Fun with pseudonymns

Super Publishing Mama posted this a few days back and I meant to repost it as well.

http://karenknowsbest.blogspot.com/2008/01/whats-in-name.html

And yes I do know a few authors on that list.

Being a male author in a genre where male authors are a rarity and occasionally viewed with some suspicion I've often toyed with the idea of creating a female nomme de-plume as I know some men in my situation do. I think I've finally hit upon one that's crazy enough that I actually like it: TESS LACOIL

And if anyone asks why I write under that name I'll say something corny like "because my erotica is really INVENTIVE and it creates a lot of SPARKS!"

And all will go well until a writer named Edison comes along and plagarizes me. And then I will cry.

New Year's Resolution: read 24 novels in one year: 2/24 read

I'm one twelfth of the way there!

Reviews of the first two:

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
The prince of a coastal kingdom sires a bastard son and is forced to relinquish his claim to the throne in the ensuing scandal. Without even the dignity of a proper name, the child is left in the care of an alcoholic stablemaster and then forgotten about... until the day the king decides that such an overlooked and inconspicuous person would make an ideal candidate for his new professional assassin.

It's an intriguing and exciting premise for a fantasy book. And with such intriguing side characters as a precognizant court jester, a malevolent psychic drill instructor, and an armada of mysterious pirates who transform their captives into Reaver-like zombies it doesn't stop being interesting. What stops Assassin's Apprentice from being a magnificent fantasy novel is that the protagonist is well... dumb. Seriously, this kid is as dumb as a bag of hammers. He is a passive milquetoast who seems perfectly content just to let things happen to him no matter how humiliating or degrading they are. A hero should have flaws, but when he's just one big flaw after another it gets harder to see why we should care about him.

The pacing of the book isn't terrible, but it's still slow as far as fantasy novels go. It really picks up in the third act however, the last hundred pages or so being crammed with suspense and excitement that leads to a concluscion that left me wanting to read more.

I'll be reading the other two books in the Farseer Trilogy. If you enjoy low-magic fantasy I suggest you do so as well, if you don't mind a hero you'd love to smack across the face a few times.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
On an alternate Earth where every human is accompanied by an incarnate extension of their soul called a "daemon" a shadowy organization is kidnapping children. The kidnappings may be tied to the discovery of a new type of quantum particle and to a mysterious otherworldly city in the sky. Armed only with these clues and well, a golden compass that's more than what it seems, a scruffy orphan sets out to save the children and maybe the entire universe as well.

Say what you want about Pullman as a person, he knows how to write an exciting yarn. The fully-realized steampunk world he creates is vivid, brilliantly detailed, and filled with memorable characters. The publicity machine may be trying to tout His Dark Materials as the next big thing in children's literature, but the cloak-and-dagger mysteries and nation-hopping chases owe far more to Indiana Jones then they do Harry Potter. It's a fast, fun story of high adventure. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little abrupt.

Speaking of the ending, I'm more curious than ever to see how they turned this novel into the Big Family Movie of the holiday season because well... the ending is very dark. In fact it ends on quite a downer. Based on that and on many events throughout the story, I'd say this is not a book for younger children. But it is a book with a very important message that children need to hear: that there are adults out there who will hurt and do bad things to children, and that you need to be careful who you trust.

In regards to my own writing, my Apocalypse world short story is zipping alone nicely. It's taking so long because I write all stories set in this world in longhand. But I'm getting work done on it daily and feel confident saying draft one will be complete by the end of the month. If anyone wants to beta-read it let me know. Familiarity with Apocalypse Woman is not necessary to understand the story.

It's good to free your mind.

My first actual writing-related update of the New Year. Apocalypse Woman's follow-up, Apocalypse Incarnation is progressing... well, it's not. Writing it has been a continual frustration and I've decided the whole story needs to be reworked from the beginning.

Long story short, to make events unfold as I'd planned I was going to have to do something horrible to one of the characters; as in horrible even by Apocalypse standards. While this series is all about dark, edgy, morally ambiguous stuff, what was going to happen crossed a line I didn't feel comfortable crossing. And while I can't speak for them, I don't think my publisher would have wanted to cross it either. Making matters worse, the story porceeds in such a way that the character who would suffer the greatest emotional impact from the event would not be able to acknowledge it in the manner I feel she should. Not an option.

So I'm taking a break from Apocalypse Incarnation for now and resuming work on a short story that bridges the gap between Woman and Incarnation. It's a stand-alone piece that can be read outside of the series, and likewise you'll be able to skip it without missing anything in the series if you choose. But I'm hoping it will make for good "bonus material" for those who enjoy the world of the stories and want to see more of it. The working title is Rose Thorn but that's likely to change.

