Ready to Fall "In Love"?

Thought I'd make a quick post and let all you Gon fans know that I have completed the first draft of The Oldest Living Vampire In Love and am currently engaged in the editing process of the novel, trying to get it ready for publication. I have the second draft about 25% done. I normally do three drafts before I publish a book, so I have a few more weeks of work left to do.  The novel is approximately 115,000 words in length. Kind of a big one, and that's why it's taken so long to get this finished. I hope you'll be patient just a little while longer as I tie this bad boy's shoelaces and straighten his cuffs. It's all there. It's just a little rough around the edges.

Coming Soon...

I have received many emails asking me if I am going to do a sequel to this or that, so I thought I'd post a quick update on my blog and give you guys a rough idea what projects will be coming out this year by little ol' me. Just remember that I may change this later, depending on how the muse strikes.

First up, the Oldest Living Vampire in Love. It is 80% complete and should be released sometime in April. I only have about 30,000 words left on the first draft, and then I will do a couple rewrites, and it will be finished.

Next, I plan to do a sequel to Mort. I was originally going to do it as a one-shot, but so many readers have asked me for a follow up that I feel like I have to do it. It might not be quite what you're expecting, but that's always a good thing in my opinion.

What else...? Oh, yeah, I'll be doing the second installment of my serial horror western. This one is going to be called Doc Wormwood and the Siege of the Holy Moses.

I'm not just going to write a bunch of sequels this year, though! I have some stand alone novels planned as well. Following the sequel to Mort, there's going to be The Cryptozoologist,  a werewolf novel, and a young adult fantasy novel called Emily and the Imp. The plot of Emily and the Imp was created by my son and I on a long car trip from Tennessee. I also have some ideas floating around in my head for an unusual serial killer book and I'm planning on tackling the doppelganger horror trope as well, but those may be next year, as I have a lot on my plate now, and I have to get Volume 4 of the Oldest Living Vampire done somewhere in there, too!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings, and thanks for all your support! I really appreciate all the kind words and excitement you've all show toward me and my creations!

RR

Update on The Oldest Living Vampire in Love

Hey, gang! I just wanted to update you on the progress I have been making on the next installment of the Oldest Living Vampire Saga. As you know, I am past the deadline I set for myself for Volume 3, but this important chapter of the saga has grown considerably. There are lots of new characters, and some important plotlines will be revealed. Please be patient as I hammer out the last 30,000 words.

Right now I am in the middle of chronicling the origins of the vampire Zenzele, the fierce female blood drinker who steals Gon's heart in this volume. Fear not, even though this volume is sort of a "romance", I am doing my best to turn the conventions of romantic literature on its ear.

The relationship between Gon and Zenzele is NOT going to be your typical "save the girl" or "fix the guy" type plots. These are mature, unusual and complex creatures, and hopefully I can make their love affair just as complex and unusual. Zenzele is no shrinking violet, waiting for her knight in shining armor to come rescue her. She is a powerful, sometimes ruthless woman. And Gon... well, he is just as sentimental and bloodthirsty as ever.

The book is looking like it's going to end up being about 120,000 words, twice as long as the other volumes. I hope it's twice as good, too!

I can never tell when I'm in the middle of writing something if it is good or not, but I will say that I am having a lot of fun with it. It's always a good sign when you get up every day and can't wait to return to your fictional universe.

I'll keep you guys updated as it nears completion!

RR

Paypal Says: "It's not us, it's the banks!" Just who is trying to censor what we read?

I received this email from Mark Coker, the founder of Smashwords, concerning the recent, onerous censorship demands placed on Smashwords and other ebook vendors by Paypal. Interestingly, Paypal has extended the deadline by which the artistic works they've forbidden must be removed from Smashwords. They also claim that they are being forced into this by credit card companies and banks. You know how I feel about censorship. I'll let you read what Smashwords sent me.


Mr. Coker writes:

I'm writing to give you an update on where things stand. We are extending the
deadline (previously set for tonight) for Smashwords authors/publishers/agents
to voluntarily remove certain content (erotica featuring themes of rape, bestiality,
incest) from Smashwords . I'll communicate the new deadline in a future email
once I gain new information.

I had another call with PayPal this morning. Our conversation is continuing
with them as I seek to achieve a less onerous, more sensible result.

There's a sliver of hope that I might be able to obtain a more positive, less
restrictive outcome than I communicated on Friday, yet it's unlikely we'll achieve
the true result I want (no censorship) in the near term. Today, PayPal hinted
at a more relaxed definition of prohibited content as, according to them [I'm
paraphrasing], "books for which rape, bestiality and incest are the major theme.
If rape, bestiality and incest are incidental plot points, then that content
might be allowable."

