Rogue’s Curse: Happy Release Day!

I’m about to embarrass the hell out of Jason Beymer. He deserves it.

You know what day this is, right? Of course you do. It’s the release day for Rogue’s Curse, Jason Beymer’s debut novel, available from Lyrical Press. (For only $5.50. My lunch costs more than that. C’mon. It’s worth it.)

Seeing this book debut is like watching my firstborn child leave for their first day of school. If I had a firstborn child. If I wasn’t as child-friendly as an uncovered electrical socket. The point is, when a book is published its successful release isn’t just the pride of the author and his family, friends, and demon minions. It’s the pride of all the people who worked on it: the copy/content editor(me!), their senior editor(s), the line editors, the cover artist, the production manager, the review coordinator…the list goes on and on. It’s a group effort, one where the author is central but not entirely alone in their investment in the book. There’s a whole team of people who care about that book, who take pride in its success.

I definitely take pride in Rogue’s Curse, and in Jason.

It’s only by random chance that I ended up working on this book. I’ve only been with Lyrical Press for about six months now; before that I was working as a freelance editor. When I first started I was told I’d be taking on some previously contracted authors they thought would be a good fit for me, until I started to pick my own from the slush pile. So here I was, several books already on my list, all of them interesting, exciting, fun. Apparently my senior editor gauged my tastes well, because I’ve yet to edit a single book that I didn’t love.

Jason, though…Jason was my first.

I’ll be honest: I didn’t know what to expect. I was used to authors coming to me as a contractor, hiring me because they trust my expertise, and generally placing the reins in my hands. The relationship works a little differently when you work for a publisher. I’d heard horror stories about dealing with difficult authors on the publisher’s side: everything from delayed releases caused by author meltdowns to month-long arguments over non-conventional apostrophe use as visual art. In truth, I expected Jason to be a nightmare. Arrogant, stubborn, utterly lacking in common sense, and refusing to budge on so much as a misspelled word or a godawful pet phrase.

Instead he proved why you should never make assumptions or believe stereotypes.

His sense of humor caught me from the first page of Rogue’s Curse, and proved utterly infectious – to the point where my senior editor made me tone down my silly comments when I left editorial notes throughout the book. (I believe there was something in there about Godzilla and octogenarian poontang.) Before I’d even really had a significant dialogue with him, I learned to like him through his book, his characters, his humor, his storytelling, his style – but I learned to value him from an editorial perspective when I sent his first round of edits back. Rather than whine about the amount of work asked of him or argue that his book was perfect as-is, he threw himself wholeheartedly into editing with all the enthusiasm and professionalism anyone could hope for.

Not only that, but he took my questions about plot points and went one step further: he refined the entire story to the point where it was practically a new book. Rather than viewing criticism as a negative point, he instead used it as a jumping-off point to come up with some wildly creative solutions that more than proved his talent and ingenuity. Sometimes I almost couldn’t keep up with him as he spun through ideas, changes, and cheesy one-liners that left me spraying diet coke at my screen on an alarmingly regular basis. His wife, too, has a wonderfully sharp eye; she was always there, looking over Jason’s shoulder and catching that one letter out of place that neither of us noticed after staring at the manuscript for the eleventy-millionth time.

Oh, there were a few points of contention. A few things had to be deleted for the sake of house rules, and darlings (and sheep) had to die. There was a particularly knotty wrangle about italics that left us both so confused we didn’t know if we were coming or going, but we never wanted to see another verbalized sound effect in our lives. Renee, She Who Commands All, nearly killed me over a slight oversight on the cover text. (Seriously, never make a pregnant woman angry. I swear I found three more grey hairs the next day.) Jason had to be threatened with a ruler across the knuckles if he didn’t stop picking at things that were already tweaked to the point of exhaustion. He’s a bit of a perfectionist, in case you can’t tell. He’s also paranoid, neurotic, and utterly hilarious when he starts biting his nails over every tiny little thing. One of these days he’s going to stress himself to a heart attack. I’m probably callous enough to point and laugh. I’m an editor. It’s what we do. All part of crushing your spirit and destroying your artistic vision.

Ahem. Back on topic. More than anything, Jason is a witty, fun, engaging person, and a wonderful author to work with. Just by being himself and dedicating himself to polishing his book, he made my investment in Rogue’s Curse personal. He proved that when an author and editor work together rather than against each other, a good book can transform into a great one. We may not be friends, but I’m damned happy to be his editor.

