Alternative Medicine in Fiction

by on June 13, 2013

Behold, I am your human pincushion!

No, I haven’t joined the freak show at the circus . . . tempting as that may be sometimes. I embarked on a course of acupuncture the other day to treat my hip bursitis. No one enjoys hobbling around, least of all me. My general practitioner gave me cortisone-esque shots in both hips, and I was feeling marginally better. But then my friend Laura was all, “Hey, let me stick needles in you!”

Maybe it didn’t go exactly like that (the bit with Laura, anyway), but the end result is the same: I had my first acupuncture appointment on Tuesday. I have three more to go for this particular treatment. I had acupuncture once before, years ago–Laura worked on my shoulder after a dragon boat-related strain.20100928 AlphaCityAcupunks-3

As a rule, I’m not that into alternative medicine. It’s not that I don’t believe it can work . . . it’s just that I tend not to be sick or hurt that often, and traditional medicine usually works just fine for me. In this case, I’m taking a super aggressive approach–I want to get back to training for a sprint triathlon.

I got to thinking while I was on Laura’s table (as you do when someone is jabbing you with needles) that you don’t see a lot of alternative medicine in fiction. I can’t think of a novel with either a protagonist who is an acupuncturist or contains a character who takes herbal medicine. The closest I can get (keeping in mind I haven’t read every book in the world) are the quack cures from the 1800s in Beth Kephart’s Dr. Radway’s Sarsparilla Resolvent, or chiropractors or midwives, which I’ve seen in various novels. Am I just reading the wrong things? Where are all the biofield therapists, reiki therapists, and guided imagery-ists?

Know of a novel rife with alternative medicine? Let me know!

 

 

 

{ 0 comments }

Doing my thing in #Doylestown tomorrow!

by on June 7, 2013

The end of my busy book event period is ending tomorrow. Want to be part of the last signing? Swing by The Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA on Saturday, June 8 at 2pm. I’ll be doing a reading from The Trajectory of Dreams, using something writer Beth Hull suggested to me–reading roulette. You pick a page number at random, and I read it. I always obsess about what excerpt to read, so this puts you in charge!

Following the reading, I’ll lead a discussion about the novel. As usually happens, I get yakking about research and publishing and all sorts of other things. The event will end with a book signing. Bring your own copy of Trajectory, or pick one up at the bookshop!

I keep glancing out the window today–here in Philly we’re getting smacked with rain from Tropical Storm Andrea. I hear it’ll clear up a bit tomorrow, but there’s so much rain out there I’m worried I’ll have to kayak to Doylestown! But hey, I’ll have rubber duckies. They’re buoyant, right?

 

{ 0 comments }

On Naming Characters

by on June 5, 2013

Writers pick up habits, some good and some bad. We learn to cope with the solitude of writing, how to manage our manuscripts, etc. One of the things I have always found difficult that I’m still struggling with is naming characters.

I’ve often wondered if parents have the same trouble. Obviously, you pick a name, and that’s that, but the kid is going to have to live with that name forever. I once came across a woman named Aquanetta. That’s pretty bad, but there’s been a lot in the news recently about the couple from New Jersey who hung Nazi names on their kids. Can you imagine his daughter, trying to be normal as a teenager, doing normal teenage things like dating? She’s doing the typical “get to know you” thing with a new boy, and he asks her what her middle name is. How horrifying would be to have to say, “Aryan Nation. Yeah, and I have a brother, Adolf Hitler”?

I guess the father wanted to give them interesting names, but those names come with heavy history and connotation. At least with the name Aquanetta, the direct implication is that her mother was addicted to hairspray in the 70s and 80s.

The same–the weird name phenomenon–is true of character names. For a lot of writers, they want their character names to stand out. The default, I’ve found, is to go with something unusual or something kind of oddball. It works in sci-fi and fantasy novels; it’s expected. Romance novelists seem to like to use some whoppers: Cerynise, Anastasia, Beauregard, Rosalind, etc, and it’s cheesy but also expected. And I’ve seen some crazy names in other types of fiction, too. Like I said, I get it. Writers want their characters to stand out, be unique. A character named Grayson gives you a picture of someone far different from a character named Bob.

