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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Jayne Ann Krentz is the writer we all want to be.

Jayne Ann Krentz is one of the coolest people in the whole publishing industry. First of all, there is her sheer love of writing - the woman has written more than 120 books, with 32 placing on the NYT Bestseller List!

Then there is her sheer determination - she's had to reinvent her career several times over her career, ending up with writing under three nom de plumes (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle, Jayne Ann Krentz) to showcase her different writing interests (historical novels, futuristic/fantasy, and contemporary).

There is her intelligence - as a former librarian myself, I am always in awe of her excellent research. Her non-fiction book, Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, has become the basis of intellectual discussion on the romance genre. She's generous to both readers and writers.

But most of all, she writes fiction that changes your life. I will always, always be grateful for this passage in Lost and Found. The heroine, Cady, spent the night at Mack's (the hero) house. His daughter catches them over breakfast. She's not too thrilled with the scenario.

Garbriella raised on shoulder in a jerky little shrug. "You think you're special"

"Uh-huh."

Gabriella spun around. "Why?"

Cady went back to the counter to get the English muffins. "Probably because I don't suffer from low self-esteem." (emphasis mine)

The first time I read that, I stood up involuntarily. I had never seen a heroine declare that she was special. I had never thought what it could be like to live with real self-esteem and not the crippling self-doubt I carried.

Heroes show you how to be what you want to be. By reading her books, I learned what it was like to have confidence.

And it feels amazing.

Monday, September 30, 2019

Awesome Updates!

Hello, dolls!

All sorts of great things are happening over here.


  • I don't know if I told you all, but I am part of a collection of short stories Called Itty Bitty Writing Space, edited by my friend Jason Brick. It's 104 short stories by 104 authors. My story is my homage to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 450. Buy it here!
  • Speaking of Jason Brick - he is offering a special deal on his Write Like Hell class. WLH is a one year course to get your writing (and writing life) where you want it to be. If you mention that you heard about it from me, you get $100/month off on the price. Jason is both generous and a smarty-pants who loves to see people write all they want. If you want to check it out, here is the link.
  •  I have an Instagram! I will be using to let the world see my campaign of tiny love notes. I will be hiding these little pieces of art wherever I go. If you'd like to play, let me know. I will send you some small art and you can set the love free in the world too. Come visit me at: www.Instagram.com/linda_mercury    
  • On Saturday, October 12, 2019, I will be part of the Self Publishing Divas panel at the Rose City Romance Writers meeting. Join me, Shea MacLeod, Jessa Slade, and Jasmine Silvara  at 11am at Portland Community College -Sylvania. Email me if you need directions. :)
 
  • AND. From October 18-20, I will be in ATLANTA, GEORGIA! I will be part of the first Multiverse Con. I'll be doing improv (bites nails) and doing panels on plotting, writing female characters, sex-positive  gaming, and how to survive burnout. If you want to join me, register here.
 
  • I'm planning my 2020 travel. If you want me to come to you for readings, book tours, or panels, email me! I love to visit my lovely people.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Melbourne, Australia, 2019

We saw the Terra Cotta Warriors.
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation. Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation. Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country
 I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.

Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country


Before every event in Australia, they acknowledge the indigenous people of the country. I was nearly in tears after I heard it the first time. I find it appropriate for me to do this when I am showing things from Melbourne.

We visited the National Gallery of Victoria. Intertwined with the traditional art and grave goods, modern Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang's beautiful, gunpowder-painted pieces brought an even greater sense of wonder.




I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we have gathered on today. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation. Source: Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/welcome-to-country-acknowledgement-of-country
Cai Guo-Qiang's enormous silks, painted with exploded gunpowder.

Grave Guardian.
A Horse Lamp from the exhibit, Designing Women.
The laneways and arcades of Melbourne are *amazing*.

Inside one of the laneways.
How could I not take this store's picture?

Speaks for itself.

The Great Ocean Road.
And another brilliant costume from RWAus.





Saturday, August 17, 2019

Romance Writers of Australia, 2019

The fabulous Bec McMaster. Read her books!
 I am home from my visit to Melbourne, Australia for the Romance Writers of Australia Conference,  2019! Friday night, the Mercure/Pullman hotel hosted the annual cocktail party. The theme was Twisted Fairy Tales. Not all of us dressed up, but man, those who did looked AWESOME!

