Kaje Harper's Blog, page 46
June 19, 2011
Life Lessons short story available
I've posted the short And to All a Good Night; Life Lessons # 1 1/2 in the writing section of Goodreads here. I hope the formatting worked out. It took me a while to realize I had to break it into two chapters to fit the length limitations. (Picture befuddled author uploading three times, going "why does the end of this always get chopped off?", before the aha moment.) So part 1 and part 2 are just the two halves of the story, with no particular reason other than length to be separated.
http://www.goodreads.com/story/list/5...
I'd love comments, criticism, etc, since the next book is in editing. (I can still fix things!) In the meantime I hope you enjoy another brief look at these two guys.
Incidentally, as of June 25th, I have added And to All a Good Night onto Smashwords as a free download.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
http://www.goodreads.com/story/list/5...
I'd love comments, criticism, etc, since the next book is in editing. (I can still fix things!) In the meantime I hope you enjoy another brief look at these two guys.
Incidentally, as of June 25th, I have added And to All a Good Night onto Smashwords as a free download.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
June 10, 2011
Short story - Mac & Tony 1 1/2
I have a Mac & Tony short story (And to All a Good Night - M & T # 1 1/2) which falls between Life Lessons and Breaking Cover that I'm going to post for a free read soon. It's about 10,000 words. I'll put it on my website at Wordpress, and probably on Goodreads too. But that will be for reading online not download. Does anyone hate reading on their computer enough to want a short like that published on Smashwords so it can be downloaded? I fought with formatting when I did Lies and Consequences so although I think I have the hang of it now, I'll only bother if people want it there.
June 8, 2011
Female authors, m/m romance, and cultural usurpation
So I'm a woman, and I write m/m romance. Now that my writing is out in the public eye, I have to wonder, is that...okay? Humans all share the same emotions, the same love and fear and lust and embarrassment and anger and excitement. Is it egotistical to think that I can successfully create believable gay men in my fiction out of that shared human experience? And even if I can, is it exploitative to take the public challenges and the private joys and pains of gay life and turn them into lightweight fiction mainly read by women?
I don't usually check the gender of authors when I read a book, even a romance. And there have been plenty of straight romances written by gay authors (including two gay men who wrote under a female pseudonym; I remember reading an interview where one of them commented he had to rewrite a sex scene after his partner reminded him that women don't have a prostate.) But in those cases, at least the authors are one of the genders represented in the romance. Women writing m/m are stepping completely outside their own experience.
Of course, if we only write what we know, it would eliminate a lot of good fiction (including all historicals.) I could never write about a military character or a police officer. But perhaps the world of gay male romance feels more vulnerable because it is still so marginalized in real life. When half the hetero world is challenging the right of gay men to even have any romance, it might irk them to see a bunch of women turning that hard-won world into the stuff of fantasies. Especially when we represent them in ways that feel wrong. (The term chick-with-a-dick has been used to describe a male character whose words and actions feel unrealistically feminized.) Most female authors have to base their gay male characters on what they in turn have heard and read (unless they are fortunate enough to have gay friends willing to edit their work.) Since most writers in the genre are now female, we run the risk of reading each other's work and perpetuating and aggravating errors like some literary game of telephone.
Perhaps gay men can take heart in the idea that these books may be garnering them allies on the political front. How many straight women (and men) read Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series, moving from an occasional glimpse of gay FBI agent Jules, to the June 2011 release of the m/m romance story When Tony met Adam? And how many of those people became convinced along the way that love is love, in all its wonderful forms, and that all should be given the same rights and respect?
I'm enormously grateful to the male reviewers who have given my books positive reviews. It encourages me to think that I can use universal human experience to write stories that are more enjoyable than exploitative. I try to make my characters real people, within the context of a culture I find inspiring but will never personally experience. I write to entertain, and if people get a couple of hours enjoyment from my work then I have succeeded. Hopefully the men who live the lives that make my work possible are mostly okay with that.
I don't usually check the gender of authors when I read a book, even a romance. And there have been plenty of straight romances written by gay authors (including two gay men who wrote under a female pseudonym; I remember reading an interview where one of them commented he had to rewrite a sex scene after his partner reminded him that women don't have a prostate.) But in those cases, at least the authors are one of the genders represented in the romance. Women writing m/m are stepping completely outside their own experience.
