It's time to answer Puck! Starting today (August 31st 2:00 pm Eastern time) we are open for answers! Please paste your answers to the questions (include question numbers, but don't feel the need to copy and paste the entire question) in a comment to this post. Tomorrow (Sept. 1st) at 2:00 pm Eastern time we will write down the names of everyone who got ALL the answers right. We will place those names in a hat and pick one out. The winner will be announced in the intro post for September's theme (Witchcraft). Please include an e-mail address so that we may contact you if you win (if you are uncomfortable posting your e-mail address, you can e-mail me or Justine with you contact info as long as you include "Puck's Challenge Winner" in the e-mail's subject line).
Note: Due to complications with Blogger and a last minutes change in posting schedule, two of the questions have been changed. We apologize for the inconvenience and promise to make every effort to avoid such affronteries next month.
1. In European folklore, fairies were believed to prefer human babies to their own. If the fairy had no child to exchange for the human baby, what two things were they likely to swap instead?
2. The Tuatha De Danann defeated the Formorii, but were then in turn defeated by what race?
3. Turning your jacket inside-out will help you escape the compulsion to dance caused by what trooping fairy?
4. What Queen of the Fairies had an affair with the King of the Demons, condemning her children to be demons as well?
5. What are two ways to defeat a fairy illusion?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Zuibotschnik
The Zuibotschnik is a type of forest spirit called a Leshii. Les is Slavic for “wood.” The Zuibotschnik is almost always male and hardly ever leaves the forest. He hibernates for the winter when he goes away with his wife, the Leshachikha, and their children.
Alternative names: Lesovik, Leshak, Lesnoi, Lisun, Lieschi, Ljeschi, Lychie
Origin: Slavic, Russian
Powers: Change size (can hide behind grass or tower over trees), change shape (can become various animals or even human), appear/disappear in an instant, can make any sound of the forest, can summon storms and floods
Appearance: A wizened old man with skin tinged blue from his blue blood. His flesh is as rough as the bark of a tree and his green eyes bulge out. He is covered head to foot in long green hair. He has horns and cloven hooves. He wears his shoes on the wrong feet and casts no shadow.
Characteristics: A trickster, he enjoys leading people astray in his forest, however, like many Russian figures, showing him extreme kindness and courtesy could earn his good graces and gain you protection. People who grew too curious about the good fortune he brought to them would find his kindness withdrawn.
Habitat: Forest
Notes:
- Especially protective of bears and wolves
- People leave him offerings of salt, bread, eggs, and pancakes
- People could foil his attempts to mislead them by turning their clothes back to front and putting their shoes on the wrong feet
- Some cowherders made pacts with him to keep their cows from straying
- Children left unattended, or who weren’t baptized could be stolen away by the leshii
- Similar to English Green Man
- His wife is called Lesovikha and their children are called Leshonki
- The Zuibotschnik has a particular fondness for making the sounds of a gurgling baby from up in the high branches of a tree
Resources:
Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend by Mike Dixon-Kennedy
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
Giants, Monsters, & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of folklore, Legend, and Mythk
Alternative names: Lesovik, Leshak, Lesnoi, Lisun, Lieschi, Ljeschi, Lychie
Origin: Slavic, Russian
Powers: Change size (can hide behind grass or tower over trees), change shape (can become various animals or even human), appear/disappear in an instant, can make any sound of the forest, can summon storms and floods
Appearance: A wizened old man with skin tinged blue from his blue blood. His flesh is as rough as the bark of a tree and his green eyes bulge out. He is covered head to foot in long green hair. He has horns and cloven hooves. He wears his shoes on the wrong feet and casts no shadow.
Characteristics: A trickster, he enjoys leading people astray in his forest, however, like many Russian figures, showing him extreme kindness and courtesy could earn his good graces and gain you protection. People who grew too curious about the good fortune he brought to them would find his kindness withdrawn.
Habitat: Forest
Notes:
- Especially protective of bears and wolves
- People leave him offerings of salt, bread, eggs, and pancakes
- People could foil his attempts to mislead them by turning their clothes back to front and putting their shoes on the wrong feet
- Some cowherders made pacts with him to keep their cows from straying
- Children left unattended, or who weren’t baptized could be stolen away by the leshii
- Similar to English Green Man
- His wife is called Lesovikha and their children are called Leshonki
- The Zuibotschnik has a particular fondness for making the sounds of a gurgling baby from up in the high branches of a tree
Resources:
Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend by Mike Dixon-Kennedy
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
Giants, Monsters, & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of folklore, Legend, and Mythk
Yuki-Onna
Yuki-Onna is the Japanese equivalent of the Fairy Queen also known as the Snow Queen. She lures men out into the snow with her beauty. They search for her until they become lost in the blizzard and meet their death in the cold. She represents both the crystalline beauty and the frozen danger of ice and snow.
Origin: Japan, Denmark (Snow Queen)
Appearance: Beautiful with pale white skin, icy blue eyes, and ebony black hair. She dresses in long white furs or thin white robes. Sometimes her white garments are described as splattered with blood.
Characteristics: Like the blizzards she summons, she is portrayed as cold and unfeeling towards the deaths she causes
Powers: Causes snowstorms, can kill with her icy breath and freezing kiss
Habitat: She lives in a palace of ice and snow. Her home is lit by the dazzling colors of the Northern Lights.
Notes:
- Some say she is a pregnant woman who died in the snow and so she is occasionally described as carrying a baby in her arms.
- In some cases, Yuki-Onna may marry a human male. Then she will either turn to ice and melt away in the spring, or she will bear him a child only to disappear with the babe into a blizzard, leaving her husband to trail after her and find his death in the snow.
References:
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
http://www.mythbeasts.com/creature.php?beast=Yuki-Onna
Origin: Japan, Denmark (Snow Queen)
Appearance: Beautiful with pale white skin, icy blue eyes, and ebony black hair. She dresses in long white furs or thin white robes. Sometimes her white garments are described as splattered with blood.
Characteristics: Like the blizzards she summons, she is portrayed as cold and unfeeling towards the deaths she causes
Powers: Causes snowstorms, can kill with her icy breath and freezing kiss
Habitat: She lives in a palace of ice and snow. Her home is lit by the dazzling colors of the Northern Lights.
Notes:
- Some say she is a pregnant woman who died in the snow and so she is occasionally described as carrying a baby in her arms.
- In some cases, Yuki-Onna may marry a human male. Then she will either turn to ice and melt away in the spring, or she will bear him a child only to disappear with the babe into a blizzard, leaving her husband to trail after her and find his death in the snow.
References:
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
http://www.mythbeasts.com/creature.php?beast=Yuki-Onna
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Fangs First: Build-an-Author Workshop: P1: Top 5 To-Dos for Creating Your Writing Persona
Welcome to the sixth installment of our weekly editorial “Fangs First.” So far Jennifer and I have done a bunch of Fang Firsts (see listing) concerning preparation for the final phase of an un-published author’s journey. This week on Paranormal Passions, as a way of helping out fellow soon-to-be stars, I’ve detailed what an aspiring author can do to make optimal use of the time they spend working on their yet to be published masterpieces.
This will be a serial post, affectionately titled: The Build-an-Author Workshop. This ‘workshop’ will cover these following aspiring authors’ to-dos:
The Aspiring Author Preliminary Q&A:
Pick a Penname: First of all you need to decide whether or not you want to write under your legal name or pick a penname. Some valid reasons to pick a penname are:
However, having more than one penname can be a bit more work. It means having to dedicate time into building that penname into a brand name from the ground up as you did your erotic paranormal romance penname. This can be extremely time consuming, especially if you want to keep the two identities completely separate. However, it is done WELL all the time. Personally, I have three pennames: one for romance, one for mainstream fiction and another for YA. Speaking of young adult fiction, it might be a good idea, if you’re writing kinky vampire sex under your penname, to acquire a different one if you choose to write children’s books and or young adult fiction.
Choosing a Penname: Call me, Ishmael: Names have power. Although Juliet all but wailed, ‘a rose would be a rose by any other name,’ that doesn’t necessarily ring true. If Romeo hadn’t, in fact, been Romeo her ass would’ve been alive and kicking by the end of the novel. Names are words, and words have both a connotation and a denotation. The denotation being what the word actual means and the connotation being the emotions or feelings associated with the word. Choose a penname that carries the right atmosphere or feeling for whatever genre you’ve chosen to write.
That’s easy to remember and there aren’t many Justine Darkholme’s running around the net.
Email Account: I think this is where a lot of authors go wrong. A professional author has an email account just for their writing career. It serves to help with organization and it presents a professional image. Personally, if an author emails me from:
ilovemydog@emailprovider.com, I automatically assume this author isn’t published. Why? Because a professional author would email me from: justinedarkholme@emailprovider.com
Fictional Persona:
“Morgana Scales is a paranormal romance author, who is, first and foremost a dragon. When she’s not writing, eating King Arthur’s knights and guarding shiny gold treasure, she spends her time terrorizing the village below her cave and reading the books they’re forced to leave behind. *crunch*”
A Realistic Persona:
Short Bio: These bios are usually used for things like guest blogging, the about the author portion of the back of a published book and or other similar venues. Also, keep in mind these short bios are usually written in the THIRD PERSON. Therefore, they should be short, concise and tell the readers just enough for them to know who you are, but leave them very curious, i.e. wanting to know more. That curiosity is going to lead them to your website, blog, etc. and as an author; you want all the exposure you can get.
Elements of a Short Bio:
Links: At the end of your bio, it’s always a good idea to include contact information, whether it be your P.O. Box (I do not recommend using your home address) or an email address whether editors, readers and other such individuals can contact you, if need be. Also, later on when you’ve built your website, it’s a good idea to include links to where you can be found on the net (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) for networking purposes.
Jennifer and I did an entire editorial on professional communication and the top five communication red flags. However, because new authors are often so excited they often end up with their foot in the their mouths, I feel the need to address this issue once again.
Keep in mind that once you’ve created a penname, writing persona, etc. everything you do from that point forward is written in stone for that particular penname. And it is very hard to reintegrate yourself back into the writing industry if you’ve already been branded with a scarlet letter. Why? Because although you may be using a different penname, etc., it is much harder to disguise your writing voice. In my case, my writing voice is so strong, anyone who has read anything I’ve ever written wouldn’t be hard pressed to pick my writing out even if I was hiding under a different name.
Privacy is a thing of the past and once you hit ‘send’ on an email, instant message or blog post, you can’t take it back. There is always someone watching and although we’d all like to believe only the ‘mature’ individuals occupy the publishing ring, but that is NOT the case. Even if you apologize later on, it will be very hard to be accepted again, i.e. rebuild burned bridges.
Helpful Tip:
One final note: While you’re in the midst of building your brand name, taking workshops, etc., don’t forget to do the most important thing: WRITE! None of the above is going to do you any good, if you haven’t written anything to eventually sell. Don’t become one of those aspiring authors, who never actually write anything.
This will be a serial post, affectionately titled: The Build-an-Author Workshop. This ‘workshop’ will cover these following aspiring authors’ to-dos:
- Creating Your Writing Persona
- Building Your Platform
- Learning Your Craft
- Researching the Industry
- Networking and Promotion
WARNING: We (Justine especially) are just overflowing with personality, so if you are easily offended, stop here. This is our blog, these are our opinions, and you have been warned. After hours of diligent research (as well as a plethora of our personal experience), Paranormal Passions presents:
The Build-an-Author Workshop
Part One:
Top 5 To-Dos for Creating Your Writing Persona
Wait!
Before you continue, there are some questions a new author needs to ask themself.
The Aspiring Author Preliminary Q&A:
- Are you prepared to suffer the delayed gratification of writing?
- What kind of career are you trying to build? Do you want to just write part-time or do you eventually want writing to be your sole source of income?
Your answer to this question will help you dictate the order of your priorities and help you decide just how much time, money and other resources you’re willing to dedicate to your writing. If you’re not aspiring to eventually become a fulltime author, your order of priorities should indicate such. For someone like me, who has made writing their life, it makes sense that I spend hundreds dollars a year on reference material, RWA membership and other such resources. In other words, answering this question ahead of time will save you both time and money.
- Are you prepared to receive criticism, accept it for what it is and sometimes apply it?
Not everyone is going to like your writing. This is a very hard, but important, pill to swallow. And new authors need to be prepared to set aside their emotions and accept positive AND negative criticism. If you’re not ready to get your manuscript shredded by less than nice individuals (like myself) you’re not ready to set foot in the publishing arena. Understand that although the publishing world has a nice, warm fuzzy, pink side, this industry is the living embodiment of Batman’s two-face. And, I promise you, you’ll find out sooner rather than later that the other ‘face’ of publishing is just as horrifying as the six-o-clock news—if not more so.
- Are you prepared to set goals, and more importantly, meet those goals?
- What genre do you want to write?
This is very important because it will dictate the nature of your platforms later on and will become the deciding factor in many things, including your penname, i.e. writing persona.
Now that you’ve done this, let’s move on to the real fun—building an author from the penname up!
1. The Penname:
What’s in a Name?
Pick a Penname: First of all you need to decide whether or not you want to write under your legal name or pick a penname. Some valid reasons to pick a penname are:
Anonymity: Sometimes ‘what’ we write isn’t exactly kosher with our overtly conservative, judgmental community members or colleagues. A penname will aid in protecting your sensibilities from ridicule and possibly save your job. That’s not say, if you have a penname, you’re ashamed of what you write. It just means that we all live in a world where judgmental idiots are running wild. There have been many cases in the past where authors have been fired from their other jobs because of the nature of their writing, especially if they’re writing things heavy with erotic content.
