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J. M. Butler Posts

Written Review: Summoner: Novice

Published by Jessica on July 28, 2015

SummonerAs much as I love Amazon, I have been having problems with them for quite awhile. My reviews keep vanishing, particularly for indie books (but not just indie books). And when I have tried to get them reinstated, they insist that I know the author and thus that invalidates my review. I have been trying to get this fixed for awhile, but I’ve decided that my reviews will now focus primarily on my blog. That doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying. I know that Amazon reviews, in particular, are gold for the authors.

So to all my author friends, my apologies for the delay. I have posted Amazon reviews for many of you, but of the 80 reviews I wrote for this year alone, the vast majority have vanished. (I suspect it may be because, starting in January, I started putting disclaimers of potential biases relevant to the book

So I’ll start trotting these reviews back out now, thank you very much. And we are going to start with a written review of Taran Matharu’s Summoner Novice. Now I already reviewed this one on Talk Story to Me, but I promised a written one. Let’s prepare to dig a little deeper.

Short Summary of Review

A well crafted fast fantasy epic that is easy to read and perfect for young middle grade and older. High rereadable and great for reading aloud.

Disclosure of Potential Biases

I met Taran Matharu through Wattpad before his novel was accepted for publication, and I consider him one of my writing friends. However, as my friends will tell you, that doesn’t mean I love everything they do. Also he sent me an ARC for a fair and unbiased review.

Additional biases: I love fantasy.

Added perspective: the other copy I bought has vanished from my home. My teens and tutees keep borrowing it, and so far they all love it.

World Building

Fantasy is becoming an increasingly difficult genre to write in, at least if you go by what the critics have to say. One of the most common complaints I hear is “oh, heavens, look, another book with witches, werewolves, vampires, sorcerers, elves, dwarves,” or whatever else. Allow me to get something off my chest right here and now: that is not going to change. Whining about it and pretending that authors who do use these elements are somehow lazy is misguided. You don’t have to like it, but that doesn’t mean that the author failed or that there’s something wrong with using classic fantasy races.

What matters is how the story is told and whether the reader wants to keep going. So Taran isn’t going to get any markdowns from me because this book features orcs, elves, dwarves, and so on. In fact some of the twists and developments work because the reader is familiar with the common stereotypes and tropes associated with these races. It’s an easy starting point. Young readers, in particular, or those readers who don’t have a lot of time to invest in a lot of new knowledge, have a cheat sheet if you will.

Let’s take the dwarves for example. Many of the core elements of the dwarves remain in place. They are short, stout, and fiery tempered. They work with metal, and they are secretive. But the dwarves in Summoner: Novice are quite distinct from dwarves in Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings. Taran Matharu has his own reasons for why dwarf women are rarely seen, and the dwarves themselves have a complex culture and even a heavily spiritual focus. The customs and interplay of culture take something quite familiar and gradually alters the reader’s perception of it. The dwarves are my favorite culture represented so far, though the series is not yet finished. In future books, I hope to see the elves, orcs, and other races developed more.

Good Guys

Not only is Othello one of my favorite Shakespearen plays, but he is also my favorite character in Summoner: Novice. Othello is brave but calm and steadfast. He also demonstrates the importance of growth and handling conflict in an appropriate manner.

Minor Spoiler: throughout the book, we see Othello has conflict with his brother, Attila. He loves his brother. Because they are identical twins, he gets the same tattoos and markings as Attila to ensure that they cannot be told apart. Dwarves are frequently targeted, and racism worse than pre Civil Rights movement in the United States for people like the dwarves. Attila makes a number of bad choices, and he relies, to a certain extent, on Othello covering for him. Eventually that comes to a head, and Othello has to decide whether to keep covering for his brother.

Fletcher, the main character, is a fairly typical fantasy protagonist. But, as with the dwarves, I found the familiarity was used to keep the reader comfortable while drawing in more and more details. Fletcher grows as an individual, but more importantly, Taran Matharu subtly explores the concept of the “other” in this far better than in most. Fletcher does not fit into his community. He is an easy target because he is clearly different. And, while he makes friends when he leaves, he never fully escapes that.

In an interview, Taran Matharu discusses how his own experiences with racism and bullying shaped this novel. I see this coming through most clearly with Fletcher and Othello. In fact, their friendship, which develops swiftly, seems to be based on this shared understanding, though it is not explicitly discussed. Fletcher doesn’t try to equate what he has experienced with what Othello has endured, and several scenes would, in my opinion, be quite good for initiating discussions with younger students about racism, its impacts, and cultural structures.

Minor Spoiler: One of the things I appreciated is that while Fletcher is more powerful than the average commoner who has summoning abilities, he is not the most powerful student. He still has room for growth, and he struggles at various points. In fact, he strikes me as being a largely B level student.

Bad Guys

So, villains are so often crucial for me. The villains in this case are pretty stock. Various baddies show up, and they are generic. You identify them. It’s not surprising who they are. And Taran Matharu doesn’t put in any twists here, though, in all fairness, fully developing the villains and making them more sympathetic would have probably unbalanced the story. Plus these villains are the kind of villains you love to hate. Rook, in particular, is absolutely despicable. I swear the man probably eats kittens for breakfast with the dried tears of orphans as his breakfast aperitif.

