EH Lupton

Queer historical urban fantasy romance, scifi dystopian prose poetry, Medievalist podcasting, and so much more. Possibly.

I speak a bunch of languages badly. I don't sleep enough. Sometimes I go out and run long distances for fun.

She/they, it's all okay.

Public Key

npub1xyw47vujyx4madvtlq5yltmzfp3zxmyl8rjyt87zhfcqtv0kr08qjjsh59

NIP-05 Address

pretensesoup_at_romancelandia.club@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrz82lxwfzr2a7kk9ls2z04a3ysc3rdj0n3ez9nlpt5uq9k8mphnspz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qz9thwden5te0v35hgar09ec82c30wfjkcctevzswcw

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

ditto.pub/relay

Author Public Key

npub1xyw47vujyx4madvtlq5yltmzfp3zxmyl8rjyt87zhfcqtv0kr08qjjsh59

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Last Notes

2024-09-06 11:09:34

#writersCoffeeClub 9/6: Where is your book listed?
I'm a wide author, so my books are everywhere. You can find links (including direct from IS) on the front page of my website: http://ehlupton.com/ or you can skip directly to Amazon via this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C5XX9BH3
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/113/090/277/156/891/276/original/f7626d3cead15421.png

2024-08-27 11:17:54

It's Tuesday, which feels like a good day to say that you can sign up for my newsletter here: https://winnowingfanpress.eo.page/lupton
(Check out my new WFP logo that is somehow a different size in every browser.)
I send out an issue once a month with news about the books and podcasts I've done, sometimes little watercolor sketches, sometimes short stories or other fun things.
#books #readers #newsletter

2024-08-26 11:36:53

Hey writers, anyone add the first chapter of book 2 to the backmatter of book 1? Is it worth it or a giant PITA? Readers, do you enjoy or ignore a preview like that?
#writingCommunity #indieAuthor

2024-08-20 11:46:01

There's still a baby monitor in the 3yo's room, and from the way the parent unit just went off, I think he has learned how to unplug it.
Whelp. This can only be good, right? Down with state surveillance.
#parenting

2024-08-08 11:26:19

#writersCoffeeClub 8/8: Authors love to show off a book stack. Post an image of your stack or a collage of your digital work.
Here they are. They look so pretty next to each other, don't they? Whatever else they are, there's a nice visual cohesion.
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/926/126/229/297/133/original/cab80e1440e1be43.png

2024-08-07 10:58:32

#writersCoffeeClub 8/7: In your writing, what is the best thing you've done (or might do) to a reader's state of mind?
I hope it's like listening to a really good piece of music, where the ending leaves you feeling happy and satisfied and then you keep humming it all day. Some of the reviews have suggested I achieved this.

2024-07-29 12:36:29

#wordWeavers 7/29: Are any of your MCs conflicted with their religious beliefs?
They are not. Most of them don't have strong religious beliefs. However, at least one character is conflicted about becoming a god.

2024-07-27 12:17:25

Trying to edit the novel on my phone while in an AirBnB that is clearly a converted garage, the 3yo (who slept for Not Long Enough) watching Bluey on my laptop so he won't wake up everyone else.
#writingLife

2024-07-24 13:21:52

Some kid put up signs at the coffee shop offering ukulele lessons and requesting tutoring in quantum physics. It's good to have a diverse set of skills.
#TooMidwestTooFurious

2024-07-23 11:08:09

#wordWeavers 7/23: Authors may write to explore their philosophy. Any revelations you wish to share?
My novels are probably the least explicitly philosophical things I've written (for the philosophical version, see the short story here: http://ehlupton.com/WiscGothicExtras/Dous11July24.pdf) But I think there's something in general about choosing joy when things get tough. I don't know, go read the book. If I could articulate it well in <500 characters, I wouldn't have written 80k words about it.

2024-07-08 11:33:29

#WritersCoffeeClub 7/8: Share the opening line of your work.
Ulysses finally, officially, legally moved in with Sam ten days after someone blew up the physics building.

2024-06-30 11:41:06

#WritersCoffeeClub 6/30: If you're a pantser, have you tried plotting (or vice versa)?
Yeah. I found it lacking in spontaneity.
Part of writing character-driven fiction is giving the characters space to react as the events unfold. I found plotting didn't give me the room I needed to dig in and follow those reactions.
I also need to feel like I'm solving a problem, and sometimes a little bit surprised by what's happening. So I usually start with a couple characters, a setting, and some vibes.

