It's my turn again? And other thoughts...

First, I thought I'd give a little update on the job situation. The big full time job thing that I just started last time I posted? Yeah, well, apparently there's issues getting logins and security clearances. I waited and I waited and I waited, and while I was waiting, a tutoring company found my resume on monster.com and called me up for an interview on Thursday. BY Friday afternoon, they offered me a job. I accepted because it's part-time, it'll pay my car note, and I'll have my days free for writing again! HURRAH!


Speaking of writing, my latest novel The Zebra Wore Fishnets was released this week through Liquid Silver. Would you like a chance to win your very own copy? Here's the blurb

Belle Sterling loves to spy on her very sexy neighbors, Aden and Kevin, but she doesn't dare approach them to introduce herself. Until one night when they not only give her an erotic show, they hold a simple note against the window--"Come Over--#19." She does, and she has the night of her life. It soon becomes apparent to her that she's interested in a lot more than casual sex--but the two men have been in a relationship with each other for over a decade. Can they make room for her in their lives? That question becomes even more pressing when Kevin and Aden are forced to choose between professional advancement and Belle's best interests. They all must decide if what they share is merely searing sexual passion--or something far deeper.

Now would you like a chance to win? If so, just comment here to be entered in my super-duper-totally-random drawing!

In other news, I've had a recent fascination with what makes something bad. Specifically, what makes books and movies so bad they're good? We have all opened a book or rented a movie and realized with minutes that something has gone horribly, horribly awry. In fact, I know many authors who read a book, thought, "Holy shit, if they'll publish this, they'll publish anything!" and was inspired to write their magnum opus.

I'm not interested in the mechanics (grammar and word choice for books, lighting and audio for movies, for example), but rather, the concepts. Who thinks that a cat with a man eating rat in its throat is a good idea? Yes, the cat opens its mouth and out comes a rat, like the alien in that movie about aliens. And yes, that's a real movie, called "The Uninvited." Why? Why? Who thought of that? Who financed it? Or how about the cult classic Manos: Hands of Fate? Who thought that a sidekick named Torgo with bent knees would be terrifying? Actually, the less you think about that movie, the better. It'll just make you crazy.

I'm sure if you have any experience with the slush pile, you know what I'm talking about. When I interned at a publisher, I was assigned the slush pile. It made me lose all hope in humanity, not because the writing was so awful (it was) but because I couldn't even begin to imagine how somebody could think of such ludicrous, horrible, frightening stories and then take the time to write them down!

Of course, not all bad ideas are bad ideas at all. It's all in the execution, as they say. What are some books or movies with perfectly horrible ideas that turn out to be perfectly wonderful in every way? What are some of your "so bad they're good" movies?