Should there be a site that reviews reviewers?

Heh-heh-heh.

It was a fascinating go-round at Katiebabs' blog (click post title) that tickled my brain with this notion. I'm afraid I don't visit KB's very often, primarily because I've been on extended sabbatical from m/f fiction. That means I don't read reviews of m/f books. But it's a jolly good blog, and I'm glad I came upon it.

Since I'm over a week behind the times, I assume the discussion there is old news to many of you. In a nutshell: an EC author was perturbed because Ms. Babs did not give her book the grade she, the author, thought it deserved -- which, I gathered, was a solid "A" dangling from the ass-end of a rave. Why did she think this? Probably for the same reason I think InDescent has been the most under-appreciated book I've ever written and deserves considerably more accolades than it's received. (There, I've said it.) The woman obviously felt her work was beyond reproach, an attitude that had been bolstered by a certain amount of OH WOW feedback from other sources.

Well, dicked if I know what rating the book deserved; I've never read it and don't intend to, since it's a Puss 'n' Four Boots tale. I did, however, read the review, which had quite a few good things to say about the story (aside from that stretched-out hoohah). Grade: B.

I wouldn't have done an energetic Happy Dance if I were the author, but neither would I have blogged about the review with righteous, pouty indignation. Still, I kind of understand where the author was coming from -- especially if she's newly published and hasn't grown enough calluses yet. Hell, even those of us who are plated like armadillos still get our armor pierced now and then.

I haven't exactly gotten buckets of recognition for my writing. I've never made it to a DIK shelf or an auto-buy list (not that I'm aware of, anyway). I haven't made the finals in any kind of contest since Cemetery Dancer did that in the EPPIEs. My name rarely turns up in "best of" or "favorites" discussions. Invitation-only publishers apparently think I'm a nebbish, if they even know I exist. I'm just sort of . . . there, part of the padding in the m/m genre. A Salieri.

Does it bother me? Sure it does. And when a caustic review comes along, it bothers me even more. Why? Because readers pay attention to these things! Doesn't matter how off-the-wall any given review is or how questionable a reviewer's competence. A lot of people base their book-buying decisions on other people's opinions, plain and simple.

So as I'm reading the comments to KB's post and pondering my mix of exasperation with and empathy for this author, I see another writer enter the fray.

Mr. Lanyon rode in but did not, thank all that is Johnny Cash, switch his black hat for a white one and cry out to authors, "Rise above it! Go back to your work!" Instead, he tried to explain why authors are sensitive to reviews, which rather surprised me. (JL, as we know, hasn't had too terribly much experience in the gutter of criticism.) Still, everything he said made perfect sense. Although we may know, rationally, that we shouldn't take these slings and arrows to heart, they wound us nonetheless. Anybody who believes we should just "rise above it" is pretty mofo-ing ignorant about the fundamentals of human nature.

This is not to say reviewers should modify their opinions based on our feelings. Of course they shouldn't. And it's not to say we don't appreciate the time and effort that goes into their assessments. Of course we do. But this is to say, don't be surprised if we come back at you with our opinions, because we have 'em, too. Who exactly decided we're forever to smile and sit on our hands and play gracious? Did I miss a chapter in Emily Post?

And that's what made me wonder if there should be a blog that reviews reviewers, and how they would react to nitpicking or all-out evisceration.

Hmmm. ;-)

Thank you, JERR & NOR

Marcy Arbitman at Just Erotic Romance Reviews or JERR liked Bastards and Pretty Boys enough to give it 5 stars. (Yes, actual stars; you don't see that very often. Usually it's roses or kisses or fairies or fingers. Fingers, believe it or not. And I've gotten one -- the finger, actually -- but only from one source and fairly consistently, so someone's mind is made up that my writing sucks sewer water through a straw full of boogers. Not much I can do about that.)

The book also got one of these from Lilyraines at Night Owl Romance:

Many thanks, JERR and NOR. I'm very honored.

Channeling Testimonials

To Be Where You Are -- you know, the sequel to InDescent -- is coming out next Monday (clicking the post title will take you to a blurb and two excerpts). In preparation for its release, I considered sending out ARCs to some of my favorite authors and certain industry outlets. The good folks at Liquid Silver Books don't have time to fool with that kind of stuff, so I thought I'd take it upon myself to politely solicit some high-profile opinions. First, though, I asked Castanet what she thought of this plan. Her response: "Are you out of your fucking mind? Like they're gonna piss away their time on one of your books? You got exactly ZERO connections, hotshot."

