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What Turns You OFF When Reading an Interracial Romance?
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I get tired of the "even though I'm a grown woman I still let my family control my lovelife, and the majority of them vehemently hate white folks " theme. Though many of my faces have this theme, the other plotlines were more interesting.
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Now that you mention it, I tend to get annoyed by this a lot too, but then I love it when the hero of another race shows up and family sits there feeling stupid.
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I agree that gets really old!
I loathe player-reformed heroes. Most I've read, the authors tend to make the characters almost saint-like. Like they never did anything wrong in their fictitious pasts. The expectations of the heroes in regards to the heroines are just too unbelievable to live up to for them to be realistic IMO. Maybe I can let it slide if I'm reading a fantasy-type book, but a contemporary romance...nope, not real enough for me.Don't like the typical man changing for a woman and vice versa. I do believe people can change-if they choose to, but I have no interest in reading about it. I don't get why women or men would want that from their significant other. I want my man to change for himself, not me.
I also hate super ghetto heroines. I think it's too stereotypical for authors to assume because someone grew up in a bad neighborhood (or AA in general) they can't speak properly, dress with any dignity, and ready for violence at the drop of a hat. Simply put, I don't like when an author creates a heroine that doesn't have any type of decorum and use the environment they were thrust in or the color of their skin as an excuse for said heroine having the specified social behavioral issues in the book.
BBW...I'm not turned off by them entirely, just the ones where the heroine cries about her weight the entire book and keeps asking why the hero chose her. Automatic DNF for me after being trapped in that scenario with too many IR books.
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Thanks!
I think everyone covered what I don't really like in interracial romance novels, which is primarily erotica and the constant harping over the race. I'm a huge fan of "chicklit" authors like Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, and Harriet Evans, and I don't really see why there aren't more authors that cater to that genre.I just hate in general reading summaries of stories where they're pretty much telling you that there's going to be pointless sex. Why not incorporate a compelling story? You don't always need sex to drive the plot.
Oh well. Like I said, everyone pretty much nailed what I dislike in interracial novels, so this was just me echoing everyone's sentiments =/ If I could get my thoughts together, I would like try my hand at writing a story, but we'll see. In the meantime, I guess I'll continue to be on the hunt for those stories that set themselves apart from the majority of what's becoming those stereotypical interracial romances.
My biggest pet peeve is when race is the only prominent conflict in the story line. When the hero or heroine's families are against the couple bc of their different races or when the H/h themselves keep bring it up in some way over and over. There has to be a balance between acknowledging race can be a challenge and making it into a character.
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We have writing challenges on here. We were supposed to be doing a uniform theme challenge, but none of the writers have gotten to that point yet. I'm one of the writers. My story has to be finished on here. I have a dangerous bad boy bw/wm story called Trespassing that I am writing, but haven't written to it in months, due to me not having the internet yet and life, but hopefully in October I will post more to the story. I've started the story in 2010 and up to chapter 20 now. I do my story in installments. It's on another group on Goodreads.
As far as I'm concerned Walmart sucks when it comes to any kind of books in any genre or sub-genre. They never have anything I want. Never!
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Arch wrote: "You ladies should try Goodwill, The Salvation Army or even your libraries. One of the libraries I use to buy books are now selling books again. The price has went up, but it's still beat store pric..."That's not a bad price at all! During this month several libraries here have used book sales. I really love those, because I always walk away with lots of goodies and the prices are excellent!
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My libraries use to sell paperback books for 10 cents and hardback books 3/$1.00 or 50 cents each. I have bought books from them at that price from 1998 to like 2009. They went up in 2009 to paperback books being 25 cents or 5/$1.00 and hardback being 50 cents or if they were newer looking books, they would be $1.00.
The people at the library knew me. I was one, if not their top buyers.
