On Censorship: An Update.

Those who have followed my blog for a while might remember this post, from back in February, where I discuss and give examples of different types of censorship, and the effect it has on diminishing both public and private freedom of expression.

There have been some developments since then, both for better and for worse, some surprising and some as predictable as the sun rising in the East.

First, as to the victims of Non-Governmental Censorship mentioned in the original post: on the whole, they have done well. I would, in fact, go as far as to say that the publicity they received as a result of being censored might have worked in their favor in the long run.

Nick Cole's book Ctrl-Alt-Revolt!, denied a publishing contract for using a controversial issue as a starting plot point, has been picked up by a new publisher and received a 2016 Dragon Award for Best Apocalyptic Novel.

Milo Yiannopolous (seriously, spellcheck, how do you still not recognize that name?) is in the middle of the second round of his college tours, among other things, meeting progressively (HA!) more resistance and only acquiring more fame as a result. And oh yes, he went from being unverified on Twitter at the time of my last post to getting his account permanently suspended. #FreeMilo is still a fairly active hashtag. If you still have an account, you know what to do.

Robert Stacy McCain is still banned from Twitter, but his blog is active as ever and very much worth a read.

Brendan Eich is reportedly having much success with his new browser Brave, which is highly recommended by my techie friends. I haven't tried it myself, but that's only because I don't trust my ancient Mac not to explode if I try to download yet another program into its outdated OS.

And now, for the new and exciting:

Scott Adams, creator of  the wildly successful Dilbert strip, who also writes extensively on the power of persuasion, has been shadowbanned on Twitter for speaking favorably of Donald Trump. Adams has also reported being disinvited from speaking engagements and since he started his series of posts regarding Trump's skill at persuasion. As far as I know, he is neither a Republican nor particularly conservative. He has come out unequivocally in support of Trump only very recently, more as an anti-Hillary stance than anything else, and the main focus of his writing is still the art of persuasion rather than politics. But neither fame nor fortune nor a lifetime of writing popular bi-partisan satire and commentary protects one from the new breed of speech police.

Vox Day had his Twitter account suspended and his blog url has been flagged as spam/malicious site by Twitter and banned from getting linked by Twitter users.

Ricky Vaughn, a right wing activist and Trump supporter had his account suspended last week (#FreeRicky is the relevant hashtag).

Glen Reynolds of Instapundit was suspended on Twitter because of a single tweet regarding the Black Lives Matter rioters, but reinstated shortly after. Considering Twitter's pattern, I would be shocked if this was the end of it. Once people get on Twitter's radar, they usually end up banned sooner or later. He has also faced other retaliation, including USA Today suspending his column for a month and calls for him to be fired from his position at University of Tennessee.

On the bright side, the new site Gab.ai has been created as an alternative to Twitter and possibly Facebook.  The only problem is that getting on requires being placed on the wait list (80K+ last I checked). Some people get on immediately or within a day while some, like yours truly, still haven't heard back after weeks-long wait. I have a feeling that once the folks running the site get their act together and let in more users, it just might become the next great thing.

You will notice that I focus almost exclusively on Twitter happenings, and with good reason. Twitter as a platform has always claimed dedication to free speech until, in a spectacularly suicidal move, they decided to get with the Progressive program and created a dedicated censorship committee. And if you follow the business news even slightly, you will know that "suicidal" is not an overstatement. Yes, there are solid business reasons as to why the company is failing, but certainly reneging on its basic promise to users and losing massive numbers of users as a result could not be ignored as one of the causes.

Which brings me to the final point. What to do? Unlike with the current political situation, when it comes to defending our freedom of expression, the solution is simple. Don't give up. Refuse to be muzzled. That's not an invitation to become a martyr if you work in an SJW-infested environment, but everyone can do their part to an extent possible. Patronize writers and bloggers who are on the front lines of this fight (yes, even those whose views you occasionally find unpalatable can and should be supported when they get it right). I truly believe that no matter who prevails in the Presidential contest, in the long run the future of our country is tied to the right of free expression. Politics is downstream from culture, and the success or failure of our side in the culture war depends on our unwavering opposition to censorship in all its forms.

