tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80901168725593129872024-03-08T02:36:43.279-05:00In the Gray TwilightAuthor V. J. Chambers blogs about books, movies, horror, vampires, science fiction, fantasy, and (sometimes) killer giraffes.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-1389729936777828532011-10-02T17:36:00.000-04:002011-10-02T17:36:09.279-04:00This is no longer my blog!!Realized I should leave a helpful note here to let you all know that over a year ago, I put together a sexy wordpress site, combining blogging and my stories all in one place. Click the "home" link above or enter http://vjchambers.com into your browser to navigate there.<br />
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Thanks!V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-34950950609258063332010-07-12T19:10:00.000-04:002010-07-12T19:10:49.070-04:00Ah, dear Christ.Somewhere, I stumbled upon <a href="http://vampirely.wordpress.com/"> this</a> blog today.<br />
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Now, I am saddened, knowing that I will never get those three and half hours of my life back.<br />
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Still, it was a riveting read. Not recommended for diehard Twilight fans. It will almost assuredly piss you off. But for those of us who spent all the books with a niggling feeling that Edward guy was just kind of...I don't know...creepy, this really is illuminating! <br />
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Definitely recommended (if you read nothing else), the post about domestic abuse here: <a href="http://vampirely.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/extra-credit-the-twilight-saga-and-domestic-abuse/">http://vampirely.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/extra-credit-the-twilight-saga-and-domestic-abuse/</a>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-21914991208154299492010-07-08T23:11:00.000-04:002010-07-08T23:11:31.095-04:00Shutter IslandWarning: SPOILERS abound. Do not read this if you haven't seen the movie and actually care about it being ruined for you. <br />
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I wanted to call this post <i>Shutter Island</i> the Problem with the Unreliable Narrator, but unfortunately, that in and of itself would be a spoiler, so, well. <br />
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I will begin by talking about why I think <i>Shutter Island</i> does, in deed, have an unreliable narrator. The unreliable narrator is a literary device used in stories by both Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie. "The Cask of Amontillado" springs to mind. In it, the narrator of the story tells us all kinds of stuff that ain't actually true, because he's a nut job who's justifying the fact he's about to murder Montreigor (or whatever his name is). It's a cool literary device, and one that until maybe ten years ago, was very rarely used in film.<br />
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All that changed with <i>Fight Club</i>. See, before <i>Fight Club</i>, you could be pretty sure that if you saw something on film, it actually happened. <i>Fight Club</i>, however, threw everyone for a loop when one of the main characters turned out to be a figment of the narrator's imagination. (It's worth mentioning that <i>Fight Club</i> was a book first, and also that it's not Chuck Palahniuk's best effort.) After <i>Fight Club</i>, movies with unreliable narrators abounded. It's a little tricky to call this an unreliable narrator. After all film is not really narrated. There can be voice overs and various techniques of that sort, but film is presented in such a way that it invites the idea that it is in fact impartial. After all, I am SEEING it. This, of course, makes the unreliable narrator conceit, in which one gets to the end of the movie and realizes that everything that happened didn't ACTUALLY happen even more powerful. But I SAW it, you think. What?<br />
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Okay, so there was <i>Fight Club</i>. There was <i>The Sixth Sense.</i> There was <i>The Village.</i> (Okay, there was like every M. Night Shyamalan movie ever made.) There was <i>The Others.</i> There was <i>The Skeleton Key</i> (to an extent). There was <i>Memento</i> (arguably a step up from <i> Fight Club</i>). There was <i>Secret Window.</i> The list is endless. <br />
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I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that this little nifty plot twist has been DONE TO DEATH. It was cool ten years ago. It's passe now. So I can't help but feel a little disappointed with <i>Shutter Island</i>. Because it was a really freaking good movie. So when I got to the end and the end was, "Actually he's crazy and nothing he said was true," I just felt...disappointed. I really expected something so much cooler.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-72344499538541535382010-07-04T02:04:00.000-04:002010-07-04T02:04:27.394-04:00Insatiable, by Meg CabotMy best friend Chelsea gave me Meg Cabot's vampire book, <i>Insatiable.</i><br />
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There's a lot to love about this easy read. It's 450 pages, but I read it in a day. It's hard to put down, very funny, and full of inside-vampire-jokeyness.<br />
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Meena Harper (yes, the similarity in name to Mina Harker from <i>Dracula</i> is intentional) hates vampires. She's pretty pissed that she has to write a vampire story line into the soap opera she writes for. That's why it's doubly hilarious when she falls for the prince of darkness, Lucien, who is Dracula's son, and the current vampire lord of the world. <br />
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The story is essentially the story of Dracula. Meena is, well, Mina. Jonathan Harper is Jonathan Harker, except he's Meena's brother and not her fiance. Lucy Westerna is Leisha (Meena's best friend. Thankfully, she lives and doesn't get like eaten by wolves or whatever and turn into a vampire.) Abraham Van Helsing is Abraham Holtzman and (for fun) Alaric Wulf shows up. (If he's got a<i> Dracula</i> counterpart, I missed it.) Lucien is, of course, Dracula.<br />
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This is a nice little spin on the <i>Dracula</i> story. It's chick lit <i>Dracula</i>, which is too cute for words. I liked it all. I couldn't put it down. It was fun.<br />
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My only beef, and it's a small one, is that I kind of wanted something cooler from Meg Cabot. This little vampire tale comes off about as well as <i>Avalon High</i>--in other words, all the major players are there, and they do their parts, but somewhere in the middle of the silliness, the essentials are lost. :( <br />
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Cabot satirizes the vampire genre. She does a good job. But while she accurately describes what makes vampire romance tick (i.e. it's hot to think a guy is fighting against his nature just because he loves you) she doesn't quite capture the same feeling with her Lucien-Meena romance. Maybe it's because we as readers can tell (spoiler!) it's doomed from the start. <br />
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Maybe she should have thrown some werewolves in for good measure?<br />
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Or maybe it's just that the story of Dracula is waaay overdone (<i>Salem's Lot</i>, anyone?) and doesn't entirely benefit much from this plasticky revamp (no pun intended).<br />
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Overall: A fun, fun, fun, fun read, but nothing new here, folks. :)V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-25240158217718556962010-06-01T17:26:00.000-04:002010-06-01T17:26:11.505-04:00On teenage romances...Finished the Jessica Darling quintet by Megan McCafferty today. I didn't find myself particularly satisfied. Sure, I wanted Jessica and Marcus to get together after everything that had happened. I mean, I kind of did.<br />
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In some ways, I was just pissed off at Marcus. The guy has pretty much walked out of Jessica's life a bunch of times. Her lack of finding anyone else seemed, to me, just sad. Sure Marcus is intriguing, but I'm not sure if that's what anyone truly wants from a relationship--someone intriguing. I just started to feel as if, even though they had this long and sordid history, they hadn't spent much time actually together. <br />
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It got me thinking about teenage romances in books (even if <i>Perfect Fifths</i> takes place when they are in their twenties, they still have a teenage romance), and about what makes the culmination of one actually satisfying. One thing that makes it tough, I think, is that most people do not end up marrying their high school sweetheart or forming a lasting connection with them. So the idea is a fantasy to begin with, making it a hard sell to readers. <br />
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But, I think, especially in stories where there's been this long, long build up for two people to get together, it's hard to actually get them together without it feeling like a let down. And since I know that the new Jason and Azazel story (which I STILL haven't started drafting, guys, sorry) is going to be about the two of them apart, it made me wonder what in the heck I'm going to do to get them back together. (or, horrors, if they'll even end up together)<br />
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Thus far, in the J&A books, I've had the luxury of not really writing a romance story. The main plot of the books has not been getting Jason and Azazel together. They've been together. They've just been fighting to stay that way. <br />
