Where Did the Hope Go?
Or… Why I Embrace the Dystopian Novel
I’ve had the good fortune this week of being presented with a special opportunity – I volunteered to proofread a dystopian novel by Frank Herbert, called High-Opp, from Wordfire Press: http://www.amazon.com/High-Opp-ebook/dp/B007JDN9RM . So far, 40+ pages into the proofread, I’m really enjoying the story. It revolves around class warfare, an attempt to standardize lifestyles and ways of thinking, stamping out individualism, and the notion of governing society on the basis of surveying public opinion. As is typical with most dystopian societies, it’s the result of an attempted utopia gone wrong; the idealism didn’t translate into reality. In this case, there are too many ways the baser nature of humankind, the desire for status and wealth and the transferral of these things to our children, corrupt the processes involved in putting theory into practice. That, and the idea that an “average” is preferable, that general opinion knows best, is flawed to begin with.
Considering when the story was written, I was surprised how relevant it is to modern day circumstances, and how the Separatists in the novel are reminiscent of the current Occupy protestors. This is a notably disturbing story, with very grim undertones and oodles of social commentary, both common traits of dystopian novels. These characteristics are also partially why I love dystopian tales as much as I do, and the reason why I started my own dystopian series, beginning with Fervor (http://www.amazon.com/Fervor-ebook/dp/B004RZ28FE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337862257&sr=1-1 ).
But there was a brief time in my life where I preferred happier tales and looked for utopian books instead. I wanted to read stories that supported my optimism.
If I had to approximate, I’d say that this “head-in-the-clouds” period lasted from the time just before I turned 15 to about the time I started university, newly turned 18. I was a proper dreamer then, an extreme idealist, believing in promise for my own future and greater hope for the world as a whole. I was aware that there was strife, war, injustices, cruelty – but trusted that these things could conceivably be rectified. I loved the optimism of Roddenberry and lived for books like The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You by Dorothy Bryant. I lost that somewhere along the way, when life hit me like a sledgehammer. Once I made my way into the unsheltered real world, it slammed me with cold hard reality, beating me down and tamping down my dreams. Suddenly dystopian novels made a lot more sense. They appealed to me then because I trusted their message more than I did those of the more optimistic books. Life had let me down…hard. And perhaps I was to blame, for being so hopeful in the first place.
I stopped reading utopian books at that time, and I haven’t read them since. They seem too fragile and unrealistic to me now, based on the concept that everyone would give over to whatever ideal is at the centre of that society. I know by now that this just doesn’t happen.
And where did the hope go? It’s not dead. It is still there, but it is hidden beneath disappointment, despair and other forms of negativity – sort of like Pandora’s Box. I still believe in heroes, in struggling for the greater good, in striving for your dreams even if the likelihood of reaching them isn’t all that great. I’m just wary now about the darker side of things, the inescapable darker side that will always make that struggle necessary. That buried hope? – It’s why, while I embrace dystopian novels, I keep looking for the ones that despite their grim outlook, still have a glimmer of hope suggested to the very end, a hint of the bittersweet that says “all is not lost.”
The Blurb on Other People’s Words – Chivalry is Dead
Chivalry is Dead – Edited by TW Brown
One would expect a zombie anthology with a male focus might have significantly more action, violence and gore, and less emotional content than its all female equivalent, but it turns out this is not the case. Many of these tales are just as touching and heart-felt as the stories in its all female companion anthology “Hell Hath no Fury”. The opening story, “Daddy’s Little Girl” is a prime example of this, its plot centred on a father-daughter relationship in the face of a zombie apocalypse.
Not all of the stories were that multi-dimensional. Some were exactly what you would be anticipating, even smacking of chauvinism in some places (but that isn’t necessarily a reflection of the author or his opinions; I’ve included moments like that in my own stories, for the sake of realism – I’ve run into instances in my own life, so I can guarantee you they exist.)