That didn’t detract from the story for me. I didn’t find myself wanting to know more about Tarquin or Isadora or Rook or any of the others. Sure, they were what you’ve seen before, but sometimes it’s nice to not have to deal with constant shades of grey. Sometimes it’s just nice to know that you can confidently dislike people. There really are terrible people out there. Not every horrible person is a thick wall with a broken heart quivering in a crystal bowl. Plus there are some other characters who are gruff or who are initially misunderstood, and they are more explored. The bad guys are not presented as bad guys just because they were a certain type of person. They earned their baddie badges.

So while the bad guys didn’t stand out for me, they didn’t take away from the story either. I think it was a tradeoff, and a valid one.

Magic

Magic may not be necessary in a fantasy epic, but Taran Matharu brings his own fun twist to the powers in this world. Not everyone has the gift, but those that do can summon demons from the ether. It’s a complex system with rules similar but distinct from Pokemon and Magic. And Taran has added some fun twists that reminded me of modern video games. There’s a lot of familiar and unique faces. Hydras and wendigos show up at points, but there are also unique ones known as shrikes and fire salamanders like Ignatius (who steals the show; I swear Ignatius has a cat spirit).

To my readers who are worried, don’t worry. These demons aren’t the minions of Satan or the legions of darkness. They are actually just monsters that can be tamed. Oddly, this is in line with a number of early translations where, when a creature was a monster, it was translated simply as “demon.” There’s lots of reasons for this, and part of it was to signify that you probably shouldn’t go petting it or trying to cuddle. And I wouldn’t recommend that you pet any of the summoned demons here on the head. However, in terms of good and evil, they’re fairly neutral. Their capabilities much like the summoning power itself can be used for good or evil.

Pacing

I don’t have too much to say on this, but it’s an important point for every story. The story starts off quickly, and it keeps going. I didn’t find myself getting tired, and I read it easily in an afternoon. Nor was I bored. It was easy to stay engaged with the story. If you had to set it down for awhile, I don’t think you’d have a problem picking up right where you left off.

Ending

Overall, it was a satisfying story. It does deal with consequences, and while many things are dealt with, Fletcher’s past does catch up with him. And it does end with a cliffhanger. There was a very satisfying battle, and then boom! But this wasn’t a case of the author wrapping the book up too quickly. It is labeled as a series, and there is a sequel coming out in 2016, which will be great. And I can’t wait to see what happens.

Overall Consensus

Yes. This novel has definitive rereadability. I enjoyed it the first time, and I enjoyed it even more the second time. I’ll probably read it a third.

This was an enjoyable fantasy epic. I didn’t have any major problems with it, and I enjoyed the experience. This book did just what fantasy is supposed to. It takes you off to a new world, introduces you to some fun friends, and offers you a good time. And even though this is Taran Matharu’s first published novel and it is quite good, I’m thrilled to see how he continues to grow and develop. Because it’s going to be great.

Happy Birthday, Amelia Earhart

Published by Jessica on July 24, 2015

One of the first steps to knowing a character is to discover the name. When Amelia first appeared in my stories, I was just a little girl. She started off as a young teen with only a few core traits: persistence, discipline, and imagination.

I knew so little about her except for that. Oh! And she was going to fight a dragon. A snarky dragon with a slick wit and shapeshifting abilities. He started out as Giluf (which lasted for a grand total of 2000 words, give or take a few) before he became WroOth, one of my favorite imaginary frenemies. But what to call my heroine?

Amelia EarhartWell, as most young writers, I looked to the people I admired and sought out a name that “felt right.” I can’t explain it, but the name has to feel right for the character. That’s why WroOth didn’t remain Giluf. It just didn’t sound right or work with his character.

About that time, I was reading every book I could get my hands on at the library, including biographies. I wish I could remember the book’s title, but one of the biographies introduced me to an exceptional woman name Amelia Earhart.

Now hopefully you already know about this extraordinary woman. In addition to being one of the best and first lady pilots, she was also a writer and a pioneer. Best known for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, she received numerous awards and great recognition. And not all of her achievements were for being the first woman to do something. In some cases, she was the first person to accomplish it period such as her flight across the US with an autogyro. She had her enemies, to be certain. But, despite being generally shy, she didn’t step away from controversial opinions and convicted stances.

Her words of wisdom weren’t limited to flying. Let me share a couple of my favorite Amelia Earhart quotes with you:

  • Never interrupt anyone doing what you said couldn’t be done.
  • The woman who can create her own job is the woman who will win fame and fortune.
  • The most effective way to do it is to do it.
  • Adventure is worthwhile in itself.

And a particular stunner here: Please know that I am aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.

Yes, even as an adult, Amelia Earhart’s fearlessness in the face of failure is what most inspires me. I adored flying asAmelia_Earhart,_circa_1928 a child and still do. For a brief period, I even considered becoming a pilot myself (it coincided nicely with my plans to be an international super spy). But that fearlessness causes her to endure in my memory.  So much about her from that relentless choice to be fearless to her love of freedom to her dogged independence resonated with the kind of character I wanted my Amelia to be. The kind of woman, in many respects, I wanted to be.

There will always be incredible movers and shakers in history. Some seek it out and make it their quest. From reading various biographies and pieces about Amelia Earhart, I don’t know that she intended to do anything as great as she did. She followed her passions and fought through the obstacles. It wasn’t that she never felt fear but that she chose not to worry and chose not to let it drag her down. She did the things she did because she wanted to do them, not just because she was trying to change history necessarily. Her disappearance July 2, 1937 shook the world, and popular theories about her disappearance continue to abound.