2024-06-12 12:36:21

#WritersCoffeeClub 6/12: Which social media channels do you use as a writer? Which gives you the best engagement?
"Engagement" is such a weird marketing buzzword. I'm on most of the big socials, but mostly on Mastodon because people are more interested in talking and less interested in promoting themselves back at me. I try to be mindful of that and be more interested in talking than in promotion too.
I don't think I'm big enough to win against the algorithm on the other sites.

2024-06-09 16:57:50

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Me later: Is that...did I miss part of that conversation?
My husband: No, she just came over and said, "Give me your children and I will bring them to the insect god." (Pause) It does sound creepier out of context.
❤️

2024-06-09 16:54:45

A random woman approached us in the weight room today.
Woman: you have kids, right?
My husband: Yeah.
Woman: Are you going to take them to see the cicadas?
Me: What?
Woman: There's supposed to be a lot of them in Lake Geneva.
#parenting #TooMidwestTooFurious

2024-06-08 02:33:14

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@npub1d62…tshf aw, thanks. 😊

2024-06-08 02:27:54

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@npub1gvl…8ag7 Is it? There are plenty of great novels that are more like the black statue. Finnegans Wake, Gravity's Rainbow, Dhalgren, Ulysses...arguably The Satanic Verses was a bit like that.

2024-06-07 13:31:41

They sent me a fancy certificate! I'm certifiable!
#writingCommunity #indieAuthors #romancelandia
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2024-06-06 01:51:59

Me: Well, Spotify isn't working. (Turns on radio; WORT is playing "Let the Sunshine In")
6yo (in back seat): what playlist is this?
Me: (long pause) it. It's the radio.
6yo:
Me: I'm so old.
#parenting

2024-06-05 11:15:57

"Surely," I thought, "surely the character is referred to by his full name in the previous book at some point. I'll just search for his first name, and..." 1094 occurrences. Hmm.
#5amWritersClub

2024-05-30 11:10:10

#wordWeavers 5/30: Are you comfortable writing from the POV of a child?
No. My children always come off as kind of preternaturally intelligent. But also, having young kids of my own makes me very aware of how many writers are bad at this.
I have written children (not as POV characters), and I think the key is to remember that they have motives just like everyone else. They do things for reasons, even if the reasons are opaque to adults.

2024-05-27 10:40:38

#WritersCoffeeClub 5/27: What's the ideal story length?
Long enough to develop the characters and ideas without it becoming repetitive or tedious. So it varies by genre, but for my patience level something in the range of 70-100k words is good. Too short and one begins to feel that too much has been omitted; too long and who has time for that. (Someone tell Neal Stephenson.)

2024-05-26 11:44:12

#WritersCoffeeClub 5/26: Would you consider writing a guide to your work, e.g. for aspiring writers?
I wrote a guide in the sense of a reading order document (you can see it here: http://ehlupton.com/extras/), but I don't think I could author a guide for other writers to write like I do. I could probably describe my habitus, but I can't explain why that means I think one sentence is enchanting and one is dull when both are correct. Maybe I'm too caught up in the charismatic ideology of creation.

2024-05-17 10:59:01

#writersCoffeeClub 5/17: Other than writing, what's your go-to creative outlet?
I'm one of those unfortunates who's exploding with hobbies, unfortunately. I draw (comics and other stuff), I paint (watercolor, acrylic, oils), I make quilts, I applique/embroider, I knit and crochet (mostly anigurumi), and I felt. And I play several musical instruments (some I haven't touched in years, but there's a guitar and a ukulele within reach of my computer).

2024-05-10 10:49:38

#writersCoffeeClub 5/10: Do you know any good sources for publishing information?
Submission Grinder or Chill Subs are good to find journals and many small presses. Duotrope too, although it's subscription-based now.
Manuscript Wish List is the big place for agents, also Predators and Editors and Writers Beware.
The blog PublishedToDeath can be pretty good too.
Of FB groups, I've found 20BooksTo50K has good advice, although they can be a little culty.

