Tuesday, April 17, 2007

No Man is an Island Entire of Himself

My dear students, professors, and academics everywhere,
The Dean weeps for those who have had everything taken from them at Virginia Tech. In the heart of every academic institution there is a wound that is deep and throbbing. The promise of the future is taken from all of us. There is never a good reason; this is just a random act of one madman. The Dean implores all of you to care for yourselves and for each other. Be careful my very dears.
The Dean

Monday, January 29, 2007

The Gellis Interview

Many years ago (No my very dears, The Dean shall not reveal that exact number) in a university not all that far away.....
The Dean was but a lowly graduate student with an academically radical idea--that the Romance genre was an important component of publishing and Romance writers were the lifeline of many small independent bookstores (yes The Dean knows it is almost unbelievable, but this was in the time Before B, B&N, and A).

But The Dean's graduate advisor scoffed at The Dean's ideas and refused to believe until confronted with real evidence. So The Dean (perhaps more properly labeled the grad student) did some laborious research--in that far off time there was no Internet *gasp*--and found a conference of the Romance Writer's of America at which the guest of honor was to be none other than (da da da!) Roberta Gellis.

So after much leg work and setting up of interview times, the grad student threw all her RG books in a bag and took off for the conference. The grad student met Ms Gellis in the lobby of the hotel and almost didn't recognize her because her hair was beautifully brilliantly silver white, but the only picture of Ms Gellis had been on the back of the hardback library copy was an old black and white showing her with black hair.

We talked for over two hours about all facets of writing and that's when Ms Gellis told the grad student that she was very proud of her Gothic romance, as it was one of the first she had written, although not the first she had sold.

The grad student asked about the seeming confusion in the order of publishing Knight's Honor was the first published, but Bond of Blood clearly comes first (The Dean admits that the grad student was a bit of a book geek). Ms Gellis told the grad student that Bond of Blood was written first but was only commercially viable after the success of Knight's Honor and that furthermore there was another chapter at the beginning showing Leah's younger childhood days before she is married.

Other revelations were that the character of Simon Lemange is really based on William Marshal (who has a small cameo in Roselynde) because he was a fascinating historical figure, but RG wanted the freedom to send her characters where the story needed to go. Ms Gellis also revealed that she had never really considered her historicals to be primarily romances but was happy to have a new audience. Before the end of the interview, Ms Gellis asked the grad student which was her favorite of the books and then signed that one:

"To (grad student) who is doing a thesis and raising romance to literature. Roberta Gellis" (The Dean allows a small sigh of remembered pleasure)

Many years later, The Dean contacted Ms Gellis again (this time through the delightful medium of email and engaged in a delightful conversation with Ms Gellis again. At that time RG revealed that at the time The Dean interviewed her, RG was quite nervous because that was her very first romance conference where readers also came and she had been quite nervous. She seemed just as wonderful as The Dean remembered.

Another reminder from that conference was finding out that one of the hot names in romance was really a collaboration of two middle aged women from the Midwest somewhere. The Dean still sees those books on shelves (one assumes that the partnership kept bringing in additional writers or the retirement home has some interesting activities for their residents).

The Dean has been remiss in not posting this interview before but hope it met your expectations, particularly dear Colleen. Remember that authors put some part of themselves in every book so treat them gently a bit, my dears. To write is nowhere near as much fun as to read--this is not to say that they do not have some responsibility to get better (see author sins), but they are doing all the heavy lifting for the enjoyment of the readers, so complete snarkiness (The Dean deplores the use of these peculiar onomatopoeia words but it seems the coin of the blogworld realm) while momentarily amusing in some situations, really smacks of self-satisfied grand standing. Very bad form, my dears.

From The Dean's Desk



The Dean

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Basic Skills needed by all Literate Romance Readers

Basic Skills (considered as a pre-requisite for all additional reading)
Having read (at some point in your reading life) a Gothic romance, what are the critical values?

How did the Gothic inform the modern romance (non-formulaic version)?

When did sex get good in the romance field?

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Convocation

Welcome to another term in Higher and Nobler Education.

I am The Dean of both Inquiry and Community.

As the Cardinal wrote, lo many years ago, (attention now, an important quote/paraphrase is coming up--learn to read the telltale signs that there is a significant piece about to be revealed) "the university is the place where scholars are in community and inquiry is pushed forward." (extra credit for the scholar who knows which Cardinal)

As part of The Dean's duties, I will pass on interesting and relevant information in our study of the human condition, as non scholarly as that may sometimes appear. Do not lose heart, dear scholars, we are all students in this noble pursuit--although as The Dean, I am clearly superior in both wit and witness and my ability to hire and fire faculty, offer or suspend curriculum, give grades and assign homework. Fear not, a grading scale will be posted, and I will remind you about important dates.

From the Desk of
The Dean

Welcome to The Dean's world

This blog will outline and grade everything from books to movies.

Pay attention.

There will be a test.