My current favorite writing space/office.

That experience is one reason I had mixed feelings when, about a month ago, I considered updating my profession on Linked In and other social media sites to include the word “entrepreneur.” For so long, for me that word called up images either of the boyfriend who preferred not to work or the salesperson hawking pricey no-fail systems for becoming a millionaire. The people I knew who did well in life worked hard at jobs or professions and saved and invested little by little. As I entered my thirties, my view of entrepreneurs didn’t change. A good friend married a man who ran various businesses and was always evading bill collectors and always on the verge of the one big deal that would make him rich. Though eventually it meant losing their house, this entrepreneur refused to take any job unless it paid well over a hundred thousand a year. No such job was ever offered to him. I also discovered that if someone described himself in an online dating profile as an entrepreneur, it quite often meant he was a guy who couldn’t or wouldn’t hold a job–one my mother would have called a “ne’er-do-well.” Such men were often charming, but could rarely pay their bills.

I’m sure decades ago there were many actual entrepreneurs–as opposed to people who adopted the label as a cover–I simply didn’t do the kind of work that brought me into contact with them. Now I do. As an author who independently publishes my own work and an attorney who runs my own law firm, I keep up with the business world and am on email lists of various entrepreneurs. Today, running a business is probably more common than ever. The Internet empowers many people to work anywhere at any time and to sell products and services all over the world. Yet still there are times I wonder. Some Internet businesses remind me of the house parties my mom went to when I was a kid. Everyone “made money” or got free items attending everyone else’s Tupperware/Pampered Chef/Mary Kay parties. But eventually the circle of friends was exhausted, the round robin ended, and no one was any wealthier, though their kitchens were more organized. (Not an entirely bad thing, but not a basis for a business.)

Also, while some author/entrepreneurs I’m familiar with offer a lot of helpful information for free on blogs or in reasonably priced books (say, $3.99-$9.99, not $700), I also get offers from “entrepreneurs” who seem to be making a lot of money selling books about how to sell books or, worse, by giving expensive seminars on how to sell books. When I try to trace back to some other type of book, product, or service the author successfully created and sold, I find only vague references to business experiences that sound suspiciously like college internships. Not to say a college intern might not know something I don’t. I’m just not willing to pay upwards of $500 to find out.

On the other hand, I’ve been enjoying running my own businesses for years, and I hope never to have a job again. Soon after I started my law firm, heavy layoffs during a recession underscored the risk of working for just one employer. And I love that the Internet makes it possible for many authors to sell to the public, offering their work for less than a traditional publisher would charge, but earning more than a traditional publisher would pay while doing so. Also important to me is that running my own writing business means choosing the strategy and making the decisions. Or, as entrepreneur and author Joanna Penn puts it, never having to ask permission. If I think something is a good idea–say, writing and publishing a religious conspiracy thriller series without adopting a male pen name–I can go ahead and do it without seeking anyone’s approval. Yes, I take the risk it won’t work, but if that happens, I learn from the experience and try something else rather than, as usually occurs as an employee, being discouraged from innovating again. And if things do work out, I gain the reward.

Most of all, it’s fun to wear different hats throughout a day, week, and year. Nearly every job I’ve had, my main reason for leaving was that I got tired of doing the same thing over and over. Now there is always a new book to write, an innovative marketing approach to learn, an emerging creative outlet to explore. So, in the end, I decided to embrace the term entrepreneur.

What are your thoughts on entrepreneurs? What do you associate with the term? Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur? Please share in the comments below. Also, if you’d like to keep up on my creative and business endeavors, you can join my email list. No pitches to buy $700 books, I promise.

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Lisa M. Lilly is the author of the occult thrillers The Awakening and The Unbelievers, Books 1 and 2 in the Awakening series. A short film of the title story of her collection The Tower Formerly Known as Sears and Two Other Tales of Urban Horror was recently produced under the title Willis Tower. If you’d like to be notified of new releases and read reviews of M.O.S.T. (Mystery, Occult, Suspense, Thriller) books and movies, join her email list and receive free a short horror story, Ninevah, published exclusively to M.O.S.T. subscribers.

The post Entrepreneur Or Ne’re Do Well? appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

That experience illustrates two important facets of persuading people. One is well-known to most lawyers — that of putting your best argument first. If your first argument is weak, your reader or listener may never get beyond it. The second is credibility. Because I checked the source material and found it didn’t say what the article’s author claimed it did, I no longer found that author, or the publication, credible. Both lost the opportunity to persuade me not only of that one point, but of anything.

These principles apply to fiction, too. Novelists all are attempting to persuade readers. To do what? To believe in the fictional world the author created and to care about the characters as if they were real people. That’s a big part of what’s happening, or not, when customers in a bookstore or on-line read the first paragraph or two of a book. That first page either pulls the reader in or it doesn’t. While a lot of authors feel frustrated that potential buyers judge a book by reading no more than the first page (assuming they’ve liked the cover in the first place), most of us do exactly that when we browse books. That’s why I rewrite the first page of my novels close to a hundred times before publication.

Credibility also matters. This morning I revised a scene where a woman exits the River City high rise complex and hurries through Chicago’s South Loop after dark. A stranger starts to follow her. What I want the reader to wonder at that point is “Who is the stranger? What does he want? Will Sophia reach her office safely?” But if I’d said she was walking through Lincoln Park instead, someone who knows Chicago’s neighborhoods well would forget about the story and wonder: “Isn’t River City in the South Loop? Does this author know Chicago at all? Doesn’t she check Google maps?” With that one error, my reader is no longer persuaded that the scene or the character is real. If I’ve otherwise done a good job, the reader might forgive me and read on. But if too many errors break the narrative, it becomes more likely the reader won’t return to the book.

So there you have it – sin, sex, and persuasive writing. And you thought it was just a catchy title.

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The Awakening for Kindle: http://amzn.to/pFCcN6

For Nook: 

For Kobo:

Visit Lisa’s website:  www.lisalilly.com

The post Sin, Sex and the Art of Persuasive Writing appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

Then a wonderful thing happened. I received a flyer from Blue Cross. With all the publicity, good and bad, over the government website, it hadn’t occurred to me (and maybe it hasn’t to many people) that I didn’t need the website. As of 1/1/2014, private insurers can’t turn down individual applicants, so why not just apply directly? 

I reached a salesperson within seconds who provided lots of information. Plans are categorized under the AFA/Obamacare as Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. The main differences are the co-pays and premiums. With a Platinum plan, 100% of covered expenses are paid by the insurer once you hit your deductible. With a Bronze plan, only 60% are paid by the insurer. Platinum has the highest premiums. Different deductibles, out-of-pocket maximum payments, and plan types (such as HMO, PPO) are available for each category. Also, different networks are available. Based on the network that includes my doctor and the hospital where she has admitting privileges, the Blue Cross salesperson suggested five plans. I chose three with high deductibles to keep premiums down. He emailed me a quote within 10 minutes. At the Blue Cross website, I compared them feature-to-feature.

The next day, I called and applied. No past medical information needed, just age, gender, non-smoking, and where I live. (Chicago – I love an excuse to include a photo of Chicago. This is from the shared deck at my condo building.) Pre-Obamacare, it took hours to apply for an individual health insurance policy because it required a detailed health questionnaire and interview. So half an hour on the phone for this application seemed awesome to me, and it would have been quicker if I’d done it on line myself. I should receive confirmation within 7-10 days and will be insured starting 1/1/2014. I may throw a party.

I don’t qualify for federal subsidies for premiums, but I could have applied for them if I needed to through Blue Cross. So it appears the only reason to use the government website is to comparison shop. But that can be done the old-fashioned way, by directly contacting different insurers. Once you’re familiar with the plans and deductibles based on the first company you contact, you can then get quotes for similar plans from other insurers. As a guide, I’ve listed the steps I took below, with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois references.

(1) Explore basics about the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans:

http://www.bcbsil.com/health-insurance-shopping-guide/compare-health-insurance-plans

(2) Check whether your doctor or doctors and hospitals are in the networks the insurer offers: http://provider.bcbs.com/

(3) Call or use website for quotes and to compare plans: 1-866-514-8044 or https://retailweb.hcsc.net/retailshoppingcart/IL/census?plantype=majormedical

(4) Apply by phone or website: 1-866-514-8044 or https://retailweb.hcsc.net/retailshoppingcart/IL/census?plantype=majormedical

Rinse and repeat for other health insurers.

