Finding Yourself as a Writer

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan amused and impressed me by being the first (and only) person to pose with a sword for entries in my Launch Day Giveaway.  You rock, Sandra!

Because of you, I decided to do the same thing. I mean, who doesn't need a picture of themselves with a sword, amirite??

However, taking this picture brought forth several questions:

1. Why do I own leather pants? Seriously? When did this happen, and why was I able to locate them so quickly?
2. My husband's chain mail is crazy heavy. Just wandering around the house in it was a workout. Medieval dudes must have been buff as hell.
3. I own way too many books. The shelves behind me are just part of a larger Book Wall, and I still have boxes of books in the garage, not to mention a pile by the bed that threatens to crush me in my sleep.  Perhaps it is time to go digital.
4. My "serious business" sword-face is more like a "I want cake" face.

Along with these questions and discoveries, I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want to go as a writer.  Indie publishing has opened up whole new worlds that I've never thought were possible, namely selling short stories and writing across multiple genres.

Lately, I've been working on two more Veronica Grim short stories so I can release Part II of No Rest for the Wicked.  I love these stories.  They are so incredibly fun to write :).  The idea is that fairy tale villains are real, and there are special agents sent to take them out.  One of these agents is Veronica Grim, and she is very good at what she does.  There are shoot outs, dwarves, and snappy one-liners, and I am loving every minute of creating these.

But this is not, how do you say, Serious Business.  This is silly and fun and dark.  Shouldn't I be writing something Meaningful and Important instead?

I was talking about this with my husband last night, and the following conversation took place:

Him:  Well, the way I see it, it's like actors in Hollywood. Some are Tom Hanks, who is great, and then some are, you know..
Me:  Daniel Day Lewis?

Him:  Exactly!  Some only make four movies and are uber dramatic.

Me:  And live in a tent for six months psyching themselves up for their Oscar role.

Him:  Right.  But not everyone has to be Daniel Day Lewis.

Me:  Yeah, or wants to.  I don't want to be Daniel Day Lewis.

Him:  Then don't be.

Me: .....  What if I turn out to be Bruce Campbell (star of Army of Darkness)

Him:  *laughs*  That would be awesome.


So, I suppose what I'm getting at is, indie publishing is allowing me to explore who I am and who I want to be as a writer.  If I want to write campy fairy tale noir, I can do that.  If I want to write horror (which I would like to try), then I can do that, too.  If I want to do a sequel to LEGACY, I can do all of it. 

I can do whatever I want.  I have control over my career. 

I can be Bruce Campbell if I'm meant to be Bruce Campbell :). 

Or maybe I'll be Christopher Walken... I haven't decided yet.


My question to you is, who are you as a writer?  Are you okay with that? 

When are you having the most FUN when you're writing?

***

Bonus question! Which hollywood actor is your writing career like?

Tell the Truth Tuesday!

It's that time, guys--time to 'fess up and divulge this week's dirty (or not so dirty) secrets!

My truths this Tuesday?

1) I love using power tools! I started making jewelry this past week for my new Etsy shop and decided it would be an easy task to make my own square wooden beads. I used a gigantic power saw my husband has to cut up a tiny ass dowell into beads, and then drilled holes in them with another giant, whirring death machine.

It was awesome. I even bought a handsaw yesterday and felt very cool walking out of the store with it. Yeah, that's right. I saw things, baby! Spraying wood shavings everywhere is way more fun than it should be.

2) I'm addicted to Friday Night Lights. And even worse, am suddenly into football because of it. Now, as a geeky sort, I haven't taken in a lot of ball games. There's just something about this dang show, though, that makes me want to shout "FULL EYES, CLEAR HEARTS, CAN'T LOSE!" and go roll around in the mud with a pigskin.

Also, this show has shown me that Texans are crazy. Sorry, Texas.

3) I talk to plants. I started a garden and am nervously watching over it like an overbearing mother and have recently began speaking encouraging words to my plants at night when my husband's not within earshot. Our neighbors also have a garden on the other side of the fence, so I never know when they're only inches away. I'm sure they think I'm nuts. They may be right.

Go ahead, confess ;). What are your truths this Tuesday?

5 Things Writers Can Learn From Cats

This is my cat, Fawkes (named after the phoenix from Harry Potter (yes, I know I'm a huge geek)).

In this picture, he's on my lap indulging in what looks like an amazing back nap.

What does this have to do with writing you ask?

I'm so glad you asked! :)

Here are 5 Things Writers Can Learn From Their Cats:

1) Enjoy the journey. Fawkes will get incredibly excited when I wave one of his toys around, but when I actually toss it to him, he sniffs it for two seconds, and sits on it. Yeah. For him, it's all about the anticipation. Lesson: Don't get so focused on your end goals, that you forget to enjoy yourself along the way!

2) Don't get your back up over the small stuff. My cat will sit patiently on the couch as my husband and I blare heavy metal, play Rock Band, or sodder things in his near vacinity. He's relaxed about the small things that would spook many a lesser creature. Lesson: Chill out! Let go of the small annoyances and save your anxiety for when it really matters (Ex: lightning storms, or when someone turns the vacuum on.)

