Robin Burks's Blog, page 6

This Year’s Convention Schedule

I’m pretty sure that after last year, I said I wouldn’t go to so many conventions, and yet, here it is, 2018, and I’ve got a lot already planned. I’m doing as many guest spots as last year (yet), but I plan on attending a lot of conventions, regardless.

What can I say? I love conventions. They’re fun. I get to meet people with similar interests to mine. I get to cosplay. I get to meet celebrities in my fandoms. What’s not to love?

So I’ve got a busy year planned, in spite of myself. So here’s what’s on my con list this year (and I’m sure that this isn’t everything). The ones with the * mean that I will be a guest at that particular con. The rest are just for fun.

Anime Blues Winterfest Remix, Memphis, TN (January 13)

Dyersburg Geekery & Cosplay Bowling Night, Dyersburg, TN (January 27)

Gallifrey One, Los Angeles, CA (February 16-18)

Lexington Comic & Ton Convention, Lexington, KY (March 9-11)

Dyersburg Comic and Pop Culture Con, Dyersburg, TN (March 17)

WHOlanta, Atlanta, GA (May 4-6)*

Superman Celebration, Metropolis, IL (June 7-10)

Fanboy Expo, Knoxville, TN (June 29-July 1)

Penned Con, St. Louis, MO (September 20-22)*

Clarksville Doctor Who & Steampunk Con, Clarksville, TN (September 28-30)*

Memphis Comic & Fantasy Con, Memphis, TN (November 16-18)

There’s also a trip to Walt Disney World happening Halloween week, too! So here’s to another fun, yet busy year!

How necessary is it to write likable protagonists?

Happy New Year! As we start the New Year, I thought I would write a little about something I find myself currently struggling with.

As I previously mentioned, I’m hard at work on final edits for Madame Vampire, a novel I hope to release by this spring. As I have been going over and reading the book, though, something struck me: the main protagonist, as well as the person telling the story, is not a very likable character. I didn’t realize this completely until I got to the end, when there’s an important choice that the character makes.

My initial gut reaction for the character was to make the selfish and most horrible choice. I had a great deal of inner debate about that, though, but in the end, I decided to remain true to the character. I had to realize that Reinette (the protagonist) is not a nice person. She is selfish, elitist and entitled. And if I wrote her any other way, I would not accurately portray her.

A few days ago, I came across this article on Mythcreants: Five Stories Hurt By Unlikable Characters. At first, I found myself concerned because I am finishing a story about an unlikable character. But I realized that some of the examples given are characters that I don’t necessarily like, but that I relate to. And in the end, I think that maybe relatable characters are more important than likable ones.

In an interview once, Sir Anthony Hopkins spoke about how he could portray a character as despicable as Hannibal Lecter. He said that he had to find the one thing about the unlikable character that he, personally, liked. Hopkins said that he liked how Lecter was always in control, of his conversations with Clarice, of situations. And he ran with that in portraying the character and he brought him to life.

With Reinette, I like her selfishness, because wouldn’t it be nice to sometimes just say “eff it,” and make the decision that bests benefits you without regard for anyone else? Yes, there are consequences when Reinette does it, but she does it over and over, because she can. She is a monster, but she is also a relatable monster.

And that takes me to another point: characters don’t have to be likable if they’re relatable. The Mythcreants article mentions Quentin from The Magicians series (and granted, I have not read the books, but love the TV series). Quentin is not likable. But Quentin is relatable: he’s out there in the world with no real sense of belonging anywhere. He’s depressed and struggling with life, in general. His only respite is the escape that he gets from a fantasy book series. And a lot of us, myself included, can relate to that. We’ve been where Quentin starts out: floundering with no real set idea of where we’re going or how we’re going to get there.

What do you think, readers? Do you prefer protagonists that are likable or relatable? Do you like a little of both? Do you care if a protagonist is a horrible character as long as their story goes somewhere interesting? Chime in below in the comments.

