Reviewer Interview – Emily Veinglory

I’ve asked a few of our fellow reviewers in the m/m genre to answer some questions about their reviewing, and they’ve been kind enough to play ball with me.

First out of the gate is the veteran m/m and erotica author, Emily Veinglory. Emily has been around since the time when the idea of ‘original slash’ made people look at you kinda funny, and is now one of the respected commentators and observers of the genre and the publishers involved in it, as well as one of its more beloved writers. Author of over a dozen novels and novellas in print and electronic formats, Emily, though her blog, keeps an eye on shenanigans and news in the industry, as well as helping new authors learn the tricks and pitfalls of the publishing game.

She’s a New Zealander who’s lived mainly in the US for the last five years (Indiana and Illinois) but also spent time in Canada and the UK. She writes MM dark fantasy mainly for Loose Id and Samhain and is gravitating back towards her favorite high fantasy and sci fi, while about to branch out into some Femdom.  She’s very interested in fiction that deals with gender, romance or sexuality in the context of the traditional pulp genres (e.g. romance, western, sci fi, fantasy, detective).  She reviews both for publication, for her own blogs and sometimes on request directly from the author.

So welcome, Emily, to Uniquely Pleasurable.

How long have you been reviewing?

Approximately four years.

Why did you start?

Initially I just posted a few reviews of books I had read, for a while that developed into a full review website but I have closed that site and now review mainly for other sites and a few print publications.

Where do you review?

At my peak I was reviewing for seven different sites and two magazines. However currently I review only for my own blogs at veinglory.com, ERECsite.com, and podpeep.blogspot.com. I am planning to restart my vampire book review site when I get the time. I am happy to provide guest reviews for any site, if they happen to have a book in one of my interest areas.

What genres do you review?

Currently I would be most likely to review self-published or micropress fiction, or vampire fiction.

Ebook or tree book – which do you prefer?

If I am certain I will produce a review I prefer a paper copy. However if an author wants to just send me something to consider, ebooks are better. I have a TBR pile of about 30 books right now so I can’t promise anything.

How many books do you review a week?

Currently, 0. I review about a book a month.

How many more do you read for pleasure?

Currently I read about 1-2 fiction books a month and 1-2 nonfiction books, but this varies wildly. When I discover a sub-genre or author I enjoy I go on reading binges, when I have a project of my own on the go (as is currently the case) I read very little due to a lack of time. However, if I am offered a book in one of my interest areas I will make time for it.

Have you ever put a review on line when you haven’t read the entire book?

No.

Rumour has it that some reviewers are more than one person – how many people are you?

There is only one Veinglory. However I do also review some other genres under another name.

Favourite genres for reviewing?

I am always interested in seeing anything highly original, weird, genre-bending or transgressive. In terms of MM I may want to see the book if the following is involved: poetry, centaurs, older men (50+), hard sci fi (conceptual science elements not space opera, think Bradbury, Budrys, Asimov), anthro/furry, Victorian era including westerns (*not* contemporary westerns), detective with a focussing on the detecting–especially noir, a new twist on vampires, literary (e.g. non-linear, linked collections, themes relating to the human condition). Well, I could go on. If an author can state a specific interest of mine is in the book and specify details (what kind of review copy they offer, where they envisage the review appearing) I will always consider it. Generic queries tend to just get deleted as it is too time consuming to follow up on them and figure out what the author is asking me for.

Pet peeves in writing?

As a matter of taste I am unlikely to be thrilled by any of the following: more than four point-of-view characters, uber alpha-males, Gary Stu protagonists, badly inaccurate science (including psychology), slow pace (e.g. several ‘ordinary world’ chapters before the action starts), overly plain writing style (e.g. limited vocab, monotonous sentence structure, complete lack of imagery). That said, I would overlook any of these things if other elements of the book are strong or the writer just makes it work.

Horror stories in reviewing?

I think the low points would be when review site sending me material I specifically asked not to receive and requiring me to review it (e.g. MF extreme Maledom=not for me), review sites pushing for more positively toned reviews and higher ratings, and an author not appreciating an error in my review to the extent to saying he hoped I got breast cancer. But they were all learning experiences. I now review only books I choose based on being interested in them (e.g. being a potential customer). And I don’t think authors should get worked up about reviews, but reviewers equally shouldn’t get worked up about what authors might think about the review.

Do you review friends?

Generally no. There are some rare exceptions where I will give a friend whose book I really do like a line quote to use in promotion, and there are some books I agreed to review before deciding that reviewing for friends thing wasn’t a great idea.

What has reviewing done to your view of books and writing?

I started writing and reviewing around the same time. The only interaction between the two is that I have limited time. So the more I write the less I review. I enjoyed both activities, but I get paid for writing so it tend to get more of my time.

Do you enjoy reviewing as much as you did?

Yes, but mainly because I have become more selective about what I will review. Being a reviewer means people send me information about a lot of interesting books that I would not have otherwise heard about.

Would you ever write a ‘revenge’ review if an author annoyed you?

No

Snark – good or bad?

If the point is worth making, snark is a way to make that point humorously. A little snark for its own sake can make the review more interesting and so get more people to read it and learn about the book. Naturally there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed where the goal is to abuse the author or the snark gives an inaccurate impression of the book. But mostly I think readers know that snark says more about the reviewers personality and tastes than anything else.

Other reviewers whose opinion you respect or recommend?

I am influenced by review sites that give more analytical reviews and where the role of the reviewer’s personal taste is easier to partial out. That would include a pretty long list of mainly online sites, predominantly blogs.

What would you like to see happen in the m/m genre over the next two years?

I would like to see MM new releases reflect the real diversity of the theme. Romance will always be popular but MM can as easily be sweet as hot, and fits as well in a love story (e.g. no HEA) as a genre romance. I would like to see more stories that could hold their own in a core genre as well as incorporating MM and other related themes to varying degrees and in varying ways. It seems like MM has broken through as a sexual fantasy more strongly than in other areas that were previously strong but have now faded away (e.g. MM sci fi in the 60-70s, MM detectives in the 80-90s, only historical MM seems to have the same vigor right now). “MM” per se is a beachhead for branding, publishing and promoting–but sometimes these areas of innovation suck people into that area rather then empowering them to push the boundaries further. I would specifically like to see real diversity in human romantic and sexual experience combined with good core genre plots. My kingdom for someone who can write a good asexual, transgender or transsexual protagonist combined with first class speculative science, mystery or western plotlines. Where have you gone, Marion Zimmer Bradley? A reviewer turns her lonely eyes to you…(e.g. Lythande the lesbian sorcerer magically required to conceal her gender, a gay circus trapeze artist in the 1940s… MZB wrote and sold popular fiction that colored over the lines to tell her stories and I see relatively few similar writers working today.)

How important do you think reviews are to people discovering and appreciating m/m?

I really do not know. I found MM by finding books in my local public library and news agent. I suppose the internet has changed how things work now but I generally only find reviews of MM because I know where to look for them.