New Poetry Book!!!

My new poetry book is out! Turn Left at November contains 53 poems, most of which are brand new, written in 2014. I'm so happy with the look and feel of the book. Much thanks to Eldritch Press for a job well-done in the execution of this project. It can be purchased from different distributors at what I think is a very reasonable price. $5.99 paper, $2.99 ebook. Here's the link for Amazon:

Turn Left at November

You may notice I use the term "left" somewhat often. The title of this blog is "From the Left Dimension." Well, left has always seemed "right" to me so given a choice I turn all my ships hard to port. Maybe it's because I'm left-handed.

Also in poetry news, my poem "Layover" is in the brand new April/May double issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. If it's not on news stands right now (March 14, 2015) it should be available within a couple days. Asimov's is also available as an e-subscription.

Upcoming for April will be a new issue of Mythic Delirium which includes my poem "Time Travel Autumn." I'll post here when it goes live. This will be an e-issue only, not available in print.

I'm also in the newest issue, #100, of Dreams and Nightmares Magazine.

That's my news for now. Thanks for reading!

Wendy

Wherein I Defend "50 Shades of Grey" as One More Harmless Erotic Romance

I have seen a ton of spiteful, mean and hateful crap on FB about 50 Shades of Grey. The vitriol, criticism... outright HATE. It is past rational. I guess a lot of people have very strong feelings, but to me they are going way too far out for me to agree even on the middle ground. In fact, while it's not my cuppa, and I have only read a few chapters of the second novel in the middle, I still believe it does not warrant such extremism. Nothing does, except maybe war and terrorists and politicians. Heh. I don't think the writing is THAT BAD. It's not great (if it means anything to you, I have a degree in Lit/Writing from one of the top schools in the U.S., UCSD,) but that does not mean unreadable. It is fiction and fantasy. It is not a real statement on how things "should be" between a man and a woman or a so-called 'proper' BDSM relationship or anything of the sort. It is not making any statement that I can see that "this is right." In fact, the chapters I read were all about Grey's damaged persona and past and how Ana feels she is strong enough (not weak, mind you!) to take him on and try to help him. (This scene would not be in the movie because this is the second book and you'll have to wait for the second movie to see this play out.) Whether or not that is right or wrong, that is the STORY. A story is going to have horrible things happen because a story has imperfect characters who need to figure things out to make the end of the story worth reaching and hopefully with a somewhat happy ending. The characters have hurdles to conquer, life-shit, love-shit, and personality shit. That includes all the abuse people are saying happen in the book. I don't want to read a book about perfect people with no issues and a story about love in which there aren't personal problems to be overcome. Abuse? If it is there, it is part of the "story." It is not a statement that abuse is okay.

I'm sick and tired of people thinking women need to be protected from their own fantasies, too. We are made to feel ashamed again and again for things men have had access to forever such as all kinds of porn from rape porn to BDSM to "Lolitas" to rough, sweet, and inbetween. Now women want it all and are people saying we are too weak to decide for ourselves that a fantasy can stay a fantasy and we might like it but not in real life? This is all the old criticism coming back and hitting me about writing adult fanfic and reading fanfic... that it was kinky, pervy and wrong and women should be good girls and not do it or otherwise we're somehow sick or twisted.

I don’t think it’s right for anyone, man or woman, to tell another what they should or should not do behind closed doors between consenting adults as if there is only one set of rules for an erotic relationship. But I think it’s even more insidious if one person dictates to another how their private, personal fantasies should be. Fantasy can involve things people don’t want in real life, but in fiction all constraints are off. That’s why it’s so wonderful. You can have a darker fantasy without the repercussions. It’s why we have such popular genres such as horror, murder mystery, even crazy action adventure that breaks all laws of physics and leaves a body count after much extreme violence. We can’t or don’t want it in real life, but it’s entertaining as a story which we can walk away from having enjoyed but not having had to live it. I feel erotica is one of those genres where self-expression is allowed to freely roam uninhibited and that’s a good thing because then we don’t have to have it all bottled up and combined with guilt and shame. Guilt and shame are what twist people, not stories, not fiction, not fantasy and not entertainment. All the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” of this world when involving personal thoughts and feelings that harm none only serve to screw people up.

We are passionate, fiery, frail, strong, incomplete, loving, fierce and flawed as humans, all of us, both male and female. Good stories are about (to quote Harlan Ellison) “the human heart in conflict with itself.” Good characters arise out of that. Whether 50 Shades is good or bad is not the point. The point is that the characters have made an impact and people want to read/know about them even if you do not. Something here has reached millions. It started out as “word of mouth.” Why, if it wasn’t somehow intriguing on some level to a large group, did that word of mouth work so well until it was picked up by CNN and others as an "of interest" human story leading the book to sell millions?