Maybe if Jason hadn’t been my first author, I wouldn’t love working for a publisher so much. Maybe if Jason hadn’t been such a delight to work with, I would have doused myself in holy water and run screaming back to the freelance life and my private client roster. But “maybe” never happened, and I consider myself lucky that out of all the contracted books pending editorial assignment, my senior editor decided to send Jason (and my other starting authors, because yes, I love you all) to me.

So thank you, Jason. Thank you for being my first Lyrical author, for being wonderful, and for trusting me with your next book, Nether.

Thank you, and happy release day for Rogue’s Curse.

…

Now excuse me. I need to go drown something small and fluffy before people start thinking I’m human.

Western Beatrice Clovort Advisory

WESTERN BEATRICE CLOVORT ADVISORY

For immediate release by the Office of Clovort Reduccion:

A clovort’s mouth is a dirty thing. It is best to keep all digits and appendages clear of its gray lips. On the rare occasion you discover an intelligent clovort, do not engage it in conversation. They are manipulative, and you might find yourself asking the clovort to taste you. In reply, the clovort will nod sheepishly and respond with, “All right. If you insist.”

If you spot a clovort while walking through the woods, do not stretch out your arms and make hooting noises to scare it away. This will not work. Do not tap the clovort on the nose. Do not urinate, fall to the ground and curl into a ball, stare it straight in the eye or turn around and run. All of these things will only make you more appetizing. The best course of action is to roll yourself in milk and pray the clovort is lactose intolerant.

If possible, and if not at risk to your physical intactness, tag the clovort with a personalized beacon dart. Then, when you visit the Office of Clovort Reduccion to file a complaint of clovort harassment, we will know whom to give credit to once we have captured the beast.

Any citizen caught using a clovort for manual labor will be punished severely. Given the relative girth of the clovort—usually six hundred pounds and eight feet tall—this prospect may tempt farmers. These beasts are exceptional at pulling ox carts and plowing the fields. However, farming jobs should be awarded to law-abiding citizens and not abominations of God.

Your elected officials are working tirelessly to rid Western Beatrice of this infestation. Despite our best intentions, we are constantly affronted by attacks from Clovort Right’s groups. Rest assured, King Perlezod and the Office of Clovort Reduccion will prevail. We count on your efforts to eradicate this abomination and create a clovort-free society for you, your children and your children’s children.

The Office thanks you for your cooperation.

————————————————–

If you enjoyed that little bit of hilarity from author Jason Beymer, there’s more clovort-stomping fun coming when his debut novel, Rogue’s Curse, releases from Lyrical Press this August.

If you didn’t enjoy it, well…hush. He saved me from having to actually revive this blog myself. Go be nice to him anyway. He’s an introvert, and he needs to be dragged out of his shell. Kicking and screaming, if need be.

Besides…I owe him. Hard. Bugger stuck my name in the acknowledgments. Go. Mob him.

Guest blogs!

Hey, guys, just a quick little bit of pimpage: I’m guest-blogging over at the Lyrical Press blog today, talking about author fatigue and how to write past it.

Good lord, I’m a wordy bugger.

Also: not too long ago one of my authors, Jason Beymer (author of the upcoming humorous fantasy ROGUE’S CURSE), did a great post on character development and how he finds inspiration for his characters. You should go check it out. (And be nice to him. He’s funny.)

Watch this space for some other guest blogs soon, as I cajole my authors and my fellow Lyrical editors into speaking up. (Cynthia, I’m lookin’ at you.)

I keep meaning to update with photos of my nifty new Sony Reader Touch Edition and faff on about how awesome it is, but every time I talk about the thing I sound like a product shill. Bleargh. Well, here, a couple of blurry photos snapped off on my G1 phone, with the thing on my messy, disorganized coffee table:

Man, do we need to vacuum.

That’s the Pixie skin from DecalGirl.com*, crap about my student loans underneath the reader, and Elizabeth Darvill’s BOUND BY BLOOD on the reader’s screen. Liz and Jason have been great sports about not killing me yet despite the volumes of edit notes I’ve dropped on them. Ashley has yet to find out what she’s in for, but she will. [insert innocent smile here]

What else, what else…OH! One other thing: The latest book in Diane Duane’s YOUNG WIZARDS series, A WIZARD OF MARS, released this week. It wasn’t due out until early April, so imagine my surprise when my preorder showed up on my doorstep on the 23rd.

