H.B. Pattskyn's Blog, page 12

Bisexual Pride Month

If you're here for the Suicide Prevention Blog Hop, please look here. (Or you can just scroll down to the next post).  Suicide affects all communities, but it hits the LGBTQ community (especially our young people) harder than most. The best thing to do to prevent suicide is to be aware of the needs of those around you--to listen, to learn, and be compassionate.

When most people meet me, they don't realize I'm bisexual. I'm often in my husband's company and even if I'm not, I tend to talk about him and my teenaged daughter, so to most people, I look like a perfectly "ordinary"--i.e. straight--suburban housewife. (And yes, I take a certain perverse pleasure in breaking that illusion by mentioning what I actually do for a living: I write gay romance. Believe me, I'm much better at writing than I've ever been at keeping house! I don't know what I have more of in my life, plot bunnies or dust bunnies!)  Being married to a man doesn't make me any less attracted to women--and other men for that matter. I'm human. Even my grandmother used to say that anyone who claims they don't look is lying. You don't put on a pair of blinders when you get married, you simply decide to act like an adult and keep your marriage vows-- or have an honest open or poly relationship in which all parties know and are cool with what's going on. And yes, if we could ever find a woman willing to put up with both of our shit, my husband and I would love to add a third partner to our marriage. But until we can meet a woman we both want to date, I'm not dating anyone. Like I said, being married means honoring your vows and your commitment and being bisexual does *not* mean I'm incapable of doing so. It just means my husband and I get to go girl watching together! Not all of the men I've dated have been so accepting (not all of the women I've date have, either). Some people honestly believe that just because a person is attracted to both genders (or really all genders, because I can and have been just as attracted to transgendered individuals and I am absolutely enamored of androgynous beauties like Tilda Swinton.)  But I digress  ;-)  (Hey, it was Tilda Swinton!) There are a lot of people who don't understand that being bisexual (or pansexual) does not imply an inability to forge a long-lasting committed relationship.   The ability or inability to commit are human traits and have nothing to do with who I'm attracted to--because it is one thing to be attracted to someone and quite another to act on it. I value my relationship with my husband far too much to ever put it at risk over something as flimsy as a passing fancy.  I think this belief is at the heart of the bias against bisexuals and pansexuals. We get told we're "on the fence" or "can't make up our minds." (And believe me, there is *still* a bias against bisexuals in some circles. Browse the relationship ads sometime, you'll find people who still state "no bi's".) Relationships are based on trust--and if some guy couldn't trust me not to run off with a woman, he wouldn't be worth my time, anyway.  I'd love to hear your stories or your insights. Feel free to leave a comment below--and don't forget to check out the Suicide Prevention Blog Hop, one post down.   ...............................................................   I  know people read my blog, but it's very sad to only have a few followers (although I love you all and thank you so much for following me!) So I'm asking very sweetly for folks to consider a) following my blog b) subscribing to my newsletter , or c) both.       Subscribing to my newsletter has the added bonus of being eligible for random giveaways throughout the year. I don't spam and you won't get junk in either your snail or email and I promise I will never, EVER give your contact info to anyone.       To follow my blog, scroll down on the right; just under the pic of yours truly is a list of my followers.  All you have to do is press the "Join this Site" button  :)  (I think you have to be a registered Blogger user or some such, so if you're not no worries. There's still my newsletter.) 
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Suicide Awareness and Prevention

  Technically, this is Bi-Pride month here on my blog--but let's face it, LGBT people are more likely to be bullied into suicide (especially our youth) or end up going there because of depression and rejection (either real or imagined) than our straight counterparts.   There's a scene in my new book where Pasha's father, Ivan,  asks him if he's ever been suicidal. Ivan asks because he's just read an article in the paper about a young man who was bullied to death by his classmates because he's gay (or because his classmates thought he was).

I wrote in that scene after hearing about a local teenager who took his own life after having been picked on relentlessly over his sexual orientation. When I heard the story, I felt so utterly heartsick and helpless. It wasn't the first incident I'd ever heard and it hadn't hit that close to home (it wasn't my daughter's school or my old high school or anything), but something about that particular story just struck a deep, deep cord.

