In the meantime, I'll look at lots of pictures of the Topkapi Palace for inspiration.
On the publishing front - the release date for Dracula's Secret has been pushed back (again) to early fall.
I am pleased to say that this is due to the natural growing pains that happen when a publishing house starts a new line. (As you may remember, Dracula's Secret is one of the flagship books for Kensington's brand new e-book line).
So when you ask me when my book will be out, the answer will be, "I don't know, but I will certainly tell you as soon as I find out!"
I was going to talk about how I watch men for inspiration - not so much with their looks, but for the way they carry themselves, their smiles, the body language they exhibit around people they might be attracted to.
Jeremy? Call me. ;)
But instead, I got caught up looking at pictures and videos of Jeremy Renner.
I've had to watch it in small bits and pieces, simply because the truth is so very painful - that with the proliferation of new media, the representation of women and girls has gotten even worse. And it had been bad enough when I was younger.
I railed against a system that refused to teach girls how to resolve conflict or how to call out injustice. In college, I studied history - a male dominated field - where I was told there were no great women historians.
When I was a young girl, I often expressed frustration at the society that judged women on their looks. I distinctly remember my father, a serious advocate for women in the sciences, calling my mother over from making dinner to, "Look at this beautiful PhD!"
Being a literal sort, I assumed Dad meant that this particular diploma had been hand painted with calligraphy and gold leaf illumination; a document that looked like something from the Book of Hours.
Unfortunately, no. It was about the way she looked, not what her dissertation was about, or her research advances.
And I now see that the system has gotten worse.
This is for all those out there who judge a female on her looks alone, who write advertisements, books, movies, and web content that minimize a woman's talents - I'm watching. And I'm going to let you know when you diminish me and other women.
Lots of authors like to post what they listen to while they write. I'm currently on a Judas Priest kick for Book Three. Of course, I only have the British Steel album, but it's getting me through. :)
Fascinated beyond belief, I simply had to page through the unimaginable horrors (no names are given here to protect the guilty). And horrors there were, with such titles as:
The Pecker at the Passageway (this poem was actually pretty funny)
Decomposition: An Ode
Nerf Sex Doll
Any Ditch Will Do
And such deathless literary lines such as:
"He trudged through the dessert, his mind focused on his final destination."
or
"It's not easy to fuck a tree."
(ok, I'll admit it. This is actually a hell of an opening line.)
or
"I can almost feel him sniffing at me in the dark some misshapen nose ferally twitching, wrinkling skin beneath glowing red eyes."
or
"He wreaks of alcohol, dulling his halo to a highlight in my eyes."
(I have no idea what the author was trying to say)