Okay, I huffed a little. But I finally, grudginglyly admitted she had a point. Then I started pondering that word "connections." Hey, I thought, I was an English major! I do have connections!

So I decided to offer the ARCs to a different group of favorite authors. Problem is, they're all dead. I had to channel their responses to the book. (Now don't disparage my efforts; I have a very reliable Ouija board.)

EDITED TO ADD: The post just below this one was done as a favor to a fellow author. Hey, I may have quite the racket going here!

Two Lips, Five Kisses

More warm thanks, this time to Tina at TwoLips Reviews for planting five kisses on Bastards and Pretty Boys.

Thank you, Mrs. Giggles.

Bastards and Pretty Boys received Mrs. Giggles' unique, chuckle-worthy brand of scrutiny . . . and came out of it pretty freaking well: 83. That ain't nothin' to sneeze at in G-land. I'm profoundly grateful she didn't consign me to author hell for having sinned against the craft of fiction.

Phrew!

A Stunning Review from Book Utopia

Acts of the Saints, my near-dead Samhain black sheep, was generously resurrected by Book Utopia, one of the most impressive review sites for (often, but not exclusively) GLBT fiction. B.U. told me this was one of the longest reviews she'd ever written. Click on the post title to see it.

Honestly, I can't begin to say how much I respect a critique of this nature. The depth and detail of it--hell, the sheer intelligence behind it--leave me nearly awestruck. This is "textbook" reviewing. I'm enormously grateful for the time spent on a novel that's pretty much languished in oblivion for three years.

(Yes, this is the same book reviewed by Mrs. Giggles and mentioned in the June 2 post below.)

InDescent and Miscellaneous Aversions

Jenre, an honest and insightful reviewer, tackled my m/m urban fantasy InDescent on her Well Read review blog (http://tiny.cc/gJjr0), devoted primarily to m/m fiction. The review was also put up at Reviews by Jessewave, which you can get to by clicking on the title of this post.

At Jessewave's, the review generated an interesting discussion. It highlights how different readers perceive characters and their motives, and also demonstrates how plot elements that people find distasteful can make or break a book for them. I've already posted a (lengthy) list of things that grind the gears of m/m fiction readers. But they're certainly not alone in their pickiness.


This fascinates me. Aside from the usual gag-inducing/taboo themes (cannibalism, bestiality, "romanticized" or gratuitous rape, torture, incest, sex involving minors, fetishes involving really icky stuff), I'm willing to accept most anything an author puts in his/her work, as long as I'm reading a good story well told. I'm not, for example, a big fan of yaoi. And I'm not a fan of certain character types. But, hey, let Katrina Strauss spin out some yaoi or Frank Tuttle throw a detective (rather, a "Finder") at me, and I am so there. The Age of Sail? Couldn't have cared less . . . until Alex Beecroft came along. I have some issues with BDSM, too, but so many authors handle it so well (and, sometimes, in such original ways) that it no longer automatically hits my recoil button.

Have you ever found one of your reading prejudies vanish in the space of a just-plain damned good book?

An 87 Review by Mrs. Giggles I Never Knew I Had

The book on the left was published shortly after Samhain opened its virtual doors for business. Acts of the Saints tanked pretty badly -- very badly, actually -- because the authors who helped kickstart the then-new epub were primarily from Ellora's Cave. Ergo, the readers who flocked to SP were fans of EC-style fiction.

Believe me, this book is not EC-style fiction.

(That's an Anne Cain cover, by the way. I've been her fangirl since I first laid eyes on it. Not original art, granted, but gorgeous composition. She was a real joy to work with, too!)

At the time of this novel's acceptance, Samhain's vision was to be a broad-spectrum publisher that focused on quality fiction in a variety of genres. It wasn't their intent to be just an erotic romance publisher, although one could hardly tell from their initial crop of offerings. I saw the writing on the wall fairly quickly (how could I not?) and gritted my teeth for the nosedive my book was bound to take.

And dive it did.

Now fast forward. Two days ago I was cruising Mrs. Giggles' archives, looking for Scott & Scott books, when -- lo and behold! -- I came upon my old author name. Knock me over with a limp dick. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

Although Acts of the Saints is light years away from being a standard romance, Mrs. G. gave it an 87 and said the prose was "alternately beautiful and blasphemous" and the story had hooked her completely. My first reaction was profound embarrassment over the fact I had no idea this review existed -- I believe in thanking reviewers, just because it's the courteous thing to do -- and still don't know when it first appeared. So I can only shamefully extend my sincerest apologies.

Anyway, regardless of the age of the review, I'm deeply grateful to Mrs. Giggles for taking a chance on this book. As she points out, it definitely isn't for everyone's taste. The lady has balls.

