Silk & Shadows

Currently working on: New project
Mood: Goal-oriented

I love science tidbits. Even when I can’t understand something, that’s fine with me because it’s a great jumping off point into what-ifs. Stories often start with a “What if…?” And if I can’t understand the complexities, the mental workout must burn off at least a half bucket of cookie dough.

One of my perpetual favorite brain games in science is string theory. String theory suggests that all matter in the universe is ultimately composed of 1-dimensional strings that, based on differences in their vibrations, become different particles.

The thing I like best about string theory is that it could be a solution to the “theory of everything,” linking all physical phenomena with one explanation.

Which I have to think would include an explanation for this one plot problem I’m having…

My favorite book on the topic is Brian Greene’s THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. Part one of the PBS television series with a lot of helpful, pretty, moving pictures is showing here. I watched it again after Greene’s new series THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS started playing on PBS this month. After reading those books and watching the shows, I ALMOST understand theoretical physics.

Still having trouble with that plot problem though.

Other recent science stuff that has captured my imagination:

Did you know we were almost pulverized by an asteroid recently?

Well, not really almost pulverized. The blast would only have been equivalent to several thousand megatons of dynamite. And those smarty-pants scientists knew it was going to miss us anyway, but still, it got my head whirling. Earlier this month, on November 8, Asteroid 2005 YU55 passed closer to Earth than the moon. I knew it was coming but I forgot about it, which one should never do with a NEO (Near Earth Object) the size of an aircraft carrier. The next time a known object this large will approach Earth is 2028.

I guess it’s a good thing that these things pass us without comment, but I did think about mutant space motes spinning off the asteroid and dusting the Earth with… What? Alien spores? Superpowers? The possibilities spring off in all directions, even if the asteroid itself must follow a predestined path.

Also in space news, the new Mars rover launched on Saturday!

I adored the previous two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, who in 2004 landed on Mars, tasked with 90-sol (day) missions that turned into years of experiments and exploration. Didn’t hurt that they looked sort of like Disney’s Wall-E. I actually got choked up when NASA lost touch with one rover due to sand on the solar panels…only to regain communications when fortuitous winds blew the panels clean. Though Spirit fell completely silent in 2010, Opportunity is still trundling around the Red Planet.

The new rover launched safety and it will take her eight months to get to Mars. Curiosity (follow her on Twitter! @MarsCuriosity) is the larger, stronger, faster, smarter cousin of the earlier rovers. Nuclear powered instead of solar, with more tools aboard including a rock-vaporizing laser, her goal is to prospect for organic molecules which could provide more information about whether Mars could have supported life. Bon voyage, Curiosity!

And last and almost least...

Only least because neutrinos are very small particles. In September this year, smarty-pants scientists shocked other smarty-pants scientists by announcing that they might have shot particles through the Earth at faster-than-light speeds. (Specifically 60 nanoseconds faster than light. And just to be clear, a nanosecond is one billionth of a second. So not a LOT faster than light.) Since that shoots substantially bigger holes in one of the fundamental understandings of science (that nothing travels faster than light) some scientists believed the findings must have errors. Earlier this month, more tests seem to repeat the findings. How cool is that? We should have our own spaceships by yesterday!

The best part of this story is the word superluminal, which means faster than light. But I also like the idea that something as set in stone as Einstein’s theory of special relativity can change. Okay, maybe it won’t change, maybe there are errors in the findings, but how fun to think about what it could mean if it did.

Were you a good science student? Or did you get the flu on the day you were supposed to dissect the frog? If you have any favorite science moments, do share!

A couple of weeks ago, I did my first NaNoWriMo check-in, and here I am back again. My goal was to finish the first draft of this manuscript by the end of November. As I write, I have nine days to go.

Yes, that was a wail of pure panic.

On the other hand, I can say I’ve only fallen behind by about 7,000 words, which is something I could conceivably make up as long as I don’t want to, say, sleep.

