Random Thoughts on Labeling Books

The other day at work while sitting around in the break room having lunch, my co-workers and I started talking about role playing games and books, namely fantasy and science fiction (did I mention that I work with some awesome people?). One of my co-workers piped up and said, "Have you read Becky's book? It's great. It's sort of fantasy." (Seriously, I work with some awesome people. They pimp my book!).

It was the 'sort of' that I thought about later. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that person's assessment of the book. She felt it was fantasy, but not quite. I never got a chance to pursue that idea with her, but it got me thinking about how different readers focus on different aspects of a book. Some people have read Shards of History and labeled it straight fantasy. I've also heard historical fiction, social sf, and even hard sf/fantasy mash-up.

I just finished reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir). As the title suggests, it's a memoir. But it's also a comedy. And sometimes while reading it, I thought, "No way this ever happened. This must be fiction." But then I realized the author grew up in a tiny town in west Texas, and I totally believed even the craziest stuff because that's how West Texas is. If you asked everybody who read the book how they'd classify it, some would call it a memoir, and others would label it a comedy. How do people choose one over the other? And why does it matter?

Book labels are for marketing, and marketing is meant to make it as easy as possible for readers to find it. Some books can be promoted as paranormal with a romantic twist for one group, and a romance with a paranormal twist for another. Ultimately, I think it's good to know every possible interested group to whom you could market your book. And, it helps to understand what people think of when you tell them your book is 'fantasy.' Some people will think of elves, others will think of young wizards, and still others will think of demons or vampires. This is why it's good to be able to tell people, "This book is like (insert another book/series here)."

Fool Me Once...

Ah, April the first, that glorious day when you simply can't believe the announcements that people make. Don't you just love the constant state of vigilance and having to sniff the whipped cream before topping your pie to make sure it's not shaving cream? Maybe you didn't have brothers like mine, though. Or friends like mine. Or co-workers like mine.

In honor of April Fool's Day, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite con/heist movies. As a general rule, I don't like those sort of movies (or books). Sometimes the characters come across as cruel and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. But sometimes, as bad as the con artist may be, the person they're conning is even worse.

Take Ocean's Eleven, for example. These people plan to steal money from Las Vegas casinos, and the owner of these casinos is a real jerk. Now, I don't feel sorry for casinos as an entity in the first place. Their job is to tilt the odds in their favor and take money. Add to that an owner that the audience despises, and you're rooting for George Clooney to take all the cash and a couple of comped cocktails, too. But really, you're probably rooting for George Clooney anyway. At least, I do.

In Tower Heist, a group of workers fall victim to their boss's Ponzi scheme (almost typed Fonzie there). Their boss pulls a scam on them, and they, in turn, attempt to pull an even bigger one on him. It's a movie that reflects recent financial woes, both in the Ponzi scheme and in portraying the feeling that it's the 'little guy' against the wealthiest one percent. I started out just watching at this movie and soon forgot all about whatever else I was doing. Unlike many other con stories, I never felt that the group performing the con was ever unlikeable.

Feel free to recommend movies or books that made you root for the con artist. And watch out for the pranksters today.

The Best Things in Life

This weekend I went to the third annual Chocolate and Coffee Fest, and it made me realize a few things.

First, I had already gone to many of the stores represented prior to this weekend. Chocolate and coffee are two of my favorite things. Add wine to that, and I'm in heaven (actually, there was a wine seller there, but the line was too long). I've long had this dream of what I'd do if I ever opened my own restaurant. The three main items I'd sell? Chocolate, coffee, and wine. There would be some small tables and chairs, but a lot of it would consist of plush armchairs, walls covered with shelves of books, and a wall separating sections where a huge fireplace would run in the winter. Part of it would be an actual bar, and part of it would be like a living room/library. I'd never want to leave.

Back to the coffee. My parents were coffee drinkers. I bugged my mom endlessly to drink some of hers when I was a kid. Sometimes she'd give in, putting lots of milk and sugar in a small amount of coffee and let me have at it. Then I turned from coffee, preferring sugary sodas during my adolescence and early twenties.

And then grad school happened.

I started getting a small cup of coffee in the mornings. Then the medium. Then the large. This coincided with the ever-shrinking amount of time I spent sleeping at night. I got my coffee at the campus cafe. Then I tried a cappuccino. Not bad. I branched out to local coffee houses and tried their brew. I found it unbelievably strong and reverted to my childhood by adding tons of milk and sugar. Some wacky Seattle-based coffee chain came along and I started drinking their flavored mochas. By then, clearly, the addiction had dug its claw deep into my flesh. A few years ago, my husband and I took a trip to Seattle. I planned part of our itinerary around the local coffee shops (and no, I never once went to the international chain that started there). At this point, I brew my own in the mornings and add a packet of Splenda and a dash of milk.