Let's be heard. Let's help others be heard. And remember, if you stay silent, you will never find out that you might, in fact, not be as alone as your thought.

And now, something appropriate for my rock-loving friends.

CLFA Booknado: Great Books, No Sharks!

From Conservative-Libertarian Fiction Alliance website:

Raging across a darkened land, the CLFA Booknado rips out stale, lefty establishment fiction by the roots and blasts in the new, the positive, and the bargain-priced! Batten down the hatches; the long-suppressed winds of culture change are blowing free in a whirlwind of fresh air!

CLFA's newly renamed monthly promotion highlights eight new releases and two bargain (1.99 or less) books from the group's members. Please visit the website for the full list, and while you're there, feel free to check out the latest news, events and our updated Book collections. Every purchase you make through CLFA website contributes to the growth of our pro-freedom creative counterculture. Have fun, and as usual, Happy Reading!

Guest Post: Karina Fabian on Rocking the Bechdel Test (with Nuns)

Karina Fabian is a friend and a talented science fiction and fantasy author, who spends her free time helping others improve their writing craft and marketing strategies. As part of a promotional tour for her new novel Discovery featuring nuns as space explorers (yes, you read that right), please enjoy her fun and informative blog post.

Want to Rock the Bechdel Test? Have Nuns as Your Main Characters!

Many readers may have heard of the Bechdel test. This three-question quiz is supposed to evaluate how well you represent women in your fiction, be it a movie or a book. Essentially you need

1. Two or more named female characters (named characters being a recent addition)

2. Sharing a conversation

3. That is not about a man.

This test was popularized in Alison Bechdel’s comic, Dykes to Watch Out For, and has taken on a life of its own. There are whole websites devoted to which movies pass the Bechdel test, and a study was done of the latest Dr. Who reboot (Doctors 10-13) and how their episode meet the test, broken down by companion and writer. (Ironicaly, the River Song episodes fail).

The test itself is not always the end-all of how women are portrayed in a story. For example, the 2013 SF hit, Gravity, fails the test (despite a very brief scene where the shuttle pilot and the astronaut share a couple of lines about the shuttle arm), but there are only three main characters. If we were to apply it to my DragonEye books, they’d all fail, because the stories are written first person through the viewpoint of Vern. (Although he says there’s some grounds for dispute because as an androgynous dragon, “he” is only uses a male designation because Pope Pius thought Vern d’Wyvern was a cute name for a dragon.)

However, I can say this: if you want to rock the Bechdel test, then just make nuns your main characters!

Discovery is my first Rescue Sisters novel. In it Sisters Rita, Ann and Thomas (“Tommie”) join the crew of the Edwina Taggert to explore the first ever discovered evidence of alien life – a crashed ship in the Kuiper belt. They are in charge of training the crew for EVA exploration and of the overall safety of the mission. It’s a serious undertaking, especially when they find an artifact onboard that can tap into the subconscious and show people the needs of their own souls.

This is actually a good candidate for the Bechdel test because the cast of characters is huge – nuns, academics, asteroid miners (to free the ship) and the crew of the ET herself. Thirteen named females and fifteen named males. The test only requires a single conversation to be female-to-female and not about a man, but that just seemed too easy, especially with a cast so large, so I checked the conversations. Here’s what I found:

Total Conversations: 390

Conversations of mixed genders: 317 (I didn’t count, but I’d guesstimate 25% - 35% were romantic or relationship in nature)

Female-only conversations: 50

·       # not about a man: 42

·       # about a man: 4

·       # about God or where a male saint was quoted, which I wasn’t sure counted: 4

·       % about personnel or the mission: 60%

Male-only conversations: 23

·       # not about a woman: 18

·       # about a woman: 5

·       % that were about mission or personnel: 50%

Definitely rocks the Bechdel test. In fact, in some ways, it underrepresents the men, but then again, the top two characters are nuns. (Sister Tommie has a supporting role.)

The Bechdel test and so many others like it are not the end-all of literary merit or fairness to the sexes in literature. So much depends on story. However, it does make an interesting exercise for evaluating the strengths of your story and perhaps uncovering something you hadn’t noticed.

