shrew (n) :
1. "small mammal," O.E. screawa "shrew-mouse."
2. "peevish, malignant, clamorous, spiteful, vexatious, turbulent woman" [Johnson] c.1386, from earlier sense of "spiteful person" (male or female), c.1250, traditionally said to derive from some supposed malignant influence of the animal, which was once believed to have a venomous bite and was held in superstitious dread.
Synonyms: amazon, battle-ax, bitch, calumniator, carper, dragon, fire-eater, fishwife, fury, harpy, harridan, hell cat, hellion, hussy, madcap, muckraker, nag, ogress, scold, she-wolf, siren, spitfire, termagant, tigress, virago, vixen, wench
This blog features reviews of LGBT science fiction and fantasy, tales of the life of a freelance writer, the occasional meme, and pictures of cats. If any of this offends you, please press Ctrl+W.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Vote on My Writing!
CLICKY!
Also, you get to visit the new WordPress site!
Monday, September 26, 2011
HALP! The Shrew Needs to Move!
In short, I'm dead broke, and I have to be out of my farmhouse attic apartment by the first. The money is simply not there. I am desperate and afraid I'll have to store all of my things to come back for later. That's how bad it is.
Help me. I am your friend, and PayPal is my friend. $1, $5, $20, whatever. Anything. Please.
Once I'm settled, there will be goodies in the mail for anyone who has sent me anything. Post cards, jewelry, small pretty things, some token of my affection and gratitude. Just help me get myself and my bed and my desk back to home.
Also, I get that people are broke. The economy sucks right now, and we're all feeling it. I'm just reaching out because I don't have other options. I also appreciate all the moral support and soul-love that has been coming my way. Thanks to everybody who has expressed concern and sympathy. I love you guys too.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Ethan Forrest
Everybody, meet Mr. Ethan Forrest, hipster druggie gyspy mage...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Knight of Arrows, Knight of Swords
http://www.candlemarkandgleam.com/tag/knight-of-arrows-knight-of-swords/
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Radio Silence
I have been working on revisions to my novel and writing to pay the bills. Haven't had much time for blogging.
In the coming months, however, things will be picking up!
In the meantime, check out my friend's debut novel: Broken Gods by Jason Vey! Congrats, Jason!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Life of a Freelance Writer and One Quasi-Review
I haven't been posting here lately because I've been too busy with my freelance writing.
Does this count as a tale of the life of a freelance writer? Ironically? I would ponder this, but that means I would have to type some more. And I've been doing that all day.
In other news, I finished The Fall of The Kings by Ellen Kushner, the third in her fantasy series that begins with Swordspoint. I skipped The Privilege of the Sword because I am an idiot, even though I hear it is a great book. I might go back and read it. These books are amazing, and I can't recommend them enough. If you enjoy historical novels and city novels, you will enjoy Kushner's books. And of course, they have boys who love boys in them. Which makes it better. And that's all the "review" I have in me now. Terrible, I know.
Regular reviews will return when morale improves.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Got fiction? Call for Submissions from Lethe Press.
Melt in Your Mouth: Chocolate, Boys and Bed
Editor: CB Potts
Publisher: Lethe Press, Summer 2011
Deadline: March 30, 2011
Payment: 2 cents/word and a copy of the book on publication
Melt in Your Mouth: Chocolate, Boys, and Bed
Sweet, sticky, decadent…is anything better than chocolate? Yes, there is – especially when the tempting mouthful is presented by a candy artistan who looks good enough to eat…
Lethe Press is seeking well-written, inventive gay male erotic stories that feature chocolatiers, confectioners, bakers, and candy men of every persuasion – including the one that got caught with his hand in the bon-bon box! Particularly attention paid to stories that are fun, upbeat, and a step or two off the beaten path…give us your best gourmet treats!
Click HERE for more details.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Holy Bulging Muscles, Batman!
And I was struck by how many of those male superheroes look, well... gay.