I defend the book’s right to be and I passionately defend the rights of women to like it if they choose without shame and repercussion and hate and being accused of being anti-feminist or sick and "into" abuse. Does everyone who likes horror want to be a serial killer or the victim of a serial killer? I seriously think not!

Oh, and take all the characteristics that people say they hate about this movie version and tell me they don't exist in every single nominated Oscar movie this year!

That said, it’s no secret to those who know me I write erotica myself… and romance. I have two horror erotica stories in a couple of old Hot Blood anthologies (still in print.) I have written tons of vampire stories, many erotic in nature, many now unavailable in out-of-print antholgies. (I'm working on getting a collection of my vampire erotica together and on Amazon for this year.) And aside from my erotic male/male romance trilogy (The Foundling Trilogy) I also have a book of erotica short stories that covers all aspects of fantasy from sweet to rape, het, bi, gay, underage, group called My House is Full of Whispers.

It is very un-politically-correct. However, it is pure poetic fantasy and that’s all. Go take a peek. It’s actually quite tame in comparison to the constant violence in TV and movies, not to mention the constant Hollywood subjugation of women (I can’t count the hundreds of obligatory strip club scenes I have seen in 90 percent of movies and TV… all for the pleasure of men.) Turn-about is fair play. Whatever fantasy we want, men and women, we should be able to have… in fiction.

I completely defend the right of 50 Shades to exist without deciding it harms people, I am envious of E.L. James for being, on some level I must be unable to see, so fucking brilliant, and I hope this opens the door for more authors and readers, and better-written, more brilliant erotica to come.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Poem Sold, and Other Stuff

Writing news: I sold a poem to Star*Line magazine, a publication of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. It's actually a long one: 52 lines. Title: "The Coming Dark."

The new, special issue #100 of Dreams and Nightmares is out with a color cover. I have a poem therein entitled: "One Day."

I don't talk about my rejections here, only acceptances, but believe me, I do get rejected. All the time. I'm stating this because sometimes assumptions can be made that if a writer is rejected it means the piece is not good, or not good enough. On the contrary, while that can be the case sometimes, one person's rejection can be another person's gold. The point is not to quit, not to throw something aside as bad just because of a rejection. Editors are human. They have differing tastes, bad days, unconscious biases. You just never know until you try. And just do the best you can. Be impeccable. You know when you're not. We all do. We all know when we're taking short-cuts. Don't take short-cuts. Do your best. Keep submitting. Harry Potter was rejected 10 times. Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire was rejected 3 times (very cruelly, in fact, she reports.)

Another thing of note: writers can be terrible judges of their own work. The above poem that sold to Star*Line was one I "shelved" awhile back because I judged it very harshly as too narrative. But I got to thinking that that editor tends to like narrative, long story-poems, so I got it out and said, "What the heck?" I sent her four other pieces, but that long narrative one I'd shelved was the one she bought. So you can't always know. Again, you can only do your best and then let go.

New subject: I have had a few people ask me why I don't go the route of traditional publishing for my novels. I am including here a link to a blog post that explains better than I can some of the reasons why. This does not mean I wouldn't take a trad pub contract if it appealed to me. I don't always see it as a black and white issue. And it does not address short story and poetry publication in magazines and anthologies, which I do believe are good ways to be pro published. But it does address a lot of issues in novel publishing I agree with, and why I am, so far, content to indie pub my books on Amazon.

I shall sign off now with a new short poem:

shadows are sacred

do not betray them

just because they are made

of shyness and rumors

Wendy Rathbone

Poem in New Issue of Apex Magazine

I have a poem in the new issue (#68) of Apex Magazine which can be read for free on their website. Before My Father Vanished is a poem I wrote last spring and I sold it to the first place I submitted it to.

Also on the poetry front, Eldritch Press is working with me on the cover for my new poetry collection, Turn Left at November. Things are moving along quickly there and the book should be out soon both as an ebook and paperback. I'll keep everyone updated here and on Facebook.

More new poems will be out in various magazines this year, too.

Reality check: While I like to keep this blog mostly positive, I do get a ton of rejections, too. I don't usually report them, but a writer's life is made up of rejection. A lot of it. Never be fooled it's an easy path. The trick for me is to diversify and that is harder than it seems. I get used to certain markets. I get used to thinking of myself as writing science fiction/fantasy/horror/vampire when a lot of my work defies genre labels. It's easy to stay in comfortable territory and keep submitting to genre markets because they are what I know and often what I prefer.

