Sex and Violence

Today we have a special post, a sort of cross between a Random Shout Out Sunday (where I highlight an indie author or press, or other cool writing thing) and a guest blogger. Please welcome Drew Cross!

Hello out there!

First things first, thank you very much to Jen for letting me guest on your blog. The title of this post is a deliberately provocative one – just as the titles of my books aim to be (BiteMarks for my debut crime novel, and The Scarmap for my debut middle grade fantasy novel, both of which will be appearing later this year); but that's the whole point, right?

Read any 'how to write a bestseller' manual, and sooner or later they'll talk about your opener; so in that vein, here's one of mine for BiteMarks:

The girl draws in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and moans with a mixture of pain and pleasure; her white-blond hair feels like falling snowflakes where it brushes my skin. She has a tattoo on her neck, two small red pin-pricks and the words BITE ME in gothic lettering, stark against her near translucent paleness. A thin rivulet of blood snakes down her bare back, an escapee from the small clean incision on her shoulder blade. I kiss her deeply, my mouth still wet with her blood, holding her close and feeling her tremble, wanting to consume her, she runs her tongue over my elongated fangs as if she can read my thoughts. I can taste peppermint and vodka, the blood as a sweet honey tang underneath, her skin is aromatic with cocoa butter and the soft smoky musk of burning incense clings to her hair.

Whether or not that's attention grabbing is a matter of opinion and personal taste, but it does tell you something about the novel immediately. Note that I said 'something'…but not everything.

Now here's a piece from the next section of chapter one; it also features the male MC – Shane Marks - who we met drinking blood in the opener, but the tone's entirely different (a device used throughout the book to emphasise the duality of his existence):

“Marks?”

“Sir?”

“Briefing's in five minutes with CID, if that‟s enough time for you to finish preening yourself?”

The Inspector strides off without further pleasantries, but I can‟t help but like the grumpy old sod anyway. Marcus Cooke emerges still dripping from the shower, hurriedly towelling himself down and putting on his shirt having heard the Inspector's words.

“Why can‟t you put some pants on before your shirt? I don‟t want to see your dick every day.”

“Seeing my dick is the highlight of your day and you know it.”

He grins in his usual stupid broad fashion and slaps me on the backside as he passes to get to his locker.

Marks is a cop, and for me, that element of surprise is very important too. We live in a world with a short attention span, 'keeping em hooked' is half the battle - an extreme example of somebody who does this in the crime genre might be James Patterson, with his frantic pace and twists and turns on every page. Does it work? I hear he's sold one or two books recently, so just maybe there's something in it…

Let me also say this; BiteMarks is NOT a vampire novel. If you're catching the coat-tails of that particular bandwagon then all the best to you, but I am emphatically not. I've not read Ms Meyer, and all of the characters in my twisted little tale are all too human; albeit quirky types of human. However, there is something to be said about being mindful of 'trends' if you're commercially minded…I'm not suggesting you should sell-out and write what everybody else is writing, just that if you're aiming to make a good living, then be mindful of what the readership at large want when constructing your masterpiece.

So here comes the sex and violence promised: BiteMarks features a young police constable and practising blood-fetishist, chasing a savage attacker with a deep-rooted desire to bite his victims and spill their blood through the red-light zone of a violent city. Got that? Good. Sex and violence, and sexual violence, in all of it's permutations is dissected and deconstructed for your viewing pleasure – fundamentally sex and violence sells. If you want some more then look out for the book coming out somewhere near you very soon.

------------------------------------------------------------

Drew is a married father of two from Nottingham, England; he has been a model and a police officer (but never a model police officer!), and now masquerades as a financial adviser for a large banking group while dreaming of one day writing full-time for a living. When he's not reading, writing, toddler wrangling or weimaraner wrestling, he enjoys martial arts, cooking various cuisines (South East Asian a particular favourite) and meditating.

 BiteMarks will be available soon in ebook and print form from Night Publishing.

Eternity, which Drew co-authored with Jenni James, was released as an ebook earlier this year.

Random Shout-Out Sunday

Well, it's not Sunday anymore, but it is random!  Time for another shout-out!

If you've been following my blog for a few months or more, you've probably realized I have a bit of a literary love affair going on with the Dirty Prophet, Andrew Bowen.  I first made Andrew's acquaintance when he accepted a short story of mine for publication in his online lit mag, Divine Dirt Quarterly, late last year, and I've been a fan ever since.  In addition to being proactive and full of interesting ideas, he has a brand new project that I'm very excited to tell you about.

For a bit more background info on Andrew, make sure you check out my conversations with the Dirty Prophet (shame on you if you haven't read it already!)  He was also recently interviewed by Lynn Alexander at PRATE, and she mentioned Jello World.... I'd be lying if I said I didn't go squeeee! when I saw it!  So, Andrew is a father and husband, a student of theology, founder and editor-in-chief of DDQ, is pioneering his own genre of theological fiction, has a forthcoming novella, and his short fiction has appeared in various magazines.  How much more can one man do, you ask?

How about take on a year-long project to explore various religions from the perspective of a new convert to each one?  Take on Dirty Prophet and twelve months of "spiritual promiscuity" and you get Project Conversion.  From the Project Conversion website:

Humanity has lost its mind, all because of religion. For a cultural phenomenon that’s existed as long as Man has been afraid of the dark, religion remains a divisive and misunderstood subject. A recent poll by The Pew Forum found that many religious groups know little to nothing about one another, or even their own theologies. People are afraid of what they don’t understand and willing to kill and die over their concept of the divine.
It’s time to lighten up.

Project Conversion: Twelve Months of Spiritual Promiscuity, has a mission: To enlighten and entertain. Over the course of a year, I will immerse myself in one religion per month. With the help of spiritual mentors and research, every step of the journey will be documented here via photos, video, and blog entry.

Should be fun. Will certainly be interesting, and hopefully by the end a few folks who may have been reticent to find out about a rival faith will learn something by vicariously practicing for a month through me.

 While I think it's a great idea that people will be able to learn from, as well as be entertained by, there will be those who don't share my opinion.  Some people are concerned that some faiths may be "butchered" by their portrayal in this experiment.  Andrew has addressed some of those concerns on his blog, which you can read here.  Whatever your opinion - positive, negative, or neutral - Project Conversion is definitely something to keep your eye on.  Here's a brief video from the project's donation page on Kickstarter.



If you wish to support Project Conversion, you can do so here.

So, to recap, here are all the places you can find out about Andrew and Project Conversion:
Andrew's blog, The Dirty Prophet 
Project Conversion website
Project Conversion on Facebook
Donation page at Kickstarter

Random Shout-Out Sunday

Let me say, I love the online writing community - small presses, indie authors who self-pub and/or take their marketing into their own hands, fledgling lit magazines seeking to fill a gap in the market, online writing communities nurturing the creative spark, etc.  All of these people/places are trying to give voice to ideas generally swept aside by mainstream press because they won't make money/are too controversial/will be difficult to market/[insert other ridiculous excuse here], desire to change the face of publishing so that it's more representative of quality writing, and respect the author as artist instead of cash cow.  There are a lot of great people in this movement, and I'm pleased to have made the acquaintance of some of them online.  Just the other day I was exchanging Facebook comments with Diane Nelson, editor of Dancing in the Dark, and erotica anthology I plan on submitting to, chatting with Andrew Bowen, founder of Divine Dirt Quarterly (stay tuned for an interview!), and exchanging comments on some excellent published and unpublished stories on Fictionaut.  I doubt you could find this same level of vertical access and communication in the big-box publishing industry.

So I'd like to take this opportunity to start a new feature on the blog: Random Shout-Out Sunday, where I pick a group, publication, or author to highlight, without them even having to ask for it.  Because if there's anything I love more than the online writing community, it's giving my friends lots of free publicity!  (Disclaimer: due to the malleable nature of Jello World, I wouldn't necessarily count on this feature showing up every week. :-P And it may occasionally pop up on days other than Sunday.  Just sayin'....)

Today's spotlight is on Dragon International Independent Arts.

From the About Us section of the Diiarts website:

For the reader, we believe we are giving you books which represent a break from the mainstream, not in direct competition, but as a parallel alternative. Through our forum here, we encourage our readers to interact with the authors, presenting as few barriers between the writer and the reader as possible and actively encouraging participation in the reading/writing process.

For the author, we believe firmly that you own your writing, and that you should retain all publication rights and final editorial control for your work. Our editors work closely with each author to help the author achieve what he/she wants for his/her work, and to make the manuscript as good as it possibly can be. We will also use what technological resources are available to employ innovative and effective means of promoting our authors’ writing.

What more could a reader or writer ask for?  Here are the books Diiarts has published so far, in no particular order:

May 1812 by M. M. Bennetts

In the war against Napoleon, there are no easy victories.

 

Pistols for Two, Breakfast For One by Matthew J. Dick

English gentleman seeks easy life featuring exquisite tailoring and fine women.
Tiresome encumbrances such as political intrigue, murder or Mafiosi need not apply.




Harbour by Paul House

Three cultures collide—the end of an Empire.

Common Places by Paul House

When Leah Elisabeth Browne accompanies her mother to southern France to visit her brother, Harry, she is unaware that the events and people she encounters there will puncture forever the facade of her staid suburban existence, and expose the many tragic follies hidden behind the prim respectability she has always known.

Whom Must I Kill To Get Published? by Jason Horger

Wes Pennington finally has a mystery manuscript worth selling, but the price might be his life!

Die a Dry Death by Greta van der Rol

June 1629. Laden with treasure and the riches of Europe, the merchantman Batavia, flagship of the Dutch East India Company, sails on her maiden voyage from Amsterdam bound for the East Indies. But thirty miles off the coast of Terra Incognita Australis—the unknown south land—she smashes into an uncharted reef.

Tulagi Hotel by Heikki Hietala

World War II has given Jack McGuire the chance to escape the confines of the Midwest and the family farm. An ace U.S. Marine fighter pilot, he risks his life each day with his squadron in the South Pacific theatre. For him, there’s calm and camaraderie up there in the cockpit. But when the war ends, Jack struggles to find his place in civilian society.




So, devoted Jello World followers, take a look at the Diiarts site, purchase a book or two or seven, and support your fellow authors!

I do hope the folks at Diiarts and the listed authors don't mind me using the graphics because it took me a very long to get everything formatted, linked, and aligned!  :-)  Plus, it just looks prettier than a big ol' block of text.