What the FRACK is going on with...

Okay... Maybe it's not QUITE being asked that way, but I'm getting a lot of questions about what's going on with Night Warriors, Renegades and Kegin? When are they coming again and starting new books flowing? Where are they coming out? In all fairness, I'm going to give you every scrap of information I have to give!

Renegades has an answer you might enjoy, actually. TYGERS and Renegade's Run have been signed to Under The Moon/Final Sword Productions. They'll be releasing late winter/early spring in an 8.5X11 illustrated collector's edition, and at least TYGERS will be available for me to sign at RT 2008. I'm hoping both will be. The books are going through a cleaning edit right now, in preparation for this re-issue. Obviously, the future Renegades books will release with UTM/FSP, as they ready for publication. Alpha House will be coming next, from that series...then Flashpoint.

As you know, Kegin has been split. I've offered the historical/legendary Kegins to Phaze. In fact, the first two offerings are there already: The Last of Fion's Daughters (containing Fion's Daughter, Dishonored, A Slave's Life and Schente Night) and Conquest. Other titles I'm working on for the historical/legendary Kegins include The Gods' War, The Taming of Veltina and The Legend of Peak Chol.

The contemporary and near-futuristic Kegins are still seeking a possible NY market. I'm sure you all know how swamped the NY editors are, especially those spearheading the lines Kegin is appropriate for. For that reason, I've taken a few steps to try and get there.

The first you know about already. I've submitted a short from the Kielan world (also a Council of Worlds offering) to Harlequin Spice with the enticement of the other Council of Worlds for the main Spice line. No word on that, but as I said, the editors are swamped, and your turn in line comes when it does. Submissions is a waiting game.

The other thing I've done is something I haven't done since 2001 (the days when I had only Prophecy and Fairy Dreams to offer and no fiction resume to recommend me). I've queried an agent. The good news is that I have 6 years of prolific fiction writing resume to recommend me now. The bad news is that the fact that Kegin started in indie/e, and I'm actually looking to place those first few books with the rest, may work against me...at least slightly. Even if I do sign the series to an agent and then a NY publisher, it's going to take a long time to see print, but if that's the cost, I'll live with it. I just wish I didn't have to ask the readers to wait with me.

Night Warriors has a similar story. There are a couple of beast shorts/novelettes out there or releasing soon.Forbidden Love: Bad Boys from Under The Moon/Final Sword Productions includes "Playing Games I&II," and "Becoming a God" will be releasing from Mundania Press, LLC. sometime this fall or winter.

In the meantime, the series is searching for a NY market home. It's currently included in the agent query, and fingers are crossed, though it has the same pros and cons in the marketplace that Kegin has.

In the meantime, people who like Kegin, Night Warriors and Renegades are probably going to adore ONCE UPON A TIME, YESTERDAY, an anthology of urban fantasy erotic romance, written by myself and Gregory L. Norris. It should be releasing in an 8.5X11 illustrated collector's edition from Under The Moon in October. It's in edits, as we speak.

Reselling ARCs

Okay, I know people don't LIKE to see their ARCs up for resale. I know many authors like to believe that the ARC is somehow sacred and set apart from the laws that govern resale of print books. Unfortunately, it's not, and the resale of ARCs is a part of the system. Getting riled up about it is a waste of time, IMO.

Whether an ARC SAYS it's not for resale or not, they are resold, and there is nothing illegal about it. If it's in a printed format and distributed in the US (please note that different laws exist overseas), there is nothing you can legally do to stop the resale of a print book.

Now, for those whose backs have just gone up...and their tempers with it, let me assure you that I find the practice of "book trolls" and reviewers reselling ARCs without reviewing them to be personally distasteful and unethical, but I still know it's not illegal. Nor, do I necessarily see the practice of reviewers reselling ARCs AFTER writing their review to be a bad thing. I'll get back to this.

Let's start with the laws. As long as a print book was legally printed by the copyright owner/publisher, who chose to release copies of it, for sale or free promotion copies, what happens to those copies once they are distributed to readers is beyond the control of the publisher or author...within reason. It doesn't matter how the book originally made it into a reader's hands, the laws governing paper books are the same.

