Ohio -- Granola or Grits?

So, a little while ago, I posted about the "rust belt", and what it's like to try and explain Ohio to people who haven't been there. Today, I came across Southern Belle or Northern Deb by Duffy Brown on the Penguin blog and found another lovely description that resonates.

"I live in Cincinnati, right on the border of granola and grits. The Ohio River is not very wide, I mean people swim across the thing…usually after a few beers but that’s another blog.

On the south side of the Ohio River sushi is, and always will be, bait and granola is squirrel food. On the north 

side if you order sweet tea they toss you a packet of sweet-and-low. "

Covered Bridges

And there's the thing. It's such a border place, a cross roads -- a contradiction. What was really interesting for me, was that I took the understanding of this state and it's contradictions for granted. When I signed with Becky Vinter (super-amazing-agent), because my MS is set in Ohio, I found myself having to explain it for the first time to someone who was not familiar with the region. This was the best I could manage:

I think for readers who are not familiar with the area, Ohio feels like a northern state and Kentucky feels more Southern, though in reality when you reach the border, it's pretty much the same on either side. Part of what I want to bring out is the dichotomy of the setting, the rural traditions that hold strong, despite the need to adapt to an industrialized world to survive.
Some key points for me about the Appalachian setting:

Strong focus on family trees/roots and a strong sense of "clans". Who your kin are and where/how you were raised reflects on you.
Southern/country elements: home cooking, country fried, slow-talking charm, football players are local heroes, cops are good ol' boys, etc.
Survival/Scraping by - these areas are poor. They don't make money off the mines/factories/manufacturing. Those companies make money off the backs of hard laborers. Struggling to survive is second nature in these communities.
Crossroads: this is kind of where north meets south, with some culture clashes all along the way. A crossroads in humanity is exactly what I'm want from the setting of this story - a point of convergence.

Some examples of Appalachian settings I think are really well done - HUNGER GAMES. District 12 is clearly set in the Appalachian coal mines. JUSTIFIED - takes place in Harlan County, Kentucky. And somewhere in between those two settings is what I'm going for. Hunger Games, but present day and no creepy tribute taking; Justified, but less shooting and drugs.

I have been working on description of what it looks like, but also trying to make that Appalachian "feel" come alive in the ms. I recognized it immediately in both HUNGER GAMES and JUSTIFIED, and it felt like coming home. Not overdone, not stereotype and over the top, but really close to what it's like growing up there. I really want to capture that feeling.

Your thoughts? What sets Appalachia and Southern settings apart? How do you explain that difference? Have you ever struggled to explain your hometown to someone?

And just because everyone loves a visual - let me give you a little tour of where I'm from:


Ohio is a land of big cities and small towns, urban metroplexes and rural squalor

Big Cities

Amish Country

:

Columbus

Corn fields

Cleveland

small towns

Urban and modern

Rural and dilapidated

This.

But also this.

This.

And this.

Rock N Roll Hall of Fame

Script Ohio

corn fields

Land of Apple Orchards

Cider Mills - this one's in my  hometown,
where we hold the Apple Cider fest

And Cherry Blossoms.

Cedar Point - America's Roller Coast

Home of Drive-in theaters

Loved these as a kid.

And snow plows.

Great Sled Riding ...

which EVERYONE knows

is just what you do on a snow day. :)

Home of Hocking Hills ...

A place or sharp, natural beauty

(see that rock? I've stood on it.)

Great hiking and unbelievable sights

Even when it's cold

fog and fall colors

ghost towns

houses abandoned

chilly streams

shades trees for farmers to rest

And finally, this.

So, I don't know exactly how to explain Ohio. But I know it when I see it. I know by the smell of damp hay, crisp apples and crunchy leaves. I know it by the way it feels in my blood when I get there.

I know it, because it's home. 

TORCHWOOD is not DOCTOR WHO

So, last night my hubbie and I watched TORCHWOOD: CHILDREN OF EARTH.

Sigh.

We had heard a lot of good things about it. And hey - watching John Barrowman never hurts my feelings ... I thought.

Let me say this here - if you haven't watched the 5 episode series, this post is going be SPOILERIFIC!! So, watch out!

First off, if you haven't seen it and for some reason, still want to read my feelings about it -- one, thank you for caring! and two, here's a link to a synopsis.


I did a few google searches after I completed watching and to my amazement, it seems I am the only one who didn't like it. And didn't just not like it -- I *hated* it. With a fiery passion. Like, want to drop-kick the whole thing into a sewage plant and then set it ablaze. It's not because Ianto dies. It's not because they're endangering children and the characters are forced to make hard choices. It's not even because the one gov't guy kills his own family rather than submit his children to their awful fate. (Okay, I take that last one back, it's a little bit about that.)

