Interview With S.A. Meade

Posted on August 3, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

S.A. Meade has recently returned to England after 8 years in Arizona, where she learned to love air conditioners and realised that rain wasn’t such a bad thing after all. She lives with her husband, son and two cats in one of the most beautiful villages in Wiltshire and is partial to gin and tonic with loads of ice and lemon.

1.       Looking at your website, I see elements of SciFi, Romance, GLBT, Historical fiction, and that’s just a quick glance! How many of these combine in each book?

I mainly write Contemporary GLBT Romance. ‘Orion Rising’ is my only ‘Sci Fi’ to date, and that’s Sci Fi ‘lite’ not very heavy on the science! The forthcoming Endersley series is my first foray into Historical GLBT romance, with three of the four books being set from 1857 to WW2. The last in the series will be contemporary. My ever-growing list of future books are all contemporary.

2.       There’s food on your blog too! Are you a chef, a foodie, or both?

I’m an unashamed foodie. I love to cook and, sadly for my figure, I also love to eat. Food seems to feature prominently in my stories. I should really provide some sort of warning that the books may make readers hungry.

3.       Why did you choose to use a pseudonym?

My grand plan was to use my real name, Sue Laybourn, for ‘mainstream’ fiction. I wanted a pseudonym for my GLBT stuff to keep the two separate. ‘Stolen Summer’, my first book, was intended to be my one and only GLBT book. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever write another one. Boy, was I wrong!

4.       Is there a story behind why you chose S.A. Meade as a pen name?

It’s just a play on my real life name. ‘S.A.’ are my first initials and ‘Meade’ is just another way of saying ‘meadow’. ‘Laybourn’ is Ango-Saxon for ‘meadow by a stream’.

5.       Why did you spend eight years in Arizona?

Why indeed? I ask myself that a lot. No, seriously. I worked in Town Planning for years. I was actually brought up in the U.S. My family moved there was I was 8. I returned to the UK when I was 21. Married, divorced, remarried and had a son. I had it in my head that I wanted to return to the U.S. because my immediate family still live there. I managed, after 2 years of searching, to find an employer who was willing to sponsor me for a work-related visa. Unfortunately, after jumping through all of the immigration hoops, I was laid off before our Green Cards came through, so we had to return to the UK. It’s still a bit of a sore point that I was treated like crap after eight years. I do believe I was  totally and utterly shafted and there are some people I will never forgive for throwing me under the proverbial bus so they could feather their own nests. But, I am glad to be back in the UK for many reasons.

6.       How did you come up with the name Kestrel Rising for your blog?

One of my trunked ‘mainstream’ novels was an historical romance set in England during WW2. It was called ‘Kestrel Rising’.  I was convinced that I’d get an agent with that novel so I optimistically named my blog that. I’ve kept the name because I love kestrels, they are a symbol of a person grasping for opportunities, so it seemed appropriate to keep it.

7.       What social media do you use? Do you combine your personal and professional or keep them separate?

I’ve let the personal and professional blur a bit. I have a Twitter account (also Kestrel Rising) and a Facebook page. I have a separate author page but it’s sadly neglected because most everyone who follows me, follows me on my main page. I just have to try and remember to behave myself and not go all Drunk Hulk if I’m upset or angry about something.

8.       When did you get serious about writing and why?

I got serious about writing 4 years ago. I was still in my Arizona job. I was getting a little disillusioned and had this crazy notion that I could write my way out of that town. My first attempt was an historical romance set in England in WW1, Kestrel Rising was the follow-up to that one. Then I wrote a contemporary romance which failed to interest an agent and then stumbled into Stolen Summer.

9.       What is your editing/rewrite process?

I write a first draft. Then, I leave it for a day or two before going back and fixing things. I write fairly clean first drafts. Then I send it to any willing person who wants to beta-read. I fix anything the betas bring up, then send it to my editor at Total E-Bound.

10.   Have you ever faced criticism regarding a heterosexual woman writing homosexual romance?

I haven’t directly. I’ve certainly been painfully aware of plenty of criticism floating around. My answer would be, 99.9% of the books residing on our shelves would not have been written if the requirement was that you could only write about what you are or what you personally experience. I always do my best to ensure that my characters act like men.

11.   What was your path to publication?

‘Stolen Summer’ started as a 1k word answer to a challenge on the writer’s forum ‘Absolute Write’. After I’d finished it the characters would not leave me alone. I kicked an idea or two around for a couple of days, then wrote the first draft in 4 weeks flat. It went through trial by beta reader, then I fixed it. I submitted it to a US e-pub and the editor requested a fairly challenging R and R. I deal with the changes, sent it out to betas, made some final changes and sent it back. It was rejected because the editor couldn’t ‘feel’ the characters. I had a lightbulb moment and realised that the book is very ‘British’, so it made sense to send it to a British e-pub. The editor requested the full about three hours after I sent the first three chapters, then 2 weeks later I had an offer.

12.   Do you have any of those proverbial “books in the back of the drawer that will never see the light of day?”

 See my answers to question 8! hahahaha!

13.   What kind of research do you do for your historical fiction?

Exhaustive. I’m not just concerned with the ‘big picture’, I need the little every day details as well – clothes, food, manners, customs, transportation, furniture, the Full Monty. Then I have to pick the information that makes the most sense to use and try not to indulge in exuberant info dumpage.

14.   What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?

My beloved laptop

15.   What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?

A medium ball point pen, blue or black ink and a narrow-lined notebook.