_________________________________________________________________________

For those of my visitors who can never have enough books (that would be most of them!), I will mention that Karina has also written stories about zombie hunters, a dragon detective and a telepath who talks to aliens, all available on Amazon. Happy reading!

Calliope Writers' Workshop: Turning Wishing Into Doing

Last week, I came across a post lamenting the state of conservative/pro-freedom storytelling in general and cinema in particular. Machine Trooper writes:

How is it that smart, hardworking, independent thinkers are consistently outperformed at cinematic storytelling by the left-wing hive mind? Why do our movies always suffer poor story telling, cheesy dialog and generally inept suspension of disbelief?

How, indeed. There are, after all, plenty of talented writers who share our views (even if many of them are still hiding their opinions in order to develop and/or preserve their careers). And there are certainly wealthy individuals out there willing to contribute money to what we loosely call pro-freedom causes. So if it's not the talent, and not the money, what then? If you scroll down in the comments, you will see my answer: lack of networking. The full solution is a bit more complicated because there is work still to be done on the writing side as well if we are to keep going long-term. We need to nurture pro-freedom writing talent, and then to connect our storytellers with those who can help them make the stories more accessible to the masses. And much as I love the written word, nowadays it also means the movies.

As luck would have it, only two days later after making that comment, I attended a kickoff party for Calliope Writers' Worksop, co-sponsored by Taliesin Nexus and Liberty Island. I am happy to report that an effort so many of us have wished for does already exist, and picking up steam.

From Taliesin Nexus website:In order to encourage the creation of great stories, we serve as a nexus between up-and-coming filmmakers and experienced industry professionals who share a passion for a free society.

It was truly great to see that Liberty Island, an online magazine (and now a book publisher) that gave me a start and an inspiration for writing fiction, is also a part of this exciting venture.

And exciting really is the word. As I stood in that room at Crowne Plaza Hotel in NYC, surrounded by a buzzing crowd of creatives of all ages and those with vision to give them voice, I realized a few things. The time for complaining and wishing has passed. The time for stifling our creativity for the sake of acceptance has passed. We have the talent, the drive, and the energy to succeed. Combined with the infrastructure that is even now being built, piece by piece, one dedicated mentor, one generous investor, one contrarian marketing professional at a time, we will get there. Our voices will be heard, our stories read, our vision shared. Let's get to work, people. We have a culture to build.


Now, for the fun part. The pictures!!!!

With my friend, co-conspirator and fellow author Kia Heavey

Kia and I with Liberty Island honcho David Bernstein

Kia with Robert Bidinotto, author of the Dylan Hunter thriller series

With sci-fi/fantasy author, blogger, and mentor to indie authors (did I forget anything?) Sarah A. Hoyt, who was very gracious about my fangirl behavior.

And last but not least, with Karina Fabian, a multi-genre author and writing mentor. Watch out for Karina's guest blog post right here on September 20th.

Sarah and Karina deserve special thanks for flying out all the way to New York City to mentor the workshop participants. Hats off to you, ladies!

Special shout-out to fellow CLFA members Adam Bellow (who led the main presentation of the evening), Keith Korman, Curtis Edmonds, and Richard Walch, as well as long-time online friend Matthew Souders, all of whom I met at the party but was unable to capture on camera.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible, and hope to see even more familiar faces, at a much bigger event, next year!

Dragon Awards: A Personal View

Dragon Awards results were announced on Sunday, and there is already an abundance of blog posts and commentary available from people more eloquent than I, who are much more familiar with the some of the more intricate details.

Why, then, am I taking the time to write yet another post? I suppose for the same reason anyone writes anything: I believe that I do in fact have something different to say, coming as I am from several different perspectives.

As a nominee, I am of course both flattered and humbled that my debut novel has touched enough fans to be placed in the company of some of the biggest names in fantasy and science fiction. My first reaction was that I didn't belong there, but then I realized that it was not, in fact, true. After all, the very point of a fan-driven award is that the fans decide who belongs, and their voice is not to be taken lightly. Those familiar with my views regarding other types of awards will know this opinion is not new to me, nor will it change depending on my personal success or lack thereof. Thus, I thank my fans as well as the fine folk at DragonCon for getting me to this point and giving me and other new indie authors an inspiration to carry on.

