Sloan Parker

Once a week I post about something I’m loving (tv, movies, books, art, photos, romances, authors, or anything else). So here is this week’s For the Love of…

I love being a writer.

I love brainstorming new characters and figuring out what their story is and how to tell it.

I love the editing process, the layering of story and characterizations.

But some days being a writer just plain sucks.

It can be hard to work through the self-doubt, the frustrations with a project, with the characters, with holes in the plot.

This morning was one of those days for me. The conflict for Breathe is a difficult setup for a romance story (I never said I take the easy road). People tend to have rather surprised and skeptical reactions when they hear what I’m writing about, and that fosters some doubt about whether or not I’ve wasted the last seven months. Usually, I’m able to stomp on the doubt and crush the hell out of it.

Some days it takes a little more effort than that.

So this morning I re-read a few of my favorite scenes from Breathe. They helped to remind me why I’m telling this story, what I love about it, and how happy I am with the way it’s turned out. Breathe has become the story I envisioned it to be, and I’m excited to be getting near the end of the writing process. I’m doing a final polish this month, working out a few kinks before I submit it.

It felt odd to use my own writing to cheer myself up, but it worked and I’m back to editing for the rest of the day.

So yeah, I love being a writer again.

Once a week, I post about something I’m loving (tv, movies, books, art, photos, romances, authors, or anything else) that I’ve seen or read about recently. So here is this week’s For the Love of …

With the close of every year, I try to take a few minutes to remember all the wonderful moments of my life, the friends and family and significant times that have made the year special for me.

As 2009 came to a close, I took a moment to remember one special little guy who brightened many days for me, but unfortunately lost his battle with cancer this past year. Today, I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos of him. He was a big part of what made me smile every day, and I thank my niece for suggesting I take a look at this homeless little guy all those years ago.

Jesse was smart and regal and full of live. And he was a fighter. He was sick from the minute I adopted him. Several times my vet looked at me in that caring way he has and tried to tell me he didn’t think Jesse would have a long life, that this time it might be the end. But Jesse would have none of that. He came back to full force many times over and lived to play another day. He was one of the gentlest, smartest pets I’ve ever known. It was hard sometimes to tell he was blind.

Thanks to these pictures, Jesse still makes me smile.

I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, happy 2010!!

Sloan Parker

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I Love …

I recently read this comment from Ellen in her list titled: What Ellen DeGeneres Knows for Sure (She Thinks)

“I know for sure I would never change any of the hard times I went through in my life. Because it was in those times that I grew the most and gained the most perspective.

It’s our challenges and obstacles that give us layers of depth and make us interesting. Are they fun when they happen? No. But they are what make us unique. And that’s what I know for sure…I think.”

Ellen DeGeneres

This really is a hard thing to accept when you’re in the middle of a crisis or painful time in your life, but I know I wouldn’t trade most of those moments if it meant my life wouldn’t be what it is now — if I wouldn’t be who I am now. I love where I am. I love where I’m going. I love the family I’ve built.

That said, there are people I miss, losses I’d do almost anything to change. Logically, I know I can’t undo any of those things, so in a way, I look at them from a distance (now that time has passed), and I accept them. Those moments have made me stronger, have helped me become who I am. I hope they have given me strength to handle any of the painful moments to come. We all have them. They can’t be avoided. I like what Ellen said about how they “give us layers of depth and make us interesting.” I hope that’s true for me.

Here’s hoping all of you have many, many good days ahead. And when you do have a challenging day, that it passes by quickly and you are stronger for it.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Sorry this post won’t be all that interesting or funny or important to anyone really but me, but it’s a day for saying thanks here in the US. It was important for me to say this.

With everything going on today — cooking, cleaning, setting up tables and chairs, and doing so many dishes for my mom that my hands will pretty much be in soapy water all day long — it’s easy to put off thinking about what it is we are truly thankful for. So before we head off to my folks, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on this past year and all the wonderful people and things in my life I am grateful for. It’s not a complete list, but it’s who and what have made this year one of the best of my life.

1. My immediate family. For me that’s Rosie, my partner, and our three cats. They love me even when I’m an ass. Even when I’m crazy. Even when I get sucked into my world of fictional people and places and forget to get off my damn ass and live a little. Thanks, Rosie, for pulling me out of the chair once in a while. Thanks for always loving and supporting me. Thanks for giving me an unending supply of passion to put into my work. Thanks for making me laugh every single day. And thanks to the three little felines who are more entertaining than a little TV any day.
2. The rest of my family. Especially my mom and dad who are proud of me for my first book contract. Even though they will never read a single word of it, they give their unending support every day, and I love them for that. And sorry, Dad, that I can’t seem to write a book where, as you say, “I leave the sex up to the reader’s imagination” so that you can feel comfortable reading it. Thanks to both of you for loving me, not in spite of who I am, but because of it.
3. All my new friends in RWA. I was hesitant to join the national organization and local chapter, but you have all made it a wonderful experience for me.
4. My publisher (Loose Id) and editor (Antonia). Thanks for taking a chance on an unknown. Thanks for believing in More. And thanks for helping me make it better.
5. Luke, Richard, and Matthew and the muse that helped me find them. I’ve worked at my writing since I was in the second grade when I wrote my first book and entered a local competition. It hasn’t always been an easy path, but there’s something about me that makes me a storyteller. I’m grateful for that. It’s been one hell of a ride so far.

Happy day to everyone!
Sloan Parker
www.sloanparker.com

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about marriage. My anniversary was last week. My partner and I celebrate from our first date in high school. We both dated other people after that (when you’re bisexual, it sometimes takes time to figure things out in your own head), but we were in love, even then. One of the things Rosie would love in life is to be married to me. Too bad the US government and far too many citizens of the great state of Ohio don’t want that outcome.

I also wrote a short story for I DO TWO, a charity anthology in support of marriage equality. (Side note: if it isn’t selected for the book, I may post it as free fiction on my site in January). So, it’s been on my mind lately.

I’ve never been a huge supporter of marriage licenses. I don’t think couples need a legal document to be committed and spend a life together. But I have to say, it irks me to no end that I can’t give the love of my life one of the things she desires most, that I’m not legally allowed to marry the person I share a home with, a dining room table with, a bed with, a life with. We’ve lived together for 18 years.

Here’s one of the statements I read after Maine voters repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed. It reminded me there are many straight people who care, who have made the cause their cause too.

“I sat in my hotel room and watched the sun rise from my eighth-story window and cried. I wished I had done more.

But a new day was dawning. A different day and a new fight for marriage equality. It will soon be time again for us as Mainers and as a nation to come together. Gay or straight, the fight is in each one of us, and we must take it. We must.”

Dana Hernandez
A straight white married mother of two young children
Reporting Election Night outcomes for Advocate.com

Thank you to Dana and everyone who cares enough to realize this isn’t about your marriage or taking something from you, it’s about giving a basic right to others. A basic right that grants so many other rights to the couple the minute they are married. Rights my partner and I can’t duplicate, no matter how much money we give to our attorney to draft legal documents. Marriage in the US offers over 1,000 Federal rights and benefits. And this does not include the hundreds more offered by every state.

Thanks for stopping by today,
Sloan Parker
twitter.com/SloanParker

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

Another quote from my own life.

The other day I was editing my latest manuscript, and I asked my partner how to spell something. I was trying to determine if I needed a hyphen in the context of the sentence. Without even looking away from her iPhone she said,

“What’s the big deal if it’s hyphenated or not.”

Seriously? I’m a writer. It’s a big deal.

Now, don’t get me wrong … my partner is always, always supportive of my writing. She wasn’t trying to be mean. She was trying to be funny … I think. But a part of her really wanted to know if I gave that much thought to every single word.

And it got me thinking. When I submit a manuscript, I want it to be as polished as I can make it. I write an extremely rough first draft. When I go back over it again and again, I’m looking to not only improve the plot, the characterizations, and voice, but I’m also looking to correct the grammar and catch any errors. I want to be able to read through it one last time without catching any typos or misspellings. I want to print it out and not have made one red mark by the time I get to the end. Then I know it’s ready. Now, I’m NOT saying it’s perfect. I certainly miss stuff. A LOT of stuff. And I don’t know all the rules I should be following. I’m still learning about grammar and the craft of writing. But I want it to be as good as it can be — for me, at that moment.

So are there other authors who feel the same? What’s your process for editing? How do you know when you should stop editing? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear what you think.

Sloan Parker

Today was one of those blah days for me. I had a ton of work to catch up and everything took longer than I planned (sort of why my Friday post is coming out early Saturday). Just when I needed it, my cats started chasing each other around the house, acting all crazy like they tend to do. It gave me a good laugh. Xander is a klutz, Cordy has ADD, and Hunter thinks he’s a dog. They can be quite humorous when they all try to play together. So today, I’m posting a couple of my favorite pics of my little guys.

Here’s Cordy, Xan, and Hunter.

Aren’t they cute? Come on, you can admit it. Even non-cat people tend to like my cats. Hunter does this fetch thing that people remember years later.

Thanks for stopping,
Sloan Parker

Patrick Swayze was a big part of my teenage years, and his passing has hit me in a way the passing of other celebrities hasn’t (with the exception of Heath Ledger) . I was a huge fan of the television miniseries North and South (if you haven’t seen it, it has a serious bromance between main characters George and Orry). And of course, there was Dirty Dancing. I cannot tell you how many times my friends and I watched that movie. Nobody puts Baby in a corner. At the time, I could probably quote the entire thing.

And then there was To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. That movie impacted me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I was impressed with all three men who took a chance not many actors would. Here’s a quote from Swayze on his experience.

From: greginhollywood.com

On playing drag queen Vida Boheme in “To Wong Foo” : “It was an opportunity to create a character who was truly an angel. But I thought playing a drag queen was a big ol’ lark, and I’d play a big old queen. But in rehearsal when I play-acted it, it didn’t work. I realized her job was to be the heart of this movie. {Miss Vilda} stands for every drag queen on the planet or for anyone who has been misunderstood. It turned out to be the most emotional thing in my entire career and I’m pretty proud of it.”

I think the best way to honor a celebrity is to continue to enjoy his work. I think I’ll go put in my DVD of North and South now.

Rest in peace, Patrick Swayze (you’ll always be Orry Main to me).

Sloan Parker

I tried to put it off (since I like to spend a lot of my time writing and reading) but today I took the plunge. I’m now on Twitter and Facebook as well as MySpace. Below are the links to locate me at each site. I hope you’ll stop by and say hello.

Twitter
Facebook
MySpace

I’m limited on how much time I can spend on-line (in favor of my writing), but I am enjoying getting familiar with the sites and making new friends. I like the simplicity of Twitter and the formatting for commenting on Facebook.

How about you? Which social networking sites do you like to use? Which is your favorite? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Sloan Parker

A  light look at a real absence of gay imagery on TV and some sad commercials that make being gay something gross.

I must admit, though, I do like watching the gay commercials on LOGO. It is nice to feel included in society, even if it is on a channel watched mostly by those in the know.

So tell me, what do you think? Do you wish there were more commercials featuring gay men and women? What types of content would make for positive LGBT images? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Sloan Parker