I’m interviewed today by Phoebe Jordan at Talk About My Favorite Authors on the subject of erotic romance, how I get my ideas, and all sorts of other stuff. Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen it yet, a fascinating article at Psychology Today on how the “common wisdom” that porn causes social harm is not only…
I honestly can not wrap my head about a lawsuit pending in Wisconsin in which four West Bend community members are claiming that just SEEING A COPY of Francesca Lia Block’s young adult book BABY BE-BOP on display in the public library damaged them. (“Oh my virgin eyyyyyyyes!!!!”)
To quote from the ALA story on the matter:
Milwaukee-area citizen Robert C. Braun of the Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) distributed at the meeting copies of a claim for damages he and three other plaintiffs filed April 28 with the city; the complainants seek the right to publicly burn or destroy by another means the library’s copy of Baby Be-Bop. The claim also demands $120,000 in compensatory damages ($30,000 per plaintiff) for being exposed to the book in a library display, and the resignation of West Bend Mayor Kristine Deiss for “allow[ing] this book to be viewed by the public.”
“the plaintiffs, all of whom are elderly, claim their mental and emotional well-being was damaged by this book at the library,” specifically because Baby Be-Bop contains the “n” word and derogatory sexual and political epithets that can incite violence and “put one’s life in possible jeopardy, adults and children alike.”
All I can say is… WTF people. I can’t even muster a coherent argument against this, it’s broken my brain so badly.
If anyone knows of a legal fund we can donate to to help the library fight the case, please let me know?
Meanwhile, you can buy a copy of the much-lauded and award-winning book in question here at Powell’s.
Wow. Two things surprised me about the review that just came in for THE HOT STREAK at A Romance Review. First was that the reviewer was from England and didn’t know anything about baseball–but loved it anyway–and second was that she thought the book could have been More Erotic! I suppose it goes to show…
I’ve guest blogged at several sites recently! In fact, I might be overlooking one of them in this little round up…? At Night Owl Romance I wrote a piece called “Keeping It Fresh” on how authors can keep sex scenes from getting repetitive or dull, and the best ways to keep the reader with you:…
I was too tired out last night to blog about BEA! Tonight I’m a little bit more awake at least for a little while. Tonight was the Alyson Books party, at a very beautiful venue called The Gates. Managed to catch up briefly with two of my favorite native New Yorkers and writers, Samuel R….
I arrived a bit late to NYC today, thanks to much traffic along the Bolt Bus route. Still, $14 one way to get me to a major trade show was too good a deal to pass up. In these tough economic times, if it weren’t for the $14 bus, I’d probably be skipping the convention…
I am the guest blogger today over at Love Romance Passion! I wrote an article about the difference between erotica and romance, and how as the readership has changed to be more sexually active and sex-savvy, romance as a whole has had to get more erotic. https://www.loveromancepassion.com/erotic-romance-not-just-erotica-and-romance/ Being all Ravenclaw like I am, I couldn’t…
Another review is in for MIND GAMES! Patricia’s Vampire Notes, which also reviews other paranormal romances that don’t include vampires, gave it a lengthy recap and had some great things to say. I’m having a little happy dance here right now as a result! A few choice quotes: “Besides using paranormal aspects, Tan has brought…
Okay, I just screamed with joy when I read this. It’s not my first book, but MIND GAMES is my first romance novel, and it’s the first review of it!! So I just jumped up and down and made everyone in my office stare at me when the following rave review came from YOU GOTTA…
Disney and How Alternate Reality, Technology, and Sociology Shape Experience
On second leg of flight home from Orlando now. Slept through snack service both times. Thanks to our status as Disney hotel guests, we were at the park until 3 AM last night during Extra Magic Hours. Which means I slept not quite four hours last night and total unconsciousness against the bulkhead of the plane has been inevitable.
Returning from Disney to Real Life invokes a kind of culture shock that was first obvious to me at the Dulles airport while we waited to change planes. I went into a restroom that was less than pristine and thought “what the hell happened here?” To be fair, for an airport restroom, it was quite acceptable. But compared to what we were just used to, a few flushes not working and some stray paper on the floor just seemed shocking.
For the pedants out there, we were at Walt Disney World in Florida, but I’ll just refer to it as “Disney” for the rest of this entry. After all, although each park in the Disney family has its own flavor and uniqueness, they are all part of a continuum as an Alternate Reality, even though not geographically contiguous, and many of the statements I’ll make can be generalized beyond just WDW or the Magic Kingdom in specific, to the other parks that are part of WDW and other Disney parks around the world.
The status of Disney as an Alternate Reality was only emphasized by the ebook I decided to download to my iPhone to read while waiting in line. I chose a book that has had a nice life in print as well as in e-format, Down and Out In The Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow.
(click title above to read full piece)