So, what is unreasonable? If, for instance, someone scans in a paper book and distributes the resulting copy in e-book, for free or for sale, it's illegal, because illegal copies have been made and distributed. If an illegal print copy/reproduction of a copyright print book is made and distributed, in any way, it's illegal and actionable. Likewise, if any e-book (save out-of-copyright classics or e-books INTENDED as free downloads and with the permission to pass) is given away, traded or sold by anyone other than the author/publisher or licensed distributor, it's illegal and actionable. Then again, e-books are a lot of fun, because you're not just dealing with copyright. You're dealing with DRM/Millennium Act, electronic licensing, etc. I have an entire article about this on EPIC's site.

So, reselling an ARC is not technically illegal. I've been told that eBay will take down an ARC copy, if the author/publisher requests it, and that's nice of them, but since they aren't required by law to do so, I wouldn't expect that same result from all outlets of used books.

Now, it's not only reviewers that put ARCs out for resale. I'll be the first to admit it. I briefly mentioned book trolls. What is a book troll? It's simple, really. When authors and publishers send books out to conventions or to contests, they hope the books will go to readers who will actually read them...or at the very least to a reader who will keep the books that appeal to him/her and then give away or donate the rest of the books. Even if such a person keeps some and sells the rest, there's nothing wrong with it. A book troll is a person who enters a ton of book contests or picks up freebies he/she has NO intention of reading, just so he/she can resell the books and make a buck. Now, the books are still in circulation, which is good, but IMO...it's highly unethical to do this. It goes against the grain of what the books were intended for. Book trolls exist in any forum/event where books are to be had for free, and they are a sad truth of the business. There's always someone out to make a fast buck.

Now, back to the subject of reviewers selling ARCs. If the reviewer has done a review on the book, I have no problem with this, on a professional level. Gut feelings aside, common sense tells me a couple of things:

1) Reviewers don't have room to store every book they review, unless they are e-books. For that reason, I have no problems with reviewers who read and review the book then donate, pass along to a friend or even resell the book. They have to do SOMETHING with those they don't feel are keepers, after all, and I'd rather it still be in circulation than trashed.

2) Reviewers are rarely paid for their work with more than a free read. While I don't want to see book troll reviewers, who never return reviews on the books they take in, the little bit of money they'd earn from an ARC or two on eBay every month isn't that much compensation for them. They aren't getting rich on the sales, most likely, and a couple of ARCs resold aren't breaking the bank of most authors.

3) The two exceptions to 2 would be price gouging, which is never right, and collectors items, which I have no problem with.

In the case of price gouging, I gladly protect my readers by having books removed from sale on reputable sites. There is NO excuse for someone that sells a copy of the book as released for sale...nothing special, not signed, not containing major errata...for more than 5 times the going rate for the book. I won't accept that trolling for someone inattentive in purchasing as ethical or legal.

OTOH, collectors are not your normal readers. If someone possesses the ARC copy of a book that I did my ACTUAL galley corrections on, I'll not only allow it to sell for hundreds of dollars, I'll sign it for the buyer...and I will DAMNED SURE tout that someone was willing to purchase it for that much money. It's a matter of pride, and the collector knows what he/she wants. There's nothing wrong with this sort of thing, IMO. If I thought someone would actually purchase it for big bucks, I'd tell my publisher to offer my galley-corrected ARC. Grinning... But, that would be somewhat underhanded.

4) Print books are often passed and re-read. In fact, what author doesn't hope that his/her book will be picked up by the library system? We ENCOURAGE a certain amount of sharing, inherent in the system. What makes this so different? Perhaps a matter of trust, but not much otherwise.

I might note that some publishers/authors will choose not to send more review copies to a reviewer that routinely resells the ARCs. I'd be tempted to do the same, but there is nothing inherently illegal about the practice. You have to decide for yourself if the small loss of income and increased readership is worth it to you or not. And, I'll be the first to state that it is NOT the same thing as pirating!

REVIEW for The Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon
St. Martin's Press
Aug 2007
Hard Bound Edition
ISBN 978-0-312-36950-7

This is officially a Dark Hunter book, though it becomes apparent that this one includes all manner of strange bedfellows, from Dream Hunters and Dark Hunters through warring gods, Daimons and humans frozen in time, surprisingly working together. The only major breed I don't remember seeing in the book were the Were Hunters.

Take Sin, the ancient Sumerian god of the moon, calendar and fertility, now masquerading as a Dark Hunter, stripped of almost all of his god-powers by the ever-popular Artemis. Add in Katra, the daughter Artemis doesn't want to admit to having. She's a sarcastic, nearly-all-powerful goddess in her own right, now traded to Artemis's arch enemy, the Atlantean goddess Apollymi. Toss in the coming end of the world, in the form of the Sumerian Kerir, brought on by the escaping gallu demons and their big-bad sister demons, the Dimme. Now toss in the fact that Kat was originally sent to kill Sin, that Sin has almost no chance of stopping the apocalypse without his god-powers and that Artemis is being her usual selfish...self. That about covers the basics.