I did have a brilliant flash of insight this past weekend. Okay, maybe not brilliant, but important. I plot a fair bit before I start writing. I do discover stuff along the way, the plot shifts and twists, but in the end I stick fairly close to a general outline that I have in place before I begin. If I don’t have a road map, I generally write in circles. Or at least I thought this was how things worked.

However, because I’m writing this fast, I realized that I deviate far more than I suspected. Those thousand small adjustments can be handled gradually if I’m writing at a normal pace. Hurtling along at NaNo velocity meant that my average 2% variation sent me flying from an off-ramp worthy of a motorcycle stunt rider—and not in a good way. Something about speed x word count x plot variation = edit squared. There was time lost Saturday as I sat down and pondered things like plot structure and the zen of backspacing.

The words I’ve written are fine, the book is fine, but it’s not what I expected. The result of rushing through the manuscript is not that it’s bad, it’s just that I haven’t had a chance to get to know it like I normally would. During my first edit pass, I’ll be reading Chloe and Sam’s story more like a reader than the author.

Which leads me to wonder – why is it that we don’t absorb the book merely by the act of writing it? Is part of our brain switched off, so that the writing function can be in the “on” position? Or am I the only one who experiences things this way?

The creative mind is a very curious thing.

Currently working on: Burning off dessert
Mood: Sweet

I had an early Thanksgiving party yesterday, so I made butter cookies. Then, since this holiday is about giving thanks, I decided to dip the cookies in chocolate. Nothing says thanks like chocolate.

But even when I’m surrounded by chocolate (as I often am) it’s so easy to forget to be grateful. Yes, the solution might be to eat more chocolate, or maybe I just need to remind myself more than once a year. Studies have shown that people who take the time to keep a gratitude journal listing their reasons to be thankful report fewer illness symptoms, a greater sense of optimism about the future, and a brighter feeling about life overall.

I’m thankful I live in a country that has issues but always seems to be trying to better itself even when the definition of better is contentious and changeable.

I’m thankful I have family and friends who are always around when I need them and are supportive of my dreams. I hope I’m that to them!

I’m thankful that I’m in a sustainable place financially, physically, emotionally, creatively and whatnot.

I’m thankful it was sunny for part of the day Sunday, long enough anyway to go to the dog park where there’s a huge old maple that is just turning bright yellow.

What are you thankful for? And if you have any recipes for chocolate desserts suitable for Thanksgiving (which is so often dominated by earthier spices) please share or link!

Halloween has barely cooled its pumpkins but, when I was tearing around the streets of the downtown on my lunch hour, I noticed Christmas decorations. I was about to go into a huff about it being far, far too early for such things and then realized we’re pushing into the middle of November. Christmas Eve is six weeks away! For once, it’s not the retailers who are ahead of themselves; I’m just out of touch with the calendar.

I easily succumb to glitter. I like shiny. I like snow (in small doses) and turn to sentimental goo at the sound of carols. In other words, I’m a merchandiser’s dream around this time of year. The catch is that when I go shopping, I turn out to carry home as many parcels for me as for everyone else because this is the time of year all the really cool stuff comes into the stores.

I’ll throw in a disclaimer here: I actually buy a lot of presents at craft fairs because the money goes straight to the artisans and I can find really unique items that aren’t otherwise advertised. Here, though, I’m posting about things you can get through the web, because what’s the point if you can’t share the fun?

So here we go: Sharon’s shopping picks, 2011

If you know any folks who do work at home, this might be a hit. I know I want one! This is a heavy vinyl mat that will take an office chair rolling back and forth – and yet it looks like a Persian carpet. This is definitely on my Christmas list because my place is small, so my office is in my living room. I need to get a chair mat to protect the carpet, but most are so ugly that I’ve been stalling. This would go a long way to a compromise between practical and pretty.

Speaking of pretty … one of my very favourite craftspeople is Melissa Caron, who does amazing silver work. I love the organic feel of her designs. Click on the ring to visit her Etsy store and I guarantee that you’ll spend a lot of money, at least in your imagination! I came across her booth at a local craft fair last year and one of her rings followed me home.

