Happy Anniversary, My Beloved!

Thanks all, and Reader Questions

Thank you for all the support on my last blog post. Sometimes I just need to vent. That’s one thing about this business—once you hit publication, life’s never the same and not all of it’s comfortable. There are things to cope with that you never, ever expected and some are easy, and some are damned difficult.

Anyway, I sure appreciate the support. Today I was working on copyedits for The Shadow of Mist—the Siobhan the selkie novella for Never After. They’re going smoothly and I was sitting there thinking, damn, this is a good story! I hope you guys like it when it comes out.

I’m listening to one of the six (yeah, six) DVDs I ordered from London of Gary Numan’s live performances. Damn, not only is the dude gorgeous, but his music is brilliant and he’s a great live performer. I really like his work from the 90’s and on best, though I still love his older work. But what he’s doing now and in the last decade is genius. I ordered them from his website (through an online store) and while my stereo/DVD will play them, they come out BW on the TV, but in full color on my computer (they’re European format rather than US). I’m just thrilled I can play them. I’m SUCH a freakin’ fan-gurl—but at least it’s over someone my own age this time. *grins* I’m usually more into a bit younger men, all right, but he’s actually older than me by a little bit. And when I tear away the “oooo” factor, it’s really his music that grabs me and won’t let go. I identify with the alienation and dark wave feel to it. So who do you go all fan-gurl/guy over?

So, onto reader questions:

Question: How about your writing style... Do you like to have the entire plot laid out before you start or do you write by the seat of your pants and find out what's going to happen as you go?....Also, favorite Mel Brooks film?....Favorite movie line?....And lastly, very deep here, If you were a character from Rocky Horror Picture Show.. Which one would you be?

Answer: No, I’m an organic writer. I know the bare highlights of a book before I start—some of them—but the plot and characters evolve as I go. I do write up a bullet list of things I think need to happen with each chapter, but it’s all subject to change.

Favorite Mel Brooks film: Young Frankenstein, I guess—or the Producers (that was Mel, wasn’t it?). I’m not really a big Mel Brooks fan, to be honest. Favorite movie line: out of Into the Woods, “I’m not good, I’m not nice, I’m just right.” And lastly: Magenta. I loved Magenta, and also was just totally hot for Riff Raff (yeah, I’ve seen it, and dressed for it, a number of times).

Question: If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing with yourself in life?

Answer: I wanted to be a writer since I was three—so there was never anything else as important, but let’s see…I majored in theatre, so directing on Broadway would be one. Drama teacher. Exotic dancer (if I had the figure for it), if I had the talent—which I don’t—in a band (am SUCH an audiophile). Also: volcanologist, archaeologist, paleontologist.

Question: I have one question. I know writers that write in a different genre than what they prefer. I'm curious is there a type of genre or story you've always wanted to write but never have?

Answer: I’m writing what I love to write now, so I’m where I need to be. But otherwise: I’d still love to write some hardcore cyberpunk, also very edgy paranormal thrillers.

Question: I just have a question. You said you wrote 3500 words today. I monitor my progress based first on how good the content is. And then on how many words I wrote. From your experience do writers use word count for the day as a measurement to make sure they're doing enough work?

Answer: I write until I’m done for the day. Some days it will be 5 pages, some days it will be 25. I have very firm deadlines so my work has to be tight and I don’t have a lot of time to dwell. Over the years, I’ve strengthened my skills and talent and I’m confident that what I end up will be quality work. When I was starting out, I wrote six or seven drafts before I turned in the book, but I have it down to two or three now. It varies with the writer—some use word count, some—pages, some with just “I need to get to point B today.” I lightly edit what I did the day before just to re-familiarize myself with where I’m at, but I save intense editing for later.

Question: I have some questions about getting published. I have written several types of fiction novels and am working on a screen play, but I have no idea what to do with my finished product. I don't want to send my stuff to just anyone, because as hard as I've worked it would all be for nothing if it got stolen or put in a hold box for the next 10 years. Any suggestions?

Answer: Yes, and this is probably not going to be what you want to hear, but you’ve got a LOT of legwork to do. Striving for publication as a writer means you have to keep up on the markets, you have to understand the industry, you have to acquaint yourself with the requirements of the business. And you need to learn the proper terminology (fiction novel is redundant—all novels are fiction, therefore you are writing novels or fiction, but not a fiction novel).