Exhibit A: Captain America.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
New Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Jordan Castillo Price writes highly entertaining and addictive M/M novels, many of which have a speculative fiction focus. This author's engaging novels are also probably termed "gay paranormal romance", though the Shrew has a somewhat irrational dislike of the term paranormal romance, even if it is prefaced by gay. In the world of M/M romance, it is hard to find quality writing, especially in sub-genres such as M/M paranormal romance, fantasy or science fiction. But Jordan Castillo Price proves the exception to this rule. Her stories are down-to-earth, funny, romantic, strange and refreshing. Her characters are fleshed-out people, men and women you could imagine knowing.
Perhaps because of her academic background, the Shrew is very picky when it comes to her M/M titles, and so she overlooked Jordan Castillo Price for a long time. When I finally gave in and searched for "gay vampire fiction", I found (and unfortunately paid for) some pretty dismal titles. It's a sad state of affairs when solid characterization is a quality lacking in many genre novels, and I was overjoyed when, after slogging through some uninspired titles, I found Hemovore.
At first glance, the cover was already light years away from the shirtless-hunk-and-bad-Photoshop covers sported by most M/M titles. Then I started reading, and a grin spread across my face. Jordan Castillo Price had created a fascinating paranormal world and a totally adorable main character. Hemovore is set in an alternative-reality Chicago where vampires live uneasily alongside human beings, ala Charlaine Harris. The twist is that the vampires were created by a virus, and they're referred to as V-positive. The main character, Mark Jensen, is the personal assistant of a very beautiful and mysterious V-positive artist, Jonathan Varga. Mark is neurotic about hand gel and gloves because he's terrified of catching the vampire virus. You would think that this would be grating, but it's ultimately endearing. You get completely sucked in and are eager to follow Mark's adventures as he gets pulled into the world of the V-positives. And that's all I'm going to say, lest I give anything away.
In Hemovore Jordan Castillo Price did some very impressive things with what was essentially a gay paranormal romance novel: created a totally realistic world in which vampires exist without resorting to cliches, wrote a very tight mystery and action plot without getting bogged down or skipping over anything, introduced readers to a main character that's totally believable but also lovable, let the sexual tension build and build throughout the novel without boring the reader, and tackled AIDS issues in the gay community without being heavy handed. All of that in one novel. After reading Hemovore, I was determined to read more from Jordan Castillo Price.
That led me to her most popular series, PsyCop, which "features frazzled psychic medium Victor Bayne and his smokin'-hot boyfriend, Jacob Marks" (from the PsyCop website). Victor is a flawed character but completely endearing. The paranormal mystery plots of the novels are interesting, and the sex between Victor and Jacob is totally hot. I read the first PsyCop novel, Among the Living on Kindle in about a day because it was so engrossing. Then I promptly downloaded the second PsyCop novel, Criss Cross, and then the third, Body & Soul. Each novel took about a day to read, but I am a fast reader and I got kind of addicted.
The only drawback to the PsyCop novels is that they feel a little short, but I suppose that's what happens with serial novels like these. The upside to this is that each novel is reasonably priced on Kindle, so you can indulge in the whole series without breaking the bank.
The thing I love the most about Jordan Castillo Price is her narrative voice (to get all academic about it.) Plainly put, her main characters are real people, and they speak in real voices. Victor Bayne, in particular, reads like a real guy--he's got issues, fears and quirks, but he's also self-effacing and funny. You find yourself rooting for him throughout the series. The Shrew, for example, is completely in love with Victor. I would have downloaded the other books in the series already, but I didn't want to go through them too fast. Like a large box of delicious chocolates, Jordan Castillo Price's novels should be savored.
If you want to read more about Jordan Castillo Price, you can find her fan page on Facebook, her blog on LiveJournal, or at the PsyCop website. If you fell as hard for Victor as I did, you can even sign up for her newsletter!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
On Becoming a Freelance Writer
"Rarely does a day pass without one of my well-meaning friends inquiring about how to become a freelance writer. It’s no hidden fact that I write from home, nor am I exactly quiet about celebrating my financial successes via my social media outlets. So in a way, I asked for these constant interruptions. One of the keys to my success is sheer, single-minded focus on hitting my daily financial goals. To be completely honest, it’s pretty hard to meet said financial goals when taking an hour out of my day (nearly every day) to explain how I make a living.