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| A biped similar in biomorphic construction to that of the author prepares to dispense a face-punch. |
Rant the First
I have a new answer to the question "What do you write?"
From now on, I shall reply with three words -- "Japanese tentacle porn." I shall speak them loud and proud, and take a step toward the questioner, daring them to offer further comment.
I do this for two reasons.
First, because I am sick of replying honestly that I write fantasy, only to be met with the furrowed brows and lifted nose which suggests I just offered the questioner a dirty plate of day-old trout.
Second, because I am nearly moved to murder when I am told "Oh, I don't read that, I only read real books."
Thirdly, because yes I said two reasons but I am vexed and this is not time for numerical precision, because if people are going to express disdain for my genre and walk away I figure my new reply will send them fleeing my presence immediately, without the by-now familiar lecture concerning the error of my literary ways.
You know, I run into a lot of people who prefer sports-oriented reads, for instance. I never say to them 'Why, that's just people handling each other's balls." I don't denounce the aficionados of Westerns by saying 'Why don't you just rent old episodes of Gunsmoke?"
I don't do these things because I make some small effort, at least part of the time, to eschew being a clueless jerk. Too, I realize that there are great stories and great books being written in each and every genre, sports and Westerns and fantasy alike.
I've noticed that as I age, my level of forbearance for rudeness and dismissive behavior by strangers declines at an ever-accelerating rate. So if you're around me at a book-related event -- a signing, a reading, a class, whatever -- and you hear someone dismiss my choice of fantasy as a genre, you might want to lean in closer, because there's a good chance my response is going to be a caffeine-fueled rant aimed squarely at the inadvisability of insulting someone who juggles words professionally.
There. I feel better. Thank you for your patience.
Rant the Second
Last week, I blogged about the now-famous video in which a woman walked the streets of New York and secretly filmed the abuse hurled her way. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to comment and email; I learned a lot from you all, and I hope it will help me create more believable characters.
One of the specific questions I asked was this -- would my female readers want to see the inclusion of such a harsh reality in my books? I.e, would a scene featuring Meralda, for instance, being cat-called as she walked to the Laboratory be a positive contribution to my books?
The answer, and I mean it was unanimous, was a resounding NO. Including such scenes would do nothing but remind readers of the awful things they face in the real world, and there is no good purpose to be served by that.
So. Tirlin will remain free of cat-calling idlers. Even Rannit's streets won't see such a thing, and we're talking about a city which starts each day when the dead wagons haul corpse after corpse out of the blood-stained alleys. So Darla won't be confronted by aggressive idlers either, although Darla would just shoot them in the face the instant they opened their mouths. Darla doesn't suffer fools gladly, and neither does she miss.
Meralda and Mug News!
Latest update: The final edit pass is DONE. The book is complete. The cover is ready (has been for months -- another Kanaxa!). What remains to be done?
Conversion to e-book format(s). Acquisition of ISBN number. Submission to the various sales outlets.
So when will All the Turns of Light be on sale?
Today is November the 9th. My plan is to have the book up by Monday, November 17, at least on Amazon. I will keep you posted with a few very short blog updates throughout the week.
But the long, long wait is nearly over. I do hope it has been worth it!
And on that note, back to work!