Gay Soap Opera: barrier of language or...

[reviews_and_ramblings]

... how my twisted humor can be sometime misinsterpreted?

Today I stumbled upon a post by Carol Lynne: http://ohgetagrip.blogspot.com/2009/05/pros-of-series-writing.html. It was a nice post on how to build a series to "captivate" the reader book after book. I believe Carol Lynne is quite a master in this tecnique, since I'm an eager reader of her two continuous series, Cattle Valley and Campus Cravings. I tagged the series "Gay Soap Operas" and for me it was a big compliment, since every single book is a little story in a biggest overview, and while reading a book you are giving details on the life of the other inhabitants of the community (to work better these series have to be set in a small community, like a village or a small town, where everyone knows everyone). A book could be better than another, but in the end you buy and read all of them since you don't know if something is happened in a specific book to one of your favorite character (that usually makes a small cameo appereance here and there) and above all you don't know if an important detail for the story of a future character is given.

What surprised me is that Carol Lynne at first was hurt from my tagging her books Gay Soap Operas, and I didn't know it, and it wasn't absolutely my aim to offend her... for me it was a compliment! I have tags as "Breeches Rippers" (that actually was not my invention, but it was born from a chat with Erastes); years ago if you said to a romance author that her books were Bodice Rippers, it was a big offense; now historical gay romance authors are happy when I tag their books Breeches Rippers... see how the perception changes?

But what happened with Carol made me think... when you read that I tag a book Gay Soap Opera, you give a negative connotation to my words?

Anyway I wrote this post for two main reason: 1) to reaffirm that I don't post about book I don't like. I have 622 books in my reading list, some of them I haven't had the time to read and some of them I don't like at first impression, and they slid down the reading list. If I post on a book is since I liked it or at least I found something interesting in it. 2) to reassure readers and authors that it's not easy to offend me (even if I had my rants and all of you know how badly I can react to them); but if you don't like something I wrote, please tell me, I'm more than ready to a) explain you my reason b) listen to yours.

Comments

[nichem.livejournal.com]

I don't find your use of the term "gay soap opera" negative. I mean that's kind of what they are, right-- a series about all the goings on of the residents of this one town or college campus. And I say that as someone who has read all the books in both series and really enjoyed them. Then again, I used to love television soap operas too, so maybe that's why I don't see the term as negative. *shrugs*

Also, I second what cornflake said about QAF-- you really should watch it if you can find the time. I loved Brian and Justin muchly (and their sex scenes were super hot). You're right, it doesn't end with an HEA, but nobody dies or anything, so it's possible they might get together again someday. Or you could just skip the last episode and pretend that never happened. :P

Also have to agree with cornflake about the Deviations series. I don't really like BDSM either, but I enjoyed these books immensely.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Ahah you are all conjuring against me to let me have another fixation ;-) I can't start to see "real" gay soap opera, since knowing me, I will never stop and then, no more book reviews ;-) Elisa