Hell, right now, Texas is suing an author because her novel ‘depicts many acts of arousal.’ And because we can’t all be Eminem and scream, ‘Fuck the world,’ sometimes a penname is necessary. However, please remember it is your choice. If you’re comfortable with the world knowing who you are, please feel free to let your freak flag fly! (LOL)
Writing Different Genres: Your penname will eventually become your brand name. Therefore, in a sense, it becomes a promise you make to your readers. So, if you’re writing erotic paranormal romance under, ‘Jane Doe,’ and you decide you’ve come up with a great idea from a romantic suspense novel, you might want to change your penname for that specific novel. This is why: Like I said earlier, your penname becomes a brand name, a promise if you will, therefore your following (i.e. readers) might be a tad upset when they buy your latest book expecting kinky vampire sex, only to discover red-riding hood entrapped in the wolf’s latest murder scheme.
However, having more than one penname can be a bit more work. It means having to dedicate time into building that penname into a brand name from the ground up as you did your erotic paranormal romance penname. This can be extremely time consuming, especially if you want to keep the two identities completely separate. However, it is done WELL all the time. Personally, I have three pennames: one for romance, one for mainstream fiction and another for YA. Speaking of young adult fiction, it might be a good idea, if you’re writing kinky vampire sex under your penname, to acquire a different one if you choose to write children’s books and or young adult fiction.
If only to avoid the hordes of parents crying: ‘OMG! My child is reading a woman who writes kinky sex too!’ I’m not sure why parents have a habit of adopting a mob mentality, but they often do. A little ways back a high school teacher, who also wrote erotic romance/erotica, was damn near chased with pitchforks when parents got wind that she wasn’t some weeping waif, with absolutely no imagination.
Regardless, it is your choice. So decide according to what best suits you and your lifestyle.
Choosing a Penname: Call me, Ishmael: Names have power. Although Juliet all but wailed, ‘a rose would be a rose by any other name,’ that doesn’t necessarily ring true. If Romeo hadn’t, in fact, been Romeo her ass would’ve been alive and kicking by the end of the novel. Names are words, and words have both a connotation and a denotation. The denotation being what the word actual means and the connotation being the emotions or feelings associated with the word. Choose a penname that carries the right atmosphere or feeling for whatever genre you’ve chosen to write.
Also, something else to keep in mind is: if you don’t choose an appropriate penname, a publisher may ask you to change it. This means more work for you and a bunch of time and money wasted. You’ll have to do everything in this workshop all over again—and that can be enough to make any author weep.
In addition, if you’re male and you’re writing romance be prepared to receive the same request from a publisher if you haven’t chosen a female penname to begin with. Why? Not sexism, I promise. Actually, something even more devious: sales. Books authored by women sell more because the majority of romance readers are, in fact, woman. Therefore, a female reader is more apt to choose a book they think has been written by another woman because they expect another woman would be better at translation universal female desires to the page. However, there have been exceptions to this. Leigh Greenwood writes historical romance under his own name and has done well. However, I’m not sure if he’s always written under his own name.
Also, if you’re two authors and have jointly written a book, also expect to be asked to write under ONE penname. Why? Same reason as before: sales. Books written by one author sell more. Anthologies only usually showcase established authors because those short story collections are sold on just those authors’ brand names.
In conclusion, no matter what penname you choose, make sure you love it as it’s going to be YOUR name, YOUR calling card in the publishing industry. So, pick something you love, something that carries meaning for you and I promise, because you love it, you’ll work harder to eventually see it in lights.
Some examples of pennames per genre:
- Romantic Suspense: Jane Doe
- Erotic Paranormal Romance: Morgana Knight
For instance, Jennifer are I are brand building under the name of: Paranormal Passions. I don’t know about you, but when I hear ‘paranormal’ and ‘passions,’ I get quite vivid images of naked vampires and some sexy bloodletting. Considering Jennifer’s vampires are constantly struggling to keep their clothes on and my dragons are forever rolling around in blood, those are the perfect images to invoke to supplement our brand building scheme.
- Historical Romance: Constance Kingsley
This name sounds like it could be a historical romance heroine’s name, huh? That’s great, considering this author is writing historical romance. When I hear the name ‘Constance,’ I think of the Three Musketeers and with that I think of a time when the church was a political power, when women were suffocating beneath corsets and yards of fabric, while the men stalked around dusty rounds in tights. (A trend I’d like to ‘see’ come back. *blush*) The last name ‘Kingsley,’ sounds noble. And with that, I think of forbidden romances and balcony kisses. The perfect images to fit a historical romance authors name.
Now, you can also pick your penname according to historical figures, other fictional characters and or places—and use the connotation they already carry to aid your own. However, just make sure to alter it enough to escape copy right infringement.
Some examples of pennames per genre:
- Erotic Paranormal Romance: Lilith de Sade
- Historical Romance: Cassandra Tudor
Here I’ve taken the name of the tragedy Cassandra of Troy, a woman who was condemned to the dungeon because she foresaw the fall of Troy. I’ve also taken the surname of Henry the 8th and the rest of the Tudor dynasty. Both figures are well-known and both anchor your reader with the respect afforded to nobility. Both individuals were royalty, and although one is a tragic figure, the second has been regarded as a romantic Don Juan over and over again via movies, TV shows, etc. This name speaks of the tragedy, brutality and the combination of love and lust history carries within its folds.
- Contemporary Romance: Emma Kennedy
Here I’ve taken the name of one of Jane Austen’s best known matchmakers, Emma. And I’ve also taken the surname of one of history’s most influential first ladies, Jackie Kennedy. The name ‘Emma’ brings to mind pink flowers, humorous scenarios and romance. While, the name Kennedy demands the respect modern woman deserve. It’s the perfect blend of sugar and spice for a contemporary romance author.
2. The NET:
First Come. First Serve.
Google Search: Also, put your penname in a Google search and make sure there isn’t a slew of ‘Jane Does’ running around the publishing world. If there are, it’ll be harder to distinguish yourself from them. Also, that last thing you want to do is share your ‘penname’ with a porn-star. Not that I have anything against porn stars, but it might turn away potential readers if you’re writing inspirational romance and a reader spots your name doubling as a porn stars’ call sign.
Purchasing Domain Name: One you’ve chosen your penname, make sure the website domain for said name is available. If I were you, I would buy it even if you don’t have a website yet. This will ensure it will be around when it comes time to build your website. Also, it’s a matter of professionalism. Authors who own their own domain name appear to be more professional, because they’ve spent money to make it so. Therefore, it shows the world you’re serious about making this into your career. It means, you’re putting resources into your writing because you expect to make it all back and then some.
Also, when choosing your domain name keep in mind the way Google and other search engines function. Which means: Don’t buy a domain name that has nothing to do with your penname. How are readers supposed to find you? If I were you, I would try to secure a domain name that is nothing but your penname.
For example: www.justinedarkholme.com
That’s easy to remember and there aren’t many Justine Darkholme’s running around the net.
Or, in Jennifer and I’s case, our domain name is actually our brand name: www.paranormalpassions.net
This doesn’t have our names in it, however, Paranormal Passions is associated with both authors. Therefore, it’s easy to remember and acts as a memory by association.
ilovemydog@emailprovider.com, I automatically assume this author isn’t published. Why? Because a professional author would email me from: justinedarkholme@emailprovider.com
That tells me they have an email dedicated solely to their work and therefore, whether it’s true or not, they seem all the more credible.
Email When You Have More Than One Penname: Yes, you should have a separate email for each penname. I know that sounds tedious, having to check emails in a million different places; however it is made much more convenient if you’re using Gmail. Gmail allows you to link all of your emails to one email, so you can: receive emails from different accounts, respond to emails on behalf of those other email accounts and send emails on behalf of your other accounts. I will outline this process on our website, however, if anyone needs immediate help, feel free to send me an email to: justinedark AT gmail DOT com.
Email Signature Line(s): Almost all email providers allow users to customize their signature lines. A signature line is the ‘love, Justine’ at the bottom of an email or letter. Most authors customize their signature lines
3. Write a Tagline:
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman!
A tagline is a quote that appears anywhere your penname does. It solidifies your writing persona and is an important stepping stone in building your brand name. Many authors have their taglines as a part of the signature files, website headers, etc. Not only does this help with building your brand name, but it’s a perfect time to showcase your voice and or give readers a quick look of what you write in a nut shell. Tag lines can be just about anything, from an original quote, a borrowed quote (remember to provide a source, so your use of the quote isn’t misconstrued as plagiarism) or a song lyric. (Once again, don’t forget to list a source.)
Examples of Taglines:
- Paranormal Romance Author: Jennifer Blackstream
- Tagline: ‘Whet my appetite and I’ll satisfy your hunger.’
By the time you finish reading this little original quote, you’ve got a pretty good idea as to what this author writes. This quote brings to mind: fangs, blood, hunger, satisfaction, passion, lust, sex, etc. For an author such as Jennifer, this tagline is perfect.
- Contemporary Romance Author: Emma Kennedy
- Tagline: ‘Isn’t the best part of breaking up finding someone else you can’t get enough of?’ ~Liz Phair
- Historical Romance Author: Constance Kingsley
- Tagline: ‘ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.’ ~Alfred Lord Tennyson
Some Things to Keep in Mind When Writing Your Own:
- A tagline is a quote. It’s not a bulk of text. It should only be one line long, so really less it should be in the 20-25 words range.
- Remember to be true to whatever genre you’ve chosen to write. You don’t want your tagline to sound mismatched to your penname. If anything, should your tagline sound disjointed, it won’t be remembered by the reader and other writers will spot an ‘amateur’ author from a mile away.
- Pay attention to every word you use. Words are powerful, and each individual word carries a connation of its own.
- Avoid sounding like Dr. Seuss. You don’t want your tagline to make people laugh. Unless that’s what you were aiming for, and for authors who write romantic comedies, that’s okay. For the rest of us, it’s not. So, it’s okay if you rhyme a bit (the only exception being a song lyric or line of poetry), however, you don’t want to end up sounding like Shel Silverstein.
4. The Author Bio:
“Whooo are you Yooouu?”
Writing your author bio should be taken as seriously as you would take an interview for a job, because it serves the same purpose. You’re offering readers, editors and other writers a glimpse into you and your writing persona. That being said, it’s important to decide upfront if you’re creating a fictional writing persona or if your penname is the only thing fictional about your writing persona. Or whether or not, it’s a mix and match. Most authors tend to use fictional pennames, but create a realistic persona that reflects them as individuals.
This is really the author’s choice. Personally, I think it depends on what genre you’re writing and just how you want your writing persona to be received. For instance, I’ve been christened (actually, I might have christened myself—but the former sounds color) the dragon. If I wanted to write a completely fictional persona, I would write my author bio as if I actually was a dragon. It would be like dressing up what makes me in a costume. Or perhaps, it might be I want to create a completely fictional alter-ego, so I write my bio as another person. Almost like writing my bio from a character’s perspective. It can be an effective branding device to do so. Or, I can choose to write a realistic bio using actual facts from life and just disguise my name. It really is up to the author, but the decision should not be taken lightly as it will affect how you build your brand name and how said brand name is received later on.
If you’re going to operate under a completely fictional persona, make sure you’ve developed said persona as thoroughly (and possibly even more so) as you would a character in a book.
Examples of Different Bios:
Fictional Persona:
“Morgana Scales is a paranormal romance author, who is, first and foremost a dragon. When she’s not writing, eating King Arthur’s knights and guarding shiny gold treasure, she spends her time terrorizing the village below her cave and reading the books they’re forced to leave behind. *crunch*”
A Mix-n-Match Persona:
“Meg Hart wonders why these things are never done in first person. It would make them a lot easier to write. Talking about oneself in the third person is the social equivalent to being a pompous jackass. She'll just toss this practice with the rest of the weird questions that'll never be answered. Maybe the reason it's written in third person is to make it seem like someone else wrote it! Ha! Though, she can't imagine someone else writing about you as opposed to one writing about one's self makes that much of a difference on the cool scale. Anyways, Meg is your friendly neighborhood cynic, someone who can't read sensibly, the coffee addict, anime fan girl, and lover of all things cute and furry—oh, yeah, I write too.”
A Realistic Persona:
“Sister, daughter, cousin, mother
Single, white, female, other
Waitress, student, writer, reader
Sarcastic, funny, part-time leader
Arachnophobic soldier of one
Se moi, es fin, and now I’m done
Okay, now that you've read my little snippet, let's get down to what you really need to know about me. Repeat after me: Tact is for people who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic. Learn it, live it, love it. Sarcasm is my middle name and thanks to my amazing crit partner, it is now engraved on a silver medallion I wear around my neck. I like to call it a warning to those who engage me in conversation. Unfortunately, for it to be a truly helpful warning it would have to flash above my head in neon lights. Sigh.
I like to get my sarcasm out of my system by inserting a pixie into each of my novels. Nothing like a cute little winged creature flitting around insulting people and ever-so-helpfully pointing out the facts that my hero and heroine may have missed. My second novel, Hunting Memory, didn't have the sort of world necessary for a pixie, so I had to settle for a snarky telepath instead. (Justine--yes, I know you want Victor to have his own story, but that's just not going to happen)
As for writing, I stick to paranormal. I also believe that if you're going to write a killer, he has to kill someone, if you're going to write a pyrokinetic, he has to burn something down, and if you're going to write pixies you better make sure there aren't any flyswatters within arm's reach of your hero/heroine.
I shall add to my bio as I progress along the road to writer-stardom. I'm sure you're all waiting with bated breath for news of my success (Hi, mom!)”
Things to Keep in Mind When Writing Your Own:
Short Bio: These bios are usually used for things like guest blogging, the about the author portion of the back of a published book and or other similar venues. Also, keep in mind these short bios are usually written in the THIRD PERSON. Therefore, they should be short, concise and tell the readers just enough for them to know who you are, but leave them very curious, i.e. wanting to know more. That curiosity is going to lead them to your website, blog, etc. and as an author; you want all the exposure you can get.
