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Sandbox Archives View Interviews by Category - Author, Publishing Professionals or Other 2005 - 2006 Sandbox Interviews
Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches
February 2010 - Marilyn Shoemaker The Playground is excited to have one of our biggest fans in the Sandbox this month. Marilyn Shoemaker is well-known for her review blogs. We’ve ended up on a few email loops together and one of us ends up being the “other” Marilyn. She’s a huge champion of the romance genre so please make her welcome. Playground Monitor: How did you go about becoming a reviewer and blogger? Marilyn Shoemaker: Hi Marilyn, thanks for inviting me to the Sandbox. While working at a major cruise line I was introduced to the romance genre by a couple of co-workers. During our lunch hour we would discuss what we were reading, share books and we eventually started a small library in the Princess Cruises lunch room. I loved the books so much that I emailed a few of the authors and attended some local book signings. It was through that contact with some of those authors that I was asked to consider posting my reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble or posting comments on romance forums. Now seven years later, I review for Pink Heart Society Reviews and have started my own review blog as well as a blog sharing industry news on Romance Author Buzz. As my reviewing progressed, I also joined my local RWA Seattle Chapter where I’ve met so many talented authors. PM: How do you decide what books to review? MS: At first I chose Harlequin Presents, Silhouette Desire and Special Edition because they were quick reads and I had a career and children still at home. Then as the years went on, authors started contacting me and/or sending books and the rest is history. In fact two of your authors here at The Writing Playground….Lynn Raye Harris and Kimberly Lang gave me the great honor of reviewing their debut books. PM: Do you ever compare your reviews to other reviews of the same book? MS: I compose and post my reviews first so I’m not influenced by others. My writing style is very simple and my reviews sincerely come from my heart. Then, if I get a chance, I do look at other bloggers reviews especially those reviews of my favorite authors. PM: Why romance? Do you have a favorite sub-genre within romance? MS: The sheikh genre. A friend introduced me to Susan Mallery’s Desert Rogue series. I enjoyed them so much and started posting reviews to a website dedicated to the genre. The site had interesting articles, a forum where people posted reviews, listed authors and titles for the genre. Then the site went down due to spam. I had invested a lot of internet time posting reviews on that particular site, so that’s how my blog Romancing the Desert -- Sheikh Books was born. I’ve also found I enjoy women’s fiction which at one time was known as “chick lit”. Two Harlequin authors I had already been reading, Roxanne St. Claire and Jane Porter introduced me to their books. Once I read St. Claire’s Hit Reply and Porter’s The Frog Prince I was hooked. PM: Covers and titles. Do they ever influence whether you even buy a book much less read it? MS: What influences my personal purchases are the book description, the author, the subject, reviews and I usually go on line to see if there is a “behind the book” story. I find that sometimes the covers or titles to not reflect the story. If you’re an author reading this blog, I sincerely pay attention to the dedications; I think they reveal so much about the author and the book. PM: Who are your favorite authors? What are some of your favorite books? What is/are the book(s) you read again and again? MS: That’s a hard question. I’m such a Harlequin Presents fan first and foremost and I’ve read 90% of the authors who write for the line. Susan Mallery who writes for HQN. I adore her family themed stories i.e. The Lone Star Sisters, Marcelli Sisters and The Buchanan’s. Believe it or not, her sheikh books which were part of her The Desert Rogues are some of my favorites due to her sense of humor, the passion between her characters and there is always a lesson to be learned. Her heroines are always strong and intelligent women and give as good as they get. And then Marilyn, I enjoy reading our mutual friend Roxanne St. Claire who writes romance/suspense and her brilliant Bullet Catcher series. What makes this series amazing for me are the hot heroes and her secondary characters. In each of her books she always has that one special scene that takes your breath away. You’re also a fan so you know what I mean. PM: Tell us about what you do when you’re not reading romance, blogging and reviewing books. Job? Hobbies? MS: For 22 years I worked in the travel industry so I enjoy traveling or cruising. When I’m not reading or working at my part time job, I enjoy spending my time with my family and friends, dining out, going to movies, of course shopping or attending a Broadway show being performed here in Seattle. During the summer months, I spend a lot of time at my family summer home on the water at Hood Canal, swimming, gardening and of course, I’m always reading. PM: Now just for fun. :) Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? MS: All of the above. Hot chocolate for special moments. PM: Chocolate or vanilla? MS: Chocolate of course! PM: Crispy or original recipe? Or would you prefer steak? MS: Steak, medium rare. And seafood as I’m so lucky to live in a city known for its fine dining and seafood restaurants. PM: Dream vacation spot? MS: I’ve seen a lot of the world via cruise ships. I think Australia, due to my reading by some of the Presents authors like Annie West, Trish Morey, Robyn Grady and many more. These authors have intrigued