Ratings, Content Advisory, and Books I Want to Read

I come to this post today a little irritated, and a bit incredulous. Literary agent Nathan Bransford had a recent blog post about whether or not books should be content-rated, like movies and video games are. The biggest bit of contention seems to be in Young Adult, but really, people are very, very opinionated on both sides of this argument. Some say that parents (and librarians, and teachers, etc.) should be able to instantly assess whether or not a book is appropriate for their children. Others say that parents should be on top of the parenting, either reading the things their children are reading, or looking up reviews, or even *gasp* talking to their children about what they're reading. Read some of the comments on that post for an idea.

As both an avid reader and a writer, I'm against this. First off, who is deciding these ratings? Are you really trusting someone else to know what's best for your child, instead of you, as the parent? What, exactly, gets flagged? Someone early in the comments mentioned that they wouldn't want their child reading something that mentioned a "gay couple, or a child visiting their parent in jail". That's an extreme amount of sheltering right there, for starters. Children do not live in a bubble. Also, if we're using ratings in the way that we do for movies, then that sends up all kinds of flags. How heavily-rated are certain triggers? Violence, sex, drugs, profanity? There can be an awful lot of violence in a PG-13 movie. Drugs can be glorified, or treated quite the opposite.

If this were to happen, how would it affect writers? Would they shy away from certain subjects, worried that their novel will be flagged, and potentially kept from readers? Would they try to "bump up" a rating? Shouldn't this be something agents and publishers worry about when putting a book out there--where along the spectrum it falls? That's why books are edited before publication. I wouldn't want to have to worry about this, and think twice about including something I thought should be part of the story, because I'm worried some parent who didn't bother to read a review (let alone the book) will automatically nix my book in the list of things their child could read, and form their own opinions on.

As a child, I read anything I could get my hands on. I still do. My parents trusted my judgment, figuring that I could discern books worthy of my time and attention. I read things that would have been WAY over what a ratings system would have said I could read (Stephen King's Firestarter at age seven comes first to mind, followed by Pet Sematary at age eight). They didn't scar me any. I didn't pick up things full of graphic sex or drugs before I could deal with them. There's a limit to what a person's mind will process, especially with kids. Sometimes it goes right over the head. It's quite different to seeing a scene in vivid color on a screen, complete with Dolby Digital surround sound. Besides, if you start flagging certain books, not only does it raise the possibility that it'll end up in banned-book territory (and let's not forget the AmazonFail thing not all that long ago), but it'll only entice some younger audiences to get ahold of a copy ("this book is flagged for sex? Alright!"). Besides, if you don't like some of the things presented in a story, what on earth says you have to keep reading?

I've been reading a lot of fan fiction lately. Most of this has content advisory. Things like "graphic sex, same-sex pairings, character death, angst, rape, profanity"... It's a common practice in fanfic. So little fanfic is PG-13 or below (I know it exists, but most of what I see is rated R or NC-17). I don't have so much of a problem with this. Mostly because if a book is published as Young Adult, I'm going to assume it's okay for the vast majority of young adults (I know, I'm silly like that). Also, things like rape and graphic sex are different from characters just making out. Fanfic is written by people of all sorts of persuasians (er... I may or may not be considering writing my first bit of fanfic, though it's not like I even have an OTP for this particular fandom). If there weren't the copyright issues, and fanfic had the option to follow the traditional routes of publishing, not a lot of it would pass that wasn't published by a house that didn't specifically deal in romance or erotic content. Some of it would, of course, but it'd be held to the same standard of any other bit of literature.

So, those are my general thoughts on the matter. I'd love to hear yours.

In other news, I've found a number of books that I really need to read. Thirty-eight, in fact, were added to my To Read list in the last few days alone. On the top of that list is probably Ash, by Malinda Lo, followed by Sarah Beth Durst's Ice and Seanan McGuire's Rosemary and Rue. I need to get a library card, and soon. If I can get any of these soon, expect a review. That reminds me. I have a review of Stiff done, but it's hand-written. I'll type that up and get it posted soon.

when "research" turns into 4 hours of clicking and laughing...

Again, it's been a while. This time, however, I do have a good excuse. My husband was hospitalized for a life-threatening condition. I had internet for the 9 days I spent in the hospital with him, but it cut out every couple of minutes or so, and the connection had all sorts of restrictions (it wouldn't let me sign in to post here, for example).

Unfortunately, there isn't much to report on the writing front. I didn't get much writing done in that time. That isn't to say I didn't think about it often (there really is only so much TV-watching you can do, especially in a hospital). I plan on getting my chapter nine finished this week. Well, that's the hope. I think I might have been *thisclose* to titling the current novel, but I was under insane amounts of stress and quite sleep-deprived, so I might have hallucinated almost finding a title. Not sure.

I am completely sure, however, that the titled YA urban fantasy is going to be my NaNo project for this year. I need to do a bit more brainstorming on that one. I believe there will be more humor in that one than in the current one (the current one has some humor, but I wouldn't consider it a comedy, whereas the new one will have much more in the way of comedy).

I was linked to TVtropes.com by a friend, and it is one of those sites that can be incredibly helpful, but is dangerous. Total "Wiki Walk" territory. I can spend hours at a time there. To the point where one friend mentioned that she was going to have to send several well-oiled, muscled men in to extricate me. But still, I love it, and I recommend giving it a little browse if you haven't already. Tropes like Crowning Moment of Awesome, Heroic Blue Screen of Death, Big Damn Heroes, The Reason You Suck Speech, and the Pre Ass Kicking One Liner are some of my favorites (those were just the first few to come immediately to mind). Yes, I use the site for research purposes, but I have a hard time making people believe that, as I spend so much time giggling while reading.