Recommended Read

Well, it seems some people really do like InDescent. Following is what Satyr Vael at Literary Nymphs Reviews had to say about it. (I've eliminated the synopsis portion of the review, even though SV did a superb job of conveying the gist of the novel. You can read the entire review by clicking on the post title.)

The book's rating was 5 Nymphs and a Recommended Read.

"The sequel to Obsessed, InDescent is another foray into Jackson Spey’s world of sex and magic. Once again, I found myself falling utterly in love, all over again, with Jackson and Adin. They are both beautiful but flawed men, and together, they are breathtaking.

"K.Z. Snow paints an amazing picture of the magical inhabitants of the Prism and expertly zips Jackson through the demons in his own soul. The end result is more than I ever expected, and it only shows how strong Jackson and Adin’s love truly is. If you read Obsessed, then I absolutely must insist that you read InDescent."

Madame Butterfly, aka Leah, also did a very thoughtful review here. Although Leah had a few issues with the book, they were completely valid, and I took them to heart (as all constructive comments should be taken). By the way, Satyr Vael and Leah also reviewed Obsessed, available at Changeling Press, and were equally kind in their assessments.

I'm really grateful for their views. (And many thanks to Jeanne Barrack for pointing out the Nymphs posting to me. Homies got my back!)

Better Late Than Never

That's what Fran Lee calls some of her book reviews, and for that I give her a truckload of credit. I'm a "better late than never" kind of reader myself. I usually get around to the stuff on my wish list well after the titles' release dates -- in other words, well after the initial buzz has died down and new faves have found their way onto reviewers' DIK shelves . . . or new fizzles have found their way into the virtual wastebaskets under those shelves. In fact, I think it would be abfab if more reviewers devoted, say, one day a week to resurrecting older, more obscure titles and bringing them to readers' attention.

Anyway, Fran Lee came upon Wing and Tongue, read it, and said some very, very nice things about this fantasy. You can peruse her review by clicking on the post title. (Oh, what I wouldn't give for more covers like that one!)

So thank you, Fran, and brava for digging through the dusty heap of books-gone-by. There's some gold in them thar hills!

The Sound of Two Lips Kissing

Many thanks to Tina at Two Lips Reviews for reading Seeking Something Wicked (I know how swamped these sites are) and giving it 4.5/5 kisses. And let me just take this opportunity, since it's my blog, to remind everybody that Book Three of the Utopia-X series, Exploring Savage Places, is coming out in mid June. My extraordinarily intelligent editor at Loose Id assures me it's the best of the series!

By the way, part of Book Three's title as well as its leitmotif (ooo, baby, I haven't had the opportunity to parade out that word in a long time!) come from a famous poem. And a very strange one.

Feedback Most Fine

Holy jamoly, sometimes winners do offer feedback! In spades!

Madame Butterfly, aka MBLeah, chose my m/m novella Obsessed at one of Jessewave's recent book-giveaways. That was flattering in and of itself, because Wave invariably gets scads of donated books from her author fans. Leah didn't just pick this book, she accepted it most graciously. And what's more -- astonishingly more, in my world -- she devoted a lot of space to Obsessed on her blog when she gave it a lengthy review. (Click on post title to view.) And then, stretching my incredulity even further, she didn't just devote time and a great deal of thought to the review, she wrote to me afterward and asked follow-up questions!

That is so extraordinarily excellent, I don't know what more to say. If the scale of being impressed went from 1 to 10, I would be impressed to the level of 12, at least.

Never, ever do I want to become so used to such attention, so jaded by popularity or editorial fawning or any other measure of success that such consideration fails to move me enough to respond. I can't imagine taking any interest in my books for granted. Just can't imagine it. And if I ever show the slightest sign of doing so, I expect somebody to lob a rotten grapefruit at me to smack me right back to this post.

Thank you, Leah!

(And you know what else? I just snapped up Clare London's Freeman at Wave's most recent free-for-all, and you can bet you'll all hear about it once I get it read. Gotta keep the good karma flowing!)

EDITED TO ADD: That cover you see below? That's for the sequel to the book Leah just reviewed.

Seeking Some Wicked Reviewing

The lovely, talented, wicked Jenre over at the Well Read blog (click on post title) has reviewed my newest Loose Id release, Seeking Something Wicked. She started out very naughty and ended up very nice. Well, actually, the naughtiness was kind of an inside joke and made me grin.

