I Don't Think So...but She Does.

[adam]

Sure it would be great to be the writter of a successful mainstream type novel thing which the wife thinks I can be, but I don't see it as a real possibility. I write fantasy fiction on a couple of different boards and thats it. Don't get me wrong...I'd like to have Steven King, or Tom Clancy money but let us face reality, and odds.
By the way....are there any fat positive novels on the market? I mean one that I could actually find for sale, readily available?

[Buffie]

It's probably considered 'chick lit' but Jennifer Weiner is a wonderful author who writes about fat women in a positive way. I just finished a book called "The Next Big Thing" that was mostly size positive, and I forget the author's name, sorry. But to answer your question, yes, there are fat positive novels, although not always easy to find. A recent Entertainment Weekly featured a few of them in their book review section, but again, I am unfortunately not much help because I don't remember which issue, and I've already taken all of my old ones to the salon. I know one had a connection with Marlon Brando, however the review wasn't too positive. Said the book wasn't that great, although not terrible, featured a fat male spy in China. I think it was one of the September issues, pretty sure.
Good luck in your search.
Hugs,
~Buffie

[fatlane]

All the Elvish women in Tolkein's works are over 300 lbs. Somehow, Hollywood and the fantasy artists got them all wrong.

I've got a novel languishing where there's lots of large women in a remote-control future, but it's, well... languishing. Maybe if I had a requestive audience I could be tempted to dust it off again and post it here...

[ataraxia]

Originally Posted by fatlane

I've got a novel languishing where there's lots of large women in a remote-control future, but it's, well... languishing. Maybe if I had a requestive audience I could be tempted to dust it off again and post it here...

You just need to figure out how to channel Philip K. Dick and you'll be in business!

[fatlane]

1: Charlie Honda in the Cold

It is so cold out here, Charlie.
Why isn't there something you could take for cold weather? Instead you gotta dress up in coats and stuff and stand outside freezing, waiting for the man. Good thing the apartments behind you block the wind.
You gotta look into that, Charlie. Make something so folks hallucinate heat or whatever. It can be done. Just talk to that neurologist dude to figure out the right receptors and you got a lock, man. It may even give you a buzz. That would be cool. And if not, it would be legal. That rules, too.
Instead it is freezing. It is freezing as chortu. Dallas is supposed to be hot, but they only trot out the heat in the summer to fool everyone and then it drops down cold in January. At least there isn't any snow.
Where the chortu is that needle Ridley?
There he is. Coming up the street. About time. Check your watch, Charlie. It's 2:30. He was supposed to meet you at 2. Loser.
"Ridley! Where were you, dude?"
"Sorry, Charlie. Running a little late."
"It's 2 budding 30!"
"Sorry, man. 2:30? I'm that late?" Ridley's playing the innocent simp. Just an act, and Charlie's not fooled.
"Forget about it. You got the money?"
"Yeah. You got the formula and a sample?"
"Yeah. Give me the money first."
"Effdisk that. Give me your stuff."
"Effdisk yourself. You first."
"No. You."
Spore, Charlie, you got a deadlock here. Try negotiating with the needle. "No. You." Brilliant negotiations, Charlie.
"How about we bring both out and we trade at the same time?"
"No."
"Spore! Why not, Charlie?"
"You can run faster than me and you'll grab my stuff and run off with the money."
"You don't trust me, then?"
"Nobody trusts you, Ridley. You just offered the best price."
"Chortu, everyone trusts me. Gimmee the stuff."
"Nobody trusts you. You never tell anyone your full name. You're just Ridley."
"That's for protection."
"It's for budding running off without paying anyone."
"Spore, Charlie, you can trust me. Just give me the stuff."
"Forget about it. The deal's off. You make me stand here in the budding cold, show up late, and won't hand me the money first. Put the money down and walk back 20 feet or you don't get spore."
Chortu, but it's cold out here, Charlie. You gonna stand here while Ridley thinks it over? What if you turn around and walk away?
He'd shoot you in the back, so don't do that. That would be a bad thing. Just stand and freeze and wish you had a hat on in this budding wind.
What a budding needle! He's STILL THINKING! He's doing it to mess with your head, Charlie. He wants you to blink first. Don't give him the satisfaction. Stand firm. Don't budge.
You got the advantage, anyway. You're freezing to death out here, so it's harder for you to move. Brilliant plan to make him show up late while you froze.
Effdisk the plan, Charlie. It's time to warm up. Is there any way to leave him while walking backwards? There's still that shoot you in the back thing.
You hate Ridley, don't you, Charlie? Nobody would blame you for it.
"OK, Charlie. We got a deal. Let me change the terms some."
"No budding way. Set the money down now."
"Listen, man. You put down the sample first. Then I get it and leave the money. Then you get the money and leave the formula. You can put it under that bottle, there." Ridley points at a pop bottle in the gutter. "That way, it won't blow away."
Sounds good, Charlie, but it needs one more twist.
"You take half the sample after you leave the money, then I put down the formula."
"Why is that, Charlie?"
"Just to make sure you can't aim anything or run fast."
"Fair enough. We got a deal?"
"Yeah. We got a deal."
The things you gotta do to sell a designer drug these days. Charlie, you gotta move up to the bigger leagues one of these days, where you do the deal all on paper and eat Chinese food after everyone shakes hands.
Charlie puts the sample down. Now we got business. Now we got some action here.
Why isn't Ridley moving?
"OK, Charlie, why don't you move back 20 feet?"
"Oh. Sorry." Charlie moves back 20 feet, but is still real cool and all in spite of not realizing he was supposed to give Ridley some space. Figures Ridley would keep that part of the deal secret until now. Just one more unpleasant aspect of his ratlike character.
Ridley sets down a small case. He picks up the sample. He looks it over. Come on, Ridley, take the stuff. Half is all you need.
Ridley takes a swig and holds up the flask. It's half empty. Score.
Ridley moves back 20 feet.
OK, Charlie, go get your money.
Charlie moves up 20 feet and looks at the case. Open it, Charlie. Make sure it's all there.
Charlie opens the case and spore if there isn't a pile of cash in it. Score.
Charlie picks up the case and moves back 20 feet.
Your turn, Ridley. Finish it off.
Why is Ridley looking at you like that? Is he insane? He needs to finish the deal. What is wrong with him?
Or is the stuff having a way kewel effect on him? That would be rokkin.
Ridley's nuts. He's just standing there.
Ridley points at the ground.
"What? What the chortu is it?"
Ridley points again and is real mad.
"Spore, Ridley, finish the deal!"
Ridley spits out the stuff and pulls a gaugun. Ridley hollers out, "HONDA! YOU BUDDING DOUBLECROSSER!"
Chortu! Move, Charlie! Move your carcass! Charlie jags around a corner and runs to an opening of an alleyway.
And where does Ridley get off calling you a doublecrosser? He's the one that didn't swallow the stuff you spiked to double strength so he'd be all laid out and couldn't kill you once you gave him all your stuff.
Now he's gonna kill you, Charlie. He's got a gaugun and he's not afraid to use it.
Whatever happened to the days when guns used gunpowder and made a chortu of a noise? Now these damn electromagnets meant Ridley could ice your carcass in silence, Charlie.
Charlie heads into the alleyway and trips over trash cans.
Charlie dives into a pile of trash from the cans he tipped over. It's camouflage and he can still see out from it.
Charlie waits a really long time. No sign of Ridley.
Charlie waits some more. Ridley isn't there. This trash stinks, Charlie.
Maybe he's not chasing Charlie anymore.
Yeah, right. Keep hiding, Charlie.
Charlie hears police sirens not too far away. They get closer. Charlie gets out of the trash and walks out of the alleyway. It's safe now.
The cops pull up around the corner from Charlie, where he left Ridley.
Charlie walks around the corner to see the show.

