Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

Time Magazine has picked up the story about Fred Head and the Texas Comptroller’s race. Seems the angry reactions to the accusations that romance = porn are still making the news - which is great by me since it gives us folks more time and bandwidth to defend that genre we love with every ounce of our heaving bosoms.

I just wonder what blog they were reading! 

My mom gave me the heads up about this one - Slate is asking readers to match the prose to the politician who wrote it. They call it “porn.” From the excerpts I’m reading, I call it “crap.” As if we needed further proof that writing a romantic or sensual sex scene is not as easy as one might think.

I want to know how come none of the books I’ve read have featured a heroine “athwart” the hero’s chest with “breasts flailing wildly.” I’m missing out, clearly!

Heads up! Candy and I are guest blogging about our process of reviewing a book over at Romance Buy the Blog.

Thanks to Michelle for inviting us over.

Several, and I mean several, Bitchery members have written to give me the heads up about his buxom fabiosity, Fabio, appearing on America’s Next Top Model this Sunday night. And yes, I have asked the DVR to save me that special hour of Fabio so I can enjoy it and share it with you. I’ll be honest with you: I love Fabio. I’d love to buy him a beer and interview him. He cracks me up. He is a romance novel cover model who attracted a margin of fame, and is now pretty much a caricature of himself - yet he doesn’t take himself seriously at all. The Butter Romance website? The old-man-Fabio in the gondola? The over-the-top hot air balloon party to advertise a margarine spray? Cracks me up every time. But then, I find men who don’t take themselves too seriously incredibly interesting.

So when Kylara sent me this link showing the assignment for the models, I had to take a look. Note: the comments are fractious and cranky.

Seems the show, which I don’t watch so I don’t know the first thing about it, asked the contestants to design and shoot a romance novel cover with Fabio. The results are really poor. Snark-worthy, even, save for one.

I’ll be curious to watch and see how much of a snide beating the romance industry gets from the hosts or the contestants. But yet, I will be watching reality tv, which is among my least favorite things, so at least admire my fortitude.

Wired magazine asks several authors to write six-word stories, including people like Margaret Atwood, Orson Scott Card, Gregory Maguire, Neil Gaiman, David Brin, Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, Michael Moorcock and Vernor Vinge. You can read the wonderful results here.

My favorites: