Celebrating GLBT Literature – Part Four
Today we have the perspective of two long time readers.
Val Kovalin @ Obsidian Bookshelf blog
What do you love about GLBT literature?
Two (or more) guys together are hot!
The power struggles between same-sex lovers are more interesting than the old m/f fiction clichés.
To pursue a same-sex relationship in an intolerant world involves risk and courage, and that’s interesting.
What would you like to see more of?
Like Tam, I’d love to see more diversity of setting. The settings should be vivid with landmarks, climate details, and a flavor of the place. As a reader, I am continuously dismayed at how many m/m stories are set in some generic, unspecified American city or sometimes a generic British city. Good examples of vivid settings include the way Lynn Lorenz described New Orleans in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, or the way A.M. Riley and P. A. Brown describe Los Angeles.
I’d love to see more interracial romances and multi-cultural romances, especially Hispanic culture. I’d love to see a lot more professions represented in realistic detail instead of just the usual vague mentions of self-employed “artist”, “writer”, “nebulous business executive”, “inherited wealth”, and my favorite – ”owner of a BDSM club”. I mean, what does that involve exactly other than slinking around after hours at the club, looking cool? What about zoning laws, liquor licenses, and all the real world details?
In short, I think I’d like to see more real world details in m/m fiction. Sometimes it all seems too sketchy as if the writers are in so big a hurry to get published that they’re barely filling in any background to these plots at all.
And Kris @ Kris ‘n Good Books
What do you love about GLBT literature?
I’ve got to admit that when I first started reading GLBT fiction, primarily in the form of m/m romance and erotica, there was something so illicit about the whole genre that really tantalised and, yes, titillated me as a reader. However, what made me keep returning to it – and all but ditch m/f romance and erotica – was my overall sense that the relationship seemed more equal in m/m. I hadn’t realised how tired I was of what appeared to be the imbalance of the pairing in m/f; that is, it was always the woman who seemed to compromise more, to give up more, to get the HEA or the HFN.
Perhaps this is just my own prejudices as female being brought down upon the genre? Who knows. Yet, I don’t think this inequality exists in m/m to the extent that I perceived it in m/f. I really like that.
Associated with this, is my attraction to strong male characters. I’m not saying that I like my characters perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that when someone is dealing with such an inherent aspect of themselves such as their sexuality and the acceptance thereof it brings an honesty and strength to that person. I have a great admiration for that and nothing hits my happy reader buttons more than seeing two such men fall in love. I’m a sap. *g*
As a long time romance reader, I’m also enjoying the freshness that discovering GLBT fiction has brought to some of my favourite sub-genres such as fantasy, urban fantasy, speculative fiction and crime/thriller. Being a voracious reader, anything different is always good, including the exploration of GLBT themes within these sub-genres.
What would you like to see more of?
Well, I ranted about this the other day so I guess I’d better be consistent. LOL. I’ve been craving a story on the theme of mental illness. The background to this was that I was suffering majorly from my own problem, which is depression. At that time, all I wanted was a romance that would not only meaningfully engage with the subject, but also give me the happy, feel good ending. A little light relief. A little hope.
I did get some great recommendations in the comments for that post, although it is surprising how few books there are on this theme given the prevalence of mental illness in the community. Maybe it’s not a sexy enough topic??
In all honesty, though, I am a mood read so I swing widely from one sub-genre to the next. In addition to the above, at the moment I’m also wanting some good high fantasy stories along the lines of Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner series, M L Rhodes’ Draegan Lords series and Sharon Maria Bidwell’s The Swithin Chronicles. Any suggestions welcomed!
We got back several responses and some we’re still waiting on. However we didn’t have email addresses for everyone so if you’d like to participate – which we’d love to be able to share different opinions from all kinds of readers, including authors who are readers too -please feel free to write up your own answers and contact us at threedollarbillreviews@gmail.com.
Posted in Ramblings
Interesting, both of you. Here are some ideas on what you said you want more of — though you may have already been there and done that, or may not like these ideas because they’re mostly print novels not in eformat.
Val, if you’re interested in m/m mysteries with a Hispanic main character, you could try Gregory Nava’s books. They’re more mystery than romance. Well written and well plotted. Don’t know if they are in eformat. For specificity of place, Michael Thomas Ford’s Looking For It is set in a small town in upstate New York and Last Summer (I think that’s the title) is set in Provincetown. Patricia Nell Warren’s Fancy Dancer is very set in small town Montana. Jay Quinn’s Back Where He Started is very much in coastal South Carolina. Jim Grimsley’s Comfort and Joy is set in Atlanta, with a physician and a hospital administrator. Those books are in the romantic vein, but I don’t think they are in e-format.
Kris, an m/m novel with a bi-polar protagonist that I enjoyed was Orland Outland’s A Serious Person. Alyson published it, so it’s probably not in e-format. It’s a kind of fun story about characters who go on a reality show, kind of like American Idol, but with all the backstage shenanigans right in the novel. Eden Winter’s The Telling is about PTSD, among other things. That’s in e-format and free. (Paul Russell writes m/m books with some pretty mentally twisted characters, but they’re not really dealing with their mental problems and they aren’t really HEA romances, so I don’t know if that goes anywhere you are looking for.)
Val – Those mysteries are by Michael Nava. I’m sure Gregory Nava is a fine fellow, but I don’t know who he is. Oops.
Oh wow, an incredible list of fabulous authors and books. Some of those are in my TBR pile to review for the site – Ford’s Last Summer is pretty close to the top of my pile.
I almost want to ask you your top 10!
Ha, Kassa, I’d have to agonize for DAYS to come up with a top ten list. LOL So many books I love for entirely different reasons, you know. And the ones that come to mind at any time, like the ones above, are the ones that fit the reasons of the moment, not necessarily faves.
Hi guys. Great stuff. Seems most of us have similar reasons for reading GLBT lit. The power dynamic of m/m is so different than m/f (usually – there are always exceptions).
You’re too funny Val.
I mean, what does that involve exactly other than slinking around after hours at the club, looking cool?
I believe it also involves scoping out the fresh meat, and giving them a test run until you find your twu wuv (who is usually a BDSM virgin of course).
I agree Kris that there are so many sub-genres in the offerings that I have been exposed to many that I would never touch. Stretching my brain.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow, good points, Kris!
Thanks, Cary, very much! I will look into these recommendations.
Tam, ha, ha! The “owner of BDSM club” as occupation just makes me laugh. How on earth could I have forgotten those other serious job responsibilities that you pointed out? “… scoping out the fresh meat, and giving them a test run until you find your twu wuv (who is usually a BDSM virgin of course).”
I swear Val you change my reading habits! Now when I see certain characters I always think “oh Val would have a fit on that one.” Great comments and thanks for sharing. Your insight is always really great.
Like pretty much everyone else, the sense that m/m relationships, in general, don’t show quite the power disparity that m/f relationships do was what sucked me into reading m/m. I’ve pretty much abandoned non-m/m reading at this point.
You know Chris that’s a really great point because I think a lot of readers who have made their way to the m/m genre have as well. It’s almost like a last stop after exhausting possibilities.
It’s true – sounds like a lot of us hit urban fantasy (which tends to have stronger female roles than most other stuff) right before hitting m/m. We were on a journey!
Chris, I definitely went the urban fantasy with f protags for a while. Beginning and finally ending with Laurel K. Hamilton I think. At some point, I thought her Anita Blake series left the action genre and became PWP in an urban fantasy setting, which was a huge letdown. I was so invested in her many wonderful male characters and felt they were being treated hideously — all pantingly in love with Anita and relegated to a tiny part of her ever-expanding male harem of sex objects. In my mind, I constructed elaborate fanfic that paired (or trioed) up all those abused and neglected Anita mantoys, and after that I got even more serious about tracking down m/m writing. I hate seeing women treated as objects or as weaklings, and it turns out I don’t like reading men treated that way either. So, thanks LKM, for teaching me that. It felt like coming home in some ways to delve back into GLBT lit, which isn’t necessarily trying to fit some little cookie cutter mold. Some of the current m/m romance is pretty cookie cutter, but there’s lots of GLBT writing, including romance, that expands the edges of whatever genre it’s in. And still tells an engaging story.
Alas, Anita Blake became the ultimate Mary Sue protagonist… Heh, I know what you mean about the great male characters – the guys from the Merry Gentry series and the guys from the Anita Blake should all run away from home together…
The thing I most like about GLBT lit (or well done m/m romance) is exactly what you said, that it can expand the edges of its genre, whatever that is.
Oh, tell me about Mary Sue, please. I’ve seen a couple references, but never in a context I could grasp.
LOL, Cary: Mary Sue’s the author putting herself into the story as the most awesomest, bestest person ever! Total wish fulfillment. Very common in fanfic.
Val: “I mean, what does that involve exactly other than slinking around after hours at the club, looking cool?”
LOL. Too funny, Val, and so very true. Like Kassa, I often think about some of the issues that you’ve discussed on your blog when I read them in a book.
Cary: Thank you so much for those recommendations. Orland Portland’s book looks particularly interesting. I’m travelling to the US later in the year and am building up a list of books to look for when I’m there. I’ll add this one to it.
Kassa: Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to this topic. It’s been really interesting to see everyone’s responses.