but they aren't automatically fulfilling just because they're encouraged. The point I was trying to make is that the form a relationship takes doesn't really matter, it's respect that matters. Gay, straight, trans, poly, celibate, whatever … if you respect your partner and yourself, you can survive the uncertainty and vulnerability of a real relationship and maybe end up with something more satisfying and freeing.

Nick's optimism at the end doesn't come from being in love, it comes from knowing for the first time that his wants and needs and feelings actually matter to someone.

I realize that many people like to read about love and that by removing it from Derek and Nick's relationship I was alienating all of you. But I really felt like it was important to express what I actually feel about romance: Love is bullshit, build a life with people who act like they give a shit about your feelings

Are they really going to survive in the woods?
I sort of find it really amusing that people fixated on the bird egg thing and overlooked some of the other elements of Nick and Derek's situation. I guess I should have either emphasized this more, or stated these details differently? In Derek's first attempt in the woods he is alone, he is completely cut off from society, without money, without food, knowing nothing about his surroundings.

At the end none of these things are true: he has someone to look out for him, he has money, he is still technically Marco's heir and still technically owes property in the city (though under a new identity), he has supplies and access to replenishing them. He has educated himself about the wilderness. Is everything going to be perfect and wonderful right away? No, of course not. It's a difficult situation, but not an impossible one.

But in the end Derek has just become a substitution for Evelyn with Nick. One controlling relationship has been swapped for another.
Hahah I actually really like this interpretation ^^ Derek/Nick definitely does have light D/S overtones to it. Reversible D/S because I think Derek enjoys being vulnerable with Nick just as much as he enjoys making Nick his, but still D/S.

Although my pub argued that a good story needs to have the characters grow and change … I didn't like what a fluffy true love Derek/Nick would have said about BDSM or how it muddies the message behind Guttersnipe. Marco and Derek's relationship isn't abusive because Derek wears a collar or is made to do kinky things. It's abusive because Marco doesn't give a crap what Derek thinks/feels/wants and is totally okay with putting Derek in terribly situations if Marco stands to benefit. The same goes for Evelyn/Nick, it's not abusive because Evelyn inflicts pain. It's abusive because Nick never consents, indeed cannot consent to it, and Evelyn doesn't really care that Nick doesn't want it.

I like the D/S overtones in Derek/Nick because I think it makes it clear this isn't an anti-BDSM book, it's an anti-"its okay to treat your partner like shit as long as you love them" book.

Derek wasn't as smart as I expected him to be
I've now read a couple different critiques on this matter and … honestly I'm not convinced. I understand that for many the book would have been more enjoyable had Derek been a bit smarter, but more enjoyable is not the same thing as more realistic. Hotel Rwanda would have been more enjoyable for me if Don Cheadle had a sawed off shot gun and there were zombies involved, that doesn't mean they should recut the movie.

I don't believe that a person who comes from the situation Derek is coming from would think the way people want him to think. Derek is not a middle class American, why on Earth should he think like one?

The difference between Marco and Derek mentally is partly age and experience, but it's also a matter of social class. Marco comes from a place where he had choices, Derek does not. Therefore Derek doesn't know how to identify the choices he does have and when he can identify them he becomes paralyzed by indecision, unsure of how to even make the choice in the first place. Derek has never had control of his own life. What Derek understands is obedience and resistance . The decisions that he can frame as 'me versus them' he can make easily, while the decisions where there is only a choice and not an enemy baffle him.

In terms of writing an enjoyable story and creating a sympathetic character … well, okay you've got me there. If you don't like Derek there are really no excuses or justifications that could (or should) change your mind. But I get the impression that many people read this book thinking to themselves 'if I was in Derek's shoes I would see through this' … and would you really? If you were raised in a system where everything was provided by the state, where you would never own a house or a car or anything really, where there was no point to advancing your education because you would never be able to pick your career, where the most complicated choice you had was which things on your plate to eat first … would you grow up to be a person who plans, who can see three steps ahead in the game, who is a good judge of character? Or would you be reactive, constantly looking for the oppressive authority that you have always known to be there?

There are hundreds of real life examples I can give of the impact that choiceless environments have on people's ability to make smart decisions: from the struggles ex-cons have adjusting to life outside prison to the attitudes of entrepreneurs in the third world. It's not so easy to teach yourself to think in a new way when society has discouraged you from doing so.

Why wasn't this book darker? I was expecting darker!!
The simple truth is: I don't find torture sexy (or interesting). When given the choice between being dark/angsty/depressing and being funny/snarky/sarcastic … I will always choose funny. Even when the topic is rape/murder/incest/whatever. There's always something funny about it. It's true, most people who are interested in these kinds of books want them to be brutal … but I don't find that sort of thing entertaining. Sorry :(

There's so much unclear! Will there be a sequel?
Yes and No. I've got a collection of short stories that fill in some of the more enticing holes. Guttersnipe is 90K words, there was no room to address issues not directly relevant to the cat-and-mouse game premise. But these will be released as a free anthology some time in the fall (hoping for November). So far it includes a Marco/Zach specific story, the whole messy business of how Nick went from Evelyn's adopted brother to his slave and a Nick+Derek post script told entirely from Nick's perspective (including a flashback to Nick and Marco's conversation during the swap weekend that clarifies Nick's motivation for the decisions he makes)

Let's play a game called Isa is kind of a pretentious twat ^_^
It's true. I'm never going to be one of those GR authors with hundreds of fans and my own discussion thread on M/M Romance. But that's okay … It's much more fun to write the Guttersnipes then it is to write the stuff that will sell. I don't exactly need the money. Give me the WTF? over the AWWW!! any day :D

I like to write books with a lot of room for interpretation, because it's so much fun to read other people's thoughts and to find myself going "Oh yeah… I never noticed that before" (To see this in action check out Emma's review *lol* Specifically the bits about Derek being a pawn because he's purely reactive. I didn't think so until I realized …. what a minute, isn't that exactly what Marco tells Derek in the beginning? Whoops~ Always interesting when my characters are smarter than I am)

So running with this for a minute here … consider the following passage:

"What do you mean 'whatever that role may be'? Are there options?"

