Culinary Carnivale

GOT DEMON?

2012-08-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

RELEASE DAY!

Yes, this is the day. The wait is over. Fellow Culinary Carnivale bitch Saranna DeWylde's long awaited How to Lose a Demon in 10 Days is now available for your smutty reading pleasure.

GOT DEMON?

Grace does. She's got more demon than she can saddle. In fact, she's got a sinfully sexy Crown Prince of Hell named Caspian. She's also got ten days to get rid of him or Bad Things shall ensue. See, her Russian mobster ex-boyfriend didn't take kindly to her smutty Mephistophelean contract. It's not that she's conspiring with fiends; that was his idea. It's that she's conspiring against him with outrageous devilry that runs the gamut from embarrassing to a dead hooker turned dominatrix demon gunning for his soul.

One should never trust demons, let alone shag them. They don't have hearts. Yet Grace is buying hers some slightly tarnished armor and hoping that once he's been shoveled into it, kicking and screaming, he'll find it's just his size. This damsel in distress needs a dark knight for a Happily Ever After.

Of course, we fellow bitches - Annemarie, Courtney & Dhympna (from here on out, known only as "the little people") have only one reaction to this release:

Off with thee to your favourite bookseller!

Game Time!

2012-07-18T14:17:00.000-04:00

All right boys and girls, it’s time to play I Just Want To Read my Fucking Book and Be Left Alone. Brought to you by warring fangirls and batshit authors who are making the rest of us look bad.

So here we go, the rules, altogether now!

I don’t have to buy a book because it’s the It book of the moment. I have enough books to get through and I trust my Reader-fu.
If I do buy it and I love it, I won’t justify my love of the book. I still read chick-lit. I refuse to debate the reasons why I think Twenties Girl is brilliant. If you think my loving this book makes me stupid, then fuck you.
If I do buy it and hate it, my hatred of said book does not need an explanation. I’m not committing genocide, I’m expressing an opinion. I’m allowed to have a different opinion than yours.
If I leave a book a positive review, this doesn’t mean I will side with an author down the road should he/she choose to use my review as an example of why another reviewer is wrong.
If I leave a book a negative review, I’m in no way obligated to respond to the author if he/she challenges me. Shoot yourself in your own foot, asshole.
If I don’t want to leave a review, period, I won’t. I have a life. Leaving a fly-by one star review isn’t a personal attack. It means I’m busy and I didn’t like your book.
It’s no business of yours where I live, who I work for, how many children I have, what my husband does for a living, when I’m menstruating, how up-to-date I am in my car payments. All you need to know is that I didn’t like your book. If that unsettles you, that’s just unfortunate.
If I leave you a bad review for one title, I might very well enjoy another. Don’t fuck it up and prevent me from reading another one of your books by being an asshole.
I paid for your book. If I want to print it up, spread it out on my lawn and invite drunken neighbours to piss on it, that’s my prerogative.
And most importantly, the majority of other readers will side with me.

Feel free to add your own in the comments.

And also, buy one of my books. I promise I won’t send an assassin out to get you if you don’t like it. Even if the assassin is Tom Hardy sexy and you totally want him to come get you - you can't have him, he's mine.

Recipe research

2012-05-21T22:14:00.000-04:00

I'm a history junkie. Don't believe me, ask Saranna or Dhympna. I love finding weird historical facts and artifacts in odd places. That explains the following recipe.
I found it in a cookbook called "The New Cook Book" from 1955. It is a dark green covered ugly little thing written half in Porteguese and the other in English.
There are helpful household hints as well as recipes. I am going to share one of the "Brazilian Specialties" recipes in the book.
It is for Shrimps a Bahiana (Which I have no idea what it means but man is it yummy:

4 pounds of Shrimp
1 tablespoon fat (preferably oil)
1 chopped onion
6 small tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 hot small peppers
parsely

Peel and clean the shrimps. Saute Onion, tomatoes, and parsely in fat, add shrimp and simmer. Melt butter and flour add 1 cup water and pour mixture over shrimps. Boil for a few mintues. This dish is even better when the milk of one coconut is added instead of water. If you like it hot, add the two hot small peppers. Serve with rice.

Have fun!

Limiting libraries doesn't equal increase of sales

2012-02-11T17:23:00.002-05:00

Quote:

From the publisher viewpoint, this friction provides some measure of security. Borrowing a print book from a library involves a nontrivial amount of personal work that often involves two trips—one to pick up the book and one to return it. The online availability of e-books alters this friction calculation, and publishers are concerned that the ready download-ability of library ebooks could have an adverse effect on sales. (Source)

There's always something, isn't it? If certain publishers aren't shrieking about piracy, they're trying to blame loss of sales on something other than ridiculous pricing, lack of quality, and tighter purse strings in a shitty economy. The issue of denying libraries access to books baffles me. The piracy issue I understand, but to justify this because of revenue lost because less people buy the book is ridiculous (if this is the case, how publishers survived in the entire history of the public library is beyond me.)

First, about the reality of being a consumer in the face of today's market: I've had more DNF books since switching from a dead-tree reader to a digital reader. Between dwindling quality from publishers (big and small) and the and the glut of anyone-can-do-it cash grab of self-publishing via Amazon and others, the idea of blindly walking into a book from a new author just doesn't make sense to my wallet. Don't get me started on so-called samples available at e-tailers.

Buying an ebook device changed me as a reader. I no longer go to the local brick & mortar store where I am free to grab a coffee and sample the first few chapters of a book before deciding to buy. I didn't realize just how much this habit influenced my buying decisions until I had to rely on other methods to decide whether a book was for me. The harder it is for me to try out a book, the less likely I am to pony up the dough. Now, the hundreds of dollars I normally spent on books in a year didn't stay in my pocket, but was instead doled out to an exclusive group of titles written by the authors I knew I could trust to entertain me. With the exception of a handful of newcomers and anthologies, I became a stingy reader and consumer.

But this post isn't about the percentage of a book I can sample or about the quality of what is available, or anything else, though it's related. It's about accessing books via the library.

I've recently returned to my library after being an absent patron for many years. My motivation was based entirely on the fact that I can now download ebooks via the Overdrive console. For a gadget loving broad like me, this was the perfect solution to my disillusionment towards book-buying.

This is the kind of library user I am: if I like what I read, I'll become a customer in addition to a reader by purchasing subsequent releases by this author. If a book is denied to me as an ebook, I wouldn't go out of my way to go to the library to get the dead-tree version. I just wouldn't read it, instead moving onto another author and title available to me.