For the most part, the tales were entertaining, some very dramatic, some humorous, some downright scary – a good assortment in my opinion. My favourites included the piece by Mathew Munson, “The Life and Times of a Zombie”. The dark humour really appealed to me – perhaps because we are both civil servants we have similar senses of humour – and the perspective was…different. I also really enjoyed Chad Rohrbacher’s tale, “Camp Victory” – I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at the tale when I was asked to write the intro. It shows the extremes some parents will go to for the sake of their children and I liked the backwoods feel to it. But the story I loved the most was “Saving Mirabel” by Jerry Enni. It sucked me in and I was thoroughly rooting for Charlie by the end, sympathizing with his plight.
While there were a couple of stories that weren’t quite my thing, on the whole I felt this was another excellent anthology from May December Publications and I would definitely recommend it to lovers of the zombie-genre.
Anything but Ordinary
It’s funny how sometimes we can draw inspiration from characters. I’ve seen articles lately about how readers can be influenced by the characters in the books they read, carrying over elements of the characters into real life – a method of transforming theory into practice, I guess. If that works for readers, I suspect it also works for writers. I’m not sure if this is a common experience for all writers, but I often feel a profound connection with my characters, more so than the ones in the books I read – even those that have touched me in a very strong way.
I find myself identifying with the strangest of characters, like my gnomish ex-schoolteacher wizard’s apprentice, Reeree, who appears in my Masters and Renegades series, both in Magic University and my soon-to-be-released Casualties of War. Now I’m not a fan of the colour pink, and I’m often one of the taller people in a crowd, so on a physical level, I can’t relate to her very well. But what I do understand is playing it safe for the better part your life and then suddenly reaching a place where you realize a risk is necessary or your life will prove quite pointless. While nobody would ever accuse me of being normal, I certainly let things play out in an “ordinary” way, until I found it just wasn’t enough. Like Reeree, I came to the conclusion that I wanted my life to be something more than ordinary. I want to do something significant and meaningful. I want to serve some higher purpose.
At the point in my life where that notion truly hit home, I started taking chances. It would have been nice to make as drastic a change as Reeree – to make that leap without looking back…no regrets, but I’m afraid I wasn’t as bold. My chosen path has been slower going, a gradual transformation, but I’ve done a lot in the last few years, much of which I might have considered impossible before now. I’m hoping it will eventually lead me to that opportunity to make a real difference in the world, be it writing a book that moves people to better their lives, or even just helps one person to overcome some sort of adversity, or perhaps, make some sizable contribution to a charitable cause.
In the meantime, I’ll keep working towards that objective of being anything but ordinary, like Reeree, but with smaller steadier steps. I’ve managed to get this far in a very short amount of time and … hey … it doesn’t hurt to dream.
Someday…
I’m hoping someday I won’t have to tell people that I write. It would be wonderful if they would just know, at the mere mention of my name. I know that’s a lot to hope for, but I really hate telling people I write. Even if you can confirm that, yes, I have been published, many folks will still look at you as if you had just told them that you eat babies.
“What did you write? Have I heard of it? Can I buy it in *fill-in-the-name-of-some-chain-bookstore-here*?”
If you can’t say yes to these questions, you then get that look that suggests that not only do you eat babies, but you just asked them to eat babies with you.
It’s hilarious, in a sad and pathetic sort of way. If I tell people I do artwork, I get a completely different response.
“Wow! You’re an artist? Can I see some of your work?”
No cold stares like I’m some sort of leper. No demands if any of my work is hanging in the Louvre, or the Met, or even the local art gallery. They are interested, in a positive way. When I show them my work, despite the fact that I’m not a particularly good artist, I usually get an equally positive response, unless the person is a professional artist. Rarely will I get any comments like “I don’t think that’s the appropriate medium for that piece,” “I think you used the wrong perspective for that one,” “how come that woman isn’t positioned at the centre of picture with a powerful pose? This is sexist.” They look things over with a hint of admiration in their eyes and say: “These are really nice. I particularly like this one and that one.”