"Of course there are."

"Like...for example?"

The book closed with an accusing snap. Here we go, Derek thought, a pulse of excitement he couldn't account for tickling his nerves.

"There are people in private service, like you. There are brothels and there are catch and release."

"Catch and release? Short-term enslavement?"

"Yes. Without the judge or auction, but the same idea."

"You mean people who the breaker just sets free? Just like that?"

"Yes."

There was something serious and fiery in Marco's flat stare. Something daring Derek to seek out the invisible line and cross it. He looked at Marco and felt the burn in his limbs like the restraints were already there.

"So you could let me go, then. If you wanted to," Derek said.

Marco snorted, a tough, amused puff of air that dissolved whatever aggression he had been carrying. Derek could not help being disappointed. There was an opportunity somewhere in there to hit a nerve and he had missed it completely. He had miscalculated.

What do you think Marco assumed Derek was going to say next? Because, to be honest, I only just figured out an interpretation that I think fits (I know this sounds stupid … you wrote it, how can you not understand what it means?!?!?! … but I write a lot on instinct, drawing on what feels right and figuring the significance out later. This particular moment didn't make sense to me until very recently)

There's no right or wrong answer (obviously since it was only about a week ago that I had any idea at all) … and I'm curious as to what your best guess is. Indulge me :D

In conclusion….
If you're annoyed at me because you read Guttersnipe and didn't see any of this, don't worry. This isn't English Lit class, it's pornography. If it wasn't there for you, it wasn't there. If it wasn't there for you, I guarantee you it wasn't there for many other people who will feel the same way you do (annoyed, frustrated, confused) because they wanted something specific and didn't get it. So, like I said before, I'm not writing this to change people's minds. I think all those reviews mentioning these elements as problems are GOOD because it means fewer readers will come into the story with the wrong expectations.

At the end of the day I write books that I desperately want to read. The problem with them is that usually I am the only person who wants to read them *lol*

End of the Challenge

So, the Guttersnipe challenge is officially over ^_^ Thank you everyone for participating. This has been the most fun I have ever had launching a book :D I would so do it again next time I self publish something.

Controversy, what controversy?
I called Guttersnipe controversial because that's what publishers told me. Readers will hate it for these reasons...

In truth, they were right about everything they thought readers wouldn't like but so far it seems they were wrong about how people would respond to those 'problems'. The reaction has been more *shrug* than rant. Nobody demanded their money back, nobody one-starred it (so far hahaha), most everyone had lovely things to say about the writing and characters. Maybe that's because I hang out here a lot and nobody wants to hurt my feelings? Perhaps, but then not everybody who participated is someone I know and even the people I do know had no problem being brutally honest in their status updates *lol*

Well ... I look a little silly now, don't I? ^_^ Okay, maybe this isn't the worst problem to have hehe.

You cannot make me make you pay for my books
Would you believe six free copies were never claimed? I have no idea why someone would enter a contest for a free book, win a free book and then not even bother to claim that free book but there you have it. Hell, there's no DRM on Smashwords so if you didn't like it you could have at least bootlegged it!

Well I said I was giving away twenty and-- damnit-- I meant it *lol* ... so here's what I think I'm going to do. Tell me who among your friends you would give a copy to if it was yours to give away and lets see if we can't find six people who don't mind giving a book about rape and sex slavery a good home :D

All your questions will be answered on Friday
See originally I was going to do something about people's reaction -vs- publishers' predictions about people's reaction. But as it turns out reactions weren't nearly strong enough to make that interesting (boo) so instead I went through the must common points of confusion and questions and wrote about that :D It's a much better post ... less likely to get my publisher to put a hit out on my life *lol*

On to the tour!
Today I go on tour. First stop, Dani's site Slashfiction, followed by Cup 'o Porn and Chicks & Dicks. See you guys around!

Plot Bunnies and Ear Worms

This post is just a cheap excuse to blog about music on my author blog :D But come on, who doesn't like discovering new music?

I tend to pick out one or two songs as inspiration points for each major piece of writing I'm working on. This goes beyond just "setting the mood"; I'll pace in front of my desk, imagining the characters and mentally setting little movie trailers of the story to the music blasting away on my earphones. Some of the most important scenes in my books are developed this way.

I don't really have a process for picking a song. I always seem to find them by accident, just over the course of surfing Last.fm or playing with Spotify. But then again, writing a book takes a lot of time ... so odds are I'll find something that clicks eventually.

Anyway, in the interests of fangirling over bands most people have never heard of (and some people have but for the wrong reasons *sigh*) ... here's my list. All song links are to Soundcloud unless otherwise specified.

Songs for Completed Projects

Split Self
I found Smith & Pyle's Slippery Hips (Spotify) through the now defunct Popcharts (*sob* ALL MY FAVORITE INDIE MUSIC SITES ARE GONE~~) and as soon as I heard it I was amazed at how perfectly it fit Lily and Clare's relationship (Lily's a guy BTW ... I have to say that so often now I feel like that should be the official subtitle of Split Self >.<). It's a fantastically DIRTY song that they get away with because they're two cute girls.

Also on rotation were Theoretical Girl's Red Mist (the demo version is a thousand times better than the official release), and The Generationals' Nobody Could Change Your Mind was on endless repeat when I was writing the silent disco scene.

The Destructibles
For some reason nothing got me more in the mood for this Orwellian style dystopia better than Beirut's Elephant Gun which sounds a bit like it should be playing on a carousel. This introduced me to Beirut and their music has a richness and complexity that makes it easy to write to.

