When even a foodie draws the line...

I'm an omnivore. I eat meat. I really like red meat but mostly eat chicken and fish. I have in my time eaten rattlesnake (tastes like chicken), frog's legs, snails (I lived in France and it was sort of expected), and gator (tastes like chicken cooked in oil you've fried fish in). I have even eaten cuey in Peru.

But a news story about a Tucson restaurant offering lion meat to its patrons set my teeth on edge. I suppose if you're a meat eater, quibbling about which animals are okay to eat makes you a hypocrite. But there's something about pandering to exotic cravings that seems decadent, and not in a good way.

Pulp Fiction-ary

Whenever you’re faced with a snob who looks down on your plebian pulp tastes, it’s always helpful to throw a little French their way.

And fortunately for you, there’s a phrase that’s apropos. (You get extra points if you use the word apropos.) That phrase is: Série noire. (Not to be confused with the band of the same name, although it’s pronounced the same.)

Série noire literally means “black series,” but in standard conversation, it is an elegant way of describing a particular sub-genre of tough, hard-boiled mysteries, the precursors to what are nowadays called “policiers.” You know the kind of thing—crooks and cops and guns and blood. The French, it seems, take their pulp seriously. As it should be.

So tell your snobby friend to take his copy of L’Homme Qui Aimait les Femmes and put it where the sun don’t shine.

Why Some People Hate Craig's List

I have written of my love for Craig's List ads before. I've had good luck finding really interesting jobs through CL, including my current gig as fictionista at NoHo Noir. It's gotten to the point where major, national media outlets advertise there for writers, and most of the jobs I've seen listed are legit. Even the people who post jobs that pay very little are mostly apologetic. And as for the freebie jobs, a writer can choose to submit or not and there's no need to be a hater about it. I've certainly been happy to have my work displayed on sites that didn't pay.

And then there are jobs like this one:

Need a collaborator/ghost-writer to help write a science fiction novel. I have already published one non-fiction book. I need someone who is educated in creative story writing and creating memorable characters. There is no immediate compensation, but if you are willing to invest together, in a short time, our collaboration can achieve something very powerful and beyond a single imagination. Once the novel is created, you will receive 25% profit share. I have eventual plans of bringing the story to the screen. If you are interested, please send a photograph of yourself along with fiction writing samples or a resume with contact information.

Where to begin? With the poster's assurance that "in a short time, our collaboration can achieve somthing very powerful?" Okay, the poster has ambition. I'm for that. Go big or go home. Is it the writer's boast that he has "eventual plans of bringing the story to the screen?" Well, don't we all? Unless he means he's going to fork over the production budget for that movie, though, the boast is pretty meaningless.

Is it the offer to pay the person creating memorable characters and the creative story (that yould be you, not the person writing the ad) 25 percent of the profits? True, writers often tend to know more about words than numbers but half of a project is 50 percent not 25 percent.

And finally--send a picture. Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me?

Well, good luck with that.

Two New Stories for Sunday

Yes, I've been busy. (Love the long weekends.) Over at Dark Valentine Magazine, I've posted my story, "The Smallest of the Summoner's Bells." It's a story set in the urban fantasy world of my novel, Misbegotten.
The story takes place in Los Angeles, city of the angels and the occasioal demon, vampire and fairy. You can read it here.

Also, there's a new entry in the NoHo Noir series, featuring new character Helen Parrish. This story is a short, transitional one that will take us into some new twists and turns. As always, my partner in crime Mark Satchwill provided the illustration. Read the story here.

Janet Reid Writing Contest

Agent Janet Reid runs periodic writing challenges on her site--offering lists of words you must incorporate into stories of fewer than 100 words. There are prizes (this one is an ARC of Divergent) and she always offers feedback on the top contenders (some of it snarky). There's a contest on today, so if you feel like you need a little poke to get your juices flowing, head on over to her site.

The in-flight drink of choice

As I read this news story about a French smoker whose drunken behavior disrupted his flight from Nice to New York, I couldn't help but be struck by one thing. The man in question had apparently downed a full liter of Bailey's Irish Cream. I have two questions. One, how did he get a bottle of Baileys on the plane when most people can't get a full bottle of shampoo? And two, Bailey's Irish Cream. Really? Not a liter of wine?

Dark Valentine reviews Sympathy for the Devil

Friend of Dark Valentine Christine Pope's book Sympathy for the Devil came out just before Christmas, and was a great Christmas present for fans of paranormal romance. Joanne Renaud, DV art director and noted connoisseur of romance, has reviewed it. Check out the review and click on the Pink Petal Books link to read a tantalizing excerpt.