Progress. Also, looking ahead to NaNo '09.

It's been a little too long since I've updated. I apologize. I don't have some amazing excuse.

I haven't had a chance to read much lately (I haven't read anything in the last 2 months, which is highly unusual for me). I did see the 6th HP movie, which rekindled the desire to reread the books (went with a few people, and we spent lunch afterward discussing movie vs book canon). So that *may* happen in the next few weeks. I may have more time for reading, come mid-August. I'm hoping so.

I am still writing the fantasy. I have two friends working as beta readers. One has a degree in Creative Writing, and the other describes herself as someone like my "average reader" or target audience. It's good to have feedback from both. They each have a favorite character (or two) picked out, and they have picked different ones. That makes me feel a little better--more than one of my characters are likable, and it means that some of the characteristics I was trying to showcase actually came through in execution. I am writing the eighth chapter now, and so far, the story's about 180 pages. I'd say it's close to half done. It's about to take a fun turn here, in chapter eight. I'm looking forward to that part.

I still don't have a title for this story, but I'm much closer on that front. I have it narrowed down to the type of idea I want conveyed in the title. Hm. That sounds odd. Basically, there are three or four words that I'd like included in the title in some way (it doesn't have to be all four). So I'm currently brainstorming ideas and alternate words and phrases around these words, to see what comes up. Kind of like free association. Once I pick a title, I'll post about it.

The next story I do will likely be the fifth idea I've had (the one that came with a title). Yes, it will be out of order, but this idea forms more and more as time goes on, while the YA urban fantasy hasn't given me a lot in the way of new ideas. There have been a few (I've figured out who/what the sidekick is, and their personality. I might even have figured out who they're being named after), but not as many as with the other story. That one's either urban fantasy or magical realism. It could lean either way. I still have some time to decide. It'll be this year's NaNoWriMo piece. Speaking of, I've found some more friends who will be participating this year, and while none of the new NaNo friends are local (one on the West Coast, two in the UK), it will still be fun. We can still communicate through the Chat. I'm looking forward to it.

A New Idea

There was a two or three year period where I had writer's block, not all that long ago. And I mean that as in absolutely, completely, one hundred percent blocked. No ideas. No ability to write anything--no fiction, no creative non-fiction, no poetry, nothing.

Apparently, this current period is to make up for that.

I was hanging around in the chat (which, for the purposes of here, will be the Undead Chat, or just Chat) which I frequent, and some members were posting a few lines here and there of some of their bits of writing, and a new idea just hit me. A wonderful writer was giving us some of the beginning of something they'd written and haven't yet finished, and one line of hers triggered a new idea for me. They would very, very generally be about something similar, but the actual plot would be completely different. The amount of similarity is more like "a story about a guy who has xxxxx". I know it's an idea that's been done before (I think I may even have seen it around the NaNoWriMo boards last year, in a couple of incarnations), but there's really not anything new under the sun, now, is there? It's all how you work it.

The nice thing about this new idea, which is tentatively "Novel #5", is that it came with a title. A one word title, and I like it. I like the connotations (reminds me of domestication, and my pets, and loads of other stuff). It's kind of snappy. And it fits the general bits of the story, but doesn't give anything away that won't be known right off. It also lets me play with the idea in my head some more... I'm still trying to nail down if the character is in his current situation (which is the title, actually) of his own volition, or someone else's. Also, if his condition is more scifi, or fantasy.

I still have #3 to finish (trying to wrap up chapter 4 right now, in between typing this and keeping an eye on the Chat). Er... and #2, which was put on hold a bit for the freight train that was/is novel #3. And there's still novel #4, which needs to be fleshed out a good deal before I can begin to write it. And I really should edit #1...

For once, lots and lots of ideas, not enough hours in the day to get it all done and still function. I'm thinking I will concentrate on the 3rd novel, and take occasional moments to finish up the last 20% or so of #2, for now. #4 might be my NaNoWriMo novel for this year... and if it's not, #5 will be.

With Apologies To My Spell Check

I have stumbled upon yet another indication that I am writing fantasy. MS Word popped up with the message that there are too many spelling errors in my document, and it will no longer automatically check them. It is true very few of my characters have "normal names". Heck, *I* don't have a name the spell check will recognize. To give you an example of why there are little red squigglies all over my document, here's a list of some of the common words that are currently underlined:

Characters:

• MAIN: Varin, Laz, Melia, Theron, Ruele, Aedan, Cyne.
• SECONDARY: Kallista (Lista), Thais, Mataan, Okara, Kyto, Faran, Eirene, Finna, Uriel, Tillia... and some others.

Races:

• Prismata. Also, the plain old humans, called the Pallidus by the Prismata
  
• Subsets of Prismata: Laaien, Littorine, Viridian, Argenteum, Crymysin, Pleione.
  

Locations:

• Cereto and Arforah, at the moment. More starting shortly.

I am currently wrapping up the last bit of chapter four. All of the main characters have been introduced, and we've gotten a good feel for four in particular: Varin (our hero), Laz (his best friend. Laz is a nickname, by the way, and he hates the actual name), Cyne (the sister of Varin's love interest/girlfriend; also widow of Thais), and Aedan (an outcast due to his breeding, the only person who sees him as an actual person is Cyne, and she has good reason for it).

The plan is to finish the 4th chapter tonight and immediately start the 5th, where the actual physical quest begins. This story's actually been *fun* to write. Kind of exciting, too.

SRB's Big Idea, and Upcoming Reviews

Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon, has promised to post a short story for each week her book hits a particular (modest) sales goal. Well, the first week has passed, and she has hit that goal. So, true to her word, she has posted a short story, set in the Demon's Lexicon world, and involving one of the minor characters. If you haven't yet read the novel, do not fear--the story contains no spoilers for the novel, and can be enjoyed completely on its own.