16.   What is the most persistent distraction from writing?

– my family, cats, domestic drudgery.

17.   What is your ideal writing environment? Have you ever been able to create it?

I don’t think have one. I’ll write anywhere. I can shut out noise most of the time, especially if the story has really grabbed hold of me.

18.   Do you have rules for how steamy you write your sex scenes?

No, not really. I keep everything fairly ‘vanilla’, because although there’s sex scenes in the book, they’re just a small part of the story.

19.   What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on the second Endersley book. It’s set in St Petersburg, during the Russian Revolution and Civil War. The last bit of the book is set in England in the early 1920s.

20.   Who shot first, Han or Greedo?

I had to look this up. I’m a terrible, terrible non-Star Wars person. So, we’re talking about going back and changing something, right? I don’t think there’s anything I’d change. When I saw some of the reviews for ‘Mourning Jack’, where readers were a bit disappointed with the story’s outcome, I did briefly wonder whether I should’ve stuck with the original idea. Then, I decided that I wrote the best story that I could, and the plot is far more indicative of what happens in real life than it would’ve been had I gone for idea number one. I’m proud of ‘Mourning Jack’ because what happens in the book happens to a lot of people. We don’t always end up with the person we initially fall in love with. Sometimes we have to recognise that a relationship isn’t going to work and we move on and find happiness with someone else. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that some of the reactions to the book have made me feel a little sad and frustrated.

S.A. Mead is giving gave away a PDF of her novel ‘Lord of Endersley’ to one lucky person! Just leave a comment below that includes either a twitter handle or e-mail (So we can reach you) and I will draw a lucky winner next week, on Friday, August 10.

And the winner is Vastine!

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The Bucket List

Posted on July 31, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Squee! Tiffany’s made it to Wally World!

Honestly, I’m not keeping close track, but I know I’ve done at least a few hundred words each day this week(that defines an “acceptable” day,) and some days I’ve met the “great” day goal of a couple thousand words. I’ve passed 25,000 words on the WIP, so that’s almost halfway. I’m aiming for around 60,000 to 70,000 words.

Tiffany Reisz retweeted this photo just a bit ago with the text “Well what do you know. I’m in Wal-mart. The magic happened.”

An idle glance may inspire a scoff. “Walmart? Prestigious? Really?” But think about it… many authors never see their books on a bookstore shelf at all. Of those that do, some only see a few copies of their books on the actual shelves, and those for only a short time. Now Walmart has fewer books than your average bookstore. Their “real estate” for books is therefore more precious. Having your book on a Walmart shelf, or grocery store, is huge! Imagine the feeling… of all the books available today… seeing your book as one of those few chosen to be on display.

~sigh~

Someday.

Here’s another set of goals. These aren’t ROW80 goals, these are more “bucket list” things.

  1. My fiction published as part of a larger work. (Happening twice this year! Yeah!)
  2. My fiction published as its own.
  3. My fiction on a bookstore shelf.
  4. My fiction face out (showing the cover, not just the spine) on a bookstore shelf.
  5. My fiction in a large store (Like Wallyworld.)
  6. My fiction on the grocery store shelf.
  7. My fiction, face out, on a grocery store shelf.

There is a long list of awards and such that a writer can achieve. I can dream that someday I might be so honored. But if I ever see my fiction, face out on a grocery store shelf, I’ll know I have truly made it.

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-R8

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SciFi Q of the Day: Are You Pondering What I’m Pondering?

Posted on July 31, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

SciFi Question of the Day: Are you pondering what I’m pondering?

Facebook Answers:

  Cayla Ray   I think so, but a ninja mime would make a lousy spokesman since he’d be neither seen nor heard.

  Juno Suk   I think so, but really, what is the statute of limitations on new words used in the SAT?

  Juno Suk   The prequel to the previous pondering: I was pondering what you were pondering, but sadly, now I am not. But now I’m pondering why what I had previously pondered cannot be considered a preponderance. And for my next pondering, I shall wonder why there is no postponderance and why my next pondering cannot be called as such. And if postponderance would just end up having the opposite definition of preponderance, or could it really mean a pondering that comes after, which would be great because I have always wanted to coin a new word. And what if after such successful coinage, an SAT analogy of preponderance:postponderance was asked? What would be the answer? Because clearly they wouldn’t be opposites, though most students would clearly think they are. And what is the statue of limitations on new words in the SAT?

  AmyBeth Fredricksen That was ponderous…

  Charlie Cecil Riley   I think so, Amy, but if they called them Sad Meals no one would buy them.

  Derri Herbert I think so, but I think getting the elephant past the guard might be tricky.

  Daniel Beard NARF!

  Brian Covault Are you pondering what I’m pondering? There is your answer. If you are, then Yes. Otherwise, no.

  Dan Bressler Great. Now that theme will be running through my head all night.  Da dum da dum dadum. Da dum da dum dadum. Mm hmm hmm-mm ARRRRGGHHHH!

  AmyBeth Fredricksen I don’t remember “Argh” being anywhere in there… I remember “narf” but not “argh”

  AmyBeth Fredricksen I don’t know about you, Brain, but I can hardly breathe when the corset’s laced up THAT tight…

Google Plus Answers:

  Laston Kirkland  I think so brain… but the shoes would keep falling off the puppies.

(edit)  forgot “Narf”

  Shawna Mac  If they invent an AI machine for pets and someone implants one in a chicken so we can hear its thoughts, will that make it morally wrong to eat chickens?