On the other hand, if I give them a story to read, along with being less than receptive because I’m a “nobody” writer, everybody becomes an expert and a critic. “I think this would have been better written in first person,” “this isn’t descriptive enough – I wanted to know exactly what the chair in the far corner of the room looked like,” or “the story ends too abruptly…yes, I know it is horror and the main character just died, but you should have found a way of extending it.” Few people respond the way they would have if you had just showed them a drawing of equal merit. The focus is almost always on exactly what they think is wrong with your work.
I have to say I am grateful for folks I know who have buckled down and forced themselves to read my work. Many of them don’t look at me like I eat babies anymore. Some of them are even eager to read anything new I have to offer. This along with the fact that I have publishers who have been willing to invest effort and money in publishing and promoting my work does give me some sense of validation. It still doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t have to prove myself over, and over, and over again. And I can guarantee you that I will slip up from time to time. Everyone does.
Someday, I hope my work and name will stand on its own, and readers don’t spend the majority of their reading time scrutinizing every corner for the negative. They’ll just take it at face value and enjoy it for what it is, the way they would with one of my drawings. That’s what I long for.
Someday…
The Blurb on Other People’s Words – Torqed
Torqed: The Quest for Earth – by Cynthia Echterling
The story begins with an intro from various perspectives where we discover that our protagonist, Torq, is the son of a human, far from Earth, and a G’Tari woman, a smaller paler people who bear litters of young, wear facial “catfish” whiskers and have large black eyes with blue-green swirls. The two races cannot interbreed naturally, but the couple had sought the help of a genetic scientist, and Torq is the result.
Sadly, he is orphaned at a young age and raised by G’Tari family. When it is time for Torq to choose what he will do as an adult, a message from his mother reveals that his father wanted him to travel in space and his mother hoped for him to go to Earth and seek out his father’s people.
Torq proceeds to gather resources and make arrangement with his uncle to venture into space, working out how he will get to Earth from there. And that is where his quest for Earth, and the adventures resulting from this quest, begins.
This was a fun read, as Cynthia’s stories are, but I did not enjoy it as much as her book, “Help Wanted, Human: No Experience Necessary”. The story is interesting and her races and world-building are delightfully elaborate, but I’m the type that prefers a focus on the story and some of her descriptions strayed off a bit into something reminiscent of encyclopedic inserts at times, not as integrated into the story as I prefer them to be, or as well as they were with “Help Wanted”. On the other hand, if you are the type that enjoys oodles of description, you’ll probably find this a 5-star read, because they are well-developed.
Also, while it is fascinating to see things from an alien PoV, I found some segments confusing, almost to the point of frustration, and had to re-read them a couple of times to get the point. The story is mostly third person directed, from Torq’s PoV, but I think the book would have been an easier read if either it was fully committed to one narrative form or the other, third person omniscient with less of an alien element, or first person narrative, which Cynthia does so well – then the alieness would have seemed more appropriate.
The characters are Cynthia’s strongest element, always vibrant and intricate. The story is worth reading for Torq, his family and those he encounters along the way alone.
When you read this book, be prepared for some of the formatting to be a little off at times, somewhat distracting, but Cynthia makes up for it with beautiful colour artwork , added to the story in various places.
I certainly would recommend this book, but I think you have to approach it with a particular mindset. Expect it to be as much documentary as it is a tale of exciting adventurous fiction.
Appreciation and Disappointment
I’m going to start this blog post with a thank you. A group of my writer friends have deemed this week “Publishers Appreciation Week” in support of a publisher who is having a rough time with an author and Amazon, despite the fact that this publisher is following the rules and being very professional in the dispute. I’ve seen this happen more than once, where an author feels entitled to more than what is in their contract and makes a stink about it. I hope this passes and things work out for this publisher, who has contracted one of my stories (which will be published under my pseudonym.) Good luck, Gina.
That explained, I want to celebrate five of my publishers who have been great to work with and I feel deserve my thanks:
The first and probably most obvious is May December Publications – three novels published, two more in the works and hopefully, many more to follow. They have published my shorts in multiple anthologies. They have provided me with enthusiastic support and spectacular cover artwork (from Shawn Conn). I consider Denise and Todd good friends.
