Please Welcome Guest Author Linnea Sinclair! 08/15/2010
 It is with great pleasure that I hand over The Cerebral Writer over to author Linnea Sinclair today. As day two of the Out of This World Blog Tour, Linnea will be sharing with us her insightful thoughts on short stories:  COOKIE TIDBITS IN THE LITERARY AISLE OF LIFE, Or Why Reading Anthologies Can Tickle Your Tastebuds By Linnea Sinclair I watched an interesting discussion about short stories and anthologies on a reader list the other week, and was surprised by the number of readers—avid, frothing-at-the-mouth-over-characters-and-plots kind of readers—who had either never tried or really disliked reading short stories and anthologies. I’m an avid reader. Always have been. I’m old enough to remember when kids’ cereal boxes came complete with a miniature picture book glued to the back. (Oh, joy! Oh, rapture!) I’ve been known to read dictionaries, encyclopedias, and, when desperate, the backs of toothpaste tubes. If it’s got words, I want it. So it struck me as a tad odd to encounter people who inhale novels yet balk at short stories or novellas. While I understand the basic tenets of the objections—“I want to spend more time with the characters than a short story allows… There’s not enough for me to get involved in the story…”—I will admit they baffle me a bit. I mean, if you’re a chocoholic and you’re strolling the cookie aisle in your local grocery store, and there’s that nice little old lady in an apron with tiny paper cups full of chocolate cookie crumbles for you to sample… you’re going to walk on by without grabbing one? My pantry has more than a few boxes of tasty things (as does my freezer) that I’ve tried—taken a chance on—from the apron-wearing saleslady at the grocery store. Delicious little delicacies I might not have ever known about. So I invite those of you a bit skittish about anthologies to think of them as tiny paper cups full of possible delights. A sampling. A temptation. A mini-experience that might lead to something even more grand. Anthologies and short stories are a terrific way to discover a new author, or a new series by an author you already know. Approach them the same way you do that paper cup full of cookie pieces: this isn’t the whole deal but a sampling. Something to whet the appetite. Not a full seven-day vacation in the author’s fantasy realm, but a quick and fun overnight getaway that might make you want to come back for more. (Or not. The reverse is also true. If you find the author’s style not to your liking, at least you didn’t waste $7.99 on an entire novel you’re not going to want to read.) With anthologies, you get a store-full of cookie samples in one fat volume. You can try one tasty treat a day. You can sample a story on your lunch hour and have a total experience right there in the middle of your usual pandemonium at work: opening scene, hot conflict, happy resolution. No dragging yourself back to your desk wondering if the character will solve the mystery or save the galaxy. But a complete mini-adventure, all yours. Of course, there’s another reason behind my gentle pleadings on this subject. I have a short story (really, more of a novella) coming out November 2010 in Songs of Love & Death: Tales of Star-Crossed Love. This is a fabulous anthology edited by two of the biggest names in the business: George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. It also contains stories by some other big names in the business: Jim Butcher, Jo Beverly, Carrie Vaughn, M. L. N. Hanover, Cecelia Holland, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Marjorie M. Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Lisa Tuttle, Mary Jo Putney, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, Yasmine Galenorn, and Diana Gabaldon. And, oh yeah, me. A former news reporter and retired private detective, Linnea Sinclair writes fast-paced science fiction romance for Bantam Dell, including the RITA® award-winning Gabriel’s Ghost and her latest bestseller, Rebels and Lovers. When not on duty with some intergalactic fleet—or playing human slave to her spoiled felines—she’s usually on the third barstool from the left at www.linneasinclair.com.  