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Messages - Spot

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16
Cinder Spires Books / Re: Timing Question
« on: December 18, 2014, 11:34:18 PM »
Ah, my curiosity gene is faulty these days. Also, "good Spot"? You don't know me at all. Those two words don't go together. ;D

17
Cinder Spires Books / Re: Timing Question
« on: December 18, 2014, 06:01:45 PM »
He's finished the book now and submitted it for editing/publishing things. We should have it in our grubby paws in another month and a half or so.

Other than that, does it really matter what happened? :)

18
Calendar Event Discussion / Re: Jim in Seattle, WA - May 30
« on: May 28, 2014, 06:47:49 PM »
After thinking a lot about it and thinking a bit more, we've decided not to go. :( Li'l Spotlette is teething and gets cranky at the drop of a hat. Instead of spoiling everyone's evening, we are just staying at home. But remember, while you are all laughing your butt off at Jim's jokes, I'll be silently cursing each and every one of you. ;D (Just kidding.)

Tell Jim I said hello - not that he knows me - and everyone have as much fun as you can.

19
Community Cork Board / Re: Helen
« on: April 04, 2014, 03:42:36 AM »
Done, Shecky. It's out on my Twitter and I've written a note on my personal blog too.

20
Calendar Event Discussion / Re: Jim in Seattle, WA - May 30
« on: April 03, 2014, 08:23:35 PM »
That's what Mr Spot said. He said he'll be on baby duty and take her outside if she gets too loud. He said we can sit at the back. Which means we are going! *woot woot*

21
Community Cork Board / Re: Helen
« on: April 03, 2014, 06:14:58 PM »
I'm a little short on funds myself this year (thanks to being out of work to take care of the baby) but I will boost this signal!

22
Calendar Event Discussion / Re: Jim in Seattle, WA - May 30
« on: April 03, 2014, 03:35:35 AM »
Oh, I'd love to go. But, I do have a baby (who will be 6 months old at the time) that I would also need to take with me. Does anyone know if it's okay to take a baby to the signing? :(

23
Site Suggestions & Support / Re: Hicups on Android Phone
« on: May 22, 2013, 09:50:21 PM »
It could be that your phone just thinks Shecky is very loud.
Or that he shakes his cane rather vigorously. ;D

24
Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 08, 2013, 06:05:06 PM »
I keep hearing people say that this is original, but I could never see it myself. Sure, I've never heard of any other fictional vampires who sparkle (although I'm sure if I went digging hard enough I would probably find something similar somewhere--nothing new under the sun etc), but it didn't seem to make THAT big of a difference to me. I mean, the rest of the 99% of traits are still borrowed from someone else or mythical sources or wherever. JB's vampires feeding on lust felt more original to me than the sparkly-sparkle.
OH I wasn't saying that those books were original, but that was the best example of a bad book I could give that overused someone else's ideas, and had one idea that maybe original. :)


25
Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 07, 2013, 10:13:16 PM »
I rather like the term "nosferotica' Neuro. 
Maybe it's too high class for those who like that kind of thing. ::) ::)
Yes, they'd enjoy the vampire shagging. ;D

I'm reminded of hearing the cockpit recording of a pilot trying to bring in a damaged plane.
The plane's complete hydraulics system messed up and he could only turn the plane in right hand
circles.  Traffic control told him that they'd cleared one of the runways for him.
This calm voice from the plane - "Oh you want me on a specific runway - I was hoping just to
hit Kansas."  Side note - they brought the plane down in a crash that looks horrific but a vast majority
of those on board, including the cockpit crew, survived.  Further note: - in every test simulation
they've done of that particular crash - NOT ONE PERSON SURVIVED.
Wow, just wow.

26
Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 07, 2013, 06:49:27 PM »
I've heard them called "vampire shaggers"; I prefer the term "nosferotica" but I can't seem to get it to take off.
I'd much rather we didn't have to call them anything at all. ;) But yes, if there was a genre called Nosferotica, I may be tempted to pick one up one day.

It depends on the characters, but certainly, there is a specific flavour of humour that people in dangerous jobs often develop  to help cope, and more of that among urban fantasy characters in similarly dangerous situations would be appealing to me.
Exactly. And that sense of humour is what helps us in real life, when things are not going exactly the way we want them to. Why should any character in a book be different? Because that's how you care about characters in books, when you can identify with them, be it one trait or all of them.

27
Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 07, 2013, 06:27:57 PM »
My biggest pet peeves in UF:

  • Unwanted romance. Not just sex, romance. When I read a book with a strong character, be they male or female, they don't necessarily need a significant other for the story to progress. And even if they did have a romantic partner, that relationship doesn't need a front and center description all the time. It's like in real life, how often do you go on and on about your amazzinnnnnnnnnng relationship at work? Because in an urban fantasy story, whatever the character is doing (fighting bad guys or hunting down clues to something that the bad guys did) it's all "work".
  • Detailed descriptions of sex. Accepted that sex is something authors like to write about and people like to read about, but not in urban fantasy. Given the number of books out there with such scenes, we almost need a new sub-genre "Erotica with urban fantasy elements".
  • Predictable use of other author's ideas. Let's talk about sparkly vampires for a minute. Those books have sub-par writing and a very horrible story line, but that aside, at least there's a different reason for vampires not going out in the sunlight. Take also for example, the Toby Daye books by Seanan McGuire. There's a whole dark side to the older Fae myths that is just fascinating. The stories are different and that's what makes the books so awesome. If the author has taken a species or a myth that has been done a million times before and changed nothing about it, I lose interest in the books.
  • Lack of a sense of humour. I don't expect all books to be funny. Far from it. But I do expect at least the main character to have a sense of humour. Twisted jokes? Perfect. Silly jokes? Wonderful! After all, we read to get away from the humdrum reality of life. What better way than if you can chuckle at something?

I could go on and on, but that would make me sound like a whiny puppy. So I will stop. ;D

28
Display Case / Re: Perfect Casting, part 2
« on: April 23, 2013, 08:39:18 PM »
hehe, ya, it was a long while before I found out either.  They've said that more than once they've both auditioned for a part and it came down to a coin toss.
Hahahah, poor them! Though looking closely, I can pick up some differences in them. Not enough to make you think "different person!" but enough to make you take a second look. :)

29
Display Case / Re: Perfect Casting, part 2
« on: April 23, 2013, 08:02:43 PM »
Ive been trying to figure out a good actor for Billy Borden, and I think Ive settled on one of the Ashmore Twins.  It probably doesnt really matter which one, they are both comparable actors.  It might be randomly cool to use Shawn for early Billy, and Aaron for the later one after billy was supposed to have bulked up a bunch, but I think they'd need a story with more flashbacks to make that sort  of thing necessary. 


I'm an idiot. I never knew there were two of these guys.

30
Calendar Event Discussion / Re: Jim's 2013 Schedule
« on: April 16, 2013, 08:04:54 PM »
I suppose it was too much to hope for. He was in Seattle last year, so...

Ah well. Thanks, Priscellie!

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