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Sunday, July 24, 2005

Fanatics

Kristie has an interesting post about "weird fans" over at her blog, which led to start thinking (do I smell smoke?) about authors who have completely psychotic fans. And what the heck - I'm going to name names.

Wendy's List of Authors Who Have Wacko Fans
  • Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dark Hunter fans scare the Hell out of me. Seriously, y'all do.
  • Christine Feehan - Dark series fans scare the Hell out of me. And is it just me or are her heroes cardboard cut-outs with different names? They all read the same to me.
  • Laura Kinsale - She's brilliant! The most lyrical, poetic writer ever! If you don't like Kinsale you're a stupid, stupid moron who cannot appreciate brilliant, lyrical, poetic writing!
  • Loretta Chase - Rinse and repeat Kinsale fan description
  • Mary Balogh - Rinse and repeat Kinsale fan description.
Wendy's Verdicts on Books Written by Above Authors
  • Kenyon - never read. Have read books by her Kinley MacGregor pseudonym and liked them in a historical wallpaper sort of way.
  • Feehan - read one of the GhostWalker books and hated it with a burning passion
  • Kinsale and Chase - have books in TBR that I'm scared to read for fear I won't just LUV them and their fans will start stalking me.
  • Balogh - read one of the Slightly books, liked it, found it pleasant. Nothing super-fantastic special, but a good read.
Which makes me wonder? Do these rabid fans scare the Hell out of the authors? I mean seriously, they scare the H out of me, and I'm not the object of their affection. Do y'all have restraining orders? Color me curious.

And notice how all the authors I listed write either paranormals or historicals? I wonder if that's significant or not. Maybe because there is a niche market for those particalus sub genres? It's something to ponder anyway, along with the fact that I currently can't think of any contemporary authors that have scary fans.

12 comments:

SandyO said...

IMHO, we Kinsale fans can't hold a candle to some of the fans out there. Are we passionate about Ms. Kinsale's books? Yes. But I can guarantee you that she has never encouraged anyone to defend her. I've heard tales of authors who have gone onto their bulletin boards and encouraged readers to go out and defend their books. (cannot for the life of me remember exactly who, if I remember I'll post it).

As for contemporary authors, you want to avoid rabid fans, I would suggest staying far away from ever saying a word against Suz Brockmann's books. I think they are all SEAL trained.

lost said...

There are many loyal defenders of a certain contemporary romance author [whom I'll never name because every time I do, I get a bunch of reactions: "How could you be so mean!?!" and "your jealous!!!"]. They like to prowl across the net to make sure that there is no bad word against this author's books, which includes launching flame wars against 'negative' critics. The sad thing is this author *encouraged* it.

What about fans of Diana Gabaldon? They can be, ah, overzealous when comes to defending DG's novels [or rather, her "painfully accurate history research"] and I have scars to prove it. :D

I like books by Chase, Balogh and Kinsale, but not to the point where I'd shout naysayers down, though.

I honestly don't understand why some readers feel that they SHOULD like books by popular authors. I don't see the logic in that. IMO, if a book works for a reader, fantastic, and if it doesn't, no big deal. There are plenty of books in the sea. :)

Nicole said...

Ugh, I once nicely mentioned in a reader chat that Feehan's books weren't my thing even after I'd tried reading a few from different series. Some other reader lit into me about how mean I was to say somethng like that in public because CF frequently went to that chatroom and might hear. Um, I was polite about it! Ugh.

Yeah, cookie-cutter heroes. You read one, you seem to have read them all.

Though I like SK, I can also see why many people don't like her, so a fan, but not rabid.

Kinsale...still haven't read. Started FFTS, but it's been sitting partly read on my nightstand for maybe a month now.

Balogh...never read.

Katie MacAlister has some crazy fans too. Don't get it since her humor is so subjective it's obvious that not everyone will like it. I've read some I liked and some I didn't. I do have several on my tbr shelf.

Gabaldon...I tried reading the first one and it was so boring, so no desire to read any more of them.

Chase..read LoS and it was okay, haven't read anything else.

Wendy said...

Duh - can't believe I forgot about Brockmann! Where was my head? And Gabaldon! Geez, I obviously need this vacation, my brain is turning into mush.

And to a certain extent I think you could include J.D. Robb fans on this list. Not quite as extreme, but rabid fans do seem to pop up if an IN DEATH books gets merely a "good" or "favorable" review. It must be gushing and super-fantastic dagnabit!

And I agree Maili - I'm a fan of many authors but I don't rabidly defend them to the point of absurdity. I mean, if someone told me they hated a Maggie Osborne book I wouldn't started a flame war - even if that person was hopelessly misguided and wrong ;-)

Kristie (J) said...

And what about Brenda Joyce's fans. A while ago they started up a flame war at AAR when some of them didn't like the grade a reviewer gave (and I think it was a B). Just out of curiosity I went to her site and there they were reporting what they had just done at AAR. Now that was bizarre.

Alyssa said...

That's it, Wendy, we're going to do battle in Reno . . . just kidding.

While there are definitely authors whose books I tend to adore (Brockmann and Robb among them), I'm not fanatical enough to insist that everyone feel the same way, nor am I a "blind" fan who defends everything ever written by an author I like.

I'd describe it as a live-and-let-live attitude. I wish other readers were the same way.

Wish I had some SEAL training, though. LOL!

Kristie, in the latest TRR mailbag, one reader complained about my review of a Brenda Joyce novel. She sounded so vexed about what I said that I reread my review. I gave it three hearts and said that people who were more familiar with the series would probably enjoy it more. She seemed to think I should have read all of the books in the series before writing the review. Uh, sorry. No.

Alyssa

Alyssa

Jay said...

Jennifer Crusie's fans, while not rabid, are certainly very vocal with their gushing. I thought all the squeeing for Bet Me would never end.

Lynne said...

Wendy, I think you've got it with some of the authors! I was trying to read Feehan's DARK CHALLENGE. I've just not been able to get into it. Perhaps it's because the whole series seems to have become the same thing over and over again. Now, don't be bashing Kenyon! LOL, I really enjoy her books, perhaps it's because the men aren't all the same...

Tara Marie said...

I'm always amazed by the fanatic mentality, where exactly does it come from??

I've read all of the authors mentioned here, some I like, some are okay and a couple I wouldn't read if you paid me (well, maybe if you paid me a lot of money.) But, it's just my opinion.

I've seen a few of the flame wars and it's actually rather pathetic.

Drea said...

I second the authors you've listed here. I would add Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series - though her fans are refreshingly gentle. Karen Marie Moning's Highlander books also come to mind. It seems that an author must publish a series in order to have fanatic readers.

As for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters, I think that Ash fans deserve their own sub-category. I work at a bookstore and we have a customer who has a countdown on her computer to Ash's books in 2007 [shakes head in amazement].

sybil said...

I am too lazy to be a fanatic about any author. And maili you must email me the name so if I review it I can sit back and watch.

LOL of course knowing your luck I will like whatever book of said author and then I will be dead to you... again.

Rosario said...

In Brockmann's case, a lot of the "hate her" camp is even more insane than the insanest of her insane fans ;-)