I’ve started re-reading The Copper Tarnish. I started the novel in November 2016 and took several breaks from working on it. I’ve finished six books since then. I’ve worked on it a little here and there, but it stalled when Pegasus was born and I devoted myself to finishing The Mystery of the Dancing Lights (Elizabeth book 4, coming this fall.)
The big issue with not touching a book for nearly three years (whoa Pegasus is going to be 4 soon!) is that I forgot the story, the characters and the voices.
That meant I needed to read the unfinished book, something I’m not good at. I haven’t been reading very much lately, mostly because it’s hard on my arms, but my wonderful wife inspired me. I loaded the document in Word and used the feature where it reads it to me. I set it to fast and read along. It’s really helpful and I think it’s helping me to re-connect with the story and characters.
I’m also really liking the story and the pure snark of the characters.
The Copper Tarnish is my attempt at a monster movie style story. It’s also a little more personal, being about a bisexual in Northern Ontario. Although I never had to deal with zombie people, green goo, aliens, or rogue goverment agents.
A lot of the book is set in a fictional town that’s an amalgam of the towns where I grew up, and re-reading feels a little like going home. Everything feels smaller and doesn’t fit right.
It’s weird reading something I wrote and it feels like someone else did it. I think once I get back into it I’ll feel like it’s mine again.
I’m hoping to be done writing this by the end of summer (more realistically the end of year) so I can submit it to my publisher. I only have about 20 thousand words left to write.
“Political Correctness has Gone MAD!” is a phrase I’ve heard in various ways a lot in the past ten years. I might have heard it before, but I hadn’t noticed. It’s a nice easy way to identify someone who feels slighted by diversity and angry about not being able to mock certain groups of people.
I’m bisexual, I’m attracted to people no matter what their gender. I don’t talk a lot about this question because I’m married to a woman and that means I have a certain level of privilege.
However, you’ll notice that a large portion of my protagonists are bisexual. I also try to include other sexualities, genders, races, etc. It’s harder to get it right when writing something that isn’t me. I’ve gotten some criticism for one of my protagonists who was trans, while getting praise from others about the same character.
So I sat down to write this post and wracked my brain for bisexual representation in movies, TV, and books from when I was young. The bisexuals I remember are in 2 categories, villains/monsters and exceptions.
I grew up with Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions, the alien from Species, Frankenfurter from Rocky Horror, and countless “alternate universe” evil doppelgangers in Star Trek DS9, Buffy, Stargate etc. I’m sure there were more, but it was mostly the trope of the Sexy Seductress evil girl that was bi. Men were gay or straight.
Then there were the confused women like Willow, who wasn’t bi according to the show but always a lesbian, or Dax from Star Trek DS9 that had a lesbian kiss, but only because the woman was the lover of a previous host. She breaks Dax’s heart and we never see anything outside the mirror universe to show that she’s bi.
The first positive character I remember seeing or reading about that was openly bi was Angela Montenegro from Bones. It wasn’t a big thing, except to have her love interest be a little awkward about it. She was shown as flaky, but that was pretty normal for all the characters in Bones.
The next character was Jack Harkness from Doctor Who. I’m not happy with the fact that they made him into a joke in the early seasons with Tennant and I’m still pissed with the way he interacts with Donna, but overall he was pretty awesome. It was the first time I saw a male character who wasn’t mocked, killed, or turned out to be a closeted gay. (Yeah, like it’s any easier to be bi)
Now we have a lot more representation and I think it still doesn’t come close to reflecting real life. Statscan says 1.7% of people say they’re Gay or Lesbian and 1.3% say they are Bi. Considering this doesn’t take into account the rest of the rainbow, that means that 3% will admit on a census that they are LGB. I’m sure it’s higher considering there are still quite a few negative reactions to being out and if you add it the rest of the Queer rainbow you’ll find, I’m sure, that we represent a quarter or more of the population.
If you think that representation has gone mad and there are too many Queer people on television and in books keep this in mind; In 2020-21 scripted TV had 9.1% openly Queer people. That means that despite being nearly a quarter of the population there are only a tenth that are shown on TV.
Some genres are better both in film/TV and books, but it’s still not a big difference from when I was a confused kid who thought his attraction was unnatural and monstrous.
I’m Bisexual… I have no idea if I’ve ever officially come out. It’s not something I talk about a lot unless I see Jason Momoa…
I’ve been attracted to all genders for as long as I can remember. The few same sex relationships I saw I could never understand why people made a big deal about. It wasn’t until I got older and people started to use Gay as a slur that I realized I wasn’t the norm. I didn’t have a word for what I was until university when I met other people in the LGBTQ+ community.
It wasn’t a positive interaction. I was told I was just confused and couldn’t choose a side. That I should come back if I decided to be gay. (Yep, a gay man actually told me that.) It wasn’t until I met some really good friends in my mid twenties that I realized I wasn’t just confused. Then I saw Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and it was great to see a character like me.
