Z.A. Maxfield

Happily. Ever. After.

Generosity of Spirit – My List

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Generosity of Spirit has been the rule, not the exception in the author community as I’ve experienced it. I have been privileged to see my name on lists of authors who have helped with other authors’ careers, and I want to make my own list, here.

At first, I was tempted to put our willingness to help one another down to the obvious–writers cannot stop talking about writing or they’d have to do it.

But that’s not all this is about, is it? Because I have a theory that every real writer starts out as a reader. And for them, books aren’t simply commodities that can be packaged and marketed like the latest celebrity perfume, using a hint of this. A touch of that. People like this color this year so why not use that on the box?

Every reader/writer wants books to be good.

Most important, every real writer wants to do the impossible: Write the book no one has ever written before, so brilliantly that it breaks all sales records, without being a commercial success, because ew. Amiright?

When writers talk ideas are born.

There’s no reason your ghost written-in-a-week novel, dressed up with a fabulous cover, stuffed with fifty backlist titles, can’t be good. But the statistical chances of it being as good as a novel by a proven author are unlikely.

Marketing those books, buying ads, generating sales is hard work. So is day trading, or running a Ponzi scheme. So is grinding Texas hold ’em in Vegas, don’t ever let anyone tell you the life of a professional gambler is easy. But buying a book someone wrote and putting your name (or a fake name that pays into your PayPal account) on it, has to be the ultimate delusion.

Books enlighten us, inform us, and direct our future actions. They create empathy for our fellow travelers on this planet, even if those people are not like us. They are own-voice stories, and fiction, and fantasy. They speak of faith, and ethics–of the possible dangers of rigorously applied morality or cutting edge science, because writers can make hard concepts easy to understand. They invite discourse. They challenge perception.

Like cameras, they kill fascists.

And in my experience, writers have preferred lifting their fellows quietly, relentlessly, and lovingly rather than attempt to gouge or steal or bully or set attack dogs on their colleagues.

Twenty people without whom I would not have a career*, are:

***I knew I’d forget important people. Edited to add the amazing Heidi C. and Marie S. who came into my life with Coffee and Porn (figuratively speaking.)

  1. Terry Black
  2. K.A. Mitchell
  3. Josh Lanyon
  4. LB Gregg
  5. James Buchanan
  6. Louisa Edwards
  7. Samantha Kane
  8. Deidre Knight
  9. Treva Harte
  10. Laura Baumbach
  11. Kris Jacen
  12. Belinda McBride
  13. Lynn Lorenz
  14. Heidi Cullinan
  15. Marie Sexton
  16. Damon Suede
  17. Caitlyn Willows
  18. Christopher Koehler
  19. Amy Lane
  20. Rhys Ford
  21. Louella Nelson
  22. Debra Holland

*Many more are not listed here as I gave myself a not so hard limit of ten… headdesk.

Sunday Brunch Blog – fantasy animals…

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saupload_mad_20hatter_20tea_20partyOne of the best things about my writing career is all the wonderful friends I’ve made over the years. Many of my internet pals have become in-person friends. We share adventures in writing, and often we have the opportunity to meet up at conventions like Romantic Times Book Lovers’ convention or GayRomLit.

I always wanted to find a way to just ask a few over for branch, and this became the idea for this blog.

Each Sunday I’ll invite a couple friends over and ask a question. My friends will share their answers with me. You, gentle readers, can give your answer to my question in the comment section below. I’ll choose one random person from the comments and reward them with an ebook surprise, it’s that simple! Comments are moderated, so don’t despair if you’re not posted immediately! No comments last week? Commenters will be entered into a drawing, so don’t be SHY!

This week’s question:

You’re a geneticist allowed to create one fantasy animal, describe it?

ImageWhen I was sixteen or so, I started reading Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series. Those flying, sentient, telepathic, fire-breathing beasts were magnificent! A companion, a protector, best friend, and well, flying! C’mon, who hasn’t wanted to fly?!? And as a burgeoning adult (as well as upon later rereads) I was able to appreciate the influence on sexual and romantic relationships. Not with the dragons! Minds out of the gutter! The dragons’ sexuality influenced their riders’ libido and choice of spouse. It was fascinating and hey, there were gay dragonriders, too. Go Anne McCaffrey! Seriously, I still love the idea of those dragons.

But, as a kid, I also wanted a pet cheetah I could ride to school, instead of having to take the school bus. Not sure why I never wished for a horse or a pony like most young girls, but there you have it. I wanted a cheetah. To ride. Apparently I have some sort of transportation fetish. This may explain why I’m so proud of having ridden a horse, a camel, and an elephant.

Anyway… any geneticist worth his or her salt ought to be able to come up with one of those Pern dragons, right? And it’s not asking too much to have it sometimes shift into a sentient, telepathic cheetah, right? I bet I’d have people lining up around the block to get one of my lovely creations. — Author KC Burn

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4157

1169392So, if I was a geneticist, and I could create anything I wanted by gene splicing or some such, I would create….this:

 

Zam said to describe it, but this seemed easier all around….hope I didn’t stray too far from the parameters of the assignment….lol! (Plus, we just finished watching Harry Potter, Prisoner of Azkaban again tonight, and I realize now, this is, like the opposite of a hypogryph. Go figure…) — Author Jaime Samms (who is also a great artist)

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3780

And for a third author at our brunch table today: due to a slight miscalculation on my part, you only get me, (sorry). My Ideal Genetically Modified And Enhanced Animal would have the face of a llama, and maybe the body of a sheep, and some fluffy white wings. I love Llamas. There could be nothing better than a short fat fuzzy llama with wings.

Llamas hum when they’re content, and when they’re anxious they make this psycho honking sort of noise to alert their pals. They’re playful, and they pronk.  Who wouldn’t love one of those especially if it flies? — Author Z.A. Maxfield

Let’s get started on our fantasy animals now, shall we?

Sunday Brunch With Friends – In The Beginning…

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saupload_mad_20hatter_20tea_20partyOne of the best things about my writing career is all the wonderful friends I’ve made over the years. Many of my internet pals have become in-person friends. We share adventures in writing, and often we have the opportunity to meet up at conventions like Romantic Times Book Lovers’ convention or GayRomLit.

I always wanted to find a way to just ask a few over for branch, and this became the idea for this blog.

Each Sunday I’ll invite a couple friends over and ask a question. My friends will share their answers with me. You, gentle readers, can give your answer to my question in the comment section below. I’ll choose one random person from the comments and reward them with an ebook surprise, it’s that simple! Comments are moderated, so don’t despair if you’re not posted immediately! Stay tuned, I’ll announce our winner next week!

This week’s question:

You’re going into exile on a deserted alien planet. What three things do you bring?

1219154I’m going to assume that the deserted alien planet is only deserted in terms of other humans. I mean, I don’t do camping so deserted alien planet only works for me if I’m not scrounging for food and water and sleeping in the dirt. 😉 That being said, I’d need room service or some other means of eating and drinking besides scrounging in the wild for it. I’m so not the Doomsday Prepper type that hunts for wild boar. I could handle kicking back and letting the aliens bring me food and drink on demand. It would be like a vacation, but on an alien planet devoid of humans…I could go for that! Especially if the aliens were male, hot and naked. 😉

 Now, going along with my first choice, I’d have to say that the second thing I’d bring would be my family. Or rather, Rott and the babies. Nikki wouldn’t want to come. She likes human contact. In Rott’s case, he hates people. He’d be okay on an alien planet without humans as long as the aliens weren’t idiots. He’d probably think of it as a vacation same as me! I couldn’t go anywhere without him. His sense of humor keeps me balanced. He entertains me constantly and keeps me in a good mood so I can write sexy men. And I’d have to take the babies because who would care for them if I left them behind? I’d miss my Louie and his parents and brothers. Louie likes to lay on my feet while I work. I don’t think I could work without him. And it would be awesome if the aliens cleaned up after the babies…yeah, aliens on litter box duty…that’s awesome!

 And lastly, I’d need someplace to work. Would need my computer and the internet, a comfy, roomy desk and a super comfy chair. What’s the point of going anywhere if I couldn’t write about it? And I’d need to keep working on the stories in my head even on vacay…er, exile…on an alien planet. Must. Write. Sexy. Characters. Yeah, no slacking on my part, even surrounded by aliens. — Author Lex Valentine

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bitterbonds-1219154-147.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bitter-bonds-lex-valentine/1115553693?ean=2940016563923
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Bonds-Souls-Bondage-ebook/dp/B00DB3ZBQQ

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Image 1I’d bring an acoustic guitar and a pitch pipe, plus a ton of guitar strings…
See, I’m hoping the alien planet will be stimulated by my arrival and begin to provide me with some cool aliens to hang out with, so I’ll have company. I like to have company. I’m sure it’ll take us a while to learn to communicate in each other’s languages, so until them we’ll communicate with music!

Or, if the planet really has to be deserted… I know! I’ll bring a sexy
Argeneau vampire, who happens to be my lifemate. Um… what else? geez, Zam, this is a tough one. I’d bring a Christmas tree, because I love them so much mine stays up most of the year (yeah, it’s still up). Oh, and a cat. I’d leave my daughter here, because I don’t want to trap her on a deserted planet. She’s only thirteen, and that would deprive her of a lot of fun growing up stuff. So, yep. Sexy vamp who can make me immortal and adores me, a swanky Christmas tree with self-powered LCD lights, and a pregnant cat… you know, so there will be kittens. 🙂 — Author Cherie Noel.

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Untitled“This jury finds you guilty of being over fifty, a writer, and a bear. You are sentenced to exile on Planet Maxfield. You are allowed to take three things with you, Bear on Books.” The voice of some little puissant judge kept buzzing around in my head, and all I wanted to do was wake up and go get a green chai latte and maybe a blueberry muffin. Whole grain, of course. Throwing my hand out and hitting the light switch, I slowly opened my eyes and saw it wasn’t a dream after all.

Those bastards really did send me to rim Maxfield…er, Maxfield’s Rim. Thank the gods the view here was stunning—all those shades of red.

First things first, I went and relieved myself, and splashed some cold water on my face. Even in exile, there was no reason to walk around looking like something the bear dragged in. I opened the pet gate and walked into the kitchen and bent down to pet the dogs. That was the first, and most necessary thing on my list of three items I was allowed in exile. Digging through the cabinet, I pulled out a couple of cans of food and fed the beasts before opening the door to let them out.

My Kindle was on the charger. I’d wrangled with them over it being one thing or many, since it was full of books. They might have made the rules, but they never thought around it long or hard enough. My four thousand books didn’t count, just the reader.

Ha, take that Judge Judy.

Two strong arms wrapped around me as I was flipping through my “Gay Romance” collection to find a book to read during breakfast. “Mmm, good morning Sir.”

Yes, my good little slave boy Vin Diesel made the cut at Number Three. What a shame we had to leave all his clothes back on Earth though.

Breakfast was looking better and better… — Author Tom Webb

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Knights-City-Knight-Friction-ebook/dp/B00EK849VE/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

ARE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cityknight-1057296-148.html

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Join me every Sunday, as we explore silly things with exciting authors!

 

 

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