Set in "Sin city," literally... I do adore Sherrilyn's sense of humor. This book is about betrayal and trust and sets us up for Ash's coming book. In many ways, it's another bridge book in the series, and it will make a lot more sense, if you've read what comes before it, but it's a great story, in its own right. There are a lot of characters you've met before, both mentioned and met in The Devil May Cry, and if you haven't read previous installments, you might get lost in the who-is factor.

Overall, a keeper like all the rest and, while not my favorite, one that will send you through a roller coaster of emotion, which I always love about Sherrilyn's books. It did pose some questions it didn't answer. It did introduce one quirk to the commonly-held world that I don't feel was explained, but who knows? Maybe it will be in the next book. Or, maybe Sherrilyn will show mercy on me and tell me why it happened and not tease me with "We'll see."

Highly recommended for anyone following the universe. Highly suggested that you don't START with this book.

Brenna Lyons

NEW RELEASE!

A little bit of background...

FAIRY DREAMS was the second book I ever wrote. I've been waiting 6 years for it to release. Today, it went up for pre-sale at Mundania Press, LLC. You can be among the first to purchase it at this link!

Blurb for FAIRY DREAMS--
Mollie has impossible hopes and dreams. When one of her dreams comes true in the form of Cadal, she wonders what else is possible. Are her dreams of fairies as real as her dreams of Cadal? Is she losing her mind or learning her destiny?

Cadal came to the Blake estate to fulfill a promise as quickly as he can. Guiding Mollie until she learns to run her estate sounds like a simple task to Cadal -- until Mollie looks in his eyes for the first time. He wants her in a way he hasn't wanted a woman since Xanthe. If only she wasn't human…

Reality checks bouncing again!

So, there I was...checking e-mail, when I saw a message from a dear friend, Helen Madden. Now, I've known Helen for years, first on ERWA and then on EPIC lists. She's a great lady, a great writer and is always there to help out, in a pinch. So, it was a major surprise to me to get a letter asking me what she should do about someone misrepresenting what EPIC is on a forum for a book event. She'd already posted her own reply to it, saying that the woman's interpretation is incorrect, but she was truly at a loss.

Without reposting what this cowardly individual -- who posts on the forum without giving ANY contact information off the forum, I might note -- actually said, I'll give you the gist of it. She represents EPIC as an "erotic writers' group" that is depraved, producing pornography and should be boycotted, should we attend any function in her area. She's also thrown any number of veiled threats and personal attacks on the individuals and EPIC as a whole. I won't repeat my thought process on this person's character, but you can guess by the fact that she heavily quotes Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson in her tirades...but notably not the Bible.

I'm caught between a couple of emotions here. One is admittedly exasperation with people who are so zealous in their beliefs that they don't use common sense in looking at what an organization is or is not. This reminds me of the rant I read about the Harry Potter books, making correlations that not even someone with a heavy religious background could have made, because they just DON'T exist.

On that note, it's clear enough to anyone who is not so afflicted with blinders, that EPIC is not an organization of "erotic" authors. EPIC is not ERWA, EAA, RWA's Passionate Pen Chapter or any other erotic organization. EPIC is, in fact, The Electronically Published Internet Connection, a professional organization, consisting of e-published and print-published authors and industry professionals. We're a worldwide organization, currently in our 10th year, which (at this moment) boasts 636 members in upwards of 9 countries around the globe. We accept writers and publishers of every genre of fiction and non-fiction.

What EPIC does NOT do is skewer or exclude someone for what they write or do not write. We don't show a bias, based on religion, political affiliation, genre, sex, age, sexual orientation or any other label one might use. Neither do we allow any person or group to be maligned in such a fashion on our lists. I find it incomprehensible that anyone feels the need to attack such a force of unity, support, purpose and fellowship, on the basis that there must be something wrong with a group that is not intolerant by nature.

Neither is is true that EPIC "produces pornography." EPIC is not a publisher. The only things EPIC "publishes" or "produces" are free guides to publishing, marketing and internet usage (specifically designed to aid teachers in the classroom). There is nothing pornographic in an article about making your own web site or formatting to guidelines.