As a reader and a fan, I love to see quality writing publicized and rewarded for the simple, selfish reason that we are now likely to see more of it. Not that prolific authors like Correia and Wright and Butcher ever needed a reminder to hurry up and give us more books, but it works on a wider scale. Once authors realize that the doors to success and professional recognition are no longer guarded by the select few and access no longer filtered through a particular prism, more creativity will naturally result, to the delight of those of us always trying to find fresh fuel for our love of reading.

As a co-founder of Conservative-Libertarian Fiction Alliance (join us! we have fun! and books!) I am gratified to see our members among both the nominees and the winners. Larry Correia, Nick Cole and Brian Neimeier (with credit to editor L. Jagi Lamplighter ) won their respective categories. Declan Finn, Mark Wandrey, Dave Freer and Gibson Michaels received well-deserved nominations, and are no doubt are on the road to bigger and better things as a result.

Last but not least, as a minor culture warrior of the "home front and covering fire" variety, I must give special mention to a the authors whose wins have a special meaning to those of us concerned about the state of the culture in general and arts in particular.

Nick Cole had his now award-winning book was rejected by the publisher for openly political reasons, as previously covered in my Censorship post, forcing him to choose between artistic freedom and losing the publishing contract. Nick wisely put the art first, and clearly the fans approved.

John C. Wright some years ago joined a small but select group of authors (Andrew Klavan, Dean Koontz and David Mamet come to mind off the top of my head) who, after a period of critical acclaim, miraculously "lost their talent" after becoming vocal about their unapproved political views and/or religion. Or so all the "important" people would have you believe. Fans think otherwise, and fortunately it's the fans and not the now mostly ineffectual gatekeepers will always have the last word.

Why are the above examples important? Because they show to those of us occasionally hesitant to stay true to our beliefs that it can be done. You can succeed and be appreciated without the express approval or help of those who put their ideology above art and want to bend everyone to their will. Especially in a genre that is meant to thrive on imagination, freedom of thought is not a luxury. It's a requirement.

All in all, pathetic grumblings from the usual dark corners of the 'net notwithstanding, Sunday has been a great day for writers and fans alike, no matter what our genre preferences might be. Here is to many more years of great books, inspiration and above all FUN! Once again, many thanks to DragonCon organizers and everyone who played a part in making the awards happen.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have more reading to do. For more fun, Declan Finn has a post that includes a video of the presentation. Enjoy!

Book Review Two-For-One: A Ben Zwycky's Special

Apologies for the long absence. As luck would have it, my family's long-ago-planned trip to Disney World (which might end up as a subject of a separate blog post), followed immediately by dropping off my oldest at college in Atlanta (cry, sniff) kept me away from my regular blogging schedule.

On the bright side, one advantage of travel, especially by plane, is an opportunity to catch up on reading. Thank you, Delta Airlines, for giving me those extra four hours at the airport. In fairness, weather in NYC was to blame, but you get the idea.

Be that as it may I am now in a position to review two of Ben Zwycky's novels at once. Short version for the impatient: you better learn how to spell that name because you're likely to be looking him up on Amazon in the future in search of new releases.

Nobility Among Us

The novel is nominally an alternative-history dystopia, set in a word where modern and futuristic technology co-exist with a feudal social structure and oppressive political system. At its heart, though, it's an adult fairy tale with a strong Christian flavor (Christianity is not specifically named, but it is clear which religion plays a pivotal role in the story). My initial reaction was to compare it to C.S. Lewis, but I always dislike authors and reviewers touting "Book X" for being "the Next Book Y." I do, however, think that it will attract the same type of reader, so the mention is appropriate.

The main plot line centers around a nobleman, guided and assisted by his wife (who came from a humble background but has more to offer than meets the eye), trying to bring justice and economic reforms into the society where tradition has not been challenged in a meaningful way for hundreds of years. Naturally, this doesn't sit well with those in power, and the struggle that follows will go well beyond normal court intrigue and military clashes of typical fantasy offerings.

