Another installment of Listening While Writing, brought to you by the Slowest Writer in the World

Hello friends!!

It's me, the original Layabout Jones, here after an extended absence. Thanks to the help of some good friends from my Chicago-North RWA chapter, I've been writing steadily (waves at Shannyn, Julie, Maribeth, Ryann and Nina!) and I'm making progress on adding new words to my latest manuscript and cutting excess ones from my old WIP.

Now, I've always found listening to music fuels my creativity, especially when the song might inspire some bit of the story or feels like a good fit for the overall theme. I read an interview with the ultra-talented writer, C.S. Pacat, where she mentioned using noise-cancelling headphones and having to leave her house to get any work done because otherwise, she faffs about and accomplishes nothing (OH MY GOD JUST LIKE ME). She also said that instead of listening to a playlist, she tends to stick to a single song on repeat to keep her in the headspace for the story. I'm not one to scoff at new ideas, so I thought I'd try it and lo and behold, it does work. I can't say that I'll give up on playlists forever, but focusing on one song, is helping me to FOCUS. See what I did there? I know, I crack myself up too ;)

Anyway, here is the Alessia Cara song that's been getting a workout for my Belle meets Emma WIP. My latest work opens with my mixed-race aristocratic heroine, Lady Cecile, hiding behind the drapes in an alcove at a Regency house party:

So, what about you? Playlist, single song, silence? What helps fuel your creativity?

Brenda Novak's 10th Annual Diabetes Auction and Fundraiser

Happy Derby Day Friends!


Taking some time away from looking at all the fabulous headgear (Johnny Weir's is the MOST fab, go look it up on the inter webs somewhere) to remind everyone of author Brenda Novak's annual fundraiser, which opened the other day.  There are plenty of authors who give back to worthy causes and my two favorites are Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilder's and Brenda Novak's Annual Auction which raises funds for Diabetes research.

There's something for everyone at BN's auction whether you're a reader, a writer, a shopper, a traveler, a crafty person, in search of jewelry, someone to build/design a website for you, etc.  Don't believe me? Click on the link and take a look at all the categories:

Brenda Novak Annual Diabetes Auction

If you have time and some spare cash, please go browse the items and place a bid.  All for a good cause.

Review: THE PRINCE by Tiffany Reisz

I read a lot of books.  A LOT. Today, instead of just posting the title of my latest read in the On My Nightstand column, I'm going to tell you (without spoilers, sorry darlings!) what I thought of the latest work from one of my favorite new authors, Tiffany Reisz. So, what follows is my review of THE PRINCE, the latest release in her Original Sinners series. ALSO, disclaimer, I received my copy of THE PRINCE from NetGalley gratis, in exchange for a review but that's not going to stop me from telling you about the awesome that is this book.  So here goes:

THE PRINCE is the latest release in Tiffany Reisz's Original Sinners series and I can hardly believe how much more enamored I am with the characters and story with each subsequent book. Instead of the fatigue that sometimes comes along with characters and storylines where you wonder where else the author could plausibly lead you, this series get more and more fascinating with each layer that's peeled back. Even though the Original Sinners might be classified as BDSM because of the lifestyles portrayed, I've found them to be very sensual rather than explicit.

THE SIREN introduced our cast, characters sprung masterfully and fully formed like Athena from the forehead of Zeus. Each book has focused on one or two characters in this beautiful tapestry of  lives lived on the edge. THE ANGEL gave us more insight into the history of our beloved sinners and with THE PRINCE, things get really juicy. The prince referred to in the title could be Father Stearns, Jesuit priest and prince of the church. Or it could be Wes Railey, Nora's darling precocious roommate, earlier revealed to be the sole heir to a wealthy southern horse racing dynasty and aptly nicknamed The Prince of Kentucky. Or it could be Kingsley Edge, the machiavellian prince of New York's underground scene, whose history with Nora Sutherlin and Soren seems to be key in all the books.

We learn how Soren and Kingsley met and the story flashes between their past and a threat from that time, brought out in the present. Nora is given Soren's blessing to reunite with Wesley and we see our favorite writer out of her element but still maintaining control. There is also an unnamed, unseen threat to the three principals resurrected from Soren and Kingsley's past casting a shadow over the proceedings.

I don't want to give too much away except to say that THE PRINCE deals with the beginnings of our characters relationships. I stress the word relationships, instead of friendships and acquaintances, though those are there too but it's the relationships that entangled them together which will keep you reading. Ms. Reisz has once again proven that she's a formidable, sophisticated talent able to blend elements of romance, mystery,suspense, sensuality and pathos. Very literary and  I think she's well on her way to being the Henry James of her era.

  So, if you can get your hands on a copy of THE PRINCE, please do.  This is a must read.

What's on your nightstand??  I'm tackling Sharon Shinn's THE SHAPE OF DESIRE when I should be writing ;-).

NaNoWriMo Mike Check

It’s day 16 of National Novel Writing Month and I wanted to check in with my fellow NaNo-ers. Some of us are gleefully getting words down on the page at an alarming rate while others are struggling but managing to make it. To those folks I want to say GREAT JOB! Keep up the good work! You’ll get there!

However, the rest of this post is for those who find this month stressful to the point of nausea and their already tenuous wordcount, stifled.  Those who write the words, then delete those same words.  To you, I want to say, cut it out. Stop making yourself mental. Get the words out on paper because you can, and should, go back to edit them later.  Get all the ingredients for your fabulous soufflé of a book out on the counter with the cookbook picture of what it’s suppose to look like and start whisking.  You can’t tell that story to the masses if its trapped inside your grey matter and not written on a napkin or a file somewhere.  Just breathe, give yourself permission to write--little by little, word by word, sentence on sentence.  Watch how quickly things add up.

I know it’s hard to commit to this month’s rigorous pace but there’s loads of help to keep or get you back on track.  My latest lifeline was thrown from an article in PW, 5 Writing Tips from Chelsea Cain. Ms. Cain is the author of the Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell crime thriller books.  The series has been compared to RED DRAGON with serial killer Gretchen Lowell likened to Hannibal Lecter, and I can see how that might be the easy similarity.  A detective (Sheridan) visits a serial killer in jail (Lowell) but for me, their relationship is very different than the Lecter/Clarice Starling relationship.  Gretchen Lowell kidnapped and tortured Det. Sheridan for ten days and then, for reasons unknown, let him go and turned herself in.  Wow, right? I couldn’t WAIT to read the book when I saw the description.  Anyway, I’m getting off track here because I want to point those who’re struggling, in the direction of Ms. Cain’s excellent article on writing.   Take a look and see all the common sense awesome she shares.  Go ahead, I’ll wait here for you.

So, to recap—you have to write EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO, so just get your butt in a chair and do it. You have to write THINGS THAT MIGHT SEEM CLICHÉ because really, everything under the sun has probably been done somewhere so don’t let that stop you. You have to write WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS ARE ACTING ALL CRAZY AND TRYING TO BOSS YOU AROUND, so let the voices in your head know that you’re the one in control.  You have to write THE SCENES THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR YOU because your best work sometimes comes from the things that are difficult.  You have to write AND STICK TO THE DETAILS RELEVANT TO THAT PASSAGE because no one wants to read about a girl running from a killer who gets caught and murdered because she suddenly notices the lovely red dress in the shop window she just sprinted by.  So, lesson learned today?

You have to write.

Thirteen Days of Doctor Who: Neil Gaiman and the Allegory of the TARDIS

Banner by StudioD  www.insidestudiod.com

Ever wonder why are ships referred to in feminine terms?  Me too!  So, first I broke out the Google Fu and found that perhaps up until the Sixteenth Century, ships and sailing vessels were referred to in masculine terms.  Really? Makes sense I suppose because it’s easy to imagine Vikings naming their longboats after Odin or Thor instead of Freyja or Nanna and the Greeks and Romans might have paid homage to the gods instead of the goddesses as well.  Even the brilliant research librarian at my local branch was stumped about the change.  Though, I’m sure that next time I’m there, she’ll beckon me over with a stack of books on this very subject.  My opinion?  Sailors are known to be both superstitious and a little bit crazy, which endears them to me over all the other branches of the military.  Discipline and logic can only take you so far until a healthy dose of nutty makes them irresistible, decked out in those tight pants.  For example, a naked woman on board a ship is considered good luck but a clothed one—not so much.  As a matter of fact, most female passengers who didn’t hold the title of the captain’s wife, ran the risk of being thrown overboard to appease angry gods and rough seas. Talk about a crash course in swimming lessons.  Supposedly, a bare-chested woman (even a figurehead of one carved into the mast) possessed the power to tame the waves.
  Right. Sure she did.  Remember that sentence about superstitious and crazy? Okay, there’s your proof. But having a lone female on a ship full of men surely would’ve been distracting and perhaps deadly for all concerned.  You need focus to keep everything in good working order and any male/female ratio where the male number is greater than two can only lead to eventual disaster and ruination.

I much prefer the part of my search that says that sailors referred to their vessels in feminine terms because they needed love and comfort in addition to fortitude.  Men are certainly capable of providing those emotions to other men. They offer it everyday as fathers, sons, brothers, friends and lovers.  But usually that’s the job of women, and tradition dictates the attraction of opposites.  With sea travel being such a long and arduous way to navigate the world, men were separated from their loved ones for extended periods and their existence and well-being depended upon their ability to manage and care for their transport vessel.  Those vessels that would be their boon companions throughout their many adventures, even 900 plus years’ worth.  Ha!  I’m sure you wondered when I’d get around to it. Sorry for being a tiny bit evil.

It’s no secret that I’m a great admirer of literary genius Neil Gaiman as are many, many others. Writers and readers alike, we all love his work.  When the news broke that Himself was writing an episode of Doctor Who, the glee and speculation began in earnest.  Which episode? What would it be about?  Would he make a guest appearance?  Well, we needn’t have worried because in typical fashion, The Doctor’s Wife was brilliant.  It ranks among my most favorite episodes ever and showcases Gaiman’s ability to mesh whimsy with the sublime and terrifying.  If you’ve read The Graveyard Book or any of his other works, you know just what I’m talking about.  If you’ve not read the Graveyard Book, go here or get yourself to a library toute de suite.

The Doctor’s Wife opens with our motley crew tooling through space, business as usual, when a knock (yes, a KNOCK!) is heard at the door of the TARDIS. An antiquated box with a distress call from another Time Lord sends the Doctor and the Ponds on a trip outside their universe. After some knob-wibbling and a bit of turbulence, they’re off.  Once they land, things get interesting.  A green mist floats away from our beloved blue police box and is transferred into the body of Idris (played by the fabulous Suranne Jones), another traveler evidently lured to the planet straight from the set of Regency House Party from the looks of her dress.  It appears that our intrepid trio has been duped—lured by a  sentient planet/entity called House (voiced by Michael Sheen), who intends to “eat” the TARDIS.  The Doctor sends Rory and Amy on a fake errand in an effort to return them to the perceived safety of the TARDIS, which separates the friends.  I say “perceived” safety because with a slip of that glib tongue, the Doctor has alerted House that he’s the last Time Lord, ipso facto, no more TARDIS on the menu.  House institutes a “change of plans” and instead of eating the TARDIS’ artrial energy and murdering the Time Lord, House absconds with the blue box, Amy and Rory trapped inside.

So, with the Doctor stranded on the dying husk left behind by House and while House hurtles through space, terrorizing Amy and Rory, we learn that the matrix of the TARDIS has been captured in the comely body of Idris.  The beauty of the exchanges between Idris and the Doctor are hysterical and touching, especially this one when they’re attempting to reconstruct a TARDIS console (thanks to Diary of aProcrastinator’s livejournal for the transcript and of course, thanks to The Neil for the actual words):

EXT. PLANET SURFACE, NIGHT

The DOCTOR and IDRIS have put together a shell of a room with a small console in the middle. IDRIS pops up and taps a small piece of equipment with her finger.

IDRIS:
Bond the tube directly into the Tachyon Diverter.
DOCTOR:
Yes, yes, I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS before, you know. I know what I'm doing.(the DOCTOR is dragging a piece of wall by a rope)
IDRIS:
You're like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions.
DOCTOR:
I always read the instructions!
IDRIS:
There's a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for 700 years. What does it say?
DOCTOR:
That's not instructions! 
IDRIS:
There's an instruction at the bottom. What does it say?
DOCTOR:
Pull to open.
IDRIS:
Yes, and what do you do?
DOCTOR:
I push! 
IDRIS:
Every single time. 700 years. Police Box doors open out the way.
DOCTOR:
(throws down the rope and walks over to her) I think I've earned the right to open my front doors any way I want!
IDRIS:
Your front doors?! Have you any idea how childish that sounds?
DOCTOR:
(turns away and mutters) You are not my mother!
IDRIS:
And you are not my child!
DOCTOR:
(turns around and walks back) You know, since we're talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you (points in her face) have never been very reliable.
IDRIS:
And you have? 
DOCTOR:
You didn't always take me where I wanted to go. (walks away)
IDRIS:
No, but I always took you where you needed to go.
DOCTOR:
(stops) You did! (whirls around, happy) Look at us. Talking. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could always talk? Even when you're inside the box?
IDRIS:
You know I'm not constructed that way. I exist across all space and time, and you talk and run around and bring home strays.

IDRIS falls but the DOCTOR catches her.

See? Bickering just like an old married couple.  That scene brings home the long relationship between the TARDIS and the Doctor for me.  All these long years, she’s loved him and looked out for him as best she could within the limitations of her construction and technology.  She’s taken him where she thought he needed to go sometimes instead of where he wanted to go, always bearing he and his friends away from danger just in the nick of time.  In my mind, this episode shows that the TARDIS is the ultimate companion with Donna Noble's strong, I'm just as good as you, no-nonsense attitude coming in a close second in term of the human companions.  Notice I said "human" so all you River Song fanatics can calm the flock down because we all know that River's got a little something extra special going on, yes?  But that's a topic for another post.

Back to the matter at hand. This scene brings home the feminine reference to vessels:

The DOCTOR gets up and hugs her. IDRIS stands slowly.

IDRIS:
Not good. Not good at all. (the DOCTOR helps her sit) How do you walk around in these things?
DOCTOR:
We're not quite there yet... just hold on. Amy, this is... Well, she's my TARDIS. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's my TARDIS.
AMY:
She's the TARDIS?!
DOCTOR:
And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the TARDIS.
AMY:
Did you wish really hard?
DOCTOR:
Shut up! Not like that.
IDRIS:
Hello. I'm... Sexy.
RORY:
Oh! 
DOCTOR:
Still shut up.


 His spaceship is the Doctor’s wife, really.  She’s his longest and most important relationship because without her, he is a madman in a box without a box.  No way to travel throughout time and space saving his beloved Earth from whichever other alien species aspire to menace our society.  Like other sailors, he’s committed to her upkeep for their mutual benefit, just like a marriage.  And in the end, Amy says it best:

AMY:
Look at you pair. It's always you and her, isn't it? Long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe.

Even though the Doctor regenerates and the stream of companions flows right along, there’s always that blue police box.  She’s the constant, traveling among the stars with her beloved Doctor. What do you think? Who’s the Doctor’s ultimate companion?

Now that I’ve tortured you with my half-baked lecture, I think you deserve a chance to win prizes:

grand prize drawing

For the grand prize, The Complete Sixth Series on DVD, please leave a comment with your name and email address. You may enter once at every stop on the blog tour for a total of thirteen chances. The grand prize giveaway is limited to the US and Canada, due to regional restrictions on the DVD. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST on December 24th. Erica and Eliza will post the winner on December 25th and notify the winner via email.

bonus raffle

Commenters on this post will also be entered to win this Red Canvas Drawstring TARDIS backpack from Bagnabit. You'll need something  to carry around all those books about nautical myths and legends, right?

 Shipping is open to anywhere the USPS ships including international destinations. Contest closes at midnight CST on December 28th. I will post the winner on December 29th and notify them via email.

next stop!

Many thanks for dropping by! Be sure to visit Becky at Libri Dilectio for tomorrow's final stop on the tour where she talks about Growing Up with the Doctor. And if you’ve missed any stops along the way, consult the blog hop’s Wibbly Wobbly Schedule.


Happy Holidays!

Reading is Fundamental

And by that, I mean that reading is fundamental to learning. This is especially true for me because even when I’m not writing, there’s usually reading material within striking distance via my Kindle, Smartphone (hello Kindle app!) or a physical book to distract me from the “amnotwriting” portion of the program. My reading taste spans a broad range but a good story told in a compelling manner, no matter the genre, is always key.

My latest guilty pleasure came in the form of GETAWAY, the final story in uber-talented author Cara McKenna’s (she was nominated for a 2010 Golden Heart last year) Shivaree series. McKenna’s characters wrap themselves around you with their witty, sizzling and realistic dialogue and don’t get me started on the vivid settings. This isn’t a review of the series, though I do strongly recommend it and believe me, you won’t be disappointed. I wanted to talk about what the author does so masterfully and what I learned from it.

There are three main characters, Shane Broussard, Natalie Foster and Gabriel Marino-Doucet. I won’t tell you too much about the love triangle because you really should read it for yourself but I want to talk about the writing. Only two of these folks is allowed a point of view. Us writer types are always careful with the POV because it conveys the nuances of the story, gives texture to personality and sets the tone all through the eyes of that particular character. Shane and Natalie have something or rather someone in common (Gabriel) and the reader’s impression of Gabriel is entirely at the mercy of the other two. His hypnotic sensuality and eccentric, old world qualities spring to life in his interactions with the others, especially Shane and Natalie. But in the third tale, we learn that all may not be as it seems and our impression of Gabriel may have the tiniest flaw. But is this change, this alteration in thinking revealed from Gabriel’s point of view finally? No. It’s still told from the point of view of the other two characters. It’s such a skillful thing which achieves two very important pieces of the characters’ story arc—we get to see a change wrought in all of them while still receiving the emotional payoff deserved by the one who’s head we’ve been in all along. A change in perspective while still in the same point of view is achieved. I know that it happens all the time, especially in literary fiction where we only get one point of view because the character have to show their misapprehensions, misperceptions and mistakes before we can see how those things have changed them or others.

One of the best and most famous examples of this is Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE told exclusively from Elizabeth Bennett's point of view but we see her perception and ultimate reality of Mr. Darcy change from the inital first impressions right down to the end result where everything changes, all within the single perspective.

I know that I’m explaining this badly, but I’m so amazed and impressed that I just had to share. Cara McKenna is an excellent writer and I highly recommend you spend some time with her and her characters.

Release Day!

Today, my dear friend and Chicago North-RWA chapter mate Marilyn Brant celebrates the release of her debut novel, ACCORDING TO JANE.

If witty banter, sparkling dialogue, an intriguing plot and oh so tight writing is your cuppa, then rush out to a bookstore near you or the nearest online retailer and look for this awesome work. Another Chicago North chapter mate, the erudite and hilarious Liz Evans is hosting an interview with Marilyn and also rewarding a lucky commenter with a copy of the book. And the clever and troubadour-savvy Pamela Cayne is at the tail end of Marilyn Brant week where Marilyn shares her love of the Big 80's. Definitely a worthwhile and hysterical effort leading up to Marilyn mania and According to Jane's debut.