Guttersnipe
As much as I'd hate to ruin my indie street cred by admitting this ... I wrote most of Guttersnipe to Florence + The Machine's What the Water Gave Me (Spotify). It had just the right fit: moody, mercurial, but at the end released and reborn. I hate how Florence + The Machine is tied to Eat, Pray, Love and branded like some kind of Enya-for-the-Lady-Gaga-Generation when in reality her songs are dark, violent, and sarcastic. Sure Dog Days is uplifting ... but listen to the lyrics of The Girl with One Eye or Kiss with a Fist.

Also for some reason while I was writing Guttersnipe I went on a bit of a Vivaldi kick *lol* ... make of that what you will. And while editing it I developed a thing for Shona Foster's No. 34. The lyrics are a bit too romantic and nostalgic, but the melody itself fit what I wanted the reading experience to feel like.

How To Quit Playing Hockey
Oddly enough I don't think I really had anything specific for this one. I was listening to my playlist's for HBO 24/7's Winter Classic specials pretty much non-stop though and that may have been why. Nothing better for hockey slash than hockey soundtracks. Favorite tracks: The Black Key's Lonely Boy, Mutemath's Blood Pressure, Popstrangers' Happy Accidents, and Malajube's Montreal -40*C

Songs for Current Projects

The Condor
Why is BDSM always so angsty and depressing? D: Is there anything sillier than a guy in black leather futzing around with medieval dungeon equipment? No, I think not. For this semi-sweet, semi-sarcastic kinky sex romp I use a lot of glam-rock-inspired indie favorites like OK Go's WTF? and Jet's aptly titled Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (Spotify)

The Freelancers (part one)
Oh my little erotic M/M spy+crime opus. Will I ever figure out how to publish you? O.o Will I ever finish revising you? Probably not ... for the time being I listen to Duels' Regeneration, The Kill's Satellite (Spotify), and Spoon's Written in Reverse.

The Freelancers (part two)
Just drafting at this point, but this book is much more Yuri focused. Beirut's The Gulag Orkestar is basically Yuri's song in my head.

Season in the Red
This reboot of my first webserial is going to hold me up creatively until I finally finish it. It haunts me, it has a cult following that asks me about it ALL THE TIME *lol* Anyway, I'm redeveloping it into a series of novellas and trying to fix the worst of the structural problems with it (ugh) If I'm able to do that this summer I will be EXTREMELY happy.

Anyway, for these "secret life of men" locker room tales The Fratellis's My Friend John (Spotify) (*lol* There's more to The Fratellis than Chelsea Dagger!) and Leningrad's Kopeyka(Spotify) (Russian ska music is the best~~) were always cued up.

Songs for Developing Projects

Protopolis
This has been a very strange book for me musically so far. I'm hoping to finish up the revisions on part one of The Freelancers and get back to working on this more regularly again. I started off with some very hard Chevelle with Mexican Sun (Spotify) and Humanoid (Spotify) but as the first part of the book is told from the perspective of a shallow 16 year old girl I've since slipped into things like Laura Veirs's Salvage a Smile (Spotify) and The Asteriod Galaxy Tour's Out of Frequency (Spotify) ... sometimes I split the difference and listen to Evans Blue's Caught a Lite Sneeze (Spotify) (hard rock cover of Tori Amos? YES PLEASE!)

Reversal
Most of the time what determines which projects get worked on when is the likelihood that I can figure out a way to publish them when I'm done. There's absolutely nothing worse than finishing a book only to have to put it on the shelf because it doesn't fit what publishers want and you don't have the resources (or energy) to self-pub it. You end up coming back to it months later and only seeing its problems then getting lured into rewriting most of it (*cough* The Freelancers >.<)

So Reversal is going to happen ... I'm just not sure when, because Reversal is so much a red haired stepchild of M/M Romance it makes Guttersnipe look like a perfect fit for the genre. It's moody, about the futility of regrets, and written in second person (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~~) This is one of those books that you publish when you're crazy famous and people will let you get away with anything.

My songs for it are Arcade Fire's Rebellion (Lies) (Spotify) and The Rural Alberta Advantage's Frank, AB which I picked up because it was used in the trailer for the AWESOME French documentary that inspired part of Reversal's plot (I Believe I Can Fly (Flight of the Frenchies), watch it NOW ... your mirror neurons will thank you)

A Remarkable Creature
It's strange to have songs for a story I have not written a word of yet but ... hahah, whatever. I'm pretty sure this idea will survive because I have always wanted to try writing STEAMPUNK! :D Set in Paris between the Expositions (World's Fair) of 1889 and 1900 it will have some BDSM overtones but probably not erotic. Primarily a vehicle for all this pent up angst I have regarding being a woman working in an industry with a sexist frat house mentality. My songs for it are Peggy Sue's D.U.M.B.O and The Pierce's Love You More

Songs for Projects in Limbo

Girls on Top
My contract with the publisher committed to this project was terminated a few months ago after they decided not to pay me or provide me with accurate sales reports. So I'm not sure what will happen with this. Probably just as well to scrap it altogether, since it was a Gossip Girl style take on the world of startups. Being that my day job has since shifted from working primarily with publishers to working primarily with startups ... moving forward with such a book might not be so *cough* politically expedient? ^_^;;;; But I always did like the playlist I had for it which included lots of BRMC, La Roux's Tigerlily, Emily Wells's Symphony 8 & the Carnary's Last Take (Spotify), Little Barrie's Pin That Badge, and Soul Coughing's Super Bon Bon (Spotify)


....so what about you guys? If you write, what do you listen to while you're writing?

Web Development Languages as Goodreads Users

I had a bit of a geek-out moment last night and this is the natural extension

Ruby (on Rails) - Loves YA despite being well outside her "teenage" years (hey, good lit should be easy to read!) Occasionally will pick up an adult mystery or romance, but has very specific rules about what she wants (no cheating, no character death, happy endings only please) and will knock a star off when books leave too much vague and open to interpretation.

