Never apologize for the sex

Filed in: blog    Tags: erotica | recommendations | remittance girl

This post is actually a fangirl gush about a new author I’ve just discovered after reading a review on Dear Author: Gaijin by Remittance Girl. As I was putting my thoughts together, I considered starting with a warning that this author’s work is intensely erotic and may contain content, language, etc that is disturbing or offensive to readers. But 1) You never know what’s going to offend a reader 2) Heck, my work is likely offensive to some 3) Who am I to be the protector of sensitivities? and finally 4) A great word of advice I got from author Megan Kelly:

Never apologize for the sex (more…)

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My Fair Concubine: Literary & Folkloric References

Filed in: blog | history    Tags: author's note | my fair concubine | references

Text of: Great Tang Records on the Western Regions

It’s obvious My Fair Concubine was inspired by the classic tale of My Fair Lady and Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, but the story is actually an homage to many more works that might not be familiar to readers not familiar with Chinese culture. So what were the Chinese works also referenced throughout the book? I’ve always been impressed with the culture of literacy in Tang Dynasty China so I couldn’t set a book in Changan, a center of literature and art, without mentioning some literary works. Since the book doesn’t have extensive author’s notes, I thought I’d give a little information about them here.

Forgive my extensive use of Wiki here to provide quick links and references. This is meant to be a summary and a survey and not an in-depth research bibliography. (more…)

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Winners of the “I Suck at Promotion” Giveaway

Filed in: Announcements | blog   

And the winners are:

Rhonda Helms

Sherry

Julie

I’ve contacted the winners via e-mail to get their mailing address. Thank you everyone for stopping by and commenting!

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Interview at Manga Maniac Cafe

Filed in: blog | interviews   

Don’t you just love that blog name? It’s not just manga though. It’s an eclectic mix of all sorts of books.

Come read the interview. I also chat a bit about My Fair Concubine: Manga Maniac Cafe

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Good News: More books!

Filed in: Announcements | blog | publishing | writing    Tags: HQN | new sales | Tang Dynasty romance

Publishing is a wild frontier right now, with vague maps drawn by wayward explorers complete with warnings of “Here There Be Monsters” at the dark edges. No one knows what will get picked up, sell like hotcakes, or go viral. You can’t be in this space as an author and not wonder, what should I do?

The thing you keep hearing from veterans is that it’s about good books. Write good books. That is the only truth and the only thing you can control. But not all good books get discovered. Plenty of good books languish without ever getting into the hands of dear readers. You can try and hope, but it’s a wild, wild West out there and there are a lot of gamblers at the table.

I’m not making too much sense, am I? A bit dramatic with the metaphors? That happens when I get overly sentimental. (more…)

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The “I suck at promotion” giveaway

Filed in: blog | giveaway | promotion    Tags: giveaway | my fair concubine

I’m one of the few authors who admits to actually liking promotion. I love blog tours, book signings, workshops, etc. I like coming up with cool little gifties and giveaways.

But I have twins now!

Boy: Hi Mom!

Girl: Tell her we’re going to start charging for blog appearances (more…)

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Inspiration: Tang Dynasty Poetry

Filed in: blog | writing    Tags: du fu | sword dance | tang dynasty poetry

Someone recently asked where do you get your ideas. It’s one of those questions that changes every time I answer it, but currently the answer is that I do historical research and pray that some idea starts to form. It’s the one thing I envy other writers: their surplus of ideas and ability to plot in series. I also read translations of Tang Dynasty poetry to get a feel for how the use of language and word choice when interpreted in English. For my current WIP, the seed of the idea began with this Tang Dynasty poem:

Observing the Sword Dance Performed by a Disciple of Madam Gongsun

by Du Fu (712 – 770 AD)

Years ago there was a beautiful woman called Madam Gongsun.
When she performed the Sword Dance,
She would cause a sensation throughout China.
The audience seats would be elevated like mountains.
They were amazed by the flashes of reflected sword light accompanied by her agile movements.
Even heaven and earth moved in tuned with her rhythm.
The sword flashed like Yi’s arrows that shot down the nine suns.
She moved quickly and spiritedly like the dragon ridden by gods.
When her dance began, her movement was rapid and fierce like furious thunder shaking heaven and earth.
When her dance ended, her swords slowed down
Invoking thoughts of a mighty river or ocean regaining its shiny reflection.
Now her red lips and ornamental sleeves are gone.
After her death her disciple carries on her legacy.
In Bai-di City, the beautiful woman from Lin-ying City
Gracefully performed the Sword Dance in high spirits.
After I learned that she studied dance under the tutelage of Madam Gongsun,
The dance scene brought back my memory.
I lament that time ruthlessly replaces old with new.
Among eight thousand courtesans in the palace during Emperor Xuanzong’s reign
Madam Gongsun was the best at performing the Sword Dance.
Fifty years has passed away like the turn of a page.
The chaos resulting from rebellions seriously depleted the strength of the Tang dynasty.
The students in the Royal Music Institute scattered like dust.
All that remains of the Royal Music is a female dancer’s swords reflecting the cold sun.
Every tree in front of Emperor Xuanzong’s Mausoleum has grown so large
That it requires a person’s two arms to embrace it.
Ju-tang-shi-cheng City looks bleak and desolate as its grass withers.
As grand banquets and fast flute music ended,
Joy passed its zenith, grief took over, and the moon rose in the east.
I, an old man, am unaware of my destination.
My soles have become thickly callused
As I drift aimlessly on the bare mountain with a heavy heart.

