On Sex, Women, and Respect

By now, word has spread pretty far and wide about the latest kerfuffle in the M/M world. It would seem that submitting books to an M/M-only review site, and having female sexuality in those books, is an act of flagrant disrespect from authors and publishers toward readers and reviewers.

Several people have already commented on this, probably more eloquently than I will. Aleksandr Voinov, for one. Amelia C. Gormley for another. And of course Heidi Cullinan.

This issue comes up, in various forms, every few months. Not everyone wants to read about hetero sex or sex that in any way involves female anatomy. I'm not here to tell anyone that their reading preference is right or wrong. There are things I don't particularly like reading.  Millions of readers don't care for reading gay sex, either, and for that matter, many readers don't like reading sex--explicit or otherwise--at all. That's okay. We all have different tastes.

Where this most recent diatribe rubs me the wrong way and keeps me awake for the better part of a night is the implication that, in our genre, female sexuality warrants a warning label. Further, to produce a book within this genre that lacks a warning--the bigger and brighter the better--is not merely an annoyance, but an act of disrespect.

Review sites can review whatever they wish. And yes, people submitting books should be mindful of that site's policies. Fine. But the sentiments expressed in that post are taking it a step--a very large step--too far.

Look, I'm okay with flagging books for certain kinds of content. If there's rape-for-titillation on the page, I'm okay with an author's note or a general heads up because that kind of thing can be triggery for people. I promise you an emotional roller coaster, but I'm not out to traumatize anyone.

Female sexuality is not offensive. It may not be someone's erotic cup of tea, and some might even find it distasteful to read. But to imply that it's on the same level as rape or graphic violence, something so offensive to one's sensibilities that it needs flags and warning signs? That, I believe, is going too far.

I'm a woman. I'm bisexual. I have dear friends everywhere on the spectra of gender and sexuality. To have my gender, my sexuality, and the identity of my friends reduced to a sexual squick, something that is so offensive it requires a warning, is hurtful on a number of levels. Especially since it goes beyond just sex scenes. I've received a handful of angry letters from people because a male character--who never had sex on the page--was revealed to be female-bodied.

Furthermore, I have the dubious honor of being the author of one of the only transgender books to be reviewed by the site mentioned above. Statements have since been made that this will not happen again, that it was a one-time thing, etc. I was also asked via e-mail, prior to the book being read and reviewed, if any heterosexual activity occurred on the page, seeing as the main character shifts back and forth between male-bodied and female-bodied. While I understand that the site focuses on male-male romance, the enforcement of the ironclad NO VAGINAS policy has, more often than not, smacked of something that has less to do with genre conventions and reader preferences, and more to do with thinly-veiled biphobia, transphobia, and misogyny. Many of the books reviewed are thrillers, mysteries, and sci-fi/fantasy, which can delve into some pretty violent and twisted subject matter, but vaginas are the universal deal-breaker.

This latest diatribe has done nothing to improve my opinion on that policy. To imply that authors and publishers have no respect for readers, that is hurtful and downright incorrect. I respect my readers, and I respect them enough to give them the entire story even if the whole truth involves female anatomy. I write about people, and sometimes people don't fit into neat little categories. Sometimes a story that ultimately ends with a pair (or trio) of men together has, at some point along the way, a man having sex with a woman. If that is the truth for a particular character or set of characters, then it is my responsibility to my characters and to my readers to tell that truth. No one asks me to pull punches when I write violence or heartbreak. I'm not going to pull them when it comes to sex, either, regardless of the body parts involved.

We have made so many strides toward normalizing gay fiction. It's slowly moving toward the mainstream, no longer just a little subgenre that no one respects. The taboo remains, but it's fading a little at a time. All it takes is a visit to the annual RT Booklovers Convention to see that things have changed for the better.  We've got a long way to go, but we've come a long way too.

The statement was made that mainstream romance readers would never tolerate gay sex in their romances. I won't argue about how right or wrong that statement is, but I will say this: even if it IS true, it doesn't make it RIGHT for our genre--the one that has made all those strides against the collective squick that exists against certain sexualities--to brand a pairing or a set of anatomy as offensive. To me, this smacks of someone standing up at a LGBTQ rally, shouting for rights and equality for everyone in the rainbow, but then turning to one group and saying, "Except you people. You're gross."

