Last month I announced my decision to cut back to blogging every other Monday and why I came to that conclusion. Well there were two reasons that I wasn't at liberty to share then that I can now.
I've been doing guest posts for The Fictorians for over a year now. Last month they asked me to become a full member. I know it doesn't make sense to cut back on one blog just to post on another but my posts for them have been well received, and I have a lot of respect for the other members. I'm honored to be among their number. I'll only be doing one post a month for them so it won't cut into my schedule too much. Next Tuesday (29th) my first post as a Fictorian will up on the site so make sure to mark it on your calendars.
The other reason is that I'm returning to the stage. I auditioned for and was cast in Albany Civic Theater's upcoming production Avenue Q. I'll be playing the role of Christmas Eve and I'm so excited! I'm excited to be back on stage, I'm excited to work with this amazing cast, and I'm so happy to check one more show off my bucket list. I've wanted to portray Christmas Eve for years and I'd never forgive myself if I passed up this opportunity. She's such a fun character. So if you're local I'd love to see you in the audience. Just remember that this isn't a family friendly show.
So why did I withhold this information? Well when I made my announcement I hadn't been officially instated as a Fictorian. As for Avenue Q the auditions hadn't taken place yet. I did take it into account when I made my blogging decision, even though it wasn't guaranteed I'd be cast. Doing a musical takes a lot of time and energy and I wanted to be certain that I wasn't overloading myself. My conclusion was that if I stayed with a weekly blog schedule it would be exactly that. They were the weights that tipped the scale. Now that both items are official I'm glad that I took them into account and acted accordingly. It's going to make the next four months doable.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Captain plot hole and the repetitive threat
(SPOILER WARNING)
I saw Captain America: the Winter Soldier on Saturday night and even though I enjoyed it immensely there were a few plot holes that prevent me from calling it the best Marvel film of all. Yes, the predecessors in the franchise all had their flaws too (I'm still trying to forget the first Thor film) but I don't feel that their flaws were as far reaching as CA2's. Remember that I still liked the film. The action sequences were excellent and I love Steve and Natasha's interactions. I also loved the congruity with the TV show. However, those delights didn't compensate for the rest of the film being poorly written.
Two of my friends have commented on their blogs that Hydra's presence within S.H.I.E.L.D. should have been discovered years prior. They're right. Someone would have let something slip in conversation or an intercepted communiqué that would have started an internal investigation. I also have problems with Hydra's reasoning, as explained by Zola. He claimed that the only way for them to succeed was to have the people freely surrender their liberty but when they were allied with the Nazis that's exactly what they had. Not across the entire globe of course though they had enough of it. If that approach had already failed than why try it again?
I also had big problems with the Winter Soldier. First was that he had supposedly been operating for fifty years without anyone catching him or discovering his identity. Again, someone would have found something in all that time. They also eluded to his having been repeatedly frozen, thawed, and had his memories forcefully repressed. Unless he possessed the healing powers of Wolverine he shouldn't have been able to survive that. One freeze and thaw, sure. But a repeated course over fifty years? No way. And since we're on the subject of his abilities wouldn't the changes resulting from the Hydra experiments have manifested during the many operations he, Steve, and the rest of the team carried out in Europe during WWII?
My second problem with the Winter Soldier was that he was Bucky. In the first Captain America they used him for the gut-wrenching plot twist. That they did the same thing with the same character a second time is lazy. They could have expounded on Steve's dissolution with S.H.I.E.L.D. or the fact that the Winter Soldier was a Hydra operative and that would have been enough, I think. The fact that they went ahead with this copycat twist when they took the time to give Thor and Iron Man new and interesting conflicts is appalling. Especially when they negate all Steve's "I don't want to fight my friend" stance in the final fight scene. If Steve was so against it why did he throw the first punch?
The last plot hole that should have been addressed was Zola. If his mind and the algorithm was so essential to Hydra's operations why hadn't he been uploaded to a more modern interface? Those circuit boards shouldn't have been operable and the speed of modern components would have made the transfer worth the risk.
In any other film all of these flaws would have made me call it a massive failure. Fortunately for them the first class fight scenes made me a very happy bloodthirsty girl. Oh, and the relationships and the continuity with the TV show. But mostly the violence.
I saw Captain America: the Winter Soldier on Saturday night and even though I enjoyed it immensely there were a few plot holes that prevent me from calling it the best Marvel film of all. Yes, the predecessors in the franchise all had their flaws too (I'm still trying to forget the first Thor film) but I don't feel that their flaws were as far reaching as CA2's. Remember that I still liked the film. The action sequences were excellent and I love Steve and Natasha's interactions. I also loved the congruity with the TV show. However, those delights didn't compensate for the rest of the film being poorly written.