2024-05-02 11:22:33

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@npub1psd…9sr7 When it happens, do you make the change starting where you are and then go back and fix the first part of the project later, or immediately rewrite it from the beginning to incorporate the change?

2024-04-21 11:19:06

#writersCoffeeClub 4/21: Do you agree with Rose Tremain, who says you shouldn't plan a book's ending; it must be earned?
This is very much in line with the way that I write. I usually don't know how a book is going to end until I'm well into the MS. Also, I write very linearly, and find if I write the ending too much ahead of time, the emotional colors don't match up well.
You can find all of Dame Rose's rules here, if you're curious: https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-rose-tremain-c10b6026d1b9

2024-04-20 11:23:09

#wordWeavers 4/20: Do you plan out your themes or allow them to develop as you write?
I don't know what the themes are until someone points them out to me, generally speaking. I'm just telling a story.

2024-04-13 11:08:49

#WritersCoffeeClub 4/13 Which "unfilmable" novel has worked best on screen?
I'm not a good person to ask about movies, but the film of Tristram Shandy (apparently released in some places as A Cock and Bull Story) was very good.

2024-04-06 11:14:28

#writersCoffeeClub 4/6: What have you learned from past projects that you're using in this WIP?
1/ All books are different. Writing them will feel different.
2/ You learn to write the book you're writing.
3/ Comparing the first draft you're working on to the final draft you just finished will only lead to pain.
4/ Create a process for getting from first draft to final, and then trust that it's going to work.
5/ Everything will feel crummy sometimes, but it's fine, keep going.

2024-04-04 11:08:15

#wordWeavers 4/4: Is there writing advice you used to follow but changed your mind?
Stephen King contended in On Writing that one shouldn't use adverbs--instead, choose a more precise verb. I've seen this expand, somewhat inexplicably, into "don't use adjectives" as well, and endless lists of alternatives to "said," and "filter words." All of this prescriptivism creates a very particular type of prose that isn't me. I've decided to revel in the poetic. Sometimes that means adverbs.

2024-04-02 21:25:52

Welcome to April.
#selfie
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/203/730/142/815/086/original/badf8d8241ae0131.jpg

2024-03-18 10:45:17

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/18: Do you ever use parentheses/brackets in your writing?
Sometimes. Usually they get removed or replaced with em dashes in the final draft.
Oddly, both my mom and my thesis advisor (who I think was a bit younger than her, maybe ten years) HATED em dashes. Saw them as intellectual laziness.
But of the few problems with the books she's mentioned, the presence of em dashes hasn't been one, so perhaps Mom's stance has mellowed.
Here's an unpublished example of parentheses.
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/116/277/917/972/836/original/8cdadc3f1f0a52b4.png

2024-03-06 11:42:49

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/6: What five things do you need to be a writer?
No eye of newt, nor tongue of bat
No really ugly writer's hat
Or a talking cat who's a crashing bore,
Just a room of one's own with a lock on the door
Books require no special tools
No arbitrary set of rules
No gold-dipped pen sent by some divine;
Just human up and you'll do fine.

2024-03-06 04:23:22

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@npub1ggh…ykhp so do you self-edit as you go along, or just trust your editor to whip the draft into shape, or how do you do it? Four months seems so fast to be done!

2024-03-05 15:32:18

Forgot to post about this, but my books are 50% off at the Smashwords book sale this week!
Magic, romance, the 60s, talking to libraries, gods, demons, what more could you want? Check out Dionysus in Wisconsin and its sequel, Old Time Religion, for 50% off.
Book 1 is here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1496349
#ebookWeek24 #books
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2024-03-05 15:09:27

I'm on the mailing list of a particular indie writer. They mention in an email that went out today getting a just-completed first draft of a 100k novel through four (or more) rounds of edits in time to release it sometime in April.
I realize they write full time (and release like ten books a year), but the mind boggles. Even writing full time, even doing nothing else, I don't think I could get a MS done that quickly, and not such a long one. Am I missing something?
#WritingLife

2024-03-04 18:40:17

This one is up for a prize for best short fiction!
You can read it for free. It is very short.
https://www.paranoidtree.com/read/vol-33

2024-02-29 15:57:03

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/29: A question
Throwing this out to everyone...
I'm curious about your planning process. Do you think of your books as having a particular length? Do you have a sense of how much plot you need for how long a manuscript? Do you revise and add more plot if you come up short?
I personally don't outline, but I usually seem to come up around 75k for a first draft and 80k for a final, so I guess I know about how much plot I need for that.