PHP - Five stars everything ... that fic about mutant walnuts written all in lowercase with no punctuation? Who cares if it wasn't readable? SO CREATIVE!! Is an avid reader and thorough reviewer but you always find yourself reading crappy books on her recommendation.

Javascript - Into some very kinky things (functional programming! prototype inheritance!) but is scared people will think she's a freak and so sorts her favorites into other shelves that have nothing to do with why she really liked them (pretty-covers, reading-challenge) so that hopefully no one notices.

Python - Mentions "some spelling errors here" in her review after she notices one little typo on page 238 in an otherwise beautifully written and well edited book.

Node (server side Javascript) - Always finds the most fascinating looking genre busting books ... DNFs all of them after 20%. Never any explanation, just DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF-- Ooo look! A bit of tinsel stuck to a tree branch!

Java - Is currently reading three books by Dostoyevsky and writing a paper on Charles Dickens ... oh, she not in graduate school. She's doing this for fun. Doesn't everyone speculate on the intersection of early journalism and the nurturing of great writers for fun? Occasionally will read and review some "popular fiction", get a thousand likes and ends up getting everybody sued by Oracle because there was too much quoting from the copyrighted text.

Guttersnipe Challenge Pregame

GUYS! In less than TWO DAYS I'm giving away TWENTY books :D :D :D I am soooo excited! And scared, then EXCITED again mwhahaha~

There's still time to sign up if you haven't :3

So, yesterday just as I was worrying that maybe I'd overplayed the controversy issue (I mean the content of this book is nothing compared to The Island or basically anything that Rachel Haimowitz has ever written ... what if people come in expecting hardcore and are disappointed?) I got an email from the person doing the final proof that I had totally squicked her-- I had forgotten to give her the content warnings before asking her to look it over ... uhhhh... whoops? Made not so tame after all ^_^;;;;;

Anyway ... I can't wait to see people's reactions :D The good, the bad, the so-ugly-it-needs-a-gif. TWO DAYS~~~ In two days it all begins :D

Meet the MC: Derek
Derek is, to put it mildly, the most fundamentally selfish character I have ever written. He's a serial date rapist, in effect the honey badger of the story ;)

He starts off as a younger, scrappier Casanova type figure, running about the city and seducing a different lover every night. But this isn't quite so romantic in Guttersnipe, because Derek's seduction consists of mainly sneaking into people's bedroom and forcing himself on them, then taking off and leaving them with the consequences. He does not think there's anything wrong with this. The fact that society condemns him only encourages him forward.

Despite his selfishness, Derek is not a bad guy. He just never stops to consider his partner's feelings until it's too late. He feels humiliated and dehumanized by the way he is forced to live in the city, but when he isn't distracted by that pain he can sweet, sensitive and kind. He uses sex to lash out and rebel against the rules and it costs him dearly.

Meet his Master: Marco
It's Marco who finally catches Derek and forces him into sex slavery as punishment for his crimes. Marco is a stickler for the rules, even though the rules in this case are cruel, promote ridiculous hypocrisy and provide virtually no recourse for victims of the city's considerable corruption.

As far as breaking in slaves goes, Marco's technique is psychological instead of physical. He combines punishment with stoic kindness. He lets his slaves believe they have control of the situation and manipulates them into submission. Derek poses an interesting challenge because Derek never accepts that his encounters with Marco are anything other than rape. He can never be satisfied with the situation where his happiness and security are completely dependent on someone else … no matter how nice Marco may seem.

The Game: Master -vs- Slave
Although Derek is at Marco's mercy, Marco has many enemies that will try to position Derek to suit their own interests. Some will provide assistance, some will take advantage, some will force more sadistic and violent games. Derek will meet other slaves, those who were taken unjustly, those who suffer intolerable cruelty at the hands of masters no one can hold accountable. Derek will have to choose between principle and the life of luxury and privilege Marco can offer him.

Content Warnings:Mild Violence, Light Dubicon
While I really question whether there is such a thing as "light dubicon", basically what I'm trying to say is that-- yes-- technically there is a lot of rape in this book. But it is predominantly non-violent 'omg I don't want to but it feels so good' type of thing. There are one or two scenes that are designed to push uncomfortable buttons, but they are very short and not particularly graphic.

Teaser: Because I can't wait :D

With no challenge from Helios, he was going to have to scan the fire escapes for open windows and opportunity. A middle-class girl would have her own bedroom probably. Someone young, a newly minted adult who was mad at her fake parents and their natural extensions in the wider world.

But if he couldn't find that, a boy might do just as well. Boys tended to be a bit harder as they were both stronger, more capable of fighting back, and the libido-suppressing shots might affect their ability to get hard. There was only so much the hormones could do to stop the pleasure—nerve endings were nerve endings after all—but not even Derek's tricks worked on everyone.

He peeked through the smog-crusted glass of each window. In a whole city of single beds stacked on top of one another, trolling for a quick fuck was like scaling a giant vending machine. Nothing promising on the first level, a few options on the second that weren't to his taste... If he didn't find something on the third, he would have to move on to another building.

Once he got past the third story of a building, escape options were limited. The roof became his best choice and Derek didn't like fleeing the police from any distance he didn't feel comfortable falling from.

Someone should put that tip on a propaganda poster: Hide your prettiest virgins on the top floor.

Finally he came to an open window and a slight, slumbering figure tucked into her bed. He rapped gently on the glass, sticking his head in the bedroom and putting on his best charming smile.

He did not want to startle her; there was still a chance that she might scream and force him into a scrambled retreat. That uncertainty elevated the flutter in his chest as his heart pumped blood down into his groin and sensitized his skin.