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Thus, I haven't had to evaluate a lot of emotional drama, raising the stakes for them in the way that they feel. Now, I think I have to.<br />
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One thing that became clear to me at the end of <i>Tortured</i> was that Jason was not the person I would want my younger sister or niece or other young girl to date. Nope, Jason is pretty much a candidate for worst boyfriend ever. I mean, come on, the guy is violent, moody, keeps secrets, and KILLS people. He even almost killed Azazel. The thing is, I am pretty deeply in love with him myself. I think Azazel is too.<br />
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In a story, being in love with a guy with deep emotional scars is exciting and romantic. In real life, it's just scary. <br />
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I don't know how to heal Jason enough to make a viable romantic lead--the kind of guy I'd trust with a younger sister. But I guess I'm going to try. And on the way, I think there will be some gun fights. Because I do love me some gun fights. :)<br />
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<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0609807900&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0609807919&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1400080436&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=030734651X&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0307346536&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-20235868707886245042010-05-14T20:26:00.000-04:002010-05-14T20:26:19.348-04:00Supernatural Season Five FinaleAll right, all right, I'm late with the watching, but last night I took a break from my Thursday night line up in favor of going to The Blue Moon for some beer, Speakeasy Boys, and good conversation. So, I just finished watching <i>Supernatural</i> like fifteen minutes ago.<br />
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Well. I'm not going to rehash plot details much. Mostly, I want to focus, like everyone else, on the fact that there's going to be a season six. Am I worried? Yes. Am I glad? Yes. I went into this season thinking it was the last one. (In case you don't know, the show's creator, Kripke, has been saying for like a year and a half that there would only be five seasons of <i>Supernatural</i>. He wanted to go out on a high note, yadda yadda. Then, just recently, they announced there will be a season six, just without Kripke.) I was sad. I like the idea of not having to say goodbye to Sam and Dean.<br />
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All that being said...I'm just not sure how this is going to work out. What will they do next year? How do you write a story after you battle the devil and angels and go up against God himself? <br />
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For fun, I've decided to imagine what I would do if I were a writer for <i>Supernatural</i>, and was told to pitch my ideas for season six. Here goes: <br />
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Okay, the first thing I'd do is let some time pass. So I'd come back, reshow the last scene with Dean in the house with Lisa and Sam outside looking in. <br />
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Two years later...<br />
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Sam is actually a ghost. He was shot by Bobby, remember? That looked fatal. Lucifer went back in the box, but Sam's body did not survive, and Sam's spirit did not go there. He's been hanging out trying to make contact with Dean for two years, but Dean can't see him. Ben, who is really Dean's son, let's face it, sees Sam. Through some hocus pocus, Dean finally does see Sam.<br />
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They'll find out that there's some way they can get Sam's body back, and they have to jump through tons of hoops to do it. That's the primary arc of the season.<br />
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Meanwhile, the demons are without Lucifer, wreaking their regular havoc. Dean, who tried valiantly to "go straight" and live a family life with Lisa and Ben, has settled into habits that more closely resemble that of his dad, going on long hunting trips and scouring newspapers for demon activity.<br />
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Conflict will arise from Dean's attempts to keep Lisa in the dark and safe (her safety will become big--hell, maybe she's even pregnant or something) and trying to protect Ben from the kind of life he lived as a kid. Ben, of course, who should be...let's see, he was like eight in season three, so we figure two years of the show plus the two years we're skipping...twelve--hmmm... Well, maybe we skip more like five years, putting Ben more like fifteen or something, so he's rebellious as all hell and crap? I dunno. Ben gets into the mix, of course figures things out, and Dean struggles with his role as a father, whether or not to teach Ben to take care of himself or not, with his own issues with his relationship with his dad, etc. <br />
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I think I'd tune in for that. <br />
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Okay, okay, I stole the Sam is a ghost thing from the last season of <i>Angel</i>. I still remember that moment being classic. "Blondie Bear!"<br />
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While I was watching the season finale, I realized something. I'm writing the same story. Jason and Azazel's story is about two people who are destined to be pivotal in the "end of the world." (I think this is why I have to write the new trilogy. I didn't actually have an apocalypse in the last one.) It's just that I've got two people who were teenage lovers, not two brothers. <br />
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With that in mind, I'd like to make a list of things that <i>Supernatural</i> did that I don't want to do in my new trilogy.<br />
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1. I don't want to incorporate the Judeo-Christian apocalypse literally. There will be no God or the Devil in J&A stories. Ever.<br />
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2. I don't want to waste perfectly good opportunities to create epic battles between my two main characters. <br />
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3. I don't want to fall into the trap of simplifying the ideas of good and evil.<br />
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4. I don't want my characters to have traits that make it impossible for them to grow, just so they're recognizable to the audience. For instance, Dean is always a smart ass and he can't stop seeing Sam as his little brother. In the last books, Jason was motivated completely by his desire for a normal life. In the new books, he will not be. <br />
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5. I don't want to create retcon-ish type devices that supposedly resonate with the audience when the audience only experienced it for the first time fifteen minutes ago. Sam's seeing of the toy soldier would have been epic if the toy soldier had been referenced in the first episode of the show. Instead, it was mentioned in a flashback at the beginning of the last show and then used in a decisive moment. I call this CHEATING!!<br />
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Kay. Well, I'm off to watch The Vamp Diaries and Happy Town now. Happy Friday all. :)V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-20434822450985621582010-05-12T22:08:00.000-04:002010-05-12T22:08:41.318-04:00Video BlogHere's my very first video blog. The show I'm talking about in the first couple of minutes was called<i> Moonlight</i>.<br />
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The sound seems to be a little off... Don't know why that is. Anyhow, enjoy for what it is.<br />
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<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ATqwos5hGNs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ATqwos5hGNs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-88915418176452846842010-05-06T20:05:00.001-04:002010-05-06T20:06:34.097-04:00Happy Town<i>Happy Town</i> may be the best horror TV show of our generation. It's genuinely creepy, extraordinarily suspenseful, and delivers truly unexpected plot twists. It reminds me of <i>Twin Peaks</i>, but with a little less goofy charm and a little more of a sinister edge. <br />
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What's it about? I don't know. But there's a bunch of unsolved kidnappings, a murder, a young police officer with a face like apple pie, a strange goat hammer, forbidden teenage love, some enigmatic person named Chloe, a sheriff who's gone nuts, and lots of weird underscoring by Carly Simon's "You're So Vain."<br />
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Head on over to your favorite streaming site and get caught up. I'm definitely hooked.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-56415997137818857702010-04-29T11:08:00.000-04:002010-04-29T11:08:17.432-04:00Kristin Nelson has some interesting things to say about self-publishingI headed over to Kristin Nelson's blog today. She's a literary agent that I've submitted to in the past. I like her, even though she doesn't even send out form rejections, just never replies if she doesn't want to represent you. Bah! Still, in a dying industry, with far more authors than contracts, who can blame her?<br />
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Anyway, I was shocked to see this on her blog: <br />