Elements of a Short Bio:
- Picture
- Penname
- What genre you write
- Other publishing credits
- A little bit about yourself or your writing persona
- A link to your website and or email address
Long Bio: These bios are usually used for things like your website, media kit (we’ll talk more on that later) and similar venues. Therefore, they should carry much more information. Most authors construct them like auto-biographical essays, therefore they’re usually written in the FIRST PERSON. One reason being, if a reader or editor has taken the time to go to your website to find out more about you, they’re INTERESTED. Therefore, you shouldn’t leave them hanging. Honestly, it annoys me when I desperately want to know more about an author and all they have for me is the little blurb I read in the back of their book. Just remember to be consistent. If you’re using a completely fictional persona, this is where that little character sheet is going to pay off.
Elements of a Long Bio:
- Picture(s): It’s always good to include more than one to supplement the content of your essay.
- Penname
- What genre(s) you write
- Other Publishing credits
- What you did before you became an author
- What you plan to achieve in the next couple of years
- Any planned series or pertinent interesting facts about the books you’ve already written
- Lots of information about you: This is where self-absorption gets to shine! At this point, they want to know all of the little nits, so let them have it.
- Contact and networking information
Picture: If you’re not going to include a picture of yourself, I wouldn’t include one at all. However, this completely depends on your writing persona. If you find a nifty dragon picture that fits your writing persona, I think it is okay to use it. For instance, for the dragon bio I wrote above, if I were to find a picture of a dragon, wearing reading glasses and reclining against a stack of books, I think it would be appropriate. However, what is not appropriate is a picture of your favorite character from South Park or your pet, etc. Also, don’t post a picture unless you’re alone (no family photos) and you’re in a professional setting. Nothing makes me roll my eyes quicker than a picture of an author while she’s sitting on the couch watching TV. Really is that the image you want to present to the professional world? Now, I could completely understand if an author, who writes romance frequently set on the beach, to have the ocean or something of that nature as a backdrop. Remember, keep it consistent. These are the building blocks of your brand name.
5. Professionalism:
“The Question is: To Be or Not to Be..?”
NOT.
The Question is: Whether or Not to Curse this Motherf*cker Out Now or Later!”
Jennifer and I did an entire editorial on professional communication and the top five communication red flags. However, because new authors are often so excited they often end up with their foot in the their mouths, I feel the need to address this issue once again.
Keep in mind that once you’ve created a penname, writing persona, etc. everything you do from that point forward is written in stone for that particular penname. And it is very hard to reintegrate yourself back into the writing industry if you’ve already been branded with a scarlet letter. Why? Because although you may be using a different penname, etc., it is much harder to disguise your writing voice. In my case, my writing voice is so strong, anyone who has read anything I’ve ever written wouldn’t be hard pressed to pick my writing out even if I was hiding under a different name.
Remember your name is your calling card. Think before you speak or in our case, write anything. What you write will follow you wherever you go. So, make sure if you never have to hide any shame or past transgressions. It’ll make functioning in such a cut throat industry all the simpler.
This concludes, part one of our Build-An-Author Workshop. Stay tuned, for part two: Building a Platform! This upcoming editorial is a helpful guide and how to for building a platform for your brand name, i.e. website construction, blogging, etc.
Have anything to add?
Any tips to share with an aspiring author?
~Justine Darkholme
One final note: While you’re in the midst of building your brand name, taking workshops, etc., don’t forget to do the most important thing: WRITE! None of the above is going to do you any good, if you haven’t written anything to eventually sell. Don’t become one of those aspiring authors, who never actually write anything.
As you continue trekking along the perilous journey of becoming a published author, you’ll do doubt see many, many of those ‘wanna-be’ writers, who have a hopping blog, great website but never actually get around to writing anything because they’re too busy focused on all the ‘to-do’ list.
So, once again, please remember to write. That is what makes you a writer—hell, the job description is in the name. In order to be a writer, you’ve got to WRITE!!!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Xanas
Xanas are nymphs and or fairies.
Folklore Origin: Asturian Folklore (Present day Spain)
Creature Origin:
Power(s) & Task(s):
Folklore Origin: Asturian Folklore (Present day Spain)
Creature Origin:
- Said to be women of the Moors that were left behind when they left
- Small
- Slender
- Long blond or brown hair, most often curly
- Those xanas whom have blond hair possess a treasure
- Those xanas whom have dark hair steal children, disturb human homes, bite, steal, etc.
- Possess extraordinary beauty
- They have beautiful, powerful voices
- Those whose souls are pure and hear a xana's song will be filled with peace and love
- Those whose souls are impure will feel as though they're being suffocated or may suffer insanity
- Prefer to spend the majority of their time sitting, combing their beautiful hair that has been woven with sun or moonbeams with gold or silver combs
- Xanas have children, which are called xannios. However because they do not produce breast milk and cannot take care of them, they steal a human baby from its cradle and replace it with their own. (See changelings)
- The human mother doesn't realize right away, however, a xanin grows into a adult in just a matter of months
- To unmask a xanin before it reaches adulthood, the human mother must place pots and egg-shells near the fire. If the child is indeed a changeling, it will say: "I was born one hundred years ago, and since then I have not seen so many egg shells near the fire."
- The xanas sometimes promises false treasures
- Some xanas will attack humans and or steal their food
- Some xana can be benevolent spirits
- They offer water to travelers, rewards of gold and silver
- Fountains
- Rivers
- Waterfalls
- Forests
- Caves
- The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, John & Caitlin Mattews
- Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xana
- Website:http://www.telecable.es/personales/hecmig/Villanueva/xana_mitologia_en.htm
Friday, August 26, 2011
White Buffalo Woman
The White Buffalo Woman (aka White Buffalo Calf Woman) is the supernatural being who introduced the peace pipe to the Plains Indians. The story of the peace pipe is the only time she in mentioned in their stories. Unlike Changing Woman, another female of the American Indian belief system, nothing is known about her family or where she lives.
Origin: Lakota Sioux
Appearance: Wears a white buckskin decorated in beautiful rainbow colored porcupine quills. She has long black hair and her eyes are full of light and power. She can also take the form of a Buffalo, in all its stages of life.
Characteristics: She is a sort of parent form to the Plans Indians. In her story, two braves are the first to see her. One of them rushed forward in desire and she takes him in her arms. A cloud rises around them and when it fades, the other brave sees her standing their with nothing, but bones where his friend was. This is not to say that Buffalo Woman is cruel. Rather, it is believed that like the fairy, she took her companion to a place where time passed more slowly so that he lived a lifetime of joy with her before he returned to his own land and time caught up with him.
Habitat: She came from the direction of the North, the realm of the Buffalo People
Notes:
- She taught the Lakota the prayers of the five great ceremonies: the Foster Parent Chant, the Sun Dance, the Vision Cry, the Buffalo Chant, and the Ghost Keeper.
- She told the people that as long as they revered the peace pipe, they would always be a nation
References:
The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey
http://www.livingmyths.com/Native.htm
Origin: Lakota Sioux
Appearance: Wears a white buckskin decorated in beautiful rainbow colored porcupine quills. She has long black hair and her eyes are full of light and power. She can also take the form of a Buffalo, in all its stages of life.
Characteristics: She is a sort of parent form to the Plans Indians. In her story, two braves are the first to see her. One of them rushed forward in desire and she takes him in her arms. A cloud rises around them and when it fades, the other brave sees her standing their with nothing, but bones where his friend was. This is not to say that Buffalo Woman is cruel. Rather, it is believed that like the fairy, she took her companion to a place where time passed more slowly so that he lived a lifetime of joy with her before he returned to his own land and time caught up with him.
Habitat: She came from the direction of the North, the realm of the Buffalo People
Notes:
- She taught the Lakota the prayers of the five great ceremonies: the Foster Parent Chant, the Sun Dance, the Vision Cry, the Buffalo Chant, and the Ghost Keeper.
- She told the people that as long as they revered the peace pipe, they would always be a nation
References:
The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey
http://www.livingmyths.com/Native.htm
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Vila
Vila or Vili (plural) are fairies, who live as nymphs.
Other Name(s): Wili, Samovily, Veela, Wila
Folklore Origin: Slavic Folklore
Creature Origin:
Other Name(s): Wili, Samovily, Veela, Wila
Folklore Origin: Slavic Folklore
Creature Origin:
- They're said to be the spirits of virgins and children who leave their graves at night
- They're also said to be the spirits of young women who died before their wedding night
- They can appear as: swans, horses, wolves, falcons, snakes or beautiful women
- In human form, they often appear nude, with long, flowing hair
- They have beautiful voices
- Any who hear their voices become 'struck' and lose all thoughts of food, drink or sleep for days
- They have vampiric qualities, such as the ability to act as succubi
- Ability to act as a fairy-godmother and bestow gifts and prophecies, bestowing fates upon newborn children
- Ability to shape shift
- Ability to manipulate the elements
- Ability to heal
- Ability to impart certain gifts and prophecies
- They gather at midnight at crossroads to lure young men to their death
- They dance under the moonlight
- Anyone who is caught in their dancing ring is doomed to dance until they die
- Fairy rings of deep, thick grass is said to be traces of where they've danced and should never be disturbed
- If disturbed it will curse the guilty with bad luck
- They often intermarried with humans and bore children
- Death & Protection:
- Folklore states if a strand of their hair is plucked they will die or be forced to change back to their true form
- A human may obtain protection via control of the creature by stealing one of their wings
- Offerings can be left at sacred trees, wells and fairy caves
- Offerings to Vila consist of:
- Cakes
- Ribbons
- Fresh fruits or vegetables
- They're considered fierce warriors
- The earth is to shake when are engaged in battle
- Ride on horses or deer, armed with bows and arrows
- They'll kill any mortal who breaks their word or defies them
- Woods
- Streams
- Fields
- Lakes
- Clouds
- Ponds
- They share similar characteristics with the Moirae
- The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, John & Caitlin Matthews
- Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_fairies
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Urisk
The Urisk (Scottish Gaelic for “water man”) is a type of brownie. Although he can be helpful herding cattle, grinding, and threshing corn, he is a woman chaser. His ugly appearance makes his advances very unwelcome to both the women he chases and the travelers he occasionally surprises on the road.
Origin: Britain, Celtic
Appearance: Upper half of a human and lower half of a goat, similar to the satyr of Greek mythology
Characteristics: Willing to help with work, but not very intelligent. Like other brownies, he will stop working immediately if a fuss is made over his help.
Habitat: Highlands, particularly around Loch Katrine in the Trossachs. He often haunts waterfalls.
Resources:
The Encylopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
Origin: Britain, Celtic
Appearance: Upper half of a human and lower half of a goat, similar to the satyr of Greek mythology
Characteristics: Willing to help with work, but not very intelligent. Like other brownies, he will stop working immediately if a fuss is made over his help.
Habitat: Highlands, particularly around Loch Katrine in the Trossachs. He often haunts waterfalls.
Resources:
The Encylopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuatha de Danann
Tuatha de Danann are race of people in Irish mythology, whom are associated with fairies as their origin. Supposedly, they've gone into hiding to prevent their extinction.
Name Meaning: People of the Danu, People of the goddess Danu
Folklore Origin: Ireland
Appearance:
Name Meaning: People of the Danu, People of the goddess Danu
Folklore Origin: Ireland
Appearance:
- Some folklore portrays them as beautiful deities that looked like humans, other folklore portrays them as having similar characteristics to fairies, i.e. small, winged, etc.
- Legend suggests these people used supernatural powers to:
- Cure the sick
- Become invisible
- Origins of the following are attribute to the Tuatha de Danann:
- Gods
- Demi-gods
- Heroes
- Fairies
- Were considered expert craftsmen
- Were well-versed in magical knowledge and skill
- Current rulers of the fairy-world, the Otherworld
- They were not considered immortal
- They are portrayed as civilised and cultured people
- Once inhabited Ireland, but now reside underground in the Otherworld
- Folklore states that during the Celtic Samhain, the Danann allow mortals to enter the Otherworld
- Important Notes:
- Celtic people considered their deities as another life form, no more 'higher' than themselves or their families
- They were not worshipped as gods or goddesses, but they were respected and admired not because they were divine but because they could do things humans could not
- They were the last generation of 'gods' to rule Ireland before the sons of Milesius, the ancestors of present day Irish, invaded
- The Tuatha de Danann conquered the Fomorii, violent and monstrous sea gods, at the second battle of Mah Tuireadh larder because of their magical skills
- Founded four great cities: Falias, Forias, Finias, Murias
- From these cities they brought four talismans to Ireland:
- The Stone of Fal: It screamed when the rightful kind of Ireland rested his foot upon it
- The Magic Sword of Nuada: This weapon could only inflict fatal blows
- Nuada: Their war-leader
- The Spear or Sling-shot of Lugh
- Lugh: The Sun God, who slayed Balor and brought victory over the Fomorii
- The Cauldron of Dagda: It was an inexhaustible pot that was capable of satisfying every appetite
- Dagda: Father of the Gods
- Demons and Demonology, Rosemary Ellen Guiley
- The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology, Arthur Cotterell & Rachel Storm
- Website:
- Website: http://www.boudicca.de/tuath-e.htm
- Website: http://www.ireland-information.com/articles/tuathadedanann.htm
Monday, August 22, 2011
Seelie
The Seelie are one of two factions of faerie according to British lore. They are the good faerie who bring luck and good fortune to humans. They roam the earth at twilight, dancing, singing, and feasting wherever they go.