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Thank you, Arch, for the tip! I'll give those places a try when I have the time. It's just easier for me to look for stories online since it's not easy for me to get to Goodwill, Wal-mart, or even the local library, and also because I'm really into one particular genre of interracial romances - specifically of the bw/am variety.On sites like Wattpad and Fictionpress, you have a lot of aspiring-to-be-published authors who will do some experimentation about writing interracial fiction. I know one in particular that got into it because of her love of Jason Momoa in Game of Thrones, and she kind of used that as her gateway to writing more interracial fiction, her latest being bw/wm. And she writes pretty much the style that I want to read. Normal woman, who happens to be black, who ends up with a man who happens to be a different race than she. When I read it the first time, I actually didn't even catch on that they weren't the same skin tone until I reread it and caught the subtle descriptions she used for that lol! The story is still at the very beginning so I'm not sure how big a role race will play, but in her other story, it wasn't a major factor.
I just wish that more authors would take that initiative. I'm not the stereotypical black American, in fact, I'm far from it, and oddly enough, I tend to identify with people outside of my race more so than I do inside (especially with my extended family), and I just wish that more authors would realize that a few of black females are like me. We don't have those stereo-typically prejudiced parents, nor do they talk in Ebonics, and it irks me that in this day and age, publishers and whatnot are still trying to push that to the forefront.
I'm not much of a fiction writer, but I'll give it my best for the challenges.
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She goes by templeton21 on Fictionpress. She removed a majority of her original stories due to plagiarism and a few are on hold/preparing for eventual self-publication. I'm just trying to patiently wait for her next update.
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I agree with a lot of the comments on here regarding IR. However, I don't recall reading anything about grammatical errors and editing. It really seems to be more prevalent in IR than any other sub-genre of romance. I've read lots of romances, but never have I saw the English language subjected to such torture as in IR.From sentences that don't make sense to paragraphs running into each other and punctuation nowhere in sight, it's just unbelievable. Many times while reading, I've inserted the right tense of a word or re-read sentences in my head to make them right for me to understand. Reading them as they were printed would just ruin the story for me.
I realize that a lot of authors self-publish, but that really isn't an excuse. Whoever the editors of their books are, should be someone who takes their time and is really concerned about putting out a great product for the author and themselves. After all, if your name as editor is mentioned along with the author and someone reads what you've edited, you should want to be proud of it.
There are such good stories in IR and lots more great ones to come, I'm sure, but it should always be quality over quantity, no matter how fast you want to get your work out to the readers.
This isn't a rant, just my opinion about something that means a lot to me.
message 179:
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The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears
(new)
Hair!Black women come in infinite shades and varieties, yet in most IR books the black heroine has long flowing locks or some version thereof. This really annoys me in IR historicals where the heroine is clearly from West Africa and yet has the Beyonce-flip going. It used to make me grin, but now it's like "I guess we still hate our hair in fiction-land".
There are a few authors who buck thus trend (yay) and it's not some huge difficulty in mentioning having one's locks tightened and it's part of the narrative. It's as if hair is treated like some exotic species or something.
TheFountainPenDiva wrote: "Hair!Black women come in infinite shades and varieties, yet in most IR books the black heroine has long flowing locks or some version thereof. This really annoys me in IR historicals where the h..."
Ditto!
You know the long flowing locks don't ring true unless they have some form of (I'm gonna get killed for saying it!) good hair. *covering head*
Gwen wrote: "I agree with a lot of the comments on here regarding IR. However, I don't recall reading anything about grammatical errors and editing. It really seems to be more prevalent in IR than any other s..."You are so right! I'm really big on spelling/grammar, so I'm a bit surprised I didn't mention that sooner :o. There ARE a lot of authors with a good foundation in terms of original plot and characters and yet I see so many grammar/spelling errors that could've just been cleared up with a simple spellcheck on Microsoft Word.
I do like that authors are taking the initiative to self-publish, but one of the things that means is that they have to be more on top of clearing up the final product themselves, which includes checking spelling. I can't tell you how many reviews I've read of stories on Goodreads where people have said that even the characters' names weren't spelled the same way consistently throughout the story.
