A great week for writing

I had my talk at Mount Pleasant High School. I think I went a little over their heads But I had four good questions that I want to answer here.

  1. What inspired you to write gay characters?

I played City of Heroes (the teacher knew what it was!) and I explained that in the gaming world, if you play a girl, the guys all rush in to try and save you, no matter how well you play. I wanted to play a guy, but I also wanted to flirt with men. So I created Grimaulkin as a gay character, but a tough one, not feminine. I played him so well that the gay community online accepted me as male and was surprised to find that I was female.

2) How many gay characters do you have?

I told them 40, but when I went and checked, it’s closer to 60. The follow up question was “How do you keep track of them all?” I explained I use Scrivener or One Note, or index cards and they laughed that off as too old-school.

3) What inspired you to write Homecoming?

My husband was into the military, the guns, the tanks, the whole thing. I kind of got into it through him. After my husband passed, I wrote the book in memory of him. That elicited “Awwww.”

4) How did you get published?

I explained the typical way of getting published: sending out query letters and waiting for rejections. I told them a friend of mine started his own press and asked if I would write some books for him, which I jumped at. Then I joined the Association of Rhode Island Authors and that’s how I got to speak in front of them. I told them that small presses are more receptive to new authors and if they want to get into publishing, to try those first.

After that, a few people came up to me. One showed me her poem, which was about rejection, and excellent. I told her it brings forth an emotion, and that’s what you want poetry to do. Another young man gave me his story (I haven’t read it yet, but I plan to today) and asked for a critique. A few people said they were happy to know they weren’t alone writing gay characters and trying to get them into mainstream fiction.

All in all, a great time, and I would love to do this kind of thing again.

Saturday I had an event, and sold Grimaulkin and Grimaulkin Tempted. (Note: bundles are a really good draw.) The Valley Breeze (a weekly free local newspaper) was there with a photographer and I might get noted in there. I’m going to pick up the Breeze next week to see.

I also found out that I was the last author picked for a Warwick Library Meet and Greet on April 21. Details forthcoming. I think it’s 10-2 but not sure.

I’m up to 7K words on Grimaulkin Redeemed and it’s going along smashingly. In fact, at the event yesterday, I had an idea for a scene that I’m itching to write. But first I have to get my podcast out–I’m two weeks late. After that, I’m writing.

 

When the muse speaks, listen!

I decided this weekend to tackle Earth, to try and get it finished. As I talked with my publisher, he said, “How about you work on War Mage?”

Okay, for a different way of looking at things, sure. It’s been cooking for about a few months, so I should be able to get right back into the swing of it. A new story, a new character, new setting. I have an idea of where the story was going to go (after all, I’ve written eight drafts of the damn thing) so it should be easy. Right? Right?

I sat down, reread what I wrote up to the point I stopped and thought, “My God. This just sucks.”

I’m tempted to say, “To hell with the whole War Mage idea, let’s just not continue it.”

This made me reach for the comfort food to console my depression. After eating a few Belgian waffles, I went upstairs to my Windows computer (the computer that has Scrivener, Internet, and game on it) and did some mindless button-mashing in game.  Then I said to myself, “What happens if I start Grimaulkin Redeemed?”

I left the game, started a new project in Scrivener, and started writing. An hour later, I had done a thousand words (would have been more if I didn’t self-edit) and it flowed! This, this is what I like to feel when I write. The instant flow of words, the story just comes out, and it’s not work. It’s enjoyable. It’s play.

This is what every writer’s “zone” is. When the work takes over your life, and you enjoy it. It’s not a job. It’s not something you keep wanting to procrastinate. It’s a flow, a river.

I had a dream last night, and now that I think about it, I know what it means. There was a metal pipe that fed to a creek in the back of the house, and it was clogged, with water backing up against the foundation of the house. I had just grabbed a stick and planned on poking the end of the pipe to try and dislodge what was blocking it.

That’s Grimaulkin Redeemed. It’s unblocking the pipe of creativity. Maybe Grim will be my go-to for stories when I’m stuck. I still role-play him in the game (Champions Online–I’m @maulkin if you want to hit me up), so he may be around for a long time.

