tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post4802644834169345022..comments2024-03-27T01:07:03.944-04:00Comments on The Roses of Prose: Tough Skin? Mostly By Brenda WhitesideAlison Hendersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-16964054783785621552016-05-10T10:18:15.337-04:002016-05-10T10:18:15.337-04:00Mackenzie, I did just that last night. Waiting for...Mackenzie, I did just that last night. Waiting for a response.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-329647680038587372016-05-10T10:17:33.153-04:002016-05-10T10:17:33.153-04:00Thanks Alicia and Beth.Thanks Alicia and Beth.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-57712506278070799742016-05-10T10:16:23.697-04:002016-05-10T10:16:23.697-04:00Devon, your reaction to my cover is how I felt abo...Devon, your reaction to my cover is how I felt about it when I saw it. Don't we wish we were all like us? And, yes, the sizzle factor can surprise a reader if the cover doesn't tell the tale...I guess. With romance, I kind of expect of intimacy. Readers can can sure surprise us! Good luck!Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-70293200879939940932016-05-10T10:06:36.340-04:002016-05-10T10:06:36.340-04:00You know what they say, Brenda. You can't plea...You know what they say, Brenda. You can't please all the people... The blurb makes the issue plenty clear but like Jannine said, if you feel the complaint isn't a one time thing, bring the issue to the pub. Mackenzie Crownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14495228596521457813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-26053241746621287402016-05-10T09:40:49.263-04:002016-05-10T09:40:49.263-04:00I think your book sounds fascinating, Brenda. Sorr...I think your book sounds fascinating, Brenda. Sorry about the craziness you are experiencing.Beth Trisselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13742049964476824594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-76176267722165451702016-05-10T07:44:49.322-04:002016-05-10T07:44:49.322-04:00Yes, it's difficult to maintain thick skin, bu...Yes, it's difficult to maintain thick skin, but we have to try in our business. I love the cover and the blurb. I think people today can be a bit oversensitive. Yes, the swastika represents a horrific period in history, but it DID happen, and the swastika exists, so it will be seen from time to time. That shouldn't take away from the interest in your book, but then, we can't control how others feel, right? Good luck, my dear!Alicia Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003539473772776004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-44182468851446824082016-05-10T06:49:38.012-04:002016-05-10T06:49:38.012-04:00Hi Brenda. Your post hit home with me today. As fa...Hi Brenda. Your post hit home with me today. As far as your cover goes, I did not find it offensive. In fact, I felt the opposite. I was engaged - drawn in by the girl's expression and the man's steely front. The background was the icing on the cake adding a little more mystery. I want to know more - which is exactly the response I'd want from someone looking at my covers. For my covers I chose a lone cowboy and on the other a cabin under the northern lights. I love them both and thought them to be a perfect setting for romance. Not quite the same feedback I received. One reader was upset that my characters shared an intimate moment. Though the scene was far from explicit, my takeaway was that perhaps my covers aren't quite romantic enough. Or maybe I also need a tougher layer of skin. Best of success on A Legacy Of Love and Murder. I look forward to reading it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-56850297683522935762016-05-09T23:04:35.935-04:002016-05-09T23:04:35.935-04:00Thanks, Leah. Maybe I'm overreacting but still...Thanks, Leah. Maybe I'm overreacting but still going to stay alert for feedback.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-92116231362478647932016-05-09T23:03:29.861-04:002016-05-09T23:03:29.861-04:00Alison, this particular reader said she read the b...Alison, this particular reader said she read the blurb. I'm at a loss!Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-66072135715241132422016-05-09T23:01:54.718-04:002016-05-09T23:01:54.718-04:00Rolynn, funny, but how true. It's jungle out t...Rolynn, funny, but how true. It's jungle out there, kiddies. And the monkeys are wild.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-16807006959905221082016-05-09T23:00:01.618-04:002016-05-09T23:00:01.618-04:00Thanks, Vicki!