  David Lee  if (myThought === brainThought){ print(“I think so brain..”)}else{print(“narf!”)

  Laston Kirkland  honestly, for the last several weeks I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how big a real working dyson swarm of individual Mckendree cylinders would be. either 10 billion the size of Texas… or ten trillion, depending on how far out the sphere is formed.

So with only say 20 to 30  billion people…  (given triple human birthrates at current speeds) and the technological possibility of creating such a swarm by the end of this century….what would society be like?

  AmyBeth Inverness  OMG I was pondering that exact same thing!!!

  Laston Kirkland  heh, what would people do if we could technically without any hardship, give each and every person on earth a plot of land the size of Texas, with hills and valleys, mountains and rivers, forests and lakes… All maintained by robots, where most material needs are well covered by autonomous systems. http://io9.com/5902205/how-to-build-a-dyson-sphere-in-five-relatively-easy-steps

Would people bunch up into cities? I’d imagine so… and also lone people wanting solitude. plenty of space.and no matter how we tried, unless humans started cloning each other at the same rate the machines would clone the animals and plants…. most would remain empty.People would create every type of society they could think of.  some of them would prosper, many would not.

And still there would be empty ones

There would be entire ships (I’ve been calling them “Rama”‘s, after the book Rendezvous with Rama). devoted to specific ideals, a transhuman society, a cyborg collective, historical reenactments that avoid technology, kingdoms and despots, democracies and republics, some ruled by robots, and some rule by religions. perhaps an entire Rama filled with the clones of one man…

Plenty of room for ALL of them. With lots left over

Scientists would claim entire Ramas for experiments, the Rama of Dr. Moreou, experiments even Monsanto would blanch at…

Pirate Ramas full of the criminals and the unwanted,  Prison Ramas where they aren’t allowed to leave…

And STILL there would be empty ones.

Ten billion… or maybe a thousand times that number. just by moving them out a bit, and making more. with more land inside than Spain, France and Germany combined.

More than a man could count in the span of a normal life, let alone visit. each created by van neuman machines, acting autonomously.

yeah, been working on a plot for a book about that.

  Wayne Beach  We should dentucream ourselves to the bottom of air force one and go weeeee weeeeou weeou?

  AmyBeth Inverness  No, Wayne. That is most definitely NOT what I was pondering.

(Been there, done that. It’s not as fun as it sounds.)

I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.

The previous SciFi Q of the Day is Capes or Spandex

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-QY

The next SciFi Q of the Day is Planetary Time

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What is a Short Story?

Posted on July 28, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Ray Bradbury was not only one of the great prophets of Science Fiction, he was also the undisputed Emperor of the short story.

But what, exactly, is a short story? Is it an excerpt of something greater? Or is it the only worthwhile piece taken out of an otherwise un-noteworthy existence?

By some definition, every story, no matter the length, is an excerpt. We live complicated lives. Telling the true story of a life would be impossible without it being much longer than the life itself.

Take one of my favorite recent novels, The Time Traveler’s Wife, which was also adapted into a movie. (Yes, yes, inevitable spoiler alert…) Even if we discount the fact that much of his childhood is only summarized, the story of his life is really the story of his time travel and how that affected his marriage. Mentions are made of his friendships and work life, but these are downplayed in deference to the real story line. The story is an excerpt of his life. It doesn’t tell the whole story.

When I first read some of the great Ray Bradbury’s short stories, I was struck by a sense of “But What Happened Next?!?”

I wanted more.

I didn’t get it.

Well, I got more stories. Bradbury was prolific, thank God! But it is rare that a short story is turned into a larger work. That’s not the point. It’s not a contest where only the best of the best shorts get to grow up and become novels. The point of a short story is to convey a complete story in as few words as possible.

On many of the short stories I’ve shared Under Loch and Key, I get comments like “That was great! I hope you continue this…” Those comments give me mixed feelings. I’m glad they liked the story…but wasn’t it complete in and of itself? Didn’t it give a satisfying ending?

Oh, the ending… well, if I’m writing Romance, it must have a Happily Ever After or at least an “emotionally satisfying” ending. That’s the rule. In SciFi, I can blow up the entire solar system and kill off all my characters, and still have a good story. Sometimes the ending is supposed to make the reader think “…and then what happened?”

Like in my short story Burning the Letter. It stands alone, with characters I’ve never written about before and probably never will again. At the end, I want the reader to wonder what happens next. I want to spark discussion about whether Emily can save her marriage, or even whether she should. I don’t want to write more and take that pondering away.

Then again, there are short stories like Synaesthesia. I wrote it as a stand-alone, just a little short inspired by a picture of John Quinlan. But inspiration struck and I turned it into an 18 chapter novella.

So what is a short story? To what extent must it stand alone? If the reader is left wanting more, does that mean the writer has succeeded or failed?

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-QR

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Interview With Lizz Porter

Posted on July 27, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Headshot by zemyaphotography

The short version of Lizz’s bio:

Heh. The short version. Thing number one, I’m tall. I’ve been told I should have a warning on my blog, so here it is! I am taller in real life than I appear on the internet.

Other than that, I’m a graphic designer who plays photographer and writer in my free time, and I adore my husband Jamie and our kiddo, Max.

Want to know more than this “short” version? Click here for more and then some!

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1. Are you a funny girl?

The official answer is: I think I have my moments, but really, I think I’m funnier in real life than I am in writing. Funny on purpose is HARD!