Find more details at http://maydecemberpublications.com/
The second on my list, and the first to purchase one of my stories, is Notreebooks. Eve is a great editor and I thank her for giving me my first real break.
Find more details at http://www.notreebooks.com/
The first publisher to accept one of my non-fiction works was Rymfire eBooks. I have now participated in a couple of their publications and I enjoy working with Armand.
Find more details at http://rymfireebooks.com
I have two pieces published with Crowded Quarantine Publications and I have my fingers crossed that there will be more. Adam is fun and talented, with a good eye for horror.
Find more details at http://www.crowdedquarantine.co.uk/
And lastly, I have to thank Dark Moon Books, and Stan, for giving me the opportunity to share pages with some writers I greatly admire. I have my fingers crossed for more to come with them as well.
More details at http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/
With my “thank you”s made, I have a comment now directed towards other writers regarding blurbs and sampling. I usually enjoy reading my writer friends’ book blurbs and flash fiction, but please, please, please make sure they are polished before sharing them publicly with others. It’s one thing to put out excerpts of WIPs, where people are aware you are still in the editing process, or casual blog entries with the occasional slip, but when you offer a book blurb that is supposed to properly represent that book and there are multiple grammatical errors, or you present a piece of “complete” flash fiction, that is supposed to be a solid example of your work, with a spelling error in the very first sentence, it might dissuade potential readers. I feel really disappointed when I see those types of mistakes, knowing that my friends’ promotional efforts might be doing more harm than good. You may not be able to control everything with regards to your books and stories, but at least take care of the smaller things you do control.
Prolific – Good or Bad?
I noted a running theme in writer circles lately surrounding the notion that writers write too much, and, as a result, much of what they create is of lesser quality (as Richard Ford would have us believe) so therefore should never be exposed to the reading public. You’ll find essays out there on the matter and in some cases, ironically, those essays ramble on drily with far too many irrelevant comments before getting to their point. In a rather circumspect way, the essayist, perhaps, is supporting their own opinion. That might also be why they feel that way in the first place, subject to that problem themselves. Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone suffers from that same affliction.
On the flip-side, you’ll also find writing advice from established veteran writers suggesting that a novice writer *must* write everyday if they aspire to be a great writer and that the whole point of writing something is to have it read, so be sure to refine it and get it out there, once it is written.
So – do we write to our inclinations, and if so, do we share everything we create? – A bit of a conundrum there.
Some writers find it difficult to write every day. They have to push themselves to keep to a routine. They may write in spurts followed by dry spells. Others may require an extra dose of self-discipline to finish what they start, often abandoning their current work mid-stream to stray into one or two new stories, or perhaps even a dozen, without returning to the original tale.
Some, like me, suffer from a mild case of hypergraphia. It’s an addiction and one that is enabled by friends and family who encourage us to write because they don’t like how cranky we get when we don’t. I’m also fortunate enough that I hate leaving things unfinished, so the desire to finalize what I’ve started outweighs the lure of new ideas which are also begging for my attention.
This means I’m very prolific. Is this a bad thing, and should I screen my work, only putting out the very best of what I produce? Well that notion has its own set of problems. How do I decide what is my “best” work. Some of my favourite stories didn’t go over well with about half of my test readers. Some of my stories that my test readers adored got scathing critique from submissions editors. Define “best” – better yet, who gets the privilege of deciding what has merit, and if it is the industry proper, then how will I know what they consider my best work unless I send it all out at some point?
Two things I’ve learned while writing and working at getting published: the first is that if I want to stay happy, I have to ignore the majority of the m
ess of conflicting information out there and just do what works for me, even if others disagree with it. The second is that the whole process is one big balancing act, and while some people shove extremes and absolutes in your face, the answers lie somewhere in the moderate, middle-of-the-road.
Are being prolific and the resulting output good or bad? Well, I guess that just depends on who you ask.
The Blurb on Other People’s Words – Four for One
Four in the Hole – Edited by TW Brown
Unlike an ordinary anthology, a book that combines four tales of this size really doesn’t have the type of presentation that merits a single review. In this instance, I think these four tales could easily stand on their own, so I’ve decided to review each tale separately, rating them based on individual quality and impression.