For instance, I recently borrowed Linden MacIntyre's The Bishop's Man. Loved it. Immediately bought the book that preceded The Bishop's Man, as well as MacIntyre's autobiography, Causeway. I recommend The Bishop's Man to everyone. I'll probably go back and buy The Bishop's Man so I can re-read when the fancy strikes me. Multiple sales, right there, because MacIntyre's publisher allowed the library to access the book, therefore allowing me to borrow it.

My take on it is simply this: the harder you make it for me to access your book, the less likely it is that I will buy more in the future.

Without The Bishop's Man from the library, I would not have bought The Long Stretch. Without Marian Keyes's Sushi for Beginners from the library, I would not have bought This Charming Man. Without My Zombie Valentine from the library, I would not have bought Mari Mancusi's self-published Razor Girl.

Crippling library's ability to lend books to patrons doesn't sell any more books. Period. I started this post with a quote and I'll end with one. This one is from my Mom, after I offered to buy her a Kobo so she could buy buy and borrow books online:

No, I like my way. I don't like the library. I like buying a book. I buy a book and I lend it to the girls at work, and they lend me their books. I can't do that with an ebook.

On Books and What They Are

2012-02-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

see more Historic LOL

I have been thinking about this post for the better part of a month. With so many kerfuffles and authors telling readers and reviewers how they should review a book, one thing has stood out to me--the constant refrain by some authors that only the story should be reviewed and that reviewing paper, typeset, format, cover art, blurb, et cetera is totally unfair. Um, exsqueeze me? I write book reviews, not story reviews.

Look my little speshul snowflakes, if you go the so called "traditional route," the book that is published IS NOT your sole creation. This idea is conflated/confuse because authors often refer to a book as "my book" and readers refer to it as "Speshul Snowflake's book." But the truth is that the book is now only 75% of the author's and perhaps 85% for a digital book.

What an author contributes is a story, not a book. And here is the crazy thing--books don't have to contain stories!! You can have a book that contains picture, recipes, charts...well, you get the drift.

Look, publishers put their name on books because the book Speshul Snowflake published is theirs too. They poneyed up editors, cover artists, et cetera. Oh and if you have an agent? Guess what? Usually there is some contribution there too.

So, now that we have established that a book is the product of an author, possibly an agent, and most certainly a publisher, we shall turn to the reader side of things.

The physical nature of a book is part of the reading experience. I will forever remember reading It in the late 1980s because the mass market was fat and had tissue paper thin pages. Things like binding, cover art, type setting, paper, do indeed affect the reader's experience. Lack of editing too.

For digital books, cover (or lack thereof), poor formatting (junk characters), poor editing and the like can also affect the reader experience.

Interacting with a book is not just about the story.

So, to the authors who whine that it is not fair that a reader talk about their entire experience with a book--perhaps you are in the wrong business and should just publish your stories on your own website.

War Cake

2012-01-26T19:51:00.000-05:00

Lately, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into World War I for a WIP I’m working on and because I’m an American History Junkie. In my research I found this easy recipe our foremothers used to make a delicious treat for their families during wartime. Due to rationing common place ingredients weren’t always available so these intrepid women had to make do. This was also similar to a recipe used in my family during World War II as well.

This recipe is an easy, fun, and yummy bit of history.

Ingredients

2 c. brown sugar

2 c. hot water

2 tsp. shortening

½ to ¾ c. raisins

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. salt

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. hot water

Mix brown sugar, hot water, and shortening in a medium size saucepan. Add raisins, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Boil for 5 minutes after it bubbles. Remove from heat and cool completely (This is very important. Don’t shortchange yourself on the cooling) Add baking soda that has been dissolved in hot water. Add flour. Pour into a greased pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Reader's Rights

2012-01-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

In light of the many bruhahas and kerfluffles that have surfaced lately in which authors try to dictate how readers and reviewers should write reviews, I have written up a sort of Reader's Bill of Rights.

see more Historic LOL

Reader/Reviewer Bill of Rights

1. As a reader, you have the right to review any book you have read in any manner that you wish.

2. You have the right to squee and write a fangirl/boy review if you loved the book.

3. You have the right to not finish a book and review it (but you should clearly state that it was a DNF).

4. You have the right to rate a book, but not write up a review.
a. You have the right to not like a book and not explain why.
b. You have the right to love a book and not explain why.

5. You have the right to talk about possibilities the author could have taken.

6. You have the right to read passages and not like the book. You may even choose to write an essay about why you didn’t like the book passages you read.

7. You have the right to dislike a book and wonder why others liked it.

8. You have the right to love a book and wonder why others hated it.

9. You have the right to review the entire product (cover, formatting, editing, paper, et cetera).

10. You have the right to start anywhere in a series.

11. You have the right to read other books in a series, even if you hated the first one.

12. You have the right, when writing a review, to use any short hand phrases that you like, such as “card board characters,” “reads like “Twilight,” et cetera.

What would you add to the list?

Recipe: Mom's Snowball Cookies

2011-12-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, nothing said Christmas like mum's first batch of snowball cookies. She would make them for us, family, and friends. We even left some out for Santa. These are really easy cookies and a good recipe if you have youngsters around who want to help you cook.

Ingredients:

-2 cups flour
-pinch of salt
-3/4 cup softened butter (a stick and a half, unsalted)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 large egg
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 cup of chopped walnuts
powdered sugar (about 3/4 of a cup)

Preheat oven to 350F, line one large cookie sheet with silicon sheet or parchment paper.

In a stand mixer or in a bowl and using a hand mixer, cream together the sugar and the butter. Add in egg and vanilla until well incorporated. Slowly add in flour and salt until combined. With a wooden spoon stir the walnuts in. Using your hands, roll the dough into smallish balls--a few bits. Recipe should make about 24 balls.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Dump powdered sugar into a pie plate. When cookies are done, allow them to cool a bit on a rack. You want them warm, but not too hot to handle.

Roll the warm balls around in the powdered sugar and put them on a nicer plate than I did. (Really? Why did I choose a white plate? I have a lovely green plate. Ugh).

Happy holidays!

Wednesday Book Sale Shopping--What's On My Nook?

2011-09-14T11:50:00.000-04:00

I am a sale shopper. I admit it. I am going to try to post weekly about sales that interest me.

L.K. Rigel has a new book out (Give Me, A Fairy Tale Romance), here is the synopsis (from Goodreads):

An adult fairy tale about magic gone wrong.

A young witch tries to save two lovers in mortal danger, but her spell ends in disaster ...

While touring a ruined castle in the west of England, Lilith Evergreen feels a sudden and overwhelming attraction to guide Cade Bausiney. Cade is instantly drawn to Lilith as well, but can he trust his feelings? Their desire might only be sparked by dark and dangerous magic.

Lilith and Cade must break the spell or be forever possessed by spirits who've waited a millennium to consummate their love.

