October Question - In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?
This is a fun one. Not too long ago, I was pretty adamant about writing whatever the fuck I wanted. In fact, when I used to write for a role-playing game site, I purposefully wrote a vulgar and inflammatory style, which I look back on now and cringe. It was mostly me just trying to be edgy for edgy's sake.
As I get older, I've mellowed out a little. Not that I think my writing should be "clean" by any means - anyone who's read my "Werebear vs Landopus" stories know that they're grotesquely obscene. Hell Comes to Hogtown was pretty graphic and vulgar, too. But with Psycho Hose Beast from Outer Space, I made a conscious decision to tone it down a little, mostly because I wanted it to reach a wider audience. Since it's set in Newfoundland, I figured my parents and relatives might actually read this one, and if I wanted them to recommend it to their friends (which they did), I had to hit a more "PG-13" level of language, sex and gore. Some beta readers actually suggested toning it down further, to a more traditional "YA" level, but I balked at that. As it was, I had to edit the teen character's voices quite a bit. Those of you who used to be 12- and 13-year old-kids know that they swear a lot around their friends, which I had to trim out in my effort to be less salacious. Probably the least believable part (in a book about aliens and undead witches) is that my teen characters don't use a cuss-word or slur in every other sentence. Especially since this was set in a rural town in the 90s.
I have recently wondered about changing some of the marketing around my stories, maybe even using a different pen name for some of them. If my great-aunt who liked my odd little book about kids fighting monsters in Newfoundland accidentally picks up The Gun Nun, it might give her a heart attack. Then there's a my Gussy Saint stories - the one that appeared in the IWSG Anthology is relatively tame, but for the one that appeared in Mardi Gras Mysteries, the editor asked me to tone down the graphic sex. If I ever write enough of those stories to make a collection, fitting them all together is going to problematic.
Me, trying to mash story elements together. And yes, any sexual innuendo is indeed intended.
Anyway, suffice to say, I certainly do think about where to draw the line, even if I often hop rigtht over it.
Oh, one last thing...
Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space came out a year ago last week. I was really bummed because I wanted the sequel to be out by now, and it would have been nice symmetry if it came out exactly one year after book one. Alas, that was not the case. However, I am finally able to confidently announce that book 2 is on the horizon. I can even share the title with you:
.
..
...
..
...
..
...
..
wait for it...
...
..
...
..
...
..
...
..
...
..
...
..
any minute now...
...
..
...
..
...
..
...
..
...
Here it is:
Totally worth the wait.
I don't have the exact release date yet, but it will likely be in early 2022. I don't want to share too much of the plot yet (and my blurb is currently terrible) but I can share with you some feedback that I received from a beta reader:
I think that's a pretty good endorsement!
Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK
The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
