Valentine's Day Post: On Toxic Characters

In the lead-up to the release of Fifty Shades of Grey film, there has been a lot of talk about the casting, the acting, and the adaptation of the book into a film, but the thing I’ve been thinking about most is this: what is a writer’s responsibility to the reader?

It’s easy to make the argument that Ana and Christian’s relationship is emotionally and physically abusive, but the question I’m asking is whether as writers we have a moral code to avoid situations like that, or show them in a less positive light. This isn’t a diatribe on kink in books, or in people’s lives. It’s worth noting that even people within the BDSM community are upset by the book and the movie and that it is very possible to write a book about the subject in a more responsible way (see the wonderful, witty MinaVaughn, for example who writes sex-positive, female positive "kink with a wink"). 

I realize it’s a fine line. I don’t have to admire characters  or agree with their motives, but why, for instance, do I love Gone Girl without feeling like it is promoting cheating, lying, and framing your spouse, but Christian Grey gives me the creeps? 

Is it that Amy is an anti-hero and framed as damaged while Christian is more of a Byronic-romantic lead, like  Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights? Or is Gone Girl written more as a metaphor (i.e. marriage is hell, we’re all Nick and Amy, slowly killing each other)?

I can’t say that I know the answer for sure, but I do personally believe in putting out better vibes in the world. Especially as someone who writes for young and new adults, I wouldn’t want anyone reading something Carrie and I wrote and thinking it’s okay to let someone treat you disrespectfully or hurt you. 

Then again, are we not giving readers enough credit? Can they separate fact from fiction more easily? After all, Fifty Shades has sold millions of copies, and, as far as I know, hasn’t inspired a trend of domestic abuse. That said, if even one woman or young girl thinks it’s okay to be coerced and beaten against her will, isn’t that one woman too many? As a writer, I think it’s better safe than sorry. 

We know that the last thing a reader wants, especially a teen, is to be lectured by an adult in any form. Teenagers are cynical and smart, which is why I love writing for them. Therefore, as Carrie and I create new characters or work on existing ones, we seriously consider our responsibilities as writers and how we can create diverse, complex, characters. The characters we want to write don’t always make the right choices, but we do our best not to romanticize the wrong ones.  

Confessions of a Cryptozoology Addict

I have a confession to make. It’s something that I’ve tried to keep under wraps for a while now, but I suspect that those closest to me have already seen the signs and will no doubt soon stage an intervention. So it’s time to come clean.

My name is Carrie, and I’m addicted to monster hunting TV shows. 

I’ve always been into the ghost shows – recreationally, of course. For years, my DVR has been filled with shows like “A Haunting,” (not to be confused with “The Haunted”, also excellent,) “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” “Haunted History,” and of course “The Dead Files” – I loved them all. I even hate-watched those did-you-hear-that ghost hunting shows, in which a bunch of bros stumble around in the pitch black, antagonizing ghosts into making a distant thump or scratchy, inaudible EVP. 

But, I could quit anytime, I thought.  

Then I started experimenting with more hardcore stuff. Crossover shows that featured both ghosts and monsters, like “Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files,” “Monsters and Mysteries in America,” and my favorite, “Paranormal Witness.” Suddenly I found myself craving more information on Bigfoot and Nessie. I would lie awake thinking about the Chupacabra. The Moth Man and Jersey Devil haunted my dreams. I wanted more crypto. 

This is about the time that Betsy and I came up with the idea for Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things. This brought two of my favorite things together. I could indulge in my obsession while we wrote a quirky, romantic comedy. I mean, how could we possibly write a story about searching for Bigfoot without knowing the full “Monster Quest” cannon back and forward? Brilliant!

But, I was lying to myself and everyone else when I said that I needed to binge watch every season of “Finding Bigfoot” as research. Things started to spin out of control and soon, I was Nexflixing documentaries and scouring cable for anything with a mythological beast. I blew through “Mountain Monsters,” “Ten Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty,” “Swamp Monsters,” “Cryptid: Swamp Beast,” and “Alaska Monsters.” I even dug up some vintage episodes of “In Search of” hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Classic. Delicious.