3) Waiting is an opportunity. When he's in between dinner time and when I turn on the sink for him to drink from (I'm cat whipped), he doesn't get restless or bitch and moan about how long everything takes. What does he do? Something awesome! He chases twist ties, bites things he shouldn't be biting, and, of course, naps. Sweet, sweet naps. Lesson: When the waiting seems endless, treat it as an opportunity and spend time on the things you enjoy!

4) Be an astute observer. Have you ever noticed how cats will often sit up at full attention and stare at something for minutes on end? And then eventually you realize it's a dust mite, or a single dot of paper on the floor? Lesson: As writers, we can't miss the opportunities to be observers of life. We are the ones who take the seemingly insignificant and make it beautiful.

5) Napping is mandatory. Enough said. Lesson: Seriously. We all need to take time for ourselves. Cut yourself some slack once in a while and take some time to relax :).

What do you think? Are there any lessons I missed?

Learning is Fun!

Today, I came across a fascinating post on Pub Rants about the difficulties in negotiating e-rights. Check it out!

If you're anything like me, you've been wondering what the heck is going on as far as the author's concerned with the rise of e-books. How are royalties going to be paid? How do publishers decide what's fair in this Brave New World?

Everything is in a state of change, and I love learning all I can about the turning tides :). How will it all shake out??

Also, yesterday I loved the answers I got to the question "what was your favorite childhood book?" I love getting peaks at people's personalities with stuff like that.

But I have to ask... what happened to the Q&A, yo? I feel like the nerdy girl all alone at the dance, picking egg salad out of my braces and swaying sadly to Boyz II Men. Why you got to leave me hangin?

I mean, maybe it's just my dayquil/nyquil/tylenol cocktail talking here, but throw a girl a bone!

Don't worry about me, though. I'll just sit here, drinking the liquor of my own tears and asking myself questions, like "why does no one love me?" and "how much chocolate can I fit in my mouth?"

Have a great weekend, guys!

And if you'd like, please answer me this: What is the best thing you've recently read and why did you love it? :)

Tell the Truth Tuesday!

Step into the confessional, ladies and gents! It's that magical time again:

Time to tell the truth!

Here are my shameful truths from this week:

1) I want an e-reader REALLY badly, even though I can already read books on my i-phone. I want more tech! MOOOORE! As if the piles of books around my house sitting unread aren't enough entertainment. However, I refuse to buy an e-reader until I can see pretty bookcovers on it in color, dangit. I'm lustful AND picky at the same time!



2) I think there is something really wrong with me. These past couple of weeks I've been craving vegetables every single day. Last night, I had some steamed broccoli over brown rice with soy sauce and actually mumbled, "mmmm, flavor!" to myself. What is happening to me? Is it some kind of alien virus? O_o



3) Sometimes at work, I go a whole week without washing out my mug. I just swoosh water in it, and then keep filling it with tea until it gets those sexy brown rings. I'm awesome like that.



4) I mostly want an e-reader so I can read books with semi-embarrasing covers (like This One) out in public without anyone knowing. Paranormal romance, here I come!



5) I think Bacon-flavored Vodka sounds like a great idea! Seriously--best bloody mary ever, right??



6) I got really excited and made a ton of progress on the last edits for Legacy of the Empress last night, but then couldn't get to sleep because my brain was busy. It was a rough night. My confession? I regret nothing :)! I'll sleep when I'm dead.



What do YOU have to confess this week?

Deal With the Universe Contest: VOTE NOW!

And now the moment you've all been waiting for (at least since last week's post on Making a Deal With the Universe):

I've selected the best, funniest, most terrifying blog reader suggestions for YOU to vote on!

Yes, you, Gentle Readers, get to decide my fate, when/if I get a book deal. I have to pay the Universe back somehow, right, and I might as well pay in tears.

You will also decide which of these four* lucky commenters will win a copy of Jessica Verday's THE HOLLOW :)!

Now, without further ado, here are your finalists:

Scott suggested posting the worst picture of me ever taken! (And trust me, I've got some doosies. My childhood was... awkward.)

Lisa & Laura suggested that I spend the entire day as a character from a book (i.e. Frodo), and document it with pictures for all to enjoy. (I promise not to cheat and be someone boring!)

CHKB suggested that I eat something revolting on video for all to enjoy. (I'm thinking haggis sounds like the worst thing ever, but please feel free to make suggestions!)

Shannon Messenger suggested karaokeing to "My Humps" and, of course, videotaping it. (You managed to find a song even more embarrasingly wrong than "Bootylicious! :) Well played!)

Please vote for one of these clever folks in the comments! Voting will be closed by Sunday night, and then a winner announced Monday :).

WHAT WILL BE MY FATE?

(*Okay, I know I originally said I'd pick three to vote on, but there were just so many awesome ones. I couldn't decide. So, I cheated. Hey, it's my contest. Back off, already!)