A to Z II - Q is for Queer

Good morning! Another day is upon us, which means it is time for another letter in my personal A to Z challenge. Going in chronological order, today's letter happens to be the letter q. Q is for queer.

I know I've spoken a few times about Joe being bi.

I've always branded myself as a writer of LGBT romance. As a member of the LGBT community, it's important for me to feel that we are represented in the literary world.

In the original Trajectory, there is nothing queer about Joe or the story line. I did myself and our community a disservice. I had always known Joe was bi. In the original NaNo manuscript, he was bi, but that got edited out when I hacked the story down from a novel to a short story. Again, I did us all a disservice.

When VHP and I decided to revisit Trajectory, the first thing I wanted to do was really explore Joe's identity and sexuality. Not to make the story erotica, per se, but to bring back his LGBT roots, so to speak. He is queer, and that is a theme that I wanted to make predominant in the story. I wasn't going to do away with Claudette; she is Joe's rock. Queer or not, Joe cannot live without her. However, I needed to do more than just state the fact that he was bi. I needed to do more than just have him discuss his fears of having the team find out. I needed him to live it. I needed him to live in his authenticity. I needed him to live in his queerness.

Michael was actually a character from another story. I had planned on bringing in a male character for Joe, just not necessarily him. However, my characters are headstrong little buggers. They don't listen very well - they love to do as they please. So, Michael decided to jump into Trajectory. His move was seamless. What I thought would be awkward and potentially stagnate the story was the polar opposite. He is a wonderful unexpected element. He is the giant monkey wrench, and I love how he mucks everything up. He brings out Joe's queer identity, and he forces Joe to face his fears head on. It is a beautiful thing.

If you were to look at Trajectory from a quick glance, you'd never expect it to be a queer story. Even as such, it might make you cringe at first (once you discover the true dynamic between Joe and Michael). However, once you really read the story, once you get into the meat of the book, Trajectory in all of its queer glory is absolutely wonderful. It's the queer story you never saw coming with the queer message you'd never expect.

Queer is not a bad word. Especially in this case.

A to Z Challenge - Q is for Quest

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

It's time for another A to Z Challenge! This year, I want to tell you about a story that is currently a WIP (work in progress). It's the story I'm writing in honor of my baby lovebird, Robert. It's a fantasy story, but it's really a story about emotional healing. So let's examine it by going through the alphabet!

Q is for quest.

Robert is on a quest, in The Good Pirate, Robert. He's on a quest to save three members of his crew. They were taken away to Mulrad, the land of misery.

Robert knows, though, that this isn't just a normal search and rescue mission. His crew mates were among countless others who were trapped in the bad place. Robert's quest had to be a great one.

Indeed it was! He set out to do what no one had ever done before...go to Mulrad, and return to Locreya. Getting to Mulrad was easy. Getting out seemed impossible. No one had ever left before, so it must be impossible, right?

Thankfully, our little feathered hero is a brave one. He laughs at the word impossible. He knows that if you can get there, you can get back. Being the good soul that he is, he makes sure that he frees not just his crew members, but everyone who is trapped in Mulrad.

What a quest this is! It is a lengthy one, and incredibly involved. It's tricky to find a way out of Mulrad without being discovered and sucked into its misery. Robert is smart, cunning, and fearless, though. Thanks to those traits, he makes the impossible possible.

Now, I'd love to get into all of the good, juicy details, but why spoil the fun?! If you want to see HOW this happens, you'll just have to find out when the book comes out! ;)

In the meanwhile, come back tomorrow as we explore the letter r!

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 17 (Q)

For the third consecutive year, I am participating in the A to Z blog challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

This year, we're going to go through my latest full-length novel, Pianissimo.

Q is our letter today, folks. Q. Q is for Queer.

Now, I want to talk about the different definitions of queer, and how they apply to Pianissimo.

The definitions of queer are: strange; odd. synonyms: odd, strange, unusual, funny, peculiar, curious, bizarre, weird, uncanny, freakish, eerie, unnatural; antonyms: normal.

informal offensive: homosexual. noun informal offensive noun: queer; plural noun: queers: a homosexual man.

In Pianissimo, Agnes describes her and Margaret as queer, among other things. Considering the era, it was fitting as two unmarried women possessing such a close and deep bond was considered unusual. They were certainly the town oddities, and they were well aware of it.

By today's standards, they are still considered queer as they are a lesbian couple. Not necessarily unusual by today's standards, but the word is still applicable to them, and the nature of their relationship.

Queer is an unusual word. It is rarely used nowadays, and yet it carries so much potency. It's a word that was much needed for this story. In the context of Pianissimo, it separates Agnes and Margaret from the rest of the town; it also crumbles as a barrier between Corinne and the couple.

It's amazing how much importance one word can have in a story. In this case, queer was a very fitting word for multiple reasons.

http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00OEOTZMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420832795&sr=8-2&keywords=lauren+shiro

A to Z '14 - Quality

For this year's A to Z Challenge, I am honoring my grandfather who passed away on April 3, 2013.


Q is for Quality.


My grandfather was a man of quality. He was a strong, positive influence. His character was one of the best. When you think of "quality people," he absolutely tops the list.



Any time with him was QUALITY time. We played games, we talked, he taught me things, we simply had great times together.




He loved the best, he lived the best, he was the best.


Q is for Quality.

Q: Questioning

One of the biggest obstacles that any creative person encounters is questioning. More specifically, questioning ourselves, questioning our abilities, questioning our motives, questioning our place in the artistic world. We simply question EVERYTHING.



It's hard not to question. We live in a society that idolizes perfection. The perfect hair, the perfect body, the perfect family, the perfect novel, the perfect masterpiece. How can we not question ourselves and our abilities when we are comparing ourselves to such unattainable standards?




The thing is: nothing is perfect, no one is perfect. In fact, contrary to the US, there are many other countries and cultures that actualy revere imperfections! The sign of a good, hand made oriental rug is a specfical, purposefully created imperfection. The rug weavers do not question themselves. Instead, they embrace their humanity and infuse it into their art.



From one questioning artist to another, don't question yourself or your capabilities. You ARE good enough and your art has its own place in the art world. Don't compare yourself to others. You are not like them and no one else will ever be able to create in the same way you can either.



Go embrace yourself, your humanity and your art. There is no need to doubt or question anything!