All that to say, if I hadn’t told you… I’m bisexual and to me that means I can be attracted to anyone, regardless of their gender.
For pride month, the wonderful Cait Gordon wrote an awesome tweet about me:
For #PrideMonth, I want to shout out some awesome books and authors. @EricDesmarais‘ YA series is based in a town called Baker’s City with Elizabeth Coderre solving paranormal mysteries in a Sherlock-esque sort of way! Book 2, Sign of Faust is an Aurora Award nominee! #AmReadingpic.twitter.com/E6fX5368Dw— Cait Gordon 👽🍰♿️ (@CaitGAuthor) June 11, 2019
Thanks Cait!
And to everyone out there still trying to understand themselves, you’ll get there and there are people like you out there. Be brave and find friends who support you.
This was written in advance as I’m most likely scrambling to make my NaNoWriMo word count.
My good friend, wonderful human being, fantastic author, godmother to my child, and all around badass S. M. Carrière wrote the following on her facebook:
“Did your candidate win?” is a really sneaky way to try and discern my politics, sir. Let me help you out a bit. I’m so far left, you might mistake me for Scandinavia. Does that help you?
She followed up with this wonderful post: Where I Stand
Now if you’ve read my rants or posts you’ll know where I stand on most subjects…
But for those of you who don’t want to go looking let’s make this clear:
ALL HUMANS DESERVE RESPECT, HEALTH, SAFETY, AND FREEDOM!
That means that trans men are men, trans women are women. Trans, non-binary, two-spirited, gender queer, and every other form of gender identity is valid and they all deserve the rights and freedoms given to the rest of the world.
There is no weaker sex, there is no valid reason to think one is better than the other, the whole thing is a cultural construct and fuck you if you think I’m any less of a man for wanting to stay home with my child.
Healthcare is a fundamental human right. I don’t mean just emergency care, I mean all health care from teeth, to glasses, to mental health. If you’re thinking there are people who should be excluded, I disagree. Everyone!
No one should live in fear of losing everything because they get sick or can’t work. That’s total bullshit.
We have voice recognition tech, self driving cars, and other fantastical technology. There’s no reason for any community not to have safe, clean drinking water and access to food.
The First Nations of Canada (and many other countries) have been treated like crap for hundreds of years. We as a nation need to do better. I’m not well versed enough to make a detailed plan but we could start by making sure every reserve is livable and has access to water, good houses, etc. If we can declare Quebec a nation within a nation, why can’t we do the same for the First Nations? Give them their land back, induct them into the constitution, make them equal provinces and lets start fixing this shit. (Okay I have no idea if this would work or if it’s a good idea. The best thing would be to ask them what they need and negotiate fairly and actually follow through with our promises.)
Respect shouldn’t be earned, it should be the default.
The environment is essential to our survival and we can do a lot to fix the damage we’ve done.
Medical science literacy is an essential skill. If you believe GMO’s or Vaccines are inherently bad, you’re wrong and need to get a better education then Goop and other celebrity bullshit.
If your identity is defined by what you hate or by wishing the death of another, you should rethink your life choices. Humanity is humanity, there is no better combination of arbitrary genes than any others. So fuck off with this Nationalist, White Power, Proud Boys, Nazi, Autism Speaks, I’m an Attack Helicopter, etc. fuckery and learn to love something other than yourself.
I am tolerant of all people up and until they are intolerant or wish death on others. I see no issue with this.
EDUCATION is the only path to a better society. It doesn’t have to be college or university but it does have to be flexible, adaptable, and open. Libraries, colleges, universities, and other education forms should cater to the people, they should not be businesses. They should be free and they should be available to all. That random 42 year old who suddenly wants to learn about physics or art history should be free to do it.
In case you want a career that is not provided for free, there several ways to do so. You can start by using a website, a tool to help you find that college you want and take a career that you like. Lets’s say you want a Commercial driver’s license but you don’t know where to take a course. All you have to do is read review at that link and that’s it. You’ll find a place that helps you with that.
Sexual Education is important!
Capitalism and Democracy are fundamentally flawed despite being the best choice we currently have.
Billionaires shouldn’t exist.
We should be moving to a post-scarcity society instead of a feudal one.
Art and artists are valid and should be respected not derided.
People are people, they’re scared, easily manipulated in large groups, and capable of horrific injustices. BUT they are capable of great beauty, love, kindness, and creation.
ALL HUMANS DESERVE RESPECT, HEALTH, SAFETY, AND FREEDOM!
One last thing. If I discover that what I’ve said (above or in general) is hateful, hurtful, or just wrong; I will change my mind. (I might grumble and argue but I’ll get there.)
If you have a problem with me because of these things, leave a comment and we can discuss it. If you just want to change my mind because I’m obviously an optimistic dreamer with no sense of reality, feel free to just leave.