I didn’t check other insurers because I’ve had the Blue Cross PPO before and that’s the coverage I wanted. But here are a couple other sites:

http://www.goldenrule.com/health-insurance/ (United Healthcare/Golden Rule)
https://www.humana.com/individual-and-family/products-and-services/medical-plans/ (Humana)

12/5/2013

An addendum because I’m excited — I just received my Blue Cross card in the mail! (You can tell I’m very excited because I rarely use exclamation points, and I was tempted to include two.) I officially have an individual health insurance policy effective 1/1/14. My account on healthcare.gov still says “in progress,” so I’m glad I took matters into my own hands. I have friends who are self-employed in Illinois who applied later than I did through the site. They’ve obtained coverage options, then bought coverage through the exchange. So I suspect I’m caught in some sort of technology loop. There’s a Remove button that I will probably use to try to take myself out of the system. But I’m a little curious to see if it’ll stay in the loop forever. Votes on how long I should wait before alleviating healthcare.gov of the burden of my unending application?

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The Awakening for Kindle: http://amzn.to/pFCcN6

For Nook: 

Visit her website:  www.lisalilly.com

The post In Which I Realize I Don’t Need To Use The Health Insurance Marketplace (Post No. 6 of Adventures in Health Insurance) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

I’ve tried a few times to create an account on the website (link below), which is the first step on the journey to health insurance under Obamacare. On my past 4-5 tries, the system hung up, and I eventually gave up. This time I got through and created an account. I then applied for coverage. At least I think I did. It took a little patience:

Like a lot of government and private company websites, the exchange asks a second or third time for information already provided. The system also has to verify the applicant’s identity even after a name and address are filled in, maybe due to duplicate names out there. (I know of at least one other Lisa Lilly who is also an attorney; I keep meaning to call her and say hi.) I was asked a few questions about myself, then was rejected as unverified and given new questions. I suspect the issue was that when asked what previous city I’d lived in, I didn’t check Chicago. I live in Chicago now, and my past 2 addresses were Chicago addresses. I read the question as asking what city I’d lived in before living in Chicago. Apparently, the question actually meant what city did I live in when I resided at my previous address. On my second try, I answered Chicago and the system believed I am me and allowed me to move to the next screen.

In addition to a few duplicative and sometimes irrelevant questions (did the government really need to ask me about my previous addresses and my home equity credit line when I’d already provided my social security number?), the process is slowed by processing time after each screen. I recommend multi-tasking, or at least listening to some good music while you’re going through it.

All in all, it took about 45 minutes, plus another 10 because I decided to review my info before submitting an application. I thought all my information would appear on one screen or a PDF for review. But, no, reviewing requires going through every single screen again complete with wait time. After reaching the end again and submitting, I got a message that my application was in progress but no information on what happens next. I’d been hoping to check some price quotes, but either I zipped past that or there’s no chance to do it until the application is done.

Despite it taking some time, it’s a much easier process than applying for an individual policy on the private market. There are no questions about past medical history, past health insurance policies, or past employment.

I did not fill out the questions to determine if I could get assistance making health insurance premium payments. My income from writing and law has been reasonably good during the time I’ve been self-employed, and I have no dependents. From what I’ve read, I would not qualify for financial help, so I didn’t see any reason to go through the process.

In a day or two, I’ll check the website again for the status of my application.  Once again, stay tuned if you’d like to read about the next steps.

Finally, here is the link for the Illinois health insurance exchange if you are looking to buy coverage:  https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/individual/#state=illinois  (If you’re in another state, you can still use this link. Just choose your own state from the drop down menu.)

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The Awakening for Kindle: 

The post In Which I Probably Applied For Health Insurance (Post No. 5 of Adventures in Health Insurance) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

First, I needed to find the exchange. I googled “Illinois Get Covered” because I’d heard on the radio that was the website to check.  That got me to some links for sites with overall information about the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, but I couldn’t find a link to the actual exchange to see what type of coverage is available.  (Note to Illinois — you might want to make that more obvious.)  So I Googled Illinois Health Insurance Exchange and eventually found my way to this link:  https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/individual/#state=illinois

You can choose your state on this homepage from a drop down menu, so this should work no matter what state you’re in.  The homepages is Illinois, so I clicked Apply Now.  I got a screen telling me it was very busy now and to please wait for a log in page. I waited. Then I left and ate breakfast, came back, and found the log in screen.

I had to create an ID based on an email address. So, first thing to know is that you’ll need an email address, at least to sign up on line. I used my law firm email and created a password. I reached a screen that said I needed to answer three security questions to finish setting up the account. I assume that’s to be sure it’s me next time I sign in, or in case I lose my password. Unfortunately, the security questions were blank, and nothing showed up in the drop down menus for each question. I clicked Live Chat and got a note thanking me for contacting Live Chat and asking me to wait for someone. I waited for a while, then needed to go to my office, so I closed the window.

I repeated the above process this afternoon (it did not remember my ID or password) and got stuck at the same place. It’s been half an hour now that I’ve been waiting for someone from Live Chat. I tried sending a message explaining the issue but nothing happened.

Since the deadline to buy insurance on the exchange isn’t until mid-December, I think that’s enough for today. I’ll try again later in the week.

Stay tuned.

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The Awakening for Kindle: 

The post First Day Trying To Get On The Health Insurance Exchange (Post No. 4 of Adventures in Health Insurance) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

Questions I still have:  The premium estimate for me is about $50 less per month than I pay now, but there’s no way to compare apples to apples. Now, both my deductible and out of pocket limit are $5,000. So if I am under the deductible, as I am this year and was the first year I had the plan, the Silver plan would be far more affordable for me. If I’m over the deductible, my current plan might be a better. I’m also unclear on differences in the quality and breadth of the networks offered, the deductibles, and the co-pays.

Whether I have good coverage now depends on your perspective. I’m in the Blue Cross PPO. Nothing, even prescriptions, is paid for until I hit the $5,000, which I obviously aspire each year not to reach. The plan thrills me, having faced no coverage at all. A friend who has never been self-employed, though (and who is against any type of universal health insurance) said to me, “That’s terrible. Can’t your firm get you better coverage?” Me: “I am the firm. And according to the health insurance companies, I’m not insurable.” Friend: “But you’re healthy. Can’t your doctor write them a letter?” But that’s not how it works – see my last post: Once I Became Self-Employed

Happily, it looks like I misunderstood a previous communication from ICHIP. While my particular plan may go away, I can be migrated to a similar one that might cost me slightly more. Still, I will likely purchase through the exchange, as it seems to me that my plan won’t continue in the long run if the exchanges work well.

Links that may be helpful:

http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

http://www.bcbsil.com/health-care-reform/health-care-reform-faq

http://www.chip.state.il.us/aca-survey-faq.html

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The Awakening for Kindle: 

The post Virtual Camping Out in Line for the Health Insurance Exchange (Post No. 3 of Adventures in Health Insurance) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

I had a blood clot.  The good news was it was superficial – meaning in a surface vein, not one that led to the heart or lungs.  Medline Plus says this condition is “usually a short-term condition that does not cause complications. Symptoms generally go away in 1 to 2 weeks….”  So, basically, it’s not a blood clot that will kill you but, as I learned a year later, it will keep you from getting health insurance.  My treatment was similar to a muscle strain.  Rest, elevate, ice.  My doctor had me take a baby aspirin a day and told me not take birth control pills just to be on the safe side, but said I didn’t need to worry about it.  That lots of people get these and never even know it.  Also that everyone should get up and walk around to help prevent clots rather than staying in one position for long periods.

I started my law practice as planned.  Just over a year later, I applied to Blue Cross for an individual policy, hoping that, given that they had my records and knew my health, they would just extend my current coverage.  That’s not how it works.  I filled out a long form.  It covered the last 5 years in depth, but asked about my medical history for my entire life.  It did not ask about my general health habits, other than not smoking.  There was nowhere to list that I walked 10 miles a week, did yoga 3 times a week, and practiced meditation.  I’m sure I went into more detail than many people would about my medical history, including my eye surgery at the age of 4.  If I’d omitted anything, even by mistake, I knew I could find myself without coverage down the road right when I needed it.  For instance, let’s say I forgot about the eye surgery, then three years later I was hit by a car and needed surgery on my leg.  If the insurer found out I’d omitted the eye surgery and could show that was material — meaning the insurer would have denied coverage if it had known — it might then refund all the premiums I’d paid and leave me without health insurance.  I could then be facing over $100,000 in hospital bills with no health insurance.  (Hospital bills can easily run above $100,000 when a pedestrian is hit by a car.)

How much I included on the form, or in the follow up telephone interview, turned out not to matter.  The insurer wrote a letter saying it was rejecting me because of the blood clot without looking at anything else.  I’d just met a health insurance broker at a networking event who’d warned me that 40% of people get turned down when they apply for individual coverage.  I called him, and he helped me through the process for another major carrier.  That application was just as involved, plus I had to disclose that I’d been turned down for health insurance.  I was turned down again.

Both carriers sent me information on the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Program.  ICHIP had two programs I qualified for, both for people who had no group coverage available to them.  One was for people who’d kept their COBRA coverage the entire 18 months and wanted to continue insurance.  That had no waiting period and picked up as soon as my COBRA ended so long as I filled out all the correct forms.  The second option covered those who’d been turned down for individual coverage.  That program often had a waiting list, then excluded pre-existing conditions for a set time, something like six months.  I opted for the first plan.  The people administering it were very helpful and always available by phone when I called.  And I got the Blue Cross PPO. 

My plan has a $5,000 deductible and costs around $300/month (based on being a 47 year old female non-smoker).  Nothing is covered under the $5,000, so I was a bit shocked when I discovered my allergy nasal spray was over $100 per month.  I’m very fond of breathing, though, and the less expensive medications I tried didn’t work, so I paid it.  I could and probably should have gotten a lower deductible, but I’d been very healthy, so I figured it was worth the risk.  I hit my deductible one year, when I had to have surgery (see  below). 

One thing worried me — I was required to pay my premium by certified, not personal, check.  And all over the premium notice it said if I missed the premium, my insurance would be gone and I could never reinstate it.  Before my surgery, I thought, what if I have a tough recovery and can’t get to the bank to get a certified check?  So I prepared a financial power of attorney to be sure someone could do it for me.  I also didn’t know what I’d do if needed to move out of state, as ICHIP is only for Illinois residents.  Fortunately, I love Chicago.

Other than that, I’ve been happy.  I got to keep my doctors.  I’ve learned a lot about healthcare pricing.  That’s led me to think that a co-pay based on a percentage of the actual charge might be a good thing, as otherwise the co-pays are completely disconnected from the amount of the bill.  On the other hand, I also learned the actual bill has little to do with reality, so long as you are insured.  My surgical bill and emergency room bills were something like 3 times the PPO rates.  So even before I hit the deductible, the insurance was valuable, as I still paid only the PPO rates.  If I’d been uninsured, I would have been liable for the whole amount.

Now my ICHIP program is going away because the Health Insurance Exchange is supposed to make it unnecessary.  According to the state, this should mean my premium will be cheaper because the ICHIP premium is always set at 150% of what the rate would otherwise be.  I’m relieved that, unless Congress makes changes, health insurers can’t deny me coverage.  I’m also happy I’ll have the option to cover employees, if I hire any again, through the exchange.  (I’ve had a few different part-time employees over my five years in practice.)  And, presumably, if someday I want to leave Illinois, I’ll still be able to get coverage.

I’m concerned, though, that Congress will succeed in getting rid of the insurance exchanges, and I will then be stuck with no ICHIP and no coverage.  I’m also concerned about whether I’ll be able to keep the Blue Cross PPO.  I heard that premiums will vary with network size.  So the cheapest plans will have smaller networks; the Cadillac plans will have wide networks. 

On 10/1, I will go on the exchange and see what I can see.  Even before I read articles raising potential technology issues, it seemed unlikely to me it would all be working on Day 1.  I figured that for the same reason I try not to buy a new Microsoft version of anything.  The ones I’ve bought have always had bugs.  (It was a nightmare when I bought a computer with Windows Vista when it first came out.  I used to walk around the office saying “I hate Bill Gates” over and over.  But I digress.)  I don’t expect the government will do better than Bill Gates.  On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised every time I dealt with the ICHIP people.  So I’m crossing my fingers they are in charge.

I will let you know how it goes.