I’ll be looking forward to reading what you think while I sit here and enjoy my fava beans with a nice Chianti.

Get All 3 Books Of The Alex Grosjean Adventures On Kindle Unlimited

Happy Holidays, readers! I’ve got my Harry Potter hanging tree (I have cats) all decorated and in the festive spirit. The stockings for the cats are hung under it with care. There’s a Hogwarts sitting on my table covered in fake snow. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

I know it’s been some time since I’ve connected with you all here on the websites. I’ve been busy plugging away on final edits for Madame Vampire, and the good news is that it’s almost ready. I’ve also been planning for events I’ll be appearing at next year, and I’m really excited about that.

I’ve got some good news to share with you for this holiday season, though. For a limited time, all three of my books in the Alex Grosjean Adventures are available exclusively through Amazon and through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. There is no better time than to get caught up on what our favorite detective has been up to.

Zeus, Inc. | The Curse of Hekate | Return of the Titans

I will still have copies available at conventions, of course. And if you buy a hard copy of any books online, please bring them to me: I would love to sign them for you!

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year! See you in 2018!

 

How To Become A Writer: Step One

As a writer, one of the questions I get asked often is this: “How does someone become a writer?” And it feels like a loaded question, although it really isn’t.

The answer is quite simple. To become a writer, one must simply…

Wait for it…

Write.

That’s it. That’s all someone needs to do to become a writer. You don’t have to even show that writing to other people or have something published. If you write, you are a writer. Easy, right?

But it isn’t always easy: Sometimes the hardest thing that a writer can do is write. If you’ve ever sat down with a pen and paper or behind your computer display, staring at the keyboard and wondering if the words will ever come, you’ll understand this. We’ve all been there. But the key is to just write something, anything.

I often talk about Neil Gaiman’s Rules of Writing. I even dedicated a blog post to it. The most important rule that you can remember is the first one. And guess what it is? “Write.”

I often see people saying that they’re “aspiring” writers, but I don’t think that word means what they think it means. If you already write, you’re not an aspiring writer, you’re just a writer. You made it. Congratulations.

Happy Read An E-Book Week: All Books Half Off At Smashwords!

Happy Sunday, everyone. Today marks the first day of Smashwords’ Read An E-Book Week, which means that you can score deals on books like never before. That includes all books by my publisher, Crossroad Press, as well as all books by me. And the deals are really good: all books are half off from today through March 11.

Smashwords’ Read An E-Book Week books discounts are listed here. Or you can search through books by Crossroad Press here. If you’re looking to nab one of my three books, you can get them all for $1.99 here. Please note that the discount won’t appear on these search pages, but you’ll see it on each individual book’s page.

Have a great week and enjoy all the new reading!

Upcoming Appearances, Marches And ‘Merica

I’ve spent the past few days being called all kinds of names for attending a Women’s March this weekend (in Memphis), so forgive me, if this post sounds a little tired. I do not regret going to the march in the slightest, and I feel that it’s a call to action to help those who feel discriminated against, marginalized and disenfranchised.

All I got from the march itself, though, was love, a LOT of love. I felt a unity with fellow Americans unlike anything I’ve ever felt before and for the first time, I felt patriotic and extremely proud of my country. As we chanted to the world, “this is what democracy looks like.”

To quote Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.

So on to more writing news: I will be a guest at this weekend’s Southern Fried Pop Culture and Comic Con in Jackson, TN. I will have books available for purchase and will, obviously, happily sign any books bought (including those bought before the con).  I also have some cute Doctor Who steampunk clutch purses I made available in limited quantities because I’m crafty like that.

After that, I’m looking forward to being a guest once more at ConGT, which is in March in Clarksville, TN. I will also have books available there, too, and will sign pretty much anything you put in front of me.

