true blood. meh. rant.

I just finished watching the HBO series True Blood on my PVR. (Ranty spoilers ahead, for those who don't want to know.)

Hooray! for vampires on mainstream tv. We need more of it.

That's where my delight in this series ended. Two words: WHINY HEROINE.

God, she's awful. I just wanted to punch her from scene 2, ep one, and it didn't get better. I'm sure she can't be like that in the books, or they wouldn't be such a hit.

TV Sookie invades people's privacy and then complains like a squashed skunk when people do the same to her. She complains all the time without a thought for any one else's problems. And even though she's almighty perky (my, is she perky. TV Sookie: hey, bar patron whom I so clearly think I'm better than, can you see how perky I am? No? Can I push my titties out just a little more? See now? No? How's about I wiggle my tush? Get it now? Great. kthxbai) if a guy should find her attractive, that's a mortal sin. What a be-yatch.

TV Sookie is the Thought Police. News flash, Sookie: people are entitled to think what they like, even if it offends your virginal little sensibilities.

Oh yeah. Did I not mention she's a virgin? Riiiiight.

And she's so self-absorbed. Everything has to be about her. Example: ep 2, where Bill tastes her blood for the first time.

TV Sookie: "Do I taste different to everyone else?"

Spew. I was so hoping Bill would say, no, actually, you're common as dirt, girl :)

And what's with dressing up in a white nightie and running out into the forest? What a princess.

However.

The series wasn't a total loss. Redeeming features:

1) Bill. He's a clumsy fool, but he's kinda cool. This actor makes a much better vampire in Ultraviolet, btw. See:

 

2) Eric. Cool, built, wears muscle shirts (!), takes no shit, makes fun of Bill, thinks Sookie is a waste of space, girly hair that I adore. Nuff said.

 

3) Lafayette. Sassy. Alas, he's no more.

4) Rene being the killer. I like Rene. Pity he didn't kill Sookie too. Stay in the grave, Sookie.

Rant over. I was disappointed. I'll get over it. And, I'll probably watch Season Two. Even if just to see Eric in that muscle shirt again.

That's enough outa me -- what did you guys think of this series? Hit or miss?

tonight, my love

A shout-out for my friend 's newest release: Tonight, My Love from Spice Briefs.

It's an eerie, sexy little tale with a killer twist. Here's the blurb:

"Tonight, my love, the choice is yours," Andrew Campbell tells Isabelle as they ride through the streets of Whitechapel to select a prostitute to join them in bed. Her choice: Franny, a pretty young girl hesitant to go with the genteel couple with Jack the Ripper on the loose.

Yet the lure of money and food is too strong for Franny. Before long, she is in their bed...with Andrew and Isabelle fulfilling their promise to take Franny to the height of sexual ecstasy.

But once their pleasure is complete, Andrew and Isabelle have another surprise in store for her....

tweet me, baby

I've joined Twitter!! 

Yeah. Because there were just too many hours in the day.

Come chat with me @ericahayes.

Because, you know. You can.

shadowfae cover

Here's what the fabulous folks at St Martin's have done for my cover! I think it's awesome!


 


Release day 13 October 09. How good??

groovy book trailer...

An unusual live action book trailer, for Alex Bledsoe's vampire horror novel Blood Groove.



Creepy! A From Hell, Jekyll&Hyde kind of flavour. The musical, of course :)

on labels and delisting your brain

The recent Amazonfail mutancy got me thinking about how labels can drive our behaviour, even though we aren't necessarily informed about where those labels come from.

It's amazing how many times one hears comments to the effect: "I won't read Author X, because I have it on good authority s/he's a homophobe/racist/bigot/[insert species of socially mutated idiot here]".

Uh huh. You know what? Fine, don't agree with them. Don't condone their behaviour. Don't buy their books if it makes you feel better not to give them royalties. But isn't refusing to read them on that basis and that basis only merely exposing yourself to just the kind of cultural censorship and brainwash that made that author the repellent person they are?

Rather, refuse to read them because their books suck.

I happen to find anti-Semitism repulsive, for instance. But I don't care if Mel Gibson is or isn't an anti-Semite. It won't stop me from watching his films. Tom Cruise apparently does weird Scientology stuff, and jumps on couches on national tv. That makes him an amusing spectacle and a walking commentary on the price of fame. But it doesn't make him a bad actor.

His bad acting does that :) nah. Just kidding. Actually, I rate the baffling Mr Cruise as an actor. But you get my drift.

Certain authors tend to rant on the internet, to many fans' disgust. That behaviour makes them ranters, not bad authors. Only bad books make you a bad author. And reading those books doesn't mean I agree with everything the author believes.

Same goes with writing and critting. I'm a fiction writer, not a social commentator. Writing a murder mystery doesn't mean I condone murder. Nor does reading one.

And if I'm reviewing or critting a story, I talk about fiction. Not about the author's values or lifestyle or experiences. Frankly, unless I know you personally -- and sometimes even then -- I don't give a damn about any of those things. And I flatter myself that I have at least a small clue about what makes readable fiction. If I suggest a story's broken, there's at least a slim chance that it is, in fact, broken. Even if the broken part is dear to your heart, some point you're just dying to make.

I don't care about your point. I care about good fiction. Sigh. Why do people take things so personally?

Read. Watch. Consume information. Know your enemy's failings. Pretending they don't exist won't make them go away.

And neither will delisting them on Amazon, apparently.

my government thinks I'm an idiot

We apologise for this interruption to our scheduled programming.

I'm not linking to it, see? Some fool at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) might fine me $11,000.

But if you go to a site called Wikileaks, and search for 'ACMA blacklist', you'll find it. The alleged ACMA blacklist, that is. All those nasty internet sites our government is trying to stop us from viewing. It may or may not be accurate. But it's enough to get really angry about.

Here's why ACMA say I shouldn't do exactly what I'm doing. The proposed compulsory ISP-based internet filter is supposed to 'prevent access to harmful and offensive online material'.

Yeah. Don't adjust your set. It says 'offensive'.

Not 'illegal' or 'defamatory' or 'exploitative' or 'non-consensual'. 'Offensive'.

Well, I'm pretty fucking offended by your internet filter, okay? I'm offended by jerks who want to take all our responsibilities away so we'll no longer be entitled to the rights that come with them. I'm offended by bureaucrats and politicians who think I'm so dumb I can't decide for myself what I'm offended by. I'm offfended by parents who are so weak and seduced by the culture of blame that they refuse to take responsibility for what their kids see on the internet and think the government should do it for them.

The government we deserve, folks. Don't let this happen.