For what it's worth, I liked it. It's about one of the antagonists of her novel, and it shows a little of why he is how he is. While not the most likeable chararacter in TDL (for me at least, though he does have a few good lines and moments), this story made me feel for Gerald. There are some parallels to Harry Potter and Cinderella, and especially to The Sword and the Stone/the tale of Arthur and Merlin. ...Although I am curious about the "American shorts" comment in the first paragraph. It's probably not flattering to those of us in the States.

Also, I do plan on doing more book reviews soon. Several, in fact. Some of them will be from well-known series (I am rereading all 7 of the Harry Potter novels, at the moment, for example), some from stand-alone books. When I review something from a completed series, I will review each book individually, then the series as a whole. So, to let you all know what will be coming, here are the next (SEVERAL) books I will be discussing:

• Chocolat, by Joanne Harris (literary fiction)
  
• STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach (creative non-fiction)
  
• Naked, by David Sedaris (creative non-fiction)
  
• The Dark Tower Series (all 7 of them), by Stephen King (fiction, fantasy, western-fantasy)
  
• The Harry Potter Series (again, all 7), by J.K. Rowling (fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, young adult)
  

Also, I am always open to suggestions. If you want something reviewed, let me know. If I don't already have it, I will attempt to acquire it in a timely manner, read it, and share my review.

Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery (translated by Alison Anderson)

My rating: 4/5 (an average--3/5 for the slow start, 5/5 for the language)

I read this after a friend insisted I should. At first, I had to push myself through it. The pacing was slow, and for the first seventy or so pages, I didn't care much for the two main characters. I *wanted* to care for them, but the story didn't pull me in and let me do it. It's not a quick mainstream fiction read, and best for those times where you can curl up with a warm beverage and spend quiet time thinking about philosophy. What kept me reading at all (besides the sense of duty toward my friend) was Barbery's use of language. The best word to come to mind is "sublime". There were a great many moments where I admit I may have lost some of the nuances of idea and concept upon the first reading, simply because of the beauty of the language.

The styles of the two protagonists (fifty-four year old Renee and twelve year old Paloma) are different enough, yet each plays with words and phrases in a way that tells you that the characters themselves are in tune with language and put a great deal of stock in the beauty of words (this is constant throughout, but especially in the section entitled "On Grammar"). It took more effort to become comfortable with Renee's sections, and some of the passages seemed to preach a bit too much, but by the end, the book had won a place as one of my favorite pieces of literature.

I gave this book four points as a compromise. I'd have given it five points for the language alone--it really is beautiful. But the slow start dissuaded me from a giving a higher rating. I found that somewhere around page ninety, I did care for the characters after all, and I cannot really find a particular moment that switched on the feelings. The story came alive far too close to the end. If it had showed some of that same spark earlier on, I might have given this five points. But the end was touching and well-done. There were moments of humor interspersed with all the philosophy, and I could have done with a bit more of that, but I'd still recommend this for those I know who enjoy more than the easily-digestible bits of mainstream "airport" fiction (not that there's anything wrong with some of those tales), and especially for those who enjoy language and words.

A New Story Begins

I have begun the actual writing on that third novel. I have spent so much more time planning/researching/plotting and whatnot for this one than for any of the others (there was a decent amount of medical-related research for the second one, but this is different). It's the first time I've ever had to do true "worldbuilding". It can be fun, but it can also be...well, a pain in the arse.

So, here's the first section of the first chapter. I have more than that written, but it's a nice, complete scene. It's just over 5 pages, or about what an agent/editor would be likely to read before deciding whether or not to toss the whole thing into the bin, or keep reading. If anyone has any impressions or comments, I'd love to hear them (positive or negative, honestly). It is the first and roughest draft, and I haven't reworked it at all yet.

Varin caught himself slipping off the boulder just in time to keep from hitting the ground. He had a brief moment of confusion as he regained his position, then looked around to make sure no one had seen him. There was no one on this path into town—anyone coming in to Arforah had most likely taken the main road. That was part of the reason he and Lista liked to meet along this path. It was quieter, cooler, and there was little chance they’d be interrupted on their walk back into town, short as it was from this point. It was one of the best ways to unwind after a long day, and he was certainly feeling the strain after this one. Muscles he had forgotten he had were sore.

He settled himself back on the rock, kicking his feet in time to a melody in his head. The shadows looked wrong, and it took a moment to realize why—if he’d been sitting there long enough to doze off, then she must be running late. But even if that were the case, there should still be more light. He looked up through the trees, figuring perhaps another spring storm was on the way, but the sky was perfectly clear. He’d give her another two minutes, and then head towards Cereto. In the meantime, he’d rest his eyes.

He heard Lista coming down the path at exactly the two minute mark. He slid off easily, waiting for her bright hair to make an appearance through the trees. Crouching behind the rock, he smiled to himself. As soon as she got close enough, he’d jump out and grab her. He could hear her yelp and easy laugh in his head, and the grin spread wider.

There was a scream as he pounced, but it wasn’t the one he expected. He’d barely registered the different sound and a blur of grey before a fist slammed into his bicep. “Ouch!” He rubbed his arm and took a step back. “Geez, I’m sorry, Eirene. I thought you’d be Kallista. Weren’t you two together?”

Eirene’s brow furrowed as she smoothed her silvery hair back from her face. “You mean she didn’t pass by here?”

“No.”

“That’s odd. Maybe she stopped to pick some of the sugarberries she saw on her way out this morning. She mentioned them when we set out.”

Varin shrugged. “I bet you’re right. I’m going to head east though, and look for her. We should have been back to town already. She probably lost track of time.”

