Comments on: Well, How About That?

By: hollylisle

hollylisle — Tue, 02 May 2006 20:40:30 +0000

I’m with you folks on the rant. I too love deep, complex books with tight plots that require me to think, and that include meaning and soul as part of the dialogue between writer and reader. Those are what I want to read, they’re what I want to write, they’re what make me happy, they’re what make me want to come to work at six in the morning.

Unfortunately, that is not where marketing has concluded the big numbers are, so “we won’t be buying any more of those, thank you very much.”

As one lady at a books signing once told me, when she looked at my books and blew me off, “I only read trashy books, honey.”

I didn’t bother to ask her definition of trashy, but she did have a Collins and a Steel in her hands as she headed for the checkout counter. I have no intention of competing for that market. This fact makes life … tough.

By: Caryle

Caryle — Tue, 02 May 2006 20:19:30 +0000

Too smart or too complex? Urgh. (supressing rant) Okay, maybe not supressing rant…

I may not be the brightest penny in the bunch, but I do have a brain, and sometimes I actually like to use it. Perhaps it’s assumptions that women cannot or do not wish to follow smart or complex stories that cause so called “Literary” fiction writers to look down their noses at genre fiction. Heaven forbid someone write a story with a plot that requires paying attention without inspiring the reader to conclude that life is meaningless and we should all give up now. Done ranting now. (looking sheepish)

Congratulations on the YA story. I’m sure it will be excellent, Holly!

By: kalliope

kalliope — Tue, 02 May 2006 18:00:59 +0000

I loved the snippet of Rule, Covenant, and Promise, so I’m excited that the project may finally get the go-ahead. I can’t wait to read it!

I just finished Talyn the other day (stealing time in the morning on a day I’d taken off of work to finish a paper), and I thoroughly enjoyed that, too. I’m just discovering your books, even though I’ve been reading your blog for a long time. I should have started sooner.

By: shay

shay — Tue, 02 May 2006 11:33:14 +0000

hope it all works out and that the YA market gets the attention it deserves as it’s the area i’m working in and what i write doesn’t seem to fly with agents either.
either way, hope it all goes well and i’m looking forward to any new work that you do

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 02 May 2006 00:37:34 +0000

Well, philosophically I agree with Rick, but I know what you mean — Sex in the City sells and sells, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman makes a brief spash and dies with nary a whimper.

Good luck with the series. I’ll buy it and try to foist it off on the YA around here. (I may have mentioned in an E-mail last summer being shocked when the girls in my son’s church group began talking about Full Metal Alchemist and Interview with a Vampire on the field trip I chaperoned for him.

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 01 May 2006 19:59:30 +0000

I’m really disturbed that they think anything is too “smart” to be women’s fiction, but I’m sure I’d be preaching to the choir here.

So I’ll wish you a bunch of luck with this YA stuff, because that is a genre that I’d love to rediscover and you’re the best reason I can think of to do so.

By: chk

chk — Mon, 01 May 2006 19:56:47 +0000

A bunch of books I read in the ’80s as adult SF&F are now being republished as YA SF&F. I’m not entirely sure why, but at least it’s in print again…

By: TinaK

TinaK — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:09:09 +0000

Wait? They didn’t like the proposal you sent off a few weeks ago that YOU LOVED? The one with the former butter first scene? The one with the three ladies talking about clients? That one didn’t fly? I liked that. I want to read that. *whine*. But YA is good too – I read all my son’s fantasy YA books and I know he’d love something written by you. Can’t wait to see this one develop.

By: shawna

shawna — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:28:19 +0000

now that I think about it, there are two places you might check… the LAST place you’d ever think to look for it… and the ONE place you’re absolutely sure it cannot be. LOL. Seems like that is where my missing things always reappear.

By: shawna

shawna — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:27:03 +0000

Somehow I don’t think I ought to wish you a happy lucky finding of those old notes… because, at least if it were me, they’d magically appear about the time I didn’t need them anymore…

but good luck at… well, something. anyways.