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The Awakening for Kindle:

The post Once I Became Self-Employed (Post 2 of Adventures in Health Insurance) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

I first purchased an individual health insurance policy a couple years out of college.  I had a group plan at my office job (my degree was in Writing/English, thus the office job), but I’d discovered I could earn more temping through a downtown agency and give myself the freedom to take time off to write.  I shared an apartment, lived on a very limited budget, and usually worked about 3 weeks, then took 1-2 weeks off to write, which I loved.  My limited hours meant no health insurance through the temp agency.  For less than $100/month I got a policy with a high deductible that I kept for about 4 years.  Never met the deductible.  I had no trouble qualifying, I don’t even recall if the form was long or short or what questions there were, though I’m pretty sure someone came out and gave me a blood test.  A few people told me I was young so I ought to just go without coverage, and I could always get treated at the county hospital.  That sounded like a very bad idea.  One of my friends, a year younger than me, out of the blue needed emergency surgery during a brief coverage gap.  Her bill was tens of thousands of dollars, and she earned not much more than minimum wage.  (She eventually finished paying about 15 years later.)  Also, I felt that if I could afford health insurance, I should buy it, especially because I’d chosen to work less and earn less.  Unlike many people who find themselves without insurance, I could have opted to stay at my job and keep my benefits.

Fast-forward a few years, and I developed carpal tunnel/tendinitis from all the typing for work and for my own writing (and my guitar playing).  The treatment options weren’t good back then, and the work comp doctor recommended working until it got really bad, then having surgery.  I researched a little, learned that many people needed surgery again when they returned to work, and decided I ought to find something else to do for a living.  It was a very rough time for me, but eventually I returned to school, earned a graduate paralegal certificate and got a paralegal job where I relied on my research and writing skills and had a secretary who did the majority of my typing.  (Not everything was computerized at that time.)  I also had health insurance with an exclusion for carpal tunnel/tendinitis, as I worked at a very small firm and the policies were more like individual than group policies.  As I’d rejected the idea of surgery, the exclusion didn’t affect me too much, but it didn’t make me happy.  I didn’t know what I’d do if something aggravated my hands and I needed treatment.

Later I went to law school and became a lawyer at a large firm that had a group plan with Blue Cross.  Hooray!  No worries on exclusions, though I never needed treatment for the carpal tunnel while I was a lawyer, having discovered the Microsoft Natural keyboard (which I’m using right now).  Even before I went to law school, I’d had in mind that eventually I’d open my own practice.  Partly, again, so I could take time to write when I was able to afford it, and because I wanted to work for myself.  It turned out I liked the large firm quite a bit, so I stayed 8 years.  After year 6, though, I started talking to people who’d started their own firms to gather information.  One thing I always asked, given my previous experience, was what they’d done about health insurance.

Those who were married generally got coverage through a spouse.  Others practiced part-time and had a full time job where they got health insurance.  Some tried to get insurance through an organization, like a bar association or writers’ association.  It turns out those types of plans are not group plans, but individual policies where the members get discounted rates.  Which means, unlike a group plan, the insurer can turn you down.  Which happened to a colleague when she opened her practice.  I was shocked, as she’d never had any health issues and had only been hospitalized when she had her children.  But she’d sought counseling during her divorce and was turned down even though she’d applied through the Chicago Bar Association (she was a member).  The carrier — one of the major, name brand ones — said they don’t cover people who have had any type of psychological counseling.  She got insurance through another major carrier. 

I decided to use COBRA for my first eighteen months on my own, which cost over $400 a month but kept my Blue Cross PPO.  Everyone told me health insurers only look back 5 years, and I didn’t see anything in the last five years that should be troubling, though I had gone to counseling for relationship issues myself before that time.  I hadn’t had any major health issues other than the carpal tunnel.  My friends and colleagues thought I was crazy to be concerned.  My only medications were for allergies, I don’t smoke, I exercise and am within the recommended weight range for my height, and I’d only missed perhaps 3 or 4 days of work for illness in my eight years of practice.  So I figured when my 18 months was up, I’d apply for an individual policy and I’d be set.