“Probably.”

He could tell from the half-hearted echo that Eirene didn’t believe it entirely, either. Something gnawed at him in the center of his chest, but he pushed it aside. Lista knew these woods even better than he did. The odds of her getting lost along the path were nonexistent. “You should head back to your parents’ place. I know they’re all anxious to have you visit.”

Eirene bit her lip. “Soon. I’ll come with you, though. Unless you mind?”

He smiled, but it felt tight. “No, of course not.” They walked along, feet padding over the fresh blanket of leaves left strewn about after yesterday’s storm, each keeping an eye out for a glimpse of Lista’s figure through the trees. “Why did you and Lista separate?”

“I told her to go on ahead without me. I wasn’t feeling well, and she was worried about being late to meet you. She was worried about me, but I told her it was just the baby and she eventually picked up the pace while I sat for a bit.”

Varin just nodded. He’d forgotten Eirene was already expecting. He couldn’t see it. It had been a month since her wedding, but the ceremony had been in Cereto; it had been a fairly small affair, and he hadn’t gone. Lista had been involved, of course. It was hard to keep the two girls separated for long, though things might be changing now that the other girl lived in the Palladus city with her husband. Cereto was nearly four times the size of Arforah, and as nice as it was, Varin couldn’t quite see himself settling there. He hadn’t discussed it with Lista yet, but he was fairly certain she would be okay with staying where they had both grown up, with their people. The farther they walked, the more that unsettled feeling increased. “Where exactly did you two separate?”

“Just this side of the bridge.” Her hand went to her middle and rubbed briefly. “I couldn’t imagine she’d be too—”

Her voice was lost in a crash of thunder. Eirene jumped and grabbed onto Varin’s arm, and he let her hang on instead of shaking her off. His ears rang, and he shook his head to clear it. “What was—” His voice faltered as a scream drifted through the air. It wasn’t the startled, amused shriek he’d hoped to hear ten minutes ago. It was the same voice, that much he knew for certain, but the owner was either terrified, or in great amounts of pain. “Lista.”

He took off running towards the sound, which lingered for much longer than seemed possible. He could hear Eirene calling after him as he sprinted through the woods, dodging trees and logs hidden under moss, but he didn’t slow. The scream seemed to come from all around him, sustained by an infinite stream of breath behind it, and Varin had a hard time pinpointing the exact origin of the sound. It cut off suddenly, leaving behind a sharp silence, where not even the rustling of the leaves could be heard. Varin stood still, trying to survey everywhere at once, his heart thudding painfully beneath his ribs. Three-quarters of the way through his slow spin, he saw caught a glimpse of cinnamon colored hair among the damp leaves.

Dropping to the ground, he rolled Kallista onto her back. Her eyes were half-lidded, and for a sickening moment, he was sure she was dead. Pressing his ear to her chest, he could hear a faint rhythm, slower than the blood pounding through his body. He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and called her name, his voice sharp, and getting sharper with each repetition. He kept waiting for her to stir, but she continued to lie face turned to the sky, taking breaths small enough or slow enough that he couldn’t see them.

“Is she…?” came weakly from his elbow and he almost pitched forward, startled by the noise.

“No. She’s alive. But we’ve got to get her back to Arforah.”

“What happened to her? Is she hurt? I don’t see any blood—”

“Your guess is as good as mine. It doesn’t matter at the moment. We’ll get her back home and the Pleiones can take care of her. Grab her things.”

“Can you carry her on your own?”

Varin didn’t answer. He doubted Eirene would be able to help if he’d needed her to, but he knew it wasn’t going to be a problem. Lista was a year older than he was, but she was quite petite, and he’d carried her on his back while they’d taken walks through the forest before. Carrying her in his arms shouldn’t be that much harder.

He realized how wrong he’d been before they even made it into the village. She was still light enough to carry, but now she was all dead weight (he refused to think of that term literally, and shoved it roughly out of his mind), and his muscles had been fatigued even before he’d scooped her up against him. By the time he stepped into Arforah, he wasn’t sure he could move her much further. “Quick. Get somebody. Find a Pleione. Any one you can. I’m going to try to get her home.” His throat burned raw, but it only registered at the back of his consciousness. He’d take care of himself after he got her help. He didn’t hear Eirene reply, but he could sense her move away from behind him.

Her house was on this side of the village, but he hadn’t gotten more than a half track into Arforah before someone had spotted him. “Varin? Is that Kallista?” Too sapped to speak again, he nodded. Ruele approached him at a run. “Here, let me help. What happened to her?”

He swallowed, ignoring the strain, and forced his voice to work. “Don’t know. I sent your sister to find a Pleione.”

“Eirene’s okay?”

Varin nodded, letting Ruele take Lista from his arms. She moaned low and long, and the fire in his throat and in his muscles dipped to make room for the pain in his chest again. It was the first sound she’d made since he’d found her.

As big as he was, Ruele moved a lot faster than Varin had. Once they passed the threshold of the stone cottage, Varin lost track of everything. He saw everything in little stops and starts—seeing Lista laid upon a bed, her parents moving back and forth, and three separate Pleiones flying in and past him, like he meant nothing. Eventually, Ruele came out holding a glass of water, making him drink it before he answered any of the questions Varin threw at him. It didn’t matter much; Ruele had few answers to give.

“What do you mean, they don’t know what’s wrong with her? That’s half of what they do! What good are healers if they can’t do anything for her?”

Ruele ran his hands through his hair. It was lighter than his sister’s. This was one of the few times Varin had ever seen him without it secured at the base of his neck, wrapped with a small bit of leather. “They’re trying. They just… haven’t seen anything like this before. The only thing that’s even come close was what happened to Thais.”

