H.B. Pattskyn's Blog, page 23

Review of The Trust and Q&A with author Shira Anthony

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/
product_info.php?products_id=3037I recently had the pleasure of reading The Trust, by Shira Anthony and Venona Keyes (Dreamspinner Press, June, 2012).

 Defying genre categorization, The Trust, is one part science fiction novel, one part political/espionage mystery, and one part romance. The Trust is a government agency (working under the auspices of the CIA) whose primary mission is to keep tabs on foreign governments and private companies who use (and abuse) biotechnology. When somebody crosses the line between use and abuse, Trust agents move in and “handle the situation”.

 The biotechnology in The Trust is what producers/writers for one my favorite television shows (“La Femme Nikita”) described as “ten minutes into the future”—i.e. we don’t have this technology yet, but it’s easy to believe that given a few years, we could. (Heck, it’s not so hard to believe that some of it might already exist, we just don’t know about it yet!) Of course, the only reason that works is that the writing and research are both credible. 

No single plot element (mystery/thriller, romance, science fiction) would work without the other two, as all three elements weave together to form a fast paced novel with a tight, well-rounded plot. I was drawn in immediately, wanting to know more. More about the Trust, more about the traitors, and much, much more about not only the main characters, Jake Anders and Trace Michelson, but also the cast of supporting characters (a host of agents and double agents whose loyalties could never quite be trusted).

 I loved both Jake Anders (stubborn, loyal almost to a fault, and smart), and Trace Michelson (intelligent, funny and, unfortunately for Jake, also dead. Yes. Dead.) 

And yes, it was very strange reading a romance novel that starts out with one of the main characters dead (and we’re not talking zombies, ghosts, or vampires, but genuinely, humanly deceased)—however, fans of Happily Ever After shouldn’t let that dissuade them. Far from it, in fact. I won’t tell you howMs. Anthony and Ms. Keyes manage to pull it off, other than to say “skillfully”. Anthony and Keyes take readers half way around the world, from familiar places, like Raleigh North Carolina, to a tiny village in Tibet, as Jake follows in Trace’s footsteps to unravel the mystery of the Sim chip—a microchip that is far more than simple artificial intelligence, for it contains all of Trace Michelson ’s knowledge and memories.

 There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing, and in places on the edge of my seat, madly reading as fast as I could to find out what happened next. I wanted to know who Jake could trust and who was going to stab him in the back (literally)—and of course, I needed to know how Jake was going to get his happy ending.

About the only technical “problem” I had was that in places the dialog seemed a little stiff. But seriously, if that’s the only thing someone can knock about a book…?
 

On a personal note, I don’t usually like getting into the heads of the antagonists (I skim read whole chapters of a several of books, because I just didn’t care what the bad guy did in his spare time), but that said, where Anthony and Keyes do take readers out of the protagonists’ heads and into the thoughts of the antagonists, it’s handled well, brief, and genuinely adds to the story.    In addition to reading The Trust, I had the pleasure of being able to ask Shira Anthony a few questions about the novel:   



  Q & A with Shira Anthony


The main plot of The Trust revolves around industrial and political espionage, and features a lot of really cool technology (although it isn’t what I would consider “hard” science fiction, readers don’t need a bioengineering degree to follow the story.)  There’s also a metaphysical/spiritual element. All of that has me curious about what your inspiration for The Trust was.

The original idea for the story was Venona’s – a microchip implanted in the MC’s head that thinks/acts like a real person.  Artificial intelligence (“AI” for short).  Venona comes up with some really cool ideas – most of the gadgets in the story are her creation, although we tried to ground them in some real science. 

The story starts off with Jake being shot and using meditation to control his heart rate and slow the bleeding.  These healing techniques are really practiced by some Tibetan Buddhist monks.  From there, it just seemed natural for us to explore the more metaphysical concepts about what life really is, since we had this virtual person inhabiting Jake’s mind and Jake’s mentor, Trace, taught him these Buddhist techniques.  Jake’s spiritual growth becomes a parallel story to the quest to learn the truth about what happened to Trace.  That quest ultimately takes Jake to Tibet, and what Jake finds there really changes his perspective.

 The Trust is based on a “Bleach” fanfiction story. Lately, it seems as if there’s been a lot bad press about fanfic being turned into original fiction. Some readers feel like it’s “cheating”, because it’s taking something you’ve already written “and just changing a few names”, then selling it to a publisher—and ultimately to readers. Most writers I know would disagree, but it might help readers understand if they knew what really went into re-writing your fanfiction in order to make it a publishable, original story, The Trust.


When I hear that people think “converting” a fan fiction to a “publishable” story is as easy as a global search and replace, I cringe!  In some sense, converting a fan fic is far more work that simply creating an original story with original characters.  At least, if you’re going to do it right, it is!


The Trust, in fan fiction form, was written over three years ago and was just about over half as long as the novel Dreamspinner Press has published.  It was written as AU (alternate universe) fan fiction.  For those of you who don’t know what that is – it’s where a writer takes established characters from a book, movie, anime, or other story form and literally takes them out of the original setting and puts them into an alternate universe.  This means that nothing in “The Trust” had anything to do with the manga/anime “Bleach” with the exception of the characters themselves.  An entirely original story set in a different place, in a different time, but using two Bleach characters:  Byakuya Kuchki and Renji Abarai.

Two years ago, I decided it would be fun to rework the story without the “Bleach” connection.  I hadn’t even been thinking about publishing it, but I wanted to flesh out the characters and clean up the plot so that it made more sense, then share it with readers on an original fiction website I had found.  Since fan fiction depends upon readers knowing the characters, that meant adding in descriptions of the characters (literally, what they look like, how they move, what they wear) and adding in back story (what made the character what s/he is today – his/her life experiences, family, friends, etc.).  The story “grew.”  The characters did, too. I shared The Trust with readers who didn’t know “Bleach” at all, and got some great feedback and encouragement.