If you love Diane Duane as much as I do, get the damn book. Seriously. YOUNG WIZARDS has always held a firm position as my favorite YA series of all time, and A WIZARD OF MARS is a great addition to the collection.

……

…oi, that’s a lot of tags on this post.

 

 
*Random aside: DecalGirl has the best customer service. My original order was shipped incorrectly; they sent me a skin for the Pocket reader, rather than the Touch edition. I e-mailed asking how to do an exchange, and they apologized and shipped a priority mail replacement the same day. It’s sad that it’s rare to see good, polite customer service, but it’s always nice when you run across it.

Is this really what you want in a man?

Guilty not-so-secret confession: I love romance novels. I started reading them as a boy, when they were my only outlet to secretly explore certain things that confused the hell out of me. As an adult I have a little-indulged soft spot for romance, and adore a smart, engaging romance novel with a good mixture of conflict, wit, heart-warming moments, and of course the steamy pages that make romance novels what they are. In my later years I’ve grown a bit more discerning about what makes it onto my shelf of favorites, though; it’s not enough for the books to have lavish descriptions of period dress and a swarthy, broad-shouldered, swoon-worthy hero. I need characters I like, relationships I can understand, love scenes that don’t make me snortgiggle at the euphemisms (or if they do, it’s with that sort of charming self-awareness that many exhibit), and plots that won’t unravel with the simple question of, “Well, why didn’t you just tell him that like a normal person would, saving this entire intricate mess from happening?”

So lately I’ve been rereading some old favorites, as well as exploring a few new titles from the authors of said favorites. Some are modern, some are historical, some are the classic bodice-rippers, but in a large number of them I’m noticing a disturbing trend:

Controlling, domineering, irrational men with very few redeeming traits. They’re insensitive, bullheaded, temperamental, impossible to talk to with any level of honesty, misogynistic, arrogant to the point of self-delusion, sadistic, prone to using physical force to get their way, borderline (and often outright) cruel, difficult to reason with once they’ve made a conclusion, and generally in some position of authority over the heroine’s life and well-being – whether placed there by others, rank, an unfortunate and perilous situation, or themselves. These traits, while superficially infuriating to the heroine, in the end only serve to endear him to her as signs of what a man he is, a true man’s man, an uncompromising force of nature who will protect her and eventually give her many fat babies. And naturally his flaws are forgivable because he’s handsome as the devil and the most amazing lover on earth, and he knows it.

I get the lesson: love isn’t perfect, but it can pave the way for accepting a few character flaws in your mate. And I’m aware that all these traits can exist to some measure in real men, in a variety of concentrations and combinations. And I’m aware that many women (and men) have different tastes in what makes a man attractive. But seeing all these traits combined to such extremes that they make an unappealing caricature of a dominating man-child, I have to ask…

Is this really what women want in a fantasy man?

Why Writers Need to be Readers

This morning I woke up and thought of all the things I planned to do today. Top of that list were proofreading my recently-rewritten manuscript, working on the crackfic, and reading a friend’s manuscript. Nowhere on that list was a dedicated effort to sit down and finish any of the half-read books scattered about the house, my place in their pages marked with scraps of paper, bills, bookmarks, even post-its.

Then I realized how long it’s been since I actually finished a book, and hung my head in shame – because by not reading more avidly, I’m doing myself an enormous disservice as a writer.

More than studying grammar, more than workshops, more than peer critiques, writers need to read. They need to read often, read widely, and read outside of their circle of comfort; read not just the kind of books they write, but the kind of books they’d never write. Reading offers insight, offers knowledge, offers a view into what works and what doesn’t; it provides inspiration, demonstrates the many proper ways to frame and pace a story, and gives the writer an intuitive eye for good story-crafting that no instructional lecture or essay can deliver.

When you read, you learn. You learn new ways to approach style, pacing, and characterization; you learn new perspectives, new ideas, new theories; hell, you even learn new words, and frankly I enjoy a book where every once in a while I have to stop and grab the dictionary because I didn’t know a word – though you also learn when not to take that too far, to the point of making a story incomprehensible. You learn what’s been done before, what’s been done to death, and what could be exciting if explored even more.