2024-02-29 12:00:18

#wordWeavers 2/29: What's the weirdest thing that happens in your stories?
Weirdest feels really hard to quantify in a series where people fight demons, plant-based zombies, spiders, and statues that can hold ghosts in them. Like is a little light necromancy weird in a world where you can be possessed by a god? I don't know.
I thought this bit of dialog was pretty funny, though.
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/112/014/652/973/236/517/original/967853d4a0e60a66.png

2024-02-28 01:53:22

#pennedPossibilities 237—How would you describe your WIP’s ideal reader?
Probably a Millennial or older.
Did you grow up in a family where people compete to make the best multilingual pun?
Did you major in English or philosophy, or are you a Shakespeare nerd?
Gifted kid to later-in-life ADHD diagnosis AND/OR manic pixie dream girl to middle-aged androgynous human?
Enjoy books with dry humor but want more kissing?
Magic? Mythology?
What if, like, mandalas, man?

2024-02-27 12:13:22

#WordWeavers 2/27; Have you written poetry?
Yes. I write mainly prose poetry. I enjoy lined poetry but writing it makes me nervous. Here are some examples:
https://www.paranoidtree.com/read/vol-33
https://www.slippagelit.com/lightsinthedesert
https://www.tiktok.com/@pretense_soup/video/7282735074200571167?lang=en
Surprisingly, a lot of my poetry publications aren't online.

2024-02-24 12:24:16

#WordWeavers 2/24: If your love interest was a writer, what sort of books would they write?
The other day my husband wrote a brief House/ChatGPT fanfic as part of a discussion we were having... So...
In my books, I have no idea what Sam would write. Ulysses has def written a very academic book about the philosophy of place in magic. Almost no one who isn't an academic read it, but that's not the point, is it.

2024-02-23 18:07:13

Sometimes fact checking my writing is just googling men's clothing ads from the 1970s and laughing until I cry.
It was WILD out there.
#WritingLife

2024-02-21 12:05:53

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@npub1psd…9sr7 Looks like she's written at least three book on using AI in writing. Ugh.

2024-02-17 12:38:16

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/17: How much of yourself is in your MC?
In a sense, I'm in all my characters.
In a less abstract sense, both Ulysses and Sam got some of my quirks--Ulysses cracking his knuckles, for example, is 100% a thing I do all the time. And Sam trying to use long-distance running to manage the ADHD that goes along with being a god. (Or he was always ADHD and he didn't know about it.)
In a third sense, Sam being 6'2"ish is wish fulfilment for me.

2024-02-11 14:53:47

6yo:
ABCD EFG
Gummy bears are chasing me.
One is red, one is blue,
One is even on my shoe.
And now I'm running for my life
'Cause the red one has a knife.
Now I'm running even faster
Because the blue one has a blaster...
...He says he got this at school?
I have nothing to add. I just wanted to collect this for posterity.
#parenting

2024-02-05 15:51:37

Reviews are starting to trickle in. I'm so excited!
If you missed book 1, get it here: https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p
Book 2 is here: https://books2read.com/u/4jB8jl
The Kobo ebooks are buy one, get one free for the entire month of February!
@npub1kt3…5004 @npub1gky…xp6y @npub1vqm…xftl #urbanFantasy #books #romancelandia #bookstodon #IndieAuthors #historicalRomance #romance
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/111/879/657/025/308/232/original/270af340bf185b06.png

2024-02-05 12:12:17

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/5: Can you feel the emotions of your characters when you write them?
I try them on a little. I try on facial expressions too. It's not quite the same as having my own feelings, but also better, because I don't have to have my own feelings.

2024-02-04 19:30:12

Yesterday I was trying to buy tickets, and ticketmaster has this thing where they call you and give you an EIGHT DIGIT NUMBER to put into the website to prove...I don't know what. And I was doing this all in the bathroom (hiding from children), so I wound up writing the number on my leg.
Anyway, today I still have an eight-digit number on my leg but I also have tickets to the Pixies.

