Elizabeth Guizzetti's Blog, page 13

Time Off: That means its time for a reading rampage…

While some people might say its too late to start my Summer Reading list, I say, this is my first week I’ve had off this summer. So I’ve gotten behind on my readings.

I read Here Lies Love and reviewed it here.

Here are the rest of the books in my tbr list:

Fiction:

A fan gave me a copy of Charles de Lint’s Under my Skin
And I received Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes for my birthday.
Awakening by Raymond Bolton which I won in a raffle
Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Speaking in Forked Tongues by Brad Gallaway

Non Fiction

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil DeGrassie Tyson
The Particle at the End of the Universe: How the Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of a New World by Sean Carroll

Author Event Page 2 Books in Burien

Local Science Fiction Friends:

Looking for something awesome to do tonight? Come down to Burien at check out the Author Event at Page 2 Books. There will be some great authors in attendance including me, Aubry Andersen, Zachary Bonelli, Emma Elliot, Amanda Feldman, Jeff Suwak 6-8 PM.

There’s also an art walk and a farmer’s market.

Come ask me questions preferably about science fiction or Other Systems, but I will also answer questions about how I got a wierd sunburn and seven mosquito bites.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Page-2-Books/579078448867017

The Light Side of the Moon Rewrite is finished!

So I finished the rewrite of The Light Side of the Moon!!! Huzahh!!! 

Rosie thinks I over use the words: “picked up” so she’s checking out the Thesaurus.

I send it back to 48Fourteen  today, I hope they like it.

While I was worried about word count, but ended getting it at 118,000 words which is in the high end of 48Fourteen publishable zone–but at least its in it! Also I’ve seven deleted scenes once we find out The Light Side of the Moon’s final fate.

Since many authors might wonder doing a full rewrite is like: here is everything that changed.

One of the issues was the work was too episodic, so after reading my feedback emails, I basically decided I needed to write out a “mission” sentence.

Note this is not an elevator pitch, but it tells me what the book is about: Five people of different castes will journey to the moon and work to build a utopian society out of a prison colony.

In every scene, I asked myself: does it fit with the story?

The original book was over 80 chapters, I got it down to 47.

While some chapters were unneeded, I also ended up combining chapters. I had too many “dialogue chapters” when I could just added important dialogue to chapters when more action was going on.  I also need to add to five chapters in order to make them transition to the next part of the novel.

I rewrote the first five chapters from the beginning. While Ellie and Ian’s stories didn’t change too much in overall plot, I made sure that the other important character’s motivation was much more clear, added richer description. The other thing I did was double check everything. Placement of the colony, German and French swearing, etc.

I’m conflicted about writing this next part, but it was amazing how many people wanted to help–and didn’t.  I made a decision after I got my feedback from my publisher that I needed another POV. Everyone basically told me I was wrong. They told me to cut Mr. Johnson and Theodore Kessler POV’s though I knew I needed them. I got to the point where I asked a few friends if I could talk out some of my questionable chapters. The POV was not my question! Instead of listening–they kept talking. Worse, they were telling me things that were opposite to what my publisher said. If someone has a problem they ask to talk out: shut up and listen!

Authors, you need to do to reach your readers and explore your world’s themes–do it! That doesn’t mean all your words and ideas are gold, but it does mean sticking to your guns.

Finally, one of my worse writing habits is “fixing the sentence” but forgetting to take out the problem word, so I used Grammarly  chapter by chapter.  Then I re-read the entire manuscript aloud.

I got my feedback letter on March 28th, the entire rewrite took me nearly four months. Of course, who knows? My book still might not be what 48Fourteen is looking for, but it is the story I want to tell.

Hell no, I don’t want a billionaire to ravish me.

Caution: Mom do not read this blog post. Well, you’re an adult, so go ahead and read it if you want, but I’m warning you now, I’m explaining my viewpoint on romantic or erotic literature with jerks as male love interests. Also I know I have written about this topic before and it wasn’t the most popular post…

The reason I’m bringing it up today is a super confused guy mentioned, “Girls want to be ravished by billionaires.”

No, I’m not kidding. Btw, he wasn’t saying this with any disrespect and obviously expected me to understand the reference.

First of all: Any generalization about 50% of the population is likely to be wrong.

I told Super-Confused-Guy in no uncertain terms I DO NOT want to be ravished by a billionaire. Not even in fantasy. So here is my warning to billionaires and other super special snowflakes that make up book boyfriends: if you try to ravish me, I’m calling the cops. Sorry, but I’m pragmatic like that.

