Self Inserts and more angelic nonsense

[erastes]

angelabenedetti has a lively and interesting discussion HERE on Romancing the Blog about the comments that Ginger Buchanan made recently about m/m not being a viable selling commodity - it's also about self-insertion into Romances - and is getting some good (and also some unsurprisingly dismissive of m/m) comments.

Do go and put in your two cents - we are no longer just a

"tiny segment of even the ebook market which is a tiny segment of the erotic romance market which is, in reality, a small percentage of the over all romance market"

and it's about time people started to sit up and realise it. See how people can only see m/m as erotica.

*Iz Militant*

Also an update on the Angelic Miss Christian - I find it really offensive when people write themselves five star reviews on Amazon. It undermines the real five star reviews that people spend time and effort writing.

Comments

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Have you complained to Amazon that it's a self review?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

No - someone else had done. I can't comment on reviews because I don't have an account.

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

I've reported the review as innapropriate - at least I hope I reported the review and not the comment).

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

inappropriate (taken me three goes to spell that and I still think it's wrong).

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

talk about self-insertion... somebody needs to tell that sweet godly gal that it's really obnoxious to wank in public.

[eledhwenlin]

I reported the comment as inappropriate (and clicked the "did not help me" link for good measure). Tsk.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

I almost posted a one-star just to balance out the angel dust, but left a comment instead--just in case this kid is simply self-published and bloody ignorant.

That title is an attention-getter, but in theological terms--isn't it considered literal cursing, and a serious sin, to tell another person to go to hell? Tsk.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

And I'm sure revenge isn't very Christian.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Gawd. What a header. "Do You Self-Insert?" None of your damned business, and my wife won't tell you, either.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*giggles*

I never thought of that.

*falls off chair*

[rwday.livejournal.com]

I've left a comment in that discussion. Honestly, how shallow does Ginger think romance readers are? IMO, it's a short hop from 'I can't identify with this character because he's a gay man' to 'I can't identify with this character because she's black/Asian/whatever.' A good writer can draw us into the lives of ANY character.

And yes, giving yourself 5 star reviews is really tacky. Makes me want to leave a comment saying something like 'if your book was any good, you wouldn't have to review it yourself.'

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It's really hotting up, that debate - the m/m subject often gets people out of the woodwork. There are a few other people giving narrow minded and uninformed opinions too. I may jump back in later.

[tharain.livejournal.com]

I still go to the "M/M books tend to be erotica, which I Do Not Want."

But them, I'm oldfashioned.

::edit:: Oh, Just checked out the conversation. MY. Couldn't look too closely though; still at work. Anyroad, If I "self inserted" into the story, I'd certainly have a very leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean reading list, given that most every book written is rampantly heterosexual. Oy.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well, I think you should comment on that thread - your view point as a gay man will be ENORMOUSLY valuable.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

No good at remembering names mentioned in blogs late at night, so I was just wondering if you'd read anything by or heard anything from Suzanne Brockman. During a recent trip to LA trip I stumbled across a hotel convenience shop book rack with one of hers, "Force of Nature". Not historical, sorry! It's part of a suspence-romance series, and the notes reference that the gay FBI guy has been in much of the series. This one has both gay and het, as he gets together with an alcoholic actor, and a het couple tangle who are reasonably okay, the gril isn't teh stoopid for once, and the guy is not obnoxious.
Cover blurb says it's a NY Times bestseller--I could stand to see more NY Times bestsellers like this one, instead of some of the so-called suspense I've been seeing on racks. The sex is nicely handled--and she makes the point that it's safe sex, or trying hard to be, most of the time.
Hyuuge step forward compared to some of the stuff out there.
Just wondered what your opinion was, fi you'd seen it.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'd heard of her gay guy, as there's been some discussion of it on the Romance Blogs, but I haven't got around to reading it yet, as there's so much historical stuff on my list to read and review but I should make the effort. Trouble is I'm not a fan of contemp or cop stories - but I'll put a request in to the library.

And yes - it is - with Diana Gabaldon and this, it's definitely helping open up the genre a little.

Thanks!

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

No idea if the cover claim of bestsellerdom is true or not, but I like the fact that the *publisher* was willing to stick their neck out enough to cover that many books in a series with Jules. Poor guy must have pretty lousy luck with men, judging by what I saw in this one. Although the description does not quite jibe, his SO has a definite Orlando Bloom vibe (this is the actor Robin, who's both closeted and wildly alcoholic). She makes quite a nice point that actors are not totally useless in action sequences when they've learned how to do some pretty hairy stuff for movies.

[suryaofvulcan.livejournal.com]

You know, if i'm going to self-insert into a story, I find that the sex of the character doesn't matter much. Does that make me weird? I mean in RL I'm unambiguously female and about the straightest person in the world, but it only takes a little imagination to insert myself into a male character. (Oooh, missus!) Maybe being rasied on science fiction helps. As a three-year old, I used to imagine I was Mr Spock, so a human male isn't much of a stretch.