Likely some of you have noticed the mixture of bestselling romance authors and bestselling science fiction and fantasy authors in that list. Yep, Songs of Love & Death is a crossover anthology of SFF and romance—something those of us who write SFR have long been hankering for. I don’t know if this is the first time the two genres have (amicably) gotten together, but it’s a rare enough circumstance that it makes makes this anthology noteworthy. For romance readers, it’s a chance to sample the exotic flavor of SFF. For SFF readers, it’s a chance to find out that romance isn’t all about bodice-ripping. = = = = = From “Courting Trouble,” by Linnea Sinclair: What in hell was Serenity Beck doing here? The answer was in her green uniform with its silver star emblem on the sleeve. She was ship’s crew, very likely ship’s pilot. Death threats he could handle. But Serri Beck was trouble; a seriously unexpected complication. And one that made his chest go tight and his breath hitch. If Nic thought Serri disliked him six years ago, there was no doubt in his mind that she was really going to hate him now. Damned shame he couldn’t return the favor. But six seconds of watching her sprint past him just destroyed six years of his hard-sought sanity. And might well destroy his career. He almost flexed his wrist to contact Leonoso. But he couldn’t—not for thirty-eight hours. Mission rules. Cursing himself silently, he waited for a boxy anti-grav cargo auto-pallet to whirr by before slipping out of the shadows to follow her. Some rules were about to be broken. = = = = = I hope you’ll give Songs of Love & Death a nibble (it will be available in hardcover and ebook). It has zero calories, and is definitely good for your heart and your brain. ~Linnea LINKS: http://www.linneasinclair.com/books.html http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1439150141 7 Comments Coming Soon.... 08/02/2010
 Mark your calendars--The New Sensuality has a great lineup of SFR and erotic SFR authors coming up this month: Linnea Sinclair Pauline Jones D. L. Jackson J. C Hay Kaye Manro Marva Dasef Sandra Stixrude Lisa Lane More details to come! My twin sister is a very humble woman. As readers here already know, Erin and her family live on a private mountain. They use solar power and heat their home with a wooden stove, and they don't quite have indoor plumbing. They run a small store at the bottom of their mountain, where they have more facilities, and they also sell some of the wares of their small farm. Erin dresses like someone who lives on a mountain, her daily life consisiting of much more manual labor than that of a typical American. She is an amazing musician, a kind soul, and a generous spirit. When I read the following, my heart sank: "I went to the KOA on my way out of town like I usually do to fill up gas and propane. There was a line for both, so I opted to wait for the propane first. I parked and unloaded my tanks. "Anyone who knows me knows that I have to make potty breaks everywhere I go. This is especially true of my last stop before a long drive. I usually go at KOA while they fill my propane. They keep the doors locked, so I always have to ask. I asked the lady filling the propane if I could use their bathroom. She replied that they only let campers use the bathrooms. I told her that I really needed to go and I always use the bathroom, and that I am a regular paying customer. She was very short with me, so I proceeded into the office to find someone I knew. She yelled at me as I walked, "She'll tell you the same thing inside!" I ignored her.  "Inside I said to the cashier, "Are you really not letting customers use the bathroom?" She gave me the same line about the bathroom only being for campers. I asked her to make an exception for a regular customer who really had to go. She agreed to take me to the bathroom and let me in. "When I went back to my propane tanks, the lady told me to take my tanks elsewhere, that she wouldn't fill them for me. I asked her, "You won't fill my tanks because I needed to use your toilet?" She said it was the way I went about it. She just didn't like that she told me no, but I got to use the bathroom anyway, and she is the owner. She said that it was like "when Mom says no and you go ask Dad." No, not exactly. "I said, 'You really aren't going to fill my propane tanks?' She told me that if I could come up with a million dollars to buy the place I could have whatever I wanted, but now I needed to leave. "Then I saw the irony in it all. She turned me away because I drove an old beat up ugly van and was wearing my laundry-day clothes. Yes, I may have looked like someone who would steal a shower or write on the wall, but that is profiling and discriminating which is against the law. "I will be making my weekly propane and gas stop somewhere else from now on. The lady that owns the KOA is really rude and I would encourage everyone to tell their friends. "And if you need to use their potty, make sure to drive a BMW in and wear your Sunday best. I would bet a million dollars you would be allowed." It's such a shame that some people can be so mean to others. When I think about stories such as the one above, all I can ask is why? Does a person wearing dirty jeans merit denying a person use of a public bathroom? Does that imply that she is homeless--or that she might scare away other paying customers in some other terrible way? I've seen my twin sister on a bad day, and she's not that scary.... Contest! 03/16/2010