2. Where did you come up with the name for your blog?

 People have told me I’m funny, and my husband is the funniest person I know, so I’m always trying to outfunny him, or at least make him laugh as hard as he makes me laugh. So, I try.

3. For young people hoping to meet their soul mate, what summer camp would you recommend they attend?

 Heh. Of the 10 couples/families we hang out with on a regular basis, we’ve known at least one of the couple since those high school summer camp days. And of those 10 couples, 3 others have stories very similar to ours. 🙂 You know those Episcopalians, letting teenagers run rampant at church camp! 😉

4. What’s the worst or most common visual mistake new bloggers tend to make when setting up their site?

 Focusing too much on the look of it and not enough on content. The most beautiful blog in the world isn’t going to do anything if there’s no content. What’s the point of decorating for a party if you aren’t inviting anyone?

5. What kind of graphic design work do you do besides helping other bloggers?

 I actually need to update my bio! I’m no longer a graphic designer by day; I got a new job last month and am now a Social Media/Community Manager for an awesome app called Life360! But I’ll always do design on the side; it’s in my blood. I love creating paper goods for parties and celebrations. I just did a gorgeous (if I say so myself!) invite for a friend’s wedding that was inspired by an old vaudeville poster!

6. What are your favorite photographic subjects?

 Willing ones. The biggest hurdle in my photography is finding people to shoot! I’m always harassing friends to let me shoot them… I actually just today came up with a personal art project I want to start doing, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet. (Sorry!)

7. What concerns should bloggers keep in mind when they want to use an image on their blog, but it’s not in the public domain?

 Just because something’s on the internet doesn’t make it free to use. Just because you say “Image from Flickr” or something does not grant you permission to use it! Here’s something a blogger is going through right now:

RoniLoren.com:bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.

And, if you find a photo you’d love to use, email the photographer! You never know, they just might say yes!

8. Have you ever designed a book cover?

 Only for school projects and in my mind… I design covers in my head for every story I write. Album covers too, if I ever decided to become a rock star. (That’s what I mean by design is in my blood! I can’t help it!)

9. What’s the difference between a writer and a blogger?

 Oooh… making me think now! I think a lot of it is intent. All bloggers are writers, but not all writers are bloggers. Someone who keeps a blog for the purpose of a journal, they’re a writer. The blogger aspect (to me) is more about the big picture. You write, yes, but the community, the interaction, the relationships, that’s as much a part of the blogging as the actual words.

10. What’s the difference in your writing and your blogging?

 My blogging is often just a basic rundown of the events; I made cookies, here’s a step-by-step. I write letters to Max, or document his day to day, just to get it down. Writing, like capital W Writing, is about the story. Whether fiction or non. The Writing takes more of a scenic route to get to the point than blogging..

11. What genres do you write? Would you consider trying others?

 I write a lot of what I would classify as chick lit, but only in short form. The longest I’ve ever stuck with a story is only 3 or 4 parts I think, for Write on Edge… I’ve never thought about it, to be honest. I read lots of genres, but can’t even wrap my brain around writing fantasy or sci-fi. Naming characters is one of the biggest challenges for me, so I can’t even imagine trying to create and name an entire world!

12. What is the most persistent distraction from writing?

 Life. My 4 year old and my job. I do what I can, but also can’t ignore the commitments that are tugging on me constantly. The best part about my new job is that I have an hour train ride each way that I can read or write every day! I just need to get back into the practice of it.

13. Do you always transpose the writing that you do longhand, or does it sometimes just remain handwriting on paper?

 No, not always. I’ve got loads of unfinished, handwritten notebooks of ideas and non-fleshed out plotlines. I also don’t *always* start out on paper; for Writing I usually do, but Blogging is often straight into the computer.

14. Are you actively seeking publication, or do you just write for your own enjoyment?

 I just write because I love it. Not saying that if someone offered to publish me I’d turn them down, but it isn’t even really a goal I’ve thought to set for myself. I have lots of other things I’d like to do, that are more important to me, before publishing is a goal.

15. How long have you been linking up with Write On Edge?

 Year and a half, maybe? When it was still the Red Dress Club, for sure. I think I started in January or February 2011?

16. What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?

 My MacBook Pro. It’s my baby.

17. What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?

 A good rollerball pen and a new legal pad.

18. What is your ideal writing environment? Have you ever been able to create it?

 A comfy chair where I can write on my lap; curl my legs up under me, and just write. I’d love a window with a gorgeous view that I could gaze out of for inspiration (mountains, beach, whatever) I’ve never actually been able to create it, but I make do on my couch!

19. Who’d you rather have as a personal assistant: Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, or Sarah-Jane?

 Amy. I have a mad girlcrush on her right now. My all-time favorite companion for sure.

20. Who shot first, Han or Greedo?

Han. And you have to go listen to this song: http://soundcloud.com/the-board-of-education/why-is-dad-so-mad-single

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-QE

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A Good Week

Posted on July 25, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Happy Wednesday!

Last time I defined my goals as being between 500 and 2,000 words each day. Since then, I’ve had several good days, a couple of great days, and a couple of just ok days.

I’m happy with that.

My biggest issue (something I’m learning about myself) is I have a bad tendency to want to have everything in the periphery all neatly tied up and finished before I get to my WIP. So there were several days where I wrote blog posts and unrelated shorts instead of making progress on the WIP. I need to fix that, and make sure that words get added even if the laundry isn’t done and the blog posts aren’t scheduled.