Varin jumped up from his chair. The room spun around and he gripped the edge of the small table in front of him, knocking over the empty glass. Ruele set the glass upright, not looking directly at him. “But this can’t be the same thing. He was in a bar fight. Lista said there was blood everywhere when they brought him in. She doesn’t have a scratch on her.”

“I didn’t say it was the same thing. I just said it’s something new to them, and so was that. The Pleiones would like to speak to you about what happened.”

“I don’t know what happened.”

“I know. I told them that. But they still want to speak to you. They think maybe there’s some detail they don’t know that might help. Will you go over what happened with them?”

Eyes squeezed shut, Varin nodded. Anything that might help. He sat down again as Ruele left the room and took a breath as he opened his eyes and dropped his gaze to his feet. “Rue?”

“Yes?”

“Has anyone told Cyne what you told me? About it maybe being like Thais?”

Ruele paused. “No.” Without another word, he ducked back inside the bedroom.

Man, I suck at titles

At present, I have 3 novels in various states of completion. In short:

Novel #1 is a completed first draft, at about 87,350 words (287 double-spaced pages). It's literary fiction, leaning toward romance. It's written in third person, present tense, and the main character's a woman in her early thirties. I have extensive notes to incorporate into the editing, but I haven't started that yet.

Novel #2 is about 60-75% written (first draft). It's currently sitting at 87,337 words (wow, so close to the completed first novel), and is 144 single-spaced pages. Oddly, I write in single-spaced, and double-space when the draft is done. It comes from a paper-writing technique that worked for me in college. It's also literary fiction, though it could also be considered mainstream fiction, I suppose. It's less "literary" than the first novel is. It's written in first person, past tense. The narrator/MC is a male, aged 26.

Novel #3 is still in the planning stages. I'm actually quite close to beginning the actual writing. This one's fantasy, most likely Young Adult (I may drop the YA aspect, but I'm not 100% set on that yet). I need to plan a wee bit more to figure out if it's more high fantasy or sword-and-sorcery. It took me 4 full days of research and brainstorming to name my main species and the assorted races within (in addition to figuring what to call the non-magical humans and what the other magical creatures/people were and what they'd call themselves). It took an additional 3 days to give my main characters (all 7 of them, plus an 8th who is the catalyst for the action/plot) names. Pronounceable names, without apostrophes. I'm currently just nailing down some of the main plot points before I begin the actual writing. It will most likely be written in third person, past tense.

There is a novel #4 lurking in the back of my head, but it's only about 20% formed. Once I solidify it, I'll post more about it. I originally thought it would be a short story, but I'm now positive it'll be at least one novel, if not a small series of them (urban fantasy).

Now, you'll notice I refer to them all as "novel #1" and so on. That's because I haven't titled them. At all. They haven't even had working titles. This is a new problem for me. I've never had a problem titling my work before this. Then again, everything before this has been short stories, novellas, plays, poems, and essays/articles. But with the novels, I fail. I have no idea why. In the past, the title of what I'm writing comes to me quite early (in fact, sometimes it's the title that hits me first, before I even have a somewhat coherent story idea). Sometimes they change. Usually, they don't.

I'm not quite sure what's up with this. I have no idea what to do about it. I'm very curious what will happen when I write my next short story--will it start out, as most of the others have, with a title that just smacks me over the head? Or will this problem carry over? I certainly can't leave these stories unnamed. It'd be awfully hard to pitch a story to an agent or editor with it nameless. I suppose that having a beta reader or two might help, just so I have someone who can tell me their impressions and with whom I can bounce ideas around (someone with an understanding of all the characters and little plot elements and such). But finding a good beta isn't as easy as many might think. Not only do you have to find someone who's WILLING to read the story (which, depending on their speed and free time, can be quite a time investment), but you also have to find someone who will help on the level you're looking for. A simple "yeah, I liked it" doesn't help at all.

Now that I've rambled about my title issues, I'm off to do a bit more planning on that third novel, followed by some actual writing on the second--I haven't done any actual writing in a couple of weeks. How naughty.

Book Review: The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan

Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I was able to attain a copy of The Demon's Lexicon before I thought I would (read: someone was awesome and bought it for me). So, as I have now read the whole thing, I can adequately review it.

In something of a rarity, you'll find two different reviews below. The first is one I wrote for a few different communities on Livejournal. The second I wrote after a reread. My average rating still stands at a 4.5/5.

Review #1:
I have been a fan of Sarah Rees Brennan's for a while (for the rest of this post, I'll be referring to the author as SRB, as Rees Brennan is her last name, and that's a little long). As I said in the previous post about TDL, I read her fan fiction and was pleasantly surprised to find that not ALL fanfiction is... well, painful to read. One of the reasons I was so looking forward to her novel was the amazing job she did with her characters--making them well-rounded and deep, and quite believable. I had hopes that the characters (main and supporting) in TDL would have these same properties.

And I was not disappointed. SRB took the staple of so many fantasy stories, the dark, brooding hero, who mysteriously knows all about the magic that is confounding the other characters and has way more in the way of weaponry than should be allowed, and did something different with it--instead of pulling him out of shadowy corners for other characters to fawn over and fear, she's turned him into her hero, who in turn looks at all the other characters and wonders what on earth is up with them. It works. She's taken Nick Ryves and more or less deconstructed that sterotype quite well. He is very much not your typical hero, but it's done in a way that's believable. He's intriguing, and not predictable, which is quite refreshing. He goes through life with really only his big brother, Alan, for support. They do have a mother, Olivia, but she's no one's idea of a good mother. Nick feels no attachment to her, and she avoids him at all costs, or screams and pitches fits if she can't. It's always been this way, and Nick has learned to live with it. Unfortunately for Alan, he has a mother who is mad, and a brother who doesn't exactly deal well with emotions. He tries to hold his family together, but it's no easy task. Especially not when you spend your life running from a group of magicians who want you dead.

