I really didn't know what I was going to blog about today. Just finished a manuscript, oh about FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO...so YAY me!!!! My mind is complete mush. Sooo I've been sitting her thinking about things we write and stuff we read. The other day I read something that was just seriously OOKY. It was just a scene but it made my skin crawl. It was one of those serial killer romantic suspense things where the creepo has the poor vicitimized woman locked up somewhere and she's waiting for....well, you KNOW.I don't like stuff like this! Honestly, it just bothers me and yeah, I know books about tough cops hunting down deranged serial killers are popular but I DON'T LIKE THEM. They give me the creeps.
Well, it got me thinking about what I love and more importantly what I don't love. I don't like sci-fi or futuristic stuff. All the knobs and gadjets and jet-packing, flying through the frickin' air junk doesn't appeal to me, though I know plenty who love it. It's just me. My taste. My preferences.
So, while I'm bitching about what I don't like let me say this, too. I don't like erotica that doesn't include a deeply romantic element. Sure I love reading all the sex (actually like writing it too) BUT I don't happen to like stranger sex. You know..hot woman says "hey, stud, give it to me. Anywhere you like. Under the table, in the alley, makes no never-mind to me." So he proceeds to "give it to her" and she just comes off kinda slutty. Can't stand that. Nope, I like a whole lotta love, compassion, caring with my whole lotta sex, thank you very much.
I love historicals that are romantic and take me away. Adore eroticas "with heart" and drop dead funny work. Can't live without stories that feature women who are FRIENDS. Don't you hate it when the only females close to the heroine's age are complete jealous bitches? I Do. In my opinion, no one does "female friend" books like Nora. She just tickles me to death the way she makes us realize we can't live without each other and the support to be found in friendships with other women.
Okay. I've vented. My brain is still majorly fried and I've let the entire blogosphere know what kind of books I think are seriously OOKY. What about ya'll? Anyone wanna ride on the VENT-MOBILE? What kind of plot lines, characters, or places make YOU just cringe?
I fessed up. Now it's your turn.
24 comments:
Hey Regina, I have to say,our tastes are very simular in what we like and don't like in books.
One of the worst books I ever read,had an unhappy ending, just before the hero got to her the heroine died,it made me so angry that I burned the book.
Thanks, Cindy
I'm a little different. When I read it's all about mood. Sometimes I want something suspensful, like Tina Wainscott. Sometimes I want something light and fun, Erin McCarthy. Sometimes I want steamy, but with a lot of emotion and family, Lori Foster. Sometimes I want something super hot, S. L. Carpenter. Sometimes I want some blood sucking with my steamy romance, Christine Feehan.
I read a lot of genres. Romance, Horror, Poetry, Self-Help...to me it's all about the mood I'm in.
I think the only time I get angry is when I'm reading a romance and the book takes a bad turn and ends crappy. I don't read romance because I crave bad endings, I read romance because it makes me feel all mushy and lovey-dovey. LOL
I'm very picky about my historicals and don't read them very often... maybe because I OD'd on them back when.
Futuristic, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal... doing pretty good. Romantic suspense I like on the light side. Elizabeth Lowell and JAKrentz and Linda Howard do them well.
If I want some reallll spooky stuff I read John Sandford or Jonathon Kellerman.
Happy endings are more likely to get my vote everytime.
We agree a lot. I'm not a futuristic, sci-fi girl at all. I HAVE to have love in my erotic romance because that helps me bond emotionally with the characters. Without that bond, the book doesn't do it for me. I do like romanctic suspense as long as its not as heavy on the suspense and high on the romance. For historicals, I only read certain authors: Jaqueline D'Allesandro, Lucy Monroe, and....I'm drawing a blank and can't remember her name. She's a biggie in the historical world.
Oh yeah...light romantic suspense works for me. Love Linda Howard and Elizabeth Lowell but I am so over it with stalkers and serial killers. And when the author gets graphic about the terror the victim feels, it makes me phyisically ill.