At one time, I even considered including Amelia Earhart in Tue-Rah. Though it’s not explicitly stated, Amelia Earhart is one of Amelia’s heroes, and she was also an inspiration to Uncle Joe. In fact, it is partially in her honor Amelia Earhart Studio Shotthat Uncle Joe names Amelia that in the first place. However, my initial plans to incorporate the incredible Ms. Earhart have faded. Perhaps one day I will write about her. Her legacy lives on, and many other writers have attempted to tell her story. I don’t want to dishonor her by doing it poorly. Perhaps one day.

Amelia Earhart was an exceptional person who left the world a great deal. Her efforts in aviation opened the skies to many women and inspired countless others. She has many great testaments to her abilities, her endurance, and her successes as well as tributes that come close to honoring her sufficiently. My own Amelia is a far smaller one, but she is a small nod and thanks to someone far more incredible. Happy birthday, Amelia Earhart.

Review of the Fiction Serialization Site, The Micro Times

Published by Jessica on July 7, 2015

Just recently I discovered another site that is looking for stories. It describes itself as a modern version of the Victorian serialization, and it promises to put readers in touch with great up and coming authors while connecting authors to voracious readers. The site: The Micro Times.

Here are my notes on what I’ve seen on the site. You can scroll straight down to the bottom to get my general thoughts or read the individual sections for a more in depth overview.

Readers Versus Writers

Anyone can create a series on the site, and anyone can read. You just have to have the rights to the story you are uploading as well as a cover. It doesn’t look like this would be a good location for fanfiction as that runs into various copyright issues and the fact that one is profiting off another’s intellectual property.

Format and Setup

Right now, one of the larger weaknesses is that the format is rather clunky for searching, and it is difficult to see what books are available. You can’t just browse all the available books. But you can search for genres in the search bar. Also you don’t scroll down. You scroll to the side. Rather counterintuitive, but this may be my American showing.

Currently it seems to be just web based. The contract is clear that readers cannot download multiple copies. Actually it doesn’t look as if there’s anyway to download anything, though the contract discusses downloads. It does not look as if there is an app right now, but the structure of the site and its features as well as the contract language suggest that there might be one soon.

There are some nice features such as the ability to change font size or invert color. And, as a side note, I like the cheery but subtle palette they’re using. The artistic feel is quite nice, and it appears fairly professional. It would be a pleasant site to read on. Plus it makes all the books look like actual books on a table.

Getting Around on The Micro Times

There is a guide on how to succeed at The MicroTimes, but it is sadly small and exceptionally general in its content. (This blog post will be significantly longer.) Much of the site suggests that it is still a work in progress. If things go well for it, I expect it to be a sleek platform.

Fortunately, the site itself is mostly intuitive. You can figure out just about everything you need.

Library and Book Availability

The vast majority (right now probably 90%) of the available work is from various classics that are in the public domain. Good news is that you don’t have to worry about paying for these. They’re free in their entirety.

The few non public domain works typically have the first chapter free (though most of these books aren’t completed and don’t have more than a few chapters) with each subsequent chapter costing a credit or two. I am not sure where you check to see if the book is uploaded in its entirety.

There is no browse feature as mentioned before. And it is not clear how you remove a book from your library once you’re done with it. You cannot organize books at this time, though there are two automatic lists to allow you to sift through books you have started and books you haven’t read.

Payment

Authors retain 90% of what they earn on the site. (The contract does include a fairly standard, “we reserve the right to change this” which is what most other paying platforms seem to use.)

Payment is made through Paypal. You have to earn 10 GBP or your currency’s equivalent to receive a payout. They offer payment in multiple currencies ranging from the US dollar to the British pound to the euro as well as a few others. Assuming you charge an average of 2 credits per chapter with only one free chapter, you would have to have someone either read almost 500 chapters or have your 26 chapter book read  20 times to reach the payout. (Bearing in mind of course that the 1 British pound is roughly equivalent to $1.50 right now).

However, with that said, 1000 credits costs only a little more than $16 US currency. So you’re essentially selling each chapter for a few cents. At first, I thought you started off with a few free credits to try some stuff out, but that’s not the case. And that also answers how they are going to stay in business. You do have to pay upfront if you want the non public domain stories. The packs range in credit size from 500 to 10000. There isn’t a discount for buying larger quantities of reading credits.

Security

The Micro Times is a closed community. You have to have a password and account to enter and read. Paid chapters cannot be accessed even as previews. I really like this security feature. You can’t google up various books on the site.

However, unlike Wattpad which has programs in place to prevent copying and pasting, users can copy and paste free chapters and presumably paid chapters that they have access to. This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker though as the same can be done to Kindle and Nook ebooks.

Community

Users can review books and rate them as well as “like” individual chapters. However, there doesn’t appear to be a community component in either forums or comments on the individual chapters. You can connect through your Facebook, G+, or Twitter account, but you cannot do much more than say that you are reading something or invite others to join.

Writers

It looks pretty basic to get a story setup. Unlike on Amazon or Wattpad, there is no cover creator. Covers are supposed to be 620 x 420. But there is a general cover that appears on all initial works that includes the title and subtitle as well as the author’s name.

Other than that, you upload it the same as you would on most other sites. You set which chapters are free and which chapters require credits. You input keywords as well as a short summary, and off it goes. The story appears with a table of contents. Users can then rate the overall work and “like” individual chapters. It doesn’t appear as if there are places for comments (which would actually be nice.)

The dashboard gives you an overview of what people are reading and where they are stopping. You can see your overall payout and your high marks. The tool that looks most valuable to me is the one where you see where readers stop. I don’t have any paid chapters up yet, so I don’t know how this works in depth. Just what was shown in the brief overview.