I have a list of recommended books for aspiring writers in one of the forums on my message boards, as well as some recommended writing sites. Check the books out, and read them.

You must do the legwork yourself—it’s vital you familiarize yourself with the amount of research involved in this career. Before you ever attempt to get an agent, you should make certain your manuscript is at its absolute best you can make it. Have you revised it? Have you read other books in the genre so you know what’s already been done? Do you know how to write a damned good query letter? No? Then study.

Read the different agents’ blogs that are out there on the net (start with Janet Reid’s blog—she’s got a lot of good advice. She’ll have links there to other agent blogs…you’ll have to google her because MySpace won’t let me put blogger URLs on here). Only when you have some idea of what’s involved in this industry should you start submitting—this will give you the best chance of avoiding the scammers and not getting burned.

And lastly: grow a thick skin. You will get rejected, and it will sting, and it will happen—most likely—many times. I accrued about 600 (yes, six HUNDRED) rejections on stories and novels before I ever got my first contract. I had seven novels in the closet that I’d worked my butt off on, and they’ll never see the light of day. Unless you can handle rejection and the hard edged reality of this business, you won’t make it, so get used to the thought now. I cannot guarantee success, but I guarantee you this: if you quit, you will fail. How much do you want it? A lot? Then put on your reading glasses and dive in.

Until next time, cheers, and dream deep my friends, under the waxing moon.
Yasmine

Private Thoughts

Cross Posted From The Witchy Chicks:


Even though this is posting on Monday, I started writing this on Sunday afternoon. The light was streaming through my office window—rare sun breaks during this time of year, and so wonderful to see. I worked today, like many writers, wrote about 3500 words and still don’t feel like it was enough. But it flowed and the writing was fun to do and I felt peaceful and quiet. Often I write to music, but today was an in-silence work day, with just the background noise of the fan and the air cleaner going.

Yesterday I got hate mail. I obviously pushed somebody’s buttons with a passage in Darkling and they were determined I know about it (and they were angry, let me tell you—angry readers can make you shake in your boots). They posted not only on my private blog, which I removed, but also in my forums. I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. I stand by my work. The person didn’t read the passage right, which was obvious by their comments, and it was apparent that they’d taken it personally—which I have no control over. I do not censor my books—and I’m not always 100% politically correct or there’d never be anything but bland porridge, in the literary sense. But I am sorry that it hit them so hard they felt they had to lash out, because I think—not sure, but it seems—that they have some heavy baggage they’re carrying around and my work triggered some rough memories.

So some days, I dread the email box.

You know, I used to journal a lot, before I was writing so much, and before I started blogging. Now it seems like I don’t have much time for private thoughts—to examine what I’m thinking just for myself. I miss that. I wrote my “morning pages”—three pages a day just for me, sitting at the table with my mocha, using my favorite pen (a Waterman—I have three of them, one for my office, one for my purse, and one for the rest of the house, and Samwise is not allowed to use them without asking because he loses things and these are special to me). And I went out and ate lunch at the table too—with my Victoria Magazine or a book. I don’t do that so much.

I really miss that feeling of privacy. With MySpace and Twitter and Facebook and Live Journal and my blogs and my website, it feels like I’m always on display. But I’m not really, to be honest. What you see here, what you see on all of my sites, on my blogs, is always self-censored. I’m not one of those people who believes that I can—or should—say everything without regret or ramification, not in public. And there are parts of myself that I just like keeping private, for Samwise, for me, for the kitties. The ‘family’ Yasmine, who kicks back with friends and laughs and worries and frets and sometimes, yes, cries or throws a frustrated tantrum.

Perhaps if I took up my morning pages again, I’d feel less raw, less like every nerve is exposed. While publishers don’t require us to keep blogs, etc., it is good networking sense, and a way to interact with readers and meet people who read our books and put a face to the name on the cover. I enjoy all of these things—and I enjoy meeting the people who read my books and seeing what they think, but it feels like there are just too many. Join this, join that…when is enough, enough? And some people don’t like one site but they like another, so do you slight someone in favor of somebody else?

A lot to think about…a real balancing act. And while I think and try to juggle, I look at my blank books, blank journals, and sigh, and think “Maybe tomorrow, I can squeeze in some time for my thoughts—just for me—maybe I’ll give it another try tomorrow.”