An unhappy ending? Hey Cindy, I'm feeling you. I bought a book years ago by an auto buy author and the heroine died at the end. Wanted to throw the book across the room and I NEVER bought her again.
Congratulations on finishing your ms!!! I like love with my sex too. The biggest challenge I find when writing the short stuff, is giving the characters enough time to fall for one another amidst all the sex. It helps if they have a history before the story begins, but otherwise is REALLY hard for me.
Back to my writing cave. If you haven't heard from me in six hours, please send food (preferably on the back of a HOTTIE!) :)
Wendi Darlin
I actually quit an entire LINE of romances because in about the fifth or sixth book they published, the HEA was that the hero died, the heroine married someone else, and many years later after she died, they were together in the afterlife. Bleh!
I can handle suspense, and I'm totally coolwith SCi Fi, but the romance should still be at the forefront. Great blog, Rita, and congrats on finishing the book!
Hi Wendi! Hottie headed your way...with brownies and some mighty fine TEXMEX.That's the trouble with shorter stories. Weaving in a really good plot AND major love and affection is super hard when you're writing erotica because the sex level is supposed to be high.
The story I just sent in could've and probably should've been longer but the paranormal plot was interesting and I really wanted to get into it more, ya know? Ah well, gotta make those decisions sometimes.
Hi Cindy!
I seriously pisses me off to invest a lot of time and money in a series that does something like this. I've talked about it before. You know the "certain" book where the hero everyone has been waiting for gets a heroine who becomes a GHOST in the end. YUK.
Yeah, it's a huge relief to have the ms. finished and off. Now the damned WAITING begins. I HATE that part. lol
Well, I have a romance that sort of ends in a tragedy, but then at the end there's a letter from the hero to his lover promising never to give his heart away. So I guess it's an HEA after all.
I like creepy and scary, but certainly not super-disgusting just for the sake of being gross. I read a thriller like that...in fact, I haven't finished it yet, because it was so damn gross for no good reason. I mean, really awful stuff. And when the bad guy - a rapist who does horrible things to his victims - kidnaps a 13-year-old who is a minor character in the book, it was over for me. No more. Even if she did survive the attack, it was just AWFUL.
But I do like sad romances. I like to cry it out once in awhile. I also like my romance to be HOT, but with a story and real characters. (I'm with you on the slutty chick heroine...not appealing to me in the least).
I also dislike super-sweet heroines who are too innocent to be believed and heroes who don't seem to feel any emotion but anger or jealousy. Men can be just as vulnerable as women.
Great blog topic!
Hi Regina,
I love to read all genre books, Suspense, Sci-Fi, historicals about native American history, and romance.
Personally, I like a good sex scene if the romance is there, but I don't want it to continue for 6 pages. I've been known to skim if they're too long. And I hate for expressions to be repeated over and over, used in every sex scene - like 'come for me, baby'.
Something no one has mentioned is facts. For example, I read a well-know authors book that had her heroine driving a Chevrolet Fairlane (just an ex.). Now, I'm not big on cars but I know a Fairlane is a Ford.
Also, I don't like a book that leaves loose ends. The end should come together as a cohesive conclusion. All our questions should be answered.
JMPO here, guys!
Enjoyed the post Regina.
Linda
Hi Regina!
First, congrats on finishing your book. Way to go!
Second, I love Romatic supsense but I agree about the gross stuff. I don't want to read that. With any story, though, I have to fall in love with the characters.
My favorite authors are Tami Hoag and Iris Johansen. I write historical, paranormal, and urban fantasy, and I enjoy erotic stuff--as long as it has a good romance involved. I'm all about the HEA!
My favorite authors include Diana Gabaldon, Mary Jo Putney, JR Ward, and for rockin' sci fi--Linnea Sinclair.
Great topic! Thanks.
Pam
I really, really don't like suspense like you. Light suspense is okay. I don't like historicals and I think is because of how during many of those time periods it was frowned upon that woman be independant but dependant on a man. Sci-fi is okay, but I haven't read many.