Now, I’m not saying that I believe in all of this stuff. I’m actually sort of a skeptic. But it doesn’t matter whether I believe or not, because THEY believe. The people on these shows. The witnesses. The hunters. They all have personal, emotional stories to share about their experiences, and that’s what I crave. That ancient delight that comes from sitting around the campfire, scaring the crap out of each other. I can’t get enough of hearing folks tell their individual tales of spooks and goblins, monsters and beasts, the strange and unusual. 

And if those tales happen to be accompanied by cheeseball dramatic re-enactments or infrared camera shots of midnight Squatch hunts, well, then that’s just fine with me. 

Nice is Different Than Good*

Musical theater geeks, Carrie and I ditched our husbands one night over the holidays and headed to an independent movie theater in the east village to go see Into the Woods. While there was much to be excited about, including some stellar performances (hello, Chris Pine!), we couldn’t help but leave a little disappointed. 

Not at first, mind you, but it creeped up on us, the more we thought about the sum of all of the film’s parts.

In fact, our friend who joined us, who is not as versed in musicals as we are, remarked that it was really boring and slow. To which we replied, “Wait until you see Sunday in the Park with George, or A Little Night Music.”

She asked if A Little Night Music was about vampires. 

Sigh. If only.**

Anyway, it got us thinking about how important structure is to any work. While the acting, singing, and production were all great, what left us cold was the removal of the structure that made Into the Woods work so well on stage. Without most of the transitions, asides, and narration, some of the darker themes and allegories just didn’t come through. This was felt most deeply in between acts. 

There should be a major shift and separation between happily ever after and what happens after happily ever after, which one could argue is the whole point of the play. If we, as the audience, don’t see and feel the frustration and disillusionment the characters experience, we can’t take that journey with them. 

As writers, it was a good lesson about the importance of narrative arcs, structure, and transitions.  Plus, did we mention Chris Pine?

*lyric from "I Know Things Now,"  from Into the Woods

** For the record, Assassins is our favorite Sondheim musical.

Drop Everything and Read This: French Kissed by Chanel Cleeton

One of our absolute favorite New Adult series this year was the International School books by Chanel Cleeton. Seriously, we love these books. The setting, romance, and characters are so compelling. We're especially excited to see Fleur in her own story.


Therefore, we're thrilled to celebrate the release of the final book of the series, FRENCH KISSED, today.


BUY THE BOOKS:
FRENCH KISSED (International School Book #3)

On the surface, Fleur Marceaux has it all. If only the facade matched reality. With one year left at the International School in London, Fleur’s struggling to graduate, her love life is a mess, and she can’t stop thinking about Max, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend. But all that pales compared to the blackmailer determined to destroy her. 



There’s a social hierarchy at the International School and Max Tucker is outside the velvet ropes. After watching Fleur break his friend’s heart, Max knows to stay away from trouble, despite the crush he’s had on her since freshman year. But when they’re partnered on a project, Max learns there’s more to Fleur than meets the eye, and she just might be worth the wild ride. 



The more time they spend together, the further Max falls. And when a kiss awakens a passion Fleur never imagined, she’s unable to resist Max, who she had thought was all wrong for her but might be the only thing that’s right. But will he stand by her when her secrets are revealed?

 About the Author

Originally a Florida girl, CHANEL CLEETON moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in Asia.

Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her fighter pilot husband. 

She is the author of I SEE LONDON and LONDON FALLING, published by Harlequin HQN, the upcoming FRENCH KISSED, and FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL, the first book in a new three-book series to be released by Penguin/Berkley in 2015. 

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website:   www.chanelcleeton.com

Facebook:   www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleeton

Twitter:   www.twitter.com/chanelcleeton

Goodreads:   www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton

Newsletter:   www.chanelcleeton.com/mailing-list/

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22858376-french-kissed

Amazon: http://amzn.to/ZH8BeL
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1vlkljJ
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1x2UaLu

I SEE LONDON (International School Book #1)
Amazon:  http://amzn.to/MpM27V
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ibPGgh
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1ewcogY

LONDON FALLING (International School Book #2):
Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1n6rvo2
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/VxbiOd
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1ziLXaq

 

Liebster Award Blog Hop

One of the absolute best things about writing contests is meeting new writer friends, especially when they are as talented and witty as Wade Albert White and make use of those extra vowels in words like “favourite.”