[fatlane]

Dude! They're loading Ridley on a gurney! That stuff must have been absorbed into his blood from his mouth lining. He's in goo-goo land now. Serves the doublecrosser right.
Charlie walks on by and turns the corner at the end of the block. Charlie plans to take a shower when he gets home.
Charlie endures some more cold as he waits for the bus.
Charlie gets on the bus. Charlie sits down.
Charlie freaks out after the bus starts moving. The formula! The formula, Charlie! Oh budding spore the cops got the formula now and you can't make any more magic with it! It's lost forever and won't even get made illegal because they only got one case of some needle OD'ing on it and that's not enough for the Congressional Chemical Committees!
What's worse, you can't party any more with it once you run out of your stuff at home! K'chortu for Ridley! Charlie hopes Ridley has the worst trip of his worthless life.
Charlie sees the cops load Ridley into an ambulance. Worthless doublecrossing needle. The bus picks up speed and Ridley fades in the distance.
Charlie has a rotten ride home. Charlie has a rotten walk up to his apartment. Charlie has a rotten opening of his apartment door.
Charlie finds joy in seeing his girlfriend Cheri taking a nap on the sofa. She is gorgeous. Too bad there's not enough new stuff for her to get high. That's the price of beauty: takes almost three times as many chemicals to affect your system. Charlie loves you anyway, Cheri. You get him high in so many ways.
Cheri wakes up because Charlie is still stomping around in anger. She opens her eyes and puts some effort into sitting up straight. "Hey, honey, how'd it go for you?"
Oh man she looks so hot when she's sitting up. "Huh?"
"How'd it go? And quit drooling. I know you love me." That laugh is magic, dude.
"Oh. I got burned."
"Aw, I'm sorry. What went down?" Cheri holds her arms out to her right. That's the signal for Charlie to sit down and be heavily cuddled. Charlie accepts.
Charlie sits down and takes his boots off as Cheri hugs him. "I'm never dealing with Ridley again. Needle cost me everything."
"Aw, that's awful." Cheri kisses Charlie. "What's in the case?"
"Ridley's money."
"So how is it you got burned? You got the money?"
"Yeah, but I didn't get the formula back. No partying down for you, I'm afraid, and the cops'll pick it up."
"Cops?"
"Someone must have seen Ridley all passed out and called them."
"Passed out? What the chortu happened?"
"He took half the sample, but spit it out to be clever. Too bad for him it got absorbed into his stream from his mouth. Probably from under the tongue."
"I told you making it 20 times strength would do him in."
"I thought I made it double."
"Spore, Charlie, that's why you shouldn't make stuff when you're high, like Joe says."
"Joe can effdisk himself. That's when I'm inspired."
"Well, you got the money at least. Take off that coat and we'll have some fun. I'll order some pizzas." Cheri gets up to go to the phone and looks wonderful in her jeans and sweater as she passes Charlie.
Yeah, you do that, Cheri. "Sure." Oh man Charlie you are one lucky dropout to have a hot babe like Cheri. And she's an exotic dancer, too. Score of scores. Take the budding coat off NOW, Charlie.
Charlie hears a crinkle of paper in his coat. He checks the pocket. DUDE!
"WHOOOOO! WHOOOOO-HOOOOO!"
"Spore, Charlie, I'm on the phone, will you hush a minute?"
"Cheri, guess what! It's awesome!"
"What is it?"
"I must have made a copy of the formula! I found it in my coat!"
"That's great, honey! Now hush while I order!"
Charlie sits back down and studies the beautiful formula. This is so rokkin! You had a copy in your coat all along and you didn't even know it, Charlie!
It's almost like you never gave the formula to Ridley in the first place. Score, Charlie. You the man.

