C.N. Faust's Blog, page 16

Sexist? Who, me?

Hello my darlings,

So, so, I was called sexist and ‘borderline downright misogynistic’ today. Mind you, that is not the first time.

This time it wasn’t related to my writing, but in the past it has been. People seem to find it ridiculous that a good 85% of my characters are male, and with the exception of one goddess, their entire pantheon is male also.

And half of the male cast looks about as beefy and masculine as this guy.

But what I would like to know is … how can I get called sexist when no one is jumping up and down calling Salvatore a separatist feminist? (I’m not bashing Salvatore, he is my idol, it is just an example).

Because, I don’t know how many of you read Forgotten Realms, but the drow are run by a straight-up matriarchy. It’s like a medieval fantasy Desperate Housewives. Meanwhile, Jarlaxle Baenre remains my favorite character to date.

Because hat.

And they worship a goddess who cannot be pictured, because spiders. But you see where I am going with this.

So, is it only OK for a fantasy society to be completely dominated by one sex if that sex is female?

I can’t relate to a lot of female characters. You know a female character is written well when I really, truly enjoy them. Kudos if I can relate at all.

I cannot relate to Mina from Dragons of a Fallen Sun (I really, really hate Mina) and I cannot relate to Goldmoon (who can?). So it is not that I need to see a “stronger” female character, I’ve seen plenty of those, and I even really like a few. (Quenthel and Triel, to come full circle back to Salvatore).

In summary: I like male characters, I enjoy writing for them, I identify with them more. End of story … that is why I write for so many. Does it mean I hate females? NO. In fact, one of my favorites (Olympia) to write for has been with me since the beginning, plays an integral role in the plot, and has a strong personality. As my writing grows (and I grow) you will meet more female characters (Nerissa Ercole will be one, in The Hollow Living. And she walks the warpath while dragging her family behind her on a string).

You know, after reading through this post, I’ve realized that a few select characters are beginning to make a lot more sense.

Ladies and gents, I give you Dragoloth.

I know this is kind of a weird, hot-button topic for some people. I just had to blow off some steam. I put up a question on my Facebook page asking “How far is too far when it comes to gender roles in fantasy novels?” Check it out, I would love to hear your thoughts! If you don’t have a Facebook, drop me a line in the comments below.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

GUEST BLOG: Should writers cave to market forces? No way! by Storm Chase

Many thanks to Storm Chase for this guest blog! Read and enjoy! – C.N.F.

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I’m an egalitarian, atheist, feminist who can’t take a tan, no matter how much I try, and I’m living in Malaysia, a Muslim dominated male chauvinist hierarchical society. As you may guess, I stick out like a sore thumb.

It doesn’t bother me because I’m foreign. Always have been; always will be. I was born in Amsterdam and lived there for 11 years. Since then I’ve lived in 5 countries, with over 20 years in Asia.

So where’s this going, do you ask? Well, recently I’ve been wondering if my background is getting in the way of my writing. I mean, I look like a member of the pan Euro-American white supremacist hierarchy on the outside but the inside is a bit mixed up.

I write romances, some erotic, some not, and most with a touch of crime. When you knock around in the places I do, you meet a lot of hookers, girls who get into trouble, and people who have to make some very tough survival choices. My heroines tend to reflect this.

There’s Cleo, an exotic dancer who gets conned into being a mule and is banged up in a Colombian jail in The Mule, and Star, a hooker who makes some wrong decisions and ends up being sold in Siberia, in Chocolate, or Bryony, from Lost Weekend, who was convicted for theft – and actually did steal something!

When you compare that to the standard stuff out there, my storylines sound a bit rough. However, the stories are actually very romantic. I soften reality to an acceptable level of horror, and I provide HEA endings. Also, my heroines never fall for jerks who expect them to sacrifice everything for the sake of love!

While I’m getting some nice reviews, too many say they were put off by my erotica romances at first because they couldn’t imagine themselves as those heroines.

I don’t get that. I mean, I’m straight but one of the best books I’ve read in years was Body 2 Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology. I also love LOTR and I, robot and I’m neither a man, hobbit, wizard, elf or robot. For me, reading means being someone totally different.

Still, I don’t like the idea of turning off readers before they even see what my books are like. So, I’m thinking, as the typical reader of romance ebooks is female, middle class and rather insulated from the rough realities of life, should I write a cutie-college-graduate-meets-billionaire where the tension comes from a tussle over whether she eats a hot dog in a 5 star restaurant?

From what’s out there, I know it would have mass appeal. Problem is, I’m bored just thinking about it.

No, I’ve thought about it and it’s just not worth it. I shall be true – and possibly obscure but at least I’ll have fun writing.

Storm Chase novels are sold on Smashwords, Kobo, B&N, iTunes and other quality ebook shops.

Blog: http://stormchasenovels.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StormChaseRomance

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/StormChase

Buy my books: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stormchase

Character Astrology: Virgo

Hello my darlings,

The Virgo of my ever-present cast is not a Mahtrador at all … it is a d’Artion! That’s right, you guys. Felix (and some other bloke you will meet in book 4) are both Virgos. Since you know Felix, we will focus on him.

Name: Felix d’Artion

Element: Earth

Positive characteristics: Analytical, observant, helpful, reliable, precise.

(Me: Why is Pharun laughing?)

(Shrukian: Ignore him.)

(Encarz: Precise? Precisely a …)

(Me: Hey! No calling my poor Felix names!)

Negative characteristics: Skeptical, fussy, inflexible, cold, interfering.

(Pharun: “Fussy” and “interfering”… perfect!!)

(Felix: I hate all of you)

(Shrukian: Awww… c’mere….don’t listen to him…)

The first non-air sign of the bunch. Huzzah! Variety!

So, who is next? Let me know in the comments below!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

I finally came up with a better title

…and a better cover. I think so, anyway. Yes, I know, I change the cover like twelve times no matter what it is. But I actually really like this one for my little compendium.

Though ‘little’ probably isn’t the best way to describe it. After all … the biographies and family histories alone are overwhelming. I so foolishly opened my big mouth and said, “Let’s include all of the barons!” … then Encarz had to go and point out that there are 50 baronies.

This is where I thrash.

Approximately my current state of being. Click for full affect.

With that being said, I might need to take a break. I have so, so many character portraits to do and it makes me wish I had a team of artists living in my basement whose only ambition in life was to draw, draw, draw character portraits for me. I’m not so sure how many of you are aware of the volume of characters I possess, but trust me when I say … we’re the population of a small country.

What does the compendium have so far in its table of contents?

Biographies / family histories (51 families in total so far)
The gods, angels, and divine servants.
The Verian alphabet
Map(s) (maybe?)
Baron hierarchy
Royal family timeline
Anything else I’m misssing.

In summary … this is going to be huge. ;-;

However, my fiance is out of town for the next week and a half. What am I going to do in his absence?

No, no. Bad Cy.

Goals for the next week and a half ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Write some more of the Hollow Living (!!!!!!!!) (guys, you really need to start getting on my back about this one. Or maybe I just need to set daily reminders on my phone …)
Make a real dent in the compendium (I won’t be so ambitious as to say “finish”).
Host some guest bloggers! (All of the cool kids are doing it and I’m jealous. So I’m going to try my hand at hosting a few guest bloggers this week for the first time. If you are interested, hit me up!)
Maybe start packing to move back home. Maybe.

I consider that to be a pretty hefty list of goals, considering one of them was the FINISH THE HOLLOW LIVING before August and I don’t think that is going to happen. I won’t even sacrifice my writing to rush and meet the deadline, like a good little author. I’m just going to hate myself for being such a lazybones as I gleefully make Felix’s life miserable. (Sorry Felix).

You’re going to be seeing a lot of me this week. What’s worse, I have no one to talk to now. You guys are it. Buckle up.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Character Astrology: Aquarius

Otherwise known as the hippie / humanitarian of the Zodiac.

 

Hello my darlings,

Yet another air sign in the Mahtrador family! I’m beginning to see a pattern.

Name: Raul Mahtrador

Element: Air

Positive traits: Humanitarian, witty, friendly, independent.

(Raul: I am in no way a humanitarian!)

(Me: But you’re a special kind of crazy.)

Negative: Rebellious, impractical, detached, sarcastic.

(Raul: Ok … I can see it now)

(Me: Just accept the fact that you are composed entirely of negative energy).

So that is Raul! Anyone surprised? Anyone? No? I didn’t think so. Well – who next! Let me know in the comments below!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Character Astrology: Libra

Hello my darlings,

Who is the Libra of the Mahtrador family? I suppose it isn’t that hard to guess.

Name: Shrukian Encarz Mahtrador II

Element: Air

Positive traits: Tactful, Romantic, Charming, Just, Diplomatic, Balanced.

(Pharun: “Tactful”? Have you met him?)

(Me: >.>)

Negative traits: Superficial, Detached, Unreliable, Laid-Back, Indecisive, Self-Indulgent).

(Me: Self-indulgent and superficial … no wonder you two secretly get along so well)

(Pharun: Shhh! We hate each other)

(Me: Right… Right).

So there you have it, your sign of the day! Who is next? So far the Mahtrador family seems to be composed entirely of air signs. >.>

(Shrukian: I am not superficial! External beauty is not the deciding factor for me in relationships!)

(Pharun: OLYMPIA!)

(Shrukian: …)

Character Astrology: Gemini

I spent a silly amount of time making the graphic for this post.

Hello my darlings,

So … yes, I am really into astrology. Yes, my characters all have set birth dates and an assigned astrological sign. I thought it would make a fun series of blog posts to open up some insight into the dark inner workings of their personalities by sharing a handful of the different signs. And since I am into blatant favoritism, I thought I would start with … Pharun!

Name: Pharun Hephaistion Mahtrador

Sign: Gemini

Element: Air

Positive traits: Enthusiastic, witty, adaptable, versatile, eloquent, witty, intellectual.

(Shrukian: Maybe not so much that last one…)

(Me: BE NICE)

Negative traits: Incosistent, superficial, indecisive, lack of focus, full of nervous energy.

(Shrukian: That all sounds about right.)

(Me: *Sighs*)

Another quality of Gemini is that, at their worst, they can be very two-faced (Pharun has mastered both of his).

So what do you think? Who would you like to see next? Leave suggestions in the comment below!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

What makes a hardcover limited edition?

Hello my darlings,

I warned you that this would be its own blog post! But here it is nevertheless.

So what is going to make these hardcover copies of The Dragon’s Disciples, The Heretic Priest, and The Hollow Living limited editions?

First of all, there will be the brand new covers by Alexander K. (like their facebook page if you haven’t done so already!)

Second of all, there will be illustrations by Danielle D.

Each book will have a full-color illustration of a pivotal scene, followed by three black-and-white illustrations of similarly iconic moments. (Personally, I am completely ecstatic to see the rendering of Pharun and Felix’s very first kiss).

And that is just the beginning.

Are you as excited as I am? I am pretty stoked.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

The Epic Showdown – how would YOU write it?

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Hello my darlings,

At the end of The Hollow Living, there may or may not be an epic showdown between Encarz and Pharun. And by “epic” I mean “huge amounts of total awesome”. So, here is my discussion question for you this week: if YOU were writing this scene, how would it go down? And more importantly… who would win?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Happiness will Prevail

Props if you get this reference. If not, then just think of it as me in 50 years.

Hello my darlings,

This cover art junkie is getting his fix!

The good news: I have found an artist – and they are spectacular! Check out their gallery through Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/alexowo?hc_location=stream

The great news: They are going to revolutionize the entire look of the Age of Waking Death series, starting with The Dragon’s Disciples, The Heretic Priest, and The Hollow Living.

Will I have to pay for it? Yes. Will it take some time? Yes. Is it going to be worth it? HELLS yes.

By the eye of Azrael, everything is going right!

What does this mean for the series? It means that starting in August and going into the fall months, the entire look of the series is going to change. That is (to me) a great way to introduce them on the Nook and Sony markets, as well as the wider distribution of both paperback and hardcover copies.

The bad news? My Goodreads feed for The Dragon’s Disciples is going to look so cluttered. Rage! I wish they would just delete old editions. But whatever, Goodreads, you can’t get me down!

Dragoloth is ever-evolving, and I’m proud to say so am I. I believe that this sort of change, in the long run, will benefit the entire series. Especially when it emerges as published beneath Future Fantasy Publications.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.