2024-02-02 14:41:19

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/2: Do you agree with Picoult--you should finish writing a book even if it's garbage?
Absolutely, yes. Few reasons:
1/ Your emotions are lies--you're seeing the back of the embroidery. It will take months before you have enough distance to know if it's good or not.
2/ You get to have written a good book by writing a crummy one and revising it, not writing an amazing one first time out.
3/ You will learn a lot from the experience--writing a novel is a skill.

2024-02-01 12:20:08

If you are a Kobo person, both my novels are part of a buy one, get one free promotion over there for the month of February! If you like magic, the 1960s, philosophy, guys kissing, demons, zombies made of compost, crochety grandmothers, libraries, and no third-act breakup, you might like them, so this is a great time to try the series out for cheap.
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dionysus-in-wisconsin
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/old-time-religion-1
@npub1kt3…5004 @npub1gky…xp6y #urbanFantasy #Kobo #IndieAuthors
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2024-01-29 16:17:00

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/29: What's the saddest moment you've ever written?
I don't usually dwell on the sad moments. (I think of myself as writing romcoms sometimes...the "com" is for communist.)
Whenever I write someone sitting at someone's hospital bedside, I'm usually remembering sitting in the ICU the night my father died. So that's a thing (more for me, though).
I asked my book doula and they said the relationship between Sam and his family in Dionysus in WI makes people feel things, so.

2024-01-26 13:26:00

The ten copies of Dionysus in Wisconsin that I ordered for last weekend's reading (at which no one bought any books) finally showed up.
Cool, cool.
Anyway, if you live in the US and you want a signed copy, hit me up. I can do Venmo or PayPal, $17 inc. shipping.
#books #urbanFantasy #MMRomance #historicalRomance
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/111/822/471/466/512/413/original/5c781eef746d20d2.jpg

2024-01-26 00:55:47

6yo announced that the first graders got a dance party at school "to the zombie song."
Me: The zombie song? (I have played him a couple.)
6yo: With Michael Jackson?
#parenting

2024-01-23 15:34:23

This guy has been put for a week now, and I've been so excited to see that people have bought and enjoyed it, and even left a few nice reviews. If you missed it, it's available in loads of places, including Kobo Plus. Should be in paperback on Barnes and Noble later today.
OTR: https://books2read.com/u/4jB8jl
If you missed Dionysus in Wisconsin: https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p
#books #bookstodon #gayRomance #urbanFantasy #indieAuthor @npub1gky…xp6y #romancelandia #newRelease @npub1vqm…xftl @npub1kt3…5004
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/111/805/961/802/448/371/original/8e6e3a74837365de.jpg

2024-01-20 12:58:28

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/20: Do you have a blog? Tell us about it and share a link.
I've been a blogger on and off since about 2002. First Blogspot, then Wordpress, and then my own installation of Wordpress on my own site. I don't think it's read by more than a handful of people, most of whom are related to me or know me personally and enjoy the occasional comics. And that one guy who wanted to argue about philosophy who I blocked.
http://ehlupton.com/blog/

2024-01-18 11:40:37

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/18: Ever featured on BookTok? Thoughts re the platform?
I am on TikTok, although my books haven't been BookTok hits. (TBH, the BookTok books I've read were not good.) I have made some history videos that went well, including one about cannibal sandwiches (https://www.tiktok.com/@pretense_soup/video/7317620690788683051?lang=en) that got like 8300 views, which was scary but ultimately fine.
A book video: https://www.tiktok.com/@pretense_soup/video/7324730192587558190?lang=en
Making videos is fun b/c I enjoy inflicting my nerdery on others, feelings about teens aside

2024-01-13 21:30:21

We've had somewhere in the neighborhood of 10.5–11" of snow. My job is shovel now. This is like the worst unending CrossFit class.
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/111/750/762/075/950/835/original/aeda39210bb724b5.jpg

2024-01-11 11:40:31

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/11: Do you use dream sequences in your work? How do you feel about them?
I do. Love a good dream sequence. Keep it short and make it weird.

2024-01-10 12:49:12

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@npub1dzj…4cun I was excited about the idea of talking to people about philosophy online until I realized who exactly those people are.

