Q. Kelly's Blog, page 18

Potpourri 2

More questions have popped up since the Potpourri entry. Some of the questions are new and others I forgot about. Yes, smack me with a wet noodle :-)

Here we go!

Can you discuss some of the technical aspects of your writing such as software you use, websites you refer to, web applications you use, etc.?
Wanna guess who asked this question? A 'puter person, that's right. I'm not a computer person, but I love 'em. They keep our lives running smoother. A big hand to them, please! Okay, now, I go basic but not TOO basic (I only use paper and pen for revisions). I use Microsoft Word for my main writing. I usually work at a relatively ancient PC that has the 2002 (or is it 2003?) version. Once in a while, I use a laptop that has the 2007 version. I don't do my covers, although I've been trying to get my cover gal to do a guest blog post or an interview. She does awesome covers. Maybe one day soon she'll join us here. Anyway, I used to print out my stories and write on the papers for corrections, but now I just use my Nook and write corrections on a separate piece of paper. For beta reads and edits, track changes are a godsend. For uploads, I primarily work with .doc and .epub. I upload to Barnes and Noble first and save that .epub. I use that .epub to make the .mobi. I've learned that if I try to upload .doc to Kindle, the formatting looks off. Not so with uploading .epub.


You have two characters named Helen in back-to-back books. You must like the name.
I guess I must! Let me explain how that came about. The Helen characters are in "All in the Family" and "Third." "All in the Family" is my first chronological book, although not my first published book. The Helen in "AITF" is Helen Vierow, a wealthy lawyer who gets into a relationship with Allison after Allison and Sam break up. The Helen in "Third" is very different. She's a Tudor historian who falls in love with Anne Boleyn (in the flesh). "AITF" Helen is half black, half Japanese and oozes sexiness. "Third" Helen is your good-looking blond girl (woman) next door with a few extra pounds. Really no chance of confusing these two.

Anyway, when I realized the issue, I knew I wouldn't be changing the name of "Third" Helen no matter what. "Third" was being written as a draft in progress and being posted on a couple of websites. Changing the name might alienate readers who bought the published version. Plus, she's HELEN to me. At the same time, Helen in "AITF" is Helen, too. I could've changed it to Helena or Helene, but in the end, I figured their characters were so different, I could let it go.

I had a bit of a similar situation with "Strange Bedfellows" (Elena) and "Waiting" (Lena). I worked on both books at the same time for about a year, so maybe there was some subconscious overlap. In any case, I am deaf, and I'd been pronouncing both names differently. I didn't realize they pretty much sounded the same. I did the same as I did with "AITF" and "Third" and just went with it. Before "AITF" and "Third" were published, my wife brought to my attention I like characters with names with a certain sound (Charlene, "The Odd Couple," Elena, "Strange Bedfellows and Lena, "Waiting"). I triumphantly told her, "Well, 'Third' won't have that problem." She kinda rolled her eyes and said: "Helen."

I was like: "What??? That has it too?"

Yep. Sure does.

So, when I was developing character profiles for "Switch," I told her: "Look! None of that name stuff." She grinned and pointed to Elaine. That's how the character Elaine Ellora Landry became Ellora Elaine Landry instead.

Which of your books is your favorite?
Asking an author this is like asking a mama which child is her favorite. Officially, I don't have favorite children. Unofficially (shh shh shh shh), I'd say probably a tie between "Third" and "Waiting."

How fast do you write?
I get this one so much I devoted an entire blog post to it a few months ago. Go here. Ooh, I just realized I should do a FAQs section for one of the main tabs. Yep, I'll do that. 

Why do you enter awards? They're pretty much worthless and cost too much money.
This is an issue that ignites lots of passion from some people, and I understand all sides. Bottom line, though, I think there's a place for awards.

If nothing else, awards help books find more buyers. Some books don't sell well, but they score big in awards. Readers hear about these books, and well-deserving books get a wider audience. Authors work long and hard and put up with scathing reviews and personal attacks all the time. People who are not authors may have a hard time understanding this. Awards are one way to recognize authors' hard work. Sales are another way, sure.
Competition is another motivator. Awards, I would expect, motivate some authors to write better than they would otherwise. 

As for awards fees, they help pay for the awards. Doesn't mean I LIKE them. My wallet cries every time I enter an award, but I understand that in most cases, fees are necessary.