In the meantime, I’d just published my first book with Dreamspinner, “The Dream of a Thousand Nights,” and had contracted my second, “Blue Notes.”  Both of those books were entirely original creations and not fan fiction.  But “The Trust” was a great story – I was convinced of it, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind.  I asked Venona what she’d think if we reworked it again, this time with an eye to submitting it for publication.  She said “yes,” and I spent the next two months rewriting sections, sending the manuscript to beta readers for input, and rewriting things again.  By the time we submitted the story to Dreamspinner, it was over 60K words long and had been rewritten a least a dozen times.  Last, and definitely not least, the story once again got a thorough working over by the fabulous editors at Dreamspinner.  We injected more character development, added some background to help the reader connect the dots of the story, and ended up at over 200 pages! 

Would someone who read the original fan fic recognize the story?  Yes.  The “bones” are the same.  But the story has far more depth, both in the level of plot detail, and in the characterization.  It’s a three-dimensional book which stands firmly on its own two feet and of which Venona and I are very proud.  Diamond in the rough to engagement ring!


When and why did you start writing fanfiction? What made you decide to start writing original stories?

I found fan fiction because I wanted to know what happened in the original Bleach story.  There’s a hint of romance that swirls around the two main characters, Rukia and Ichigo, but which is never explored by the original author, Tite Kubo.  I wanted MORE!  I hunted around and found a great fan fiction story (one of the best I’ve read for Bleach) that pairs these two.  And I started to imagine a story of my own, starting where the manga left off at that point.  I wrote it and, surprise, surprise, readers really liked it!  I was hooked.

I progressed from “canon” stories (stories that follow the original plot, setting, etc.) to AU stories, including a set of vampire stories, a paranormal pirate story, and a sci fi/suspense/mystery story.  Then I added in an original character or two.  Another surprise – readers really liked them!  So I wrote a original novella with entirely original characters, which I ended up self-publishing: “From the Depths.”  And yet another surprise – the thing sold really well!  By that time, though, I’d discovered yaoi (male/male romance) fan fiction.  I wrote two stories with Venona, and then decided to try an original gay romance.  That was “Dream of a Thousand Nights.”  After that, I never wrote another het story.  I’ve been writing original gay romances ever since.  

Back to The Trust,personally, if I were writing it (which is always a loaded way to start any statement), I would have made more changes to the characters’ physical appearances—not that I don’t love long red hair! Why did you decide to keep the “original” appearances of your Trace and Jake?

*laughs*  Honestly, I don’t think either of us could get the two original characters out of our minds.  We changed some of their features (the original Jake is covered in tattoos!), but the long red hair was just too hot not to write!  Neither Jake nor Trace are Japanese in our story, either, but their body shapes are similar to the original characters.  Jake is tall, broad-shouldered.  Trace is a bit smaller, leaner, but incredibly strong.  Also, Jake is a bit of a rebel, and the long hair is his way of telling the universe he doesn’t give a crap about what people think of him.  At one point, by the way, the Trace Sim chip teases him about this!

There’s one other reason I think we kept some of their original physical attributes – as a tribute, really, for the inspiration those two characters gave us to take a chance with our writing.  I fell in love with gay romance because of these two characters, and I think Venona would probably say the same.  They really opened my mind to the possibilities. 

In your opinion, what makes m/m and yaoi so darned hot?

Easy one!  Men are just so damned sexy - I love men!  What’s better than writing about one man?  Writing about two.  Not a “female” in a male’s body, but two men who act like men and love like men. 

Do you think we’ll ever get to a point where we’ll be able to walk into a Barnes & Noble in Anytown, USA and find LGBTQ romance on the shelves right along with het romance?

I think so.  In time.  I hope so, for all the gay men I love and wish happy endings for!

Lastly, any words of advice for aspiring writers?

Keep writing and get honest, constructive feedback from people you admire and trust.  Then take that advice and use it to become a better writer!  Don’t be afraid to ask for criticism, even if it hurts.


Visit Shira Anthony's blog (http://www.shiraanthony.com/) for more on The Trust, updates, free fiction, and other cool goodies!



.................................................................. The subject of "fanfiction to published fiction" and fanfiction writers (like myself as well as Ms. Anthony and Ms. Keyes) has become a hot topic lately, so much so that even the Wall Street Journal has something to say about it:

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577464411825970488.html

And of course, it IS Wednesday...which makes it Hunk Day:
I wanted to do something with sexy men in suits today, in honor of The Trust (not that everybody runs around in suits, but it's what *I* think of when I think CIA)
(I do lament the fact that this first one isn't in color... )


a sexy redhead... 






and if you've made it this far... it's been blistery hot here in SE Michigan so I'm thinking something cool and easy for summer. And it just so happens that my favorite recipe is "no bake". Okay, it does require a little cooking, but only a little.

Tiramisu:



6 egg yolks1/4 cup white sugar1 cup white chocolate chips1/3 cup milk2 cups heavy cream1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 pound mascarpone cheese2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperatureOptional: orange or raspberry liquor or flavoring (or get creative. Rum, Kahlua, even Irish Cream make for great variations) Optional 2: Fresh fruit to garnish1 half a cup of shaved dark chocolate (best method: take your favorite chocolate bar and grate it into shreds)
DIRECTIONS:1.In a medium saucepan on low heat, warm milk and melt in white chocolate chips. While constantly stirring, drizzle in beaten egg yolks. Stir in sugar, and blend. Nudge up the heat until mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cover tightly and  chill in refrigerator 1 hour.2.In a mixer, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk in mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.3.In a small bowl, combine coffee liquor/flavoring. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture.4.Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.




Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Shameless Summer Give Away Winner!

