Continue reading »]]> As some of y’all know, I only blog or review books I like. I don’t feel comfortable doing negative reviews of other authors’ work. But lately I’ve been reading books I love, and today I want to squee about 2 in particular.

The Iron Duke

I finally finished The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook. I started it almost a year ago, but I had just begun a steampunk of my own, and I found that Brook’s hero, Rhys Trahearn, kept leaking into my hero (and no wonder, because Trahearn is hawt.) I was so blown away by The Iron Duke that I had to stop in the middle or I would never have continued with my steampunk, knowing how it pales in comparison.

If you’ve never read steampunk and you wonder what the fuss is about, read this book. If you already love steampunk, read this book. It’s amazing. The narrative blew me away. Narrative is usually my least favorite part of a book to read, and it’s definitely my least favorite to write. Suleikha Snyder calls it “connective tissue,” which is a great description. I tend to skim the stuff that goes on for pages – I don’t want to read four-paragraph descriptions of landscape, or houses, or the warehouse that the heroine/hero is sneaking into.

Brook’s narrative isn’t like that. Whether she’s communicating Mina or Rhys’ thoughts, or describing the streets of London, or detailing the layout of an airship or a very dense conspiracy, the narrative doesn’t waste any words. Same for the action sequences – fast paced, easy to read, no wasted words.

In fact, this book is so fabulous that I was actually relieved to find that there was one thing that struck a false note with me.

I totally bought why Mina felt she and Rhys could never be together, but when they were on the airship, in their own little world, the bond between them was strong and believable. They liked and respected each other. They connected. So later on, when Brook invokes the tried and true (and no less workable, or fun) romance trope of two people who adore each other but for one reason or another have to act like they hate each other, I didn’t buy it. Neither one of them should have believed the other when they invoked the go-away-I’m-done-with-you-I-never-cared-and-I-won’t-miss-you scenario.

That’s a very small nit to pick in a book this good. My envy of Brook’s talent is vicious, fierce and deep. But that’s my problem, not yours. The Iron Duke is the first of a series and, needless to say, I’m in for the duration.

Angelmaker

I can’t really describe this book – contemporary steampunk is the closest I can come. Read the link above for a synopsis of the plot. All I can tell you is that the writing, the plot, the dialogue, the characters, everything about it is magical. I think this is only Harkaway’s second novel, so speaking of vicious, fierce, deep envy….Harkaway’s father is John Le Carré, so maybe it’s genetic. Like Martin and Kingsly Amis, though, their genres and styles couldn’t be more different.

I love the protagonist of this story. I love his friends. I love the weird, twisty plot. I love the dialogue:

“In this age of chat-show rage, Joseph, I believe that makes you a paragon of virtue. Isn’t he a paragon of virtue, Mr. Titwhistle? How do we spell that, by the way, for the writ? ‘Titwhistle,’ not ‘paragon.’ Joe, congratulations, you’re rich. Rodney here is going to give you all his money or at least, all of his organization’s money. What organization is that again? I suppose, ultimately, the Treasury? Well, then, there’ll be plenty, won’t there? How very fortunate, although if you wouldn’t mind having a word with the Chancellor, Mr. Titwhistle, and letting him know not to buy any nuclear missiles or bail out any banks until we’ve settled, I’d be grateful, one wouldn’t want there to be a shortfall. Yes, Mr. Titwhistle, I am aware that you believe you are beyond such mundane considerations but allow me to assure you that, if we marked lawyers the way we do military aircraft, I would have painted on my fuselage the outlines of a number of untouchable government departments now defunct. … Joe, you did fine. … You were great. But there is no question that we are in the shit. … Anyway…good evening, and try the lamb, it’s excellant.”

You know what’s the most amazing thing about that soliloquy? It’s completely believable in the context of the character and the story.

I even love the freaking narrative:

The dog’s name is Bastion, and it is without shame or mercy. Any dog worth the name will sniff your crotch on arrival, but Bastion has buried his carbuncled nose in the angle of Joe’s trousers and shows no inclination to retreat. Joe shifts slightly, and the dog rewards him with a warning mutter, deep in the chest: I have my mouth in close proximity to your genitals, oh thou man who talks to my mistress over coffee. Do not irk or trifle with me! I possess but one tooth, oh, yes, for the rest of were buried long ago in the flesh of sinners. Behold my jaws, upper and lower in righteous, symmetrical poverty. Move not, man of clocks, and heed my mistress, for she cherishes me, even in my foul old age.

