Twice in the recent past, taxi drivers have helped me haul my luggage into my apartment (one problem with taking one's dirty laundry to Texas—it makes one's luggage bulky and heavy) and I've just realized that might not be the safest idea in the world. After all, I'm not a particularly big person so a driver could try to overpower me and rob me blind once we get my luggage into my apartment. And so I thought about this and wondered if the sword six feet in front of the door might be more than an interesting wall hanging, especially when there are a lot more swords and scythes and such in the living room. Of course, the cabby wouldn't easily see the taser, black jack and telescoping baton next to the door, but what do you all think—car-to-door luggage hauling good or bad?

I got another MWA email regarding the situation with Harlequin. MWA IS changing its position regarding Harlequin and its writers in the future and removing Harlequin from its list of Approved Publishers. This is a HUGE thing. I've got most of my info on the situation via emails from the organizations I belong to AND from some industry friends, one of whom pointed out that some incorrect info has been put out by some organizations, like that Harlequin just added TWO new business arms: critiquing and vanity publishing. Apparently they've been doing the critiquing bit for ages—it's only the vanity publishing bit that's new.

There is a bit of info on all of this over at the MWA Web site at: http://www.mysterywriters.org/?q=mwablog

I started writing a post about how writing and publishing has changed over the years, particularly because of changing technology, and will finish that at some point, but for now, I'd just like to point over to Writer Beware, a group that does a fine job of warning people about a great many of the different schemes out that launched (and relaunched) by those intending to separate people from their money, especially people who dream of seeing their name on the front cover of a book. Anyway, Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware has some very interesting thoughts here: http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2009/12/blurred-distinctions-vanity-publishing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AtLastWriterBewareBlogsAcCrispinAndVictoriaStraussRevealAll+28Writer+Beware+Blogs%21%29&utm_content=LiveJournal. Interesting thoughts, good points, and it makes me think a little about one of my friends' reaction to the Harlequin/MWA news. This friend mentioned that some writing groups are against publishers making a profit, while I take the view that a lot of writer's groups want to help people not get taken advantage of (scammed) and help... well, keep order in the ranks in some ways. Like I mentioned the other day. (Man, my list of things to write about gets longer every day. I just need to get that next book done first!) You know, you join a professional organization, you expect to join with other professionals.

Should I be worried that my doctor walked into the consultation room today, looked at me, looked at my chart, looked at me again and said, "So my latest attempt at killing you didn't go so well, did it?"

Harlequin—which everyone on the planet has heard of—has just opened up a vanity publishing imprint and a manuscript critique service. Apparently, some of the ways they're selling these things are a little squirrelly, as in, prospective customers might buy into it thinking it's a legitimate publishing service or it'll either help them get published.

For instance, you might pay Harlequin to critique your manuscript, thinking they'll tell you what you need to do to get published by them. The rule of thumb in the publishing world is that you should NEVER pay. Don't pay for editing, critiquing, publishing, anything, ever. Well, there might be a few times when it's okay to pay, but they're rare (and good publishers generally pay to enter their books in competitions, if there are any fees).

There are a LOT of disreputable people and companies out there, places that charge people for things, like editing, critiquing, printing, etc. And lots of vanity publishing companies, where you pay to print your own book. There are a bunch of people and organizations that try to help people NOT get bilked, like . (Yet no matter how many people warn them, some people will just keep on giving PublishAmerica, one of the biggest scammers around, their money.)

People like seeing their name on the cover of a book, and when you want something enough, a little nudging can make you believe it's all coming true. The brother of one of my exes had my ex really conned into believing that he was a Published Poet. Really held it over her. And then I showed her how she, too, could be published by that same company for $XXXX. I understand there was an interesting conversation sometime after that.

Anyway, some organizations have rules about joining their organizations—or about tiers of membership. You don't get the same respect if you pay to play. If you're published because you've worked on your craft, studied, wrote and rewrote, it's likely more people want to read you, want to hear you, and want to talk with you. It's also likely that traditionally published folks will want to hang out with others of the same ilk, or at least know who's who, etc. Anyway, different professional organizations have different levels for different types of publishers and writers. And sometimes it's as simple as... If people can pay a given company to get their books published, then that company isn't accepted as an eligible company, so if you get published by them, you can't join the organization.

What all of this means is that, because Harlequin is getting into those other avenues, all Harlequin writers might, for instance, have problems joining Mystery Writers of America. Romance Writers of America is also, apparently, reassessing Harlequin's position in its organization.
stacia_seaman and
writer_beware2

have much better written and informative takes on it all.

