Let It Snow!

Yet another winter storm is bearing down on the Northeast. I went skiing last weekend and hope to get more in next Sunday. The Olympics have me psyched for the challenge, though it won’t be along the lines of downhill racing. I just have to survive getting the kids there and up and down the mountain, and back home.

I think a weekly snowstorm is just grand-it is supposed to be cold in the winter-and my whole family has enjoyed snow days. We’ve sledded, cross country skied down the city streets, built a snow fort and a snowman, and savored the beauty of snow laden pine trees on a stormy morning.

I’ve got two new novel projects in progress, one further along than the other, but it’s been fun starting something fresh.

Marketing my other novel, memoir, and a few shorts is a time consuming black hole which I fell into about two years ago and have just emerged from. There were a breaths of fresh air along the way with lots of nonfiction publications and one piece of fiction released in January with reviewers asking to "see more from this author."

Two other pieces of fiction are under serious consideration with independent publishers.While I’m not giving up the agent search, it seems ridiculous to not query those who will accept unagented submissions. I'd love an agent, but not at the expense of never seeing my work in print because it "doesn't fit my list."

I’m doing anthology and collection reviews now for Tangent and the reading has been challenging but worthwhile. Check out my latest two reviews: Ars Memoraie by Beth Bernobich (alternate history/steampunk)and Slightly Behind and to the Left by Claire Light (hardcore feminist sci fi, for those willing to work a bit). I’m now working on Tails of Wonder edited by Ellen Datlow. Sneak preview: missed a subway stopped while engrossed in story # 3.

http://www.tangentonline.com/index.php/print--other-reviewsmenu-263/novellas-chapbooks-misc-reviewsmenu-338


To discuss or quibble about reviews or to find out more about my literary adventures, including the Fantastic Fiction reading series in New York City hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matt Kressel, please stop by my website forums:

http://www.caroleannmoleti.com/forum.html#bn-forum-1-1-4113162193/6990

Keep up with postings, new projects, publications, where I’ve been and where I’m going:

http://twitter.com/Cmoleti

For my take on health care reform/politics/women’s and children’s health:

http://cmoleticnm.blogspot.com/

I'm also on Facebook (more pictures!)

http://facebook.com/Cmoleti

Almost Caught Up

This week, the NYC High Schools were giving Regents exams so I was "off." On Monday, I reviewed 70 charts for quality assurance. Rather tedious. Tuesday I had a training in Manhattan all day.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday, my "vacation" days getting proposals out for the memoir. Exhausting since it's a 60 page document and they all want different formats. Three agents only take hard copy, one wanted clips and a photo as well. Not very green-including two trips to the post office.

Friday I did a Basic Life Support refresher (not related to the aggravating submissions but rather a job requirement). I am SORE from all that CPR! In the afternoon, I finally finished the required online Electronic Fetal Monitoring Course. Got six hours of continuing education credit but it took me nearly ten including studying. Then I went to Maya's school for the Blood Drive and rolled up my sleeve.

The best part of the week was a date with my husband Friday night. We saw "It's Complicated." ROTFLMAO! I really needed that.

Saturday I cleaned the house (which after months of re-organization is on the cusp of being under control), unstopped two toilets, did five loads of laundry and went grocery shopping. I wonder why I didn't feel like doing novel revisions.

But I made myself sit down and made very good progress. The revised opening held up, getting only a few characterization tweaks. The EDITS system markup on chapters 4-7 and the changes I'd put in were surprisingly good.

Today I finished up some crits I owed, made a dent in my marketing tasks, and prepped two things for workshop submissions later in the week. Tonight I hope to polish off the EDITS on Chapters 8-17 of the novel. A big chunk, but if yesterday's experience is repeated, I can do it. That will get me almost half way through this pass (and the latter half is in much better shape). Once I finish this I can focus on new writing.

I didn't get to dance classes this weekend, and I've given up on two long languishing features now that my major market IROSF has dried up. It's hard for me to admit defeat, but I just can't do it all.

During the holiday season, deep in edits and marketing my recent publications, I was also struggling to keep up with fast breaking news and political action as the health care reform bill went to the Senate.

I had to drastically cut back all social networking to stay on top of what needed to be done and expected things would calm down, but they haven't. In order to tick off the many things on my "to do" list, I am staying on task and off-line as much as I can.

