Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Tacky or not (TACKY!!!) at least I know not to read it for sure. :)

Tacky or not, it’s pretty funny.  And if you say I’ll shit my pants, I’ll believe you too!

I’ve noticed a few instances in the Dark Hunter books where Sherrilyn Kenyon had the characters reading the “latest Kinley MacGregor book” or something like that.

I don’t know that I’ve read books by either of her. (I’m just going to let the horror of that sentence stand.) But I think it’s meant to be an inside joke, and I’m going to buy this one just because she must have a wacky sense of humor. :)

Shan

I just think it’s funny, and quite hilariously so. And it’s true. It shows that she’s not taking herself too seriously, and that she’s having a good time with it all. Plus, it is name recognition and promotes a possible crossover of readership. Only readers who know her as both writers are able to get the joke.

I mean, if she’s the same person, doesn’t she write the other’s genre the way that she would? Um, they would? Um. Shit. You know what I mean.

Hell, that entire last paragraph was a completely sad and rubber-neckable trainwreck if I ever saw one.

IMHO, this is one of the ways that an author with multiple pen names/identities can have a bit of fun with the concept. I think it’s all pretty harmless and is extremely savvy and smart of her to do publicity this way.

And it’s just a blurb. It’s not like she reviewed the book she wrote herself or anything…I’m quitting while I’m ahead before I have another train trauma on my hands.

Well, it’s either an endorsement or a warning, isn’t it?

Tacky or not, I am glad Kenyon warned me. I’ve read some of her books. They make me ill. I’ve never read any of McGregers’, now that I know they’ll make me puke also I can avoid them.

Phewwww

I think it has to be a joke.

I almost missed the blurb altogether.
Clever in that it warns readers away…

I’ve never read her and am not about to start now.

It’s very funny actually. I admire her balls. I’ll go get a copy -

I’m going with the ‘tacky’ vote, although I’ll admit she’s got balls.  She may well have a sense of humour, but after I followed the links to her Dark Hunter books and read what she’d got up there, I know for sure I ain’t going to like her stuff.

So, leaning somewhat toward being convinced by the ‘hey, she’s honest’, and ‘hey it’s a clever marketing ploy and it’s a cute injoke’ arguments. But pure and simple, I think I would buy her stuff only if it was marked down cheaper than the kindling I use currently.

LOL!  I love it.  I think it’s a hilarious in-joke for readers who know KM = SK.  What does it hurt? 

Barbara Michaels had a blurb on an Elizabeth Peters book some years ago (or was it vice versa?).  Anyway—it was the same sort of thing.  I laughed my butt off.  (figuratively, damn it)

Yeah, but the difference is that Elizabeth Peter/Barbara Michaels/Barbara Mertz actually KNOWS how to write.

I’m going to let my son write my blurbs. Anyone who can say Bela Fleck “was so awesome my asshole exploded” has a future writing cover blurbs.

“Yeah, but the difference is that Elizabeth Peter/Barbara Michaels/Barbara Mertz actually KNOWS how to write. “

Ah yes, but SK/KM knows how to SELL. And thats all part of the book trade too.

I say its Tacky!!! but ... well that’s what she writes, isn’t it?

It’s a joke, y’all. She’s not trying to hide that the two names are the same person—her web sites are linked to each other. She has sold 50 books. If I had sold 50 books I would giggle too.

She is hilarious. She’s a member of my local RWA chapter. At our readers’ luncheon last year, we were going to have bare-chested men serve the barbecue. When they backed out at the last moment, Sherrilyn/Kinley agreed to be an alternate spectacle. She is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and she came in her Elizabethan outfit and brought her SCA friends (link, scroll down). She did not serve barbecue tho.

I was aghast when I read that she blurbed her(other)self, until I read the quote, which cracked me up.  I think if she had written generic praise, trying to masquerade as a disinterested author, it would be tacky, even unethical.  But as written, it’s pretty funny.

That being said, if people don’t know SK = KM but still know that Kenyon is a big famous writer, they might be impressed enough to take it at face value, which means they’ve been suckered.

In the April issue of Romantic Times, Kenyon interviews MacGregor.

I personally find it pretty hilarious. Very tongue in cheek.

