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.

Revisions Take Time

Posted on February 21, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I have rediscovered something, while working on revisions for The Moonlight Mistress: available time to write does not directly translate into wordcount. If I’m writing dialogue or description, but most especially dialogue, the words pile up faster. Word acquisition slows … Continue reading →

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Types of Paranormal Romance

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I first entered writing through science fiction and fantasy, and still read from that perspective when, these days, I read paranormal romance. I enjoy deconstructing the elements of the genre, and comparing and contrasting paranormals to non-romantic fantasy. Maybe it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, paranormal, romance novels, sf/f, writing craft | 2 Comments

Edits in pov

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

These examples are from an erotica short story I wrote many years ago, which taught me a lot about point of view. The story started out in third-person past. Eventually, I changed it to second-person present. Have a look at … Continue reading →

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Raymond Chandler, on writing stories

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.” — Raymond Chandler

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Some Examples of Line Edits

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Here are some examples of how I revise, taken from The Moonlight Mistress. Original: Men stood and read the papers under streetlights and in the street itself, blocking wagons whose drivers cursed. Some men cheered, and some shouted angrily. Singing … Continue reading →

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Thematic Worldbuilding in The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Greetings! My December 2008 release was the erotic novel The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover. It’s my first published novel, and though there are no paranormal elements, it’s set in a fantasy world. More accurately, it’s a … Continue reading →

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Soldiers of the 369th

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

African-American soldiers of the 369th (15th New York) who won the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action. I love looking at photographs from the period I’m researching. It reinforces that I’m reading about real people, who lived real lives, … Continue reading →

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Valentine Playlist

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Valentine Playlist “Sunday Kind of Love,” Etta James“Whatta Man,” Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue“Dance Me to the End of Love,” Madeleine Peyroux“The Queen of Argyll,” Silly Wizard“Trouble,” Alannah Myles“Lover’s Cross,” Jim Croce“No Ordinary Love,” Deftones (Sade cover)“Love’s Divine,” Seal“Baby, I Love … Continue reading →

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Making It Good

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Anyone can write smut. Whether they can write good smut is another thing entirely. There is no right answer to, “What makes good smut?” But I have opinions on what makes good smut. Several opinions. 1. It’s never just sex. … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, writing craft | 2 Comments

Making Stories Stand Out

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Be Different. Be. Different. I was talking about experimentation and difference in the last post. I think my attention to difference is one of the reasons I manage to sell stories consistently. Erotica stories, by their nature, are somewhat the … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, short fiction, writing, writing craft | 4 Comments