me with their descriptions of the Australian country side, beaches and Australian major cities. I would also like to see more of Italy and visit the UK. PM: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers? MS: The romance community and the friendships I’ve made through blogs like this one I would have never believed possible. I’ve witnessed others in this romance community, who have never met, reach out to help others in time of need which I find truly remarkable. About Marilyn Shoemaker: Marilyn has lived in Seattle, Washington and worked in the travel industry for over 22 years. At present, she’s working part time at a nationwide clothing store, Chico’s. She has two incredible children. Her son Chris recently graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Seattle and desires to work in fine dining. Her daughter Keri lives and works in Washington DC and is the director of her DC PR firm. They have been the joy of Marilyn’s life. She was married to a Seattle firefighter who after retirement went to work in sales at Holland America Cruise Line. Married for over 30 years, they enjoyed their children, travel and spending time at their summer home on Hood Canal. Ron passed away three years ago. He was Marilyn’s best friend and like the romances she adores, it was love at first sight. Reading romance is her passion and sharing it with others gives her great pleasure. There’s nothing better than receiving an author’s email saying thanks for “getting my book” or a reader’s comment ”because of your review, I’m going to buy the book.” She is looking forward in 2010 to stepping out of the box and reading new authors and genres. Marilyn’s Romance Reviews: http://marilyns-romance-reviews.blogspot.com/ Romance: Author Buzz: http://romance-author-buzz.blogspot.com/ Sheikh Books: http://romancing-the-desert---sheikh-books.blogspot.com/ Pink Heart Society: http://www.pinkheartsocietyreviews.blogspot.com/ EHarlequin: Post reviews as “Reading in Seattle” The Playfriends are tickled to welcome Sarah Wendell from the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books blog to the Sandbox this month. In addition to her blogging duties, she’s the co-author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms (with fellow Smart Bitch Candy Tan). Hopefully Sarah brought massive man titty with her, so slide over and give her lots of room… Problem Child: Hi Sarah and welcome! Oh where to begin… Okay, let’s start at the obvious place: romance in all its bosom-heaving glory. How’d you get your start as a romance reader? Sarah Wendell: Petty larceny. I was a late reader, and I'm not sure if that was because I had trouble seeing text (I have horrible eyesight), I was having trouble learning to read, or I wasn't interested in what there was to read, but in elementary school I had a tough time of reading comprehension. I was moved backwards in reading groups and got it into my head that I wasn't too bright because I didn't like reading, unless I was reading Sweet Valley High or the like. Amazing how many people found romance with the SVH series as their gateway drug! So, anyway, my junior year, maybe sophomore year, I saw the class valedictorian in the library and she was reading this HUGE paperback novel, and I immediately got all intimidated and angsty (I was a 16 year old girl after all) about how she must be reading something totally superior to anything I read, though I was always on the lookout for something new to read that I might like. I worked up the nerve to ask what she was reading, and lo and behold, the clouds parted on a chorus of harps and trumpets, and light fell through the windows in gleaming columns as she replied, "It's a romance novel. You haven't read one?! OMIGOD you HAVE to try one." She dragged me over to the wire rack of paperbacks and started pointing out all the ones she'd read - and that she'd dogeared all the "bad scenes" that she didn't like so other people could skip over them. (Those would be the rape scenes - it was the early 90s after all, and romance still had a healthy 'Thanks for raping me!' plot line.) Then she told me about the book she was reading - Midsummer Magic by Catherine Coulter - and excused herself to go to the ladies room. I started reading the first chapter, loved it, and ran to the checkout counter to take the book home with me before she got out of the bathroom. See? Petty larceny. PC: What made you decide to take your love of romance novels public with the SBTB blog? SW: Candy and I had a long and meandering email conversation wherein we somehow got to the subject of how much we like romance, how hard it was to find critical reviews of romances - or anyone in person who, as Candy put it, wouldn't start revising downward their estimation of your intellect after you confessed to loving romance novels. One of us suggested a review blog - and the other agreed, and Smart Bitches was born. I don't think the clouds parted with harps and trumpets, though. PC: How did you and Candy get together? Are you high school friends or something? SW: We met online, like any two people with a true passion for something that you can't discuss at a cocktail party. PC: SBTB got really big, really fast. How’d that happen? SW: We have no idea. We never advertised, and we only told a few people we knew about it. But once one group of readers or writers found it, the link was passed around and around and suddenly we had this amazing community of people talking with us. PC: What do you think is it about y’all that gives SBTB such a strong voice and place in the romance community? When scandal erupts in Romancelandia, SBTB usually has a huge conversation going on about it. SW: We start conversations because we want to talk to the folks who hang out at our site, and without fail I always