Origin: Britain
Characteristics: Physically beautiful. They come in a wide variety of flavors, but in general they are industrious, pleasant, and peaceful. Their society resembles medieval nobility, complete with a king and queen
Habitat: Forests and woods
Origin: Britain
Characteristics: Physically beautiful. They come in a wide variety of flavors, but in general they are industrious, pleasant, and peaceful. Their society resembles medieval nobility, complete with a king and queen
Habitat: Forests and woods
Note[s]:
- The term “Seelie” includes creatures such as the Sidhe and Elves
- Their counterparts are the Unseelie
- They are especially active on the pagan holidays of Beltane (May 1) and Samhain (November 1)
- The term “Seelie” includes creatures such as the Sidhe and Elves
- Their counterparts are the Unseelie
- They are especially active on the pagan holidays of Beltane (May 1) and Samhain (November 1)
- Since the Seelie include many races of fairie, they can be a variety of sizes. Most often, they are described as taller than humans, and very slender
Resources:
The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey
Fairies: Mysteries, Folklore, and Facts by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
Resources:
The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey
Fairies: Mysteries, Folklore, and Facts by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Brimstone Pub: Contraceptives in Romance: Jiminy Cricket vs. the Jimmy Hat
Welcome to a Brimstone Pub. Hi, I’m Justine. I tend to rant as any dragon worth her scales would. However, today isn’t so much of a full blown rant; so much as it is food for thought. Recently, on one of the writing yahoo loops I belong to, an author posted a blog post where she discussed her growing concern with the sex in romance. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the message in my email box (much to my annoyance) and I can’t remember her name for the life of me. However, I do know she had a website with couples embracing, a teal background and she wrote romantic fantasy. I know, right? I can remember all of that shit, but I can’t remember her name.
*smoke curls out of nostrils* I promise, I’m annoyed with me too.
Regardless, here was the gist of what she had to say: I’m beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable with the nature of the sex in modern romance.
She felt as though the sex in romance, especially BDS&M, was thinly veiled abuse. Or at least, that is the impression I got from her blog. (Goddamn it! I wish I could find the link.)
However, her concerns were expressed in such a way that it really caught my attention and then I remembered a post Smart Bitches, Trashy Books did on condoms and reality vs. fantasy in romance. That link I did find. You can read the post here.
So for the next week or so, I’m going to be doing a serial post on sex in romance hot spots. Also, I’ll close the serial posts with two reader and one writer interviews I’ve conducted on homosexual romance and condoms. All three of my interviewees are male, one is bisexual, one is straight and the other is gay.
So this is the line-up for this serial Brimstone Pub:
Please note: I’m only familiar with contemporary, historical and paranormal romance, so those are the ones I’ll be talking about. If anyone is familiar enough with other romance sub-genres to do posts on them, Jen and I would love to have you. Also, please be advised: I’m fully of personality. Therefore, there might be cursing or offensive material. This post is not for the faint of heart.
Generally, there are about three sides of this spectrum: those who believe contraceptives need to be addressed in romance, those who don’t think contraceptives need to ruin the ‘fantasy’ of a romance, and those who really could give less of a shit if John had a glove before he got some love.
Personally, I can see all three sides of the triangle. However, I think there’s a time and place for everything. Below, I’ve broken up my views and what not by genre.
Contraceptives in Contemporary Romance:
This genre is usually the target of the majority of ‘no glove, no love’ crusaders. Like I said before, I can see both sides. On the one hand, there are those who really don’t want to see a condom clog up the ‘fantasy’ flow. On the other hand, there are those who can’t seem to shake the ‘ick’ factor of having all kinds of sex without protecting yourself. Personally, I think there’s a time and place for everything—and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
What it Says About the Character(s): Personally, if a heroine and hero have unprotected sex within the first three chapters, I quirk my eyebrow and toss the book aside. Here’s why: Although readers read for escapism, there is only so far one can suspend their disbelief before a well-deserved ‘WTF?' Romance that set in today’s world should, for the most part, operate in this—albeit tailored to romance—reality. There are so many diseases floating around in the world today, that the idea that when you have unprotected sex with someone, you’re actually having sex with everyone they’ve ever had unprotected sex with is scary. If the heroine pays her bills on time, picks up after her dog in the park, I’m going to notice if she doesn’t ask the hero to where a condom—especially during their first encounter.
That’s just smart and hygienic, and personally, the heroine will seem all the more responsible. If the hero comes with his own condom (spermicide sold separately), I’m even more impressed because that means he’s prepared for anything, a responsible sexual partner, and he doesn’t have a bunch of kids free floating around the world. All the more perfect for the heroine, if ya ask me.
Hygiene: There are actually some publishers that will not accept manuscripts featuring a sex scene where the hero and heroine (we’ll talk about m/m a bit later) have anal and vaginal sex, without there being a condom involved. Um…I think on this topic, I don’t think I could stomach anything to the contrary. Anyone who’s had anal sex knows there’s a possibility there will be some…residue…from that particular orifice after the deed is done.
Not to mention, the swarms of harmful (to our sensitive twats, that is) bacteria that could possibly lead to some kind of infection. This is another one of those: if the hero and heroine suck on their thumb when they get a paper cut, wash their hands after they use the restroom, I’m gonna wanna see them use a condom in between….areas. (This is ridiculous, I can write ‘twat,’ but anal sex makes me blush. Figures.)
I kind of feel the same way as far as blow-jobs to anal to blow-jobs. I’m of the mind that I wouldn’t find sucking on my finger after I’ve stuck it…there…very pleasant because, for me, that’s a bit on the ick side. Plus, I’m of the mind that if it’s not clean enough for my mouth than its certainly not clean enough for anywhere else.
Ruining the ‘Moment:’ Than there’s the argument that if one of the parties produces a condom in the midst of a passionate encounter it would jerk the reader out of the story, ruin the moment, seem completely not sexy, etc. If a condom ruins the moment, then I’m of the mind that the ‘moment’ wasn’t all that happening to begin with. I don’t know if we’re talking about the same ‘moment,’ but when I’m in the moment or when I’m writing characters in the moment a freaking meteor could crash outside our door and we wouldn’t be the wiser. Perhaps the way it’s written is what ruins the moment. A while ago Jennifer said something that has always stuck with me:
Frankly, I agree with her. However, the whole throwing caution to the wind and just living in the moment thing has happened often enough for everyone reading this post to know the potential horror such reckless behavior may bring. Hell, how do you think I got here? (No, seriously—in the back of grocery store, none the less. *sigh* I swear, my parents were a classy pair.) Besides, in the real world, one heated fuck could land you with a disease for the rest of your life. Personally, the greatest 'o' in the world isn’t worth my life.
Fantasy vs. Reality: Now, I know a lot of people are going to come at from the angle that romance is fictional, blah, blah, etc. Yes, I know. However, it seems odd to me that any writer would keep some things ‘realistic’ and completely disregards other things. It reads inconsistent to me. If your heroine has a disease, but AIDS doesn’t exist in the author’s fictional world—I’m gonna quirk my eyebrow. If the hero has a bunch of scars from a car accident, but has been having all kinds of ‘bare’ sex and hasn’t contracted something itchy ever, I’m going to arch both my brows. Likewise, if the heroine isn’t on the pill and has unprotected sex multiple times (and isn’t barren), but doesn’t wind up pregnant…I’m going to wonder whether the hero is shooting blanks and probably won’t care enough to find out.
So, in other words, if your heroine has bad breath in the morning, if your hero picks his nose while no one is looking…they should probably address the unpredictability of sex. But, hey, that’s just my opinion.
Responsibility: A lot of authors who are pro-contraceptives come from the bend of: we have a 'responsibility’ to portray women as responsible, blah, blah…I can’t say I agree. I’m of the mind, people have minds of their own and writers might have a message, but a responsibility to the community is irrelevant and doesn’t apply. Do I think writers should take responsibility for the message they put out into the world? I sure do. However, I don’t think they should be expected to take responsibility for the actions of other individuals. Can a book change your life? No, but it can nest an idea that eventually leads you to make the choices that change your life. Also, the idea that I would have so much influence over someone else’s choices bothers me, not only as an author but as an individual. Women have minds of their own. They make their own choices and they’ll suffer the consequences of said choices, whether those consequences be positive or negative—all I did was write a book.
Contraceptives in Historical Romance:
Historical romance authors are, for the most part, off the ‘contraceptive hook,’ however: I have seen it done and quite masterfully, might I add. I’ve also read historical romances where the heroine and hero don’t or won’t engage in anything that could potentially land her with child until after they’re married.
This is my only pet peeve with historical romance in this area: I can’t stand those heroines, who have sex and then when they get pregnant they can’t fucking believe it. Um…seriously? Listen girly, that bit only worked once in the history of mankind. If you have sex and he ejaculates inside of you, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to get pregnant. How is this heroine shocked? I could understand if a heroine didn’t know about the consequences of such a ‘coming together,’ but damn, if she knew it might happen and it does—where’s the fucking mystery? If I run across that kind of nonsense, I roll my eyes and won’t finish the book because, in my mind, the heroine’s just been branded with a ‘TSTL’ on her forehead.
Now, I’m not talking about a situation where the heroine was raped, etc. I’m talking about the just the instance I described above.
Now, as far as, contraceptives done well:
I’ve seen some historical authors handle contraception beautifully. For instance, Lydia Joyce has her hero and heroine use a sponge soaked in vinegar to prevent conception. The fact that she incorporated that into a historical novel blew me away. Not only because it depicted how much she’d researched her era, but it showed me how responsible her heroine was. Yes, the heroine wanted the hero madly, but she didn’t lose her head and always kept in mind that she would not be able to give a child the life it deserved given her monetary situation at that particular time. Also, once the hero found out, he was amazed and admired her even more so because she thought to protect herself and she wasn’t trying to ‘catch’ him by getting pregnant. It was truly masterfully done.
Contraceptives in Paranormal Romance:
This is a gray area in the whole contraceptive debate because on the one hand, most paranormal romances are set in present day. However, there are paranormal creatures involved. Therefore, reality doesn’t really govern them, the way it would in a contemporary or historical romance. However, I think whether or not you include contraceptives in your novel should be consistent with your mythos, i.e. creature mythology.
For instance, if your witch is susceptible to a gun-shot, she should probably be worried about whether or not her werewolf boyfriend really intends to put his cock there after it’s been down there.
As long as you keep things consistent, no one is really going to care about whether or not Big Foot wore a rubber. However, I will say this, if its contemporary romance (and in some historical settings) and the heroine doesn’t know the hero is a paranormal creature or vice versa, I think there should be some mention of contraception, but then that’s just me.
On a further, possibly offensive note: I know a lot of writer’s do ‘tongue in cheek’ posts concerning condoms, i.e. ‘I think my werewolf hero whipping out a condom would be slightly out of place, don’t you think?’ Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of those kinds of posts on contraceptives and romance and, please, let me go ahead and get this out of the way: I think you’re an asshole.
Yeah, that’s right—I said it.
Everyone who can tie their shoes knows werewolves, vampires, etc. are usually all immune from diseases that ravage the average human—not to mention; most vampires, etc. shoot blanks, seeing as how they’re dead. (Unless you’ve specifically structured your mythos so that there paranormal beings are susceptible to disease, and in that case: I want to read your book.) Now, I could also understand if the werewolf in question was using a condom so as not to impregnate his sexual partner—and in that instance, I think a condom would be entirely appropriate and nothing to snicker about. Another situation I think a condom would be appropriate, is if your werewolf is having anal sex with another male or anal sex and vaginal sex in the same session. Not only would I think your werewolf’s condom usage appropriate, I would commend him on his hygienic behavior.
So, once again, if you think you’re being clever…um…no, you’re not. Not really. I mean, if I’m wrong, feel free to enlighten me as to where the cleverness lies, but I think most people would agree, you’re insulting our intelligence and you’re not even doing it well.
On a final note: whether or not you choose to write your characters as pro-contraceptive or not, please remember it is your choice ultimately. These are your characters, your world and your ass on the line. If you’re okay reading and writing a romance novel where no one ever wears a condom, go for it. If you’re someone, like me, who needs the subject to be addressed than I promise you’re not alone. Everyone has their own comfort level, their own preferences and everyone should be entitled to express those however they see fit.
That being said…
Happy Writing!
-Justine
*smoke curls out of nostrils* I promise, I’m annoyed with me too.
Regardless, here was the gist of what she had to say: I’m beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable with the nature of the sex in modern romance.
She felt as though the sex in romance, especially BDS&M, was thinly veiled abuse. Or at least, that is the impression I got from her blog. (Goddamn it! I wish I could find the link.)
However, her concerns were expressed in such a way that it really caught my attention and then I remembered a post Smart Bitches, Trashy Books did on condoms and reality vs. fantasy in romance. That link I did find. You can read the post here.
So for the next week or so, I’m going to be doing a serial post on sex in romance hot spots. Also, I’ll close the serial posts with two reader and one writer interviews I’ve conducted on homosexual romance and condoms. All three of my interviewees are male, one is bisexual, one is straight and the other is gay.
So this is the line-up for this serial Brimstone Pub:
1. Contraceptives and Romance: Jiminy Cricket vs. Jimmy Hat
2. The Immaculate Orgasm: Who the Hell Was that Good for?
3. BDS&M: OMG! Wait. What? She Liked It?
4. Double Edged Sword: The Whore vs. the Bachelor
5. Sex in M/M Romance: True, False or Insanity?
Please note: I’m only familiar with contemporary, historical and paranormal romance, so those are the ones I’ll be talking about. If anyone is familiar enough with other romance sub-genres to do posts on them, Jen and I would love to have you. Also, please be advised: I’m fully of personality. Therefore, there might be cursing or offensive material. This post is not for the faint of heart.
Contraceptives in Romance
Jiminy Cricket vs. the Jimmy Hat
This is a reoccurring topic in the romance spectrum of the publishing sphere, for the same reason ‘forced seduction’ was probably a ‘hot’ topic. Times change, views change and opinions are like assholes, i.e. everyone has one—and unlike the latter, there are those who pride themselves on not being able to keep the former to themselves.
