"G" is for Gaga

My "G" for the A-Z Blogging Challenge is for Lady Gaga.  I could have done "grammar" or something else that starts with a G that's writing related, but since I'm going to see her in concert tonight with my dad, she's the only thing on my mind right now.

Whether you're a fan or not, you have to give Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) credit.  She says what she wants, dresses the way she wants to, and stands up for what she believes in.  Whether she's wearing a hair bow, a meat dress, horns on her head, a lethal-looking outfit, or arriving somewhere in a giant egg, she marches to the beat of her own drummer and is proud of it.  She's unashamed to be herself.  


She's also quite the songstress, writing (or, at the very least, co-writing) her music and singing live in her concerts and other performances.  She pours her heart into her craft, and it shows.  Part of what I like about her being so genuine is while she puts out pop music (which I love, but some people think can't be socially significant), it makes the connection to her so much stronger.  She adores her fans (affectionately called "little monsters") and encourages them to be who they are.  And the themes of self-acceptance and universal rights that run through her songs and even what she's said in interviews and at her concerts are good ones.  Her song, Born This Way, is about being yourself and being proud of who you are because, well, you were born this way, baby.  It's one of my favorites of hers.    


I find her "this is the way I am, so either accept me or don't" attitude to be a refreshing one, and I try to incorporate it into my life as much as I can.  Even as a writer, it's sometimes surprisingly hard to just be yourself and do what's right for you and not for everyone else.  I'm not going to change my writing or the subject that I'm writing about to make something more socially acceptable...it is what it is, and I'm happy about that.  Editing issues aside, of course.


Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find some pork chops, chicken wire, and glitter glue to wear tonight...  


xoxo Sarah

"F" is for Fantasy

A-Z Challenge entry for today?  Fantasy.  

No, not like that.  Well, I did do erotica yesterday, so I guess I can see where you'd get that impression.

Anyway, since I know that there's always a lot of debate over how much overlap there is between the fantasy and sci-fi genres (fyi, Amazon lumps them together with an &), so I'll use a blanket definition of fantasy as: a story that contains some elements or events that could not happen or exist in the "real" world, i.e. magic, monsters, etc.  To me, fantasy can overlap a lot with other genres: sci-fi, historical, romance, young-adult, yadda yadda yadda.

That covers a lot of literary ground.  

What I like about reading in the fantasy genre is the suspension of belief and the escapism that the reader experiences.  You're magically transported into this new world where you don't have to worry about your taxes, feeding your cats, remembering to get gas for your car, or if you forgot to buy toilet paper.  

No, your only concern is that Frodo and his trusty friend Samwise get that damn ring to Mt. Doom and save Middle Earth from Sauron!  

Or that Harry, Ron, and Hermione get their act together, cut their camping trip short, find those horcruxes and give Tom Riddle what's coming to him.  

Or that Katniss and Peeta win the hearts of Panem to give them the best shot they can in the Hunger Games, even though the chances of either of them coming out alive are slim.  

Or maybe that whatever awesomely frighting creature and situation you're reading about in the latest Stephen King novel won't keep you up at night, looking over your shoulder and jumping at every noise you hear.  

Or...you see where I'm going with this?  

Escapism, pure and simple.  

Oddly enough, it's not something adults often allow for themselves.  They believe pretending is for kids, or that reading things like that is silly.  Why read a fantasy novel or even a short story when you can read up on politics, feng shui, or how to keep your credit score in perfect shape?  Are books about all these things (and other non-fiction) topics useless?  No, not at all...far from it.  I'm just saying that a lot of adults won't even consider a fantasy book because they think it's beneath them or reading them is a waste of time.  

Therefore, I'm giving you permission to find a fantasy novel and read it.  Go ahead...get in your car.  Go to the library and pick one up, even if it's a young adult novel like the ones I recommended above...all of them are completed series, by the way...hint hint.  It's getting warmer out, so take your shiny new book, find a quiet spot outside, and read to your heart's content.  I think you'll like it.  

If you already read fantasy, what are your favorites?  I've shown you mine, now you show me yours.

xoxo Sarah

"E" is for Erotica

For the A-Z Blogging Challenge, I was going to do e-publishing, but I think I'll save that for a post on a regular day.  So, my brave choice for the letter "E" is erotica.

Now, I know my parents read this, and I'm fairly certain my in-laws do, too.  

Yep.

This should be interesting.

So, here goes.