And if you ever stop learning, you stop growing as a writer.

The act of writing itself can serve as something of an isolation chamber. It’s easy to get so locked into the act of writing that you lose all objectivity towards your writing, all sense of how it pertains to the outside world. When your writing loses its connection to the outside world, you lose your connection to the reader. So read, to see views outside your isolation chamber. Read books, read the news, read blogs, read short stories. Read anything that makes you think, makes you question, makes you wonder “What would happen if I…?”

Just read. Find worth and merit in others’ writing, so you can impart worth and merit to your own.

Read, and remember why you wanted to be a writer in the first place.

It should be illegal to wake up this early.

Finished the rewrite a few days ago (yes, in between reading the Dictionary of Phrase & Fable; the etymology involved is entrancing). From 100k down to 82k; not a bad shave. I’m letting it sit for at least a week; I need a bit of distance from it so I can go back and read it with more objectivity. It’s easy to see a style and flow that aren’t there when it’s pacing along with what I imagined, and my brain is filling in the blanks. I need to approach it as something new, or at least less familiar, so I have a better hope of spotting any problems.

In the meantime I’m playing around with other ideas, just so I don’t fall into a non-writing slump that could stretch months. Right now I’m looking at Waking Magic; I don’t remember how much of that I’ve mentioned here. Vice, the pissy male warrior-fairy; Veronica, the human librarian who dies and is resurrected as something of an ethereal warrior, given a new life by your standard magical Powers That Be as compensation for the fact that it was Vice’s fault she died.

The thing is, the story doesn’t quite work. The central villain’s motives were simple enough: find a source of magic strong enough for him to rule Earth and the magical world as the only human sorcerer, as magic doesn’t exist in our world. That was part of the problem: generic villain wants to rule the world. Another part was the premise of the world was too convoluted. There was a reason for separating the two worlds, and a reason why joining them again would be bad. It was messy and didn’t quite make sense. The overall rules of their existence were too tangled and overdone; complexity is fine, but this wasn’t complex. Just bogged-down.

And then there’s Veronica, who really doesn’t work well as a central protagonist. She’s a paper doll; no real personality of her own. Just something the reader can drape themselves over as a vehicle to place themselves in the story. While you need a character that the reader can see themselves in, one they can follow and empathize with, I’m not a big fan of the type of stories where the entire world and supporting cast are fleshed-out, but the central character is just a placeholder for perspective. They need to have their own personalities, their own lives, individual strengths and weaknesses. They need to be people we can care about or hate.

On that note, I’ve been thinking of changing Veronica to Harvey, Vee for short. And if I do, Vee will be my first gay central protagonist.

It actually means something to me that I don’t write only gay protagonists, despite my sexuality. I write characters who are who they are, and if they turn out to be gay, great. If not, no biggie. This actually ties in to my previous rant over the article commending the “writer of color” for choosing to write mainstream (white) characters so they’ll have greater appeal; I have a feeling that the author in question didn’t really choose to write the character that way for those reasons. He probably just let the character develop as they would, and they just happened to be white. I tend to prefer that method of character development, honestly. It feels more natural, rather than a contrived way to build a character who has a theme, conveys a message, or fulfills a fantasy.

So far, none of my MCs have been down with the rainbow swirl, but Vee seems to be shaping up that way. Here’s where it tends towards crackfic, though: Vice and Vee, in their immortal/magical forms, are both invisible to humans. They have mortal forms that let them interact with humans; one of the other problems I’m struggling with, actually, is why Vee might need or choose to stay in his mortal form when he doesn’t have to. But the crackfic portion of it is that Vee is going to end up in the mortal body of a tiny Chinese girl, reverting back to male only when he switches to what’s basically his true form. It’s something that could be a lot of fun to write, if I can ever stop worrying over these problems long enough to write it. It’ll never be anything serious, though I think on the side it could be an interesting exploration of gender identity vs. sexual identity – basically demonstrating that homosexuality is not a desire to be or fill the role of a member of the opposite sex. Vee is very much not going to like being in this girl’s body; he likes men, yes, but he has no desire to be a woman.

I don’t know. I’m rambling; sometimes that’s what I do here. With any luck getting all this off my brain will help me work out the plot problems. Or I’ll decide I don’t have the skill to write this well, and move on to something else. After work, of course…because I have resumes to write.

Ciao.