Wicked Pretty Update #2

I'm going to go ahead and post this, because I need a datestamp on it that isn't "April 1st." However, I am also exhausted, so this is going to be short.

(Catch up on the situation.)

There is, in fact, a formal apology from Trisha Telep (see ETA). The weird thing is that it was buried in the comments of Jessica Verday's blog on 3/25, and no one seems to have noticed it until just the other day. (After I heard, I was waiting for Livejournal to come back up to mention it.) It may have been missed because--well, number one, it was buried in the comments, but number two, Telep's initial light-hearted apology was posted under her own name, and this one was signed by her, but posted under "Constable Robinson" (the publisher in conjunction with Running Press). I don't know. However, I had been saying over and over, "Where is a serious response?!" There it is.

Nonetheless, both posted today: Andrew Smith is joining Ann Aguirre in dropping out of Brave New Love; Stacia Kane is dropping out of The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance. I feel like there was something else I was going to add a couple of days ago; if I remember, I'll ETA it.

Tags: appropriate responses to bad situations, books, down with this sort of thing, publishing, shenanigans

17 comments — :

( 17 comments — Leave a comment )

soleta_nf

2011-04-01 05:16 am (UTC)

That is a much better apology.

kelaina

2011-04-01 05:20 am (UTC)

It IS a much better apology....and it still doesn't explain why RunningPress is standing behind Telep. They are very much of the "have the cake and eat it too" mindset.

On the other hand...how about those Breaking Dawn sex pictures? My fiance nearly threw up in horror.

I can always count on Cleo to bring me the real goods.

mightbelupus

2011-04-01 11:34 am (UTC)

I haven't seen all of them, but I loled pretty hard.

neko_chan

2011-04-01 03:22 pm (UTC)

I concur, with the apology, and appreciating all the info Cleo throws our way on everything.

Re: pictures..... uh, they've released more teasers than just the hand/feathers one? o.o

2011-04-01 05:21 pm (UTC)

There were some breaking headboard pics too, apparently. No idea how they're gonna keep this PG-13

dives

2011-04-02 01:39 am (UTC)

Unrated DVD, of course!

apocalypticbob

2011-04-01 05:48 am (UTC)

If you didn't catch it,

seanan_mcguire also dropped out of Wicked Pretty Things. Her post about it is here:

http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/337562.html

cleolinda

2011-04-01 01:01 pm (UTC)

Yeah, I mentioned that on the previous entry.

lexicomane

2011-04-01 06:35 am (UTC)

Well, at least she apologized, I guess. It's a textbook non-apology, though, especially in the first sentence: "I sincerely regret the sequence of events which has led to..." Mistakes have been made!

copperwise

2011-04-01 07:02 am (UTC)

Jackson Pearce seems to have disappeared from the GoodReads listing for WPT, and the link to buy WPT has disappeared from her own website, but I haven't seen any formal mention of her pulling out. Looks odd though.

And unfortunately in these situations, a carefully worded apology after a non-apology and then a shitstorm never seems as sincere as it would have if it were the very first thing the offender had responded with. You only get one chance to make your impression, I guess.

2011-04-01 01:04 pm (UTC)

I was wondering whether she was going to stay in it or not.

wow!

leewindauthor

2011-04-01 12:59 pm (UTC)

I didn't know the number of authors who dropped out was up to 5 or 6. Finally blogged about this today - I have a lot of thoughts about it to share, but not in a reporting way, more a commentary about how this de-gaying crap has got to stop. But I also had to weigh in about how I'm confused - a protest to get the editor/publisher to allow the story to stay a gay love story I understand. I feel like I don't have all the information given that that's been offered and the current issue is the editor continuing to be involved... even when she has issued that new apology. But I am SO glad that you (and me) and everyone else is talking about this - the more light shed on these moments of attempted de-gaying, the harder it will be for editors and publishers to get away with that kind of institutionalized homophobia moving forward. (My post is here: http://bit.ly/i9H9ib ) Namaste, Lee

rhoda_rants

2011-04-01 03:39 pm (UTC)

Thanks for keeping us all updated in this, Cleo. YA authors are a tight-knit bunch--very loyal. It makes me happy to see them, and so many others, taking a stand on this.

(Deleted comment)

2011-04-01 05:55 pm (UTC)

I didn't want to mention that yet because I didn't want to be responsible for sparking a dogpile, particularly since things are really stressful here IRL, and I didn't want to strike a match and then walk away. I don't know if she's aware of the situation or not. I just feel like it would be irresponsible of me to set dozens of people on her.

2011-04-01 10:57 pm (UTC)

Oh, I hope it didn't sound like I was asking for a dogpile--not at all. She's made her apology, she's accepted responsibility, which was the grown-up thing to do. But it is exciting to me to see so many big names--and some that haven't even been published yet--throwing in their lot with Verday over this. It's a great support network.

(Did you notice Charlaine Harris commented on that original blog post? Or at least someone using that name on Blogger?)

2011-04-02 12:40 am (UTC)

Oh, no, no. That was more me thinking of future criticism, I guess, of "Why didn't you use your powers for gooooood?" or something. I don't know. I have a platform, I guess, I could use to demand this writer do [XYZ]. But (I was sitting there, thinking ahead), I don't know if she's aware that there's a controversy, I don't know if she does and has her own reasons for not pulling out, maybe her own story has gay characters and she feels it would do more to stay in, I have no idea.

Meanwhile, I'm over here with IRL things that are physically keeping me away from the computer for several hours at a time, and if I start something, I won't be around to finish it. So I was explaining that more for anyone else who would see that comment and wonder.

I've passed that link along to Jessica, though. She's the one who's contacted everyone so far; if she feels like this writer needs to know, she's the one who knows what's going on behind the scenes.

denelian

2011-04-03 05:35 am (UTC)

i'm HORRIFIED by this - Trisha has been sort of a fav anthology-editor of mine [i don't know her, haven't even MET her, so it's not a personal horrified/ a FAN horrified]

and i'm glad she gave a REAL appology, while cringing at WHERE she did it. it IS buried. she needs to un-bury it, and maybe ask for that story back, etc.
or quit the project. idk if she should quit ALL her projects... her "mamoth books" series is epic and awesome and HAS had various flavors of LGBTQI in them... not MANY, i grant, but SOME.

just - WHY does stupid crap like this have to happen? i'm still fighting with my parents over boycotting Orson Scott Card, FFS! now an editor! artists are supposed to be at the FRONT of social progess, damnit! [erm. sorry, that got ranty]

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cleolinda

Occupation: Girl

Please close the door and switch on the fun without fail.

wow!