WARNING!!! Lilo is unapologetically extremely liberal and outspoken. This is where she shares her views with the world.
Liberal Musings
My brain never stops and often it gets stuck pondering the world and the way things work. In fact, just last night I had a whole structure in my head about the flow of immigration and refugees into developed countries. I seriously saw a map in my mind with arrows pointing to different countries marking the influx of refugees. Yes, I know it’s strange.
Anyway, when I have time to write about these liberal musings, I’ll post them here.
Swear Words in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Books?
I just checked my reviews today and saw a new one came in addressing swear words. The reader writes,
“I like that you told a great story and you didn’t have to use curse words. Thank you for that.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve received a comment like this and I love that readers are communicating their thoughts on this issue. However, it wasn’t really a goal of mine when I wrote the book to produce a curse word clean story. I’m not pro or con swear words. I’m fine with them when they fit the story. Interestingly, my book actually does contain swear words, but they are rather mild and infrequent.
The Light Who Shines is a cross-genre book that spans Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Mystery. The first two genres are known to be proliferated with swear words. When I first drafted my main character profile for Bluebell Kildare, I decided that she only said soft swear words, as this fit her personality. She says things like, “Holy cow!” “Holy smokes!” and “cripes!” That is just her way. She grew up in an orphanage associated with a Catholic church so hard swears are not comfortable for her.
One of the detectives she works with is Catholic and his expletives are things like, “Jesus Christ!” and “Jesus, Mother Mary, and Joseph!” He doesn’t swear a lot because his image is important to him and he likes to be seen as cultured. One of my editors felt that the religious cusses would actually be disliked more than the non-religious hard swear words, but I haven’t received any negative feedback on it. I should clarify that this is not in anyway a religious book, even though the various religions of the characters shape their actions and thinking.
The other main character, Jack Tanner, does say more common swear words, but not often and usually not in the presence of ladies. He’s a five hundred year old Vampire and a bit old fashioned that way. He has been known to say, “Crap!” “Shit!” and may even say, “Fuck!” in future books, though he hasn’t yet.
So, while I didn’t set out to create a book purged of swear words, it ended up being fairly clean based on the personality of the main characters. I was pleasantly surprised with all the comments I’ve gotten from readers who have been hungry for a great action book in these genres that has cleaner language.
How do I feel about swearing in books that I read?
Naturally, I’ve read a considerable amount of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance to be able to write in those genres. I recall being turned off by a few where the main character cussed all the time and it seemed unnecessarily ugly. But other times characters will belt out the harder curse words during times of danger, pain, or when emotions run high and I’m fine with that. I’m also fine with no swear words.
When I first released my book, one of the negative comments I received was that I had too many exclamation marks. I took this to heart and removed almost all of them during my revision. I left them at only the highest points of emotion in the story. I think all those exclamation marks tired people out.
Similarly, I think hard swear words do the same thing. In my opinion, too many is too many. You risk losing potency.
Still, even though I know that many of my readers don’t care for the hard swear words, I think others would be fine with them in any quantity. I think some people feel that if the book doesn’t have sufficient hard language it’s more of a young adult book, even though the official definition of young adult has nothing to do with swear words.
So, in light of all of these questions, I’d created a poll. The results of the poll are available here:
I’d love to hear your comments!
Lilo
So, What Stage of Social Tolerance and Acceptance Have You Achieved?
Well, this blog is called Lilo Illuminates and I figure it is high time I do some illuminating. First off, let me say, I am not a licensed psychologist, counselor, or anything relevant for that matter. Like all authors, I’m simply an observer of life, perhaps too observant. Be that as it may, this is my interpretation of the stages of development people go through on their way to tolerance and acceptance. If it is not illuminating, hopefully it will be, at least, thought-provoking.
Undefined Values
You understand what values society holds in high esteem, but you don’t understand what your personal values are. (For instance, people say “Don’t steal” but you aren’t entirely sure if all stealing is wrong. What if I’m broke and I really need to snack on these restaurant crackers later or perhaps the buffet cookies would be a perfect midnight snack?)
Neglected Values
You understand what values society holds in high esteem and you understand how your personal values differ from society, but you act in a way that goes against your personal values. (I cheated on my boyfriend. I feel really bad.) Acting this way is self-harming and you will never feel good after acting outside of your personal values. (I insulted a gay person, even though I’m secretly gay, but my church hates gay people.) In this case you adhered to your micro-societies values but you didn’t adhere to your own. This also feels terrible and will never make you happy.
Adhered To Values
You have learned that not listening to your values sucks and causes you pain, so you have finally decided to live up to your values even when they diverge from other people’s values. You try this on for a while and it takes a bit of practice. (I went to third base with my boyfriend on the first date. I’m 23, but still, my mom would kill me, but personally, I’m fine with it.) In this case you adhered to your values even when they diverged from societies values (your Mom’s). Hey, what Mom doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.
Anger and Rejection of Differing Values
You have now fully owned your own personal values and you are good at keeping to them, but you believe your values are the best and other people with different values suck. You are pissed that they do stupid things that go against your personal values. (I can’t believe those people eat meat, that man is homophobic, that woman is pro-life, that man fired someone who has cancer.) In this case you adhere to your own values but your mad at other people who don’t adhere to your values.
Acceptance of the Inferiority of Other People’s Values
After a while of being pissed, you eventually begin to understand that not everyone can be as great as you and have the perfect set of values. Most people are pretty good and only suck in small ways, but no one has the perfect set of values you do. (He cheated on his wife who is at home with their disabled child all the time, so that makes him a snake, but it was only once and he treats them well and provides for them.) In this case you sadly wish other people’s values could be as perfect as yours, but you aren’t angry about it anymore.
Acceptance That Your Values are Not Perfect
Eventually, after you accept weaknesses in others, you will look at yourself more closely and realize that your values are not exactly squeaky clean all the time. (I believe we should annihilate every group who practices genocide. Wait, isn’t that genocide too? Maybe we should just kill all the leaders. I’ll sit at home and let the guys in the army do it so my conscious is clear. Wait, that kinda sucks too, doesn’t it?) This stage can be a bit twisty, but don’t worry, you will come out okay.
Tolerance Toward All Values
At this point you understand that all people’s value systems have some weaknesses, yours included, and you understand that everyone is at a certain point of growth in the development of their value system. In fact, whole groups of society are at different points of growth and are developing slowly together. (The pope now acknowledges that child abuse does occur in the church and says it isn’t okay. The United States is slowly developing the value of accepting the LGBT community and they are beginning to gain rights. African Americans are still struggling for equal treatment. Women’s equality in the workplace is still out of whack.) You may wholly reject certain values, but you have empathy for limited thinking of the person who believes that value system and you try to see how they might have arrived there. (If I walked a mile in their shoes . . . ) At this stage you try to gently guide the people you can toward a more developed value system while at the same time knowing that you have some growing to do yourself. You are also able to honestly evaluate if other value systems have merit over your own. You may switch values at this point. I believe that to achieve this stage, you must have acquired some humility along the way. You understand at some level that you are progressing along with everyone else.
Stages I have not Arrived at or Glimpsed Yet
Anyone want to fill me in?
Most of the time you toggle two or more stages at a time. Sometimes people actually go backwards, like an alcoholic might have a fully developed set of values and suddenly may stop adhering to them. Some people will never get far because of various personality, intelligence or social factors, but I believe most people move steadily forward.The great news is that reading helps you move along these steps as you get to see into the minds of so many characters and try on their value system for the space of a story.So what stage are you at in your personal development?
Most of the time you toggle two or more stages at a time. Sometimes people actually go backwards, like an alcoholic might have a fully developed set of values and suddenly may stop adhering to them. Some people will never get far because of various personality, intelligence or social factors, but I believe most people move steadily forward.The great news is that reading helps you move along these steps as you get to see into the minds of so many characters and try on their value system for the space of a story.So what stage are you at in your personal development?
Lilo
RESPONSE TO ANNE MARVIN’S BLOG POST: PAYING IT FORWARD
Please check out her awesome blog post here: http://www.truthinfantasy.com/blog/paying-it-forward
Anne,
You are a genius. I’m so amazed that you have discerned major portions of my personal life philosophy from a few subtle passages in The Light Who Shines.
Normally, I try not to comment on blog posts about my work. But, in this case I couldn’t help myself. The topic is important.
I believe in a collective pot of community. Sometimes we feed into it, sometimes we take from it.