"1. In general, I have no problem with writers giving out material for free to build a following. I’m a little bit leery about having an entire novel out there for everybody to read but it’s not going to destroy your chances of doing traditional publishing later. In fact, if you can track the number of downloads and can prove that thousands of people have voluntarily downloaded and read your novel, well, that just might be an interesting way to catch an editor’s attention. It would probably catch my attention. However, it would have to be verifiable—as in we can’t just take your word for it.<br />
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2. Another possibility is to have the writer serialize the work (as in only give portions of the work at a time to a subscription list) if intending to pursue traditional publishing later for that same work. That way the work in its entirety isn’t easily available online.<br />
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3. Along the same line of thought, a writer might put a novel out there that will always be available for free and use it to platform a totally different second novel that the writer plans to use to explore the more traditional publishing route.<br />
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The above discussion led (as you can imagine) into what we thought about self-publishing a work to build a similar audience. As self- publishing becomes more professional, accessible, and easy to manipulate, it certainly wouldn’t surprise us if writers were to explore this as a possibility."<br />
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(<a href="http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/04/isbn-that-hurts.html">http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/04/isbn-that-hurts.html</a>)<br />
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Crazy, right? The times, they are a changin' people! If you'd told me six months ago that I'd see a statement like, It wouldn't surprise agents if authors explored self-publishing as a possibility, I would have freaked out. <br />
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It's just a matter of time before agents switch tactics. Rather than getting publishing contracts, agents are going to switch to being marketeers for authors. The publishing industry is dying, dying, dying. There's no other way to explain this kind of crazy about-face from an agent like Kristin Nelson.<br />
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Huzzah! Viva la revolucion!V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-8240401287635854882010-03-13T09:50:00.000-05:002010-03-13T09:50:04.988-05:00Blog-O-RamaRenee and Harrell, a husband and wife team that writes together under the name Renee Harrell, graciously and hilariously have done a little write up on me at their blog. Here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.marsneedswriters.com/">http://www.marsneedswriters.com/</a><br />
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Thanks!!<br />
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Now, before you hop over there to read it, scroll down and check out some of their other posts as well. They are quite entertaining reads, which only can be good for their books, right? Then, check out this link: <a href="http://www.marsneedswriters.com/things-were-doing.html">http://www.marsneedswriters.com/things-were-doing.html</a> and bookmark it! Check back for further updates. Their YA book <i>Something Wicked</i> isn't available until August, but it sounds wicked awesome. I know I want to read it. (And especially, especially, I want to read <i>The Athiest's Daughter</i>!!)<br />
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Cheers, all!V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-91485107498994598172010-02-24T21:25:00.000-05:002010-02-24T21:25:13.993-05:00The Vampire Blogs: UnderworldThis is part of a series of blogs I'm writing on vampires in literature and film. This is not a review, per se, so SPOILERS may be revealed. Read with caution.<br />
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I saw <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Underworld-Widescreen-Special-Kate-Beckinsale/dp/B0000VAFO0?ie=UTF8&tag=inthe0f-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969"><em>Underworld</em></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthe0f-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0000VAFO0" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /> in the theaters, and I don't remember exactly how it came about. I remember I went alone, and I remember that the movie caught me by surprise. It seemed to have come out of nowhere. And I was amazed by its brilliance and creativity.<br />
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It's not often that Hollywood allows an original genre film to get made. <em>Underworld</em> was not a novel or a comic book. It was an original script. And boy was it different than any other vampire movie I'd seen. <br />
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For starters, <em>Underworld</em> takes it cues not from teenage angst, like its 1980s precedents, but from fare like <em>Highlander</em> or <em>Forever Knight,</em> where the supernatural is operating beneath the veneer of the regular world, and where it has its own codes and societies. Furthermore, <em>Underworld</em> plays up vampires and werewolves, two creatures that go together well, and creates its own beautifully realized history and mythology.<br />
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The movie works, and it works well. Its structure is quite well done. We follow Selene, a vampire assassin, who hunts down and kills werewolves (called Lycans in the movie). She believes that werewolves have killed her family and wants revenge. Then this really hot guy shows up, and Selene falls in love with him, and because of that, she starts asking questions, and her entire world unravels.<br />
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It's amazingly awesome. We know nothing about the world in the film, but pieces are revealed, bit by bit, until we are given the full scope of it, from the complex ruling class of the vampires to the rebellious Lycans, to the fact that Selene is really just being used by the vampires. <br />
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I think I love this movie so much because it really watches like an early Laurell K. Hamilton novel. There's so much detail put into the world. It's visually stunning. And on top of all of that, it's really a love story, and a love story about forbidden love to boot. (If you haven’t guessed by now—after 230,000 words about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Breathless-Book-Jason-Azazel-Trilogy/dp/0984120610?ie=UTF8&tag=inthe0f-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Jason and Azazel</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthe0f-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0984120610" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" />—forbidden love is my favorite kind.) Plus, did I mention the guys are really hot?<br />
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The sequel is nothing to write home about. It's an action movie with very little character development. The prequel, however, <em>Rise of the Lycans,</em> is a tragically beautiful story about doomed forbidden love, which made me cry. (I kid you not.) I hear there's a fourth film in the works. I hope it doesn't suck, but I'm not crossing my fingers.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-7492078122620428322010-02-11T22:17:00.000-05:002010-02-11T22:17:46.430-05:00The Vampire Diaries, Season 1 Episode 14Just a few thoughts upon finishing the episode.<br />
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The TV show has long played hard and fast with the source material, so that it really doesn't much resemble the original books. This new twist--Katherine, alive, roaming the earth but unconcerned with the Salvatore brothers--really kind of rubs me the wrong way.<br />
<br />
Okay, I really didn't like the first book of <i>The Vampire Diaries</i>, by L. J. Smith, which was all I read. Mostly, I just hated Elena. However, I do remember that Katherine, in the books, commits suicide because she can't choose between Stefan and Damon. Far from being a horrible bitchy vampire, she was much more morally ambiguous, causing pain to the brothers, but apparently unable to help herself because of her love. <br />
<br />
And in this, and this only, I really think that Smith is trumping the series with a much more complex idea. Evil Katherine vs. good Elena??<br />
<br />
In the books, it was morally ambiguous Katherine vs. morally ambiguous Elena.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong. The book was still horrendously plotted and disgustingly overwritten, but maybe there was a reason I hated Elena. Maybe L. J. Smith was going somewhere.<br />
<br />
It's almost enough to get me to pick up <i>The Struggle</i> again. Almost.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-60168407362972251822010-02-11T10:53:00.000-05:002010-02-11T10:53:35.433-05:00The Vampire Blogs: Near DarkThis is part of a series of blogs about vampires in literature and film. This is not a review, per se, so SPOILERS will be discussed. Proceed with caution.<br />
<br />
If <em>The Lost Boys</em> loses ground because it fails to take itself seriously enough, then <em>Near Dark</em> is prevented from being a great film for failing to have any fun with vampire mythos whatsoever. <em>Near Dark</em> hit screens the same year as <em>The Lost Boys</em>, so both have a 1980s feel to them. <em>Near Dark</em> is even scored by Tangerine Dream, the same people who did the music for <em>Legend</em> (another movie that seems like it should be good, but is simply lacking something). But <em>Near Dark</em> is no happy 80s romp across the vampire landscape. Instead, it is a heavy film, full of dread and despair. Its greatest sin is its ending, which reverses so completely the overall mood of the film that its impact is severely flawed.<br />
<br />