Further updates: Water will be an audiobook very soon. Grimaulkin is in production for an audiobook (yay!). I’ll be at the Cumberland Library Meet and Greet from 10-2 on February 17. Come down for some exclusive swag! And buy a book, even!0

Podcast is on hold for this week. I think I’ll try and get it together for next week.

Behind the eight ball

I’m getting a banner made (but I think it’s going to be too big) for my table/canopy tent. It’ll be ready for my appearance in Cumberland on February 17.

I just finished the speech I’m giving to the Mt. Pleasant high school kids on February 15. Now to distill it into an outline and to stretch it out for 15 minutes.

I have not done anything with Earth so far today. I may have to lock myself down here in the cellar for another 4 hours to get anything done.  Earth is behind schedule. There’s no way I’m going to be able work at night over the next two weeks because I have a lot of late nights coming up.  Next weekend I have to put in 10 hours on Earth at least to get it done. Capricorn is in the can and headed off to the publisher.

After Earth comes War Mage. I hope that this time in the cauldron will help War Mage spring out fully formed like Athena from my mind and be an easy story to write. Something tells me otherwise.

Earthy writing

Finally locked myself downstairs in the cellar with my Hemingway Mac Mini, with no distractions such as the game or my kid, and forced myself to write for four hours on the weekend. I know now that I can’t seem to write cohesively during the week, so 8 hours on the weekend (if not more) should be enough to at least get 10K words a week out of me.

However, the whole novel is going to be a novelette by the time I’m done. It may be all the way up to 20K words. It’s at 15K right now as of this writing.

On February 15 I’m going to speak to high school students. This is a dream come true. This is who I wrote Grimaulkin for. I started writing what I’m going to speak about, and I plan on using it for my podcast next weekend.

After Earth comes War Mage. I’ll do the same thing with it, lock myself downstairs with it. I’ll also be sending out a newsletter with updates on what I’m doing, what’s coming up, and my appearances for February.

Lighting candles for getting  a table at Worldcon!

*cracks whip*

Episode 14 is up and ready on the Dark Mystic Quill website. It’s about sacred space or creating a “circle”.

I was a bad girl this week. I got no writing done. I had doctors’ appointments and had to work late to make up the time. I got home, ate, and then I had my vice (news from 5-7) and by 7, I collapsed. I’ve played around with some medication so I can stay up longer than 7 and go to bed at a more reasonable hour. But this week was bad.

I know what I need to do, it’s just I need the time and the inspiration. This writing gig is hard work, especially when gripped by real life.

Lesson Learned

A person I know–an acquaintance, not really a friend, someone I hadn’t seen for about 10 years–went kayaking and has disappeared. Upon first hearing the news I thought, “Been there, did that; I hope his wife doesn’t do what I did.”

What I did was shut out my family and friends. I realize now that it was a bad idea, but it’s too late in my opinion to go back to people. They might think I want something. That’s how I felt when my cousin, who I hadn’t seen in six years, suddenly invited me to his wedding. What does he want from me? I didn’t go.

This vision of people wanting things is something I’ve carried with me since I was a child. People I’ve met over the past couple of years don’t understand how I can put worth on people and their actions. It’s something that I’m trying to learn to let go. The example of my unsupportive friend because she won’t buy my books or even read them is what is causing me to distance myself from her. She doesn’t understand why I write, what I write, and doesn’t seem to care. So I’m dumping her. My life is too short to support people who won’t support me. Selfish, yes, probably. But we’ve been friends for 30 years. If she doesn’t understand me by now, she’s never going to.

Okay, so, moving on…

My next appearance will be at the Cumberland Library Author Meet & Greet on February 17 at the Cumberland Public Library. A scene in Grimaulkin takes place in the park that is behind the library. I’ll have the free downloads available on instafreebie in paper form. They are SO cool in real life. And they’re free!

