So tonight someone posted a comment on facebook regarding
authors and book reviewers. Now in the past I read a book and I had to be
REALLY moved to post a comment or review. Something had to drive me towards
making that drastic a decision – to actually share my opinion. Reading for me
is very personal and I realize that what I get from a book is really about
where I am at a particular point in time. My love of m/m romance is directly
related to where I am in my life right now. I get that. Trust me I do!
However, in my professional life, I’m fairly blunt,
straightforward and to the point. Yes I’m saying it THRICE to ensure that you
get that exactly what I’m saying. I WILL call a spade a spade – no two ways
about it. So let’s get to my point about
this blog. In my facebook life, I’ve met
someone – an author- who asks that we be kind to authors. I’m so glad she clarified what she
meant. She requests that we give ‘constructive
criticism’ and not lambaste peoples lives and characters amidst our reviews. I
can get behind that … literally and figuratively.
I believe that if you plan to do something, you should do it
WELL. Well begun is half done and all
those jargon. I hate HALF ASSED. Bugs
the crap out of me. In my reading travels, I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I’ve
read somewhere in the vicinity of 800 m/m romances. Trust me I know a good book
when I see and read it .. and not all the books that rise to popularity are
necessarily among the best. I have my
fave authors of course and I think people might be surprised who they are.
Their stories in MY opinion were well crafted and designed to take a reader on
a journey – when that is done well – it’s a wonderful thing. You don’t just get
a few minutes or hours of suspended disbelief.
Instead what you get is a story that stays with you, because you
connected with it SO strongly that it has become something which shapes your
life and alters the way you see, feel and think. THAT is good literature. I hope that some of the
m/m authors aspire to this - taking their novels and making them LITERATURE.
I’m not a writer. I think I can probably dabble and do an
okay job. And by okay I mean a solid 6.5/7 out of 10. BUT I have met some
authors in this genre who are solidly in the 8 and 9 realm. Like I said, I’ve read over 800 books … I know a
good book and author when I see them. When I first entertained the notion of
even thinking of writing, a friend of mine suggested that I read Michael Frey’s,
How to write a damn good novel. He has a series of books which are easy reads for those getting into writing. Check them all out. Oh my
good Lord, once I was done with that book and started to take notes, I realized
just how daunting a task writing would be and I had even more respect for those
who tackled the challenge and conquered … an even bigger appreciation was had
for those who did it well.
Anyhoo, today I made YET another change in my life. I put a
call out to the universe to be a book reviewer for the m/m genre and the call
was answered. I hope that all the things I’ve said here, I an offer and do
constructively for writers. I love the m/m genre and I think that I can make a
good contribution to the field by giving writers a fair evaluation so that a
reader can determine the road they’d like to take. But I’m also hoping that
whatever I say regarding ‘the work’ will be taken just as that and not some
personal slight … further I hope anything I say will urge a writer to continue to
improve and hone their craft to the betterment of those of us who live to read
their lovely characters they create and the stories they weave for us.
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