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.

Historical Detail in Fiction

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve been putting together my thoughts on how I include history in novels, for example the World War One detail in Moonlight Mistress. The first thing is to create a sense of normality. The characters do ordinary things in an … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, writing craft | 5 Comments

Siegfried Sassoon, "Sick Leave"

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Sick Leave When I’m asleep, dreaming and lulled and warm,–They come, the homeless ones, the noiseless dead.While the dim charging breakers of the stormBellow and drone and rumble overhead,Out of the gloom they gather about my bed.They whisper to my … Continue reading →

Posted in sassoon, wwi poetry | Comments Off on Siegfried Sassoon, "Sick Leave"

Simon Sheppard quote

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

From The Burning Pen: Sex Writers on Sex Writing, Simon Sheppard’s essay “Mondo Pomo Porno”: “So one of the things porn can do, especially well-crafted, thoughtful erotica, is help convince us that sex is worth not just talking about but … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, quotes | Comments Off on Simon Sheppard quote

the big bang theory of fiction

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

The “Muppet Morsels” glosses on my DVDs of The Muppet Show are sometimes only loosely related to the episode, so it’s hard to remember where this one came from. I paraphrase: “every skit ends with either an explosion or a … Continue reading →

Posted in quotes, writing craft | 2 Comments

Learning Who Your Characters Are

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I am not one of those writers whose characters talk to them, not in the literal hearing-voices-in-your-head way, nor do I like using that as a metaphor for character creation. Probably because I like to be in control. I also … Continue reading →

Posted in writing craft, writing process | 9 Comments

Philadelphia Fantastic Reading

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’ll be reading at Philadelphia Fantastic this week: February 27, 20097:30 pmMoonstone Art Center110A S. 13th Street (13th and Sansom)Philadelphia, PA Philly Fantastic readings usually last approximately an hour, so this is a long reading. Attendees are invited out afterwards … Continue reading →

Posted in promo, the duchess | Comments Off on Philadelphia Fantastic Reading

Sex scenes in romance novels: what I like

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Sex scenes in romance novels, I feel, need to move the plot along by encompassing some sort of character change or modulation. But what else makes a sex scene a success? Clearly, it’s one of those questions in which individual … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels, writing craft | 2 Comments

Mark Twain on Mardi Gras

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“The largest annual event in New Orleans is a something which we arrived too late to sample–the Mardi-Gras festivities. I saw the procession of the Mystic Crew of Comus there, twenty-four years ago–with knights and nobles and so on, clothed … Continue reading →

Posted in holiday | Comments Off on Mark Twain on Mardi Gras

Synergy in Writing and Research

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

A good thing about writing several novels one after the other is that it becomes easier to notice patterns in the way one works. Some things I learned are generally applicable. For example, this time I know stretches of rough … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, research, writing craft | Comments Off on Synergy in Writing and Research

Suspension of Disbelief in Romance Novels versus Short Erotic Stories

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’m not making a huge point here, but I think it might be a significant one for how I approach writing erotica as opposed to longer romantic works. I think the reader of a short erotica story is more willing … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, genre, romance novels | Comments Off on Suspension of Disbelief in Romance Novels versus Short Erotic Stories