So yes, thinking about privacy, private thoughts, and the net. It’s a wonderful tool and I am so grateful for the friendships and knowledge and opportunity with which it’s provided me, but sometimes…I wish it wasn’t so invasive in my home and my life.

What about you? How does the net make you feel? Do you juggle your time with it, too? Have you ever said anything on the net you wish you could take back, ever pushed the Send button before you realized that you might not want to actually send that email?

And do you still journal (or have you ever journaled)—private journal, not out on a blog or LJ? What would make you choose one over the other?

Yasmine

Reader Questions, Notes About Books, & A Giveaway

To answer a couple reader questions that have come in:

When is your next signing after the one on Saturday?

Yes, I’ll be signing from 2-4 on Saturday, April 25th, at the Tukwila WA Barnes and Noble. My next signing will be during the Romance Extravaganza at the Covington Library on May 2nd. I’ll also be paneling that afternoon on the paranormal panel. You can find out more information about my appearances on my Schedule of Appearances. Just flip through the calendar to find out where I’ll be and when.

So here is a easy question for you...I know there are a few more books in (the Chintz ‘n China) series but are you going to continue with more?

No—as it says on my site, there are no more books planned for that series. I simply worked my way through writing it and don’t think I could put my heart into writing more (nor did the series sell well enough to get a new contract for more books). I love what I’m writing now and, as proud as I am of Emerald and her crew, I’m much happier where I’m at right now.

And for the last one today: I do have a question for you, though, or rather an observation. I have noticed in the pic that you chose for yourself that you look very serious. Why don't you post pics of yourself laughing or showing the more light-hearted side of yourself? Is it because you are trying to create a persona for yourself as dark and mysterious?

Because I’m terribly photophobic, I hate having pictures taken of me, and I freak out trying to figure out if I’m grinning like an idiot when a camera’s around. I much prefer the picture I have up now—it suits my nature better. I do smile, but I’m not someone who grins a lot. That’s why I dread it when someone at a book signing asks if they can take my picture—it causes a lot of anxiety for me. I can speak for an hour or two in front of a room full of people, no problem, but let one camera show its face and I panic.

On to other things:

Legend of the Jade Dragon is back in print and available now! Here’s your chance to buy a reasonably priced copy with a spiffy new cover!

Second: the first review of Demon Mistress is in. Romantic Times magazine says: “As always, she delivers intriguing characters, intricate plot layers, and kick-butt action! 4 Stars.”

You can pre-order on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Chapters if you’re in Canada, and you still have time to enter the Demon Mistress ARC contest on my forums if you haven’t yet.

And to start the countdown toward Demon Mistress’s release, I’m going to start out by giving away a mix of backlist titles. What you get will be random—don’t ask for a specific title because that will disqualify you. I will sign them, however.

This week, I’m giving away five copies of Ghost of a Chance, 2 copies of Dragon Wytch, and 2 copies of Night Huntress, and 1 copy of A Murder Under a Mystic Moon.

You can enter over at my Live Journal Blog—do NOT enter here.

Have a great weekend.

Yasmine

Interview With Me On...

Cie Adam's blog--she's half of the CT Adams/Cathy Clamp (and Cat Adams) writing duo, a lovely lady, a great writer, and fun to interview with. Drop by, leave her a comment. ;)

Yasmine

Clearing Up Misconceptions

I’ve received a number of emails and messages lately that show me how common some misconceptions are, so here’s a quick clear-up of some commonly held inaccuracies. Like all things in life, there will be exceptions, but for the majority of traditionally published writers, these hold fairly true:

1. I do not have control over whether my book comes out in e-book format (or which e-format) or audiobook format or another language. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the e/audio/foreign book publishers and then they have to come to an agreement with my publisher over how much to pay for licensing the rights. My input means nil on this account—so please don’t ask me why a book isn’t in that format, or as me to ‘put’ my books in that format, because it’s simply out of my control.

2. I don’t get to choose my cover artist. I’m assigned a cover artist. Over the years, I’ve been very lucky, over all. I have very little input on my covers. And no, I cannot hire my own cover artist (so please don’t send me your resumes or request that I look at your portfolio—the publisher chooses the cover artist), and frankly, at least for the Otherworld Series, I can’t imagine a better artist than Tony.