Generally, there are about three sides of this spectrum: those who believe contraceptives need to be addressed in romance, those who don’t think contraceptives need to ruin the ‘fantasy’ of a romance, and those who really could give less of a shit if John had a glove before he got some love.
Personally, I can see all three sides of the triangle. However, I think there’s a time and place for everything. Below, I’ve broken up my views and what not by genre.
Contraceptives in Contemporary Romance:
This genre is usually the target of the majority of ‘no glove, no love’ crusaders. Like I said before, I can see both sides. On the one hand, there are those who really don’t want to see a condom clog up the ‘fantasy’ flow. On the other hand, there are those who can’t seem to shake the ‘ick’ factor of having all kinds of sex without protecting yourself. Personally, I think there’s a time and place for everything—and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
What it Says About the Character(s): Personally, if a heroine and hero have unprotected sex within the first three chapters, I quirk my eyebrow and toss the book aside. Here’s why: Although readers read for escapism, there is only so far one can suspend their disbelief before a well-deserved ‘WTF?' Romance that set in today’s world should, for the most part, operate in this—albeit tailored to romance—reality. There are so many diseases floating around in the world today, that the idea that when you have unprotected sex with someone, you’re actually having sex with everyone they’ve ever had unprotected sex with is scary. If the heroine pays her bills on time, picks up after her dog in the park, I’m going to notice if she doesn’t ask the hero to where a condom—especially during their first encounter.
That’s just smart and hygienic, and personally, the heroine will seem all the more responsible. If the hero comes with his own condom (spermicide sold separately), I’m even more impressed because that means he’s prepared for anything, a responsible sexual partner, and he doesn’t have a bunch of kids free floating around the world. All the more perfect for the heroine, if ya ask me.
Hygiene: There are actually some publishers that will not accept manuscripts featuring a sex scene where the hero and heroine (we’ll talk about m/m a bit later) have anal and vaginal sex, without there being a condom involved. Um…I think on this topic, I don’t think I could stomach anything to the contrary. Anyone who’s had anal sex knows there’s a possibility there will be some…residue…from that particular orifice after the deed is done.
Not to mention, the swarms of harmful (to our sensitive twats, that is) bacteria that could possibly lead to some kind of infection. This is another one of those: if the hero and heroine suck on their thumb when they get a paper cut, wash their hands after they use the restroom, I’m gonna wanna see them use a condom in between….areas. (This is ridiculous, I can write ‘twat,’ but anal sex makes me blush. Figures.)
I kind of feel the same way as far as blow-jobs to anal to blow-jobs. I’m of the mind that I wouldn’t find sucking on my finger after I’ve stuck it…there…very pleasant because, for me, that’s a bit on the ick side. Plus, I’m of the mind that if it’s not clean enough for my mouth than its certainly not clean enough for anywhere else.
Ruining the ‘Moment:’ Than there’s the argument that if one of the parties produces a condom in the midst of a passionate encounter it would jerk the reader out of the story, ruin the moment, seem completely not sexy, etc. If a condom ruins the moment, then I’m of the mind that the ‘moment’ wasn’t all that happening to begin with. I don’t know if we’re talking about the same ‘moment,’ but when I’m in the moment or when I’m writing characters in the moment a freaking meteor could crash outside our door and we wouldn’t be the wiser. Perhaps the way it’s written is what ruins the moment. A while ago Jennifer said something that has always stuck with me:
We’re romance writers. We decide what’s sexy.
Frankly, I agree with her. However, the whole throwing caution to the wind and just living in the moment thing has happened often enough for everyone reading this post to know the potential horror such reckless behavior may bring. Hell, how do you think I got here? (No, seriously—in the back of grocery store, none the less. *sigh* I swear, my parents were a classy pair.) Besides, in the real world, one heated fuck could land you with a disease for the rest of your life. Personally, the greatest 'o' in the world isn’t worth my life.
Fantasy vs. Reality: Now, I know a lot of people are going to come at from the angle that romance is fictional, blah, blah, etc. Yes, I know. However, it seems odd to me that any writer would keep some things ‘realistic’ and completely disregards other things. It reads inconsistent to me. If your heroine has a disease, but AIDS doesn’t exist in the author’s fictional world—I’m gonna quirk my eyebrow. If the hero has a bunch of scars from a car accident, but has been having all kinds of ‘bare’ sex and hasn’t contracted something itchy ever, I’m going to arch both my brows. Likewise, if the heroine isn’t on the pill and has unprotected sex multiple times (and isn’t barren), but doesn’t wind up pregnant…I’m going to wonder whether the hero is shooting blanks and probably won’t care enough to find out.
So, in other words, if your heroine has bad breath in the morning, if your hero picks his nose while no one is looking…they should probably address the unpredictability of sex. But, hey, that’s just my opinion.
Responsibility: A lot of authors who are pro-contraceptives come from the bend of: we have a 'responsibility’ to portray women as responsible, blah, blah…I can’t say I agree. I’m of the mind, people have minds of their own and writers might have a message, but a responsibility to the community is irrelevant and doesn’t apply. Do I think writers should take responsibility for the message they put out into the world? I sure do. However, I don’t think they should be expected to take responsibility for the actions of other individuals. Can a book change your life? No, but it can nest an idea that eventually leads you to make the choices that change your life. Also, the idea that I would have so much influence over someone else’s choices bothers me, not only as an author but as an individual. Women have minds of their own. They make their own choices and they’ll suffer the consequences of said choices, whether those consequences be positive or negative—all I did was write a book.
Contraceptives in Historical Romance:
Historical romance authors are, for the most part, off the ‘contraceptive hook,’ however: I have seen it done and quite masterfully, might I add. I’ve also read historical romances where the heroine and hero don’t or won’t engage in anything that could potentially land her with child until after they’re married.
This is my only pet peeve with historical romance in this area: I can’t stand those heroines, who have sex and then when they get pregnant they can’t fucking believe it. Um…seriously? Listen girly, that bit only worked once in the history of mankind. If you have sex and he ejaculates inside of you, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to get pregnant. How is this heroine shocked? I could understand if a heroine didn’t know about the consequences of such a ‘coming together,’ but damn, if she knew it might happen and it does—where’s the fucking mystery? If I run across that kind of nonsense, I roll my eyes and won’t finish the book because, in my mind, the heroine’s just been branded with a ‘TSTL’ on her forehead.
Now, I’m not talking about a situation where the heroine was raped, etc. I’m talking about the just the instance I described above.
Now, as far as, contraceptives done well:
I’ve seen some historical authors handle contraception beautifully. For instance, Lydia Joyce has her hero and heroine use a sponge soaked in vinegar to prevent conception. The fact that she incorporated that into a historical novel blew me away. Not only because it depicted how much she’d researched her era, but it showed me how responsible her heroine was. Yes, the heroine wanted the hero madly, but she didn’t lose her head and always kept in mind that she would not be able to give a child the life it deserved given her monetary situation at that particular time. Also, once the hero found out, he was amazed and admired her even more so because she thought to protect herself and she wasn’t trying to ‘catch’ him by getting pregnant. It was truly masterfully done.
Contraceptives in Paranormal Romance:
This is a gray area in the whole contraceptive debate because on the one hand, most paranormal romances are set in present day. However, there are paranormal creatures involved. Therefore, reality doesn’t really govern them, the way it would in a contemporary or historical romance. However, I think whether or not you include contraceptives in your novel should be consistent with your mythos, i.e. creature mythology.
For instance, if your witch is susceptible to a gun-shot, she should probably be worried about whether or not her werewolf boyfriend really intends to put his cock there after it’s been down there.
Consistency is the key.
As long as you keep things consistent, no one is really going to care about whether or not Big Foot wore a rubber. However, I will say this, if its contemporary romance (and in some historical settings) and the heroine doesn’t know the hero is a paranormal creature or vice versa, I think there should be some mention of contraception, but then that’s just me.
On a further, possibly offensive note: I know a lot of writer’s do ‘tongue in cheek’ posts concerning condoms, i.e. ‘I think my werewolf hero whipping out a condom would be slightly out of place, don’t you think?’ Believe me, I’ve seen a lot of those kinds of posts on contraceptives and romance and, please, let me go ahead and get this out of the way: I think you’re an asshole.
Yeah, that’s right—I said it.
Everyone who can tie their shoes knows werewolves, vampires, etc. are usually all immune from diseases that ravage the average human—not to mention; most vampires, etc. shoot blanks, seeing as how they’re dead. (Unless you’ve specifically structured your mythos so that there paranormal beings are susceptible to disease, and in that case: I want to read your book.) Now, I could also understand if the werewolf in question was using a condom so as not to impregnate his sexual partner—and in that instance, I think a condom would be entirely appropriate and nothing to snicker about. Another situation I think a condom would be appropriate, is if your werewolf is having anal sex with another male or anal sex and vaginal sex in the same session. Not only would I think your werewolf’s condom usage appropriate, I would commend him on his hygienic behavior.
So, once again, if you think you’re being clever…um…no, you’re not. Not really. I mean, if I’m wrong, feel free to enlighten me as to where the cleverness lies, but I think most people would agree, you’re insulting our intelligence and you’re not even doing it well.
On a final note: whether or not you choose to write your characters as pro-contraceptive or not, please remember it is your choice ultimately. These are your characters, your world and your ass on the line. If you’re okay reading and writing a romance novel where no one ever wears a condom, go for it. If you’re someone, like me, who needs the subject to be addressed than I promise you’re not alone. Everyone has their own comfort level, their own preferences and everyone should be entitled to express those however they see fit.
What about you?
What are your views on contraceptives and romance?
That being said…
Happy Writing!
-Justine
Fangs First: The Dotted Line P2: Top 5 Farthest Reaching Contract Clauses
This week on "Fangs First" we are back to Contracts. Today I am going to talk with you about the clauses in a book contract that will wrap their icy fingers of death around your writer’s heart and choke the creative blood from it until it lies like a useless lump of flesh on the floor. These are the clauses that will fall around you like chains just when you thought you were free. NOTE: Anyone who’s thinking “I’m going to publish this book traditionally and then I’ll try the indie route with my next book” need to pay SPECIAL attention.
WARNING: We are just overflowing with personality, so if you are easily offended, stop here. This is our blog, these are our opinions, and you have been warned. After hours of diligent research (as well as a plethora of our personal experience), Paranormal Passions presents:
The Dotted Line Part II:
Top 5 Farthest Reaching Contract Clauses
aka The Clause That Didn’t End
1. Non-Compete Clause (a.k.a. Conflicting Publication Clause)
“One bite at a time! Now chew a hundred times. The next bite can wait . . .”
A non-compete clause means that you, the author, agree not to write anything that will compete with the work the publisher has just contracted. In spirit, this clause is meant to keep Fabulous Author from writing a book that might take sales away from the book they just contracted. It is perfectly understandable that a publisher would want to give the book they just contracted the best shot they can give it at selling the best it can.
Unfortunately, this non-compete clause can grow into a monstrous knight-eating thornbush if it is not pruned carefully. A poorly pruned non-compete clause can keep Fabulous Author from writing anything while Book A is under contract. This could conceivably include all novels, novellas, short stories, articles, and even blog posts. Also “under contract” can refer to the life of the copyright (author’s life plus 70 years, so FOREVER).
In its worst form, this clause can prevent the author from writing anything until their publisher says they can. Even if you sign with Super Nice Publisher, you can’t guarantee that Super Nice Publisher won’t be forced by evil boss to make this clause do something nasty. The something nasty? NEVER WRITE ANYTHING AGAIN.
Solution:
Refuse to sign anything with a non-compete clause in it. If you the publisher won’t back down, and you simply cannot force yourself to walk away, force the publisher to be more specific IN WRITING about the non-competition clause. Write out that what it means is that you won’t write another Erotic Paranormal Romance featuring the Characters in Book A until six months after Book A’s release date, with Book A’s release date being no more than 18 months away from the date the contract is signed.
Sample Clause (taken from the blog “Passive Voice” – see our blog roll):
“(a) During the term of this Agreement, the Author shall not, without written permission of the Publisher, publish or permit to be published any material based upon or incorporating material from the Work or which would compete with its sale or impair the rights granted hereunder. (b) Subject to the terms of subparagraph (a) above, the Author agrees that in no event will the Author publish or authorize publication of any other book-length work of which the Author is an author, contributor or collaborator until six months after publication of the Work.”
2. Option Clause
“Yes. No! Wait. Um . . .
I’m gonna need a few years to think about this.”
The option clause says that the Publisher you just signed a contract with has the right to look at/make an offer on your next book before anyone else. In spirit, this clause is supposed to help a publisher get the most out of an author by setting up a relationship with them and their career. A publisher doesn’t want one good book, they want a fabulous author who will write lots of great books. This clause lets them have a leg up on building that sort of commitment and it is perfectly understandable.
However, like its non-compete cousin, the option clause can be wielded like a very sharp pointy weapon. Let’s say Publisher A buys Fabulous Author’s Book 1. They have an option to look at Book 2. They also have right of first refusal. This means that until Publisher A decides if she wants to buy Book 2, Fabulous Author may not show Book 2 to Publisher B. If Publisher A wants to be a jerk, she can take as long as she wants to make up her mind. Years even.
Solution:
Limit the option clause as much as possible. Instead of “next book” call it “next novel length erotic paranormal romance.” Also, specify that the publisher has four weeks from the date she receives the manuscript (or proposal) to make a decision on whether or not to make an offer. Also, the option period should begin with the acceptance of the current manuscript, not after publication of the current manuscript (about an 18 month difference there).