But, I have been working. Several submissions, queries, pitches have gone out. I'm now back at Tangent Online (since The Fix went on hiatus) and working on reviews of a novella and three collections. The saddening news that The Internet Review of Science Fiction is ceasing publication after the February issue is another indicator of how difficult things are in the publishing business, and I am scrambling to find new markets who pay me at least something for the incredible amounts of time I invest in preparing reviews, criticism, and features of interest to readers in the speculative genres.

Aside from a few short nonfiction pieces, most of my new writing has been empassioned letters to my Senators and Representatives pleading for them to do the right thing regarding the poor excuse for health care reform limping toward the finish line. These quotes, from a January 11 article in The New York Times, pretty much sum up the way a lot of us feel:

Ron Vaughn who provides health insurance to his 60 employees at Argonaut Wine and Liquor in Denver.

"I’m a middle-of-the-road kind of guy. I want the Democrats out of my pocket and Republicans out of my bedroom. The one word I would use for what’s going on in Washington is embarrassing."

James W. Noon, who runs a packaging supply business here, said he was irked to see Senate leaders secure votes by promising extra Medicaid money to Nebraska and Louisiana. “Don’t they realize how dumb that looks?” said Mr. Noon, a Republican.

Michael R. Stone, a private investigator who describes himself as a political independent, was bothered by those deals, too. “President Obama campaigned on a promise to change the way things are done in Washington,” Mr. Stone said. “But it seems like business as usual to me."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/health/policy/11health.html?th&emc=th

Anyone interested in more, check out my professional blogs:

http://cmoleticnm.blogspot.com

http://cmoleti-cnm.livejournal.com/

Having pretty much given up on health care reform efforts out of sheer disgust, I've been making good progress. Then yesterday morning, while answering email, a virus invaded my computer. This porn site took over Internet Explorer and I started getting multiple messages, disguised as Microsoft Word, telling me to click here to allow a virus removal program to run. I played a game of "whack a mole," turning off the rapid succession of pop-ups, which got more rapid as time went on.

Thanks to the fact I was sitting there when it happened, and to my quick thinking husband who responded to my distress call, turned off the wireless router and then got Malware to run before it was hijacked, the four offending files were sequestered and deleted. I've been using another computer since 11 am, since we then had to run full scans on three different anti-virus/ anti-malware programs. Now, I can't connect to the Internet on that computer. But all my files are safe (I back them up every night on Mozy anyway) and I have almost everything on a flash drive as well. So, if I owe you a crit or something else, please be patient.

Things have been very crazy for me since late summer. Since then I've only been able to read about one-third through Neal Stephenson's Anathem and feel like I will never finish it. Like a metaphor for my life, I'm trapped in a world I don't quite get. I've read Acacia (Durham), Thunderer, (Gilman) and A Short History of Women (Walbert) in the interim, so it isn't the page count, but rather the dense plot and ponderous pace.

I am a fast reader, and uber organized, and so this inertia and chaos is very unsettling. But I've succeeded at doing what I do for a long time, so I have hope that, by the beginning of February to have the backlog of revision and marketing work done and get back to writing NEW material. And reading something else.

I'm trying out a new Bravenet Forum on my webpage. Join me to discuss any of those works of fiction under the tab Fantastic Fiction. David Anthony Durham and Lev Grossman will be there on January 20.

http://www.caroleannmoleti.com/forum.html#bn-forum-1-1-4113162193/6990

Finally, all this aggravation is nothing compared to what the Haitian people are going through right now. if you haven't already given a donation to help the earthquake victims, might I suggest Doctors Without Borders? I have an acquaintance who works for them, and I'm sure she's on her way if not already there. They have an established hospital in Port Au Prince, which I've heard was destroyed, but they are working under makeshift conditions. I'm sure there are a lot of places to donate, but here's an easy link.

https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197&hbc=1&source=AZE1001D1001

"Everything Must Go," Oasis Journal 2009 Contest Winner-Best Nonfiction

I wrote this essay never intending it to be a part of Someday I'm Going to Write a Book.

It's a very personal story about the divorce from my childhood sweetheart and the aftermath-which is a big deal in an Italian Catholic family whose elders stayed married,some for more than fifty years until death they did part.

So how did it wind up in Someday, subtitled Diary of an Urban Missionary? Well, during the writing process my readers kept telling me to include more about myself to give a better context to the patient related stories I was telling. Otherwise it made my prose feel like a case study rather than a heartfelt examination with a connection to universal experience.