3. I cannot control the size of the font in the books. Again—the publisher decides and with trying to save on paper (which saves you money in the long run) font size does seem to be getting smaller. I wish I could do something about it, but—out of my hands.

4. A lot of people ask about movies off the books—a movie producer has to express interest first, and then they have to option the books (if I like the potential deal) and after that—they *may* make a movie or not. So it’s (you guessed it!) not up to me at any stage before getting an offer. And I haven’t received any so far.

5. I don’t get paid for book signings, and I don’t get sponsored for them either. If I were to go on tour, I’d be paying for it myself AND lose the time I’d spend writing. Most book signings are poorly attended until you get up to the LKH fame-frame. I also have some travel issues surrounding Samwise’s diabetes and needing to be with him on the off-chance he goes into seizure at night, so he’d have to take off from work, too. So I’m not doing much on the tour circuit.

And, because I’ve been getting a lot of these questions lately too:

No, I cannot (and will not) look at your unpublished work. Too many potential legalities and I get far too many requests to make it feasible even if I didn’t have to worry about the legal issues. I do have a forum on my Moon Stalker Forums where I occasionally post writing advice, along with a recommended reading list and some writing site links, for aspiring writers. In my blog archives on MySpace, I also have a number of blogs where I talked about writing so read through some of those.

Yes, I do interviews for bigger blogs (not individual blogs), and you can email me from my site or message me if you’re interested.

Yes, I am on various IMs, but ask people to please do not to add me there—I use IM for my mods, very close friends, and family. Please follow me on Twitter instead.

After all that (gee, it sounds very stern to me, but it’s hard to keep saying ‘no’ without sounding a little like a downer—beginning to feel like Mean Mommy here), let me close with: I wish you a wonderful week and if you have questions, ask ‘em because I often use them for blog-fodder!

What do you want to know, folks? (Within reason). ;)

Yasmine

Just Checking In

I know my blogging’s been a bit sporadic, but it’s because I need to focus on my writing more. But you’ll get blogs, just not quite as consistently. Bear with me, folks!

I just put up a new blog on my Gluten Free Kitchen Witch blog site today. It’s a Blogger blog, so if you’re reading this from Myspace, go to my website to find the link. MySpace seems to be at war with Google over links. *sigh* Anyway, blog today is about five products that make a dairy free, gluten-free life much easier and tastier.

I suppose some of this should go up on my GF blog, and I will probably post there more about my health rather than here, but just wanted to say that I am starting to feel SO much better now that I’ve gotten back to my strict allergy control diet. Pains in my muscles are decreasing, pains in my joints letting up, brain fog diminishing. I had started eating dairy again, being on such low starch, but it totally fucked me up. I’m now eating low-moderate starch, low sugar, and lots of fruits, veggies, meats, and good fats. And all of it on my allergy-can-have list. I even found a place to order beet sugar for when I do want to bake, since I’ve got a very strong sensitivity to cane sugar, and I’m cooking a lot more with Agave nectar rather than sugar or honey.

I’ll have more book news—just odds and ends—soon, but for now, better get back to work. I’m in good spirits, Sam found a short-term contract (which we hope will get new funding when it’s over at the end of June), the kitties are little monsters, but very very cute ones, and life—well—life is pretty good. Knock wood it continues that way!

Yasmine

April Newsletter & Contest

The Moon Stalkers April Newsletter is now up on the Moon Stalkers site, with a lot of wonderful tidbits, information, an interview with Menolly, and some recipes for an Otherworld Picnic. I’ll also be starting my countdown to Demon Mistress at the beginning of May and will be offering some prizes, both on my blog(s) and through my forums.

Second: the fourth Demon Mistress ARC contest has just started in my forums and will run till April 26th. Don’t miss your chance to read the book early! And remember: you can pre-order now!

Yasmine

4th Demon Mistress Contest, Gary Numan, Altoids & Games

How's that for a convoluted blog post title?

Fourth Demon Mistress ARCs contest starts tomorrow in my forums. Get your butts over there or you won’t have a chance to read it early. ~grins~

I’m a lucky, lucky woman—I bought three Gary Numan DVDs from the U.K. and they play on both my computer and my stereo, though oddly enough the UK PAL format makes the color disappear on the stereo, though not my computer. I also bought two hard-to-find out-of-print CDs of his: Outland and Skin Mechanic. I could have bought an MP3 download from Amazon, but they aren’t the quality of the MP3s I rip to my computer from CDs to listen to when I write. So I anted up the bucks for two new (but no longer produced) copies of them and I love them! I’m in dark wave/electronica heaven right now.