I have to admit, I was really excited when I joined MWA and realized that I didn't have to do too much work to do so—Bella Books was already on their list of approved publishers, which meant I was able to join and all that, so I'm an active/eligible/whatever is the cool-writer-group-name of RWA and MWA (I joined RWA mostly because they have a great annual conference where one can learn lots of stuff from talented and wonderfully qualified people whose names you see all over the place, including in the line at the grocery store).

http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=38737
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Washington-Blade-Shut-Down-70197407.html

BTW: I'd like to point out that the first link is to part of Michigan's gay newspaper, Between the Lines, which I wrote for when it opened.

I'm really bummed, Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's latest project which stars Eliza Dushku, has been cancelled. A lot of folks who read my blog have probably read about it already. Anyway, the mid-season replacement had terrible numbers for the 12 episodes of its first season.

No one seemed to be able to figure out why Fox picked it up for a second season, the numbers were so low. It did have a bad time slot—Friday nights—with a bad lead in—The Sarah Connor Chronicles—that didn't give it much of an audience to pick up from. Sarah Connor didn't get another season, so Dollhouse's lead-in switched this season, nevertheless, the numbers still weren't very good. At least Fox didn't use some of its favourite tricks to jeopardize shows, like switching its time slot every week.

Anyway, Joss Whedon's shows tend to sell a LOT of DVDs. I think Eliza likely sells well on DVD as well. AND I just can't help but think about Dushku's last Fox show, Tru Calling. It also got picked up for a second season after a lackluster first season (it did get a full first season however), and only started its second season when Fox cancelled it—a bit after the first-season DVD sets were released.

Fox denied they were canceling season two until like the following March. I didn't think they ran the last ep on TV ever except my brother swore he remembered seeing it when I brought the DVD set with me to visit him once.

I can't help but wonder if Fox learned from the past: Make it through the first season, pack up the DVDs and sell them—then sell the few eps of season two they made as an entirely separate set to the same JoElheads who'll want it all, even if it means buying just four or six eps of season two as a set.

Curse Fox and its sudden but inevitable betrayal! Again!

If anyone is planning on needing a one-room apartment in the DC area in the next several months, please tell them to let me know (or tell me personally, if it’s you)! 'Cause I know of a place real close to the Metro just outside of the city, so it's convenient, but has parking and a heckuva lot more space per dollar than you'll find in the city.

We've just returned from San Francisco now. It wasn't a big trip, just a long weekend. I wanted to go on a ghost tour—a walking tour of the ghosts of queers past, but I couldn't find the sign-in sheet.

Now I just have to keep on with the writing! (Even while some friends and I start working out some more classes we might be teaching and other trips we might be taking.)

I just got some great news today from Linda Hill, publisher goddess, at Bella. I'm not sure if I can share it yet, but it's truly excellent news that had me doing a little dance.

WHEE!
Reese 

I’m rather known for being a native Detroiter. Probably that “Motor City Thriller” part of the title of so many of my books. Folks don’t even have to read the author bio to catch that.

When I first started writing Brett, Barbara Grier and I once talked a little bit about how not many people write about Detroit. (Grier, btw, has some Detroit in her roots, too.)

A reader recently told me about a feature Time magazine did on Detroit. Here’s a link to it: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1925796,00.html. And here’s a link to this whole project Time is doing on Detroit: http://www.time.com/time/detroit.

I’m glad the first article brings up how unions helped bring Detroit down. But I have to say that looking at a bunch of the pictures connected to the article makes me want to take a trip up to Detroit soon and visit some of the places the photographers went to. I like exploring, and an absence of locks means an invitation to explore as far as I’m concerned. Of course, my currently bum leg is a major impediment to a possible expedition. Sadness. But I kinda want to take a trip up that way again if there’s a good chance I might move in the not-too-distant future. It just seems that being able to take my own car and drive around (maybe even drive up to Lexington to take a look around the setting of some future Shawn Donnelly adventures) would be cheapest now and fit into my schedule. But I’ll have to see what happens.

I do like exploring. We had a cottage on Lake Huron when I was growing up. Only a portion of it was built by builders. Dad and my brother Bruce did a TON of work on it. Bruce has always held that against me in ways. Neither of us liked going up there, because it took us away from our friends every weekend for like 9 months of the year, and a few additional weekends outside of that. I also got stuck up there for several weeks of the summer. Mom would trap me up there, not let me swim without her around, and force me to read Reader’s Digest condensed novels. Grrrr.

I complained that once I would’ve had some use of it—by the time I got a driver’s license and might’ve had some fun by going up there with some friends when the folks weren’t around—they sold it.