I couldn't imagine what it must have felt like for that young man to feel so shut out, so afraid of being rejected by his family, that he thought it was easier to take his own life than to have to face one more day on this earth.  I do what it feels like to be on the other end, to be one of the people left behind after someone takes their own life. Another day I will never forget happened almost 18 years ago (I remember because I was pregnant at the time). I was at work and I got a phone call from a friend who said he needed to tell me something and then advised me to sit down before he continued. Those sorts of phone calls never go well. The shortest version of events was that his roommate, his friend as well as mine, had gotten up sometime in the wee hours of the morning, taken the shotgun from the hall closet, gone out into the backyard and shot himself in the abdomen. The friend who called me was probably the last person to see him alive, as they said goodnight after an evening out with friends. That friend was also the person who found him the next morning.   We knew our friend (the one who took his own life) was going through some difficulties, but they seemed like the kind of perfectly ordinary things people go through and nothing that couldn't be recovered from--nothing that was even life altering in the long term. Unfortunately, his solution to his problems were life altering and not just for him, but for everyone who loved him.Everyone who still loves him, even 18 years later. I'm still angry at him and I still miss him. I'm not the only person who feels that way.   Which is why I thought it was important to take a few days out of my scheduled Bi-Pride month to acknowledge Suicide Prevention Week. The only way to begin to prevent these tragedies--tragedies which certainly affect all of us, but definitely affect anyone who is classed as "different" or feels like they don't belong--is to raise awareness.
 When I was first discovering my own bisexuality, I never felt suicidal, but I did feel like I no longer belonged, like I no longer had a peer group. I wasn't gay. I wasn't straight. A lot of gay people snubbed bisexual people because we "couldn't make up our minds" or "needed to get off the fence" or "wanted it both ways." Straight guys were often just rude ass hats, "do you and your girlfriend want to come over to my place?" they'd ask with a leer. I didn't know anyone else who was like me, who could tell me it was okay to feel the way I did.  There's nothing worse than feeling like you don't belong, like nobody understands--but there ARE people out there who do understand, who have been there. In this day and age, help is literally just a mouse click away.   As a part of the blog hop, our wonderful hostess/coordinator Louisa Bacio is offering a top prize in the form of an Amazon Gift Card. For my part of the blog hop, I'm offering one winner a signed paperback copy of my new book Hanging by the Moment. Please leave a comment below to be entered to win--international entries are always welcome, just make sure you leave me a way to contact you! (If you'd like to hear me reading a couple of excerpts, please click here: danielandpasha.blogspot.com )

You can return to the hop by clicking here. ---------     I  know people read my blog, but it's very sad to only have a few followers (although I love you all and thank you so much for following me!) So I'm asking very sweetly for folks to consider a) following my blog b) subscribing to my newsletter , or c) both.       Subscribing to my newsletter has the added bonus of being eligible for random giveaways throughout the year. I don't spam and you won't get junk in either your snail or email and I promise I will never, EVER give your contact info to anyone.       To follow my blog, scroll down on the right; just under the pic of yours truly is a list of my followers.  All you have to do is press the "Join this Site" button  :)  (I think you have to be a registered Blogger user or some such, so if you're not no worries. There's still my newsletter.) 
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Release day--and the first reviews are in!

It's here! I have in my happy little hands, copies of my third novel.

There are lots of awesome things about being a writer, but one of the best is getting to hold your book in your hands for the first time. You spend all these months working on it, then submitting it and praying with fingers and toes crossed, then you get The Letter, the good one, with "contract" in the subject line  ;-)  Then it's more waiting and finally you find out your book is in the editing queue, and then there's the fun stuff like getting to fill out the spec sheet for the cover art (thank you to the hugely talented L.C. Chase for the awesome cover! And to Paul Richmond, DSP's assistant art director.) And finally, it's here.
And you hope and pray somebody likes it.

Somebody did! 

The first review is in:
4.5 Stars from Live your life, buy the book

And now, as I'm floating on air, I have to knuckle down and work on my WIP because tomorrow (Friday Sept. 6), I'll be blogging all day on the Dreamspinner Press Blog, talking about how the book came to be, running contests, and answering questions. My plan (read: hope) is post about once an hour... let's see how it works out when tomorrow comes! (But do please join me, it's going to be lots of fun!)

