Django Unchained

So with all the hullabaloo surrounding Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, the boyfriend and I decided to see it yesterday. And you know what? Although there was a stupid amount of violence, rap music, and slow-mo dog-mauling montages, I liked it. Admittedly, blood splatter doesn't offend me. After a certain point I did find the gun shooting scenes monotonous and uninspired. However if I had to pick my favorite aspect of the film, it would be Samuel L. Jackson's oily "Uncle Tom" performance. Leonardo DiCaprio did a great job as the villain and Christoph Waltz genuinely surprised me as the good guy. All in all, I think the movie was well-acted and provocative. The use of the "n-word" didn't faze me. After all...this is a movie about slavery. 

And that's where my movie review ends and my philosophic musings begin. Feel free to stop reading at this point because I can feel a rant simmering inside me.

I chose to open this blog post with Spike Lee for a reason. I think he's being a little ridiculous for trashing a movie he openly admits to never seeing, but he also has a point. I just happen to think his point is short-sighted. My beef is with America's obsession with racial politicking and also our knee-jerk reaction to gun violence. The lastest American tragedy in Connecticut has everyone up in arms about the wrong issues. Censuring Tarantino simply because he has violent gun scenes will not fix America's gun problem. Just like censuring the "n-word" out of books like Huckleberry Finn will not  fix America's racism problem. C'mon people! Think BIG PICTURE! 

I'm annoyed. We're so quick to "blame the media" for every little thing rather than sitting down with lawmakers and community leaders to discuss the weaknesses in our legislature, mental healthcare, and educational system. I guess it's easier to point our fingers at artists rather than implement responsible, mature policies that might actually make a difference in our national and state governments. This problem is so much bigger than a few stupid scenes in a movie like Django. We need adult conversations about change. Not knee-jerk reactions or scape-goating. 

Status Update 6/12

So I have officially started writing the sequel to the next book. The second book is titled Witching Moon, and it is going to center around the Oyster River Massacre of 1694, two years after the first book ends. Kateri aka the Lily of the Mohawks, is going to be an important character in this book! Frontenac will also make an appearance. I'll introduce more new characters than old ones...but Tituba's nemesis, Abigail Williams, returns to rear her ugly head in a big way. Witching Moon will be less about American colonial life and more about French-Indian-English conflicts. The French-Indian War is just a few decades away and tensions between our young nations is just warming up. Naturally Tituba has to be the catalyst that sets off the war, right? Witching Moon will also be more of a traditional "love story" than the first book. I'm not going to give too much away but there will be...um...sex. Lots of it. With men AND women. Tituba does it all! 


Ideas for the third book are still swirling around in my head but I know there's going to be a pirate ship and an introduction to New Spain. I want to cover ALL of the budding American regions: New England, Acadia (New France), and finally New Spain. I'm reading these fascinating books called "Florida's Frontiers" by Paul E. Hoffman and "Historic Native Peoples of Texas" by William C. Foster. Haven't decided WHERE in New Spain the third book will take place but it will either be in Florida or Texas. 


If and when I find an agent, I'll let you guys know. As of right now, I'm still querying for the first book, Witching Tree. Less than two months into the querying process and I've tried 25 agents. One request. Nine form rejections. More than a dozen no responses. Whew. Gonna keep this up until August. Hopefully I can find an agent before 2013--but I'm doubtful.  
VC

Smdh. This shit doesn't deserve a title.

Really, Johnny Depp? Really? And I JUST wrote a post about this very topic last week. Like seriously. Smdh. And why the FUCK is there a dead crow on his head???? Anybody???


If you haven't heard already, read up on the Tonto disaster.  And if that link doesn't meet your fancy, try THIS ONE. What the hell were these people thinking??? Omigod. *headdesk* 


Over and out. 

Native American Characters

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Mostly because one of the love interests for my main character is a Mohawk Indian, and it seems Native American characters are "trending" right now (thanks to Twilight and other media) and I really don't like that. Of course I am delighted to see more Native American characters (and other characters of color in general) on the shelves...but for the love of GAWD can we stay away from the overused racial clichés, please? 

One thing I've noticed about many Native American characters (who are written by non-Native Americans) is a type of racial fetish-ing or exotification. Kinda like a modernization of the "Noble Savage" caricature. If you don't know what I mean, just re-watch James Cameron's blockbuster hit, "Avatar," (REVIEW) or "Dances with Wolves," or even Disney's "Pocahontas" (Omigod, this review for Pocahontas made me crack up!) I sort of touched on this topic when I wrote that blog post about the "Last of the Mahicans." But anyway...I digress.

Stereotypes I'm tired of seeing:

1. The Native American characters are inherently more connected to nature than the white characters. And not only are the Native American characters more "in tune" with the natural world, they can "communicate" with it too--as in, they talk to animals...and trees...and shit. 

2. The Native American characters are either stoic warrior people or peaceful pacifists. Nothing in between. And they are always...always...looking to a white hero to save their way of life. 

