tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post7159084946094489588..comments2023-07-13T16:21:08.229+01:00Comments on Step Into The Story: Broadsheet Broadside!Nicola Cornickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12916076219284821820noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-68123149057485179042009-09-15T17:59:52.298+01:002009-09-15T17:59:52.298+01:00Thank you, Alison. Yes, I hate being told what I s...Thank you, Alison. Yes, I hate being told what I should or shouldn't read as well. come to that, I hate being told what to do and what not to do period!Nicola Cornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12916076219284821820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-53449107815125855432009-09-14T22:23:29.805+01:002009-09-14T22:23:29.805+01:00A very well written response Nicola. I don't ...A very well written response Nicola. I don't understand why romance has to be picked out from all the genres anyway, and I for one absolutely hate being told what I should read.Alisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13420150980378381269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-23859875669509202522009-09-14T18:08:03.973+01:002009-09-14T18:08:03.973+01:00Good luck with the manuscript, Traxy! You've d...Good luck with the manuscript, Traxy! You've definitely put your finger on the stereotype of what some people *think* M&B books are like. I find that if I challenge people who say this, most of them haven't read any of the books anyway yet they still feel qualified to offer an opinion. Extraordinary!<br /><br />And good on you, Margaret, for standing up and being counted. I had an (ex) friend who wrote to tell me she used to hide my books in brown paper bags because she was ashamed to be seen with them. I pointed out that most people would probably think she had a porn magazine hidden in there. Perhaps the poor girl thought they were one and the same thing!Nicola Cornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12916076219284821820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-68430979159707471162009-09-14T17:48:43.499+01:002009-09-14T17:48:43.499+01:00I think it's because it's seen as quite cl...I think it's because it's seen as quite cliché literature, with big Alpha Males behaving like right bastards and simpering females swooning at their feet... like anti-feminist. I only started reading M&B about a year ago and I quickly found out that wasn't the case at all! The women are strong and capable and while I do think it's a bit silly that "everyone" in contemporary settings seem to be a Greek or Italian tycoon, and all females are curly redheads, that doesn't mean all books are the same.<br /><br />Then, of course, there's the issue of "it's mainly got female readers, therefore it must be frowned upon as being silly"... which is just wrong. Surely that's more of a feminist issue than the contents of the books themselves (which aren't about weak women who have strong men to take care of them anyway)!<br /><br />Personally, I think M&B are a hoot to read! It cheers you up on a rainy day when everything is miserable, and you get all warm and fuzzy inside. More people should read them, definitely! With regards to writing them... well, I'm going over a few ideas at the moment... but yeah, I don't expect it to be a walk in the park... but it'll be great fun having a go, because I get inspirations on different romances everywhere I look. :)Traxyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13249884092846934427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-11616251314802683962009-09-14T15:44:41.552+01:002009-09-14T15:44:41.552+01:00I too wonder why these people are always "sni...I too wonder why these people are always "sniping" at romance writers and readers. It's easy to do but at the same time cheap journalism. Why is it wrong to enjoy escapism? My husband loves westerns, no one ever writes something derogatory about these and yet they stick to a tried and tested successful format. It is always romance and particularly Mills and Boon that catches the flak - M and B are on my shelf and read on the train or the bus, wherever. They are not the only books I read but they are books I enjoy and I am not ashamed to say so.margaret blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04994723897446758457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-71468082288703555522009-09-14T15:38:24.413+01:002009-09-14T15:38:24.413+01:00Like you, Anonymous, I think Tanya Gold is a very ...Like you, Anonymous, I think Tanya Gold is a very interesting journalist and I enjoy reading her, but this article disappointed me. I did think it very clever, though, in the sense that it appeared to be quite positive at times but the use of language was insidious. As you say, the editors apparently "blinking" puts a very bovine image in mind. There were a number of examples of this through the article.Nicola Cornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12916076219284821820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-62849265630618297832009-09-14T15:28:20.068+01:002009-09-14T15:28:20.068+01:00Thank you, Jan. Yes, I thought it was odd that she...Thank you, Jan. Yes, I thought it was odd that she supposedly had so many M&B books under her bed - I keep mine on a shelf (g!) - but yet she seemed to hate them. Some inconsistency there, I think!<br /><br />Diane, that's a fascinating insight provided by your friend and no doubt true at least in part. Sad, but there we are. I sometimes wonder why I even rise to articles such as this because such entrenched attitudes are unlikely to be changed by my bat-squeaks. Then I remember it's because we're proud of what we do and we don't have to accept anyone else's judgement of it.Nicola Cornickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12916076219284821820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-18116999378289875942009-09-14T15:24:46.539+01:002009-09-14T15:24:46.539+01:00I had the same reaction to this article -- I thoug...I had the same reaction to this article -- I thought that anyone who actually was a "junkie", being embarressed of the "condition" or not, couldn't possibly have those thoughts about what M&B novels are! Even more than the clear lack of understanding of what constitutes today's category romance novel, I thought, were the descriptions of those who worked at M&B, the "blinking" (suggesting stupidity, lack of upbeat thinking, etc.) I was out and out offended by her depiction of authors and publishers of romance, basically, not to mention doubting of her premise.<br /><br />And a junkie reading three books to bone up before writing a piece? Only if one considers "well on the way to a collection" being five or six books. Though I suppose that if one had five or six Austen novels it would be a good beginning of a collection. <br /><br />All said, though, the author looks like an interesting journalist to follow, if one likes such snark. My ultimate conclusion was just that this was her latest ariticle (chosen or assigned) and that she really doesn't feel romance novels are worth bothering with if you've got the wits to understand more high-brow literature, etc. Sadly, somewhat typical in some circles...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-27484904204317233372009-09-14T13:55:07.050+01:002009-09-14T13:55:07.050+01:00I read the article, Nicola, and had much the same ...I read the article, Nicola, and had much the same reaction as you. She made the point that it was difficult to write a M&B (duh!)but that was about the only thing.<br /><br />Someone on one of my loops said that journalists bash romance out of jealousy, that they all think they have a book in them and resent the wealth of books romance writers produce. I think that is too broad a generalization (my friend Darlene Gardner who now writes Superromance was a journalist). <br /><br />It always bothers me that Romance gets such bad press. I just don't understand it. Maybe there is the assumption that if something makes us happy, it must be frivolous. If a book leaves us depressed and morose, then it must have had "meaning." In my view the best romance novels make you think or learn something but also leave you happy and hopeful at the end. <br /><br />Not a bad thing at all!!Diane Gastonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14770373530197339170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974614945447984069.post-89224489925567016412009-09-14T12:29:28.392+01:002009-09-14T12:29:28.392+01:00Excellent post, Nicola! And all true. A woman who ...Excellent post, Nicola! And all true. A woman who has supposedly got an under-bed space stuffed with M&Bs does not, when forced to read three new ones, suddenly decide she doesn't like anything about them. Case proven, m'lud.Jan Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00471022034388834235noreply@blogger.com