As Karin says, since the lesbian fiction market is so small, it doesn’t take many lost sales to potentially close down a lesbian fiction publisher or have a writer wondering if she should quit.

Anyway, pop over to Karin’s post about eBook piracy. It’s a long one…

It will take my editor 4-6 weeks to edit the story, so I won’t know until sometime in September whether I’ll publish it. I’ve taken a leap of faith and chosen a cover designer, so that if I go ahead with publication, I’ll have the front cover when I announce the book.

If you read lesbian fiction and/or mysteries, you may be familiar with Patty Henderson. Patty writes horror stories and the Brenda Strange mystery series. She’s also a cover designer. We’ll work on the front cover while the story is being edited.

Stay tuned!

I’ve read a couple of books, but will refrain from reviewing either. One was a lesbian fiction novel. I don’t review fiction for the following reasons:

1. Beyond spelling and basic grammar, any review is subjective. The same could be said of non-fiction, but at least you can give some idea of the credibility of the author and the breadth and depth of the material.
2. I don’t throw stones when I’m inside a glass house.

I also read Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate by Terry Eagleton. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my many years of hanging around the net, it’s to never, ever discuss religion, so no review on that one, either.    Check out the reviews on Amazon.

The next book I’ll tackle is Elizabeth’s Women by Tracy Borman. Yes, another book about Elizabeth I, but given her long reign, there’s a lot to say. The book isn’t out in North America yet. I bought my copy from the Book Depository.

Other than that, I’ve finished the first draft of the September Rymellan story, and my computer has almost finished reading the fantasy story to me. So progress on both fronts.

I hope you’re enjoying your summer and that you’re somewhere cooler than I am!

The book is a hefty 445 pages (not counting the front and back matter) and covers Oprah’s life up to Obama’s election win. Kelley’s style made for a good read. My eyes didn’t glaze over once, which is quite amazing for such a long biography.

The media implied that Kelley would be hard on Oprah, and it’s not acceptable to criticize Oprah in some circles. Given the rather shrill advance press, I opened the book expecting all sorts of unsubstantiated gossip and mud-slinging, but Kelley’s book is well researched. She cites 50 pages of sources, including Oprah’s relatives; in fact, the book contains several photos of Kelley with Oprah’s father and aunt.

Most of her assertions are based on articles and TV appearances that anyone can obtain and view, so she’s not making stuff up. Rather than doing a hatchet job on Oprah, Kelley’s book came across as, “Here’s what Oprah has said and done. Draw your own conclusions.”

After reading the book, the worst conclusion I can draw about Oprah is that her fame and money has apparently led to a loss of perspective and a bit of a messiah complex. Otherwise she sounds like a human being filled with contradictions. Nothing remarkable there. She can be generous and selfish, kind and bitchy. If you’re in her good books, she’ll shower you with gifts, but one perceived snub and she’ll ruthlessly cut you out of her life.

Sadly, she seems incapable of trusting more than a few people, so she obsessively controls her image and demands that everyone sign overly-restrictive confidentiality agreements. But in this day and age, who can blame her? People are willing to say anything about anyone for their five minutes of fame, even when whatever they’re dishing reflects badly on them.

If you’re curious about how Oprah behaves when the cameras are turned off, you’ll find Kelley’s book an interesting read.

I’ve noticed that some folks use the term “pantser” to describe those who wing it. I guess it’s derived from “seat of the pants.” For some reason, I always envision someone heavy-breathing into a phone when I read “pantser,” so I think I’ll stick with “winging it” and “organic writer.”