Family Dramas

In other news…

So, after much cajoling by family members and friends who love the feel of a physical book in their hands I decided to give you that option for First, I Love You. Behold:

http://www.amazon.com/First-Love-You-Downey-Trilogy/dp/147939324X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348757748&sr=1-2

Coming soon, via CreateSpace. Hopefully we will all be happy with the end product as, obviously, I’ve never used a POD before.

Anyhoo, that sales rank on the digital version is kinda sad, but in my defense, I’ve been writing and editing more than I’ve been promoting, and I really think that has to take priority right now.

Speaking of which, here’s a little snippet from Second of All (unedited):

Once they’d reached the living room, Seamus took out a pipe made of glistening rosewood. Its entirety, except for the inch portion that would rest in a person’s mouth, was intricately carved in a twisting woven knot work pattern. Seamus handed the pipe to Mickey and Mickey took it, wondering what it meant.

Seamus sat on the blanket covered chair by the large console television Mickey’s great uncle Bruno had given Mickey’s father. Mickey twirled the pipe in his fingers and let the silence stretch. The feel of the wood in his hands seemed to keep his mind blissfully free of thoughts, the act of tracing the interwoven lines making his fingertips vibrate with an energy he couldn’t explain.

“Tis yours. Made it fer ye. Yer man of d’family now, time to put childish tings away,” Seamus said softly from the chair.

“Can you teach me how to carve like this?” Mickey found himself saying as if it were any normal day. As if today weren’t the day his father had died, the day his hopes of going to college like none in his family had before him died, the day his childhood died.

“Aye. That and more,” Seamus replied enigmatically.

Intriguing? Confusing? Exciting? I’d love to know what you think. 🙂

Been writing…

And that’s a good thing. I think. Or so a small but loyal group of people tell me. 😉 I’ve also read two books in the last week, been to a couple community events, survived family drama, and balanced my checkbook (immensely easy as 0-0 always = 0).

And now, I rather think, I’d like some feedback.

Would you like another excerpt from Second of All or more character background facts? A little of both?

Yes, I’ll keep writing either way.

Oh, and also, plus, too, in addition, I’m thinking of dusting off an almost completed short story I abandoned about Thanksgiving. Might just put that up for free if I can make the time. How about them baked apples?

As always, remember my motto:

Never settle for less than the best in booze, shoes, and men!

I *HEART* the HEA

No seriously, I am very, extremely, completely, (insert adverb here), fond of the Happily Ever After. Just love it! Won’t even read or watch a movie that won’t guarantee me a HEA. Well … except for Gangster flicks. Every rule has to have an exception.

This may lead you to wonder… if Gen loves the Happily Ever After, but also loves writing about gangsters, how on earth can she reconcile the two? Well, given the theme of the Downey Trilogy is about a very moral cop who loves his gangster father, I think you should probably brace yourself for my even greater love of figuring out how two opposing ideas can live in harmony.

The truth is, it’s not about the HEA, it’s that I love a JUSTIFIED ending. And the HEA is justified in most plot lines when it’s been earned, just as the nonHEA is justified in certain endings, which in a way, if you think about it makes it a HEA ending for certain characters. If you give a HEA out when there was never any conflict to begin with isn’t it a bit anti-climactic? Likewise, making an unhappy ending for some characters while giving others one and not really explaining why just shows you have a love for the random and not necessarily a well deserved ending. See what I’m saying? No?

I know, I know … What the Hell is Gen rambling about now?

(I lobtser HATE Godfather III, but simply adore to the point of having it nearly memorized Godfather I & II, if that gives you a clue.)

Anyway, I love it when characters go through Hell. I think every author owes it to their audience to make their characters — whether these are dark characters or Mary Sue perfect characters — suffer a bit, actually quite a bit, before giving them their HEA. And similarly, I feel if you are going to write an UNhappy ending give me a damn good reason why that guy had to die alone next to a stray dog and not the OTHER ‘bad’ guy who died surrounded by his beloved tomatoes and grandchild. Bittersweet endings have their place, like the first in a series or an actual recounting of history, but not after you’ve already made the character suffer in other ways. I’m. Just. Sayin.

Similarly, I’ve always really hated Romeo and Juliet. No, it’s true. It’s not really because of the unhappy ending, it’s because of the inherent stupidity of the two main protagonists. I mean come ON! I’ve been fourteen. All passionately in luuuuurve. But faking your death, then not taking two seconds to doubt the veracity of what you’re seeing and offing yourself for real? I was never that dim-witted when I was fourteen. That’s taking hyperbole and a flair for dramatics to the extreme. No?

See, even as a teenager when first reading it I remember thinking, if I had written Romeo & Juliet it would go something like this:

Romeo gets his priest (who I think everyone realizes was on the take the whole time, right?) to secure passage out of town. Juliet sews a bunch of family jewels into their clothes to pay for the journey. If they have to do the whole over-the-top faking death thing they can stage an explosion/accident (ala Count of Monte Cristo) and they both fake out not only their families but the priest himself (no witnesses!) then they go hide out in a town in Sicily and create their own Mafia family and then decades later they come back to Verona and literally take over the town, round up their surviving ‘loved’ ones, all fuck you bitches, bet you wish you’d just let us get married now huh? See, then all the unreasonable warmongering ones got their just deserts and the ones who just wanted to get the hibbity on got to be together, but only after they worked hard for it. Not to mention your two main characters are no longer written as simpering morons but badass take charge entrepreneurs.

But … that’s probably just me.

I’m weird like that.

Romeo: Corleone’s that way, baby. I got a crib there and everything.
Juliet: Oh, Romeo, I lurve it when you strap your gangster on…

A whiskey in your coffee kind of day…

Sometimes you just have to let go and let it roll, you know?

I came to the sad truth last night that my children are all singularly and collectively way more funny than their mother. If I had a dollar for every time someone’s urged me to write abook about the funny things my kids say and do… but I’m reasonably certain there’s already been a coffetable book published of the cute and funny things someone else’s kid says. Of course, everything has already been published at least once. Aren’t there only like, six plots in existence, really?

What was I saying?

Surely, by now you are used to the rambling. It’s what I’m internet famous for. That, and the sailor’s mouth. And my sloppy gangster love (but for them old time gangsters, not the ones today who can’t even define the word omerta), not to be confused with my equal sloppy love for law enforcement. Because I love them both, or rather the battle between the two. I love a good chess game, feud, or battle of wills. Better than whiskey in your coffee. Two opposites combined for an extra special zing!

So just now I was thinking while enjoying my Irish coffee, for every bad day like the one I was having yesterday and the day before, there’s a great day lurking around the corner. And just when you think no one but your close friends are noticing, some stranger mentions something in an offhand way that makes you realize maybe, sometimes, you’re just as funny as a six year old.

So thank you friends and strangers for being the whiskey in my coffee!

PS– More character updates in the “More about the Downey Trilogy” tab. I also edited the Downey Family tree so it’s easier to see the age grades/generations for who is contemporaneous to whom.