The Deadlands – by Bill Blume
Reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode (or the intro to more than one zombie movie) Paul awakes in his hospital room to find no other living soul around and is forced to venture out in search of others. Hunting for a working vehicle, he runs into Philly, a bit of a head-case who fills in the gaps about the devastation surrounding them, what caused it (the Avatar Light) and the resulting Deadlands. Paul seems to be a sort of a neutral character, a lost everyman type, and this accentuates Philly’s eccentricities all the more. The presentation allows us to be curious, and the reader soon discovers that Paul is not as normal as we think. From here, the story progresses into a series of jarring and mysterious events, with a lot of action (and zombies) involved. While interesting, I found the tale was a little more chaotic than I would have liked. The beginning had a good lead-in/build-up, but I felt as though the amount of information contained within the story would have been more suitable in a longer venue, and the ending didn’t seem entirely conclusive. I enjoyed the story nonetheless and I still consider it worthy of 4 stars.
Stagnant Waters – by Bennie Newsome
This lone vampire tale of the four begins by giving us a look from the vampires’ perspective. Two of the undead are eying what they suspect is a trap – a boy, Scotty, out after hours. The boy’s father comes to his rescue and a battle between man and vampire ensues. At the end of that fight, it is assumed that the vampires have been decimated. This assumption is wrong.
Enter Jayden, a boy terrified of vampires, subject to nightmares and not convinced they are gone. When the vampires return, Jayden is left to deal with them, with the help of his friend, Tunisha and other area children. Little do they know how strange things will get from here.
I really loved this story. It has a cold, quiet suspense, mixed with a good dose of humour that eases you into the tale and then grabs you and shakes you when you least expect it. It’s a fun story, and the twists offered, as well as the delightful ending, makes it all the more amusing, – 5 stars.
The Night We Didn’t Go Home – by G. R. Mosca
Katie and the other kids are on the school bus headed home when their trip comes to a sudden halt because of what they think is an accident on the road ahead. The driver leaves the bus to investigate and comes back the victim of a frightful transformation. The children are now trapped, terrified and unsure what to do next. Their solution? Abandon the bus and set off on their own…
This was a refreshingly original approach to a zombie tale, with a convincing variety of unusual characters and a combination of youthful energy and fear. It had realistic dialogue, good pacing and an enjoyable level of action. There is sufficient gore for my tastes and I was pleased with the ghoulish ending – 5 stars.
Road Kill Counting Book – by Pat Steiner
Tommy, and pregnant Gail are on the road. After Tommy accidentally runs down a dog, he gets out to investigate and they stop for a pee. A run in with a strange boy and an unexpected accident leaves Gail in a very bad position and when Tommy comes to her aid they are beset by zombies. Although they make their escape, Gail is now in labour and Tommy has problems of his own.
I enjoyed the colourful characterization and Steiner’s descriptive style (the zombie scenes were gruesomely gory), but I would have preferred a clearer picture of what was going on. There were mentions of rescues and family members (her Papa included) and zombies, but none of these things seem to come together in a cohesive manner until late in the story, possibly because Gail seemed to be mentally challenged and much of the story was from her PoV. The details become clear towards the end of the tale, via Tommy’s memories – I just would have preferred more clarity sooner. I give this one 4 stars as well.
As a whole I say all four combined rate a 4.5, but leaning slightly more towards 4 than 5. I think stories of this length, longer than shorts but less than a novel, require a careful balance. You need enough story to extend beyond the limitations of a short, without dragging elements of the tale out for too long, but not a story fit for a novel squeezed into a shorter form. Overall, this was a good read.
She Doesn’t Have to Be an Amazon to Be “Strong”…
I noticed on a friend’s blog that archeologists have uncovered proof of another female gladiator in the Roman arenas. It brought me back to a discussion I had with a writer friend regarding strong female characters. When I suggested I like to see strong female characters, she automatically jumped to the idea that I was implying the stereotypical fantasy swordswoman, battling alongside the men with her rippling muscles, bronze brassiere and Xena-like war-cries.
