Reply #12: No winner here

[momster]

We really don't want to be attacking people for what they wrote or are writing at any time. Even if (like some friends of mine) they are writing really Nihilistic-sex stuff...we're talking beyond bondage, beyond S&M. It's not my thing but I am obligated to defend their right to do so, just as they would defend my right to create both the sweet type and the sexy type of romance novel...which, by the way, is what I do for a living and have done for about the last 15 years. (I took a year off to work on local politics but I am still a writer).

By the way, the terms Bodice-Ripper and Trashy Novel are both anathema to those of us who actually read and write romance. A huge number of women of every political stripe read and enjoy these books. Every time someone attacks these books for being stupid, simple or formulaic, those women are demeaned. I don't think that is your intention. It is certainly no way to get them to vote for your candidates.

One last note: The romance novel is the best selling form of fiction in the world. We contribute to the national economy about what Major-League Baseball does -- and nobody sneers at sports fans though they, too, could certainly find more productive and intellectual pursuits.