Character Flaws

>> These are the main reasons why I don't usually read mainstream fiction. It bores me and I usually wind up thinking the characters DESERVE their troubles or hating them outright. <<

Exactly. I know it's realistic, but I don't like the people I'm stuck on this planet with who are breaking everything and acting like assholes. I visit other worlds to get the fuck away from my neighbors. I hang out online for similar reasons. Our immediate neighbor cannot figure out not to plow his fields when the wind is blowing, and I'd be cool with leaving that his problem, except that agricultural degradation is everybody's problem that has toppled many an empire in the past. *facepalm* So when I look at hero-deserving-problems in fiction, just no. I do not need more of that.

>> I also hate the fact that about the only adventure women ever seem to have in books is the sexual sort. (Don't get me wrong, romance is fine, but women should do more in books besides just fall in love or lust...and then spend the rest of their young adult lives bearing and raising kids.) <<

I agree. This is a key reason why I'm increasingly dissatisfied with the F&SF section. We used to slay dragons and fly starships. Now it's book after book of smutty white chick fucking jerks. Do Not Want. #notbuyingit. Going home to write something else. How sad is it when someone with my booklust walks out of a bookstore with money still in hand? Fuck it, I have crowdfunding contacts, I'll spend it on something that isn't stupid.

I do, however, like family stories, and I've got a couple of series where having a family does not end the adventures. Because, you know, most people have families and life keeps throwing challenges at them anyway. So I'm very pleased to offer things like Hart's Farm and Monster House.

With P.I.E. I wanted urban fantasy where the hera picked a nice guy, not one of several jerks chasing her. That's a direct turnabout from a lot of what I see in that subgenre today. Plus of course Brenda is mobility impaired. That Darrel turned out be kind of accident-prone was not something I planned, but I think it's kind of hilarious that the able-bodied character is the one who keeps getting injured.

>> Perhaps we need to write some UN-romantic adventures? <<

I do have some series that veer away from romance, notably Path of the Paladins (two ace leads) and An Army of One (widely scattered characters, some of them asexual).

What I do not have is an urban fantasy series with no romantic content. Given the prevailing trend, that's something that needs doing. I'm also open to other genres with any kind of non-romantic adventure theme. Feel free to prompt for this stuff in any open call.

>> I been thinking lately that I should write some short erotic e-books <<

Go for it. I like your ideas in diversification.

The lichens are fascinating.

Yes, I have enjoyed the "Little Fuzzy" series.

>> My general rule for enjoying stories is that unless the cast is one person, there have to be two sympathetic characters interacting entertainingly. <<

That's cool. It reminds me of the Bechdel test.

>> I do write about some people who I would never want to share a drink with, but one of my greatest accomplishments is that I apparently managed to make some of them sympathetic, despite everything. <<

My protagonists are usually someone the audience can root for. My antagonists may be sympathetic or unsympathetic. Sometimes I want them to be aggravating, but easy to understand -- Farce is a good example of this. Other times they're people you want to burn in effigy. What I try to avoid is writing characters that make people want to flee the room.

>> I often use those kinds of characters as sort of anti-role-models for myself; they model what I DON'T want to be. <<

Yep. I've done that. It's a good approach.