Sample Clause (taken from here)
“Since a continuing relationship is contemplated by the Author and the Publisher, the Author hereby grants to the Publisher the exclusive option to acquire upon mutually agreeable terms all rights to the next book-length work... until 45 days after submission of a detailed proposal...”
3. Multi-Book Deal
“One book! Two books! Three books! Ah, ah—AHHHHHHH!”
Ah, every author’s dream: the multi-book deal. Not only is your book awesome, it is so awesome that the publisher is convinced of your inherent awesomeness and wants to guarantee three more awesome books. Dreams of big advances and bestseller lists dance in your mind . . .
What if your publisher goes broke next year? What if you change your mind and decide you’re not making squat with the measly royalties your Big Publisher is giving you and you want to go indie? Now all of a sudden that three-book deal isn’t so great is it? Heck, even if you are happy with your first book’s sales (let’s say people eat it up and buy millions of copies), a multi-book deal means you don’t get to renegotiate the contract terms for the second and third books to reflect the success of the first.
Multi-book deals may have been awesome last year, but they can be death now. If the advance is all you care about and you just want that guaranteed money regardless of how much money you may lose later, then sign away. However, now that there are so many more options available to a writer, it just seems silly.
4. Term and Termination
“The fat lady doesn’t feel like singing yet, but you can keep begging.”
Term refers to how long the contract will last. Termination describes the process by which either party can terminate the contract before that term expires. In Publishing, the default term of a contract is longer than any other discipline: author’s life + 70 years. That means, that for the next 100 years or so, the Publisher owns your book and all rights related to your book (and more if you didn’t pay attention to the first 4 clauses we discussed). Since no one can reasonably expect a publisher to actively promote a book for 100 years, let’s turn our attention to the Termination bit.
We need to look at a few issues when we speak of Termination involving a book contract: Out of Print, Reversion of Rights, Perpetuity, and The Agency Clause (if you have an agent).
Out of Print (OOP)
“Out of Print” (OOP) MUST BE DEFINED. Possibilities include:
- Only 100 units are left in the warehouse (number is negotiable) (higher number=better for author)
- No physical books left in the warehouse
- Book is no longer available through standard channels (bookstores, internet, etc.)
- Publisher is no longer offering it for sale
- Fewer books than a pre-specified number are selling over a pre-specified time period
Now that there are ebooks, some publishers argue that books NEVER go OOP. They claim that since they can make an ebook available whenever, then even if they only sell 1 copy a year that counts as being in print. You can see why it is CRUCIAL to be very very SPECIFIC about defining ALL TERMS AND TIME PERIODS in an OOP clause.
Reversion of Rights
The reversion of rights is when the author gets back all the rights to her book. This means the publisher no longer wishes to make use of their publishing rights for that book (either because it is not selling well enough to justify the effort, or for some personal reason). The reversion of rights is often connected to the OOP clause, meaning the rights revert to the author when the book goes out of print.
Ideally, a reversion of rights clause will specify what Passive Guy (see Passive Voice blog on our bloglist) refers to as “minimum wage.” In other words, the contract is made to say that if the author is not making at least $3,000 semi-annually on royalties, then the publisher must either make up the difference to buy another year of trying, or allow the rights to revert. (NOTE: this does not apply until the author has earned out the advance plus 50%)
A reversion of rights clause should also specify how long a publisher has to contend with a request for a reversion of rights once the author has submitted a written letter of intent to seek such reversion. For instance, the contract may be made to say that the rights will revert to the author 30 days after the written letter of intent is sent to the publisher.
Perpetuity
Perpetuity means forever. This word should NEVER appear in any contract you sign. There is never a reason for the word “perpetuity” to be in a contract instead of a specified length of time. Perpetuity means there is no term and there is not method for termination. You want your rights back? Beg.
Side Note: Another word to strike from any contract is “irrevocably.” It means “no matter what, you can’t change this.”
Sample (taken from the blog the Passive Voice – see our blog roll)
“A. If, after the Royalties earned by Author under this Agreement total 150% or more of the Author Advance paid by Publisher hereunder, the Royalties for the Work are less than $3,000 on a semi-annual Statement of Royalties, and Author owes Publisher no other unpaid sums under this Agreement, Author may give Publisher written notice that Author desires to exercise the Reversion of Rights to the Work under this Paragraph.
B. After receiving such written notification, if Publisher desires to continue to exercise its rights to the Work under all the terms and conditions of this Agreement and Publisher is not in material default under any provision of this Agreement, Publisher may, within 30 days of receipt of such notice from Author, pay to Author the difference between the actual Royalties paid with respect to the Work on the preceding Statement of Royalties and the sum of $3,000. If Publisher makes said payment in a timely manner, this Agreement shall continue until later terminated under this Paragraph or another Paragraph of this Agreement.
1. By way of illustration and not limitation, if Publisher pays Author the sum of $2,000 with a Statement of Royalties and Author gives notice as provided above, Publisher may cause this Agreement to continue by paying Author the additional sum of $1,000 within 30 days of said notice.
A. Publisher fails to make the payment described in sub-paragraph B. above or
B. Publisher has made one such payment and, thereafter Royalties for the Work are less than $3,000 on any subsequent semi-annual Statement of Royalties and Author has given a second written notification of intention to exercise Reversion of Rights as provided in sub-paragraph A. above,
C. If all rights to the Work shall revert to Author on the Effective Date set forth hereafter, and Publisher shall have no further rights to the Work, subject only to the provisions of sub-paragraph F. hereof.
D. The Effective Date upon which all rights to the Work revert to Author shall be 30 days following receipt of the last notice from Author as provided in sub-paragraphs A. and/or C. above.
E. On and after the Effective Date, Author may exercise all of the rights of the owner of the copyright to the Work free and clear of any claim whatsoever by Publisher.
F. For a period of one year following the Effective Date, Publisher shall have the right to liquidate any remaining inventory of hard copy books in its possession on the Effective Date, subject to its obligation to pay Royalties to Author therefor and all other obligations of Publisher under this Agreement. In the event that Publisher has any remaining hard copy books in its possession on the first anniversary of the Effective Date, Publisher shall cause such books to be destroyed at Publisher’s expense.
G. Any other provision of this Agreement notwithstanding, after receipt of any notice from Author under sub-paragraphs A. and/or C. above, Publisher shall not enter into any agreement with any third party assigning, transferring, selling or licensing any rights to the Work in whole or in part without the express written consent of Author to the specific transaction and any such purported assignment, transfer, sale and/or license without the express written consent of Author shall be void ab initio.”
5. Agency Clause
“Alimony for agents.”
An agency agreement is an agent’s attempt to get their 15% in perpetuity (uh oh!). It basically means that the agency who negotiated your book contract is the agent for that book FOREVER. That means that even if you get the rights reverted to you and decide to self-pub it as an ebook, the agency will STILL be collecting 15% of everything you make off of it. This clause is not only in the contract you sign with your agent, it is also often inserted into the actual publishing agreement.
In the publishing agreement, this clause can have a reasonable purpose. It allows the publisher to pay the author through the agent. This allows the agent to take their 15% and send the rest to the author so the author doesn’t have to handle all the proof and recordkeeping that would go into paying the agent herself (poor baby author can’t be expected to do math, now can she?)
Unfortunately, in its broadest scope, the agency clause binds an author to that agent and allows the agent to collect a commission long past the time that commission should have stopped.
Sample Clause (as taken from the blog the Passive Voice – see our blogroll)
All sums of money due to the Author under this Agreement shall be paid to the Author’s agent, Annie Agent, of 321 Applesauce Avenue, New York, NY 10023, U.S.A. (hereinafter called “the Agent”) and receipt by the Agent shall be a good and valid discharge of all such indebtedness and the Agent is hereby empowered by the Author to act on the Author’s behalf in all matters arising in any way out of this Agreement. For services rendered and to be rendered the Author does hereby irrevocably assign and transfer to the Agent the sum of 15% (fifteen percent) as an agency coupled with an interest out of all monies due and coming due to and for the account of the Author under this Agreement.
Solution:
Limit the agency clause to a certain time period or, to the end of the publishing contract (which will involve the OOP and reversion of rights we discussed earlier). As we should all know by now, the key to most of this stuff is limitation, being specific, and being willing to walk away if you have to.
Fangs First Author:
WARNING: We are just overflowing with personality, so if you are easily offended, stop here. This is our blog, these are our opinions, and you have been warned. After hours of diligent research (as well as a plethora of our personal experience), Paranormal Passions presents:
Top 5 Farthest Reaching Contract Clauses
aka The Clause That Didn’t End
“One bite at a time! Now chew a hundred times. The next bite can wait . . .”
A non-compete clause means that you, the author, agree not to write anything that will compete with the work the publisher has just contracted. In spirit, this clause is meant to keep Fabulous Author from writing a book that might take sales away from the book they just contracted. It is perfectly understandable that a publisher would want to give the book they just contracted the best shot they can give it at selling the best it can.
Unfortunately, this non-compete clause can grow into a monstrous knight-eating thornbush if it is not pruned carefully. A poorly pruned non-compete clause can keep Fabulous Author from writing anything while Book A is under contract. This could conceivably include all novels, novellas, short stories, articles, and even blog posts. Also “under contract” can refer to the life of the copyright (author’s life plus 70 years, so FOREVER).
In its worst form, this clause can prevent the author from writing anything until their publisher says they can. Even if you sign with Super Nice Publisher, you can’t guarantee that Super Nice Publisher won’t be forced by evil boss to make this clause do something nasty. The something nasty? NEVER WRITE ANYTHING AGAIN.
Solution:
Refuse to sign anything with a non-compete clause in it. If you the publisher won’t back down, and you simply cannot force yourself to walk away, force the publisher to be more specific IN WRITING about the non-competition clause. Write out that what it means is that you won’t write another Erotic Paranormal Romance featuring the Characters in Book A until six months after Book A’s release date, with Book A’s release date being no more than 18 months away from the date the contract is signed.
Sample Clause (taken from the blog “Passive Voice” – see our blog roll):
“(a) During the term of this Agreement, the Author shall not, without written permission of the Publisher, publish or permit to be published any material based upon or incorporating material from the Work or which would compete with its sale or impair the rights granted hereunder. (b) Subject to the terms of subparagraph (a) above, the Author agrees that in no event will the Author publish or authorize publication of any other book-length work of which the Author is an author, contributor or collaborator until six months after publication of the Work.”
“Yes. No! Wait. Um . . .
I’m gonna need a few years to think about this.”
The option clause says that the Publisher you just signed a contract with has the right to look at/make an offer on your next book before anyone else. In spirit, this clause is supposed to help a publisher get the most out of an author by setting up a relationship with them and their career. A publisher doesn’t want one good book, they want a fabulous author who will write lots of great books. This clause lets them have a leg up on building that sort of commitment and it is perfectly understandable.
However, like its non-compete cousin, the option clause can be wielded like a very sharp pointy weapon. Let’s say Publisher A buys Fabulous Author’s Book 1. They have an option to look at Book 2. They also have right of first refusal. This means that until Publisher A decides if she wants to buy Book 2, Fabulous Author may not show Book 2 to Publisher B. If Publisher A wants to be a jerk, she can take as long as she wants to make up her mind. Years even.
Solution:
Limit the option clause as much as possible. Instead of “next book” call it “next novel length erotic paranormal romance.” Also, specify that the publisher has four weeks from the date she receives the manuscript (or proposal) to make a decision on whether or not to make an offer. Also, the option period should begin with the acceptance of the current manuscript, not after publication of the current manuscript (about an 18 month difference there).
Sample Clause (taken from here)
“Since a continuing relationship is contemplated by the Author and the Publisher, the Author hereby grants to the Publisher the exclusive option to acquire upon mutually agreeable terms all rights to the next book-length work... until 45 days after submission of a detailed proposal...”
“One book! Two books! Three books! Ah, ah—AHHHHHHH!”
Ah, every author’s dream: the multi-book deal. Not only is your book awesome, it is so awesome that the publisher is convinced of your inherent awesomeness and wants to guarantee three more awesome books. Dreams of big advances and bestseller lists dance in your mind . . .
What if your publisher goes broke next year? What if you change your mind and decide you’re not making squat with the measly royalties your Big Publisher is giving you and you want to go indie? Now all of a sudden that three-book deal isn’t so great is it? Heck, even if you are happy with your first book’s sales (let’s say people eat it up and buy millions of copies), a multi-book deal means you don’t get to renegotiate the contract terms for the second and third books to reflect the success of the first.
Multi-book deals may have been awesome last year, but they can be death now. If the advance is all you care about and you just want that guaranteed money regardless of how much money you may lose later, then sign away. However, now that there are so many more options available to a writer, it just seems silly.
“The fat lady doesn’t feel like singing yet, but you can keep begging.”
Term refers to how long the contract will last. Termination describes the process by which either party can terminate the contract before that term expires. In Publishing, the default term of a contract is longer than any other discipline: author’s life + 70 years. That means, that for the next 100 years or so, the Publisher owns your book and all rights related to your book (and more if you didn’t pay attention to the first 4 clauses we discussed). Since no one can reasonably expect a publisher to actively promote a book for 100 years, let’s turn our attention to the Termination bit.
We need to look at a few issues when we speak of Termination involving a book contract: Out of Print, Reversion of Rights, Perpetuity, and The Agency Clause (if you have an agent).
Out of Print (OOP)
“Out of Print” (OOP) MUST BE DEFINED. Possibilities include:
- Only 100 units are left in the warehouse (number is negotiable) (higher number=better for author)
- No physical books left in the warehouse
- Book is no longer available through standard channels (bookstores, internet, etc.)
- Publisher is no longer offering it for sale
- Fewer books than a pre-specified number are selling over a pre-specified time period
Now that there are ebooks, some publishers argue that books NEVER go OOP. They claim that since they can make an ebook available whenever, then even if they only sell 1 copy a year that counts as being in print. You can see why it is CRUCIAL to be very very SPECIFIC about defining ALL TERMS AND TIME PERIODS in an OOP clause.
