The other day someone told me he thought it might be better if I turned my talents to writing mainstream fiction because he didn’t think I did much of job giving fantasy readers what they wanted.
Ouch.
I sincerely hope that what he was actually saying was that I don’t write what he wants, which is doubtless true. I have to believe that fantasy is a wide genre that contains everything from the large canvas epics and swordfighting heroics to the more intimate romance, from modern urban settings to space opera, and the whole gamut of story types and settings between, and therefore any attempt to speak of “fantasy readers” as a homogeneous group is naive. There is something for everyone out there.
Anyway, I was still picking myself up off the floor when I had a reader post a comment re one of my trilogies in the post below (thanks Hisham) , which promptly restored some of the leaking self-confidence.*
Secondly I did something I have been meaning to do for some time, and that is start sprucing up this blog. I began by putting pix of all the editions of my books down the lefthand side. And to my astonishment, I realised there are 16 of them, plus another five in the process of production which I haven’t received copies of yet. I hadn’t realised there were so many…
I feel much better now.
Merry Christmas
*[Hey, Never underestimate the effect on the writer of a positive – or even just a thoughtful – comment. We work in a vacuum, and knowing what you, the reader, thinks is important. So go out there and give your favourite authors, wherever they are, a Christmas present. Write something on Amazon.com or amazon.co.uk or some similar site about your favourite books. Or send them an email. Or write in the writer’s guestbook on their website about how much enjoyment they have given you this year. Believe me, except for the really mega selling authors who get a bit snowed under by reader response, they will read it. ]
Hey, Glenda. It’s wonderful to see the covers of your books lined up on the left. Write what you love and your audience will find you, that’s what I believe.
Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a joyous and blessed holiday season and a wonderful new year.
(My first short story was published in ‘Dark City 2’ recently.) 🙂
Isn’t that first publication a wonderful feeling? Congratulations! May there be many more.
Oh. Truly.
I think such a comment only reflects on the stupidity of its maker. How on Earth can he know what all fantasy readers want? How can he assume they all want the same as him?
Ignore it, I’d say.
As a fantasy reader from way back, I read all the books I can find, romance, space, whatever. I love ’em. Asimov started me on the Sci-Fi road and then I got onto Fantasy as well. When I return from the UK I will make a determined effort to find your books on this side of the world.
I forgot to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The only books I won’t read to finish are the truly awful, so badly written that the language gets in the way of the story. This, of course, does not apply to your books! I love the characters, the adventure, the romance and the suspense! Ignore the prat, it never ceases to amaze me how people can say such hurtful, unnecessary things without thinking.
Then again, writing mainstream could earn you a spell in jail – because, as we’ve discussed before, some issues are ‘safer’ to handle in a Fantasy setting. Keep pushing the genre envelope, glenda – originality and innovation are two of your many strengths.
Nice array of book covers. 🙂
What an ignorant thing to say. One of the reasons I like speculative fiction of all kinds is because important and controversial issues can be explored at a safe distance without cultural or religious offense to anyone as long as they are in the context of a good well written story.
In fact, I think speculative fiction is better at this than mainstream and probably impacts on a wider range of readers.
I’m glad my comment came at an opportune moment 🙂
Merry Christmas!
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