Random Rant Thursday: Author Personal Lives

Not too long ago I finished a book called Magic Rises, the sixth and most recent book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. It came out July 30th and I had it read by August 1. Then I found myself wondering just how long I would have to wait for the next one, figuring out when the author(s) would announce it and if they've even started on it. Imaginary conversations were had in my head between me and the authors where I wondered when it would be released and why they were taking so long to begin it. A break? Who needs a break? Didn't they know I was waiting on the next one?

Then I realized what was going on. Until my recent epiphany, I actually believed that my beloved authors have nothing better to do than sit around writing amazing stories for me to read. That they're sitting around on the top of their lovely words, purposefully making me wait a whole year (at the very least) for my next fix read. Then I thought about it how hypocritical I was being.

Half the time, I drag myself into work and count down the seconds until I can get back home to "freedom." Just because authors normally love writing, that doesn't mean they aren't allowed a few days of time off from their writing. A day to themselves, or two. What do writers do when they have to go on vacation, or when they're sick, or when they just don't feel like writing? Somehow those words get out there, just like somehow my work at my job gets done, but still.

I hate the fact that I have to keep reminding myself that I cant check the internet every other day for news about the next release. I have to give them time to ride the high of the last release. Besides, publishers probably wouldn't let authors release books every 2 months even if they wanted to....even though I wish they would...

Still...I miss some of my fictional worlds. I miss some of my favorite characters. So much so, that I often want to head over to my favorite author's doors and knock and ask if my character can come out to play. I want to tell them I miss them. That it's not as amazing reliving reading reruns of our past fun times together.

Please tell me I'm not the only one to feel this way....and Kate? Wherever you are....please come out to play? I promise Roland will be nowhere nearby...oh and be sure to bring Curran and Derek with you.

The review of Magic Rises will be out Monday, August 26.

Random Rant Thursday: Editing

Hi everyone. I wasnt going to do a RRT today, because I had nothing to say. Then I realized. I have wonderful news. I have (finally) started editing my book!!!! It only took me like 5 months to feel the urge but so what. At least I'm doing it.

I owe all my thanks to my mother. She wrote a book and began badgering me about reading and doing a first edit for her. So finally I did.I hated the process, and my mom says I was pretty harsh to her with my comments and issues but that's beside the point. The point is that while I was in the mood and understood what I didnt like about her book, I was able to take a step back and take a look at mine and guess what? It's actually not bad.

Granted, I have edited like every other line. I've added and deleted lines, and worked on choosing better words, I've also finally come up with a title, though I'm still not 100% happy about it and Ive come up with names of the different societies in the stories that im not sure about yet. Regardless, it's coming along. I hope be done with my first round of edits maybe this weekend (but probably next weekend...I'm too lazy to make hard deadlines right now).

This means I may be coming to some of you to beta read soon and tell me what you think. I'm curious to know if my book is as good as I think or if its actually best used as a fire starter at the bottom of my fireplace. If you're interested, leave me a comment telling me so and include your email if I dont already have it.

Hope you're having a wonderful Thursday. I sure am (going to go see Iron Man 3 tonight!!! Woo Hoo!!) Wish me luck in edits!!!

RRT: The Hatred of Ellie Watt (of The Artists Trilogy)

Hey Guys!!! This will be a regular old post for now. I havent decided if I'll be doing a video for my YouTube page but we'll see. If I do, I'll post a link here.
I just got finished reading this post over on The Experiment in Terror Official Site page talking about the backlash from women about the character of Ellie Watt; liar, thief, con-artist, and 100% bad-ass from the Artists trilogy. (See My review for the first book, Sins & Needles, here.) It seems women pretty much hate everything about her, all of her decisions they hate. Even the one bug huge decision at the end they hate; the one that shows that maybe, perhaps, Ellie Watt is attempting to be a better person. To some women readers, her decision is selfish, and in some ways maybe it is. Regardless, the decision is made.

I really dont understand the backlash. As Karina Halle, Author of the Sins & Needles book, said, we love our male characters to be bad boys. They can lie, cheat, steal, kill, rape, abuse, and do pretty much anything else and as long as they have rippling abs and sexy dark eyes and decide not to kill the one damsel in distress, they're officially swoon worthy. Excuse my language, but What the Hell? Seriously. How is Ellie this horrible person because she's made bad decisions whereas the guys are completely sexy and gorgeous? Double Standard anyone?

It's my belief that there are little bits of Ellie in all of us women. Maybe that's why it's so hard for some women to accept her. We all put on these innocent fronts for everyone around us of being good little girls who always do the right thing and only want to fall in love and blah-de-blah-de blah. We act like we would never do anything wrong, like we never lie, or cheat. We spend our time pretending we dont think badly of ourselves as Ellie does, that we dont always deserve the perfect life for our mistakes, and we therefore make even more mistakes. We act like there hasn't been a time when we hear our conscience screaming at us to just do the right thing. That this time you probably shouldn't do that one bad thing you always do, because this time you may just get caught, but you do it anyway, and stupidly you get caught. Sure our actual events may not be as serious as Ellie's or as dangerous and damaging, but still, I think we're more like her than we know. We just grew up in a different situation.

We all have skeletons that not even our closest friends know about. Yet we prefer books where the guy is the bad-boy and women are the good girls because it ensures that no one knows our secret. It ensures that no one knows that women can sometimes be just as bad, if not worse, than all those sexy men we love in the books.

I love Ellie Watt because she shows the good, the bad, and the ugly. She shows our weaknesses, not just as women but as humans in general. She shows our strengths and our ability to go on despite all odds. She show's our innate ability to survive no matter what. Her final decision in book 1 shows the sacrifice we as women make time and time again to protect those we love from getting hurt. No, it may not have been the best decision, but it was the one she could deal with.

I love Ellie Watt, I love Sins and Needles. It's my hope that we as women can see the good in her the same way we can see the good in our male book heros and stop puting her down.

What do you all think about this topic? Do you agree that this may be the reason people put down the character of Ellie Watt or do you think I'm wrong? Could it be that we hold our fellow women to a higher standard than we do men? If so, do you think that's fair?

Message to the Author: (if by some miracle you're actually reading this) Thanks so much for making all your characters as flawed as we as humans really are. It makes your books so much more real and it keeps me hooked!