Gender Bias?

(Feeling a little jittery this morning, folks. So please excuse the occasional rattle. I’ll try not to let it go too out of hand. So with a wish of luck to us all, let’s carry on…)

Writing women is hard.

Admittedly this might have more to do with my being out of practice (17 novels in m/m romance will do that to a girl) than the actual degree of difficulty involved, but let’s not bicker about the details. We’ll just accept the statement as fact (consider it a spot of blogger omnipotence, *rolls eyes*) and move on to examining why this is true.

Being a woman myself, I identify with the female persuasion. One would think this would be a help, but it’s not. I have firsthand experience on how complicated, knotted, rationally irrational a gal can be. So I judge my characterizations of the gender VERY hard.

While I can hardly understand myself half the time, I try valiantly to understand each and every motivation of each and every one of my women.

This is lunacy.

Just because we share girl parts, does not mean we share anything else. I could no sooner identify with Aileen Wuornos then I could with Ted Bundy (and I thank the good Lord for that).

Gender bias?

Heck, if I know.

I’ve just got to get over myself, get over my womanhood and become simply a writer again.

Easy as pie, I’m sure.

Until tomorrow…

Chloe

A Prejudice, However Small

It had to happen sooner or later.

“The Six Brothers project” was an ungainly mouthful to call my big splash (note confidence, here) into mainstream romance.

Apart from the fact that it sounded like a spoof of the 1954 musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (lumberjacks dancing is not the visual I’m going for with this book), it was just plain boring… Unless, of course, you were of an erotica reader’s mindset and, well, that visual at least was a lot more entertaining to think about (not to mention potentially spraining).

Anyhow, as I announced to the Sunday morning crowd yesterday, the official title has been chosen! And here, ladies and gents, is its blog debut…

The Hushing Days
by Cora Douglas Sands

Two notes, if you please.

1.) I’ve decided to publish this under a new penname. As sad as it is to admit, there is still a lot of prejudice toward authors of gay romance. Some readers and some publishers will immediately shy away from writers of such works. It is an ugly reality. As this is my one and only career, the only hope I have of becoming truly financially independent one day, I must give this my best shot.

2.) While my penname will be different, I am NOT separating Chloe from Cora. I will happily and proudly tell all who ask the genre of this author’s birth (as evidenced, I believe, by this very blog). This is not a dirty secret, it is not a penised skeleton in the closet, it is simply a career strategy. Be it Chloe or Cora, this girl, alas, must eat.

In the coming days, the reasoning behind this title will become clear. (Not trying to be all mysterious here, just don’t want today’s post to go too long.)

I sincerely hope I have your approval for both title and penname. They would mean the world to me.

Until tomorrow…

Chloe