Or more to the point, I suppose: "Except you people. Do whatever you want, but...keep it behind closed doors where we can't see it."

Because no one's heard that before.

Bottom line: Everyone is free to read, write, and review whatever they want. No one should have to pretend to like content that isn't their thing. But we're going well beyond criticizing acts and scenes, and getting into the very unpleasant realm of labeling human beings as gross, undesirable, and unworthy, something we have all worked far too hard to counter.

NOW AVAILABLE: Where There's Smoke

Where There's Smoke is now available from Loose Id, LLC! Additional links will be listed here as soon as they're available.

Anthony Hunter wonders what the hell he’s gotten himself into when he agrees to manage an unproven candidate’s campaign for governor of California. As soon as he meets the gorgeous, charismatic—and married—politician, attraction gives Anthony’s rock-solid professionalism a run for its money, and Anthony knows he’s in way over his head.

Jesse Cameron doesn’t like the idea of putting himself out there as a happily married, wholesome candidate, but his retired senator uncle insists it’ll give him an edge over a challenging rival. The only problem is that Jesse’s marriage is over, existing only to maintain his heterosexual façade. Oh, and there’s that minor detail about his undeniable attraction to his smoking hot campaign manager. Or the fact that the attraction is very, very mutual.

Before long, temptation explodes into a sizzling, secret relationship, but under the microscope of the media and the relentless scrutiny of the voting public, Anthony and Jesse can only keep their secret for so long. And this is one scandal a campaign won’t survive…

Jessewave gave Where There's Smoke 5 stars:

"Whether or not [American politics and adultery] are subjects that interest you initially it would be difficult not to become invested in the protagonists – a political candidate and his manager in a campaign for Governor of the State – because if you like excellent writing and great characterizations, in my opinion this is L.A. Witt’s best work to date. [...] Highly recommended. (review)"

Read an excerpt of Where There's Smoke here.

Links N Things

Today is Six Sentence Sunday, of course, so if you want to check out a quick snippet of Where There's Smoke -- due out this Tuesday! -- click here or scroll down to the next post.

I'm over at Jessewave today discussing when cheating is -- and isn't -- cheating. I'm interested in your opinions, readers, so stop by and sound off on how you feel about cheating and all its gray areas.

And as long as I'm posting links, I completely neglected to post about a couple of guest blogs that came up in the last week or so. Over at Sara Brookes' blog, I'm talking about my first time submitting a manuscript. And over at Book Faery's blog, Liam from A Chip In His Shoulder discusses his fascination with the New Orleans funeral culture as part of an author spotlight for the upcoming Authors After Dark in NOLA.

Also, Circlet Press is conducting a poll to pick the best stories for an upcoming lesbian anthology. My good friend Kathleen Tudor's story, Navigator, is in the running, so I promised her I'd post the link here. Now go! Go and vote for your favorite!

Finally, Until It's Over is still available for a you're-practically-stealing-it price of $0.99 over on Amazon, and there's just a few hours left to enter to win a copy of Where There's Smoke from Stumbling Over Chaos. Hurry, folks! What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go!

Phew. That's a lot of links.

Reviews, Updates, and an Excerpt

Time for one of my "none of this warrants a blog post of its own, so I'll put it all in one big one" updates! Lots going on, as always...

First, I'll actually be showing my face at some events this year. So far, I'm signed up, paid, confirmed, written in blood attending RT in Chicago in April and Authors After Dark in New Orleans in August. If you're at either of these events and see some girl in glasses looking incredibly lost, that's probably me.

Moving right along. To whet everyone's appetite, I've put up an excerpt of Where There's Smoke, which will be out February 21st from Loose Id, LLC.
And speaking of new releases, there are a couple of new release dates to add to the lineup for 2012:

• The Healing & The Dying, Samhain Publishing, July 17
• For The Living, Amber Quill Press, April 1

These are both L. A. Witt titles, but rest assured, there are some Lauren Gallagher books in the works, so expect news on those fairly soon.

