Links:Rita, Golden Heart, Carina and Operation Auction

Bitchin' Blog Posts

by SB Sarah | by SB Sarah | March 28, 2011 | Monday at 10:06 pm | 46 Comments

A few links! Because it’s been awhile and my inbox is full of awesome.

First, in case you were under a large rock or on vacation like I was, the RITAs and Golden Hearts were announced - and Twitter pretty much exploded about it, too.

What do you think? Have you read any of them? I’m pondering reading at least one from every category and challenging myself to get them all done (and reviewed) by the date of the RITA ceremony. Anyone want to take the RITA challenge with me?

Over on the Carina Press blog, Angela James has big news: author Shannon Stacey’s “Yours” trilogy will be published in mass market print by Harlequin HQN in early 2012. I’ve read Yours By Design and I loved it. LOVED it. And Exclusively Yours was one of my Sizzling Book Club picks in 2010, so you know I liked that one a whole lot, too.

Operation Auction is going on now, and the items up for bid are awesome. All proceeds benefit Fatin and her family as they recover from the terrible loss of her husband.

There’s books, ARCs, signed collections, baskets, jewelry, meals at different conferences, critiques, design services, character naming - dude. The complete donated collection is amazing.

There’s one item in particular I want to call some attention to: Tessa Dare has donated a customized book video “shot on location in the Darelings’ bedroom.Tessa will provide all props, materials, and (admittedly amateur) production.”

Dare’s Stud Club trilogy video was a fiesta of adorable cuteness with VERY nice sweater vests. I hope whoever wins Dare’s video auction gets a sexy sweater vest in the video.

To support the auction and the continued use of Ken in a sweater vest, I will host the winning video as produced and created by Dare here at the hot pink palace of Bitchery - which makes me think, perhaps that sweater vest could be pink? Nothing says romance hero like a pink sweater vest, right? Right.

Samhain Publishing has announced a RetroRomance™ line of out-of-print romances from the 70’s onward. Oh, that sweet, sexy backlist of potentially profitable books.

And finally, in a raging case of What Not to Do, via Twitter at the hands of Evil Wylie, comes this cautionary tale of author Jacqueline Howett responding to a negative review at Big Al’s Books and Pals in an epic, jaw-drop fashion. There is totally a drinking game or six in those comments. Wowser.

ETA: I totally timestamped this entry wrong- so if it moved on you, my apologies.

Filed: General Bitching, The Link-O-Lator

Tagged: romance, reading, operation auction, harlequin, fatin, carina, books, bitchery, awesome, 2010,

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ReganB said on 03.28.11 at 08:57 PM • [link]

I’d actually never heard of the Golden Hearts awards until this year when my friend Amy Raby became a finalist for Assassin’s Gambit in the paranormal romance category. I’m so excited for her! So, naturally, I now have to check them all out. :D
Donna said on 03.28.11 at 09:56 PM • [link]

Re: Jacqueline Howett. Uhwah?
Ana Farrish said on 03.28.11 at 10:06 PM • [link]

Count me in for the RITA reading challenge! I’m currently reading WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY, by Kieran Kramer, but I’ve got more than few nominees in my TBR.
SB Sarah said on 03.28.11 at 10:08 PM • [link]

I have to think about how to pull all this together, if I do a Rita reading challenge. But I am liking this idea!
KellyM said on 03.28.11 at 11:07 PM • [link]

Love, love, love the Tessa Dare Stud Club Trilogy video! Those books are going directly onto my TBR list (don’t know how I missed them in the first place).
And I’m liking the RITA reading challenge idea, too. :-)
Diva said on 03.28.11 at 11:20 PM • [link]

Seriously cool stuff on the auction. I so want to name a character in some awesome upcoming book…
joanne said on 03.28.11 at 11:48 PM • [link]

Wow, I can’t believe it, but this year I’ve read all but one of the RITA Historicals, all the paranormals and all but two of the Romantic Suspense books. My recommendation for RITA novella is “Shifting Sea” by Virginia Kantra in Burning Up. So Good if you haven’t read it Sarah.

Not counting Inspys or YA, because I don’t read them, I’ve read a great many of the RITA contenders. I’m going to try to read at least a few of the Golden Heart nominees, depending on price and formats, of course.