<em>Near Dark</em> is the story of Caleb, a teenager who lives out west somewhere. The depiction of western American life is dreary and lifeless. The filmmakers definitely capture the boredom of small town America. When Caleb meets Mae, an attractive girl, who seems like trouble, but is actually really, really sweet, he falls for her immediately. So much so that he lets her bite his neck. Agh! He's a vampire. <br />
<br />
But, no, sorry, this is <em>Near Dark</em>. Therefore, becoming a teenage vampire is serious business, which leads to going on the run with a group of vampire drifters (including Mae, the only one who's nice). The film makes a show of finding out what makes these vampires tick, and even of being somewhat sympathetic to their plight. We feel very sorry for poor Caleb, who doesn't want to kill people. And there is also a little boy vampire, who feels very alone. The other vampires are sort of forgettable to me. I haven't seen the movie in quite some time, but I do remember the pervasive feeling of dread that underlined every scene. The situation was one of no escape, of constant travel, and of being a monstrous outcast for all time. <br />
<br />
It's this attitude that makes the film pure gold. That is a new and interesting take on vampires. There is no mythic lore to discover, no history. It is simply is. And it sucks. (No pun intended, of course, because there are NO PUNS in <em>Near Dark</em>. This is bad, folks. Very, very bad.)<br />
<br />
At this point, the film begins to run off the rails. I guess the writers suddenly realized they didn't have much in the way of a plot, so they drummed something up. The little boy vampire whose name is Homer (according to Wikipedia) decides he really likes Caleb's little sister Sarah and wants to turn her into a vampire. Caleb is against this, of course, but Homer is determined. Sarah somehow gets captured. Caleb's dad shows up and manages to rescue both Caleb and Sarah and then…<br />
<br />
The film jumps off the track and becomes totally stupid. Guess what cures vampirism??<br />
<br />
Blood transfusions.<br />
<br />
Yeah, seriously, it's that simple. And it doesn't even have to be a big deal blood transfusion in a hospital. You can just rig one up in your barn. Presto-chango! You're cured.<br />
<br />
I think what really held the 80s back in terms of vampire lore was their insistence that vampirism was something that had to be cured. (Okay, maybe not in <em>My Best Friend Is a Vampire</em>, but usually.) Once the idea of vampirism is embraced by a story and not treated as a problem to be solved, then creative ideas can really get going. (But I think I'm starting to compose the blog entry on <em>Underworld</em>, so I'll stop there.)<br />
<br />
The end of the movie follows a predictable fight between vampires and humans, with vampires all getting killed, except Mae, who is allowed to get a blood transfusion, be cured, and live happily ever after with Caleb.<br />
<br />
See, the problem with this ending is that it's not happily ever after. When Caleb began the movie as a teenager in western America, he was far from happy. Now he's returned to the same miserable existence. If the movie had, at the beginning, made Caleb someone who was searching for true love, then this ending would be satisfying. If the movie had made Caleb someone who craves adventure, but then realizes adventure isn't all it's cracked up to be and wants a simple life, that would also make this ending satisfying. However, the bleakness of the entire film begs for a different ending. You can't end a movie that is so completely a downer with a happy ending. It doesn't fit. Happy endings have to be set up somewhere earlier in the story. Just saying.<br />
<br />
Overall, <em>Near Dark</em> is a must-see for anyone who loves vampire movies. It has moments of extreme beauty, both visually and emotionally. But the ending? Yeah. Terrible.<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00006CXGP&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;" align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-81072243597674845712010-02-05T00:38:00.001-05:002010-02-05T00:39:32.419-05:00The Vampire Blogs: The Lost BoysThis is the first of series of blogs I'm planning to do on vampires in recent literature and films. <br />
<br />
It wasn't the first movie I saw about vampires, or even the best, but it's been one of my favorite films of all time since the moment I saw it. Joel Schumacher's <em>The Lost Boys</em> is a seminal piece of vampire literature, revolutionary in its own way, while also towing the party line and spitting out a great deal of trite trash in its wake. The movie is campy, witty, beautifully shot, haunting at moments, and even, on occasion, a little creepy. It's truly a puzzle of a film. While <em>The Lost Boys</em> doesn't have much going for it in the way of an original plot, its phenomenal look, sound, and feel catapults it to the status of classic.<br />
<br />
<em>The Lost Boys</em> calls to mind immediate images. Kiefer Sutherland in his leather getup, his face slightly sinister, but boyish and charming at the same time. The vampire lair, with its Jim Morrison poster, trash can fires, and tapestry curtains. It also has a distinctive sound. There's nothing that compares to its haunting theme song, "Cry Little Sister," with its enigmatic (and vaguely incestuous) lyrics and that chilling children's chorus crooning, "Thou shalt not die." <br />
<br />
But <em>The Lost Boys </em>is also a movie that features lines like, "You're a vampire? Wait till Mom finds out." The movie features a splatter-gross ending, complete with, yes, "death by stereo." Furthermore, the big reveal at the end of the movie is "the blood-sucking Brady Bunch" and a crazy Grandpa vampire hunter. <br />
<br />
These things hardly seem to fit together. And yet, somehow, they do. <em>The Lost Boys</em> is more than the sum of its parts. It's a hodgepodge little movie that seems to transcend itself at almost every turn. <br />
<br />
There's nothing new about its premise or plot. It encapsulates the eighties teen vampire film, borrowing the basic premise of <em>First Bite</em> and <em>My Best Friend Is a Vampire</em>. This is the essential trope of vampire and werewolf movies dating all the way back to the 1950s—the vampire as a metaphor for teenage sexuality. Being a teenager is rough, what with puberty and attempting to interact with the opposite sex. Who of us doesn't feel monstrous at some point during adolescence? It's not a new idea or a new metaphor, but <em>The Lost Boys</em> does manage to put its own spin on it.<br />
<br />
Sure the plot elements come at their usual plodding pace. Michael, a new kid in town, goes to hang out with a motorcycle gang of bad boys who are in trouble with the law. Typically, he does this to impress a girl. While hanging with them, he is tricked into drinking blood and throwing himself off a train bridge. Cue the after-school-special-type message. "Drugs, motorcycle gangs, and loose girls are bad news, kids. Just say no." <br />
<br />
And indeed Michael is punished for his rebellious teenage ways. The penalty is a craving for blood, floating in his bedroom, perpetually wearing sunglasses, and being attacked by the family dog. <br />
<br />
The second plot line of the movie follows Michael's little brother Sam. Apparently, the original script was meant to be a Goonies-type vampire send up, with all the characters as eight-year-olds. It's obvious that Sam and the Frog Brothers have their basis in the original script. Though the boys are clearly meant to be thirteen or fourteen in the movie, they really behave like they are much younger, with Sam crawling into bed with mother at one point because he's scared, and with their decision to kill the vampires with super soakers filled with holy water. For my money, the whole last half of the film, after the love scene, is pretty forgettable. <br />
<br />
The one cool thing that the movie did have going for it was a bit of a mystery. Who was the head vampire? (Never mind that this business of there being half-vampires who go back to normal when you kill the head vampire is the silliest thing I ever heard in my life.) Max was the main suspect. Well, hell, he was the only suspect. But when he was cleared after eating garlic, seeing his reflection, and not being affected by holy water, it simply made his reveal in the end all that more surprising. It fooled me, anyway. What the heck? I was sixteen. <br />
<br />
Joel Schumacher apparently got hold of the script and said he wouldn't film it unless it was about teenagers. It was his idea for the whole of the teenage cast to walk around in ragged gypsy glam, and certainly, as the director, we must credit him for the look and feel of the film, which are absolutely magnificent. <br />
<br />
If <em>The Lost Boys</em> reaches for greatness, it can only be in its attempt (probably unconsciously) to comment on male roles in the post-feminist society of the 1980s. The movie features a single mother, whose sons are extremely protective of her. Max, the force of evil in the film, is insistent that "boys need a mother." He has been searching for a woman to complete his family. <br />
<br />
Michael's descent into darkness happens because he is attracted to Star. It is his attempt to impress her that destroys him, and ultimately his attempt to protect her that redeems him. Michael may not be the best teenage son ever, refusing to have heart-to-hearts with his mom about his new problem of turning into a vampire. ("I'm dealing with things, Mom. Things you wouldn't understand.") But just try to attack his mother. There's no way Michael will let that happen. <br />
<br />
<em>The Lost Boys</em> dives into the gender morass and comes out confused. Pursuing women, it seems to say, is either evil or dangerous. Protecting women, however, is the path to greatness.<br />
<br />