 The New Sensuality Blog Launch Party The New Sensuality, the blog that covers the erotic side to my writing, is now officially active, and I’m giving away some prizes to celebrate. Here’s the deal: Visit http://newsensuality.blogspot.com between now and April 1 and add yourself to the list of blog followers, and you’ll be eligible to win one of three signed paperback copies of The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee along with a The Darkness and the Night trilogy bookmark, or a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate. Already following? Then you’re already eligible to win. Make sure that I have some way of contacting you, either through your website or an e-mail address.  If you’re interested in increasing the odds in your favor, you can—in addition to the above—do one or more of the following for additional entries: Readers Go to my home website, at http://www.cerebralwriter.com, find the page on which my novel, Love in Space, can be found, and then send me the link through my contact page: http://www.cerebralwriter.com/contact.html. Read my free short story, “One Night Stand,” which can be found at http://www.cerebralwriter.com/erotic.html, and then (at the same above contact page) send me the answer to the following question: What does each vampire dress up as for Halloween? Sign up to review any of my published books or short stories. For a list of what I have available, you can go here: http://www.cerebralwriter.com/erotic.html and here: http://www.cerebralwriter.com/new-releases.html Authors, Artists, Etc. Sign up to guest blog at this site (erotica and romance), or at the Cerebral Writer (literary, horror, and speculative science fiction). Send all guest blog inquiries to contests@cerebralwriter.com. Add the Cerebral Writer and/or the New Sensuality to your blog roll (one entry for each link added, up to two entries max). Anyone Share the link to this contest at your blog, website, and/or social networking venues (one entry per venue, up to five entries max); make sure to let me know where I can find the shared links by leaving them below. Thanks for stopping by—and good luck! Lisa Pets and People 01/17/2010
Last night, I watched a show about a canine hero who, in the traditional “Lassie” fashion, sought out and brought help to his desperate human companion. The woman had fallen down a ledge in the middle of the Utah wilderness, had broken her pelvis, and had been unable to get to help herself. The dog was able to lead the search and rescue crew to her after three days of enduring dehydration and freezing temperatures. This made me wonder: How many attributes, such as high levels of compassion and intelligence, do people wrongly attribute to be typically “human,” but “unusual” or “amazing” in their pets?  Kitty (door) and Kadie (in pearls) I have two cats, Kitty and Kadie. They once warned me of an attempted home invasion in the middle of the night, when my then-fiancé was out of town. The apartment above me had flooded, and my complex had hired a man to vacuum my bedroom carpet and leave a dehumidifier. He had closed the sliding glass door behind him when he had left—leaving it unlocked. Of course, I had gone right behind him and locked it after he was gone, but it is clear that he had not counted on that (and that he had also counted on my leaving the loud dehumidifier on all night, which was keeping me awake and, luckily, I had opted to turn off so I could sleep). I woke to the sound of the sliding door being tugged on—with Kadie standing suddenly, fluffing up, and growling angrily and Kitty rushing across the apartment, to the sliding door. He crashed into the blinds, and a moment later my would-be intruder crashed over my patio ledge and ran off into the night. The next day, the same man tried to let himself into my apartment: that morning, he had taken my apartment key from the management office and went to my apartment. Already on high alert, I was able to stop him before he got in, send him away, and notify the management of his actions. Management apologized profusely for letting such an oversight occur; they had no idea that he had taken my key. Were Kitty and Kadie just reacting to an outside noise, or were they defending me and our property? Given that Kitty ran to the sliding glass door and Kadie stayed right at my side, growling until the man had gone, I tend to believe that the latter is the case. Do you have any neat and/or “amazing” stories about your furred, feathered, or scaled friends? I’d love to hear about it. Highlights and Resolutions 12/31/2009