Reversion of Rights
The reversion of rights is when the author gets back all the rights to her book. This means the publisher no longer wishes to make use of their publishing rights for that book (either because it is not selling well enough to justify the effort, or for some personal reason). The reversion of rights is often connected to the OOP clause, meaning the rights revert to the author when the book goes out of print.
Ideally, a reversion of rights clause will specify what Passive Guy (see Passive Voice blog on our bloglist) refers to as “minimum wage.” In other words, the contract is made to say that if the author is not making at least $3,000 semi-annually on royalties, then the publisher must either make up the difference to buy another year of trying, or allow the rights to revert. (NOTE: this does not apply until the author has earned out the advance plus 50%)
A reversion of rights clause should also specify how long a publisher has to contend with a request for a reversion of rights once the author has submitted a written letter of intent to seek such reversion. For instance, the contract may be made to say that the rights will revert to the author 30 days after the written letter of intent is sent to the publisher.
Perpetuity
Perpetuity means forever. This word should NEVER appear in any contract you sign. There is never a reason for the word “perpetuity” to be in a contract instead of a specified length of time. Perpetuity means there is no term and there is not method for termination. You want your rights back? Beg.
Side Note: Another word to strike from any contract is “irrevocably.” It means “no matter what, you can’t change this.”
Sample (taken from the blog the Passive Voice – see our blog roll)
“A. If, after the Royalties earned by Author under this Agreement total 150% or more of the Author Advance paid by Publisher hereunder, the Royalties for the Work are less than $3,000 on a semi-annual Statement of Royalties, and Author owes Publisher no other unpaid sums under this Agreement, Author may give Publisher written notice that Author desires to exercise the Reversion of Rights to the Work under this Paragraph.
B. After receiving such written notification, if Publisher desires to continue to exercise its rights to the Work under all the terms and conditions of this Agreement and Publisher is not in material default under any provision of this Agreement, Publisher may, within 30 days of receipt of such notice from Author, pay to Author the difference between the actual Royalties paid with respect to the Work on the preceding Statement of Royalties and the sum of $3,000. If Publisher makes said payment in a timely manner, this Agreement shall continue until later terminated under this Paragraph or another Paragraph of this Agreement.
1. By way of illustration and not limitation, if Publisher pays Author the sum of $2,000 with a Statement of Royalties and Author gives notice as provided above, Publisher may cause this Agreement to continue by paying Author the additional sum of $1,000 within 30 days of said notice.
A. Publisher fails to make the payment described in sub-paragraph B. above or
B. Publisher has made one such payment and, thereafter Royalties for the Work are less than $3,000 on any subsequent semi-annual Statement of Royalties and Author has given a second written notification of intention to exercise Reversion of Rights as provided in sub-paragraph A. above,
C. If all rights to the Work shall revert to Author on the Effective Date set forth hereafter, and Publisher shall have no further rights to the Work, subject only to the provisions of sub-paragraph F. hereof.
D. The Effective Date upon which all rights to the Work revert to Author shall be 30 days following receipt of the last notice from Author as provided in sub-paragraphs A. and/or C. above.
E. On and after the Effective Date, Author may exercise all of the rights of the owner of the copyright to the Work free and clear of any claim whatsoever by Publisher.
F. For a period of one year following the Effective Date, Publisher shall have the right to liquidate any remaining inventory of hard copy books in its possession on the Effective Date, subject to its obligation to pay Royalties to Author therefor and all other obligations of Publisher under this Agreement. In the event that Publisher has any remaining hard copy books in its possession on the first anniversary of the Effective Date, Publisher shall cause such books to be destroyed at Publisher’s expense.
G. Any other provision of this Agreement notwithstanding, after receipt of any notice from Author under sub-paragraphs A. and/or C. above, Publisher shall not enter into any agreement with any third party assigning, transferring, selling or licensing any rights to the Work in whole or in part without the express written consent of Author to the specific transaction and any such purported assignment, transfer, sale and/or license without the express written consent of Author shall be void ab initio.”
“Alimony for agents.”
An agency agreement is an agent’s attempt to get their 15% in perpetuity (uh oh!). It basically means that the agency who negotiated your book contract is the agent for that book FOREVER. That means that even if you get the rights reverted to you and decide to self-pub it as an ebook, the agency will STILL be collecting 15% of everything you make off of it. This clause is not only in the contract you sign with your agent, it is also often inserted into the actual publishing agreement.
In the publishing agreement, this clause can have a reasonable purpose. It allows the publisher to pay the author through the agent. This allows the agent to take their 15% and send the rest to the author so the author doesn’t have to handle all the proof and recordkeeping that would go into paying the agent herself (poor baby author can’t be expected to do math, now can she?)
Unfortunately, in its broadest scope, the agency clause binds an author to that agent and allows the agent to collect a commission long past the time that commission should have stopped.
Sample Clause (as taken from the blog the Passive Voice – see our blogroll)
All sums of money due to the Author under this Agreement shall be paid to the Author’s agent, Annie Agent, of 321 Applesauce Avenue, New York, NY 10023, U.S.A. (hereinafter called “the Agent”) and receipt by the Agent shall be a good and valid discharge of all such indebtedness and the Agent is hereby empowered by the Author to act on the Author’s behalf in all matters arising in any way out of this Agreement. For services rendered and to be rendered the Author does hereby irrevocably assign and transfer to the Agent the sum of 15% (fifteen percent) as an agency coupled with an interest out of all monies due and coming due to and for the account of the Author under this Agreement.
Solution:
Limit the agency clause to a certain time period or, to the end of the publishing contract (which will involve the OOP and reversion of rights we discussed earlier). As we should all know by now, the key to most of this stuff is limitation, being specific, and being willing to walk away if you have to.
Fangs First Author:
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Rusalka
Rusalka or Rusalki (plural) are water nymphs.
Folklore Origin: Slavic Folklore
Creature Origin:
Folklore Origin: Slavic Folklore
Creature Origin:
- According to folklore they're the souls/spirits of young women or girls who died an unatural death, such as:
- Murder: If they were murdered near a body of water, they will inhabit said body of water.
- Suicide: If young women commited suicide because they'd been jilted by their lovers or were unmarried, pregnant women, they're doomed to live out their rest of their designated time on earth as spirits
- Drowned Unbaptized Children: Those children whom were born out of wedlock and then drowned by their mothers for that reason also became Rusalki
- Appear as human women
- Some of them have tails
- They have translucent skin
- Ability to shape-shift into horses and other sea-creatures at will
- Ability to consume their victims energy in the manner of a succubus
- Ability to lure and bewitch young men with their voices, much like sirens
- Ability to kill a human with their shrill laughter
- Ability to walk on land
- They are tasked with being nymphs of the seasons
- Are described as lonely beings
- They lure young men to the water, where they drag them under and drown them
- If there are no men to feed their anguish, they will lure children using bowls of fruits and nuts
- Frequently sun-bathe on nearby rocks or branches
- Can be found dancing in meadows or clearings in the woods when there's a new moon
- They are not considered invariably malevolent
- Live in lakes and rivers
- A rusalka's fate can be undone by avenging her murder
- 'Baby' rusalki wander the forest begging to be baptized so they may rest in peace. However, they are not entirely benevolent and may attack any human that approaches them in anguish
- The rusalki were considered most dangerous during the Rusalka Week (Rusal'naia) in early June. Swimming during this week is strictly forbidden. A ritual banishment or burial of a rusalka was held at the end of the week.
- The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, John & Caitlin Matthews
- Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusalka
- Website: http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id51.htm
Friday, August 19, 2011
Brimstone Pub: Plagiarism: Oh, Say it isn’t So…
Welcome to the first Brimstone Pub since we actually created the whole Brimstone Pub element. If you’re not sure what Brimstone Pubs are you can read Jen’s brilliant introduction here or read the listing here. All that being said, read on at your own risk because this is, in the most convenient definition and simplest term, a rant.
Brimstone Pub begins now:
Hi, I’m Justine. And I am horrified!
I am the kind of horrified associated with realizing your period is bleeding through your pants in the middle of the supermarket or winding up on a talk show only to have your husband confess his extramarital affairs right there on national television.
What has brought on this bout of horrification, you ask?
First, I’m going to have you read these two excerpts:
“Sebastian looked around and took everything in, trying to decide who he would tear apart first. The clearing was surrounded by trees. It was roughly the size of half a football field. This must be where the pack met and shifted on full moons since it was far outside town. If a werewolf had the ability to shift, the pull of the full moon was too much for them, and they shifted. Sebastian didn’t have that problem. Lycans learned to control their shift at puberty. The location was good for him, no witnesses to their fight, and it was good to be close to the earth, surrounded by nature As a shape-shifter, his magic was defined by the elements, so he was stronger if surrounded by its source.
Sebastian saw red. A growl erupted from his throat and drew the attention of all the men. They dropped the unconscious Omega and turned toward him.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. He now understood the pull. A grin stretched across his face. The little man was his mate, and he would also be his Omega.” ~Christine Phoenix, I Will Follow You
Now, read this one:
“Dev looked around and took everything in, trying to decide the best point of attack. The clearing was surrounded by trees. It was roughly the size of half a football field. This must be where the pack met before they hunted on a full moon.
The Omega went limp, nearly succeeding in making the two men holding him let go. It didn’t work, but it surprised them all enough to allow the redhead to get a good kick in. He hit the third man who was wrestling with his pants, right in the mouth. Blood flew as the man’s head jerked to the side. Crimson splatters splashed over the Alpha.
The two men who’d been holding the redhead charged Dev. He dispatched them as effortlessly, stabbing one in the stomach with his claws and abrading the other across the face. It was pathetically easy. Dev was quite a bit quicker than them.
It’s uncanny (and stunning) isn’t it?
Here’s the deal: Christine Phoenix plagiarized a novella by J.L. Langely, and then sold it to Siren-Bookstrand as her own work. All she’s reported to have changed was: the series title, the character names, the actual title, and, as you no doubt noticed, she added a few original bits here and there.
After the publishing industry got wind of this, due to this post, Samhain Publishing went to the mattress for J.L. Langely. The work’s original author had kept all of her rough drafts, edits, all of it from conception to completion. So, when Ms. Phoenix claimed she had posted the book as a serial post on a blog back in 2004 and that Ms. Langley had, in fact, stolen it from there…well, neither publisher believed the author crying ‘wolf.’
Okay, so here’s the horrifying part, not that this story really needed to get any more disturbing, before everyone found out Ms. Phoenix has in fact stolen this story, she maintained a blog. (A blog that has since disappeared from the net—not that anyone is surprise.) On this blog, the author did what every other does on their blogs. She talked about her books, her writing journey, etc. One of J.L. Langely’s supporters saved some of the blog content in a PDF file here.
This is why I’m disturbed:
This author really had the world going! She’d even managed to sell this book. She’d gotten all the way to final edits and a freaking book cover! Is no one else scared shitless right now?! The only reason this was even brought to light is because one of J.L. Langely’s readers just so happened to catch it! Holy crap! If this isn’t a freaking horror story for aspiring and established author alike, I don’t know what is!
I’m sorry, I know I’m yelling, but it’s either that or my heart is going to fall out of my butt.
Another disturbing thought:
This author will never be able to work in this industry again. She’s gone as far as to delete her blog, website, etc. and she’ll (or at least that penname) be forever branded with a scarlet letter on her forehead. A lot of people are happy about this. A lot of people don’t ever think she should be allowed to work in this industry again, that she’s getting what she deserves. And I understand this, I really do.
I’ve been plagiarized. Once in my very own critique group and another time, my fan-fiction was plagiarized word for word. I understand how betrayed a person feels. I understand someone has taken the child you’ve bled and sweated over, stolen them and didn’t even leave you a piece of wood* to let you know you’d been struck by a smooth criminal. (*See changeling) I also think the response and support J.L. Langely has received is amazing. It makes me feel good to know other authors and readers and even publishers will stick up for one another. That’s amazing. I think that’s one of the few things the publishing industry has going for them.
HOWEVER, all I can think about is all of the times my parent’s would’ve killed anyone else for the shit I used to pull.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. It could be that in a few years from now (if it even takes that long) she realizes what a horrible mistake she’s made. She’s drenched in buckets of guilt and self-loathing. She may even eventually send all of the parties involved an apology. (I can only hope she does that much) Then what? I doubt she’ll ever be forgiven. I really do. The way people are carrying on over this makes me think she’ll never be able to write anything and sell it again. I know that’s a bit unrealistic as there are over 200 publishers that I know of, and there’s not one person who is affiliated with all of them. However, this would mean she’d be hiding forever.
At this point, I’m not sure why this bothers me so much. I guess, even as I can put myself in J.L. Langely’s shoes and understand everyone’s witch hunt, I can also put myself in Christine Phoenix’s shoes and they both scare me. My stomach even hurts as I write this and I can’t figure out why.
And yet another disturbing thought:
I have no doubt Siren-Bookstrand is going to nail her ass for breach of contract, if they haven’t already. If the legality of it all isn’t scary enough, think about how many people are going to know about it. Think about how she’s going to explain any fines or legal fees to her husband and or family members. Can anyone say: AHHHHHH!!!!
A few years back, something of a similar nature happened with Loose I.D. They had contracted an author, who used to be a publisher of the shady variety, and had done so because the author had lied about her legal name. When this exploded and people found out about it, Loose I.D. nailed her ass for breach of contract and a HUGE scarlet letter was then branded on this woman’s forehead AND ass. I wasn’t even writing back then. I was in high school, trying to finish the latest romance novel I’d picked up while the teacher was blabbering on about shit I sure as hell didn’t care about. And yet, I STILL know about this.
