Make it make sense

If there's one thing that irks me, it's a story that doesn't make sense. It doesn't matter if it's a news segment, local gossip, a movie, television, or a book; things just don't land well if they don't make sense. There's a piece of information that almost distracts me from accepting whatever I've been told. I get stuck on it and question the reporter/storyteller involved because things just aren't piecing together. 

Recently, I read a (fiction) book that had quite a few distractions that didn't sit well with me. By the time I finished, these distractions seemed to grow and become more undeniable, to the point that I felt the author must've rushed through the ending without really thinking it out. And I'm not going to lie, it kind of turned me off. Now, I won't go into all the issues, but I will discuss one example in this article, then explain why it bothered me. 

So, the main character was a small-town girl who lived several years in a city that wasn't the largest nor the smallest, but had enough danger that a young woman would need to be aware. She returned to her small town, went to the house of someone she didn't trust with liquor in hand, then allowed him to 'fix' her a drink out of her sight. He put something in her drink, which she seemed to realize after feeling a bit woozy, while the reader probably figured out long before that she was hardly smart to put herself in this situation at all, or at least without being prepared. 

The first thing that bothered me was that this sudden decision came at the end of the book, indicating to me that the author was just rushing to finish it. There was no clear thinking or plan, but instead the protagonist put herself in an extremely vulnerable and stupid situation. It wasn't even a plot twist where something happened that caused a huge emotional response, which would be a situation where someone might act erratically, without thinking clearly. Furthermore, this was a character who lived in a city that has some pretty dicey areas, where you'd be cautious and on your guard, but this woman didn't appear to think the same rules applied to a man in the country, whom she suspected may have killed in the past. And if nothing else, hasn't every woman been told, at some point, to never leave your drink unattended, especially with someone you don't know and, I might be going out on a limb here, but also that you suspect might be a killer? I mean, if someone kills, something tells me that they might also put something in your drink to either knock you out or just fucking kill you. 🤷‍♀️ Call me paranoid, but that's just my logic.

And that's the problem. This whole situation (as well as others in the book) had no logic. When writing, you always have to consider what makes sense, both for the character and in general. Do people act that way? Replace a character in a book with yourself or someone similar in your life; would they react that way? If so, there would have to be extenuating circumstances. For example, had the character been drinking before deciding to pay the potential murderer a visit (which I don't believe she was), it would make more sense. 

I also want to say that this book was a Canadian book that had the Canadian Council for the Arts logo (which means if you're a Canadian taxpayer, you helped pay for this) inside the cover, and whenever I see this logo, I always expect that the book will check more DEI boxes than it will necessarily make sense or entertain, since that's what seems to be more relevant these days. Without making a list, the book covered many of them. 

That aside, though, this is something I've seen in various books, movies, etc and I always find it distracting. In fact, I've even worried about the same with my own books. (and God knows, I probably have made the same error if I look closely) Intuitively, we know when things just don't add up. And so does the reader.

Why it’s important to support other authors and encourage readers

 I haven’t published a book in a couple of years, but this hasn’t stopped me from fully and wholeheartedly supporting other authors, especially those who are independent. Whether I write another book or not, I will always support writers and do what I can to get eyes on their books.

As one example, I retweet and share other authors’ books on my X account. It’s not a tactic to necessarily encourage them to do the same for me, but simply because I want to help support other artists. I especially want to support independent authors because they don’t have a well-known name, expensive marketing campaigns, or sometimes the experience to reach as many people. And even if they make every attempt, it can often feel like being lost in a sea of other authors and books. Trust me, I know.

Add to this the fact that the number of authors publishing books has remained consistent, while fewer people are reading. In fact, I did hear a statistic recently that the number of people who read books has vastly dropped over the last few decades. This concerns me. In fact, this is one of the reasons why I took a break from writing a couple of years ago.

I also try to find a home for as many books as I can. I volunteer at my local library to help take care of the ongoing used book sale. If some books haven't moved for months, I shuffle them to a charity second-hand store. I guess this is with the hope that in a new location, an interested reader may find them. There’s nothing an avid reader loves more than finding a book they’ve been looking for, perhaps one that is out of print or was unaffordable at full price.

Another thing I do is enter book contests in a couple of different places. One of which is Goodreads. You’d be surprised how often I win. I give the book a fair read, and even if I don’t like it, I try to give it a review and pass it on. Sometimes I donate it to the library to add it to their collection. Some of these books are by well-known authors, but many are not. This puts their books in a position to get different eyes on them and potentially pull in a new reader that otherwise may not have discovered them.

Speaking of libraries, I’ve also suggested they bring in some less-known authors (not that I’m usually very successful), and I try to buy their books and later donate them to the library in hopes they do.

In my mind, regardless of who writes the book, someone put a lot of work and heart into their project. Sure, there are a lot of best-selling authors who certainly don’t need my help getting eyes on their books, but many authors aren't making as much money as you think. Even those with a traditional publisher

My efforts may seem minor and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but it all helps. If I can get one person who doesn’t read to pick up a book, I consider that a win. If I can draw a new reader’s attention to a lesser-known author, I feel like this is a success. In a world of smartphones and practically no attention spans, anytime someone picks up a book is a success in my eyes.

Paranormal romance and something called 'romantasy' are a thing now; and people wonder I'm not writing now?

Sometimes, I enjoy entering Goodreads giveaways. I win more than you’d think. I’m sometimes unsure if the book would interest me if I do win, but if not, I'll donate it to my local library or give it to a friend.