2024-01-05 11:37:34

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/4: Is is okay to use a preposition to end a sentence with?
A man, newly arrived at Harvard, gets lost and goes to one of his fellow students.
"Excuse me," he says, "can you tell me where the cafeteria is at?"
The man raises an eyebrow and doesn't answer, so our newcomer repeats the question.
His interlocutor sighs. "Here at Harvard, we know never to end a sentence with a preposition."
Our hero(?) says, "Ah. Then can you tell me where the cafeteria is at, asshole?"

2024-01-03 16:40:37

Hey, #WritingCommunity, thoughts on free books/giveaways? Do they work to get you noticed/create read-through? Is it just taking a big loss? I usually do read books I download for free if I click with them, but there are A LOT of free books and most of them are not good, and I worry that people don't value what they get for free, and... I don't know. Thoughts?
#WritingLife #IndieAuthors

2024-01-03 16:02:05

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@npub1gvl…8ag7 Do you know about the Submission Grinder website? They list a lot of small presses and you can search by genre.
https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/
I've been happy with the books I had printed through KDP. Basically identical to Ingram Spark, but much cheaper/better margin on sales.

2024-01-02 12:40:09

#WordWeavers 1/2: What scene in your current WIP are you proudest of?
March of the ghosts. This is from the rough draft of the currently untitled Wisconsin Gothic book 5.
https://romancelandia.club/system/media_attachments/files/111/686/382/433/432/051/original/3467f84b6c9991b7.png

2023-12-28 12:43:01

A treat for the long winter nights.
https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p
Sequel preorders up now:
https://books2read.com/u/4jB8jl
#books #fantasy #urbanFantasy #LGBTQIA #gayRomance #mmRomance #WritersOfMastodon #MMBookstodon @npub1vqm…xftl @npub1gky…xp6y
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2023-12-23 12:25:57

#writersCoffeeClub 12/23 if you were to rewrite the nativity, what would you change?
The part where it became this giant hegemonic religion that we all have to know about because it's constantly around us all the time, shaping nearly every aspect of our culture, even if we aren't ourselves Christian.
Like I have studied many religions (academically), I actually think Christianity is fine, but I hate that I have to deal with Xmas every year. I'm not dragging anyone thru Pesach.
I realized1/2

2023-12-20 18:49:42

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@npub1dzj…4cun I'm not traditionally published, but I think it really depends. A number of writers (e.g. Alexis Hall) have blogged about publishers not being particularly concerned with how explicit the sex is, as long as it fits the tone of the book.
OTOH, I do think mainstream publishers of non-straight romance tend to opt for less-explicit sex scenes, so it depends on what you're working on.
This is just based on my experience as a reader/writer, not any real industry insight anyway.

2023-12-13 21:05:27

I don't exactly know how to work ARC copies for a sequel, but okay. If you're interested in an ARC copy of Old Time Religion, click here: https://forms.gle/qnE9go4kM8Z1ZubJA
None of these are disqualifying questions. If you haven't read Dionysus in Wisconsin yet, I can give you a copy of that too. I expect to have ARCs ready to go around 1/1.
Old Time Religion is an urban fantasy/queer historical romance set in 1970 in Wisconsin.
@npub1kt3…5004 @romancelandia #books #romancelandia #ReadersOfMastodon
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2023-12-13 13:56:51

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@npub1ek8…t2en old (well, 2023) book: https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p
Forthcoming book: https://books2read.com/u/4jB8jl
They're both urban fantasy/queer historical romance. Magic, fighting gods, that kind of thing.

2023-12-13 12:58:37

#WordWeavers 12/13: Share a great review you got!
Someone sent this to me on the other place like three days ago. I almost never check anything there (and I have almost no followers, so it's quiet). But I'm glad I looked in. I've been lucky to have a bunch of really nice reviews over at Goodreads, but it's always a delight to receive an unsolicited message like this, esp in the depths of revision hell.
(The wallpaper actually exists, btw. Someday I'll get a photo of it for you guys.)
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2023-12-06 14:34:50

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@npub10d5…vvxa there's a story that Noel Coward telephoned his friend, French writer Georges Simenon, only to be told by the person who answered the phone that "M. Simenon is not available, he is writing a Maigret novel."
Noel Coward said, "Quite all right. I'll hold 'til he's done."

