Marketing. It's the thorn in the side of every author I know. Begging for our attention, it pokes at us, often insistently, at unwelcome moments. It is sharp and tenacious enough to shift our headspace away from our delicious imaginations (because we'd rather be letting our characters play), and into the not-nearly-as-fun headspace of sensible practicality.
Read MoreI know. It's been years. I've been absent for years. And you're surprised to hear from me now. So here's where I give you the short version of where the f*ck I've been and what made me come back.
Read MoreI’m gonna take it waaaaay back, now. To the fic that popped my cherry. My first fandom, in around 1997, was Dawson’s Creek and I STILL have no idea how in the world I even came across fanfic. It was the early days of the Internet–I was in college and had my first (very heavy) laptop, a dial-up connection and Netscape Navigator. Back then, there were no DVRs so I used to record Dawson’s creek on VHS.
Read MoreThose of you who know me or my fic know that I really like the Master Card commercial. I'll use it again here because nothing else does a better job at summing up how my obscenely overpriced visit to the San Francisco Twilight Convention was totally worth it.
Read MoreListen, people. I write fic. I know that a well-conceived story requires more than plot. I know that good character development often necessitates character back story, and flashbacks are one way to show that. Here's the thing, though: there is a time and a place for flashbacks, and that time is not right after a cliffie. And if you have the audacity to place a flashback right after a cliffie, the end of the chapter had better come back to the present and deliver substantial plot progression.
Read MoreThank God for Twitter. If not for the big T how would I have found out about The Golden Lemon Awards? Now, it looks like this is its first go-round for these awards, but I can already tell they will be totally perv-tastic. How do I know this? Because it is asking fans to nominate lemony award categories they'd like to see as a precursor to nominating fic!
Read More...but now was the time, and Edward deserved the truth and, for him, I’d put it all on the line.
Speaking of putting things on the line…
I glanced in wonder at the boom box by my side. It had taken only an hour to find it in my Dad’s garage but a full four to track down something appropriate on cassette. I’d had the whole ride to Port Angeles to sort through my mental music files and pick out the perfect song.
This fic is an AU inspired by the blatant UST between Carlisle and Bella in the film rendition of New Moon (don’t pretend you didn’t catch it—they were practically eating each other in the “stitching” scene in Carlisle’s study). It is currently in beta with mabarberella and you can thank SassenachWench for encouraging me to write it. It should post some time before the end of the weekend. Enjoy the teaser, and put me on author alert if you like it! :)
Read MoreA simple look at IMDB proves that the list of our favorite Twi-stars other performances is long. In my search for a little Twi-star love to tide me over until Eclipse, I hardly know what movies to pick.
Sure, IMDB tells you whether they were in the movie, but they don't give you other essentials, like how much screen time did they get? How many lines did they have? Did their character wear many clothes? Was there any frontal nudity? Were there any sex or masturbation scenes?
Now, you know I don't like to rant (::cough::bullshit::cough::) but I've decided to start a new series to be lovingly referred to as "Fic Faux Pas". I'm not malicious--I won't mention any fic by name or make any obvious allusions--rather, I will give authors some pointers on a few things that would help we readers love them even more. Now, it might seem, at times like I'm giving authors quite a spanking, but someone needs to advocate for us, the reader! Authors, this is hurting me more than it's hurting you, but I'm spanking you for your own good.
Read MoreIt's Bellie and Eddie time, folks. And the Winter 2010 round has something new and brilliant: "Story that Haunts Your Dreams". This is a category dedicated to fic that pwns you so hard you have to read it again. And again. And again. A fic that hurts so good you can't stop thinking about it, not even in your sleep.
I rarely go back and read entire fics (especially since I'm into a lot of lonnnng multi-chapters), but I certainly go back for individual chapters and scenes. When I think of who I will nominate for this category, here is a list of juicies that definitely haunts my dreams:
Do you remember when you were little and your mom was taking you somewhere exciting (like the circus), how she'd make you take an extra nap? She knew that between the place she was taking you and your excitement over that place, without a nap you'd tire yourself out. But then, do you remember how you didn't want to take a nap, even though you knew you needed one, because the place you were going was so heart-poundingly exciting you couldn't settle down enough to sleep? New Moon is my circus. Today is the day. And I am so f*ing excited.
Read MoreSometimes it's slim pickin's but this week was a great week. I discovered five fics that are pwning me hard. So hard, in fact that I may have frightened a few of the authors with some over the top fangirling. That's what they get for writing such awesome fic...
Read MoreWhile hanging out on the Twilighted forums, a thread called “What am I doing wrong? How to get reviews” caught my eye. The title is self-explanatory, and a bunch of authors started weighing in on the topic. In my comment I said a bit about how I will only read fic with an original plot, and will only comment if I feel like I’m seeing something new, and I gave examples of fic I would refuse to read, based on the summary alone.
Read MoreI'll spend most of tomorrow in airports and on planes, so I'm releasing this a few days early. For those of you who missed last week's intro, I'll be rec'ing my favorite finds every Friday. The focus is on a combination of must-reads and hidden gems, and I'll make deliberate attempts to stay away from fic I suspect everyone knows. Since I'm new to the fandom, not all my fic recs will be new, but I can promise they'll all be really good :) Here's what I read and loved this week:
Read MoreI am a 30 year old woman, a productive member of society. If you saw me on the street you would think I was sane. I have never been in trouble with the law--never even had a moving violation, much less been arrested. I thought my status as a fine, upstanding citizen was more or less set in stone. Until today when I came dangerously close to learning whether theft is a felony or misdemeanor.
Read MoreDo you ever get an update for fic so sweet, an update you've been waiting for so long, an update you know will pwn you so hard that you can't f-ing read it? I don't know whether this happens to you, but it happens to me. A lot.
Read MoreI read fic every day. Awesome fic. Fic that doesn't make it on my "Fic I Stalk My Box For" list, not because it doesn't rock, but for various other reasons (e.g., they are one-shots, they are complete, or because the list would be very long if I maintained a complete list of every fic that is pwning me!)
Enter Five Fic Fridays. Every Friday, I'll let you in on five fics that I started or finished reading that week that made me love being a fic fiend. Some will be new, many will be older, but all of them will be fics I read and reviewed that week. Here are this week's picks:
I know what you’re thinking: you can’t afford to give right now. Not when your investment accounts just took a double-digit nosedive. Not when you might lose (or have already lost) your job. Not when the future of the economy seems so uncertain.
Trust me—I feel your pain. My net worth is falling. I did get laid off. And, nowadays, I don’t even check my bank account without a stiff drink in one hand and a good mood in the other.
Read MoreHave you ever heard of anything so hilariously repulsive it made you pee your pants laughing and projectile vomit, all at the same time?
Two weeks ago, I was chatting with Sassenach Wench about the disaster that was "Breaking Dawn". She was graciously listening (again) to my requisite rant about how Stephenie Meyer should be stoned for her sorry excuse for a honeymoon scene, when SW reminded me of a passage so repulsive, so vile, so OOC, as to be uproarious and offensive and nauseating, all at once. She then pointed me to said passage, which appears on p. 723 in "Breaking Dawn" from Bella's point of view. Jacob is taking Renesmee to safety and Edward and Bella are saying goodbye:
Read More!["What should I focus on more right now? Finishing my book or marketing it?" [Book Marketing Done Right Series]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/581d0867e6f2e1714cddf990/1480890387578-7DXNQHQ6FU8HQDSTTJW1/AskMeAnythingQuestion1.jpg)
