I’d like to thank whomever Photoshopped these hilarious romance novel cover parodies…
Okay, first of all, I have to apologize. I promised half the world a box of Frangos and I haven’t been to Macy’s yet to get them. I am so sorry for my tardiness. (They’re on the website, but they’re the big flat box. EVERYONE knows one must get the cute hexagon-type box they’re sold in here, not to mention that they don’t have even a fraction of the flavors available in the Seattle area at Macy’s website – how can I continue to hold my head up in public when I’ve sent the inferior kind? Huh?) I’ll do my best to get them out in the mail sometime in the next week. Again, I’m so sorry.
Okay.
My friend Leinie asked me why I hadn’t commented on the Raging Controversy right now on romance blogs — evidently, the intrepid bloggers at SBTB http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ have managed to uncover plagiarism by a fairly well-known romance author. The scariest thing is that the author in question allegedly (I don’t need to get sued today, thanks,) achieved this feat while writing for three different publishers. One would think that during the publishing process, it might have been uncovered, but evidently not.
The above situation has now generated e-mail to the entire RWA membership, statements from at least two publishers, and it’s shaping up into quite a scandal. If she did it, she deserves whatever penalty will be levied on her. If she didn’t, of course this is IMHO, but her career is irreparably damaged.
One of the first things people usually say to me when I’m asked what I do is, “Well, aren’t all those books the same?” Uh, no. Obviously, there are plots that have been done and done and done, and authors keep going back to the well. (The secret baby/The Big Misunderstanding/The forced marriage, to name a few.) They’re still selling, so people must enjoy reading them. At the same time, every romance novel I’ve ever read has its author’s personality infused into the pages. It’s all about the way each of us writes, the descriptions we use, the characters we dream up and the situations we put them in. I have read hundreds of novels by now — part of the business is to keep up with what’s currently going on in the marketplace — and as a result, I’ve noticed that different authors have phrases or methods of description that they employ in every novel they write. I look for them now, because they’re familiar to me. Part of the challenge of a genre that seems formulaic is to bring something to the table that nobody else does.
When someone lifts great chunks of someone else’s writing and passes it off as their own, they’re not only stealing from the original author, they’re stealing from their readers. When anyone sits down to read a book, they’re looking for a fresh adventure. They’re looking for the greatest story we all can provide. We owe it to our readers, and we owe it to ourselves to bring our best effort, every time. If we’re not creative enough to come up with a book that springs solely from our imaginations and our story telling ability, we should just stop. Period.
I understand there are contracts, deadlines, and sometimes, the story just isn’t coming, for whatever reason. Jane Porter wrote on her blog recently she needs some time off, so she bought a book back from the publishing house, and she’s spending some time with her boys, for instance. I know there is a tremendous amount of pressure on a successful author to keep publishing, especially if he or she already has a large following and the publishing house is demanding more work as a result. At the same time, what would the publishing house rather have — a deadline extension, or what’s currently happening in the three publishing houses that contracted with the author I’d prefer not to name on my front page who’s now being accused of plagiarism?
Of course, this is IMHO, YMMV. Ultimately, I think we can all agree that Plagiarism is Bad.
-S
Oooh, I asked, she posted. What should I ask for next? I know! Cat pictures!
I agree with you – three publishing houses not catching it? Especially when you consider how the intrepid friend-of-a-blogger caught it – by the really obvious change in voice that seemed completely out of place – that just makes me shake my head. What the hell were the editors doing?
I’ve never read the particular author in question, because her books aren’t my cup of tea, and to be honest, just plain looked bad to me. Still, she’s made somebody some money, and now it seems to me that they should be sharing that wealth with those she might have “borrowed” from.
The other part that was amazing? The AP story, where she said basically “I don’t have to cite sources, here, talk to my husband.” WTF? Was the big bad reporter being mean? Why the hell would she put her husband on the phone to say she hadn’t done anything wrong. Nothing like making romance authors look even MORE lame, now that you’ve made them look dishonest.
Interesting, too, because La Nora (you know how I love her, right?) would be logical to contact – both because of her stature and because of her being a victim of this in the past – and that just makes it even more newsworthy.
I’m also disturbed by the lame explanation and assertion by one of her publishers that she had done nothing wrong. If I were to just lift entire passages from one of their other author’s books, published them under my name, and made money, you can bet your ass they’d come down on me like a ton of bricks.
All of that aside, whatcha reading now? I haven’t read anything new for a while – was actually rereading John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport series. Eagerly awaiting my ARC of Blitzing Emily!
Comment by leinie — January 11, 2008 @ 10:11 am
Leinie, LOL, I’ll have to get the cats to pose!
I need to go to the sporting goods store before it gets much later, so I’m going to make this SNAPPY
. I’ll comment more when I return.
LaNora put the smackdown on this chick, whether or not she realizes it. If she were smart, she’d fess up, apologize, and work with her publisher to make things right. Making the people who are calling “talk to” her husband does nothing and just makes her look bad.
What am I reading? Hmmm. Here’s the list, at least recently.
“The Dangers of Deceiving A Viscount”, Julia London. This was the first book of hers I’ve read. It was okay.
“An Affair Before Christmas”, Eloisa James. This was also the first book of hers I’ve read. I know everyone loves her. The descriptions of what was put in human hair in the Georgian era grossed me out so badly that it colored my entire perception of the book, unfortunately…
“Accidentally Yours”, Susan Mallery. It’s her best book. She just hit the NYT list for the first time with it, and I am so excited for her!
“Lord of Scoundrels”, Loretta Chase. I kept hearing about this book, I’d never read it, now I have. I understand why it shows up on lists as “best romance” all the time.
“The Viscount Who Loved Me”, Julia Quinn. Very nice. I can’t decide which of the Bridgerton series I like better.
“Romancing Mr. Bridgerton”, Julia Quinn. I liked the above book better.
“Just a Taste,” Deirdre Martin. I liked the book, but I really loved “Chasing Stanley”.
I’ve started “Agnes and the Hitman” by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. I just bought “Skinny Dipping” by Connie Brockway.
Comment by strategerie — January 11, 2008 @ 10:57 am
’bout damned time you read Lord of Scoundrels. I love all of Loretta Chase’s stuff, but that one? Luv luv luv lurves BIG TIME that book. My copy is almost in tatters, and I bought the electronic version as well.
Amazing amount of historicals on that list for you – not your norm, are you considering writing an historical next?
Comment by leinie — January 11, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Oooh, thank heavens! I was ready to tear a path through the mail carriers to find the one who ate mine! LOL Whenever you get a chance, Strat, honestly. I know you’re busier than hell with the rewrites/edits/thingies, so I can be patient. (Now that I know some evil USPS worker hasn’t taken them.)
WRT to the plagiarism: I think this is something everyone’s very sensitive about. Did she, didn’t she, does it rise to the level of a crime? etc. IMO, and YMMV, it’s pretty clear that she did a cut-and-paste, and that’s she’s been doing so for some time. What truly irks me (aside from the plagiarism itself which infuriates me) is that she claims to create “meticulously researched” historical novels.
I read historicals almost exclusively – I make exceptions for La Nora and a few other authors – and almost all of the authors weave historical information into their novels in such a way that it never interrupts the flow of the novel – or sounds like a scientist/researcher has suddenly possessed the hero/heroine’s body. Granted, in a good many, the historical info is wallpaper, but it never reads as those the author has cut-and-paste descriptions or expository info from her research materials.
Had you-know-who taken the information she found during her research and done something other than cut-and-paste, her books might have been more interesting.
Comment by PA_Lady — January 11, 2008 @ 2:12 pm
PALady, I can’t apologize enough for the Frango incident. Mostly, the last four weeks have been a long, hard slog. I will have to go to the Chatzy at a predetermined time to explain exactly what happened, and the ramifications of it for those who want to hear it
. Everything will be fine. I wasn’t joking when I said that December was hellish, but it’s still no excuse.
Okay. I have heard other historical readers complain at great length about shoddy research and “less than” plot devices. I dunno’. I got my feet wet with Julia Quinn and kept reading. I really like her. I like Suzanne Enoch. I LOVED the Anne Stuart historical I read. I think it depends on the author. Some are better than others.
You’re right. If she’d actually taken the time to incorporate the research into the manuscript in such a way that it was more seamless and actually written in her own words, it would have been more interesting to the reader. Authors call that kind of stuff “infodump”. It’s hard to resist infodump. It’s a shortcut, and sometimes, you’d like to take that shortcut, but it doesn’t make for good writing.
I should also mention that a lot of authors are seduced by research and think it’s endlessly fascinating, but I’m thinking a lot of editors will excise it before it bores the reader out of her mind.
Of course, IMHO, YMMV.
-S
Comment by strategerie — January 11, 2008 @ 3:45 pm
Leinie, I was mostly reading historicals as a change. I don’t know if I’d ever write one. I don’t think I could do it with a straight face. Besides, Julia Quinn’s cornered the market on the funny historical; I could never, ever compete. Seriously. I would love to see her write a contemporary, but I don’t think it’ll ever happen.
I still have the copy of Lisa Kleypas’ “Sugar Daddy” I got at conference here; I should pull it out and read it. I read “Mine Till Midnight” a couple of months ago. It’s the first of her books I’ve ever read. I’m sure I’ll read more.
How are YOU doing, young lady?
-S
Comment by strategerie — January 11, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
Oh, yeah, Leinie: I’m the chairperson for the Greater Seattle conference in October. Wanna’ visit? Think how jealous the Chatzy boys will be.
We have a great booksigning, amazing speakers and lots and lots of fun!
-S
Comment by strategerie — January 11, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
No need to apologize, Strat. I was just worried they’d been lost or something, or that you might think I’d gotten them but was too rude to say thanks. It sounds like you’ve been through the wringer and back a couple times. I hope things get better soon, if they haven’t already, and I’m sorry for adding to your stress. (Although, the mental image of a little box of Frangos hitchhiking their way cross-country keeps giving me the giggles… I think I’m losing what’s left of my mind.)
I agree on the info-dumping. Some authors do it very well, so that the reader doesn’t even realize it’s an info dump. Others get a little too nit-picky on the details, so the plot suffers – and a few do it so lightly, you’d have no idea the time period but for the date at the beginning of Chapter 1, and the book would read as a contemp or as a medieval.
I don’t know how historical authors do it, quite honestly – the amount of research it takes to make sure your characters are properly dressed in the correct fabrics, using the correct vehicles, dancing the era-appropriate dances, etc, etc – literally every second of their day must be dealt with. For me it’s easier to write contemps because if I write that the heroine’s wearing jeans or the hero looks at his watch, I don’t have to wonder just when jeans or the wrist-watch were invented.
I wonder if, given her age and the time in which she began writing, you-know-who saw this as a legitimate way to incorporate historically-accurate information into the story, and simply didn’t know that it wasn’t acceptable to copy the research verbatim. I do think her editors should have picked up on it, at least in the beginning before she was a household name, but I can accept that they simply saw it as part of her writing style.
Comment by PA_Lady — January 11, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
PALady, little hitchhiking Frangos! Awww!
There was a class a couple of years ago at National entitled “Undressing Your Regency Heroine”. The class was cancelled lickety-split. I didn’t think it was that obscene, but evidently, someone had heartburn over it. I can’t keep the carriages straight, either. There’s a different kind mentioned in every dang book.
The guys will be thrilled to learn that the conference hotel in San Francisco has wireless in all public places. They may get their wish of the liveblogging of the obligatory “how to write a sex scene” class.
I’m with you on not reinventing the wheel re: writing contemporaries. It’s easier to come up with a story. I wonder to myself if part of the reason why people like writing historicals is because there’s very strict societal rules one is supposed to observe — no overt affection in public, the characters are sneaking around to even hold hands or steal a kiss, let alone get more physically involved. Maybe it’s the lure of the forbidden. I have NO idea.
Have you read “Lord of Scoundrels”? What did you think of it? Leinie and I will have to lead the book discussion soon.
-S
Comment by strategerie — January 11, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
Now see – there I am trying to figure out what’s wrong with a class called “Undressing, etc.” You wonder who is so prudish and uptight that they can’t see past the title to the very-real necessity of knowing how characters in certain time periods should be dressed – and in what order they would be undressed.
I haven’t read Lord of Scoundrels yet. It’s on my “Gotta Buy” list, which is growing far faster than my ability to order. I have heard lots of praise though, which makes me want it even more.
Hmmm… I have to add “An Affair Before Christmas” to the list, too… just to find out about historical haircare products. Eloisa James’ books are usually wonderful … and not squicky. I loved her Essex Sisters series – Much Ado About You, Kiss Me, Annabel, The Taming of the Duke, and Pleasure for Pleasure.
Currently reading:
The Marriage Wager and So Wild a Heart by Candice Camp
The Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
and The Policy by Patrick Lynch (a plain mystery)
Just finished:
Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells (which I highly recommend!!), Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, and The Stupidest Angel all by Christopher Moore.
Comment by PA_Lady — January 12, 2008 @ 3:01 am