In more simple words, I was above it all looking down instead of immersed and invested emotionally in my experiences. Professional distance is critical in clinical practice, but this memoir isn't a lecture.

When I looked back at the "Everything Must Go," I realized the inciting incident did not only end my marriage. It killed my innocence, my invincibility, my youthful bravado, the illusion that I was above all the misery I had borne witness to. It also coincided with very significant events in my career and propelled me in a new direction. But most of all, the depression and the process of recovery gave me critical insight into what it's like for people being tossed about in a storm they just happened into-and how to better help them pull out of it.

So, in "Everything Must Go" I acknowlege the enduring effect of families on everyone's life, pay tribute to the very special people who had a major impact on my life and career--my ex-husband, whose love, support and generosity made it possible for me to achieve what I have today, his mom and dad, his sisters and their husbands. Even though I am no longer a part of the family, they remain a part of me.

And special thanks to my current husband, who accepted me with all that baggage and continues to this day to be by my side as I struggle to carry it all.

Winning Oasis Journal's prize for best nonfiction for this excerpt has affirmed that it speaks to the universal experience and does indeed belong in Someday I'm Going to Write a Book: The Diary of an Urban Missionary.

Enjoy!

I’d driven by the house on my way to work, almost everyday, for the last eighteen years. Until I saw the sign, it was easy to deny how much time had passed since the gate creaked open and I meandered past the immaculate garden, up the long driveway, through the back door, and into the cozy kitchen with pots simmering on the stove. I can still smell garlic in the meatballs, and the bittersweet tang of stuffed cabbage and sauerkraut balls. The cat would brush against my ankles while the dog's tail beat a welcome across my legs.

The dining room hosted Thanksgiving feasts of turkey, bread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes and peas—but only after the lasagna. On Christmas mornings, we crowded into the living room and plunked onto bulky chestnut colonial furniture upholstered in trendy orange and brown. A fire flickered, stockings hung from the mantelpiece. Pale winter sunlight filtered through ivory lace curtains, glinting off the dark wood paneling and polished hardwood floors.

The tree was surrounded by more presents than one could ever imagine for three teenage children and their assorted boyfriends and girlfriends. The cat and dog ran rampant through discarded wrapping paper. There was always My-T-Fine chocolate pudding for dessert, with Saran wrap on the top to prevent the skin from forming.

More love to go around than the average family, and you could feel it the minute you walked in the door to hugs, cries of welcome, and fights. Was it really over?

* * *

I married into the family in 1979, but was welcomed in many years before that. We met when Michael was a seventeen-year-old star shortstop, and I was a fourteen-year-old Little League groupie.

Like most love struck teenagers, we vowed to stay together forever and went steady for eight years before finally getting married. He encouraged me as I pursued the career I so desperately wanted, and had faith that I was going to be the best nurse ever. I knew he would succeed in business and finance. We stayed married long enough to graduate college, land good jobs and buy not just one house, but also a vacation getaway in Vermont.

©Carole Ann Moleti, 2009. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission.


Oasis Journal 2009:

An Interview with Andrew Richardson, Author of "The Shoot"

I’ve invited Andrew Richardson back again to talk about his latest release—"The Shoot"-- coming out on December 7 from Eternal Press.

About a year ago, I reviewed Best Fantastic Erotica (Circlet Press), edited by Cecilia Tan, for The Fix. Not all the stories were to my liking, but I was impressed by the number of feminist stories therein.

"The Shoot" holds its own amongst them, and I mean that in a very positive way: stories that celebrate the things that make being female special, not the least of which is the friendship and the solidarity with and understanding of other women.

A naïve woman learns some lessons in love.

Kath Mahoney only attends her friend’s first glamour photo shoot because Pippa needs someone to drive her there. Kath expects to find the day boring, but her interest is stirred when the photographer, Rob, turns out to be a sexy, blonde, former model called Robyn.

Andrew, this story is a big departure from the supernatural horror you normally write. Not only is it mainstream, it's erotic women's fiction. You've always impressed me with your ability to write from the female point of view, but this story tested that to the highest degree since it involves a F/F love scene. Do you find it difficult to write from the female viewpoint?