"Hello angel," he said softly as she stirred. Her hair spread out across her pillow like some fairy-tale princess. She looked around the room in confusion, finally settling upon him as the source of the disturbance.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her pink lips pressed together, tongue wetting the flesh with each hesitation.

Derek winked at her and gestured for permission to enter.

As he would find out a little later, she did turn out to be a screamer after all.

[The Challenge is on in two days, sign up to win a free book]

The Guttersnipe Challenge

About nine months ago I went off into a rant on my Bingo thread: why were there so many master/slave books where the slave was mentally and emotionally a child in a man's body? Why were there so many that painted Stockholm Syndrome as a valid HEA? Or told rape victims to be thankful that they had been raped by good and decent people? (seriously wtf?) So many where the master did horrible, abusive things only to whine "WHY?? WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?!?!?" and guilt trip the slave into submission?

You know what I want? I want a master/slave book where the slave is a snarky antihero. I want one where you like both the master and the slave, but you like their plots against one another more. Something with twists and turns. Something that gives me my dark fantasy but doesn't feel the need to shame me for having it by pretending that rape is some kind of accelerated track to true love.

When the dust had settled and my Bingo team was done staring at me like I had lost my mind, someone said "Actually that sounds kind of awesome. Why don't you write it?"

So I did, it's called Guttersnipe.

What I didn't anticipate is that no one in m/m romance would want to publish it. Nobody. You didn't do this, they said, readers will want that, they insisted.

Trust us, we know.

Maybe they do. Let's find out!

The nice thing about bringing Guttersnipe out as an indie is that I get to do something no publisher would ever let me do: give it away.

What is The Guttersnipe Challenge?
I put myself out on a limb for a story I believe in. You guys know that I like to break the mold, to write things no one else is writing and push the boundaries of what romance novels can and should do. My publisher was ready to accept Guttersnipe on the condition that I change one of the most important elements of it and I said no.

I passed up the opportunity to have people I consider to be the best in the business guide this book because I think they're wrong about what romance readers want. I think you will love this story.

Was that a mistake? Should I have trusted the experience of my editors? I can't bear not knowing, so here's the deal: I'm looking to put this book in the hands of as many fiercely opinionated people as possible. To do that I'm giving away twenty free copies and giving everyone who signs up to take The Guttersnipe Challenge 60% off. When the dust has settled and everyone has had their say, we'll know who was right.

The Challenge Schedule
June 19th - June 29th: The Signup Period
June 30th - The Challenge Begins, discount/freebie codes are emailed to participants
June 30th - July 15th - Read Guttersnipe and post your most blisteringly honest reviews (don't worry I'll bring the S'mores!)
July 15th - July 21th - Blog Tour!

What's In This For Me?
Other than a free book? Think of all the things you've read that have made you say "Man, this industry will publish ANYTHING" I'm telling you now they won't; there is something they won't publish. Doesn't that make you curious?

Yes, But It Sounds Scary
Guttersnipe was not rejected for its content, but for its plot. So rest assured there is no gratuitous violence, torture, or graphic abuse. There is no pedophilia, bestiality, incest, water sports, necrophilia, fisting, etc, etc, etc, etc. There *is* however a lot of dubcon and some off-scene rape (I mean the book is about sex slavery, come on) so if that freaks you out you may want to take a pass.

How Do I Sign Up?
Submit your email on the Challenge's Signup Page. You can also read an excerpt there ^_~. RSVPing to the event through Goodreads or shelving the book will not constitute a 'sign up' because I will have no email to send the coupon code to. So remember to use the Signup Page, your information will be kept private and you won't receive any spam from me ^_^

I Really Want a Free Book, How Do I Improve My Odds of Winning One?
Use the referral code to direct more people to sign up to take the Challenge. For each person you bring in, I will give you an extra entry :) I won't insult your intelligence, obvious this is all a ploy to get the book in front of as many people as possible, but then ... all contests are. I'm just slightly more creative about it ;)

On Authors Posting Reviews: my policy going forward

Why I Review, Even Though I'm an Author
I have an author account here at GR. I publish things. Most are freebies, but some people have to buy (why I sometimes charge is a matter for a whole another blog post) Nevertheless, I do not aspire to be a professional writer. I don't dream about doing this full time, supporting myself off my books, or building a fanbase for my stories. I dream about being given access to a Hadoop cluster loaded with behavioral data :D … And so the politics of the world of writers has always seemed completely irrelevant to me. I find most professional or aspiring writers boring, without experience or expertise beyond the craft of writing and with very little of interest to say because of that limited focus.

For that reason whenever authors suggest it's unprofessional to review each other's work honestly it strikes me as wanting things both ways. If your ambition is to make this your profession, then you can't ask to be granted a special set of rules. If your work was reviewed by The New York Times Book Review or Kirkus who do you think would do it? It would be another writer and most likely someone with experience in the genre. Sure, they wouldn't include silly gifs or pop culture references, but some of the stuff that gets printed is incredibly mean, vicious, often hilarious at the author's expense … and includes a nice byline promoting the reviewer's newest release (although I've always found the last part incredibly tacky)

So the fact that M/M Romance is a small community is really no excuse. I believe that the only thing holding M/M Romance back are the attitudes of the writers. M/M can be literary. It can be brilliant. I know there's a writer out there who can go toe to toe with David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs. If we're proud of our community we should stop acting like we need disability access ramps to get on the fucking stage.

Why I Disclose I'm an Author
From this point forward, all my reviews will contain a note at the bottom disclosing my author status and linking back to this post. My policy prior to this point was to mention I was a writer somewhere in the body if I felt the review was going to be especially critical and that most of the criticism was going to be on the writing, but recently I've started to feel that it is too easy for people to misunderstand why I do that. I don't really like having stock notes that have nothing to do with the review itself, but this is probably the fairest thing for everyone.

