Some of you who have visited my main web page, and not just my blog, may be aware that I am now part of the Amazon Connect system, which connects customers with authors they are interested in. It lets the authors write little blog entries, and keep their readers up to date on what’s going on with them, what they are working on next, etc.
I’ve subscribed to several authors that are on there, and it’s pretty cool to see an insight into their creative process. I encourage you all to do the same if you’re unfamiliar with the system. Just go to Amazon and into Books - you’ll find it.
So I have two posts on my Amazon Connect page. The first one basically describes the reason behind “Pear in a Bowl“, and the second one describes a writing retreat during the month of April, and some of the novels I’m working on. Those of you who are avid readers here will know that I’m working on 5 novels at the moment.
A humorous adventure story, a fairy tale (children’s story), a murder mystery, a sci-fi novel, and finally a romance novel. I’m also working on final edits to several short stories that I will be publishing on Amazon Shorts. So each of the plog posts allows a reader to provide a comment, and say whether they liked the post or not.
So far I’ve received exactly one comment, and here’s what it was:
Nice huh?
So I thought…this is an interesting question. I probably would have approached the topic somewhat differently, but whatever. What do you, my dear reader think? Should a gay man write a children’s book? What about an adventure story? What about a sci-fi novel?
The feedback doesn’t seem to imply that other books are inappropriate for me to write, just that writing children’s book is. I don’t really get it, personally. Are they implying that I have never been a child and have no frame of reference for the subject? Are they implying that because I’m gay, I would write something inappropriate for children to read? Really I don’t know. I have zero insight into the mind of the person who left such vague feedback.
So what do you think? Would you read a book to your children that had been written by a gay person? Would you read them one written by Madonna? Does it matter? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
April 13th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Silly comment. But there are stupid people out there who connect stupid dots stupidly. Good luck with the children’s book and the others, I’m sure they’ll be great!
April 13th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
well clearly gay men should write children’s books, we have to convert them young! We have quotas to meet people!!!!! Kids don’t turn gay by themselves!
April 13th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
The only people who’d answer “no” to your question are the same ones who don’t believe gay men should… anything. They’re nothing more than wastes of carbon, wallowing around in their kiddie pools of self-righteousness. I do so hope they fall asleep in there and drown.
I’ll read your book to my kid, Heath, so long as you finish it before he’s a teenager (he’s 11 months old right now).
April 13th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Heath, it is a clear, well proven, established, mostly scientific fact that writings by gay people can turn others gay. I think this is called “gayfluence” or maybe the proper term now is “gaysmosis”. It is the process by which your gayness could seep into the minds of other people, especially small children. The commentor is just trying to defend America, really.
Fortunately your commentor does not read your blog, because I tell you what, sweetheart… just off your RSS feed alone I’m starting to find that Sanjaya getting more scrumptuous by the week! Yum!
April 14th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Don: I’m actually rather pleased with the results so far - should be published in June.
Scott: clearly
Jeff K: it will definitely be done by then, actually, i sure hope that the 5 i’m currently working on will be done within 12 years 1 month
J.Mo: after his last performance, I think Sanjaya has turned most of the straight world gay
April 18th, 2007 at 8:39 am
That’s a ridiculous comment, don’t give it another thought! I also have zero insight into the mind of someone who would say that. Probably a religious fanatic who has been brainwashed their entire lives to fear homosexuals.
A gay writer? Wow how controversial lol.
I have not looked at Madonna’s books but if they were good, I’d buy them for my daughter. Obvioulsy, I wouldn’t buy my daughter her Sex book but if she write a great children’s book why not? One thing has nothing to do with the other! Just as who you or anyone else sleeps with or falls in love with has nothing to do with the work they do.
It amazes me that people can still be so close minded. In just a few generations, I am sure that children being raised by two fathers or two mothers will begin to be commonplace. I even had a couple of friends with gay parents when I was in school.
Then again, even as we become more open on the East and West coasts, all those people lost in the middle who shoot tin cans and sleep with their siblings may take a few hindred years to catch up. Hmmm was that too harsh?