learn something from them. I think our conversation threads are strong and interesting because we try very hard to maintain consistency and authenticity with our writing. Whatever it is we're writing, that really is our opinion, and, as I like to say, the underlying rhetoric of anything I write is that I'm as full of shit as anyone. So folks are welcome to disagree with me, and they do. Then it gets totally interesting. PC: Many authors live in fear of being reviewed on SBTB. (Not only for the possibility of snark, but for the pile-on in the comments that can follow a snarky review.) Do you only review books that are sent to you (in other words, the author takes her own chances)? SW: We review books that are sent to us by authors, by publishers, or recommended to us by readers who think we'll like or scream with hilarity a particular book. PC: Do you review most/all of the books you read? Are there books you read just for fun, knowing you won’t be reviewing them on the blog? SW: I do read for fun, but often if I start a book thinking I won't review it, I find I have a lot more to say about it when I read without my "What the review going to be?" hat on. PC: Is it getting difficult to read just for fun? Is it hard to turn off the reviewer part of your brain? SW: Nope. I read better that way! PC: What’s the best book you’ve read recently (whether or not you reviewed it)? SW: Hmmm. I just finished Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan, and while there's a few plot points that make me go, "Hur?" the writing and the emotional layers of the characters were absolutely savory. PC: Have the number and types of books sent to you to review made you step outside your usual, favorite genres? Did you discover new favorite authors or genres you probably wouldn’t have read if not for SBTB? SW: Oh, yes. And I get reintroduced to genres that I didn't think I'd like, from category romance (boy was I wrong - LOVE it) to romantic suspense (fine, so long as there are not priapic fern-owners) to paranormals. PC: So let’s talk the Bosoms now. How did the book come about? Were you approached by someone to take your insights off-line and into the bookstores, or did you do the approaching yourself? SW: The book is entirely the fault of Rose Hilliard at St. Martins, who emailed us a long time ago and said, "Have you ever thought about writing a book?" Our answer: "BWAAAAHAHAHAHA. No." She talked to us about the genre and what she thought we could do, and sent us sample proposals so we had an understanding of how to write one - and eventually after a whole bunch of "BWAAAAHAHAHAH. Ok." moments, we had a book deal. PC: A large portion of your target audience already loves the genre. How’s the response been from those outside of Romancelandia? SW: Anywhere from, "You wrote a book about THOSE books?" to "Oh, COOL, I LOVE those books!" We've heard it all. PC: While I fully support the study of romance from an academic standpoint, I do think it’s important to embrace the genre for what it is – without excuse or apology or implying it’s something it isn’t. (Okay, so that’s not a question – just residual trauma from my thesis rearing its head.) At the same time, the romance genre has to reflect the struggle and growth of the demographic it speaks to and represents. (Still not a question. Hmm. My interviewing skills suck.) What do you think the study of romance novels could add to the discourse on feminism, women’s studies, women’s rights, etc.? (Ooh, that’s a question!) SW: I think that romance novels represent an anthropological and sexual history of women in the 21st century in every single aspect. Whether you examine the themes of courtship ritual or whether you analyze the fact that for 60-plus years, women have been operating independent creative businesses writing fictional narratives for an audience of mostly women that generates over $1.7 billion dollars US annually, there's something in there for everyone to learn and appreciate. PC: Along those same lines, do you catch heat from the use of terms some would consider perpetuating the stereotype of romance (trashy books, heaving bosoms and the like)? SW: Yup! It's part of our drinking game: any time someone comes to leave a cranky comment and says we're nothing but "trashy bitches," we have to drink. We deliberately chose the words for that reason: we've already called ourselves Bitches and we already used the word "trashy," so now that we've got that down, what else you got? Nothing? Then listen up, because romance is awesome. PC: Were you at all nervous when it came time to read reviews on your book? SW: Sometimes. Some of them we responded to, because we like to do what we're not supposed to do, and others we giggled at, but the reviews from sources whose opinions carried a lot of weight with me made me nervous, because it's a different thing entirely to have a discussion about a book when the book is one that you wrote. PC: Any big plans brewing for the SBTB blog? Or you and Candy? More books? SW: More of the same, with awesomeness, we hope! PC: Your regular readers probably feel they know you pretty well. Is there anything they’d be surprised to learn about you? SW: I really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig ha! PC: And now for the lightning round… Coffee or tea? Both! Vampires or Shapeshifters? Shifters. Skirts or pants? Both (not at the same time) Contemporary or historical (yeah, you gotta choose one)? Historical Skittles or M&Ms? M&MS! PC: Thanks, Sarah, for playing on the Playground! We hope you’ll come back and visit soon! Sarah and the other Smart Bitches can be found at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Check out their book - Beyond Heaving Bosoms available now.
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