Frankly, my dear, I don't give a green rat's patootie

As happens just about every year, controversy has spilled out of this year's RWA conference. There's the whole who-belongs-in-PAN (Published Author Network) debate (which I think will go on ad infinitum), the scumminess of some people taking far more than their fair share of free books, and, most entertaining to me, the brouhaha because Sherrilyn Kenyon wore a swan-shaped hat to the literacy signing, the same event at which 2 authors dressed similar to their characters. (Below is a fun video they made of their Book Expo America experience. Find a shot of their oh-so-controversial cossies here.)

Lordie, how debate is raging over that one, some of it quite heated, some funny. Let me give you the numbers: During a conference that lasted 4 days, these 3 women dressed in costume for the 2 hours that fans (readers and writers alike) could meet them, probably making about 500 people smile. This was a signing, a public event, a publicity event. To my way of thinking, it was about branding--SK has taken on the swan as her totem animal, and Marianne Mancusi and Liz Maverick wanted to draw attention to their releases. And hey, you know, maybe have a little fun with the people who love their books.

Now it's turning into a "Cain't get no respect" debate, which I find pointless. (My favorite response: Since when do a pair of miniskirts drag a genre down?  Crap writing drags a genre down. Cliched, derivative, rule-bound concepts drag a genre down.) The thing is, who decides what's professional behavior in this field? (Another comment I found enlightening: I shudder at the word ‘professional’ as used in this conversation. We use it to nibble at others who don’t make the same choices we do. Somehow, there’s the mistaken impression floating through the RWA-sphere that if everyone made the exact same choices (with highly limited variations—probably approved by a committee of the whole), the world would be a better place.) People who've told me they're professionals have done things that made my jaw drop; I'm sure I've appalled a few people in return. And yeah, I've scratched my head at some of the Romantic Times pageant model stuff, but basically, I don't care what you do. Why? Because if I'm not caring what you're doing and you're not caring what I'm doing then I can go ahead and do what I want.

Basically, I also don't give a smoking turd what anyone thinks of the romance genre, just as I don't care what anyone thinks about me writing romance. Okay, wait ... yeah, I do sometimes go off about the ignorance shown in some quarters, but I think there are some people who prefer to be ignorant because that allows them to belittle romance, which is predominantly written by women. I can do the whole "did you know so many percent of romance writers have a college education" but who really cares? OTOH, some survey somewhere reckons that women who write and read romance have sex more often than others so, you know, let's get it on!

I admit: lately, I haven't read a lot of romance. Partly because I don't have good EL-bookstores to browse in, partly because I have less reading time (though I could make more, sure), and partly because I love just about all genres. But I think I will always, always write withing the romance genre, especially with the way it's broadened in the past 10 years and because I'm passionate about a good love story. Sure, I've had some snickers, but I don't give a damn. I always give back more than I get.

Example 1: About 8 years ago, I got a new boss (who turned into a great friend) and I told him I was a writer and he said "God, not that stupid Mills and Boon things." When I asked him when he'd last read on, he said never, so I told him he didn't know what he was talking about and we never had any problems after that. In fact, when he saw I was a serious WRITER, he'd often ask me my opinion about plot holes he saw in the books he was reading. He also gave me the first 3 books of Harry Potter one Christmas, something I'll be eternally grateful for.

Example 2: In that same team, a guy who I had a lot of fun with said he thought I was really smart so why did I write stupid books? Je-zuz! Luckily, I had a copy of Megan Chance's magnificent Fall From Grace there so I slapped it in his hand and said "Don't talk to me again until you've read this." He came in the next day, bleary-eyed, cursing me for having kept him up until 2 reading. We argued about what he said were stupid decisions made by the heroine, but he never once trash talked the genre again.

The one that gobsmacked me, though, was along the same lines, except it was a close friend saying "When are you going to write real books?" Again, no need to quote the stats, but if you asked this woman what meant the most to her in the world, she'd say her husband and kids, her extended family and her community. And exactly what is most romance writing about? Uh-yup, love and family and community, in whatever form that takes.

No denying there's shit in the genre, but we already know that, it's in all genres, and I'm not going to defend that. (Besides, one person's crap...) And yes, some of the covers make me wince, especially those computer-generated ones where the characters look like aliens dressed up to resemble humans. Also, generally, I find a man's hands sexier than massive bare chests. Generally. I like the suggested. The cover to the right I find extremely pretty and provocative and evocative. I'd be happy to have one like that and I've already pre-ordered the book. Still for every cover I don't like, there are 10 readers who snap it up. And considering authors have very little control over the covers, that's not something I'm going to worry too much about.

Just as I'm not going to worry about a few people having a little fun at a public signing. Let the press say what they want because if they didn't find that to focus on, they'd find something else. I was once interviewed by a journo who wanted the juicy details about the controversy between romance and erotica writers. She was crestfallen when I said "Huh? What controversy?" (Now, 10 years later, when more romance writers are turning to romantica, there's much more but again, don't care.)

I might feel differently if I were La Nora, who it seems gets called daily on to defend the romance genre. But I don't think so. which might make me a bad spokesperson for the romance genre but you know, really? I. don't. care. I don't need respect. Seriously. I just need my imagination and my iMac and someone to pay me so I can do this for a living, plus you know, money for margaritas. Romance fans don't care. They're passionate about the genre. Passionate. And that's a beautiful thing. It helps me keep my passion to write, knowing there is someone, somewhere out there, who will get it, even if so many don't.

Oh, and by the way, what I said about the genre copping it because it's mainly written by women? You know that's the truth. Just as it is that women cop it for owning cats. if it's a family with cats, you can have as many as you like, but God forbid a woman do it. And if it's a man who writes a romance, it's called a Love Story. The only difference is that, more often than not, one of the romantic leads dies, or they can't be together when men are writing. Tim Farrington's The Monk Downstairs? That's a romance, folks. People can get up and sing their hearts out about love, but write about it? Seems to bother a lot of people--the same people who would kill to protect their families.

I don't get it. But again, I don't care. Because that's where my heart is. I know I was dissing Mary from Age of Love last week for crying all over the place, and I was doing the same this week until she said "People might think I look like a fool but you can't be a fool if you're trying." That's when I realized her heart was in it, too. And when you're in it for the love, not just for the money or the respect or whatever else, then the rest just falls away. If you let it.

PS. Romance genre? 50% of all mass-market sales. THERE'S your respect, babycakes!

PS2. For the record, even though I wasn't there, it seems as though the bloggers and readers gave the conference a good boost of fun. And as for how to dress, just check out Ms. Fiesty here. I am SO crushing!