Reviews are not for authors, they're for readers. GoodReads is a platform for consumer reviews first and foremost and readers have the right to know that there's a potential bias at play here so that they can judge the situation for themselves. Even though I'm reviewing books I bought or were loaned to me same as any reader and even though the thought of being an author full time makes me want to shoot myself in the head, the bias is still there. I am still an incredibly competitive person. I still find myself unconsciously being harder on some works than others. People have a right to know that, so I disclose. It's not intended to rub the author's face in it (like "HA-HA I'm a much better writer than YOU~~"). Just to acknowledge the obvious: this is my honest opinion, but opinions themselves are inherently subjective and here's a fact that may influence how much salt you readers want to take with my commentary.

How to Avoid Getting a Snarky Review (if that sort of thing bothers you)
I write snarky reviews … I like snarky reviews. I feel like they are an incredibly powerful tool for promoting a book. Praise is so difficult to gauge. Is the reviewer speaking honestly or just being polite? Snark has no such ambiguity, readers see the absolute worst I can think to say about a book, along side the things I actually liked about it. That's pretty influential. Snark often makes the good look better and the bad look campy and enjoyable.

But if it bothers you, I can offer the following advice: it's incredibly difficult to be snarky about something an author has worked really hard on. There are some books that I load up on my Kindle and I can just tell the author spent hours researching every detail. You don't have to earn a PhD in Nuclear Physics before turning in your first draft, but for fuck's sake spend fifteen seconds on Google, okay? Use Street View or download Google Earth to get a better picture of your locations. Ask a native speaker about the meaning of a particular word or phrase … or *gasp* don't write dialogue in random languages.

When you allow a book with your name on the cover to come out littered with factual errors, with a plot that doesn't make sense, with poor editing … it looks like you don't give a shit. And if you don't give a shit, why should I (or any reviewer for that matter) hold back my true feelings for the sake of your pride?

There are somethings that can't be helped. I tend not to care very much about spelling and grammar (just don't push it) and I usually frame bad editing as a criticism of the publisher and not your abilities as a writer (in that regard my own experiences as an author are playing in your favor. I've been there, I know writing a good book is not a solo undertaking). Of course if you've self published there's a bit of "a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client" in there ^_~ but if I feel like these things are worth comment, I will usually chalk them up to the unfortunate reality of indie publishing. It's hard to find a good editor when you go it alone and sometimes you trust the wrong people. I adore indie publishing, so I tend to play nicer here then I would if the same work was put out traditionally.

But in any case, when the work and passion is there it's hard to be mean. So if you don't want to deal with snarky reviews, act like your work matters before I get ahold of it.

My Review Policy
I don't take review requests. Everything I review are things I've bought myself or borrowed from a friend (usually for M/M Bingo which I play obsessively). I'm not reviewing as an expert, but as a reader … who read this book and is posting her thoughts to share with her friends.

Occasionally, I admit, I'll request something through Net Galley and get it that way. But in any case, please don't ask me to review your book. That adds a whole level of complexity to this arrangement that I don't care to go fiddle with. If I've shelved your book and you want to give me an ARC…. ugh … *wobbles* … I don't know, maybe? XD It's really hard to turn down a free book…

Why All Hope Is Not Lost
I don't post reviews of books I completely hate (except The Night Circus *lol*). If I've reviewed your book I have something positive to say about it … even if it's hard for you to see that. I also invite authors to request revisions. That's right. If you feel my review is unfair, reach out and we'll talk about it.

I do this as a professional courtesy, writer to writer, and because the road to brilliant snark is about as smooth as the dirt bike trail at Jurassic Park. Fine line between funny and cruel, sometimes I'm on the wrong side of it.

How to Make a Request
If you feel like I've crossed the line. Either leave a comment on the review or send me a private message through GR. I prefer a comment because they're easier to manage and I think reviews being changed as a result of secret discussions looks bad to readers. So if you think you can muster it, I do encourage you to comment. Obviously I can't control what other people do or say, but most everyone who follows my reviews is a smart and chill person. Most likely you're not saying anything that everyone wasn't already thinking themselves. It's nice both to have these discussions openly so that people know why the review has been modified and handling yourself well only makes you look more awesome.

But I get that commenting on a review is a minefield with flying sharks for most authors, especially when you're mad. If you prefer to play it safe and keep things private I will respect that.

…Obviously not everyone shares my attitudes. My policy applies to me only, you take your life in your own hands approaching other reviewers *lol*

Oh, btw, please specify that you are the author. I ask this not to make you a target but because some people do not have their full pen name as their GR username and I might not catch on immediately to the significance of your comment. Otherwise there's no real format for making a request, express yourself as you feel appropriate.

What I Will and Won't Change by Request
No matter which course you choose, understand that I will not consider any appeals to change either my rating or my opinion. What I will consider changing is my wording, because I'm not perfect and sometimes the way I choose to say something is unnecessarily hurtful, offensive or misleading. In those cases I'm not just willing to revise, I'm eager to. I probably didn't realize how mean it sounded because I was off dancing in a field of wild flowers with forest nymph whispering in my ear …. or you know Nevermind the Buzzcocks was on in the other room, whatever.

If you feel like I have made a factual mistake about something, bring it to my attention. I probably won't change the review but I may add a note pointing out the discrepancy … It may be best to leave a comment in this case so that you can express yourself clearly with supporting links for everyone to see. If I'm mistaken, other people might be laboring under the same false assumptions or misinterpretations. We all like learning things! :D

How to Approach a Request for Best Results
Be clear and specific. I am a snarky person, I write snarky reviews. I encourage people to write snarky reviews of my stuff. If my entire review offended you, I apologize … but probably … most likely … you are being oversensitive.

