Nora Roberts Groupies discussion

These are getting to juicy to not have a separate topic set up for them!

Here is the latest update from Nora, titled Bite Me! You MUST read it!

http://fallintothestory.com/bite-me/#...

Such a Eve-esque response lol. I laughed at her "duh" answer regarding the trilogy comment. Honestly, it's called a TRI-logy so of course it's going to involve 3 heroes and 3 heroines. If they wanted same gender pairings, they're reading the wrong author. For some people it's much easier to hide behind a screen and create negativity and watch it unfold. Nora has a backbone that's for sure! But to be in this business for years and years, you would have to develop one to survive. I'm glad she's not letting those readers deter her from writing stories her way so the rest of us can enjoy them.

It's also great that someone of her stature speaks out because in doing so, she can give voice for other writers who can't do so because they'd be crushed.

Yes exactly. It'd be hard for new authors to put their foot down and not give in to the readers' whim just because they didn't like what you write. I might not love everything NR writes but I'm not going to attack her personally for doing her job.

I don't think so, the trolls don't exist until you acknowlege them.

Unfortunately, they do. Many think that authors just let all that venom roll off of their backs but it doesn't. It stings.

But when you push back, you give them more power.
Because they know you care.

The point made here, Paola, is FINALLY, someone of Nora's stature has taken a stand. Ignoring them has not made a difference. So many of us are just sick and tired of these people who hide behind the anonymity of Internet screen names dropping their nastiness everywhere.

When you look at the groundswell of support to the post on the blog and elsewhere, it's pretty obvious that Nora has unleashed a different kind of power. It's made a difference.

I see hers and your point.
But still is not a sollution.
What happened IMO, was just a statement that people from her stature feels the pain as much as the anonymous.
They have the right to say whatever they want, even if mal-intented.
No regulation should be done against.
We are fragile because we believe the world is mostly with good hearted people. When the exception appears we try to react.
We have to have a personal responsability of being our own "Guard at the gates" of our mind, having to option:
1- learn to be thick skinned and do not let trolls upset us.
2- accept that we are fragile and just do not look.

The freedom of speech comes with burden of having to listen to the opposite side.

No one is disputing their right to free speech. Posting their negative comments on a fan page is inappropriate. They're there solely to start trouble. Crosses a line.

I disagree with your assessment that we're fragile because we believe the world is filled with mostly good-hearted people and we react when it shows up differently. Our fragility is created when we fail to react. Then we become more vulnerable.

Bullies only attack those that they feel won't stand up to them. The bullies here are whining because they've been called out. They shouldn't try to hide behind the "free speech" rights. Bad behavior is still just that and Nora was certainly on point for making the distinction.

React if the bullying was real, like people booing you at the bookstore when you pick Nora's book.
But in case of cyber bullying, your seeing-red reaction was exactly what they were aiming for.

Don't get your point as that bullying is real to the recipient. But, believe what you will as I disagree with your point of view and that's okay. It's what keeps things interesting and your way of expressing a different point of view was healthy and mature.

Thanks for contributing.

Nora Roberts has got to be one of the most prolific and best loved writers of our time. She does amazing work. That said, she also has tanked on at least the last three trilogies and that needs to be said too. Apparently, her sales have been good enough that this lack of creativity isn't a problem. I hope none of you take this as bullying, she is free to write whatever she wants, but I am free to not like it.

It's not a question of expressing your opinion, just in the appropriate place and in the right manner. Here on Goodreads, it's appropriate. On a fan page hosted by the author...not so much.

I've been equally clear about my dissatisfaction with some of the J. D. Robb stories and that's reflected in my reviews. I'd never think about complaining on Nora's fan pages.

I agree Jonetta. I don't care for all of Nora's books and I will say that in a Goodreads review. Nora's fan page is not the appropriate place.

Thanks for sharing Jonetta! More power to her!

Nora is changing publishers...moving from Penguin to Macmillan- St. Martin's Press.

Here's more information.

That doesn't help me at all. St. Martin's doesn't like me either.

I've had better luck with them than Penguin but it's still not great.

Wow, good to know! Thanks Jonetta.

This is HUGE! She's been with Penguin for at least 20 years.

I can understand why I don't always get the books I want. I'm just a reader basically.

But you're a reader who writes reviews for every book you read and you're active in several groups. And, you read the genre. That's generally enough for most publishers. I can imagine there were tons of requests for this book.

I got approved for the Guardians Trilogy in First Reads and turned down for Obsession. No rhyme or reason in their selection process and they're the only publisher where I have this experience.

Seems that it is in the US way more difficult to get a reviewer´s copy than here in Germany. What are we talking here about, ebooks or physical books? Or doesn´t it matter for which one you apply?

eBooks. We've applied through NetGalley, which provides digital copies for review. Additionally, I'm a member of Penguin's First Reads program, also digitally based.

Oh ok. I get here physical books. Some publishers try to establish ebooks. But most of the reviewers don´t accept them. And those publishers, who only provide ebooks are not really overrun by reviewers *smirk*. Randomhouse and some other publishers are so smart and offer both.