Diane, it's a thought but I...Thanks, Vicki!<br /><br />Diane, it's a thought but I'm going to watch my numbers for a while longer.<br /><br />Andrea, yes, very true.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-1199954442727031782016-05-09T22:57:39.401-04:002016-05-09T22:57:39.401-04:00Yeah, Jannine, I've been thinking along the sa...Yeah, Jannine, I've been thinking along the same lines. It's so odd because this is my favorite cover of the series.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-89615159249239226742016-05-09T22:56:04.049-04:002016-05-09T22:56:04.049-04:00A nice uplifting viewpoint, Linda. Thank you!A nice uplifting viewpoint, Linda. Thank you!Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-81091181818146567292016-05-09T22:55:00.888-04:002016-05-09T22:55:00.888-04:00I sure hope you're right, Mary. Thanks for the...I sure hope you're right, Mary. Thanks for the input!Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-34355544231657382992016-05-09T18:46:14.269-04:002016-05-09T18:46:14.269-04:00Like Vonnie, I enjoy reading about the WWII era, a...Like Vonnie, I enjoy reading about the WWII era, and the threat of neo-Naziism is a compelling plot line. I think it's clear from the cover that there is some anxiety going on. This sounds like my kind of story. I'll check it out!Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01738532052396774131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-5864871609409394852016-05-09T14:39:44.827-04:002016-05-09T14:39:44.827-04:00Brenda you know very well you have to ignore the n...Brenda you know very well you have to ignore the nasties esp if only one speaks up like that. Good luck with the book<br />AndreaAndrea Downinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11553961600937196102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-87751476153458761922016-05-09T12:48:35.642-04:002016-05-09T12:48:35.642-04:00Frankly, that never occurred to me, but I knew wha...Frankly, that never occurred to me, but I knew what the story was about by the time I saw the cover. Looking at it objectively now, I can understand how a reader might react negatively to the swastika. I also wonder if some readers who don't read the blurb might think it's a WWII era historical. As Rolynn said, it's impossible to get inside the minds of some folks out there.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-25728573875915720922016-05-09T12:22:13.974-04:002016-05-09T12:22:13.974-04:00Brenda, my dear, all you have to do is watch the t...Brenda, my dear, all you have to do is watch the the GOP mess to understand...or should I say, not understand what is in the minds of some folks. When a big chunk of our population believes aliens have abducted people... You do your best work and give the best advice you can to your cover artist. The blurb makes the story clear to me. Onward and upward!Rolynn Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09504770204968969467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-1545755220723602722016-05-09T11:34:12.849-04:002016-05-09T11:34:12.849-04:00I agree with Vonnie's thought that the reader ...I agree with Vonnie's thought that the reader might have had relatives in concentration camps. If at all possible, I'd try to get the cover changed. Just my 2 cents.Diane Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03754105332297068271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-81474718450246602732016-05-09T11:15:46.948-04:002016-05-09T11:15:46.948-04:00Well, Brenda, their loss. You are a fab writer. So...Well, Brenda, their loss. You are a fab writer. Sometimes, these things happen. I agree with Jannine about a terrific blurb to entice the reader. Vicki Batman, sassy writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13846704675542248648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-34517723522656829022016-05-09T10:25:47.771-04:002016-05-09T10:25:47.771-04:00You'd think the publisher would have nixed the...You'd think the publisher would have nixed the swastika if they felt it would turn off readers. I agree the blurb makes it clear your H&h are anti-Nazi. Hopefully readers will read the blurb before making a judgement call. The blurb is terrific and should draw readers in with the promise of a great plot! If you do get more similar comments, you might want to take your concerns to the pub/artist. She could easily remove the swastika from behind them, and resubmit the cover. But it would take away from the drama of the image.Jannine Gallanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047728297429025804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-75974398118548998002016-05-09T10:15:54.308-04:002016-05-09T10:15:54.308-04:00To leave the country was a bold move on your part....To leave the country was a bold move on your part. Celebrate your courage and don't stress over "the one that got away"! If you've got a five book series going then you're doing OKAY. Enjoy the journey wherever your wonderful characters take you.Linda Tillishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00751380613445196891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-29962009686970243022016-05-09T10:09:08.656-04:002016-05-09T10:09:08.656-04:00As an author who killed her heroine of the first b...As an author who killed her heroine of the first book in a series (it was between books and they were based on a historical character), I can relate to author backlash. I had more than a few readers who said they'd never read the second book (where the hero, struggling with his terrible grief, finally falls in love again). I also had some readers who swore they'd never read another book by me again. Did it hurt my career? Maybe. But there wasn't any way I could change things. That's how the story evolved and without that book I couldn't have written the two other books in the series. <br /><br />As for your book, as long as they read the blurb, readers will understand what the book is about and I think almost all readers read the blurb. And readers read books for characters, not setting, I think. So if they love your characters they will go wherever they end up.<br /> Mary Gillgannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576518364465232493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-22055378973146655192016-05-09T09:46:05.649-04:002016-05-09T09:46:05.649-04:00Thanks, Margo. I'm watching this one to see if...Thanks, Margo. I'm watching this one to see if the trend continues. Like I told Vonnie, newbie mistakes.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-33474655821727052752016-05-09T09:45:20.501-04:002016-05-09T09:45:20.501-04:00Me too, Vonnie, but apparently my cover can turn o...Me too, Vonnie, but apparently my cover can turn off others. And of course there is my boo boo in not keeping the series consistent. Newbie mistakes.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.com