The weekly opinion, links and inanity post.
Opinions:
1. Quartet Press, the press that almost was. From my point of view as an outsider, as an avid romance reader who owns a Kindle and spends a lot of time online, but who doesn’t know the principals from jack, I will say that QP’s implosion has no effect whatsoever on my positive feelings about e-publishing. However, the shoulder-shrugging, casual way some QP principals have dealt with it online, especially when contrasted with the mature and appropriately serious way a certain editor has dealt with it, I find really baffling. The impression I have is like when you have a friend who has fallen in love, and she brings her man to everyone’s house and gets him last minute invitation to a long-planned wedding, and talks and talks on for hours about how wonderful he is. Then you see her a week later and she says “Who? Oh him? Summer fling.”
2. BBAW and Romanceland reaction. An informal investigation suggests that BBAW, especially the awards component, has earned more dismissals and critique in Romanceland than in the other genres. We can review and grade books, and we can note with pride that our reviews of romance are better and more informed than any you could find in mainstream media. We can enjoy TV shows that feature competition and elimination, the Academy Awards, the MTV video awards, our kids’ varsity games, community recognition of Volunteer of the Year, and even compete in 5K road races in our hometown, without accusing the competition of ruining the fun and destroying community (in fact, many would argue these competitions enhance community). But unlike literary blogs, YA blogs, and SFF blogs, we can’t support — even in theory — a once a year contest that recognizes excellence in book blogging about romance? Hmmmm.
Links:
Just Janga has a terrific post up Exercising My Rights, a kind of readers’ bill of rights.
Robin has a great post up at Romancing the Blog on Bad Mothers in Romance, and the 50 comments thread just keeps getting better,
Many BBAW contests are happening this week, including my own giveaway of three romances with chef h/hs.
Coming Up this Week:
A True Blood Season Two Post Mortem, with an all-star panel of Wanderer, one of the three fab ladies who run The Scarlet Corset, historical and paranormal romance author Carolyn Jewel, and Robin/Janet, of RtB (see above) and Dear Author fame.
Hopefully, my review of Judith Ivory’s Black Silk, and a post on what makes a writer a professional.
Two personal items of no interest to you (sorry):
1. I discovered the Secret to Storing your Tupperware: store containers with tops ON! Yes, it takes up more room, but the joy of not spending 10 minutes sifting through mismatched tops and bottoms makes it well worth it. And you thought I was kidding when I said little things make me happy.
2. I also, alas, discovered the secret to highwaters. I could never figure out why people walked around with too-short pants. Why not buy the proper size?
Well, the other day I was walking past the mirror and I noticed something on my ass.
It was more ass.
The same day, I noticed that my pants are an inch shorter than they used to be. That inch would be stretched around my extra share of ass.
Am I going to buy pants that fit? Hell no. I’ll just buy cute socks.
I attribute the weight gain to blogging, by the way. You all owe me new pants.
Argyle socks make everything better.
Hey, I love this as a new feature! I didn’t realize it was ongiong, and I am so glad to see that it is! And the name is excellent, too.
Okay, on the tupperwares, I hear you on those covers. My problem, and maybe it’s just wrongheaded, but I feel like, if you store something with a strong smell in a tupperware, like a curry thing or something oniony, then the smell somehow deepens, whereas being stored with exposure to air will help the vessel further shed the smell. Also, isn’t a closed container more likely to breed bacteria? However, I have no evidence for either of these.
I’m also baffled by the reactions (or non-reactions) by certain people associated with QP. We’ve been bombarded with PR all summer, and now…nothing. I don’t think I have a right to know why they folded, but I think the long-winded posts and non-answers are ridiculous. If they can’t speak for legal reasons, then don’t say anything at all. Using a zillion words to say nothing is irritating.
I’m looking forward to reading your review of Black Silk. My copy just arrived. It will be my first romance by Judith Ivory.
We have given up on tupperware.
I have, however, not given up on my ass. So I totally agree with the no-new-pants policy. Which is why I’m soooooo happy that I have a job that does not require real pants. I have capris, I have jeans so long I need to wear 3 inch heels for them to clear the ground. And I have skirts.
None of which would matter if they were one inch shorter.
SarahT, I don’t know why but I feel a faint sense of alarm that Black Silk is to be your first Judith Ivory–and I wrote a DIK review for it at AAR. It is just so frigging unconventional that I think a Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas virgin needs a bit of bracing and encouragement before she goes into it. So, brace yourself. You’ve never read anything like it.
This is why I wear skirts. I also buy my pants really long that way they never get too high!
I live in Florida–I get to wear shorts for ten month, and sweatpants for the other two.
And let’s stay off the topic of asses, please…
I am addicted to tupperware. I proudly admit it.
I am baffled by those who are so very critical of the BBAW’s. So you don’t want to take part in it, good for you, but respect others who are involved and enjoy what Amy and the others who have worked long and hard to make it a success.