It's because it's completely devoid of any kind of hope or triumph. I like dark things - I really do. In general, I can laugh at the blackest humor and make it through some steep tragedy. So what's my problem?
My problem is The Doctor.

The Doctor fills his companions with hope. He changes and energizes and fills them with the fighting spirit. And he doesn't give in and make the difficult choice just because that's what the bad guys are trying to force him to do. And the Doctor would be ashamed of Torchwood (hey - don't call me judgey, Gwen says it herself and she's right).  I always wanted Jack to come back to Doctor Who and now I don't think the Doctor could stomach the sight of him. I know I can't.

Now, before I dig into my deep-seated loathing of what they did with this series, let me get a little nerd-girl nit-picky with one minor point. WHERE THE HELL IS MARTHA JONES???? They have a throw away line, where Jack says, "Oh, Martha picked a great time to go on her honeymoon."  Which is fine - time off should be respected, amiright? But. BUT. There are exceptions. Like say if 10% of the CHILDREN on the planet are about to be handed off like joints in a the dubious, murky back alley of the universe that is apparently, the Earth. Also -- if you are alerted to this fact by the obviously disturbing behavior of EVERY CHILD ON THE PLANET at the SAME TIME! What - she was on a tropical island where there are no children? At least toss me a "she's off-planet" for God's sake. Please.

Now, let me also say this. I loved this series right up until the last half hour when they blew it all to hell and back. How do they do this? By proving Captain Jack Harkness is a cold, unfeeling, heartless bastard who can easily betray his own family, flesh and blood and grandchild and let him die horribly, in pain and afraid, without saying goodbye or even giving him a hug -- rather than experience about fifteen minutes of pain himself. Confused? Let me explain.

At the last minute, our team ( let's use sarcastic air quotes and call them "the good guys", shall we?) discover a hidden signal in the transmissions coming from the 456 -- a signal that can hurt them. (Weak writing alert: there's no explanation of what this signal is or why it didn't hurt hurt them before.) And the "good guys" can turn it back on them by reversing the process -- using the children of earth as little walking speakers with legs. Problem being, they'll need a child to use as a transmitting instrument to send the signal to the other children and it will fry the child. (WHAT THE HELL, R.T.D. ? What. The. Hell.) And the closest child to them is Jack's grandson. So they grab him up, drag him past his screaming and hysterical mother, shove him into the middle of the room while he's crying and shaking, and fry him right there in front of Jack. Who ... I don't know, stands there and looks vaguely upset ...?

I understand the need to show Jack making a true sacrifice. A character that can't die, selflessly dying over and over again in increasingly horrifying ways gets old. And you begin to not feel the sacrifice. But here's part of my problem. His grandchild isn't his to sacrifice. I couldn't really believe that he cared about his daughter or his grandson. He was never really part of their lives. He shows almost no bonding to the kid. So it feels hollow. And not like something a former companion of the doctor would do. Or that Jack would be willing to do. In fact, half my problem was that I really couldn't get behind the whole "Jack decided to fork kids over to aliens to be used as drugs". Just not buying it. Sorry.

Jack sacrificed himself for a satellite full of humans who were going to torture and kill him on live TV for entertainment and defended them against the Daleks -- before he was immortal! So now he sacrifices his own grandchild because its the most convenient way to accomplish what they're doing? I don't think so. Jack wouldn't do that. He would find a way to fight. If for no other reason, than how he was became immortal in the first place.

Here's the thing - the writing was unconvincing. They never said WHY it had to be a child, never even made it clear that it had to be. Obviously, adults can transmit that frequency, because Clem did. So why didn't Jack transmit the frequency himself, burn up and regenerate? It's still sad. Ianto & Clem still die, heck Mr. Invertabrate Government man can still kill his entire family because he's too dumb or scared to stand up to his boss. Or -- if you want to tighten up the writing and prove to us that the transmitting instrument had to be a child, do that. And then have the kid survive because he's Jack's grandson and his immortality is transmitted through is blood. (As evidenced in Miracle Day.)

There were so many obvious "outs" for this story that they practically write themselves. As a matter of fact, the whole ending is so forced, they have a ridiculous moment where Gwen is talking to a camera her husband happens to have (loudly, though they are hiding children whose lives are at stake) to explain to the audience why some of these solutions aren't being used. Like calling the Doctor for help. But what about all of the other obvious solutions? Like these, for example.

1.) FIGHT. Aliens are trying to steal children to use up their bodies for drugs. Fight them. Oh, but they have poison gas and they'll kill us all!  Don't be ridiculous. They're going to poison the whole earth? When they can't breath our atmosphere? I don't think so. They have diseases? Prove it! The whole part where they poison the THAMES HOUSE - ludicrous. These people have haz mat suits and oxygen tanks, and nobody uses one. Stupid. So screw your politics, tell the world and fight back. Instead of building them little fish tanks to live in, start mass-producing oxygen cleaners and gas masks.

