Author Archives: MBenson

Reviewing – A Question For The Masses

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Reviews, Writing

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So, I’m fairly new to the whole aspect of reviewing books. It’s no lie. I’ve only got a couple under my belt as a whole and only on on this blog right as it stands. Though looking at other reviewers I’ve noticed that most people give stars for how much they liked a book, or in the case of an anthology each story gets a star and they average them out for the book as a whole.

So I guess my main reason for posting this is to ask, do you find it more helpful when reading (or receiving for those that have work out there) a review if it has stars attached to the over all comments on each story/book?

This is me. Considering revamping the way I do reviews before I do too many of them and it looks weird to change the style I do them in.

Poor Balancing of Time

08 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in Personal Thoughts

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So it seems, or really it more than seems, that I’ve been neglecting this poor blog. I’ve never been a great manager of time, and maybe I need to set up in my schedule a better structured outline of when to make sure if I haven’t gotten back to here I should. I always have these passing thoughts through the day of what might make a great entry, and then by the time I still in everything I’m doing enough to actually do something, the idea is gone and I’m left scratching my head. Or worse, I forget everything all together because I never really stop. It’s poor of me as an author to not keep this blog up, at least in my personal opinion of myself.

Though that brings me to the topic I figured I’d write my thoughts on today. Balancing time.

Most people see huge authors like J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyers and think that authors have it easy. And really, what could be easier? A life where you get to explore the bounds and wonders of your imagination for a living. To create characters and make them do what you want to do, or to create worlds based on an idea or how you think a world should be run. And don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly fun. Though the difficulties that can come with that will better serve for a different post.

What I don’t think most realize is that as fun as it is, it doesn’t pay the bills as well as you’d expect. A good chunk of the authors out there have a mundane (or not so mundane pending what they do outside of write) job to help them get through the month as well, or in some cases extremely supportive significant others that work hard to pay the bills while the muses burn fuel. And in a lot of cases it ends up being a hard balancing act.

Outside of being an author, I work a regular 9-5 job which eats up a lot of my energy as well as most of my week. And sadly, a lot of the time after work I tend to crash. And on weekends I have family I live with and near so there’s usually something always going on there, or the occasionally in town friend. Some might think it’d be easy to just hang a little sign on the door that reads “Muses at work – All non-fiction people stay out” but it’s no that simple. Housework and laundry need to get done whether I’ve gotten two hundred words or two thousand words on my new WIP. Meals need to be cooked and eaten, and at some point whether I am ready for it or not, sleep will claim me some time between eleven at night and one in the morning. On top of all that I have other commitments too, as I Coordinate a week long outdoor Spiritual Get-Back-To-Nature Pagan Festival in Aug. (which if anyone has ever run an annual event, they know it’s a year long process), I’m getting a Newsletter up and running for the organization that hosts the Festival (which I will quote an acquaintance of mine, getting articles from people really is like herding cats), and I’m the Vice-President of said organization.

Needless to say, I’ve got a lot on my plate. And while I love it, for as Virgo as I am, I may possibly be one of the most scatter brained Virgos on the planet. Or at least in my state. Because honestly, I know I don’t always get to the things I should.

Work, as you’d expect, comes first. And my responsibilities to the organization I’m part of come in a high tied second with my family and friends. As an author, my writing itself comes third or I’d never have anything coming out in print. Which also means that some of my loves, and some of my other responsibilities get set on the wayside until I can get to them be it because of time or because of energy.

It’s a balancing act though. Because too much time without things I love, like reading or video games, makes me go a little stir crazy for the lack of. And yet too much time without an online presence and I’m not doing the greatest job I can as an author to push myself and my work — in the works as it is as yet.

So I ask you, dear reader, how do you manage to make sure you balance your time well? Any tips for this humble author looking to do better in all aspects of her life?

Music – Imaginative Inspiration or Destructive Distraction?

31 Thursday Jan 2013

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Music. It’s an expression of how we feel, it’s a way to tell someone something (if they’re listening) when we don’t really know the words, and sometimes it can change how we feel – for better or for worse. I think almost everyone has those playlists that when they’re sad they listen to them, or if they’re in a mood to bounce around an be happy there’s a playlist for that too. And Goddess knows that iTunes and Windows Media player have only made it easier. I still remember the days when you had cassette tapes. And if you wanted mixed artists, you had to create your own mix tapes (and if you’re wondering, yes I still have some cassettes. Specifically my Muppet’s tape. Mahna Mahna is too good a song to ever let go and there’s something special about listening to it on tape.)

Needless to say, being able to store all your music on a harddrive and mix in match in as many playlists has become an amazing asset. I even have a sleep playlist because I can’t sleep in complete silence but I can’t just sleep to anything either. And with Pandora, and similar websites, you don’t even need the music on your harddrive anymore. It’s just that easy to have music at your fingertips, for whatever you need. Which brings me to the point of this post. Writing playlists. I’ve seen a lot of authors talk about how this song or that song inspired them while they wrote, or that they have a playlist or a specific kind of music that they listen to while they write.  Or sometimes it’s not just to write but to inspire specific characters.

Kim Harrison has lists of music that she feels, or fans have suggested, bring to mind specific characters. Carrie Vaughn actually lists the playlist that she listened to while she wrote each specific book in her Kitty Norville novels. And these are just a couple of the authors I read and love who do this and make it well known. I’m sure there are a lot more out there who do.

But it makes me wonder a little.

Am I one of the few that can’t do music when I write?

