Last month I presented a panel, Girls Gone Gore, at Comic Con Chicago with author Carrie Green. The first time we met, Carrie and I talked about how both of us have had people suggest that because we write horror/suspense/thrillers, we ought to consider using our initials or male pen names. The idea that readers believe male authors more likely to write good horror is nothing new. As I learned when I researched for the panel, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein originally was p...
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In Praise of Bookshelves
One year I combined my annual weekend in New York with ThrillerFest, a conference for writers of (you guessed correctly) thrillers. A few presenting authors signed books at a store called The Mysterious Bookshop. I fell in love with it, and now whenever I go to New York, I visit.I love paper books. I say this as an author who has published e-books and loves her Kindle. My perfect vacation involves a chaise lounge, a view of the ocean, and at least ten books.&nbs...
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GIRLS GONE GORE
Friends,Just a quick post to say that if you're attending Wizard World Chicago Comic Con Friday 8/9, please stop by the panel GIRLS GONE GORE! at 6.pm. central time. Fellow (or, rather, sister) horror author Carrie Green and I will discuss horror and femininity; the role of women in horror films and fiction; as well as how to write, publish and market horror eBooks, whatever your gender.Our bios are below. And check out our cool logo!Lisa M. Lilly is an author and attorney. &nbs...
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The Bionic Woman, Buffy, and the Man of Steel
I recently saw Man of Steel. Superman was a bit too dark for me, and the special effects struck me as overkill. All the same, retellings and new approaches to familiar tales fascinate me. I'm intrigued by questions such as why the storyteller chose to modify the origin story, or the mentor character's advice, or the overall theme. Was it to fill empty spaces? To fit with modern beliefs? Because the storyteller always believed the "new" backstory existed but wa...
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Why Do I Like Don Draper?
Warning - This Post Contains Mad Men Season 6 SpoilersA male friend -- who isn't a Mad Men fan -- watched the Season 6 premiere with me. Afterwards, he turned to me and said, referring to Don Draper, "I don't understand why you like this character." As a writer, I always want to understand what makes a particular character compelling or likable, or both or neither. As to Don, for me, it's both. The puzzle is, why? Don Draper is a womanizer, he treats my favorite characte...
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Pride, Prejudice and Roses
As most Jane Austen lovers know, Pride and Prejudice was originally called First Impressions because it dealt with Elizabeth Bennett's first impressions of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Miss Bennett's views undergo a significant change throughout the book, even as Mr. Darcy alters himself to some extent due to her criticisms. Shakespeare also addressed first impressions. Juliet said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. She was illustrating that only Romeo's family name was ...
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Three Things I Learned From My Father
Those of you who've read my DUI loss blog know that my dad died in a tragic way -- he and my mom were hit by a drunk driver, which led to both their deaths. But I was lucky enough that my dad lived and was happy and healthy until he was nearly 89. This year would have been his 95th birthday. In honor of him, and of Father's Day, I'm writing on both blogs about three things I learned from him over the years.Focus on what you can do. Soon after I was born, my dad had a...
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Will Work for Free
Nearly every artist, professional, and entrepreneur struggles at some point with whether to offer work for free. Law students often volunteer at legal services clinics. Sometimes they even pay tuition to do so. Authors and publishers offer some books free to obtain reviews and get the word out. Businesses send promotional items. (My favorite is a pen I received free with my law firm name on it and a flashlight at the end – not that I’m starting to find it hard to read menus in dim light or anyt...
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Me, Myself, and – I’s?
I first heard it on a snippet from reality TV. A woman with cover model looks said something about “Sean and I’s relationship.” A month later, I attended a condo board meeting and a board member said, “John and I’s work on this took a long time.” Talking about themselves challenges many people when it comes to grammar (in particular, “me,” “myself,” and “I” are often misused), but I still wasn’t sure it warranted a blog post. Then I received an email from a business...
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The Proof is in the Proofing
It’s one of the less fun, to say the least, parts of writing, even for someone like me who loves to write. But proofreading matters, no matter what type of writing you do. If you’re a lawyer, it’s hard to make a good impression on clients, the court, or other attorneys you work with (or against) if you send documents with typos. If you write fiction, nothing is more distracting to a reader, or more likely to alienate a potential publisher, than grammatical mistakes or spelling ...
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