I won't bother asking you to be polite, fuck that, speak your mind. It's okay to be pissed off when I've acted like an ass. It's okay to justify your characterization or explain your point of view (often this leads to the most interesting discussions). I like people who stand up to me, I don't like people who whine at me or ask for special treatment for XYZ reason. I was mean, I'm a terrible person, your goldfish is dying of cancer yar-yar-yar, put it on my tab in hell, okay? Best bring a book because there's a bit of a line … just probably not your own if you want to be entertained, but then you already know my opinion on that ;)

I will advise you to be careful if you choose to post your concerns publicly. There's absolutely no deadline on these requests so … maybe take an hour, watch some TV, come back and reread before posting? Hand it to someone else and ask if you're overreacting? I don't care if you're a cantankerous asshole-- I have no soul and sit on kittens to stifle my farts-- but you're speaking among readers here. Look like you love your work and don't take yourself too seriously and you've just given yourself the best unpaid endorsement you will ever have. Look like a petty tyrant who can't tolerate any criticism and … well ^_^;;; Good luck with that.

In general the decision to revise is usually influenced by how relevant the comment in question is to the overall opinion. Jokes cracked in the course of explaining my thoughts are not likely to be changed. If I described your characterization as 'so rubbery Jim Henson's estate is getting residuals' … oh come on, that's funny! I'm not going to rephrase that. Also, dramatic, curse ridden, all caps tirades are not up for revision just because it's rude to curse. This is M/M and some people write things that I find deeply offensive. I will react to those things as if deeply offended. Fortunately for you ... This is M/M and some people get off on things that are deeply offensive ^_~

Nevertheless my reviews can be ramble-y, with the occasional tangent and sometimes not every crack is relevant to the matter at hand. That stuff I will consider revising.

Whatever the case may be, it never hurts to ask. I will not attack you, nor leak your comments if you choose to approach me privately. I only lash out at writers for questioning a review when they send their fangirls over to wring their hands and swear to never buy any of my books as punishment for my sins of opinion (For real?) I know fangirls sometimes do this on their own, so don't panic … you get the benefit of the doubt about that too until I have proof that you incited it. Then you get eaten by wolves :)

Actually, a well written request can only play in your favor regardless. I may decide not to change the review, but it shows that you care about your work and that will definitely affect how I see future releases. I might go back and reread or change my opinion altogether (no promises but it does happen) or I may read something later and think "so and so was such a nice guy and there's so much good about this really." It happens, I don't pretend to be objective as much as I may aspire to it XD

In Conclusion…
Okay, so I've said all I have to said about this. I don't think there's anything important missing … comment if you have any questions. I'm not nearly as scary as everyone thinks O.o I just have too many opinions and no ability to keep my mouth shut.

HELP!! Cover Angst ;_;

My M/M debut is quickly approaching. Well, M/M debut as far the M/M Romance Group is concerned that is ^_^;; since all my previous M/M stuff has been available for free (The Freelancers, The Dressing, There's Cock In This Book) they don't count. (Although I definitely want to clean-up/revise The Freelancers and release it as an ebook some time in the future ... but I digress)

Anyway, in all likelihood the lucky novel will be Guttersnipe (I just finished the first draft of How to Quit Playing Hockey but unless something goes really wrong Guttersnipe will probably be released first) which I am self publishing because it broke too many "rules" for my publisher and was deemed too controversial to release.

The nice thing about this is that I get to do my own covers, something I've always enjoyed but that my publisher NEVER lets me do :(

Only I can't decide which possible cover to go with!!! Maybe because this book is kind of a big deal to me, not just a debut but also a huge risk trying to prove three major m/m romance publishers WRONG. Under normal conditions I want everything perfect, under these conditions I'm reduced to an obsessive monster who can't make a decision *lol*

So, good people of GoodReads, I need your opinions please! Help me decide which cover is the best choice

Guttersnipe - The Blurb
The City is sexless. The City is absolute. She will provide you with everything you could ever need, banish the uncertainty of hunger, disease and unemployment … As long as you follow one simple rule: stay pure.

For three years Derek has been a sexual outlaw. He has evaded the police, escaped the elite who hunt him for sport, and supported himself with the help of powerful friends. But that was before Marco abducted him off the street and claimed him as his property.

Imprisoned in the man's massive country estate, the world of the elite is far more corrupt and deviant than even Derek could have imagined. His situation is not what it seems. The people who appear to be allies will betray him; the people who appear to be enemies will protect him. He's caught in a cat and mouse game between his new master and the people who might have been setting Derek up all along.

The Covers





Pros:
- I love this image. It's provocative and it captures my mental image of one important character PERFECTLY. This is Nick. This is exactly what he looks like (minus some scars). This conveys how trapped he is by The City, silenced by it, helpless to fight back.

- It's erotic but not in corny "man titty" way most erotic romance covers seem to be. It's clear this story is going to push buttons from this cover.

Cons:
- Even though much of the plot revolves around Nick in some way, he's not the MC. In fact the readers get very little time with Nick. Seeing as he is an object of desire for most of the characters involved I don't think it's terrible to put him on the cover but it is potentially misleading/confusing

- There's something about this cover that is very subdued in a not good way. Once you get over the tape it's almost boring. Obviously I want the cover to be something that people see and want to shelve right away. I know that I buy most of my books based on covers *lol*





Pros:
- Hey it's the MC! :D If anyone is on the cover, it probably should be Derek

- And he's tied up (okay handcuffed to the bed) but not in an obvious way. I like the fact that if you weren't paying attention to this cover you could miss the very obvious darkness of its content.

- Dark and subtle, the font makes it seem almost like classy porn!

Cons:
- This would make an excellent cover if the book was going to print, but its real strength is the subtle texture effect adding contrast and detail to the black and that will not show up on GR thumbnails. Hell, it barely shows up at this size :( Without that I worry it comes off as too simple and amateurish

- Sex slavery is a dark topic, but Guttersnipe still has plenty of my off-kilter sense of humor :) There's a lot of black comedy here. Derek is a snarky, sarcastic, fundamentally selfish, bitch of a human being ... slavery does nothing to change him in that regard. Does that come through with this? Or will people just see a guy chained to bed?