And way better than when you see good buddies (and famous writers) blurbing other good buddies. Here’s a tip, new authors who have thier mega-best selling critique partners provide quotes for them—when you also name them in your dedication as providing invaluable assistance to you, it kinda takes the value away from the cover quote.

There’s an urban legend in SF circles that an author asked George Alec Effinger to blurb the author’s girlfriend’s new novel, which was horrific.  Effinger wrote “She’s done something no one has ever done before!” because it was the least painful and most truthful thing he could say.

I think its pretty hilarious. ‘Course, it also means I’ll avoid the KM books because I’m not a Kenyon fan at all, but still…

My vote is on funny. Maybe it could start a new trend “This book is the breakout novel of the year”- says author’s mom. “I’ve never seen anything better” - author tells self.

>>That being said, if people don’t know SK = KM but still know that Kenyon is a big famous writer, they might be impressed enough to take it at face value, which means they’ve been suckered. <<

How the hell would that qualify as being suckered?
If somebody knows who Sherrilyn Kenyon is AND likes her books, they’d certainly like a book by Kinley MacGregor, wouldn’t they?

The blurb is clearly done in fun, and for people who aren’t in on the joke, it’s a way to reasonably associate the two names. It passes the ethics test, if you ask me.

Shit, ya’ll are harshing on Sherrilyn. Makes me think no one here has ever read liquid shit like “Who’s The Daddy?”

>>That being said, if people don’t know SK = KM but still know that Kenyon is a big famous writer, they might be impressed enough to take it at face value, which means they’ve been suckered. <

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>How the hell would that qualify as being suckered?
If somebody knows who Sherrilyn Kenyon is AND likes her books, they’d certainly like a book by Kinley MacGregor, wouldn’t they? <<

Just because they know who she is doesn’t mean they have read her books.  I know who she is, that she’s well-liked by a lot of people, but I’ve never gotten around to reading her.  If I didn’t know the KM connection, I might be impressed: “Hey, Sherrilyn Kenyon liked it, and she’s so famous she must be too busy to blurb many books, so this must be really good.”

I think we overestimate the average reader’s knowledge of the in-jokes and trade secrets of the genre.  Most people are just looking for a good book.

I’m not harshing on her (I did say it cracked me up), but I think in-jokes might alienate readers who aren’t in. 

Just my opinion.  I tend to look at both sides of every issue (hey, maybe I should have my own alter ego so that I’d be internally consistent).

Sorry, Jeri, I didn’t mean that YOU were harshing on her. I was refering to comments like “but the difference is that Elizabeth Peter/Barbara Michaels/Barbara Mertz actually KNOWS how to write.” Yikes.

I have to say about SK that I’ve read some of the paranormal books, and my impression is that she really, really writes for her fans. No way would anyone be able to keep up with one of the later books if they were walking in cold. I heard her speak at a conference, and she confirmed this impression. She talked alot about her fans and how grateful she is to her readers. So I think she’s sort of in that mindset, especially in regards to the inside jokes.

Here’s a tip, new authors who have thier mega-best selling critique partners provide quotes for them—when you also name them in your dedication as providing invaluable assistance to you, it kinda takes the value away from the cover quote.

Absolutely true.  OTOH (here I go again, arguing both sides), there’s a certain etiquette and courtesy involved.  If your mentor has helped you in many ways, including offering you a cover quote, you’d be a dickhole not to acknowledge them.

Besides, if someone’s your mentor, they probably genuinely like your work and aren’t doing it out of pity.

I guess a good question for readers would be, do cover quotes affect your buying decision in the first place?  But that sounds like another blog topic altogether.

Btw—off topic—I just love that some Smart Bitch had the balls to advertise an Amnesia Book over to the right. Even after that WHA? contest! Brava, sista!

IF Nora Roberts can co-author a book with JD Robb then why can’t Kenyon/MacGregor make an insiders joke on her book cover?

>>“Hey, Sherrilyn Kenyon liked it, and she’s so famous she must be too busy to blurb many books, so this must be really good.” <<

Point taken, Jeri. I kind of get that.

On the other hand, you can’t deny that the blurb is absolutely truthful. She didn’t say, “It rocked my world.” or even “This is GREAT writing!”. She just said, “This is how I would write historicals.” Ha! It still makes me laugh.

A couple of weeks ago LLB posted a question about this one on the AAR message boards.  The general response was that it was supposed to be a jokey, tongue-in-cheek kind of thing.