I don't know. To me it just shows a lack of pride for their product, even if that's not the case. If I was presenting something for the public, I would want to present it in the best light possible and with writing, that means not showcasing an error-filled product that I worked hard on.
That kind of makes me want to work part-time as an editor lol.
Have to add...I get really, really frustrated when authors use more than one adjective in a sentence and they mean the same thing. When they're redundant too frequently in their stories it's an automatic DNF for me.
Gwen wrote: You know the long flowing locks don't ring true unless they have some form of (I'm gonna get killed for saying it!) good hair. *covering head*"*throws rocks at you* I do not have good hair and it is long (mid-back).....I get it though.
I may get slapped for this but I do not like when heroines have braids, specifically micro. I get that they're common but I hate them, so the visual of them alone annoys me. I don't care if she has dreads, short do, an afro, a weave, wig (I do care if it's a lace front, they're ridiculously ugly), constant chignon, finger waves, mohawk...hell I'd take a flat top boy cut or even a Soul Glo curl, anything...just, please, no braids for me. Yes, I am that judgmental.
Yeah, we all have our preferences, Mel. I don't like the Bantu knots, not for a professional image. I do love the finger waves they create in natural hair though. Hot! I love looking at all the pix of natural hair styles on Pinterest.
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message 186:
by
The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears
(new)
It's so cool that we can have this conversation about hair without it turning into a big-old natural vs. "good" hair fest. I don't have a problem with how black women wear their hair. It's not always political--just an artistic expression like most people. I just want to see more diversity in both fiction and in real life. Since we're the main readers and writers, we have the power to change the perception of beauty and it's been somewhat disheartening that we haven't utilized it better.
Mel wrote: "Gwen wrote: You know the long flowing locks don't ring true unless they have some form of (I'm gonna get killed for saying it!) good hair. *covering head*"*throws rocks at you* I do not have good..."
I'll accept my lumps. :) You know Mel, when I grew up that "good hair" thing was very prevalent. That accounted for most of the long hair, but I do have to agree with you that you don't have to have "good hair" for it to be long and flowing. I have several cousins that have hair like yours. Thanks for the reminder. *Hugs*
Catherine wrote: "Gwen wrote: "I agree with a lot of the comments on here regarding IR. However, I don't recall reading anything about grammatical errors and editing. It really seems to be more prevalent in IR tha..."Getting the hero or heroine's name incorrect is unforgivable. How can an author not know their names? After all they're the person who created their persona. However, that certainly does happen.
In fact, I read a wonderful IR book a few months ago with this exact problem. The heroine's name was one thing, then another, then back to the original. It just kept flip flopping as the story went along. There was actually at least four different names that referred to her.
By this time, I was at my wits end. I just decided on the one I liked best and used it throughout the rest of the story. LOL! I had to do something to save my sanity and finish the story.
As for a part-time editor, I'd join you in that job! :)
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I know for my story Trespassing, my hero's name is Helicopter, but he goes by Cop. He's called by both names in my story.
As regard to hair, I see healthy hair as being good hair. I have what people call good hair. To me, it's just hair and if I don't keep up with it, it can be bad.
No, Arch, you can tell when someone has simply been careless with the editing.
I think this was careless editing. The heroine already had a nickname and it was obvious this nickname came from one or both of those two other names mentioned in the story, which could have been her real name. The problem arose when she used all three of them, which didn't make any sense to me. She could have just referred to the real name and said that the heroine was called by the nickname. It would have been so much easier.
The author probably had the character's name be one thing in an older version of the story and then changed it for whatever reason in an updated version, but neglected to update the new name throughout the rest of the novel. I've seen that on occasion and it really just boils down to poor editing, not nicknames.
Gwen wrote: "Mel wrote: "Gwen wrote: You know the long flowing locks don't ring true unless they have some form of (I'm gonna get killed for saying it!) good hair. *covering head*"*throws rocks at you* I do n..."