Neither is EPIC out to promote the erotic authors and publisher-members, to anyone's detriment, least of all...children, as the poster accuses. When we hold our EPICon every year, we have an e-Fiesta, designed to bring in readers. It is designed as a family-friendly event. We have snacks and bubbles for the kids, coloring sheets, etc. The promo at the event is required to be PG-13 or below. We have never had a problem with inappropriate materials being passed at e-Fiesta. If we can pull that off, with more than 200 promo items being sent for e-Fiesta per year, we can certainly do the same for someone else's event. In fact, sensual and erotic authors make a habit of asking if the venue is open to erotic, before sending anything to an event.

The EPPIE, the award EPIC runs every year, for e-books, has 23 categories, only 5 of which are erotic in nature. This isn't unheard of, in any awards. The Dream Realm, for instance, which has a total of 7 categories, all of which are SF/F/H based, has a category of erotic work in their contest. The Prism, for SF/F/H romance books, also contains 7 categories, one of which is erotic. Percentage-wise, the contests are not far removed in their erotic content. I cannot, in good conscience, agree with the rant of the individual, that ANY of these organizations are "hiding behind the other genres in an effort to disguise the filth they pander." (paraphrased) We are inclusive, and we don't hide that. Neither are we focused on one genre, as she accuses.

For anyone that accuses that I "shamelessly" accept and promote pornography, may I direct you to the post I made on the difference between erotic and porn?

Someone asked me whether or not I was concerned about bad press for EPIC out of this, being EPIC president and all. I'll post my reply here.

Bring it on. I will be more than happy to counter this and teach them the solid truth of smear campaigns in the 21st Century. It's going to backfire, because I have the internet working in my favor, and I'll bet money on the fact that I disseminate the truth of what EPIC is and is not, while we continue to look like the professional organization we are.

Here's what they clearly don't get. You get Robertson involved (or someone of his status) and what happens? It gets national media. National media contacts the EPIC board and finds that Robertson and friends are maligning a professional organization of writers for no good reason, if the organization she touts would actually back her in this, to begin with. Enough said. Yes, there will be a few right-wing religious papers that will tar and feather us, but I'd bet I could get a NY Times article or Washington Post article, with the truth about EPIC, spread a hell of a lot further than they can get theirs. We might even get a Tonight Show top ten joke about it. Who does that hurt? Not us, that's for sure. It's all free advertising for us and e-books, as long as they spell the name right. It's a lousy way to get exposure, but there is no way that I will back down and slink away when faced with such an attack.

Sneak preview of art!

Time for sneak previews of art! Always my favorite day of the month, more or less. Okay, in all honesty, release days beat it, but not much else does. So, what sneak previews do we have today?

Let's start with my black and white internal art for "The Master's Lover" in Forbidden Love: Sacred Bands, releasing this month from Under The Moon. This art was created by the fabulous Anne Cain!




Next, the cover of the new and improved Collected Writings of Brenna Lyons: Poetry Book One, now available for sale in e-book from Lulu.com and print from CafePress. See the purchase page on my site for details on all books up for sale.


Last but not least, the cover of Phaze in Verse, releasing September 27th from Phaze. This cover is courtesy of the stellar Alessia Brio. Give this lady a hand.

From whence the inspiration comes...

If you're like me, you've wondered, more than once in your life, where some elements of your writing come from. On a few rare occasions, an answer might come back to you. It might amuse you...or it might make a shiver work its way down your spine. This past weekend, I had such a revelation.

My family and I have lived in our current house for the last 6+ years. Last weekend, my husband and I decided that the old carpet in the living room HAD to go, so we bought new padding and carpet and ripped up the old.

Now, mind you that the carpeting has been on that floor since long before we moved in. I have never seen the floor beneath it. Also, keep in mind that I have written nearly everything I've published in that room, sitting in the corner of one of our couches with a lap desk on my knees. So, how could something that I've never seen but that has been beneath me all that time find its way into my work? It did. From TYGERS (re-releasing with Under The Moon this winter)...

The furniture had changed since Grandmother's death, but little else had. It was the same beige and navy blue it had always been. The wallpaper had seen better days, and the trim needed a touchup, but it was the same old familiar place. This room, of all the rooms, held the least menace for her.

Katheryn rubbed her tired eyes and glanced around again. She shot up from the couch, now a heavy rose print. The wallpaper was in done in golds and greens and looked practically new. Gold and rose cushions were settled on the couch. The trim was a 1970s color that was halfway between harvest orange and rust. The chair that matched the couch was occupied.

