It's always hard to decide what content should go in your
opening blog post, especially for a writer. Do I talk about my writing? Myself?
What I'm reading or watching or listening to? Writers writing about writing is
one of the most boring things to ever hit the internet, but as writers, we tend
to be introverts, who don't like talking about our personal lives.
So to avoid going over the top on any subject, I'll brush on
them all. I'll try just giving you an introduction to B.T. Clearwater, a little
insight into who I am.
I write paranormal romance, horror, fantasy, science fiction, crime, and even a few westerns when the fancy strikes me. I focus mostly on paranormal romance right now, as I have one novel coming out in September in that genre, and I'm in the planning stages for a second. I write under a few different names, but I'll let you figure them out. No reason to release all the tension this early on. But I don't really worry, honestly, about genre when I start work on a story. A story is a story, if you tell it right, so why worry about labeling it needs it?
And my reading is similarly varied. Right now, I'm reading books in the genres of horror, crime, and paranormal romance. Again, a good story is a good story, no matter the advertising label slapped on it. And I'm enjoying all three stories equally, with Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan (the paranormal romance) being almost as tense and frightening as The Witcher Chime by Amity Green (the horror novel). Meanwhile, Issue Two of Crime Syndicate Magazine is as dark as both of them, and twice as gritty.
My musical tastes aren't nearly as encompassing as my reading and writing tastes. Admittedly, I'm a rocker. Halestorm. Disturbed. Stonesour. And of course, classic 80s and 90s rock, like Van Halen, Guns and Roses, and so on. It's not that I dislike other things--I can listen to just about anything and not complain--but the heavy stuff lets me vent some of my pent up frustration, and often times, the lyrics are much more meaningful than people give them credit for. And I find myself fascinated by modern music videos, as they're often stories in and of themselves. Stories that, sometimes, seem unrelated to the lyrics of the song.
I don't watch nearly as much TV or as many movies as I probably should, but I'll fess to being a Walking Dead addict. Not so much for Fear the Walking Dead. Love Grimm, and while I loved Once Upon a Time at first, I stopped watching it because it became kind of a dumping ground for Disney's fairy tales. On Sundays you won't pull me away from Game of Thrones unless the Bills are playing, and then I'll watch it later. Believe it or not, I also really enjoy Into the Badlands and D.C.'s Legends of Tomorrow, mostly because of their over-the-top characters, spiffy dialogue, and great casting. My favorite movies are Star Wars, The Princess Bride, Indiana Jones, Shrek, and The Lord of the Rings.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about my family. I'm twice-divorced. Seems my ability to write romance far exceeds my ability to maintain it in real life. I have two strong, independent daughters and two smart, driven sons. I used to be a cat person, but my last two dogs have changed my mind. So now I have a very old cat and a too-smart-for-her-own-good dog who uses cuteness like a billy club.
I do not discuss politics, religion, or social issues on the
internet for two reasons. First, arguing these things on the internet, no
matter which side you take, is a great way to alienate people and drive away
potential readers/friends. Second, when you get right down to it, I'm just a
storyteller, an entertainer. My job isn't to rub the smelly dirt of my reality
in your nose and make you take sides in something. My job is to give you a break from that reality, an escape from
the daily back biting, bitterness, and vitriol that clutters up your mind. I
can't do that if I'm beating you over the head with morals or themes or
self-righteous preaching from either side of the political aisle. It's not that
I don't want my writing to mean something. Quite the opposite. I want it to be
that thing that leaves you thinking about it, and lets that escape from reality
linger and ferment into something intoxicating. I just don't want to pour that
drink down your gullet--I want you to imbibe of your own accord.
So there you go. That's B.T. Clearwater in a nutshell. Or a nuthouse. I'll try to post at least every other week at first, upping it to weekly after that as I can. Hope you'll join me for future posts!