Also, please stop by  --------------------
I know people read my blog, but it's very sad to only have 14 followers (although I love you all and thank you so much for following me!) So I'm asking very sweetly for folks to consider a) following my blog b) subscribing to my newsletter, or c) both.  Subscribing to my newsletter has the added bonus of being eligible for random giveaways throughout the year. I don't spam and you won't get junk in either your snail or email and I promise I will never, EVER give your contact info to anyone.  To follow my blog, scroll down on the right; just under the pic of yours truly is a list of my followers.  All you have to do is press the "Join this Site" button  :)  (I think you have to be a registered Blogger user or some such, so if you're not no worries. There's still my newsletter.) 
  Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Welcome West Thornhill!

I'm so excited to welcome author West Thornhill to my blog today! ------------------------------------- I tried for a few days to write this post on two of my bisexual characters and kept feeling like I was going round in circles, especially about what to say. I would sit and type and then read over what I’d written. A roll of the eyes, sigh, click select all and delete. Frustrated with myself did not even begin to address what was spinning around my head. So, I’m going to try and keep it simple. Plus I don’t want to give away any spoilers if you’re thinking about maybe reading the books.   I co-author an online YA LGBT friendly, sci-fi/fantasy series called The Ravens Crossing (TRC). In the fall of 2011, my co-authors and I started brainstorming a world filled with Gaeas, Perceptives, Normals, and the Annos. February 2012 we introduced everyone to Wildwood and TRC.   Now, in the fall of 2013, we are moving forward with the next generation of TRC kids. The first three seasons are all available in e-book at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.   When we were creating our characters, a set of triplets were the first I came up with. Kazuki, Raiden, and Tetsuya. Immediately I knew Kaz was gay, Raiden straight, and Suya bisexual. I know this doesn’t typically happen, but hey this was my world and anything is possible. J Kaz and Raiden were easy to pair up. Suya, though, he was my tough nut. Out of all of my characters, he quickly became my favorite. Suya always knew he liked boys and girls equally. But there would only be one girl he would ever love, his soul mate Darci. The problem with that was Darci and Suya would never be more than best friends. Darci was also the one who kept all of Suya’s secrets, even if it wasn’t the best idea.
Keenan has always been confused. He is a part of the season four cast, but he’s already made appearances in the first three seasons. What do I mean when I say he’s confused? Well, he can admit that his brother’s, Quinn’s, friends are hot, the boys and the girls. But when it comes to dating, he doesn’t have a clue what to do. His confusion gets worse when he meets Sera. Sera is MTF Transgender. Keenan really starts to question himself. He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to feel or what it means to fall for the ethereal girl. Keenan decides to talk Quinn. During their conversation I think Quinn asks him a very important question – why do you need to label yourself?   Suya and the others in the first three seasons have all graduated and moved off in different directions. I will be continuing to write Suya’s story. New Adult, Adult…I don’t know. Suya is pushing hard for it to be an erotic romance. Trust me.   Keenan, Sera, and a whole lot more are the focus of the upcoming season. So, if you follow along online, you’ll get to see how they deal with high school and being the siblings of powerful Gaeas. I’m also working on a story that I hope to have finished before season four begins where you meet Sera for the first time, and learn more about Keenan’s confusion. I really hope this small introduction to two of my characters will prompt to you to want to find out more about The Ravens Crossing. It is a complex and ever growing world. Heck, the three of us are still discovering new things about the world we created.    http://www.theravenscrossing.org/ The RavensCrossing, Book One   The RavensCrossing, Book Two    The RavensCrossing, Book Three     Who is West Thornhill?  West is the anime watching, soccer cheering, One Direction listening author of YA, NA, and Erotic Romance. She is nowhere near as interesting as the characters who live in her head. But she tries. In past few years, she has had five books published and recently got the rights back to her first novel and short story. She is currently revising and re-editing them for re-release. Ten years ago West went back to college as a non-traditional student at an all woman’s college. Three years later she had received her Bachelor’s degree in Classics with a minor in British and American Literature. So, yeah, she’s a geek, something she’s rather proud of. Now, she can be found either sitting in front of her computer typing away or hanging with her teenaged son. Every so often she can be found at the local Starbuck’s tossing back white chocolate mocha’s, hot or iced. http://wthornhillauthor.blogspot.com/ Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Bisexual Pride Month!

