A clubhouse fave and fellow unicorn lover Tali Spencer is here today to talk answering the door without embarrassment.
See our tag team review of Breaking the Ice HERE!
An Author’s Wardrobe
Writing is one of those occupations without a dress code.
This is enormously liberating, on the one hand, and a kind of self-defeating
mindset on the other. I know a few authors who dress in nothing but pajamas day
in and day out. For trips to the grocery store, or other such outings, they don
sweatpants and baggy tee shirts. Very few authors write, or do errands, in the
buff.
Other authors opt for what might be called “casual style.” I
fall into this category, as witness this photo of me with casually stylish
fellow author Lexi Ander.
For one thing, I cannot write in pajamas. Those are what I
sleep in. I put them on and my brain begins to wind down. Watching television
is about the extent of my creative energy at that point. Snuggling into my nice
warm bed would be even better. My dreams are very creative. But putting
anything into words simply does not happen in pjs.
Also, the love of my life thinks a person in sweats looks
like he/she has given up on life. I don’t want my sex life to suffer.
For me, jeans and a tee shirt or pretty top work perfectly. Cotton
or linen preferred, because polyester, like wool, can make me itch. Few things
pull me out of a scene faster than when my skin nags to be scratched. For that
same reason, I never get haircuts on days when I’m planning to write. Bodily
comfort is essential to being able to immerse deeply into another world or
character and bring them to life on the page. Nothing can be allowed to intrude
on the journey.
Authors do dress for the journey, on occasion. For Breaking the Ice, my newest release, I
incorporated parts of my former Wisconsin wardrobe. Lots of winter gear,
parkas, and ice-gripping winter boots, albeit in male versions. This kind of
wardrobe transference is easier with contemporary stories. Not that I haven’t
done it with fantasy—I have a separate closet for role-playing clothing and
accessories. Really. I do. Familiarity with lacing and buckles can be useful.
Some authors do pull off amazing “creative style” on a daily
basis. They manage to achieve a distinctive authorial look. One author friend
wears boho, artsy tops and bottoms—embroidered and flowing, like she stepped
out of a Stevie Nicks video. She looks amazing wherever she goes. Another
friend, a writer of paranormal romances, almost always wears a dragon item of
clothing, usually a tee shirt, but sometimes a sweater or jacket. She’s
succeeded in creating a signature style that goes with her books. I don’t know
if she cooks wearing those things, though.
Sometimes at conventions I attempt to evoke what I write. In
the past, when I was younger and fitter, I wore leather and carried a sword.
That was before swords were barred from such gatherings. Yes, that long ago. There’s fan art of me in
leather, but these days I only haul it out at Halloween to shock local trick or
treaters. At conventions, readers are more likely to see me clad in a tee shirt
with a unicorn horn on it, or with a handmade basilisk perched on my shoulder.
If you see me with a basilisk, chances are I’m giving it away, so inquire if
interested.
When at home, when writing, when lost in my worlds or
following my characters around, I am wearing comfy clothes that possess a
minimum of casual style: jeans, boots, and something on top. Clothes I can
answer the door in without embarrassment.
The writing may take place in her head, but this author
dresses like the suburban middle-aged woman whose body she inhabits.
BLURB:
For Matt
Wasko, February in Wisconsin is the best time of the year, and ice fishing on
Lake Winnebago is his idea of heaven. With shanty villages cropping up,
barbeques on the ice, monster sturgeon to spear, and plenty of booze to keep
everybody warm, things couldn’t be better—until a surprise storm hits and an
uninvited guest shows up at his frozen doorstep.
Matt’s not
happy to see John Lutz, a coworker who cracks lame gay jokes at Matt’s expense.
But John’s flimsy new ice shelter got blown across the lake, and it wouldn’t be
right to leave even a jerk outside to freeze. Would it?
In the close
quarters of Matt’s fabulous ice shanty, between stripping off wet
clothes, misadventures with bait, and a fighting trophy-sized walleye, the two
men discover creative ways to keep the cold at bay. And when John confesses his
long-running attraction, Matt must decide if he can believe in John’s change of
heart—and crack the ice for a chance at finding love.
Buy links: Dreamspinner Press / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks
About Tali Spencer
Tali Spencer
delights in erotic fantasy and adventure, creating worlds where she can explore
the heights and shadows of sexual passion. A hopeful romantic and lover of all
things exotic, she also writes high fantasy and science fiction. If you would
like to see inspiration pictures for her characters, or glimpse how she
envisions her worlds, including works in progress, check out her Pinterest
boards.
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