What I'm Currently Reading

It's a mystery, specifically, what's considered a cozy. The idea behind a cozy, as I understand it, is it takes place in a village, usually an English village, and it's filled with all sorts of characters you'd typically find in such a village, such as a vicar. I think it all started with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple character, and having just recently seen one of the 1960s movies of Miss Marple (quite delightful and fun), I decided, on a whim, to pick up this particular one.

As I'm not yet sold on it, I'm not going to give out the title. All I'll say is that it's unconventional, in that the person doing the unravelling is a working-class woman who has a boring job in a nearby village. But it's the type of job wherein she can hear some interesting personal stuff...

That's it for now. Whether or not I'll review it will be up to how much I like it. Even if I'm lukewarm on a story, I'll review it. It's only the outright howlers I won't bother with (and there've been relatively few of those, thankfully).

~Nancy Beck

Throne of Jade - A Review

Del Ray, 432 pages

If you haven't read the first installment of this series, His Majesty's Dragon, you must read that first, as Ms. Novik doesn't spend time rehashing the first book and its characters.

Will Laurence has to give up Temeraire, his dragon (a Chinese Celestial), to the Chinese. Problem is, he won't do it.

And Temeraire? He won't have anything to do with it, either. After Temeraire escapes from where he's being held (and after attacking a blowhard from the diplomatic corps), Laurence learns that he won't have to give up Temeraire--at least, not right away. Instead, he's told he'll deliver Temeraire to the Chinese emperor, all the while having to deal with the emperor's currently out-of-favor son, Yongxing.

En route, on a specially-made ship with a dragondeck, all sorts of hell break loose, from an attack by one of the entourage (or was it an attack?), to a mini-war, all in the name of bringing back a Celestial that was originally meant for Napoleon.

The historical facts are still in this book as in the first; I'll leave it to those who are up on this period of British history as to whether or not Ms. Novik got everything down pat. For me, it seems thoroughly awash in the dress and flavor of that time; even the way this book and the prior book were written sounds as if it was part of that time period.

There are a few twists and turns in this book (especially an horrific one that ends in the death of one of the British on the ship), most I didn't see coming. There's a wrap-up at the end of the book--as to why Yongxing brought everyone to China--which sounded a bit too pat; I was left scratching my head, until I re-read it a couple of times. I'm still not sure if it makes sense, as I didn't think it was foreshadowed all that much, but that might be one of my shortcomings as a reader; of all the mysteries I've read through the years, I've yet to figure out whodunnit.

Other than that, this was a good, interesting read. I found Temeraire even more precious and believable than in the first book, and Laurence was just as good a character in this book; I could really feel the bond gel between him and Temeraire.

I've taken a temporary respite from the series, but I'll be tuning in for the 3rd installment, Black Powder War, once I finish what I'm reading now.

For once, the hype is spot on!

Hooray For My Teams!

Yesterday was a clean sweep for all New York-area teams. The Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Jets won!

It was gratifying to see the Yankees win, especially with Jobba striking out the last guy in the 9th. Yesssss. (Sorry to sound like Gollum. ;-)) And especially as my mother and her friend were at the game! That makes two out of two for her in seeing the Yanks win this year.

Before this year, she hadn't been to a Yankees game in about ::gasp:: 50 years! And you certainly can't put anything past her as to the scoring, etc., in baseball or football; she went to the Yankees farm club team, the Newark Bears, when she was growing up in Newark (her mother, who was born in Poland, loved going to those games, too).

Can't put anything past me, either. So there. ;-)

At least the Giants won a game, thank goodness.

Go Yankees!!!!!

Snobs and Publishing

I just went over to The Rejecter's blog, and I came away a little ticked off.

Not at her, mind you; I congratulated her on getting a publishing contract and agent (esp. nice as it's a fantasy novel :-)).

One of the posters, however, who couldn't even own up to a name, decided to look down his/her/its nose at The Rejecter having a genre novel published.

Ooo, aah, ow, yeow...the sky is falling! All that we've ever known is coming to an end!

Yup, he/she/it dissed it and her (calling her lazy for taking the easy way out).