The whole book is like that: enchanting and addictive and absorbing and strange. For almost 30 years my favorite book has been Mark Helprin’s Winter’s Tale. I think it’s about to be replaced. When I was at RT, no matter how late I got to bed, I had to read some of this book. Now, though, I’m slowing down because I don’t want it to end. The envy, it’s strong in this one. “This one” being me.

Continue reading »]]> By the end of summer, I’ll be ready for school to begin again. I work outside the home (part time; I get off in time to pick Diva up from school) so I don’t have the “kids in the house driving me crazy” problem. Diva spends about six weeks at the Houston Museum of Natural Science day camps and the rest at vacation Bible school and with family. (If you live in Houston, and need summer activities for the kids, HMNS is wonderful. A little pricey, but it might be tax deductible if it’s a form of child care. We’ve been doing it for four years now, and Diva still loves what they offer.)

But late April is the point at which I’m just as sick of school, and schedules, and homework and bedtime as Diva is. I’m even tired of Diva’s teacher, as much as I like and respect her. I know she’s a good teacher and wants the best for all the girls, but she’s fairly rigid and uses punitive motivations too much for my taste. She’s always been concerned with Diva’s disorganization and lack of focus, as have I, and she’s tried to help her with it. But she disapproves of ADD medication, which I believe has been a huge benefit to Diva (and my oldest nephew, whose happiness at no longer being the last kid in class to turn in work, getting good grades, and generally finding school bearable for a change convinced me to get Diva tested for the condition.) I get the impression that Mrs. W. belongs to the “they just need to buckle down and pay attention” school, as my dad did — but if they’d had ADD (note: not ADHD – no hyperactivity, just extreme difficulty, if not inability, to focus on one task for any amount of time) meds when I was Diva’s age, I think I would’ve had more self esteem, better grades and far less fights with my sweet daddy, who was constantly scolding me to get my head in the game, quit daydreaming, etc. etc. Heck, I could probably use them now, but I take enough pills already.

Point is, Mrs. W. is frustrated by Diva’s attention problems, but disapproves of the medication Diva’s on, yet still gives her conduct cuts when she fails to correct a couple of problems on a graded test or forgets her math book. I’ve never complained to the headmaster about a teacher, and I wouldn’t unless there was actual abuse, which this obviously isn’t. Diva rather likes Mrs. W. and besides, our Episcopal school is so small that each grade has just one class for each gender, so it’s not like we can switch classrooms. But I know the 5th grade girls’ teacher, and I suspect she’s more laid back.

The previous marking period was hard on Diva, since we had to completely move out of our house for a couple of weeks. We went to stay at my sister’s (large, lovely, swimming pool-equipped) house while our house was jacked up (to fix the foundation), our hardwood floors were redone and several rooms got painted. There was a lot of chaos and moving around and everyone was a little stressed and Diva wound up with two C’s (the 2nd and 3rd of her academic career.) I didn’t get mad, just told her that for this last period, she better make honor roll.

And then, come May 24, it’s all over. I’ll be honest – in the summer time I don’t really care when Diva gets to bed; if she’s sleep deprived at day camp or her aunt’s house, it’s no big deal. We can wake up 45 minutes later, swim late at the Y, stay up to watch TV together, have a sleep over in the middle of the week. She’ll stay with different family members for days at a time, and I can go out with the girls. Hopefully we’ll make it to my sister’s beach house at least once.

We don’t take summer vacations because Hub owns an auto repair shop and summer is the busiest time of the year. We haven’t left town, as a family, more than once or twice since Hub opened the shop five years ago. (This month the SBA loan will be paid off in full!!!!!!) I’m thinking Diva and I might just do a long girls’ weekend in Kemah or San Antonio or something.

But summers are still fun for us as a family because there’s fewer duties, looser schedules, less stress, and Mommy doesn’t yell nearly as often or as loudly.

What about y’all? Any family traditions, vacations, something you look forward to?

Continue reading »]]> Everyone talks about, argues about, worries about and legislates about women’s reproductive rights. Lately I’ve been thinking about men’s reproductive rights.

My favorite blogger, Glenn Reynolds (who, like me, is Libertarian, NOT conservative), frequently posts items connected to what he calls the “war on men.” This is, of course, completely subjective. Some people think American men have been marginalized and maligned. Others disagree. My own opinion on the subject changes based on what controversial study or outrageous news story I’ve most recently read. But something recently caught my eye and got me to thinking.