Let me note here I am biased because I grew up winning awards. My parents entered me every year, and so I like being recognized by awards. I went indie in August 2011, and people said they would not buy my stuff. They automatically assumed my stuff was bad because I was indie. Winning two Rainbow Awards among a veritable sea of books with publishers minimized the complaints.

What do you think about what some people have said that "All in the Family" had two issues (not showing Sam at military school and Allison's alcohol problem being resolved too easily)?
They may have a point. Writers can't please everyone, that's for sure. "AITF" doesn't show any scenes of Allison at school, so I'm unsure why scenes from Sam at school would be needed. Maybe because military school is different from the norm, I don't know. Sam talks about military school a few times, and editors didn't bring that up as an issue. Not having scenes of Sam at military school was intentional, but it may have backfired. I wanted to show Sam's distance from the family (both emotional and physical).

As for Allison and alcohol, I firmly believe some people can, and do, quit addictions cold turkey, especially if the circumstances causing the addiction have changed. Allison was never addicted in the first place, anyway. Allison's life circumstances changed hugely when Helen came into the picture. I suppose after "Strange Bedfellows" (and any of my books, really, when I had characters who had to struggle to overcome issues, including alcohol), Allison's alcohol thing may've seemed too easy. I believe in generally looking forward (although looking back is important sometimes to learn from mistakes), but if I am ever bored with totally nothing to do, I may revise these parts of "AITF." (Add a few mil school scenes, have Allison tempted to drink maybe a couple of times, something like that.) My readers are smart people, so they may be onto something (although, of course, not all my readers think "AITF" is lacking. Plenty think it's fine as it is). Oh yeah, I should add here, I'm not a fan of substantially revising books after their publication, but if the circumstances are right, I'll do it. I'll also clearly note the book has been changed.

Why is "All in the Family" told from more points of view in the second half?
This is for a couple of reasons. The first half is mostly Allison's and Sam's POVs. Sam is gone for a big part of the second half, and I wanted readers to feel that distance from her, a distance Allison and other family members are also feeling. At the same time, Allison isn't feeling like herself, so I got out of her head more for distance as well.

The big reason, though: just look at the title, "All in the Family." This is a love story, sure, but it's also a family story. Having the parents' POVs, the brother's POV and the POV of the new girlfriend (Helen) emphasized the family part (Helen is part of Barry's (the father's) work family). The BIG love story is in the first half and at the end of the second half, and that's when Allison's and Sam's POVs dominate. The disintegration of their relationship is symbolized by having more POV characters. I'm not sure I explained that right, but when Sam comes back into the picture, POV is back to Allison and Sam only.

OK, off to get a frappy. Maybe tomorrow I'll cobble together a FAQs section.

Potpourri

Hope everyone's well! I figured now was as good a time as any to do a round-up blog post of questions I've gotten from readers and others.

When can I buy "Switch"?
Look for it in probably a couple of months, give or take a few weeks. "Switch" is coming along nicely.

What's your next novel after "Switch"?
No idea. Really. And that's because if I start thinking about that now, I'll get all excited and WOO WOO about it. I'll start looking upon "Switch" as an obligation to get over with and tossed aside. That's the last thing any book needs. I'm good at forcing my brain to do certain things. (Other things my brain isn't too good at doing.) All that said, I'm thinking my next project after "Switch" won't be a novel. It may be another short-story compilation. Probably lesfic, but a few gen fic stories may get thrown in. I love writing short stories. They're so easy, fluid and quick compared with novels. Writing a novel can be emotionally and mentally draining. I'm pretty sure I'll need a break from novel writing after "Switch," and another short-story compilation may be the trick. They don't take nearly as long to write as novels and are priced lower, so there's that too. I have lots of great short-story ideas, and one of these ideas I will probably decide to hold back and expand for my next novel.

By the way, you probably noticed I write a lot of blog posts. That's because blogging is a nice, easy way to "warm into" writing for the day. Kind of like doing short stories, but blogging is easier, of course.


Are you still thinking about turning "The Old Woman" short story into a novel?
Yep. I'd really like to, but the issue remains that "The Old Woman" may be better as a short story. Regardless, I do think it'd make a great novel. If it's expanded into a novel, probably won't be for a while. If it's made into a novel, I envision having the short story in the back as a "bonus." (I'd still love to hear reader feedback on this. It's been about 50/50 so far.)