I have branched out to some haiku sites. That is fun for me. I put up a couple of haiku here at tinywords.com for their current photo prompt. And I submitted poems to their new issue (haven't heard back yet.)

The most important thing to me about being a writer is to never forget to have fun. It's hard work, and there are a lot of business things writers need to be informed about (especially these days) but in the end, for me, it's about daydreaming on paper (or the computer screen.) That is what it's about. Telling a story/poem and using the best words I can find to do that. I write what I love so that I can love what I write. Most of the time, despite rejection, it works. It fulfills me personally. A triumph!

Wendy Rathbone

New Poem, and a Link to Part Two of my Interview

Christina E. Pilz was very kind to interview me on her blog. Here is a link to part two.

Now, for a treat, here is a poem.

Ten Things

 

A green door of rain.

Jars of crystals labeled: stars.

The twenty-thousand-voiced wind.

Swept by an evergreen broom, the unseen path.

On the porch, a swirl of withered leaves I forgot to describe.

A burnt Viking incense boat.

Dangling on a kite string, a marble planet.

Winter’s dripping light.

Tiny letters that spell love with the word: understanding.

Discarded spectacles on a mantle overseeing all.

Thanks for reading.

Wendy  Rathbone

New Novel on Kindle

Finally my new male/male romance novel, The Lostling: Alec's Story, book three in The Foundling trilogy, is out on Amazon Kindle. Within a week of this post, it will also be available in paper. You can click on the title above or the cover in the sidebar of this blog and it will take you to the Amazon page for ordering.

This novel answers a lot of questions left unresolved at the end of book one, The Foundling and book two, None Can Hold the Dark. If you have read these books, you will recall that Alec is found floating in the middle of the Caribbean Ocean on a raft, near death. He suffers from almost total amnesia. Finally, in book three, we learn about Alec's identity, what really happened to him, and why.

My wonderful friend and fellow writer, Christina E. Pilz, is running a two part interview with me on her blog. She asks me questions about writing The Lostling, and also about writing in general. I'm grateful to her for her help in promoting this book. Go here to read the interview.

I would also like to add that my significant other and fellow author, Della Van Hise, has a wonderful new blog entry about writing and promotion here.

On other topics of interest, I am still working on my vampire novel, Lace.

Here is a pretty snow picture of our yard from two days ago. It's exciting for me because we don't often get snow here in the high desert of southern California.

Until next time, good afternoon, good evening and good night.

Wendy Rathbone

New Blog Face, New Poem

I just finished re-designing this blog to make it easier for readers to see at a glance my books (with links on the book covers along the right side) and other wonderful features. Hope you like it! One thing I want people to be able to do is contact me. So that also is an added feature.

On the writing news front: I've finished writing a new novel. The Lostling: Alec's Story will be the third book in my Foundling universe. The first two are The Foundling and None Can Hold the Dark. They are novels set in the male/male romance genre. The Lostling will be out very soon and I'll post here when it's available.

In the science fiction genre, My short story collection Moltenrose is just out. It contains two poems and two stories set in my Pale Zenith novel universe.

I'm thrilled that I have, so far, all 5-star reviews for my science fiction novel Letters to an Android. The private messages I'm getting on this book by readers who don't do reviews are all positive as well. So if you're new to this blog and you're looking for a book by me to try out I recommend this one. If you have a Kindle or a Kindle app (they are free for any tablet or reader) it's only $2.99. Not too much to spend to take a chance on me. All my books are also available in trade paper.

On the poetry news front: I have just sold a new poem to Snakeskin magazine. This one is for their special "monsters" issue so would probably be classified as horror. Upcoming poems will be in the new issues of Apex and Mythic Delirium and Dreams and Nightmares, as well as Asimov's SF in 2015.

My new poetry collection Turn Left at November from Eldritch Press will be out soon. I'll keep updating here as I know more.

I am half-way through a new novel. This one is a vampire novel. Technically, my vampires are vampire-faeries. How to classify? Hmmm. Well, it has elements of fantasy, thriller, horror and romance. So I just don't know. The working title is: Lace. I actually have plans to make this a series of books if all works out.

And now, free for your reading pleasure, a brand new still untitled poem by me.

this December world:

where the moon burns holes in

the setting night

taloned, wild

its scooped face pressed against

the winter window

I am sleeping in a hearth of

blankets while

trees scrape along the lunar edge

sparks and snow and ash

Thanks for reading! Please consider following this blog.

Wendy Rathbone