This is a bit like managing a collective budget. Clearly we (the US) are in a hole now, but we are less in the hole than we were 6 years ago. Why? Because more people are putting in the pot, then are taking out. So we are gaining on our debts.
We can look at this pot collectively, or we can look at our individual pots. When I was a young single parent I didn’t pay much into the pot (taxes) and I received some from the pot (child care credits, education assistance, etc.). But now I’m a very successful corporate employee and on my way to becoming a successful writer, so I’m paying into the pot a lot more than I take out. I’ve more than paid back my “loan” so to speak. However, that isn’t quite enough, as I know that eventually I’ll be retired, and need to take from the pot again. So I’m still “paying it forward,” as you say.
In the end, I’ll pay in more than I take out. Hey, that isn’t fair! But frankly, I don’t care. Some people have the capacity and opportunity to be successful financially and pay more into the pot than they take out, and some people don’t. I’m glad I’m one of the people who can. It is important that we all do what we can.
Of course this happens socially as well. We have a collective pot of “Good Will” and the size of that collective pot, more than anything, determines the general happiness of our society. I try to forgive people and give people grace, knowing that one day I’ll need to be forgiven and I’ll want grace. I have in the past, and I’m sure I will again. Jack Tanner understands this truth.
Now, let’s look at Blue. She has had a raw deal. Her parents were killed by Dark Vampires, many of the Norms hate her simply because she is Gifted, and she deals with breedism (a form of discrimination and prejudice) every day. Yet, she still gives to society by fighting for interbreed peace, often risking her life. She helps even those who hate her. She is paying it forward in hopes of a better future for all. Blue’s deal gets more and more raw as the book continues and as bad as her deal is at the end of the book, her deal is even worse in the future books. But, every day, she holds her spine straight and says, “I’m going to make this world better, if it kills me.” And it almost does.
This fighting for what is right is why people have called her a “True Heroine” you can look up to. But, I’d just like to point out that Blue is modeled after the good that I see in every day people who trudge to work, take care of their kids, pay their taxes, and volunteer in their community. That is why people respond to her so well. She is our heart. She is the best of all of us common folks struggling to add to the community pot of good will. Some of us common folks have the opportunity to be a celebrated hero and some of us don’t. I mean, if we know how to swim and we saw a kid drowning, which of us would not jump in to save them? This heart is in all of us. Reading The Light Who Shines reminds us of those people and reminds us that we are those people.
So when you read The Light Who shines and your heart shines with joy at Blue’s purity of spirit, strength of will, and determination, it is because you are recognizing in her what we all strive to be. I hope everyone reading this will take a moment to pat yourself on the back. Kudos to us all for doing what is right, even when it is hard, and especially when it is mundane everyday life. We are making a richer pot of Good Will for all to enjoy.
Lilo
What’s the Secret Underlying Theme of THE LIGHT WHO SHINES?
If you have been following along with my excerpts, tweets, or Facebook page you know The Light Who Shines is a very cool urban fantasy novel about a supernatural investigator named Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue). The world includes paranormal characters like Vampires and magically Gifted people, and if you have read it you know there is a wolf named Varg with mysterious powers.
All of that is the fun and excitement wrapped around the underlying theme of prejudice and hate. The Light Who Shines is an anti-prejudice and anti-hate novel written in a way to be easily accessible and enjoyable to those who don’t like reading non-fiction, or who occasionally just like to take breaks with an entertaining read.
“What prejudice?” and “What hate?” you might ask. There is no racial prejudice and no homophobia in this book. Not a drop. I’ve completely removed it and instead have flipped the lens of hate to be between the different breeds of humans. Here the hate runs rampant.
Why? So that people can read it from a non-defensive stance and from a non-offended position and see it separated from the places where we normally see prejudice and hate. I want readers to feel a touch of what it is to be a minority demographic through their experience as Blue, the heroine. I hope you see the pain it causes the characters and the destruction it causes the society with unobscured eyes. I want it to feel personal, but be about non-personal subjects.
Yet, I wanted it to be a pleasure to read and not resemble a lecture in the slightest. It should simply be thought provoking.
So far the novel is getting excellent reviews and has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon, so I hope that means I’ve begun to achieved my goal.
Please share this post with anyone you think would be interested in an urban fantasy novel with deeper underlying meaning.
Lilo
The Light Who Shines
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eL48yy