It is really interesting to see how things work in other countries.

It's the exact opposite here in the US.

On NetGalley yesterday I requested 7 books. This morning I already got approval for 4 of them. I really have no complaints.

Anita wrote: "On NetGalley yesterday I requested 7 books. This morning I already got approval for 4 of them. I really have no complaints."

Congrats! Happy reading :-)
And you´re absolutely right. No one of us can really complain about the way how things are handled by the publishers in our countries *smile*

Oh, I certainly can...and do.

Agree. There are books I want and don't get, but I have a great library system and If I can't get a book there, I can always buy it.

Jonetta wrote: "Oh, I certainly can...and do."

Hi Jonetta,
my "can´t complain" was meant, that I get the physical books I want and that Anita got 4 approvals out of 7 book applys. That you can and will complain about whatever that matters to you or in generel I know *smile* - and that is absolutely good. I do it here from time to time too and sometimes a wonder happens *laugh*

My issue with some of the publishers has to do with other matters...overpricing eBooks, manipulating the pricing to inflate numbers for print versus digital, unfair treatment of authors, etc. These are issues I've followed for a few years. We could use a transformation in this industry.

I generally can get most books I request via NetGalley and have no issues there. When Penguin ceased including new digital titles in library inventories a few years ago, I was very vocal in my opposition and led grassroots efforts to let the publisher know how we felt as readers. I wrote them many times and had several blog posts devoted to the topic. Since then, it's rare for me to receive a Penguin title for review:) It may not be related but it could be.

With the advent of the popularity of the e-book, some of the problems have gotten better, exposure of new authors to the public, and some have gotten much worse, treatment of established authors, for one.

I want to personally thank you for your crusade on behalf of library e-book patrons, like me. I can see that it came at a personal sacrifice as Penguin basically blackballed you.

Jonetta wrote: "My issue with some of the publishers has to do with other matters...overpricing eBooks, manipulating the pricing to inflate numbers for print versus digital, unfair treatment of authors, etc. These..."

Oh yes, that is really an issue that we are facing in Germany too. Some ebooks cost the same, as the physical book does, which makes no sense at all to me.
It is always good to stand behind something, to say what is on ones mind and to stick to it. To fight for things no matter at what costs. That deserves respect! And I guess, after what you´ve wrote here, that it could be absolutely possible that you raising your voice for things has something to do with the fact that you´ re not getting books anymore from that particular publisher. Maybe there other reasons why it is as it is, but I don´t believe it.

Stay the way you are Jonetta!
best wishes
Vi

Thanks, Anita and Vi. I was just so offended by their actions that I couldn't stay silent.

Anyone seen this new post from Nora? http://fallintothestory.com/new-direc...

Going to be interesting to see where she goes with this new series she started.

Wow! Sounds like she's venturing into urban fantasyland! Can't wait to see where this leads.

Thanks for posting, Quynh! I'm going to share this in J. D. Robb.

Here's Nora's most recent update. Looks like she's headed in a new writing direction. Don't worry, In Death will continue on.

"A long time ago, on a hilltop far, far away, I started writing category Romance. With two pre-schoolers to run herd on, I fed my appetite for reading with short, satisfying Romances I could gulp down during nap time. So when stuck with said pre-schoolers inside for a week during a blizzard, I began to scribble down one of the stories in my head in a notebook. It was intended to save my sanity, and became a career and a passion.

Writing Harlequin-style Romances was a natural choice as I gobbled them during this time period. I’d grown up reading everything–everyone in my house read everything– but at this particular turn of my road, category Romances comprised the bulk of my reading.

My career roots in Romance spread over the next decade or two. One of the appeals to me was this was a genre that could, and did, include everything. You could, especially when the genre and the market evolved, add elements of mystery, suspense, paranormal, horror, comedy, fantasy. As long as the story contained a core romantic relationship, tied things up with a happy ending, you could rock on.

I continued to write category even as I expanded into writing mainstream novels, and produced 100 books for Silhouette before I turned off that road. With Bantam, then Putnam (which became Penguin-Putnam which became Penguin Random House), and now St. Martin’s Press I wrote and continue to write Romantic Suspense, I wrote trilogies–straight relationship or with elements of fantasy and paranormal. I began the In Death series as JD Robb.

The In Death series certainly took me onto another lane of the highway. I thought of these as relationship mysteries/police procedurals with continuing characters set in the near future–which gave them a science fiction light touch.

Mostly they were and are fun and interesting stories for me to write, with core characters I adore and enjoy. That makes them tremendously satisfying creatively.

The Romantic Suspense novels I write drive down another lane on the highway. They’re not a part of a series, sometimes have more than one romantic relationship, generally have other non-romantic relationships–friendships, family–as writing about people is what I do. For these it may be a setting that flicks on the light bulb, or a character type, or a situation. For The Obsession, for instance, that flash was: What’s it like to be the child of a serial killer?