Intruding into the personal hell Alan and Nick try to hide from the world are a brother-sister team, who desperately need the help of the Ryves brothers. Mae (like Mae West) and Jamie seek them out and plead for help in dealing with their "occult problem", help that Alan feels compelled to give, though Nick sees the siblings as merely a complication in their lives. The dynamic between sets of siblings is nothing alike, but both sets of relationships seem real, and it's great to read supporting characters who are three-dimensional. Mae is tough and eager to learn and do whatever she can to help with their little problem, while Jamie tries hard, but is...well, a wuss. A likeable wuss, though. Mae's toughness and Jamie's vulnerability contrast nicely with Nick's stoicism and Alan's dual nature (he's a fighter, but not quite as strong physically as Nick is, due to an injury that has left him crippled). In fact, Alan might be one of the most intriguing characters I've read in a long time. He and Nick keep a lot of secrets, but Alan has more than anyone else suspects--his brother included. He's spent most of his life keeping some of them, and when they come out, they're quite shocking.

Besides the characters, one of the other things that kept the story so enjoyable was the consistent strength of SRB's plot. It flowed well, with few slow moments, and the balance between plot, action sequences, and character development was enough to keep it consistently moving forward. The bits of foreshadowing are done with a light touch; no heavy-handed hints to smash you over the head with a mallet. They're there, and though you might catch them as you read, they don't trip up the flow, and they don't ruin the climax of the book.

There is, of course, a plot twist. And it's a doozy. While some readers might see the gist of it coming (I did, after a while), the execution is wonderfully done. It's not completely out of nowhere, but it's not so predictable that even if you suspect the twist, you're bored with it. Really, the execution is nearly everything. There are a few big reveals in the last third of the book, but the climax is tight, and dwarfs the others. Also consistent is the use of humor--SRB has a knack for it, and it comes out fluidly in the narration, and especially the dialogue. Jamie and Nick have a lot of great lines, in particular. So many of them are randomly quoteable, and humor is often used to balance the tension.

Since this is the first in a planned trilogy (The Demon's Covenant comes out in June or July of 2010), the ending is left so a good bit of the conflict is resolved--the main premise the characters are preparing for and working toward is completed, but with that huge plot twist towards the end, so many more possibilities are opened, and the book leaves you wondering where on earth the characters will go from here, with this new information, but not in that outraged way (you know, like the outrage people felt after the finale of The Sopranos).

Yes, I know I appear to have a bias because I had a lot of prior love for SRB, but I can see books objectively. I've read books by authors I *love* and have been disappointed, and have read amazing books by people I don't know anything else about. I've read books that are wonderfully written, but don't do much for me, and ones that I find entertaining, but are absolutely awful, as far as the actual writing goes (one particular series comes to mind on that last). I think part of why I enjoyed TDL so much as a whole is because of the interpersonal dynamics, and the concept of how words play into this story (it is the Demon's LEXICON, after all, though the way that plays out is quite good and subtle for the most part).

This is marketed as Young Adult urban fantasy, much like the Harry Potter series was, and I'd say the main target audience would be readers in high school, though younger and older readers can certainly enjoy the story. There are moments of violence (as one might expect in a story that deals with demons, swords, and death curses), and a few moments of sexual tension, but nothing too extreme--just enough to be believeable, in context. This is one novel I feel very comfortable recommending to pretty much everyone I know.

Review #2 (written after a second read-through):
As I have seen other people mention, it was refreshing to read a YA novel where romance does not factor heavily. There is lots of love, but it's familial love--brotherly (and sisterly) and devoted. Mae could be considered the love interest, but the touch is fairly light in this regard.

Sarah Rees Brennan has a knack for humor. It's apparent in her blog and her fanfiction. It shone a little less brightly in this book, but it was still present. Nick and Jamie have most of the good lines, and while Mae was spunky and opinionated, I felt a little more could have been done with her. She and her brother crash in on the secret life Nick and older brother Alan try to keep hidden, pleading for help with Jamie's predicament. The relationship between brother and sister is believable, but I wanted just the slightest bit more. The dynamic between Nick and Alan took some getting used to, but as the story goes on, it works well in context.

While the protagonist is undoubtedly Nick, the dark brooding hero who has all this knowledge of swords and demons and evil magicians (Sarah Rees Brennan has attempted to deconstruct this stereotype, and it works well enough, especially as the story goes on), it is Alan who is perhaps the most intriguing throughout. Both Ryves brothers keep secrets, but Alan keeps more than anyone else suspects--even Nick. And when Nick glimpses something Alan's been keeping from him, he becomes obsessed with uncovering it fully.

There are a few twists in the last third of the book or so, and one huge one toward the very end. There are clues layered throughout the story, but the foreshadowing is done with a light touch, and even if you see the gist of the twist coming, the full reveal is still a bit shocking, though it makes the rest of the novel make more sense. The title of the book doesn't seem to have much to do with the story, but once the book is finished, it makes a good deal of sense, and is powerful enough. By the end, the main "goal" of the characters has been accomplished, but enough new questions are opened by the final plot twist to lend themselves well enough to the sequel (The Demon's Covenant) that will be released (and followed by the final bit in the trilogy).

There is violence, though most of it isn't too graphic. There's no sex (but there is a small amount of sexual tension). The book is YA, but I'd put it on the higher end of that spectrum--more high school than late elementary/middle school, though some younger readers might also appreciate it. For comparison purposes, I'd say in that regard, it's like the last few Harry Potter novels--the ones that were darker and had more violence and moral ambiguity in places.