I am in a monogamous marriage, but I’m an active partner. Being the female does not make me passive or submissive. During sex, I give my consent (and so does my husband btw) I am not plied into doing anything I don’t want, nor would I ever force my husband to do something he doesn’t want. There is no gray area.

Secondly, my favorite books deal with personal relationships as well as other ideas or themes. I am not a huge reader of romance or erotica and tend to read them as an author which means I am breaking it down. However, I do have a lot of respect for the genres for their ability to hold tension.

But no matter what the genre: “Alphas” who intimidate women or make decisions for them can step the f*** off. In books, they steal kisses or “play” threaten or actually use physical violence. They push alcohol to ply their victims into doing what they want. They push for commitment early. They are possessive under the guise of being protective — an ugly trait in my opinion.

Why can they do this? First of all, they’re rich and handsome–and in a spicy books, they are also well-endowed.

You know who else is possessive under the guise of being protective: ABUSERS!  You know who punishes their lovers with physical violence? ABUSERS! That’s why I don’t like this fantasy.

In my opinion, the female protagonist acting spunky doesn’t change the fact, the guy is an abusive ass.  I don’t even give them a second glance after they showed me their “alpha” side.  I don’t care if they can give the female money, fame, security or whatever else it is they want. Of course, one of the reason they can act this way, because often the story line is a redemptive tale: at some point the man will change for the woman. Or worse, the woman is forced to change for the man.

Overall, these novels demonstrate the old adage that men need respect, while women want love and attention. Screw that. Real people of all genders need love, respect, attention. That’s why I don’t like this storyline.

Thirdly: As an author and a reader, it annoys me when a character is broken down to what they can give the protagonist. (Money to buy the perfect present, throbbing members, and a six pack are apparently the most common desirable traits for men.) That’s just sad… and what super-confused-guy was talking about.

The characters (and men in real life) who I find sexy are men who respect women. They are strong in their own right, they have no need to rule over anyone. Women and men are equals. Maybe they mess up, because that’s bound to happen, but I want the characters to be alive.

As an author, I write about people. I want my male characters to be more than flights of female fantasy. I want them to live and breath. And if my reader falls in love with one of them, I want you to fall for their whole selves.

That brings me to re-introducing Ian Marcus Weaver Whitlatch from The Light Side of the Moon. I’m guessing, he will never be anyone’s book boyfriend, but even if he’s not, I hope he lives in your minds…

Original character dossier

One of the chosen to go to Kipos: Ian does not go because of his parents wishes. He grows up longing for space travel and gets the chance to go to the Lunar Colony.

Family:

Mother Grace Alice Teague Weaver

Father: Royce Xavier Langly Whitlatch

No siblings. Parents had to fight infertility even to have Ian.

Status: He is a small-town doctor and a manager of a soup kitchen’s son. So his family is loved, but he is not rich. Later, he is a prison doctor.

Looks: Straight brown hair, green eyes, big nose, high forehead. Slender build, 6 ft even. Mother comments Ian has Dad’s looks, Ian is not sure if that is a compliment.

Personality: Introverted, so his friends tend to be close ones.  Kind to children.

Virtues: Idealist, romantizes space travel, democratic, believes in equality, looks to the future

Vices: Presumptuous and can be snobby

Excerpt

Ian knew he should feel pride at his achievement, but all he felt was anti-climatic nothingness. His dark suit fit him well enough, but the plain white collared shirt and black bow-tie cut off the circulation to his head. Sweating under the student gown covered with full sleeves, embroidered hood, and cap, he waited to enter the Senate House. No one spoke to him, so he pulled out his pocket-sized YRUniverse. As Ian looked around at the assembled faces of his classmates, he couldn’t find joy in the others’ accomplishments. Most made it clear a small-town doctor’s son was not worth their friendship, or even their contempt.

A notice acknowledged another press release from the Tallier Groupe. He clicked on it hoping it was about Serenitatis. Or Ivonne Tallier. He loved reading about her. The message was another mission update from the astronauts confirmed there was power being drawn into the cabling of the space elevator by the Earth’s magnetic fields.

Through the door, the Vice Chancellor of Medicinal Sciences congratulated the hard work of the graduands. The entire theater clapped politely. He slipped his YRUniverse in his pocket.

Mary glanced behind her with a nervous smile to another woman, showing her pretty white teeth. Catching Ian’s eye, she gave him an “it’s okay” signal. 

His parents hadn’t arranged a marriage for him, nor had hers. He almost asked Mary to be his wife, but she decided she wasn’t interested in him “that way” and dated another half-dozen men from their class who hadn’t interested her either. She wanted them to remain friends. They did. Sort of. It would help if her presence didn’t arouse in him the need to hold her and make her laugh.