[fatlane]

OK, so there you are. Maybe it gets moved, maybe it doesn't. If you likes, then I'll work at it some more... I've got a lot more already written, but this is the kernel of the piece.

[TallFatSue]

Originally Posted by adam

By the way....are there any fat positive novels on the market? I mean one that I could actually find for sale, readily available?

Here you go:
Murder of a Smart Cookie:
A Scumble River Mystery by Denise Swanson
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...51215842&itm=1


Denise Swanson is one of my favorite authors and her Scumble River Mystery Series (seven books so far) is set in a fictional small town in Illinois. The dirty deeds take place mostly off-stage, so her books are mostly driven by the character interactions, which can be pretty funny sometimes. Denise Swanson is a supersize woman (I've met her a few times at events in Ann Arbor, Michigan), and her books have a size-positive undercurrent but they don't focus on it.

If you're looking for a book that dwells on fat acceptance, this isn't it; but if you want to read about a fat woman who is treated like a real human being then this is just the thing. I loved her fat-friendly comments on the interview page of her web site.

http://www.deniseswanson.com

Girls should be judged for something besides their looks. Luckily, I had a good high school experience myself, but I had a fairly strong ego considering I was the fat girl.

Skye is obviously very comfortable in her own skin. Do your readers appreciate a character they can identify with -- who isn't tall, thin, blond and rich?

Yes, they really do. My intent was that Skye be a realistic thirty-something -- attractive but not a size six, and has a good profession but not necessarily made a lot of money. One reader said she found it unrealistic that a woman of Skye's "size" would have men attracted to her. I found this both infuriating and sad. But many readers said that they are glad to see a plus-size sleuth -- that big women don't always get the credit they deserve. I've been plus-size my whole life and always had boyfriends. This is because I don't let myself think negatively about myself. I use the same principal with Skye: if she feels attractive and acts attractive, then she will be treated as an attractive woman and have men ask her out. Another reader asked just how overweight Skye is, because for a woman who wears plus sizes, she seems to wear a lot of shorts. As to her weight, in my mind Skye feels good about herself, so she wears what she wants. Many authors with a large heroine make her unhappy and trying to lose weight, whereas other authors are size-positive but make her weight the focus of the whole book. I keep it in perspective: her size is just another attribute, like her hair. Skye shows that whether a woman looks like a Barbie doll or a Rubens painting, she can do anything and experience life to the fullest.

[TallFatSue]

Now that I think about it, her 3rd book Murder of a Sleeping Beauty, probably has her most overt size activism in her series. It's about beauty pageants, popularity and body image among teenagers, and hits a lot of these issues head-on, like how some parents live vicariously through their children and push them to unrealistic standards. Otherwise most of her books keep the size-positive messages beneath the surface. They're there, but pretty subtle. Anyway that's my two cents.

Murder of a Sleeping Beauty by Denise Swanson
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...51205480&itm=7

[adam]

much ass grassy ass.

[fatlane]

I almost objected to the sophomoric nature of the previous post until I read it aloud.

Play on.

[Obesus]

...by my friend and SF Mystery-Writer (and now vampire novelist too!), Lynne Murray, take on size acceptance head-on and they are very well plotted with great characters...well worth a read....

http://members.aol.com/murraymade/mysteries.html

[adam]

I will follow this lead...thanks for the link.

[TallFatSue]

Originally Posted by adam

much ass grassy ass.

Hey, let's show a little decorum toward us fat women, will ya? Yes I have a Hugh Jass, but it hasn't been grassy since I wore a hula skirt.

Merci beaucoup. Danke schön.

Sue (<- wise ass)

I can be a real wise ass, and given the size of my ass, I must be loaded with wisdom.

[fatgirl33]

November is a great time to work on a novel...

Check out NaNoWriMo.org - National Novel Writing Month!

I've never done it, but know a few people who have and say it's a lot of fun.

fg33