Oh Myyyy

Commander Sulu reads "50 Shades of Gray".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WahBH9sANg

Oh My.

A Bit of Not So Shameless Self Promotion!

So, as part of promoting the latest anthology I will be featured in "Use Enough Gun", the editor has been posting interviews with some of the writers and characters featured in the anthology.

I was the latest victim and I speak of awesome things such as Iron Maiden, Why Jonny Quest Is Better than Scooby-Do, Law Unto Herself, Camaros, and Robin Hood should be a vampire killer. You can check it here: http://milesboothe.com/. This will be the eighth anthology I've been featured in when it comes out.

This just proves if you're stubborn enough, have a smidgen of talent, and work your ass off you can make your dreams come true.

I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script . . .

My Husband Linked me to this blog post, and I read it. And there was a lot I can sympathize with the author, and there was a lot that made me chuckle in my experiences of reading something over for someone.

Writing, true writing, is hard. Some people have it, some people don't, and some people can learn to be competent writers but they may not have it.

You should know what it is if you've ever read a book that you couldn't put down or a fanfic that you chomp at the bit to read the next installment of. It is a quality that is hard to put into words. I know I have a hard time describing my writing process, or how I write something such as dialogue or characterization.

Then there are people who think, "Well, writing's easy!"

No, it's not, it really isn't . It may look easy, but to write something worth while and something good you either have it or you don't. It's like drawing a picture, but in some ways, more painstaking. It definitely takes a whole hell of a lot longer. Not to mention there's research and the like as well. Also if you're writing something original there's the terrifying World Building.

Research can take a long time. One time I spent hours looking up things about pulp fiction and movies in the 1930's for a book I'm working on. (It's in my signature and the first five chapters are posted here on the board.) The references were brief, barely a paragraph total, but I wanted to get them right.

So I got off on a bit of a tangent. But there it is.

On a lighter note I started the third and final story for the latest crop of anthologies I'm trying for. The first story I was accepted, I'm iffy on the Second one which was that Fucking Fantasy story (and if I'm not accepted for it, I won't be too disappointed, not to mention the publisher has some weird quirks that seem really unprofessional to me), and then there's this one which the theme is "Psycho Cinema". The title I have going for it is "A Broomstick and Some Popcorn Seasoning".

To all of you inspiring writers out there, when you ask for some one experienced and who produces quality products for a beta, be sure you're giving them something worth reading.

Good Ole Self Promotion

There is a new anthology out that I'm a part of.  It's called Re-Vamping a Classic Tale and it contains one of my favorite short stories I've ever written.  It's called "The Evil that Men Can Do" (yes, after the Iron Maiden song) and focuses on my other female vampire character Ashlynn "Ash" O'Grady as it explores her past and present.

So, go check it out!

Nose to the Grindstone

So at work, doing more overtime, I found a copy of "Writer's Digest" in my desk that a coworker had given me. I was leafing through it, and a lot of the tips in it I have in more detailed format in a book on how to write horror. So I'm flipping through and find an interview with Robert Kirkman.

You know, the guy who created "The Walking Dead" and "Invincible" as well as working on numerous other comic projects. Hell, the guy even writes for the TV show based off of his "The Walking Dead" comics. So, curious I began to read.

The first part of the interview was talking about how he use to work his day job and then at night write. That sometimes he went only on a couple of hours of sleep due to his self publishing. It really made me think. Then I remembered a section in the awesome horror writer's guide I just mentioned talking about finding time for writing. Sometimes you just have to abandon stuff to do so. After all, the end goal is more important than procrastination.

Like this posting a blog here is procrastination.

Anyway, I started pondering and realized that there's about an hour and a half where I'm doing nothing a night but playing on the web and talking to people on line.

Don't get me wrong, I love talking to my on line buddies. Especially since other than my husband I really don't have that many friends in real life to talk about stuff too. Like I'm sort of the tag along with him, which is fine most of the time, but I value my on line friends. Plus I sort of really suck in person; at least on line I can appear cool and witty instead of stuttering all the time.

I realized that if I gave up my on line socialization for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week I'd get at least three more hours to write. At least. Probably closer to four or maybe five. Then I realized how much I can get done in just an hour and then having at least three extra hours a week?

Well, I just might have that novel done by January if I keep at it.

So next week I am going to try this. For my friends who I talk to online this isn't because I hate you, no I love you all very dearly. This is because I need to do this. For me to succeed I need to put my nose to the grind stone and kick some ass.

Besides, I'll still be on Monday and Friday nights.

A Plan! Sort of.

So I now have a plan of sorts for my writing.  It's not fully fleshed out yet, but it's getting that way.

First off is to knock off three anthologies.  The first one due is in the end of May, the longest one is due at the end of June, and then there's one that is TBA.  The first two mentioned are paying gigs, and the one due at the end of June is paying $50.00 if I'm accepted.  Plus it's a fantasy story, something new and exciting for me to write!

After that I want to get my novel done by the beginning of next year.  Then the publishing company will be accepting submissions again and I want to submit when they have their first open call.  You know, the earlier the better right.

While I'm waiting on that one, I am going to try my hand at a romance series.  I have a talent for it and I can make money that way if things go well.  So time for paranormal porn!  The thing of it is, the world that I need to create for the romance series needs to be different than my Urban Fantasy.  (One thing is the vampires are going to be a lot more powerful and the dhampires not as crazy.)

So, there it is.

I Bid You Welcome and Good Evening . . .

Welcome to "A Few Crows Short of a Murder"!

This will be the blog of Jennifer L. Barnes, a writer from Southern Indiana.  She writes about vampires that do not sparkle solving problems the American way: guns, explosions, and lots of gratuitous violence.  In other words, she writes Urban Fantasy for the most part.

So, welcome to my blog and I'll hope to have some tasty tidbits to share about writing, getting published, and why remakes ruin my Iron Man.