Okay, so I should have had this post up earlier today. It was just one of those days.  But to start off, I'd like to offer up a quick review of a book that featured a bisexual character or two in a little ménage sci-fi novella that was just 108 pages long.  Here's the blurb: In a world without men, one man stands out.

Dara Athol should really get over this heterosexual thing. After all, in her twenty-third-century world, men are but a distant memory. Yet she can’t help it; she’s a self-admitted throwback.

She tried the “couple” thing, but though she and Brynn are still friends with benefits, Dara finds true solace only in the arms of Kai143. A limited-edition android sex toy, an expensive service provided by The Consortium for those who want a taste of the exotic—making love to something with a Y chromosome.

When Kai grows beyond his programming and begins to think and feel for himself, his feelings for Dara grow into forbidden love. Forced to go on the run from The Consortium, the police, and society itself, Dara and Kai fight for survival—and for the elusive possibility of a different kind of future.

Product Warnings
Contains an anatomically correct, fully functional android with no off switch. Like the Energizer bunny, he just keeps going…and going…and going…  When Good Toys Go Bad by Debbie CairoSamhain Publishing Ltd My rating: 4 of 5 stars My Review:  What started out as a potentially trite, cliché plot quickly turned on its ear, twisting the story in unexpected ways to deliver up a fresh take on some old tropes. And nothing makes me happier than being happily surprised when an author doesn't take the well worn road and give another Logan's Run or Blade Runner (classics, yes, but those stories can only be told so many times).
When Good Toys Go Bad was a pleasure to read on every level, so although I don't generally read anything involving "f" whether it's f/f or m/f, I totally recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind a little "f" in their romance.  Now could somebody please tell me why I have that stupid Robin Thicke song in my head...."cause you're a good toy...."  or something like that.   
 Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

The cost of writing

Something new crossed my path the other day. A lovely literary writer I know remarked on a list about a e-zine following in Pulitzer's footsteps and declining to award first place in a recent writing contest. I have yet to find an article or snippet online discussing Narrative Magazine's lack of a winner--but I found out an awful lot about Narrative itself. What I found kind of disgusted me.  Forgetting for a second the allegation that the editors (who are the sole judges of their literary contests) "fixed" the 2008 awards (which come with a hefty cash prize) so that a friend of theirs would win, let's just take a look at Narrative Magazine itself. The very top of the page invites people to donate (in red) and support Narrative Magazine. That's because Narrative is a non-profit. Awesome. I'm all about small literary presses. I love Wilde Oats and Orion's Child. Over the years I've read the Green Egg, Circle Sanctuary News, and all manner of small, niche 'zines. Being excessively long winded, I don't write short stories well, so I haven't had much experience submitting to magazines--but I know that the drill is fairly similar to submitting to publishers: You write a great story and then shop it around.  The thing is that if you write short fiction, you have to sell a lot of it in order to survive (it pays less--sometimes far less--and generally it's a one time pay check, not royalties)--that means you have to submit a lot. In the old days, that meant you became best buds with the folks at the post office! These days, a lot of submissions are handled electronically.

Also in the old days, the publishing model was that first a writer cuts his/her chops in short format (i.e. getting published in magazines) and then she/he can approach a publisher with a book and they might take him/her seriously. Maybe. If the stars align and the moon is right and the acquisitions editor is in a good mood. Needless to say, that kept me from getting seriously considered by publishers for a long time--but the publishing model is changing. It has been for some years and that is pretty much the only thing that allowed me to get my first book published. (And let me say that I do get it, a lot of crap comes across an acquisitions editor's desk. Filtering out unpublished authors filters out some of the crap--it also filters out some of the good stuff).  So getting back on track. If you're a short story writer, either by choice or necessity, you probably submit a couple of stories every month to magazines. Maybe more. Maybe less, but if you're going to get anywhere, you probably submit at least two a month, because the odds of actually getting published are pretty small. (I don't have statistical data available, but you figure most magazines get hundreds of submissions every month and only have room for maybe half a dozen pieces. And of course the bigger the magazine, the more submissions there are). So in order to get anything published, you have to submit, submit, submit. Now let's get back to Narrative Magazine. Along with your submission (which comes with no guarantees) you're also expected to pony up a check for between $10 (for a couple of poems) to $20 (for longer pieces of fiction). Yes, they do pay writers for the stories they accept better than average--but a $20 reading fee? Imagine if other magazines followed the same model? (There is a short, two week period in which stories may be submitted for consideration without having pay the usual fees--but the catch is that if you submit during that time and take them up on the offer of the "free read" your work isn't eligible for their writing contest. Well, and the other catch is that you have to submit your work in the first two weeks of April.)  And please don't forget that at the very top of their page, they also ask for donations. So not only are they expecting hopeful aspiring writers to pay for the privilege of having their work read (and most likely rejected, because that's just the way publishing works), but they've got their hand out as well, asking for reader support. They also except paid ads (and holy spumoni Batman! They charge from $750-$3000 for ad space! Yowzers.)