This doesn’t look like the kind of site where you can advertise. Essentially, as a writer, it looks like all you do is write the best story you can and then let it go out and make its way.

Likely Culture and Potentially Successful Works Here

The philosophy behind the site is intriguing. They claim to love authors and the Victorian serials. Their goal is to provide an author centered platform with a focus on these serials. If this is all true, I really like that. And I’m all for keeping a variety of businesses about and not relying only on a single massive corporation. (Not saying corporations are evil, but competition gives them a better incentive not to treat authors poorly.)

Given the current setup, I predict that fast paced romances and suspense stories will be the primary focus. Chapters that are between 1000 and 2000 words would be an easy reading length (though I recommend pricing that reflects the length) for the current format.  There are no page breaks in the chapters. Just a single page filled with text. Cliffhangers as well as stories with many promises of future secrets to be revealed are likely to be popular.

That isn’t to say that slower paced stories that focus on the details and a deeper experience can’t succeed. But I suspect that they will be more niched.

General thought here, but I wouldn’t recommend uploading chapters in parts. I could see readers getting testy, even if the chapters are long. Instead, just refer to each one as a whole chapter.

Also readers are probably going to expect better quality here. At least I would. If I can go to a site like Wattpad or Writing.com and read all the work I want for free, then when I go and pay, I’m going to expect better quality. Not literary prose, of course. Just no rampant grammatical errors or stuff that looks like it belongs in a random person’s journal. In other words, make sure you post more polished work rather than the initial rough draft.

Terms

First, please note that none of this is legal advice. I’m just giving my general thoughts as I’m browsing through this. It is up to you and you alone what you do, and if you have questions, you need to consult with your own attorney. And while I did read the contract in its entirety, this is just a general impression of what is currently up. Last but not least, the contract can and possibly will change as the site continues to grow, and it expressly states that it has that right to update its Terms and Conditions.

The contract in the terms and conditions (aside from being a pain to read because all of the first letters are capitalized, no matter what) appear fairly typical. The Micro Times wants non exclusive rights, which is typical and the best deal for writers.

One thing I’m a little uneasy about is a clause that says if someone plagiarizes your work, you only have two years to bring a complaint. It uses the nebulous term “when the cause arises,” but I am not at this point clear whether that is at the point of discovery (which would be reasonable and is probably the case) or when the plagiarism starts (which would, in my opinion, be unreasonable).

They do prohibit copying the content and uploading it elsewhere if it is not your own. So people aren’t allowed to go on and scrape together content as they sometimes do on other sites.

They have a fairly strict no plagiarism rule. If it’s alleged against you, you have to take your work down. Then you can defend.

Pornography is not permitted, but it’s not clear whether erotica is excluded. The typical “no promoting illegality” is also present. There’s also a “Moral Right” cause, but I don’t know what that means. It may be a UK legal precedent as it’s in the section that typically discusses not uploading instruction manuals on committing crimes and so forth.

All in all, it looks fairly standard.

General Thoughts

Initially, I thought that The Micro Times was going to be another attempt to rip off Wattpad’s model. There are some similarities, of course, but its goal is different. Plus it is trying to compensate writers from the start, which is a rather novel idea.

Now, truth be told, compensation for authors is not going to be very much. Assuming I charge 2 credits per chapter for a serial novel of 120,000 words that winds up having 60 chapters, I wind up with 120 credits, which would probably equal $1.72 after they took out their cut. Paypal is going to take another sliver of that plus taxes, so let’s just round down and say that each book will make $1.50. If I were to sell that same book on Amazon, I would probably sell it for $4.99, and, after fees and taxes, probably earn $3.00. (Please note that these numbers are approximate and not exact.)

But…I don’t think that means The Micro Times should be discounted. Subscription services are likely to become even more popular as seen through Oyster, Scribd, Kindle Unlimited, and so on. Particularly among romance readers (Scribd actually just recently started culling some of its romance entries if I recall because there were too many and romance readers are voracious).

The Micro Times does not charge a flat fee, which means that writers aren’t fighting over a potentially limited pool of funding (one of the criticisms of KU). If a reader likes what she’s reading and wants to purchase the credits, she can do so and spend it on the author with the author benefiting. It also means it’s less likely that you’ll get hate readers who are just reading it because it’s free and they want to trash it. At best though, The Micro Times  is probably going to be a source of passive income for most authors, though I do like the fact that you don’t have to worry about marketing here. You just upload and move on. I wouldn’t expect to see any great movement on any stories right away, but that may mean I’m just cynical.

While there’s still room for improvement on the site, I have to say that this one catches my eye more than any of the other Wattpad similar platforms, and that’s primarily because it’s doing its own thing. I’m curious to see what happens with The Micro Times, and I appreciate their pluckiness and their stated goals.

So yes, I’ll probably dust off some stories, polish them up, and upload them. There is a risk that I won’t ever reach the payout. But I’m intrigued with this program, and one thing is for certain. It isn’t going to succeed without some great content, and I think I’m willing to take a gamble and see how it goes.

The Surprises Begin on Wattpad

Published by Jessica on June 30, 2015

I had enormous plans this year for my birthday. This year, after all, I turn 29. And I intended to launch a fun writing competition on Wattpad, start daily updates for a new Gothic vampire multicultural urban fantasy, and increase updates on Tue-Rah Ecekom’s King, Ragnarok Undone, and Parnimo’s Prize while also updating Blessed? Battle for the Lunar Realm. Among other things. I also had a whole series of videos I wanted to finish shooting and preparing for my writing students, tutees, and so on, including some reviews of some great new books.