Far from it.
All I meant was: “please don’t give me another story where every woman significant to the plot is either a doormat, an ornament or a victim.”
I admit – I do have warrior women in some of my tales. I have female Templars, soldiers like my Dee Aaronsod or Brianna, and my apprentice mercenary character, Carlisle. In fact the head of my Red-Sun mercenary guild is a villainous woman named Minerva. But a lot of my strong female characters are miles from the stereotypical Amazonian fighter. They range from a stout little middle-aged, ex-school teacher who is willing to brave a mountain full of dangers for the sake of helping others, my Reeree in the soon to be released “Casualties of War”, to my super-mom, Margot, who works as a financial administrative assistant and takes on some exceptional responsibilities, in “Just Another Day”. I even have a primary female character in my unpublished Snowy Barrens trilogy, the shamaness Fawn, who is extremely strong, despite being a healer, a social outcast because of some disturbing facial scarring, and a pacifist. I consider Sarah one of my strongest characters in Fervor, but she is not physically strong, wilful, contrary or bold. She is loving and understanding and offers as much of herself as she can possibly give, even though it might put her in danger.
Strong doesn’t just mean emotionally fierce and physically powerful. Strong can mean taking action, not bending when others oppose you, offering commitment to follow through on the things you’ve started and showing resolve when things get tough. It can mean not turning away and leaving things for others to fix, if they go bad. It can mean staying true to yourself, and helping those you love, or even helping complete strangers who need you, for that matter. Strength comes in various shades and designs, not just a single stereotype.
I’m not playing the feminist card and saying every woman in the story should be strong, for the sake of serving as a positive role model for any girls/young women who might be reading it. Fiction should reflect life, and there are a range of people out there, including doormats, ornaments and victims, so these personality types will play a part in stories – what I’m saying is there are an awful lot of women out there who make a very positive impact on others’ lives, and that should be reflected too, especially if you want me, as a reader, to be able to relate properly to your story.
So please, give me something other than just damsels in distress or women who can’t go on without their man. Give me something strong.
The Blurb on Other People’s Words – Zero
Zero – Edited by TW Brown
Until now, my favourite anthology from May December Publications has been Midnight Movie Creature Feature, but it has been knocked out of top spot by Zero. There were only seven stories in this book, longer short stories and novelettes, so chances were that this anthology was going to be either a hit or a miss. In my opinion, it was a hit. I went in expecting the stories to be fairly similar, typical viral outbreaks leading to the zombie apocalypse but all seven stories were very good, and for the most part, delightfully original. If you prefer the more traditional zombie tale, there were stories included that would appeal to you, but there were also tales with a good dose of humour and a range of causes for the apocalypse – from curses, to technology , to animal attacks. One of the stories even offered up a chilling alternative history.
All I can say is that I was glad that the stories weren’t longer than they were, because once I started one, I found it terribly hard to put down the book until I finished that particular tale, and I’m a very busy lady. They were well written and gripping, presenting wonderful multi-dimensional characters and all in all, they were amazingly clever. I can’t even pick out a particular favourite or two because each offered something appealing and unique. The first two stories, Morning Show Host and The Zombie Curse, both had me laughing, one of my preferred traits in a zombie story. They were a nice light-hearted lead-in for the anthology. The next, Termination Papers, was solid traditional zombie fare, followed by a disturbing tale, The Scientific Method, which strayed into stranger, but equally enjoyable, territory. William added an element of frightful science fiction to the anthology, and the last story, Quietus, was a terrifying grand finale. Thanks to that tale, the starlings in my backyard now make me jumpy
I actually had to fight off my mother-in-law just to finish the book, because it caught her interest right away when she glanced through it while visiting; she wanted to take it home with her that evening. I made her wait to allow me the opportunity to finish it, but next time she drops by I’ll let her borrow it, because I think this anthology should be shared with as many horror fans as possible. May December seems to have a knack at rooting out great talent. I’ve even managed to convince my husband, who is not a horror fan, that it’s well worth the read. A firm five stars for this one.