First, I want to thank everybody who participated! This was a really fun Blog Hop  :)  

Many of you commented about cover of my book 
(which I agree, is gorgeous, I love-love-LOVE it). So here's the blog/web-home of my awesome cover artist,
Paul Richmond http://paulrichmondstudio.blogspot.com/  Paul is an amazing artist, and I LOVE his work!


Okay, I know why you're REALLY here  :)
My Blog Hop Winner is...


 Suze 
from the Isle of Man


For all those who didn't win, remember, 
I'm participating in another blog hop
 NEXT WEEK 
(or maybe that's this week, depending on how you look at the calendar)
http://www.hayleybjames.com/I'm sure that everyone who loves m/m will love this one!



I'd also like to invite everybody back on Wednesday, because I have a very special "event" planned... I was lucky enough to get to read and review The Trust, by Shira Anthony and Venona Keyes, and I managed to sweet-talk Ms. Anthony into answering a few questions about their novel...

Okay, I probably didn't have to twist her arm TOO hard but still, it'll be my first ever interview on my blog!


The Trust will be released 
by Dreamspinner Press
on June 18
Click here for more details Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Shameless Summer Blog Hop Continues

The Shameless Summer Blog Hop Continues! 
Please leave a comment at the bottom of  this post  post for a chance to win my debut novel, Heart's Home! 

Heart's Home is an historical, paranormal m/m romance. For more information about it, either click here or slide down to my previous post. 

To get back to the Blog Hop main page, click here.
Today is Wednesday... and that means it's hunk...er, I mean Hump Day...
Okay, it's Hunk Day, too  :-)
The usual Wednesday format goes something like this: first I talk about something. Usually it's writing / creative life related (for those who have never been here / met me before--either in RL or virtually--I'm a full time writer.) Sometimes I blather on about life, occasionally I tackle something serious (which is on the agenda for today).  Of course, being Hunk Day, I also share some photos that I've found online, like the image below. (That one is actually out of my stash of photo reference images. I'm thinking hot mermen...)
The last order of business for Wednesday's blog is a recipe. Today, I'm celebrating my Russian heritage. 
My current WIP (work in progress) features a young man of Russian heritage, who is, in a lot of ways, just like me. Well, other than the fact that I'm not 25, male, or gay. Okay, so maybe Pasha is only  little bit like me  ;-)  I did borrow some traits from my grandmother for Pasha's father, Ivan--but only the worst bits. Her parents, my great grandparents, were original immigrants and while there are many wonderful things about Russia, there are a lot of not very wonderful things about the place, too--especially if you happen to be anything other than straight, white, and Russian.

One of the best articles for evidence of exactly how bad it is, can be found here . The nuts and bolts (so to speak) of the article are that the most common words for "gay" in the Russian language are pretty darned uncomplimentary. The article also reminds readers that up until 1992 , homosexuality was punishable by PRISON TIME. And no, that is not a typo. 1992 .

Early in 2012, the city of St. Petersburg, one of the largest and most popular tourist destinations in Russia, adopted a  legislative ban on "homosexual, bisexual, transgender and pedophilia propaganda" . There's two things going on here: One is that LGBTQ (or as I prefer,  QUIT L BAGS ) folks are being lumped in with pedophiles (sadly NOT a new or unique phenomenon) and secondly, where you see "propaganda", read "literature" (i.e. both fiction and, more importantly, educational literature).

We are now entering June, a month often celebrated as "Gay Pride Month" -- and yet, earlier this month the governor of Moscow enacted a law that imposes a ONE HUNDRED YEAR BAN on Gay Pride marches/demonstrations. Think about that for a second. One HUNDRED years. Go here for more details... believe me, I had to read it for myself, too. Here's another article from the UK Guardian . If you look at the date, the article is only a month old. It talks about how 30 or so Gay Rights activists were detained after being attacked by members of the Russian Orthodox church--one activist was arrested simply for talking to reporters . Some of the church supporters were arrested too.

Part of what makes bile burn at the back of my throat when I read things like this is a conversation I had with a former housemate, a young gay man who stayed with us for a bit after losing his apartment. He said to me that "gay history doesn't matter". Why should he care about Stonewall ? It didn't affect him. Yeah. Right. If it weren't for the people who spoke out in the '60's, we might have 100 year bans on Gay Pride demonstrations here in Michigan, in the United States, too. Instead, we have some of the biggest Gay Pride events in the world.

Too many people take too many rights for granted. (I'm guilty of that, too, it's easy to forget the suffering of other people when I'm sitting safely in my suburban home, typing away on my laptop, in my sun room, overlooking my garden... my roses and my primrose and my peonies that are finally blooming this year...oh those weeds over there, whatever they are, they're pretty so I'll keep them...)

It's even easy to forget, if only for a few moments, that right here in the US there are hundreds of thousands of same gender couples who aren't allowed to get married (i.e. have the same basic rights heterosexual couples have, rights as simple as hospital visitation). In 29 states, a person can be fired from their job for simply saying, "yes, I'm gay". This isn't the sixties, and we're not in Russia. This shouldn't be happening...but it is. Every day. Even while the roses bloom...

So I'd like to urge readers to do something to make a difference. It doesn't have to be something big. Sign a petition for a cause you care about. (Check out the sidebar for some of my causes, as well as petition sites.) Speak out, even if it's just in your own neighborhood--your own household. If someone tells an off-color joke or says something you find offensive, say so. Sometimes all it takes is someone saying "Do you realize how offensive that is?" to get another person to stop and think about how hurtful their words really are.

And no, it isn't always easy. But it IS worth it.




Today's Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is a traditional Russian dish...but as with everything else that I make, I put my own little twists on it.  ;-)  My recipe is a tad more work than those calling for canned soup...but the pay off is SO totally worth it!

