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!  There has been much opinion expressed recently on the appropriateness of certain individuals and groups that entertain themselves by tearing apart the works of their fellow writers. Knock on wood, my stories have (as far as I know) not fallen victim to such attacks, but I do have fellow author friends whose works have. This puts me in an interesting position, allowing me a perspective that, I believe, lies squarely between most of the opinions thus far expressed. I do not have any firsthand experience with the sites in question, as I refuse to buy into the drama, but the implied level of maliciousness regularly expressed by followers of such groups leads me to believe that there are personal matters behind those behaviors. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Who hasn’t disliked—or even hated—a book? However, does one person’s dissatisfaction with a particular work merit such cruelty? Might there be a more productive way of offering harsh critique? Moreover, is a novice or self-published writer really the best person to be critically reviewing others’ published works? Just because a person has an opinion on something, does that make the person an authority on the matter? For example, I love to cook, and I cook well, but that does not make me a gourmet food critic. Is anyone who belongs to #romfail or any similar group actually formally educated in literary theory, let alone remotely qualified to do what they are doing? What degrees do these people hold? How many books have they published, beyond vanity presses and self-publishing houses? Or do they just have opinions—uneducated, demeaning, vicious opinions? Let’s assume that the works in question do contain good examples of bad writing. No one is perfect, and even the best of writers sometimes have an off day. Even more, no one but the author and his/her editor knows just how much of a particular problem in a book is the result of poor editing. Granted, it is an authors’ responsibility to ensure his/her publishing house employs good editors; for the novice author, this problem is not always as simple to remedy as it would seem. Is it acceptable behavior to treat an author with such disrespect and nastiness, simply for having a book that was poorly edited? Is it the intent to embarrass the author (and/or his/her publisher) out of the industry? If so, do the offending individuals actually believe they are doing anything beyond upsetting and alienating their peers? On a final note, I would love to know what kinds of reviews these “mean girls” are receiving for their books. I would like to know how these people would feel if it were their books being offered up for sacrifice, and just how much fun it would still be if it were they who suffered the humility and heartache over having one of their beloved books torn apart—with quotes taken out of context—for all the world to see. Some people need to grow a soul; please don’t feed their emptiness. These people are mean for the sake of being mean and deserved to be ignored. Enough said. Please check out these blogs, which inspired me to write this post: http://culinarycarnivale.blogspot.com/2009/08/mean-girls-of-romfail.html http://nlberger13.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-i-spend-most-friday-nights.html http://mrsgiggles00.livejournal.com/25967.html She Wrote WHAT?! 08/16/2009
I’ve known since I was eight or nine that I was a writer. When I wrote my first novel in my mid teens, I was positive that was my path was to follow in the footsteps of the great Stephen King. Back then, had someone told me that my first published works would be erotica and erotic romance, I would have scoffed at the thought: Bashful, timid me? Writing sexually explicit scenes? For others to read? I have a few friends and family who have purchased my books with full intent on reading them, only to find themselves unable to get past the first bedroom scene. “It kind of feels the same as going through your dad’s sock drawer for condoms,” my father-in-law told my husband, after attempting to read The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee. “You know your parents are doing it, but you don’t really want to know….” When I began to write erotic works, the first thought that flashed through my head was, “other people are going to read this … and what will they think?” The thought of strangers reading my work was strangely exhilarating, but I do have to admit that I blush when I consider specific people reading certain works. I find myself in a strange position: I want to share my stories with those who are close to me, but some of the content is simply stuff people don’t normally share with their friends, parents, and in-laws. With that said, it has also been liberating to write what I have. With Lust in Space, for example, I decided to push my boundaries as far as I could. I wanted to take every aspect to the subgenre I was writing and see how far I might take it. I felt that an erotic space opera merited a unique angle, and so I challenged myself as a writer, finding ways to create