I don't understand. A few years ago, there was a time when I looked down on those who write in an already-constructed universe (I'm thinking of Star Trek novels here). I thought it must be simple to write such stuff.

I don't think that way anymore. In fact, I think it's harder to write in, say, the Star Trek universe than coming up with something on your own. Because when it's your baby, it's something you and only you have worked on. Think of all the writers that have written in the various Star Trek universes. You have to conform to what's come before. You'd have to do that with your own stuff, too, but it's something you've come up with, not a million and one other writers.

I don't know. The whole idea of having to conform to something that came before that I haven't written...it just rubs me the wrong way. (Although I admire those who manage to write with that constraint.)

But at least I've gotten off my high horse and don't look down my nose at any genre or any mainstream writer. If there's a big enough audience out there for certain types of books, who am I to say that people shouldn't write that? Hell's bells!

Is it too obvious to point out that there are good books and bad books in all genres, and, yes, in literary fiction and mainstream, too?

Can you tell this sort of thinking makes me batty?

Getting back to the poster, he/she/it did say one thing that was telling: zero accomplishments. Hmm. Dude/dudette - maybe your attitude shows whenever you've shopped around your novels?

Another poster put it very nicely: You like what you like.

I'll leave it at that.

~Nancy Beck

Two Biggies in Fantasy Pass Away - Robert Jordan & Madeline L'Engle

I'm coming to this very late, I know, but I had to make some remarks (nothing nasty, of course).

Robert Jordan died on September 17, 2007 of a rare blood disease called primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, which caused the walls of his heart to thicken.

I enjoyed the first three books in his World of Time series, but I have to admit that I didn't care for the fourth book; I subsequently lost interest in the series. But...mucho others have continued to read the rest of the books, and more power - and kudos - to them.

This is what makes it so hard to break into fiction - it's so subjective!

My condolences to his wife and to those who worked with him.

Madeline L'Engle, who died on September 6, 2007, is generally known for A Wrinkle In Time, which was originally published in 1963. (Gadzooks, just a year before I was born! Yeah, I'm dating myself, but who cares?) I'll confess that I don't remember reading this as a kid. Is it possible I did? I suppose so, but the only story I remember reading from back then that made any sort of impression is one where I don't remember the name of the author, the title of it, nor the entire story.

Doesn't sound like a very good impression, eh?

Yet, I still have a sliver of it in my mind. It was about a young girl whose mother is a witch and keeps her locked up in a castle. It's possible that I'm confusing things, and that a witch rescues her.

But I digress.

From reading the above news story, it sounds to me like Ms. L'Engle was the female version of C. S. Lewis (I'm thinking of the Narnia series here), in that her stories were Christian allegory (for instance, Aslan, in Lewis' series, is obviously meant to be Jesus).

I wonder if her characters were as obvious as Lewis was in the Narnia books or if they were more like what J. R. R. Tolkien did in The Lord of the Rings.

Maybe I should pick up the book and find out for myself. :-)

My condolences to her family.

~Nancy Beck

Too Many Words

Over on Evil Editor's blog, someone posted a query for an SF novel that's ::gulp:: 185,000 words.

YEOW!

Even though stories in spec fic can be a lot longer than other genres, even that's too much. SF and fantasy can top out at about 120,000 words, with a minimum of 80,000.

What the writer described in the first part of the query sounded like backstory; this, in itself, might be considered one book of a duology. (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is a trilogy; he didn't want to break up what he considered one book--yeow! again--but his publisher wisely broke it up into three parts, because of a paper shortage after World War II and because most people in England at that couldn't afford anything that huge.)

We should always strive to keep in mind the uppermost limits (wordwise, that is) of whatever genre we're writing in. Another thought to keep in mind, and this can be somewhat harder, is where the story begins. It won't necessarily begin when the main character opens a door or hangs up the phone; not only do we, as writers, have to worry about a beginning hook, we also have to know what sets the plot, the main character, in motion.

So if you notice your story heading way, way up there, you might want to start snipping away those words. Insisting that all 200,000 words (or whatever) is necessary for one book will not bring agents to your table, no matter how good a writer you are. And that's especially true if you're a first timer, when agents and publishers have no idea how much you'll sell.