Speaking of Etsy, drop by the Steamworkshop to check out these decorative USB drives. They are both practical (they work for real—I have one from this seller) and fun—and could probably survive an airship crash. Just about everyone uses jump drives, so it might be the ticket for a hard-to-buy-for. I like having a bunch of different USB drives to keep my novels-in-progress separate. The more unique-looking, the better for telling them apart.

Please keep in mind that while I’ve had good experiences with the Etsy retailers listed, it’s always buyer beware out there in the land of on-line shopping. This is not a paid advertisement nor is it a guarantee. However, I’ve had good service and a lot of pleasure out my purchases.
So, what nifty items are out there that you know about? Care to share?

Currently working on: Enjoying being done (again) with revisions on sci fi rom novella
Mood: Self-congratulatory

Every once and awhile I get contemplative. It usually happens when I’m between deadlines, which is yet another reason why deadlines are good things. I also have a mean self-help streak which I try not to indulge too often because I don’t think it’s helpful, to myself or anybody else. I’m sorry to say these two bad habits have come together in a brutal session of navel gazing lately.

Why do I write?

I’ve been asking myself this ever since I attended a writing workshop years ago where the presenter told us to answer this question and I had to cheat off the writers next to me. And then, only a few days later, I read a writing craft book that demanded an answer to the question too, and I decided the universe was making fun of me and even the answers I stole weren’t good enough.

When forced into a corner, my usual answers to the “Why do I write?” question are:

• Money and fame
• Casual dress code
• Free books (cuz I write ‘em myself)

You see why I’m not exactly winning self-help prizes with these answers.

But recently, in the midst of wrestling with this question once again (I don’t even know why it’s important! I just remember that the workshop and the book both talked about it so it must be important) I was listening to some self-help podcasts (somebody stop me!) and heard the question posited a slightly different way. Instead of asking “Why do you _____?” the question was this:

“What do you get out of doing ______ that reinforces the desire to continue?”

Yes, yes, I realize this is just a slightly warmer, fuzzier wording of operant conditioning, but I’m going with it for a moment.

What do I get out of writing? What is it about writing that fulfills something in me?

And after mulling it over on a  few dog walks, I decided that, for me, it’s about creating something out of nothing. There’s something amazing about taking words that have no measurable atomic density, no visible wavelength, no smell even, and creating…whatever — and by amaze, I mean “a maze” where there is a sense of mystery and discovery and adventure and even the danger of getting lost. Storytelling requires nothing but an idea, really, and from there you build a world that goes on to live in other people’s minds.

Which I guess is a slightly warmer, fuzzier way of saying: “Why do I write?”

• Delusions of godlinghood

Still, I like the idea of the question “What do I get out of doing ______?” I’ve been applying it to my characters, my unsuspecting friends with questionable love lives, my snack choices, my moments of procrastination, vacuuming.

Is this helping my writing in any way? Not that I’ve noticed, to be honest. Although I have discovered I’m not particularly fulfilled by a clean house and I don’t even need a deadline to justify the impromptu dog-hair carpet under my desk.

I knew this contemplative self-helping wasn’t good for me. Do you have a force you know motivates you, for good or ill? Do you try to encourage or fight it? Have you had any luck?

Note from Jessa: Meeting people in the story community is much like following links on the web: You meet one cool person who knows a cool person who knows a cool person, and by the time you look up, you have a bunch of cool readers and writers all around you. Case in point….

Today, we have KC Klein whose first (and I mean first) book DARK FUTURE is out now with Avon Impulse. As you know, we here at Silk And Shadows love us some dark heroes. So of COURSE we had to have the author of DARK FUTURE tell us more. Welcome, KC, and congrats on your debut!

First, I wanted to say thanks to Jessa for taking pity on me and asking me to come on her blog. And to everyone else, I just want to say…begging really does work.

Let’s pretend we are trying to get our best friend to read your book, what should we tell her to get her most excited? (And pretend we can’t read the back cover blurb; pretend our friend is running out to the bookstore RIGHT NOW and we have to tell her quick.)

Umm…let’s see…there are some really good sex scenes in DARK FUTURE. The interrogation scene (part of the excerpt in this post) won first place in “Reveal Your Inner Vixen” contest. So that’s good, right?

Your heroine, Kris, is a doctor who has to go forward through time to save the world (and the hero, of course). What interested you about time travel and the future world? And how much of Kris is KC?

I loved the concept of time-travel and a future world because I could make the world out to be whatever I wanted (I was never very good at research). How much of Kris is KC? Umm…that is a tough one. Since DARK FUTURE is my first book I put a lot of myself into the heroine (and not necessarily the good parts). I think Kris is KC, but to the 3rd power. Kris is a bit over the top and not really tempered with a wife and a mom’s hard earned wisdom. But, hey, she was a hell of a lot of fun to write.

Your hero is dark sexy warrior (yay!) ConRad Smith. What did you find most compelling about him as a hero? And what does Kris see in him?

When I wrote ConRad, I was looking for a hero who was a little harder and grittier than the heroes that I was reading. Now, in the world of paranormal romance, there a lot of tortured heroes to choose from, but close to ten years ago that wasn’t the case. Kris sees in ConRad what I love to see in my heros—a sense of security. I’ve been married to the same man for over sixteen years, and my husband still makes me feel protected and cherished. What more could a gal want?

On your website author bio, you say you were surprised to find out you write dark. Why were you surprised?

Well, truly, I was surprised to find out I could even write at all. I come from a family of machinists and bankers. Needless to say, creativity doesn’t run high on my family’s list of priorities. When I started to write, I thought I would lean more toward family dramas and fun, quirky, westerns because that’s my sense of humor. But it was funny, every time I started writing a light romance some character always ended up dead or tortured—I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

DARK FUTURE was the first book you finished, started when your first child was born (who will presumably take longer to finish). How much should we hate you that you sold your first book?

Oh please, even though DARK FUTURE was my first book I re-wrote it like four times. So really, it was more like my fifth book. And to make everyone feel better I have book two and three sitting in my hard drive with no place to go (those were my attempts at funny, quirky, westerns).

Which are your favorite apocalyptic-y scenarios besides aliens? Do you like homicidal computers, plagues, environmental collapse? How do you feel about zombies?

World-wide floods, meteors, deadly plaques, the latest ice-age, I love them all, the more catastrophic the better. I say that, but apocalyptic scenarios do not keep me up at night. I was talking to a guy about things we worry about, and he mentioned he was concerned the sun would one day burn out and we would have to find a new planet to live on. I thought…umm…I’ve never worried about that a second in my whole life, but…I would love to write about it.

Assuming the apocalypse is coming soon, which one weapon and two canned goods would you recommend?

Oh no, don’t get me confused with a character from my book. I’m not the courageous type. I wouldn’t know what to do with a weapon, but I sure can play a mean game of rock, paper, scissors. And as far as canned goods—do a bottle of gin and a bottle of tonic count? Hell, what am I thinking? The world is ending. There are no rules! So yes, gin and tonics DO count.

Thank you, KC, for posting with us. Maybe we’ll have you back for a dark cowboy next

Thanks again Jessa for having me. I love to chat with peeps, so please find me on Twitter @kckleinbooks and on Facebook as AuthorKCKlein.

My website is www.kckleinbooks.com

You can find DARK FUTURE at Avon Impulse and at Amazon. Also for all you non e-reader types, DARK FUTURE has just come out in print form. Check it out on Amazon.

Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go forward in time to save the world–and His life. Of course, her future self doesn’t tell her who he is, just sends her into an abyss and straight into an alien invasion.

He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting Commander of Earth’s army and the world’s last defense. There’s only one way to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy–slice her throat. Except, he didn’t anticipate the heat he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman. For a man whose sole focus has been survival, she’s more temptation than he can handle. But a world on the brink of destruction leaves no room for love…and time is running out.

*              *             *

“Mmm, you taste human. Like salt or more like … warm sunshine?” He pinned me with his gaze. His eyes spoke a primal language. Desire warred with anger; need against punishment.