Instapundit likes to link to Dear Wendy’s columns, which are always interesting and sometimes, by turn, perplexing and kind of enraging, like this one. The letter writer (LW) and her boyfriend were on a “break,” and he hooked up with some other woman and got her pregnant. Apparently he “can’t stand” the other woman (TOW), and he doesn’t want a child, so he asked TOW to get an abortion. TOW refused, saying she wants to keep her baby–as she has every right to do.

Of course, she would’ve had every right to get an abortion, too, and if he’d objected it wouldn’t have mattered.

Now, understand – I’m pro-choice. I have some moral qualms about abortion, but I don’t believe that my moral, religious, emotional or any other kind of qualms should serve as the basis for legislation, especially not about what people can and can’t do with or to their bodies (hence my Libertarian identification).

But men who impregnate women don’t have the same freedom of choice that the women do, do they?

Some commenters failed to see the dichotomy:

“A real “man” steps up to be there for the baby, more than just money for the baby, and to be there for the mother even if he can’t stand her. That’s the risk that you take.”

“…that baby is his child. And he wants absolutely nothing to do with that baby? That is not acceptable.”

“A forty-year-old man knows exactly how women get pregnant and how to avoid that if he absolutely doesn’t want a baby. He chose to not wear a condom and now he has to be responsible for his choice.”

Can you imagine anyone other than a strident pro-lifer saying any of these things about a woman? Hey, you chose to have sex without a condom [she claimed she was on the pill, and maybe she was -- we all know women who got pregnant while on it], so now you’re stuck with that baby; That baby is your child, and you want to abort it? That’s not acceptable.

Of course not. To even ask the question is to answer it.

Some men chimed in on the thread and they, of course, saw the dichotomy quite clearly:

Steve says, “Deal with it, ladies. Be responsible for your own bodies and your own choices. The decision to have sex is NOT a decision to have a child. Quit trying to dig into other people’s wallets to subsidize your lifestyle choices.”

And in response to a commenter who says, “Why does anyone think they have a say in whether a woman aborts or keeps her child? Get your hands off my uterus!” James says, “We’ll get our hands off your uterus when you get your hands off our wallets. … The man should have no say on whether or not she keeps the baby but she should have a LOT of say over his finances for the next 18 years.”

In some states a man can declare himself a non-father but, as commenter Joel says, it’s not widely advertised. And some women choose not to haul a guy into court when he doesn’t want to be part of his child’s life–but still, that’s at the discretion of the mother. A man can be forced via court order to submit to a DNA test. If he’s proven to be the father of the baby, he’s on the hook for 18 years.

James went on to say, “How about equal right for, you know, everyone?”

It’s a fair question, I think, but I’m not sure there’s an answer, short of a reliable contraceptive for men besides the condom. When will we have a Pill for men?

Continue reading »]]> I’m updating the blog to add some cool WordPress features but I’m doing it all myself, so if the blog blows up…I’ll rebuild it, but it might take a while. If I do it right, you’ll be able to subscribe to the blog (I already have an RSS feed but this will notify you by email) and you’ll be able to subscribe to comment threads as well.

Vickie the Blunt frequently scolds me for not blogging enough, and I know she’s right. I’m planning a Potentially Provocative post for Monday and I aim to post 3-4 times a week, even if it’s silly stuff (which I’m sure it will be).

Back to the writerin’ stuff…

Continue reading »]]> I attended a writer’s session on the contemporary romance novel while I was at RT last week. It’s been eons since I read a contemp, and I’ve never tried to write one, but Susan Elizabeth Philips and several other bestselling authors were on the panel, and I figured I could probably learn something. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was right.

At some point the discussion turned to writer’s block, or just the feeling of  being stumped in a scene or a story. Several people, including SEP, said that when that happens, it usually means that the story or the scene isn’t working. It’s a pain in the butt to have to lose all those words and all that time, but sometimes you just have to trash the scene and start over.

I’ve been feeling….I don’t know….bummed or blah or whatever for months now. I have Seth’s story completely in my head, I just can’t seem to get it down on paper. And I think one reason is that after Seth, I want to do Michael and Nick, and when I thought about those books, I’d get paralyzed because I couldn’t figure out how the stories would work together, or if they should, or whatever. Am I going to continue writing each book as self-contained and stand alone? Do I want to bring threads, and people, together? What the hell’s going on?

And this week, I realized…the bare elements of Nick’s story, that I already had, totally work. The problem was Michael’s story. I kept trying to shove Michael’s story into this particular structure, with this particular heroine and background and stuff, when in reality….that’s Dec’s story!!! It was the most blindingly obvious thing — like, “Duh!!!! She belongs with Dec! And all the stuff that’s happening to her, she needs Dec’s help with, not Michael’s, and this is Dec’s stuff, not Michael’s stuff!”