Two of my friends have commented on their blogs that Hydra's presence within S.H.I.E.L.D. should have been discovered years prior. They're right. Someone would have let something slip in conversation or an intercepted communiqué that would have started an internal investigation. I also have problems with Hydra's reasoning, as explained by Zola. He claimed that the only way for them to succeed was to have the people freely surrender their liberty but when they were allied with the Nazis that's exactly what they had. Not across the entire globe of course though they had enough of it. If that approach had already failed than why try it again?
I also had big problems with the Winter Soldier. First was that he had supposedly been operating for fifty years without anyone catching him or discovering his identity. Again, someone would have found something in all that time. They also eluded to his having been repeatedly frozen, thawed, and had his memories forcefully repressed. Unless he possessed the healing powers of Wolverine he shouldn't have been able to survive that. One freeze and thaw, sure. But a repeated course over fifty years? No way. And since we're on the subject of his abilities wouldn't the changes resulting from the Hydra experiments have manifested during the many operations he, Steve, and the rest of the team carried out in Europe during WWII?
My second problem with the Winter Soldier was that he was Bucky. In the first Captain America they used him for the gut-wrenching plot twist. That they did the same thing with the same character a second time is lazy. They could have expounded on Steve's dissolution with S.H.I.E.L.D. or the fact that the Winter Soldier was a Hydra operative and that would have been enough, I think. The fact that they went ahead with this copycat twist when they took the time to give Thor and Iron Man new and interesting conflicts is appalling. Especially when they negate all Steve's "I don't want to fight my friend" stance in the final fight scene. If Steve was so against it why did he throw the first punch?
The last plot hole that should have been addressed was Zola. If his mind and the algorithm was so essential to Hydra's operations why hadn't he been uploaded to a more modern interface? Those circuit boards shouldn't have been operable and the speed of modern components would have made the transfer worth the risk.
In any other film all of these flaws would have made me call it a massive failure. Fortunately for them the first class fight scenes made me a very happy bloodthirsty girl. Oh, and the relationships and the continuity with the TV show. But mostly the violence.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Some difficult decisions
I have come to the realization that I need Hermione's time turner. There is too much to do. I always thought that when I broke into the business it would be either a short story sale to a small magazine or a novel sale. In the case of the first, I didn't expect it to be widely publicized or in an issue with a lot of big names so it would go largely unnoticed. In the case of the second, I figured I'd have a year or two to get a (real) website up, and do all the business and promotional things that I haven't had time see to. Well this mega short story sale falls in between since there are a considerable number of big names in these anthologies and I can't afford to miss out on the momentum it will create.
What exactly does that entail?
Building a website
Updating my business cards
Updating my bio
Having professional bio pictures taken
Spreading the word about these sales to all of my friends and clients
Have a will drawn up (I have intellectual property to secure)
Submitting more stories
Writing more stories
Oh, and completing all of my edits on time and I have to juggle all that with my day job and prepare for Avenue Q auditions next month...
With that in mind I'm going to be cutting back on my blogging. I'll only be posting every other week. I hope that this will only be temporary because I really enjoy blogging but I have to do this. I've been working too many late nights lately and I need to be smart about this now before my health suffers because of it. (I'm walking a fine line as it is.)
What exactly does that entail?
Building a website
Updating my business cards
Updating my bio
Having professional bio pictures taken
Spreading the word about these sales to all of my friends and clients
Have a will drawn up (I have intellectual property to secure)
Submitting more stories
Writing more stories
Oh, and completing all of my edits on time and I have to juggle all that with my day job and prepare for Avenue Q auditions next month...
With that in mind I'm going to be cutting back on my blogging. I'll only be posting every other week. I hope that this will only be temporary because I really enjoy blogging but I have to do this. I've been working too many late nights lately and I need to be smart about this now before my health suffers because of it. (I'm walking a fine line as it is.)
Monday, March 17, 2014
I'm editing and not pulling my hair out
Sigh.
I still have too many things to do. I finished one edit and crossed one business item off my lengthy to do list. Since this is my only free day this week I'll be spending most of it offline so I can finish the first polishing pass on the story for Pulse Pounders. I need to send it to Kevin soon. I'm actually enjoying the edits and polishing passes this time -- probably because I'm still full of first sale excitement. It's also really gratifying to know that my work only needs a little tweak here and there to make it right for these anthologies. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before but I really had no idea that my writing really could hold it's own when compared to my published peers. It's a revelation that's still sinking in but it also may be what's making these edits easier. I don't have to stress and wonder if the changes I'm making are the right ones. If I err, my editor will tell me and I'll go back and fix it. Simple.