To celebrate her new release, her Apocalypto series is on sale at Amazon an Barnes and Noble.

Spacejunk (normally 3.50) and Spiderwork (normally 3.99) are on sale for 1.99 and Bleeder is 2.99 from 4.99.

The sale will run from September 14-21 (Wednesday to Wednesday).

Here is the synopsis for book one, Spacejunk (from Goodreads):

Space Junque (Apocalypto 1), a novella.

Nominated for Best Romantic Science Fiction/Fantasy in 2010 and Best Debut Book in 2010 by The Romance Reviews.

The DOGs want to destroy the world. The gods want to make a new one. The trick is to survive both.

The world is on the brink of ecological cataclysm set off by the Oil Spill of 2010 and the Great Sea Level Rise of 2070. Hydroponics agronomist Char Meadowlark has become a recluse since her fiance was killed by a terrorist bomb and her twin sister Sky went underground to protect a top secret alternative energy project. Warned about an impending eco-terrorist attack, Char tries to get off planet, but the Defenders of Gaia strike while she's at the airport. Shuttle pilot Jake Ardri might offer her only hope.

When the DOGs' onslaught goes global and the material world threatens to implode, the ancient gods reemerge to take control over humanity. Through the ensuing chaos, Char must juggle two men, a world on fire, and a goddess with an agenda for a new world order.

Will there be any room for love in flagrante apocalypto?

*****

Now if you are looking for something a little...erm...spicier...smuttier? I found this gem, Maid for It (An Erotic Novella), marked down from 2.99 to .99. It is also on sale at Barnes and Noble. I don't know how long this sale will last. Here is the blurb (from Goodreads):

In fear for her life after witnessing a powerful drug lord gun down two rivals, Gabriela Marquez flees Sinaloa for the safety of the United States. No sooner does she arrive, however, than she’s arrested and threatened with immediate deportation unless she agrees to work for Maid for It, a company providing specialty housekeeping services to high-end clients. Gabi soon realizes the “specialty” services she must provide will be of a sexual nature. She should refuse, but she can’t risk deportation. Prostitution is preferable to death.

Her first assignment is in the home of Benjamin Hardcastle, a wealthy and reclusive computer security expert. He’s also Maid for It‘s most exacting client. Determined to please the heretofore unpleasable Mr. Hardcastle, Gabi keeps her past a secret. If he discovers the truth—that she’s been coerced into the role of sexual slave—he’ll send her away.

But what begins as a unwelcome obligation becomes an awakening to the incredible pleasures of domination, bondage, and submission. As Gabi discovers she truly is “made for it,” her secret looms larger, threatening her survival in an entirely unexpected way.

So, that is what is on my ereader.

~Have a sale that you want me to look at? Have a free book or a sale you think I may be interested in? Just click my profile and drop me an email.

Dear Authors, Forums Are Not Walled Gardens--Readers Can See You

2011-09-11T13:05:00.000-04:00

Have you ever finished a purchase in a store, walk out and realize you forgot something, and when you walk back in the clerks are making fun of you or are complaining about you?

I learned at an early age that you never know who may be listening to your conversation. When I was a teenager, I was talking to a group of fellow music students and I was complaining about the gent who taught me how to play the flute when I was 7. One of the assistant music teachers overheard me and asked who I was talking about. I told her. Turns out that the teacher I was complaining about was her brother. Boy was I embarrassed. But the lesson stuck with me.

My point is that you never know who is listening, or reading as the case may be. My point is that public places are not private, even areas you may think of as private like a music practice room, or an author loop or an author forum.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

I have witnessed some very unprofessional behaviour on forums by authors lately. In one case, I saw a forum post by an author who was possibly looking for sympathy because she posted a negative review about another author and an author's friend called her out on it. She posted the negative review with a Goodreads account that was under a different name (not her author name). She created the account so she could write reviews for her own books and could suggest her books to readers to avoid running afoul of the "Author Guidelines" for the site. After reviewing her own books, she then decided it to review other people's books.

I will let you ruminate on that.

The thread dissolves into a discussion about reviews and whether authors should review at all and if they do, should they only post positive reviews. I figured I would weigh in here. Having talked to a lot of readers the consensus is this:

If we see you only give positive reviews, we ignore you.
If we see you (a self pub) review other self published authors and give them positive reviews, we ignore you. We are wise to that cross-promo tactic (I won't even touch the tag sharing BS).

The review pandering/swapping has gotten so bad that I no longer trust a self-published book that has only 4 and 5 star ratings. I tend to check to see who the reviewers are, but I am always suspicious of the reviews being from the author's friends or other self-published authors. I also know that this distrust is spreading amongst the reading community.

This is not to say all is lost. I do trust my wider network of reader friends on Goodreads and on Twitter for recommendations.

On to the first example I used of clerks complaining about a paying customer, it is relevant, I swear. I was poking through the forum because I had this blog post in mind and I discovered a recent thread about reviewers altering reality. I clicked on it. It took me a moment to realize that I was the reader the author was complaining about--I had quite innocently posted a question/query on my Goodreads comment field that the author took umbrage with. The amusing part is I had not really said anything negative.

I bring this up for a few reasons: 1) any trust I had of the author to respect me as a reader and consumer has been broken and I will not promote this book or the author so I will not give the book access to my own social connections and 2) authors seem to be totally unaware that readers may read their quite public complaints/whining/bitching on public forums.

Authors, we do read them. We share them. A good rule of thumb is to be professional at all times. This is how you lose customers.

Mini Review - Zombie Fairy Tales – Jill Myles

2011-09-06T20:51:00.000-04:00

Doesn’t it seem like every Joe Schmoe is adding zombies to classic literature and selling it? The idea was worthy of a chuckle with Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (personally, I only made it through 1/3 of the book) but since then it has just become ridiculous. Still, every so often someone gets it right.

Enter Jill Myles’s Zombie Fairy Tales.

Having never read her stuff before, I was expecting Girl Power vs the Undead from Myles. I wasn’t expecting actual zombie fairy tales, but that’s what Myles simply promised and that’s what she simply delivered – and it was fantastic!

Take several of your better known fairy tales: Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and so on. Now, turn all of the damsels in these stories into brain-hungry zombies.

Yes. Oh, yes. You see where this is going.

I have a tie for my favourite stories with this one – "The Princess and the Zomb- Pea" for the absurdity of poor Prince Gerald being foisted upon a brain-nomming princess because of royal protocol; and "Rapunzombel" for the laugh-out-loud imagery that this little nibble offers.

This anthology is listed at $0.99 at most ebook sellers and self-published by Myles. A great little collection for less than the price of a coffee.

