History in the Making

Today is not about writing. It is about what is going on in our nation today. A historical day, certainly, but more importantly, a day of new beginnings. A hope for a better future.

But I believe the only way that can happen is if the attitude of politicians change. Instead of being out for themselves and their friends, why not do what they are there to do and be a voice for all the people? They are our elected representatives. They work for us. I pray they can drop the chains of greed and avarice and become a beacon of light for the good of all.

I pray for them to be leaders, bringing in an era of peace and prosperity. I pray for them to remember that, though it may be the rich who line their pockets, it is the work-a-day person who keeps the business going. It is the voice of the many they need to listen to.

I pray for them to think of the people who are without food, clothing, shelter, hope. Give them hope. Give them a reason to believe in our leaders.

I pray for them to give us all a reason to trust in them, for we have lost that. Too often we see the reports of those who use their position to line their own pockets and forget about those who need their help.

I pray for the man who will stand at our head, for like Atlas, the weight of the world will be upon his shoulders. May he be a true leader and take us into a new era, one where fear is not the prevalent emotion, but hope.

May today truly be a day of change. For the better.

Books, books, and more books

I just received seven books in the mail today - books I will be reading as part of my duty as a judge in a contest. If any of them come even close to the one I just finished, I will have a winner.

I just finished reading "A Small Favor" by Jim Butcher. It's one of his tales from the Harry Dresden files. I haven't read any of them before, but you can be sure, I will read more of them. The writing is witty, droll, packed with action, full of the paranormal, and even has a little romance tied in. Everything I love in a book.

He made me want to start reading again. I've not been doing much of that of late. I, who used to read at least one or two full-length (re: 400 pages plus) novels a week. Now I barely read one a month. Which is funny considering how much I love to read - and write. But I've become so discouraged by the poor editing and writing that seems to be the norm in today's publishing world.

But it's nice to know there are still some gems out there, and I was lucky enough to get one. I'm hoping there are more of them in my to-be-read pile. I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I continue to work on my own little stories and dream of the day I can maybe join the ranks of someone like Butcher.

Hey, what can I say? I'm a writer of fantasy after all. :)

Strange friends, and even stranger relatives

I should never have said I wanted to kill off a character in my last post. I'm getting too many suggestions. But it's all good. Which is very strange.

But then, the life of a writer is strange. We are always creating stories in our minds. Gathering fodder from daily life. And everything is fodder.

For instance, an acquaintance on one of my many loops was recently at a funeral for a close relative. While she was in the midst of her own mourning, she was also studying the others there - cataloging their emotions, how they looked, how they acted, what they said. She commented on the loop about how this was all so very strange, and yet, we all understood instantly what she was talking about. Somewhere down the road, she will probably use some of that in a book somewhere.

We writers gather things - bits of life - and store them. The better (or worse, depending on what you're writing) bits become parts of scenes in stories, poems and books. The way sunlight sparkles on ice hanging from a tree becomes a poem about winter. A friend's reaction in a funeral becomes a character in a mystery story. The way someone handles numbers and data with untoward ease becomes an android in a science fiction story. Everything is fuel for our imagination.

Including friends and family who give me ideas on how to kill off a character. ;)

New Year, New Beginnings, Same Old Stuff

I was incredibly happy to see all the wonderful responses to Emily's guest post. Thank you to those who took the time to comment.

Well, we are seven days into the new year. Can't say that's much changed. The family started off the new year with a variety of illnesses - bronchitis, strep, stomach flu, etc. - that had (and still has) all of us down. And we've got sleet and freezing rain. Not an auspicious beginning.

And yet, I managed to work on my new urban fantasy the last few days and am excited about it again. Well, sort of. I figured out where the ending was going to go last night - I mean, I knew where it was going to end, but not the exact way. Unfortunately, I have to kill off a character I really like. Not sure how I feel about that. It's not something I normally do. But then, there's not a lot about this story that is normal for me. It's edgier. Contemporary. And in first person. But I'm having more fun writing this one than I have in a long time. Guess I'll have to keep writing to see what happens. I'm 200 pages into it and it's not slowing down yet.

And thus the new year begins. New stories to tell.

Now if my family would all just recover. Then it will be a good new year for me.

A Guest Blogger - Welcome Emily!

Thanks for letting me guestblog, Vicky!

I was thinking about your recent post about paranormal romance not selling well in your town. I’m sure there are pockets of resistance, but romance is still a best seller in most bookstores.

According to Romance Writers of America, the romance genre generated $1.375 billion in sales in 2007, claiming the largest share of the fiction sales market. Even in this weird post-WallStreetApocalypse economy, romance accounts for a huge percentage of all paperback books sold. And for that, we must thank the devoted, loyal romance readership!

However, romance is more popular in some parts of the country than others. The South rises again with 29% of the population as romance readers, followed by 27% in the western states and 26% in the highly literate Midwest (my native region!) In contrast, in the northeast, where I currently hang my hat, only 12.9% of the reading public will admit to having a taste for romance. (Clearly, my work is not done here!)

But we’re busily winning over readers one heart at a time. In a world of uncertainty, where heroes are scarce, why wouldn’t we want the promise of “happily ever after” in our escapist fiction?

I enjoy paranormals, but my personal favorite subgenre is historical. My newest release, Vexing the Viscount, is set in Georgian England. 1731 to be exact. If you’ve seen the movie THE DUCHESS, you have an idea about the ornate costumes, the wigs, and the extreme courtly manners of the period. If you’d like to know more, please visit my Courtesan’s Club at http://www.emilybryan.com/Viscount%20Intro.htm. Detra Fitch of The Huntress Reviews calls Vexing the Viscount a “wickedly fun read.”

Thanks for letting me stop by, Vicky! I’m tickled to be able to give away a copy of Vexing the Viscount to one lucky commenter. Just post a comment or question to enter the drawing and check back tomorrow. I’ll post the winner in the comment section. Good luck!
Emily

Happy New Year

Wow. A new year. A new slate to start clean with. So how was your old one? Did you accomplish what you wanted? Over all, was it a good year? Or not so much?

In looking over my past year, I saw it was mostly a good one. I had a book and two novella's published, my daughter got married, my niece got engaged, I had a chance to see almost all of my family at daughter's wedding (missing one niece), and my mom got a new boyfriend. Though, like any family, we had our ups and downs, it was mostly a good year.

I'm starting this one off by fighting bronchitis and strep so I figure things can only get better from here. I'll have a new story coming out in a few months - another paranormal anthology from Draumr Publishing, and I've been working on other new stuff that I hope to market and sell. And my other books and stories are receiving good reviews so I am happy about that.

So here's to a great new year. May the economy take an upward swing. May we all see prosperity and good health. And may you and your family know peace and comfort in the coming times.

Happy New Year everyone.