In Writing The About You Section Of The Query Letter

A great response might be...

And just like that, you'll have an agent :)

Have a great weekend. >,<

Burning Man

Burning Man was held this last week near the town of Black Rock City, Nevada. For those of you who don't know what it is, from everything that I've read about it...all seem to agree that it is a festival for the "tragically hip".

Now...you won't find a definition online of "tragically hip".  It's only two words but they say a lot.  I have wrestled in my "writer/authorial" mind as to how I would define the condition of "tragically hip".  In a discussion that I had with my friend James, we came up with this definition:

Tragically hip ==> When a person is so artistic, so completely creative, that their talent strangles them. It makes them "weird" to normal folk.  And this end result is "tragic".  Think of people with horns implanted in their heads, teeth filed into those of a reptile and tattoos that cover all of their body.

Thus, Burning Man is made for the "tragically hip".

Do you agree with my definition?

Take a look at some of these pictures taken at Burning Man and posted online.

Very organized parking

Insecure Writers Support Group Post 1

I joined the Insecure Writer's Support Group that is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh over at his blog.  I am number 76. I should have waited one more for 77 as 1977 is the year that Star Wars was unleashed upon the world.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer.

So what am I insecure about?

I wrote a book where the hero of the story (protagonist) is gay.  I'm a little insecure that people will judge it for that instead of judging it for what it should be--a science-fiction story wherein the main character simply likes boys instead of girls.  The sexuality part of the story is really underplayed... back burner if you will...to what is actually going on in the world I created.  My protag starts out in the first book as a high school kid.  He plays ice hockey and is really good at math.  My book has Langrangian calculus in it (well the second book does--by then he's a student at Cornell University) and the use of a particle collider is essential to the plotline.  By that time, he happens to have a boyfriend and their relationship is healthy.  They don't get beaten to death by bigots, Jordan's teammates respect him, and he doesn't have a flamboyant personality.  This is because their relationship is NOT the story.  However, the whole "sexuality" thing is such a hotspot that I think the issues in identifying a character in a story as being gay can threaten to BECOME the entire story and I don't like that.

Example:  when word got out through some social contacts in the city in which I reside, a woman whom I barely know wanted me to speak at PFLAG about my book.  I thought the request was silly and I declined. The people that go to those "meetings" are not looking for fiction recommendations.  When they want fiction, they know where to go and find it.  In other words, a speaking engagement at PFLAG is not my audience at all (Star Trek convention would be far more appropriate).  They want memoirs that detail struggle and "Ra Ra Ra Equal Rights For All! Ra Ra Ra Equal Rights For All!" I was a little flabbergasted that there was such a huge disconnect...I could imagine myself saying, "Okay my book is science-fiction.  My one sentence pitch is that it's Schrodinger's Cat with hockey sticks, glass spiders, and monsters from the id.  Any questions?"

One of three people in attendance raises hand.

"Yes?"

They ask, "What inspired you to write this book?"

I think about it... "Mmm probably J.J. Abrams."

They look questioningly at me, "Is that a gay person that got traumatized by bigots in Wyoming?  Can you tell us about that?"

I stare back uncomfortably..."Mmm, no...it's a movie director."

The second person asks a question.  "What trauma in your life led you to write this book and how did you rise above it."

My answer, "I got a "D" in a biology course in college and it traumatized me so I switched majors to English and got an "A". Now I write. Any more questions?"

Strange looks from the three people in attendance that look like this ==> O.o

So yeah...that is my insecurity.  I guess my dream would be to find acceptance with science-fiction nerds who dig the story when it is published in 2013 instead of people who march on Washington and are looking for injustice to champion.  Don't get me wrong...I think championing injustice is a fanastic thing but it has little to do with a debut author who just wants to sell his science-fiction books.

Breaking Bad

I heard so much buzz on the internet about the AMC show, "Breaking Bad" that I dove into season one this weekend.  Needless to say, I was back at Barnes & Noble on Labor Day buying seasons two and three on Blu-ray.  This show is absolutely riveting.