[snip]

As an afterthought, she climbed on the couch and grabbed Carol's nail file off the top of the bookcase next to it. Katheryn scraped several layers of navy blue paint from the top of the window frame and stopped when the red-orange appeared.

Dammit! It was real. She wasn't crazy. Katheryn sank into the couch with her knees folded up to her chest and stared at the single streak of red she'd uncovered in the blue.

When we pulled up the carpet, I set about scrubbing down the painted floor beneath with bleach. The fact that the floor was painted blue didn't strike me as significant, until I realized that the places the paint had been rubbed away revealed a rust-red paint layer beneath.

In essence, I'd written what actually lay beneath the carpet, a paint scheme I'd never laid eyes on. Makes you wonder where the words come from.

The changing face of the industry

From Publisher's Weekly

Okay, this isn't news, in itself...except for... "Kensington, which hopes to release the first titles next summer, will have exclusive print rights and will also handle various sub-rights sales to e-books for which Samhain has rights."

Some people are also fixating on... "Many of our readers tell us they want the option of both e-published and traditional formats, and this is the perfect way to respond to that need," Brashear said.

It does show the changing face of the industry, though readers asking for both e-book and print really isn't news to me. Jeff Strand and I were discussing the strange irony that, when we both have more books coming out in print-only, readers are asking, "Where's the e-book?" But, in this case, I think Crissy was saying that the readers in e-book were saying, "Where's the print?" That situation is far older and more established a response.

That said, even the deal with Kensington isn't that Earth-shattering. Ellora's Cave did this with Simon and Schuster some time ago. In addition to owning their own press, EC puts out paper books with S&S. Now, I haven't heard anything about S&S having a hand in the e-book side, but seeing as how S&S doesn't even list EC on their "distributed lines" page at this link ... Let's just say it's a little difficult to figure out PRECISELY what their deal is. What we do know is that S&S has requested more anthologies from EC...and EC has announced it's intention to place more books with S&S for distribution. I would suppose they are selling well. Strange that everyone knows there is a business deal there, but there has been little information on the precise details of the deal.

This is becoming a big thing, of late. Since the NY conglomerates have failed to purchase the indie/e publishers (as Kensington failed to purchase Ellora's Cave), they are working diligently to pick out those they consider to be "cream of the crop" and make these sort of deals for distribution with them, thereby capitalizing on the strengths of indie/e without having to purchase them outright.

You have GOT to be kidding!

The article that started it all

And, off we go. To say that I find this right wing/left wing thing entirely ridiculous goes without saying. Whoops, I said it. But, let's look further.

Of COURSE, said right wing journalist is going to state that reading is dangerous. That's been their mantra for how many years? There's always something dangerous, always something to call the enemy. It's not bad enough that they claim that most of the world are our enemies, that certain religions are our enemies (disregarding that we have people of that religion in our country and that zealots of any religion are dangerous, even their own)... No, reading is dangerous.

Yes, reading is dangerous to people who try to make us live in fear and ignorance, because reading means that people are using their minds. Yes, this does apply in the situation of reading romance novels, because...by default, when someone is reading, that person is exercising portions of her brain not being exercised while watching the media. I won't even get into my opinion of the media, the news media especially, of late. I'll get back to romance genre later, so stick with me for that.

So, let's look at the complaints...

People are not DISTORTED by romance. Let me liken this, since they liken it to addiction, to a drug. It is completely possible for 95% of the population to take a particular Rx painkiller with no serious effects and that remaining 5% to become addicted. Is it the fault of the drug? Or is it some difference in the person? Is it, rather, the fact that their system works differently?

I would claim the latter. I would claim that their brain functionality works differently than the other 95% of the population. I'm not stating right or wrong, here. I'm saying DIFFERENT.

Let me throw out some oft-used terms and discuss them...

Deviant- Differing from a norm or from the accepted standards of a society. By that reckoning, anything that a large percentage of people in your culture would consider "normal" or "acceptable" is not deviant. Um...55% of mass market sales are romance. I'd say it's not deviant to read romance, as a general rule of thumb. One of the three hottest-selling romance types right now is erotic romance/erotica geared toward women. Again, deviant isn't happening on this issue.