--

Annemarie Hartnett's latest rom-com, Out of the Blue, is available from Loose Id via your favourite e-book seller.

Annemarie reviews Married with Zombies and Flip This Zombie by Jesse Petersen

2011-09-06T08:26:00.000-04:00

We have Annemarie visiting us today with a review for Jesse Petersen's Married with Zombies (Living with the Dead, Book 1) and Flip this Zombie (Living with the Dead, Book 2). Enjoy!

*****

I like zombies. I’m one of those writers of people and the weird shit
people do in every day life who secretly wants to write an awesome
zombie book. It’ll never happen, and I’m fine with that as long as
other folks keep bringing out some good zombie fiction. Where film has
been flailing with this genre as of late (REC was the last good one,
in my opinion), literature has been vomiting great zombies all over
the place. I’ve recently enjoyed John Joseph Adam’s The Living Dead
anthologies – voodoo zombies, zombie societies, Hurricane Katrina
zombies, and even gross zombie sex make for two fabulous anthologies.
However, zombie fiction itself is becoming more irritating with
everyone and their undead Mom trying their hand at it, recycling the
same crap over and over again.

Also, I’m series phobic. I admit that. In the last few years it’s been
harder to find a series I like. The paranormal/urban fantasy genre is
overflowing with hot chicks hunting sexy demons, and I’m not so much
into steampunk to commit to more than a short story at a time. If
series were a box of chocolates, I’d nibble a little of each and chuck
what I don’t like, then slowly savour the truffles.

Jesse Petersen’s zombie series is a truffle.

Petersen won me over by adding a splash of romantic comedy to her
brain matter. Fear not, zombie fanboys, these are not romances. They
just happen to be about a couple who has to rediscover their trust and
love for one another via saving the world from zombies.

“But I never would have guessed that unlike therapy, unlike the
self-help books that littered out apartment at the time, killing
zombies would save my relationship.”

Told from the perspective of Sarah and beginning with an unpleasant
trip to the marriage doctor, the series hits the ground and runs as
Sarah and her husband, David, walk in on their counsellor nomming on
one of her clients. Here is where Sarah and David learn that, even
though their marriage is a little broken, they still make one hell of
a team as they fight the growing undead horde.

Every chapter begins with a relationship/zombie survival tip. Take
notes. You might need them one day.

"Chapter 12 – Build mutual friendships. Just be ready to end them when
your friends start trying to eat you."

The first book is all about the outbreak, and the second book delves
into the who & how of the zombie outbreak. Both are common tropes in
the zombie genre, but Petersen handles them with a voice that’s
engaging – Sarah, who could be any one of us forced to rise to the
challenge and get over personal bullshit for survival. They act like
real people trying to hold it together, and most of the time they hold
one another up.

Finally, I blurted out, “We had to kill her.”
For a long time, David’s flinch was the only answer. When he spoke,
his voice was strained. “Well, we didn’t kill her in committee or
something. I killed her.”
“David –“ I started, kind of scared by how hollow his voice was. He
sounded really fucked up. The same way he had the day he told me he
was dropping out of school and we had fought for three hours.

The series everything you would expect from a good zombie story with
the added bonus of some killer banter between Sarah and David. The
series has its laugh out loud moments, is suspenseful, angsty, and
bloody gross in spots. With one more book left (so far!) I’m hopeful
that Peterson will write more.

--
You can read Annemarie’s non-zombie (but very sexy!) books on your
favourite e-book device. To learn more, visit her website at
www.amhartnett.com – you can also follow her on twitter.

Also, give some love to Jesse Petersen, so she’ll write more books!

Pia Veleno's Release Day Chicken Salad and Make You Sweat Excerpt

2011-08-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

Chicken salad huh? I haven’t had chicken salad in ages.

When Dhympna asked me for a chicken salad recipe, I remembered some leftover chicken in the fridge and thought, “Why not?” Then I promptly forgot, eating the chicken cold, standing in front of the fridge to cool off and refuel after running several miles.

So, you want a chicken salad recipe? Here’s a little twist I borrowed from the Hubby’s tuna salad creation.

Mix the following together with a fork:

1 can (10 oz) chicken, drained
¼ c light Miracle Whip or mayo
2T Dijon mustard
2T sliced green olives
2T red onion, finely diced

Serves two on Sandwich Thins, and with a side of Cheez-Its.

Chicken salad is a great summertime meal. No cooking, no heat. Add a side of sliced apples or fruit salad, and a glass of lemonade or Riesling, and relax in the shade. Delicious!

Once you’ve cooled off, heat back up with my newest release, a contemporary M/M story spanning one too-short summer. Make You Sweat which releases at Loose Id today. Here’s a tempting little excerpt…

Excerpt:

Keeping his head down as he entered the spacious gym, Tyler avoided three men gathered around a bench cheering and jeering each other over how much each could lift in a single round. One straddled the bench and waved his friends forward to add another set of large black weights to the bar.

Tyler sat down at a machine near the door. He studied the design for a moment before putting his arms against the gunmetal gray pads. When he pushed, they didn’t move. He glanced at stack to his right. The pin held eighty pounds. If he’d been alone, he would’ve laughed to blow off the stupid feeling creeping up his spine. Instead, with a quick glance at the men to make sure they still ignored him, Tyler fought past the flush rising up his neck and moved the pin up to thirty. He pressed the pads together. Come on, come on, come on. They wiggled; the black stack shifted upward an inch and then dropped with a solid thwack. The little black blocks with their numbers etched in multiples of ten mocked his weak muscles.

The trio of weight lifters glanced in his direction, their voices quieter and indecipherable as they exchanged a few words. Two laughed, and then the third punched them both, refocusing their attention on their workout. Tyler’s cheeks warmed, and he gritted his teeth. Tyler considered changing the pin again, but thanks to the muscle heads in the corner, he felt plenty self-conscious already.

Across the room a treadmill stopped. Tyler had been so intimidated by the lifters casually tossing around metal weighing as much as he did, he hadn’t noticed the noise of the treadmill’s motor until it fell silent. Tyler glanced up. His mouth fell open when he recognized the runner he’d been drooling over in the elevator yesterday. He made sweatpants and a T-shirt look damn sexy. Sun-speckled auburn hair trimmed military short did little to keep sweat from dripping down the sides of his face. His tee clung to cut muscles along broad chest and shoulders but stopped short of his narrow waist. He threw his head back, drinking deeply from a plastic sports bottle. Tyler watched his throat bob with each swallow until the man lowered his drink and looked straight at him.

Snapping his mouth shut and swallowing the lust in his throat, Tyler looked away. He licked his lips. Eyes glued to his sneakers, Tyler squeezed the pads together. The stack climbed a shaky half inch and then slipped from his control, slamming down to its mates.

