New GRRM Update on ADWD

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Eulalia

He already did put in the Loras/Renly romance, but it isn't spelled out completely. That is already brave for many fantasy books.

Brave? Clearly I buy my SF&F novels in a different section of the bookstore (or possibly an alternate universe) to everyone else...

Perhaps if I ask him nicely, GRRM will send his Irish women my way when my book comes out

[Eulalia]

Yes, Anne. I would say at the very least, the UK is in a parallel universe to the USA. The political scene here is full of sexual orientation being used as a wedge issue, and discrimination is rampant and rationalized by a sizeable portion of the population. Any more explicit there and GRRM risks book burnings and blacklisting. Maybe even hate crimes.

I think GRRM is quite brave to make some of his featured characters have a gay relationship, complete with rainbow Kingsguard.

Clansmen had a wonderful list of SFF. I notice that Jacqueline Carey and Elizabeth Bear are not on it...

Possibly we buy books in different sections of the store. I don't know, can't think of any section that I haven't been in, except for Romance. However, in the USA, they may not have the same sections. Even Amazon has been "tidied" up.

Tell us more about your books!

[Anne Lyle]

Interesting - a lot of the fiction on my shelves is from the US, but I admit the recent gay stuff (e.g. "The Steel Remains" by Richard Morgan) is by British writers. I had no idea things were getting so bad over there! Well, I was aware of #amazonfail, because one of my offline writer buddies is Alex Beecroft, whose gay romance got a lot of publicity out of it - but she and another writer friend both publish GLBT fiction with US small presses, so what you say did indeed come as something of a surprise. I guess big businesses are much more inclined to bow to public pressure than the small ones.

My first novel is a fantasy set in Elizabethan England and has several gay characters; the hero is basically straight but at the start of the book he is, for the want of any other outlet, ****-buddies with his gay best friend *lol* What little sex there is "on screen" is not explicit, but the subject is handled as openly as the straight relationship that makes up the main romantic subplot.

It's currently under consideration by a UK publisher - but maybe I should cancel my plans to come to World Fantasy in 2011?

[Eulalia]

Congratulations for writing your novel!( Elizabethan England c.1593 is cool).

I think you would be fine in California, at World Fantasy 2011, as long as you weren't counting on getting married to a same sex partner--though maybe.

[Mesanna]

Hi Anne,
I hope you are successful with your novel, please keep us updated on your progress. I have something of a mini-obsession with Christopher Marlowe, and I've read a lot of fiction set around this era, so I think your book would be right up my street!
Good luck

[Anne Lyle]

Thanks, and no, I'm not planning a same-sex marriage - I think my husband might object

My book is set shortly after Marlowe's murder, so he doesn't appear in it, but he is mentioned a few times...

[Clansman]

Holy threadjack, Batman! Anything new from GRRM's Not a Blog???

[Anne Lyle]

Sorry, we did get a bit off topic there! I've mostly been avoiding these threads because I've only read AGOT so far...

[The Imp]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

Sorry, we did get a bit off topic there! I've mostly been avoiding these threads because I've only read AGOT so far...

Do yourself a favor and either avoid GRRM forums like the plague, or, finish the next 3 books asap. It's almost guaranteed you'll run into a spiler, maybe of epic proprtions, and I'd hate to see that happen. There are spoilers, and then there are SPOILERS

[Werthead]

Male homosexual characters in fantasy is nothing really new. Diana Gabaldon's mega-selling Lord John series (technically alt-history) has a gay protagonist, Richard Morgan's already been mentioned and Ricardo Pinto's Stone Dance of the Chameleon series, featuring several gay protagonists, recently concluded. It is, however, notable that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (one of the biggest-selling fantasy series of all time) has lesbian characters but no male homosexual ones, indicating the possibility of double standards.

Back OT, it has recently become more apparent that the UK paperback release of A Dance with Dragons will be in two volumes, even if it comes in slightly shorter than ASoS. However, I have also been assured by Voyager reps that the initial hardcover and tradeback releases will be in one volume. Amusingly, given the massive discounts hardcovers get (whilst paperbacks get little to none), this means that it will be cheaper to buy the hardcover or tradeback in the UK than two seperate paperbacks a year later.

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Werthead

Amusingly, given the massive discounts hardcovers get (whilst paperbacks get little to none), this means that it will be cheaper to buy the hardcover or tradeback in the UK than two seperate paperbacks a year later.

Thanks for pointing that out, Wert.

Being a cheapskate, and coming to the series late, I have the current books in paperback. It's good to hear that it'll be cheaper to buy the hardback of ADWD when it first hits the shelves rather than having to wait for the paperbacks (which would mean having to avoid the GRRM threads for the period between their respective publication dates).

[Mesanna]

I think, even if it were costing a fair bit more for the hardback, I would still have to buy it. There is no way on earth I could wait a year or so until the paperback came out. The suspense would probably kill me! It's good to know though that the hardback won't really cost any more than the two paperbacks.

[The Imp]

There are good reasons to buy a hardback in the first place. Longer lasting, much nicer, bigger type (I think, it's been a while ), potentiall collector's value, etc. If on top of all of that it's going to be cheaper, then the only reason for anyone to buy the paperback would be if the numbers worked out to something like each paper is 15, the book is 25. I'm on a tight budget and I'd rather spend 10 fewer today. Kind of the way poorer people are forced to make food buying or clothing decisions.

If I was in that position I'd run to every nearby public library and reserve it for as soon as they get a copy in,m which is usually very soon after pulication for books that are going to be best sellers

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Werthead

Male homosexual characters in fantasy is nothing really new. Diana Gabaldon's mega-selling Lord John series (technically alt-history) has a gay protagonist, Richard Morgan's already been mentioned and Ricardo Pinto's Stone Dance of the Chameleon series, featuring several gay protagonists, recently concluded. It is, however, notable that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (one of the biggest-selling fantasy series of all time) has lesbian characters but no male homosexual ones, indicating the possibility of double standards.

I have this theory that gay romance is the female equivalent of "lesbian porn for men" - but that's probably a discussion for another thread...

I fully intend to read more GRRM so I can join in these threads, but I have a load of other stuff to read on top of my own writing, so it may take some time!

[Mesanna]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

I have this theory that gay romance is the female equivalent of "lesbian porn for men" - but that's probably a discussion for another thread...

I fully intend to read more GRRM so I can join in these threads, but I have a load of other stuff to read on top of my own writing, so it may take some time!

Heehee I can agree somewhat about the gay romance. I remember feeling quite flustered reading an Elizabeth Bear book one time LOL

Anyway, back on topic, hope you get round to reading the rest of GRRM soon. It would be nice to hear your thoughts on the story.