Yearly Archives: 2012

Distracting Fiction: Brand vs. Generic

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Recently, a reader mentioned my use of specific products in my books, and called it “distracting.” First of all, this reader I mentioned is from New Zealand, and I write toward an American audience. These product names and brands I might use are all familiar to American readers, and so it does create a clearer picture for them than it would a reader who might not even recognize what that some brands are. So the tendency to want generic, might be predicated on a need for familiarity. This is precisely the reason I don’t read books with foreign settings, or … Continue reading →

Diversify and Die diversification has only managed to erode the ground under my literary feet

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It’s so satisfying to sit at my desk and write to the sound of the ocean. Only this time, it’s not in my earbuds, but outside my window. The move to Dunedin placed me within walking distance of the beach, and the rhythmic breath of the waves at shore soothes me. The cool, robust breeze from the water sometimes spits through our windows like a fire hose, but it helps regulate the temperature in this upstairs master suite, high above almost all other houses on this hillside. It’s Summer here, though luckily for me, the fall and winter-loving, heat-intolerant moi, … Continue reading →

Also Known as Syzygy (The Next Big Thing Blog Hop)

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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, wherein writers talk about their current Work in Progress (WIP), has apparently been going strong for 26 weeks, and so many writers have taken part, that I had a hard time finding the originator of the idea… I could have found it, eventually, but then, that would have me spending way too much time on Google, and not enough writing. I’ve been guilty of that before. Guilty of that often. Guilty. Most of the time. Did I mention I’m legally changing my middle name to Google? But this NBT Blog Hop thing has taken … Continue reading →

E Pluribus Unum, dammit

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I’m sorry, but I just had to post this. One of my friends on Facebook (who believes in god and I suppose considers herself a christian) posted this sign, which she apparently found inspiring. As this sort of thing continues to piss me off, I had to comment on it: Jae Baeli What FAILED was religion insinuating and then forcing itself into our government. The sign above just represents ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY FALSE belief. The country was NOT founded on In God We Trust or God or religion or CHristian principles… This was adopted as the motto of the US in … Continue reading →

“mixture of humor, gut wrenching terror & emotional heartbreak amongst the action and romance” Review

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Review of Also Known as DNA by Terry at Affinity eBooks AKA Investigations Series Book 2 Jobeth O’Brien and her partner, Phoebe McMasters, are enjoying a peaceful life together on Manor Lane in Colorado after moving from Oklahoma. Jobeth has her P.I License and has her own agency, AKA Investigations. Their new start together is suddenly interrupted by ghosts from the past. First of all, Jobeth’s estranged sister Izzy turns up out of the blue. At first Jobeth and Izzy don’t appear to get on too well together. But as they get to know one another, that changes. Izzy turns … Continue reading →

“well written and fast paced page turner from start to finish” Review

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REVIEW of ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE from Terry at Affinity eBooks. Armchair Detective An AKA Investigations Book Amateur unlicensed Private Detective, Jobeth O’Brien, is living on the breadline, she’s not even keeping her head above water. Her night time job delivering newspapers doesn’t even begin to pay the bills. She’s hiding a secret which prevents her from getting her private investigators license. The one thing she has to her name that she loves, is her 1962 Falcon. Jobeth meets rich socialite, Phoebe McMasters while she’s delivering her newspapers. Jobeth is smitten. Unfortunately, Phoebe is married and straight, isn’t she? Apparently not! The … Continue reading →

Prequels, Sequels, & Spinoffs

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Syzygy. Amazingly, the only English word with three Y’s also happens to describe a rare astronomical event involving three heavenly bodies. A syzygy is the alignment of three celestial bodies in a straight line… On December 3, 2012, Saturn, Venus & Mercury will align. On that same night, 3 women align to see that justice is done. Ponzi Bonnet thought she had found the perfect husband. A psychologist could certainly understand her damage. But her suspicion of infidelity turns out to be something far worse. Far more sinister. And he had to be stopped. This new book I’m working on–and … Continue reading →

No More Hall-Decking for You Guys

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Excerpt from Supernatural Hypocrisy: The Cognitive Dissonance of a God Cosmology by Kelli Jae Baeli   “Twelve Jews were brutally murdered, huge numbers maimed, and many Jewish women were raped. Two million rubles worth  of property was destroyed.” ~ Lawrence Kelleman   Isn’t Christmas a wonderful time of year? Consider this: Thus says the LORD, Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the Heavens, although the nations are terrified by them; For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of … Continue reading →

Stranger Fiction, Reviews & Truthiness

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Historically, there has been a notable chasm between the author’s craft and the reading public’s knowledge of what that craft includes.  And until recently, we never heard much from authors on a personal level about what they thought and felt, what their creative process was, what their methodology entailed. Nor could readers communicate with their favorite authors in any meaningful way. Now, with the advent of Indie authoring and publishing, writers and readers may actually converse with each other. It might spoil the mystique of being a writer– that romantic idea of an angst-ridden wordsmith closed up in a candlelit … Continue reading →

The Handmaid’s Tale: An American Dream Gone Awry

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Throughout our recent election process, I kept thinking about how a Romney presidency would begin to remind me of The Handmaid’s Tale, the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood. It reminded me that I wrote a paper on this book years ago in college. I don’t seem to have it compiled in any of my published anthologies, so i thought i would post it here. It’s a timely piece of literature still, which does not speak well of our republic. The Tea-Party is just the sort of organization to bring this dystopian theocracy to fruition. Hopefully those things are back on … Continue reading →

Clogging the Feed

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Dear Facebookers: I will try not to clog the feed. I will try to post things with some time in between, but FIRST: I am posting to MY PAGE. If you don’t want what i post in your feed, it’s simple to just click the arrow and remove my posts from YOUR FEED. That’s called Choice. It’s a great concept. SECOND: please know, that i am not posting a bunch of flower pictures. Let’s just get our priorities clear, shall we? I am posting information that i feel voters should know in order to make an informed decision. And I … Continue reading →

Streaming & Quilting: Differing Methodologies in Novelwriting

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I often discuss methodology with other writers. While in general we might share certain features, we can have completely different methods for writing a book. Some writers have this uncanny, subconscious method that seems to flow from a Muse and out onto the page, with the writer as conduit. It seems amazing to me that they can start at the beginning (the beginning!?) and write straight through until the book is done. A linear stream of subconsciousness. No major tweaking of plot points or planting of red herrings {1}, rarely any insertion of missing foreshadowing or details that have to … Continue reading →

Springboarding

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Most often, we write from what we know. We write from a place of experience and sensation, because that’s part of who we are, and so it must show up on the page in some way. But I recognize the danger in putting so much of myself into my characters…it could just become some glorified masturbation. Yet, a bit of literary self-cloning is inevitable and unavoidable. I did it today–put myself into some characters…and then I realized it’s a very effective means of getting the story written. Partially, my initial process involves research, as I tend to be a more … Continue reading →

Word Count & a Teeming Brain

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One writer mentioned on her blog that she hates it when other writers have word count widgets on their blogs. It was as if they were showing off how much writing they got done. She didn’t do word counts herself because there were times when she took writing out and replaced it, and then the word count stayed the same even though she might have had a perfectly good day’s writing under her literary belt. I have word count meters on my blog, but not for the reasons the aforementioned writer says. I have a word count meter because first, … Continue reading →