Most of the time, though, character names that are really out there don’t do anything except make me roll my eyes a lot.

So yeah, I pay attention to character names in books and agonize over how I name my own characters. The main character in The Trajectory of Dreams is Lela White, which is fairly normal, right? I think she was named at least a dozen different things before I settled. In the end, Lela White stuck because I liked the jokey meaning behind it. Lela is a variant of Layla, which is Arabic for “night”–appropriate, yes? And White has connotations of innocence and justice (“white hatting” and “white hats”), plus the full name speaks to the dichotomy of Lela’s public vs private life.

Not all my names are so carefully chosen for meaning, but I do think about naming hard for all characters. And I collect names for a rainy day. One my writerly habits learned to properly cope with the stress of naming is to visit cemeteries now and then to look at headstones. Does that seem unrelated to naming? It’s not. I’ve found some great names that way, just waiting for the right character to pop up.

Any weird, writerly habits you’d like to confess?

{ 0 comments }

#BEA13: The Aftermath

by on June 2, 2013

d_7335_xlargeBookExpo America was not what I expected. From years of reading tweets and blog posts about the event, I expected to see book bloggers fighting to the death over ARCs. I anticipated roving gangs of stalker-fans, ready to riot if a book signing ended too early for their liking. I just knew I’d see librarians posing as on-site food vendors, slipping deadly nightshade into $5 bottled water for book bloggers. Or wild-eyed aspiring writers lying in wait for agents, armed with a stack of business cards and copies of their manuscripts. Yes, sort of a literary cabal of strangeness, a real Lord of the Flies for the publishing set.

Yeah, it was none of that.

I attended BEA for the first time this year, sent to New York by the publisher of THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS, Bitingduck Press, for a book signing event. Considering my expectations, nothing could have prepared me to walk into the Javits Center on Friday morning. True, I was a little slap happy for lack of sleep–I’d rolled out of bed at 4:20am in order to catch a 6am train to New York, but everything seemed so . . . sedate. The crowds were orderly. Everyone was friendly. No one tried to stab me for my rolling suitcase full of books (and rubber duckies) for my signing.

In all seriousness, I had the best time at BEA. I tried not go in with much of a plan. Yeah, I read up about which authors would be there for signings, and which ARCs would be available. I looked over the exhibitor list. But for the most part I just went into BEA with the expectation that I would leisurely futz around the show randomly. Because of that, I had an incredibly stress-free experience, and I still got a lot of out the show.

There was one book I desperately wanted to pick up: Maile Meloy’s sequel to The Apothecary. She was signing copies of The Apprentices at 11am, and I was first in line. Maile is incredibly nice, and I’m super grateful to have an opportunity to pick up an early copy of her novel.

I also had the opportunity to meet the Bloom folks! I’ve been working with Sonya Chung and Lisa Peet since January, so it was lovely to get together with them in-person. If you’re not reading Bloom, what are you waiting for?

My own signing event was a 4pm at the Independent Book Publisher’s Association booth. So much fun! I met some truly amazing people (including the IBPA booth staff, who are wonderful). The fabulous Lisa Amowitz stopped by for a book, among many others. One of the really neat things about BEA was meandering around the IBPA booth and seeing my novel sitting on the display shelf . . . and watching several people take photographs of it, presumably to order later. When you have a novel out with a small press, with limited distribution and marketing efforts, the kind of exposure you get at BEA is just . . . well, insert your own superlative here.

My one regret: I did not get to see Grumpy Cat. I hear he was a bit of a diva.

{ 4 comments }

Flop Sweat: The Perfume of Writers Everywhere

by on May 30, 2013

On the eve of my trip to NY to attend my very first BEA, there’s a whole lot going on…including what I suspect is a raging case of hip bursitis. I suspect it’s my new running habit that did it–this morning during my run, my hip abruptly caught on fire (not in the literal sense, of course), and then I limped pathetically home. Alas. This is my second experience with this particular injury. It happened four years ago when I was dragon boating. I really need to start picking sports with less possibility of repetitive movement injuries. I suspect there is no such thing.

