Silk & Shadows

Currently working on: Book 4 of the Marked Souls
Mood: Knucking down

First our winner from last weeks drawing of Jessica Andersen’s signed DEMONKEEPERS and an ARC of BLOOD SPELLS.  Thanks to everybody who commented, and keep an eye out.  We have lots of signed copies from the RWA conference.  Meanwhile, Random.org has selected….

 Paula R.

Congrats, Paula!  Email me at jessa at jessaslade dot com with your snail mail addy and we’ll get those books to the PO.

So the reason we have all these signed books is the annual Romance Writers of America national conference which was held at the end of July.  The huge annual meeting brings together more than 2000 of RWA’s 10,000+ members.  It’s like the best business sleepover party you’ve ever attended.  What?  You’ve never attended a business sleepover?  I’m sorry.  Romance writing rocks!

One of the reasons I love romance is that it’s primarily a women’s genre — written by women, for women.  Sure, there are men who read and write romance, but they are –the self-confident souls – few and far between.  But even the rare men at RWA (who sigh with long-suffering annoyance when the hotels turn most of the restrooms into WOMENs rooms) would, I think, agree that one of the best parts of RWA is the way the best traditional aspects of womanhood are on display to brilliant effect.

1. Nurturing
RWA’s mission statement talks about networking and advocacy and it’s so true.  Without RWA, I wouldn’t be published.  I learned the ropes, the rules and the Sekrit Handshake from these ladies, and they shared with generosity and enthusiasm.

2. Talking
Sure, it’s a sterotype that women love to talk. But boy, women like to talk. The chatting at a RWA conference rivals sea-going mammals for pitch and frequency.  I think that’s why we were at the Dolphin Hotel in Orlando. And in all that talking, you can find the answer to any question you ever had about writing. 

3. Shoes
I saw the cutest shoes — from flipflops to f-me heels — all during the conference.  Next year’s conference in New York will probably bring out the really big guns with the really high heels.  I had cute footwear too, but I can’t find any pictures to prove it.

Since this week here at Silk And Shadows, we’re talking about what we’ve learned from RWA and similar conferences, I also wanted to issue a warning as well.  I started writing in a more innocent time and now I think belonging to reputable organizations like RWA — or groups involved in whatever your passion is – is more important than ever.  With the expansion of the World Wide Web, there is more misinformation and more scammers who have ready access to eager writers, and it is terrifyingly easy for newcomers to be taken.

I have an acquaintance who came to me for writing advice, failed to follow up with any of the websites I gave her, and invested time and money in a vanity “publisher” who made her sign a contract that doesn’t guarantee any tangible results — like, oh say, a freakin’ BOOK.  Luckily, she finally did check the Preditors & Editors link I gave her and found that her “publisher” was listed as Highly Not Recommended (in orange, no less).  She feels embarrassed and discouraged, and they are already sending her vaguely threatening emails demanding more money.

Good professional organizations teach you and help you explore options to reach your goals. Great organizations give you the strength to hold out until you can make your dreams come true.  For me, RWA has been great.

If you belong to a great group — quilters, bakers, candlestick makers – give ‘em a shout-out here. Maybe someone else will see the link and find a supportive outlet for their passion. 

I’ll kick it off by suggsting the Yahoo Group for fans of the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan for anyone with a dog with “issues.”  For the first six months of her life, my dog thought her name was “Don’t Bite.”  She was a terrible puppy.  I found this group and within another six months, she graduated to “Monster Girl” but said fondly.  Hey, that’s improvement.

Currently working on: Revising back cover copy for Book 3
Mood: Tweaky

First off, thanks to everybody who commented last week for a chance to win the signed copy of Nalini Singh’s ANGEL’S BLOOD, that I picked up at RomCon.  With the help of Random.org, we have a winner:

JenM, who hiked to Machu Picchu, congrats!

And I finally unpacked from RomCon and found an extra copy (unsigned, I’m sorry) of Jeaniene Frost’s DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE, which goes to:

cories, who — very sensibly, I think — would rather attend romance cons than work ones

Email me at jessa at jessaslade dot com with your snail mail addy and I’ll make a PO run.

Onto our topic of the week, which is “The TV show I miss the most.”  I didn’t even have to contemplate for a microsecond.  Even my XY knew what I was going to write about.

Joss Whedon’s cowboy space opera Firefly played for one gorram season in 2002 before being brutally and summarily cancelled by the evil Fox network, may their bean counters burn in a special level of hell reserved for People Who Don’t Get It.  The world lived on through graphic novels to a 2005 wrap-up movie, Serenity, and occasionally, wistful rumors surface of another movie.  (A photo tweeted earlier this month of some of the main actors with the sly caption “Together. Again.” was enough to get geekdom panty-wadded for several long minutes.)