Been Altoid-ing myself into a wintergreen haze today. I get in my moods where I just want mint, lots of mint, and I tend to overdo it. I used to drink the peppermint mochas but they’re a lot more sugar than the Altoids and so I stick to lattes and instead, go at the Altoids. My breath sure smells good, that’s for sure.

Keep forgetting to mention for those who don’t know: I have posters available of Smoky and Maggie. See my Nightqueen Enterprises site. No, there are no posters available of Morio, except for the one in the running for the Diabetes auction, and no—none of the other characters are done yet. Please don’t ask me for them, they’re expensive and I get them done as I’m able.

Yesterday Sam talked about the games he likes—thank you all for making him welcome. As time goes on and the series (knock wood) gets more popular, he’ll be helping me more and more so I’m getting you guys used to him now. Today, I’ll tell you the ones I like, when I get the chance to play.

Dungeon Siege 1, 2, & the Broken World expansion pack—definitely at the top of my faves—love the graphics and the user interface, and the whole fantasy aspect.

Diablo 2/Expansion Pack: Looking forward to Diablo 3 to see what they’ve made better. I loved the dark feel of the game, but the user interface could have stood some improvement, though it was a lot better than Baldar’s Gate, which I just couldn’t play because I hated the UI.

I’m a Sims freak—have almost all the original Sims, all of the Sims 2 expansion packs, and am looking forward to Sims 3. I love designing houses, I use the game to create my worlds and the character’s houses so I can remember what’s where, and I just love to dawdle in there, but I sure hope they streamline the load time on Sims 3, because even on my computer (which is custom built for speed and gaming), it’s slow to load up.

I LOVE puzzle games: Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled Twist, Drops, Tetris, Peggle, Super Collapse, Aqua Bubble, all of those fun ones. I miss Klax and Sonic from Sega Genesis. Wish I still had my system but it was wearing out.

In other general news, the kittens have bonded with Meerclar and she—well, she’s pretty much accepted them. They’re going on 9 months old now, and she’s going on 16 years old…and now they will sleep together and the hissy fits are few and far between and her spirits have picked up.

I guess that’s about it for now—need to get back to work so talk to you soon!

Be good, or if you can’t be good—at least be sanitary. ~grins~
Yasmine

Games & Gaming

Today, I'm turning the reins of my blog over to Samwise for a post on gaming. I'm in the middle of working on the Moon Stalkers Newsletter and need to get it done. So, without further ado--my husband, the most gorgeous geek ever. :) --Yasmine

Samwise:

I hope you don’t mind, but Yasmine asked me to write a blog post. So I’m going to write a post on computer games that I’ve played and I like.

The first game I want to talk about is a little piddly computer game called ‘Mine Sweeper’. Yes, I like that game. Playing it is almost identical to a math puzzle game that I like to do a log called ‘Cross Sums’. (for an example of ‘Cross Sums’, go to http://www.freexsums.com/ for a game) I’ve spent a lot of time performing rapid addition and counting, trying to solve the game quickly. Yes, yes, I am a math nerd.

The second game I want to talk about is a computer game my wife got for me called ‘Aliens vs Predator 2’. (Information about the game can be found here: http://www.alienvspredator2.com/enc/games/avp2.html ) The game borrows from the ‘Aliens’ realm and from the ‘Predator’ realms very well. It combines the two worlds, and it tells three separate stories. The first story is from the point of view of a marine. The second story is from the Alien’s perspective. The third story is according to the predator. All three stories do somewhat intersect, but not much. The stories are the main attraction to the game that I highly recommend. The worlds, weapons, technologies and everything match what you see in the movies almost exactly. Now, why couldn’t this video game story be made into a movie? I mean, it is great! If you’re not that much into fighting, set the game onto the easiest setting, quickly blast your way through it and watch it simply for the story telling.

The third game I like is a game published by Microsoft called ‘Freelancer’. (Information about the game can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/games/freelancer/ ) Again, like ‘Aliens vs Predator’, the story makes the game the legend that it is. It tells the tale of a space opera that simply captures your attention and holds onto it, until the very end. And like all good space opera stories, it has lots of space ship fighting, macho swaggering, and a slowly revealing plot that keeps building until the very end. This game I highly recommend to play.