While it seems to help a lot of authors get in the mood or find that missing piece to be able to get the words to flow more like a moving river than a babbling creek, it does none of that for me. It’s actually the exact opposite for me when it comes to most music. Instead of being a beautiful help to my work, it actually takes away, distracts me, and makes sure that almost nothing will get done on my writing. If it’s lyrical, I end up singing to it and forgetting to type or losing my thought because my brain is concentrating more on getting the right words out. If it’s non-lyrical, my brain tends to pick apart the music on a level that only a musician can. It’s not to say I don’t enjoy the music, far from it. I have a large collection from J-Pop/anime to country to metal to classical to jazz. My newest obsession that I found because I adore Apocalyptica has been 2Cellos, specifically this song they play – and the electric cellos are so cool too. I absolutely love music. Just… not when I’m writing.

And yet oddly enough, through old episodes of Reba on the tv and I can write up a storm. Go figure.

Part of me is curious if anyone else out there is like me, not necessarily in the why but specifically in the fact that they can’t do music while they write either. Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, or experiences.

Book Review: Milk & Cookies & Handcuffs edited by S.L. Armstrong & Kristen Pavka

20 Sunday Jan 2013

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Milk & Cookies & Handcuffs is an anthology of five stories that revolve around the Holidays and BDSM published by Storm Moon Press and can be found here. Over all this was a great anthology. So long as you like a little BDSM with your Holiday cheer, and believe me it’s hotter than you might think at first, you’ll find something in this book for you.

In the first story, Holidays In Hell by Erzabet Bishop, the story revolves around an Incubus named Jonas and how his sights settle on a human woman named Holly. The characters, both main and secondary, are interesting and I enjoyed the time I spent with them. However, there were several places that I wish it would have slowed down in pace. I know that it’s a short story, which only gives you so much time to really work out everything between plot and characters, but there were certain places where it seemed extremely rushed. Especially in how short it takes for Holly to learn and come to terms with what Jonas is. The other area that got me was the store that Holly works at. I’ve never seen a store that sells everything you could need to decorate your home for Christmas – including twelve foot, artificial Christmas trees, and also sells books; and not just general genre books, but erotica books. Over all, even past the issues I had, it was a decent read.

The second story, Gift of the Familiar by Alex Whitehall, shares the story of William and his familiar Ellis as they share in Ellis’s first First Day celebration. One of the biggest things I loved about this story was how the mythos was weaved into it, both by traditions that were being shared but also by William recanting the story of how the world came to be to Ellis because Ellis had never been told. I enjoyed being able to share the wonder of the Holiday with Ellis. And of course, the very hot scene between them and the rope after everyone left.

Pushing the Line by Verity Blackthorn, the third story, follows Ebet as she brings her girlfriend, Meg, home to the family cabin in the mountains for New Years. Not just her girlfriend either, Meg is her Dom as well. It’s not exactly the easy home coming for Ebet either, worried what her family will do or say with Meg there because they don’t exactly approve of her being with girls and think it’s just a phase. The story is very well written, letting the reader share in Ebet’s worry and nerves as the first day unfolds. And Meg gets creative in both fun and distractions for Ebet to try and calm her some while dealing well with Ebet’s family. The creative play between Meg and Ebet is extremely hot, but I think what made me like this story the most was the ending and the final words of Ebet’s grandmother.

In Gift of Self by Kathleen Tudor is about Athena and her slave-boy Jeffrey. Trans stories aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but I do have to say that this story was amazingly written. The author does a wonderful job making sure the reader joins Jeffrey as his emotions go up and down with the discovery of the fact that he is more a she in a male body. The emotions are portrayed strongly, as is the love between the two characters. And while this isn’t my kind of story I really did like it a lot.

And finally the last story, The Sub’s Gift by S.L. Armstrong and Erik Moore, tells the tale of a submissive named Kyle and how his Master Ryan and Mistress Amber give him a sister slave for Christmas. The play from surprise and hesitance because of Kyle’s past, to his decision in how to deal with this new development in his home is well written and flows incredibly well. As the reader, you flow with Kyle, feeling the range of emotions that this present puts him through and I think it’s a wonderful ride that I was glad to share in.

Like I said in the beginning, there’s a little bit of something for everyone in here if you like your Holidays hot and steamy. And all of the stories do that extremely well too, very hot, very steamy, and occasionally very much wishing you could join in. Very much a suggested read from this reviewer.

Things discovered while editing

11 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Writing

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It always amazes me sometimes, how things in my story change as I edit them.

With a short story I wrote last year, when I went through edits and it barely changed content wise. It was tighter, better written, and flowed more smoothly and I did add a decent amount of new content, but the core story and what the characters were doing didn’t really change all that much.

However, I just finished editing the newest short story and most of the content has changed. Certain aspects of why a character was doing something or what they were doing specifically had changed. It’s better for it, but it just amazes me some with how different it ended up being compared to the other story I edited. Though I also ended up having a secondary character take over briefly and insert herself in the beginning of the story rather than just have a tiny space in the end of the story. But I also think she deserved that addition so I gave it to her.

First Steps

07 Monday Jan 2013

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Finding time to do everything that needs to be done in a day just seems like such a challenge these days. As a kid, there’s never enough time, but it’s for games and fun. And honestly, there really is never enough time for having fun. Especially since fun seems to shrink when set next to work and the rest of life as a whole as we grow older.

Now it’s not just fun I seem to be missing out on, but the ability to write as much as I want. Keeping up with everything is a full time job all on its own sometimes, and then there’s the actual job stuff, and the stories that need attention. Here is to the new year giving a little more time for the better things in life, good friends, good times, and as an author I always need good stories to make it out of my head and into a word document.