Pros:
- Truth be told I designed this one completely by accident, but I really love it. I love the colors and detail in the chain. I love the way the vector edge looks like the corner of a building in negative space (representing the idea of The City so well). I love the overall composition of it

- There's something wonderful about erotic romances that have abstract/people-less covers. It just makes them seem more naughty.

- I really want to break the stigma in romance, especially among my age group. 20-30ties women sneer and deny they have any interest in romance, buy YA and then troll the internet for graphic fanfic porn-- BITCHES YOU WANT A ROMANCE NOVEL just admit it. I feel like this cover could give Guttersnipe the best chance at reaching those people.

Cons:
- On the other hand, one should never sacrifice an existing audience for a uncertain possible one :( Part of me worries that this doesn't look enough like an erotic romance.

- Another part of my worries that this looks way too BDSM. Guttersnipe has some light bondage, very little touches of kink, but it is not a whips and chains story. Nor is it dom/sub. Derek is perhaps the most unsubmissive sub in the world. That's part of what makes it fun, he doesn't just accept slavery (even if he physically enjoys most of the sex) he fights back and fights back hard. Of course there's only so much a cover can say at once, but even the prettiest cover is the wrong cover if it attracts interest from the wrong people.

Help Please~~
So, obviously, most of my cons for each come down to 'Oh Noes! What will people think!?!?!' Perhaps the best way to make this decision is by asking you all ... What do you think?

Angry Boys in Eyeliner: Thoughts on Spartacus

Australian series Spartacus is quickly becoming a guilty pleasure of mine for all the wrong reasons. I mean it is really terrible ... poorly written, poorly researched, clinging to a questionable grasp of "authenticity" when it furthers an idiotic obsession with absurdly unrealistic violence.

But at the same time other elements of it are so good . Andy Whitfield plays a fascinating Spartacus, more cerebral than brutal. Viva Bianca and Craig Parker are hypnotic, horrifying you one moment than putting you in a strange position of rooting for them the next. They are both so amazingly charismatic. Yes, there's lots of amazing acting in this show ... sort of makes you wonder what the actors could do if they were given something not shit.

The costume and set design are also exactly what you'd want from a Roman gore fest: decadent, detailed, like a maze you want to dive into and explore.

I still think the show is terrible ... but I also can't stop watching it. Season 1 is so fundamentally different from Season 2, I desperately want them to take the best of each and combine them.





Season 1 - the Good
- Andy Whitfield is amazing. Tragically he had a cancer relapse just before season 2 started filming and had to be replaced (he died a few months before the premier). His replacement, Liam McIntyre, is also good but Andy was going to be a tough act to follow. Liam plays Spartacus too predictably for my tastes, very pretty boy super hero.

- World building. Most of the plot of Season 1 focuses on the various walks of life gladiators and slaves come from: prisoners, captured warriors, even Romans there willingly. Lots of interesting stuff.

- A tentative appreciation for realism. I didn't notice this until Season 2 where-- honestly-- I'm half surprised Spartacus didn't whip out a Kamehameha on the Romans -_- Or Katrina Law's Mira who in Season 1 is pretty with exotic features, pale skin and freckles, but nevertheless looks like a house slave. In Season 2 despite living in underground tunnels and in the woods with resources in short supply she somehow manages to maintain the Garnier Fructis makeover *eyeroll*.





Season 2 - The Good
- More of Agron! :D I'm not sure if they always intended to make Agron a more important character in Season 2 or if they decided to after Dan Feuerriegel stole every fucking scene he was in (omg seriously) But in either case, more of Spartacus's snarky, ragey, making-puppy-eyes-at-the-cute-boys second in command is always a good thing!

- Sympathetic villains. You hate them, then you feel bad for them, then you hate them again, then you want some of their evil plots against each other to succeed. Season 2 amps up the divisions on the Roman side and watching the good guys win is not nearly as fun as watching the bad guys plot against each other.

- Focusing on the rebel's cleverness and resourcefulness. I admit, I really love the attack on the arena, intense and mostly believable. Epic battles are fun when they favor cunning over super human powers.

The Bad
- MY KINGDOM FOR A FUCKING POSSESSIVE PRONOUN!! For some reason the writers have it in their heads that making everyone talk in this ridiculous Neanderthal-style English broken up with SAT words furthers the illusion that this is ancient Rome. It doesn't, but it does lead to most jarring and disjointed dialogue.

- Cherry picking "authenticity". They go to great lengths to create a language that is supposed to fit the period, but then fight scenes are set to a soundtrack of electric guitar ... seriously?

- Completely unrealistic and absurd violence. It's not possible to cut a man's face off his head. Especially not with a backhand sweep using a dull European broadsword. I feel like Starz was originally reaching to compete with original programming offers from HBO and Showtime with this series, but when that didn't work out decided to move towards the violent, horny teenage boy demographic -_- Some of these fight scenes feel more like you're watching a video game.

- Shallow, poorly done love interests. Manu Bennett delivers every line like he's using an electrolarynx. I spent most of both seasons wanting Crixus and Naevia to be driven off a cliff. Spartacus's and Mira's relationship starts off really interesting ... but completely resets to something totally unrecognizable in Season 2 @_@ The writers do romance like a child handed a chore: two minutes of doing things right before they appear to get frustrated with the work and half-ass it. It's worse than Insta-love, characters go from suspicious and resentful of each other to trusting and affectionate seemingly without reason. Agron and Nasir's relationship is only believable because the actors really sell it and because if Dan Feuerriegel and Pana Hema Taylor had anymore chemistry you would need to watch this show behind a blast shield.

So ... yeah ... do I recommend it? I'm not sure. It definitely has its moments of fun and maybe that's really all it needs. How can you hate a show where you get to watch this.

You can't. It's impossible :)