Breaking Bad follows the story of a brilliant chemist who, at the age of 50, doesn't have a whole lot going on in his life.  He chose to teach high school but many of his students are portrayed as ungrateful good-for-nothings who drive rich cars and just want to hook up with each other.  Meanwhile Walter White (the protagonist) at age 50 has got a younger wife who is pregnant, and a handicapped son that gets teased a lot in high school.  He has a second job working at the car wash where he scrubs tires on the sports cars that some of his students drive and they take demeaning pictures of him on their cell phones to talk about him with each other.

This is Aaron in the persona of the meth junkie Jesse
Pinkman.  They really do a number on his appearance.

So into all of this, Mr. White gets terminal lung cancer. The doctors tell him he only has nine months or so to live.  The chemotherapy that might save his life costs $90,000 and his insurance won't cover it. Plus he'll be leaving his wife and only son with a mountain of medical bills for fighting his cancer (not to mention) a newborn daughter.  So what does the brilliant Mr. White do?

Well he seizes a unique opportunity.  His friend works at the D.E.A. and takes him along to observe a drug bust on a meth lab and he notices one of his former students escape from just having banged a woman in the house next door.  He says nothing.  He follows the former student home and points out that his partner (the cook for the meth lab) has been arrested thereby destroying his livelihood.  He offers to cook meth for the kid if he'll make him a partner in the business.  The kid agrees...flabbergasted that the teacher that flunked him wants to "Break Bad".

This is Aaron in real life. Big
difference as you can tell.

So Mr. White ends up cooking the purest meth ever.  And the crap that these two go through in episode after episode as they deal with cartel enforcers, drug distributors, and hide from the D.E.A. is unbelievable. I can't pull my eyes away.  Also Mr. White's partner, played by Aaron Paul, is a really good-lookin' fella that they have to dirty up for the show.  It's interesting because in some scenes he looks completely strung out but in others (like when he tries to go clean and actually get a job) he looks good but his education makes it impossible for him to earn a living with any dignity.

Things I saw in the first season that surprised me:

1) Lots of meth manufacturing.

2) Nudity.

3) Drug dealers not only killed, but dissolved in hydrofluoric acid that eats through a bathtub and crashes through a floor in a house. They literally have to scoop up the bloody soup of human body with a dustpan and brushes.

4) Incredible cleverness on behalf of the protagonist (and resourcefulness).  Jesse gets almost beaten to death and Mr. White faces off with a huge drug distributor and demands $50,000 from Tuco and manages to get it. I won't spoil how but it is mind-blowing. On top of that, Mr. White gets a deal to sell four pounds of meth to this guy a week.

5) The sheer destruction of a good man like Mr. White as he descends into a world of absolute filth. Yet he is protective of Jesse (sometimes) and it's clear that he doesn't want the boy to come to harm but he certainly doesn't go easy on him at all.  Sometimes Mr. White pushes him to murder which he is growing more comfortable with as the series progresses (the first time he murdered someone was really really hard for him).  But the other aspect that is amazing about this show is Mr. White's intellect. He is far beyond the primitive minds of the drug dealers that he has to do business with and because he knows his life is almost over, the risks he is willing to take are incredible.  And of course his marriage is falling apart because the life he is choosing to lead to cushion his wife and children with money is a secret one...and the secrets are pushing all of his loved ones away.

6) The acting in this show is Academy Award level. It seriously is that good.

This isn't a show for the young adult, smurf-loving, middle-grade fiction crowd. It's a show for adults. I'm an adult...I write adult fiction...and this adult show is absolutely amazing.  If you think of yourself as having adult tastes...you need to watch!

First Campaign Challenge

If you are here following the bread crumbs from Rachael's post on her blog today, thank you for visiting and I appreciate the attention. I'm posting my flash fiction piece for the first challenge here and I hope that you guys do the same because Rachael has a lot of nice prizes.  I was really excited to get the opportunity to help her with the campaign and when she contacted me by email, I started work right away organizing the 300 or so people that signed up to judge (wow what a turnout).  Plus Rachael is an amazing organizer. She had a whole google docs thing setup (if you haven't used it, I recommend it highly because it's like a word processor & spreadsheet that you don't have to pay for that anyone with a password can use).

Basically, our process for notifying judges is just going to be to go down the list that Rachael and I created this weekend and shoot off an email every ten signups on Rachael's blog...so one judge per ten people for round one.  Each judge will be responsible for visiting each of these ten blogs and making a decision on the flash fiction piece.  Five of the ten that they deem worthy shall go on to round two. Think of this as a kind of "tournament" style competition.