It’s going to be another fun year of cons, friends and writing and, hopefully, that means the release of Madame Vampire, something I’m working away at right now.  I feel the novel is coming along nicely, and I’ve already spoken to an amazing artist about doing a killer cover for it, so look for that by the end of the year.

Holidays, Travel And Upcoming Events

How is it December already? I mean, how is that even possible? So much has happened this year, and within the past few months that it’s hard to keep track of everything. So here’s my next post, which I didn’t imagine would include a Happy Holidays message, but there you go.

So to all my readers: I hope you have a very happy holiday season and that the new year treats you well.

Now on to news: I spent most of November stressing out over National Novel Writing Month, but somehow managed to complete a very rough draft of the novel version of Madame Vampire. It needs a lot of work, as rough drafts normally do, but there’s a good story in there that really wanted to get told. I’m taking the holidays off from working on it, so that I can return with fresh eyes and fresh brain next year to start the rewriting phase.

I also have a few appearances coming up, including one that happens this Sunday, December 18th. I’ll be a guest once more on Geekside News at 6:30 p.m. We’ll talk about a lot of geeky things, so please tune in to watch.

I also have a big trip coming up in January: I’m going to Egypt! I’ve booked a tour that will include Cairo, as well as a Nile river cruise from Luxor to Aswan. I’m super excited because I’m obsessed with ancient Egypt. I imagine I’ll come home with lots of new writing ideas (and potentially have some inspiration for a few settings for the next installment of the Alex Grosjean Adventures).

After that, I’ll be a guest at Southern Fried Pop Culture Con in Jackson, TN, on January 28 through 29: be sure to stop by and say hello. I will have books for sale. I’ll also be a guest again at this year’s ConGT in Clarksville, TN on March 17-19. I’ll have books for sale there, too.

So although it’s the end of 2016 (and I think we can all agree that it’s good riddance), 2017 is already a busy year for me. Here’s to kissing 2016 good-bye and ushering in the new year with joy, happiness and fun.

Upcoming Appearances

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve added an “Appearances” link to the menu up above here on the site. I’ve started going to more cons, not just as an attendee, but also as a guest, so I figured I needed to go ahead and make a page for that.

In fact, I’ve got one upcoming appearance this weekend at Octo-Con in Paducah, KY. I’ll be at The Riff on October 14 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on October 15 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. I’ll be in cosplay, of course, and will have books on hand to sell and sign, so please drop by and say hello!

I’ve also got a few other cons I’m planning on just attending this year, which are also on the list. And next year, I’ll be a guest at Southern Fried Pop Culture and Comic Con, as well as ConGT, so 2017 is already shaping up to be a good year. I hope to see you all at any of these upcoming events!

In the meantime, I’m planning for a trip to Egypt in January: expect lots of blogging about that. I did revisit Paris this past September, but didn’t have time for blogging, which is an unfortunate side effect of traveling with someone else. But it was a very good trip and I posted photos pretty much everywhere. I will blog Egypt, as permitted, because it’s definitely going to be a new and unique experience.

I’m also gearing up for NaNoWriMo again this year because Madame Vampire insists that I expand her story. More on that as it develops.

Also, in case you’ve been wondering, I no longer write for Tech Times, but now, instead write for TheThings.com: be sure to check the site out.

The Music’s Between Us

Now that I’m home, I can blog proper about what I will refer to as “Duran Duran in Las Vegas Day.” And it was really a special awesome day, full of great fun, great food, great drinks, great people and two amazing bands. I couldn’t imagine Vegas ever being even better.

My morning, though, started early because my body insists on staying on Central Time, even when I’m in Pacific Time. I woke up at 4 a.m., but fortunately, forced myself to go back to sleep, and then woke up at my usual 7 a.m. That was still earlier than I wanted to sleep, but I get it: I’m a morning person. The good news is that when I stumbled downstairs to get coffee, there was no line at Starbucks.