This author can never work in this industry again. She tried, quite innovatively might I add, and failed. I’m sure Christine Phoenix will be forever banded from the publishing world because she did one of the two cardinal sins: she plagiarized. (The other sin being: Tampering with an author and their royalties.)
So I guess this brings to mind something Jennifer and I are always saying: someone is always watching and writing everything down.
Privacy is a thing of the past.
Once you put something on the web, once you send an email or type a reply on an instant messenger, that’s it. You have to live with risk that private conversation or dubious activity is going to end up plastered all over the web.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
I know, I am—and I couldn’t plagiarize if I wanted to as I can’t cut off the editor in me long enough to write a grocery list. *sigh*
For More Information on the Scandal Please Visit:
Brimstone Pub begins now:
Hi, I’m Justine. And I am horrified!
I am the kind of horrified associated with realizing your period is bleeding through your pants in the middle of the supermarket or winding up on a talk show only to have your husband confess his extramarital affairs right there on national television.
What has brought on this bout of horrification, you ask?
First, I’m going to have you read these two excerpts:
“Sebastian looked around and took everything in, trying to decide who he would tear apart first. The clearing was surrounded by trees. It was roughly the size of half a football field. This must be where the pack met and shifted on full moons since it was far outside town. If a werewolf had the ability to shift, the pull of the full moon was too much for them, and they shifted. Sebastian didn’t have that problem. Lycans learned to control their shift at puberty. The location was good for him, no witnesses to their fight, and it was good to be close to the earth, surrounded by nature As a shape-shifter, his magic was defined by the elements, so he was stronger if surrounded by its source.
The fragile Omega went limp, nearly succeeding in making the two men holding him let go. It didn’t work, but it surprised them all enough to allow the little man to get a good kick in. He hit the third man, who was wrestling with his pants, right in the mouth. Blood flew as the man’s head jerked to the side. Blood splattered over the Alpha.
“You little bitch.” The man the Omega had struck stepped forward, doubled up his fist, and popped the Omega right in the temple.
The little man collapsed, his head lolling forward on his neck.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man in the green shirt demanded.
The Alpha blinked over at him and put his hand on the man who’d been tugging on the Omega’s pants. “This, I imagine, is Sebastian Killian. The reason we were meeting out here in the first place.” The man raised a brow. “Do we have a problem, Mr. Killian?”
“Yes.” Sebastian glanced at the Omega sprawled on his stomach in the grass. He sensed a heartbeat coming from the man, and it was strong. It was the only reason the men in front of him weren’t already dead. “Explain to me why the five of you are beating up on an Omega?”
The smallest of the men frowned. “Who do you think you are, mister? This is a pack matter.”
“I’m Sebastian Killian, and as Alpha of the East coast packs, I’m your Alpha as ordered by Prince Gabriel. I’m here to keep an eye on your pack and any others in my territory. You do not get to refuse me anything! Where I come from, we treat our fellow wolves, especially Omegas, with a little more respect than what I see here. If you touch that boy…”
“You’ll what, asshole? We don’t answer to Lycans,” the big man sneered and stalked toward Sebastian.
Sebastian was ready for him. He caught the man’s fist in one hand, crushing it, and slashed his other over the screaming man’s abdomen, raking him wide open, ripping through muscle. He really would have loved to kill every single one of them, but he wanted to get to the little man on the ground more.
The man staggered back, his eyes wide, clutching his stomach with his broken hand.
The two men who’d been holding the Omega charged Sebastian. He dispatched them as effortlessly, stabbing one in the stomach with his claws and slashing the other across his throat. It was pathetically easy. Sebastian was an eight hundred year old Lycan warrior. They had no chance.
He looked up at the Alpha and the man in the green shirt, while the others writhed on the ground at his feet. Sebastian grinned. “Who’s next?”
The man in the green started forward though Sebastian saw the hesitation and he reeked of fear. The Alpha’s hand reached out and landed on his shoulder, stopping him. “Not now.”
The man’s eyes widened, but he said nothing and backed away.
The Alpha shook his head, his eyes never leaving Sebastian. “Gather them up, and let’s go.”
Sebastian glared back at the leader, keeping the others in his peripheral vision. They were injured, but they were weres and healed extremely fast. He should just kill them and get it over with. They were trouble, and with their lack of intelligence, it would come to him killing them anyway.
The green-shirted were managed to get the other three on their feet, mostly, half carrying the first two guys, and headed toward the cars.
The pack leader walked past Sebastian, head held high. Sebastian turned and watched them go, keeping his front to the weres.
“I do hope you know what you are doing, Lycan.” He spat it out like it was a dirty word. To him, it probably was.
“Because you have just challenged me, and I can’t have that. You will be hearing from me.” The Alpha followed his men through the trees to the parked cars.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. He was right. The Alpha was stupid and suicidal. “I really should just kill them,” he muttered, disgusted.
Sebastian hesitated, torn between following them to make sure they didn’t mess with his truck, and getting to the Omega to see how bad his injuries were. He closed his eyes, focusing on his truck, with a thought he bespelled it against tampering, then quickly turned to the little man lying unconscious on the ground. Sebastian could feel the others leave without incident. He shook his head at how even now the weres had no real understanding of Lycans. Sebastian thought the werewolves let their human side run the show which he believed kept most from being able to shift. They had no real connection to their wolf.
Sebastian checked the Omega for injuries but luckily found none, reaching up and touching the man’s delicate back. He felt static shocks move through his fingertips as he stroked the man’s neck. He drew his hand back, looking at it curiously. That had never happened before. He had learned control over his magic at an early age and had never had even a tingle without calling out for it. He focused on the Omega more intently, continuing to touch his face, feeling his magic move like a soft shock. The Omega moaned, but didn’t move.
Mate.
“Dev looked around and took everything in, trying to decide the best point of attack. The clearing was surrounded by trees. It was roughly the size of half a football field. This must be where the pack met before they hunted on a full moon. The Omega went limp, nearly succeeding in making the two men holding him let go. It didn’t work, but it surprised them all enough to allow the redhead to get a good kick in. He hit the third man who was wrestling with his pants, right in the mouth. Blood flew as the man’s head jerked to the side. Crimson splatters splashed over the Alpha.
“You little son of a bitch.” The man the Omega struck stepped forward, doubled up his fist and popped the Omega right in the temple.
The redhead collapsed, his head lulling forward on his neck.
Dev saw red, a growl erupted from his throat and drew the attention of the five men. They dropped the Omega and turned towards Dev.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man in the green shirt demanded.
The Alpha blinked over at him and put his hand on the man who’d been tugging on the Omega’s pants. “This, I imagine, is Mr. Devlin Johns. The reason we were meeting out here in the first place.” The man raised a brow. “Do we have a problem, Mr. Johns?”
“We just might.” Dev glanced at the Omega sprawled on his stomach in the grass. He had no idea if the man was still alive or not. A blow to the temple like that could kill a human, but the man was a wolf, even if a weaker one. “Would someone like to explain to me why the five of you are beating up on a much smaller, much weaker man?”
The largest of the men frowned. “Who do you think you are, mister? This is a pack matter.”
“Since I’m considering joining your pack, I’d say I have a right to know what’s going on. Where I come from we treat our fellow wolves with a little more respect than what I see here. If that boy is dead—”
“You’ll what, asshole?” The big man stalked towards Dev.
Dev was ready for him. He caught the man’s fist in one hand and slashed his other over the man’s abdomen, raking him wide open.
The man staggered back, his eyes wide, clutching his stomach.
He looked up at the Alpha and the man in the green shirt, while the other three writhed on the ground at Dev’s feet. “Who’s next?”
The man in the green started forward but the Alpha’s hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back. “Not now.”
“But—” the man sputtered.
The Alpha shook his head, his eyes never leaving Dev. “I said not now, Peter. Gather them up and let’s go.”
Dev glared back at the leader, keeping the others in his peripheral vision. They were injured, but they were wolves and healed extremely fast.
Peter managed to get the other three on their feet and headed towards the cars.
The pack leader walked past Dev, head held high.
Dev turned and watched them go, keeping his front to the five wolves.
“I do hope you know what you are doing, Mr. Johns, because you have just challenged my authority and I can’t have that. Rest assured, you will be hearing from me.” The Alpha followed his men through the trees to the parked cars.
Dev hesitated, torn between following them to make sure they didn’t mess with his truck, and getting to the kid to see if he was all right. Dev couldn’t do much for the kid if he couldn’t get them out of here. So he followed the men, standing in the tree line glaring at them until they piled into the three cars. They left without incident, but Dev was certain he hadn’t seen the last of them. He shook his head and hurried back to the clearing as soon as the last car drove out of sight.
Dev had been taught from an early age that Omegas were to be respected, not mistreated because they were weaker. They were the ones who held a pack together, they ran interference, they coordinated and listened to the pack’s complaints and took them to the Alpha, they were the pack ambassadors, the peacekeepers. What did this little redhead do to piss off his pack leader so badly?
He knelt by the smaller man, touching his back. Only then did he realize his hands were still claws. He relaxed and willed his hands back to normal. His canine teeth remained and his vision shifted, going black and white again, probably due to the adrenaline rush. It would wear off eventually and there was no one there to see him anyway. The rise and fall of the little Omega’s breathing was easily discernable. Thank God. He leaned down next to the redhead, meaning to gently turn him, and gasped as he caught scent of him.
The man’s scent was like nothing Dev had ever smelled before. He smelled like a wolf and he was definitely a weaker, submissive wolf, but he was…enthralling? That was the only word that came to mind. Dev’s cock, which was still hard, began to throb.
Come on, Dev, get a grip. He rolled the smaller man over on to his back and nearly swallowed his tongue. Happy freakin’ Valentine’s Day to me. The Omega was beautiful.” ~J.L. Langley, With Love
Here’s the deal: Christine Phoenix plagiarized a novella by J.L. Langely, and then sold it to Siren-Bookstrand as her own work. All she’s reported to have changed was: the series title, the character names, the actual title, and, as you no doubt noticed, she added a few original bits here and there.
After the publishing industry got wind of this, due to this post, Samhain Publishing went to the mattress for J.L. Langely. The work’s original author had kept all of her rough drafts, edits, all of it from conception to completion. So, when Ms. Phoenix claimed she had posted the book as a serial post on a blog back in 2004 and that Ms. Langley had, in fact, stolen it from there…well, neither publisher believed the author crying ‘wolf.’
Okay, so here’s the horrifying part, not that this story really needed to get any more disturbing, before everyone found out Ms. Phoenix has in fact stolen this story, she maintained a blog. (A blog that has since disappeared from the net—not that anyone is surprise.) On this blog, the author did what every other does on their blogs. She talked about her books, her writing journey, etc. One of J.L. Langely’s supporters saved some of the blog content in a PDF file here.
This is why I’m disturbed:
This author really had the world going! She’d even managed to sell this book. She’d gotten all the way to final edits and a freaking book cover! Is no one else scared shitless right now?! The only reason this was even brought to light is because one of J.L. Langely’s readers just so happened to catch it! Holy crap! If this isn’t a freaking horror story for aspiring and established author alike, I don’t know what is!
I’m sorry, I know I’m yelling, but it’s either that or my heart is going to fall out of my butt.
Another disturbing thought:
This author will never be able to work in this industry again. She’s gone as far as to delete her blog, website, etc. and she’ll (or at least that penname) be forever branded with a scarlet letter on her forehead. A lot of people are happy about this. A lot of people don’t ever think she should be allowed to work in this industry again, that she’s getting what she deserves. And I understand this, I really do.
I’ve been plagiarized. Once in my very own critique group and another time, my fan-fiction was plagiarized word for word. I understand how betrayed a person feels. I understand someone has taken the child you’ve bled and sweated over, stolen them and didn’t even leave you a piece of wood* to let you know you’d been struck by a smooth criminal. (*See changeling) I also think the response and support J.L. Langely has received is amazing. It makes me feel good to know other authors and readers and even publishers will stick up for one another. That’s amazing. I think that’s one of the few things the publishing industry has going for them.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. It could be that in a few years from now (if it even takes that long) she realizes what a horrible mistake she’s made. She’s drenched in buckets of guilt and self-loathing. She may even eventually send all of the parties involved an apology. (I can only hope she does that much) Then what? I doubt she’ll ever be forgiven. I really do. The way people are carrying on over this makes me think she’ll never be able to write anything and sell it again. I know that’s a bit unrealistic as there are over 200 publishers that I know of, and there’s not one person who is affiliated with all of them. However, this would mean she’d be hiding forever.
At this point, I’m not sure why this bothers me so much. I guess, even as I can put myself in J.L. Langely’s shoes and understand everyone’s witch hunt, I can also put myself in Christine Phoenix’s shoes and they both scare me. My stomach even hurts as I write this and I can’t figure out why.
A few years back, something of a similar nature happened with Loose I.D. They had contracted an author, who used to be a publisher of the shady variety, and had done so because the author had lied about her legal name. When this exploded and people found out about it, Loose I.D. nailed her ass for breach of contract and a HUGE scarlet letter was then branded on this woman’s forehead AND ass. I wasn’t even writing back then. I was in high school, trying to finish the latest romance novel I’d picked up while the teacher was blabbering on about shit I sure as hell didn’t care about. And yet, I STILL know about this.
This author can never work in this industry again. She tried, quite innovatively might I add, and failed. I’m sure Christine Phoenix will be forever banded from the publishing world because she did one of the two cardinal sins: she plagiarized. (The other sin being: Tampering with an author and their royalties.)
So I guess this brings to mind something Jennifer and I are always saying: someone is always watching and writing everything down.
Once you put something on the web, once you send an email or type a reply on an instant messenger, that’s it. You have to live with risk that private conversation or dubious activity is going to end up plastered all over the web.
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