At round two, new judges will be called upon to narrow the selection for round three (the semi-finals).  From the semi-finalists we hope to find ten finalists and one grand prize winner.  Basically every person that makes it to the finals will get a prize but the best will go to the grand prize winner.

MY FLASH FICTION ENTRY WITH ADDED DIFFICULTY ELEMENTS:

The door swung open and the UPS man entered. 

I set down my coffee cup; the side of it read “Piss me off and face the consequences.”

I asked, “How many today?”

“Just the one.” He passed me the signature capture pad and I signed using the stylus.

“Can you spell that out for me?” he asked.

“M-A-R-I-A  F-E-N-W-A-Y” I said, enunciating each letter.

He typed it out and then tucked the brown pad under one arm.  I stared at his ass when he walked out.  The UPS guys were always in such good shape.  My partner walked in and put a folder on my desk.  “Pictures from the crime scene.  You might want to take a look and see if we missed anything.”

I nodded and took a sip of coffee.  I turned my attention to the box sitting on my desk and grabbed a pair of scissors.  I cut the tape and popped the lid open. Inside, I found a cooler.  Who the hell sends a person a cooler?

“Go stop that UPS guy,” I told Bill.  “Go now!”

He ran for the door.  I opened the box and found a human head inside.

The door swung shut.

It is exactly 200 words, uses both "the door swung open" and "the door swung shut" elements of the flash fiction piece (upped for difficulty as I think challenges are fun).

Happy Labor Day!

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

I saw this trailer on the iTunes website yesterday. It's brilliant.  Oh and it's for "Mature" audiences.

1) It totally pokes fun at the kids camping meeting the psycho hillbillies.

2) It shows how bad things can get when people don't communicate.

3) It shows that you shouldn't judge a person by appearance alone.

4) The writing in this is fresh, exciting, and made of pure awesome.

Have a great weekend! See you Monday.

My Review of Witch Song by Amber Argyle

Well today is September 1st and it is Amber Argyle's release day for her debut young adult fantasy novel, Witch Song.  I finished reading this just last night as I was able to purchase a Kindle version of it almost four weeks ahead of the release. When I asked Amber why it got released early, she indicated that there was a problem with people pirating the file which really surprised me. It's a topic I'd love to talk to Amber about one of these days. Maybe I'll get a chance when she goes to a signing scheduled in Layton, Utah (about twenty minutes from where I live) this September.

As far as a debut fantasy novel goes, there are a few new things that I saw here which I thought refreshing.  Her magic system deals a lot with plants.  Witches rely on seeds and they use plants to do all kinds of crazy things. There's even a scene where she talks with a whale and I had flashbacks of the Superfriends and Aquaman telepathically controlling whales.

Anyway, the pacing and writing in the book is solid. Rhemelda Publishing did a bang up job with the formatting--it's excellent.  The swoon-worthy male in this book is Joshen and he's the apple of Senna's eye as it were.  My bone to pick here in their relationship is that there is a point almost in every chapter where Senna pushes Joshen melodramatically out of her life saying that it is too dangerous for him and that she could never live with herself if anything happened.  He of course counters with..."but I'm sworn to protect you...don't push me away...Senna!"  And pretty much that scene gets played over and over and over and over.

Then we have little characters like Pogg who really reminded me of Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter films.  He lives on this island and fishes and fetches things, etc.  I thought the character was entirely too cutesty, however, I'm not thirteen which is where I think this book's intended audience may lie.

The novel wraps up all plots cleanly. The climactic battle with the villain of the story and the protagonist was a speed bump as far as battles go...I was disappointed in that.  I guess smacking each other around with plants can't really be all that impressive.  And the way that Espen (the villain) got defeated kinda smacked of deus ex machina but really no more than Aslan going around and fixing everything.

All in all, I give this book four stars (out of five) because I'm not going to rate it with the eyes of a forty-year-old (which I am) who has read everything from Tolkien, to Eddings, to Martin, to Brooks, to Lewis, to Zelazny, to Gaiman, to Alexander, to Kurtz and blah blah blah.  If you are an adult and have kids, buy this book for your kid to read.  Or, buy it for yourself, if you are an adult that loves literature for teens.  That is my recommendation.