That darn Sam Heinz, so smart!
TaraL said on 03.28.11 at 11:51 PM • [link]

I thought it was wonderfully apt that while I was reading the Jacqueline Howett disaster, my husband came in and told me that he’d just gotten a humorous typo in an email. His boss said there was a problem but that he was going to try to “rectumize” the situation. That’s going to be my new favorite phrase for a public meltdown: Rectumizing the situation.
ev said on 03.29.11 at 12:16 AM • [link]

I have to go get a bottle of something alcoholic before I finish the Howett review.

If I don’t make it to work tomorrow, we know who to blame.

spamword- spirit93. Perfect.
darlynne said on 03.29.11 at 12:31 AM • [link]

Gees, I’ve heard of the titles in the RITA and Golden Heart nominations.

OTOH, the whole Jacqueline Howette fail makes me appreciate the rock I’ve apparently been living under reading-wise. Is this one of those instances where someone’s name becomes a new definition for bad behavior? “Molly was all set to sign with a small, independent press until the day she pulled a Howette and now they’ve withdrawn the offer.”
Virginia Llorca said on 03.29.11 at 01:05 AM • [link]

I think Jacqueline Howlett might be a pen name for this weird cousin I have. I feel so embarrassed for her. (Um, yeah. . . 2 r’s; had to check.) And it kinda makes me fear putting my words out there. Suppose I am that bad and I am just as delusional as she is. F-ing scary. And the amount of press she has received. Dang.
Virginia Llorca said on 03.29.11 at 01:06 AM • [link]

See? There ya go… HOWETT

More ink.
Lizabeth S. Tucker said on 03.29.11 at 01:41 AM • [link]

Is Jacqueline Howett twelve years old? Calling the reviewer a liar over and over again, constantly demanding that the *bad* review be removed because it is abusive. Attacking both the reviewer and posters. We won’t even get into her poor sentence structures, bad spelling (even in her comments), and unwillingness to accept constructive criticism. Frankly, her whining and constant complaints have moved to her my “Never Will Read even if someone pays me” list.
Julie Brannagh said on 03.29.11 at 02:32 AM • [link]

I am a Golden Heart nominee for my contemporary single title, LOVE AND FOOTBALL. I’m still pinching myself!

Congratulations to all the nominees, and to everyone who had the guts to enter!
NCKat said on 03.29.11 at 03:40 AM • [link]

Jacqueline Howlett’s blog is full of grammatical mistakes so it’s no wonder she can’t see the ones in her book. Maybe she needs to go back and take Remedial Comp?
Amitatuq said on 03.29.11 at 03:52 AM • [link]

Oh. My. God. I can’t believe Howett’s responses! It’s even more amusing because of how many spelling and grammatical errors there are in her comments! Seriously, I know grammar is not my strong point so if I ever wrote a book you can bet I’d get a copy editor. (Plus, although my spelling is normally pretty good I’ve noticed that I’m having issues with homophones lately.) How does she not see how bad she is! And all things considered, that was actually a pretty good review! Until I saw her responses I’d have considered reading it.
P. Kirby said on 03.29.11 at 04:44 AM • [link]

Oh, my. Ms. Howlett melted down faster than a Spiderman action figure in a microwave. Wow. Just wow.
Tez Miller said on 03.29.11 at 05:28 AM • [link]

Am thrilled that THE CLEARING by Heather Davis is a finalist (Young Adult)! I loved this book, though it could’ve done without the twee epilogue.
Cakes said on 03.29.11 at 05:40 AM • [link]

I really bummed about the Howett thing. The book did sound like it had a great plot. If only an editor had stepped in and helped her out before this all fell so hopelessly a part.

I’ve read several of the RITA nominees. I’m excited for Simply Irresistible. I really enjoyed that book and I already preordered The Sweetest Thing.