But all that went out the window because within a day of returning from Alaska, I went down sick. It’s been so frustrating. My immune system just doesn’t seem able to cope with things as I want it to. And, for whatever reason, I had had perpetual nightmares in the little time I have slept since returning from Alaska. As it takes me hours to fall asleep anyway and even then I can only manage a couple REM cycles before I’m up again, the nightmares are even more troubling.

Hopefully that ends. On the plus side, it has kept me in a great frame of mind for writing Of Blood and Teeth and Magic. It’s now live on Wattpad with daily updates, and it is doing fairly well, considering it’s a stand alone. I won’t be able to finish the spider story for “Defying Doomsday.” That was too creepy, and writing about an insomniac who must battle spiders was hitting a little too close to home.

I am so grateful that I am able to write though. I think it’s one of the ways that God gave me to help keep me sane. I can’t imagine what life would be like without stories. Especially without my characters.

In other good news though, now that I have my health back for the most part, the contest is live! I have the full details posted on my Wattpad account under Tue-Rah Fiction Appreciation Contest. I think it’s a fun idea because the categories are based off what my characters would like to read if they were real people.

So really, there was just a two week delay. Everything else will be taken care of. Tue-Rah updates continue to come. Parnimo’s Prize is currently rivaling Tue-Rah Ecekom’s King with readers while Ragnarok Undone is sitting quietly on its own. My Ragnarok readers have told me that they want to wait until the book is all done before they dig in, which I thoroughly understand.

Reading on Wattpad requires reading in a slightly different way. I’m really curious to see what the greater implications of that are in the long term, but that will be a post for another day.

Big Plans in the Works

Published by Jessica on June 28, 2015

It has been quite awhile since an update. In fact, each time I’ve sat down to try to write about life and blog, something has happened. And not all of it is bad. Most of it has just been busy.

But I’ve still been writing fiction, of course. I’ve spent about four weeks out of the past seven sick. But I’ve still been working on stories. It’s been fairly amusing going back through stories written while I had a fever over 101. It gets rather…interesting.

However, now that I have my voice back for the most part, I’m planning to get back into the Talk Story to Me and other plans. It’s been a whirlwind of a past month. But I think July is going to be even better.

The Corner Booth’s Debut Episode Summary and Review

Published by Jessica on March 22, 2015

So tonight was the launch of the Corner Booth. Natsaninja has been making quite a splash in the Wattpad community, and this looks like it will be a fantastic panel this evening. You don’t have to take my word for it, of course. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYgFMXdmQ-0 . The #tcbwatt looks like the official hashtag for this project.

Overall Setup

So what’s in this? They started off introductions. This evening, the Booth held Mary L Tabor, Brittanie Charmintine, Jason Howell, Michelle Hayes, and Nat Bradford. Rita Kovach was supposed to be on tonight, but I think something happened (I missed the first few minutes, so that might have been mentioned; also the links will take you to their Wattpad pages where you can follow them and read their amazing books).

Then they had Cream and Sugar, where Nat let everyone give shout outs to the writers and readers on Wattpad they love. (I’m biased, but I absolutely agree with the shout outs for bnlfan’s Flawed and Redbank3k Sand. Such amazing people, good writers, and engaging stories! I’m sure that the other shoutouts will lead to good authors and stories as well, but these are the ones I have read. J)

Next came the Entrée. A great discussion called Start, Stop, and Continue. First, they discussed what they would do differently if they were starting again. Then they talked about pet peeves. The final bit of the entrée is what they will continue to do on the site.

After that came Pass the Salt, which is intended to discuss room for improvement on Wattpad, and then Check Please which is intended for closing thoughts.

Highlights

There’s some great content on the program. First of all, each of the speakers did a lovely job answering the questions and sharing insights into their journey on Wattpad and as writers. What’s even better is that their personalities shine through, plus you get some fun insight into who they are beyond the page. If you’ve read their stories (and I strongly recommend you do), you’ll certainly see that their personalities reflect just what you expected. Mary L. Tabor is elegant and articulate, Brittanie Charmintine is mischievous and delightful, Jason Howell is sincere and charming, Michelle is kind and thoughtful, and Nat is enthusiastic, engaging, and the perfect host. Oftentimes, people you know online don’t line up with what you expect from their writing, but that wasn’t the case here.

There were bits of wisdom from each panel member. In various forms, everyone on the panel encouraged generosity and graciousness. They also had plenty of tips, which I don’t want to spoil for you. One of the best points came from Mary when she said that people tend to look at their interaction on Wattpad as a zero sum game when that isn’t the case at all, and it shouldn’t be the case. Everybody can win. (Plus she gave a beautiful explanation of the importance of literacy, art, and heart and what emerges from Wattpad. If you only check out one bit, start at minute 49.)

Overall

The program has a great idea for the setup. The writers were fun to listen to. As a fellow writer and a voracious reader, I loved getting to hear some of the authors whose work I have so enjoyed sharing their experiences and interacting with one another.

I’ve seen a number of startup presentations, conferences, and talk shows on YouTube and in person. This was one of the smoothest I’ve seen. There’s good chemistry, good advice, and good flow. It lasted just about an hour, and time flew by. If this is where it’s starting, I can’t wait to see where it goes from here, particularly since the debut episodes are generally the roughest.

Wattpad is one of my all time favorite writing groups. I’ve met some splendid people, and the Corner Booth showcases why it is a great place. Not perfect but wonderful. So check it out! I hope you’ll enjoy it. The program was hosted live and will be running at 6:30 PM EST. It will be held on the Corner Booth for rewatching later.