Jen is, I think, turning out to be one of the best reviewers of m/m fiction on the 'Net. She's a careful reader, thorough and articulate reviewer and, best of all, speaks her mind without ever resorting to snark or similar cheap shots. It's a personality thing, I guess, and I like hers very, very much. I'm still learning the ropes when it comes to GLBT fiction review sites; as I discover more that I find impressive, they'll get slipped into my Links o' Love in the lower portion of the sidebar.

Thank you, Jen. You made my day!

180° Reviews

Whenever I come upon something like this, it always throws me for a loop. How can two members of the same species and culture have such diametrically opposed perceptions of the same object? I cannot for the life of me explain this to myself. Does one person have exceptionally low standards or one have unrealistically high standards? Does one have a hidden agenda of some sort?

Sorry, don't mean to leave you in the dark here. I'm talking about two reviews of the same book. The book is Lessons in Desire by Charlie Cochrane, published by Linden Bay.

A reviewer at Jessewave's blog (http://reviewsbyjessewave.blogspot.com/2009/03/lessons-in-desire.html) -- not one of Wave's regulars, so I'm afraid I don't know who he or she is -- raved about this book and awarded it five stars out of five, which qualifies the alleged novel for Desert Island Keeper status. (I say "alleged" for the reason mentioned below.) Yet, another reviewer at Uniquely Pleasurable (http://unique.logophilos.net/?p=1798) totally trashed the book, in addition to claiming it's too short to qualify as a novel, and gave it two stars out of ten. I mean, this reader really, truly hated Lessons in Desire and described its "shortcomings" in detail.

Both, by the way, are highly regarded review sites for GLBT fiction, so it's not as if one is Mensa-certified and the other is the bastard spawn of Harriet Klausner.

Now, come on. I'm well aware that we all have different tastes, yada-yada, but personal taste can't possibly account for such disparate attitudes. I'm not sticking my toe in conspiracy-theory waters, believe me; I'm just utterly mystified.

Normally, when a book is either egregiously bad or stunningly good, there's some consensus among readers and reviewers. Each extreme has its own distinct earmarks. (That's how I feel, anyway, and I have three years toward my doctorate in English as well as two stints as an editor to back up my claim. I know shitty writing when I see it and I know stellar writing when I see it. Even though I'm largely incapable of judging my own work, I can assess somebody else's quite objectively.)

So . . . anybody have a possible explanation of how one book can go from solid DIK to smelly, shriveled sac in one mouse click?

Y'all gotta read this hilarious review!

Click on the post title to read a Dear Author review of a book offered by a fairly new e-pub. Oh lord, the excerpts had me gasping for breath! (Please note that the link might take you far down the Comments list to the most recent ones; just scroll up the page to start from the beginning.) Honestly, if you need a good laugh, this is the place to go!

Thanks again, JOYFULLY REVIEWED!

Raine at Joyfully Reviewed has graciously designated my Ellora's Cave fantasy, Prince of Glacier Glas, a Recommended Read. Thanks so much, Raine, for this and past reviews.

JR has also given me the "big pink button" (way better than the big pink finger) for Wing and Tongue, which is the first book in this fantasy cycle, as well as Cemetery Dancer (a paranormal from EC), Obsessed (m/m erotic romance from Changeling Press), and Two Out of Three Ain't Bad (a contemporary romance from Cerridwen Press).

How can I not love these people?

OBSESSED doing well, thank you very much.

I'm enormously grateful for the reception Obsessed has gotten. Bitten by Books and Rainbow Reviews gave it high marks. Raine at Joyfully Reviewed really, really liked the sex scenes (I'll spare you the rave, although it tickled me). She concluded with, "Do not miss out on Obsessed. I loved it!" and went on to give it one of these big, pink, recommended-read rectangles.

I was particularly moved by the following words from a reviewer at Literary Nymphs:

Obsessed surprised me. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but by the end, I realized how deep a story it is. Adin is an admirable man -- very loving toward his [girlfriend], but unable to shake the growing love for his best friend. Jackson possesses more than just physical strength, especially at the end, but it’s Celia who shines, even if she doesn’t take center stage. As someone who understands Adin’s plight, I couldn’t help but adore Celia for her loving, trusting acceptance of who he is and what he feels.

The love scenes are amazingly hot, but it’s the ending that got me. The very last scene has a beautiful, tear-inspiring, sweet moment. You’ll just have to read it.

So, thank you one and all. That goes for ordinary readers, too. The saga of Adin Swift and Jackson Spey is far from over. The steam has not yet dissipated (well, hell, considering they only see each other for a three-day weekend every couple of months, small wonder their hormones go into overdrive when they're together!) And their unique arrangement is not getting easier as time goes on. The groove is getting rougher, not smoother, the longer they proceed on its track. Jackson, still the emotionally guarded one, is having more difficulty than he'd like to admit . . . to Adin or himself.