How do you know when an idea is good enough for a book?
When it claws at me to get out. And if it isn't clawing, chances are it'll be great for one of my short stories. Some of my short stories come when I'm compelled to write something. I sit at the computer for a few hours, and that's enough to get the meat of the short story out. This provides a nice sense of accomplishment compared with the time writing a novel takes.

How do you prevent/overcome writer's block?
This is a popular question. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with writer's block since the second phase of my writing career started. (I call the first phase the one that started with publication of the first edition of "The Odd Couple" and that ended when rights were returned to me.) I don't see myself having writer's block anytime soon, if ever. Prevention...hmm. I think it's just the mindset. I try to have a clear plan for what I'm writing that day. If I don't, writing a later scene often helps.

What do you like least about being a writer?
Tax stuff. I just want to sit and write, not deal with tax stuff. But at least it means I have enough income coming in to be taxed. That's huge.

In "Third," you write about a polyamorous relationship. So, are you, you know?
I've heard other writers say that many readers tend to think anything to do with sex must be from the writer's personal experience. Makes sense, right? After all, sex is so intimate and close. Other stuff (characters' jobs, other problems, etc.) readers don't automatically think the writer must have experienced. I could be evil and say, "Wellllll, I'll just leave this up to y'all to guess," but no. I'll be nice. I'm not in a poly relationship. Nor have I time traveled into the past.

Taking risks/writing about risky or taboo subjects seems to be your forte. Most writers would not take the risk because of sales. How did you decide to take that risk?
I'd never seen it as a risk. (I do now, a bit, but then I also see it as a pro.) First, let me explain why I never saw it as a risk. I write what I feel compelled to write (what claws at me). That's what I HAVE to write. If I try writing other stuff, it won't work. So, for me, idea is #1, sales is #2. I never imagined "Strange Bedfellows" would be seen as risky, but to some people, it was. I read lots of gen fic, including stories from so-called bad guys' POVs. What other people might see as a risk, I don't. One author said she knew the "Miss Lucy Parker" collection would cause controversy because of a few stories in it. This caught me by surprise because I'd never thought the collection would be seen as controversial. Thought-provoking, yes, but controversial to the point of outrage? I didn't think so. But, yeah, it did. In the lesfic community only, and it's a gen fic collection. Now I know if I write these types of stories again, I have to promote more selectively.

I believe "Third" is the first book I came into consciously aware of the risk. "Third" hasn't sold too well so far, although it's gotten good reviews. I'm hoping it just needs time to catch on. If it doesn't, I have strategies I'll use to help it pick up a bit more steam.

Now to explain the pro part. I've carved a nice niche for myself as a writer who blends serious issues into romance. I like putting characters into situations in which you'd think: "No way could they fall in love," and yeah, they do. Convincingly, too.





OK, I think that's enough questions for now! This was a fun post, so maybe I'll write another one like this soon. As always, feel free to contact me anytime. :)

Value of Freebies

Just a quick little post to reinforce again the value of freebies now that the "Miss Lucy Parker" and "The Old Woman" collections have switched from free to paid for a few weeks.

"The Old Woman" collection has become my #3 seller (not to be confused with $$, because it's priced at $2.99). This from a collection that barely sold before going free.

The "Miss Lucy Parker" collection (99 cents) is pretty much tied for my #4 seller, and this collection sold way less copies than "The Old Woman" did before becoming free.

Free does seem to work in many, if not most, cases.

Deleting

I have deleted the "Assumption as Fact" blog post. The reviewer revised her statement to something that kinda comes off more as opinion. The issue has blown way out of proportion. It seems that only the reviewer, me and a handful of others got the point I was trying to make (fact vs. opinion). The fact that the reviewer changed her statement shows she understood my point. I'm sorry other people did not. Maybe I need to be clearer in the future. I don't know. I do find it funny and somewhat fitting that pretty much only the reviewer and I "got it."

I want to say here that there is no need to try to discredit people. My blog post focused on one specific review and one specific sentence and explained that writing style differences were the reason the reviewer apparently thought "All in the Family" was not edited (which it was, several times). I used "Strange Bedfellows" and its similar style to "AITF" (four viewpoints, etc.) and the awards it won to illustrate my point that a book can be edited and not please everyone and that "AITF" most definitely was edited.

I encourage everyone, including my fans, to look at issues as narrowly as possible. Focus on words and not on people.

