point of view

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POINT OF VIEW: When the Future is Gray

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May you live in interesting times. It’s an old, oft-quoted curse (though probably NOT of Chnese origin) that turns something good on its head and makes it something decidedly bad. And one that seems particularly apt for our own time. We’re hurtling headlong into the future with many of the things sci fi always promised us – computers that fit into our pockets, cars that drive themselves, and a global connection through social media that surpasses anything Asimov or Clarke ever imagined. Tthough I’m still waiting for my flying car, dammit! And yet instead of a futuristic utopia filled with … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: When Fans Become Friends

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fans - pixabay

We live in a particularly fascianting age (mostly in the purported Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times” kinda way). Social media has brought a heaping helping of crap and bullshit upon our heads, divided us into rival camps, and possibly destroyed the world in the process. And yet, it’s not all bad. Once upon a time, authors lived in magical, isolated castles by the sea (or more likely dark, dank, author caves buried deep in decaying metropolises). In any case, they were largely cut off from their readers, save for the occasional fan letter forwarded by a publisher, … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: In Review

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rear view mirror - Yay Images

It’s that time again to take a look back at the year that was. And this year, not only are we at the end of a year, we’re at the end of the decade (and yeah, I know, technically the decade doesn’t end until the last gasp of 2020, but just give me this one, ok? *grin*). So I thought I’d look back at 2019 and the 2010s and see what I accomplished as a writer, and what I didn’t. I haven’t accomplished mainstream success yet. I am still very much a niche author, with a fairly limited (albeit wonderful … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: I’m Writing Again!

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writing - Yay Images

As any of y’all know who read this column regularly, I have been on a bit of a sabbatical from writing since I didn’t manage to even get a manuscript request in the Pitch Wars mentoring contest. One thing about this whole author gig – it keeps you humble. That, combined with a new website launch we were working on, made taking a break seem prudent. I have missed writing, though. It feels… weird when I don’t write regularly. So I am easing back into it, starting with the reworking of a story called Autumn Leaves. It’s a cute coming … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Keeping Hope Alive

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hope - pixabay

These are troubled times in the world at large. These are troubled times in our little corner of the publishing business, too. Once again, someone in the queer romance world has been credibly accused of plagiarism. Several of our publishers have recently closed, and another is going through a major disruption. Some of my author friends are waiting months for royalties, and at the same time are being squeezed by Amazon and other online retailers. Scammers have figured out how to game the system through a variety of tricks, and skim Amazon royalties off the backs of the rest of … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Deciphering the Universe’s Mixed Messages

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Mixed Messages - Deposit Photos

I’m an asshole. But we’ll get back to that in a minute. I won four Rainbow Awards on Saturday night. I should have been over the moon, right? But here’s the thing. Every one of them was a second place finish. In 2017, I won a bunch of them too. Also ALL second place wins. When you think about it, second place is actually pretty damned good. Amazing, really. it’s higher than 99% of the other folks who entered. And four different winning books in one year? That’s practically unbelievable. So why was my initial reaction “Gah”? Fans of this … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Building the Cover

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I’ve started doing covers for my own releases, and thought it would be fun to share a bit of the process with you – in this case, for my trans-elf San Francisco climate change story Cailleadhama. The first step (and often one of the most time-intensive ones) is to find an image that suits the story. In this case, I was looking for something to represent a partially drowned city of San Francisco, along with a seawall to hold back the waters. Bonus points for a gondolier… After a bit of searching, I found this image, which I immediately loved: … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Reading to the Crowd

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Scott - Capital Books

The first time I read one of my works aloud, I was scared shitless. That’s not entirely true. The first time was a breeze. It was the second time that almost killed me. The first time was at RainbowCon circa 2015. I was scheduled to read in a huge meeting room with at least a hundred chairs, and just looking at them made my heart beat like a jackhammer. But due to low attendance and too much programming, I ended up reading to an audience of just six people – the four of us authors scheduled for the hour and … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Riding the Rocket

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Rocket Ride - deposit photos

So I had a BookBub for “The Stark Divide” last week. BookBub, for those who don’t know, is a daily email service that sends out specials (usually free or 99¢) to a huge list of potential readers/buyers. When you get one, it can mean a big, if temporary, boost in sales. How big? Potentially a thousand books or more in a single day, all sent to Amazon. Numbers that make the ‘zon stand up and take notice. I was ready and waiting for the start of mine. I only told a few people, and even then, I was warned to … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Taking a (Little) Break

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break - pixabay

I am a big believer of listening to what the universe is telling me. I didn’t like what I heard this last month. I entered the Pitch Wars contest, confident that I had an amazing manuscript, one that would make heads turn. I chose my four potential mentors carefully, even finding one team who was looking for exactly what I was pitching, and who had a local member. I went to an agent pitch training session at our local writer’s club, and tailored the perfect pitch. And when the clock struck midnight on submission day, I submitted it all right … Read more