You'll need:

A pound or so of lean beef; I tend to go with whatever pot roast is on sale. (For those who haven't visited my site before, very few of the measurements I use when I cook are "exact"; my grandmother cooked "by feel" rather than by measuring cup).

The beef needs to be cubed up; I like bite sized pieces. (Hamburger may be substituted and I've done it with ground beef in a pinch. It's not my favorite, but it works).

A head of garlic--from that head of garlic, select as few as 2 and as many as 6 nice big cloves. Some people like a LOT of garlic; others prefer a hint. Go with what YOU like. (When it doubt, split it down the middle and go with 3; you can always add a little garlic powder later, if you want your stroganoff a little more garlicky)

Four packages of mushrooms (they're usually what? 12 or 16 oz? The bigger packages)  I like to split it half and half between white and crimini (or baby portabella--or even grown up portabella) mushrooms. If you're feeling really daring, you can add wild (STORE BOUGHT wild) mushrooms to the mix (unless you happen to be a mushroom expert and can SAFELY gather your own). The goal is to have in the neighborhood of 4lbs of mushrooms (or roughly a one part beef to four parts mushroom mix).

6 oz. sour cream. Feeling like being a little healthier? Try low/no fat yogurt. I loved it so much the first time I made it with yogurt, I almost *always* make it this way. Want to strike a balance? Go halfsies. (Or top the stroganoff with a dollop of sour cream). I am told that non-dairy (vegan) sour cream is quite good... no, not for vegans (in this case), but to make the recipe Kosher friendly.

1 cup of cream OR half and half OR milk (low fat or whole, I do NOT recommend skim...). For a Kosher alternative, I would go with soy milk over any other non dairy alternative. Not being Kosher, I usually go with whole milk; half and half is yummier, but I'm trying to keep my arteries fairly unclogged...and when I do Italian, I go all out, so I try to cut back in other places for balance! (I am told that hemp milk has a great consistency, I'm just not familiar with how it tastes).

A half a tablespoon of corn starch. (Most recipes call for flour. I like the way corn starch thickens better. Feel free to take your pick).

Some recipes call for a sauteed onion. Mine doesn't. If you like onion, consider sauteeing one small, finely chopped onion in butter (or olive oil) before beginning. If you really like onion, consider making it a medium onion.

Sautee the mushrooms and garlic together with a tablespoon or so of butter (or olive oil). Remember that butter requires a MUCH lower temperature than olive oil (although you want a low temp, anyway).  If you're adding onion, sautee the onion first (until pieces are translucent), then add the mushrooms and garlic.

It will take the mushrooms to do their thing. While they're going, whisk the corn starch into the milk/cream/non dairy alternative.

get your mind out of the gutter!
It's a mushroomWhen the mushrooms are nice and tender, gently stir in the milk/cornstarch mix. Simmer until thick, and set aside.

In a separate pan, sautee your beef. Add the beef to the mushrooms/garlic (or pour the mushrooms/garlic over the meat, whichever way works best). Stir in sour cream/yogurt. All done.

By the way, that sauteed mushroom part? That's how you make homemade mushroom soup! So, I guess you just got two recipes for one, today  ;-)

Serve over noodles, rice, gnocci, or potatoes (boiled or baked). If you're feeling decadent, add a dollop of sour cream before serving.



Hey, aprons are mandatory in the kitchen. Everything else, well...

......................................................

I'd like to end on another good (more serious) note.

As many of you know, I try to write my blog posts ahead of time and schedule them, so they can actually go live when they're supposed to. After writing today's post, I was understandably a bit down in the dumps (even after writing up my recipe and finding my cute chef up above there)

Then I read one of my fellow Dreamspinner Press Author's posts.

It's short and sweet and made me feel better:
http://www.jacobzflores.com/2012/06/12/catholic-priest-in-minnesota-argues-for-gay-marriage/#comment-6710
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Shameless Summer Blog Hop

http://www.redhotbooks.com/2012/03/shameless-summer-giveaway-hop-sign-up.html

I'm not sure how many M/M authors are taking part in this one--or how many M/M readers will be "hopping by"....but I will say that more and more women (and no few men) are discovering M/M romance. (And seriously, how could someone like me, who loves books filled with steamy hot men kissing NOT resist a blog hop icon like this??  ;-)

So, here's the fun stuff: up for grabs is ONE signed copy of my debut novel, Heart's Home. It's a paranormal/historicalor as one reader so aptly described it, an Urban Fantasy that just happens to be set in Victorian London. 
Entering is easy: Just leave a comment below. On the 16th, I'll draw a name out of the hat and announce a winner... 

And now... I have seven days to complete my current WIP... I'm at 60K words... eek. I would love to blog some more about how wonderful M/M romance is, but I've got to get busy writing it some more of it. I do hope you'll drop back by; I update every Wednesday (unless I have the plague...see my last post for explanations), and usually have something to say about writing, the creative life, or occasionally life in general. There's always a recipe, sometimes an announcement about some place I'm going to be or a new book coming out, and definitely lots of eye candy  :D
Happy reading,Helen




Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Animazement and a very special Blog Hop!

Okay, first I need to apologize for my two week absence!  I came back from North Carolina with the Plague--which I have passed to my husband and he's now passed back to me. Hopefully we'll kick it at the same time and be done with it.



Next up, I have a new Blog Hop announcement! 
This one looks like a lot of fun, and is totally perfect after Animazement.

http://www.hayleybjames.com/
So that makes TWO totally cool blog hops I'll be doing this month (and two chances to win a copy of Heart's Home)
Animazement was absolutely amazing!  I had an awesome time, selling Dreamspinner books with Ariel Tachna, Nicki Bennett, and Shira Anthony.  We saw some some incredible costumes and even found Waldo! In addition to the "usual suspects" (a few hundred anime characters I couldn't name), NCIS's Abby Schuito was walking around and so were a bunch of guys from Umbrella. All in all, I felt pretty safe from the impending Zombie Apocalypse.