And then I suddenly realized who Michael’s love is, and what happens, and how it relates to Nick (who really does love and miss his big brother).

Granted, I don’t have plots yet — but I have the frames for the plots, and that’s a huge start.

And it gave me renewed inspiration to settle down and finish Seth’s story, which I still think doesn’t totally suck.

Continue reading »]]> I’m writing this long email–so long, in fact, that I decided it would be better to make a document of it–laying out my ideas for Michael and Nick/TJ’s stories, and how I see the series continuing, the books fitting together, all of that. I want to run it past my editor because a) I’m insecure, and b) I trust her, and c) I think some of my ideas might be whack.

So I’m laying all this out there and of course, I have to make sure I don’t violate my own world rules and all the stuff that has Happened So Far. And I find that I don’t necessarily remember all my world rules, much less all that’s Happened So Far, and crap, it’s only three books! All those times I laughed when someone asked if I was keeping a canon, a book map, something like that?

I. Was. Wrong.

Continue reading »]]> When I tell my husband something and he forgets about it, it’s my fault because I didn’t really tell him about it at all.

When he tells me something, and I forget about it, it’s my fault because I never pay attention.

And when he tells me something, and then he forgets about it…well, that happens sometimes, you know? It’s not really anyone’s fault.

Hey guess what? I will have a new post up soon, and I’m writerin’. Seriously, truly. I could prove it to you – but of course I won’t, because that’s the kind of stuff my publisher frowns upon.

Continue reading »]]> I wasn’t going to post anything about the newest romance phenom because 1) I don’t normally write critical reviews of other peoples’ books – I’m just not comfortable, as an author, doing it; and 2) the whole 50 Shades of Gray craze is just pissing me off so much I keep hoping the whole thing will go away. (Kind of like the whole Rush Limbaugh Outrageously Outraged Moral Kabuki  which, if you don’t follow me on Twitter, count yourself lucky.)

But then my sister-in-law-in-law-in-law*, who blogs over at An American Housewife (occasionally) in London, asked me if the book had created any buzz in Romancelandia; AAHOIL is a conservative politics/culture blog and my SILILIL, a hyperintelligent attorney and stay-at-home mommy, doesn’t read much romance. So I sent her a long email with my thoughts.  She asked me to post a comment on her blog, and the comment I ended up sending her was long enough to be a post in itself; she suggested that I post it on my own site, since I (obviously) don’t post enough as it is.

So here are my thoughts on 50 Shades of Gray, if you’re interested. Also, if you’re interested, this review by lazaraspaste over at Dear Author is thoughtful and hilarious and explains perfectly why so many of us hate this book so passionately. (Disclosure: I haven’t read the book. That’s right – I loathe a book I have not read and have no intention of reading. I can do this because I Am A Professional.) (Apologies in advance to those of you who’ve read 50 Shades and loved it–there is  nothing more personal or less objective than reading tastes, so of course everything in this post is my opinion and mine alone. If you’re thinking 50 Shades sounds intriguing and you’re kinda interested but you don’t know much about erotic romance, or romance in general, Jane’s primer might be handy.)

I’ve always believed that people should be allowed to write and share fanfic. If anyone ever wanted to write fanfic based on my books I’d be freaking thrilled– Cade and Michael slash fic, whatever. I’d take it as the huge compliment it is, as long as they didn’t publish it for profit.  Once you do that–once you appropriate another writer’s world and characters, you’re not doing fanfic any more. It’s not plagiarism per se, but it feels darned close. I have no patience for Diana Gabaldon’s hysterical rant against fanfic (she compared it to rape) (!!) or for other authors who think fanfic somehow weakens or dilutes their brand. People write and read fanfic because they love a book’s world and want to spend more time with its characters. I totally get that. But when E. L. James, the pseudonymous British author who first published 50 Shades of Grey and its two sequels as Twilight fanfic (the story was called Master of the Universe and it starred Edward Cullen and Bella Swan), slapped new names on the characters and put the book up for sale, IMO, she crossed a line.

Fanfic isn’t new, but the Internet has given it a level of exposure it never had before. Authors have written cease and desist letters to fanfic writers and sites, but I don’t know if anyone’s ever actually gone to court over it. I don’t know if Stephanie Meyer is going to sue, or if she even has a cause of action.***

The semi-plagiarism is not the only thing that bugs me about 50 Shades. I’m also annoyed that the media is treating it with a seriousness that romance literature rarely receives.

