Specifically For Neil Gaiman

As an avid fan of Mr. Gaiman, a far more talented storyteller than myself, I'd like to offer this brief commentary to him or anyone following him.

Today, my fiance Kate informed me that a couple of years ago, the Star-Tribune wrote about a stink that had been risen over the fee Mr. Gaiman charged for a speaking engagement at a library.  $45,000 is what was paid out.  As a result, people got uppity, because he'd done several free talks and speaking engagements at other library events.

However, he'd already made arrangements for that, and as the man has said himself, he charges that sort of fee to discourage people from hounding him in droves. 

That's not my point, though.  My point is this; as a storyteller, Mr. Gaiman is undoubtedly one of the most talented I've had the pleasure of reading from.  Conversely, people don't seem to bat an eye anymore when one of the Palin family brood charges hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single one-to-two hour engagement. 

Frankly, those numbers should be switched.  Both Sarah and Bristol Palin are bigoted, self-righteous ninnies who espouse ignorant right-wing nonsense lacking in entertainment value.  Mr. Gaiman's fiction offers more magic, mystique, and insight into the human condition than any number of speeches or reality shows from those two ever could.

In short; $45,000 is small change for Mr. Gaiman's time.  However, Mr. Gaiman, if you could ever find it in your heart to convince someone to invest half that much money in a small-press author like myself, you wouldn't hear me complain.  Being a fellow author in the Minneapolis area, that'd make it even easier!  (just kidding, I'll get there eventually by my own efforts and skill).

Cheers.

Here's a Curiosity

Here's a curious thing; I have three blogs on here at Blogger, and the one upon which I focus most of my efforts has only 1 follower.  This one here, which is a blog of a more personal nature, has 2 followers.  How is that, or better yet, why is that?  I'm not certain.

One thing that is certain, however, is that some things need to change if I'm going to get more traffic to the Tamalarian Tales blog (www.tamalariantimes.blogspot.com).  I post updates on my Facebook main page and my groups there each time I put up a new installment.  Archived entries, I suspect, get few if any views, which is too bad.  I try to encourage my readers to go back and make sure they haven't missed anything.

But I have the distinct impression that very little of that blog's traffic is returning readers.  I suspect that I get a few curious nibbles here and there from various members of my friendslist, and some members of my groups on Facebook.  I don't know if I have any regular readers, because I never get any feedback, either on the blog, or on Facebook.

I've used Twitter a couple of times, but to little avail.  That might change soon, though.  The whole '#' trending thing could be a powerful tool, if used correctly.  I may have to look into doing what

Yes, I'm a Genre Author. Your Point Being......?

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart as an author of fantasy and horror, and it is this; genre definition.  The common practice when most folks ask me what sort of material I write is to say, 'Well, I write fantasy and horror'.  Far too often the response is either 'Awesome, I love that kind of stuff!' or a completely blank look of, 'Oh, he's THAT kind of writer, the sort of stuff that I wouldn't deign to read'.  This is somewhat problematic if, like me, you don't respond well to extremes.

I like the enthusiastic genre fans well enough and their reaction, but the vast majority of folks I come across who take an initial interest in the fact that I'm an author give me that second reaction, the one that makes me see in a crimson mist of murderous, purile, 'fantasy and horror are perfectly valid categories of storytelling classifications to work within' rage.  It kind of discourages me from sharing all that much.  That's actually half the reason I've slowed down so dramatically on the self-promotion front; I just get the feeling that not much of anybody cares. 

I realize I shouldn't be so put off by people's reactions.  After all, I've also received some pretty high praise from people regarding my written works, in real life and on e-book review sites.  But I'm getting away from the point, which is poor form for somebody who's trying to work on his short story writing style and technique (I work far better in novella and novel-length fiction, somehow).

Can anyone reading this tell me that J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series was not an influential and brilliant bit of narrative?  Can anyone reading this tell me that Stephen R. Donaldson's tales of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever were not compelling and complex, with undertones and key messages/meanings tucked away in various facets of the tale woven for the audience?  If you aren't paying attention, or don't care for fiction in general, or (and this is a distinct possibility for the ADHD crowd that seems to be getting larger and larger in population density as time goes by) haven't got the patience to actually sit down and enjoy an epic of the length of these sorts of tales, then you might be able to say 'yeah, I can tell you that'.

If you think you honestly can tell me that, please stop reading this blog entry now.  Seriously, walk away.  Otherwise, your eyes might just start to bleed in the next few paragraphs.

Genre fiction is just as artful, mindful, and capable of transporting the audience to a deeper understanding and/or appreciation of philosophical musings as literary fiction.  I grow weary of pseudo-sophisticates and academics espousing the idea that the sort of work I produce in the fields of fantasy and horror is somehow inferior to 'the classics'. 

To anybody who is unwilling to give a particular novel a chance because of its perceived genre, do yourself and everybody involved in the world of storytelling a favor, and just give it a chance.  It may not be your cup of tea, sure, but are you approaching the story with that prejudice already in mind?  If so, I would suggest trying to remove it before reading.

Otherwise, you might have to remove my foot from your ass.

Perhaps that was a bit harsh, but ignorant people need to be dealt with in blunt fashion.