One thing I’m noticing more and more is a category called ‘romantasy'. Now, I had to look up what that was all about because it was a new one on me, but as I expected, it wasn’t something I would be interested in. Apparently, it focuses on a ‘magical world’ with morally grey areas for the ‘love interest’. What does that mean? Honestly, it sounds the same as paranormal romances, also a category I have no interest in, which apparently is about having romances with vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts....it just gets weirder the more I go on, so I’ll stop here.

Needless to say, I’ve written a couple of books about vampires. Still, humans having vampire qualities (which can be taken in a less literal sense) feels less weird than having a romance with a werewolf because a werewolf is essentially a wolf, which is an animal. Think about it.

Although it’s insisted that these two categories are different, I fail to see how. I also don’t care. Either way, there’s a mighty big psychological study just brewing at the surface of this one, because one has to wonder why so many young women are drawn to these dark, non-human romances in the first place.

Other than the fact that our world is clearly fucked ten ways to Sunday, choice in entertainment may just be Exhibit A in this trial. Not to mention that a lot of young people now have AI relationships, as in ‘dating’ a NOT REAL person, so I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that they can’t even have a fictional book that teeters on the side of realism. Of course, is it simply an escape from reality? Maybe if I were much younger, these categories would have more of an appeal. And in the end, it's really none of my business what people choose to read. I'm just happy they read at all.

Art imitates life. And here we are.

My writing update 👩🏼‍💻

I've had many people ask me if I'm currently writing. Actually, I've also had others assume I was on to another book, since historically, that's usually been the case. Those who know me are usually surprised when I say no. I don't go into an explanation because I'm not entirely sure why I'm not writing. It's more like combinations of reasons.

After writing so much for so long (sometimes up to two books a year), I got burned out. I can't imagine successful authors, bestsellers, whose fans are always expecting the next book to drop. Then again, if I had that, I'd want to be writing all the time. Although the pressure could be a lot. 

After my last book, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, I just wanted to take a break. I wanted time to actually read books, rather than write them. I wanted time to relax, regroup, and see where the next book would be going. Unfortunately, that's where things stopped. I have notes. I have ideas. I'm sure if I started to write, I would get back into it like other times, but I just don't feel inspired to start.

Part of it is because I'm not successful. It's a lot of work and time for the few readers I have, despite all the efforts I've made to market my books over the years. The second reason is that people don't seem to read anymore. I can't tell you how many times I've had people say to me that either they don't like to read, or used to read but no longer can concentrate. I can't compete with that little device you have in your hand almost every minute of the day. Unfortunately, that device matters more to most people than books, actual relationships with other people, or even work, in some cases. Plus, throw in AI (and yes, there are books written with AI now), and concerning new bills being brought forward in some countries (including mine), I'm not sure if I have to worry about a censorship law creeping up on me. 

Not to sound like I'm making excuses either. If I really wanted to write a book now, none of that would stop me. I think my instincts are telling me it's not the right time....yet.

What do I think when I read my books NOW?

Time has a way of changing your views. What makes sense today sometimes won't make sense a week, month, or year from now. Of course, this is normal. We change as time moves forward. We see things differently, as we investigate and grow. It's progress.

Having said that, I often look back at various blogs, videos, and even my books and second-guess what I said, wrote, or even thought back when they were first created. That's not to say I always cringe when I read an old passage from one of my books or have the urge to delete blogs or videos from years ago. It would be more fitting to say that I understand where I was coming from at the time, but I feel differently now. Sometimes, it's about wanting to add to or expand the ideas I had back then; other times, I would've gone in a completely different direction. I've even considered remaking old videos for my YouTube and Rumble channels, but is that the best use of time? As for the books themselves, I definitely won't be rewriting 18 books!

Having said that, the work isn't terrible, but it isn't necessarily sitting as well with me as time moves on. I sometimes feel like a hypocrite because my views changed so much, and that's definitely reflected in my writing. But then again, I guess I don't have a large audience, so perhaps it doesn't matter anyway. 

I'm just curious if other artists have ever felt the same way? I wonder if readers even really notice or care? It's something I've given a lot of thought to lately. The funny thing is, for all the thought I've given it, no one else probably has even noticed. 

Do you prefer movies or a television series?

A few months ago, I had a discussion with a friend about which we preferred: movies or television series. He insisted that movies were better, and while he didn't say it, I have heard the argument that years later, we remember movie lines and scenes more than we recall the same from a series. There’s something that stays with you, much like a memory from your own life.

I tend to disagree because I feel like it takes time to warm up to characters. But then again, I prefer stories that are character-driven. A movie just doesn't do it for me. I'm not still thinking about most movies once I finish watching them, whereas I often will when it's a show I've been watching for a season or two. I'm assuming that the actors and writers for that specific show learn more about their characters and watch them evolve over time, similar to what I've always discovered when writing a book series. There are many layers, and some are removed faster than others. 

I've always had a difficult time writing one, standalone book that doesn't connect with others. Without getting into the full list of my books, I will say that the first four were couples, whereas everything after was part of my Hernandez series. Even Different Shades of the Same Color had a brief overlap that would drift into the series (that wasn't meant to be a series). It's kind of to the point that I assume that it's just not in me to write a book that's not at least a part of a couple, if not a series. It would just feel weird, and there's always so much story to tell. It's difficult to bluntly end it in one book. 

So, do you prefer watching a movie or streaming a series? Would you rather have a standalone book or one that leads to another....and another...... 

Book sale! Book sale! Everyone loves a book sale!

I was just on Amazon and noticed a couple of my books are reduced in price. Check it out 👇🏼

And the Devil will Laugh is ONLY $9.91! Last week it was around $30. This is a great deal! And We're All Criminals is only $6.37!! Only one left in stock so grab it now! 

Thanks for your support and have a wonderful weekend!