My personal take—there’s nothing out & out wrong with it, but it doesn’t pass the sniff test for me.  If I were marketing myself professionally, would I give myself a quote to use on my website or other products?  No, absolutely not…but my profession is finicky about advertising, so what do I know?  But she couldn’t find anyone else to say nice stuff about her Kinley MacGregor books?  Blurbing for yourself is almost as lame as having your mom blurb for you. 

(Disclaimer: I don’t like her SK books and don’t have any plan to try the KM books.)

Clicked on “Submit” too soon.

I saw a free standing book display outside the bookstore at the train station this morning for the new book.  The cardboard display clearly says that SK = KM.  It was holding the book with the SK blurb for KM.  I even checked the back of the book—the bio clearly says that KM = SK.  So I’m guessing that KM/SK is winking and asking us to laugh with her.

I still think it’s kind of lame.

IF Nora Roberts can co-author a book with JD Robb then why can’t Kenyon/MacGregor make an insiders joke on her book cover?

I used to really enjoy the Robb books, but to this day have not been able to make it through a Roberts opus.  So if the Kenyon/MacGregor blurb is intended to inform potential readers that the writing is very much the same, perhaps it’s both clever and relatively straightforward marketing on the part of the publishers (after all, it wasn’t until near the middle of the Robb series that Robb’s “real” identity was revealed, via some really calculated marketing hype).  Since I have no expectation of class in Romance publishing, I generally try to discern intent:  if the marketing seems intended to exploit Romance stereotypes or fool readers, I tend to dislike it.  So for me, the question here would be whether the publisher assumes that most readers picking up the MacGregor book would know the connection.  What strikes me the most about the quote is that it doesn’t pimp the book as a quality read, which makes me think it’s it’s aimed at existing Kenyon/MacGregor fans.

IF Nora Roberts can co-author a book with JD Robb then why can’t Kenyon/MacGregor make an insiders joke on her book cover?
Posted by J-me on 03/17 at 08:21 AM

The packaging of the Roberts/Robb book makes it completely clear that it’s by the same author. I’m looking at my paperback copy and it has two photos of Nora Roberts: one as herself and the other in her ummm “goth” look (or whatever that is). The back blurb etc also make it clear. So it’s not a similar situation.

>>So it’s not a similar situation.<

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But:

>>The cardboard display clearly says that SK = KM.  It was holding the book with the SK blurb for KM.  I even checked the back of the book—the bio clearly says that KM = SK. <<

Seems to me that this blurb is maybe just a piece of a marketing campaign outing her as SK. Not in a J.D. Robb kind of way, because the books aren’t that big. But I’ve been reading SK for a few years and had no idea who KM was (never heard of her) until a friend told me. Maybe they’re just trying to tie the two together now.

If the bio on THAT BOOK says it, the websites say it, the promo stuff says it, I don’t think anyone can argue that she’s trying to get away with something tacky here. Ill-advised, maybe, if you don’t think it’s funny. But tacky and underhanded? Some of you are being really unfair just because you don’t like the woman’s writing.

Oh, and I think most of us here enjoy the kind of humor that is sure to offend a certain percentage of people. Awesome work, SK!

:coolsmirk:

Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick used to do the same thing for years on end.
I haven’t read one in a long time, but a lot of the Quick books used to have quotes by Krentz on them.

I love it. I don’t see how it’s offensive because the quote is so. . .odd.

I had no idea they were the same woman. A few days ago, someone pointed the quote out to me and we wondered together why on earth the author would want to have that on her book? Snort. I LOVE it.

Oh, and I think most of us here enjoy the kind of humor that is sure to offend a certain percentage of people.

This is exactly why I have found some Bitches’ objection to the quote so disorienting. In the past I have considered the Bitches the last, best hope of earth.

I go for joke.  The books I have of KM all clearly state in the author blurb she is KM too, except one first print of Master of Desire? maybe one of those.  There was a tie in thing in the RT mag where SK interviews KM.

And really even if the above wasn’t true, the quote is right.  How often does that happen?

Shit, ya’ll are harshing on Sherrilyn. Makes me think no one here has ever read liquid shit like “Who’s The Daddy?”

Happy to say I never have read “Who’s the Daddy?”  Just the title would be enough to warn me off!

