Scarlet Letters

The story of my crazed consortium is today's guest blog on Apex.

Today a friend of mine got some bad news. She's been fighting her third bout with breast cancer for years now, and the latest scans came back not so good. It's on the bone again, and there's small growth in the existing tumors. It's back to radiation for her. She's just one of my friends battling cancer. You know who else? The kind and funny man who sings next to me in choir. Macie's partner, Gail. The taciturn alto in the next row. My stepfather. That's just this year. THIS YEAR. Know who else is fighting or has fought cancer? Kiddo's Sunday School teacher. The mother of Kiddo's friend. Kiddo's former babysitter. The wife of a dear friend. More friends than I can name. My stepmother. And we won't even talk about the fathers, sisters, mothers, cousins, grandparents, brothers, children, friends and others whom we've lost. Without even looking at my address book, I can name three people who've lost their fathers in the...

ME: Stupid characters! ISABEL: I really think that's the wrong attitude. If you say mean things about your characters on Twitter, they'll never do what you want them to do. ME: They won't do what I want them to do anyway. They don't talk to me. ISABEL: I'm doing the best I can. ME: It's not your fault. You just aren't a guns-and-smartass type. ISABEL: See, if you would just let those two fall in love... ME: No. ISABEL: Please? ME: No. ISABEL: *pouts* I never get to have fun anymore. ME: Neither do I. SUPERMOM: Would you stop glaring at me? ME: I am not glaring at you. I'm aware that it's May. SUPERMOM: May is my month. We have things to do. This is why we don't do conventions in May. ME: I'm aware. SUPERMOM: End of school. Planning summer break. Field Day. Spring cleaning. Orchestra concerts. Cub Scouts graduation. Ramp-up to Relay. LOIS: To say nothing of actual work. ME: Certainly saying nothing of it. LOIS: You're awa...

Utah strikes again . Some journalism seniors hid words for male and female genitalia in their final issue of the Daily Chronicle at the University of Utah. Now the university is threatening to withhold their diplomas. I'm torn. They finished their degree work, they earned their diplomas, they have a right to graduate and the university should not try to censor them. However, this is the sort of crap I'd expect of high schoolers, not college students about to graduate. Yes, we've all done the parody issue; I was even involved in one, peripherally. But that's what you do for your April 1 edition, and it should be labeled as such. Our story that aliens kidnapped the rodeo team was clearly satire. This was in a legitimate issue, and of utterly puerile "humor."  The Student Press Law Center is taking up their cause , along with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. And rightly so. Under no circumstances should these students be denied diplomas an...

Do not.

In the lovely month of May, a woman's fancy turns to thoughts of ravenous rotting reanimated corpses. What? It's really and truly Zombie Awareness Month, not something I just made up to amuse myself. This link is from last year, but the gray ribbon amuses me. Sponsored by the Zombie Research Society (slogan: What You Don't Know Can Eat You), they explain here. Celebrate by buying THE COLD ONES! Because you know the sequel is on its way... and I'm currently writing it. Which means I need victims. LOTS of victims. And your names are so nice and juicy... Happy Zombie Awareness Month!

Because we can . Thank you, First Amendment. Because GLBT doesn't just mean sex scenes; but the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters in genre fiction. Because the definition of pornography in Miller vs. California states that the work as a whole must be offensive under the community's standards AND of no redeeming cultural value, which has never fit anything we sell, so those that choose to redefine the word can categorically bite me. Because fiction with GLBT characters and fiction by GLBT authors deserves an equal place in the literary world. Please visit the site this week and check out our books. Some of them have GLBT characters; some are by GLBT authors; and some do, in fact, have same-gender sex scenes. Gasp! Enjoy, folks.