And the Tessa Dare trailer was fabulous! I had only read the first one and just ordered up the others on my Nook.
Cakes said on 03.29.11 at 05:41 AM • [link]

I don’t mean my comment to sound like a excuse the author’s behavior. Because, I don’t! But, I feel like the real victim is the book!
Laura said on 03.29.11 at 05:46 AM • [link]

Wow, how awesome it was to visit the auction after reading through the Howlett meltdown. Proves that 99.9% of the romance community are simply amazing people. (Although I’m guessing Ms. Howlett considers her writing “literature”, not a trashy ol’ romance novel.)
Renee said on 03.29.11 at 07:00 AM • [link]

Love, love, love Shannon Stacey’s “Yours” series!
Ann Somerville said on 03.29.11 at 09:00 AM • [link]

I find Howett pitiable more than anything, and really, is it surprising that someone who’s essentially an amateur, doesn’t have the nous to avoid tangling with a reviewer. We’ve seen this so many times, and I’m beginning to feel very sorry for these people who are damned by Internet before they have a chance to toughen up.

But this whole business has led to another bunch of WTFery over in the Amazon post about it - because one Vicki Gallas is now insisting that if only Howett had had a BA, she would know how to write in the first place. Any number of people telling her this is bullshit are having zero impact isn’t changing her opinion that “I still wouldn’t attempt to sell a book without extensive writing experience at the college level. This is attained with an arts degree.”

Who the hell learns to write during a BA degree? I sure didn’t. That’s not what they’re for.
Cat Marsters said on 03.29.11 at 01:24 PM • [link]

Ooh, I see Joanna Bourne is again a RITA finalist—I first came to her books through SBTB so I’m twice glad to see her listed there. Congratulations to all!

I read part of the Howett debacle. Kind of hilarious actually. I’m even beginning to wonder if the whole thing is a spoof, it’s that bad. Although it does remind me of a contest entry I once judged that was so terrible in pretty much every respect that I could barely think of anything to say in my critique. I eventually came to the conclusion that the entrant didn’t really speak very good English, and that perhaps if it had been translated into, say, Mongolian, it would have all made perfect sense.
SB Sarah said on 03.29.11 at 02:25 PM • [link]

one Vicki Gallas is now insisting that if only Howett had had a BA, she would know how to write in the first place

.

Dude. What the… I taught remedial composition for a few years at two different universities, and I can agree with you loud and clear. That’s not what a BA is for. Of course, if you’d have gauged the efficacy of a BA by asking some of my students, the “b” in BA stood for Beer. And perhaps the A was “A lot.”
Cat Marsters said on 03.29.11 at 02:38 PM • [link]

Of course, if you’d have gauged the efficacy of a BA by asking some of my students, the “b” in BA stood for Beer. And perhaps the A was “A lot.”

And here’s me thinking it stood for Bugger All.
hechicera said on 03.29.11 at 02:42 PM • [link]

I would bet everything I own that there was a generous amount of alcohol behind that series of posts. It has every earmark of whatever the blogging equivalent to “drinking and dialing” is.
Nadia said on 03.29.11 at 02:51 PM • [link]

LOL, so does that mean BBA means double the beer? Because I must admit we drank a helluva lot of it over in the business school. ;)

The Hewett meltdown is both funny and sad. She better find a nice pen name to use from now on, ‘cause we all know the internets are forever. I had flashbacks to a bulletin board I hung out on years ago, where one batshit crazy lady was getting slammed from all directions, and eventually resorted to “Fuck you, you fuckers!” as her exit line. Good times, good times.
kkw said on 03.29.11 at 07:18 PM • [link]

I’ll give the RITA challenge a try. I’m a very indifferent competitor, however.

Regarding Hewett
I’m even beginning to wonder if the whole thing is a spoof, it’s that bad.

It must be. At least some of her responses have be parodies. I’m going to choose to believe that, anyway, because I can’t live with the agony of humiliation otherwise. What’s the word for when you feel someone else’s shame whilst they are unaware of it? Even if there’s no word in English, though it really seems there should be, the Greeks must have come up with one. Or the Germans?
hechicera said on 03.29.11 at 08:11 PM • [link]

What’s the word for when you feel someone else’s shame whilst they are unaware of it? Even if there’s no word in English, though it really seems there should be, the Greeks must have come up with one. Or the Germans?

The Spanish call it vergüenza ajena.
Vicki said on 03.29.11 at 11:25 PM • [link]

I’ll try the Rita challenge, should be a good way to break in my (finally) ereader. And the selections seem interesting - have not ready any yet.

