Book Review: Who the Hell is Rachel Wells? by J.R. Greenwell

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Chelsea Station Editions

Pages: 219

Who the Hell is Rachel Wells? is a debut collection of queer-themed stories, mostly centered around the world of drag queens, or potential drag queens, in small southern towns. Eleven engaging stories, some serious, some silly, some bittersweet, others joyous, and all of them unique.

Most notable for me were: The Scent of Honeysuckle, the touching story of Sammy, a warm-hearted gay teen living on the streets, doing anything to survive. Duplicity, about co-workers at a community center who open up to each other while being held hostage by a troubled gunman. And Virgil’s Eulogy, the over-the-top story of an over-the-hill drag queen who performs her last dramatic performance while give a Eulogy for his lost lover.

I didn’t find these stories particularly well written. They are, however, unique, moving, big-hearted, often funny, and always sprinkled with a healthy dash of campy bitchiness. These are character-driven stories, and these wonderful characters, with their spirited souls and injured hearts, are worth reading about.

I look forward to more from J.R. Greenwell.

The Loneliness of Writing – Real or Phantom?

I have finally come to consider myself a seasoned writer. Not because I’ve written a beautifully-composed, expertly-plotted best seller, but because when I close the door to my office and begin putting words to paper, I enter a state of exquisite calm which allows me to tap into my creative side.

Writing is one of my gateways to present awareness—the state of true consciousness—where my ego falls away and the illusion of division from this universe I live in vanishes. As words and ideas come to me, the rest of the world is in limbo, and I am in a state of simply being while the words pour through me.

I work in an office in my home in Palm Springs. I recall sitting here alone one day, looking out the window at the street, and realizing that even though I spend several hours a day here, alone, I am never lonely.  It is not because I have convers

ations with my characters, as some writers do. It’s because when I’m here I enter a state where loneliness doesn’t exist.

I realized that day that loneliness is a phantom of the ego, the product of critical over-thinking. It why people say they can feel lonely in a crowded room. It’s a mental dialogue that creates that sense of emptiness, of longing for attention, rather than the actual situation. To my way of thinking, loneliness is a psychological illusion, fuelled by the ego’s need to be recognized, whereas being alone is a physical fact and nothing to get upset about.

Below are a few pictures of the place where I’m never lonely:

Writing Tip - Building Readership

I belong to several online writing groups where topics about writing/publishing are bantered around endlessly. Most of it is both entertaining and interesting. Yesterday a writer posted his frustrations about not being able to grow his readership. He explained that he writes in a variety of genres—contemporary romance, historical, steampunk, paranormal, etc.—and his readers who like one genre drop him like a stone when they read another genre by him that they don’t like. He posed the question whether he should focus on one or two genres while he builds his readership.

He received an avalanche of advice—everything from narrowing his focus, to publishing many more books faster, to writing a series where the same characters are featured in several novels. I didn’t offer my $0.02 because I’ve not done that great a job of expanding my readership. But the question has been percolating in the back of my head so I thought I would blog about it as a way to clarify my thoughts.

It seemed to me he is focused on the wrong issue. His focus is on how to get more readers. It seems to me his focus should be on writing high quality stories, something that will knock the socks off readers, regardless of what genre it follows.

Admittedly, you can gather what I know about readers into a thimble and you’d still have plenty of room for other things, but I think what readers (at least this reader) enjoys most is: a great hook, fascinating character development, impeccable prose, a captivating plot, and an unexpected yet satisfying ending. Easy peasy, right? (grin)

My point is, in my view most readers don’t care if it’s contemporary vs. historical vs. paranormal. What they crave is a gripping, emotional story with quality writing. They want their emotional buttons pushed, and they want to enjoy the prose while that’s happening. If you can deliver that every time, in my humble opinion, then your readers will not only stick by you, they will clamor for more and tell their friends in the process.

My advice: write the stories you feel compelled to write, but focus on quality. If it takes you three years to deliver a quality product, then take three years. One of my favorite writers, Alex Jeffers, has only written three or four books in the last ten years, and each one is impeccable. I don’t care what genre he writes in, I will read anything he publishes because I know it will be great work. He never releases anything until it is entirely thought out and polished to a dazzling sheen. I have no idea if he has a large following, but I do know that all of the readers I’ve talked to who know him are as devoted as I am to his work.

Please don’t misunderstand; I’m not suggesting that my stories are in the same league as Alex Jeffers and Felice Picano and others of that caliber. What I’m saying is my focus is on improving my craft so that one day, hopefully, I will publish the kind of superior stories of those writers I so admire.

Build a quality mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door, or so the saying goes.

The Plain Of Bitter Honey Nominated for The Rainbow Booklist

I’m proud to announce that my latest novel, The Plain of Bitter Honey, has been nominated for the American Library Association Over The Rainbow Booklist. 

Over the Rainbow Books is a bibliography that reflects the LGBT experience and is meant for general adult readers. Books on the list are read and recommended by the Over The Rainbow Committee, of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender roundtable of the American Library Association. 

The final list will be announced in coming weeks. For a list of all nominees please see: http://www.glbtrt.ala.org/overtherainbow/archives/447

This is not the first time I’ve been nominated for a literary award. Below is a list of my awards won:

Island Song won the 2007 QBliss Magazine’s Excellence in Literature Award

The Lonely War won four awards at the 2010 Rainbow Awards:

         Best Overall Novel

         Best Historical Novel

         Best Characters

         Best Setting

Match Maker won the 2011 Rainbow Awards for Best Contemporary Fiction

Match Maker also won the Echo Magazine’s 2011 Best Novel of the Year.

A Culture Of Bullies

Since Mandela’s death, I’ve been reading more about his life and his views. One idea that he and I share is that he blasted the Iraq War and American imperialism. In one statement Mandela call Bush a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly,” and accused him of “wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust” by going to war in Iraq. “All that (Mr. Bush) wants is Iraqi oil,” he said. Mandela even speculated that then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan was being undermined in the process because he was black. “They never did that when secretary-generals were white,” he said. He saw the Iraq War as a greater problem of American imperialism around the world. “If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don’t care,” he said.

In the last fifteen years I’ve traveled to over fifty countries around the globe, and I can say with some authority that once you travel beyond the USA boarders, most everyone you meet shares Mandela’s view that America has become a global bully, throwing its military and secret intelligence weight around with appalling disregard for others. This is—like it or not, agree with it or not—how we are viewed by the world.

In the last five years, there has been a growing movement in this country to stop bullying of teenage gay kids. This battle is being waged in the schools and on social media, and frankly, it doesn’t seem to be effective. I think its time we, as a country, address the root problem, that we have created a culture where we attack whatever we don’t like. We are, as a people, bullies. In schools, in business, in politics, in international affairs, we have little tolerance for diverse opinions, methods and lifestyles. We have become sanctimonious, insisting that everyone fall in step with our shining example.

Unless we all begin to practice more humility and compassion, allowing that different doesn’t mean inferior, then we will continue to see our young people killing themselves, and we will continue to have the world view us with hatred born out of fear.

I believe this humility and compassion must be adopted at a personal level, and then at a community level. Only then, will it filter up to a national level. 

My 2014 Resolutions

My 2014 Resolutions:

1. Less talking about myself, less gossiping about others, more supportive words for others.

2. No Internet socializing until the day’s writing is done.

3. More time spent with my husband, friends, family.

4. Less political posts, more human interest posts.

5. Less alcohol, more green tea.

6. Less meat, more fruits and vegetables.

7. Less driving, more walking.

I think dealing in terms of ‘less’ or ‘more’ is more realistic that ‘no this’ or ‘no that’