But I did enjoy some parts of it in some ways. I’d take really long walks on the beach and explore all the little ravines and climb all the trees. And I did manage to find some kids who’d be there some times. Mostly in the later years. T and I would go out in a raft and go diving off it. Once we ended up in the shipping lanes and lucked into finding a powerboat that came out and towed us in. The water was cold as… Well, let's just say that polar bears would’ve liked that water. But it was clear. And we didn’t have any cool scuba gear or anything, just bathing suits and a cheap mask, but we made the most of it, diving in, swimming, looking all around the bottom. And then some other folks had a place a ways down. They weren’t there often, but they made me feel right at home with them when they were.

Nowadays I’d love nothing more than a cabin out in the woods—or on a lake like that one was. Where there’s a lot of space and not many neighbors. Just a place with solitude, where I could hole up and write. That would be a truly lovely thing indeed.

But going through some of those theatres and hotels and office buildings in the photo essays attached to the Detroit stories in the Time magazine article would be really sweet too. I remember going through the Backstage after it burned down. I went in over the back wall and found even more evidence to support what I already knew: The Detroit firemen didn’t give a frak about stopping that blaze. It was a gay bar, so they went in, busted up any registers or other thing that might have cash in it that they could bust up, and then let it burn. (I’d watched them the night before, and the damage done to the cash registers and other things inside the place gave me further evidence to the truth of my own eyes.)

Hey there, lovely readers! In response to a couple of recent queries, I thought I’d mention here that I’m available as a freelance editor or writer, so if you, or a friend, loved one, family member or such would like some editing work done, please contact me. I can help with books or stories or other materials, and can do portions of things, big things, small things or lots of in-between stuff. I can do regular edits, or just notes and suggestions. Whatever it is you require or need, here I am. 

I also do freelance writing, and have a background in copywriting, grants writing and all sorts of other types of writing. I’ve sold millions of dollars of goods, raised millions of dollars in donations and grants, and done a wide variety of projects. I do some design work as well—brochures, advertisements, bookmarks—but my strengths are writing, editing and proofreading.

Just drop me a line if you’d like to contract for my services. You can leave a note here (all comments are screened) or use one of my emails, like the one from my Web site.

Have a great day/week and all that! 

Reese

Unforeseen Tragedy: Writers, titles, memories, publicity and why you sometimes need to look at possible titles from the sides, top and bottom.


I was moving a binder earlier tonight and, for the first time in memory, looked at the back of the binder, and saw something I’d totally forgotten about. Forgotten so well that I would’ve sworn it never existed except that I was the only person who would’ve put this flyer where I put it.


The binder's one of those white ones—probably about 3" wide—with clear sleeves to put in title sheets on the front, back and spine. I pulled it off the shelf to do something with it, and somehow I saw the flyer I’ve missed every one of the maybe dozen times I’ve looked at this binder in the last decade, this flyer advertising auditions for a new theatre troupe, a theatre troupe called Unforeseen Tragedy.

 

( (Can't we just tell this story's gonna end up with an unfortunate ending?) )

Happy Wedding Day After to Chery-the-Mechanic and Toni! Yes, the wedding was yesterday. But one would expect that the happy couple was busy with vows, potential wardrobe malfunctions and critical lighting cues

Many, Many Happy Years to You!

I just read a really good piece, a eulogy of sorts, for Senator Ted Kennedy. http://www.newsweek.com/id/214247?from=rss

I'm sad that we've lost such a good fighter. I know when I was younger—much, much younger, like maybe 12—I didn't quite know what to think about him, what with the Chappaquiddick incident, the Kennedy privilege, his nephew's exploits (okay, okay, so I wasn't 12 at the time), but this article brings them all up and puts some interesting perspective on it.

It's really awful that he's left us at such a time of need, when the Democrats have such a mess to clean up, so many things to put back together. Every time we get something good—like getting that brainless, party-boy jackass out of office—we get body slammed again with something like this.

{sigh}

I don't talk about politics too much, but some of the roles I've played in my life have included activist and professional queer, with a resume that includes the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. During my ( Read more... )

As I previously mentioned, Stacia and I went to the Romance Writers of America conference recently. It was fabulous.

There were more than a hundred sessions to choose from, so it was very rare when there weren’t at least two really good choices for me to have to decide between for any given time period.

As anyone who has been with me at a conference—or even seen much of me at a conference—knows, I really don’t like mornings (I guess anyone who knows me knows this). It takes something really amazing to get me to any morning sessions at a conference—let alone for me to do morning sessions every day of the conference. I attended sessions in almost every time slot (I think I missed two because I was exhausted, in pain, and couldn’t push myself any further).

It was a great conference, with lots of wonderful sessions on fabulous topics with great information and ideas by some amazing people. It’s fabulous to go to conferences where I don’t have to speak and where I can actually learn something. There’s some conferences I’ve gone to where the only person I can learn anything from is the keynote speaker. And sometimes the keynote speaker is awesome in a great many ways, but I won’t learn anything about writing from them. But it's all fine—these conferences where I don't learn anything—if I've only gone to them to market myself and my books.