Of course, if we only write what we know, it would eliminate a lot of good fiction (including all historicals.) I could never write about a military character or a police officer. But perhaps the world of gay male romance feels more vulnerable because it is still so marginalized in real life. When half the hetero world is challenging the right of gay men to even have any romance, it might irk them to see a bunch of women turning that hard-won world into the stuff of fantasies. Especially when we represent them in ways that feel wrong. (The term chick-with-a-dick has been used to describe a male character whose words and actions feel unrealistically feminized.) Most female authors have to base their gay male characters on what they in turn have heard and read (unless they are fortunate enough to have gay friends willing to edit their work.) Since most writers in the genre are now female, we run the risk of reading each other's work and perpetuating and aggravating errors like some literary game of telephone.
Perhaps gay men can take heart in the idea that these books may be garnering them allies on the political front. How many straight women (and men) read Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series, moving from an occasional glimpse of gay FBI agent Jules, to the June 2011 release of the m/m romance story When Tony met Adam? And how many of those people became convinced along the way that love is love, in all its wonderful forms, and that all should be given the same rights and respect?
I'm enormously grateful to the male reviewers who have given my books positive reviews. It encourages me to think that I can use universal human experience to write stories that are more enjoyable than exploitative. I try to make my characters real people, within the context of a culture I find inspiring but will never personally experience. I write to entertain, and if people get a couple of hours enjoyment from my work then I have succeeded. Hopefully the men who live the lives that make my work possible are mostly okay with that.
May 31, 2011
Covers, models and chest waxing
I've been thinking about covers a lot. As a new author, the big first hurdle is getting people to pick up your book and try it. When I saw the gorgeous layout Winterheart Design did on Life Lessons I did a little happy dance, because I knew that would be a big factor in making people stop for a second look. I owe the art folks a huge thank-you for that one. (And thank-you, thank-you to MLR and Winterheart for showing me the first drafts of it and changing the first Mac, who didn't fit the story, to the second choice, whom I totally fell for. Letting the author weigh in on the cover is an enormous courtesy.) Now as I put in the cover request for Breaking Cover I have my fingers crossed that they have more photos of those two gorgeous guys.
Because for me the cover of a book is pretty critical both in picking the book up to begin with and in enjoying it completely. I'm a little obsessive about getting things right. Even with some of my favorite books there is a niggling little voice in the back of my head that says, "Except she's a brunette, not a freaking blonde", or "Yes, but she has all these tattoos on the cover that she doesn't actually have in the book." It doesn't ruin the story or anything (I'm not that nit-picky) but I wish the artist had been given better directions.
And realism. Even in wish-fulfillment lightweight romance (which describes some of what I write so I can call it that), let's try to have a little logic. I can't pick up half of the historical romances out there, just can't, because I look at a sixteenth-century brawny highland warrior with big muscles, long hair and a... waxed chest! I'm sorry, the mind boggles. All I can think is Fabio, and then I start laughing.
For me, photo realism or a well-done realistic painting makes me look twice at a book. (I'm really hoping there isn't a great book on my to-read list with a cartoon-style cover, because I may never get to it.) I like angst in the books I read, and look for moody cover art. I picked up Tere Michaels Faith and Fidelity on the cover art and blurb alone, and got exactly what was promised. Great book. But there are other great books out there with other cover styles. Tastes differ, I guess.
I occasionally wonder what the models for book covers think of the finished product. OK, when you're a model you sell your image and lose a lot of control over where it goes. So do straight models ever catch sight of themselves on a m/m cover and think, "Everyone who buys that book is imagining me kissing that guy"? Do they care, or just enjoy the fact that people are looking at their face and breathing harder? With a painting of course, you're not doing forced dating on your book cover. (Hmm, story idea? Straight male model sees himself photoshopped on a cover with another hot guy, goes to his agent to complain but can't stop taking looks at the picture, which he tells himself he bought just so he'd have documentation, of course. And he wonders if the other guy is as...offended by this as he is, and decides to track him down and ask him...Hmmm.)
Anyway, as I pick through my to-read list, which is getting long thanks to the great reviews on Goodreads, I'll be looking at covers. And thinking about how a finished book is very much a group project and not a solo turn by the author. And mentally passing along a thank-you to all the people out there who contribute to our books, and get less credit than they deserve.
Because for me the cover of a book is pretty critical both in picking the book up to begin with and in enjoying it completely. I'm a little obsessive about getting things right. Even with some of my favorite books there is a niggling little voice in the back of my head that says, "Except she's a brunette, not a freaking blonde", or "Yes, but she has all these tattoos on the cover that she doesn't actually have in the book." It doesn't ruin the story or anything (I'm not that nit-picky) but I wish the artist had been given better directions.
And realism. Even in wish-fulfillment lightweight romance (which describes some of what I write so I can call it that), let's try to have a little logic. I can't pick up half of the historical romances out there, just can't, because I look at a sixteenth-century brawny highland warrior with big muscles, long hair and a... waxed chest! I'm sorry, the mind boggles. All I can think is Fabio, and then I start laughing.
