Sci-fi covers

I know the covers usually seen here are romance, this week we're going to take a walk in a different park, the sci-fi & fantasy cover fun park, where we'll ride only the worst rides, I mean covers.

Thanks to Good Show Sir for putting these and more, all in one place.

Did you spot it? Yes, that a purple fetus above the weird face.

Not surprised it's a virgin plant, she doesn't appear to have any genitalia.

I'm not sure, is he underwater, or on land? Either way he looks like he's about to trip.

Search the foliage for what's hidden. I don't mean things that would normally be covered by a Maple leaf, I mean the electronic gadgets.

Nice quote from the author on this one: "This is the cover to my first novel. It didn’t sell well. My editor/publisher blamed me, of course. This looks like a Harlequin romance. Even I wouldn’t have purchased this book." Published 1981

To be fair, Mr Cook, it may look a bit romance-y, but it wouldn't be a good romance cover either. It would just show up on worst romance cover blogs instead of worst Sci-fi cover blogs.

Attitudes to romance novels

Last week's blog looked at Maya Rodale's video on where some of our attitudes to romance novels come from. This week is episode 2 on the same subject :)

This episode from a radio program shows attitudes about "career girls" in the 1950s. Female workforce participation rose dramatically during the 20th century.

Ms. Rodale: "I  nearly spit out my coffee when I watched this video from the 1950′s in which a woman is rated a bad businesswoman because she reads romance novels and likes the idea of romance. For what it’s worth I know plenty of talented women executives who also happen to read romance. And I must add: telling off the boss and good in an emergency? Sounds like a romance heroine to me!"


I'll add that in many cases that attitude hasn't changed. I don't tell people at the work what I do on the side (write romance), because even telling them that I read romance makes some of them treat me as less mentally capable afterwards. 

Lastly, I'll let Ms. Rodale field the comment frequently thrown at the romance genre: It's just porn for women.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that romance novels are naught but misleading fantasies that delude innocent young ladies, pornography for the feminine sex, and rescue fantasies for idle women, all of which end in marriages that snuff out the feisty, independent heroine.

Or so we are encouraged to believe.

We readers know instinctively these stories are GREAT and that none of the above statements are true.  But have you ever wondered where these stereotypes come from and why they persist? Have you ever wanted to utter a devastatingly witty and smart retort whenever someone questions your preference for “trashy bodice rippers”?...
 ...One revolutionary element that sets romance apart from “Serious” Fiction is that the heroines have sex and do not die in the end....
...Politically and culturally we are instructed that we should feel shame for our own sexual curiosity and arousal...
...What’s wrong with a woman enjoying consensual love making with a partner of her choosing...
...Romance is not porn for women. Porn is porn for women."

Read full here

Next week we'll take a step away from romance, my penchant for cringing at romance covers, & look at sci-fi & fantasy's embarrassing covers instead. Hey, if you're going ot pick on genre's, pick genre's you love :)

Romance Novels - Why the scorn?

Why do some people scorn romance novels? Why do others feel shame for reading them?
We've all been there, on one side or the other. 
I'll admit, even as a self-confessed reader of romance, as well a published author in the genre, I've felt the need to hide my love of romance novels. Why? Why do so many of us feel this way? Why do we anticipate such negative responses from people when we share the truth?

Ms Rodale did some research for her master degree at New York University.  "Despite their popularity and profitability, romance novels have long been scorned and ridiculed as trashy literature. Is it the covers? Is because the audience and authors are largely comprised of women? Or it something else..." By Maya Rodale

Have a gander at this video for more: 

TV meets Harlequin covers

On The Bachelor, TV 'dating' show, a contest was set up to further winnow down the prospective ladies. This time the evening was going to be filled with romance, Harlequin style. The contest: a photo shoot. The woman who showed the most cover-chemistry was the winner. The prize: not the bachelor, not yet anyway, instead a three-book cover contract with romance novel publishing giant - Harlequin.

The covers:
"Seduced" is the winner, with Kristy, a professional model, as the heroine.
My opinion - of all the participants Sean is the most natural/relaxed looking. He looks like he belongs in the scene, for the most part the women look self-conscious & stiff. Of course, they're the ones with the most to lose/gain. It's not that surprising he looks at ease.

I confess this is not a show I follow, I was grabbed by the cover shoot idea. None-the-less this line is worth sharing. Full link to episode summary.

Sean: "I do consider myself a man"(well, that's good, because it seems to be an intrinsic part of the show's premise. Also, why consider? Why didn't he just say "I am a man."? I mean it'd be self evident, but less like he wasn't 100% sure.)

auto correct fails

I did a best of for 2011 auto-correct fails, I think 2012 calls for the same kind of laughs.

More here

Rainbows

Some days the weather is just magical. I had to snap a photo of this rainbow disappearing into the ocean on a calm day. It was one of those awesome ones that makes a complete arc (my phone wasn't clever enough to capture more than a slice).
The biggest question I have about this sort of phenomenon is what about the pot of gold - does it get all wet?

On a related note, but something which didn't come from my camera - a rainbow from space.
The rainbow stretches diagonally across the image. The fun swirls are the von Karman vortex clouds.

 (Image: NASA image - from NewScientist.com)

Marriage Proposal

Happy New Year!

I thought we would start the year off with a nice romance flavor.


I think this is a gesture that she'll remember for the rest of her life... but I always wonder with these very public proposals - what if she wants to say "no"? How much harder to tell him she's not quite ready for that next step with everybody watching...

But in this case, she said "yes", which makes it a lovely thing to start the year with :)