( Read more... )

Hey -- if anyone who has taken one of the classes I've taught alone or with someone would like to give me a testimonial to use, please drop me a line.

Also, if anyone would like to say some nice things about my editing work, I'm also looking for testimonials like that, too, so again, please drop me a line.

You can post or email these things to me, although email might be best, so that it's not out there for everyone to see at the beginning. Feel free to email me or put a comment on here if you have any questions.

Thanks in advance for anyone who has some kind words!

Reese

That favourite teacher I ran into at the recent conference and I are vowing to stay in touch now. We're already pencilling in a dinner at next year's conference. If any of her other old students want to pass along a cheery hello, just let me know.

“How can you not tell me you had a daughter? We have buried bodies together!”

Anyone who knows me knows that line alone would make me like a show, or at least give it some chance. After all, a big thing with Brett is the whole, “Friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies” thing. That’s the sort of friendship she has with Frankie, y’know?

Between that and having Gina Torres play someone who is described as, “A wily genius. A man-eating, shape-shifting grifter who knows how to get in and get out and vanish like heat off a blacktop," I give Daisies some quality applause! (And great sadness because of its cancellation. A fairly long-ago cancellation—long ago by TV standards that is.)

When Pushing Daisies started, Stacia and I watched it and I thought it was kinda weird, but kinda okay. Stacia got over it fairly quickly, but I kept on watching, still thinking it was kinda weird, but maybe not in a good way so much. But it was a bit amusing, so I'd watch it when I caught it.

So I watched the first season, and  missed most of season two, but decided to queue it up on Netflix, even though I wasn't too keen on it. But then I got the first disk before I remembered to delete the disks from my queue.

So now I started watching season two and I’m really enjoying it. It’s really, REALLY far out, largely in the “Wow, we took a lotta drugs and drank a lotta… something” way. But it’s really, really good. And I’m upset with myself because I went on and watched it all and really enjoyed it all but it’s cancelled so I went ahead, even though  it was cancelled, so now I am sorry.

As for some reasons… well, one can learn a lot from things that work right and from things that don't, especially if you look at it all and think on the whys of why you like it, or don't. But there are a lot of re
( ...follow on for reasons... )

Oh, god.

I caught part of Saving Private Ryan on some cable channel recently and I decided to go ahead and Netflix it. Okay movie, nothing too amazing. Well, okay, the D-Day landing was interesting—a perspective that I’d never really thought about or seen before.

Anyway, don’t know why I did it, but I went ahead and turned on the behind-the-scenes thing and there was Speilberg talking about how awesome he is and how awesome he’s always been, ever since he was a kid, and there was Speilberg’s dad talking about how awesome his son is and always has been…

I labored on.

And we get all these actors talking about how their military guy really put them through the ringer, training them up so they’d know what it was really like and we have all these manly men (including Vin Diesel) all with the, “It was the hardest thing in my life, but we made it through!”

(Oh, hold on, forgot one of my favourite parts, this quote from Tom Hanks, “We all felt we were laboring not just to get it right, but we were also laboring in order to get it accurate.” Hm. I wonder what the English comp high school teacher he played would say about that?)

Anyway, back to the amazingly grueling experience the military tech dude put them through, the one that they’re glad they made it through because now they can say they made it through it! Yes, we are Manly Men! It was hard! It was Tough! No one but Manly Men like we could have Made It Through!

"The actual experience of it was, I think it's almost indescribable."
"It was the worst experience of my life. It really was. It was physically exhausting and tough."
(Actual quotes from actual Manly Men who starred in movie and went through Military Tech Advisor's Grist Mill of Training.)

They made one mistake, though. Well, besides letting Tom speak for very long.

They told us how long the Manly Men Military Experience was.

Five days. Five (5) days. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Surprised they didn’t emphasize that they were days AND nights. (Probably because then it they would’ve had to admit that it was five days but only four nights.)

"We hiked all over the place and it was raining and it was cold and it was wet and we slept on the ground and we ate food that came out of cans and were heated up over little tiny stoves. We had him constantly yelling at us because we were doing things wrong." Tom Hanks again.

Sounds a lot like the backpacking trips I've taken with my sister. When I was 11, 12, 18, 35...

"I just know when those guys showed up again on set, they were born-again hard." Steven Spielberg.

Of course, all of that was intercut with WWII vets talking about the war, and fighting and all of that. The actors talking about their Manly Men experience is... I'm stunned that they put those things together. The real thing and these horrible fakers.