It is an unusual choice to place a happily married couple, with young children, at the center of such story, and the plot does indeed proceed along a different path than would be expected. The main characters' decisions and actions drive the plot and influence the world around them, but they remain essentially unchanged throughout their many trials. Interesting character arcs are instead reserved for the secondary protagonists, and this is where the quality of writing rises to another level, covering many of my favorite themes, from redemption to mature romantic love to the true definition of duty and honor. Twists and surprises abound, some strongly foreshadowed, some coming seemingly out of nowhere (at least until you think about it some more, and then it makes sense). There a few points towards the end where I was sure the author wrote himself into the corner and there was no way for everything to resolve in a coherent way, but then it did, which was probably the biggest surprise of them all.

Beyond the Mist

Remember how I said I don't like saying "this book is just like <fill in the blank>"? Well, I still don't. Except this one positively screams "John C. Wright" and not just because he wrote the Foreword. The cover, the wording of the blurb, and the promise of addressing the Big Issues are sure to attract most Wright fans. That, of course, comes with a downside of too-high expectations and greater potential for disappointment, but all in all it's a good problem for an author to have.

The central premise/question is as simple as it gets, and the beauty of sci-fi as a genre is that it allows us to address the basics in settings that strip out the distractions and complexities of the real world. At first glance, our nameless protagonists finds himself in a state of perfection. Floating in the mysterious mist requires no effort; there is no pain, no hunger or thirst; the sensation is, in fact, quite pleasant. When his mind rebels and starts asking questions, voices tell him to be content, to enjoy this freedom from want and pain, to be grateful. A single voice, however, offers something different: a way out, into the unknown.

It's not a spoiler to say which path the protagonist would choose; the title of the novel, after all, provides the answer. What would he find "beyond"? Will his worst fears be realized? Will the knowledge he seeks end up destroying him? I won't give away the answers except to say that unlike in most of today's gimmicky setups that leave readers scratching their heads in disappointment, clear and substantial answers are, in fact, found.

The last section of the novel does switch gears and becomes more of a traditional mystery (which, as it happened, was too easy for this Agatha Christie fan to solve). It probably could have been saved for the upcoming sequel, but I also felt that the protagonist, and the reader, having found resolution to the Big Question, should not be left in complete ignorance about all the rest. Thus, more searching, more answers, and while there is a definite setup fro a sequel, the ending is quite satisfying.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, both novels are highly recommended. Purchase links in the titles above. Happy reading!

Dragon Awards: Chasing Freedom Nominated for Best Apocalyptic Novel

Picture this for a moment. I come back to the hotel after a killer day at Disney, borrow my husband's laptop just to check my Facebook notifications, and suddenly discover everyone is tagging me in their Dragon Awards posts. I'm thinking, "Cool, the nominations must have come out, and my friends are thanking me because I voted for them."

Nope.

Let's just say after I clicked on one of the links, some words left my mouth that may not be suitable for the Disney target audience. Before you get too excited, I kept it to PG-13, but still.

After that, I had to explain to the family about DragonCon and their first ever Dragon Awards. What I could not explain is how exactly my debut novel ended up in such rarefied company. In fact, I did not nominate my own work. But apparently there are some fans of mine out there, and so here I am, asking for your vote in the finals.

You can register to vote here (click the Register to Vote tab to proceed). Unlike with the Award-That-Will-Not-Be-Named (really, WorldCon? $50 to vote?), it costs nothing to sign up, and authors are encouraged to campaign. It truly is a fan-driven award, as proven by the number of self-published and small-press authors among the nominees.

Congratulations and best of luck to my fellow nominees, including the following CLFA members:

Larry Correia (Son of the Black Sword)
Dave Freer (Changeling's Island)
Declan Finn (Honor at Stake)
Brian Niemeier (Souldancer)
Nick Cole (Ctrl Alt Revolt!)*
Mark H. Wandrey (A Time to Die)*

*Nick and Mark are my competitors in the Apocalyptic Novel category and supremely worthy opponents.

On the bright side, I am not competing against John C. Wright (Somewhither), or I just might have been forced to vote against myself.

The full ballot is here (I'm linking to Locus Online because it has live links to all the nominees). Once you confirm your registration, you will receive a private ballot e-mailed to you. Voting closes September 1st and the winners will be announced at DragonCon in Atlanta in the first week of September.

Once again, many thanks to all my supporters, and may the best works win!