The party was the kick off of an amazing weekend full of workshops with brilliant women, talking writing, and of course, my presentation on Writing the Best Sex of Your Life. Australian romance writers are so gracious, intelligent, and friendly. I was beyond honored to be there.

A half-feral Belle.
 Various links of various people I met:

Davina Stone

Bec McMaster (OMG her books are so good)

Jacqui Greig, Editor of Blush Magazine

Nalini Singh A giant among romance writers, though she is petite and adorable.



Moses, telling us how to do it.

Me in front of the gorgeous rose wall.

Jacqui Greig, of Blush Magazine, and tall husband!

So many cool costumes.

All the criminals of the fairy tale world.

A hippy, happy Malificent!

More criminals!

Monday, August 5, 2019

Hello, Melbourne!


I am already in love with Melbourne on the first day. Here are some pictures to show you this very cool city.

The Charming Man and I are spending a few days in the Central Businesses District before moving on to the conference hotel. This is what we have seen.

This has to be the perfect comics crossover.

Prawns on tomato sauce. 

























Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Holding out for a heroine.

If you are the crazy sort like I am, storytelling is about symbolically integrating the full spectrum of one's personalities into a whole where even the more unpleasant aspects of one's self is understood. I use "Heroine" interchangeably with the term antagonist - the one who starts the action.

The heroine/main character/antagonist has a number of jobs in a story.

First, she is who the audience will identify with. She is the gateway into the story, the one whose motivations and feelings we can understand.

Her second task is to show growth and learning. The heroine is the one who learns the most in the course of the story.

Third, she drives the action, learning how to be in control of her destiny. She takes the most risk of anyone in the story.

She is willing to sacrifice in order to learn or protect. Sacrifice ties in with a death or a death experience. These are often misunderstood as facing a literal death (which is highly effective but can be overplayed). She might let go of cherished beliefs, unbreakable habits, and or a past that holds her back.

From here, you are only limited by your imagination on who this heroine is. She can be a loner, more social, an innocent, orphan, wanderer, waif, or whatever. Once you know her functions in the story, you can write with more passion and confidence.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Archetypes: The Sage.

Finally, we have reached the last Queen Archetype from the Mopop Queen Within exhibition! She is The Sage, and what a wonderful woman to finish with.


 She's the thinker, planner, risk-taker, and philosopher in all of us. She has wisdom, intelligence, and self-reflection and uses these powers to understand the world.

Her biggest fears are being ignored or tricked by others. This can lead to her weakness, which is the seductive lure of never-ending research.

The Sage cares about the environment and wants sustainable fabrics. Her clothing invites inquiry.

 What do you wear to invoke The Sage? What makes you feel wise and able to take risks?


Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Archetypes: The Enchantress

We are at our second-to-last archetype from the MoPop A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes exhibition. This one is The Enchantress.
 She's the familiar seductress, vamp, and femme fatale (whose sexuality is defined in terms of her interactions with men) but also a sensualist and enthusiast. Her strengths are passion, wit, spiritual and bodily appeal. She mesmerizes but also can manipulate.

She wears clothes that entice. She is symbolized by her direct and sensual gaze, her loose hair or fabulous wigs, red lips, feathers, teeth, and flowers.

What are your favorite Enchantress outfits? What symbolizes women's sensuality to you?




Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Archetypes: The Explorer

In my June 26th blog post, I introduced us to the Museum of Pop Culture's Queen Within show. Today, we will explore the second archetype they discuss - the Explorer.

 She is a pioneer, adventurer, and a rebel. She's all over challenges and rejects authority. Her strengths are determination and independence, and her fears are conventionality, inner emptiness and boredom.

In this exhibit, the Explorer woman rebelled against the rigid framework of beauty and consumerism. She wore clothes that paid attention to issues of gender, race, and disability.

She is symbolized by the planets, the moon, the egg, the night, and the turtle.

What do you wear that expresses your inner Explorer? What makes you feel strong and determined?


Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Archetypes: The Heroine

I've  been talking about the brilliant Queen Within exhibit at MoPop in Seattle. (here)

The third Archetype we visited was The Heroine. She's a warrior and soldier. She's strongly moral and embraces challenges, especially the thrill of the chase. She's a hard worker, especially in her relationships, but can get addicted to emotional drama.

Her greatest fears are weakness, softness, and cowardice. Her tenacity, strength, and mental resolve are symbolized by the chess queen (the most powerful piece on the board), pearls, gloves, rare stones, the spear, the Mantua, and also body parts such as ears, eyes, and hands.