BBAW reminds me of the Olympics. It is the spirit of the games, the joys of coming together and celebrating the positive and cheering those who may win in their respect categories.
@ Sherry Thomas: Thanks, Sherry! I just looked up your AAR review.
I came late to many classic romance authors. I read my first Laura Kinsale two years ago and subsequently went on a major glom of her backlist. I’m also relatively new to the joys of Lisa Kleypas.
Great post! I’m adding myself to the “huh?” camp regarding the whining going on about BBAW. I dunno – maybe because we all love stories with happy endings, when we have a competition or an awards ceremony other people don’t see it as “bloggers winning awards” but rather as “bloggers losing awards” and think it’s detrimental. I’m no expert, though.
I think most romance bloggers are, at heart, very uncool. Non-readers think we’re lame because we love books (“Seriously, books?!?!”). Other bookies think we’re lame because we read “trash.” Because dontcha know that anyone who reads romance is an uneducated, unfulfilled housewife who gets her rocks off by fantasizing about Fabio. And besides, romance novels aren’t “real” books.
Sigh.
That I think is the issue with BBAW. It smacks of a popularity contest, and most romance bloggers I know (not all, but more than a few!) aren’t popular. We aren’t cool. And having a “contest” smacks of needing validation and needing to feel “cool.” Like high school. And gah, who wants to be reminded of high school?
That said, I have no issue with BBAW. I think both sides (SQUEEEEEEE! I WAS NOMINATED! or It sucks) were guilty of over-reacting. It’s a nice way to recognize some book bloggers. But let’s keep it in perspective. It’s not the damn Pulitzer, but it’s also not pure evil. If you like it, great. If you don’t, great. Whatever.
Wow, three Stepback posts in a row! You’re doing pretty good with this feature so far.
I’m pretty much resigned to too-short pants right now. I have freakishly long legs (in comparison with the rest of my body), and the only place I can find pants long enough is in the junior’s section. Then they inevitably shrink.
I think we’re even Jessica. You owe me new pants too – I spend way too much time sitting in my ass reading your words of wisdom!
What does it mean that my pants are getting longer (this is true, suddenly in last five years they get frayed at bottom). No, not losing weight, just losing ass. My Aunt warned me years ago about the family flat ass trait. So as far as I’m concerned, if I can’t see it, it isn’t happening and I don’t look!
BBAW/romance junkies…hmmm. As long as we’re generalizing; Wendy, do you think SF/fantasy reviewers are popular people who are used to competitions?
Tupperware, don’t you know you need to use glass! My husband sat next to a biochemist on a plane one time who investigates the ill effects of plastic compounds from food containers on human health. He replaced every plastic container in the house and he’s usually not too reactionary. What do I know.
Heloise: Whenever I give a reader’s advisory presentation on the romance genre to other librarians, I often say it’s a toss up on what group of readers has the biggest inferiority complex: romance readers or sci/fi readers
Because dontcha know all science fiction readers are 40 year old virgins with bad acne who live in their Mom’s basement and eat microwave burritos.
The important difference? Science fiction readers tend to be stereotyped as “smart.” Romance readers? Yeah, not so much…..
Actually, it’s true what Heloise says about plastic – it’s bad for you. And glass won’t keep those smells, either! I have these glass tupperwares with snap-on plastic lids from Kohl’s that are cute as a button.
@ Sherry Thomas: Not only was Black Silk my first Ivory/Cuevas book, it was, I’m pretty sure, my first Romance novel (I think I read it right before Kinsale’s TSATS). It’s the book that converted me to the genre. To put that into perspective, it took me three readings of TSATS to appreciate Leda and to see how she challenged rather than reinforced the stereotypes about female Romance heroines I had previously carried.
LMAO
Love your problem solving skills. Cute socks are definitely the way to go.
@ Carolyn Crane:
Thought I would be safe as long as I don’t nuke them. (never nuke anything but glass container)?
Regarding the Ivory…
Black Silk was my 2nd Ivory, Beast being my first. I preferred Black Silk, but loved both.
I can see loving Black Silk if it’s your first romance, because it SEEMS more like literary fiction in many ways, especially in the first half to 2/3.
As a semi-experienced romance reader, I had a very hard time with it, because I was 80% of the way in and there had been, it seemed at the time, no movement towards a romantic relationship, not even a kiss, and there remained huge obstacles to there being one.
I am still dumbfounded by the fact that, at the end, I had complete faith in the HEA.
@ Jessica: What do you mean by “movement”? Because to me there was so much interaction between Graham and Submit, so much overt sexual tension, so much layering of their growing attraction and emotional enmeshment throughout the novel. So I’m wondering if you are referring to the cues Romance so often uses to mark various stages in the H&H’s courtship, which are not precisely or traditionally offered in Black Silk.
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean! I was typing hastily, trying to get to my 9:00 am class whilst getting the dogs in their crates, the cats out of doors, and the boys off to their different schools.