Left: "Famous Author" Jennifer Solow. Right: Shomi authors Marianne Mancusi & Liz Maverick at last weekend's Romance Writers of America convention.
Answers:
1) Too much glare on Solow's gloves and wig. She needs more makeup on her eyes; liner would really make them "pop."
2) Mancusi & Maverick's outfits are wildly inappropriate and an insult to the romance genre, its authors and readers. How dare they dress so scandalously--especially in Dallas?
There's a huge flap (more accurately, a tempest in the RWA teapot) over M&M, which I first read about on "No Such Thing as Bad Publicity?" over at PubRants. I left this comment:
I wouldn't have known those were "costumes" if Kristin hadn't mentioned it. They look like normal clothes to me--maybe a bit flashy for some tastes, but nowhere near some of the trashy outfits with plunging cleavage I saw at BEA when it was in LA. And those outfits were on regular folks.The controversy is raging over at Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels. I took a peek at the comments yesterday, but bailed after maybe the 10th one. There are nearly 400 now. [Edit: That was so 4 hours ago; as of 5:15pm MDT there are more than 500.)
If a costume helps you promote your book, why not wear it? Especially if you look good in it, as Liz and Marianne do. (We should all wear a miniskirt and thigh-highs so well!)
Nonfiction writer Eleanor Herman's been going in costume for years, to great effect. Novelist Mary Sharratt, inspired by Eleanor, has been doing it for her last novel, THE VANISHING POINT. Audiences eat that stuff up!
Today GalleyCat weighed in with A Glimpse of Stocking Scandalizes Romance Writers, Fans. (Nice tip 'o the hat to Cole Porter: "In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking. Now heaven knows, anything goes!") 'Cat Ron Hogan noted: "even Nora Roberts declared the two women 'inappropriately attired... as writers in a public, media-attended event.'"
I just have two words for Roberts et al: PUH LEEZE.
Here are three more: GET A GRIP!
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6 comments:
Brava! What you said, and thank you for saying it. Yep, that cat-fight over there is just too much for me,... way too juvenile, way too judgmental.
I can't believe all the balley-hoo and carrying-on over at that blog! Over what? A little peek of a thigh? Pink striped stockings? Do we live in the 1800's and someone forgot to tell me?
Sheesh. They soooo need to get over it already!
In the age of the unfortunate belly-shirt, those outfits are rather quaint and cute.
C'mon people, let's have some fun, OK?
I simply do not understand the fuss.
Nora R has opinions on this, too, does she? I daresay the RWA held its collective breath 'til she weighed in on the costume issue.
I say, if your norts are covered and men aren't fainting in the aisles, go for it. If the ladies in the thigh-highs sell some more books, that's fine. It's hard enough to sell books these days. I say kudos to them, to recognize what they could do and then "do it on purpose (Dolly Parton)".
And Nora? Puhleeze. She has too many opinions for my taste. I do not like her books, either.
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