Anyway, when you see me tomorrow at BEA and it looks like I might be gritting my teeth, you’ll know why! Be nice, and offer me a cocktail (how’s that for a bid to get a free drink?).

airplane sweatSpeaking of drinking, I recently wrote a post for Fictionista about finding a literary agent. Head over there and check it out. As an enticement, here’s an excerpt:

Craft a carefully composed, personalized email to each agent. This is going to sound crass, but you are attempting to seduce an agent in the same manner you might try to seduce a potential lover. You have to make an agent feel special, like he or she is the only one you’re courting. You must woo. But just enough. Too much woo makes you come off desperate, and no one—not an agent, not a lover—is going to respond the stinky sweat flop of neediness.

I’m pretty sure my wonderful agent (who, for the record, already knows I’m a spaz) just sniffed our contract in an effort to detect neediness flop sweat.

{ 0 comments }

Upcoming! Now With More Ducks!

by on May 11, 2013

Going to BookExpo America, or live in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area? There are a few author events coming up, so I hope you’ll stop by to say hello, pick up a copy of THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS, and let me throw a rubber duck at you!

Yes, it’s true: I added a yellow cat rubber ducky to the mix–Nike, Lela White’s cat and sidekick, deserves representation!

Here’s what’s going on over the next month:

5/31–BookExpo America, New York, NY: Stop by the Independent Book Publishers Association booth/complex at 4p. I’ll be signing copies and handing out ducks!

6/4–Haddon Township Library, Westmont, NJ: This meeting of the South Jersey Writers Group (7-8:30p) will include a talk by me about the vagaries of publication and publishing. There’ll be copies of THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS and ducks on hand.

6/8–The Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, PA: Join me at 2p for a reading or two from THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS followed by a discussion of the book, and a book signing! And ducks…there will be ducks.

Hope to see you at one of these events. If you can’t make it, but you’d like a signed copy, let me know–I’m sure I can work something out.

{ 0 comments }

The Cooties of Girly Books

by on May 8, 2013

Yesterday on Huffington Post, there was a feature article about author Maureen Johnson calling for an end to gendered book covers, along with several examples of woman-ified book covers and, I guess, their gender neutral counterparts. From what I understand, some guy friend of hers complained about the girly covers of her books, so there is a discussion of “girl books” and “boy books” and the stupidity of such a thing.

You know, because books are for everyone.

Here’s the thing: in calling for an end to the feminine cover or the chick-lit cover, it seems like we’re saying that the feminine is bad on principle. We’re also saying, it seems, that the non-feminine book cover is gender neutral. In looking at the book covers in the HuffPo piece, I have to wonder if they’re gender neutral, or if they’re masculine, but we’re pretending they’re gender neutral. Or, I suppose, redefining gender neutral as masculine. And we’re also defining normative femininity.

Am I reading a lot into this? Maybe. But it does matter. Do the book covers for Johnson’s Little Blue Envelope series perform gender in a certain way? Sure. No question. Smiling girl, pretty in a very tan, wholesome, and typical way–thin, long hair, manicured nails, etc. And if you look at the feminized book covers as part of the coverflip, women are defined with curlique fonts, lipstick, emotional photography, flowers, and soft covers.

I don’t see myself in those covers. My teenage self wouldn’t have seen herself in those covers.

Does it matter? I’ve read a few of Johnson’s books despite the feminized covers. I haven’t yet caught cooties from them. So what’s the deal with a guy who can’t read a book with a girly book cover? My first thought isn’t, “Oh, we need to retire the chick lit-esque book covers.” It’s, “Gee, that guy needs to have a little more confidence in his masculinity.” You generally don’t see women making a big deal out of reading something with a masculine cover, whatever that might look like.