It also appears that Narrative Magazine sells books--and not just any books but books "exclusively from the Narrative library." Readers can purchase copies of their magazines, too. (Although individual entries can be found online for free viewing).

The more I look at the operation, the more it starts to feel like a vanity press.

Y'all know I don't have a problem with self-publishing, but only when it's up front and honest. I suppose Narrative is up front, they make no secret of their fees, I'm just not sure I feel like they're the most honest operation in the world. Despite all of the money they're pulling in, they're still a non-profit (which doesn't, by the way, mean the editors/owners can't pay themselves a salary, by the way, it just means they don't have to pay taxes. Believe me, lots of people who work for non-profits make money; being a non-profit simply means the company doesn't make money. It also lends a certain "air of credibility" by making them seem like they're up there with public broadcasting.)  I'm not alone in feeling that Narrative might be a bit on the sleazy side, either. Here's a great blog entry from Notes from the New Sodom .

Now, obviously we all know I'm not a literary author; I don't understand most literary fiction. (Sorry, guys. I like stories that are just more tangible than that.) But I honestly cannot understand why anyone would pay this kind of money just for the boasting rights of saying "I was published here..." 

What about you? Any thoughts?

And while I'm soliciting thoughts, let's not forget that some (not all, but some) literary authors look down on genre fiction as somehow "less than" worthy. Worthy (or unworthy) of what, I'm not sure. I'm just happy I write what I do. I like getting paid for my efforts. (Although that said, I have absolutely no problem in the world with small 'zines who can't afford to pay contributors. If you look at their websites, there's a huge difference between Wilde Oats and Narrative Magazine.)
  Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

The Writing Life

If you're here for the Back to School Blog Hop, please click HERE  to get to the correct page. Of course you're welcome to read today's post first, if you'd like!








A number of years ago, I went to a great discussion at a convention about what it was like--and what it took--to be a professional artist.  Being an artist of (of any kind) takes more than just talent. It takes education (whether formal or informal), dedication, hard work, and discipline. I'll be the first one to admit that that last one eludes me most days. (I should be working on my next novel, not blogging--but of course blogging is part of being a professional artist. It's kind of a catch-22).  Being an artist is typically a solitary pursuit; extroverts aren't (generally) well suited to the artistic life. We sit in offices or closets or spare bedrooms--or we sit in coffee shops with headphones on--and create whole worlds on computers--or on canvas or in music. We transform ideas into tangible things, into images and notes and words. It's a remarkable experience.  It's also a difficult one, and I'm not just talking financially.  Artists need emotional support; we need the understanding of our friends and families. But it can be hard for those people to take what we're doing seriously, especially when we're first starting out (which is when we need the most support). It took me a very long time to convince my friends and family that my work is just that: work. No, I don't punch a clock, this is how I make my living, but just because I'm home all day doesn't mean I'm everyone's beck and call. In fact, if you call in the middle of the day, I might not answer the phone, so be prepared to leave a message.  Even so, I know I'm lucky that I have friends and family who are supportive. A lot of artists, especially in my genre of writing, aren't so lucky. I don't know what I would do if I had a friend (or worse a spouse) who didn't support me (well, okay, I did divorce my second husband who once remarked that I'd never publish anything, I just wasn't that good of a writer, but the truth is that that statement was simply indicative of a much larger problem in our marriage; he didn't support anything I did, which is why he's my ex husband. My first ex husband is wonderfully supportive; we were just kinda young when we got hitched and really didn't know what we were doing. But there's a reason we're still friends  *g*).  Getting back on track.... Artists need to surround themselves with people who support us. Those people don't have to love everything you do (very few of my friends read my work, very few of them are into romance of any flavor), they just have to support you. If they don't, it can be time to make the difficult decision to walk away. Last year, I had to walk away from my critique group. I got a lot out of the group and there were some really wonderful people in it. But there was also someone who was constantly calling what I write "porn".  I don't have a problem with porn, but it isn't what I write. (And I'm not the only m/m author who has faced this "fight"; a lot of people seem to assume that if there are two guys on the cover--or if those guys have sex in the course of the novel--that it's "porn").  For me, porn is sex for it's own sake. And that is totally cool. But like I said, it's not what I write. I don't even consider what I write to be particularly erotic. (Okay, my second book is; the first half can really be summed up with: and they had a lot of kinky sex!) But my third novel has very little sex at all. The amount of sex and the explicitness with which I write aren't determined by me, they're determined by my characters. That said, a sex scene is like any other scene, if it doesn't tell readers something important about the characters or do something to drive the story forward, I cut it.  My friends who write m/m say the same thing. That's because we're romance authors. So I guess the lesson that I'm trying to drive home to any aspiring writers reading this (or even seasoned authors, because this is hard for all of us) is that if you have people who don't support you, it's time to step back and evaluate the situation. If you're not getting something positive from the experience, it's probably time to move on.  (After I initially left the critique group I used to belong to, I was shy about saying anything in public; I didn't want to hurt any feelings, should any of them stumble across this. But the truth is that I doubt any of them read my blog. If they do, the people who know I'm not talking about them will know who they are--and I'm pretty sure the guy who basically pushed me out knows why I left, too. Ironically, I think he's a great guy and an amazing writer--I just got tired of the jabs. As an author, I get enough of those from readers who didn't like something I wrote, I don't need it from friends, peers, and colleagues. No one does.)   Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Back to School Blog Hop

