The great thing about fiction is that if not expressly
stated, the reader can visualize the characters, the scenery, just about
anything any way they want. White,
black, or brown skin, or perhaps skinny, overweight or ‘normal’ characters, that’s the
amazing aspect of reading – immersing ourselves in a story that although written
by someone else, becomes our own by creating the characters how we would like
them to be – our perception.
Let’s talk about perception in the romance genre –
specifically the gender of the author.
It’s a fact – most of the romance books are written by women. I know that most of the romance books that are
on my shelves are written by women. But
why is that? I really have no idea. Say though that the author of a book just
uses their initials and there is no glamour shot in their bio. Generally, what gender does the reader
usually associate to them? In most
cases, probably female because that is what we as readers have been conditioned
to think.
But what if a male writes a romance? Would you pick it up if the blurb really
intrigues you? I for one wouldn’t care
as long as the subject matter is one that interest me.
Which leads me to the point of this post. Back in 2014, I was introduced to a new
author and the novel that they wrote was titled Carnival. I fell in love with this story and found a
new favorite author to add to my ever growing list. Since then, I have devoured everything written
by this author. The author’s name is
K.B. Nelson. Hmmm…..is K.B. female or
male? With no head shot anywhere online
the reader really doesn’t know. I
believe most people would assume female because, well, romance. That is what most of us perceive. This author writes with so much passion and
the stories absolutely amazing it really shouldn’t matter the gender of the
author, right?
Well, for over a year, this author has struggled with
keeping their gender unknown. Why you
ask? Because K.B. Nelson is a guy. Yep. A
man writing romance. Ummmm….who would
have thought this was even possible?
That was Mr. Nelson’s concern right from the beginning. In a field where women thrive and succeed,
his concern was that his work wouldn’t get a second glance just because of his
gender. I for one think a man writing romance is
awesome. A man who gets it. A man who knows what romance is and can incorporate
it into words that readers can visualize perfectly. A man who can give a reader
an experience that they will never forget.
Yesterday, K.B. finally came ‘out of the closet’ so to
speak with a blog post explaining
why he kept his gender under wraps and that really got me thinking. Why do we as readers have this
perception? Maybe we all need to think
outside the box more often and give talented young authors the chance that they
deserve. So, if you see a romance book
written by a male, please don’t shrug it off.
Pick it up and give it a chance, because there is a wealth of talent out
there in the romance genre and it doesn’t always come from a woman.
Don’t let perception prevent you from discovering
something new. Guess what? It may just be the most outstanding novel
that you ever pick up.
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