Leta Blake's Blog, page 93
March 23, 2013
The Day I Taught How Not to Rape
Reblogged from Accidental Devotional:
Yesterday, the news invaded my classroom. I think the kids aren't paying attention. I think the kids only care about the news as it relates to Justin Bieber. I think they aren't listening or capable of advanced thought. Every single time I think one of those things, I sell out the ninth-graders that come traipsing through my room every day.
Truly important and a fantastic read.
March 22, 2013
FANWORK FRIDAY: THE HAWKEYE INITIATIVE (& Hayley!)
One of the things I love about Fanwork Friday is showing off how smart fans can be as well as talented. My pal Hayley is here today to talk about an awesome fan initiative to expose misogyny and misrepresentation in comics
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I love comics. Marvel’s my main bag, but my affection for the medium stretches from The Avengers and Batman to Scott Pilgrim by way of Adventure Time and Hark! A Vagrant! I tend to eschew the major titles for the most part, preferring X-Factor to X-Men (I’m sorry, but a mutant-run film noir detective agency > Wolverine’s numerous dead ex-girlfriends.) Likewise, my favourite Avenger is not Iron Man or Thor, but dear old Hawkeye.
But I’m also a woman, and as a comic-reading woman, it’s pretty hard to ignore the blatant misogyny inherent in the depiction of women in superhero comic art. I’m not the only one. A group of tumblr artists have decided to illustrate this issue in the most hilariously excellent way possible: with the Hawkeye Initiative.
Started up by a bunch of amazing tumblr artists, all of whom you can find out about on the Initiative’s Origins page, the purpose of the Initiative is a simple one: “A blog with Clint “Hawkeye” Barton being placed in the same provocative, female poses that are featured in superhero comics.” As a Hawkeye fan, it’s hilarious, but as a woman and a feminist, it’s also pretty horrifying to see. What is wrong with these women’s spines? I have a curved spine and some days it hurts just to get out of bed, never mind fight crime provocatively in a thong.
One of the major targets for ridicule is Rob Liefeld, whose art is so horrendous that there have been entire articles dedicated to how awful he is. (It also makes me sad that he invented my favourite superhero after Hawkeye, Shatterstar, now one of the highlights of Peter David’s X-Factor but once the height of 90s ridiculousness.)
Check out this contribution to the Initiative. What are those legs I can’t even.
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Sometimes artists make the misogyny extra-obvious by drawing the Black Widow in the “masculine” pose. This one made me choke with laughter.
(The other Avengers get involved too. Any appearances by the Hulk or Captain America are highlights.)
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You could spend hours laughing at the fantastic contributions, but good art can change the world and the Initiative started making waves within hours of its inception. Here’s hoping that this and projects like it will eventually stamp out these sexist images, or at least lead to male superheroes fighting crime in just their y-fronts too. It would make The Avengers 2 very interesting indeed.
While I’m on the subject of Hawkeye, a recommendation: Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye series, which began in 2012, is one of the best comic books you will ever read. It’s hilarious, with awesome art, great dialogue, and the female Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, presented as an actual person! Clint also owns a dog who eats pizza, leading to this final, disturbing contribution from the Initiative.
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Hayley works in children’s literature by day, and is a freelance writer and photographer by night. When she’s not reading comics. You can find her at hazzachaz.wordpress.com.
***
Speaking of being smart, apparently I’m not because the coding on this just about did my head in. I’m sorry, Hayley, that it looks such a wreck!
March 20, 2013
Writer Wednesday: Kate Davies and Most Likely To Succeed
What are your names? And tell us a little about yourselves?
Kelsey: My name’s Kelsey Moore, and I’m…kind of floundering right now, to be honest. Back in high school I was really driven – they even voted me Most Likely To Succeed. But when my dad bailed on the family and our flower shop was about to go under, I turned down my scholarship and stayed to help out. Ten years later, and I’m still there, no college, no job mobility, and certainly no success. Is it any wonder I want to avoid the reunion if at all possible?
Nathan: I’m Nathan Barrow, and I haven’t been back in my hometown since graduation. I’ve been working all over the world as a water systems designer for an international relief organization. My ten year high school reunion seemed like a good opportunity to get back in touch with the people I knew back then, especially my lab partner, Kelsey. I’ve always wondered what happened to her, and can’t wait to catch up.