That didn’t turn out to be the case.  But more on that next post:

http://lisamlillypad.blogspot.com/2013/09/once-i-became-self-employed-post-2-of.html

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The Awakening for Kindle:

The post From Then Until Now (Post No. 1 of Adventures in Health Insurance) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

Why the bias toward men still survives is puzzling considering the success of Frankenstein, as well as of works by other women horror writers like Shirley Jackson (The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House). But something Carrie pointed out on our panel is that when women write horror, suspense or thrillers, it’s often called something else. I read The Lottery in English class, and a lot of people read Frankenstein in school as well.  So these horror tales are called literature, not horror.  (I don’t know why there needs to be distinction between the two, but that’s a whole other post.)  Happily, when I asked the audience of about 40-50 for our panel what they thought, most did not seem to care if authors were male or female, they were just looking for good books.  One young woman said she hoped women would not use pen names or initials because she actively looks for women writers.  She believes they are more likely to develop the characters’ interior lives than are men, and that’s something she likes in fiction.

Another thing we talked about is the portrayal of women as victims. Based on a lot of popular movies, TV and fiction, one would think strangers are a great danger to women. Curious about how reality and fiction match, I checked the FBI website. It turns out over 75% of homicide victims are men, not women.  (There is one exception. Serial killers, who are rare in real life, are more apt to target women.)  Even more interesting to me was that men, not women, are more likely to be killed by strangers.  Women are more likely to be killed by people they know. Specifically, husbands, boyfriends, and relatives. Which led me to comment that despite what we see on TV, the most dangerous thing for a woman to do probably is not to walk down a dark alley, but to get married.

The Comic Con panel attendees, many of whom are Buffy fans (as am I), were great to talk with on this point. These readers want to see strong women characters. They love reading about and watching on film girls and women who are portrayed as three-dimensional characters in all type of roles, including as heroes.

And the more such books and films and TV shows sell, the more of them there will be.

________________

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This Superman reboot caused me to check on another reboot, one I initially didn’t feel excited about — that of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  As most fans of the TV show — and I am one — know, the new movie version was to be written by a brand new screenwriter, with no input from creator Joss Whedon.  Those of us who love Joss’ writing and directing had a hard time with that, and many vowed never to see the movie.  I almost felt I shouldn’t see it, fearing it might take away from my love for the series.  Similarly, I was not a huge fan of the short-lived remake of The Bionic Woman series a few years back, though it was my favorite television show during childhood.  The new Jaime Sommers just didn’t work for me.  By the way, did anyone else notice the similarity in names between Buffy Summers and Jaime Sommers?  I’m convinced Joss was a Bionic Woman fan, too.

Given my lack of initial enthusiasm, I was surprised to find myself feeling disappointed when I discovered the new Buffy movie is on ice.  Obviously, t’s not because I expected to like the film.  Rather, after watching Man of Steel, I realized how wonderful it is that the film industry contemplated another Buffy reboot.  Buffy is my favorite woman hero, and she’s already had a movie (a bit too campy for my taste, but it had some of the themes later developed in the show), a TV series, and a comic book series.  I love the idea that another reimagining of her myth is already being considered.

Think of how many times Superman has been remade.  Setting aside cartoons, in my lifetime, I saw the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Lois and Clark, Smallville, Superman Returns (forgettable), and Man of Steel.  And I’m not even a big Superman fan.  I also watched the campy TV series Batman with Adam West, the Batman films that started off with Michael Keaton, and the more recent series of Batman movies.  (I was in an extra for one of those — look for me at a funeral in a gray trench coat.) 

But how many Wonder Womans have there been?  I remember just one in my lifetime  — the TV series with Lynda Carter.  The recent reboot of Wonder Woman, to be written by none other than Joss Whedon, never got made.  Despite the success of the Terminator and Alien franchises, the movie studios still seem inclined to default to male heroes.  But we are seeing more girls and women as heroes in movies — movies that are doing well at the box office.  Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Maya Lambert in Zero Dark Thirty, and Tris Prior in the upcoming Divergent (filmed right outside my door) give me hope that film producers realize there is a vast audience for good movies about female heroes.  Which is great news for me as a reader, author, and filmgoer, as those are the types of stories I most enjoy.

So would I have trouble loving a Buffy reboot?  Probably.  But would I go see it?  Yes, yes, and yes.  How about a double feature with Wonder Woman?

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