Something new I’m trying, and it’s a bit of a risk, is to write a fictional blog that goes with the WIP. The idea is that readers can look at the blog and have an enhanced idea of who these characters are. I’m enjoying it, and although it is extra work (I had to create accounts for all 5 Sojourner main characters) I think it will pay off in the long run. I just need to make sure that I get the books finished in a reasonable amount of time, so that by the time the stories are in the hands of the readers, the blog is only a couple of years old at the most.

I hope all the other ROWers had a good week too!

Having trouble thinking up a relevant comment to leave? Let me prompt you! Forget about saying something profound or meaningful. Just tell me what your favorite month of the year is.

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-QO

Posted in ROW80, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

SciFi Q of the Day: Capes or Spandex?

Posted on July 24, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

SciFi Question of the Day: If you could have either the superpower of flight, but you had to wear a cape, or the superpower of telekinesis, but you have to wear spandex (with nothing over it) which would you choose?

Facebook Answers:

  Dave Mac What color of spandex?

  AmyBeth Fredricksen Mauve.

  Dave Mac NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  AmyBeth Fredricksen The cape is reversible… black on one side and white on the other. How about that?

  Dave Mac That could work.

  Emily Becker Priest only a cape? what goes with that outfit?

  Dave Mac something MAUVE?

  AmyBeth Fredricksen As long as you’re wearing the cape and it’s free to flap around and stuff, you can fly. You can’t stuff the cape into your backpack, it won’t work. And the spandex, if that is your choice, gives you telekinesis but it doesn’t work if you cover up the spandex.

  Emily Becker Priest so you could wear a cape and street clothes?

  Lori Munnoch Gaudet If I was 10 yrs younger, I would so go with the telekinesis and spandex. As it is, I’d have to settle for flight and the cape to hide behind.

  Dave Mac CAN I still fly with an invisible cape?

  Daniel Beard NO CAPES!

  AmyBeth Fredricksen No invisibility.

  Daniel Beard I have always wondered. if your telekinesis is fine enough, can you actually use it as mind control? Or do we just get Scanners?

  Geri Bressler See, no way I’m wearing spandex…but I’m afraid of heights…eep?

  Dave Mac Noted… no jumping off tall buildings with an invisible cape.

  Gwendolyn Wilkins The spandex, hands down!!

  Dave Mac No putting your hand down my spandex!! Well OK, but form a line….

  Dave Mac OK… I’m going with the spandex.

  Jim Hollis hmmmm, i would like flying but with the telekinesis i could bend peoples wills so i will take some royal blue spandex plz

  AmyBeth Fredricksen WAIT! Why are so many people equating telekinesis with mind control? Am I missing something here?

  Dave Mac It’s Spock’s fault something about the Kelvins

  Brian Covault Yeah, I thought telekinesis was the power to move objects with one’s mind. I’d rather be able to fly. So, I’ll take flying.

  AmyBeth Fredricksen Well, I’ve learned something about my facebook friends today. They want to be invisible, control people’s mind, and be randomly groped.

  Jim Hollis because i would develop it into a mind control. but if you can read peoples minds you can still manipulate them into doing things you wish, or make a living in vegas as a mind reader lol

  Jim Hollis wait if its random groping im out, give me flying lol

  Gawain Ouronos I would happily (and easily) take the cape and flying! 🙂

  Jim Hollis think of the money saved on airfare and you could fly people around for a small fee of course lol

  AmyBeth Fredricksen But Jim … telekinesis lets you toss couch cushions around the room with your brain power… it doesn’t let you read people’s mind… that would be telepathy… sort of…

  Jim Hollis hmmm kinda like green lantern?

  Jim Hollis but he gets to fly too

  Dave Mac or did Priceline commericals

  AmyBeth Fredricksen Green Lantern has a frikkin’ huge list of superpowers.

  Jim Hollis yes he does 😀

  Dave Mac well for one, he’s green

  Dave Mac Believe it not I’m walking on air. Never though I could feel so free. Flying along on a wing and a prayer, who could it be? believe it or not it’s just me……

  Juno Suk With the power of telekinesis, I could move myself around with my mind. So essentially, I could both fly and telekinese – thus I’ll take the telekinesis any day. As for the spandex, I’ll just move peoples’ eyeballs inwards as I telekinetically fly pass them, so there you go – invisibility too. Or I could telekinetically undress people instead. Then my spandex is the least of their worries. And I get to enjoy the show!

  AmyBeth Fredricksen ‎…alrighty then…

  Melissa Conway Flight and cape…how cool would Halloween be then?!

Google Plus Answers:

  Keith J Davies  can I use telekinesis to fly?
  Ryan Drewrey  ^^ Very important question
  Ryan Drewrey  Also – is the power in the cape itself? Or would any cape do?
If the cape is stolen – are the powers stolen?
Ditto the spandex
  Ryan Drewrey  THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS!!
  AmyBeth Inverness  +Keith J Davies not very well.
  Thomas Sanjurjo  I’d take telekinesis anyday, and you can keep the spandex, if I had to do it nekkid, so be it.
  Mark Means  Probably telekinesis….I’m afraid of heights! 🙂
  Ryan Drewrey  Flight.
  Christopher Blanchard  Flight. I would love to both skip traffic and save on gas at the same time. 🙂
  Jaysen Edgin  +Keith J Davies, that was my first thought exactly.
  Keith J Davies  ‘not very well’ != ‘not at all’, next question is how powerful is the telekinesis and what is its range?
SImilarly, how fast and good is the flight?+Mark Means would you still be afraid of heights if you could fly, though?If I could fly I would possibly find reasons to, but I certainly have ways to apply finely-controlled, reasonably powerful telekinesis at range.

  Matthew Robinson  This is easy for me. I’d wear a cape to get the power to wear a cape!  I mean, who doesn’t want to wear a cape? Even if you just said, ‘Here, you can fly now,’ The first thing I’d do is find a cape.
  Jaysen Edgin  +Matthew Robinson, you have to be careful with capes.  They get caught in plane engines and all that jaz.
  Matthew Robinson  I’ve thought of that.  It could be used to choke you, too.  I’d just need a safety catch where it attaches to my neck, something that would break away before it could pull me or choke me.
  fan tai  You are all looking at this wrong.

Spandex + cape!!!Remember, if you can’t wish for more wishes, wish for more genies to grant you more wishes
  AmyBeth Inverness  Oh my…
So, +Matthew Robinson gets the cape with breakaway collar, like a cat’s.
+Ryan Drewrey you must have the article of clothing for the power to work. I’m not sure whether it would work for a thief…
+Keith J Davies the flight ability has potential. You’ll have to learn and practice in order to get good at it.
  Keith J Davies  of course it would take practice.  You can find me down by the lake.
  Jenn Thorson  I’d go with flight. The cape can be done with panache. No one wants to see me in spandex.

This guy rocks both the cape AND the spandex! 

I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.

The previous SciFi Q of the Day is Celebrations

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Qu

The next SciFi Q of the Day is Are You Pondering What I’m Pondering?

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Interview With Heather Cole

Posted on July 20, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Heather Cole blogs about sex with her best friend, Nikki, at VAGINA ANTICS. Heather loves sex in all forms but hates labels. However, if you insist…She’s a bisexual, BDSM slave and masochist (i.e. pain slut) in an open relationship. She’s also a single mom, a baker and a budding seamstress. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, sweeties.

When not blogging, Heather writes BDSM erotica and urban fantasy and haunts the local farmer’s market for ripe produce and sausage. Her pies are to die for. She’ll answer all your questions, y’all, but keep a civil tongue in your head. After all, she is a southern lady.

1.      What was your path to publication?

Oh, I’m still on that long and winding road! I wrote my first urban fantasy novel four years ago and began querying agents. There was interest, but I stuck my manuscript in a box while I tried to get pregnant. If you’ve ever gone through invitro fertilization, you’ll understand why my writing took a backseat to hormone injections and fertility drugs. Once I had my beautiful baby girl, I started blogging. It was a creativity blog dedicated to mothers. I had maybe twenty minutes a day to myself, and to keep from getting the new mother blues, I wrote. We moved out-of-state, and my marriage started to fall apart. I turned online to begin building a platform to sell my novel. I had decided at that point to self-publish. I made friends on Twitter with horror/urban fantasy writers and wrote short stories for their blogs. Then I got accepted into a horror anthology. I was ecstatic about the direction of my writing career, but my marriage was about to implode. I got divorced and another blog was born. I blog at Vagina Antics with my best friend, Nikki, and we talk frankly about everything your mama told you not to say in public regarding sex. Not to be rude or to sensationalize our sex lives, but because we felt that surely there was someone else out there who could commiserate with us about being over-thirty, divorced single moms looking for satisfying sex partners. Surely!

2.      How did you and Nikki Blue meet?

Oh, AmyBeth, this question made me laugh out loud. Nikki and I met on Twitter. We joked about writing, motherhood and decided to form a band called the Soulmateclones since our lives had a lot of striking similarities. Lo and behold, it turned out that we were both having virtual affairs with the same man. Believe it or not, that only served to cement our friendship.

3.      Is the memoir you’re working on a life story? Or is it focused on something in particular?

Nikki and I are writing the memoir together. It begins when we first talked about the man we were *cough* seeing, and continues until present day. It’s also about how we rediscovered who we are sexually and came out as being kinky. We’ve tentatively titled it Naked Baking.

4.      What else are you working on now?

My priority is writing a new urban fantasy novel, and I started a second novel with the intention of it being erotica but it’s turning into a mother/daughter/Steel Magnolia story. ARGH! My problem is that I can’t write happy endings.

5.      What do all the letters in BDSM stand for?

<whips out kink membership card>  B/D stands for bondage and discipline, S/M stands for sadism and masochism or sadomasochism. Then there’s my favorite part embedded in the middle, D/s stands for Dominance and submission.

6.      What kind of demonstrations does one see at a BDSM conference?

I assume you’re referring to the BDSM Writer’s Conference that Nikki and I are attending in NYC in August. (This is different from a BDSM Convention for example where fetishes are the focus.) I’m not entirely certain about all the demos. I believe there are knife play and bondage demonstrations. I really, really hope to get tied up. The focus of the workshop is how to write believable, accurate BDSM. There’s a very popular book out right now written by an author who googled BDSM without ever experiencing it. The workshop is there to give writers experience without them having to be in the lifestyle.

