Really? It seems to me that they are only being allowed to set the standards for people who want to write Christian romance novels that can be sold in CBA bookstores.

Right. Which is the primary location in which Christian romance novels are sold.

Is this publishing house dominating the romance publishing world?

Yup. Those guidelines I published are from Harlequin's Christian line. I've seen the guidelines for the other Christian lines, and they're similar.

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Aaaand of course now that I'm all caught up, I'm bored.

I have nothing to add to the Christian Romance discussion.

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Thanks to all for the tick/Lyme information. I found a tick attached to me (almost in my bellybutton) yesterday, but since I spend so much time rubbing my belly, I'm positive it wasn't there for more than an hour or so.

I'll still ask about it when I see the midwife (I know it's not her area but I figure she can give me advice), but based on what I just read, I should be fine.

Wow. Johnnie Cochran died. (I found this out by clicking Tommyrot's M & Ms link, btw.)

Me too. Seems weird.

Also, I am so relieved to see some other people expressing the "Would she just die already" sentiment (although way more tectfully than I just did) regarding the Schiavo debacle. I was starting to wonder if I was the only cold-hearted Bitch around here.

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I have been trying to get people to set up a pool on who goes first: Schiavo, the Pope, or Prince Rainier.

Yes, I am a bitch.

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"We're targeting an evangelical Christian market, and therefore your book must not contain anything that would offend any Evangelical Christian."

I suppose "evangelical Christian" was too long a phrase to use in all their marketing stuff. Still, it fosters the illusion that the only kind of Christian is an evangelical one.

Not that I'm into chick lit or hey-you-be-a-Christian lit (as opposed to literature by Christians or about Christianity, which I do consume on occasion), so my complaint is more of a general sociolinguistic gripe.

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$10 on Schaivo.

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Steph yes, it has to be attached at least 24 hours. You should be good.

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well maybe I am missing something, but my guess is if you're a writer and you're jonesing to break into the Christian romance market, specifically wanting to identify your work as Christian and seeking to have it sold in Christian bookstores, then that is not a surprise.

As a Christian, I don't go to Christian bookstores when wanting to by books on faith. I go to mainstream bookstores, because I know they carry religious books, and I am guessing that the general tone of the books will be more mainstream and less fundamentalist. I just assume that the exclusively Christian bookstores are more rigid in what the consider Christian.

Would a character identified as Christian be against guidelines in the larger romance realm?

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Also, I am so relieved to see some other people expressing the "Would she just die already" sentiment (although way more tectfully than I just did) regarding the Schiavo debacle. I was starting to wonder if I was the only cold-hearted Bitch around here.

I still disagree with the decisions made (although I think the judge was within his bounds--just wrong), but I can't imagine her coming back from this, without a miracle. If she isn't going to get that miracle, if she (or anyone) is going to die, quick death is better than slow for everyone involved, and the rest of us who aren't but are confronted with it, all the time.

I dunno if you could write Chick Lit about them and have it conform to those rules.

You couldn't write my very mild biography, and have it conform to those rules.

My guess is, the rules aren't just about not causing offense (although they probably largely are, because they want to appeal to the widest market). There's a big thing in the Bible about not putting a stumbling block in front of someone else. Even if something isn't specifically sinful, if it feels wrong to you, or if your doing it causes other people to feel like they're doing something wrong, you don't do it.

As an example, although more Christians than not, drink, it's always a little bit of a pleasant surprise to me, when if we're doing something with a group of people from our church, the pastor's wife asks if anyone wants to bring some wine. It's an unspoken thing in a lot of circles, where people recognize it's okay to do these things, but also recognize that those same things are "stumbling blocks" for others. It's sort of like how (religion aside) most considerate smokers will go outside to smoke, if they're visiting a non-smokers house.

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In news of me, haircut has been accomplished: [link] Now with more nape! [link]

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