Granted, I’m not an admirer of Ms Kenyon’s style, but I actually have no problem with the quote thing, I think it shows a sense of fun, and one can hardly accuse her of trying to put one over on the reading public since there are displays out there that make clear that SK and KM are the same person.

I think it’s pretty dang hilarious!  I’ve never really gotten into her Kinley MacGregor novels too much—I’m more of a Dark Hunter fan—but, just because of that quote (yeah, I wish I was famous enough to do something like that!), I’m gonna be picking up the book.

I’m in the ‘hilarious’ camp too, and damn, I agree with Victoria—ouch on the slamming of SK!  I like the DH books, and I like what I’ve read of the KM books—not many, true, but a few.  Then again, I’m pretty easy when it comes to books.  If you can put together sentences that don’t mangle the rules of the language, have some humor and some hot sex, and create a story that engages me, you’re golden. 

The books that I can’t stand are poorly edited, incorrectly punctuated, fragment/run-on-sentence infested, Big Misunderstanding containing crapfests that usually also feature TSTL heroines.  For me, if your writing is less readable than my 7 year old’s, I just can’t hang with you no matter WHAT the story’s about.

SK’s writing might not be your cup of tea, and no one reader loves everything.  Still, I think it says something about her writing that people seem to either *love* her or *hate* her.  That’s evoking strong emotions, and that’s successful writing, IMO.

Even though I gave up both alter egos, I do think she’s joking on this and I think it’s funny.

Victoria I was just pointing out that co-authoring is not the same as cover blurbing (with the way she phrased it). If the book itself does make clear that she’s the same person (displays don’t count unless they’re peppered in every store—I know there isn’t any at my local chain) then I can’t see any problem with it!

I’ve flipped through a Kenyon book in my yearning for a suitable replacement/substitute of/for Anita Blake (only flipped mind you) and it came off as kinda dumb but that wasn’t infuencing my comment.

Admittedly, I’m not pretty easy when it comes to books (although we all have our weak spots). :)

>>I’ve flipped through a Kenyon book in my yearning for a suitable replacement/substitute of/for Anita Blake <

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HAHAHA Arethusa, you have my full sympathy there. Did you read the review of

Micah at Mrs. Giggles? I didn’t even buy the book and I was pissed off by the double spacing and huge, blank border around the text. $7.99, my ass.

I hung on longer than most readers, but the last book was the final straw for me. Have you tried the Merry Gentry (sp?) stories? I enjoyed them. But as to good, hot paranormal stuff. . . Hell, I’m just writing my own now.  :vampire:

Totally tongue in cheek, I found it pretty amusing.

I think that blurb is freaking hilarious and brings SK up a notch in my opinion. There’s a woman with a sense of humor!

Victoria, I didn’t! Honestly, LKH has broken my heart too many times now and we parted ways after “Narcissus”. My heart is closed to Blake and her preternatural porno ways.

I didn’t read Mrs. Giggle’s review but..Bam’s I think it was at “It’s Not Chick Porn” which was hilarious and tragic at the same time.

I haven’t tried the Merry Gentry because everytime I reach out for it a porn soundtrack starts playing in my head. Are they really decent? I might try borrowing one from the library…

but I did not know that you wrote any! Checking out your website right now. ;)

If the pornographic turn that Anita Blake has taken turns you off, then just step away from the Merry Gentry books.  Seriously, turn your back, walk away and nobody gets hurt.

If you made it all the way to Incubus Dreams you should be okay with Merry Gentry. *g*  The first one, especially, I found fascinating, and the second one. . . something about that pitch-black fairy man really got me going. Anyway, I stepped away from LKH, not because of kind of sex, which didn’t really bother me. . . It was the AMOUNT of sex, to the exclusion of everything else including plot. Plot? Remember that? Hello? Halloooo?

Anyway, I think it’s worth checking one out of the library. And have you tried Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire books? Nothing like LKH, but so, so enjoyable. One of my all time favorites.

I *do* write vampire romance, lighter and less soul-matey than some, but I’m not published yet. Getting some nibbles though. Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh, and I just bought my first Christopher Moore book today. Thanks Smart Bitches! I can’t wait!

If you made it all the way to Incubus Dreams Sorry, I meant Narcissus. I was thinking of my own poor self.

