Kimberly Gardner ~ Phoenix Rising
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
From: MLR Press
Elisa Rolle sent this cover art to me as her choice for the best cover of 2008. Elisa is such a gold plated, honest to god, sweetheart who is tireless in her promotion efforts of new and exciting M/M Romance as seen here in her choice.
Thanks Elisa!
Slightly Off Topic Here… I wish more people in our very very very small teapot of an M/M Romance Community would respect Elisa Rolle’s work and her website and her efforts to find and promote new writers and new eBooks. I have never heard a single bad thing about her in all the time she has been doing this great work, not once. Now me on the other hand… Oh boy!
Can I say that it “REALLY BOTHERS ME” seeing supposed grownups, whom I would think should know better, purposefully picking fights on that particular website when that is not the point of what Elisa is doing. If you want to argue with the author or make crazy accusations then could we all agree to take it to email or the author’s website or even your own friggin website people? Hell, bring it over here, but I hope you know what THAT will mean. Elisa is always nice, she cares about writers and their work and I, being more than capable of handling the occasional fucktard moment, am getting tired of seeing a really nice person get abused like that. Not cool!
So for the coming year can we all agree to find another place to wage the next tempest? KTHXBAI
Tags: Anne Cain, Elisa Rolle, Kimberly Gardner, MLR PressTags: Anne Cain, Elisa Rolle, Kimberly Gardner, MLR Press
Delia wrote,
I agree with you, TeddyPig. Elisa is wonderful, and I’ve discovered many good authors through her. Whoever is being mean to her should KNOCK IT OFF.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
They are not from what I have seen being mean to her in particular.
They are turning her comment section into a battle zone if they have a beef with the author or the book.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
vein wrote,
Indeed, Elisa and Dear Author gets the blog version of home invasion, accusations of meanie-ness are mainly for Karen and Mrs G and I get the conspiracy theorists. We all have our role to play. I vote that next year is TeddyPig’s turn for accusations of slander and paranoid rantings in general. I swear it’s his turn and you do get the tequila basket with that.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Well, you know I have always been more than willing to speak my mind on any subject you want.
I just get the feeling that they are acting that way on Elisa’s site of all places because they know if they played that game on one of our sites we would have something to say and most likely would provide the appropriate tone of feedback.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Ann Somerville wrote,
I assume you are talking about the recent discussion about Barbara Sheridan’s book. Indeed that was taken elsewhere, but as the publisher chose to make her response on Elisa’s LJ, are you saying no one else is allowed to comment?
Teddy, Elisa’s an adult. She can tell people to shut up. She has and does shut down conversations that trouble her. Don’t you have enough to do without policing other people’s blogs? Or is this just another opportunity to have a go at me? In which case, come on over to *my* blog or to thisthingwedo. You won’t be censored, but at least you can talk *to* me instead of *about* me.
I used to think you were a nice person too, but lately, I don’t know what the hell you’re up to. All I know is that you’re running vendettas against people who believe the same things you do and hold the same values you do, so what’s the point?
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Your right Ann I guess I am a big meany.to expect adults to act like adults.
No Ann, I do not believe in attacking authors or publishers of our small community or claiming homophobia over “bad words” or any other unprofessional stupidity like that.
Why not censor William S. Burroughs for his book Queer or Larry Kramer with his book Faggots. Imagine that a gay man using the term Faggots! Oh right, those are considered classics written by gay men (not straight women) so they get a free pass from your nonsense.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Dakota wrote,
Okay this would have been my choice for favorite cover art too. Though I’m pretty sure the copy I have cuts off at the small of his back. I like this full picture much better. *g*
I heart Elisa. I read pretty much all of her posts and she seriously rocks, in addition to being such a sweet person. I don’t really read the comments on her blog, but it makes me sad to hear the kids aren’t being polite in her sandbox. :(
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote,
Hi Teddy:
My comment on Elisa’s blog was to Elisa. The author responded and I responded. I then sent a private email to the publisher whose response was a shorter variation of what she said she posted on my blog (which was, in actuality, Elisa’s blog) and directed me to go read the fuller response there.
I have great respect for Elisa. I call her my long lost sister and I respect her enough that if she tells me to shut up on her blog, I will. To my knowledge, she never did and she actually added interesting points to the discussion. I also respect her enough to know that she can tell me privately or publicly to knock it off and I’ll honor her request. I have enough respect that if she asked me publicly or privately to delete my comments or if she told me she was going to delete my comments, I would completely understand.