Click on the links, please. I'm so proud of myself for finally figuring out how to do that--the linking, I mean. Because visiting the other sites not only gets you a chance to win an awesome book and read about an author who's extremely talented, there are recipes for sinfully delicious things to be had. That, my friends, is what I call starting the day covered in milk chocolately awesome sauce.

Ode to Gregarious Loners

Just the other day, literary agent extraordinaire Nathan Bransford blogged about what authors can and should do to promote themselves. This was framed in relation to the amount of publicity provided by publishing houses. The central message being that God helps those who help themselves, in a manner of speaking. Nathan is always erudite, sparkling and witty and this post was no different, ending with a reminder that even Cormac McCarthy went on Oprah.

Yeah, that Cormac McCarthy--self described "gregarious loner," author of All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, the Stonemason and The Road, to name a few of his works. Is that not the BEST description you've ever heard??? I love that description. I'm absolutely barking mad about it. I mean, it lends itself to so much wonderful contrast and conflict in an oxymoronic kind of way. But I'm swaying off topic here in my word-induced state of glee. The reference to Cormac McCarthy started me thinking about other gregarious loner author types. Sometimes they're gregarious or sometimes they're just loners, that's key--the loner part. A few names immediately sprang to mind: Charles Bukowski, J.D. Salinger, Thomas Pynchon, and others of the ilk where their literary notoriety isn't tied to any of the current media outlets. A paraphrase of a quote usually attributed to Bukowski is one of my favorites: "It isn't that I don't like people, I just like 'em better when they're not around." People, that is cash money gold-level genius even if it is a screenwriter's interpretation of the man.

The question that's been raised, by Nathan's excellent post, is what level of success is achieved if you don't press the flesh and help the process along? Is it possible in this day and age for the brilliance of the writing to make up for a multitude of other shortcomings? Or do you have to listen to the tune and then get your dancing shoes on?

The Nonromantic Romance Writer

This last week, I've done a great deal of editing on my manuscript. My new critique partner, the fabulous Ellen, has been invaluable in helping me tighten up my work by eliminating sections that don't forward the action, rehash something already told, thinly veiled info dumps, and the sort of nonsense and lazy writing habits that I'm prone to engage in.

From an entirely different, but no less reputable, source came even more useful critique concerning my ongoing struggle to master POV, pacing and active voice. These are all areas where I struggle, but I'm determined to get it right. The funny thing about this 'other' critique is that it pinpointed something that struck me as funny. The person said that if I hadn't indicated 'romance' then they would have thought my story was a straight paranormal fantasy. Why would I find that funny? Well, I'll tell you.

I mentioned before that my RWA chapter might eventually wonder what possessed them to agree to let me chair our upcoming conference since I'm probably the least romantic writer (or one of them) in the group. My strong affinity for fantasy and sci-fi writing (Neil Gaiman is in Chicago today at ALA accepting the Newberry medal for the Graveyard Book. WOOHOO!!) finds its way into all of my writing and if I had my wicked and warped way, our romance writers conference would be headlined by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Patrick Rothfuss. And what would that get me? I'll tell you. There would be a whole bunch of thoroughly confused and probably angry women out for my head if June weren't here to restrain me. Not that I could GET Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett or Patrick Rothfuss to come and speak but that wouldn't stop me from trying to convince them.

And to further illustrate my non-romantic ways, one of the two stories I'm working on currently has a character so reprehensible that even I think of him as the BIGBASTARD. He shows no sign of reforming and seems to be quite content with his lot in life, as it were. You would think that I, as the author, would have some control over his actions, but such is not the case. I'm letting him tell his own story and all signs are pointing to the road to ruin. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, again congratulations to one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, for winning a very prestigious and relevant award for an outstanding book.