I think my favorite costume was a couple, probably in their mid twenties, dressed up like Queen Serenity and Tuxedo Mask--but that wasn't what made it great, what made it great was that they were young parents pushing their wee one around in a stroller  ;-)  Seriously, those are awesome parents. (Of course I'm a long time Sailor Moon junkie...)

Oh, and I sold six copies of Heart's Home, which of course felt pretty darned good, too.

Back home, my husband and daughter attended the World Steam Expo in Deaborn and got to see Abney Park. Obviously I missed out, but I got an autographed CD, so I'm still happy (it's better than the gift of germs I gave my husband). It's looking like next year, I'm going to be at Media West (Lansing, MI), and hubby and daughter will do World Steam again...of course, Lansing *is* only two hours from Dearborn, so maybe I'll get to at least see Abney Park's nighttime concert  ;-)  (Assuming they come back, which I think is a fair assumption).

All right, because I am so freaking behind on my WIP (its due in on the 15, and I'm only 2/3 of the way done, give or take a few thousand words), I'm going to skip the helpful writing article and skip right to this weeks recipe... oh and some cute guys, too  :)

I discovered this recipe while I was looking for a Middle Eastern Desert to use on my WIP. Pasha is Russian, but his dad owns a Greek restaurant. I was pleased to find an Egyptian desert; I'm Russian, but I have a special fondness for Egyptian culture (at least from antiquity)...

yeah, I know, he was the bad guy,but good girls LIKE bad guys!

Baboussa (with cocoanut and rose*)* optional I don’t have the patience to actually sit down and make rosewater, but if you have access to fresh roses (from your own garden), you can fake it.
You can also cut the recipe in half if you happen not to be feeding a hungry horde of undead Egyptians…
Ingredients


For the cake:1 ½ cup semolina (a type of flour, you might need to trek out to a health food store to get it)½ cup wheat flour ½ cup coconut flour (or you can substitute another ½ cup wheat flour, or a ½ cup of ground almond meal) 2 teaspoons baking powder2/3 cup shredded coconut (more if desired, but keep an eye on your final consistency)1 cup of softened butter¼ cup sugar1 cup yogurt (I personally recommend full-fat and all the better to use Greek yogurt)2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract4 eggs
For the syrup:3 cups of water½ lemon or orange—juiced 3 cups of sugar (honey may be substituted)Optional: fresh rose petals. Depending on the size of your roses (and how strong of a floral flavor you like), use between 3 and 6 blossoms. Alternately, try lavender (which you can actually buy—but only guy FOOD QUALITY lavender). Go with between 1 and 3 tablespoons, depending on how strong you like it. (If you’re not sure, make a little lavender tea and see how the flavor jives with you). FYI: Lemon and lavender make a heavenly flavor combination. If I were doing orange, I would definitely make it rose or skip the flowers.
Other options:Add crushed nuts: almonds, walnuts, hazel nuts, whatever you like.
Start out by making “fake” rose (or lavender) water, by bringing the water to a gentle boil, turning it off and adding flowers. This will need to steep a while (think about catching up on some housework or your favorite soap…or maybe go read a couple of chapters of that novel you’re trying to get through…or maybe getting in a few hundred words on your WIP). The longer it steeps the stronger it gets…but seriously you don’t want to leave it for more than two hours.
Strain. Return the water to the pan and bring it back to a gentle boil. Stir in the sugar slowly, letting it dissolve. Continue stirring on low (simmer) heat until it starts to get thick and sticky (it’ll be more sticky than thick). Add lemon juice and set it aside to cool.

Cake directions:  Cream butter and sugar, beat in the eggs, vanilla, and yogurt. In a separate bowl (unless you’re lazy like me and always skip that step) combine the dry ingredients. Stir the dry slowly into the wet. (Somehow that does NOT sound sexy…) If it seems a little dry, add milk (cocoanut flour absorbs more liquid than wheat flour)
Some people top with evenly spaced out slivered almonds or walnuts…but seriously, who has time for that? I’d rather stir the nuts in. That and attacking nuts with a hammer to crush them into fine powder is very therapeutic… no, my husband has NOT been pissing me off today, honest!
This recipe will fill up two 9x14 pans or one big sheet cake pan. Lightly grease the pan/s before pouring in the cake mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 / 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes up clean. Remove from oven and pour the syrup mixture over the cake. Yes, all of it.
Some people serve it with whipped cream; me, I think I’d rather just have it with fresh fruit and...



 ...coffee. 

..................................................
Remember, this month, I'll be at the Michigan Pagan Fest in Bellville... I probably *won'* have as many rune sets as I'd like, I think I'll just be taking two days to relax before diving into my next writing project!


Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Blog Hop Winners

First off, I want to thank everyone who stopped by my site during one or more of the four days of the Blog Hop Against Homophobia. I also want to give a great big thank you to Erica Pike and the organizers of the hop and to all of my fellow participants!! I visited quite a few blog sites over the four days of the hop and was touched in some way by each and ever blog entry.  Some made me laugh--and a lot of them made me cry. 
We have come so far over the last century...but we still have a long way to go in the struggle toward real equality.
I would also like to point out a couple of permanent additions to my site. The first is at the very top, over to your left: "Nobody should ever be alone".  I've included only two help/crisis sites. That number may grow, but for the time being, I offer a quick link to the Trevor Project , a national organization that offers emergency crisis counseling, LGBTQ (or as I prefer it around here QUILTBAGS) youth, and a local (metro Detroit) community center, Affirmations (located in Ferndale, MI). 
The second permanent addition to my website is a link to an amazing documentary; you're going to to go way down, under Admiral Adama's photo...oops, I meant Edward Olmos's photo... to find a link to the documentary The Celluloid Closet (if you really love it, you should consider buying a copy from Amazon, to support the film makers--the film is based on a book by the same title.) 
And of course, I'm sure everyone is anxious to know who my winners were... I decided to pull two, because I had twenty entrants. As always, I *wish* I could give something to everyone, you all had such wonderful things to say and I was really moved by everyone's stories and kind words. Thank you so much for sharing. 
My winners are: 
Lisa, from Texas&DarienMoya, from Ontario
Congratulations!