BTW, even Salon is weighing in on Howett:
http://tinyurl.com/4eyrmvp
Vicki said on 03.29.11 at 11:27 PM • [link]

Oh, on the RITA challenge, will you be looking for comments/reviews on the books read?
Virginia Llorca said on 03.29.11 at 11:38 PM • [link]

This Howett issue is generating as much interest as was generated by that writing contest no one should enter. I never saw a follow up to that writing contest, and I would love to see how many entrants there were. This Howett thing. . . How can there be a “follow-up”? She already said her hits and sales are up. Darn.
I don’t know what Salon is. Could you tell me?
DreadPirateRachel said on 03.30.11 at 01:39 AM • [link]

Wow. Just wow. I, too, have to wonder if the whole Howett meltdown is some sort of brilliant parody; it doesn’t seem possible that anyone could screw themselves over so thoroughly and not realize they were doing it.

On the plus side, I was having the kind of day where I lost my cell phone and as a result had to sprint in heels through the rain to catch my bus so I would make it to work on time, and then when I got there, all my appointments had been cancelled, so I could have worked from home. Howett made me almost smile and think about something else, so I’m not going to criticize her too much.
Ann Somerville said on 03.30.11 at 08:48 AM • [link]

Just to add a footnote regarding the twit (still) going on about needing a liberal Arts degree to write - seems she’s an author too.

About being a madam. Her chosen profession.

http://accusedmadam.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html

I’m speechless. Who knew the escort trade put such a high value on education?
AgTigress said on 03.30.11 at 11:58 AM • [link]

The Jacqueline Howett drama is sad, really. Anyone who puts their writing out into the world for others to read, by any means, has to be able to take criticism, sometimes even unfair and ill-informed criticism. It’s part of the job-description of ‘author’.

The review that caused Ms. Howett to go completely doolally was very balanced, professional and fair, praising the creative content of the novel, but quite properly drawing attention to the technical shortcomings of the actual writing. These shortcomings are amply illustrated by the author on her own blog; her grasp of grammar, spelling and syntax is, to say the least, tenuous. There may well be other, better-known, novelists who are equally sloppy writers, but who have had the benefit of working with skilled editors who have improved and tidied up their prose. But in story-telling, the story is the thing that is the core of the work, and Howett should be gratified that her creative spark, her invention, has been praised by the reviewer.

Like other flare-ups that have been mentioned here (e.g. the Judith Griggs Affair), something that could have been smoothed down so easily if the ‘accused’ had responded in a calm and mature fashion has now become a major issue in which the central figure has done herself irreparable harm by revealing herself as a childish, hysterical egotist.

And as for lunatics who think one needs a degree in order to be able to write! What is the world coming to?
Cat Marsters said on 03.30.11 at 03:39 PM • [link]

I’m speechless. Who knew the escort trade put such a high value on education?

Well, Belle de Jour turned out to hold a doctorate.

The whole ‘you need X qualifications to write a book’ thing always makes me giggle. At a conference I attended last year, Joanna Trollope stated that she didn’t think anyone could write competently until they were 35. Or maybe it was 40. Anyway, I was 28 at the time and just about to sign with my fourth publisher, bringing my total of books up to…heck, I lost count. 7 novels and about 30 novellas. Quite a few won awards. Sold the first at 23. Blah blah.

I got several nudges and sniggers from those around me, and afterwards several people said to me, “You do know you shouldn’t have been so successful just yet, don’t you?” I refrained from asking Ms Trollope how she explained my existence. I was brought up to be polite to my elders, you see.

I didn’t go to university, either. You know how I learned to write? By writing. And when I proved not good enough to publish traditionally, I didn’t stamp my feet, throw my toys out of the pram (infant though I was) and insist that no one recognised my genius. Well, not in public, anyway. I worked hard, and I got better. Simple.
Laura said on 03.30.11 at 05:33 PM • [link]

@Ann Somerville: While I agree that Gallas’ assertions about eduction/writing are ridiculous, why is it necessary to try to “shame” her as a sex worker?
AgTigress said on 03.30.11 at 05:51 PM • [link]

You know how I learned to write? By writing.

Yep, that’s how it’s done. And by taking account of criticism in a sensible, grown-up way, and learning from it.

