Soft around the edges

Today, Fictional Musings posted my short story "Celiac's are People, Too." It is a Bo Fexler story, but minus the sex, violence, and much of her edge. It's a story I've been kicking around for awhile and when my head cleared enough the other day, I managed to get it into the computer.

People with allergies, intolerances and disorders are, I think, more prone to blame things on their condition, which is what makes the idea behind this story so intriguing to me.

But then again, I'll readily admit that many things in the world to me are amusing and ripe for story possibilities. I'm quirky that way.

• Last story finished: Celiac's are people, too
• Story in Progress: Merry Maid Murder (at super-snail pace)
• Reason for not writing: Ill... though I think I've finally nailed down why. For this week...

Good or Bad

Muzzle Flash just posted the shost story "Bad Dream." Bo's up to some naughty stuff. ;-) But it's for her case and for her client. Besides, I don't think the man *really* minded...

In other news, by the middle of this week, I finished the 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month. Not done with the story, but there's a solid tale in the middle of it. It joins two other stories that are in limbo. I don't know where I want to go next-- too much thinking perhaps.

For now, I have to clean my desk so the stupid cable guy can get to my TV to put on the digital box that I *don't* want but can't avoid because my cable company is playing 'jack the customers!' Yea!

• Last story completed: Bad Dream
• Story in Progress: Merry Maids Murder & NaNoWriMo2007
• Reason for not writing: Writer's block
• Current Song: Sex is not the Enemy by Garbage (one of my FAVE bands!)

This time, it's personal.

There's a new site out there for crime and mystery fiction: Darkest Before the Dawn. And the first story published by them is a Bo Fexler story called "Misguided Flight." Gotta be a good site, right? It's run by the same folks who run Powder Burn Flash, only Darkest Before The Dawn takes fiction up to 10,000 words. Perfect...

"Misguided Flight" follows Bo as she takes a case to find a missing young woman. A woman who doesn't tell her parents nearly half of what's going on in her life. A woman exploring what life has to offer. A woman who only picks controlling men for relationships. Part of the investigation affects Bo deeply. It's a struggle for her to stay focused on the case, not on the choices she made.

So, read and enjoy!

• Story in progress: NaNoWriMo2007; Bad Dream
• Last story finished: Misguided Flight (and first accepted...)
• What should I be doing: Grading papers. I *hate* grading papers... especially some of these history assignments.
• Song I'm listening to: Uninvited by Alanis Morissette

Irritations

After a fantastic run of acceptance and publication this past year, I seem to have fallen a bit into a slump. Not for lack of ideas! Or even of stories. The problem is I've been working on things that are too long for most publications OR that are, ah, well, not going to be accepted by most places. Usually for sexual content.



The other thing holding back some of my completed stories is 'themes'. I hate themed issues. Almost as much as I hate celebrity 'news'. Few of my stories fit into any themes because they are just written as stories. Everyday stories. Cases where Bo uses her brain, body, and fists to get what she wants. Fun stories. But not themed. And several of the places that used to take regular stories-- with profanity, sex and violence-- have gone themed.



Somedays it seems like I'm the only fan of hardboild crime noir pulp fiction. From the number of emails and comments-- and hits-- I get, I know that I'm not, but pulications don't seem to cater to our ilk so much. Or they go themed.



I hate themes.



So, I wait. Iwait for publications that take my kind of stories. And in the meantime, I'm going to try to work on some shorter stories that do fit the requirements of the publishers. And my NaNoWriMo story.

• Last story finished: Edits of "Family Affairs of Adult Children"


• Story in Progress: "Merry Maids Murder" (working title!)


• Reason for not writing: Working on NaNoWriMo2007-- currently over 13k words (out of 50k)


• Song in my head: "Back in your head" by Tegan and Sara

Sex Appeal

So, I updated the look of my blog. Titillating. It was a chance thing as I was over reading some stories at Fictional Musings-- which looks pretty cool with it's recently updated blog template. Anyway, I saw the link for Free Blog Skins and surfed on over. That's when I saw her. The ruby red lips. Sexy. Seductive. And damn, they could even be Bo's lips.

Given the unabashed sexuality in several Bo Fexler short stories, including the ones I've been working on of late, it seemed entirely appropriate. Bo is the smart, bitter, witty private eye, but she is also the sexy dame with the "legs up to here" who's always in trouble. No massive bazookas, though. ;-)

Unfortunately, things are otherwise fairly quiet on the publishing front. I have many stories out and about, begging assorted editors if they can spare some room in their publications. And I've been working at a furious pace on several shorts behind the scenes. I actually have more stories submitted than I have "in progress" which is unusual for me. Most of the pieces I have been hard at work on have been these gargantuan stories, even by my standards. 6, 8, even 10k. And one that tips the scales at 18k. Harder to sell these tales are. But they are some of my finest work, without a doubt.

So a lot going on, but not much to show for it. Speaking of nothing to show for it, I am foolishly signing up for National Novel Writing Month, aka, NaNoWriMo. I've done this for several years now, with nothing to show for it except the experience. This year, I'm hoping to get some nuggest of Bo Fexler stories out of it. Perhaps even some novellas. This is the first year, however, that I enter into this as published author. With fans.

Someday, I'll get to that novel and that series. Bo deserves for her novels to make it to paper. Her fans deserve it. And I deserve to make a few bucks from my writing. Just a few. Until then, it's back to my underpaid positions!

• Last story completed: Black and Pink and Blond All Over (formerly "Exposure"), with many thanks to AW.


• Story Currently in Progress: Misguided Flight, alternating with Man of the Month (v3!)


• What should I be doing: laundry

Bo's in trouble again

Today, the fourth issue of Yellow Mama came out, and it includes "Beaten to the Punch." Readers know that Bo is as likely to use her body and her brains as well as her fists-- as seen in "Assortment of Bullies". This one uses fists. A notebook's been stolen right out of Bo's apartment and she doesn't take the violation well. Getting the notebook back becomes her priority. Is she making a mistake?

Assault, after all, can prevent a private investigator from keeping her license.

Phillip Marlowe never had to worry about losing his license after he knocked anyone around. Or broke into anyone's house. But Phillip Marlowe is a fictional character. ;-)

• Story in progress: New Year
• Last Story completed: Sex Act
• Reason for not writing: I have way too many jobs. And a husband who actually likes to be around me.

Dead Tired

With Mysterical-E's Fall issue, my story Dead Tired is ready for reading. This little tale has Bo investigating the death of a young man who walked the straight-and-narrow. But what will she do the information she uncovers?

• Last Story Finished: Sex Act
• Story in Progress: none
• What I should be doing: preparing for History class