I took my rant to my own blog and to a community I blog in to continue an interesting and well-reasoned conversation about it with a number of other adults without subjecting Elisa’s blog to further clutter.
The bottom line of this is I got an abbreviated answer from the publisher who directed me back to Elisa’s blog (mistakenly believing it was my blog) where she posted a longer (and to me, unacceptable) attempt at justification for my complaint.
I personally don’t appreciate the characterization that Elisa was abused by anyone or implying that I (or anyone else who commented there, including the publisher and the author) was mean to her in any way. Not the case. The responses were to a publisher who gave a unacceptable, public answer to a private inquiry without even knowing whose blog she was commenting on.
So, if we want to talk about responsibility for it ending up in Elisa’s blog, there is more than enough responsibility to go around and we should all be grown up enough to admit it.
-Paul
“Discussion is not the enemy, deflection is.”
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Laurie wrote,
I have to agree that the discussion in the post on the Sheridan book didn’t come close to crossing any improper-netiquette lines for me. If Elisa Rolle has a problem with exchanges like that, it is beyond simple to shut down comments or screen them first.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Well Paul, I guess I expect people who write to have read more and to have some clue what is out there and who wrote it. Beautiful Cocksucker is not the most shocking title in Gay Lit. 101. Not even close.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote,
@Teddy:
Was I not respectful to you in my comment. I believe I was.
Link | December 19th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Paul your comments on the matter were dismissive and rude to Barbara Sheridan and her publisher. If you want real drama about bad words go bully Larry Kramer. Faggots is far more indefensible a book title and I am sure Larry will give it all the attention your argument deserves.
For those who do not know… Larry Kramer is also a well known Gay Rights activist.
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Elisa wrote,
Sorry, I’m late, but the time zones and being saturday morning I sleep late. First of all thank you for the wonderful word in my support. You are right I’m not able to deal with such events since I would like for all to ending the discussion happy with what they said, and it’s impossible. I know I have pink glasses sometime, but I’m really tired to loose friend due to drama blog related things. Said that, the little drama blog with Barbara Sheridan’s book and Paul G. Bens reply was less dramatic for me than in the past (J.J. Massa’s old story). Started in my blog but then went somewhere else; oh I know that link to me where posted here and there, but this didn’t cause me much problem. I believe that the reason is that Paul really tried to “respect” me even if he was upset. And Barbara also behaved like a friend, with a very polite answer, again since I consider her a friend. So the main “hero” in this fight, where like old knights in a turnament, they follow the rules. What happened next, all right, it happened, but be sure that I will never screen my comments section or put them in moderation. I delete some comments, but only when they are spam; only one time I deleted a comment which wasn’t a spam, and it went to hell, so now I’m very careful.
Wow, for being up and still have to take all my coffee, I wrote a romance! Sorry for the typos, and thanks to TeddyPig for the wonderful post.
Elisa
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 3:02 am
TeddyPig wrote,
You are right I’m not able to deal with such events since I would like for all to ending the discussion happy with what they said, and it’s impossible. I know I have pink glasses sometime, but I’m really tired to loose friend due to drama blog related things.
I always see that Elisa in the way you handle these things. I just wish people would respect that and listen to you more often.
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Erastes wrote,
Seems like the picture on the MLR site cuts off at his back, and for a paperback copy that’s as risque as I’d like it to be. As appreciative as I am of naked men in private I could not take this picture onto a bus with me, particularly where those fingers are going! I love Cain’s covers, but I admit that I prefer her graphically designed ones rather than the illustrated ones. I know people love ‘em, but they give a feeling that the book is not what it seems, to my mind anyway.
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Elisa wrote,
@TeddyPig
Thank you :-)
@Erastes
While I agree with the need to cut the cover art for printing purpose (you are right, I would have trouble myself to open a book with the full cover art on it), I’m not agree with the idea that a illustrated cover art doesn’t give the feeling of the book, au countraire, I prefer the illustrated cover art, if it’s original, for exactly that reason; if the cover art is good and draw by an artist who knows what the book is about, the illustrated cover art can describe better a story than a photoshop cover, for how good it can be. Then there are good photographic cover art and very bad photographic cover art, those of Anne Cain are very good. But strangely, it’s rare to see a bad illustrator cover art.
