Evie meets a wanker at World Con 68

Hiya folks, Evie here, playing the role of SF/Horror/Fantasy insider:

I waited so long for my innuagural post because I had very little to rant about. The things that tax most people basically dont worry me all that much, check it:

• Paid Employment? (CHECK, love my job)
• Prospects? (CHECK, loads!)
• Friends? (CHECK, love them!)
• Health? (CHECK, thank you God)
• Love life? (CHECK, simmering nicely)

So in this semi-good existence of mine there was very little for me to actually talk about. Dilemna! Want to write and be interesting and share, but have nothing to write about. What to do, what to do?

And then the forces of nature sent a collosal wanker my way, which is brilliant because it gives me an opportunity to throw on my whingy-bitch hat, which has an awesomely cool scarlet feather.

So I'm at World Con 68th, otherwise known as Aussiecon 4, running from the 2nd to the 6th of September at the Melbourne Convenvtion Centre, minding my own business. I was having a whale of a time until I overheard this dope and I started to hear Kill Bill music at the dumb shit he's saying.

Wanker dude basically had a lot to say about the limited life of paranormal romance and mentioned Charlaine Harris has stopped writing since Tru Blood was axed.

REALLY? Shit, I'll get my people to ask her when they have dinner in two weeks. I'll bet she'll be shocked to hear she's stopped writing! Even more shocking is that this wanker of no consequence knows of the axing of HBO's highest rating shows before it has happened. Probably because it hasn't happened, he's wrong. Fail!

I admit I don't know how long paranormal romance will be around the way it is now... but I do talk to readers of this genre a lot more than this douche does. And from talking to these ladies I know three things:

• We readers are forgiving. We can overlook a few issues with plot or with character and continue to read a paranormal series quite happily, provided tjhe initial charm hasn't worn off.
• In a perverted, relationship-esque twist, we can see series through even if we don't like them that much anymore, because we need some sort of closure.
• You sir, don't know shit.

Wanker also went on to wax lyrical about the fickle publishers who both pressure and coerce authors into writing what they want. Sorry dude but this is the biggest as if you've said. Sure publishers seem to be in the know about what readers want but for the most part, they are not the book mafia you are making them out to be. They can recognise a good book and even promote it but ultimately sales come down the readers and buzz. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink, the same way you can promote and position books any way you want but you can't bully readers into parting with their money in exchange for it.

Which explains why some titles, even though they're intended to be the first in a series, are in fact epic publishing fails with no follow up.

Of course, I had neither the urge nor the reason to take wanker down. I didn't even attempt it because it wasn't worth it. But I do feel sorry for all the other sperm that this wanker somehow out-swam.

More at some point in the future. Love to all!