The storyworld (or ‘verse, short for universe) inspired a fanatic group of followers, the Browncoats (a reference to the rebellious frontiersmen who fought for their freedom against smothering Fox executives… I mean, against a smothering central government).  The Browncoats continue to stage charity viewings of Firefly, Serenity and other ’verse ephemera, including a fan-filmed movie, Browncoats: Redemption, that has been screened for select audiences but is not yet in wide release.

Why I loved Firefly

I love science fiction.  I love anti-heroes.  I love Joss Whedon.  It’s like Firefly was always aimed straight at me. 

Anything with spaceships gets my attention — even the old black and white movies where two pie tins squashed together served as the spaceship.  And the little Firefly-class ship, Serenity, was as adorable as two pie tins, with her lit-up butt and hard-loved interior.

But it wasn’t the hardware that made this show.  It was the crew.  From the first episode (aired out of order by idiots), the crew revealed themselves in all their dysfunctional and yet highly effective glory.  From the wounded soul of their fearless leader, Captain Malcolm Reynolds to the shattered mind of their mysterious and dangerous passenger, River Tam, their interactions were endlessly (and by endlessly, I mean ended after one season, thank you, Fox) fascinating, entertaining, emotional and true.

And damned funny.  Of course Whedon usually inspires clever, but never better than Firefly.  As a writer, I drooled over those lines.  Oh, I’m sure they were written and revised for best effect, but they were always delivered with such beautiful immediacy that I couldn’t help but despair of ever writing as well.  And while I despaired, I laughed, I cried, I bought DVDs. 

I could requote all the wonderful lines here, but fans have read them all before and non-watchers (it’s YOUR fault Firefly died and I will never forgive you!) would just scratch their heads, but I have to give just one back’n'forth between the captain and his second, Zoe, as they come — once again — to save the day (after having nearly lost the day, of course): 

Mal: “Well, look at this! Appears we got here just in the nick of time. Whaddya suppose that makes us?”

Zoe: “Big damn heroes, sir.”

Mal: “Ain’t we just!”

You were, Mal.  To me, you were.

Are you a Firefly fan?  Can you recommend another other good cowboy space operas (or anything remotely similar) in TV, movies or books?

Currently working on: Post-release week enervation
Mood: Wiggly

First, a couple past winners:

A pair of Possession in Pearl earrings to blackroze from the post on what we do when we aren’t writing. (Feeling guilty about not writing!)

And thanks, everybody, for the FORGED OF SHADOWS release week good wishes.  The copy of Book 1 or Book 2 goes to elaing8.  

Lastly (and sorry, this offer is open only to US residents) I have ugly, outdated postage to burn.  If you’d like a shiny new bookmark with Liam’s denim-clad buttocks gracing the front along with a glossary of @1 terms on the back, email me your snail-mail addy and I’ll drop kick one your way.

Email me at jessa at jessaslade dot com.

Now, onto the topic at hand…  We’re supposed to talk about our cleverest writing moment.  And I can’t come up with a damned thing.  Oh, don’t get me wrong.  I think I’m exceedingly clever.  And the conceit is perhaps one of my deepest personal failings.  Nothing amuses me more than me.

I particularly like word play.  Puns, double entendres, extended metaphors.  The deeper and more convoluted, the better I like it.  Unfortunately, this is a terrible trait in a writer.  Worse than shoegazer rock and paintings all in one color.  Self-indulgent art ranks somewhere near donning a wet bathing suit on my list of annoyances to avoid ESPECIALLY when I’m the one indulging.

Luckily, my critique partners call me out on the worst offenses.  Shout out to Joey, who once told me, “I was having so much fun reading what you wrote I had no idea what you said.”  Ouch!  After my CPs finish eviscerating my arrogance, my editor politely line edits the remnants that somehow slipped by.  Even while I’m sighing mournfully, I’m deleting. 

I never want to be Clever Hans, the Amazing Counting Horse, believing his own press.

I think my cleverest writing moment — and I learn this over and over, with every page I write — is when I stop being clever and let the story be itself.

So, what’s the most ridiculous thing you ever wrote?  Feel free to go back to your high school diary.  Always good stuff there.  In honor of the end of the school year, here’s a sample of my early (very early) writing that I thought was particularly clever at the time:

Where Teachers Go

school’s over
summer’s here
building closed
until next year

janitors scrubbing
down the halls
cleaning blackboards
painting walls

unplug the teachers
let out the air
into the closet
until next year

Congratulations to Heather Dearly.  Thanks to Jeri Smith-Ready for stopping by and offering up a book.

And thank you to everyone for commenting and leaving a list of great titles that will expand my TBR shelf by, oh, a gazillion.