“Can I help?”

Tyler flinched at the voice. Not at the sound -- he could listen to that rich, friendly voice caress his ears all afternoon -- but the proximity startled him. He glanced up into soft brown eyes, suddenly so much closer and looking right at him, and then quickly dropped his gaze, stuttering as his mind raced faster than his tongue could spit out the words.

“If you raise your seat a couple of notches,” the runner said, “you’ll have better leverage.”

Tyler lifted his gaze upward, inch by inch, crawling up the powerful, muscular legs of a long-distance runner; narrow hips and a waist that didn’t see much junk food; chest muscles under a sticky, wet shirt looking like a plastic toy in their hardened perfection; large hands drying themselves on a white towel; and that jaw, square and stubbled enough to tickle the stomach or thighs when at play.

Oh God, you can leverage me anytime you want. “W-what?” Tyler pictured the man as he’d seen him in the elevator yesterday -- shirtless. He stole Tyler’s voice in just the same way today.

“Let me show you.” The man waved Tyler away from the machine. Tyler dutifully bowed to the authoritative air of the handsome stranger, waiting patiently to one side as he tugged on the seat, lifting it upward until it clicked into the next position. “Try that.”

Tyler sat as directed. When he pressed against the pads, the weights moved upward. His chest and arms objected, but under the close study of the eye candy smiling down at him, Tyler pushed through, bringing the pads together and then releasing them slowly, determined to keep the stack from slamming down to finish.

“Easier, huh?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Tyler said. Then, after a deep breath, he steadied his voice and met the man’s bold stare. “But I want to make sure I’m lifting enough to build muscle.” Like yours.

“That’s why most people come here.” The eye candy grinned, and -- was that a wink? “You’ll do better with the right form. Hey, I’m just about done. You want me to show you some of my favorites?”

Tyler swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Sure,” he said with an exhale. “I mean, if you’re not busy.”

When the man threw out his hand and introduced himself, Tyler corralled the dirty thoughts. “I’m Cody Dawson,” the man said. Cody laughed and then dried his hands on his towel. “Sorry, I get into my run. I forget I sweat up a storm by the time I’m done.”

“N-no. No, it’s fine. I’m…” Not used to sexy men talking to me? Yeah, sure, freak him out before you can feel out his intentions.

“You’re new here?”

“Yes. For the summer.”

“For school?”

Tyler shook his head. “Break from school. Senior. In college,” he added quickly. He hated looking younger than his years, and then hated himself more for feeling like he had to clarify that he wasn’t a kid. “I’m Tyler. I live on the third floor.” My name is Luka. I live on the… Oh suave, Tyler.

They shook. Tyler pictured Cody’s hand on his body, squeezing, caressing. When Cody pulled his hand away, Tyler dismissed the fantasy and spoke up. “You look like you’re here a lot.”

“Three times a week. More if the weather is crap.” Cody gestured at the machine to Tyler’s right. “Try this one. It’s great for the back and shoulders.”

Cody walked Tyler through several exercises, working in his sets with additional weight. Cody seemed to understand when Tyler had enough, even as Tyler wondered if he’d have to surrender before Cody finished.

Cody stretched his arms over his head and then bent for his toes. “Stretch it out,” Cody said when he caught Tyler watching. Tyler glanced around at the other machines feigning interest in anything to avoid getting busted staring at the handsome hunk with sweaty muscles and an easy smile.

“I could do a few more.” Tyler sneaked a glance at Cody’s ass when he dropped into a lunge.

“You’ll be sore in the morning as it is.” Cody’s eyes sparkled with his smile.

Tyler mimicked the stretching routine, his mind drifting to Cody’s last words. He could’ve been flirting, though Tyler knew sore muscles were an inevitable result. Just a harmless daydream. Nothing wrong with pretending Cody could be interested.

“Since you’re new here,” Cody said, breaking into the fantasy, “I could show you some of the good places to eat. There are at least three fried-food shacks and one ice-cream stand you need to completely avoid unless you like to risk food poisoning.”

“Really? Yeah, sure. I could use some company.” Even a friend, hopefully more, he thought, damping down his grin.

“Great! I’m in 8-13 when you’re done with your cardio.”

“Cardio? Oh, yes, I suppose I should do that.” Tyler eyed the line of treadmills. He could picture being flung off of one in an attempt to feel like he belonged there.

“Don’t let me stop you,” Cody said. “I’ll show you how they work. They’re a bit different than most places. Every new person in the building swears at them the first week.”

Torn between following through with his plan to get in shape and wanting to hit fast forward on the morning to have lunch with Cody, Tyler reluctantly followed him to an elliptical machine.

“It’s a touch screen, but it’s not very sensitive,” Cody said. “Once you start a program here.” He tapped the screen. “You can use these levers to increase and decrease resistance and incline.” Cody fingered the controls and then turned to face Tyler. “Your call, though. However you want.”

I want you. Just don’t back out on lunch.

“Tyler?” Cody asked.

Tyler nodded. “Sorry, spacing out. I’m still, uh, developing my workout ideas. I hadn’t given much thought to these things.” He gingerly stepped up onto the machine Cody had chosen. It looked more dangerous than the treadmill with its moving hand bars swinging back and forth as he put weight on the treads.

“You’re in luck. I’m a certified trainer.”

“Oh.” Tyler licked his lips. He studied the machine to avoid looking at what he really wanted to. “I don’t… I mean, I haven’t…”

~*~*~*~

From Loose Id: Make You Sweat by Pia Veleno

Thanks for reading!

http://piaveleno.com

Fruity Curry Chicken Salad

2011-08-06T01:19:00.000-04:00

Hi all -

Since Dhympna drafted me for the blog and the Arthurian quest for chicken salad recipes, I've been scouring the internets and musty tomes of recipes for fun ones. Plus I am really into Bollywood right now as I work on my newest WIP. So curry makes me smile. This week I managed to find a really delish one for you all. Don't get grossed out. I road tested it and have to admit it is really yummy.

TA-DA!!
Fruity Curry Chicken Salad

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 Golden Delicious apple - peeled, cored and diced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 cup light mayonnaise

Directions

In a large bowl combine the chicken, celery, onion, apple, raisins, grapes, pecans, pepper, curry powder and mayonnaise. Mix all together. Serve!

Serves 8.

Review: The Frozen Sky-Jeff Carlson

2011-08-03T10:15:00.001-04:00

I was reading a blog post that mentioned this novella awhile ago (and now I have completely forgotten where I read about this story). The Frozen Sky was originally published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Vol. 23 in 2007 and has been reissued by the author as a standalone digital novella for .99.

Synopsis:

The story is set on beneath the icy surface of Jupiter's moon, Europa, where a small team of scientists have stumbled upon indigenous life forms (that previous expeditions had missed).

At the heart of the story are the struggles of Alexis Vonderach, or Vonnie, against a very hostile planet after her two colleagues have been killed. Her only companion is a computerized ghost she quickly threw together to help her combat her alien alien attackers.

The story is structured to keep the reader on tenterhooks. It starts in media res, but each chapter of current action is separated by a flashback to the events leading up to the discovery of the "amphibians".

Length: novella (about 60 pages)
Publisher: Originally published by Galaxy Press as an anthology in 2007, now being published by the author as of January 2010.
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller

The Good:

I really enjoyed the pacing and appreciated the non linear setup of the narrative.

While the science and technology in this novella were fascinating, I was struck more with the subtext of the dangers of anthropomorphizing extraterrestrial life and how this may tie into the nature versus nurture debate. In other words, the dangers and problems with faulting a cultural group for how they have evolved to survive in a hostile environment.

The Bad:

I honestly have nothing "bad" really to say about this novella. My only real wish would be for a follow up for this novella because there were some interesting themes present in the story that could be explored further.

If You Like:

...Pitch Black, Plague Year (also by Carlson), Michael Critchton's Prey.

The Bottom Line:

I really enjoyed this novella and think it is well worth the read for any science fiction fans.

Where I got it: I bought it.

Typographical and Formatting Errors Found: 0 (Yayy)

Cover Grade: D

The cover is overly generic and if I had been browsing ebooks (rather than looking specifically for this one), I probably would have passed it buy. With the marketplace full of throwaway covers, having something that screams "I am not utter dreck!" is very important.

Isobel Carr's Chicken Salad

2011-08-03T09:11:00.000-04:00

Today we have a chicken salad recipe from historical romance author, Isobel Carr. You can also find Isobel on Twitter.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

2/3 c. slivered almonds
2 lbs shredded chicken
1/3 c. mayo
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1/3 c. mango chutney
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 tbsp curry powder
handful of golden raisins, chopped

Toast almonds at 350 for 8 min. Put chicken and raisins in a bowl. Put everything else, including almonds, in a blender and whiz until smooth. Mix everything together. You can add more almonds, chopped celery, and grated carrots if you like. Serve on endive leaves.

The Real Housewives of Olympus

2011-07-26T14:17:00.001-04:00

In honor of my new release, THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF OLYMPUS, I'd like to know who your favorite god or goddess is and why. Let's chat pantheons.

Saranna's Italian Chicken Salad Gluten Free

2011-07-21T15:33:00.000-04:00

Italian Chicken Salad

1 ball of fresh mozzarella (chunked)
1-2 cooked chicken breasts depending on size, chunked
season with Italian seasoning, garlic, sea salt, a dash of crushed red pepper
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil depending on desired texture

Blend in the food processor and process until you reach the desired texture. I like mine blended smooth. Then spread on Udi's gluten free bread. It's very good toasted.

This can be served hot or cold.

Want to Guest Blog For CC? Got a Chicken Salad Recipe?

2011-07-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

My friends, I am here to admit an addiction. I, Dhympna, am addicted to chicken salad. I go out of my way to discover new chicken salad recipes and I know I am not alone.

So, if you have a unique chicken salad recipe that you would to share with Culinary Carnivale, give me a shout. Yes, I am looking for guest bloggers.

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I hope to post a few recipes a week for the next four weeks. To get us started, why don't I give you a play on the classic.

Creamy Classic Chicken Salad:

You will need:

-2 to 3 cups of shredded or cubed cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken when it is hot out & I don't want to run the oven)
-mayonaise
-plain greek yogurt
-grapes (halved, or if they are large, quartered)
-diced celery (2 or 3 ribs)
-salt and pepper to taste

I add enough mayo and yogurt to coat. Roughly 1/3 mayonnaise to 2/3 yogurt. Mix everything together and serve on bread or on top of a bed of lettuce (I use mixed greens or chopped romaine).

Yes, my friends, it shall be a chicken salad summer.

Review: Forbidden Pleasure-Lora Leigh

2011-07-18T20:20:00.000-04:00

In 2008 I stumbled across Wicked Pleasure (Bound Hearts) in the local bookstore. The book, about twins who needed to share their female bed partners, was enjoyable enough that when the ebook for Forbidden Pleasure (Bound Heart) was on sale (2.99$ on sale from 7.99--it was a promotion because Leigh had a new book coming out in the series) I grabbed it.

Let's just say that if I paid the full price (it is back up to 7.99$), I would be pitching more of a fit.

*insert melodramatic sigh*

This book had so many problems that I really don't know where to start.

Did I hate it? No. Did I like it? Not really.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

People have heard of fleeting rumors about The Club. Located just outside Washington, D.C., only its members know where men go when they want to indulge the desire to share their women with a carefully selected male partner. John “Mac” McCoy resigned his membership from The Club when he married Keiley Hardin. Tempting and innocent, sweet and sexy, she would never accept Mac’s desire to share her with another man. However, Mac’s fantasies of sharing his wife haunt his dreams. And his passions. Unable to wait any longer to draw his best friend Jethro Riggs into his marriage, Mac invites Jethro to their home with the intention of drawing Keiley into the pleasures that only be achieved when two men love the same woman. But there’s more going on in Mac’s neck of the woods than a little additional pleasure. A past case, a stalker that likes to playing games and his wife is now in the middle of it all. Passion and pleasure, danger and desire combine as forbidden pleasure becomes an addiction none of them can escape.

Length: Novel
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance (m/f/m)
Publisher: Saint Martin's Griffin (2007)

The Good:

The ideas behind some of the sex scenes were hot, but the scenes were swollen with execution issues. Pun intended.

The Bad:

I am having issues organizing my thoughts about this one, so I will go in point form.

1) The main characters had one note each. Keiley was misunderstood by her husband and curious but, of course, wanted to fight his lifestyle but also wanted it oh, so bad. Mac on the other hand kept thinking about his dark side...WTF? So, in Leigh's universe the only men who participate in group sex are those who are damaged and have embraced their dark side? Um, okay, whatever. Like there aren't any undamaged people engaging in it. *snort* This stuff gets repeated over and over. AND OVER. I don't see threesomes as dark and wicked, nor do I see the light D/s stuff that Keiley and Mac engaged in as dark. Maybe I am jaded but, really, what the heck. It just seemed like there was a judgmental undertone to the book: men who do this are damaged but want to pamper women who must first fight the naughtiness that is this dark lifestyle. *eye roll*

2) I know people who engage in threesomes and they do not thinkof, nor do they walk around referring to it as, a ménage. First of all menage means a household, so ménage à trois means a household of three. Yes, popular culture has added other meanings, but seriously, it made Mac sound like a 13 year old boy contemplating sex and reading Penthouse. Keeping in mind that the end result of the story was a ménage à trois, but probably not in the sense of his train of thought when this kept popping up.

3) The conflict revolves around Keiley accepting another man into her life/bed and a case that Mac had been working on three years prior.

Problem is is that the bad guy is totally obvious as is the whole Eye-rollingly so. I also couldn't bring myself to care if Keiley fell in love with Jethro or not.

4) When I read Wicked Pleasure (which is the book after this one), I did not feel like I was missing anything by not reading the prior books. This book made me feel like there were large chunks, especially about Keiley's past, that I was missing. Yeah, some of it gets explained, but it still made Mac look like an overprotective father trying not to cave into his dark and twisted (*snerk*) needs and Keiley as a whiny, petulant, and swollen ingenue. *yawn*

Tightening/Swelling/Clenching: I was going to count the incidences of boob swelling and womb tightening, but Keiley pretty much spends the book in this state. It seemed like she was in a constant state of PMS with all of the swelling and tightening.

Typographical & Formatting Errors: I stopped counting. Seriously. Please keep in mind who published this (St. Martin's) and this book ranged from 8 to 10$. For example: "...he lifted her against her" (page 34 of the nookbook version), so "her elbow rammed into her husbands [sic] undefended abdomen..." (page 62). These are just a few and I was skimming at this point.

Cover grade: D

The cover is generic, sort of the erotic romance version of a plain brown wrapper.

Where I got the book: I bought it.

Final thoughts: I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for multiple partner romance. I found that by the end of the book, I was insulted by the whole experience between the "OMG I am such a dark twisted man" premise with the hero and the editorial issues. The editors were asleep at the wheel with this book. Seriously, half the "swollen"s needed to be deleted. If I could ask for my money back, I would.

Yes, I Do Judge A Book By Its Publisher

2011-07-13T15:04:00.002-04:00

I was watching a Twitter discussion by an agent (I cannot remember who, I suppose if pressed enough I could unearth the tweet) and others a week ago about how readers look for books. There were two points made that I would like to address. (Note: You can really tell when something sticks in my craw if I am still grumbling about it weeks later).

see more Historic LOL

1) Readers do not judge books by the publisher, that is, readers do not look at a particular publisher's offerings and base their decision on who publishes what.

This is complete and utter hogwash. I do it routinely and having worked in a bookstore, I know other readers do as well. I also think that with digital publishing and the lackadaisical attitude of some publishers in regard to ebook formatting, that this will become more common. After I read a book blurb that grabs my attention, the first thing I check is who published it. I have passed on some books because I did not care for a particular publisher (A note to authors: Yes, I will judge you based on who you decide to let publish your book.)

It only takes a few bad books to harm a publisher's reputation and make readers/consumers decide to avoid another bad experience and not purchase anything more from that publisher altogether.

2) That more choice is detrimental to readers.

I like lots of choice. I like getting lost in the stacks of a large library or a large bookstore and I worry about an agent who whines that there is too much choice and it is oh, so hard to navigate all the choices in a bookstore (seriously, if I recall correctly, I do believe the agent said this). Perhaps this agent is in the wrong business?

Too much choice for readers is detrimental to agents and publishers--it is not detrimental to readers.

Lately, I am exercising my choice more and more away from agented submissions and I cannot help but wonder if the soullessness I have been complaining about lately is due to the normalization and pasteurization that agents have been exerting on their clients. But, I digress...

Edited to add: My googlefu is still strong and I found the convo that prompted this post.

Why Do Authors Use Unrealistic Physical Reactions?

2011-06-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

I was reading the anthology The Pleasure Garden: Sacred Vows\Perfumed Pleasures\Rites of Passion (Harlequin Spice)and something struck me as the heroine's breast in the first story started undergoing a performative ritual that many heroines' bodies endure when they meet the one--why do authors, who presumably know that their breasts do not swell at the sight of a hot man, have their heroine's bodies perform impossible feats of physical and, theoretically, noticeable arousal?

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We have talked about how genres can become normalized, but there are certain phrases, certain shorthands, that also become part of this unspoken and often unquestioned part of the fiction formula.

Why do romance and erotica authors have a woman's body undergo physical reactions that, let's be honest, don't really occur when a female is just looking/thinking about a male. I am talking about the breast swelling, breast tightening, and womb clenching moments that occur when the heroine is gazing upon her intended or is becoming aroused by him.

Is this some sort of odd authorial penis envy because men have a much more noticeable physical reaction than the heroines when aroused? Why do women undergo, what @jenthegingerkid dubbed, tittyrections? Are we readers that needy for our heroine's to outdo their would-be mate in performative arousal?

Having read my fair share of early romances, like historicals from the late 1970s and early 1980s, I can guess that the normalization of such reactions had already started to occur. It seems to have gotten worse, though. I have read some recently published titles, like the above mentioned**, that really started to give my womb and breasts a severe case of low self esteem. Let's just say that for my breasts to be tightening and my womb to be clenching, it does not mean that "fun times" are ahead.

Why do authors keep using this language and why do readers not find it peculiar that our, as women, normal physical reactions are not enough? We won't get into the perfect compatibility of the heroine and her discovery of multiple and simultaneous orgasms (which is at least possible).

**Which will be reviewed tomorrow.

On Utopias, Women in Science Fiction, and Lookie the New Look

2011-06-26T14:20:00.000-04:00

I have mucked with the template once again. I like the orange, it has grown on me. Now, I just need to work on the pages, which is for next week.

see more Historic LOL

There have been quite a few interesting links flying around about women in science fiction and women writing utopian/dystopian fiction. I am always amused when some well-meaning commentator thinks that The Hunger Games (which, by the way, I have finally read and will put up a review next week) has started the dystopian craze, when the truth is is that dystopian fiction has been around a looooong time.

Here is a nice list of utopian fiction written by women prior to 1923. I need to settle down and read Mary Shelley's The Last Man. Lots of good stuff in this list and lots of it is public domain.

Heather Massey has an interesting post about whether the label "science fiction romance" marginalizes female authors as part of an ongoing discussion about "invisibility of female authors in science fiction." It is nice to know that I am not the only one who gets irritated when a book is mislabeled.

Next week I will start reviewing digital publisher websites. Any suggestions for the first victim?

The Normalization of Regency: Fan Fiction or True Historical Fiction?

2011-06-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was talking about how trends, behaviours, and even genres can become normalized. I have blogged about historical accuracy, or what I prefer to call historicism, before so I won't rehash all of that.

When a genre or sub genre takes off, the all too common knee jerk reaction is to work backward to figure out who/what the progenitor for that genre is. People like a neat, clearly labelled, starting point. By tracing a genre back to a famous and well received starting point also cements that genre's legitimacy. I tend to use the example of a dead king who is made a saint so his dynasty can appear to be divinely sanctioned. Many have tried to hold up Jane Austen (1775-1817) as the mother of all Romance and more specifically, Regency fiction. I would argue that while Regency romances can be traced to her (albeit filtered through another author), she is not the progenitor for Romance. But let me take a step back before we talk more about Austen.

Since fiction, and especially historical fiction, is written within a particular cultural framework, with particular forces being exerted on the author, on top of the author's own agency, a work of historical fiction has little to do with the time period it is set in and is more indicative of the author's own era. Let me say that again, it is less about when/where the story is set and more about the author's world.

Where does normalization fit into all of this? Normalization can occur on many different fronts. It can come from publishers. It can come from agents who are using what they deem to be the publishers' rules. It can come from other authors on an author loop, crit group, writing workshop, et cetera. One could also argue that fan fiction--works using characters and or universes from previous works like, say, Jane Austen--is itself a huge normalizing force. Why? Because it holds up certain universes and certain authors as examplars worthy of copying.

Jane Austen's work has been subject to fan fiction since the mid 19th century and there are many derivative works set in her universe. Notice I did not say the Regency universe. No source is omniscient and all sources privilege some information over other information. Many authors may be writing what they believe is Regency fiction, but it is really Austenverse because they use Austen as a starting point and none of her contemporaries' documents. Get it?

This has also helped normalize how we perceive the Regency era because the Austenverse tends to overshadow the historical Regency verse. Jane Austen's world has become entrenched within our own popular culture and has become normalized because of another factor--Georgette Heyer (1902-1974). Heyer helped cement Austen into our cultural consciousness, so now, what we perceive as Austenverse is sort of a Heyer-Austenverse (twice filtered--once through Austen, then again through Heyer--Regency goodness).

One could argue, therefore, that many (please notice that I did not say all) of the Regency Historical romances on the shelf today are Heyer-Austenverse fan fiction and have little to do with actual historical fiction or even the Regency time period.

We use normative stereotypes for all past time periods because it makes it easier to generalize "otherness". For instance, what do you picture when I say "1950s housewife?" Many people imagine June Cleaver, when in reality evidence supports that the Cleavers were not the dominant mode of living and thus not true exemplars but were a construct. Our image has become normalized through media, advertisements, books, and television shows.

It is normal for genres to become normalized. Normalization can cause genres to become formulaic. This is a good thing and a bad thing.

The good is that it allows for the author to use a sort of shorthand that exists within the genre which means the story is not bogged down by too much detail. Also, many readers read for comfort. They may want a familiar story with familiar characters.

The bad is that because of the formulaic nature there is little left of the author within the story. The story has become part of the norm and has been formed under those rules, which often leave little room for self expression. This is why heavily normalized fiction can come off as mechanical, soulless, indistinct fluff. Think fast food but in book form.

Tomorrow I will talk about language used in erotic romances that has become normalized.

The Normalization of Genres And Paradigms Within Romance

2011-06-22T15:23:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, I blogged about books that lack soul. Today I am going to talk about why readers sometimes complain about authors and publishing houses putting out the same stuff over and over (it can often feel like that to readers).

I am about to unload a whole bunch of theory on ya. I know, I know. Theory often makes my ears bleed. But I have been thinking about why certain tropes and modes of soullessness have become the "norm," sometimes theory can offer an explanatory model that better illustrates what may be occurring.

PLEASE NOTE: I am going to speak in generalizations and speak to what appears to be a dominant trend and there will always be exceptions.

I have been reading romance novels since the mid 1980s and I have noticed a steady trend towards normalization of certain sub genres within the genre itself.

The lovely image above is of a social network. Now, bear with me before you roll your eyes. I am talking about something bigger than social networking sites like Twitter.

We all belong to many different networks and we all have different roles within each network. Let's take an author who also works in an office. If she is published, she probably belongs to an author loop for each publisher she has books with--each of these are their own distinct networks and can exert influence on the author. If she writes romance, she may belong to the RWA or some other like organization that has a local as well as a national/international network. She belongs to multiple networks in her office as well, each with different roles. If she has kids, she may belong to the PTA so there are a few networks there. Each individual is a node, in the image each node is a dot. Individuals are tied to other individuals within a network as well as to individuals in other networks.

The more networks a person belongs to, the more likely her ideas can attain a farther reach. Likewise, the larger a network is, the more ideas can be shared and move around. Throw in social media and email and these ideas spread like wildfire. Unlike the 1980s and early 1990s when these connectors simply did not exist. Are you with me so far?

Now the denser a network is, in that image it is represented by the dark indigo colour, can alter how ideas are received. Sure, ideas have a greater reach, but now they are subject to normalization. Simply put, this is a process through which the social network(s) determine which expressions/ideas are acceptable and which are not. In the romance genre, this could mean that Regency romance is a more acceptable form of "historical" romance over other time periods (I am not saying this is true necessarily, I am merely using it as an example here). This can also determine how one writes as an author. This is also part of a paradigm.

One could also argue that organizations have the most to gain when they normalize ideas and the most to lose when they are no longer the arbiters of what is acceptable. One could also state that normalization occurred around 2005, but now that paradigm is being threatened.

Thomas Kuhn, in his work The Structure of Scientific Revolution, outlined how norms/paradigms come to prominence and how they are challenged. This occurs in three phases--the pre-paradigm phase (there are multiple paradigms but none are dominant), the "normal science" (one paradigm is dominant), and the revolutionary science phase (the paradigm is being questioned and new paradigms are being offered).

I would argue that publishing and the romance genre are just entering the Kuhnian third phase that heralds a paradigm shift.

What is causing this shift? Digital publishing. Self-publishing.

Organizations look to a strict set of factors to identify who plays what role within their organization. The RWA, for example, has rules for who can be what sort of member, even if these rules seem anachronistic and not only privilege the old paradigm but also help legitimate the norms that that paradigm has established through the primary/dominant networks (in this case NY publishing houses and the like). Now, people are already starting to question the rules. One good example is Jackie Barbosa's latest blog post about how the RWA determines who is published when faced with a plethora of new publishing opportunities.

Publishing houses do not know what to do now because the models they have held to, and have tried to dictate to members within their network, are being challenged. For instance, Marsha Canham writes about her experiences as a self-publisher and why she cut herself out of her publisher's network (and how the publisher/editor tried to normalize her writing).

So, now that I have given you some theory, next time we will talk about what has been normalized and how it has undergone that.