I looked away. Embarrassed. Violated. His body crushed mine, suffocating in its nearness. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe without crushing my breasts against him. I always considered myself strong and physically fit, but he subdued me with barely any effort. Heart racing, I panicked.

The feeling of no control would break me–complete powerlessness always did. I used whatever weapon was available; whatever maneuvers would give me a fighting chance. This was no different. I turned my head, opened my mouth against his neck, and … sunk my teeth in.

He cursed. Grabbed hold of my shirt, picked me up, and slammed me back against the wall.

A painful whoosh came from my lungs. My vision rocked–brain swished inside my skull.

“You bit me.” He sounded shocked.

My head hurt so bad I had to blink hard to keep my eyes in their sockets. “You licked me,” I shouted back.

He assessed me, aqua blue eyes hooded with thick, long eyelashes, for what seemed like an eternity. “I will ask you one more time. Who are you?”

“I’ve told you everything.” My voice sounded desperate, tired, even to me. “I went running and fell into the dark … I’m a doctor at a hospital. If you don’t believe me, just call them. I’ve worked there for years.”

He stood still, his body hard against mine, creating an insurmountable barrier. His face so close I could see his pupils enlarge, almost hiding the hard blue of his irises. The rage in him lived and breathed. One hand ran along my scalp in a mock caress, grabbed hold of my hair and pulled.

“Liar,” his voice barely a whisper, the knife was back … shaking at my very exposed, very vulnerable artery. “There hasn’t been a hospital anywhere on Earth since the year 2075.” And in one efficient movement, he drew the knife across my throat.

I’m beginning to think the National Novel Writing Month should be retitled to the National Why I’m Not Writing My Novel Month. If you want to find out why the words are not showing up on the page, this is the exercise that will bring all that to light. In my case, it’s mostly because my idea about what I do with my time and what I think I do are some distance apart. Like, in different towns.

Keep in mind that I’m not talking about scheduling inconveniences like landslides, volcanoes, or abduction by space aliens, although as the month carries on, those might seem like attractive options. Let’s face it, if a crisis is big enough, writing falls off the radar and rightly so. What I’m encountering is the part where writers are nibbled to death by ducks—in other words, small things that gum up the works.

That’s not to say anything super-unusual happened, but my attention has been drawn to the fact that I undertake many “writing-like” but not actual writing activities. A night out at a lecture to gather ideas. A night out with my critique group. A night out talking about writing instead of doing it. And then there are the weekly classes at my gym. All worthy endeavours, but not bum-in-the-chair writing time.

Now, one might argue such things are vital to a balanced life. Yes, they are. However, NaNoWriMo is not about a balanced anything. It is imbalance in favour of writing 50,000 words in 30 days and these, lovely, social moments are exactly why the word counter isn’t climbing the way it should. Ironically, I always considered myself something of a hermit. Apparently I’m not as antisocial as I thought!

The lesson? If you’re going to bite off a heroic chunk o’ wordage, there will be sacrifices. Perhaps modern communication devices should be the first to go. Then, perhaps all social acquaintance. If that doesn’t work, a stint in a cloisters might be in order–at least for the month of November.

Have you ever made an unexpected discovery about the way you spend your time?

Currently working on: Finishing my Halloween candy
Mood: Bouncy!

This fall, two new series started, both using fairy tales as their jumping off point. As a reader, I’ve always ADORED fairy tales! Some of my first books as a kid were fairy tales books, many of them illustrated. I’m also interested in these series as a writer since I’m curious to see how the shows differ (or don’t) in handling the fairy tale elements.

GRIMM is about a cop who discovers he has inherited the ability — courtesy of his last name, Grimm — to see creatures no one else can see and now has the responsibility for destroying the bad creatures. So far, we’ve met big bad wolves (some of whom aren’t so bad, we learn) and werebears. There’s an overarching thread about a faction with witch-beasts seeking to destroy the Grimms forever.

The overall tone is dark. Probably because it’s filmed in my town of Portland where you have to bring your own sunlight. Basically, it’s a police procedural with fairy tale elements woven in.

The other series is ONCE UPON A TIME where the adult daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming must rescue the fairy tale people who are living amnesiac lives in “the real world” under the rule of an Evil Mayor/Queen.

