Roxx Hates Your Questions

Interviews with lead characters are generally a good idea, but once in a while you meet a lead who is, shall we say, less than cooperative when it comes to answering questions. I found this out when I interviewed Roxanne Grail, whose story is detailed in the novel Hard as Roxx.  I suppose I should...

Shhh, don’t tell anyone but I think she’s gay

"Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ... unless they're, like, gay or something." -- Not the Statue of Liberty "My being blind doesn't make me stupid." -- Justice Some of my characters end up being lesbian, bisexual, gay, or transexual. Some, like Trint in my novel Hard as Roxx...

Of Race and Character

I’ve been reading articles all afternoon on the dearth of minority characters in books. I find that amusing, as I’ve written 4 books and a short story collection rife with minority (and non-minority) characters. Rather, I think, the articles should consider why books with minority characters don’t garner anyone’s attention. I remember reading the horrified...

Writing Interesting Characters

I've said any number of times that I am a character-centric reader. That is, my interest in a book is largely determined by how well I can connect to the characters. So it's not surprising that I write the same way – if I can fall in love with my characters, I know I can...

Crazy Magnet, Part 2

See Part 1 here: What first made me wonder if I was attracting crazy folks was the abrupt way that Holly – my ex – changed. We had known each other as friends for two years, mostly online at first. Then, we started hanging out, and soon thereafter, we were a couple. She was an...

Interesting Enough to Develop?

Crazy Magnet, Part 1 Oh good, my crazy magnet is still turned on. I can tell it’s working by the looks I get from the homeless lady seated mid-sidewalk, taking a leak. Her smile would be sweet under other circumstances. I smile back, as experience has shown it does no good to pretend not to...

Developing Characters a Reader Could Love

I confess. When it comes to books, I am a people person. No matter how unique and interesting the story, if the characters don’t hold my interest, I will likely never finish the book. For one thing, I am not a particularly fast reader. If I invest 400 pages of my life in a novel, ...

Keeping It Real

My characters are real to me. No, I'm not schizophrenic, to my knowledge. I can separate reality from fantasy, and do so, as it suits me. I mean, in my writing and editing, I go to great lengths to make my characters seem like real people. If they aren't real to me, there's little chance...

Meet Charlie and Robin – Pin Heads

So, Robin LeBeaux and Charlie Patterson have dragged me kicking and screaming to Pinterest. (sigh) To make matters worse, now Jannet Rogers thinks she's a big enough character to get into the act. I'm just glad Jazz Grail is a 22nd-century gal, and is beyond this sort of thing. However, if you want to get...

Writing Toxic Relationships

I was reading through my other blogs, and came across my post on Toxic People, and thought it might be an interesting fit here. Since relatively few people know my other blog, I'm hoping this is only a repeat for a minority. In reading, or in viewing films, I tend to be drawn to relationships...