Opportunity

Alright, so you know that phrase when Opportunity knocks you should answer? Well, a little while ago I had exactly that situation happen to me. I mean, there I was, doing some laundry, chatting with my friend AJ Downey and more or less bemoaning the fact that I wasn't thrilled with how my first foray into the paranormal romance arena wasn't going as well as I would like it to. I was trying it in third person and it just wasn't flowing, there was no direction there was no- hello!

Next thing I know she's throwing question after question at me about the characters, the story, the overall plan etc and then she's suddenly emailing me my first chapter from the first person perspective of the heroine, Chloe.

What the hell? Did i just stumble ass over tea-kettle into a collaborative writing project the likes of which I have never attempted or even considered before?

Why yes, yes I have. And it has been glorious. This Thursday April 9th will be two weeks, fourteen days exactly since we started this project and we're more than fifty thousand words into the writing and the characters are becoming rich and vibrant. Some of them you love, some you love to hate, and others you just want to see die a horrible death for their crimes. I absolutely LOVE it.

And I was almost going to try to talk AJ down. I appreciated her wanting to help but for a half a moment I wanted to be stubborn, I like to do things myself even when I need help and so far that hasn't gotten me far. I've more troubles than I can handle because I didn't accept help, but who doesn't have trouble in their life, right? So for once, I decided to swallow my pride and accept a helping hand when it was offered and I have to say it is probably one of the smartest decisions I have made in my entire life.

'I Am The Alpha', is growing into a much better and much stronger story than I envisioned when I first got the idea some four years ago. And I sat on it. I left it, percolating in the back of my mind because I was afraid to start it.

And why?

Because there is a stigma, a toxic cloud that surrounds the very idea of a male writer in the romance and erotica genres. And there is the crux of our problem. My reproductive organs dangle, vulnerable to a swift kick in the pride. But what difference should a chromosome or reproductive organs really make in the long run?

I understand the concern. Men are, as a whole, a touch less mature and in touch with their emotional states than the average woman. Yeah, we're testosterone fueled and we'll typically choose smashing away a problem like the Hulk before we'd talk it out.

But does that mean that we shouldn't be given a chance? Female authors have struggled for decades to be taken seriously and are still frequently overlooked by publishers and by readers in other genres in favor of male writers. That is very much not fair to anyone and I am sure a great many wonderful stories are gathering dust somewhere because the woman that wrote it was told readers wouldn't like that it wasn't written by a man. So why should the reverse be any better?

I believe the writers gender should be second to the quality of the story itself. 'I Am The Alpha' really is shaping up into a fantastic story and I can't wait to give you guys a front row view into the world of the Pacific Northwest Pack.