Contest #2

A contest! Another contest!

From now until my birthday (March 19^th), for each place you post “I want to get a free copy of Alia Gee’s novel, Suncatcher, because… <insert your genuine reason here>” with a link to this blogpost right here-- AND TAG ME/SEND ME A LINK (via comments here or FB or however you want) you will get entered to win a copy of Suncatcher in the format of your choice. (Previous winners not eligible… because.)

This means you can post it three times on Facebook and be entered once—but if you post once on Facebook, once on Twitter, and once on Youtube you get entered 3 times.

Non electronic versions count. If you make a mural on your garage door or rearrange the craft letters at your local hobby shop, just take a picture and email it to me. 

I’ll probably post it, actually, if it’s that awesome. ;)

…And if you just can’t wait to get a free copy, you can always buy your own copy right this very instant at your local book store—or from one of the links below.

AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZ8KMCG

BARNES & NOBLE:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suncatcher-alia-gee/1117886761?ean=2940148281085&itm=1&usri=2940148281085

BOOKLOCKER:
http://booklocker.com/books/7221.html <--read the first 9 chapters for free! Try before you buy!

ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/suncatcher-seven-days-in-sky/id804332074

KOBO:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/suncatcher-seven-days-in-the-sky

Please have fun with this. What’s the point, if there’s no fun?

Cheers,

me

Why I Avoid Telling Straight/CIS/White/Male Stories

I read http://www.jimchines.com/2014/01/fiskception/ which is a response to a response to a response...

And I wanted to comment ALL OVER IT... but that would look bad, since I've rarely visited his site and haven't read his books and don't feel like I've earned the right to say "MY BOOK MY BOOK MY BOOK!" all over it.... ;)

But I can do that here, because My Blog...

Here is one reason why I avoid telling straight/white/male/cis stories:

Because I'm not one. And so my personal default, when telling a story, is NOT to write that character.

But let's take it one step further: why do I avoid telling straight/white/female/cis stories?

Because the first time I ran across a good story where the love story wasn't hetero, I was disappointed (and I still have that feeling, sometimes, because *human* and also *greedy*).

Because I want(ed) them for myself, why couldn't *my* team be represented in this awesome wonderful story?

In my defense, I think that first time I was 13.

But the point is, about 30 seconds later I went Oh, is that how people who aren't hetero feel about all the het relationships in stories out there?

Oh.

Oh right.

And then I thought, sometime after that, is that how all the non-white people feel?

...and I've read other things and been inspired by other writers, but I think this was the start. My little sadness, multiplied by all the sads out there... the sads that love the story, but wish it was a little easier to squeeze themselves into it.




And that just wasn't right.




So I work a little harder, think a little longer. It's not even about ticking off boxes, it's about trying to write more interesting characters. I mean, I don't know any default characters in real life... do you?

No, you don't. Every person is individual, has scars and stories that stick to them like quicksilver shadows. People have faults, they aren't defaults.

Every character can have that same presence, with just a little effort, a little extra thought.

If I'm going to work hard to give my characters an interesting world in which to do amazing things-- why not make them a little amazing, too?

...so yeah, that's what I write, and frankly, that's what I want to read, too.