And yes there has to be a happy ending. I just read a short story that really didn't have a happy ending but at the same time it left it open for there to be a happy ending (hope that makes sense). It was an erotica and normally I want there to be a happy ending, but this one was done very well and I will only be really disappointed if I find out there will never be a happy ending (which means I'm not going to ask the author whether or not this will be a prequel or if this is all we're gonna get...that way I can continue to hope *g*).
Horror---won't even go there.
Hmm...interesting topic, R.
Ooky stuff...I'm pretty tough--I read everything from romance to thrillers, so I have to say about the only ooky I get--as long as the book is well-written--is gratuitous descriptions of body parts. Especially if there's an animal involved in eating them LOL.
HEA? yes, in a romance--and there's a good chance I'll read the last page before the middle of the book, so one of my favorite paranormal/r/s authors lost me on one of her books because the h/h at the end were disappointing... sorry, even if the LOHL is a ghost, I want whoever's left behind to fall for a live human.
Stranger sex is a bit touchier, for me--you see, I believe firmly in love at first sight, and fate, and all those sorts of things. And so I don't mind reading or writing them, as long as there's something in the story that says to me--see, it was meant to be that way. And I love writing erotic romance where the h/h use their attraction (and in ero/rom, of course, that means sex!) to explore the level of trust they have in themselves, each other, and fate... and my heroines--or heroes, either--aren't slutty at all. They're strong, passionate women (not the heroes, of course LOL) who find a way to take a chance on what they feel.
Now, I do find some ero/rom to have an ook factor, but generally it's been misclassified :-)
My seriously OOKY list? Books with heroines or other characters who are TSTL (too stupid to live).
I read across the board, except I share your lack of interest in erotica that is sex for the sake of sex. A fun read for me has comedy, love, suspense, and romance.
Chill out with a great book this summer!
Maggie
Sorry I just got back from "girls day out" with my daughter. Kris!! I am soo with you on the gore. I mean, if you love horror and buy it you expect some gore. But I sure as hell don't want it in my romances. And having KIDS involved makes the work unreadable for me. Uh uh.
Wimpy heroines tick me off too. Now I don't really care for the kickass ninja warriors but I want them to be strong, funny and able to take care of themselves and others too, if need be.
Hi Linda! I'm with you on inaccuracy. How hard can it be in this day and age with internet, etc, not to get the facts right???? JEEZ
Hey Pam...ah man I love Tami Hoag and Iris Johannson. Tami takes it just "far enough" with the scary stuff without grossness.
Never forget attending an RWA workshop with Tami Hoag about crafting three dimensional villians. It was called...Twisted Minds: Pyschopaths are People Too. Loved it and she's very charming and super intelligent.
I don't really enjoy the Happy For Now endings, Laura J.! I have to KNOW they have a HEA. Bottom line. I have some very good friends who've written happy for nows but they aren't my preference.
Hi Ms. Lara Dien!!! I'm glad you came over because I KNOW which series book you're talking about and it totally PISSED me OFF. Put the hero with a ghost????
As to the stranger sex stuff in erotica...I think authors can get by with it if it's something paranormal. You can get away with MURDER in paranormal. Think that's why I'm beginning to get into writing it.
Oh, Maggie, I'm a HUGE comedy fan. My current fave is Sandra Hill. She has me cracking UP from cover to cover. I love her sense of humor.
Her heroes are sooo alpha/hunky/sexy but have this cocky sense of humor. Love em.
Normally Regina, I wouldn't have liked that either. I do want a definate happy ending, but this one is a happy ending, but still could be even happier, if that makes sense. It could work either way with the plot of this story.
I don't usually like series because of the "to be continued" type thing and you have to wait even longer for the HEA, although there are a couple that I do enjoy. I was surprised that I liked this one as much as I did.
I like my heroes like you do. They really need to have a sense of humor. I've read some really good books lately with heroes like that.
I've actually written a few dark, brooding heroes but the cocky but sweet and sexy ones are the heroes that I always fall a little in love with when writing. LOL
I can DO a happy for now as long at the tone of the ending lets you BELIEVE there will be an HEA
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