Look, here’s the thing. The romance genre gets a bad rap from mainstream readers and almost all the media, even though it accounts for by far the largest chunk of the fiction market, and as such it is absolutely essential to the fortunes of both traditional publishing and e-publishing. It gets even less respect than science fiction/fantasy. The people who write it are derided as purple prose pushing hacks, and the people who read it are pitied, condescended to, lectured on the differences between fantasy and reality, assumed to have no taste, and caricatured as fat, bored housewives. People who would not otherwise dare to criticize your tastes in fashion or music or home decor (at least not to your face) will, if they see you with a romance book or you come right out and confess to reading it, give you the “oh, I don’t read romance. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, I guess, it’s just so silly, you know? I like more serious fiction…” treatment. Though I hate myself for doing it, because it betrays an insecurity I’m way too old to still have, I always manage to work into such a conversation that I have a B.A. in English, in addition to my master’s in Library Sci.

It does no good to talk about how romance readers come from all ethnic and racial groups, all socioeconomic classes, all cultures and all faiths (and no faiths); how many romance authors hold JDs and almost as many hold literature degrees; how no one raises an eyebrow at a university symposium on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but God forbid a doctoral or master’s candidate wants to do a review of romance literature.

Then along comes 50 Shades — flat characters, hackneyed prose, irresponsible depictions of BDSM, etc. etc. etc. — and suddenly everyone in the country is giving it Serious Attention because a bunch of skinny Park Slope mommies are reading it and declaring themselves happy in their pants. What??? You mean some women like to read romance novels for sexual thrills?  Why, this must be Something New! What Does it All Mean?   (There is no professional jealousy underlying my contempt. No, seriously. None at all. Nope).

I’m all for more women being turned on to the joys of romance literature–I just wish it were a good book (and an original one) that had suddenly captured the nation’s attention. If only these mommies and all the people interviewing them knew that there’s a lot of well-written erotic romance out there, with complex characters and interesting plots, books that don’t paint  a libelous picture of BDSM which, contra Dr. Drew, has NOTHING to do with child abuse or domestic violence. 50 Shades treats the hero’s sexual needs and preferences as a sickness, a symptom of brokenness, which they are not–but then, the hero is a jerk who takes unconscionable advantage of an inexperienced young woman’s total ignorance of BDSM and the mental and emotional issues involved. And the heroine is dumb as a rock or, as we say in Romancelandia, TSTL (Too Stupid To Live.)

The subgenre of BDSM, and its wider genre of erotic romance, is a constant source of debate within the romance community, which includes a lot of feminists. Is it “okay” that some women have rape fantasies? Is it a sign of pathology that some women like to read about being tied up and whipped? What about women who aren’t content to read about it, but actually participate to a greater or lesser degree in the BDSM lifestyle? Is Dr. Drew correct that BDSM is abusive and the women who participate in it need help? (Hint: No, he’s not. Also, his wife is a lot smarter than he is.)

I, and many other romance writers/readers, feel that you, and you, and you and you and I have a right to read whatever the hell we want to, without judgment or condemnation from anyone else. That most of know very well the difference between fantasy and reality and that, if someone doesn’t, what books she chooses to read is the least of her problems. YKINMK – Your Kink Is Not My Kink – and if you have no kinks, well, fine, there are plenty of vanilla romance novels. (Two of the smartest, funniest, most thought-provoking romance blogs out there are Dear Author and Smart Bitches Trashy Books.)

Also, if you ever see me reading a romance novel, and you don’t know me so you give me the aforementioned “oh, I don’t read romance. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, I guess, it’s just so silly, you know? I like more serious fiction…” treatment, be prepared for me to quiz you on your fiction habits and the contents of your current TBR pile. If it includes more than one title from Oprah’s book club, more than two titles recently made into Major Hollywood Films, or anything by Jonathan Franzen, I’m a gonna be rolling my eyes. At you. At you.

*She’s my sister’s sister-in-law**’s sister-in-law.

**That would be Vickie the Blunt.

***And who knows, maybe copyright doesn’t matter anymore. St. Martin’s has just contracted for a Regency series based on the Brady Bunch (swear. to. God.)

Continue reading »]]> 47-year-old Lenny Kravitz. He just keeps getting better with age, don’t he?

Have I mentioned recently that Lisa Bonet is past her lifetime allotment of hot men? If she and Jason Momoa break up, she’s not allowed another hot guy. She’ll have to make do with normal guys.

Unlike some Hollywood women (Melanie Griffith, I’m looking at you) she doesn’t suck the hotness out of her men.

These pictures all come from his recent Interview interview. Bring on The Hunger Games!