~Nancy Beck

Where Do Stories Come From?

You think of yourself as a writer, and, many times, this is what someone's first question is.

The answer is simple: Everywhere.

As Angie pointed out in a comment to my last post, stories and characters can bubble up soon after you've gone to bed (but not completely asleep), and soon after you've woken up. I've been hit with some good stuff in the shower and the bath.

The point is, something can smack you upside the head at the weirdest times. There's a good chance you might not use it, but then again...you never know.

Case in point the WIP I just went back to. This is one I revised several times about a year ago, then put aside. I think I put it out for critting at the wrong time, as I wasn't really ready for critting at that point.

But I digress. This began with a dream I had over several nights (yeah, reruns in the brain, lol). I then bought a map off of Ebay of one of the cities it would take place; I bought a travel map off Ebay for another city it's going to take place in.

I developed it off a dream, but I expanded it. The original draft was different than what it is right now. I originally envisioned a woman having to deal with a snarky, mean-spirited movie studio owner. It would take place during the "Golden Age" of Hollywood movies, when the studio system was in full force. The studio would be a poverty row studio (something like Monogram)...and so on.

What it is now developed out of the fact that I can't have kids, and the woman decided to adopt. I linked that up with her adopted daughter, who wants to find out who her birth mother is. The first woman (a former movie star) had reasons for not giving her daughter the correct information for her to find her birth mother...

Sounds a bit sinister, and the daughter resents it when she finds out, but there's a sad and sobering reason why the adopted mother did what she did.

I also threw in a goddess, who helps bring the adopted daughter back in time, to the 1942, when the adopted daughter is born. World War II, coupled with the Hollywood "dream factory" (along with the idea that not everyone was making huge salaries like Bette Davis or Cary Grant), well, I'm hoping it's something not only an agent would want to read, but lots of people would want to.

And I have another idea for a story, but it's not fantasy at all. It's a romance, and, again, the reruns in my head are making me consider fleshing it out.

In due time.

~Nancy Beck

Why I Write

I write because it takes me away from my personal life, which isn't in the greatest shape nowadays. I've read where people say they lead dull lives; do you really want the opposite of that?

D'ya?

If I could control things on a personal level, sure, I'd love to stay home and just write fiction all day while the bucks rolled in. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way (unless you're someone like Paris Hilton). With just some dough coming in from my day job, it's just not going to cut it, so I've started to look into freelancing, among other things.

But when I want to just get away from all sorts of bills and shrieking/crying relatives (you really don't want to know ::sigh::), I write fiction. And the fiction I'm writing--rewriting, actually--right now is a bit more light hearted. Oh, the MC desperately wants to find her birth mother (in the flesh, not just by looking at newspaper articles or whatever), but the fun stuff is in the story, too, as soon as she travels back in time...

It gives me a chance to let loose (if I want), to immerse myself in another world (sometimes literally). A lot of my musings won't go any further then what's typed on the screen, but that's okay: It allows me to vent so I won't pull all of my hair out (I just colored it, anyway, so I want to keep it on my head for a while longer, thank you ;-)).

Why do you write? For the same reason I do? To talk about certain injustices in the world? Just to tell what you think is a good story? There are all sorts of reasons.

For the money? In fiction? ::rolls eyes:: Puh-leez. Better to write and expect nothing to come of it, and be ecstatic when something does come of it.

Is that a bit defeatist? Maybe it is, but then I'm in a certain mood today. But I also think it's realistic.

I also think that if you're serious about this fiction thing you'll keep at it, until you have the basics down pat, until you've beaten down the door (politely) of every agent out there (that will take your type of writing).

It took one guy something like 10 years to get agented/published. I'm sure he didn't set out with that idea in mind, but it might take a while (especially if your personal life is screwy).

His persistence paid off, though, didn't it?

~Nancy Beck

Running Down a Dream - First 700 Words (or so)

Okay, so I lied. You got a problem with that? ;-)

Very brief synopsis: The year is 1974 (before the whole Watergate thing). Rita Fuentes is on the phone, trying to find out something from the woman on the other side of the receiver. Will it be good news, for a change, or will her search be at an end?

