THE HEDGEHOG BLOG

So over on DL, I mentioned that there is very little that makes me laugh out loud when I read fiction. This came from a query about "a writer named Fford" and I explained how Jasper Fforde was one of the only writers who made me laugh out loud. There's a huge thread going on now where folks are posting about all these "funny" authors and it makes my head hurt. It makes me feel like a troll, because I'm so not amused by SO many of the authors named. I don't GET "humorous" mysteries. And please forgive me - I'm not slamming YOUR taste, and that's all it is, is taste. I don't GET Evanovich's appeal, I don't GET Donna Andrews (whose first book alas, I wanted to throw across the room), I don't even get Westlake's Dortmunder books. It's an odd thing, taste in funny, isn't it? Charlotte MacLeod? Anne George? Made me squirm. My darling Cornelia and my everlovin' Stu LOVE P.G. Wodehouse. Argh. And I HATE thinking of myself as lacking a sense of humor, I really do. And thank you Elaine for thinking otherwise, But, well, um...okay, um, Keith? Keith makes me laugh out loud. And i have read every one of his books at least 4 times. And I still laugh. Sometimes at the same things, sometimes different. Keith Snyder is funny, in part because he isn't trying to be. He's warm, witty and humorous. Now THAT's FUNNY.
So there's a s.f. mailing list called "SMOFS" which I shoulda joined ages ago and just joined recently. (SMOF for those unaware stands for "Secret Masters of Fandom". It's a major fannish joke. There's SHOF, or Secret Hamsters of Fandom, but that's another story.) And on the SMOFS digest tonight was the story of "Atlanta Nights" a deliberately awful book written by a bunch of sf/fantasy authors as a rather deliberate slap at PublishAmerica. It's a REAL long story about how PA is deceptive in claiming it's a "real" publisher - that apparently they do no editing, no copy editing, nothing. And get rather vindictive when you say so, as shown by some letters received from them.
It's all over the net; Teresa Nielsen-Hayden's Making Light discusses it. There's a story in the LA Times today about it - and I'd quote it, but I don't know what's appropriate as far as copyright here - I'll probably post it with credit in another blog.
Suffice it to say I've ordered "Atlanta Nights" from lulu.com; it's available as a POD with proceeds going to the SFWA Medical Fund and it sounds really really REALLY bad.
Back in the long ago, there was a horrific little manuscript called "The Eye Of Argon" which became the object of mass amusement at s.f. conventions. I hosted at least to "participatory readings" of the thing. The idea was to read as far as you could without cracking up. No one ever made it through 4 pages. It was so very bad - as one reviewer on lulu reminded me, it required a review by "Leonard Pinth-Garnel" the Saturday NIght Live character who used to rate "Bad Red Chinese Ballet" and other performances. "Eye" readings are best done at midnight on Saturday, when you're all very very tired. It's funnier that way.
Some of the brilliant back cover blurbs for Atlanta Nights are available at
http://www.veranazarian.com/Atlanta-back.jpg. Curiously, they seem to be some rather familiar names. Could they be, gasp, some of the authors? Er, why yes, they could - see http://coldground.typepad.com/cold_ground/2005/01/atlanta_nights_.html .
Now THAT's FUNNY!

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2005-02-05 10:43 PM Now, THIS is Funny! Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (3) Share on Facebook	So over on DL, I mentioned that there is very little that makes me laugh out loud when I read fiction. This came from a query about "a writer named Fford" and I explained how Jasper Fforde was one of the only writers who made me laugh out loud. There's a huge thread going on now where folks are posting about all these "funny" authors and it makes my head hurt. It makes me feel like a troll, because I'm so not amused by SO many of the authors named. I don't GET "humorous" mysteries. And please forgive me - I'm not slamming YOUR taste, and that's all it is, is taste. I don't GET Evanovich's appeal, I don't GET Donna Andrews (whose first book alas, I wanted to throw across the room), I don't even get Westlake's Dortmunder books. It's an odd thing, taste in funny, isn't it? Charlotte MacLeod? Anne George? Made me squirm. My darling Cornelia and my everlovin' Stu LOVE P.G. Wodehouse. Argh. And I HATE thinking of myself as lacking a sense of humor, I really do. And thank you Elaine for thinking otherwise, But, well, um...okay, um, Keith? Keith makes me laugh out loud. And i have read every one of his books at least 4 times. And I still laugh. Sometimes at the same things, sometimes different. Keith Snyder is funny, in part because he isn't trying to be. He's warm, witty and humorous. Now THAT's FUNNY. So there's a s.f. mailing list called "SMOFS" which I shoulda joined ages ago and just joined recently. (SMOF for those unaware stands for "Secret Masters of Fandom". It's a major fannish joke. There's SHOF, or Secret Hamsters of Fandom, but that's another story.) And on the SMOFS digest tonight was the story of "Atlanta Nights" a deliberately awful book written by a bunch of sf/fantasy authors as a rather deliberate slap at PublishAmerica. It's a REAL long story about how PA is deceptive in claiming it's a "real" publisher - that apparently they do no editing, no copy editing, nothing. And get rather vindictive when you say so, as shown by some letters received from them. It's all over the net; Teresa Nielsen-Hayden's Making Light discusses it. There's a story in the LA Times today about it - and I'd quote it, but I don't know what's appropriate as far as copyright here - I'll probably post it with credit in another blog. Suffice it to say I've ordered "Atlanta Nights" from lulu.com; it's available as a POD with proceeds going to the SFWA Medical Fund and it sounds really really REALLY bad. Back in the long ago, there was a horrific little manuscript called "The Eye Of Argon" which became the object of mass amusement at s.f. conventions. I hosted at least to "participatory readings" of the thing. The idea was to read as far as you could without cracking up. No one ever made it through 4 pages. It was so very bad - as one reviewer on lulu reminded me, it required a review by "Leonard Pinth-Garnel" the Saturday NIght Live character who used to rate "Bad Red Chinese Ballet" and other performances. "Eye" readings are best done at midnight on Saturday, when you're all very very tired. It's funnier that way. Some of the brilliant back cover blurbs for Atlanta Nights are available at http://www.veranazarian.com/Atlanta-back.jpg. Curiously, they seem to be some rather familiar names. Could they be, gasp, some of the authors? Er, why yes, they could - see http://coldground.typepad.com/cold_ground/2005/01/atlanta_nights_.html . Now THAT's FUNNY! Read/Post Comments (3) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top
:: HOME :: GET EMAIL UPDATES :: International Rescue Committee :: Brady Campaign to END GUN VIOLENCE :: Americans for Responsible Solutions :: David Zinn, artist :: Wendy Goldberg :: Kiva - microlending :: SQUISHIES!!!! :: Sluggo! Ann Arbor's Foremost two dimensional resident :: Mr. Monkey! :: Give Free books! :: Flying Spaghetti Monster! :: Matthew Shepard Foundation :: THE BLUE CARD :: Kickstarter :: EMAIL ::