Back to school at last...well, almost. In Michigan, they changed the school year so that K-12 starts back after Labor Day. Just the same, it's almost here. My teenager will soon be back in school and I'll have the house all to myself during the day. Theoretically, that means more writing time...we'll see how it works out in reality! It's kind of fitting that one of my WIP's is a story about going back to school (well, for one of the MC's. He's a high school teacher and teachers are forever going back to school, it's part of the requirement, that they keep current on trends and practices and just plain keep learning new stuff). This particular teacher ends up in a class with his former student and...well... we've all had crushes on hot teachers, right? Add in a little BDSM and "hot for teacher" takes on a whole new meaning.  *G*
 So, since this is a blog hop, and because I love giving away goodies (although the grand prize on this one is pretty sweet *g*), I'm going to draw the name of one lucky winner at the end of the hop. That person will get their choice of a signed copy either of my first two novels (Heart's Home or Bound: Forget Me Knot) plus a book bag because what else are you going to need to go back to school with?  And just to make it interesting, how about in your commenting telling me what was either your favorite thing about school? (Elementary, middle school, high school, college, trade school, whatever.)

The best thing about school for me was band. It was the one place I never felt out of place (I was a total geek as a kid--well, I suppose I still am, but at my age it's kind of cool to be a little bit geeky  *G*)  I was (and still am) a total introvert--only back then, I wasn't very comfortable about that. I was always being told to be more out going (and the funny thing is that I'm not shy, I just like to take my time to assess the situation before mixing and mingling) and to make more friends (so *not* what an introvert wants to do). Band was the one place I wasn't expected to talk to people (much); I could just sit back and play and I didn't even mind being in the front row (I played the flute). As I got older and learned that it's actually okay to be an introvert, I got a lot more comfortable in my own skin.  International entries welcome, but please make sure you give me a way to contact you! You might also be interested in signing up for my newsletter because every other month, I draw a name and give away something. (After some debate, I decided to do an every other month newsletter rather than a monthly newsletter, although I will occasionally send out announcements.)  I hope you'll check back here in a few weeks because I have a brand new release coming out on September 6th. I'm going on a six week blog tour and giving away a signed copy, a book bag, and some awesome cool swag at the end of the blog tour.
   Thanks for hopping by!
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  Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Book Trailer

Many of you have already seen the book trailer for Hanging by the Moment , but I wanted to take a few minutes to not only show it off again, in case anyone had missed it, but to talk a little bit about the creative process.

