Remember when RWA used to defend romance novels, saying positive portrayals of monogamous relationships and healthy, active sexual adventures were normal, acceptable, and even a beneficial influence on their readership?
When I say “monogamous relationship” and “romance novels,” most, like I do, automatically think of Thor and Bettina, Deputy Logan and his biscuit-making bride Felicity, Lord Hawsravensburgkestrel and his fair Lady Amaliana-Georgiana-Freidricheansda.
Well, smack this Bitch up because hello, gay romance. I got an email today from Scott & Scott, who write Romentica – gay romance novels portraying healthy, joyous, monogamous relationships between men that end in happily ever after. They were written up in the New York Times this weekend – quite a feat for a small, self-published operation mostly through their Romentics website and online store.
The full ramifications of gay romance novels is something I will have to ponder, since I’m already of the opinion that half of the ability that women presently have to dream beyond the boundaries they are born into is a credit to the career, relationship, self-development and life exploration they can do through romance and women’s fiction. What does it mean that gay couple would be portrayed not as villains or angsty next-door-neighbors but as protagonists in a commonly accepted fictional venue: boy meets
girl
boy, boys falls for boy, boy and boy live happily ever after?
Further points of interest – Scott Pomfret, half of the writing duo, analyzes the form and structure of romance as something as real and defined as the format for a legal brief. “It has rules,” he says – which makes this Smart Bitch happy because nothing bothers me than the accusation that romance is a fill-in-the-blanks formula. It has a structure, but it ain’t madlibs, for God’s sake.
You can’t fake the attraction and sexual and emotional tension that make up a romance, and the idea of portraying commonality between how two men in love feel and how a man and a woman in love feel goes a long way in battling social stereotypes of gay relationships, and also, according to their reviews, makes for good reading.
And y’all know, it’s the second part that is most important.
You know, I think they’re actually on to something, there.
There’s an amazingly large community of people on the Internet who are into ‘slash’ and ‘yaoi’- Namely, fiction involving relationships between two men. Most of the community is made up of straight women, in fact. Well, if guys can be into lesbian sex… *shrug*
Still, there’s a huge (mostly) untapped market for gay erotica out there. Last time I heard, there were at least tens of thousands of people into slash, etc. Enough to keep Scott & Scott going strong, hopefully.
And please don’t ask me how I know about this.
So when should we except the review? 😉
I have passed on the link to my bestest friend, who happens to be a gay man looking for that one special guy. So I thought he might be interested. No idea. But he was wonderful about my growing ‘habit’. (sorry wendy I like them ’ ‘)
He was even going to go to a library sale with me last time he was here but was too hungover to get off the couch *g*.
I shall post reviews if he reads anything! Having been in xfiles fandom, I have read some slash fic but honestly I am one of those chicks that just doesn’t find it a turn on for the most part.
As for their site, I think I know of more men who are looking for their one true lurve than women. Maybe I just hang about slutpuppies ;).
Saraswathi, I had the same reaction when I read their email: “Gay romance novels? Well, DUH there’d be a HUGE market for that!”
And redwyne, I am with you on the one true love searching. Most of the people I know who are single, gay and straight, are looking for that long term “Ok, hold all calls, we have a winner” person.
I’m sure RWA has a rule against this or will within the hour.
Damn it, HelenKay beat me to it. “Gender Standards” coming to a RWA chapter near you! Hmm, that’s not so catchy. “True Love Standards”?
I’ve read quite a bit of gay erotica (mostly the “Best of…” annual anthologies) so this romance venture sounds interesting. Clicking on links.
Gender Standards is far to exclusive. I mean, their “graphical standards” was the decency police, so perhaps their answer to gay romance (or “romence!”) will be something along the line of “Defense of Romance” a la “Defense of Marriage?”
I have a relative who is in a long term lesbian relationship. She’s an avid reader and would love to see more same sex romances. (Because I write romance, she’s asked me to stay on lookout for f/f romances for her—and she doesn’t care if they’re PG13 or erotica either, she’d just like some well-written stories that happen to have lesbians as the protagonist(s)) Now, I can’t see her going for the men/men romance, but if the women are looking for romantic relationship stories based on their sexual preferences, why wouldn’t the men? Makes sense to me.
But I’ve encountered a ton of people who are against their kind of relationship who would think that books written about them…*shakes head* — go see discussion regarding the fragile minds of children and you’ll get the drift of where that thought was going…
~Mel
Kensington has been publishing gay romance novels for some time now. One of my favorites is by Rob Byrnse, the very amusing THE NIGHT WE MET. I haven’t read his latest, TRUST FUND BOYS, but I’ve got it on my TBR list. Also, Michelle Martin wrote a lesbian regency novel, PEMBROKE PARK, which I believe is out of print. It was published by Naiad Press in the ‘80s.
I have Pembroke Park on my B(n)F queue – they list it as a “highly entertaining lesbian Regency novel.”
I’ll definitely review it as soon as I’ve read it.
I enjoyed Pembroke Park, but then I’m a fan of Michelle Martin’s het regencies too. Oh, and I misspoke—it’s “Rob Byrnes” and he was one of Kensington’s first authors in their gay romance line.
Whoa. Gay romance novels. So. Friggin’. Cool.
Why, hello TBR shelves. You say you can’t take any more books? That to add to all this would be insane?
TOO BAD. BEND OVER AND TAKE IT, BITCH.
TOO BAD. BEND OVER AND TAKE IT, BITCH.
Isn’t that a song?
If it isn’t, it should be. It would be the official Smart Bitch anthem.
gay romance (Both non-erotic and erotic) and male/male/female menages are on the rise. My publisher is actively interested in romantic and erotic male/male and menage stories that feature male/male interaction as well. “Slash” fanfiction is wildly popular, so it isn’t any surprise to me that readers want original fiction as well.
I was planning to sign in and have a good inspirational stare at the man boobs but I accidentally scrolled past and have something to say here instead. Ooops.
Slash has been around for decades: it first started out in the world of Kirk/Spock and slowly spread. What’s changed is the visibility of it, and the ease of getting hold of it. Basically, it went overground in the late-90s when fanfic online exploded.
I also know a writer here in the UK who writes m/m porn and says it sells more copies than his SF.
We have a few m/m titles, and they do sell very well. Especially the gay vamps.
While we’re waiting for more new gay romance novels to make their debuts, there’s always http://www.torquerepress.com.
Seriously hot serialized novels and e-books from mild and tender to ohmygosh naughty. I have a subscription to the site and it’s been worth every penny.