In the end, <em>The Lost Boys</em> is a fantastic film, almost in spite of itself. Maybe it's just moments here and there. Maybe the moment when Michael screams, "What's happening to me, Star?" and the moment when David whispers, "Be one of us" are simply acted so well and filmed so well that their inherent cheesiness is absorbed into something really believable. I think we can thank Schumacher for this film. His direction brings something stunning to the material, elevates it higher than itself. <br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000UPGQQW&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;" align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-51340214826655793082010-01-25T17:23:00.001-05:002010-01-25T17:25:20.651-05:00Guest Post!!Hey everyone, I'm guest blogging. Check it out:<br />
<a href=" http://gabrielgadfly.com/poetry/interference-guest-poetry-by-v-j-chambers"><br />
http://gabrielgadfly.com/poetry/interference-guest-poetry-by-v-j-chambers</a><br />
<br />
While you're there, you should definitely take some time to look around Gabriel Gadfly's site. He's an amazing poet, and quite a cool guy too. There's lots there to love and lots to learn.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-71633745493426766262010-01-24T12:42:00.000-05:002010-01-24T12:42:54.965-05:00The Vampire Diaries Season 1 Episode 11Well, I finally got the chance to watch the latest episode of <i>The Vampire Diaries </i> yesterday. I really feel like this show is one of the best horror-fantasy shows on television right now, and I'm surprised it's not getting more positive attention for its brilliance. <br />
<br />
The latest episode was quite good for a number of reasons. First of all, I think I'm impressed by the character development in general on the show. I like how Bonnie is coming into her own as a witch. She's in a completely different place from the "I-predicted-Obama" girl from the first episode. Loads more depth. And of course, the major triangle of characters is moving right along as well.<br />
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It was interesting to see Elena go on this little road trip with Damon. What was even more interesting was to watch her beg for Damon's life. Why would she do that? Clearly, she has feelings for Damon she's not ready to admit to. <br />
<br />
Damon's concern for Elena in this episode was clearly sincere. He cares about her too, which is nice. I like it. It's shades of Spike and Dru, but clearly different.<br />
<br />
Damon's character is as always, deliciously complicated. He was his disarmingly charming self (sorry, couldn't resist) this episode, but as mentioned, showed a softer side of himself towards Elena. The most fabulous thing, however, was that after watching the interaction between Elena and Damon, it was relatively shocking to watch Damon rip out the heart of his old lover. (Sorry, I keep wanting to call her Jasmine, from when that actress played the anti-christ on Angel). I liked that especially. <br />
<br />
Because here we are, thinking to ourselves, "See, Damon's not so bad after all." And then he reminds us that is that bad. That he's a killer, and he's not exactly concerned about who he kills. He's just so darned evil. :)<br />
<br />
Finally, I'm interested to see who the heck this girl is that's hanging out with Jeremy.<br />
<br />
The only thing I thought was disappointing about the episode was the reveal that Alaric Saltzman was just some vampire hunter seeking revenge for his dead wife. With that ring and all, I really thought he was a vampire. I know, I know, they faked me out, and maybe I'm just bitter. Still, I was kind of hoping he'd be something more interesting.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-32967367966626737252010-01-24T09:36:00.000-05:002010-01-24T09:36:02.704-05:00It's Open Pen Week!!I got this idea from another author, and I thought it was super freaking cool. So, here's the deal.<br />
<br />
The last week of every month will be Open Pen Week on the forum. This is a chance for all of you other writers to share your stuff with each other. <br />
<br />
The rules. Go to the forum and click on on Open Pen. Or just follow this link: <a href="http://www.network54.com/Forum/652758/">http://www.network54.com/Forum/652758/</a>. Once there, click "Post Now" to start a new thread. Post a snippet from one of your stories or novels (or hey, poetry's cool too!) of 500 words or less. If you post a snippet, you must comment on at least one other person's post too. <br />
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Have at it, people. Can't wait to read what you're working on!!<br />
<br />
(Final note. This is meant to be a showcase, not a critique forum. To that end, when you comment, find something encouraging to say.)V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-71765635255601720042010-01-20T16:51:00.000-05:002010-01-20T16:51:25.128-05:00The Demon LoverTomorrow, <i>The Vampire Diaries</i> airs again after a torturous hiatus since before Christmas!! Since my current favorite demon lover of the small screen is none other that Damon Salvatore, I thought it would be appropriate to blog a little about my favorite kind of leading man in fiction: the demon lover. <br />
<br />
I think I first fell in love with this kind of anti-hero--the dark, brooding, sexy, tortured, and a lot (or a little) bad boy--when I read <i>Wuthering Heights</i> in my adolescence. Maybe it was earlier. There are shades of the demon lover in Aragorn from <i>The Lord of the Rings,</i> which played a huge part of my childhood. Still, I think Heathcliff is probably the prototype and the measuring stick by which I measure all my demon lovers. <br />
<br />
The demon lover as a trope of fiction has been popular in all its delicious forbidden-ness for hundreds of years. One of my favorite Coleridge lines is from "Kubla Khan": "A woman wailing for her demon lover." The image just sends chills down my spine. I adore it. There's something about the idea of a man who's not exactly wholesome that it utterly delectable. What could be better?<br />
<br />
In recent fiction, vampires have filled this role nicely. Who could forget Lestat from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. He wasn't always very nice, but he was always sexy. And I positively love the character of Spike in <i>Buffy</i>. His arc from villain to love interest is one of the most intriguing on television. <br />
<br />
For myself, I haven't been able to escape dropping demon lovers throughout my fiction. I think Jason qualifies, with his dark past and violent secrets. In <i>Death Girl,</i> Trevor is brooding and secretive. He can't shake his dreams, which are blood-tinged and disturbingly erotic. And my current work in progress is the ultimate culmination of the demon lover. A guy named Dannic. Here's a snippet from my opening chapter:<br />
<br />
The room was a makeshift bedroom. A four-poster bed sat against one wall, its covers falling off onto the cement floor. One rug sat in the middle of the room, topped with a wooden square table. Several liquor bottles were clustered on top of it. The General himself sat in front of an open fireplace. His back was to the door. Gycia could only see his dark hair, which fell down to his shoulders in knotty curls. <br />
"Leave her," said the General.<br />
The door banged shut behind Gycia. She swallowed again. <br />
The General didn't look at her. "Gycia Dunne," he said.<br />
So he knew her name. And his voice sounded different. It wasn't nearly as deep as it was on the vids. He must have distorted it in the interviews, somehow wanting to keep his identity secret. Still… There was something about his voice. It was familiar, just the same. Where had she heard it before? <br />
"You can get yourself a drink if you want," said the General, still not looking at her. "There are glasses on the table next to the whiskey bottles." A pause. "No ice, I'm afraid."<br />
He was offering her a drink? Should she take it? <br />
Yes. She should. If she was going to be viciously raped by a monster, she'd rather be drunk while it was happening. Maybe she could get enough drinks in her to vomit all over him. It would serve him right. She lurched toward the table. The men hadn't tied her up. She was free to move. But she was still shaking. She was terrified.<br />
"I know you were always partial to frozen drinks," said the General. <br />
Gycia stopped dead. How did he know that?<br />
"Daiquiris, if memory serves," continued the General, and she could tell from the tone of his voice he was smiling. But it sounded like a cruel smile. It was a cruel voice. <br />
<br />
<br />
Heh, heh, heh. Is redemption in the cards for Dannic, or is he a monster through and through? I'm having loads of fun finding out. <br />
<br />
I'll be tuning in for my Damon fix tomorrow, that's for sure. And here's the hard sell: buy my books. I've got yummy, tortured guys waiting for you inside those pages. :)<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=160450028X&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;" align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-79704329773672804562010-01-09T21:10:00.000-05:002010-01-09T21:10:20.620-05:00What's wrong with me??Today, as I was working on my WIP, a futuristic romance story in which the battle of the sexes has become a literal battle with guns and everything, I realized something disturbing.<br />
<br />
I write about rape a lot.<br />
<br />
Well, I don't write specifically about people who have been raped, but there are lots of near misses with sexual violence and muddy incidents of consent. And I keep putting this in young adult fiction. What the eff is wrong with me?<br />
<br />
Understand, I feel that rape is horrible, that it's real, and that its victims are often too confused and too ashamed to know how to deal with it or to even ask for the help they need to deal with it. I have never, in any way, wanted to trivialize such a serious issue by using it as a mechanism to move my plot forward. And I've never thought, while planning out a book, "Oooh, where will I put the sexual violence in this one?"<br />