I know that I should give credence to the game ‘PC Halo’. It is a space opera game, but the story wasn’t that compelling for me. And, the game play was very repetitive. The game developers worked more on ‘Twitch Joy’ and less on ‘Original Plot’, which is always the first thing that I want in a long computer game. It isn’t that bad, just not that captivating.

A game I still have yet to play is ‘DarkStar One’. It has come to me highly recommended, by a few friends of mine who are ‘Freelancer’ fans. I will play it someday.

Back in the 1980’s, I also loved that game ‘Ultima 4’. Now, that game was fun. That, and ‘Ultima 3’ I’ve actually gone all the way through. Now a days, you can actually download those games for free, and run them on DosBox (http://www.dosbox.com/ ) if you need your Dos Gaming fix. One Dos game that is very fun to play is ‘Shannara’ (for you ‘Sword of Shannara’ fans). It is located here: http://www.classic-pc-games.com/pc/adventure/shannara.html . It runs under DosBox, although I have the hardest time trying to get the voice to work. The story itself takes place between ‘Sword of Shannara’ and ‘Elfstones of Shannara’ and it is pretty good.

So the question goes out to the readers of this blog: What games do you like, and would recommend? Which ones have a good story?

The Comfort Zone: Favorite Authors

Cross Posted From the Witchy Chicks:

Okay, today I’m going to talk about the comfort zone--in reading. The authors we go back to, time and again, because we know we'll enjoy the story, we know we'll find familiar faces and territory and we need that sense of security.

So I decided I’m going to give you my (current, though the first four always stay consistent) top ten favorite authors. And then, maybe you’ll tell us a few of who your favorites are.

Yasmine’s Top Ten Favorite Authors

The Elite:

• Ray Bradbury: Bradbury has been a favorite of mine since I was young. His work taught me that prose can sing, words can make music, and imagination can take the most mundane thing in the world and make it into a fantasy—or a nightmare.
• JRR Tolkien: The world of Middle Earth forever changed the nature of fantasy, and I simply cannot imagine living in a world where I never got to know Frodo, Samwise, Gandalf, Aragorn, and all the rest.
• Richard Adams: Though I’ve read a number of his books, Watership Down remains my all time favorite book. I don’t know how many times I’ve taken the epic odyssey with Fiver and Hazel and Bigwig, and cried when I closed the pages.
• Daphne du Maurier: Author of my second favorite book of all-time—Rebecca—I love her work, and enjoy even more, the biographies of her life and her collected letters.

Can Change Depending on Mood:

• Annie Dillard: Nonfiction Pulitzer Prize winner for Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, her exploration into the natural world around us taught me a whole new way to perceive and think about what I see, hear, and feel.
• Amy Tan: A born storyteller, her books sweep me away into a world of magic realism where I find myself on the line that marries the mundane to the world beyond the veil.
  Marion Zimmer Bradley: I love her Darkover world and have spent so many hours reading the books she set there. Her characters were always distinct to me, and her plots and world-building, complex.
• Greg Bear: His work makes me think. Post-cyberpunk, what I’ve read of him sticks with me for days after reading—and not because I didn’t like it. He exercises my mind.
  Guy Gavriel Kay: The Fionavar Tapestry captivated me with his writing and storytelling. He truly works in word-pictures.
• Stephen King: No, horror isn’t my milieu even though my own books can be fairly dark, but Stephen King—like Amy Tan—is a storyteller and can weave a tale to grip you right in. The Shining, Christine, Salem’s Lot, Night Shift, Bag of Bones—all brilliant stories that captured me effortlessly.I have many, many more that I enjoy on my list, but these are my top faves. So tell me, who are some of your favorite authors?

Yasmine

RIP Dave Arneson--One Last Roll of the Dice

Dave Arneson, the brilliant mind who joined with Gary Gygax to create Dungeons & Dragons, didn't make his last saving throw.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90765-R-I-P-Dave-Arneson

Makes me teary, because for so many of us, these two men made a HUGE difference in our lives. They forever changed the face of fantasy and gaming. They brought out the inner geek in so many people, and made it possible to envision gaming beyond the confines of a board game.

*salutes with a toss of the dice*
Yasmine

Victoria Strauss over at....