For anyone interested in trying again, I am participating in another blog hop next month, purely for fun and promotion. Please stop back by for the "Shameless Summer" Giveaway hop, June 8-15 . 
If anyone happens to be in the North Carolina area, or are planning to attend Animazement , I'll be there ( NEXT WEEKEND !!) with Shira Anthony, Ariel Tachna, Nikki Bennet, and E.M. Lynley; we'll be in the dealer's room with lots of Dreamspinner Press books and probably a few goodies; I'm not sure which of us are signed up to do the panel, but we're also presenting a panel on taking your fanfiction to the "next level" -- original, published fiction . 
I did a similar panel at ConFusion with Jim Hines and...yikes, I can't remember the name of the other guy (but he was really great!)  I'm looking forward to doing it again (with other panalists who have actually made the transition...although Jim's books qualify after a fashion, he does some stuff along the lines of fractured fairy tales, and after being on a couple of panels with him, I think I'm looking forward to reading him!)
Please stop back soon!I update every Wednesday with a weekly Hunk Day Celebration that includes chatter about writing/living the creative life, updates on WIP's, give away information,a favorite recipe from my own kitchen, cute guys (of course!), and sometimes a little musical inspiration...


Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Hop Against Homophobia, Day 4

When I first heard about this blog hop, I *almost* didn't sign up.  I don't like words like "against"; I don't like words that separate "us and them". I would rather be a part of a Blog Hop for Equality...
...but then I sat down and really thought about stories like Kenneth's and the young man from my own area who took his life, for the same reasons, last year. And all the kids getting kicked out of their homes, forced to live on the streets and do Gods know what in order to "survive" (because it isn't really surviving most of the time). I thought about the people in other countries who are beaten and jailed--legally--over their sexuality, their sexual identity.
I thought about all of the people who were imprisoned, institutionalized--executed--over their sexual orientation. 
And I decided that in this case, I could embrace the phrase "against homophobia" pretty damned easily. 
And then one of my fellow m/m authors posted something that made me smile. Apparently, someone, somewhere has come up with a new set of letters, that's more inclusive that LGBTQ--and one that nobody needs to wonder, "does the L come before the G, how do we arrange those again...?"
So here it is: Quiltbag.

Q for Queer/Questioning
U for Undecided/Unidentified
L for Lesbian
T for Transgendered & for Third Gendered
B for Bisexual
A for Asexual
G for Gay
Only, I'd like to propose an amendment. I'd like to make us QUILTBAGS.
S for Straight. 
(and yes, it is sort of amusing that straight ended up hot pink...I just went down the line of text color choices starting at the top...)

For those who don't know, I sew; I don't do a lot of quilting, but the image that the word quiltbags conjures up in my head is a tapestry of color, woven together (because quilt pieces are all attached to one another, and it doesn't work if something is missing or not stitched together tightly--you lose one piece, the whole thing is ruined...at least until it's stitched back in). 
So that's the note I'd like to end the hop on. I hope it's a message of optimism; let's never, ever forget the people have died--who are dying. Let's work together to stop the bullying. To educate. To spread a message of inclusion, of compassion. Let's work together so that we don't loose any more children--any more adults. So that no one ever has to feel left out in the cold--so that no one has to be homeless, not over their sexual identity. Not over their sexual orientation. 



As my way of thanking visitors, I'm giving away a signed copy of my book, Heart's Home. To enter, just leave a comment below. I'll be choosing one winner from all of the entries tomorrow morning. 
As always, international entries welcome.
Thank you again for stopping by. Please head back to the main page for the hop and check out the blogs of all of the other amazing authors, reviewers, and supporters . There are some amazing stories being shared. I've never happier or more proud to be a part of a community as I am to be a part of this one. 
~Helen
Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Hop Against Homophobia Day 3

I haven't shared my coming out story with y'all because it's not really very exciting...but I suppose I should let readers know where I'm really coming from, even if it's not the most inspiring story in the blog hop:

I am a bisexual woman. I figured it out during my senior year of high school (1987). I had just had my heart utterly broken by this boy that I was madly in love with--he didn't even want to be friends anymore (well, he said he did, but then he'd walk past me in the hall looking right over the top of my head--I'm five nothing, he's six two).

Then one day, during flag corps practice, I noticed this girl (yes, I was in the flag corps/color guard, no, you may not see a photo). She was plain, really, light blond hair, no make up, but oh did my heart do the little happy dance--you know the one. Mind, I was still hurting from the break up with The Boy...but it didn't take me long to develop a deep crush on this plain, blond girl. I never did anything about it. She was definitely *not* interested in girls. We never even became  friends, because as far as I know, we didn't have much in common.

I did do something about The Boy, however; we never dated again, but with a little nudging (me nudging him), we became friends again. In fact, I just saw him a couple of weeks ago, making his stage debut as one of 10 students graduating from a comedy class. I'm glad we've stayed in touch, he's a great guy and I'm very happy to have him in my life, if only on the periphery.

And the girl...? I have no idea what ever became of her. I never saw her again after graduation.

My first girlfriend was another girl all together, a friend who was experiencing some of the same feelings toward girls as I was, so we sort of decided to explore them together.

That same year, I was discovering that I wasn't Christian. The short version of the long search is that once I found Wicca, I knew I'd found home...and I ended up coming out to my grandmother as bisexual and a witch in the same summer (probably only a few weeks apart.)  I was 18 and had just graduated high school. I give her credit, my grandmother kept her cool. There was some anger, denial, fear, all of the usual and expected emotions, but in the end, we agreed to disagree about religion and she decided to quietly ignore my sexuality as much as possible, other than to voice her opinion about my girl friends (notice the space between those words?) She didn't like any of the girls I brought home...but she didn't like the boys either, so it wasn't actually a bias against girls. I should have listened to her about most of those girl and boyfriends, too; I apparently don't have the sense the gods gave a goose when it comes to love. (Thankfully, I did finally meet a *very* wonderful man, who is amazing and supportive and takes me exactly as I am).

Someone on another blog (I've visited quite a few over the last couple of days) asked a question that bears repeating:


What are you doing to fight homophobia/transphobia? 
My answer is easy: I'm out. I don't wear a T-shirt that says "bisexual", but when my daughter met one of my ex girlfriends for the first time, I made sure she knew that this woman used to be my girlfriend (the gal in question is also completely out of the closet). I've never asked any of our friends to hide who they are or pretend their significant others are just "a friend", and we've had open talks with my daughter about what it means to be transgender...although that was mostly prompted by the fact that one of our friends is starting his transition (female to male--but the masculine pronoun has been the pronoun of choice for some while, and I did have to say "okay, I've known as she and her for 20 years, give me a few months here and I promise, I'll get it right!" Except I still slip up and say "hi gorgeous" instead of "hi handsome"... he doesn't seem to mind  ;-)

I also made a promise to myself a few years ago to be less polite--less quiet. To not always mind my own business (my grandmother was a big one on "mind your own business"). I do my best to gather up my courage and speak up when I see or hear something that bothers me.

I'm not an activist, I'm a writer. I write about things that matter to me; yes, of course I'm writing to entertain, but I try to put enough real life into my stories that they educate, too--I just don't want to beat anybody over the head with it. I almost always respond to the question of "what do you write?" with the answer "gay romance." Sometimes I just say "romance" (especially when I was working on the ghost book or going on job interviews, because homophobia is, unfortunately, alive and well)--but I'm working really hard on being brave 100% of the time, because I seriously have no interest in writing het (m/f) romance. (I have no interest in reading it, either).

So that's my big story; not real exciting, but it's who I am. Imperfect like the rest of us, but working on it, trying to lead by example and live an authentic life.




As my way of saying thank you to folks who have come by during the hop, I'm offering up a signed copy of my debut novel Heart's Home .  (click the link for more book info)


All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. On the 21st, I'll choose one winner at random from all comments left over the course of the hop.


As always, International Entries Welcome!

Thanks again, enjoy the rest of the Blog Hop!

Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

Hop Against Homophobia Day 2

The International Day Against Homophobiaalso focuses onTransphobiaand I think that transgender issuesare possibly some of the least understood issues facing us today...and when I say "us", I mean ALL of us...


I asked folks at Yahoo Answers for some help in preparing this blog entry; I got the usual round of B.S., one really rude person, and one heartfelt answer to my question, "If you could tell the world one thing about being transgender, what would it be?"
"That I'm a boy, I just don't have a penis. I've heard other guys talking about how if they lost theirs, they'd probably end up killing themselves. Sometimes I wonder why I haven't done that yet."
I just about cried. (And of course I responded with "no, please don't go there...") 
And yet, my blood also boiled a little. 
Okay. It boiled a lot. I've gotten into one too many argument (because even ONE is one too many--and I've been in more than one), over transgender rights: the rights of a person to live as the gender they identify as--and the right of that person to get the necessary corrective surgery. 
I didn't have a word for transgenderism (if that's even a word, I'm honestly not sure), the first time I met someone who was transgender. She was mid transition, from male to female and had just had breast implant surgery--and her mother couldn't have been happier. She said her daughter was finally able to become the girl on the outside, that she'd always been on the inside.
I was in my early 20's, a lot sheltered and a little confused, but willing to accept that if this woman identified as female, and if her mother identified her as female, well, who was I to question it? 
Several years passed by and little by little we all began to hear more about transgendered people in the news--and I learned very quickly that my attitude toward the issue of gender-identity was, unfortunately, in the minority. How exactly a sheltered Russian Orthodox* girl from a little Detroit suburb lovingly called Hazel-tucky got to be so open minded, I'll never know; my family won't either. (*I'm not Russian Orthodox now, but that's the religion I was raised in). 
I can't say that I get it because I'm Wiccan and we accept everybody as they are, because I've had to fight people in my own religious community, when a group of women wanted to put on a public woman's ritual at an event that I was a part of the planning committee for, but add the qualifier that their ritual was for "natural women, only". Long story short: Not on my watch! No way, no how. 
But what I really wanted to know was why did I have to say anything at all? (And why was I the only one--or at least the first one?)  Because it's easier to exclude one part (the smaller part) of our community than it is to fight an established woman's circle? Because nobody else saw the words "natural women only" and went "Excuse me, what does that  mean?!" I don't like being the one to stir up the cauldron (what we witches call it when someone "stirs the pot" or "stirs up trouble"), but ye Gods, somebody had to do it. (And frankly, the wording excluded more than transgender women; when asked to explain the meaning of "natural women", the answer came back, "Real women, women who have wombs". Talk about a can of worms).

I have also been the priestess at a couple of woman's rituals and in one of them, a participant come up to me with "I don't think that woman over there is really a woman?"