<br />
And yet.<br />
<br />
Let's look at the evidence stacked against me. In <em>Breathless,</em> Azazel is nearly raped by Toby, who needs to have sex with her in order to bind her into the Satanic circle. Jason, after killing the Sons in Aunt Stephanie's house, is an emotional wreck. He begins violently kissing Azazel and rips at her clothes. (Then he stops, of course.) In <em>Trembling,</em> Sutherland is a serial rapist-killer (although, in my defense, I was reading <em>The Lovely Bones</em> while I was writing that book and let's just say I am not the only person who writes about sexual violence in entertainment, okay? I won't even bring up the needlessly sensational rape of the therapist in <em>The Sopranos</em>). In <em>Tortured</em>, Azazel has a disturbing dream about Jason and afterwards, he nearly forces himself on her until she makes him stop. <br />
<br />
In <em>Death Girl</em>, the supremely disturbed Jared manipulates both his English teacher Ms. Trask and Maureen into bed. Ms. Trask is so freaked out by it that she kills herself. Trevor, the main guy, is pretty disturbed himself. He gets sexually excited when he has dreams about mutilated women.<br />
<br />
And finally, in my current work in progress, the supremely disturbed Korin is convinced that the only way to reverse the current matriarchal society is to show women that men are boss by using brute strength and by tying them to men by impregnating them.<br />
<br />
Ugh. Wow. <br />
<br />
All right, so, why am I doing this? Am I insane?<br />
<br />
One of my ex-boyfriends and I were once talking about rape in entertainment. He wasn't a fan. He said that rape was cheapened and sensationalized in the media and that it was appalling. For this reason, he wouldn't watch <em>I Spit on Your Grave</em> with me, which was a bummer, I argued, because I said the movie was undeniably powerful for what is billed as a crappy horror flick, and unsettling to the extreme. (If you're unfamiliar with <em>I Spit on Your Grave</em>, it's a 70s horror flick, originally titled <em>Day of the Woman</em>. It features the longest rape scene in movie history, clocking in somewhere around 45 minutes. It also features a kick-ass chick hunting down each of her rapists and killing them in really gory ways. Someday, I may write at length about that movie, but today is not that day.) I maintained that he was uncomfortable with rape in entertainment and in the movie because he was frightened that he'd find it titillating and that would make him feel ooky. I said that there was no way that anyone could find <em>I Spit on Your Grave</em> titillating. It was simply too horrible for that. <br />
<br />
And here's where I think I can explain why I keep writing about rape. For me, it's the absolute most terrifying thing I can think of. I've imagined what it would be like. I think it would be something like being tickled. Okay, no wait, hear me out. You know how when you're a little kid and someone bigger than you holds you down and tickles you? You know how horrible that is? Like, at first you struggle and try to say, "Stop!" You fight and fight and fight. And then there's a moment where your spirit breaks. You realize you have no control. You can't stop what's happening to you. And something in you just goes out...like a candle being snuffed out. You lie there resigned to your fate and the tickling just continues and continues. But you don't care anymore, because you're broken. <br />
<br />
That's what I think it would be like. Except the person doing it to you wouldn't be someone who mistakenly thought tickling was pleasurable because it produced laughter, who was playing a mean-spirited joke for which they'd apologize for later (maybe). Instead, it would be someone who didn't care about you at all. Someone who just wanted to use you. Maybe someone who wanted to break you.<br />
<br />
That, for me, is scarier than dying. <br />
<br />
I've been very influenced by the horror genre. I wouldn't say that I'd categorize my books as horror necessarily, but I do routinely feel the need to put my characters in the worst possible situation I possibly can. Why? Because that's what makes a story good for me. When I watch a character go to the deepest, darkest place possible and nearly be swallowed by it, but somehow manage to vanquish the monster and come back stronger, then I feel like I've experienced something somewhat transcendent. That is what story is to me. <br />
<br />
But if I keep using rape as that deep, dark thing, it's going to stop having its power.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-82620455770341251402009-12-26T14:54:00.000-05:002009-12-26T14:54:52.604-05:00On piracy and free fictionI've recently read a few blogs and articles by authors complaining about the fact that fiction is being pirated online in much the same way that music and movies have been being pirated (wow, that's a crappy sentence construction. And I call myself a writer. Yuck.) for the past few years. <br />
<br />
Today, while working on some stuff for the science fiction book I'm trying to write (fingers crossed, people. I'm REALLY excited about this one, which means I won't say anything else about it. This writer's block has been KILLING me.) I stumbled across a google books result for Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. After reading the excerpt, I determined that the book was pretty sound and that I'd like to read the whole thing. Of course, child of the 21st century that I am, I wanted to read it NOW, not in a week. So I checked out Amazon--no Kindle edition. I just downloaded Kindle for PC, and I dig it. Saddened, but still not willing to order the book and wait for it to ship to me, I googled the title and ebook. About five search results in, I was directed to megaupload.<br />
<br />
And there it was. The whole book. For free. Just waiting for me to wait 45 seconds and then click the download button. <br />
<br />
What did I do? Did I say to myself, "Now Valerie, if you download this book, you'll be cheating poor Mr. Card out of his $.45 royalty. Don't do it!" <br />
<br />
Um, of course I didn't. (And I also know that had I actually bought the print book, I would have bought it used, so Mr. Card would never have actually gotten his royalty anyway.) This, of course, begs the question, how would I feel if I knew that readers were downloading my stuff for free and not paying me.<br />
<br />
On some levels, this is kind of silly. After all, <i>Breathless</i> and <i>Tortured</i> are available for free online. <i>Trembling</i> and <i>Mischief</i> aren't, but they will both eventually be available for free. Since I do provide free content, I can't get too bent out of shape when it's offered for free somewhere else.<br />
<br />
In fact, <i>Breathless's</i> pdf versions have been uploaded to both scribd and wattpad. In neither case was I asked before the versions appeared, nor has the person who did it contacted me. Furthermore, if I google my name, I run into someone who's asked on yahoo answers where to download <i>Trembling</i> for free. <br />
<br />
Overall, this does not bother me. It makes me feel pretty excited, actually. The scribd business is further exposure for my book. More people get to read it. Yay! The business about someone trying to "steal" <i>Trembling</i> just makes me feel like I've arrived. I look at it this way. There are people out there who are so into my work that they are making it available on alternate sources or looking for it. Either way, these people are investing time in my product. Time is valuable, like money. A person who invests time in my product is a fan. I can use as many fans as I can get. <br />
<br />
(That's not to say that I don't wish the scribd stuff would link back to my page. I do.)<br />
<br />
The way I figure it, if a person is going to take the time and effort to figure out how to download your book for free, that person wasn't ever going to spend money on you anyway. At least this way, I get a reader. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, in the case of indie authors like myself, I doubt that many people even KNOW WHO I AM. Let alone try to "steal" my books. The more people "stealing," I figure, the more people buying. <br />
<br />
Overall, you can't fight this kind of technology. You HAVE to embrace it. If you don't, you become Lars from Metallica, who I used to find really attractive. Oddly enough now, I really, really don't.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-53179425279258030502009-12-23T17:01:00.000-05:002009-12-23T17:01:20.665-05:00The year in self-publishingIt's been a little over sixth months since I decided to give this indie publishing model a go. What have I learned?<br />
<br />
A-When people tell you that self-publishing fiction doesn't make you any money, BELIEVE THEM. Seriously. :)<br />
<br />
B-Writing for an audience is about seventy zillion times more rewarding than writing stuff to send to agents and then shelve indefinitely. Rejection letters don't prompt you to get words on a page. Myspace comments exclaiming that your novel is better than best-selling novels do. :)<br />
<br />
C-Serial fiction may be the current model that everybody and his brother is going for, but it doesn't work for me.<br />
<br />
A (expanded)--Here's my money earned from my books this year. Okay, first, the expenses: $275 for a block of ten ISBNs from Bowker. $40 for the Pro Plan from Creatspace x 4 = $160. $20 for registering my domain name and for web hosting service for the year. For a total of: $455. Darned cheap, if I do say so myself. :)<br />
<br />
Earnings: Createspace & Amazon (print books): $273.62. Kindle earnings: $56.54. Smashwords earnings: $307.32. For a total of: $637.48.<br />
<br />
Meaning that my total net profit is.... $182.48.<br />
<br />