Then there's chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate, but really, any kind will do. I love it all. But I didn't know how much it was possible to love chocolate until I learned about pairing it with port wine. If you've never tried it, you must. The next time you go out to eat at a nice restaurant, save room for dessert. Order a chocolate ganache, or something decadently chocolate, and a glass of port. By itself, port is just a super sweet wine. But! Take a bite of chocolate. Then sip the port. The wine will make the chocolate even more chocolatey. You will hear angels singing. You will want to run around giving everybody a hug (don't). You will want to name your firstborn after me (go ahead). It's that good.

And now, if you'll pardon me, there's a cup of coffee calling my name.

Thumbnail Thursday with Amalia Dillin

      It's Thursday, and that means it's time for another interview, this time with Amalia Dillin, author of the recently released Forged by Fate. Read on to find out more about her and the sort of animals she'd like to have in her backyard some day. 

     What are you working on right now?

I’m currently in the middle of a couple of projects, including revisions for the second book in the Fate of the Gods series, a paranormal romance novella with Ullr, the Norse god of archery and skiing, and a novel about Pirithous, son of Zeus, and his escape from Hades into the modern world. I’m really not sure what I would do with myself if it weren’t for mythology!

      What's your pre-writing ritual?

Um. I guess I check my email, then twitter, then facebook, then dive in. Of course, I try really hard *not* to do this, too. I find that my most productive days are the days when I look at my word document first thing. It sets the tone for the rest of my writing day, and while I might break for research, it helps me to tune out the rest of the internet and all its amazing and wonderful distractions.

      What is one of the most surprising/interesting things you've discovered while doing research for a story?

I recently learned a lot more than I ever wanted to know about fleas – I hadn’t realized there were specific fleas for specific animals, or how varied they were in size. I calculated how many fleas it would take to fill a wine bottle for that novella, but thankfully, I’ve blocked the most sordid of those details out of my mind since. If I ever have to look up fleas again it will be far, far too soon!

      Tell me about your favorite story that you've published. What inspired it, and what does it mean to you?

Ha! Well, so far, my favorite is definitely Forged by Fate, because it really is my book of ThorLove, and I’m so, so glad I’m getting to share it with the world. BUT, I also wrote a serial for my blog with my friend Mia Hayson, about Thor in Zombie Land which was truly a labor of love, and so, so much fun. It was kind of a story we wrote together just for the joy of writing ridiculous things, so I guess that project kind of gives Forged by Fate a run for its money in my heart. So often, it’s easy to forget about that kind of writing, but it’s the pure joy of it which started me on the path to authorhood, and it’d be a shame to lose touch with that.

      You can have lunch with any writer, living or dead. Who would it be, and why?

Robert A. Heinlein. No question. His vision was just… incredible. And he had so many amazing insights. We see that clearly in his work. Wait. I lied. I want to change my answer to Homer. I want to know what he actually knew about the epic stories he wrote down!

      What's one of the best novels and/or short stories you've read recently? 

Runemarks, by Joanne Harris. It was really an amazing and creative take on the idea of Ragnarok and what comes after. I really, really enjoyed exploring the world and the mythology she created!

      Writing is a sedentary endeavor. What do you do to stay healthy and active?

Not enough, honestly. But I enjoy yoga, and more than that, I love romping around in the woods. I’m looking forward to getting a dog soon, and getting just a little bit lost out in our (awesomely large) backyard. The size of my yard may or may not be part of the reason I’d like to get goats – riding mowers are so much less fun than livestock!

***

Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dream of the day when they will own goats--to pull her chariot through the sky, of course! Links to all her work can be found on her website, www.amaliadillin.com – including the aforementioned Thor in Zombie Land, and more information about The Fate of the Gods trilogy!

Drum Roll Please....

I have a couple of exciting announcements to make! First of all, Shards of History will be available in paperback on Tuesday, May 21st! Mark your calendars! Or you can just keep track via all the shameless plugs I'll put out between now and then. I'm excited about the paperback release, and happy that the novel will be available for everybody who's been wanting a copy but doesn't have an e-reader.

And if you want even more of my fiction, World Weaver Press will be releasing my short story collection on June 4th. It will include a new tale set in the Shards of History world soon after the novel ends, this time from Rasmus' point of view, as well as three other short stories.

I've been busy on Pinterest. Find me here. I've got a small hodgepodge of boards and pins, including one board dedicated to Shards of History where you can find some of the inspiration for the setting as well as who I'd cast in the Shards of History movie. And you can find a recipe for unicorn poop cookies, which has nothing to do with the novel, but is fun and sparkly nevertheless.

Thumbnail Thursday with Katherine Sparrow

It's Thursday, and that means another interview, this time with the insighttful Katherine Sparrow. Read on to find out more about her and how she came to write a Nebula nominated story.

What are you working on right now?

A sequel to a book about cured mentally-ill kids with not-so-super powers. Thinking about and drafting a sequel is interesting and hard. There's the issue of working in back-story to orient readers who didn't read the first book, without boring the readers who did read the first book. Then there's working with characters who've already had a lot happen to them, and how to express the growing complexity of their lives. And, on top of that, this book is much more about sociology and groups of people told through the lens of a couple of characters, so I find that hard, hard, hard. My writing, it seems, always wants me to learn how to write things I don't know how to write. Which is why I love it and why it terrifies me and why I doubt I'll ever move out of a place of, as the Buddhist's say, of beginner's mind.

