I hope you are enjoying the Daffy Dazes of Duodecimalness around The Good, The Bad and The Unread. Because there are a ton more. And because it is amusing the hell out of us.
I wish I could say it was the holidays that sparked the idea. There is much said about the reader/author divide and I often think that is bullshit. It isn’t so much as we don’t get along, understand each other’s wants, or care about one another, as it is some people are just fucknuts.
Without readers, authors would have no one to buy their books and without authors we would have no books! Add in the editors, publicists, reviewers and just about anyone who calls publishing home or a hobby and you have one hell of a force.
No one can mock us without us allowing it, their opinion means nothing more than ours to them. No one needs to stamp “Approved” across a sexual fantasy regardless of if it is male or female. One person’s squick is another’s squee. Fiction doesn’t define us, we define our fiction.
And from here, romance is looking pretty grand. Is it the Holiday Spirit? Maybe… but I don’t think so. We can get our rant on, be too serious, be too fluffy, be too short, be late, be wrong, be silly, have too many events, but most of all we aim to just have much fun. I hope we amuse you too and if we don’t, the great thing is the community has someone who will.
Duodecimal (Gwen’s awesome title) was a 1am idea I had while…
yep, shopping for books….
I thought Harlequin has a swell idea, shook it up, and sent out an email. I sent to a very random mix of people, which sadly seems to have been spamed for some. I expected a decent response but nothing like what we got. Maybe it is because we are silly-fun, short-attention-spanned, distracted-by-the-shiny, avid readers with a love for the genre, and people like that.  Whatever the reason, authors and others, I thank you:
1. For being able to not take yourself so seriously you lose sight of the point of the genre – Happy Ever After.
2. For being willing to put so much work into events, sometimes on very short notice.
3. For loving Romance as much as we do.
4. For being willing to share your time – be it away from writing, work, school, or managing your home and kids.
5. For sharing your thoughts, opinions and views… making the reading experience that much more of a pleasure.
6. For loving the ducks as much as we do.
7. For checking out new authors, in new-to-you genres, and making the time and effort they put into guest author days, posts and contest informative, rewarding and fun.
8. For putting up with our changes in style, format, and being understanding while I try and figure out how the hell to fix the CPU SUSPEND thing.
9. For knowing a review of a book isn’t a review of you.
10. For understanding mocking is fun, there is no ‘art’ to snark, and that Heathers was a movie, not a blogger code.
11. For getting discussion doesn’t have to equal ‘blogwar.’
12. For reading romance and being damn proud of it (man titty and all) because all of the meanie/fangrrl/snarky/asskissing/bitter/happy/smartbitchy/avidduckies makes the romance community what it is and I am thrilled to have a small part of it.
An extra special feather in the cap for all the authors who were guests. I know I expect a ton of people, thank you for coming through again and again.
And to all the people who have helped with the blog, I can’t say thank you enough. The Good, The Bad and The Unread wouldn’t be what it is without you guys. I know I often say I get by with a little help from my friends… but I truly, truly mean it. ::sniff:: I love you, (wo)man.
This is totally a labor of love for me and we aren’t even gonna get into how much time I spend on this thing. But without Gwen, Lawson, Bev, Connie, Devon, Alicia, Sandy M, and all the others, TGTBTU wouldn’t be half as swell as it is.
So we hope you continue to enjoy the blog.
Now, back to the Duodecimally wonderful lists…
*sniffle*
We luvses our ringmaster/flock leader/duckie wrangler
And we didn’t have to break out the Syb to English translator to read all that!
(Gads! I HOPE the translator isn’t needed by anyone because what if I *GASP* am now able to understand Sybilese without it! GAK!)
Well, that was lovely, Sybil. Thank you for a very fun site — one of the few I visit regularly without feeling as though I need to gird my loins first. 🙂
We love you, too, Syb.
::sniffle:: Aww shucks, Syb!
Quacks off to you! 🙂
I am so happy to have blogs like this to express my love for a genre that needs more respect. I am a proud romance reader and I don’t care that people know it!
Well said, Sybil! I’ve enjoyed the 12s and the comments. Great site, ladies!
Love you too Syb and all your duckies. TGTBTU is one of my favorite blogs and it was majorly cool to meet you in Dallas too. ‘Tis been an amazing year hasn’t it?
Quack on, y’all!
Right back at ya. Syb, you are one in a million and kudos ladies for making this is a fun blog.
The Harlequin 12 days promo thing being over speaks to how long I had this in draft *g*. I had told Gwen I was thinking of deleting it because I was afraid it was overly sappy.
I am far from sweetness and light and can be a bitch. It is what it is. I own that and I will take responsiblity – gladly with a smile and a toss of my hair – for this blog, its content and its comments. Some of which I will have nothing to do with but this is my house. I am not going to cry fowl *g* if someone decides to hate me or TGTBTU over something I allow on it.
I just think that TEH BLOGS R TEH BAD! is way overstated. The idea of ‘mean grrls’ is often way less about the person or people being painted meanies. And where there are authors who can’t take a review, opinion or comments there are many others that can. And we often forget that and we forget to have fun.
I know some think we are too busy, move to fast, post too much, have too many contests or whatever and well I think that is fine. Because it is a really big internet…
Things like the 12 days event shows, at least me, the great author/reader divide isn’t as big as some make it out to be. Or at least I have hope…
And really blogs are great. It gives everyone a voice. Publishers know what we think, good or ill. Authors know who they ‘speak’ too. And editors know to buy more westerns.
See, tis all good 😉
I’m loving the lists!
I’m having a ball being here even if I’m totally behind *all the time* (stupid lousy internet service)… I just enjoy watching Sybil and wondering what she’s going to say next! *G*
Aw that’s so sweet! And we’re so glad for you and all the rest of the ducks!!
I don’t get around to many blogs, Sybil, but I enjoy this one, and these 12 lists are fun.
Aww, thanks, Sybil.