What do most people think when they hear "erotica"?  Written porn?  A Madonna album from the early 90s?  Something to be ashamed of; to hide under one's bed or in a drawer?  Ridiculous euphemisms and innuendo, with words like "moist" and "throbbing" (words that, coincidently, make me thing of a dish sponge and a migraine)?  Some book with an awkwardly hilarious cover with Fabio on it?

Yeah, go ahead.  Have a giggle.  I'll wait...

All set?

Well, don't be surprised to hear that, yes, erotica can be a lot of those things.  Especially the embarrassing covers.  But, in reality, it's so much more and nothing to be embarrassed about...your book club might even be reading it soon!  More on that later...

Passionate Ink, the erotic romance special interest chapter of the Romance Writers of America organization (RWA, which I belong to), actually breaks down erotic romance into several categories.  This chunk of the post is courtesy of their site (www.passionateink.org) and my awesome copy/paste skills:

The definition varies depending on who you ask, but Passionate Ink’s co-founder Sylvia Day defines the varying “heat” levels in the following manner:

Porn: stories written for the express purpose of causing sexual titillation. Plot, character development, and romance are NOT primary to these stories. They are designed to sexually arouse the reader and nothing else.

Erotica: stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Emotion and character growth are important facets of a true erotic story. However, erotica is NOT designed to show the development of a romantic relationship, although it’s not prohibited if the author chooses to explore romance. Happily Ever Afters are NOT an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included.

Erotic Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance.

Sexy Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship that just happen to have more explicit sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and it could easily be removed or “toned down” without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT as this is basically a standard romance with hotter sex.

As you can see, a lot of the genre is subjective, and has a lot more criteria than just "heaving bosoms" and "turgid members."  In fact, a HEA (happily ever after) is a requirement.  So, as a reader, you get to have your cake and eat it, too.  Or, at least have some fun with the frosting. *wink wink*  

As a side note, having both read and written in this genre, the silly innuendo and descriptions are definitely a thing of the past, having moved to more graphic descriptions and language.  Not a bad thing.  Also, the covers are not what they used to be (see above, if you dare look again), moving to more monochromatic themes and a simple design and away from the nearly cartoony images that we associate with the genre.  If I had to take a guess, I'd say this was because more men were reading them and didn't want to be caught dead with a book with Fabio in a cowboy outfit with his flowing locks waving in the wind on the cover.  Or that women couldn't stop laughing long enough to actually open the things to read the stories to begin with...

This awesome article from the sexual health section of MSNBC.com was sent to me by my husband, and the only thing in the body of the email besides the link was "Get writing!"  The article itself is worth a read, but in a nutshell, erotica is gaining steam as a mainstream (and profitable) genre in literature.  Big publishing houses like Random House, Penguin, Kensington, Simon and Schuster have their own erotica imprints (divisions that concentrate on one genre) and there are tons of e-publishers such as Samhain, Ellora's Cave, The Wild Rose Press, and many others who concentrate on this hot (pun definitely intended) genre.  Publishers even have divisions within the divisions for erotica such as: historical, gay/lesbian, "older", etc.  I know...I've checked.  


There are even people who hold book club meetings (online and in homes) for erotic literature.  Imagine being invited to a book club meeting by a good friend.  
"Sure, I'll come.  What are you reading?" you say, expecting to hear something like Water for Elephants.  
"Great!  This month's selection is Candy Licker by Noire.  We'll meet next Thursday at seven.  Bring an appetizer or dessert to share!"
The whole idea of the reality of this interaction makes me smile, and not just because it's one of the genres I write in.  I like how people are becoming more open about it, and that's good for literature in every genre.  Kind of like how good Oprah's Book Club was for...well...everything she recommended.  


Speaking of which, I wonder what the big "O"'s nightstand has stacked on it... 


As an exciting side-note, I updated the tab above that's labeled "Novellas and Short Stories." 


xoxo Sarah

"D" is for Deployment

When trying to come up with a subject for the letter "D" for the A-Z Blogging Challenge, I had a little trouble.  There wasn't anything that readily came to mind relating to "D" when it came to my writing (besides "dialogue," and yelling, "Damn computer!" at my laptop when Word freezes up on me doesn't count), so I thought I'd make this a little more personal.

Deployments.

Hubs and I knew going into this life that they would come up periodically, and they have been a regular occurrence for us over the past four years or so, and will be in the future.  Just like going on business trips, tackling endless spreadsheets, spending hours on your feet, or dealing with irate customers might be par for the course for your job, it is the same for us.  It's expected, and it's something we signed up for.

