Bitchin' Blog Posts
: Asshat
September 10, 2011 | Saturday | 31 Comments
Courtney is looking for a book. I know you can help her. I’ve wanted to submit a request to HaBO for awhile now, but I couldn’t recall enough details about the book I’m looking for to think anyone could help me. Probably once I describe what I DO remember, the general response to my query will be, “Why in all of God’s creation would you want to find this book?” Fair question and I’m not entirely sure myself. So, my tale begins when I was a tender twelve year old. My mom was an avid (Oh lord, SO AVID) reader…
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November 04, 2010 | Thursday | 58 Comments
I have this short write-up of links that are all feel-good and awesome with coulis, but first, let’s have some hot smoking asshattery. From many people comes this amazing series of links wherein Monica Gaudio, a writer and something of an expert on historical cookery, was plagiarized by a magazine, Cook’s Source, whose editor, Judith Griggs, believes the internet is public domain. So you don’t have to pay people whose words you steal, and moreover (wait for it… wait for it…) Monica should be grateful that Cook’s Source reprinted her article without permission or payment. No, really. Cook’s Source lifted…
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August 07, 2010 | Saturday | 77 Comments
At the romance panel at WORD Brooklyn a few weeks ago, one of the audience members asked why romance takes so much crap from everyone. Hope Tarr said she thinks it boils down, every time, to the fact that romance is written by women, edited and published by women, and read by women. As we said in the Bosoms, look in your pants. That’s why. So grab your nearest alcoholic beverage, and play along as we look at the state of romance after an appearance in Bloomberg Business Week. In an article that mentions bodice ripping not once but Twice,…
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November 04, 2009 | Wednesday | 96 Comments
Groveling is a powerful thing. When it’s done right, it can demonstrate that a hero or heroine has truly changed, that they understand the flaws of their past behavior and are ready to be not so much of an asshat. Sometimes, depending on the plot, the happy ending rests on the strength of the groveling scene. Groveling in a romance is something we’ve talked about before - particularly in the big behemoth thread from a few years ago on rape in romance. There’s some powerful juju in hearing someone say, “I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.” Whether it’s…
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September 17, 2009 | Thursday | 31 Comments
Once, long ago, I had a guy friend ask me out to dinner. Now, we were pretty much “just friends”, but I thought he was sweet and cute and I enjoyed his company, so I happily agreed to what sounded rather date-like (especially since he told me to dress “nice”). Off we went, with him telling me that where we were going was a “surprise”. Then we pulled up in front of a church. I asked him why we were stopping and he said he needed to run in really quick and asked if I would mind coming along. Once…
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September 10, 2009 | Thursday | 139 Comments
I read this book because not one but two different people emailed me and said, to wit, “OMG you have to read this it is HILARIOUS. Like Pregnesia Hilarious.” One reader said, “I just had to draw your attention to a stunning read. It’s so bad, it transcends the line between bad and good and becomes rather excellent…. I can highly recommend Kendrick’s latest. Honestly, she’s usually one of the authors that I like - I kind of enjoy the hyper-realism of her stories, and I know what I’m getting. But, for me, this tipped over from presents into parody.…
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February 02, 2009 | Monday | 147 Comments
If you’re watching the Super Bowl, you saw this utter shitcake of a commercial from Teleflora mocking women who read romance novels. Ok, Teleflora. Eat a dick. You need flowers? Let me tell you: I’ve never had anything but wonderful results from ProFlowers.com. Click the radio icon in the corner and you can often get a free vase. The flowers have lasted a long ass time, and to my knowledge, ProFlowers has never mocked my love of romance novels. ETA 2/3/09: Folks who complained via email to Teleflora are receiving apologetic email with a $15 coupon good toward a future…
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January 20, 2009 | Tuesday | 19 Comments
I’m about to put the finishing touches on my presentation for the Florida Romance Writers’ convention which is all about online self-promotion. It’s always nice when examples appear that so neatly define what I’m trying to say, which is, in this case, think before you post anything. Writer and editor Steve Berman reviews an anthology, receives an email from one of the authors who is offended by a one-line evaluation of his story and jaw-dropping douchebaggery ensues. First, the author, one Kevin W. Reardon encourages Berman to kill himself, not once but twice - and asks that he take his…
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