This represents a significant clarification in our ongoing attempt to delineate
the gray areas and push back the onerous, unfair and restrictive definitions
as they now stand. It's an opening, but it's not the final word from PayPal.
Our friends at PayPal are trying their their best to help Smashwords authors
and publishers.

This potential relaxation doesn't solve the broader issue of censorship. I think
if a writer wants to write fiction around the theme of [anything], I think they
should be able to write it if it's legal.

Today's progress, while encouraging, also opens up new gray area. How does one
judge whether the taboo subjects are incidental instances or major themes? Where
does one draw the line? The PayPal rep and I agreed our discussion will continue,
and they assured me our PayPal services will not be cut off as we both work in
good faith to advance the discussions.

A lot of people have been attacking Smashwords for my decision to comply with
PayPal's requirements. They're pointing their arrows at the wrong target, and
they're not helping their cause. We're working to effect positive long term
change for the entire Smashwords community, and that includes all our erotica
authors and readers. This change is possible only if we work together toward
a common goal. When people spread lies that this is all part of a Smashwords
plot to dispose of "icky books" (their words, not mine), or try to portray our
actions as some sexist attack against against women, or worse attacks I won't
repeat here, they're wrong. Despite the ugliness shown to me and Smashwords
over the weekend, I'm still working to protect these very people who attack us.
The attackers don't understand what we're doing on their behalf behind the scenes,
and even if they did understand I don't expect them to agree with our approach.
I'd rather work with PayPal in good faith than martyr the entire Smashwords
community upon the stake of this impending deadline.

This is only the first chapter in this battle. Even if we fail in the short
term we survive to fight another day. Regardless of the near term outcome, we
will continue to engage to effect positive change with your help.

Over the weekend, many Smashwords authors and publishers demanded we abandon
PayPal and find a new payment processor. It's not so simple, and it doesn't
solve the greater problem hanging over everyone's head. PayPal is trying to
implement the requirements of credit card companies, banks and credit unions.
This is where it's all originating. These same requirements will eventually
rain down upon every other payment processor. PayPal is trying to maintain their
relationships with the credit card companies and banks, just as we want to maintain
our relationship with PayPal. People who argue PayPal is the evil villain and
we should drop them are missing the bigger picture. Should we give up on accepting
credit cards forever? The answer is no. This goes beyond PayPal. Imagine the
implications if credit card companies start going after the major ebook retailers
who sell erotica?

My objective is for PayPal and Smashwords to pull the credit card companies into
a more open discussion about these issues. I want all financial institutions
to reevaluate their policies. I want the banks to change or clarify their policies
toward something more enlightened. I want PayPal to loosen their policies. We
need financial institutions to get out of the business of telling writers what
they can write and what readers can read. Without this much-needed debate, the
slippery slope gets more slippery for all indies.

Indie authors are the biggest publishers of erotica. Already, one retailer/distributor,
Bookstrand, decided to drop all indies from their store. I can only assume
they decided the angry authors were more trouble than they were worth. Our business
is all about serving indie authors, so even if some segments of our author community
are shooting arrows at us, we still want to help them work through this. The
campaign at hand goes beyond erotica authors. It's an indie issue. Indies are
breaking the boundaries previously set by large traditional publishers. This
boundary-breaking scares people. We should welcome the debate about what a "good
book" should look like. I think a good book is anything legal that readers want
to read, even if I don't want to read it myself.

This campaign represents an incredible long shot. To move this forward, I need
your help. Even if you don't publish in the categories directly impacted by
this crackdown, this campaign matters to you.

What can you do to move things forward? First, direct your attention where it
matters most. Contact your credit card company or congressperson and tell them
you want financial services companies out of the business of censoring what writers
and readers are free to imagine with fiction. Blog about it. Tweet about it.
Contact your favorite blogger and encourage them to raise awareness. Start
petitions and tell financial institutions you want their censors out of your
head. Contact the media. The media, with your urging, has the power to shine
a bright light on the dangerous slipperly slope of censorship by financial institutions.


If the media (both traditional and social) calls on credit card companies and
banks to honestly answer these simple questions, then they'll either be compelled
to acknowledge the absurdity of their policies or they'll be compelled to rewrite
their policies. This troublesome tide can shift if financial institutions are
forced to answer why they're prohibiting legal fiction.

I realize my message to you today cannot possibly answer all the questions you
may have. Know that we're working for all authors, even those likely to suffer
from whatever ultimate changes we implement in the near term. We all want censors
off our backs and out of our heads, and if that's not the result we achieve,
then we'll at least work to get you more clearly defined rules. Bear with us.

I will post this message in the Smashwords Press room at http://www.smashwords.com/press
so it's archived.

Thanks,
Mark Coker
Founder
Smashwords