There were several learning curves for me, and one of them was realizing that creating a book trailer isn't the same thing as creating movie trailer. I needed to focus on the mood of the book and a few key points, rather than trying to summarize the story (after all, that's what blurbs are for). The biggest piece of it was finding the right music (and not paying more than I could afford for the license to use it!) Once I had my music, I started thinking about phrases: what was the heart of the book? It was hard to narrow down; there are a lot of themes running through the novel, but it really boiled down to one thing: coping with falling in love with someone who is HIV positive.

The next trick was finding images that captured the way Pasha felt (because the entire story is from Pasha's POV)--and of course working with what images were available on stock image websites (again, that are within my price range). I don't actually know whether or not book trailers help sales, but my first degree (not that I did anything in it) was in radio and television broadcasting. Admittedly, that was about a million years ago when video cameras were these huge hulking things and honestly, I couldn't carry both the camera and the battery pack, because each weighed at least fifteen pounds; the video tapes were 3/4 of an inch wide. Not the cassette, the tape itself. Editing was done on a monstrous council--or if you only had home equipment, by hooking up two VCRs.  The technology has come a long way since then. Using nothing more than some purchased stock images, stock music (I think I spent around $20 total), and video editing software that cost $40, I was able to create the above video. Now, the learning curve was kind of long--it took over 12 hours of fiddling and futzing, but I suspect the next one won't take nearly as long. (I'm actually thinking about doing a trailer for Bound and Heart's Home once I have a little more time.)  If I'd wanted to, I could have used stock video images, or of course shot my own, either with my camera (that weighs less than half a pound) or my cell phone.  Long gone are the days of lugging around this kind of equipment:

battery camera router--links multiple cameras
  RM 440 Editing console 3/4 inch video cassette--would NOT fit into
standard home VCR Newspaper ad for home computer equipment

Look, a fax!




  Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Indie books

I read a blog post today (http://anonnymouse13.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/why-indie-authors-still-suck/ -- fair warning, it's beyond harsh) and it got me thinking. (There's also an awesome "open rebuttal" that's much more digestible: http://mishaburnett.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/an-open-letter-to-a-frightened-man/).
 To sum up the first article, "indie authors suck and should just stop doing it, you're embarrassing yourselves". Harsh words (and still kinder than the actual article), and I think the second article nails several things right on the head in it's title "An open letter to a frightened man".  Now, don't get me wrong, there are some self-published books that are far, far from stellar. If you don't believe that some self published-books are...well, less than awesome, let me draw your attention to Moon People:  Another...shining... example self publishing gone wrong is  ANTIGUA: The Land of Fairies Wizards and Heroes (Part 1).  I'm not trying to slam anybody or be unkind and the truth is that I'm a huge supporter of self publishing. I've got a tale or two of my own that may end up getting to print and ebook that way. There's an f/f novel rolling around in my head that involves a couple of characters from my first novel. Since Dreamspinner doesn't publish anything but m/m, I know I can't submit it there--but I don't honestly want to go anywhere else, either. Ditto with an idea or two that either aren't romance or m/m. I may shop those around (when I get around to finishing them) but if all else fails, I will solicit beta readers and hire an editor as well as a cover artist and do it myself.

But getting back on target, I understand the first blogger's frustration. There are so many books out there competing for readers' attention that sometimes I wonder how anyone will ever even notice me. I just don't see the point of getting nasty about it, even if the core of the article is true: if you're going to self publish you have *got* to hire a good editor.

At the same time, I am so tired of "industry slaves" telling us that only losers self-publish. I also couldn't help but notice that the anonymous blogger missed one very important point--and I'm guessing it wasn't an accident. There are a LOT of publishers who refuse to look at un-agented manuscripts. There are a LOT of publishers won't take a chance on first-time authors. I'm not saying I don't understand the reasons, I do, but the point is that it has gotten harder and harder to get a foot in the door. I *know* how lucky I am to be with Dreamspinner. But it isn't easy to get your book looked at, let alone considered--that doesn't mean your book is shit (as the anonymous blogger contends), it means that editors are swamped and simply don't have time. It means money is getting tighter.

It means that sometimes the only way to get your book out there is to self publish.

And yes, unfortunately, that also means that some really awful stuff sees its way into print and that makes it harder for the rest of us to get noticed. But that's just life.   Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author