And finally, a couple of lovely reviews for A Chip In His Shoulder. BookAddict at The Romance Reviews gave it 4 out of 5 stars:

"I recommend this book to fellow cyberpunk lovers who enjoy a hot m/m love/hate relationship." (review)

And Lasha over at Jessewave gave it 5 out of 5 stars:

"LA Witt takes the vampire genre into the future with an unique twist that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout!" (review)

That's all for now -- stay tuned for more updates!

REVIEWS: Ex Equals, Trust Me

Two new reviews from Jessewave:

Lasha gave Ex Equals 4.25 out of 5 stars:

"Excellent story that rings true as two former lovers try and make their way back to each other." (Review)

Feliz gave Trust Me 4.75 out of 5 stars:

"A solid murder mystery and a skillfully done deliberate confusion around honest criminals, dirty cops, undercovers, drug dealers and the question who rather to follow: your heart or your mind?" (Review)

REVIEW: Out of Focus

Out of Focus, which will be out on August 2 from Samhain Publishing, has been given 4.75 out of 5 stars by Jessewave Reviews:

L.A. Witt has fast become one of my favourite authors and I have reviewed most of her books. I like her writing style, the fact that she takes risks, and while some work better than others, her characters are always vibrant and three dimensional and her prose and dialogue are better than most.

The entire review is here.

Interviewed over at Jessewave

I'm being interviewed over at Jessewave today. Stop by to find out who my favorite character is, what I miss most about living in Seattle, and when I'll finally write a book based in Okinawa.

REVIEW: Static, With the Band

Two great reviews from Jessewave!

Cole reviewed Static, and gave it 4.75 out of 5 stars:

"A fascinating story about what it feels like to live with a disconnect between mind and body in the study of transgendered people, all brought together with a paranormal twist. [...] I came away from the book still thinking about what she wrote days later."

The entire review is here.
And Wave reviewed With the Band, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars:

"With music as a backdrop and protagonists as complicated and high maintenance as Aaron and Bastian, this made for a terrific story."

That review is here.
Thank you to the folks at Jessewave for the lovely reviews!

REVIEWS: Master of Mine, Infinity Pools, Nine-tenths of the Law

Some nice reviews have come to my attention recently!

First, for the Master of Mine BDSM Anthology, Whipped Cream Reviews gave the book 4 out of 5 cherries, and had this to say:

This anthology is full of stimulating and entertaining stories. It runs the gamut from a story about vampires to a man looking for the right Domme who can help him with the pain he longs for. With an abundance of stories and plots to choose from there is bound to be a story for just about everyone.

The entire review is here.

And Lasha, guest-reviewing at Jessewave, gave Infinity Pools 4 out of 5 stars, with this comment:

Overall, I really enjoyed Infinity Pools; it was a wonderful second installment in this series, giving more details and insight in Elliott and Derek. I would love to read about the next stage in their relationship in a third book. Recommended.

The entire review is here.
Finally, I'm not sure how I missed this one when it was posted months ago, but Happily Ever After Reviews gave Nine-tenths of the Law 5 out of 5 teacups:

"Witt's writing style is friendly and as captivating as the characters she creates. I highly recommend this novel, and l look forward to more from this amazing author."

That review is here.

Speaking of A.J.'s Angel...

Two lovely reviews posted today for A.J.'s Angel.

First, from Buda over at Jessewave, gave it 4.25 out of 5 stars, and said:

"A hot and steamy second-chance romance with a winning protagonist."

Review is here.

Then Cassie over at Joyfully Reviewed said:

"L.A. Witt is fast becoming one of my auto-buy authors, and A.J.’s Angel does not disappoint. Contemporary fans, pick this one up!"

The whole review is here.

And remember, you can still win a copy from Stumbling Over Chaos! Drop by and comment, win it before you can buy it on May 31!

REVIEW: Getting off the Ground

Jessewave gives Getting off the Ground 4 out of 5 stars:

Getting Off The Ground was a fun book and both guys were sex on a stick, each looking for a no strings sexual encounter. [...] If there’s one thing that L.A. Witt does well it’s her characters and the sex scenes, and this time she didn’t disappoint as Derek and Elliott took each other for a ride of the carnal kind, and then some.

The entire review is here.