Elisa
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Katrina Strauss wrote,
Anne’s illustrated covers are particularly helpful in marketing yaoi-influenced works. Same thing goes for PL Nunn’s toon-style covers. It draws the attention of a specific niche readership, while also appealing to most m/m readers in general. No, not for everyone, but a certain style of art does indeed say everything about certain titles. ;)
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Paul G. Bens, Jr. wrote,
Well, Teddy. I guess we disagree.
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am
TeddyPig wrote,
We do Paul.
I do not equate using “bad words” in titles of a Gay Romance or Classic Gay Literature to physical Gay Bashing or Homophobia. I do however equate judging and attacking authors and publishers over such matters to Censorship.
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Emilie wrote,
I discovered Elisa Rolle’s reviewing on Amazon, and more recently have been visiting her site, and appreciating the attention she also gives to artists. Just a thank you to her for really helping to inform my decisions on which stories to buy, and for introducing me to so many great authors. :)
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Elisa wrote,
To Delia and Emilie (and even Dakota, but she is on my f-list on LJ so I know her): thank you for your kind words, it’s always a pleasure to share with other what I like. Elisa
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
LBea wrote,
Aw. We love ya, Elisa.
Link | December 20th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Elisa wrote,
Thank you LBea. Elisa
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 2:41 am
Barbara Sheridan wrote,
Thank you, Teddy for being a voice of reason in the storm.
And thank you again, Elisa for taking time to read and review my book. I’m sorry it attracted drama to your blog.
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 4:43 am
TeddyPig wrote,
You are welcome Barbara.
I don’t know why but it seems Ann Somerville and her buddies have had some nasty ass crap to say to almost every M/M writer I respect on the Samhain roster.
I certainly hope the powers that be note that bad behavior because I do not know what to tell the authors trying to handle this unfortunate situation. I am sure it makes for fun times around the water cooler. Maybe Santa needs to update his list.
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 5:53 am
Elisa wrote,
@Barbara
It’s always a pleasure to read one of your books, and really, this time around the “drama blog” was not so bad on my side :-) Elisa
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 8:49 am
Lauren Dane wrote,
I love Ann Caine’s covers – she’s done some of my personal faves too.
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Jill N. Noble wrote,
I’d like to add my thanks to Barbara’s, Teddy. I, too, appreciate your supportive comments on this matter.
Please allow me to address the following, pulled from Paul’s post: *The responses were to a publisher who gave a unacceptable, public answer to a private inquiry without even knowing whose blog she was commenting on.*
The response was made on Elisa’s blog in answer to comments made following her review of Beautiful Cocksucker. I then visited your blog, and rather than re-posting my entire response there, I simply posted the link to Elisa’s. I also answered your personal email, privately. In all cases, I knew exactly where I was posting.
As for Ann’s covers, I agree, they’re awesome. The one she did for Dark Whispers is one of my favorites.
Jill
Link | December 21st, 2008 at 9:53 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Jill,
As I have implied above. I don’t have a problem jumping in here spur of the moment like because I don’t believe this was about the title of your book or your actions or anything you could have said really. I think that was a convenient excuse to orchestrate yet another public tar and feathering to say nasty things about another author or publisher in the most unprofessional manner possible for two writers since both these clowns were also recently involved in publicly attacking yet another well known M/M author Josh Lanyon and Ann has also gone on to pick fights with yet two more authors at Samhain alone over frivolous matters.
The list of authors and publishers they seem to find fault with at the top of their collective lungs just keeps growing and frankly I for one am tired of idiotic bullies.
But… I want to talk about nicer things and nicer people and yes Anne Cain seems to be the all out favorite I see with a lot of reviewers I respect. Oh and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone!
Link | December 22nd, 2008 at 12:55 am
Cat Grant wrote,
Thanks, Teddy, for having the courage to say what I’m sure many of us are thinking.
Link | December 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
You are welcome Cat,
That’s the whole point. Most writers and even reviewers are professional and try to stay out of senseless controversy because they all know all it does is tear the community apart. I honestly do try to stop myself to consider if speaking my mind about such things will help the writers and publishers who I consider my friends and those who I do not even know.
I am not perfect and I basically just work off what I think might be some form of common sense and I do try to apologize as often as I can for going over the line because I know I do. But god damn me all to hell and back if I sit around and not confront someone I think is being a bully.
Link | December 22nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
LBea wrote,
Iz gud pig. I say it all the time.
Link | December 22nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm