C.B. Conwy's Blog, page 7
July 14, 2012
Leave reviewers alone
So. I've debated with myself for the last day or so whether I should comment on this issue or not. At first I decided not to - simply because I didn't want to give these people more attention. And because it made me sick. However, I've decided to speak up.
The issue is writers harassing reviewers. It was first brought to my attention by the BBA (Badly Behaved Authors) threads on Amazon. It was fascinating to watch how one author after another imploded in fury when they got a negative review. The most amusing thing was how they always started their defense like this: "I welcome honest reviews, but..." and then continued with how they liked any reviews - if only they weren't negative. The "but" was the keyword every single time.
As I said, I found it highly amusing, but I didn't really take it seriously. I mean, it had to be a few wacky people with too little insight in the business, right? Apart from that, I didn't really understand what those authors were talking about; I've gotten negative reviews, but even those readers who simply despised one of my books had clearly read and understood the book. They just hated it, and that's any reader's right. I was tempted to conclude that I simply have more intelligent readers than those imploding authors;).
Then, however, this blogpost was brought to my attention. It seems that some people have made a website where they expose readers who have made negative reviews. And by exposing I mean with real names, pictures, names of family (even pets!), and generel ridiculing of tweets and other public appearances. And I find that disgusting. It's not necessarily illegal, but if you use a pseud on the net (most of us do), then that should be respected. Ironically, they're anonymous themselves.
Furthermore (and far more important in my opinion), what they're doing is clearly trying to scare readers from making negative reviews and punishing those who have already made them. And yes, the people behind the website use all the right words, but calling it "bullying" when somebody reviews a book simply isn't true, and I'll tell you why.
When a pro book critic reviews a book, there are some requirements (I know, because I make a living as one): It must give an accurate rendition of the book's theme and plot as well as an evaluation of it, it must be reasonably entertaining - and the length has to fit in next to the Sudoku in the Hicksville-Plainvillage Gazette. Lots of demands, and not always easy to do.
What about a review on Amazon or Goodreads, then? Here's the point: There are no demands. Because readers are reading for their own pleasure. They don't exist to help authors become better authors (although many do in their reviews), they don't even have a duty toward their fellow readers (although even more are really, really good at that as well). Readers read for fun, and some of them use some of their precious time reviewing the books they've read. It's a great help to the authors and to other readers, and nobody - NOBODY - should harass them for it.
The worst thing is that it seems to work. I've read quite a few comments along the line "the author kept pestering me until I changed my review" or "I'm not reviewing much anymore; it got too scary to get mails from angry authors." And I can't even blame them; I'm deeply sorry about it, and I desperately hope that they'll continue writing about the books they love or hate, but I can't blame anybody for losing interest.
From a professional's point of view, I think that that's exactly what harassing authors lack: Professionalism. I often hear authors calling their book their baby, and I cringe every time I hear that. Because yes, you have to love your story. But you also have to correct it mercilessly, wring it into shape, and pester it until you have a finished product. If you do that to your baby, then it's time to call the CPS. If you don't do it to your book because it's your baby - well, then perhaps you shouldn't be an author.
Because being an author, in my opinion, is being a professional. That means that when I read a negative review of, say, A Russian Bear, then I read a review of a product by CB Conwy, author. Not of the person behind those initials who's currently sitting on the couch writing this. This is a vital distinction, because the professional can use a negative review and learn from it (even if me-me on the couch whines about it and insists on drowning the sorrows in Ben & Jerry's).
Sorry for rambling; I'm not even sure I got my point across clearly. If not, Stacia Kane did an awesome job of it. But I think it's important; readers should be allowed to review a book however they like. If I take their money, I get their opinion (those brilliant words aren't my own, by the way - they're stolen from someone very wise on the BBA thread). It's as simple as that.
So, to those people who're allegedly trying to "protect" authors against reviewers: Thank you, but no thank you.
The issue is writers harassing reviewers. It was first brought to my attention by the BBA (Badly Behaved Authors) threads on Amazon. It was fascinating to watch how one author after another imploded in fury when they got a negative review. The most amusing thing was how they always started their defense like this: "I welcome honest reviews, but..." and then continued with how they liked any reviews - if only they weren't negative. The "but" was the keyword every single time.
As I said, I found it highly amusing, but I didn't really take it seriously. I mean, it had to be a few wacky people with too little insight in the business, right? Apart from that, I didn't really understand what those authors were talking about; I've gotten negative reviews, but even those readers who simply despised one of my books had clearly read and understood the book. They just hated it, and that's any reader's right. I was tempted to conclude that I simply have more intelligent readers than those imploding authors;).
Then, however, this blogpost was brought to my attention. It seems that some people have made a website where they expose readers who have made negative reviews. And by exposing I mean with real names, pictures, names of family (even pets!), and generel ridiculing of tweets and other public appearances. And I find that disgusting. It's not necessarily illegal, but if you use a pseud on the net (most of us do), then that should be respected. Ironically, they're anonymous themselves.
Furthermore (and far more important in my opinion), what they're doing is clearly trying to scare readers from making negative reviews and punishing those who have already made them. And yes, the people behind the website use all the right words, but calling it "bullying" when somebody reviews a book simply isn't true, and I'll tell you why.
When a pro book critic reviews a book, there are some requirements (I know, because I make a living as one): It must give an accurate rendition of the book's theme and plot as well as an evaluation of it, it must be reasonably entertaining - and the length has to fit in next to the Sudoku in the Hicksville-Plainvillage Gazette. Lots of demands, and not always easy to do.
What about a review on Amazon or Goodreads, then? Here's the point: There are no demands. Because readers are reading for their own pleasure. They don't exist to help authors become better authors (although many do in their reviews), they don't even have a duty toward their fellow readers (although even more are really, really good at that as well). Readers read for fun, and some of them use some of their precious time reviewing the books they've read. It's a great help to the authors and to other readers, and nobody - NOBODY - should harass them for it.
The worst thing is that it seems to work. I've read quite a few comments along the line "the author kept pestering me until I changed my review" or "I'm not reviewing much anymore; it got too scary to get mails from angry authors." And I can't even blame them; I'm deeply sorry about it, and I desperately hope that they'll continue writing about the books they love or hate, but I can't blame anybody for losing interest.
From a professional's point of view, I think that that's exactly what harassing authors lack: Professionalism. I often hear authors calling their book their baby, and I cringe every time I hear that. Because yes, you have to love your story. But you also have to correct it mercilessly, wring it into shape, and pester it until you have a finished product. If you do that to your baby, then it's time to call the CPS. If you don't do it to your book because it's your baby - well, then perhaps you shouldn't be an author.
Because being an author, in my opinion, is being a professional. That means that when I read a negative review of, say, A Russian Bear, then I read a review of a product by CB Conwy, author. Not of the person behind those initials who's currently sitting on the couch writing this. This is a vital distinction, because the professional can use a negative review and learn from it (even if me-me on the couch whines about it and insists on drowning the sorrows in Ben & Jerry's).
Sorry for rambling; I'm not even sure I got my point across clearly. If not, Stacia Kane did an awesome job of it. But I think it's important; readers should be allowed to review a book however they like. If I take their money, I get their opinion (those brilliant words aren't my own, by the way - they're stolen from someone very wise on the BBA thread). It's as simple as that.
So, to those people who're allegedly trying to "protect" authors against reviewers: Thank you, but no thank you.
July 13, 2012
Scottish soft porn
Here they come: Men in kilts, just as I promised. The reason for my sudden interest in kilts (well, more in the men wearing them, but let's not argue, now) is my recent holiday in Scotland. It was great. Well, not so great if you want nice warm weather and sunshine, because then Scotland really isn't the place to go. But I've been there before, so I came prepared (which means top of the line rain gear, warm sweaters, and a lot of patience). I didn't quite manage not to whine over all of the photo opportunities lost due to heavy rain and/or fog, but I was prepared for it.
What I wasn't prepared for was the amount of soft core porn available in every tourist shop. And not only that: Soft core porn featuring lovely men in lovely kilts. Oh, yeah. I bring a couple of examples here which I bought as postcards and now keep as inspiration. Yes, that's what we authors call it.
If you want your very own hot men, go to corries.com and get your own postcards.
Mmm, yes...
This is a lovely view as well...July 12, 2012
A little Fabio extra
Okay. I simply couldn't resist this after writing about Fabio in my last comment. The photo is hilarious, and it kind of shows that the man's got an awesome sense of humor (and a bit less wavy hair than on those covers). I shall never, ever speak ill of someone with such magnificent self-irony again:)!
Oh, and the picture is stolen from winningateverything.com - one of my favorite procrastination websites. One day, I'll give you guys a thorough run through how you manage to do absolutely nothing for an entire day or so... It's an artform, but several years of writing has taught me well!
Happily Ever After cover
And a very nice one at that! Alessia Brio went with one of my image suggestions, and the simple intimacy of it goes well with the story in my opinion. At Torquere Press, we get the opportunity to give suggestions to the cover artist. It's sometimes difficult for me to help the cover artist, though. There's a point on the cover art request where you're supposed to describe your main characters (just so you don't get a blond man on the cover when both of your characters are dark-haired, for example). My first reaction when I did the CAR for Himiko: Bonding and got to that point was: How on Earth should I know that?? Then I realized that I probably was the most likely person to know...
However, I have two "problems" when it comes to the look of my main characters:
I often imagine the scenes from one person's point of view (like in the Himiko books) - and that means that I don't know how that character looks!
Apart from that, I don't like descriptions which are too detailed. I simply hate it when I read a novel and the writer describes the main character as Fabio. Try as I might, I simply can't get Fabio out of my head for the rest of the story. And I don't want Fabio anywhere near any characters I like;).
With Tom and Mischa, I do have a pretty clear image of how they look, though. I even found a couple of pretty good images when I googled to find the cover image for Happily Ever After. But just in case that someone has the same idiosyncrasies as me, I won't bring them here. Unless you insist, of course:).
July 11, 2012
Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interview
Top 2 Bottom Reviews has an interview with me today, so hop on over and read it. I'm talking about reading, writing, and... well, that's pretty much all I'm talking about. Since that's pretty much all I do:).
And yes, I'm back from holiday and have some, uh, interesting photos to show you. So very interesting. I'm not going to reveal anything, but: Men in kilts. Oh, yeah.
And yes, I'm back from holiday and have some, uh, interesting photos to show you. So very interesting. I'm not going to reveal anything, but: Men in kilts. Oh, yeah.
June 28, 2012
Holiday
Yes, I'm leaving my books behind! And - the horror - my computer as well. It's tricky, but I hope that reality will be enough to keep me occupied for the next ten days. I really, really hope so...
I probably won't be able to answer my email or check my website regularly, so have patience if you write me - I will write you back.
Have a nice holiday everybody!
I probably won't be able to answer my email or check my website regularly, so have patience if you write me - I will write you back.
Have a nice holiday everybody!
Want to write a book?
And have it published with Torquere Press?
Then read an interview with president of Torquere Press, Shawn Clements, at examiner.com. Among other things, she's talking about what Torquere's looking for in a submission.
Oh, and she mentions her favorite piece of erotica art: The Barberini Faun at Munich Glyptothek. I looked it up, and it's amazing:
Then read an interview with president of Torquere Press, Shawn Clements, at examiner.com. Among other things, she's talking about what Torquere's looking for in a submission.
Oh, and she mentions her favorite piece of erotica art: The Barberini Faun at Munich Glyptothek. I looked it up, and it's amazing:
June 26, 2012
I've got a date!
Or, you know, Tom and Mischa's got a date. With you:).
In other words, I got a date for Happily Ever After, the sequel to A Russian Bear: September 12. I just sent back the first rounds of edits a couple of days ago, and I really hope that you'll like it.
I really enjoyed writing Happily Ever After because it's a little darker than A Russian Bear - and just as kinky. To be honest, even though I love reading angst, I think I'm rubbish at writing it. I just want my guys to be happy. Alas, they're not happy in this book - at least not until they figure out how to get themselves out of the emotional mess they've ended up in after the assault on Tom. Luckily, with those two involved, that means one kinky scene after another. I must admit that I was blushing repeatedly while writing it...
I've tried not to make the book too "sequelly". In other words, you should be able to read it without having read A Russian Bear first. It does begin right after A Russian Bear stopped, though - only minutes after, as a matter of fact. Here's the first excerpt:
They were going to be okay. Tom sighed and pushed his head closer, resting it in the crook of Mischa's neck. Mischa had been about to get up, but now Tom's lover sat down next to him on the spanking bench in the quiet playroom, putting both arms around Tom and hugging him securely.
Tom took a deep breath, and then another, the air feeling as if it was somehow cleansing him. He could feel Mischa's hand caress his shoulder, and he relished the touch, relished the simple fact that touching felt good again. It had been so fucking long.
He had tried telling himself over and over these last months that it had only been an assault. An unfortunate meeting, only a few minutes of close contact with some homophobic asshole who didn't like the look of Tom's face or something like that.
It was just that the consequences had stretched far beyond those few minutes. Tom had been messed up when the man had left him in that alley, bleeding and unconscious. It had taken weeks, months even, before his broken bones had mended and the bruises had paled and taken that horrible deep pain with them. The pain that kept him from what he needed most: being touched and comforted by Mischa.
Unfortunately, those hadn't been the only after-effects. Somewhere along the way, Tom had completely lost faith in himself, in his ability to be touched. To be loved. He shuddered and pushed closer.
"Shh, you're okay." Mischa cuddled him, gently stroking his hair.
The knowledge that Mischa was right, that he was finally going to be all right, almost took his breath away for a moment. The relief made his throat tighten up, and he chuckled ruefully.
"What?" Mischa pulled back far enough to look questioningly at Tom's face. The dark eyes were soft.
"Nothing," Tom shook his head. His voice came out slightly strangled. "I'm just…" He cleared his throat. "I'm just happy."
In other words, I got a date for Happily Ever After, the sequel to A Russian Bear: September 12. I just sent back the first rounds of edits a couple of days ago, and I really hope that you'll like it.
I really enjoyed writing Happily Ever After because it's a little darker than A Russian Bear - and just as kinky. To be honest, even though I love reading angst, I think I'm rubbish at writing it. I just want my guys to be happy. Alas, they're not happy in this book - at least not until they figure out how to get themselves out of the emotional mess they've ended up in after the assault on Tom. Luckily, with those two involved, that means one kinky scene after another. I must admit that I was blushing repeatedly while writing it...
I've tried not to make the book too "sequelly". In other words, you should be able to read it without having read A Russian Bear first. It does begin right after A Russian Bear stopped, though - only minutes after, as a matter of fact. Here's the first excerpt:
They were going to be okay. Tom sighed and pushed his head closer, resting it in the crook of Mischa's neck. Mischa had been about to get up, but now Tom's lover sat down next to him on the spanking bench in the quiet playroom, putting both arms around Tom and hugging him securely.
Tom took a deep breath, and then another, the air feeling as if it was somehow cleansing him. He could feel Mischa's hand caress his shoulder, and he relished the touch, relished the simple fact that touching felt good again. It had been so fucking long.
He had tried telling himself over and over these last months that it had only been an assault. An unfortunate meeting, only a few minutes of close contact with some homophobic asshole who didn't like the look of Tom's face or something like that.
It was just that the consequences had stretched far beyond those few minutes. Tom had been messed up when the man had left him in that alley, bleeding and unconscious. It had taken weeks, months even, before his broken bones had mended and the bruises had paled and taken that horrible deep pain with them. The pain that kept him from what he needed most: being touched and comforted by Mischa.
Unfortunately, those hadn't been the only after-effects. Somewhere along the way, Tom had completely lost faith in himself, in his ability to be touched. To be loved. He shuddered and pushed closer.
"Shh, you're okay." Mischa cuddled him, gently stroking his hair.
The knowledge that Mischa was right, that he was finally going to be all right, almost took his breath away for a moment. The relief made his throat tighten up, and he chuckled ruefully.
"What?" Mischa pulled back far enough to look questioningly at Tom's face. The dark eyes were soft.
"Nothing," Tom shook his head. His voice came out slightly strangled. "I'm just…" He cleared his throat. "I'm just happy."
June 25, 2012
Pride Month Sale
Pride Month Sale! Torquere's celebrating Pride Month - here's how you can get a discount on all your purchases:
"June is traditionally Pride Month. To celebrate Pride, we're offering 20%
off your purchases from now through the end of day Saturday! Just put
'pride2012' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books
(www.torquerebooks.com) before Saturday at midnight to get 20% off your
order.
Sale good now through Saturday June 30 at Midnight (est)."
An excellent opportunity to, say, catch up on A Russian Bear before the sequel will be published in September;).
"June is traditionally Pride Month. To celebrate Pride, we're offering 20%
off your purchases from now through the end of day Saturday! Just put
'pride2012' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books
(www.torquerebooks.com) before Saturday at midnight to get 20% off your
order.
Sale good now through Saturday June 30 at Midnight (est)."
An excellent opportunity to, say, catch up on A Russian Bear before the sequel will be published in September;).
June 5, 2012
It's official: Tom and Mischa are back!
They most certainly are, and they are hotter than ever. And kinkier. Unfortunately, they're also fucked up. I can't decide which part I enjoyed more:).
So far, the title of the book is Happily Ever After. It's had another working title, but I think I'll stick with this one. Here's the blurb:
Mischa isn't stupid; he knows that happily ever afters only happen in fairytales. Still, he had thought that as soon as Tom got over the horrible assault that almost tore them apart, everything would be better. Perhaps not fairytale happy right away, but better. Instead, they seem to be falling apart, and quite spectacularly so.
What Mischa hadn't taken into account was the fact that violence have longtime consequences -- consequences that are threatening to shake the very foundation of Tom and Mischa's relationship. Because Mischa can handle Tom's weakness, but he can't face his own. He doesn't have a choice, though. Not if they're going to make it.
As Mischa and Tom struggle to rebuild their relationship, it turns out that happily ever after is damn hard work. It's also wildly kinky, because Tom and Mischa have to build a new trust in the playroom as well. One scene at a time, Mischa and Tom explore their new limits, and that's the kind of work that Mischa likes. After all, that's what badass Doms do.
I'll let you know as soon as I have a date for it!
So far, the title of the book is Happily Ever After. It's had another working title, but I think I'll stick with this one. Here's the blurb:
Mischa isn't stupid; he knows that happily ever afters only happen in fairytales. Still, he had thought that as soon as Tom got over the horrible assault that almost tore them apart, everything would be better. Perhaps not fairytale happy right away, but better. Instead, they seem to be falling apart, and quite spectacularly so.
What Mischa hadn't taken into account was the fact that violence have longtime consequences -- consequences that are threatening to shake the very foundation of Tom and Mischa's relationship. Because Mischa can handle Tom's weakness, but he can't face his own. He doesn't have a choice, though. Not if they're going to make it.
As Mischa and Tom struggle to rebuild their relationship, it turns out that happily ever after is damn hard work. It's also wildly kinky, because Tom and Mischa have to build a new trust in the playroom as well. One scene at a time, Mischa and Tom explore their new limits, and that's the kind of work that Mischa likes. After all, that's what badass Doms do.
I'll let you know as soon as I have a date for it!
