Repost: The Problem with Fanfic

Since there's no specific topic again this week I'm going to cheat and re-post something that I had on my own blog earlier this week. :)

The Problem with Fanfic

There’s a lot of talk going on about fanfic lately. In fact, I think more people suddenly know what fanfic is than ever before. Sadly though, it’s because a series of Twilight fanfic stories have been published and despite how awful the writing is (and the fact that it’s fanfic) it’s selling like crazy. Yes, I’m talking about 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James.

I will start this rant by saying that no, I haven’t read the books in their entirety. Frankly, I don’t plan to read them because the bits of the books I have seen make me want to vomit. I’m all for people getting published… I really am. Just like any writer I want to have bestselling books that inspire movies. I want people talking about my books all over the world on talk shows. But I have a serious problem with the 50 Shades book and its subsequent spawn, and it’s not because I’m jealous.

Let me also say that I write fanfic. I’ve been writing fanfic for over a decade now and without it I wouldn’t have fallen in love with writing like I have. Without fanfic I wouldn’t have groupies readers all over the planet who have read my books. I love fanfic and I love being a fanfic author. My distaste of the success of James is not because I’m a stodgy jerk who doesn’t understand the world of fanfic.

There are different types of fanfic though and I feel like with all of this new media coverage of fanfic people don’t understand the difference. One kind fanfic could possibly be turned into a standalone book without seeming like a total fucking rip off, and another kind walks the line of plagiarism, stealing, shadiness and just wrongness.

The fanfic that I write consists of using a person who exists in real life as a character in a fictional story. For example taking oh… let’s say a Backstreet Boy and throwing him into all sorts of drama (and hopefully lots of hot sex) in the form of a novel or short story. This is the kind of fanfic that in my humble opinion could be turned into publishable work. Names can be changed and although you might be able to draw similarities, it’s still fiction. In other words, it’s original. The characters are mine and as I see it, these stars are just the actors in my book. I have a book (which ironically is named Shades of Gray) that if I were to go through and take out the references to actual people and perhaps do a little tweaking of certain details, it would stand alone as a book about a chick who falls in love with a guy in a band.

Gone To RT Chicago......

Meeting Author friends face to face for the first time after 4 1/2 years!

Relaxing after a 3 or 4 hour book-buying/meet-and-greet frenzy!

More next week:)

Zac's Ass

Since everyone disappeared on me and there's no designated topic for the week... Let us talk about the sexiness that is Zac Efron's ass in the movie The Lucky One, shall we?

I've loved this boy for a long time.  When I first saw him in High School Musical and he wasn't yet singing his own songs (He lip synced in the first movie to cutie pie Drew Seeley's voice but sang in following movies, FYI... yeah, I'm a fan.) I thought, "What a cute kid..."

Then a few years later as he got older and hotter and began showing off his abs I was like, "Daymn... he's growing up nicely!"
 

Now that he's in The Lucky One and has a pretty damn yummy looking sex scene in it... I'm so there!  Watch this from 2:07 to 2:10... the whole thing is worth watching in my humble opinion but seriously you MUST watch 2:07 - 2:10.

It took all of my power not to moan when I saw the above mentioned three seconds of film today when I was with my 16 yr old baby brother watching the previews before Titanic.  We're talking Zac Efron's ass being grabbed inside of some uber sexy underoos!

Credit: IBleedSkittles89

 I kind of need it to be April 20th real fast. :)

Happy Passover or Easter or Sunday to ya! 

Oops....Missed A Week!

Yeah, with the excitement of March Madness, I forgot to post last week!  Here are a few of my favorite paranormal characters; I couldn't pick just one.

Abigail St. Michael:  A woman who uses her sense of touch to see the past.  Since Touch of Madness will be arriving this month, I suggest you pick this up:)

I love shifters, and this is the most recent one I've read.  Looking forward to reading the other books in this series:)

You always remember your first, right?  Well, this was not only my first CSP book, it was my first paranormal romance.  LOVE Djinni:)

Like ghosts?  I highly recommend this one by Anny Cook.

Like bear shifters?  Love this one by Bronwyn Green:)

And thanks to Dakota Rebel, I'm enjoying vampires.  This one is my personal fave:)  And I'm told there's a sequel coming soon?  SWEET!

And now for this week's topic:

The best April Fool's Day prank I ever pulled happened to take place in 1983, in Washington DC.  I was 17; my sis 12.  She was a typical pre-teen at the time (we didn't call them 'tweens'), very self-conscious of her looks.  I was VERY AWARE of this, so just as we were about to leave our motel room, I gasped.

"Uh-oh....Wendy, you have a huge stain on the back of that shirt."

She freaked.  "I do?  Then I can't wear this!  Dad!  Wait a minute!"  She pushed past me to the mirror and turned around, trying to see her backside.

"APRIL FOOL!"

Her face turned red and she popped me in the stomach.  "That wasn't funny!"

Meanwhile, my father returned to see why his daughters were still in the room.  "Girls, let's not have any more practical jokes...we only have one day to see as much as we can, and I want a peaceful day with both of you getting along.  Am I clear?"

Chastised, we proceeded to enjoy our day on the Mall and going over to Arlington Cemetery.

Will I pull any pranks this year?  Probably not.  And since it's also Palm Sunday....the thing which makes me giggle is kind of the sort you'd see in a Mel Brooks' comedy:  Can you see people standing inside Jerusalem's gates, palm leaves in hand, waiting for Jesus to appear?  And suddenly a messenger bursts into the gates.

"April Fool!  He's arriving tomorrow!"

(Sorry if I offend anyone, but that just cracks me up!  Has Easter ever arrived on April 1st?)