Head swelling and deflating devices

[erastes]

Isn’t it amusing how things balance themselves out?  This morning (which started with Catercise, running around the house with the cats all trying to catch fledgling blackbird that Sevvie had brought it, safely rescued) I got a Google Alert pop up and found a nice article on the Gay & Lesbian News, Portland Oregon giving a nice write up on Transgressions, False Colors and Running Press.

This was enough to make me happy, as it’s great to see some USA news coverage. 

Then two minutes later I get a nasty, vitriolic troll comment over at one of the Historical sites that I did a guest blog at a week or so ago. (not naming the comm because I don’t want or need anyone running over there defending my honour!!)

I find your work to be annoyingly smug and pretentious. The Georgette Heyer of M/M you are NOT. You're a fair enough writer, but not original, and I get the feeling you think you invented the m/m historical novel, news for you dear...you didn't, and it's been done much better.

I suppose one hasn’t lived until one has had a troll of one’s own, but what on earth do these sad little people get out of it to create a blog (literally had just been created) so they can hide behind an anonymous post and send nasty bitter comments to someone on a blog that I like and respect?  No-one likes to be attacked, and I’ve had my share of that in certain quarters, but I’ll say something for Ann Somerville – if she has something to say about me or anyone, then at least she has the BALLS to say it under her own name, loud and proud and damn the consequences. I have to admire her for that.  This nasty piece of work didn’t have the guts to do that, so it’s only to be pitied.

I did reply to the troll, and apologised to the blog owners for doing so, but I did want to say two things. (Because frankly, sometimes you get fed up with just taking things on the chin and the accusations were so idiotic I wonder if the troll even knew who I was.) I’d hardly consider myself to have invented the m/m historical novel if I maintain a blog that lists every single one of them that I can find through time, would I?  Rather, I’d not acknowledge ANY m/m historical written prior to Standish, surely?

As to being the Heyer of m/m?  I don’t think so. Really really not.

But it did make me laugh, no sooner having one’s ego boosted, only to be reduced and find yourself, feet back on the ground again!!  :D

Comments

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Nil illegitimi carborundum.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*snorts *

[megleigh.livejournal.com]

Some people just have far too much time on their hands if they can go to the trouble of creating a blog in order to sling insults. Don't let it worry you.

I enjoyed reading the write up about False Colors and Transgressions.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly agree, the pettiness of it is staggering, as well as the cowardice - I'd seen such things in fandom, but not so much in professional fiction. Thanks Meg!

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

>Nil illegitimi carborundum.

Words to live by.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

"by fag hags for fag hags" - ouch. It's not very positive, is it? (Personally, I hate the term...)

And, for the record, I never got the feeling you thought you'd invented it - you're only working to increase visibility? What's bad about /that/?

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

Would it be a good thing to be the Heyer of M/M? Inquiring minds want to know....

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

Well, if it's been done much better than you wtf are they bothering reading your work, eh? *hands on hips*

You should reply anonomously too, your excuse being that you were too busy inventing more historical novels to log in, *pmsl*

On a happier note, Frost Fair arrived today! \o/

[sleveen.livejournal.com]

I don't think your head is swelled at all - you work VERY hard on your fic and you deserve to take pride in your accomplishment.

As for the troll, he/she/it needs to grow the hell up and get a life off the Internet. I have had a couple of these myself - one of which keeps trying to convince herself that my career is, as she puts it, "circling the drain."

The thing with these bad-news fairies is that they're bitter - you're published and they aren't. That really, really burns their onion. :D

*HUGS* You rock. Don't ever forget it. As for the troll, his/her/its stupidity is its own reward or punishment. How horrid to be that stupid and to not only not realise it, but to flaunt it openly, on the Internet...

[tharain.livejournal.com]

I can't WAIT to get my first troll.

[/sarcasm]

What is WITH people???

[tharain.livejournal.com]

"By Fag Hags, For Fag Hags?"

Darklady's going to be MIGHTY DISAPPOINTED come November. And if Darklady thinks your and Alex's sentence structure is less than active, well, honey, hang on to your quill pen. She ain't even SEEN stately and ponderous yet!

=-D

I am so> gonna get trashed by the reviewers.

[lg-larocque.livejournal.com]

If they find your work "smug and pretentious" does this mean they've actually purchased a copy? If so, you have their money.

Who gets the last laugh now?

It seems every artist, musician, writer, at some point catches unsolicited flack by people unqualified to give an opinion. When I fronted a rock band, I caught wind of two or three petty sorts bad-mouthing the show. You should have seen their jaws drop upon that little illumination their attending the concert only put money in my pocket.

Quite a humbling experience for them.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Considering Hard & Fast, if you want to be the Georgette Heyer of m/m, I'd be happy to nominate you. I suspect Miss Heyer is spinning in her grave at the very idea--the poor lady has probably drilled through to China by now.

Of course there are a couple of other writers who've done Regency m/m--you've never claimed to be the One & Only. There was another writer who has, and I vaguely remember reading an interview where someone asked her about another book in the same period and she had apparently never heard of it. Not surprising.. I don't even try to read every gay historical the way you do. I'd never have time to write. (Or eat, or sleep...)

My guess would be that there's one of three things going on here, possibly more than one in combination.

The first is plain ol' jealousy. Anyone could have done what you did in starting up Speak Its Name and making gay historical romance an identifiable genre. Nobody did. Your efforts in that line gave all of us a lot more attention than we'd have had otherwise, but jealousy doesn't see that--it only sees that you did something that makes your own writing more visible. (The fact that your writing is excellent doesn't count, either.) You did something innovative and you did it first, and anything similar that follows is bound to be compared to what you've done.

Second... your review blog doesn't suffer foolish writers gladly. You have done very critical reviews on historicals whose authors did not do their homework. This is guaranteed to make these writers (and their fans) extremely annoyed with you. But anybody who posts her-or-his pen name on that sort of attack is going to look like a fool, so anonymity is the wtg.

Third, of course, is that the troll is one of the grow-a-prostate gang who thinks that the imagination is located between the legs. The Georgette Heyer reference makes me think Trollie is female, but that's just a hunch.

My feeling is that when trolls come after you, you're doing something right. Nobody feels jealous of mediocrity.

[kittymay.livejournal.com]

Far from deflating your ego, Erastes, your new friend's attentions should surely do the opposite? One simply hasn't arrived in this world until one has recieved hate mail at least once.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*laughs* You are an evil Satsuma.

I suppose I'm still scratching my head at the whole thing.

[kittymay.livejournal.com]

Just ask yourself 'What would Alvisi do?' and everything will be fine.