 

 

3 books

Earth has a drop-dead completion date of February 1 for a March release. I’ve been writing Capricorn (after getting stuck in the Virgo story) and though I have it sketched out in my head, it’s not coming out right on the screen. Each of the stories is going to be shorter than the Water stories, not really novellas at all. A little longer than a short story, but much shorter than a novella. Novelette?

Reading a book on war that takes place in Afghanistan for more research with War Mage.  Getting some good ideas for that. I just have to throw in dragons.

Lastly, Grimaulkin Redeemed is still in my head. I have a feeling it will be like Athena and come out fully formed by the time I sit down and write it.

I need to write faster!

All I want for Christmas

Is a million books sold.

Laugh with me. Go ahead.

However, that isn’t really hard. All I need to do is–put my name out there, become a YouTube or podcast star, write tons of critically acclaimed books, and voila! A million books sold.

Becoming famous is either a lightning strike or slogging through mud. The ones who slog through the mud aren’t heralded as loudly or as much as the lightning strikes. But while the lightning strikes last only a short time, the ones who slog last forever. I suppose I would rather be one who slogs. But most of my fame will be posthumous, I guess.

Next blog I will reflect on the year and give you an update of what’s coming up for next year. My Goodreads giveaway was a success–over 600 people entered the sweepstakes and about 10% of them put my book on their to-read list. I sent out the winner with Thursday’s mail. I think in February I’ll do another giveaway, with books 1 and 2 along with “Self-Defense”.

“Virgo” just had its big reveal…at 6K words. I’m at the point of “Now what?” I guess I’ll throw in an explosion, because I have about 25K words to go. I’ve been thinking about Capricorn and might sit down to write that one instead of Virgo, and let Virgo sit for a little while. Not sure. Taurus I need to do some research for. Queer Romance Ink, here I come.

Full Crone

You know you’re old when you have to wear glasses to drive now.

I just celebrated my birthday this Friday. I am officially supposed to be a crone (yep, showing my age), but I don’t feel that way. I write YA stories, speculative fiction, not tedious memoirs and cozy mysteries. I listen to hard rock from the 1990’s and 2000’s (Turbo and Lithium on Sirius XM). I play video games. I don’t feel my age. Go figure.

Episode 11 of the Dark Mystic Quill podcast should be up by the time you see this. It’s about altars and what goes on them. There’s also a cameo appearance from Tom, my cat.

I’m still writing Earth. I’m feeling the time crunch. I have some scenes in mind to put in, but they’re not sex-related, they’re story related. I don’t know if what I’m writing is erotica or a story with explicit sex. The sex is not what drives the story, the paranormal elements are. Oh, Water is going to be an audio book, and the narrator is wonderful. That, hopefully, will be available soon.

I got the cover for Grimaulkin Redeemed, and OMG…it’s beautiful. Just what I pictured. Now I have to write it. But I’m not going to write it until I get to War Mage. The publisher said he doesn’t think I’ll end at three books. I might not. But that’s all I have in mind, and I can’t see myself going something like ten or fifteen books like the Dresden Files. Eventually, you get to a point when both you and your readers are bored. Though I’ve had Grimaulkin around for ten years, so I  don’t think I’ll get bored with him anytime soon.

So, in the meantime, I get to yell, “Get off my lawn!” and be official about it.

The Joint

I just released a new short story taking place in the Grimaulkin world called “The Joint“. It’s a free download, and it’ll be a free story that I’ll give away at my appearances.

So far, no appearances are coming up. Except for WorldCon 76 in San Jose, CA in August. More about that in March.

Working on Earth, Virgo in particular. I’ve read two M/M novels within the last week, and both of them have sex within the first 10% of the book. I suppose I have to get sex within the first 5% since it’s a novella. I consider the story in erotica to be more important than the erotica. There has to be a little lead up, not just sex, sex, sex, right? Maybe it’s from being a girl writing gay stories.

Grimaulkin Redeemed may be ready for August. Sure. I can do that.

So go pick up “The Joint” and review it on Goodreads. Oh, by the way, I am on Goodreads, too. (They just fixed me so that my author name comes up on a search.)