Aggression vs. Being Right

Anybody working in a public place will inevitably deal with someone obnoxious. These people used to utterly upset my day. I would stress...my heart raced, mouth dry, thoughts darting around...wondering "did I do something wrong and just didn't realize?" And yeah, sometimes my tolerance for the irretrievably dense is beyond miniscule...and I MIGHT say something slightly snarky...ya think? 

BUT: Most of the time people come up to my desk already locked and loaded, ready for battle. Usually they know they've done something wrong--lost a book, kept it until it's weeks overdue or left it outside in the rain until it's a moldy mess--but it can't be THEIR fault...oh no. And if they act obnoxious enough, talk loudly, quickly, and aggressively enough...I'm supposed to give in.

Guess what...

Librarians aren't all pushovers. Yes, some of us are extremely passive-aggressive (meaning yeah, you'll get your way this time, but don't expect me to find "ANYTHING" you are looking for the next time you ask for help), but I'm not. I will give you every chance to find a way to fix the problem. I WANT people to be able to use the library--heck, maybe one day you'll learn not to be an a--wipe, but don't expect that looming over me, talking down to me, calling me "honey" or going to somebody else at the desk is going to make any difference. Astonishingly enough we have these things called "com-pu-ters" and we can keep notes that everyone at the desk can read as soon as we save them!

Man/Woman up. Admit you've made a mistake. We've all done it. I do it several times a day...and I've learned how to apologize, make it right and move on. I don't need to flagellate myself for my mistakes...and neither should you...and I won't do it to you either. Get over yourself. Fix it. Don't make excuses (unless your child really IS in the hospital or your house burned down).  Like the Beatles song..."We can work it out."

What makes a person "Alpha"?

Today I was asked to enter nominations for alphas in my favorite kind of literature--urban fantasy. It took some thought, but I have definite favorites and finally worked it into the list below:

 Jane Yellowrock/Beast (Faith Hunter)
Atticus (Iron Druid--Keven Hearn)
Acheron (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
Gin Blanco  (Elemental Assassin--Jennifer Estep)
Smoky--(Otherworld Series--Yasmin Galenorn)

But what really struck me was the comments from other nominators--for the most part female--who questioned and made excuses for choosing women alphas.

WOW, come on..REALLY? You read about kick-ass females, fighting demons (both real and mental), spinning katana swords, ordering big tough soldiers around and in general making plans and taking names when necessary. And you wonder if it's OKAY to name a female alpha?

Beast would cough a guttural roar in amusement and then knock your girly girlness to the ground! Jane would shake her head, snap her fingers and tell Bruiser to explain it to you...

Gin Blanco would look at you sadly, pull out a meat cleaver and whack up some yummy barbeque, then suddenly appear behind you ready to take out your spleen if necessary.

I DID name 3 of the 5 male alphas...but mainly because my favorite character in Iron Druid is Atticus...but even he knows when to bow to a goddess, and speaking of, Acheron is probably the most powerful character of the group IMHO, and he spent thousands of years saying "yes dear" to a goddess--and now to his wife. And Smoky...well, I think he's more alpha than his wife, Camille, but she has him wrapped around her finger with good sex and a deep need to protect her.  So, even the alpha males have strong female influences that make them who they are.

Never ever think that women cannot be Alpha. One of the strongest marriages I know is between two people---both Alphas at work--who manage to work together, each Alpha as needed. I'm the boss at work...and I know that somebody needs to make the plans, organize the situation, be the leader and be the one who takes the heat when something goes wrong. THAT is a good alpha! And women are just as good at it as men.

MEOW ya'll.

Now go vote before the end of March!

http://vampirebookclub.net/alpha-showdown-2013-nominations/comment-page-4/#comment-23073

Pirates (and not the cool Jack Sparrow kind)

Anybody out there love a good bargain? Yeah, pretty much all of us...BUT, what if you knew that your bargain came because somebody stole from someone you admired and cared about (or anybody, really)? Today I discovered Fantasticebooks.com where I can download ebooks from such amazing authors as Faith Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Suzanne Collins...for as little as 1.50! SO amazing...WOW...

so not cool

They don't have permission to do this. You can kind of tell that it's from a foreign country that doesn't normally speak English: awkward phrasing, a different way to list prices (1.5=1.50) and possibly because if it came from the U.S. there would be lawyers streaming in from every side to turn them into chum.

Don't use them. It's not worth it. We have these wonderful things called PUBLIC LIBRARIES, and guess what? You can download eBooks through your local library--for Free. If you don't mind trying the odd new author or a short work...even Amazon will drop freebies on your Kindle. And if you don't mind spending time in a bookstore (and who wouldn't?)...you can visit Barnes and Noble and read the books for free--at least the first few chapters--by just starting up your Nook and looking for them.

Another great option is checking out publishers' websites. Baen Books (who publishes Larry Coreia,author of the Grimnoir Chronicles--if you haven't read them, you should) provides a bundle with older titles for you to download and keep, again, for free, a new one each month.

And if you love Faith Hunter...check her home page. She's great about giving first chapters, odd outtakes and short stories. Other authors do it too. Heck, I had a great few days reading about Nora Robert's vacation in Greece--she posted every day about the beautiful scenery, gorgeous Greeks and amazing food. It was fun. And free.

Wouldn't you rather your favorite authors made enough to keep writing new stuff? Wouldn't you rather help your local library's circulation (so they can stay in business too)? Wouldn't you rather not help people who steal from the creative beings who make your reading so much fun? 

Let's stop giving our booty to the pirates.

Finding a Vein of Gold--Jane Yellowrock

Finding a new author with a good series is a bit like being a gold miner and finding a new rich vein of ore. Thanks to my friend Beth Bostic, I discovered Faith Hunter and her Rogue Mage series...a great post-apocalyptic (but not in the way you might think) trilogy set in the Appalachian mountains. Interesting characters...an unusual magic set up...great characters you actually CARE about. Really great.

Then I found Jane Yellowrock. Kickass tough chick who just happens to be a cougar shifter, Jane is SO much more than your typical "I can change into nifty animals." She has an alter-ego. Beast lives in Jane's heart, pads through the corridors of her thoughts, funny, sad, fierce and fiercely HERSELF, I think of Beast as another character, albeit, one that can only find the physical when Jane allows it (usually).
Jane is complex...even without the added layer of Beastly-ness. Guilt rides her--for things that she can't control--for people she cannot always protect--for lives lost. She doesn't like herself much.Good thing Faith loves her and convinces us to love her too, with other characters who may want to strangle Jane, but always show affection, annoyance and often, love. I look forward to her nicknames for the tough guys in her life. I appreciate the connections she's making with her native past. I wonder what she (and Beast) will get into next.

Add to this the Asheville connection--YAY! First Laurell K. Hamilton, now Faith Hunter have found Asheville!--which gives me a little thrill every time Jane makes her way here, I wish more that Faith could come and do a book talk. :) (hint, hint)

If you've never heard of Faith Hunter and you read urban fantasy--consider her now. First book in the series: Skinwalker.

Take a look. You won't be sorry.