How did you meet? Was it love at first sight?
Kelsey: I’ve had a crush on Nathan since, oh, forever. But nothing ever came of it, mostly because he was just so focused on his studies. I was, too, of course, but that didn’t keep me from checking him out.
Nathan: Love at first sight? Um, no. We were just buddies, lab partners. Kelsey was my closest friend. It wasn’t until I saw her at the reunion that my feeling started to change.
What do you believe is your worst or most frustrating quality? What about his/hers?
Kelsey: I’m kind of an Eeyore, always focusing on the negative side of things. I should be more positive. As for Nathan, he has this irritating habit of trying to fix things.
Nathan: I’m not the most observant person, at least when it comes to interpersonal skills. I get caught up in whatever I’m working on and tend to miss the nuances. Kelsey is way too hard on herself. She doesn’t see how amazing she is.
What is your best quality? What about his/hers?
Kelsey: I’m fiercely loyal. Nathan is smart, driven, and an all around good guy. I mean, really? He could be making tons of money in the private sector, but he’s working for a relief organization instead.
Nathan: I’m pretty supportive of people. Whatever makes them happy and fulfilled, I’m in favor of it. And Kelsey? She’s one of the brightest, most fascinating people I’ve ever met. I love watching her mind work.
If you could have one wish come true, what would it be and why?
Kelsey: I’d love to be the person that Nathan sees me as.
Nathan: I wish Kelsey and I could find a way to work together again, both personally and professionally. We worked as lab partners – I know we could work as partners in every sense of the world.
***
What makes your current offering a different and compelling read?
To me, what sets The Girls Most Likely To… apart from everything else I’ve written is the way they intertwine. Most trilogies follow one after the other, where the second book picks up sometime after the first book ends. In this series, all three novellas are set over the same weekend, so the three couples interact throughout all three books. (So a couple interacting at the bar in one book will be observed by another couple in the second book, and the third couple will hear about it later!) It was challenging to find ways to intertwine the storylines without being repetitious – and all the books had to stand on their own, as well. But I love the way they turned out!
How do you juggle writing and working outside the home? Or how do you juggle writing and your family life? Or writing, working, and family life?
Ummm…lack of sleep? 
It’s definitely a challenge. I’ve got a very active family, a full time job, and the writing. I find that I work better when I have deadlines, because otherwise, it’s too easy for writing time to fall to the wayside. I’ve also gotten very adept at writing in the car, whether as a passenger or while waiting in the parking lot for practice to be over.
What’s next for you?
Well, books two and three are coming out in April and May, so readers can find out what happens to Bree and Marc, and Tess and Nathan. After that, I’m finishing up a rodeo novella for submission, and deciding which of my other projects I want to tackle next.
Lastly, provide me with covers, blurbs, buy links, and where you can be found on the web!
Buy Links:
Find Me:
www.kate-davies.com (currently being revamped)
www.facebook.com/KateDaviesRomance
Twitter: @kate_davies
Group Blog: www.ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com
Blurb:
Book one in The Girls Most Likely to…
Ten years after being voted Most Likely to Succeed, Kelsey Moore is still living in her hometown, still working in her family’s flower shop, and too embarrassed to attend her high school reunion. Only the chance to reconnect with her study buddy—and secret crush—Nathan Barrow tempts her to go.
Nathan isn’t sure why he came back for the reunion after spending the past decade working abroad. But when he runs into his former lab partner, Kelsey, he’s sure glad he did. The chemistry between them is as potent as ever, and when she offers him a weekend of wild, no-strings-attached sex, Nathan knows he’d be a fool to say no.
Nathan can’t be tied to one place for long. But the more time they spend together—in and out of bed—the more Kelsey wonders if their reunion could become something more permanent. That is, if Nathan is still interested when he finds out she’s been less than honest with him about her life since graduation…
March 18, 2013
Silver Fish & Silverfish Not At All The Same
The only kind of silver fish I’m able to deal with seeing even in a picture. Vintage postcard courtesy of Vintage Travel Postcards at Blogspot.