Do I have to mention the $1.50 I've earned in ad revenue from Project Wonderful?<br />
<br />
There you have it kids. Writing doesn't pay bills. :P<br />
<br />
C (expanded)--I've decided not to post my books as serials anymore. There are two reason for this. The first is that my books are not serials. I never wrote them to be broken up into chapters and posted piecemeal on the internet. I wrote them to be read all at once. (In one sitting, if you've got the time. I certainly aim to make them as page-turny as possible.) Breaking them up into episodes, I think, only serves to stunt the forward motion of the plot, and does next to nothing for the experience of the book. <br />
<br />
The second reason is that posting serials is a little tiring. Updating twice a week may not seem like a big deal, and honestly, most of the time, it isn't, but it does mean that I'm constantly trying to think about the book that I'm updating. It divides my mind between the book that I'm marketing and the one that I'm writing. (Well, okay, I haven't written a book since Tortured, but, still, theoretically...) Anyway, I feel like if I weren't constantly trying to update my website, I could spend more time writing, which is important, because that's the whole reason I have a website in the first place.<br />
<br />
So...what to do? I'm going to play with some ideas, but what I'd like to be able to do is this: Keep all the J&A books up for free on the site. Post 50% previews of Mischief, Death Girl, and Brighter. Leave the website like that for...months. So, if you like the new books, you can buy them. If someone new stumbles across the site, they've got three free books to read. As I get some new stuff written, I'll transition the preview books to free books. <br />
<br />
I'll be starting an email list for those people who'd like to receive updates from me. That way, once you've read everything I've posted, you can go on your merry way until I send you an email, telling you that a new book is up. <br />
<br />
On the marketing front, I'm toying with the idea of allowing my readers to help me market. Some people, I understand, don't have the money to buy new fiction. So, if you'll instead plug my stuff--write blogs, facebook notes, reviews on Amazon and smashwords, etc--then I'll send you free ebooks. I haven't worked out the details on that yet, but it will be coming soon. <br />
<br />
So, that's it. The year in self-pubbing. It's been an adventure guys. 2010 is going to be even cooler.V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-42236740064994972502009-12-18T20:13:00.004-05:002009-12-19T15:29:08.594-05:00OMG--Chuck Bass as Heathcliff (I think I can die happy)So...I'm really behind the news here. (This broke in May apparently), but check it out:<br />
<a href="http://www.buzzsugar.com/3151651"><br />
http://www.buzzsugar.com/3151651</a><br />
<br />
Dude!! <br />
<br />
Okay, remember the scene last season when Chuck was completely drunk and had all this facial hair growth and he was standing on the edge of a building and Blair was all like, "Chuck, I love you," and Chuck was all angsty and gorgeous?<br />
<br />
Okay, yeah. Channel that. Now put Chuck (Okay Ed Westwick) in Victorian clothing, transport him to the moors, and if that doesn't leave you salivating...then I just can't find it in myself to understand you. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-style:italic;">Wuthering Heights</span> movie with Ed Westwick?? Hell, yeah. Count me in!!<br />
<br />
(And wait till I tell my AP students about this. They know how much I love Gossip Girl, and I just subjected them to three weeks of <span style="font-style:italic;">Wuthering Heights</span>.)<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=inthe0f-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002D755DK&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-87411198846587924012009-12-10T10:30:00.001-05:002009-12-10T10:32:35.756-05:00Website Issues-Episode 12I'm having off and on issues with the website. Don't know why. I think it's Dream Host.<br /><br />Anyway, here's episode 12:<br /><br /><h2>episode twelve</h2><br /><br /><center>Chapter Twelve</center><br /><br /><p><em>September 5, 1990<br><br><br />Arabella Hoyt has opened my eyes. In the time we spent with her, I have realized that I have been completely wrong about everything I thought about Ted. He has used me. He destroyed me. And the thing that may be growing inside me is not a force of good. It is a force of pure evil. I have been deceived. I must do what I can to end this horridness.<br /></em></p><br /><br /><p>Jason sat up straight in bed. "Did you hear that?"<br><br><br />I was up too. It was midmorning. The sun was up. Streams of light came in through the narrow windows, drawing bright rectangles on the floor.<br><br><br />Jason was on his feet, shrugging into a shirt and checking to make sure his gun was loaded. I followed suit. I wished my hair was longer. I would have liked to pull it back into a ponytail. Instead, I just shoved it behind my ears. Our guns drawn, we crept to our door. Jason kept me behind him as he opened the door. The hallway outside our room was silent. We listened again.<br><br><br />"I heard shooting," Jason said to me.<br><br><br />"So did I," I said, peering around him.<br><br><br />We listened. There wasn't any noise now, but it wasn't dead silent. We could hear the sounds of the streets coming from behind us. Cars beeping. People chattering in Italian as they passed by. But within the monastery, we heard nothing. Jason pulled the door shut.<br><br><br />"What do we do?" I asked.<br><br><br />"Maybe nothing's wrong," said Jason. "Maybe it was a firework or a car backfiring or something."<br><br><br />"Maybe," I said. <br><br><br />Another gunshot. A scream.<br><br><br />"No," I said. "That was a gun."<br><br><br />"Yeah," said Jason. He took a deep breath. "Okay, then. Say goodbye to your clothes."<br><br><br />I glared at him. "Are we going to try to go out the front door?"<br><br><br />"Don't see why not," he said.<br><br><br />I grabbed a bag and shoved some clothes and one of the laptops into it. "Let's just try to take some stuff with us, okay?"<br><br><br />"Whatever," said Jason. "Let's go."<br><br><br />He opened the door again and we eased out of the room. Our backs against the wall (well, my stuffed-full bag against the wall, anyway), we crept down the hall, holding our guns. We didn't see anyone. <br><br><br />Our room was relatively close to the entrance. We only had to go down one hall, make a left, and then we'd be right at the door. We moved quickly but cautiously, glancing around for danger. At the end of the hallway, Jason stopped me. He peered around, gun out.<br><br><br />We heard another gunshot, much closer now. <br><br><br />Jason snapped back around the corner. "The Sons," he reported.<br><br><br />"You can see them?" I asked.<br><br><br />"They're at the entrance," he said. "They shot a bunch of monks."<br><br><br />"Oh my God," I breathed. "I thought we were safe here. I thought this whole city was sanctuary."<br><br><br />"They attacked us in a church before," said Jason. "I don't think sanctuary much matters where we're concerned."<br><br><br />"How many?" I asked.<br><br><br />"I don't know," said Jason. "But a lot. Maybe twenty. And who knows if they don't have reinforcements waiting somewhere."<br><br><br />"Should we kiss and try to drive them crazy?" I asked, trying to make a joke.<br><br><br />Jason grabbed me by the neck and kissed me fiercely. "No," he said, pulling back. "I think we should look for a back door."<br><br><br />He grabbed my hand, and we fled back down the hall. It had been a while since Jason and I had lived in this monastery. Still, we knew our way around pretty well. I didn't remember there being a back door, though. "What back door are you talking about?" I asked Jason.<br><br><br />He shot a look over his shoulder as we ran. "The kitchen," he said. "There's a door in the kitchen."<br><br><br />"Well, we're going the wrong way!" I said. <br><br><br />Jason yanked me to the right, hard, and we emerged in the cloister. The cloister was a covered walkway that surrounded a square courtyard. I pointed across the courtyard to the other side of the monastery. "The kitchen is over there," I said.<br><br><br />"Yeah," said Jason. "We're going across the courtyard." And he pulled me along with him.<br><br><br />More gunshots echoed from inside the monastery. Jason and I scurried across the courtyard and back inside the monastery. We emerged in a small hallway. The door to the kitchen was right in front of us. We could hear the sound of screams from the main entrance. Jason threw the door open, and we rushed inside. <br><br><br />We were greeted by the sight of several ex-members of the Council cowering in front of the sink. At the sight of us, they immediately bowed their heads. Geez. They were in fear for their lives, and they were still doing the bowing thing? <br><br><br />Jason pulled me forward. "Ignore them," he said. We headed for the door.<br><br><br />"Don't!" said one of the ex-Council members.<br><br><br />"They've sealed off all the exits," said another.<br><br><br />Jason stopped short as we saw that there was body in front of our exit. Immediately, he pulled me away from it. We clattered into the stove. He addressed the ex-Council members. "They're outside the door?" he asked.<br><br><br />They nodded. "Briggs tried to get out. They shot him."<br><br><br />"This is <em>sanctuary</em>," said Jason. "What is Hoyt thinking?"<br><br><br />"We think they're going to go through every room and just shoot everyone," said another ex-Council member. "It's Hoyt's way of showing us what he'll do if we stand up to him."<br><br><br />"They're looking for us, though, right?" I said.<br><br><br />They nodded.<br><br><br />"Jason, we've just got to go engage," I said.<br><br><br />"What?" he said.<br><br><br />"They're killing all these people because of us. We can't just let them die."