The pro and cons, to be or not to be...

[reviews_and_ramblings]

When wondering why and if I have to continue with this blog, I received an email like this one:

"Greetings and respect from a gay leatherman who finds your reviews truly excellent

Dear Signora Rolle,

I wish to express my sincere thank you and my profound respect for your wonderful and discerning reviews. I use your reviews to select what M/M fiction I will like best and you never, ever let me down.

You provide a wonderful service, taking your passion for M/M fiction and sharing it primarily wih female readers but also with gay men.

I also love the beautiful male images which you have collected.

You are a wonderful person, a wonderful and expressive writer. I both admire and respect you. Thank you so very much."

I received this email weeks ago, and also in a moment when I was a bit down. Then I read it and decided there was a reason for doing what I'm doing. Then again yesterday I wondered again; maybe I should let other people doing that, other reviewers with more experience... why a straight woman should read and review gay romances? but now, when I will wonder again, I have the above letter to give me a reason to continue.

My response to Victoria Brownworth: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1108364.html

Comments

[sarahblack5.livejournal.com]

those are some truely disheartening opinions. Could I be guilty as charged? I don't know. I just want to write about things that are important to me. I want to bring characters alive and give them a voice. I don't think I should be in the equation at all- the story should be the only thing being judged.

There have been times when I wished that I could write some other genre, but for some reason, the characters I want to write about all turn out to be gay. I'm sorry I'm not a gay man! All I can say is I'm not trying to sell porn, or make a quick buck by exploiting someone else's sexuality. I just want to tell stories. That seems naive, but I'm afraid its true! I just wish I could explain to those who are circling the queer wagons that we are all so much more alike than we are different. Let's take down the walls and just be humans. Don't make me flash my rainbow ID to get in the door.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Your Sarah are probably the farer books from p**n I have ever read. And I agree with you, claiming we are so different that is not possible for a straight woman to write gay romance, then you are enforcing homophobic feelings.

[sarahblack5.livejournal.com]

I think we must just keep writing, keep reading, and not take it to heart. But that is hard to do when we are so careful not to be exploitive, the very accusation!

It is so important to me to never write anything that might seem as if I am exploiting anyone for their sexuality or ethnicity or culture. And I adore your blog, by the way--I love reading about the artists and the writers, and the interviews and book recommendations. Wait a minute- now I think about it, people who love books, love to read, love stories, they all seem to love your blog! We need to bring the rest of the world into our fold by writing better and better, every book. Thank you for all you do, and don't lose heart! We're like a book club a million people strong!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

The power of love, above all love for books, is extraordinaire ;-)