Almost everyone has some kind of creepy-crawly they react to irrationally. For my mother-in-law it is all insects and arachnids and most varmints, too. For my daughter, it seems to be spiders that set her off. My husband gets the heebie-jeebies from camel crickets. Whereas for me? It’s silverfish. *shudders* I hate them. Ugh. Show me a spider and I’m unimpressed, but show me a freaking silverfish and I’m irrational. “Get it out, get it away, ugh, ugh, ugh!”
This post is brought to you by a silverfish in my bathtub this morning. That sucker has now been sent on a merry journey down the drain to the sewer where he can make gross, horrible, shudder-worthy friends far from me.
In other news, I saw these pretty vintage postcards when looking for a picture of silver fish (not silverfish–which I won’t post a picture of, because, ew! who wants to see that?).
Found at Vintage Travel Postcards.
Betty Frazee drinks a Coke underwater for a Silver Springs, FL vintage postcard. Found at Vintage Travel Postcards at Blogspot
Do you have any creepy-crawlies you can’t handle?
March 15, 2013
Fanworks Friday: Podfic (What is it? Why listen? And more!)
One of my favorite things about Fanwork Friday is highlighting all the many super cool things that fans do. I usually focus on visual things like vids or fanart because they’re easy to digest. I haven’t really gone into fanfiction too much, but I plan to do that more. In the meantime, though, I wanted to talk about Podfic.
According to Urban Dictionary: FanFiction that is read aloud and then made available for download. Sometimes the author reads, other times friends or fans of the fic. Great while driving or in meetings! Often popular whilst tread-milling, jogging, etc. Lose pounds to podfic!
A friend of mine, superstitiousme, has always urged me to try podfic but, quite frankly, I’ve never really understood the appeal. At my request, however, she’s generously agreed to educate me and you on the awesomeness of Podfic.
So, take it away, my friend!
***
Leta asked me to write about podfic and why I listen. For those unfamiliar with the term, podfic is an audio recording of a fanfic, also known to some as audiofic. A fan written story that is read aloud by another fan (or by the author themselves) and recorded for other fans to enjoy. podfic has become a major part of fandom for me over the last 5 years. In fact, podfic is my fandom in a lot of ways.
A podfic performer shares their relationship with a fanfic with other fans. Their unique perspective and their passion comes through in the performance and it creates something that I personally find very compelling.
There you are, listening to the story and you can hear the sound of rain, gently falling outside. The performer begins to describe your favorite scene from the story–Merlin and Arthur are having a lie-in on a rainy Sunday morning. Suddenly you hear a text alert, but no it’s not your IPhone; it’s Arthur’s! The lie-in has been interrupted and the performer’s Arthur is pissed but you are smiling like a loon because this performer is ‘nailing it’ on the dialogue and you can really hear him! When this happens to me, it can be a sunny, 120 degrees outside but I’m totally in a London flat with rain-splattered window glass and snuggled boys in bed. Glorious! And all this while I’m doing the dishes!
For me as a listener, podfic can provide me with a totally new perspective on a scene I’ve read silently before, which just adds to my enjoyment of the fic. I read really fast and as a result I tend to sometimes miss a lot of the little details in fanfic, so when a performance brings out some little nuance I’d previously missed when reading, it’s such a wonderful new depth to the story for me!
Podfic also allows me to keep up with my fanfic obsession when I’m on the go, performers sharing completely new stories with me that I probably wouldn’t have had time to experience without podfic. It makes traffic jams and housework seem like the best parts of my day at times!
So where do you find podfic? The Audiofic Archive contains the most comprehensive archive of podfic online, across all fandoms. In journaling fandom the archive is represented by Amplificaton (or at LiveJournal). All stories cross-posted to the journal community on LJ or DW are automatically saved to the Audiofic Archive. Amplificathon is also the main hub of the Podfic Fandom in journaling fandom and runs three podfic challenges annually.
Here are just a few of the things happening in Podfic Fandom that excite me:
Amplificathon 2013 – A points-based podfic-creating challenge. So much podfic will be posted for the next six weeks!
Theatripod – Theatripod is a challenge to create multivoice podfics in the style of theatre productions, with a director, auditions, rehearsals, and a final recorded performance with minimal editing. Posting begins April 1, 2013.