Saleswoman Clothes, Greasy Palms and Three Women -- Oh My!

Howdy, peeps.

This blog post is gonna be sales pitch of sorts. So, be warned you're walking smack dab into a sales pitch. Let's see if I can make this really authentic. *retreats to closet for car saleswoman clothes, finds them*

Ah! OK, so I have my saleswoman clothes on now. Wait, don't I need greasy palms too? Good thing my lavender-scented lotion is within reach. OK! That's lathered on now, too.

This pitch is for "Third." I knew it might be a tricky sell because unlike many romance novels, "Third" is the story of three women falling in love with one another. Polyamory is an oft-misunderstood concept, but I hope you'll give "Third" a chance anyway, especially if you liked my other books.

Let me pull out some lines from "Third" reviews (all except the first are currently on Amazon. The first you can find here):

** I wasn't at all sure I wanted to read about a three way relationship. But, as I've enjoyed Q Kelly's other books, I decided to buy it and take a chance. I'm glad I did ... The way these three women genuinely care for one another comes through loud and clear ... This really is a book on it's own, like no other I've read. Unique in fact.

** Some people may shy away from this book because of the polyamory content, but I'm telling you...it's worth the risk. Really, give it a try. I did and I loved it.

** It's fascinating and scintillating...

** I want to mention the same as other reviewers have about the polyamorous content. This is not some love tryst and it's not a case of infidelity. These women ~ Helen, Yalia and Anne truly desired to be with each other.

** As imaginative as the author is I wasn't sure she could bring off a story with a lead character that travels through time and becomes involved in a relationship with a married couple (lesbian) on the brink of divorce. I shouldn't have worried. Q, Kelly does a great job of making the premise plausible.

 *****-- Back to saleswoman me! "Third" is a love story. In my mind, love is love, regardless of if two people are involved or three people are. Please give "Third" a chance. I don't think you'll regret it. You can read the first six and a half chapters here or the first chapter or so on the Kindle, Nook and Smashwords sites.

These "Yank" Moments

Earlier today, someone recommended a book to me and asked if I would buy it. I said no. She was flabbergasted. Why would I not buy the book after her glowing recommendation?

I realized at that point I should have just answered "Maybe I'll buy it" or something like that. I debated my answer to the second question, because when I answer this way (meaning truthfully), people sometimes do not look on me too kindly. I decided to answer truthfully and got called too rigid. Stuff like that. Maybe I AM too rigid, but what some people call too rigid I call having another set of minimum standards. After all, I am a professional editor. It's natural I have different expectations for stories than other people might.

My answer went something like this: "I've read a book by this author. The grammar in it didn't impress me, so I am in no rush to buy another book of hers." I have a huge reading list. If I was not impressed by an author the first time around, I have plenty of other authors to devote attention to. This is my money. I'll spend it the way I like.

Tell y'all something. I wish sometimes that I could easily overlook bad grammar in a story. Many people think that, for some reason, grammar isn't something you should judge a story on. There is a lot of back story to this, but today's example illustrates why sometimes I wish I was not picky about grammar.

This is my attempt to (I hope) explain my side more clearly than I may have in previous encounters. This is what I want from a story: to get lost in another world, to identify with the characters, to be surprised, to be enchanted by the use of language. If the basic building blocks of grammar are not present (for example, if words are pluralized incorrectly), that yanks me right out of the story. I remember I'm reading a story and possibly not such a great one at that.

I reckon that most people have their "yank out of story" peeves. Grammar is one of mine but not the only one. Inaccurate writing about d/Deaf people is another. I have others, too. A nurse who reads about wrong ways of nursing would likely experience a "yank" moment. A German reading a story set in Germany but that gets much wrong about Germany would likely have another "yank" moment too. Grammar's just one of these "yank" moments for me.

Authors are never going to please everyone, but grammar should NEVER be a reason an author did not please someone. Let the reason be a shifty character or a risky ending. Don't ever let the reason be grammar because that's basic. Grammar is the very basic underlying foundation of a story.

Why I Write Lesbian Fiction

Some people have posted recently why they write lesbian fiction. A common answer is to celebrate the shared lesbian and cultural experience and to write authentic stories, as Lynette Mae explained in a good post here.

One thing I've noticed in these blog posts is that the authors say they choose to write lesbian fiction. Why do I write lesbian fiction? Because I have to. It's as simple as that. I don't choose what I write. What I write chooses me. And what usually chooses me is women falling in love with each other (or as in the case of "Third," with one another).

I write what is battering to come out of me. It's usually lesbian fiction but not always. For example, I have one gen fic collection out ("Miss Lucy Parker and Other Short Stories"). Some of the POV characters in that collection, you don't know their sexuality, or they are straight men and straight women, but by gen fic I mean stories that appeal to anyone, regardless of sexuality. The stories in that collection appealed to me to be told, and I wrote them. So what if they were not lesbian fic? The characters clawed at me to tell their stories.

If an idea claws at me to be told, that's what I write, lesbian fic or not. I tried writing a straight romance once. I. COULD. NOT. That straight romance simply was not clawing at me to be told.

Sometimes I wish I could choose what I write. I'd probably head into greener pastures, but guess what? Since I became indie, I've written what chooses me and I'm doing pretty well financially. Following my heart with women falling in love with each other has gotten me good places, and I can only hope it continues.

Spoilers in Reviews

For those of you who write reviews, do you include spoilers? If you do, do you have an "alert" warning? What do you consider a spoiler? If something happens within, say, the first three chapters (or 5,000-10,000 or so words) do you consider it a spoiler?
I ask because there's been an issue with a review of "The Odd Couple" on Amazon since it was posted (Sage320's review). A few people posted in the comments that they would've appreciated a spoiler alert. One person said she was thinking about not buying the book because Sage320 presumably gave the plot away. However, another person said the spoiler made her more likely to buy the book.
When  I was rethinking the "Third" blurb change to include Anne's specific identity, one factor I considered was how early in the book she was revealed. Answer: Pretty early. Within the first few pages, if you're history-minded. Or, heck, if you like to watch Showtime or happened to watch a Tudor movie or show. You'd probably figure it out right away. And if you had no clue after the first chapter, you find out in Chapter Two that Helen Franklin is a Tudor historian. Another clue. In Chapter Three, Anne's identity is revealed, period. Point blank. No doubt about it. So I figured that wasn't much of a spoiler if I modified the blurb. The tradeoff was worth it, I thought, especially since Anne is a romance lead and her identity is important.
This, however, and "The Odd Couple" comments (the most recent of which was today, prompting this) caused me to go back and see specifically where the first "spoiler" happened in "The Odd Couple." It happens relatively early in the book, in Chapter Three and on page 17 of the print edition (the font is on the small side, though).
So, reviewers, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about spoilers. (I know Sage320 has come under fire before for giving out spoilers.)
Readers, I'd be interested in hearing about how you react to spoilers.
As for me, I'm a reviewer, too (qkelly.wordpress.com). I post spoiler alert warnings, and on Goodreads, I take advantage of the feature to hide spoilerish parts. I usually delete them entirely for my Amazon reviews. If I don't, I add a warning.

Indie Luvvvv

Say you're a reader. Well, on second thought, if you're reading this blog post, you're a reader. So, OK, no need to "say" you're a reader. You're a reader! Wooo!

OK, you're a reader. You read a book that strikes a chord with you. You email the author to tell him or her how much you enjoyed the book. I'm pretty sure I speak for 99 percent (if not 100 percent) of authors here when I say: THANK YOU. Thank you very much. Readers like you are a big part of what keeps us going and motivated.

I'm an indie author, and I appreciate these reader emails just as much as I did when I was with a publisher. I've noticed something interesting, though. As an indie, I am more lonely, and at the same time, less lonely. Doesn't make sense? Well, much of what comes from my fingertips makes little sense. Except my books! They make sense. Even the story from the POV of a parrot ("Polly Wanna Cracker" in "The Old Woman and Other Lesbian Stories" collection).

The point of this blog post is to share my ideas on what readers can do to support authors, particularly indie authors. Most, if not all, of the articles/posts on this I've seen work for both pub and indie authors. I'm gonna see if I can add a bit more indie flavor, but the bottom line is that an author is an author, and a good book is a good book.

1) Number one touches on my post about me being less and more lonely at the same time as an indie author. More lonely why? Because I see authors with the same publishers gab with one another all the time and swap info and tips and just daily occurrences. They're part of a family (whether the family is good or bad is an entirely different topic). So, yeah, I feel left out. That particular kind of support system is, for me, lacking. I DO belong to a lesfic indie authors group, but it isn't the same.