Georgette Heyer’s first book, The Black Moth, was written when she was 17 and published in 1921, when she was 19. These Old Shades, still one of her most popular books, was published in 1926. And she didn’t go to University either.

QED, I think. Someone ought to have said, ‘Georgette Heyer’ to Ms. Trollope…

Age really is immaterial. I do think there are probably some subjects that are easier for older writers, with more life experience, to handle well, but imagination and creativity have absolutely nothing to do with age. Very young children are often vividly creative. And the craft of writing well is developed by extensive reading and by conscientious practice, not by formal education.
jrussell72 said on 03.30.11 at 08:12 PM • [link]

Did anyone else wonder if Howett was deliberately being a troll to call attention to herself and her book?
AgTigress said on 03.30.11 at 08:33 PM • [link]

Did anyone else wonder if Howett was deliberately being a troll to call attention to herself and her book?

I hadn’t thought of that possibility, and I suppose it could be so. But her strategy still seems deeply misguided. Contrary to the cliché, it is not always true that all publicity is good publicity. To throw hysterical tantrums and hurl abuse at a serious reviewer is likely to put most potential readers off reading her work altogether. They’ll remember her name, all right, but not in a good way.

I would have had a little more sympathy (though not much more) if the reviewer had been careless, flippant or even totally negative, but he/she was not. That was a considered review by someone who had read the book, and who looked for the good in it as well as the bad.

The appropriate response from the author would have been something like, ‘I am really disappointed that you gave me only two stars, though I am glad to know that you enjoyed the story itself and the characters. That gives me some encouragement, and I hope you will like my next novel better’.

We have occasionally published no-holds-barred criticisms of certain novels here, and then been somewhat disarmed when the author has posted a reply with courtesy and self-deprecating humour. That’s the sensible and mature way to deal with criticism and correction. Not stamping your feet and shouting expletives.
Ann Somerville said on 03.30.11 at 10:19 PM • [link]

why is it necessary to try to “shame” her as a sex worker?

Gallas isn’t a sex worker - she’s someone who makes money off sex workers. That’s not the point I was making. I can’t think of a (legal) occupation less concerned with the educational potential or attainments of its participants, and if you don’t find the contrast between that and the increasingly manic and obdurate assertions by Gallas on that thread about the absolute importance of holding a BA before one dares to put pen to paper, utterly ludicrous, then that’s too bad. I do. I thought from the pompous way she was going on and on about her education and ‘in her experience’ yadda yadda, she had to be some kind of higher education bureaucrat, if not a teacher herself.

From what I can tell from the blurbs on her books - you couldn’t pay me to actually read them - her education, whatever that turns out to be, hasn’t done much for her writing ability, so why she’s so adamant on this point, I have no idea.

By the way, she’s *still* ranting, but now someone called Lady Lucretia is sending her up delightfully. Bring popcorn.

I see The Guardian has jumped in on the dogpile on Howett. I am beyond disgusted by all this. The media won’t hold the feet of corrupt politicians and dishonest bigots to the fire nearly as much as they could and should, but let one unimportant civilian throw a tanty in public and they crucify them because they know there’ll be zero blowback or threat to their position. Same goes for the various big name bloggers and writers joining in. Shame on all of you.
jrussell72 said on 03.31.11 at 01:16 AM • [link]

AgTigress - I agree with everything you said. I just found Howett’s behavior so over the top that it made me wonder, you know?
Alex Ward said on 03.31.11 at 12:13 PM • [link]

I’ve not had much authorial traffic through my humble review blog, but I was very impressed by Anton Strout’s response to my highly unfavourable review of his novel:
“Sorry to hear it was not to your liking.”

I have no doubt it was a difficult review to read, and I so appreciated his professional response that I’ll try reading another of his novels (which I wasn’t planning on before). Jacqueline Howett, take note!
Heidi said on 04.01.11 at 12:44 AM • [link]

OMG. Was that Jacqueline Howett thing real or just an early April fools thing? Crazycakes!
Merry said on 04.01.11 at 06:39 AM • [link]

I have to admit, I do want this Jacqueline Howett mug:
http://bit.ly/gwKeFm

I feel like that every time I get a nasty review even if it’s of a technical manual.