Pod_Together (or at Dreamwidth) – An annual collaborative project challenge where authors, readers and artists work in partnership to create fanworks. This challenge has produced some truly amazing fanworks. It also provides fen a place to explore different ways in which writing, performance, sound effects, music and art can be used in storytelling.
PodficBigBang – An annual challenge aiming to increase the number of long podfics available to the fannish community. Posting begins on August 12, 2013.
Pod_Aware – An annual one-week challenge to help fans that have never heard of podfic before find out what it’s all about.
The Podfic Fandom has grown a lot in the last 5 years since I first discovered it, but it’s still one of the most inclusive and just plain fun fandoms I’ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of. Even if all you want to do is listen and maybe give the occasional feedback, you are such a valued part of this fandom! If you can’t find much podfic in your fandom or pairing, even better; JOIN US!! Become a performer and share your favorite pairings with us! I promise we do not bite and we’ll LOVE having you here!
March 14, 2013
Writer Wednesday: Misa Buckley On a Thursday
We had a bit of a mix up, so here is Writer Wednesday on a Thursday, featuring Misa Buckley’s new book, Tin Cat! Let’s interview her main characters and see what this book’s about.
What are your names? And tell us a little about yourselves?
A: Amber Gerald, comic store owner. A year ago I was hit by a taxi cab and broke my back. Now I’m in a wheelchair, but that hasn’t changed who I am.
H: Hunter Gray, though Amber calls me Gray.
How did you meet? Was it love at first sight?
H: I was in pursuit of a dangerous criminal, part of paying a debt to society. My investigations led me to Amber’s shop and yes, it was.
A: What Gray said, though I think it was more lust at first sight than love.
H: I beg to differ.
A: You would. I think what changed for me was realising that Gray really cared for me. A lot of guys don’t look past the chair, but he did.
What do you believe is your worst or most frustrating quality? What about his/hers?
H: I don’t have any bad qualities.
A: *giggles* Yeah, right! He’s stubborn, irretractable, impossible – I swear, the list doesn’t end.
H: While she is overly talkative and terrible with secrets, obviously.
What is your best quality? What about his/hers?
A: Being talkative *laughs* Hey, it’s true enough for someone running any kind of store and I’ve always loved chatting to people, especially when we’re chatting about anything sci fi.
H: She is very good with people. Mine is not giving up at winning her over.
If you could have one wish come true, what would it be and why?
H: There are days I wish Amber could walk, not because she’s incapable, but I hate that an idiot stole that part of her life. I don’t think she’s wish that for herself, though.
A: Any more than you’d wish your past changed. There’s nothing more I want than Gray, and I have him. *looks a little smug*
***
Tell us a little about yourself!
I grew up watching Doctor Who and Star Trek, and reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so it’s probably not that surprising that when I started writing NaNoWriMo in 2007, it was sci fi that I chose to write. I find writing a much-needed haven from the crazy of raising five children and a Land Rover-obsessed husband.
I can be found on Twitter (@MisaBuckley) or at her website (www.misabuckley.com)
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I had to do a lot of research into spinal injuries and the results, as well as listening to many people living with a similar level of disability to Amber’s. There’s still a lot of misunderstanding and even discrimination suffered by disabled people, and that was hard to stomach. However, it made me more determined to present TIN CAT as a story about a woman who just happens to be in a wheelchair, rather than one centred on that disability.
What’s next for you?
BAYNE releases May 6th.
Malia dreams of a life less ordinary but when her planet is visited by the Bayne, Destroyer of Worlds, she surrenders herself to him in order to give her people time to collect the tribute that the Overlord demands.
Despite Bayne being as much machine as man and having a violent temper, he rescues her from the unwanted attentions of his second-in-command and gives Malia a glimpse at the battered heart lying beneath the steel and scars.
As they start their relationship over, Malia discovers a man very different to the reputation that precedes him and probes deeper. However, her investigation uncovers a dark truth: a truth that someone wants to remain hidden no matter what the cost.
***
TIN CAT ~ A year after the accident that put her in a wheelchair, Amber Gerald has more or less gotten used to living with her impairment. It doesn’t make a difference to running a comic book store anyway, and the customers have been the best support group she could have wished for.
When she rescues an abandoned cat, Amber has no idea that she’s interfering in the mad scheme of a time travelling bank robber. Or that the man that walks into her store dressed like Blade is about to become her bodyguard.