<br><br><br />"No, it is an honor to give our lives in your service," said one of the ex-Council members.<br><br><br />"Maybe for you," I conceded. These guys were messed up in the head. "But not for the monks here. They don't want to die for us."<br><br><br />"It's screwed up," said Jason. "We should have gone to freaking Africa!"<br><br><br />"Jason, we can't let them shoot monks!"<br><br><br />"There are twenty of them at the main entrance. Who knows how many of them are surrounding the monastery," said Jason. "We go out there shooting, we could maybe take down half of them. But not all of them. They'll kill us."<br><br><br />I sighed. He was right. But it was sickening the amount of people who had been killed in the crossfire of this hunt for Jason and me. At the Sol Solis School, it was one thing. At least those men had been Brothers, trained to fight and prepared for dangerous situations. These monks, however, were peaceful. They'd offered us a place to stay. They'd hidden us. I leaned against the stove, scratching at the bandage on my arm. It was still itchy.<br><br><br />That reminded me that the bandage hadn't been changed recently. I planned to do it this morning. I hoped it wasn't getting infected. I tried to examine my wound through the bandage.<br><br><br />"Don't play with that," Jason said. <br><br><br />I dropped my arm, studying the gun in my hand. I'd already been shot once by the Sons. I didn't think I wanted to be gunned down, even if it meant that they stopped shooting monks. I was lucky they hadn't killed me at the prom—<br><br><br />Lucky. "Jason," I said. "How likely is it that one of the Sons would miss a shot? You know how the Brothers are trained. If you meant to shoot someone in the head, would you miss and shoot them in the arm?"<br><br><br />Jason looked at me like I was crazy. "If I shoot someone in the arm, it's because I meant to shoot them in the arm," he said.<br><br><br />I held up my arm. "Why didn't they kill me? I was standing in the open. I was an easy target."<br><br><br />Jason's eyes narrowed. "That is weird," he admitted. "I was so glad you were alive, I never thought to question it."<br><br><br />"Maybe they're not trying to kill us," I said. "It's only hearsay that they are."<br><br><br />"So then, what are they doing?" Jason said. "Why are they here with guns, shooting everything in sight?"<br><br><br />I didn’t know. I had no idea.<br><br><br />"Even if they don't want us dead," said Jason, "they aren't trying to do anything nice to us."<br><br><br />No. I guessed they weren't. I sighed. "So, I guess we try to get out of here."<br><br><br />"There was another plan?"<br><br><br />No. It was just that I had wanted to minimize the violence, somehow. Keep people alive. I turned to the ex-Council members. "How many of them do you think are at the door?"<br><br><br />They shrugged. They didn’t know.<br><br><br />Were there more at the entrance than at this door? <br><br><br />They thought so. Probably.<br><br><br />"So," said Jason, seeing where I was going with this. "You think we should just try to shoot ourselves out of this door?"<br><br><br />I shrugged. "Unless you have a better idea."<br><br><br />We surveyed the door. It opened into the kitchen, which wasn't great. If it had opened out onto the street, we might have been able to use it as a shield. Maybe. It was a wooden door, after all. It wasn't exactly impervious to bullets. We decided to stay low. We figured the Sons outside would assume that whoever was opening the door was standing. So we would lie flat, our guns out. Jason would reach up and open the door a few inches, just enough so that we could see what we were dealing with. From there, we'd just have to see what happened.<br><br><br />First we had to drag Briggs' body away from the door. His wound left a smear of blood on the floor. We were going to have to lie on the blood smear. Gross. <br><br><br />Jason and I got in position. He reached up for the knob and eased the door open. Almost immediately, there was a volley of gunfire, but it went over our heads. So far, so good.<br><br><br />I was watching through the opening of the door as Jason pulled it open. Quickly, I assessed the situation. There were seven members of the Sons in the street. I shot as soon as I had a clear view. Carefully aiming, and remembering to breathe, I squeezed off three shots. They hit home perfectly. Three head shots. The men I'd hit crumpled to the ground. Jason was with me. He shot the other four. <br><br><br />Well. That had been easy.<br><br><br />We scrambled to our feet and out the door. Jason pulled it shut behind us. <br><br><br />"It's them! It's them!" yelled a voice.<br><br><br />And Jason and I were immediately swarmed by at least ten more members of the Sons. We opened fire.<br><br><br />They were everywhere, coming from all sides of the building. Some had been hiding behind cars. Others had been on the roof of the monastery. I got off several good shots. Jason got off even more than me. We took down at least five more of them. But there were so many.<br><br><br />Then someone kicked the gun out of my hand and someone else tackled me from behind. I went down on the ground, my chin skidding against stone. I bit my tongue and tasted blood in my mouth. I cried out.<br><br><br />They were on my back, handcuffing my arms and feet. <br><br><br />I twisted, looking for Jason. He was fighting with a group of men who were on him, slinging punches everywhere. "Azazel!" he yelled to me.<br><br><br />"Jason!" I screamed.<br><br><br />The Sons who had me hoisted me into the air. Two men had my feet and another three held my head and upper torso. They were taking me away. "Jason!" I screamed again.<br><br><br />The last image I saw of him was the Sons finally overpowering him and forcing him to the ground. He was struggling and yelling my name. I strained at the handcuffs. I tried to wrench my head so that I could bite at the hands of the men who held me. But I was trapped. We rounded a corner. I couldn't see him anymore.<br /></p>V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-89021018702972704562009-12-04T07:33:00.001-05:002009-12-04T07:34:26.982-05:00What is Web Fiction?Jan Oda tries to tackle this crazy subject:<br /><br />Check out the link: http://www.ergofiction.com/2009/12/what-is-web-fiction/<br /><br />And, honestly, if you're into reading on the web, you owe yourself to subscribe to this new e-zine she's put together. :)V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8090116872559312987.post-58057373742397917502009-11-29T20:16:00.002-05:002009-11-29T20:43:37.067-05:00To Serial or not to Serial??Today has been a particularly refreshing day. Thanks to the wisdom of Victoria Nelson's <span style="font-style:italic;">On Writer's Block</span>, I think I may be making some headway in my block.<br /><br />Nelson's thesis is that a block is actually a message from your subconscious telling you that you need to change something about the way you are working. In my case, I think that I'd been using writing as a place to run away from the rest of my problems for a long time. Maybe years. So I couldn't control my job, relationship, (or lack of relationship at certain points) or social life. I could sure as heck control my novel, darn it. <br /><br />It was only recently that my subconscious put up a block. "No," it said. "I'm not doing this anymore. Go face your other problems. I can't play in this much pain." And so, this morning, I actually spent some time facing what was going on in my life. And after looking at it head on and crying a good bit, I suddenly felt waaay better. Like better than I have felt in a really long time. I've spent the whole day actually feeling comfortable in my skin. I cannot tell you how relieving that is.<br /><br />Anyway, one of the things that I think my subconscious is trying to tell me about my writing is that my subconscious does not want to write serials. Jason and Azazel were not written as a serial. They were written as books--a trilogy. I've chopped them into chapters and put them up piecemeal, mostly because I thought that was how internet publication was done.<br /><br />I'm starting to think that's not the best idea for me. For one thing, I'm not sure that I particularly like the format. I don't particularly like to write about the same characters for a really long time, and I don't write indefinite story lines. I'm much more comfortable in a novel format. Furthermore, I don't like to READ serials. When I like a book, I want to get into it--read the whole thing in a few sittings.<br /><br />So...to that end, I'm thinking about experimenting with various kinds of publication models.<br /><br />One thing I want to try is posting an entire book online for free, and having it available on Smashwords as a free download for ebook devices. I'll see if I can get donations for that. Even if not, I think the free book will serve as an advertisement for other stuff that you have to pay for.<br /><br />Another thing I may do is to post half of a book for free on my site and then tell people to buy it if they want the rest. <br /><br />A model for something like this might consist of two new books a year, which is a pace I THINK I can live with but am not sure. Certainly, the pressure of trying to get <span style="font-style:italic;">Poisonlands</span> together was really getting to me. Whether this was because it was a format I really didn't like or whether it was because I was pressured by the idea of deadlines, I'm not sure.<br /><br />What not serializing would do is free me up to concentrate on marketing, blogging, etc. I need to find a real niche for this blog, so that it can kind of function as its own entity and bring in some revenue as well. <br /><br />What are your thoughts? Do you like serials? How do you like to read books?V. J. Chambershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11187630334181727181noreply@blogger.com0