Rejected (but not dejected)

Though I've been writing pretty seriously for a good many years (since elementary school), I haven't exactly done much on the "trying to get published" front. In the seventeen or so years I have theoretically been working on getting published, I've submitted fiction a grand total of... two... times. Yes, that's absolutely shameful. I am sorry. If only you could see my head hung pitifully right now.

I submitted a piece called "Todo Estará Bien" about a year and a half ago, to Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writer's contest. I didn't win, but I did make it into their Top 25. I'd have to call that story (which started life titled Conversations With My Grandmother) my strongest. I've made a few small revisions to it since then, and trust me, it will keep going out for publication in the future.

I submitted a second piece just a month or two ago, also to Glimmer Train. I submitted this one to their open call for submissions (not a contest, so there's no ranking, and they only accept one/pay one person. And the payment is approximately what they pay the 3rd place story for one of their contests). I heard back, and they won't be publishing it. Honestly, it's what I expected (they get over 4,000 submissions a year, and it's probably a few thousand over that now, since they've added new categories and such). The piece was titled "Requited". And after I got it back, I thought about it some (I'd consider it my second-strongest short story at present). I think I can make it a lot stronger. And I can do this by changing the ending. Not entirely, but I can make it hit a little harder by adding just a bit. Really, all it takes is cutting most of the last paragraph and adding another 2 or 3 more.

So, that's what I'll be doing tonight, while it's still fresh in my mind. It won't be a late night, as I have somewhere to be in the morning. Last night was a late one. I was up until after 3 a.m., working on some research so I can plot my third novel. Over 8 hours of reasearch in one night. No, the second one isn't finished yet. I'll most likely be working on that one until sometime in July. And I'll certainly post when I do finish it. And once I have any sort of income at all (and am not having to pay more in bills than comes in during the month), I will be submitting to other places. Sadly, almost everyone requires a reading fee. And I just don't have it. But come August, I promise, that will change.

A Quick Reading Recommendation

This isn't a book review, exactly, as technically, it's just been released a few minutes ago, but I wanted to take the time to recommend The Demon's Lexicon, 25 year-old Sarah Rees Brennan's debut novel. Yes, as I've said, I haven't read it, so you may be wondering why I'd recommend something by an author without any other published works--isn't that risky?

In short, no. Not in this case. I have been able to read the first chapter of the book (they're relatively short chapters), as well as a few random scenes from throughout the novel. I have also had the pleasure of reading a short story she's published, and her blog (which, sadly, was hacked last week. Thanks to the help of other fans, it's slowly being rebuilt, which is quite a task, as there were nine (!) years worth of posts to recover). Sarah's been around the internet for a while (as a "big name fan"), and she's been writing since she was a wee child, growing up in Ireland. She has a mastery of the language, and an amazing command of her characters, making them believable and very well rounded and deep. She has a decent fan following online, as she began writing Harry Potter fan fiction years ago, and though she no longer does that (and has since removed those stories from any online access), she does still give in and write occasional movie parodies (see her website for those. They are unbelievably worth it). Hers was the first fan fiction I'd experienced that didn't border on dreadful--it was amazing--heart-wrenching at times, hysterical at others).

The Demon's Lexicon is the first in a planned trilogy, being put out by Simon & Schuster. She's currently working on editing the second in the series (The Demon's Covenant). Now that I've gone on about how you should read it, I suppose you'd like to know what on earth the story is ABOUT, hm? I'll let the description from Simon & Schuster's site do the explaining (this is from the US version. The UK version--and all the other languages--are a little different in what they reveal):

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

So, there you go. It's marketed as Young Adult Urban Fantasy, but hey, so was Harry Potter, so there certainly isn't an upper age limit. And yes, I will be reviewing the book myself once I get my hot little hands on a copy (this will probably happen in August).

Novel #2, Chapter 1, Scene 5.5

The next day with my parents was a little better. My mom gave me a big hug at the door and planted a kiss on my cheek. I scrubbed at it, feeling the lip balm coat my skin slightly. She just shook her head at me, smiling. “Come on in and say hello to your father. He’s parked in front of the television.”

I hung my jacket on the coat rack near the door and slipped out of my shoes. It was a habit my mom had instilled in me by the time I was six. I still looked around friends’ places the first time I was over, checking to see if wearing my shoes around the house was acceptable, or taboo. I made my way to the couch, coming to sit next to my dad. The smile he turned on me forced me to reciprocate. It was the first legitimate smile to hit me since before the news came. He was having a good day. “Hey, Dad. Who’s playing?”

My dad just shrugged, the same movement I used. “Hell if I know. I’m just killing time until the Lakers play. Keep me company while your mother finishes in the kitchen. You know how she is. Can’t step more than a foot in there without being chased out most days.”

I smiled again, unforced. I remembered. Another lesson from early in life—never bother Mom when she was preparing food. “Right.”

We watched together for a while, through the first game and part of the next. At halftime, my dad turned to me, a slightly troubled look on his face. “So, your mother tells me you got some bad news from the doctor the other day.”

I could feel my face tighten. So she’d told him. I’d meant to ask her about that. “Yeah.”

“Cancer, huh?”

“Yeah.” I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat and was unsuccessful on the first try. I finally got it.

My dad clapped a hand onto my shoulder. His grip was still firm, but I knew that it used to be stronger. “You’ll lick this thing. I know you will. We’re a family of fighters.” The look on his face flickered from set to sad for just a moment. Still, it was better than that look of pity. “We Renaults never give up. I never will, and I know you won’t either. Even the women we marry are fighters. Look at your mother. Never a tougher broad on earth. Speaking of, how’s your young lady? Sarah?”