(((HUGS))) Hee
To the change of names thing...I have seen several published authors doing this, as well as, fiction and fan-fiction writers. Sometimes it could be in the very next paragraph and I just LOL. But, still, it's not worse than repeating entire sentences and phrases throughout a book. It can be very mind-numbing to see that an author can't remember what he/she wrote not even four paragraphs ago. What tops the cake for me...I remember re-reading an entire paragraph in an IR romance like two chapters later, exactly word for word. I was flabbergasted to say the least. Now that's inexcusable, an author can't get away with a repeat paragraph with me..No,no!
Mel wrote: "Gwen wrote: "Mel wrote: "Gwen wrote: You know the long flowing locks don't ring true unless they have some form of (I'm gonna get killed for saying it!) good hair. *covering head*"*throws rocks a..."
Yep! I just have to laugh because I've run across this too. :)
Catherine wrote: "The author probably had the character's name be one thing in an older version of the story and then changed it for whatever reason in an updated version, but neglected to update the new name throug..."I searched. There's only one version of this book out. You know, I just attributed it to poor editing.
These are all excellent points...glad to see I'm not the only one who notices these things.Dahlia
Many of my personnal pet peeves have been mentionned in this discussion such as the hair issue, making the relationship all about race etc. The one trend I have noticed in many IR is the tendency to "diss" a certain body type and elevate another type. Usually the white protagonist will mention how he hates women with a body "like an ironing board" and how he prefers more curvaceous women. Having a preference is totally fine by me; but most of the time this opinion is stated in a manner that belittles slim/skinny women; not only that but it seems like BW are the cure to the skinny women that have been plaguing the world. Newsflash: black women are not the only curvy women! Speaking of butts lol...the emphasis on this part of the anatomy in IR is ridiculous lol. Another thing that makes me uncomfortable w/ IR is the almost fetishizing of dark skin; I find it a little creepy.
Tisha wrote: "Many of my personnal pet peeves have been mentionned in this discussion such as the hair issue, making the relationship all about race etc. The one trend I have noticed in many IR is the tendency ..."
Gotta agree on all of your points. :)
Gwen wrote: I searched. There's only one version of this book out. You know, I just attributed it to poor editing..."The poster probably means an earlier draft of the manuscript that isn't published. Authors usually go through numerous drafts to get to the finished product. More professional ones have editors go through the draft too. No one person can pick up every error on the page. That's the problem with some of the self-pubbed books that look bad. The author didn't want to engage an experienced editor.
Andrea wrote: "Gwen wrote: I searched. There's only one version of this book out. You know, I just attributed it to poor editing..."The poster probably means an earlier draft of the manuscript that isn't publis..."
I agree no one can find every error, but making the same one over and over again in the same document is reprehensible. Maybe the author didn't want to engage an experienced editor, but your work represents you and if it were me, I'd go over that book as many times as it took to get it right. I'd even engage friends and family to help. Deadlines are a problem. I've had them myself.
All I'm saying is a person has to care about his or her work. When I shell out my money for a book, I want to know I'm getting my money's worth. Whether it's an ebook or print book, their expensive. I don't expect to find a lot of grammatical errors that a lay person like myself knows is wrong. In my opinion a published author should know better and if they don't, then it's a bad reflection on them and their work. And yes, when I buy something else by that author, I'm going to hope that there are less errors than before in their new book.
At one time in my life I was an editor of sorts and the department I worked in got brought to task for sending out a lot of incorrect documents. The complaint went to the top guy of our company. Before that it had been quantity. Just get the work out. After that it became quality, which it should have been in the first place.
Sorry to rant, but I'm very passionate about words and the English language. I, guess you could say I learned my lesson thoroughly from that one incident.
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Fans of Interracial Romance
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Ugh! Walmart should know better. I'm drafting my letter this weekend. Whether anything comes of it or not, at least I've done something. I'm sure whoever is making the decisions about which books to stock the shelves with will say that they're only getting the books that sells. What a shame..... So many others aren't being given a chance.