(Heck, the Doctor even saved this creepy little brat.)

2.) SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. When the big, bad, scary aliens ask you to build them a tank so they can breathe during their visit -- DON'T DO IT. Or here's a thought -- build in a failsafe. Like, I don't know ... maybe poisonous gas? I KNOW! An OXYGEN vent, you morons.

3) I NEED AN ADULT! Why does a kid have to be the transmitter  They never even attempt to explain it. They brought it up in a throw away comment (But, why kids?) Why, indeed. At least give me a half-hearted explanation about hormones or something. And how about, try transmitting with an adult. Maybe the super-agent whose all about duty to her country and planted a bomb INSIDE Jack. She's seems morally ambiguous enough, let's use her. Did it blow her up and not work? Then use someone else. Hey, I've got an idea - do you have any adults that no matter what physical abuse you put them through, they still pop up alive in a few minutes ...?

My problem is I feel like they forced the "dark, grim" ending. And like, I said - I don't have a problem with dark stuff. Or gritty stuff. (Though there is a point and a limit to what I will subject myself to.) It's like they said, Hey, we need to show people we can write some serious tragedy drama stuff.  And then came up with this story. (Hey, we need an Oscar, let's make a movie about a ten-year old WWII veteran dying of cancer who sacrifices himself on his birthday to save a Jewish kid ... with asthma - yeah! That'll pull on their heart strings!)
The problem is there was no sense of hope. No redeeming moment. I ended up hating who they made Jack. Especially with that asinine final three minutes where he tells Gwen he's okay (HOW THE HELL ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS, JACK?) and then runs off to have adventures and promiscuous sex with aliens.I can' believe he even DARED to quote the Doctor in Day Five, when he proved himself such a travesty to the Doctor's ideals.
Ugh.

But I'm trying to forgive Jack. Because it's not really his fault. It's the writing. I feel like they wanted to prove themselves as non-campy, agnsty-capable, deep-digging drama so they force fed the kind of crap that people win awards for. Well done, guys. You made a show where I don't care about a damn one of the characters, or their suffering. But you sure showed a lot of suffering on screen. So - you know - kudos to you on the whole making me hate the human race and life on earth.

And maybe I could have enjoyed the story if it was set outside of the Whoverse. But let's face it. TORCHWOOD isn't just an anagram of DOCTOR WHO -- it's the Anti-Doctor Who. The Doctor restores my faith in humanity, makes me believe we're worth it, that we can be better, achieve more. And Torchwood makes me understand why so many aliens keep trying to wipe out the human race. For the love of space and time, at least the Daleks are honest about who they are and what they want.

So, because even writing this has me depressed, let me share with a few images that represent a small inkling of why DOCTOR WHO is always going to be better than Torchwood in my heart, and why the Doctor would never have let this happen.

Sigh. I love the Doctor.

Sheer Brilliance

This is pure genius and this kid is beyond talented. I'm in love - his words, his rhythm, his emotions, his talent ... wow. Watch this. Watch this now. His voice ... in awe.

15 Year Old Brilliance

Need a new series!

Hello Everyone!

So I just finished reading a really addictive series -- which is to say, I got through everything that's been published so far and am now waiting on the next one, not due until July.

If you're curious - It's the Lux Novels, by Jennifer L. Armentrout
 - Obsidian, Onyx and Opal - and they were a truly addictive and enjoyable read.

Really. Awesome. The chemistry of the romance is smoking, the characters are super-cool and fairly real, people fight, break-up, get hurt, don't always make good amends and not everything works out perfectly. And somehow it's all amazing human and vibrant and raw, while providing excellent escapism ... I'm fighting the urge to gush here, so I may have to think about actually doing a review post, which I don't normally do. But these books got under my skin in a serious way.

Anyhoo ...

Back to my point, which I left around her somewhere -- I use books as my motivation to write. Not in a "Oh, I'm going to write something EXACTLY LIKE THAT sort of way, but in a reward sort of way. As in - finish a scene, you can read a chapter. Finish a revision list - you can read five, etc.

And I am (cringe) revising my MS again. I'm getting close guys, I swear! But, I am now out of brain candy to work as my cerebral scooby snacks. And I need more! My (saintly) parents got me a kindle for Christmas and some amazon mad cash (who loves their daughter even though she's thirty and lives 5,000 miles away? My parents - made of awesome). So here's what I'm looking for and I'm hoping (1) y'all got some good recs and (2)  you might tell me what you're looking for so I can expand my horizons?

(Also - should I start reviewing my brain candy? What do you think?)

So - what I'm looking for.