Translation from this website: http://www.littlefairies.org/Articles/classical-chinese-poetry/sword-dance.php

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Me and Alexandre Dumas

Filed in: blog | slice of life | writing    Tags: genre definitions | historical romance | motivation

Every once in a while, I go through a crisis of confidence about whether or not I belong in the historical romance genre. I also realize this is crazy Jeannie rearing her ugly head because I was also the one that insisted historical romance is exactly where my books belonged whenever I received suggestions that perhaps I should target upmarket historical fiction or fantasy instead.

Every time I get out on this ledge, it takes a couple of writer buddies–my good friend and tough critique partner, Bria Quinlan, to be exact, to talk me down from it.

The conversation goes something like this:

Jeannie: What am I doing here? My emperors and generals are made up. This is more fantasy than historical.

Bria: Calm down. You do write historical romance. All romance creates a fantasy world, in a sense.

Jeannie: But I have a woman wielding a sword!

Bria: Isn’t that historically accurate for that culture?

Jeannie: Well…historical accuracy is a bit squiffy when it comes to Chinese tradition. There are a bunch of historical accounts of woman warriors. It’s all mixed up with legends and myths. Asian history often reads like fantasy.

Bria: Trust me. You write historical romance. (Then she goes off on a very cool analogy using brushwork and how you can paint with the edge of your brush and let some elements of fantasy from the culture come through, i.e. ghosts in Irish tradition.)

Jeannie: Wow, I love that analogy!

Bria: Just write the book.

Jeannie: Someone brought up all the dukes who are secret spies in historical romance right now. I’m at least as historically accurate as dukes who are secret spies.

Bria: It’s okay. I’ll tell you if it’s going over to fantasy. And if your prose gets too purple.

Jeannie: It’s sort of like in historical romance, there’s Jane Austen and then there’s Alexandre Dumas. I’m more Alexandre Dumas. Hey, I LIKE that.

Bria: I LOVE Alexandre Dumas! All that crazy drinking and womanizing.

Jeannie: I’m totally Dumas then! Well, except for the womanizing.

(Bria thankfully doesn’t give me the eye that says, “Jeannie…I’ve read Dumas. I like Dumas. You are no Alexandre Dumas.” But it’s hard to give the eye via DM in Twitter)

Bria: Just write the book. Then we’ll deal with it.

Jeannie: Thank you for talking me off the ledge again. I know I do this once per book.

Bria: Should I be worried that you haven’t even started this one yet?

So a bunch of e-mails and Twitter DM notifications later, yes, I’m writing the book.

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My Fair Concubine Giveaway on Goodreads

Filed in: blog | giveaway    Tags: goodreads | my fair concubine

I received a nice little package in the mail this week:

So if you’d like a chance to read in advance, you can enter the Goodreads giveaway. I’ll of course also be giving away several copies to my newsletter subscribers. Stay tuned!

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Fan Art, Tang Dynasty Barbies & Other Links

Filed in: blog | cool finds    Tags: china sprout | reader appreciation | tang dynasty artwork

It always makes my day when I receive nice notes from readers and occasionally I’ll get pictures or other interesting links related to my books or the Tang Dynasty. These are too cool not to share.

This illustration was part of an Illustration Friday series done by Jen, a graphic artist from Australia. The swordswoman in red was inspired by Ai Li from Butterfly Swords. I thought if Malinda Lo’s Huntress cover and Butterfly Swords had a love child, it would look like this. Posted here with her permission. Visit her website for more illustrations and musings by Jen: Evening Hour

Gwendolyn Andrews paints watercolor portraits depicting Tang Dynasty clothing and fashion. She sent me some lovely examples as well as an awesome picture inspired by Suyin and Li Tao in The Dragon and the Pearl. I love how the picture shows Suyin playing the qin (zither) and the hanfu robe she’s wearing as well as her hair style are absolutely gorgeous. This was one of my favorite scenes between the two of them in the book.

Amy Harlib, dancer and contortionist, sent some pictures from her performance of a combination of wushu and contortionist skills to the music of Mulan in New York City. You can see more amazing pictures at her site on ReverbNation: Amazing Amy. Also videos of her performance on YouTube.

And reviewer FredTownWard sent me links to some dolls — essentially “Tang Dynasty Barbies” — from the China Sprout catalog site. Isn’t the detail amazing? The red wedding dress is so extravagant. The two inspired by Yang Guifei are quite expensive, but the two bride dolls are reasonably priced. Perhaps I should order one for my little girl?

Hope you enjoy! And please do let me know if you come across any cool Tang Dynasty pictures or memorabilia. It really was such a visually stunning time period.

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