Do I wish publishers wouldn’t gender books with their cover choices? Yes, absolutely. And yet I think we needs to explore the semiotics of gender performance, too, and ask what’s wrong with guys who have such problems with the feminine. Maybe it’s not related at all, but my brain keeps going to this Jezebel article about the purity myth. Boners may not be the boss of me as a woman, yet neither is the vagina.

{ 0 comments }

Duck Toss in New Hope!

by on April 21, 2013

It was hard to sit outside Farley’s Bookshop in New Hope yesterday. Don’t get me wrong: I loved hanging out to sign copies of The Trajectory of Dreams for a few hours, but I really wanted to go rooting around inside the store. I did end up buying a bunch of books after my signing was over (Gulp by Mary Roach; Hellbender by Jason Jack Miller; and The Blood Poetry by Leland Pitts-Gonzalez, in case you’re interested), but I could have spent hours in there.

It was a little breezy, a little cool, but there was some great foot traffic. I was able to talk to some great people, sell a few books, and give out a bunch of astronaut rubber duckies. What can be better?

Things will be quiet for a while on the author event front for a few weeks. Next step is BookExpo America in New York in late May/early June. If you’ll be there, let me know–I’ll keep you posted when I get the schedule for my signing there. Did I mention I’ll be not only giving out rubber duckies, but also free copies of Trajectory?

{ 0 comments }

Author Event: Book Signing at Farley’s Bookshop

by on April 17, 2013

What’s this? More ducks? That’s right: it’s time for another author event!

On April 20, from 1-4pm, I’ll be at Farley’s Bookshop in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Farley’s will have lots of copies of THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS for sale, and I’ll be perched right at their door to sign them. Oh, and of course, you’ll have to dodge the astronaut rubber duckies to get to me. There won’t be a reading from the novel or a discussion or anything, but that doesn’t mean I won’t answer questions or break out into a random dramatic reading.

Hey, check this out: I have a few special shuttle rubber duckies! Not sure how I’ll decide who gets one. You may be required to give me a secret handshake or something.

Either way, you’ll have to come hang out with me in New Hope on Saturday to get your hands on one!

{ 0 comments }

Duck Tossing at The Wise Owl Bookstore

by on April 6, 2013

Look at how hard I'm concentrating on figuring out what to write!The first time you do anything, it’s scary. Or at least intimidating. Today was my very first public reading of THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS, and to compensate I over-prepared, as one does. Or, you know, as I do. I was worried no one would show up to The Wise Owl Bookstore, and I’d end up reading to myself for an hour. Or someone would ask a question I wouldn’t know how to answer. Or worse: I’d end up babbling like the village idiot.

Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting that, but it’s true! I am a worrier of the highest order.

Luckily, everything went great! A fantastic crowd showed up to the bookstore, and no one even fell asleep while I was reading the first chapter.

Oh, and there were astronaut rubber duckies! One intrepid soul already sent me a photo of her rubber ducky (named in my honor: Nic McDuck) on the car ride home, rocking out to Fall Out Boy. So yeah, if you get an astronaut rubber ducky through a giveaway or an event, send me photos of your duck doing stuff…I’ll post them here because, you know, I’m easily amused.

So thanks to everyone who came out for my very first author event ever (and thanks to Kira, the owner of The Wise Owl, for having me)! I’m pretty sure I’ll never forget today for as long as I live.

If you missed today’s event, there are a bunch more coming up. In two weeks (April 20), I’ll be at Farley’s Bookshop in New Hope, PA. You can also catch me at Book Expo America (more details on that to come) at the end of May/beginning of June, and on June 8 I’ll be doing an author event at The Doylestown Bookshop. Oh, and there’s something tentatively scheduled for early June in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

{ 2 comments }

Previous Posts

Nicole Wolverton is the author of THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS. She lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and pets, and grew up in Berwick, Pennsylvania.

THE TRAJECTORY OF DREAMS
available in paperback and ebook:
Indiebound | Powell's | B&N | Amazon


Post Categories

Post Archives