Accidental Research and Spy Neato-ness

I’ve been working with an amazing group of dudes over the past few weeks in my “other” job as a language forensics specialist.  I love the job, even though I now work exclusively as an independent contractor, which basically means I get a call from somebody and show up, or say “send me the file.”  It allows me freedom, but lets me do something I genuinely love.  But sometimes these assignments bring me some amazing and unexpected benefits.

As a writer, you can’t beat that.

So some very neat guys at the FBI were cool enough to thank me for a workshop by showing me one of the most awesome hidden gems in the world: THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM in New Haven, CT.

The what?  I know, right!?

Yup.  There is an International Spy Museum just north of the FBI Headquarters in New Haven.  My favorite thing?  It’s possibly the most ostentatiously marked and loudly displayed structure on the face of the planet.  Like… it’s the anti-cognito center of obviosity.  For realzies.  But the INSIDE is packed with incredible architecture, art, and neat interactive stuff.  The place has this incredibly bohemian vibe, but it also has a TON of information on the history of espionage.

If you get a chance, you really must check it out!  Check out the website HERE.

Lyrics: Never Apart

Years Ago I belonged to a band called The Beach Rats.  About a month ago my band-mate, Steve, found some old lyrics crammed into a binder.  He sent them to me.

Wow.  We were definitely teenagers.

Oddly, there WERE a few gems.  This one has been running through my head this week.  Ahmed left me this morning for his week away from me in Nova Scotia.  We suffer the last week of each month apart from one another.  Somehow, this song seems to have risen from my past in angsty-youthful rhyme to perfectly sum up those feelings.

Divided But Never Apart

Mist on the harbor, sun drifting down
Missed you, this morning, roll out of town.
Reeling up pavement, sealing up fate,
Leaving me lonely, to sit here and wait.
I hope you feel it, out there in the rain
The tug on your heart-- my anchor-chain.
I hope you know it, deep in your heart
I've decided we're divided but never apart.

Rain on the windows, one more dim day
To cross off the tally you're still away.
Walking through cobwebs, talking to you
As if you're still close-- in the next room.
Biting a lip, holding a breath,
Taking that sip that burns hot as death.
Liquid bravado to shore up my heart
I've decided we're divided but never apart.

I don't know how we can keep pushing on
Through long nights in silence to clutch at a dawn
That's no brighter or lighter-- just dim, empty haze
Barely enough to illuminate days upon days
upon days... upon days

Somehow we make it another long stretch
Of long, bitter nights spent just craving your touch.
And the power of what I feel keeps me alive
In that deep, yawning empty from where you arise.
You come back, through the empty, to fill up my heart
Not divided, we've decided that we're never apart.

Lyrics by Chrissy Olinger of the formerly angsty Beach Rats

Duuuuude!  We’re SO NOT getting’ the band back togetha!

Kindle Enables Library Lending

Amazon has finally announced that it will be enabling library lending.  Library lending was one of the beefs some Kindle customers have had.  As many local libraries close, the number one e-reader was lagging behind on this front.

Hoping to get a leg up on the competition, Amazon will also be allowing users to use the Whispersync highlighting technology to highlight and add margin notes to Kindle books checked out from the local library. Notes will NOT appear to the next person checking out the book, but because they are synced to the lender’s amazon account, they will be available if he or she checks the book out again, or purchases it in the future.

From Amazon’s press release:

"We're excited that millions of Kindle customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. "Customers tell us they love Kindle for its Pearl e-ink display that is easy to read even in bright sunlight, up to a month of battery life, and Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps."

Read the full article HERE.

NY Times: Chicks Don’t Dig Chain Mail

In a very nasty critique of George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones adaptation for HBO, Ginia Bellafante seems to not only indicate that she doesn’t read much, but that she has her finger placed firmly on the pulse hidden up her bum.

Not so much with the pulse of literary culture, entertainment, or… err… people who think.

She writes:

The true perversion… is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half.

The odd thing is, I have been following many of the online discussions about this series, which is much-beloved.  HBO’s series, too, has been all the buzz, and the buzz is neither “boy” buzz, nor particularly gender-specific.  My own writing group, which is predominantly women, planned several viewing parties this weekend.  The excitement had nothing to do with sex, illicitness, and had everything to do with an outstanding fantasy series.

I’d be more likely to take Ms. Bellafante seriously if not for this particular little snippet:

Like “The Tudors” and “The Borgias” on Showtime and the “Spartacus” series on Starz, “Game of Thrones,” is a costume-drama sexual hopscotch, even if it is more sophisticated than its predecessors. It says something about current American attitudes toward sex that with the exception of the lurid and awful “Californication,” nearly all eroticism on television is past tense.

Um. I know it’s confusing.  But… well… Fantasy is not history.  Sometimes it looks like history.  Sometimes it has unicorns and dragons.  (No word on the unicorns, which sort of have a long standing relationship with virgins… we’ll have to see where Bellafante stands there.) Just because a clever writer makes it look “historical” does not mean it takes place in the past.  See… it takes place in a made-up place.  FANTASY—get it?  One also wonders how something can be both “costume-drama sexual hopscotch” and “more sophisticated than its predecessors.”  There’s some WTFery afoot here, folks.

As for eroticism and chicks and chainmail… if Bellafante finds GOT “erotic” I want to follow her around on her next date.  Bloody, political, and yes—sensual and sexual in turns.  But erotic?

Wow.  Just wow.  

Read the original article HERE… or, you know… the bird cage looks like it could use a new carpet.

Dreamstime and Vistaprint, How I Love Thee!

I’m not sure why this particular image spoke to me, but it did.  I found it on Dreamstime not long ago and grabbed it on impulse… then realized I needed new business cards.  (I have cool language forensics cards provided by the feds, but do my own writer cards, obviously.)

Vistaprint is a writer’s best friend… FOR SERIOUS!  I’ve used them forever, and they’ve always been wonderful.

This was no exception.  Clearly the blue striped kitty and bats in the image were a bit off, but no problemo.  Also… this is a not-really-but-kinda-representation of ME, so that super-high noggin was getting trimmed.

VOILA—minus one kitty and yarn ball, add a dash of purple PUG, tweak the hair, chase off the bats and ghosts, and…

Rules for Writers… What are Yours?

As a die-hard fan of Elmore Leonard—the guy who created the world of JUSTIFIED, my new favorite TV show—I was fascinated by this article, also inspired by him: 10 Rules for Writing Fiction.  (Special thanks to Mayreen at the SFFWorld forums for the link.)

In the article, some great names give their top advice on how to keep noses to grindstones and more.  What I realized, upon reading and reflecting, is that my own list gets smaller each year.

Here it is… and I would love to hear yours, too:

1. Write, even if what you write sucks. Just write every day possible.
2. Never delete anything.
3. Publish. Even if you go KDP or Smashwords. Don't leave ANY manuscript you liked at the end sitting in a bin, on a dusty flash drive, or under the bed just because it didn't "find its niche."
4. Don't blow money on a career that isn't making money. See number 3.
5. If you go to conferences take notes on what the big names do while falling down drunk and keep a glass of ginger-ale in your hand at all times so they think you're drunk, too. (Consider showing up incognito if you’ve lost weight or changed your hair.)

Is Money Flowing Toward YOU, Writer?

If you are a writer, you’ve probably heard the mantra.  MONEY FLOWS TOWARD THE WRITER. Most often we hear it in relation to vanity publishing, scams, or “services” that are nothing more than a way to soak an author who has stars in his or her eyes.  With the explosion in independent, direct-publishing (yes, we have taken ownership of term “indie” and no, you can’t do a damned thing about it), I’ve been seeing a lot of new trespasses into the stream. Money is finding new ways to flow away from the author. And even more writers are finding old ways to blow their cash.

How many conferences have you attended?  I go to small gatherings.  I’ve been to two RWA Conferences, both were in the local New England Chapter, and within driving distance.  I rented a room both times so that I wasn’t blowing most of my weekend on commute.  Both times I did NOT arrive early or leave late. I did not take visitors to the area sight-seeing.  I bought rounds of drinks and an inexpensive (Olive Garden once, and a pub on another occasion) meals for a few friends.  I could afford both, and did not consider it part of my “writer-weekend.” It was fun, not business.

This past week dozens of people I knew flew across the country to attend the Romantic Times convention, which most agree is appropriate when you have a book to promote.  Many of them did not.  My gut tells me, particularly paying attention to the tweets and fb postings, that the majority of those writers were on vacation. I love seeing friends and associates have fun. I hate seeing them falling down drunk. It’s also upsetting to think about the economy these days and have that tally adding up in my head.  Are sales good enough for everybody there to break even? Cover expenses? Come close?  None of my business, but… is money flowing toward these writers?

I’ve seen an awful lot of writers with either very little or nothing at all published blowing wads of cash at these get-togethers. Some were friends, and I’ve bitten my tongue. I’ve seen more adults drunk off their backsides than I ever care to count.  I’ve opted, personally, not to behave that way, and not to spend money that way.  I went to RWA Nationals once, a very long time ago, when I was just getting ready to dip my toe in.  I knew almost nobody. A few workshops were useful, but I also found RWA New England more helpful, less expensive, and more intimate (ie: I got better, more personal contact and access to the people I wanted to see and talk to).

Recently, as I ventured out under my own name (rather than the pen name I’ve considered retiring), I’ve been watching the indie boards, groups, blogs. A lot of people seem to be spending huge amounts on book covers, editing services, formatting, etc.  If you have to hire another person for these things, I totally understand. But check the background of the person.  I would say NEVER pay anyone unless you have heard good things about him or her from at least one writer who worked with the person in question.  Shop around. Consider how much you can expect to make as well as how long it will take to make back what you spend up front.

Google.  Try formatting on your own at least once before shelling out the have it done for you.  See if you can barter—2 beta-reads in exchange for adding text to a stock image correctly so your cover is the cost of the image, perhaps.  If you are going to spend money, spend it on editing.  (I recommend Rhonda Stapleton as an editor.) Don’t spend money on advertising until you’ve made enough to cover it.  Ask other writers what has worked for them and how much they paid.

There is nothing wrong with spending to promote yourself or make your work better, but remember… MONEY MUST FLOW TOWARD THE WRITER.  It can’t flow toward you if you are bailing wads of cash into the stream!

Joe Abercrombie to Interview George RR Martin

I recently caved to ages of pressure and began reading Joe Abercrombie. I started with The Blade Itself, and must say I love the voice and movement, but am struggling a little with the plot-hopping. It seems to be narrowing into a tighter focus as I go, and I'm suspecting I will be won over in a chapter or two. I have almost completely worn myself out on romance, with a few exceptions. Lately I crave good, old school fantasy. I blame Patrick Rothfuss.

Naturally I found my way to Mr. Abercrombie's blog. I was delighted to find an announcement that he will be interviewing George RR Martin soon in LA. (See his post about it HERE.) Martin is another author I was forced, at gunpoint, to discover. I will forever be grateful to Pete Rush for that introduction.

Martin has become an auto-buy, and one of the first purchases I made for my Kindle were his Game of Thrones novels. Martin is looming as a big deal on tv lately, doncha know. I've become a blog-stalker, to be honest. Any writer I love who blogs is going to have to take out a web-restraining-order.

I simply had to share this with the rest of the world... two great dudes who should be great together... like chocolate and peanutbutter!

Here’s the REAL Scoop

Man, if you ever get busy, hire an assistant.  Because I had a really busy week, and the rodeo-circus that followed has been something else.  A LOT of rumors are going around. Oddly, the truth is, in some ways, more freaky than the rumors.  But I have seen gossip cause a bit too much trouble to simply ignore it.

Taking a breath…

Here’s the actual scoop… or, here are the actual scoops.  (I told you I was busy.)

1. Yes, I left RD.  I was not banned.  I requested that my membership be deleted because there is no place on the membership control panel I could find to do it.  I wanted to be deleted, primarily to avoid getting numerous “personal message” alerts, and quite a few emails about RD.  My personal philosophy is that one should not say it if it must be said in private.  I don’t know anyone at RD (or anywhere else on the net) well enough for long personal conversations that wouldn’t have been in private to start with.  I ALSO felt that contacting me directly to complain about RD stuff was disloyal to RD… even though a lot of the “stuff” was allegedly in support of me.  I do not think MORE of a person for copying and pasting something they were supposed to keep private/secret into an email to me.  I’d be flattered if they stood up for me openly, but stabbing my back-stabber in the back?  That just makes me think you are both a wuss and a back-stabber, too.

2.  There was no big, huge throw-down.  I have been getting copy-and-paste “intel” for months, and never wanted or solicited it.  I was ignoring it.  I even asked repeatedly for it to stop.  When I took ONE angle on something, but the powers-that-be took another, I simply decided that my loyalty was only going in one direction.  Nobody was set on fire.  I simply asked to leave in silence.

3.  Yeah, silence isn’t going to happen.  I mean, I tried.  Now the speculation that this was a REALLY BIG THING is going in absolutely wonky directions.  I will not elaborate on those directions, since it only risks validating them.  Seriously… some adults decided they didn’t wanna hang out anymore.  The sky hath not fallen.

4.  Fictionistas kicks butt.  I am no longer a blog-mate there, but I wish them all best.  To be completely fair, they had no idea I was leaving til I left.  I simply felt that it was my safest way to go.  I really mean it when I say I wish them all the best.

5.  I really mean it when I say I mean it… I never bother lying and don’t pull punches.  The bad part of that? I do not suffer assholes well and people who have to get along with assholes find being around me uncomfortable.  (See #1.)  The good part?  You never have to ask if I meant something.  This blog post is going to piss some people off, but I discovered an absolute truth this month: keeping quiet to protect others doesn’t work, and I don’t deserve the stick-beating my silence earned me when I have the audacity to speak.

6.  Write Out Loud was not my idea, but I kind of liked it… so I posted a question on FB, created a freebie forum, and didn’t think much more about it until the super-seekrit-brigade began flipping out that it was intended to be an alternative for people who wanted to trash RD and other sites like it.  Um.  No.  Since the few members there have emailed saying they are worried about retribution I have:

a.  laughed pretty hard

b.  asked them to be careful what they imply about it

c.  offered to make it a private, email loop… or simply let it sit there untouched

7.  (I know… this shit is getting LONG.)  The Sceptics’ Tank has been around since before 90% of you were on the internet.  We began in the late 90s, and will be around forever.  Recently our webhost changed its pricing and we all decided that the actual web page had no reason to exist.  The group is private, members-only, and we never shared our BBS or IRC stuff actively, except the logs we found helpful or funny… so no, the site did not vanish for nefarious reasons.  It had no reason to exist.  We are still here.  Members already know that… but everyone else being curious was a bit odd, and I worried it would somehow get piled onto the current crazy train.

8.  I did not have a heart attack.  WHO THE HELL MAKES THIS STUFF UP?  I discovered that a good friend was losing her battle with cancer and some of the copy-paste-brigade truncated their gossip, leading to people misunderstanding some facebook and twitter posts.  I’m tired after a long and stressful week.  Other than that I am great.  Ask me and I will tell you so.

9.  The Steampunk Bash is sold out.  YAY!!  This was another reason I was busy.  The ROR Spring Brunch is coming up, too.  Busybusybusy.

10.  I am actually a writer trying to write writery stuff… another reason.  Raising Tabitha will be out soon.  My Boyfriend’s Back has done well.  THANK YOU for the support on that!

Now you know.  It would be great if people would not speculate… it would be greater still if we could all be grown-ups, say what we mean, and allow for one another to make personal decisions without creating a huge dust-up that may hurt people unnecessarily.  RD is a great resource for some.  Fictionistas is a great group of women.  If somebody wants to stab me in the back they are free to take a shot… please do not join their ranks by stabbing THEM in the back as a favor to me.  I don’t consider it a favor… I consider it meddling.

Have a nice day.