threesomes, foursomes, orgies, a bisexual getting intimate with her time-paradox double … and even a woman falling for an insect-sized vibrating man. I did it to push the limits of my imagination, let go of my inhibitions as a writer, and most of all to see if I could pull all of it off. With The Darkness and the Night trilogy, I began with a series of horror stories based on that first novel I wrote back in my teens, with my twin sister, and spiced them up for the erotic romance audience. I found that the sexual journeys experienced by the main characters really complimented the other themes that ran through each of the stories, and it has been such a pleasure to hear from readers and reviewers who “got” all that I worked to accomplish in the multi-layered, heavily intertwined trilogy. I think about books I’ve read or movies I’ve seen that contain disturbing material, and I remind myself: Someone wrote that, not as something representative of his or her as a person, but as an extension of that person’s creative self. As an author now, myself, I know the process that goes into writing something different, risky, or risqué. It’s not easy, but somebody’s got to do it. After all, what would literature, cinema, and the like be without those who have taken such risks with their art? There are risks to be taken with all genres, but it seems to me that the biggest risks are those taken in erotic venues. I’ve questioned more than one direction my muses have taken me, but more often than not, when all is said and done, every dark turn, exploratory challenge, and disturbing twist proves its literary merit. I feel grateful that I’ve taken the chances I have, as each has allowed me to grow in my art—and in some very surprising ways. Who would have thought I would have learned anything while writing a “trashy romance”?! Go figure. Through the years, I’ve found there are few genres I just can’t write. I don’t write Westerns. I have yet to construct a good murder mystery. I don’t think I could pull off an epic poem. I do enjoy writing just about everything else, however, so many genres that I have considered writing under more than one alias. After all, is it a career shot in the foot for a literary fiction novelist to publish erotica, or an erotic romance writer to publish horror? Maybe a couple of authors have been able to pull it off, but not many. The thought of compartmentalizing my collective works was strangely disturbing; I felt like doing so somehow cheapened their value. It also felt like lying. Was I to create a persona for each genre? No, that just wasn’t me; it just didn’t feel right. I realized that I had no choice but to market all of my writing under my real name. I am a horror writer, a literary sci-fi writer, a screenplay writer, a narrative nonfiction writer, and an erotica/erotic romance writer. I’m all of those; I have many muses, and I’m proud of every last word I’ve written … even if I did happen to make my father-in-law blush. Readers and writers, what are your experiences in writing or reading erotica, horror, sci-fi, and others that happen to contain the unorthodox, the uncomfortable, and/or the just plain hot? Sizzling Hot Romance 07/12/2009
Join me on Tuesday, 7/14, at Sizzling Hot Romance! Author Kristie Leigh Maguire was nice enough to invite me to be a guest on her blog, and so I set out to send her something fun and different--I can't wait for your response. I'll be popping in throughout the day to respond to comments, answer questions, and discuss further the topic at hand: being "different" in the romance world, bending rules, and writing multiple genres. The Erotic Works of Keta Diablo 06/30/2009
Please check out these new releases, written by friend and fellow RR author, Keta Diablo:  CARNAL CRAVINGS By Keta Diablo BLURB: Craven and Anthony find themselves in a cauldron of trouble while spying on Beresford Hall. A man in a black hood has routed them while they spied, and now he’s escorted them to the manor and secluded them in separate rooms. One thing haunts Craven, the ice-blue eyes behind the hood and Anthony’s words, ‘Only one man possesses such eyes . . . Dominic Beresford, the most magnificent creature God ever breathed life into.’ BUY FROM DARK ROAST PRESS: http://www.darkroastpress.com/cravings.php  CROSSROADS REVISITED A Gay Fiction Erotica Novella by Keta Diablo ISBN 978-1-59426-778-9 The exciting sequel to Crossroads! Frank McGuire is beginning to think the City has become a melting pot for serial killers. Another maniac is stalking the streets, only this time the deviant isn't tracking Goth girls, but gay college students. Rumors surface that put Frank's life in jeopardy, and somehow he must protect Rand from the carnage about to unfold. What he didn't count on was Rand becoming the killer's next victim. Elements: scenes of intense sexuality BUY FROM PHAZE PUBLISHING: http://www.phaze.com For more information on Keta Diablo or her books: http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo Happy reading! | Awards ArchivesFebruary 2010 CategoriesAll Launching Soon:
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