I then spent the morning playing Pokemon Go, all over the casino floor and Mandalay Bay property. Because it’s cheaper than gambling (I will admit dropping $20 into a Wonder Woman slot machine, though). I wandered all over Mandalay Bay and over to Luxor. And the funny thing is that I was not the only person playing Pokemon Go: I met a lot of new and fun people in my adventures in catching them all.

Eventually, though, I had to eat. I had a reservation at Fleur for lunch, so I made my way over there to drop $75… on lunch. Without blinking. But the waiter was good and kept upselling me on stuff. Sure! I want avocado on my jalapeno BLT and fries! Sure! I want espresso with my dessert. It was totally worth it, though, because the recommendations he made really worked well with the meal. So here’s my fancy schmancy BLT (and it really was good):

The wine was a lovely French Bourdeaux, something I have a hard time finding in the Midwest. There’s nothing like a good Bourdeaux, and this one was DIVINE.

Of course, I did dessert, too, which was a duo of Creme Brulee with my favorite thing in the whole world: a chocolate macaron.

And of course, the espresso really did pair well with it. And I’m all for paying a lot of money for a good meal with a good atmosphere.

While I was dining, I also saw a Nick Rhodes doppleganger. For those not in the know, Nick is the keyboardist for Duran Duran, but had to take some time off from the tour to deal with a family emergency. He’s still not on the tour, and I would just like to take a moment to let him know that we Duranies are worried about him and thinking about him and sending our best wishes, thoughts and prayers.

I followed up lunch with more Pokemon Go hunting, but then that turned into shopping. There’s a store at the shops there that is NOTHING BUT SOCKS. I have a sock obsession, so I bought three pair. And managed to find more souvenirs, including yet another cat figurine (this one Egyptian-inspired) for my curio cabinet.

As I was heading back to my hotel room, I ran into some friends I’ve known since DuranDuranFans.com (I used to run that site back in the day before everyone stopped using message boards and started using Facebook and Twitter). We chatted for a bit, and then I went to go change, because they had scheduled a meet-up for their own site Daily Duranie. I quickly changed, touched up my make-up and got ready because I had the meet-up, dinner and the concert.

I was having a moment and felt pretty good about myself once I got all dolled up. The meet-up was SO MUCH FUN and we waxed poetic about our love for the band. I had a Seabreeze to get things inside of me up and running, and hating having to leave a little early to go to dinner, but dinner is an important thing, so yay!

My reservation was at RX Boiler Room, which is literally the coolest restaurant I’ve been in. It’s got a steampunk vibe and the decor was AWESOME. I was seated in a little nook with a table with red curtains and it really reminded me of one of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies, for some reason.

The food was amazing, too, and will stand at the top of my list of “Best Meals Ever.” I had a special that was called a Fried Green Tomato Stack: fried green tomatoes stacked with mozzarella and pancetta and greens and it was so amazingly good. I also loved that the dishes here are small plates, so that mean I had room for more dessert. I went for the Cola cake (house-made cola) with orange whipped cream, raspberry sorbet and some liquid nitrogen Hershey kisses sugary things (still not sure what they were, but YUM!). I also accompanied my meal with a drink called the Barbarella (that movie was where Duran Duran got their name, so I HAD to).

My meal ended just in time to head over to the Events Center for the concert. Chic opened for Duran Duran and I don’t think I’ve shaken my booty so hard since I was much younger. Their version of “Let’s Dance” brought the house down. I honestly wondered how Duran Duran could top that. But they did and put on a slick show that was entertaining, fun and just a really good time. Which is usually the case with that band.

My one complaint is that the show was almost TOO slick. There wasn’t a lot of one-on-one interaction with the audience, but still, Simon LeBon does a great job of making everyone feel included in the show, even the people in the back. And maybe that’s the point of not focusing any effort on individual audience members. The set list hasn’t changed since the tour started, but since this was the first (and only) time I’ll hear it, I enjoyed it. But what I loved most weren’t the classics, but the new songs. “Pressure Off” was OFF THE HOOK. Especially when they rained confetti down upon us. And “What Happens Tomorrow” was beautifully poignant.