I hadn’t told my mom about that. “We’re not together anymore.”

“Hm.” My dad had met Sarah a few times. I’d been worried about introducing her (or any new person, really) to my parents. Especially my dad. I never knew what he’d think, or what he’d remember, or what kind of temperament he’d be in. He’d been more irritable for the last four or so years, something the doctors weren’t surprised by in the least. It may have been a common symptom to them, but I’d had a hard time reconciling it with the experience with my dad. He’d always been such a laid back guy before, full of jokes. I could barely remember him yelling at all throughout all the time I was growing up. “Shame, I suppose. She seemed nice enough. But you’ll find someone better. Prettier. And tougher. That’s the kind of woman you should have.” He gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze before excusing himself and heading down the hall to the bathroom.

I thought that over for a second, then got up and stood outside the kitchen, watching my mom frost a cake. I didn’t quite dare enter and risk getting in her way. “Dad’s having a good day, it seems like.”

She nodded, not looking up from her task. A lock of blonde-gray hair fell across her forehead and she brushed it away with the back of her hand and her wrist. I got most of my looks from my mother—the cheekbones and the eyes, especially. “Yes. He was a little off this morning, but he’s been fine for the last several hours. I take it where I can get it.” She finished the frosting with one final swirl, then held the knife out to me. I took it as I always had as a kid, licking the last of the vanilla frosting off before lobbing it gently into the sink, where it landed with a splash. “Why didn’t you tell me about you and Sarah?”

I shrugged, aware it was identical to the one my dad had given me earlier. “Didn’t seem as important as that other thing.” I hated using the actual word. It was easier to deny it was really happening if I didn’t have to say it.

“I guess I can see that. Are you sure there’s no chance you will be getting back together?”

“Positive. She’s moving to California for school. And I’ve been realizing lately that we didn’t have a bad relationship, but we didn’t have a good one, either. I think it was just a comfortable routine we’d settled into. Maybe out of laziness, at least on my part.”

My mother nodded again, covering the cake with the cake stand’s etched glass dome lid. This particular set only came out for the winter holidays. She’d had it for over thirty years, and I didn’t think it had ever missed a Christmas. “I understand what you mean. If I had to tell the truth, I’d say that I never thought you were right for each other.”

Was this something everyone said once a couple broke up? Maybe that’s why she’d asked if there was a shot at reconciliation—so she wouldn’t say something she couldn’t take back later, if we did get back together. Fat chance of that happening. Even if she asked, I wouldn’t say yes. We really weren’t right for each other, and I had bigger things on my mind, anyway. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Cole. She was a nice enough girl, and always very polite to us. I don’t have anything negative to say about her as a person. But watching the two of you together just gave the impression that things weren’t right. There was something missing when you were together, some connection, or a spark of some sort that should have been obvious, but wasn’t. I don’t know if there’s a word for it, but it’s one of those things you can see, if it’s there.”

I supposed she was right. There had always been something missing. Maybe it was like the difference between loving someone and being in love with them. That wasn’t it, exactly, but it felt close. At least, sort of close. It was always so hard to put my exact feelings into words. I could get close sometimes, but never exactly there. Maybe it would have been better if we’d talked about how we felt more often, but I wasn’t used to it. I’d never been good at it. I especially didn’t like talking about my weaknesses. I was a guy—we weren’t supposed to have any. “I guess.”

I left the house feeling full and content, but it wasn’t long after I arrived at home that everything seemed to hit me again. My mom had mentioned that if I found I couldn’t afford to keep my own place, they’d always have room for me there. At the time, sitting near the fireplace and sipping hot chocolate with a miniature candy cane, I’d just nodded, thanked her, and glossed over the idea. Lying alone in bed, it was harder not to think of these things and what they might mean for my life in general.

I hadn’t lived with my parents since shortly after my eighteenth birthday. There was the year on campus in the dorms, and then the few years after that in Boulder, with other students as roommates, but since the year after I’d graduated, I’d been on my own. Sometimes, it was great—especially the privacy and never having to worry about upsetting another person’s schedule or using someone else’s food or other products. I was realizing now, though, just how easy it was to feel alone, and more than just physically.

I felt the hot tears well up in my eyes and tried unsuccessfully to blink them back. One ran down the side of my face, coming to rest in a crevice in my ear, then another. Rolling over onto my stomach, I pressed my face into my pillow, crying quietly. At least there was no one here to see me like this. I was slightly glad for that. But it also meant there was no one here I could confide all of these worries to and receive comfort back from if I wanted to, even if all I got was a murmured word or a gentle hand on my back.

I slept after a while, but it was an uneasy sleep, full of those fragmented, overwhelming dreams again.

An Introduction

This is intended as a place where I can post brief snippets of my writing (current projects, mostly), update to anyone who may be interested about what I'm doing that's writing-related (entering contests, editing websites and/or copy for someone else, doing freelance work, beginning/finishing/etc. new projects), as well as a place for me to ramble a bit about what ideas have been floating around my head and (perhaps) get a little bit of feedback on those ideas.

Yes, I also have a LiveJournal for this purpose, but that's mostly for larger sections of what I'm writing (and I'm awful at updating it, anyway), and pretty much all of that's friends-only. More personal stuff makes it over there as well (I try to keep the 2 LJ accounts separate, but there's been some bleed-through), so I am dedicating this space solely to writing and words, books, and ideas and inspiration.

Because I am also an avid reader, I will also be including reviews/musings on whatever it is that I am reading (whether it be another blog, some poetry, a novel, literary criticism, academic articles, or anything else).

So, that's my intention for this space. Please feel free to leave comments, as long as they're at least somewhat relevant (and if they're not, I might still allow them. Case-by-case basis, as it were).