...the Witchy Chicks, guest blogging about what to watch out for, for aspiring writers and those not yet familiar with the business. GREAT POST, and I highly recommend you read it if you are interested in a career in writing--or even casually.

Yasmine

Life Intruding on Fiction

People often ask me just how much I use of my real-life experiences—both paranormal and mundane—in my fiction. After a long history of writing—I started out writing fiction long before I broke into publishing with eight nonfiction books on magic, witchcraft, tarot, sex, and meditation, though a number of my readers first met me through my metaphysical work—I have to tell you, I use whatever I need to out of my personal life, but I always change it.

First—yes, I am a Witch—I’ve been in the Craft for over 29 years. No, I’m not Wiccan. I follow a different path. I’m known for writing about mystical experiences, so when people ask me about the merging of my paranormally-focused reality with my fiction, there’s really no easy answer.

In my perception, life itself is a paranormal experience. Every inch of my life is touched by my spiritual path, and yet, it’s like white noise: there, in the background, a part of my very being without always being on the surface. So how does it color my stories?

For the Otherworld Series and the Indigo Court Series, I’m able to totally let loose and go all out. Urban fantasy—paranormal romance, these series have much of their foundations in my study of various mythologies of the world, as well as the ravings of my own warped imagination, but very little of my personal paranormal experiences. I take my knowledge and personal experience as a foundation, and then just let loose. Darkling, a hard book to write because of the trauma Menolly went through, actually found a basis in part, in the abuse I suffered in my earlier years—both as a child, as a teen, and again with my ex.

Now, I’m often asked if I consider myself Otherkin because of the nonfiction I write (if you don’t know, Google the term). For a long time, I said “No.” But when I look at the work I’ve done on a shamanic level, and at my view of the world as a whole, I now say, “Kind of.” Because it fits me, to an extent, and the term Otherkin sure fits almost all the characters in the OW Series—and, so far, a number of characters in the upcoming Indigo Court Series. But again, I ask people to remember: the books—except for my metaphysical nonfiction—aren’t based in reality. They are novels, for entertainment.

Now, in my Chintz ‘n China series, Emerald O’Brien was considered the town witch—she was psychic and accepted her abilities as normal and natural. And some of her experiences have their foundation in things I’ve experienced, but to turn an interesting tidbit into a great story, I exaggerate and change what happened. For example—Mr. Big & Ugly from Ghost of a Chance is a composite of several nasty spirits I’ve encountered, and then amped up. A lot. So these experiences became the skeletons on which I built the rest of the series. Because reality, while fascinating, doesn’t always make for the best of fiction.

Now, my Bath and Body Series (written under the name India Ink), had very little of the paranormal in it by request of my publishers. I found it so difficult to write, that I knew I couldn’t go on with it. Because in essence, I had to turn off a part of myself in order to get the books done and I wasn't happy writing it at all.

Mundane as well as paranormal events color my work. I wrote up a backstory for MJ Rose’s blog about the genesis of A Harvest of Bones, in part inspired (in a nightmare way) by the disappearance of two of our cats for a period of time in 2004. And the use of insulin as a murder weapon in Ghost of a Chance came directly from my own fears over my husband’s low blood sugar attacks when he (he’s a Type 1 diabetic) goes into seizure.

People often ask me which of my main characters is most like me. A little bit of each, I say, but in truth, I’m by far more like Camille from the OW series than I am Emerald or Persia. Even though this series is furthest removed from our current reality, Camille and I share the same sardonic sense of humor, the same practical and yet flamboyant nature, the same tastes in clothes and men, we share magic and a connection to the moon, and like her, I often find myself in the screwiest situations that make me want to groan and say, “Oh no, not again.”

So, to answer the question: Do my personal experiences influence my writing and show up in my novels? The answer is yes, they provide inspiration, but in the novels they are changed to fit the story, where in my nonfiction, I explored them as they actually happened. And none of the characters—with the exception of Maggie—were, or are, based on actual people.

The bottom line is: unless you are an exceptional person, or very famous, chances are memoirs are better left alone. But you can use your life stories in your writing, by changing them, basing other stories on them, exacerbating and twisting them.

Cheers—and don’t forget, the contest for the third Demon Mistress Arc is still going on in my forums!