Anyway, I think it’s worth checking one out of the library. And have you tried Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire books?

I’ve tried to get the people who “don’t like vampire Romance” to read the Harris books, not only because they are, IMO, masterfully written, but also because they are really, also IMO, allegorical tales about being different/an outsider in a small, esp. Southern town (and are they really Romance??). 

Did you know that Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under) is actually returning to HBO to produce a version of this series?  Apparently he stumbled on the books and became an immediate fan.  He’s one of the few people I trust with this kind of material.  I think he will get the humor and also the bittersweet aspects of the series.  I. Can’t. Wait.

>>Did you know that Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under) is actually returning to HBO to produce a version of this series? <<

Holy Mother of GAWD! I can’t wait either!

And it might do a lot for the vampire market, which my agent says is “glutted”. *sigh*

You’re right about this not being a romance, though. There is no happily-ever-after since Sookie is the protagonist throughout the series. But I can’t get enough of it. These are the books that inspired me to write vampire stories that didn’t take themselves too seriously.

Holy Mother of GAWD! I can’t wait either!

Although I originally read the story in some entertainment mag, I did a quick search and came up with this bit from Charlaine Harris’s website:  http://www.charlaineharris.com/

Apparently they are planning for a series (I originally thought it was going to be an HBO film), written and directed by Ball.  These adaptations usually scare (and then depress) me, but this one might just break that bad streak!

And it might do a lot for the vampire market, which my agent says is “glutted”. *sigh*

#%^$^#!!  I heard that last week, too.  Figures, now that I’m just about to submit one.  By definition, if I do something, it’s automatically no longer hip.  So it’s my fault.  Sorry. 

My agent says the market’s “slightly more competitive” than it was but hasn’t gotten full.  She’s says it’s like chick-lit—we’ll see a slowing, but it won’t be terribly drastic and certainly not the end of the genre.

Looking forward to the Sookie Stackhouse HBO series, too.  When I read about that, I thought, if Alan Ball said he liked my stuff, I could die that day and be happy.

I’ve heard about the Harris books but hadn’t tried any yet. I’ll check those out too, thanks.

I had the same problem with the LKH books—not the kind of sex but the amount to the total detriment of plot. And her chronic indeciseveness. I was sooooo tired of reading through her anguished thoughts about her descent into hoedom followed up by the inevitable 6 way in the parking lot (or wherever).

I wanted my bad-ass from long ago *sniffle*.

And I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you! Liked the stuff on your website and linked it to a friend of mine who gobbles vampire romances by the ton.

>>Liked the stuff on your website and linked it to a friend of mine who gobbles vampire romances by the ton.<<

Thanks so much!

-Vicki, who’s now ashamed of having let her website go months without an update. . .

I don’t even usually read promotional blurbs from other authors because they’re all BS anyway. At least we know she’s read the book and likes it. I can think of a certain author (actually, more than one) who has a blurb on another authors book, and it’s the same freaking sentence on every other book she’s helping to promote just with a different author name.

I think I also read somewhere that this sort of thing is done often. Where upper listed authors have their name put on a midlister or a brand spankn’ new author, stating that their work is great, but it’s the same exact sentence on every book. Which leads me to believe that A) they’ve only read the first book, but have an agreement with the publisher to help promote lesser kown authors. or B) They haven’t read the book but have an agreement with the publisher to help promote lesser kown authors.

So really, maybe Kenyon has it right and is being more honest than alot of other authors out there with blatant self promotion. (and yes it’s a little on the tacky side either way, but I’ve seen worse)

I just bought and read KM’s Lords of Avalon: Sword of Darkness, and found an interesting footnote in the back:

Author’s Note:
I hope you enjoyed the inside joke of Sherrilyn Kenyon offering a quote on the cover of a Kinley MacGregor novel.

It started out as a lark between me and my editor, when I laughingly suggested that Kenyon quote the book. I learned one important lesson: never suggest something to an editor as a joke. She loved the idea and thought it was fun, and now you see the result on the cover. But hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?

I would also like to take a moment to say “thank you” to you, dearest reader, for taking this voyage into fantasy with me. I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey.

I guess this sheds light on her reasoning.

The book was actually pretty darn good, and Kerrigan was all dark and yummy and a bad boy to the hilt. Delicious.