I danced and danced and my stomach started playing havoc with me towards the end (I blame the Barbarella), but it was a fantastic night. After the show, I met up with another dear friend at the Skyfall Lounge (named after the James Bond movie) and experienced an amazing view of the Strip.

And then it was over, it was the next day and I was wandering through airports with really bad food and hoping my delayed flight would arrive soon. I got home this morning at 3 a.m. (about three hours later than I should have). But if I had to do it all again, I definitely would. At least I started my final hours in Vegas with a champagne brunch buffet, because when in Vegas…

Viva Las Vegas

If you haven’t seen me on social media, please know that I’m in Las Vegas. I’m here to see my childhood boyfriends, Duran Duran, in concert. Yes, they’re on tour across the U.S., but Vegas was one of the few stops on their summer tour at an indoor venue. I’ve only done a few outdoor ampitheatre shows, and that was enough for me!

You know how they say it’s not the destination, but the journey? This has definitely been the case with this particular trip. My voyage took me from Memphis to Tampa (because that, obviously, makes so much sense), but Tampa greeted me with great food and new friends.

You never really expect to get good airport food anywhere, but Tampa has a spot called Shuler’s Bar & Grill and I was served one of the largest glasses of wine I’ve ever seen and a burger called the “Wine Country Burger” that was out of this world. It had grilled red peppers and goat cheese on it and every bite was heaven. I opted for the sweet potato fries and they were also pretty darn close to perfect, down to the crunchy sea salt used to season them.

Because the glass of wine was so huge, I was feeling pretty happy by the end of the meal, too. Then I went to stand in line at the Southwest Airlines gate. And I stood in line. And I stood in line. There was some sort of maintenance issue with a door on the plane, so things were behind schedule.

Fortunately, that meant that people started talking to each other. And I ran into some fellow Duran Duran fans who were going to Vegas for the band, too. And another woman decided she wanted to see Duran Duran while there, so she hopped on her phone and purchased a ticket. See how that works? Eventually, though, we got on the plane.

And I indulged myself with a double feature of Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. I saw Star Trek Beyond last week, so I was in a Star Trek kind of mood. That made the flight go fast and before I knew it, I was in Vegas.

I stepped outside to catch my Lyft. I thought I knew heat, but there is no describing how baked I felt under the 118 degree day. I always complain about our heat index, but this was just like being in an oven, and definitely worse.

I was more than happy to arrive at the Mandalay Bay, where the air-conditioner keeps things at sub-zero. I got checked in quickly, got upgraded to their Delano property and all was well. The room is definitely nice, with great amenities and a bathtub I want to steal and take back home.

But my trips are about food, so it was time for dinner. I opted for the House of Blues, where I had their delicious sweet cornbread with maple butter and a cup of gumbo. It was so perfect that I didn’t even opt for dessert. There was also a Mai Tai thrown in for good measure.

I checked out the Shoppes at Mandalay Bay and popped into Lush because that big bathtub screamed for some bath bombs. I got two, went back to my room and took the best lavender-scented bath of my life. And I crashed and slept.

And woke up at 4 a.m. Because Pacific Time always gets me. But I grumbled a little bit about it and turned over and forced myself to go back to sleep.

And woke up at 6:45 a.m. What can I say? I’m a morning person. But that meant that  the Starbucks line was non-existent and I can now spend some time blogging before I hit the casino floor: not to gamble, but to catch Pokemon (yes, I have Pokemon Go fever). The show is tonight and I’ve made plans to check out the James Bond-themed Skyfall Lounge after, so it’s going to be a good day. I’ve also got reservations for lunch at Fleur and for dinner at the RX Boiler Room. Because again, travel for me, is often all about the food.

Viva Las Vegas. It feels good to be back.