I’ve never found using a female viewpoint difficult – or, at least, I find it less difficult than using a male viewpoint. I’m not a great fan of strong lead characters, who are often also loud, arrogant and generally obnoxious (am I the only one who watched Alien and was begging the monster to get Ripley?). It’s probably a highly sexist thing to say, but readers will probably let you get away with your hero being a bit more quiet and thoughtful if she’s a she. That’s nearer my personality too, so I find it easier to write, which is probably why I’m happy to use the female viewpoint.

And I didn’t find the female-female love scene more difficult than a male-female encounter from the physical or emotional side of things. The main challenge was the practical one of having to use words like ‘she’ or ‘hers’ sparingly so people don’t get confused about which character is being referred to – which is obviously not a problem in male-female scenes.

Hmm, sounds like that getting in touch with your animus/animae thing a al Karl Jung. No matter, it works. You've often said you dislike writing sex scenes but you're so good at it. Do the characters tell you where the story is supposed to go or does it spring from the plot?

Yes, I do dislike writing sex scenes, and if you think I’m good at it, then that’s a complement and a relief. Sex scenes need a different technique than the horror genre I’m used to dealing with, and I do find writing erotic pieces hard work. In general, my stories are very much plot driven. I usually start with a plot outline, and mould the characters around the story’s needs. I do think that characters are one of the joys of writing, though, and the way they act and interact is very much down to them. I particularly enjoy taking characters aside and giving them sub-plots that rely on their personalities.

I know, because I read them both, that the characters in "The Shoot" are the same as those in The Wood, your novel released last spring by Eternal Press. What nudged you in the direction of writing this latest story which is a prequel of sorts?

"The Shoot" started off as a flashback scene within The Wood – it was one of the asides I enjoy that I mentioned just now. It didn’t really work as part of The Wood, though, but I did think it had possibilities. I gave it the tweaks it needed to make it a stand-alone piece, and I’m delighted that Eternal Press liked it.

Do you plan to write more stories like this--mainstream or F/F erotic fiction? Have you considered other subgenres of erotica, or does it all depend upon what inspiration strikes you at any given moment?

I’m not seriously planning any more erotica –"The Shoot" became a stand-alone almost by accident! I don’t read much erotica (actually, make that zero!) so I don’t know very much about the genre. I’ve got a few story ideas but they’re not likely to get written as I’ve no way of judging whether even the basic plot outlines are viable. I got quite a bit of help with "The Shoot" – many thanks to fellow Eternal press author Gianna Bruno who gave loads of advice on writing erotica (Gianna’s "Hot Chocolate Kiss" is due out in January).

I know you have a special love of Celtic legend and most of your novels rely heavily on it. What other interests inform your writing? Who are some other writers whose work influences yours?

I loved having books and films push me to the boundaries of comfort as a child, and that gently led me down the route toward horror. History is another passion, so I suppose it’s not surprising that most of my work is historical horror. I studied the Celts at university, so I’m writing what I know.

My main influence is Richard Laymon, who I think is (or, sadly, was – R.I.P.) truly a genius. He has a sparse style, but you still feel you know his characters after only a couple of sentences. He took a lot of risks, and reading him gave me the confidence to try to push boundaries myself. One of my proudest moments as a writer was visiting the forum at "Horror Writers UK" http://horrorwriters.net/ and seeing The Wood discussed in a thread on the same page as Laymon’s work.

Can you tell us about your current works in progress?

I’ve got irons in a few fires at the moment. My favourite is a novel I’ve just finished, set in post-Roman North Wales. It was hard work as it is primarily fantasy, which was challenging but fun because like "The Shoot" it’s taken me
away from my comfort zone. I’m also working on a slasher set in a medieval Scottish castle – anyone who saw the film Highlander will recognise the keep I’m using for a basis. But I am missing ‘doing’ Celtic myth and I keep being tempted away from my works in progress to revisit legend-based Fomorians, who seem to have made an impression with The Wood’s readers!

Writing out of your comfort zone is good. You taught me that. And, yes those Fomorians. They wreak quite a bit of havoc in The Wood. Where can readers connect with you, and how can they order a copy of "The Shoot" and/or The Wood?

"The Shoot" and The Wood are both available from Eternal Press - http://www.eternalpress.ca/Richardson.html - and from Amazon.

My web site and blog are at:

http://ajrichardson.tripod.com/
http://andrewjrichardson.blogspot.com/

Before signing off I’d like to thank you for having me, and also acknowledge those people who’ve helped me get two novels published. My name may be the one on the covers, but I have had so much help from a lot of people.