Dad gave him rubbers–with explicit instructions to use them every time he had premarital sex— but in his four years at Oxford, he hadn’t dated anyone else. He felt tongue-tied around girls. Even when they wanted sexual relations, most of his classmates had chaperones to make sure they didn’t do anything to disrupt their organized marriages. Sometimes it felt as if he would never meet a girl. His family was too poor to be of interest to wealthy families, too wealthy for Ian to slum around the factory workers of Salisbury…

So that’s the kind of characters I like. What kinds of characters do you love or hate?

Review for Dan Thompson’s Here Lies Love

Here Lies Love by Dan Thompson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dan Thompson’s Here Lies Love is a compelling and dark piece of dystopic fiction about a young girl sold into sexual slavery by her father. Life is hard as people eek out a meager living after the sun has died. The plotting is fast paced with gorgeous detailed settings.

He deals with Abbey’s paranoia and post traumatic stress in a realistic way.

I have only one minor complaint. Abbey seems a bit too naive for what has happened to her–especially when we find out why Dad sold her. I don’t want to go into details about this, because I don’t want to give a spoiler.

She grew up in the world, but she doesn’t seem to understand the way the world works. Now I could deal with that she is naive, except she has a fantastic vocabulary. Now she was educated somewhat by her grandmother, but words during her point of view chapters like egress (rather than exit, escape, or whatever) seem out of character for a naive seventeen year old who is trying to escape her captor. And when I saw certain words, I thought, huh? However Thompson is an English author, not an American author, so perhaps egress is more commonly used in the UK, then it is in America.

Overall, terrific novel.

I also read and enjoyed Thompson’sThe Caseworker’s Memoirs which is a completely different genre, but also quite good.

View all my reviews

Chapter Headings — love ‘em or hate ‘em?

Since somehow I started writing these epics that span years, I also did chapter headings. I want to know how you feel about them. Other Systems had dates. The Light Side of the Moon might have dates and/or places.

 

Take Our Poll

Science Fiction Birthday Recommendations?

My birthday is next month and my mom always wants to know what I want. So let’s help Mom out, I’m looking for some recommendations for some good science fiction books.

Either new or old is fine. I prefer space exploration, but don’t mind military scifi. I love gender issues, but no misogamy or misandry in the storylines as it just ticks me off.

For example: I loved Forever War by Joe Haldeman and the Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison since those books touch on gender issues and changing sexuality in the story, I hated Ring World by Larry Niven due to the outright sexism. (Don’t get me started on Heinlein’s views on women)

I am not really into romance. If the romance is the major plot, rather than a subplot I generally don’t enjoy the book. For example I enjoyed how in Dune, Paul’s marriage is important politically, but it is not the plot of the entire book.

And no erotica. Thanks.

So if you have read or written a science fiction book that you think I’ll like, feel free to post that to the comments too.

Photos from Federal Way Library Meet the Author Event!

Here are the photos from the Federal Way Library Meet the Author Event! 

Here are:
Aubry Andersen, author of the serialized novel: Isaac the Fortunate and illustrator of Insomnium 
Zachary Bonelli, of Fuzzy Hedgehog Press author of Insomnium and Voyage: Embarkation 
Elizabeth Guizzetti, author and illustrator of Other Systems 

Science Fiction Fantasy Afternoon at Federal Way Library!

Pacific Northwest Science Fiction & Fantasy Fans!  I along with authors Zachary Bonelli and Aubry Andersen will be be at Federal Way Library to read from our books and discuss science fiction and fantasy!

2 pm – 3:30

Federal Way Library

34200 1st Way S

Federal Way, Washington 98003

(253) 838-3668

http://www.kcls.org

For more information please check out: http://www.facebook.com/events/643438919054063/

Other Systems Making Connections Blog Tour

Other Systems will be shown on all these awesome blogs this week May 19th – May 25th. Check out every blog for your chance to win some great prizes! US/CANADA – signed 8×10 Act break prints from Act 3; INTERNATIONAL – eBooks plus 5 space wallpapers!

May 19th: 1st stop:
Michael Sci Fan - Interview

2nd stop:
Evening eBook - Review 

May 20th:
Beanie Brain Reader - Review

May 21st:

Giovanni Valentino - Interview

May 22nd

Judith Leger - Promo

 

US/Canada Readers: Want to win this print? Check out each stop on the blog tour!

May 24th

A Readers Review - Promo 

May 25th:
Making Connections Blog - Interview