Less lonely why? Because many people are kind and generous. I have had authors from publishers approach me (without me asking them to) and pretty much taking me under their wing. (In some cases, we're taken under each other's wings at the same time because some want tips on possibly going indie as well.) Many authors with publishers give me tips and keep me going and motivated. I have a couple of Bold Strokes Books authors who have really helped me, and I thank them very much. A couple of the authors from my indies group have also been there when I needed them. However, the big reason I feel less lonely is the readers. My theory on this is thus: indie authors don't have the same support network experience as authors with publishers do, so they make their own network. And most often, the people reaching out to them are READERS. (Part of the close relations with readers, however, may be a function of the small lesfic community.)

2) There are quite likely some practical ways in which you can help your favorite indie authors. If you're a whiz at graphic design, offer to design his or her next cover at a discounted price or for free. If you're pretty good at beta reading and/or editing, you can help here, too.

3) Be supportive but not a star-struck fan boy or fan girl. If your indie author is starting to put out dreck (perhaps feeling rushed to publish often), you have to let the author know. Do so gently, though. Provide specific details (for example, "X character in Story A changed names three times. Maybe I could help beta read your next book.")

4) Send your author a list of review sites that are friendly to indies and/or the genre the author writes in. Marketing and promo takes a lot of an indie's time, and any little help here is much appreciated. Along these lines, review! Post reviews in as many places as you can.

5) Tell your friends about the author. Give that author's books, whether print or ebook or both, as gifts.

6) Keep emailing that author to tell him or her you like his or her books. I've had people email me to say they loved my books. For subsequent books, they order directly from me. I send them the books and don't hear back. I automatically think they didn't like the books but are too scared to tell me.  (We writers can be arrogant and insecure at the same time.) In all of these cases, when the readers and I do reconnect, they say they loved the books but just didn't think to let me know.

7) Ask your indie author (or pub author) how you can help. There are lots of ideas I haven't listed, I'm sure.

Men Writing Lesfic (Updated at the End After the ****)

A hot topic in some of my lesfic Yahoo groups lately has been men writing lesfic. For example, should they, how good could they possibly be without going through the lesbian experience, and should lesbians buy their works?

Here's where I stand:

One of the great pleasures of being an author is meeting all kinds of people. And I have to say that some of my kindest new fans and friends are men. I've grown close to one on Facebook. He also writes lesbian fan fic. Guess what? He's good. He writes like a woman. He even talks like  some women (for example, he says "sorry" a lot).
I have another fan, an older man. He lives in another country. He's married to a lesbian who is his best friend. He discovered me when my "Old Woman" collection was free and bought all my other books.
I love these guys. I'm certainly not going to turn right around and tell them they can't write good lesbian fiction if they so desired to write it. Some men have unique life experiences and insights. A boy raised by two lesbians might have good insight, perhaps more insight, than some of us lesbians do. Who knows.
If people buy a lesfic book written by a man and enjoy it (or don't enjoy it), and later find out he is a guy and feel cheated... well, that's understandable to some extent. But I would hope the buyers would get over it eventually.  Life is risky. Life is also short. Let people do what they want to, and if you make a mistake, move on. Don't buy that author's books again if you feel betrayed.
Focus on yourself. Focus on being happy. That's what I try to follow. I am not always successful (people get to me more than I'd like to admit), but I try. ;-)

For me, it is all about a good book.

People should write what they want to. People are diverse, with diverse interests. If this bothers some people, just don't buy these people's books. I'm sure some straight people were unhappy when Patricia Cornwell came out, but it just goes to show you never know who might be gay or straight. (I can understand why some lesbians buy only lesbian. That's all cool, and I respect that. Many of them have been through a lot others haven't, all sorts of discrimination, etc. They're entirely within their rights to buy only lesfic by lesbians.)

I've written a few short stories about straight couples. In one, a man grieved his wife. Should I not have written that because (1) I'm gay and (2) I'm a woman? Bollocks.

Bottom line: buyers usually take a risk every time they buy a book, product or watch a movie. A risk that maybe later the author, director, company, whatever, will be outed as anti-gay, or pro-gay, as a man, as a woman, whatever.

Life's risky. And short.

**** I am deaf. What bothers me more than men (or straight women) writing lesfic is people who aren't deaf writing books from a deaf character's POV. Even then, some get it right. I stand by what I said above; people should write what they want to. Nondeaf writing deaf just bothers me more on a gut level.