Stories, Passion, and Students

Published by Jessica on February 23, 2015

One of my side jobs that I love the most is tutoring students in writing. I love working with young writers and fanning that flame into something more. And today I was reminded why I love it so much.

About seven in the morning, an essay arrived in my inbox that made me tear up. One of my particularly gifted students wrote about the most powerful relationship in her life, and she chose books. Through the essay, she described how the Harry Potter series drew her into the magical world of reading and how it changed her. She now loves reading and writing because she can experience so much more. Her friendships with fictional characters feels as rich as that with regular people.

I saw so much of myself in that essay. For those of you who are wondering, no, it wasn’t a perfect essay. But it was one of the few times a student poured her heart into an assignment. And it was beautiful. Even though she wants to be a microbiologist when she grows up, her passion and excitement bled through those 500 words. I’ve never been prouder of a student.

Fictional characters have been as near and dear to me as flesh and blood friends. I always loved reading, but the books that pulled me into the fictional world unlike any other were The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. After that, the possibilities of the imagination seemed limitless. There’s something so powerful about a well written book. It doesn’t just tell you a story. It transports you to a new world with characters you come to love and cherish so much.

So to all the writers out there pouring themselves into their stories, thank you. You make our lives richer. And to the readers who are willing to jump into these stories, you make it even more fulfilling.

Cheesecake Baking Day

Published by Jessica on February 5, 2015

Really, I should be taking pictures of all this. After all, pictures make stories more interesting, and there’s been some funny situations today. It’s time like this when I am most grateful James and I run our own law firm. It allows me to stay in our home office and handle the paperwork, phone calls, legal writing, and so forth as well as the copywriting business, the tutoring, and fiction writing. But more importantly, it lets me make cheesecakes for the WCCC Valentine’s Day Dinner.

Last year, I made 16 cheesecakes for the event (a few more when you add in the ones that didn’t make it). We’re doing the same four flavors (white chocolate, chocolate truffle, salted caramel, and Lindy) this year, and I’ve got a few more cheesecakes to make because we’ve added a third seating. (And if you’re in the area, sign up! It’s going to be an amazing night. Tiffany is making lasagna, and I’m making cheesecake. Both are from scratch.) This year I’m making at least 20 cheesecakes, maybe 24 if there’s enough ingredients. When the Valentine’s Day dinner weekend completes, we sell the cheesecakes off by the slice.

The wonderful thing though is that I have not had one cheesecake turn out badly this round through. Last year, about five cheesecakes were ruined. Two just didn’t turn out right. One was disfigured, and so we shared it with the youth staff as a sample. And two others turned out to be kitty snacks as all four cats broke into the back porch and chowed down on salted caramel and Lindy cheesecakes. Obviously, I was not a happy pet owner.

But this year the back porch is more secure. The temperature and the atmosphere are perfect for creamy cheesecakes. Plus using the name brand ingredients actually makes a difference. I have always used generic cream cheese because that’s what was most affordable. But this time we went to Sam’s Club to pick up our ingredients. They only sold Philadelphia cream cheese in bulk, and the bulk per pound price was significantly cheaper than the generic brand. I can’t remember how much exactly, but it was at least 40 cents cheaper a pack. Now, of course, I have to measure out and cut off how much cream cheese I need. It isn’t quite as convenient as the ready sealed packets. But it’s worth it for the savings. And oh! The batter is so much smoother. The cheesecakes set up better, and I taste the difference. I did a blind sample with James, and he was able to tell the difference as well.

I suspect that the Lindy cheesecake may have the clearest distinction in flavor because it has such a clean and crisp flavor to begin with. There’s no white chocolate. No caramel. No milk chocolate. No dark chocolate. Just cream cheese, sugar, and some lemon juice. Now, for clarification’s sake, it’s not that cheesecakes made with the generic cream cheese aren’t tasty. But I do think that the name brand has the edge.

So today has been good. Four cheesecakes are done. A fifth is in the oven. I also came up with a solution for the extra batter in the bowl. I learned the hard way that mixing two batter sets really doesn’t blend as well. Flavors work just fine, but it creates a gumpier batter. And for a nice romantic dinner, we want to avoid that look. But I can’t bring myself to waste it. So what I decided to do was make mini cheesecakes in muffin tins. I made about a dozen from the leftovers from today alone. They aren’t as pretty as the full cheesecakes, and I need to tweak the baking time. They’re more of a pain to make too, but it’s worth it to avoid wasting the delicious batter.

I’m debating staying up later tonight to finish off a few more cheesecakes. The weather changes again tomorrow, and I have no idea how well it’s going to work tomorrow. Still…I’ll need to sleep sometime. As far as writing going, I haven’t gotten as much done today as I would like. I’m still working on the tax paperwork, invoicing, and a couple legal briefs. Fortunately, there was no copywriting today and only one essay to grade. As far as the fiction writing, I’m wrapping up another chapter for Ragnarok Undone. I also finished putting together some more sections for Little Scapegoat. Slain Expectations got a little more. So it’s a bit shy from what I would like, coming in just over 6,000 new words for my fiction platform projects. And I probably should clean the kitchen again before I go to bed. If only sleep wasn’t necessary.