2023-12-06 13:40:08

Have finished the first draft of book 7 of Wisconsin Gothic, so it can please stop niggling at me and I can get on with everything else that needs my attention. Like getting book 2 edited.
I think this is the 9th manuscript I've finished since March 2022, which would make it the 4th of 2023, if I'm remembering correctly. But I also rewrote Old Time Religion two or three times too. Busy year.
#WritingLife

2023-11-23 12:05:47

I spent part of the last week brainstorming working titles to several of the drafts of novels in the Wisconsin Gothic series. I feel a certain sense of relief to have found some, even if they're terrible.
For some reason, I find titles (well, good titles anyway) very difficult. Dionysus in Wisconsin was originally How to Become a God, which...is a good title for a different type of book, I think.
Anyway, how do you come up with titles?
#5amWritersClub #WritingLife

2023-11-15 12:12:42

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@npub1yy2…7vpm @npub15wt…7rek I first saw it when Alexis Hall was promoting some "romantasy" novel. It's also basically what I write, but it looks clumsy to me. But if people want it as a search term...I shall not say them nay.

2023-11-09 11:52:13

#WritersCoffeeClub 11/9: Is there any kind of scene you could never write?
Generally, in order to write something, I have to understand the character's motivations, and there are lots of things I don't understand, like many types of senseless violence. Most of what falls under "dark romance" I'm not gonna do---relationships with significant power imbalances, abuse, etc. I'm not good at writing about homophobia or racism or sexism. Stuff like that.

2023-11-05 12:42:04

#WritersCofffeeClub 11/5 How are you affected by reviews of your work?
Like a lot of people, positive reviews tend to make me happy for a moment and then they're gone, while negative things stay with me forever. I try to remember that people who write negative reviews 1/ finished the book, and 2/ had an emotion about it. I've bounced out of plenty of books that left me kind of numb.
Luckily, there have been very few negative reviews, or even negative things said in otherwise positive reviews.

2023-11-04 12:12:21

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@npub10n9…tjug I can write one , edit one, and market one, barely, but I run out of mental energy for querying. I don't know why, exactly.

2023-10-31 23:01:52

Important Rasputin updates.
#Halloween
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2023-10-30 10:54:33

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/30 Did the educational system inspire you or put you off writing?
Pre-college, I had no formal creative writing instruction. I wrote on my own time.
In college, I felt out of step with my peers in my creative writing workshops b/c I wanted to write genre fiction. Wound up not going for an MFA so I never had a fight about it.
Over time, I learned to use my near-obsessive attention to detail for good ends.
"Dare to suck" was always the best advice I got.

2023-10-26 12:10:18

Pleased to announce this is up for preorder. It's set in 1970, there's magic and gods and drugs and queer romance, and I did actually write a couple of songs for the Macbeth musical. It's a direct sequel to Dionysus in Wisconsin, so if you haven't read that weird fever dream yet, now is a good time to check it out.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5XX9BH3
(There will be a paperback too. Just no preorder)
@npub1kt3…5004 @npub1gky…xp6y #books #urbanFantasy #indieAuthors #romancelandia @npub1uhc…r9cx @npub1vqm…xftl
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2023-10-24 11:00:51

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/24: Are you a book hoarder, or do you sell/give them away?
I really only buy the books I want to own. Sometimes I do give them away if they disappoint, I guess. But mostly they come into the house and they stay.

2023-10-15 11:04:47

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/15 Should writers be honest about their politics online?
Once, in 2020, someone unfollowed me because I didn't post about going to a BLM protest. I hadn't gone to a protest because I was pregnant (hadn't posted about it) and didn't want to take any risks.
The worst part of social media is finding out how many people are TERFs/antisemites/Islamophobes/misogynists/etc. I can't say if I'd rather know. But I don't think everyone needs to make a statement about everything.

2023-10-10 11:32:46

How do you deal with it when you read the (published) work of a friend and it's not great? Say nothing and drink to forget? Comment on the aspects you did like?
(NB this isn't a subtoot of anyone here.)
#WritingLife

2023-10-02 12:37:01

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@npub16uc…k62q My hope is that we get to explore a little of her past through the series.

