My Response to Harlequin's "Reprinting" the Pulps

Harlequin is reprinting some of the old pulps-- you know, those old books with plenty of sex and violence-- the sort of story where Bo Fexler would fit right in.

Except they're "editing" them to make them more politically correct. Apparently, Harlequin never even read the Wikipedia article on pulp fiction books... like where it says that pulps were "perhaps best remembered for their lurid and exploitative stories."

So apparently in Harlequin's reprints, instead of walking down these mean streets, the detective will walk down mildly disgruntled streets.

Happily Ever After... or at least Satisfactorially So

I like dark stories and gritty settings. I like characters who are sharp and ruthless. I like reading characters put under pressure and who must sacrifice their dignity or integrity or some other virtue for success.

But I want a satisfactory ending. The good guy wins. The bad guy loses. I don't need a happy ending, but I need a satisfying one. Endings that are ambiguous or clearly bad leave me feeling like the story is incomplete. Maybe my copy lost a couple pages. (I had a book once that was missing the last few pages. That was awful.)

I don't spend all this time rooting for a character just to see them lose!

I know that life isn't always happy or satisfactory. And I prefer fiction that is realistic. Up until the end. I want things to end well in fiction. If for no other reason than because life can be a bitch.

Though, there are a few exceptions. For example, when watching the movie "Pitch Black" I was so rooting for the creatures to eat everyone!

How do you like your endings? Sunnyside up, hardboiled, or maybe as an omelet with cheese and ham [insert other toppings] that's fully satisfying?

Sales Pitch

So, I use 'The Big Sleep' in my Movies vs. Books course (an English credit.) It's an old book with unusual language and a narrator who's quirky. All reasons I love it, but consider the audience-- mostly guys who read only school books 'if they have to.' So I've got to sell this book, get them interested. It's not hard really.

My sales pitch sounds like a disclaimer: "If there's anyone who doesn't want to read a book that includes references to alochol use, drug abuse, murder, and pornography, you can let me know and I'll get you an atlernative book. There's nothing explicit, but these things are part of the book." They start reading the back of the book and flipping pages to see if they can spot the first instance of pornography.

I go on to say, "I would probably never get this book approved in a traditional high school. Again, there's nothing explicit, but there are potentially objectionable things in the story." They're already reading the first page.

Now, I wish I could hook an agent that easily.

Everyday Evil

I've concluded a couple things in the past year as I've avidly pursued and moderately succeeded in being a published short story author. One of those is that my particular storywriting has trouble fitting into most publications.

Obviously, if you're reading this, you're familiar with Bo Fexler. She's not a terribly heart-warming character. She doesn't always do what's best. And she's quite fluent in profanity. Well, my readers may not realize that since many publications don't accept profanity. So, it's edited out or downplayed to meet the audience (or rather the publication's editors).

These are fine publications and I accept that profanity is still considered inappropriate speech in many forums. Hell, I'm a teacher. I'm regularly reminding my students to watch their language. (The irony is not lost on me!) My stories are usually not affected by lose of vulgarities.

Except some of the stories are not about good people doing good things. They're about people who are bad to varying degrees-- including Bo-- doing a variety of bad things. I don't often write about murders in my stories, but rather missing people, cheating spouses, and other everyday evils. But many publications don't seem to accept bad people doing bad things. Maybe because there's no redemption and no warm-fuzzies. Warm fuzzies make me gag.

On the other side are the hardcore crime noir publications. These are bad people doing horrible things. Everyone gets beat up. People are killed for fun or sport. Women are prostitutes and men are sleaze. The extreme. Now, I'm familiar with pulp fiction (both movie and genre.) Some of my work pushes into this ultra-gritty area. And in these ones my aptitude for profanity also finds its outlet.

Except most of my work isn't hardcore enough. Bo doesn't beat everyone up. She tries to walk the legal line. She's not willing to jeopardize her PI license since she really likes her job. But she's also not redeemed at the end of the story with a "happily ever after" and a "God bless us one and all." Bo's not hardcore crime noir. She's not literary detective/ mystery fiction. She's just an articulate dame trying to make her way in the world full of regular do-badders.

Now THAT is writing I can relate to.