E-Scribblers Weblog

Thursday, May 29, 2008

E Book Rant

Yes, Okie and I haven't posted here in a while, but I have something to say. Here we go:

I recently started a book (due to my slam I'm choosing not to name the title or author on this one) but couldn't bring myself to finish it. I've waited days hoping my irritation and anger would subside prior to posting. Uh, not much.

How can an author, editor or publisher think women need to get over gang rape? Time heals all and one just needs to come to terms with it to find peace...like it was a bad day at the office? You know I'm sure a woman can come to terms with it, since there isn't choice in that reality, but I sure as hell don't believe one would start dating a woman related to one of the rapists after "coming to terms with it".

Oh, did I mention you have a child from this rape? Or how the woman you are dating is hoping (in the beginning) just to be close to this child because they look and act so much like the rapist (who happened to commit suicide conveniently)?

Ug...what crap. What's happened to lesbian fiction? We have the formula lesbian story that seems to be pumped out like water from the main publishers. And I've now read a couple of crap stories that weren't even good enough to get mainstream publishers interested in...a person thinks they can write and pays to have their words bound. Please help here.

Some of the publishers I respected lately have let me down. Is it me? Am I getting pickier? Is wanting well-written, edited and thoughtful stories too much to ask? I like sex, but if you're going to put it in a story please do it well or don't bother. No need to ruin a decent story just because one should have sex in it. Melissa Good taught us fade to black works. How about supporting the lesbian fiction that's not all based around lesbians, but perhaps a well-rounded story that includes lesbians?

Try some off the less known publishers, the ones with excellent editors and the ones that care about the content more than the sale. Bedazzled Ink, Bywater, and Alyson all are worthy publishers that have a variety of stories that step outside of the formula of basic lesbian romance. Believe me there are more publishers out there, but these were on the top of my mind. I'm not against the basics, Bella, Regal, Bold Strokes... but sometimes stepping away is nice to get a story outside of the usual.

I do own all of Karin Kallmaker's and a large portion of Rad's along with many others of the mainstay authors. So by no means do I want to say they aren't worthy but recently I'm finding the trend of new authors lacking at many of the mainstay publishing houses. So why is that?

I certainly don't have the answer, but am frustrated with wasting my money. And I do read the back, but that doesn't seem to help. Worse yet is all the frickin' reviewers seem to just say, "Wow...what a great book". Bah!

So...anyone else?

Elisa

posted by E - 5:42 PM -- Email this post: Link to this entry
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