Lighter in tone than GRIMM (at least the cute kid hasn’t been kidnapped YET) OUaT is more of a straight-ahead ensemble drama.

Is TV big enough for two fairy tales shows? They are so different, I hope they both survive. Not that any show I like will survive In a way, I think GRIMM will be easier to watch because every week can be a fun new creature. But what I like best about fairy tales is that they are meant to teach us lessons. Lessons about true love, following your dreams, not eating poison apples. And so far, ONCE UPON A TIME appears to be more faithful to that story behind the stories in fairy tales.

I think there are good reasons fairy tales are forever popular — namely, cute princes! But also the adventure, the overcoming of adversity, the cute princes… Hmm, sounds a lot like romance novels

If you haven’t gotten your fill of fairy tales, here are a few books I’ve loved based on fairy tales I’ve loved:

BEAUTY by Robin McKinley

This is a “classic” retelling of Beauty and the Beast — a story I never, ever tire of reading — but we get to learn more about the heroine. And she’s a nerd! No, that’ s not quite true, but she isn’t beautiful, she’s actually plain and rather bookish (hmm, remind any of us about who we feared we were?) and actually very strong inside.

WICKED by Gregory MaGuire

If you’ve seen the musical but haven’t read the book based on a retelling of The Wizard of Oz (which technically isn’t a fairy tale, I guess, but it DOES have munchkins which are relatively fairy sized) now’s a good time. The last in the series is out now. Although less a classic retelling like BEAUTY above, we still get to learn more about the “heroine” in this version of the tale.

THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Hmm, I guess this one isn’t really a fairy tale either, but the stories of King Arthur have the same mythopoeic power so I’m counting it. I read this before I read the “real” version of Camelot and I’m afraid I could never think of Morgan as evil again.

All three of these books are especially fabulous for young readers because they twist and turn what we think we know of old stories into something new and wonderful and thought-provoking.

And THAT is a lesson worth learning.

Do you have a favorite fairy tale? Which favorites haven’t been retold enough?

I always wonder about people who renounce things. You know – give up on part of their identity, or an affiliation, or the world in general. The notion presupposes that we have the power to banish such influences from our lives. As if we could say, “Get thee behind me, chocolate!” and the temptation would be gone.

I dunno. Conquering that chocolate addiction isn’t about running away from the candy counter. It means examining one’s relationship with the dark forces of Hershey’s and coming to terms with its grip on one’s soul. Becoming a cave-dwelling hermit removes the chocolate from one’s vicinity, but all that ends the moment the candy dish comes back into view. It’s not enough to say we’re done with something. Its grip needs to be gone whether or not we’re in the same room.

Put another way – one can take the hermit from the Hershey’s, but can one take the Hershey’s from the hermit?

For chocolate, substitute criticism, rejection, insecurities, procrastination and all those other thorny bits we encounter as human beings. Those are all things we could cheerfully put to rest.

As I’m writing this, it’s Halloween. Candy is an issue, given the day, but I’m thinking beyond that. Halloween is also the New Year’s Eve of the Celtic calendar. It’s the day when old things—items or ideas we no longer have a use for—can be put to an honoured rest and new projects born.

Now, the harvest isn’t the New Year’s resolution where we worry about going on a diet or working harder or getting to the gym more often. Those are the resolutions that tell us we need improvement. That’s the thinking that would send us to a cave in the hills to avoid what we apparently don’t have the strength to resist. Stuff and nonsense. Running away is giving an issue more power than it deserves. It’s running away that makes the monsters chase you.

No, this resolution is to say buh-bye to all the nagging voices in our heads that tell us we can’t run faster, jump higher, or do whatever the heck we see ourselves doing in our happiest fantasies. We are that fabulous person already. We’ve just been trained not to believe it.

It’s a new year. Something holding you back? Burn it. Compost it. Let that energy go and transform it into something you can use. That’s what this harvest time is all about.

And while you’re at it, have some chocolate. Harvest is all about celebration, not self-flagellation.