For me, photo realism or a well-done realistic painting makes me look twice at a book. (I'm really hoping there isn't a great book on my to-read list with a cartoon-style cover, because I may never get to it.) I like angst in the books I read, and look for moody cover art. I picked up Tere Michaels Faith and Fidelity on the cover art and blurb alone, and got exactly what was promised. Great book. But there are other great books out there with other cover styles. Tastes differ, I guess.
I occasionally wonder what the models for book covers think of the finished product. OK, when you're a model you sell your image and lose a lot of control over where it goes. So do straight models ever catch sight of themselves on a m/m cover and think, "Everyone who buys that book is imagining me kissing that guy"? Do they care, or just enjoy the fact that people are looking at their face and breathing harder? With a painting of course, you're not doing forced dating on your book cover. (Hmm, story idea? Straight male model sees himself photoshopped on a cover with another hot guy, goes to his agent to complain but can't stop taking looks at the picture, which he tells himself he bought just so he'd have documentation, of course. And he wonders if the other guy is as...offended by this as he is, and decides to track him down and ask him...Hmmm.)
Anyway, as I pick through my to-read list, which is getting long thanks to the great reviews on Goodreads, I'll be looking at covers. And thinking about how a finished book is very much a group project and not a solo turn by the author. And mentally passing along a thank-you to all the people out there who contribute to our books, and get less credit than they deserve.
May 23, 2011
Sequels, series and familiar characters
I just got the contract in and signed for the sequel to my book, Life Lessons. The next one, Breaking Cover, has been completed for a while, but now I can start the editing and publishing process. And a third adventure for Mac & Tony is in first-draft form. At the same time I was reading Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb, which is the 32nd book in that series. And it got me thinking about why I like series so much (and I do, although I can guarantee I'll never write one with 32 books in it.) And why some people don't.
I think it's a question of whether you read a book for the characters before all else. Because if you value novelty of plot, or literary skill, or freshness of narrative, then those things are hard to maintain in a series. Even the very best begin to have a familiar feel to them after the first few books. But if you are looking first for characters you can identify with, then each addition to the series becomes a chance to visit with friends, and find out more about them.
My husband says it's also a chance to be a little lazy because all the world-building and expectations are already set up for you (either as reader or writer). But then he loves real literature, like Thomas Pynchon and Faulkner, and things translated from the Spanish original. And I admire but cannot emulate that.
So I'm going to continue to write series, I'm sure. And to read and enjoy them. And to try to figure out what blend of the old and the new works best to drive a series forward.
I think it's a question of whether you read a book for the characters before all else. Because if you value novelty of plot, or literary skill, or freshness of narrative, then those things are hard to maintain in a series. Even the very best begin to have a familiar feel to them after the first few books. But if you are looking first for characters you can identify with, then each addition to the series becomes a chance to visit with friends, and find out more about them.
My husband says it's also a chance to be a little lazy because all the world-building and expectations are already set up for you (either as reader or writer). But then he loves real literature, like Thomas Pynchon and Faulkner, and things translated from the Spanish original. And I admire but cannot emulate that.
So I'm going to continue to write series, I'm sure. And to read and enjoy them. And to try to figure out what blend of the old and the new works best to drive a series forward.
May 15, 2011
Websites, writers and connectedness
My editor tells me that it is essential for a writer to have a website. If I'm reading her correctly, the biggest impetus is to give readers a chance to contact the author with questions and comments. Obviously, it also serves as advertising. So I spent a while browsing other authors' sites and blogs. They varied from pretty basic to very professional with buttons and videos and direct channels to where the author's books are for sale.
When I grew up (and it may help date me to know that when I wrote as a teenager it was with a portable typewriter balanced on my knees) a book came out in print. Then people read it. If you were highly moved by it, one way or the other, you maybe wrote a letter to the publisher, which was forwarded to the author, who maybe wrote you back. I think I did this twice (and I read thousands of books).
Now writing seems to be much more of a dialog between the authors and their readers. Anyone can write a review and have people reading it. And authors can respond in real time to inquiries. E-books and self-publishing blur the line even further between writer and reader. Books can be written, published, critiqued and revised in an almost cooperative way. When I reformatted Lies and Consequences for the fourth time, trying to make Microsoft Word play nice with Smashwords, I did a quick edit to fix a few of the most egregious problems noted by early reviewers - thank you Ann Somerville and J.R. Tomlin.)