3. The Native American character is a "shifter" who can transform into Sasquatch, werewolf, or some other non-human form. 

4. The Native American character and a white character fall in love to create a desperate Romeo and Juliet situation. 

5. The Native American characters happily teach the white characters all about their morally-superior  but "simpler" way of life so the white characters can become less bigoted people. As a result of this harmless one-sided "cultural exchange," the white character becomes a militant environmentalist, marries a scantily-clad Native American girl, and "Goes Native." 

There are many more stereotypes but I can't possibly list them all. All I can do is treat my Native American character with as much respect and sensitivity as I can. I am some parts Cherokee (every fucking idiot in America says that) but I don't claim to know or presume all of the difficulties and challenges that Native Americans face. However, being a black psychology student, I know a little something about stereotyping and cultural appropriation. I know we ALL can try a little better to think about the images we see when we're dealing with various forms of media. That's all I'm saying. Over and out, minions. 

The Last of the Mohicans

Remember when this movie came out? All you '90s kids better raise your hands! *cheesy grin* You can watch this movie for free on Netflix. Anyway, I watched this film for additional "research/inspiration" for my novel. Although this story takes place in 1757 and mine in the 1690s, I took quite a bit from this movie. I wasn't aware until just recently that this movie was based on a book series from the 1820s. Pretty awesome. Too bad I can't say the same for the movie itself, LOL! 

I'm not going to lie, minions. This movie is meh. Just meh. Can we say WHITE WASHING please? I hate how whenever there's the "last" of some threatened ethnic group, it is always some white person. Or the white person becomes the main character in a story that SHOULD be about people of color. "The Last Samurai" was Tom Cruise. "The Last Mohican" was the "I WILL FIND YOU" dude. "The Last Airbender" was...well...you get my point.   

For those interested, the "I WILL FIND YOU" guy's name is Daniel Day Lewis, and he co-starred with Winona Ryder, in "The Crucible." However, the only character I really liked in "The Last of the Mohicans" was Magua. Keep in mind I'm a cannibal, so when Magua cuts out that one dude's heart and eats it, I was thinking: "Oh yeah...gnarly and sexy at once!"

Anyway, the movie was OK. Worth a watch if you're into Daniel Day Lewis, I guess. But I fell in love with the soundtrack. Gawd. I can't express how beautiful the music is! I found myself rewinding parts of the movie just so I could go back and listen to the track again. My favorite is "I Will Find You" performed by Clannad. The whole album is lush and gorgeous...so definitely check that out the next time you're trolling around on iTunes. 

Writing historical fiction SUCKS.

This a partial list of all the books I've read (not just skimmed, ladies and gentlemen, read from cover to cover) to research my novel. I will put these books in my bibliography. 


1. Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Colonial America by Dale Taylor
2. The Name of War: King Phillips War and the Origins of American Identity by Jill Lepore
3. Red, White, and Black (4th edition) by Gary B. Nash
4. Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook by Denise Alvarado
5. Creole Religions of the Caribbean by Olmos, Paravisini-Gerbert, and Murphy 
6. Freedom Just Around the Corner by Walter A. McDougall
7. The Spells Bible by Ann-Marie Gallagher 
8. Heritage of the World Civilizations (volume 2) by Kagan and Craig


Let's not forget the books I read just for "inspiration" : 
9. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
10. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (I named one of my characters "Nola" in tribute to Nalo Hopkinson!) 
11. 12. and 13. The Fear Street Saga Trilogy by R. L. Stine 


This list does not even cover the dozens of websites I've poured over in preparation. Before, during, and after the novel was completed I've done nothing but study King William's War, New England Native American Tribes, Puritan and Quaker religions, the Salem Witch Trials, and a host of other crap I can't think of at the moment. I eat, breathe, and sleep the 17th century. I want to be as historically/culturally accurate as I possible, which is why I've taken the time to do so much research. 


And THAT is why writing historical fiction is so sucky. It's tedious. On top of that, you can't just regurgitate all the facts you learn and smear them onto the pages and expect that to work. No, sir, you got to "set the scene" as a proper writer would. You gotta weave that shit in so it looks "organic" and "natural." And THAT is the hardest part for me. Yeah, I can spew tons of useless facts about the Puritans...but so what? How does that pull the reader into the time period? When someone reads my novel, I want them to feel like they are IN the 1690s! But it is so difficult to accomplish this without resorting to info-dumping!  


At times I feel like I am failing to capture the historical-ness of my story. All of my betas expressed SHOCK when I told them my characters were based on the real life historical figures who took part in the Salem Witch Trials. Am I just not getting the historical flavor in there strong enough? *headdesk* This is so hard. It really is. I'm not a history buff but I want people to take my book(s) seriously. Of course I embellish many things about the Salem Witch Trials...no one (to my knowledge) transformed into a werewolf and went on a massive killing spree. But yeah. I don't know.


*Sigh* Spare yourself the trouble and just stay away from writing historical fiction altogether. Over and out, minions. I think my brain is about to explode. 


VC