Between being an unwitting owner of an android cat and falling for a cybernetic bounty hunter, Amber finds her life a whole new level of weird as science fiction becomes a very real factual threat.
BUY LINKS:
March 11, 2013
Galaga Leggings
About three months ago, I saw these leggings and I coveted them. I thought the feeling would pass, as so many consumer yearnings do. But, no, the Galaga leggings called to me almost daily, until I finally gave in and bought them.
Excuse the fact that these pics are taken in my child’s playroom. This entire post is rather unplanned, so, you know, just ignore the Monster High doll parts and such, and admire the amazing leggings! Also ignore the strange lump thing on my foot that appeared after I broke it some years back and now has deformed my foot. Because who cares about deformed feet in the face of such great leggings?
You can buy your own awesome Galaga Leggings at Eat Me Clothing’s Etsy Store.
March 10, 2013
Things I’ve Learned From Writing Under A Gender-Neutral Name
When you write on the internet a lot, you tend to notice patterns in your feedback and what pushes peoples’ buttons. If I plan to write about race, gender or rape culture, I have to mentally gear up for the blowback, and the couple times I wrote about Rihanna (who encompasses all three), I planned to just stay off the internet altogether.
Thanks to SuperstitiousMe for bring this to my attention. It is worth reading in its entirety, but this was my favorite part: ...the ultimate dig isn’t labeling someone as gay. It’s calling them a girl.
March 8, 2013
Fanworks Friday: The King of Anything
This vid. Oh, wow. I love it still. So much. Thank you, Amelia, for making it. Soaps are awful evil things that are ridiculous and melodramatic, but I guess I love that somtimes, because, gosh, I loved Luke and Reid. The less I say about the character of Noah, though, the better.
The song can be found HERE.
March 6, 2013
Writer Wednesday: Klutzy Love by Sharon Kleve
Today we’re talking to the main characters of Sharon Kleve’s book, Klutzy Love.
1. Who are you and tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Corny Myers and with my shoulders back and my stomach sucked in I am five-feet-eight inches tall and weigh about one hundred and twenty five pounds. A monster hot dog and a side of deep-fried cheese curds can put me above that in a heartbeat.
My boyfriend Steve, never turns away from a challenge, he meets them head-on. He has to be aggressive, tough, and focused to be a Seattle narcotics cop.
2. How did you meet? Was it love at first sight?
Love maybe, lust definitely!
Steve was sweet, considerate, and a little bit wild and that was only part of the reason why, after a night of drinking margaritas with my girlfriends, I woke up in his wonderful king-size bed after a night of pure unadulterated bliss. The others were: he rode a hot motorcycle, smelled like Christmas, and was thorough—he hadn’t missed an inch of my body.
4. What most annoys you about each other?
Steve will tell you I’m a klutz and will run into burning buildings for no reason. That’s not completely true. Though, I do think hospitals should give out punch cards. You could get a discount for multiple rides in an ambulance. If you ride more than six times in a year, your seventh ride should be free. I guess I was halfway there—what a sad state of affairs.
Steve doesn’t like my profession as a pet detective. If he knows what’s good for him he’ll get over it.
5. What do you most admire in the other person?
Steve admires my ability to bounce back from a concussion. I admire his awesome butt in jeans.
6. What keeps the romance working?
Lots and lots of hanky panky….
7. If you could have one wish come true, what would it be and why?
I want to find out if my old boss, Mr. Langfield, was killed by his widow. He croaked while bungee jumping on his honeymoon. Why he agreed to be tied to a big rubber band was beyond me, especially since he was afraid of heights. It was very suspicious. Moreover, he was my friend and confidante.
***
Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.
She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other’s arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.
One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.
When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.
Author of “The Corny Myers Series”
Flamingo Blues, Published December 2011
Be Mine, Published February 2012
Klutzy Love, Published August 2012
Love Under The Christmas Tree, (Christmas Anthology), Published November 2012
Josey’s Christmas Cookie, Published November 2012
Valentine Special Delivery, Published January 2013
Valentine’s Say I Love You, (Valentine Anthology), Published February 2013
Contact Sharon at:
Links to Purchase:
