Cordelia Kingsbridge's Blog, page 10

Cover Reveal

The cover reveal for A Chip and a Chair is live at Love Bytes Reviews! Check it out in all its creepy glory. ;-)

Now that Christmas is over, does this mean that we have to wait until Christmas 2019 for the next Boston 'verse? I feel like I'll wait as long as it takes (lol), just wondering.

Ack, I hope not! I really wanted to get the BV installment out in December, but I’ve been having serious mental health problems again, and it just wasn’t happening.

I’m never sure how much to share about my experiences with depression. On the one hand, I’m an intensely private person by nature, and I also think that oversharing is unprofessional. (And I don’t want to be a downer, either!) But on the other hand, I think that the visibility of mental health struggles is important in helping to eradicate the stigma, and in normalizing them for other people who are going through the same thing.

Basically, if there’s ever an extended period where I go really quiet, it’s safe to assume that I’m having trouble. In this case, I had an emergency right before Christmas that put me out of commission for a while.

I don’t want anyone to worry - I’m receiving appropriate health care, both from my PCP and my mental health provider. We’re trying to figure out why my depression is so resistant to treatment, and if maybe there’s some other physiological factor that’s contributing to the problem.

In the meantime, unfortunately, all of this does impact my productivity, and I have to prioritize my commitments to Patreon before the BV.

Hello! Was wondering if you ever planned to reboot and publish Blood Red? Really enjoyed it and since you’ve removed your old works I’m hoping it won’t forecer vanish into the void! D’:

I’m really happy that you enjoyed Blood Red back in the day, but right now, I have no plans to publish it. I hope you’ll find enjoyment in my new works as well!

Now available for pre-order! The finale to the SEVEN OF SPADES...

Now available for pre-order! The finale to the SEVEN OF SPADES series comes out March 11 - reserve your copy now!

Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I have enjoyed your writing for years. I know this has been a hard year for you and I hope 2019 is better! Your writing is a real gift and I am a grateful reader!

Thank you very much, that’s so kind! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well, and to everyone else celebrating.

Hey, this is the Anon with the super long trans question again! Thanks for the reply (and big thanks to defaltmanifesto in the comments)! I just noticed I mentioned "front hole," but I actually meant "bonus hole." *Bonus hole* is the one that made me cring

You’re welcome! Best of luck with your project. :-)

Hey! I've done some Googling on my own, but it has been surprisingly useless, so I was hoping you could maybe help. I have a character that is FtM transgender. I've tried making him cis-male/-female, but I keep strongly going back to trans. It just *clicks

I read a book once that used “front hole” and that sounded weird and cringy. In porn (yeah, yeah, I know), most of the actors (both cis and trans) used female terms for the genitals (though I’ve heard both clit and dick when it comes to that particular part). I don’t want to use euphemisms that end up sounding weird or like I’m trying too hard, you know? 2/5

Issue #2 - This story is contemporary fantasy (human realm/faerie realm type thing). The trans character is fae (fox shifter). He asked his queen to help him with his hormones because his magic fought against traditional HRT. She granted him that wish, but he was on his own for surgery (top + hysterectomy). Would “skipping” over HRT seem hand wave-y? 3/5

Him being trans is just a tiny part of the story. Literally one scene when he reunites with his best friend who he hadn’t seen since before his transition, but who knew he wanted to transition. It would be mentioned then and that’s it. The story isn’t *about* this character and him being trans, it’s just a facet of who he is and the actual story is about saving the realm and helping the other two characters/building a (triad) relationship with them. 4/5 

Sorry for the word vomit! Thank you so much and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy New Year! 5/5

These are great questions, and I’m really happy that you’re taking the importance of respectful, authentic representation so seriously. But these questions need to be directed to trans people - preferably FtM, like the character. As a cis-gendered author, I don’t feel qualified to give this kind of advice, especially on appropriate terminology for sex scenes.

When I was writing Kill Game, I read some resources written by trans* readers for cis authors so I could incorporate that advice into my representation of Carlos. Unfortunately, that was a couple of years ago, so those links have been lost to time. And I wouldn’t know where to point you for specific answers rather than general advice.

Any readers out there know of any helpful resources for this anon? For example, is there anything like Writing With Color that exists for writing diverse gender identities?

A question I never thought to ask when you did that Q and A Thing for the SOS series: Does Levi have a jersey accent? For example, does he say "wa-ter" or "wourder"?

Here’s the thing about New Jersey: It’s divided into three regions, namely North, Central, and South. These regions are distinct not only geographically, but also culturally and socioeconomically.

The entire state of NJ is basically a suburb - North Jersey of New York City, South and parts of Central Jersey of Philadelphia. The accent you’re describing, in which “water” is pronounced as “wourder/wooter”, is actually a Philly accent that’s spread to parts of South/Central Jersey.

Nobody native to North Jersey would pronounce “water” that way! Most people in North Jersey have a “General American” accent by this point, but those who have a NJ accent borrow features from NYC rather than Philly. For example, rather than inserting or stressing “r” sounds, they’ll drop them: “water” becomes closer to “wahtah”.

Levi’s family is from North Jersey, so when the books refer to his mother Nancy having a NJ accent, they mean a North Jersey one. But Levi himself, like most North Jersey natives of his generation, has a General American accent.

This was an interesting question, thank you!

(Bona fides: My father’s entire family is from North Jersey; my mother’s family moved from Brooklyn to North Jersey halfway through her childhood, and her father still lives in the same house almost 50 years later; I was born in North Jersey and later went to high school there; I lived in Central Jersey for about a year after graduate school; and my mom’s family vacations in South Jersey every summer!)

scillsthrills replied to your post: Do you have the Assistant verse plotted out...

scillsthrills replied to your post:
Do you have the Assistant verse plotted out like a…

damn now i want to see what they’d be like in their retired years. would they have had children? what was their house like? did they move a lot? i got questions now CK ��

I have no idea! LOL. That’s what I mean - the possibilities for the Boston ‘verse are open-ended, whereas the Assistant ‘verse is on a more defined track because I do know its eventual conclusion. ;-)

Do you have the Assistant verse plotted out like a novel? I am curious how far along we are toward a climax or end of the overall arc. No pressure, just curious. Boston-verse doesn't seem like a novel but I kind of assumed Assistant-verse would be.

No, the Assistant ‘Verse isn’t a novel. I originally conceived it as the Boston ‘Verse’s darker, edgier cousin, and I still think of it that way. So it’s written in the same format - a series of short stories.

However, the big difference is that I do know how the AV will eventually end, whereas I could probably continue writing the BV until Riley and Andres are chilling in their retirement community!