7.      Does the label polyamorous imply promiscuity?

I’m giving you first prize for quality interview questions! No, polyamorous doesn’t imply promiscuity for me. Although, from a monogamous perspective, I’m sure it can look like that at first glance. Promiscuity is defined by indiscriminate sexual relations, like you’re getting down and dirty with any ‘ol person giving you the come-hither look. Let me tell you, honey, there is nothing indiscriminate about my sex life. There’s planning and discussion, debate and more discussion. Up until very recently I had two partners, one who was my Master and Dom and a second boyfriend who was more traditional. My mama certainly thought such an arrangement was impossible. I’ve only been poly for a year so far, and I’m still learning about myself and partners. What I do know is that those two relationships were full of love, mutual respect and honesty. Sleeping with random people wasn’t part of our dynamic.

8.      Can human sexuality be divided into heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual, or is it more complicated?

In my humble, non-scientific opinion it’s WAY complicated, and not necessarily in a bad way. I feel that it’s a unique combination of biology and anthropological influences. However, I respect and honor that each of us is “wired” a certain way. I remember wishing with all my heart for a girlfriend back in high school, but I would have died before admitting it. I still want a girlfriend, but I want a man as my main partner. How’s that for complicated? Hetero-flexible is a popular term these days. So is sapiosexual. I mean, there are a million ways to categorize our sexual needs. It’s easy for census polls to give us three main categories for our sexuality, but my personal philosophy is that you love who you love. I mentioned the whole hating labels thing…right? <grin>

9.      What advice would you give a person having trouble reconciling woman as “Mommy” with woman as a sexual being?

Great gravy, I have been there. After my daughter was born, I didn’t consider myself a sexual being for a loooooong time. My sexuality had flown the coop! Really, I had only buried it. As human beings, we are never just “one” thing. We are multi-faceted, dynamic women. The trick is honoring all the parts of you. Yes, I journeyed out in the goshdang southern summer heat to take my little girl to a movie looking suspiciously like a zombie in yoga pants. However, tomorrow I’m going to be wearing a dress and heels and styled to the nines to go pick up men in a bar. JUST KIDDING! I’m having friends over for fondue and a flogging demonstration. My point is that it’s about tapping into what makes you feel sexy. And you as a beautiful, desirable, sexual woman is also the same woman who will bring a bazillion cupcakes to three-year-old soccer day camp. Yes, that exists. Yes, it’s hell. Um, did I answer the question?

10.  What is your favorite electronic or digital writing tool?

I heart Evernote HARD! I store all my freelance client notes, novel notes, and Vagina Anticsnotes on there. It’s like working with electronic post-it notes that you can organize into notebooks and even share with other people. PLUS, you can clip articles, recipes etc off the web and add them to your notes. I swear, almost all my life is in Evernote.

11.  What is your favorite non-electronic writing tool?

My Pilot Dr. GRIP Gel pen in metallic pink.

12.  What is the most persistent distraction from writing?

MY CHILD. Whom I adore and yet…oh, there’s Twitter too.

13.  Many writers go through a stage when they hate what they’re writing.  Do you ever feel this way? How do you get through it?

Yes, yes, yes! Oh holy carps, did I loathe my fiction for a bit. It was because I was trying to write a novel with a happy ending. I admire and am envious of writers who can do that. I got through it by accepting that I can’t write them worth a goshdarn and decided to stick with writing about something I love. And I love writing the not-so-happy ending. Even if I trash a 1000 words, if I wrote it in pursuit of the idea I’m passionate about then it’s not in vain.

14.  What social media do you use?  Do you use them solely for promotion, or do you have fun?

I’m a Twitter addict. I tweet about what I’m writing, freelance work, sex, what I’m baking and the spider that inevitably sends me shrieking on to a chair. My mama says that I’m a drama queen on Twitter and that my followers are a Greek chorus. <rolls eyes> I also tweet about my mama.

I don’t care for Facebook although I have a page.

15.  Do you have rules for how steamy you write your sex scenes?

I have no rules. Wait…that came out wrong.

16.  When you first heard about Felt Tips, did you immediately have a story idea?

Yes! I immediately pictured a woman in love. In hell. Literally.

17.  What is the most memorable (or disturbing) thing Tiffany Reisz has ever tweeted?

During the last RWA, she went to the Sex Museum and tweeted that ducks were necrophiliacs. I now view every duck with suspicion.

18.  What’s the best thing about being a part of an anthology?

The amazing writers I get to meet. Like you! I’ve seen you around Twitter (not in a stalking way) and always wanted to say hi, but never had the guts. The anthology gave me the impetus to gather my gumption and say hello. It’s the sense of community and being part of a creative collective that makes me swoon.

19.  In your interview with Jenny Lyn, you said that your favorite office supply is post-it notes. Don’t you worry about paper cuts?

Oh no. My post-it note addiction is too strong for caution.

20.   Who shot first, Han or Greedo?

(I busted out my Princess Leia bikini to answer this. It’s fantastic to wear a collar and leash again.)

Han shot first. Of course he did! He wasn’t going to let some half-assed bounty hunter get the drop on him. He was one of those perfect characters, flawed with a hint of oily in his charm and drop-your-pants charismatic. Re-writing it was an act of writer’s ego. That wasn’t a tiny re-write. It was a huge one! Never mind that Captain Solo was the prototype of my dream guy in my twenties. Do you have any idea how many men I dated to find that one, might-have-been Han?! No, don’t answer that.

After Heather sent me her answers, I read her interview with Jenny Lyn and I just HAD to ask one more “bonus” question!

21.  What exactly is an  “Artichoke Gauntlet?”

AMYBETH! You gorgeous, woman! Where did your power go? Did you put the hamster in the wheel to power electricity to your laptop? Or am I the only one who still does that?

