tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post8656137945407634467..comments2024-03-27T12:54:20.598-07:00Comments on The Misadventures Of Super Librarian: Go West Young Woman!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-56122262810684595072007-12-01T20:38:00.000-08:002007-12-01T20:38:00.000-08:00oh yes! *smacks forehead* The Memo...doh!Don't...oh yes! *smacks forehead* The Memo...doh!<br><br>Don't get me started on publishers and their magic 8 balls. pfft. Seems to me that it's easier to pump out Regencies or secret baby books because the marketing machine is already in place. But honestly, I would kill for some exotic settings. <br><br>29 countries...or more than 30 depending on how you count Hong Kong (went there when it was not yet part of China) and if you want to separate Great Britain into England, Scotland, Wales, etc. Blame it on the parents' work and my subsequent wanderlust. Peace Corps helped too. There you go for a potential story...the Peace Corps volunteer that goes to a strange new land, makes friends, and finds true love. I'd read that book...hell, I've LIVED that book! ;-)sulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05470361085886637371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-5499131174482297272007-12-01T14:52:00.000-08:002007-12-01T14:52:00.000-08:00Why can't we have stories from faraway lands a...<i>Why can't we have stories from faraway lands and time periods near and far?</i><br><br>Now Sula - didn't you get the memo? Apparently historicals in "exotic" settings don't sell ::heavy on the sarcasm::<br><br>I think just about anything would sell well if the publisher(s) throw some weight behind the book (like, you know, marketing). But like TV shows that get yanked off the air after 2 episodes, there just doesn't seem to be time and money anymore for authors and/or settings to find their audience.<br><br>And wow! 29 countries!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-65914877318703840022007-12-01T08:16:00.000-08:002007-12-01T08:16:00.000-08:00You pretty much said exactly what I have been thin...You pretty much said exactly what I have been thinking. Although I think AA would have done better just to sit on her hands, I get so very weary of the nitpicky historical accuracy purist discussions. *yawn* I just want to read good books that take me another place. If the writing is good and I'm emotionally engaged, I doubt I would even notice the errors (assuming there are some). If the writing is boring and I couldn't care less about the h/h, then all of the historical accuracy and research in the world won't save the book. There are a few authors that get brought up over and over as the poster children for "good" historical detailing and research and to be frank, I've never managed to get through any of their books without falling asleep. *shrug*<br><br>I love historicals. I just wish that we'd see more outside of the Regency period and outside of England. I've been to some twenty-nine countries and in each one of them met interesting people and learned about histories I never would have otherwise known. Why can't we have stories from faraway lands and time periods near and far? The world is so big and human history so diverse that it seems that we should have a big banquet of potential stories just waiting to be written.sulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05470361085886637371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-54409638900372624202007-11-29T22:28:00.000-08:002007-11-29T22:28:00.000-08:00I agree with you that we don't get as lost in ...I agree with you that we don't get as lost in historicals as we once did. This is why I am a period piece/costume drama television and movie junkie. Jane Austen owns me lol. I can honestly say that no historical romance (other than the classics) has really lost me. Great point Wendy!Alienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-1699120563215595452007-11-29T16:17:00.000-08:002007-11-29T16:17:00.000-08:00Sherry:I agree - a book doesn't need to be 900...Sherry:<br>I agree - a book doesn't need to be 900 pages long to be "epic" and "meaty." I've heard the world-building argument before as it pertains to historicals and couldn't agree more. But it's a tough road for the authors. I don't want pages upon pages of minutia that have no bearing on the "story" but I don't want wallpaper either. Gah! This is why I'm "just a librarian" and not writing historical romances for a living LOL<br><br>Zeek: I think the Regency glut is starting to catch up with a lot of diehard historical readers, hence the current dissatisfaction. Like any sub genre that becomes popular, as more titles flood the market, it's hard for readers to find the "cream" amongst the dreck. I'm hoping it evens out soon though, because I truly love historicals.Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-88799811670080018872007-11-29T16:10:00.000-08:002007-11-29T16:10:00.000-08:00I frankly don't know if a book has to be big, ...I frankly don't know if a book has to be big, epic, or sagalike to be meaty.<br><br>One of the best Harry Potter books is the first one, the shortest. It's amazing how much world building Rowling packed into that slender volume.<br><br>Likewise, I think Angela on the AAR board discussion made an extremely perspicacious observation that it isn't necessarity historical accuracy that readers are crying out for, but proper worldbuilding in historicals, at which authors like Loretta Chase and Laura Kinsale (whether you love her style or want to tear your hair out about it) do a right proper job.<br><br>I've heard people complain about historical accuracy in Judith Ivory's books. Yet except for one instance (calling Prince of Wales Your Majesty), I've never caught any mistakes in her books, and I write in roughly the same era as she does. Because Ivory does a wonderful job creating atmosphere, and I'm immersed in HER historical world, and she carries me along.Sherry Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12313921077346721887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350052669699480502.post-61454964874035572872007-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:002007-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:00I'm so with you on this one. It's ridicul...I'm so with you on this one. It's ridiculous that such a big deal has been made of AA's comments.<br><br>And I so agree with your point about the big sweeping epics. I can't decide if it's nostalgia or the fact that I've become jaded OR that the newer books coming out indeed "ain't what they used to be"- but something has been decidedly <i>missing</i> for a long time now for me.Zeekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770980488262049711noreply@blogger.com