As I write without much of a structured plan, relying more on Let’s See What Happens next, I have to be very engaged in the story, very connected to the characters to see it all through. That first flick on has to pull me in.

The trilogies I do wind down another lane. For these everything’s broader and interconnected. The concept has to tell me, this needs more room, and has a theme or goal that can weave through three books. Whether straight relationship, like the Born In trilogy, or The Bride Quartet, or with those paranormal elements, like The Circle Trilogy or Three Sisters Island, the initial concept always included that central romance, and the romance highlighted in each book would be resolved in that particular book.

I conceived them as one big book in three distinct parts, each containing–whether it be mortal, wizard, business-woman or vampire–that elemental romantic relationship.

Writing on those different lanes of the highway has served to keep me fresh and creatively satisfied–and it seems to me gives readers a lot of choices in my work. Some like the Robb series, some don’t. Some like the more traditional relationship, some are eager for the more magickal, others prefer the suspense.

But when you offer a variety, the downside is those who prefer one gripe when you offer another. That’s just how it goes. If a writer discovers how to satisfy every reader every time, I really want to have a sit-down with him or her and learn the secret. But in the meantime, I have to pay attention to that flick of light and turn down the road where it shines for me.

And so, some time ago, that light flicked on a turn off the highway, a detour, an unexplored road. It’s a little risky to take that turn, see where it takes you. But it’s also exciting. And challenging.

The flash of this light didn’t beam on the Romance of my roots, or how my own work has evolved around it, and frankly, away from what the genre is today. It shined on something different, something I saw as more a Fantasy saga. Relationships, absolutely. Books and stories for me are all about the people in them, how they relate, or don’t. Touches of romance, sure, but at least in the opening book, the story can’t center on a central love story and hold for the rest.

I thought about it for quite awhile, played with it in my head, chewed on it, studied the concept from different angles. The light didn’t dim, so I turned off and followed it.

Year One — the first of this different sort of trilogy — begins a journey, for me as a writer, for the characters within, and hopefully for the reader who wants to take a chance with me. It begins with a global crisis, a pandemic that wipes away much of the population and opens a door to magicks. Black and white, courage and cowardice, the determination to survive and rebuild, the evolution of powers for good or ill. And the light again, that’s hope and love and bravery that shines through.

The process of structuring this story–and laying the groundwork for the two that will follow–presented a creative challenge, the need to take a leap, a lot of sweaty work, a larger cast of characters to develop and connect to, multiple relationships to weave, the logistics of world building. Because even when you’re basically destroying the world, you’re building another.

For the first time in too long to remember a book woke me up at night, or kept me up. What do I do about this, how will I resolve that, how does that even make any stupid sense? It wouldn’t leave me alone, so I knew it had me, however it turned out. I had to follow that light and see where it took me.

Writing it proved hard and bumpy and frustrating and tremendous fun. Finishing it was, for me, monumental. The relief that my editor didn’t say WTF when she read it, beyond enormous. It matters, a lot, to be satisfied with a finished manuscript. It matters, a whole giant bunch of a lot, when an editor a writer knows and trusts, whose purpose is to publish, package, market a book and help it be the best it can be, gives the work two thumbs up.

I already know the following two books that will comprise this trilogy will be hard and bumpy and frustrating and fun. But I’m on the road now, and I’m enjoying the scenery.

Normally, I wouldn’t have a lot to say to readers about a book that won’t be out for a year, or a trilogy that’s only just begun on my end. In this case, since it’s different, since it’s not Romance or built on the framework of the genre, and is a turn off onto a new road rather than a different lane, I thought it fair to let those who follow my work know something else is coming.

I understand some might think: But this isn’t what I want from her! That’s okay, don’t worry. The In Death series will continue. The Suspense novels with that core love story (or stories) will continue to pull me in. But you’ve got to follow the light, go where ideas pull you. And hope that readers take the journey with you.

Nora"

For those of you wanting to comment, here's the link to the blog:

http://fallintothestory.com/new-direc...

Quynh wrote: "Anyone seen this new post from Nora? http://fallintothestory.com/new-direc...

Going to be interesting to see where she goes with this new series she started."

Very excited that she's excited about this new venture! That's a good sign in and of itself! Can't wait to see what it's all about! :)

If she writes it, I will read it. :)

Me, too:)

I am excited to read this new book. It seems a little different from what I would usually pick, but that can be a good thing.

Fantasy is certainly the hot genre right now. An author has to write what readers want to read.

I'm pretty thrilled! I read across almost all the genres and am so excited to see what she can do with fantasy!

I'm right there with you, Quynh and Jonetta. I'll read anything she writes.

You may (or may not) be aware of the recent plagiarism controversy involving “writer” Cristiane Serruya but Nora has written an outstanding post on the whole situation, including when her work was plagiarized. Here’s the link.

http://fallintothestory.com/plagiaris...

More on the plagiarism, ghost writing, etc. topics where Nora does an exceptional summary. She doesn’t hold back!

http://fallintothestory.com/to-sum-up...

Okay, I thought her first post was stinging. This is stunning.

http://fallintothestory.com/update/