So when Wade was looking to tag someone for the Liebster Award blog hop, I volunteered as tribute. Normally, I would drag Carrie into this madness, too, but she’s in the process of moving into a sweet garden apartment, so she has the day off—provided she hosts me for a garden tea party sometime soon.

So, here it goes.

Wade Albert White: Is the book you landed an agent with the first book you ever wrote?

Me: Oh, heck no. Carrie and I had written a YA Paranormal Romance that could best be described as "Gilmore Girls" meets House of the Seven Gables. We may revisit it at some point, but for now it’s very comfortable napping on a high shelf.

Wade: Favourite type of pie (you must answer this even if you don’t like pie)?

Me: (Gasps). Who doesn’t like pie? I make three pies from scratch for Thanksgiving and other kinds throughout the year including my infamous cookie pie, which involves making a brownie base and putting cookie dough over it, then underbaking the whole amazing thing so it’s still gooey when you serve it. You’re welcome. 

Wade: Was there any aspect of querying agents that turned out differently than what you anticipated? If so, what is it?

Me: I have to say that I really enjoy writing queries, as crazy as it sounds. I even like helping other people with theirs. I would say the biggest surprise was just how nice 98 percent of all agents were during the process. It makes sense that we would get along. Agents love books. I love books. But before the querying process I was a little intimidated. Now I know agents are people, just like us, but with literary super powers.

Wade: Name one book or author that has had a significant impact on your own writing and why.

Me: I’m a huge fan of Dickens and of J.K. Rowling. They are both excellent plotters who write amazing characters. Even their tiny characters are really vibrant. Think of Stan Shunpike who drives the Knight bus, for example. Both authors also know when to mix a little humor into some rather bleak material. Orphans are generally not laugh riots, but no one told Charles or J.K. that.

Wade: Where do you do most of your writing?

Me: On the couch in my pajamas next to my muse--my black kitten, Poe (seen above). I primarily write after my daughter goes to bed and until my eyes get blurry or I need to watch something on BBC, whichever happens first.

  

Wade: The genre(s) you tend to read the most versus the genre(s) you tend to read the least.

Me: I’m more interested in the story than the genre. Is there a sexy Moroi vampire or an alien who goes around the world insulting people? How about a bumbling bounty hunter from New Jersey? I’ll read pretty much anything I can get with my greedy little library card or Nook.

Wade: Best piece of general advice you’ve received from a critique partner?

Me: Try to make the chapters about the same length. It helps the pacing. That way none of the chapters drag.

Wade: Do you prefer to read the book first or see the movie first? And with or without popcorn?

Me: Most of the time, I want to read the book first so I can complain and be disappointed about all the tiny scenes and characters that got cut. Kidding. Kind of. I’m more of a Junior Mints girl than a popcorn person.

Wade: What is your favourite part of the writing process (first draft, editing, revising, submitting, etc.)?

Me: I love writing first drafts. The possibilities are endless. Right now I’m working on something that started out as a light contemporary romp but quickly turned into a darker thriller. I love when the characters knock me over the head like that and  force me listen to the story they want to tell. Characters can be so bossy.

Wade: The one bit of advice you wished you had discovered before you started querying.

Me: Write the query before you even start the manuscript. It will probably change, but it’s a really good idea to get a sense of the hook, the conflict, the characters, and the stakes before you delve in to the story. It can help nail down the voice, too.

And here are my questions for Lara Rectenwald, Kristin Wright, Faydra Stratton, and Sarah Glenn Marsh, who will in turn tag some of their friends.

1.      How do you motivate yourself to keep writing? Do you focus on word count goals or pages
 
2.      What’s your spirit animal?

3.      Is there any genre or type of book you’d love to write but are too intimidated to do so?

4.      What’s the best piece of constructive criticism you’ve received?

5.      What author or book speaks to you the most and why?

6.      What’s your writing goal for 2015?

7.      What’s your bad habit in terms of writing?

8.      What advice would you give a writer just starting to query?

9.      Who is your book boyfriend or girlfriend and why?

10. What’s your best cure for writer’s block?