Author Archives: Victoria Janssen

About Victoria Janssen

Victoria Janssen [she, her] currently writes cozy space opera for Kalikoi. The novella series A Place of Refuge begins with Finding Refuge: Telepathic warrior Talia Avi, genius engineer Miki Boudreaux, and augmented soldier Faigin Balfour fought the fascist Federated Colonies for ten years, following the charismatic dissenter Jon Churchill. Then Jon disappeared, Talia was thought dead, and Miki and Faigin struggled to take Jon’s place and stay alive. When the FC is unexpectedly upended, Talia is reunited with her friends and they are given sanctuary on the enigmatic planet Refuge. The trio of former guerillas strive to recover from lifetimes of trauma, build new lives on a planet with endless horizons, and forge tender new connections with each other.

Harper Lee Has a Backlist of One

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Whenever I begin to worry too much about goals, and success, and output, and all that, I remind myself: Harper Lee. Harper Lee wrote a novel. It was her first novel. She was past thirty years old when To Kill … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, writing | 3 Comments

Reading and Writing Erotica as a Feminist Act

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Recently, I followed a link to a fascinating-sounding blog post on erotica only to find that I had already read the post almost a year ago, and had in fact commented on it. I still stand by my comment, and … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, reading, romance novels, writing | 4 Comments

The Desire to Publish

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

What makes people want to have their fiction published? I’ve thought about this often: how some people burn for publication and others don’t; how for some, feedback from readers is a requirement, while for others simpy to write is enough; … Continue reading →

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Jeannie Lin Guest Post: Feminism in the Tang Dynasty

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest Jeannie Lin, Golden Heart finalist for her historical romance novel Butterfly Swords, which has, as of 7/15/09, sold to Harlequin Mills and Boon! My muses — four extraordinary women of the Tang dynasty. The characters at … Continue reading →

Posted in guest, historical fiction, research, romance novels | 17 Comments

Doing What Interests You

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” –Katherine Hepburn Tune in tomorrow for Jeannie Lin’s guest post “Feminism in the Tang Dynasty: The Footbinding Dilemma.”

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Edward Thomas, "The Owl"

Posted on June 6, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

The Owl Downhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved;Cold, yet had heat within me that was proofAgainst the North wind; tired, yet so that restHad seemed the sweetest thing under a roof. Then at the inn I had food, … Continue reading →

Posted in thomas, wwi poetry | 2 Comments

Ann Aguirre Guest Post – On Worldbuilding

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest Ann Aguirre, author of futuristic romance and urban fantasy. # Some people make exhaustive lists before they start writing. They chart things and color code them and write them on cards. I’m not one of them. … Continue reading →

Posted in guest, sf/f, writing craft | 3 Comments

Striving for Perfection

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Striving for absolute shiny perfection is the worst thing for me. No, really. My idea of perfection is just a little too perfect. I could go mad, trying to write the Platonic ideal story; I know I could. I could … Continue reading →

Posted in writing, writing process | 6 Comments

The Faces of World War One

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

This post originated as a guest post for Lust in Time in December, 2008. I rarely use photographs to give me character ideas, though occasionally after the story is in progress, or finished, I realize the character looks like a … Continue reading →

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On writing The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

This post originated as a guest post for Lust in Time in December, 2008. The inspiration for The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover was in a contest; I think it was in 2001. I am often inspired … Continue reading →

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