Congrats to NY! Marriage equality passes 33-29.
source
And on a more serious but related note, catch my post over at Women and Words called “Pride…and Prejudice.”
Happy Friday, y’all!
Author: Andi Marquette
Andi Marquette once wanted to be a seafaring pirate. But she realized that could be a problem, growing up in the Rocky Mountain West and Southwest. So she became an editor, anthropologist, and historian instead. But that, too, didn't satisfy her weird cravings for stories and strange realms. Now, she's a writer ensconced in Colorado and when she wants to go pirate-ing, she just makes something up.
Publishers “ignoring” lesbian writers
That’s according to a piece published today in the Washington Blade.
The article‘s author, Julie Enszer, notes that
While there is much to celebrate in queer literary culture, there is something to bemoan as well, particularly for lesbian writers and readers. The lack of attention by mainstream publishers to lesbian writing, particularly lesbian fiction, is appalling.
As it has for more than four decades, lesbian publishing is flourishing in small, often lesbian-owned, publishing houses like Bold Stroke Books, Bywater Books, and Naiad Press. These small publishers are vital and important to our literary culture, but they must operate in conjunction with mainstream publishing. By mainstream publishing I mean (generally) New York-based trade publishers, who market books to broad audiences and sell books through mainstream bookselling venues, now primarily big-box bookstores, but also locally owned booksellers. Mainstream publishing brings us Dan Brown, J.K. Rowling, and Stieg Larsson, but it is also brings us Rita Mae Brown, Jeannette Winterson and Emma Donoghue.
source
Sadly, she’s right. Mainstream publishing in this country (Enszer notes that lesbian writers and subjects make major mainstream publishing houses quite a bit in the UK) does ignore lesbian fiction — especially genre fiction. There are a number of reasons for that. I’d argue that persistent homophobia is one; ignorance about the thriving lesbian publishing industry flying underneath the mainstream radar is another; and fears that the target audience for lesbian fiction (genre fiction) isn’t big enough to sustain a book starring lesbians. Sure, homophobia lingers, but ultimately, publishing is a business and they want profits. These publishers don’t think that a lesbian writer could make enough money for them to justify publishing her.
I think that the expansion of ebooks could change that, because large mainstream houses won’t have to worry about whether or not they can sell that minimum print run of 10,000 books. Ebooks might actually end up being an inroad for lesbian writers into mainstream publishing. It’s something I’m intrigued about, and I’m keeping an eye on it. Anyway, more food for thought.
Happy reading, happy writing!
H/T to some Facebook friends for posting this article link.
Quickie Writer Tip!
Hi, all!
As an editor, I see a ton of manuscripts, mostly fiction these days. The fun of editing a new author is watching them develop their own style within the framework of writing.
One of the things that many of the beginners I work with is that they have a problem ending chapters effectively.
I have two suggestions: 1) keep your chapters about the same length, which forces you to really think about scenes and pacing and 2) make sure your characters’ business is finished in that chapter before you break for a new one. That is, you want your reader to feel satisfied, as if something was happened and reasonably resolved or at least reasonably explained before sending them to a new chapter.
Aaron Elkins has a good piece over at Writer’s Digest to help you with “chaptering.”
Happy writing!
The sky is falling! And maybe the plot, too!
Bummerooski.
I’d been really looking forward to TNT’s Falling Skies, since I heard about it a few months back. So there I was, last night, interested to see what the premiere would be like.
Wanna know what I thought? Read on…
Sunday in Seattle (I wish…)
Hi, all–
I am a huge fan of Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is one of my fave regions in this country, and I love visiting. Seattle has a great literary and arts scene.
If you’re a writer-type of spec fic — which I am — Clarion West runs an awesome workshop. Here’s some skinny:
The mission of Clarion West is to provide a high quality educational opportunity for writers of speculative fiction at the start of their careers.
Speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, and slipstream) gives voice to those who explore societal and technological change along with deeper considerations of underlying archetypes of human experience. Clarion West brings new writers to the field of speculative fiction by providing a venue for a transformative experience in the form of a lengthy and intensive workshop focusing on literary quality, diversity of viewpoints, range of material, and other essential qualities.
source: Clarion West website
Clarion West is also doing a free readings series over the summer.
And because I also write mysteries, you MUST NOT leave Seattle without visiting the Seattle Mystery Bookshop. If you go, ask for Fran. She’ll hook you up with great recommendations and stories as well as local Seattle tips for food and drink. Tell her Andi sent you.
And, if you have time, see if you can catch a reading by Gina Ranalli, a horror/bizarro writer who’s one of my faves in the genre. She’s a local up there, and does events on occasion. Tell her Andi recommended you check out her books.
Oh, and because I’m a freaking music fanatic, stop in at the Experience Music Project museum, which blends creative innovation, technology, and pop culture/music. Awesome.
And yeah, if you’ve never been to Seattle, swing by the Pike Place Market and take a ride up into the Space Needle. TAKE YOUR CAMERA. The views from the Needle are freaking unbelievable. I was at the Pike Place Market a few years back and my shoulder was bugging me from god-knows-what and ta-da the Market had an acupuncturist available and he fixed me right up. Maybe take one of these awesome tours — ghost or true crime (the Pacific Northwest has an…um…interesting true crime history).
Anyway, you can find or see just about anything at the Market. The last time I was there, fellow author Joan Opyr and I managed to end up in a crowd of people intensely interested and sort of tailing after a lesbian BDSM lite couple through the market, dressed in full S/M vinyl regalia (and both looked like freakin’ models), one in red, one in black. One had a studded collar around her neck, the other held the leash. Serious stiletto heel boots. Our conversation went like this:
ME: “Those are great outfits. Seriously.”
JOAN: “I like how they match.”
ME: “The heels on those boots could do some serious damage if she stepped on somebody’s foot. They’re probably also good for squishing bugs in corners.”
JOAN: “Takes real skill to walk in those things. Or wield them like weapons.”
ME: “Takes real skill to dress in that. I’d be better off painting myself red than trying to get in there.”
JOAN: “I’d paint myself black and then we could go out clubbing with them.”
ME: “Cool. But in this town, nobody would notice.”
I freaking LOVE Seattle.
All rightie, happy writing, happy reading, and happy traveling!
When zombies rule the earth
Hi, folks. Saturday survival tip!
Remember, I’ve already posted on how guns might be a good idea for back-up, but keep in mind the downside. You’re gonna need to keep finding ammo; they’re loud and might attract attention from more zombies and other survivors who want your guns; you have to keep them clean and serviceable if you want ’em to work correctly.
Again, they might not be a bad idea in a pinch. But true survivors like to increase the odds of their survival. Which means
1. avoiding potential confrontations with zombies and/or other survivors
2. staying on the move — the fewer people in an area originally, the fewer zombies
3. firing a gun as few times as possible in order to remain on the down-low
So if possible, get yourself a baseball bat (for our friends in non-baseball-playing countries, a cricket bat is quite nice). One that is easy for you to wield and stash. And you might consider getting yourself a lightweight plastic face shield. If you see some trouble headed your way of the zombie variety and it’s a lone individual or maybe a couple and there’s no way to kind of sneak away, get your gloves and faceshield on and…
SWING, BATTER!
Again, I’m not suggesting that you go zombie hunting armed this way. But it’s always good to have a bat and faceshield at the ready should you be confronted by an individual zombie or perhaps 2. Three, and I’d suggest finding a way to not be there anymore, drawing as little attention as possible.
Attack ’em if you have no other options or if that’s the absolute best one. A bat at least gives you reach, and it won’t get stuck in a zombie like an axe or a pick or something like that. Gads, that’s a disgusting thought.
Anyway, there you go! Happy Saturday!
Fun reading
Hey, folks. If you get a chance, start reading Janet Evanovich‘s Stephanie Plum series.
Plum’s in Trenton, NJ (so get ready for a slew of Jersey references and jokes). She’s half-Italian, half-eastern European (not sure which country), and she’s one big lovable screw-up who ends up working as a bail bondsman for her cousin, Vinnie. With an uproarious cast of secondary characters like Lula, the prostitute-turned sober file clerk at Vinnie’s to Stephanie’s completely off-the-wall Grandma Mazur whose regular hobby is attending viewings, you will laugh out loud through every single one of these books.
From the second book, Two for the Dough (1996):
“They had a closed casket all right for Moogey Bues,” my grandmother said to my mother. “I got to see him anyway on account of the accident.”
My mother’s eyes opened wide in alarm. “Accident?”
I shrugged out of my jacket. “Grandma caught her sleeve on the lid, and the lid accidentally flew open.”
My mother raised her arms in appalled supplication. “All day I’ve had people calling and telling me about the gladioli. Now tomorrow I’ll have to hear about the lid.”
“He didn’t look so hot,” Grandma Mazur said. “I told Spiro that he did a good job, but it was pretty much a fib.”
Morelli was wearing a blazer over a black knit shirt. He took a seat, and his jacket swung wide, exposing the gun at his hip.”
“Nice piece!” Grandma said. “What is it? Is that a forty-five?”
“It’s a nine-millimeter.”
“Don’t suppose you’d let me see it,” Grandma said. “I’d sure like to get the feel of a gun like that.”
“NO!” everyone shouted in unison.
“I shot a chicken once,” Grandma explained to Morelli.
I could see Morelli searching for a reply. “Where did you shoot it?” he finally asked.
“In the gumpy. Shot it clear off.”
(pp. 63-64)
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If you’re a writer of fiction, Evanovich’s characters and characterization often carry a lot of her narratives. Want to get a taste of what great characterization is? Read the Stephanie Plum series.
All rightie, happy reading and happy writing!
Things not to do when you’re in Congress
Hi, kids!
Lordie. Had quite a lot going on, and I’m finally able to chill out and provide some tips to you and, hopefully, certain parties in the state and federal legislatures who I’m sure read this blog religiously. Actually, this is pretty good advice for all of us.
Wanna know? Click on…
Zombie Saturday
Hey, kids–whew. Okay, so here’s my tip today. Seriously.
STAY IN SHAPE and STAY HEALTHY.
Because in a zombie apocalypse, there will be no doctors’ offices, no hospitals, no pharmacies that are operating. You need to be able to outrun zombies and other survivors, you need to be able to climb and jump, and hide.
You also need to learn how to take care of minor and possibly major medical problems with materials at hand. And your chances of finding a doctor to help you do that are pretty slim. That’s a grim outlook. So get your cardio in order, start eating right, and learn some first aid. As cool as the video games make it seem — that zombie killin’ stuff — the fact is that every time you put yourself in a risky situation, you’re in danger of an injury and in this post-apocalyptic world, a minor scratch can lead to major infections. And if you sustain a major injury because you thought it would be fun to crawl around rubble and fight zombies, well, I hate to tell you this, but you’re probably toast and you have no one really to blame but yourself.
All right!
Stay safe!
When books go not-so-good: some writing tips
Sigh. I finished reading a mystery today on my Kindle. I won’t say which one or who the author is, because I don’t do book reviews and I’m sure there are people who enjoy this writer’s stories. I was able to try this author’s work for $.99, for which I’m grateful. And if I like an author, I’ll gladly pay full price for his or her work.
In this case, the book started strong — set in Arizona, which is right next to my New Mexico stomping grounds, so I love stories set in the American Southwest. A great premise, too. Double murder at a campsite, internally tortured female detective with all kinds of issues, both professional and personal, and weird stuff about the murder victims and the possible suspects.
The author has a nice eye for detail, and included some great descriptions. That went on and on and on and on and…seriously. Often a tangent that took up 1-2 PAGES, detracting from the narrative and losing the reader. The author also did another no-no in my mystery-writing toolbox — a form of “as you know, Bob.” That’s another form of info-dumping and telling, not showing. It occurs when a writer provides way too much backstory and not enough narrative to move the story along. Your purpose as an author is to MOVE THE STORY FORWARD. You do that in a number of ways. Dialogue with characters to reveal things, action sequences, and subplots tightly woven in to your main plot. This author included a subplot that was a serious red herring and ended up adding probably 80 pages to this book that were unnecessary to the main plot. And it’s frustrating, because the author didn’t effectively tie the two together in a logical way.
Want more? Read on.
Andi Marquette 