1. SERIES. I'm in it for the long-haul, baby. Yeah, I know debut novels have to stand on their own, and not everything needs to be stretched out over multiple novels - but forget that! I want a marathon reading list. No less than a trilogy! Give me characters, evolving plots and excellent foreshadowing. (And yes, I am the sort of person who watches whole seasons of TV shows on DVDs rather than tune in every week. Sue me.)

2. PARANORMAL/FANTASY etc. NO contemporary. Maybe contemp is just too non-escapism for me? I don't know, I could never really get into 'em. The last contemp I read - and it was FABULOUS - was Cracked, K.M. Walton. Amazing. But that book broke all my what I'm looking for rules, so ... unless any of you have some really "MUST READ" contemps?

3. STEAMY ROMANCE. Give me romantic tension! I love those scenes where the two MCs are arguing so fiercely, tempers running so hot that everything explodes with passion. That's what I'm looking for. Forget the Ooey-gooey, love you so much since the second I saw you, devoted my being to your existence crap. It can come later. Give me characters with fireworks. Give me hurtful words and tough arguments and snappy comebacks. Maybe this is because that's how my relationship with the hubby started out once upon a middle school cafeteria, but I crave it.

4. FUNNY. Witty. Quippy. Snippy. Snarky. Funny. Please?

5. DANGER. High stakes, real potential for pain - physical and emotional. Jeopardize the crap out of those characters. Gimme!

So - the ball's in your court, y'all - what should I read next?

The RUST BELT

First off, if you didn't know. I was born & bred in Ohio. Second, I miss it so much right now I could cry. Third, check out this blog post by Colleen Clayton (Youngstown native) and definitely check out her debut YA novel WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. I'm going to! :)

If she can explain my beloved "Rust Belt" so well, I can't wait to find out what she can do with a novel set there!
Three cheers to you Colleen!!

The Apocalypsies: On Place: Writing YA Set in Cleveland and the Rust Belt

I'm not done.

So, as I was procrasti-revising, I came across a tweet from an author (one I really like), expressing she wished the book she was working on was done, good, not sucky already.

And Amen, I feel that!

I am finishing up edits before sending them on to my fantabulous agent once more, to see if she can make mincemeat of that.(Boo-yah! These edits are looking great!) Knowing Becky, she so will and it will make everything better. That's why I'm so, so, so happy she signed me. But oh, oh - to be done. To have the book complete and be able to think about something other than that MC's internal conflict in the final chapter, something other than whether I over-foreshadowed and just spilled the beans way too early in the third chapter, something other than do I really, really, really, really need that repetition of action to establish a character quirk?

I'd love to put it all down. Around me, my husband and friends have been going about their summers. Holding BBQs, picnics, watching Youtube videos outside and whatnot. And I'd love to kick up my feet, grab a tall, cold glass of iced tea and join in the Dr. Who marathon ---

(Oh, who am I kidding? I totally put down the MS for the marathon. 

He's the DOCTOR, you guys - you canNOT miss your chance to share that with a new friend for the first time.)

--- but I have to finish this. Have to be DONE. I crave it - I want it wrapped up, locked and ready to go. But the reality is ... I'm not.

I'm not done. There is still loads more work to do. And then begins the next one and new pleas for *this* MS to be DONE and GOOD and NOT SUCKY.

But here's the thing. It won't be SUCKY. And neither is aforementioned-anonymous-author's WIP. It's just not done yet.

Hey - y'all want some cupcakes?? (And no, I'm not going ADD and wandering away. There's a point in our not so distant future, I promise.)

They're delicious! There's eggs, sugar, flour, more sugar - and easy to remove wraps!

What about these - will you eat these cupcakes? They have all the same things!

What? Why don't you want to eat these? What do you mean they look like a what happens when a kindegardner vomits paste? What does raw egg and salmonella have to do with anything??

Nope - you're not going to eat those. Because they're not done. (and there's many fewer 'cupcake dough I eat-raw' list than cookies. Just saying.)

They've got all the right elements. They're in the right place. Some of the pretty packaging is even ready to go. But they're not done. You have to give your ideas time to ... bake.

They're just like people. The closer to they get to who they're going to be, the more interesting they become. So, for everyone else out there struggling with the whole "this sucks, this sucks, it's never going to work, OMG why can't I ever not dangle my participles!!!" blues, just remember -

You've got the batter. Turn up the heat. Step to the plate.

Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 


Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.


So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!
To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!


 I am picking my friend, Brandi S. Brandi is an aspiring writer and we have spent countless hours together talking about writing, relationships and relationships of writers! This summer she has set a goal to get her first MS agent-query ready and I am going to be right behind her all the way. This summer, I will give her a full ms critique to say thank you for being part of my writing circle.


Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)


Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.


Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness?  Let me know in the comments!