Male romance authors

[julesjones]

The Smart Bitches have been talking about men who write romance, and the attitude towards them of some readers. There's some interesting commentary over there, including people claiming that they knew that certain authors were really men because of the way that they write. Now, I think it's true that there are noticeable differences, and you really can tell -- for *some* authors. Not all. And the markers aren't as reliable as some seem to think. One of the things someone in the comment thread has cited as a dead giveaway for a male author behind a female pseudonym is doubtless a contributing factor in why so many people assumed me to be male.

They were compiling a list of men who've written romance under a female pseudonym. I know there's at least one such on my flist, but I don't want to out anyone -- the discussion's here should any of you wish to wander over and take part:
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/male_writers_of_romance/

(Note this is about commercial publishing and genre romance -- I know that rather a lot of my flist does fanfic without regard to traditional gender boundaries in the genre.)

Comments

[shriker-tam.livejournal.com]

One of the things someone in the comment thread has cited as a dead giveaway for a male author behind a female pseudonym is doubtless a contributing factor in why so many people assumed me to be male.

Not obsessed with clothes and hair?

The one thing I can recall out of hand that I've noticed male authors doing more than female authors is talking about male character's balls going north when the character is scared.

[julesjones]

Not obsessed with clothes and hair?

Yes, somehow I thought my flist would be able to work that one out. :-)

The balls thing is one of the better markers, but even that's not reliable. The one I noticed, and started putting in deliberately, was references to shaving.

[ex-emilyvei.livejournal.com]

To be honest I can't raise much interest in the issue. Some people think my style is girly because I use metaphors and semi-colons--but I couldn't name a brand of make up or type of shoe if my life depended on it. I know that when I go by 'veinglory' on forums 9 times out of 10 I get called 'he'. So long as they pay for the book it's all good.

Meh. [this ends you uninvited dose of apathy]