 What's your pre-writing ritual?

Grabbing a cup of coffee or green tea. Surfing the same four Internet places I always do until I get bored. Turning on Pandora (lately to the dubstep station which is way too industrial and grindy for my normal taste, but seems to work for writing.) Telling myself I can't take a break until I write X amount of words. Taking a deep breath and jumping into word-world.

What is one of the most surprising/interesting things you've discovered while doing research for a story?

I love, love, love writing research. It's so different from academic or real-life research in that instead of looking for mastery of a subject, I'm looking for quirky details and vignettes, and those tidbits that open a whole imagined world.

Last year, for a story I was writing about a girl discovering San Francisco's secrets, I photographed over a hundred and fifty graffiti murals in the city, and let the images and hidden places seep into me and whisper their stories.

About five years ago I did researched South Africa, and more specifically the history of the anti-apartheid movement and what it's like to live in Soweto for Xhosa and Zulu teenaged girls. I got to interview some really wonderful and vibrant teenagers, who were hilariously like teenagers everywhere, and also very specifically south African and passionate about the struggles and joys of living in Johannesburg. I also got to read many testimonials about a movement I personally find inspiring and heartbreaking. It was wonderful.

Tell me about your favorite story that you've published. What inspired it, and what does it mean to you?

Well, a lot of my stories start out of a rage at some injustice or other. When I wrote "The Migratory Patterns of Dancers", I was really pissed off about the ways patriarchy and capitalism co-mingle to mess up men's lives just as much as women's, a lot of the time. Like the way men are supposed to be the workers and providers, and aren't allowed other roles in their lives. I was also angry at feminists who didn't seem interested in those injustices, and would rather personally profit off them.

So, of course that led to a story about a future without birds, and men who bike around to national parks and perform extinct-bird dances. Somehow, it got a Nebula nomination in 2011 which I am still thrilled about.

 You can have lunch with any writer, living or dead. Who would it be, and why?

George Orwell. I love him so much as a writer who told complex truths, and I just want to breathe his air and be his friend and talk to him about "Homage to Catalonia", "Down and Out in London and Paris", and how his chickens are doing (Not a metaphor, he was obsessed with his chickens.)

 What's one of the best novels and/or short stories you've read recently?

"Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain,” a short story from Cat Rambo's science fiction anthology, "Near and Far." It was one of those stories that is both strange and incredibly real. It broke my heart. I read it months ago and I still think about it all the time. (http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/2012/12/24/five-ways-to-fall-in-love-on-planet-porcelain/)

Writing is a sedentary endeavor. What do you do to stay healthy and active?

Writing is so sedentary, and it often hurts my back if I sit around too long. Add to that that I rarely get ideas when I'm pounding the keyboard, and I end up spending a lot of my time walking. I live in a city that is full of mossy staircases, pocket parks, and strange micro-neighborhood. I love exploring new routes and watching the seasons change.

***

All things Katherine Sparrow can be found at katherinesparrow.net. Also, for some free stories go to: http://www.freesfonline.de/authors/Katherine_Sparrow.html

The Wheels on the Bus....

I love people watching. The airport is great for it. All walks of life go through an airport. I can't ever read or do puzzles while waiting for a flight because I'm so busy watching everybody around me and making up stories for why they're going to the same place I'm going.

But what I've really been thinking of lately is the sort of people you meet on the bus. It often depends on the part of town you're in and the time of day. It depends on the size of the city--I've ridden the bus in Houston, and in Taos, NM, which is, obviously, much smaller. Riding the bus when everybody is heading to work or back home at the end of the day is rather bland. People tend to be deep in their own thoughts and keep to themselves.

But in the middle of the day, when you get on the bus and you're the only passenger, you might find yourself having an animated, pleasant conversation with the bus driver. And then that bus driver might suddenly offer to let you drive the bus. At which point you freak out because (1) you're a stickler for the rules, and driving a bus without a special license is definitely against the rules, and (2) a person who apparently isn't a stickler for rules is operating a very large vehicle in which you're riding without any kind of restraints. Yep, that's my stop right there, have a nice day, bye now.

Sometimes the bus driver is awesome, like the guy who gave me the impromptu tour in Taos. It was a small bus, and easy to have a conversation with everybody on it. There was the lady who smelled like cats and talked about her fifty (fifty!!!) felines. Yes, I met the cat lady. She's nice. Then there was the guy who opened the conversation by pointing to houses way out in the foothills and saying, "That's where the aliens live." Hoo boy, that became a long ride.

When we first moved to Albuquerque, I tried figuring out a way to take the bus to work, but the bus schedule didn't jive with mine. I enjoy public transit for many reasons, of which people watching is one. But driving the bus is not for me.