It's good practice for me on a lot of levels. I am verbose and thus don't do short stories very well so forcing myself to stay within the format is good practice. And playing in the Apocalypse world* without being chained to the main characters of the series is renewing my enthusiasm for the place as a whole. I'm keeping my semi-official New Year's Resolution of writing on it every day as well, and that's so much easier when you're not frustrated with the piece in front of you. I think anyone who's ever tried writing will agree.

*I really need to come up with a name for this place. Calling it "Apocalypse world" conjures up too many associations with place ruled by a big, grouchy blue guy who hates Superman.

Tor books and Robert Jordan's widow select author for final Wheel of Time novel

http://www.tor-forge.com/NewsArticle.aspx?articleId=647

I haven't heard of Brandon Sanderson before, but he gets my vote based on this comment:

"Personally, I feel indebted to you. You showed me what it was to have vision and scope in a fantasy series--you showed me what could be done. I still believe that without your success, many younger authors like myself would never have had a chance at publishing their dreams. You go quietly, but leave us trembling."

I could have written these words because I feel the exact same way. If not for Jordan's ambition I would never have had the courage to attempt what I am attempting with Fool's Game. Jordan created an example to a new generation of authors, an example that said "You can think big. You can make a story as huge and as ambitious as you want and if it's good people will read it and stick with it." I think it's important that the man finishing the series understands the legacy of both Jordan and his work. I have a good feeling about this.

Man, I really need to get caught up on Wheel of Time books.

As for my own writing I'm spending time each day shopping Fool's Game: The Son of the Rain to agents. And while I know it's highly unlikely I'll hear anything before the new year it feels good to be working on it solidly again. And for those fans of Apocalypse Woman who may be disappointed to see me devoting so much time to a manuscript that doesn't contain any demon sex, or lesbianism, or gangbangs on church altars or anything like that; let me assure you that work on Apocalypse Incarnation is proceding steadily as well :)

And since the Midwest is blanketed in ice and I'm one of the fortunate few who still has electricity for the time being, I leave you with the following quote:

"A man may say he enjoys the winter, but what he really enjoys is having proof against it."-Richard Adams, Watership Down

Just what the world needs: more thoughts on "The Golden Compass"

I haven't seen The Golden Compass nor have I read the books. And I'm not going to waste time talking about the done-to-death truism of how boycotting something makes everyone go see it. Indeed, it may be possible that boycots actually do work the way they're supposed to, because I can't be the only one who's sick to death of hearing about it. If other people are experiencing Dark Material fatigue the way I am then the film will surely suffer at the box office.

No, what I want to attack is everyone's main criticism: "Phillip Pullman sells atheism to children."

Bullshit.

You read that right, bullshit. Phillip Pullman doesn't sell atheism to children. But there are plenty of people who do.

Intoxicated, abusive parents sell atheism to children.

Crazed gunmen who commit massacres in schools, colleges, and shopping malls sell atheism to children.

War sells atheism to children.

Murder, rape, and cruelty sells atheism to children.

Sports heroes who torture dogs, beat their girlfriends, and traffic in drugs sell atheism to children.

Religious people whose faith is so weak that they fear to see science reveal the wonder of God's creation sell atheism to children.

I could go on, but I think you get the point.
And Phillip Pullman? Eh, all he sells are books.

Something fun: name game

Something fun: name game
1. YOUR REAL NAME? Tyree Kimber

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)Tyrizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)Wait... what the fuck is this? Favorite color plus favorite animal? Maybe if you're a detective whose parents were a New Ager and a drag queen. F this noise. I'm changing this part of the survey!

3. (amended) YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav animal plus favorite WEAPON.) Viola! Now you're guaranteed instant badass detective names like "Scud Rhino: Vigilante for Hire," or "Claymore Wolf: Private Eye" or even "Trebuchet Jaguar: International Assassin." As for me, since I'm very enamored of the Japanese tetsubo, am partial to cats, and the Japanese word for cat is "neko" I guess I'll be "Tetsubo Neko: Gaijin Ronin for Hire."

4. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letter of ur first name?) Kimty

5. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink)Purple Corona

6. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name)
Ymqu Eeber

7.YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (both parents middle name)
My mother doesn't have a middle name so it's Henry. Just Henry... and you never saw me and I was never here!

8. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)Black Zephyr
(Ha ha that one is awesome!)

Working on a tagline and I need your help.

"They expected war. They did not expect a book with the power to kill."

How does that grab you? Based on that, would you want to read more? Give me your honest opinion.