I still have too many things to do. I finished one edit and crossed one business item off my lengthy to do list. Since this is my only free day this week I'll be spending most of it offline so I can finish the first polishing pass on the story for Pulse Pounders. I need to send it to Kevin soon. I'm actually enjoying the edits and polishing passes this time -- probably because I'm still full of first sale excitement. It's also really gratifying to know that my work only needs a little tweak here and there to make it right for these anthologies. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before but I really had no idea that my writing really could hold it's own when compared to my published peers. It's a revelation that's still sinking in but it also may be what's making these edits easier. I don't have to stress and wonder if the changes I'm making are the right ones. If I err, my editor will tell me and I'll go back and fix it. Simple.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Oregon Coast Anthology Workshop
Kristine Kathryn Rusch wrote a lovely post about the anthology workshop. Kevin J. Anderson did as well but his post included the names of the bestselling authors that have stories in the Pulse Pounders anthology. I'm thrilled to be in the same volume as these wonderful writers and even more thrilled that my work is worthy of that honor.
I know some of you are waiting to hear my take on the workshop but I fear that time won't allow that at the moment. I'm already in the first round of edits on the stories that sold and the submission period for Women Destroy Fantasy is drawing near. Plus I was ill a good part of last week and that put me behind a bit. Hopefully I can catch up this week so I can share with you how amazing the workshop was.
I know some of you are waiting to hear my take on the workshop but I fear that time won't allow that at the moment. I'm already in the first round of edits on the stories that sold and the submission period for Women Destroy Fantasy is drawing near. Plus I was ill a good part of last week and that put me behind a bit. Hopefully I can catch up this week so I can share with you how amazing the workshop was.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Fantastic news!
I had a wonderful time at the workshop. Everyone there was so warm and welcoming, both the writers and the hotel staff. I got an insightful look into what editors have to take into consideration when they select stories for an anthology or magazine. It's a lot more complicated than I thought and seeing it in action completely debunks every rejecomancy theory I've heard. But enough on that. I promised you news.
Three of the stories I submitted to the editors sold! Wahoo!!!
My stories will appear in three separate volumes of Fiction River. The first in the Kobo special edition of Pulse Pounders, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. The second will be in the print edition of Alchemy and Steam, edited by Kerrie Hughes and the third will be in the print edition of Sparks, edited by Rebecca Moesta. I'm super excited to have real deadlines instead those that were self-imposed and working with these three is going to be a great experience.
If you want to see what the anthologies will look like you can go to Fiction River's site. The cover for Pulse Pounders is up but it's too soon to see the other two. You can also check out the other editions of Fiction River. Each volume has wonderful stories.
Three of the stories I submitted to the editors sold! Wahoo!!!
My stories will appear in three separate volumes of Fiction River. The first in the Kobo special edition of Pulse Pounders, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. The second will be in the print edition of Alchemy and Steam, edited by Kerrie Hughes and the third will be in the print edition of Sparks, edited by Rebecca Moesta. I'm super excited to have real deadlines instead those that were self-imposed and working with these three is going to be a great experience.
If you want to see what the anthologies will look like you can go to Fiction River's site. The cover for Pulse Pounders is up but it's too soon to see the other two. You can also check out the other editions of Fiction River. Each volume has wonderful stories.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Babes in Spyland
Since I'm at Dean and Kris' anthology workshop this week my friend, Jo Ann Schneider, has graciously agreed to make Ninja Keyboard part of her blog tour. Every blog on the tour has a different character bio and snippet from her novel, Babes in Spyland. There's a link to her blog at the bottom of this post if you want to read the other bios, as well as the Amazon link so you can buy a copy of this fun book.
Agent Amphibian Queen:
Height: 5’-9”
Years with The Super Secret
Agency: 2
Preferred Gun: Kahr P9
Strength: Stealthy, subtle and
artistic. Blends in.
Weakness: Tiny things. She thinks
they’re adorable.
Name origin: Something involving
a frog. She doesn’t talk about it.
The aromatic garland of white
orchids, yellow lilies, and baby blue morning glory hung over the metal
detector like drapes, failing to hide the dirty, off-white housing underneath.
Even after calling in a third florist and an extra bundle of greenery, Super
Secret Agent Amphibian Queen couldn’t figure out how to disguise the machine.
“Maybe a few more on this
side,” she said, squinting her eyes in an attempt to picture the results of her
suggestion. The sun beat down on them like a hammer, and she really wanted a
cool, refreshing Hilly Dew.
“It’s a metal detector,” Agent
Bunnynose said, crossing her arms over her stomach and glaring. Sweat plastered
the stray tendrils of hair to the back of her neck. “It’s not supposed to be
pretty.”
Amphibian
Queen ignored her partner. Agent Bunnynose had been rampaging since they’d
touched down in LA the day before. She must be at a delicate time of the month,
Amphibian Queen decided. She would need to send someone for snacks. Agent
Bunnynose was prone to random acts of violence if not kept sufficiently fed.
https://twitter.com/JoSchneider_1
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