Fifty Shades of What Christians Won’t Do

Published by Jessica on February 4, 2015

In case you haven’t heard, the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is coming out, and it’s got all kinds of people hot and bothered. The Christian response has been particularly interesting. Most of the time, it’s focused on why Christians should not participate in the viewing or the reading of this type of story. What’s troubling though is that the discussion often starts off or later incorporates a litany of the common things Christians don’t do as proof that Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t the only thing they won’t partake in:

  • don’t swear
  • don’t drink
  • don’t do drugs
  • don’t dance
  • don’t smoke
  • don’t watch bad movies
  • don’t read bad books
  • don’t go clubbing
  • don’t do…other things

The list doesn’t always include all these things. Sometimes it includes others or has these more narrowly tailored. Setting aside the fact that not even all of these things are sins, the list creates a deep problem in my opinion. The emphasis focuses on what we as Christians are not doing or should not be doing. And boy, isn’t that a wonderful testimony?

Not What We’re to Be Known For

After all, that’s what Jesus said we would be known for. “They will know you are Christians by the big long lists of all the things you indignantly say you will not do.” Actually, He said “they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.”

Now does this mean that there’s no biblical basis for discussing the things we should not partake in? Not at all. It’s important to challenge one another to holier living, and accountability is good. But our focus should not only be on the things that we do not do, and our reputation most certainly should not be on the things that we don’t do.  Holiness likewise is not simply what we do not do even though it is a part.

Often times, the focus on the things that we do not do is because we know from Romans 12:2 that we are to “not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world.” And 1 Thessalonians 4:7 tells us “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” We act as if holy living is what is achieved through cutting things out and denying ourselves. That’s reflected in the spiritual discipline of fasting, which does indeed have great value.

Knowing a Tree By Its Fruit

However, Jesus tells us in Matthew 7: 15 – 20 that we will “know a tree by its fruit.” But here’s an odd thing about fruit. We tell what a tree is by what it does produce. We pick apples from an apple tree, and it is an apple tree, not a not orange tree. James 2:14 – 26 tells us that faith without deeds is worthless. In fact, James says, “I will show you my faith by my deeds.” Again, this goes back to the things that we do as Christians, not the things that we don’t do.

When we think of Jesus, we think of the actions that He took. The fact that He did not sin is obviously a part of that, but more importantly, we talk about how He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the grave again. He healed the lame and the blind. He gave the dead life again. He taught people. He fed them. He cast out demons. He defeated satan.

When we think of Paul, we think of the actions he took. The miles he traveled to reach the cities. The demons he cast out. The people he healed. The letters he wrote. The suffering he endured.

Most of the notable men and women I can think of in history made a difference in the things that they did do or attempted to do rather than just the things they did not do. Some like Daniel do draw close to a narrower distinction. The fasting from meats and wines as well as the refusal to pray to Darius are both points when Daniel was known for what he did not do. But as in the case of Darius’s requirement that all pray to him, Daniel was known for his great wisdom, his consistent prayer, and faithful stewardship through three rulers’ spans. He took action. He didn’t just say, “oh, I don’t pray to mere men” and then go back about his tasks. He went on to take positive action that demonstrated his faith.

Not Really a Sign of a Christian

So all of this to say, if the only thing you are known for is the fact that you do not do things like smoke or drink or read erotica, then you have a very weak testimony. In fact, you don’t even have to be a Christian to have that list. There’s a lot of old ladies at the nursing home I visit who are atheists or agnostics, and they can top your list with all the things they won’t do. Some won’t even play cards. And it’s incredibly hard to talk to any of those ladies because no matter what you say, you know you’re probably doing something wrong and will get a browbeating and a lecture before you’re done.

Being a Christian and living a pure and holy life is about far more than not doing something, and, frankly, it may involve smoking or drinking. That’s another discussion entirely though. In Galatians, Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit as being “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” All of these traits can be demonstrated through positive actions. In fact, many of them can only be demonstrated in the positive, meaning that they are not demonstrated by someone not doing something. Someone who is kind and loving isn’t just someone who is not nasty or not cruel. Someone who is not nasty or not cruel is generally just nice. Kind goes beyond that. A nice person might express condolences if you fall on the ground and perhaps may even help you up. But a kind person might make sure you are all right, help you get cleaned up, call for help, and so forth. Nice is neutral. “Into the Woods” describes it best with the phrase “you’re not good, you’re not bad, you’re just nice.”

The Wrong Focus

So to those who do not want to partake in something because you believe that it’s sinful, that’s fine. You are responsible for your conscience, and you are certainly not obligated to participate in actions you consider sinful. But you need to be cautious if you are most vocal about the things you do not do and never show or reveal what you actually do. Christians are often criticized for having long, long lists of “thou shall nots” and serving the “cosmic kill joy.” But when Christ came, He gave us new life.  In John 10:10, Jesus says that He came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly.”

The risk in making the focus so much on what we don’t do is that it reaffirms the notion to most non Christians that Christians are out to spoil their fun. When we list out the things that we won’t do, we miss the amazing things that God has done and the incredible freedom that He has brought us. And saying “I won’t watch this media because it corrupts my mind” may seem like a good opportunity to witness about how holy you are, but it’s more likely to have the same effect as fake salt or fake sugar. Sure, it tastes sort of right, but it doesn’t have any of the benefits. In fact, it may actually have a host of other problems that it tracks right in with it.