That doesn't make it any easier, though.  Each time my husband deploys, he takes a little bit of my heart with him, though I have noticed that it takes less time to bounce back after each time he leaves.  The first few weeks are usually the hardest because your memories are so strong and they're still so enmeshed in your daily routine, but as time goes on, you fall into a rhythm that makes your days go by more smoothly.  Nothing feels completely "normal," but you have to accept that.  In some ways, I think it's harder for those who remain home; we have reminders all around us of who is absent (the empty side of the bed, the vacant chair where they sit for dinner, etc).  I know it's hard for them as well and they are incredibly busy doing what they need to wherever they are, and that helps distract from the loneliness.

The key is to stay busy yourself.  Work, seeing friends, doing housey things, projects, pets...you need to do things that take up time and make you happy.  And for God's sake, get your ass out of the house!  You can't just sit at home and mope.  You do find yourself looking forward to the little communications you can have with your loved one.  Phone calls are typically short and the connection sounds like you're both using something Alexander Graham Bell had on his workbench, but at least you get to hear each other and chat for a few.

Internet is okay - again, the connections are awful, so video chat is hard to do unless you can both stomach looking like a stop-motion animation movie, but instant messenger makes a good substitute, as does good old-fashioned email.  Old-fashioned email.  Ha.  Just the fact that we can communicate every other day makes me thankful for what we do have, whether it works or not.  I have a hard time imagining how things were in the WWII era and earlier when everything was done by hand, and how difficult not hearing from each other for weeks, months, or even at all must have been for the families.

I try to send care packages out at least once a month, which are always appreciated, and makes me feel happy that I get to send him something tangible that I touched.  It's sappy, but whatever. It makes me happy.

There is one big plus that comes out of my husband being gone - I'm much more productive with my writing when he's not around to distract me, and all I have to worry about is myself and the cats.  When he's home, I guiltily miss my long, uninterrupted stretches of writing time, but the trade-off is worth it; I'd much rather have him home safe and sound.  Another positive is that it makes you appreciate the one you love so much more, and the time you have with them as well.

p.s. No, that's not us in the picture.  Google stock photo, but the emotion is there, and accurate.  :-D

xoxo Sarah

"C" is for Critique Partner

Today in the A-Z Blogging Challenge, we plow onward with the letter "C".  I want to talk about something, or someone, really, no writer should be without....a critique partner.

The "Red Pen of Death" in action.

I have one, and I wouldn't trade her for all the bronzer in New Jersey.  Her name is Shelley, and she can be followed on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ShelleyNGreene.  Shelley was kind enough to help me with this entry as well...she contributed a lot of great ideas.

Now, I'll bet you're wondering what does she do that makes her so indispensable?  So amazingly awesome?  Well, I suppose that a better question would be what doesn't Shelley do for me.  As a critique partner (and I should emphasize the "partner" part...I play the same role for her - this is a two-way street), we review each other's work, looking for any obvious issues we find.

What kind of issues?

A lot of feedback stems from character voice and pacing issues.  Part of being in a partnership like this is getting to know your partner's characters, story, and writing style as well as they do, and they, yours.  Being able to "hear" their character's voice when you read what they've written is a valuable talent to learn.  It enables you to say honestly, "I'm not sure (insert hot hero main character) would do this," or, "What was (sexy female main character)'s motivation here, because it seems like she's acting out of character."  Since character development is so important to a good story, your critique partner should be sure to tell you if anything seems amiss.  They will also not judge you or think you're a raving lunatic if you complain that the voices in your head have suddenly stopped talking to you.  If anything, they'll commiserate.

Yes, writing can feel like this. Frequently.

Your CP will also help you figure out what to do when your story is zipping along like Speedy Gonzales on crack, or slogging along as slowly as molasses in inappropriate spots.  Story pacing problems can be a huge pain in the ass, and until someone you trust (like your critique partner!) steps in and gives you another set of eyes on it, it can make you feel like you're bashing your head against your keyboard.  



Another role Shelley has for me, and I for her, is that we beta each other's work for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and word choice, among other basic errors.  As much as we'd all like to believe that what we crank out for a first draft is as epic as Jesus riding a Velociraptor, it's not.

Shocking, right?

So, we take the time to go over each other's work word by word, enjoying the reading as we edit, of course, but also reading it with a critical eye to make it the best work it can possibly be.  We both leave comments along the way, telling each other what we thought of different sections or sentences, offering commentary on plots and scenes, and above all, words of encouragement.  I'm not positive that all critique partners do this type of editing work; a lot of writers often have separate editors that do this type of thing for them.  I guess both Shelley and I lucked out.

But the best thing about having an awesome critique partner?  They get you, and they get your writing, and they're totally honest about it..  When you go off on a tangent about how your main character refuses to do this, or how you're suffering from word constipation, aka "writer's block," they know exactly how to help you, even if it's just listening to you rant for a bit.  When you feel like going all Avada Kedavra on your work, they talk you off of that ledge.

Critique partners stop you from hitting this key. Voldemort wouldn't be a good CP.

The honesty thing is important.  No one wants to hear that their plot has more holes than Swiss cheese and makes less sense than Charlie Sheen talking about "goddesses" or "tiger's blood," or that their characters are laughably stereotypical, but a good critique partner can be trusted to give it to you straight.  And when you forget something important to the story, a critique partner will bring that to your attention, too.  I once let Shelley know she'd forgotten her female lead's climax in a romantic scene...and an hour later, the new scene in my inbox was much more, uh, satisfying than it had been for her character.  CP's let you know what's up - the good, bad, and the really ugly - and help you fix it.

A CP will help you become a better writer than you already are...they're cool like that.  And no, you can't have Shelley.  She's mine.  My precioussssss....

"B" is for Blog

Sorry for the lame title for this post, but continuing on with the A-Z Blogging Challenge, I wanted to do an entry on what I'm doing right now.

Literally.

Blogging.

It boggles my mind.

I have a blog...

And people are reading it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, cat. I'm shocked, too.

I've been blogging about my experiences as an aspiring author for less than a month, and it still seems strange to me.  I never thought I'd have a blog.  None of my hobbies are so incredibly fascinating that I needed to share them with everyone: I like to read; exercise; spend time with my husband, friends, and cats; shop.  And it seemed like all the good blog ideas were either too much trouble or already taken - I wasn't about to maroon myself on a deserted island that magically had WiFi and talk about my sunburn, and though I love to cook, I didn't have an urge to work my way through Julia Child's cookbook over the course of a year...

Anyway, it wasn't until I made the conscious decision to get myself published that I realized I had no idea how to market myself, and when I did start to give it some thought, it became clear that I didn't even know where to begin.  Part of it was that I wasn't thinking like a 21st century author.  My brain was still stuck in the literary dark ages.  Obviously, back in the day, Charles Dickens wouldn't be posting YouTube book trailers for A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist on his blog and Facebook, then taking to his Twitter account and tweeting the links so a wide a range of people could see them.  If the "greats" didn't use this newfangled "blog" thing, what good would it do me?

I had to see it in action.

The whole blogging process didn't even begin to seem like a good idea until some friends I'd met in the writing community (the lovely Jennifer DeLucy and Laura Kaye, among others) began finishing their own manuscripts and chronicling their journeys to publication on their own blogs.  I found myself reading them, and, more importantly, I found myself identifying with a lot of what they were posting about.

It was then that it hit me: Blogging would allow me to find others like myself who were in similar situations.  Other newbie word-smiths who were struggling to make their word counts, send queries to agents and publishers, getting rejections, receiving acceptances...I could learn from them, and they could learn from me.  The realization that blogging could be something other than an elaborate online diary overcame me with the fierce intensity of teenage girls chasing after Justin Bieber.


This, I could do.

Blogging about my own experiences as a fledgling writer could help me reach out to others and give them access to me as well, not to mention gaining some perspective on what was happening in my own writer-world.  I can't imagine that Charles Dickens had a large group of fellow authors he could contact and learn from, and not only because life expectancy was pretty low at the time. Distance, lack of an invention called the "telephone" (which wouldn't be around until the late 1870's), and language barriers...I'll bet Dickens had to deal with all that, just to find some like-minded souls.  Even though he lived abroad for a while and even visited America, for all intents and purposes, if a writer wasn't in England within a reasonable distance from him, he wasn't going to meet them.

I'd like to imagine that he would have blogged.

Still, I dug my heels in and didn't start one until recently.  Why?  I don't really know.  But now my eyes are open, and I'm prepared to embrace blogging for the amazing tool that it is: a record of struggles, highlights, connections, kudos, rants, promotion and information.

Because I wanted to keep this entry relatively short, I did want to mention that blogging is also a wonderful medium to use to connect to people who might be interested in your work...either future readers, agents, or even publishers.  Not to mention Twitter, Facebook, and websites, but perhaps we'll save those for another day.

xoxo Sarah

"A" is for About Me

To kick off the month-long A-Z Blogging Challenge, I'm going to start with something basic.  As a brand-new blogger (I've been doing this less than a month), I thought it would be good to introduce myself to my readers.  So, in the spirit of the A-Z challenge, I will write a little bit about myself for each letter.  I might expand on a few of these in the coming days, so don't be surprised if you see a letter that gets elaborated upon.


A: Age: I'm 28.

B: What size Bed to you own? We have a queen, but I would sell a kidney for king. No, not literally, so if you're looking for one, I'm not your gal.  We would probably have one, too, except that we move a lot (see "M") and never know how big our bedroom will be in a new place.  Queens pretty much fit everywhere.

C: Is for Connecticut. I grew up there, and will likely call it home for a very long time, even though we don't live there anymore.  It's where I went to college.  As a grad and in the spirit of the NCAA tournament, I am a huge UConn Huskies fan.

D: What do you Drive?  I have a weird love of cars that I got from my father.  Currently, we have a Mazda3 and a Honda Civic Hybrid.  Both get great gas mileage, but if I'm being honest, I love driving the Mazda more. It's a fun little car to cruise around in, is a stick-shift, and is a bit overpowered for its size.

E: Essential clothing?  I love a great pair of dark jeans that fit well, as well as some cute shirts.  I have an unhealthy love of graphic tees, especially with something funny or quirky on them.  I also have what some might consider a shoe problem, but since it hasn't interfered with my daily life, I'm not counting that.

F:  Favorite color?  Shades of blue.  I love those.

G: Do you play Golf?  Nope. I agree with the person who said the game of golf ruins a good walk.

H: Is for Husband.  I have one...an amazing one, actually.  I guess H can also be for "High School Sweetheart" because he's that, too.  And "Handsome." Can't forget that. ;-)

I: Do you play an Instrument? Technically, yes, I play the flute, but I haven't picked it up for some 10 years or so.  I'd love to learn the cello, though, and maybe the guitar or piano.

J: What Jobs have you held?  I've mostly worked in the insurance and financial services industry since I graduated college.  My true passion is writing, and that is now my full-time job.  My goal is to be a published author in the very near future.

K:  Kids?  No, thank you.

L: Where would you like to Live?  Hmm.  Both my husband and I enjoy the seasons, so likely somewhere in the Northeast again (Connecticut, New York, or Massachusetts) or in the Rockies (Colorado).  This won't be for a while yet, though.

M: Is for Military.  My husband is in the armed forces, and I couldn't be more proud of him.  The life of an Air Force wife is an interesting one to lead.

N: Do you have a Nickname?  Not really.  There's not much you can do with "Sarah," but both my father and husband call me "Sari" sometimes.  It makes me smile.

O: Is for Only child. There's one of me, which I never really minded.  No one to steal my stuff or get into fights with over things.

P: Pets you own: My husband and I own two cute but evil cats. Or, more accurately, they own us.

Q: Quirks?  Um...I'm not sure I have any, other than being ridiculously picky about how things are done.

R:  What do you like to Read?  Reading and writing go hand-in-hand.  I love anything with a strong story and a lot of detail behind it...historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, humor.  The list could go on forever.   Michael Crichton is a favorite author of mine, as is J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many others.  I do enjoy a good fun read as well, like The Da Vinci Code.

S: Is for Snark.  And Sarcasm.  I like to combine them both into Snarkasm, especially in my writing.  I love characters with a sharp wit.

T: Is for Travel.  I love to see new places.  We've been to Jamaica, St. Lucia, and a good many locations all over the U.S.  We'd love to get to Europe some day, but haven't made any plans to go because we might get stationed over there, making everything within easy reach.  It would suck to take a 2 week trip to Italy, get all jet-lagged, and then find out a year later that you'll be a 5 hour flight away.

U: Underwear?  Yes, I am a big fan of underwear.

V: Most favorite and least favorite Vegetables?  I really like a good fresh garden salad (yes, I am aware that salad itself is not a vegetable).  Carrots are awesome, but I can't stand Brussels sprouts.  Or alfalfa sprouts, for that matter. Yuck.

W: What do you Write?  That's a loaded question.  Whatever comes to mind, really.  I write contemporary romance, erotica, and have some ideas for a paranormal story or two.  Maybe even a genuine horror story at some point.  And I do both short stories and novel-length pieces.

X: Have you had any X-rays taken?  Besides the good 'ole dental ones?  Yes, of my digestive tract.

Y: A picture of You?  Up on my profile.  The picture you see is of me.

Z: Have you been to a Zoo?  Yep!  A couple.  My favorite was the San Diego Zoo, though I did enjoy SeaWorld San Antonio.  Yes, I consider that a zoo.

Lovely to meet you. *smiles*

xoxo Sarah