(Note: my electricity went out in the middle of writing the e-mail. We had to go recruit new hamsters.)

Yes! The artichoke gauntlet….oh how I love that sassy Jenny Lyn.

We were discussing Felt Tips and the authors we’ll be featuring at Vagina Antics. Jenny Lyn wrote and asked for some ideas. She said that she wanted to do a short fiction piece but that she needed some clues. Like, Colonel Mustard in the library with a candle stick. Ooooo…hot wax…wait, what was I saying?? OH! So I put my thinking cap on, and since I’m thinking about food most of the time, I replied with “culinary school, whisk and artichoke.” (in a TMI note: I began slave training in a kitchen with a giant, solid wooden spoon, and I can honestly say that spoon hurt worse than the riding crop I now have. What can I say, I have a fondness for utensils.) I followed up with JL with a quick, “but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to! I shouldn’t have worried.” Jenny Lyn rose to the occasion with a bunch of artichoke research. I LOVE HER! And thank goodness for Twitter. We had a week straight of artichoke tweets. 🙂

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Q0

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Anti-misanthrope

Posted on July 19, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Last week I posted this SciFi Question of the Day on both Facebook and Google Plus:

SciFi Question of the Day: If an intelligent, alien race that values peace, kindness, and the spirit of community (IE working together to make things better for all involved) were to visit Earth today, randomly walking into various communities instead of approaching heads of governments, how would they judge the various multitudes across the planet? How would your own community fare in comparison?

I knew that there would be at least a few people saying negative things about the human race, but I expected that there would be at least a few who would find the good in us.

Not a chance.

On both sites, the comments ran from mild “…there’s a good chance they won’t hate us completely…” to vitriolic “I suspect our lip-service to peace, love, and harmony juxtaposed with our propensity for violence on the micro- and macro-scale (small animals, spanking children up to dropping atom bombs and genocide) would confuse and scare them. ”

Really?

I don’t think so. I really don’t. From the first caveman who learned to bind a wound on some other caveman, humans have always helped each other. Sure, we hear about horrible deeds every day, but that’s because it’s the exception, not the rule. If I walk down the street and trip, I will have total strangers come to my aid; they won’t descend on me like wolves.

I think it’s popular these days for us to hate ourselves. I really hope we, as a species, grow out of it. Self-deprecating humor is considered humble. Women compare themselves to some ridiculous ideal and feel inferior. And one of the strongest, yet most ridiculous memes is Americans hating and/or apologizing for being American! Why do so many US citizens believe that the rest of the world hates us? Are they really basing this so-called-knowledge on the actions of a few extremists or terrorists? Because I really don’t get that “vibe” from the rest of the planet. I’ve only traveled internationally a handful of times, but people are people everywhere you go. We have diverse opinions regarding what makes a good government or what the best methods of child-rearing are, but overall we all just want to get along.

There are nations ruled by anarchy or oppressive regimes, but the people living in these nations are still good, decent human beings. Again, it’s the exception, not the rule. Unfortunately, sometimes “the exception” gains an inordinate amount of power and then abuses it. But even the raging rivalry between Republicans and Democrats is based on the fact that both want what is best for the nation at large. They simply disagree about how to do that or what it means.

I think that if aliens walked among us today, blending in so we would act naturally, they would be pleased with what they’d find. They’d find emergency services that rush out to help whomever calls, without first judging whether or not that help is deserved, or asking the person to give them money before help is rendered. They’d see someone accidentally drop something on the street, just to have a perfect stranger rush to pick it up and hand it back. They’d find a race of people who care about each other on an individual level, even though the governments that rule them often disagree.

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Qm

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Close Enough

Posted on July 18, 2012 by AmyBeth Inverness

Last night we had a power outage. No big deal, although the thunder was loud, the hail brief but violent, the children hyper and the pets confused. Of course, the battery on my ageing laptop only lasts about a half hour, so there was no work to be done anyway.

I did it! Or, at least close enough to “it” that I’m calling it ready-to-move-on. A couple days ago I finally finished my Marie Antionette story What Would Have Been and scheduled the blog posts to pop up in a timely fashion. I finished proofreading for one friend, but I still have to finish critting a novel for another friend. (That’s where the term “close enough” comes in.) Now I feel comfortable with setting this round’s goals and focusing my attention on the Pangalactic Sojourners.

  • Continue with the regular blog commitments. This is so easy, I won’t bother going into detail. The “regular” stuff I do on my blog is all routine now and fairly easy to manage.
  • ♥
  • Write every day. OK, I’ll allow myself one day a week where no #AmWriting happens, but it can’t turn into falling off the wagon. Although adding to the WIP is, of course, most desirable, writing counts as blog posts (both real and fictional ones) responding to prompts with short little things I share with other writers, or jotting down something in a notebook because I’m away from the computer. Here’s what constitutes writing every day:
        • 500 words: not great, but acceptable.
        • 1,000 words: an average day. Good, but not great.
        • 2,000 words: the goal… the high mark, the number I strive for, even knowing that most days I won’t be able to reach it.
  • I still have one elusive goal I’m chasing… I can usually do #1k1hr as long as I’m warmed up and in writing mode. But I have yet to break the #2k1hr barrier. I’ll keep working at that!
  • I’m not going to add in exercise goals or anything like that this time. Just writing. I need to make writing a priority, not something I let myself do when everything else is finished.

Hey! I know why I didn’t finish everything yet…

The shortlink for this post is http://wp.me/p1qnT4-Qj

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