Of course, let’s face it. Being known for anything positive takes so much work than being known for inaction and denial. It really isn’t that hard to keep saying no and no and no and no. I know because I’ve been there. It may be that refusing to participate in certain types of media really isn’t the best place to stake your claim and say “I don’t do this because I’m a Christian.” I’ve worked with non Christians who had no problem saying, “ahh, no, I just don’t like country western music” or “I’m not really that fond of death metal.” They don’t add a spiritual component to it, and they are known generally for other things that they do do. In fact, most of my non Christian friends never really gave those statements a second glance.  The ones whom they ridiculed were the Christians who would list of all the things that they would refuse to do and yet never once offer an alternative. In fact, those Christians tended to only talk about the things one should not do with the occasional gushing over an Amish romance or a new Christian film.

An Intriguing Friend

The most godly men and women in my life are men and women who are known for the actions that they take. They probably don’t do a lot of the things on the list, but the rich lives that they live are such that they would never be known just for what they didn’t do. One stunning example of this was a vivacious godly woman I knew in Virginia Beach. She was always such a joy to be around. The life just flowed from her. One time when I was at the library, a fellow patron asked her if she had read Fifty Shades of Grey. She shrugged and said, “No. But you know a fantastic book I just read?” It was so effortless and the conversation continued. It shifted into other topics soon.

Now something cool that happened with this dear friend of mine is that later that same patron asked her whether she chose not to read Fifty Shades for spiritual or religious reasons. And she gave a beautiful articulate answer. But the patron was the one who initiated that discussion and she was actually curious to hear that explanation and receptive to what my friend had to say. My friend didn’t sit there on a somber pedestal saying with all the life of a funeral procession, “I do not partake in such worldly pursuits.”

Whether intended or not, the focus of what we do not do creates the “holier than thou” persona that so many Christians are known and judged for. Even when it comes from the best of intentions and even if it is hard for you to articulate it, it does not mean that focusing on what you cannot and will not do is a godly witness. In many cases, it may actually be throwing up more barriers between you and the people you work with.

A  Shallow Example

Let’s shift this to a more shallow perspective. I want to lose weight. I know that I have too much fat on my bones even though I’m quite fit. But losing weight is quite difficult and takes a long, long time. Often it’s discouraging, and sometimes I want to give up. The people who make me want to be more like them and who inspire me to strive to live a healthier life are the ones who are joyful and eager to take on life and its challenges. In college, I had one friend who absolutely loved to dance. We danced in the room to Disney, Broadway, and pop songs before we then went out to get a light yogurt with granola. The fit people who take delight in their healthy lifestyles and don’t focus on what they can’t or won’t do are the most contagious.

The ones who sneer or roll their eyes and say, “I don’t eat fast food” do not inspire me to eat healthy. If anything, I have to fight eating a brownie just to spite them.  And even the ones who sigh and say, “I wish I could but I just can’t” don’t really make me want to learn more about their lifestyle. Frankly, they make it sound miserable. So why are we doing that with our faith, the supposedly greatest thing that ever happened to us in our lives?

What Are You Known For?

Again, this is not to say that you cannot say “I don’t care for that” or “This is wrong.” There are times and places for that. But ask yourself what do your coworkers and peers see when they look at you? Is your testimony confined to a list of things you can’t or won’t do? Are you living in the fullness that God has promised? Are you contributing more than you are taking away?  What do you do that positively reflects on your relationship with God? Why should anyone give up a guilty pleasure for a life like yours? What are you showing that makes it even marginally worth it?

As a Christian, you have the opportunity to live a rich and fulfilled life that goes far beyond anything imaginable. You should be one of the most incredible people around, not a stiff, boring, rigid caricature.

So don’t be known for what you don’t do. Be known for what you do. Do it to the glory of God and live.

January 2015 Reflections

Published by Jessica on February 1, 2015

As a child, I remember how often it seemed that days dragged on without end. The time between Christmas and birthdays often seemed the longest. But one of the sad things I’ve noticed about growing up is how fast time seems to race except in the worst of times. Emergencies. Car crashes. Funerals. Disappearances. Yet sometimes, even when things are falling apart, times seems to speed along.

January has been a month of surprise after surprise after surprise. Not all of them have been good sadly. The month started off with busted pipes over New Year’s. It was followed up by some family emergencies. The law firm struck some challenging cases and difficult clients. A host of other small things cropped up, most of them making life more difficult or challenging. February marks the beginning of cheesecake making for the Valentine’s Day dinner, a two nighter at the church this time.

A storm is about to strike the Midwest. A big snowstorm with thick flakes of snow and possibly some ice. The atmosphere has already changed significantly, and I can feel the pressure shifting. It makes my head hurt in an odd detached sort of way, my vision wobbles at the edges. Nothing to be concerned about. This happens before most storms.

I wish that time would slow down. Right now, it isn’t moving so fast. The sky is white and grey, and cars streaked with ice and salt stream along the road as people hurry into Wal-Mart and Aldis to pick up bread, milk, and whatever other supplies they need. And now that these moments have slowed and I am paying attention, I realize I am grateful.

There’s a lot to be grateful for. As challenging as the month has been, it is one that has revealed a great deal. I have failed a lot this month. Plans fell apart. Disappointment, depression, frustration. It was quite difficult. But I’m still here. And I am grateful to God and to my family for that.

I am grateful even though I am sometimes overwhelmed. My to do list sometimes feels unending. Not all of the items are bad. I dearly love some of them. Many of them in fact. It’s more of those few items on every to do list that drag everything else down. And sometimes I am just not as good at accepting my own failures as I should be. I intended to finish and publish Mermaid Bride as well as finish up another couple drafts this month. Obviously, I had not planned most of what happened. But I am learning to keep going, to love what I’m doing, and to keep going.

February will be better. I am grateful for the opportunities ahead and for what God has brought me through.