I’m very grateful to the people at Eternal Press, and to Dark Realm Press who published my first novel. In addition, a lot of people have looked at drafts and helped with technique, or with encouragement when writer’s block has struck. This includes you, Carole, of course, and Phil, who is an established author with Black Horse Westerns.

You’re quite welcome, Andrew. I really love this story and think a lot of readers will too. It’s always a pleasure to trade critiques with you, and I’ve also learned a lot from your insights.

Welcome to my newest blog!

Some of you might already know me from the old Yahoo 360 or Livejournal. Since Yahoo 360 went away, I've been looking for a site that is more user friendly with a broader audience and eventually will reserve the Livejournal blog for purely writing related activities. Trouble is, I write about health care, politics, and current events as well as fiction, so it gets mixed up far too often.

Anyway, here I am. I'll be working on setting up all the links on this page but for now the best place to find out all the dirt about me is my website.

http://caroleannmoleti.com/

You can also read my blog devoted to professional issues at
http://cmoleti-cnm.livejournal.com/ or my so-called writing related blog at http://caroleannmoleti.livejournal.com/

I'm on Twitter and Facebook as well and do not flood either with details about what I eat for lunch everyday or all the terrible things my kids are up to. I save that for the blogs.

http://twitter.com/CMoleti
http://www.facebook.com/cmoleti

Now that you have far too much information already, here's my first post on Blogger.

"When you're up to your ass in alligators it's hard to remember your mission was to drain the swamp." Not sure who said that originally, but I clearly remember the cartoon hanging over a co-worker's desk a number of years back.

Life has been snapping at my rear, but I've beeb biting back. For the last three weeks I've been preoccupied with health care reform to the exclusion of almost everything else. Unfortunately, no I'm no longer wholeheartedly in favor of it due to the unfortunate decision made by House Democrats to allow the Stupak amendment to pass, effectively making being female a pre-existing condition. It just got worse, and more confusing, as the US Preventative Services Task Force issued their flawed report on mammograms, then ACOG issued new guidelines about changes in screening for cervical cancer.

In addition to answering questions from patients and debate about the new proposals and guidelines with my colleagues, I've summarized my thoughts on the subject on my Livejournal professional blog.

This week I wrote to my Senators and Congressman, sent an op-ed for The New York Times (they didn’t want it) and then a letter to the editor sounding the alarm about the ridiculous conclusions made by Dr. Phillip Levine in his New York Times Op-Ed on 11/25.

Honestly, this is not sour grapes but wasn't there anyone else who submitted an Op-Ed piece on the subject of women's reproductive health care with more knowledge and expertise than an economist? They could have printed mine instead of subjecting us to Levine's misogynist platitudes.

Never mind, but this kind of writing isn't fun for me and takes huge amounts of time to refine and edit. And I can't post any of it here since I'm submitting to other publications. But rest assured, I am not being quiet and well-behaved.

I haven't had time to post an excerpt of "The Dance Class" as promised. I'd also hoped to post an excerpt of "'Tis the Season" to kick off the shopping season but it will be done in time for Christmas.

Today I had a day off (yeah!) and began with a piece of lemon meringue pie and coffee while catching up on email and correspondence. Disgusted with myself, I raked leaves till I broke a sweat, then had a turkey sandwich with stuffing and mayo before I went to a much needed yoga class.

It got really cold this afternoon, and I had a blister on my finger already so the rest of the leaves had to wait. I popped a turkey in the oven and had coffee and a piece of pecan pie while working on two interviews for next week, plus writing recommendations for a friend applying to an MFA program. By the time the turkey was done, so was I.

After this, I'll spend some time editing and reading another chapter of Thunderer by Felix Gilman. Tomorrow and Sunday will be devoted to editing and some critiques I owe, plus getting moving on the Jules Verne criticism piece and the Campbell nominee piece left over from my to do list after Worldcon. I want both done by the end of the year and have finally finished reading all the materials.

Sad news about The Fix: it seems as with Tangent before it the temporary hiatus for website upgrade has become permanent. I really enjoyed working with the other reviewers and editor Eugie Foster and now have no where to send my upcoming publications for a good, objective review.

Stay tuned next week for an interview with a writing friend of mine, Andrew Richarson, who has a superb short story coming out with Eternal Press on December 7th.