Still, I know Lies and Consequences has been downloaded at least 850 times, and I've seen 18 reviews and no messages. And really, reviews should be written with other readers in mind, not the author. So what do readers really want in the way of author contact? Is a message drop the critical thing? Do readers like to hear about work in progress, author bio, and random blogging, or is it really all about the books? Would a free short story be a big attraction? I'm musing these questions as I decide if readers really want the additional exposure.
Goodreads is a nice forum for interaction, and I'm glad I found it. But I'm old-school enough to wonder if we aren't getting too caught up in the illusion of personal connection through the keyboard. Would it not be better to let the work stand on its own? Are authors' egos and lives and minutia really relevant to the books they write? Or am I just a Luddite in this new connected world?
When I grew up (and it may help date me to know that when I wrote as a teenager it was with a portable typewriter balanced on my knees) a book came out in print. Then people read it. If you were highly moved by it, one way or the other, you maybe wrote a letter to the publisher, which was forwarded to the author, who maybe wrote you back. I think I did this twice (and I read thousands of books).
Now writing seems to be much more of a dialog between the authors and their readers. Anyone can write a review and have people reading it. And authors can respond in real time to inquiries. E-books and self-publishing blur the line even further between writer and reader. Books can be written, published, critiqued and revised in an almost cooperative way. When I reformatted Lies and Consequences for the fourth time, trying to make Microsoft Word play nice with Smashwords, I did a quick edit to fix a few of the most egregious problems noted by early reviewers - thank you Ann Somerville and J.R. Tomlin.)
Still, I know Lies and Consequences has been downloaded at least 850 times, and I've seen 18 reviews and no messages. And really, reviews should be written with other readers in mind, not the author. So what do readers really want in the way of author contact? Is a message drop the critical thing? Do readers like to hear about work in progress, author bio, and random blogging, or is it really all about the books? Would a free short story be a big attraction? I'm musing these questions as I decide if readers really want the additional exposure.
Goodreads is a nice forum for interaction, and I'm glad I found it. But I'm old-school enough to wonder if we aren't getting too caught up in the illusion of personal connection through the keyboard. Would it not be better to let the work stand on its own? Are authors' egos and lives and minutia really relevant to the books they write? Or am I just a Luddite in this new connected world?
May 10, 2011
Authors, reviews, and professional courtesy
I love to read as much as I love to write, and when I finish a book I tend to want to review it. Not an issue in the past, but now I'm wondering...if one becomes a published author, is there a code of professional courtesy that says you shouldn't put down another author's work? Like physicians not badmouthing each other in front of patients because it reflects back badly?
Obviously there's no downside to praising something good and encouraging others to go out and read it. And some authors are just so gifted that they are reviewing from the artistic high ground. One would have to be grateful they even bothered to look at one's book. But what about those of us with modest writing skills?
Now a highly established writer won't care what I say. They get hundreds of reader reviews. Sir William Golding, were he still alive, would care less that I hated Lord of the Flies. (Amazing writer, which makes his pessimistic account of human nature painful to read for an unrepentant optimist.)
But what about someone less established, or in a field similar to my own books, where readers might care about my opinion, and maybe give it a little more weight now I've published? Do I need to only write the positive reviews and let the negatives slide? Or is it possible to write and critique without conflict? Is it possible to comment negatively on work by a more gifted author and not have it look like hubris? Personally, as a writer I'm still at the stage where every review from anyone helps. I've gone through all my unpublished manuscripts twice since my two books came out, emphasizing positives and hunting down flaws that were mentioned in reader analyses of my writing style. But a bad review from a name I recognize would sting more. So I've wondered...
For now, I figure I like most of what I read enough to give three stars or better, so I have plenty of positive reviews to keep me busy while I ponder the negatives.
Obviously there's no downside to praising something good and encouraging others to go out and read it. And some authors are just so gifted that they are reviewing from the artistic high ground. One would have to be grateful they even bothered to look at one's book. But what about those of us with modest writing skills?
Now a highly established writer won't care what I say. They get hundreds of reader reviews. Sir William Golding, were he still alive, would care less that I hated Lord of the Flies. (Amazing writer, which makes his pessimistic account of human nature painful to read for an unrepentant optimist.)
But what about someone less established, or in a field similar to my own books, where readers might care about my opinion, and maybe give it a little more weight now I've published? Do I need to only write the positive reviews and let the negatives slide? Or is it possible to write and critique without conflict? Is it possible to comment negatively on work by a more gifted author and not have it look like hubris? Personally, as a writer I'm still at the stage where every review from anyone helps. I've gone through all my unpublished manuscripts twice since my two books came out, emphasizing positives and hunting down flaws that were mentioned in reader analyses of my writing style. But a bad review from a name I recognize would sting more. So I've wondered...
For now, I figure I like most of what I read enough to give three stars or better, so I have plenty of positive reviews to keep me busy while I ponder the negatives.
May 6, 2011
Hypocrisy, author angst and blogging
I've never blogged in the past, but I wanted to rant about our Minnesota legislators and hey, Goodreads gave me a forum for that. So...
Here in the land of Minnesota-nice, the Republican legislators want to place a ballot motion in 2012 that would put a ban on gay marriage into our state constitution. I've seen one quote where they had the gall to say they are doing it to protect children, because a household with two opposite-sex parents is a better place to grow up. So they are going to force kids with a gay parent to grow up in single-parent households instead, without the benefit of the second same-sex parent, the health-care coverage, the death benefits,...? Right, really protecting those kids.
I assume not even Republicans can believe that if you forbid a queer parent to marry the person they love, they're going to go out and find an opposite-sex spouse instead. Or that gays and lesbians will stop taking care of kids if they can't get married (like all those hetero single parents do?). The general assumption is that they're trying to get their social-conservative (bigoted) voters to the polls in higher numbers next year by energizing them with this issue.
Now gay marriages aren't legal in Minnesota anyway (to our shame) so this bill is unnecessary to prevent them. It may make existing same-sex partner benefits illegal, depriving people of their current health care coverage and other shared rights. It will certainly generate legal challenges and tie up state money and resources. It's a really bad idea even if you don't support gay marriage per se. So if you live in Minnesota (or near Minnesota, or can spell the word Minnesota), write to our legislators and ask them not to waste your money trying to enshrine hatred and prejudice in our state constitution.
Bear in mind as you write that these are the same politicians who refuse to raise taxes for health, education or police services, but want to add a tax to help a wealthy private corporation build a football stadium. (Have I said the word hypocrisy yet?) Okay, rant over (for now).
On the topic of author anxieties, I've had my first two books come out in the last month. I've always written, painted, etc, but for fun and friends, not for money. I hadn't realized how offering my work to the public would cause paranoia - will they like it, will they feel that it was worth the money, will I get to put book 3 out there, will I go crazy spotting every error and infelicitous phrase I wish I could change now that I can't do anything about it??? It's a fun ride (and a big thank-you to everyone who liked a book and was kind enough to review it, and also those with constructive criticism for the next one.) But I'm really glad this isn't my day job depending on public acclaim. My hat is off to all full-time writers and entertainers.
- Kaje
Here in the land of Minnesota-nice, the Republican legislators want to place a ballot motion in 2012 that would put a ban on gay marriage into our state constitution. I've seen one quote where they had the gall to say they are doing it to protect children, because a household with two opposite-sex parents is a better place to grow up. So they are going to force kids with a gay parent to grow up in single-parent households instead, without the benefit of the second same-sex parent, the health-care coverage, the death benefits,...? Right, really protecting those kids.
I assume not even Republicans can believe that if you forbid a queer parent to marry the person they love, they're going to go out and find an opposite-sex spouse instead. Or that gays and lesbians will stop taking care of kids if they can't get married (like all those hetero single parents do?). The general assumption is that they're trying to get their social-conservative (bigoted) voters to the polls in higher numbers next year by energizing them with this issue.
Now gay marriages aren't legal in Minnesota anyway (to our shame) so this bill is unnecessary to prevent them. It may make existing same-sex partner benefits illegal, depriving people of their current health care coverage and other shared rights. It will certainly generate legal challenges and tie up state money and resources. It's a really bad idea even if you don't support gay marriage per se. So if you live in Minnesota (or near Minnesota, or can spell the word Minnesota), write to our legislators and ask them not to waste your money trying to enshrine hatred and prejudice in our state constitution.
Bear in mind as you write that these are the same politicians who refuse to raise taxes for health, education or police services, but want to add a tax to help a wealthy private corporation build a football stadium. (Have I said the word hypocrisy yet?) Okay, rant over (for now).
On the topic of author anxieties, I've had my first two books come out in the last month. I've always written, painted, etc, but for fun and friends, not for money. I hadn't realized how offering my work to the public would cause paranoia - will they like it, will they feel that it was worth the money, will I get to put book 3 out there, will I go crazy spotting every error and infelicitous phrase I wish I could change now that I can't do anything about it??? It's a fun ride (and a big thank-you to everyone who liked a book and was kind enough to review it, and also those with constructive criticism for the next one.) But I'm really glad this isn't my day job depending on public acclaim. My hat is off to all full-time writers and entertainers.
- Kaje