As the clock ticks down to 2010, I have much to reflect upon from this past year and many hopes for the next. Instead of writing about them all, I decided to break down my list to five positive events from 2009 and five resolutions for 2010: Positive Highlights of 2009 1. I received thirteen 4-, 4.5- and 5-star reviews for my various published books. 2. One of my books was handpicked to be among three exclusive six-book collections sold through the Home Shopping Network. 3. I returned to college fulltime, after nearly a decade-long hiatus, and received straight A’s. 4. I wrote four new novels, several short stories, and a screenplay adaptation. 5. Through various social networking sites, I have been able to connect with fans and reconnect with friends I had lost touch with over the years.  Resolutions for 2010 1. I resolve to finish my YA fantasy novel, redraft the literary sci-fi works that have been simmering on the back burner, and write the comedy screenplay that has been building in my mind for the past two years. 2. I resolve to earn straight A’s again in the coming two semesters. 3. I resolve to promote my work more—both published and unpublished novels, as well as my short stories and screenplays. 4. I resolve to weight train every two to three days and continue working toward my second-degree black belt in Shurin Ryu karate. 5. I resolve to set the bar even higher for my writing, using what I’ve learned to improve upon the foundation I’ve laid for myself. What are your highlights and resolutions? I’d love to hear from you. Here’s to a great 2010—Happy New Year! Lisa Join me at Desire from the Darkside! 12/29/2009
Join me and Honoria Ravena at Desire from the Darkside, where we discuss writing unconventional horror and my five-star reviewed trilogy, The Darkness and the Night. Leave a comment for a chance at a free book: http://honoriaravena.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-writing-unconventional-horror.html  Happy reading! Lisa A New Milestone in Film 12/21/2009
In the ‘70s and 80’s, George Lucas changed the face of sci-fi film with the first three Star Wars features. New technology needed to be created in order to make the movies possible, and that technology took special effects to a level never before imagined. Moreover, the plot was exciting, heartfelt, and insightful, capturing the hearts of children and adults alike. The movies defined a generation and made sci-fi fans of both males and females from all walks of life. Avatar is the Star Wars of the 21st century. I went into the theater already knowing that I would be witnessing history in the making. Having worked with one of the digital imaging technicians for the film, knowing his attention to detail and his eye for perfection, I couldn’t wait to view the completed product. I knew I was about to embark on an amazing journey—but nothing could prepare me for the breathtaking masterpiece I saw today. Avatar is by far the most visually stunning film I have ever had the pleasure to watch. The digital effects were flawless, the story was beautiful, and overall the work was brilliant. The characters were believable, even the digitally generated Na’vi, and the scenery was amazing. I have read criticism that has called Avatar “Dances with Smurfs,” and I can only shake my head. All filmmakers know that there are seven basic plots; storylines and characters can change, but they will always fit into one of those basic plots. James Cameron meshed the plot most associated with Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai, placed it on an alien planet, and added an impeccable hero’s journey. There are no Smurfs, here--Avatar is thoughtful, meaningful, and artfully executed. I only have a couple of minor criticisms of the film. If you have not yet watched Avatar and do not wish to read any spoilers, please do not continue. Spoilers ahead. This is your last chance to turn away. My main criticism is with the plot dumps at the beginning of the film. While I realize that Mr. Cameron was working under time constraints and had no choice but to use them, the dialog felt a little choppy: characters were telling other characters pieces of information that they should have already known, in ways that seemed slightly out of place. A revision in those couple of pieces of dialog would have made a huge difference in the beginning of the film. My second criticism is the “unobtainium.” The name alone takes away from the serious realism the rest of the movie achieves, the play on words being just too obvious. More importantly, we never see any characters actually mine the precious metal—and it is never made clear just why it is so precious. Online searches reveal that the mineral is supposed to be a superconductor and powerful energy source, but we are never given this information in the film. We are told that Earth is a dying planet; wouldn’t something life sustaining be more worth fighting over? Why are the humans mining “unobtainium?” Why is it worth so much? Can it save lives? Can it save our dying