2023-10-02 10:58:01

#WordWeavers 10/2 Who is your most intriguing character? Why?
I think it's probably Ulysses's grandmother, Ekaterina (called Babushka by her grandchildren). Everyone loves a witchy old woman with a shadowy past. Or I do, anyway.

2023-10-01 10:57:00

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/1 Promote your WIP
My current WIP is book 2 in the series of urban fantasy/queer historical romances I've been working on. It follows Sam and Ulysses through problems including the reappearance of U's ex-girlfriend, plant zombies, finishing a PhD, community theater, and figuring out how to have a relationship when one of you is an ex-god.
If you enjoy this stuff, or just want to support my weirdness, you can pick up the first book here to prepare: https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p

2023-09-30 22:29:24

It was fun to read from Dionysus in Wisconsin this afternoon at #RSM4. I've been very plugged into work on the sequel this week, and it feels weird to see Sam and Ulysses back at the beginning of their journey. I guess it's cool that I can see how much they've changed, though!
#WritingLife

2023-09-30 15:10:01

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@npub15wt…7rek they do not, although in the last ten years people no longer seem weirded out or insulted to find out I'm vegetarian. More often I hear, "Oh, I was vegetarian for a year in college but I just missed meat too much." Ok? Good for you/I'm sorry? I don't know what they want from me in that case.

2023-09-30 11:10:10

#WritersCoffeeClub 9/30 What dumb things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?
For the first 15 years I was a vegetarian, when anyone found out, they'd say, "Where do you get your protein?" There is no equivalent response for being a writer. Most people are nice and ask what I write.
More annoying are people who spontaneously lie about having bought my book? Like you could just not do that? I do not understand that at all. There's literally zero clout I can award them. Tant pis.

2023-09-24 11:12:51

#WritersCoffeeClub 9/24: What are your biggest bugbears with publishing?
In the intro to the ed. of The Martian Chronicles I have, Ray Bradbury writes this thing about "I went down to New York and told this editor my idea for the Martian Chronicles, and he gave me $1500 and that paid my rent for two years and delivered our first baby daughter." Now, if you write a really good novel, you might still get a $1500 advance.
I'm still angry about this paragraph.
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2023-09-08 02:08:15

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@npub1gvl…8ag7 I just never read it.

2023-09-07 20:14:02

For those interested in the squirrel skull discourse: when 6yo and I called my mom last night (we were driving home from aikido), she immediately suggested 6yo could bring the skull to school for show and tell.

2023-09-02 11:08:47

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@npub10n9…tjug Yeah. Although today the 6yo got me out of bed and I'm not sure I want to stay awake.

2023-09-01 10:50:13

#WritersCoffeeClub 9/1: Intro: Shameless Self Promotion. Tell us about yourself, your published work or WIP.
Hi, I'm Em. I write books and sometimes poems about ghosts. My most recent book was Dionysus in Wisconsin (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ96HWSP), which is an urban fantasy/historical that also has a lot of kissing in it. I also have a novella out, The Joy of Fishes, which has almost no kissing but a lot of philosophy.
I do too many other things to list
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2023-08-30 11:23:00

#WritingWonders 8/30 Have you ever planned to kill a character and then not done it?
No. When I started the Wisconsin Gothic series, I felt like there had to be actual consequences if someone got killed. That tends to be tedious to write, plus I hate the practice of just killing off characters (maybe this is more a TV thing). So I try to kill as few as possible.

2023-08-28 16:22:59

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@npub1fgl…4jl4 @npub1h4j…j3dt @npub1gky…xp6y I know! I was pretty floored.

2023-08-27 01:44:06

One reviewer on Goodreads wrote, "It's one of those books that has you actually holding your breath at least once. There were phrases that I had to speak aloud because they were so gorgeous I wanted to feel the weight and shape of them for myself."
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ96HWSP
Universal: https://books2read.com/u/49dN1p
#books #Bookstodon #fantasy @npub1gky…xp6y @npub1kt3…5004 @npub1vqm…xftl #LGBTQBookstodon #romancelandia
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2023-08-24 02:55:34

After playing around for a few weeks, I had a history video on TikTok get about 850 views, plus like 1200 more on Instagram. Sold not a single book, but like 2000 people found out a little about the history of the Red Gym, which pleases me no end.
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2023-08-20 16:27:49

He gets me.
#WritingCommunity #WritingWonders
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