**************

Rita Fuentes paced around the kitchen table until she was sure she'd leave a groove in the linoleum floor. Biting her nails, she waited for the woman on the other end of the phone to talk again. Tell me you've found me, she thought.

"Sorry," the genealogist said. "Just another minute."

Rita clenched her teeth when she heard a thump. "That's right, put the phone down," she said. She stopped at one of the kitchen chairs, turning her gaze to the nearest wall. What was her mother thinking when she put up that bright green and orange wallpaper?

"I guess Margaret has to make sure one part of the house fits in with what passes for decorating." Fitting in. For seven long years, since the hippies' Summer of Love, she'd wondered where she fit in.

"Thanks for holding, Mrs. Fuentes."

Rita held her breath.

"Unfortunately, I can't find anyone in Los Angeles with that last name who had a baby named Rita on September 28, 1942."

Rita blinked, but tears already pricked her eyes. "Adoption records?"

"Most adoption records aren't available to the public, Mrs. Fuentes."

Rita's shoulders drooped. Seven years wasted. Margaret's long ago search failed, so why did she think she could succeed where her mother had not? Because she contacted a professional genealogist? That was another thing. Why had the genealogist taken her on? For money? She breathed in and out several times, determined to control her anger; too much misery had come after she'd lost control. "I see," were the only words that came to mind.

"If you remember," said the genealogist, "I didn't promise anything. I told you I didn't want your money, but you sent me a check anyway."

"But, but--"

"Adoption records are sealed, remember?" the genealogist continued. Rita could almost feel nails being driven into her skin. "I'm really sorry. When you told me your mother said Rita was your name at birth...well, I've heard that before. I need something concrete that proves what your mother told you."

Pulling a chair from the kitchen table, Rita bit her lower lip as it screeched across the floor like chalk across a blackboard. "The newspaper picture doesn't help?"

The genealogist sighed. "If you'd given me a birth announcement...I'm sorry, but I couldn't help you even if I had access to those computers NASA used on the Apollo missions."

Rita stared at the blank sheet of paper on the table.

"Mrs. Fuentes," said the genealogist, "I took you on because I'm adopted. I know I shouldn't have; I've gotten in trouble with this before, but you sounded desperate. By the way, I haven't cashed your check."

Desperate? Rita thought. Damn, yeah. "Could you just rip it up?"

"Not a problem."

"Thanks," Rita said, massaging her forehead. She had one more idea. "Couldn't you get a list of all the Ritas born in September of 1942 in, say, San Francisco?"

The genealogist chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at that. I just remember my son wanting to go to San Francisco back in sixty-nine because it was such a 'groovy' place, whatever that means. Anyway, now you're scattering your resources like buckshot--"

"But could you come up with something?" Rita wrapped and unwrapped the phone cord around her finger.

"Like I was saying, you're scattering your resources like buckshot, hoping to hit something. Mrs. Fuentes, please, please listen. It can't be done that way, not with adoptees. And how do you know you were born in California? Maybe you were born in New York, and your mother brought you back just in time to have her picture snapped."

Or here in New Jersey, Rita thought, nodding. Her lower lip trembled, as she knew in her heart the woman was right. "Now what?"

"It's not much, but I'll give you the phone number and address of an adoptees organization called ALMA."

More numbers and addresses, Rita thought, sighing. "What's ALMA?"

"The Adoptee's Liberty Movement Association, which I think started in 1971, out of New York City. They probably won't be able to help you anymore than I have, but maybe they have access to resources I don't."

Probably. Maybe. The same regurgitated words. And a few years too late. "Sure," Rita said. She picked up her pencil as if she were lifting a tree trunk. Dutifully, she scribbled the address and phone number and thanked the genealogist for her help.

Rita's young daughter, Natalie, comes in to try to cheer her up, and to egg her on to keep at it. They get into a discussion about Japanese things (purses, called nerukes, and certain statues of Japanese gods); that part will serve as a foreshadowing of certain later events...

I'm unsure if this beginning will stand, but I'm going with it for now.

Hope you enjoyed it.

~Nancy Beck