the league of reluctant adults

Copied over from mah blog, because I'm trying to get a wide sampling of opinions: I need monsters! More specifically, your opinions on monsters. Because I am starting an entirely new proposal and I need an entirely new crop of things that lurk under your bed/outside your window/sitting on your nightstand watching you sleep like Edward Cullen. I am interested in the opinion of readers far and wide. What monsters would you like to see more of in speculative fiction? (Angels count. Personally, I find the concept behind angels indescribably creepy. So do humans with monster abilities such as damphir and sorcerers.) What monsters are tired (and yes, we all know the market is full of vampires, but they still sell, so I’m putting a moratorium on this answer.) Optional bonus internet cookie* answer: What monster would you like to see me, specifically, tackle? I await your monstrous answers… And I do! *Disclaimer: The cookie is a lie.

I have a lot of ideas for stories, which I dutifully record in a file entitled, in a startling display of creativity, "Ideas 2008.doc". Maybe 10% of them actually make it to the page and maybe half of those make it to publication. Why? Because a lot of these ideas are bad . I don't hit a home run every time. I don't even bat .400. I do use too many sports metaphors in this paragraph. Some highlights of my bad ideas include: The Star Wars tie in novel I wrote. When I was 13. Yeah. The epic dark fantasy about a WARLORD and a CHRISTIAN ALLEGORICAL SOCIETY that was THEMATIC and IMPORTANT. Also BORING. The urban fantasy about vaudaun starring a redneck white chick, her pickup truck and some dead chickens. The thriller about a psychic serial killer and a psychic FBI agent who had mind battles. The oh-God-what-IS-it about lycanthropy experiments during the Vietnam War, complete with de-aging and Government Conspiracies. I actually still sort of like this idea, but t...

I just got back from seeing Chuck Palawalladingdonhniuk, and he got me thinking about twist endings. I LOVE twist endings but I've never had the opportunity to utilize a true twist in my own writing...my plots just haven't allowed for it. I think it's one of the hallmarks of a really good author if they can thoroughly surprise you so far into a novel. And Fight Club has one of my favorite sneaky endings of all time. Tyler is Jack! Jack is Tyler! I am Jack's plot twist! I get to twist the overarching plot at the start of the second book in my Black London series, but it's just not the same as a big whallop right before the climax. I'm still working towards that, hoping one day that I'll get to make everyone jump out of their chairs and cry "Oh no she di'int!" with a story. What are your favorite twist endings?