Daddy Issues: A Brief and Unsatisfactory Conclusion.

Thinking about it, there's not much more I can discuss in any meaningful, interesting way on this topic - my point, I think, was simply that I tend to think of parents as figures of great ambivalence, and that in my mind, they are rarely ciphers in a character's past. Thought gets put into who they were and how they shaped the person we see. Likewise, that the ambivalence of those relationships is a recurring theme in my work. There's No Rainbow Bridge Across the Generation Gap isn't really about that sort of issue, but echoes of the thought are present, even in the title. Self Loathing is much more focused on issues of identity construction, but as a story about clones, the figures we model ourselves after and the ambivalence with which we regard them is pretty obviously packed in there.

As the original subject line says: it's something that I like to write about. It interests me.

Now to get to work on my actual post for the day. I have no idea what it's about yet.

Um.

Would people be interested in seeing a link roundup and summary of the fiction and fanfic I've posted online and why I think it's worth reading? Or would you rather see another essay on writing-related topics? I'm doing my best to engage my audience, I guess - what sorts of posts would be most likely to provoke commentary and discussion from you?


(Probably not this one, I'd bet...)

Sooner or later, I'm going to write a letter.

Specifically, a letter to an agent, in which I'll have to describe and sum up Running In Her Veins in a way that's concise and compelling. I am very bad at summaries of my stories that take less than an hour to tell.

So, I'm going to practice.

Running In Her Veins is a Neo-Gothic YA Urban Fantasy novel about a teenaged girl and an immortal assassin coming to terms with themselves and the moral dilemmas surrounding them, set against a backdrop of kidnapping, sword fights, chase scenes, demonic magic, and thwarted romance. Jordan, an adopted Catholic schoolgirl, sneaks out of her house one night and has her life utterly derailed when she is kidnapped by a pair of men who claim to be protecting her from her biological father - a centuries-old killer who wants her dead. Casimir is a Cossack warrior, a member of the Incarnadine Order, a cabal of immortals who have bound their souls to demons. As long as he kills to feed it, the demon's power grants Casimir eternal youth and unimaginable power - but his hesitancy to shed blood has made him weak and ridiculed by his fellow Order members. Now, if he can capture Jordan and bring her to her father, he can reclaim the respect and power that should be his. He isn't the only one hunting her, however... and despite the fear and confusion taking over Jordan's life, she is far from defenseless.

How does that sound? Criticism would be great - if you've read the book, does this sound about right? And if not, does it pique your interest? Inquiring minds want to know...