Yasmine

The Net, Gaming, & Berry Beetles

There was a bad earthquake in Italy, I just read. At least 91 dead at this point, fifteen hundred injured and the numbers could rise. Used to be, these things—when they happened overseas—seemed distant and sad, but removed. Now, thanks to the net, they are immediate and have a lot more impact. My readers contact me from different states, and many different countries. I’ve received letters from China, France, Brazil, Italy (quite a few guys from Italy, oddly enough, mostly about my metaphysical nonfiction), the Netherlands, Finland, Japan, Canada, Australia, the UK—and other places. So now, when I hear something like ‘a bad quake in Italy, people are dead,’ I tend to stop and think about the people who’ve written to me over the years, and wonder if they’re okay, if they got caught in the tragedy.

The net has brought us together more, even as it can bring out the worst in people, it can also bring out the best. And it can make us care more about strangers because it allows us to get to know the person before we see them to form an opinion. Granted, people lie all the time over the net—I’ve been lied to and taken advantage of. But I’ve also met some wonderful friends via the internet…and while I never blanketly trust anybody, I pay attention a little more when something like this quake happens. When 9/11 happened here, I got email from as far away as Australia expressing sympathy and asking if I was okay. And that touched me—that strangers half a world away would care. And so, to any of my readers who might be in Italy, or have friends or family there—I send my hopes that none of you were caught by the quake, that all of you are okay.

The net has also allowed me to find things I normally couldn't get my hands on: like Outland and The Skin Mechanic, two OOP CDs by Gary Numan that I just picked up from London.

And onto a few other things: Life lesson learned twenty minutes ago, thankfully before I almost went through it: when eating strawberries (or any kind of berry, I guess), even when you’ve washed them, look at the berry first to make sure there are no beetles on it. (shudders) Yes, I almost ate a beetle. UGH, ICK, and just nasty thought. Thank gods I looked down before popping it in my mouth. Eating bugs SO not my idea of breakfast. Meat is meat, yes, I know I eat cow and pig and bird and sheep, but I do NOT eat bugs.

So we have discovered Ultimate Gamer on SF channel. Love it—although I’d rather see more competition and less angsty/arguing. I have to admit, Dante’s my favorite.

Read Bone Crossed (Patty Briggs) this weekend, and half of Rachel Caine’s Lords of Misrule. Just desperately needed a time out, a quiet weekend where I wasn’t doing anything for anybody but me.

Doing pretty good on my diet, need to add in just a little more starch at this point, and make sure I cut out all the dairy. Dairy’s giving major allergy problems and cutting the starch down to almost nothing does give me a few tummy rumbles, so finding that point where it’s low enough to keep me on track but high enough to keep me feeling top notch.

And for now, that’s going to be it. Samwise will be writing a blog soon on gaming—he’ll be posting it on my blog but you’ll know who it’s from. We both love to game and so thought you might like to hear from him on what games he likes best.

Yasmine

Third Demon Mistress Arc Contest & Other Stuff

Okay, quick blog here because the winner of the 2nd Demon Mistress Arc Contest has been notified. Congrats to Sinoo7, who is now eagerly awaiting her ARC. The third contest for an ARC is now open. I’m running most of my contests through there, now, by the way—it’s much easier on me to organize and keep track of than trying to do them through all the various social networking sites. So if you want in the running, gotta join the forums. We’re also starting to have some fun discussions going on there. Sorry. That’s just the way it is now.

I have an aching back. Made one wrong move today and boom, ouch. Probably will have to see my chiropractor again tomorrow. I have so many adhesions in my back it’s pathetic—they’re from an old injury and until they are worked out and the muscles un-bound, so to speak, it keeps pulling my bones out of whack. Exercise helps but does not pry apart the muscle fibers that are stuck together.

Tomorrow the Got Junk people show up to take away junk! I love spring cleaning and clearing out stuff and feeling like the house isn’t so full. We don’t have much space here—not as much as we need—so it’s a constant juggling act to keep the clutter out, because I can’t stand clutter.

And for those who follow the Witchy Chicks, we have a new member! Cathy Clamp, who writes with CT Adams, is our newest Witchy Chick. You can find our links, our blog link, etc., through the official Witchy Chicks website now.

Blog is short today since my back aches, but go forth and enter yon third Demon Mistress ARC contest! We’ve had two winners…who will be the fourth?

Yasmine