I’ve thought long and hard about this and it’s time to close this blog off, for the most part and start up the big author blog on my website.( If I can figure out how to do it.) I have a wordpress website and it seems to me it shouldn’t be a big deal to just add a page…right?
I’m shooting to do this in the next week. And to make a big deal out of it. I’ll still be writing about chances and how they play into what I write and what I do with my life. And hope to spur some discussions on how we make chances by not only being open to them, but looking for them and actively seeking them out.
My new blog will be themed toward the genre I’m taking a chance on. I mean, starting a genre is a big deal. I don’t expect to set the world on fire, but having a nice sized bit of flame going would satisfy me.
Yes, I mean PiratePunk. Not enough steam to slide into the steampunk slot… Not enough historical pirate to be historical. (I’m way too rebellious to let the limitations of actual historical accuracy slow me down.) It’s fantasy, but no dragons or fairies. It’s got elements of modern life, but urban fantasy doesn’t really work either. It is steamy. (Not in the hydraulics fashion.)
I’ve thought about how to define PiratePunk in a quick phrase. The elevator pitch, as it may. I’ve come up with this…
Fiction with piratittude.
I could tag this with Magical fiction with piratittude. Or romantic fiction with piratittude.
Pirattitude really is the keyword here. Penned by Captain Slappy and Old Chumbucket in the book “Pirattitude!: So You Wanna Be a Pirate?” in 2005. These are the same lads who invented the International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It isn’t all about the ARRRRR. Or the rum drinking, or the accessories of pirates. Though all of that is really neat.
I see piratittude as a way of viewing the world and the making the most of everything the comes my way. With a belief that I must make the most of where the wind blows me. There is adventure no matter where I land or how old I am.
And that is what I write. There won’t always be actual pirates in my books. But there will always be pirattitude. Whether I set my characters on an alien planet, a couple looking for some zing for their life, or set a group of scrappy mercenaries fighting to survive on a world changed by a swift speeding up of time…there will be pirattitude. Adventure is an attitude.
Pirattitude is more than a simple bit of wearing a tricorn or teaching a parrot to recite Edgar Allen Poe, I like to think my new genre embraces the idea that pirattitude is the technique to not only survive adversity, but to thrive amidst it. And rise above the villains of life.
I’ll start this new blog off with a month long contest, via Facebook and the blogs I am a regular part of. I’m going to give away a Sony Pocket reader, a kraken parasol and assorted other goodies. As well as books, buttons, etc. I’m looking to boost my blog followers and my Facebook followers. There will be a bit of an adventure and a lot of fun… As I ask people to ponder…
Where did the kraken go?
You’ll understand when you visit the new site! ;-)
I’ll post links to it next week…if I get it going! With luck it will be part of my website, listed under simply Maureen O. Betita.
Can you transfer these posts to the new site? There's probably a way to do it, but it's beyond my capabilities. :) I like your definition of pirattitude. There's definitely plenty of adventure to be had in life, and the best thing to do is embrace it, and enjoy it. And you seem to always do that. :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | 04/25/2011 at 05:29 PM
If I can figure out how to do it, I'll eventually transfer these blogs! It's not like I'm totally closing this one down. I hope to keep it as a link. I did pay for it for a year, afterall!
I'm just hoping my tech husband can figure out how to open the blog up on my website by Sunday!
Posted by: Maureen | 04/25/2011 at 05:42 PM