Immoral- Contrary to established moral principles. This is assuming that you're using the moral standard of the culture as a whole as the line. However, though some people will CLAIM the line is X, the fact is, they may not be claiming a line that exists in reality, rather one they hope exists or wish to believe exists. I'd say that Ms. Shaunti Feldhahn is using a line that doesn't much match what others think. Applying her own moral code to others is an effort in futility. We're a diverse culture; a little respect for the sensibilities of others might be appropriate here.

Kink- A mental peculiarity; a quirk. OR An unusual or eccentric idea. This one is tricky. On one hand, it implies there's something mentally WRONG with you, if your tastes run to something that the majority of society doesn't embrace. Then again... Grinning... I don't really need to follow that one out, do I? On the other, it says it's eccentric but not immoral. This one would depend on which definition you're using and why. Personally, I think the definition itself proves that reading romance, even erotic romance, is not inherently kinky. It could be, in some cases, but I'm speaking in generalities, at the moment.

Perverse- Directed away from what is right or good; perverted. This one implies a real MORAL and LEGAL opposition to something. Not just that it doesn't match the perceptions of others but that it's WRONG to think that, it's antisocial or psychotic or otherwise a threat to society...more or less, a crime. Last time I checked, reading romance, erotica...even most types of porn wasn't illegal, and as I stated earlier, morality isn't universal. In addition, there is no indication by a reliable source that reading romance poses any threat to society. I think they've failed on this mark, as well.

Back to the subject.

The FACT is that the vast majority of women can read romance, even erotic romance, and not become addicted to it or find dissatisfaction in their marriages. The fact is that the vast majority of men can look at pornographic images and not become addicted, not resort to affairs and not become dangerous, abusive or otherwise a threat. In fact, in both cases, there are spouses that rather appreciate the fact that the SO (significant other) can become aroused and then turn to the love of his/her life, because aroused by a thought or image or not, the chosen mate is the person he/she wants to be with. The fantasy is rooted in reality. The person knows the difference.

I might also note that any woman that needs to worry about her husband "catching" her reading has more problems than any book can cure and needs serious counseling or a way out of the relationship. There are far more important things that cause problems in a relationship. IMO, this one shouldn't even rate.

Further, I find that Ms. Feldhahn resorts to nothing short of yellow journalism. Let me give an example.

She caps off her discussion of addiction with the RWA numbers of people reading romance novels (64 million in the US...at LEAST) and the fact that 55% of mass market fiction sales are romance titles. This is misleading. It implies that all of these people are "addicted" to romance novels, that they are sick individuals. Claim as she might that it was simply a bad choice of placement, a bad break from one topic to another, no one in her right mind would believe that cop-out. She's a journalist. She knows the swing she's putting on it. In fact, since she touts herself as right wing, she no doubt revels in it.

Diane Glass isn't much better. Her comment that reading romance isn't reading Maya Angelou but it's reading is dismissive, in itself. Can we say "snob" any more clearly? This is a woman that clearly thinks herself above the genre, and it shows.

While she's been busy reading whatever she deems worthy of her attention, Ms. Glass has apparently missed the boat. By that, I mean that the new breed of romance novel isn't your Mama's romance book. The industry has moved on, not just into erotic romance but also into dark romance, realistic/flawed even handicapped or villainous heroes and heroines. Romance isn't fluff writing anymore. It's allowed to take on new realms and hard issues. You'll find the aftermath of rape, insanity, corruption... Romance isn't just about entertainment anymore. And it's all happening while these two prattle on about something they clearly have little knowledge about.

I'm not saying the classic "feel good" romance doesn't exist anymore. It does, but saying all romance is that sort is uneducated in the subject and insulting to both those that are and those that aren’t.

The only kudos I can, in good conscience, give this entire debate is the fact that Diane Glass points out that it's "violent porn" that's shown to have negative societal repercussions. At least they got something right in the bargain, though not much.

To all of those who ENJOY romance... Read on, sisters and brothers! Fifty-five percent of the mass market sales, plus e-book sales... We can't be wrong. Romance genre will be around long after both of these journalists are considered old hacks.

Since RWA is on the mind this week

Oh, but let's look at the current RITA debacle, since we're on the subject. You probably know that RWA has just refused to add one or more erotic categories to the RITA. They state that books with sexual content can enter anywhere, but they can't. Why not? Because National defines a romance as two people...at least a change from one man and one woman, but... Erotic romance allows for poly relationships, which National excludes from being romance. So, no... Some erotic books are cordially DISinvited from entering RITA on the basis that they are not romance by National's standards, even if their publishers are recognized and all of that.