The Blue Night Blog

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Emily Asher-Perrin has a great post concerning the Marvel Comics Universe Loki’s apparently-canon genderfluidity. Emily brings up the point that gender is not about sex acts but identity. Loki-as-a-woman is not presented in the MCU as a guy who sometimes seems to look like a woman – but simply is female, a person who refers to…

Read More Genderfluidity
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I love the digital era. In the great old days I’d have typed everything, made carbon or photocopies, and spent way too much in postage. I’d have waited months for news on a manuscript. Now, for the most part, I deal with Word doc format files and rapid email communication. Such as this morning, when…

Read More The manuscript game pt 2
by 4 comments on "Fanfiction and original characters"

Apparently, there’s a hot fanfiction debate I’ve missed. I’ve accidentally avoided the fracas on Tumblr and non-AO3 fansites, and I don’t engage that much on Twitter and other ‘instant’ social media. People seem to hate original characters (OCs) in fanfiction. The mere inclusion of a tag of ‘OC’ in a story somehow seems to bring out the…

Read More Fanfiction and original characters
Aside
courtesy of http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/bad-parking-job-shamed-hilarious-graffiti-article-1.1755683
courtesy of http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/bad-parking-job-shamed-hilarious-graffiti-article-1.1755683

It must be a rule of nature and traffic that the driver of the biggest SUV in the grocery store parking lot absolutely has to do one or all three of these things:

1) Stop their vehicle right outside the doors in the walk zone, even when there is plenty of parking out in the lot. And stay there, idling while their passenger goes in and leisurely shops.

2) If they do park in the lot, they must take up at least two parking spaces.

3) Once leaving the parking lot, they must try to turn left into rush hour traffic, away from a traffic light.

 

 

 

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*Unless it’s great writing, first and foremost. I am not downplaying the importance of therapeutic writing. It’s a valuable tool whether self-directed or used in a more formal recovery program. I’ve used it, myself. But I’m not being paid to read what other people write, and then evaluate it in terms of their recovery from…

Read More Why I won’t read therapy writing*
by 3 comments on "Ellora’s Cave and Elephants in the Room"

(Scroll down for new info.) Or why it is not enough to research publishers once, at the start of your writing career. Diligent authors need to keep tabs on the industry at large, especially on already-established publishers. Because you never know when one is going to melt down… Anyone who has been involved in romance…

Read More Ellora’s Cave and Elephants in the Room
by 2 comments on "Real women, real armor, and worldbuilding"

I’m blabbing about art and armor today. When I really began reading fantasy and science fiction in the late seventies and early eighties, I didn’t pay much attention to the different portrayals of men and women on book covers. I loved those cover artists equally, shrugged off their foibles, and learned some basic principles of…

Read More Real women, real armor, and worldbuilding
by 2 comments on "The Collections Agent, by A. G. Carpenter"

I occasionally make digital art covers for other people, when I have time and my intermittent art abilities function properly. Here’s one, with text layout by A. G. herself. I think we did okay, for a creepy little spec-fic steampunky-sort-of-story. It’s only 28 pages, and under $2 on Kobo and Itunes. Go check it out. Blurb: Milton Jones…

Read More The Collections Agent, by A. G. Carpenter
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Continuing my last post: let’s talk about marketing self-published works, and why hybrid authors may have advantages that self-pub-only authors might not have. The hard, cold truth? Most unknown, first-time self-published and indie-published books don’t sell very well. Their authors have a rough time reaching enough of a buying audience to make the equivalent of a living…

Read More Self-publishing and Hybrid authors, pt 2
by 4 comments on "Gloat gloat gloat"

This is not a review. This is me getting ready to review a book*. And gloating a little. In between working on The Last Added Scene for ‘Singer in Rhunshan’ and flaying my fingers on faux-finished fiberglass, I have managed a digital coup. This: I have an e-book Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Alis Franklin‘s…

Read More Gloat gloat gloat
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Thanks to RL work commitments, I haven’t been as diligent about posting these in real-time. I figured those of you actively following the tournament in realtime are doing so from the contest homepage over at Scorching Book Reviews. This listing is more of an archive service for future reference. Quarter Finals: http://www.scorching-book-reviews.com/sex-scene-championship-quarter-final-1-cris-anson-vs-tessa-bailey-mstessabailey/ http://www.scorching-book-reviews.com/sex-scene-championship-final-2-laura-kaye-laurakayeauthor-vs-kelly-jamieson-kellyjamieson/ http://www.scorching-book-reviews.com/sex-scene-championship-quarter-final-4-eden-bradley-edenbradley-vs-kimber-vale-kimbervale/ http://www.scorching-book-reviews.com/sex-scene-championship-quarter-3-round-5-vivian-arend-vivianarend-vs-sidney-bristol-sidney_bristol/…

Read More 2014 Sex Scene Championship Quarter Finals and Final Round (adult links)