That was another one of those "excuse me?!" moments. Seriously, how can anyone judge whether or not someone else is "really" a woman (or a man for that matter)?  What's "real"? (And yes, I let the woman who was having a problem know that if she was unable to share sacred space with a transgendered woman, she, the complainer, was welcome to leave. I wasn't about to question the sincerity or authenticity of any woman in my circle. "If she identifies as a woman, that's good enough for me".)

But again: why did I even have to have that conversation ?

I understand that transgenderism is an issue that very few of us will ever understand in any deep and personal kind of way, but still, what's not to understand? Just because the body says "girl", that doesn't mean the brain agrees. If the brain is screaming "I'm a boy!!" then the brain wins, because we're humans and we take pride in the fact that we are governed by our brains, not our bodies.

...
On Saturday, April 14, I had the privilege and honor of speaking on an interfaith panel at Affirmations, in Ferndale. It's been a while since I took off my author's hat and put on my priestess cap--and even my shaman's hat for a few minutes--but I had a great time. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It gave me some hope that we're making progress. There was a lot of honest, open dialogue between attendees and panelists--and everybody had the same message: acceptance, tolerance, education, and compassion. I am so glad to have been a part of that.  
And on that note...
I do not deal with transgender issues in my book, Heart's Home. It's something that I do want to write about someday, I'm just not sure how exactly to tackle it. I'm sure when it's time the Muses will let me know!
However, I would like to give away a signed paperback copy of Heart's Home to someone, just as my way of saying thank you to everyone who participated by stopping by and seeing what I had to say. (If you'd like a little more info on Heart's Home, there's a tab at the top of the page). 
Entering is easy:
Leave a comment below. 
On the 21st, I'll pick a name at random from everyone who has commented over the days of the hop. 
International Entries Welcome!

And here's a handy link back to the blog hop main page , so you can keep on hopping around the web and explore what other supporters of the M/M genre have to say!
Thanks again for stopping by and a HUGE thank you to Erika Pike and the other folks who put the hop together!





Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author

International Day Against Homophobia

Today starts the Blog Hop Against Homophobia!

I know a lot of you are here in search of goodies; I don't blame you, I'm going to be hopping around in search of goodies myself. If you're really impatient, skim on down to the bottom of the post and leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of my debut novel--which certainly tackles the issue intolerance in it's own way.
 

If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to visit the website for the International Day Against Homophobia. (Just click on the link).

If you're like me, and live in a reasonably modern suburb or city, you may find it easy to forget what others go through simply because they're not like their neighbors. (My neighbors have no idea I'm bisexual; I don't hide it, but the average suburbanite simply assumes that a woman with a husband and child is straight). It's easy to forget that fifty short years ago being gay was something you could get locked up for--that a hundred or so years ago, it was something you could be hanged for.

And yet, people are still dying over their sexual identity and not just in third world countries where it is still illegal to be anything other than straight. A couple of weeks ago one of my Facebook friends--in fact someone I genuinely care about in real life, though we've never met--posted something that broke my heart. Maybe it's because I remember planning my wedding...maybe it's because I remember being a teenager and talking about "when I get married"...and maybe it's because I'm the parent of a teenager who has had trouble with bullies at school.

http://pinterest.com/15kweishuhn/when-i-get-married/

Kenneth Weishuhn was a perfectly ordinary fourteen year old from Iowa. He liked nice cars, fashion, and Louis Tomlinson. Kenneth was also gay. According to his sister, he was a popular kid...until he came out. Then it all changed. He was bullied, tormented, and lost friends--ultimately, Kenneth took his own life. Not in some third world country. Not in some backwater town. In Iowa, a state that recognizes marriage equality. In a school that, like all American schools, allegedly has a zero tolerance policy against bullying.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/gay-iowa-teen-death-details_n_1434899.html
http://ishouldbelaughing.blogspot.com/2012/04/another-one-kenneth-weishuhn.html

Kenneth's story is far from unique.

So while I know most visitors are here to score goodies (I don't blame you, I'm hopping around hoping for goodies too), I urge everyone to take a minute to think Kenneth's story and the stories of so many other people, young and old, just like him. In my country. In your country. In countries where no one dares to come out, because homosexuality is a crime. I urge you to take a minute to remember that a hundred years ago, even in our so-called civilized countries, homosexuality was a crime, punishable by prison and even death.

And every time you think we've come a long way, remember stories the kids who have been bullied  being gay, or lesbian, or bi, or transgendered, or intersexted, or just not sure. The kids who aren't any of those things, but whose peers think they are because of the way they act and dress or the things they say. Remember the kids whose parents have kicked them out over their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Remember that we have a long, long way yet to go and we'll only get there through education, tolerance, and compassion.


It's very hard to go from that to this, so I'm not even going to try for a snappy transition, I'm just going to say again that as part of the hop, I'm giving away a copy of my debut novel, Heart's Home , an urban fantasy set in Victorian London. The quick version of the synopsis goes something like this: James is a handsome, wealthy young man who feels like an outcast from society because he likes other men; he's taken a job as a police constable in order to try and give his life meaning. Alun is a down and out werewolf living on London's East End. He knows he's an outcast because  wolves are even more prejudice than humans when it comes to "contrasexual" behavior. When the two meet over the body of a woman murdered in a back alleyway, the chemistry is undeniable--and frightening. This isn't a world where humans know about werewolves (or vampires or demons or anything else that goes bump in the night.) This is a world like ours, where werewolves would be hunted down as monsters if humans were to ever discover that they existed...

(Click on the link above for more details, an excerpt, etc.)


All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. I'll choose a winner at random on the 21st.
International entries are always welcome.

And, here's a quick link to get you easily back to the Blog Hop page.I want to thank the wonderful folks who organized the hop for the hard work they put into making this an incredible event with over 200 participants. If you have a minute drop them a note to say "thanks"!

"Education is the vaccine for violence." ~Edward James Olmos




Helen Pattskyn, Fantasy Artist, Gay Romance Author