Once I finish my current contractual obligations, I'll be getting back to the big novel in which these men next appear together. Hope I'll be able to find a publisher for it. The story is the most emotionally intense and psychologically tangled one to date, and with some dark humor, as well. Celia will also be checking in at some point. Not sure when, though, or how.

Two Five-star Reviews from Ecataromance Sensual

How can I not love Candy at Ecataromance Sensual? She not only dipped into my backlist, but she gave each of the two books she chose a Five Star rating. (And I didn't even have to pay her nuthin'. Heck, I didn't even have to grovel and beg. She found the books all on her own! Wonderful lady, Candy is.)

So anyway, here's her review of Cemetery Dancer http://sensual.ecataromance.com/index.php?p=677 and here's her review of Plagued http://sensual.ecataromance.com/index.php?p=678. It's hugely gratifying to see a reviewer take this kind of time to read from an author's backlist. I'm really moved.

Can YOU judge a book by its cover?

Another observation from my late-evening blog-hopping (and one that was confirmed by a little vid I saw featuring an editor from a NY publishing house): Covers can have a significant impact on book sales. Some readers might be resistant to this notion. I know I was. Hey, we're all about content, right?

Well, apparently not.

Packaging plays an extremely important role in the peddling of a product. Any product. Corporations and their advertising firms spend bundles of money researching the effect various visual elements have on consumers' psyches. Many of our reactions are "visceral" or subconscious, but that doesn't lessen the importance of those reactions in our decision-making processes.

So, back to books. One might assume covers only count when they're arrayed on the shelves of brick-and-mortar outlets. I've come to realize this isn't so. E-book covers also catch readers' attention, often in a distinctly positive or negative way, and thus influence their immediate impressions--of individual companies, authors, and any given book's literary worth. This initial impression then affects a reader's decision whether or not to take a chance on that publisher, author, or book.

Here's what I've noticed within the e-publishing community. Certain high-profile reviewers--those whose attention is most coveted--seem to gravitate toward certain publishers' output and avoid others'. It's a bit mystifying, since the same authors often have titles out with different companies. Mrs. Giggles, for example, seems to favor Samhain and Liquid Silver books. Dear Author seems to favor Samhain books. Ellora's Cave offerings don't show up with nearly the frequency one might expect, although they do occasionally appear. Loose Id, a highly regarded company, is beginning to make its presence known. However, I can't remember ever having seen a Changeling Press book reviewed at any of the more "influential" sites.

Hm. Why the seemingly preferential treatment? I think a lot of it has to do with covers . . . and the resulting perceptions of those companies' (not to mention others') products. This has to be it, because, quite frankly, quality and crap in terms of content are spread pretty evenly throughout all e-publishers. Print, too, for that matter.

Samhain, Liquid Silver, and Loose Id do have classy cover art. Whether subtle or stunning, their covers are well thought-out and artistically composed. They have both visual and emotional appeal. Such art speaks well for--and, at its best, reflects--whatever story lies behind it. Ellora's Cave covers are heavy on chests. (I guess a pun is lurking there, but just ignore it.) Bare chests here, bare chests there, chests chests everywhere. Or what the Smart Bitches, bless 'em, so aptly call "man titty". This seems to strengthen the oft-expressed opinion that all EC books are essentially the same: They're porny pap; they're sexual romps devoid of substance. (This is very much NOT the case, by the way, but try to convince some people of that!)

And then there's Changeling. I publish with this company. And I love it like crazy. Changeling is a standup operation run by wonderful people. Many EC, Samhain, LI, and LS authors also publish with ChP, so it isn't some damned waste dump. But, alas, Changeling's much maligned covers seem to have put it at a disadvantage in the first-impression race. Needless to say, this can be a worrisome situation to authors. A well crafted piece of fiction deserves to be fronted by a well crafted cover . . . and, when it isn't, can suffer in terms of both critical recognition and sales.

So, yes, something as superficial as the way a book looks is often viewed as an indication of how a book reads. There's absolutely no relation between the two. But you'll never convince all buyers of that.

CAULDRON Gets "Reviewer Top Pick"

From those wonderful chicklettes--Lisa, this time--at Night Owl Romance. She even complimented me on my writing skills! Hugzillas to Lisa and to Tammie King, the Queen Owl. Cauldron of Keridwen, the follow-up to my first Galdeshian fantasy, Wing and Tongue, is available from Ellora's Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419914362