Earth? Eliminating the unobtainium and making the planet itself the commodity would have eliminated the out-of-place plot dumps about the mineral. Thirdly, but just as importantly, Mr. Cameron could have reallocated several precious screen minutes to better use by making the main character’s initial loss of his twin brother available through plot dump, as opposed to actual footage. The film is nearly three hours long (which does fly, given its amazing content); the beginning would not have suffered had the cremation scene been cut and the information about the brother been offered through a few well executed lines. Beyond those small criticisms, I have nothing but positive words to offer about Avatar. I laughed, I cried, I gasped with awe, and I left the theater feeling as though I had just watched a top-notch live action movie. I did more than that, though; I witnessed the beginning of a new era in digital film and I experienced a story that will stay with me for years to come. And I didn’t even watch the 3D version. On Gods and Monsters 12/17/2009
As a writer, I deal with fictitious entities all the time--but no matter how unreal they are, they always have some type of base to reality. My fiction does what the fiction of many authors does: it offers commentary and insight on our world by integrating reality in fiction. The unreal becomes a tool to state what might be otherwise too sensitive or difficult to touch upon. There are real monsters out there--they might not be supernatural or superhuman, but they do exist. Rarely do I blog about issues that have nothing to do with my writing. There are plenty of opinions out there and mine is but one of them. However, upon reading the news today--and the responses to it--I could not hold my peace. Today an NFL player, Chris Henry, was reported deceased. The man, according to previous reports, had engaged in numerous criminal activities, including battery and destruction of property. He died trying to pursue a woman clearly attempting to flee him. Despite the man's history, fans are treating him like a fallen hero. According to a Yahoo Sports commentary, Henry was a role model in waiting who simply did not have the chance to prove himself due to his untimely death. This is nothing short of outrageous. This man had a lengthy rap sheet, with numerous violent offenses. As the survivor of domestic violence, I know how a domestic dispute can progress--and what measures a person will take to flee a real-life monster. If Henry was anywhere near as violent a person as my ex, whom I left in 2001 (I am making no assumptions or accusations, here, just an innocent comparison for the sake of a point) then more power to the young woman who was behind the wheel of that fleeing truck. When I finally left "Jeff" for good, it was with a cracked skull, torn rotator cuff, split lips, and bruises from head to toe. When he was on a rampage and I tried to leave, he would block my way out--he even ripped the telephone cords from the walls, so I could not call for help. He would truly become a monster: irrational, unreasonable, out of control, literally foaming at the mouth. Had there been a time when I could have gotten as far as the car, I would have thrown him off the back if he had tried to pursue--and if that had resulted in his "untimely" death, then good riddance. I know one of his exes had once tried to run him over with her car, forcing him into a ditch to keep from being killed; I don't blame the woman--actually, I applaud her--he was probably trying to block her escape. Jeff is nothing more than a worthless, abusive bully who is so spineless that he has to pick on women half his size in order to feel in control of his life. There are too many "Jeffs" in this world. Why is it that people are so quick to defend and deify certain talented people, despite their horrific acts? Does being a gifted athlete negate a person's rotten personal life? Does one's physical prowess make up for his or her personal transgressions? How is it that we live in a world where violent criminals who just happen to reach stardom are treated as saints, and those who might call them on being the monsters they are find themselves being branded as jaded and unduly judgmental? What is wrong with society? Where have our values gone? Are most people so superficial that they really don't care to see a person for who he or she truly is--that the image is more important than the potential monster hiding behind it? I just don't get it. Join me on October 30th at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/savannahchase/ from 9 pm to midnight EST (6-9 pm Pacific), for her third annual Halloween bash! There will be dozens of horror authors, lots of prizes and tons of Halloween fun--hope to "see" you there! | ArchivesFebruary 2012 CategoriesAll |
RSS Feed